Surprises Aplenty

In a flash, the Penn Racing Team suddenly came pouring out of the portal and found themselves standing within a beautiful meadow. But they were so disoriented from their entry that it took them a while to notice. The first to come around was Lance, who couldn't help but stare in awe at the scenery around him.

"Um...guys, I don't think we're in Loan anymore" he murmured, "in fact...it doesn't look like we're anywhere near Dragon City." The racers' dragons shook their heads vigorously, took a look around them and grunted in amazement. "Um...guys, are we in some kind of dream" Kitt asked, "if we are...I don't think I want to wake up yet."

Parm and the Penn Bros. couldn't help but agree with their lady friend. Despite their overall confusion, it looked as though they were in a safe spot. But then, Lance suddenly noticed that something was missing and began to feel quite nervous.

"Guys...where's my dad" he asked, "did you see him come out of that portal thing yet?" This reveal caused Beau's protective instincts to kick in. With Artha still mounted atop his back, the blue and red scale dragon suddenly rushed off into the distance; desperate to find the eldest Penn family member.

Meanwhile, Artha was trying his best to remain seated while the dragon kept running. "Whoa! Easy does it, boy" he shouted, "I know you're worried for about my dad...but if you're not careful, you could ram into someone!" Unfortunately, the young stable boy's calls went unheeded as Beau continued his desperate search for Connor Penn.

But then, just as Artha predicted; the dragon failed to look ahead of him and suddenly collided into something...pink and fluffy. Once Artha had recovered from the crash seconds later, he slowly opened his eyes and was met with the steely gaze of a large pink lion. "What the heck" he cried, "someone get animal control, there's a...I dunno what this is, loose!"

Without further delay, Artha tried his best to crawl away from the pink animal. But he was stopped flat on the ground after it placed his right forepaw atop his chest. Upon seeing his partner in such a position, Beau got back on his feet and let out a mighty roar at the pink beast.

Sadly, this display of ferocity did not dampen the creature's courage. With a soft growl, he suddenly plopped himself atop of the poor lad and began to take a catnap. Not long after that, the other members of the Penn Racing Team arrived and spotted Artha pinned down under the animal.

But while Kitt and Parm felt concerned for their friend, Lance couldn't help but laugh a little at the scene before him. "Look, guys; Artha made a friend" he guffawed, "and he sleeps on him just like how Beau does." The others couldn't deny the obvious humor of the situation.

But the moment they saw the creature itself, their jovial moods quickly ceased. "What in the world is that" whispered Parm, "it doesn't look like a dragon." With a fierce sneer upon his lips, Beau cautiously approached the pink beast; eager to fight it...if the need arose.

As it turned out, the creature appeared to be thinking the same thing and flashed its teeth menacingly at him. Then, just when things couldn't seem to get any stranger; the racers soon spotted someone rushing up towards the pink beast. They watched in awe as the boy glared firmly at it, waved his finger in disapproval in front of its muzzle and commanded him to move off of Artha.

But perhaps, the most surprising thing about the scene was the fact that the beast actually listened to him and slowly stepped off of Artha; after letting out a most prodigious yawn. "By the Magna Draconis...this is astonishing" Parm murmured, "I don't know who this boy is...but he must be some sort of beast master." Just as Kitt was prepared to shoot down her friend's assumption, there was a sudden rustling in the bush.

"I think we've got company, guys" Kitt said warily while drawing out her mag staff, "be ready for anything." Without a second thought, Lance and Parm drew out their weapons as well; hoping they weren't in any real danger. Then, they soon spotted figures stepping out of the bushes; some big and others as small as Lance.

But then, three great shadows suddenly loomed over where everyone stood; which caused Parm to nervously glance upward. What he saw there filled him with such shock, he almost fainted on the spot. Standing above him were three gargantuan maidens; one blue, one yellow and the third appearing as white as snow with black lips.

To say that the Penn Racers were shocked would be a gross understatement. At the same time, the young boy and the strangers appeared equally confused of their situation. "Um, guys...any idea where we are" a small, purple female asked, "this don't look like the woods we were in before."

There was a collective murmur of confusion from the band of strangers until one of them suddenly spotted the racers and began to approach them. As the woman drew closer, Artha took a moment to observe her features. She was tall (taller than most women he knew,) had glasses in the shape of a half star, appeared to be wearing what looked like pointed shoulder pads, had wide hips, thick legs, a head of thick hair fashioned into a sort of square shape and wore a ring upon each hand; one silver and the other possibly copper.

"Excuse me, Humans" the strange being greeted politely, "would you be so kind as to tell us where we are?" The four teens didn't answer, for they were far too overwhelmed with a sense of awe and confusion to do so. After almost a minute of silence; the tall, yellow being growled softly and decided to be more direct.

"I do not wish to seem...testy, Humans" she murmured while doing her best to keep her temper in check, "but if you do not tell us where you've brought us...we will not be held accountable for our actions." Upon hearing this accusation, the four dragon races suddenly snapped out of their daze and glared at her. "Excuse us, lady...but I think you have things backwards" Lance shot back, "you're the ones that brought us here!"

Utterly flabbergasted by the child's rudeness, the blue woman proclaimed that neither she or her associates had any involvement in his claims. Not long after that, a more aggressive tone of voice suddenly spoke up; surprising everyone. "Well, somebody here's responsible for all this crap" it decreed, "and when I find out who they are...they're gonna pay."

Suddenly, a loud swish echoed through the air and one of the nearby trees was suddenly sliced in half. After that, another group of strangers arrived; all of whom appearing as equally confused as the others. "Who are you guys...and where the hell are we" a young boy with a straw hat asked rudely, "this don't look like Raftel."

After that, yet another group appeared; this time, it consisted of two humans and a band of primates. One of them chittered something in confusion to the boy and, as astonishing as it seemed, he seemed to understand it. "I dunno, Antauri" murmured the boy, "but wherever we are...we're not alone."

Just then, two more groups appeared seemingly out of nowhere; which made things even more confusing. "Okay...this is getting too freaky" murmured Lance, "who are all these people and...and where's Dad!?" Upon sensing the boy's fear, Beau and Fracshun let out fierce growls and glared at the other strangers.

This caused the pink creature known as Lion to also become defensive. After that, the boy with the straw hat glared at everyone and readied his fist. Beside him, there was a boy with white hair and green eyes also preparing for a fight.

The last group to arrive wasn't quite so eager for a fight, however. They were too busy looking around at the scenery around them. "Y'all...I don't know what's goin' on" murmured the half-human/half-robot member of said group, "but I think I know where we are." After taking one last look at their surroundings, the other members of this group also sensed something familiar in this place and began to calm down.

But when they saw the crowd before them acting up, they immediately leapt into action. "Looks like we have a crowd control situation on our hands, guys" murmured a masked lad clad in a green, red and yellow uniform; "you know what that means...TITANS, GO!" With this simple order, the group known as Titans rushed headlong into the crowd; hoping to try and stop any hostilities developing.

What happened instead was a massive cacophony of shouts, rants, demands and fearful pleas for help. Then, all of a sudden; a strange aura enveloped everyone and froze them in place. But while their bodies were stiff, everyone was still able to speak.

"Wha...W-What the heck" Artha murmured, "what's going on, I can't move!" Everyone else voiced the same complaint, while the dragons and "Lion" simply growled softly in anger. Then, just as hostilities began to grow higher between everyone; four hooded figures appeared and called for silence. "Calm yourselves, everyone" one of the short figures stated, "you are all safe here and are among friends."

Everyone suddenly went silent, when these strangers appeared but they were no less hesitant to listen to them. Then, one of them gave a wave of his hand; which caused the aura to instantly fade away. Once it did, everyone was immediately free to move their limbs and bodies slightly.

"Uh...thanks for letting us go" murmured Kitt, "now, would you be so kind as to tell us where we are...and who you are?" No sooner had she said this, everyone else suddenly drew their attention on the four strangers. "Yeah, what is this place" murmured the small, purple woman; "are we on another planet...or did we go back in time!?"

While the time travel idea was a bit of a stretch, everyone was still anxious to know where they were and demanded answers. "Please, be calm" one of the tall figures said in a calm, female voice; "you are safe here in our world." Despite the overall sincerity in her words, the mention of "another world" didn't make everyone feel any less confused.

"Your world...so, Amethyst was right" a pale woman with pink hair and a pointed nose exclaimed, "we are on another planet...but how is that possible, all we did was step through a portal!" One of the figures suddenly let out a soft chuckle and assured everyone that all was well. "We are on the planet Earth, Lady Pearl...just on a completely different dimensional plain" the figure explained, "but perhaps, some proper introductions and explanations are in order."

Before anyone could speak up, the four strangers quickly drew back their hoods and revealed their true faces. The two elder figures were the first to do so. The one on the left was a noble looking chap with long hair as black as night, a chiseled jaw-line, was dressed in what looked to be regal looking clothes and had a moon-shaped sword hanging at his side.

The figure beside him was a woman with long hair as white as snow, she wore a jeweled circlet around her forehead, had a necklace bearing a large moonstone around her neck, her eyes sparkled like gems and her lips were as full as ripe peaches. Upon discarding her shoddy disguise; the woman's true attire was revealed to be a ruby-colored, hooded medieval-style dress. The last to reveal themselves were the two smaller figures.

The one beside the elder male appeared to be a young lad with short black hair, eyes were as green as jade, a star-bright smile and clothing that gave him the look of a prince. Beside him stood a lovely maiden with enchanting violet eyes, long purple hair braided into a ponytail, a soft yet luscious smile and a dress as white as newly fallen snow. However, the most astonishing feature these strangers had was their ears.

Much to everyone's confusion; instead of appearing like typical human ears, theirs were pointed. To say that this all shocked everyone would be an understatement. A more appropriate word to use for their current situation would be astonished, flabbergasted or even stunned.

Needless to say, they were in definite need of answers now. "Welcome to our home" the young male stated, "we do hope you all had no difficulty in passing through the portals." For some time, no one had spoken a word; due to the shock that still gripped them. But the moment the notion of portals was mentioned, everyone snapped back to their senses and glared at the four strangers.

"Alright, wise guys; we want answers" growled Kitt, "who are you and what is this place?" Everyone else voiced the same questions, some did so in a kindly fashion (like Steven) while others did so in rather...hostile tones. But in spite of it all, the four strangers smiled at them and bowed/curtsied before them.

Afterwards, the elder male took a few steps forward and addressed them all. "On behalf of my family, I will be more than happy to answer your concerns" he said warmly, "I am Thaylog Shadowmane, High King of the Elven people of Overon and I welcome you to our world." After making his introduction, the stranger known as Thaylog gave a wave of his hand and the animals of the forest seemed to sound off in praise to him.

"Beside me stands my beloved wife, son and daughter-in-law" Thaylog said warmly, "Elbenor, Gabriel, Donella; come greet our guests." With great fervor, the one called Gabriel rushed forward; appearing eager to greet everyone. At the same time, several people were sent spinning in place; when a red and orange blur suddenly blasted through them.

This same blur tackled Gabriel hard and everyone could hear a great deal of laughter from them. "Oh, how wonderful" cried a young orange-skinned lass, "I did not think we would ever see you again, Friend Gabriel!" Despite being swept up in a near bone-crushing embrace, Gabriel greeted his old friend with a warm smile and a jolly laugh.

"Princess Koriand'r, welcome back to the kingdom" he said happily, "and a hello to you as well, Titans." Almost immediately, the one called Starfire urged her four friends to come over and greet the elves; which they happily complied. For several moments, the ones called Titans were caught up in a happy discussion with the four strangers; which made everyone else quite confused (and a little flustered.)

Then, at that moment; the one called Koriand'r felt something sharp poking against her back. She turned her head slightly to find the green-haired swordsman holding his sword, waiting for the chance to run her through. "You seem to know these freaks pretty well, girly" he grunted, "so, you all best tell us where we really are...or else.

Naturally, Koriand'r wasn't so easily intimidated and was willing to show this ruffian she was also no push over. But she was not willing to act violently in the presence of friends and thus, chose to only glare at him. After a while, the woman called Elbenor pushed her aside and said she would deal with him.

"Don't assume that just because the two of you are supposedly royalty that I won't hurt you" he said threateningly, "because I sure as shit will, if you push me enough." Everyone gasped loudly at the man's use of vulgar language and Kitt quickly covered Lance's ears, hoping he didn't hear the word. But despite both the swordsman's threat and his rather profane tone of voice, neither Koriand'r nor Gabriel felt intimidated by him.

Then, the elf prince raised his right hand up towards Zoro; presenting an odd hand gesture. Not long after, both his hand and the swordsman's blades shined a bright blue aura until the sword was suddenly transformed into a pair of sparrows. "What the...WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED" roared the swordsman, "GIVE ME BACK MY SWORDS, NOW!"

The elf queen, Elbenor shook her head and said that her son would restore his weapon; on condition that he would swear not to harm anyone there. "Best do what they say, Zoro" a small reindeer whimpered, "if they can do that with your swords...who knows what they can do to the rest of us!" For a moment or so, the swordsman called Zoro mentally debating on what to do.

Then, at that moment; the sparrow that was once his katana let out a soft chirp. This was enough to finally bring Zoro to his senses and thus, he chose to relent. "We do apologize for bringing you here without proper notification" Gabriel murmured shamefully, "the entire endeavor was my doing, truth be told."

The moment he said this, every eye slowly turned towards him. "Okay, we want some answers; here and now" the purple lass named Amethyst interjected, "what's all this about!?" Rather than answer her outright, the Shadowmane Family simply asked everyone to follow them back to their home.

"N-N-Not until we learn why you have brought us all here" Parm murmured nervously, "and tell us what you did with our friend, Connor Penn." With a broad smile across his face, Thaylog assured the young teenager that his friend was safe and unharmed. Then, as if on cue; a great horned dragon made its way into the clearing.

Everyone else gazed upon the beast with a mix of shock, terror and awe in their eyes. But Artha and his friends simply laughed with joy, when they saw who the beast's rider was. "Dad...He's okay" Lance cried with joy, "Dad, we're down here!"

Connor looked down at the patch of green and spotted his young son waving at him. This brought a warm smile to his face, knowing that his family and friends managed to pass through the strange portal safely. "Mr. Penn! Oh, thank the heaven's you're safe" cried Parm with relief, "when we didn't see you in the crowd, we all got worried; especially Lance."

The young boy in question nodded sadly and confessed that he thought the strangers did something terrible to him. "It's okay, Son; as you can see, I'm perfectly fine" chuckled Connor, "as for the Shadowmanes...they are not our enemy." As expected, this little confession didn't quite win over the team; despite the fact that it came from a friend/family member.

"Are you serious, Dad" Artha exclaimed, "they took us from each of our homes...how are they not our enemies?" As Connor prepared to answer his son's concerns; Thaylog smiled at the lad and assured him that everyone's questions would be answered, once they've returned to "their kingdom. But what truly took him off-guard was the fact that he addressed Artha by his full name.

"Hold it, Mister...just tell me one thing" Kitt growled, "how do you know my friend's name?" After receiving his father's approval to do so, Gabriel approached everyone and proclaimed that his family knew everything about the young racer. "In truth...we know everything about all of you" he announced, "I know of Master Fenton's desire to become an astronaut, the fact that Lady Garnet is a fusion of two separate beings known as Ruby and Sapphire...and that Master Usopp's victory over Sugar, a subordinate to Donquixote Doflamingo and of how he later gained his moniker of 'God Usopp,' from those he helped rescue in the process."

Upon hearing all these different reveals, everyone gazed at the prince with a look of shock upon their faces. "I also know that young Master Chiro is one of the few humans from his realm who is capable of communicating with the Hyperforce" Gabriel said suddenly, "that is the team name given to his five primate companions, for those unaware." Upon snapping out of their shock, everyone turned towards the group in question; where they saw Chiro waving shyly at them.

"Soooo...is he some kind of animal trainer or something" questioned Amethyst, "if that's the case, can you train lions too?" With a grunt of disapproval, the pink lion gave the woman a quick swat of his paw in the back of her head. "Nay, milady" Thaylog replied, "according to what my son has learned, Chiro has been blessed with the Power Primate; a mystical force that bestowed wondrous gifts upon him."

After hearing all this, everyone turned towards Chiro and asked if the "king" spoke the truth. "Yes...as weird as it sounds, it's all true" the boy said hesitantly, "the power grants me unique fighting techniques and the ability to communicate with my team fluently." Upon hearing the young man speak, the girl named Koriand'r gasped with shock.

But it wasn't the description of his gifts that surprised her. Rather, it was his voice; which she proclaimed sounded near identical to her green friend. "No way, Star" he scoffed softly, "everybody's tone of voice is different."

When Chiro and the Hyperforce heard the green child speak, they gave him the strangest of looks; like he had grown an extra head. When the lad in question took notice of this, he sighed dejectedly and held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Okay, dudes; I know what you're thinking" he stated, "yes, I've got green skin and that's weird...but I'm not diseased; well...not anymore, at least!"

One of the Hyperforce members, a monkey with yellow fur, shook her head slightly and began making pantomime gestures. Upon observation, everyone realized that she was mimicking someone speaking aloud. "I don't think it's your skin that freaks her out, kid" Lance murmured, "I think she's trying to say that her friend actually does sound like you."

What happened next threw everyone for a complete loop. After scoffing softly in disbelief; both Chiro and the green lad proclaimed in unison "no way, that's impossible." The moment they spoke; everyone, including the two boys themselves, gasped in shock. "Okay...this is too weird" Chiro murmured, "who are you guys, what is this place...and how did we get here?"

The green lad chuckled sheepishly and decided to introduce himself. "Name's Garfield Logan, Gar for short" he stated, "but my pals here call me Beast Boy." Afterwards, he introduced the others as the Titans. This reveal suddenly caused the white haired boy's eyes to grow so wide, they almost popped from his head.

"Hold it...did you say Titans" he asked cautiously, "as in the Teen Titans, the famous teen superheroes?" With uneasy looks upon their faces, the five teens nodded silently. Once his assumptions were proven true, the boy suddenly started cackling madly like a nerd.

"HOLY CRUD! I can't believe it's you" he cried with joy, "you guys are even cooler than I am!" After he said this, a young African-American teen approached the Titans and eyed them intently. "I dunno, Danny; are you sure it's them" he murmured, "these could just be some...really good cosplayers."

With this thought in mind, the boy suddenly started rubbing his hand hard against Beast Boy's cheek; thinking it was body paint. This caused him to let out an animalistic growl before he immediately shifted into the form of a green tiger. If the transformation wasn't enough to make everyone back off, the roar he let out certainly was.

This sight caused the boy in the straw hat to guffaw with excitement. "THAT WAS SO COOOL" he shouted, "WANNA JOIN MY CREW, WE DON'T HAVE ANY SHAPESHIFTERS WITH US!" Before Beast Boy could respond, he watched as the one-eyed swordsman lightly swatted the excitable lad in the back of the head.

"I thought we talked about this, Luffy" he grumbled, "you can't just go recruiting every weirdo that catches your eye!" Upon hearing the word "weirdo," the Titans suddenly became rather flustered. "You calling us weirdoes, pal" growled Beast Boy, "at least we all still have both our eyes!"

Infuriated with the insult, the swordsman reached for his two remaining katana and took a battle stance. But before anyone could make another move, the giant white female slammed her hands between both groups and pushed them back slightly. "Now, children; you shouldn't be fighting over something so petty" she said while wagging her finger in disapproval, "whatever is going on, we must try to understand it...then, we can battle one another."

The woman called Amethyst facepalmed herself in annoyance, softly murmuring how the tall one wasn't quite so skilled at being a peacekeeper as her friends. But regardless, the two groups listened to the white maid's words and immediately stood down. "Sorry about that" Beast Boy said apologetically, "being called a 'weirdo' always manages to rub me the wrong way."

Once that was settled, he made a proper introduction with Chiro and the one called Danny. "I just can't believe it, you're here...right in front of me" Danny said giddily, "I've seen all the reports on you and your team on the news...you're all so awesome!" Before Beast Boy could thank him for the compliment, Koriand'r (or as he called her, Star) zoomed forward and got very close to Danny.

"I am abuzz with curiosity" she stated, "please...where did you come from, how did you get here, what's your favorite color, do you wish to be my friend?" After taking a moment to carefully process the questions; Danny smiled at her and answered with "um...Earth, my friends and I passed through some portal thing, my favorite color is blue and...sure?" Needless to say, these responses were just what Star hoped to hear.

"Greetings, new friend" she cried with delight, "I now happily embrace you as a new comrade." Before he utter one word, Danny suddenly found himself in a tight hug that almost squeezed the air completely out of his lungs. While Star spun him in the air in her embrace; down below, a young lady glared up at the pair with a burning fire in her eyes.

"Hey, lady; get your hands off of him" she growled venomously, "HE'S MIIIINE!" When he managed to get some air back into his lungs, Danny chuckled at the girl and gave her a thumbs up. "Sam, it's okay" he assured, "this is just Starfire's...unique way of greeting friends."

Despite Danny's affirmation, it did little to dampen her jealousy. Upon seeing the young lady's bitter expression, the Titans approached her and introduced themselves. "I'm Robin...but I guess, you might already know that" the masked boy stated, "these are my teammates/best friends; Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy...and your friend has already met Starfire."

While still unsure if he was who he claimed to be, the young lady still did the polite thing and shook Robin's hand. "My name's Sam Manson" she stated, "and these are my friends, Tucker Foley and Danny Fenton." Soon after this; Danny, while still locked in Star's overzealous embrace, coughed out a hello to everyone.

Meanwhile, Tucker wasted no time flirting with all of the girls present; starting with Raven. "Hi there, name's Tucker Foley" he said in a suave tone, "that's T.F., as in 'too fine.'" Raven simply rolled her eyes at the boy and, with the aid of her magic, pushed him four feet away from her.

Upon seeing this, the boy in the straw hat and the lad bearing a star upon his shirt gasped in awe. Then, Gabriel approached them and greeted the boys with a hearty handshake. "And I know of you lads as well" he chuckled, "Monkey D. Luffy, leader of the Straw Hat Pirates and the new King of the Pirates of his world...and Steven Quartz/Diamond Universe, Son of Pink Diamond and member of the Crystal Gems."

Upon hearing these introductions, the air immediately echoed with cries of disbelief and confusion. "What are you even talking about, pal" cried Danny, "you've still not answered us on how we got here, how you know about us...and what you plan to do with us!" While still equally confused, everyone let out a loud "YEAH" in reply to the lad's declaration.

But despite the uneasiness of the crowd, the Shadowmanes' reserve remained strong and unhinged. "We understand your concerns, everyone; we truly do" Thaylog stated, "but if you will follow us...all will be revealed." With that said, he and his family made their way through the thicket; leaving everyone else behind to contemplate on what to do next.

On one hand; no one knew where they ended up, who these people were or how they seemed to know them all. But on the other hand, they realized that their collective exploits have made them quite infamous. Thus, it made sense for these strangers to know of their identities.

But then...those like Pearl, Garnet, Sam and especially Parm couldn't help but eye the Shadowmanes suspiciously. At the same time, everyone looked at one another with equal suspicion; wondering if anyone was secretly plotting to do something heinous. Well...I wouldn't say everyone was thinking this way, truthfully.

With a bright smile upon his face; Steven Universe approached the other groups and happily exclaimed "hi, I'm Steven." While still keeping up their guards, everyone greeted the boy with either half-smiles or a simple wave. Then, all of a sudden; Gabriel's face popped out from the bushes and stared at them all in confusion.

"Why are you lot still standing around" he asked quizzically, "we must hurry, the village is anxious to greet you all." Before anyone could speak out or object, the elf prince swiftly disappeared back into the leaves. Not long after that, Lion suddenly darted off after him; followed by Luffy, Chopper, Lance and Steven.

"Steven, wait up" Amethyst shouted, "you can't leave us all behind like this!" With that said, she immediately ran off in pursuit of her friend. Not long after that, all the other groups started shouting similar statements and immediately gave chase after their comrades.

Once they had all gone away; all was quiet in the meadow, once again...until a soft groaning sound came out from behind a cluster of trees. Then, a figure cloaked in shadow slowly picked himself up from the dirt. Upon stepping out of the shadows, the figure was revealed to be Moordryd Payne; who appeared mildly disoriented but unharmed.

After taking a moment to shake the cobwebs out of his head, Moordryd took a moment to observe his new surroundings. Needless to say, he didn't recognize anything around him. Thinking quickly, he took out his communication device and tried his best to contact his father or the members of the Dragon Eyes crew.

But after several attempts, all he got was static; despite the fact that the device was relatively undamaged. "What's going on here" he grumbled, "why can't I get this to work!?" After failing one final time; Moordryd, after letting out a frustrated growl, threw the device into the bushes.

"This must be Penn's doing" he thought bitterly, "I don't know how but he must've had something to do with that vortex...portal...thing and I'm gonna find out what!" With that said, he called for Decepshun and prepared to race out of the forest. But then, the young racer suddenly found himself surrounded by armored warriors.

Without hesitation; these warriors held up their shield in one hand, drew out their long spears with the other and surrounded Moordryd in a circle. Decepshun growled worriedly, as the point of each spearhead slowly inched their way towards her. As he looked into the eyes of the warriors around him, Moordryd could only think of two words to describe his situation; "ah, scales."

(First AN: Looks like Moordryd didn't get the kind welcome the others received earlier. What fate awaits Dragon City's most infamous loner, what do these elves want with our heroes and will everyone manage to get along well enough until their questions are answered? Tune in next time, to find out.)

(Second AN: Sorry for not addressing everyone other than the Penn Racing Team by name. This chapter happens just after they passed through the portal that appeared in their world. Thus, everyone else would appear as strangers to them.

Which is exactly why I referred to Luffy as "the boy in the straw hat," Danny as "the white-haired lad" and so on. I hope this helps clear up any confusion you might've had with that one scene.)

(Final AN: For those wondering, The Shadowmanes are from a book I wrote called The Adventures of Prince Gabriel. As this fic continues, other figures from this world will make appearances and these same figures are also from stories I've written; some published and some not...yet. If you wish to learn more about these characters, you can find Prince Gabriel and another book entitled Quest for the Crystal on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google and other online services.)