Final Fantasy 7 1/2: Magic Planet
A Final Fantasy 7/Beast Wars crossover fanfic written by Stella 
Quetzacotl
First created: Nov 14, 2002
Last modified: Nov 14, 2002

~~~~~Legal Stuff~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a work of fiction written for entertainment purposes only.  All
FFVII characters are the sole property of Squaresoft.  All Beast Wars
characters are the sole property of Hasbro.  All other characters are 
the sole property of the author.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~Setting~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a TOTAL rehash of the Beast Wars saga, in which the group lands
on the FF7 planet (what would you call it, anyway?) instead of Earth.  
They'll take different beast modes, but I'll keep the same names for 
convenience.  The time is twelve years after the FF7 saga; Marlene is 
sixteen years old.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~Text Conventions~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[This is a character thought]
*This is emphasized text*

	"Big Guard!"  Laz's spell enveloped himself, Optimus, and Clay in
yellow-green shielding, but neglected to include the still-unconscious 
Cloud in its ministrations.  Belatedly, Laz remembered something Eli 
Samuels had mentioned about magic: only Revive spells worked on 
unconscious targets.  For all other spells - curative, status, and 
combative included - the magic simply ignored an unconscious person's 
existence.  As for *why* that was - well, that was a topic for 
theologians and magic scholars as far as Laz was concerned.  He gripped 
his tonfas and planted his Guarded self in front of Cloud.
	Clay, busy with Scorponok, nevertheless had the extra brainpower 
to note Laz's position and resolve.  [Now comes the true test of my 
teaching,] he thought, as Terrorsaur blasted past him and his opponent to
attack the boy.  [If he falls, I as his teacher will bear at least part 
of the blame.  Ah, Laz, you have no place in war.  Your soul is one of 
peace.  Ancestors guide you.]
	Sharp pain brought him back to the task at hand - beating the 
living daylights out of his opponent Predacon.  Scorponok was a brawler,
a fighter who relied on brute strength and intimidation to see his way 
through a battle.  [Strength, I will grant you,] Clay thought, [but I am 
not so easily intimidated.]  He twisted his shoulder, breaking 
Scorponok's grip on his arm, and used the Head Hunter-Pred's momentary 
loss of balance to bring him to the ground.  Scorponok fired as he fell, 
singeing Clay's robe.  Clay stomped on the offending shoulder-mounted 
weaponry, making Scorponok howl.  Another stomp bent the barrel, making 
the cannon unusable.
	Scorponok rolled to his side, bringing to bear another weapon, a 
small dagger comprised of yellow light.  Clay attempted to kick it away, 
but was rebuffed by a swift downward stabbing motion.  Clay's second 
attempt was more or less successful depending on one's definition of 
'success'.  He managed to knock the knife out of Scorponok's pincer hand,
but for his pains received a shallow, cauterized cut on the ankle.  The 
monk retreated, trying not to wince, as the Predacon struggled to his 
feet.
	"You're pretty good, for a fleshling," Scorponok admitted, 
rubbing his savaged shoulder.
	Clay smiled.  "You must not know very many fleshlings."  He 
lunged, aiming low.  Scorponok was taken by surprise and was slammed 
against the cave wall.
	Optimus had long since lost track of the status of the two humans
under his unofficial protection.  When he wasn't spouting off 
self-glorifyingly, Megatron was quite handily turning Optimus into 
Doorbull steak.  One of Optimus's katanas was broken, and an abdominal 
plate was twisted viciously, making it painful to bend at the waist.  His
body was covered in burn marks from Megatron's beast-mode head, which 
took the place of his left hand.  To be sure, Megatron was suffering 
too - the snapped-off katana blade was buried in the Predacon's shoulder 
joint, making sparks every time he moved the arm - but compared to his 
opponent the Under Lizard was in prime shape.  Even the slowly-fading Big
Guard wasn't enough to offset things.
	"You seem to be at a disadvantage, Optimus Primal," the Predacon 
leader gloated, as the two gripped each other around the forearms in a 
contest of brute strength.
	"Maybe," Optimus grunted, "but - maybe *not!*"  As he spoke he 
swept out with one leg, catching Megatron in the knee.  They both went 
down, Optimus on top.  The Maximal leader managed to unload five good 
punches into Megatron's face before his opponent unbalanced him and 
rolled to trade Optimus for the top spot.  Megatron sat astride his chest
and braced himself, his dragon-head open and charging for a lethal blast 
of energy to Optimus's head.
	"Did you really think you had a chance of beating me, Optimus 
Primal?" the Predacon laughed as Optimus twisted underneath him.  "You,
unblooded and untried, against me, Megatron, the rightful ruler of the 
universe - " like flipping a switch, Megatron's face went from gloating 
to hateful - "and in every way your superior!"  He smiled again, but it
was a cruel smile.  "You should have surrendered, Maximal scum."
	"No - " Optimus gripped the dragon-head in both hands, forcing 
it away from his face.  "Never!"
	"Fool!" Megatron shoved his arm down again.  "You will perish for
your stubborn pride!"
	"Pride's got nothing to do with it - " With all his might Optimus
shoved back just as Megatron fired.  The shot went wide, catching 
Terrorsaur in the back.  He screamed and went down, revealing a quite 
surprised Laz standing behind.  Optimus slugged Megatron across the face,
gripped him on either side of the torso plate, and with a mighty heave 
sent the tyrant flying over his head to fall on his red-scaled back with 
a most un-tyrant-like thud.
	"You insolent - " Megatron growled, struggling to his feet.  He 
straightened just in time to catch a shoulder-cannon blast to the face.  
	As he reeled, Optimus advanced, firing as he came.  "You're the 
fool, Megatron," he shouted.  "We Maximals will never submit to your 
evil!  Not while I still function!"  He fired furiously, sending both 
Megatron and a recovering Terrorsaur scrambling for cover.  Laz hunkered 
down as Optimus passed, covering Cloud with his own body.
	"How long do you dream you can prevail?" Megatron demanded, 
returning fire from behind a convenient rock.
	"Long enough!"  Optimus's shots blew the rock apart, knocking a 
flabbergasted Megatron back.  "My duty is clear, Megatron.  I don't care 
how powerful you are, I don't care how many plots of yours I have to 
thwart - I cannot let you harm this world!"

	Some distance away, Marli was having a bit more trouble gaining 
the upper hand over her adversary.
	She still couldn't get anywhere near her staff, lying enticingly 
just ten feet away.  The last three times she'd tried for it, she'd been 
hit by Tarantulas's bazooka weapon, and the time before that she'd nearly
been snared by his webbing.  Only some quick thinking and an impossibly 
fast dodge-roll had saved her.
	[The minute he gets me with his webs, it's over,] she thought, 
eyeing her staff.  [And here I am with no Materia and no weapon.  What 
do I do?]
	Three shots whiffing over Marli's left shoulder made the question
academic.  Startled, the girl pitched forward, turning the latter half of
the movement into a roll.  She came to her feet and cast about for 
Tarantulas's position.  She found him, just in time to catch a blast to 
the chest that sent her sprawling.
	As Marli lay there, all but helpless, gasping for breath, she 
heard her opponent's creepy cackle echoing through the cavern.  "It was a
merry chase, fleshling," Tarantulas said, his footsteps sounding louder 
with each passing second, "but now it ends."
	[I'm not dead yet,] Marli thought weakly.  Her arms slid along 
the floor, searching for something, anything.  Her elbow bumped something
hard that rolled.
	Marli's eyes flew open.  [My staff!]
	As Tarantulas approached, Marli rolled, clenching her beloved 
Guard Stick in both hands.  "My, but you're a stubborn one," Tarantulas
said as the human struggled to her feet, using the staff as a prop.  "I 
enjoy stubbornness, little prey, but only up to a point."  Marli wasn't 
listening.  Something was building inside her, something fierce and 
strong, threatening to burst her weak body open in its urge to attack.
	"Go ahead," Marli slurred, her voice weary.  "Hit me again.  I 
dare you."
	Tarantulas lifted his weapon.  "I do aim to please," he said 
cheerfully, and fired.  
	His shot struck Marli's sternum at nearly point-blank range, 
making her stumble.  Under ordinary circumstances, the girl would have 
fallen - but the fierce thing inside her had other ideas.  Marli, in 
short, had reached her Limit.
	Fire erupted around her - not the yellow-green fire of Materia 
magic, but the orange-red flame that came from Marli's own self.  It 
leaped from her body, soaring higher than her head.  And when they 
dissipated, Marli was standing braced on her own two feet, staff held 
before her like the formidable weapon it was meant to be.  Her eyes 
glinted, hard and sharp, nothing behind them to indicate that the 
scared-brave young woman named Marlene Wallace was still in residence.  A
noted poet of the day had called them WEAPON eyes, after the fearsome 
beasts created by the Planet for the express purpose of destroying any 
threat to its existence.  The ground began to quiver, then to quake.
	"What is - " Tarantulas stumbled, windmilling his arms in an 
attempt to keep his footing.  "What are you doing?"
	The rock beneath Marli's feet erupted, launching her into the 
air.  The girl twisted, inches from the ceiling, for a moment appearing 
locked in a deadly cobra-dance with her staff.  Then she descended, Guard
Stick first, eyes fixed on Tarantulas's face.
	Too late Tarantulas realized what was happening.  "Oh, no - "
	Marli hit, bringing Tarantulas down with the force of her fall.  
The girl rolled with the impact, taking her weight on all the right 
places, and came up with staff at the ready to face - Tarantulas flat on 
his back, with a brand-new dent in his armored skull, out like a light.
	"That," Marli whispered, "was my Quake Smasher."  She leaned on 
her staff, suddenly exhausted beyond measure.
	Before she could quite fall, Marli remembered she had a task to 
perform.  She pulled her communicator from her kangaroo pocket - slowly,
stiffly.  "Marli to Traveller," she croaked.
	"Traveller's on patrol, kid."  Rattrap's voice crackled over the 
comm, loud and harsh and clear.  Marli'd never heard anything more 
welcome.  "Whatcha need?"
	"Backup," the girl answered, trying to collect her thoughts.  
"In the caverns.  We're under attack."
	"Oh, fer - "  A pause.  "Awright, I got yer coordinates.  Jest 
stay put, awright?"
	"Sure thing."  Marli was too tired to even consider moving.  
"Marli out."
	Using her staff only for token support, Marli sank to the floor. 
Her father had given her Potions for the trip, but it seemed too much 
trouble to dig one from her jacket's inside pocket now.  She just needed 
to rest - for just a minute.
	Hands wrapped around her staff, Marli joined Tarantulas in 
blissful unconsciousness.

	Rattrap flipped the comm switch to the exclusively-Maximal 
frequency.  “Yo, Traveller.  Patrol’s been cut short.”
	Traveller’s voice came back, thick with static but still 
recognizable - and quite miffed.  “What? Why?  I just got out here!”
	“Yeah, well, get back *in* here.”
	“Rattrap, I just finished three megacycles of monitor duty, so if
you think - “
	“No such luck, featherbrain.  Yer friend Marli jest called.  Says
they’re havin’ Pred trouble.”
	There was a brief pause.  “I’ll be right there.”

	Laz had managed to drag the still-unconscious Cloud behind a 
rocky outcropping, and then stationed himself in front of it, tonfas and 
Materia ready (although the mere thought of using Materia still made him 
feel queasy).  He felt quite heroic until Terrorsaur came back for 
another round, at which point Laz was too busy ducking and dodging to 
even think about hitting back, much less look impressive while doing it.
	"Not so tough, are you, human?" Terrorsaur screeched, swiping at 
the boy with one magenta-metal hand.
	Laz didn't bother replying.  Instead he gripped the Predacon's 
wrist and twisted, hard.  The pressure communicated itself through 
Terrorsaur's arm and into his torso, destroying his balance.  He fell to 
the floor with a squawk.  Laz kept his grip on his opponent's hand, but 
shifted it so that he could hold the arm straight over the bony part of 
his thigh as he half-knelt on Terrorsaur's ribs.  "I could break your arm
like this," he told the Predacon.  "Clay-sensei showed me how."
	"Try it, human!" Terrorsaur spat.
	Laz licked his lips.  Breaking the Predacon's arm would certainly
accomplish much here.  But he'd never done something like this before - 
intentionally injure another living being.  He'd always been taught to 
release his opponent before the breaking point was reached.  [But this is
different,] he thought.  Steeling himself, he began to pull back.
	“Aarrgh!” All red scales and sharp points and flailing limbs, 
Megatron crashed into the two, breaking Laz’s hold.  The three hit the 
wall in a tangle of metal and organic limbs.  Laz heard a snap and knew 
he'd broken at least one rib; the knowledge was followed by a sharp 
blinding pain in his chest.
	Megatron was the first to emerge from the mess, growling at 
Optimus.  "That was a lucky strike," he told the Maximal leader, holding 
his injured shoulder.  "You will not get another opportunity like that, 
no."
	Optimus brandished his remaining katana.  "Come on, Megatron."
	The tyrant charged.  Optimus met him in midstride, his sheer mass
keeping him from falling from the force of their collision.  Megatron was
not so lucky - smaller and lighter, built for quick strikes rather than 
mighty charges, he could not keep his footing and fell to the floor.  
Optimus loomed over him, red eyes glowing.  His katana swept down to 
level with the bridge of Megatron's nose, the traditional 'kill' position
among swordfighters.
	"It's your turn," Optimus said softly, levelly.  "Surrender, 
Megatron."
	"Never!"  Megatron knocked the sword aside, following with a kick
to the kneecap.  Optimus took just enough time to recover for Megatron to
regain his feet.  "Know this, Optimus Primal," the Predacon declared.  
"I *will* defeat you and your pathetic allies, I *will* claim this world 
for my own, and I will *never* surrender!"
	"Fine by me!"  Optimus attacked anew.
	The two exchanged blows in silence for a few seconds.  Then a 
pained gasp from Clay caught Optimus's attention.  The human warrior had 
fallen, Scorponok advancing menacingly on him.  Optimus spared a moment 
to fire on the Head Hunter-Pred and was rammed in the stomach by Megatron
for his trouble.
	"*That*," he gasped out as Optimus staggered, "is why I shall 
win.  You are no match for a Predacon warrior, Optimus Primal.  You are a
fool."
	"Not such a fool."  Optimus drew himself up to his full height - 
which was impressive indeed.  "You think concern for others is weakness?"
Behind him, Clay turned the tables on his opponent and sent him flying 
into a wall.
	Megatron lashed out with his dragon head.  "It is one of your 
*many* weaknesses, Maximal!"
	"Wanna bet on that?"
	The voice came from behind.  Megatron glanced around Optimus's 
bulky form to look.
	Traveller, Cheetor, Dinobot, and Rattrap, in robot mode, stood 
poised at the cavern's exit, weapons out.  Behind them was Rhinox, in 
beast mode, with Marli slumped over his back.
	As Scorponok and Terrorsaur backed away, Optimus turned back to 
Megatron with a triumphant smile.  "It works both ways, you know.  Have 
concern for others - " he shrugged - "they'll most likely have concern 
for you."
	Megatron stiffened.  "This isn't over, Optimus Primal," he 
gritted.  "We will meet again."
	Optimus saluted him with his sword.  "Count on it.  Now get that 
rickety carcass of yours out of here!"
	His troops at his heels, Megatron got.
	Optimus slumped to one knee as the Maximals rushed in.  While 
Traveller made a beeline for Laz and Cheetor halted at his leader's side,
Rattrap and Dinobot raced each other for the tunnel Megatron had used to 
escape.  "Stand down, you two," Optimus ordered.  "Let him go."
	"Let him go?!" Dinobot snarled.  "What folly is this?"
	"He's defeated, for now," the Maximal explained, wincing as 
Cheetor helped him to stand.  "There's no need to pursue him.  Besides - 
the humans need our attention."  He nodded at Laz, who was ashen with 
pain.  Both arms were wrapped around his chest.
	Laz turned a sickly grin upward.  "I think I did okay," he said.
	"You did fine," Optimus answered gently.  Dinobot growled 
something about dishonor and foolishness that everyone else pointedly 
ignored.
	Clay approached Rhinox, hands in his robe.  "Where did you find 
her?" he asked, nodding at the prone Marli.  She was obviously injured 
but still alive, her breathing deep and steady.
	"Passed out in a cave with Tarantulas," Rhinox explained.  "Looks
like she beat him, all by herself."
	Clay smiled.  "An impressive feat.  Her father will be proud."  
He straightened with a wince.  "Come - there is a Mako fountain nearby.  
We can rest there."
	"And then back to the base," Optimus sighed.  He bent his knees 
to let Laz drag himself onto his back, then Cheetor and Rattrap slung 
Cloud's limp form on behind the boy.  "Slowly.  None of you humans are 
in any condition for a strenuous pace."  He winced as Laz shifted his 
weight on his back.  "For that matter, neither am I."

	Cloud was floating in acid green.  He didn't want to move.  He 
knew he should, deep in the portions of his mind that hadn't shut down, 
but whatever the green was doing to him was painless and cool.  He was 
content to drift.
	A voice came to him.  "Uncle Cloud?  Uncle Cloud, can you hear 
me?"
	Uncle Cloud?  He didn't know that name, nor the voice saying it. 
No, just ignore it... drift... dissolve...
	"Uncle Cloud, please answer me!"  The voice sounded more urgent.
If he'd been capable, he would have felt a flash of irritation.  He was 
*trying* to relax.
	"Let me try."  This was a new voice, deeper, gentler.  It sent a 
tremor through Cloud's self.  "Cloud - it's me, Tifa.  Come back to me.  
I know you can."
	Something uncurled in his mind - a memory, a smell, a taste.  
"Tifa?"
	The green dropped away with a sickening rush.  He choked and 
opened his eyes.
	"Uncle Cloud!" Marli exclaimed.  "You're okay!"
	"Depends how you define 'okay'."  Cloud drew a languid arm across
his eyes.  Every inch of him hurt like a son of a gun.  "What happened?"
	"You were hit with Mako feedback."  Cloud slipped his arm up over
his forehead and blinked blearily at Tifa Lockheart, his oldest friend 
and companion of the past twelve years.  "Laz says you blew up his Sense 
Materia."
	"Whoops."  Cloud tried to sit up, but a sudden, raging sickness 
in his stomach made him decide against it.  He did, however, manage to 
glance around a little before a wave of pain squinched his eyes shut for
him.  He was in his own bed, in his small seaside cottage at Cape Njord. 
That was reassuring, at least.  "Tifa, what're you doing here?  I thought
you were busy with your tavern at Costa del Sol."
	"Yeah, and I really should be there instead of here," the woman 
replied pointedly.  "Except I heard through the Cait Sith grapevine that
you were up to your ears in trouble *again*, and this time you got poor 
Marli in the middle of it - "
	"He didn't get me into anything," Marli protested.  "I did it
myself."  She was barely recognizable, wrapped in bandages on her head 
and chest.  Laz, sitting quietly near the window, sported wrappings 
around his chest and one arm but otherwise seemed in good shape.  He gave
Cloud a wan, sympathetic smile.
	"That's sweet, Marli."  Tifa was saying.  "And," she added, 
turning back to Cloud, "since you can't take care of a plant without it 
dying on you, I put the Eighth Heaven in the hands of my assistant and 
rode the first Chocobo I could catch up here, just in time to find that 
you had once again managed to half-kill yourself!"
	Cloud regarded the woman.  The years had been kind to Tifa, 
scoring her with only a few more creases around her eyes and mouth and 
no visible gray hairs.  She'd put on weight, not so much to be unhealthy 
but enough that she could no longer pull off the unrestrictive, revealing
outfits she'd worn a decade ago.  Her deep-chestnut hair, once long 
enough to reach her knees, had been cut to shoulder-length.  It had 
shocked Cloud when she'd first done it, but now he had to admit the style
looked well on her.  "Besides," Tifa had explained at the time, "I got 
tired of having to deal with it all the time."
	Cloud could think of a thousand things he wanted to say to his 
longtime friend and perennial lover.  Instead he said, "Well, I'm sorry I
pulled you away from work, Tifa."
	"Jerk," Tifa said affectionately.  "I don't mind. You'll be in 
worse shape if Barret finds out the condition his daughter is in."
	Cloud croaked out a laugh as Marli made a face.  "It wasn't *all*
my fault."
	"I know."  Cloud blinked, an action that must have taken longer 
than he thought because when he opened his eyes, Tifa was holding a mug 
of something steaming in both hands.  "Now drink this," she said, "and 
then try to sleep some more.  When you wake up, I'll want to hear all 
about this latest crisis you've gotten yourself into."
	Cloud wanted to protest that he felt fine, but the fact that he 
needed Laz and Marli's help to sit up scratched that idea.  Accepting the
mug from Tifa, he sniffed at the dark liquid within and gagged.
	"It's worse than it smells," Marli told him.  "But it works.  I 
had to drink some myself."
	"And you're still alive," Cloud grinned.  "That's a good sign."
	Tifa glowered.  "If you weren't an invalid - "
	"Yeah, yeah."  Cloud lifted the mug to his lips.  "Well - down 
the hatch."  Quickly, before he could change his mind, he opened his 
mouth and chugged the hot mixture down.
	It *was* worse than it smelled.


Next chapter...
The Maximals race to Wutai to rescue more stasis pods, only to find that
Megatron has gained something much more valuable...