4. Unlikely Alliance

As the crowd started the customary panic and the Mayor hurried off to declare a state of emergency, Bubbles and Buttercup staggered to their feet.

"She's completely flipped," Bubbles said sacredly, as she rubbed her head. "What now?"

Buttercup was clutching her side, obviously in a lot of pain, but a mask of determination (or pain) covered her face. "We've got to get after her!" she declared, as she tried to straighten up.

Bubbles jumped. "We can't!" she squeaked. "Buttercup no, we're not strong enough and your hurt!"

"I'm not hurt," Buttercup gasped. "She only caught me off guard."

"Buttercup, you're delusional…"

"Dam it Bubbles!" Buttercup yelled, loud enough to catch the attention of some of the surrounding crowd. "Blossom's got Brick remember!"

"I know, I know." Bubbles tried to calm her sister down. "But getting our selves killed is not going to help him at all. We have five days, why don't we go see the Professor and use them to find a solution? There must be some safe way of stopping her."

Buttercup took a few deep breaths, starring furiously at her sister. She was clearly annoyed, but tried to marshal her words sensitively. "Bubbles, what do you think Blossom is going to do while we "find a solution? Sit around and wait?" Bubbles lowered her head slightly, as her sister continued. "She is going to kill millions of people Bubbles, you know that!"

"We're not strong enough to stop her…" Bubbles began.

"Maybe, but its better to die trying then not to try at all!" Buttercup declared. "Trust me Bubbles, she's not as strong as she seemed – she can't be. Now we know what we are up against, I know we can take her."

Bubbles pondered this for a moment. "Yeah, maybe you are right. If we're smart, and she is blinded by her arrogance, we might just do it."

"Of course," Buttercup put an arm on her sister's shoulder. "Besides, going straight after her is the last think she'd expect, she we'll have the element of surprise too!"

"Your right," Bubbles agreed, forcing her self to be optimistic. "If you look at it that way the odds aren't that long!"

"If you two really believe that then you are far stupider then you look," interrupted a new voice. Bubbles and Buttercup whirled round to see Butch and Boomer, hovering above the town hall, both looking very grim.

"Ah great," Bubbles muttered. "What next?"

The two Ruff's landed opposite them, Boomer behind his brother, who took the lead. "We have had the dubious pleasure of meeting your sister earlier," Butch declared, "and trust me, she is far more then you can handle. If you attack her now, I assure you that you will both die."

"How do you figure that one," Buttercup snorted.

"Simple," Butch replied calmly. "Blossom is so fast that she can completely neutralise Bubbles as a risk. She'll be dead in minutes, and although you could probably hurt her Buttercup my dear," (he loaded the word with scorn) "there is no way you could take her on your own."

"We don't have time for you today!" Buttercup spat back, trying to ignore the fact that Bubbles had visibly slumped.

"Well I suggest you make some," Butch shot back, "because I am the solution."

"Pardon!" Bubbles and Buttercup chocked in chorus.

Butch looked at his feet. "As much as it sickens me, I see no other way to stop Blossom other then us working together. The offer is this; Bubbles and Boomer can stay here and work with your Professor and Mojo – who will agree – on a scientific solution, while me and you take her head on!"

"Why not take all of us?" Buttercup asked, suspiciously.

"Because its never wise to put all your eggs in one basket," Butch replied. "Besides," he added, tightening his fist. "We won't need their help, and you'll fight better if your not worrying about Bubbles."

"It seems to make sense sis," Bubbles said to Buttercup. "This way we get the best of both worlds!"

Buttercup uncharacteristically hesitated. "How do I know you won't turn on me?" she asked.

Butch sneered. "Since you never believe I word I say, I'd guess that you don't. But I'm sure you can also see that it is not in our best interests for your crazy sister to destroy the planet. Ruling a dead world will not be an achievement."

"Is that why Mojo should help too?" Bubbles asked. Butch nodded, allowing the blue puff to think for a moment. "That's hardly a noble motivation to save the world."

"Which means it's the genuine one," Buttercup replied, smiling slightly. "Alright Butch, you're on!"

Butch nodded. "Good. If you can stomach working with me then I can cope with working with you. But just to be clear on this, once the pink eyed alien freak is dead, this Alliance is over, got it!"

"Fine by me," Buttercup replied.

Butch turned to his brother. "Boomer," he asked, "can you sense where Blossom went?"

Boomer focused for a moment. It didn't take him long to locate the largest power in range. "She's heading towards Cityville," Boomer declared, before pausing for a moment. "Gee, she's not going to like the no superpower laws they have there."

Buttercup ignored this last comment. "Let's get after her then," she declared. "Don't stress Mojo or the Professor too much Bubbles," she added, "I'll be back with Brick before you know it!"

"Alright Buttercup, good luck," Bubbles replied, more confidently then she felt. "I think you are going to need it."

"Don't let her push you around Butch," Boomer joked. Butch stared at him hard.

"Same to you," he replied, in a dangerous tone, before turning to Buttercup. "Ready?" Buttercup nodded, and without a further word the two Green streaks raced off.

Bubbles stared after them worriedly, wondering if she'd ever see them again. Then, to her side, she noticed Boomer almost shaking with excitement.

"Alright!" he burst out suddenly in glee. "Can you believe that? The two strongest beings on the planet working together! If anyone can stop Blossom they can! We might just live through this!" He raised a hand towards Bubbles as if expecting a high five. The Puff just stared at him coldly.

"Just go get Mojo Boomer," she said in harsh tones.

The Blue Ruff looked slight hurt. "No, you get the Professor and bring him to Mojo's," he protested. "His lab is far better equipped for destroying Puffs. Besides, that will give me time to smooth this over with him."

Bubbles nodded, slowly so as to keep and eye on Boomer. "Okay then, see you in fifteen minutes, and don't try anything." She shot off, leaving Boomer alone and unimpressed.

"What, does she think I want to die?" he muttered to himself, before flying off towards Mojo's mountain.

As they raced towards Cityville, Butch glanced over to Buttercup. "So, a third sister," he muttered. "Your family's dark secret?"

Buttercup nodded. "You could say so."

"Tell me," Butch asked, "how does your sister turn out to be evil?"

Buttercup sighed. "I don't want to talk about it," she replied.

"Am I to take it then she wasn't created evil," Butch asked.

"Does it matter!" Buttercup snapped.

Butch grinned evilly. "It sure does. I need to know if you are genuinely up for killing her. It would be rather inconvenient for me if you change you mind half way though due to some stupid buried feelings. If we are going to win there can be no hesitation at any point."

Buttercup glared at him. "Alright, maybe I do feel guilt," she said. "We abandoned her in space to do what we thought was right, and never found her again. Maybe it was the years of loneliness which changed her, or maybe the training in that army she's now a member of. I did love my sister and I still do, so I won't let her be this monster. She's going to die, and by my hand..."

"Good," replied Butch snidely, "I knew I could rely on you."

"Hang on!" She turned to Butch angrily. "That's why you didn't want Bubbles to come along. You thought she might show mercy?"

Butch turned to look straight ahead. "Same reason as Boomer. They both talk tough, but are both liable to hesitate at times. Weaklings." Buttercup said nothing more.

Blossom looked down at the scurrying people on the streets bellow. From far above, they looked like ants, and they were just as oblivious to there fate. "Ha," the pink Puff laughed. "I do enjoy the calm before the storm."

There was some wriggling from under her arm. Blossom glanced down to see that Brick was defrosting, faster then she'd previously hoped. "Darn it," she muttered, before drifting down towards a near by skyscraper, and smashing the kid against it to knock off the rest of the ice. Brick – still firmly in Blossom's grip – shook his head violently.

"Ow Ow Ow!" he screamed.

"Wakey wakey," Blossom declared happily. "Have a nice nap?"

Brick looked up at her angrily. "Let me go!" he cried, trying to force himself out of his grip.

"Now – Brick is it? – don't be a fool. As a Red Ruff you have a proud tradition to live up to. My tradition in fact. So its time to show maturity beyond your years and understand that the only way your life is going to extend beyond today is if you do exactly as I say, alright?"

Brick looked at Blossom intently, and then spat on her face. Blossom let the spit dribble down the side of her face for a moment while she considered her next move.

"I think perhaps, you need a little more time to think about this," she said slowly, as she pulled a strand of her long hair from her head. "For now, I need to secure you for a bit." With a flash of her hands, she tired Brick up with her hair, which the ruff found to his horror he couldn't escape. "Is that tight enough!" Blossom laughed.

"You'll never get away with this!" Brick cried. "My sisters will come and beat you up, I know they will."

"Please," Blossom replied, as she used her X-ray vision to scan the streets below. "Our sisters will fall into line behind me, and you will too." Suddenly, she spotted what she was looking for, and thundered down towards a clothes shop. Smashing though the windows, sending shoppers reeling, she landed in the centre of the store. "For now," she finished, grabbing an appropriate item off a self, "put a sock in it!"

As Blossom rammed the sock as deep as she could into Brick's mouth, causing him to wretch, the shoppers stared fearfully at her. Suddenly, they were pushed back out the way, and Blossom looked around to see that she had been surrounded by police officers, all focusing their guns on her. "Hands up Freak," one of them ordered. "You are under arrest of using super-powers in this city!"

Blossom looked at them, and then relaxed her face into as unthreatening an expression as she could manage. Slowly, she placed Brick down between her feet, and raised her hands into the air. "Okay, it's a fair cop," she replied. "I'll come quietly."

The police officer relaxed, slightly, and took a step forward towards her, withdrawing his handcuffs, when he noticed a pink glow starting to emanate from Blossom's raised hands. "Hey, stop that!" he ordered.

This time Blossom ignored him, just closing her eyes as the glow got brighter. The police office raised his gun rapidly up towards her, but before he could fire, a bolt of energy jumped from her hands engulfed him, leaving nothing but a black scorch mark on the floor where the officer had once stood.

People began screaming and running for there lives, while the remaining offices opened fire desperately. However, Blossom's energy vaporised the bullets before they even reached her, as the glow grew brighter and bigger with ever passing second. More bolts of energy leapt off it, smashing through the walls and roof the building with ease. Soon, even the police had to run, but it was far too late.

Inside her own energy field, Blossom wasn't even breaking a sweat. Excitement bubbled up inside her, with the knowledge that soon her revenge would have truly begun. "Time to die, Cityville," she chuckled to herself, and a moment later, she released her energy.

Also safe within the field, but not so delighted, Brick watched the destruction, eyes wild with terror.

"Cityville, straight ahead," Buttercup declared. "We should land soon and approach on foot, so that she doesn't see us coming."

"No point," Butch replied. "She had some sort of computer device that allows her to read power levels. She probably already knows we're coming."

"What, that thing on her ear?" Buttercup remembered. "You could have told me earlier!"

"Why," Butch laughed. "Afraid to take her head on?"

Before Buttercup could reply, the city in front of them exploded, in a wave of Pink light. The force of the blast was great enough to blow Butch and Buttercup backwards, even though they were still some miles away. The two of them watched in horror, as the dust settled.

"Holy shit…" Butch whispered. "There's nothing left! It's as if a meteor just landed here!"

Buttercup tried not to think about the people killed. "Still confident," she asked hoarsely.

"Too late to go back now," Butch replied, but for the first time in his life, he sounded scared, and Buttercup couldn't blame him.