Crisis of Multiple Earths

You know, Zuki, that was about as lame as Ronno's story. Corey said telepathically.

Hey, how else can I explain this? It's not like it's natural, and I can't well say I dyed it!

Seeing his chance to explain his blue coloration, Sonic followed up.

"That's the same thing that happened to me..." Sonic said.

Bambi obviously believed it, but much like with Ronno's story, Faline didn't believe it, but decided to, as the nameless purple fawn was obviously sensitive about his color.

"Uh, I guess that makes sense." Faline placated Zuki.

"How did you manage to get out?" Bambi asked, incredulous.

"Uh, lucky shot?" Zuki said, unsure.

Zach and Drew came down from the trees to come to a rest to the sides of Corey.

"Bambi..." Faline started, she saw her mother walking up. "Want us to walk you home?"

"Oh, no, uh, my dad's going to come for me." Bambi replied, sounding unsure.

"Oh, well it was nice seeing you again, Bambi." Faline then left the young Prince with the other animals as she left with her mother. After watching her leave, Bambi then turned to the newcomers.

"I suppose introductions are in order..." Corey said after a bit of silence. "You already know that my name's Corey, but I don't name my antlers. That's just...wrong."

"My name is Sonic. Sonic the--" Sonic then stopped himself. "Never mind, just Sonic."

"The squirrel is Zach, a friend of mine." Zach and Drew both got the message, and didn't dispute this-how could a deer be an owl's cousin anyway? "The owl is Drew, another friend of mine."

"And my name is Zuki..." Zuki said, realizing his name would be weird to be said...

"...Z...Zuki?" Bambi said

"Yeah, that's his name." Drew spoke up, now flying atop Corey's head just in case the need arose.

Corey was slightly unnerved by his cousin's need to perch on his head, but put it to the back of his mind.

Please don't ask about why I was grunting as though I were on the toilet just before the squabble ended, please don't ask about why... Corey thought, hoping that the explanation wouldn't be needed.

"So...Corey....why were you grunting so weirdly back there?" Bambi asked as though it was fate...
Zuki was laughing a bit...

"Uh..." Corey started, completely unsure of how to tell him. Then Drew started rapping on his head angrily.

Use your head when attempting to power up in a different body!! Drew screamed at him telepathically whilst hitting him with talons.

"Uh, I wasn't sure how to go about the whole sparring thing?" Corey honestly answered. "I've, uh never fought in my life?" A white lie, at worst, but Bambi soaked it up.

"oh, it's ok, i've never got in a fight either..." Bambi said smiling...

"Why did some people call you the "Young Prince" during your arrival at the Festival?" Sonic asked

"My father is the Great Prince." Bambi summarized in six words.

"Whoa!" Sonic said, in shock...

Great, he's royalty, but he doesn't know when someone's lying... Corey communicated to Zuki.

Dudes! No one told me we had three-way calling on telepathy! Zach interjected.

Why wasn't my powering-up working, though? Corey said.

only thing i can think of is that...reality is screwed?! or maybe were not saiyans anymore Zuki said

No...I still feel it in me... It's probably because we just went through a dimensionhole...I'm sure we'll come out of it in time to help out... Corey said confidently.

I hope you're right about that, because from the look of Ronno, we're not close to being done... Zuki replied.

"Hey, are you sure your father is coming?" Zuki asked.

"I'm positive!" Now Bambi clearly became angry. Corey felt a surge, but didn't think much of it.

"Hey, chill, we haven't been on this side of the forest before!" Sonic said.

"I guess we'll be going then..." Zach said. The animal/Saiyans left Bambi to find a place to sleep.

"So what do we do now?" Corey asked.

"You three, stay with the royalty." Drew nodded over to Bambi. "We're going to look around, high and low, for any clues as to why we were animalized."

"Alright then..." Zuki said shaking his head. "I guess we should just wait here, hidden...Maybe discuss what happened?"

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"So...Zuki is the purple deer, Corey is the one who just looked retarded, Drew is an owl, Zach is a squirrel, and Sonic is...well...a hedgehog...still" Eddy said. "What the F*CK is wrong with this?!??!"

"I don't know Eddy...But who knew they were movie stars!!!"
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"Tailsko said something just before we were pulled in." Corey noted. "She said 'Mal...' something."

Drew and Zach had taken to the sky, clearly unsure of where they were going.

"We're not done with Ronno, you know. Egomaniacs don't like it when you burst their ego." Sonic said.

"Welcome to our first fight against Utonium when our teams were allied, Sonic." Zuki said in response.

"Oh wow....well i didn't watch you guys fight em'." Sonic replied.
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A few minutes past...
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"Hey look, he's falling asleep..." Corey noted looking at the young fawn.

Zach jumped from tree to tree while Drew glided somewhat effectively in a similar manner through the air.

"There's one thing I can't seem to figure out..." Drew said.

"Yeah?"

"Corey tried to power up back there, but he just couldn't do it. It was as if his Ki control had just gone out the window."

"Well, I sensed his power."

"And?"

"Not good, Drew, not good. It feels like Corey's powerlevel and Zuki's-and by extension, our own, went from the high millions to single-digit numbers. Heck, Ronno would likely be able to take them both in their condition." Zach's voice dropped on that last part. "His level, I estimate to be eight, with Corey and Zuki being at about a 2.5 level."

"Man, what happened to us?" Drew asked.

"Wish I knew..." Zach mumbled.

In the clearing the "Young Prince" was wide asleep.
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"I don't think his father is coming..." Zuki said looking strangely at the young fawn. "Well...were do you think he is? What could a King Deer be doing?" Corey asked...

Corey, Zuki and Sonic continued to watch over their new friend to see if what he was saying was really true. Suddenly, the young fawn began mumbling.

"Huh?" Corey was the first to hear it, with the others soon following. "He's dreaming...Zuki...do you think you could peek into the dream sequence for us?"

"Alright...let's see..." Zuki then began to concentrate. For the second time that day, Sonic climbed on top of Corey's head. This was the third time someone had climbed on his head, and it was starting to get old.

"I see....Bambi in a field..., everything is in bright Autumn colors. He's frolicking and playing with butterflies." Zuki said watching Bambi's dream

"Hmmm...ok, that's normal." Corey diagnosed.

"Anything else?" Sonic's typical impatience came out.

"Give it time. Zuki can't fast-forward someone else's dream."
--
Zuki watched as Bambi eventually got one of them caught on his tonuge, and immediately gagged it off. Suddenly, he caught sight of someone in the distance. A doe, in the far-off-distance, on top of a hill, with butterflies streaming the sky. Bambi was suddenly at a loss for words.

"M...mother?" he asked aloud, in utter disbelief.

"...No..."
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"...noo..." Zuki continued, beginning to see the underlying picture unfolding.

"What's wrong?" Corey asked.

"Bambi's mother...Bambi is dreaming about his mother..." Zuki said, he was starting to remember some of his own childhood just as Corey did...
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"His mother would have come along by now if she were..." Corey halted. "No...you don't think..."

"There's got to be some explanation..." Sonic said.
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Bambi ran to his mother, obviously excited to see her.

After some comforting words from the mother, a few words stood out.

"Why'd you have to go?" the young Prince asked. This set off immediate red alarm bells in Zuki's mind. It was too much to bear. This bit of information, coupled together with the memories of his own fractured childhood, quickly forced Zuki to exit.
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"No....she was killed...by hunters..."

Silence enveloped the three animorphed heroes, with Corey grinding his teeth, and Sonic shocked. Corey looked over to the young Prince and casually remarked:

"You're not the only one with something in common..."

"What do you mean Corey..." Zuki said on edge..."Wait...you mean you were acting that way earlier because..."

"Before the School Wars, I was always picked on for being different. The stuff I heard may have been worse than what the jerk was telling both of us earlier, but in the end, I had bullies, and I wasn't going to let it happen to anyone else. I've been there, and done that." the only normal-colored animorphed character spoke.

Suddenly, a voice rang through the scene.

"I'm here..." This woke up Bambi, who had nuzzled a melted spot in the snow.

"Who's there?" Corey, Zuki and Sonic quickly ducked down so they wouldn't be seen. The voice came again.

"I'm here..."

"Mother?" With that, Bambi began to run in the direction of the voice.

"Should we follow?" Corey asked, unsure. "Wait...Ronno's story...that voice...does that mean...!!"

Zuki looked at Corey with a silent gasp, then he started heading towards Bambi as fast as he could without falling, although it was really hard, but he was getting better...

Bambi stopped at an opening into the meadow. Just empty space...
"Hello?" Bambi said. He backed away in a sad matter, and then a voice repeated it self... "Hellooooo? Im here...It's me..."

Corey, with Sonic balancing tentatively on his head, ran off in an equally clumsy manner, bumbling along. He was used to flying around to get where he was going. Too bad this wasn't the North Pole.

He followed the voices and eventually caught up with Zuki.

"So, he wasn't lying completely..." Corey whispered.