What If… Dr. Cagliostro Found a Second Purpose?
a Lion King/Timon & Pumbaa fanfic
by DecaTilde
We've seen the story before. About how a mad scientist wants to beautify creatures. About how he uses a meerkat and warthog as test subjects for an experiment with a machine he built. About how the experiment goes awry, turning the meerkat and warthog into monsters. About how they make the scientist's assistant turn on his creator, and how he becomes a beautiful woman. But in another universe, a single question would eventually evolve into the birth of a whole new creature…
Chapter 1 - Metamorphosis
Not too long ago, since he was a child, Dr. Cagliostro had a dream. To create the world's most beautiful creature. So, as he grew, he made an assistant, who was composed of whole body parts grafted together from cadavers, to help him with his experiments, and to build a machine that could beautify anything and anyone that was inside it.
After many years preparing, he was ready to begin…
And it all started that one night, at the Cagliostro Laboratory in Massachusetts.
"After years of preparation," he began, "I'm finally ready to begin my…" He chuckled before continuing, "…experiment." He then called for his assistant. "Torgo, bring the victims," he ordered before chuckling and correcting himself, "I mean, subjects."
"Uh, Doctor?" Torgo replied. "Which subject does Doctor want to test experiment on first?"
You see? That's the question that created a new universe. When requested by Dr. Cagliostro to bring the test subjects for his machine, Torgo asked for which of the subjects he wanted first. But it would eventually lead to something even more beautiful than what the Doc envisioned.
"I'll need the swine first, then the weasel," the Doc answered.
"Very well," Torgo replied. "Torgo obey."
And with that, Torgo crashed through a wall, about to fetch the test subjects for his machine.
Those subjects were a redhead meerkat named Timon Berkowitz, and a black-haired warthog named Pumbaa Smith. They were visiting from the Pride Lands when Torgo grabbed them.
Torgo brought the duo before the Doc.
"So," Timon began, "you must be Dr. Cagliostro, who owns this here Cagliostro Lab."
"And you wanted me first," Pumbaa added. "But what for?"
"You are very lucky," Dr. Cagliostro answered. "I am going to turn you into… the world's most beautiful creature." And with that, he gave another chuckle.
Pumbaa was very excited. "Yay!" he said. "I'm gonna be beautiful!" He walked to the machine with an eager expression. "Come on, open up the machine. Open, open, open, open, quick, quick, quick, come on, come on, come on!"
"Uh, Torgo, don't keep our friend waiting," Dr. Cagliostro said before chuckling again. "Deposit him in the Metamorphitron."
"Yay, Metamorphitron!" Pumbaa shouted in excitement, running around.
Torgo placed the Metamorphitron over Pumbaa, comedically, before the warthog jumped to the window on the hatch.
"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" Timon asked. "I wanna be beautiful, too."
"All right then, Mr. Berkowitz," Dr. Cagliostro agreed. "Torgo, deposit the weasel as well."
"Weasel?" Timon repeated, as Torgo threw him into the machine. "You calling me a weasel?"
"Uh, technically speaking, you are a weasel," Pumbaa informed. "After all, meerkats are a subspecies of African weasel."
Timon facepalmed. "Oy," he groaned. "Now you tell me."
The Doc chuckled some more. "Torgo, activate the machine," he ordered before chuckling once more.
Torgo walked over to a brain-powered computer. "Torgo activate machine," he said.
The machine activated. Torgo pulled the lever. Gears started grinding. Fluids filled flasks. The stoplight shone green. Bulbs on the Metamorphitron flashed. Through the process, the Doc's mouth watered in eagerness. As soon as the process was complete, the hatch opened.
The Doc started chuckling, happily, as two silhouettes, one small with hair that went up and one bigger with a knob on the head, emerged. However, the happiness was cut short when the two silhouettes hopped out of the machine, revealing themselves as ugly monsters. The bigger monster had a pig's snout, bulgy eyes, crossed buck teeth, front feet resembling duck feet, a rat tail, legs of a human, and a frog's stance. The smaller monster had pink fur, green hair that went up, a red cat-like nose, whiskers on the snout, a sharp knife-like armadillo back with yellow spikes, a rooster's tail, and legs of a fowl.
The Doc's chuckling trailed off into sobbing. "I failed," he lamented. "Science has betrayed me."
The two monsters looked at themselves in response to the Doc's words, and were horrified at their appearances.
The pig-snouted monster moaned in sadness, in Pumbaa's voice. "I'm ugly," he noted, shedding a tear.
"Speak for yourself," the pink monster replied in Timon's voice. "Look how ugly I am!"
Timon and Pumbaa had their appearances changed because of the Metamorphitron.
"Boo," Pumbaa replied back.