Buttercup sat up, she wasn't in anyplace she recognized, it was
like a forest of tall jagged metal trees, each one seamed to loom over her.
She looked up to where the sky should have been and saw to her horror that
it wasn't stars that the little light came from, it was hearts, a thousand
floating beating hearts charcoal black and seeping blood. She didn't move
for some time, just stared, as she looked on them beating some awful
rhythm, she felt her own heart beat the same rhythm. The beating got
louder, the volume changed erratically, deafening at times and so soft she
could barely hear it.
She felt a pull and looked at her heaving chest, her heart was trying to rip it self out of her body. She got up and ran in the direction her heart was tying to pull, thinking foolishly she could outrun it. She ran cutting herself trying to dodge the metal tree's branches. She tried to run, tried, but it wasn't enough, somehow everything she tried to do was never enough, not for her father, not for her sisters, not for herself. Her heart made a sickening splintering sound as it ripped out of her chest and flew in the air above the trees, next to the other hearts beating in a steady rhythm. It was bloody and fresh, not black like the others, but alive and far out of her reach.
She fell to her knees defeated, by her traumas and fears, "weak." She looked up hearing a voice, it seamed to be coming from the heart's steady rhythm. "Weak. Weak. Weak." It got softer and louder "WEAK! WEAK! WEAK!" It roared in her ears getting louder and louder. "No," she said defiantly, "I'm not weak, I didn't cry when you left me." She stood up dizzy and fell backward on to the branch of a tree. It tore into her and went through to the place where her heart was and out through the hole it had made. She was skewered on the branch like shish kabob, it didn't hurt, nothing in this realm did, whatever this realm was.
"I'm never going to be saved, I don't deserve to live." Buttercup at a mirror image of herself, she stared wide eyed at it, it didn't seam to see her it just babbled on. "I should die, but I don't deserve that either," it looked up finally noticing, and looked her in the eye's, "do I?" Buttercup shook her head, this can't be real. That's not me, it can't be me. The clone smiled "Yes I am, you can't deny me buttercup, I am you, or at least some part of you, but I don't want to be part of you anymore. I want to be all of you," It pulled it's self slowly from the branch and walk over to buttercup. "If you would just listen to reason Buttercup, you don't deserve to live, after what you did and you know it."
Buttercup looked at her clone, or was it herself? It didn't have any indication of being held on the tree like she was, no tears on the dress, no blood stains, no blood at all. She looked down at herself, her body was covered in blood, dark red, none of it was drying, like the hearts above, her wounds were eternal. She pulled herself off the tree and stood there looking at the both of them.
Something fell on her arm she looked at it. Ash? Looking up she noticed that the hearts had started to wither and shrink, the darkest turning to ash, turning to her own floating heart, she saw that it was turning black as if it was burning up it's self. "No! I won't just give up, he is still alive, I might not of..." She trailed off not willing to finish it. "Of what?" Her clone inquired wickedly. "Killed him? Hmmm? Face it Butterbrain, he's as good as dead anyway." Buttercup suddenly snapped her head back to look at her clone.
Butterbrain? "Your not real, none of this is, if you think I will give up a chance to at least see if he survives then your wrong. You may be a part of me, but luckily for me I can change any part of my self I want, including you!" Buttercup jumped and attacked, punching, kicking, even biting any part of her double she could. Strength seamed to seep back into her slowly. The clone couldn't fight back if it tried, Buttercup wanted it gone dead, and it was slowly happening. It tried to flee out into the metal tree but Buttercup found she could jump over the trees until she felt a familiar floating sensation and she was flying again over the trees.
The hearts were one by one falling into ashen piles around her, and when she found her clone it was clutching something, its own blackened heart, trying desperately to push it back into its wounded chest. Buttercup's eye filled with red and the clone and its heart were destroyed in the heated blast. Buttercup flew to her own heart, it wasn't black anymore and it disappeared into her chest before she could do anything with it, she was whole. Buttercup started laughing for the first time in a long time she felt like she could laugh, she aloud herself to do so.
She felt a pull and looked at her heaving chest, her heart was trying to rip it self out of her body. She got up and ran in the direction her heart was tying to pull, thinking foolishly she could outrun it. She ran cutting herself trying to dodge the metal tree's branches. She tried to run, tried, but it wasn't enough, somehow everything she tried to do was never enough, not for her father, not for her sisters, not for herself. Her heart made a sickening splintering sound as it ripped out of her chest and flew in the air above the trees, next to the other hearts beating in a steady rhythm. It was bloody and fresh, not black like the others, but alive and far out of her reach.
She fell to her knees defeated, by her traumas and fears, "weak." She looked up hearing a voice, it seamed to be coming from the heart's steady rhythm. "Weak. Weak. Weak." It got softer and louder "WEAK! WEAK! WEAK!" It roared in her ears getting louder and louder. "No," she said defiantly, "I'm not weak, I didn't cry when you left me." She stood up dizzy and fell backward on to the branch of a tree. It tore into her and went through to the place where her heart was and out through the hole it had made. She was skewered on the branch like shish kabob, it didn't hurt, nothing in this realm did, whatever this realm was.
"I'm never going to be saved, I don't deserve to live." Buttercup at a mirror image of herself, she stared wide eyed at it, it didn't seam to see her it just babbled on. "I should die, but I don't deserve that either," it looked up finally noticing, and looked her in the eye's, "do I?" Buttercup shook her head, this can't be real. That's not me, it can't be me. The clone smiled "Yes I am, you can't deny me buttercup, I am you, or at least some part of you, but I don't want to be part of you anymore. I want to be all of you," It pulled it's self slowly from the branch and walk over to buttercup. "If you would just listen to reason Buttercup, you don't deserve to live, after what you did and you know it."
Buttercup looked at her clone, or was it herself? It didn't have any indication of being held on the tree like she was, no tears on the dress, no blood stains, no blood at all. She looked down at herself, her body was covered in blood, dark red, none of it was drying, like the hearts above, her wounds were eternal. She pulled herself off the tree and stood there looking at the both of them.
Something fell on her arm she looked at it. Ash? Looking up she noticed that the hearts had started to wither and shrink, the darkest turning to ash, turning to her own floating heart, she saw that it was turning black as if it was burning up it's self. "No! I won't just give up, he is still alive, I might not of..." She trailed off not willing to finish it. "Of what?" Her clone inquired wickedly. "Killed him? Hmmm? Face it Butterbrain, he's as good as dead anyway." Buttercup suddenly snapped her head back to look at her clone.
Butterbrain? "Your not real, none of this is, if you think I will give up a chance to at least see if he survives then your wrong. You may be a part of me, but luckily for me I can change any part of my self I want, including you!" Buttercup jumped and attacked, punching, kicking, even biting any part of her double she could. Strength seamed to seep back into her slowly. The clone couldn't fight back if it tried, Buttercup wanted it gone dead, and it was slowly happening. It tried to flee out into the metal tree but Buttercup found she could jump over the trees until she felt a familiar floating sensation and she was flying again over the trees.
The hearts were one by one falling into ashen piles around her, and when she found her clone it was clutching something, its own blackened heart, trying desperately to push it back into its wounded chest. Buttercup's eye filled with red and the clone and its heart were destroyed in the heated blast. Buttercup flew to her own heart, it wasn't black anymore and it disappeared into her chest before she could do anything with it, she was whole. Buttercup started laughing for the first time in a long time she felt like she could laugh, she aloud herself to do so.