Dreams of an Absolution

"With all these things I wait for revelation

These things make me want to duck for cover

With all these things I wait for revolution

These things ask the biggest question to me

And it's are you what you wanna be?

So are you what you wanna be?"

Are You What You Wanna Be (Foster the People "Supermodel")

Dreams of an Absolution

Chapter 58

Blossom clenched her jaw and glanced down at the communicator on her wrist. The South Team was supposed to check in almost twenty minutes ago. Her mind began to wander: what if they got caught? What if they had managed to find him? She quickly shook her head, clearing her thoughts. There wasn't a chance of that. Even if he could hurt two of them, Boomer would have put him down before he could inflict any serious damage.

The more likely answer was that Brick was just refusing to contact her.

With an agitated sigh, she ducked into the bustling crowd moving along with the usual noon lunch rush. They'd been searching for hours now, trying to track down a clue. After the first murder in southern Townsville was followed up by a second one just minutes later by the coast, Blossom had split them into four small groups to try to cover more ground. The Rowdyruff Boys in the south, Buttercup and Cicero by the coast, Bubbles and Darien near the forest, and Blossom, herself, on the northern side of town. They were slowly closing in on the middle.

After the fourth murder, Blossom called Sedusa in to investigate the individual crime scenes, disguised as a private detective hired by one of the families. Dexter had gone above and beyond his own security clearance, and had taken control of most of the cameras and live feeds in the city, doing what he could to pinpoint the archangel. There had been six more murders since then, bringing the body count to ten for the day.

"He's not playing around anymore," Blossom muttered, smiling and carefully excusing herself as she slipped by another pedestrian. Worse still, she was certain she was being watched, by either the archangel, or Dick himself.

"Or…" she trailed off, the smile slipping from her face. She didn't want to imagine he might have a part of this, but even if it was just a nudge, any part he played was sure to escalate an already dire situation. She paused, glaring at her communicator as it began to beep, "Finally!" she hissed. The image lit up, revealing Cicero. The blue-haired teen flinched away from her obvious displeasure, clearing his throat.

"My Lady, is this...a bad time? You asked that we respond in thirty minutes, and while I understand I am early by a few moments, I merely wanted to…" Cicero trailed off, nodding as Blossom's scowl vanished and she shushed him.

Blossom turned away from the screen, scanning the crowd, saying, "No, it's okay, Cicero. I'm still expecting a call from Brick…" she lowered her voice, muttering, "that stupid little brat…" clearing her throat, she glanced at her wrist, "What do you have to report?"

Cicero shot upright, eyes narrowed, "Two more murders, each violent, but little sign of a struggle. Whatever this perpetrator is, he's powerful enough to violate them and execute them before they're able to put up much fight." His confidence wavered and he sighed in defeat, "No footprints, no fingerprints, not even the slightest hint to his identity. My apologies, Lady Blossom."

"Don't blame yourself," Blossom reassured him, "Like Doppelganger, he can probably mask his appearance, somehow. Is Buttercup doing alright?" The image on the communicator suddenly jerked to the side, showing Buttercup's frustrated face.

"I'm fine, but this is stupid! Where is this guy?! How is he moving so fast?!" She complained.

Blossom nodded, "I still haven't figured that out. Have you heard anything from the Gang Green Gang? I haven't seen any of Ace's kids recently."

"No, we haven't found anything! They're looking though, and they're checking with some of the other crooks that went clean after...you know. Ugh, stupid idiot! Just show yourself!" Buttercup shouted throwing Cicero's wrist away. There was a loud crash, followed by Cicero's panicked cries.

"Miss Buttercup! Please control yourself, this is a crime scene!" Flustered, he cleared his throat and stood upright, "M-My Lady, if I may?"

"Keep her safe, that's your top priority...and increase minion surveillance around my home, and the school where my mom works, understood?" Blossom narrowed her eyes, spotting someone in the crowd. He wasn't anything special to look at, and yet...the air around him seemed distorted. She couldn't get a clear look, even staring straight at him, and she couldn't point out anything to identify him. She growled, cutting Cicero off and making her way toward the stranger.

XxXxX

Cicero frowned as his mistress ended the call abruptly. His frown only grew more concerned as he approached the mailbox that his mistress's sister had pummeled into a metal pulp in the ground.

He cleared his throat, "Miss Buttercup...has this eased your mood?" he asked. Buttercup chuckled and scratched her head, looking back at him.

"Yeah, I guess I feel a bit better. Man, that zen stuff is hard...'specially with a guy like this running around," she admitted, crossing her arms and hovering into the air. She looked around, focusing her hearing first, then her super-vision. Her arms dropped to her sides in defeat, "Well, I'm stumped, that's all the spots out here, isn't it?"

Cicero nodded, unfolding a map and staring at it, his eyes flying across it almost too fast to follow. "You are correct, Miss Buttercup," he explained, "We've covered this area quite thoroughly, and we've investigated each murder site, to no avail."

"That's what I thought...well...crap," she spat. She watched as Cicero continued examining the map, muttering to himself. The curiosity was getting the best of her and, while she was sure she wasn't supposed to ask, her will wavered and she finally spoke up, "So," Cicero peeked up at her, eyebrow raised, "What's your rank? Y'know, in Aku's army."

Cicero blinked, licking his lips. He took a deep breath and let it out, folding the map and tucking it into his pocket. He took a moment to look around, ensuring no humans were near.

"Come with me, Miss Buttercup. We will discuss these things from the safety of a higher vantage point." In seconds, Cicero was suddenly on the roof of a nearby building. Buttercup whistled, flying up to him.

"I knew it, you are a demon, aren't you?" She was grinning now. Cicero chuckled and his form began to change. He stretched his extra set of arms, flexing his fingers.

"That's much better. I could not bear to live permanently with the inefficiency of merely two arms, as humans do," Chamberlain muttered. He stood up straight, folding one set of arms behind his back, while presenting himself with the other two. "Forgive me, Miss Buttercup. Allow me to now formally introduce myself. I am Chamberlain, First to Serve Lord Aku and his Grandmaster of War."

"Oh man, that is so cool! So you look like...those weird demon guys Aku summoned earlier, right? I guess you're like the big boss, huh?" Buttercup mused as she floated around Chamberlain. The demon stood upright and nodded, walking to the edge of the building. In a flash of smoke, two creatures appeared. They, too, wore blue gis like Chamberlain, though they had only two arms and were significantly smaller.

"Increase defense on the perimeter of Lady Blossom's home. Inform Squadron A that they are to redouble their patrols of the area surrounding Pokey Oaks Kindergarten." The two minions nodded and vanished in twin puffs of smoke. Chamberlain stared at the spot where they had been before, "Minions, lesser demons made in my image. I have the power to create them from my shadow, though it is taxing on my own power. I am also in charge of recruiting mortals to serve his lordship, and, upon completion of their training, imbue them with his power, binding them forever to his service." Chamberlain explained, a smile hidden beneath his mask.

"That's awesome, man. But, what about like the really cool stuff? You said you're good with swords, right?" Buttercup was grinning, hovering in front of him now. Chamberlain pursed his lips, unfolding his hands and summoning four scimitars. Buttercup watched in awe as he spun them around, tossing them between his hands and slicing through the air with a practiced flourish.

"As Grandmaster of War, I am unmatched in the art of war itself. I have the power to summon any weapon of my choosing, and the skill to use it with deadly precision!" To demonstrate, Chamberlain swung one sword, pulling his arms back. His swords merged into a spear, which he thrust forward. It changed into a scythe, which he swung into the air, and then into a great axe, which he brought down with enough force to release a burst of razor sharp wind, easily cleaving a chimney in half from several feet away.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Grandmaster of War, huh? So, you're like the big shot in the army?" Buttercup's excitement faltered when Chamberlain sighed and dismissed his weapons. He crossed his many arms and stared at the horizon.

"One could argue...that I rank second, amongst Lord Aku's forces. Those who could compete with me are Darien, or as he is known to us, Demongo, and your own aunt, Lady Abigail. Lady Blossom refuses to let us settle this dispute properly…" he ended in an annoyed mutter. Clearly, Chamberlain thought he would easily be able to best the other two and be ranked…

"Wait, second? You mean with all those powers, creating whole armies and stuff, you're just the second hot shot?" She asked incredulously.

Once again, Chamberlain sighed, scratching his head, "Erm, yes. There is another with whom Lady Blossom assures us we cannot compete," Buttercup shivered as he continued, "Though I've never seen his power, Lady Blossom believes he could destroy our entire army, myself, Demongo, and Lady Abigail single-handedly."

Buttercup swallowed nervously, hovering next to Chamberlain. Blossom had some kind of super soldier that could wipe out her own army all by himself? No wonder she was so convinced she couldn't be stopped. She gave Chamberlain a playful punch in the shoulder.

"So, um...who is this other guy?"

XxXxX

Blossom slid around the corner, eyes narrowed and scanning for any hint of the suspicious figure. The alley was near empty, the stillness broken by a stray cat digging through the trash. He hissed when Blossom came closer, and backed way.

"Shh, it's okay, Kitty. I'm not here to hurt you," she whispered, gently scratching the cat's ears. He changes his tune quick, purring and nuzzling her hand eagerly. Despite the severity of her mission, Blossom couldn't resist smiling, "There we go. That's better right? You haven't seen anyone come through here, have you?"

A loud clatter came from nearby, startling Blossom's new friend. The cat screeched and took off, taking with it the heroine's better mood. The smile slipped from her face as she slid to her feet. With a frown, the redhead boldly strode around the corner, coming face-to-face with the perpetrator: a waiter, stepping out for a smoke break from the nearby restaurant. He was banging on the door, calling for someone to let him back inside. There was a cigarette hanging from his lips. Hearing footsteps, he started to turn toward her.

"Hey, sorry 'bout the noise. Think you could help me-" his question ended in a small scream when he was lifted by his collar and slammed against the door, "B-Blossom? Oh man, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

A chill ran down his spine when her eyes met his and she asked, "Did anyone come through here?"

"N-No! No, just me! The door shut, and I got locked out, honest!" He insisted, shaking his head and holding up his hands for emphasis. Blossom set him down begrudgingly. With a small snort, she tore the door open, allowing him to flee back inside. Still fuming, she slammed the door shut, nearly taking the entire door frame out. Her vicious gaze shot to her wrist, hearing a voice speaking up.

"Miss, ahem, excuse me. Blossom, are you there?" the voice called from her communicator. The heroine sighed and lifted her arm, glaring at her wrist. Darien's chipper expression grew brighter, seeing her face, "Ah, yes, you are! I am reporting in, as you asked," he explained with an overly dramatic bow. Blossom rolled her eyes and resumed scanning the alley. She couldn't find even a hint of the mysterious stranger she'd been tracking previously.

"Right, you're late, Darien," she shot back. The teenager gasped.

"Oh, no, no! I am so sorry, Blossom! Yes, perhaps I am running behind schedule. However, I believe Bubbles has discovered a lead on the case!" he explained. That got Blossom's attention. Her eyebrow arched and she finally turned her eyes back to the image on the communicator.

"You're sure?"

Darien nodded, "Why, yes! Our investigations of the murders, and the three new ones," he seemed almost too excited about the new deaths, but she'd grown used to Darien's strange behaviors, "well, they turned up nothing, to be honest. However, as we were walking along the edge of the forest, Bubbles began to...erm…" he rubbed his chin, turning in a different direction. He must have been looking at Bubbles, "Well she began to make these strange noises and speak to the little animals we encountered."

"Oh Lord, that's right she can do that…" Blossom muttered, placing her hand on her hip and pursing her lips. She narrowed her eyes. The odds were in her favor that the animals wouldn't be able to give her much information about her...expedition through the forest recently. Then again, there was one animal that would likely recognize her. Blossom sighed.

"Darien?"

"Yes, Blossom?"

"Go with her, have her check with the animals and see if they've seen anything. Tell her...to check with Bullet. If Bullet mentions anything about a monster...just let me know what Bullet tells her," Blossom explained, her fists clenching. She didn't want to hurt her.

"Yes, Mistress," Darien whispered. "I'll do what need to be done,"

Blossom nodded, ending the call. She shook her head and sighed. She'd lost her one lead and, depending on what Bubbles learned from Bullet, she'd have a new problem to deal with. Shaking her head, Blossom made her way deeper into the alley, toward the nearest street.

XxXxX

Darien quietly approached his mistress's little sister. She was on her hands and knees, chirping to a fuzzy little a creature. The creature paused, looking up at him nervously. Darien grinned and the creature inched away from him, chirping to Bubbles. The little girl giggled and smiled sheepishly.

"Mr. Darien, can you take a step back? He's a little nervous around people, sorry…" she asked. Darien continued to smile, waving away her concerns.

"Not a worry, Bubbles! Of course, let me just...there we are!" Darien took a seat several feet away. Bubbles beamed and resumed her conversation with the creature. While she spoke, Darien let his head roll back and his mind reach out to each of his wraiths. He'd increased patrols near the mistress's parents, and tightened his security around the mayor's office. It was taxing, but he wasn't about to complain, especially while Chamberlain was able to comply with every one of the master and mistress's requests. No, he would stretch his mind, his powers, to their limit to prove he was the greatest of all the minions of Lord Aku.

"Mr. Darien?" his eyes cracked open and a yawn escaped his lips. Bubbles giggled, offering her hand to help him up. He accepted her offer and slid to his feet. "I'm sorry it took so long. He was just telling me about the strange things he's seen in the forest." Bubbles trailed off, bringing her mitt to her chin. "He mentioned a monster...some big, fire breathing monster...he doesn't know what it was, but it was bad…"

Darien nodded, "A shame...I spoke with your sister," Bubbles perked up, "She's asked us to question, oh what was the name...Bullet? Yes, yesss! Bullet, she said to ask her what she's seen,"

Bubbles gasped, "I never thought of that! That's right, Bullet would know better than anyone what's going on in the forest! Maybe she's even seen the guy we're looking for, or that monster!"

Darien nodded, following Bubbles as she descended deeper into the forest. "Bubbles?"

"Yes?"

"Who is Bullet?"

"Oh! Blossom hasn't told you? Well, I guess that makes sense, she hasn't lived with us for a while now. She was our pet squirrel! She was hurt...so I gave her some Chemical X...and now she has super powers like us!"

Darien came to an abrupt halt, blinking. A small furry creature, like the one she'd been speaking to, but with the same powers as his mistress? He shuddered, "Such strange webs you've weaved, Mistress…" he muttered, hurrying to catch up to Bubbles.

XxXxX

"Look out!" Butch shouted, throwing himself in the way of another devastating attack. His shields wavered, but he dug his heels into the ground and shoved the little demon back. She giggled and bounced as soon as she hit the ground, landing and charging at him again with another devastating swing. With a grunt, he blocked the attack and took a swing at her. His fist slid through empty air and a tiny force slammed into his side and sent him skidding along the ground.

"Dammit! Stupid girls!" he grunted, blushing when the squeaky one started giggling at him again.

Boomer dodged another swing from Beauty and jumped back, landing with his brothers. He narrowed his eyes, glancing at Brick, who was nursing a rather large bruise on his cheek.

"We shouldn't be fighting them" Boomer pointed out. Blossom had been very clear about the Ultratuff Girls. They weren't supposed to fight them, and definitely not hurt them. It would make Bubbles upset, and Blossom didn't want that. Boomer didn't want that either, especially knowing that it would make Butch upset too.

Brick wiped the blood from his mouth and snarled, "Why don't these new kids play by the rules? They're so strong!"

"They probably aren't holding back," Butch muttered, wiping his shirt off and readying his fists.

Boomer glanced at his green-eyed brother. Butch was tough, probably the toughest person he knew. But, it was obvious he was getting tired. The Ultratuff Girls weren't holding back, they didn't know how to. And if they were going to stick with the really low power that Miss Honeydew wanted them using, they weren't going to be able to keep up much longer.

"All we gotta do is break the rules, use like...I dunno, half? That should be enough," Brick spat, standing up straight. His muscles suddenly tensed and the red in his eyes began to light up. Taking his queue, Butch dropped his arms and began to power up as well. In seconds, whatever damage the Ultratuffs had done in the last hour was gone.

"We aren't supposed to hurt them," Boomer pointed out, again.

The leader, Bright, thrust her mitt at them, "You can't hurt us, we're the heroes! We won't get knocked down by silly lackies like you!"

"Lackies?!" Brick and Butch shouted back in unison.

In seconds, Bright appeared in front of them, bringing her fist down so fast the air around her snapped. Her fist stopped mid-punch, her arm trembling to fight back against the Rowdyruff boy's hold. Boomer narrowed his eyes, gently pushing her back toward her sisters.

"We're not going to hurt you. Blossom doesn't want us to," he explained. The Ultratuff Girls all seemed shocked, just hearing her name. Bliss swallowed and looked to Bright for support. Bright, meanwhile, crossed her arms, glancing at Beauty.

The last Ultratuff girl cleared her throat, kicking the ground, "Th-The Devil told you to...is...she nearby?"

Boomer nodded, "Yeah, we're lookin for that angel dude," he replied.

Beauty glanced at her sisters, then at the ground. With a nod, suddenly the three Ultratuff Girls shot into the air and vanished. The Rowdyruff Boys watched them go, toward the north side of town.

"Dammit, they're heading toward Blossom. Let's go get-" Brick trailed off, glaring as Boomer grabbed his wrist and lifted his communicator toward his face.

"Call Blossom, tell her they're coming," Boomer insisted. The usual vacant look in his eyes was gone. And, even though they were sure he hadn't powered up, he'd managed to stop that girl without breaking a sweat. Brick nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm doing it. She's gonna be pissed, those girls made me late…" he muttered, flipping on the communicator. As expected, Blossom was furious.

"I told you to call an hour ago! What have you been doing? Did you find anything?" Blossom demanded, glaring icy daggers at the Rowdyruff leader.

Brick scratched his head, "Bite my head off, why don't ya? Yeah, I know, but we ran into those fake Bubbles clones and we've been fighting them this whole time!" he spat back.

Blossom blinked, "The Ultratuff Girls? You didn't hurt them, did you?"

"Nah, they ran off before we could really start swinging," Butch spoke up, interrupting Brick. The leader glared at him, but nodded.

Blossom nodded, "Good, where are they heading?"

Brick snickered, "Toward you, Boss Lady."

To his surprise, Blossom only nodded again, "Good…" With the click of a button, Cicero and Darien joined the call.

"Miss Blossom?"

"Yes, Blossom?"

"Send Bubbles and Buttercup to rendezvous on my location. Boys, split up and keep searching. Darien, Cicero, fall back and focus on your other duties,"

Brick cleared his throat, "So, what? You think we can beat that clown with our powers like this?" he asked. Again, to his surprise, Blossom shook her head and gave him the best order he'd heard all day.

"No, I don't. I'm authorizing you to use as much power as you deem necessary. If you find him, take him down."

She had to be joking. Brick and Butch traded a look. Brick look at Boomer, who seemed just as shocked by that order.

"You serious? What about Dorkster and Honeydew?"

"They aren't your leader, I am. Use any means necessary to beat him if you find him. Is that understood?" She didn't even blink as she gave the order.

A smirk appeared on Brick's face, "Whatever you say, Boss Lady. Let's go, boys!"

XxXxX

Blossom flew up to the top of the nearest building, crossing her arms and sitting on the edge, waiting. By the sound of it, the Ultratuff Girls would find her before her sisters would. That was fine. She was clearly making an impression if they would cut their fight with the Rowdyruff Boys short to reach out to her. She peeked up, spotting the blue streaks heading her way. As expected, they stopped a safe distance away from her.

Bright was standing closest to her, fists raised in front of her in case she needed to defend herself. Her gaze wouldn't stay on Blossom. It flitted from her, over to Beauty, then back to Blossom. Bliss was practically hiding behind Bright, only just barely peeking out to gaze at the Powerpuff girl. Beauty seemed equal parts the most at ease, and the most conflicted. She was tense, ready to fight if needed, but she kept opening and closing her mouth. She never said anything, but Blossom was sure there was a lot she wanted to say.

"How've you been, girls?" Blossom asked, breaking the silence.

"Fine!" Bright shot back, her lips trembling and her glare wavering. She rubbed her arm and coughed sheepishly, "Um...fine...we were fighting your boy friends," she muttered.

"They're not our boyfriends," Blossom corrected with a little laugh. She stood up, earning her a yelp from Bliss and all three of the Ultratuff Girls getting ready to fight. "I told you before, I don't want to hurt you three," Blossom explained.

"That's probably a lie…" Beauty shot back, quickly looking down, "Probably...I think?"

"If I wanted to fight you, I would have already. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have," Blossom pointed out.

"You did!" Bliss shot back, "Th-the first time we fought you were gonna cut us all up!"

Blossom sighed and nodded, putting her hands on her hips, she turned away, looking back at the city, "Yeah, I was."

"So...so how do we know this isn't a big trick?" Beauty asked, though she still seemed uncertain of her own questioning.

"You don't have any reason to believe me, that's true." Blossom sighed, "That's why I want you to talk to my sisters,"

The Ultratuff Girls blinked in unison. In seconds, two flashes shot by, landing next to Blossom. Buttercup had her fists up, ready to fight, but Bubbles was merely staring at them, hands covering her mouth.

"We're not fighting, Buttercup, relax," Blossom assured her. The little girls were surprised to see that, after a simple glance back, Buttercup shrugged and relaxed, her arms falling to her sides.

"You really don't want to fight?" Bright asked again.

"No!" Bubbles spoke up, taking a few steps closer. The Ultratuffs got ready to fight, but the tension was quickly fading as Bubbles approached. When she finally took Bright's hands, the three all relaxed. "We're not here to fight you...we just want to help you."

"With what? We're...the good girls…" Bliss murmured.

"Yeah, but you're messin with a really bad guy," Buttercup spoke up. She snorted, kicking a rock off the building and taking a seat on the edge like Blossom had before, "He used to make Powerpuff Girls just like you,"

That got the three girls' attention. Beauty looked to Blossom for confirmation, then, when she nodded, to Bubbles for clarification.

"Yeah...we made a big mistake. We trusted Professor Dick once. He ended up hurting all kinds of girls. Just selling them like they were toys, working them until they fell apart…" Bubbles trailed off, biting her lip as tears began to fill her eyes.

Blossom picked up where she left off, "If they were too good, too perfect? He killed them, broke them back down to make more cheap knock offs. He tried to kill us too, so he could make more. We stopped him then, we're trying to stop him now."

"He's going to do the same to you. Work you until you're not useful anymore...then throw you in a dumpster. Just like he did to our sister." It was getting colder on the rooftop. Blossom's eyes were lighting up, but she kept herself under control.

"Yeah, he's bad news," Buttercup insisted.

"You...you had another sister?" Bliss asked. Before the girls could respond, Bright cut them off.

"No!" she pulled away from Bubbles, rubbing her hands together and looking around nervously, "You're lying! The Messiah would never...he wouldn't...this is just a trick to get us to be bad!"

"It's not a trick…" Bubbles insisted, once again taking Bright's hands. The smaller girl whimpered, but couldn't pull away again, "If you want to fight, you can fight. If you want to be heroes, you can be heroes. You should be able to choose, though. You should know the whole truth, right, girls?"

"Yeah, I mean if you wanna help us, cool. You're pretty tough for a bunch of crybabies," Buttercup laughed when all four of them yelled back "Hey!" angrily, "But, you're just gonna get hurt with that guy. He doesn't care about you."

"And you do?" Beauty scoffed, avoiding eye contact with any of the Powerpuff Girls.

Without missing a beat, Buttercup chuckled, "Well, yeah, I guess so,"

"Why? You don't even know us!" Beauty exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. She swallowed, too slow to stop a few tears sliding down her cheeks when Bubbles finally looked her in the eye, wearing a knowing, loving smile.

"Maybe not right now...but, we want to. I want to. Because you're my…" she trailed off. She watched nervously when Beauty approached her, her face screwed up and still confused. She looked ready to throw a punch, but instead she suddenly embraced Bubbles.

Bubbles hugged her little girl tight, comforting her just like she'd been comforted so many times before.

While the other four continued talking, Buttercup hovered over to Blossom, nudging her.

"This part of your plan?" she whispered.

Blossom smiled and shook her head, "No, actually. I just...promise Bubbles."

Buttercup smiled, crossing her arms and chuckling. "For the Devil, you aren't so bad, Sis."

The two laughed and began to make their way to the others. Blossom's eyes widened; she spun around, quickly pushing Buttercup behind her. Her heart raced and her pulse quickened. She could hear something fast approaching. No, she could feel something approaching.

"...They're here?" Blossom muttered. The sky was growing darker, clouds turning gray as steel. Lightning split through the air and thunder boomed across the city. Then, she heard it.

The faint boom of footsteps. In the distance, she could see a pair of blazing eyes. The massive form of the creature was covered in billowing flames, evaporating the water as it splashed against its impossibly huge frame. It was getting closer. It wasn't alone.

"Wh-what's that? What's going on?" Bliss asked.

"Is...is that a monster?" Beauty asked, turning to Blossom.

Blossom narrowed her eyes. The wind was picking up, creating a storm.

"No...something worse…" Another dark shadow appeared, drifting through the heavy clouds overhead. The source of the wind and the lightning. Every flap of its wings caused another horrific gust, threatening to blow them off the roof. Blossom licked her lips. Two of them?

"It's those...like those monsters we fought before, right? The snake and the bull?" Buttercup asked. Blossom nodded, walking to the edge of the building.

There was a wall of shadows following the two monsters. Darkness was coming to consume Townsville. And within it, she could see the last of the three Great Old Ones.