AN: I have an important announcement to make at the end of this chapter. Also, minor spoilers for "Kung Fu Panda 4" in this chapter! Please enjoy these newest tales from the Magical World!
Dream Defenders: A Pet-Tastic Adventure!
The Dream Defenders have been on many quests together, but there is a group that not many talk about- their pets! On a cool spring day Pitaya the Dream Eater was napping in Gabriel's room, the dragon snoring peacefully as he liked to do. Pitaya didn't do much during the day, preferring to stay in the realm of dreams and play with his master during the night. But with Gabriel being out on a mission at the moment, Pitaya got to just laze around until the raven returned home.
Of course, no day is ever a lazy day in the Magical World, and a knocking on the window woke Pitaya up. "Oh, who could that be…?" he wondered. While most people couldn't understand what Dream Eaters said (aside from Jameson and Silver due to their powers), the narrator has made it possible for you, the reader, to do so for this story.
Anyways, Pitaya looked to the window to see a Skelterwild, a skeleton dinosaur Dream Eater, staring back at him. "Oh, hey Kay. What's going on?" Pitaya asked.
Kay moved back a bit as Pitaya opened up the window to hop out onto the dinosaur's back. "Oh, nothing much… other than the fact that I'm in serious trouble!" Kay replied.
"Woah, what's going on, big guy?" Pitaya said.
"So, sometimes me and my master, Ben, like to play fetch, right?" Kay said. "Well Ben's been busy, so I decided to play fetch with myself."
"That must be hard, considering you have tiny arms," Pitaya mused.
Kay rolled his eyes. "I was using my mouth to throw the stick, but you see… I didn't actually have a stick, so I was using master's staff as a stick instead."
Pitaya blinked. "…You know that's incredibly irresponsible of you to use a powerful, magical artifact like that, right?"
"I know…" Kay groaned. "But as I was playing fetch with myself, a vulture swooped down out of nowhere and stole the staff right out of the air! It flew off towards California Adventure, but there was too much foot traffic for me to follow."
"Yeah, you probably don't want to be accidentally squishing anyone with your big feet," Pitaya nodded. "So, a vulture stole your master's staff…? There's only a few vultures I know of, and whoever's owner it is must be up to no good. We have to get it back!"
"And before Ben finds out," Kay added. "What should we do, Pitaya?"
"Well, this sounds like a job that Master Gabriel would do with the Dream Defenders… I know, let's form our own team with the other pets!" Pitaya declared. "We'll be the Pet Dream Defenders, looking out for all the pets in the Magical World!"
Kay smiled. "That sounds like a great plan. Let's go get the others!" He started to run off, only to come back a moment later in confusion. "But wait, are there enough pets for us to make a team with them?"
"Every Dream Defender has a pet. Some are just more vocal about it than others," Pitaya replied. "Come on, there's no time to waste!"
With that the two Dream Eaters were off to go get their fellow pets together for a mission. Up first was stopping by Main Street, where a Necho Cat was performing on stage for an adoring audience. This was Alymra's pet, a Dream Eater named Mau. "Yes, look at me and my dazzling performance!"
"Mau! We need you're help with something!" Pitaya called.
Mau looked to her friends and waved. "Why hello there, Pitaya and Kay! What brings you to me today? Can't you see I have an audience to entertain?"
"We have a problem that only us pets can solve. Your musical skills will come in handy for that," Pitaya explained.
"I see… Well, I may be a cat, but I'm not going to turn up my nose when my friends need me!" Mau stated. She gave a wink to her fans before hopping up on Kay's back. "I'll see you all later, adoring fans!"
"I love you, Mau!" a street cat called.
"And I love you, random fan!" Mau laughed before the trio ran off.
Their next stop was in Hollywood studios, where Melody and Beth were currently working on a science project together. "Okay, Ngurumo. Give us a charge," Melody said.
Her Dream Eater, an electric unicorn Electricorn, gave a whinney before lowering her horn to the device. With a spark of lightning it roared to life, making the two girls cheer. "A success! This is just the power upgrade my lab needed!" Beth said.
"And hopefully it won't blow up this time," Melody said.
"We just had to make sure Dr. D didn't install a self-destruct switch this time," Beth laughed.
Ngurumo gave a snort before trotting over to the door. "What's that, girl? You want to go outside?" Melody asked. The unicorn gave a nod. "Well, okay then, but make sure you're back home before it gets dark, okay?" she said.
Ngurumo whinnied again as the door was opened, the unicorn trotting outside before hopping up onto the rooftops with her powerful legs. "Finally! I can get outside and stretch my legs," Ngurumo sighed. "I love Master Melody as much as any other pet would, but being inside is no place for a horse like me…"
"Ngurumo!" Pitaya called, flying down to greet his friend. "Are you free at the moment?"
"Yes. Melody just let me out for the day," Ngurumo replied.
"You know, it's funny that a science nerd like Melody has such a free spirit as her pet," Mau mused.
"That say it's the pet that chooses the master, and I'm there to remind Melody to take a break and enjoy the world, instead of being couped up in a lab all day," Ngurumo said. "So, why were you looking for me?"
"Ben's staff was stolen, and we need to assemble a team to get it back," Kay explained.
"May I ask how you lost it?" Ngurumo inquired. "…On second thought, don't tell me. I'm sure it was Kay's fault."
"Hey! I'm not that bad, am I?" the dinosaur questioned.
The other Dream Eaters gave him a look. "Yes!" they all replied.
"Anyways, will you help us?" Pitaya asked.
"Well, I do know how to work on a team since Melody works with Big Hero 6 so much, and my lightning powers will be more than enough to stun any enemies that get in our way," Ngurumo said. "Yes, I will join you."
"Great! That just leaves Rachel and Logan's pets. They may not be Dream Eaters, but they will be helpful for this adventure," Pitaya said. "They should be in Animal Kingdom, so let's go!"
In the Animal Kingdom, two pets were having a sparring match on the roof of Logan's gym. One of them was a jackal with Egyptian markings on their body and a wrestling mask over their face, while the other was a raven with purple feathers and two gold bands around their ankles. The jackal barked, sending out sonic waves of green energy that the raven countered by throwing up a golden shield.
"There you two are!" Pitaya called, arriving alongside the other pets. "Hogan, Effie!"
The jackal, Hogan, turned to Pitaya and jumped on the dragon. "Pitaya! I've missed you! Have you finally come to do some training!?" he asked excitedly. Hogan was a gift for Logan from Anubis, being one of his top jackals in the underworld. Despite his great strength, Hogan tended to act more like a normal dog most of the time.
Hogan, no licking, please!" Pitaya laughed as he was slobbered on by the jackal.
"For as much of a warrior of the underworld as you are, you do tend to act unprofessional, Hogan," Effie, the raven, snickered. Effie was created using shadow magic by Poe as a gift for Rachel after they had married. She considered herself to be the best of the pets, even if it really wasn't a competition.
"Not all of us can be up-tight shadow creatures, Effie," Hogan rolled his eyes.
"That just makes me superior with my powers to your howls," Effie smirked, flaring out her wings as she showed off her golden shields once more. "So then, Pitaya, what brings you and the others here today."
"Kay let Ben's staff get stolen," Mau explained. "So we're having a team-up to get it back from the vulture that took it."
"A vulture, you say? Sounds like Magica de Spell's pet to me," Effie hummed.
"I was thinking the same thing. That's why we're getting a team together for the mission," Pitaya nodded. "So, can we count on you guys to help us out?"
"Of course! I'm always ready to help my friends!" Hogan cheered.
"You all will be lost without my skills. I shall help as well," Effie nodded.
"Just keep that big head of yours in check, shadow girl," Kay rolled his eyes.
"All right, that's all of us! Time for the Pet Dream Defenders to roll out and dream big!" Pitaya declared.
"…You need to work on your catchphrases, dude," Ngurumo sighed.
Pitaya looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry, it's my first time heading a mission, after all! Now, to California Adventure!"
The Pet Dream Defenders were off at that, making their way to where Kay had seen the vulture flying off to. It didn't take long to find who they were looking for, was guests were talking about their items being stolen by a vulture as well. The team went to Avengers Campus to find the culprit, their eyes on the sky for any sign of the troublesome bird.
"See anything yet?" Mau asked.
"The skies are clear… for now," Effie stated from her perch on Kay's snout.
"You know, you'd think a skeleton dinosaur would be attracting more attention," Ngurumo mused.
"Devil Dinosaur is around here sometimes, so dinosaurs aren't that uncommon in Avengers Campus," Pitaya replied. The dragon hummed as he looked around the area, before gasping and pointing his tail in a direction. "There, by the Spider-Man ride! I think I can see Ben's staff on the roof!"
"Then let's get it!" Hogan cheered.
The team went the WEB Headquarters building where Pitaya had seen the staff, finding it and a bunch of other items all laid out in a pile. "There's everyone else's stolen stuff as well. Looks like we're going to be heroes for more than just Kay today," Effie laughed.
The mood was quickly cut down as the roaring of engines came to their ears, Pitaya flying low as a man in a winged flight suit zoomed over them, landing in front of the pile. "What the…? Animals peaking at my stuff, eh?"
"Uh, Kay, I thought you said a vulture stole the staff," Ngurumo said nervously.
"Yeah, I said the Vulture stole master's staff," Kay replied.
Mau slapped the dinosaur on the snout. "An actual vulture and the supervillain Vulture are two completely different things!" she shouted.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to fight the supervillain to get that staff back… and everyone else's things as well, of course," Effie said, readying her shields.
Pitaya crouched into a battle stance. "Okay team, this wasn't exactly what you all signed up for, but we're not going to back down now! Let's show the Vulture who's boss!"
Vulture just stared at the pets in confusion before rolling his eyes and firing up his flight suit. "I swear, I thought fighting Spider-Man was the worst thing to happen to me, but animals now? Give me a break…"
The supervillain took off into the sky, with Pitaya and Effie giving chase while the others followed on the ground. Mau took the opportunity to use her Dream Eater abilities to conjure up some music. As a Necho Cat she had a power similar to Fantasia, manifesting music notes to aid her in battle as chase music started up.
All your fancy papers don't mean much to me
Everything you stand for ain't what it seems
No… Oh…
Pitaya and Effie were the first to engage, the dragon using his fire breath while the raven summoned her shields and tossed them as projectiles like Violet of the Incredibles did.
Hurry before we run out of time
You're barking up the wrong tree, it's outta line
Oh… Oh ey oh…
Ngurumo charged up her horn and fired bolts of lightning at Vulture, while Kay used his large size to keep Hogan and Mau at pace with the rest of team.
For me and all my friends (Hey yeah!)
Got the power in our hands (Come on!)
And there's nothing you can do
To stop us finishing our plan
"I don't have time to deal with house pets," Vulture grumbled.
"He did not just call us house pets!" Mau growled, the cat summoning music notes and using them like platforms to leap into the air.
We're on the- move!
Saving the day, get out our way just- move!
"Sonic bark!" Hogan called, building up power before sending out green waves of energy with his bark that Vulture managed to dodge.
"We need to disable his wings if we want to catch him!" Pitaya called out.
Making the change, with Alpha atti-tude!
We ain't stay and we ain't playing!
"If he keeps dodging our attacks, maybe we need to combine our moves to catch him?" Kay suggested.
"That's… actually a good play, coming from you!" Ngurumo said.
"I have my moments," the dinosaur grinned.
Move! We're on the- move!
We're on the-
"Okay team, let's try it out!" Pitaya shouted, landing on Kay's snout and charging up his flame breath.
The Alpha domination
It's the bone that we're chasing
No sitting back no waiting
Dog-eat-dog situation
Effie then landed on Pitaya's head, using her shields to create a funnel around his mouth while Mau tossed music notes in the air. This created a field of musical mines that made it difficult for Vulture to fly around.
We're the Alpha domination
It's the bone that we're chasing
No sitting back no waiting
Dog-eat-dog situation
Ngurumo then used the music notes as a guiding system for her lightning, getting a good hit on Vulture that made him freeze in midair. Hogan then kept up the stun with his sonic howl.
"He's ready to go, Pitaya!" the jackal called.
Me and all my friends
Got the power in our hands
And there's nothing you can do
To stop us finishing our plan
"Dragon Breath… Blast!" Pitaya called, unleashing his fire breath in a large beam thanks to the funnel created by Effie.
"And Dino-Slammer!" Kay called, jumping up into the air and doing a flip to swipe his tail at Vulture.
We're on the- move!
Saving the day, get out our way just- move!
"Oh no…" the supervillain said before getting blasted by both fire and a dinosaur's tail, sending him crashing into the ground and being knocked out for the count.
Making the change, with Alpha atti-tude!
We ain't stay and we ain't playing!
Move! We're on the- move!
"Yeah! We did it!" Hogan cheered, doing a spin before posing.
"I must admit, we did well as a team," Effie nodded.
"Mark this as the first victory for the Pet Dream Defenders!" Pitaya stated, making sure to pin down Vulture so he couldn't escape. "Now we can return all of the stuff that this villain stole in the first place."
"And Master Ben will never have to know about his staff being stolen," Kay said, picking up the staff in his mouth.
With that, the Pet Dream Defenders returned all of the stolen items and returned to Ben's house, all of them tired after their first exciting adventure together. Kay made sure Ben's staff was placed back in his room before the team decided to take a nap out in the backyard.
"Aw, it looks like Kay invited his friends over to play together," Ben said as he and Nuka returned home that afternoon.
"Do you ever thing you guy's pets get up to trouble while we're away?" Nuka asked.
"They're not exactly the same as you and the other talking animals, Nuka. What kind of trouble could they get up to?" Ben laughed.
[***]
Aline, Logan, and Gabriel: The Spring Goddess Returns
"I'm so glad I can finally cross "Visit Camp Half-Blood" off my bucket list of things to do in the Magical World," Gabriel said as he, Jasiri, Aline, and Logan walked through the summer camp of demigods.
"I'm surprised you haven't visited here sooner, seeing that you're a fan of the books," Logan said.
"I was waiting for the show to come out before visiting. I didn't want to spoil myself on how this place would look in the Magical World," Gabriel replied. "By the way, where's Destiny at?"
"She's training with Percy again. Destiny's getting really good with her water powers," Logan replied.
"And I believe Binx is keeping an eye on the Hecate kids. Being a black cat means he can blend in with their magic vibes pretty well," Aline added. "But there is one more thing I wanted to show you guys before we head home for the day."
"I have to make sure to feed Pitaya when I get back…" Gabriel muttered.
"What is it, Aline?" Logan asked.
The girl just smiled and lead her friends deeper into the woods around camp, eventually bringing them to a beautiful field of flowers in the middle of a clearing. Jasiri gasped and jumped into the field, frolicking around and laughing. "There's so many flowers here! You don't get patches like these out in the Pride Lands!" the hyena exclaimed.
"Yeah, the nature spirits do a good job maintaining the plants around here," Aline nodded. "But I actually wanted to bring you here to see something special. Today is officially the first day of Spring, and you know what that means, right?"
"I can finally start wearing shorts in public again without getting weird looks?" Logan asked.
"I can eat ice cream in public again without getting weird looks?" Gabriel asked.
"No! What is with you guys and doing warm weather stuff in the winter?" Aline questioned.
"I mean, I'm from Texas where winter isn't as long as other places. I don't know what his excuse is," Gabriel shrugged.
"Working out in shorts in cold weather helps to encourage more body movement, duh," Logan replied.
Aline rolled her eyes. "Anyways, what the first day of spring means is that Persephone, Goddess of Spring, is coming back from the Underworld until next winter!"
"Oh right! You're her student, right?" Logan recalled.
"Yep! And she sent me an Iris message that she'll be coming to this flower field to greet me at the start of spring," Aline said. "And I want you all to be here to watch."
"Then I guess we better take a seat and stop to smell the flowers," Gabriel said. The trio sat in the grass, gazing up at the blue sky while Jasiri came over to rest in her boyfriend's lap.
They all just say there for what felt like hours, calling out the things they saw in the clouds and admiring the beauty around them. As the sun fully rose up to the center of the sky, however, Aline started to get worried.
"…Guys, do you think something's wrong?" she asked. "I mean, we've been here for a while now, but Persephone still hasn't arrived yet."
"Hm… You have a point," Logan nodded. "But if she's running a bit late, I don't know if there's anything we can really do about it. We may be Dream Defenders, but we normally don't get involved with the gods."
"At least not on purpose," Jasiri added.
"Maybe we just need to help her find her way here," Gabriel suggested, standing up and doing some stretches. "Here, let's try some Fantasia and call on the Goddess of Spring with a song!"
"Sounds good to me," Aline shrugged. She and Logan stood up, with Gabriel raising his arms to call on Fantasia. The raven waved his hands as if conducting and orchestra, and soon enough an entire music section started playing an orchestral melody. "Oh, it's Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons", specifically the spring movement," Aline recognized.
"Yes, I thought It would be fitting," Gabriel nodded. As the music played, magic whipped up around them in a pleasant breeze.
Oh yes, oh yes, it's springtime!
Oh yes, oh yes, it's springtime!
It's springtime!
Oh yes, it's springtime!
As Gabriel finished singing, a magical door opened in the middle of the flower field, followed by a beautiful woman in a flowery dress stepping through it. "I heard your song calling to me, young ones," Persephone said.
"Persephone!" Aline called, running up and giving her patron a hug.
"Aline, my student. I knew that it was you that was calling to me," Persephone said.
"With some help from my friends, of course," Aline giggled. "This is Gabriel, Logan, and Queen Jasiri."
"Nice to meet you, mam," Gabriel said with a bow, Logan doing the same.
"Aline has told me much about you two… but I sense that there is another here as well," Persephone said, looking to Jasiri.
The hyena gasped before nodding. "Right, I'm currently helping another goddess to rehabilitate back into the pantheon." He closed her eyes and called on Ammit to come out.
The crocodile goddess looked to Persephone with surprise. "Oh, it's you. I believe my master knows your husband?"
"Hm… You're Anubis' pet, yes?" Persephone recalled.
"I am his aid, not a pet," Ammit growled.
"It was only a jest," Persephone laughed, her voice warm like the spring breeze. "It is good to see that you are coming back to the good side, Ammit. I'm sure a kind soul like Jasiri has taught you much."
"Indeed she has," Ammit nodded.
"Well then, shall we go and enjoy the blessings of spring now?" Persephone suggested.
"Yes! There's so much I want to show you that you missed since winter!" Aline said.
"It was nice meeting you! Logan and I are going to go back to camp and look around some more," Gabriel said. With that the group split off, happy to have experienced such a magical moment together.
[***]
Azrael: Kung Fu Canines!
In the Epic Universe, Azrael was currently meditating in courtyard of the Jade Palace. The wolf liked to visit the Valley of Peace due to how… well, peaceful the village could we, whenever it wasn't being attacked by bad guys, of course. Azrael also came here to hone his training, as while Puss in Boots had taught him many sword fighting skills, the wolf had other masters that taught him hand-to-hand combat.
A sudden scream pulled Azrael from his meditation, and wordlessly the wolf held his hands up and caught whoever had been thrown in his direction. "Zhen," Azrael said.
The corsac fox gave nervous laugh. "H-Hey Azrael. What's going on…?" she asked.
"I know that you're training to become in the next Dragon Warrior, but you must be careful when you're training," Azrael said. "And where is Porsha? I thought she was training with you?"
"Well…" Zhen started to say, before looking behind her and ducking as Azrael was forced to drop the fox and catch Porsha as she was tossed his way as well.
"Is it "Throw-women-at-Azrael day or something?" the wolf shook his head as he set Porsha down.
"Well, it is National Women's Month…" Porsha said with a giggle. The she-wolf was currently dressed in aerobic gear rather than her normal attire. "But it's more like Zhen and I are having a bit of trouble with our training."
"It's not like I need training. I already know how to fight…" Zhen grumbled.
"But you've never trained as a Kung Fu master before. That's completely different from your days being a thief," Azrael pointed out.
"I guess…" the fox sighed. "Still, couldn't the Furious Five go a bit easier on me? I'm still new to all of… this!"
"You just gestured to the entire Jade Palace," Porsha pointed out.
"Exactly!" Zhen exclaimed.
"Hm… Perhaps you just need to learn how to use your own skills when you do Kung Fu. That's how Po did it, after all," Azrael suggested. "He may be a great warrior now, but he used to be a simple noodle boy before being chosen to become the Dragon Warrior. I am a bit curious as to why you want to learn Kung Fu, Porsha."
"I thought it looked fun. Plus I want to be able to help you out more than with just my shooting star power," Porsha replied.
"Very well then. Allow me to help you both out then. Right here, right now," Azrael said, standing up and pulling out his gold coin. With a flip of the coin the wolf summoned Lord Shen to his side, the peacock in the middle of drinking tea.
"Ah, you just caught me in the middle of something. What do you need, Azrael?" Shen asked.
"Hey, I think I recognize you. Weren't you one of Po's bad guys along with that snow leopard and bull guy?" Zhen asked.
"Yes, the panda is an old enemy of mine, though I've grown past that stage of my life," Shen nodded.
"Lord Shen, I'd like you to help me train Porsha and Zhen here to use their natural skills in their Kung Fu styles," Azrael said.
"Hm, you'd think Master Golden Cat would be better for this job," Shen pointed out.
"Mei Ling is on a special mission with Master Crane at the moment. You were the next best person to ask," Azrael said.
Shen nodded. "Very well then. For you, fox, you must use your small stature and speed to your advantage. I assume you aren't good at taking hits, so instead make your enemies tire themselves out trying to get you so that you may go in for the advantage."
"I mean, I already kinda do that so- ooooh, you mean do that while I use Kung Fu! That makes way more sense now that you say it out loud!" Zhen said.
"As for the she-wolf, she is a performer my trade, yes? Some see Kung Fu almost like a dance, so use what you already know when you fight. Distract your opponent with your moves, then make them pay for underestimating you," Shen said to Porsha.
"Okay… Yeah, I think I can do that," Porsha nodded.
"Good, because your training starts now," Azrael said. The wolf turned into his Guardian of Light form, slamming his staff into the ground and activating the practice mechanisms in the courtyard. "Shen and I will be watching as you two train. Show us what you've got!"
Everybody is kung fu fighting (hoo! Huh!)
Your mind becomes fast as lightning!
The two girls shared a smirk and nod before running in to train, Azrael smiling as he folded his hands behind his back and watched.
Although the future is a little bit frightening (little bit frightening!)
It's the book of your life that you're writing! (life you're writing…)
Zhen was up first, the fox dodging around swinging obstacles before hopping along the tops of bamboo poles.
You're a diamond in the rough
A brilliant ball of clay
Azrael suddenly jumped into her way, holding out his staff in a defensive position. "If you want to complete your training, then you'll have to move past me!" he declared.
You could be a work of art (ha!)
If you just go all the way (look out)
Zhen nodded, moving around to try and get round Azrael, only for the wolf to push her back with his staff at every move. "Don't just try to dodge, use your head to get past me," Azrael instructed.
Now what would it take to break? (Cee!)
I believe that you can bend
Zhen took a moment to collect herself before rushing at Azrael again. As he swung his staff, the fox leapt into the air and landed on the staff as it came down, before using her momentum to vault over Azrael's head and get to the other side.
Not only do you have to fight (hoo!)
But you have got to win
The wolf chuckled to himself. "That's how you do it, Zhen!" he complimented.
"And I'm only getting started!" Zhen boasted.
Everybody is kung fu fighting (hoo! Huh!)
Your mind becomes fast as lightning!
Shen was watching the training as well, with the peacock taking an interest in how Porsha was doing. He pulled out some throwing knives and started spinning them around in his hands, before tossing them at one of the training dummies, each hit giving off a small explosion on impact.
Although the future is a little bit frightening (little bit frightening!)
It's the book of your life that you're writing! (life you're writing…)
"Woah! What was that!?" Porsha exclaimed.
"I concentrated my Chi into explosive energy. I did have all the time in the world to learn about Chi while in the Spirit Realm, after all," Shen said. "I may prefer other methods of combat, but I will not let myself be bested by Kung Fu masters. That is why you must always remain vigilant in your training."
You are a natural (ooh)
Why is it so hard to see? (Yeah!)
"I can do explosions too," Porsha said, showing off her shooting star power.
"Yes… it is similar, but different from what I can do," Shen nodded. He handed a knife to Porsha. "Here, try focusing your power through this. Follow what I do."
Maybe it's just because (ooh)
You keep on looking at me (huh!)
Shen started going through his own training routine, with Porsha doing her best to copy him. The she-wolf wasn't the best at first, but slowly started to see what Shen was getting at. "Kung Fu is like a dance…" she whispered to herself.
The journey's a lonely one (ooh)
So much more than we know (yeah!)
Soon Porsha was able to copy Shen's moves with no problem, tossing her knife at the training dummy and clapping as her shooting star magic went off on impact. "I did it! Did you see that!?" Porsha exclaimed.
But sometimes you've got to go (ooh)
Go and be your own hero!
"Yes. It was… commendable," Shen nodded, before getting a hug from Porsha. The peacock wasn't used to physical affection, but he allowed for the one hug.
Everybody is kung fu fighting (kung fu fighting!)
Your mind becomes fast as lightning! (hoo! Hah!)
Soon Zhen and Porsha were training with each other, the fox fast on her feet and dodging around while Porsha kept her opponent on her toes with suddenly poses and a dash of her shooting star power.
Although the future is a little bit frightening (little bit frightening!)
It's the book of your life that you're writing! (life you're writing…)
By the time their training was over, Porsha and Zhen were exhausted, but they gave each other a bow of respect. "That was… pretty good training…" Zhen panted.
"Yeah… I don't think doing stage shows was as exhausting as that," Porsha agreed.
"It was good… for beginners," Tigress said, the Kung Fu master suddenly appearing.
"Ah! M-M-Master Tigress!" Zhen yelled in shock. "How long have you been here!?"
"Long enough to see you actually taking your training well," Tigress said.
"I was just showing them a different perspective on how they could train to use their skills to their advantage," Azrael said. "With some help, of course."
Shen and Tigress shared a glace, tension in the air. While Shen wasn't the evil warlord as he had been before, there was still some bad blood between him and the masters of the Jade Palace that he normally avoided. "Lord Shen," Tigress said curtly.
"Tiger," Shen said simply. "I will be taking my leave now. Until next time, Azrael."
The wolf nodded and flipped his coin, returning Shen to the Spirit Realm for the time being. Tigress sighed before turning her attention back to the girls. "Regardless, I see now that, like my master did with the Dragon Warrior, we will have to train you differently if you are to succeed Po for his title, Zhen."
"Eh, it's still a bit in the air if that'll pan out or not," Zhen shrugged.
"Still, I think you should let Monkey train you to better use your skills," Tigress suggested. "Believe it or not he was a petty troublemaker before he met Grandmaster Oogway, and a failed comedian before I recruited him to the Furious Five. I think your skills as a thief may align with his playful Monkey Style quite well."
"And what about me?" Porsha asked.
"Hm… As much as I dislike him, Shen was teaching you quite well. But for my opinion, your dance skills will be best suited working with Viper. She was a ribbon dancer before joining the Furious Five," Tigress replied.
"I think Alex trains with Viper as well, and may or may not have a crush on him," Azrael chimed in.
"Oh, Master Viper and I are going to share so much gossip about the Epic Alliance!" Porsha giggled.
"Just remember that this is for training," Azrael said as the two girls went off to talk to their future masters. The wolf shook his head before looking to Tigress. "Sorry about not informing you was bringing Shen here. I know that's a bit of a sore spot."
"Just be glad Po's dad wasn't here… the panda one, not Mr. Ping," Tigress said.
"Yeah, I don't think I want to unpack the drama that would cause…" Azrael said. He then smirked and got into a fighting stance. "So, would you like to spar, Master Tigress? I have always wanted to see which of us is stronger."
Tigress smirked before taking her stance. "Aren't you afraid to lose?" she questioned.
Azrael laughed. "Please, I think losing to someone like Master Tigress should be seen as more of an honor than anything else. Now then, come at me!"
The two ran at each other before leaping into the air. No one else was around to see who truly one the match, but by the time Porsha returned from her training she found Azrael and Tigress both looking a bit beat up but smiling, nonetheless. When she asked what had happened, Azrael just replied with, "An awesome spar, that's what."
Author's Note
We have a nice selection of stories this time around. The first is all about the pets of the Dream Defenders coming together to make their own team and fight against the Vulture. While we've seen Pitaya, Mau, Kay, and Ngurumo before, I created Effie and Hogan for this chapter to give Rachel and Logan pets of their own. Hogan is named after Hulk Hogan since Logan is big into wrestling, while Effie is a haughty-sounding name that fits her personality. The song that plays when the Pet Dream Defenders battle is "On the Move" from Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season 2, specifically the episode about a dog show.
The second part is Aline, Logan, and Gabriel going to Camp Half-Blood and meeting Persephone at the start of spring. I always wanted Gabriel to go there and now I can officially say he has! The lyrics he sings for "The Four Seasons: Spring" actually comes from the Little Einstein's episode revolving around the song.
The final section gives us a look into the Epic Universe as Azrael helps train Porsha and Zhen. The newest Kung Fu Panda movie just came out, and I liked Zhen so I wanted to give her some love with "Kung Fu Fighting" be the obvious song of choice. I also think it's funny how close in name Zhen and Lord Shen are, and how I like both of them.
Now then, as for the announcement… Chapter 71 of "Dream Keeper Chronicles" is going to be the last chapter of this story. I feel like I've told all I wanted to with my Magical World saga over the past almost four years now, and I will be writing other Disney-related stories in the future, but I think it's time for me to move on from Gabriel and friends and let them live their own lives.
Of course, that doesn't mean the Magical World is done. Friends have come and gone, but others are still writing out there. Silver's author is still writing stories, Seth's author has his own story, and I've heard that both Aline and Ben's authors have ideas as well. "The Magical World" is more than just the stories that I, TheDragonSaver, wrote now. It's a world that we all made together, and I want all of you to be inspired by these stories and continue writing your own things, be it in the Magical World or anywhere else.
But if we have three chapters left of the saga, what's going to happen in them? Well, I have some plans for that:
Chapter 69 (that's next chapter in April!) will be taking us to the Mirrorverse once more to look into a possible future of the Magical World and seeing the kids of the Dream Defenders. Yes, for one chapter I'll be breaking a rule of the universe I've created and be showing what a possible kid of Gabriel and Jasiri would be like. If you have ideas for what you'd want to see in this future timeline, leave it in a review or send me a PM to tell me about them!
Chapter 70 (which will be in May!) is going to be a greatest hits of the Magical World saga. I'll give more details about it in the next chapter, but I want to highlight the best musical moments, best action scenes, best drama, and more categories in an top 10/awards show style format. This will also be my sendoff chapter for the Dream Defenders to show what I think each of you guys' best moment was in the series!
And finally, Chapter 71 (coming in June!) will be all about sending of Team Dream Keeper and Gabriel as a grand finale. Think the ending of "Saving the Disney Universe" but more sentimental.
I want to say from the bottom of my heart a big thank you to everyone that's ever left a review on this story and that I've had the pleasure of interacting with because of it. I hope this story helped make your day a bit brighter whenever you read it, and I hope that you check out some of my other stories even after this one ends. I do write more than just Disney, you know ;)
Next Time: We look at a possible future and legacy of the Dream Defenders in "The Next Magical World Generation!"