The Lost Princess Chapter 67
Warnings: still don’t know
Rating: SFW
You and the others arrived in what looked like a bedroom and all of the objects looked huge.
“What in the world?” Sora asked as he passed an equally oversized xylophone and soccer ball.
“Where are we?” you asked. Vanitas looked up to the larger-than-life bedside table and realized...
“Oh my gosh! Have we been shrunk?! And...and look at us!” he said. You all looked at yourselves, a similar figure though with considerably more plastic.
“You know what the magic is for. We have to protect the world order!” Donald said.
“Border?” Rumi asked.
“‘Order’!”
“No one can understand you, chicken,” Roxy said.
“I’m not a chicken!” Something to the left caught Goofy's eye.
“Gawrsh...” he said. You and the others looked over. “Who's gonna protect the order from them?”
“Heartless!” you and the others said. You all summoned your weapons and ran at the Heartless.
“Okay. We go on three. One, two...” Woody said. Buzz's wings opened suddenly when he saw you and the others arrive.
“Wait!” he said. Rex, already at a running start, almost fell off the bed.
“What are you doing?!” Woody asked. Buzz directed Woody's gaze back to the floor.
“Who are those guys?” Woody asked. You and the others took out all the Heartless as the toy gang made their way to the wooden floor.
“Are they new?” Hamm asked.
“Wait! Ah-- Ah-- You look familiar!” Rex said. He shoved past the rest of them toward a confused Sora. “I know this. You're, uh, you're, uhhh...”
“Yozora!” Hamm said.
“Huh? My name's Sora.” A red dot appeared on Sora's chest as Buzz stood on alert.
“Stay back! For all we know, the intruders sent them,” Buzz said. Rex excitedly tackled Sora.
“Yozora!” he said.
“Slow down there, Rex. We don't know them,” Woody said.
“But we can trust them. They're the number-one-selling heroes in the country!”
“Yeah, Andy's mom must've bought 'em for him,” Hamm said. Rex shook Sora's hand as Buzz continued staying his distance, walking around you all in a circle.
“Hamm's right. Did you see how easily they took care of the intruders? I bet they're here to figure out why all our friends have gone missing, and why Buzz's laser started actually laser-ing...and all the weird stuff that's been going on,” Rex said. Buzz stared at the laser gun on his arm. “I mean, that's what heroes do, right?”
“Let's not jump to conclusions,” Buzz said.
“Hmm...” Woody said.
“Gotta be smart, Woody.” Woody casually walked up to Sora, surprising Buzz.
“So, you're...Andy's new toys?” he asked.
“Toys?” you and the others asked.
“You sure did a number on those intruders.”
“Those are the Heartless,” Goofy said.
“The bad guys!” Donald said.
“There’s also these creatures called Negaverses. Super dangerous,” Rumi said as she played with one of the bunny ears on her hood.
“We've been fighting against those ‘intruders’ for a while,” you said.
“I knew it!” Rex said. Hamm chuckled.
“Hmm... Okay,” Woody said.
“Huh?” Buzz asked.
“In that case, you're all right by me. My name's Woody. Put 'er there.” He offered a hand and Sora shook it.
“Hey,” Sora said.
“Now hold on,” Buzz said.
“I'm Sora--”
“Yozora!” Rex said over excitedly. He got forlorn looks from everyone and joined the rest of Andy's toys.
“Actually, my name's Sora...”
“I’m (Y/N) and that’s my brother Vanitas over there.”
“‘Sup?” Vanitas said.
“I’m Yui and this is my twin sister Roxy.”
“I’m Rumi.”
“And I'm Donald.”
“I'm Goofy.”
“And I'm...Buzz Lightyear.”
“Call me Hamm. It's a real honor.”
“And I'm Rex! I'm your biggest fan. In fact, I've been playing your game for months now. And I've already gotten you all the way up to LV 47. But that Bahamut boss is really tough. Slinky and I can't figure out how to beat him.” The Green Army Men walked up to you and the group. “Oh, I wish Slinky and the others were here. They'd be so happy to meet you!”
“All troops at attention, sir!” Sarge said. The Army Men saluted and you and the others returned it. A rolling sound caught your attention and your heard a squeak as the three Little Green Men coasted toward you on Andy's skateboard.
“Weeee!” they said. You and the others leaped out of the way. After leaving the skateboard, the toy aliens waddled over to Donald, their eyes blinking individually.
“Strangers,” one of them said.
“From the outside,” another said.
“Welcome,” another said. Rumi squealed and tried to hold one in her arms.
“They're all toys? So that's why we look the way we do,” Vanitas said. He saw Buzz walking towards him and Sora as the aliens go on their way.
“Excuse me. You said that you've battled those intruders before. Tell us where and why,” Buzz said.
“Oh... Well, uh...we are--” Sora said.
“Order!” Donald said to him. Sora covered his mouth, making Vanitas snort and roll his eyes.
“Well? You must have come from somewhere,” Buzz said. Hamm agreed while Woody walked over.
“Take it easy, Buzz. What matters is that they got those intruders out of our way--for at least a little while. No need to interrogate them,” Woody said.
“Yeah, Buzz!” Rex said.
“Woody's right,” Hamm said.
“Noted. But still...” Buzz said.
“Oi. Have those ‘intruders’--the Heartless--been a problem around here?” Roxy said.
“No, they just showed up a little while ago,” Woody said.
“In fact, those ‘Heartless’ materialized...right after our friends up and vanished,” Buzz said.
“You don't think...” Donald said to Goofy.
“Well, gee. It can't just be a coincidence,” Goofy replied. Sora nodded and Woody gazed up at the window over Andy's desk.
“It wasn't always this lonely. One day we woke up, and we were the only toys left here. Nobody's heard from Mom, Molly, or Andy...” Woody said. He sat on a wooden block and stared at the underside of his shoe where the name "ANDY" was written in faded ink. “We keep waiting for Andy to come home.”
“You really care about him,” Yui said. Woody nodded and stood back up, rejoining you and the group.
“Yeah... He's the best friend that toys like us could ever hope to have,” he said. He placed a hand on Buzz's shoulder and the toys smiled.
“All right. We'd better start looking!” you said.
“Huh?” Woody asked.
“Have you gotten any clues we can go on--any other strange things that happened?” Sora asked.
“Well... Hmm. There's one thing.”
“One big thing,” Hamm said.
“Huge, sir,” Sarge said.
“What thing?” Rex said.
“After everyone went MIA, the intruders didn't come alone. They arrived with a guy wearing a hood, dressed in black, just like you. As a matter of fact, he's the only other toy we've seen, outside of you guys,” Buzz said.
“A black hood?” Vanitas gasped. “But that would mean...”
“The Organization!” you and the others said.
“You know who it is?” Woody asked.
“Yeah. They're bad news,” Roxy said.
“Seems like you have a lot of enemies,” Buzz said.
“We may have a hunch what's causing all the weirdness. Would you mind if we handle this?” Sora said.
“I'm sorry. But we're not gonna leave this to you,” Woody said.
“Huh?” you and the others asked.
“If that guy had something to do with our friends vanishing, then he's our problem too. We've got to work together.” He extended a hand once more to Sora, who reciprocated.
“Right!” Sora said. You and the others shared a delighted response.
“So then, where can we find that guy?” you asked. Woody knelt toward the Army Men.
“Sarge, any word from the recon team?” he asked.
“The latest reports place him in town, sir. At Galaxy Toys!” Sarge said. He pointed to the Galaxy Toys flyer on Andy's bulletin board.
“Then Galaxy Toys is where we're going. Sora, (Y/N). Follow me,” Woody said. He looked up to the window and you and the others followed his gaze. “It's out the window and down the roof.”
“Not so fast, cowboy,” Buzz said.
“Hm?”
“You seem pretty gung ho about going, but shouldn't we stay here and wait for Andy?”
“Well... You've got a point, but...we've tried waiting. Look, if we go with Sora, we might find a clue. Are you with me, Buzz?” Buzz smiled.
“Of course. Okay, let's move out!” he said. You all exited through the window and down the roof of the garage to the driveway, engaging in spars with the Heartless that blocked your way. You all reached Galaxy Toys, home of Vic the Visitor, their alien mascot, displayed by the gigantic flying saucer that stood atop the building. You all crossed the threshold and entered the enormous toy store, Rex running in ahead.
“We're here!” he said. You all followed in awe of the spacious place. Large displays of Gigas were scattered on different shelves along with game boxes of all kinds. In the center of the first floor was an oversized gumball machine labeled "Space Capsule" with metal tracks leading in spirals to the upper floors. Roxy noticed the giant red Gigas.
“Oi, why doesn't THAT toy move?” she asked.
“I guess it hasn't figured it out,” Woody said.
“Figured what out?” Sora asked.
“I can make it move for you,” someone said. You and the others looked above the Space Capsule, where a black hooded figure entered through a dark portal, uncovering his hood and revealing himself to be Young Xehanort.
“You!” you and Vanitas growled.
“You're from the dream--the first of the Xehanorts!” Sora said.
“I'm so honored you remember me,” Y!Xehanort said. He snapped his fingers and three Heartless appeared along with three Negaverses. One Heartless jumped into the helmet of the red Gigas and assumed control of it. Its claw arm started to move with clicking sounds and it leaped toward you and Sora. Woody raised his hat to see better.
“Oh no! He CAN move!” he said.
“Way cool!” Hamm said. The arm spun backwards into a fist with Hamm giving off a startled shriek.
“Look out!” Vanitas said. As the Gigas attempted a punch, you and your team held him off while Woody knocked Hamm out of the way.
“One heart's shadows fill the emptiness of another. See how they bring him to life? Like Heartless and Nobodies, they fit together,” Y!Xehanort said.
“Enough! Why the hell are you doing this?!” you said.
“There's a darkness we are missing and must reclaim. The way hearts connect in this world can provide us with a clue. So we made a copy of the world, and then pulled those hearts apart. I wonder how you'll handle the strain.” Hamm ran off to hide behind a potted plant with Rex. Young Xehanort summoned the portal again and began to enter.
“Wait! What the hell does that mean?” Vanitas said.
“Don't let me down.” Young Xehanort left and the Gigas knocked you and your team away. Woody caught you all.
“Oh no!” Rex said.
“Woody! What is going on? Is this toy a friend...or foe?” Buzz said. The Gigas stood, aiming its arm cannon at them.
“I think we've got our answer,” Woody said. The cannon fires burst, causing you all to flee in opposite directions, hiding behind shelving units.
“Oi, (Y/N)! You wanna take this?” Roxy said.
“Yeah! If the Heartless know how to do it, there's no reason you can't,” Sora said.
“I’ll give it a try!” you said. You ran toward the Gigas, taking a spinning leap and landing inside. You grabbed onto the two control sticks inside and closed the helmet, leaping down to the floor to face off against the Heartless-controlled Gigas while also having Odile close by. Using the toy mech's various blasters, punches, Odile’s power, and explosions, you defeated the main Gigas troops while the others took down the small Heartless and Negaverses legions on the floor. The red Gigas slowed to a stop and the helmet opened as a Heartless disappeared, the Heart being released from inside it. You leaped out of the blue Gigas.
“He was being controlled? He wasn't just switched into battle mode by accident?” Buzz asked.
“Buzz?” Sora asked. Buzz turned away
“It’s nothing,” he sighed.
“I'm confused. That guy in the black coat--did he say he made a copy of the real world? What's that mean?” Woody said.
“It...prob'ly means they split this world in two--your friends in one world, us in the other. Only one of the worlds is real, and the other is just really convincing,” Vanitas said.
“You can't be serious. Oh! That's right, you're from a video game. Well, maybe in your game, that's how things work...but here in reality, you can't ‘split worlds.’” Buzz said. You and your team were at lost for words.
“This is ridiculous,” Buzz said. He waved you and your team off and walked away towards Woody. “Woody, let's go.”
“I admit, it does sound just a little far-fetched,” Woody said. Donald and Goofy rejoined the group. “But...say we HAVE been taken to some kind of alternate world. That would explain why your laser's real. And is it really that crazy? Worse than ‘evil emperors’ and ‘protecting the galaxy’? Any of that ring a bell?”
“Point taken. But that just means these strangers are part of the delusion. And I say it's time we parted ways and went home,” Buzz said. Donald and the others looked crestfallen.
“Thought we were friends, not strangers,” Yui said.
“Look, I get that it seems weird, but we know something's wrong with this place. We should stick together,” you said.
“(Y/N)’s right. They helped with the intruders, so they might help find our friends,” Woody said. Buzz started walking toward the red Gigas.
“They have been there for us so far. You can't deny that. Come on. Every toy deserves a fair shake. Am I right?” Woody said.
“Tell it to that toy over there,” Buzz said as he pointed to the Gigas. Woody fell silent.
“Sheriff, sir!” Sarge said. Woody looked atop the shelf to see Sarge and another Green Army Man. “Rex has just been dino-napped!”
“What's that?!” Woody asked. Sarge turned to his fellow soldier, who saluted.
“My men saw him get hauled up to the second floor, sir! And Hamm and the Aliens are MIA,” he said.
“Come on. We have got to find them!” Woody began running and Sora followed.
“Please, let us help!” he said.
“Yeah!” you and the others said. Woody looked over his shoulder at Buzz who hadn't budged and ran back over to him.
“Well, Buzz? Do you really think we can save our friends on our own? We didn't get very far before. We gotta take all the help we can get,” he said. Buzz gave an abject sigh.
“Don't worry. Sora and (Y/N) can be reckless...” Goofy said.
“Wha?” Sora asked.
“Excuse me?” you asked.
“...and Donald grumbles a lot...”
“Huh?” Donald asked.
“It’s true,” Yui said.
“...And Roxy and Vanitas do lose their temper easily...”
“Say that again,” Roxy said.
“...And Rumi does get scared easily.”
“That was so uncalled for!” Rumi said.
“But you can trust 'em!”
“Hey! He suspects you, too!” Vanitas said.
“It's true,” Sora said.
“Huh? He does?” Donald threw his hands up and Sora chuckled.
“See, they don't seem bad. Am I right, Buzz?” Woody said.
“Okay, fine. We do need the extra help. But just so we're clear: I remain skeptical about this. I'll work with you till we find our friends,” Buzz said.
“Ohhh...kay,” you and Sora said.
“Thanks for the help, Sora, (Y/N), Vanitas, Yui, Roxy, Rumi, Donald, Goofy,” Woody said.
“My troops will return to the field, sir!” Sarge said. The Army Men saluted and walked off. You and the group walked over to the Space Capsule and Buzz ejected his wings right as Woody walked into them. He scowled at Buzz for a moment, but the feeling passed.
“This ascent is gonna be rather tricky,” Buzz said.
“Too bad we're not strapped to a rocket, huh?” Woody smiled. He leaned on Buzz's wings, but Buzz retracted them back into his suit.
“Hey! Think we could use that?” you said. You pointed upwards and you all saw the spiral tracks leading to the other floors,
“It's perfect. C'mon, guys!” Woody said. You all rode the rails up to the 2nd Floor and entered a store named Action+, where you all gazed in awe of the seemingly endless shelves of action figures. Woody saw something tail-shaped out of the corner of his eye and he turned in surprise.
“Rex!” he said. He dashed around the corner of a display, but saw no one there. “Where'd he go?”
“You sure you saw him?” Buzz asked.
“Yes, he just--”
“Shh. Do you guys hear something?” Vanitas said.
“What's that?” Rumi asked as she held her hood tightly. You and Sora saw waves of darkness though a break in the boxes on display where something was moving.
“Something feels wrong...” Buzz said. With a huge swipe of its claw, an immense dragon model toy called the Supreme Smasher knocked over the display of Smasher toys in front of you all. Donald and Rumi started running back to the exit, when the store's sliding door slammed shut. The Supreme Smasher let out a giant bellow and you all clearly saw the Heartless symbol emblazoned on its neck. You all summoned your weapons and guardians.
“Another toy's being controlled!” Sora said. Buzz shook off a worrisome look and readied his laser.
“Buzz, you sure?” you asked.
“If it wanted to play nice, then it should've stayed away from my friends,” Buzz said. You and the others managed to free the controlled toys and Sora and Vanitas dispelled their Keyblades with a sigh of relief. Suddenly, another Supreme Smasher landed behind you all and roared. You and the others heard a scream and looked over to see a dragon-shaped glider hooked to the ceiling flying in circles piloted by a shouting Rex. It spun at full speed, knocking the hook out of the tile, sending the glider and Rex flying into the Supreme Smasher just as it reached back for a claw slash at you and Sora. The dragon toy fell over as Rex flew into an Air Droid display along with an orange puppet hanging from a cloud-like gear. After landing on the floor, the gear tried to float away but Rex landed on it.
“What's this?!” he asked. The puppet turned its head to face Rex menacingly, revealing a Heartless symbol on its hat. “Oh no! What did I do?!”
He ran away from it while Sora and Vanitas struck down the Marionette Heartless with one swipe of their Keyblades. Woody sighed with relief, wiping his brow.
“Nice moves, Rex,” he said.
“That was great!” Rumi said.
“Great? Really? Would you say I was impressive?” Rex asked.
“Very impressive, Rex! We couldn't look away!” Roxy said.
“Hurray! Oh, that makes me so happy!” Rex turned to Donald. “Were you watching too? Did you see what I did?”
“Yeah, good for you,” Donald said as he and Woody tried to calm him down.
“Listen, Rex,” Woody said.
“I was going for fearsome...” Rex said.
“Would ya--”
“...but I think I might've actually achieved something close to terrifying!”
“Earth to Rex!” Rex stopped.
“Do you know where the others were taken?” Sora asked.
“What do you mean? Did something bad happen?” Rex asked.
“Back to square one,” Buzz said.
“Oh, great,” Roxy said. Woody heard a clicking sound of plastic on metal and looked up to see the sergeant climbing down the vent near the ceiling.
“Sarge! Have you got a status report?” he asked.
“Sir! One of my men just located Hamm forward of our position, in Babies in Toddlers,” Sarge saluted. You and the group smiled with the good news. “The corporal was debriefing him, but something must have gone wrong. All radio contact has been lost.”
“Anything more specific we can go on?” Vanitas asked.
“Right before I lost contact, I heard music with some sort of sonic interference.”
“Music?” Buzz asked.
“Ya think it could be the Heartless?” Goofy asked.
“Or a Negaverse?” Yui asked.
“What if it's another big monster?” Donald asked.
“Let’s find out,” you said.
“I agree,” Woody said. You and the group started walking ahead, while Rex stayed put.
“Actually...I think I'll head back and wait by the entrance. I'm sure those vents are gonna be much too narrow for my big dinosaur tail,” he said. Sora looked up at the vent.
“Really? I'm sure you'd fit,” he said.
“Rex is right. Besides, we need a lookout at the entrance. It's an important mission. Can you do it?” Buzz interjected.
“Yes, sir!” Rex made a determined fist with his little arm and Buzz saluted him. You and the rest chuckled and made your way up into the ventilation shaft. Using the vents to reach the third floor of Galaxy Toys you all exited into the Dolls section of Babies & Toddlers.
“This is Babies and Toddlers. Where do you guys think we should start?” Woody said. Goofy bent down to speak to the sergeant.
“Sarge, didn't you mention music?” he asked. Sarge hopped to face him.
“Affirmative, Goofy,” he said. You peered out through the vast toy section.
“Hmm... All right. Why don't we look for things that make noise?” you said.
“Sure!” Sora and the others said.
“That's good thinking for you,” Roxy said. She walked off, cackling.
“Wha... What do you mean, for me?” Roxy broke off into a run.
“Hey, where ya--” Roxy ran around Vanitas.
“Roxy!” you laughed. The two of you ended up in a standoff around Vanitas.
“I think they really are good guys,” Woody said. You tried to grab Roxy but she runs past you and shook her butt while sticking her tongue out.
“Hold still!” you said. Yui and your team chuckled and you ran after Roxy.
“Well, you wouldn't have trusted them otherwise,” Buzz said. Roxy tried to run around Vanitas again but you blocked her, prompting Roxy to dive through your legs. Yui and the team laughed harder.
“What?” you asked.
“Missed me!” Roxy laughed as she leaped onto her feet.
“Don't!”
“And I know that your trust is a hard-earned treasure,” Buzz said. You and Roxy continued to play cat and mouse.
“No! Stop that!” you said.
“Victory is mine!” Roxy laughed. Woody smiled softly at Buzz.
“Well...for all our sakes, let's hope you're right, cowboy. I'm willing to give 'em a chance at least for a little while longer. Especially if it means getting Andy and our friends back,” Buzz said.
“Agreed,” Woody said. You and the others searched through the store, taking out more Heartless and Negaverse-possessed toys, until you all reached a large gramophone in the corner at a display labeled Musical Toads. Sora and Vanitas hopped onto the turntable.
“Is this it?” Vanitas asked. He and Sora began to run on the record and the symphony of toads on the display lit up and began playing.
“Come on, you two...You've never used a record player?” Woody said.
“Huh?” Sora asked. He and Vanitas slowed down and the music stopped as Woody leaped up onto the record as well.
“Like this!” Woody said. He started running along the record, throwing Sora and Vanitas off-balance. The two boys returned to a run and laughed as the orchestra continued playing.
“It's working!” Rumi said. One of the instruments played a false note.
“Wait, did that sound off to you?” Yui asked.
“It did,” Donald said.
“Huh?” Sora and Vanitas asked. Distracted, Sora and Vanitas slowed down and almost crashed into Woody.
“Heeey!” Woody said. Sora and Vanitas sped back up and you called up to them.
“Sora! Vanitas! There's some kinda strange noise coming from the orchestra!” you said. Sora, Vanitas, and Woody exchanged glances.
“Got it! Woody, you keep the record going,” Sora waved. He and Vanitas jumped down from the turntable.
“Whoa-whoa-whoa!” Woody said. You and your team searched the orchestra for the instrument that's playing off-rhythm and found that it's the tuba-playing toad. Woody struggled to catch his breath as he kept the music playing while Goofy peered into the tuba.
“Hmm... Somethin' seems to be stuck in this tuba,” Goofy said.
“I'll get it out,” Vanitas said. He reached into the tuba, feeling around for the obstruction. He found it and struggled to get it unstuck.
“Almost got it...” he said. With a loud pop, he pulled out...”
“Got it!” he said. ...the corporal. Vanitas placed him gently on the table.
“Corporal!” Sarge said. The sergeant hopped down from a higher ledge and walked over to the corporal, placing a hand on his back. “You all right, son?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Corporal said.
“That's the soldier Sarge lost contact with,” Buzz said. Sarge got the soldier to his feet and put his arm around his shoulders, hoisting him up.
“So you found Hamm?” Sora asked.
“Yes. But...while I was radioing in, a giant hand grabbed me, and it stuffed me in there. They must have taken Hamm to another location. We have to hurry!” Corporal said. He tried to walk his injured self, but fell over.
“Wait, Corporal. You're not fit for action,” Sarge said as he helped him stand again.
“But Sarge...”
“Your tour is over, son. And it's all right. Our trusted allies will take over.” You and your team saluted them and the corporal started tearing up. “I will move the corporal to a safer location.”
“Good luck,” Corporal saluted. The Green Army Men walked off as the music continued to play and Woody continued to run. They reached the edge of the orchestra ledge and gave Woody a salute.
“Huh...?” Woody asked. They hopped down the ledge. “Hey, hey, hey, hey! What is...going on?!”
“Oh, right!” you said.
“Woody! Mission complete!” Buzz said. Woody leaped off the record player and the music slowed to a stop.
“Why didn't...you tell me...a little sooner?” he asked, winded. He fell to his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath.
“Sorry, there's no time to rest. Hamm needs us,” Buzz said. He hopped off the table and Woody gave an exhausted salute. You and the others soon found a dollhouse that was rattling around in a window display. You all struggled to get the side of the house open, but with everyone's help, it unlatched, and the you all landed in a pileup.
“Talk about cabin fever. Thanks for the save,” Hamm said. He walked out of the dollhouse much to your surprise.
“You okay, Hamm?” Woody asked.
“Yeah, aside from being locked in, the accommodations were fine.” He nodded over to the fully-furnished inside of the house, where Rumi and Donald stepped inside.
“Aww. What a tiny little house. Reminds me a lot of the one I used to have,” Rumi said. They walked by the window where a giant doll peered inside.
“Huh?” Donald asked. The doll brimmed with darkness and its sudden appearance caused Rumi and Donald to thrash about the house.
“Who was--” Woody asked. Hamm shrieked in terror and backed away.
“What's wrong?” Buzz asked.
“She's back! That's the doll that pig-penned me!” Hamm said. The doll's eyes glowed orange, matching the glowing Heartless symbol on her left bunny ear.
“Hamm, take cover,” Woody said.
“Uh, copy that. One stay in the dread-and-breakfast was enough for me!” Hamm said as he ran away.
“Not another possessed toy...” Buzz said.
“Guys, look alive!” Yui said. You and the others fought the possessed Angelic Amber doll along with a horde of Bouncy Pets and Patchwork Animals also under the Marionette Heartless's and Negaverses control. The doll stopped floating and its eyes return to their normal shade of blue. It slumped against the floor, lifeless.
“Wait... What if we end up just like her? Forgetting ourselves and... attacking each other?” Buzz asked.
“No way, Buzz. That won't happen,” you said.
“No way!” Donald said.
“You guys are too strong,” Goofy said.
“You can't be sure! What if I get taken over, then attack you?” Buzz said, hotly. Woody placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Buzz, you're overthinking it,” he said.
“Yeah. The Heartless--the darkness--can only creep in when our hearts falter. Trust me. You'll be fine if you don't lose heart,” Sora said.
“Well, that's good. Because I know you, Buzz. You'll never lose heart when it comes to your friends,” Woody said as he flicked his hat upwards.
“True enough, cowboy,” Buzz said as he gave a small smile. “Sorry to have worried you all.”
“No problem. Now, let's go find the others.” You all returned to the window, Buzz helping Woody up to the windowsill, and met back up with Hamm. Donald and Goofy spotted something through the glass.
“Look!” Donald said. A UFO with a crane claw sailed past the window, a trail of darkness behind it.
“A flying saucer!” Goofy said as Woody adjusted his hat.
“I think I know who that might lead us to. C'mon, guys!” Woody said. You all opened the window right as the UFO passed by and Woody waved you all through when the coast was clear.
“Hey, Woody. I'd just slow you down, with all the loose change I'm carrying. I'll hang by the entrance,” Hamm said.
“No problem. Be safe, Hamm,” Woody said as he leaped out of the window.
“Hey, thanks, buddy. You just take care of your old self.” He left and Woody rejoined you and the group.
“Now, let's follow that UFO!” he said.
“Right!” you all said. You all entered the Outdoor playplace of Babies & Toddlers where the UFO was flying through. The Aliens spotted it with glee.
“They have come for us,” the first one said.
“The mystic portal awaits,” the second one said. The UFO stopped over the three Aliens and the claw descended, sending you and the group running after them.
“Oh no!” Buzz said.
“Wait!” Rumi said.
“Stop!” Woody said. The Aliens were snatched up into the mothership.
“Farewell!” they said.
“It's getting away!” Buzz said.
“Don't go!” Rumi said. Surrounded by Toy Trooper Heartless, you and the others took down the possessed UFO. It dropped the Aliens, which Rumi caught quickly, and faltered in the air, eventually losing power and sinking to the floor.
“We are back!” the Aliens said. They escaped from Rumi’s grasp and they started to run in different directions.
“Our ship is no more,” the first one said.
“Nirvana will not be reached,” the second one said. Sora picked one up with a squeak.
“Sorry I trashed your ride,” he said.
“Fear not,” it said.
“We still have our new home,” the first one said.
“The Chamber of Andy,” the Aliens said.
“They're right,” Buzz said. Sora set the Alien down. “This isn't where we belong. We've been in this toy store long enough. It's time for us to go home to Andy's room.”
“But...dad told us that room isn't even his real room,” Vanitas said.
“Can you prove that any of that nonsense is true?” Buzz asked. You and the others sighed. “And even if that Andy's room IS fake, it doesn't mean he's not somewhere in this world with us. I'm going home to wait for him. No more debate. Are you with me Woody?”
“Hmm... You’re right, Buzz. Now that we're all accounted for, we should meet up at the entrance and go home,” Woody said.
“Okay. We could have used friends like you for the final showdown...” you said.
“But Organization XIII's our problem to solve,” Yui said. Sora nodded and Donald hopped in place.
“Yeah, I can take 'em!” Donald said.
“I'm not so sure about that...” Roxy said. Goofy chuckled.
“I'll show ya!” Roxy laughed and ran up to Woody and Buzz, you and the others following suit.
“Guys, can we see you off?” you asked.
“That would be great,” Woody said. You and the others returned to the first floor.
“Sarge, roll call,” Woody said as he pointed to the Green Army Man and walked past him.
“Sir, yes sir! Roll call! All toys, fall in!” Sarge saluted. The Army Men, Hamm, and the Aliens formed a line as Buzz walked by them.
“Sarge... Army Men times four... Hamm... Aliens 1, 2, 3...” Buzz said. The Army Men saluted and each Alien squeaked as they raised their hands. “Wait. Where's Rex?”
“Aw, he took off. Said he wanted to prove to you you could trust Sora. He's up there by the video games,” Hamm said as he pointed up to the third floor and Buzz sighed.
“Well, here we go again.”
“Huh? This is about us?” Sora asked as he gave a worried look.
“He's not safe. The Heartless and the Negaverses are out there,” you said.
“You're right. Any chance you guys could help us one last time?” Woody said.
“Sure!” You, Vanitas, and Sora said.
“Of course!” Rumi and Goofy said.
“You bet!” Roxy, Yui, and Donald said.
“Thanks guys.” You all returned to the third floor and entered the video game store where you all found Rex among the Verum Rex merchandise.
“Hurray!” he said. He hopped down and rushed over to Sora with the game in his hands.
“Look! Look! I found it!” he said. He held it almost too close to Sora's face, trying to show him the cover.
“See, Sora?” The cover showed an image of the silver-haired Yozora lazing on stone steps with his sword and crossbow.
“Well, I never look THIS good. The clothes kinda match,” Sora said. Buzz and Woody walked further into the game store around a giant poster for Verum Rex, where they could see a much larger version of the game cover.
“Whaddaya know! They ARE video game figures. See? I told ya, Buzz. They're toys, just like the rest of us,” Woody said. Buzz looked over to you and your team as something caught Rex's eye.
“Well, I suppose,” he said. You and Sora Sora leaned over to speak privately with Donald and Roxy.
“Donald, I thought your magic decided how I look. Explain,” Sora said.
“And I thought that Spirit’s don’t change their looks,” you said.
“It doesn’t apply to all of the worlds,” Roxy said.
“And that’s not you,” Donald said.
“Say, Riku would make a great action figure!” Goofy said.
“Must be him!” Rumi said.
“It kind of looks like him,” Vanitas said.
“No! It's me. I've got the black clothes and, uh...” Sora trailed off slowly.
“So what?” Yui asked.
“All right, everyone. Now that we're back together, it's time to return to Andy's room,” Buzz said. Rex was reading the back cover of a Play Plus strategy guide.
“Now?” he asked. He dropped the book and searched through the shelf, tossing books aside.
“But can't I at least check the strategy guides? I want to know how to beat Bahamut!” He said as he managed to find the Verum Rex guide.
“Next time. Right now, we need to go home,” Buzz said. He took the book and tossed it away. Rex's face turned sad and Buzz consoled him with a tap him on the snout. Rex walked away hesitantly from the book, following Buzz back to the group. A figure with a pair of boots landed on the floor nearby.
“Oh, but you needn't rush off,” Y!Xehanort said. The voice caught your attention and you all summon your weapons and guardians.
“You!” You and Vanitas said.
“I have more to observe. I can't let you leave yet.”
“It’s me that you really want. Leave my friends out of this!” you said. Y!Xehanort smirked.
“You WOULD say that, Spirit of Light,” he said. Suddenly, a pounding headache ran through you, causing you to scream in pain.
“(Y/N)!” Sora and the others yelled. You fell to the ground, whimpering in pain.
“Roxy, Vanitas, stay with (Y/N) while we deal with Xehanort!” Sora said. Roxy and Vanitas nodded while Sora turned towards Y!Xehanort.
~~~~
You looked around and saw that you were in a dark place. You tried taking a step but found that you couldn’t.
“What’s happening?” you asked. Suddenly, memories of you as a child started showing up. From the day you were found by Xehanort to the day you met Sora.
“Why is he doing this?” you asked yourself. You heard someone singing and looked over to see what looked like a woman in the Realm of Darkness.
“Who is she?” you asked.
“(Y/N)...stop Xehanort...” a voice said.
“Huh?” Before the voice could say another thing, you were brought back to your friends.
“(Y/N)! You’re okay!” Vanitas said.
“Yeah...” you said as you sat up slowly. You looked over and saw Sora still talking with Y!Xehanort.
“What did you do to him?!” he asked. You looked over and saw Buzz trying to shoot Goofy with his lazer. Sora attacked Y!Xehanort, who phased away in the blink of an eye.
“I thought I made it clear. I am testing the strength of their bonds,” Y!Xehanort said. He walked around the room, phasing in and out as Sora tried to strike him down, but only slicing air.
“In this world, toys have hearts. And those hearts come from a powerful bond,” he said. Sora looked around, seeing Y!Xehanort on a high display case above a video screen.
“So what happens when those bonds are stretched to their limit? When they are worlds apart, can cloth and plastic hold on to their hearts?” Sora leaped to the top of the display with another failed attack.
“All I needed was a wedge to widen the divide--someone like you to fill them with distrust and doubt.” Sora found him walking along the display and Y!Xehanort dodged each of Sora's blows effortlessly.
“And that chasm you created can be filled with a vast darkness.” He appeared on the floor and Sora leaped down at him, striking nothing.
“Witness it for yourself.”
“Sora!” you and the others said. You and the others were trying to hold Buzz at bay, but he continued his laser blasts unflinching as Goofy stopped them from hitting Woody.
“Do somethiiing!” Rex said.
“On my way!” Sora said. He tried to run to their aid, but Y!Xehanort snatched him up.
“Sora!” you said.
“Not this time!” Y!Xehanort said. He summoned a concentrated energy blast near Sora's waist, which then exploded, blasting him into the nearby video screen. He phased into it, sending a ripple through the screen. He landed on a metal surface of an enormous boat several miles from a nighttime city skyline.
“Sora! What did you do to him?!” you said.
“Nothing that will kill him. Or maybe that’s my intention.”
“You son of a--!” You ran over to him and attacked him with your dagger. Meanwhile, Sora landed in the video game that Y!Xehanort was standing in front of.
“Where am I?” he asked.
“Haven't you heard? In this world, you come from a video game. So now, you can watch my experiment from inside that screen. That is...if you manage to find a moment's rest,” Y!Xehanort said. He teleported out of the store as Sora came face to face with the Gigas inside Verum Rex.
“There's got to be a way out. Buzz, Woody, hang on!” Sora said. After a few minutes, Sora leaped out of the television screen to the delighted faces of his friends except you. You sat on your knees, looking at where Y!Xehanort was.
“I’m gonna kill him...” you mumbled.
“Wait...Where's Buzz?” Sora asked. You looked behind you and saw him standing there. You stood up and walked over to him.
“He disappeared into a dark corridor,” you said.
“Oh...”
“Sora, how do we get him back?” Woody asked.
“I don't know. My power won't open those.”
“Neither will ours,” Roxy said. Yui nodded in agreement.
“Vanitas, what about you?” Sora asked.
“Same situation as the twins.” Woody breathed a large sigh as the Green Army Men walked nearer.
“Sir, did I hear you say ‘dark corridor’?” Sarge asked.
“That's right, Sarge. Any ideas?” Woody said.
“Well, it might be a long shot, but we've sighted a shadowy portal in the Kid Korral. We can infiltrate from a window inside Babies and Toddlers.” Woody's disposition lightened. “I'll head there and get it open.”
“Sarge, you're a lifesaver!” Woody turned to your and the others. “You guys in?”
“Yeah!” you all said.
“Please promise you'll bring Buzz home,” Rex said.
“With batteries included?” Hamm asked.
“Journey safely,” the first alien said.
“Farewell!” the second alien said.
“Don't worry. WE'RE gonna get our friend back,” Woody said. You and the others returned to the Outdoor section of Babies & Toddlers.
“Vani. Can I talk to you about something?” you said.
“Sure.”
“I think we have another sister.”
“Huh? How do you know?”
“During that headache, I caught a glimpse of a woman. She was in the Realm of Darkness and she was trying to tell me something.”
“What did she say?”
“She said to stop dad but before she could say another thing, I was brought back here.”
“Well, if she is dad’s daughter, then we need to save her before something bad happens.”
“I know she is. I can feel it.” Vanitas wrapped an arm around your waist and kissed your temple.
“It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered.
“I hope so.”
“Guys, look!” Woody said. High above on a windowed wall with the design of a house was a much smaller window.
“That must be the window Sarge mentioned,” Yui said. You all made your way up through the window and entered the Kid Korral, where Sora saw odd green cubes piled against the main door.
“The entrance was blocked by BLOCKS?” he asked.
“Can you use the Gigas to move 'em?” Vanitas asked.
“Yeah, maybe. I'll try.” Sora piloted a nearby blue Gigas, stretching its arm out. He activated the claw which sent magnetic bolts to the green blocks, causing them to glow and disperse, unbarring the door. You and the others moved further into the room where Donald spotted something.
“Up there!” he said. A stream of darkness emanated from the uppermost vent in the room, much too high to reach by normal means, especially at toy height.
“How we gonna reach that?” Sora asked.
“(Y/N). Your guardian is a swan. Maybe you and Odile can pile up the blocks so that we can reach up there,” Rumi said.
“Okay, if you say so,” you said. You pulled out your dagger and held it up into the air. “ODILE!”
From behind you, Odile was summoned. With the help from Roxy, you climbed on Odile and told her what to do. She gave a honk in agreement and she helped place the blocks together while Sora and the others took down the Heartless and the Negaverses. Once all the blocks had been gathered and piled up, three cones landed on top of the green figure assembled and a fanfare played. The figure, with a permanent surprised look on its face, leaned over toward the wall, providing a path up to the vent.
“Hey, is that...” Roxy asked.
“A cactus?” Rumi asked. The vent cover fell open.
“Yep, and it's our way up to the dark corridor,” Vanitas said. You and the others made your way to the vent and entered it, finding a corridor of darkness.
“It looked like this?” Sora asked.
“Yup,” Goofy said.
“Here goes,” You said. You and the others passed through the ominous portal, finding themselves in a hazy abyss. Buzz was hovering in the center, darkness coming off of him and spreading through the air. Y!Xehanort waited for them, waves of dark energy covering the floor as pieces of toys were scattered about the abyss, floating on invisible strings.
“Buzz!” Sora and Woody said.
“Dad!” you and Vanitas said.
“What do you want with my friend?” Woody asked.
“Look... Such tremendous darkness. All because he was ripped away from the boy who cares about him most,” Y!Xehanort said. The waves punched upward.
“Does that mean...we'll all be like Buzz...” The waves coalesced around Woody. “...if we don't...find Andy?”
“Wrong! Distance doesn't matter. Andy's part of their hearts, just like my friends are part of mine,” you said. Sora and the others nodded in agreement, glaring at Y!Xehanort.
“You can't rip that apart!” Sora said. Woody looked at the bottom of his shoe where Andy had written his name years ago, and then at Buzz's, just the same. Buzz was carried higher by the waves as Xehanort raised an arm.
“What? ‘Your friends are your power’? Ah... How very true. But if the light of friendship is a form of power...the darkness of being alone is a power...even greater. Darkness is the heart's true nature,” Y!Xehanort said. You were stunned to silence, but Woody placed a hand on your shoulder and walked past you.
“Whatever you're talking about, I don't care. Put Buzz back the way he was, then get lost!” he said.
“Or else what, toy?”
“Yeah, I am a toy. And a friend.” Woody stamped down with his foot, breaking the waves of darkness slightly, revealing the floor underneath. “My guess is no one's ever loved you before. Because you know NOTHING about hearts and love.”
“WHAT DID HE SAY?!” Roxy cackled.
“Roxy!” Yui scolded. You and Sora joined Woody in the circle of light, both making steps forward.
“There are hearts all around us, trying to connect. Your ‘loneliness’ only made Woody and Buzz's connection stronger. THAT's the heart's true nature--to never, ever let go. Wherever they are, Andy and the other toys haven't let go either,” you said.
“Yeah! You can't keep us from Andy. We're going home no matter what. And taking Buzz!” Woody said.
“Xehanort, you're so caught up in finding the shadows, you forgot about the light that cast them,” Sora said. The force of light broke through the dark waves, tearing apart the darkness holding Buzz in the air. As it reached Buzz, it shined out with a brilliant light.
“No!” Y!Xehanort said. You and your team charged forward, forcing Xehanort to summon his Keyblade, blocking the you all.
“Woody, now!” Vanitas said. Woody leaped forward over them, tossing out the pull string from his back. It latched onto a Lego floating in the air and Woody swung around, using the momentum to snatch Buzz from his tangled perch. You and Sora smiled and Y!Xehanort scowled as the pull string retracted back inside Woody with a message of "Giddy-up, partner! We gotta get this wagon train a-movin'!" Suddenly, Buzz opened his eyes, seeing Woody on top of him. Woody lifted his head and gazed back at his friend. He turned over and sat with Buzz, who held his head.
“Woody...Wait, how did I get here?” Buzz asked.
“Hmm. Oh, I don't know!” Woody elbowed Buzz. “Maybe somebody switched you into ‘dark and stormy’ mode.”
“But I don't have a-” He realized what Woody is saying. The cowboy extended a hand to him and Buzz smiled, taking it, getting to his feet.
“Thank you, Woody,” he said.
“Good to have ya back, Buzz.”
“Oi, hurry up!” Roxy said. The two of them looked over to see you and your team locked in combat with Y!Xehanort.
“We can't hold him much longer!” Rumi said.
“Don't give up, guys!” Sora said. Young Xehanort knocked you all back.
“So, even empty puppets can be given strong hearts. I am going to have to remember that,” he said. Buzz aims his laser beam at Y!Xehanort.
“Remember this--our hearts will always be connected to Andy's. No matter what you do!” he said.
“And that's something you'll never understand, because you're hollower than any toy,” Woody said.
“But now I know a heart can be placed in the vessel of our choosing. For that, let me give you a parting gift to play with,” Y!Xehanort said.
“Wait!” you and Sora said. The two of you ran at Y!Xehanort and slashed right through him.
“Find the hearts joined to yours,” Y!Xehanort said. (why did that feel like he was betraying org.xiii?)
“Huh?” you and Sora asked. Xehanort vanished and Donald leaped up, pointing at the sky where the darkness had begun to break.
“There!” he said. You and the others rejoined as the darkness was swept up, forming a giant flying saucer Heartless, revealing the room as a toy-sized cityscape with a puzzle-piece road.
“Careful!” Woody said.
“Here goes!” you said. After a long battle with the King of Toys involving an electromagnetic tornado, you all succeeded in finishing off the Heartless and returned to the first floor of Galaxy Toys. You all regrouped with your friends and began walking toward the exit.
“So, crusty got away again,” Roxy said.
“Not so much as crusty but more of a brat,” Yui said. You gave a small chuckle but it didn’t make you feel better. Sora hung his head and stopped walking.
“I’m sorry!” Sora said. You and the others turned back to him, confused.
“I wanted to get you back to the real world,” he said. Woody and Buzz looked at each other and smirked.
“It does seem that we're trapped here,” Buzz said.
“We'll never get home,” Rex said.
“Yeah, stuck like pigs,” Hamm said.
“Our position appears fixed,” Sarge said.
“Oh nooo,” the three aliens said. You and the others gave a sad sigh.
“A shame we'll have to stay a little longer...with our new best friends,” Buzz said.
“Huh?” you and your team asked. Woody walked up and leaned on Sora's shoulder.
“After all the adventures we've had, we're not quite ready to say, ‘So long,’” he said. Sora laughed.
“You guys...” he said. The space ranger extended a hand.
“I'm sorry that I was being so stubborn. Please forgive me,” he said. Sora shook his head, smiling, and shook Buzz's hand.
“Hey, you were just looking out for your friends. No biggie,” he said.
“Yeah, somebody's gotta be the sensible one, especially since Woody's always gettin' in trouble,” Hamm said.
“Gawrsh, that sounds a little like Sora and (Y/N), don't it?” Goofy asked. You, Sora, and Woody exchanged a look, pointing at yourselves.
“Yeah, and I'm the dependable one!” Donald said.
“Like Buzz! ...Kinda,” Rex said. You all laughed.
“Besides, if we do go back to the real world, we'll never see you again, right?” Woody asked. Sora scratched his cheek.
“But...what about Andy? You care about him so much,” Rumi said. Buzz put a hand on her shoulder.
“And he's still right here with us,” he said as he touched his heart, smiling. Woody put an arm around Sora.
“If we follow our hearts, we'll find him again,” he said.
“Yeah!” Sora grinned. You and the others continued walking to the exit.
“So, Sora, (Y/N), are you goin' after the guy in the black coat?” Woody asked.
“Something tells me we can't join you on that mission,” Buzz said.
“That's okay...because you've become part of our hearts.” Woody pointed to Sora’s heart. “So let us become a part of yours.”
You and the others extended joyous laughter and infectious smiles as Sora side-hugged Woody.
“Thank you!” he said.
“Now, off you go. To infinity and beyond!” Buzz said.
To be continued...
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