Author's Note:
Sup, boyz and gurlz! TheSavageMan100 is back again after another break. Before we get started, this chapter is dedicated to Chadwick Boseman, the star of one of my favorite MCU films Black Panther, who died at age 43 after a long battle with colon cancer. Wakanda Forever, Chad. You will be missed, we give our condolences to your family, and you will live on as the true Black Panther in our hearts. Speaking of, I fought and won a battle of my own, such as another monthly hiatus. That's right, I'm still alive, and my passion for writing lives on. Let's be honest; I've spent a lot of time brainstorming before posting this chapter, and I wanted it to be as dramatic and impactful as possible, not to mention real-life issues (need I say all?), so please bear with me. I know some of you are feeling impatient, and I hope this chapter more than makes up for it.

Meanwhile in my absence, I've learned a lot of new things related to Kingdom Hearts and all other video game hot shots. First off, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. Continuing where we left off after Sora's heart-breaking sacrifice in KH3, Kairi goes on a quest through the heart to find clues as to where our favorite Keyblade hero has gone. And seeing her in action once again, fighting what appears to be an illusion of Xehanort or the Master of Masters— you go, girl! And the rhythm-action game looks so catchy and spiffy, it's like Guitar Hero basically had a baby with Dance Dance Revolution! I'm so interested to buy this game for my PS4, not just for PHASE II of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, but for the fun rhythm-based gameplay.

Second, the new PlayStation 5 console. White is the new black, most impressive I might add, and when I heard that adding a PlayStation 4 disc decreases the loading times and gives off cleaner graphics for that game, I simply couldn't stop myself from squealing. I can't wait to buy this console, as well as the new Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Into the Spider-Verse is my all-time favorite Spidey movie) as my first PS5 game. I wanna return to the good ol' days of backwards compatibility (hopefully), and try some of its cool new DualShock and/or online features! All in all, the PS5 looks so promising! Oh, and I prefer the Blu-ray drive version than the digital version, since I'm more of a disc fanatic like most people. I don't care how expensive it is, JUST SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

With that out of the way, I'm back in business! And it's a miracle I finished this arc before Halloween! Speaking of, this is the climax of the Halloween Town adventure, where Wendy and her friends challenge Oogie Boogie. Expect more surprises, hilarity, and unexpected revelations near the end of the chapter. Now, fill up the gas in the tank and keep the train rollin', ya dig? Let's get started!


Evil Playroom

To say the situation in the playroom was spiraling beyond control would be an understatement, though that was to be expected from a trio of hapless party members tied up to a single chair after less than a hour spent on being subjected to constant, physical abuse from Oogie Boogie's little henchmen. Donald, Goofy, and Jack couldn't do anything but look around the room for a sign of hope that didn't come at the moment; Wendy and the others mysteriously vanished, making them the sole victims of Lock, Shock, and Barrel's nasty antics. They stood before the captured heroes, laughing and making mocking gestures at them, their responses of displeasure amusing them to no end.

Wherever the rest of their friends were now, Goofy and Jack hoped they were safe and finding their own way back to deal with the turmoil that followed after their embarrassing loss. Donald, on the other hand, didn't seem to take Wendy's sudden disappearance lightly. A trail of mud from a pie thrown at his face dripped down his beak, almost like he was crying tears. Whimpers of distress rolled out of his mouth, as though he had been tortured for information in the midst of a brutal interrogation. "Where's Wendy when we need her?! Those little tykes are the worst versions of my nephews! Who taught them how to behave like that?!"

Jack stated, "I'm sure there's a reason for the others to vanish all of a sudden. But I don't believe it means they purposely left us behind. Something must've happened to them while we were busy dealing with Oogie's wildcards." He motioned his head to Lock, Shock, and Barrel, "Before we knew what was going on, our friends weren't here in this room anymore."

Goofy worried, "Gawrsh, you don't think somebody tricked Wendy, Romeo, Sherria, Carla, Lucy, and Juvia into leavin' the room so they trapped 'em someplace else?"

Jack replied, "That would be my guess. Oogie or someone other than him may have anticipated our arrival right from the very start."

Goofy gasped, "Someone else? You mean Kaze and her Sleepy Hollow crew? They've been after Wendy since she first set out from her world before it got swallowed up! Or is it the unusual connection between those two? I bet they're up to no good again!"

Donald complained, "Great! That's just great! The party's split up again, and now us three are all tied up, stuck with a bunch of crazy kids!" He wobbled his webbed feet around in a vain attempt to free himself, "We need Wendy! She can't leave us like this, not now! We need her! More than ever!"

Jack encouraged, "Don't give up hope, gentlemen! It's grim, I know, but we have to hold out for as long as it takes. No use crying over spilled pumpkin juice!"

Goofy agreed, "He's right, Donald! We can't give up! It's gonna be okay— Ouch!" A pebble from Barrel's slingshot bonked him on the forehead, silencing him.

Barrel taunted, "Hey, what's the matter, big doggie? Head's as thick as your... head? Ha!"

Shock beamed, "I have an idea! Let's stuff their heads with buckets full of caterpillars!"

Lock suggested, "Or how about we put lots and lots of thumbtacks under their butts?"

The three giggled maliciously with so many ideas of tormenting Donald, Goofy, and Jack etched on their minds. The prisoners obviously didn't like where this would go.

Jack sweated, "Oh, my... I think they're ready to serve us the main course!"

Donald panicked, "Somebody help! We can't get out! Wendy! Somebody! Anybody!"

Goofy gulped, "W-What's gonna happen to us now? It can't get any worse, can it?"

The trick-or-treaters were cut off by a shower of emerald light that burst from the center of the playroom. As the light dissipated, Wendy, Romeo, Sherria, Carla, Lucy (still paralyzed with fear), Juvia, and Gray (with his Gravy personality still intact) made their long-expected return.

"WENDY!" Instantly, the curtain of uncertainty had been uplifted. Donald, Goofy, and Jack were excited and relieved to see Wendy and her Earth-land companions making a comeback to save them from Oogie's minions.

"Wendy! Romeo! Juvia!" Goofy cheered. "I knew you'd make it back!"

"It's about time..." Donald breathed. "Now you can get us outta here!"

"Donald? Goofy? Jack?" Wendy said in surprise, and by observing their present situation did it fully sink in. A gasp escaped her mouth. "What happened to you?!"

"We could ask the same of you!" Jack interjected. "You disappeared from the room out of thin air! What happened out there? And how did you get back to the playroom?"

"Yeah, about that..." Romeo admitted. "Sorry to keep you waiting. We fell into a trap set up by a Headless Horseman. Took us a while to get out alive."

"The challenge was long and arduous," Juvia stated. "But the rewards we received in the end are great. Much greater that we had hoped." She pulled Gray into her arms and squeezed his body tightly, the ecstasy of finally winning the heart of the man she loved overwhelming her. "My beloved Gray, how I missed you so! You've come back to me, here in my arms again! I misjudged you before, but only because I didn't see the man behind the mask. Now I do, and for once..." A brief pause, and her voice elevated to a joyous cry. "...I kind of liked the new you better!"

"Oh, you love me, boobie lady?" Gray squealed happily. "Please say it again! Say that you love me! Say it again! Say it again! Say it again! Say it again!"

"Do you have to ask, pooky bear?" Juvia cooed, tightening her embrace. "I love you! I love you a thousand times! You know that I love you, and you love me! You know, it's not very often that a beautiful woman falls for a knight in shining armor. Who would've imagined she'd fall for a man whose personality is totally reversed from cold and gruff to caring and lovable? I never thought I'd say this, but that's just the way I love you best!"

"I love you best too, boobie lady!" Gray chimed, grabbing Juvia and twirling her around. "I love you the best of the best of the rest who will get so depressed because I'm blessed or possessed I will guess for the test that always does impress!"

"Gray, you make such wonderful comments, though they sound a bit odd!" Juvia adored. "Back then, I had a hard time tolerating you as Gravy..."

"Yes?" Gray spoke up when he heard his 'Gravy' name.

"And from what I can tell, a few didn't get a taste for Gravy, either."

"Yes?"

"Except for the biscuits— biscuits go along well with Gravy."

"Yes?"

"But now, even though you made my stomach turn as Gravy..."

"Yes?"

"...I'm beginning to love you as Gravy, Gray."

"Yes?"

"I hope to have my fair share of Gray Gravy..."

"Yes?"

"...perhaps every day, for the rest of my life— even though Gray Gravy smells."

"Yes?"

"I think if I dig a little deeper, I can learn to have an appreciation for Gray Gravy..."

"Yes?"

"...and embrace your unique... flavor, if you will. If there's one thing this experience has taught me, it's that no matter how kooky or wacky you are, you deserve to be loved, as does everyone else. You must treasure those closest to you, or else you'll never know what is it you have until it's gone forever."

"Boobie lady, you're the smarty-pants smartest girlfriend ever!" Gray beamed. "Boys love girls who are smarty-pants and cutie-pie and honey-bunny and smoochy-woochy, you know that?"

"And you were right," Juvia crossed her arms over his head, staring at him with an affectionate smile. "You were always right, my handsome ice prince. I will never let you go. No force in the whole wide universe can ever hope to stand between us. Nothing's going to tear us apart." She concluded with a deep sigh, "I love you, Gray. Always... and forever! What do you say when this is all over, I'll get you all the chocolate ice cream you want?"

"Aww, shucks. You had me at 'good morning'!" Gray's eyes gleamed with passion as he looked into hers. "I love you, too! And I LOVE chocolate ice cream! Always and forever-ever, ever-ever, ever is a very, berry, Mary, Mary quite contrary long time! How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells, I really love you so!" He brought her head up to slightly crush her mouth into his. Juvia quickly found her hands playing with the Ice-Make wizard's black locks, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Wendy, Romeo, Carla, Donald, Goofy, and Jack were at a brief loss for words, while Lock, Shock, and Barrel made no effort to hide their disgust for the overly mushy exoticism. As for Sherria, she wasn't bothered by the display of affection, but rather the backwards mentality of the romance.

"Ewww, gross!" Lock grimaced.

"Yuck! Kissy face!" Shock cringed.

"I can't watch!" Barrel looked away.

Unable to stand much of it anymore, Sherria stood between Gray and Juvia, interrupting their kiss. "STOP IT!" she yelled angrily. "What do I have to do to make it clear to you lunkheads?! Love must be expressed the RIGHT WAY! Not like this!" She pushed Juvia away from Gray, "The show's over! Save the romance for after we bring Gray back to normal! Break it up, you two! Break it up!"

"Wait a minute... Did she just say Gray?" Goofy's eyes widened at hearing the name of the topic that Juvia had brought up since the tribulation with Monstro.

"Hey, thanks for putting the breaks on the icky love stuff, missie!" Lock appreciated.

"What I wouldn't give to put pins and needles on this yucky, yucky mush," Shock huffed.

"Tell me about it. All the hugging and cuddling and kissing... It's gross!" Barrel noted.

"Truth be told, it isn't the hugging and cuddling and kissing that's gross," Sherria told the three. "It's the lack of quality and the dynamic that's garbled up. Believe me, I know. It's all knowledge and experience." She turned to look at Gray with a sympathetic expression before she resumed shoving Juvia. "It's hard to set up a perfect romantic atmosphere nowadays. Why can't love just be simple?" She sighed to herself, "If only..."

"Huh? What does she mean?" Shock wondered.

"I have no idea what she's saying," Lock admitted.

"Me neither," Barrel nodded.

"Come on!" Juvia pouted, her eyes bursting with hearts. "Can I kiss him some more? Please?"

"Sorry, Juvia. I can't let you," Sherria shook her head. "Love without common sense is not love. It's awkward, unnatural, and disturbing. The slurping in your kissing most of all. Seriously, you gotta lay off the saliva; you both sound like faucets that keep running in the bathroom!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Romeo confirmed to Wendy and Carla.

"Oh, I think you're overreacting a bit!" Juvia giggled. "It's just me and Gray, having a wonderful time as lovers do! What's so wrong with a little love between myself and—"

"This kind of love is wrong!" Sherria argued. "Love is supposed to come from the HEART, from the deepest parts of your SOUL! Not from a TWISTED MIND!" She turned to Gray, "No offense, Gray. I meant your brain damage. Don't worry, though. We'll take you to the doctor and set your mind straight."

"Huh? Did you say take me and boobie lady to the doctor-sir-ma'am?" Gray asked curiously. "Is that what you're asking me and boobie lady to do? Go see doctor-sir-ma'am and set the record mind straight?"

"Uh... sure," Sherria answered hesitantly, trying to cover up what she intended for the mentally damaged Fairy Tail wizard. "That's the general idea here. We'll get to it after we sort things out. Nothing a little visit to the doctor can't fix, right?"

"Hmm..." Gray rubbed his chin. "You drive a hard bargain, missie..." His expression brightened, "...but it sounds like a suggestion for another date night with boobie lady! I'll take it! Boobie lady and me are going to see the doctor-sir-ma'am and set the record mind straight. This is the perfect idea for a new date night which is tonight! Boobie lady will be so happy with your idea, and so I am! It's a doctor-sir-ma'am date time! Date time! Date time! Date time is the date time for you and..." He finished in a dramatic falsetto, "Meeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Yeah, why not?" Sherria chuckled awkwardly. "One more date night wouldn't hurt, if you want tea, bread, butter, and cookies with that..." She let out a soft grunt of discomfort, "...and some chocolate ice cream to warm up your hot mentality. You got the hint, at least. For a person with a broken mind, you're pretty easy to convince."

"Boobie lady date night is the date night for you and me!" Gray sang happily. "Boobie lady date night is the date night, free deliver-y! Boobie lady date night is the date very ta-asty! Whoo!"

"Oh, my beloved Gray!" Juvia admired. "You're an incredible singer!"

"Boobie lady date night is the date night ab-so-lu-tiv-al-y!" Gray's singing forced Lock, Shock, and Barrel to cover their ears and sing loudly to block him out. "Boobie lady date night is the date night—"

"And this corny singing is killing me!" Barrel complained.

"You think you have problems? I do, too!" Lock shuddered.

"Gosh, I can't stand this touchy singing!" Shock cringed.

"Come on, Gray! One more kiss!" Juvia smiled. "I haven't had enough of the sweet aroma from your succulent lips. I want more. More, I say!"

"MORE?!" Sherria, Wendy, Romeo, Carla, Lock, Shock, and Barrel exclaimed.

"Not again!" Lock, Shock, and Barrel shouted.

"Never again!" Sherria panicked.

"Watch out, love-puppy," Juvia sang with pride. "Here I come!"

"Not so fast!" Sherria stopped her before she could approach Gray. "Didn't I tell you to save the romance for after we bring Gray back to his old self again?"

"What's your problem?" Juvia raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to stand between me and my beloved?"

"For good reason!" Sherria answered. "You're embarrassing everyone and yourself with your nauseating, drool-dropping get-together!"

"Nauseating? Are you out of your mind?!" Juvia frowned. "I love him, and he loves me!"

"I know you love him, Juvia, but it's not proper! This isn't real love!" Sherria argued. "You can't force someone to love you, especially when his mind's in reverse! Look, this isn't permanent. We'll work it out when Gray's normal again."

"What if I like the new Gray better?" Juvia countered. "He never once reciprocated my thoughts and feelings for him." She added gleefully, "But now that he has devolved into a different mind and personality, he does! And this is absolutely perfect for me! Now that he's a completely new man, my long journey has come to a end! I've never been more happier in my entire life! It's what I've always dreamed of, what I've always wanted!" She gestured to Gray, who was busy singing to himself. "Finally, I've won the heart of my darling Gray! He's mine! All MINE!"

"DROP IT ALREADY, WILL YA?!" Sherria shouted, giving one last shove to Juvia towards Wendy, Romeo, and Carla.

"Just a kiss! One more kiss!" Juvia whined.

"Not until we bring Gray back!" Sherria asserted.

"Come on!"

"No!"

"One more kiss!"

"I told you, no!"

"You know, Romeo, I'm starting to agree with Sherria," Wendy told him. "It's just not the same when Gray's not himself. We need him back. He's one of my teammates and close friends. I've known him for a long time."

"I don't know if Juvia will accept it if he's back to normal," Romeo admitted. "A while ago, she didn't like him as Gravy the Jester, and now she loves him! But like Sherria said, the romance is all mixed up. On top of that, it's not in Gray's nature to dance and laugh like a clown. He would never act that way. I've known him for a long time, too."

"We can remedy these complications after we stop Oogie Boogie and retrieve the experimental heart," Carla advised. "The task ahead of us comes first."

A bright smile appeared on Wendy's face. "I understand, but no matter where our friends are and what happens to them, I'll always stand by them. I want to help them in any way I can."

Romeo joked, "Does that include friends with upside-down minds?" That statement prompted a small giggle from Wendy.

"Uh, why is Juvia kissing Gravy?" Donald asked confused. "I thought she hates him." He paid close attention to Gray's exposed face, "And what happened to his mask?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say she finally learned to get along with him," Jack deduced. "And he must've lost his mask in the confusion. The harlequin demon worked really hard on that thing; it suited him for his cheerful and lively personality! Then by the time he came back, he's not wearing it anymore?" He then shrugged, "Oh, well. It's only an accessory. We can always make replacements."

"Fellas?" Goofy interjected. "I think I know why Juvia's givin' Gravy some sugar right now. What if..." He trailed off as a single bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his eyes widened in a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. Little by little, his own theory was coming to light. "What if Gravy is another Fairy Tail friend we've been lookin' for? Not just any Fairy Tail friend, someone real special... someone Juvia's been talkin' about all day long?"

"Wait!" Donald's eyes widened. "You don't mean..."

"He has to be!" Goofy nodded. "Gravy must be—"

"Oh, shut up, will you!" Lock snapped. "We're sick and tired of this baloney about romance and love and all that junk! Where's the scary? Where's the edge? Where's the attitude?!"

"Geez, I don't know how you put up with these two crazy nutjobs with their stupid, dumb love business," Shock derided. "'Gravy this, Gravy that! Gravy, I want a kiss! Gravy, give me a kiss!' Yeesh! They just spoiled the mood with their hugging, kissing, and cute talking! Just how insane can any of this get?"

"Yes? Yes? Yes? Yes?" Gravy was quick to respond to Shock speaking his name four times, much to her annoyance.

"That clown guy and that rocker girl, they're a couple of love freaks!" Barrel commented. "They ruined our fun! When do we get back to the good part? Back to where we had Jack and his new buddy-buddies on the ropes?"

"Yeah, that's right! We want our fun back!" Lock agreed. "Throw away the dumb romance thing and bring back the fun, the way we used to have!"

"Say, I've got an idea," Shock proposed. "How about we hog-tie the idiots all at once? That way, they won't have to bother us with their slobber-covered smooches and their washed-up romantic talking and singing ever again."

"Now that's an idea I can get behind," Barrel snickered. "I don't like the awful, terrible sound of their smooching the most. They're making my ears hurt!"

"Yours and mine both, buddy," Lock sighed.

"We should've gotten our earmuffs..." Shock mused.

"Anything to shut out the noise," Barrel moaned.

"Okay, so you guys don't approve of this bad romance as well," Sherria confirmed. "But love as a whole? You don't like anything about love at all?"

"Of course we don't! Why would we care about something as dull as love?" Lock replied.

"All we want is to mix things up around here, all day long, as much as we want!" Shock stated.

"You brought this in, so why do we even bother with that load of crud?" Barrel sneered.

"Load of crud?!" Sherria snapped. "How can you say such a cruel thing?! Love is the greatest power in the universe. It's what makes the world go round and brings everyone together! You can't just look down on something as important as love and disregard it just because you're kids!"

"Oh, that's rich. If we're kids, that makes you a sissy," Lock chuckled.

"A sissy who brags that sissy love is a sissy power that makes everyone happy..." Shock added.

"...but not us! Love is for chumps! Since you like love, that makes you a chump, too! You're way over the hill, missy sissy!" Barrel finished, and the three broke into another fit of laughter.

"Is that it? You make mischief and then rub insults in people's faces like it's something to be proud of? All for your own selfish egos?!" Sherria yelled. "You horrible little monsters! What are you, love-haters?!" She angrily crossed her hips, "You should be ashamed of yourselves! Didn't your parents ever teach you the first thing about respect and manners? If they were here right now, they'd punish you good!"

"What are you, our mom? What makes you think you can tell us what to do, huh?" Lock barked, and he pulled out an axe just about the size of his head.

"Enough talk! Fight now!" Barrel demanded, brandishing a mace from his backside.

"You want punishment? Well, here it comes!" Shock declared, arming herself with a hammer. And just like that, the trick-or-treaters leapt at the Sky God Slayer, letting out cries of vigor and fury, their weapons at the ready for an all-out assault.

"Sky God's Dance!" In response, Sherria twirled her arms and ensnared Lock, Shock, and Barrel into a spiral of black wind; it swept their feet off the floor and hoisted them into the air, forcing them to drop their weapons. In an instant, the villainous intent turned to discomfort as the trio of pranksters spun around in circles above the ground, courtesy of the whirlwind.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" Lock yelped.

"I'm flying! And spinning! And feeling dizzy!" Shock cried.

"No fair! Put us down! Let us go!" Barrel demanded.

"Uh-uh-uh!" Sherria smiled slyly as she wagged her finger. "You should've known better than to listen to your elders. You better calm down and think about what you've done, or you won't get your free snack. Oh, and by 'elder', it means I'm older than you."

"So what? You think being older means you're better than us?!" Lock yelled.

"You think you're such a super-smart mommy's girl, aren't you?" Shock mocked.

"You're not the boss of us, you big bundle of strawberry ice cream!" Barrel hissed.

"I like chocolate ice cream!" Gray reminded.

"And I love you, Gray!" Juvia vocalized.

"And I love you too, boobie lady!" Gray squealed.

"CUT IT OUT!" Sherria screamed, interrupting the two. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of an important conversation with those naughty nocturnal midgets?!" She pointed a thumb at the three trick-or-treaters.

"Miiiiiiiii... geeeeeeee...?" Gray asked confused.

"I don't see how you disapprove of this simple display of affection between Gray and myself," Juvia sweated.

"Ooooh, somebody's getting grumpy today!" Donald smirked.

"Wow, I've never seen Sherria this upset before," Goofy examined.

"Neither did I. How could she be angry over something as natural as romance?" Jack wondered.

"Now, where were we? Oh, yeah..." Sherria cleared her throat, then turned to face Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "I'm just trying to help you kids by teaching you one of life's great lessons. I wanted you to see past your bad attitudes and realize there's more to life than making people's lives miserable with pranks and harmful jokes all the time! You need to change your ways and learn to show respect instead of insults, and give love instead of prejudice."

"Love? Again?" Lock, Shock, and Barrel groaned in unison.

"Maturity, humility, morality, even love— these are the qualities required to live a better social life," Sherria continued. "And I quote, 'Maturity isn't measured by age. It's an attitude built by experience.' Another quote, 'With great maturity comes great responsibility.' A proper attitude will earn you a great amount of respect from people, especially a nice treat of—"

"Shut up," Lock, Shock, and Barrel deadpanned.

"E-Excuse me?" Sherria raised an eyebrow.

"We said SHUT UP!" They began rapidly pelting the amaranth-haired girl with a spare collection of mud pies they stored up in their pockets, and she found herself backing out, unwittingly dispelling the Sky God's Dance as a result. As Lock, Shock, and Barrel made their return to solid earth, they kept up the barrage of condensed dirt with seemingly no end in sight.

"Hey, stop! Stop it, please! Please! Stop it! I just—" Sherria's pleas were garbled by the mud as it smothered her body in a pile that almost reached her height. She fell to her knees, unable to withstand the pressure, until a large tuft of her hair was present among the small mountain of mud. Soon, the mischievous trio began laughing at the downed Sky God Slayer, much to the ire and consternation of the party.

"Sherria! Are you okay?!" Wendy cried.

"I'm... fine..." Sherria's muffled voice rang from the sludge.

"How you'd like them mud apples?!" Lock boasted.

"When we told you to shut up, we meant it!" Shock affirmed.

"Serves you right, pretty princess!" Barrel cheered.

"What's your problem? She's just trying to get through to you!" Wendy frowned.

"What's the point in discussing it with them? They're delinquents to the core. Making mischief is their only amusement," Carla mused.

"You don't have to say it twice!" Jack agreed.

"They're a pain in the derriere!" Donald implied.

"And they're real smart, too!" Goofy noted.

"Who cares what you and everybody else thinks?" Lock scoffed.

"There's nothing we love more than causing trouble for you!" Shock stated.

"This is the way we are, and we like it! We also like a load of mud on your face!" Barrel smirked under his mask, and pointed to Sherria submerged under the liquidized dirt. "Just like we did to her! What do you think about that?"

"Okay, that does it," Wendy scowled, the Crabclaw materializing in her hand. "You think it's all fun and games to you? Making mischief to hurt people? I've seen plenty of bullies like you who enjoy trampling on others, and I've taken down my fair share. I can't just sit back and let bullies like you have your way around. I'll never abandon my friends!" She assumed a fighting stance, "I'm not intimidated by you three, even if you're younger than me! The gloves are off!"

"Oh, great. Another grown-up we get to bash?" Lock jeered.

"Sounds like you're asking us to mess you up!" Shock giggled.

"You wanna play, huh? Okay, let's play!" Barrel taunted.

"GET HER!" The three vocalized their intent all at once, and they instantly rushed in to assault the Sky Dragon Slayer: Lock performed a high pounce before diving downward for a body slam, Shock spun herself around like a top and charged in a straight line, and Barrel followed suit with a cannonball sprint, never to realize that their target had already come prepared with a surprise of her own.

"Stun Impact!" Wendy gathered a sufficient amount of magic into the Keyblade and released a magnetic sphere around herself, catching the trick-or-treaters in its electrical snare by the time they approached her. Lock, Shock, and Barrel screamed as they quickly found themselves being lashed together by the ethereal force, as though they had been slapped repeatedly on the butt by the hands of angry parents as punishment for their misconduct. The electricity creeped into their masks and shattered them into pieces, uncovering their faces for everyone to see, and as the Stun Impact receded, they were sent flying until their backs hit the wall. The trio slouched to the floor, groaning in pain.

"Owie..." Lock winced.

"That..." Shock moaned.

"...hurts..." Barrel finished.

"Three tiny bullies brought down in one move. Here we are, back in the shipwreck," Romeo quipped.

"Hey, that was too easy! I was about to teach them a lesson myself!" Donald argued.

"Well, you were, until those three tied you up along with myself and Goofy," Jack reminded.

"They just got lucky. When I get out of this chair, I'll zap them with lightning," Donald frowned.

"You still wanna get back at 'em for all the abuse and bad jokes?" Goofy blinked.

"Why not? If there's one in a million things I can't stand, it's troublemakers!" Donald huffed.

"Oh, you're still tied up!" Wendy noticed. "Here, let me help." She swiped her hand, and a small current of wind sliced open the ropes that bound Jack, Donald, and Goofy. They stood from the chair, awash in relief from the success of their rescue.

"Finally, I'm out of this chair!" Donald smiled.

"Me, too!" Goofy nodded.

"And I still have a lot of scare in me!" Jack added.

While the Pumpkin King and the two Disney explorers were busy enjoying their long-expected freedom, Lock, Shock, and Barrel took their time to snap out of their disorientation: not even against Sherria and Juvia's implications about love had they lost the advantage so easily. The pain swelled across their spines to a point where they could hardly recognize it. "Our backs..." Lock complained.

When they touched the skin of their cheeks, they were surprised to find that their masks had gone from their faces— as they looked around, they found the remains scattered on the floor. "Our masks!" Barrel gasped.

What shocked them the most was the fact that their former captives had gone free, courtesy of the Sky Maiden. "OUR VICTIMS!" Shock exclaimed.

Wendy, Romeo, Carla, Donald, Goofy, and Jack surrounded the trio in all directions, barring any chance of escaping the shower of scowls raining down on them. "Lock, Shock, and Barrel!" Jack declared, slamming a boned fist into his open palm. "Give it up! All the precious time it took us to prepare the best Halloween ever, and you HAD to ruin our hard work! You three are a bunch of big party poopers!"

"You naughty kids need a serious spanking!" Donald quacked, firmly gripping his staff in making ready a spell for added measure; it would seem he was the most eager in giving them their just deserts in retribution for his misfortune.

The devious pranksters began to sweat nervously. They had been on the receiving end of harsh glares from dozens, if not hundreds of people over their careers in making mischief and causing mayhem, whether they came from Oogie because they failed him in one important task, two or even more, or from many a Halloween Town local because they did something to arouse them. On the other hand, Jack's glare was the most dangerous— it harbored such a malignant vibe, it would frighten most normal people around him, and barely got more than mild concern.

"Um, c-c-can we explain?" Lock squeaked.

"I-I-It's not what you think," Shock stuttered.

"P-P-Please don't hurt us," Barrel whimpered.

"I must admit, I never thought you would be the kind of people to willingly throw in your lot for a sinister cause. If you're serious about assisting Oogie in his scheme to ruin Halloween, well..." Jack spoke in a grave, serious tone. "I've punished tons of fools who dared to disrupt our holiday. Dealing with three more won't make me lose any sleep."

Lock, Shock, and Barrel's anxiety increased by the second. Finally, it reached the point where they couldn't take anymore. They let out a chorus of ear-piercing screams that traveled several branches in Oogie's manor. WHACK! Their terrified shrieks were promptly cut short when Jack slapped them across each of their faces. "OUCH!" All three of them winced, rubbing their sore cheeks with their hands.

"Get a hold of yourselves, you big babies. I just want to ask you questions," Jack groaned.

"Okay, okay! We give up! You win!" Lock shouted.

"We can't take it anymore! Please!" Shock cried.

"If you're gonna bluff, do it right," Barrel murmured.

"One look at his angry face, and they're scared to death real fast..." Wendy breathed. "It's too much for them to handle!"

"Just what we'd expect from Halloween Town's most favored celebrity," Carla pointed out. "He can come across as intimidating as he needs to pressure his victims into submission. It's not much of a surprise how easy it was."

"Jack was bluffin' so he could get 'em to give up and surrender," Goofy stated. "You fellas see his frown? It's so serious and scary-lookin', like starin' a black hole straight in the eye!"

"How does a black hole have an eye? And we didn't get to do anything!" Donald complained. "I wanted to punish those brats for what they did to us! It's not fair! I deserved payback!"

"Unfortunately, your opportunity at revenge flew out the window when Jack intervened," Carla snarked. "But if you feel like venting your anger on someone, do so on the Heartless or the likes of Oogie Boogie. No one is stopping you."

"Ah, phooey," Donald grumbled, putting away his staff. "Guess I should've moved faster, if Jack hadn't made them pee their pants with just one frown."

"If not way harder than she did..." Romeo turned to stare at Lucy, who curled up into a ball on the floor and cradled her legs, still in a state of shock and horror. He understood her plight very well; Gray's severe reaction at being referred to as 'Ice Boy' took its toll on the last vestiges of her sanity, and it would not be long before she succumbed to the temptation of admitting her fears. That is, if she mustered whatever smidgen of bravery she had left.

"I'm sc... I'm sc... I'm sc..." She sat against the wall, stuttering the same incomplete sentence to herself over and over, considering how extremely traumatized she was after the heroes' hectic battle with Zeppelin.

"Any minute now," Romeo murmured. He knew the time would soon come when Lucy couldn't keep her fears bottled up for the rest of the journey. He silently wished her good luck, and then turned back to face the defeated three imps.

"It's bad enough made a fool of and backed to a corner by fancy-pants Jack..." Lock muttered.

"But a little girl with blueberry hair and an oversized key? So embarrassing!" Shock pouted.

"And we lost our masks, too. Without our masks, our costumes are totally out of whack!" Barrel whined.

"Hey, you're right! No masks means no scares! And we're ALL scares!" Lock exclaimed.

"How are we ever going to show our scary faces WITHOUT scary faces?" Shock dreaded.

"Who's gonna treat us candy when we're not in proper costume?!" Barrel screamed.

"We're not scary anymore!" They all cried hopelessly and were almost on the verge of breaking down until Jack slapped their faces again, shutting them up.

"Start talking!" Jack snapped, the terror in his glare returning in full force. "What are we waiting for, next year's Halloween?! Tell us what you know!"

"W-We were just following orders!" Shock yelped frantically. "Oogie Boogie told us to steal the heart. He said he's going to use the heart to control all the Heartless. That's all we know!"

"He threatened to eat us if we don't follow him!" Lock reasoned. "I mean, what other choice do we have than to follow the nastiest bag of bugs in the whole wide world? We're just kids!"

"So he forced you three to work for him against your will?" Goofy questioned.

"That's right. Oogie Boogie is large and in charge," Barrel nodded. "It's three of us and only one of him. We didn't mean to do it— he made us do it!"

"He made you do it? You're not pulling our legs, are you?" Donald asked skeptically.

"No, we're not!" Shock answered innocently. "If you're looking for someone to blame for this whole mess, blame Barrel!" She gestured over to the skeleton trick-or-treater in question, who looked to her with shock. "It was his fault! He came up with the idea to tell Oogie Boogie about the heart."

"Yeah, that's right!" Lock agreed. "It was his idea! He convinced us to go along with it, and then we all fell for it!"

"B-But you guys said—" Barrel whimpered, discomforted by his friends' betrayal.

"You should be ashamed!" Shock scolded him.

"Serves you right, turncoat!" Lock huffed.

"Why blame me...?" Barrel squeaked, rubbing the back of his head.

"So that's why you stole it..." Wendy's eyes widened. "Oogie Boogie wants the heart so he can control all the Heartless in Halloween Town! Someone like him who forces you to do his bidding when you didn't want to... You were serving him out of fear!" A calm breath, and she stared at the trio with a sympathetic expression. "I almost feel bad for you three. I even feel horrible pushing you down the way I did. If there's some way I could make it up to you..."

"Well, there is one way. It's called 'letting us off the hook.' Easy peasy, right?" Shock smiled.

"Like we said before, Oogie Boogie made us do it. We had no choice," Lock stated.

"He also told us not to give away his hiding place," Barrel reminded. "It's down at the lowest level of Oogie's manor. Oh, and we're not supposed to talk about the lever, either. If you flip it on, the door's unlocked."

"Lever? You mean this?" Wendy guessed, turning to a lever on a control panel. She walked over to the panel and pulled the switch, and the gears in the wall began to spin.

"Yeah, that lever," Barrel nodded. "You just unlocked the door to the Torture Chamber down below."

"But I'd stay away from him if I were you," Shock informed. "You better watch out: I bet he's cooking up a special surprise for you, in case you ever step into his room!"

"There's no way I'm gonna take you to him!" Lock scoffed. "Oogie's behind the green door, and boy, is he steamed as a witch's cauldron! If I took you there, he'd eat us, too."

"You're Jack's new friends, aren't you?" Shock asked. "Have you ever faced someone as terrible and super-scary as Oogie Boogie? I think you haven't! You think you have the guts to meet him head on?"

"There's no way you can beat Oogie," Barrel taunted. "He's the meanest guy in town. When he rolls the dice, he's one step ahead of you, no matter how hard you try. In the end, he'll just roast ya!"

"Well, has he ever faced us?" Wendy countered. "We've dealt with tougher enemies like him before. If he's as dangerous as you say, we'll just have to stop him before he has a chance to make his move."

"Stop him?! Are you serious?! You can't beat him!" Lock protested.

"No one who's squared off with Oogie has lived to talk about it!" Shock argued.

"Except for Jack, maybe... But seriously, do you even have a plan?" Barrel blinked.

"Give it everything we've got," Wendy answered with a firm expression. "That's all there is to it. We'll always find a way." She added with a gentle smile, "Lock, Shock, Barrel, you have nothing to worry about. We can take down Oogie Boogie. There's nothing my friends and I can't do together."

"Together?" Lock, Shock, and Barrel echoed in unison. They stared at the Sky Dragon Slayer as though she had completely lost her mind, yet they failed to comprehend the solemnity in her words. As expected from a member of Fairy Tail, she was ready to achieve the impossible if it meant making a miracle, and she believed whole-heartedly that it could happen. It was not out of arrogance, but of conviction and a singular desire to help friends and others in need.

"I assume Oogie Boogie already has the artificial heart in his possession?" Carla confirmed. "We saw Lock, Shock, and Barrel toss it down the shaft; it must lead down to the manor's lower levels."

"The Torture Chamber..." Wendy thought out loud. "That's where Oogie is, isn't it?"

"His drive to control the Heartless in this world does bear the odor of a plot instigated by the Alliance of Evil," Carla stated. "I can't fathom what kind of disaster will occur if he uses it..."

"Bad news for this year's Halloween and beyond," Jack fantasized.

"Gawrsh, it's gonna be a literal Heartless Halloween..." Goofy worried.

"Only this time, you go trick-or-treating for hearts instead of candy," Romeo dreaded.

"That's what we're here for, isn't it? We can't let it happen! We gotta stop this Oogie Boogie and get back the heart!" Donald affirmed.

"Yes, we have to!" Wendy agreed.

"Why are you helping us now?" Jack raised an eyebrow at the trick-or-treaters. "It's never in your best interest to help people since the only thing you want more than anything is mischief and turmoil. On top of that, you and I are not on good terms with each other."

"Better to stay outside the bughouse than follow the big bug!" Lock replied.

"That's right! If we were on his Boogie list, we'd get out of town!" Shock asserted.

"Why else after you caught us off guard with that creepy glare of yours?" Barrel shuddered.

"That's what I thought," Jack sighed, as he had a feeling the pranksters were forcefully complicit in Oogie Boogie's evil dealings from the very beginning. "Very well, I'll let you three off the hook this time. But as always..." He shot a suspicious glare at them, "...I've got my eye on you."

"Whatever you say, Jack," Barrel chuckled.

"Of course, Jack," Shock nodded.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Jack," Lock agreed. And with the matter all but settled, they all breathed out sighs of relief at being spared further punishment.

"Phew! Talk about your fixer-upper!" Shock grinned.

"We thought Jack's gonna tan our hides before Oogie would!" Lock moaned.

"No kidding. He could be worse. I mean, good gravy!" Barrel sweated.

"Yes?" Gray asked immediately.

Meanwhile, Wendy was helping Sherria clean the mud off her body not long after she endured harsh resistance from Lock, Shock, and Barrel in her futile attempt to dissuade them from their path of cruelty and malice. The Sky Dragon Slayer cleared away the last of the mud on Sherria's face, then asked, "Are you okay? Sorry it didn't go out well as you'd hoped."

Though a bit disappointed by the result, Sherria seemed to be taking it well, and she shrugged. "It's worth a shot. They're totally relentless."

"I'm sc... I'm sc... I'm sc..." Lucy's incessant whispers grew louder and solid by the minute, loud enough to draw Jack's attention. She remained curled up like a ball, and sensing the presence of the Pumpkin King merely increased her erosion.

Jack asked, "Are you alright, dear?" He walked towards the shivering celestial wizard, reaching out with a skeletal hand. Lucy was quick to catch wind of the bony fingers, and squeaked as she recoiled before they made contact with her skin. Vibration coursed through her bones, and she lacked the strength to suppress it. Jack was confused by her reaction. "What's wrong? You don't have to be—"

"I'm sc... I'm sc... I'm sc..." Lucy continued to stammer, but it was clearly obvious she couldn't hold it in any longer. Her body was already displaying her true feelings about Halloween Town, about its inhabitants, about its way of life. "I'm sca... I'm sca... I'm sca..." Finally, her limit was reached. She screamed the words Wendy and Romeo had expected to hear her confess. "I'M SCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRREEEEEEEEEDDDD!" The scream was so loud that it soared past the clouds, shattered a nearby mirror, and compelled the bats nesting outside to fly away.

Wendy, Romeo, Sherria, Carla, Donald, and Goofy whipped their heads around in shock. Even Jack, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were flabbergasted by the outburst. "You're scared?!" Jack asked incredulously. "Scared of what?"

Lucy confessed, "Everything! Don't you get it?!" She stood up and waved her arms around in a hysterical manner to emphasize her point. Many may think she had gone off the deep end, but she didn't care; she would prefer the straightjacket. "I'm scared of this town! It's terrifying and creepy and full of monsters, and Jack is a skeletal freak-o-maniac, the mad doctor has a cap on his head that opens to show his brain, Jack's pet is the ghost of a dead dog, and his assistant is a jester with a broken mind and an insane personality who indulges himself in ice cream rather than protein, which doesn't come from bananas, it comes from nuts, which you don't need to eat more of that because he IS nuts! In fact, EVERYBODY in this town is nuts! Jack, Zero, Gravy, EVERYBODY! You're ALL nuts! You're chock full of nuts! You're so nuts, you drive ME nuts!" She crumpled her hair and jumped into Jack's face, "Get it? Get it-Get it-Get it-Get it-Get it-Get it-Get it-Get-it?! I'm scared of Halloween Town! All the creepy things here, the people living here, EVERYTHING! I'M SCARED OF IT ALL!" Panting heavily, she fell to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm so scared of everything about this place, and I just want to leave. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I... I..." The shame blended in her fear and sorrow, and tears were released from her closed eyelids.

Donald exclaimed, "You're scared of Halloween Town?! How come you never told us about it?!"

Goofy questioned, "Were we the only people who didn't know? Why hide it from us, Lucy? How come we didn't know?"

Sherria blinked, "Lucy's terrified of the scariest place in the universe? Is she telling the truth, or is she just bluffing?"

Romeo answered, "She isn't. Lucy's afraid of Halloween Town. Heck, she even freaked out at the view of the whole world from the window. Wendy and I tried to snap her out of it, to show her that there's no reason to be afraid of this place, but she didn't have the stomach to admit it. She tried so hard to keep her fears locked up when she knew it wouldn't last long. It's been gnawing at her for a while now. I think Gray's accidental temper tantrum hit her the hardest."

Wendy explained, "Lucy didn't mean to make us feel bad. Deep down, she still wanted to help everyone. I think the reason she couldn't admit she was scared up until now is because..."

Sherria guessed, "...She's afraid she'd weigh us down."

Goofy worried, "Gawrsh, I do feel sorry for her. She tried so hard to be brave."

Donald nodded, "I feel bad for her, too. And here I thought she was acting very weird lately!"

Jack looked down at Lucy, who silently cried to herself following her confession. He knelt down to her level, his lips curled into a comforting smile. "I understand your pain, sweetheart. Better than anyone."

Lucy looked up to stare at the Pumpkin King with tear-stained eyes. "Y-You do?"

Jack stated, "I admire anyone who has the courage to stand up and face their fears, even those greater than they realize. However, the braver ones are those who know when to admit their fears. Fear is an emotion that always lingers in us all. You try to push it away and keep it locked up. Ordinarily, there's nothing wrong with that. But simply ignoring your fear or locking it away doesn't cure you of it. It's perfectly fine to feel fear, miss. After all, how else would we come to know how brave we are if we don't know our limits? It's what we become when in its clutches."

Wendy smiled at the touching scene. "There's nothing wrong with fear... We need to know our weaknesses so we can grow stronger. Natsu..." She remembered that Natsu used to say these words to galvanize the strength and courage of his teammates, herself included, during the last moments of their epic and destructive battle with Master Hades. She never imagined Jack would give that same motivating speech to try and cheer up Lucy, and was very happy of that. In a sense, Wendy may consider him more of a role model than a celebrity in Halloween Town, and akin to the Fire Dragon Slayer's code of bravery.

Jack continued, "By the way, Halloween Town isn't a place for fearful scares. On the contrary, it's the other way around. This town we call home is full of joyful scares."

Lucy repeated, "Joyful scares?"

Jack nodded, "Of course! We of Halloween take great pride and joy in scaring, but we never once entertained such thoughts of striking fear in people's hearts. Just because we look scary, creepy, and nasty doesn't make us horrible people. Take it from Oogie Boogie— he's a prime example of horrible, and we would NOT want to stoop to his level. You see, there are things in this world that can chill you to the bone, but all we want is to see you laugh after being scared silly!"

Bit by bit, Lucy began to realize what Jack said. Halloween Town, the heart of the most haunted holiday in the universe, was never a place where monsters scared people for their own benefit, but rather for entertainment and laughter. She looked back and forth, then at Jack, wondering if she had succumbed to her fears over a misunderstanding. A moment passed, and she shakily stood up to her feet, regaining some semblance of courage. She stuttered, "I-I... I... I'm..." She looked down a bit, not daring to meet Jack's face at first. "I'm afraid of Halloween Town. I'm not lying when I said I'm not..." She then raised her head, "...but I'm even more afraid of letting my friends down, of losing the people I care about. Listen, Jack... When we first met, I thought you were just a spooky scary skeleton. But all this time, you've been a friendly person. I was blind to see that. Maybe too blind... And now I know there's more to you and this town than freaky Fridays or nightmares on the street. I want to return the favor— No, I must return the favor." She bowed her head humbly to the Pumpkin King, "Please, let me help you." She raised her voice in a mixture of desperation and resolve, "Please, Jack! I want to help you in any way I can! What's the point of staying in this scary world if I can't do anything? I have to do this. I have to continue on... for my friends! So please..."

Jack responded with a hearty laugh. "That's the way! You're seeing the big picture. Aren't you grateful we had this talk?"

Lucy said shyly, "Y-Yeah, of course. I've... never seen more clearly."

Romeo beamed, "Hey, you're starting to open up! Way to go, Lucy!"

Donald admired, "That was swell, Jack! You got her to cool her jets."

Goofy stated, "Everyone in town is spooky and scary on the outside..."

Sherria added, "...but they're friendly and happy on the inside."

Wendy smiled, "I'm glad you started to accept that Jack and the others aren't bad. It doesn't matter how scary they look; they're our friends, and we can trust them. And you don't have to be afraid. We're with you always."

Lucy felt content that she was no longer the subject of doubt and scorn for her insecurities— Wendy was delighted, Romeo wasn't mad at her, and the rest of the group acknowledged what she had gone through. "Thank you." Wiping away the last of her tears, she turned to Jack, who looked back at her with a grin. Though still a bit intimidated by his presence, she finally learned to consider him as both an ally and a friend. In the end, Lucy returned his smile.

Wendy asked, "Feeling better now?"

Lucy replied, "S-Sort of. I'm so sorry I worried all of you. Was I holding back the team because of my stupid fears? I should've told you when I needed to..."

Romeo pointed out, "All because your pride told you not to."

Donald, Goofy, and Sherria spoke in unison, "Ooooh..."

Lucy lowered her eyes. "You could say that. It's too silly of me to freak out over the ghosts and monsters in this town, and I realized too late that they scare for joy, not fear. I was so stubborn, I even pushed Jack away. You don't think I'm holding everyone back because of that, do you?"

Wendy comforted, "No, of course not! Remember what I said before? I used to be afraid. I was scared of many things, but when I found my friends, I found my courage. I've learned to face my fears. It's what we do with our fear that makes us strong. What do we do when there's no hope left? We find hope deep inside. On our own, we're afraid. But we have friends right by our side. I still have courage because you're all with me. There's no reason to be afraid."

Lucy recited Wendy's words at the square. "If we can just face our fears, we'll know when we have the courage to beat them." The Sky Maiden nodded with a smile. "Our friends are by our side. There's no reason to be afraid..."

Romeo agreed, "That's right. Halloween Town may be a place where all things spooky come together, but the first time we came here, we realized it's all too silly and wacky. All in all, it's a swell place. We just have to make the best of it." He put a hand on the blonde-haired girl's shoulder, "It's okay, Lucy. Try to give the town a chance. I'm sure you'll get used to it."

Lucy stared at Wendy and Romeo for a moment. It's no secret that Fairy Tail wizards like herself faced their fair share of trials and tribulations, some putting them through the ultimate test of courage and integrity. In this case, the only choice left was to follow the path ahead, no matter where it may lead, and that's exactly what she was going to do. Lucy clapped both cheeks with her hands, getting ahold of herself. She answered with a confident grin, confirming that she was now ready for anything, and was taking Wendy and Romeo's advice to heart. "I've already made my choice. I'll follow you guys to the very end."

Romeo chuckled, "I think you mean, fight with us to the very end. We're your friends, not your bosses."

Wendy reminded, "And you and I, we're members of Fairy Tail's strongest team. And so is Gray, though we still have to get him back to normal." She looked over to face Gray, still in his Gravy persona, then back at Lucy. "Either way, we're in this together."

Lucy nodded, "Right." She offered her hand up, which both Wendy and Romeo happily put their own together with hers.

Donald quacked, "Hey! Don't leave us out if it!"

Goofy chimed, "A-hyuck, all for one, huh?"

Sherria beamed, "Me next! Let me put 'er there!"

Jack elected, "Don't forget me! I'm in this, too!"

Wendy, Romeo, and Lucy didn't hesitate to let the other four join their ring of friendship, and a round of laughter sounded in the room, leaving Carla, Juvia, Gray, Lock, Shock, and Barrel to sit back and watch.

As soon as the circle broke away, Lucy said, "Okay, then. So you're saying that we have to take back the experimental heart from this Oogie Boogie character?"

Jack replied, "Exactly. The Torture Chamber is on the manor's lower level. Enter the green door and you're there."

Lucy nodded, "Then I'm definitely going with you. Not just because we have to stop that creep from using that heart, but also because my magic should come in handy in situations like this." She added with determination, "I'm done being scared. All this time, it's been holding me back, but what's even worse is standing on the sidelines and leaving myself out. I'm done with that! This time, I'm standing beside you. I'm not running away. If I did, I'd never forgive myself... even in death! I'll stick with you to the end!" The group applauded her brave declaration.

Wendy cheered, "Alright! I knew we can count on you!"

Romeo smirked, "My thoughts exactly."

Sherria admired, "Good to see you've got your confidence back."

Jack confirmed, "Now then, we've got a heart to catch!"

Lock asked, "Are you all sure you guys wanna take this dance with the bag of bugs?"

Shock offered, "You could stick around for a while here in our playroom!"

Barrel nodded, "Yeah! How about you make us Doctor Finkelstein's new lab assistants? Y'know, to make up for all the trouble we've caused?"

Jack looked at them and said, "As nice as that would be, children, we really don't have time to hang around. Oogie has messed things up at least as far as the town is concerned and I don't really want to know what will happen if we don't fix things soon. Besides, it's for the Heartless Halloween Festival. It's all on us to make this event the best in this year's Halloween! An event you so recklessly disrupted while it was in progress..." He held a hand to his chin, "And concerning what you asked me earlier... We do have an opening for new lab assistants. I mean, if you're interested..." He turned to the rest of the party, who nodded in confirmation, and they departed from the playroom.

However, only Gray and Juvia stayed behind as the two sat together on the couch, holding each other in their arms. Perhaps if Sherria had paid more attention, she would've stopped the two 'lovebirds' from reengaging in their nonsensical romance.

"Alone at last, with no one to disturb our love," Juvia sighed happily.

"Oh, boobie lady. I love you so-so go-go whoa-whoa," Gray whispered smoothly.

"My darling Gray. I love you as well, you silly clown..." Juvia giggled.

"What are we waiting for? C'mere, you wishy-washy..." Gray grinned.

The Ice-Make wizard's breathing deepened as he lowered his head to Juvia's. He swiftly melded his lips with Juvia's to saturate his hunger for his 'girlfriend's' soft and rosy lips. She kissed back, leaning back on the couch and lying down on her back, letting him lay on top of him to support their joined weight. Unbeknownst to the couple tangled up in their latest make-out session, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were watching them, their faces burning red and their pupils shrinking to dots. Jack and his new friends may have spared them, but it was at this moment that they were once again victimized by the horrific sight of the disagreeable dynamic between Gray and Juvia— a bitter reminder of their distaste for anything related to romance. The three clenched their faces, crying out with terrified, inarticulate screams as they continued to watch the two kiss and slurp at each other's mouths, stunned to do anything to interrupt or even avert their eyes from the scene before them. They weren't going to like this at all.


Oogie's Manor

Unaware that they left Juvia and Gray behind in the midst of relieving Lucy's anxiety, and now that Zeppelin and Oogie's band of little devils were subdued, Wendy and company could get back to looking for the stolen artificial heart. The evil bag of bugs was housing the item in his Torture Chamber, down in the manor's lower levels. Since the whole place was built around a giant tree, it was safe to assume that the entrance could be found below the branches. Wendy and her friends made their long way down to the basement; along the way, a new onslaught of Heartless tried to stop them in all corners. With no Neon Insecticide wizard in sight to stimulate the strain of the tide of battle, since Gray's unbridled burst of Ice Demon Slayer Magic froze more or less every wizard in the mansion, the only obstacles were Wight Knights and Gargoyles, coupled with several Heartless of other varieties. Nothing really hard— the heroes managed to tear down the last line of defense with little effort, their experiences throughout the heat of battle making them stronger and focused as ever. Of course, the same would be said for Lucy, whose newfound courage made her even more determined to fight. It was no surprise that this new sense of bravado enabled her to defeat most of the Gargoyles as she donned her Leo Star Dress. She pressed forward without a trace of hesitation, no longer pressured by the haunted ambience of the manor, or this world, in particular— her friends felt nothing but pride in her confidence and her tenacity, most of all Wendy, Romeo, and Jack. The frightened celestial wizard was all but a thing in the past— for now, there was courage and resilience.

At the end of the search, the group returned to the manor's main gate and discovered a hidden elevator somewhere next to the lantern platform. They rode it down to an area among the tree's gigantic roots, and stood before a green door with a daunting face of Oogie Boogie on it. Once the door was open, they walked straight in, the decisive battle for Halloween Town drawing near.


Torture Chamber

Wendy and company soon found themselves in a circular room with two levels, a higher level and a pit occupied by a giant platform resembling a roulette wheel. The sides of the wheel were decorated by sets of various devices and tools originally designed for gambling, which had been modified into lethal weapons. If anyone didn't know better, Oogie Boogie may have turned his private quarters into a casino of death, which undoubtedly fitted his lifestyle, and presumably for his own entertainment.

Lucy stared at the background in round-eyed surprise. "Seriously?! His Torture Chamber had to be a casino? Look at that huge roulette wheel!" She thrust out her hand to gesture down to the pit, "How do you think he came up with an absurd idea to decorate a room with a big selection of casino equipment?"

Jack stated, "Oogie tortures people with methods based on his addiction to gambling. Why else would he want to turn this room into a casino? He has a deep fondness of everything related to gambling! Roulette, slot machines, poker... Need I say more? Depending on how high the numbers are in his favor, that's when things take a downhill for his victims. To him, life itself is a game and people are the things you bet on if you want to raise the stakes a little. He's a nasty risk-taker if there ever is one."

Lucy stiffened a bit from Jack's description of the sinister bag of bugs, but she looked at him and nodded, "You make a good point. Maybe that creep is as tough and deadly as you say, but even so, I'm not backing down from this one. I've come too far to stop now. If I gave up, what sort of help could I be to the whole team? They're the reason I'm back on my own two feet again, and now it's up to me to be brave. Not just for me, but for my friends." She tightened the hilt of her Fleuve d'étoiles, motivated by vigor. "I mustn't turn away. I must be brave! I can do this!"

Romeo admired, "Strong words of self-motivation, Lucy! Keep it up!"

Goofy assured, "Don't you be worryin', none. We're a team!"

Donald smiled, "We stick together, and that's how it always goes."

Lucy chuckled, "Strong words of extra motivation for my self-motivation. I'm feeling a whole lot better already!"

Romeo grinned, "I'm super-glad to hear that. Good to see you're not scared anymore."

Lucy's brightness lessened a bit over the Rainbow Fire wizard's comment, but she retained her smile. "Yeah, kinda."

Romeo turned to Jack, "What's the game plan, Jack? We're in Oogie Boogie's Torture Chamber, aren't we?"

Jack advised, "First and only rule of taking the fight to a no-account cretin named Oogie Boogie: the best way to defeat him is to do so at his own game. In other words, turn the tables on him."

Wendy repeated, "Turn the tables on him... You mean we have to find a weak spot and then hit it real hard."

Carla guessed, "Or we can take the methods he intends to use against us, and use them against him. That makes perfect sense, considering you know him better than anyone."

Jack nodded, "Yes, I have. We've been at each other's throats for so long, I've lost count of how many years. Even with all the failures and losses he's suffered, he refuses to throw in the towel. Not even the least."

Sherria wondered, "A casino-themed Torture Chamber? A while ago, there was tight security outside, and now it's the red carpet in here..."

The Sky God Slayer's train of thought was derailed when the chamber resonated with a round of boisterous, amused laughter. "Give the lucky contestant a cigar! But to be fair, you would've been wrong, anyway... 'cause there is no red carpet! Just me and a bunch of helpless peewees droppin' dead on my roulette wheel!"

"Is it him?" Wendy gasped. She and her friends immediately whirled around and looked to the other side, seeing a certain burlap sack boogeyman hovering down on a floating platform above the edged circle with the experimental heart in his fingerless hand. "It's him!"

"Yes, it's me, alright! Say my name and I magically appear!" Oogie chortled. "You can call me Mr. Oogie Boogie, the lord and master of this treehouse manor. And look who I found scuttling into my Torture Chamber— Wendy Marvell the Keyblade master and her little friends, crashing my party!" On the word 'crashing', his free hand was clenched into a fist, and the arm attached shook with rage, deeply upset at the Sky Dragon Slayer trying to ruin what could be his moment of glory. The anger quickly subsided upon spotting his long-time rival among the party. "Oh, and it's good to see you again, Jack! Angry that I spoiled your little festival now that your precious heart is in my hand?" He paused to stare at his free hand, "Still got no hands. Could use some work." He stepped off the platform, "But this time, you can't stop what I'm about to unleash on this dull, rotten-as-rust town! It's the nightmare of a lifetime that'll make every past Halloween wet their slime!"

Jack groaned, "Oh, for the love of... Don't you ever learn, no matter how hard you try?"

Romeo looked at Jack and asked, "I take it that's the guy? The sack with the big mouth and the black eyes?"

Jack nodded, "That's him."

Lucy asked incredulously, "THAT'S Oogie Boogie? I expected him to be as scary as his gambling torture methods, only to find out he's just a fat, living burlap sack?!" Her consternation turned to disgust, "That's lame! He doesn't look scary to me!"

Jack thought out loud, "Hmm, one mere glance at the big bag of bugs, and the girl's already not intimidated by the mere sight of him."

Wendy shot a glare at Oogie and said, "If you knew about me and the Keyblade, then you must be working with Maleficent and the Alliance of Evil!"

Oogie taunted, "Aww, how cute! I don't know if you're a genius or some preschool beatnik, but you're certainly fortunate enough to step into my parlor. And to answer your statement, sweetie pie... Yes, I'm one of the villains runnin' this Alliance of Evil. See here, the kind Maleficent gave me an honorary position in the elite corps for my talent of causing trouble for the saps who believe too much in corny, overrated things like "peace" and "serenity", not to mention the status quo of this and every other world that bored people like us outta our minds! Joining a BIG club with a BIG business for TOTAL domination of the worlds has benefits, you see. Like a seat in the table and more locales to terrorize than just one! Snobs like Jafar and Clayton can talk money and fame all day long, but me? I'm not in this for the money. I'm in this for the moment. I'm only interested in givin' anyone wanting to mess with my turf a big round of misery and woe. Oh, and as you've no doubt guessed, sweet cheeks, I'm in charge of the Halloween Town operation. Ever since Jack began hosting his little festival and dragged all the Heartless into town, I've been waiting for a chance to make them mine and turn them against him, all so I can take over this world in one go!"

Wendy asked, "You knew Jack and Doctor Finkelstein were working on something to control the Heartless, didn't you? Were you keeping an eye on them?"

Oogie smirked, "I've kept my eye on those fools the second they decided to hang out with these little heart-munchers. Every rehearsal, every blueprint, every routine... and then Jack came up with the idea of making a heart to keep his little pets tied to his leash." He then scoffed, "That bonehead's as crazy as he says. He keeps talking about how he's gonna use the Heartless to make this year's Halloween the best one ever. What's he gonna do with 'em? Make 'em dance like puppets on a string hanging like those silly skeletons on that dumb tree? Or give flowers to snot-nosed brats in so-so scary costumes?" He laughed at the thought, "Don't expect to see 'em dance in the streets anytime soon..." He held up the heart, "...because now that I've got the one thing keeping them in check, I'll show 'em what real terror is all about..." He concluded in song, "...and I'm gonna make this night last forever!"

Jack glared, "Well, isn't this a grand scheme you've cooked up? But guess what? It hasn't come true yet. Not while me..." He gestured to the rest of the party, "...and a few new friends of mine are around."

Wendy agreed, "That's right! We heard about you from Jack. You tried to take over Halloween so many times. And now you sent Lock, Shock, and Barrel to steal the heart so you can use the Heartless to destroy the holiday and hurt a lot of people... We're not gonna let you do that!"

Romeo quipped, "You're just another one in the evil club we gotta take out. For a gambler who loves to ruin people's lives, you look a lot like something the cat dragged in."

Oogie huffed, "Hey, listen here! I'm a lot resourceful than these monkey-fighting villains in this Monday-to-Friday club. The worthless others lost because they couldn't get the job right. They're sad, pathetic, and weak! Isn't it so hard for them to deal with some brat holding a key? How in the blazes did Clayton, Jafar, and Ursula have so much trouble killing her? Plus, the blue hothead in the black toga. Ha-ha-ha-ha... Well, boys and girls, looks like seven is your unlucky number."

Donald and Goofy repeated in confusion, "Seven?"

Sherria raised an eyebrow, "Is he a believer in superstition?"

Oogie clarified, "Seven seconds. Seven seconds is all I need to chop you into tiny little bits and feed you to my bugs! And with that, POW! I'm home free!" He placed his free hand around the side of his waist, "I don't suppose you've come all this way to hear me say, 'What's the matter? You scared of facing Oogie Boogie?'"

Lucy responded, "Dream on, you dirty pile of crap! We're here for that heart you stole. Hand it over, unless you're in a world of hurt!"

Romeo retorted, "Who said anything about us being scared? We're a team of powerful wizards, and you're just a BIG, FAT SACK who needs to lose some weight!"

Sherria joked, "Have you been eating a lot of bugs lately? Or is your ego as fat as your big belly? I mean, how did you get this fat, if not WAY fatter than Ursula?" She laughed along with Donald and Goofy.

Donald taunted, "Aww, snap!"

Goofy approved, "Nice one, Sherria!"

Oogie gave a sarcastic laugh. "Ha-ha. You're just jealous because you wish you had a sweet bod like mine. Putting fashion statements aside, you haven't got a prayer." He pointed the heart at the group, "'Cause I'm Mr. Oogie Boogie, and you ain't goin' nowhere!" He turned to face Jack, "As for you... I've been looking forward to this for a long, long time. I'm more than glad to put you out of business, this time for good!"

Wendy materialized the Crabclaw in her hand. "If you're planning to use the heart as some tool of destruction, then I guess there's no point in arguing about it with you anymore. We're taking it back, one way or another!"

Oogie mocked, "Oooh, I'm so scared. What are you gonna do, girlie? Beat me to death with that Keyblade of yours? It's gonna take more than that to threaten me, I'm afraid." That earned him a small grunt from the Sky Maiden, who strengthened her hold on the Keyblade.

Jack demanded, "Enough playing! Oogie Boogie, give me back the heart!" He held out a boned hand expectantly.

Oogie barked, "You want it?! Well, then come on over and get it!" At that moment, he put the heart into his mouth, and with a single shove of his hand, he swallowed it in one gulp! Everyone was completely and utterly revolted by the action.

Donald quacked, "WAK! He ATE the whole thing!"

Goofy cringed, "That's too much for my eyes to take!"

Lucy shrieked, "You think THAT'S crazy?! He swallowed it like it was nothing!"

Wendy covered her mouth, almost about to throw up. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Carla seized Wendy in a hug and turned her away from Oogie. "Don't look!"

Sherria wrapped her arms around her chest. "I'd never wanna eat that."

Wendy returned Carla's embrace, the latter massaging her back in an effort to calm her down. "It's okay, child. It's okay..." For a second, she glared at Oogie, who was rubbing his chest after he devoured the experimental heart. "What a reckless, disgusting move..." the Exceed thought to herself. "I'd have never guessed he would go through such great lengths. It's as though he knew all along we would come for the heart..." While she was pondering Oogie's unexpected tactic, she continued to pacify Wendy, hoping she would get over his grotesque digestion of the heart. Soon, Wendy was taking steady breaths, and Carla took it as the que to release her hug. "Good, you're fine now. Does it bother you?"

Wendy shakily nodded, "Mm-hmm. Very much. I don't think I'll ever want to see that again. That was seriously gross."

Sherria interjected, "An oversized heart is one in a few I don't want to eat!"

Donald grumbled, "I thought Heartless can only eat hearts..."

Lucy retorted, "Oh, you think? There are many other heart-eating creeps out there besides him and the Heartless!"

Goofy agreed, "Yup. There's mummies, ogres, vampires... I can't name 'em all, but they love eatin' hearts three meals a day. It's a bad taste in the mouth for normal guys like us, if you ask me!"

Lucy admitted, "Okay, so there's more to Oogie Boogie than him being a fat burlap sack of bugs. Still..." In an instant, her slight anxiety reverted back to resolve. "...whether or not he's a tough enemy, it's something I shouldn't ignore. He's the one who started this whole thing, and he must be stopped. No matter what it takes!"

Romeo grinned, "Well, at least you're not ready to give up yet. And neither are we! We're Fairy Tail wizards, and we can't give up or run away from any fight. We give it all we got and nothing less."

Lucy agreed, "Right! We better get ready for whatever tricks he has up his sleeve."

Jack gasped, "Everybody, look!" He pointed a finger, and the rest of the group turned to follow his direction.

Immersed in an aura of dark energy, Oogie groaned as he was gradually becoming aware of the strength building up inside him. He began cackling to himself, overwhelmed with euphoria over the newfound power he attained from devouring the heart. And just like that, Carla and Jack's suspicions were realized— by swallowing the heart, he made himself an irresistible beacon for the Heartless, possibly making them his to manipulate. Once the aura died down, Oogie turned his attention to Wendy and company. "Oh, yeah! What do you think of that? I'm feeling good as a gnat! With this heart becoming one with my Oogie Boogie body, there's no way to beat me!"

Jack exclaimed, "What do you hope to gain out of this?!"

Oogie replied, "What does it look like, Jack? I'm controlling a wide variety of Heartless. And I'll bring 'em all the way here to overwhelm you like a swarm of bugs! Prepare yourselves for your utter Oogie oblivion!" He laughed again, "Now, let's see if I can get their attention." He put his hands close to his mouth and called out, "Oh, Heartless!"

Wendy and her friends braced themselves for the expected large amount of Heartless to storm the Torture Chamber and make it a grueling battle to the death. There was a moment's pause... and only two Gargoyles appeared on either side behind the boogeyman. No Wight Knights, no Search Ghosts, no other varieties... just two Gargoyles. "This is it?" Perplexed, Oogie looked at the relatively small number of Heartless he called forth. Even the heroes were astonished over this setback. Some were even a bit amused.

"Well, that was a letdown," Romeo muttered.

"Hold on! Why did he only call in a few instead of many?" Lucy questioned.

"Maybe we took out most of the Heartless in this place," Goofy assumed.

"Or the heart doesn't have enough juice as we thought," Sherria followed.

"Or they just don't care about the fat man," Donald smirked.

"That may be true! Apparently, he lacks the bugs for the big bucks!" Sherria giggled.

"I don't know what you mean by that, but it sure sounds funny!" Goofy chortled.

"Hey, fasto! What the matter? Not baggy enough for your Heartless buddies?" Donald mocked the dismayed and flustered Oogie.

"I think the reason why the heart didn't work for you is quite simple," Sherria grinned. "You haven't lost any weight! Like, EVER! You should've listened to Romeo and taken his advice, Mr. Boogie. He warned you!"

"Called it!" Romeo laughed. "Maybe you should slim down some fat so you'll do the heart thing right!" It wasn't long before Donald, Goofy, and Sherria gave in to their own fits of laughter, and joined him.

However, it was not just the insults and jokes that Oogie grew incensed over; it was the fact that his successful attempt at channeling limitless power had been downgraded to summoning a tiny portion of Heartless rather than a whole army. It may have ended with poor results, but at least he knew who to vent his frustrations at. His body shook like an active volcano about to erupt, his voice rumbling with fury and contempt. "Nobody disrespects ME!" he roared out into the air past the ceiling. "NOBODDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"I think we got him riled up now," Lucy tensed.

"She's right! He's ain't jokin' around no more!" Goofy nodded.

"Good! It's about time we hurt this guy!" Donald declared.

"Ooooh, you pesky little killjoys!" Oogie snarled. "You're way too stupid to understand what you're getting yourselves into! This time, you DONE it!"

"We've done it? You're the one who ate the heart and not us, so this mess was your fault!" Lucy pointed out.

"Well, well. Looks like luck isn't on your side today. You bet on the wrong horse. Or in this case, the wrong heart!" Sherria commented.

"Normally, I'm not fond of making a mess of things, especially when it comes to preparations for Halloween-related events. But after that stunt you just pulled? It's about to get messy," Jack frowned.

"So, what's it gonna be? You cough out the heart and hand it over, or we help you with that?" Romeo bargained, cracking his knuckles before they heated up with Blue Fire. "This is your only chance!"

"You freaked me out after you swallowed the heart whole, but that doesn't mean I'm scared of you," Wendy said bravely. "We'll be taking it back right now... unless you want to lose!"

"Okay, I've heard enough! This means war!" Oogie declared, and he flipped an invisible switch with a single jump on the floor, causing an explosion from behind Wendy and company, knocking them into the pit of the roulette wheel. The walls around the wheel were too high to climb up, giving them the feeling of fighting in a gladiator match similar to Zeppelin's challenge. "You better bring out the butter— I'm gonna make TOAST OUTTA THE LOTTA YA!"

"All talk and no action... Typical! Just another example of arrogant villains like yourself!" Carla derided.

"You're gonna have to find some other yard to step into, 'cause you're in MY yard now!" Oogie shouted. "Alright, boys! Go get 'em!" He pointed at the group, and the two Gargoyles soared down to the pit.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy struck the first Gargoyle with a basic 7-hit Keyblade combo, then finished it off with a powerful gust breath.

"Applause!" Jack executed a flawless slide attack to knock the second Gargoyle upward. "Bolts of Sorrow!" With a flick of his arms, a string of lightning bolts kept the Heartless airborne until the last bolt incinerated it completely. The Pumpkin King looked up to face Oogie, who slapped his forehead in annoyance at seeing his only backup quickly meeting its end.

"Is it that hard to find useful lackeys?!" the bag of bugs ranted. "I wanted an army, not a duo of bodyguard buzzkills!"

"I think you're going to need something better than that!" Wendy taunted.

"What's the matter, fat man? Too scared to face us head on?" Romeo added.

"Watch your mouth, you little runt. That attitude of yours will get you killed," Oogie sneered. "But since you're dying to die, I'll be happy to speed that up for ya!" He took out a set of three dice and gave them a shake, activating a hidden feature that caused them to burst with flames. "Place your bets, ladies and germs... KEEP IT ROLLIN'!" He threw the burning dice into the pit, but Wendy and the others got out of the way before they hit the floor and engulfed that side of the roulette wheel in a shower of three large explosions.

"Yikes! That was some deadly dice!" Sherria exclaimed.

"What a way to kick off the doom game," Lucy remarked.

"So he throws the dice like bombs, too?" Donald questioned.

"He's one lean, mean gamblin' machine!" Goofy tensed.

"That has a familiar ring," Carla scowled. "Oogie is a risk-taker who is willing to do whatever it takes to win it all. In his mindset, when it comes to games, all is fair— especially going beyond the rules!"

"Remember that one piece of advice I told you earlier?" Jack reminded. "To beat Oogie is to use his own dirty tricks against him. And like Wendy said, we find an opening..." He threw a fist into his open palm, "...and hit it hard!" He turned to the Sky Dragon Slayer, "Isn't that right?"

"Uh-huh," Wendy nodded. "He's a gambler, but the way I see it, he's taking the easy way out by playing dirty. And that's a big, awful mistake for him." She added firmly, "We'll show him why he shouldn't always play dirty to win! If you're playing a game, you gotta do it fair and square!"

"A lesson in manners. Just how I like it!" Romeo approved. "And don't worry, I'm not letting up until that fat chump knows when he's beat."

"C'mon, baby!" Oogie proceeded to assault the group with a new barrage of explosive dice, thus prompting them to deftly evade the ecstatic loud pops of flame that swarmed the roulette wheel. Although some dice managed to hit their mark on a few unlucky party members such as Donald or Goofy, they endured the rain of heavy fire in a blend of tenacity and focus. Of course, the explosive dice could also be deflected; Wendy and Lucy flexed their respective weapons to send the volatile cubes to damage the evil bag of bugs standing tall in the upper rim. But Oogie, ever the conniving gambler, raced around the rim to avoid the fire bounced back from below. At one time, a few deflected dice exploded near Oogie and almost knocked him to the floor, yet it did nothing to faze him; he kept pelting his victims with dice bombs while prancing along the rim like a horse, content in the chaos that he created.

"Here's a present from me, you fat jerk! Fira!" Donald shot a fireball from his staff towards the target on the upper rim.

"And from me, too! Sky God's Bellow!" Sherria breathed a massive gust of black wind to catch up with Donald's Fira in its intended course.

It was not just the Sky God Slayer and the royal court magician; Wendy and Romeo added their own spells to the equation. "Blizzara!" "Rainbow Fireball!"

The four spells collided, and a cloud of smoke rose from where Oogie was standing. By the time the smoke cleared, however, the boogeyman was still there, cackling with amusement at how futile Wendy, Romeo, Sherria, and Donald's combined attempt was; the looks of awe and shock on their faces was clearly evident. "Is that all you have for me? I expected more!"

Donald exclaimed, "Wak! All of that and it didn't work!"

Romeo tensed, "He's a fat chump, but he's not the kind of chump to go down easily."

Sherria guessed, "Did he just conjure up an invisible barrier to protect himself?"

Oogie boasted, "You think I'm stupid that I didn't know you'd attack me at long range? I'm an Oogie Boogie man with a backup plan!" No sooner had he said those words than a velvet light encircled the upper rim in a bright glow. "Your fancy magic has no effect on the force field I've activated before we started the fight! Why don't you just admit it? You're trapped like ants in a cage, and you all look like ants from up here! Oh, wait... You ARE ants!" He laughed again.

Donald whined, "Ah, phooey! I hate force fields! They make everything unfair!"

Sherria clarified, "Emphasis on 'unfair'. He's a gambler; he does what he wants!"

Romeo glared, "Okay, now I really wanna beat the stuffing out of his belly."

Wendy worried, "What can we do? There has to be a way to get past that force field..."

Oogie chuckled, "Well, you can't. My force field withstands all magic and physical attacks, except for my dice, that is, and will only be bypassed if you press one of these little switches over there." He gestured to a circle of switches in the middle of the roulette wheel, prompting Wendy and the others to look. "You only press the switches when they glow up. You press a glowing switch, a section of the pit rises up like an elevator, up to the rim. As a bonus, a part of the force field that's conjoined between the rim and that section is deactivated. Easy, right?"

Wendy curiously examined the ring of buttons on the floor. "The switches..."

Sherria whispered to Romeo, "Is it me, or is he actually giving us battle tips?"

Oogie scoffed, "But why am I wasting my time with this chit-chat? It's all business here! Instead of talking over drinks and Canasta, why don't we talk over how I'm gonna have your heads on a stick... after we finish the game?" He began rolling the next set of dice in his hand, though they were not enveloped in flames like the rest. "Now then, shall we raise the stakes a little bit? It's dice time!" With that, he tossed the three galloping dominoes down at the pit. Wendy, Romeo, Sherria, and Donald backed away and saw the seemingly harmless dice land on 1 X 3s. "Ooooh, good numbers! 1 X 3s! Buzzsaw!" Enthusiastically, Oogie pulled a nearby lever, and circular saw blades came out from the sides of the roulette machine, spinning wildly throughout the area.

Wendy cried, "Look out!" She and her companions exerted the best of their agility to avoid the buzzsaws by leaping over or rolling past them, taking great care not to get minced to pieces by the razor sharp mini-cyclones. Jack crouched down on all fours, crawling past the saws like a spider. Wendy used conventional cartwheels and backflips, whereas Romeo, Sherria, and Lucy simply jumped or leaned away. Carla used her wings to fly upward, all the while Donald and Goofy flattened themselves on the floor, the former making sure his tail was out of reach from the saws. Goofy's hat came flying off from one of the blades, miraculously unscathed. However, he didn't reach for it until after the saws returned to their respective spots on the machine.

Just as Wendy made a safe landing from her last cartwheel over the buzzsaws, she pressed her foot on a switch that had begun to glow amid the chaos. She didn't notice what was going on until two iron gates emerged from the floor and trapped Wendy, Romeo, Sherria, Donald, and Goofy in that section of the roulette machine, barring them from the rest of the party. Much to Oogie's dismay, he was also ensnared in the rim by the same pair of iron gates.

Donald yelped, "Aaah! He trapped us!"

Goofy worried, "There's no way out!"

Wendy replied, "I don't think it's a trap! It's—"

To confirm her assumption, the section Wendy and her teammates stood on rose to a platform that soared above the pit and met with the upper level, granting them access to a completely startled Oogie. "What the...?! How'd you get to me that fast?!"

Wendy realized, "I must've hit one of the buttons on the floor wherever Oogie's at." She turned to where her foot pressed the switch, "Pressing them while they glow will make the floor rise so the force field gets turned off..." She concluded with a gasp, "...and we go up to face him!" She turned to her friends, "Guys, that's it! When the buttons glow, we press them to trap Oogie! At the same time, the floor takes us up so we can attack him head on!"

Sherria beamed, "Really?! Now that's a sound strategy! His force field won't be bothering us. We're free to use magic on him whenever we want!"

Romeo chuckled, "Wow, I guess we have to thank Oogie for these battle tips. Not only is he fat; he's dumb as well."

Oogie interrupted, "Hey, what's your problem?! How did you figure out my secret?!"

Romeo reminded, "Um, you told us? Like, a while ago? Duh!"

Oogie blinked, "I told you? Since when did I—" His eyes immediately widened in surprise when the truth sank in, and he finally understood the gravity of his mistake. "Oh, no! I shouldn't have told you that!"

Sherria giggled, "Well, you just did. You fooled yourself yet again!"

Romeo smirked, "Hey, thanks for the tip, by the way!"

Goofy smiled, "Sorry, Oogie, but luck's on our side now."

Donald declared, "You're going down hard, buster!"

Oogie closed a fingerless hand into a fist and grumbled to himself, "Drat. I should've gotten rid of that blasted machine function." He glared back at the heroes, "Who cares? I've got you right where I want you!" He pointed at Wendy, "Come at me, girlie! It's you and me! Mano e mano!"

Meanwhile, Carla, Lucy, and Jack watched the scene from below the platform. Carla stated, "It appears Wendy managed to expose a weak spot. Her ingenuity serves her well yet again."

Jack laughed, "Good ol' Wendy! She took my advice at heart! I'm so proud!"

Lucy sighed, "It would've been a lot easier if I was there with them, then I'd give him a piece of my own mind..."

Back at the platform, Wendy jumped up to the rim to stare Oogie in the face. "What makes you think you can—" A vicious slap in the face from the bag of bugs stopped her before she had the chance to finish, and she backed away slightly.

Romeo, Sherria, Donald, and Goofy exclaimed, "Wendy!"

Carla growled, "How dare you!"

Jack stopped her just as she was about to fly over. "Wait!"

Wendy rubbed her sore cheek while Oogie laughed at his own action. Her teammates were obviously none too pleased. Oogie mocked, "I'm sorry, did that hurt, little girl? It looked like it did!" He couldn't stop himself from laughing at the Sky Maiden's expense.

However, instead of reeling further from the slap, Wendy cast a defiant glare at Oogie. "I'm not just any little girl, Oogie. I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer!" She was now on the offensive as she rushed in and delivered a punch to the boogeyman's chest, knocking the wind (and some bugs) out of him before she hit him some more with a series of punches and kicks.

Romeo cheered, "Alright, Wendy!"

Donald smiled, "That's our girl!"

Goofy encouraged, "Get him, Wendy!"

Sherria whooped, "Give him what for!"

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy waved her arms to summon an immense whirlwind that slammed Oogie against the wall. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" She kicked him in the chin with her wind-induced legs, flinging him high in the air. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" She dished out a fierce aerial combo with her hand transformed into a wind claw, then another combo with the Crabclaw before sending him skidding across the hard floor.

"You've got room for one more? Rainbow Fireball!" Romeo decided to join in by tossing a small meteor of multiple colors at Oogie, blasting him to the left.

"That fasto deserves to be stitched up! Gravity!" Donald compressed the sinister bag of bugs in a miniature event horizon.

"Stitched up? Honestly, I think it should be the other way around!" Sherria executed a powerful 15-hit combo, the landing of each blow resonating with continuous backlashes of black wind.

"Goofy Rocket!" Goofy ended the unified assault with a dynamic shield uppercut, knocking the battered and bruised Oogie down to the floor.

Soon, the boogeyman couldn't stand the abuse any further. "BACK OFF!" He jumped in the air and activated an explosion that sent Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, and Sherria back into the roulette wheel. At this point, the platform that rose up went back down to the pit, and the iron gates sank into the floor. Oogie panted heavily while fuming over the embarrassing beatdown he suffered from Wendy and her friends. "You uppity scumbags! Don't think for one second I'm gonna throw in the towel because you beat me hard! Not by a long shot, ya hear me?!"

"You're not very good at your own game, are you?" Romeo commented.

"You won't win, fasto! We'll get back up there and beat you up again!" Donald declared.

"Sorry, but it's not gonna happen! I'll put maggots holes in your carcasses before you even lift a finger!" Oogie retorted.

"Heh, we'd like to see you try..." Romeo taunted.

"Are you guys okay?" Lucy asked as she, Carla, and Jack met up with the rest of the party.

"Yeah. And we figured out how to get up and face him. You see those buttons?" She motioned her arm to the ring of switches at the center of the pit. "When the buttons glow, we hit one of them to trap Oogie where he is and then attack him directly."

"Yes, we all saw it ourselves," Jack nodded. "The switches glow, the floor rises, and you sing the fat man some good ol' wallop music. It's a great idea, and a brilliant one at that!"

"My thoughts exactly," Carla agreed. "When that ruffian slapped you, I was almost tempted to storm in myself and help you."

"It's okay, Carla," Wendy smiled. "That slap didn't hurt much at all. And thank you for trying." The Exceed smiled back in response.

"Be careful, friends!" Jack cautioned. "There's more yet to come!" He and the others looked up to face Oogie, who had long recuperated from his injuries.

"Oh-oh-oh, so you wanna play rough, huh?" Oogie sneered. "Don't you know I can play rough, too?!" He cast more explosive dice down into the pit, and the group had to take cover from the bombardment in opposite directions; Wendy, Lucy, Carla, and Jack in one side, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, and Sherria in the other.

"Stun Impact!" A couple of minutes after avoiding heavy fire from above, Wendy released a protective electric sphere from the Keyblade that deflected an incoming volley of dice bombs. They detonated close to Oogie's backside, the flames released from the blasts nearly setting it on fire. He yelped and fell flat on his belly from the impact of the explosions, and as he regained his footing, he glared downward at the Sky Maiden, whose courageous expression quietly dared the gambler to make his next move.

"Is that supposed to stop me, you punch-happy brat? I'll show you!" Oogie snarled, preparing a new set of plain dice. He tossed them at Donald, Goofy, Romeo, and Sherria, who stepped away and looked to see the dice land on 5 X 3s. "5 X 3s! Works for me! Bring out the Heartless dogs!" He raised his pointed extremities and gave them a clap, summoning eight Search Ghosts and ten Wight Knights to the pit. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Now that's more like it! A dozen Heartless or two is even better than just two little guys! Sick 'em, boys!" Oogie pointed at the heroes, and the Heartless complied with his order.

"Big deal! Like we've never faced a number this big... Purple Fire!" Romeo proceeded to eliminate six Wight Knights with his fists enveloped in purple flame.

"Thundara!" Donald unleashed a small storm of lightning bolts to electrocute six Search Ghosts before destroying them with a couple of whacks from his staff.

"Goofy Tornado!" Goofy spun himself around and rapidly knocked over the remaining Heartless with his shield.

"Sky God's Boreas!" Finally, Sherria eradicated them with a horizontal black whirlwind conjured between her hands.

Oogie sweated nervously at how easily his new squadron of Heartless had fallen. "Okay, that was a dud of a roll..." He quickly regained his composure, "But here's another!" He immediately tossed another set of normal dice, one of them successful in bonking Donald on the head (though it didn't knock him out), and this time around, they landed on 4 X 3s. "Scythe Wheel!" A pull of the lever, and a wheel of hanging scythes fell from the ceiling, rotating and bouncing around the pit in a clockwise direction. Wendy and company darted across the stage, keeping an eye out for the bouncing blades. Oogie wasn't making this new obstacle course any better when he started tossing dice bomb at the entourage. The bombs did manage to knock Donald, Goofy, and Sherria to the ground, and a couple of scythes would've landed on them if Romeo hadn't come in for the save.

Oogie could only chortle at the party's misfortune. "Nowhere to run, you worms! The birds are gonna eat ya! And by 'birds', I mean my good ol' scythe wheel! We'll see who has the last laugh when I—" He suddenly heard someone clear their throat, and he turned to discover Wendy, Jack, Lucy, and Carla standing before him— while he was basking in his moment of bliss, the four pressed one of the glowing switches which raised this section of the pit, trapping him and granting access to the rim at the same capacity. Once again, the boogeyman was baffled. "Wh-What the?! Again?!"

Jack remarked, "You've done well, Oogie..."

Carla declared, "...but this insidious game is over!"

Lucy glared, "It really doesn't matter if you're a scary psycho gambling freak or not... After all the cheap tricks and gimmicks you've thrown at us, we deserve payback! And now I have a chance to take it out on you..." Her Star Dress began to glow with the magic granted to her by the Celestial Spirit of her choice. "...Regulus-style!"

Oogie squeaked, "Oh, bug me..."

By the time the scythe wheel rose back into the ceiling, Romeo looked up to see Lucy focusing her Regulus Magic, preparing to attack the boogeyman. He smiled proudly at this sight. "Yeah! Go, Lucy! And if you can, save some for us, okay?"

Oogie growled at Lucy, "Great! First a blue cherry, now a mango blonde? A little wishy-washy, yellow mellow like you, itchin' and twitchin' to go three rounds with a handsome devil like me? Either you're very brave, or you're very scared to take me..."

Lucy replied, "Scared, huh? Let me be honest and clear... I used to be scared. Scared of all the things and people in this dark and gloomy world. And then I realized there's a lot more to it than that. An inspirational talk from my friends knocked some sense into me, and in the end, I understood how this world really works." She tightly grasped the hilt of her whip, "I was a fool. I almost couldn't believe it... Up until now, I got scared over nothing. It's because of my so-called fear that I've held myself back from what really mattered." She added with strong conviction, "It's my friends! Where would I be when they need me just as I need them? No one in my guild ever abandons a friend in need! My fear was what kept me from my friends. That's why I don't feel scared anymore!"

Wendy nodded, "That's right! Lucy's not afraid of you. And she's not alone, not as long as she has friends like us! If we're together, no one has to be afraid!"

Lucy rubbed a single tear from her eye as she smiled at her teammate's bold words. She always knew how much her friends in Fairy Tail supported her, but it was heartwarming to hear all the same.

Jack chuckled, "Can't you just admire that fiery spirit of hers?"

Oogie mumbled, "Keep telling yourself that, bone man..."

Jack yelled, "GET HIM!" He and the other three charged to attack without a moment's delay.

Oogie panicked, "N-No! NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME! STAY AWAY!" He tried to keep the heroes at bay using simple slap attacks, but his hands only met the cold sting of Jack's Icy Terror. With the bag of bugs stunned, Wendy, Lucy, and Carla leapt over the Pumpkin King and dished out a plethora of physical and magical attacks to decimate him all over the place.

"White Moon!" As the team combo neared its end, Carla smacked Oogie with a swift kick to the head following a cartwheel.

"Strike Raid!" Wendy tossed the Crabclaw into a spinning disc to cut down the boogeyman in a span of five strikes. "Judgment!" A supercharged Raid was the finishing touch.

"Regulus Lucy Kick!" Her foot empowered by Regulus, Lucy punted Oogie in the head, ramming him against an iron gate.

"ENOUGH!" Out of desperation, Oogie triggered another blast that forced Wendy, Lucy, Carla, and Jack back into the pit with the sinking platform. However, the gates remained jutted out of the ground, keeping the four suspended in the section they were on. "You're not getting off so easily! You're in for a special bonus round!" Oogie activated a secret switch, and the roulette wheel began spinning around, sending Wendy and her teammates in front of a row of slot machines wearing cowboy hats. "Eat these killin' slot machines!" The contraptions' eyes glowed red, and they raised their pistols, shooting at the four of them. Wendy and Lucy briskly deflected the bullets with their respective weapons, while Carla and Jack jumped higher to avoid the gunfire, the Exceed using her wings to keep herself afloat. Once the pistols were drawn back, the gates made their expected descent and released Wendy, Lucy, Carla, and Jack, so they could regroup with Donald, Goofy, Romeo, and Sherria.

Lucy grunted, "This is getting old! How long does he have to keep being a pain in the neck with his corny gambling tricks? We have the advantage, and then he worms his way out with a front row of slot machines with guns."

Donald frowned, "What do you expect? He's a sissy cheater and a coward. He doesn't play by the rules, unlike us!" He shook his fist vigorously at the wounded boogeyman, "Get me back up there! I need to knock his block off more!"

Romeo agreed, "Same here! I've got plenty of energy to spare. I'm just about ready to finish this dance with the living punching bag. How about a 50-hit combination of Purple Fire for good measure? Or just one more Rainbow Fireball?"

Sherria remarked, "For a sissy cheater, Oogie's a very clever strategist who could give any low-ranking dark guild a run for their cash."

Goofy shuddered, "I wouldn't wanna bet my money on a casino beefcase like him any time of the week!"

"Hate to burst your bubbles, but it's the start of your worst troubles!" Oogie called out, and the group looked back at him producing the next set of dice in his hand. "I'm always one step ahead of you clowns; I can see it in the dice! This game is gonna be the bomb!"

Wendy countered, "Don't underestimate us! We saw right through your scam, and it won't work! You get to play dirty tricks on others while keeping yourself away from the problem when you don't want to face it directly. And if this really is a game, you're breaking the rules! You just had to get your way around by cheating!" A quick pause, then she continued, "Cheating doesn't always guarantee that you'll win every game. You know that! Or did you forget? Well, I might as well tell you... If you're going to play a game right..." She pointed the Crabclaw at Oogie, "...you better play it fair!"

Donald agreed, "You tell him, Wendy!"

Sherria quoted, "Cheaters never prosper!"

Romeo joked, "I doubt your wits are as sharp as your dice."

Oogie bellowed, "Shut up! NO ONE tells Oogie Boogie how to play his game and LIVES!" He revealed a hidden switch on the floor and pressed it with his foot; all of a sudden, a horde of mechanical playing cards equipped with swords and decorated in the boogeyman's likeness emerged from thin spaces surrounding the roulette wheel. "Ready when you DARE, losers! It's time to CUT THE CARDS!" On cue, the cards charged forward, repeatedly swinging their swords in circles with the intent of cutting down Wendy and company.

Lucy sweated, "Well, he's not wrong."

Carla urged, "Get ready!" Standing their ground, the heroes confronted Oogie's army of sword-chucking card soldiers.

"Sonic Blade! Strike Raid!" Wendy dispatched the first wave of cards using advanced Keyblade techniques, and she often resorted to tear through a few in her path with basic combos.

"Fira! Blizzara! Thundara!" Donald authorized a random casting of elemental magic to destroy the second wave.

"Goofy Charge! Goofy Tornado!" Goofy raised his shield to both defend himself from the cards' swords and push them away.

"Yellow Fire! Blue Fire!" Romeo incinerated his own share of Oogie's cards with different colors of Rainbow Fire.

"Sky God's Boreas! Sky God's Dance!" Sherria blew away some more by conjuring strong gusts of black wind.

"Hyah! Hah!" Carla cartwheeled to avoid the swords before kicking a few of the remaining card soldiers down to the floor, while Jack jumped behind the last three and ripped them apart with a Ghostly Scream.

"Oh, no! You ruined my card collection! I'm so scared!" Oogie spoke in mock terror before he reached for a nearby lever and pulled it. Several hatches on the wall that sidelined the roulette wheel opened to reveal hundreds of cannons and missiles locked onto Wendy and her friends, preparing to blow them to smithereens! The looks of distress on the heroes' faces was enough to galvanize Oogie's spirits, and he cackled in triumph. "NOT!"

Donald exclaimed, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Lucy shrieked, "HEAVY-DUTY WEAPONRY?!"

Romeo yelled, "HE'S OUT OF HIS MIND!"

Goofy panicked, "HE'S GONNA BLOW US UP!"

Jack cringed, "Goodness, I've never seen him so insanely prepared!"

Sherria yelped, "He's downright sparky to blast us all sky high!"

Oogie announced, "It's game over for you! So long, farewell, it's time to go bye-bye!" Holding a remote in his hand, he brought down his other on the button for what appeared to be the final curtain call. "BOOM!"

Wendy screamed, "EVERYBODY WATCH OUT!"

The firearms were set loose, and a stream of exploding fire washed over the entire pit, turning the roulette wheel into a colossal bonfire with its smoke nearly immersing the Torture Chamber in ash. With a cough, Oogie stumbled back, and waited until the smoke passed by. The crackling fire drowned out the heroes' cries of fear and agitation, and the Torture Chamber lay still. Soon enough, there was silence. The bonfire died down, and when Oogie set his eyes back on the pit, Wendy and her friends were nowhere to be seen. All that was left was a completely wrecked roulette wheel, and most of the casino-themed gadgets and equipment lay scattered and torn. At first, he cringed at the destruction he deliberately caused in his last attempt to finish off his adversaries, but as he inspected the damage one more time, he chuckled smugly. "Who's the lucky one now, huh? Who's the lucky one NOW?" No response came from the smoldering roulette wheel. He threw his head back, cackling madly. "That's right, it's ME! I hit the jackpot! Just what I've been waiting for! You done been fried up! ASHES to ASHES, DUST to DUST!" He took a deep breath once he stopped laughing, and crossed his hips. "Well, that takes care of that. Those idiots, especially Jack, ain't around to bug me no more. It really makes me wonder why I haven't done this sooner. I warned them not to mess with me, and what happens to them? They get blown to kingdom come! They're dead as a dead rat! Dead, ya hear me? Dead, dead, dead!" He then stared back down at the roulette wheel, "Heh, guess I'm gonna have to redecorate the whole place. Or I should stand here and look at this all... DAAAAAAAAAAAY?!" By the time he lifted his head, his happiness instantly turned to absolute surprise when Wendy and her friends emerged from the fire and smoke, all standing together in a rising platform with a glowing switch already pressed!

"Third time's the charm... Only you get a full house!" Jack announced, and he thrust his arm to gesture at himself, Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Sherria, Lucy, and Carla, each of them eager to put a stop to his sickening entertainment.

"Like I said, it won't work," Wendy affirmed. "If you do things the wrong way, they just end up backfiring in the end. Sherria said it herself, cheaters never prosper." She turned to stare at the mess down below, "It's clear to me that you're not the kind of person to follow the rules of any game; instead you want to take it easy by breaking the rules. You thought that by lying and deceiving others, it means your chances of winning the game are even higher. Well, let me tell you, it doesn't work that way!" She looked back at Oogie, "You wanna know why you always lose? It isn't just because you lie and cheat all the time— it's that you don't have what it takes inside to play fair!"

"H-H-How?! There's no way you saw through me!" Oogie stuttered. "How you'd know I was pullin' out the big guns?"

"We didn't, but when you drew the guns on us, we had to come up with something," Sherria explained. "And it worked like a charm. We pressed a glowing button moments before you opened fire, and the floor took us all the way up to you." She sighed in relief, "That was a close call! If it weren't for these glowing buttons, we'd be eating big lead!"

"Glowing... BUTTONS?!" Oogie exclaimed shockingly.

"He almost wiped us out with a big mother lode," Donald murmured.

"Here's something Zeppelin would be real proud of," Sherria mused.

"Even so, luck was on our side. Looks like we hit the jackpot. A-hyuck!" Goofy grinned.

"OH, FOR CORN'S SAKE!" Oogie yelled in frustration. "WHY IN SAM HILL DID I EVER ADD THAT STUPID GLOWING BUTTON MECHANISM INTO THAT STUPID ROULETTE WHEEL?! I SHOULD'VE KNOWN ALL ALONG IT'D BE NOTHIN' BUT TROUBLE!"

"What's wrong, big guy? Upset that you're all out of cheesy strategies?" Romeo smirked.

"We have you now! And don't expect any mercy from us!" Lucy announced.

"No way, Jose! I ain't goin' down like a punk! You'll never take me alive!" Slamming his foot on another hidden switch just as the entourage was close to apprehending him, he was propelled by a spring underneath the floor to a crane hanging above the pit. Around the same time, the roulette wheel suddenly split open into five hatches, revealing a huge circular vat of boiling hot acid. He grabbed the crane as it lifted him upward, cackling madly. "So long, Jack! See ya later, kiddies! Let's play again in another life? Or maybe not! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Little did the boogeyman realize that he had caught a stitch while he was making his exit, and the string was dangling in front of him. Jack quickly spotted the thread and grabbed it. "Hey, Oogie! Do you want my opinion? You need to loosen up!" The Pumpkin King pulled the string, and the fabric that composed his burlap sack body began to unravel.

Oogie's joy melted into fear by the time he took notice of the changes taking place. "No, no, no, no, no!" He attempted to stop the string from tearing apart the rest of the cloth around him, but it was too late— it had already ripped open when Jack entangled the thread with a slot machine that dropped into the pit of acid. True to his background, the boogeyman beneath the burlap sack was nothing short of a pile of incensed insects forming a single body. "Now look what you've done!" Oogie cried out in horror. "My bugs! MY BUGS! MY BUGS!" Everyone watched the mound of squirming bugs that was once Oogie Boogie spill into the acid and melt away as he continually bemoaned his loss. Wendy and her friends were stunned and astonished by the revelation, while Jack looked on with a stern gaze.

"He really IS a bag of bugs!" Lucy exclaimed.

"His body was constructed out of hundreds of insects huddled together," Carla confirmed.

"Did you see that, everybody? He's bleeding bugs!" Donald remarked.

"And now it looks like he's fallin' apart at the seams," Goofy noted.

"Well, that's what he gets for trying to play dirty too hard," Wendy mused.

"He rolled the wrong dice, and now he paid the price," Romeo stated.

"You got that right," Sherria agreed. "Nice rhyme, by the way."

"Thanks," Romeo nodded.

Finally, Oogie's voice became barely audible as the rest of his bug-crafted figure sank into the acid, carrying the experimental heart with it, and thus joining their insect brethren in their hot, boiling grave. With a raspy boil, the heart disintegrated into black sludge with its odor rising up from the vat in a small puff of smoke. Wendy turned to examine where the heart fell, down to the dark ooze staining the acid and the stench born from it. She then asked, "Did the heart just fall along with him?"

"As far as I can tell, yeah," Romeo replied. "It melted away with his bugs. I saw it fall into that pool of broiling hot acid."

"We all did," Sherria sighed. "And we lost our only chance of getting it back. It just..." She lowered her eyes, "...happened so fast. Like melting a chunk of ice in a hot summer day."

"You know, after what we've seen, I don't think it seems to be useful in controlling tons of Heartless," Lucy stated. "Even by someone as villainous as him."

"So, that heart was a failure after all," Jack confirmed. He hung his head in disappointment over the fact that his best hope at perfecting the Heartless Halloween Festival didn't work exactly as he had hoped.

"Yeah... Sorry things didn't go so well, Jack," Wendy apologized. "Doctor Finkelstein's not going to be happy about this. After all the hard work you've put into it..."

"There's no need to apologize, Wendy," Jack assured. "It's just another lesson learned. Nobody is at fault here. We were doing our part in finding innovative ways to spice up Halloween year after year. We thought that with the heart, we could control all the Heartless, but it turned out to have a few screws loose than the doctor's screw collection." He then shrugged, "We might as well go back and tell him what happened. I'm certain there's plenty of time and room to improve."

"Yes, that's right," Wendy smiled. "It's never too late to make things better. Just don't give up, keep moving forward, and you'll come up with a great Halloween for everyone."

"I know I will," Jack chuckled. "Thank you for both your advice and the help you've given me in this wild adventure we've shared. I never would've crossed that bridge to get there without you and your wonderful circle of friends."

"It's no big deal," Wendy giggled. "We help other people all the time. It's our job."

"Of course it's our job. Because we're a team of pros," Donald grinned.

"I guess that ol' heart's busted, even with all the ingredients we've brought together," Goofy stated.

"Hold on... 'Nobody is at fault here?'" Lucy raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Aren't YOU the one who came up with this ridiculous Heartless control scheme in the first place?"

Before Jack could give an answer, Goofy happened to discover a written page on the floor next to the spring trap. He called out, "Hey, fellas!" He picked up the paper and showed it to the rest of the group. "It's another page of Ansem's report!"

Donald cheered, "Oh, boy! More research!"

Jack blinked, "Ansem's report? Excuse me, but what do you mean by that? And what's with the piece of paper in Goofy's hand?"

Goofy replied, "Oh, this? Well, it's a—"

Carla cut him off, "It's merely a piece of information we need in our endeavors to come. But I'm afraid this doesn't concern you, nor can we bring ourselves to enlighten you of its contents."

Jack nodded, "Well, okay. I understand your reasons, and I respect them. I'll just leave you to it, then."

Carla smiled, "Much obliged."

Lucy suggested, "Hey, let's head back to town. I think we've done enough as it is."

Romeo complied, "Sounds good." He turned to smile at Lucy as he thought to himself, "She's definitely gotten over her fear of Halloween Town; she's become way confident now."

As soon as Goofy put the page in his pocket, the entourage made their leave from the Torture Chamber, seemingly content of their victory over Oogie. But they failed to notice that the black ooze had spread all over the acid pit, perverting its bright color into a darker one, rumbling with noises that sounded what appeared to be heartbeats of a monster waiting to be awakened, the foul odor ascending past the ceiling...


Oogie's Manor

Shortly after making their way back up to the manor's main gate, Wendy and company crossed the wooden bridge back to the ridge they entered from, heading back to the town square for a report on the situation involving the artificial heart; by defeating the culprit responsible for the theft, the point of their objective had unfortunately slipped through their fingers, and was now forever lost. Doctor Finkelstein would surely be disheartened when he learned that the fruit of his many years of research and development had gone to waste as Wendy suggested, but they knew he had to understand one way or another. Before they could reach the end of the bridge, a large explosion suddenly echoed behind them, almost sending everyone off balance. Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Lucy, and Sherria cried out in alarm at the sound, while Jack and Carla simply flinched. Wendy exclaimed, "W-What was that?!"

Romeo answered, "Sounded big, whatever it was!"

Jack indicated, "It's coming from over there!" He looked to the source of the noise, and they all followed his gaze.

Lucy blinked, "The manor? But—" She was cut off when the noise from earlier rung through the air and shook the earth, startling everyone. A cloud of dust billowed out from the treehouse mansion, the force blowing past the group, pushing them backwards. Amid the chaos, a familiar voice moaned into the moonlight, akin to the ghost of a deceased creature hungry for revenge on those who defiled it. When the dust settled, Wendy and her friends witnessed something totally horrific— what appeared to be a gigantic version of Oogie Boogie had overtaken the entire manor itself! His burlap sack body replaced most of the structure's foundations, a spider cage tied around his left hand served as a lantern spewing fire, and black orbs dotted his giant-sized physique like blemishes. The souped-up boogeyman swung his lantern childishly for a few seconds, emitting a hellish glow onto his massive body, before sinking it back beneath the wood and iron melded into his chest. The haunting aura, the indescribable malice, it was enough to convince Wendy and company that he was not willing to lose— not as long as he had much left in him. And for that reason, he made a comeback through a powerful, dark force.

Sherria exclaimed, "OOGIE?!"

Romeo uttered, "H-He's gotten huge..."

Donald shouted, "But how? I thought he was toast!"

Goofy whimpered, "This could be a bigger problem for us!"

Carla assumed, "The experimental heart he devoured may have had some power left. It looks like he absorbed and channeled its energy into himself moments before we defeated him, and it made him evolve into what he is now!" She furrowed her eyebrows with anger, "Even from beyond the grave, he proves to be an unrelenting strategist and a deceitful risk taker."

Lucy complained, "The HEART? That broken old THING brought him back to life, revived him as a monster the size of a tall mountain?! This doesn't make any sense! I mean, seriously! Hadn't it gone down the drain when it fell into that vat of acid?"

Jack stated, "Apparently, it still had a little juice in the system. Karmic, isn't it? By a twist of fate, a failed product of research turns into a weapon of total destruction. And that's not all..." He pointed at the orbs surrounding Oogie's body, "You see them? They're brimming with the power of darkness! Oogie Boogie is drawing power from those dark globs! I guess that answers our question on how he suddenly came back alive and kicking like this."

Wendy asked, "Just to be sure, we have to destroy those things?"

Jack nodded, "I'm positive, Wendy. My eyes are as keen as a vulture in the sky, and they never lie. The globs supply Oogie with his new dark powers. Take them out, he losea steam, and we put him down for good."

Wendy said confidently, "Okay, this shouldn't be hard." Before anyone could act, Oogie held his head high and let out another moan to the night sky, this one louder than the first. The wailing spread across the landscape at a wide margin, compelling the entourage to shield themselves from the rushing blend of wind and pandemonium. Once the moaning died down, hundreds of Gargoyles appeared from a shower of portals, encircling the goliath who called them forth in a ring of terrifying violet, ready to fight for the honor of their master. Everybody gasped as they backed away from the amassing army of flying Heartless, knowing how stark the situation had grown. Beats of sweat rolled down Wendy's face as she swallowed her throat. "Then again..."

Goofy cried, "Uh-oh! He's brought in a whole flock of flyin' Heartless!"

Donald whined, "You're kidding me! Do we have to fight ALL of them to get to him?!"

Lucy tensed, "One minute, he summons only two. The next minute, a whole army! I'm beginning to think this heart wasn't as busted as we believed."

Jack breathed, "Just as I figured. A failure turns into a success, which turns into a disaster. Even so..."

Wendy determined, "We have to stop Oogie! With this many Heartless, he'll destroy Halloween Town and everyone in it!"

Sherria winced, "Yeeeaah, that's the thing..." She gestured to the gigantic swarm of Gargoyles taking their positions; many elected to stand guard over the globs that supplied Oogie with his tremendous power, while the rest revolved around the gargantuan burlap sack on the lookout for targets. "The flock's way too big! The second we get a chance to clean up these splotches, they'll rain down on our parade."

Lucy reasoned, "What choice do we have? The Heartless will have made their way to Halloween Town by now. There's no time to waste. We gotta take out Oogie before they attack the town!"

Jack acknowledged, "Yes, take out the source, and the rest will run away. Of course! That could work! Though it's not going to be a walk in the Halloween park with all these pesky Gargoyles in the sky. We're going to need something that can level the playing field."

Wendy rubbed her chin as she thought of an idea. "Well, there's this new Summon Gem I have yet to use since we left Traverse Town..." She took out the Crabclaw Keyblade, "I might as well give it a shot! I'll use Watergleam!"

Romeo smiled, "Well, it's been a long time coming. Let's see what your new summon can do!"

Sherria cheered, "Finally! Watergleam's taking center stage!"

Donald beamed, "Oh, boy! Time for Wendy's new summon!"

Goofy urged, "You're up, Wendy! Get to summonin' and get some big baddies!"

Wendy held a hand to her chest, channeling the light of the latest Summon Gem she acquired in the wake of the Monstro incident. In the words of the Fairy Godmother, the light and the spirit within embodied the virtues of purity and strength, a powerful force that could prove capable of rivaling the ongoing tide of malice. "Summon Gem: Watergleam!" She hoisted the Keyblade high into the sky, the tip lighting up to open a gateway amongst a cluster of grey clouds. A large bubble of radiant light dropped down from the clouds, and it popped upon landing, revealing the spirit of the Summon Gem— a young Asian elephant with enormous ears, dressed in a yellow conical hat and a red clown collar with a yellow central stripe. "Huh?" Wendy stared in disbelief as the elephant flapped his larger-than-normal ears to keep himself afloat, greeting her with a cheerful expression, not bothered at all by the ghostly atmosphere around him. "You're a..."

"A FLYING ELEPHANT?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

"Gawrsh, look at his ears!" Goofy gasped. "You see how big and flat they are? He's flappin' 'em nice and hard to fly up in the air like a bird!"

"He uses his ears as wings," Carla remarked. "It must have taken him plenty of practice and effort to achieve such a feat. I just think it's impressive."

"First talking cats with wings, now elephants with ears for wings..." Donald frowned. "Why is it that I'm seeing little runts with wings everywhere we go?"

"Uh, we've all seen things with wings, Donald," Lucy stated. "There's more than a hundred million flying animals out there besides an Exceed and the elephant over there." She pointed a thumb at him, "We might've seen a housefly, maybe even a dragonfly, but this is the first time I've actually seen an elephant fly."

"Yeah, sure," Donald murmured. "Cats can fly, elephants can fly, even dragons can fly. When I say jump, they fly, fly, fly." He waved his arms in distress before crossing them, "Phooey! But what about me? I'm a duck! Aren't I supposed to fly, too? Duck have wings! And has anyone read the story of The Ugly Duckling? The duckling turns into a beautiful swan and flies free as a bird!"

"You know, you're starting to sound like that whiny duck in Deep Jungle again," Sherria teased. "And if I can relate you to the story of the The Ugly Duckling, I'll be frank. Even though you can't grow into a swan and you'll always be a duck, there's nothing ugly about you at all." She imitated a cough before whispering, "Temper and thick head."

"Ah, thank you, Sherria," Donald smiled. "It's about time you gave me a sweet compliment." His eyes quickly widened in surprise, "Wait, did you just say I'm an ugly duck?!"

"Nope. I didn't say you are. At least in charm and attitude," Sherria giggled.

"Oh, that's what I thought you said," Donald confirmed.

"You still haven't gotten over the fact that you can't fly, have you?" Carla asked.

"Oh, you think?" Donald grumbled. "What's next, are you going to outclass me even more by learning how to fly a spaceship? Picture this; a flying kitty cat who can also pilot a spaceship just like me, a flightless duck."

"Just so you know, I don't have the pleasure of competing with you," Carla answered. "I've brushed off this childish notion since after the Deep Jungle. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground where they belong, and spread my wings if need be. We all have our own specific talents that define how skilled we are. And as I told you before..."

"Not everybody is meant to fly. I know," Donald admitted with a sigh. "Thank you for reminding me, Carla. It's not at all very discouraging."

"So Wendy's new Keyblade summon is a baby elephant who uses his oversized ears as wings..." Lucy smiled. "With ears like these, I thought he'd be ridiculed for their size, or they'd just hold him down by tripping on them. Instead, they let him fly in the air. He'd be a big hit in the zoo, maybe even the circus!"

"He is definitely from the circus," Jack identified, before taking a sniff at the elephant. "Yes, he has the sweet stench of a soaring dynamo all over him, aside from telling by the hat and clown collar. His ears may be huge, but using them to fly? The quality of a sensational circus star!"

"Really? How so?" Romeo asked.

"I can read anyone by catching their scent," Jack explained. "When in doubt, always trust your nose..." He proudly tapped his skeletal snout to make his point, "...and your keen intuition."

"Aww, would ya just look at the little guy?" Goofy said sweetly.

"He looks so lively and energetic. It's like he's ready to put on a good show," Lucy remarked.

"And he's so adorable!" Sherria cooed. "Wendy's new summon, the one we've been expecting for a while now, happened to be a baby elephant with wing-like ears? Who knew?! I'm gonna give him a big, warm, fuzzy hug... right now!" She approached the elephant and tighly squeezed his body; though he didn't laugh, he trumpeted in such a manner that he felt ticklish. In response, he wiggled his trunk across the Sky God Slayer's cheek, making her laugh. "Isn't he great? I like him already. He's soft as a teddy bear." She looked at Wendy, "The chubby cutie gives my cheek a trunky-wunky. He should try yours, too!"

"Wow, you pop up and then you're excited to see us, aren't you..." Wendy giggled, and she saw the elephant's name written on the clown collar's central stripe. "...Dumbo?"

"The elephant's name is Dumbo?" Donald asked.

"If that's what it says on the collar, then yes," Jack nodded.

"That's a pretty charmin' name for a spritely-lookin' critter," Goofy grinned.

"A cute, cuddly pachyderm full of joy and love!" Sherria cuddled Dumbo again, prompting another delightful trumpet.

"His upbeat attitude reminds me of the guys back home," Lucy smiled. "Always positive, always cheerful, not a dull moment in the world."

"It's very nice to meet you, Dumbo. I'm Wendy," the Sky Dragon Slayer introduced herself. The elephant cheerily waved his trunk as a way of saying hello before holding it out, and she took it for a friendly shake. "I'm looking forward to fighting with you. We—" She had no time to finish her next sentence when she heard the gargantuan Oogie let loose another howl. He swung his lantern at the group, signaling any Gargoyle not busy with guarding his miniaturized beacons of power to remove them from the equation while they were distracted examining Wendy's third summon.

"Guys! He's sending out the welcoming committee!" Romeo alerted, motioning to more or less than one half of the Gargoyle horde rushing towards them.

"This isn't good. If they cross over the bridge, they'll destroy Halloween Town!" Jack tensed.

"Aww, nuts! We've wasted our time talking when we should be fighting!" Donald complained.

"What do we do? We can't just let 'em fly off! They'll attack the town!" Goofy dreaded.

"Let's grab their attention!" Wendy proposed. "If we keep the Heartless focused on us and stop them from crossing the bridge, the town should be safe!"

"Sounds like a good plan, Wendy!" Lucy approved. "We create a diversion, which leaves Oogie exposed. Some of us will have to get out there and cut down the source. As long as he's around, they'll keep coming to him, and they'll keep doing us in."

"Remember the black fruit you and I took out?" Sherria told Wendy. "No matter how tough our enemies are, there's always a weak spot or a power source somewhere. Nothing's invincible!"

"'Where there's a will, there's a way,'" Wendy stated, echoing the Sky God Slayer's words from way earlier. "You're right! Someone has to take care of Oogie while the others guard the bridge and keep the Heartless busy."

"But who's gonna be that someone? Our new summon?" Romeo wondered, glancing at Dumbo. "Or maybe two or three more in our team?"

"Hmm..." Wendy pondered as she took a closer inspection of Dumbo's positive outlook. "My new summon's a flyer, and he looks like he's ready to do anything. He's not even a bit worried, especially after he lost his world." She then straightened herself, "No reason not to give him a ride, though, since I brought him here. I feel like it's a good idea."

"Give him a ride?" Donald's eyes widened. "You're not serious about taking on that overstuffed jumbo-jerk all by yourself, are you?"

"Who says she's doin' it alone? She's got a flyin' elephant for a summon, and they're up for some major dogfightin'. Best leave it to those two," Goofy smiled. "When Wendy sets her mind on somethin', she does it. And I think Dumbo's the same way."

"And she's no stranger to high-flying herself. She piloted the Gummi Ship at her first try, and did an amazing job with it!" Sherria reminded. "So we see no reason not to let her take Dumbo for an aerial run, either."

"I trust any decision Wendy makes," Carla added. "No matter the circumstances, she resolves it with patience and consideration. But if case things go astray, she has my support."

"Her summons are like Celestial Spirits," Lucy implied. "She respects them as partners, and she cares for them, just like I do my Spirits. They're strong and amazing in their own right."

"Well, okay," Donald nodded. "If you believe, then I believe, too! I bet Wendy and Dumbo will make a great combo!"

"Dumbo, if it's alright, can I ride you?" Wendy asked him. "I'm gonna need your help if we're gonna stop that monster before he destroys everything." She pointed at Oogie, and the baby elephant accepted her request with an energetic nod, much to her delight. "Great! It's all settled! Let's do it!" The Sky Dragon Slayer wasted no time leaping onto his back, grabbing him by the neck. She turned to the rest of the party, "You guys hold the fort. We've got this."

"Does Dumbo have room for one more passenger?" Romeo climbed onto the elephant's back and sat behind Wendy, his left hand burning with Blue Fire. "You're gonna need a co-pilot if you want total air superiority!" He looked down at Dumbo, who wasn't fazed by the extra weight added to his back, and smiled. "For a baby elephant, you're as strong as an ox."

"Glad you can join us, Romeo!" Wendy beamed. "I know the three of us will pull this off."

"Make that the four of us," Carla elected, spreading her wings. "Dumbo isn't the only flyer, you see. You require assistance from another."

"I'm in, too!" Lucy readied her Fleuve d'étoiles. "I've been wanting to give this rotten burlap bag a wash down the drain. And I've got just the thing for it! Star Dress: Aquarius Form!" Resonating with the magic bestowed to her by Aquarius after she was forced to sacrifice her Gate Key during the Tartaros offensive, she donned the chosen Star Dress based on the Water Bearer's own— a bikini top sporting a zigzag design, frilled sleeves and a miniskirt secured by ribbons, and a pair of sandals. In addition, Lucy's hair was tied up in pigtails, and Aquarius's zodiac sign was located between her collarbone. She turned to Carla and asked, "Carla, if you're going out there, can you take me with you? You can be my wings." She added firmly, "If I can help you guys in any sort of way, I will, no matter what the risk."

Carla, Wendy, and Romeo smiled at the celestial wizard's determination. "True words of resolve," the Excced admired. "Very well! I'll be your wings!"

"Okay, so that leaves five of us to take to the skies for an all-out assault on the fat guy," Romeo confirmed. He faced Donald, Goofy, Jack, and Sherria, "While you four protect the bridge from any Heartless trying to pass through."

"Don't worry. We won't let a single one of them get to town," Jack promised.

"Disney Castle's Captain of the Guard, reportin' for duty!" Goofy saluted.

"Leave it to us! You go take care of that giant doofus for us!" Donald beckoned.

"We'll make it through this. Just be careful out there, okay?" Sherria asked.

"Same to you!" Romeo nodded.

"You can count on it!" Wendy assured.

"Here they come!" Jack shouted. The Gargoyles lunged towards the fragmented bridge, soaring down to tackle the group.

"Dumbo, let's go!" Wendy beckoned. The elephant obediently zoomed her and Romeo over to the center of the wide battlefield where Oogie's manor-sized form awaited.

"Time to finish this fasto once and for all!" Lucy declared, and she bounced off the bridge into a free descent. "Carla!"

"Right!" The white Exceed swooped in and grabbed Lucy before they flew off, following Dumbo into the heart of the chaos.

Meanwhile, Donald, Goofy, Sherria, and Jack served as the vanguards in the fractured medium between the sole path back to Halloween Town and what used to be the treehouse manor; it was a war zone around an area with relatively short space, considering that most of the bridge was destroyed after Oogie's monstrous transformation. In spite of this, the four clashed against the Gargoyle hordes sent by Oogie to invade and conquer anywhere and everything in sight. The Heartless may have outnumbered them over thirty to one, but Donald, Goofy, Sherria, and Jack showed no signs of faltering; they resolved to hold the line until Wendy finished off the vile bag of bugs for good.

"Fira! Thundara! Gravity!"

"Goofy Charge! Goofy Tornado! Goofy Rocket!"

"Sky God's Bellow! Boreas! Dance!"

"Blazing Fury! Icy Terror! Ghostly Scream!"

The quartet of spells and techniques obliterated an incoming swarm of Gargoyles, only for a new one to fill the gap in five seconds short, adding to the increasingly growing tension.

"Well, aren't they happy to see us? They're giving us the party favors!" Sherria grunted, waving a black tornado at ten Gargoyles to erase them on sight.

"What can Dumbo do to help Wendy? We can't keep this up forever!" Donald quacked, bashing five Gargoyles with his staff before freezing them with a Blizzara spell.

"Knowin' him, he probably has a lot in the trunk," Goofy guessed, as he jump in the air to bonk four Gargoyles on the backs of their heads, sending them falling down into the pit below. "It'll be okay, though! She has Lucy, Carla, and Romeo with her. Oogie doesn't stand a chance."

"We're a team with a plan!" Sherria punched a Gargoyle in the face, then blew four more away by casting Sky God's Dance. "We'll get it done, and we'll make it back to the festival before the moon sets!"

"Let's hope so!" Jack blasted six Gargoyles into the air with a Ghostly Scream. "Until then, we must hold out here!" Shortly after slapping a seventh Gargoyle with a boned hand, he looked out to the distance where Wendy and the others flew off to confront the colossal boogeyman-manor hybrid. "Wendy, Dumbo, Lucy... You're our best chance at stopping him now. We're all counting on you... And hang in there..."

In the meantime, Wendy, Romeo, Dumbo, Lucy, and Carla's presence in the air had not gone unnoticed by Oogie, who commanded the other half of the Gargoyle hordes to rid them of his presence, while only a few elected to remain behind and protect the dark globs. The Heartless began their assault, either swiping their claws and wings, or opening their mouths to shoot orbs, though the five were quick and nimble enough to avoid each attack as they got closer to their target. Wendy, Romeo, and Lucy would often implement their weapons and magic to tear down a few strays along the way. Soon, the lantern in Oogie's left hand lit up, shooting a barrage of fireballs that homed in on Wendy and her teammates. Though they evaded most with ease, a few managed to explode near them, almost forcing the flyers to lose their grip. A couple more minutes of eluding fire and Heartless, and the colossal manor-boogeyman hybrid switched to a new tactic. He released a massive torrent of flame from his spider cage, heading straight for Dumbo. Wendy and Romeo would have expected the flying elephant to turn away, but he instead took a deep breath, inhaled, and then exhaled a jet of water from his long nose, extinguishing the horizontal line of fire and reducing it to a cloud of steam.

Romeo remarked, "Whoa! How much water does he have in his trunk? Has he saved up a lot?"

Wendy admired, "Thanks, Dumbo! We almost got fried there!" He accepted the compliment with an eager nod. "You're the best!" Giggling, she ruffled his forehead, making him feel warm inside.

Almost immediately afterwards, Oogie's ghastly moan filled the air once more, and at a pace that was very unusual for a regular monster the size of a mountain, he swung his lantern around in circles, spewing tongues of flame at Wendy, Romeo, and Dumbo. Carla's eyes widened at the incoming barrage, and yelled, "Look out!" The flying elephant saw it coming, and started to hover from left to right, up and down and all around, in such a velocity equal to that of Carla's Max Speed, evading the volatile orbs of fire with less effort. One minute passed, and the fireballs trapped Dumbo in a circle.

"I'll take care of this!" Lucy said, as Carla flew her towards the fireballs that were closing in on Dumbo, holding out her arms as they drew near. "Aqua Clypeus!" She cast a barrier of water around herself, instantly snuffing out the flames upon collision, and flew a bit further before swinging her arms forward, turning the barrier into a torrent she sent flying at the lantern. The water struck the cage along its fiery center, nearly dousing it, but Oogie just roared and dangled it at Lucy, trying to swat her away. "Aqua Metria!" She pointed her hands to the ground, which softened and swelled into a watery vortex mixed with mud. It flowed in waves, leaving mucky trails along Oogie's gigantic frame, while simultaneously deflecting the lantern before it hit the celestial wizard. The impact sent a pile of liquified earth splashing onto Oogie's face, blinding him. With that advantage, Lucy would have had the freedom to take down the first dark glob on sight, if the lantern hadn't acted on its own by setting loose another cannonade of fireballs, and more Gargoyles hadn't gotten in the way.

"Lucy, heads up! Rainbow Fireball!" Romeo flung a multicolored fireball at a small squadron of Heartless trying to knock the blonde-haired girl off the air, wiping them out in a single blast.

"My turn now! Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!" Wendy conjured up a whirlwind that consumed the fireballs, even dragged any Gargoyle unfortunate enough to come close.

"Thanks, guys!" Lucy gave her teammates the thumbs up, then turned to the guards protecting the dark glob located between Oogie's right foot and stomach. "Hey, you! Why don't you have some of THIS!" She unleashed a stream of water that washed away the Heartless.

"Dumbo!" Responding to Wendy's call, the baby elephant soared over and used Splash on the glob, the water's purifying properties effectively cleansing the darkness that comprised it. And in a few seconds, the glob was gone, leaving only a puddle where it once stood. Wendy smiled at this development, and said, "Alright, that's one down!"

Lucy pointed out, "It doesn't look like it did much, though. There's still more to go."

Carla asked, "Where do you suppose we'll find the next one?"

Romeo looked around and found two globs on a set of wooden platforms stuck on Oogie's right hip. "There! Two of 'em!"

A second later, the mud was cleared from Oogie's infuriated face, and he waved his lantern in a frenzy, showers of fire soaring through the air. As soon as they saw it coming, Dumbo and Carla spun around and flew Wendy, Romeo, and Lucy out of sight, narrowly missing getting caught by the hot steel, as well as its flammable sheddings dancing in the wind. As the heroes flew for the next dark globs, a new pack of Gargoyles suddenly flew up in front of them and intercepted the five, Dumbo crashing into one's torso head first. Although he was briefly stunned by the impact, Dumbo quickly used Splash on the Heartless, wiping out several numbers and shoving the rest out of the way.

"Fire! Blizzara! Thundara! Strike Raid!" While Dumbo was mowing down the Heartless, Wendy chose to provide support with a few techniques of her own.

"Get lost, you freaks!" Romeo punched and kicked away some Gargoyles trying to drag him off Dumbo's back.

"Aqua Metria!" Lucy held out her open palms, summoning a spiraling water wave that tore down the remaining interceptors in a straight line. As luck would have it, it also destroyed the first dark glob as it went, much to Lucy's satisfaction. "Two for one!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy breathed a powerful gust at the second glob, vaporizing it. "I got one!"

Oogie sensed that his dark power had weakened gradually due to the loss of three beacons that kept the power in check. Desperate to prevent his inevitable end, he raised the lantern aloft and shot a massive wave of fire at Wendy and the others, who made a swift descent to avoid getting scorched. He switched to other attack methods such as swinging the cage or shooting homing fireballs, but they were no match for Dumbo and Carla's incredible speed and agility. The fourth glob was on a wooden platform below Oogie's armpit, with plenty of space to move about, and was guarded by a squadron of Gargoyles. As Dumbo outsmarted a fair amount with aerobatic maneuvers before finishing them with conventional Splash attacks, Wendy and Romeo took care of the rest using close-range strikes or long-range spells. With no Heartless in the vicinity, taking out the glob was a simple task.

Unnoticed by Wendy, Romeo, and Dumbo, another shower of fireballs burst out of the lantern and flew right behind them before they could move to find the next glob. Lucy and Carla both saw the sizzling tongues of flame looking ready to explode in the direction opposite of the flying elephant's. Lucy shouted, "Behind you!" The three heard her and looked back just in time to see the fireballs closing in. Wendy and Romeo let out surprised shouts, and Dumbo managed to barrel roll out of the way, the flaming orbs blowing up three approaching Gargoyles in the back.

Romeo breathed, "Close call..." He sensed a Gargoyle sneaking up on the side and quickly delivered a Blue Fire across the jaw, knocking it down. "He doesn't know when to fold, does he? If you ask my opinion, he's like..."

Lucy interjected, "A fine-tuned machine? Yeah, I can see the resemblance between him and Zeppelin. The gimmicks, the crazy stunts, even the borderline sadistic attitudes. Except Oogie is, well... He's just kinda dense and doesn't know how to count the cards in his own deck."

Romeo agreed, "True, he's as thick as a brick, and he's not good at keeping his blind spots hidden. But he's... Whoa, look out!" Lucy turned around to see Oogie swayed his lantern downward to where they were. Dumbo and Carla quickly backed up, the gigantic cage falling past them and landing on the dirt, creating a small tremor of fire where it struck.

Carla insisted, "Save the discussions for a later time! We have to focus on taking him down!"

Looking back at Oogie, Wendy saw that he was spewing more fireballs, in addition to large jets traveling upward or downward in straight lines. "Aahh! Dumbo, move!" The young elephant flew around as fast as he could, struggling to avoid getting hit by the flaming barrage while Wendy and Romeo held on tightly. Lucy and Carla followed suit, and when several fireballs closed in on them, the celestial wizard hastily cast Aqua Clypeus around herself and the Exceed. The fireballs rained down on the force field, exploding against it. As the inferno raged on, countless Gargoyles were left to suffer the misfortune of being swallowed up in its raging tide. Oogie's own minions had been forced to endure the wrath of his lantern, yet it mattered little to him, as he only focused on burning alive the flies who dared to wear him out. Three minutes later, Oogie shifted to use his lantern as a flyswatter; Dumbo and Carla noticed it in time and spread their wings, flexing the extent of their nimbleness to avoid the bludgeoning cage in rapid succession. As the boogeyman's frustration grew, so did the speed of every swing of his lantern, thereby adding to the difficulty of the aerial exercise.

Thankfully, luck seemed to be on the heroes' side, as instead of continuing his fiery assault for an extra minute, Oogie began to grow tired, and he dropped the lantern, the rope dangling the heavy object a few feet off the ground. Wendy then asked, "Is everybody okay?"

Romeo groaned, "Yeah, we're fine." He looked down to see the lantern, "That is one huge lamp."

Lucy admitted, "He knows we're targeting the dark globs, so it can't be helped." She joined the Rainbow Fire wizard in examining the article in question. "We've got to destroy that thing! As long as he uses it, he'll keep pestering us with freaky fire."

Romeo approved, "Good plan! Let's—" His obligation turned to shock a second later as Oogie suddenly swatted the lantern left and right, looking no worse for wear. Wendy and her friends were thrown into a new grueling trial by fire, though homing fireballs and flamethrowers were not added to the mix to make the challenge harder than it was now; Oogie had grown severely impatient, and wanted nothing more than to make the troublesome gnats go away.

Carla frowned, "It looks like it won't be easy, so long as he is active and alert. We have to catch him off guard, then strike when he's vulnerable. If we can stop the lantern in its tracks..."

Wendy echoed, "Stop the lantern in its tracks..." And just like that, her mind buzzed with a plan. "There's only one chance!" With that in mind, she raised the Keyblade high in the air and chanted, "Crabclaw Command Style: Bubble Crab!" In a flash of light blue, the sides of her waist were magically enforced by Treasure Claws. Romeo, Lucy, and Carla took notice and felt a surge of confidence in the Sky Maiden's decision to enact her trump card, while Dumbo turned his head around to marvel at the radiance glimmering on his back. Wendy turned to her friends and said, "Leave it to me! I'll take out that lantern!"

Lucy nodded, "Okay! You can leave the next glob to us!"

Carla urged, "Stay focused, Wendy! Do what you must!"

Wendy complied, "Right!" She motioned the Treasure Claws to assume their positions, her gaze set on Oogie's flaming lantern fast approaching her in a side swipe. "Wrapper Bubble!" The claws opened, and their nozzles gathered a tremendous amount of magical bubbles, mixing them together into forming a single bubble the exact same size as the lantern. Wendy released the bubble, thus trapping the red hot steel in its watery cage. "Coral Shot!" She added multiple shots of acid water spikes, and then... BOOM! The giant bubble exploded in a shower of liquid, obliterating the lantern!

Romeo cheered, "Yeah! You got it!"

Wendy beamed, "The lantern's gone!" Dumbo acknowledged the result with just a single wave of his trunk and a wide grin.

Around the same time, Lucy and Carla flew over to the next dark glob that was found on a huge chunk of concrete attached to Oogie's left shoulder. The Gargoyle Heartless that protected the glob were the least of their worries, though, when Oogie suddenly whipped his arm at the pair, nearly shoving them off with great force. It was fortunate that Carla stayed afloat and held onto Lucy's back to prevent her fall. They returned to Oogie's shoulder, cleared away the Heartless, and without giving the gigantic bag of bugs a chance to react, the blonde-haired wizard ravaged the dark glob in a lightning fast 20-hit whip combination. Afterwards, Carla flew Lucy out of the platform and regrouped with the other three.

Romeo smiled, "Perfect timing, Lucy!"

Lucy smiled back, "No problem! Just doing our job."

Wendy encouraged, "Let's keep going! I think we're almost done here!"

True enough, they could see that the immense power of darkness nurturing Oogie was showing signs of diminishing rapidly, as evidenced by the black smoke rising out of his enormous body. With so many dark globs eliminated, it became clear that his doom was all but inevitable, and had already been decided. But the sinister bag of bugs was not content to let it end that way; if this was to be his last day on Halloween Town, he would at least see Wendy and her friends fall before him. His suffering turned to fury, Oogie let out a loud, demented roar that scattered the dark vapor around him. He blew dark spores out of his mouth at Wendy, Romeo, and Dumbo, who were quick to fly away before they got swarmed. However, the spores succeeded in hitting Lucy and Carla when they had little time to dodge— the spores were filled with poison, draining them of their health. To add further insult to injury, a small, spider-shaped cage hanging around Oogie's neck lit up, becoming somewhat of a substitute lantern that shot fire.

Romeo grunted, "Ugh... I'm thinking he just left a bad taste in the mouth!" He threw a Purple Fire Fist at a nearby Gargoyle, distracting the rest of the pursuing Heartless long enough for Lucy and Carla to steadily heal from the poisonous spores. He turned back at Oogie, who looked incredibly steamed than he was before.

Lucy growled, "What's wrong with this lunatic?! Has he ever eaten any normal food like normal people?" She coughed slightly from the spores' toxic effects, then kicked a Gargoyle with a boot to the head. "I'd be lying in a grave if I let his poison breath get to me again!"

Carla indicated, "He's pushed to his limit! We must finish this at once!" She hoisted herself and Lucy upward to avoid two Gargoyles bumping into each other's heads.

Wendy chopped away eight surrounding Gargoyles with her Treasure Claws, then took out six more by firing Coral Shots. She remarked, "I guess there's a reason he's become like this after he ate that heart. He's so full of greed and revenge, the heart actually answered to him. And I think I know why..." She narrowed her eyes, "Because it draws on darkness. Something that shouldn't have been made led to something even worse. The heart responded to his evil and malice, turning him into a monster. And if he's anything like the Heartless, he'll keep causing trouble, no matter what. We shouldn't mess with things we don't understand. If we do, things get worse."

Oogie gave another loud shriek that caused everybody to look in his direction. He then thrust forward, spewing more poisonous dark spores from his mouth. "Coral Shot!" Wendy immediately opened her Treasure Claws and fired acid bullets from their nozzles. They expertly tore through the shower of spores, scattering portions of toxic vapor in different directions, before making their way into Oogie's gaping mouth! KA-BOOM! A massive explosion of fire and shadow created a hole between the boogeyman's cheeks and uvula. With it, a large leak of dark energy mixed with molten magma poured from the tear, as though his mouth bled profusely. That grotesque action left a severe impact on Oogie's wrath, practically devolving it into sheer torment; even with only so few dark globs remaining in select parts of his body, the pain of losing his mouth was far more than he could bear. Wendy and her teammates watched in awe as the boogeyman rocked his deformed lower face back and forth, whimpering.

Lucy winced, "Whoa... He bit the hand that feeds him, only for the hand to bite back."

Carla told Wendy, "Oogie's body is critically fractured by your attack! This is our chance!"

Wendy nodded, "Alright! Time to wrap this up!"

Oogie suddenly let out a deafening moan that was more distorted than usual— in spite of the crippling blow dealt to his lower face, he was still persistent in putting up a fight. A second after the agitated wail died down, the mini-lantern around Oogie's neck spewed a volley of fireballs at the party. Dumbo quickly straightened up, readied his trunk, and extinguished the flames with a Splash. At that same instant, the jet of water struck the lantern, going beyond the iron to erase the burning core within.

"Wrapper Bubble!" Wendy released a giant bubble that confined the unlit lantern, and by the time it popped, the lantern itself exploded.

"Aqua Metria!" Lucy softened the earth down below, molding a whirlpool of liquid dirt which she directed at a dark glob on a platform above Oogie's arm, consuming it. "Just one more to go!" The last glob was found on a tree branch over Oogie's head, being guarded by the last of his bodyguard Heartless. Lucy and Carla flew over, defeated the Gargoyles, and then focused their attention on the main objective at hand. "Aquarius, give me strength..." The brave celestial wizard, having enhanced her Fleuve d'étoiles with Aquarius's magic, performed a fierce 35-hit water whip combo on the glob. In one final crack, the final beacon of darkness was wiped from existence.

The destruction of every dark glob marked the definite end of the bag of bugs— Wendy and her friends regrouped just in time to witness the living manor quake and crumble to the ground, his gigantic figure breaking down into smoke and rubble, with no beacon left to contain his power. At this point, all traces of chaos and destruction had all but disappeared, replaced by a horrified creature painfully aware of his imminent demise. Oogie couldn't bother begging for his life to be saved; his time had already come. Wendy pointed a Treasure Claw at him, declaring, "It's game over for you, Oogie! You've had your chance, and now it's time for you to pay! For all the people you've hurt and tortured, just for the thrill of it…"

Romeo sensed where this was going, and grinned. "Here comes the finale!"

Wendy finished, "…I won't let you get away! Command Style Critical Art: Aqua Flare!" She magically combined the Treasure Claws into a massive bubble floating at the tip of the Crabclaw, then turned to face her friends. "Guys, give me more water! As much as you have!" She motioned to the bubble, "I want to make it bigger for this last shot!"

"Good thinking, Wendy!" Lucy smiled at the idea. "Lucky for us, my Aquarius Star Dress is all water. Here you go!" She waved her hands, summoning a torrent of water that flowed into the bubble, increasing its size by the second. "Drink up, Aqua Flare!" Of course, Dumbo helped by releasing his own water with his trunk pointed upward, adding to the bubble's already growing bulk.

Soon enough, the Aqua Flare had reached nearly the same size as Oogie's manor, a magnitude so absurd that Jack, Donald, Goofy, and Sherria witnessed it while fighting the encroaching Heartless on the broken bridge. Wendy levitated the oversized bubble high in the air, (with Lucy and Dumbo's water still making it grow) and then swung the Keyblade to send it flying towards Oogie, yelling, "Aqua Meteor!" The bubble hit so hard that it ensnared Oogie in a bubbly dome that was twice his original height, before giving off one tremendous POP! In a split second, the Aqua Meteor turned into an active bomb, giving off a colossal explosion that obliterated Oogie in a blast of acid water, shaking the entire landscape! BOOOOOOOOM! Everyone was forced to shield their eyes, and when they looked again, they saw a rising steam cloud where Oogie used to be, droplets of water caused by the detonation plopping on the ground like rain. As the liquid and gas cleared, there was nothing left of the manor, save for rubble, wood, and building pieces that lay scattered across the place. To everyone's surprise and relief, the threat of Oogie Boogie was finally gone.

Jack cheered, "They did it! Thanks to Wendy and Lucy, the town is safe at last!"

Sherria sighed, "Phew, that was close! I thought he'd never stop bugging us around."

Donald grinned, "But we're all okay. Wendy did another great job. She blew up the whole mansion with a super-duper big bubble, and Lucy and Dumbo helped! You see how huge that was?"

Goofy nodded, "Yup, just like the asteroid Wendy and I blew up on our way to Atlantica. For one bubble as big as a rock out in space, it really packs a punch."

Sherria chuckled, "If Zeppelin was still here, he'd be oiling his tin can. Meteor-sized bubbles are the new blue!"

Jack smiled, "I don't know about you, but thanks to this, Oogie's not going to bet any more lives on a gamble anytime soon. We'll all rest easy knowing that it's over..." A calm breath, and he looked over to face Wendy, Romeo, Dumbo, Lucy, and Carla gliding in the air over the wreckage created as a result of the destruction left in the wake of the Aqua Meteor. "I couldn't thank you enough. The nightmare is over, thanks to you, Wendy."

Meanwhile, Wendy's team made their slow and steady descent on solid earth, Dumbo flapping his ear-like wings before planting his feet down, allowing Wendy and Romeo to get off his back, and Carla releasing Lucy upon landing. As Lucy changed from her Aquarius Star Dress back into her original outfit, she spoke, "Geez, what a complete mess we made around here..." She then grinned, "...but it's still pretty cool. We literally brought the house down."

Romeo quipped, "Turnabout is fair play, right? That fat chump had it coming. He should've played straight like he's supposed to."

"WENDY!" She and the others heard the sudden calling of their names. They turned and looked up to see Donald, Goofy, Sherria, and Jack cheering and waving at them from the cliff above.

Wendy called back, "Donald! Goofy! Sherria! Jack!"

Romeo joined in, "It's okay now! Oogie's out!"

Lucy asked, "Can you guys hear us?"

Sherria replied, "Yeah, we hear you! And we saw it all! The big bubble, too! Definitely Wendy's handiwork!"

Goofy cheered, "You got him good, Wendy! You just gave him the biggest wash he's ever had in a lifetime!"

Jack grinned, "You were magnificent, Wendy, and so were Lucy and Dumbo! You never cease to amaze us!"

Wendy blushed as she giggled, "Aww, it was nothing..."

Lucy chuckled, "Thanks!" Dumbo happily skipped along the ground.

Goofy reminded, "Let's not forget Romeo and Carla."

Donald pointed out, "They were there, too, you know!"

Jack nodded, "Of course, how could we forget those other two? What are they, chopped liver?"

Romeo joked, "Well, us 'chopped liver' do live up to the hype. You expect the other three to go it alone in this?" He and the others laughed at that comment.

Sherria requested, "Hey, do you mind if you help us get down here?"

Donald added, "And while you're at it..." He pointed down his thumb at Carla, "...why don't you have your kitty cat carry us one at a time?"

That took almost everyone by surprise, especially a certain Exceed. "Is this some kind of joke?!" Carla exclaimed in comic anger. "What am I, everyone's mode of transportation?!"

Donald snapped, "Hey, I'm only asking a favor here! Is there anything wrong with that, furball?"

Carla stated, "Your request sounds generous, Donald, but I can't comply. As you can see, I'm weary from battle..." She motioned to herself, "...and I'm not some delivery cat to be exploited for idle convenience. I am limited to carrying only one passenger, and my magic is not unlimited. That, and it would be of waste of time and effort."

Donald complained, "Then why did you take Lucy with you? You're a cat with wings! Is that too much to ask? THAT HARD to bring us all the way down here, too?!"

Carla retorted, "I am a cat with wings, but I'm not a servant! I only give my wings to those who need them in times of trouble, not for trivial matters!"

Donald whined, "Oh, come on! It's just a few hundred feet down! Why can't you do it?"

Carla paused, then submitted a blunt response, "You know why."

Donald turned to Sherria and Goofy, "Guys, I need your help! Back me up, will ya?"

Goofy apologized, "Sorry, pal, but I gotta go with Carla; she made a good point there."

Sherria stated, "She's one of our friends, and we don't treat friends like they're trains taking us places from Margaret Town to Shirotsume to Magnolia." She leaned towards Donald, sporting a sly grin at his direction. "Are you trying to give her a piggy back ride or something, Donald?"

Donald grew confused at that statement. "Huh?"

Sherria quipped, "I doubt either of you can cross a mile at that rate."

Donald sweated, "What are you talking about? I'm so confused."

Sherria snickered, "Sure you are..."

Wendy asked the party members up the cliff, "You wanna get down?"

Sherria nodded, "Uh-huh. It's a long way from here."

Wendy offered, "Here, allow me. Vernier!" She conjured four magic circles underneath Donald, Goofy, Sherria, and Jack, encasing them in spheres of light that enabled them to float in midair. They found themselves risen from the cliff and gently floating down on the manor ruins, where they joined up with the rest of the entourage. Once the four touched the ground, the effects of Vernier wore off.

Sherria smiled, "Thanks for the ride, Wendy. Sure beats Donald's cheesy suggestion of having Carla bringing us down one at a time with her wings."

Wendy smiled back, "It's the least I can d— AAHHH!" Dumbo suddenly wrapped his long nose around her waist, then lifted her above his head. Getting her bearings, she looked to see the young elephant joyfully beaming at her. At the same time, her initial surprise leaked out of her, and an eager excitement filled her heart. "Dumbo!" He brought her over to nuzzle her face with his head, and she burst into laughter as she returned the gesture with a warm hug.

"Hey! What about me?!" Sherria immediately raced over to Dumbo, wanting her own taste of baby pachyderm love. "Can I get some sugar, too?" He couldn't refuse when she asked him to let her join Wendy in the merriment, and she did, sharing between cuddles and hugs.

Wendy appreciated, "Thanks again, Dumbo. You've been a great help. We never would've stopped that monster for good if you hadn't added my water to mine."

Romeo stated, "We did make some pretty cool combos. Not to mention, you fly with style! Just like an Exceed would." He turned to Carla for reference, "You know, if things were different, if you're actually part of the team instead of a summon, you and Carla would've gotten along fine."

Carla rubbed her chin, "Hmm... Your speed and aerial mobility do seem evenly matched with mine. Though our time together is short, we make an excellent team indeed." She smiled and bowed her head in respect, "It's been an honor flying alongside you, Dumbo. I am truly grateful." Dumbo nodded in reply.

Sherria adored, "I was so excited to see you soar into action, flying all over the big guy, washing down Heartless and fire and dark round thingies with water straight out of your trunk!" Dumbo's face changed to an excited look that asked, "Really?!".

Lucy added, "And the way your water and my water combined with Wendy's final attack to make it grow to super size..." She then chuckled, "That creep had no idea what hit him until it splashed right in his face."

Sherria told him, "Like Carla said, our time together is short because you're a summon, but I'm so glad I got to meet and see how cute and fluffy you are. You happen to be another one in my list of most adorable things in the universe, next to Zero and Wendy." Dumbo couldn't suppress the flush in his cheeks.

Wendy grinned, "We've worked well together on our first try, Dumbo. Let's hope we'll do it again. And don't worry..." Her next statement was laced with heartfelt comfort as she kneeled down and placed a gentle hand on his forehead. "We'll find some way to bring back your world, and then everything will be alright again. You can trust me." Her voice lowered to a whisper, "I promise, Dumbo..."

Dumbo felt like he was about to cry at the Sky Maiden's words— unlike Simba, he was very well aware that his own world was forever lost to the void, having felt the terrible tragedy of losing everything and everyone he cherished in his life. A cheerful attitude kept him going, even after he turned into a Summon Gem, but the pain remained etched in his heart. However, Wendy's promise to set everything right caused the baby elephant to lose all self-control and shed tears from his eyes. She tightly embraced the silently sobbing Dumbo, who enclosed his trunk around her chest and pulled her closer to him. It broke her own heart to see him in misery, but her vow to undo the damage that was done still stood. The moment was so heartwarming, Sherria and Lucy almost cried their own tears.

After a minute, the two released the hug, Dumbo wiping his leaking eyes with his long nose. His cheerfulness returned in full swing, and he playfully ruffled Wendy's hair, making her laugh. He did the same with his second new friend Sherria, who returned it by rubbing her hand along his head. Soon, the elephant's body began to glow blue, indicating that his time in the real world had expired, even he became mindful of his bearings. Carla confirmed, "So it's time for you to go."

Wendy beamed, "Call you later, Dumbo! And if you happen to see Simba or Genie when you get back to your Summon Gem, say hi to them for me, okay?" Dumbo accepted the request with an energetic nod, and tipped off his hat with his trunk before dispersing into light and returning to his rightful place in the Keyblade.

"So long!" Wendy, Romeo, and Lucy called simultaneously.

"Dumbo must be fully aware of his world's destruction at the hands of the Heartless," Carla remarked. "When Wendy spoke to him about it, we saw how he reacted. He was crying."

"He didn't talk much, but his tears said it all," Sherria pointed out. "It's been tough on the poor little pachyderm."

"But he's not alone. He has friends like us," Wendy assured with a confident smile. "And friends support each other, even if they're summons. They don't have to feel sad or alone— we're with them all the way, just as they're with us."

"You said it, Wendy," Romeo concurred. "Summons and their partners are one and the same."

"Yep, definitely like Celestial Spirits," Lucy grinned. "They're both two of a kind."

"Wow, what a mess!" Donald spoke up, as he looked over what used to be the residence of the evil bag of bugs who fell along with it. "We literally brought the house down."

"Yeah, I know. I said that already," Lucy pointed out.

"Hopefully, things will settle down now that Oogie Boogie is gone," Jack affirmed.

"I say good riddance to that overgrown excuse of a not-so-fluffy pillow," Donald huffed.

"'Pillow.' That's a funny way of describin' him since he's a sack full of bugs," Goofy chuckled.

"Hey, look what I found!" Donald looked down to see a purple Magic Orb resting in the dirt, and picked it up. "A Gravity Magic Orb! Oogie must've dropped it before he exploded. With this, Gravity will be upgraded to Gravira."

"Why is there always a 'ra' in the name of every spell upgrade?" Sherria questioned. "Shouldn't it be called Super Gravity or something?"

"I don't know why there's a 'ra' in the name, either." Donald shrugged. "And quite frankly, I don't much care, so deal with it." With a single tap, the Magic Orb fused with Wendy's Keyblade and Donald's staff, the effects of the upgrade kicking in.

"Look!" Goofy turned his attention to the center of the area where the giant tree was once planted, and pointed a finger for the others to follow. There, lines of light were drawn along the earth to form the shape of a keyhole— the heart of Halloween Town itself. The interior glowed bright amidst the dim stretch of land as Wendy approached it with Keyblade in hand.

"It's a Keyhole! But..." Donald trailed off.

"How do we lock up somethin' that big?" Goofy questioned.

"I got this," Wendy complied. She pointed her Keyblade at the sight of the full moon looming down at her from the skies above, and sent a beam of light at it. At that moment, an invisible reflection of the moon's projected brilliance bounced the beam back, and the light broke up into a multitude that fell upon the Keyhole, locking it. As the Keyhole vanished from view, the threat of Halloween Town's destruction by the Heartless had been averted. "The Keyhole was right under Oogie's mansion all along?" Wendy's firmness turned to curiosity as she turned to her companions. "If he knew it was there, he would've sent the Heartless and be done with it already. But..."

"I bet he's brain-dead to even care about it," Donald snorted. "He's so focused on getting that heart for himself, all so he can boost up his ego." He laughed proudly, "He really is a big, fat wimp! I hope he enjoyed his very last dirty little game!"

Romeo commented, "Didn't realize there's a Keyhole under the tree." He smiled confidently, "But a major score all the same."

Sherria remarked, "The seed doesn't grow bigger than the other seed that's grown into a big tree."

Goofy asked, "Really? I thought they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Sherria clarified, "It's a remark I made based on the idiom. What do you think, Goofy?"

Goofy smiled, "Well, I think it's pretty nice."

Sherria smiled back, "Thanks."

Jack stated, "It was inappropriately disastrous to see Oogie grow the size of his own manor. But thanks to Wendy and the others, the worst of our troubles is over."

Wendy grinned, "It's a good thing we cleaned up that mess when it happened. And we're lucky to find what we've been looking for after that."

Romeo admired, "I gotta say, that Aqua Meteor you, Lucy, and Dumbo cooked up together was so huge, it's sure to give Juvia's magic a run for its water."

Lucy chuckled, "Yes, it could. If only Juvia was here to see this. She'd say something like—"

"Juviaaaaaaaaa?!" Sherria gasped in absolute horror at the mention of that name. "Oh, no! We forgot Juvia and Gray! We forgot to pick them up!"

"W-Wait, Juvia and Gray...? We forgot them?" Wendy's eyes shook with fear as she slowly turned to look around the damage she caused. "You mean to tell me..." Her voice rose to a frightened scream, "THEY WERE STILL INSIDE?!"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Everyone exclaimed shockingly.

"Y-Y-Yeah... I think so... They're... They're..." Sherria shivered, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Oh, no... We... left them behind..." Lucy whimpered.

"What have we... What have we done?!" Carla shuddered.

"D-Did we just... Did we..." Romeo stuttered.

"Uh-oh..." Donald, Goofy, and Jack uttered all at once.

For a time, there was silence. And then...

"WE KILLEEEEEEEEEEEED THEEEEEEEEEEEM!" Sherria screamed at the top of her lungs. Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Lucy, Carla, and Jack likewise screamed with the same alarm over the aftermath of the manor's destruction. They all believed that Juvia and Gray, whom they unintentionally abandoned in the manor, had been wiped out by Wendy's Aqua Meteor while Oogie was fused with the building!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!" Wendy sobbed hysterically as she sulked to the ground, bowing up and down repeatedly while begging for forgiveness over the terrible crime of unwittingly killing off her own friends. "I'M SORRY, GRAY! I'M SORRY, JUVIA! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT! I REALLY DON'T!"

"IT'S OUR FAULT, WENDY! WE'RE ALL TO BLAME!" Sherria was crying so hard, it was difficult to comprehend what she said next between sobs. "OO-OOGIE... WE-WE AGREED TO... AND-AND-AND DUMBO-AND FLYING-AND BIG BUB—" She failed to find any more words to back herself and ended up breaking down, bawling together with Wendy.

"HOW CAN WE BE SO STUPID?!" Lucy was practically hyperventilating as she overlooked the manor ruins, a bitter reminder of the terrible mistake the heroes made. "WE LEFT THEM ALL ALONE! AND BEFORE WE KNEW IT, THEY GOT WIPED OUT WHILE THEY'RE STILL INSIDE... WITH A FREAKING GIANT BUBBLE!"

"W-We gotta look all over the place!" Goofy yelled, almost about to cry himself.

"Th-They have to be alive somewhere!" Donald quacked, exhibiting an emotional breakdown.

"There's nothing around here left to search! The whole place has been WIPED OUT!" Romeo yelled, before tears began spraying out of his eyes like a fountain. "AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF US!"

"IT'S TOO LATE FOR THEM! THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO!" Carla screamed in comic fashion.

"THEY WERE SO YOOOOOUUUUNG!" Jack cried out in despair.

Soon, the whole party cried together on the same spot, mourning the apparent deaths of their two missing friends, and cursing themselves for being the cause of it.

"It's all my fault! It's my fault Gray and Juvia are gone! I'll never forgive myself!" Wendy bawled.

"Why? Why?! How could this happen to them?! They had much to live for!" Carla wailed.

"They're gone! They're both gone! We've done a bad thing! We killed them!" Lucy despaired.

"Good-bye, Gray! Good-bye, Juvia! We'll never forget you two!" Sherria sobbed.

"Rest in peace, poor little souls!" Jack bemoaned.

All of a sudden, three voices that sounded rather familiar screamed out into the air, spoiling the heroes' moment of collective grief. Looking up through tear-stained eyes, they saw...

"Lock, Shock, and Barrel?" Romeo recognized, gasping a breath from a round of sobbing.

True enough, the three ex-minions of Oogie Boogie were seen hollering in fright while running all the way to the river on the left, their faces showing hints of scorch marks, and a few rips and tears discovered in some parts of their Halloween clothing. Judging by their shaken expressions, one could assume they were fleeing from something they were unable to tolerate.

Lock yelled, "LEAVE US ALONE!"

Barrel bellowed, "WE CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

Shock shrieked, "WE'RE TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

The trick-or-treaters wasted no time jumping into the emerald-colored (and surprisingly fresh) waterway. They swam through a tunnel straight ahead, never to have their presence felt on the manor ruins again.

Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "I can't believe it! Those three are alive?"

Carla's eyes widened, "How did they survive Wendy's Aqua Meteor?"

Wendy suddenly gasped, "Wait!" Tears still trailed down her face, but any trace of sadness was instantly replaced by a glimmer of hope. "If they're still around, does that mean—"

At that moment, two low moaning voices echoed from the far right. They originated from the chunk of a broken tower with a wide gap found below the roof. The group turned around, their mouths hanging open expectantly. Romeo wondered, "Could it be?"

Jack asked hopefully, "Is it them?"

Sherria urged, "Let's go see!" The group hurried over to the tower and stopped at the roof, the moaning and breathing in sync growing louder than before. As they peered into the large crack, they found...

"Mmm... Oh, Gray... This is the most heavenly experience I've ever had in my whole life. I feel so serene, so alive... You light up my soul. Your sweet caresses, your soothing embrace, your honey-flavored kisses..."

"Yeah, boobie lady... That's right... Pour that maple syrup... all over my breakfast, you beautiful lady who lives in my house next door... For one hundred, I'll do whatever you want to do in this one direction two potato three for life, rock-a-bye bivalve in the tree top spinning me round..."

"GRAAAAAAAAY! JUVIIIIAAAAAAA!" Wendy and her friends cried again, this time of joy rather than despair. Indeed, the two were lying together on the same sofa, nuzzling each other's faces lovingly, their hands exploring parts of their bodies! The group was both dismayed and relieved to see them alive and unharmed; by some miracle, they were protected by a section of the Evil Playroom that had dislodged from the manor before its destruction. Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Jack, and Romeo celebrated Gray and Juvia's survival with a round of cheers and shouts of joy, while Lucy and Carla just stood there, their faces awash with gladness. As for Sherria, well... Seeing as she saw the two making love again in their 'absence,' her tear-stained eye twitched. If anything, she was utterly baffled than relieved.

At once, Juvia's ears caught wind of the commotion outside. With a startled cry, she averted her eyes from Gray's and looked up to see her friends expressing their joy from the hole on the roof. She immediately freaked out when she saw them, "AAAAHHH! IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK! WE'RE JUST—"

Wendy exclaimed happily, "Gray! Juvia! You're both okay!"

Juvia blinked, "What do you mean, we're both okay? It's not like anything bad happened to us by the time you were off. We're perfectly fine."

Wendy repeated in confusion, "Fine?"

Juvia explained, "You see, my darling Gray and I were having a romantic evening when a big, loud noise interrupted us. Afterwards, there was a hole on the ceiling and rubble across the floor. We assumed an earthquake caused it, but ignored it later on, and went back to our usual business." She sighed contently, "I feel so at ease now that my handsome prince has accepted my affections..." Her fingers danced along the skin of Gray's cheeks, leaving trails of fire in their wake. "It seems so long ago that his heart is as cold as his ice, then all of a sudden, the ice melts..." She began to feel exhilarated, "...and he's become the man I've always dreamed of! Oh, how badly I've been wanting this... He fell in love with me, the same way I fell in love with him! And I admit he's not the perfect man, personality-wise, but he'll do just fine. The mere thought of it makes me want to kiss his warm, tender lips again and again and again and again and again..."

"Again and again and again..." Sherria echoed the Rain Woman's words in raspy whispers as her mood slowly degraded into pure distress, and for an obviously perfect reason.

Juvia shrugged, "Well, whatever. I'm kissing him again, anyway! Come here, my defrosted snowman..." She bent down to give Gray a big smooch, which he willingly returned while resting his hands on her shoulders. The cold air from outside became more and more warm with every passing second. Wendy and her companions were watching the two kiss and lick and trade each other's spit like wild animals; each of the spectators' faces burned red, their honest opinions on this latest backwards romantic session mixed at best. The same couldn't be said for Sherria, whose opinion was plainly the most critical. No one even bothered to say a word. Once she and Gray broke the kiss, Juvia gazed back up at Wendy. "So what happened out there? Did we win? Have we already stopped Oogie Boogie?"

The red quickly faded from everyone's faces, and Wendy answered, "Yeah, a lot of things happened while we're away. We took care of Oogie, but we lost the heart."

Jack confessed, "The experimental heart was a total failure, regrettably. But in the end, we saved the town from certain doom."

Gray greeted the entourage with a smile, "Oh, hi, Jacky-Jack and friends-frenzy-friends. Nice of you to stop by, no buh-bye. By and by, mile-high pastrami on rye, on the fly from the deli in the sky."

Despite himself, Jack gave a small but emotional chuckle, "Well, fancy running into you like this, all alone with your new girlfriend, conveniently shielded from the blast that would've erased you off the map..." A soft shudder, and he raised his voice with anger born of worry, "You SCARED us all to death! What happened?!"

Romeo exclaimed, "You had us worried sick!"

Donald wondered, "What have you two lovebirds been doing?"

Juvia giggled, "You called us 'lovebirds.' Such a nice word."

Sherria murmured, "Love... birds..." Her shoulders began to heave as her breath came in harsh, grunting growls.

Gray beamed, "Boobie lady and I just had the most wonderful date-honey-moon date than the most date-honey-moon date of all dateness! And the next fish stick thing we know about to the point, there is big balloon noise go BOOM!" He made an explosion gesture with his hands. "And the next fish stick thing we know about to the point, big holey moley on the ceiling." He pointed up to the hole on the roof. "And the next fish stick thing we know about to the point, three kid kiddie kitties do ice scream for ice cream. I like chocolate ice—"

Jack cut him off, "Alright, alright, we get it!" A steady breath escaped his mouth, and he grinned, "It's good to have you and your woman back here with us, wackiness and everything. Even when things look bleak, you surprise us still."

Carla guessed, "That section of the manor must have detached from the building itself prior to the Aqua Meteor's collision, with Gray, Juvia, Lock, Shock, and Barrel still inside. Somehow, the roof protected them from the water. But how resistant was it to acid?" She sighed deeply, "They were all fortunate to have survived the blast... It could've obliterated them... Thank goodness!"

A thread of guilt hung over Wendy as she bowed her head before Gray and Juvia. "It's my fault you two were left behind. Gray, Juvia... I'm so sorry we forgot to pick you up. I shouldn't have—"

Lucy pointed out, "Technically, we encouraged you to destroy the whole place and even helped you out, so we're just as guilty as you are."

Romeo admitted, "Yeah, we all owe you two an apology for forgetting you."

Lucy breathed, "And to think we freaked out over killing you with a giant bubble..."

Goofy smiled, "Water under the bridge, fellas. We're all together, and that's what matters."

Wendy beamed, "I'm so glad you're okay, Gray. You too, Juvia. We don't know what we'd do if we lost you... or anyone else in our team. We'll always stay together."

Juvia replied, "Uh, sure, whatever you say. Water under the bridge, like Goofy said."

Donald interjected, "Oh, and we're sorry in advance that we stepped on your love moment with Gravy! We didn't know you two were still making some honey-love."

Juvia assured, "It's alright, Donald. You all knew I love him, so it can't be avoided."

Goofy blinked, "'Gravy?' I thought you guys were callin' him 'Gray!' Ain't that his real name?"

Sherria uttered, "Love moment...? We've been out for a long time before we realized we left you out, and you had a love moment? You left yourselves behind..." She suddenly stomped her foot, creating a crack on the ground while intensely glaring at Juvia and Gray. "...PURPOSELY?!"

"WHOA!" Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Carla, Lucy, and Jack were perturbed by the Sky God Slayer's unexpected outburst.

Juvia started to sweat nervously. "W-W-What are you talking about?"

A dark, angry look crossed Sherria's face as she approached the Rain Woman and her so-called 'boyfriend', a powerful aura of black wind surging through her body. She looked at Juvia with the mindless rage of a god and the lumbering raw strength to match. She spoke in a menacing note, "How many times do I have to tell you that love doesn't work that way?!" She finished in a thunderous roar, her aura erupting into a vertical pillar that blew past the tower roof. "IT'S NOOOOOOOOOT NIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCEEE!"

Gray didn't seem bothered by the building rage, and looked at Sherria oddly. "Nice? Like ice?"

Juvia gasped in her growing horror, and before she could justify her actions or come up with an excuse to protect herself from the coming fury, Sherria had already stood before her. The anger chilled Wendy and the others to the marrow, and now the Rain Woman was left at the Sky God Slayer's mercy. She stammered, "N-N-N-Now, now, Sherria! P-P-P-Please, b-b-b-be reasonable! W-W-W-We were just hanging around as n-n-n-normal l-l-l-l-l-lovers do! It-It's almost about as n-n-n-n-normal as it g-g-g-g-gets, r-r-r-r-right?" Her cowardice only served to fuel Sherria's rage, unfortunately, and the panic continued to increase. "Sherria, please! Try to understand! It was GRAY! IT WAS GRAY! HE PUT ME UP TO IT! HONEST!"

Goofy exclaimed, "WATCH OUT! SHE'S GONNA BLOW!"

Donald yelled, "BRACE YOURSELVES, EVERYBODY!"

Sherria snarled, "DON'T. PLAY. DUMB. WITH. ME." She clenched a fist and reared it back for a straight jab. "YOU BACKSLIDEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR!" Loosing another roar, she punched Juvia squarely in the face, channeling all of her frustrations into the magic imbued in her fist. It rocketed Juvia like a missile crashing through the tower's walls, effectively destroying the whole structure in a shockwave, before she landed flat on the ground! Everyone stood frozen in utter disbelief as the water wizard slowly squirmed from the devastating blow, rubbing the throbbing bruise on her cheek.

"Juvia!" Wendy and Romeo snapped out of their shock and rushed to her, kneeling next to their friend on either side.

"Are you alright?" Wendy worried.

"Does it hurt?" Romeo asked.

"I'm... fine..." Juvia groaned painfully.

Meanwhile, Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Lucy stood back and eyed the aftermath with wide eyes, looks of anxiety spread across their faces.

"Sweet mother of Clara Cluck!" Donald exclaimed. "Did we just see what I think she did?!"

"I'm afraid so," Carla breathed. "Sherria got extremely angry when she saw Juvia cuddling Gray in his current mental state. She has little tolerance for this 'backwards romance' between the two. In her perspective, love must be expressed properly from the heart and a balanced mind. At least, one that's more balanced than Gray's fractured brain."

"And I thought Erza was the totally angry one!" Lucy sweated nervously. "I wouldn't want to get on her nerves if I end up disagreeing with an opinion she's entitled to. She says that love must come from the heart, not a twisted mind... But in this case, love hurts. And it can hurt A LOT."

"Gawrsh, she was steamin' like a teapot!" Goofy shuddered. "All because she saw 'em havin' a little ol' private time? I thought they're a couple!"

"Not exactly," Lucy clarified. "Gravy the Jester is actually a member of Fairy Tail named Gray Fullbuster. He's one of my closest friends. He, Wendy, Carla, and I are part of the same team. And yes, Juvia is madly in love with Gray. But he doesn't feel the same way; he's either too oblivious or too focused on things to even pay attention to her. Sucks, doesn't it? The point is, Gray and Juvia aren't really a couple to begin with." She finished with a sigh, "They're just two different people tangled up in a complicated relationship. Oh..." She added as an afterthought, "...and if you remove the 'V' between 'A' and 'Y', you get..."

"GRAAAAAAAAY?!" Donald and Goofy screamed out the answer altogether in surprise.

"I knew it! Gravy IS Gray!" Goofy cheered. "It all makes sense now! We all know Juvia's in love with Gray. She goes nuts over him, and she'd come runnin' after him just lookin' at him. He loses the mask, and she recognizes him in a flash. There's also Wendy and the gang, who called him Gray instead of Gravy. So naturally, everybody else recognizes the guy without the mask on..." He balled up a fist in his open palm as he made his conclusion, "He's one of them missin' Fairy Tail wizards!"

"Amazing! A Halloween freak show who's stuck with us the whole trip is a Fairy Tail guy in disguise, and the others figured it out before we do!" Donald remarked. "If only we asked them sooner..."

"So how did Gray get here to Halloween Town?" Goofy asked Lucy.

"After the Alliance of Evil captured him, the ship that was meant to take him to headquarters crash-landed outside town," Lucy explained. "He survived the crash, but suffered severe brain damage, turning him from gritty Ice-Make wizard to Jack's clownish protégé, complete with the mind of a 9-nine-old who goes gaga over Juvia, the way she goes gaga over him."

"That's horrible!" Goofy cried. "Gray got into a serious accident, and now he's got a broken brain! Is there anythin' we can do to help the poor guy?"

"Well, anything's better than having a Fairy Tail wizard turned madcap jester jumbo aboard our ship," Donald mused, as he started to dread the thought of bringing along Gray currently stuck in his Gravy personality for the remainder of the adventure. "We'd be spending flights listening to him rambling about chocolate ice cream, making lots of ice sculptures that'll add too much weight to the ship's cargo, seeing him and Juvia kissing it out in the sofa or on the bed, only to make Sherria super-mad again, she might break everything around her... and it's gonna be the same thing..." His panic increased, "...day in and day out, AND DAY IN AND DAY OUT—"

"Donald, get a grip!" Lucy slapped his face left and right, snapping him out of his hysterical rant. "Sorry, but you were being out of your mind."

Donald calmed down. "I'm sorry, guys."

Lucy nodded, "That's okay. We know how you feel. And you're right. We can't bring him along with us, not the way he is now. If Gravy the Jester ended up being a passenger, he'd be the in-flight entertainment class clown, messing up the engine lounge by making snowballs out of ice cream or give us a wild horseback rodeo like back at the square. Juvia, Goofy, you, maybe even me— his pick! He'll give us more than a few headaches with his random man-child antics!"

Goofy dreaded, "And worse, if Sherria sees him and Juvia doin' their love business again, she'd be madder than mad, she might end up blowin' up the Gummi Ship and us with it!"

Donald couldn't help but shiver at the thought. "This isn't good..."

Lucy suggested, "We gotta do something to bring Gray back to his old self again. We can't go anywhere unless we fix his brain. Maybe the doctor can help." She paused for a quick breath, "It's funny, because of what went down lately and knowing how this world actually works, he doesn't scare me anymore."

Goofy smiled, "Glad to hear it, Lucy! You did us real proud standin' up to the spooky stuff around here."

Lucy admitted, "Well, most of it around here, at least..."

Donald approved, "Good idea, Lucy! The doctor will know what to do with Gray. If we can explain everything to him..."

Lucy nodded, "Exactly what I'm thinking."

Carla agreed, "Yes, I believe it's the best option."

Speaking of Gray, Jack was frantically searching through the demolished tower, fearing that his jester assistant ended up trapped under the rubble following Sherria's rampage. "Gravy? Gravy! Where are you?! Answer me! Are you in there?!"

"Yes? Yes?" A familiar Ice-Make wizard's head poked in front of the Pumpkin King's face, giving him quite a fright.

"Great Witch's Ghost!" Jack yelped, breathing rapidly with a hand to his chest as he pulled back from the scare. "I haven't been given a heart attack since the pumpkin patch blew up a year and a half ago!" He relaxed for a moment, then smiled at Gray. "You had me worried for a moment, then gave me a good scare the next. A prime example of scare tactics. Most impressive, Gravy. One day, you might be as successful as the other Halloween mascots. Or me."

"Yes?" Gravy responded.

Lucy sighed, "Somehow, I get the feeling I'm back in my apartment, getting visited by weirdos every other day without bothering to use the front door. In my opinion, Natsu's the weirdest as any weirdo can get." She smiled a little, "But a very considerate weirdo."

Juvia continued to massage her sore cheek as Wendy and Romeo helped her stand back to her feet. "It's like slipping on an ice cube and getting covered in a boo-boo when I was a child."

Wendy breathed, "I've never seen Sherria so very, VERY angry before. Did you see the look on her face? She couldn't stand Juvia and Gray being together like this. With Gray being Gravy and all..."

Romeo sweated, "That's what happens if you go against her solid opinion on love. Remind me not to get on her bad side."

Juvia muttered, "I didn't even know she had a bad side... Urk!" She cringed at the pain that still persisted in her cheek, causing Wendy and Romeo to wince. "Why did she have to hit me? Just because I had a little romance with my darling Gray behind her back? How crude!"

Wendy pointed out, "Um, Juvia, I don't think you should've done that."

Romeo agreed, "Yeah. You don't want to press her buttons again, do you?"

Juvia protested, "Press her buttons? Why would I do that? Does she have any idea...!"

Wendy stated, "She has a point, though. It's just not the same when Gray's a different person with a different mind. We've got to bring back the old Gray."

Romeo clarified, "What she means is, fix his brain damage and put him back the way he was."

Juvia's eyes widened in shock. "You agreed with her, too?! How could you?!"

Romeo asserted, "We agreed because it's best for everyone, especially for you! Besides, it's not like him to go acting like he's cheerful and wacky all the time, falling in love in you. That's gross. This is not the Gray we all know. It's not right. You want him to be stuck like this for the rest of his life?" He gestured to the Ice-Make wizard, who hummed a cheery tune to himself while staring up at the moon, possibly imagining another "date-time" between himself and Juvia.

Wendy apologized, "Sorry, Juvia, but we want our Gray back. The real Gray. And Sherria's right about one thing. Love must be expressed the right way. It's the heart that counts..." She held a hand to her heart, "...not the mind. If you're serious about winning his heart, then you have to show it if he's a normal person, if his mind is in the right. Love without common sense..." She added honestly, "...isn't love at all. It must come from the heart."

Juvia laughed a bit, as though she perceived Wendy's statement as a joke. "Common sense? You're starting to sound like her! What's so wrong with what my beloved has become now? He looks fine to me! In fact, this is the kind of Gray I love better! He loves me for who I am! It's just what I've always wanted! He—"

Romeo covered her mouth before she could say another word. He whispered urgently, "Shh! Sherria!" He pointed at the Sky God Slayer, who stood there breathing heavily with her fist still clenched straight, the black magic pulsating through her body gradually fading with her anger.

Donald gasped, "She's back!"

Goofy shivered, "And boy, is she still mad!"

Lucy stated, "I think not... Look!"

As Sherria held her breath, her expression noticeably turned into a blend of overwrought relief, sorrow, guilt, and anxiety. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her lips curled into a smile so wide that anyone who noticed it would think she lost her mind. "What was I thinking...? How can I be such an idiot? I should've dragged those two along with me! But then I find out they stayed behind on purpose, making their gooey, unnatural love behind our backs... again and again and again and again... I'm so stupid! So STUPID! I cried for them over nothing! NOTHING!" She finished off with a bout of slightly insane laughter that morphed into a sob as she fell to the ground on her back, before slipping into unconsciousness from all the stress.

Wendy gasped, "Sherria! Are you okay?"

Lucy examined, "She passed out from all the anger and frustration she took out on Juvia. I think she's starting to cool off now, so she'll be fine."

Wendy, Donald, and Goofy sighed in relief, "Phew..."

Romeo quipped, "Guess she couldn't stay riled up for long, huh?"

Jack cleared his throat, "So we're all together, and the town is safe at last."

Carla began surveying the manor ruins. "We've just defeated another representative of the Alliance of Evil. The experimental heart he stole from Doctor Finkelstein did attract the Heartless to some extent, and the result of devouring it was his doom. It seems the heart was merely an unstable power source. It would've brought destruction to Halloween Town so long it was left intact."

"Huh. Funny how it worked out, isn't it?" Lucy thought out loud. Just then, a realization and an important topic that still lingered ever since she left the Torture Chamber suddenly hit her, and she began to show anger towards Jack. "Hey, wait a minute! I was right, wasn't I?!"

"Huh? W-What do you mean?" Jack asked confused.

"You said nothing could beat what you've got planned," Lucy recalled, walking in front of Jack and glaring at him with hands on her hips. "You thought you could make the Heartless dance just as you want them to by giving them a heart you and the doctor cooked up. And what did all of THAT amount to? Complete and utter chaos! Look at this!" She thrust out her hand to gesture at the damage around her. "Look at how your absurd control scheme worked out!"

Jack was startled by her outburst, and tried to justify his actions. "I-It was an accident! I thought the heart wouldn't function properly until it went haywire after Oogie swallowed it! It was nothing short of a miscalculation!"

"A miscalculation?!" Lucy snapped. "That fat freak of nature would have destroyed the town with a whole army of Heartless!" She pointed an accusing finger at Jack, "Because of what YOU'VE started!"

"What I'VE started?! Are you telling me that this mess was MY fault?!" Jack exclaimed.

"That's right!" Lucy nodded. "If you hadn't created that stupid heart, if you hadn't brought the Heartless into Halloween Town before you started to realize they're too dangerous to have around, none of this would've happened! But then you decided to go:" She lowered her voice in a mock impersonation, "'Hey, everybody! Let's invite the Heartless to Halloween Town! They'll make the perfect backdrop for this year's Halloween! The Heartless are gonna make our festival the best Halloween event ever!'" She groaned in frustration before changing back to her normal voice, "Seriously! Are you ever gonna make a perfect Halloween that revolves around a horde of heart-munching monsters whose sole purpose is to devour hearts and swallow people's hearts, monsters that can't and probably won't be controlled for some reason, or any reason at all? You thought you could keep them under your thumb with a little help from the doctor's 'flawless experiments'..." She air-quoted at the words, "...but it was just way too much to handle, wasn't it? And in the end, that experiment of yours backfired, letting the Heartless run loose and putting the town in danger! You owe that to EVERYONE who almost got hurt because of your STUPID idea for a HEARTLESS HALLOWEEN!"

Jack stared at the celestial wizard, almost as if she was speaking a foreign language. At the same time, every word that rolled out of her mouth slowly made sense. She wanted the Pumpkin King to acknowledge that he was wrong about introducing the Heartless to Halloween Town, especially after all the boasting and suggestions he made earlier. "I... I..."

"A bumpy ride of silly spooks, huh, Jack?" Lucy sternly crossed her hips. "The next time you want to try and make a better Halloween..." She raised a finger at Jack, who backed away as she advanced towards him. "...I'd listen to that rag doll we met at the graveyard. Sally, right?" He nodded. "She knew the Heartless were no good right from the very start. Not just me and the others. As far as I'm concerned, she the only one who makes any REAL sense around this town full of haunted weirdos!" The rest of the group looked surprised at her sudden scolding of Jack. She noticed their expressions. "What?"

"Gawrsh, Lucy, you just gave Jack a lecture!" Goofy remarked.

"You aren't afraid of him anymore, are you?" Donald questioned.

"You really have gotten a lot braver in this world, huh?" Romeo smiled.

Lucy blinked, realizing that Romeo was right, and looked over to a puzzled Jack. "Well... why wouldn't I be?"

"Sally...?" Jack gasped under his breath. "She... She knew how dangerous the Heartless were? And she was trying to..." He struggled to make his words come out, "...to tell me?" Up until now, he didn't realize that the rag doll wanted to help him find an alternative to a Halloween that could potentially end in disaster, and that she attempted to make him see how flawed his vision of a perfect holiday was. Was he so blinded by his own aspirations that he couldn't take even the smallest piece of advice from someone who understood, someone who genuinely cared for him? As he comprehended the profundity of his actions, a look of shame and regret crossed his face. If he had listened to Sally, Halloween would have been spared greater ruin.

"Yeah, I know how much this holiday means to you," Lucy told Jack. "We've all got to set up special occasions so we can impress a great deal of people. Some based on random ideas, crazy or sane, good or horrible... But not every idea has to be perfect, you know. Nothing else is." She grinned widely, "A not-so-perfect Halloween? It sounds like a normal Halloween to me! Nothing can be perfect, no matter how hard we try. It's a lot easier to do with what we get... and learn from what we do. It's like you said: there's plenty of time and room to improve. You just have to keep trying until you get this thing right, even if it's not perfect. And in time, who knows?" She placed a comforting hand around his shoulder, "You might just give them the best Halloween ever."

"She's right, Jack," Wendy spoke up in agreement as she shared Lucy's smile. "I wish I could've said the same thing. There isn't anybody who can think of something better for Halloween than you. I know you can do it. I believe in you." It seemed that they were both reminding him of the importance of learning from past mistakes and finding better solutions to achieve a positive outcome.

"You're perfectly fine with all this?" Jack asked hopefully. "Even though this year's Halloween or the next Halloween can't be better than the best?"

"Of course we do!" Wendy beamed. "No holiday is perfect. But the best thing about a holiday is sharing every moment with the ones we care about. That's what it's all about."

"Yeah, you oughta give it your best, even though it ain't the best!" Goofy agreed.

"Go give 'em the Halloween they deserve. So long as it doesn't involve Heartless and any freaky fatsos like Oogie Booger," Donald encouraged.

"Oogie Booger. Nice!" Romeo laughed quietly at the joke.

Deeply touched by this wisdom, Jack pulled Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Carla, Lucy, Juvia, and Gray into a big group hug, laughing joyfully. By looking closely, one could see Juvia and Gray tenderly holding each other in their arms, nuzzling their foreheads and planting their faces with soft-peck kisses. Juvia was thankful that Sherria stayed unconscious so she could have a brief moment of romance with her sweetheart; it would have incurred Sherria's wrath again, had she awoken from her coma.

"Thank you, Wendy! Thank you all!" Jack exclaimed cheerfully. "And you're right! I'm usually glad to host a wonderful Halloween celebration every year, but I'd be happier if I saw the faces of each and every one who experienced all the screams, all the surprise, and all the fun! I believe it's time I lay off the 'quickly make Halloween great with Heartless' schemes and try to think of new, even better ideas to liven up the holiday the old fashioned way from here on in."

Wendy cheered, "Yeah! You can do it!"

Romeo encouraged, "Keep up the good work!"

Lucy initially flinched at the feel of Jack's bony hands roaming along her skin, but decided to ignore it. She sighed, "One imperfect solution to an imperfect holiday... is loving warmth and comfort from spooky celebrities. Who would've thought the things we're too scared to face at night... can be so loveable?" She ended up laughing at the irony, and the others joined in soon after until Jack released the group hug.

Wendy asked, "So we're all good now?"

Lucy nodded, "Yep. No complaints. I'm glad Jack learned his lesson about using heart-munching creeps as props for a major event. He needs to check what's wrong before kicking off the party the next time he throws it."

Romeo agreed, "Absolutely. Oh, and sorry for getting mad at you back then. I should've taken a better approach to help you get over your fear."

Lucy assured, "It's okay. You did what you could to beat it out of me. And I never doubted you for that. Although... you should've taken a better approach, so you'll only get less than half the hotdogs I'll cook for you when we get back to the ship. Your dad used to cook hotdogs for you, right? Too bad you'll get less for all the tough love you've given me."

Romeo whined, "Aww, come on! I love hotdogs! They're my favorite snacks! You can't give me less! I want the whole package!"

Lucy playfully punched Romeo's shoulder and laughed. "Fooled ya!" The Rainbow Fire wizard moaned at being tricked as Wendy giggled at his expense, before he eventually got the joke and laughed along with them.

Jack announced, "Alright, let's head back to the lab. I need to find Sally and apologize for all the trouble I've caused. I've gotten too hasty on the project, I pushed the heart's development a bit far."

Wendy replied, "It's okay, Jack. We hoped it would work on the Heartless, too. Oh!" She spent so much time reflecting on the aftermath that she almost forgot about Gray. "Could you do us a favor when we get back to the lab?"

Jack wondered, "A favor? What kind?"

Wendy stated, "It's about Gravy. The truth is, he's not from around here. His real name is Gray, and he's a friend from our world."

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "W-What? Gravy's real name is... GRAY?! And he's a friend of yours? How did you know this?"

Wendy explained, "Zeppelin, the guy who trapped us, told us everything. Gravy lost his mask, and that's when we found out who he is. Before he came to Halloween Town, he got into a serious accident which caused him severe brain damage. He became a different person, whom you knew as Gravy. The thing is, he doesn't behave like a jester would, and it's not like him to be one, either. Personally, I know Gray. He's a strong, tough, honest, and carefree kind of guy. Until, well..." She concluded with a sigh, "...we knew what happened." She looked at Gray, who skipped atop the tower rubble while crossing his hands behind his back. An ecstatic Juvia was watching the dance, clasping her hands in admiration.

Gray sang, "And so, boobie lady, can't you see? That's why you should love... MEEEEEEEEE!"

Juvia cooed, "My beloved Gray, laughing and energetic as a Vulcan, dancing with the stars! I used to find your dancing rather unusual the first time I ran into you, only because I didn't know who you were at first. But now, I'm actually starting to enjoy seeing you dance, just as I enjoyed hearing you sing!" She squealed excitedly, "Oh, this new Gray truly is the one for me! It's a dream come true!"

Gravy kept on singing, "Boobie, boobie lady, I got love in my doodie, and I feel like a-lovin' you! Boobie lady sweet thing, good enough to eat thing, and it's just a-what I'm gonna do!"

Juvia sighed affectionately, "Dreamy...!"

Jack questioned, "So Gravy happened to be someone from your world who stumbled into Halloween Town after he took a severe blow to the head, thus turning him into the jester we know now?" Wendy answered with a nod. "I see... That explains why you and the others constantly refer to him as Gray... And when you take away 'V' between 'A' and 'Y', you get—"

Lucy groaned, "Yeah, yeah, we know. It's Gray. It's not difficult figuring that out, honestly."

Wendy went on, "So I was wondering if you could ask Doctor Finkelstein—"

Jack interjected, "If he can repair your friend's damaged brain and bring back his old personality?" He then grinned, "Of course he can! Not only is he a brilliant scientist, he is also an expert in the medical field! No ailment too big or too small he can't remedy!"

Wendy beamed, "He'll help us?"

Jack answered, "Without a doubt. While some experiments tend to fall short than what we give them credit for— biological, mechanical, and otherwise— the doctor makes the best and most effective medicines, guaranteed to make colds, sore throats, headaches, pneumonia, and even amnesia go away in a heartbeat. And in regards to Gray's condition, I think I know just the cure for brain damage: Insta-Brain Fixer Juice!"

Wendy echoed, "Insta-Brain Fixer Juice?"

Jack explained, "As the title describes, a potion that instantly heals the brain. The ingredients include mashed forget-me-nots, a grinded fixer-upper dog bone, a dash of get-well cinnamon, sprinkles of pain-pain-go-away sponge hair, and to put the finishing touch on the flavor, one drop from a vial of rare Ogre's Dungeon Derpy. The doctor based the formula off a witch's old recipe, with certain additions from his truly."

Wendy wondered, "Is it gonna work?"

Jack replied, "It worked on Mr. Hyde when his brain suffered a thought overload after his head got struck by a lightning bolt, so I don't see no reason it can't work on Gray, either." He smiled warmly, "It's the least I can do to repay you and your friends after everything you've done for me. Consider your request granted, and done in short order." A brief pause, then he continued, "Somehow, I knew this would happen. I've known from the beginning that Gray was a misplaced human from the real world— your world, to be exact. When I took him under my wing, I wanted to help him find a place to belong. Though it's only several days before you arrived, I remember all the joy and laughs and Pumpkin Krunchies we've shared. Now I know who he truly is, and by restoring him back to his former self..." He sighed sadly, "...I suppose he doesn't need me anymore. Those days are coming to an end. No more Gravy the Jester. No more ice sculptures. No more playing with chocolate ice cream." He smiled again, "But it's probably for the best. It's time we moved on to the next phase of our lives. And I'm confident he'll do fine with you than he does with me. He's all yours once we've cured him. Gravy— Gray— will be in good hands. Your hands."

Wendy asked hopefully, "You don't mind?"

Jack beckoned, "Come, now! I won't take no for an answer. He's your friend. Please, take him with you!"

Wendy could barely suppress the urge to cry as she gave Jack a big hug. "You're the best! Thank you so much, Jack! For taking care of Gray, and for keeping him safe. You don't know how much it means to me, and to all of us..." Lucy, Carla, and Romeo nodded in agreement.

Jack chortled at Wendy's enthusiasm, and reciprocated the embrace. "Believe me, you'll be jumping for joy once we've snapped our mentally-damaged friend out of his mental stupor. Other than that, Wendy, the pleasure is all mine." A moment passed, and the two let go of one another.

Romeo questioned, "So who's gonna be your assistant after we've brought back Gray?"

Jack grinned, "Oh, the Mayor will fill up Gravy's spot. He knows he couldn't do a thing without my approval. Looks like he's back in the saddle again."

Lucy chuckled, "I can only hope he'll do a better job, much like Gravy handles his ice."

"Yes? Yes?" Gray spoke up in hearing his 'Gravy' name being called two times.

"My beloved Gray!" The hearts in Juvia's eyes never stopped flashing.

Jack determined, "With that's out of the way, let's go back to Halloween Town and wrap it all up! Shall we consult the doctor again, everyone?"

Wendy, Romeo, and Lucy nodded, "Let's!"

Donald and Goofy approved, "Yeah!"

Gray perked up, "I like chocolate ice cream."

"Come on, it's time to fix Gray! We're bringing him back!" Wendy compelled.

"About time! Fairy Tail's kick-butt ice wizard is joining us!" Romeo beamed.

"Not to mention, half of our guild's strongest team is coming together!" Lucy smiled.

"I imagine we'll be close to rescuing Natsu, Erza, and Happy as well," Carla affirmed.

"Gravy is Gray, huh? Let's see how he is after we've fixed his brain!" Donald urged.

"So long, Gravy the Jester— welcome back, good ol' Gray!" Goofy cheered.

"Yes? Yes?" Gray spoke up.

"WHAT?! ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR MINDS?!" Juvia screamed frantically at overhearing the party's unanimous decision to restore Gray to perfect mental health, and grabbed Wendy by the collar. "You can't return Gray to the way he was! If you do this, he'll never love me again! I mean, look at him!" She looked over to Gray, "He accepts my love in spite of his new behavior, and I want him the way he is! Forever!" She grabbed him by the waist, "He is my PRINCE!"

"Boobie lady is the princesses, and I am his princess-prince..." Gray purred to himself.

"No, Juvia," Romeo chuckled innocently. "He's a totally cool, tough-as-nails Ice-Make wizard. We all want that guy back."

"And that's not how love works," Lucy reasoned. "If you're in love with somebody, it's better to be yourself than acting or thinking like you're someone else. I think Sherria was telling you that. So you might as well win him over the old-fashioned way."

"Sorry, Juvia, but this isn't how it's supposed to go," Wendy sighed. "We have to bring him back the way he was, not leave him the way he is now. We have to."

"You're joking, right?" Juvia laughed nervously, then turned to face Jack. "Please tell me they're joking, Jack! Tell me they're joking!"

"The jury has reached a verdict on this one, I'm afraid," Jack shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it."

"We've already made up our minds," Lucy stated. "And it should've been done a while ago."

"Sherria's gonna flip out if she catches you and Gray smoochin' behind her back again!" Goofy reminded.

"And a super angry girl with pink hair is the worst of our worries when we take the next flight to who knows where!" Donald dreaded.

"What Sherria doesn't know won't hurt her!" Juvia countered. "We'll just keep ourselves out of sight, and—"

"Give it a rest, will you?!" Lucy snapped. "This romance between you and Gray in his Gravy persona is messed up and all wrong! Sherria knows that. Everybody knows that! And it has to stop. We're turning Gray back to normal, like it or not. No second thoughts. No changes. End of discussion. Deal with it!"

"No! NO!" Juvia started to freak out, and she fell on her knees in front of Lucy. "I don't WANT to deal with it! I WANT him as he is! He LOVES me! He REALLY LOVES me! I've waited so long for this day to come!" She felt herself tearing up, "I CAN'T let it end! I WON'T LET IT!"

"Hey, don't come crying to me when his mind's already fixed!" Lucy retorted. "It's not my fault you're the only person in the guild who has bad luck with men!" With that, she left with Romeo to help him pick up the unconscious Sherria.

"Oh, boy. Here goes the drama queen again," Donald rolled his eyes.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Juvia clenched the sides of her head, crying out with a loud, comical scream of absolute horror towards the night sky, realizing in her despair that the time she spent with a completely different Gray— one who actively loved her when his mind was out of place— was coming to an end. The others were certain that once Gray was relieved of his brain damage, all was as it should be. But Juvia? Not so much. When all was said and done, some dreams were never meant to last… especially a bizarre and twisted romantic relationship between an overly excited Rain Woman and a rendered inwardly-childish Ice-Make wizard.

Behind the clouds, the moon stared at Wendy and company, who accessed the waterway in the same manner as the trick-or-treaters on their return to Halloween Town.


MEANWHILE, AT THE CASTLE CHAPEL...

Since Hades and Captain Hook had already departed for their respective worlds, Maleficent was the only villain in the council to have witnessed the events recorded in the stone table. Her eyes never left the projection even as it switched off, and she contemplated the outcome of the heroes' recent victory. With only three members left, it would seem that the authority behind the Alliance of Evil was destined to fall apart. "Even Oogie Boogie has proven to be no match for Wendy and her companions…" Maleficent thought out loud. "In all honesty, I am not surprised. He is the lesser one among us, after all. Regardless…" She smiled ominously, "…the pieces are falling into place. Soon, their efforts will have been for naught. The opening of the final door draws near. And speaking of Wendy's companions… They say one of them is named Romeo." She held a hand to her chin, and repeated the name with intrigue, "Romeo… I believe I've heard that name before. It belongs to one of the missing children of Ansem the Wise. Is it possible that they still live?" She paused to let her thoughts sink in, before she eventually made up her mind. "That is a mystery for another time. Captain Hook may have found the last princess by now. I shall overlook the progress of his work if I must. And afterward…" She disappeared through a portal before she let her final words ring in the empty darkness.


Research Lab

"...and now you're telling me that Gravy turned out to be a friend of Wendy's named Gray— an unfortunate child who suffered a serious case of brain damage the first time he arrived here?"

Doctor Finkelstein started to take in what Wendy and her friends had learned and gone through during their hunt for the artificial heart, which ended in its inopportune loss. Not long after the situation settled down, peace and serenity in Halloween Town was restored, and the Heartless were gone away, no longer terrorizing the citizens. Following the trip back to town— in which Sherria had already woken up after she snapped at Juvia for secretly making out with Gray— the heroes discovered that Lock, Shock, and Barrel were currently under the custody of the Mayor, who promised to make sure they wouldn't cause trouble again for anyone... if they didn't desire to. Wendy and company returned to the lab, where the doctor and Sally expected their return, and told them the whole story.

"So the cause of his hyperactive personality is a critical blow to the head after he survived a really bad landing," Finkelstein confirmed, rubbing a thumb across his chin. "And if you take away 'V' between 'A' and 'Y'..."

"We know!" Everyone exclaimed in unison, and laughed heartily after that.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaay!" Gravy whooped amid the merriment, waving his hands in the air. Juvia could only look away and stay quiet, making no effort in hiding away her blush.

"If you're looking for medicine specializing in brain damage, why, you've come to the right place," Finkelstein grinned. "This looks like a job for my express Insta-Brain Fixer formula! One slurp of this juice will repair his brain in a matter of seconds, and his mind will be normal again. While I painfully admit that some of my experiments have had a few unfortunate... setbacks..." He cringed at uttering the word, his eyes narrowing, "...and don't even get me started on that heart..." He cleared his throat, "...my wide collection of medicines, which I've conjured for the purpose of treating the sick and unwell, NEVER fail. Mr. Hyde, Melting Man, the Corpse Family, and yes, even the witches— I based off the Insta-Brain Fixer off an old recipe they didn't bother to use— agreed that my medicines are flawless healing sensations. Luckily, I've used up plenty of forget-me-nots to produce enough bottles to go around."

"That's good to hear! Thank you for agreeing to help us, Doctor Finkelstein!" Wendy smiled.

"A few misfires in the guidance system, and you still make the best medicine," Jack approved.

"'Misfire' doesn't even begin to describe how much of a debacle it was," Finkelstein mumbled, before he groaned in agitation. "I still can't believe that heart was a failure! We were on the verge of our greatest breakthrough, and then it all went down in the back burner!"

"Easy there, Doctor," Lucy eased. "You don't have to be so sour about it. There's plenty of other science projects you can come up with."

"Not as heavily important and valuable as THIS!" Finkelstein argued, snatching the blueprint on the experimental heart from the table and crumpling it to a ball of paper before throwing it away. "Jack asked for my help in keeping the Heartless under tight control, and I wanted it to be as PERFECT as possible! And THIS is what we get?!" He banged a fist against an armrest of his wheelchair out of frustration.

"He's never gonna live it down, is he?" Lucy sighed, as she observed the wheelchair-bound mad scientist wallowing in his self-pity.

"Uh-huh," Romeo nodded, then smiled at Lucy. "Not grossed out by a doctor with a cap over his brain anymore, are you?"

"Well, what should I be afraid of? I mean, fearfully be afraid of?" Lucy shrugged.

"Point taken," Romeo chuckled a bit.

"So we now get to see the real Gravy..." Donald confirmed.

"It sure is excitin', gettin' to meet Juvia's special sweetheart for real!" Goofy grinned.

"We're finally bringing back his original personality. This nightmare is over!" Sherria beamed.

"I don't see how his fractured psyche is a nightmare to you, Sherria," Carla commented.

"I meant the backwards, sloppy, unappetizing, and totally inappropriate romance between him and Juvia," Sherria corrected. "It was an awkward love between a mentally unstable guy and a hopeless, fanatic girl that's been the displeasure of any decent person to have their hearts sink as fast as you send tissue down the toilet!" She shuddered at the thought, "That's not how love works! If you love someone, you have to be yourself and show your feelings from the heart, not act or think like you're someone else."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Lucy agreed, then looked over to a despondent Juvia. "Some people thought they have a better understanding of how love works... when they clearly don't."

"Well, at least we have our cool Ice-Maker back. It's gonna be great!" Romeo said excitedly. "Not only do we have Gray, there's also Wendy and Lucy— more than half of Fairy Tail's strongest team! All we gotta do is find Natsu and Erza, and the team's back together again. And then it's game over for the jerks who split our guild up." He pounded a fist into his open palm, "I wouldn't mind if they invite me to have my own piece of the action, since Wendy, Natsu, and me are tight, and we've been through a lot together. And I wouldn't have it any other way." His comment had not gone unheard by the Sky Maiden, who smiled warmly at him.

"Cross one more world off their list, and the bad guys are eating sour grapes," Sherria quipped.

"Those idiots must be grumpy from all the amazing stuff we've pulled off," Donald smirked.

"We always find a Fairy Tail friend in each world we visit. It's like we're the luckiest bunch in the whole universe!" Goofy imagined.

"Since we've torn down most of their ranks, we can expect the Alliance of Evil to crumble at any given time. I believe we are getting closer to reuniting the entire guild," Carla stated.

Speaking of Natsu and Erza, Lucy couldn't shake away the dread she felt over her friends being forced into dangerous predicaments by Maleficent and her cohorts. "Those two are out there somewhere in a different world, and they're probably waiting for us. Erza's one of the Princesses of Heart, and Natsu's being held prisoner in a pirate ship that can travel anywhere through space. Even now, I still miss them." In spite of her anxiety, she steeled her resolve to see the rest of her team reunited, so that they could at last defeat Maleficent and end her grip over the Fairy Tail guild once and for all. "I'm taking them back, no matter what. And I'm not gonna stop until I do." She clenched her fist tightly, "I won't..."

"My greatest and most brilliant experiment ever, RUINED!" Finkelstein continued to rant.

"Um, Doctor?" Wendy called out. "What about the potion we need to fix Gray's brain?"

"Oh, right. I'm just getting to that," Finkelstein realized. "You're going to need a bottle of Insta-Brain Fixer Juice. You may peruse the medicine cabinet next to my bookcase." He motioned towards the aforementioned piece of furniture, "There, you'll find a potion with the exact title."

"Okay," Wendy nodded. "Then what do we do?"

"You should know that Insta-Brain Fixer Juice is a highly sensitive formula," Finkelstein warned. "To make the effects of the potion permanent, your friend has to drink the whole bottle, down to the last drop. Leave not a single drop; otherwise the effects will only be temporary, and the brain damage will regenerate itself."

"Have him finish the whole thing, right? Sounds simple enough," Romeo understood. "And you said there's plenty more where it comes from, so it'll be fine."

"Oh, yes, please," Finkelstein allowed. "Do with my Insta-Brain Fixer formula as you see fit. But don't waste too much; I've spent countless forget-me-nots in storage as the secret ingredient to the concoction. Four or five bottles will suffice."

"Thanks, but we'll do fine with just one," Wendy assured. "And don't worry, we'll be careful."

"Aren't you going to get a bottle for us?" Sherria asked.

"Heavens, no!" Finkelstein exclaimed. "I've got important things to do, like figuring out what went wrong with that blasted heart!" He wheeled over to his research book, smoothing out the pages and focusing on most of the contents written there. "Where did we go wrong? What did we miss? What are we overlooking? Should we have included some extra ingredients? Must we add something new?"

"Typical Finkelstein. He gets so emotional about his science," Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Might as well get our own bottle of brain-fixing juice," Romeo decided.

"The medicine cabinet, right?" Wendy recalled. She approached the cabinet and opened the door frame to unveil a set of shelves from top to bottom, filled with thousands of bottles arranged in alphabetical order. She scanned all the labels to see if anything with the title 'Insta-Brain Fixer Juice' could be found, until she stopped at the "I" section. "Here it is!" She took one sample of the proposed potion necessary for alleviating Gray's mental status, then read the label aloud, "Insta-Brain Fixer Juice. Maximum strength. Recommended for patients who suffer concussions, encephalitis, amnesia, and mental disorders of any kind. Drink this potion, and all abnormalities affecting the brain will be repaired automatically. If symptoms persist, take a new potion or consult Doctor Finkelstein." She turned to look at her friends, "What do you guys think?"

"Boy, that's a mouthful..." Donald sighed.

"...but it still looks mighty fine," Goofy implied.

"Who cares how long the description is? Just hearing that it'll fix any abnormality in the brain is good enough!" Sherria said excitedly. "Finally! Gray will be back to normal!" The Sky God Slayer immediately snatched the potion from Wendy's hand.

"S-Sherria!" Wendy yelped.

"What are you doing?!" Donald quacked.

"Be careful with that!" Carla warned.

"Don't drop it!" Goofy panicked.

"OPEN WIDE, GRAY!" Sherria wasted no time unfastening the cork as she raced over to the Ice-Make wizard, for she was too exhilarated about mending his brain damage to listen to her other companions. "NORMAL GRAY, HERE WE COME!"

"Yes?" Gray turned to face Sherria.

"Noooooooooo!" Juvia cried out in despair.

"DRINK!" Sherria forced the bottle into Gray's mouth, hence allowing its contents to spill down his throat. He didn't seem bothered about it, though; the flavor that came with the violet blue-colored juice tasted very much like grapes. "EVERY DROP! DRINK IT! DRINK IT! DRINK! DRINK! DRRRRRIIIIINNNNKKK!"

"AAAAAAAHHH!" The rest of the group reacted in shock.

"She's being serious about getting Gray back to his old self!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Well, don't we all? It's like she's totally obsessed with it!" Romeo sweated.

"Goodbye, new Gray... My sweet ice prince... I'll miss you..." Juvia uttered tearfully.

By the time the bottle was empty, Sherria pulled it out of Gray's mouth. His lips smacked on the succulent taste, and he grinned. "It tastes like grapes. I like grapes! T to the A to the S-T-E-Y, it's so tasty." He decided it was the right time to speak his positive thoughts on the juice in song, "D to the E to the L-I-O-R-A to the Y to the O to the U to the M-O-T-H-E-R-F... U..." Before he finished his sentence, he started to yawn.

"Gray, are you okay?" Wendy wondered. "You don't look so good."

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, E.N.D.!" Gray shouted vigorously, and his body dropped on the floor in front of the entourage, having passed out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Again, everyone screamed in horror.

"HE FAINTED!" Donald, Goofy, Romeo, and Lucy yelled.

"GRAY, NO!" Wendy panicked.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BELOVED, SHERRIA?!" Juvia shrieked.

"I-I-I don't know!" Sherria stuttered. "I just did what it said in the description!" She adjusted the bottle to examine the rest of the label. "Caution: Side-effects may include drowsiness, burning, itching, oozing, weeping. Not intended for heart patients or those with nervous disorders. These side-effects may last only until treatment takes full effect in ten seconds."

"What?! But he said his medicines are 'flawless healing sensations!'" Lucy argued.

"Maybe you should've read the whole label before you recklessly shoved the potion into Gray's mouth..." Carla groaned.

"I didn't know there's a warning written there! And it's still not my fault!" Sherria protested.

At that exact moment, Gray's body spasmed and vibrated rather quickly with a sound almost as squeaky as a rubber duck's, as though his structure was redone by a medical team during an operation. He then stopped spasming two seconds after. And then came a faint moan. He was breathing normally. As Wendy and her companions hurried towards him, he raised his head. His bemused eyes traveled downward from the hanging lights on the ceiling to a few familiar faces dressed in Halloween costumes. "H-Huh? Is that..." For the first time since his abduction by the Sleepy Hollow guild, Gray spoke in his normal voice. "Juvia... Lucy...? Wendy?" Their faces brightened with joy and delight at what they saw and heard. He actually addressed the three by their names! No 'boobie lady', no other nickname, just their names! "What are you guys doing here? And why are you dressed up like that? You having a Halloween party or something?" His nose took a whiff of the funky stench around him, and he noticed that it came from his jester outfit. "That wasn't me, was it? Smells like..." He sniffed a few more times, "...chocolate ice cream."

"GRRAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!" The whole group cheered in celebration of the Ice-Make wizard's return to normalcy. The Insta-Brain Fixer Juice worked! His brain damage was gone, and he was no longer Gravy the Jester. He was himself again! Juvia, on the other hand, didn't cheer along with the others; she simply stared at her rejuvenated sweetheart without a word, the sorrow evident in her eyes. As much as she wanted him to be in good health, she gravely missed Gravy the jester, that other version of Gray who loved her for she was, and ever would be. At the end of the journey, the time she spent with that Gray reached its bittersweet conclusion.

"GRAAAAAY! IT'S SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU BAAAAAAAAAACK!" A bawling Sherria pounced and gave Gray a hug so tight, she was comically squeezing him.

"She tackled him!" Lucy exclaimed with round eyes.

"Be careful, he's fragile!" Carla had a similar expression.

"She's got some muscles!" Donald was practically amused.

"She sure is happy to see the real Gray, just like us!" Goofy chuckled.

"Yeah, we all are..." Romeo likewise gave a small laugh. He wiped a tear from his eye, making no effort to hide the comfort he felt. "Welcome back, Gray!"

Sherria cried joyously into Gray's neck as he wheezed over the strenuous embrace around his chest. "Hey... W... What's... happening... here...?!"

"GRAY!" Wendy was shedding her own tears of joy over reuniting with another fellow member of Team Natsu, as well as another invaluable friend. She knocked Gray to the ground and gave him a hug less tighter than Sherria's, causing the latter to release his chest. "I can't believe it! I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Whoa, wait a second!" Gray exclaimed, pulling away from the hug as he sat up. "What do you mean by that? Can somebody please tell me what's going on? Where am I? What is this place? How did you get here? Why do you all dress differently?" He looked over to Donald and Goofy, "And what's with the duck and the dog?" He examined his present clothing, and began to grow disconcerted. "And why am I dressed up like a clown? It's making me look fat, and I smell like chocolate ice cream! Tell me, is this Flame-brain's doing?! He did this while I was out?!" His voice rose to a distressed yell, "WHERE THE HELL AM I?! WHAT AM I EVEN DOING HERE?!"

"Uh, listen, I know you're confused and this is going to be a lot to take in..." Lucy reasoned.

"But don't worry. We'll get ya up to speed in no time!" Goofy assured.

"You're back with us, and that's all that matters," Romeo grinned. "We're so glad we get to see you again, Gray."

"And we're so glad Goofy and I get to meet you for the first time," Donald added. "And by you, I mean, the REAL you. Gravy doesn't count."

"'Gravy?'" Gray asked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Y-Yes?" Juvia whimpered at the mention of what used to be Gray's alternate personality.

"That's easy," Goofy replied. "When ya take away 'V' between 'A' and 'Y'..."

"Stop!" Sherria raised a hand to interrupt him. "Can we drop the subject and talk about how happy we are to have Gray back? It's all behind us. Done! Finished! No more yucky, spit-trading kisses in the mansion! No more awkward songs that don't even rhyme! No more chocolate ice cream, no more boobie lady..."

"No more... GRAVY THE JESTEEEEEEEEEER!" Juvia started crying, tears falling from her eyes like waterfalls.

"Why are you so weepy all of a sudden, Juvia?" Gray wondered. "You missed me so much?" She didn't answer, and kept on crying.

Sherria took notice of the Rain Woman's dilemma, and sighed sympathetically. "I guess it'll take some time for her to get used to things... Is it not so easy to understand how love works? I hope she does. Anyway..." She looked back at Gray with a wide grin, "Long time no see!"

"You said you were gonna put me up to speed!" Gray pointed out. "How about now—"

"How wonderful to finally meet ya!" Goofy cut him off as he knelt down in front of him.

"We've heard so much about you from Juvia!" Donald stood alongside the royal knight.

"Gray, this is Donald and Goofy. They're our friends from the Disney Kingdom," Wendy introduced the two.

"We'll tell you everything, we promise," Sherria assured. "But right now, let's celebrate your return and inclusion into our team! We've all earned it! Fairy Tail's famous ice wizard, Gray Fullbuster, back in action and together with us!"

"Are you even listening to—" Gray wanted to ask some questions, but Wendy, Donald, Goofy, and Sherria crowded him in a circle, overwhelming him with a shower of friendly compliments and heartfelt hugs before he could get someone's attention. No matter how many times he protested, his words seemed to fall short. Romeo, Carla, and Lucy (minus Juvia) couldn't help but chuckle out of admiration at this genuine sight.

Juvia wiped the last of her tears, then took a steady breath. "Well, it was fun while it lasted. The Gray who loved me up until now is gone for good."

Romeo placed a comforting hand on Juvia's shoulder. "It's okay, Juvia. We did what we could to set this right. We all know you're in love with him, and you want him to love you back, but now's not the best time. All you gotta do is take your time, never give up hope, and be yourself. You heard what Lucy said: it's better to be yourself than act or think like you're someone else." He added sincerely, "Someday, you'll finally win him over. He'll come around. You'll see."

Juvia felt touched as she slowly welcomed Romeo's guidance. "And we'll be together forever and ever," she whispered. Though Gray hadn't accepted her love as of now, they still got along fine as close friends, and it was only a matter of time before that seed of companionship could blossom into a plant of romance. All that was needed in order to win Gray's heart was the right moment, the proper timing, and the courage to succeed.

Soon, Romeo and the others focused their attention on Jack, who conversed with Sally over everything that transpired since the heart's creation: the Heartless on the loose, Oogie Boogie's theft, and then the rising of a colossal monster that nearly destroyed Halloween Town.

"Sally, why didn't I listen to you?" Jack hung his head in shame for not heeding Sally's warning about the Heartless earlier.

Sally comforted, "Don't feel bad, Jack. We'll come up with another plan for Halloween. Next time, we'll do it together." They held hands and stared into each other's eyes, motivated by the promise of a better future for the holiday. At the same time, that moment provided a spark of sorts that drew the two closer to each other more than ever. Sherria would have reacted to the almost romantic scene with extreme passion, but she was too busy fawning over a flustered Gray with three others to pay attention.

Not long after Wendy and Sherria stood up and left Gray in Donald and Goofy's care to join up with Romeo, Lucy, Carla, and Juvia, Jack turned to face the group. "I guess we have no choice. In light of recent events, we'll have to cancel the Heartless Halloween Festival. And after careful consideration, I've decided not to endorse Heartless for future projects or events."

Romeo sighed, "Man... It's a bummer you have to cancel the festival. The townsfolk were looking forward to having a great time on Halloween."

Wendy apologized, "Sorry it had to end like this, Jack."

Jack assured, "Not to worry, Wendy. I'm confident it will be better next time around. I owe you plenty for what you've done to help keep this town and all of Halloween safe, and I'm proud to consider you my friend." He placed a hand to his chest and took a humble bow, "You will always be welcome here. Once again, I thank you for all your help."

Wendy beamed, "You're welcome. And I'm proud to call you my friend, too."

Romeo nodded, "And so are we."

Jack chortled, "I couldn't have asked for a great new circle of friends! And need I say the same for my now ex-assistant?" He gestured to Gray, who sat on the floor with Donald and Goofy on either side.

Gray raised an eyebrow, "Huh? What's with the guy dressed as a skeleton? What is this, some cosplay contest or something?" That caused Wendy and the others to laugh a bit.

Jack continued, "And to show you my gratitude, I want you to have this as well." He reached into his pocket and took out a new Keychain with the token of a jack o'lantern. "It's called Pumpkinhead. I'm certain it has something to do with that key-shaped sword you carry around. I hope you make good use of that special trinket."

Wendy assured, "Trust me, I will. And thanks!" She took the Keychain and inserted it into the Keyblade's hilt in place of the Crabclaw, thus granting the weapon a new form that befitted the theme of Halloween Town— the Pumpkinhead was almost entirely black, a facsimile of Jack's head adorned the hilt, and the guard was modeled after Jack's bowtie. The shaft was thin and long, and its teeth resembled a stylized bat hanging from the blade. Ironically, the name was a reference to Jack's position as the Pumpkin King, as evidenced by his head and jack o'lantern being part of the Keyblade's design.

"You have gained the Pumpkinhead Keychain. By attaching it to your Keyblade, you have a long reach and can easily deal a string of critical blows. Use its Command Style to manipulate explosive pumpkins and devastate your foes with scorching fire." These were the words of the voice in Wendy's head, giving details of the Pumpkinhead's strengths and abilities. Once she was finished examining the Keyblade's new and current form, she looked up to face Jack again.

"Visit us any time, Wendy," Jack told her, then turned to Gray. "And Gravy the Jester— no, Gray— it's been an honor having you as my assistant for the past few days. Our time was short, but we had a wonderful time together. I hope we'll meet again for some more fun-loving scares than the last. Next year's Halloween will be the scariest ever!"

Wendy giggled, "Okay, good luck making a better Halloween for next year!"

Romeo smiled, "And when we come back, we wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sherria winked, "We'll be sure to drop by for the next celebration, okay?"

Donald advised, "No more dangerous stunts!"

Goofy encouraged, "Hope you make the best Halloween ever!"

Lucy sighed, "I wouldn't get my hopes up." Although she had gotten over her fear of Halloween Town, that didn't mean she was going to enjoy another round of spooky, scary antics from Jack and the rambunctious citizens anytime soon.

On the other hand, Gray was uttered confused amid the conversation. "Uh..."

"Emotion, memory..." Doctor Finkelstein was rereading his research book, thinking out loud. "We put in all the necessary ingredients. What else do you need to make a heart? What is a heart, anyway?" He rubbed the back of his head in bewilderment, "I can't figure it out."

"That's... a really complex question there, Doctor," Sherria replied.

"I think the heart is more that just emotions or memories," Wendy interjected. "It's..."

While the Sky Maiden and a few party members engaged the doctor in a brief discussion about the heart and how it worked, Romeo shifted his eyes towards the empty Insta-Brain Fixer Juice potion. Curiosity beckoning him, he walked over to the experimental table and picked the bottle up. "A brain-fixing potion..." Romeo thought to himself. "Who knew the doctor can make good medicine as this one? And Gray said it tasted like grapes. Does it smell like grapes, too? I think a quick whiff won't hurt..." With that in mind, he inched his nose closer to the bottle's open mouth and caught a few specks of aroma that still lingered even after Gray drank the whole thing.

No sooner had Romeo let the scent crawl into his nostrils did he quickly turn pale as a ghost. He gasped silently. His muscles tensed. His eyes widened. And in an instant, a sudden rush split part of his brain in two, allowing an invisible parasite to seep in. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He could barely hold onto his surroundings. His mind was throbbing, like a bomb blew up the walls that protected it. Then, without warning... he was taken someplace else.


"Romeo..." The voice of an old man called out his name, brimming with love.

"Romeo!" Then came the voice of an elder woman, bearing the same warmth.

"Mama! Papa!" Romeo was a young boy, sitting on a field of grass, having a lovely picnic with an elderly couple and another girl three years older than him. Bright and joyful, he cried to the girl, urging her to come play with him, and she followed him to the playground...

"Lookie! Come on, let's play! Woo-hoo!" He and the girl played with building blocks and action figures, wrote scribbles and paintings, and jumped up and down on the bed in a room with walls decorated by pictures of the starry sky...

"Having fun, Romeo? Here comes the tickle monster! Look out, mermaids!" The two ran along the halls, tickled each other in a field of flowers, and engaged in a friendly fight during a bubble bath...

"Lava! Whoo! Let's go find the secret treasure!" He and the girl embarked on adventures based on their own imaginations, whether it was inside or out in the garden...

"Ven-Ven! Ven-Ven!" He drew pictures of a boy with gold blonde hair, giggling to himself...

"Hey there, kids!" He and the girl stood before a handsome man dressed in a white waistcoat, who picked the boy up and raised him high in the air, making him laugh, and the girl joined the two in high spirits...

The happy memories, the joy and comfort of family and friends, and the random voices (including Romeo's) continued to stir and spin. Then the ambience vanished, gone so completely, giving way to tortured whispers, and cries of anguish, and cruel tongues...

The sky turned to darkness. The whole city on fire, charred skeletons and ashes, men and women and children lying in piles, hearts rising into the air before turning into monsters rampaging through district after district, tearing apart homes and slaughtering people like animals...

"MAMA! MAMA! MAMA!"

Romeo couldn't hear himself cry out in despair as he stood in the presence of a woman laughing madly atop the corpse of a dead man, a collection of hearts stored in capsules behind her. She ordered her legion of monsters to feed on the hearts of anyone who were powerless to stop her. Her body surged with a horrible darkness, the foundations collapsing from above...

"MAMA! MAMA! MAMA!"

"RUN! THIS WAY!"

Romeo was carried by the shoulder of the man in the white waistcoat, the girl following close behind with her wrist entrapped tightly in the man's hand. They were desperately running for their lives, trying to escape the burning castle...

"MAMA! MAMAAAAAAAAA!"

"ROMEO! ROMEEEOOOOOOO!"

The girl was accidentally left behind in the inferno, screaming out his name...

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"ROMEO, COME ON!"

Even as the boy mourned the tragic loss of the girl, the man never stopped whisking themselves out of the flaming jaws of oblivion before they gnawed on them...

"MAAAAAAAAAMAAAAAAAA!"

Through tear-stained eyes, Romeo was dragged outside just in time to witness the castle being overtaken by shadow and flame. The place he once called home was fading away, his incessant sobbing drowned out by the rumbling noises...

"Forgive me..."

And the last thing he saw was the mournful face of his rescuer holding his watery cheeks in both hands, and driven to tears himself. There was a flash of light, and the image of the man was wrapped in white, as was everything else. The backgrounds, the memories, they all dimmed like drawings lacking color, the textures lapping behind the immaculate rift, watching, waiting—


Research Lab

With a pained cry, Romeo yanked himself from the memory recall, holding his aching head in one hand while the other unconsciously dropped the bottle to the ground, breaking it. The fire was gone, and the visions ceased to be, yet the agony only stayed until it wormed out from his brain. Wendy and the others heard the glass break, and were surprised to find him disoriented. His head was pouring sweat, and his heart was beating more rapidly than it ever had before.

"Romeo!" Wendy cried out to him, racing to his side. She stood next to him, holding him by the shoulder and shaking it lightly. "Romeo, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

It didn't take long for the last traces of Romeo's mental torment to subside, and he exerted an effort to calm himself. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he responded weakly, shaking his head. "I'm okay... I picked up the potion when I wanted to look at it again, then it slipped through my hand."

"It did?" Wendy wondered.

"What's the matter, Romeo?" Donald asked.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Sherria stated.

"Are you scared of somethin'?" Goofy questioned.

"Scared? N-No, of course not! Who says I am?" Romeo denied.

"Maybe a bug found its way into the bottle after Gray was given the potion, and it scared you quite a bit," Jack guessed.

Romeo paused, thinking on the visions he received from smelling the smidgen of a fragrance in the wake of spent Insta-Brain Fixer Juice, then decided to play along. "Yeah, you're right. A creepy little bug in the empty bottle, is all. Freaked me out for a second." He sighed deeply to himself— as much as he wanted to tell his friends about what he saw, he felt it wasn't the best time to divulge the details. The visions were beyond unusual, he found it difficult to ascertain if they were just memories of the past... or memories he never thought existed. For the time being, he decided to keep this new knowledge to himself. At least, until the opportunity called for it.

"Well, you should be more careful," Jack advised. "Someone could get glass under their feet."

"Right. Thanks," Romeo nodded, forcing a grin on his face. He turned to face Finkelstein with an apologetic look. "Sorry I dropped it, Doctor."

"No harm done," Finkelstein assured. "I assume you've already used the potion to restore your friend here to perfect mental health." He gestured to Gray, who stared back in confusion.

"Was there really a bug in the bottle?" Wendy thought out loud.

"Whatever and wherever it was, it made Romeo feel a bit nervous," Donald assumed.

"At least the little critter left him alone," Goofy confirmed.

"Not like me to get freaked out by one tiny bug, huh?" Romeo chuckled anxiously.

"For one tiny bug, it had the element of surprise," Sherria quipped.

"Okay, now I'm getting MORE AND MORE FREAKED OUT HERE!" Gray's hysteria increased with each passing minute, as he could no longer take the pressure of two anthropomorphic animals watching over him like they were his babysitters, not to mention being continuously kept out of the loop until the party made the decision to return to the Gummi Ship. His face was blushing mad, and his arms shook wildly in the air. "JUST WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS ALL ABOUT?!"

"Aww, how cute!" Sherria cooed. "Seeing you all blushy like that makes you adorable and fuzzy, if not more so than Zero or Dumbo!"

"W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" Gray exclaimed shockingly, barely able to suppress the maddening glow in his skin.

"Wow, I think I like this clueless Gray a lot better than Gravy the Jester!" Lucy laughed, and soon the rest of the party laughed with her, adding further to the Ice-Make wizard's embarrassment. As always, Juvia's eyes flashed with hearts simply by looking at her beloved— a clear sign that she had put aside the love she felt for his forgotten Gravy persona, and returned to loving him just the way he was— the same old Gray, ever oblivious to the Rain Woman's affections. It was a moment of gaiety for Wendy and company after another hard battle in saving a new world and rescuing a new Fairy Tail wizard— no one could ruin that moment.

However, Romeo stopped laughing when his thoughts drifted back to his premonitions. He crossed his arms and glanced at the ground in contemplation. "What was that all about? Is it me, or am I seeing memories from way back when I was a kid? Are they trying to..." He paused for a moment, "...to show me something I didn't know?" A silent breath escaped his mouth. "I thought I imagined it... Or was I...?"

Normally, he would disregard the images in his head as mere illusions, but the more he thought about it, he wasn't sure what to believe. A new mystery was unveiled, but that for was another time. In the meantime, seeing Gray reunited with his Fairy Tail friends was respite enough.


MEANWHILE, AT THE LIBRARY...

"The gentleman bag of bugs, squashed by the very swarm of bugs he sought to squash. Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee... What an awful sight!" Zeppelin Borock cackled as he watched the events that had been recorded into the crystal ball in his hand. He took a seat in the table that Kaze once sat in amid her interrogation with her personal hostage Macao Conbolt, who was still tied to his own chair on the other side. Since Kaze was absent at the moment, Zeppelin was the one who filled her vacant seat. "The dice aren't in your favor after all, Mr. Boogie! You see what happens if you press your luck too much? Well, now you do! If you were still alive, I'd pity you for being so... wishy-washy!" He let loose a second maniacal cackle.

"Heh, ain't that the truth?" Macao snarked. "I mean, one of the big shots running this Heartless operation lost to Romeo and a team of high and mighty Fairy Tail wizards! I wouldn't take those kids for granted if I were you and your boss."

"Hee-hee-hee-hee..." Zeppelin leaned back on his seat. "First of all, Macao, my boss takes orders from the big shots. Second of all..." He placed the crystal ball at the center of the board, "...I'm afraid she can't be here to keep you comfy for a while. The poor dear!" His face took on an expression of uncharacteristic sympathy, "Don't misunderstand, my friend. I'm in mourning for Kaze's recent downfall just as you. Then again, perhaps you aren't... I know you still want a bone to pick with her after separating you from your precious Romeo." He spoke the name of Macao's son with affectionate sarcasm, "Sadly, your requests for a picked bone are all but declined. You're going to have to wait a bit longer..." His face fell, but it quickly glanced back up to Macao with a nasty smirk as he giggled again. "But at least you have me, right?"

Macao turned away in disgust. "Of all the creeps from Sleepy Hollow I've had to be acquainted with, I think you're the worst."

Zeppelin rested an elbow on the table with his chin atop a knuckle. "Can't say that I blame you, Macao. I have my ways. Oh, and if you'd kindly keep this between the two of us, I've known all along that you and the Master have been chatting from time to time, right here..." He pointed a finger downward, "...in this library room. If I told anyone, she'd be sour as a piano note, and tie me up next to you. On the bright side, we can be chair buddies. Isn't that great?"

Macao scoffed, "And how exactly is great about being buddies with a psychopath?"

Zeppelin shrugged, "That depends whether or not you view the idea as revolting or reasonable. You two have been hanging out for some time ever since the Earth-land operation. On that day, you gained my attention."

Macao glared, "Well, we got more than we bargained for. On my bright side, at least I don't have the luxury of being in the company of that pompous daredevil. Is that entertainment enough for you?"

Zeppelin answered, "More or less. And if you're asking how much I indulged your personal relationship with Master Viriniam, it's only the good stuff. The look of terror and helplessness on your face at the thought of the young prince in danger of being murdered violently... I'm beginning to imagine how sweet it will be to see you squirm if it actually happens. Poor Romeo, about to have his head on a pike, his arms and legs roasted like chicken, the rest of his body to be fodder for a pack of ravenous Darkballs. What do you think?"

Rage spiked through Macao's heart. "So help me, if you lay a hand on Romeo..."

Zeppelin beamed, "Oh, yes! I see the fire in your eyes! Even though the world is mean and unkind, you're a caring, passionate man who loves children!" He stood up from his seat and approached Macao, "All you precious little pansies! You've known peace and love, and there are times when you resort to pain and violence to protect everything in your life that matters to you, yet you're too afraid to leave it!" He then sighed, "How boring." He didn't appear to show sympathy for the prisoner, but rather took joy from his anger.

Macao snapped, "What the hell do you know? You don't know anything about me!" With a yell, he lashed out with a headbutt, but Zeppelin easily leaned back and knocked him to the floor, his arms and legs ever bound to the chair. The Headless Horseman crouched over him before he could rise, conjuring a Machine-Make: Machine Gun around his left arm and holding the barrel close to Macao's face.

"Shh-shh-shh-shh-shh..." Zeppelin silenced him. He seemed positively giddy at the Purple Flare wizard's outburst and agitation. "I want to tell you another little secret," he whispered. "Master Viriniam told you a bit about her past, did she not?"

"What about it?" Macao asked defiantly.

"Well, did she also tell you about the infinite dark power she possesses?" Zeppelin countered. "When Kaze was a little girl, she was cursed with an unlimited, destructive source of dark magic that's tied to her negative emotions. Before she became Sleepy Hollow's master, she started out as a rookie with little-to-no experience in the field. Our guild's previous master, out of pity and mercy for the new girl, created the Dark Drive lacrima and implanted it into Kaze's chest as a means of suppressing the untamed power within. As time passed, Kaze learned to control and bend her dark powers on a whim, and so the youngest master in our guild's history came into being. But..." He chuckled mischievously, "Have you ever considered how corny it was to put a leash on an almighty force of nature when it has always been an essential piece of her life? Of her existence?"

"What are you saying?" Macao questioned.

"Keep it under tight control? Oh, please," Zeppelin rolled his eyes. "Why spend her life trying to put the unlimited darkness under lock and key when she can just embrace it? The way I see it, she's been fearing the power within. She holds back, refusing to let it out! Not that I'm calling her a spineless coward or anything. I'm merely stating the obvious. If she had opened herself to darkness, she'd be even better than what she is now. Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee... And what's that she said? 'Everybody wants to rule the world?' Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Some old-fashioned notion that is! The conquest of worlds was a revelation. She and those gullible lunkheads have been thinking far too small. Why corrupt a bundle of worlds, when we can bewitch the heart of every world? Here's a piece of advice for you wannabe despots: Broaden your minds! Make the wisest choices! And when you do, you finally know what kind of playing field you definitely belong in."

"Are you saying that you have no loyalty to Kaze?" Macao cocked an eyebrow.

Zeppelin gasped slightly, before he laughed out loud and quickly responded, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I always have been and always will be a loyal servant to Master Viriniam! I never once considered the idea of betraying her! No! I can't do that!"

"Then what are you here for?" Macao continued to eye the machine gun warily.

"To inform you that I'll be off on a little trip." Zeppelin changed his left arm back to normal, and he set Macao and the chair back up. "I promise we'll continue this lovely conversation when I return. So hang on to your underwear..." With a playful giggle, he stroked Macao's cheek, then gently patted it.

"Oh, don't worry. I just peed in the bucket," Macao said sarcastically. "What's this 'little trip' about?"

"There's been a few changes in management," Zeppelin announced. "Captain Hook has called upon our entire collection of dark guilds for an all-out assault on Neverland. I never expected the pencil-pushing pirate to make such a drastic move. So I figured we must exercise caution if Her Grace's vision is to be realized." He clasped his hands gleefully, "For that reason, me and the other Horsemen are taking the Ichabod to Neverland... to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Macao wondered.

"To make our war," Zeppelin replied. "The last war for the ninth and final Princess of Heart."

"The final Princess of Heart?" Macao's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you've actually—"

"Commander Borock!" The voice of a Sleepy Hollow minion rang out before the Purple Flare wizard could finish. The two turned to the doorway, through which a squadron could be seen at the entrance, standing at attention. "The Ichabod is ready to launch, sir. The other Horsemen will be expecting you in the Rising Falls."

"Ugh... Party poopers," Zeppelin groaned. "And Wrecker seems to be cozying up to his new iron spiked ball he received as a birthday present." He chuckled lightly, "That'll do. I could use some time to unwind from my hectic battle with the princess. The four Horsemen, having another interstellar gig in Sleepy Hollow's flagship." He turned back to Macao, "It's time for me to go, sweetheart. I don't want to miss today's party!"

"Yeah, right. Go ahead and enjoy it while it lasts," Macao said smugly. "Don't you come running to me if Romeo and his friends bashed it! You might wanna change your schedule."

"Oh, no, the schedule is going exactly as planned," Zeppelin grinned. "The final Keyhole will be open soon. Not even your Fairy Tail friends can stop it." He grabbed Macao's chin and twisted it to inch the former's eyes with his. "And I wouldn't miss it for ANYTHING! Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee..." His demented laughter grew a bit in volume and insanity, and Macao tensed as the horrible sound echoed in his ears until he decided he heard enough. He delivered a second headbutt, which successfully connected with Zeppelin's forehead, causing him to reel back.

"In your dreams..." Macao hissed, glaring at the Headless Horseman.

"Ooooh... The dog bites back!" Zeppelin commented, paying no mind to the slight bruise on his head. He chuckled a bit, then wagged his finger. "Watch yourself... Mercutio."

Macao went silent, his insides turning to ice at at what the Machine-Make wizard mentioned.

"It wasn't hard to figure out your true identity, really," Zeppelin continued. "And even then, I can't believe you still answer to that cheesy name you adopted in Earth-land. How noble and heroic of you, being the best of two worlds! The once charismatic captain of the royal guard, a refugee from the great purge, a wronged radiant gardener on a mission! Having to blend in as a resident of a foreign world and trading your old honor for a trivial lifestyle as part of a magical guild! The bond between you and Romeo is truly genuine... even though he's not really your son. Mercutio, Macao, whatever you call yourself... Please don't look so surprised. I just checked the castle records. And if Her Grace was here right now, she'd be so proud of you."

Macao didn't respond, merely turning away and silently looking down at the floor beneath his feet. Zeppelin turned to leave. "As much as I want to tell more of your story, I really should be going now. It's rude not to RSVP, you know. Ta-ta!" He executed a Machine-Make: Hologram to warp himself to the open door, spinning to Macao one last time with a sinister smile. "Make do with the best of what you have, Mercutio. I'm counting on it..." He brandished his Machine-Make: Zantetsu Sword at Macao, before he backed away and turned after his guards as they went outside.

Macao was left alone in his chair, wracked with tremendous sorrow and guilt. The moment the Alliance of Evil set this chain of events in motion, the moment Zeppelin had deduced his true identity, he realized this was inevitable. The past could not remain buried forever, which made him all the more resolute as to what needed to be done. But the hardest part of looking back at the past was allowing it to bite back, which only added more to his regret. Macao sighed softly, and looked up to the ceiling. "It's hard to keep it a secret these past nine years when it's closer to home. But here I am..." A weak chuckle strangled his throat, "Do you see how pathetic I am, Romeo? I'm a terrible guardian and a terrible parent. I've failed you again. I've failed to protect you again." His eyes fluttered with tears, "I did my duty. I did what I could. I did what I had to do. And now that it's come to this..." He shuddered a bit, "Forgive me, Lord Ansem. I tried to keep him safe. But because they forced this on us, I knew this day would come. That he would one day remember his true heritage. Maybe it's time we stopped keeping the past locked up for so long. I knew our transgressions would catch up to us one day."


Outside the library, Zeppelin stayed behind to watch his bodyguards depart from the main hall so he could have a private moment to himself. He spoke out loud, "It's regrettable that I can't go back out there to deal with Wendy and her friends again. I wanted to settle the score so bad with the Keyblade bearer, I can taste it. But Silver ordered that me and the others escort Hook, so Neverland is my priority for now." He glanced over his shoulder, "If that's alright with you..." He finished with a sly grin, "...Mistress Lyra."

"Of course, my dear." A calm, calculated voice echoed behind him, and out of the darkness emerged a figure in a hooded brown cloak resonating with a malevolent aura— the old woman Wendy encountered in Shirotsume hours before Earth-land fell. "Earning the trust of Maleficent and the Sleepy Hollow guild is paramount. We must not let suspicion creep into their minds. Remember to always act as though your heart and soul belong to the Alliance of Evil."

"Hee-hee-hee-hee-ha-ha-ha-ha! Those dullards are so caught up in their own delusions of power and glory, they didn't realize they've been duped!" Zeppelin snickered. "And as far as my talents go, I'm a team player."

"We have ample time before the hammer drops on that sorry excuse of a band," Lyra declared, her voice full of malice and intent. "When the dust settles, no one will stand in our way."

"Yes, Milady," Zeppelin beamed triumphantly. "At last, the time of your glorious ascension will arrive!" Cackling in anticipation, he turned and bowed on one knee before the hooded figure, with one hand in his chest and the other behind his back. "My heart and soul belong ONLY to my goddess! You may leave the rest of the rabble to me. I'll dispose of them in your glorious name." He raised his head up, "Aside from that, Your Grace, what do you make of your new vessel?"

"She will do just perfectly," Lyra answered. "And I know who the last Princess of Heart is. You're already aware by now, are you not, Zeppelin?"

"There's no mistaking it," Zeppelin nodded. "She is definitely the one. If it pleases you, shall I go fetch her?"

"She will come to us in due time," Lyra assured. "When all nine pure hearts assemble, the seal will be made visible, and we will use the Fire Dragon Slayer's magic to destroy the barrier. The final door will be opened." The darkness around her manifested greatly than ever. "Unlimited darkness will be mine."

"Good night, sweet princess..." Zeppelin hissed. "Pleasant dreams... PLEASANT SCREAMS!" He erupted into full-blown psychotic laughter that sounded throughout the hall and passed along the darkness that infected it.


Outer Space

Somewhere in the vastness of the starry sea, pandemonium and chaos ensued at a space sector under jurisdiction by a portion of the dark guild fleet. It had been intercepted and attacked by a single 978-4-06 Raijin Gummi ship fighter— the elusive vessel that had annihilated 27% of the armada's vanguard at the end of the Phil Cup. Most recently, the amount increased to 69%, which coincided with the fracturing of the Alliance of Evil's chain of command, along with several failures in world incursions. While less than half of the ships already retreated for the main force set for Neverland, the rest tried to put up a bold effort in fighting the attacker, but none succeeded. The crew of one lone Gummi ship frantically attempted to send a distress call to any nearby craft as it flew away from the pursuing Raijin.

"This is Blade-6 to mission control! Blade-6 to mission control! Come in! We are under assault! I repeat, we are under assault! Requesting aid from any vessel within range! We're two warp points out of Atlantica! Enemy Raijin fighter pursuing! Requesting backup! I repeat, requesting backup! It's... It's gaining on... AAAGGHH!"

A laser turret blew up the ship before it took shelter behind a meteorite. The Raijin zipped away from the destruction left in its wake, its black and yellow lightning-bolt shaped frame— and the mark of a fairy with a tail decorated at the helm— illuminated by starlight as it went.


Ansem's Report 7

I am studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily. None of the records even mention such a substance.
Was it introduced to this world when I opened the door? I wonder how many other such materials drift through our atmosphere... I wish I could soar off and find out! If I could, I may ask my beloved Lyra and our children to come with me and see what's out there! Could there be uncharted worlds up there? My curiosity never ceases to grow.
But I should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now, there is no way to venture outside this world. Yet I still believe there might be... The meteors may hold the answer. My people and I are all but inhabitants of a simple, small world. But I have a feeling our world is merely part of one that is even greater.


Author's Note:
Alrighty! The Halloween Town arc is finally concluded! This chapter has surpassed the previous one I posted as the longest chapter I've ever written. Now you understand how much effort and work I gotta put into this finale to this Nightmare Before Christmas. Oh, sure, I've seen plenty of busy days, and part of the reason this posted late is because I wanted to make it as good as it possibly gets. I must say, the battle with Oogie Boogie and summoning Dumbo was a fun thing to write. Riding a flying elephant for an epic aerial battle in the skies of Halloween Town is one thing to mark the occasion. Hoo boy, was Sherria upset that Juvia and Gray (as Gravy) were playing Love Twister without her finding out until the end... and the punch she delivered to Juvia was a prime example of the phrase "tough love." It's good to see Lucy finally growing a spine and making Jack realize how wrong it was to promote Heartless for Halloween.

And now for some of the big shockers at the end of this chapter:

1. It looks like Wendy isn't the only one with hidden memories. When Romeo catches the scent of Insta-Brain Fixer Juice, he undergoes a sudden memory recall, filling him with visions of a past he never knew existed. That's right, just as Maleficent (and some of you) have guessed, Romeo is revealed to be one of the missing children of Ansem the Wise. That's right, he's the young prince of Radiant Garden. The visions he experienced are memories of his life in Radiant Garden, of himself, Ansem, Lyra (before she turned evil), and his sister. And have you noticed the hidden Easter egg I put up during the visions? *playful laugh.* I bet it'll make you scream for more. But how does Romeo become a resident of Earth-land? And why did he forget his memories of Radiant Garden— and his real family? You'll find out more in future chapters.

2. Romeo's not the only one displaced from Radiant Garden to Earth-land— it's Macao, too. His real name is Mercutio, named after the character in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It's pretty obvious and interesting, since Romeo and Mercutio belong to the same written work. Mercutio is the captain of Radiant Garden's royal guard and a devoted servant of Ansem the Wise, not Romeo's biological father. Sorry, Macao fans. Instead, Mercutio is Romeo's guardian, and he has sworn an oath to protect him after a certain tragedy in the past. How does our Purple Flare friend fit into this new puzzle of mystery and intrigue, you ask? You'll find out in the future!

3. Zeppelin is revealed to a double-agent under Lyra, the Ansem SOD of Kingdom Fairy Tail. Who knows what those scheming villains are up to now that they've identified the final Princess of Heart? I know who she's going to be. How about you?

4. The Raijin gummi ship that attacked the enemy ships at the very end of the chapter has the Fairy Tail symbol, meaning that they're on the heroes' side. You wanna know who's onboard? Find out as the Neverland arc begins!

And speaking of the Neverland arc, I've decided to put the Hercules Cup as the next chapter instead of Neverland. I do this because Neverland is the one world where the plot thickens. Drama and suspense are about to ensue, and things will never be the same. Neverland will be an impactful story arc that will change Wendy's life— and Kaze's— forever. That's why the Hercules Cup is up next. Oh, and for those expecting it, wait no more, because Sherria will have her long-expected battle with the mighty Hercules. How will it unfold? Find out next time on Kingdom Fairy Tail!

This is TheSavageMan100, signing out. Be sure to fav, follow, and review, and stay tuned for some more cool content from yours truly. See you all later!