Antisocial Behavior
A very disturbing Cinderella story
Chapter 2: At the Stroke of the Twelfth Round
4-12-2016
By Grey-X
Disclaimer: Cinderella and all other characters that appear in this story are the property of Disney. Including the Marvel Comics and Star Wars characters. If you still got a hair up your ass about that all these years later, go eat a bowl of dicks.
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Bells. The sound of their forceful yet pleasant ringing was a focal point in many pivotal moments in Cinderella's life. The stroke of twelve that would signal the breaking of her Fairy Godmother's spell, the sounds of the bells at her wedding to Prince Charming. First they heralded impending danger, and then everlasting joy.
This time, however, they announced one and only one thing. Pain, and lots of it. So incessant was their dreadful chime, she was barely aware of Goofy standing close by, continuing his count. But these bells were only going off inside her own head, which was still pounding even as she slowly picked it off the mat. Her thoughts were so muddled, as blurry as her vision, it took a few moments just to recall what made those bells toll plangently in her head. That X-girl Kitty Pryde, those gloved fists of hers swooping in faster than she imagined possible. That had her kissing the mat before one could say, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo."
And as much as she'd like to just lie there and let Goofy's count go to ten, Cinderella knew she couldn't just give up. The people gathered here tonight expected a good show, and besides, after all the time Charming and Phil invested in her… No, the fight had to go on. So, gingerly, inexorably, Cinderella rose to her knees, and then to her feet, just as Goofy's count got up to seven. "Gawrsh, are you OK, Cinderella?" asked Goofy kindly.
Her vision still muddled, Cinderella just stared ahead at Kitty, who was slightly bounding in place, bashing her gloves together. She couldn't be sure, but Cinderella could almost swear the X-Man was smirking. With a quick glance at Goofy, Cinderella merely nodded. With that, Goofy stepped aside, and motioned for the two of them to have at it again.
Determined not to be caught unawares and underestimate Kitty again, Cinderella fought to retain her focus as the two of them circled each other. But once again, like lightning, Kitty was upon her. A flurry of blindingly-fast punches, but Cinderella hadn't spent six months in preparation and learned nothing. This time, now fully aware of how dangerous her opponent was, Cinderella was able to block the incoming onslaught of punches. But if she didn't counterattack and soon, Kitty would force her against the ropes, wear her down and break through. And thankfully, Kitty seemed to be getting overeager, now guilty of underestimating the opposition. A straight jab that came in with too much speed and force behind it, and Cinderella sensed her opportunity. Deflecting the incoming blow with her forearm, Cinderella then launched a jab of her own. But Kitty's reflexes were just too good. She ducked her head aside, and Cinderella's glove simply slid off Kitty's cheek. Then, in that split-second while Cinderella was a little off-balance, Kitty landed a right cross, smack into Cinderella's jaw.
Blood spurted from her lips as the force of the blow made Cinderella spin around. The bells in her head clanging louder than ever, the entire House of Mouse spinning, Cinderella wound up collapsing onto the bottom rope right behind her. For a moment or two, Cinderella lingered there, staring out into the crowd glassy-eyed while suspended by the bottom rope. Cheers and jeers from the crowd started to rouse her, as did a taunt from Kitty: "Uh, isn't it your shoes that are made of glass, not your jaw?"
Cinderella only half-heard Kitty, for something else grabbed her attention amid the taunts and the cheers. All gathered around a table close to the ring… the 'family' she used to live with. Anastasia, bless her little heart, truly did look sympathetic as her hands flew to her mouth. At least, Cinderella thought so. Her bleary vision made it difficult to tell. And from what she could tell, Lucifer and Drizella just looked bemused, more surprised than anything else.
Yet at bad as her vision was at the moment, there was no mistaking the look on her stepmother's face. Lady Tremaine was staring back at her with the most insufferably smug, self-satisfied glare Cinderella had ever seen. And considering how long she had had to put up with her stepmother's abuse, that was saying a lot. It was also a reason Cinderella decided that she, along with Drizella, should've only been punished with a few months of servitude in the castle, rather than the rest of their lives. Part of it was, of course, Cinderella just felt she shouldn't be that vindictive, but there was also how things were better when her stepmother was completely out of sight.
And now Tremaine had the opportunity to flash that cold, smug glare at her again, and Cinderella realized that previous attempt at empathy and mercy was all a waste. And in that terrible instant, all the bottled-up frustration with her stepmother that Cinderella was certain had been put behind her boiled to the surface.
Well, too late to fix that mistake now, and besides, there was a fight to get back to. And maybe, just maybe, she could tap this newly-loosed frustration, and let it fuel…
This all happened in the span of a few seconds, and Goofy only got to five this time. Picking herself off the ropes, doing everything she could to block out the pain, to ignore how everything was still spinning. She had to. The first round was only about halfway done, and one more knockdown would mean the end.
That was the limit of Cinderella's strategic thinking at the moment. Besides, trying to formulate a plan hadn't worked all that well moments ago. So this time, best to take this little kitty by SURPRISE! Cinderella silently reasoned. And once Goofy gave the go-ahead, Cinderella was delighted to see shock in Kitty's eyes as she rushed right at her. Now Kitty was on the defensive. Granted, it was no surprise that most of her blows were blocked, but Cinderella was determined to at least not give Kitty another chance to mount an offensive. And it worked. What also worked? Imagining it was actually her stepmother's face she was coming for!
Cinderella was so worked up, she only half-heard the clang ending the first round, and Goofy had to step to break things up. Grumbling as Goofy gently but firmly pushed her over to her corner of the ring, Cinderella relented and went over to sit down. But the rush of pent-up rage was starting to fade a little, and exhaustion from this fight was seeping in already. Like how blood was seeping into her mouthguard.
As Charming massaged her shoulders, Phil provided a bucket to spit into. Cinderella couldn't remember the last time she had seen so much of her own blood, and she knew she'd see plenty more before the chime to end the twelfth round sounded. Phil clearly knew this too, looking up at her with remorse, as if he felt responsible for the night of sheer agony that lay ahead. "Look Princess, maybe this wasn't such a hot idea after all," said the satyr. "This X-girlie over there… She's actually got all the skills of a full-fledged ninja."
Glancing over at the other corner, Cinderella could make out Kitty, being tended to by Colossus and X-23. And she seemed eager to get back into the ring for more. At least I've bridged the enthusiasm gap now, Cinderella thought to herself.
"Phil's right," Charming chimed in as he continued massaging. "Maybe we should consider calling this off. If things get too intense out there, don't be surprised if I throw the towel, and…"
"My love, you'll do no such thing," Cinderella snarled through bloodied lips. Phil stared back up at her, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
Cinderella could only imagine how flummoxed Charming looked just then as well. "B-B-B-But Cinderella, Mickey's obviously guilty of a huge oversight! T-T-This kid's way tougher than we gave her credit for! Six months of training won't amount to much against a ninja."
"Then if I can't beat her, I'll go the distance," Cinderella spat back. "I went through years of mental and physical trauma. What's one more night?"
Still, Charming wasn't dissuaded. "My princess, I-I-I-I still don't think…"
"My stepmother's in the audience, right now," Cinderella cut in. "Will you really throw the towel and force me to quit in front of HER!?" she demanded.
And that ended the argument as surely as the bell began the next round. Phil slipped her mouthguard back in, and Cinderella bounded off her stool to lock horns with that X-girl again. A little rest was just what she needed, and Cinderella came right at Kitty again. She had the advantage in height and mass, and if she expected to not get carried out of the House of Mouse on a stretcher, she had to press that. Like Charming said, it would only do so much against a trained ninja. But if that made it so getting her face beat in would at least mean something…
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Tremaine simply couldn't believe how abruptly the whole flow of the bout changed. Then again, she realized it should have come as no surprise at all. When her eyes and her stepdaughter's met in that one fleeting instant, there was no mistaking what briefly flashed in them…
Rage. Venomous, all-consuming rage. Some of it had trickled through when she and those two vermin confronted her after her attempt to meddle with time, but now it roared out like a waterfall. Try as the girl might to paint herself as a perfect little princess, far above petty things like long-term resentment and a need to show up her enemies, one look from her stepmother tonight was all that was needed for Cinderella to WILLINGLY pull that mask off. The masquerade was over, to Kitty Pryde's temporary detriment and to Tremaine's immense delight. Tremaine had come tonight for the simple promise of seeing Cinderella get the stuffing beat out of her, but winding up being the catalyst that made Cinderella explode was far more gratifying. So many years of trying to break that fool girl's spirit and availing to nothing. But simply by being here tonight, victory snatched from the jaws of defeat at last!
Tremaine could not keep from grinning wickedly as the fight raged on. For a brief moment, it was CINDERELLA who had Kitty against the ropes! "BAD KITTY!" Cinderella roared as she unloaded on the X-Man. Tremaine wasn't sure if that uncouth satyr tried to instill the need for strategy into that girl. At the moment, it was hard to tell. A punishing body blow, a jab to Kitty's face barely deflected in time…the servant-turned-princess seemed to be letting her inner fury guide her, lashing out with wild abandon. But blind rage could only propel one for so long, and this Shadowcat was clearly the more experienced of the two. She was only against the ropes for a few seconds before she found an opening in Cinderella's salvo, delivering a crushing blow square between her eyes. And she didn't let up. For someone with the power to make herself as intangible as a ghost, Shadowcat could sure deliver blows that felt plenty solid.
But as Kitty forged ahead, putting Cinderella back on the defensive, it did little to dissuade Cinderella. Whether due to that satyr's training, sheer force of will, or a mix of both, Cinderella kept herself from going down again in the second round. Although still hopelessly outmatched, she wouldn't give Shadowcat the satisfaction again so soon. Or her stepmother the satisfaction of seeing it.
And after the bell chimed to give both girls a brief respite, then again to signal the start of the third, Tremaine began to notice another change. Not in Cinderella, but rather, in those who had come to see her fight. The cries from the crowd…THIS was what a good chunk of them had come to see! Whereas moments before it looked like the fight would be a blowout, now it was obvious this thing would drag on to its grisly end.
That was fine with Tremaine. The longer Cinderella slogged it out in the ring, the more she could rub the fool girl's face in it later. If only the place wasn't echoing with insufferable cheers of encouragement for the wretched girl. Belle, being so close to them… Her plangent cheering for her fellow princess rang in Tremaine's ears the loudest. Yet it wasn't just those you'd expect to cheer for Cinderella anyway. Some of the mutants and their friends… They were…HAPPY to see Cinderella offer up a real challenge for Shadowcat!? Perhaps it's not so outlandish, Tremaine realized after Cinderella lurched forward and connected with a cross, right after Kitty landed a punishing straight jab. These barbaric mutants, they would only begin to respect someone like Cinderella if she made a stand and fought back. Another thing about our new 'friends' I can delicately point out to her once this is over. If possible, Tremaine's wicked grin became even more pronounced. Just as long as my immediate company doesn't get swept up in this, and…
That one hope, though, was dashed when Kitty briefly forced Cinderella against the ropes, and Drizella shouted out, "C'mon Cinderella, don't take that from some ghost kitty! Get off those ropes! Whoop her ass!"
Anastasia just stared blankly at her sister from across the table. "Wow. I figured if any of us broke out in cheers for her, it'd be me," she said dully.
"Drizella, be silent!" Tremaine snapped. "Who's side are you on!?"
"Our side of the multiverse, that's who's!" Drizella shot back. "Someone's got to show who's still boss on our home turf, and like it or not, Cinderella's in a prime position to do it!"
Tremaine grumbled to herself, realizing her daughter had a point. These X-fools did have to learn that they were no pushovers. Besides, whether or not Cinderella pulled off yet another miracle and actually BEAT an X-Man was of no consequence. Whatever the outcome, Tremaine had won something decisive tonight. Still, it was a little galling she had won purely by accident, and not after several years of methodically tormenting the girl. And again, Tremaine couldn't shake the notion that all these mutants present posed some other, unforeseen problem.
And so, Tremaine put up with her daughter cheering encouragement for their least-favorite princess. Soon the third round came to an end, and the two girls retreated to their respective corners, but nine rounds remained.
As the fight went on, the cries from the crowd getting louder and more vehement, Tremaine could at least take delight in seeing what see initially came to see. Though Kitty was looking more winded and a little bloodier after each round, Cinderella was clearly the one more on the receiving end. Her left eye seemed to be getting puffier and puffier. Also, even though Tremaine hardly had a trained eye for things like boxing, Cinderella was visibly getting slower, her gaze more glassy, her punches steadily becoming clumsier. And though, in about every other round, Cinderella actually succeeded in knocking Shadowcat down at least once, the princess seemed to go down at least once in every later round.
I should be flattered, Tremaine thought to herself evilly, watching Cinderella stagger back to her corner after the bell signaled the end of the eleventh round. By now, it's clear that it's pure force of will that's keeping the poor girl on her feet. The thought of going down in defeat in front of her dear stepmother is more than the poor dear can bear. She watched the three of them in that corner earnestly, wondering just how this final round would play out.
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The stroke of twelve. That was what signaled an end of a wondrous spell and a dreamy night, the most important night of Cinderella's life. Though in a way, tonight was important as well. But here, when the bell sounded to end the twelfth round, it would herald the end of an absolute nightmare. The original plan, a boxing match against Snow White for others' amusement in these changing times… That had seemed distasteful enough. But it would've been better than the throbbing head, aching muscles and blurred vision that came with getting in the ring with Snow White's ninja-trained stand-in.
Cinderella spat into Phil's bucket again, then told her husband in a slurred drawl, "Ch-Ch-Charming… T-T-T-T-Tomorrow, when this is o-o-o-over, do get some straight answers out of that mouse…" How Mickey or anyone else could've missed the tidbit about Kitty Pryde having ninja skills was an oversight that demanded a VERY GOOD explanation.
"Oh believe me, I will," Charming hissed back through gritted teeth as he kneaded her knotted, aching muscles.
"That can wait, dollface," Phil cut in. Cinderella had to contain a laugh, but a little spittle of blood escaped anyway. If the old adage of looking worse than one felt held true for her at the moment, Cinderella was eternally grateful no one had a mirror right then. It took effort just to keep her left eye open a slit, it was so puffy and beaten badly. And the rest of her face had to be a bloody mess. It was a miracle in itself that she didn't feel any loose teeth. "You're one round away from goin' the distance. One. Round. Away. You said you ain't goin' down in front o' that stepmother of yours, right? After all that time stuck with her, she couldn't make a sop out o' ya. Go prove that an X-girlie can't do that job for her, either."
As Cinderella stared over at the other corner, trying to judge through bleary vision how much she gave Shadowcat in comparison to what she got, the bell for the twelfth round finally rang. This was it, the final stretch. All it took was surviving this one last round with a superhero. One last round, Cinderella kept telling herself. One last round…
Forcing herself to trudge forward on legs with bones that felt like rubber, Cinderella made her way to the center of the ring, where Goofy and Shadowcat awaited. Goofy stepped back, and then Shadowcat charged. Cinderella would have been content to avoid going down in defeat in twelfth round, but Kitty obviously had her sights set higher: putting her away. An onslaught of bright blue blurs came right for Cinderella's face. Cinderella did her best to deflect all the blows while looking for an opening. But with one eye all puffy and her vision blurry anyway, it was easier said than done. And while the bones in her legs felt like rubber, the ones in her arms felt like lead.
But realizing that playing it safe with an X-Man was a recipe for disaster, Cinderella kept trying to find that opening, despite how her head and arms were screaming with pain and exhaustion. After about thirty seconds in the final round, Cinderella thought she had it. Since Kitty was shorter, she had to aim higher. So when she trudged forward again for another jab, Cinderella ducked a little and aimed low, scoring a particularly vicious body blow. Stunned and surprised, Kitty was left open just long enough for a cross that sent her reeling. But it wasn't quite enough to knock her off her feet. Cinderella had put everything she could into that second punch, but exhausted as she was, mustering enough strength was beyond her. Besides, being a superhero, Kitty was surely used to taking more punishment than that.
A tidbit punctuated all too clearly when Shadowcat was upon Cinderella again almost immediately. Cinderella tried to keep her at bay with everything she had left, refusing to go on the defensive again. She even managed to score a few more satisfying smacks to Kitty's face. But again, Shadowcat's greater experience was just too much to overcome. And being taller could also put Cinderella at a disadvantage, making body blows a little easier for Shadowcat to score. Going for the breadbasket and easily breaking through Cinderella's clumsily-mounted defense, a few punishing blows had Cinderella doubling over, clutching her midsection as she coughed up some blood.
By the time the bells in Cinderella's head died down enough for her to hear anything else, Goofy had already counted to five. And as Cinderella fought to prop herself up on arms and legs that felt liable to snap, she could hear voices from beyond the ring again. A lot of incoherent cheers. And one voice shouting encouragement, was that…DRIZELLA!? That gave Cinderella a little extra motivation to get back up on aching legs, knowing she'd somehow managed to 'corrupt' her other stepsister right in front of Lady Tremaine. But some cheers came from voices she didn't quite recognize. Could it be…some of the MARVELS wanted her back on her feet? Was it only the X-Men's villains, or the X-Men wanting one of their own to score a TKO against a worthy foe, or something else entirely?
At last, Cinderella got back to her feet, just as Goofy reached nine. Way too close. If she went down again, it was doubtful she'd have to worry about a third and final time. "I know I might sound stupid to ask but…you sure you're ready for more?" Goofy asked kindly.
Cinderella looked ahead at Shadowcat instead, still looking eager to put this bout away, then out at the crowd. Jaq and Gus were out in that crowd, along with many of her other old friends. But the faces of all the newcomers… No, as best as she could tell, there was no genuine malice in any of their eyes. Not even the ones whom she were certain were villains, and thus should've been disappointed by her failure to do better against an X-Man. Perhaps agreeing to this fight had some unforeseen positive effects, after all. The only person who looked mutinous was her stepmother. Though she hid it well behind that smirking face, Cinderella knew her too well.
Knowing that made this night of agony all worth it thus far. And if I actually go the distance… Cinderella simply nodded to Goofy before pushing him aside and raising her gloves. Less than two minutes to go now… Cinderella repeated that over and over in her head as she ducked and blocked Shadowcat's next onslaught of punches. Cinderella just hoped her teeth wouldn't be going through it as well.
At least that unpleasant fate was avoided when Cinderella ducked her head aside just in time, narrowly evading a nasty punch Shadowcat had wound up for. Another body blow delivered while she was off-balance for a split-second, followed by an uppercut. And then, for a heartbeat, Kitty went down. She was back on her feet and coming at Cinderella with another flurry of punches before Goofy even got to two.
It seemed to Cinderella that while settling for a much simpler goal gave her a sense of serenity in the midst of this haze of pain, Kitty's determination to put her away lent her a sort of desperate frustration. Her punches and dodges seemed a little clumsier now, much more than they should've been for the less-exhausted boxer. And that let Cinderella get in a few more jabs. Not enough to put her down again, but enough to make Kitty back off a little and keep her from throwing more of her own. Still, all the punishment was catching up to Cinderella. Each punch that Kitty was now landing made the entire ring spin a little faster. But Cinderella tried to keep one image fresh in her mind: that smug face of her stepmother's. Only by not going down could she be certain that that smug face would be wiped away, leaving Tremaine shocked and speechless all over again.
It worked, but only for a while. It wasn't long before the X-Man's frustration let her break through what defense Cinderella could offer up. Another body blow. Another cross that made Cinderella's teeth rattle. Another blow right into her puffed-up left eye. Yet another body blow. Punch after brain-rattling punch, yet Cinderella's will had not ebbed to the point where it would fail her. But that might've been about to change. Through her one good eye, Cinderella thought she saw Shadowcat winding up for one last punch. One that would put her under so far, Charming would need CPR to bring his true love around, not a simple kiss.
But just as Kitty was about to throw that punch, the bell chimed. It was over. A different stroke of twelve, signaling the end of a nightmare rather than a beautiful dream. By some miracle, she survived in the ring with a superhero and a ninja. Something else that she could say didn't require any help from animal friends or a Fairy Godmother, at least. Racking her considerably addled brains, she tried to remember where Lady Tremaine was sitting. But with one eye puffy and useless, and her vision out the other a bleary mess, she couldn't see what she hoped was a look of defeat on her stepmother's face. For that matter, she couldn't really see anything all that clearly. She could only make out Goofy and Shadowcat.
Cinderella turned toward the latter, who looked a little awkward, as if frozen in place with her arm cocked back for what would've been one last punch. "Y-Y-Y-You…" she spat out, sending out a spittle of blood. "D-D-D-Did you… h-h-h-hold back at all? S-S-S-Some sort of X-Man code of h-h-h-honor…"
Shadowcat lowered her arms, the fact that it was over seeming to sink in, then shook her head. "When you go up against folks like Apocalypse and the Juggernaut every other week, you learn not to pull your punches," said the X-Man. "I let you have everything, but…" Shadowcat shrugged her shoulders. "Twelve rounds isn't enough to put you into dreamland before midnight, I guess."
"G-G-G-G-Good to know," Cinderella spluttered. Right before her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she toppled over. Her head landed about a foot from Shadowcat's feet, a spray of blood shooting out from her lips as it hit the mat.
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"So, our dear Cinderella wound up going the distance after all," Tremaine drawled with a smirk after seeing Cinderella go down. As she petted Lucifer, she felt him give off a purr of contentment. "In the end, it doesn't really matter. It only…prolonged her agony for our viewing pleasure, while denying those X-maniacs a clear-cut victory over us." And most importantly to Tremaine, she got to see Cinderella's mask of regality and grace fall away, to see her become an uncaged animal in the ring. Still, it rankled, how in all their years together she failed in doing that despite her most earnest efforts. Yet just by their gazing at each other tonight through pure chance, the monster within Cinderella was freed. It is a bittersweet claim to victory, but certainly not as bitter as Cinderella found the taste of her own blood, Tremaine thought to console herself.
"What do you mean, by no 'clear-cut victory'?" Drizella snapped. Tremaine glared at her sharply. If she hadn't found this outcome sufficiently satisfying, Cinderella wouldn't be the only one of her daughters reeling from a blow. "Cinderella still went down more times than that X-Lady. She'll still lose by decision!"
"Moral victories, Drizella. Sometimes, it's all one can hope for," she spat back, still scowling at Drizella. Turning back to the ring, she saw Goofy kneeling beside the fallen princess, checking on her while urging Charming to stay in his corner. Tremaine briefly worried that Shadowcat had done some lasting harm, which would take the fun out of gloating to Cinderella's face. But she dismissed the notion. Superhero and ninja this girl may be, but she must've had a naïveté about her similar to Cinderella's. The princess would surely recover.
Goofy's features seemed to soften after examining Cinderella, proving Tremaine's suspicions right. The poor girl would survive. But then Goofy covered an ear with one hand. But why? It soon dawned on Tremaine; he was getting a communiqué through an earpiece, perhaps about who the judges decided the victor was.
Drizella's prediction soon proved distressingly accurate. Goofy picked up a microphone, and that vexing, drawling voice of his filled the House of Mouse. "She's OK, ladies and gents. The princess just needs to rest a bit." Even seeing one of his own bloody and beaten, at the hands of this mutant interloper on their turf, couldn't take that insufferable happy-go-lucky tone out of Goofy's voice. "But the judges've made a decision, and the winner of this bout is…Shadowcat!" he finished, raising one of Shadowcat's gloved fists in the air. Shadowcat herself looked a little bemused, as if suddenly regretful about being a little TOO GOOD in the ring.
The House of Mouse had been relatively quiet since the fight ended and Cinderella collapsed. But after Goofy announced who won by decision, the relative silence lasted only a few moments more. While it still lasted, however, the silence took on an…uneasy ambience. Soon all those Marvels were cheering the triumph of one of their own, but it wasn't as vehement and enthusiastic as Tremaine would have expected. Whether those Marvels were disappointed that Cinderella had denied Kitty a more glorious victory, or perhaps they still didn't consider Cinderella a worthy opponent despite surviving against a ninja, Tremaine wasn't certain.
What she was certain of, however, was the disdainful jeers coming from her own. Belle and the Beast were still close by, and they were practically screaming bloody murder. Belle, in particular, seemed to think Cinderella was set up to fail. More like the mouse was simply incompetent, failing to research who he was pitting Cinderella against, Tremaine admonished silently.
But Belle was hardly alone. Tremaine could hear more angry jeers over the plangent cries of the Marvels. And she could make out some of her fellow villains as well. Even THEY were sticking up for Cinderella, claiming that her stepdaughter was purposely set up to fail. The notion was absurd, of course. Why would Mickey PURPOSELY set up one of their own to be humiliated, thus shaming ALL of them by extension? A pity even her fellow villains refused to see reason, getting swept up in this hoopla. But the biggest shocker came when the one she most confided in joined the chorus. Somewhere in the makeshift stadium, Maleficent bellowed, "You mutants dare profess ignorance of such skullduggery around me!? ME, the Mistress of All Evil!? I see through your deception!"
There was a crack of thunder, signaling that Maleficent had truly lost her temper. "Unfortunately, I fear we're about to learn these mutants won't be cowed as easily as her minions," Tremaine lamented through gritted teeth.
And Tremaine's fears were soon confirmed. Maleficent's outburst proved to be the spark that set off all the dry underbrush. Shouts, screams, punches…soon the entire House of Mouse was filled with the din of both factions letting it all loose.
"Ummmm, Peter, Lauren… I think we'll be going now," Tremaine heard Shadowcat say timidly back up in the ring. Looking up, Tremaine saw that the girl had put an arm around both mutants in her corner. And then the three seemed to sink into the ring and out of sight! Just as one of her fellow mutants could be seen high above, beyond the ring. That Iceman had created one of his ice slides, to attack from above. But blasts of green plasma from below blinded him for a moment, and Tremaine swore she heard the sound of thick ice cracking. Shego used that opening to leap and run up along his ice slide, tackling Iceman off of it.
The free-for-all brawl Maleficent ignited was getting even closer, far too close for comfort. Lucifer jumped off Tremaine's lap with a snarl and she stood up to look around. Nearby, Captain Hook was deep into a sword duel with some blue-furred goblin with a demon-like tail, who wielded TWO swords with consummate skill. Yet Hook was able to fend him off, using his hook as a second weapon to block a thrust when needed. Then, all of a sudden, the furry goblin vanished in a puff of putrid smoke, only for a second burst of such smoke to appear from nowhere right behind Hook. Hook seemed to predict this, however, and spun to launch a kick behind him as the one called Nightcrawler rematerialized. "Not so fast, ye scurvy little elf-beast!" roared Hook as he charged with a sword thrust.
But though her fellow villains seemed capable of holding their own, the same couldn't quite be said of their heroic rivals. There was a loud crash nearby. Tremaine turned in its direction, only to see Mr. Incredible go sailing by and crash into the far wall. Tremulous footfalls clued Tremaine in on where to look to find who could do that to him. That huge thug with the domed helmet stomped forward, looking to where he had sent Mr. Incredible sailing, smirking insufferably.
That smirk was wiped off his face by, of all people, Tinker Bell. Flying up to his helmet with a mustard bottle, the fairy squeezed its contents right into one of the eyeholes. As the Juggernaut howled and swore, trying to get the gunk off his face, Tinker Bell flew back and shouted something herself. Granted, this being Tinker Bell, there was no way to know exactly what. But given that she was making hand gestures that had to be censored by Mickey Mouse symbols, one could hazard a guess.
Eventually, Juggernaut got enough of the mustard out of his eyes, glaring up at the fairy, who looked defiant and undaunted. "You may have heard this one, but… Don't you know who I am?" spat the Juggernaut, shaking a raised fist. "I'm the…"
He never got to recite that now-clichéd line, as Maleficent practically appeared out of nowhere in her dragon form, biting down on the Juggernaut's raised fist. With his arm clamped down by her jaws, Maleficent thrashed the Juggernaut about, smashing him into the tiled floor several times before letting go and tossing him straight up.
Tremaine watched the Juggernaut crash through the roof. Bits of metal and masonry showered down soon thereafter, uncomfortably close. As uncomfortably close as these brawls were getting. Turning to her daughters and cat, Tremaine said, "I believe it is time we take our leave. There's nothing more for us here now that…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed Lucifer, Drizella and Anastasia were all ignoring her, staring straight up with nonplussed looks. "What is it? What are you…"
But when Tremaine looked up herself, all she saw was the Juggernaut's rapidly descending form directly overhead. He collapsed onto her a second later, creating a huge hole that had both of them plunging into the House of Mouse's lower levels.
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But the evening's descent into madness was not limited to the inside of the House of Mouse. Far from it. For not all of the X-Men and the people associated with them had gone into the House of Mouse tonight. Then again, perhaps those waiting outside the House of Mouse could not necessarily be called 'people'…
In the alleyways between some of the buildings surrounding the House of Mouse, shrouded in shadow, the darkness was suddenly cut through by crimson lights looming high over the concrete. As if, the glowing eyes of some gigantic, demonic beings opened up and started glowing. And indeed, these things could indeed be viewed as pure evil. Thankfully, for the X-Men, they now served a function far different from their original purpose.
"These Sentinels have been programmed to protect the X-Men and their associates," droned the huge machinations in synthesized voices. The streets below trembled as they emerged from the alleys and trudged toward the House of Mouse, weapons charged up.
But their advance was abruptly halted when something even bigger than these Sentinels tapped on the shoulder of the one furthest back, making the streets echo with a rough, metallic clanging. Slowly, the Sentinels turned around to see Alice standing there. She wasn't quite a mile tall, but she was at least twice their size. And she was leering down at them with a mischievous grin. "Good evening, gentlemen. How do you do?" she asked saccharinely. Now the streets echoed with the sound of Alice cracking her knuckles.
The most terrifying thing about Sentinels, some have said, is their utter lack of human emotion. But anyone observing those Sentinels right now, taking note of their eerie silence as their glowing eyes looked up at the colossal girl… One could almost sense fear from the machines. A notion underscored when all of them droned, "Oh dear…"
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Meanwhile, back in the House of Mouse, the situation hadn't improved all that much. Now all the chaotic fighting was unfolding OUTSIDE of the ring. Charming and Phil could only watch as so many of their friends and even enemies unloaded everything they had upon their mutant 'guests'. Eventually, Phil managed to get something out, which of course was a sarcastic quip that would help no one whatsoever. "Um, would it be in poor taste to make some sort of Civil War joke?" he asked with mock innocence, just as Simba went flying by, courtesy of a telekinetic toss from Cable. And that telekinesis, forming a shield, was the only thing that saved Cable when Genie appeared right behind him to zap him.
"Probably," Charming said blankly. Frankly, at the moment, the two factions could blow off all the steam they wanted, so long as he could get his princess out of there safely. Looking back into the ring, hope began to swell back as Cinderella finally stirred. "Cinderella!" Charming cried out as she sluggishly rose to her feet. "Cinderella, might I humbly suggest that since it's past the stroke of the twelfth round, we get out of here?"
Cinderella's good eye… Still glassy, still just staring off into space, completely oblivious to the chaos erupting all around the ring. "C-C-Charming…" she slurred. "The fight, the twelfth round… S-S-S-Shadowcat… The fight… Got to f-f-f-fight…"
Great, she's perseverating. Clear sign of a concussion. Dad won't let me hear the end of this one, letting the mother of his future grandkids take a pounding... Charming lamented silently. "Cinderella, forget the fight! It's over! You survived all twelve rounds, went the distance… So let's go home!"
Cinderella fell silent for a moment, then began a slurred tirade that could somehow be heard amidst all the brawling. "Uh…y-y-y-yeah. YEAH! T-T-T-That's right!" Cinderella spluttered out through bloodied lips. "Yeah, I went the [TRUCK HORN] distance! I am a piece of [TRUCK HORN] iron! I am INVINCIBLE!" she finished, raising her gloved hands triumphantly into the air.
And a second later, with a thunderous smash, the forearm of a Sentinel came crashing down through the building. It landed right onto the ring, flattening both it and Cinderella.
"Goodness!" came Alice's booming cry from outside. "I do hope no one was hurt!"
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When Cinderella finally came to again, she was staring straight up, watching lights on the ceiling in a hallway pass her by. Thankfully, it turned out there was a good hospital in the vicinity of the House of Mouse, and that's where she was rushed after nearly getting crushed to death under a giant robot arm. And now, now that the emergency surgery was done and there was no more need of intensive care, Cinderella was being wheeled to her hospital room. The medical workers began to explain the extent of her injuries, but perhaps she was more concussed than they originally thought. It was all coming out as a jumble to her, and she hoped she hadn't sounded impolite when she asked them to repeat the litany of bad news.
"Aside from a concussion, a lot of stitched-up lacerations on your face, and pernicious bruising and swelling around your left eye," began one of the workers, which only made Cinderella roll her eyes. "There's a fractured right clavicle, your left femur is shattered in three places, your right tibia in two…"
As the list of nasty bone fractures were rattled off, Cinderella tried moving her arms and legs. As she feared, both her legs were most certainly bound in thick casts, and merely TRYING to move her right arm made her entire right side explode in agony. Her right arm was in a sling, and she had been put into what felt like a figure-of-eight splint, for good reason.
"…And so, in a few days, maybe a little over a week, you can be discharged and sent back to your kingdom," said the medical worker.
"Well, that's a relief," Cinderella said weakly.
"Oh, I bet it will be a relief once you get out of here," came an apologetic reply.
Cinderella's face fell. Some instinct told her the worst news was yet to come. "And why is that?"
"Well, that brawl over at the House of Mouse… We've been inundated with new patients, and to accommodate them all, some patients will have to double up. You were among the last of the patients to get out of intensive care, so the only patient we can put you with is, well…"
Whoever the worker was, he clearly didn't want to finish that sentence. But as he had been rambling on, the portable hospital bed Cinderella was being wheeled around on had gone through the double doors of a patient room. And as the bed's angle was adjusted upwards for Cinderella, she could see exactly why he had been so reluctant to spill the bad news himself.
Right across her hospital room, also bound up in casts and stitches, was Lady Tremaine confined to the other available hospital bed.
The two of them exchanged shocked looks, but after a while, her stepmother's face twisted into that usual sadistic sneer, while Cinderella's shocked expression was practically frozen in place. Cinderella had thought that Tremaine seeing her go down in defeat in the ring would've been the worst humiliation her stepmother could now dole out. Now, for some reason, Cinderella had a nasty feeling that all those years stuck as her servant would pale in comparison to being stuck with her these next few days. They were now on equal footing, but there was the potential for that making things WORSE.
