I do not own the PowerPuff Girls.
Chapter 1
Meat, Bones, and Anger
"Goddamn piece of shit…"
The voice originated from an apartment which rested in the fifth floor of a complex situated in Downtown Townsville was spacious, but one wouldn't have been able to tell that with all the clutter. Its walls were covered in framed magazine covers, a weight set was in the corner of the entry hall, and one room was jam packed with boxes. The air smelt strongly of beer and cigarettes and exposed portions of the wall seemed to suffer from water damage.
Buttercup held her foot up on the bathroom counter and examined her bleeding toe. She'd managed to break the nail when she stumbled out of bed. She was working off a hangover so she only provided the rudimentary cleaning of soap and water. The hot water stung and caused her to wince. There had once been a time when she could punch a monster made out of stone without so much as a scratch, but now the edge of a door could draw blood.
After wrapping the entire toe in gauze the ex-super heroine took a moment to examine herself in the mirror.
Buttercup wore nothing other than a pair of dark green panties. Dark rings circled her eyes that now began to sink into her skull, her lips were thin, and even in the light her skin looked ghostly pale. Her body was tense, possessing zero fat, and hardened by an underlying layer of muscle. Spiraling patterns of black were tattooed along her left arm. A scar ran down the right side of her neck all the way to her shoulder. Her small, perky breasts hung unclad, nipples rigid in the cold winter air and pierced by silver rings caught much of the light they came in contact with.
She had once been Buttercup, the rebellious super heroine but now she was nothing more than a sack of meat, bones and anger. Everything had eroded in the last several years, first her powers, then her family, and finally her celebrity. Now she lived off the profits of the past, but there was nowhere to go from here. Buttercup had done her best, but those years out of the spotlight and evenings spent with little more than the bottle had begun taking their toll on her body.
Leaving the bathroom Buttercup flung herself into the swiveling desk chair situated in front of her desktop computer. She was still half-asleep, but managed to get on the internet. Green eyes slowly scanned the day's news stories when one caught her eye. Buttercup decided to read the first few portions of the article.
Remembering the PowerPuff Girls
By Maria Salise
January 2nd
For years the city of Townsville has been on an upwards trend of crime reduction, but it is today of all days that we remember the loss of this city's true angels. It is on this day we mourn the loss of the PowerPuff Girls.
There was the intelligent and witty leader of the group, the red bow sporting Blossom. The lovable protector of cuteness Bubbles, whose kind soul was enough to reach out to everyone. Then finally we had the always rebellious member of the team, Buttercup. Together they formed the Powerpuff Girls, one of the world's most well-known crime fighting groups and have hence become an iconic portion of our city's history.
For almost twenty years they watched over our city. But as adulthood was reached their powers began to fade. One by one their powers seemed to disappear without any warning. It was six years ago today the trio, led by Blossom, stepped up and announced that the Powerpuff Girls would be no more.
In this issue we shall be looking back at all the good deeds and their most controversial moments…
Loser, Buttercup thought to herself as she closed the article. She pulled her cigarettes and lighter from beneath a stack of papers and thought about how a woman had honestly spent the time writing an article about them on this day.
The PowerPuff Girls were nothing anymore.
Without the Professor they'd never know why they lost their powers. Their home had been destroyed in a battle long past, along with all records of their creation. But they'd persevered and remained the PowerPuff Girls. They fought against all odds, and kept the city safe from all evil. People revered them as Gods, and bestowed constant, effusive praise upon them.
And six years ago it had all ended. No more saving the day. No more interviews. No more honors to be bestowed. It was six years ago on this day that the Powerpuff Girls had ended. She'd hardly seen her sisters since that day.
When had it all gone wrong? The Professor's death had a lot to do with it, but there were other things…
A framed magazine cover above the desk displayed a younger Buttercup standing in front of the pool clad only in a green bikini, arms crossed and scowling at the viewer. The headline: Buttercup reveals the life of a teenage superheroine! That was the time when people cared, a time when her and her sisters could be paid for just about anything. People had actually paid to see pictures of a girl with almost no breasts or curves simply because of her name.
In truth, Buttercup hated dressing pretty for the camera. She didn't give a damn about being respectable, or setting any fashion trends. All she wanted to do was to beat the living shit out of things…but the modeling was good money. Saving the city just didn't bring in the money, which is what Buttercup needed. So, she took the easy way and saw nothing wrong with it. Buttercup had been going stir crazy, when the opportunity presented itself to make some easy money posing for a fashion catalogue's summer issue. When she reached 18 the opportunities piled in.
Next to it was a cover from Kink & Leather. Buttercup posed alone, sitting with her legs spread in a pink, heart shaped chair. She wore black stockings, with a pair of black panties and a corset fastened by green lace. The headline: Buttercup Unleashed: 18 and Ready to Share it All. Misleading, as she wasn't entirely nude in any of the entries, but it didn't prevent the issue from being a best seller and Buttercup was well compensated. Then it all took off from there, and she became the rebellious face of the Powerpuff Girls. More magazine interviews, more photo shoots!
To be fair, Buttercup had also modeled for plenty of Fitness magazines, and products such as energy drinks. Regardless, Blossom had taken issue with the more risqué choices. Disgraceful, she had called it. "You are an embarrassment to your sisters, the city, and yourself," Blossom had said. To which Buttercup had replied "You're only jealous that I was the one who thought of it." That had really put Blossom's panties in a bunch causing her fly off in a fit.
People paid through the nose for a semi-nude super heroine, but wouldn't pay half as much for a washed up, ordinary woman. By all accounts Buttercup wasn't that attractive of a figure. Buttercup didn't have the sweet, radiant smile and childlike innocence of Bubbles, and lacked the supple curves and intelligence of Blossom. What Buttercup had was a fighter's body, which simply wasn't something anyone would pay to see if not for the celebrity value her name once carried.
From there Buttercup only further separated herself from her sisters through drinking, scandals, questionable tactics, and generally being cunt. Buttercup was aware of this all the while, she just didn't care. She would be her own person, and not just the green clad member of a group.
"Do you know what being part of a team means?" Blossom asked her. "Maybe I don't want to be a part of this stinking team anymore." Buttercup replied.
Remembering all of that made Buttercup smile. If only Blossom had known their era was coming to an end. When their powers faded they soon lost everything. Buttercup was thankful she'd taken the chance to cash in while the going was good. She'd lived her life full during those days…
Six years ago they announced that they were PowerPuff Girls no longer. Five years ago January 2nd became known as PowerPuff Girls Day.
What is Powerpuff Girls Day? Nothing, Buttercup mused. The PowerPuff Girls were history; they only existed in the past. What was the use of celebrating, or commemorating that past? None that Buttercup could see.
Regardless, she'd agreed to an interview on this day. No cameras, just her and a reporter in this apartment. She had five hours to dress herself for it. Maybe this day meant something after all.
Buttercup leaned back in the chair and placed a cigarette between her lips. Lighting it she took in a deep breath, filling her lungs and then as she exhaled she whispered: "Happy fucking PowerPuff Girls Day, Townsville."