AN: It's time for the two-part Halloween special set in the Epic Universe with Azrael and his allies! Also some spoilers for "Stranger Things Season 4" if you haven't seen it!
Out in the Spanish desert of the Shrek universe, a long wolf was wandering the dunes, his hood pulled over his face to block out the heat. Azrael held up his map and hummed as he stared off into the distance. "It's close… not far now…" he muttered to himself.
As Azrael walked along his shadow grew larger, eventually spilling out into the form of Death himself. "What brings you so far from home, mi hijo? What quest have you decided to go on alone?" he asked.
"I'm following the map Gabriel gave me, Pater. It's supposed to lead to something- or someone. Porsha was kind of vague on what it was supposed to be used for," Azrael explained. He pulled a book out from under his cloak and handed it over to Death.
The older wolf hummed as he thumbed through the text. "The legend of Don Quixote? What does this tale have to do with the map?"
"That's what we're going to find out," Azrael said. The two eventually came across an odd sight in the desert: a small field of flowers that seemed to be thriving out in the sands. Kneeling down in the flowers, Azrael placed a hand on the ground and reached out with his senses. "I can tell that someone was buried here, but why does the map lead to an unmarked grave…?"
"Oh hello there!" a cheerful voice called, causing Azrael to look up from the ground. She was a talking cat much like Puss in Boots with white fur and beautiful blue eyes, wearing a white and purple dress with brown boots.
"Hello there, Miss. Sorry if we're disturbing your garden," Azrael said.
"It's okay. Not many people venture this far out from San Lorenzo to see it," the cat replied.
"San Lorenzo…" the name lingered on Death's tongue. He looked to the cat with suspicion. "You wouldn't happen to know Puss in Boots, would you?"
The cat put on a confused face, a hand going to her head. "Hm… That name sounds familiar, but I can't recall why?" She then noticed the book in Death's hands. "Oh, do you like reading stories, Mister Wolf? I just love a good fairy tale."
"Ironic, considering the world we're in," Azrael muttered, passing the book over to the cat.
She looked at the title and smiled. "Oh, I've read this one before: The legend of Don Quixote. It's where my name comes from, actually."
"And what is your name, miss?" Azrael asked.
"My name is Dulcinea," she replied, causing Death's eyes to widen.
"You… You are the soul that I could not find," the elder wolf whispered.
Azrael looked to his father with confusion. "What's up, Dad?"
"The gata here, she is a lost soul," Death explained. "There are times when I cannot collect the souls of mortals due to them being lost or escaping my reach through magics. It is especially so whenever the fate of a character is left… ambiguous."
"You mean whenever you're not certain if someone has died or not," Azrael clarified. Humming he pulled out his magic coin and held it out to Dulcinea. "Dulcinea, could you please hold this for me?"
"Why sure," Dulcinea replied, taking the coin and looking at it.
"Just as I thought. That coin reacts whenever a character that has experienced death touches it, showing if they are compatible to be summoned by it. Since nothing happened when you touched it, that means you're not truly dead," Azrael said. "Do you think the map brought us here to help this lost soul, Pater?"
"Possibly, loboito, possibly…" Death hummed. "If you wouldn't mind, Miss Dulcinea, may we stay here for a while? We could help you to regain your memories if you'd like."
"I have had strange flashes, like things I've seen but don't remember. If you think you could help me remember my past, then I'd be glad for you to keep me company," Dulcinea nodded.
"I'll just send out an alert to the Epic Alliance that I'll be out here," Azrael said, pulling out his phone. "If there's any big trouble, I'm sure the others can handle it…"
[***]
In the main part of the Epic Universe, the Halloween Horror Night event was taking place, meaning that it was the time when fear ruled over the land. Villains and monsters ran amuck on the streets, and usually this was the time that Azrael would be kept busy trying to keep the peace. However, the Scion of Death didn't have to work alone anymore, as he had set up a network of other guests in the Epic Universe that were willing to help keep the peace called the Epic Alliance.
"Okay, looks like Azrael's quest thing is going to take a while," a Koopa Troopa wearing a red hat and backpack said. This was Alex, Logan's counterpart in the Epic Universe. "We'll be on our own defending this place."
"I do hope he doesn't take too long. Our best fighter being away on Halloween night would be unfortunate if some big bad guys show up," said the Koopa's hat, a magical talking hat named Cappy who was Alex's best friend.
"Relax, you two. Gru made sure that the New Moon Theater is the safest place to be during Halloween Horror Nights," Mr. Moon, the Koala owner of the theater, assured the two.
"Okay, Mr. Moon, but I just… don't like the idea of bunkering down," Alex sighed. "It's Halloween, and we should be out there having fun and getting candy."
"It's definitely not like what they have in the Magical World, that's for sure," Cappy nodded, which looked funny for a hat to be doing.
"Well, we have plenty of treats for everyone to enjoy in here. Why don't you join the others inside?" Mr. Moon offered.
Alex smiled and went into the main part of the theater, where everyone else taking shelter was hanging out. Notable characters included the cast of the New Moon Theater (Johnny the gorilla, Ash the porcupine, Meena the elephant, Rosita the pig, Gunter the pig, Porsha Crystal the wolf, and Nooshy the lynx), Gru's daughters Margo, Agnes, and Edith, Donkey and his kids from Shrek, the Trolls from Trolls, Marty McFly from Back to the Future, and the kids from Stranger Things (being Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Eleven).
"Alex, come join us over here!" a voice called. The Koopa looked over to see Sora, a fellow guest who was also the Spirit of April Fools Day and part of the Guardians of Childhood from the movie Rise of the Guardians.
"What's up, Sora?" Alex asked.
"The ceiling, duh," Sora laughed, causing Alex to groan.
"I can't believe you fell for that again. It happens every time we meet Sora," Cappy noted.
"Don't remind me…" Alex sighed. "So, how are you holding up, Sora?"
"I'm doing good. Only a few more months until my holiday!" Sora replied. "Still, I wish there was a way for us to go and get candy… Or for the other Epic Alliance members to trade places with us."
"Yeah, I wanna get in on the action and fight some monsters," Alex nodded. "They don't even have to let us go into the haunted house areas, let me throw hands out in the scare zones! I want to put my Kung Fu training to the test!"
"You two still on about that?" Nooshy asked, the lynx looking over at them. "I don't see what all the fuss is about. Let the fighters do their thing and we can have it all back to normal by tomorrow."
"Yeah! We can start promoting our new movie coming up!" Poppy, princess of the Pop Trolls, nodded in agreement.
"Plus we have Elle with us if things get really bad," Mike assured them.
"I'm surprised Eleven isn't out there kicking monster butt, actually," Donkey said. "I've seen what you can do girl and it's scary good."
"…Dad doesn't want me out there," Eleven replied simply.
"Yeah, Hopper probably doesn't want you fighting vampires and zombies and stuff all by yourself…" Lucas said.
"He's as protective over you guys as our dad is," Margo said.
As the group was talking, the lights in the room started to flicker, making the adults look around in concern. "You did make sure to pay the electric bill this month, right Mr. Moon?" Rosita asked.
"I did, and I'm sure Suki would have reminded me if I didn't," Mr. Moon replied. "You all wait here and I'll check the breaker box."
"Oh no you don't," Ash said, standing up from her seat. "You know the rules about Halloween Horror Nights: never, under any circumstances go anywhere alone. I'll come with you, and if anyone tries to jump us, they get the quills."
After Mr. Moon and Ash left, Sora coughed to get the attention of everyone in the room. "So, in the spirit of the season, I wanted to show you all something that I found at North's headquarters," Sora said, reaching into his bag and pulling out an odd-looking orb.
"A crystal ball?" Johnny asked, everyone gathering around as Sora placed it on the table.
"Yep! Apparently you can as it questions and it will give you answers," Sora explained.
"Like the magic mirror!" Donkey said.
"Yeah, just like that! Now, to make it work we all have to stand around it and hold hands to focus its power," Sora said.
"If this isn't the start of a horror movie, I don't know what is," Max said wearily.
"Don't worry. We'll protect you," Eleven assured her best friend.
The group all gathered around the crystal ball and held hands (or stood on other people's hands in the case of the trolls) while Sora looked deeply into the ball. "Crystal ball before us now, show us the secrets sure to wow!" The ball lit up with ominous green mist. "Cool, it worked! Okay, what question do you guys want to ask?"
"Are we going to get a third movie?" Meena asked. "…Sorry, that was the first thing to come to mind."
The ball lit up with the message "Answers point to yes."
"Well we know it can answer questions, if a bit vaguely," Alex said. "Oh, here's one: will I ever become a great Kung Fu master?"
The ball replied with, "Hard work gives results to those who try."
"Keep up your training, kid," Branch laughed.
The lights flickered again. "I hope Mr. Moon and Ash are okay…" Rosita said with worry.
"Yeah… I wonder what's taking them so long?" Marty asked aloud.
The ball lit up with an answer to the question. "Beware the ones that prey on fear."
"Uh, how does that answer our question?" Sora said in confusion.
An evil laugh suddenly filled the air as the lights went completely out, causing the kids to all scream in fear. "It's showtime, chuckle-heads!" a voice called as a spotlight shown on the main stage of the theater, revealing Mr. Moon and Ash all tied up with an evil-looking doll standing between them.
"Oh crap, it's Chucky!" Dustin shouted.
"That's right kids, it's your favorite playmate here to show you how to have a good scare!" Chucky laughed.
"…Wait a minute, who's this guy?" Sora asked.
"Seriously, you don't know who Chucky is?" Mike questioned.
"He's a serial killer who got his soul put into a "Good Guy" doll and continued killing people," Lucas explained.
"And your parents let you watch that movie?" Rosita questioned.
"We might have snuck into a theater to see it," Will admitted.
"Hey, nerd squad, eyes up here!" Chucky said. "Now then, as you can see I have your friends here all tied up, so you're all going to go along with what I say or else-"
"Wait, Ash, how did you get captured by Chucky?" Johnny questioned.
"Yeah, isn't he just a doll?" Edith added.
"We literally just said he has the soul of serial killer inside him," Lucas sighed.
"Stop interrupting me!" Chucky shouted, putting his knife up against Mr. Moon's throat. "Now, one of you kids is gonna offer up your body for me to put my soul into or else the koala gets it!"
"Yeah, how about we don't do that," Alex said. "Eleven, get this guy!"
Eleven nodded and held up her hand, using her telekinetic powers to pull away Chucky's knife and slam the doll into the stage. "Woah, that chick has some power behind her. I wouldn't mind having that body to myself," Chucky said.
"Yeah, you're not going to get that honor," Alex said. He pulled a question mark block out of his bag and hit it, summoning a powerup from the block, in this case being an Elephant Fruit. Scarfing the fruit down transformed the Koopa into and Elephant, who then jump up onto the stage and shouted "Cannonball!" before slamming butt-first down on Chucky."
"Oh sh-!" the doll cursed before getting squashed flat by Alex.
"Language!" Alex taunted, standing up and stopping on Chucky with his foot for good measure. A soul flew out from the broken doll, racing off into the night. "You know, I don't get how people don't just try to crush Chucky like that if he's just a doll."
"Well not everyone can turn into an elephant," Mr. Moon chuckled as Gunter untied him and Ash. "Thanks for the save, kiddo. That doll gave us a good fright."
"Let's just hope that's the last scare we have to deal with," Margo said.
"Don't say that!" Ash shouted. "That's how you get jinx, especially on a night like tonight!"
As she said that the lights flickered again, but this time the sound of a grandfather clock could be heard as well as the room around them seemed to change. The air became filled with spores and mist as the New Moon Theater was covered in weird black vines. The Stranger Things kids all looked nervous at the scenery change, with Max in particular starting to panic.
"No… He's here… But I thought we got rid of him…" Max said.
"Max, you need to calm down," Lucas said, trying to keep his girlfriend calm.
"What just happened? Why is everything all spooky now?" Meena asked.
"The Upside Down. Somehow we got brought in here," Will said. "It's another dimension and where all the monsters from our world come from. I've never seen it happen outside of our world, though…"
"Come to me…" an ominous voice said. The roof of the building was torn off as a horrific sight befell the gang: a monster man with flayed-looking skill and tendrils coming out of his back floated over them.
"Vecna…" Eleven said, glaring at the monster.
"Eleven… You and your friends may have held me back before, but with the help of a new "friend" I was able to find you hiding here," Vecna said.
"Your friend wouldn't happen to be a creepy carnival guy with a skull-capped cane, would he?" Sora asked.
"Yes, actually. He told me that in exchange for taking the wolf girl, I would be free to turn whatever worlds I wished into my domain," Vecna explained.
"W-Well, we're not going to let you do that!" Alex said. "And if you're going after Porsha, then I'm sure Azrael will stop you!"
"But the Scion of Death isn't here right now, is he?" Vecna questioned. "So now is the time to strike. The Blood Moon will be rising soon…"
"Blood Moon…?" Donkey said, before gasping. "Wait, I know what you're talking about! We need to get out of here and warn Puss, fast!"
"You can't just escape the Upside Down, especially not with Vecna bringing us in here," Mike said. "He's trapped us in his world, meaning that we're all stuck in the mind space out in the real world. Normally we'd use music to hold him off but now…"
Vecna held out his arms, causing everyone to seize up and start floating off the ground. "No more talking. I will make you all join me here and take the wolf girl." He gestured towards Porsha, making her float up to him as Vecna put a clawed hand around her face.
"Hey! Hands off my friend!" Nooshy shouted.
"It's no use. We're all trapped here with him…" Max despaired as Agnes started crying.
'Come on, Alex, think! There has to be a way to stop him,' Alex thought. "Wait, you said music can hold him off?"
"Yeah, it disconnects your mind from his powers so you can escape to the real world," Dustin nodded.
"Then I think it's time that Vecna faces the music," Alex said. "Sora, your bag!"
"Oh, yeah!" Sora said. Using the strength he had the spirit of April Fools' Day tossed his magic bag on the floor, causing a bunch of random items to pop out, including a full speaker-stereo system. Music started playing, causing Porsha to suddenly smirk.
"Why are you smiling, girl?" Vecna asked.
"Because I bet whoever you're working with didn't know that I could do this!" Porsha replied, her fur glowing with light as she called on her Shooting Star power to break free of Vecna's grip. She then threw out her hands and freed the rest of her friends. "Okay guys, if we want to get out here, let's make this Vecna guy face the music!"
"We'll need instruments then!" Mr. Moon said, quickly going backstage and grabbing a couple of guitars, tossing them to Ash and Marty. The two started playing along with the music, strumming in sync as Mr. Moon brought out a piano for Johnny to play on.
"You think a concert will stop me?" Venca questioned, reaching out with his powers only to get countered by Eleven's own telekinesis.
"No, but it will hold you back long enough for us get escape this freaky place!" Poppy replied. "Okay team, let's go crazy!"
Let's go crazy…
Let's go crazy…
Let's go crazy…!
Let's go crazy!
"Prince. Nice choice," Lucas said as Rosita and Poppy started to sing and dance together, much to Vecna's confusion.
If you don't like
The world you're living in
Take a look around
At least you got friends!
Donkey and Johnny were next, the gorilla playing the piano as Donkey took the seat next to him.
You see I called my old lady
For a friendly word
She picked up the phone
Dropped it on the floor
(Ah, ah!) Is all I heard!
The two groups came together was Venca rolled his eyes. "I tire of this," he growled, lashing out a tendril, only for Eleven to block it.
"No one hurts my friends," she said.
"Get him, Eleven!" Mike cheered.
Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
Oh, no, let's go!
"Meena, let's do this!" Porsha exclaimed, giving her friend a high-five as they joined in the song, the wolfess' fur sparkling as she called on her power.
Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts
Let's look for the purple banana
'Til they put us in the truck
Let's go!
"This is great and all to keep us out of Vecna's control, but we're still trapped in the Upside Down," Branch pointed out.
"There should be a portal around here that we can escape out of…" Max said. She looked around and noticed a tear forming in the fabric of dimensions, the other side showing the real world. "There! But it won't stay open for long."
"Do you think this could help?" Agnes asked, pulling out Gru's freeze ray.
"Uh, why do you have that?" Margo questioned.
"Dad said to keep it in case we needed it," Anges replied.
"Yeah, that should help," Alex nodded. He pulled out another powerup, this time an Ice Flower, and powered up with it. "Let's get over there and freeze that portal open!"
"You'll need my help to get over there quickly," Max said, pulling out her skateboard. "I'm the party's Zoomer, after all."
"Kids, use this!" Marty called, kicking his hoverboard to Alex.
"Sweet! I always wanted to ride one of these!" Alex cheered.
As those three got their plan into motion, the New Moon Theater and company continued to sing their hearts out to keep up the good vibrations, with Nooshy getting a verse to sing as the trolls backed her up.
We're all excited (all excited)
Don't know why (I don't know why)
Maybe it's 'cause
We're all gonna die!
Everyone paused and looked at the lynx. "Maybe this is why I should stick to dancing…" she muttered.
"Keep going!" Will shouted as Venca called on more tendrils to try and grab the kids.
"On it!" Meena nodded, taking lead on the next verse.
When we do
What's it all for? (What's it all for?)
Better live now
Before the grim reaper comes knocking on your door!
"Let's go!" Alex shouted as he, Max, and Agnes started skating through the Upside Down to get to the portal.
Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
Oh, no, let's go!
"You got this, Max!" Lucas cheered.
"Yeah, go Mad Max!" Dustin added.
Let's go crazy (Let's go crazy!)
Let's get nuts (Let's get nuts!)
Let's look for the purple banana
'Til they put us in the drop
Let's go!
"You can't beat me, Eleven," Vecna sneered, summoning more of his power. "Deep down you know you're just a monster like me."
"No. Not a monster: a hero," Eleven retorted, screaming as she put up both of her hands and called on all her power to blast Vecna out of the building.
Come on, baby!
Let's get nuts!
Yeah!
(Oh-oh) Crazy!
"Woah, you okay there, little girlie?" Gunter asked as he and Mike helped Eleven to her feet, wiping the blood from her nose.
"I'm fine," Eleven said. "We must go. He'll be back."
"Don't have to tell me twice. Come on, kids!" Donkey exclaimed as the gang bolted for the exit portal.
Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
Oh, no, let's go!
As the all ran to the portal, Alex and Agnes managed to freeze the portal, preventing it from getting any smaller. "Now we just have to wait for the others to get here," Alex said.
"You won't get that far," Venca stated, appearing and and sending out more vines.
"Really dude? You need to chill out!" Alex shouted, tossing ice balls at the monster.
"Ice puns…?" Max sighed.
"Hey, if the pun fits, it fits!" Alex exclaimed.
Let's go crazy (Let's go crazy!)
Let's get nuts (Let's get nuts!)
Let's look for the purple banana (Let's look!)
'Til they put us in the truck (Let's go!)
"Okay everyone, single file please!" Mr. Moon said as they hopped through the portal.
"No… No!" Vecna roared as he reached out at them one last time.
"I don't think so, freak!" Ash said, turning and shooting some quills into his hand, making the monster recoil before she hopped through the portal, the door to the Upside Down closing behind her.
Dr. Everything'll be alright!
Will make everything go wrong
Yeah, yeah, let's go!
Once the portal closed everyone awoke in the real world, all of them thankful that they got out of there all right. "You know what? That was enough action for me," Alex sighed.
"Yeah, if we face another monster that's not Vecna or Chucky, it'll be too soon," Sora agreed.
"I'll need to have Gru or Megamind add in psychic defenses for this place… and make sure no killer dolls are brought onto the premises," Mr. Moon said.
As everyone recovered from the harrowing experience, Porsha looked to her phone to see she had a call from Azrael. "Hey Azzy, what's up?"
"Porsha, we have a big problem," Azrael said, his voice that of concern.
"Did you hear about Vecna? No biggie, we took care of him," Porsha said.
"Wait, you guys faced Vecna and won? That's… really impressive, actually," Azrael said. "But no, there's something else going on that threatens all of here in the Epic Universe, even more than the usual Halloween frights. Death and I are going to be at your location in an hour, and we're bringing a new friend. Get the rest of our friends and the other Epic Alliance members there ASAP. We'll need everyone we can get for this."
As he hung up, Porsha turned to Alex and Sora. "Sounds like we're going to be getting some action after all, boys. Call in all of our friends because when Azrael is asking for help you know it's a big deal."
[***]
Earlier with Azrael…
As Porsha and the others were dealing with Chucky and Vecna, Azrael and Death were enjoying the company of Dulcinea in her flower oasis, talking about their lives and helping to jog the cat's memories. "It does sound like a wonderful place to visit," Dulcinea said. "Maybe I could come to the Epic Universe sometime."
"I'd be glad to show you around," Azrael said with a smile. "And what of your memories? Have any more returned to you?"
Dulcinea shook her head. "Sorry, but it's still mostly blank…"
"This is troubling. Normally lost souls are bound to the place they are lost in…" Death said.
"Well I've told all I can about myself, as has Dulcinea recalled what she can remember… What about you, Pater? Why don't you tell her about yourself?" Azrael suggested.
"Oh yes, I'd love to know more about you, Mister Wolf," Dulcinea said with a smile.
Death turned his head away from the two. "I don't think that's a good idea. Most people have a… negative reaction when they find out who I am."
"Dulcinea isn't like that, Dad," Azrael assured him. "I don't think there's a mean bone in her body."
Death sighed and removed his hood. "Very well then. You may call me… Death. And not as a nickname, but in the sense that I am the embodiment of the end of all lives. None escape my grasp, and those that try have failed to do. I come for all eventually, and that is just a fact of life." He stared at Dulcinea with his piercing red eyes. "So tell me, gata, what do you see when you look into my eyes?"
Dulcinea gasped at the reveal of Death's true nature, but put a hand to her head as she felt a memory coming back to her. "If you're Death, then… I think I've seen you before, or at least felt it. It was a long time ago, but someone important to me died and it was with true love's kiss that they were brought back to life."
"Ah yes, the magic of true love's kiss. One of the more irritating types of magic to exist, but a fair enough way to cheat death," Death admitted.
"Who was it that you loved, Dulcinea?" Azrael asked. "Keep remembering if you can!"
"It was the end of the world, and we were helping the Great Mage Sino when…" Dulcinea's eyes went wide as she remembered everything that she had forgotten. "Puss! He was the one I saved!"
Death blinked in confusion. "That's odd. I recall all of the gato's deaths and I don't remember seeing you at any of them."
"There might have been time travel involved..." Dulcinea admitted.
"...Of course he found a way to cheat me out of one of his nine lives through time travel," Death sighed. "Still, I will let him live, if only because he proved his will to live to me during his last adventure."
"So you know Puss then? How is he?" Dulcinea asked with excitement. "I just remembered… well, everything!"
Azrael sucked in a breath. "Yeah, about that… I don't know how to put this, but…"
"Puss has found a new lover since losing you," Death said bluntly.
"Dad! I was trying to find a way to say that more gently," Azrael gasped.
"I feel it's better not to dance around the question," Death replied.
Dulcinea hung her head in sadness. "Oh, I guess that makes sense… If he thought he lost me for all these years, then I suppose he would find someone else. He always was a flirt with all the ladies…"
Azrael put a comforting paw on her shoulder. "If it means anything, not everyone can use true love's kiss. You two really did love each other, and even if Puss has moved on, you can still find true love again."
"Yes. Not everyone finds someone after they lose a loved one, but making new connections is a way to get past your grieving," Death nodded. "I should know, since Azrael was not all there until I decided to officially make him my son."
Dulcinea looked to the two wolves. "Thank you for telling me this. I am sad that Puss has moved on from me, but I'm happy that it sounds like he's found a new love all the same. It would be nice to see him again, if only to make sure that his new love is good for him."
"Trust me, Kitty Softpaws is probably one of the few people I know that can keep up and rein in Puss," Azrael laughed. "Still, if we've recovered your memories now that means your should should be free from this place. We could always take you to see Puss and his friends if you'd like."
"I'd love that," Dulcinea said.
"It'll be a far walk, unless we use my cloak to travel," Death said. "Normally I don't allow mortals to travel with me, but I can make an exception for you, Dulcinea. Your pure heart should protect you from the effects of my magic."
"There's no need to worry about me… What would you like me to call you? Just calling you "Death" seems a bit silly," Dulcinea giggled.
Death felt a bit of heat come to his face, pulling his hood over his head again. "You may call me "Murte," Dulcinea. I think it has a nice ring to it. I'm still surprised that you haven't shown any fear in me."
"There's nothing to fear but fear itself, Murte," Dulcinea replied.
"Wise words," Azrael nodded. He suddenly felt a chill in the air and growled, looking up at the sky to see the world turn red as the full moon grew large overhead. "That doesn't look right… Which villain is responsible for this?"
Dulcinea gasped in fright. "Oh dear, I've seen this before… The Blood Moon is never a good sign."
"We may need to put your tour on hold then and deal with whoever has summoned the Blood Moon," Death said. "Azrael, can you call on your friends to help?"
"On it," Azrael nodded, pulling out his phone.
"You may stay here where it's safe, Dulcinea," Death said.
The cat shook her head. "No, I can help you. I know how to fight!" She held out her hand, making a flash of white light envelop herself as she gained leather battle armor and a magic sword. "Oh, I'm so glad I can still do that. I mean, I like my dress but this is much better for a fight."
"When did a town girl like you learn to fight?" Death asked.
"Puss taught me. He really is sweet whenever he's not trying to act like he's the only hero around," Dulcinea explained.
"You had a good teacher, then. The gato and I aren't on the best of terms, but I have my respect for him," Death said. "…You also wear that armor well, Dulcinea."
"Why thank you," Dulcinea giggled, blushing a bit as Death felt his heart flutter again.
"Are you two done flirting yet?" Azrael asked, making both of them blush. "I just called in everyone to meet us at the New Moon Theater. Apparently they were attacked there and some of the villains went after Porsha, so she's a part of this as well."
"It was not flirting, son, just complimenting," Death said.
"Uh huh, sure it was, Dad," Azrael shook his head. "Let's get back to the Epic Universe. We've got a Blood Moon to stop!"
Death nodded and with a swish of his cloak the three of them were travelling through the shadows back to their home.
Author's Note
We're back with Azrael as he follows up on the magical map Gabriel wished from him back during the Dimensional Cruise arc. The map leads Azrael and Death to a secret garden that's home to Dulcinea, a main character and love interest to Puss in the "Adventures of Puss in Boots" series on Netflix. She is considered a "lost soul" in this story due to the fact that despite remaining at Puss' side by the end of the series, she never showed up in any material outside of the show and was replaced by Kitty Softpaws as Puss' love interest (the sad fate of many cartoon exclusive characters). I recently watched the series and wanted to include Dulcinea in the Epic Universe, so I had Azrael's map lead to her lost soul. We also get some ship tease between Death and Dulcinea as the idea of the embodiment of death falling in love with a sweet and caring soul just makes sense to me. Very much a Hades/Persephone vibe between the two (and Azrael is totally calling them out on their light flirting!)
In the other half of the chapter we see Alex and Sora, the Epic Universe versions of Logan and Toren, helping out some of the various kids at the New Moon Theater fight against Chucky from the Chucky series and Vecna from Stranger Things. I've never watched any of the Chucky movies but I really wanted to see someone kick the evil doll's butt, and Vecna is just a really cool and scary villain that his appearance at this year's Halloween Horror Nights was too good to pass up on. To save everyone the New Moon Troupe sang the song "Let's Go Crazy" which was featured as the opening number of "Sing 2."
Next Time: Azrael and friends reunite to face whoever is sending villains after Porsha and stop whatever the Blood Moon will bring…