| The King, the Prince, and the Shadow << The Samadhi Fire >> This Imperfect World |
(Ne Zha, Demon Bull King, and Monkey King attempt to seal the Samadhi Fire from a young Red Son.)
Tang Sanzang: For the Samadhi Fire to be split in three, you must harmonize your energies!
(The three of them struggle to contain the fire within their circle. Tang Sanzang's eyes glow gold and he uses his powers to create the Rings of Samadhi.)
Monkey King: Heh! You know, this is kinda easier than I thought it would be. Woah!
Tang Sanzang: (Simultaneously.) Monkey!
Ne Zha: (Simultaneously.) Wukong!
Demon Bull King: (Simultaneously.) Imbecile!
(Wukong struggles to keep steady and he slips. The fire splits into the three rings but a piece gets away and heads for Tang Sanzang. The White Horse Dragon blocks the attack and the fire is sealed within him.)
Tang Sanzang: My friend! Are you...
White Horse Dragon: I am alright.
(Tang Sanzang is relieved, then Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing launch themselves onto their Master, hugging him.)
Zhu Bajie: Master, you did it!
Sha Wujing: We knew you could.
Tang Sanzang: Okay, okay, that— That's more than enough!
(Monkey King sighs before Ne Zha hits on the head.)
Monkey King: Ow! Hey!
Ne Zha: Great job, Wukong. Way to almost get us all killed!
Monkey King: Ugh, sheesh! Chill out, Ne Zha. It all worked out in the end! Fire split, no harm done, huh? Huh?
(In the present, Macaque chokes Mei, MK is weakened, Sandy and Pigsy encased in Bone Demon powers and Tang is horrified.)
Macaque: Do it. Finish the ritual!
(Tang breaks down until he sees a golden cicada land on the map. He watches it fly above, before disappearing.)
Tang: Alright, you win.
(Tang uses his powers and completes the ritual. A brilliant light blasts up the mountain. Monkey King and Ne Zha are still stuck against their mountain.)
Monkey King: No! They were supposed to wait!
Ne Zha: Are you absolutely sure the Samadhi Fire is the only way to stop the Lady Bone Demon?
Monkey King: Only if we move right now!
Ne Zha: You better be right. (Ne Zha's spear transforms into lotus petals.) Let's hope my aim is as good as it used to be.
Monkey King: What?
(The lotus petals turn into sharp points, shattering the bone imprisoning them. Monkey King races towards the ritual site.)
(Mei looks at the rings and remembers the vision she kept seeing.)
Mei: No! Please, I-I wanna get off this ride!
Macaque: Yes!
Monkey King: Stop! (The ritual is completed. Mei is completely engulfed in flames.) No!
(Macaque's Bone Demon powers are shattered from his body.)
Macaque: It worked!
Monkey King: I'm too late. Kid!
MK: What? Mei?! What's happening?! Don't worry, I'm coming for ya! Someone get some water. Stop, drop, and roll, Mei! (MK attempts to reach Mei when Monkey King pushes him to the side.)
Ne Zha: Mere water cannot extinguish the Samadhi Fire. Nothing can. The fire will destroy this girl and burn everything in its path. (Ne Zha frees Sandy and Pigsy.)
Mei: What?!
MK: Yeah, what?!
Monkey King: You! You ruined everything! (Macaque tries to escape through a shadow portal. Monkey King grabs him at the last second.)
Macaque: I didn't do this!
Monkey King: Well, you weren't not involved! (Monkey King pulls back his fist to punch him.)
Tang: Stop! It was me! I mean, yeah Macaque forced me to do it, and I'm definitely starting to have second thoughts on the whole thing now but... I don't know how and I don't know why, I just felt like I had too... like it was... destiny.
Past Lady Bone Demon: Destiny cannot be undone, Sun Wukong...
(Monkey King lets go of Macaque.)
MK: I hate to interrupt but can someone explain what is going on?! What's happening to Mei?
Monkey King: Okay, this is going to sound really bad, but hear me out.
Ne Zha: Wukong, what have you done?
Monkey King: I made a mistake. During the ritual, a piece of the Samadhi Fire got away from me. I don't know what happened, but I guess, part of it was sealed away in the closest vessel that could contain it. My loyal companion, the White Horse Dragon, Ao Lie.
Sandy: Mei's great, great, great, times a thousand great-grandfather!
MK: Making Mei the fourth ring!
Mei: You knew! All along you knew I had this thing inside of me!
MK: Mei! Hang on a second.
Mei: And you hid it from all of us! Why?! What were you afraid of?! That you were going to have to tear me apart to get your precious Samadhi Fire?!
Monkey King: This wasn't supposed to happen! I thought if I could get the Samadhi fire out of you, without hurting you of course. Then I could put it inside myself. Then I don't know, use it to burn up the Lady Bone Demon or something? I was kinda making this up as I went—
Ne Zha: That was your plan?!
MK: That's not a good plan!
Monkey King: Yeah, to be honest this is the first time I've said it out loud, so...
Mei: We trusted you! All of us! How could you lead us into this fight without a real plan?! Time and time again, I've watched you put MK in danger, leaving him to figure everything on his own! Don't you realize you're hurting the people who care about you the most?!
Macaque: She's completely out of control! If there's a time to go, it's now!
MK: No! Mei is my best friend. I'd never abandon her when she needs me! We're heroes, it's what we do!
(Mei continues to unleash her rage. Macaque leaves through a shadow portal.)
Ne Zha: Macaque is right. We must leave. There's no saving the girl! (MK runs towards Mei.)
Monkey King: No! Kid!
MK: Mei! You have to stop! I know you're upset, and that's okay! I know what it's like to have a power you don't know how to control. To feel like the fate of the world is in your hands and you have no idea what to do! But you always have my back and helped me through it. We... will figure this out... together!
(MK hugs Mei and the fire is extinguished.)
Sandy: (Simultaneously.) Go Mei!
Tang: (Simultaneously.) You did it!
Ne Zha: She controlled the fire? This is impossible.
(Mei cries before pushing MK away.)
Mei: I can't! I don't wanna hurt you. Any of you. I'm sorry.
MK: Mei, wait! (Mei blasts away in a ball of flame, along with the rings.) Mei! (Sandy catches MK, and the others gather around to comfort him.) We have to go after Mei!
Pigsy: Kid! You're in no state to be going anywhere!
MK: But the Samadhi Fire—
Ne Zha: Should've burned the Dragon Girl to ash by now. And yet it hasn't, which is curious.
Sandy: What do you mean? You know, for people not paying attention.
Ne Zha: It means... that perhaps there was method to Sun Wukong's madness after all. If she can learn to control the fire, then perhaps its power truly could be used to defeat the Lady Bone Demon.
MK: So all we gotta do is get Mei some fire training? That's easy! All the more reason to go after her!
Monkey King: There's no time for that. Now that the Samadhi Fire is forged, the Lady Bone Demon will stop at nothing to obtain it! If we show up unprepared, we might as well hand Mei over to her right now! No, I'm gonna do what I should've done originally. Stop the Lady Bone Demon... alone.
MK: What?! But you said the Samadhi Fire was the only way that could stop her.
Monkey King: I know what I said, but I've beaten her before I'll... I'll do it again! Mei was right, I need to stop dragging you into my fights. All of you. I'm sorry, bud, I need you to sit this one out.
(Monkey King gets on his cloud and flies away.)
MK: If one more of my friends flies off today, I'm gonna lose it! The only way we win is together, that's Monkie Kid 101!
Ne Zha: If Sun Wukong fights the Lady Bone Demon alone, the chances of him surviving are slim.
MK: And what are the chances of Mei not destroying the world with the Samadhi Fire?
Ne Zha: Less? Slim?
MK: Then it's settled. We gotta go bring Monkey King back.
Tang: You two go. We'll only slow you down.
Sandy: Yeah! The three of us will fire up the old T.E.A. and track down Mei!
Pigsy: You show them what you're made of, kid!
Sandy: I just love you guys so much.
(Ne Zha and MK head off in the Fire Ring.)
(Mei lands in a river, drying it up instantly. She hears someone behind her.)
Mei: No! Stay back, I-I don't wanna hurt you!
(The figure throws a dragon plushie at Mei and she catches it.)
Red Son: Dragon Horse Girl! Heh, looks like you could use some fire training!