Devil's Palace Throne Room

         Jenny was really stuck between a rock and a hard place now.  There they were, ready to stop the wedding.  But what was stopping them?  None of the others would dare to make a move.
         “So, what now?” the Cryptkeeper asked.
         Jenny didn’t respond.  She kept her eyes on Black Shadow, her fists clenched.  The others trembled, as they started to get anxious.
         “Come on, we are not going to just stand here and watch this stupid wedding!” Pico growled.
         To their surprise, Vegeta came in and made his way within the group.
         “Am I late?” he asked.
         “Nope; you’re just in time,” Yamcha replied.
         “Excellent.”  Vegeta crossed his arms.  “So why aren’t we stopping it?”
         “Because Black Shadow threatened to cause great pain if we interfered,” the Cryptkeeper told him.
         “Oh, I see.”  Vegeta nodded.
         Black Shadow took his place next to Astronema.  “All right, Dr. Clash, you may begin now.”
         Dr. Clash cleared his throat.  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to witness the joining of Black Shadow and Astronema in holy matrimony....”
         Vegeta rolled his eyes.  “Oh boy....”
         “I’ve never been to a wedding before,” Chiaotzu whispered.  “It’s incredible, even if it’s an evil wedding.”
         “Anytime you’re ready, Jenny,” the Cryptkeeper said softly.
         But Jenny was still frozen, trembling in place.
         “Boring!” Vegeta called aloud.
         “Vegeta, shut up!” Fulgore ordered.
         Black Shadow turned.  “Vegeta, remind me to whip your butt good next time I see you.”
         “Um, may I continue?” Dr. Clash asked politely.
         “Please do, Doctor,” Black Shadow replied.
         “Thank you.”  Dr. Clash continued with the ceremony.
         “Sis, we have to hurry!” Hallie whispered.  “We can’t let Black Shadow become our dad!”
         “Yeah, what are we waiting for?” Yamcha asked.
         Meanwhile, Spinal squirmed in the demons’ grip.  “Jenny, why are you just standing there!?” he thought.  He began to sob quietly.
         The Rangers were completely confounded; they had no idea what to do.  They didn’t want Black Shadow and Astronema to be married, but they didn’t want Jenny to suffer from Black Shadow’s threats either.  They knew that the decision was ultimately up to Jenny.
         Still, Jenny stood with her fists clenched.
         “I’d give my left nut for this thing to be over,” Vegeta grumbled.
         Pico stomped on his foot, causing the Saiyan to groan in pain.
         “Excuse me, but I’m trying to conduct a wedding here!” Dr. Clash called impatiently.  “Now please be quiet!”
         “Sorry,” Pico said with a chuckle.
         Dr. Clash resumed the ceremony again.
         “You’d better be sorry,” Vegeta thought.  “Because next time I try to kill you, I won’t miss.”
         “Oh Jenny, your cosmological clock is ticking....” the Cryptkeeper warned.
         Jenny still had her eyes fixed on Black Shadow, her fists still clenched.  The others were getting more and more anxious by the second.
         “I can’t watch this anymore!” Hallie sobbed.
         “Hello, Jenny!” Yamcha called softly.  “This is your five o’clock alarm call!”
         Now it was time for the final question.
         “Black Shadow, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Dr. Clash asked.  “To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall life, ‘til death do you part?”
         “DIE!” Vegeta shouted.  “DIE NOW!!!”
         Jeice grabbed his shoulders.  “Settle down, Vegeta.”
         This time Black Shadow ignored them.  He was too close to his goal to let anything stand in his way now.  He responded to Dr. Clash’s question.
         “I do.”
         All this time, Jenny had been reviewing her choices.  Who knows how Black Shadow would treat her if he became her stepfather?  He’s probably just torture her.  But if she thwarted the wedding, Black Shadow would make her pay dearly, and that probably meant torture as well.  Whichever path she chose, pain and suffering would surely follow.  But which would be worse?  She couldn’t decide!  She only knew one thing: There is only one father in her life, and his name is Daniel Kinkade!
         “Oh man,” Jenny thought.  “I’m damned if I do, and I’m damned if I don’t!”
         Dr. Clash asked the same question of Astronema.  “Do you take this warrior to be your lawfully wedded husband....?”
         Astronema took a deep breath as she prepared to say the two words that would forever shatter Jenny’s life.....
         “STOP!!!” Jenny screamed.  “I can’t take this anymore!  I can’t let you get married, I just can’t!”
         Black Shadow spun around abruptly.  “Jenny....you cross my path to become my worthy adversary.  You thwart my plans, you prevent me from conquering Arturus, let alone the entire universe!  You rescue my prisoners, and now you prevent me from marrying your mother....this lovely woman.”  He summoned his sword and raised it.  “You truly are a bad girl, Jenny.  And now it’s time to pay the piper.  Attack!”
         Within the second, a ferocious battle ensued in the throne room.  The demons and minions attacked the heroes.  Spinal watched helplessly as Fulgore came nearby.
         “Fulgore, help me!” he called.
         Fulgore kicked the demons that held Spinal, then severed the rope that bound his wrists together.
         “You okay, little one?” he asked.
         “Yes, thank you,” Spinal replied.
         “Great.  Let’s squash these demons!”
         “Right!”
         Pandeora got into a catfight with Ruth.  Pandeora punched Ruth in the face.  Ruth wiped the blood from her mouth.
         “Ohh!!” she exclaimed.
         Pandeora tried another punch, but Ruth blocked it and returned the punch to the face.  Then Ruth threw a thrust kick into the abdomen.  Pandeora looked down at the footprint in her dress.
         “Oh, how could you!?” she cried.
         “Very easily,” Ruth replied.
         Pandeora punched again, but Ruth blocked again.  Pandeora ran a circle around Ruth and roundhouse kicked her in the stomach.  As Ruth fell to the floor, Pandeora grabbed both her ankles and dragged her across the floor.  Screaming, Ruth tried to grab Pandeora’s wrists, but couldn’t reach them.  Suddenly, Carlos nailed Pandeora with a side kick.
         “You okay?” he asked, helping Ruth up.
         “Yeah, thanks,” Ruth replied.
         Meanwhile, Black Shadow was going after Jenny.  He swung his sword at her repeatedly, and Jenny dodged the attacks.  Then she blocked a horizontal attack with her own sword, then Black Shadow kicked her with a fierce roundhouse.  As he attempted an overhead attack, Jenny quickly moved aside, and the sword struck the wall.  Then Black Shadow got an idea.
         “Oh course!  Why didn’t I think of it sooner?” he thought.  “I could get rid of them all in one blow!  I need to get my secret weapon, but I can’t have Jenny chasing me all over the fortress.”
         “Viper King, take care of her!” Black Shadow ordered as he turned and ran from the room.
         Jenny was about to go after him, but Viper King grabbed her from behind.  It took her a minute to break free.  She threw a roundhouse kick, but Viper King blocked it.  He pulled out one of his snake tails and swung it horizontally.  Jenny ducked under it, then Viper King thrust it out, wrapping it around her ankles.  With a yank, he sent her to the floor.  Then he knelt over her, fangs widely exposed, ready to bite her throat like a vampire.
         “Keep your hands AND your fangs off her!” a familiar voice ordered as he pulled Viper King away from Jenny.  She looked up to see Darkonda standing over her.
         “Are you all right, my love?” he asked as he helped her up.
         “Oh man,” Jenny groaned in frustration.  “I just can’t beat him!”
         “We’ll beat him together,” Darkonda said.  “Ready?”
         “Ready!”
         Jenny and Darkonda charged at Viper King....
         Meanwhile, Maya was battling some demons.  Something didn’t quite feel right, though.  As she leaped off the walls and over the demons, one kicked her back, flipping her over.  Maya looked up at them, feeling rather vulnerable.  That’s when it hit her.  She wasn’t morphed!  She stood up quickly.
         “Go Galactic!” she screamed.
         She morphed into her Galaxy Ranger uniform.  Soon, the other Rangers morphed, too.
         “I will fight for good!” Zika vowed.  “And I will be good!”

         He rushed at a group of demons with a snap kick, then defended himself as the demons attacked.  Zika kicked a demon aside as he backed up.
         “Mini-Magna Blaster!” he cried.
         Yes, Zika had a Magna Blaster of his own.  It was only the size of a pistol, but it was just as powerful as his father’s Magna Blaster.  He fired at the demons, and the blasts sent them piling into a heap.
         “Yeah!” Zika cried.  “Whoo-hoo!”
         And the fighting continued throughout the room.  After a while, a yellow energy beam shot across the ceiling.  All fighting ceased.
         “What in star blazes was that?” Maya asked.
         No one had a clue....until a rasping deep voice spoke.
         “Looks like you all could use some help.”
         Everyone watched as the owner of the voice stepped into the room.
         Jenny gasped.  “Piccolo!”
         “Piccolo!” Fulgore and Spinal cried in unison.
         “Piccolo?” Damon asked.
         “Piccolo.....” Hallie sighed.  “I’ll make beautiful music with my Piccolo.....”
         “Yeah, yeah,” Piccolo muttered.  “Piccolo, Piccolo, Piccolo.  Where is Black Shadow?  I have a score to settle with him.”

         “Really?  What happened?” the Cryptkeeper asked.
         “Just take a look at Goku and find out!”
         “Who’s Goku?”
         “That’s Goku,” Spinal said, pointing over to him.
         Piccolo took a fighting stance.  “Shall we?”
         The fighting resumed.  The demons attacked Piccolo, but he fought them off fiercely.
         As Hallie fought off her batch, two of them grabbed her and threw her to the floor.  They were about to finish her off when Piccolo kicked them aside.  He looked down at Hallie as she stood up.
         “Thank you, Piccolo!” she said with a grin.
         Piccolo turned his back.  “Now don’t get the wrong idea, kid.”
         He rushed over to the demonized Goku and shook him.  “Goku, can you hear me?  Listen to me; you’ve got to snap out of it!  Try to remember who you are!”
         Goku just stared at him blankly.  Piccolo released him and went back into battle.
         “This is too risky!” Cassie cried.  “We have to get these people out of here!”
         “It would help if we knew how to cure them,” Fulgore told her.
         Leo used his Quasar Saber to fight off the demons.  As he drove them away, he turned around and saw a horrifying sight.
         “Mike!”
         Mike, now a full demon, advanced on Leo.  He snarled softly as he grabbed Leo by the throat.
         “Mike, what are you doing!?” Leo gasped.  “I’m your brother!  Please try to remember!”
         “Excuse me,” Vegeta said, shoving Leo aside and out of Mike’s grip.  “Mike said to do whatever it takes to keep him from hurting us.”  He pulled his fist back.
         “Vegeta, no!” Leo protested.
         Ignoring Leo’s protest, Vegeta punched Mike hard in the stomach.  So hard, it caused Mike to throw up.  Mike dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach, and lowered his face to the floor.

        “Mike!  Are you all right?” Leo asked.
         Mike continued to groan, still not looking up.  After a minute, he finally did look up at his brother.  He was human again.
 
 
 

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