Return of the Magic of Carealot

Disclaimer: I do not own: Slayers or Devil May Cry! Well actually I do! I beat one and two and I bought the special edition of three but I haven't beaten it yet…

We interrupt this program…

Victoria ran towards the Care bears' castle as the dark clouds gathered around Carealot. Amelia's grief had plummeted the caring meter almost all the way down to zero and it was going to cause a major catastrophe if she didn't get there quick! Quickly she cast a shield around the caring meter separating it from Amelia's heart for the time being. It returned to the highest position and temporarily banished the dark clouds. She breathed a slight sigh of relief but her task her was not done yet. She turned and found most of the Care Family assembled behind her.

"What happened?" True Heart asked perplexed. She descended the steps of the caring meters pedestal and knelt in front of True Heart.

"Amelia is in a deep state of grief…She believes that Zelgadis has been taken away from her forever!" she began solemnly. True Heart looked shocked and muttered her disbelief along with the others after all they had just been there mere hours ago and they looked so happy! She explained that at a warning of impending danger they returned to Saillune and that's when Zelgadis was taken. She believes that he was killed.

"Is there anything we can do?" Noble Heart added concerned. She nodded and smiled.

"Yes Noble Heart! I am on my way to arrange a rescue for Zelgadis but I will need help in convincing the person who can rescue him. I would like for you and True Heart to come with me please…" she hadn't even finished asking when ALL of the care bears and cousins were volunteering! She smiled and thanked them all but insisted that only True Heart and Noble Heart would be required for this mission. They went inside the castle and exchanged some goodbyes and well wishes. She tapped some special commands on the Rainbow rescue beam instructing Grumpy bear on how to get them back then all three disappeared…

They appeared on a dark dead end street lined at either side with shops of all kinds. All of them were closed except for the one at the end of the street. It's large bright red neon sign read: Devil Never Cry. Victoria led them towards that shop. The door was closed and as they knocked a male voice from inside the shop replied gruffly that they were closed. Victoria smiled and turned to her companions.

"Don't worry he always says that!" she said softly and entered anyway. A man in black pants and a black t-shirt with his black booted feet up on the desk leaned back with his eyes closed. Boxes lined one side of the large office. Victoria smirked as he noted the bare walls only the coat rack with his red trench coat and his guns hanging on their holster remained. Her companions hid behind her as they noted the large wicked looking swords and a large array of weapons mounted on the wall behind the desk.

"Are you deaf? We're closed! Nature calls are in the back if ya need it that bad! If not get out!" he roughly ordered.

"Are you going somewhere Mr. Dante?" she asked amused. The man looked up quickly.

"Hey! Old lady! What's up?" he said getting up to shake Victoria's hand. He turned to call someone from the back of the shop to come out and see who was calling.

"Naw! We're not moving! Trish just wanted me to take down some of the stuff! She says it's not appropriate!" he explained in a slightly annoyed tone gesturing towards the boxes lined against the wall. Again Victoria smirked in amusement. She had already guessed as much! Just then a tall beautiful and VERY pregnant blonde came waddling slowly out of the back room.

"I agree! Your marketing décor is not appropriate for the eyes of little children Mr. Dante!" Victoria replied with obvious amusement as she stepped forward to hug Dante's wife Trish.

"So what brings you to our shop?" Trish asked smiling tiredly taking Dante's empty chair. Her smile broadened as she caught sight of the two little beings that had been hiding behind Victoria.

"Business I am afraid…Please allow me to introduce True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse," Victoria announced happily. After exchanging a few cheerful pleasantries she explained to Dante and Trish that she had need of Dante's services in the matter of helping rescue a friend of theirs.

"As far as I know he is being held prisoner by Mundus in a pocket dimension a way station between this world and the underworld. He has been cut off from his powers and the longer he remains there the closer his imprisonment will drift towards the underworld," she explained her tone urgent.

"There is a portal in Mallett Island that can lead you directly to his cell but as you know with hell dimensions time is of the essence," she concluded. Dante looked dubious. The lady usually paid well on the rescue missions she hired him for and business had been slow lately but spending a couple of hours in the underworld meant losing a week more or less in the world. His twins were due any day now and he really didn't want to miss that arrival!

"I…" he began about to refuse.

"Please Mr. Dante! We know you don't want to leave your family but you're the only one who can rescue our friend!" True Heart pleaded.

"Zelgadis has a family too! And they need him! You're the only one who can help! Please!" added Noble Heart. Dante wrinkled his face looking on the verge of changing his mind. He looked at his wife and she just smiled back at him.

"Of course I am prepared to compensate you appropriately Mr. Dante," Victoria put in solemnly producing a large brick of cash from her coat and placing it on the desk.

"Two hundred and fifty now another two hundred and fifty when you complete the mission," she declared seriously. Dante's eyes went wide! It wasn't every day you get handed that much cash for a simple rescue mission. Still he wasn't quite ready to just jump in to the fray. Going to the underworld was serious business who was this guy that he was worth half a mil anyway?

"Dante…I know you don't want to miss their arrival but you'll have plenty of time to make it up to them!" Trish began reaching for her husband's hand.

"And think about it Mr. Dante! You can regale your children with the tale of how you bravely went to the underworld to save a prince from another world! A far more appropriate tale than some of your other adventures Mr. Dante!" Victoria added solemnly though Trish noticed a twinkle of merriment in her eyes.

"Wait! This guy's a prince?" Dante interjected surprised. The half million reward (three time more than her usual offers) was making sense now!

"Well sort of…" True Heart replied and explained he was a sorcerer engaged to marry a princess in a land called Saillune.

"Ah I see…" he paused to mull things over for a second. An encouraging smile from Trish and the large brick of cash sitting on his desk finally convinced him.

"Ok I'll do it on the condition that you provide transportation to and from the island," Dante began seriously explaining that a few weeks ago he and Trish had sold the biplane they originally used to escape the island in order to set up a "baby" fund. There were no ships sailing out there either so getting a private charter would be the only way and it was much too expensive considering how rough the waters in the area were.

"Done! True Heart and Noble Heart can take you to the island! From there you will go to Saillune…" Victoria instantly agreed. She explained that the care leaders could summon a flying ship to transport him. Zelgadis possessed an item that would be able to open the door in the underworld that would lead directly to the capital city of Saillune. She handed him a picture of Zelgadis with Amelia in Carealot that she'd taken from her sensor's records earlier.

"I will join you there and provide you with the means for your return!" Victoria added all business now.

"Alright! Let's Rock!" he said as he marched over to his coat rack took his trench coat and put it on then grabbed his guns. He paused at the wall behind his desk to add a couple of swords and a shot gun to his arsenal. He scribbled Zel's name on the back of the picture as well as the two care leader's names. Victoria explained Zel was an accomplished swordsman and that he was part demon but had no idea how to use a devil trigger thus why he remained imprisoned.

"I wish I could go with you…" Trish began wistfully as True Heart and Noble Heart cheered and hurried outside to call their cloud ship.

"We shall join Mr. Dante in Saillune as soon as it is safe Mrs. Trish!" Victoria reassured and let Dante know that she would remain with Trish until that time. They walked out together and Dante in uncharacteristic gentleman fashion opened the door for his wife and Victoria. Trish laughed as she took in the sight of the ship! Its star shaped sail twinkled in the night sky as a rainbow colored plank extended from its white fluffy side.

"NO! NO! AND NO! I am not getting on that thing!" Dante protested glaring at the two laughing and whispering women. Victoria produced a small digital camera from a pocket in her black trench coat and smiling broadly handed it to Trish who immediately began to snap pictures at the thing! True Heart came down from the ship and gave Dante her most sad and pathetic puppy face!

"Mr. Dante…is there something wrong?" she said softly. Dante swallowed an angry growl and glared at Victoria. He put a light peck on his wife's cheek and reluctantly walked towards the fluffy white ship muttering angrily as he went.

"Dante wait!" Trish called out to him and he turned mid-way up the colorful ramp.

"Smile!" she said sweetly and snapped another picture! Victoria stifled a laugh as she waved goodbye. Dante rolled his eyes and entered the ship. As they sailed away Trish could see him testing the cloud-like sides and glaring at it suspiciously as if he expected it to evaporate any second. Trish laughed but turned serious as the ship disappeared and a dagger materialized in her hand. At lightning speed that dagger was a hairs-breadth away from Victoria's neck. Victoria was unfazed.

"Dante will return safely…correct?" Trish asked her glaring at the older woman. Victoria merely smiled.

"Dante…son of Sparda has nothing to fear from where he's going," she sighed nostalgically as she continued to watch the ship shrinking in the distance.

"His first trip to Mallett Island was far more dangerous than this one will be! And if memory serves you were the one who lured him there that time," Victoria retorted leveling Trish with a stern look. Trish returned the dagger to its hidden sheath in the ample sleeves of her maternity blouse and sighed heavily. She stroked her large belly and a tear slid down her cheek.

"I'm just afraid…this is the underworld we're talking about here! And Mundus has a score to settle with Dante," she sighed once again and slowly turned away to re-enter their shop. Victoria put a comforting hand on Trish's back.

"There now child! There is nothing for you to fear! Mr. Dante is quite a capable young man! He will be just fine! Mundus us no threat to him now," she reassured in a motherly fashion. Trish smiled back weakly.

"Now while I wait for my little friends to return would you like to go visit Carealot?" she invited with a mischievous smile.

Dante stood at the ship's aft deck watching his street disappear then turned to his little hosts.

"Thank you for your help Mr. Dante!" True Heart cheerfully piped up before he could say anything.

"We really do appreciate it!" Noble Heart added.

"No sweat! Now how long 'til we get there?" he asked wanting to get off that ship as soon as he could manage!

"Soon I think," said Noble Heart. Dante nodded but continued to frown.

"Shouldn't one of you actually be at the helm? How is this thing flying anyway?" he asked trying not to sound too annoyed.

"It flies with the good feelings in our hearts!" True heart answered cheerfully. Dante stared at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Yes all the good feelings we have towards our family and friends and all the people we care about lifts it and makes it fly!" Noble heart added equally cheerful. Dante nodded slowly but still didn't look all that convinced. He wondered when this thing would plummet to the ocean due to his bad feelings about it.

"Ok fine so how does it know where we're going?" he asked worried now that he'd end up in some wild goose chase!

"It senses where we want to go and takes the straightest path there!" Noble Heart answered. Again Dante just looked at them like they where both nuts! But before he could say anything True Heart spotted something in the distance.

"Mr. Dante is that it?" she asked pointing at a small island in the distance that seemed to be approaching quickly. Choppy waters surrounded the place and he could see storm clouds gathering around it.

"Yea that's it!" he called back to her. The wind picked up as they neared the island making it difficult for them to hear each other. As soon as they were in range they realized that the destruction from the last time he was here would make it impossible for the little ship to land. He made his way to the starboard bow and looked down from the railing.

"How are you going to get down Mr. Dante?" True Heart called out worriedly holding on to the rail near the helm. The wind was really howling now!

"Maybe we can extend the ramp all the way down," Noble Heart suggested struggling to keep the helm steady. Dante looked back towards them a big grin on his face.

"Ramp? Ramps are for wimps! Thanks for the ride! See you two around!" he called out cheerfully. He tossed them a jaunty salute before he back flipped his way off the ship with great flourish. He landed easily enough and looked up to see the little cheerful ship drifting off. True Heart waved at him.

"Good Luck Mr. Dante! Be careful! We care about you too!" she was yelling down as the ship drifted away to safer currents. He laughed and waved then ran into the ruins. He figured then that it made sense that creatures like them existed. If there were demons that hated every thing that lived then there must be beings that loved all that lived. He decided he liked that idea as he entered what remained of the room where he'd defeated his brother Vergil one final time. A dark swirling pool was in the center of the room.

"Clock is ticking!" he said to the empty room and stepped right into the pool. As he dropped into the hell dimension he was immediately assaulted by its denizens. The rapport of his guns disposed of the flying creatures that swooped towards him to attack. He made his way at a fairly good pace knocking down doors in the long hallway that looked like it was a prison.

"Ok where the hell is this guy?" he mumbled annoyed as he shot down a demonic bird. Most of the cells were empty except for the rotting carcasses of Mundus' "guests". His sword swung expertly to cut down the creatures that attacked him from the cells that were not empty. He reached the final cell in the hallway as Death Scythes and Death Scissors attacked him but his shotgun and sword combo took them down soon enough. He kicked open the final door and noticed there seemed to be a man dressed in white half hidden by the shadows of the cell inside.

"Who are you?" a deep voice demanded roughly. Dante put his sword away searching through his pockets for the picture Victoria gave him absently shooting a creature that was slithering up behind him. He looked at it then checked the name in the back before responding.

"Are you Zelgadis Greywords?" Dante asked casually. Zel stepped forward proudly.

"I am!" he declared solemnly.

'Yep! Definitely a prince!' Dante thought amused "Name's Dante! A couple of friends of yours sent me to bust you out!" he replied as he shot yet another awful slithering creature without even looking.

"Which friends?" Zel asked obviously not ready to trust this would be rescuer yet! Dante turned away and noticed the re-enforcements were arriving and frowned.

"True Heart and Noble Heart! They say hi! Now come on lets go!" Dante urged as Ebony and Ivory began blasting in synch the creatures that came towards them. The mention of the Care Leaders was enough to convince Zel however and he quickly joined Dante outside the cell.

"Nice to meet you Dante just call me Zel! Mind if I borrow your sword? Can't seem to be able to use my magic here…" Zel suggested as he stood next to Dante. Dante motioned for him to take one of the swords on his back as he continued to fire on the creatures. Zel took it quickly and without prompting attacked one of the creatures that had slithered past Dante's cover fire. As the second wave relented they hurried back down the hall.

"How come your guns don't need to be reloaded?" Zel asked as they fought another horde. Dante quickly explained that he was a half demon and that his demon power was what created the ammo for all of his weapons.

"Here! You can use this one!" Dante added tossing him the shotgun. As they battled their way down the hallway Dante explained how he could harness his demon power and use it to power both his sword attacks as well as the shotgun. When they finally reached the end of the hallway to the spot Dante had dropped from he was not surprised to see the portal he dropped from was gone.

"Ok so now what?" Zel asked starting to feel a little desperate. He wanted to be back with Amelia. Dante had explained that time moved more slowly in hell and this was something he did not like.

"Well the old lady said you have something that can lead us back to Say-June or wherever the heck you're from!" Dante replied as they battled the last stragglers.

"It's Saillune and I don't understand I didn't have anything with me when I got here…" he began but just as he was doing so the ring Amelia gave him began to glow. A previously hidden door opened and a large empty cavern was suddenly illuminated. There was a white glowing door at the other side of the cavern.

"Bet you that's it!" Dante declared jovially slapping Zel playfully in the back and the two of them headed towards it. As they set foot inside the cave a gigantic lava spider dropped from the ceiling. The floor shook violently for a few seconds from the weight of the creature but Zel and Dante were easily able to stay on their feet.

"HALT MORTALS! YOU WILL GO NO FURTHER FOR THIS WILL BE YOUR TOMB!" the creature's voice boomed ominously. Zel growled angrily at being impeded from reaching Amelia once more and readied his sword.

"What? Mundus sent you! Didn't I kick your sorry butt twice Phantom?" Dante retorted heavily annoyed. The creature roared in anger.

"You know Phantom this guy's a prince you'd think Mundus would've sent something a little better than you to stop me! Like Cerberus or Beowulf or you know maybe come himself," Dante continued to taunt then turned to Zel "I'd be pretty insulted if I were you Zel!" Zelgadis chuckled in spit of the situation.

"INSOLENT MORTAL! THE ONE YOU FACED WAS BUT AN UNDERLING! I AM THE KING OF THE PHANTOMS AND YOU SHALL FIND I AM NOT SO EASILY DEFEATED SON OF SPARDA!" the creature roared in anger.

"Oh really! The King eh? Well why didn't you say so?" Dante mocked Zel laughed again.

"Bring it!" he challenged with his left hand gesturing for him to come closer. The creature roared one more time and began spitting lava from its mandibles. Zel dodged left Dante went right. His guns began blasting away at the spider creature and Zel did the same with the shotgun. Then something amazing happened Dante transformed! Black wings appeared on his back large horns on his head and his body seemed encased in black armor.

'Zel we can do that too! I just figured it out!' shouted Brau and before Zel knew what was happening he was in the air too! His body encased in red armor and he caught a brief glimpse of red wings lifting him above the Phantom King. He felt suddenly as though his power had tripled and it was somewhat addictive! In coordinated sword attacks he and Dante slashed at the great creature's head weakening it and finally revealing a weak spot. Unfortunately the power up was temporary and he and Dante dropped back to the ground as they returned to their original forms.

"It's called devil trigger!" Dante explained before Zel could ask what happened. As they dodged more of the lava spit Dante tossed him a little purple star. He explained it would restore the demon power. Brau urged him to use it quickly because he – his demon part that is – had been severely weakened by that transformation!

"This time while I attack you fly all the up and cleave one those stone spikes up there! That ought to finish this quick!" he finished and ran forward toward the creature yelling for Zel to wait for his signal. Zel absorbed the little star and continued to fire the shotgun. Dante transformed once more and went up into the air. Zel did the same but went higher still as Dante lured the enraged creature with more taunts and insults.

'Zel! I can make the spike heavier! Let me cleave it!' Golem shouted excitedly and with a touch of amazement watched his arm transform into a large stone blade. As the creature reached the target spot Golem poured energy into the rock spike and then neatly sliced it off. The spike impaled the creature dead center and it slammed to the ground melting as it thrashed in a vain attempt to escape his death.

"How is this possible…curse you son of Sparda," the creature gurgled as its body melted into the ground.

"Boy if I had a nickel for every time one of you guys say that!" Dante teased and Zel laughed as he joined Dante.

"… and you prince from another world… curse you!" it gurgled one more time as it melted away completely. Dante rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Drama Queens all of them! Ok we wasted enough time with this loser! Now let's blow this joint!" Dante declared.

"Right behind you!" Zel replied feeling full energy and anxious to return to his beloved! The door opened at a touch of Zel's hand and they stepped through but as the door closed and disappeared behind him the scene before him caused him to question whether he was still in hell or if hell had followed him home…

Ok well! I love Dante! He's just cool! He merits his own chapter! What can I say? Anyway this concludes our broadcast from the underworld we now return you to the regularly scheduled programming!

Thank you for reading and reviewing!