Earth 1995
"Sarge, roll call." Woody ordered to the tiny army man standing beside him. After recovering the Three Little Green Men from Babies and Toddlers, Woody and the others decided that it was time to head back home to Andy's room. While Twilight and the others were sad to see them go, they understood that they had completed their mission while theirs was still a go.
They still had to find the Creation Keystone and stop Lex Luthor.
Twilight smiled kindly at the group, as did Sonic and Mario. Tony looked on along with them with his arms folded, his faceplate hiding his smile.
Batman just stood there with his normal scowl.
With a salute to his commanding officer, Sarge replied, "Sir, yes sir!" He then turned to the other toys present and called out, "Roll call! All toys, fall in!"
As the toys all fell into line, Buzz walked by them with his hands behind his back, checking off their names as he walked by them. "Sarge... Army Men times four..." The Army Men gave the Space Ranger a salute as he walked by," Hamm... Aliens 1, 2, 3..." Each Alien squeaked as they raised their hands. But to his surprise, once he reached the end of the line, he saw that Rex was gone... Again. "Wait. Where's Rex?"
His attention was brought down to Hamm, who informed the toy, "Aw, he took off. Said he wanted to prove to you you could trust Batman and the others." The piggy bank pointed up to the upper levels of the toy store with his hoof, "He's up there by the video games."
With a heavy sigh, Buzz muttered, "Well, here we go again."
"Huh? This is about us?" Asked Twilight Sparkle.
When the toys nodded, Batman sighed and looked to the group of toys with serious eyes. "He's not safe. Luthor's still out there." He declared, the threat of Lex Luthor still present within the toy store.
"You're right." Woody agreed before asking, "Twilight, Sonic, guys... Any chance you could help us one last time?"
"Sure!" Twilight beamed with a sparkle in her eyes.
Sonic gave the cowboy a thumbs up, a smirk appearing on his face.
Mario flicked his cap with his index finger, indicating that he was in.
Tony shrugged, "Eh, why not?" he answered before his mask fell over his face.
Batman nodded with no hesitation.
Woody let out a breath of relief and tipped his hat forward, a grateful smile plastered on his face. "Thanks, guys."
The group had made their way back up to the third floor of Galaxy Toys, their destination being the video game store where Rex had been last seen. Looking around, Twilight noticed the various posters, cardboard cutouts, and shelves of games promoting the same video game.
'Defenders of the Multiverse'.
There, standing on the games cover, were five very familiar faces. Although they looked very different compared to them. Standing on the edge of a building with lightening striking in the background, was a pink unicorn with a star tattooed on her flank. She had a white mane with a blue stripe going through it.
Standing beside her was Batman's counterpart, 'Nightwatch'. His attire was almost identical to the Dark Knight's, except he had no ears on his cowl and instead of a bat symbol on his chest, there was an eyeball with a yellow background.
Tony's counterpart had blue armor with red highlights. His faceplate was silver and he had metallic wings on his back. His Arc Reactor was red to go along with the red highlights on his suit.
The Mario counterpart wore purple overalls with a yellow shirt and hat. The plumber couldn't help compare him to a certain villain he knew back in his world.
And lastly, Sonic's counterpart had white fur with green stripes on each quill. He wore metal gloves and black shoes. His muzzle, arms, and belly were tanned in color, and his body was surrounded by green electricity.
Twilight and the others couldn't help but feel uncanny towards these video game characters.
After making comparisons, Twilight and the others look up at the display to see Rex cheering happily.
"Hurray!" The dinosaur cheered as he held the video game his his tiny hands. Jumping down from the display, he dashed over to Twilight and held the game a little too close to her face. "Look! Look! I found it! See, Twilight?"
She and the others tilted their heads at the game cover, "Huh?" the unicorn breathed out as Woody and Buzz made their way further onto the store. Looking around, they both saw various posters for the game, which were just bigger versions of the game's cover art.
Turning to Buzz, Woody verbalized, "Whaddaya know! They ARE video game figures. See? I told ya, Buzz. They're toys, just like the rest of us."
At this, Buzz looked over to them as something caught Rex's eye. He then turned back to his friend and replied, "Well, I suppose." Looking over to the others, the Space Ranger decided that they had spent enough time here. Making his way back to the entrance, Buzz declared, "All right, everyone. Now that we're back together, it's time to return to Andy's room."
Rex meanwhile, was looking at a guide on how to beat certain levels in his game back at home. Upon hearing this, the T-Rex looked over to his friend and dropped the book, "Now? But can't I at least check the strategy guides? I want to know how to beat Bahamut!"
As Rex scoured the display for the correct game guide, Buzz walked over and placed a hand on his back. "Next time. Right now, we need to go home." Rex sighed and begrudgingly followed the group out of the store.
But none of them noticed the pair of metal boots that landed right behind them.
"And just where do you think you're going?" The sound of his voice caught their attention, enticing them to turn around. They all gasped at the smiling face of Lex Luthor.
"Luthor!" Batman declared, already taking out a Batarang.
Luthor chuckled as he folded his arms over his chest. "I see you've been busy making friends with the townsfolk, Batman." He observed before an evil smirk made its way onto his face. "Good, that'll make this easier then."
"What's this all about, Lex? Why're you here?" Batman demanded to know.
"I've actually been asking myself that for some time now." Lex responded before elaborating, "You see I've been searching for something. An item of great power that can only be found in this dimension. All I knew about it was that it was hidden somewhere in this dimension and in the guise of a normal object." Unfolding his arms, the villain continued, "At first I tracked it to that house, where those toys resided. Then I tracked it here, to this store and wouldn't you know it, they were here too."
Lex took a step forward.
Woody, Buzz, and Rex took a step back.
Twilight and the others stood their ground.
"I finally figured it out. You have what I want, or more specifically," he then pointed to Woody, shocking him. "You do."
"Me?" Woody repeated, placing a hand on his chest.
Outstretching his hand, Lex ordered, "You're badge. Give it to me."
Everyone looked at the cowboy upon hearing that, more specifically his sheriff's badge pinned to his vest.
Turning back to the villain, Iron Man asked, "Now what would you want with a toy badge?"
Lex chuckled deeply, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."
Taking a defiant step forward, Sonic declared, "No way! Whatever you want that badge for, it's obviously for nothing good. You're not getting your hands on it!"
Lex sighed at this, "Fine, have it your way." A portal silently appeared behind the group, where a Soulless One stepped out with a mind control disc in its grasp. It made its way over to Buzz, who was busy keeping his focus on Luthor.
He never saw it coming.
The android attached the disc to Buzz's back, causing him to gasp suddenly before slumping forward. As the disc activated, the Space Ranger's eyes snapped open, revealing his now green eyes. Upon noticing Buzz's odd behavior, Rex turned to his friend and asked, "Buzz? What's the matter?"
In response, Buzz turns to Woody and aims his laser at his head, confusing the cowboy greatly. "C'mon, Buzz. Quit fooling around."
Twilight's eyes shot open. She saw the disc on Buzz's back.
She saw him aiming his laser at Woody.
He was about to fire.
"Look out!" Twilight shouted as she quickly cast a shield spell over Woody, saving him from a quick death.
Startled, Woody took a step back and placed a hand on his forehead in disbelief. "I can't believe it! Buzz has been taken over?" He ducked once more on instinct as Buzz fired more shots at him, the shots being blocked by Twilight's shield.
Batman turned away from the scene at glared hatefully at Lex. "What have you done, Luthor?!"
"Just got myself some... Insurance." Lex revealed before punching the ground. The resulting shockwave knocked everyone to the floor. Lex took this opportunity to fly over to Lightyear's side and grab his back. "This toy's my insurance, he stays with me."
"No!" Twilight cried out.
"You have something I want, I have something you want. Let's make a deal." Lex suggested with an evil smile. "Hand over the badge and I'll let your friend go. Don't, then I'll crush his plastic head like it were a grape. You have 1 hour to make a decision. I'll be in the Kid Korral waiting for your answer."
The boosters on his back ignited, he was about to take off.
"Don't keep me waiting."
With that, Lex took off into the air, still holding onto a mindless Buzz Lightyear as a hostage.
"BUZZ!!!" Woody cried out to his friend as he was taken. But it was no use, they were both gone. The cowboy let out a sad sigh as everyone got back up to their feet. Twilight let out a grunt of discomfort as she rubbed the base of her horn with her hoof. Walking over to check on her, Woody asked, "Y'all right, Twilight?"
The unicorn nodded weakly before replying, "I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'll manage." Woody responded kindly before his face morphed into one of despair. "Twilight, how do we get him back?"
The rest of the group walked over to the pair, with Batman answering with, "For some reason, Luthor wants the badge on your vest. He said it contained great power within it, and that he needs it for something."
"The only way we get Buzz back, is if we give Luthor what he wants." Tony added.
Woody, upon hearing this, looked down at his badge sadly, "My badge." He let out a sigh as Sarge and his Army men stamped over towards them with the other toys in toe.
"The situation appears grim, sir!" Sarge observed.
"You're right, Sarge. That guy took Buzz to Kid Korral as a hostage." Woody informed the toy behind him. "Any ideas?"
"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." The Sarge informed the group. "I'll head there and get it open."
Once he heard this, Woody's mood lightened up as he knelt down to Sarge's eye level. "Sarge, you're a lifesaver!" He turned back to Twilight and the others, "You guys in?"
Twilight took a step forward and nodded on behalf of her group. "Of course! Buzz is our friend, we won't abandon him. We'll stop Lex and get him back!"
Woody nodded and began leading the group out of the video game store, passing by Hamm, the Aliens, and Rex on their way out.
"Please promise you'll bring Buzz home."
"With batteries included?"
"Journey safely."
"Farewell."
"Don't worry. We're gonna get our friend back." Woody reassured the group as they made their way our of the video game store.
Looks like it's back to Babies and Toddlers.
"Twilight, look!"
Said unicorn looked up to where the toy cowboy was pointing to. The group had returned to Babies and Toddlers to try and gain access to the Kid Korral to get Buzz back, while also stopping Luthor. But the group of Multiversal travelers were intrigued by this shadowy portal the Sarge had mentioned seeing in the Kid Korral.
Could it be related to the Keystone somehow?
There, above a windowed wall with the design of a dollhouse, was a much smaller window. That must've been the window that Sarge had opened up for them.
"That must be the window Sarge mentioned." Woody surmised to the unicorn.
She looked to Woody and said, "Well then, let's get moving!"
The Kid Korral had a blocky design, multiple colors on the walls, play pens and ball pits for the children to play in. There multiple giant blocks for the little ones to push around and play with. It was a child's paradise.
But it would be Buzz Lightyear's resting place if they didn't get a move on.
Twilight, who was standing ahead of the group, turned around and addressed them all. "Alright everypon-- I mean everyone." She was still getting used to that. "We don't have time to waste! Buzz is counting on us and we won't let him down." She turned to face Woody with a solemn expression on her face, "And that might mean sacrificing your badge to save his life."
Woody looked down and rubbed his hand against the item in question. He didn't want to part with it, but he might have to in order to save his friend.
His attention was brought to Iron Man, who placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll get him back."
Woody smiled softly at the Armored Avenger, the reassurance was greatly appreciated.
Their attention was brought to Sonic, who pointed to the other side of Kid Korral, "Hey guys, check it out!" They all turned to face where Sonic was pointing. It was then that they all saw a stream of darkness emanating from the uppermost vent in the room. Much to high for any regular toy to access by normal means.
Good thing the group wasn't normal by any means.
Woody tilted his hat upward, wanting to get a good look at the stream of darkness coming from the vent. "How are we going to get up there?" Asked Woody.
Smiling under his mask, Tony grasped Woody by the shoulder and simply said, "Hold on." before taking off into the air with a screaming Woody in hand.
Twilight suddenly yelped in surprise when Batman picked her up under his arm. He then aimed his Grappling Hook toward the ceiling and fired. The next thing she knew they were both soaring through the air, making their way to the vent.
Sonic and Mario bumped each others fists before the blue hedgehog took off at high speeds, with Mario darting forward and leaping from any vantage point he could to catch up with the group.
As he flew through the air, Woody couldn't help but worry for his friend's safety. But he quickly dismissed those thoughts with a shake of his head, he would save Buzz, even if he had to hand over his badge to do it.
"Hang on, Buzz. We're coming to save you."
The inside of the vent was not what the group expected. In fact, they just expected a regular vent. But no, instead of the normal inside of the ventilation system, what they were greeted with was a corridor of darkness, with a swirling dark purple and black portal at the end of it.
If Lex were to take Buzz anywhere, it would be here.
And if not, then this might be where the Creation Keystone resided.
But they were hoping for the former.
Twilight involuntarily shivered upon entering the vent, it felt cold and lifeless. She looked up to see Woody feeling very much the same way. She placed a comforting hoof on his leg, "Are you ready for this?" She asked.
Woody looked down and his face hardened, showing how determined he was to getting his friend back. "Let's do this."
With that in mind, Twilight and Woody lead the group into the dark portal.
When they walked through, the group found themselves inside of a hazy abyss, the area around nothing but a dark and ominous purple. To their surprise, in the center of the abyss, was the Creation Keystone. It hovered their, surrounded by a tower of darkness that spread all across the void.
It had the same design as the other Keystones, except this one had purple and black glyphs engraved into it.
And to no-ones surprise, standing in front of the Creation Keystone, was Lex Luthor. And to his right, was Buzz Lightyear, who was still under his control. The group stopped a few meters in front of him and glared hatefully at the smug expression on his face.
"You made it." Lex greeted with a smug grin. "And you're earlier than expected."
Woody however, was in no mood for games. "What do you want with my friend?" He asked, getting straight to the point.
The villain shrugged, "Nothing. As I said before, you have something I want. I have something you want." He then outstretched his hand hand ordered, "Now, give me your badge." When nobody made any moves, he sighed and aimed his hand directly at Buzz's head, showing that he wasn't playing around. "Give me the badge or I'll break this toy."
Everyone looked to Woody as he removed his badge from his vest. He held it in his hand and looked down at it for a moment before looking over to Luthor once more. With no hesitation, he threw the badge over to the villain, who caught it in his hand.
Lex chuckled as he pocketed the Foundation Element.
He had won.
His attention was brought to Batman, who said, "You got what you wanted, Luthor. Now let Lightyear go."
"Hmm, I could do that..." He then smiled vindictively, "Or I could do this!!!" He then backhanded Buzz to the floor, sending the toy sprawling on his back. Woody and everyone gasped as Lex placed a foot on his chest, holding him down.
When he aimed his hand at his head, they all knew what he intended to do.
"WAIT!!!" Twilight cried out, getting the villain's attention once again. "We gave you what you wanted, you said you would let him go!"
Lex laughed aloud as he responded to the unicorn, "Oh, you poor, naïve fool! Don't you know who I am? I'm a business man... and a liar. I lie and cheat to get. What. I. Want." He then looked down at Buzz, who's expression remained stoic. "And now that I have what I wanted, this toy is of no further use to me."
He then looked to the group, "And neither are any of you."
Woody grit his teeth, "You'd better let Buzz go or--"
"Or what?!" Lex challenged. "What can you possibly do to stop me? I am Lex Luthor! You... are just a toy."
"What is this about, Luthor?" Batman asked his enemy, "What's so special about a toy badge?"
"Wouldn't you like to know. This badge has a power within it that can mold reality, or at least, a way of unlocking something that can." Lex clenched his fist and continued, "Picture it, imagine how sweet it will be, when I create a world without the Justice League. In the new world, people will build statues of me in my honor."
"Whatever you're talking about, I don't care. Put Buzz back the way he was, then get lost!" Woody snarled.
Lex was humored by this. "Or else what, toy?"
"Yeah, I am a toy. And a friend." Woody then stomped his foot down on the ground, breaking the waves of darkness slightly, revealing the floor underneath. Nobody noticed that the Creation Keystone was reacting to Woody's actions. Or maybe even... his heart. The cowboy continued, "My guess is no one's ever loved you before. Because you know nothing about friendship and love."
Lex snarled as Twilight moved to join him, pushing the darkness back even more.
"There's friendship all around us, trying to connect us to one another. Your 'trade' only made Woody and Buzz's connection stronger. That's our heart's true nature--to never, ever let go. To hold onto the sanctity of friendship. Wherever they are, Andy and the other toys haven't let go either."
Woody nodded in agreement as they both continued to move forward towards Lex, "Yeah! You can't keep us from Andy. We're going home no matter what. And taking Buzz!"
"Lex, you're so caught up in revenge and power, that you forgot the most powerful magic of all!" Twilight added as she took on final step forward. Suddenly, the Creation Keystone reacted to Twilight and Woody's will power and overcame it's own overload, dispelling the darkness around them, which caught Luthor's attention.
"What's this?!"
As Lex stepped off of Buzz, Sonic boosted forward and got the toy safely out of Lex's reach.
Upon seeing this, Lex screamed, "NO!" He aimed his palm at the hedgehog and fired an orb of energy. But Tony fired a Repulsor Blast and the two orbs collided, exploding in a blaze of glory.
Once Sonic returned to the group, Batman quickly removed a Batarang from his belt and stabbed the mind control disc on Buzz's back. Once it short circuited and fell to the ground, the Space Ranger's eyes shot open as he gasped for air. He looked to his left and saw Woody smiling at him.
"Woody..." he said before looking around at the dispelling darkness around him, "Wait, how did I get here?"
The cowboy chuckled before elbowing his friend, "Hmm. Oh, I don't know! Maybe somebody switched you into 'dark and stormy' mode."
"But I don't have a--" But once Buzz realized what Woody meant, he looked down at the ground in shame. That is, until Woody wrapped his arms around him. Realizing that he was hugging him, Buzz returned the gesture in kind. "Thank you, Woody." He thanked his friend as they broke apart.
"Good to have ya back, Buzz."
"Enough!" Lex shouted, causing everyone to turn and face him. "You think that this changes anything?!"
Tony shrugged as both he and Buzz aimed their respective weapons at him, "Oh, I don't know! I feel like things have changed into our favor."
Buzz aimed his laser at the villain, "You should remember this, our hearts, our bonds will always be connected to Andy's. No matter what you do! You will never break our friendship!"
Woody then stood next to Buzz and said, "And that's something you'll never understand, because you're hollower than any toy."
Lex chuckled deeply, "That may be true." He suddenly held out his hand as the Creation Keystone fell from the air and landed in the palm of his hand. "But I have the power of creation in my arsenal!" He then closed his hand around the Keystone, completely removing the darkness from the room.
It was then revealed that the room was a toy-sized cityscape with a puzzle-piece road.
The group stood together as Lex hovered in the air, a dark aura surrounding him as he channeled the Keystone's power for himself.
Tony aimed his Repulsor Rays at the villain.
Sonic crouched down into a running position.
Mario leaned forward, ready for battle.
Twilight lit up her horn, channeling her magic.
Batman held a Batarang back, ready to let it fly.
Buzz aimed his laser at his new foe.
Woody held up his fists, ready for a fight.
Together they stood.
Together they fought.
Lex smiled, "You want this Keystone?" He pointed down to them, "Come and get it!"
Suddenly, multiple copies of Lex appeared at the real Lex Luthor's side, each of them colored differently to differentiate them from the real deal. They all laughed together as they spread apart to cover more ground, making it harder for the heroes to fight back.
"It seems you have all forgotten your place." They all said collectively, "Must I remind you of my superiority?"
Without warning, Iron Man flew up and tackled the real Lex Luthor head on, commencing the fight. Twilight teleported to a toy building and took on the Purple Lex Luthor.
Sonic and the Blue Lex Luthor raced around the toy city.
Mario and the Red Lex Luthor charged at one another and interlocked hands.
Batman and the Grey Lex Luthor jumped from building to building, the villain trying to keep up with the hero.
Woody and Buzz stood before the White Lex Luthor, ready to battle it out.
One fight, on multiple fronts.
Sonic side stepped left and right, avoiding the laser blasts fired from the Blue Lex Luthor. The laser blasts blew up the toy cars that were parked on the side of the blocky road. The blue hedgehog curled into a ball and boosted forward, narrowly avoiding an overhead attack from his current adversary.
Blue Lex snarled and boosted forward, determined to catch the blue nuisance.
Sonic turned around and slid to a stop before charging forward, meeting blue Lex head on. But unfortunately, the villainous copy hit the hedgehog with a left handed cross that sent him crashing into a toy infrastructure. As the blocky building fell on top of him, the Blue Lex Luthor landed and aimed his hand at the rubble.
He fired.
Sonic boosted into the air as the remains exploded.
The hedgehog looked down and curled into a ball, spinning around at super speed before darting downward for a Homing Attack. But sadly, the villain caught him and slammed him into the ground. He let go and raised his foot into the air, intending on crushing the fallen hedgehog.
But before he could, Sonic curled once more and bounced up. He then untucked and hit the Blue Lex Luthor in the face with a spin kick. The villain was sent down the blocky road, sliding to a stop as the hedgehog landed.
The copy of Lex Luthor yelled in frustration as he fired a laser blast from his hand.
Sonic dodged.
He fired again.
Sonic dodged.
Blue Lex aimed both of his hands at his foe and fired a barrage of laser blats.
But they all missed.
Sonic was too fast.
The hedgehog boosted forward and struck the Blue Lex in the chest with a Homing Attack, sending him tumbling down the road. He recovered just as Sonic boosted forward once more. This time he got the upper hand as he released a shockwave from his suit, the resulting blast sending the blue hero back down the road.
Blue Lex took off into the air again and aimed his hands downward before firing a massive laser beam at the Blue Blur.
Sonic looked up and smirked as he took off to the left, the laser beam trailing behind him as he ran. The hedgehog ran up the side of a toy building before bouncing off of it and flying through the air towards Blue Lex. The copy's eyes widened as Sonic curled into a ball and dashed right through him, causing the copy to disappear into nothingness.
Meanwhile: with Mario
The plumber was punched into the side of a toy building, creating a 'Mario sized hole' where he impacted. As he leapt out of the building, the Red Lex Luthor walked over and picked up a toy car before hurling it at the heroic plumber.
Mario quickly rushed forward and leapt into the air, avoiding the car that was intended to hit him, and reared back a fist as he drew closer to the Red Lex Luthor. But as the car broke behind them, Red Lex caught the punch in his hand and spun the plumber around in a circle before releasing him.
Red Lex watched as Mario bounced off of the floor and rolled to a stop down the blocky road.
The red copy aimed his fist at the fallen plumber and fired a concussive blast that struck the hero in the chest, sending him soaring through the air. As Mario fell, Red Lex rose into the air as a red aura surrounded both his fists and specific parts of the road.
Chunks of the blocky road rose into the air before the villain sent them flying forward towards Mario.
Adjusting his cap, Mario got a move on and jumped into the air. He landed on an incoming block and jumped from one to the other, making his way closer to the Red Lex Luthor. Once he was close enough, Mario drop kicked Red Lex in the chest, sending him crashing through multiple blocky buildings.
The red villain rolled to a stop as multiple toy buildings crumbled due to the impact.
Mario stomped downward and landed before bolting forward, not giving the villainous copy the chance to recover. Once he was close enough for close quarter combat, Mario delivered a left hook to Red Lex's face, then a right hook, then another left, followed by a punch to the nose.
He then uppercut the villain's chin, sending him flying before crash landing on the ground.
Mario walked over to the groaning copy and grabbed his leg, lifting him up as he spun him around multiple times. Once he had enough momentum, Mario let him go flying towards another toy building. Except this time, once he impacted the building, he dissipated into nothing but red dust.
With the fight over, Mario adjusted his cap once more with a sly smirk on his face.
Meanwhile: with Batman
The Dark Knight slid under the axe intended for his head.
Grey Lex snarled as he turned around and swung again, this time missing due to Batman jumping over the blade. He was about to swing again, only to be struck with an Explosive Batarang, which sent him sliding back a few meters.
The axe disappeared as Grey Lex took to the air, looming over Batman like a predator looming over its prey. Without warning, two missile launchers appeared on the copy's shoulders before said missiles were sent flying down towards the Caped Crusader.
Thinking quickly, Batman rolled and dodged wherever the missiles struck the ground, hurling Explosive Batarangs at Grey Lex as he did so. The projectiles struck the villain each time, which sent him back a few meters before recovering and firing more missiles.
Batman aimed his Grappling Hook at the villain and fired, attaching the hook to Grey Luthor's chest. Zipping up to his foe, the Dark Knight delivered a punch to the copy's face that was so strong that it sent him crashing down to the ground.
But before Batman could land, Grey Lex shot upwards and grabbed him by the throat.
He then tossed him back down to the toy rooftop, smiling smugly at doing some damage to the hero. But that smile faded away when he heard an ominous beeping from behind him. He turned his head, hoping to find the source of the noise, but couldn't as it was attached to his back.
Batman left an explosive on his back without him realizing it.
His eyes shot open before the explosive exploded, destroying the copy of Lex Luthor with one blast.
Batman got back to his feet and looked upward, his cape flapping behind him.
Meanwhile: with Woody and Buzz
The two toys fell onto their backs, having been struck down by a laser blast. The rubbed the back of their heads before sitting upright to see the White Lex Luthor slowly approaching them with an insidious smile plastered on his face.
Buzz quickly aimed his laser at the villain and fired multiple shots.
To everyone's surprise, the blasts actually managed to make the copy stumble a bit. Buzz then decided to keep firing, not wanting to let up so Woody could come up with a plan of attack.
The cowboy looked around him for anything that could help them. He searched frantically before his eyes fell upon a toy car that appeared undamaged. A smile made its way onto his face before he rushed over to the toy vehicle.
Meanwhile Buzz was struggling to hold back the White Lex Luthor, his laser blasts were beginning to have little to no effect on the villainous copy. He simply shrugged off the attacks before boosting over to Lightyear and shoulder charging him to the floor.
Buzz shook his head before looking up to see White Lex standing over him, his palm aimed directly at his head.
But before the villain could strike, he was suddenly rammed in the side by a toy car, which launched him into a blocky building. As the toy infrastructure fell on top of the copy, Woody opened the car door and stepped out of it with a smug smile on his face.
From within the rubble, a swarm of white particles slowly rose up from the rubble before dissipating completely, insinuating that the White Lex Luthor was no more.
Woody walked over to Buzz and offered him a helping hand.
The Space Ranger took it without hesitation.
Meanwhile: with Twilight Sparkle
A laser blast flew through the air.
Twilight teleported.
Another laser was fired.
She teleported again.
This would continue on for some time as the studious Twilight Sparkle battled the Purple Lex Luthor.
Purple Lex was currently flying over head, firing laser blast after laser blast, hoping to incinerate the unicorn for daring to defy him. But Twilight was not so easily killed, as she was basically a master of magic, although she herself would never admit it.
She reappeared beneath the Purple Lex and grabbed his leg with her magic, pulling him down to her level. As he tried getting back up, Twilight fired another blast into his back, sending him flying off of the rooftop. But before she could celebrate, he flew right back up and fired two laser blasts from his hands.
Eyes widening in alarm, she quickly teleported out of the way, just barely avoiding the resulting explosion.
She reappeared and fired a magical beam from her horn, hoping to catch the Purple Lex off guard.
She didn't, as he met her beam with one of his own.
The two beams collided, struggling to overcome one another as their users struggled for dominance. Purple Lex smiled madly while Twilight grit her teeth, sweat falling from her forehead. She felt herself sliding backwards from the sheer power of Purple Lex's laser beam.
He was winning.
Twilight wouldn't let him.
She let out a passionate cry as she added more fuel to the flame, her beam increasing in power before expanding in size and easily overpowering her opponent's attack. The Purple Lex's eyes shot open before he let out a cry of pain as he was ingulfed in pure, unadulterated magic, destroying him completely.
Once the Purple Lex was no more, Twilight let up and fell forward slightly. She panted heavily before a smile graced her lips.
Meanwhile: with Iron Man
Both Tony and the real Lex Luthor flew around the play room, firing blasts at one another. When Tony fired a blast, Lex's shield would deflect it. When Lex fired a blast, Tony's Holo-Shield would protect him.
The two were at a stand still.
Having had enough of this, Lex boosted forward and tackled Iron Man to the ground before throwing him after they landed. Iron Man bounced off the blocky road before planting his feet down to still his movements. He stood upright as Twilight and the others regrouped to join him in battle.
Lex chuckled at the assembled group, "So you beat me copies? Impressive, but you lack the power to stop me!"
"We have something stronger than power, Lex!" Retorted Twilight as she stamped her hoof on the ground. "We have friendship!"
"Well then, let's see if 'friendship' will keep you alive after this!"
Lex boosted forward toward the group, causing them to scatter so they had more room to move. Out the corner of his eye, Lex saw Sonic boosting towards him. He smiled grabbing the hedgehog's face and slamming him into an incoming Mario, sending them both crashing down onto the ground.
Lex then took off into the air and fired multiple missiles from his shoulders, causing everyone to cease their movements and run away from the incoming projectiles. The villain then shot downwards before landing and punching the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked everyone to the floor.
He stood upright before being blasted in the chest by a beam of magic. He recovered and responded by firing a laser of his own, which shattered the shield Twilight had conjured up. The impact sent her flying through the air before landing harshly on the blocky road.
Lex chuckled as he cracked his neck, this was too easy.
But his grin was removed as he was struck from behind by an Explosive Batarang. Turning around, Lex fired another blast from his hands, but Batman rolled out of the way and threw more explosive projectiles at his foe. Lex activated his shield and protected himself from the Explosive Batarangs.
"You hero types are all alike. Even less imposing close up!"
Lex then released a shockwave from within his armor that sent Batman flying through the air.
Once Batman landed, Lex looked around to see that his foes were all beginning to get back up. He folded his arms, time for round two.
They all charged at him.
Lex threw a punch at Batman, but he disappeared in a puff of smoke, which left Lex open for an attack by Mario, who shoulder charged him. As the villain stumbled backward, Sonic took this chance to strike at Luthor with multiple Homing Attacks, distracting him long enough for Batman to reappear in a puff of smoke and kick him in the face.
Lex fell to one knee as Twilight hit him with a Freeze Spell, resulting in Lex being unable to move, try as he might.
As Woody ran up and snatched the Creation Keystone from Luthor's frozen hands, Tony grabbed Buzz's hand and took off into the sky. Once he was high enough, Iron Man began spinning Buzz around in a circular motion as the Space Ranger's wing shot open.
"He's all yours, Space Man!" Tony shouted as he let Buzz go.
"To infinity... AND BEYOND!!!!" Shouted Buzz as he zoomed downward.
Buzz punched Lex in the jaw as the spell wore off, the resulting impact sent the villain soaring down the road and landing in a crumbled heap in front of the roundabout. Buzz stood upright and led the group down towards Lex.
As the group of heroes marched toward him, Lex tried getting back up, only to fall on both of his knees as his armor began to short circuit. It had sustained too much damage in the fight, resulting in it shutting down on its master.
Lex tried getting his armor to move, but it wouldn't budge. He looked up and glared hatefully at the group of heroes. "You can't do this to me! I'm Lex Luthor!!!"
"Buddy," Woody started as we reared back a fist. He then knocked Lex out with a punch to the face. "We don't care."
Woody made a move to try and get his badge back, only to stop when a portal appeared under Lex. Batman dashed forward to stop him, but it was too late.
Lex fell through the portal with the badge in his possession.
He escaped.
The group all looked at each other in worry before Woody looked at the Creation Keystone in his hand. He then walked up to Batman and placed it in his hand, smiling at him before patting his shoulder and walking away.
The Dark Knight placed the Keystone in one of his many pouches and led the group out of the playroom.
They got the Keystone and saved Buzz.
They were done here.
The group returned to the main lobby of Galaxy Toys, where they all saw Rex, Hamm, and the others waving at them with smiles on their faces. While Sonic, Mario, Woody, and Buzz returned the smiles, Twilight, Tony, and Batman couldn't help but think about what had just happened.
Batman and Tony were curious as to what Lex wanted with Woody's badge.
Twilight felt like a failure.
Sure they got the Creation Keystone and saved Buzz, but they lost Lex to a mysterious portal. It was now obvious that Lex was working with Joker, A.I.M., and according to Sonic, this Dr. Eggman. And whoever it was that controlled the androids they kept running into.
Not only that, but that Venom creature was a part of all this as well.
She shook her head, Twilight would have to figure all of this out all the while collecting the remaining Keystones and saving her friends.
"So, Lex got away." Said Sonic, breaking the silence that had been apparent since leaving the playroom.
"Tch, chicken." Mario muttered.
"But we did get the Creation Keystone!" Tony said, trying to look on the bright side of things. When Woody and Buzz turned to him, he elaborated, "Once we take it out of this dimension, you should return to your original reality when this false one ceases to exist."
"Only problem is, we don't know how long that will take." Twilight revealed sadly.
As the others moved to join them, Woody and Buzz looked at each other and smirked before the Space Ranger walked towards them, standing in front of the toys behind him.
"A shame we'll have to stay a little longer..." Buzz said before adding with a smile, "with our new best friends."
Twilight, Sonic, and Mario all gasped while Tony smirked under his helmet. Batman quirked an eyebrow questioningly, this was an unexpected development.
Woody walked over and leaned on Iron Man's shoulder, "After all the adventures we've had, we're not quite ready to say, 'So long.'" He said with a flick of his hat.
Tony's mask slide up as he chuckled heartedly alongside Woody.
Buzz cleared his throat and moved towards Batman, extending his hand towards him as a gesture of friendship. "I'm sorry that I was being so stubborn. Please forgive me." He asked for forgiveness, even though he felt that the Dark Knight wasn't going to accept.
But to his shock, Batman grasped his hand firmly.
"You were looking out for your friends, I can respect that." Batman said with a nod. "It's not a bad thing to be cautious either. It shows that you're smart and are thinking about every possible scenario."
"It also shows that you're paranoid." Sonic said under his breath jokingly.
"I heard that."
Sonic gulped and immediately zipped behind Twilight, "Twi, protect me with one of those shield bubbles!" The hedgehog cried out dramatically.
Twilight giggled at her friend's antics.
Once the handshake between Buzz and Batman ended, Hamm trotted over and said, "Yeah, somebody's gotta be the sensible one, especially since Woody's always gettin' in trouble." Woody pouted at that, enticing everyone to laugh.
Except for Batman.
Batman doesn't laugh.
Woody then stopped pouting and turned to Twilight, asking, "When we return to our original world, will we see you again?"
The unicorn's eyes sparkled as she nodded, "Of course! We'll find your original reality and visit you once this is all over!"
Woody smiled and nodded at that before he led everyone towards the exit. As he walked, he turned to the group and asked, "So, you guys gonna go after that guy in the robot suit?"
"Something tells me we can't join you on that mission." Buzz added.
"That's okay...because you've become part of our hearts." Woody said before kneeling down to Twilight and poking her chest, "So let us become a part of yours."
Twilight leapt in and hugged Woody, to which the cowboy responded in kind. Once the hug ended, a portal suddenly appeared behind the group of heroes. They all turned to face it before looking at one another.
"Looks like our ride's here." Mario said to the group.
Twilight looked to each toy as she thanked them all. "Thank you all, for everything!"
"The pleasure was ours." Buzz responded kindly before he pointed towards the portal, "Now, off you go. To infinity and beyond!"
Batman was the first to leap into the portal, nodding to each of them before he left.
Sonic gave them all a two fingered salute before rushing in after Batman.
Mario leapt into the air, giving them a hearty "Wah Hoo!!!" before following the blue hedgehog into the portal.
Iron Man's faceplate slid over his face as he pointed to the group and nodded as he stepped into the portal.
Twilight smiled and gave them all one last wave before she leapt in after them.
Woody, Buzz, Rex, Sarge and the Army Men, the Three Little Green Men, and Hamm all waved as the portal closed forever. No matter where they ventured to, no matter where they went.
They would always have a friend in them.
Foundation Prime
Woody's badge floated over to the stone pedestal, sitting nicely next to the Elements of Harmony.
Lex was currently kneeling in front of Exiled's throne, his suit still shut down after his encounter with Twilight and the others.
"You have done well, mister Luthor." Exiled commended, "You retrieved the Foundation Element as you were tasked. Well done." But his tone soon turned dark when he added, "But you have disappointed me in regards to the Creation Keystone. That would have been a valuable asset to my cause."
Lex snarled as he replied, "It's not my fault. You should have warned me Batman and his cronies would be there!"
Exiled stroked his chin in thought, "This Batman is becoming a problem. I wonder..." he refocused his attention on Lex, "Who else was there?"
"Some unicorn, a hedgehog, a guy in high tech armor, and a little red man with a moustache."
Suddenly, Exiled slammed his fist onto the arm of his throne, startling everyone present in the room. "Did you say a unicorn?!"
"Yes. Why?"
Exiled sat back in his throne and tapped his fingers in thought. "So, the prophecy is coming to fruition. Twilight Sparkle has assembled with the other Guardians." The Equestrians all gasped at the mention of their friend's name. "Even now, you try my patience, Starswirl. If the Guardians have assembled, it would be safe to assume that the Titans have awoken as well. Bah! It matters not! An ancient old prophecy won't stop me from achieving my goal. I'm too close to stop now."
He then stood up from his throne as Discord and Bowser entered the Throne Room.
"Bowser, Discord. It is time for you to earn your keep of the multiverse. You will head to the next dimension and retrieve my Foundation Element. If you encounter any resistance, eliminate them. Let nothing stop you. And if you run into Twilight Sparkle and her new friends, destroy them!"
Bowser barked a laugh as he slammed his fists together in anticipation. "Finally! Some action!"
Discord rubbed his mismatched hands together, "Oh, how delightfully chaotic."
Exiled placed his hands behind his back as he reminded the two, "Remember, failure is not an option."
Bowser waved him off, "Don't worry! With us working together, there ain't nothing that can stop us!"
"Be sure that nothing does."
Discord held out his paw as the little Twilight Sparkle puppet appeared in his palm. His eyes glowed red and he smiled sinisterly. He had been waiting for this.
Waiting to get back at her for imprisoning him.
Now was his time to shine.
Now was the time for payback.
"See you soon, Twilight."