AN: I want to make a special announcement that there's going to be a special Disney Musical chapter for this dimensional cruise! Leave in a review which Disney musical you'd like to see Gabriel, Azrael, Ray and their friends perform in!
Hopping on the AquaMouse!
While the Dimensional Cruise could go to any universe on the vacation, it was still a Disney Cruise Line ship, meaning it had all the features one would expect on said cruise: Marvel Day at Sea, Star Wars events, live stage shows, themed dining, and a water slide right on the deck of the ship. For the Disney Wish Cruise liner, they had the AquaMouse, themed after the modern Mickey Mouse shorts, and the subject of today's cruise adventure for two particular cruise goers.
"A water slide?" Lop questioned. "What's that about?"
"A water slide is where you get into an inner tube, or sometimes with just your bathing suit, and ride down a slide filled with water to the bottom, usually ending in a pool," Gabriel explained. "The AquaMouse can hold two people in one tube, provided they don't go over the weight limit, of course."
"Sounds fun!" Chomper smiled. "I've been down fast water on a fallen tree before, but that wasn't as fun since Red Claw was chasing me and my friends. Moving down fast water without being chased would be nice."
"I would like to try it as well," Lop nodded.
"Well then, you're going to have to change into a bathing suit for that," Gabriel said.
One clothing change later, Lop and Chomper were in line at the AquaMouse. Lop's swimsuit was an orange one-piece suit with her family's crest on the back. The two soon got to get on the ride, with Chomper sitting up front and Lop sitting in the back. The ride started on a conveyor belt, lifting the tube up an enclosed tube to where the slide would truly begin. Inside the tube was a few cartoon clips of Mickey and friends to entertain guests as they took the ride up.
"It's like being inside a cave," Chomper giggled. "Echo!"
"Echo!" Lop repeated, the two laughing at their silliness.
Soon they reached the top, screaming with joy as they slid down into darkness. The slide twisted and turned before going out into the open air, water jets pushing them up a few hills before they were put into a clear tube that went over the side of the ship a little bit. The two admired the view of the ocean before they were back into another dark tube, the incline getting steeper before they finally reached the end, slashing down where Mickey and Minnie congradulated them on their trip.
"That was a lot of fun! Let's do it again!" Chomper cheered.
"Yes, it was a lot of fun," Lop said, before starting to frown.
"Is something wrong? You were just happy about the slide, but now you look sad," Chomper asked.
Lop gave a sigh, holding to one of her ears for comfort. "It's just that… I wish my sister, Ocho, was here to enjoy this with me. I lost her to the Empire some time ago now, and while I'm training to be a Jedi to fight the Empire… I still wish she was by my side so we could be sisters again."
"I know how you feel," Chomper said, getting a surprised look from Lop. "My parents sent me to the Great Valley because a mean Sharptooth, Red Claw, was coming after us in the Great Beyond. I miss them every day, but I have my friends like Ruby and Littlefoot to keep me company. Someday, I'll be a big and strong Sharptooth that can defeat Red Claw so I can be with my family again. I think you'll be able to get big and strong too, Lop, and then you can fight those Empire meanies and get your sister back."
Lop smiled, wiping a tear from her eye before giving Chomper a hug. "Thank you for the kind words, Chomper. That was what I needed to hear right now. So then, you wanted to go on the slide another time."
"Yeah! Let's do it!" the little T-Rex cheered.
[***]
Night at the Iceberg Lounge
Taking a stop in the Warner Brothers Universe, the cruise guests were all invited to journey out of port for the day to take in the varied sights of the Warner Movie Lot. Some guests were taken on a wild tour of the worlds courtesy of the Warner Siblings, while others decided to take part in a special meet-and-greet with various heroes and villains of the worlds. For Gabriel's group, he had been given tickets to an exclusive event in Gotham City, how of the world's greatest detective, Batman. However, it wouldn't be the hero that our cast would be in the presence of, but rather one of his villains.
"Seriously, the Iceberg Lounge?" Ray raised an eyebrow. "That's just asking for trouble to go there."
"What's wrong with the Iceberg Lounge?" Jasiri asked.
"It's run by the notorious crime boss Oswald Cobblepot, alias The Penguin," Azrael said. "He might look like a funny short man, but he's got plenty of trick umbrellas and henchman to back him up. It also depends on which version of him we end up having to face. And make no mistake: we're probably going to have to fight him or any other villain that decides to show up."
"Look, I was given these VIP tickets to a night out, and I figured we could all take a night out to a fancy club," Gabriel shrugged.
"Where did you get those tickets anyway?" Porsha asked.
"They were just in the daily newsletter the shipmates give out each morning," Gabriel recalled.
"Suspicious…" Mineru muttered. "Still, I am intrigued about going to a human club."
"Then get out your fanciest clothing, because it's formal attire only," Gabriel said.
And dress fancy they did. Gabriel and Jasiri wore a matching set of dresswear, with the raven in a midnight purple suit and the hyena in a sleeveless dress of the same color. Azrael wore a pitch-black suit with a grey undershirt and red tie, while Porsha went with a flashy silver suit with bell bottoms. Ray meanwhile had a modest deep blue suit, with Mineru wearing a simple gold dress with her traditional Zonai jewelry. Soon the six of them were off to Gotham City, the particular version they were in being the one of "Batman: The Animated Series."
"Here it is, the Iceberg Lounge," Gabriel said, flashing his tickets for the group to get in.
"Looks like we got some VIP guests here," one of the bouncers said to his partner. "We'll make sure the Boss knows you're here."
"Suspicious…" Mineru hummed once more. "I have a feeling that whoever sent us these tickets might have done so with a certain purpose in mind, rather than just for us to have a night of fancy."
"We'll get to where everything hits the fan when it comes to us," Ray assured her. "Good think I've been practicing my Free-Flow Combat skills…" Mineru raised an eyebrow. "It's a Batman reference, okay?"
"I think we should do a movie marathon so we can catch Mineru up on pop culture…" Porsha suggested.
The inside of the Iceberg Lounge was that of a fancy gentleman's club, with the main attraction being a large pool in the middle of the club with a faux iceberg for performances to be held on and live sea life in the water below. Waitresses were dressed in flapper dresses with bowler hats, with the main music being of the jazz variety.
"I'll give Penguin one thing: he knows how to present class," Azrael admitted, taking a drink from one of the waitresses.
"Just don't get on his bad side, or else you'll be sleeping with the fishes… literally," Gabriel chuckled.
"I think Destiny would like this place, if only for the giant pool," Jasiri said.
As the group enjoyed their meal and drinks, they were soon approached by the man of the hour, Oswald Cobblepot aka the Penguin. He was as short as ever in his tuxedo and top hat, a little monocle hanging over his long and pointy nose. By his side was a stunning girl with long brown hair that looked oddly familiar to Gabriel.
"Looks like this lot is the last of the VIPs we'll be greeting tonight," Penguin said. "How are you enjoying my fine establishment?"
"It's very… unique," Mineru replied with caution. "Excuse us if we're not much in good company. We're just visiting from out of town."
Penguin laughed in his usual, bird-like way. "Lots of foreigners here tonight from that cruise I reckon! Ah, but where are my manors: Oswald Cobblepot, owner of the Iceberg Lounge." He put an arm around the stunning girl's waste. "And this here is the missus-to-be, Ravena Godfrey."
Gabriel almost spit out his drink at that name. 'That's Rachel of the WB Universe!?' he thought in a panic. 'She's totally unlike what I imagined she'd be like.'
"Charmed to meet you all tonight," Ravena greeted. "And who might you all be?" She put a hand to her head and closed her eyes. "Oh wait, let me guess- we have a foreign queen and her consort, an heiress and her boyfriend and… a princess and her beloved."
"Are you a psychic?" Porsha asked in awe.
Ravena gave a mischievous smile. "Oh I don't have powers of the mind, just the ability to see five seconds into the future. Helps to get introductions done quickly, or when your fiancé has a tendency to get himself into trouble."
"Yes, well, we can't be giving away all of our secrets now can we, love?" Penguin laughed nervously, kissing Ravena on her engagement ring. "But a fancy lot you all are, ain'tcha?" Two royals and an heiress… What might you be interesting, miss…?"
"Porsha Crystal, of Crystal Entertainment. It's a talent and stage performance agency," Porsha introduced herself.
"Yes well, don't be stealing any of my dancers tonight!" Penguin joked, giving a laugh.
"The only person that's bound to steal something is you…" Azrael muttered, putting a protective hand over Porsha's.
Ravena suddenly gave a cough. "Oswald, I believe the main show is set to start soon?"
"Ah yes, best be going then," Penguin nodded, leaving with Ravena to take their own special seats for the show.
"You handled that really well, Porsha," Jasiri said.
"Well, that guy kinda reminded me of some the guys by dad would associate with," Porsha said. She frowned. "Wow, saying that out loud makes me wonder how I didn't realize how bad of a person he was sooner…"
"It's easy to overlook family problems for the sake of love, but it takes a strong will to be able to realize when you need to cut someone close to you out of your life, for your own safety and theirs," Mineru said.
"Very sage advice there, Mineru," Jasiri giggled.
"Shh! Looks like the show is about to start," Ray shushed.
Down in the middle of the lake, a full jazz band appeared on stage, with two figures dressed to the nines standing in front of microphones. The first was a male roadrunner like in the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, wearing a fine suit with a red undershirt and a jazz fedora with a red band around it. The second was a female raven with long hair that curled at the end, wearing a sparkly purple sleeveless dress with matching opera gloves. The raveness reached for one of the microphones as the jazz band got ready to play.
"Okay boys… hit it," she said, before snapping her fingers as funky jazz music started to play.
I ain't got time for you, baby
Either you're mine or you're not
Make up your mind, sweet baby
Right here, right now's all we got
As the raveness sang, her voice seemed to capture the attention of everyone that was listening, save for Gabriel, who felt a strange tingle in the back of his neck. 'Huh, that's the same buzz I get whenever I use Fantasia…' he thought. His eyes went wide. 'Wait a minute… that must mean that singer… is she…?'
A little party never killed nobody
So we gon' dance until we drop, mm
The raveness took the roadrunner by the hand, the two dancing in classic 1920s style.
A little party never killed nobody
Right here, right now's all we got
The two performers kept all eyes on them, leaving the criminals of the place unawares of the figure dropping in from the roof. Gabriel noticed, however, and looked to see a tanuki woman wearing a green bandana sneak around the room, pickpocketing all of the criminals in the place without them noticing.
Islands, diamonds, trips around the world
Don't mean a thing if I ain't your girl
The raveness threw out a hand, sending up sparkles from her dress that dazzled the crowd. It seemed to be a signal as well, since a woman with a pixie cut in a tight black dress suddenly walked up to Penguin's table.
"What are you doing here, Selena?" Penguin growled.
"I'm just here for business, Oz, nothing else," Selena Kyle, aka Catwoman, said. "Just catching up with old friends. I'm sure I don't need to remind that you wouldn't have met Ravena without me, do I?"
"Take a seat, Selena. I do enjoy your company," Ravena said with a smile, while Penguin just grumbled to himself.
A little party never killed nobody
So we gon' dance until we drop
A little party never killed nobody
Right here, right now's all we got (Woo-ooh, yeah!)
As the tanuki kept making her rounds, Gabriel snuck up behind her and tugged at her bandana. "Taking advantage of the show, Miss Keys?" Gabriel asked.
"Just working with my team to get back some stolen goods from Cobblepot and his "generous donators"," replied Tanya Keys, a notorious bounty hunter in the Warner Brothers Universe. She looked behind Gabriel and noticed some tough-looking guys staring at them. "And if you don't want to get me caught, we're going to have to dance, Mister Raven."
"Gabriel," Gabriel introduced himself.
A little party never killed nobody
So we gon' dance until we drop, mm
A little party never killed nobody
Right here, right now's all we got
With a smirk Tanya started spinning Gabriel around in a tango-style dance, moving to the beat as she kept pickpocketing criminals and stuffing the goods under her cape in hammerspace. Gabriel even used a bit of Fantasia to link up with the music, which seemed to catch the attention of the raveness on stage.
"Take over for me," she whispered to the roadrunner before carefully dancing her way to the main part of the room.
"You got it!" the roadie replied.
All we got, all we got, all we got, all we got
All we got, all we got, all we got, all we, come on!
As the music built up, the roadrunner started singing increasing faster, the band struggling to keep up before the beat dropped. He then moved at a blistering pace, taking the raveness close to himself for a dance as they made their way over to Gabriel and Tanya.
Glad that you made it, look around
You don't see one person sitting down
They got drinks in their hands and the room's a bust
At the end of the night, maybe you'll find love
"Hey, what's going on here?" Penguin exclaimed, watching as the dancers moved off the stage. His eyes narrowed as they landed on Tanya. "That bugger of a tanuki is here? I banned her from this place after stealing my stuff. Men, put those four down with the fishes for me! Tina needs her dinner tonight!"
Fake chit-chat of the things they got
And my stout reputation of keepin' it hot
At the party of the year and my master plan
Is you make me realize I'm your man
"There goes Ozzie…" Ravena sighed as her fiancé ran off, trick umbrella in hand. "I was hoping that inviting those outside guest here would make it easier for Sera, but oh well…"
"I should be taking my leave then, before this all gets ugly," Selena said. She smirked before holding up an ice-blue diamond. "Besides, I already got what I needed back from Oz. Lunch next week?"
"Invite Bruce if you can," Ravena giggled. "And say hello to Harley and Ivy when you get to the chance for me!"
If the people get live underneath the moonlight
Hotsy-totsy, paparazzi, hold it while I take this pic
"Uh oh, we got trouble," Azrael said as armed men started moving in on the dancers.
"Why is Gabriel dancing with that tanuki girl?" Porsha asked.
"It doesn't matter right now. They're going to need help getting out of this mess," Jasiri said, powering up her magic as she tripped one of the guards.
Speakeasy, rockin' the feathers, I'm breezy
Hope you can keep up boys, 'cause believe me, I'm the bee's knees
"Time for some action," Ray nodded, activating his Psyches and zapping some of the guards with electric punches.
"Construct!" Mineru called, holding out her arm as it was covered by a robotic exoskeleton. She grabbed one of the guards and flipped him into the table, breaking it in half.
"There goes our food…" Porsha sighed.
It don't mean a thing if I give you my heart
If you tear it apart, no, ah-ah-ah, ow
It don't mean a thing if I ain't in your eyes
Papa, that ain't gonna fly, no, ah-ah-ah, ow
As the raveness, Sera, danced with the roadrunner, time seemed to slow around the two of them, the birds effortlessly dodging and knocking out the guards that came near them.
Just one night's all we got
Just one night's all we got
Just one night's all we got
Just one night's all we got
"Freeze, or else I'll make ya cold turkey!" Penguin threatened, pushing the tip of his umbrella into the raveness' back.
Sera grinned before putting a hand to her ear. "Whaddya say, Langstrom? Are ya ready?"
As she said that, there was a screech as the glass roof exploded, with a large half-man half-bat creature swooping down and picking up Penguin, flying him high into the air.
"Well, that was unexpected," Azrael said dully, before pulling out his khopesh and grinning at the guards. "Now then, who wants to face the Scion of Death?"
"Remember when Batman was the biggest problem in this town? I miss those days," one of the goons said before getting kicked in the gut by the wolf.
A little party never killed nobody
So we gon' dance until we drop (Let's go on!)
With the band still planning, Gabriel looked over to see Jasiri, the raven taking his partner by the hand as they danced around their attackers. "Now I can move at our pace," Gabriel said with a laugh. "No offense, Miss Keys, but Jasiri is my kind of girl."
"Not to worry. I have my own man to tease back home," Tanya shrugged, before pulling out a leaf and tossing it, the leaf transforming into an anvil that comically dropped on one of the goon's heads, knocking them out.
A little party never killed nobody
Right here, right now's all we got (Oh!)
"This has been fun, but now is our time to go!" Sera announced. "A farewell from the Infinity Warriors!"
"Goodnight, everybody!" the roadrunner said before picking up Sera and speeding off in a burst of speed.
A little party never killed nobody
So we gon' dance until we drop
A little party never killed nobody…!
With all the chaos going on, Gabriel and the others slipped out of the building as well, having had their fill of thrills for the night. The raven looked back one last time to see Penguin being dropped into the pool of the Iceberg Lounge, splashing about in the water as Ravena pulled him out.
"Thanks, love," Penguin muttered as she gave him a blanket. "Those heroes are always coming in and ruining my good business."
"I'm sure you'll do fine after this, Ozzie," Ravena assured him.
Once they were back at the ship, Gabriel was surprised to see Sera and her friends waiting for them on the docks. "So, how did you like it? I take it you got my invitations since you were all there," Sera said. The raveness was now wearing more casual attire with a grey jacket, purple shirt, and black pants, her head feathers pulled back in a ponytail.
"Hey, now that we're up close… doesn't she look like Gabriel?" Porsha pointed out.
"Wait, let me guess: you're this universe's Gabriel, aren't you, Sera?" Ray said.
"About time we met a girl version of you," Jasiri whispered with a smirk to Gabriel.
Sera gave a nod. "Yep! Glad to know we're all on the same wavelength. The name's Sera, after the Seraphim if you needed to know. I've got the power to stun people with my singing and dancing, which is great for causing distractions while my team is in battle."
"Right, the Infinity Warriors is what you called yourselves," Mineru recalled.
Sera smiled, holding out her wings to point to the rest of her team. "That's us! We've got Tanya Keys, the best bounty hunter this side of Pure Heart Valley."
"Here's your stuff that Cobblepot's men stole from you, by the way," Tanya said, tossing some items to the team.
"Hey! That guy stole my phone!" Porsha exclaimed.
"Next is Kirk Langstrom, aka the Man-Bat," Sera continued.
"A pleasure," Man-Bat said.
"He was always one of my favorite Batman villains, besides Mr. Freeze," Gabriel mused.
"And finally…" Sera turned to the roadrunner.
"The name's Rev, Rev Runner, at your service!" the roadrunner said, his voice quick as if he was always in fast-forward. Rev then looked down at himself before realizing something. "Oh wait, silly me, I'm still in my suit. Just a second!" The roadrunner spun around in a circle before his outfit changed, Rev now wearing a black spandex superhero outfit with red highlights.
"Hm, now there's a name I haven't heard since I was a kid," Azrael said. "The Loonatics still around?"
"Yeah, we are, though we've been given a bad rep by some people," Rev crossed his arms, frowning. "Even the Animantics and Teen Titans made fun of us…"
"Eh it was those Teen Titans Go versions, so don't take then seriously," Tanya shrugged.
"Don't worry, Rev, I'll still always stand up for you guys," Sera assured him, giving the roadie a kiss on the cheek. "We I heard the Dimensional Cruise was coming into town, I just knew I had to meet you guys once. Glad to know you're all capable of throwing down and living it up like I can."
"What's your story, If I may ask?" Gabriel questioned.
"Hm… I don't have the time to tell you everything, but here's the TLDR," Sera explained. "Me and my team, the Infinity Warriors, are a group of characters that fight back against injustice in the Warner Brothers Universe. We're kinda an underground team, fighting the battles the big guys overlook. We also act as a support group for the characters that have their shows canceled. All of us here had that happen to us, so we became a group to be stronger."
"For the record, I'm the Man-Bat from the "Beware the Batman" cartoon, hence why I'm a more heroic version of the character," Man-Bat spoke up.
"And what about Selena Kyle? Is she with you as well?" Azrael asked.
"She's just an acquaintance of mine," Tanya replied. "She gives me leads, I let her have any shiny valuables I get on those bounties."
"Well, it was nice to meet you," Gabriel said. "Are you gonna join us on the cruise?"
Sera shook her head. "I don't really have time for that right now. We're kinda in the middle of a weird spot over here, dealing with "Mergers" and this mysterious force calling itself "The DZ" or something like that."
"Sounds very… Meta…" Ray mused.
"It was nice getting to meet all of you!" Rev said, quickly going around and shaking everyone's hand in less than a second.
"Hm… I might just have to bring Mittens on this cruise sometime, if I can get him away from his sheriff duties for once," Tanya chuckled.
"If you ever find yourself back here, just look for a train station and dial up "1-1" at the phone booth. That'll get you to our usual meeting place," Sera said.
"I'll keep that in mind," Gabriel said, waving as the Infinity Warriors went off into the night.
"Well, that was a lot of fun, but I think I need my rest now," Jasiri yawned.
"Agreed," Gabriel nodded, yawning himself as they all went back onto the ship for the night.
Author's Note
For the first part of this chapter, we get a cute moment between Lop and Chomper. Lop always tries to be positive and strong, but she still misses her sister at times. Luckily Chomper can relate since he's separated from his parents, but knows that he can look to his friends for support. Lop has friends in Gabriel and the others of Team Dream Keeper, and Chomper helped her to remember that fact. Just some cute fluff all around while they enjoy a water slide together!
In the second half, we stop by the Iceberg Lounge from the Batman series, and meet some surprising new faces! This idea was suggested by Princess Gakoshi, which means that we mean the WBU version of Rachel, Ravena Godfrey, who's engaged to the Penguin! While we're there we also got to witness a heist being staged by the vigilante group Infinity Warriors, who just so happen to be led by this universe's version Gabriel, Sera!
While Sera will only be in this chapter, I knew I'd want to give a few Gabriel variants some cameos whenever we stop at certain ports. Her powers are inspired by the Music Meister, a Batman villain that can control people by singing. Her team is comprised of characters from canceled WB shows: Tanya Keys from "Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart", Man-Bat from "Beware the Batman", and Rev Runner from "Loonatics Unleashed" whom Sera is dating! In particular I really wanted Rev to make a cameo in the WB Universe, since I actually liked "Loonatics Unleashed" growing up and think people are way too harsh on it in the modern day. There were plenty of other Warner Brother cameos and references in there as well, so I hope you caught a few of them.
The song Sera and Rev sing is "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" from the 2013 adaptation of "The Great Gatsby". I think the song fits the club vibe very well, wouldn't you say?
As a reminder, you can vote on which Disney musical Gabriel and friends will perform in, as well as suggest more vacation ideas for this arc of the story!
Next Time: When people start to go missing on the cruise ship, it's up to Gabriel and his counterparts to solve the case! Meanwhile, Porsha helps an decommissioned robot find her footing!