It was just another imaginative adventure for Ken's collection of toys. In this scenario, Lucy Heartfilia, the Celestial Treasure Hunter, had been kidnapped and held prisoner by the most dastardly feline villain of all time, Evil Dr. Felicity. In other words, Happy wearing a fashioned black top hat, a monocle, and white gloves. Now, Natsu Dragneel the Salamander stepped into his fortress to save Lucy from certain doom.

"Help! Help! Somebody help me!" Ken impersonated Lucy's voice, dangling her by a string.

Ken made Natsu run over to the rescue. "Let her go, Evil Dr. Felicity!"

"Never!" Happy, played by Ken as the villain, was perched on top of a bucket with the M.C. Troops standing around him like an army of bodyguards. "You may try to face me and my unstoppable army, unless you're risking the life of that pathetic girl! I will give you a simple ultimatum, Natsu Dragneel. If you don't surrender immediately, Lucy Heartfilia will perish! Whatever way she dies is your choice. Which will it be? Shark, or death by Vulcans?" Ken moved Lucy over from Wakaba Mine to a group of Vulcans, which he had arranged to make it look like they had torn Gajeel apart. He then impersonated the Vulcans' voices, as if to intimidate Natsu. "Choose! I dare you!"

"I choose… Gray Fullbuster!" Ken mimicked Natsu's voice. Using the remote, he drove Gray out of a box on the RC car, Fireball Dragion, for a surprise attack against Evil Dr. Felicity. Ken then mocked Evil Dr. Felicity's voice, as if the villain was surprised, "What?! That's not a choice!"

"To infinity and beyond!" With Dragion driving into the air from a ramp, Gray, with his fist raised, knocked Happy off his perch, sending some of his body parts flying out, with his M.C. Troop bodyguards scattered and dismantled.

"I'll save you, Miss Heart," Ken moved Natsu over to Lucy, mimicking the Dragon Slayer's voice in a debonair manner.

"My hero!" Lucy squealed from Ken's voice, before the boy made her kiss Natsu continuously. Obviously, the two toys enjoyed it very much, even in toy mode. Ken picked Gray up and said in Natsu's voice, "Thanks, Gray!" He then spoke in Gray's, "No problem, buddy! You should never tangle with the unstoppable duo..." He made the two link arms with each other, proclaiming with a proud voice, "…of Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster—"

Unfortunately, the celebration was cut short when Ken unwittingly forced Gray's hand to make a small rip in the fabric of Natsu's right arm. He gasped, putting Gray down and looking at the pull-string Dragon Slayer doll. "Oh, no…"

Mrs. Hirugashi walked into the room, sticking her head in the door. She urged, "Ken, let's go! Maka's already in her car seat."

"But Mom…" Ken started. "Natsu's arm ripped." He presented the torn toy.

"Oh, no," Mrs. Hirugashi felt sympathy for the state her son's favorite toy was in. "Maybe we can fix him on the way?"

"No, just leave him," Ken shook his head. Now that he thought about it, taking Natsu to Dragon Camp wasn't such a good idea. He could never bring the pull-string Dragon Slayer when he's not in perfect condition.

Sighing sadly, Mrs. Hirugashi put Natsu on the top shelf. She turned back to her son, "I'm sorry, honey, but you know toys don't last forever." In spite of himself, Ken couldn't help but look sadly at Natsu. Mrs. Hirugashi put her hand on her son's shoulder, and they left the room.

By the time they left, Natsu sprang to life with a gasp. Gray looked up from where he lay on the floor, and Lucy untangled herself from the string. She walked over by the space action figure with Erza, the three of them looking up at their friend sympathetically. Wendy came over to Happy, who was putting his body pieces back together.

Wendy wondered, "What happened?"

Happy answered, "Natsu's been shelved."

Wendy gasped, "That's horrible…"

Lucy nodded, "Sadly, yes. The sweet taste of victory turned bitter when Natsu's arm ripped. Ken is ashamed to bring him to camp at this condition."

Gajeel said, "Well, now that Ken's leaving him up in the dumps, literally, I'm starting to worry for that pink-haired freak." He then grumbled, "Ken should've picked me for a replacement Natsu. I wanna see that Dragon Camp. And I'm way Dragon Slayer than him."

Lisanna scolded, "Gajeel, Don't make him feel worse!"

Gajeel refused, "No, I'm not."

Laxus sighed, "Taking someone to camp ain't what it's cracked up to be."

Laki Olietta responded, "I think he needs a little stitching."

Kinana agreed, "Maybe before Ken comes back, his mom would…"

Natsu just stayed where he was, refusing to look at the others. This had to be a complete mistake. He was one of three of Ken's favorite toys, inarguably the best since his kindergarten years; he would never leave him behind over something like a torn arm. Still, his mind was riddled with doubt. Natsu reached over with his functioning hand and lifted his right, before it fell limply to the ground. Outside, a car engine vroomed. He looked out the window to see Ken climb in and close the door.

"Ken!" Natsu crawled closer to get a better look. But all he could do was watch as the car pulled out of the driveway. As he stared on, the pull-string Dragon Slayer was forced to accept the harsh reality. His kid was driving off to camp… and leaving him behind. His dream to visit the camp based on dragons, and his chance to spend quality time with Ken, all vanished like a lost thought. The future he foresaw, he imagined… gone. Natsu sat back down and sighed, dejected and crushed by the tragedy.

Below, the other toys gathered, showing concern and sympathy for the shelved Natsu. "Natsu?" Erza spoke. He didn't answer.

"Natsu?" Mirajane called. "Are you okay?" He just climbed further onto the shelf, until his feet disappeared from sight.

Lucy offered, "I'll go talk to him."

Gajeel stated, "FYI, he's on the top shelf. It's hard to reach."

Lucy smiled, "Did you forget I have a whip with an extendable plastic rope that can reach almost anything?" He took out her toy whip, the Flueve d'étoiles, from the side of her skirt. "Leave everything to me."

Wendy said, "But Natsu's awful sad. I don't think he'll listen to you. It's like he wants to be alone."

Lucy insisted, "Let me try. I know Natsu. My boyfriend wouldn't act so down and out like that. I wanna set things straight with him."

Erza replied, "In that case, we'll leave it to you. I'm sure he'll listen."

Gray agreed, "Better than feeling sorry, that's for sure. Try to keep dibs on him, okay?" Lucy acknowledged the request with a silent nod, and the crowd of toys left, leaving her to speak to Natsu alone.

That night...

Lucy swished her Flueve d'étoiles, stringing it around the edge of the top shelf, before she hoisted herself upward. Upon reaching the shelf, she sat beside a despondent Natsu. She asked curiously, "Nat, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Not really," Natsu responded softly. "My arm ripped by accident, and Ken decided not to bring me to camp. I take it you saw the whole thing?"

Lucy nodded, "Everyone did. We all felt sorry for you. But don't worry about your arm. Ken will fix it up, just as the Mutant Toys fixed me up. You'll be good as new."

Natsu didn't answer at first. The world seemed to have faded around him as his mind clouded with emotion. Lucy never saw her boyfriend wrought with despair than he had ever felt before, but at the same time, she didn't want to see him sad. She couldn't stand it.

The salmon-haired toy gave his reply, his voice grim, "Y'know, life seemed so much simpler when you're fixing things. But there are some things that can't be fixed. You told me that the last time we're in Takeshi's house."

Lucy recalled, "Beyond repair, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Natsu nodded. He then looked up to meet her gaze, "It's not fair. This was supposed to be a time for just me and Ken. Why'd he leave me behind?" He shook with frustration, gripping the edge of the shelf, "Why'd he put me on the shelf? Why didn't he just fix me on the way? I know he could have!"

Lucy caressed Natsu's cheek, trying to comfort him the best she could, "He left you on the shelf because he's worried about you. One more rip, and you're toast. It's because he deeply cares for you—"

"If he cares for me, he should've fixed me!" Natsu snapped, cutting her off. That statement shocked Lucy, but she assumed it was out of grief. He took a shuddering breath, "He should've taken me with him and fixed me. It's that simple. Instead, he abandoned me." His body shook rapidly, "And I heard what Mom said, 'toys don't last forever.' Does that mean he's done with me? After everything we've been through?!"

Lucy calmed him down, "No! He's not done with you! He didn't leave you just because you're a useless toy. He left you so that you'd be safe."

Natsu gasped, utterly baffled at the explanation. "Safe?"

Lucy nodded, "Ken couldn't bear losing your arm completely, so he decided to leave you here until he comes back to fix you. He did that because he loves you so much. It's for your own good."

Natsu was at a loss for words. A toy getting stranded outside Ken's house was one thing, but a toy left behind for protection was another. He ceased shaking his body, and his eyes showed a sincerity of sorts. At the same time, they were laced with sadness.

"He left without saying goodbye…" he muttered.

Lucy cradled his body in her arms, glad that her boyfriend was beginning to soften. She said softly, "You still have us. You're not the only toy in the box. You've got other friends who care for you. We're more than just a collection of toys; we're a family. And what's important now is that we stay together." She paused, before she continued, "Celestial Treasure Hunter Lesson #50: Real life can knock us down, but we can choose whether or not stand back up."

"Choose to stand back up or not to stand back up?" Natsu scratched his head. "What does that mean?"

Lucy explained, "It means that someday, when the going gets tough, and when things seem to be at their bleakest, you're gonna have to make a choice. A choice to stand proud in front of the face of danger or not. A choice to decide what to with your life. A choice to fight for something or risk losing it all."

Natsu felt a warm atmosphere of comfort overwhelming him. Lucy was right; there were still friends at his side who care for him; a family of toys who would have each other's backs, no matter what. But the confusing part was about 'making a choice.' He never understood what Lucy meant, but he would have to discover the answer on his own.

Natsu turned to her with a weak smile, "You haven't given up on me, have you?"

Lucy touched both of his cheeks with her hands. She smiled back, "Never."

She pulled him in for a kiss, and he gave in, each savoring the feel of one lip on the other. The two embraced, with Natsu holding her body with his functioning arm. Lucy leaned forward, pinning him to the shelf with her on top.

"I love you," Natsu whispered softly, caressing Lucy's cheek with his working hand.

"I love you, too," Lucy replied breathlessly, untying her ponytails and letting her blonde hair loose. She undressed her blue sleeveless jacket, leaving her in her blue and white bra. As Lucy knelt down and resumed kissing Natsu, she darted her fingers and grabbed the buttons of his black one-sleeved waistcoat.

The room was left in silence, touched by the eerie light of the moon.

The only noises given were the breaths of two lovers.

It was daytime at the Hirugashi household. Natsu sat on the shelf, fast asleep with Lucy lying down on top of him. Suddenly, the familiar car engine woke them of their sleep, allowing their drowsy eyes to avert to the Hirugashi family van pulling up outside. Gathering every bit of strength lost from their slumber, Natsu and Lucy saw the van door opening, letting out someone that made the salmon-haired toy brighten with complete surprise.

"Yee-haw!" Ken Hirugashi climbed out, cheering wildly and riding a dragon horse-like cutout. "Ride 'em, dragon cowboy! Whoo!"

Natsu beamed happily, "He's back…?

Lucy remarked, "Well, what do you know? He's back early from Dragon Camp! We didn't see that coming!"

Brimming with excitement, Natsu looked down and called to the other toys, "Hey, everybody! Ken's back! He's back early from Dragon Camp!" Gajeel, Erza, Laxus, and Cana, who had been playing cards, looked up at him.

"Places, everybody! Ken's comin'!" Gajeel shouted urgently. All the toys quickly scrambled back to their places.

"Catch you on the flipside!" Lucy winked at Natsu, giving him a kiss to the cheek and jumping off the shelf, before he went stiff.

"Yeah!" Ken zoomed into his room, reenacting the events and activities in Dragon Camp by singing a cheery dragon tune. He went over the shelf, climbed up with a chair, and picked Natsu up, smiling enthusiastically.

"Hey, Natsu! Did you miss me?" Ken ran over to the other side of the room, swinging him around. "Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up! Ride 'em, cowboy!" Everything seemed to be joyous, until the boy saw Natsu's right arm still torn. Eventually, his smile faded. "Oh… I forgot. You're broken." His tone was robotic, with no sadness or anger or any emotion whatsoever fueling his voice. "I don't wanna play with you anymore."

Ken stretched his arm out, letting Natsu go. As if time slowed down around him, the pull-string Dragon Slayer doll fell right through the cards scattered on the floor and into the infinite blackness, until he landed in a circular pit shone down by a single white light. Natsu came alive, finding himself among a pile of broken, discarded parts from different toys. He gasped in horror, realizing that Ken threw him into a garbage bin, where all the trash goes. Ken's love and affection for Natsu was gone, replaced with grief and contempt. This was a one-way ticket to the landfill— a fate worse than toy hell!

"AUUGGGHH! NO!" Natsu shrieked, and he tried to climb up. He attempted to scream, to beg his owner not to discard him, "NO, KEN! NO, NO, KEN, NOOOOOO!"

Behind him, the discarded plastic arms melded together into a single creature and grabbed Natsu by the throat, pulling him down into the abyss. "Ken… Ken… Ken…" He struggled to break free, but the combined strength of the arms proved overwhelming.

Ken looked down at his former favorite toy, his face devoid of emotion.

Bye, Natsu…

"NOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOO! KEEEEEEENNNNNN!"

The last thing Natsu saw was Ken putting the lid over the garbage bin.

The last thing he heard was the clang of metal.

Then darkness.

With a terrified scream, Natsu's eyes shot open, his breaths coming in pants. Recovering his senses, he looked around and realized that he was still on the top shelf. "Phew! It was all a dream… More like a nightmare!" he breathed in and out. After taking time to calm down, Natsu noticed that Lucy was gone. "Hey, where's Lucy?" Looking down, he saw a letter in the form of a small piece of paper. "What's this?" Opening the letter, he read it aloud, "Dear Natsu, sorry I woke up earlier and left, but I have to attend Levy's seminar. After all, she's my best friend, my favorite Speak & Spell girl. And don't sweat about the arm; it'll be fixed soon. You have to trust me. Love, Lucy."

"Well, at least she's fine. And so am I. For now," Natsu confirmed. He then saw his torn arm wrapped around his neck. He growled exasperatedly, "Arrrghh, stupid arm! That's the reason why I had that scary dream!" He grabbed the useless limb, throwing if off and allowing it to impact a book that spread dust all over him. Natsu coughed some of the dust caught in his throat, "Seriously, this shelf needs a cleanup."

The pull-string Dragon Slayer paused, his ears catching the noise of a second coughing. Curious, he moved a book slightly, peeking into a small space where another toy was coughing. It was a young girl squeaker toy with long, wavy yellow hair that reached down to her feet with a single lock pointing upwards, large green eyes, peachy skin, and a slight child-like build. She wore a frilly white layered dress with three diamond patterns and a red ribbon tied in a bow around her neck, wing-like adornments around her ears, and a small hoop earring. She also seemed to prefer going barefooted. The toy Natsu encountered was someone he recognized. Someone he knew very well…

"Mavis Vermillion? Is that you?"

Mavis tried to smile, but she looked absolutely miserable. "Hi, Natsu. It's been a long time."

"Yeah!" Natsu smiled widely, moving the book aside to allow her to come out. "You and Cana were best friends! You used to hang out with her, Wendy, and Lucy! We thought you were gone forever! But seriously, what are you doing up here? I thought Mom took you to get your squeaky fixed months ago. Ken was so upset."

Mavis shook her head, "No. She just told him that to calm him down, and then she put me on the shelf. Oh, how tragic life must be…" She tried for a smile again, "It's alright, though."

Natsu argued, "No, it's not! You could barely fit in that tiny space! Why didn't you yell for help?"

Mavis's smile faded a little, "Well, I tried squeaking, but I'm still broken. No one could hear me." To demonstrate, she opened her mouth to try squeaking, but all that came out were a few coughs of dust. "Besides, the dust aggravates my condition." She coughed again, more violently, and Natsu caught her as she fell backwards.

Poor Mavis… Mrs. Hirugashi was not being cruel, but she was trying to appease her son; she probably didn't have the heart to tell Ken that she couldn't fix the squeaker... Could this be what would be in store for Natsu if he was never repaired?

Mavis mused, "Well, I suppose there is no point in prolonging the inevitable. We're all just one stitch away from here… to there."

Natsu looked to where the weakened squeaker toy pointed her finger. From the window, he saw Mrs. Hirugashi hammering a sign into the dirt amidst a collection of boxes and tables. The words on the sign read two words:

"Yard sale…?"

Then it sank in.

"Yard sale!"

Putting Mavis aside, Natsu scrambled over to the side of the shelf. He yelled, "YARD SALE! YARD SALE! Guys, wake up, wake up, wake up! There's a yard sale outside!" The other toys woke up and emerged from their positions, hearing the urgent message. Most of the toys took the situation with grim uncertainly. There was the extreme possibility of Mrs. Hirugashi taking some of the toys from Ken's collection and selling them for profit. It was another scenario of what would happen to toys once separated from their owners.

"Yard sale?" Gray asked from his spot on the bed.

"Yard sale?!" Lucy exclaimed, appearing alongside Levy.

Natsu called out, "Mest, emergency roll call!"

Mest popped out from the M.C. Troops' army bucket with a salute. He responded, "Sir, yes sir! Red alert! All civilians fall in position, now!" He pointed to the center of the room, where every toy in the collection had already assembled. "Single file! Let's move, move, move!"

Lucy reported, "I think that's all the toys in the box."

Gray suggested, "Let's check the names first." He walked down the line, with Laki Olietta holding the list of names. "Gajeel?"

"Here."

"Happy?"

"Here."

"Carla?"

"Here."

Wendy grimaced, "I don't like yard sales. Yard sales are the time toys like us are taken away and sold to new owners. I bet they're scary and super-evil, like Takeshi!"

Carla assured, "Don't worry, Wendy. We'll be fine as long as we stay together—"

She was cut off when footsteps were heard approaching the room.

Carla shouted, "Someone's coming!" Aware of the impending danger, everyone ran to hide, and Natsu put Mavis back in her hiding place. Soon, all the toys were lifeless again, anticipating what was bound to happen. Mrs. Hirugashi would come into Ken's room and pick a select few for the yard sale.