12th July 2013 Friday
Day 193
That's right, the final one. This one has been very enjoyable to write, albeit difficult, but I doubt I will fit anymore in this year story. I may have to just publish them separately. Princess and the frog with Tung and Bream, anyone? (Though I have no idea about Dex and Jane.)
Disclaimer: I own less than nothing!
"I knew it, I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up," Tung muttered, pacing around the room.
"Maybe it would have been better if she had never come at all," Dex spoke in an angry manner. Immediately, the footstool runs over towards the rain splattered window, barking and yapping like the dog it once was. The objects move towards the window, excited to see if Jenny had returned. "Could it be?"
"Is it she?" Audrey questions, joining everyone at the window.
"Struth," curses Dex once he realises what the group is. "Invaders!"
"Encroachers!"
The teapot gazes down, spying Buzz as he marches through the group, a glowing object at his belt. "And they have the mirror!"
"Warn Zap," Tung argues, stirring up the team. "If it's a fight they want, we'll be ready for them," he turns away from the window. "Who's with me? Aahh!" he screams, as the door slams shut and leaves the little clock behind.
"Take whatever booty you can find," Buzz declares, holding his bow high. "But remember, the beast is mine!"
Hearts ablaze, banners high!
We go marching into battle,
Unafraid, although the danger just increased!
Raise the flag, sing the song,
Here we come, we're fifty strong,
And fifty townsmen can't be wrong,
Let's kill the beast!
"Pardon me, Zap," she questions politely from the door of his lair; his room in tatters after angrily unleashing his emotions on letting Jenny go.
"Leave me alone," he snaps at her, covering the rose with his whole body.
"But sir, the castle is under attack!" she cries in a panic, hearing the mob downstairs as they continue to slam a tree trunk in to the front door.
Kill the beast,
Kill the beast!
"This isn't working!" Dex seethes through his teeth as he places his tiny back against the door. The other objects do the same, but are forced forward with every strike.
"Oh, Dex," Jane calls out from near the top of the pile. "We must do something!"
"Wait! I know!"
Kill the beast,
Kill the beast!
"What shall we do, Zap?" Audrey questions again, the fear rising inside her.
"It doesn't matter now," he replies in a sad tone, the distraught little boy showing his true feelings over losing the one he loves. "Just let them come."
Kill the beast,
Kill the beast,
Kill the beast!
The mob succeeds in breaking in, and finds a grand entrance filled with assorted pieces of furniture, teacups, candlesticks, featherdusters and clocks. They tiptoe in, and Tyrone unknowingly picks up Dex.
"Now!" the candlestick cries, setting all the stationary objects on to their human enemies. Cupboard doors open and slam on to people's heads, carpets roll up unconscious knock-outs, and no one spies Buzz sneaking away up the staircase.
"Yes! Here we go!" Henry says as he begins to start the machine. The axe moves in a cutting motion, advancing toward the basement door where George and Jenny are held captive.
"What the devil?" the older man questions as he spies the axe through a crack in the wood. He grabs his daughter's arms. "Jenny, look out!"
The invention crashes into the door, and a red cloud of smoke emits out of the basement. Jenny and her father emerge from behind the wreckage to find Henry, swinging on a loose spring by his handle nose.
"You guys have got to try this thing!"
Back at the castle, attacks on the mob continue. Tomatoes are thrown, and on Audrey's order, teacups of hot tea are poured over the unwanted guests. Meanwhile, Buzz is opening every door he can find, readying his bow every time in case the monster is in that room.
Faced with Tyrone holding a flaming torch towards Dex, Tung emerges with a menacing laugh. Wearing a Napoleon hat and holding a rifle, he slides down the banister of the stairs with a pair of scissors in front of him. He manages to stop Tyrone, the latter grasping his behind as he sprints out of the room.
Another invader is seen pulling the feathers out of Jane, so a shocked Dex runs up to them, holding his mouth and allowing the flame to burn the man's behind. He casually holds out his arms, effortlessly catching the smiling Jane in his hold.
Tyrone advances on the footstool with a few other men behind him. The 'dog' enters the kitchen, whimpering as it is cornered. Just as Tyrone releases an evil laugh, the draws fling open, brandishing knives while the stove produces a huge fireball. Scared and beaten, the mob retreat out of the castle, crawling back down the front stairs and back to their homes.
"And stay out!" Tung declares, holding his scissors high in the air. He leans over to Dex who is standing beside him, and wraps his arms around the candlestick's base. Dex pats him on the shoulder in admiration.
Zap is sitting in his room, staring out the window and oblivious to the new company. Buzz enters, holding his bow and arrow steady at his target. Zap looks up at him, then looks back down in sadness again. Buzz releases the arrow and it strikes Zap in the shoulder, causing him to scream in pain as he stands. The hunter races over to him, shoving him forward to crash through the window and on to the wet balcony.
"Ha ha ha!" he laughs in triumph, cornering his prize on the edge of the roof. He kicks him off the balcony, jumping down and following him as they both land on a flat pillar.
"Get up! Get up!" Buzz screams, kicking him to the edge. Zap looks up in sadness, then lets his head drop back to the ground. "What's the matter, monster? Too kind and gentle to fight back?"
Zap continues to ignore him. Buzz walks back down the pillar and pries off a piece of the roof. Brandishing it as a weapon, he walks up to Zap, but Jenny's voice echoes in the howling wind.
Zap looks down, hearing her pleas of 'no' to Buzz.
"Jenny?" he questions, his voice growing stronger as he pulls himself up.
"Buzz, don't!"
Buzz swings down at Zap, but the creature catches the weapon in his hand. Zap rises up and roars in Buzz's face.
"Let's go, Habi!" Jenny orders her horse, the two pushing through the castle doors in order to help. The others have begun a fight on the roof, moving gracefully on the slippery surfaces as they try to avoid the other's attacks. Zap spies a line of gargoyles, moving over unnoticed to hide between them. Buzz regains his balance, stalking towards a shadow and slamming his weapon down. To his surprise, it's a concrete gargoyle.
"Come on out and fight!" he provokes, moving between the rows of statues. "Were you in love with her, you beast? Did you honestly think she'd want you when she had someone like me?" Zap bares his fangs at the hunter's words. He emerges once again, both of them moving around as they fight.
"It's over," Buzz declares as he corners Zap. "Jenny is mine!" Zap lunges forward, snapping at his opponent. He grasps him by the neck, holding him out over the vast emptiness.
Buzz pleads in his moment of weakness. "Put me down. Put me down. Please, don't hurt me! I'll do anything! Anything!"
Zap's face, still contorted with anger, slowly begins to soften at the look of panic from the other man. He pulls him closer, Zap's body looming over the hunter. "Get out," he whispers forcefully, before throwing Buzz away from him. From above, Jenny walks out on to the balcony and spies the other two.
"Zap!" she calls out, to which the bug turns around.
"Jenny!" his eyes widen with a smile at the sight, and the girl holds out her hand for him to take. Zap begins to climb the roof until he reaches the balcony; claws holding tightly on to the railing.
"Jenny? You came back!" he sighs happily, taking one claw to stroke the side of her face. She grabs his arm in a hug, the two staring passionately at each other. Their moment, however, is interrupted as Buzz climbs up, stabbing a dagger under Zap's shell. Zap roars in pain at the act. Buzz removes the knife and twirls it around for another attack, but as Zap moves around in his injured state, he knocks Buzz off his balance; falling down where he is never seen again.
Jenny quickly pulls Zap on to the balcony, unknowingly being watched by the household objects as she places her friend down gently on the ground.
"You came back," he whispers through short breaths, feeling himself being pulled away.
"Of course I came back," she replies softly to him, as though stating an obvious fact. "I couldn't let them...oh this is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner."
"Maybe it's better this way," he says, but is quickly shushed as Jenny places her trembling hand over his mouth.
"Don't talk like that. You'll be all right. We're together now. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see."
Zap raises a shaking claw up to the side of her face, and Jenny holds it once again. "At least I got to see you one... last...time," he whispers, before his eyes slowly close. His claw falls back to the ground and his head hits the concrete.
"No, no! Please! Please! Please don't leave me!" she says incredulously, tears welling up in her eyes. "I love you!"
The last petal breaks off from the rose, and the objects bow their heads in despair. Jenny is draped across the big beetle's chest, her shoulders moving as she allows herself to cry. The rain around them continues to pour, but one beam of light strikes down near her. Jenny looks up.
Another, and another.
A shower of 'shooting star'-like flashes dance around Zap's lifeless body and pull it off the ground. Jenny and the objects look up in amazement as his whole body is consumed in light, only just showing the silhouette of the beetle as he becomes covered in a cloud. Straining her eyes, Jenny watches as he begins to shrink dramatically in size. His claws turn in to human hands and his fangs reduce in to his chin. For a moment, he depicts a teenage boy with green skin and hair, but he roars in pain at the transformation, his skin paling to white and his hair darkening to brown.
He gradually descends and lands on the floor again. The fog disappears and Jenny reaches out to touch him. She jerks her hand back, however, when the figure begins to move. It stands, then looks at its hands, then turns to face the girl. It is a human, a look of sheer excitement in his eyes. Jenny stares at him quizzically.
"Jenny! It's me!" he declares, pointing towards himself. Jenny continues to look at him sceptically, her hand reaching out to brush the hair behind his ears. He touches her arm to his cheek, the same way she used to do with his claw. Jenny takes another step closer, her gaze falling deep within his blue eyes.
Those blue eyes.
"It is you!" he brushes her hair behind her ear with his human hand, a smile gracing his lips as he pulls her head towards his. They kiss, unknowingly emitting a fireworks display that explodes above them. The shards from the fireworks fall over the castle, changing gargoyles back to cherubs and the objects back to their former glory. The now humans race out to the balcony to meet Zap and Jenny.
"Dex! Tung! Oh, Audrey!" he hugs a tall, built man, a stumpy green boy and an older woman. "Look at us!"
A barking is heard, and the footstool runs out with the teacup resting on its back.
"Mom! Mom!" Henry screeches, before he is turned in to a skinny boy; the object underneath him turning into a shaggy dog.
"Oh my goodness!" she exclaims, pulling her son in for a hug.
"It is a miracle!" Dex announces, but is almost ignored by the couple. Zap picks up his new love, twirling her around the balcony in happiness.
In the ballroom, Zap and Jenny are dancing together as the servants of the castle watch on. There is a bit of rubble in the back corners, but the new couple are the focus; dressed in their black suit and vibrant pink dress.
"Ah, young love," Dex muses from the sidelines. A tall woman in a maid's costume walks past, brushing her featherduster across his face. Dex pulls at his collar, a sly smile gracing his lips.
He starts to chase after her, but Tung interrupts him; Bream the former wardrobe standing behind him.
"Well, Dex. Shall we let bygones be bygones?"
"Of course, mate," Dex says officially, crossing his arms over his chest. "I told you she would break the spell."
"What?" Tung asks disbelievingly, causing Bream to try and suppress her giggle. "Dude, I believe I was the one who told you."
"No you didn't. I told you."
"You most certainly did not, you pompous parrafin-headed pea-brain!"
"Oi, watch it you overgrown pocket watch!" Dex and Tung begin to squabble, but Bream quickly takes Tung's arm and pulls him back with her.
Audrey is standing near the sidelines; George standing beside her and Henry in front. In short, they look like the perfect little family.
"Are they gonna live happily ever after, mom?" Henry questions, bending his neck up to see his mother.
Audrey chuckles a little. "Of course, my dear. Of course," her son's face appears elated, but quickly turns to one of confusion.
"Do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?" both parents laugh heartily at the boy's innocence, before looking out at the happy couple.
Outside, the sky is blue and all looks happy. A shattered glass window had been replaced with the swirling image of Zap and Jenny, dressed in their dancing outfits and holding each other as though dancing. The human figures of the main servants surround them, and a large rose is the centrepiece above the couple.
Certain as the sun,
Rising in the east,
Tale as old as time,
Song as old as rhyme,
Beauty and the beast!
Tale as old as time,
Song as old as rhyme,
Beauty and the beast!
Done! And it was beautiful. Tell me what you think of this fairytale, but for now, let's get back to the main story. R&R!
Fun fact from movie: The dance between Belle and her Prince in the finale is actually reused animation of the dance between Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty. The original Sleeping Beauty pair had been drawn over to become the new Beauty and the Beast pair, and this was done because they were running out of time during the production of the movie.