Mother Goose: An Empire Falls Page 2

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  But Mother Goose caught it in a vice grip a bare inch from her breast.

  The women in the doorway barely flinched, but they readied their stances for battle.

  “If you wish to kill the greatest empress, ruler, and creator this realm has ever known…” Mother Goose hissed as she rose to her feet. “… I suggest you choose a strategy beyond hurling pointy sticks at her.”

  “Battle formations, go!” Cinderella yelled.

  Dorothy alighted and zoomed into the air, circling around and raining fireball upon fireball at the single woman standing in the center of the room. Snow White strafed to the left, firing an arrow as she went, careful not to hit her allies, trying desperately to get behind her target.

  Alice led the charge down the middle, laughing maniacally and screaming, “A very happy unbirthday!” She threw her bladed cards and leapt to bring her axe down on her target. Cinderella let her get several steps ahead before charging. She came in at a slight angle to avoid hitting Alice.

  It was all for nothing.

  The fireballs splashed against an unseen barrier a few feet outside of Mother Goose’s body. She shifted her shoulder line to narrowly avoid the arrow. She dashed forward, bending her knees and laying straight back to limbo under the throwing cards, only to rise up and catch Alice by the throat. She then turned and threw the deranged serial killer at Cinderella. The two toppled to the ground.

  Snow White fired another arrow, hoping to catch her off-guard. But Goose snatched the arrow out of the air and then hurled back at her like a cruise missile. The shaft buried itself into the wall, catching Snow White’s combat dress just at the hip.

  Dorothy fired again, but Mother Goose was no stranger to sorcery. She caught the fire ball in her hand and lobbed back. It hit the broom at the bristles, threw off its flight pattern and sent it spiraling into a wall. Dorothy clicked her heels together and teleported herself safely to the ground. She threw her arms up and then launched a pillar of hellfire at the empress before her.

  Mother Goose knew she couldn’t block this power forever, even as she tried to redirect it. Still, this rank amateur was no match for her guile. Her eyes glowed as storm clouds gathered in the room. Thunder cracked and lightning flashed before a gentle rain began to fall.

  The pillar of flame died out. The greenish tint to Dorothy’s skin washed away. She was still human, so water wouldn’t kill her. But the witch’s power she’d stolen was negated by the pure element. With her power suddenly gone, she had no defense against Mother Goose’s telekinesis as she was suddenly launched into a wall.

  Cinderella was up and swinging her sword, sometimes like a professional warrior, sometimes like a drunken lumberjack. Mother Goose was always a step ahead, dodging deftly as she bent her spine in unnatural ways to avoid the blade.

  Snow White realized she was out of arrows, but cut herself free from the one lodged in the wall with the hunting knife and hatchet. She and Alice attacked from opposite sides, hoping to penetrate Mother Goose’s defenses.

  They never had a prayer.

  She caught Cinderella by the forearms and guided the sword to block the attacks coming from either side. As she turned Alice’s axe away, she kicked Snow White in the face. Twisting Cinderella’s arms and ducking underneath the sword, she threw a second kick into Alice’s torso and then flipped the battle worn seductress onto the floor. Raising her hands, she mentally lifted the three from the floor and threw them against the wall to lie beside Dorothy’s unconscious body. It all happened so quickly that Cinderella lost her glass slippers along the way.

  “Is that it? Fools! Do you think the palace, the guards, or any part of it mean anything to me? I made you! I can unmake you!”

  She raised her hands once more.

  “But you didn’t make me.”

  She calmly walked down the hall, entering the throne room with grace and elegance. Her newest adornment indicated she’d visited home recently to see Helen and restock her supplies. The black uniform hugged her frame tightly. Various tools and utilities were concealed throughout her garments. Blonde hair, radiant as the sun, flowed behind her.

  “But you… you’re just one girl against a goddess. What chance do you have?”

  “I’m opting to trust in luck and earn a fairy tale ending,” Goldilocks answered. She crouched into an ancient Kung-Fu fighting stance. “Are you ready?”

  Mother Goose’s hair had been held fast in place with a pair of knitting needles. Now those came down, one in each hand, as she jumped off one foot and hovered an inch off the ground to lunge the dozen yards between her and Goldilocks.

  Goldilocks dove out of the way, rolled across the ground, and snatched up the glass slippers her comrade had dropped. Using the spiked heel as a weapon, she went toe to toe with Mother Goose, each attempting to gore the other. Goose had the advantage as she levitated, whirling kicks and slashes at Goldilocks’ face and throat.

  The blonde assassin was not so easily overwhelmed. She performed a perfect back handspring, her feet knocking one of the needles from Goose’s grip. Three more flips and she had enough space to throw the shoes as perfect shuriken at her opponent.

  Mother Goose dodged the first, but the second caught her at the wrist and knocked the sewing needle clear. Infuriated, she opened her mouth and spat flames at the little upstart. Goldilocks reacted by running to the far wall. One, two, three, four steps up the wall and she had cleared Goose’s range with the fire. Leaping off, she twisted in the air and threw a small arsenal of militarized candy drops from Hansel and Gretel’s house, each one exploding on impact.

  Mother Goose narrowly avoided the blasts. She dodged to the side and turned in time to see that Goldilocks was now emerging from the smoke, all kicks and punches.

  At last, headway was made. Three punches and a solid kick found their mark. Mother Goose, who hadn’t felt pain in a dynasty’s age, fell back in shock. The gutsy warrior stood proud, but was panting hard.

  Mother Goose actually smiled. “Not bad. I can’t remember the last time someone was able to keep up with me. That old hag taught you well.”

  Goldilocks said nothing. She didn’t have the breath to spare.

  “But you’re clearly at your limits.”

  Mother Goose tried to use her telekinesis once more. The only effect was a stiff breeze that barely moved Goldilocks’ hair.

  For the first time, Mother Goose’s eyes went wide with terror. “What?”

  “I told you,” Goldilocks whispered. “You didn’t make me. You have no power over me.”

  The older woman’s lips twisted in a fit of unbridled fury. “I’ll eat your liver for dinner!”

  She lunged.

  Goldilocks rocked back, placing her foot directly in Mother Goose’s pelvis and launched her into the floor behind her.

  “Here!” a voice cried.

  Dorothy was awake, although clearly not capable of doing battle. She slid Cinderella’s enormous sword across the floor. It skittered over the marble until it hit the carpet.

  Goldilocks moved to get it, but Mother Goose kicked her legs out from under her. Before the girl could react, she was pinned down by the weight of someone sitting on her back. Cold hands wrapped around her throat and began to squeeze.

  When all hope seemed lost, a valiant sparrow came to the rescue. He flew right in the face of the most powerful being in all of fairy tale existence. On his back rode Thumbelina. She slashed at the tip of Mother Goose’s nose again and again with her tiny sabre as the little sparrow beat his wings at her eyes and clawed at her lips with his tiny feet.

  In a deft wave of her hand, Mother Goose sent the little heroes hurtling to the side… in time for Goldilocks to severe her head in one clean swipe.

  The once beautiful head dropped to the floor. The body followed after. It was finished.

  “We did it,” Dorothy panted from the corner as she and the other girls began to revive. Goldilocks sank to her knees, using the sword to hold her
self up as she looked back over her shoulder through the mess of her hair and laughed softly.

  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. But then…

  “Earthquake! Everyone stay down!” Goldilocks yelled.

  But it was so much more than just an earthquake. With Mother Goose dead, the world she created began to fall apart. It twisted and crumpled. Rays of blank white nothingness poured into every corner. In an instant, Goldilocks found herself floating in a void.

  She laughed silently to herself, and then louder. She’d fought because she thought she lost everything. Now that she had won… she literally had nothing.

  “But I won… I won!” Goldilocks cried out. The rest of eternity in that space held nothing except the echoes of a maniac’s laughter.