Redemption

  ( Mordy )

  Mordy stamped through the thick snow, swinging his arms. He gnashed his teeth in between gulps of frigid air.

  Cacophonous booms roared from behind. Each one a punch of force. Shock waves ripped through the trees, cracking frosted trunks and knocking snow from branches.

  Get to Dewroot. Launch a flare. Get to Dewroot. Launch a flare!

  Only, as the chill turned his tears to ice, he was forced to accept a dreadful truth. He was completely and utterly lost. Bubblebun had carried him so far, so fast, that he hadn't a clue where he'd even started running from. The deep layers of smooth white made it impossible to locate a trail, let alone follow one.

  He had no back-up plan. No clever solution. All he could do was run and hope.

  Eventually, something far more haunting replaced the thunderous sounds. Silence.

  The first rays of dawn crept through the canopy's crooked talons.

  "Great," sighed a voice. "So not only did we miss the meeting, but now you're telling me you don't even know the way back home?"

  Mordy stumbled to a stop. He was so cold and exhausted he hadn't even noticed the two figures he'd almost run right into. They were elders, bundled in more thermal layers than he could count. A little wrinkled, yet kind-faced. For a moment he was almost relieved. That was, until he spotted the folded midnight robes beneath their arms.

  "Hello there, young man," said the old lady with a swirl of condensing breath. "Are you local? We're looking for the balloon docks." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "My husband's gotten us a little lost."

  The drumming in Mordy's heart heightened to a painful extreme, throbbing all the way up to his temples. Images flashed through his mind. A rusted giant. An ocean of knife-waving fanatics.

  "H-help!" Mordy turned and ran. Or rather, as much of a run as his numb limbs could manage. In truth, it was barely even a wobbly jog. "Help!"

  I'm never getting out of here! I'm going to die! If I'm not stabbed, I'll freeze!

  "Steady, boy," called the old man. "No need to be scared. We won't -"

  A tremendous thud quaked the ground. For a second, Mordy feared the tooth-tossing villain had arrived. Yet when he turned back, he saw neither lashing tongue nor full-bodied drool. No. Something red and gold had crashed down from the heavens.

  It hadn't just delivered death, but complete and utter annihilation. The lady was sprawled in the snow. The gent, however, was both nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Air rolled with a crimson mist that twinkled as it crystalised. Sloppy scraps rained and juicy lumps oozed down bark.

  In the middle of that morbid shower, Princess Sunshine flexed bloodied wings.

  Mordy didn't know whether to feel relieved or terrified.

  The old lady tried to rise, only for her bent leg to buckle with a crunch. A wail of pain escaped her lips, yet that was nothing compared to the heartbreaking song that followed once she realised her husband was no more.

  Princess Sunshine approached her. Slowly. Calmly. Dripping.

  "M-Moonchild!" sobbed the old lady. "We were on our way to the prophet. We're allies, I swear!" Her mouth contorted with a dozen questions she hadn't the strength to ask. Trembling hands lifted, gesturing to the surrounding remnants of her companion. "...Why?"

  Princess Sunshine reached out and rested a hand atop the old lady's head, like one might a child.

  "If... If we did something to offend you, I'm s-sorry," the old lady blubbered. "I can do better. I can redeem myself!"

  Blonde lashes narrowed. Nostrils widened. Lips pulled back to reveal pressed teeth. "...Redemption is self-deceit." Princess Sunshine's grip tightened. Ignited.

  Mordy's shaking body settled upon its emotion of choice. Horror. He covered his face, peeking through desensitised fingers as gilded flames roared.

  Scarlet-stained snow was kicked. Desperate shrieks rang through the trees. The widow's skull cooked. Face fell away like melting wax.

  She struggled for a harrowing length of time, until her cranium finally exploded from thermal pressure, spilling boiled brains.

  Somehow, Princess Sunshine's sizzle-splattered expression remained one of unflinching despisement, even as she tossed her victim aside.

  What happened to her? What has she become?

  Her scowl barely eased upon looking to Mordy. "...What the fuck are you doing down here?"

  When Mordy opened his mouth, he could only heave. No matter how hard his belly tightened, nothing came up. The straining, sight-darkening retching continued even as he struggled to his feet and tried to flee.

  Princess Sunshine caught his collar in an instant, then pinned him against a frozen trunk. "Didn't you say it was nice up there?" she growled like a rabid beast. "You ungrateful little shit!"

  Why is she so angry?

  "I w-wanted to help!" he mumbled. "I wanted to become a Fairy Prince!"

  The reddened angel grabbed his throat. A grip capable of collapsing his airways with the slightest squeeze held him in place. "Didn't you listen to anything I said?"

  "Don't kill me!" Mordy couldn't stop the wet heat from flowing through his trousers, leaking liquid terror. "Please don't kill me!"

  "...What are you talking about? Why would I kill you?"

  Mordy's vision darted to the scattered human scraps. "Y-you killed them! That lady begged you, b-but y-you..!"

  "If you're in such a rush to grow up, then face the fucking truth already!" She snapped with a spray of saliva. "The shining heroes you idolise? They're broken, just like the monsters they save you from. The world you're so desperate to discover is ugly. It's brutal. It'll take everything from you, again, and again, and again, until you have less than nothing!" Steaming streams rolled down her cheeks. "You can scream and fight and beg all you like, but it won't make a fucking difference! Those naive dreams of hope you're clinging to are cruel lies, crafted to keep you bleeding all the longer!" Her finger jabbed at his chest, hitting like a hammer. "The sooner you accept despair, the less you'll have to suffer!"

  Mordy winced and whimpered in pain.

  The prodding came to a sudden stop. The rage retreated from Princess Sunshine's face. A few seconds later, her grip upon his throat weakened, before falling away entirely.

  I want to go home!

  Yet there was one very important thing Mordy had to report before he could return to the orphanage. "B-Bubb-bblebun!" he yelped. "Bubblebun's in trouble!"

  "...What?"

  "You have to help her! We were b-being chased! By a long-tongued monster covered in teeth!"

  The bright saucers widened until Mordy felt their gaze like a crushing weight, as if two blazing suns were ready to burn him and everything else to ash. "Pearlypop..." The word emerged a death sentence. Royal feathers flared with a rush of searing air. "Where is she?"

  Revenge

  ( Puddingpuff )

  Puddingpuff looked out over her realm, the crown heavy upon her head. Oh how she longed for someone to talk to. Her sisters were gone. Her subjects extinct. From her throne of bones, she ruled only an endless bog of sobbing blood.

  That was when she became aware of the pain. It twisted and tore at her innards. She put a hand to her stomach to try and ease the sensation, only to feel her abdomen swell like a grotesque balloon.

  In panic, she ripped the dress from her bloating belly. Her skin was squirming. She opened her mouth to scream, only to gargle upon a rising writhing.

  Stretching skin reached its limit and started to split. Copious crimson spurt. Carnivorous caterpillars crawled from failing flesh, falling to a mess of wriggling viscera. Even if her larvae-spewing maw could call for help, there was no one left to hear.

  Her hearing rustled. Her vision twitched. A trembling hand snatched up her mirrored locket. Within, the reflection's eyes were nudged and bumped as stubby-legged worms squeezed from sockets, ears and nose.

  Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, the starry sky began to burn. An infernal butterfly upon wings of raging flame descended.

  Puddingpuff launched from her chair and landed upon hands and knees. She shook uncontrollably, as if she'd been hauled from a frozen sea. Temples throbbed with audible pressure. Lungs shuddered. Mind spun.

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  ...A nightmare? It felt so real. So horribly real...

  The stowaway shifted within her gut. She curled a fist and slammed it into her side, causing a pained cough.

  Settle down, you wretched fucker.

  She pursed her parched lips and tried to steady her breathing. It wasn't until her heart ceased hammering that she realised she wasn't alone in her Tearoom Office.

  "...Princess Puddingpuff, are you ok?" asked a timid voice. "I'm sorry if I startled you."

  She'd always thought Tarrare to be an unremarkable man. Yet, when her business had come under attack, it was he alone who'd dared challenge the two Fairy Princesses responsible. It mattered not whether it had been bravery or stupidity that had allowed the doorman to rush to her defense. What mattered was how he had tried to ward off Cutiehorn. That was why Puddingpuff had trusted him and only him to wake her when the time was right.

  She waved his concern away and rose to her feet. "Are the preparations complete?" she rasped, her mouth dry. "Is everyone in attendance?"

  Tarrare bowed his head. "Mostly. Things have gotten really rough out there. We're missing quite a few VIPs, but plenty of newcomers turned up. I believe everything is as you asked."

  "Good," said Puddingpuff.

  She looked to her office's full-length mirror to double check her new look. Gone were the layers of stitched icing and fabric cream. Now a gothic gown accentuated her frame. The pink silentsilk dress had served her well, but had become bloodstained and tattered of late. She had not the time to wait for Dollymop's repairs. Besides, its pastel colours and desserty design were far too cute for what was to come.

  Her curls were dyed dark. Boots painted black.

  "Let us proceed." Puddingpuff took up her unsheathed rapier. "Oh, and Tarrare? Stay close..."

  Of course, it wasn't for her own protection that she kept her loyal guard nearby. Anything that could threaten a fairy would have no trouble rolling over even the most devoted human. No. This was for his benefit.

  She'd been careful with her words when Bubblebun and Cutiehorn had stormed the Tearoom, for she'd known not all would flee as instructed. Besides those who'd found hiding places within the building itself, she was sure that some would linger by the exits to listen in on their conversation. The indoctrinated might even report back to their cult leader. If Skaphos was cunning enough to engineer a queendom's downfall, then she could not afford to declare her loyalties too soon.

  Together, they stepped out onto the Tearoom's stage. As requested, vandalised banners had been strung up on every wall of the theatre. Each appearance of Titania's burning butterfly was smeared with a line of ink. The sight brought a smile to Puddingpuff's lips.

  It was the first time she'd ever opened the Tearoom's doors to all citizens. Many regulars had indeed answered her call, but for every VIP badge holder, there were two or more first-timers. She'd never seen the space so crammed. Many had even chosen to don their midnight robes in testament to their extremity.

  I suppose it was little too optimistic of me to hope for the puppet master's attendance...

  As expected, the crowd was rather rowdy, and for good reason. Puddingpuff hadn't just spent the day interrogating turncoats, but spreading whispers. She'd had all reports pulled, and called upon every favour owed to spread word. Invitation had been offered not only to those who'd fallen for the prophet's rebellious divinations, but those who'd heeded the scholar's divisive lessons too. With both sides of the schism gathered in one room, she knew it wouldn't take long for Skaphos' lies to start unravelling.

  Within the containment of her Tearoom, the powder keg was seconds from igniting. Threats boomed from shrouding cowls. Iron daggers were drawn and ready to retaliate. Waves of violence rolled. Blood would spill at any second.

  Tarrare handed Puddingpuff a funnel-like copper instrument, designed to amplify one's voice.

  She raised it to her lips. "Skysettled! Forestfolk! Your attention, please!"

  A choir of untamed insults hurled in her direction. Heretic. Heathen. Hussy.

  "Yes, yes. Please just refrain from killing each other for five seconds!"

  The detestable rabble quietened. It was less a sense of order, and more a fleeting redirection of scorn. She intended to capitalise nonetheless.

  "Those of you with talkative elders will no doubt have heard of the poverty this realm endured prior to my intervention. All I ask in return for the peace and prosperity I brought to your lives is a moment of your time. I assure you, such an investment shall prove far more profitable than dying..."

  Puddingpuff scanned the gathering. Her every word dampened the fuse, albeit temporarily. They remained far from co-operative, but most were at least listening.

  She first addressed those who trusted her least, and tenderly so. "Stargazers. Your beliefs were stifled. Your villages burned. Your loved ones sacrificed... to the horrendous force under the tyrant's direct control."

  Presented with such appetising bait, even hushed voices died down.

  "You heard correctly, and from once-royal lips. I, Puddingpuff, denounced my former title the moment I learned the truth. The ichor is indeed but another of Titania's slaves."

  "Like we'd believe an unfaithful!" screamed a fanatical Stargazer. "The prophet is one of us!"

  Puddingpuff's tongue reacted with a serpent's swiftness, lest the accusation shatter the calm she'd curated. "May I remind you, exactly who it was that answered the forestfolk's plight during the day of Winterwish's and Merrymint's tragic demise? It was I and my dear sisters. We left those villages standing. It was the tyrant who razed them to the ground."

  Uncertain glances bounced throughout. With one half's fangs blunted, she set about the second.

  "Skysettled. You're not driven by hatred, but fear. Concern that your own homes and families might undergo the same terrible fate as those below. You held no ill-will towards your neighbours before Titania marched them to your doorsteps."

  "They practice blood rituals!" roared a skysettled, inciting boisterous reinforcement.

  Puddingpuff met their gaze. "And they look upon your customs with just as much confusion, but that hasn't stopped them from providing food to Rainbow City for generations. Here's a word of advice. Respect your source of sustenance."

  "What about the rationing?" called a voice. "Half the farms are ash, and the rest are buried under snow!"

  Puddingpuff offered a polite smile. "No need to fret, friend. It is not just I and the Moonchild who have turned against the tyrant. Cutiehorn, Bubblebun and Cherrychomp all share your concerns."

  Not even I can convince them of Splishsplash's dissent.

  "Put your differences aside and place your faith in us," she continued. "Soon enough, the Enchanted Forest will be purged of corruption. Forestfolk can return to rebuilt homes and worship without judgement. Rainbow City will thrive in a new age of freedom, where all manner of reasonable pleasures can be enjoyed in the privacy of one's own dwelling."

  It took a few seconds for her promises to settle. Those in attendance looked around, as if expecting someone to find a flaw with her proposal. When no one objected, eyes started to widen in hope. Some even dared cautious smiles.

  That's right. I hold the answers to all of your problems. Come and eat from the palm of my hand.

  Now that there was little risk of the complimentary beverages going to waste, Puddingpuff motioned for her staff to proceed. Handing out illegal intoxicants so unchecked would've been unthinkable a few days ago. Yet now, as far as all were concerned, Titania's rules may as well be no more. "I propose a toast!" She helped herself to a glass of cream liqueur and resisted her thirst a moment longer to raise it high. "Gaze into the eyes of one you would call your enemy. Do they appear a devil? No. They're the same allies they have always been. Be you born of the woodlands, or this beautiful arch, you are all, as I, Titanian. May we reclaim this realm from its tyrannical namesake, together."

  One by one, Puddingpuff watched the glasses rise into the air. Her speech had almost worked too well. For the briefest of moments, she even considered changing her plan.

  "To freedom!" She narrowed her lashes and bathed her dry mouth in sickly sweetness, watching almost every patron join her.

  To her, the taste was disgustingly familiar. To the Tearoom regulars, the flavour was not as they remembered. Faces creased and brows furrowed in confusion as they swallowed not alcoholic liqueur, but laced cream.

  "I apologise if it is not as you recall," said Puddingpuff. "I'm afraid I spat in each and every glass." She let the drained vessel fall from her fingers and smash.

  First came the pink twinkles, followed by coughing and spluttering. Then the crazed clawing at neck and jaw. Dozens tried to flee from her web, as if leaving might help them escape the poison that already lined their permeable tracts.

  Gurgling howls rang out from the vast sea of struggle. Screams and squeals became sloppy as tongues turned to syrup, teeth to meringue and throats to fondant. Skin dried and separated to make room for spongy holes. Liquefying eyes poured down pocked cheeks. Lungs fizzed, frothed, bubbled and popped. Softening chest cavities collapsed, spilling jammy organs and jellifying bones across the floor.

  One of the hooded few that hadn't drunk rushed at Puddingpuff, brandishing a ferric dagger. She dispatched of them with a casual flick of her blade.

  Hundreds pushed, pulled, and clambered over one another, accidentally tearing cakey chunks from their fellows. It was difficult to determine where one body ended and the next began, for the victims were all crumbling and oozing into heaped mush. Past a certain point, they may as well have been a single suffering organism, united in fear as the forms they'd inhabited their whole lives underwent the unthinkable.

  Puddingpuff approached the sweet swamp upon lofty heels. "I brought order to your worthless lives! I provided outlets for your fickle frustrations! I confined your yearnings for chaos so you might thrive!" She stamped and scalded so furiously it had her panting for breath. "Turning on Titania is one thing, but you dared to disrespect me? You chose to whisper behind my back? You impudent, insolent, intolerable ingrates!" She kicked at the amalgamated abomination, spraying quivering slush into the air.

  A shame Briar could not be among them...

  "Wha-... wha-... wha-..?" whimpered a voice from behind.

  Puddingpuff turned to see Tarrare upon his knees, trembling in horror.

  "What have you done..?" he asked. "What is this?"

  "Is that not obvious?" asked Puddingpuff. This wasn't about bettering the queendom, nor thinning Titania's enemies. It wasn't another step in some grand plan. For decades she'd catered to the populace's indulgences. Now they served to satisfy hers. "Revenge."

  Tarrare's teary, terrified gaze shifted back and forth between his own shaking hands, and the messy mass of gateau and clothes smeared throughout the theatre. "H-how did you know I wasn't one of them?"

  Even now the fool has no clue why he's been spared?

  "Those who attended the scholar's lessons were granted iron daggers. You, meanwhile, could only produce a brass butterknife to fight off a fairy. Truly pathetic, yet fortunately telling."

  Tarrare clutched at his head and whined.

  "You'll find the treasury unlocked," said Puddingpuff. "Help yourself to whatever you can carry."

  "What?" asked Tarrare. "Why? What's going on?"

  "I, at least, am leaving this shambolic realm," said Puddingpuff. "I advise you fill your pockets, locate your loved ones and do the same." She pinched at her dress and lifted a little, so she could start wading through the distressed dessert. "Oh, and if you happen to see Cutiehorn again, tell them to take good care of my imp..."