A Wild VonShelgoose Chase

Synopsis:  A potpourri of The Legend of the Three Caballeros mixed with a dash of El Chavo de Ocho, Coco and Elena of Avalor.    VonShelgoose reads a legend in his spare time at a local library in Havana and enacts a spell using Feldrake’s help.)

‘All the shawties on me, me and my guys, everyone wanna get with us and they lose they minds.’--some lyrics from Ridiculous as featured in Uncle Drew

Chapter 1--An Intriguing Legend

Baron Von Shelgoose was relishing his vacation.   Lying supine on a hammock, jostled lightly by the island breeze, he heard the gulls crying overhead.   Feldrake didn’t seem to be in his usual curmudgeonly mood. He had already drank 3/4ths of his pina colada and was growing listless.  

‘I need something rousing to read.’, Shelgoose said.   

‘Don’t rush, I’m enjoying the salty air.   Feels good even in this form.’, Feldrake said, actually savoring this resplendent vacation.   

Shelgoose found a library nearby and he exhaled sharply.  

‘Come on Havana.  Entertain me.’, he thought to himself.   Around the corner was a weathered book that had cobwebs growing around it.   No one had checked this tome out for years but Shelgoose found it irresistible.    Inside, there was a legend of a place called Avalor.    A young princess had a magic scepter of untold power.

‘If I had two scepters I would be unstoppable.   Maybe Feldrake would know how to transport me there.   We can bend the rules of reality ever so slightly.’, Shelgoose mused with a bit of a sardonic smirk creasing his beak.   His demonic grin gave way to a maniacal laugh as soon as he checked out the Book of Avalorian Secrets.   He knew that Feldrake would be so proud of him.   He wouldn’t have anything snarky, back biting or offensive to say once he found out Shelgoose’s ingenious and malicious plot.    

Chapter 2--Acapulco Dreaming

Chavo and his friends were savoring a fun-filled, fast paced game of volleyball.    Quico was dominating the court and the game.

‘Come on, Quico !  At least give someone else a chance to win !  You’re too good at this !’, Chavo complimented.  

‘You’re just jealous because I have skill !’, Quico grinned, puffing out his chest proudly.    He, Chavo, Nono, Poppis, and Chilindrina were all having a blast, until a portal came and swallowed them up.   None of them really noticed since they were all so lost in competition.

Meanwhile…

It was a much needed vacation for the Caballeros.   They had been travelling with their devout friend, companion and Goddess, Xandra.   She was their travel guide and mode of transport. One day she would be freed of the Atlas Feldrake had imprisoned her in but she had to admit, being a tour guide had made her eternity a heck of a lot more bearable.   

Jose’s beak dropped in astonishment.  

‘Ah, guys, is it normal to see a portal just appear out of the blue, like the one in front of me ?’, he asked.   Panchito shook his head, rubbed his eyes and did a famous double take. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

‘No, that’s definitely abnormal’, Donald quipped before all 4 of them were sucked into it, and no amount of arrow firing could propel them out.  Where they were heading, none of them knew but they had a feeling they would soon figure that out in time. Terrified, they hugged each other for comfort.  If they were going to die, again, they would be doing it together as the amigos they were.   

Chapter 3--Matteo’s Experimenting

Zuzo’s energy was crackling.   Matteo had never seen him spark and glow.   All of a sudden, some familiar faces popped out of nowhere.  

‘Oh.  Hey Matteo.’, Miguel said, rather lackadaisical.   Then he realized he wasn’t in his neighborhood but in Avalor.  

‘How in the world...Oh no.  Not again.’, Matteo groaned.  

‘I warned you but did you listen ?  Oh, no. No. You just had to try another portal spell…’, Zuzo complained, covering his face with his paw.

‘Hey, if I want to become a grand wizard, I have to learn about the intricacies of space and time !’, Matteo griped, gritting his teeth.

‘If it is any consolation I think you are a fantastic wizard.’, Miguel stated, with a huge grin.   There were other characters that emerged, ones that were unfamiliar and strangely dressed, just like Miguel.    At long last, Donald, Panchito and Jose arrived, but in human form.

‘Uh...guys !  We look a bit different.’, Jose said, seeing his reflection in a nearby river.

‘I don’t mind it.  In fact, I look even more handsome.’, Panchito said, furling out his jacket’s collar, much like Fonzie in Happy Days.   ‘Ey.’, he added, cockily.  

‘Oh brother.’, Donald lamented.   

Chapter 4--Now What ?!  

‘What’s going on !’, Quico yelled, holding his hat over his head, starting to panic.   Chavo put his arm around his friend, doing his utmost to comfort him.

‘None of us know but I bet it has something to do with Shelgoose.   The moment paranormal things happen, it’s usually traced back to him.’, Jose pointed out.  

‘Who is this Shelgoose ?  He sounds scary…’, Nono said, cowering behind his best friend.  Quico, now feeling a bit bolder, patted his friend’s back and let him know that he, Chavo, Chilindrina and Poppis were in this together, even though they had no idea what they were up against.   

‘Oh, he can be.  He has this crazy monkey bat donkey he flies around on and a staff that houses the essence of a draconian warlock.’, Panchito explained.

‘My friend, Princess Elena will know what to do about all of this.   She may be getting used to her magical abilities but she’s extremely powerful.’, Matteo reassured them.     He rushed to retrieve Elena, who brought Isabelle with her.

‘This is absolutely loco.’, Elena said.    The Caballeros bowed upon seeing her, Jose and Panchito immediately kissed her hand, making the young princess turn darker than her maroon dress.  

‘It’s an honor to have you here, Caballeros.’, she said, truly humbled that they had come, even if it wasn’t of their own volition.    

Chapter 5--Stand Fast

Elena knew that she and her new allies would have to work together to fight against Baron Von Shelgoose.    He would be a formidable foe, especially with how underhanded Feldrake could be (even if he had no hands to speak of).   

Shelgoose rubbed his hands together.  

‘There it is, the scepter of Avalor.   Now, getting it into our hands is quite another chore altogether.’, Shelgoose said, cackling maniacally.  

‘Another task you will most likely be incompetent at, you boob.’, Feldrake maligned.   

‘I’ll take that as a backhanded compliment.’, Shelgoose said, unaffected by Feldrake’s slights.   It was even worse that it was coming from a family member, but such had been the way of the Shelgoose family for millenia.  

‘He’s coming. Stand your ground.’, Elena said.    Isabella had already set up an elaborate trap to trip the Baron up and to extract the tome from him, putting it back in the rightful hands of Elena and her family.   With everyone working together as a unit, it was an easy victory. Von Shelgoose groaned.

‘Oh come on !  I barely had the chance to zap you with my vengeful wrath !’, he whined.  

‘Shut up, you’re just making us both look bad.’, Feldrake spat.   Taking back the tome, Elena read the spell and sent everyone back home, including Shelgoose.   The Caballeros would have to battle him much later, and the steaks would be far higher but it had been a true pleasure fighting beside them.  She would never forget their bravery and camaraderie in their incredible battling skill. The kids from the barrio held their own too. Quico overcame his penchant to hide from conflict and stood up for Chavo, acting as a human shield.   Poppis had to kiss him on the cheek for being so chivalrous. Miguel’s diversionary tactics with music were nothing short of a miracle. He didn’t even have to fight to best Shelgoose.    After all had been said and done, Zuzo could rest easy.

‘Looks like everything has returned to normal.’, he said, noticing his markings hadn’t gone squiggly or askew on him.   His fur wasn’t standing on end and he felt completely calm. At last, the ancient tome was back where it belonged, and it wall thanks to the rag-tag motley crew that had been dropped into their laps.     

Epilogue

The aftermath of the Caballeros were sent back to the Cabana, Xandra curious as to what happened.   Shelgoose would have to be fought another time but they were victorious once again. Miguel had been sent back home to his neighborhood before dinner so no one had noticed he had been away.   As for Chavo and friends, they were all zapped back home in their beds, tucked under their covers, nice and comfortable.

‘That was by far, the most unusual thing I have ever seen or fought.’, Elena said.  

‘But nonetheless, we did defeat Von Shelgoose.   I’ve never seen anything as unusual as he was. What an odd fellow.’, Isabelle commented.   Matteo nodded, his stomach growling.

‘Come on, guys, I’m starving.  I’ll make a sumptuous dinner for all of us.’, he said.   Matteo wasn’t a bad cook, so they all savored a scrumptious spread of tamales, steak, tortas and other delights.    It certainly was a dinner deserving of their heroics.

The End