"Why are we doing this?" Rogue hissed as she and Brittany snuck out of their tent.
"I thought I saw Aslan walking by!" Brittany hissed back.
"So the cat's out, what's the big deal?" Rogue asked as she yawned. The two of them spied Catseye walking out of camp and heading up the hill. They tried following her in secret but Catseye caught them almost immediately.
"I not named Catseye for nothing." Catseye smirked.
"Aslan? What are you doing?" Brittany asked as she and Rogue continued to follow Catseye.
"I not want you to see this." Catseye sighed sadly. "But I not mind company either." Rogue and Brittany walked on either side of Catseye as they made their way to Catseye's destination.
"Here I go alone." Catseye said when they arrived. "Stay here."
"But—" Brittany started to say, but Catseye was already moving away. Rogue and Brittany stared as Catseye made her way up the stairs to the Stone Table. Emma Frost stood at the top of the steps, flanked by her wolves and the core of her army.
"What the heck continuity is this?" General Hawk gaped when he saw the crowd. Besides the usual stable of Misfit and X-Men villains—MAGNETO, MYSTIQUE, SABERTOOTH, MR. SINISTER, SNARK COMMANDER, SELENE and other HELLFIRE CLUB members—there were a few other faces in the crowd: COBRA COMMANDER, MEGATRON of the DECEPTICONS, GENGHIS REX of the TYRANNOS, CYKILL of the RENEGADE GOBOTS, MAGMAR of the ROCK LORDS, KRULOUS of the RULON EMPIRE (from DINORIDERS), among others.
"What're those 80s relics doing here?" Duke asked as he pointed at them.
"LOOK WHO'S TALKING!" They shouted at him.
"I was feeling nostalgic for my childhood." NEBULABELT said, shrugging.
"And what were you smoking when you put us here?" DEMONA the GARGOYLE demanded angrily. Her companion THAILOG nodded.
"I can't believe he wrote me into another one of his stories!" MONKEY FIST moaned.
"Tell me about it." AZAZEL grumbled from where he was standing with several other demons: MAXX, BENOS, STEPHAN, S'YM, TRIGON (in a much smaller form), and KURT
"Heh, this is sweet!" S'ym said as he looked around. "It's like DemonFest 1136 all over again!"
"I'd like to thank Illyana Rasputin for allowing me to borrow him!" NEBULABELT said.
"If you wanted to thank me you could keep him." Illyana rolled her eyes.
"With all these demons around I guess I'm the token ghost." VLAD PLASMIUS mumbled angrily.
"And we're the token sorcerers." ZANKOU grumbled. WUYA and CHASE YOUNG nodded in agreement.
"I find this ceremony appealing." Trigon rumbled.
"You would." Raven grumbled.
"I'd like it better if there was some booze around here." Cobra Commander said.
"Do I want to know why I' m here?" Kurt moaned.
"Because you're a demon and a demon in Aslan's army would be…odd." NEBULABELT said. "Besides your parents and siblings are here!" He said, pointing to Mystique, Azazel, his kids Maxx, Benos, and Stephan, as well as Mystique's one-time lover Sabertooth. "I couldn't have you fight your own family!"
"But I do that anyway!" Kurt protested. "And you're having Catseye fight her mother!"
NEBULABELT shrugged. "Eh. So I'm fickle. Sue me."
"I intend to." The GARGOYLE DEMONA hissed. THAILOG nodded in agreement.
"He looks a lot like Goliath." Shipwreck said, pointing at Thailog.
"That's because he's Goliath's clone." Spirit told him.
"What does everyone have a clone nowadays?" Logan demanded.
"Apparently." Jean blinked.
"This is ridiculous." BATMAN grumbled from his place on stage. "I'm not a villain…I'm with the Justice League!"
NEBULABELT rolled his eyes. "Everyone on the Witch's side is dark, creepy, and scary. And Bats bubula, good guy or not, you are all three."
"If I don't get a Best Supporting Villain Nomination for this," FATHER of the Delightful Children from Down the Lane threatened. "Someone's going to feel the heat!"
Catseye stolidly walked up the stairs, not looking either to the left or right. She stared straight ahead at Emma Frost, who was holding a crude but wicked looking stone knife in her hands.
Wolves bayed at her heels and villains growled as she passed, but none of them dared stand against her. Catseye came to a stop in front of Emma Frost. Emma glared at her troops angrily.
"What are you fools waiting for? Bind her!" The villains took a hesitant step forward and when they saw Catseye wasn't going to eviscerate them, lunged forward to tie her with ropes. Her legs were bound together and her mouth was tied shut.
Brittany and Rogue gasped as they callously hurled Catseye on the Stone Table (actually made of adamantium and covered with stone) and gathered around, waiting eagerly to begin.
"WAIT!" Emma shouted. Everyone paused to look at her. Play or not, Emma swallowed uncomfortably and when she spoke her voice wavered slightly, nothing anyone but her would've noticed. "Shave her!"
Cackling cruelly, the villains brandished knives, daggers, and claws and started shearing Catseye's rich mane off. Rahne—forgetting that this was a play—couldn't bear to look and turned away. Catseye endured her ordeal stoically.
"Wait," Jean blinked. "Only male lions have manes and Catseye is a female. What gives?"
"Shhhhh!" NEBULABELT snapped, entrapped in the moment.
Atop the Stone Table an evil laugh went up when their task was complete. Catseye, now without her mane, lay on the table.
Emma stood over her with the knife. "You know Aslan, I'm rather disappointed in you. Did you honestly think you could save the traitor? You're giving your life and saving no one. Such a waste. So much for love. Tonight the Deep Magic will be appeased, but tomorrow…we will take Narnia forever! In that knowledge despair and…" Emma couldn't help but choke a little as she finished. "Die!" She shouted as she brought the knife down, her eyes shut.
Rahne whimpered and averted her eyes too. A meaty sounding 'thok!' was heard. Then there was a sharp gasp. And then…there was nothing at all.
&&&
