Chapter Text
The downstairs floor was lively, her servants rushing around to prepare defensive mechanisms as she stood at the grand staircase, Apple standing overwatch upon the developments to ensure their safeties. She mentally checked off everything being scattered around.
Traps? Check.
Speech? Check.
Armory? Check- as best as you can arm a bout of furniture anyways.
Banging on the door? Right on time.
There is a gunshot at the door as a scream was let out. “THE BEAST IS MINE!” Comes as the door breaks down. Havoc breaking out immediately on the bottom floor as glass shatters and bodies fall to the floor, tea piping right from the tea cups and forks flying, blood splattering on the floor as fires lit the curtains and draped on the humans, burning them alive, a ginger she faintly recognized was getting smothered by a few pillows. However, Apple’s gaze remained on the man in a blue coat, who was shoving and breaking anything in his path to reach the grand stairs, She hid in the shadows as she crept up quietly, avoiding the doors of the west wing.
“There you are!” A machete was thrown at the cloth next to her, causing Apple to straighten as she snarled, meeting eyes with the brunette hunter, a shotgun on his back and an axe in hand. That must have been what broke the lock inside, at max he has to have at most four more shots, at least one more at least, she couldn’t take any risks. She grabbed the large knife and threw it out a window, one less thing to worry about. “Where is Rosabelle?” He demanded, adjusting his sleeve and folding the edges.
“Dexter, look, we can talk about this.” Apple began, walking backwards as he approached with his axe, continually striking at her neck as she hopped back. Apple was a diplomat and even with claws, had no intention of mauling the former prince originally but they were getting too close to where Raven was for comfort. She was shuffling the paper cards with her claws though they got slashed by the swinging. The blade inched closer and closer with every swing aimed at her, all she could do was duck and shove as she tried to talk this out. Soon her back was to the door with all her failed attempts of peace, and he smirked.
“There is nothing to discuss. You are beneath me and will soon be a rug!” He fumed back, going in for a slit as Apple ducked, the door slashing open, Dexter now with the upper hand, lifted his leg and his newfound strength kicked the chimira inside, her back slamming into the pedestal with the rose remaining inside. The table wobbling and the glass shattering to her side. The rose remains in place with all its original glory. Something that comes with being a big animal, your bones are much stronger and the stone hadn’t left more than a bruise. She quickly regained a posture upwards as he charged towards her.
She did a side step and finally decided he wouldn’t listen to reason while still armed, finally extending a paw and scratching at the shotgun strap, then kicking it to the bedside. Dexter, who nearly rushed off the balcony, took a dazed moment before turning back at the furred creature and continuing to try and hack at her with the blunt weapon. Apple, losing her initial momentum, raised an arm which sliced right open to his steels wrath. Without much control of her emotions, a roar echoed from the jackalope from sting as red painted her luscious coat.
“Do you think she loves you? Do you think she stayed with you because she wanted to? No.” He taunted. “You took her choice and I shall free her and make her my bride!” Apple rolled her eyes. The poor prince was unaware of the truth and while she was obviously ticked off from being attacked, she believes the fate he was given was much crueler, as at least the beast has a happily ever after. “Belle loves me a lot more than Belle ever loved you, makes you wonder who the real monster is.” She barked back, getting lost in the moment. The blue pupils narrowed as she tackled them both to the balcony. The axe falling to the side as her beastly anger took form as she grabbed him by the stuffy collar and lifted him above the edge, the urge to kill him here and now vastly growing every second that he was vulnerable to stop her from dropping him into the spikes.
Hanging him over the edge, Dexter’s eyes widened as he begged for mercy. “Wait! Don’t kill me! I’m too young to die- Rosabelle wouldn’t love a murderer, would she?” The name dropped as an attempt to guilt, Apple’s eyes darkened as she brought him back to solid land and let him down, finally noticing a shine in his sleeve, but it was too late as the cold silver stabbed into her chest, a howl leaving the horned creature in distress. He ripped the thin silver out to stab to more times, refusing to give the other any chance to get back up, he didn’t care what it took to win this battle. He grabbed the fluff behind her head and slammed her head into the ground with every force remaining in his fearstruck stance.
Apple was quickly pinned on the ground after the slam, attempting to get back up with both her paws meeting the ground, but he simply stabbed at her shoulder, Apple falling back to the ground fully defenseless. His lips perked into a twisted smile resting on the perpetrators face as he kept a boot on her furry back, snatching his axe back that had been casted aside in the impact by the animal. “Farewell, Beast.” He angles his axe for her neck and goes for the finishing move. Apple closed her eyes, praying it was a bad dream as she waited for the impact…
Click.
…That never came.
Gunshots rang out like bells, Apple eyes flashed back open as she looked around for the source or well- her saviour, confused on why her fate had been delayed, Raven stood forward in her view, the shotgun that had been discarded near the bed earlier clutched in her hands, with an almost feral look in her purple eyes as she stared down ahead, panting heavily. Dexter, blood dripping down his coat as three bullets pieced his chest mercilessly. “I… would take a bullet for your love, but it seems you are no different than this monster.” He let out a pathetic laugh as the axe clattered out of his hands, which had lost strength from the blood pouring from his chest.
A thud followed with his body hitting the floor on top of Apple, who nudged him off with a light look of sympathy, her beige coat now rocking a crimson hue. Raven had frozen, without a second thought about the dead, Apple ran to her side to dote, softly rubbing her back and quietly reassuring her with senseless whispers while standing there aimlessly. Raven’s usual fight or flight was do-first-think-later, Apple stopped her with Courtly, she couldn’t with Gaston.
“You didn’t have a choice, shh, calm down…” Apple shushed with a loving smile, rubbing at her back and nuzzling Raven’s head with her neck fur, the moment couldn’t last as Apple huffed and fell backwards and off of the village girl. Raven null feeling faded as she heard the second body fall, turning over to brush at Apple’s forehead, trying to find a pulse and hoping this was just a poor timed heat wave.
“No- no! Not now!” Apple croaked, her voice growing hoarse as she collapsed back, Raven’s face lingered in fear, her focus off the grief of proving people right and to the rose. The last petal had fallen. Apple tugged at her arm and met eyes with the alarmed bird, she could imagine the others feathers ruffling if her wings remained with her in this world.
“Raven- Raven I’m sure you-“ She continued to cough her lungs catching onto her lies, rolling on her side and Raven sat at her back, trying to soothe the unending agonizing cries from the dying beast. Raven was amok as she tried to hunt for a solution before Apple realized she knew how to fix this, and stared up at Raven with doe eyes. She cleared her throat, a bit nervous for the reaction that’ll come with her actions.
“…Forgive me for this.” Apple used the last of her strengths in her paws to cup Raven’s cheeks, Raven gave her a confused look in return, but it faded as Apple pulled her down by the collar for a kiss. It was brief, or at least you’d think it was from the way the world shifted to blue magic remains, the two of them levitating in the center.
Raven jerked backwards once realizing what was happening, stunned. The expression on her face said enough on how she felt about this, both awestruck yet conflicted nonetheless. Apple shied away as the reality had dissolved. Then dust fluttered at her legs, shifting them to pure dust. Raven was trying to keep footing but Apple spoke up to reassure her sheer worry. She hasn’t gotten into the magical mixup the first time, so it was understandable.
“This… happened the first time too, just relax and… I’ll see you when we wake up?” Apple said with a toothy grin, they both knew the other's experience as a mermaid so it had backing, which seemed to be enough for Raven who took a second to recalculate simply poke fun and nudged the beast. Remaining level headed about the events- as level headed as possible anyways. It’d be pointless to feel guilty about it now, it still gnawed at her even with the grin she posed.
“Never change, Apple, never change. I’ll see you then.” She remarked calmly as they disappeared.