(Open POV)
Townsville…
There is the city skyline in the afternoon.
"The city of Townsville!" The narrator said, looking down toward the street. "A magical town full of wonder and excitement."
(Jared's POV)
Townsville Magic Theatre…
An old, run-down building has its windows smashed and shreds of old posters by the doors. It bears a sign: 'MAGIC'. The girls, the Mayor, and I stand on a platform nearby.
"And hey—speakin' of magic, what's going on at the old Townsville Magic Theatre? Let's take a look." The narrator said.
"I love magic shows." I said, looking at the girls and the Mayor. "And theaters."
"What a wonderful day for a celebration." The mayor said, while Ms. Bellum is on the platform, on the girls' and my other side. "Girls, Jared, have I ever told you the story of this old theatre?"
"Just say yes." Ms. Bellum said, looking between the girls and I.
"No." The girls said, sadly.
"Nope. You haven't." I said, frowning.
"Well, splendid. This theatre is the most historic site in all of Townsville. Why, I used to see shows here when I was your age." The mayor said, jumping up and grabbing hold of the corner of the building, kissing the brickwork, showing how much he loved coming to it when he was younger.
Near the Mayor is a tattered poster showing a goateed, mustachioed magician brandishing his wand. It bears the words 'Al Lusion On Stage'. The Mayor takes notice of this after he stops kissing.
"Huh? What's this?" The mayor asked, looking at the poster. "A theatre poster from the final performance of Al Lusion, the greatest magician of all time!"
I closed my eyes to imagine a black-and-white shot of the magician, Al Lusion, putting on his stage show. The view is grainy and scratched, as if from an old silent movie; the background music changes accordingly, and the characters I see are not heard speaking. Lusion waves his wand over a rabbit on a stand next to him and turns it into a potted plant with a rabbit's head.
"I oughta know." The mayor said, as a voiceover and a happy kid in the audience, wearing a beanie and monocle. "I was there."
This is the Mayor's young self.
(Open POV)
Stage…
Lusion has gotten rid of the plant/rabbit and set a top hat on the stand. He holds an egg.
"That night, he performed the most incredible feats ever seen. It was a spectacular show." The mayor said, as a voiceover.
During this line, the magician breaks the egg into the hat, reaches in, and pulls a moose partway out. The young Mayor claps in delight at this amazing display of magic. Now Lusion leans out over the edge of the stage as people clamor for his attention.
"Then he asked for an assistant from the audience." The mayor said, as a voiceover.
The young Mayor has his hand raised eagerly.
"I raised my hand, but he chose another. He chose a little girl." The mayor said, as a voiceover.
As he says this, along the row is a child whose face is hidden under a huge, low hat. One hand holds a small teddy bear. She peers up—a girl whose face looks very much like those of Townsville's current protectors. She has a definite nose and fingers on her hands, one of which she raises.
"A charming creature as sweet as any of you Powerpuff Girls." The mayor said as a voiceover and the girl jumps out of her seat and is helped up to the stage. "Once onstage, he asked to borrow the girl's stuffed bear."
The magician points at the teddy bear on the end of this line, then pulls it out of her hands. She watches, surprised, as he holds it between his palms and brings them together. The bear disappears in a puff of smoke.
"And he instantly made it vanish right before her eyes." The mayor said, as a voice over.
He waves the smoke away and takes a bow, not even bothering trying to then undo the trick and bring the bear back; the girl, however, is very distraught over losing her bear and Al Lusion not even attempting to bring it back for her. Tears form in her eyes, and she reaches toward the dissipating smoke.
"Heartbroken without her bear…" The mayor said, as a voiceover.
The girl throws herself at him and accidentally pulls his pants down; a rabbit pokes its head out and hops away on the next line.
"…she revealed him to be nothing more than a sham." The mayor said, as a voiceover.
The girl giggles at the sight, but now Lusion has trouble coping with the situation. The Mayor laughs in voice over as magic cards, balls, and more rabbits jump out of his pants.
"Oh, we all laughed at the big phony!" The mayor said, as a voiceover.
Audience members get quite a rise out of the show gone wrong; their faces spin through the head of the crushed Lusion. He begins to stumble back and forth, pants still down around his ankles, to try to round up all his props. There is an open case at one end of the stage. It is filled with spikes—the medieval 'Iron Maiden' torture device. He careens toward it as the girl reaches toward him and the audience keeps laughing.
"But our laughter quickly turned to tears…" The mayor said, as a voiceover.
The audience's faces go slack with shock. On the next line, Lusion tumbles even closer to the case, the Mayor points in alarm, and the audience screams before covering their eyes to avoid seeing the inevitable.
"…as the magic was silenced forever." The mayor said, as a voiceover.
The Iron Maiden slams shut and falls over onto the stage.
(Jared's POV)
Present Day…
It is undisturbed, through the curtains behind it are rotting away.
"Wow." I said, letting out a sigh. "That is such a sad story."
It is in a decaying auditorium, the plaster falling away from the proscenium.
Exterior of the theatre…
"It is, Jared." The mayor said, softly. "Poor old Al Lusion." He took off his hat. "Poor old theatre."
The mayor, the girls, and I bow our heads for a moment of silence; if Ms. Bellum does likewise, we cannot see it. The quiet is abruptly broken by his next line.
"Oh, well, let the festivities begin!" The mayor said, putting his hat on.
Said festivities consist of the demolition of the theatre by several wrecking balls. They swing back and forth as the Mayor cheers them on deliriously.
"Yes!…Yes! Smash it! Smash it!…Boom! Boom!…Pow! Pow!…Smash it, smash it, smash it!" The mayor cheered.
Townsville…
One of the wrecking balls swings into the auditorium and lands squarely on the Iron Maiden before being pulled away. A trick panel in the bottom of the case is sprung open by the hit. I am looking at a desiccated, shaking arm clad in men's evening wear that reaches into view and produces a bunch of black, dead flowers after a tense moment.
"Girls, what do you want to watch tonight?" I asked, looking at the screaming mouth of one of the girls.
Utonium Residence…
I hear all three of them, and we are on the living room couch, with the lights out. We are watching the Night of the Living Dead. They shamble forth from their resting places, moaning and looking for living flesh; we see a steady parade of half-decomposed faces with the remains of their eyes fixed in a dead stare. The procession makes its way out of the graveyard as the girls watch, shivering with fright—even Buttercup, the original hardcase, is not immune.
"Jared, I can't believe you're making us watch this." Blossom said, and a crash of glass startles the girls into diving behind the couch. "Why are you making us watch this?"
"It's PG-13." I said, while the girls poke their heads out from underneath the cushions. "Plus I'm here to help skip the bad parts."
"What was that?" Blossom asked, gasping.
"I think it…it was a zombie!" Bubbles said, her voice shaking.
Buttercup's nervous expression turns into a grumpy frown, "Cut it out, Bubbles. There's no such thing as zombies."
(Open POV)
Townsville…
A woman is screaming in the streets. The sky has taken on a weird red glow.
"A zombie!" A woman said, terrified.
A rotting figure is dressed in the remains of the aforementioned evening wear. One of the shoes is gone, and a tattered cape hangs down in back. The woman is looking at the face of the rotting figure as the Narrator speaks.
"Oh, no! It's Al Lusion! He's returned from beyond the grave as Abracadaver, the magical zombie!" The narrator said, worried.
Abracadaver's face is a withered, shrunken horror, with angry red eyes set deep above parched cheeks. His teeth have gone helter-skelter, and his once-handsome goatee and mustache hang in shreds. His top hat now resembles a dented tin can, and its upper surface has fallen open. His voice is slow and rusty from several decades of disuse, but still carries forth his smoldering fury from his humiliation on his last day among the living. It also has perhaps a bit of a Russian accent.
"You laughed at me..but now, revenge!" Abracadaver yelled, shooting a spell from his hands; this connects with two kids playing a game of cards.
The kids find themselves turned into giant playing cards. Two carpenters are hard at work sawing planks, but are quickly imprisoned within boxes for the old 'saw a woman in half' trick, with their own saws slicing down into the wood. Abracadaver shoots a spell at a school bus, turning it into a giant, diseased-looking rabbit and leaving the driver and kids sitting on its back. The animal bounds along the street.
As a crowd of people watches, stunned, a car and a milk truck collide head-on, their drivers having had their attention diverted to looking at Abracadaver. The zombie magician strides through the onlookers, preparing himself for another ghastly trick. Now he stretches out one hand and zaps the spire of a building; this becomes a giant birdcage, complete with a sickly bird on the swing inside. Several people standing in a group screaming are turned into trees. A dog preparing to relieve itself at a hydrant finds its toilet turned into a bigger, angry dog that chases it away. Giant playing cards bounce down the street as flowers bloom from the roofs of buildings; the school-bus-turned-rabbit hops in and out among the structures and finally moves away. A tall building is transformed into a house of cards, from which Abracadaver swipes one near ground level. The entire house collapses, showering cards everywhere; giant saws have gone to work on various bits of the skyline. The rest of the city is in a similar predicament.
Mayor's office…
The Mayor and Ms. Bellum are watching a saw cut through the wall on its way to them, at about the level of his head.
"Hmm. That's peculiar. Uh, Ms. Bellum, do you see this saw I see?" The Mayor asked.
"Yes, but can't you see that all of Townsville is under attack?" Ms. Bellum asked.
The saw cuts through the Mayor's hat.
"I think my hat's under attack! Call the haberdasher!" The mayor said, and Ms. Bellum clears her throat. "Oh, and the Powerpuff Girls."
(Jared's POV)
Outside Utonium Residence…
"I feel really bad for the girls." I said, looking out the window to see that the sky is normal here—it is nighttime, and all the downstairs windows are lit up. "And I really regret choosing the movie."
I looked back at the movie, as the Night of the Living Dead is still running, and one zombie has its hands at another's throat.
The girls are shaking with fright but pinned to their seats. Blossom, in the center, eats popcorn from a big bucket in front of her. The music and the suspense build to an unbearable climax, which is reached on both fronts almost simultaneously. A woman screams in the movie just before the hotline starts to buzz. The phone's face does not show its usual happy smile, but instead looks very uneasy. The girls scream and dive behind the couch again. This time, Bubbles pops up from behind one end, Blossom from behind the other corner, and Buttercup from underneath the cushions.
"Girls. Just rely on magic." I said, happily. "Magician magic. And think about the Iron Maiden."
Now the hotline wears a very frightened look as Blossom peeks over the edge of its stand and eases the receiver out of its cradle. This is its first appearance in the living room.
"H-H-Hello?" Blossom asked.
Utonium Residence / Mayor's Office…
On the other end, the wall of the Mayor's office has now been completely cut away.
"Blossom! You girls have to help at once!" The mayor said, angrily.
"W-W-W-Why? What is it, Mayor?" Blossom asked.
"My favorite hat's been ruined, and, uh…" The mayor said, while Abracadaver stalks into view outside. "…oh, yeah, Townsville's under attack by an evil demented zombie magician."
On the end of this, the zombie lets go against two more buildings.
"WHAT?! An evil demented zombie?!" Blossom exclaimed, as she looked over at me. "And you had us watch the Night of the Living Dead, Jared."
"Sorry." I said, sadly. "It just felt right at the time."
The girls scream.
"No way! I'm not going!" Buttercup said, worried.
"Me neither." Bubbles said, frowning.
Blossom has hung up the phone, "I know it's scary, but—we have to."
(Open POV)
Outside Utonium Residence…
A wolf howls in the distance as shreds of cloud drift past the full moon. The front door opens slowly, and Blossom peeks out and looks around to see if it is safe to leave.
"All clear. Let's go." Blossom said, softly.
Blossom floats out, her sisters following.
Townsville…
"B-B-Be careful, girls." The narrator said, and the girls are flying through the city. "Abracadaver has some evil tricks up his sleeve!"
"Look! There he is!" Buttercup said, gasping, pointing.
The Abracadaver has set himself to the task of levitating several buildings at once. The girls have reached ground level.
"Go on. Go on." Buttercup said, looking at Blossom, her voice shaking.
Blossom floats over to Abracadaver. Her next words are timid and uncertain—exactly the way you would expect the leader of this superhero trio not to sound.
"Oh…um…excuse me, Mr. Zombie, sir." Blossom said, tugging the magician's cape.
"Wha…?" The Abracadaver asked.
"Could you stop destroying Townsville with your evil zombie magic?" Blossom asked, begging.
"Please?" Bubbles and Buttercup asked, at the same time.
The magician gets a good look at Blossom and recoils slightly, gasping with surprise. He quickly finds himself again.
"You!" Abracadaver said, looking at Blossom. "You're that girl!" He thought about the little girl from long ago. "Girl with bear!"
Blossom is totally confused and bewildered by the reaction she caused to Abracadaver when he saw her.
"Huh…?" Blossom asked, looking at Abracadaver, towering over her.
"You ruined Al Lusion! You make them laugh at me, but now, revenge!" Abracadaver yelled, holding up his left forefinger and pulls out a large pocket watch with the other hand which ticks and begins to swing.
Now Abracadaver points at his pocket watch, directing Blossom to concentrate on it as it swings back and forth. She does so and begins to become mesmerized by it. He keeps swinging the watch, and her eyes follow of their own accord. Bubbles and Buttercup can only watch as the reflection of the timepiece becomes visible in her glassy gaze. Now Abracadaver asserts his hypnotic power; she tries one last time to resist, but falls completely under his control, eyes turning into red spirals. He smiles in triumph as she floats motionless and slack, knowing nothing but the watch.
"You put her down!" Buttercup said, angrily.
"Huh?" Abracadaver asked.
Buttercup charges at Abracadaver and delivers a solid punch that propels him into a wall; he falls to the ground in pieces.
"Sorry to break up the act." Buttercup said, smirking.
"Buttercup! Look!" Bubbles said, flying up to Buttercup.
"Huh?" Buttercup asked, looking at the hand holding the watch.
It is floating in midair and still swinging the watch in front of Blossom, keeping her in a trance.
"It won't stop!" Bubbles said, worried.
The pieces of Abracadaver float off the ground and begin to reassemble themselves. First the head and torso connect, followed by the legs and the left arm. The other two girls are caught off guard.
"Uh-oh!" Blossom said, terrified.
"You hit me!" The Abracadaver said, shooting a spell at Buttercup and traps her within a saw-in-half box.
Buttercup looks at the saw cutting its way toward her and screams in fear. Bubbles gasps and zips away from the magician—and right into a waiting sack. A cord is tied around its mouth, and it is dropped into a tank of water. The cloth bulges with her attempts to free herself.
Blossom, meanwhile, is still deeply hypnotized by the disembodied hand's watch. Abracadaver walks into view and attaches the limb to the rest of his body.
"And now, my assistant…" Abracadaver said, putting the watch away. "…time for grand finale!"
The Abracadaver reaches into one sleeve and pulls out a string of handkerchiefs tied together. Onlookers gasp in fear and shock, and he lashes out with the rope and snags the hypnotized Blossom, wrapping her many times around. He pulls her in as if playing with a yo-yo, ready to end her life.
"Now you meet your doom!" The Abracadaver yelled, pulling back for a throw, looking down at the street towards an Iron Maiden standing open at a distance.
Abracadaver plans to do to Blossom, thinking she's the girl who ruined him as Al Lusion, what happened to him: Seal her in the Iron Maiden to perish. He flies with Blossom, and the redhead sails toward her spiky grave. She comes to a stop with little room to spare before hitting the spikes and is yanked back. Abracadaver goes for another throw. Blossom stops with an even thinner margin. Abracadaver looked down at his hand as Blossom snapped back into it, then followed her on one more fling. The onlookers gasp in disbelief just before she hurtles into the spikes and the lid of the Iron Maiden slams shut on her. The case falls flat on the pavement. It looks as if Abracadaver had killed Blossom and attained his vengeance.
The crowd is mournful, thinking that their heroine is dead.
"Oh, no! Right before our very eyes…" The Narrator said, looking at the Iron Maiden. "…the magic of the Powerpuff Girls vanished forever!" He looks at the Abracadaver, his back to the crowd. "Now Townsville is at the mercy of that evil magician Abraca—huh!"
At the end of this line, the Abracadaver turns around and tears himself in half down the middle. In his place is Blossom, still very much alive and unhypnotized, the remains of this disguise hanging from her hands.
"Ta-da!" Blossom said, happily.
"Blossom?!" The narrator exclaimed.
"Yaaay!" The crowd cheered.
Blossom gets down to the business of freeing her sisters. First she smashes the water tank with a flying kick and shakes the sack. However, no Bubbles comes out, only a rush of air. She smiles, but then realizes that the sack is empty. Surprised, she tosses it aside and flies over to Buttercup. The saw-in-half box has now had exactly that done to it, and the two halves have been separated. She looks at Buttercup's head, then at the other half—which has a pair of wiggling feet poking out of it. Pushing the halves together, she opens the head end and Buttercup leaps out in one piece. She looks herself over to make sure everything is there, and the two girls smile at one another. Buttercup's expression quickly changes to one of alarm; she points at the other end of the box, where the feet are still wiggling. They both fly to this, exchange a quick glance, and open its doors. Bubbles pops out, also completely intact.
"Ta-da!" The girls said, excitedly.
"Yaaay!" The crowd said, looking at the Mayor and the girls.
"But, girls! How did you do it?!" The mayor exclaimed.
"It's magic, silly!" The girls said, giggling.
The narrator looked at one or more members of the scene on each of the Narrator's next queries. First up: the crowd.
"How…" The narrator said, looking at Ms. Bellum who shrugged. "Who…" The Mayor is also shrugging. "When…" He looked at a nest of birds. "But…" The girls are looking innocent. "Who's in the…"
The head end of the Iron Maiden. Abracadaver's arm, emerging from under the lid, falls limp—he was once more the unfortunate occupant of the device. The Narrator gasps sharply and then laughs with relief and amusement.
"Oh, girls! I love that voodoo that you do!" The narrator said, laughing again.
The standard end shot comes up.
"So once again the day is saved—thanks to the Powerpuff Girls!" The narrator said, excitedly.