Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction.
Season Three Episode Eleven: "Fullmetal Alchemy" Chapter Five
Alchemy watched Miranda enter her family's home. She turned to Elyon and Cornelia. "What happens if she can't get him away from them?" she asked.
Cornelia answered, "She probably won't have any control over it. If he decides to change right in front of them the second he sees her, there's no stopping it."
"Right." Elyon agreed, "But Miranda will pretend to be you, terrified, and run from him. When she does so, he's unlikely to bother with them, since you're the one he wants. I'm sorry Al, I wish I could give you better assurances but I won't lie to you."
"I appreciate that." Alchemy said.
Miranda crept quietly into the Ethel home. She overheard the sounds of Garix and Alchemy's parents talking. "I hope he follows me." she thought.
Disguised as Alchemy, Miranda stepped into the kitchen. "Ahh, here she is at last." Garix said. "You remember me from the park don't you dear Alchemy?" he asked as he stood up.
Arthur and Paula realized when Garix said this that something was wrong, though of course they could never have guessed what. "Park? What are you talking about? Who are you?" Arthur demanded.
"Come and get me!" Miranda shouted, and turned to run. She knew it wasn't going to work though. Even as she turned Garix began to change.
"Who am I? I am Prince Garix of Varthan! And your daughter is my prey!" Paula screamed at the sight of Garix's true form, while Arthur ran for a weapon. Miranda rushed out the door with Garix on her heels. As she crossed the street, Will Irma and Cornelia made their move.
Cornelia ensnared Garix's feet in vines. It wouldn't hold long, but they only needed a couple of seconds. Briefly immobilized, Garix was an easy target for Will and Irma, who soaked him and electrocuted him all at once. Garix broke free just in time to narrowly avoid another one of Elyon's out-of-phase Light Bombs. The Prince suffered a nasty burn to his back from the attack, but the scanner on his chest was undamaged.
Meanwhile, Alchemy and Taranee slipped around the long way and into the house to check on Al's parents. Inside, they found the pair barricaded in the spare bathroom. "Mom, Dad, it's me! Come on out!"
Arthur and Paula cautiously emerged and embraced their daughter. "Alchemy, we thought you were dead!" Paula said.
"What was that thing? How did you get away from it?" Arthur added.
"It's a long story." Alchemy said. "What matters is, there's only one way to get rid of him for good. I need you to trust my friends and go along with the plan. Please."
"This is all very strange." Paula complained.
Alchemy said, 'I know mom. It's new to me too, as in, like, three hours ago. We'll explain it all later."
"All you need to know right now," Taranee said, "Is that the big ugly won't stop coming for you until he's suffered a clear-cut failure to capture you. So we've arranged that failure."
Arthur looked at Taranee. "I'll do anything to keep my wife and daughter safe. Tell me what we need to do."
Garix broke through the line of Guardians preventing him from pursuing 'Alchemy'. Just as planned. While Garix headed for one more slow-down confrontation, this one with the regents of earth, the Guardians moved into position. Alchemy and her parents were flown ahead of Garix's rampage. Elyon opened a fold, and Cornelia hid it behind a wall of soil. The Ethels waited in front of the wall…
Still disguised as Alchemy, Miranda ran past Matt, Napoleon, and Kor. Garix rounded a corner and walked right into them. Matt's energy blast knocked Garix to the ground, while Napoleon and Kor grabbed him from ether side and pulled apart. The two regents were almost strong enough to end Garix right there, but he broke free, knocked Matt aside, and continued after Miranda.
Garix climbed the last hill just behind 'Alchemy' to find her already there. The real Alchemy and her parents as well. "Two of you?" He bellowed.
Miranda returned to herself. "Fooled you!" she taunted.
"Really fooled you." Cornelia added as she dropped the soil wall revealing the fold. Elyon and Will led the Ethyl's through.
"Do you really think a mere fold will protect them from me? I will follow wherever you have taken them!" Garix shouted.
"Oh really?" Cornelia asked. "Even if the other side is, oh, I don't know… Kandrakar?"
With a roar of anger, Garix opened his own fold and returned to Varthan.
Half an hour later, All three members of the Ethel family were back in their home. "Mr. and Mrs. Ethel," Elyon began, "we're going to explain this and help you through it. But you can't tell anyone what you've learned. Lives depend on secrecy."
"What would we tell? Who would believe us if we did? What is this even all this about?" Paula demanded to know.
Susan was walking in as Paula said this. "Where's your coffee?" She asked. "You're gonna need it…"
Varthan. Neera had turned Garix over to the torturers as punishment for his recklessness. Though he could easily kill them all, the Prince stoically took his Mother's prescribed punishment. "Shall I order a new Prince Larvae grown, my Queen?" Aljax asked.
"No. I'm not having Garix killed yet. Foolish though his actions were, they did work." Neera looked at the data coil, it's display reading one hundred percent. "Success must be rewarded." she said, "Garix will be allowed to live one last time."
As they conversed, a group of four men in long black and green robes entered the throne room and bowed. Neera ordered them to rise, and presented them with the coil. "How long will you need?" she asked.
"Not long." One of the men answered, "We were able to begin both physical construction and magical intonations with the partial data already collected. Given our current state of completion, the units should be online within the week."
"Hurry." Neera said, and the palace echoed with the sound of her laughter…