Chapter 50: The Great Heartful Ending
As everyone continues downward, Tintley and Turpley remember Mother Angel saying, "You see, Tintley and Turpley, when the Toon fell in Wasteland, their Heart ended up on this island. We gather all Hearts' shells and lock them up for safekeeping, so they'll regrow back to normal."
Then Papa Devi L added in the memory, "We created you by using the Paint Key and Thinner Key as your Hearts; that way, no scoundrel can get to them. But there's a third key. It needs a Heart from the most Powerful, Beloved Toon. When the time comes for the Hearts to be restored, you will choose to unlock them free."
Everyone but the Guardian Fairies and their tribes were shocked to see the Forgotten Toons' Hearts encased in a giant Orb with a pedestal, two keyholes, and a Heart-shaped hole. It's similar to the Epic Mickey concept art in the Epic Mickey Scrapped Content.
"Are those-?" Mad Doctor said.
"It can't be!" Prescott added.
"But it is," Jamface said.
"It's the Hearts of the Forgotten Toons," said Gus.
"Hey! So, you Angelic and Devilish Giants hoarded our Hearts for yourselves," Oswald pissed.
"No. Your Hearts became shells of what they used to be. So, we keep them locked up so they can replenish back to their normal selves," said Mother Angel.
"It took years and fan love for them to be revived too," Papa Devi L said.
Tintley and Turpley took out their blue HHeart key and green skeleton key and looked at the Toons.
Tintley said, "The OOrb is made out of Paint and Thinner. And these keys we hold on in our hands are two of the three keys to unlock them. The Paint and Thinner Keys were made into our Hearts once we were created."
"We are not sure what will happen if we use them to unlock it. But we wish for you for Forgotten Toons to get a chance to travel to the Toon World. You have been through so much that you deserve this chance," said Turpley.
"But what about the third key?" Ortensia asks.
"A Heart of the Most Powerful Beloved Toon, aka Mickey's Heart."
"My Heart?" Mickey asks.
"You are the most beloved toon your company," Tintley said.
"That and the Disney Icon."
"The choice is yours, Mickey. What will you choose?" Turpley said.
Then Mickey thought, "If I do it, my brother and the other Forgotten Toons will be able to regain their Hearts and cross to the Cartoon World. However, this might make mine and the Guardian Fairies' Hearts disappear, although it's unclear if that would happen. But if I don't, then our Hearts will remain, but the Forgotten Toons will lose their chance, yet new people will come to stay in Wasteland and be able to travel to their worlds. This is purely difficult to choose."
"Release them…," a child-like innocent voice in Mickey's head.
"Wait! That's not my voice."
"I've been your ally ever since you first entered Wasteland."
"My Paintbrush?"
"I'm communicating with you through your Heart since you made a contract with me after I was repaired."
As Mickey held his Paintbrush before him and continued their telepathic communication, everyone was confused as Minnie said, "Is Mickey okay?"
Mickey thought, "But why are you talking to me in a child's voice?"
The Paintbrush responds, "I was reborn into a newborn, thanks to the Paint and Thinner Crystals. Nothing will happen to yours, Tintley's, and Turpley's Hearts."
"Are you sure?"
"I have faith in you using me for good, and you believed in every instruction that helped you get this far for all. Have faith in your decisions. Believe what is right for you as well."
"All the villains I've faced created chaos among Wasteland because they all desire Hearts to leave Wasteland except for that Trio of BlotToons. And I don't want it to happen again. So be it if it costs mine and my Guardian Fairies' Hearts."
With his decision clear, Mickey walks towards the Heart Case Orb. By connecting with the Paintbrush, Mickey's Heart appeared before it. This wows everyone as he places his Heart on the Heart keyhole. Seeing what he's doing, the Guardian Fairies prepared the Paint and Thinner Keys. The keyholes glow in blue, red, and green. The Paint Key on the right keyhole, Mickey's Heart in the middle, and the Thinner Key in the left keyhole all turned into a music box version of Epic Mickey's Main Title Theme. With the keys and Mickey's Heart finished turning clockwise, and the music ends, the Orb holding the Hearts begin to crack. Everyone stands back a bit while Tintley and Turpley felt tired that they sit on top of Mickey's head.
A volcano formed above it when the ground began to shake outside the place; the Hearts emerged as the volcano erupted. The Hearts fluttered into the sky while they returned to their owners—every Forgotten Toon either joy cries, cheers, or happy shouts.
Back underground, Oswald shouted while his Heart returned to him, "Yeah!"
When Ortensia gets hers back, she says, "Hurray!"
"I am a Heartful!" Mad Doctor opera sings when he retrieves his Heart.
Gremlins Gus, Jamface, and Prescott hugged each other as they said, "We're wholehearted!"
The Pete Gang were happy that they got their Hearts back until the Bunny Children landed on them as they hopped to get their Hearts back.
"That was beautiful," Mickey said.
Then his Heart comes out of its hole to return to him. As for the Paint and Thinner Keys went out of their keyholes so they could morph into Hearts for Tintley and Turpley.
"Wow. New Hearts," said Tintley as they both gained new Hearts.
"So that's what an actual Heart feels like," Turpley continued. "Bah-bum, bah-bum, bah-bum, bah-bum. A true heartbeat at that too."
"Haha. Come on, fellas. It's time to start the new era for all Toons," Mickey said, shoulder-hugging Oswald.
Mickey then paints all over the screen to cover it in blue as the song, The Great Divide, from Secret of the Wings plays. The Paint falls off to show it spelling out, "Two Weeks Later…." The scene changes to Mickey's house, where he's asleep in his bed while the Paintbrush is on his nightstand in a single paintbrush stand. But Mickey is in his modern form. The Paintbrush starts to float to tickle Mickey's face to wake him up.
When he woke up, he smiled while singing, "Ooh-ooh."
He gets out of bed so the Paintbrush can spin around so he'll turn into his Epic Mickey form before doing his signature pose, and the Paintbrush gets on his back as he continues singing, "La-Da-Da Da-Da."
Mickey: I never knew I lost ya till I found ya. [Mickey happily walks to a portrait of Mickey and Oswald shaking hands at the Walt Statue while on Wasteland with their Toon allies and friends in the background cheered.]
And I never guessed how close you were to me. [Mickey then goes to the portrait from the Epic Mickey 2's that has the statue of Walt Disney holding hands with Mickey and Oswald.]
And now I wanna throw my arms around ya. [He comes out of his house to see the Sensational Six waiting for him before he hugs them together.]
Tell a thousand tales that will astound ya. [Passing the house are moving trucks going to a tall magical mirror gateway ridden by Toons like Star vs. the Forces of Evil, The Owl House, Amphibia, and Milo Murphy's Law.]
Everything about you tells me this was meant to be. [Mickey then goes through the door that shows a dimension with different gateways everywhere.]
Don't you see? [Mickey then goes through one to an island on Wasteland associated with The Wuzzles from 1985.]
Mickey and Oswald: I'm on your side. [At Dark Beauty Castle, Oswald is going through paperwork with Ortensia and Gus.]
Let's take this ride! [Oswald stamps each document for a TV Show or Movie Franchise for acceptance.]
And together, we're facing the world. [Oswald looks at the 96th birthday gift that Mickey gave to him and smiles.]
Doing things, nobody's done before. [Mickey soon finds himself on a four Continental island consist characters from 1980s' DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers and 1990s Darkwing Duck and Goof Troop.]
And the great divide [They all wave at him while he walks around to greet them all.]
Doesn't seem so wide anymore. [He then goes through another gateway to an island of 1980s Adventures of the Gummi Bears.]
Oswald: Na-aaaa [Oswald is looking through to a telescope tower to check on every island of discontinued, finished, or canceled Disney TV Shows and Movies from the 1930s-2020s.]
I can't recall what life was like without ya. [But when he sees Mickey on the island of Winnie the Pooh, he becomes excited and starts to run off to see his brother.]
Now, it feels as though we've never been apart. [He goes through the tower comprising gateways to all the islands and places in Wasteland.]
Tell me every tiny thing about ya. [He goes through one but finds himself on the three Continental Islands of Gravity Falls, Amphibia, and Owl House.]
Anything you say, I'll never doubt ya. [He then sees Mickey rubbing the belly of King Clawthorn with Luz Noceda, Anne Boonchuy, and Mabel Pines, watching and taking pictures with their phones.]
We're meant to be together. [Mickey's ears twitch, and he spots Oswald waving at him.]
I can feel it in my heart. [Mickey ran over to him so they could share a hug.]
It's just the start. [He then takes Oswald by the hand to pull him into a gateway to the Cartoon World.]
Mickey and Oswald: I'm on your side. [The world's beauty mesmerized him once Oswald stepped in.]
Let's take this ride! [The two half-Disney Brothers walk together hand and hand as they pass new or continued TV Shows and Movies characters like Moon Girl and the Devil Dinosaur, Monsters at Work, and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.]
And together, we're facing the world. [Pluto appeared to pounce on the Brothers to lick their faces.]
Doing things, nobody's done before. (Gus: Nobody's done before) [Minnie, Ortensia, Gus, and the Bunny Children waved for them from a park. The Pete Gang is watching the Bunny Children with sour faces.]
And the great divide [The Bunny Children starts to play on a playground as the Pete Gang falls asleep.]
Doesn't seem so wide...[The five sit on the bench together to enjoy ice cream and watch the Bunny Children.]
Tintley: And if you'll be there beside me when I falter (Minnie: Be there beside me when I falter) [Meanwhile, at the Heart of Wasteland, the Guardian Fairies are watching everyone in Wasteland through a globe map of Cartoon Wasteland.]
Turpley: Then whatever comes, I know we'll take it all in stride. (Ortensia: We'll take it all in stride) [They turn to their caretakers and tribes as they use their magic of Paint and Thinner to grow every location of Wasteland and provide more supplies for the Toons.]
Tintley and Turpley: I'm on-(With Oswald and Ortensia: Your)-(With Mickey and Minnie: side!) [But when a gateway shows up, Mickey, Oswald, Ortensia, and Minnie poke their heads out of it.]
The Sensational Six, Oswald, Ortensia, Gus, Tintley, Turpley, and the three Animatronics: The great divide [They pulled them in so they can be at Dark Beauty Castle.]
It doesn't seem so wide. [They find themselves on a stage balcony with crowds of Toons cheering them on.]
Everybody: I'm on your side (Jamface: On your side!) [As everyone sings, Gremlins played on instruments.]
Let's take this ride! (Prescott: Take this ride!) [Prescott pulls out a tv camera to get everyone on stage on TVs in Wasteland and the Cartoon World.]
And together, we're facing the world. [The three Giants blow onto windmills to keep the power going for the performance.]
Doing things, nobody's done before. (Mad Doctor: Nobody's done before!) [The Mad Doctor slides on the stage to sing until he is accidentally booty-bumped off it by Mickey and Oswald while they dance.]
And the great divide (Mickey and Oswald: And the great divide!) [The Brothers come together while holding each other by the shoulders with his friends in the background.]
Doesn't seem so wide anymore... [By colliding their Paint and electricity, they let out a rainbow that launched into the sky and unleashed fireworks.]
Everyone cheered and continued to have fun as Yen Sid was seen watching from his workshop. Okay, Yen Sid, take it from here.
As you can see from the festivities, the Toons of Forgotten and Remembered came together and made everything brighter for the best of all. Through the friendships that were formed, reviving what was lost, and giving chances to all, there was nothing that the Toons of Disney couldn't take. It was clear from this day; it was the happiest ending.
But his scene was pushed aside by Mickey and Oswald with a white background behind them…Hey, wait a minute! What are you two doing?
"Hey, everybody! Did you think that was the end of this Epic Mickey adventure?" Mickey smiled.
What are you talking about, Mickey?
"Come on, M.A. Don't tell me you forgot to announce it," Oswald said with his hands on his hips.
Uh? Oh, that! If you readers want to know what they are talking about, check the next chapter…
Mickey and Oswald then use their Paint and Electricity to make themselves disappear and make a projector countdown from 10-1 to begin.