AN: Hey guys! Before we start this chapter, I want to do a little housekeeping after some reviews brought something to my attention. Some of you have voiced concerns that it seems like this story might be ending sooner thanks to a line of dialogue from the first chapter. Rest assured that is NOT the case, as the Animal Kingdom is only the beginning of our heroes' quest to save the Disney Universe.
As for why all three adventures for the keys were in the last chapter, that was to streamline the story so that it didn't take three weeks for the heroes to get anything done. However, going forward I do have two options for how to do key finding chapters.
1: All three key chapters are posted separately but released one at a time over the same week (probably on Monday, Wednesday, and then Friday).
2: I keep all three key quests in the same chapter, like I did for the Animal Kingdom.
I'll let you guys decide which method I should go for, as there are at least 2 to 3 chapters before we get to the next land. With that out of the way, let's head to the Tree of Life!
Arriving at the Oasis, the heroes all came back together with keys in hand. Rachel and Silver handed their keys over to Gabriel, who held the three together before they magically merged into one slightly bigger key.
"Any bigger and it might as well be a Keyblade," Logan joked.
"So I guess all we have to do is use this on the barrier around the Tree of Life," Sisu stated.
"Then let's not waste any time," Rachel said.
The team headed for the tree, taking note that the barrier looked to be glitching with red energy, a clear mark of Hex's work. Holding up the key, Gabriel gasped as instead of the barrier coming down, a portal opened up instead. On the other side looked to a city filled with animals.
"Is that Zootopia?" Adam asked.
Gabriel nodded. "Looks like it. But why did the key open up a portal to there instead of taking down the barrier?"
"Why don't you find out!?" Hex shouted, coming up behind the heroes and pushing them through. The team screamed as they fell, but luckily landed in the snowy hills of Tundra Town. Hex laughed as everyone groaned from the fall. "Welcome to My Zootopia, heroes! I hope you like the changes I made around here. I even invited one my friends from the Wasteland to fill in for the mayor!"
"I might have an idea for who that is," Gabriel sighed. "Where's Jasiri, Hex!"
"I have her right here," Hex said, materializing the hyena in his grasp. "She thought she could escape, but I got her back just in time. And I have another friend of yours as well." In his other hand materialized Skylar, Soren's fellow Jaquin.
"Skylar!" Soren called, only to be held back by Marian.
"Soren, wait! There's something off about him," the vixen warned.
Hex chuckled as Skylar groaned, waking up from his nap. "Soren? Is that you, buddy?" Skylar asked. The chains holding him suddenly sparked with electricity, shocking the Jaquin as Hex's code started to infect him. Skylar's fur turned red and black, and soon he grew giant and broke free from his chains, flaring his wings and roaring.
"Skylar!" Soren cried, tears coming to his eyes as the corrupted Jaquin took off into the sky.
"Oh look at that, a giant monster is here to attack the city," Hex said. "If you heroes can stop him, then I'll let you have Jasiri back. I'll even tell you that a song is what you need to sooth the savage beast. But good luck finding a good singer here. Bye Bye!"
As Hex left with a laugh, Marian comforted Soren as he cried into her chest. "Skylar is one of the nicest guys ever. Why would he do this to him!?"
"That's what bad guys do," Marian said. "But we'll get Skylar back Soren, don't you worry." She nuzzled the Jaquin and smiled. "Now then, put on a brave face and let's help our friend."
"She's right," Silver said. "And besides, if it's a singer we need, then it's obvious who we need to find. Gazelle the pop star!"
"Yeah, don't count on it being that easy," Rachel said. "The bad guys always cheat to make sure the heroes can't win. Gabriel, you seemed to have an idea of what's going on."
"Yeah, lay down some Disney trivia!" Logan encouraged.
The raven took a deep breath before explaining, "So, my best guess is that Hex put a character named Mayor Swinton in charge. She's a pig- literally, as it that's her species- and was the original antagonist of Zootopia when the movie was a dark, film noir story. Think Bellwether but 100 times worse. Predators were forced to wear shock collars it was that bad."
"Yikes," Adam sucked in his breath. "Then we better work fast to stop the Skylar monster, or else Swinton will use it as an excuse to crack down harder on predators."
"Agreed," Gabriel nodded. "Let's split up: Soren, you, me, and Rachel are going to go track down Gazelle. Silver, you take Adam and Logan to distract Skylar and her him towards the concert stadium. If you see them, get Judy and Nick to help you out as well."
"Won't they be affected by Hex as well? Acting a bit funny in the head?" Jake questioned.
Adam smiled. "Due to my frequent visits to the Wasteland, I'm familiar with the darker versions of those two. They should be willing to work with us, don't worry."
"Then let's do this!" Sisu cheered.
The groups split up, heading deeper into Zootopia to save the day.
[***]
Going to Savannah Central, Poe led the way using a locator spell to track where Gazelle was. Marian continued to comfort Soren, but the young Jaquin was starting to turn his sadness into confidence to save his friend.
"So Skylar means a lot to you, right?" Sisu asked.
Soren nodded. "He's like a big brother to me. He'd do anything to help me, and I'd do the same for him, even if we're not blood related."
"That sounds just like how I feel about my girl Raya," the dragon nodded. "So I get it. We all have someone we care about deeply, even if it's not romantic or anything."
Poe's hands stopped glowing as they arrived near a coffee shop. "Gazelle is around here close by," the duck said.
"Good job, Poe," Rachel complimented. She looked around before pointing to one of the tables. "I think that's her right there."
"You'd think a pop star as big as her would have bodyguards or something," Marian questioned.
Gabriel hummed, taking note of how Gazelle was dressed in more casual clothes as she drank her coffee. With the lack of fanfare going on around her, the raven was suspicious if Hex may have left out a vital clue. Gabriel walked over to Gazelle and smiled, with the pop star giving him a confused look.
"It's nice to meet the world-famous Gazelle," Gabriel said. "Could I get your autograph?"
Gazelle continued to look confused. "You flatter me, sir, but I'm not that famous. A few of my videos have blown up before, but the internet is a fickle thing."
The raven turned to his companions. "Just as I thought, Hex must have changed Gazelle as well. Play along for now."
Soren was next to speak. "I think your voice is really pretty, Ms. Gazelle. I'd buy an entire album of your songs!"
"You should have a record deal by now," Rachel added.
Gazelle blushed and waved them off. "Please, be modest." She sighed and took a sip of her coffee. "To be honest I have tried to get in touch with record companies, but none of them returned my calls, even when I sent in demo records. I moved to Zootopia because anyone can be anything here, but recently it feels like the mayor hasn't lived up to those expectations."
"So Hex made it so she's not a famous pop singer, but just a singer on the internet," Poe mused.
"Speaking of the mayor, what's she up to?" Gabriel asked.
"She's going to be holding a press meeting soon," Gazelle explained. "Something about 'the predator problem?' I fear for the safety of some of my friends. They already have to endure so much…"
"What if we told you we could spread your message of positivity to the whole city?" Gabriel asked. "We need the help of someone like you. And I one heard that you have to use your own voice to make a change."
"Wise words," Gazelle smiled.
Rachel's phone soon rang, which she picked up to the sound of Silver on the other side. "Hey guys. So, we got Skylar to follow us to the stadium, but then this pig lady started to yell at us about something vaguely political, so Adam knocked her out and now Skylar is breaking things. We need some help!"
"That boy has pipes," Sisu said, wincing from how loud Silver shouted.
"Gazelle, we don't have a lot of time, but your voice is what we need," Soren stated. "My friend is in trouble, and we really need your help to get through to him."
"You can count on me, little one," Gazelle said, patting Soren on the head.
"Then let's fly!" Gabriel shouted.
Poe levitated Rachel and himself while Gabriel, Marian, and Gazelle rode on Sisu to get over to the stadium. Soren was the first one to get there, seeing panicked Zootopians running around as Adam and Jake tried to range Skylar, Logan and Destiny tried to wrestle him down, and Silver and Maximus escorted the civilians away.
"Skylar!" Soren shouted, getting the enraged Jaquin's attention.
Gabriel landed with the others, taking note of Nick and Judy standing by. "Hey guys. We're here to help."
"Good timing," Judy said. "Adam filled us in on everything. We'll make sure Swinton faces justice."
"Who's the gazelle with you?" Nick asked.
"Nick and Judy, this is Gazelle," Gabriel introduced. "She's here to calm the beast down."
"Can we do that soon?" Logan asked, holding onto one of Skylar's arms. "I don't think I can hold him long."
"That's your friend?" Gazelle asked Soren.
The Jaquin nodded. "Yeah, but he's normally not that big, red, and angry. Got a song that could help us?"
"I'll get the music," Gabriel said. "Rachel, Poe, Sisu? Lights please!"
The three of them used their powers to create a spotlight for Gazelle, who looked nervously up at Skylar before she shakily started to sing.
I messed up tonight
I lost another fight
Lost to myself, but I'll just start again
As she sang, Gabriel started to bring in music to accompany her. Soren started singing along as backup to Gazelle as well.
I keep falling down
I keep on hitting the ground
But I always get up now to see what's next
Skylar struggled in the heroes grip, but Gazelle's voice started to gain confidence as she sang out.
Birds don't just fly
They fall down and get up
Nobody learns without getting it wrong
Getting an idea, Silver and Adam grabbed some nearby video equipment from the press and aimed it at Gazelle broadcasting her song to all of Zootopia.
I won't give up, no, I won't give in
'Til I reach the end
And then I'll start again
No, I won't leave
I wanna try everything
I wanna try even though I could fail
Gabriel brought out more music, almost to its fullest as Gazelle started to dance with her song.
I won't give up, no, I won't give in
'Til I reach the end
And then I'll start again
No, I won't leave
I wanna try everything
I wanna to try even though I could fail
Soren and Marian started to dance to the song as well, keeping Skylar's attention as he started to slow in his struggling.
Oh oh oh oh oh
Try everything
Oh oh oh oh oh
Try everything
Oh oh oh oh oh
Try everything
Oh oh oh oh oh
"This song seems familiar somehow," Judy said.
"Yeah, like it's a big part of our story or something," Nick added.
"That's your real memories coming back," Rachel said.
Look how far you've come
You've filled your heart with love
Baby, you've done enough, take a deep breath
Gazelle smiled as she sang, looking to Soren as he danced around her.
Don't beat yourself up
Don't need to run so fast
Sometimes we come last, but we did our best
The smaller Jaquin flew into the air, tossing his dice up and letting it land on the ground. In a flash of light, Gazelle's backup tiger dancers appeared, confused but ready to dance to the song.
I won't give up, no, I won't give in
'Til I reach the end
And then I'll start again
No, I won't leave
I wanna try everything
I wanna try even though I could fail
Gabriel used his Dragon Gem to create a smoke effect over the ground as the impromptu concert kept going, even joining in the dance with Sisu.
I won't give up, no, I won't give in
'Til I reach the end
And then I'll start again
No, I won't leave
I wanna try everything
I wanna to try even though I could fail
Skylar was now almost fully calm, sitting down and listening to the song. "Thank goodness!" Logan sighed, letting go of the beast and falling comically on his back next to Destiny.
I'll keep on making those new mistakes
I'll keep on making them every day
Those new mistakes
Soon the magic in the air reached out to all of Zootopia, returning it to its vibrant state as Gazelle regained her iconic red outfit.
Oh oh oh oh oh
Try everything
Oh oh oh oh oh
Try everything
Oh oh oh oh oh
Try everything
Oh oh oh oh oh
Try everything
Everyone sang along to the end of the song, with Gazelle posing as the audience cheered. "Thank you, Zootopia!" Gazelle announced. "Let's remember to never forget that in this city we all love, anyone can be anything!"
Skylar soon fell to the ground, the red fading from his body as he shrunk back to normal. He didn't get time to recover as Soren hug tackled him to the ground. "I'm glad you're okay!" Soren cried, burying his muzzle into Skylar's chest.
"Woah kid, I'm fine, thanks to you and your friends," Skylar laughed.
"Well, that didn't work," Swinton sighed as she was held by the restored Nick and Judy. "Can I go back to the Wasteland now, Hex? This place is too feel-good for me."
The pig was teleported away in a flash of red cubes, and Hex appeared before the heroes with a frown. "I knew I should have just gotten rid of Gazelle entirely instead of just letting her stay here," the hacker scowled. He dropped Jasiri at the heroes' feet before opening up a portal. "Go on, just try and save the rest of the Magical World. They won't be as easy as this one."
Gabriel picked up Jasiri, giving a sigh of relief that she was just unconscious but still breathing. "Let's head back to Oswald's place and plan our next mission," he said.
The group agreed and headed through the portal. "Bye Gazelle!" Soren called from the back of Skylar.
"Adios, Soren!" Gazelle called back as the portal closed behind them.
Author's Note
And with that, the Animal Kingdom has been freed! Each of the ending areas will be a "boss puzzle" for the heroes, in this case with Hex using Skylar as a boss. The hacker isn't above using the heroes' friends to manipulate them, but he overlooked a small thing and paid for it this time.
It was nice getting to use some Zootopia characters again, as they're what started me on my fanfiction journey to begin with. "Try Everything" is a fun song to boot. From what I could find Gazelle wasn't in any of the original drafts of the Zootopia movie, so in this altered timeline she's just a regular gazelle instead of a pop star.
Next time the heroes take a break to plan out their next mission, and Gabriel has to make sure Jasiri is okay!