AN: If you haven't already, go check out "Adventures of Logan" to see the afterparty for the Power of Three Tournament! With that out of the way, please enjoy this new saga in "Dream Keeper Chronicles"!
"Oh yeah! It's time for a vacation!" Sisu cheered as she skipped around. The water dragon was currently in her human form, wearing a tropical colored version of her usual attire.
"Settle down, Sisu. We're not even at the ship yet," Gabriel chuckled, the raven currently wearing his grey Hawaiian shirt with tan cargo shorts.
"Yeah, and you're going to want to save that energy for the cruise itself," Jasiri added. The hyena queen had simply changed her usual butterfly accessory with that of a Pulelehua butterfly.
"This will be so much fun, Gabriel-san!" Lop smiled, the Lepi girl wearing a green kimono with tropical flowers printed on it. "I've always wanted to go on a cruise."
Indeed, Gabriel had gotten four tickets to partake in a cruise onboard the Disney Wish, sailing around the Magical World for a two-month ocean vacation, with stops being made in both Hawaii and Castaway Cay. While the Dream Keeper was away, he'd be depending on his fellow Dream Keepers to keep the place running, though they all promised to meet up in Hawaii for a week of fun on the islands.
"Still, it was nice for Almyra to give us these tickets. I sometimes forget that she's a princess from her home country," Gabriel said as the quartet settled into their cabin, a special suite that had enough room for all of them to have separate bedrooms and a spacious living room. Suddenly there was a knock on the cabin door. "Huh, I wonder who that could be."
Going over to the door, the raven gasped as he saw who was on the other side. "Salvete, corvus," Azrael said with a big grin. The wolf was wearing a similar outfit to Gabriel's own, though his Hawaiian shirt had stylized skulls instead of flowers.
"Azrael!?" Gabriel exclaimed in shock.
"And Porsha!" Porsha piped up, waving from behind the larger wolf. She was wearing her usual attire.
"Wha- But- How- Huh?" Gabriel sputtered.
"I'm guessing that you didn't get the memo about what was so special about this cruise," Azrael chuckled. "This boat isn't just going through the Magical World, but to different universes as well. That's why it was so hard for guests to get tickets for it, by the way."
"Gabriel, who's that?" Jasiri asked.
The raven let his otherworldly guests into the room. "Jasiri, Lop, Sisu, I'd like you to meet my friends from the Epic Universe: Azrael the Champion of Light, and his friend Porsha Crystal."
"Actually, I'm his girlfriend now," Porsha said with a giggle.
"Oh, you're that wolf guy Gabriel told us about," Lop recognized.
"I never expected that we'd actually get to meet you in-person," Jasiri said.
"Well, this is one of those "Crossover Events" made for special occasions," Azrael mused. "And we're not the only ones here, either. There's one more of "Us" you have to meet, and some of my other friends I brought with me." He turned to Porsha. "Where did they run off to, again…?"
"They went out to explore the ship. I'm sure we'll see them around," Porsha replied with a shrug.
"It's nice to hear that you're making more friends," Gabriel smiled. "But when you said another "Us" does that mean…?"
Azrael nodded. "Yep, there's another Gabriel on this ship. I met the guy by chance one time in the Super Nintendo World part of the Epic Universe. I'll let him explain his backstory when we meet him, though."
"Oh, this is exciting," Sisu said. "Not one, but two different Gabriels will be cruising with us."
Heading out of the cabin, Azrael lead the group towards one of the other rooms. The wolf knocked on the door, where inside the group could hear the sound of a startled yelp, followed by a crashing noise. A voice groaned a bit, but eventually the door did open, revealing an anthropomorphic cat on the other side. His eyes were a vibrant green shining out behind a pair of sleek-looking glasses, his fur mostly grey with white on his front and on his muzzle, with black stripes were on his arms, legs, and body, as well as the tips of his messy hair. The cat's attire consisted of a T-Shirt with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts logo on the front, along with baggy shorts and a necklace with a shining blue crystal on it. He also was holding his own grey Hawaiian shirt.
"Ugh, this is what I get for trying to meditate on top of a stool…" the cat sighed, rubbing his head before noticing his guests. "Oh, hey Azrael. Who are your new friends?"
"This is the other us I was telling you about, Ray," Azrael said, gesturing to Gabriel.
The cat, Ray, adjusted his glasses before holding out a hand. "Hey there, Gabriel! The name's Raphael- yes, like the ninja turtle, I get that all the time- but everyone calls me Ray. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Ray," Gabriel said, accepting the handshake. "So, which universe are you from? If I had to guess, you're from the Nintendo universe, correct?"
Ray held up his hand in a "so-so" fashion. "My world is more about encompassing video games in general, actually. I do tend to spend most of my time in the Nintendo worlds, though. I can explain my backstory later, but the basics that you need to know is that in my world, all video games are connected together via the internet, and me and my allies can hop between game worlds. It's kinda like what happens in "Wreck-It Ralph", now that I'm explaining it out loud."
"Sounds interesting for sure," Gabriel nodded. "I'm going to assume that you brought some of your friends on the cruise as well?"
"Oh yeah, they're just out exploring the ship," Ray replied. "We can catch up with them later. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I should get back to meditating…"
Azrael caught his hand. "Hold up there, Ray. This is a cruise vacation, so I don't want you to be stuck in this cabin for the next two months playing games. Come on out and enjoy the ocean breeze. We are about to leave port, after all."
Ray sighed. "Okay, Azrael… Geez, my life has been a whole lot weirder ever since I found about the multiverse…"
"I think you mean more exciting," Gabriel chuckled. Ray reminded the raven of his younger self, especially since the cat clearly wasn't as socially outgoing as he was, or as serious as Azrael was. "How about we all meet up at dinner and give our formal introductions then?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Azrael nodded.
"I guess that would work…" Ray mumbled.
"I swear if they weren't the same person from different universes, I'd believe they were brothers," Jasiri said with amusement.
"Oh yeah, I can totally see that," Porsha giggled.
[***]
That night around dinnertime, Gabriel opened his cabin door to let Azrael, Ray, and their friends into the room. The Dream Keeper had put together some party platters for food and grabbed some boardgames for them all to play together. "It's nice getting to finally meet all of you!" the raven said with a smile as everyone settled into the room. "As we all eat together on the first night of our interdimensional cruise, I thought that we should do some ice breakers to get to know each other a bit more."
Gabriel coughed into his arm before speaking up again. "I'll go first so everyone knows how this will go. First, we start with a basic introduction: my name is Gabriel. Second, tell us what you do and where you're from: I'm the current Head Dream Keeper of the Magical World. Finally, for a fun question, I want each of us to say what our favorite holiday is: in my case, it's May the Fourth."
"Guess, I should go next," Azrael nodded. "Then Ray can go, and we'll loop back around with each group. The name's Azrael, and I'm the adopted son of Death the Wolf and current Guardian of Light for the Epic Universe. As for holidays, I'll say Grinchmas is my favorite."
"When you say "Death", what do you mean by that?" Jasiri asked.
"I mean Death as a concept is a living, breathing person in my world," Azrael explained. "He's like the Grim Reaper, but a wolf person. Like me."
"Hello everyone… I'm Raphael, but please call me Ray," Ray introduced himself. "I'm the leader of the Dragalia Guild in the Gamesphere." He paused. "I should probably mention that guilds in my world basically act as teams that go out on missions to defend the various video game worlds from evil. My favorite holiday would be Black Friday, since that's when I can get all the best game sales."
Jasiri waved to the group. "Hello! I'm Queen Jasiri of the Outlands, and the current boyfriend of Gabriel here." She giggled as she gave the raven a nuzzle. "My favorite holiday is Kupatana, a Pride Lands celebration of the Circle of Life."
"Oh, me next, me next!" Porsha said excitedly. "Hey everyone! I'm Porsha Crystal, current member of the New Moon Theater Troupe. For my favorite holiday… Oh, that's a hard one. I think I'll go with… Christmas! That's a good one."
"I get the feeling that there's a pattern going on here," said the person sitting next to Ray. She was a tall being with greenish skin that looked to a mix of a goat and dragon, with white hair and attire that was the color of dark teal and gold. "So let me make my introductions next. I am Mineru, one of the Zonai and the Sage of Spirit from the Kingdom of Hyrule during the Age of Upheaval. While my land does not have holidays in the traditional sense, I am fascinated by the human holiday of Thanksgiving."
"Nice to meet you, Mineru," Gabriel greeted. "I loved your role in "Tears of the Kingdom", but Tulin takes the spot for my favorite Sage."
Mineru chuckled. "Do not worry, he is also the favorite amongst us Sages as well." The Zonai chuckled as she gave Ray a kiss on the forehead., making the cat blush "You should all know that Ray here is my beloved just as I am his."
"Totally called that she was Ray's Jasiri," Lop whispered to Jasiri, the hyena girl giggling at the comment.
"Time for me to go next!" Sisu cheered. "What's up, y'all? The name's Sisu, water dragon from Kumandra and keeper of the Dragon Gem. You need a good swimmer, then call me up! As for holidays, my girl Raya's been catching me up on all the holidays I missed, but it has to go to the Festival of Dragons."
"A festival of dragons, hm?" a red-headed woman sitting next to Ray mused.
"I believe it's Mei Ling's turn next," Azrael coughed.
Next to the wolf was an anthropomorphic golden cat in teal clothing, a warm smile on her face. She gave a formal bow before speaking, "Greetings to you all. I am Master Mei Ling of Lee Da Academy from the land of Ancient China. My favorite holiday would be the Lunar New Year."
"I think you and Lop would get along well, Mei Ling," Gabriel said. "You could trade fighting techniques with each other. Good to know my counterpart has good tastes in friends as well."
"Hey, we both know that Mei Ling is an underrated character in "Kung Fu Panda" lore," Azrael said, the two sharing a fist bump.
"You both are very kind," Mei Ling blushed.
"Now is my turn?" the red head from before asked. She was a woman with a fiery air about her, wearing red and gold armor that accentuated her feminine features. She also had dragon horns and a tail. "I am the great Flamewyrm Brunhilda, but in this form you may call me Mym. I come from the kingdom of Alberia, where I fight alongside other heroes and dragons alike. As for holidays, I just adore summer vacation, especially when I can spend it with the ones I love."
"Wow, I did not expect to meet a "Dragalia Lost" character," Gabriel said.
"She's one of my oldest friends in the Gamesphere… even if we met in an awkward way," Ray said, chuckling a bit.
Mym giggled, giving a wink to the cat. "Yes, it's not every day that your next pact bearer comes falling out of the sky… quite literally I might add."
"I sure you can indulge in that story during this vacation," Azrael said.
"Looks like it's my turn next," Lop spoke up. "I am Lop of the Yasaburo clan from the planet Tao. I'm currently training in the ways of the Jedi to one day bring my sister back to the Light. My favorite Holiday is Life Day."
"It's our group's turn next," Porsha said. She turned around and pushed a baby T-Rex forward. "Say hello to everyone, Chomper."
The little Rex gave a wave. "Hello. My name's Chomper, and I'm a Sharptooth from the Great Valley. We don't have holidays where I'm from, but I do like my Star Day."
"That's like a birthday," Azrael said. "The dinosaurs of the Great Valley have unique words for a lot of things."
'He's so cute…!' Jasiri thought, resisting the urge to run over and give a big hug to Chomper.
"And that leaves one last person," Ray said.
"That would be me!" said the last person at the table. He was a tuxedo cat with bright blue eyes and a yellow bandana around his neck. "I am Morgana, a Phantom Thief and the tactician of the Dragalia Guild! If it wasn't for me, this guy here wouldn't have gotten too far to start."
"it's true," Ray sighed.
"As for holidays, I enjoy Golden Week," Morgana said.
"it's cool to get to meet you as well, Morgana," Gabriel said with a smile. "Though I have to ask: you're in your cat form right now, but what about your true form?"
"Oh, I can switch between forms whenever I want," Morgana replied, jumping into the air and changing into his more anthro form in a puff of smoke, now wearing a tactical belt and a Zorro-style bandit mask. "I just tend to stay as a cat whenever I don't need to battle. But as for all this food, I'll gladly take having the use of my hands!"
"Well, this is sure to be an interesting vacation," Azrael mused.
"And we have a whole two months on this cruise, with lots of sights across the multiverse to sea," Gabriel added.
"It'll be something, for sure," Ray shrugged.
The raven clapped his hands together. "Well then, let's all dig in!" And with that declaration, the Dimensional Cruise Vacation truly began.
[***]
As epic music kicks up, we see a panning shot of the Disney Wish Cruise Liner, with the logo "Dream Keeper Chronicles: Dimensional Cruise Vacation" popping up to denote the new mini-series.
The ocean is calling my name again
The water is warm, I'm diving in
It's full speed ahead right into the unknown, unknown
Sisu is seen flying past the logo, happily skipping over the waves as she runs on air next to the ship. She passes by Gabriel, Jasiri, and Lop, the three of them waving as she flew past.
The magic is sparkling on the waves
There's so much for us to celebrate
The colors in the sky ignite the way they go, they go
The camera whips around as Gabriel's eyes follow Sisu, the raven's perspective showing Azrael and Ray's groups both standing on the deck together. Gabriel grins and runs over to give his wolf counterpart a high five that turns into a firm hold, Azrael laughing as he grabs Ray by the shoulder to pull the reluctant cat into their handshake as well.
There's always more new places to explore…
As the chorus builds up, the group all look out from the front of the ship as the cruise liner sails ahead through a magical portal (similar to the ones that Dr. Strange uses).
Let's go!
Let's travel to the stars!
There's wonder in our hearts!
It's time for the adventure of our dreams!
In a flash we see Ray's group floating in a world full of stars. Morgana pulls out his signature weapon, a cutlass and strikes a heroic pose, while Mym winks to the camera and blows a kiss while leaning on her weapon, a lance.
We're way beyond the shore!
Even further than before!
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
Mineru closes her eyes and puts her hands over her heart, spirit energy shining around her as she summons one of her robotic constructs. Ray's subdued demeanor suddenly vanishes as he claps his hands together, pulling them apart to manifest a sphere of energy in his hands. Ray concentrates before tossing the ball forward at the camera.
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
With that transition we see scenes of all three groups having fun on the cruise ship: relaxing in the pool, taking photos together, and playing deck party games.
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
A wave suddenly crashes up over the camera as Jasiri splashes Gabriel in the pool, transitioning to the next scene.
We're holding on tight when the anchor's up
There's magic to find in the skies above
It's everything we've been dreaming of I know, I know
We see the group all relaxing on the beach of Castaway Kay, with Porsha and Mym tanning, Chomper and Morgana working on a sand castle, and Sisu, Lop, Mineru, and Mei Ling challenging each other in a volleyball match.
There's always more new places to explore…
Gabriel, Azrael, and Ray all smile as their friends get along, before the three look up to the sky, the camera panning into the starry place once more.
Let's go!
Let's travel to the stars!
There's wonder in our hearts!
It's time for the adventure of our dreams!
This time we see Azrael's group all together. Chomper gives a cute little roar, showing off his sharp teeth. Mei Ling does a few swings with her bo staff before posing with it behind her head in a casual stance.
We're way beyond the shore!
Even further than before!
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
Porsha's fur shines brightly as she uses her Shooting Star magic, while Azrael pulls out his khopesh and drags it along the ground, sparking up pink fire that he hurls into the camera.
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
We see scenes of the cruise ship sailing through different dimensions, traveling to various other worlds: Big Water from "Land Before Time", the Great Barrier Reef from "Finding Nemo", and the Hoenn Region from "Pokémon".
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
They sail past even more worlds: the lost city of Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle from "Percy Jackson and the Olympians", and the Great Sea from "The Legend of Zelda."
New adventures, new adventures
New adventures, the magic awaits for us
We see trios forming between the groups: Chomper, Morgana, and Sisu making an animal trio; Lop, Mei Ling, and Mym making a fighters trio; and Jasiri, Porsha, and Mineru forming the lovers trio.
New adventures, new adventures
All together…!
We see Gabriel, Azrael, and Ray all standing determined on the deck of the ship as a storm starts raining down around them, giant tentacles suddenly rising up around the boat.
The ocean is calling my name again
I'm ready for more, I'm diving in
I'm never gonna be the same again I know, I know…
The boys all get into battle stances, with Azrael rushing forward with weapon drawn, Ray firing energy from his hands, and Gabriel using his Keyblade to slash at the monster as it rose from the sea.
Let's go! (Oh…!)
Let's travel to the stars!
There's wonder in our hearts!
It's time for the adventure of our dreams!
In a flash we're in the starry world again, this time with Gabriel's team. Sisu does a spin before turning into her dragon from, her fur glowing bright. Lop pulls out his lightsaber and strikes a determined pose, her ears waving in the wind behind her.
We're way beyond the shore!
Even further than before! (Before!)
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
Jasiri summons her illusionary animals to run around her, followed by Gabriel calling on Fantasia as he smiles for the camera.
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
We photos appearing of the group on their vacation together.
So come along and sail the shimmering seas!
The final photo shows the Gabriel trio all together, smiling as the song ended.
Author's Note
That's right, not only is Azrael returning, but we're getting another alternate universe Gabriel as well! Ray is based on a different OC of mine that I created, and I wanted to make sure that he was different from his other counterparts. Gabriel is the confident and optimistic one of the trio, Azrael is the serious one with a troubled past, and Ray is the nervous newcomer that's still learning how to make friends and be social.
And with them come some brand new faces as well. Azrael is slowly filling out his own Dream Defender-like team, with his first two members being Chomper from "Land Before Time" and Mei Ling from "Kung Fu Panda". These two are both characters I greatly enjoy and will help show Azrael's growth since we last saw him in the Epic Universe.
As for Ray, he runs the Dragalia Guild in his home universe, which as he explained is a world where all video game characters live called the Gameshpere. For simplicity's sake, his world only includes video game original characters, not licensed games, though that does mean that a version of characters from Disney original games like "Kingdom Hearts" exist in his world as well. On Ray's team is Mineru from "The Legend of Zelda", a newcomer to the series but one that I quickly fell in love with. He also has Morgana from "Persona 5", my favorite party member in that game, as well as Mym from "Dragalia Lost", a now-defunct Nintendo mobile game that has a special place in my heart.
The song for this story arc is "Shimmering Seas", which is the main theme for the 25th anniversary of the Disney Cruise line. It also hints that the gang might have to fight a villain at sea at some point…
Now then, as for the story itself, this will be running through July to the end of August, hence the cruise being two months long. However, during this time I'm going to let you guys give suggestions as to what Gabriel and friends should do during their vacation. Remember that this is an interdimensional cruise, so you can suggest almost any world for them to take port at, or even what fun games and activities they should all play together. If you want to, you can even suggest having an alternate universe version of one of the other Dream Defenders to show up for a surprise guest appearance!
Also this is the last Friday chapter post I'll be doing for awhile. I just had extra time these past two weeks to be able to do so for you all.
Next Time: Gabriel takes some time to get to know Ray and learn what the cat's backstory is, as well as how Azrael met Mei Ling and Chomper.