Summary: A collection of one-shots/ficlets/drabbles set in different AUs, alternate settings/futures or simply off-screen scenes.
Chapter summary: All Manny wanted was for his two friends to get along. Django and Frida don't seem so willing to cooperate, however.
Genre(s): Adventure/Friendship
Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.
The streets were dead quiet.
It was a rare calm, silent night in Miracle City. There were no criminals breaking into houses, no villains robbing banks or museums, no heroes stopping said villains and criminals. No soul could be seen or heard walking to feel the cold embrace of the night, the fog hiding the city under its blanket, the quietness deafening any sound.
Except, unknown to the slumbering citizens of Miracle City, for the two silhouettes within the cemetery, hidden behind the fog…
Near the very same cemetery, the ground started to tremble. The tremors escalated with frightening speed and the ground started to crack, a bright light peeking from below.
The two intruders, a curly-haired boy with a scar on his left eye and a blue-haired girl with bright red googles, held onto the nearest objects with all their might, afraid they would fall onto the cracks leading to the unknown.
The ground trembled more violently than ever, before it burst open, the scorching wall momentarily blinding the two youths with its bright, hot flames, as if announcing the horrors of the Underworld itself, and with it, its messenger.
Peeking from covered eyes, the two teenagers dared to gaze upon the mysterious figure coming from the flames, unscathed, for as they soon came to realize, it had no skin nor flesh to be burnt… only two blood eyes and a fiendish smile, announcing just what it had come for…
"Hey! Sick entrance, dude!"
Manny jogged up to the walking skeleton and gave him a five-high. Django returned the friendly gesture. "Well, obviously, Rivera. Look who you're talking to," he smirked.
"Yeah, yeah. You know, it kinda loses its charm after the third time or whatever," Frida approached the two with her arms crossed.
"Well, my apologies, Miss Suárez, I'll be sure to come up with something that'll blow you away next time."
Frida glared at the undead villain. "That had better been sarcasm if you know what's best for you, dude." Django simply chuckled in response.
"Alright, alright, knock it off you two," Manny got in between his two friends before it could escalate into something worse. "Let's not fight when Django just got here. We've got stuff to do."
"Fine," Frida grunted and looked to the side while Django shrugged.
"So," Frida turned to the two boys after a pause, "what did you have in mind?"
"Oh, that, Suárez, is a surprise," Django smiled and walked past the two. "Come with me."
Frida looked at Manny with an eyebrow raised to which the brown-haired boy could only respond with a shrug. Manny and Frida followed the undead villain, staying a few steps behind.
"I can't believe we're still hanging out with him," Frida whispered harshly to her best friend. "I mean, I thought this was a, I dunno, like a one-time thing! You didn't even grab his Mystic Guitar like I said you should!"
"Cut it out, Frida," Manny frowned at the girl's mean-spirited stubbornness. "Django's cool, and he's our friend now, I'm not gonna steal his guitar or anything."
"First off, 'our' friend? Making a looot of assumptions there, dude. And second, dude's manipulated you and tried to kill us, your family, and pretty much all of the villains of Miracle City with lava. And I'm lava intolerant, Manny, lava intolerant!"
"Oh, c'mon, Frida, he apologized-"
"Two words, dude. La-va."
"And he apologized for it already- said he'd never had friends before and that he didn't want to throw this opportunity away. He regrets it, Frida."
"Oh, give me a break, Manny," Frida rolled her eyes. "You're just blinded by that whole 'cool dude who's got my back against a crowd of enemies' thing he did with you that you see in the movies. Plus, I know he promised he'd get you into the Salsa Club before you're 21."
Manny chuckled nervously at Frida's accusatory stare, rubbing the back of his neck. "Aw, c'mon, Frida, he'd get you in there too! We're all friends now, it's all good," he smiled.
Frida narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, ready to correct her best friend again, but Manny would have none of it, "All. Good. Right, Frida?" Manny glared at her.
Frida blinked, and then pouted, before sighing. "Fine, fine, I'll give the bag of bones a chance. For you."
Manny smiled, "Thanks, Frida. Just wait and see, I'm sure you two will become good friends as well."
Frida scoffed, "Right."
The two friends' conversation came to a halt when they noticed Django standing in front of an old and dusty mausoleum.
"What's this? Are we gonna visit some relatives of yours or some junk?" Frida walked up to him. "Are you buried there?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Frida!" Manny scolded her.
Django snorted. "No, Suárez, it's something much simpler." He walked towards the mausoleum and pushed the door. He motioned the other two to follow him as he entered.
Manny and Frida exchanged looks before following suit.
The inside of the mausoleum was bigger than it looked from outside. The place looked quite old, dust and spider webs spread throghout the walls and ceiling, giving it an abandoned feeling. The dark drawers constrasted well with the lighter walls and colums, but the most distinguished feature of the small building was the statue of a woman, placed in the depths of the mausoleum, facing the entrance.
Manny and Frida marveled at the eerily beautiful statue, the realistic but delicate, finely sculped features of what must've been a beautiful, snow-white marble in its prime, added to its haunting beauty, as if the statue would come to life at any given moment.
"Beautiful, no?"
The two friends flinched at the sudden noise. Django smiled and walked by them, until he reached the statue's side. He gently trailed a claw along the statue's lowered hand. "But that's not all it is," he grabbed the hand and twisted it, making the palm face the ceiling.
The mausoleum started to shake, before the ground started to sink. Manny and Frida took a few steps backwards, as a staircase revealed itself, leading somewhere below the mausoleum.
"Wow," chorused Manny and Frida. The blue-haired girl leaned forwards and squinted, trying to make out anything in the pitch-black darkness cloaking the stairs, "Where does it go?"
"Only one way to find out, no?" Django approached the two. "Here," he threw them two small flashlights, "You're gonna need those to get through the stairs."
"Wait a sec," Frida turned to him, "you want us to go down there? In the unknown and creepy darkness? With you guiding us?"
"You're free to stay here if you want, Suárez," Django took out his own flashlight and turned it on, "if you're too scared to come with us, that is."
Frida frowned at the backhanded insult and glared at the villain, "Let's do this, bag of bones."
The three teenagers started their descent, with Django leading the group and Manny in the further back, watching out if anyone or anything was following them.
The staircase seemed endless as the trio made their way further into the pitch black darkness, only the echoing sound of their own footsteps a testemony of life in the underground passage.
Time passed until they finally reached the end. Manny and Frida looked around, moving their flashlights to see where they were.
"So, um, what's the deal with this place? Because from what I see, there's nothing here," Frida turned to Django.
Manny nodded. "Yeah, man. I was expecting some cool underground graves or bones but..."
Django ignored the two as he turned off his flashlight. He then turned to the other two. "Now you two do the same."
Frida quirked a brow. "Say what?"
"I said- Turn. Off. Your flashlights."
"I heard you the first time, dude," Frida rolled her eyes. "What I'm asking is why?"
"Turn it off and you'll see."
Frida opened her mouth to retort, when Manny sent her a look. Frida paused, rolled her eyes and complied.
Complete darkness. Complete silence.
Seconds ticked by, impatience and anxiety starting to fill the two friends' minds. Frida was about to ask Django what was supposed to happen when a flash of colors stopped her.
Azure orbs widened in wonder.
Turning her head, Frida was faced with bright colors, moving and floating in the darkness.
A flat head, much bigger than its body, a snake's tail split into two, three eyes on each side, a jaw that threatened to split it in two.
Frida had never seen anything like it before.
A feathered lizard, a cat with bat wings and talons, a fish-tailed goat. Bright hues of red, orange, yellow, blue, green and purple shining, many curious patterns drawn on their bodies. More and more creatures danced and swam in the air, appearing and vanishing in a flash.
Frida stared in awe, jaw slacked open. Manny had a similar expression on his face. "Wow."
Django smirked at their reactions. He knew they'd like this place.
"What are they?" Manny asked without taking his eyes off the mysterious creatures.
"Alebrijes," Django answered, eyes following one of the creatures twirl in the air.
"Alebrijes?" Frida parroted, turning to him. "Like the Alebrije Monsters?" Django nodded. "But those guys are ... huge! And way different!"
Django shrugged. "That's what they are, though." He paused in thought. "As for the difference in size and appearance... well, not all animals are identical even within the same species are, they? I assume it's the same for those guys."
Frida turned back to the 'Alebrijes', "Huh." She slowly approached one, her hand reaching for the bright swirls of its wing.
Before she could touch the creature, fingertips close enough to graze it, a low, muffled rumble came from above, making the ceiling tremble.
The Alebrijes scattered in frightened haste, flashes of colors twirling and running through the darkness before they all followed in one direction and disappeared.
Frida flinched away and blinked at how fast the Alebrijes went away. "Where did they go?"
Django stared at the spot they disappeared into before shrugging. "Their home, I suppose. They're not from here after all." He turned on his flashlight and started walking towards the stairs, "Well, seems like fun's over, kiddos. Let's go back."
Frida and Manny followed suit. A silent travel back and few minutes later, they were back in the mausoleum.
"Well, that was fun," Manny turned to the other two and smiled. "Too bad those Alebrijes ran away so soon."
Frida snorted. "Tell me about it! I was about to touch one. Really wanted to ride on the back of one of them too," the blue-haired pouted then smiled. "But, yeah, it was pretty fun, I guess."
Django smiled, twisting the statue's hand back to its original position, "You're welcome." The ground shook and the entrance downstairs was closed, hidden once more.
Frida scoffed and Manny rolled his eyes good-naturedly. The three walked out of the mausoleum, and made their way through the graveyard, animatedly talking about the different Alebrijes they saw. Soon, they were back at the cemetery's front gates.
The curly-haired boy turned to his friends, "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I gotta go," he spun his belt buckle and with the usual flourish and roar he turned into El Tigre. He turned to Frida, "Wanna a ride back home, Frida?"
"Oh, sure, dude," Frida smiled at her friend. "Can we stop for a quick churro, though? I'm starving!"
El Tigre rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. Typical Frida. "Sure." He started walking away but stopped and turned back when he noticed his friend wasn't following him. "Uh, Frida?"
Frida was messing and turning the pockets of her bright red skirt, "Hang on, dude. I think I dropped some cash back there." She looked at Manny, "You can go ahead, dude. I'm just gonna look for my money."
El Tigre frowned. "You sure you don't want me to help you?"
"Yeah, yeah," Frida waved it off, motioning him to go on without her. "'Sides, Django can help me," she turned to the villain, "Right, Django?"
Django quirked a brow but nodded. "Sure."
Frida smiled, "Thanks." She turned back to her childhood friend, "Go on, dude," she told him, urging him to go, "I'll be with you in a second, I swear."
El Tigre raised both eyebrows at the new development. "O-kaay... guess I'll wait for you then..." he turned away and started making his way towards the nearest churro cart. He frowned, confused at Frida's sudden change in behavior. Not too long ago she was so hesitant about even being in Django's presence.
But El Tigre's suspicions were quickly put to rest as he recalled their previous conversation. Frida was probably just putting in some effort to befriend Django, or simply give him a chance, as she'd promised him she would.
His mind at ease, El Tigre smiled and picked up the pace.
Meanwhile, Frida and Django walked further back into the cemetery, both teenagers completely silent.
Django stopped in front of a grave, crossing his arms. "So, care to tell me what's the problem?" He asked once they were far away enough, with El Tigre out of earshot.
Frida turned to him, eyes half-lidded in an expression of disdain and annoyance. "What, didn't you come here to help me look for the money I lost?"
Django narrowed his eyes. "Don't think I don't know when you're being sarcastic, Suárez. I know you didn't lose any money." Frida only stared at him in silence, tilting her head to the side, her expression, unchanged. Django returned the stare, "I've only ever seen you take out money from those huge googles of yours, never from your pockets, not even once."
Frida glared at him. "You've known me for only a few weeks."
"...What can I say? I'm the observant sort."
"Yeah, I gathered that from when we first met," Frida crossed her arms. "Using the same tactic twice, though? Lame. Thought you were smarter than that."
"And we finally get to the elephant in the room!" Django scoffed. "Are you serious? Do you really think I'm still up to something?"
"...Considering last time you approached Manny like this, you pretended to be his friend and then backstabbed him and tried to kill everyone in the volcano with lava? Yeah, yeah I do."
Django slowly uncrossed his arms, his gaze never leaving the blue-haired girl. "...you know, this is starting to get really annoying. For the last time," he walked towards her, "I'm not, planning, anything," Django stopped in front of the girl, their height difference and sudden closeness forcing Frida to look up, "And I suggest you stop pointing fingers, girl, because I may be friends with Manny now, but that doesn't really include you as of yet... and my patience has limits."
Frida frowned. "Good to know that we're on the same page," she stepped even closer to him, "'Cause I also have my limits and I don't trust you. It's gonna take more than monsters with pretty colors to convince me that you're not up to something and you can bet that I'm not," she poked him in the chest, "letting you hurt Manny, you understand?"
Django glared at her, and the staring contest continued, neither part willing to break first and show weakness. Django narrowed his eyes... and promptly burst laughing. The undead villain leaned his head on a claw, and turned, getting more distance between him and the blue-haired girl.
Frida blinked at the sudden shift in mood and bristled, "What's so funny?!"
"Oh," Django wiped an invisible tear. "It's just... you threatening me and being protective over El Tigre. And taking this oh-so-seriously. It's just... hilarious," he turned back to her and closed their distance again, "You're adorable," he poked her cheek with his claw, a mocking smile on his face.
Frida scowled and slapped his hand away. Django chuckled. "Relax, Suárez, I'm not going planning anything against Manny. I just want to be friends. I swear," he put a hand up and the other in front of his chest. Frida scoffed and crossed her arms, unpleased with his mockery.
"You better be," Frida muttered. She walked past the villain and towards the front gate, Manny must've been wondering what was taking so long by now and she didn't want him to worry. She turned to Django one last time, "I'm still keeping my eye on you, Of The Dead." The blue-haired girl then continued her way, quickening her pace to meet with Manny. Django smirked at her warning and waved until she was out of his sight, disappearing into the fog.
Django's mocking expression slowly melted away, his face becoming much more serious once he was alone. He stood still for a few seconds before turning away, walking towards the opposite direction the other two went, a quiet, almost silent sigh escaping his mouth. He turned his head back, to where Manny and Frida last were, before he too disappeared into the fog, his glowing red eyes the last to be cloaked by the quiet night.
Author's note: Aand here it is! Just one more planned AU to go!
So, the premise of this AU is: what if Django, instead of becoming an enemy, decided to (supposedly) join Manny and Frida as a friend? Manny is the first to accept him (although not immediately), but Frida remains suspicious for some time.
(On a side note, thank you, guest, for the lovely review, even though that are so many other authors, active and inactive alike, that better deserve such praise. You made my day when I first read it.)
Hope you guys enjoyed this one!