By Kevin Larry Ivy
I don't own the Powerpuff girls or any related characters. I do own Leviathan, Glyja, Beelzebub, and the six dark puffs. I also don't own The Unforgiven, Metallica does.
Blossom and Buttercup arrive home; all of their wounds from the fight with Battle and Bomb are nearly healed. Their super healing abilities were always strong, but ever since they had their full potential unlocked, it was insane. They walk by the living room, where Glyja and the Professor are discussing something. It sounds like the Professor is asking Glyja about himself, which Glyja is answering with no reluctance whatsoever. The two puffs head upstairs and enter their room. Bubbles is awake, which they gather from the empty bed. The two go to the bathroom to get cleaned up which makes Bubbles, who is at the moment taking a bath, jump. She relaxes and yawns, while her sisters look themselves over in the mirror, and decide how much damage they still need to repair.
"It's about time you guys got home, we were wondering if something serious had happened," says Bubbles.
"Nah, nothing serious. We just ran into two of those Darkpuffs," says Buttercup. Bubbles sits up quickly and stares at them.
"And…how'd it go?" she asks. Blossom wipes her face off with a wet rag, and then grins at Bubbles.
"It actually went very well. We can fight on the same level they can, and I discovered a little secret we can use against them." Bubbles drains the tub, and stands up. She begins drying off, waiting for Blossom to go on. Blossom begins brushing her hair, still grinning. "Turns out, we can fight fire with fire. Give them a taste of their own medicine." Bubbles dries her hair and thinks about what Blossom means, the answer coming to her seconds after she started thinking about it.
"You mean they're ticklish too?" Blossom nods, which brings a small smile to Bubbles' face. "Awesome, I can get Blaze back for our last fight then!"
"Still they're all as strong as we are, so we need to be careful. They can just as easily use the same thing against us," Bubbles joins her sisters in front of the mirror and begins brushing her teeth; brushing her hair when that's finished.
Later in the Living RoomThe girls race down the stairs and join Glyja and the Professor in the living room. The Professor is holding one of Glyja's swords, his face beat red, veins standing out on his neck, obviously trying his hardest to hold it up. Glyja takes it back, easily holding it with one of his four hands. The Professor falls back in his chair, breathing heavily.
"Wow…how much do those swords of yours weigh?" Glyja spins it around a couple times, then sheathes it and shrugs.
"I dunno…I never really weighed them, but I'm guessing at least two hundred…maybe four hundred pounds. The Professor gapes then shakes his head, remembering what Glyja's told him about his origins. The girls join Glyja on the couch, which is the only other seat in the room. Glyja smiles at them and picks up his poncho. "Well…since you three are finally ready, I suppose it's time I let you know what's been going on." The girls nod, not entirely sure what he means but they're almost certain it has to do with the Darkpuffs. Glyja leans back, and yawns before beginning.
"You see since the beginning of time Heaven and Hell have been at war. Heaven was ruled over by four deities: Sezu the goddess of time and space, Kisu the goddess of the sky, Delu the goddess of the earth, and finally the god of death and rebirth whose name no one remembers. Now two brothers, their powers greater than anything in the universe even the four deities that ruled Heaven, ruled Hell. Malebolgia, the lord of cruelty, was the younger of the two. He wanted to manipulate the humans and use them to win the war. Leviathan, the lord of darkness, wanted to simply destroy everything. Their different ideas and vast hatred for one another tore the Hells apart. A civil war had begun, and it has continued burning to this very day. Leviathan used his powers and banished Malebolgia to earth. Malebolgia has been here ever since…only he has stayed in his weakest form and gone by the name Him." The girls stare at Glyja. They knew Him was some kind of powerful demon; heck they always thought he was the devil. But Him had never given them too much trouble…in fact they couldn't remember a time, other than the Beat Alls, when he'd actually caused them a lot of physical harm. Now it turns out he could have easily destroyed them with little to no effort.
"Shortly after banishing Malebolgia, Leviathan attacked Heaven himself. It was unprecedented; the ruler never attacked head on. But Leviathan did, and he almost won. His attack killed countless soldiers of Heaven's army, and countless residents. Then, when all hope seemed lost, the three goddesses combined their powers and drove Leviathan back to Hell. He lost nearly eighty percent of all his power, and was trapped in his weakest embodiment. His power has never recovered, and will never recover so long as the goddesses' seal remains. But…sealing Leviathan's power was too much for the goddesses. As they were dying, their brother used his powers to send their spirits to earth, where they would be reborn." He yawns again and stands up. The girls stare at him, still absorbing all of this information.
"I'd like you three to come with me. Everything that has been happening recently is exactly like an ancient prophecy. I believe Leviathan is soon going to break the goddesses' seal, and if that happens the entire universe is doomed. I need you to come with me, and together we'll learn the truth. I've already talked to your father, and he's agreed to let you go. It's up to you now…do you trust me?" The girls think it over. Everything that was happening…everything is changing. If anything, going with Glyja could help them get better prepared for fighting the Darkpuffs. One by one the girls turn to Glyja and nod, their voices lost. Glyja nods and walks to the door.
"I'll be waiting outside, say your goodbyes then we can be off."
Battle's Room in the VoidBattle is lying on her bed, half dozing while staring at the ceiling. The fight with Blossom and Buttercup had been fun, but it had left her feeling tired. As she dozes she begins noticing a strange melody. It sounds like violin music playing in the distance. She feels sleepier and her eyes close. Almost at the exact same time her eyes close, she opens them again. She sits up in bed and rubs her eyes. The music is still playing, coming from somewhere in the distance. She stands up and walks in the direction of the music, a distant look in her eyes. She walks off the edge of her room and appears in a dusty old building.
She coughs and looks around, beginning to feel scared when she realizes she's left home alone. The violin music is playing louder, and soon she is once more drawn to it, her bare feet leaving footprints on the dusty floor. She wanders through the house, becoming more entranced when the violin stops and another song begins.
"New blood joins this earth and quickly he's subdued. Through constant pain disgrace, the young boy learns their rules" Battle walks into a room, which looks bigger than any room she'd ever seen. It has soft red carpet, dusty blue banners on the walls, and only the candles along the walls light the entire room. At the opposite end of the room is a boy, about her age, standing on a stage singing. His jester mask sends shivers down her spine. It looks oddly familiar, but at the moment she can't place it.
"With time the child draws in, this whipping boy done wrong. Deprived of all his thoughts, the young man struggles on and on he's known. A vow unto his own, that never from this day his will they'll take away." Battle walks up to the stage and stares at the boy. She sits down on the dusty carpet, completely entranced by his song. Her eyes slowly, so very slowly, begin dulling, while the blue light coming from the eyeholes of his mask burns brighter.
"What I've felt, what I've known Never shined through in what I've shown. Never be, never see won't see what might have been. What I've felt What I've known Never shined through in what I've shown Never free, Never me, So I dub thee unforgiven." Battle sighs softly while she listens to the boy, unknowingly falling deeper and deeper under his spell.
"They dedicate their lives To running all of his He tries to please them all This bitter man he is Throughout his life the same He's battled constantly This fight he cannot win A tired man they see no longer cares The old man then prepares To die regretfully That old man here is me" Battle's beautiful and normally shining blue eyes have dimmed considerably. And still the eyes of the mask continue burning brighter.
"What I've felt What I've known Never shined through in what I've shown Never be Never see Won't see what might have been What I've felt What I've known Never shined through in what I've shown Never free Never me So I dub thee unforgiven" Battle's eyes are now almost solid white.
"You labeled me, I'll label you. So I dub thee unforgiven" The song draws to a close. The boy walks down to Battle and looks her in the eyes. He says something to her, but it's so far off and distant she can't make it out. He then stands up and begins laughing as Battle finally blacks out.
She wakes up in her own room once more, her head spinning and throbbing. She weakly crawls under the blankets and falls asleep, her whole body sore and tired.
At the Top of Mount Everest
The girls and Glyja are standing atop the world's tallest mountain. The girls are all shivering slightly from the cold, but Glyja appears unaffected. He turns to them and grins.
"This poncho comes in handy quite often," They glare at him, making him sweatdrop and turn back around. "Right anyway…this is the world link. It is here we can get where we need to go," the girls stare at him confused.
"Wh-Wh-What's a w-w-world link G-G-Glyja?" asks Blossom. The other two stare at him, waiting for an answer.
"It's the place where all universes are connected. Without teleportation powers, like the ones the Darkpuffs have, it's the only way we can travel to other dimensions. Just give me a moment and I'll open the gate to the dimension we need to go to," He pulls out his ocarina and begins playing. The wind on the mountain begins dying down, and an orchestra seems to join Glyja as he continues playing. It almost sounds like the mountain is singing. A spot on the ground in front of Glyja begins glowing, a strange symbol appearing in the snow. Glyja stops playing and motions for the girls to follow him. They all stand on the circular spot and vanish into thin air. The wind starts back up, and the glowing spot disappears.
The girls and Glyja appear in a strange place. The sky is solid gold, the ground solid white. Before them stands a colossal temple made of shining stone. The girls wander around the place in awe, while Glyja sits down on the steps of the temple. Finally they regroup and watch Glyja who has removed his poncho and is stretching his arms.
"Glyja…where are we?" asks Bubbles. Glyja stares at the ground as he speaks.
"This is the Sacred Realm; the place where this temple, the Temple of Three, resides. It is an ancient temple where the power of the three goddesses was sealed. Only those who can pass the test may enter and discover the truth…" Glyja seems tense. The girls notice this and look at each other.
"Are you okay Glyja? You look like something's bugging you." Says Blossom.
"Yeah, what kind of test is it anyway?" asks Buttercup. Glyja stands up and stretches. Waves of black and white energy begin swirling around him. All of his muscles tense. In a flash he grows to at least ten feet tall, his muscles bulge and grow, yet remain fairly lithe. His clothes morph into an ancient armor, and his eyes begin glowing. He now towers over the girls, a mass of muscles and power. They stare up at him, clearly freaked out by the turn of events. He speaks to them, his voice rumbling and powerful.
"I am your test Powerpuff Girls. I am the fourth deity, the god of death and rebirth. My name is Glyjametsu, and only by defeating me may you enter the temple and discover the truth about yourselves." The girls each back away, before moving into fighting stances. Glyjametsu unsheathes his swords, a beam of red, blue, green, and black light shooting from a sheath respectively. He now holds four swords with shining blades. The hilt of one is blue and navy, another is green and dark green, the third is red and pink, and the last one is black and white.
"Now you will know my power and the power of the four swords. Atma, Hyperion, Requiem, and Guradia, the four swords of the Heavens." Glyjametsu charges at them, moving with godlike speed (pun intended). He slams Atma into the ground, sending a shockwave at the girls. They scatter and fly at Glyjametsu. He swings Hyperion, sending a force of wind at Buttercup and knocking her out of the air. With Guradia he slows time around Blossom and swats her out of the air. Then with Requiem he sends a crescent beam of darkness at Bubbles. She dodges and fires her eyebeams at him. He blocks them and jumps at her, bringing the dull sides of all four swords down on her shoulders and sending her spiraling into the ground. Buttercup rams into him from the side, making him barely budge. He kicks her out of his way and slams Blossom out of the air with Atma.
"Ack! He's really strong…way too strong. How are we going to beat him if we can't even hurt him?" Blossom asks herself. She stands up and shakes her head to make it stop spinning. In that time Glyjametsu appears in front of her and knees her in the stomach, knocking her at least three feet into the air. When he's about to slam her away with Hyperion, Buttercup punches him in the face, making him stumble slightly. Blossom regains control and begins throwing punches at his stomach. Glyjametsu swings Guradia and teleports away from them. He appears by Bubbles who quickly attempts to sweep his legs out from under him. Instead she just kicks him in the shin, which doesn't faze him in the least. She gulps and quickly rolls away from Requiem, as Glyjametsu brings it down on her. She jumps up and throws all of her momentum into an uppercut, hitting Glyjametsu in the jaw. His head is jerked back, but the rest of him doesn't move. He smashes the hilt of Hyperion into her collarbone, driving her to the ground, and then stomps on her back. Bubbles' eyes bulge and she has to immediately begin struggling to suck air back into her lungs. Blossom and Buttercup ram into Glyjametsu, driving him off Bubbles. He swings Atma at them, knocking all three of them away with a shockwave.
The girls stand up and stare Glyjametsu down. He charges at them, swinging Atma and Hyperion at them. They dodge and begin attacking him with everything they've got. Glyjametsu knocks them away with Requiem, and then holds out all four swords. They begin glowing and fuse together when he slams them together in front of him. He raises the giant light sword above his head and brings it crashing down. The girls dodge and charge at him, beginning to attack him instantly. Glyjametsu pulls the swords apart and swings Atma and Guradia at them. The girls again dodge and continue attacking. He slows them down by swinging Guradia, then knocks them away with Hyperion's air crescents. The girls regroup and fires beams of energy at him. They combine and become a Mega Bomb. Glyjametsu fuses his swords and slashes at the Mega Bomb. The resulting explosion rocks the Sacred Realm and when it clears Glyjametsu's armor has been destroyed, but he is unharmed.
"He…He's not even got a scratch on him, and that was our strongest attack!" Glyjametsu sheathes his swords and sighs. He sits back down on the steps and waves past him.
"Go on in…" The girls stare at him blankly.
"But…we didn't beat you…" Glyjametsu stares at the ground, seemingly now in his own world.
"To end this fight, I have to kill you. And I've realized while fighting that I can't do that. Since I can't kill you, I can't win. Go on in…discover the truth and stop Leviathan," The girls walk past him. Blossom stops and stares at him, again feeling the same strange déjà vu once more. She shakes it off and goes after her sisters. Shortly after they leave, Glyjametsu looks up and faces the figure in front of him. The figure's mask grins cockily and evilly at him, while the eyes burn bright blue. "…I suppose it's time for our rematch," says Glyjametsu. Without a word the figure begins changing, becoming the monster that it is.
With the Temple
The girls walk through the temple, looking at the symbols along the walls. They find that they can understand all of them, despite never having seen them before. As they continue on the symbols begin speaking of things that are to come. A lobster-clawed demon infusing a city with his evil, a monkey with a mutated brain trying to take over a city, a rich girl with a power suit, three giant cells who attempt to be evil but fail, three super-powered little boys who nearly destroy a city's guardians, and finally a man mixing together sugar, spice, and everything nice to create the perfect little girl.
They reach a huge chamber. There is a shrine on the three of the room's walls. The girls find themselves walking away from each other and toward a specific shrine. Bubbles walks to the one on the left, Buttercup the one on the right, and Blossom the one on the north wall. Bubbles stops and looks at the shrine. It is made up of sapphire, and depicts the goddess of the sky Kisu. Bubbles gasps and takes a step back when she sees the goddess. Her golden hair, sapphire eyes, and air of innocence around her standing out amongst other things. Bubbles' bottom lip trembles. She just barely manages to voice four simple words.
Buttercup walks up to the shrine made of emerald, depicting the goddess of the earth, Delu. She gapes and steps back staring at the goddess. She has raven hair, emerald eyes, and bares an air of arrogance and toughness around her. She mouths four words, which leave her lips as a whisper.
Blossom approaches the ruby shrine honoring the goddess of time and space Sezu. She stares at the picture of the goddess, her breath catching in her throat. Sezu has long orange hair and pink eyes. She has an air of wisdom and confidence around her. Blossom's mouth moves on it's own, speaking four words in a whisper.
"She looks like me," they all say at the very same time. Memories of things they'd never seen flash through their minds. They see themselves as the goddesses sitting in a beautiful field, listening to Glyjametsu playing his ocarina. They see Kisu and Delu watching with interest as Sezu and Glyjametsu stare each other down, mirroring the way Blossom and Glyja had looked at each other in the park before their fight. They watch the three goddesses fight with Glyjametsu. All four fall to the ground and begin laughing. Then they see the goddesses facing a giant black…thing. The three glow and the thing roars in pain. Then as quickly as it started everything crashes to a halt and the girls are back in the temple. They are all breathing heavily, all of them now know the truth.
In the Sacred Realm
The girls leave the temple now knowing what they are. They are the reincarnations of the three goddesses. Bubbles is Kisu the goddess of the sky. Buttercup is Delu the goddess of the earth. And Blossom is Sezu the goddess of time and space. They look up and shriek, seeing Glyjametsu lying at the foot of the steps. There is a pool of blood surrounding him, and one of his swords is missing. They run to him, turning him over. They all gape at him; his chest has been completely torn open. He looks at them, his eyes distant, not there. He doesn't see Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Now he sees Sezu, Kisu, and Delu.
"S-S-Sisters…be…careful…he's come back…the jester is back and this time…he's more powerful than ever…"Atma, Hyperion, and Guradia glow and shatter. The particles from Atma enter Buttercup, Hyperion's enter Bubbles, and Guradia's enter Blossom. Glyjametsu mutters something in an ancient language, one they seem to know but can't understand. Then he goes limp, his body fading and vanishing in a shower of dust. The girls all stand up, all of them can feel something deep inside them, something greater than anything in the universe just waiting to escape. The Sacred Realm around them fades away and they find themselves in Townsville Park. Still shocked by the turn of events, the girls slowly head home, not noticing the figure standing in a tree nearby. His mask's eyes burn blue, the grin painted on the mask looking darker and eviler. He tosses his head back and begins laughing, as he fades out of sight.