The Masked Glee Singer Chapter 8: Group B Championships, a glee fanfic

-GROUP B CHAMPIONSHIPS-

"Good evening, and welcome to the Group B Championships! Tonight we'll see the second Smackdown of the season! Which of our four contestants battling it out will win the three spots in the final nine? The Black Swan, The Vulture, The Mage, or The Butterfly? And here's the masked host with the most, Nick Cannon!"

The host walked out in a dual shade plum suit with sparkling purple shoes and a matching mask. The audience cheered and applauded as Nick came to a stop centerstage and smiled at the camera.

"Welcome back to the Masked Singer. Tonight, our four remaining singers in Group B will battle it out for three spots in the final nine. But before we get to our first face off, it's time to introduce the people who helped guide them here, our Masked Singer judges. He was once called the show choir king, it's Will Schuester!"

Will stood, waving to the audience with a little bow.

"He's bound to make you laugh yourselves silly, Pierce Pierce!"

"I think I forgot something," Pierce said, standing up, revealing that all he was wearing below the waist was a pair of boxers.

"Pierce, you know you're on TV, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

Nick just shook his head. "She's a charming woman and one of the best in the teaching biz, Carmen Tibideaux!"

Carmen stood with grace and poise, ignoring Pierce as she acknowledged the audience's applause.

"And he's the heartthrob of the world, despite being very taken, Blaine Anderson!"

Blaine chuckled as he stood and bowed dapperly. The screams were still always the loudest.

"Speaking of being taken, Blaine, we are all wishing your husband luck on his callback."

"Aww, that is so sweet. I'm sure Kurt appreciates it! He said to send everyone his love."

"Well, we all love him, too," Nick replied with a smile.

"Hey!" Piece shouted out. "I thought you were my daddy!"

Nick shook his head and ignored him. "Okay, tonight, like last week, we'll be having two face offs. The losers of those face-offs will then go head to head in the Smackdown, after which, one of our Masked Singers will be unmasked and sent home. So, let's go and fly to the lake for more clues on The Black Swan."

The clip opened with The Black Swan sitting behind a desk, leaning back with his feet up. "Everyone knows me for one of two career choices I've made, but very few people know there is another passion that I've pursued. A secret identity just waiting to be revealed, and very soon, it will be, but not the identity of who is under this mask. So many secrets to share! So many different sides to me!"

When the music began, there was no sign of The Black Swan on stage. Instead, he appeared from near the back of the audience, and moved through the crowd as he sang, sauntering towards the judges' table.

Can't explain all the feelings that you're making me feel

My heart's in overdrive and you're behind the steering wheel

Touching you, touching me

Touching you, God, you're touching me

I believe in a thing called love

Just listen to the rhythm of my heart

There's a chance we could make it now

We'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down

I believe in a thing called love

Ooh, huh

He paused in front of Pierce as he began the next verse.

I wanna kiss you every minute, every hour, every day

You got me in a spin, but everything is a-okay

Guitar

He moved on to Carmen, hips swaying suggestively as he serenaded her.

Touching you, touching me

Touching you, God, you're touching me

I believe in a thing called love

Just listen to the rhythm of my heart

There's a chance we could make it now

We'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down

I believe in a thing called love

He ended the song with a kiss blown towards Will.

"Well, that was certainly an adventure," Nick said as the audience once again rioted. He turned to look at the judges as The Black Swan joined him. "Blaine, you look a little upset. Something wrong?"

Blaine pouted. "You flirted with everyone but me. I'm not sure if I should be upset or not."

The masked singer's garbled voice filtered through the mask. "I didn't want to make your husband jealous."

"Okay, well, that eliminates some possibilities," Blaine said with a short nod.

"Any new ideas, Blaine?" Nick asked.

"Well, The voice is throwing me off a little, but like I mentioned before, they do kind of make me think of Elliott Gilbert, from Starchild. But it could also be Adam Lambert. They've both got similar builds and vocal ranges."

Nick looked from Blaine to The Black Swan and back again with a confused expression. "How can you tell his build in that costume?"

"Well, the height at the shoulders is about right, if you ignore the added height of the mask."

"You are one observant judge. Carmen, what do you have to say?"

"I say I just hope The Black Swan is single. He's got my heart beating."

Nick shook his head. "Pierce, how did The Black Swan make you feel?"

"Well, usually feeling is triggered by nerve endings in the fingertips," Pierce began. "But this time I think you mean the emotional version of feeling. I'll just sit down now…"

The host shook his head. He was once again blown by the judges. "Okay well, once again, I have some personal questions for our singers. So Black Swan, what is your biggest hope for the future?"

"Well, as I alluded to in my video, I have a new adventure awaiting on the horizon, and I hope my fans will love it as much as I do."

"Okay, Will, does that help you at all?"

"Not really, but the song did bring to mind a video a former student of mine posted of himself showing off his pole dancing skill on a bus."

"Sounds like there's a story there, but we'll have to hear it another time. Now though, sink your beak into Black Swan's competition, a less graceful bird, The Vulture."

The video opened up in a high school corridor, with The Vulture casually strolling down it. "So, the judges seem to think I need an attitude adjustment, but that doesn't change the fact that I was a knockout in the first two rounds. Here is where most everything for me began. Here is where I had it easy. In high school, I was the star, I didn't have to lift a finger. College didn't see it that way. Though I may have had one detour in high school. I wasn't exactly the star for that period. Someone else was and maybe in the aftermath, I was not exactly proud of myself for how that ended up, because I genuinely grew to care about that other star. Some would say that's shocking. But they're the only person I will ever put before myself. Especially since I had to betray some babies to do what I did that I regret."

An acoustic version of the popular song began to play, as The Vulture took the stage singing.

Carry on, my wayward son

There'll be peace when you are done

Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry no more

Once I rose above the noise and confusion

Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion

I was soaring ever higher

But I flew too high

Though my eyes could see, I still was a blind man

Though my mind could think, I still was a mad man

I hear the voices when I'm dreaming

I can hear them say

Carry on, my wayward son

There'll be peace when you are done

Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry no more

Masquerading as a man with a reason

My charade is the event of the season

And if I claim to be a wise man, well

It surely means that I don't know

On a stormy sea of moving emotion

Tossed about, I'm like a ship on the ocean

I set a course for winds of fortune

But I hear the voices say

Carry on, my wayward son

There'll be peace when you are done

Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry, don't you cry no more

No more

There was no doubt that The Vulture was a good performer, but he definitely could not really hold a candle to The Black Swan. And pitting someone with Vulture's attitude against Black Swan might have not been the best idea. Still, the audience cheered generously for him.

"Okay, the audience liked it, but did our judges?" Nick asked. "Will, any thoughts?"

Will looked up from his notes. "There was something in your clue package about betraying babies and I recall an incident at the school I was teaching at where I had a student from a rival school transfer to us and when he left, he and his actual team egged our star singer."

"They egged your singer?" Nick asked for clarification.

"Yes. She was a vegan."

Nick shook his head, a look of disgust on his face. "That's just wrong on so many levels, man. Blaine? What did you think of The Vulture's performance?"

"You know it's funny Will mentioned that, because the team in question seemed to make a tradition out of it. There was a time when Will was actually their director and without his knowledge, they egged both me and the current New Directions director." He shook his head off. "Beside the point, Vulture, there's no doubt you're a great performer, but you do need the right attitude to go with it."

The Vulture seemed to be upset, and spoke up before Nick could say anything else. "This attitude is what got me to where I am now."

Nick decided to move things along before it got out of hand. "Carmen, what was your impression of this performance?"

The NYADA dean decided that she wasn't going to add fuel to the fire, though she really wanted to call The Vulture out by asking if he really thought stepping on everyone was the way to get where you want.

"I think you need to work a little bit on your breath control. I feel like some of your longer notes sounded a bit of a struggle tonight. Otherwise, you did really well."

Nick just nodded. "It's time now for that one question to get more inside The Vulture. Vulture, what do you believe is your biggest flaw?"

"I think my only flaw is that other people hate me. Not that I care about that. They're just jealous of my talent."

There were some mutters from the audience, and the judges at that statement. "Well, Pierce, does this help you at all?"

Pierce, however, was distracted. He had his phone to his ear. "What do you mean you can't deliver here? All I want is some scrambled eggs!"

Nick rolled his eyes and gave a long suffering sigh and shake of the head.

"Well, now it's time to find out which of these two performers will be moving on, and which will be facing off in The Smackdown." The Black Swan joined them on the stage. "Audience, you know what to do. Vote for who gave the best performance tonight!"

After a few minutes of concentrated voting, Nick addressed the camera and the audience once more. "The votes are in, and the performer who will be moving on to the final nine is…"

Everyone held their breaths as Nick paused for dramatics. "The Black Swan! That means, Vulture, we'll see you later in the Smackdown!"

The Audience cheered for The Black Swan, who blew them kisses and waved as he left the stage. The Vulture angrily marched off behind him.

"Now it's time for our next two singers to face off. Take a look at this clue package from The Mage."

The Mage could be seen standing in an arcade, in front of a Dance Dance Revolution game. "The fact that I've done better with my singing in this competition than I expected to has me on a high. Even if I go tonight, I still made it farther than I expected I would. This thing behind me has always been great to work on my coordination. Sure, I'm great without it, but you take a game like this where you have to follow the steps and if you get really good, learning choreography will come as a breeze to you. So if you want to be a dancer on Broadway, or on a hip hop tour, try practicing with this guy. Then maybe you'll be confident to be led by the greats. But you know one of my favorite things about what I actually do? Getting to help the kids who were just like me, have no support and guidance from important people in their lives."

Jazzy music began to play as The Mage took the stage, with several dancers following him in what appeared to be a cross between a dance and a choreographed fight sequence.

Boy, boy, crazy boy

Get cool boy!

Got a rocket in your pocket?

Keep cooly cool, boy!

Don't get hot,

'Cause man, you got

Some high times ahead.

Take it slow and Daddy-O,

You can live it up and die in bed!

Boy, boy, crazy boy!

Stay loose, boy!

Breeze it, buzz it, easy does it.

Turn off the juice, boy!

Go man, go,

But not like a yo-yo schoolboy!

Just play it cool, boy,

Real cool!

The dancers continued the dance fighting through the instrumental break.

You can live it up and die in bed!

Boy, boy, crazy boy!

Stay loose, boy!

Breeze it, buzz it, easy does it.

Turn off the juice, boy!

Go man, go,

But not like a yo-yo schoolboy!

Just play it cool, boy,

Real cool!

The audience erupted into cheers and applause, because The Mage might not be the strongest vocally, but his performance game was really strong and it was very entertaining to watch.

"The Mage, people!" Nick said. "Pierce, what did you think of that performance?"

Pierce pointed at a prop one of the backup dancers was holding. "Is that a real knife?" he asked, looking slightly fearful.

Nick laughed as The Mage just shook his head.

"Blaine? Any words of wisdom for The Mage?"

"I don't know if you've ever considered performing on Broadway, but I think you might have what it takes for at least a supporting role. You're a lot like someone I went to school with for a year. He was a dancer and couldn't sing very well. But he did exactly what you just did and landed the part of Riff in West Side Story. So if you're not him, I don't have a clue." He laughed.

Nick nodded. "William?"

"So formal Nicholas," Will said with a playful shake of his head. "You know I agree with Blaine. And I know the person he's referring to was going to go to college to be a doctor so he wouldn't lose his father."

"Well, perhaps the answer to this question will shed some light on the situation. Mage, who has had the biggest impact on your life?"

"I'd have to say my highschool girlfriend. If it weren't for her, I'd never have been able to follow my dreams."

The audience let out a collective aww.

"Carmen, does that help you out at all?"

"I hope you are still on good terms with this young lady, because if she's the reason you're where you are now, then she's the best kind of person you can have in your life."

Nick grinned at Carmen and looked back at The Mage. "Well Mage, we'll find out later if you will have to sing for survival in the Smackdown. But now, it's time for some more fluttering clues about The Butterfly."

The new video opened with The Butterfly sitting on a flight of stairs. "I can't believe how elated I feel that everyone is loving my performances. The first two rounds were really what I needed for a confidence boost. I didn't always have it easy. Growing up, it was just me and my mom. She had to work so hard to make ends meet and sometimes, she would use her sewing skills to try and help me fit in better with the other kids. We didn't have much, but we had each other and that was really all we needed. It was bad enough when kids at school would look down on me, but sometimes, they really hurt the person I care about most too and that hurt more than being looked down on."

A soft ballad began to play as The Butterfly took the stage.

Everyday is so wonderful

Then suddenly

It's hard to breathe

Now and then I get insecure

From all the pain

I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful

No matter what they say

Words can't bring me down

I am beautiful

In every single way

Yes words can't bring me down

Oh no

So don't you bring me down today

To all your friends you're delirious

So consumed

In all your doom, ooh

Trying hard to fill the emptiness

The pieces gone

Left the puzzle undone

Ain't that the way it is

'Cause we are beautiful

No matter what they say

Yes words won't bring us down

Oh no

We are beautiful

In every single way

Yes words can't bring us down

Oh no

So don't you bring me down today

Oh, oh oh

Don't you bring me down today, yeah

Don't you bring me down, ooh

Today

The crowd gave her a standing ovation, wiping tears from their eyes and applauding and cheering and chanting, "Butterfly, Butterfly, Butterfly!"

"That was most definitely beautiful. Don't you agree, Blaine?"

"Oh I absolutely agree, Nick. Christina is tough to tackle. I would know. I actually covered one of her songs when I was in high school myself. Though I don't think anyone actually saw me doing that one." He laughed. "You have a real gift. And I meant what I said. If you are Marley Rose, I want a duet."

"I want to be the first one to hear it after you record it," Nick said. "Pierce?"

"You know, I think if Christina Aguilera heard that, she would be crying right now, too."

"Wow, Pierce actually said something that makes sense. Carmen, what are your thoughts on The Butterfly?"

"You know, the message of that song is a really powerful one, and I think it was a great decision for you to sing it, because it sounds like it's a message you need to hear. Especially from yourself," Carmen said.

"Powerful indeed. Now lets see if we can find a powerful clue in the answer to this question. Butterfly, what is the one word you would use to describe yourself, and why that word?"

"Well, Nick, I think I would say resourceful, because I'm used to making the best out of any situation."

"That is a good word. Do you agree, Will?"

"I do, I do agree Nick. One of the best things you can do when you don't have a whole lot, is to find ways to make what you do have, better."

"Good advice. Now it's time to find out which of these two will be going up against The Vulture in The Smackdown. Who had the better performance, The Mage," the masked singer joined them on stage. "Or The Butterfly? Time to vote, now!"

Once the tally was counted, Nick gave them the news. "The second performer to make it into the final nine is...The Butterfly! This means Mage, we'll see you again in a few minutes in the Smackdown!"

The audience erupted into cheers for The Butterfly as she made her way off-stage and sympathetic noises for The Mage, who would be singing for his life.

The microphone descended from the ceiling and Nick grabbed it in one hand. "Ladies and gentleman, it's time for a Smackdown! In this corner, perched on the barren branch of a desert tree in the dead of night, The Vulture!" The Vulture came strutting out of the left mouth. "And in this corner, he'll cast a spell on your heart, The Mage!" The Mage came out of the right mouth. "Both The Vulture and The Mage will go head to head with one last performance and the judges will vote for their favorite. Mage, you're up first! Show us what you got!"

The Mage began to dance as he sang the classic rock hit.

Well you're a real tough cookie with a long history

Of breaking little hearts like the one in me

That's okay, let's see how you do it

Put up you dukes, let's get down to it

Hit me with your best shot

Why don't you hit me with your best shot

Hit me with your best shot

Fire away

You come on with it, come on

You don't fight fair

That's okay, see if I care

Knock me down, it's all in vain

I get right back on my feet again

Hit me with your best shot

C'mon, hit me with your best shot

Hit me with your best shot

Fire away

Hit me with your best shot

Why don't you hit me with your best shot

Hit me with your best shot

Fire away

Nick cheered with the audience who was chanting, "Mage, Mage, Mage!"

He turned to look at The Vulture. "Okay, Vulture, it's time to see if you have a response to that, so do what The Mage says and hit him with your best shot."

Are you ready, hey, are you ready for this?

Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?

Out of the doorway the bullets rip

To the sound of the beat, yeah