Author's Notes: After reading several reviews of the previous version of this chapter, I decided to delete that version and redo it with several changes, after several readers felt it was rushed. The story is no longer considered a crossover with Terraria and the sidestory with the tunnel has been removed. From now on, I will try and focus more on the characters of Nerima and their usual banter and mayhem. June and the Vault will still play a considerable role, but it will be downplayed and spread over the following few chapters.


Shampoo looked at Ranma with wide eyes. "Airen? What… you… What happen to you?"

The athletic swordswoman approached the smaller, Chinese girl. "Lay down your weapons, Amazon. This fight does not have to continue. Or do you intend on assaulting an Amazon sister?"

"No!" Shampoo then shouted. "You NOT Amazon! You NOT Shampoo's sister! You're my airen!" She then turned around and leapt out of the window.

Akane lowered her blade. "Well, at least she's gone now." She took a closer look at Ranma. "You look amazing," she said with awe. "Obviously this is what the orb considers an Amazon. But why did it change your behavior when it didn't do the same thing for me?"

"My actions are still my own," Ranma explained as she sheathed her sword. "Yet I feel an… urge to express myself like this." She carefully tested the weight of her sword and shield. "These weapons feel natural to me now. I am filled with the capabilities on an Amazon warrior, yet at the same time, also with Amazon pride. It's as if… being an Amazon is more than just using their arms, skills and strategies."

"I guess that makes some sense," Akane said. "But there's a lot I'm still wondering. Where do Amazons like the one you turned into come from? How did we get those orbs and what do Daisuke and Hiroshi have to do with them? And what is it that Shampoo wants from Nabiki?"

"My horn, apparently." Nabiki slowly came trotting into Akane's room and examined the broken window and Ranma's new form. "Well, I must say, Ranma… you certainly don't look like you need to go to the gym anytime soon." She whistled as she looked at the red-head's biceps. "Damn girl… does being an Amazon come with a membership card?"

"Hold your tongue, treacherous equine!" Ranma exclaimed with a stern glare. "Lest you wish to incur the wrath of an Amazon warrior!"

"Wow… that orb definitely seems to have given you a long-needed spine, Saotome," the unicorn sneered. "Too bad it took the powers of a magical artifact until you developed it."

With a single step, Ranma closed the distance towards the diminutive pony.

"Take it easy, Ranma," Akane said as she grabbed her currently female, archaic fiance. "It's just Nabiki being Nabiki, you know how she is. But wait a second… you know about the orbs, sis?"

"Oh please," Nabiki huffed. "My room is right next door. Subtlety has never been a strength of either of you two. I heard everything, from your discussion about the orbs to Shampoo's dramatic entrance and Ranma's… flamboyant speech."

Ranma growled as her hand wandered back to the hilt of her sword. "You tread on thin ice, hooved one."

"Can you turn back to normal already?" Akane groaned. "This archaic speech is honestly starting to get on my nerves."

"I… must confess, complete control over my words is beyond me at the moment," Ranma admitted. "Truth to be told, I feel a certain amount of… anxiety, for this is not who I am meant to be. Let us pray to the gods that this sorcery can be undone."

"Well, only one way to find out, right?" Nabiki smirked… and splashed Ranma with a cup filled with hot water.

"YEOUCH!" Ranma yelped as the scalding hot water burnt his skin and turned him back to his normal, male self. Even his clothes had transformed back, while the shield and the sword vanished into thin air. "Did ya have to BOIL the water, Nabiki?"

"I guess I overdid it," the pony smirked. "Still, you can't argue with the results." She floated the empty cup back towards her. "Unicorn magic… what would I do without it? I guess you should call me the great and powerful Nabiki. You're welcome, by the way."

"So he still can turn back to normal with hot water," Akane sighed. "That's a relief."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ranma agreed. "I mean, I admit that new form was pretty badass. But I'm still not ready to be a girl all of my life. Or to lose my martial arts, on top of that."

"Do you remember how to use your all of your martial arts techniques?" Akane asked.

He nodded. "Yup, it's all there. All the things the old bat and pops ever taught me… including the neko-ken, to my disappointment. Pretty much everything is still there. While I was transformed, I couldn't remember how to do any of it… but then again, I didn't really want to. This weird Amazon pride I felt within me made it feel good to fight with a sword and shield."

"Does that mean the orbs affect our behavior?" Akane asked. "But I haven't felt anything like that… yet. Maybe I will at some point?" She felt a bit of worry at that. She shook her head and tried to focus on something else for now. "Say, Nabiki… Shampoo said she wanted to have your horn. What's up with that?"

"I can't say for sure, but she said she needed it for some sort of potion, apparently for some sort of plot involving Ranma," Nabiki explained.

"Figures," Ranma groaned. "It was just a matter of time before she tried something like that again. I really need to have a talk with the old ghoul… but first things first. We should definitely ask Hiroshi and Daisuke what they know about the orbs as soon as we get a hold of them."

"I'm with you," Akane nodded. "And if they don't want to give us any answers… I can always get Sayuri and Yuka. Those two are always able to get information out of their boyfriends."


But Akane would have to wait until she and Ranma had the chance to talk to Hiroshi and Daisuke again. The following days, circumstances always seemed to hinder them from speaking to the dweeb duo, or their girlfriends. At first it was Kuno, demanding once again that Ranma released the pig-tailed girl from his spell. Ranma wished nothing more than to turn into his female side right in front of him to finally prove to him that he was the pig-tailed girl… but he hesitated when he imagined what his new proud, stubborn Amazon self would do to the samurai-wannabe. And on the next day, Ukyo had decided to literally dogpile on top of Ranma right after class, showering him with canine kisses… which in her case meant a whole bunch of licks from her big tongue. It took Ranma at least half an hour to get the worgen girl from his chest, and then the same amount of time to stop Akane from putting a leash on Ukyo. And every single time, Hiroshi and Daisuke managed to sneak away.

Two days later after she and Sayuri were accepted as Vault Keeper assistants, Yuka was sitting in the Vault's library, with a pile of books on the table next to her. Most of them were ancient tomes filled with magical spells. And that was just a small amount compared to the endless rows of books inside the bookcases aligning at the walls. The table was big and old, and made of mahogany. A golden candelabra with several candlesticks was standing in the middle, just enough to fill the room with a dim, flickering light.

Yuka could have switched on the electric lights on the ceiling, but she liked this sort of atmosphere. Back at home, in the evenings, she always enjoyed lying under her blanket and reading books with just a flashlight. However, she admitted to herself that this situation was much better. For once, she wasn't reading exciting stories about wizards and their magical adventures. This time, she WAS the wizard.

She still wasn't very satisfied with the clothes the orb had given her. She was determined to do something about it. And after finding a simple Change Garment spell in one of the books, she decided to put her newfound magical powers to the test.

She put the book down on the table and made a small gesture with her right hand. "Vestimenta mutare," she chanted and felt the magic flowing through her body. Her robes started glowing with arcane power and changed shape. After the spell was done, she stepped in front of a large mirror and admired herself. Instead of hanging down from her body like a bathrobe, the robes were now much more comfortable and close-fitting. Sure, they showed a bit more skin here and there, but that was part of the appeal. And the skimpiness was kept within a limit. Her wizard hat had shrunk down to fit her smaller head and the fake beard disappeared completely.

"Much better," she smiled to herself. "Maybe there's also a new spell to change my hairstyle, but for now it's enough. Now, let's take another look at those spells." She sat back down at the table and opened one of the other books, a compendium of combat spells. "Oooooh, look at that," she gushed. "Magic Missile, Water Bolt, Vilethorn… I must try them all out."

Just then, the library door opened, and Hiroshi walked in. Yuka shielded her eyes from the light that was radiating from the central corridor. She looked up from her book and scowled at her boyfriend, annoyed that her cozy reading atmosphere was ruined.

"Hey Yuka," he said with a smile. "Daisuke and Sayuri are in the crafting room, trying out their now orb abilities. You wanna come, too?"

"Is that what you're doing while I was in here?" Yuka asked. "Aren't you supposed to take care of the orbs and essences? Does June even know what you're doing?"

"June is the one who suggested it," Hiroshi told her. "And trying to come up with new ideas how to use the relics is not as easy as it sounds… we need a small break."

"All right," Yuka finally relented. "I guess it might be a good idea to get outside the library for a while. But I'm taking this with me." She put the book she had been reading into a small satchel, similar to the one June had been using. It was a gift from the dryad to the new assistant wizard. She put the rest of the books away, extinguished the candles and closed the door behind her as she went out.

While following Hiroshi down the corridor, she took note of his new set of clothes. "Did you try out a new kind of orb? Which one did you choose this time?"

Hiroshi was wearing heavy leather pants, a vest and boots. On his head, he wore a miner's helmet, complete with flashlight. He carried a long, wooden pole over his shoulder, which was attached to a small lantern. He also had a heavy backpack and an iron pickaxe strapped to his back. "Cool, huh?" he smirked. "I'm a demolitionist now. Well, I guess technically I'm also a miner, but my specialty in this form are explosives." He opened his backpack to show her a small collection of bombs.

Yuka looked at them skeptically. "I don't know whether I should be proud to have such a cool and amazing boyfriend, or worried that you might blow us all to smithereens if you actually think of using explosives."

"You know the orbs always come with the knowledge of how to use these things," Hiroshi said. "So there's no danger."

"They may have the knowledge, but what about common sense?" she quipped.

Hiroshi just smirked. With a sigh, she followed him into the crafting room, where Sayuri and Daisuke were busy working on different things.

Sayuri, in her mechanic's outfit, was attaching wires at the walls of the room, using one of her many tools. Meanwhile, Daisuke was wearing some sort of lab coat, a pair of strange-looking goggles and, just like Sayuri, a tool belt. He was standing next to a small workbench that was placed in one corner of the room. Several mechanical parts were strewn across its surface.

"There you guys are," Daisuke said as he turned around. His grin made him look like a mad scientist. "Hey Yuka, how'd you like my new tinkerer's outfit?"

"It… fits you," Yuka simply stated. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to construct the most magnificent of inventions," Daisuke said. "A pair of ROCKET BOOTS!."

"Rocket boots?" Yuka frowned. "Why would you need those?"

Daisuke looked at her over the edge of his goggles. "Why would you need any of your spell books, Hermione Granger? I never said I needed them, I just wanted to see if I could make a working pair. And thanks to the infinite well of creativity this orbs has given me, my work will soon be complete!"

"You've been saying that the past two hours, goggle boy," Sayuri snickered as she took a break from her work. "But I've looked over your shoulder several times this past hour and you haven't made the slightest bit of progress. Meanwhile, I equipped the whole south wall with wires and switches, all on my own."

"Nice job, Sayuri-chan," Yuka smiled. "And what are those for?"

"Oh, I have some ideas," Sayuri said, wiping her dirty hands. "There are several things we could install that need the electricity provided with those wires. I was thinking of an elevator for the main shaft, electric pumps and pipes to give the recreation room a supply of fresh water, automatic doors, maybe some traps…"

"I really don't think we need traps of any kind," Hiroshi pointed out.

"Hey, better be safe than sorry, right?" Sayuri shrugged. "I mean, we don't really know what this world has in store for us. If there are slimes and zombies on the surface, who knows when they'll figure out how to come down the shaft to attack? But all right, I'll start with the doors, that seems simple enough. And Daisuke is going to help me."

"But I'm nearly finished with my work on the rocket boots," Daisuke protested. "This is a breakthrough for science!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Sayuri grabbed her boyfriend by the collar of his coat and pulled him over to the door. "You're going to help me, like it or not."

Daisuke tried walking back to his workbench, but Sayuri's grip on him was too strong. "But… but science!" he weakly protested as he flailed his arms while being pulled out of the room.

"Hey, Hiroshi," Yuka asked her boyfriend. "Do you get the feeling that Daisuke is acting kind of… weird?"

"I know what you mean," Hiroshi muttered with a nod. "Ever since he used the Orb of Tinkerer, he started to act more and more like the stereotypical crazy scientist from the movies. But… let's be honest here, Dai is a huge goofball. It's just like him to act like that in his new role."

"That might be it," Yuka pondered. "But what if it's something else? Can it be that the orb is actually affecting his behavior?"

"I would think too much about it," a voice said from the door. They turned their heads and saw June walking in. "As I said, the orbs are remains of fallen heroes. It just makes sense that fragments of their personalities are still kept within. And the more powerful their personality was, the more likely it is to emerge. Aside from that, the person using the orb is still the same person as before."

"That's a relief," Hiroshi said. "I wouldn't want Dai to become some sort of lunatic mad scientist with delusional plan to take over the world."

"And I wouldn't want to you to become a crazed bomber that enjoys blowing stuff up," Yuka added.

"Oh yeah… I guess there's that, too," Hiroshi nodded.

June came over to them and examined Yuka's new outfit. "I see you've practicing your magic," she smiled. "Good to see you're making progress."

"Thanks!" Yuka beamed with pride.

"Now, I've been thinking," June said, looking at Hiroshi. "Those Chinese Amazons seem to be the cause for a lot of the conflicts in Nerima, isn't that right?"

"Yeah, that's about right," Hiroshi confirmed. "Shampoo's one of the most reckless martial artists in Nerima, second only to the Kunos. And her great-grandmother is one of the most powerful fighters I've ever seen."

"So it would make sense to focus our attention on them next, right?" June asked. "What do you propose should be done, Vault Keeper?"

Hiroshi thought about it for a moment. "The only reason they are here is because Ranma beat Shampoo and she wants him to marry her. I was hoping using the Amazon orb would have taken care of that problem, but I guess that would have been too easy. So what I suggest instead is… that we use an essence instead."

"You want to turn that Shampoo girl into something so she won't be a problem anymore?" June looked at him skeptically. "You tried that before with Nabiki, remember? And we all know how wonderful that turned out."

"We didn't know being a unicorn would also give her magical powers," Hiroshi defended himself. "Also, that was the first time we ever used one of the relics, so give us a break."

"Wait, Nabiki was a human before?" Yuka's eyes widened. "Really? I can't imagine her being anything but that cute, cuddly pony. When we first met Akane and her sister, I remember Sayuri being so overly affectionate that Nabiki levitated her up into a tree." She giggled. "And still, Sayuri never gave up on her dream of riding her one day."

"That's the power of the Essence of Unicorn affecting you," June explained. "It was used on her before you became a Vault Keeper assistant, so your memories of Nabiki were altered as soon as she drank it."

"But this is different," Hiroshi claimed. "This time, we won't even try to take away her combat abilities. But instead, we're going to make sure that she isn't interested in Ranma anymore… at least not romantically."

"It seems like you already have a plan," June said. "Let's hear about it."


The next day, after school, the two Vault Keepers and their girlfriends met in front of the school. Back in their civilian forms, of course.

"So, let's see how we are gonna do this," Hiroshi said. "Dai, do you have the bottle?"

"Yup, got it right here." Daisuke pulled a bottle of green essence out of his bag.

"But how are we going to take it to Shampoo's place?" Yuka asked. "It's not like we can just sneak into the Nekohanten, right?"

"If we're smart, we won't even have to," Sayuri said. "Just make sure you don't lose the bottle, Dai-honey."

"No need to worry, Sayuri," Daisuke grinned as he raised the bottle high above his head. "I will keep an iron grip on it, and as long as I'm holding it, no one will…"

"I'll be taking that," a familiar voice said while the bottle of essence was pulled out of Daisuke's grasp.

"Nabiki!" Hiroshi gasped as he saw how the teal unicorn pony levitated the bottle towards herself. "Daisuke, you dolt! Didn't we just tell you NOT to lose it?"

"I wouldn't be so harsh on him, my magic always helps me get what I want," Nabiki said. "Now, what were you going to do with this?"

"Yeah, what's this all about, guys?" Ranma asked as he and Akane stepped next to Nabiki. "First that stunt with those orbs and now those weird drinks. Care to tell us what you're doing?"

"Guys… I think it's time to leave," Hiroshi muttered. "Come on, Yuka!" He took his girlfriend's hand as he turned around to run… only to bump into a solid wall of fur and muscle."

"Oh no, you don't," Ukyo growled. "We're not stupid, you know? You did put something in my drink the other day."

"And in mine as well," Nabiki added. "Don't think I didn't notice. I was too distracted to realize it when I drank it, but it did taste somewhat strange, like cotton candy mixed with oranges. I don't really know what it was supposed to do, but it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."

"The jig is up, guys," Akane put her hands on her hips. "Now why don't you fill us in on what this is all about. Yuka, Sayuri… you're in on this, aren't you?"

The two girls winced a bit, feeling guilty. "Please, Akane-chan," Sayuri said. "We didn't mean any harm."

"Sh… she's right, you know?" Hiroshi spoke up. "We only wanted to help."

"By giving us magical artifacts that give us strange abilities and take away our old ones?" Ranma frowned. "How would that help? And where did you get them in the first place."

"We… we can't tell you," Daisuke said. "We made a promise."

"Really? All of you?" Akane looked along the four fellow students of Furinkan that stood in front of her, looking a bit guilty, but at the same time, also awfully secretive.

"It's a secret," Yuka told her. "We promised to help Daisuke and Hiroshi, but we had to swear not to tell anyone about it."

"Not even your closest friends?" Akane frowned.

Her words stung a bit, but Yuka wasn't ready yet to spill the beans. Betraying June would probably also mean losing her newfound wizard abilities… and she wasn't willing to give those up.

Hiroshi looked at Ranma. "I'm sorry, buddy." He crossed his arms. "But we won't tell."

Ranma groaned. "Just great…"

"Just leave them to me," Nabiki smirked. "I know a few tricks how to wrestle a secret from someone who's stubborn…"

"And if that doesn't work, I can probably make them talk," Ukyo added with a grin, punching her fist into the palm of her left hand."

Sayuri eeped. "N-n-now, let's not be too hasty, you guys…"

"We didn't really hurt anyone," Daisuke said. "And we don't plan on doing so, honest. Can't we just leave it at that?" Ranma and Akane were their friends, but he really didn't want to find out what Ukyo would do to them… or even worse, Nabiki.

"Let's start with the matters at hand, shall we?" Nabiki said. "We overheard you saying something about the Nekohanten. Is that were you got those things from?" It would make sense, she thought. Cologne was the local expert on potions and magical items. "That's it, isn't it? You're in cahoots with Cologne. Is this one of her new potions? Is this why she needs my horn?"

"What?" Hiroshi and Daisuke gaped simultaneously. Did Nabiki seriously believe that?

But before they could deny anything, a long chain with a big sack attached to it came flying out of nowhere, scooped up both Nabiki and the bottle of essence and pulled her up into the air before anyone was able to intervene.

The sack landed in the hands of Shampoo, who was standing on a wall nearby. And the chain… disappeared in the wide sleeves of the glasses-wearing, young man standing next to her… Mousse, the Chinese master of hidden weapons.

The Chinese girl smiled. "Shampoo is so sorry to, how do you say, crashing the party. But she still need mercenary pony's horn. And I think great-grandmother will want to look at interesting potion you have there." She quickly tied the sack up and threw it over her shoulder. Within it, Nabiki groaned and struggled to get out. This is really getting old, she thought to herself.

Shampoo giggled. "Don't bother, is magic-proof sack, yes? Mercenary pony only get out when Shampoo says so."

"She's got the bottle!" Sayuri shouted. "Daisuke, do something!"

"What do you want me to do?" Daisuke asked. "Have you seen how strong Shampoo is? She's gonna wipe the floor with me."

"What's going on?" Ranma asked in confusion. "Does that mean they're not working with the Amazons?"

"Ask questions later, Ranma," Akane shouted. "We need to get that bottle back… and Nabiki, while we're at it."

"Aw, do we have to?"

"Ranma!"

"Just kidding, just kidding… Yo, Shampoo! Come down here now and drop the unicorn."

"Sorry, airen, Shampoo has no time to play," she smiled. "Mousse, be a dear and play with Ranma for me for a while, yes? Just don't hurt him too much."

"With pleasure, my dearest Shampoo," Mousse said as he extended his claw weapons from his robe. "This is it, Saotome… today, you are mine!" He leapt into the air.

"Not this time, Mousse!" Akane shouted as she stepped forward. She took her bow, drew an arrow… and fired it at the bespectacled martial artist.

"That won't stop me!" shouted Mousse as he slashed the arrow apart in midair… releasing a sudden cloud of dust that blinded him and made him cough. "Wh-what?" he gasped and dropped to the ground. "I can't see… and I'm sure I have my glasses on this time."

"Smokescreen arrow." Akane smirked. "You're not the only one with tricks up his sleeves, Mousse."

"Nicely done," Ranma smiled. "You take care of Mousse, I'm getting that bottle from Shampoo."

"No, we will take it," Sayuri shouted. While everyone was distracted, she had opened her bag, taken out a pair of strange-looking boots and attached them to her boyfriend's feet.

"Wait, what?" Daisuke stared at his girlfriend with disbelief. "You brought the rocket boots? Sayuri, I told you they are still in the experimentation phase, I still need to test them…"

"Well, no time like the present!" Sayuri grinned and pulled a lever at the backside of the boots. "One, two, three, LIFTOFF!"

"Saaayuuuuriiiiiii!" Daisuke screeched like a banshee when the rocket boots flared up and propelled him into the air at high velocity… right into Shampoo's body. The Amazon gasped as she was thrown off the wall she was standing on, together with Daisuke and the sack containing Nabiki.

"Wooooow, what a rush," Daisuke groaned as he tried to regain his bearings. "At least I landed on something soft." He was right, his head was cushioned on top of something soft and pillow-like… Shampoo's breasts.

"GAH! Rocket boy watch where he flies! And get off Shampoo!" the Amazon shouted as she pushed him off. She then looked around. "Where is sack?"

"I got it!" Daisuke shouted as he dove for it. He quickly tore it open and grabbed inside to pull out the bottle…

"OW! Get your hands off my horn, you moron!"

"N-nabiki?" Daisuke asked as he realized he was not holding the bottle of essence in his hand, but instead the horn of a thoroughly pissed off unicorn pony. "Get out of my way," she shouted as she shook off the sack and ran for it, trampling the hapless Daisuke in the process.

"Wait, no no no, ow ow ow OW OW OW!" he yelped while his body was in the process of being covered in hoof prints. "The bottle, where's the bottle!"

"Shampoo got it!" the Chinese girl said with a grin as she picked up the essence bottle from the ground. "Mercenary pony got away, but at least I can take this to great-grandmother."

"Don't take that," Daisuke said as he tried to pry himself off the ground. "Ow, ow… and most importantly, don't drink it."

"Oh? Why not?" Shampoo wondered. "What is it?"

"It's, um… a special potion that… makes everyone incredibly attracted to… to the one who drinks it. We, uh… we wanted to give this to Akane, to… to help her get along with Ranma."

Hiroshi looked at his friend with respect. He never would have thought Daisuke would come up with such a ploy."

"Oh yes?" Shampoo grinned. "Well, too bad for violent girl. Shampoo will take this for herself and…"

"Oh no, you don't" Ranma shouted as he jumped in her way.

Meanwhile, Yuka was trying to come up with a way to stop Mousse from attacking her friend. Nervously, she took one of her spell books out of her bag and thumbed through it. "Orb of Light? No no, that won't work… Bubble Gun, Flash of Discord, ARGH! None of these will work. Oh right, then how about this… Magic Missile!" She raised her hand and chanted a quick spell that created a small spark of magical energy, which she fired from her hand at the hidden weapons master's back. However, Mousse was just about to throw one of his training potty weapons at Akane… the magic projectile hit the training potty instead of his body and knocked it out of his hands. After that, the magic bounced off to wildly fly through the air, bouncing off different objects and nearly hitting Nabiki's face as she galloped away from Shampoo.

"AH! Watch where you're firing that thing!" she shouted and managed to duck her head just in time. At the same time, all she could think about was: WHAT? She knows magic spells? And they are more powerful than mine? How dare she?

"Dangit," Mousse grumbled as his training potty was knocked away. "But it doesn't matter, I still have plenty of weapons left." And he kept advancing on Akane.

"And I have plenty of arrows left," shouted the young archer as she took another one from her quiver. "You can't slash them all."

"Let's see about that, shall we?" Mousse exclaimed as he got ready to strike. But then… he was hit in the face by Yuka's magic missile, which had been still ricocheting all over the place and had now finally hit her target. He grunted as he was thrown back, and his glasses were blasted off his face.

"No, I can't see!" he shouted. "Where are you?"

Ranma was facing Shampoo. "Will you now stop running and give me that bottle?" he asked. "Just tell us what they're all about, already!"

"But Shampoo don't know," she insisted. "That's why I will ask great-grandmother about it."

"She is right, this bottle does not belong to her," another voice said. It was a girl's voice Ranma was not familiar with. He looked to his left… and saw none other than June the dryad standing there.

"That bottle of essence is under the custody and responsibility of my masters," she said sternly. "And neither of you shall have it until they allow it."

"June?" Hiroshi had just helped his battered friend up to his feet and looked over to the dryad in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

June gave them a quick glance of annoyance. "Honestly, can't I ever leave you two alone for a moment? Now stand back and let me take care of this mess." She held out her hand towards Shampoo, demandingly. "Now hand over the bottle!"

Shampoo gritted her teeth. "Strange naked lady wants it? Then come and get it!" And she started running.

"No, I'm taking it," Ranma yelled as he ran towards her.

June simply raised her Dirt Rod and a towering wall of dirt rose up in-between Ranma and Shampoo. Threateningly, she approached the young Amazon. "Hand it over, for your own good…"

"Moko Takabisha!" A powerful blast of Ki shattered the wall of dirt. Ranma jumped over its remains, determination in his eyes.

"You're getting on my nerves…" June grumbled. She tightened her grip around the Dirt Rod. "Titan's Fist!" The dirt of the collapsed wall came flying towards her and compacted around the rod and her hand, creating a massive fist. With a battle cry, she jumped towards the pig-tailed martial artist. Ranma leapt back just in time, and the fist left a deep crack in the pavement.

"June, what are you doing?" Hiroshi shouted. "Don't attack Ranma!"

"Stay out of this!" she shouted. "He may be your friend, but he's hindering me from getting the essence back." She also didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to feel a rush she hadn't felt in eons. Finally, she was fighting a worthy opponent once again.

"This is getting crazy," Sayuri said as she ran up to Yuka. "Do something!"

"Um… um… give me a moment…" the young wizard mumbled as she tried to find a suitable spell. "Um… Water Bolt!" With another chant, she created a projectile made of water. She carefully aimed it at Shampoo. "I'll just trigger her Jusenkyo curse. As a cat, she'll be unable to carry that heavy bottle."

"Shampoo, my love!" Mousse shouted as he hugged Yuka from behind. "Did that fiend Saotome hurt you?"

"AH! Oh no, the spell!" Yuka gasped as Mousse disturbed her aim and the Water Blot flew in a different direction… until it hit the back of Ranma's head.

"Surrender!" June shouted as she tried to land another punch with her giant dirt fist. But then she heard a metallic clang, and the fist was stopped by a powerful force.

She looked past her weapon and her eyes widened when she realized that Ranma had turned from a somewhat regular-sized young man into a towering woman with bulging muscles. Using her shield, she had blocked the dryad's attack, while her soggy wet pigtail was dangling down onto her scabbard.

The Themysciran Amazon swiftly moved her hair out of the way and drew her blade. "By the might of Zeus, you shall rue the day you challenged the might of an Amazon!"

"Oh, drat…" June groaned. "Today is not my day… what else can go wrong?"

At that moment, Nabiki was trying to get away from the mayhem and carnage as fast as her four hooves could carry her. "Ukyo!" she shouted. "Hide meeee… I'm a thinker, not a fighter!"

"Oh, well okay," the worgen girl said. "Just get behind me and… I'll make sure you're safe."

Nabiki quickly darted in-between the okonomiyaki chef's furry legs and came to a stop behind her. Even though she had magic, she felt tiny and helpless on the battlefield. "Good. I'll, um… just stand here, then. Th-thank you."

Ukyo smiled. Somehow, she started enjoying the role of being the small unicorn's protector.


Shampoo had left the battlefield behind and was on her way back to the Nekohanten. She knew it was just a matter of time before Ranma and the others came after her, so she had to be quick. She still didn't know what this bottle contained. But after everyone was so intent on getting it from her, she figured that it must be something special. She grinned when she remembered what Daisuke told her about the potion's effects. She couldn't wait to try it out herself.

When she reached the restaurant, she quickly ran inside. Fortunately, there were no customers present at the time. "Great-grandmother! Great-grandmother!"

"What is it, child?" Cologne, the diminutive elder of the Joketsuzoku Amazon tribe, came hopping towards Shampoo on top of her oversized cane. "You look like you're in a hurry."

"Quick, great-grandmother." Shampoo showed the bottle to the old woman. "Airen, violent girl and others are after Shampoo, trying to get back this bottle. Mousse hold them off, but he can't forever. You must find out what this is, great-grandmother."

"Weren't you trying to gather that unicorn horn?" Cologne frowned. "Now where did you get this from?" She carefully took the bottle from her younger relative's hands and studied it carefully.

"Airen's friends from school had it," Shampoo explained. "They got strange new power. Violent girl was talking about magic orbs, and one girl cast magic spells. And then there was other, new girl. She was almost naked, had plants on her body and threw dirt at Airen."

That got Cologne's attention. "A girl with plant clothing that controlled dirt?" she asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, great-grandmother," Shampoo nodded.

"Hmmmmmm..:" Cologne stroked her chin. "This might all be a coincidence, but that reminds me of something… an old legend I once heard, about an ancient tribe of nature spirits who were able to use their innate magic to control dirt and plants. Could that girl possibly be… a dryad?" She looked back at the bottle. "And this green concoction… it looks like vegetable juice, but I can see it is much more than that. I can sense there is some ancient power flowing in this bottle. And what does this label say? Essence of… what? Hmmmm… Now that is a word I have never heard before."

"They say potion makes drinker attractive to other people," Shampoo said. "Maybe Shampoo can drink it to win airen's heart?"

"Don't be so foolish, child," Cologne scolded her. "Would you drink anything you have taken from an enemy? I thought I taught you better than that. Always be careful around strange, unknown potions and liquids. I will analyze the contents of this bottle. You wait here… and if son-in-law or his friends arrive, make sure they don't disturb me for a while."

Shampoo sighed. "Yes, great-grandmother."


Cologne carried the bottle to her room. She placed it on a table and looked through some other potions she had stored on a shelf. But none of them were looking anything like the green essence.

"Maybe I'll find something in one of my books," she muttered to herself. "Of course, I could always just drink it to find out what it does… but that would be foolish."

She chuckled to herself as she imagined how every good-looking man in Nerima was smitten with her old, wrinkly form. It was an amusing image… but even if it were true, she didn't think it would be quite as enjoyable if she wasn't young and good-looking herself. She continued searching through several of her books.

The bottle on her table was catching her eye again. The green liquid inside seemed to swirl around… it was almost hypnotizing, as if it wanted to lure her over. Did it want to be consumed?

"Nice try," she smiled. "But this Amazon has more than enough experience with dubious substances. I'm not falling for your tricks."

After a while, she couldn't ignore or deny it anymore: The urge to go over to the table and take a drink grew stronger and stronger, the longer she was in its presence. She considered putting it away in a box, then she thought it would be better to just leave the room. But she still stayed and kept her eyes on the swirling essence inside.

She couldn't stop it any longer. She realized this was a devious trap. Whoever created this essence obviously wanted to ensure that it would be used at some point. She had heard of magical items that were difficult to resist, but she never knew it could happen with a potion. She couldn't help but admire the essence's creator, he no doubt had to be a master at his craft.

"You really want me to drink you, do you?" she calmly said as she walked back to the table. "You sneaky little green liquid. Maybe you weren't even meant for me. Maybe it was for Shampoo or someone else. And I really don't know what your effects will be. Obviously, the boy was lying. But what will you do once I drink you, hmmm?"

She let out a long sigh. It was very disheartening to have lived so long and be outwitted by a drink in a bottle. But there was no way of escaping the urging need any longer. And maybe whatever happens to her won't be that bad.

So she took the bottle, uncorked it and took a big gulp.


A couple of minutes later, Shampoo was still waiting in the front room of the Nekohanten. She was an impatient girl however, and didn't like just sitting around and doing nothing. Also, she had wanted to drink that essence herself. She just barely managed to overcome its temptation, because her loyalty to her great-grandmother and the tribe was stronger than anything. But now she wished she hadn't done it.

With a frustrated groan, she followed Cologne to her room. She knocked at the door. "Great-grandmother? You have finished analyzing bottle?"

A soft giggle coming from inside made her frown. She opened the door and stepped inside.

The room had changed. A lot of different plants were added and created the impression that this room was a small meadow in a forest. One big tree branch even grew in from outside, through the window. A children-sized swing was hanging down from it. In addition to Cologne's old books and potions, several small toys were strewn across the room. And on top of the table was a small assortment of seeds and nuts.

Shampoo looked around. Cologne was nowhere to be seen. "Great-grandmother?"

An impish giggle sounded through the room, and suddenly a small face appeared in front of Shampoo, belonging to a young child.

Shampoo let out a short gasp and then a groan. "Great-grandmother… you forgot about the potion, no?"

The young girl was swinging back and forth as she hang down from the tree branch with her legs. She was wearing a forest green outfit, and her dark blue hair dangled down into Shampoo's face, as it swung along with her. "Nope," she giggled. "But I was getting bored, so I started to play. You wanna play too, Shampoo?"

"Please, you are elder of Joketsuzoku Amazon tribe. Why you behave like child?"

"Because…" Cologne dropped down from her branch, turned around in midair and landed on her naked feet. "I am a forest child and never age. And I might be playful and cute, buuut… remember that I am muuuch older than you, and also wiser." She grinned. "And don't you forget it!"

Shampoo shook her head and crouched down in front of her child-like great-grandmother. "So what is potion for?"

"No idea," the tiny girl shrugged. "I drank the whole thing, but it didn't seem like it did anything to me… strange, and I had this weird urge to drink it, too."

"You… you drank it?" Shampoo stared at her in disbelief. "And nothing happened?"

"Nope!" The Amazon elder that looked like a child booped her teenage great-granddaughter on the nose. "Nothing at all."

Unnoticed to the two of them, the empty bottle slowly vanished into thin air… only to reappear on the pedestal deep within the Vault, as if nothing happened. And what was it that was written on its label?

It was 'Essence of Kokiri'.


Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

The Dryad (NPC) and everything Terraria belongs to Re-Logic.

My little Pony belongs to Hasbro.

Themyscira and Wonder Woman belong to DC Comics.

Worgen and World of Warcraft belong to Blizzard.

Kokiri and the Legend of Zelda belong to Nintendo.