King Julien was, not to toot his own horn too much, a pranking wizard! When it came to the fine art of practical jokes, his boundless imagination knew no boundaries!

So he came up with the ingenious idea of scribbling funny things on a sleeping lemur! Only to find out that sharpies don't work so well on fur, but fortunately, Keke found a solution to their dilemma, as Hector kept a razor blade in his hut. Probably to trim the nasty hair growing inside his old man ears, Julien figured and promptly shuddered at the horrid thought.

The grouchy black-and-white lemur was snoring in his hammock outside his hut when he was pelted in the snout by a tiny spitball. He only grumbled sleepily and scratched his nose.

Hiding behind palmettos, Julien snapped his fingers. "Aim for his crusty old man eyes. That should be waking him up!"

Keke listened and shot another spitball through a bamboo twig, hitting Hector in the eye, which made him stir.

"Wha-wha-what now?" Hector woke up and felt a shiver, making him hug himself.

"Brrrrr…what's going on?" he grumbled when he noticed a conveniently placed mirror in front of him.

"It's the middle of summer-AHHH!" he screamed and fell out of the hammock after seeing his own reflection.

Groaning, he got up and sent it a death glare. "Hey! What's the big idea, pal! Where do you get off giving someone a…"

Since Hector was one of the few lemurs in the kingdom with a decently functioning brain, he quickly realized he was talking to himself and jumped back in horror.

"My fur? What happened to my fur?!"

Covering their mouth and snickering, Julien and Keke crouched down and hive-fived.

Julien made a shushing gesture. "Listen. He'll go all ranty and swear horrible vengeance any sec now-"

"WHOEVER YOU ARE!? YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!?" Hector screamed. "YOU HEAR ME, WISE GUY!? I'll HUNT YA DOWN, EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!?"

Julien covered his mouth and had to use all of his kingly willpower not to blow their cover with uncontrollable laughter.

"He sounds like he means it." Keke joked while holding up the stolen razor with her tail, which was covered in hair. "We got to get rid of the evidence."

"Good call. Nobody is tracing this hilariousness back to us." Julien agreed as they snuck away on all fours only to find themselves staring at a lemur's feet.

Looking up, they yelped and jumped up when they came face-to-face with Hector, clenching his teeth and with steam coming out of his head. Keke hid the razor behind her back.

"Hector?! Um….sup?" Julien greeted him nervously. "How's the whole…being old and cranky thing going?"

"You freaking punks think this is funny!?" Hector growled.

Keke shrugged. "Si, you do look pretty funny."

"Funny?" Julien chuckled awkwardly. "Nah…you're totally rocking the mustache and eyepatch combo. Very boss."

Said "eyepatch" was an ace of spades drawn over Hector's right eye, together with a twirly mustache.

"You did this!" he pointed at them.

"Pffftt…what makes you think it was us?" Keke played it cool and showed him both of her paws.

"I can smell juvenile delinquents from a mile away!" Hector yelled before pointing at his waist, where "KJ" was written. "And who else has these initials?!"

Keke glared at Julien, who grinned sheepishly and shrugged. He got carried away?

"Oh, come now. Lotsa peoples have the initials "KJ"?" Julien insisted and tapped his chin. "Um…like…like King Joey? Yeah, clearly he's the mastermind prankster who did this."

The gig was up the moment he used "King Joey" and "mastermind" in the same sentence.

Laughing, he put his arm over Hector. "No hard feelings, buddy. We all make mistakes. I was more than happy to use my sick deductive skills to help you find the true perpetrator. No need to thank me."

Growling, Hector shoved him away. "You take me for some kind of bozo?!"

"You said it, not us." Keke quipped.

Hector boiled with anger. "Let's see if you're so cheeky once I tell your parents!"

"Ha! Joke's on you." Keke crossed her arms smugly. "Mamá is a super spy on a top-secret mission. Good luck finding her."

Hector had half a mind to tell her that her mamá was six feet under, but even he wasn't that cruel.

"Fine, then I'll tell that flea-bitten fossa." He glowered. "You're her burden now."

Keke's eyes widened while Hector sent Julien a malicious grin. "And aren't your folks here too?"

Julien was taken aback. "No, please! Don't tell mom and Big Pappa! They don't understand humor!"

"You wouldn't dare." Keke said dangerously, trying to call his bluff.

"Watch me, brat." Hector told her before turning around.

"Wait, wait, Hector." Julien pleaded as he followed him on his knees. "Let's not be doing anything hasty. Please, you can't do this!"

"You're right, I can't?" Hector paused to ponder, making Julien sigh with relief.

"That's okay…" the ringtail chuckled. "No harm, no-"

"I'd be wasting my time with those royal roobs." Hector grumbled with realization. "Guess that leaves Maurice."

Julien gasped. "No, no! Don't tell, Mo-Mo!"

"Too late, party boy." Hector snubbed him and was on his way.

"Come on, please! Be a pal?" Julien begged him. "Can't you take a joke? Nobody likes a snitch."

"Yeah, snitches get stiches!" Keke shouted.

"Uhhh…I'm SO scared." Hector snarked bitterly. "Please don't beat me up, pipsqueak."

His mind racing, Julien desperately tried to think of a way out of this, when an idea hit him.

He stood up and sighed. "I'm apologizing in advance, Hector. But you leave me no choice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hector stopped and eyed him, when Julien cupped his mouth.

"THE SIFAKAS ARE COMING!"

In instant, Hector's pupils shrank and he froze on the spot, as countless graphic memories flooded his brain.

"Where?!" he screamed and ducked behind a boulder.

"Yes!" Julien pumped his fist.

Keke blinked. "What just happened?"

Relaxing, Julien chuckled. "It's his "PTSD", at least that's what Maurice calls it? See, when he hears what I just uttered, he has an episode, which…like totally scrambles his brain and gives him amnesia."

"What's "P.T.S.D"?" Keke squinted.

"No clue." Julien shrugged. "Probably some old people thing. Lucky for us that we aren't old, right?"

"Yeah…but that old viejo sounded like meant it?" Keke felt goosebumps. "He really was going to snitch on us?"

"I know, that was a close call." Julien agreed with a somber recognition before grinning. "Wanna do it again?"

"Would I!" Keke jumped with anticipation.

Suddenly, Julien heard a familiar scream, coming from the beach, followed by squealing. "Get it away from me!"

"Who is that?" Keke wondered.

"Ah, I shall introduce you to our kingdom's beloved protector!" Julien proclaimed, before whispering. "And our next victim. Quick! We'll need some shoe polish and one of those double spyglass thingies?"

As they ran off, a sweaty Hector rose from his hiding spot, wearing a leaf bandana on his head and using a rock to sharpen a branch into a makeshift spear.

His heart was pounding rapidly as he saw Nurse Phantom strolling towards him, pushing a cart with medical supplies, only to be cut off by Hector.

"You won't take my home while I'm still breathing, you Frank-forsaken sifaka!?" Hector raved.

"Hechto?" Nurse Phantom blurted. "Whuth arr ya-"

Letting out a fierce battle cry, Hector tried to skewer him, the latter barely jumping out of the way.

Nurse Phantom screamed and ran for his life through the jungle, pursued by the crazed black-and-white lemur.

"I'll make a duffle bag out of your hide!?"


The duo arrived at the beach, in front of Marty's old hut, which had become a popular site for wild parties, and found the feline they were looking for.

"And that, Keke, is our kingdom's illustrious protector." Julien gestured from atop a tree. "The bravest warrior in all of Madagascar, Alex the Lion!"

"Help, Marty! It's after me!" Alex cried, carrying a log in his arms and being chased by an angry bushpig.

"You mean the puma in the peluca?" Keke didn't look particularly impressed. "Looks kinda lame."

Standing atop a boulder and holding a log of his own, Marty watched as Alex ran past him, pursued by the grunting boar.

"Alex! Don't fall over!" the zebra shouted. "And steer clear of its tusks!"

"Gee, thanks for the advice, Marty!" Alex snarked as he and the pig ran past him again.

"Marty, my hoofy brother from another mother!" Julien greeted the zebra after landing on top of his head. "I see Mr. Alex is hunting down his supper?"

"More like the other way 'round!" Marty panicked. "Please, do something! Ya know these hogs, right?"

"It's gaining on me!" Alex cried as he ran past them.

"Um…sure…just give me a sec." Julien tried to think. "But what's with the collecting of logs?"

"For that." Marty pointed at a 30-foot-tall construction.

Julien tensed in horror as he saw another giant "HELP" sign made from wood. Though it currently spelled "HELI".

"Oh, yeah…" the ringtail rubbed his arm. "Another rescue signal for passing boats, right?"

"Yes, yes, now can you please help us!" Marty implored him.

Julien's kingly brain raced to come up with a way to destroy the sign without taking the heat for it. Oh, and to save Mr. Alex from being gored to death.

Looking around, his eyes fell on the multi-colored flags on the leftover party banners. A diurnal firefly conveniently flew over his head and lit up as he grinned.

"Fear not, King Julien shall save ye!" he proclaimed heroically before somersaulting off Marty's head and pulling down the banner.

Landing on his booty, he got up and dusted a red flag before running up to the "HELP" sign and waving said flag.

"Yoo-hoo!" he whistled tauntingly. "Over here, Mr. Warty-Faced Warthog! Toro! Toro!"

Alex was clinging to a palm tree with the bushpig just below him when the latter turned around and its eyes sported flames as it saw the red cape.

Snorting and stomping the ground, it charged at Julien like a freight train, with the appropriate sound effects.

As it came closer, Julien's bravado evaporated in an instant and he screamed like a little girl before running off, leaving the flag wafting in the air.

It collided with the charging bushpig's face, blinding it and causing it to crash into the would-be "P", which knocked the other letters over like dominos, crushing the pig underneath them.

Once the dust cleared, Julien saw that his reckless stunt actually worked, and Marty and Keke applauded him.

"Nice one, KJ!" Marty clicked his tongue and pointed at him.

"Way to go, Mr. Julien! You showed him who's boss!" Keke landed next to him.

"Why of course." Julien insisted. "The king always knows what he's doing."

"No! No! No! NO!" Alex came running towards the rubble and kneeled down, desperately trying to rebuild it.

He managed to lean two logs against each other and they promptly collapsed, making Alex clutch his head.

"What have you done!" he cried. "It took us five weeks to build this damn thing!"

"Oh, I am so very sorry, Mr. Alex." Julien patted him on the flank. "I…had to act fast and wasn't looking where I was going."

"Why didn't you just eat the pig like a real puma?" Keke shrugged.

"Don't be too hard on the lil'guy, Alex." The ever-optimistic Marty patted his best friend's back. "He had to save your bacon, and we can always build another sign."

"Yeah…" Alex said with a shell-shocked expression "…another one?"

Noticing it, Julien offered some discouraging words. "Yeah, I just hope another freak monsoon doesn't come by and knock it down, like with the first one. It sure would be a wasting of your precious time?"

By "freak monsoon" he of course meant tricking the zoo animals into hiding in an underground cavern for 24 hours while he and his peeps demolished the first one and had a big bond fire. But since monsoons are a thing in Madagascar, Julien didn't commit another act of sabotage, he merely taught his guests how to react in case of an emergency.

Keke cleared her throat and Julien saw her holding up a pair of binoculars. Julien winked and took it.

"But maybe your fortune is changing?" he added, earning the lion's attention. "Is that a big cruise ship I'm seeing?"

"What?!" Alex blurted and put his paw above his eyes. "Where? I don't see it?!"

"Try this!" Julien held up the binoculars and Alex snatched them without a second thought.

"I don't see it?! Help me out!?"

Suppressing a snicker, Julien said, "Oh, my bad. It was just one of those big, blubbery whales. I get them confused."

Slumping his shoulders, Alex lowered the binoculars and gave the ringtail a miserable glare, utterly unaware of the dark circles around his eyes.

"Not cool, man." The lion frowned. "There's only so much dashed hope a guy can take in one-"

His voice trailed off as Julien and Keke snickered uncontrollably.

"Hey, what's so funny?" the bewildered Alex questioned before Marty joined in.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." The zebra said in jest.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex raised an eyebrow, while Marty covered his mouth.

"What? Is something on with my face?" Alex grew nervous.

"Nope, you look great, Al." Marty joked.

"Be real, Marty? Don't tell me I have a zit?" Alex touched his face frantically. "Or split ends?!"

"Maybe…" Marty teased.

"I need a mirror!"

While Alex was having another nervous breakdown and Marty kept probing, Julien waved goodbye and left with Keke.

"Yeesh, that is one prissy puma?" Keke noted.

"I know." Julien agreed without a hint of irony. "Some people can be sooo vain. It boggles the mind."

"Speaking of "vain"?" Keke smiled. "What about that blabber beak?"


"Dammit. There must be some clue about Blowhole's whereabouts?" Kowalski examined one of the arrows with his magnifying glace. "Hmm…these projectiles were definitely laced with mamba venom."

Private shuddered and took a snapshot with his camera as Kowalski held the spear up. The entire area where Blowhole's minions (as far as the duo knew) had tried to exterminate them with elaborate death traps had been sealed off with crime tape.

"How can someone be so cruel?" The rookie felt sick to his stomach. "Holding innocent kids as hostages?"

"Indeed…" Kowalski nodded. "There are no depths that maniac won't sink to in his depraved quest for world domination, including the kidnapping of hapless, pure-hearted-"

"Hola."

They saw Keke, wearing a beret and a scout stash, together with a pull cart filled with goodies. She was shuffling her foot, with her paws behind her pack.

"…children." Kowalski's face fell, having second thoughts about his latter statement.

"Perdón, Señor Tra…I mean Señor Kowalski." Keke said innocently.

The taller penguin scowled and folded his flippers.

"What do you want, little girl?" he said dismissively. "This is a forensic investigation, and we do not have time for your wanton disrespect of authority."

"Lo sé, and I feel really bad for making fun of you." Keke pouted. "Un genio like you deserves nothing but respect."

Kowalski blinked in surprise while Private scratched his head.

"Blimey…that's a rather abrupt change of heart?"

"Don't act surprised, Private. Word clearly spread about our daring rescue of the young mouse lemur." Kowalski rationalized and smiled broadly.

Sure, let's go with that. "Si, I was very wrong about you." Keke played along. "You guys are real héroes."

"Shucks." Private blushed like a dork. "It's all in a day's work."

"Yes." Kowalski patted the kinkajou on her head. "And rest assured, kid, your apology has been accepted. I am not one to hold grudges."

"Gracias, so will you accept my humble apology gift?" Keke held up a box full of cookies. "They're topped with krill."

"Gladly." Kowalski took it without hesitation and tried one. He loved being rewarded for his heroism.

"Come on, snakey! The king's birthday is on the horizon!" a battered Mort yelled as he yanked a dog leash attached to a black mamba with a muzzle.

He stopped as he noticed the three. Witnessing Kowalski enjoying the cookie, he got an idea and rubbed his hands evilly.

"Hmmm…peculiar flavor?" Kowalski noted while munching, feeling a little hot. "Feels like my gustatory cells have come into contact with capsaicin?"

Keke blinked before shrugging. "I have no idea what you just said but I lied about the krill toppings."

Smirking mischievously, she tilted her head. "It's actually jalapenos."

His eyes bulging and his face turning crimson, Kowalski breathed fire before running in circles, screaming, "Casein! I need casein!"

Keke laughed uncontrollably, while Private watched in horror as his comrade vanished into the jungle.

"Oh, dear…" he cringed before scowling at the kinkajou.

"Now listen here, young lady." He tried to sound stern. A difficult feat to accomplish with his dapper, squeaky voice.

"I'm all for a little lark but this was very mean-spirited. I know Kowalski can be a bit difficult but that's no excuse to…"

All Keke heard was "blah blah blah" as he prattled on and she rolled her eyes before holding up another box, containing Peanut Butter Winkies. Private's eyes lit up.

"Lo siento mucho, I just can't control myself." She pouted with faux-shame. "Will you accept my humble apology gift? For real?"

"Would I!" the rookie beamed and took one. But as he unwrapped it, his brow fell.

"Wait? Did you lace this one with jalapenos too?"

"No, señor. I swear." Keke made an oath gesture. "There are no jalapenos in that winkie."

Private smiled naively. "Well, okay then."

Hiding behind a tree, Julien snickered when Private screamed, "My mouth! It's on fire! Bloody hell, you said there were no-"

"I said nothing about habaneros." Keke laughed. For the uninitiated, those are way worse than jalapenos.

Screaming hysterically, Private bolted past Julien, leaving behind a trail of smoke from his mouth, punctuated by a fire alarm noise.

The ringtail was laughing his booty off as Keke caught up with him and they high-fived with both hands.

"Que idiota!" Keke slapped her knee.

"You're on fire, Keke! I mean it." Julien exclaimed. "And I'm sure those silly penguins don't feel so hot now!"

"That's just the beginning, we still haven't tested the Carolina Reaper!" Keke proclaimed when Mort approached her.

Surprised to see him, Julien scowled and folded his arms. "Well, well, look who finally decided to show up?" he said spitefully.

Mort didn't hear it as he picked up a box. "Excuse me? How much is one box of-"

He didn't finish as Keke kicked him between the legs.

"Oh…my coconuts." He wept and fell over, clutching his crotch.

Julien gawked incredulously. "What was that ab-"

"Stay away from him, Mr. Julien." Keke warned him. "Mary Ann says this chiflado touches kids. He's not worth getting pranked."

"Let's go." Her mirth returned as she pulled her cart with her. "There are lots of saps left."

"Touching kids? Shame on you, Mort!" Julien wagged his finger at the fallen mouse lemur. "That is beyond rude. You need to respect other people's personal boundaries."

"King Julien…" Mort reached out to him "…I was…"

"Ah-ah-ah! The king is not speaking to you." Julien looked away and held his hand up. "You've neglected me in my hour of need, so now I shall be returning that neglect. Begone!"

With a huff, Julien followed his partner-in-crime, leaving Mort alone. He felt bad for neglecting his illustrious ruler but Mort knew that the ends would justify the means.

"Maybe I should use beverages instead?" he thought.


"Feeling the need to act out due to his friends and family's failure to give him attention, King Julien and his young assistant went on a pranking rampage." Pineapple started narrating as we see Pancho entering an outhouse, whistling and carrying a rolled-up newspaper under his arm.

We cut to the sound of flushing as he's about to get up from the toilet seat… only to realize that his rump was firmly stuck to it.

"Why do toilets hate me!" the crowned lemur lamented while trying to pry himself off it.

Outside, another lemur was knocking on the door, and behind him was a whole line of lemurs crossing their shaking legs or doing the pee-pee dance.

Not far away, Julien and Keke were laughing, with the king holding a bottle of super glue.


"On this very day, the Prince of Pranks' escapades would go down in Madagascar history."

"Ted! Supper's ready!" Dorothy called out to her husband, sitting at the table.

"Oh, boy! Am I starving!" Ted eagerly joined her, blissfully unaware of the tiny sound device that had been planted on his back.

The moment he sat on his chair, a certain sound was heard that made Dorothy drop her fork.

"Ted!" she scowled at him, making him blush. He got up and looked at his seat but saw no whoopee cushion.

"I didn't do it. I swear." he said defensively, followed immediately by another fart.

Looking appalled, the mongoose lemur covered her nose.

"No, really!" the flustered Ted insisted. "I did not cut the cheese!"

That only seemed to anger his wife more. "Are you insinuating I did?"

"No, of course not! Look, some joker must have planted a whoopee cushion somewhere…" Ted bent down, expecting to find one on the floor.

The two pranksters watched them from the window and Julien pressed his remote again. This was too easy.

Ted snapped back up in embarrassment and saw Dorothy getting up and running away.

"You're disgusting!"

"No, wait Dorothy!" Ted tried following her but each step he made was accompanied by a fart, making him stumble back, still making inappropriate noises every time his feet touched the floor.

Julien was rolling on his back with laughter while Keke pressed the remote rapidly, in perfect synch with Ted running out of the hut while Dorothy was hitting him on the head with a broom.

"Some of their stunts were very simple."


"Others…quite elaborate."

"Are you sure "mad bushpig distemper-itis" is a real disease?" a nervous Melman asked while being crammed inside a small cavern. "I know every single affliction on record?"

"Oh, yes. It's an epidemy out there. Doctor S's word." Julien assured him, wearing a head mirror and using a stethoscope on the giraffe's leg.

"Hmmm… tell me, Mr. Mailman?" Julien tapped his chin with a tongue depressor before using it like a pointer. "Have you been feeling hot lately?"

Hiding from sight, Keke used a remote to activate two indoor heaters on Melman's right and left respectively, making the giraffe sweat profusely.

"Well…maybe a little?" he said between pants.

"And what about itchiness?" Julien continued. "Any strong urges to scratch yourself?"

That's when Keke lowered herself with her tail and poured itching powder onto the giraffe, making him scratch himself.

"Well…I…"

"And do you, perchance, see any spots." Julien held up a white sheet covered in red polka dots.

"Yes?" Melman's hypochondria started kicking in.

"Oh, no." Julien clutched his face. "And there are the sores!"

Keke had discreetly put a bunch of red stickers all over Melman. He looked at his right leg and screamed in terror.

"Tisk, tisk…" Julien shook his head. "I'm afraid it is thermal?"

"No, no, no!" Melman's voice grew in pitch. "What do I do?!"

"Perhaps some of them were in poor taste." Pineapple admitted as Julien gave Melman's head a comforting pat and left the dejected giraffe buried up to his neck in dirt, behind a cardboard tombstone.

"But I must consent that they were pretty darn funny."


The crowned sifaka lifeguard made no plans to "update" the sign listing the beach rules, but a horde of lady lemurs had used some….aggressive persuasion to convince him otherwise, and had written a bunch of additional prohibitions themselves, saying that you couldn't enter the beach if you had claws, fangs, or any amount of meat in your diet.

"There, that should make this crossroad for killers much more family-friendly." Tammy said as she wrote the last one down.

Rebecca rubbed her chin and took the sharpie. "I think you missed one."

She added "quills" to the list. The complaints from several tenrecs and vontsiras, some with weeping kids, were drowned out by the cheering horde of housewives.

"Good call, Becky. You are a true champion for our kingdom's welfare." Tammy nodded. "Can't risk kids stepping on a shed quill? They could get a serious infection!"

"And while we're at it, let's add scales too." Rebecca added and wrote it down. "Can't be too careful with those salmonella-spreading reptiles."

In the background, Doctor S pouted sadly and dropped the parasol he was holding in his tail.

"See! I make good use of my spare time, lazy bones!" Tammy shouted to her husband, who was lying in a duck floatie once more, with a traumatized Tod fishing on top of his belly. Her eyes widened as she saw a large fin swimming toward them.

"Shark!" Tammy screamed, instantly creating pandemonium on the beach.

"We're all gonna die!" Willie cried and ran off, even though he was already on dry land.

"What ya say, baby?" Butterfish drawled lazily, while a terrified Tod used his rod as a paddle to get them out of there.

Once the beach was cleared, Julien's head surfaced, with the shark fin attached to his head.

"Man, that one gets them every time!" He exclaimed and held up a souvenir he picked up from the bottom. "And I found this shiny bottle cap too!"

"That was increible, Mr. Julien!" he saw Keke hanging from a tree branch above him, clapping her paws. "You really are the Prince of Pranks."

"You expected anything less?" The ringtail huffed. "I also happen to be a master actor, I always become completely emersed in my role. I was moving like a shark, thinking like a shark-ow!"

He grew a look of panic. "Something just nibbled the royal ankle?"

"Yikes! Something just brushed up against the royal booty!" Julien clutched his rear end, before suddenly relaxing.

"Oh, silly me? It's just the friendly little fishies saying "hi". Nothing to be concerned ab-ow! Ow! OW! YOW! THE PAIN!?"

Screaming, Julien jumped out of the water and proceeded to run on top of it, with half a dozen small but sharp-toothed fish clinging onto his buttocks and tail.

He reached the sandy shore and jumped around in pain, throwing off one fish after the other.

"Keke! Help me! The royal rump is under siege!"

Keke landed in front of him and pulled the last fish off his butt, making him scream in pain and rub his sore cheeks.

"What in Frank's name are those ravenous beasts!"

"Wow? Red-bellied piranhas!" Keke watched her catch in amazement, unfazed by it viciously snapping its jaws at her.

"Pira-whanas?" Julien asked, not wishing to get too close. "What are those crimson-colored demon guppies?"

"Piranhas, they live everywhere in Guatemala." Keke explained, a little too enthusiastically. "They roam in huge packs and attack whatever poor animal crosses their path, reducing them to a skeleton in minutes!"

Julien gulped and backed away. "How did those things get into my lake?"

"Must have escaped from the boat too?" Keke figured. "I saw a whole aquarium onboard."

"King Julien! King Julien!" they heard a deep but oddly effeminate voice and saw none other than the Crocodile Ambassador running towards them, flailing his dinky arms and followed by a few of his subjects.

The Crocodile Ambassador started crying unintelligibly and gesturing at the lake.

Julien rolled his eyes. Not this treacherous loser again. "Hey, C.A? Remember what we talked about? If you wish to speak with the king, try actually speaking."

"It's dreadful! Simply dreadful!" the Crocodile Ambassador wailed, barely finding his voice. "Our home's been invaded! As well as every body of water within a 50-mile radius!"

"Invaded by what?"

"Ravenous, red-bellied killer fish!" the crocodile clutched and twisted his tail. "There are thousands of them! Millions! There's no escaping them!"

"You mean piranhas?" Keke showed them her catch and the Crocodile Ambassador let out a high-pitched scream, with his subjects using him as a meat-shield.

"Yes, those would be the vermin that have made our home unhabitable." The crocodile advisor gave a terrified nod.

"Wait? That's the urchin from Guatemala?" the Crocodile Ambassador pointed at her. "King Julien, did she get all of her shots? Everyone knows Central America is a cesspool of vicious tropical diseases!"

"Nope. I never had a single shot." Keke smirked evilly, making the crocs back away in fear.

"Okay, you had your fun." A concerned Julien grabbed her by the shoulders. "You know these killer carps, right? We gotta get rid of them. We can't let them swim loose in our waters?"

"Oh, that's easy." Keke pointed at the crocodiles. "Those llorones can eat them."

"I beg your pardon?" the Crocodile Ambassador sounded horrified. "Eat them?!"

"Si, where I'm from, cocodrilos eat piranhas for breakfast." Keke shrugged and threw the fish over her shoulder, back into the water.

"Excellent! You guys can dine on the exotic cuisine then." Julien clapped his hands. "And here I thought we might have a crisis?"

"B-b-but…" the Crocodile Ambassador stammered. Julien's face slowly fell, remembering who he was talking to.

"It's easy." Keke said. "You just go for a swim and eat them all."

The crocodiles jittered with fear, with the advisor saying, "But…we really don't want to face those scary fish. Their teeth are so sharp."

"Why not? You're not chicken, are you?" Keke taunted them and proceeded to cluck and flap her arms.

The Crocodile Ambassador gasped. "How impudent! I take offense to that!"

"Yeah…you don't have to say like it is?" the crocodile advisor said feebly, earning an annoyed look from his boss.

Right then, a familiar head emerged from the water, blowing air through her large nostrils. This made the crocodiles panic.

"Yikes! The monster has resurfaced!" the Crocodile Ambassador felt lightheaded and fell over.

"Oh, sir! We got you!" his advisor told him reassuringly as they let him fall on their backs.

Gloria was used to their wailing by now, so she ignored them as she rose out of the water, wearing a bathing cap.

"Hey, KJ?" she greeted the king. "You going for an afternoon dip too?"

She paused and looked around. "Wasn't this place a lot more crowded?"

"Hello, Gloria. No, I'm afraid my kingdom is facing a bit of a dilemma." Julien admitted.

Upon seeing Keke, Gloria cooed. "Oh, my gosh. You are the cutest thing I've ever seen. You must be the little girl everyone's talking about?"

"Ella es muy gorda." Keke said in amazement.

"What'd ya say?" Gloria raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm sure it's a compliment in Guanomala." Julien shrugged. "I just hope you weren't attacked by the…"

His face dropped as he noticed a dozen or so piranhas clinging onto Gloria's plump butt. Or rather, they had their teeth stuck in her thick hide and were trashing.

"Attacked by what?" Gloria asked, oblivious to the hundreds of razor-sharp daggers embedded in her behind. "Something dangerous afoot?"

Dumbfounded, Julien just pointed at her rear, causing Gloria to look over her shoulder and her eyes widened in mild surprise.

"Huh? Why do lil' buggers always try to hitch a ride on me?"

"Wow? Don't you don't feel any pain?" Keke asked in even greater amazement.

"Nah." Gloria said. "I'm a hippopotamus. Rock-hard skin."

For emphasis, she knocked on her arm, which sounded like she was knocking on a boulder.

"That's it!" Julien beamed. "Miss Gloria, could I be asking you for a favor?"

"Sure? Whatcha need?"

"I know you're a hardcore vegan, but would you mind adding a little protein to your diet, so none of my subjects may be reduced to gnawed skeletons?"

"Because the waters are filled with piranhas." Keke added.

Gloria thought about it and looked back at the lake. "I dunno, I'm not against a little sushi once in a while, but that's a lot to gobble up."

"Oh, you can have a few extra mouths to aid you." Julien nonchalantly gestured at the crocodiles, who were trying to revive the unconscious leader by fanning his face with palm leaves.

"Stay with us, sir. Don't you dare give up on me!" The crocodile advisor implored him.

"And maybe teach them not to be complete pansies." Julien whispered to the hippo.

Gloria snorted. "Sounds like a win-win deal to me. Fine, we'll clean this lake up in no time."

"Awesome! By the power vested in me, I hereby make you the captain of the royal clean-up operation." Julien announced.

"What now?" the Crocodile Ambassador jolted awake.

"Hope you're hungry, boys." Gloria smirked. "Cuz we're dining on fish tonight, in the name of King Julien."

The crocodile whimpered while Julien wished his newly erected clean-up crew good luck and departed with Keke, in search of more suckers to prank.

"Mr. Julien?" Keke asked as they ventured into the jungle. "Are all the predators in your kingdom such big…how do you say it? Pansies?"

"Oh, yeah. Most of them." Julien replied. "Well… except for Mary Ann. You wouldn't want to catch that woman in a cranky, or hungry mood. I am speaking from experience."

Hearing that name, Keke stopped and felt a sense of unease. She looked at the sun and saw that it was heading back toward the horizon. Time sure flew by when you were on a pranking spree.

She knew it would be easy to talk herself out of trouble with Horst but Mary Ann was a different story. And what if she had come back from her hunt?

"Mr. Julien." She ran after the ringtail and caught up to him as he climbed atop a flat boulder, inspecting his cap.

"Keke. The royal hit list." He snapped his fingers and the kinkajou held up a clipboard containing various names with checkboxes.

"This was a very productive pranking spree, if I do say so myself." Julien noted. "Now let's see…grumpy pants Hector? Check. Mr. Alex? Check. The silly penguins…uhhh…" he got all giddy with glee "…that one was my favorite. Stellar work, Keke."

"Maybe we had enough fun for today…" Keke said with uncertainty. "Maybe I should head back home?"

"Why?" Julien didn't follow.

"If Mary Ann's back, I could get into trouble." Keke admitted. "Breaking rules is a lot more fun if you don't get caught."

"Oh, don't worry." Julien assured her. "You've been hanging out with the king, the one and only. There's nothing safer and more responsible than that. Those were your words, remember?"

"Oh…guess they were?" She rubbed her arm. She didn't feel so convinced of her own rationale now that the prospect of punishment loomed closer.

"Exactly. So for the grand finale, you shall witness a true classic." Julien proclaimed, holding up the bottle cap. "And I have found the perfect prop for it."

As he held it up, it reflected the sunlight, creating a blinding twinkle that was spotted from a hundred feet in the air by a sharp-eyed predator.

"It's very simple." Julien explained. "We just paint this bottly cap to look like a coin, glue it to the ground and watch as folks try to pry it off the ground but can't. It will be a laugh riot."

Keke didn't find the idea particularly funny but her attention got diverted to a very large, brown bird with a feather crest dive-bombing towards them.

"So, what do you say?"

"Duck!" Keke cried and dove into the thicket, while Julien looked back.

He chuckled. "No, silly. That bird is no duck. It's a crowned eagle."

He paused until it dawned on him, "CROWNED EAGLE!?"

He screamed at the incoming raptor and tried to leap off the rock, only for his tail to get caught and he was hauled into the air.

"HEEEEEEELPPPP!" he wailed as his crown fell off and the bird gained altitude.

Poking her head from the bushes, Keke quickly ran up an octopus tree as the eagle flew past it, jumped, and grabbed onto Julien.

"Don't worry, I got you." She told him confidently, her fur flailing against the wind.

Julien yelped in horror. "And the terror bird has both of us now!"

"No hay problema." Keke barred her fangs and pointed at them. "I'll bite its leg and it will let us go."

"No! No!" Julien waved his hands before pointing down at the panoramic view. "If you do that we'll plummet to our dooms!"

"Oh?" Keke realized. Not her best plan.


"We're making marvelous progress." Karl smiled to himself while viewing a blueprint detailing his interpretation of the fabled Dr. Blowhole.

He lowered it to reveal a life-sized robotic replica, parts of it still lacking fake skin, revealing all the elaborate mechanics. It was located at the mouth of a large cavern, surrounded by scaffoldings.

With goggles and a screwdriver, Timo was working on its "throat" before announcing, "Alright, the voice modulator is ready for a test."

"I always loved roleplaying." The tenrec wielded a mike and cleared his throat, only for Karl to appear on a man-lift made from bamboo and snatch it from him.

"I'll be doing that." The fanaloka insisted. "If we wish to fool the penguins, authenticity is crucial and I'm the experienced supervillain here."

Climbing down and stepping back to better admire his creation, Karl tapped the mike. It amazed him how convincing it was, never mind all the visible stitches, hinges, and lazy eye.

He started reciting, "Curse you, you meddlesome peng-goo-ins! You've interfered with my plans for the last time!"

As he did that, the robot's jaws moved, repeating his words in a far squeakier voice. "You'll never get your filthy flippers on me! Even if you chase me to the ends of this Earth!"

He capped it off by cackling like a dolphin, which was repeated by the robot. Timo applauded him.

"Wow." He snorted. "You really are good at this."

"Why thank you." Karl did a bow before grinning and rubbing his paws.

"That arrogant blowhard Kowalski will never see the difference. All we have to do now is make sure it can undulate underwater and the penguin menace will be a distant memory!"

"I'll say." Timo snorted nervously. "The constant fear of our secret getting exposed to the New York Giant exacerbates my anxiety."

He cringed and snorted again. "As if the inherent guilt isn't agonizing enough?"

"Sacrifices must be made in name of national security, my friend." Karl said simply. "If we wish to keep the fossa threat at bay, the well-being of our own citizens must take priority over the Giants. Or do you wish to be like that renegade Clover?"

"Whtz tat thng?" a muffled voice asked him.

"Just my latest ingenious invention." Karl proudly said to the fossa. "King Julien has dubbed it the "Franken Dolphin"-"

He paused and blinked. "Mary Ann?"

"Sweet Judy…." Seeing the lifeless piglet caught in her jaws, Timo's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell off the scaffolding, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Oh, sorry about that." A sheepish Mary Ann quickly shoved her catch into a nearby bush while Karl pushed a button, causing curtains to appear and conceal the fake Blowhole.

"Just what do you think you're doing here? This premise is off limits to civilians." Being a fellow predator, Karl was accustomed to seeing dead things, so he scowled at the intruder and pointed at various giant "Keep Out" signs that were plastered all over the jungle.

"What was that thing? Is King Julien building another theme park?" Mary Ann asked.

"That's classified information. You and everyone else will know once it has done its purpose." Karl stated. "That's all I'm allowed to say."

"Sorry." Mary Ann deflated. "Guess I just have a lot on my mind, so I wasn't paying attention."

"I don't wish to make light of whatever troubles you're dealing with." Karl said in a less harsh tone as he walked over to inspect Timo's pulse. "But your presence is distracting my co-worker from doing his job."

Karl was one of the few people that wasn't inherently terrified of her, being a fellow carnivore and all. Their brief, very one-sided fling from season 4 made things a bit awkward early on but that was water under the bridge now. Mary Ann really needed someone to talk to, even if they were far from the ideal option.

"Look? You're intelligent?" she started awkwardly. "You explained to me and Horst why we couldn't have kids normally?"

Karl shuddered at the memory. "Yes, and do not wish to repeat that lecture. Ever again. Ever."

Collecting himself, he continued. "But I suppose your luck has changed, now that Keke washed up on our shore?"

"Well, she's the reason I'm worried." Mary Ann sighed. "I've been doing everything I can to be a good role model, to teach her right from wrong. But when I scolded her for getting into a fight, she got upset and said she "hated me"?"

Karl gave her an odd look. "So what? It will blow over, not like children are known for having strong convictions. She's probably forgotten all about it by now."

"Maybe…" Mary Ann hoped so. "But the real issue is….well, everyone is watching me and Horst like a hawk, and I fear that if we make even the smallest mistake…"

"Oh, that's why…" Karl sent her a sympathetic look. "I suppose the new conditions would be very disconcerting for you."

Mary Ann blinked. "What new conditions?"

"For you to claim custody of the child." Karl shrugged. "King Julien was forced into it by… public demand. Basically, you have a week to prove that you are capable caregivers, or else she'll be taken away from you… and likely dropped in an orphanage. Timo says everyone in the kingdom is talking about it."

Mary Ann was dumbstruck and her hair and whiskers bristled. "P-please tell me you're joking?"

"Why would I be joking? Hasn't King Julien informed you, or sent someone to do it?"

"I….I left to go hunting…" Mary Ann tried to process this, her stomach churning. "I left Keke with Horst?"

"Ah, that might not be the safest option." Karl walked up to her. "You should probably get back home. No disrespect to your spouse, but I do consider you the more responsible party."

"I…you really think so?" the distraught fossa asked hopefully.

"I have little reason to assume you'll make any major errors." Karl smiled, trying to be supportive. "As a fellow carnivore, Mary Ann, I can tell you that you've displayed amazing self-control for months. Keeping one youngster out of trouble for a week should be a breeze by comparison."

Mary Ann's smile faltered and she slumped her shoulders. "It's not as easy as you would think."

"Come now, don't be absurd. Child rearing isn't rocket science." The fanaloka insisted, imparting his own empty wisdom. "They take half a dozen naps a day, they're easily distracted by inane things like sock puppets or pop-up books, and if you're that worried that she'll get up to mischief, just strap her to her stroller under the pretense of a free ride."

And like that, Mary Ann's hopes were dashed.

"Keke's eight." She said flatly.

"And your point?" Karl shrugged, honestly confused.

"Yo, Karl!" came a distant but familiar voice. "Um…a little help please?"

"Why certainly, King Julien." Karl looked up before gasping and dropping his mike after seeing the king in the clutches of a raptor.

Mary Ann looked up as well and promptly screamed in utter horror.

Gulping, Keke hid behind Julien's waist, knowing she was busted now, while the ringtail cupped his mouth.

"I'm in a bit of a pickle here!" he shouted as he flew over Karl and Mary Ann. "Could you please send out a rescue party before I GET EATEN ALIVE!? HURRY, MAN!?"

The captured monarch soon disappeared over the tree line and Karl grabbed a remote activating one of his fly drones.

"Confounded it all. Go and follow that eagle!" he ordered it before turning to the petrified Mary Ann, whose eyes were twitching and her jaw was hanging ajar.

"Calm down, Mary Ann." Karl nervously grabbed her paw and patted it. "No reason to go into a fit of hormone-induced hysteria. King Julien's usual dumb luck should keep him and Keke alive long enough to be rescued."

"Speaking of which…Timo! Sound the alarm!" he shouted at the tenrec only to find him still unconscious.

"Oh, right." He remembered and raised his finger dramatically. "It's up to me!"

As he ran off, Mary Ann snapped back to her sense and jumped into his path.

"Wait! Wait! Please, you can't tell anyone!" she said frantically. "If they learn about this, I'll never be able to have custody of Keke!"

Karl sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Mary Ann, I very much sympathize with your plight, but the well-being of our ruler matters far more than that of a mere child."

"So if you don't mind-" he tried to push past her but she blocked his path again.

"Wait. You don't need any help with this. You and I can retrieve them on our own." Mary Ann hastily rationalized. "No need to cause panic. You can track them down with ease and I can take out the eagle with ease."

Karl pondered. "I most certainly could do it unassisted but it's unwise to take unnecessary risks."

Mary Ann scrambled to think of a counterargument when it hit her.

"Maybe." She tried to reason. "But…but imagine how grateful King Julien will be if you rescue him on your own? That will forever cement your status as his most capable, most trusted, most invaluable ally. Nobody will ever be able to doubt you again."

Karl eyed the nervous fossa with a scrutinizing glare. "It's so painfully transparent that you are exploiting my desperate need for self-validation."

He then sighed and balled his fist in defeat. "And it's working…"