Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video and Winx Club belongs to Iginio Straffi and Rai S.p.A (NOT 4Kids!). Gargoyles belongs to Disney. Songs 'Aishitageru' belongs to Makai Senki Disgaea and 'Return to Destiny' belongs to High School of the Dead.
Note: this follows the Rai version of Winx as the 4Kids version butchered it too much, like with every anime it dubs.
Chapter 38: Final Scheme! End of Immortality!
Castle Wyvern…
Fox was in the nursery playing with Alex. With them were the Winx girls. Currently, they all sat in a circle around the walking baby, calling on him to walk over to each of them.
"Your son is so adorable, Fox!" said Flora.
"He is, isn't he?" said Fox.
"What's it like, being a mother?" asked Bloom.
"One of the greatest feelings I've ever had. A loving offspring from a great man. As they say, children are our future."
"And he's part Fae as well?" asked Musa.
"A quarter to be precise." Replied Fox. "I know he'll grow up to be a handsome, magic-user. Isn't that right, Alex? Yes you are! Yes you are!"
Alex cooed happily.
"And he's got a Clan to protect him, too." Added Layla.
"True. You girls thought of having kids yourselves?" asked Fox.
The Winx girls immediately blushed when they were asked that question. Just then, Ranma walked past the open door of the nursery. He glanced at the girls in the room, who then glanced back with blushed faces. Ranma didn't know why he felt nervous, but when he saw the Winx playing with baby Alex, he got weird images in his head about having children. Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla also had similar thoughts as each girl imagined herself with Ranma and a separate baby.
Ranma quickly snapped himself out of his state and continued on his way, still blushing at the thought.
'Sheesh… where did that come from?' thought Ranma.
Unknown to him, Platinum Sky, Diamond Brandon, Gold Helia, Onyx Riven, Silver Timmy, and Amethyst Nabu appeared over him. They all looked like they were chuckling.
Opening (Makai Senki Disgaea style, 'Aishitageru')
Music starts as it shows Ranma and the Winx at the foot of the Eyrie Building. It then zooms upwards all the way to the top where Castle Wyvern rested. Pans further up into the sky when night falls, showing the Ranma Club title.
Ai no tameiki ni shibarareteru mitai (It's like I'm being bound by sighs of love)
Donna jumon demo hodokenai no yo (And I can't break free no matter what spells I use)
The Winx are in their Enchantix, and one at a time fly upwards into the night sky. Ranma-chan in Faerie-mode flies up looking rather embarrassed. In her arms, she carries Neko-Shampoo and Kitsune-Ukyou. Flying up after her is Kamo-Mousse with Kiko on his back.
Urei wo hisometa shizuka na hitomi ga (Those quiet eyes that hide sorrow)
Yokei ni kokoro kakimidashiteku (Greatly disturbs my heart)
At the castle towers, we see the Pixies floating and looking out. Swith to a shot of Nodoka, Kasumi, and Sasuke looking out, then David Xanatos, Fox, Owen, and Alex in Fox's arms.
Sunao ja nai atashi yori mo (More than my untruthful self)
Sunao ja nai anata ga itoshii (The untruthful you is beloved)
Pans down to show a side view of Ranma and Ranma-chan standing back to back as they slowly look upwards. The Specialist souls slowly emerge from them and turn to look at the screen. Switch to a shot of Elisa with her back turned, then quickly spins around as it zooms into her eye.
Anata ga ii no akuma demo ii (You are good, even if you are a demon)
AH ai mo meguriaeta KISEKI (Ah, love is a miracle only met by chance)
At Castle Wyvern, the Clan immediately burst out of their stone slumber with roars. They jump off the castle and glide off, fighting against several robots. In an unknown area, Ranma and his friends were fighting off more of the robots.
Kienai kizu mo fukai KARUMA mo (So are wounds that do not disappear and deep karma)
AH aishitageru (Ah, I will love you)
Doko ni ite mo nando demo OH OH! (No matter where you are, no matter how many times, oh oh!)
Goliath and Clan proceed to fight using newly acquired ki techniques, blasting gun turrets, robots, and what looked like rock golems to bits. Ranma's group also busted up the opposition just as easily. Everyone turns to look at a certain Gargoyle standing in front of a menacing looking device.
Oh oh oh!
Aishitageru (I will love you)
The entire cast rushes towards the figure, bashing away anything trying to stop them and the scene freezes.
End opening
Castle Wyvern main tower…
Goliath looked at his open hand, still confused as to what had happened that night.
'I still don't understand… how did I do that? T'is sorcery!' thought Goliath.
"What are ye thinkin' 'bout, lad?" asked Hudson as he and the rest of the Clan approached their leader.
"That last attack I unleashed upon Castaway that night." Replied Goliath.
"By the way, that move was really cool!" said Brooklyn.
"I had no idea you could use magic, Father." Said Angela.
"Well, I'm not much of a magic user." Said Goliath. The only time he remembered using magic was with the Phoenix Gate, and that used the relic itself as a medium.
"You know, I wonder if we could do the same thing?" pondered Broadway.
"That would be a cool thing to do." Added Lexington.
"That wasn't magic."
The Clan turned to see Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse walking up onto the tower.
"That wasn't magic at all. It didn't feel at all like it when you did that attack. As a magical being myself, I should know." Said Ranma.
"It wasn't sorcery?" asked Angela.
"So then what was it?" asked Brooklyn.
"If anything, I'd say it would have to be… ki." Replied Ranma.
"Ki?"
"Latent energy within all living beings." Said Shampoo. "All living beings have ki, but not all can use ki. Only ones use ki are martial artists like Shampoo and rest."
"It can be used to enhance your body or be channeled into objects." Added Ukyou. To prove her point, she picks up a fist-sized rock near her feet, tosses it up, and swings at it with her battle spatula. Before the rock fell to the ground, it was cleanly sliced in two.
"It can be channeled to do other things, too." Said Mousse. He holds out his sleeves on either side of himself, then dumps out a pile of weapons almost as tall as him from both sleeves. He then waves his arms over the weapon piles and seemingly makes them vanish within his sleeves.
"And it can be channeled like this." Ranma holds out his hand, palm up, and with a bit of concentration, causes a baseball-sized blue-white sphere of ki to form. Shampoo picks up the two halves of the rock Ukyou sliced in two earlier and threw them up into the air. Ranma then throws the ki ball at the halves, shattering them to pebbles.
The Clan was in awe at the display.
"Amazing! And this isn't sorcery?" asked Angela.
"Far from it. As Shampoo said before, ki is in all living beings. Only a few people, basically martial artists like us, are able to fully utilize it for battle purposes." Replied Ranma. "It can enhance strength, speed, and natural healing processes."
"Sounds like mutant powers." Commented Broadway.
"You watch way too many movies." Said Lexington.
"Hey! They're good ones!"
"Goliath, it would seem you've unknowingly tapped into your ki." Said Ranma. "What you did to that Castaway jerk was proof of that."
"Yes, but I still don't know how I did it." Said Goliath.
"Tell me something. What were you feeling at the time when you did that ki blast?"
"Well, I felt desperation for one thing, but more than anything else, I felt a strong desire to protect Elisa and Angela from that fanatic. They were right in his path and I just could let any harm come to them."
"I figured as much. It would seem that your ki is based off of your protective nature. Ki uses emotions as a medium to be projected. That last attack you saw me do on that rock was my Moko Takabisha. It fuels on my confidence and self-esteem. The more you feel of that emotion, the stronger the attack. From what you did to Castaway, that blast was pretty damn strong. You must've really wanted to protect Elisa and Angela from him."
In a high security prison, Castaway was hospitalized in bed under heavy guard. His entire body was wrapped up in bandages, even more so on his hands and face due to the burns he suffered from the exploding Quarryman sledgehammer. The former Quarrymen leader had suffered severe trauma to his central nervous system because of the accident and was put into a coma or a catatonic state as a result. When he will wake up is anyone's guess. The way he is now, he won't be leading anything anytime soon.
Back at the castle…
"I doubt that bastard will ever wake up." Said Ranma.
"Well, that means we're rid of one major headache." Said Brooklyn.
"One, but we've still got others." Said Lexington. "There even may be ones that haven't shown up yet."
"Sheesh, had to point that out, huh?"
"I'm just being realistic here."
"If you're all interested, I can show you how to tap into your ki." Said Ranma.
The Clan's attention turned to Ranma and his friends.
"You mean, we can do that kind of stuff, too?" asked Broadway.
"If Goliath could do it, I don't see why not." Replied Ukyou.
"I think it would be a good idea, Father." Said Angela. "It would be good to have something to fall back on and we should always be prepared for anything life throws at us."
"You may have a point, Angela." Said Goliath. "So how do we do this?"
"I should tell you, ki manipulation can take some time to learn." Said Ranma. "In your case, it may go quickly since you're all technically magical beings and you all possess fighting prowess."
"Heh, what can I say? It's a talent!" said Broadway as he flexed his arm.
"Okay then, I'll try to help you out." Said Ranma.
"Shampoo assist, too." Said Shampoo.
The following few nights, Ranma and the NWC trained the Clan on how to manipulate ki during their off-times from city patrol. At some times, Nodoka and the Winx assisted in the training. For one thing, each Gargoyle had to find a suitable emotion to focus on, just as Ranma did. They did run along a few bumps in the road, however.
Brooklyn…
"Okay, now try and visualize your ki into a ball in your hand." Instructed Ranma.
Brooklyn had to focus hard has he held his opened clawed hand palm up in front of him. After a bit of effort, he managed to make a baseball-sized orb of light flicker over his hand. It took a bit for him to keep the ki ball stabilized.
"Whoa…" said Brooklyn.
"Okay, you formed it, now try to launch it."
Brooklyn nods and focuses. He thrusts his hand out and fires the ki ball. It flies off… very slowly and crookedly. The ki ball floats upwards a bit, then finally drops down right on Brooklyn's head, knocking him down to the ground. The red Gargoyle could only say one thing.
"Ow…"
Ranma sighs. "Looks like we're gonna have a long night…" 'Hmm… that certainly brings back memories.' He thought back to his training when he tried to master the Shishi Hokodan. That time, he shot a rather large depression-fueled ki ball before it boomeranged right back at him. Still, that moment was when Ranma got inspired for using a different emotion to fuel his ki, which was his confidence and self-esteem.
Broadway…
"Okay, Broadway, like I instructed." Said Ranma.
"Alright…" Broadway holds out his hand and focuses. After a moment, a ki ball forms over his hand. "Whoa… it actually worked!" Taking a stance, Broadway thrusts his hand out to fire the ki ball. However, rather than shoot outward as he intended, the ki ball fell straight down, right on his foot. There was a slight explosion as it dissipated on impact. "Yeow!"
Ranma could only sweatdrop as Broadway hopped up and down on one foot, clutching his injured one in pain. "Gonna have to work on trajectory control…"
Lexington…
"Remember to focus now." Said Ranma.
Lexington nods as he holds his hands in front of him, palms facing each other. Focusing as much as he could, a ball of ki formed in between his hands. It started to grow about as big as a basketball.
"Yeah! I did it!" said Lexington excitedly.
Suddenly, the ki ball just exploded in his face, knocking him back into the castle wall.
"Lex! You all right?" asked Ranma as he rushed over to the down and slightly singed yellow Gargoyle.
"Oooohh… what hit me?"
"You lost control of yourself and it blew up. You've got to contain it."
"Painfully noted…"
Looking out from the door, the Winx winched after witnessing the incident. They recalled their own practices with forming dark energy orbs during their temporary enrollment at Cloud Tower. One student had experienced the same accident Lex did.
Hudson…
"Okay, since you use sword, you can focus ki into it." Said Shampoo.
"I'll try, lass." Said Hudson. The old Gargoyle held his curved sword before him and tried to focus his ki. His clawed hand holding the sword started to glow a light blue. Hudson was in awe at what he was doing. Suddenly, the ki shot into the sword, causing it to fly upward out of his grasp, taking the old Gargoyle by surprise. Reaching a height of twenty feet, the sword falls back down, blade-first. Hudson yelps and dives out of the way just before the sword buries itself into the castle stone ground. Hudson winced when he saw that his sword's blade was completely pierced into the stone, only being stopped from going all the way through by the hilt's handguard. Walking over and grasping the sword, Hudson pulls it out then noticed how clean the piercing in the ground was. "Jalapeno…"
"Shampoo suggest you keep hold of sword next time…" said Shampoo.
Hudson could only nod slowly. He still couldn't believe what he had done. The ki-enhanced sword had pierced through the stone so easily like a hot knife through butter.
Angela…
"Got it, Angela? Just focus." Said Ranma.
"Alright then…" said Angela. She holds her hands in front of her chest, palms facing each other. Concentrating, she managed to form a ki ball. "Oh my… I did it!"
"Good job, Angela! Now try to launch it." Said Ukyou.
Angela thrusts her hands forward, shooting the ki ball out. However, the ki ball arched downward after traveling six feet away from her. Oddly enough, the ki ball bounced on the ground a couple times before rolling to a stop and finally dissipating to nothing.
"Errr… was that supposed to happen?" asked Angela sheepishly.
Ranma and Ukyou could only sweatdrop in response. They've never seen a ki projectile do that before.
Goliath…
The Gargoyle leader tried to form a ki ball between his hands. So far, he managed to form the energy sphere, but like with the others, had a bit of trouble in the launching stage.
"I don't understand… I'm just not able to do it like before…" said Goliath. "It's certainly different from sorcery."
"I know it's hard at first, and I speak from first-hand experience." Said Ranma. He thought back to when he tried to master the Shishi Hokodan, then remade it to his signature Moko Takabisha.
Goliath looked at the ki ball in his hand until it just dissipated. "Just what am I doing wrong here?"
"Hmmm… perhaps you need a bit more motivation." Said Layla.
"What do you mean?"
Layla said nothing as she used her powers to create a water clone of Elisa some yards away from Goliath, surprising him. Next, Layla creates a water monster heading for the Elisa water clone, which turned and took on a frightened look.
"ELISA!"
Goliath rushed forth, formed a ki ball in his hand, and quickly fired it at the water monster. As soon as the ki ball hit, the water monster exploded into droplets. The Elisa water clone turned to smile at Goliath before dissipating.
"Whoa, Goliath! You did it!" said Bloom.
Goliath looked at his hand in shock. "Jalapeno…"
"Yeah, he did it…"
Everyone turned to see a wet Ranma-chan. She truly is a water magnet since the remnants of the water monster had hit her when it got struck by Goliath's ki blast.
"Sorry about that, Ranma." Said Goliath.
"It happens a lot." Said Ranma-chan.
"It does. I've seen it happen." Affirmed Zing.
More sessions have passed by as Goliath and the Clan began to slowly learn how to better control their ki. Seeing their leader managing to pull it off a second time had given them more drive to learn more from Ranma and his friends.
Little do they know that the Manhattan Clan will be needing those abilities very soon…
Xanatos' office…
David Xanatos was currently working on his latest program and checking the security. The Clan was currently away training with Ranma and the others when not on patrol, while Nodoka, Kasumi, and Sasuke were out in the city. Fox was asleep in their room and Alex was asleep in his crib. Goliath was unsure of all the Clan leaving Castle Wyvern behind, but Xanatos assured them that it will be fine. After all, the castle had been under good care while they had temporarily moved to the NYPD clock tower before its untimely destruction. If anything happens, his Steel Clan robots and security systems can take care of it.
It was then that the building slightly shook as an explosion was heard.
"What?" Xanatos quickly turns on the surveillance monitors and saw on one of them that the R and D section had been broken into. He could make out a cloaked figure rush out of a destroyed wall, who then destroys the camera with a laser, causing the screen to go static. The multi-millionaire grabs a laser gun hidden in his desk and hits the alarm system before heading down to see the problem.
Building section below Castle Wyvern
Xanatos rushes down the hall with his weapon held at the ready. He started to have a really bad feeling about tonight. 'And it just had to be on the one night I let the whole Clan out…'
"David!"
Xanatos turned to see his wife coming down the opposite end. She had apparently gotten out of bed in a hurry as she was only dressed in a red silk nightie and was also armed with a laser gun.
"Fancy meeting you here, Fox." Said Xanatos. "We might have a bit of a problem."
"Truly." Said Fox. "Where's Owen?"
"He's holding ground in the castle. Since the R and D section is closest to the top, it would make more sense to try and escape from there as this area has no windows."
"Good point."
The couple continues together as they run down towards the break-in point. They come across the busted wall, which had its edged charred as if it had been hit by a bomb or laser blast. Looking up, Xanatos sees the broken surveillance camera caused by the intruder.
"This way!"
They run down the hall towards the elevators where they see the smoking scrap metal remains of two Steel Clan robots standing guard. Fox looks up to one of the elevator readers and noticed it being in use.
"Whoever they are, they're heading for the castle!" said Fox.
They quickly took the next elevator up.
Castle Wyvern…
Once the elevator opened up on the castle's great hall, the Xanatos couple were shocked to see Owen slumped against the wall.
"Owen! Are you all right?" asked Fox in concern as she and David rushed up to the blonde stiffman, who was sporting a bruise on his cheek and a bloody nose. Her only response was a weak groan.
"He's out of it, but he's fine." Said Xanatos. He looks ahead to see the castle's main entrance had been opened in a hurry. "We'll soon find out who did this and make them pay." He added before he and his wife run out the door.
Bringing their weapons to bear, the Xanatos couple were out in the castle courtyard. They immediately see the cloaked figure heading towards the parapet overlooking the city below.
"Freeze!" shouted Xanatos as he and his wife aimed their weapons on the figure.
"You've got some nerve breaking into our home!" said Fox.
"Ah, but this was once MY home, human."
Both Xanatoses narrowed their eyes as they recognized the feminine, condensing voice.
"Hmph… so it's you…" said Xanatos in a low tone.
The figure removed her hood, revealing a mess of red hair on a blue face wearing a devilish grin. From the opening of her cloak, she held a laser rifle.
"Long time no see, Xanatos."
"Not long enough, Demona…" said Xanatos. "I was hoping I would not have to see you again, but fate apparently has a nasty sense of humor."
"Is that any way to speak to an old colleague?" Demona mockingly asked.
"You stopped being a 'colleague' of mine since that stone city incident." Said Xanatos bitterly. He didn't appreciate being lied to at that horrible incident. Demona had said she would help him acquire immortality in exchange for his resources, but she lied to achieve her own ends of ending the human race, That spell Demona cast with the Grimorum had caused all who had seen and heard the broadcast she was using to turn to stone during the night, his then wife included. Afterwards, she proceeded to carry out her fanatical racism, indiscriminately shattering as many stone victims as she could. Xanatos couldn't help but feel partly responsible for causing the massacre in the city by trusting Demona. If Fox had been shattered at that time, then there would've been Hell to pay. It was probably his biggest error in judgment. It wouldn't surprise him in the slightest that Demona had planned to kill him in the end, because after all, he's a human. "So what do you think you're doing? This isn't exactly a 'social visit'."
"What were you doing in the R and D lab?" demanded Fox as she held her laser gun pointed.
"You've got something I need, and I just had to have it." Replied Demona as she pulled out a machine component. It was shaped like an hourglass, with a sort of green-glowing substance held inside the casing. Around the base ends were small circuitry and light emitting diodes.
Xanatos' eyes narrowed as he recognized the component. "The IO-570 conduit…"
"You recognize your work. That's so typical of you, Xanatos." Said Demona.
"I don't know what you're planning, Demona, but you'd better drop it. That conduit is still unstable and haven't gotten all the bugs worked out yet. I don't know what would happen if it gets installed in something when it's still imperfect."
"That doesn't matter. It's still of some use to me. By the way, your security is really lax. You should upgrade, not that it would make any difference to me. That fool servant of yours actually thought he could stop me, it was just laughable."
The couple's eyes narrowed at how the blue Gargoyle bragged about taking out Owen.
"Now that we know, we're not going to let you leave here." Said Fox, pointing her laser at Demona, followed by her husband.
"I suggest you point those weapons away. You might hit something else by accident."
"What?"
Demona smirks deviously as she threw off her cloak. In her one hand, she held the conduit and her laser rifle hanging on her shoulder. In her other hand, she held a small handbag. The top flap suddenly opens, revealing…
David and Fox's eyes widened in horror at what they were seeing.
"ALEX!"
Alex was crying as he was held in the bag, his head sticking out.
"Damn, you, you coward!" said Xanatos.
"Give back our son! He's got nothing to do with this!" shouted Fox.
"Oh, but he does, for being human spawn." Said Demona as she dangled her hostage over the side of the castle.
"NO!"
"Now I suggest you drop those weapons and let me be on my way. Otherwise, the little brat will have to be scraped from the street."
The couple had no choice since their baby son was being held hostage by that monster. They dropped their laser guns to the ground with an audible thud.
"You're the worst… no, that doesn't even begin to describe you…" said Xanatos.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Xanatos." Smirked Demona.
"Alright, you got what you came for, now just leave and let go of Alex!" said Xanatos.
"As you wish."
With those words, Demona did the unthinkable. She tossed the bag with Alex in it over the side of the castle.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Fox.
"You'll all be joining him soon enough! AH HAHAHAHAHAHA!" taunted Demona as she quickly flew off and was gone soon after.
David and Fox quickly ran to the side of the castle as they watched in horror their son plummeting to the streets below. David turned to the sound of running footsteps to see a recovered Owen running while clutching an injured arm.
"OWEN!" shouted Xanatos.
"I'm on it, sir." Said Owen monotonously as he jumped over the castle edge.
Owen dove down fast enough that he was now alongside the falling Alex. In a flash of light, Owen Burnett was no more, and in his place was Puck the Trickster.
"Hello, Alex! It's your dear old Uncle Puck!" greeted Puck as he used his powers to slow down Alex's decent to a slow stop. The baby giggled at seeing the Fae. "See? Everything's all fine! That nasty blue monster is long gone now! Let's see… how about for our next magical lesson, we go into the wonders of levitation?"
Alex cooed in delight.
At Castle Wyvern, David and Fox waited anxiously for any news. Suddenly, Puck flies upwards, holding a giggling Alex in his arms.
"Hey there, folks!" said Puck.
"ALEX!" said David and Fox.
"Now then, kid, like I showed you." Said Puck to Alex.
Alex cooed, then suddenly emitted sparkles as he floated towards Fox. The redhead took her son in her arms and embraced him with tears in her eyes. "Oh Alex… Alex…"
"Thank you, Puck." Said Xanatos in gratitude.
"Hey, it's all part of my job, after all. It's only in moments like this I can emerge again thanks to Oberon's restrictions." Said Puck. "As you can see, I've taken the liberty of teaching the little tyke how to fly in case something like this might happen again. Kid's a fast learner! Well, he's learning from the best!"
"In any case, thank you, Puck. Thank you very much…" said Fox.
"Ah stop, you're making me blush!" said Puck. "Well, time for me to go! Until next time!"
Puck emits a flash of light, marking his disappearance, and Owen stood in his place.
"We should get you three inside. It would also be best to tell the others about this incident." Said Owen.
The Xanatos couple could only nod.
Castle Wyvern, some time later…
"WHAT! DEMONA WAS HERE!" said Goliath. Currently, the Clan and Ranma's group were at the castle. Elisa was also present.
"Afraid so." Said David. "She even made off with something."
"Should've known that harpy would try something sooner or later!" said Brooklyn.
"Just who is this Demona?" asked Flora.
"A traitor to the Clan." Replied Goliath. "She doesn't agree with the Gargoyle way and defected towards a mad quest to end the human race no matter what the cost."
"So she's a racist?" asked Stella.
"Fanatically so." Replied Broadway. "She's no better than those Quarrymen."
"She's also been tryin' tae kill us fer we stand in her way av makin' a 'perfect world'." Added Hudson. "And because we don't agree with her way."
"She has an insane hate for humans, blaming everything on them." Said Brooklyn.
Ranma scoffed. 'Sounds like certain people I know…'(1)
"I can't believe she would take Alex hostage like that! And she tried to kill him afterwards just for being a human!" said Lexington. He had grown quite attached to the baby and the thought of the traitorous Gargoyle harming him made Lexington tremble with rage.
The others also couldn't believe the act they had heard Demona commit from David and Fox. They always knew she was evil, but to drop a helpless baby from the top of a skyscraper and laugh about it is just beyond evil. It was a lucky thing that Owen was around at the time to save him. When Elisa and the foreign visitors questioned how he managed to save the baby, David simply responded that Owen 'has many hidden talents'.
"I'm sorry, if only one of us had remained here…" said Goliath.
"The fault is mine, Goliath." Said Xanatos. "Even so, it would've made little difference since she took Alex hostage like that."
"Still, I'm glad he's all right." Said Angela.
"So what was is that she stole?" asked Elisa.
"The IO-570 conduit." Replied Xanatos. "It's an experimental component that's supposed to increase energy output with minimal energy for greater efficiency."
"Huh?" said a confused Broadway.
"It's like this, Broadway. A flashlight can only light up a set distance and area, but if set up with the conduit, the flashlight's area range will widen and the light more focused so it can see even further." Explained Tecna.
"In short, it can seriously power up any kind of machine, right?" asked Lexington.
"That is correct." Replied Xanatos.
"But what could Demona use it for?" asked Hudson.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good coming from her." Said Brooklyn.
In the back, Angela had been pretty silent. The news of her wayward mother's emergence wasn't good. She couldn't believe that Demona would stoop so low as to threaten Alex and STILL go on with her vendetta against the human race. Angela had hoped that with the disbanding of the Quarrymen and the city-wide acceptance of their kind, Demona would finally see reason and see her hatred is useless. Maybe then they could've all been family again…
Angela knew that there was very little hope of that.
Somewhere underground…
The Gargoyle in question had just arrived to her hidden hideout. Since her human identity as Dominique Destine had been exposed, the Nightstone Unlimited building had been confiscated and barricaded, forcing her to literally go underground. Demona had found an abandoned part of a derelict subway tunnel to use as her temporary base. The setup was pretty rundown for her tastes, but it was better than nothing. In one corner of the area were several devices she managed to salvage from the Nightstone building, some laser weapons, and a make-shift table with a sheet of paper that was slightly burnt on the sides lying on it.
"That was too easy." Said Demona as she took out the conduit she had stolen and looked at it. "This is the final piece I need. At last the humans will pay for everything…"
She turned to look over to a large device in a separate larger room. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a large hydrogen bomb. It was a secret project that was worked on at Nightstone Unlimited as a sort of backup plan should her previous one fail, which it did thanks to the interference of the Manhattan Clan. Over five centuries of work and preparation had gone down the drain in a single night, her magic-enhanced virus bomb which would've ensured the utter destruction of the human race was rendered useless when Goliath destroyed the one relic that kept Gargoyles safe from it. Demona could only growl at the memory. Couldn't they see that she was trying to make a perfect world for all gargoyles and her daughter? If only she were the one leading the Clan! Goliath's foolish ideals would be the end of them.
Due to the Hunter generations and the Quarrymen, Demona couldn't operate freely, but now that they're both gone, she was able to plan in peace. Even though the Gargoyle race was more widely accepted in the city, Demona refused to let go of her irrational prejudice. Well, if she can't destroy all humans on the planet, Demona will have to settle for destroying the ones in New York as most of the ones she detests reside there.
Xanatos had his uses, but that was at an end. Getting rid of his baby son was an added bonus. Demona had figured the brat would grow up to be a potential threat to her as he is a Xanatos, so had decided to nip the problem at the bud, so to speak. She knew she had called upon the wrath of the Xanatoses and most likely her former Clan as well, but she didn't care. They'll all be gone soon enough.
"This hydrogen bomb by itself could take out the entire island of Manhattan, but with the IO-570 conduit installed, it could take out the entire state and possibly others nearby." Said Demona to herself. "I've got to hand it to those humans for making such beautiful weapons of mass destruction. They will become their own undoing."
Demona was quite sure her former Clan would try to stop her. She had taken the necessary precautions. The place had been installed with laser gun security as well as some security bots. There was also the burnt page that would further tighten the defenses.
Nothing will stop her now!
Underground subway…
"How far now, Tecna?" asked Ranma. The Winx as well as the Clan, Elisa, Xanatos, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse were navigating through the dark abandoned subway tunnels.
"We're still pretty far, but if we keep up the pace, we can get there quickly." Replied Tecna. With her tech-based magic, she was able to track the conduit's electronic signature. Stella was also providing light for all of them.
"Quite a handy trick you got there." Said Xanatos. He was currently clad in his red Steel Clan mech suit.
"Machines are living things in their own way."
"Never thought of it like that." Said Lexington.
"We'd better tread carefully. Demona may be expecting us." Said Goliath.
No sooner than the Gargoyle leader said that, something bursts out from the wall.
"What the!" said Ukyou.
Everyone was surprised that a six foot golem made of bricks suddenly came out and attacked. Ranma reacted fast.
"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"
The pigtailed boy barraged the brick golem with heavy punches until it was reduced to a pile of pebbles.
"My goodness, that sure surprised me…" said Flora.
"That was a golem! How could there be one down here?" wondered Musa.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Demona had planted it here." Said Goliath.
"Wouldn't put it past her." Said Elisa. "Looks like our little trip will take longer."
"In any case, we'd better hurry." Said Bloom.
"Yeah! I hate being in dark places!" said Stella.
The group continued on, lead by Tecna and Stella. The closer they got towards the conduit's energy signature, the more security they had to deal with. This mostly consisted of those brick golems or hidden surveillance lasers. Any one of them had made short work of the ambushes, and the Clan had the opportunity to put their ki training to use. Ranma couldn't help but think that those little skirmishes were just small fries. They could ill afford to be taken off guard.
Later…
"I can sense it is more focused in the next room." Said Tecna as she pointed to a poorly barricaded tunnel entrance. It was very run-down and looked as though it had been a past buffet to termites.
"How vulgar…" said Stella.
Goliath walks forward and easily breaks down the rotted wood. "Everyone stay alert."
The large group entered into a rather large area. Suddenly, the area lights up and they were greeted by a group of security robots with lasers pointed at them.
"This can't be good…" said Layla.
It was then that they heard some Latin chanting.
"Egredimini servi, lapidem percutiat, inimicos meos!" ("Come forth, servants of stone, and smite my enemies!")
Ranma and the others looked to see Demona further in the back. She was a blue-skinned Gargoyle with a mess of red hair adorned by a gold tiara. She was clad in a drab loin cloth and one-strapped short top ensemble as well as a coiled gold armlet on her arm. In her hand was a laser rifle.
No sooner had she finished chanting, over ninety rock golems slightly bigger than Goliath emerged from all around as the tunnel had a healthy supply of rock to create from.
"Shit…" cursed Ranma.
"Ah, Goliath, so nice of you to visit." Said Demona mockingly. "I would have cleaned up had I known you'd drop by. And you've brought friends, as well." She held in her other hand the paper, which was a photocopied page of the Grimorum. Demona had photocopied every page of the magical book in case something happened to the original. Unfortunately, all but one of the page copies had all been burned up from the wreckage of the Nightstone building. Still, it had a spell that was useful for her.
"Demona! Just what are you planning this time!" demanded Goliath.
"You ruined my plan of finally curing the world of the disease that is humans! If I can't take them out in one fell swoop, then I'll do it slowly, starting with New York! I'm going to destroy it and everyone else with it!"
Xanatos used the scanners in his suit to zoom in on the huge device behind Demona and cringed at recognizing it. "Oh no… she's got a Hydrogen Bomb down here!"
"What! How could she have one of those!" said Elisa. She's no scientist, but she knew that a hydrogen bomb is over four hundred times as powerful as the atomic bombs used in WWII. For someone as psychotic as Demona to be in possession of one was extremely bad.
"So that's why you wanted the IO-570 conduit. You actually plan on installing it to a Hydrogen Bomb?" asked Xanatos incredulously.
"Your own weapons will be the end of you." Said Demona. "Quite ironic, really, that we're near the base ground of the Twin Towers. A disaster happened there, and now an even bigger one will happen soon! (2) I shall destroy the entire state!"
Everyone growled at the deliberate insensitivity the prejudiced Gargoyle was spouting. She had some nerve taking cheap shots at that.
"Lady, you are certifiably insane." Said Ranma bluntly.
"That's not going to happen, not if we have anything to say about it!" said Bloom.
"And what can you pathetic humans do? You're all nothing but worthless trash!" taunted Demona. She looked at the new faces and didn't seem at all impressed, believing them to be weak because they were just humans. Demona then gestured to her magical and technological servants. "GO! DESTROY THEM!"
With that said, Demona slips away and the golems and security robots converged on Ranma and company.
"Get ready, you guys!" said Ranma as he and the others got into offensive stances.
Goliath and his Clan's eyes flared as they let off battle cries.
Shampoo and Ukyou had decided that now would be a good time to utilize their were-forms and transformed.
The Specialists' souls flashed briefly above Ranma.
"WINX ENCHANTIX!"
That was when all hell broke loose.
Goliath and the Gargoyles used their training in ki manipulation to power up their already inhuman strength even further to fight off the golems.
The lavender Gargoyle threw a ki-enhanced fist into a golem, caving its chest inward, then without taking his fist out, slammed it into another, shattering them both. He lashes out with his tail to trip another one to the ground.
Brooklyn lunges at one golem with a kick that knocked its head off, then thrusts both his arms into a double palm strike into a second golem's gut, breaking it in two. The red Gargoyle swings his fist into a right hook, firing off a disc-shaped ki projectile, which slammed into a robot, making it explode.
Broadway swings a fierce backfist at a golem, tearing its head off. Another tried to blindside him, but the bulky Gargoyle quickly jumps up, then drops back down right on the offender, smashing it. Picking up a discarded head, Broadway hurls it into a security robot before it got a chance to shoot at him. He turns around to face another golem, then opens his mouth and fires a ki ball out of it at the golem's chest, blowing it outward.
Lexington darted around nimbly to avoid two golems' attacks. For each pass, he lashed out with a ki-power talon slash, taking off bits of rock, slowing them down. He then finishes them by firing off several small but fast ki spheres from both his hands at a rapid-fire pace.
Hudson had managed to properly ki-enhanced his sword and slashed a golem to ribbons. "Jalapeno…"He turns to see a security robot aim its laser gun at Broadway's back. "Oh no ye don't!" His sword sliced off the robot's gun from its arm, then proceeded to slash it to useless scrap. Hudson then turns and swings his sword at a far away golem, the blade shooting off a crescent-shaped ki projectile which sliced the golem in twain.
Even Bronx was utilizing ki. The dog-like Gargoyle was wrapped up in an aura of light before he charged into the opposition like a comet, darting about after each hit(3).
Angela focuses her ki into her taloned hands and slashed at a security robot's head, slicing it in four. She then executes a spinning roundhouse at an adjacent golem, swiping out a huge chunk of its chest, then double-swipes at another, leaving behind trails of ki.
Xanatos, in his Steel Clan suit, used his wrist lasers to blast at anything coming his way. Elisa was also blasting away with a laser gun provided by Xanatos since the conventional police firearm just wouldn't cut it. Both of them were quite the crackshots.
In their hybrid forms, Were-Shampoo and Were-Ukyou made short work of the golems and robots. Using their claws, the two girls slashed apart the opposition like wet newspaper or they would shoot out balls of flame to melt others. Mousse constantly switched between weapons in his arsenal to take down the robots and golems: blades, chains, spikes, and blunt objects flashed by in total randomness.
The Winx while in Enchantix form were given more maneuverability as well as a magical arsenal. Bloom utilized the power of the Dragon's Flame and burned to crisps any golem or robot that attacked her. Stella turned others into swiss cheese by way of well placed concentrated beams of light. Flora elongates a bramble-lined vine from her hand and lashed it at the opposition like a whip, tearing off rock and metal. Musa attacked others through use of releasing sonic waves from her clapped hands, causing them to rattle to useless piles. Tecna uses her techno net to ensnare a golem then throws it at a robot, finally finishing them both with an electric bolt, shattering them. Layla, with the power of her morphix, fashions a purple blade of water and slashes through her enemies, slicing through them with the sheer water pressure.
With Ranma, he didn't bother to try and fight these things bare-handed, so he whips out Nabu's staff and Helia's cable gauntlets, then fuses them together. The end result was a three-sectioned staff, or trichaku, the ends weighted with amethyst tips. Swinging the trichaku around his body, Ranma rushes in and breaks through the waves of golems and robots, smashing away with the trichaku. He may normally fight barehanded, but he's still quite proficient in armed combat as well.
During the fighting, Demona was quite shocked at how the Clan was easily fighting off her army, but even more so at the appearance of the Winx girls in their Faerie forms. She never would've expected this.
'Faefolk! This could complicate things…' She then sees Angela nearby and acts. While Angela was distracted, Demona swoops in and quickly grabs her by the wrist, taking her out of the fight.
"What the!"
"ANGELA!" shouted Goliath when he saw his daughter being taken away. He was soon blocked by three golems. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" In anger, Goliath thrusts out his hand and fires a huge ball of ki at the golems, causing them to explode. He runs in the direction of where Demona took Angela to.
"Goliath!" said Elisa as she shot away another robot with her laser. She gave chase, but she gets disarmed when another robot shoots the laser out of her hand. Before it could move in, Were-Shampoo rushes up and tears off its head with a slash while Were-Ukyou grabs Elisa and jumps up to an opening in the ceiling for temporary relief.
"You all right?" asked Were-Ukyou.
"Yeah, I am, but now I can't fight…" said Elisa as she rubbed her hand in pain.
"Oh yes you can!" said Stella as she flew up to them. "You need to be there for Goliath!"
"What? But how?"
"I recall a little incident Brooklyn told me about, and I thought this would be a good time to reenact it!"
Elisa didn't know what Stella was talking about when the Faerie of Light started to sprinkle her with Faerie Dust. All of a sudden, the NYPD detective started to feel a bit strange yet familiar...
In the back room, Angela was being dragged by Demona to what looked like some kind of shelter.
"Let go of me! What do you think you're doing!" said Angela as she tried to pull away.
"I didn't want you to get involved, Daughter. Following Goliath's foolish ideals will only get you killed." said Demona as she opened the door of the shelter, then threw her in before shutting and locking it. Angela started pounding on the door. "You'll be safe in there once everything is over. It's for your own good."
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" shouted Angela from behind the door and she angrily pounded on it.
"ANGELA!" Demona turned to see an angry Goliath bursting into the room, having taken out a security robot on the way. "WHERE IS SHE, DEMONA!"
Demona unslung her laser rifle and pointed it at her former lover. "She's safe from you and your idiotic notions of coexistence with those lowly humans."
"You're only holding her against her will!"
"You and the humans contaminated her mind, a mistake I shall rectify once I kill you and everyone here."
With that said, she fires her laser. Goliath quickly dodges the shots, zipping around the room in a way that belies his build. As he dodged, Goliath remembered back to Ranma's training, that ki can be used for defensive purposes. Focusing his ki into his hands, Goliath held them out, a disc-shaped aura surrounding them, and actually deflects an incoming laser away from himself, which barely grazes past Demona's surprised face.
"What! How did you do that!" demanded Demona.
"Trade secret." Replied Goliath. He thrusts out his hand again and hits the stunned Gargoyle with a ki ball, knocking her down.
Demona gets up in pain, shocked at the attack Goliath used on her. 'Was that sorcery! How could Goliath do that!' "This ends now!" She points her laser again, but was suddenly knocked aside by someone. "Who dares!"
"That's quite enough…"
Demona looked up as she recognized the voice. Goliath was also shocked at what he saw. He had a feeling of déjà vu.
"Elisa…?" said Goliath.
There stood Elisa Maza, but as a Gargoyle. She still had the same skin tone, but now sporting a pair of wings, taloned hands and feet, and a tail. Her outfit was different from what Goliath remembered from the incident with Titania's Mirror. She was clad in a dark blue loincloth, a black halter top bra, and wearing her red leather jacket over it.
"YOU!" Demona raged as she brought her weapon to bear, but it was immediately kicked out of her hands by Elisa. Before she realized what happened, Elisa clocks her in the kisser, knocking her back.
"Impressive hit." Said Goliath.
"Comes with the package." Said Elisa as she flexed her hand.
Demona gets back up and charges at Elisa with rage in her eyes. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
Because of her rage-filled charge, it was quite predictable. Elisa quickly parries Demona's attack, then swings her around with her own momentum, throwing her right at the hydrogen bomb.
"Not so tough when we're on equal footing, are you?" said Elisa.
Demona spits out some blood as she glared at Elisa. "You little bitch! I'll take you all out!" She pulls out a small remote and presses a button. Suddenly, the hydrogen bomb near her hummed to life and activated. A digital timer set to one minute was displayed.
"Demona! What have you done!" said Goliath.
"I'm about to purge this world of a few scraps of trash." Said Demona arrogantly. "You'll all get what's coming to you! Don't worry, Goliath. I'll be sure to take good care of Angela. You can die knowing she's in good hands."
It had been now or never. With Angela safely tucked away in the bomb shelter, Demona was content. Angela was the only family she cared about, to hell with the rest. She may hate her now, but Demona was confident that she'll get her daughter to see her way of thinking and maybe even catch up on things. Being an immortal, she had all the time in the world to do so.
The redheaded Gargoyle was soon surprised when the door to the shelter was suddenly blown outward. Out comes an angry Angela with her eyes flared red.
"Demona…" Angela said slowly.
"Angela? How did-" Demona didn't get to finish when Angela suddenly shot her with twin beams of ki out of her eyes, knocking her back down. She looked up at her daughter's enraged expression. "Angela? What are you doing!"
"I should be asking you that!" shouted Angela bitterly.
"The humans must be destroyed! I'm trying to make the world a better place for our kind! I'm doing this all for you!"
"For me? You're only doing this for yourself and your stupid prejudice! I'd rather die than live in your ideal world!" With those words, Angela shot Demona again with her ki eye beams, knocking her out cold.
Goliath and Elisa were shocked at what they had witnessed. At that time, everyone else had poured into the room after having finally finished wasting all the robots and golems.
"This is bad. REALLY bad." Said Xanatos as he looked at the activated hydrogen bomb, which only had a few seconds left before it detonates.
"Oh no! What do we do now!" said Flora.
"Leave this to me!" said Tecna as she flew towards the bomb. Holding out her hands at the mass destruction weapon, she encases it in a green energy net and began running a scan, green numbers flashing by. Everyone held their breath as Tecna worked her magic on trying to stop the bomb. If it wasn't stopped, New York and possibly the entire northeastern part of the USA will be a distant memory. There were only seconds left..
5…
4…
3…
Finally, the timer stopped at a mere three seconds left as the bomb powered down. Everyone in the area lets out a sigh of relief that the bomb was deactivated. Tecna wiped the sweat off her brow from the pressure.
"That was cutting it close…" said the Techno Faerie. Even though the bomb mechanisms and schematics seemed primitive to her, she was put under a lot of pressure due to the time limit and the fact they would've all been dead if she didn't stop it in time.
"Way to go, Tecna!" said Ranma.
"Thanks, Ranma." Said Tecna. Suddenly, she felt a little dizzy and fell over, but was quickly caught by the pigtailed martial artist.
"Tecna? Is she?" asked a concerned Musa.
"No worries, she just fainted." Said Ranma. "Can't say I blame her, being put under pressure like that."
Xanatos then walks over to the deactive bomb and removes the IO-570 conduit. He also pulls something else out of it, making an audible ripping sound. "There. Without this, the hydrogen bomb is just an oversized paperweight." They'd still have to properly dispose of it so it can never be used again. The Winx will figure out a way.
"I'm just glad it's all over…" said Broadway.
Brooklyn looks over to the unconscious Demona. "What about her?"
Goliath marches up and looks down at her. "I think it's about time we settle this once and for all…"
Castle Wyvern courtyard…
Demona wakes up to find herself restrained in energy ropes around her wrists behind her back as well as around her ankles, courtesy of Stella. "What…?" She looked around to find everyone standing before her, including Fox, Owen, and three other humans she didn't know. Demona was also shocked to see Alex being held in Fox's arms. 'Impossible! How could that brat have survived!' "WHAT IS THIS! RELEASE ME AT ONCE!"
"Oh shut up, you harpy! Your screeching is giving me a headache!" said Brooklyn.
Goliath steps forward. "Demona, your crimes of prejudice and treachery have gone on for far too long. You have forgotten the Gargoyle way and caused us and many other noting but grief."
"All of you will pay! I WILL have my vengeance!"
" 'My vengeance! My vengeance!' Would you give it a rest, already? You talk about that so many times it's beginning to lose all meaning!" said Lexington.
"This changes NOTHING, you fools! Goliath will be the death of us Gargoyles!"
Goliath's eyes narrowed when Owen steps in. "That is quite funny, coming from you."
"And what would you know, you stiff!"
"A lot more than you think." As Puck, Owen had known about the past life Demona had lead from his watching of the Weird Sisters actions. "So you believe Goliath is to blame for the human prejudice against Gargoyles?"
"Of course it is! His way of living is weak! His ideals have made the race weak!"
"Is that what you think? I believe a revelation is in order." Owen looked over to Nodoka. As a Child of Oberon, he was forbidden to directly interfere with human lives, but since his exile, he feels that no longer applies to him. After all, it's not like he can go back to Avalon anyway. In any case, he's only suggesting an idea. Walking over to Ranma's mother, he whispers something to her, which she nods, then walks over to Demona.
Demona glares at Nodoka. Even though she's never met her before, she still shows hate for simply being a human. "What do you think you're doing, lowly filth?"
"Back off, lady, that's my mother you're talking to…" said Ranma in a low growl.
"ENCHANTIX!" Before the astonished eyes of Demona, Nodoka transformed into her Enchantix form.
"A Child of Oberon!" said Demona in shock.
"Not quite." Said Goliath.
Nodoka hold her hand out and sends off an energy wave that enveloped the redheaded Gargoyle. "Memory Vision!"
Suddenly, a magical portal opened up acting like a viewing screen. First it showed Demona making a deal with the Guard Captain to have Castle Wyvern sacked by the Vikings in exchange for having the castle for the Clan, but horribly backfired, which resulted in most of them being shattered. Rather than taking responsibility for her actions, she went and shifted the blame on the humans.
Next was the scene of when she triggered the birth of the Hunter by slashing that farm boy across the face, and he later vowed revenge against her and her race. Then it showed the events of her meeting Macbeth, then betraying him and his kingdom out of paranoia, resulting in the destruction of both his kingdom and her new brethren.
Afterwards, it showed the City of Stone incident where Demona cast a spell that cause people who've seen and heard her broadcast to turn to stone at night, which she then indiscriminately shattered as many people as possible in a sadistic manner.
It then showed her memories in a kaleidoscope of images of generations of the Canmore family hunting her down as the Hunter, which inadvertently lead to the forming of the now disbanded Quarrymen.
The memory vision ended, with everyone looking shocked. The Clan's eyes narrowed as they glared at the exiled traitor.
"How horrible…" said Flora in shock.
"I can't believe you did all of that…" said Elisa.
"NO! You had me under a spell! None of this was my fault! It was the humans! ALWAYS THE HUMANS!" Demona denied.
Ranma frowned. 'Kami-sama, she's even more delusional than Kuno!'
"Even now, you continue to play the victim." Said Goliath.
"Ye caused the birth of te Hunter." Said Hudson.
"You gave us all a bad name!" added Broadway.
"We had to suffer for your actions and clean up your messes!" said Brooklyn.
"You've got some nerve saying that Goliath will be the death of us. If anything, YOU'LL be the end of us all! Who knows how many innocent Gargoyles those Hunters have killed when trying to get you? You've caused more Gargoyle deaths than Goliath could ever hope to do!" said Lexington.
"That doesn't matter! It would've happened either way!" argued Demona.
"We're in an age of peace now. The Quarrymen are disbanded and the city has started to accept us. We'll be damned if we let you screw up our efforts!" said Brooklyn.
"Your efforts are in vain! They'll eventually turn back around and hate us again!"
"You really are pathetic, Demona."
Demona Looked to see Angela glaring at her. "Angela…"
"Save it. I've seen enough. You've no one to blame but yourself for all this. You practically gave people a reason to hate us and using that as an excuse to attack them!"
"Angela, listen to me! The humans are a menace! I was only trying to save you from Goliath and-"
"SAVE ME! If anything, the one I need to be saved from is YOU! I was raised by humans! They and my Clan were there for me! I care about everyone here! You think that by killing all those I hold dear to me, I'd suddenly jump into your arms! Don't make me laugh!"
The Clan was shocked at the tone of voice Angela was having towards Demona, when she's usually more serene. She continued on.
"I truly believed that after everything was said and done, you'd let go of your hatred, that I had hoped we could be family again… I wanted to give you a chance… but now I know that after this, that's nothing more than a foolish dream. You're so full of hate, you prioritize your vengeance over your family. You don't want a daughter, you just want an ally. Father was right about you. You are a lost cause."
"No Angela! That's not true! I do care about you! I'm your mother!"
Angela coldly turns her back on her. "Mother? As far as I'm concerned, I have no mother." She walks over to her father and Elisa. "Elisa is more of a mother to me than you could ever hope to be."
That last comment hit Demona hard. Not only has Angela outright disowned her, but she also considers Elisa, the one person she hates more than anyone else, as more of a mother figure.
Alex started to coo, which Owen listened in on. "Hmm, yes, I understand."
"What is it, Owen?" asked Fox.
"It seems young Alexander wishes to have a little payback, and I must say, it is quite interesting to say the least."
Before the astonished eyes of everyone, excluding the Clan and the Xanatoses, Own transformed into Puck. "Puck is back!"
Demona glared at the trickster who had caused her grief in the past. "YOU!"
"My my, nice to see you, too, Demona." Said Puck sarcastically. He then levitated Alex from Fox into his arms. "Okay, kiddo, you want to try something, you've got to have some mature vocal chords for this." He looks around. "Do I got any volunteers?"
Angela steps forward. "I'll be his vessel."
"All right! Lovely!" Puck floats over to the female lavender Gargoyle, then gestures to Alex. "Now, remember how to do soul transference…"
"What are you doing to Angela! Stop it!" shouted Demona.
"Shut up, Demona. In case you didn't notice, I volunteered for this, not that you ever respected my choice." Said Angela, making Demona cringe at her hostility. She turns to Puck and Alex. "I'm ready."
"Then let's get this show on the road!" said Puck. Alex started to emit an ethereal aura around him until he melted into fog, then flies into Angela's mouth, possessing her. Puck then gestures to Musa. "Oh, Music Girl? Since you're an expert on sound, think you could encase the three of us in a soundproof dome? It would be in everyone's best interest that they don't hear this certain spell. Trust me on this."
Musa had gone past her shock about Owen being a magical being and complied with his request. "Soundless Dome!" The magical dome appeared and encased Puck, Angela, and Demona, which cut off all sound.
Within the dome, Puck gives his instructions to the possessed Angela. "Tonight, we're going to learn about spell imitation! The subject, a page from te Grimorum Arcanorum!"
Alex-Angela nods and starts chanting a certain spell in Latin. Puck remembered this spell from his experience as Owen.
"Omnes conspecti, omnes auditi, in nocte usque ad saxum commutate. Dum caelum ardeat!" ("All who see, all who hear, turn to stone each night. Until the dark skies burn!")
Demona panicked when she heard those words. She recognized them very well. "NO! NOT THAT SPELL! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"
From outside the dome, the onlookers couldn't hear a thing, but they saw Demona panicking for some reason, which was a sight to behold.
"Wonder what's going on in there? She seems really panicky all of a sudden." Said Mousse.
Suddenly, Demona started to stiffen and her coloring started to turn grey. In a few seconds, Demona had turned into a statue at night. Puck gives Musa the okay to drop the sound barrier. Alex then floats out of Angela's mouth, giving her control again, and forms back in Puck's arms.
"She's… stone at night…" said Broadway.
"Is it permanent?" asked Hudson.
"Not really." Replied Puck. "My own spell on her I did earlier is still in effect. Come morning, she'll be a human, but at night, she'll be as stiff as she is right now." He emphasized his point by knocking on Demona's head.
"Talk about a karmic punishment." Said Elisa. "Demona hates humans with a passion and prides herself on her Gargoyle lineage, now she's forever barred from ever becoming a Gargoyle again, only to spend her waking hours as what she hates the most."
"Ha! What a fitting punishment for her!" said Brooklyn. He then gets a wicked idea. Asking for a marker from Mousse, Brooklyn began to draw moustache and glasses on the Demona statue's face as well as the words, 'penny whore' on her forehead.
Once he was done with his graffiti and the others getting a laugh out of it, Lexington poses a question. "So what do we do with her, now? I certainly don't want to keep her here when she wakes up."
"I know someone who will want her…" said Xanatos.
"If you want to make a delivery, I can do it in a flash!" said Stella.
"Is that so, Young Lady? Well then, I'd like you to send to this person…"
A chateau in Scotland…
Macbeth was surprised to see a tall crate appeared in his living room at the beginning of nightfall.
"Hmmm? What is this?" He looked at the crate to see it addressed to him and that it was from the Manhattan Clan and Xanatos. On it was a note that read. 'Do with her as you see fit.'
Getting a crowbar, Macbeth opens up the crate. After opening it, he was surprised to see a statue of Demona, frozen in a panicky state. He was also a bit surprised that her face had been graffittied on. The 900+ year old former Scottish King smirked.
"Well well well… looks like they've beaten you good, Demona…"
Macbeth proceeds to move her to his secret chamber.
Castle Wyvern…
"Well, it's done! I've sent her to the place you wanted!" said Stella.
"Excellent. That's good to know." Said Xanatos.
"Hope Macbeth likes his new toy." Said Broadway.
Off to the side, Flora sees Angela. "Are you all right, Angela?"
"Yes, I'm fine, Flora. I did what I had to do. Demona's crimes were beyond unforgivable. It's best this way. I have my REAL family to think about."
Angela walks off towards Goliath and Elisa, then surprises them as she embraces them both. The two were surprised, but then responded by hugging her back, knowing how much this event might have affected her.
'They really do look like family there…'
"So Stella, how long is this transformation of yours going to last?" asked Elisa, who was still in Gargoyle form.
"You'll be human again once the sun comes back up." Replied Stella.
In Goliath's mind, he was slightly disappointed. Elisa was already attractive enough as a human, but she looked downright gorgeous as a Gargoyle. The sun was about to come up, too, so it won't last very long. Under other circumstances, he would have…
Goliath shook his head.
"There something wrong, Goliath?" asked Elisa.
"You're slightly red there, Father." Said Angela.
Goliath was alarmed when he heard this. "Uh… no! I mean…"
"Face it, Lavender Boy, you're liking the new package." Puck teased. "You got it bad!"
The rest of the Clan looked to see Goliath looking rather embarrassed being put on the spot like that from Puck. "Silence, Puck!"
From the door, the Pixies and Kiko peeked out and observed the scene.
"Ah, as I said before, that kind of love is so romantic…" said Amore with a grin.
"Hmm… so that Owen guy's a magical being? No wonder he could see us!" said Digit.
Elisa was also blushing that Goliath was no doubt turned on by her current form and smiled. "So Goliath, you like what you see?"
Goliath's eyes widened at the teasing tone of Elisa's question. "Uh… well… I'd be lying if I said I didn't…" Everyone chuckled knowingly at the response. "I-in any case! The sun is about to come up soon and it's been a long night!"
He quickly goes up to his place at the central tower. The rest of the Clan follow suit and took their places on the parapets. Elisa smirks. "I'll let you go this time."
The Winx giggled to themselves at the sight.
"He's got it SO bad for Elisa!" said Stella.
"Yeah! You see the way he looked at her?" asked Bloom.
"He looked like a tomato!" said Layla.
Ranma could only sweatdrop at the girl gossip, then looked up at Goliath was taking a stance. "I know how you feel, buddy."
"Well, looks like my work here is done! Ta-ta!" said Puck as he vanished and transformed into Owen.
The sun came up, and the Clan turned into statues. It had been a long night, and they've earned the rest. Elisa had also reverted back to her human self.
Macbeth's chateau…
When morning came, Demona broke out of her stone sleep, but as a human. She found she was in some underground weapons lab and she was encased in a thick glass tube chamber.
"W-WHERE AM I!" shouted Demona as she banged her fists on the glass, but it was useless. Even if she were in Gargoyle form, she wouldn't be able to break it. She also noticed her reflection on the glass and saw the graffiti on her face, causing her to angrily try to wipe it off.
"Ah, I see you are awake, Demona."
Demona turned to the voice and growled as she recognized it. "Macbeth!"
"That's right. You're in my chateau in Scotland. Somehow, you got delivered to me by Xanatos and your former Clan." Said Macbeth.
"WHAT!"
"Looks like the rumors about you are true, too. You now turn to stone at night, and you turn human in the day. You can never be a Gargoyle again."
Demona's eyes widened at that fact. "NO! IT CAN'T BE TRUE!"
"Oh, but it is. And they were so kind as to deliver you to me like this. It looks like karma is finally paying you back for all these centuries."
"Just what are you planning to do with me!"
"You know the answer to that as much as I do. With you in this predicament, I can end both of our existences at any time. Unlike you, I'm not afraid to die. Still, there are things left for me to do before I can finally have my eternal rest. Until then, I'll be seeing you." Macbeth turns to leave the room. Before locking up, he turns out the light, with Demona screaming and cursing at him.
"Game over."(4)
The next few years, Macbeth kept Demona locked up in his underground lab, hidden and isolated from the world. No one knew of her whereabouts or even her existence. With no access to being a Gargoyle, Demona couldn't do anything, having little to no hope of escape. She continued to curse everyone she believed responsible for her predicament and that she was the victim, but in reality, she really had no one to blame but herself. After Macbeth had gotten all his affairs in order, which included assisting Arthur in retrieving the Holy Grail, He finally decided now was the time to end it all. Once nightfall hit, Macbeth goes to the chamber holding the statue of a human Demona and activates a terminal next to it. From above the tube chamber, the ceiling opened up to reveal a pile driver mechanism. With finality, Macbeth activates the pile driver and it speeds down to the stone Demona…
In another few years, no one would find the remains of the two once immortals, the curse finally broken.
Castle Wyvern, present time…
Nightfall had hit, and it was about time Ranma's group had left for home. They all had their belongings packed away.
"Well, I'd say that this was quite an interesting visit." Said Xanatos.
"Likewise, David." Said Nodoka. "We should get back to Japan."
"It was an honor meeting you all." Said Goliath.
"I gotta admit, it's been fun." Said Ranma.
"We should hang together again sometime!" said Brooklyn.
"Thank you all. You've made a real difference in our lives." Said Angela.
"Just doing what we can to help." Said Bloom.
Nodoka takes a bow. "I thank you for your hospitality. Now, we must get back home. You all have bright futures ahead of you." Using her magic, she opens up a portal.
"If you're ever in the neighborhood, be sure to drop by." Said Broadway.
They all said their goodbyes and Ranma's group vanished into the portal, which then winked out of sight.
"They've done so much for us." Said Fox.
"Yeah. Thanks to their help, the Quarrymen and Demona are gone, and Gargoyles are finally being accepted." Said Lexington.
"So what do we do now, Goliath?" asked Hudson. "We've achieved te peace we've all b'in dreamin' ab'oot."
"Continue on, old friend. Even in these peaceful times, we must remain ever vigilant." Replied Goliath.
"Knew he'd say something like that…" said Brooklyn.
"Well then, guess I'll be off!" said Angela as she glided off.
"Hey Angela! Wait for me!" said Broadway as he glided after her.
Brooklyn, Lexington, and Hudson while carrying Bronx also followed.
"Well, I've got matter to attend to." Said David as he, Fox, Alex, and Owen went back inside, leaving Goliath alone with Elisa.
"Guess I'd better head out, too." Said Goliath.
"Hold on, Goliath, I want to come, too." Said Elisa.
"Oh, certainly, Elisa."
"Wait, not like this, though."
Goliath was confused when Elisa stepped back and took out a small pendant that was in the shape of a bottle with wings. Putting it around her neck, she clenches the bottle and concentrates. Suddenly, her body was enveloped in light that blinded Goliath. When he could see again, the Clan leader was shocked to see Elisa once again as a Gargoyle.
"H-how did…?" asked Goliath.
Elisa holds up the pendant. "It was a little gift from Stella and her friends. This pendant can change me to Gargoyle and back while I wear it. Works only at night, of course. They knew you liked seeing this side of me, so they decided to help out. I tell you, kids nowadays." Elisa smirked as she looked at Goliath's expression. "Hey, Big Guy, you're drooling."
Goliath was snapped back to reality and quickly shut his mouth. "Uh… oh! Uh… well then…" he walks over to the side of the tower. "You remember how to glide."
"Sort of, but if not, I can always have you show me again…" said Elisa as she went up and wrapped her arm around Goliath's causing him to blush.
The lavender Gargoyle smiled. "Well then, let's go!" Spreading both their wings, the two glided off arm in arm.
"I had almost forgotten how good this feels!" said Elisa exhilarated.
"You are truly my Angel in the Night…" said Goliath.
"You as well…"
It was then that Elisa surprised Goliath again. Leaning in, their lips met, causing Goliath to go wide-eyed. After a few seconds, he sank into and returned the kiss.
Ending (High School of the Dead style, 'Return to Destiny')
Music starts as Goliath and Elisa glided off into the night sky.
Kuroku somaru sora shita (Under the sky that has lost its light)
Kage ni obie nokosareta (I was left behind, trembling in the big shadow)
They rendezvous with the rest of the Clan, shocked to see Elisa as a Gargoyle again. Elisa could only giggle and started gliding off on her own, daring the Trio to try and catch her.
Akaku moeru chi no iro ga (The blood, burning scarlet red)
Nijinda mama tokete yuku (Melts away in its blotted color)
Angela nudged Goliath playfully as they were gliding, who could only smile nervously. She was happy to have a real family.
Mou ichido mayowazu (It's not remotely possible)
Ano koro no bokura ni modoreru hazu mo nai (For us to be who we used to be)
David was in the R&D lab with the IO-570 conduit, pondering on what to do with it. Fox was playing with Alex in his room as Owen watched on with an expressionless face.
Return to destiny!
The Clan's shadows are seen in the moonlight as they glided over Manhattan.
Ai suru koto wo mitsukete inori wo komete (I discovered a way to love along with a way to pray)
Dareka no tame ni tatakau sube wo shitta (I discovered how to fight for the ones I love)
Clips of Ranma and the Winx's adventures in Manhattan flash by as the Clan glided. First it showed Ranma saving Elisa and Matt from the Quarrymen, then when he and the Winx saved the Clan from the warehouse ambush, then of Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse defending the PIT members.
Soredemo kimi wo nakusu to shitara (If I'm unable to remain with you)
Boku wa kono inochi wo (Then I'll give up my life)
Sasagete demo kimi no soba ni iruyo (So I can be by your side)
Clips of Ranma's group and the Clan fighting off the Quarrymen at the seminar set-up when rescuing Angela, then the utter defeat of Castaway. It then plays clips of the fights against Demona's army of golems and robots and her eventual defeat at their hands. It then plays a final clip of the foreigners leaving through the portal. The Clan glides off towards the moonlit sky as the music fades out.
End ending
Somewhere in Japan…
A portal opens up in an isolated street, dropping off its passengers before it vanished.
"Huh? This doesn't look like Nerima…" said Ukyou.
"Where are we?" asked Shampoo.
"What? We're not home?" asked Ranma. "Mom? What happened?"
"I don't know… but we must see where we are."
Everyone gets out of the alleyway into the streets, which were empty due to it being late at night. Mousse looks over to a sign and reads, " 'Welcome to… Juban'? We're in Juban?"
"Oh my! How did we end up in Juban?" asked Kasumi.
"Nodoka-sensei, what happened?" asked Flora.
"I'm not sure. It's as if some force has lead us here…" replied Nodoka.
It was then that they heard an explosion and something else in the distance.
"MERCURY/MARS/JUPITER/VENUS CRYSTAL POWER…."
"MOON ETERNAL POWER…"
"MAAAAAAAKE-UUUP!"
To be continued…
Preview…
Bloom: We didn't return home as planned, and now we wind up in another city!
Ranma: How strange, almost as strange as Nerima.
Stella: Never knew Earth was this lively.
Flora: But what's going on over there?
Musa: Magical girls? Besides us? Here?
Tecna: Hmmm… and what are they fighting?
Layla: Looks like it's not all over yet…
Ranma: Next time, on Ranma Club, 'Entrance! New Magical Girls on the Block!' Hmmm? How can they fight in… (remembers the Winx in their skimpy Enchantix outfits) Never mind…
Author's notes:
FINALLY! After months of hiatus, I've finally gotten the latest chapter out! I'm sorry to all my readers for taking so long on this. As you can see, this chapter is LONG (29 pages on a 10 font) and took a bit of time for me to place it all into words. Plus, as I had said before, RL can be such a pain in the ass. I'm hoping I get my documents soon and on time. Plus, I've been trying my hand at Marvel vs. Capcom 3. FELICIA ROCKS!
The gang's adventures in Manhattan are now over. The Quarrymen and Demona had all been dealt with, but now, they're all flung into Juban where they will encounter a certain fuku-clad group. How will this fare?
(1)I really don't need to say who, do I?
(2)In memory of the 9/11 tragedy, may their souls rest in peace…
(3)Think Jon Talbain's Beast Cannon or Red XIII's Sled Fang.
(4)Jigsaw is chuckling somewhere…
Today's…
RAI vs. 4Kids Rant!
Another continuation of last chapter's rant. Takes place in season 1 episode 11, "The Realm of Nymphs" (US: Junior League)
Scene : The girls encounter the Undines
4Kids:
Stella: "Ugh… I can't wait until we find the Nymphs and go back to civilization!"
Musa: "Chillax!"
Stella: "Not that I can't handle a little swamp."
Musa: "Yeah right! You couldn't even handle a kiddy pool if it was in the garden of your castle in Solaria!"
Stella: "Please! I've travelled all over the universe! I've been in far harsher environments then- (trips) AAHH!"
Musa: "She's over there."
Bloom: "Oh! Are you okay?"
Stella: "No, I'm not okay, I'm a princess! I shouldn't be subjected to slimy environments and neither should my shoes! Just find those stupid Nymphs!"
Flora: "Uh, hey, quiet…"
Stella: "No listen! I bet those Nymphs don't even exist! You- (Flora grabs her mouth) mmph!"
Flora: "That's them."
(see the Undines floating about)
Bloom: "They're so little!"
Stella: "Is that why they call them the Junior League?" (There is NO league!)
Musa: "They're like tiny mermaids."
Bloom: "Yeah! They are so cute!"
Musa: "Yeah, is that their crib?"
Stella: (shot of bubble houses) "Yeah, that must be where they live!"
Bloom: "Awesome! What are those things? Those little bubbles?"
Flora: "It's really cool. Each bubble is a little personal sleeping pod that houses one Nymph."
Undine 1: "Well hello! Welcome to the Blackmud Swap Junior League Headquarters, ladies. I suppose you are here to get tickets for the literacy for butterflies tea party benefits?" (The hell?)
Undine 2: "There aren't any left, but we could put your names on the wait list. Follow us."
How it's SUPPOSED to play out…
RAI:
(A shot of the swamp which 4Kids cut out)
Stella: "Oh no! Why oh why are swamps… so…"
Musa: "Swampy?"
Stella: "Your comments are uncalled for, Musa…"
Musa: "So is your outfit. For goodness sake, this is a muddy swamp, not a fashion show!"
Stella: "What does that have to do with anything? A Winx is always a Winx, and- (trips) AAHH!"
Musa: "Stella! She's over there!"
Bloom: "Stella, are you okay?"
Stella: "No I'm not okay… I'm tired and dirty and my feet are killing me from all that walking about If only we'd find these stupid flowers!"
Flora: "Hush! Quiet!"
Stella: "No! I refuse to be quiet! You said we'd find them and- (Flora grabs her mouth) mmph!"
Flora: "Look, Stella! There, on the water."
(See the Undines floating about. Notice Bloom, Stella, and Musa do NOT speak during this scene. A 4Kids cut of the Undines floating about and passing by a frog, then dives under. End 4Kids cut.)
Bloom: "Wow, they're so beautiful…"
Musa: "Yes, and they're so tiny!"
(4Crap cut, AGAIN!)
Stella: (bites Flora's hand to make her let go) "Hu… ngh!"
Flora: "AAAH!"
Undine 1: (startled) "Groundwalkers! Let's go, quick!"
(She, the other Undine, and the frog quickly retreat)
Flora: "No no, wait wait! Please, we don't want to hurt you, we're your friends, and we need your help..."
(Undines peek out from behind some petals. Scene change to the Undines guiding the Winx to their home)
Flora: "What an amazing place! I mean look at all the flowers! The lilies and gladioli, the water nymphs were right to bring us here. I'm sure we'll be able to find what we're looking for."
Stella: "Gasp!"
Flora: "What is it, Stella? A cat got your tongue or what?"
Stella: "Look down there, in the water!" (points at the bubble homes of the Undines)
(End 4Crap cut)
Bloom: "It's a miniature city!"
Flora: "Fascinating! The water nymphs live in air bubbles under the leaf of a water lily!"
Undine 1: (surfaces) "We don't mean to be rude or anything, but, uh, we have a bit of a problem. See, we can't really invite you into our house. You're kind of big, we have no room."
Undine 2: "But our Queen has expressed the wish to meet you. Follow us."
The water nymphs or Undines are another kingdom, but 4Idiots went and turned them into a damn book club! What the hell!
Thank you all for your patience. Anyways, see you all next chapter!