Last time we watched as Zahidia enforced her authority. Someone within the empire was guilty of squandering imperial resources. The Trix, Toro and Vicky watched as Zahidia punished the guilty party; Chimera, daughter of the Countess Cassandra. To make the punishment complete, Zahidia forced Cassandra to deliver the flogging to her wayward daughter. At the same time, a plan was drawn up so that Sky could get the antidote from Diaspro and bring it back to Bloom. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

Chapter 12: Sleeping Beauty Remix

Sky anxiously waited at the predetermined spot where Diaspro said she'd meet him, fully aware that at any minute he'd be transported away from Eraklyon. Already he was nervous as to the possibilities of something going wrong. But then he remembered that this was all to save Bloom.

He calmed himself by going over the plan once again in his head: hear whatever insane nonsense Diaspro has to say, locate the antidote, activate the beacon spell, grab the antidote and hold off whatever Diaspro throws at him until Stella's cousins came to pick him up. This did calm Sky's nerves.

He was also comforted by the fifty Eraklyon elite soldiers waiting in concealed positions around him. Queen Janelle insisted that there should be someone there to help Sky in case something should go wrong, or worse, that this whole thing was a setup. Sky tried to assure his mother that Diaspro still wanted him alive, and did manage to convince Janelle to lower the number of solders down from 2,000.

Just then his watch struck the appointed hour, and with a flash, he was gone.

Back at the palace, Stella, Carmen and the others were also anxiously waiting. But when Tecna told everyone that her scanners determined that Sky had left the planet, that's when everyone really started to worry.

"This whole thing was a mistake," said Brandon, "I should have gone with him."

"You remember what Diaspro told Sky," said Layla, "he had to meet her by himself or the whole deal is off."

"But… to abandon Sky to the clutches of that maniac," said Brandon, "I feel like I've betrayed Sky."

"If allowing Sky to save Bloom is an act of betrayal, then find me guilty," said Carmen, "I don't like this anymore than you, but it's the best that we could come up with on such short notice."

"And besides," said Stella, "Tecna, Timmy and Elise are still trying to find another way to cure the poison. If this is a setup, and Sky doesn't come back with the antidote, and he will come back no matter what, then our smart friends will find the answer."

"That has to be the smartest thing I've ever heard you say, Stella," said Carmen, "And that's saying something."

This caused everyone to laugh, even Stella, for they really did need something to relieve the tension.

When everyone calmed down, Flora asked, "How long until Sky activates the signal?"

"It all depends on how soon he can get his hands on the antidote," said Helia.

"He'll get it," said Brandon, his confidence in his prince and friend growing again, "trust me, he will."

********

The next thing Sky knew, he was in some sort of indoors complex. Whether it was underground or not he couldn't tell, there were no windows to see outside. He felt isolated and a little claustrophobic at not knowing where he was. He was briefly tempted to activate the beacon right then and there, but quickly regained his composure as a door opened, and on the other side of the door was Diaspro.

"Welcome, Sky," said the insane princess as she stepped into the room, "Welcome to the beginning of a new universe."

Sky was a little confused by the change in appearance that Diaspro had adopted. She was now wearing a white lab coat and she had tied her hair back with a black ribbon.

"That's a strange outfit for you," said Sky, "For someone who has always held herself at the height of modern fashion."

"What one wears in private is one's own concern," said Diaspro, "And this outfit is most practical for what I have to show you." She smiled happily, "Oh dearest Sky, I'm so glad you decided to see things my way." It was as if all the rejection and madness had vanished, and Diaspro was once again as she was back when she and Sky were still engaged.

But if Diaspro hoped to win Sky over to her side, she was sorely mistaken as Sky was repulsed rather than driven forward.

"I'm not in the mood for any games, Diaspro," said Sky, "all I want is the antidote, so show me whatever it is that you want me to see, so we can get this over with so I can go home."

"Always so serious," said Diaspro in a mildly reprimanding tone, "You need to relax, my friend. Bloom isn't going anywhere, so just chill out. I will give you the antidote, after I've shown you the future. Come, you won't believe your eyes."

Sky felt the sudden urge to throttle his former fiancée right then and there, but suppressed it . "We'll just see about that," said Sky as he followed Diaspro further into the complex. Little did he know, they were being watched.

********

Back on Xaldo, Vicky had secured the use of one of the palace's many sitting rooms so that she, her sisters and Toro could observe Diaspro and Sky via crystal ball. Joining then was Naz, Kevin and a few more imperial minions that Icy and her sisters had gotten acquainted with.

"How long will it take Diaspro to remember that we're watching?" Stormy asked.

"She may remember eventually," said Vicky, "only to also remember that she's the one who allowed us to watch. Until then we may as well enjoy ourselves to the free show."

"And free popcorn," said Darcy, "Right, Toro?"

"It's coming already!" said Toro from the back of the room. Everyone was gathered at the other end, sitting on couches or chairs in front of the large crystal ball. But Toro, who had the unfortunate luck to be on refreshment duty, was waiting for the old-style popcorn popper to finish up another batch.

"You really think this Sky will agree to whatever Diaspro wants of him?" Kevin asked.

"Not the Sky I've had the unfortunate pleasure of knowing," said Icy, "no, he's got an ace up his sleeve, maybe two or three. But I'm more curious as to just what Diaspro has planned for Sky. I want to know just what the hell she's been up to."

"I'm curious as to that as well," said Darcy.

"Aren't we all," said Naz idly, even though her voice hinted that she knew all along.

Back with Sky, he followed Diaspro to an office of some sort. The insane princess sat at a desk in the middle of the room and activated a holographic computer, displaying a 3D model of a DNA strand.

"You do remember that genetics has always been a hobby of mine," said Diaspro.

"Yeah," said Sky.

"Well it's more than a hobby now," said Diaspro as she now called up new, more disturbing images, "it's more of a passion. My goal in life, other than revenge, has always been the study and perfection of genetic manipulation. These pictures are the results of some of my earlier experiments. As you can see, none of them were very successful."

The images Sky was seeing were straight out of a nightmare; people with extra and/or stunted limbs and fingers, multiple eyes and other facial alterations that no plastic surgeon could accomplish or even want to for that matter. There were also pictures of people who had animal attributes added to them; clawed limbs, bat-like wings, fish gills and eyes, simian limbs and tails, just to name a few.

"You did all that?" a shocked Sky asked. He was clearly disgusted, but his curiosity had been agitated to the point where he wanted to know more.

"Yes," said Diaspro idly, "unfortunately all these pictures were taken after the subjects suffered untimely organ failures. At the time I had yet to create a stable method of genetic manipulating. Each experiment died within minutes after their transformation.

"All of this I had done on my own using my inheritance and family financial holdings, every red credit I could get my hands on, while still saving enough to maintaining the noble lifestyle that was expected of me, was used to finance my experiments. All this I had accomplished beneath the notice of you, your parents and the rest of the Magical Dimension.

"Yet all of my work was for naught when you and that pathetic earthling Bloom got together. All thoughts of my work was shoved aside as I consumed by jealousy and the desire for revenge. You know the rest, so I'll skip it. But as things were when both you and Bloom survived my little set of games, I nearly lost all hope of completing my work.

"But circumstances conspired in my favor, allowing me to avoid prison. I eventually found myself in partnership with those who…let's just say that for the time being they wish to remain anonymous. They provided me with the financial and material assets I needed to resume my experiments, and I must say, the results have been much more promising."

Diaspro now showed Sky more images, but these were live images of inhuman creatures; some of had mostly humanoid features of two arms, two legs and only two eyes. But these were taller, more muscular than normal humans. Some had claws and fangs, while others were endowed with hooked beaks. One or two had tentacles on their backs, and there was one that had a spiked tail.

"These test subjects are a vast improvement on my earlier experiments," continued Diaspro, "They're still alive."

"Well obviously that's an improvement," said Sky in a very sarcastic tone. But Diaspro took this as constructive criticism.

"Glad you approve," said Diaspro, "yet these foul wretches are but a far cry from my perfect vision that I am closer to achieving than before. Come, if you think what you've seen is impressive, than you ain't seen nothing yet!"

Once again Sky followed Diaspro further into the complex. "Just where are we, anyway?" he asked, "And how did you get the money for all of this?"

"I told you already," said Diaspro, "My silent partners provided the financial and material assets. You really should pay attention. As to the location of my laboratory, well, I'll keep that a secret for now."

********

"Just where are they?" Darcy asked as they watched Sky and Diaspro enter another room.

"A asteroid somewhere," said Vicky as she munched on some popcorn, "That's as close as I can tell without risking the little psycho from noticing that we're watching. Wouldn't want to disrupt her concentration, that would spoil the show."

The room was obviously the main lab of the complex. Sky saw various advanced medical and scientific equipment of all shapes and sizes. He could only guess at their functions, most of which were surely foul.

"I still don't get it," said Sky, "Diaspro, why are you doing this? What possible good will come from these terrible experiments?"

"'Good?!'" Diaspro snapped, "I have no intention of any good in my work. I seek power, power and perfection. I seek to create a new race of warriors, a new order of super-soldiers that will become the supreme power in the universe! Now observe; the experiment is about to begin!"

********

"So that's what she's up to," said Icy, "the little bleach-headed princess thinks she can have her own little master race." She sounded scornful, but on the inside Icy was full of dark admiration.

"I suspected the was up to something like this," said Vicky.

"Now I understand her contract with Zahidia," said Darcy, "Diaspro is making an army for the new R'lyeh empire, an army of super soldiers. But the question is whether or not Diaspro will fulfill her end of the bargain. I'm sure Zahidia won't be happy if Diaspro can't deliver."

"You got that right," agreed Kevin.

"The real question should be," said Stormy, "when will more popcorn get here?" it really was a question.

"Just sit on it already!" said Toro as he waited for the next batch to finish popping, "for f#cks sake, you people are like a pack of popcorn-eating wolves, like living bottomless pits."

"What can I say," said Darcy, "when people watch something exciting, they also desire snacks."

"Shut up," hissed Icy to everyone so that they'll be quiet, "I think they're about to start."

Diaspro had shown Sky the middle of the room, where a terrified man waited strapped to a metal table. An IV tube was hooked into his arm, while a wicked looking machine was aimed at the man.

"It has taken most of my life to create a stable mutating serum," said Diaspro as she filled a syringe full of a vile-looking liquid, "even longer to find the means to create enough of it for the level of testing required to perfect it. And there is still so much work to be done. Oh well, let's not put off tomorrow what can be done today."

She then activated a recording device, "Experiment 57, serum number D-10226. Test subject is a male human, age approximately 23, of above average build and in excellent health. Observing experiment is Prince Sky of Eraklyon…say hello, Sky."

"Um… hello," said Sky reluctantly. Every moral fiber in his being was screaming that he should stop this before Diaspro destroyed an innocent. Yet that blessing and curse of the mind, that old cat that kept coming back to be satisfied, curiosity, compelled Sky to see this to the end, no matter how deprived and down-right evil it was.

"Injecting serum now," said Diaspro as she fitted the syringe into the IV line and pressed the plunger. Once the chemical was fully injected and absorbed into the man's body, Diaspro bade Sky to join her at a nearby computer terminal.

"If this works, Sky," said Diaspro as she programmed the computer to start powering up the device, the machine above the table began to hum, "Then the future that I've dreamed about for so long will finally begin to come true. If it doesn't, well, there's always next time."

The man restrained to the table was screaming and babbling incoherently in sheer terror. He struggled to get free, but the shackles were spelled so that only Diaspro could unlock them.

"Preparing to activate the neo-genetic recombination module," said Diaspro into the recorder, then whispered to Sky, "I'm not very good at giving names to machines. I do hope you'll help me out on that one."

The computer flashed a green symbol, signaling to Diaspro that the device was ready. She then spoke to the terrified man on the table, "Oh relax already. You should consider yourself lucky, for in a minute or so you shall be the first of a new race of warriors, or like the others before you, either a living nightmare of scrambled DNA, or, dead!"

With a push of one button, Diaspro activated the machine. The device bombarded the helpless man with dark magic of various colors; blood red, venomous green, sickly purple and yellow and so on. The man screamed in agony as his very DNA was rewritten into something unnatural at incredible speed.

Before Sky's eyes the man began changing. The test subject increased in height by a good two feet, while widening by nearly a foot and increasing his muscle mass by a factor of three. To complete the transformation, his limbs grew claws, while his teeth elongated and sharpened into fangs, while his eyes morphed into those like a wolf.

"Fantastic!" said Diaspro as she deactivated the machine, "simply fantastic! Though far from perfect, but much better than before, don't you think so, Sky?"

"I'm speechless," said a horrified Sky in a flat tone.

"I knew you'd like it!" said Diaspro happily, "Now comes the really important part. My machine not only rebuilt the subject into something better, it also destroyed his mind and gave it a new one. Now this specimen is at my complete command."

Diaspro then cast the spell that unlocked the shackles. "Stand up," she said to the creature, which responded immediately to her voice, "Advance three paces and stop." The creature took three steps forward and stopped.

"Come to me," she said, and the creature walked towards Diaspro, stopping in front of her, "Whom do you serve?"

"Diaspro," said the creature in a deep, rumbling tone.

"Outstanding!" exclaimed Diaspro gleefully, "oh most outstanding indeed!" she then signaled two more of the creatures to come into the lab. These were similar to the new creature, but weren't as nearly tall and well built in the muscle department, while one of them had eagle eyes and the other had four clawed arms.

"Go and wait with your brothers," said Diaspro to her newest creature, "I will be with you soon."

********

"That was so sick I nearly threw up," said Stormy as she and the others watched the three mutants exit the room, even though she and her fellow watchers did enjoy the spectacle of Diaspro's perversion of nature.

"You really think that little maniac can do it?" Icy asked, "can she really make her own race of super-soldiers?"

"I'm more interested in what she really wants with Sky," said Naz. She then noticed that her popcorn bowl was empty, "Toro! More popcorn!"

"Hold your horses!" said Toro as he waited for the popper to finish the latest batch, "Popcorn doesn't grow on trees! You got to grow it in the fields first. But that's beside the point."

"Whatever," says Naz idly then asked Darcy, "anyway, what do you think Diaspro has in store for Sky?"

"Whatever it is," said Darcy, "It'll surely break Bloom's heart, assuming Diaspro can convince Sky to agree to it."

"He'll have no choice," said Vicky, "The potion I gave Diaspro to poison Bloom with will surely kill the little dragon by the day after tomorrow, if not sooner, assuming her friends decide to try and remove it on their own."

"Then Bloom is as good as dead," said Icy in a grim tone, even though deep down she wished for one more chance to destroy her nemesis.

"Oh shoot," said Naz in a playful, pouting manner, "I wanted a crack at destroying Bloom."

"She would have roasted you alive," said Stormy, "You'd never stand a chance against Bloom. Believe me, I know."

"Maybe," said Naz. She then raised her bowl, "Toro! Popcorn!"

"I want free popcorn! I want free popcorn!" said Toro in a mocking tone as he carried a large bowl of freshly popped popcorn over to the sitting area, "what do I look like, some kind of popcorn monkey?"

"As you wish," said Naz as she cast a transfiguration spell with one finger. Before Toro knew it, he found himself in the from of a small simian.

"I beg your pardon!!" exclaimed Darcy angrily, "How dare you morph my property! Change him back!!"

"I don't think so," said Naz in a very silly tone, "I kind of like him this way."

"Change him back now!!" shouted Darcy in her most angry tone, "Change him back! Or I'll change you into a puddle of slime!"

"She'll do it," said Stormy, while Icy and Vicky nodded in agreement.

"Oh alright," said Naz in a reluctant tone, "I'll do it," she waved her hand and cast the counter-spell, returning Toro to his normal, human form, "Happy?"

"Very happy," said Darcy as she clung to a rather confused Toro adoringly.

"Either I've lost it completely," said Toro, "Or I have this urge to swing among the trees."

"Later, darling," said Darcy.

"Much later," said Vicky, "We're about to see Sky sell his soul."

Through the commotion of the transfigured Toro, they had missed the part where Diaspro and Sky had walked back to the mad princess' office.

"I must admit, Diaspro," said Sky in an honest tone, "you've shown me some things that I'll never forget, no matter how hard I try."

"Glad I left such a lasting impression," said Diaspro as she smiled eagerly while she hung up her lab coat and untied the ribbon, letting her hair down.

"But you still haven't told me what you want," said Sky, "why bring me here if all you wanted was to show me your little science project? Aren't you going to tell me your demands?"

"Oh, how silly of me," said Diaspro, "I did mean to tell you the conditions for the antidote, but I got caught up in the excitement of my experiment. Very well. Here's my first condition: Even after all that has happened, I still consider Eraklyon my home. I wish to return to the planet of my birth with pride, to be hailed, not only as a princess, but a true savant who will bring glory to her world."

"Is that all you want?" Sky asked in a slightly exasperated tone, "To go home without a death sentence on your head? To be seen as a hero?"

"That's just the beginning," said Diaspro, her madness beginning to show itself again, "I wish to make Eraklyon my base where I shall bring about a new order in the Magical Dimension. Once I've perfected my super-soldiers, and with the financial and military power of Eraklyon at my disposal, I will make my homeworld the center of a new and better universe!

"And I want you at the middle of it all, Sky. With my super-soldiers, I can make you emperor of the Magical Dimension, and Bloom can be your empress. Yes, I will give you the antidote," she pulled the small crystal vial out from her bodice, "And you will have your precious Bloom back. All I ask in return is that we be partners in the new order, that I set up the foundation of this brave new universe. So, what do you think?"

********

"No doubt about it," said Stormy, "Diaspro is one egg short of a dozen."

"She can't honestly expect to get away with this," said Stormy, "She and Zahidia are business partners. There's no way Zahidia will allow Diaspro to set up her own empire."

"Maybe not, little sister," said Vicky, "or maybe this is all part of Zahidia's plan. Maybe Zahidia expects Diaspro to set herself up for disaster. We can only guess."

"Looks like we're about to find out," said Darcy.

Sky was a little taken aback at Diaspro's question. But then he regained his composure. He glared at Diaspro with utmost contempt, but Diaspro had no idea that the look Sky was giving her wasn't one of admiration, but of utmost loathing. Sky crossed his arms and tapped his left fingers on his right elbow three times, the transponder spell in his tooth activating, "You want to know what I think?" he asked.

"Yes," said Diaspro eagerly, her madness blinding her to the fact that Sky was barely restraining himself from attacking.

"You really want to know what I think?" Sky asked, trying to drag this out just enough for Stella's cousins aboard The Night Rider to find him.

"Tell me!" Diaspro said manically, her eyes wide in anticipation, "I do hope the answer is yes."

Sky new he had at the most a few minutes before The Night Rider arrived to pick him up, so now was the time to act. Utilizing every ounce of skill he learned from Red Fountain, Sky closed the distance between Diaspro and himself, and before she could react, slapped her across the face, knocking the disgraced princess to the floor.

"You're a f#ck$ng psychopath!!" exclaimed Sky, "That's what I think!"

"What?!" said a dumbfounded Diaspro, the shock of being slapped dulling the pain of the actual injury.

"Did you honestly believe that I would join with you!?" Sky asked angrily, "After all the pain and misery you've put Bloom and me through? You really believed that I'd submit to you. Well let me tell you something, you're dead wrong! I know without a doubt that Bloom would rather allow herself to die than let me sell my soul to anyone, especially you, Diaspro, and the same thing could be said for me."

********

"Well guess who didn't see this coming," Darcy said sarcastically.

"I sure didn't," said Stormy in an equally sarcastic tone.

"I don't understand," said Diaspro in a shocked, emotionally painful manner as she stood up, "You were supposed to accept my terms. You were supposed to join with me to create a new order. She said you would join with me."

"You really are a crazy bitch, Diaspro," an outraged said Sky as he looked at his former fiancée with utmost contempt again, "And if I had the time I'd beat the living hell out of you," just then his tooth vibrated slightly, "But I'll have to settle for this," he grabbed the crystal vial and yanked it off from around Diaspro's neck and pushed her down again, "I'll be seeing you, not!" And just like that, (insert finger snapping sound) he vanished in a teleportation flash.

The next thing Sky knew, he was aboard the fast starship in all the Magical Dimension, possibly the rest of the galaxy as well; The Night Rider. Many years ago, tired of courtly life, three of Stella's cousins went Outlaw and bought a used starship and fixed it up as best they could. They dedicated themselves to living their lives as freely as they could, traveling to one world after another on whirlwind adventure after whirlwind adventure.

Sky then saw the four crewmembers of The Night Rider. First was the twins, Beauregard and Lucinda. Both in their mid twenties and of the same height and bluish-green eyes. Their hair was the same shade of blond as Stella's, but Lucinda wore hers to below her shoulders wile Beauregard whore his short. Both were pilots and craved excitement, claiming themselves to be 'fuel-injected suicide machines.'

Then there was Amanda, who could pass for Stella's exact double, except that Amanda's hair was brown and braided. Amanda was the ship's mechanic, a genius with tools and could fix any shipboard problem, assuming she had the right parts and equipment at hand. Her one admitted flaw was that when stressed, or at odds with the ship, Amanda could weave a tapestry of obscenities that would make the likes of George Carlin and Richard Pryor blush.

Finally there was Ryoga Hibiki, a martial artist from Earth who chose to roam the stars. His incredible defensive prowess and stamina was offset by his unbelievable lack of a sense of direction. It's a well known fact that Ryoga couldn't make it across the street even with a compass and a GPS device.

Up until the conflict with The Shadow Riders, Ryoga had been living under an incredibly embarrassing water-based curse that turned him into a black piglet every time he came in contact with cold water. But when he and a few fellow martial artists teamed up with Bloom to foil the plans of The Shadow Riders, sheer chance allowed Ryoga the opportunity to receive an antidote to his curse. Afterwards when the battle with The Shadow Riders was finished and the other earthlings went home, Ryoga choose to remain in The Magical Dimension, joining the crew of The Night Rider and exploring space as no other man from Earth had done before.

Ryoga was about Sky's height with short black hair tied back with a yellow and black bandanna, said bandanna concealing many more bandanna's that could be thrown like shuriken. He wore a dark yellow shirt and tan pants. Strapped to his back was a Japanese-style umbrella that also served as another of Ryoga's weapons. But his real power lay in his hands, but more of that later.

"Nice to see you again, Sky," said Ryoga.

"Stella told us everything," said Beauregard, "We'll have you back on Eraklyon in no time."

"I'm amazed that you found me so quickly," said Sky as he followed the crew out of the transporter room towards the bridge.

"It wasn't all that difficult," said Lucinda, "considering that you were still in your backyard."

"What do you mean?" a confused Sky asked.

"We found you inside an asteroid about 10.96 billion miles from Eraklyon," said Beauregard, "Near the edge of the solar system. Diaspro has been hiding right under your noses all along."

"As soon as I've saved Bloom," said Sky as they reached the bridge, "I'll have the royal guard pouncing on Diaspro in a heartbeat."

"I'm sure you will," said Beauregard as he took the pilot seat, while Lucinda sat in the co-pilot seat, "Just as soon as we're back in Eraklyon orbit."

"Which will be right about…" said Lucinda as she pressed the button to send The Night Rider on it's course back to Eraklyon, "…now!"

But nothing happened.

"That's not right," said Lucinda as she pressed the button again, and then again, then one more time, "now what's wrong?"

"Damned if I know," said Amanda, "everything checked out during our last stay in port. I should know, I went over the whole ship with my bare hands."

"And I helped," said Ryoga.

"Well I'm gonna need your help again," said Amanda, "Ryoga, with me in the engine room."

The next few minutes were rather quiet for Sky, except for the occasional overly loud swear word that Amanda shouted whenever she failed to determine what part of the ship wasn't functioning.

"This f#ck$ng piece of sh$t engine is gonna f#ck$ng drive me up the f#ck$ng walls!!"

"It's only a matter of time before she goes ahead and blows a gasket," remarked Beauregard.

"You're probably right," said Lucinda as she looked at the button that started this current mess, "I feel like Amanda is looking for the problem in the wrong way. Hang on…" she removed the top for the control panel and examined the workings of the button, "That's it! The button itself was broken!"

Lucinda switched to an auxiliary control panel and pressed the button that started the engine. Sky, who was standing near the control panels to see if he could help, was knocked to the floor by the sudden acceleration of the ship. From the engine room, Sky could hear Amanda and Ryoga also being knocked about as she ship accelerated.

Five minutes later The Night Rider was in orbit around Eraklyon.

"Here we are," said Beauregard as he and Lucinda unbuckled themselves from their seats, "Safe and sound."

"A little warning next time you jump the ship into hyperspace," complained a slightly sore Ryoga as he and Amanda entered the bridge.

"And just how did you fix the motherf#ck$ng problem?" Amanda asked, "just what the f#ck was wrong with my baby?" It was a well known fact that Amanda's one true love was The Night Rider, a relationship that was often a love/hate one.

"Just a silly mechanical fault," said Beauregard, "nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about!?" said an exasperated Amanda, "Nothing to f#ck$ng worry about? I push myself to the f#ck$ng limit keeping this bucket of sh$t running so you two bastards can go gallivanting across the c#ck-sucking galaxy. The slightest malfunction can leave us stranded in the middle of f#ck$ng nowhere, or worse. The least you can do is show some f#ck$ng appreciation for the number of times I've saved your lazy asses."

"Oh don't be upset, 'Mandy," said Lucinda in a soothing tone, "We do appreciate you and all you've done for us and the ship."

"See that you do," said Amanda as she pointed a wrench at Lucinda, "And don't f#ck$ng call me 'Mandy, only my mom can call me that."

"Of course," said Beauregard in a mischievous tone, "how could we forget. It'll never happen again, 'Mandy." At this Lucinda giggled.

"I think I'd better get back down to the palace," said Sky. Every second he was on the ship was a second he wasn't with Bloom. Besides, he'd rather not be in the middle of an argument.

"I'll take you to the transporter room," said Ryoga, grateful to be out of the room for a while. Unfortunately, Ryoga's lack of a sense of direction hadn't gotten better any time soon. First, Ryoga led Sky to the engine room, then to sickbay, then to the bathroom, then back to the engine room, then back to the bathroom, then to the bathroom again.

Fortunately there's only so many places one can go on a starship the size of The Night Rider before finally ending up where you want to be. Finally, they were in the transporter room, and fortunately for Sky, Ryoga knew how to operate the transporter without mishap.

"Tell the cousins I said goodbye," said Sky, "and that Stella wishes them will."

"Can do," said Ryoga as he beamed Sky down to the planet below.

Stella and the others were surprised to see Sky materializing in the middle of the room.

"What happened?" Brandon asked anxiously.

"Well, I got the antidote," said Sky as he held up the crystal vial, "let's get it to Bloom."

"Just cool your ramjets," said Elise, "I need to check if it's the real deal."

Realizing that Elise was right, Sky handed her the crystal vial. She began scanning it with her Sonic Screwdriver.

"But what happened between you and Diaspro?" Flora asked.

"And what did she want you to do?" Helia asked.

"That's what we want to know," said King Justin, while Queen Janelle nodded in agreement.

"I've seen some really bad things in my life," said Sky, "But what Diaspro has been up to is the worse. She's creating an army of genetically engendered super-soldiers. She hasn't succeeded yet, only managed to make a handful of mutated abominations. But it's the way she was so fanatical about it, like she thought herself a god."

"Well she won't be a god for long," said Justin, "As soon as I've found out where she took you I'll have her head on a silver platter."

"That's another thing," said Sky, "Diaspro has set up her lab on an asteroid on the outer reaches of the solar system," he gave his father the coordinates.

"That little maniac had once again defiled her kingdom," said Janelle, "But she won't be getting away with it any longer."

"She may get away with it yet," said Elise, "I just finished my scan. This isn't the antidote."

"What!?" exclaimed everyone at the same time.

"It's not the antidote," said Elise, "It isn't an antidote to anything. It's just salt water with some blue dye 4."

"You mean Diaspro tricked us again?" asked Carmen, "That bitch! That f#ck$ng psycho cow! I'll rip her head open and shove her coozed-up brain up her ass!"

"You can do that later," said Kurt, "Right now we need to figure out how to save Princess Bloom."

"And we'd better do it soon," said Brandon, "Sky looks like he's about to lose it."

"No, Brandon," said Sky in a slightly unstable tone, "I'm alight. It's just that I believed that Diaspro had the antidote. I believed that she would give it to me, and I fell for it all. It's my fault, and Bloom's going to die because of my trusting her killer."

"Bloom won't die," said Tecna, who had been furiously working at her wrist computer since the truth about the supposed antidote was revealed, "I think I have the answer."

"Well don't keep us in the dark," said Carmen, "Tell us already!"

"I've determined that the curse that has poisoned Bloom is of the same nature as the curse that afflicted Layla's eyes," said Tecna.

"How'd you figure that out?" Elise asked.

"Just because you have the latest model of Sonic Screwdrivers," said Timmy, "doesn't mean that you're the best in everything. I've confirmed Tecna's findings; the two curses are of the same nature."

"And if Layla's Fairy Dust could cure her eyes," said Tecna, "Then maybe Fairy Dust is the answer. But we'll need more than just one Enchantix-level fairy can produce. Layla, Stella, this will be your show."

"I've always wanted to be a star," said Stella.

Five minutes later found Sky, Stella, Layla, Brandon, Tecna, Timmy and Sky's parents in the room where Bloom lay sleeping. Both Stella and Layla were in their Enchantix forms; Layla having already helped Stella summon her own Fairy Dust.

"Okay," said Layla, "Here we go." Both she and Stella summed as much Fairy Dust from their wings as they could. The pure magic substance hovering in a small cloud above the still form of Bloom, which the gently fell on her, the dust absorbing into her body and leaving a slight golden glow before fading away.

"That's it," said Layla, "We've done all we could."

"The rest is up to you, Sky," said Stella.

"What do you mean?" Sky asked. He then saw the 'knowing' look that Stella and Layla gave him, "Oh."

"What are you two up to?" Brandon asked.

"Our Fairy Dust removed the curse as best we could," said Layla, "but in order for Bloom to wake up, a special condition needs to be met."

"And we got to make that condition," said Stella as she smiled with eager anticipation, "just watch, this is going to be so romantic."

Gently, and with all the love in his heart, Sky kissed Bloom on the lips. Two seconds later she opened her eyes and saw Sky sitting next to her.

"Hello, beautiful," said Sky.

"Hello, handsome," said Bloom.

"How are you feeling?" Sky asked.

Bloom thought about this for a second, as if she was confused about how she got in this position, "very well rested in fact." She yawned as she sat up in the bed.

"I was having the weirdest dream," said Bloom in a groggy tone, "I was back in Gardenia with Mike and Vanessa. We were watching a John Wayne marathon, only, all the characters in the movie were fish. I can't tell you how strange it was to watch a mackerel say 'you'd better believe it mister, or you're dead where you stand.'"

"It must have been pretty wild in there," said Sky as he affectingly tapped Bloom's head.

"And that wasn't the weirdest part," said Bloom, "Vanessa then changed the channel. You had to see it to believe it, but a walrus was filling in for Marlon Brando in 'The Godfather.'"

Just then Bloom remembered the events leading up to her passing out, "Oh no! The Party! Diaspro! What happened?!"

"Everything's alright," said Sky in a comforting tone, "It's okay now, she can't hurt us."

"Oh yes I can!!" exclaimed Diaspro as she teleported into the room, a look of utmost maniacal hatred on her face, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you both! Starting with you, Bloom!" She threw a curse at Bloom, which Sky shielded from her with his body. He took the full force of the curse, producing a small explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Bloom was alright, but Sky looked half dead from the ghastly wounds on his back.

"Oh shoot," said Diaspro in a disappointed tone, "I missed."

"But I won't!!" exclaimed Brandon as he swung his sword at Diaspro, intending to cut her head off. But Diaspro ducked and ran for the door, just in time to avoid an incinerating beam of Sunlight from Stella, as well as a spear of morphix that Layla threw.

Unfortunately there were the rest of our heroes waiting outside the room for word on Bloom Flora, Musa, Helia, Riven, Carmen and the others stared at Diaspro in slight confusion, while Diaspro stared back.

The moment was shattered when Janelle ran out of the room, "Get her!!" she shouted, signaling for nearby guardsmen.

"Just try and catch me!" said Diaspro as she cast a teleportation spell.

"I don't think so!" said Elise as she activated a special function of her Sonic Screwdriver that negated Diaspro's spell, leaving her trapped in the palace.

"That's a nice toy you've got," said Diaspro, "But let's see if it can do the same thing when I'm out of range."

"I think not," said Janelle, "Justin and I just activated the Lockdown. The palace and the surrounding grounds have been encased in an impenetrable energy field that prevents anyone from teleporting in or out. You're going to answer for what you've done to my son, Diaspro! You're going to pay!"

"What's she do now?" Morgan asked.

"I'll tell you what she did," said a shocked Timmy as he walked out of the other room, his scanner barely held in his limp fingers, "she broke his back. Sky's paralyzed below the waist."

Everyone was stunned at this, except for an outraged Carmen, "I always thought you were garbage, Diaspro," she said grimly, "But this proves that you're worse than garbage. I was going to put a small black hole inside of you and watch as you implode to death. But I'll leave your final fate to the will of the King and Queen."

"Death by implosion sounds right to me," said Janelle in an equally grim tone.

"You'll have to catch me first," said Diaspro, "I may not be able to teleport inside the palace, but there's nothing stopping me from walking out the front door."

"I beg to differ," said King Justin as several guardsmen closed in. Diaspro was now cornered with no clear escape route in sight. But the mad princess still had one more card to play.

"You think you can kill me?" she asked, "I, the one who shall bring about a new master race, the supreme power in the universe!? Well I've got one thing to say to all of you fools!" her face then adopted a shocked, frightened look and pointed to something behind everyone, "what the hell is that!?!"

Everyone looked behind them to see nothing, then looked forward to realize that Diaspro had used the distraction to get around them and escape into the corridor.

"Find her and bring me her head!!" exclaimed an outraged Janelle. The guardsmen, along with Carmen, Morgan, Riven, Kurt and Brandon gave chase, while Musa, Flora and everyone else stayed behind to see just how hurt Sky really was.

But when they came into the room, they were horrified to see the extent of burns on Sky's back. Bloom sat next to Sky, holding his hand in a comforting manner while several hastily summoned healers did what they could. It was fortunate that the blast had knocked Sky unconscious, for the agony of his wounds would surely be more than anyone could bear.

********

It was Kurt who eventually caught up with Diaspro. He was on the fourth floor when he saw the insane princess running down the hallway. He ran after her, drawing his revolver just as Diaspro turned around a corner. Kurt then used a gun-slinging technique that he learned during his travels. He fired his gun in a way that made the bullet 'curve', meaning that the shot went around the corner after its intended target and remained on course as if it's path was straight and true.

But just as the bullet turned around the corner, there was a flash of light from down the hallway that Diaspro went, a flash that Kurt didn't realize had happened until much later. But an instant later his ears were rewarded with the gratifying sound of the bullet hitting flesh, followed by the squeal of pain and the crash of a body as Diaspro fell to the floor.

Kurt ran around the corner to see Diaspro on the floor, her right shoulder red from the bullet wound. Diaspro was trying to get back up, but she tripped and fell face up, wincing in pain as her wounded shoulder hit the floor first.

She then saw Kurt standing over her, "You…you shot me, you asshole!"

"And now I'm going to finish you off," said Kurt as he pulled the hammer back for the kill. But then Morgan and Riven caught up with him.

"You got her!" said Morgan.

"Do it, man," said Riven, "Shoot that piece of sh$t!"

"Wait," said Morgan, "I've got a better idea."

"What could be better than putting a shot into her f#ckd-up brain?" Kurt asked.

Morgan whispered something into his ear, something that made him smile wickedly. He lowered the hammer carefully and holstered his gun.

"What did you say?" Riven asked.

"Queen Janelle said that she wanted Diaspro's head," said Morgan in a devious tone, "but she didn't say where she wanted it cut off."

"And the queen did say that the anti-teleportation field did extend outside the building," said Kurt. He and Morgan then grinned mischievously.

It was then that Riven saw that they were near a large window that overlooked the front driveway of the palace. "Oh," said Riven as he realized what Morgan had thought of, "okay, I'm cool with it."

"With what?!" Diaspro asked angrily, "I demand to know what you're going to do to me!"

"Let's just say that you're about to get a first-hand lesson in gravity," said Morgan as she and Kurt roughly picked Diaspro up and held her in front of the window, "Let's see you worm your way out of this one, psycho!"

"No!" exclaimed the mad princess, "You can't do this to me! I am Diaspro!"

"Yes you are," said Kurt. With that he and Morgan threw Diaspro at the window, the glass shattering on impact. The mad princess screamed with terror as she fell four stories to the hard pavement below.

Riven, Morgan and Kurt heard her hit the driveway with a noise similar to meat being hit with a sledgehammer. They looked out of the broken window to see Diaspro sprawled across the pavement like a broken doll.

Just then Carmen came dashing around the corner, skidding to a halt beside Morgan, Riven and Kurt. "What happened?" she asked as she tried to regain her breath, "Where's Diaspro?"

"She had an unfortunate fall," said Kurt.

"Oh," said Carmen in a slightly disappointed tone as she looked out the broken window, then her expression grew even more disappointed, "Oh. I wanted to make her implode."

"You can make the next villain implode," said Morgan in a reassuring tone.

Five minutes later everyone except Bloom and Sky (of course) were outside, gathered around the slain Diaspro, or nearly slain as that her body was still twitching in her death throes.

"Is that normal?" a disgusted Flora asked as she and the more squeamish of our heroes averted their eyes, "Can't somebody make her stop that?"

"You want me to put a round in her head?" Kurt asked as he drew his gun again, "That'll make her stop jittering."

"Don't waste a bullet on this sack of pig vomit," said Carmen, "she'll be stone dead soon enough."

But the broken form of Diaspro didn't stop twitching. Instead, the convulsions increased in intensity.

"This is definitely not normal," said Helia.

"I agree," said Carmen in a slightly disturbed tone, "Kurt, maybe you should shoot her."

"Wait!" said Elise, "There's more here than meets the eye."

By now Diaspro's body was thrashing about as if she had epilepsy.

"Okay, this is really freaking me out!" said Musa.

"You think that's disturbing," said Riven, "how about now?"

Diaspro's body was undergoing a metamorphosis of some kind. Her height decreased, her limbs became shorter, more pudgy, while her skin turned eggshell white. The most unsettling part was when her face became blank, without expression and utterly devoid of any distinguishing features. It was at that point that the shaking stopped, and Tecna's scanner's told that the creature that was Diaspro was indeed dead now.

"What the hell is it?" Layla asked.

"A Tleilaxian face dancer," said a morbidly fascinated Elise, "A genetically engendered shape shifter that can mimic a person's appearance and personality perfectly."

"Try saying that when you're drunk," said Morgan.

"I've heard and read about these creatures," said Elise as she ignored Morgan's joke, "but I've never seen one in the flesh until now. How extraordinary; apparently they revert to their true shape on the onset of death."

"I've also heard of face dancers," said Timmy, "it is said that only the best of DNA scans can tell one apart from a normal person.

"This is all really interesting," said a thoroughly freaked out Stella, "but what's a face dancer doing impersonating Diaspro?"

"I have my suspicions," said Elise, "This must be how she escaped justice the last time. Some how, at some point before she was handed over to the Galaxy Police, she and a face dancer switched places. I'll bet that the Diaspro that's still imprisoned is that shape shifter.

"There was a flash of some kind just before I shot Diaspro," said Kurt, "she must have teleported out, and the face dancer took her place."

"That's not possible," said Janelle, "The palace lockdown prevents anyone from teleporting in or out."

"Only if the teleportation is magic in nature," said Elise as she scanned the dead face dancer with her Sonic Screwdriver, "as well as a starship transporter. But there's more than one way to teleport. If I'm reading this right, this creature has minute traces of tachyon particles."

"There are experimental teleportation devices that use tachyons," said Tecna, "But how did she manage to obtain one?"

"We've got bigger things to worry about," said Carmen, "the bitch is still out there somewhere."

********

"Well I certainly didn't expect this," said Icy in an honest tone, while the others watching also expressed their honest surprise.

"The little psycho is just full of surprises," said Stormy.

"I wonder just how Diaspro pulled it off?" Toro asked, "The whole face dancer and tachyon transporter thing, whatever that is."

"I'm more curious as to where she got the money for it all," said Darcy, "Face dancers are very hard to come by, and I'm pretty sure the new empire isn't interested in tachyons."

"It isn't," said Vicky, "I have my suspicions as to how Diaspro pulled this little stunt of hers. But I'm sure we'll learn the truth of it in due time. She still has her contract with Zahidia, and the devil pity Diaspro if she fails to uphold her end of the bargain."

"The last dork who broke a contract with Lady Zahidia," said Kevin, "the biggest piece of him they found could fit inside a thimble."

"Then let's hope that Diaspro stays on Zahidia's good side," said Icy in an uncharacteristic manner, as if she really was concerned, "for her sake."

"Are you alright?" Darcy asked, "You're not coming down with 'humane syndrome,' are you?"

"Huh?" Icy asked, "No, I'm not sick. And if I were you'd be the last one to know."

"Just checking to be sure," remarked Darcy.

Meanwhile…

Elsewhere in the universe, Diaspro stood before her hooded mistress. "Once again you are indebted to me, Diaspro," said the hooded woman, "as if your debt wasn't high enough. This is the second time I've had to switch you with a face dancer, and this time the copy died for you.."

"I'd say that I was grateful," said Diaspro, "if I were. But I had the situation under control. There was no need for you to step in."

"You would have died if I didn't," said the hooded woman in a clam voice that masked seething rage at Diaspro's impudence, "Believe me when I say that I would have gladly permitted your demise, if it weren't for the fact that I need you, I and the others."

"Others?" a slightly startled and confused Diaspro asked, "What others?"

"You may belong to me," said the hooded woman, "but I belong to something greater than you can possibly imagine. Now, I shall send you back to Xaldo so you can continue your work. The augmented soldiers must be ready on schedule."

"They will be," said Diaspro, and don't worry about anyone finding out. Just before I went back to Eraklyon, I sent the entire lab and all my specimens to Xaldo. When they search the asteroid, they'll find only rock and dust."

"Good," said the hooded woman, "now, if you can continue to play your role and keep Zahidia in the dark as to where your true loyalties lay, then there shouldn't be any further problems."

"There won't," said Diaspro.

"Especially any problems involving a certain red-headed fairy princess and her blond prince," said the hooded woman, "Any further distractions concerning those two could be most unfortunate on your part."

"I'll try not to allow the bane of my existence keep me from finishing my work," said Diaspro, "And I will be finished on time. Oh, I was thinking of a name for my super soldiers. Once they're completed, they'll need a name. How does 'Perfectives' sound, for that's what they will be; perfect, supreme beings."

"I will take it up with the others," said the hooded woman, "but if it pleases you, you can use the name. I must return to the others now. If for some reason you require my assistance, just give a call."

"There won't be a need," said Diaspro, "I've got things under control now, seriously."

"For your sake you'd better," said the hooded woman, her voice now betraying her anger, "for if I have to pull your scrawny, mediocre ass out of the fire one more time, you will wish that you had gone to prison when you had the chance." With that she vanished.

"That'll be the day," said Diaspro out loud, even though she was quite alone, "And my ass isn't mediocre, and it's certainly not scrawny. It's perfect, just like my creatures will be. Oh, you think that I am your pet, that you can do whatever you want to me, well you're wrong!"

By now she was ranting like she was a fascist dictator.

"My Perfectives will be ready and on schedule, but you, my hooded mistress, you shall be among the first to be slaughtered! My Perfectives will be the ultimate creatures of war! They will kill all who stand in their way! And I, Diaspro, shall be their leader! Nothing will stop us as we conquer all before us, and I shall take my rightful place as the supreme power in the universe!!"

The end of chapter 12

The dark souls prepare their next diabolical move, while an even darker soul continues to scheme. As the dragon princess must face an unknown amount of time away from her one true love, one of her friends is about to come face to face with utter betrayal.

Next chapter: From Bad…

'for those with wings, fly to your dreams.'