It was the break of dawn, and the Hirugashi family van pulled up to the house, its efforts after a long journey having paid off. Ken climbed out of the vehicle, running down the sidewalk and going inside as excited as ever. Dragon Camp had been fun and he made some good friends, even reuniting with some old ones, but he missed Natsu and the rest of his toy friends more than he thought.

"Yee-haw!" Ken cheered, and he scurried up the stairs for his room, singing a tune reminiscent of the fun activities he had in Dragon Camp as he entered. He climbed up with a chair and looked up at the shelf, hoping to catch a glimpse of his favorite toy. "Hey, Natsu!" But to his surprise, the aforementioned toy was not here. "Natsu?"

When the boy turned around, he saw an unexpected reception awaiting him: a wide ensemble of Ken's toy collection stood on his bed, holding up a doodle pad sketched by Reedus Jonah with "Welcome Home Ken" written on it. The picture was held up by Gray Fullbuster, Wendy Marvell and Happy positioned on the left side, and Gajeel Redfox, Levy McGarden, and Erza Scarlet on the right. At the center was Natsu Dragneel, arched on Kemo-Kemo's back, with Lucy Heartfilia and Juvia Lockser lying against the black-furred critter and Romeo Conbolt on the opposite side. Standing alongside Gray were Lyon Vastia, Sherry Blendy, Sherria Blendy, Yuka Suzuki, and Toby Horhorta. It was almost as if the toys were greeting Ken, like they were welcoming him back home from Dragon Camp.

"Wow, new toys!" Ken exclaimed happily at the new arrivals. "The whole Lamia Scale gang's here! Lyon, Sherry, Sherria, Yuka, and Toby! And…" His eyes shifted to the Roundup Gang toys, "Kemo-Kemo, Juvia, and Romeo! Natsu's Roundup Gang! They were the best fantasy heroes in the biz! Cool! Thanks, mom!" Bursting with glee, he picked up Natsu, Juvia, and Kemo-Kemo. "It's Bazooka Jane and her jet-propelled black panda!" He started playing with his toys, new and old, not feeling an ounce of shame. "Natsu, Lucy, Gray! That polecat Silver has stolen my space cows!"

Of course, the boy was unaware that a luggage carrier was parked outside the house, a vehicle Natsu and his friends stole to return all the way home. Not that it mattered, anyway. Ken Hirugashi was reunited with his toys, his best friends in the world.

The next morning, as the Hirugashis' neighbors tried to figure out how the luggage carrier had gotten in front of their house, Ken sat at his desk, admiring the work he had done on Natsu's right arm. It was fixed again, only this time reinforced with extra stuffing to prevent any more damage.

"Ken, come on, hon. Time to go," Mrs. Hirugashi poked her head in the door. She then beamed upon seeing her son's toy, much improved than it was before. "Hey, you fixed Natsu!"

"Yep!" Ken smiled proudly, and he stood up to follow his mother out. "My lessons in stitching class finally paid off. It's a good thing I decided not to take him to camp; his whole arm might've come off."

The two left, and once Mrs. Hirugashi closed the door behind her, Natsu sat up. It was great to be back home, and back with his kid. He just wished he could see the look on Brain's face if he knew how wrong he'd been. But most of all, the work Ken did with his right arm proved that his owner still cared. Natsu grinned in satisfaction, "Well, what do you know?"

"WHOO-HOO!" an excited scream emanated from the bedspread. Juvia back-flipped herself up, and performed a happy little dance with Kemo-Kemo watching her. "Oh, Kemo-Kemo! We're part of a family again!" She held up her foot to show Ken's signature in the form of permanent in on the bottom of her shoe, and Kemo-Kemo followed by bending himself over and revealing his stuffed underside marked with the same ink.

"Lookin' good, Kemo-Kemo!" Romeo gave an approving smile to the black-furred critter from the desk, while looking at his own foot also marked with Ken's signature. "Isn't it great to have an owner?"

Natsu chuckled, "It sure is! It's like I told you before, Ken's definitely gonna love you. And he just did!"

Gray watched Juvia, tugging on the collar of his waistcoat nervously. Ever since they came home last night, the Space Hero action figure discovered that he had a little crush on her. She was pretty, witty, adventurous, and feisty— everything he liked in a girl. In the original Lamia Scale series, Gray had a fair share of love interests, but Juvia… she was something else. She was all love interests combined. He walked over to the Rain Woman doll, his cheeks blushing red.

"Um, Juvia? Miss?" Gray cleared his throat. "I just wanna say you're a bright girl with a beautiful ocean full of hair." His eyes widened, "I mean, a hair full of ocean!" The invisible sweat flowed from his forehead, "So, um… Last night was real fun, huh? I mean, after that fiasco in the airport. If you wanna do something, you and me, together, I…" He spluttered out before he could stop himself, and shook his head, "Boy, is it hot in here or what? I gotta go."

Before he could leave, Juvia grabbed Gray's arm, yanking him into an embrace with a seductive grin. "Well, aren't you the sweetest space toy I ever met?" A small, nervous smile crept Gray's lips. Just then, the sound of barking filled the air. They turned to see Kagutsuchi clawing his paws against the door, looking anxious.

"Yeah?" Toby tended to the situation, translating the barking. "What's the matter, Bark-Bark?" The dog barked again, and Toby turned to his fellow toys, "Guys, this fella says he needs to go out back for a little private time."

Yuka added, "This could get awkward if he does his private time in front of us."

Toby smiled, "I don't mind!"

Yuka protested, "What?! We can't let a dog pee in our room! It's disgusting!"

Toby shrugged, "What's wrong about a dog peeing? It sounds good to me!"

Yuka shook his head in annoyance, "For dogs and dog toys alike, anything dogs do sounds good."

Juvia gasped, "That poor animal needs help!" Narrowing her eyes at the door, she ran over to the desk, flipping up a Hot Wheels car, using it as a skateboard, and riding down a loop-de-loop around the plastic track, much like Gray had done a year ago when he first became one of Ken's toys. Juvia did a somersault before jumping off the car and flying towards the door, grabbing the doorknob and turning it. The door opened, and Kagutsuchi ran out to do some… doggy business.

Gray's mouth fell open. His Ice Wings automatically popped from his back, but he didn't bother to close them. Yep, that did it. He's in love. Happy and Carla watched the scene from the nightstand, clearly impressed.

Happy smiled slyly, "He loves her."

Carla giggled, "Love is in the air in Ken's room, isn't it?"

Happy replied, "Well, Natsu has Lucy, I have you, Gajeel has Levy, and it turns out, Gray's actually falling heels for Juvia!"

Carla agreed, "I have to admit, those two are perfect for each other. A fantasy toy and a space toy as a couple? It's perfectly mismatched, but perfectly accurate."

Unfortunately for Gray, he wasn't the only Space Hero action figure. Lyon stood next to him, completely enamored for Juvia as well, for the way she acted, the way she looked, and the way she talked.

Lyon said breathlessly, "She's so pretty."

"HEY!" Gray snapped, turning to Lyon. "I SAW HER FIRST!"

"NO, I SAW HER FIRST!" Lyon roared back.

"WHY, YOU…" And thus, the two engaged in a brawl that escalated across the bedspread, fighting for the heart of Juvia.

Happy and Carla sighed in unison, "Love triangle."

Meanwhile, Romeo was playing the Lamia Scale: Attack on Tartaros video game on the PlayStation 4. This may be the first time he had ever played a video game since he became one of Ken's toys, but after a few hours of rummaging through the instruction manuals, the Young Prospector got the hang of it. As of this moment, he reached the final boss of the game, and he was having a hard time beating it. Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria came over and took notice.

Romeo asked, "Hey, Wendy! I hear you're a natural in this game. Could you give me a hand?"

Wendy answered, "No thanks, I'm good. I think I'm gonna play Final Fantasy XIII instead."

Sherria added, "Besides, we managed to defeat the final boss in real life. There's no reason to play Attack on Tartaros anymore; we lived it!"

Sherry offered, "Would you like to ask me for help instead?"

Sherria questioned, "Cousin Sherry, have you ever played a video game?"

Sherry replied, "No, but during our time at the display stand, I saw the kids playing in the arcade. I memorized every button, every instruction, and every strategy. So technically, that means I'm a veteran. A first-time veteran, that is."

Romeo remarked, "Cool! You have a life outside glass?"

Sherry answered, "Yes. Unfortunately, while the others were asleep, Sherria was having the most fun."

Sherria explained, "Whenever the store's closed at night, I snuck into the arcade. With help from a few friends of mine, we switched on the lights and turned on the games, and I played some of them. Last time, I played Tekken 5 and beat the shortest time in Time Attack Mode!"

Romeo and Wendy exclaimed in unison, "THE SHORTEST TIME?!"

Sherria nodded, "Yeah, the shortest time. Not to mention, the highest score in Super Street Fighter IV. Most kids are experienced players. Some toys like me are. Is that a problem?"

Wendy marveled, "Wow! Even I never managed to beat the highest score in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3!"

Romeo smiled, "It's like you're a super-cool champion of gaming!"

Sherria giggled blushingly, "Oh, guys. You're too much!"

Romeo's eyes widened at the screen, "What the…?! No! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" He was so focused on the conversation that he forgot to notice that he failed to beat the game. He pouted, "Aw, nuts!" He banged a fist against the remote in frustration, switching from the game back to TV mode. And who should greet them but Gouma Konishi, who was obviously trying hard to keep his emotions in check in his latest commercial?

"Welcome to Konishi's Toy Dojo…" Konishi's eyes shined with water, unable to keep the dam from breaking. "We've got the lowest prices in town. Anything for one… ze… ze… ze… NNNNNNYYYYYYYYYY!" As he finished his sentence, Konishi lost control and turned away from the camera, sobbing like a baby. The hapless toy collector had discovered that all the characters in the Natsu's Roundup collection were lost on the trip to New York. As a result, the deal with Vincent Diamanté was cut off, and Konishi's dream of becoming the richest man in Japan crumbled into pieces.

Sherry laughed amusingly, "Well, I guess crime doesn't pay."

Sherria affirmed, "Konishi got what's coming to him the moment he realized his collection was incomplete."

Wendy smiled, "And now we're back together again, with new friends joining us."

Sherry grinned, "We've very glad to be a part of your family."

Sherria added, "Seriously, we all are."

Romeo chuckled, "And me too. Isn't that great? A whole new life, a whole new world, cool new friends, nice video games to play…" He rubbed his head awkwardly, "Though it's kinda hard to beat 'em all."

Sherria stated, "It makes the game more fun. Games are supposed to be hard, like every other game in the known universe. If the game's easy all the way through, it'd be criticized for being too easy."

Wendy giggled, "Not as long as you know the basics." She knelt down to Romeo's level, "I'd love to show you the easy steps. Would you care to have me as a second player?"

Romeo beamed, "Sounds great! Let's play!"

Wendy replied, "Yeah!"

With that, the Sky Priestess and Young Prospector sat together and switched the TV back to game mode, and using an extra controller, they began playing. The Blendy cousins witnessed the blossoming friendship with a smile.

Sherry admired, "Friendship is magic."

Sherria added, "The best kind of magic."

The two added passionately, "Growing into love!"

Lucy came over, her eyes shifting on the enforced stitching of Natsu's right arm. The salmon-haired toy flexed it and commented, "Ken did a great job on my arm, huh? Nice and strong!"

Lucy smirked, touching the stuffed muscle, "I'll say. It makes you look tough. Celestial Treasure Hunter Lesson #112: Gaining strength means gaining confidence in yourself."

Natsu grinned comfortingly, "Now I don't have to worry about being a one-armed Dragon Slayer doll anymore."

Meanwhile, Gajeel and Levy were reenacting the events of what transpired the past few days to a crowd of toys. They smiled at the ensemble clamoring for more, and began telling them what happened next. Levy narrated, "…so there we were, the car door opening all by itself, when suddenly Gajeel saved my life and brought me back inside! I thought I was a goner!"

Gajeel shrugged, "As long as she's safe and out of harm's way, I won't argue."

Mirajane admired, "That's a very entertaining story, Gajeel."

Elfman crossed his arms, "That manly time in the toy store softened you, huh?"

Gajeel blushed red at this, "Um… I…"

Lisanna teased, "Just admit it! You're falling for her!"

Mirajane smiled, "You don't have to be shy about it."

Elfman shouted, "You're falling in love with a real woman!"

Kinana remarked, "You'd make an amazing couple!"

Kinana cooed, "Black Steel Gajeel's becoming a softie!"

Reedus agreed, "Oui!"

Cana snickered, "Well, ain't that a kick in the head?"

Laxus smirked, "Natsu and Lucy aren't the only couple in this room."

Alzack grinned, "I'm glad to see that iron-platted hardhead change his attitude for once."

Bisca chuckled, "Good job hangin' out with Levy, Gaj."

Gajeel protested, "No, wait! You don't understand! I… I…" He couldn't bear to say anything else when the redness in his face kept on glowing, even more so when the toys gave a few more teasing and enthusiastic comments on his growing relationship with Levy. The light blue-haired Amiibo could barely contain a giggle. Gajeel began to laugh nervously, "Hey, would ya look at the time? It's my daily workout session! Gotta go!" He then sped away from the audience, attempting to get away and put an end to his love sickness.

"Oh no, you don't! Come here! You promised me something that rhymes with 'late!'" Levy laughed, and she began chasing her love interest across the room. It's probably a while before the Iron Dragon Slayer action figure could live this down.

At that moment, Mavis Vermillion walked over, skipping happily, her squeaker letting out high-pitched squeezes with each step taken. Last time, her squeaker was incapable of function and she was placed on the shelf a few months ago, but by the excitable look on her face, this indicated that she felt a whole lot better. The squeaks were perfectly normal. And she showed no signs of coughing.

Natsu and Lucy jerked their heads to see the Fairy Tactician doll waving at them from below the desk. Natsu exclaimed, "Mavis! You're fixed!"

"Yes," Mavis nodded. "Wakaba Mine looked in the toy box and was kind enough to give me an extra squeaker. I'm better than ever!"

Lucy smiled, "That's great, Mavis! Your condition is gone!"

Natsu asked, "So, how does it feel to have a new squeaker instead of an old one?"

Mavis replied, "It feels great. In fact…" She brimmed with joy, "I think I feel a song coming on!" With a motion of her hand, jazz music was heard in the background. She gestured to Warren Rocko, who tossed the toy tape recorder microphone to her, and she began to sing in a suave voice.

Mavis: You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me

The entirety of Ken's toy collection congregated as an audience to watch the performance.

You just remember what your old pal said
Babe, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you got a friend in me

While the song continued, Natsu heard Kagutsuchi barking outside, compelling him to look out the window. He saw Ken and Maka piling into their mother's car; Mrs. Hirugashi shook her head happily as she looked at her baby daughter walking towards the car without any support.

"Oh, you are sure a big girl!" Mrs. Hirugashi approved. She turned to Ken, "Ken, you think she's ready to drive the car yet?"

"Yeah, and I can teach her," Ken replied.

Natsu couldn't help but smile. It was amazing to discover that Maka had grown up, and so had Ken. Someday, the boy would grow into a man and may not play with his toys anymore, but what were the odds? Lucy walked next to her boyfriend, noticing the look on his face.

"You still worried?" she asked.

"About Ken?" Natsu asked. He then shrugged, "Nah. It'll be fun while it lasts."

"That's the ticket," Lucy smiled proudly. "You're doing the right thing, Natsu."

"You know what?" Natsu replied. "I've been thinking about what you said to me. 'Real life can knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to stand back up.' Now I finally understand what you meant. It's a choice to decide whether you be with the ones you love or do what you want at the expense of what you love. When all is said and done…" He caressed Lucy's cheek, "…it's you guys. Ken isn't the only thing important in my life. It's all my friends in the toy box."

"I'm glad I finally got through to you," Lucy reciprocated by touching Natsu's cheek. "We haven't given up on you, and we never will."

Natsu wrapped Lucy's torso around his arms, "Besides, when it all ends, I'll have you, Gray, and all my Fairy Tail friends to keep me company…" He paused to let it sink in, "…for infinity and beyond."

Lucy whispered softly, "You haven't given up on us, have you?"

Natsu grinned seductively, "Never." He pulled Lucy for a kiss, and she embraced the feel of his lips on hers. The pull-string Dragon Slayer doll leaned forward, making Lucy bend in a romantic position. Ken was destined to grow up in the near future, but Natsu had a good feeling that no matter what happened, he would still be comforted as long as he had his friends… and the Celestial Treasure Hunter doll he fell in love with so long ago.

The song was reaching its conclusion, with Mavis performing on a stage composed of building blocks, lights flickering across the room, and Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria acting as the Fairy Tactician doll's backup singers.

Mavis, Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria: You're gonna see it's our destiny!

Mavis: You've got a friend in me

Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria: Yes, you do

Mavis: You've got a friend in me

Wendy, Sherry, and Sherria: That's the truth

Everyone: You've got a friend in me!

At the end, the screen shrank to an iris focusing on Mavis, who winked at the audience before it could close.

Mavis: Yeah!

THE END