Hello my lovely readers! We are back with a new chapter!
Previously in "Another Story Another time", Josh and Audrey attended a ball hosted by the mayor. However, The Devil decided to crash the party and took Audrey. When all seemed lost, Audrey came face to face with a fairy. Will she help Audrey escape or will the Devil have the upper hand? Let's find out!
Anyway, let's continue our story...
Season 1, episode 16; At the Ball of Demons
Part II
Audrey was still in shock on who came to her, as if her night couldn't get more complicated or weird than it already has.
Between attending a gala, being hunted down, captured, and now meeting a fairy, for crying out loud, she was surprised to have a lot happen to her in one night.
"A fairy?" Audrey finally spoke. "Y-you're a fairy?"
"Yes, I am a fairy." She giggled. "I come from a far away dimension, but that's another story for another time."
If anyone did catch that, you're awesome. Well, you're all awesome in general, but catching that was pretty cool.
That surprised Audrey. "A far away dimension? Wow! That's so cool!"
"Indeed. I know you have a lot of questions right now, but we should probably focus on getting ourselves outta here." The fairy mentioned. "Honestly, I don't see you with the Devil like at all."
"Ugh, I know he's holding me against my will, and won't let me go unless I marry him." Audrey groaned. "But I won't and can't because I'm already married and he's a moron."
"Sounds like he's evil AND an idiot…" The fairy muttered, giving herself a facepalm.
"Yep, that sums it up." Audrey mentioned. "I don't know what gave him the idea to force me to marry him, but he's really desperate. And getting away from him is kinda hard right now with the door locked."
"No worries girl, I'll just get my portal going and-!"
But before she could finish
*POOF!*
Audrey was teleported out of the room, startling the fairy.
"What?! Oh no!" She gasped. "Ugh, what could he be up to now?"
She wanted to go after her, but something told her it wasn't a good idea. She knew how powerful he was, despite the fact he acted more of a five year old instead of a grown demon.
Regardless, she had to be smart about her next move.
She summoned her wand and casted a spell, causing the orb to light up and create an image. While she decided not to interfere, she needed to keep an eye on things.
About a half a second later, Audrey found herself in a dark room. She kept her guard up, especially since she had a funny feeling the Devil was the one who teleported her from her room.
"Whatever he's got cooked up, I'm gonna find out." She muttered.
Just then, the lights lit up, nearly blinding her. She blinked and saw…a fancy dinner setting?
She additionally saw that she was in a large room, believing it was the royal throne. It looked very different from the one from the book.
While it was the same scary landscape of fire and terror, there were no multiple pathways but mostly stalactites and stalagmites in the background.
The room had a dark pinkish-red canyon floor with a very long cadet blue rug with beige fringes.
The throne, which was smaller than the other one, was raised on a small dais, with maroon curtains with gold ruffles and tassel.
She looked behind her and saw three large tapestries between tall, gray pillars, on the wall, each depicting the Devil chasing and torturing souls in various forms; his spider, goat and serpent form.
All of which made her nervous.
When she looked back at the dais, she saw another throne next to his. It was very similar, but the only difference was there was a small footstool in front.
Next to the thrones there was a rather large circular hallowed spot, filled to the brim with dozens and dozens of red-purple pillows. It looked no bigger than a hot tub but was wide enough to fit at least 1-2 people in there.
Or for a dragon to curl up in.
"Oh, jeez. This is really creepy…" She muttered.
She backed up a bit when she heard from behind
"Well, I'm glad to see you're here."
She turned and saw the Devil, with a wicked smile on his face, making her jump a bit.
Composing herself, she grumbled, "Like I have any choice on if I want to stay here.."
"Oh, good. Now since you're here, I have something to discuss with you." He informed her.
He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"My darling sweet Audrey. From the moment I saw you, you made even Hell burst open. Your cheeks are like cherry blossoms, your eyes dark and mysterious like the night sky, and your smile bright as a full moon...and now I must ask you…"
He then bent on one knee and pulled out the same ring he showed her earlier at the gala.
"Audrey Susan Anderson, I'll tell thee as we pass, but this I pray, that thou consent to marry me today.."
Audie rolled her eyes. She knew that was from Romeo and Juliet, so using that was a really cheap move. However, given that he was trying to put on a show, she decided to have some fun with this.
Putting on her best acting face, she replied
"Hmm, such a difficult thing to ponder over. Well, I guess my answer would have to be…"
"Say yes, say yes! Oh please, darling, say yes!" the Devil excitedly pleaded.
"...No" Audrey finally claimed.
There was a bit of silence in the room before the Devil replied
"No? No?!" Then a thought came to him. "Oh I get it; you're joking."
Audrey gave herself a facepalm. This guy was impossible to deal with.
But not a second after that, he began to laugh. It startled Audrey because she knew it wasn't sarcastic or when someone told the punchline at the right time.
No, this was a vile and wicked laugh.
Just then music began to play. And with music like that can only mean one thing...a bad guy song!
***New song: Don't make me Laugh from "The Pebble and the Penguin" (slightly edited)
Devil; Don't make me laugh! (Ha! Ha!) Don't make me laugh! (Ha! Ha!)
*He starts laughing like a Big Doofus with Audrey looking at him confused
Devil; My little friend, Don't make me bend in half!
*He dramatically bends down and Audrey is backing away from him
Devil; Don't be a card, dear! Don't raise the stakes!
*He stands up and poofs up a Queen of Hearts card, throws it across the throne room. It made Audrey stop in her tracks as it circled around her.
Devil; Don't make me laugh so hard that you begin to ache!
*Audie starts to back up again until she backed up into the Devil again, who then grabs her
Devil; Don't make me laugh! Don't pull my leg!
*He dances around with Audie, as she's trying to pull herself, while the imps around them laugh with him
Devil; May I suggest you would do best to beg!
*He then pulls her super close to himself and creates a silhouette of Audrey begging with his eyeball. That caused her to freak out and attempted to pull herself away from him,
Devil; If you say, "No" love, If you refuse..
*He twirled her out and in again, making her pin to his chest, as he leans close to her ear
Devil; This is your notice that I refuse to lose!'
*Suddenly, he takes Audie and waltzes with her, dancing around the throne room and Audrey attempting to pull herself away from him
Devil; Say, "Yes", my pet, and go with a winner.
*After dancing, he plays with her hair, while wrapping his tail around her waist
Audrey: Ugh! Stop that!
Devil: Why? You have such pretty hair
Devil; Believe me: that would be wiser
*He then trails his fingers to her cheek before holding her tight
Devil; Say, "No", poor dove, and Cuphead's a shark's dinner
*To Audie's horror, he creates a silhouette from his palm of himself pulling out Cuphead's soul laughing maniacally.
Devil; And little Joshy's the appetizer!
*The silhouette is followed by him stabbing Josh with his pitchfork. She then tearfully shoves herself away from him while the imps were cackling everywhere she went
Audrey: No! Stop!
*He then grabs her from behind and leans close to her ear
Devil: Get the picture?
Devil: (singing) Don't make me laugh, Or slap my knee!
*He waltzes with her again briefly before caressing her cheek
Devil; I'm very naughty! So Audrey, What'll it be?
*As he danced with her, he lifted her up in the air a few times before holding her like a groom carrying his bride
Devil; Right this way to the Devil Estate, or write Josh's epitaph!
*He creates two illusions; one shows her with him as they kissed, and then shows her crying at Josh's grave.
Devil; You choose your fate, Don't make me wait!
*And then giving had a lustful grin, he placed her on her feet and twirls her around before looking straight at her face
Devil; And darling... don't make me laugh! Ha-ha-ha-ha!
*He twirls her around faster and faster before he released her, making her stumble into the pillow pit which left her dizzy
*End of Song*
Once she shook the feeling off, she attempted to get out of the pillow pit, but just then, the Devil appeared and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Ah ah, stay a while, won't you?" He sneered. "I could use company."
"Ew! No way! Let go!" She shouted, struggling.
He ignored that and placed her back in the pillow pit. Before she had time to react, he turned into his serpent form and curled up in the pit, wrapping his body around and trapping Audrey, leaving only her head visible.
"Hey! Let go of me!" She shouted, squirming to pry her arms free.
"But I want you to feel nicccce and cozssssy." The Devil hissed, nuzzling his cheek on hers.
She tried to move her head back but he kept nudging his cheek on hers, purring and even kissed her cheek a few times, which she did not like.
She heard the Devil chuckle. "Awww my darling you're blussshing. You musssst really love me."
"Ugh! No I don't!" Audrey grunted as she felt his talons stroke her cheek. "You absolutely disgust me!"
"Oh thank you, my ssssweet." He cooed. "You alwayssss have the besssst thingsssss to ssssssay."
"I'm not your sweet!" Audrey shouted. "I'm not-"
Suddenly, he slipped a talon over her mouth and whispered in her ear "Shhhh, resssst your voice, my queen. Ssssave it when you ssssay yesssss to me."
She felt her stomach turn and squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to disappear from this place and out of his sight. As much as she wanted to keep rejecting him, the terrible worry of him hurting Josh and the boys still lingered. She needed to protect them, but needed a new plan, and marrying him was not an option.
Just then, her thoughts were interrupted when she felt herself being teleported back in the guest room. Thankfully, The Devil was in his normal form, while he was still holding onto her, and the fairy was out of sight.
He then placed her on the bed and grinned wickedly at her, his shadow looming over her.
"I'll give you some more time to think about my proposal." He informed her. "I would be careful on how you answer."
"How-how long do I have?" Audrey asked, her voice shaking.
"Oh, could be a few days…or eternity!" He then teleported out, cackling and Audrey hid herself in her arms, shaking. She felt helpless and completely alone in this.
Well, not entirely.
The fairy, whom Audrey met earlier, had made herself invisible the moment the Devil appeared. Once he left, she turned herself visible and took a huff.
"That vile and wicked creature." She muttered. "No wonder he's the downfall of our world…"
As she took another huff, she noticed Audrey buried her face in her arms, shaking and trembling terribly. She even swore she heard her sob a bit.
She approached her and began to gently rub her back.
"Hey, hey, it's okay…" She kept assuring Audrey. She looked up with tears streaming down her face and her breaths were short.
"I'm sorry I just got scared." She choked out. "Now he's threatening to hurt Josh and the boys. I-I can't let him do that."
"Ok, no. We're not gonna let that happen." the Fairy assured her. She handed Audrey a tissue and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose with it, calming down. "Come on, we're leaving."
"Right." Audrey nodded, now a bit more confident than before. As they headed towards the door, Audrey stated. "Hey, by the way, I never got your name.
"I'm Monica." The Fairy smiled. "You probably recognize me from the last time you encountered the other Devil."
Audrey looked oddly at her. How did she know about her adventures with the other Devil? She just met her.
"But I didn't…wait, you were that voice weren't you?" Audrey asked. "The one who told me to write the ending?"
"Mm hm." Monica nodded.
"Wow! That's amazing!" Audrey giggled. "Oh man you have no idea how grateful I am for you."
"Don't thank me yet. We gotta go!" Monica informed her.
"Right!"
Using her magic, Monica unlocked the door and the two rushed out
Moments later, the two passed along different hallways, seeing many statues, art and sculptures of the devil, which made Monica scoff in annoyance.
"Man, he's so much in love with himself."Monica grumbled. "Just seeing all this makes me sick."
"Tell me about it. If he loves himself so much, he should marry himself." Audrey added.
"Oh my gosh I was thinking that same thing too!" Monica giggled. Audrey couldn't help but giggle too.
Then, Monica looked back and quickly covered Audrey's mouth and pulled her into a dark corner as demons and other creatures passed by. Once they left, both sighed in relief.
"Thanks." Audrey whispered.
"No problem. This place is crawling with creeps like him." Monica stated, adjusting her cape.
As they carefully navigated the underworld, Monica decided to use an invisible spell, allowing them to move without being caught. They proceeded cautiously down the rocky path.
"This is so cool." Audrey whispered. "You can turn yourself and others invisible
"Yeah it sure is, it's a perk to being a fairy." Monica whispered back.
"Ok the elevator should be around here somewhere…" Audrey trailed off.
She scanned the area and as they headed back into the throne room, she saw it at the end of the rug to her left side. Thankfully the throne room was empty so moving around was easy.
"There it is." Audrey whispered, pointing to the elevator.
"Sweet! Let's go!" Monica beamed.
Monica dropped the invisibility spell and they headed to the elevator but before they could reach it, they heard a loud roar, echoing in the halls.
"Oh no. He found out I was gone." Audrey shuddered.
"We better make like a banana and split!" Monica announced.
She then used her magic to create a Mario Kart car, one that looked like something out of Mario Kart Double Dash and Audie hopped on the back.
"Whoa! This is so cool!" She beamed, as Monica hopped in the front set. "Reminds me of Double Dash when I played it as a kid! Ah good times."
"Hang on tight!" Monica called.
Without missing a beat, she slammed her foot on the gas pedal and went full speed. It was a good thing too since she saw the Devil seeing red, his teeth barred like sharks.
"Oh jeez!" Audrey gasped.
The Devil had little time to react as Monica swerved around him, hitting him back with the side of the kart as well, and just kept right on going. He was not going to give up as he gave chase to them.
Monica handed Audrey many items, which were all Mario Kart items such as red and green shells, a few bomb-bombs, banana peels and the occasional dreaded blue shells.
After a bit, the two managed to get a good distance from him and thankfully ended up at the elevator.
"Hurry! Inside!" Audrey cried, as the two hopped out of the kart and bolted inside.
As soon as the two girls ended up there, they SLAMMED the door to the elevator shut. Without missing a beat Audrey began frantically pressing the button to go up.
"Come on, come on!" She prayed.
Seeing that the elevator wasn't getting anywhere, Monica decided to take things in her own hands.
"Oh this is taking WAY too long!" She groaned.
She then uses a levitation spell and forces the elevator to move quickly, nearly causing the two to lose their balance. They caught themselves and sighed heavily.
"Whew, that was close." Audrey gasped, adjusting her cuffed sleeve.
"I'll say." Monica sighed. "But at least we are away and that's all that matters.
However, that was short lived when the elevator came to a sudden halt. They were a bit confused at first, remembering there was no line or chain attached to it. They opened the door a bit and looked, only to see the Devil in his giant form grabbing the elevator
Audrey gave a bloodcurdling scream, as she backed away in fear.
"Are you KIDDING ME?!" Monica cried.
"GIVE ME BACK MY BRIDE! The Devil roared, anger bursting in his eyes.
"NO! SHE'S NOT YOUR BRIDE! LEAVE HER BE!" Monica shouted, guarding a very terrified Audrey who was shaking terribly.
"NEVER!" The Devil roared. "SHE BELONGS TO ME!"
Monica rolled her eyes in annoyance and anger. Seeing this wasn't getting anywhere before the devil could react, Monica casted a spell and hitted him back making him stumble back and fall on his back, releasing the elevator.
Once he was down, Monica slammed the door shut and the elevator shot up, vanishing from sight.
After a bit, the elevator stopped and Audrey opened the door, relieved to see that they were back on the surface, specifically in the garden of the mansion. The air was fresh and crisp, unlike the underworld where it was rough and dry. She couldn't imagine being held prisoner down there, let alone living there.
After they stepped off, the elevator vanished downward. Finally, they had a moment of peace.
"Whew, that was crazy." Audrey sighed. "I thought I would never get away."
"I know. I'm glad I came to help." Monica smiled.
She then groaned and rubbed her head in annoyance.
"Of all the idiotic, childish OAFS...UGHH!"
"I know! He's the worst!" Audrey agreed. "It's bad enough that he wants to marry me."
"Actually, it's bad enough that the other Devil wanted to marry you." Monica informed her. "He had many reasons to, but it was ultimately for power."
"Oh, please don't remind me." Audrey shuddered. She hated looking back on the time she nearly agreed to be the Devil's wife. It was bad enough her friends were in the mix and had to keep an eye on Lexie, since King Dice suddenly had a creepy thing for her.
Monica sensed her worry and rubbed her arm gently.
"It'll be okay though Audrey. Thankfully, this version of the Devil is kinda a knucklehead. So we have a pretty good defense against him."
"That's true. He acts more like a five year old." Audrey mentioned.
"Maybe he needs a diaper change." Monica laughed.
"He may have missed snack time." Audrey added. That caused both girls to burst out laughing.
It was hilarious to think that a demonic being like him acts like a complete child, which was true, and it made Audrey feel a bit better.
Monica took a happy sigh before she claimed "We should go find Josh now. Sure he's getting worried about ya."
"Good idea."
They then headed out of the garden and through the maze until they reached the entrance to the mansion. They thankfully didn't have to look far as they saw Josh freaking out as he was talking to a servant frantically and trying to explain what happened.
"Josh!" Audrey called.
Josh looked, his eyes widened and gasped, nearly jumping out of his own skin
"Audie!" He cried. He then bolted towards her, twirled her in his arms and hugged her tight.
"Audrey. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I'm so so sorry about this." He sighed. "I tried to help you and he took you, and I was worried sick. I had no way to get there."
"It's not your fault, Josh." Audrey mentioned. "Look, I'm sorry for scaring you. I was worried about the threats he made, especially since he might hurt you and the boys."
"It's not your fault, Audie." Josh assured her, placing her hands on her shoulders."You didn't know the Devil would pull a stunt like that."
"I know but I feel bad since you got worried." Audrey sighed. Then she remembered something. Gesturing to Monica, she announced. "Oh let me introduce you to someone. Josh this is Monica, Monica this is Josh, my husband."
"Hello, nice to meet you Josh." Monica lightly replied, shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you." Josh mentioned. "Thanks for your help. I would be lost without Audrey."
"Don't mention it. I saw your wife in trouble and I knew I needed to step in." Monica claimed.
"Glad you helped. It means a lot." Josh claimed. He then took a heavy sigh and announced. "Well, I think we had one eventual night. "Come on, let's head home."
"That's a good idea." Audrey nodded.
Monica agreed and the trio then headed out of the mansion and headed back home.
Shortly afterwards, the group arrived back at the cottage and after saying goodbyes to Sally, they departed and the trio slipped inside. But once inside, they found the boys in their pajamas, awake in the living room.
"There you are!" They cheered as they ran up and hugged them.
"What are you doing up so late?" Audrey asked. "It's way past your bedtime."
"Elder Kettle allowed us to stay up till you guys came home. How was it?" Mugman asked.
"It was, uh, pretty good. Nothing else happened tonight so we decided to head back." Josh replied. Then, motioning towards Monica, he announced "We also met a new friend. This is Monica."
She smiled and waved to the boys.
"Wow. You have pretty wings." Cuphead gasped.
"Oh thank you. I'm a fairy as you can see." Monica blushed. "I'm also Audrey's new friend."
"Nice to meet ya. Well, since you're back. I'm going to bed." Cuphead yawned. His brother agreed and Josh started to head up to their guest room.
Before Audrey departed, she asked Monica "You need a place to stay?"
"I can actually make a home by the bird feeder in the garden." She replied. "I'll be close by but not take up any room."
Audrey nodded and then hugged her. She needed to give her a proper thank you for all she did for her.
While it was terrifying to be with that freak, she now knew she was never alone.
Monica hugged her back and simply stated "I promise I'll get you home and keep you away from him."
Audrey nodded and Monica headed out to the garden. Audrey then headed upstairs and to her guest room. She took off her dress and makeup and slipped into warm pajamas.
While she laid in bed, she still worried about what the Devil threatened her with earlier. While he may act like a child and has hired not the best help, he was still powerful and if he had the chance, he could try and kill Josh.
She knew Josh could handle himself and fought the other Devil, but this one was not willing to back down at any time.
"I just hope Monica can help me and Josh get home." She quietly stated. "The Devil won't stop no matter who I meet."
Meanwhile however, the Devil was furious about the recent events and having Audrey slip by him again. He needed to develop a plan that would get him what he needed, but with a fairy now in the mix of things, it was going to be harder.
"Ugh! The nerve of that pesky fairy!" He grunted, angrily pacing the throne room. "She just had to come in and ruin everything!"
He then sat on his throne in a huff, resting his head on his hand. From the looks of things, Monica was not going to give up a fight, especially keeping him away from her.
He snapped his fingers and summoned his looking glass. Once he tapped it, it began to show Audrey sleeping peacefully. He couldn't help but grin at her. Yes, it ticked him off that Josh is with her and not him, but he still had the pleasure to keep an eye on her.
He then began to caress the image of Audrey and whispered in a lustful tone.
"You may reject me now, my love. But soon, you will marry me and be my queen of the underworld. With our combined power, we will be unstoppable."
Whew! That was close! Glad that Monica rescued Audrey and is planning on sticking around for a bit! But the Devil is not planning on giving up anytime soon, as he continues to plot to steal Audrey. "Toon" in next time for another thrilling adventure!
As always, thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a review but let's avoid the flames please :D