Deja Two
The City of Townsville...lies slumbering under the peaceful blanket of nighttime. Everyone is tucked into their comfy beds. Especially our three little heroines, the Powerpuff Girls, all snug and safe. Wait! Who's that figure sneaking stealthily into the middle window of the Untonium household?
The figure leaped to the thick pink carpet of the Girls' bedroom. It was about the Girls' own size, but dressed all in black, with protective goggles with laser sight. The figure removed the goggles from her eyes. It was none other than Princess Morbucks, come again to the Utonium household to steal another vial of Antidote X for her nefarious scheme of revenge.
She sneered at the sleeping forms of the three 'puffs.
"Sweet dreams, Power-pukes!" she whispered in a sneering voice. "Once I steal the Antidote, you three brats are finished!" She pulled on a pair of protective rubber gloves. It taken her a long time to hack into the Professor's computer system, and find the secret combination for the safe where the Antidote was stored. But now that she had it, there would be no more PPG! And if they couldn't protect the city anymore, it served them right! Then with the super-powered suit her Daddy had bought, she would be the only with powers, and then she could save Townsville form monsters and villains! Of course, she would demand a price from the citizens of course, unlike those goody-goody puffs. Or she might offer to restore their powers-if they made her a Powerpuff Girl.
Princess snickered as she crept across the Girls' room...But as she passed their mirror she noticed something.
She wasn't sure what it was. It looked like a tiny smudge on the otherwise spanking clean glass. But here was something about it that didn't seem quite right. And it drew her attention. As she examined it closely, it seemed to ripple and waver, kind of like the surface of water. Or was it her imagination?
"What the...?" Princess reached out and touched it. It rippled again, and she saw it was real. Her curiosity piqued she gave the smudge a hard rub this time.
It rippled again, sending out vibrations through the surface of the mirror itself. Princess felt as though something had violently seized her by the wrist. She felt herself yanked violently into the mirror. Princess screamed as she was sent careening through a spiraling vortex of colored light. Faster and faster she flew, until her burglar outfit was shredded and torn form her.
She careened out of the mirror and landed on the lush pink carpet. Princess got to her feet. She was back in the PPG's bedroom...or was she?
The room seemed to be turned around. The mirror and bed were now on opposite sides of where they were before. And there were other differences as well. The carpet was of a bit more violent shade of pink. And Bubbles' stuffed menagerie now seemed twisted and evil. And the Girls themselves were no where in sight!
They had been sleeping soundly only a moment before, but they were nowhere in sight. Princess looked around, thinking the Girls had perhaps sneaked up on her, but still did not see them. It was still nighttime tough, and she had plenty of time to steal the Antidote X.
"I am so going to sue you powerpukes for ruining my new burglar outfit!" she cried. "Especially Blossom! She's nothing but a selfish spoiled-"
"Brat!"
The voice had issued from just outside the room. Princess quickly hid behind the bed and peered over.
The three 'puffs floated into the room. The light flicked on. Princess gaped. Something about them had definitely changed. "Bubbles" now had two little blue bows in her hair. "Buttercup" now sported a punked hairstyle and spiked ringlets of black leather on her arms. And "Blossom" wore a pink checked skirt and ribbon resembled the tentacles of a demented squid. They looked like a trio of gothic teens crossed with evil children out of cheap horror novel. Princess cringed at the sight of them. But it had to be the Girls. Who else could it be?
"You're always have to have things you're way! I still say we should have kicked Jomo's sorry behind before we stole his new secret weapon! that way he couldn't have stopped us! We'd be ruling the roost right now, and theOppressor would finally be on his way to conquering the world!" The one who looked like Buttercup was speaking to the one who looked like Bubbles.
"Hah!" Bubbles said. "And just what makes you thing the Oppressor is going to split the goods with us? If we'd have gotten the weapon, we could have used on that monkey-brain, and on that stupid Oppressor, and then we'd have taken over the world! But no! You had to go off and fight Jomo on your own! It's your fault we were caught!"
"Hey, no fair talking about the Oppressor that way!" said "Blossom." "He is our father, you know! At least till we get everything we want from him."
Princess ducked behind the bed. She had heard enough. She knew by now that these couldn't be the same Girls she knew. Either that of they had undergone a severe change. If these new Puffs were evil, then maybe they would let her be one of them. There was surely some way she could use this situation to her advantage.
"Well look who it is! It's Penny Less!"
Princess sprang up and gasped. The three evil puffs were floating in the air before her, all with evil smirks on their faces. She had been discovered. Princess gulped loudly.
"What are you doing in our room, Penny, as though we need to ask!" said "Blossom". "Thinking about stealing some Antidote X again, so you give it to Jomo and he can use it to take our powers away, were you? Well, get ready for a major zapping!" Her eyes began to glow and sizzle with energy as she prepared to blast Princess.
Princess shrieked and held up her arms.
"Hold it, Berserk!" said "Bubbles" "Don't blast her-yet!"
"Why not?"
"She doesn't look like Penny."
"Of course it's Penny! Who do you think it looks like? The Mayor?"
"I'm not sure either." said "Buttercup". "Penny always looks so wimpy and nice. But there's something different about her-she's got a mean look about her or something."
The one called Berserk looked closer at Princess, noting there was something pinched and mean-looking about her face. "Yeah...I think you're right. And look at her clothes! Where did the loot to buy those clothes Penny! What happened to the rags you're always wearing!"
For the first time, Princess felt her familiar anger rise up, driving away her terror. "What! Me dress in rags? Are you out of you're mind! And what do you mean, "Where did I get the loot" My Daddy bought them of course! My Daddy buys me everything!"
"Don't think you can fool us, Penny!" said "Buttercup". "Who do you think we are? You're always giving giving any money you can get hold of to charity! Either that or sending it to that stupid lame-o simian, so he can defeat us!"
Princess was now out of control. "Me give my money to charity! Never! It's MY money you hear? MINE! And I'm smarter prettier, nicer and better than anyone else, and I deserve all of it, so there! Not to mention I'm the sweetest, most adorable little girl in Townsville, and you creeps better back off!"
The three girls were caught off guard by Princess's screams. The gaped at her for a moment in utter disbelief. Then a wicked smile crossed Berserk's face. "Townsville? Did you say? Townsville?" She turned to her sisters who were still looking perplexed. "Don't you guys get it? She's from Townsville!"
"Huh?" they asked.
"Don't be dumb! Remember when those wimpy Powerpuff Girls were whisked into our world, and we got dumped into their's?"
"Oh, yeah. "said the one called Brat." I forgot."
"So this isn't Penny Less after all!" said the green one. "She must be Penny's evil counterpart from Townsville."
"Very good, dorks." said Berserk. "And what does that mean?"
"That the dimensional vortex must be working again?"
"Right!"
The Three girls chortled evilly. They all turned to face Princess, who was still looking at them in confusion. "So she must be as evil as we are!" said Brat.
It took a moment for Princess to register what this meant. Then a joyful smile overspread her face. "Oh, this is wonderful!" she exclaimed. All this time I wanted to be a powerpuff, but there was one problem. They're good, and I'm evil! but look at you guys! you're just like them, but evil like me!. So-when are you going to welcome me into the group?"
The evil PPG looked Princess blankly for a moment. Then Berserk said. "You? Join our team? Are you serious?"
The three girls collapsed into giggles of evil laughter.
"Wait!" cried Princess "I have money! Weapons! I high threshold for pain!"
The Girls stopped laughing. "Welll.." said Berserk craftily, stifling a residual giggle. "I suppose we might considering making you one of us."
"Huh?" said "Buttercup". "Berserk, have you flipped. Make her one of us? Can't you see she's nothing but a little stuck
hussy who has to have control of everything? I oughta pound her!"
"No, no!" Berserk said, her voice like sweet poison. "Don't you see, Brute? We can make her one of us."
"Ohhhh!" Brute snickered, finally comprehending "I seeeee."
Berserk turned to Princess. "I think we can use you. But first we have to ...confer." She and her sisters flew a short distance away. They gathered in a huddle, whispering to one another, giggling occasionally.
Princess strained her ears to hear what they were saying. "What are you guys talking about!" she demanded.
They broke the huddle and flew back to face her. "We were just deciding to let you into our team. But there's a couple of things you've got to do for us first."
"What?" Princess whined. "Tell, me, please! I'll do anything, just tell me!"
"Show us how to get through that mirror!" Berserk demanded. "And show us where our wimpy other selves are so we can whip their sorry butts!"
Princess could hardly believe her fortune.
The next day was bright and sunny. The Powerpuff Grils ahd gotten up, cleaned and brushed for the new day, and headed off to Pokey Oaks. They were well into coloring time when the Powerpuff alert phone went of. In a flash of pink, Blossom answered. "Mayor?"
"Powerpuff Girls? Come quick! There's trouble at the Nuclear Power Plant!"
"Er…what kind of touble?"
"Eh,we've got a lot of complaints that the Powerpuff Girls have turned evil, and are bus ing up the plant! If they do, it might cause a big explosion!"
"What! But we're the Powerpuff Girls!"
"That's right!" said the Mayor. "So you better come stop yourselves Now! If there's a nuclear blast, my pickle jar might be damaged!"
"We're right on it, Mayor!"
As the Girls streaked off into the sky in the direction of the plant, Blossom briefed her sisters about what had happened.
"Huh!" asked Buttercup. "It can't be us doing it!"
"Then who?" asked Bubbles.
"Who do you think?" asked Blossom. "It's got to the Rowdyruff Boys!"
"Right!" agreed Buttercup. "The jerks are probably stealing some kind of nuclear weapon for Mojo."
When they were in sight of the plant, they saw three streaks of light whooshing around it, smashing holes in the colples, tearing up the barbed wire fencing.
"Let's kick some RRB butt!" yelled Buttercup. "Say you're prayers suckers!"
The Girls streaked in the direction of the plant. The three forms attacking the plant assumed attack formation.
But the PPg slid to an abrupt halt in the air. It wasn't the Boys after all.
Not more than a few feet directly in front of the Berserk, Brat and Brute hovered in the air, sneering evilly.
"The Powerpunk Girls!" the Puffs cried.
"That's right, Powerfluffs!" sneered Berserk.
"Thought you'd seen the last of us, didn't you?" snickered Brute.
"But the Professor sealed up the Vortex!" cried Bubbles. "How did you get through?"
"I'm afraid I have the answer that!" Sneered a familiar, snotty voice, one the Girls recognized at once. They all gasped.
In her power-suit, and wielding a blaster-gun in each hand, Princess Morbucks floated up in front of the three 'punks.
"Princess!" they cried.
"That's right, powerpuff brats!" she snapped. "What's the matter? Jealous that I'm finally part of a team after all the times you rejected me?"
Blossom glared at her. "What did you do? How did the Powerpunks get through the gateway!"
"I discovered the vortex in your bedroom," Princess sneered. "And guess what? I got it to work again. I showed these girls how to get through to Townsville. And now you're all finally going to get what you deserve!"
"Don't count on it, Princess!" yelled Buttercup. "We've kicked your sorry behind before, and this time you're really going to get it!"
"Right!" said Blossom. "This time you've really gone and done it, Princess! These Girls are dangerous! If we're gone, they'll destroy the whole town just of the fun of it!"
"So what!" Princess shot back "If you won't let me be a Powerpuff, then you deserve to get your precious town destroyed! "
"Enough talk!" yelled Buttercup. "Let's do it! I can't wait to kick her sorry behind!"
"Hahahah!" laughed Princess "Just come and try! I think my new friends just might have their own opinion about that! Get them!"
The 'puffs and punks' assumed attack formation. Bubbles streaked toward her counterpart. But Brat had unfastened her two bows and sent them flying through the air at Bubbles like deadly throwing stars. Bubbles halted in the air gasping. The bows, it turned out, were indeed like throwing stars, and they tore slashing into Bubbles. Bubbles shrieked in pain.
"Bubbles!" her sisters cried, halting in midair.
"That's it!" said Buttercup. She tore in Brat's direction, intending to slam into her, pound her to a pulp. But Brute had already fired one of the spikes on her black leather wrist bands at Buttercup. The spike struck with great force, knocking her attack off kilter. Buttercup screamed in pain and fury.
All the Powerpunks sniggered vilely.
Brute launched another of her deadly spikes at her counterpart. This one, hove through the air with deadly accuracy snagging Buttercup's shirt. She screamed again, as the bolt sliced her skin, and she was thrown back to slam into a building. Brute fired another spike at her, this one snagging her on the other side, so that the two spikes pinned her to the building. Screaming with fury, Buttercup tore herself. She launched herself at Brute in a streak of green lightening. But Brute fired her eyebeams squarely at her, knocking her back into the side of the building, dazed.
Meanwhile, Blossom had shot in Berserk's direction. The Powerpunk leader merely smiled wickedly and awaited the attack. Blossom prepared to sock her foe, but before she could deliver the punch Berserk attacked—with her snaky ribbon!
The blood-colored streamers lashed out and seized the startled 'puff. Blossom strained mightily, but despite their flimsy appearance, the scarlet strands proved as strong as stele chords. They held her fast. Like an insect trapped in a spider's snare, the more she struggled, the more she became enmeshed.
And then the streamers shocked her! Currents of dreadful energy bolted through the lashing tendrils. Blossom wailed in agony. The pain was excruciating, like Barserks' ribbon had the same effect as a Portuguese Man-o-war. The energy must have been derived from whatever the Powerpunks had been created from, some kind of anti-Chemical X (unlike antidote X), that had somehow formed form anti-matter. Its effect on the Chemical in Blossom's system was ferocious. Blossom continued to scream, the whole of her beginning to turn bluish black.
But then Berserk's tendril's released their deadly grip and flung her savagely through the air to smack into the building.
Buttercup and Bubbles, had recovered and now rose to the attack on their sister. But Brat's deadly bows had returned to her, and now she flung them again, one at both of the remaining 'puffs.
Bubbles and her sister squealed as the knife-edged bows slashing into them, cutting into their midsections. The Girls were thrown back into the wall on either side of the dazed Blossom.
Buttercup shook her head, them pulled out the deadly bow. "Blossom! Are you alright?"
Blossom, having undergone a massive shock form Berserk's flailing tendrils, said "Huuuh?"
Buttercup began shaking her. "Snap out of it, Blossom! We can't let them beat us!"
"We already have, powerpukes!" said the snotty voice of Princess. They gaped at her in horror, as she leveled in the air before them, sneering in evil triumph. The Powerpunks surrounded her, chortling in fiendish mirth.
"It's over, brats!" smirked Princess. "Too bad you wouldn't let be a Powerpuff, then all this might never had happened to you!"
"Look at what you've done to Blossom!" Buttercup raged. "We'll kill you for this, Princess!"
"I think not." Said Princess in a snottily sweet voice. She raised her twin blasters at the dazed 'puffs "So long suckers!"
She blasted the PPGs full force. The last thing they heard was Princess's evil laughter in their ears, "I win! At last I win! Hahahahaha!"
Princess and the Powerpunks floated down and gazed in triumph at Townsville's fallen heroines.
"Excellent my pets!" said a voice.
They looked up. It was Oppressor Plutonium. "Haha! Well done children! This Town's defenders are finally defeated! Now we can take over this city as well as Viletown! And here there is no Jomo Momo to stop us!"
"What do you mean "we", Oppressor!" sneered Brute.
But Berserk silenced her. "Hold on! Time and Place. First we have to get these three losers back to Viletown as hostages. We can't take a chance that their father will try to revive them!"
"What about me?" Princess whined. "Aren't I coming with you? I'm a Powerpunk remember!"
"You're a Powerpunk?" Berserk sneered. "Since when!" The other two Girls were starting to giggle at Princess.
""What?" cried Princess in fury. "You promised I'd be one of you if I helped you destroy them!"
"Oh, Really? When was that?" asked Berserk. Brute and Brat snickered.
"Why, you low-life filthy animals—" Princess fumed.
Berserk held up an arm. "Now, now. Temper! Don't get us wrong, Princess! We still think you've got Powerpunk material! It's just that we haven't put you through our initiation yet. You can't be one of us without it!"
Princess was confused. "What initiation?"
"My gosh!" brute exclaimed in mock surprise. "She doesn't know!"
"No!" giggled Brat "Why I don't believe she does!"
"Let's show her!" Berserk leveled her with a smile she did not care for at all.
·
Before long, they were back in the Powerpunk's dimension, with the three good PPGs secured with bands of anti-X in the basement of Plutonium's lab. The Powerpunks led princess through the winding labyrinth that was their home. It was, she soon realized far larger and more extensive than the professor's house, or even Mojo's volcano. They led her to the heavy steel doors of what was apparently a secret room. Berserk pressed at button, and the door hissed open. It was very black inside.
When they entered, Princess gasped in surprise. The room was nothing like what you would expect to find in a science complex like this. It looked more like a medieval torture chamber, or a place of satanic worship. The entire room was lit with the eerie, unnerving flickers of masses of black candles, all of them densely packed into the corners and sides of the chamber. And all around the room Princess saw what looked like racks, iron maidens, and other torture devices. Some of Brat's twisted lay dismembered, or with their stuffing pulled out, as though Brat had been "practicing" down here.
"Welcome to the initiation room!" Berserk exclaimed. "You're gonna love it!"
"I am?" Princess quaked. She was by now very frightened, wondering what she had gotten herself involved in.
"Oh, don't worry!" said Berserk. "Don't let this stuff scare you off! Most of its' just for show, anyhow! But if you're gonna be a 'punk ya gotta play by our rules! And the rules say you gotta go through the body piercing!"
"Yeah!" sniggered Brute. "You'd look really cool with some pikes through your ears, or a ring or two in your nose!"
"And what if I refuse!"
"This!" All three punks jumped her and threw her into a chair in the middle of the room. It looked something like a barber or dentist chair, but with thick steel bands attached to the arms. They clamped these down hard on princess. All three of them floated over her, grinning nastily.
"Wait, guys!" princess cried. "Do I have to do this?"
"If you want to be a powerpunk you do!" said Berserk. "And you do still want to be one of us, right?"
"Well I..uh, yes, of course, but—"
"Then let's get on with it!"
Princess screamed.
An hour later Princess was fitted with all kinds of ear and nose rings. Her hair and been shaven off the sides, and the remaining strip spiked. The Girls took Princess up to their room to look at herself. Princess felt like screaming long and loud at what they had done to her, but kept quiet.
""Gee, you really look cool, Princess!" laughed Berserk.
"Yeah!" said Brute "You're our honorary member now!"
"You said it Sis!" laughed Brat. She and Brute hi-fived and laughed.
She knew they meant not a word of what they were saying. The "punked" style only looked stupid on her, and they all knew it. They had done it on purpose, and now they were laughing at her. Princess felt her own rage simmer like a volcano. She wanted very badly to scream at them. But she had to keep her cool. Even if these Girls were not ready to accept her, she would have to find a way to make them! In fact, she needed to be their leader! But how….?
"By the way "Princess", said Berserk, and the way she said her name was very sarcastic this time, "We need you to go get us some Chemical X so we can take away those girls' powers for good!"
"But why do I have to do it!" she whined.
"Because you want to be one of us, remember? Let me remind you, Princess, you're still being initiated!"
"What! You promised me—"
Berserk socked her hard, sending her flying across the room. Princess smacked into the fall then fell on her face. Berserk yanked her face up. Princess moaned weakly.
"Now listen up, "Princess"!" Berserk snarled. "Just who do you think we are, little Miss Snotface? We're not like that rich daddy of yours who's always dolling out cash to keep you quiet! We're the ones calling the shots from now on! What we say, you do! Understand?"
Princess nodded weakly. "Good." She pulled Princess to her feet. "You can start by getting us that Chemical X. Oh, and while you're at it, get is some chips and pop for our next slumber party!"
Princess began to fume once again, until she saw all of their eyes beginning to glow with energy. "All right!" she good.
Berserk kicked her in the direction of the mirror. "And make it snappy!"
Brat and Brute were both hugging each other in their mirth, laughing uncontrollably.
For the next week, Berserk Brat and Brute ordered Princess around, making her do all their chores, and sending her on all their errands. Princess knew that she still wasn't a powerpunk, and that she would never be one. There was only one easy way out of her situation, even though Princess hated herself for even admitting it. When night stole over Viletown, she snuck downstairs to the basement of the lab. She stealthily stole into the room where the Powerpuffs were held captive. With a device she had managed to steal from the Oppressor, she sliced through the energy bars holding the Girls captive.
"Wha—" moaned Blossom.
"Where are we?" moaned Bubbles.
"Man do I got a headache!" complained Buttercup.
They gasped. "Princess!" Blossom cried.
"Er…yeah…I came here to save you! The Powerpunk Girls kidnapped you and –"
"Yeah!" cried Blossom "The Powerpunks! They almost killed us!"
"Hold on!" cried Buttercup, glaring at Princess. "You were helping them!"
"Yeah!" cried Bubbles "You almost got us killed!"
"I'm sorry!" Princess stammered. "I'm so sorry! Please just beat them up and get me out of here!"
"Oh, so you want us to help us?" said Buttercup "No thanks Princess! Now that we're free, we'll just go back home and leave you here! They're your new friends, remember?"
"Right!" said Blossom. "You don't need us."
"No! Wait, please!" Princess cried. "You can't go! Don't leave me here with them! You can't!"
"Hah!" exclaimed Buttercup "Wanna bet? Just watch us!"
"Hold it, Buttercup!" said Blossom. "Princess is right! We have to take her back! If we don't her dad might get worried.
"Ugh! Alright, then let's get it over with!"
"But how do we get back to Townsville?" asked Bubbles. "last time we got Fuzzy Logic and the Ameb-oids to built us a different gateway."
"Right." Said Blossom, remembering the most brilliant scientific mind in Viletown and his three assistants. "I guess we'll have to find them again."
"No!" cried Princess "The mirror in your room! The gateway is still open . Oppressor Plutonium found a way to keep it open all the time. That's how they can keep going back and forth."
"Holy cow!" cried Buttercup. "They probably have Townsville smashed up by now!" She glared at Princess with a look that would strike her dead if looks could.
"Then we've got to find a way to close it!"
They grabbed Princess and flew with her through the Plutonium complex. They reached the Powerpunks bedroom. Berserk and her sisters were curled up asleep. The gateway in the mirror pulsed and shimmered. They drifted toward it, careful not to make a sound.
But just as they prepared to streak into the vortex, Princess shrieked "look out!"
The 'puffs whirled around.
The light flicked on. The three Powerpunks sat bolt upright in bed facing them sneeringly.
"Where do you think you're going!" Berserk cried.
"Let's go!" Blossom commanded her sisters. They tore into the vortex. The Powerpunks sped after them.
"Hurry!" Princess shrieked as they sped down the coruscating tunnel. The Powerpunks seemed to be gaining.
They crashed abruptly into their own bedroom. Far down the tunnel, they could see their evil counterparts coming fast. The 'punks sneered at them "You're finished!" Berserk cried as they neared the end of the tunnel.
The 'puffs covered their eyes.
But the Powerpunks suddenly slammed into a barrier on the other side of the glass. "Hey! What gives!"
The 'puffs looked up to see the familiar face of their Daddy, the professor.
"Girls! You're back! When you turned up missing, I figured what had happened! Those Powerpunk Girls have been smashing up Townsville! We've needed you so badly! So I invented a special vortex-neutralizer that would allow you back through, but would stop your evil counterparts! Pretty nifty, huh?"
"You said it, professor!"
Princess sneered at the three Powerpunks trapped on the other side. "Hah! I did it! I beat you guys! Hahahaha! I win!"
"I wouldn't be too sure of that, "Princess,"! Berserk shot back at her. Then the force of the Vortex yanked the 'punks down the tunnel of swirling colored light to their home.
The Professor gathered up his squealing threesome fondly into his arms. "Oh Girls! I'm so glad you're safe!"
"We're glad too!" they all giggled.
"What about me?" demanded Princess. "I'm the one got you out! I want a reward from you guys! Now!"
"Ohhh yeah." Said Buttercup. "I think I'll give you you're reward tight about now!"
"Wait, Buttercup!" said the professor. "I think I hear Princess's Daddy outside!"
They went downstairs and out the front door. Sure enough, there was Daddy Morbucks waiting outside the Utonium household in front of his long white limosene. Princess could see that her father was very miffed. And she knew why. Townsville was in smoldering ruin after the Powerpunk Girls' attack. And that had to include Morbucks manor.
He seized princess by the wrist and began dragging her toward the car, while the PPG all smiled knowingly at one another.
"No! Wait!" Princess cried. "It's not my fault! It's their's! They let those stupid Powerpunks out!
Daddy Morbucks pulled princess with him into the car, and slammed the door. They could still hear her muffled screams as the car drove out of sight.
And once again the day is saved…thanks to the Powerpuff Girls—and Professor Utonium!