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Dreams of an Absolution	By : DeusExProcella Category: +M through R > PowerPuff Girls Views: 9670 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls or any related characters. All characters exclusive to this story do belong to me. I make no money from these writings.

Chapter List
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"There's no way to persuade

them to give up their crusade

They've come to grant the wish

you should have never made

Sing hallelujah cause you can't change anything

They'll let you try

to reverse everything

Don't waste your time

Sing hallelujah cause you can't change anything"

Blackstar (Celldweller "Wish Upon a Blackstar")

Dreams of an Absolution

Chapter 52

While Townsville slept through December, buried under mountains of ice and snow, it slipped through January in a sleepy daze. Snow came and went, but Mother Nature seemed at ease through most of the month. But, when February finally showed its face, an uneasy stillness slipped over the chilly city. While the average citizen went about their day blissfully unaware, the underbelly squirmed, constantly looking over its shoulder.

Things were changing.

Princess Morebucks threw another glance over her shoulder. Class was over, and while everyone else rushed around her to escape into the afternoon, the heiress couldn't help feeling as if someone was watching her. She jumped, looking up just in time to see the school counselor slip by her and out the front door.

"Stupid school...stupid Townsville…" Princess muttered under her breath. It wasn't fair. She should be happy. Earlier that day, Blossom had said her goodbyes to her classmates. The Powerpuff leader wasn't going to be attending Uka-sensei's class anymore. The Principal, Uka himself, and the puff's father apparently all agreed that Blossom's new form would make her classmates uncomfortable.

And they'd agreed that first grade couldn't keep her attention anymore.

Whatever happened over Christmas break, it had changed her. She wasn't the same know-it-all, goody-two-shoes, spoiled, rotten brat anymore. Before, she loved to show off how she knew a bunch of stupid, useless garbage. Since school started back up, she'd been…

Princess shivered. An image of Blossom's narrowed, dangerous eyes flashed through her mind. She was glad the stupid brat wouldn't be in class anymore. That meant she was the smartest now; she had the best grades now.

Princess pulled her scarf tighter around her neck, "Stupid cold. Francis better have the heater on or I'm going to throw a fit!" she giggled wickedly to herself. She glanced up, catching sight of the stupid superheroes. Blossom was waiting for her sisters and the Rowdyruff Boys, like a big sister picking them up after school.

For a second, she and Princess made eye contact.

Something flashed in Blossom's eyes. Something about the way she smiled caused the little heiress's heart to freeze and her mouth to go dry. She tore her eyes away and shuffled into the limo her daddy always sent for her.

Thankfully, it was toasty and warm in the car.

"Let's get out of here, what's the hold up?" Princess barked, snuggling into her seat and crossing her arms. She heard a sarcastic laugh and looked up, shocked.

There was a new woman sitting across from her. She reminded Princess of Ms. Keane, with white hair, bright green eyes and freckles on her pale cheeks.

Princess narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me? Who do you think you are?" she spat at the woman. She ground her teeth and scowled when the woman laughed again.

"I'm your new caretaker, Miss Morebucks. Your father hand-picked me to look after you," The woman's smile grew, while her eyes narrowed. It wasn't a comforting expression, "He knows how stressed you've been, how rough things have been for you. I'm here to make sure you're quite taken care of,"

Princess swallowed, a shiver running down her spine. Something about this woman, "What's your name? Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?" she snapped, though the fear came through in her voice.

The woman just chuckled and turned to look out the window. The two sat in silence, watching the city rush by as they raced toward the Morebucks estate. When the limo began to slow down, the woman glanced back at Princess. Those eyes sent another shiver through the little girl.

"We're home, Miss Morebucks," She cleared her throat and slipped out when the car parked, holding the door open. Princess slipped out. She jumped; the door slammed shut behind her. The heiress looked back and gasped, finding herself eye to eye with her new caretaker. The pale woman's smile was...poisonous.

She reminded Princess of a snake.

"Your daddy says you like to have a snack after school. But, I don't think you need one," Princess started to speak up, her cheeks getting red with anger. The caretaker placed a finger on her lips, silencing her, "You're starting to get chubby, Miss Morebucks,"

Princess clammed up, blushing and wrapping her arms around her waist. Was she gaining weight?

The caretaker led her into the mansion, "Go to your room and work on your homework, I'll be by in an hour to check on you.

"I...I don't wanna! I'm gonna tell Daddy you're bossing me around and he's gonna fire you!" Princess shouted, stomping her foot. She wore a devious smirk on her lips, but…

Her caretaker knelt down and tapped her on her little nose. The smile slipped from her lips; her eyes turned harsh, "You will not disturb your father. Do I make myself clear?" The smirk faded from Princess' lips. She opened her mouth and her caretaker narrowed her eyes. Princess Morebucks lost her nerve, "You will go to your room, you will do your homework, and I will make sure you're done before dinner,"

Princess trembled. No one had ever spoken to her like this before. She got mad and people cowered. She stomped her foot and people hit the floor. She made demands and she got what she wanted. This woman though…

"Say, 'Yes, Miss Goodlady'," the caretaker said in a low voice.

Princess swallowed, "Y-Yes, Miss G-Goodlady," she trembled, turning on her heel and scurrying to her room, her legs stiff, her heart pounding.

XxXxX

By the time dinner was served, Princess was beyond irate. Not only had she been forced to spend the afternoon doing homework, and cleaning her room, now she was forced to spend dinner with that woman. The heiress peeked up, glaring to her right where Miss Goodlady was sitting. She turned to look at her father, sitting across from her, but he was preoccupied with a stack of papers next to his plate. Princess sighed and resumed pushing her food around on her plate.

Was she getting chubby? The thought had drained her appetite away, especially with the way Miss Goodlady had smiled at her when she served her dinner.

"I've heard from a friend there have been some changes in your class," Miss Goodlady said, suddenly breaking the silence, "Perhaps you should tell your father?"

Father and daughter both looked up at the caretaker. Mr. Morebucks took a long drink from his favorite mug and cleared his throat. When he spoke, Princess was unnerved by the slight shake in his normally booming voice, "Is, is that right? What's going on at school, Honey?"

Princess puffed herself up and cleared her throat, mirroring her father's own habit, and took a small sip of her apple juice, "Well, Daddy, I've recently earned a perfect score on my last test," Her father started to smile and Princess swelled even more, "And now that that stupid, no-good, rotten, freak of nature is leaving class, I'll have the highest grades in class!" she ranted.

Mr. Morebucks froze while chewing his food. He reached for his drink, Princess gasped seeing his hand tremble, and took a long drink, a trickle of liquid slipping from his lips. He coughed, wiping his mouth and returning his gaze to the stack of papers nearby, "That's...that's wonderful, Princess. Who…" he cleared his throat again, "Who did you mean?"

"Blossom of course!" Princess exclaimed, incredulous. Her father knew how much she hated the stupid poo-poopuff girl! How could he not know who she meant!? "Ever since she got bigger, she's been causing all kinds of trouble in class and I finally told the teacher he should ask her to leave because she's a spoiled, stupid, ugly freak and it's distracting me from receiving a proper education,"

Her father swallowed, picking up his papers again. From the other side of the long table, Princess couldn't make out what they said, "Th-That's enough, Dear."

Her mouth fell open. What did he say?

"What?! What do you mean? I'm-" The heiress trailed off when her caretaker clicked her tongue and offered her another venomous smile.

Miss Goodlady narrowed her eyes, "Miss Morebucks, your father is done with this conversation. Show some respect,"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Princess screamed, climbing up on her chair and pounding her hands on the table. Her anger only grew when Miss Goodlady continued smiling at her, like she was...she was a child! "I am Princess Morebucks, and I don't take orders from some stupid, two-bit, cheap maid!"

"Princess, that is enough, j-just sit down," Mr. Morebucks beckoned, his voice shaking almost as much as his hands. He made eye contact with Miss Goodlady and swallowed, "Ima, please, just...calm her, I have to take care of-"

Miss Goodlady giggled and rose from her seat, "Of course, Mr. Morebucks. I'll get the little firecracker to bed. You take care of those very...very important papers you're looking over," Her voice got lower as she continued, until she was practically sneering at the businessman.

Mr. Morebucks nodded and rose from the table, excusing himself as he hurried from the room. Princess stared after him in horror, then slowly turned to Miss Goodlady. The smile was finally gone from her lips. Her arms were crossed and she was scowling at the little girl.

"Now look at what you've done. Do you have any idea what kind of stress your father is dealing with right now? You had better clean up your behavior, or you'll drive that poor man to a heart attack!"

Princess whimpered, looking back to her father's untouched meal.

A heart attack? Her daddy? But he always seemed so…

"Now get to your room. I'll be up in an hour to prepare your bath," This time, Princess merely nodded. She gasped when she felt a sharp pinch on her ear, and turned around.

"What do you say?" She was smiling again; she looked even more terrifying that way.

Princess swallowed, "Y-Yes, Miss Goodlady,"

XxXxX

It was nearing midnight when Princess woke with a start, gasping for air and clutching at her chest. It was a nightmare. It had to have been a nightmare.

The snake-woman, with mean, piercing green eyes. It had to have been a nightmare. Whoever prepared her lunch must have made her sick and she had just been delirious. Princess whimpered, hearing footsteps outside her bedroom door. Her throat was painfully dry. She considered yelling for a glass of water, but what if that woman, Ima Goodlady, was the one who delivered it?

She'd probably throw the water at her, or make fun of her for having a bad dream.

No, no, no, she didn't want to see that woman. Taking a shaky breath, Princess climbed out of her bed and shuffled to the door. She pulled it open and peeked outside. No hall lights, no night lights, even the windows had been drawn shut to block out the moonlight. Princess slipped out of her room and tiptoed through the hall.

The mansion was quieter than usual. Colder too, which unnerved Princess more than anything. Her Daddy hated the cold, and always kept the manor at just the right temperature. But, that night it felt downright chilly. That, combined with the odd, pervasive silence made every soft step the heiress took seem a hundred times louder. She cringed every time she stepped into a room, peeking around the darkness with wide, fearful eyes...

She'd never been afraid in her own home before.

Criminals knew better than to break into Morebucks Manor; monsters knew better than to hide out under the beds. But...that woman had been invited in, like a vampire. Princess wasn't stupid, she'd seen the way her Daddy looked at her. The way even he seemed to be afraid of Ima Goodlady.

What was it about her? Who was she? What kind of stress was her Daddy dealing with? Whatever it was...Princess was determined to figure it out and get things back to the way they used to be. When she stomped her foot and got her way. When her Daddy barked at the staff and fired people on a whim. She would make things right again, the way they were before that...that…

"Huh?" Princess perked up, hearing voices down a different hallway. She glanced behind her, then down into the darkness. There was a light at the end, coming from her father's sitting room. A fire, probably, he loved his fireplace. But, with the manor so silent, so eerily still, Princess could just make out voices drifting through the night.

Biting back her fear, she crept down the hall, each step one tip-toe at a time, inching closer and closer to the door. Whenever the voices stopped, she froze, staring wide-eyed at the end of the hall. Then, when they picked up again, she resumed her trek.

Once she was close enough, Princess got on her hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the door. It was cracked open, just enough for her to see through. Taking a deep, quiet breath, she peeked inside.

From that angle, she couldn't see anything except for the shadows cast on the far wall. Her Daddy was sitting, by the looks of it, while that horrible woman paced back and forth, moving around him.

Her Daddy's voice was terrified, "I un-understand, M-Miss Goodlady, I…" he trailed off when she laughed, a hideous, wicked snicker. "I hope you're happy with the room I've arranged for-"

"It's quite nice, Mr. Morebucks, the nicest I've ever stayed in. However, unfortunately, I won't be using it much," she leaned over his shoulder. Princess could practically hear the sneer in her voice, "Or fortunately, for you. I will be back, regularly, of course. It is my job to look after your brat,"

"Leave Princess be! She's...just…" he trailed off and the woman laughed again.

She hissed, now leaning against the chair, her face inches from his, "An insufferable monster? A terror? A waste of my precious, precious time…"

"She's my daughter!" Daddy Morebucks spat back, starting to rise from his seat. Princess' chest swelled. This was it, her Daddy was going to finally put this woman in her place! Her pride deflated as soon as the woman shoved her Daddy back down and stood up straight.

"She's caused you more trouble than you could ever imagine. My master, your new master, too, I suppose, won't wait any longer, Mr. Morebucks. She already owed him quite a bit...with the interest that's accrued, well, you've read his demands,"

Princess narrowed her eyes. Master? What was she talking about? Princess didn't owe anyone anything! People owed her! Who could she possibly be indebted to?

"I know, I...please, don't hurt her. I've got the paperwork together, we'll begin production on the first tribute before the end of the week. Just...just don't…"

Tribute? What was...Princess' mouth fell open and her eyes widened.

No...it couldn't be…

Miss Goodlady snickered and stalked away from her Daddy. Her shadow grew bigger and bigger as she came near the door, "I certainly hope so. Who can say? Perhaps you'll grow to enjoy my company...I'll be around, I'll always be around," Her shadow suddenly changed, becoming taller, slimmer. Even her voice was different, "Of course, who can say if I'll let you know it's me?"

The shadow transformed again. This time the voice was clearly a man, "I can be anyone, everywhere, and you'll never know it," Now, sick green light began to fill the room. The shadow grew and twisted, becoming a massive, horrible monster. Princess shoved her fist in her mouth to keep from screaming when she saw a thick, black snake's tail slip by the door. The monster lifted her Daddy from his chair, holding him by his collar.

"If you fail my master again…" Princess was torn between hurrying into the room, to maybe try to help. But, she stayed frozen to the floor, paralyzed with fear. When her muscles began to work, she stumbled to her feet and took a shuddering step away. The shadow shifted suddenly.

Her eyes widened.

She could hear something massive slithering toward the door. Princess screamed when she saw a glowing green eye peering out the door. She couldn't waste another second; she turned and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

She could hear her advancing on her; She could hear her hissing laugh getting louder.

Princess dove into her room, quickly slamming the door shut and locking every single latch. The monster laughed on the other side of the door. There was a loud 'crack!' and the door shook, but survived the blow.

"Go to bed, Miss Morebucks," The monster hissed. Another snicker and the green light retreated; the monster slithered away.

Princess held her hands over her mouth, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

She really was a monster.

Ima Goodlady really was a monster. Worse...she was working for that thing. That creature that had given her that black armor. The one that had asked her to kill…

Her blood ran cold when she suddenly heard a familiar voice say, "You should listen to your nanny," Princess didn't dare to scream; she didn't dare look over her shoulder. She flinched when she heard her bed creak. Whimpering, she turned.

She was sitting at the edge of her bed, in a pink night gown. Her eyes were lit up like fire, lighting the pitch black room. The curtain had been pulled back, allowing the moonlight to stream in. She had to scream, she had to cry. Her skin was blacker than the night, six horns rising from her head. The monster slid to her feet, gesturing to her night gown.

"I haven't been to a sleepover in a long time, am I underdressed?" Blossom asked, gesturing toward Princess's much nicer, heavier night dress. The heiress climbed to her feet and started to open her mouth. She shrieked when she saw one of Blossom's tentacles drift through the air. It pressed against her lips; Blossom brought her finger to her lips.

"Shh...you don't want to scream, Princess," The tentacle shot around her neck and lifted her from the ground, pressing her back against the wall, holding her at Blossom's eye level. The monster crossed the distance between them in slow, steady steps, lazily running her bare feet along the plush carpet.

When she reached her old rival, she cocked her head, their noses pressing together, "If you scream...your daddy might hear you," Blossom whispered, "If he hears, he'll come running. And, if your daddy opens that door-" Another one of Blossom's tentacles shot out, slicing through one of the heiress's lamps.

Blossom smirked, breathing into Princess's face, "I'll kill him," She licked her lips, her smile growing, "That would be just awful, wouldn't it? Daddy Morebucks, killed in the night by someone who broke into his home. Would be awful for the security company, wouldn't it?" Blossom pursed her lips and looked up, at one of the security camera's. It had been smashed in, leaving a dent in the wall.

"That would just be awful for you, wouldn't it? I mean, you're too young to run Morebucks Industries...with your father dead, who could say what would happen? Oh! I may be able to say...your father's vice president, what was his name? Ah, yes...Garrison Allen, strange name, but...well, what kind of a name is Princess?"

Princess swallowed, stuttering when Blossom pulled her hand away from her mouth, "G-Gary wouldn't...he would...he loves m-me…"

"Garrison hates you, and he hates your father," Blossom spat, "And he really hates being called Gary," she hissed, grinning. This close, Princess could see that her teeth had become fangs. She began to whimper. "And…" Blossom whispered, "He's already joined me,"

Princess lost what nerve she had and began to sob, "What do you w-w-want with m-me?"

The grip on her dress tightened and the monster's eyes burned brighter. Her smile vanished, becoming a snarl, and her hand transformed, becoming a black blade. She pressed it up against the heiress's cheek, "What do I want? I want to kill you. I want to beat you until your own father wouldn't recognize you, and then I want to stab you. Again, and again, and again, until you stop moving. All you've ever been is a thorn in my side, and it would make me so, so very happy to just be done with you,"

Blossom's snarl faded, becoming a grin, "But, I won't. I promised your Daddy I wouldn't hurt you,"

"M-My…"

"I didn't think he had it in him. He took one look at me and, well, let's just say there's very little he didn't offer me. But, when he saw Aku, and when he learned what you'd done, the deal you'd made...he cried. He cried like a baby, just like you are right now. He begged for your life, he begged us to just leave you alone, he would do anything, give us anything just please don't kill my Princess,"

Princess yelped when Blossom through her down and returned to her bed, sitting down at the edge. Princess started to sit up, only to be knocked down again when Blossom backhanded her with a tentacle.

"So, I won't kill you. Because unlike you, I keep my promises,"

Princess couldn't speak. She couldn't think straight. Her cheek was bleeding; the cut felt like it was on fire, it wouldn't stop hurting. She pressed both hands against it and laid face down on the floor sobbing.

She quickly muffled her own scream when she felt a tentacle slip around her ankle and lift her off the ground. She turned to face the monster, still sitting on her bed and staring at the blood on her blade arm. She looked up at Princess, smiling.

"Aku asked for a single tribute, a statue made of this world's rarest minerals, built so high it could be seen for miles, so everyone would know to whom you owed your life," Blossom looked around, shrugging, "I haven't seen a new statue, least of all one of Aku. So...now you owe him a statue, once a week, until there's one built in every country on the planet. And all of your wealth, all of Morebucks Industries, belongs to him. You, Princess Morebucks, belong to Aku,"

Princess yelped when Blossom threw her through the air, into the bed behind her. She peeked up over her pillows at the monster standing in the moonlight.

"Don't forget, Princess. Aku owns you," the heiress screamed when Blossom held up her sword arm, blood dripping from the blade, "I own you. And if you do anything other than what you're told, consider Aku's contract with your father null and void,"

Blossom shifted her arm back and transformed, becoming an orange cat. She leaped onto the window sill and mewed, slipping out into the night, leaving behind a crying little girl too scared to go back to bed.

XxXxX

The girls had gone out to the mall with their soon-to-be-mother, partially because the Professor had asked for some time alone to make a few phone calls and awkward invitations, but mostly to spend some time with Cassandra. It helped that they still had a few more minor things to pick up...like her wedding dress.

Cassandra sighed and turned around again, looking at her reflection, "I'm not sure...do you think it's too flashy? Maybe a little too full…" she murmured.

Blossom appeared behind her in the reflection, scrutinizing the dress with her fingers tapping her chin. It was just the two of them, at the moment, after sending Bubbles and Buttercup off to get some food.

"Well, it is very full. I mean, you have the hips for it, but I think you'd look better in something a bit more, um…" Blossom trailed off, blushing.

Cassandra giggled, "Something more plain?" When Blossom started to protest, she shook her head, "No, no, I know what you mean," The two sighed and put their hands on their hips, unconsciously mirroring each other. "I shouldn't be so picky...it's next week for goodness' sake!"

"Ms. Keane!" Blossom huffed, stomping up to her future mother. By now, Blossom came up to about her chest. She was getting so tall so fast, "That's not the attitude to have! It's your wedding, it's a special day for you to remember for the rest of your life! It needs to be perfect!" Blossom sighed, blushing a bit as her heart started racing.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't picture herself in every one of Cassandra's dresses, wishing for her own wedding day. She could already picture Aku…

"Blossom? Sweetie, you're doing the thing again," Cassandra giggled, laughing when the young lady snapped out of her thoughts and blushed bright pink. She sighed and sat down, gesturing for Blossom to join her. "Thinking about yourself, hm?"

Blossom laughed, staring at her toes and nodding.

Cassandra patted her knee, "So…" when Blossom looked up, she winked, "Which form will he be in? Uka-san? Baku? Ooh! How about Ikra? Hm, I can't picture him in a white dress though...I suppose he could wear black…"

Blossom's face felt like it was on fire. Her heart had practically stopped as she stared at Cassandra, incredulous. "What do you...Baku is...I uh…" Blossom trailed off, blushing even harder when Cassandra laughed.

"Oh, Honey…you don't have to bother with that silly lie around me. I heard your Special Person report, remember?" Blossom nodded and Cassandra nodded, "And all last April, I saw that look on your face. And every day since then, when you started school again. Your cheeks turn pink, your eyes get starry, and you never stop smiling whenever you talk about…" Cassandra cleared her throat and lowered her voice, "Whenever you talk about Aku,"

Blossom just lowered her gaze, still incredulous, a big smile on her face.

"And you've always been a terrible liar, Honey." Blossom looked up at Cassandra's knowing smirk and giggled.

"I guess so, huh?" She sighed, "Yeah...they're…" could she really say it? To someone who wasn't involved? To someone who…"They're all forms of Aku, so he could be with me. And," She bit her bottom lip, thinking about the possibilities, "I would want him in his real form," she explained. She could feel that stupid smile spreading across her lips. She buried her face in her future mother's shoulder when she gave her a tight squeeze.

"You'll make a beautiful bride some day, Blossom," Cassandra whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"How are you okay with this? Knowing about Aku...knowing...how much do you know?" Blossom asked.

There was a moment of hesitation, then, "Not as much as I'd like to know...your father and I both knew that Buttercup didn't kill him, and I think he has his suspicions about Baku and Uka, but he'll never say something. He sees how happy you are, after being so sad for so long. He loves you too much to take that away from you, even if he's not comfortable with it,"

"What about you?" Blossom asked.

Cassandra smiled and closed her eyes. She was bigger, older now, but she was still the same Blossom. She stilled needed her, "I worry about you. I've seen you at your lowest; I've seen you at your worst. I've watched you battle with something that could be the end of someone my age. And I've watched you win, and I know that part of that is because he was with you." She wrapped her other arm around her and gave her a tight hug, kissing her head again, "I know you're responsible, and I know you'll do what you believe is right. I trust you, Blossom, and I love you, even the part of you keep hiding from me,"

Blossom looked up at her, smiling and rubbing her eyes, "I love you too, Mom," she whispered and returned the hug. She took a deep breath and sighed. She could hear Bubbles and Buttercup returning. She kissed Cassandra's cheek and whispered in her ear, "I'll tell you everything as soon as I have a chance,"

Swallowing the teary lump in her throat, Cassandra gave Blossom another tight squeeze. The two pulled apart, wiping their eyes, just as Buttercup appeared, looking grumpy with her arms crossed.

"They said we can't bring food in here!" she cried, throwing her arms up.

Cassandra giggled, making her way to the changing room, "I'll get changed and we'll eat outside," Blossom crossed her arms, laughing as she followed Buttercup, listening to the tomboy rant and rave, going so far as to stick her curled tongue out at the store manager, while they made their way outside.

Bubbles was sitting on a bench waiting for them, hot dog half eaten, with ketchup smeared on her face. Cassandra joined them shortly after and the four began to eat, chit-chatting about their favorite choices from the dresses she'd tried, to speculating who the Professor could ask to be his best man.

The two had agreed to a small, discreet wedding. They were just inviting their families and a few friends, but the plan was to keep it on the down low, and be done with it before noon. The Professor's parents, and his older brother's family, were going to be coming. Cassandra had confirmation from her parents, and, while she hadn't asked her yet, was certain she could convince her sister to come.

"So, if I did the math right," the girls all giggled; Cassandra, they'd learned, was something of a math genius, "I think everyone agrees that this was the-" she blinked and looked up when the lights all suddenly went out. Across the mall the girls could hear shoppers mumbling and complaining at the sudden power outage.

Then, it happened. Every television came on at once, and an eerie voice came from every radio and speaker. Blossom's eyes widened and her fists clenched.

It was him, "Townsville, poor, wicked Townsville...a city built upon evil and darkness, protected from monsters by monsters. Babylon the Great...this era's own Sodom, I come to you with a message of hope."

Dick Hardley, the twisted, shell of a man who had been behind the nanobot attacks. The mastermind behind Sedusa's powers, behind Tyler Benson. The man who had murdered Bunny.

"I was once your favorite son, but I was struck down by the Golden Calves you've come to worship. Fear not, I have been reborn, and in my infinite kindness, I am sending you hope, a new salvation. They come in my name; born again from the monsters you worship, purged of the evil that will lead to your destruction. They are the first of my great gifts to you. Remember April,"

The lights came back on and the televisions and radios returned to their original settings. Blossom was on her feet, fists clenched and trembling. Her eyes were lit up, on fire. She turned to her family, quickly putting out her eyes, "Dick…" she spat.

Bubbles and Buttercup jumped into the air and Cassandra walked over to her oldest daughter, putting her hand on her shoulder. Blossom relaxed, though the gesture wasn't enough to rid her of her scowl.

"Dick Hardley? The Professor's old roommate? He was the one who…" The girls nodded. Blossom had told them everything. How Dick had caused the riots, how he had sent the robot army, and how he had tried to take control of the girls themselves.

What was he planning now?

"Whatever it is, it can't be…" Blossom trailed off, hearing a familiar sound. She looked up, her lips pulling back into a snarl. He wouldn't.

The ceiling above them exploded and three blue lights shot down and landed in front of them. Blossom pushed Cassandra behind her and stepped up to the newcomers, resting her hands on her hips.

They were newborns, that was for sure. Shorter than the Rowdyruff Boys, but with an air of purpose that mirrored the boys when they first appeared. The one in the middle, the leader most likely, had her platinum blonde hair cut short and wild, with fierce, dark blue eyes. To her left was a girl with dark blonde hair, kept long and tied up in a ponytail, with sky blue eyes that kept darting back to her leader. The last little girl looked the most like their "mother" but with her blonde hair free and reaching down to her ankles. It fell over her face, obscuring her baby blue eyes. She seemed almost uneasy, her hand over her mouth.

When she caught sight of Blossom, she wilted under the oldest Powerpuff's stare and averted her eyes.

"Dick sent you," Blossom said simply. Her sisters joined her at her sides; she could hear Cassandra scurrying, wisely to safety.

The platinum blonde shoved her mitt at them and yelled back in a high, serious voice, "That's the Messiah to you! He wants to save this world from your evil, so he sent us to defeat you!" Blossom raised an eyebrow and she and Buttercup both turned to look at Bubbles. The new girl had her hardcore voice.

The blue-eyed puff looked back at them and blushed, "It's not my fault…" she muttered.

"No," Blossom shook her head, "It's my fault...he mentioned that he had recovered some of your blood from our fight. He mentioned creating his own Powerpuff Girls, but I didn't think he'd stoop to just cloning you…"

"We're not clones!" The leader yelled again.

"Yeah! We're better!" The dark blonde girl to her left piped up, beaming happily.

The last girl still hadn't spoken, instead silently looking back and forth from Blossom to Bubbles. She looked away quickly when she and Blossom made eye contact again.

"The Messiah took all of the evil out of us, instead of just letting it fester and grow like it has in you! We're not evil, wicked, rotten Powerpuff Girls like you! No, we're pure, and righteous, and that's why we'll win! We're the Ultratuff Girls!" The middle one explained, taking a brave step toward the older heroes. She hit her chest, "I'm Bright! And this is Bliss," she pointed at the dark blonde, who bounced and waved happily, "and Beauty!" She pointed to the quiet third sister. Beauty swallowed nervously and blushed.

"Ultratuff? Really? I mean, Rowdyruff was bad enough, but that's just stupid," Buttercup scoffed.

"Why?" Bubbles asked, walking in front of Blossom and approaching her clones, "Why do you have to fight us? We're not evil, we're heroes! Just like you,"

"Heroes…" Beauty murmured.

Bubbles smiled and nodded.

"That's a lie!" Bright screamed, "You're monsters, all of you! The Messiah says so, and it's our job to destroy monsters, so…" She brought her fists up. Her sisters glanced at her, then assumed similar stances.

"We don't have to fight," Bubbles pleaded.

Bliss just grinned, "Of course we do! You're bad and we're good, that's what we do!"

Before Bubbles could respond again, Bright shot forward, taking a swing at her. Bubbles managed to avoid the attack, but couldn't avoid the second, an elbow to the side of her head. She twisted in the air, avoiding Bliss's follow-up attack, only to get blasted back by a heat ray from Beauty.

Sighing, Bubbles climbed to her feet and looked over at her sisters.

"Do we have to?" she asked.

Buttercup hit her fists together, "They came for a fight, let's give 'em one,"

"Blossom?"

The Ultratuffs weren't waiting for the Powerpuffs to figure out whether or not they were going to fight. The three little superheroes charged, making the mistake of immediately targeting the leader. Blossom dodged Bright's first swing and blocked the second. When Bliss came in for another hit, she caught Bright by her dress and threw her into her sister. This time, when Beauty's heat rays came at her, Blossom simply smacked them straight into the air.

"Ow...she's really strong, Bright!" Bliss whined, sitting up and rubbing her head. Bright jumped to her feet and growled. Beauty frowned, taking a step back. When she noticed Bright and Bliss preparing to attack again, she shuffled to join them.

"This isn't even fair," Blossom murmured.

Buttercup sighed, "Yeah, you're probably right, they're just kids, and we've been doing this our whole-" Buttercup yelped, taking a quick elbow to the face. When she turned to recover, she found herself pummeled several more times from an attack faster than she could see.

"Alright, that's it! Let's get it on!" Buttercup roared, charging at the little girls. Bliss easily dodged her charge, giggling to herself before kneeing her in the side. Buttercup grunted, taking another lightning fast hit from Bright and then a double attack from Beauty and Bliss that sent her skidding along the ground back to her sisters.

"Okay...that was weird…" she coughed, climbing to her feet.

Bubbles glared at Buttercup, "I'm stronger than you! What did you expect from them?"

"Yeah well you suck at fighting so I expected them to, too!" Buttercup yelled back.

"I do not suck at fighting!" Bubbles screamed back.

"Girls, move," The two looked up and gasped, narrowly dodging the combined attack from the Ultratuff Girls. Bright slid to a halt and spun around sucking in a sharp breath of air.

"GET LOST!" She screamed, so loud it caused the walk way they were standing on to begin collapsing. The Ultrasonic Scream shot toward them, driving all three of the girls out of the air. They quickly recovered, ducking in and out of the shards of glass and shrapnel flying at them.

Blossom's nose twitched, "They're getting stronger as they fight...and learning their abilities as they go," she murmured. She hadn't expected that. Worse, she realized, was that these girls likely had no control training. If their power was quickly rising, they were going to keep fighting at full power.

"Okay, girls, you're going to need to take this seriously. They're still learning their powers, and if we underestimate them, they could overwhelm us," she explained.

Bubbles and Buttercup nodded. Before Blossom could give another order, three blue lights shot into the air and came careening at them. The Powerpuff Girls shot up to meet them, only for Buttercup and Blossom to pass harmlessly through three after-images left in the sky.

"What? They can do that?" Buttercup looked around in surprise.

The Ultratuffs all collided with Bubbles. Bright slammed both knees into her face, then spun around and knocked her in the head, sending her flying into Bliss, who kicked her toward the ground, where she was caught dead-on by Beauty's heat rays, driving her into the ground floor.

Blossom noticed, with a small growl that Beauty's heat rays had vaporized most of the rubble they'd sent into the air. Her theory was correct: they were getting stronger.

"Look out!" Buttercup jumped in front of Blossom, blocking Bright's charge with both hands. She shoved her back and turned, socking Beauty out of the air. When she spun around she came face to face with Bliss, who giggled nervously.

"Oops! Caught me!" she squealed, a sound that became a scream of pain when Buttercup's fist caught her in the gut, then a backhand sent her flying toward the ground. The crater on the ground level exploded with red light, Bubbles' heat rays colliding with Bliss and sending her careening into her sisters.

Both teams regrouped, the Powerpuff Girls now on edge while the Ultratuff Girls merely looked warmed up.

"Any plans?" Bright asked, glancing over her shoulder at Beauty.

The quiet Ultratuff girl nodded, narrowing her eyes.

Blossom grabbed Bubbles by the back of her dress, "Fastball Special," she said, suddenly, catching her sister off guard.

"Wait wait!" Bubbles shouted, rolling into a ball as fast as she could. She just managed to get her legs wrapped around her shoulders by the time Blossom jerked her back and threw her screaming through the air. She slammed into Bright, punching her across the face and driving her into the ground.

"Bright!" Bliss screamed, starting toward her. Buttercup cut her off, catching her in the air with a powerful punch. She threw another hook across her face, then grabbed her dress, spun her around and sent her flying toward the ground.

"Uh oh…" Beauty mumbled, looking up to find herself face-to-face with Blossom. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls, the most powerful superhero in the world...the Devil herself. Beauty swallowed and floated away from the advancing heroine.

Blossom narrowed her eyes, "You don't want to do this,"

"I...um, I have to," Beauty explained, gasping when her back hit the wall. She brought her hand up to her face, eyes darting every which way. When they met Blossom's, her gaze kept them locked on her.

"You're going to lose," Blossom pointed out. Now the two were inches from each other. Blossom still had her arms crossed; Beauty still had her hand up to her mouth.

Beauty swallowed, "Maybe this time…" she admitted. Her gaze drifted to the side.

Blossom growled, catching the look, and lunged forward. Just as her fist was about to collide with Beauty, the little girl slammed her fists against the wall behind her, smashing through it and giving her just enough room to tilt back and avoid Blossom's strike. The older girl narrowed her eyes, twisting just in time to avoid Beauty's kick and Bliss's heat rays. Blossom brought her leg up, throwing a powerful kick, a bit more powerful than she intended, that would have broken Beauty's back if it had landed.

Instead, Beauty managed to back away and pull both arms back. When Blossom charged at her, she slammed her hands together, releasing an Ultrasonic Shock Wave. The force of the wave was enough to stop Blossom's attack, and stagger her momentarily. That was enough time for two blue lights to slam into her, one colliding with her back, the other grabbing her ankle and heaving her toward the ground.

Blossom caught herself, skin glowing, smoke rising from her eyes, inches from the ground. She slowly lowered her arms, glaring at Beauty. The unsure look was gone, now she was smirking. She'd won that round, Blossom thought with a another snarl.

"Okay, so they're actually pretty tough," Buttercup commented as she and Bubbles regrouped with their sister. "I kept punching that prissy one and she just laughed at me!"

"Yeah, that's what I noticed, except Bright gets mad instead of laughing," Bubbles pointed out.

Blossom nodded, "Their powers are growing, faster than ours did. Whatever Dick did to them, it means we can't underestimate them," She shot into the air, surprising her sisters, and stopped parallel with the Ultratuff Girls. Her sisters appeared at her sides.

"Just give up now, monster!" Bright shouted, shoving her mitt in Blossom's direction, "Good will always triumph over evil, like you!"

Blossom narrowed her eyes, "Gamera Diablo Delta," Her sisters looked at her in shock. That maneuver...Blossom had come up with it to defeat the Rowdyruff Boys, but deemed it too dangerous, and too destructive.

"Are you sure? Isn't that-" Buttercup started.

'"Just do it," Blossom spat. Without further argument, Bubbles and Buttercup shot out at her sides, looping around and closing in on the Ultratuff Girls. Blossom waited until the last second, then shot forward. Like she expected, the Ultratuffs scattered; unlike the Powerpuff Scatter, though, theirs was a complete mess, rather than a mostly practiced pattern. Blossom swung around, throwing her arms out and releasing two bursts of lightning into the sky.

She managed to hit both Beauty and Bliss, knocking them off balance. Bright, who had gone down, snarled and made a dive for her. Blossom smirked and shot higher into the air, bringing both hands up. When Bright reached her falling sisters, the Ultratuffs were perfectly positioned between the Powerpuff Girls. Blossom's grin darkened and her eyes caught on fire.

"Fire!" She thrust her arms down, unleashing a massive blast of pink light. At the same time, Bubbles and Buttercup released matching beams of blue and green respectively. Before the Ultratuffs could react, the three blasts collided and combined, becoming a swirling tri-rainbow of light. Blossom appeared below the blast and slammed it higher into the air. It came back down and Bubbles knocked it even higher. Buttercup appeared at the top, doing a few somersaults to build up momentum and then SLAM!

She spiked the glistening energy prison toward the ground. She grimaced when it collided with the ground floor of the mall, releasing a massive explosion. "Oh no," Buttercup moaned, shooting back toward the third floor to look for Cassandra. At the rate the fight was going, they could destroy the whole building!

The smoke cleared, revealing the Ultratuff Girls, coughing and nursing various burns and bruises. They got to their feet, peering through the smoke as a taller figure closed in. Blossom clenched and relaxed her fists, stepping over the rubble with small, measured steps. She paused next to the smaller girls, a smirk on her face.

"Go home, girls. You don't stand a chance," she jeered.

Bright snarled and got to her feet, stomping toward Blossom, pulling her fist back, "We'll destroy you! We're the heroes and heroes destroy evil like YOU!" she shrieked and threw a powerful punch, only to have it caught easily by Blossom. The redhead narrowed her eyes, her smile faded as she twisted Bright's arm, forcing it down.

Her other hand shot out, grabbing her dress and lifting the Ultratuff girl up to the Powerpuff Leader's eye level. Blossom lowered her voice, her eyes began to light up, "There is no other evil like me,"

Blossom continued to squeeze her mitt tighter. Finally, Bright began to scream. Her sisters started toward Blossom, but froze when she tightened her grip, forcing another scream out of the little girl, "You're out of your league," Blossom threw Bright to the ground and began to advance on them. The skin on her left arm began to get darker. Her eyes were fire; her teeth were fangs, "We aren't even playing the same game,"

Beauty stepped between Bright and Bliss, who was fussing over her sister's injured hand. Blossom raised her arm, her lips pulled back and her arm began to change.

"Blossom, stop!" Bubbles screamed, grabbing her sister's upraised arm, halting its transformation. Blossom swung her arm, harder than she meant to, throwing Bubbles to the ground.

Beauty took that moment to turn to her sisters, "Let's leave! We'll try again next time, go!" Although Bright looked like she wanted to argue, the other two agreed and in a flash of three blue lights, the Ultratuff Girls were gone.

Blossom glared at Bubbles, fangs still bared, eyes still blazing. She was snarling, but she reached out to her sister. The blonde Powerpuff girl froze when she saw Blossom's arm. Her fingers were like claws, her skin was nearly black. Bubbles looked up into her eyes.

"You were going to kill them," Bubbles whispered.

Blossom's expression softened. Her hand hand turned back to normal; her eyes had gone out and her fangs had become teeth once more. "I won't let them hurt you," she explained.

Bubbles bit her lip, "...We saved the Rowdyruff Boys, can't we try to save them?" she asked.

"Is that what you want?"

Bubbles looked down at Blossom's still offered hand. Slowly, she nodded.

Blossom smiled, "Alright, then...I promise,"

She gestured to her hand. Bubbles slowly reached out and took the offering. When Blossom's fingers wrapped around her mitt, her heart fluttered and the doubt in her heart subsided. She almost couldn't hear Octi anymore.

Bubbles looked up at Blossom and smiled.
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Dreams of an Absolution