Chapter 38: prehistoric peril
I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.
Right. Now life finds a way with dinosaur! As a person who watched the film since childhood let's start off this Jurassic chapter!
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
"Easy now. Bring her down slowly," Barret instructed as he, Cid and Adelbert guided their cargo down the ramp of the Shera and into Disney Castle. This had to be done carefully, because what they were guiding was a hover stretcher that carried the tank that contained the unconscious Shalua Rui. Her beautiful face showed no signs of life. The only assurance that she was still living were the blinking readings on her container. Still, she was a lucky soul after encountering something as deadly as a Chaser. "We don't want to break her now. Well, more than she already is."
Shelke watched blankly as they unloaded her older sister. "You're sure this is okay, your Majesty?" she heard Aerith ask Queen Minnie, both of them standing not too far off from her.
"Of course," Minnie assured kindly, smiling. "Anything you need. We'd be happy to take care of her." Aerith smiled back. Shelke suddenly felt something deep within her. Was it...sorrow? All she knew was that as they took Shalua away, the feeling grew worse.
"I'm sorry, Shelke," Leon said, coming up behind her. Even he chose to show some compassion. "She'd only be a burden on us. We also can't afford for her to get hurt. Don't worry, though. The Queen will take good care of her here. More than we could anyway." Shelke nodded in agreement. "Besides, once we return to Radiant Garden, we'll come back and get her."
"Radiant...Garden?" Shelke said softly. Leon raised his eyebrow.
"That's right," he realized. "You came from there too, didn't you? Before the Heartless. I suppose you'll be looking forward to seeing it again." Shelke looked off into the distance and didn't bother to answer.
"Guys!" Running in from the side door were Kim, Ron and Rufus, looking like they had a story to tell. "Come quick! There's something weird going on with the door!" Kim announced quickly.
"Something unnatural!" Ron sputtered.
"Help!" Rufus squeaked. Everyone present was now alerted to the statement. All of them rushed off into the castle to see what was up.
Back in the Cornerstone room, the silver door was going haywire. It rumbled and shook all over its foundation, causing quite a ruckus. The doors then suddenly swung open, revealing the way to the dimensional rift. Another short rumbling and the rainbow portal spat out the two screaming criminals, Bouncer and Burger Beagle. Both crashed to the floor, looking like they'd just had a trouncing. Wearily, they got back up.
"That didn't go to well," Burger muttered dourly, rubbing his aching skull. He looked over his person. "Hey! We're not bugs anymore!"
"We must be back in our dimension," Bouncer concluded, looking over his old red shirt, placard number form. "I can't believe we got beat by those knuckleheads! Man, the guys will never let us live this down!"
"Hey, I got an idea!" Burger exclaimed, looking very pleased with himself. "Why don't we just go back through the door? Then we'd still be able to make Ma happy!"
"Hey, you're right!" Bouncer turned back to the door which was still ajar. "What's stopping us from just jumping back in?" Turning back around, he got his answer; staring down a Gunblade, an arm cannon, a large shuriken, a pair of fists, and a glowing sword with a face. Both Beagle Boys smiled nervously and hastily put their hands up.
"I believe in non-violent confrontations," Burger suddenly said hopefully.
"That's a darn shame," Tifa smirked, cracking her knuckles. "Because I love punching things." But before the hurting could begin, something else was happened. The door behind the Beagle Boys started to jump and shake again, the same way it did before it shot the two of them out. Out of door and barreling into the Beagle Boys came another screaming figure in the form of a blue hedgehog.
"What the heck was that?" sonic muttered after shooting out of the door, unaware that he was on top of two unconscious Beagle Boys, too focused on his body apparently. "Hey, I'm not a bee anymore! Finally!" Happy and carefree, he then noticed the surprised stares of the Shera crew. "What are you guys doing here?"
"I think the real question is what are you doing here?" Leon asked.
"Aren't you supposed to be saving dimensions, or something?" Yuffie said, scratching her cheek. sonic tilted his head in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" He got back up, still not aware he was using the Beagle Boys as a mat and looked around the room. "Where's everyone else? We all left together, didn't we?" His words further increased the heroes confusion.
"Stand aside! Stand aside!" Merlin came charging past everyone else to get to sonic, not caring that he stepped on Bouncer's hand in the process. Merlin held out his palm and sonic did what he was wanting. He placed his Chronosphere in Merlin's hand and Merlin studied it intently, eyes scanning all over it. sonic's Chromosphere's lights were off, the blinking beacon no longer active no matter how many times Merlin tapped at it.
"I was afraid of this," the wizard muttered, turning the device around.
"Afraid of what?" Barret asked.
"The Chronospheres weren't fully tested yet. They were still in the experimental stage. I wasn't sure if they worked properly or not. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Apparently, they weren't ready." The tossing of sonic's Chronosphere into a conveniently placed trash can made his point. "But, if only our spiky haired friend is here, that means that the other Chronospheres are still working! So they do work...sort of."
"Are you saying I can't get back!?" sonic shouted angrily. Merlin shrugged indifferently. "I don't want to be left behind! They need me!"
"Face facts, fido. You're grounded," Merlin stated sternly.
"Does this mean that the others Chronospheres will stop working as well?" Leon asked with a firm expression.
"Yes. But when I can't tell you. They're not in any danger, they'll be safely returned once their devices break." Merlin sighed and rubbed his scalp. "But now time is of the utmost essence. The Beagle Boys must be stopped quickly now, before all of their Chronospheres stop functioning. Then they'll be no safe way to ensure our dimension's security."
"Why can't things in life be simpler?" sonic sighed dismally.
"Get...off..." Burger whimpered beneath his feet.
KHKHKHKH
The bright light of dimension switching was seen emanating from the large barren wastelands around, and from it emerged the Keybladers, no longer what they once were.
Sora blinked when his vision cleared, once again feeling a little out of sorts. It was much different from when he was an ant. The ground seemed a lot farther away then it did before, he thought when he looked down. And he certainly felt bulkier. Looking at his arms, he saw they were long and leathery with four toes instead of five fingers, same with his feet. He looked back; he had a long tail. Luckily, there was a small puddle of water not to far from him, walking on all fours to see his reflection and what he had become.
Sora...was a dinosaur.
"Whoa!" Sora gasped in surprise. He was snouted now, with four legs and green leathery skin, large and heavy like an elephant. He could officially cross dinosaur off of his list of things to become. This was incredible! Ever since he was little Sora had a keen fascination with dinosaurs, just like most boys as they grew up. So, according to his vast knowledge on the subject, he had become an Iguanodon; a plant-eating dinosaur. Of course with a patch of spiky brown hair on his head. "Sweet! This is awesome! It's like a dream come true!"
"This is new," Kairi gasped, standing to her full height in her new dinosaur form, which Sora knew to be a Parasaurolophus, with a strong lower body and single crested pink coloured horn protruding from her head. "I love the horn. Not so crazy about the tail. Makes my butt look big." She wagged it a little to make her point.
"Can't be any worse then what I am," said the Ankylosaurus in the voice of Beast. On all fours with a purple armoured shell and a tail club that looked like it could do some damage. His head had his normal horns and his face was still kind of furry. "I think I prefer the Beast more. This leaves very little to the imagination." A Pterodactyl with a hat and beard landed on his back, carrying in one of its claws a bottle of rum.
"Look on the bright side, mate," Captain Jack Pterodactyl slurred, spreading his wings to their fullest length. "You make a nice comfy landing zone for the birds. And apparently you're allowed to be ugly here." Beast growled and tried to throw Jack off, but his arms couldn't reach around his shell. "Hey, I like this Beast, too!"
"I like this one," Mulan said approvingly, now in the body of a sleek Sabre-toothed Tiger with her black hair style and two large fangs filed quite sharply. "Except now I have a strong craving for mice. I hope Queen Minnie doesn't ever meet me like this."
"Well, take a look at me!" po had become a short black Stegoceras, his hard head now even harder than before. He knocked on it a few times to test it out. "I love it! How many ninja can say that they've done this? I don't know, but I bet it's less then three!"
"A dinosaur dimension!" Sora exclaimed in excitement, stomping his feet around. "Now this is one I can get into!" He felt just like a kid again, pretending to be a dinosaur on Destiny Islands, although this time imagination wasn't necessary. He was the real thing! "Just call me Sora: dinosaur boy!"
"And call me ticked off," Beast snarled, trying to shake Jack off of him.
"Say," po said, scratching his domed skull. "Where's sonic?" He counted them again coming to six Keybladers, with one missing. Their hedgehog friend wasn't there.
"Yeah, where is dog-boy?" Beast grumbled, looking around.
"Sonic!" Sora called out through the desert. No answer. He was nowhere to be found in this wasteland. Suddenly, there was a noise behind rock to the side and everyone's eyes turned in its direction. "Sonic, is that you?" There was no answer behind the stone.
"Maybe he's shy?" Kairi offered. "He did turn into a flea last time."
"Come on, dude!" po shouted, approaching the rock. "There's nothing to be ashamed off! You're among freaks here! So what did you turn - AAAHHHH!" What jumped up on the rock was not sonic, but a sharp clawed, pointy toothed Velociraptor, hissing at po when he backed away carefully. It looked to be pretty hungry. It wasn't alone either.
Packs of Velociraptors emerged from their hiding places behind hills all around them. Dozens of sharp toothed carnivores surrounded them looking for only one thing: a tasty meal. And a rabble of wandering dinos was just what they needed. Drool and hungry snarls dripped from their mouths, closing in on the Keybladers. They went back to back against the creatures, throughly outnumbered by them.
"Not Raptors! Anything but Raptors!" Kairi shuddered, keeping away from the deadly lizards. "These guys freaked me out in the movies!"
"Not the best way to start the next dimension," Mulan growled, fur bristling.
"This place ain't so bad," Jack said, spreading his wings. "It's given me a brand new method of running away." He took off into the sky and left them in the dust, circling overhead just so he could get a view. "I'll give you moral support from up here! When you think about it, that's the best kind of support!"
"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?" Beast called up angrily.
"Not since this morning!"
"We'll just have to fight then!" Sora declared, raising on his four feet to summon the Keyblade, and it did appear, but could not be grasped by Sora's four toes, falling out of his grasp. "Oops. Let me get that..." He dropped it again, the lack of opposable thumbs making it quite difficult. "This could be an issue..."
Kairi summoned her Keyblade, but unfortunately it wasn't proportioned to her new size, barely bigger then her foot. "Aw man! How did this happen?!"
"I'll take care of this!" po exclaimed, hands shooting together to his signature attack. But nothing happened. "Hey, what gives?" po looked at his hands, coming to the realization that he didn't have the required number of fingers to form a proper kung fu attack. "Aw man! That's not cool! Being a dinosaur sucks!"
Mulan's Keyblade appeared in her mouth, something she wasn't used to or prepared for. She quickly spit it out gagging. "Uggh! Tastes like cinders!"
"What the heck is happening here?!" Beast growled. His Keyblade simply wouldn't appear at all. He tried everything to make it happen. It didn't happen. "I thought this was like riding a bike! Did they change the rules to riding a bike when I wasn't looking!?" The Raptors were closing in, snapping out at anyone who was close. With their lack of experience in their new forms, the Keybladers could not properly defend themselves. And they were about to learn that in this dimension, it was survival of the fittest.
"Maybe sonic was eaten by them!" Kairi shuddered. "At least we'll be joining him soon." The hissing and spitting carnivores closed in for the kill, all of them trying to decide which one to eat first. But then, something made them stop. They all arched their backs and rounded to face a nearby hill, something in that direction apparently troubling to them, before picking up their clawed feet and running away, completely ignoring the Keybladers.
"What's their problem?" Sora asked confused.
"Well, I can tell ya!" Jack hollered from up above, looking off where the Raptors looked with a bird's-eye view. "But you might want to get out of the way first!" His words soon became clear. What sounded like thunder was heard over the hill, growing louder and louder in their ears. Then they came. Dinosaurs. Dozens of them. An entire herd. Monstrous thunder-lizards running together. Over the hill they rushed, their rapid foot falls shaking the earth, heading right for them and not looking ready to stop.
"Look out!" Kairi screamed as the dinosaurs bore down upon them. Many large bodied brutes knocked into them when they were reached, stampeding through the Keybladers like they were just obstacles. Thrashed, pounded and beat upon, they could see that this herd was composed off many different types of dinosaurs. Triceratops, Iguanodons, dinosaurs that they had turned into, all of them in one group and all herbivores, pushing past them until they finally came out on the other end, bruised and battered from the whole ordeal.
"I think I got to third base back there," Sora groaned, rubbing his skull.
"What's up with those guys?" Beast grumbled, shaking himself off after being trampled. Jack didn't make matters any better by landing on his back again.
"Boy, that looked painful. I'm glad I wasn't apart of it. The air is much more comfortable."
"Hey!" They all looked behind them at the source of the voice. Running towards them was an Iguanodon like Sora, a straggler from the herd apparently. And unlike the other dinosaurs he actually looked concerned as he came up to them. "Are you guys okay? Looks like you got a little roughed up."
"More then a little," Mulan sighed.
"But less then a lot?" That voice didn't come from the dinosaur, or from any of the Keybladers. They didn't know where it came from. "Up here!" On the Iguanodon's back was a small white furry lemur with a goofy smile. The Keybladers stared at him oddly.
"Zini! Don't talk to strangers!" Another lemur appeared beside the other, a female by voice and figure. "It's rude to address people like that!"
"Oh, don't be so hard on the boy." An older looking lemur emerged, mall and full of age. "He just wants get out more. You can't baby him forever."
"Don't worry, Mom!" The smallest lemur, a young female, came up to the apparent mother lemur. "You can still baby me!"
"Dude, you got some monkeys on your back," po informed helpfully.
"So I'm not the only one seeing it?" Jack slurred while blinking rapidly. The lemur-carrying dinosaur before them chuckled.
"Don't worry about them. They're my family!" Now the Keybladers were completely flabbergasted.
"Your...family?" Sora repeated carefully.
"Yup!" Zini exclaimed, slipping up to the dinosaur's head. "Can't you see the family resemblance?" They both grinned brightly.
"Is this a trick question?" Kairi stammered uncertainly.
"Oh, Zini, stop teasing them!" the older female scolded. "You'll have to forgive my son, he's a bit of a trouble maker. Aladar is our adopted son. We found him when he was just a little baby."
"That makes...more sense...I guess," Sora said uncertainly.
Aladar just couldn't stop smiling. "This is my Mom Plio..." The mother Plio politely bowed. "My grandpa Yar..." The old lemur nodded. "My brother Zini..." Zini grinned like a goofball. "And my sister Suri."
"Nice to meet you," Kairi smiled.
"Wow! You have a pretty voice!" Suri complimented brightly.
"Thanks! I like your voice too!" Both girls smiled at each other.
"Don't forget to introduce me, Aladar." The Keybladers looked up...and up...and up at the huge long necked Brachiosaur that had addressed them in a female voice. Big to behold, when she lowered her head to their level, they could see that she had a kind and caring face, the kind a grandmother might have. "What happened to the days when young people used to respect their elders?"
"Those days are long gone, Baylene." At a shorter level waddled up an old and slow Styracosaurus. His horns were old and filed down after years of use, and his skin was as wrinkled as a prune. Still, he looked strong and determined. "These days it's all about that rock and roll music. I honestly don't see what's so entertaining about a rolling rock!"
"This is Baylene and Eema," Aladar introduced. "They're my friends."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Baylene said in a kind voice. "Are you all going to the nesting grounds as well?"
"The what?" Kairi asked.
"The nesting grounds," Eema repeated. "It's where we're all headed." He nodded off to the herd that had just trampled them, shrinking off in the distance. "It's the only place left for us to go."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked. And so Eema explained their tragic tale. Apparently, a few days before they had transported here, the entire land was bombarded by a violent meteor shower where hundreds of balls of fire fell from the sky and ravaged the land in total destruction. Aladar and his family's home was blown away and they were left with nowhere to live. Just when they thought all was lost, they ran into the herd, much in the same way the Keybladers had, meeting other dinosaurs like himself for the first time. Upon meeting Baylene and Eema, he learned that the entire herd was made up of dinosaurs that had lost their homes to the meteor shower, forcing them to make an early trip to the nesting grounds to start a new life.
"That's so sad," po sobbed, covering his eyes.
"So what do you guys say? Want to come with us?" Aladar asked. The Keybladers glanced at each other, before they all jumped into a pile to form their patented Keyblader huddle.
"So what do you think?" Beast asked the whole group. "Should we do it?"
"What else are we gonna do here? This place is a death hole!" Jack said, exasperated.
"We don't exactly have the experience necessary to be traveling alone," Mulan pointed out, remembering their fiascos concerning their weapons.
"We might run into the Beagle Boys on the way," Sora put out.
"Or sonic," po said.
"It's the best thing we've got to go on here," Kairi shrugged. After what they thought was a thorough meeting, the Keybladers nodded and broke from their huddle, facing the confused dinosaurs.
"Alright, we'll go with you guys," Sora said on behalf of them, speaking with his signature grin; dinosaur modified.
"Great! The more the merrier!" Baylene chuckled heartily.
"Now let's get a move on! Don't want to lose the rest of the herd!" Eema reminded them as the herd was getting farther away as they spoke.
"Come on, Aladar!" Yar ordered, just like any grandfather would. "The nesting grounds await!"
"And so does my lunch!" Zini exclaimed. Aladar grinned and walked forward and everyone else followed him to catch up with the rest of the herd.
They had no idea they were being watched by three figures from a hilltop above, watching them go until they were sure they couldn't be heard. "So they've got a couple of friends now?" The biggest one there was a red haired mammoth with short tusks, a green cap, a black mask, and a placard number around its neck. Bankjob Beagle in prehistoric disguise. "According to Maleficent, they always seem to make friends right away. It's like a running gag or something."
"No worries." The second one was a gorilla in the same fashion pattern as the mammoth, also wearing a pair of shades on his face. Bugle Beagle watched the Keyblader dinosaurs while tipping his sunglasses. "Messing up this dimension will be cake. Chocolate cake, baby. With sprinkles."
"You're starting to sound like Burger!" The last, smallest figure, a Velociraptor in cap, mask and numbers, peered over the edge of the hill. Babyface Beagle scrunched up his face when he eyed the Keybladers. "Are you sure the things Ma gave us will work? We aren't exactly handymen. I got a jolt of the refrigerator!"
"We should just go down there right now and beat them to a pulp!" Bankjob thundered, waving his trunk around and clenching it like a fist.
"No way, man," Bugle said shaking his head. "They'd beat us to a pulp with those Keyblade things. We're better off at stealing from people. You know the plan. First we gotta find the biggest, meanest dinosaur out there, and then, we see if he wants to be our friend." Bankjob shrugged and calmed down.
"As long as we get to hurt them afterwards," he sighed.
"Then Ma will love us the best!" Babyface gushed, hopping up and down like the kid he looked like. With one last look at the Keybladers, the three Beagle Boys set off into the wilderness, their intentions unknown to anyone but themselves.
KHKHKHKH
The journey to the nesting grounds was long and hard. The Keybladers-turned-dinosaurs and the mixed herd trudged through what seemed like a never ending desert, the blazing sun above not very kind. The nesting grounds were much farther than they originally thought, and the destruction from the meteor shower had caused many obstacles. Lakes were dried up, taking away any water, the landscape was twisted and dangerous to walk upon, and there were no plants anywhere for the herbivores to eat. Many had already begun to collapse from exhaustion. Those that fell behind were left behind. But Aladar and the other back trotters would not hear of it. Any dinosaur that began to tire and come to the back was gently pushed along, making sure that they would not be left to the carnivores. There had been no sign of the Beagle Boys since they arrived here, not for the whole long walk. No sign of sonic either. And they knew that if sonic wanted to be found he would make quite the ruckus until he was.
During the walk the Keybladers adjusted to their new bodies as best they could. Jack had already mastered his form, flying over the herd with ease, drinking and flying despite regulations. Kairi managed to summon her Keyblade to fit her new size. Sora could now mange to keep his Keyblade gripped in his front feet, also utilizing his mouth if need be. Mulan had also taken to this perspective, working her new saber-toothed tiger body well enough. po, unfortunately, had to accept the fact he couldn't use his kung fu attacks in this dimension. And Beast still just couldn't summon his Keyblade, no matter how hard he tried; and tried he did. No one really knew how he would wield it in his Ankylosaurus form even if he managed it. They did not forget their mission to find the Beagle Boys, but so far they were nowhere to be seen. They thought that they would turn up sooner or later.
After what seemed like forever, which in reality was only a couple of hours, they were out of the harsh desert and walking through a rocky ravine in the mountains. The sky had darkened after a short but welcome rainfall. It was eerily quiet, and the dinosaurs couldn't help but feel completely exposed here. The sooner they got to the end of this path the better.
"Are we there yet?" po whined.
"For the hundredth time, NO!" Beast snapped because it had actually been a hundred times.
"Are we insane yet?" Zini asked.
"I know I am," Beast growled, then turned his head to Jack, who was perched on his back. "And get off my back!"
"Literally or figuratively?" was Jack's sly reply.
"Why you..."
"Boys!" Eema called from ahead of them. "You better simmer your yappers or so help me I will turn this herd around!"
"Sorry..." all four sighed.
Eema sniffed and continued on. "Anyway, you can quit asking when we're gonna get there. We're getting closer now."
"Really?" Mulan asked, licking her giant teeth. "How much further?"
"It's just at the end of this ravine," Baylene answered, towering above everyone else. "Only a few more miles and we'll be starting our new lives!"
"Is it really that great?" Aladar asked with hope. He and his lemur family had nowhere else to go.
"Oh, it'll be well worth the journey, dear! Just you wait and see!"
"We'll have somewhere to live again!" Suri gushed.
"Will there be enough food for us?" Plio asked.
"Food as far as the eye can see," Eema sighed dreamily, already licking his lips. "Water as clear as the sky. I can almost taste it! I can't wait to get there!"
"You think maybe the Beagle Boys might be there?" Sora asked Kairi, walking by her side.
"They have been here longer then we have. Who knows where they could be. But let's not forget!" She flashed a radiant grin. "With us around, they're not gonna show their faces anytime soon!" Sora laughed and smiled back.
"Oh no," they suddenly heard Baylene gasp. Curious, they looked past her large build and the other dinosaurs who were also upset. The reason why was clear. The path through the ravine was blocked off with rocks and boulders, filling it all the way to the top. A landslide must have occurred here to make it this way. Whatever the reason was, there was no way for the herd to get around it.
"Typical," Jack sighed.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Zini exclaimed.
"We're going the right way, correct?" Plio asked.
"Yes! This is the way! It's been blocked off somehow!" Eema stressed, eyes widening in disbelief.
"What could have caused this?" Sora whispered, voicing the thoughts of every dino present. po rummaged through some of the rubble at the base of the landslide, tossing some rocks aside to come out with something in his hands.
"I got your answer right here!" he announced holding up the object for all to see. It was a placard number.
"That thing did it?" Aladar asked in disbelief.
"The fiend!" Yar growled, shaking his fist at the cardboard. But the Keybladers knew better. That thing could only belong to one group.
"The Beagle Boys," Kairi growled.
"You called?"
Now standing behind the herd, blocking the only way out of the ravine, was a raptor, a mammoth, and a gorilla wearing sunglasses. But from the green hats, black masks and inward appearances, the Keybladers knew it was Baby, Bankjob and Bugle Beagle in prehistoric form. Three Beagle Boys all in a row, facing the herd with nasty intent. The dinosaurs shied away from the new creatures, having not seen them before, unlike the Keybladers, who stepped up bravely for a confrontation.
"Welcome to the party, heroes!" Bankjob the mammoth laughed. "Barely recognized you with all the changes of skin!"
"Can I have my number back?" Baby Beagle asked. po whipped the placard over the space that separated them, spinning like a frisbee to be caught by Baby. "Thank you! Been looking all over for that!"
"So, we finally found you!" Sora shouted across to them.
"Found us?" Bugle replied with his usual beatnik drawl. "I think you got it backwards, daddio. It is us, who is finding you. The ole' switcheroo! The hunter, becomes the hunted!"
"We get it, already," Kairi sighed.
"You fell right into our cleverly laid trap!" Baby gushed all excited. "I told you it would work!"
"I guess I owe you a buck," Bankjob sourly admitted. "I'll give it to you after we kick the living snot out of these bozos!"
"What trap?" Beast asked, annoyed with their whole exchange.
"Obviously those bodies make your brains smaller, because it's pretty obvious! We block off the path leaving you guys with no where else, then we destroy you!"
"Poetry, baby," Bugle grinned.
The Keybladers weren't at all impressed. "It's...actually not that clever," Mulan pointed out.
"Sub-par, really," Jack admitted.
"Besides," po shouted, cracking all his fingers. "We outnumber you! And I'm pretty sure we can beat you up, too!"
"Want to test that?" Sora yelled. In five flashes the Keyblades appeared, wielded in their newly accustomed methods. After practicing during the journey, they were now able to use their weapons to their full power with their forms in preparation for their imminent meeting with the Beagle Boys. Beast's, unfortunately, still had not appeared, much to his growing anger.
"I hate this place," he mumbled.
The Beagle criminals didn't look phased at all, despite the odds being stacked against them. "Normally we would be quite scared," Bugle chuckled. "But you forgot part two of our super ingenious, totally whacked out and cool plan!"
"Do it!" Bankjob ordered. Baby laughed heartily and from nowhere pulled out a remote control, similar to the one they had seen Bankjob and Burger Beagle using in the last dimension. Whatever that one did couldn't be as nasty as the first. It only took Baby to press the button to make them realize how wrong they were.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!" The sound bounced off the ravine walls loud and terrifying, a bellow that caused every dinosaur that wasn't a bad guy to stiffen in terror. Kairi looked down to a puddle at her feet and saw it change. The water in it suddenly rippled slightly when the ground trembled. Something was coming their way, and it was big. The ripple happened again, slightly larger. The ground shook and the puddle jumped at the vibration, as the source of the footfalls finally rounded the corner.
A ferocious dinosaur emerged from the other side of the path, the most ferocious the Keybladers had seen in this dimension. It stood on its two strong hind legs, long tail sweeping behind it as it came closer. Two small limbs made up its arms and spikes ran along its red skinned back, meeting up at its massive head, mouth filled to the brim with razor sharp teeth. And two bull-like horns that made it look like some kind of demon. It stopped just behind the Beagle Boys, towering above them before letting off another huge roar.
"Carnotaur!" Eema screamed in terror, stumbling back to the herd. The herd wasn't doing much better. The massive carnivore that Sora knew to be a Carnotaurus had appeared from nowhere and sent them into a full run panic. Cries and whimpers from the children and adults went through all the dinosaurs who had the unlucky fortune to be in its path. And with the rockslide blocking the way to the breeding grounds behind them, there was no way to escape. Trapped by the Beagle Boys.
Now for the Keybladers reaction...
"Exit: Stage up!" Jack whimpered, flapping his wings and soaring into the sky, the glares of his friends being left below him.
"Like our friend?" Bugle boasted, patting the side of the Carnotaur's leg. "You meet the most interesting people traveling through dimensions, don't ya?" He momentarily pulled away and took out a notepad, scribbling down what he just said for future song lyrics. "I should get a tape recorder for this kind of thing..."
"Where did you get that guy?!" Sora sputtered, eyes glued to the Beagle Boys' beast.
"I'll admit, he wasn't very co-operative at first," Bankjob chuckled, then pointed at the meat-eating dinosaur's neck with his mammoth's trunk. Bound around its thick neck was a blinking metal collar, clearly not of this dimension, and must having something to do with the remote Babyface was holding. "See this little gizmo? This lets us make the big guy do whatever we want! Including tearing you limb from limb!"
"Whether he wants too or not!" Baby laughed, fiddling with the remote a little. "But I think that he really does want too! He looks hungry!" The Carnotaur growled to make Baby's point valid.
Sora gripped the Keyblade tighter in his front feet. "Aladar! Keep everybody back!" he shouted to the Iguanodon, who had been watching in stunned silence with the other dinosaurs. "We'll take care of them! Just keep everyone safe!"
The Beagle Boys readied themselves too. "We got us a good ole' fashioned brawl coming on, boys!" Bankjob hollered anxiously, flexing his trunk.
"I don't usually condone violence," Bugle sighed. "But Ma will hurt me if I don't."
"I got the sharp-tooth ready!" Baby declared, tapping on the remote some more. The Carnotaur roared yet again, eager for a meal, and a herd of herbivores looked just dandy.
"Guys! Don't let them get to the herd!" Sora shouted to his fellow Keybladers.
"They won't get past me!" po shouted, spinning his weapon. "Kung fu attacks or no kung fu attacks, their going down!"
"Teamwork!" Kairi shouted.
"Then let's do it!" The heroes charged together, the Beagle Boys charged with the Carnotaur in tow. The gap was large but the distance was covered quickly and the watching dinosaurs held their breath as they drew closer. Half-way, they collided, and the fight was on.
Sora immediately headed for the Carnotaur, it being the biggest threat there; he secretly craved this challenge. It easily stood at over thirty feet, big even to a dinosaur like him. Size didn't always matter though. In his Iguanodon form, Sora started beating on the thunder lizard over and over again, bashing the Keyblade on its head. But with a skull as hard as steel his attacks barely did anything, only make it mad. In a fantastic adaptation, Sora tossed his Keyblade into the air, caught it with his tail, then swung it to collide with the Carnotaur's jaw, pushing it back a few steps. Upon recovery it came back and head butted Sora, enough to knock him on his back. With Sora out of the way, it made for Kairi and she found herself avoiding its many sharp bites, keeping her on her feet. Another open jaw came for her and she had no other option then to shove her Floral Fragrance between its teeth. Unable to shut its jaw, it staggered around before Kairi summoned it back.
"Come on, already!" Beast growled, sweat pouring down his face as he still tried to summon Rumbling Rose. Not even in the middle of a battle did his instincts kick in. "I can do it as a beast, I can do it as a bug, but I can't do it as a dinosaur!? Where's the logic in that?!"
"Sounds like you got a case of the blues, baby." Bugle waltzed onto the scene, tipping his sunglasses to the annoyed Beast. "And there's only one cure for blues. They don't call me Bugle for nothing." The laid back and musical Beagle pulled out a trumpet, putting it to his lips and playing a song, a steady tune of classic jazz. In the heat of fighting, there was always time for a little music.
"Am I gonna have to pummel you without my Keyblade?" Beast growled. Bugle grinned and blew again, this time with a laser blasting from the horn and hitting Beast, sending him flying backwards.
"You can try, daddio," Bugle said with a dastardly grin.
Bankjob shouted angrily, trying to stomp on Mulan, trying to step on her or smash her with his trunk. Mulan was just too quick with her cat-like body and reflexes, avoiding every attempt the mammoth made to squish her like a cockroach. Her Keyblade wasn't drawn yet; she was waiting for an opportune moment. It came when she finally leapt for him with claws and fangs barred, only for Bankjob's trunk to catch her in mid-air and bring her before his face.
"I taught I taw a putty tat," he mocked with a devilish smile, then reared back and tossed her with all his might. Through the air she flew, right into the claws of the airborne Jack Sparrow, catching her by her shoulders.
"Welcome aboard Sparrow airlines. This is your captain speaking," Jack slurred as they both flew. "If you look to your left you'll see an epic fight between dinosaurs, both good and evil. To your right, a big stone wall. We are approaching our destination: a big scary lizard thing. Please remember all your carry-on items, savvy?"
"Is fighting a game to you?" Mulan asked.
"More like a pastime." He swooped down low and let his cargo loose, dropping Mulan right onto the Carnotaur's back. It cried in pain when she dug her claws into its flesh, then summoned her Keyblade in her mouth to beat upon its skull.
Back with Bankjob, he and po stood across from each other, both eyes locked on the other. To them, there was no one else in the ravine; a good old fashioned showdown. Bankjob scraped his feet across the dirt like a bull about to charge a matador, except the matador he was charging was going to charge him back. po also prepared, lowering his domed head.
"You're about to learn the true meaning of flattened, punk!" Bankjob hollered.
"Bring it on, Snuffleupagus!" po shouted back, then rushed headlong with his head lowered. Bankjob trumpeted to the air then galloped for him as well. The two were like locomotives on an imminent collision course with each other, one where only one would emerge in tact. Bankjob was huge compared to po but that didn't slow the ninja down. They drew closer, and collided.
BONK
Bankjob stood on his feet a few more seconds after knocking heads with the ninja, then fell backwards with a throbbing headache, po completely unharmed. The Beagle Boy was no comparison to po's rock hard Stegoceras skull combined with his already hard head. Possibly the most unstoppable force in the universe. po grinned and knocked on said skull.
"And they said that it wouldn't get me anywhere in life," he chuckled, until a laser from Bugle's bugle blasted him into the ravine wall. The gorilla grinned off to the side, blasting lasers left and right, playing the instrument to his heart's content..
With the Carnotaur, things were not going so great. As well as being big, it was strong too. And under the guidance of Babyface's controller, it made him a tough foe. It managed to knock Mulan off its back, but she got away before it could step on her. A sudden pain in its tail caused it to cry out, rounding to see Kairi biting it hard. It swung its tail and took Kairi with it, catapulting her into the smaller Mulan. Sora came in, Keyblade in his front feet, and swung only to be caught in its huge jaw, tossing him away as well. The Keybladers had gotten used to their dinosaur forms but had not fully mastered them. The Carnotaur was getting the better of them. They could sure use one of sonic's trusty speed right about now.
Beast was thrown back to where the herd was still watching after being hit by another of Bugle's lasers, still with no Keyblade. Aladar rushed over to check him. "Are you okay?"
"Peachy," Beast growled in response, shaking himself off. "I'd be a lot better if I could use my stupid weapon! Is it too much to ask for a little break!?"
SWISH
The unmistakable sound of a Keyblade appearing was heard by Beast, along with the gasps of Aladar and the other dinosaurs. He looked back to see that his Ankylosaurus club tail had changed into his Rumbling Rose Keyblade. Purple and prime. After wagging it a few times, he broke out into a smirk.
"Nice." With a weapon at his rear and better mood, Beast rushed off into battle again, heading straight into the middle of the fray. His destination: Babyface Beagle, who's eyes grew wide with horror when he saw Beast running on all fours towards him. Beast turned round, raised his Keyblade tail, then smashed it down on Baby, miraculously getting out of the way before he was crushed like the earth he just stood on.
"Holy guacamole!" Babyface cried with extreme fear. Beast grinned sadistically and approached, Baby whimpering and frantically working the remote control. "Little help here, Chompy! Before I'm a pancake!" Beast suddenly found that the big, bad Carnotaur was behind, forcing him to turn away from Babyface and take on the bigger, much more threatening dinosaur.
Back with the frightened and confused herd, they continued to watch in stunned silence, none daring to get in the middle of this intense conflict. "We can't just stand here doing nothing!" Aladar shouted to the rest of the herd, watching as the Keybladers tried their best to stop the villains. "They need our help! We have to do something!"
"Now, let's not rush into anything," Zini whimpered pathetically.
"Besides, they seem to be doing just fine," Eema assured, wincing when the Carnotaur stomped on Beast's armoured back. "Fine enough..."
"It's not enough though," Aladar growled, determination growing within him. "We're gonna have to do something!"
"Are you nuts!?" Yar stressed, running up his grandson's back and looking straight in his eyes. "We can't take on that monster! It'll eat us alive!"
"That's why we have to stand together." Aladar faced the rest of herd. "We've all traveled together throughout this entire migration! We look after each other! If one of us goes down, the others will follow! This isn't survival of the fittest; we're strong together!" The herd was hearing what he was saying, but they weren't listening. He could see they just weren't grasping it, either too afraid, or just not believing. Not even Baylene, Eema or his family responded. Aladar scowled at all of them. "Fine. They need help, and I'm going to give it!"
"Aladar, no!" Plio begged her adopted son.
"The Carnotaur will tear you to pieces!" Baylene exclaimed with worry.
"Don't do it!" Suri cried. Aladar shifted, gently knocking his lemur family off of him so they fell on Eema. This one act caused their eyes to fill with worry.
"They're willing to give their all to protect us and they barely even know us. I'm not about to let anyone get hurt on our behalf! If no one else is gonna help them, then I will!" With that, he stormed off to help the heroes, showing not a trace of fear as he walked. The rest of the herd parted way for him to pass and nobody tried to stop him, knowing that this was something that Aladar had to do on his own.
po head butted the Carnotaur's leg with as much force as he could muster, then jumped back to avoid its snapping jaws, joining the rest of the Keybladers where they stood together. The six warriors of light faced the three Beagle Boys and their brainwashed pet carnivore together, taking a much needed breather after engagement. So far, it looked like no definitive victor would be decided in this fight. The Carnotaur seemed unstoppable, and the Beagle Boys weren't pulling any punches either. Not to mention they were getting pretty tired.
"You think dinosaurs can understand negotiation?" Jack asked hopefully.
"Yeah sure. You can negotiate which piece he can eat," Mulan scoffed. Jack visibly gulped.
Bankjob Beagle trumpeted mockingly through his trunk. "Ma will be real happy when she hears we trounced you good guys! We'll be her favourite sons! Nothing can stop us from taking over the universe!"
"I'll try to convey my condolences to your efforts through my newest song," Bugle said, turning away to scribble down more lyrics in his notepad. "It's gonna be huge, I tell ya! Highlight of my career! Besides the criminal one, I mean."
"Baby!" Bankjob shouted to the shortest Beagle raptor. "Why don't you let old sharp-tooth here finish them off?" The Carnotaur stood unmoving beside him although drool was dripping from its mouth, but it wouldn't move unless Babyface commanded it.
Baby laughed in giddiness. "Oh boy! Let's make them proud, Chompy!" He inputted more commands to the remote control and the Carnotaur had no choice but to obey. Snarling, it advanced with thundering footsteps, soon to get its fill in delicious Keybladers. They stood at the ready, prepared to take it head on. Someone beat them to the punch.
A sudden roar was heard behind them and Aladar brushed past, bellowing fiercely at the Carnotaur. It was a constant sound, not ending, stopping only for a breath, then continuing. Standing alone in the face danger, with only his spirit to keep him going.
"What's up with that, cat?" Bugle stammered.
"Who cares! Take him down!" Bankjob shouted to Babyface, compiling by pressing the remote again. The Carnotaur roared right back at Aladar by Baby's command, belittling the Iguanodon's voice with its own terrible roar. To the Keybladers surprise, Aladar didn't back down, but responded with another roar. A roar of defiance, to show the Carnotaur that he wasn't afraid, fighting back the best way he could; with sheer courage. The Carnotaur roared, Aladar roared right back. As strong an effort as this was, he was just one dinosaur against a monster.
Then suddenly, Aladar wasn't alone. Little Suri jumped on his head and started screeching at the Carnotaur, merging with Aladar's bellowing, followed by Zini, then Plio and Yar; the entire family faced the imposing danger. Then came Baylene and Eema, crying out together to join Aladar and his family as one definitive sound. The Keybladers saw it then. The Carnotaur faltered, taking one step back from his prey before regaining itself and screaming back, but it had been scared. It was all the Keybladers needed to join in with the others, roaring with them for combined might.
And soon they saw that dinosaurs from the herd were beginning to join them, for Aladar's speech really did inspire them. One by one by two by four they joined in to protect each other, standing together and roaring to emit one strong sound that fully drowned out the Carnotaur's. The meat-eater again faltered, trying feebly to bark back, taking a few steps back as more dinosaurs came to oppose him.
"What are you doing you extinct loser!?" Bankjob shouted angrily when their minion started cowering. "You're bigger then them! Eat em' up! Bite them! Do something!" He might as well have been a whispering flea to the courageous cries of the herd.
"Hey, Baby! Remind him who's calling the shots on this little crusade!" Bugle ordered Babyface.
"Um, okay," Babyface stuttered. He commanded the carnivore to attack, but it wouldn't respond. The control collar was malfunctioning, torn between Baby's orders and the Carnotaur's common sense not to go against the odds. "It's not working! He won't listen to me!"
"Gimme' that!" Bankjob snapped, snatching the remote away with his trunk. "We just need to give it a little more juice! Crank it up!" Turning a knob on the remote to its highest, the power on the collar was increased to its max. Lights started blinking on and off, sparks shooting from the power that was overloading the device. Unable to take anymore, the collar unhinged and fell at the Carnotaur's feet, exploding after all its effort. The dullness in the Carnotaur's eyes faded away. Now in control of its body again, it tried to remember what had happened before this. All he could recall was... It then swivelled round, coming face to faces with the ones who had tried to use it, growling in pure rage.
"Oh snap," Baby whimpered, covering his eyes. "I don't want to be a Beagle sandwich!"
"Bugle, do something!" Bankjob shouted as the carnivore came closer.
"No worries, brothers o' mine!" Bugle chuckled, spinning his laser spouting trumpet. "Music always calms the savage beast." The trumpet was raised to his lips and was about to blow, till a rock suddenly flew into the horn, clogging it up and exploding when Bugle did blow. The Beagle Boy gorilla's face was covered in soot afterwards, glasses shattered, looking straight at Zini the lemur who was tossing another rock up and down while grinning brightly, and then at the Carnotaur that was now so close he could kiss it.
"Now we're boned."
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" The Beagle Boys ran, ran for their misbegotten lives from the ticked off hungry Carnotaur that stomped after them, snapping its jaws at their behinds. From one end of the ravine to the other the beast chased them; they were unable to escape, and became unfortunate laughing stocks to the herd of dinosaurs and Keybladers who watched from the side.
"Help us!" Babyface whined, yelping as his tail was almost bit off.
"Why? He just wants to play," Kairi giggled.
"He wants to play food chain!" Bugle cried pathetically. "Get us out of this! We'll do anything! Please!"
"Well, you know, there's only one way out," Sora said absentmindedly, using his tail to pull out his Chronosphere.
"Anything!" Bankjob shouted. The three of them were soon cornered against the wall, the Carnotaur approaching while licking its massive lips, going to get some food after this whole fiasco. "Don't let him eat us! Aren't you supposed to be the good guys!?"
"I tend to rotate," Jack grinned.
"But they are right," Mulan admitted reluctantly. "We are the good guys."
"To a degree," Beast argued.
"So I guess we can cut them a break," po sighed with a grin. "As long as they've learned their lesson."
"What do you say guys?" Sora called to the trembling and trapped criminals. "Have you learned your lesson?"
"YES!" The Carnotaur roared again and lunged for the three Beagles screaming their heads off. Sora activated the Chronosphere and aimed it at them, shooting them with a beam, all of them vanishing from the dimension just before they were gobbled up by the Carnotaur, leaving it to collide with the rock wall and let another meal get away.
The meat-eating dinosaur stumbled back from the wall, utterly mind shaken to what had just happened, looking around to see where his prey had gone, but he wouldn't find it anywhere in this dimension. When he turned to the herd, all he got were dozens of angry glares from some surprisingly strong herbivores. Not a fearful face in the bunch. Growling in annoyance and defeat, the Carnotaur turned around and stalked off to the exit of the ravine. There would be no feasting here; not from this herd.
KHKHKHKH
"You ready, Beast?" Sora asked his friend. The herd had once again gathered in front of the blocked off entrance to the breeding grounds, though at a safe enough distance to not get in the way of what was about to happen. "You sure you can handle this?"
"You just better stay out of the way," Beast warned almost jokingly. His back faced the rockslide pile, tail transformed into his Keyblade. "I'm not exactly good with being careful."
"Or with being good looking," Jack commented. Beast ground his teeth, wondering if he should change his target.
"Stay back everybody!" Kairi called to the dinosaurs, who heeded her words by backing away from the wall. "All yours, Beast!" The former prince grunted and set to the task at hand. His Keyblade tail was raised as high as it could go, then slammed it down to the earth with more force then a meteor. The resulting attack shot a shockwave through the ground, spreading to the rockslide it was aimed at. It arched up the middle of the blockage, splitting all the stones in half, reducing each one to complete rubble. The boulder wall collapsed in a cloud of dust and everyone shielded their eyes before it engulfed them. Soon they could see again and when they could, they were not disappointed.
The breeding grounds were before them, and it could only be described as a paradise. The first thing that met their eyes was the colour green. Everywhere they looked there were rolling grassy plains under bright sunlight breaking through the grey clouds. Forests of exotic trees stood tall, their branches in full abundance of leaves. Rivers and ponds were crystal clear to provide water for drinking and bathing. There was enough food here for them to last a lifetime! They had arrived. The journey was over, and well worth the effort.
Cries of joy went up to the sky once the dinosaurs came to grasp the untouched land set out before them. Immediately, they all rushed through the gap in the mountains, galloping down to the beautiful valley with all haste, nothing holding them back. Through deserts, droughts and carnivores they had struggled, but it was over now. It was time to start a new life.
"Remarkable," Yar breathed.
"You can say that again," Sora agreed.
"Remarkable," po repeated as Sora instructed.
"Said a mouthful, kid," Eema whispered with a tear in his eye. "Speaking of which, save some for me fellas!" He ran off after the other dinosaurs to get some food for himself.
"Wait for me now!" Baylene laughed, stomping off after her old friend. The only ones left at the ravine entrance now were Aladar, his lemur family, and the Keybladers. Aladar stood at the front, staring off into the wide and gorgeous valley, and seeing a bright future.
"You did it, Aladar," Plio said softly. "I'm so proud of you."
"I'll admit, I had my doubts," Zini admitted, waving his hands in defense. "But as always, Aladar comes through in the end. You'd better stop showing me up, I may have to clobber you!" Zini grinned and laughed at his adopted sibling.
"Guess we should hittin' the old dusty trail," Sora quipped pretty lamely.
Aladar turned to them in confusion. "You're leaving?"
"But we just got here!" Zini exclaimed, stating the obvious.
"Yes, and now we're about to vanish mysteriously," Jack said, draining down the last of his rum. "Not to mention I'm out of rum."
"We did what we came to do," Sora explained. "Stop the Beagle Boys from causing any damage here. And you did that, Aladar. Not us. It was your bravery that defeated the Carnotaur and saved the herd. We have you to thank." They couldn't really tell, but it looked like Aladar was blushing in embarrassment.
"We should get going now," Kairi reminded. "Take care, Suri!"
"You too, Kairi!"
"What about sonic?" Mulan asked.
"I don't where he is," Sora said, looking off into the sun. "But something tells me he isn't here. Wherever he is, we'll find him. Him and the rest of the Beagle Boys." Sora's tail pulled out his Chronosphere again, pressing the button to activate it. The six heroes shimmered in the light, then vanished from sight, the sight startling the lemur/dinosaur family. Zini hopped off of Aladar and went to the place where they were just standing, waving his hand around the spot carefully.
"I thought they were a little weird," he shrugged.
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews, adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt, turn it into a webcomic or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!