A/N Thanks for reading.
Whoo, new story.
Disclaimer – I do not own Disney Beauty and the Beast.
Warning – Confusing stuff.
-:-
It happened one day.
She observed.
And noticed that the story had been altered.
She tried the best that she could, but without an inside force, she could not fix this problem by herself.
She needed to stay, to keep the other worlds steady.
She needed...
...someone on the inside.
To be honest, she should have just stayed in bed.
But the thought of just laying in bed all day again just... egghh, if she wasn't reminded that she didn't have a cat then she probably would have stayed there forever. So when Prime started meowing and rubbing against her while she laid in bed she had scowled and forced herself up. She wandered over to the kitchen, grabbed the cat food, and filled his bowls up. She probably would have went back to bed, but she was already up and decided to go to the library around the corner.
So she had gotten dressed in comfortable clothes, put on her baggy sweater and then walked towards the door. She pushed her glasses up her nose and turned to see Prime happily lapping up some water.
"I'll be back later, Prime," All he did was spare her a glance and went back to his food and water. "Don't wait up."
A small smirk crossed her face when she walked out and locked the door behind her. She just had a one bedroom apartment, just big enough for her and her chubby cat. Thankfully it was the weekend, so no one would have cared if she stayed in bed all day. Except for Prime. He wanted food before he would go to sleep.
Sometimes he laid on the bed and practically pushed her to the edge so he could have the middle.
Walking down the street she pushed her hair out of her eyes and politely stayed out of the way of other people, mentally readying herself to relax when she would arrive at the library. Today she was going to relax. And avoid everyone.
When she walked in she glanced at the librarian and returned an awkward smile when the tiny lady gave her one. This ol' lady wasn't... she... well, to be honest, she was ugly, but she was... kind of nice. Nicole went there enough times to be recognized by the elderly lady that she was given a smile every now and then. Other than that she was ignored.
People went to libraries to read, do homework, and other things that needed to be done. Nicole went there to draw. Sometimes she had trouble, art blocks and whatnot, and other times she instantly knew what to draw. Unfortunately, this was one of the moments when art block won.
Nicole scowled and stared flatly down at the blank piece of paper while the kids in the library chattered and giggled and were repeatedly told by their parents to 'shush'. Why couldn't they shut up? Jeez...! She turned and glared at the kids that ran around the library. She thought libraries were supposed to be quiet?
"Librarian doesn't know how to do her job," Nicole muttered with a roll of her eyes. At least one of the parents apologized to the librarian and motioned towards the television in the corner—in Nicole's corner. The scowl grew on her face. Greeeatt. "I just wanna..." She groaned and stretched her arms across the table with a tired groan.
This library didn't have a DVD, it had a VCR. Since drawing wasn't working out Nicole followed the parent with her eyes, making sure to be subtle, since she wanted to know what she was going to do. They only had Disney movies. She knew. She checked one time when she had the building to herself. Practically all the ones she had from her childhood.
That alone brought a smile to her face as she laid her head on the table and watched as the woman looked through the movies and asked her child which one she would want to watch.
Since she had nothing to do, and the stupid art block came back, she decided to watch from her table and waited when the woman put the movie in and told her child and the others to be quiet in the library. She waited, watched the old trailers, and sat straight when she recognized the opening to the Beauty and the Beast.
A grin crossed Nicole's face before she stood up, grabbed her bag, and moved over to the arm chair. And since she was technically an adult, just turning twenty, the kids had no say. The other people in the library just looked over and went back to writing or their work. She pulled her feet onto the chair and slumped down, watching the movie with small smile while the kids watched and asked a question every now and then. She grinned when one of the kids said that the Beast looked 'cool'.
Though, it was fifteen minutes into the movie that Nicole realized... something was wrong.
...Gaston's supposed to storm away. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows and frowned after seeing the 'villain' in the movie continue to pound on the door Belle's door. Covered in mud, Gaston continued to knock and yell for Belle to come out for her 'wedding'. "...What the...?"
That's not supposed to happen.
Nicole sat up and leaned towards the T.V. with a curious frown when Gaston finally left after a few minutes, but she knew the movie. It was one of the classics for her when she was a kid. And he was not supposed to continue knocking on the door. He was supposed to storm off because he didn't get what he wanted. Belle snuck out from the back, like she did in the movie, and began to sing.
Nicole continued to frown, even when Belle left for the castle, and turned her head to see if anyone else noticed.
She jumped and almost swore out loud when the librarian stood beside her. Her head snapped forward, wide eyes trained onto the T.V. and ducking her head. Whoa. She wasn't expecting that.
The T.V. was turned off, which made her and the kids jolt. The kids instantly started complaining while Nicole slumped further into the chair and scowled. She didn't even get up when the old lady(what was her name again?) shooed the kids away and ignored them when they whined that they wanted to continue watching the movie.
She pulled out her I-pod and stared at the time, debating whether or not to leave. She couldn't draw and she couldn't watch Beauty and the Beast. Did she have Beauty and the Beast at home? Maybe somewhere in the giant stack of movies. Maybe it was time for a Disney marathon this weekend.
Yeah... Yeah, she could do that.
A grin crossed her face as she stood up, getting ready to head for the store to get some junk food.
She almost jumped out of her skin when a hand touched her arm, jolting harshly and whipping around to glare at whoever touched her. Nicole instantly calmed down when she saw it was the librarian, straightening up and trying to seem like she hadn't just seemed... hostile. It was never good to appear rude in front of someone you saw practically every day. It was a lesson her mom taught her. Along with being polite.
Don't get her wrong, Nicole was probably the most polite person anyone would probably ever meet. But in reality, she was laid-back, sarcastic, bitter, and cracked a joke every two minutes.
She just kept the whole sarcastic, bitter person behind doors.
"Uh..." Nicole stared at the woman with an uncertain frown. "...hi?"
"You've noticed?" Whoa, holy crap. This was the first time she ever heard the old lady speak to her. To her.
Nicole shook herself out of her shock and gave the librarian a confused stare. A pair of solemn eyes stared back at her, which made her shift uncomfortably. She felt like she was missing something here. Like the fact the old lady didn't clarify what she meant by that.
"Uh... noticed... what?" Nicole took a step back from the lady and gave an awkward grin.
"The scene," She waited, but that's all she was getting. Nicole turned away and frowned before she glanced at the T.V. Did she mean that weird scene where Gaston didn't give up after being humiliated?
"I, uh... yeah? Sure." She gave a nod and turned towards the old woman to see her staring at her... intensely.
Nicole pressed her lips together and looked to the side before she looked back. Okay, she had a problem with intense stares. They were just so... creepy.
Unexpectedly, a smile graced the woman's face while Nicole herself blinked twice and furrowed her brows.
"Wait here, until the library closes." The woman instructed.
What?
Nicole frowned and motioned towards the clock. "But the library won't close for another five..." The little hand was pointed right beside six o'clock, the time the library closed on the weekends. "...hours..."
Whoa, whoa, whoa, that was some freaky stuff right there. The library only opened a half an hour ago. She looked around, eyes wide when she noticed that there was only a couple people seated around. Where were the kids? The parents? She couldn't have zoned out that long! She furrowed her brows and turned around to see the librarian ushering the last of the occupants towards the door.
Can she make it?
Nicole actually considered making a run for it so she wasn't left alone with... this now creepy lady. She was about to do it, honest, about to make a mad dash for the door, when the old woman turned and made eye-contact. She hesitated and frowned to herself. Damn. She shifted on spot and looked up when the old woman came closer and towards the television.
All she could do was stare with confusion.
Were they going to watch T.V.?
Can she sneak out while her back is turned?
She scowled when the lady turned around, just as she thought of it, and motioned towards the arm chair she had occupied before. She hesitated, clearly freaked out and confused as to what the heck was going on, and shuffled towards the chair. Sitting down, she sat delicately with her back straight and her hands on her lap. Normally she'd sit with a slouch, but she didn't know this lady.
And just when she thought things couldn't get any weirder, or uncomfortable, the old woman put the movie back on.
Nicole stared.
"Uh..."
"Just watch," The woman said... mysteriously. All it did was make Nicole inwardly scoff before she directed her attention to the movie.
She couldn't say no to anyone.
So that's what she did, even when the old lady left. She could've left, when she was gone, but she couldn't. She had a "heart of gold" her mom had said. No way could she find it in her to be outright rude to anyone. She can be rude in her head, but that's about it. Hey, at least she was getting a free movie out of this.
She watched from the beginning and smiled to herself at the old movie.
Nicole had an older brother, and they had watched practically all the old Disney movies when they were younger. It was what anyone from her generation had done. Except they hadn't watched 'Black Cauldron' so she didn't know that movie.
Ah, she should call her brother after she leaves.
She watched.
The same scene happened when Gaston fell through Belle's door and into the mud. LeFou played that song before he even noticed that Gaston wasn't with his 'bride.' He stood up, snarled and paused before he turned and began pounding on the door and calling for Belle. It was a few minutes, tops, before he turned with the promise of returning.
That really wasn't supposed to have happened.
But the movie continued, with Belle heading for the castle with Phillipe to save her father.
The same deal, with Belle offering to take her father's place and the Beast banishing her father and bringing her to her room. He waited to have dinner with her, but Belle refused.
He saved her from the wolves.
But... everything was different.
The Beast became even more depressed and Belle looked at him uneasily. They weren't getting close. Probably close enough to be considered friends, but that's it.
Gaston arrived at the castle.
He attacked the Beast.
He appeared more... delusional than he was supposed to be.
He fell off the roof and plunged to his death.
Belle rescued the Beast.
But no love.
She cried, but she didn't say she loved the Beast.
The end.
Credits.
Nicole sat in her chair with wide eyes as the credits rolled by. It wasn't the song that usually played at the end. It was quiet, sad, and spoke of despair.
"What...?"
That wasn't supposed to happen.
"What the...?"
They were supposed to fall in love and break the spell.
"...WHAT THE FFFFF...!" Nicole stood up from the arm chair and glared angrily at the television. "...Fudge!" Her mom had taught her from a young age that it was impolite to swear, and often got furious when she did. So she did her best, even when she was living alone, to not swear at all. "THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" Nicole threw her arm towards the screen and continued to gawk. "What is this?! This isn't the movie I watched when I was a kid! The Beast is supposed to fall in love, and Belle is supposed to love him back!"
This had to be a joke. Someone probably animated this... stupid version of Beauty and the Beast. 'Cause there was no way any of this was real. Heck, she was probably even dreaming.
She whipped around, about to storm out and immerse herself in old movies and get this stupid movie out of her head, and jumped harshly when the old woman appeared in front of her.
Jeez, she was quiet!
"You know the story, and know this one is not true," What was with the mysteriousness?! Nicole was still angry, and nodded with a sharp frown on her face. "You know everything?"
What did that even mean?! "Yeah," Nicole shrugged and nodded, reaching over to grab her bag and getting ready to storm out. "That version of the movie is..." Don't swear. "Stupid!"
"Do you believe you can fix the story?" What? Nicole pulled a face and took a step back when she realized how close she was standing to the old woman. "Would you fix it, had you the chance?"
Nicole placed her hands on her hips and gave a nod. "I would! But I can't animate, so I can't fix your movie." She motioned back towards the television and scowled. "How'd you even get that movie, anyway?"
"Would you fix the story?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I would!" Except the only way she could think of fixing it was by throwing out that stupid version of the movie.
When she looked back she covered her eyes when bright light shined in her eyes, momentarily blinding her. What the...?! She uncovered her eyes and blinked rapidly to clear her vision. What was that? She fixed her backpack more securely on her back and looked forward, only to freeze.
The old woman was gone.
In her place was a really beautiful woman.
Nicole stared wide-eyed and very much confused. She almost looked familiar, but considering that she was just speaking with an old woman... She quickly backtracked and almost tripped when she hit the arm chair. She didn't scream. For some reason, growing up, she didn't scream like any of the other little girls. It might have been because she grew up with an older brother. She froze up and didn't even squeak. So that's what she did.
She froze, and grabbed at the wall to steady herself.
"There is another force that is abusing the story-line," The woman said, standing straight and tall. Long, flowing blonde hair framed her face, solemn eyes staring at the shocked young woman as she stepped forward. Nicole squished herself against the wall, arms spread and mouth hanging open. "I need someone to correct this, someone with a strong and kind heart."
Nicole squeaked out loud.
"The minds of those in the story are being altered," The woman lifted her hand, and—was that a wand?! Nicole didn't lose her stance, but she did try melding into the wall when the woman pointed the stick at her. "I will place a spell on you," Did she say spell?! She gave a loud gasp when a wisp of light floated towards her and surrounded her. What the heck! "Your presence will correct the mindset of those that have been changed."
"N-No, wait, what are you talking about?! Are you crazy?!" Nicole was taught to be polite, but this was too crazy for her! She widened her eyes and gasped when the floor started falling down, looking around to see the walls and the ceiling disappear.
She gave a squawk when the wall behind her disappeared, arms trying to grab something and propelling her forward. She stumbled forward and gasped when the floorboards continued to fall one by one. When she looked up her eyes grew even wider when she saw the woman standing on nothing, looking up to see her staring at her with solemn eyes.
"No, no! This is nuts!" Nicole pointed at the woman, almost delirious when she backed up. "I-I can't fix this! I changed my mind!" It wasn't stopping, the floorboards were still falling and the tiny space for her to stand on grew smaller. "I-I can't do it, I-I have depression and I don't have a kind heart! I'm not strong!" Nicole looked up and gave a wide, nervous grin. "Y-You got the wrong person to help you! I-I have a cat to take care of!"
"I will do my part and correct the minds of those outside the castle. You need not worry of your pet," The woman didn't lose the serious light in her eyes, closing them for a moment before she reopened them and gave the young woman a small smile. "I have faith in you, Nicole Smith."
"And you're placing your faith in the wrong person!" Nicole gave a panicked laugh and backed up until the tips of her sneakers were the only part on the floor. "You're crazy!"
The woman didn't lose that smile.
And in that moment, when Nicole connected eyes with her, she realized who she was.
She parted her lips. "The... Enchantress...?" Nicole stared with wide eyes and shock.
Before she could even voice that she wasn't supposed to be real, the last part of the room disappeared. She forgot all those times when she was growing up and didn't scream once. Now, however, she gave the loudest, longest scream ever as she fell and plunged into unknown depths.
She flipped around and tried reaching out for something, looking up to see the Enchantress disappear from where she stood.
So, in a fit of anger, she swore.
"YOU BIT—"
She hit something, almost water-like substance. Recognizing the feeling of liquid, she reached up and covered her mouth to stop herself from trying to breathe. But she couldn't hold it for long. Nicole had always sucked in swim class. She moved her hand and started trying to breathe... and did. She paused, eyes wide as she breathed under the 'water.'
Nicole looked around, seeing absolutely nothing.
"I'm... I'm goin' nuts," She muttered, flinching when she felt something poke her arm and turned her head to see past her hair. Well, tried to. Her hair moved as it did in water, so she moved it and frowned when she saw light shining on her arm. "What... the...?" She touched it to see what it was and saw nothing on her fingers.
She felt another and turned to stare at her jeans, eyes growing wide when she saw literally thousands of particles of light flying towards her.
Nicole didn't scream, but she did freeze and curl up.
This was just a dream.
It's just a dream.
A growl, a snarl, and a plea. The servants listened and lowered their heads when they heard the old man they had helped grow father away as he pleaded with their Master that he meant no harm. Their Master had arrived, and realized someone was in his home. Even when people had forgotten the castle, their Master always assumed it was to see if the Beast was real and had come to mock him.
Lumiere stared at the floor and turned when he saw Mrs. Potts heading out of the room with her son. Cogsworth had said something to himself that he knew this would happen and waddled away by himself.
And Lumiere... He just heaved a great big sigh and started hopping towards the door.
It should be no surprise that the Master had reacted so... viciously, but somewhere deep inside Lumiere hoped that their Master would regain his humanity. He was spoiled and selfish when he was younger, and had not changed much but he hoped. They all noticed, over the years, and the petals fell and their time grew short, that their Master was growing more... feral. More violent. When he was first seen walking on all fours instead of two everyone started to panic.
Over the years, movement for them, for all the servants of the castle, had started to become limited. They did not get used to their new forms, even after so many years, but in the beginning when they hopped to and fro in the castle everyone had moved faster and more freely.
Many feared that after the last petal fell, they would stop moving altogether.
And their Master... their Master may leave into the wilderness and never return.
Lumiere hopped down the hallway to have some time to himself, and hoped that their 'guest' would be all right.
He stopped when he saw bright light and turned his head to stare into one of the room. Curious, he hopped towards it and pushed the door open to peer inside. One of the many spare bedrooms. He looked around and frowned to himself, humming lightly and wondering if he was seeing things. Just as he was about to leave he heard a groan and froze. Then he relaxed and assumed another servant was in the room. He opened the door and hopped in, looking around to see who was there.
Seeing no one, and frowning, he paused when he saw something on the other side of the bed, since he was small enough to see without even bending down.
Lumiere hopped around the bed and looked at the 'thing.'
And froze when he saw a hooded figure.
They were dressed strangely, and had a bag of some sorts on their back. Considering that they seemed to be unconscious Lumiere hopped forward warily and stopped a foot away. He reached forward and grabbed the hood, ready for anything. When he lifted it he froze and widened his eyes when he saw the face of a young woman.
Who? Where had she come from?
He moved the hood off entirely and observed the young woman, noting the think-rimmed glasses perched on her face. He paused and blinked when his mind seemed to... clear. Like a fog was lifting. He shook his head and hopped rapidly towards the door.
"Cogsworth...!" He whispered as loud as he could as he hopped down the hallway and in the direction his old friend had left in, afraid that the Master might hear him.
...So, yeah, Beauty and the Beast was my favorite Disney film growing up. OwO So I wanted to make a story. And hopefully I won't delete it. I have no idea if I should keep this in Beauty and the Beast or move it to Disney. :/ We'll see.
So let's see how this goes. :D