We're Back Folks! πππ
And let me be the first to say...***K THE PINOCCHIO REMAKE! HOW DARE THEY STEAL PINOCCHIO'S ORIGINAL HAPPILY EVER AFTER! π‘π‘π‘ Also the awkward voice acting, hammy acting and lame extra songs didn't help. Especially an ugly woke Blue Fairy that replaced the original beautiful one. And Tom Hanks inconsistent Italian accent! Nothing about that film worked! Because whatever they got right is better in the original. The Pinocchio remake is a total cash grab and I'm gonna give it a 2 out of 10.
While the other Pinocchio film that came out this year was worse in a hilarious way. You know the one played by Pauly Shore. But I digress.
Still the trailer for the upcoming Little Mermaid remake looks good actually. . So here's hoping.
Oh and did everyone see D23?! What are you all most excited about?! I'm excited about Mandalorian season 3! π
And getting back to this story. I'll be sending the Guardians of the Depths to the Jungle. Since Sora went to the jungles of Tarzan in the first Kingdom Hearts game. Only Connor and the team will be going to a very special one. One that has a mix of a another jungle movie, two characters from Final Fantasy IX, and a idea for the Lion King I came up with. π
But first let's answer some comments. sigh...Just two I guess. Can more people share some thoughts and Ideas in the comments? Pretty please?
RustyPete12: Thank you! Oh trust me. Donald is already practically losing it. But don't worry. Wonderland has a few little surprises to make their victory possible. ππ
olehbilenko93: Thank you! I appreciate your support! π
Also don't forget to get on your desktops and vote on the poll in my main user page. Which Buzz Lightyear Voice actor do you prefer for the Buzz that will show up in Orion's story?
Alright! Now that we're all here!
LET'S GET DANGEROUS!π
Out Of The Weird And Into The Wild.
Four years earlier in Connor's bedroom...
Inside Connor's bedroom. At the hidden Atlantian Stationed under the Triskelions, also known as SHIELD HQ. Connor was learning to not only get over the shock that the Marvel world is real, despite his very little knowledge about everything outside of Spider-Man and X-Men. Since he's been mostly a DC kid.
Connor was mostly still in mourning for his father, who died in a plain crash just hours before he was found and brought home to bis mother Namorita. This all happened days ago, and the boy still is trying to come to grips with everything. Connor was currently sitting under a fort made of pillows for defense walls. Some blankets for a roof. And a t shirt for the main entrance. As he was huddled up inside. Wearing a just green t shirt and some batman pajamas. Wrapped up in a blue silk blanket as he was in a fetal position.
Connor was also looking out of his window right ahead as the fort entrance was wide open. The ocean was outside the windows, and watching the fish and other undersea life passing by was the only thing that could bring Connor some comfort.
A moment later, Namorita entered the room, wearing a turquoise nightgown made of coral and silk, and was barefoot. She spotted Connor under his kid made fort and walked over to see him under there. She bent down near the entrance to greet her son.
"Hello, Sweetheart. Just came to check on you." Namorita said to her son, noticing his troubled look. "Are you doing well?"
Connor didn't respond. Because he hadn't said a word since arriving to this world. But because for Namorita maternal and Atlantian instincts telling her who that was. And the DNA tests. She knows her son very well. Even if he didn't remember her due to his age. But he gravitated to Namorita like a life line when he woke up.
Connor just shrugged as he glanced up at his mother and continued to look back out of the ocean in his fort.
"Would you like it if I joined?" Namorita asked as she stepped over to the entrance of Connor's fort.
Connor nodded. gesturing that he would like that very much.
Namorita smiled warmly at him and dropped down to her hands and knees to crawl underneath the blanket and into the fort, where she moved to sit next to him. Namorita was seated comfortably beside Connor. So they could watch the ocean together.
"I like your fort." Namorita said softly, trying to make small talk. "It looks well made. Andβ¦.cool."
Connor looked around at his fort and he looked back out at the ocean. He was fortunate to have someone as gentle and patient as his mother. A part of him wishes she was there all his life. Even during his most fonder and memorable moments of his childhood.
"You and other children still say the word 'cool' right? I haven't been around most modern children since my team..." Namorita paused thinking about the New Warriors and decided to change the subject. "Have you seen any creatures of the deep swim by? Any you haven't seen before?"
Connor pondered for a moment before he held his hand out and made a neon projection of a certain fish made of a side turned shell with tentacles puffing air out on the other end to swim.
Namorita recognized it instantly.
"Ah, that would be an ammonite. It's a rare species of fish that is extinct. At least to the rest of the world." Namorita explained to him. "Atlantis keeps the last remaining ammonite alive and safe."
Connor looked a little intrigued as he pondered what to say next. He hasn't said a word since. But he had to ask.
"Are there any mermaids in Atlantis?" Connor asked in a soft subdued voice. Having not used it for days.
Namorita's eyes widened slightly before they softened, having heard her son's voice for the first time.
"I'm afraid that there are no mermaids that exist in this world." Namorita explained softly. "But out there, in the Multiverse, in some other words, there are many living and breathing just like us."
"Oh." Connor muttered as he understood and looked out at the window. Then he looked down wondering. Why is this world real if it was fictional back home where he grew up.
"Everyone told me, this world wasn't real. I used to watch all of this on TV. I even played you in a video game." Connor said to his Mom.
Namorita chuckled at this. She couldn't imagine what they got right about her in those silly comics or cartoons Connor used to read and watch. Especially the video game
"That's because in every world out there in the multiverse, there is a realm of existence. And from those realms, comes the cosmic magic of inspiration." Namorita began to explain. "Every great story writer has either gained great ideas on their own, or magically from the stories of the Multiverse, from Kingdom Hearts itself. Stories that may or may not have happened, or have yet to happen, or are happening right now. And if people believe these stories are fictional, then they can never enter or invade those worlds."
"So. Kingdom Hearts gave all these story writers the inspiration to write stories a certain way?" Connor asked as his voice was being heard more and more and it was warming Namorita's heart.
"That's right, my Son." Namorita confirmed.
"And...Stan Lee. And all of the comic writers with him. They got inspired to write about you and Uncle Namor. Way before you both were born?" Connor pondered.
"Hmmm. Well. Technically your Uncle is much older than we are. But that's another story. As for me. Yes, you could say that." Namorita remarked.
"What other stories could exist in another world?" Connor leaned closer as he gained more interest to talk with his mother.
"Quite a few. Like many favorite fairy tales." Namorita said with a smile. "Such as Cinderella, Snow White, Alice In Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, just to name a few."
"Have...You seen them?" Connor asked.
"Not quite. I've mostly been to other planets and parallel dimensions. But I think the only world in the Multiverse I've been to is Destiny Islands. Where I met your father." Namorita answered.
Connor looked down at the mention of his father. Which made him sniff a bit. As he was still in mourning for him.
Namorita, seeing this, felt sadness for her son, knowing that he still feels sorrow over the loss of his father, to which she completely understood. Namorita then pulled Connor into a loving motherly hug, as he started to slightly sob.
"Oh my son. I am so sorry." Namorita said softly to her son, rubbing his back in comfort.
As Connor leaned into her hug buried his face into his mother's chest for extra comfort. He started to silently cry as his tears flowed from his face. Some of them glowed with the color of his neon abilities as he was releasing his anguish.
"I don't know why it happened." Orion whimpered quietly as he kept crying. "I miss him so much."
"I know , Sweetheart. I miss him, too. I've longed to see both of you since the day I left to protect you both." Namorita soothed as she stroked his back.
"Why?" Connor looked up at his mother with tears still flowing as he was crying. Namorita was at first wondering if Connor was mad at her for leaving. But that wasn't why he asked, because Connor understood why she had to leave. "Why did it happen?"
He was asking about his father's death. Trying to make sense of it.
"I...I don't know. It doesn't make sense to me either. But. It's best not to try, because some things aren't meant to. The only thing that we can accept is the fact that you were returned to me. By the same light that brought me to your father." Namorita smiled warmly at her son while she wiped the tears from his face. and she breathed "And I'll never leave you again."
Connor looked at her with an expression that he was assured. And he sniffed a bit as his puffy eyes were almost tired looking. And he was actually given something to let him know that no one and nothing can take moments like this away. And now given the world he lives in now, it seems impossible for him to lose another parent. And he's not going to let that happen either. Because as cruel as fate is. Fate handed him amazing powers. And he took a silent oath to use those powers to help and protect those around him. Starting with his mother.
Connor looked down at his left hand and slightly waved his fingers over Namorita as he constructed a neon silk blanket around her back for her to wrap up in. Connor was already wrapped up in a blanket. With his whole small body kept warm underneath, he wanted his Mom to have the same comfort.
Namorita smiled warmly at her son's kind gesture and accepted the blanket.
"Thank you." Namorita said softly and wrapped herself and Connor up into the blanket, the two now leaning back under the fort with pillows against their backs.
"Do you think I'll be able to see the Multiverse soon? All of those other worlds?" Connor asked his mother with hope in his voice, while he was cuddled up to her.
"Of course, sweetie." Namorita said, knowing her son was destined for greatness in the years to come. "Someday, you'll get to see it all."
"Really?" Connor asked with more hope in his voice.
"Of course. You were chosen as the Maverick for a reason. And your Uncle will train you to become a great warrior. And one day, the best Atlantis has ever known." Namorita encouraged her son before she leaned down and kissed his fore head.
Those words and her warm kiss gave Connor hope. Hope that he'll rise above the worst moment of his life. He will rise above all of the limitations forced on him as a child. And become a legend. A living embodiment of the stuff that dreams are made of.
"I love you, Mama. And I'm gonna make you proud." Connor said as he smiled up at his mother for the first time ever.
Namorita smiled with misty eyes, pulling her son into a warm hug.
"I love you too, Connor." Namorita said softly, holding her son close. "And, you've already made me proud."
During that night. Connor slept under the fort. Right in his mother's warm embrace. From then on. Connor rebuilt his life in the world he came from. And with his mother at his side. Especially when he soon started to train himself to one day go out there. See the many wonders of the Multiverse and save lives.
Present day...The Outer court of the Queen of Hearts Castle...
Connor, Melody and the Disney Duo followed the White Rabbit down a path through the forest with many different creatures of little sense to past by. Like a large bird cage bird swallowing tiny birds that got out of the cage. Or a mirror and glasses bird. Umbrella buzzards. A hammer bird and pencil birds setting signs not to step on mome raths. Which were little tiny furry creatures that were colorful and didn't resemble rodents.
Or Spiders. Much to Connor's relief.
Until finally they followed the White Rabbit down a shortcut through a tree. The White Rabbit pulled a tree branch to reveal the short cut inside of a tree. Which showed the full of large hedges with heart shaped exits and a large white and black stone castle up ahead. The castle was Medieval looking but Connor and Melody could tell this was the Queen Of Hearts castle.
"Whelp. Here we are! And don't worry about the entry fee. The Queen will want all of Wonderland to witness Alice's beheading." The White Rabbit assured and gestured inside.
"Thanks...Sick. But thanks." Connor deadpanned at the thought of this world actually having the nerve to behead a little girl.
"I can't believe this woman has the Gaul to even want to behead a young girl over something she knows she couldn't have done." Melody muttered quietly so only her friends could hear her.
"It's down right heinous!" Donald hissed in anger.
"Yeah, and not nice too." Goofy said simply.
"Whelp. I better get going. Because- AH! I'M LATE!" The White Rabbit exclaimed as he hopped through the entrance.
Connor was about to go after him. But then he realized they already got answers out of him. And worse case scenario if the White Rabbit gets in trouble. They can vouch for him once they're inside.
"Meh. Whatever. Maybe he just thinks he's late and they'll reward him with a box of Trix cereal for a perfect attendance award." Connor shrugged as they went through the tree short cut and went down a flight of grassy stairs.
"They won't do that. Because Trix are for Kids." Melody joked back, having seen a few commercials of the cereal.
"That was a full grown rabbit?" Connor inquired and then he realized what they were walking across. "Wait...were these stairs here before?"
They didn't even see the stairs when they looked through the shortcut entrance. It's almost as if it appeared the moment they went through the tree entrance.
"I don't think they were, I think this place is messing with us again." Melody sighed, she herself starting to grow tired of this world.
"Tell me about it." Donald sighed as they finally made it down the stairs.
"Well we're at the entrance of the castle. I'm sure the rest is just...OH HOW DO YOU EVEN MANAGE THAT?!" Connor exclaimed in shock as they looked ahead and saw that they were now standing at the entrance of a hedge maze. And not an entrance to the castle.
"Are we seriously gonna have to navigate this whole hedge maze just to get to the castle?!" Melody exclaimed in shock and annoyance.
"Gee, this might take us a while." Goofy said, scratching the back of his head.
"Ya think, ya big Palooka?!" Donald snapped in frustration.
"Nuh uh! screw that! I say we cut our way through all of this and-" Connor almost suggested.
"With what?" Melody inquired on how they'll cut through these hedges.
Due to the fact that they don't have their keyblades or powers. They're practically armless.
"Damn it!" Connor hissed and exhaled as he insisted. "Come on. Alice needs us."
They all nodded and began to run through the hedges. Hoping to soon find a way out.
Meanwhile inside the Queen of Hearts court...
Everyone around the castle was present for Alice's trial of stealing the Queen's heart. All of the guards were actually classic game cards that were all slightly larger than the size of full grown man.
Alice was a polite danty ten year old girl in an English blue standard dress with a white apron, with blond hair made up with a black bow tie to keep it straight down.
The Queen of hearts was a large heavy woman with a dress made up to be stylized after the classic poker cards theme. With black hair rolled up under her ground with red lipstick. And the King of Hearts was a short little man in a red attire. With a blond powdered wig and a prissy mustache.
The white Rabbit ran down the aisle with all the guards standing in formation, running up a flight of stairs and up to the top of a podium while blowing a trumpet.
Once he was at the top of the podium, the White Rabbit stopped playing the trumpet.
"Your Majesty?" The White Rabbit greeted the Queen of hearts, who sat at the judge's seat with an angry scowl, chewing her nails from her right hand, while she wrapped the fingers of her left hand on the bench. She only briefly glanced at the white rabbit before staring down again.
"Members of the jury?" The White Rabbit announced with a slight bow, to which the jury, consisting of several different kinds of birds, and one big fish, returned with their own bow.
"Loyal Subjects?" The White Rabbit said while unrolling a scroll, only to be interrupted when he felt Before the White rabbit could say anything else, he felt someone poked his shoulder, making a glance annoyed at the king of hearts who was holding his small heart staff and a judge's gavel. He gestured to himself, with a big smile, letting the White Rabbit know not to forget him.
"And the King." The White Rabbit sighed in exasperation, as the king lifted his crown up like a hat and smiled at everyone.
The White Rabbit then began to read from the scroll, the charges against Alice, who looked around rather nervous and scared, wondering how this could have happened to her.
"The prisoner at the bar is charged with enticing her majesty, the Queen of Hearts, into a game of croquet," The White Rabbit went on to say, with Alice failing to give a rebuttal as the guards around her brought their spade-themed spears together, intimidating her into silence. "And thereby willfully and with matters of forethought teasing, tormenting, and otherwise annoying our beloved-"
The White Rabbit was interrupted by the Queen of Hearts.
"Never mind all that!" The Queen of Hearts snapped angrily, waving her arms about before putting on an excited smile. "Get to the part where I lose my temper."
The White Rabbit then hastily moved the scroll up until he got to the bottom, almost losing the scroll.
"thereby, causing the queen to lose her temper." The White Rabbit read with haste, to which the queen of Hearts rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
"Now..." The Queen of Hearts giggled eagerly before leaning forward to look down at Alice with a sinisterly gleeful smile. "Are you ready for your sentence?"
"Sentence?" Alice said with narrowed eyes, even as the guards in front of her brought their spears together in front of her again. But there must be a verdict first."
This reply made the Queen of Hearts bang her hand on the bench.
"Sentence, first!" The Queen of Hearts snapped with bared teeth before smiling. "Verdict, afterwards."
"But that just isn't the way." Alice said almost pleadingly, to which the Queen of hearts started banging both her fists on the bench.
"ALL WAYS ARE..." The Queen of Hearts snapped, her face getting red, making Alice concede out of fear of pushing too hard and making things worse.
"Your ways, your majesty." Alice said with a polite but nervous, and curtsy.
"Yes, my child." The Queen of Hearts said calmly with a smile, before acting sporadic. "OFF WITH HER-"
Before she could finish giving her sentence, Alice was saved when the king interrupted her while pulling on her dress slightly to get her attention.
"Consider my dear, we've called no witnesses." The King of Hearts said with a small smile and fidgety hands. "Couldn't we hear, maybe one or two? Huh? Maybe?"
This made the Queen of Hearts groan in annoyance and leaned on her elbow propped hand.
"Oooh, very well." The Queen of Hearts agreed with an annoyed look before snapping again. "BUT GET ON WITH IT!"
The force of her voice sent the King of Hearts back and fell off the stack of books he was standing on, only for him to raise his gavel up and hit it on the books.
"First witness! First witness!" The King of Hearts exclaimed happily as he climbed back up onto the books, hitting his gavel on the books beneath him. "Ah, we'll call the first witness!"
"The March Hare." The White Rabbit announced as the card guards were marching him up to the witness stand. While he was off the ground being carried by his bunny ears. Drinking a cup of tea casually oblivious with his eyes closed.
Then when they tossed him up to yhe stand. The March Hare was just sitting casually on that edge when he landed. Then the King proceeded to question the witness.
"Oh what do you know about this unfortunate affair?" The King asked.
"Nothing!" The March Hare stated as he circled his tea with his finger.
"Nothing whatever?!" The Queen exclaimed leaning over her judge stand.
"Nothing whatever!" The March Hare exclaimed back as he launched up to her face.
Then the Queen addressed the king and jury.
"THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT!" The Queen bellowed to the King, making him fall off his stack of books in his seat. "Jury. Write that down."
Then the Jury all wrote down and repeated 'Nothing whatsoever' As if it were important facts. And 'That's very important' on some chalk cards they were holding.
"That's 'unimportant'. You're Majesty means of course." Alice timidly responded with a small courtesy.
"SIIIIIILENCE!" The Queen smashed her judge's hammer while the King was hanging on. Which made Alice stagger from the loud voice making her blond hair blow a bit. "Next Witness!"
"The Dormouse!" The White Rabbit announced as Alice looked over to see who or what they brought in.
Two Spade cards carried a covered tray up to the bench and set it down, before uncovering it to reveal a yellow tea pot, which the Dormouse was inside.
The Queen of Hearts grabbed the tea pot and opened the lid to speak into it.
"WELL..." The Queen of Hearts shouted into the cup, which prompted the two spade guards to jump back.
"Shhh." The two guards shushed the Queen of Hearts, and instead of shouting at them, she looked contemplative and realized she shouldn't shout at this witness.
"What have you to say about this?" The Queen whispered at the pot.
The top of the pot opened up as the Dormouse popped out to respond with hardly any awareness of what's going on.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat." The Dormouse slurred, before going back into the pot, making the queen hold the pot up to her ear to hear more. "How I wonderβ¦"
"That's the most important piece of evidence we've heard yet." The queen whispered to the king, prompting the jury to lean in and listen, only for her to snap at them "WRITE THAT DOWN!"
This made all the jury members fall back before they sat up again and started writing.
"Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkleβ¦" The Jury Muttered as they wrote.
"Twinkle, twinkle." Alice muttered in annoyance and crossed her arms. "What next?"
"The Mad Hatter!" The White Rabbit called out, making Alice's eyes widen slightly before trying to turn to see, only for the guards to hold up their spears again, making Alice feel aggravated.
The Mad Hatter was marched down the entrance hall as he gave an enthusiastic bow to the Queen. Which was met with two spade spears poking his butt. Making him fly up in the air "Woohohoho!" He squealed as he landed on the edge of the witness stand and rubbed his bottom.
"OFF WITH YOUR HAT!" The Queen bellowed, which made the Mad Hatter stagger from the wind blowing from her rage.
"My!" Mad Hatter nearly lost his shoes showing his striped socks from the wind blowing rage. But he landed back in his shoes. And he tipped his hat and pulled it off revealing a tea pot of tea and a cup. Of which he giggled.
"Where were you when this horrible crime was committed?" The King asked.
"I was home drinking tea!" The Mad Hatter answered as he sprayed tea in his cup from the pot. Then he answered with a mid quick sip of his tea. "Today you know, is my unbirthday!"
Which made the King perk up as he declared.
"Why my Dear. Today is your unbirthday too!" The King realized this to the Queen.
"It is?" The Queen gasped with delight.
"It is?!" the Mad Hatter and March Hare exclaimed excitedly, shaking hands.
"IT IS?!" The Cards exclaimed as well, as Alice looked about her with shocked disbelief about what was going to happen next.
"A very merry unbirthday!~" The Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Cards sang as the Mad Hatter and March Hare unrolled a table cloth over the bench, revealing tea pots, cups, and a cake in front of the Queen.
"To me?~" The Queen asked excitedly, looking down at her cake.
"Oh no!" Alice whined and groaned at this turn of events, resting her face in her hand as she couldn't believe all this insanity.
"To you!~ A very merry unbirthday!~" The Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Cards continued to sing.
"For me?~" The Queen asked as she scooped some frosting from the cake with her finger and ate it, enjoying the flavor with a smile.
"For You!~" The Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Cards continued to sing.
"Now blow the candle out, my dear and make your wish come true!~" The Mad Hatter said with a chuckle as he pulled out several lit candles and threw them on top of the cake.
The Queen excitedly blew out the candles, while also blowing them off along with the frosting, before the cake exploded with a bang, leaving behind a wrapped present right in front of her. The queen excitedly ripped open the gift, and pulled out a decorative piece to go on top of her crown that looked like a crown itself, and put it on her head excitedly before posing.
"A very merry unbirthday, to yoooooooooou!~" The singing ended, with Alice finally looking back up at the Queen after shaking her head in exasperation, and noticed that the gift on the Queen's head changed and became a heatless wearing a top hat.
Right before Alice could alert the Queen when she noticed. She heard something of a metal hatch open from below her stand. She curiously looked down. Wondering why there was even a metal hatch down here. Wouldn't this make it easier for prisoners or convicts on trial to easily escape.
Suddenly the hatch opened which made Alice lightly gasp. When suddenly Connor's head popped up out of the hatch. As he was standing over something to boost him up.
Then Melody's head popped out next to Connor as she was being boosted up to. They both looked at Alice who was surprised to see them.
"Don't ask. The hedge maze made no sense." Connor deadpanned about how they got there.
"Are you Alice?" Melody whispered to Alice.
"Uh... Yes I am." Alice said, still a bit surprised by their sudden appearance. "W-who are you two?"
"We're here to spring you out. Come with us if you wanna live." Connor whispered and insisted with a reference. Thank God Melody didn't catch that...Yet.
Alice was hesitant at first, not sure if she should follow these two after everything she's experienced so far in this crazy world. But then after thinking back about her current predicament, she came to the conclusion that it had to at least be a bit better than staying there and possibly sentenced to a beheading.
"Okay." Alice said with a nod, agreeing to go with them.
Orion and Melody helped her down through the hatch as she realized that Melody and Connor were standing on top of Donald and Goofy's hands as they were grunting to hold them up. Donald was holding Melody up and Goofy was holding Connor up.
They both came back down as Connor brought Alice down with them under this castle secret tunnel which led in many directions. All made of red and black stone.
Donald and Goofy groaned as Connor and Melody got down with Alice and they exhaled in relief.
"Alright. Let's roll." Connor was about to run with the others but Alice stopped them.
"W-wait! Please, there is a monster out there. It's going to hurt the others!" Alice whispered pleadingly. This was prove Alice had a big heart. Inspite of how much this world got on her nerves. She doesn't want anyone to get hurt.
"Monster? Wait...Did this monster have yellow eyes and a red heart symbol with a haunting X marked in the middle?" Melody asked curiously as they were catching on.
"Why yes, that's exactly what it looks like." Alice replied politely, but slightly confused. "Have you seen this monster before?"
"Oh you have no idea." Donald sighed.
"We'll take care of it. It's what we do." Connor assured.
"We are?!" Donald and Goofy's eyes widened.
"Yes. Because if that Heartless finds the keyhole. It's over for this world. As much as we can't stand this place, we can't let that happen." Melody declared which made Connor proud of her.
"Gawrsh. She does have a point." Goofy understood.
"Ugh...Fine." Donald exhaled in exasperation.
"But wait! How are we gonna fight without our...Poing!" Goofy twisted as he felt a spark.
"What's..." Connor forze for a second when their eyes began to sparkle.
***Sparkling light bulb!***
And suddenly their weapons were summoned and appeared back in their hands. Connor's keyblade trident. Melody's seashell themed keyblade. Donald's staff and Goofy's shield. Not only that. But they also gained their memories of this place.
"Wait a minute..." Connor's eyes widened.
"Alice In Wonderland!" They all exclaimed in realization.
They finally got their memory of this place, and their powers back!
"Oh...Um...Are you all alright?" Alice asked, looking concerned and weirded out by this.
"Uh- Yeah. Yeah, we're fine. Just remembered a few things. Don't worry about it." Melody stammered out, still processing the return of the memories that they regained, though with the other three probably having it worse since they were more familiar with the story to begin with. Leaning towards Connor, she whispered. "Looks like we went through enough of this world to be able to get our memories back. But I thought Felicity said we had to get the shard before we could get our weapons back."
"I don't know about you, But I think it has something to do with her." Connor whispered, gesturing Alice. "But let's cross that bridge when we get to it later."
"Are they still cheering?" Donald inquired about the unbirthday party cheers still echoing.
Connor constructed a set of neon stairs much to Alice's fascination at the sight of his power.
"Oh my." Alice breathed in amazement.
Then he and Melody went up the stairs and looked up. They peeked just above the defendant stand and were both unamused of how narcissistic and full of herself the so-called Queen Of Heart was acting by laughing and waving while blowing kisses. And posing trying to look hot with her new 'crown'. Connor and Melody both looked at each other in disgust.
Then suddenly her crown revealed itself as a Heartless without her realizing as it waved at the others. But the Mad Hatter and March Hare were the first to notice.
"OH NO! A TARANTULA!" Mad Hatter pointed as March Hare panicked.
"A TARANTULA!?" The March Hair exclaimed in shock.
"A TARANTULA!?" The whole court shouted.
"SOMEBODY KILL THAT TARANTULA!" One of the guards shouted.
And the Mad Hatter and The March Hare ran up to try and catch the heartless, only for it to jump off the queen's head, making the two step on the queen's head and face as they ran and climbed after it.
"Hang on, hang on!" The March Hare exclaimed.
"This is terrible!" The Mad hatter exclaimed.
The two climbed onto the Heart banner above the judge's bench, as they tried chasing after the heartless.
"Help! Help!" The Mad Hatter exclaimed as he and the March Hare continued their chase, only for the banner to fall with them.
"Catch him! Stand in!" The King exclaimed as the banner, the two nutcases, and the heartless fell on top of the queen, covering her in the banner as the chase continued on top of her.
"Catch him! Catch him! Go for it!" The March Hare exclaimed before he fell off.
"Stop him! Catch him!" The Mad Hatter exclaimed as he tried grabbing the heartless before he had an idea. "Give me the jam, the jam!"
"The jam! The jam! By order of the king!" The King shouted as he was now on top of the queen as well with his gavel, trying to hit the heartless.
"The Jam!" the Mad Hatter exclaimed again as a guard ran to grab the jam and brought it to the March Hair who flung a glob of jam in the direction of the insanity.
"Let me have it!" The Queen shouted as she finally freed her head from under the banner, only for the glob of jam to hit her square in the face.
***Splat!***
And if that wasn't enough, a moment later, the King got close to the running heartless and brought his gavel down to smash the heartless, only for it to jump away at the last second, making the king hit the queen on the top of the head with a low ring.
***BANG ON THE HEAD!***
"Ooooh..." Connor and Melody winced at the sight of the Queen getting bonked on the head by a mallet.
The King chattered his teeth as he passed mallet over to the March Hare. Who passed it over to thr Mad Hatter and then he passed it to March Hare with the jam included. And this repeated as the Queen growled and shook under the sheet.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRH SOMEBODY'S HEAD IS GOING TO ROLL FOR THIS!" The Queen muffled under the sheet as she was about to erupt.
Then the Mad Hatter and March Hare looked afraid as they ran by Connor and Melody and dropped the jam and mallet next to Melody and Connor on the ground.
They looked at each other realizing what they did.
"Oh boy." Melody sighed.
"Gotcha covered Toots." Connor remarked as he pulled out a special gas grenade.
Then suddenly all of the card guards surrounded the Queen to cushion her eruption. Then she bursts out of the sheet with her face all red and angry and covered in grape jam still. Then her eyes landed on Connor and Melody. And the guards pointed their spears at their direction.
"AAAH! YOU TWO! Whoever you are..." The Queen of Hearts bellowed. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOF WITH THEIR HEA-"
"Aaaaaaaah shut up!" Connor snorted as he tossed the gas grenade towards her and the rest of the guards, and then...
***Bursts!***
A purple smoke brusted from the gas grenade and the cards breathed it in. Then their eyes weakened before they passed out by the gas and collapsed on the ground.
Which made the Queen look angrily at her guards that were now asleep.
"What?! HOW DARE YOU ALL FALL ASLEEP WHILE I!...I... Oooh..." The Queen inhaled the gas and fell to the ground snoring.
Melody looked over at Connor with an amused smirk. "Gas Bomb?" She inquired.
"Gas grenade." Connor corrected with a grin. "Bombs are so five centuries ago."
"Maybe in that advanced world you came from, but not mine." Melody teased before looking around her. "Hey, where'd that heartless run off to?"
Then suddenly. The Heartless with the hat began to hop up and down on top of the judges stand. Before it's legs extended and it kicked the stand and knocked over the witness stand. The jury stand especially. Connor was about to ask where they went before he saw some signs fall out of the nury stand that read 'Lunch Break.'
"Oh my goodness!" The White Rabbit panicked as he jumped down from his stand before it was kicked away and went into a corner and hid.
Then the Heartless extended and turned into a really large and bizarre Heartless with spindly legs resembling scissor jacks, arms that appear and sound like they're made of paper, and a head that is made of several segments balanced on top of each other. Each of these segments sports its own faceβthough all of the faces have the same glowing yellow eyes and jagged mouthsβand they alternate in color from red to black. Its arms are black and it often juggles clubs with zig-zagging, purple and lavender stripes on them. It wears black armor with large, red shoulder pads, a black codpiece, and has a very thin and small red body. The upper halves of its legs are red, while their lower halves are black. Its feet are black, flat, and curl at the tips. Much of its upper body and head sport gold highlights.
This Heartless was called a Trick Master.
Connor shook his head at the size as Donald and Goofy came up to join him and Melody. But they gawked at the sight of the large Heartless.
"Damn. I'd hate to see which circus this mo fo came from." Connor remarked as he stood in his battle stance.
"Alright, boy. Why don't we turn this monster into rummy cards?" Melody declared as she stood in her battle stance.
"Yeah!" Donald and Goofy declared as they stood with them ready to fight.
"Also..." Connor pulled out his mushroom piece from the right picket. "Now I know where Mario gets it from."
"Ooooh." Melody's eyes lit as she took hers out, then Donald and Goofy took theirs out.
Connor and Melody ate their mushrooms and quickly shifted into Maverick and Tsunami. Before they expanded. Then Donald and Goofy ate their mushrooms and expanded with them.
Then as they expanded inside the courtroom. The Trick Master knocked the roof away and caused the whole courthouse to collapse like giant cards floating in the wind. The next thing the Guardians knew is that they were standing out among the courtyard of the Queen's castle.
Then suddenly The Trick Master began to juggle with maracas. Before he tossed five more in the air. And then as the other maracas landed as they transformed into another set of four Trick Master Heartless. The fifth one landed and smashed into the fountain. As a giant pumpkin that squashed into the ground.
Which confused Maverick.
"What?! Pumpkin?! P-pumpkin?! What?! What?! What?! (beat) Pumpkin, what?!" Maverick exclaimed in confusion with his hands out.
"Why would four of its maracas turn into more heartless while the fifth one became a pumpkin?" Tsunami asked with shock and confusion. "Does any part of this world make sense?!"
"You know what? I'm gonna pollute this world with something worse than global warming." Maverick narrowed his eyes as he started up the music from his suit's play list as neon speakers projected all over the courtyard.
Then he played a Nikkelback track. A crazy no sense world needs a crazy no sense track.
( San Quentin - Nickelback)
Let's get this circus on down the road
We're taking bets how far a tank of gas will go
Call up your best friend, then call two more
About to do some shit that you ain't seen before
There ain't no backdoor, there ain't no sign
Location changes almost every other night
Last time we found it, can't remember much
I thought I was a god until my lawyer woke me up and said
Maverick ran over and slammed his shoulder into the first giant Trick Master Heartless and crashed it into the crash as he pinned it down with his leg and threw multiple neon punches into its face.
Tsunami lept into the air and wrapped her legs around the second giant Trick Master Heartless and spun to slam it down into the ground before she slashed her keyblade into its head while it was stunned.
Donald began to send a wind spell to spin the third Trick Master Heartless into the air, only to strike it multiple times with several thunder spells. Since the wind can carry the electrical bolts around. It was doing more damage than anticipated. Being giant definitely had its advantages.
Goofy stood his ground looking serious for the fourth one. But given that he wasn't used to being so big. So he tripped on the water fountain down below.
"Wh- whoah-Whoop! Whoa-Whohow!" Goofy yelped as he tripped and stumbled across the castle yard and crashed into the Trick Master making it trip into a large thirty feet garden decorated stone guard tower. Which tumbled over and fell on the Heartless' head.
***Boink!***
knocking on the Trick Master's head and finishing it off as it faded away.
"Oops. Sorry." Goofy nervously smiled from the ground.
I'll testify that I was right out of my mind
Let the record show I did it all for rock and roll
Screamin' every night, playing twenty-five to life
So somebody please keep me the hell out of San Quentin
Out of San Quentin, just keep me out of San Quentin
Oh, can somebody please keep me the hell out of San Quentin?
As everyone was finishing off their giant Heartless copies. Maverick went up against the original as he stood against the first Trick Master that kept leaping around and dodging all of Maverick's attacks. Despite his size, Maverick was still very athletic to say the least, he even shifted his keyblade into a trident to do several spin attacks and slashes. But his weapon kept clashing with the Trick Master's maracas as it spun and juggled them in its hands.
Showing that this giant Heartless was just as athletic and even smarter than its copies.
Got out on bail, we hit the town
Somebody told me we should burn it to the ground
Too many favors, too much to drink
Come six AM, they had me back inside the clink
I'm gonna testify that I was right out of my mind
Let the record show I did it all for rock and roll
Screamin' every night, playing twenty-five to life
So can somebody please keep me the hell out of San Quentin?
Out of San Quentin, oh, just keep me out of San Quentin
Ooh, can somebody please keep me the hell out of San Quentin?
Maverick was soon knocked in the face by a maracas and was pinned down against the ground as the last Trick Master stood up. The other teammates ran in but they were knocked aside by its two legs split into four to spin like a helicopter.
Then as it was about to jump in the air and smash its maracas into Maverickβ¦..
*KA-BAM!*
A stone was thrown into Trick Master's head. Knocking it over . Before the entire giant Heartless collapsed and faded away as it was destroyed. And its heart floated up and away.
Maverick got up and was surprised to see who threw that stone. It was Alice?! She became giant like the rest of them. Even the rest of the Guardians got up and were surprised to see her big.
"Mushrooms?" Maverick inquired.
"Of course. Did you really think I would let you have all of the fun?" Alice asked politely with a slight smug in her voice and her hands on her hips.
"I guess I tend to hog too much of the action. I needed a breather from this place." Maverick rubbed the back of his neck.
"That was amazing!" Donald beamed as he the others approached Alice.
"Yeah way to go, Alice! Ahyuck!" Goofy patted her back.
"Thanks for finishing the fight for us." Tsunami smiled at her.
"Oh, you are all quite welcome. But I do believe it is time to become smaller again." Alice suggested as she picked out her mushroom piece out of her left pocket, which was the size of a breath crum.
Maverick and Tsunami shifted back into Connor and Melody as they nodded and they took their left piece of mushrooms out. Donald and Goofy did the same.
And they all ate their last piece. Then they all staggered a bit as they shrunk down to normal size and they all took a sigh of relief.
"Oh. I almost forgot. The White Rabbit that told me you are all looking for this? It fell off of the Queen's crown." Alice pulled out an object from her pocket and handed it to Melody.
It was the Pearl Shard they were looking for! And not just a forgery this time.
"The Pearl Shard!" Everyone exclaimed happily.
"We've been looking for this since we got here." Melody said, taking the shard into her hands before hugging Alice. "Thank you so much."
"Oh. You're very welcome." Alice responded timidly as she was surprised by the hug. But she hugged Melody back. Then they separated for her next response. "Though, I must say. I didn't quite catch you and your friends' names. I am Alice, as you know." She gave a short but polite courtesy given that Alice grew up in London. A place where proper etiquette is one of the ten commandments.
"Nice to meet you, Alice, I'm Melody." Melody said with her own polite curtsy.
"I'm Donald." Donald introduced himself with a wave of his hat.
"I'm Goofy." Goofy said, doing the same thing with his hat.
"And this one man ocean wave army is Connor Ramsey, Esquire. Also known as the Maverick, Also known as that armored hunk muffin you saw me turn into." Connor introduced himself with a humorous stage bow before he stood up straight and noted. "We came down into this neuralgia-like world to find this shard. It's a piece of an artifact of great importance and I'll spare you the details. So we have..."
Connor froze as he pondered and realized he forgot.
"Anyone know how many we got and how many are left? I lost track." Connor asked the team.
"If I remember correctly, we now have three shards." Melody said after thinking it over. "But how many are left, I'm not sure."
"Gawrsh. Maybe we should write down notes." Goofy pondered.
"Wait, hold on. Tony said ten worlds, one for each shard. So we got at least seven more shards to go." Connor said as he recalled their meeting with the Illuminati.
"Which means we have at least seven more worlds we have to visit." Melody concluded.
"WHAT'S ALL THIS THEN?!" They heard the Queen's voice below.
Which made the team and Alice wince and Connor and Melody rolled their eyes.
"Oh dear." Alice looked afraid.
"Here we go." Connor and Melody deadpanned as they turned to face the Queen.
The Queen of Hearts were approaching the Guardians and Alice with a stack of guards marching with her, Along with the King and the White Rabbit both timidly standing in between her.
"THE GAMES ARE UP, SCOUNDRELS! FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT AND BRINGING IT DOWN COMPLETELY! I HEREBY-" The Queen bellowed and was about to sentence them.
*Puff!*
When another gas grenade emitted from. below the Queen. Causing just her to inhale it. While the others around her, the card guards, the King and the White Rabbit took a step back and pinched their noses.
"I hereby sentence ...I...What? What's going on? Where am I?" The Queen looked confused as she threw a fit next. "Confound it! What am I doing?! I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING!"
"Amnesia grenade?" Melody muttered to Connor.
"Guilty." Connor muttered back.
Alice wasn't sure how Connor managed to make the Queen forget. But before the Guardians could speak up. An idea came to the young British girl as she stepped out to the Queen respectively.
"Why Your Majesty. Do you not remember? You sent these four commendable heroes to go and stop the monsters that attacked your castle." Alice told the Queen.
"I!...I did?" The Queen asked, looking confused.
"Yes. Isn't that right, Melody?" Alice smiled to Melody.
Melody caught on as she came up and added to the web of lies.
"Of course. And you are also going to give everyone at the castle a vacation for a job well done at keeping her most blessed Majesty alive. Including giving the White Rabbit a new golden watch as part of his perfect attendance award." Melody stated with a warm smile aimed at the White Rabbit, who of course gasped with a big smile.
"I was?" The Queen asked as scratched her head.
"Why I thought the Queen never forgets anything. You don't remember?" Connor asked as he approached while getting into the act.
"Don't be ridiculous! I never forget anything! OF COURSE I SAID ALL THOSE THINGS!" The Queen exclaimed in denial about forgetting everything before she turned to address her subjects. "LET OUR ROYAL VACATION BEGIN!"
"HORRAAAAAY!" All of the cards cheered as they matched with the Queen and King cheering as they entered back into the castle.
While the White Rabbit was approached by a card guard who made him gulp. Then the guard handed him a golden shinier watch to replace his broken one. The White Rabbit gasped in awe and hugged as he wiped a happy tear away.
The Guardians smugly watched as the Queen finally left with the others. And the White Rabbit was leaving with them. While he smiled and waved back at the Guardians for having the Queen do this for him.
"One thing I've learned a long time ago. When you try to make sense out of a world that has no sense, you end up causing everything to make less sense than it already is." Connor shrugged.
"Very profound words, Connor." Alice nodded.
'They certainly are. But I just hope that they only apply to this world." Melody said with a slight sigh.
"Gee, do you think we'll be travelin to another world that's even wackier than this one?" Goofy asked in thought.
"Let's hope not. And if we do, I'm blaming you for jinxing us!" Donald snapped out at Goofy in that last part.
"We'll still need to find a way back out though." Connor figured as he looked around.
"Oh, look!" Alice pointed at the main exit towards the east wall of the castle gates.
They looked over and saw the same door with the talking doorknob asleep. His door form was Stationed to the wall as if he was built into it.
"Convenient." Melody muttered.
"More like Annoying! Let's just hurry and get out of this crazy world." Donald said as the group started walking towards the door.
"Gee, what about this world's keyhole? We still need to close that, don't we?" Goofy asked as they got close to the door.
Then as Donald gripped the doorknob. It honked loudly like it was his nose.
"OOOH! Onk...I'm still locked you know." The Doorknob stated.
"Oh please Mr Doorknob. We simply must get outside." Alice pleaded to the Doorknob.
"Oh hohoho! But you are outside!" The Doorknob proclaimed.
"What?!" Alice gasped.
"WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAT?!" The Guardians exclaimed.
"See for yourself." The Doorknob gestured as he opened his mouth.
Then they all looked through his keyhole shaped mouth as he showed them what was through the hole. They were all shocked to see Alice, leaning peacefully under a tree asleep.
"Why...Why that's me! I'm asleep!" Alice said in shock.
Then suddenly. The Doorknobs keyhole mouth started to glow. Revealing that the Doorknob was the keyhole to this world all along.
Then as they all stood back. Connor and Melody nodded as they both held their keyblades out. Causing stars to circle around the tips. Then two light beams shot out and right into the keyhole. Then the sound of a large lock turn was heard.
Once the Doorknob felt it. the glowing stopped around his mouth as he closed his mouth and smiled at the team and Alice.
"Well. So long!" The Doorknob bid them farewell.
Then suddenly. Everything around Alice and the Guardians began to glow. Before they could process what was happening. Everything turned white as they looked around in confusion. And Alice could no longer see them.
*"Alice...Alice..."* The young girl heard as she was scared and looking around. Then suddenly she began to relax as everything shifted to her being back under the tree.
as the Wonderland dream ended...
With her little cat named Dinah curled up next to her. And Alice's older sister and mentor named Margaret called for her to wake up. A proper older woman in her early to mid twenties. Wearing a proper English purple dress with a matching bonet tied around her brown hair. And she has the same blue eyes as her little sister Alice.
"Alice, will you kindly pay attention and recite your lesson?" Margaret asked with a slightly impatient tone.
"Huh? Oh." Alice muttered before she jumped up onto her feet, now fully awake, but unintentionally pushing Dinah off her lap as she stood. "Oh! Uhβ¦ how doth the little crocodile, improve his shining tail. And pour the waters of theβ¦"
"Alice, what are you talking about?" Margaret interrupted her, not understanding what the girl was talking about.
"Oh," Alice said, putting a hand to her cheek. "I'm sorry, but you see, the Caterpillar saidβ¦"
"Caterpillar? Oh, for goodness sake. Alice, Iβ¦" Margaret began to say with total exasperation towards her little sister, and her imagination and dreaming before letting out a sigh before she gave a small but very caring smile. "Oh, well. Come along, it's time for tea."
With that Margaret turned and started walking towards the little bridge and down the path that led home, prompting Alice to hurriedly pick up her pet cat and follow after her sister, her mind wandering as she believed everything she recently experienced to be a dream.
Well, not completely, that is. For if either Alice or Margaret were to have looked up at the tree they were under before they left, they would have seen Connor, Melody, Donald, and Goofy standing up in the tree on top of the branches.
"How...Did we end up here?" Melody asked as she was sitting back on a tree branch.
"I have no idea. FELICITY? Got anything?" Connor asked his A.I. Assistant.
'I have concluded that the world of Wonderland which inspired the other of the book many years ago. Was actually a cosmic figment of Alice's dream. Her dream of pondering what a world of nonsense could be.' FELICITY hypothesized.
"Well, that does make a lot of sense." Goofy commented.
"Maybe to you, ya big palooka! But not us!" Donald snapped, clearly tired of the recent nonsense.
"But what about the keyhole? And how would a ten year old girl have created something like that?" Melody mumbled, many questions about the recent events dancing in her head.
'Alice has a heart more pure than any. The light of her heart created Wonderland as a cosmic defense in case the Heartless ever invades. You could say, Alice is one of seven.' FELICITY revealed.
"The seven pure hearts..." Connor breathed in realization. He remembered them from the myths. The Seven Princesses of Heart.
"Alice is a Princess of Heart?" Melody murmured, surprised by this bit of news. "Just like me?"
"Listen to me, Mel. All of you. This info stays between the four of us. No one else can know about this. Cause if anyone else finds out about this. This could not only endanger Alice, but the future of Kingdom Hearts itself." Connor advised with a serious look to the team.
"Of course, Connor." Melody said with a serious look, understanding the importance of this secret.
"Don't worry Connor. We won't tell anyone, unless you say it's ok to." Goofy said with his usual smile. "The secret will be safe just like the world border."
"ORDER!" Donald snapped.
"Right. World order. Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoo!" Goofy said with a laugh, making Donald sigh in exasperation.
"What about Alice?" Melody asked as they looked out to see Alice walking with a little innocent skip next to her sister.
Alice seemed to be fine, despite believing that everything including the team were all just a dream. Connor believed it was all for the better.
"She'll be okay. She definitely has a great life here. Even before entering that wacky fricked up dream world. And as much as I could use a vacation. We got some shards to collect and a large legendary kingdom to save." Connor declared
"You're Right. As much as this last world was tough, the other worlds still need us." Melody said with determination.
Then Connor pulled up his ring. "FELICITY. Beam us up to the ship." Connor said.
And then the team were teleported back onto the Gummi Ship. ready to head out to the next world.
The next day on board the Stingray II...
Everyone was down in the lounging area of the lower deck. They all had different boxes of tasty cereal and they decided to pass the time to some much needed leisure while Connor was steering the ship towards its next destination.
Donald and Goofy were busy playing on a monopoly board over at one of the board game tables. Dug was sound asleep. Relaxing on one of the leather chairs. While Mini Mav was busy watching TV with Melody who was propped up sitting next to him.
"Wow. So this is what the Avengers look like in action?" Melody said excitedly as she sat on the couch in a green shirt with a pink seashell design and salmon pink shorts and barefoot, watching the first Avengers movie. "It's so cool."
"Oh oh oh! Here's my part." Mini Mav beamed as he hopped up on Melody's lap and pointed at the screen.
***"And Hulk!"*** Captain America called the Incredible Hulk's attention.
Hulk growled glaring down at the Captain. Then Captain America pointed up and stated. ***"Smash."***
The Hulk grinned mischievously as he was glad to have a friend who accepts his destructive nature. Then he jumped in the air and started smashing the alien invaders while the other Avengers attacked with him.
"Wow. I'm glad that that guy is on the same side as us." Melody said with an impressed tone. "Bet he could give Connor quite a challenge."
"He did. Padre once survived..." Mini Mav declared with a pause as he held a finger up. "...Shaking Hulk's hand."
There was a pause before Melody broke into a fit of laughter.
"The great Maverick, almost taken down by a handshake. I mean, I get that Hulk is strong. But come on." Melody said while laughing.
"That hand feels like getting a massage from a planet full of bricks!" Connor stated in response to Melody's words as he came down stairs from the upper deck. Wearing his keyblader outfit without the jacket.
"Did you ever actually get into a fight with the Hulk, or any of the Avengers?" Melody asked with a giggle.
"No! Are you nuts?! The Avengers are like the frickin gods of modern and ancient marvel fandom! To fight against them would be like fighting our parents!" Connor humorously exclaimed then he added. "Also Hulk never gets into a fight with kids. Even if he's tempted at times."
"Well, that's good to know if we ever somehow meet him." Melody said smiling.
Connor blanked that Melody wasn't affected by his outburst. While Donald and Goofy were snickering in the background. Dug was still asleep and Mini-Mav was just looking in between the conversation and the movie.
"Anyways...We're twenty minutes away from where I've tracked the next shard. It's somewhere among the wilds of Saltuvia." Connor declared.
"Saltuvia?" Melody said, getting the feel of the word on her tongue. "What's the world like?"
"I'll tell ya!" Jiminy Cricket jumped over the coffee table and spoke to Melody who propped up on her seat.
"You know about that world, Jiminy?" Goofy asked curiously as he and Donald came over.
"I've chronicled several worlds from the Emperor's documents. Saltuvia is a rather tropical and mostly wild world consisting of most creatures of nature. Including some that are extinct and some of the likes we have never seen." Jiminy stated.
"Wow. Sounds like quite an amazing place." Melody said with a hint of amazement. "Can't wait to see it."
"Believe me. Saltuvia is among some of the most majestic jungles throughout the Multiverse. But it not all fun and games over there. Where there's a wild, there's wild animals. And some of these animals may be even dangerous than your average pack of lions. So when you're down there. Stay on your toes." Jiminy cautioned the team.
"Believe me. Anything that tries to eat us, I'll give them one hell of a toothache." Connor remarked as he lit up his fingers with neon acting cool.
"And I'll be sure to give them quite a soak." Melody said, referring to her water abilities.
"Oh. I almost forgot. Apparently the water and oceans of that world have over two hundred times the oxygen of a regular Earth. Meaning you all can be able to breath under water when you're there. With or without your mermaid forms." Jiminy stated as he remembered some of the other notes from the books on Saltuvia.
"That's great!" Melody said happily.
"Oh boy!" Donald exclaimed.
"Gawrsh! That means we won't have to worry about drowning if we fall into the water!" Goofy said.
"Absolutely. Oh and Donald. I've linked your magic wand to the enchantments and codes to Connor's Fabrication Room. You'll all be able to automatically shift your outfits to adapt to the attire of any world you enter when needed." Jiminy stated with a smile.
" That's great! Thanks Jiminy!" Donald said, happy to know that he can make sure he and Goofy could better blend in without worrying about breaking the world order.
"My pleasure. Good luck to you all. And Melody, you're doing very well on your first journey as a keyblade wielder. We all couldn't have picked anyone better to be with us now." Jiminy tipped his hat to Melody.
"Oh, thank you so much for your kind words, Jiminy." Melody said with a slight bow. "That means a lot to me. And I'm glad I'm able to help."
"Alrighty. On that note. I think we're ready for the next vortex. All hands on deck, Guardians." Connor got everyone's attention. Accept for Dug who was still asleep.
"Is that a catchphrase?" Melody asked.
"Not really." Connor stated as they went up the stairs.
"We should definitely make it one." Melody beamed.
"Not gonna happen." Connor remarked as they all went up the bridge.
And they all sat down in their chairs and waited as the ship was heading towards the directions to the next vortex.
Twenty Minutes later after another vortex ride...
Donald and Goofy were shaken up after the ship reached the end of yet another wild cosmic ride. And they steadied themselves with forced smiles. While Connor just took it well with a shrug.
At this point this ride doesn't bother him anymore. Even if Melody enjoyed having to kiss him to snap him out of the shock the first few times.
Connor then flew the Stingray across the clouds of a large green planet. Which was half the size of earth. Then he entered a water portal that was hovering above the clouds.
"This portal will lead the ship to an ideal location for it to hide in." Connor stated. "The weather tends to get crazy sometimes. We don't wanna risk lightning to bust up my gummi insurance."
"Yeah. Good call. Because if the ship were to get damaged, we'd be stuck here." Melody said, understanding.
"Gee, that wouldn't be good." Goofy said, rubbing his chin.
"Ya think, ya big Palooka?" Donald snipped.
"Alrighty...And..." Connor flew the ship in through the water portal slowly.
Then as it passed through the wet gates. The ship was warped into the center of a giant dome cave. Completely made of blue sapphire. And at the center of the cave was a second gateway. Round and Stationed into the front wall of the cave. The Stingray II was shifted into a submarine as a part of the modification added by Cindy from the Gummi workshop.
And the gummi sub was floating above the waters of a large pond centered around the gateway. Which looked like a small bit of land surrounded by a lake. Inside of a cave.
Through the gateway. The team could see something vaguely tropical through the other end. but the image was distorted and wavy.
"Gawrsh. Where do ya think this leads?" Goofy wondered.
"Probably somewhere in Saltuvia." Melody figured.
"But where in Saltuvia?" Donald asked.
"Only one way to find out, Bath Time." Connor remarked as he stood up and got ready to leave with the cave.
"Oh oh oh oh! Can I come this time?! Please?! Pretty please?! I'm prepared to make a blood covenant if it helps!" Mini Mav pleaded with his hands clasped to Connor and Melody.
"You don't have any blood. And sure." Connor gave him an answer with a grin.
"YES! JUNGLE PARRY Y'ALL! WHOO WHOO!" Mini-Mav cheered as he started jumping up and down excitedly.
"More like...Whatever sounds bongos make." Connor shrugged as they were assending down the stairs.
"Hey, Master! And Master's mate! Where are we going?! To the trash world?! Balltopia?! Or the ancient realms of fire hydrants!" Dug barked happily as he was running around the team.
Melody giggled a bit and asked Connor. "Do any of those worlds exist?"
"Nope." Connor answered.
"Oh yes they do. I go to those worlds everytime I sleep." Dug said, panting happily.
"If you say so, Dug." Melody mused with a giggle.
Then as the team exited out of the sub main entrance hatch. which was on a clear angle to the steps up to the gateway. Then as they all made steps up to the gateway. Connor and Melody were wearing their keyblader outfits. Only Melody left her nice leather jacket she won at Traverse Town back in the Stingray II. She even didn't wear her sandals as she didn't see a reason to give where they were going.
And as they were standing in front of the gateway. They all looked up. As some of them were feeling a bit nervous.
"So. Uh...Who's gonna go first?" Donald gulped.
"I suggest that we all go together." Melody suggested as she took Connor's hand. "That way, we won't risk getting separated."
"No objections." Connor grinned as he held her hand as he and the others lined up. Then they all took a deep breath except for Dug who was panting and Mini Mav because he's a Robot.
Then they all stepped forward and went through the gateway. The next thing they knew. Everything flashed before their eyes. And everyone was suddenly standing at the beach of somewhere tropical with new outfits. And new forms.
Down in Saltuvia...
The underwater gateway sent the team towards the beach of Saltuvia. Or at least one of them. As theybwere adjusting to their new outfits. And new forms that needed some adjustments.
Connor wore green pelt like shorts with a gold and neon belt, matching arm and wrist guards made with gold and neon, a blue armored cloth around his neck, and some small shin guards that were only wrapped around his shins in a skin tight manner and he was barefoot.
Melody now wore a jungle themed attire. Which consisted of a bright red crop top that showed her midriff, and a bright red loincloth in the style of a skirt that went halfway down her thighs. Her hair was loose and blowing in the wind. And she was barefoot.
Connor and Melody gave each other some looks of pure awe. As Connor found Melody to be just breathtaking and Melody found Connor to be...Just a total hunk muffin. He had more of his muscles shown than what he wore in Thebes.
"Woah...Just...Ten billion yards of woah." Connor breathed in surprise seeing her in her new outfit.
"T-thanks. And you look... Wow." Melody muttered shyly.
"Did you...Get a top five Sports Illustrated Swimsuit figure at the age of twelve...Seriously half of the girls from my world would trade their left arms if they could only have your legs." Connor remarked as he complemented Melody's good looks and body figure.
For a twelve year old girl. Melody has a nice figure. Sure her chest is mostly flat since she's underage, but the rest of her body looks perfect. She gets it from her mother Ariel.
Melody blushed a dark red before she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"And I'm sure all the guys in my world would kill to look half as handsome as you." Melody said softly, placing her lips on his in a kiss which he returned passionately. But as they were kissing...
"WAAAAK! WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?"Donald screamed.
"Gawrsh! Look at us!" Goofy said more calmly.
This prompted Connor and Melody to turn to see what was going on, and their eyes widened in slight shock.
Donald was now an exotic bird with a large tail, a mix of white and blue feathers. And he still wore his sailor cap.
Goofy was now a large land turtle, with a yellow shell and white lines. His head is the same, as well as his hat.
Connor blinked as he was about to speak when Mini-Mav landed in front of Donald and Goofy. As they were adjusting to their new forms let alone trying to understand them.
"Look everyone! We have the Ninja Turtles with some Fruit Loops!" Mini-Mav proclaimed with his hands out.
"Uh...But I ain't a ninja. Wo-woah!" Goofy accidentally flipped over on his shell.
"Oh brother." Donald groaned at Goofy's clumsiness before glaring at Mini-Mav. "And if anyone here is a fruit loop, it's you!"
"Don. Calm down. Obviously we've all been changed to blend into the inhabitants and apparently there are no cartoony looking ducks and dog men." Connor stated.
"Even Mini-Mav has a new look." Melody pointed.
Mini-Mav now had a metallic monkey tail and monkey ears on top of his head. He looked at himself and declared
"Let us all be freaks of nature, together!" Mini-Mav proclaimed.
"Ooooh! Look at the monkey! Boy I wish Tiny-Master was here! He loves monkeys!" Dug panted looking at Mini-Mav in fascination.
Dug of course had only a new blend of colors. While he was still the same shape and size of a labrador retriever, his fur colors had a blend of gray and black like a wild wolf. As if he was painted by a Photoshop editor.
"I never said I like Monkeys. I said I like money." Mini-Mav corrected. "Besides, the economy is being wasted by Monkeys who can't have enough green."
"Anyhow, let's just say we're all stuck like this until we leave. And try to keep our heads in the game. We're all here to find the fourth pearl shard and save this world from many possible threats or the Heartless. So let's recon the area and stay together." Connor stated to the team.
Melody looked about and gasped at the beauty of the jungle.
"Wow. This place is amazing, so breathtaking." Melody muttered as she looked around all the scenery.
Connor looked out as the trees and palm trees surrounded an incline of several mountains. And white misty fogs all above and around them. And there was a mountain which was a volcano west of their location where the clouds surrounded a bit of red from the top of the volcano like mountain.
"Look at that volcano." Goofy said in curious awe.
"That's...Not a volcano, they tend to erupt on a massive scale when they glow that bright. That's actually a capture balance heat wave to send photosynthesis towards all the vegetation around the jungle." Connor explained as he recognized the effects of the structure.
"Huh?" Melody didn't catch his word.
"It's a terrarium. Unlike the kind we use to put plants in. This thing Is like the ultimate greenhouse effect. It captures the heat of the sun and spreads its essence to everything we're looking at." Connor explained as he pointed up at the terrarium.
"So, it's like a gigantic furnace that brings heat to the landscape around it? That's pretty cool." Melody said before clearing her throat. "Or hot, as the case may be."
"Not as hot as you may think. After all, an extreme shift in temperature could affect the atmosphere. That terrarium is actually twenty times less warm than a fireplace. You could practically walk on it without burning." Connor pointed out as they walked across the sand.
"Gee, that'll be convenient if we have to cross it." Goofy commented as he tried walking on four legs, which was a slow process for him, and not just because he was a giant turtle.
"You two...Uh...Hanging in there?" Melody asked, finding their new forms to be rather strange.
"Define Hanging in..." Donald groaned as he was walking on his new bird-like claws and stumbled a bit.
"Donald, I don't know if you notice. But you've got wings now. And not the kind you confuse everyone for arms. See if they work. It wouldn't hurt to try." Connor pointed out and insisted encouragingly. With a little humor.
"I've tried! It's not working for me! I don't know how!" Donald snapped back, frustrated with his current dilemma.
"Alright. Let's remedy that." Connor sighed as he held his keyblade out to them. Making Donald and Goofy staggered. "FELICITY. Send in all the info you have on flying for Donald and reptilian agility for Goofy."
'Yes Maverick.' FELICITY acknowledged as Connors keyblade glowed and caused Donald and Goofy to glow.
Thus they were given the knowledge on how to traverse in their new forms.
"Oh Boy!" Donald exclaimed as he now started flapping his wings, now able to fly. "Now I won't have to worry about falling behind."
"Neither will I." Goofy said, testing out his new agility. "Thanks, Connor."
"I live to give, Boys. Also Goof? Try spinning and sliding upside-down. With your shell at the bottom. Use your legs to wave the air and your head to keep up momentum." Connor gave Goofy a few pointers. "You can even summon your shield on top of your shell to make combat easier."
"Gawrsh, that's a great idea. I'll have to remember that for when we get into any trouble here." Goofy said happily.
"Hey! What do ya mean WHEN we get into trouble? What makes you think we'll get into any trouble here?" Donald asked incredulously.
"Because it's us? We attract trouble no matter where we go." Melody said with a smirk.
"That and it's the jungle, Guys. If you've all watched Lost or played Tomb Raider. You all know that we'll more than likely encounter any dangerous wildlife." Connor pointed out.
"Like...Spiders?" Melody teased remembering Connor's biggest fear.
Connor instantly shifted into Mavericks and jumped in fright. "WHERE?!" He screamed.
"HAHAHAHA! made Ya Look!" Melody laughed at Connor's scared reaction, with Donald and Goofy joining in on the laughter.
"You know what? If a giant jungle pest. Like maybe a giant tree rat tries to get a taste for canine crunchies. Roast Duck and Babe Cakes. Yall are on your own." Maverick waved it all before shifting back into Connor.
"Oh, they can try to take a bite out of us. But they'll just break their teeth." Melody teased with a smirk. "After all, we're the toughest group around."
"That's right. We're the Guardians of the Keep." Goofy said confidently.
"DEEP!" Donald snapped.
"Right. Guardians of The Deep. Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoo!" Goofy said with a laugh.
"Depths." Connor deadpanned a correction.
"Is there a difference?" Melody remarked as she sauntered across the sand on her bare feet. Feeling how warm it is with her hands behind her back as she had a bit of a skip in her steps.
"Meh. Changing the subject...I think we can all get around faster if we use the trees. We can get a good view of what's ahead and use your free flow abilities to travel like..." Connor tried to think of the right word.
"Monkeys?" Melody inquired with a raised amused eyebrow.
"I was gonna say Tony Hawk fans. Cause I'm thinking about skating those branches. I mean look at how tall they are." Connor gestured up ahead in the branches.
Some of the tree branches were long in several Loops that were conjoined into each other. They were high above the ground. Almost a hundred feet in fact and they all resembled something of a bridge or roller coasters. These trees were almost like skate parks off the ground.
"Ooh. This is gonna be so much fun." Melody said with a slight giddiness.
"Yeah, lots of fun." Goofy agreed.
"Oh no." Donald groaned, foreseeing himself in a world of hurt soon.
"And since you're still on training wheels. Allow me to take the first step ." Connor smirked as he grabbed Melody and held her in his arms bridal style.
"Oooh, by all means, handsome." Melody said with a big smile on her face, giving him a quick kiss on the lips whole playfully swaying her bare feet in the air.
Then Connor formed a neon aura around his body and allowed the freeflow energy to collide as he dashed and ran up the tree as Melody kept a firm grip with her arms around his neck. As he leapt up the top of the tree and dashed into the air as he rode above the breeze.
While this went on. Connor managed to form a neon bubble around Dug who needed a lift as he was floating in it and it followed after Connor.
While Mini-Mav began to climb and jump across the trees like a little robotic monkey. Either his new form programmed him with new skills. Or he always was a little robotic monkey. Either way it was convenient.
Donald flew up as he was wincing to keep a grip with his claws around Goofy's heavy shell.
Melody looked out in amazement as she saw such a cosmic breathtaking sight.
The jungle was colored pink because of the light. And there were asteroids and many different unknown creatures flying about. It was breathtaking to say the least.
"Oh my God. This place is so beautiful." Melody whispered in awe at the majesty before them.
"I'm guessing a shift in perspective of where the lights are beaming...Also. You're getting a good glimpse of air whales." Connor gestured to the creatures that were flying by.
They do resemble whales. But only they were pink with air puffing from their back pumps instead of large tail fins like normal whales. Connor hopped across some as they made soft whale noises. Then he landed on one and allowed Melody to stand up straight in time to see a baby air whale fly up above its mother and look at Melody and Connor as it was slowly floating by with the school.
"Hehehe. Hi there, Cutie." Melody cooed and waved at the baby air whale as it flew by. "I wonder what other amazing things we'll see here."
Donald panted as he landed behind Connor and Melody to drop goofy off on top of the air whale. Connor decided to give them a hand. Since Donald needed to fly properly without holding anything. The only thing he could hold while flying is his magic staff. Which is easier to carry and is practically weightless.
"Here." Connor picked Goofy up and used some neon rope to strap around his shoulders. Holding Goofy's turtle form like a backpack behind him.
"Thanks." Donald sighed and smiled.
"If anyone asks. He's a launch box and the Kool-aid makes him giggle." Connor quipped about Goofy being strapped to his back.
"Ahyuck!" Goofy chuckled in response.
Then Connor took Melody's hand and they both lifted off the air whale as they both free fell down towards some trees. Then with their freeflow abilities. They used their feet to land and grind across a slippery large and long branch that started on an incline. Then the branch was sliding towards the end of a trail in the air. As they were siding together. Connor was up in front while Melody followed his lead.
Then the bench led them up to another branch at the end which they both jumped and flipped in different directions before landing on it. And they both rail slid across a triple looped branch. Then at the end of that branch, Connor and Melody saw some tree vines. So they grabbed it and Connor swung across some trees trying to mimic Spider-Man while Melody was swinging like a natural jungle girl. Which amazed Connor.
"Wait! Have you done this before?!" Connor inquired as they grabbed another vine to swing off of. He wondered since Melody seemed like a trained expert at swinging across vines.
"Not really, no! It just feels like it's coming to me naturally!" Melody said loud enough to be heard as she swung around as if she actually was born as a jungle girl.
Then Melody lands on two small side loop branches which circle each other multiple times. And her bare feet slide across them, following their pattern like an interpretive dancer. Then she leaped across the end of them and slid across the next branch like a figure skater as she followed the branch slide across multiple trees.
Connor followed her as he ran across the side of trees like a ninja as he bounced off of them. He saw a gap between the branches and a large cliff, leading straight ahead towards the other side of a mountain. So Connor used his water abilities to form slides that went forward on an incline across the other side. Melody saw it up ahead and grinned as she leaned forward while sliding and she used her freeflow ability to leap off, high into the air as she made it halfway across the large gap. While doing back flips and spin tricks in the air.
Which made Connor's eyes widen at the sight. Especially when she landed perfectly into the middle of the water slide, and leaned forward on her front like she was on an actual waterside. Getting wet as she held her hands out and her bare feet into the air. Like anybody would if they were in a water park.
"WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Melody yelled thrillingly as she was slide down towards the other side of the cliff.
Then she made it across. She got off at the end and stood on her bare feet to catch her breath and to wring the water out of her hair, before Connor landed right next to her while putting Goofy down on the ground.
Then Donald landed right next to Goofy after flying naturally to keep up with them. Which he enjoyed.
Connor then brought Dug over who was floating. More like running inside of a floating neon bubble the whole time, running like a hamster almost, more like a dog inside of a giant pinball across the trees.
Finally Mini-Mav, who was keeping up from behind Connor and Melody the whole time, since he gained the agility of a monkey. Managed to land with them after sliding the water slide behind Melody.
With everyone having just made it across a large section of the jungle together. Connor was starting to pick up a signal on his ring's mystical sensors.
"Looks like we're finally getting a signal." Connor stated as he walked ahead up the team.
"Could it be the shard?" Donald asked.
"Can't tell. Could be anything in this place." Connor figured.
"Uh...Connor?" Melody's eyes widened in fright as she saw something up ahead.
"Like what?" Goofy asked in response to Connor's statement.
"Like...I don't know. The seven horcruxes. El Dorado. The Infinity Stones or even the Ark of the Covenant for all we know. I just hope it ain't-" Connor almost answered before he bumped into something. Or someone. "Hey! Wha- Ooooooooh..."
Connor's jaw dropped as he looked up at what...Or who he just bumped into. It wasn't just anyone. Not a man. But this was a humanoid lion. Wearing bronze tribal chest armor. Yellow wrist braces and leather shin guards. Holding a spear.
Behind these animalistic guards were trees up ahead. They were built with windows and bridges all around them as they were based across a small path that went around these trees. All green and rich looking structures, as this pace must've been around for a while. And this must be their village.
These were the humanoid lions. Or the Leonoids as the Guardians will soon learn.
"Don't take another step, Outsiders. Now come with us." The Leonoid guard in charge of the others ordered them in a growl.
"How are we supposed to follow you if we can't move a muscle?" Connor inquired with his hands up as he stepped forward. "Isn't that a little-"
***POW!***
"Ugh!" Connor grunted as he was met with a blow to the head with the bunt end of one of their spears. Which knocked him out and he fell to the ground out cold like a light.
"Connor!" Melody cried as she ran and fell at his side to check on him.
Dug whimpered like a dog at the sight of these large cats. "Gosh. These cats are scary. Nothing like the ones I chase around the streets to bite and skin alive." He stated from his collar.
Mini-Mav put his fists up as he stood like a boxer. "You don't have the skills to pull me off my feet!" He taunted.
Then the Leonoid guards pushed him into a small metal cage that had a carrying pole on top of its ring. Only this one was stronger than the metal even he was made out of. Judging by the hard dench material.
"Ha! There hasn't been a cage that can hold...Wait you're locking it?!" Mini-Mav gasped as one of the guards put a lock on the door of the cage.
"Bind them!" The head guard ordered his men to tie the rest of the team up.
Then the Leonoid guards tossed a net around Dug. Donald and Goofy, which made them yelp and panic a bit as they were pulled up when they tied the net to a carrying pole. Lifting them off their feet. They couldn't even summon their weapons as they weren't used to fighting in this form.
Melody stood up slowly seeing them as she stood by an unconscious Connor. Part of her was about to fight back, not that she doubted she could. But the young Princess of Pure Heart could somehow sense that these creatures aren't evil at all. They're just doing this to defend their home from trouble. So she tried to reason with the guards.
"Please, we didn't come here to cause trouble! We're only here to-GMMMRMMMMM!" Melody tried to say.
Before one of the guards, quicker than she could keep up with, shoved a cloth gag into her mouth and knocked to the ground on her front, where her bare feet were tied together and hands were tied up behind by two other guards, before her wrists and ankles were then bound together, leaving her in a form of hogtie. Then guards tied her bound limbs to a carrying pole and lifted her up by it, leaving her to hang above the ground by her hands and feet from behind. melody whimpered the entire time as she was muffled for them to stop. "STPP! PLS!"
"Hey pussy heats! Get your paws and rope off of her!" Mini Mav bang on the cage. Then whispered to Connor who was still out cold. Making an innuendo. "Padre. You're missing one hell of a view."
Then the two guards proceeded to bound Connors feet together and his hands were tied up in front and his arms were pulled over his head and brought behind his back and they tied his limbs together in the same hogtied position Melody was in and then they tied his bound limbs to a carrying pole. They didn't gag Connor because he was unconscious, and that gave them less of a struggle.
"Whoop. Nevermind. He's in the show with her." Mini-Mav cringed.
"Will you SHUT UP?!" Donald screamed from inside the net where he, Dug and Goofy were still trapped together.
Then the guards proceeded to carry all of the captives on individual carrying poles as they marched down across a walkway of their border wall. Melody kept muffling for Connor to wake up. But he was still out cold.
"D-Donald...I've got a bad feelin about this place. I hope they ain't gonna eat us...Or worse! Put us on tax debt for trespassing?! AND WE DON'T EVEN HAVE VISAS YET!" Goofy panicked about the situation.
"SERIOUSLY!? THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE MOST WORRIED ABOUT RIGHT NOW!?" Donald snapped back at Goofy.
"Ladies! Calm down. I'm sure these politicians in loincloths and cat furr will hear us out!" Mini-Mav pointed upward and pondered. "Unless this is their world's version of 2021."
The guardians were being carried by a settlement, which had several huts with several bridges over a stream, and one of the huts was built into the top of a tree. In fact several more were built on trees. Even under them. As the guards carried the prisoners by. Melody from her position being tied to a carrying pole could see more Leonoid citizens in loincloths, or tops and skirts as they looked concerned. Some of the women were murmuring to each other on why the guards were teaching some children like prisoners.
Soon the guards marched them up to the main hut. Where there was a throne room for whoever was in charge.
Inside the Leonoid Village Throne Room...
The throne room was actually quite massive, with trees on either side of the room like columns, the branches above arching to form a roof and ceiling. And at the end of the room was a throne carved out of the tree behind it, and softened with pillows made from leaves and animal pelts.
Once the guards were inside. Thr head guard looked at the others. Prepare the two prisoners. Leave their pets in the net and cage." He ordered his men.
"HEY! WHO ARE YOU CALLING PET!? LET US OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT!" Donald shouted in anger as he, Goofy, Dug, and Mini-Mav were kept in the nets and cages.
Melody and the still unconscious Connor were taken off the poles and forced to kneel on their knees with their hands now tied behind their backs. And Melody was still gagged.
Then Connor was finally coming to as he grimaced a bit and groaned. "Ugh...What happened last night?" He murmured.
Then Connor looked over at his team mates trapped in a net. His robotic short double in a cage. And his crush, tied up and gagged on her knees which made his eyes widened.
"Melody?! What the hell did they do to you?! Are you alright?!" Connor exclaimed in worry.
"Hmmmmhfjjhfg." Melody tried to talk but was still muffled, so she settled for a nod of her head to at least let him know she was okay.
Then Connor glared at the guards. "If any of you pussy pillows just damaged one hair fringe on her. I'll turn your asses into toilet covers!" He threatened.
The guards growled in response. But did nothing since he was practically defenseless. Or at least they think he is.
'He just threatened to murder these men cats if they hurt me. That's... a little scary... and very hot.' Melody thought as she looked at him before realizing what she thought. 'What am I thinking!?'
Just then. The sound of metallic boots were heard as one of their leader's generals came walking in. Connor and Melody looked over to see a tall lioness woman with a sharp threatening look. And an armored attire with a helmet that resembles a woman from the Athenian army. Only made of stone and worn metal. This lioness general had muscles and a sinister look under her glare as she stood behind the throne.
This was the second head general of the Leonoid tribe. Zira. Whom Connor will find out soon.
"I'd take it to you Josie and the pussycats?" Connor inquired humorously which earned a glare from the lioness.
"Showrespect, boy! I am General Zira of the Leonoid Tribe." Zira said with venom in her voice as she looked down at the two bound teens. "And you, your mate here, and your little pets have trespassed beyond our border walls."
"Technically we didn't. We were kidnapped. After getting lost. So unless you've brought us in to become everyone's mid afternoon meal. You have no reason to hold us. So I'm only gonna ask this once. Let us go." Connor responded calmly.
"SILENCE!" Zira roared right at them, as her anger became palpable. "I have every reason and right to do so. And if you continue to talk so disrespectfully to your betters, I might just be motivated enough to get your little mate here to sing loudly for us."
Basically, she threatened to personally torture Melody, which she understood, making the young gagged girl let out a scared whimper behind her gag "Mmmph!".
It was a threat that Connor did not take kindly, not one bit.
"Alright." Connor deadpanned before he tore the ropes off.
Then he shifted into the Maverick and did a spin kick to knock down all five of the guards and then he landed in front of Zira and pointed his trident-blade at Zira's face.
"Let's try again." Maverick snarled as Zira glared and was about to draw her sword.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" A mighty voice boomed as Maverick and the others looked over.
Maverick looked over to see some more elite Leonoid guards switch silver looking armor walk in with a tall alpha male looking lion with red hair and muscular body. With the face of someone who was in charge. With armor. He walked in with his spear like a staff as he glared at everyone.
Zira growled as if she were annoyed a bit and turned to bow at her king.
"My King." Zira responded with a kneel.
This was King Mufasa. Of the Leonoid tribe. Maverick saw that the king wasn't hostile but stood on his guard.
"I hope you have a good explanation, General. Why are these outsiders held captive? And a child among them?" Mufasa asked with authority in his voice.
"Why of course, my king." Zira said in a smooth manipulative voice. "These two and their pets were found trespassing beyond the walls of our kingdom. Obviously to cause harm. I saw it prudent that they be captured before they could spread chaos."
"Will you stop calling us PETS?!" Donald shrieked.
"We didn't even know you all were here. We just arrive-" Maverick tried to explain.
"From the stars?" Mufasa finished for him with a grin.
Which made Maverick's eyes widened. Even Melody and the teams' eyes widened.
"How?...You know?" Maverick asked.
"Know what?" Zira inquired.
"About the keyblades? The world order? The Maverick?...Believe me Young Man. We are more advanced and knowledgeable about the Multiverse than you might think." Mufasa stated before he addressed thr guards who were standing. And his elite guards. "Release them."
"Your Majesty. This is unwise! These Outsiders-" Zira protested.
"Do not question my order, General." Mufasa answered with a slight growl. "Dismissed. I will deal with your insubordination later."
Zira glared down before she stomped out of the throne room. After she shared a glare at the Maverick.
With that, the elite guards moved to free Donald, Goofy, Dug, and Mini-Mav from the cages and nets they found themselves in.
"Finally!" Donald said in a huff as he stretched his wings, glad to be out of there.
"Thank goodness. I was starting to get a little worried there." Goofy sighed as well.
"I wasn't. I knew Master or Mini-Mav would've gotten us out eventually." Dug said, panting happily.
"That right! Mini-Mav Know Karate and crazy! I was ready to skin you all alive! Hoo-Waa!" Mini-Mav said in a fake Japanese Accent while striking a fighting pose with his arms up and standing on one leg,
Two other elite guards helped Melody stand on her own to bare feet and untied her hands and ankles as well as remove the gag, making Melody sigh in relief.
"You okay, Sea Horse?" Maverick asked Melody, to which he earned a nod, as well as a hug from his crush. Melody needed to hug him after that.
"Y-yes I was a bit scared, but I knew you would've protected me if something were to have happened." Melody said softly to him. Which made him hug back.
Even in his armored form. Melody felt his strong warmth.
"Always." Maverick said back before they ended the hug.
"I must deeply apologize to you, Maverick, for my guards' inexcusable behavior to yours. It was abhorrent, especially how they wrongly treated the young child in your care." Mufasa said with a gesture towards Melody, making it known he stood against the recent actions taken against the guardians, but also making it known he believes that the Maverick was a bit older than he actually was. "Unfortunately, the recent invasion by the Tigroids has left many of my guards quiet on edge."
"It's cool. It's ain't the first time I've been tackled for staying on the edge. Probably won't be the last. But let's start over." Maverick assured as he shifted back into Connor. And he gave a one knee bow to the King which Melody followed suit. "I am Connor Ramsay. Half bred Nephew of Namor The Submariner. King of Atlantis, the Second Kingdom."
Mufasa appreciated Connor's respect. And even though he's only a little surprised to see that he's a young boy as well. He was more surprised to hear that he was from Atlantis.
"Atlantis? Your kind are still around?" Mufasa asked, since he heard from the legends that Atlantis sunk in the ocean.
"Only in some worlds." Connor answered as he stood up.
Suddenly an African red-billed hornbill bird flew in from one of the windows as it perched near the King on a branch. This was Zazu. The King' majordomo. Which is a fancy word for a steward that reports any activity within the Kingdom. As well as being tasked to care for any of the youngest of the monarchs. This bird and Sebastian could relate.
"Greetings Sire! I trust you are not dealing with a court-martial anytime soon?" Zazu greeted with a bow.
"Not at all, Zazu. Not yet anyway." Mufasa responded with a smile. "Afternoon reports?"
"indubitably. It seems your second general's act of public duty today has left our subjects rather riled and concerned. Something about two Man-Cubs and a couple of Pets." Zazu reported.
"We're NOT-" Donald almost bursted as Melody placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Let it go, Donald. Just let it go." Melody eased him making him pant to calm down while glaring down and grumbling with his wings crossed.
"It was done under a misunderstanding. Let the tribe know that we have nothing to fear from this group. They bear the arms of an honored race of Man." Mufasa responded with an order.
Man as in Mankind. Humans. You get the idea.
"Of course, Sire. And nice to meet you all. I am Zazu. Majordomo of the Leonoids." Zuzu greeted with a small bow.
"Connor of Atlantis. AKA The Maverick. And this Melody of Atlantica and these are Donald and Goofy. of the Disney Empire. And these two are Mini-Mav and Dug. They're with me." Connor introduced the team who each nodded or bowed.
"We're called, The Guardians Of The Depths." Melody added which made Mufasa chuckle a bit under his breath.
"Well. Guardians. On behalf of all you those see before you. Welcome. I am Mufasa. King of the Leonoids." Mufasa introduced himself with friendly authority.
"And I am sure you all were expecting us to be a pretentious race of Prima Donnas who stiff our noses up at the unknown. Rest assure we are no such thing, in spite of our 'beloved' generals misbehavior. We welcome you to our village of refuge." Zazu stated in support of the King's welcome and stated. "We have two other spawns of man who live among us. Whom you will no doubt meet soon."
"Indeed." Mufasa agreed before he looked at the team. "But before we go on tour. I must ask what brought you here to our dominion?"
"Honestly and no offense to you or anyone here. We all didn't expect you to be here. Let alone exist when we landed on your border wall." Connor said as he and Melody were still fascinated that a race of humanoid lions existed.
"I'm sure you are all used to lions being less evolved than Man in other worlds. But here our race as well as the other predatorial felines are more evolved in this world." Mufasa stated as they walked towards the back of the throne room towards an exist.
"Including canines?" Connor asked as he and the team followed Mufasa.
"Not exactly. Some have evolved. But we are the primary rulers of this world." Mufasa declared.
Like the king of the jungle the lion is always called.
"And you say you're from Atlantis was it? The legendary city that sank at the dawn of the Multiverse?" Zazu asked as he flew next to them.
"We're not as dead as yoy might think. Atlantis was split into five kingdoms after we sunk. And we evolved for the eons of survival. I'm of the second kingdom and Mel here is of the third. Now we're at war with fifth kingdom. And we're trying to find all the pieces of an ancient artifact that will help us find the first kingdom before they do." Connor explained.
"Do you know anything about this?" Melody asked as she held out one of the pearl Shards to Mufasa and Zazu.
Both Mufasa and Zazu shared glances to see if either knew about what this item was, with both understanding that neither knew.
"I'm afraid you have both of us at a loss with this artifact, as neither of us have ever seen anything like it before." Mufasa stated, making the Guardians look disappointed at their luck, until Mufasa spoke again. "However, I believe that our Tribe Shaman, Rafiki, might know of what you seek."
"Yes indeed. In fact, first General and advisor Bagheera might have some knowledge about this artifact as well." Zazu added on, bringing hopeful looks to theGuardians.
"That's great. Can you tell us where we can find them?" Melody asked politely.
"Well, you're in luck. As I recall, both of them are actually at the training grounds." Zazu answered Melody.
"Yes. They're both working together right now to train our new trainees... along with my two sons." Mufasa said the last part with fond exasperation.
"Follow us. We'll have you meet them and explain everything." Zazu encouraged them as they walked out of the throne room.
"Me and my teammates will also be precise. If needed. But some info will have to remain confidential for the sake of the World Order." Connor cautioned.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Donald said gratefully, since he and Goofy are practically stuarts of the order.
"Yeah. Thanks, Ahyuck!" Goofy nodded.
"Alright. You heard the King of the Jungle, Team. Get ready for some much needed chatter...Pff Pets." Connor stifled a laugh at that last part. He still thinks it's funny Donald and Goofy were mistaken as pets.
"FOR THE LAST TIME, WE ARE NOT PETS!" Donald screamed loud enough for the entire village to hear.
"He's just kidding Donald." Melody assured with an amused smile.
"Technically we only have one pet. And it ain't me." Mini-Mav stated with a finger up.
"Yeah. Wait...Who?" Dug inquired.
"Man's best friend." Mini-Mav answered.
"Oooh you mean Spider-Man?" Dug asked with his eyes widened.
"Oh brother." Donald exhaled.
After that moment. The team were led by Mufasa and Zazu towards the back entrance of the throne room and out towards the Training Grounds of the settlement. Where all of their questions will be answered and Connor will more than likely win new allies for the cause of Atlantis' war. Turning the tides on his uncle Namor's side.
Hopefully the Guardians will do this while making progress on their journey. Things have been so far. And these Leonoids might end up becoming a great advocate for Connor and his family.
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS!
Did anyone catch that Three Stooges Disorder In The Court reference? π
also Melody's jungle girl outfit is based on a red version of Jane's jungle attire at the end of Disney's Tarzan. I was gonna go the outfit from that Hispanic aninated film Ainbo. But I decided to save that for later for one of my stories.
I bet you folks weren't expecting strange creatures and humanoid lions in the jungle, huh? Well if you folks here well. Yes, this world will include some characters from both Jungle Book and Lion King. And since Tarzan is from Sora's world and I have a special Tarzan plot for Orion's sequel story. Here's a clue...This Tarzan was in theaters in 2016 π π.
However this story will not have Tarzan. Instead I'll include a certain Final Fantasy character as the adopted human son of Mufasa. Yes Simba will henin this story, only it will he the teenage version as a Leonoid. But for those of you that are wondering who is his human adopted brother. Here's a hint. He's from Final Fantasy IX ππ.
Also as a teaser for the next chapter. The Tigroids are their humanoid Tiger enemies. Lead by Shere Khan. And since both the Lion King and Jungle Book are known for music. I'll need ideas for a song used for the introduction between Connor's team and Mufasa's children. As well as the family and friends.
Since Connor is considered by my friends to be the black Maverick. I'm thinking of using a song from Hamilton. Any suggestions for the introduction song?
Let me know. Tell me in the comment section pretty please? ππ
Thank you all for reading! Don't forget to fave and follow if like what you see!
And as always Disney/Square Enix fans!
FISTBUMP! ππππππππππ
