Transformation: Revenge of the Fallen
OR: Whatever happened to Merlock, anyway?
By Sharan McQuack, Launchpad's wife.
Attention to whoever owns the rights to the Transformers: I'm NOT making money off of this! Why would you WANT to sue me over a free plug for your movie?
Anastia, the fat harpy was flying free. Now that the sleepless dragon was asleep at last, her sisters and her had hidden the Golden Fleece and had gone their separate ways. Anastia tried persuing Launchpad (can't fault her taste), but once she realized he was NOT interested, she gave up and went to fly around the world.
What she was seeing now was a "man" falling from mid-air, trying desperately to grab a talisman that fell beside him. It was Merlock, but how was Anastia supposed to know that? She caught him in mid-air, but he never stopped trying to grab the talisman.
Exhausted, Merlock collapsed as Anastia brought him down safely.
"What is so important about this talisman that you'd risk your life for it?" Anastia asked.
But Merlock was sound asleep, exhausted.
Anastia picked up the talisman that had fallen nearby.
"Ah! If only you were a male harpy who looked like that cute pilot- what was his name? Launchpad, that was it." Anastia wished.
And she was touching Merlock WITH THE SHAPE-CHANGING TALESMIN when she wished that.
So Merlock changed into a male harpy that looked a LOT like Launchpad.
"Interesting." said Anastia, seeing this transformation.
She put on the talisman.
"I wish I were so beautiful you would love me forever." she said.
And she changed into a BEAUTIFUL harpy.
When Merlock woke, he saw her- and fell head over heels in love with her.
"Marry me!" he begged.
"Yes!" said Anastia, forgetting about Launchpad altogether, which is fine by ME!!!
They were married by a centaur. Her sister later borrowed the talisman to change two male vultures into male harpies. (1)
"We see how his need for revenge will drive you nuts. Vultures aren't into revenge." they said.
And indeed, after a loong and "busy" honeymoon.... Merlock started bugging Anastia about his need to get even with Mr. McDuck...
"Scrooge McDuck stole my magic lamp from me!" Merlock tried to explain.
"But harpies have no need for treasure. Gold and jewels, at least in great number would only make us too heavy to fly. We eat what we like, sleep where we like...what we need with wishes?" she asked.
"I could get you anything you like! And it's NOT just the wishes- he humiliated me! I will sneak into his Mansion and steal back the lamp!" said harpy-Merlock, not knowing the Lamp had been destroyed.
Merlock also did not know that Gene the ex-genie was in Duckburg. It seems some more firefly fruit trees had been found growing underground. These were wild trees, NOT planted by the Underlings. The Grand Kishe's people had found them and Mr. McDuck was meeting with the Grand Kishe, Gene's foster father, and the President of the Underlings to hammer out a sharing agreement concerning these trees.
Mr. McDuck hoped to sell the fruit, regardless of who owned the trees. So the Grande Kishe, Gene and his foster brother, Prince Lientval and the President of the Underlings (2) were staying at Mr. McDuck's Mansion.
Merlock the harpy flew into the Mansion to search for the Lamp. Naturally, he did NOT find it. But he did hear voices.
"Did you really used to be a genie, brother?" Prince Lientval asked.
"Sure. In a lamp. Stuck in their most of the time. Until Mr. McDuck used the Lamp to change me into a real boy. Once I was a real boy, the Lamp became an ordinary tin lamp -thousands of years old and it disintegrated due to old age in a few seconds!" Gene explained.
"You used to be a genie!" Prince Lientval marveled.
"YOU used to be an egg! What difference does it make what I used to be? The Lamp is gone! Good riddance! No more wishes, no more masters, no more being cooped up in the lamp!" Gene replied.
Merlock heard all this and was shocked and angry and he left!
"The Lamp is gone! Scrooge McDuck destroyed it!" Merlock told Anastia.
"Then why not forget about it? Just let it go already! This need for revenge is making you crazy!" Anastia advised.
But Merlock would not listen.
"The Dime! Everybody knows that Scrooge McDuck has a Lucky Dime- the first Dime he ever earned that means every thing to him. I will steal that Dime and destroy it- as he destroyed my Lamp and destroyed it!" Merlock said.
"Then will you be happy? If it will make you happy, I will help you. I frankly think you should just drop it, but if revenge is what turns you on, I will help you." Anastia said.
So the two agreed to steal and destroy the Dime.
So the next day, Anastia attacked Gizmoduck as he guarded the Bin and nearly scared him half to death. Giz got mad and chased Anastia away. While Giz was away from his post, Merlock flew into the Office part of the Money Bin and somehow got into the Bin itself. Merlock grabbed the Dime, case and all and flew off with it.
Launchpad was in his copter when he saw Giz chasing Anastia. Not wishing to deal with HER again, and noticing she was empty-handed, Launchpad decided to keep an eye on the Bin in Giz's absence. Call it a hunch. Launchpad did not see Merlock entering the Bin since Merlock entered it thru the office part of the Bin, but he did see Merlock leaving- carrying the Dime in its glass case.
"I have stolen the Lucky Dime and I shall destroy it! Just as Mr. McDuck stole MY Lamp and destroyed it!" Merlock said.
"Not if I can help it, you won't!" Launchpad replied.
And he chased Merlock. Merlock TRIED to "lose" Launchpad by fancy flying, but Launchpad is too great a pilot and Merlock couldn't do it. So Merlock flew towards Anastia- who was still being chased by Gizmoduck!
"TWO of them? Launchpad what are you doing here?" Giz asked.
"He's stolen the Dime!" Launchpad replied.
"SHE tried to rob the Bin!" said a confused Gizmoduck.
"It was a trick! She led you away from the Bin so he could rob it in your absence!" Launchpad explained.
The two harpies started playing "Monkey in the middle"; taking turns flying with the Dime, and then passing it to the other whenever Launchpad or Giz would get too close. But Launchpad's copter had plenty of fuel, as did Giz's gizmoduck suit...and harpies get tired sooner or later. The two harpies were getting pooped soon.
Anastia managed to disappear for quite some time. Only just as our Heroes thought she had given them the slip, some normal birds started screeching. Anastia was trying to hide in a grove of trees, very near the normal birds nest, very near their eggs. The birds thought she wanted to eat their eggs and naturally protested.
Anastia tossed the Dime to Merlock- but missed. Both Launchpad and Giz tried to grab the Dime and nearly crashed into each other. The Dime case fell to the street below, the case broke and the Dime fell down the sewer.
"Argh! Mr. McDuck is going to kill me!" Launchpad said.
"Hah! I stole and destroyed the Dime, just like Mr. McDuck stole and destroyed my Lamp!" screamed Merlock in triumph.
"Are you happy, then? Can you let it go, now?" Anastia asked.
"I think so, yes." Merlock replied.
"Here's news I hope will help. I'm with egg." Anastia said.
"Excuse me?" Merlock asked.
"You're going to be a father, stupid!" Anastia explained. (3)
"Hah! That's one up on you, Scrooge! Try that at YOUR age!" Merlock crowed.
And the two flew off leaving Launchpad and Gizmoduck staring at the sewer in despair.
"Think we could find it down there?" Giz asked.
"A DIME? Down there? Neither of us is that obsessed. Maybe Mr. McDuck can find it...we're going to have to tell him and I'm NOT looking forward to it!" Launchpad replied.
"Don't bother. It's an ordinary dime." Anastia said.
"Ack!" screamed Launchpad.
"Relax. I'm not interested in you anymore. I'm a married lady with a kid on the way. But you were kind to me and your friendship with Mr. McDuck impressed me. So I put an ordinary dime I found in the street in the case and missed on purpose when I passed the case that last time. It was an ordinary dime that went down the sewer. Here's the real McCoy." said Anastia.
And Anastia handed Launchpad the real Lucky Dime.
"Thanks! That's another favor I owe you!" Launchpad answered.
"Forget it. I figure saving your life brought me good karma. I'm happy with Merlock. Maybe switching dimes and giving back the real one will bring me more. Happy eggs seldom hatch and when they do, they are almost always female..." Anastia mused.
"Good luck." Launchpad said.
"Thanks. Now I better get back. Merlock's off preparing a celebration- a baby shower." Anastia said, leaving a second time.
Launchpad and Giz brought the real Dime back to Mr. McDuck, who put it in a new case.
Later, Anastia touched the sleeping Merlock on his head with the talisman.
"Forget you ever had that Lamp. Forget the Lamp ever existed. Forget Mr. McDuck exists." she said, hoping this would work.
The End.
(1) Harpies have a LITTLE magic, enough to make these transformations permanent, even when the Talisman isn't touching the changed.
(2) See "How Gene the Genie found a family" by Me.
(3) Fair warning. I've been thinking of "Me" doing likewise with Launchpad. If I can get the nerve.