{Betty}
I was practicing on the arrow obstacle course, still trying to get the second step of the Mirror Technique down. Sawyer did tell me that I was ready to start learning the third step, but I passed on it because I disagreed. I felt that I needed more practice on the second step.
After taking a couple of arrows to the chest, I laid flat on my back, very annoyed with myself. I caught my breath and sat up. I looked over to see Max coming towards me. It was bad enough that I'm annoyed with trying to perfect the Mirror Technique, I didn't need this crap right now. At first, I glared at Max, but then I remembered an idea that Dae and I had talked about the other day. Max is my stalker now and I'm not only annoyed---I'm pissed about it.
"Hey!" Max said. "I'm not a stalker, and I'm not a bug either!"
"Oh, because from the way I see it, you're both!" I growled. "How many times do I have to say no before you get the point?"
Betty, Dae thought, remember what we talked about the other day?
Oh, yeah, that's right! Time to put Operation Maxipoo into play, I thought.
Once again, I picked up an arrow, and this time I used my Fire, Darkness, and Light powers to turn it into an even more potent arrow. Or I hoped it was a more potent arrow. It would be one that would surely make Max finally get the point. I was able to hide my thoughts by quickly changing my thoughts from ‘Max is a stalker and a bug’ to ‘I love Maxipoo’ over and over again.
Uh, Betty? What are you doing? Norman thought.
We talked about this the other day. Just sit back and watch the show, Dae thought.
Say what now? Norman thought.
You'll see. Just don't interfere okay? Dae thought.
I smiled at Max, thinking about how I had changed my mind about him and I was flirting with him.
"You know something, Maxipoo?" I said, starting the lie. "I just realized I've been looking at your feelings for me all wrong. I've been so stressed out about this rampaging clown, Mr. Giggles, that Dae and Norman just aren't enough to satisfy me. I think it's time I add one more lover into the mix."
Max paused and then he raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
I smiled and kept the lie going. "Oh yes, I've also decided not to throw daggers at you anymore. Nope, I think I'll just throw myself at you instead."
I looked over when I heard Dae trying his best to stifle a laugh. Norman had a confused look on his face.
I started rocking back and forth on my feet as if I were a girl back in high school asking a guy out on a date. Max smiled and when he hesitated, I rolled my eyes. "You know if you want me you have to come near me."
I made a motion with my index finger for him to come closer. "Oh, come on, Maxipoo, isn't this what you've been wanting? A chance to get in bed with the loveable Queen of Hell?"
Max still hesitated and, once again, I rolled my eyes at him. "Wow, getting you to say yes to me is like pulling teeth. I'm over here, not over there. If you want me, then you need to come get me."
I kept the dagger I had in my hand behind my back. I figured because I had one hand behind my back was why Max was hesitating so bad.
Max tilted his head. "What's behind your back?"
I lied, "Oh, nothing, it's a gift from me to you. I figured I would start giving all of my new lovers a gift! You know, in appreciation for wanting a chance to sleep with me."
I looked over, choking down my laughter. Dae was biting his tongue so hard that he had tears in his eyes, trying not to laugh at my acting skills. Norman looked like he was starting to get the point and was trying to keep a straight face.
Max smiled and finally stopped hesitating, and came closer to me. When he was face to face with me, I took my dagger and drove it deep into his chest. He coughed and wheezed. It looked like the dagger knocked the wind out of him.
"Listen to me," I snarled into his ear, "do you really think I would change my mind that quickly? I'm showing you mercy this time by pulling the dagger out of you. So you can take some time to recover. Next time I won't show mercy. I'll leave the dagger in and you won't be able to move until I send for a servant to come pick you off the ground. Although it might take me a while, if and when I get around to it. Do we have an understanding?"
"Yes," Max wheezed, "Your Highness…"
"Good," I snarled, "keep it that way!"
I yanked the dagger out of Max's chest and pushed him away. He landed flat on his back. I threw the dagger and it landed a few inches in front of him. As Max laid down on the ground trying to catch his breath, Dae came up to us laughing hysterically.
"I can't believe you fell for it!" Dae laughed. "I know when Betty's lying and you fell for it. She's so creative, isn't she?"
Norman came up to us in a fit of hard laughter at Max's stupidity. "Wow, Max, you're the dumbest person I've ever seen! I mean, really, someone telling you no this entire time, and suddenly she starts singing a different tune? I'm not that stupid. But you just can't help yourself, can you?"
Dae was fighting so hard to get his laughter under control, I was surprised he could even speak. "I can't wait to hear this on the news tomorrow! I can just see the title of the article: 'Prince Max's Stupidity Strikes Again!' That is going to be hilarious!"
I finally got Dae to stop laughing when I kissed him. Then I kissed Norman, and I turned around just so I could stick my tongue out at Max. I flicked my tail in annoyance and walked away. I started laughing because I could still hear Norman and Dae laughing at Max's stupidity.
* * *
{Norman}
Robert, Jasper, Sunset, and I were sitting out back in the garden behind the Castle in Canterlot with our newborn baby, Jacob. He was asleep in his bassinet and sucking his thumb. I couldn't help but think of how cute he was sleeping. Sunset had just given birth to Jacob a few weeks ago.
It seems that all of the children born into the family are absolutely adorable! That doesn't surprise me because he gets his good looks from my side of the family. Of course, Sunset is beautiful, too.
I had brought the latest news article with me and we couldn't stop laughing about Dae's brother, Max's, latest stupidity. Betty is definitely creative when it comes down to fending off her stalkers and idiots like Max.
"Too bad you couldn't have been there to see it!" I laughed. "The guy fell for Betty's lie. Oh, yeah, he's the dumbest guy I've ever seen. I mean, really? The girl kept telling him no over and over again, and then she started singing a different tune all of the sudden? Wow, such stupidity."
"No kidding!" Jasper said.
Finally, we stopped laughing, and I looked over to see Robert smiling at me. "What's that look for, Robert?"
"I heard Dae helped you get over your little problem, as far as the bedroom is concerned?" Robert asked.
"Yup," Sunset confirmed, "he did it with me the other day. Not bad, if I do say so myself."
I felt my face turn red and I looked away.
"So, how did he do it?" Jasper asked.
"Dae has a bit of a habit of pushing me into a situation and making me face it head-on," I replied.
"Huh," said Robert, he looked at Sunset, "at least he didn't have to slap you for it. Right, Sunset?"
I looked over to see Sunset's face turn red, and she pretended to go back to taking care of Jacob.
"In Sunset's defense," said Jasper, "at least she's not throwing daggers at our nuts."
Robert started to give Jasper a creepy bedroom look. I would have laughed at this but I didn't think this was a laughing matter. It was just downright creepy.
"What's that look for, Robert?" Jasper questioned.
Robert gave Jasper a flirting smile. "Oh, nothing, I'm just undressing you with my eyes."
Jasper pretended to look down at his watch and then he acted like he remembered he had something important to do. "Well, look at the time, there's something I need to take care of, so . . ."
Jasper couldn't walk away fast enough when Robert decided to slap his butt. I rolled my eyes.
Robert looked at me. "What did I do?"
I shook my head. "It's nothing, Robert."
Robert had a confused look on his face and I had no idea why.
* * *
{Betty}
I still felt like I hadn't perfected the second step of the Mirror Technique. I had just practiced on the arrow obstacle course, and I was sitting on the ground frustrated about it. Since Norman and Dae were busy at the moment, and not watching me train, I could set the obstacle course to the hardest level and push myself as much as I wanted to.
I had an arrow in my hand, and I was tapping it on the ground, trying to think. Strangely enough, Max hadn't come around yet to bug me. That was fine by me. I think that arrow I put in his chest finally got it through his thick skull that I'm not interested in him.
As I was sitting down thinking, I heard Sawyer's gentle laugh from behind me.
I smiled when I saw him. "What are you doing here, Sawyer?"
"Did you forget that we were supposed to be training today?" Sawyer asked.
"We were?" I said. "I guess I did forget, oops, I'm sorry."
Sawyer gave a gentle laugh. "I do have a question for you."
"What might that be?" I asked.
Sawyer chuckled. "You want to catch all of the arrows don't you?"
I was puzzled by this statement. "Isn't that the whole point of practicing on the obstacle course?"
Sawyer laughed. "No, because that's impossible. You know how many arrows are in the obstacle course?"
"How many?" I asked.
"Over a billion," Sawyer said matter of factly.
My jaw dropped. "But-"
"Oh, Betty," said Sawyer, "the whole point of the second step to the Mirror Technique is to achieve absolute complete focus. Did your mentor, Sami, tell you anything about having Harmony within yourself?"
I nodded.
"You need to have a calm mind and focus in order to keep your powers from overtaking you. You didn't master these steps until now. That's why Mr. Giggles was able to attack you like he did. It seems that I wasn't the only one who saw the chaos inside of you. That's why I decided to help you. Barely anyone knows how to do the Mirror Technique, and with mastering this, you master your powers and can calm the chaos inside you, once and for all. There's no way that Norman and Dae would be able to do what you've been able to do. Not in the slightest," Sawyer explained.
"Why's that?"
"Because they can't sit still long enough to even try to start learning it. Even if they do have a calm mind, they can't master the Bubble of Silence, am I right?"
I nodded again.
Sawyer chuckled, "See? You're a Legend, even at that. May I make a friendly suggestion?"
I raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You've only been at this for a year now, and you've already mastered the first two steps of the Mirror Technique," Sawyer said. "When your teacher says you're ready to move on to the next level, then I would take them up on the offer. So, what do you say? You ready to do it?"
I thought about what Sawyer just said and I agreed with him. "Yes, I'm ready to learn the next step."
* * *
The next day, Norman summoned me to the Castle in Canterlot. As soon as I got there, he took me to his bedroom. This kind of annoyed me because I wasn't in the mood for sex at the moment.
But instead of giving me the look he always gives me when he wants sex, he was giving another strange look and I had no idea what it meant. Once Norman and I were inside his bedroom, he sat down on the bed beside me.
"I'm not going for it, because I know you don't want to have sex at the moment," Norman said.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"Your body language, duh!" Norman responded. "I think I have another way that can help you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"Just lay down on your stomach," Norman instructed.
I did as Norman said. Norman kind of acted like what he said he didn't want to do.
"I thought you didn't-" I started.
Norman shushed me and ran a finger down my back, stopping when he got to the spot where my wings connected to my back. He took the heel of his hand and pushed on that area. As he massaged that area, I went from being tense to being completely relaxed.
"Uh-huh," said Norman, "that's exactly what I thought. Every time I touched you in this area, it's very tense, even after sex. I figured if I got this area relaxed, it would help you out quite a bit. It turns out I was right."
"How did you figure that out?" I asked. "Even Dae doesn't know how to do that."
"Why do you think I've been holding you in that area every time we're just walking around?" Norman responded.
I groaned, "Oh."
After he was done, I rolled over on my back, feeling completely relaxed. Norman had a look of joy on his face and I'm going to assume that it was because he found another way that he could help me.
"I should do this more often," said Norman. "This is the most relaxed you've been. I completely understand why you're so stressed out because of that rampaging clown."
"Yeah," I said in a daze.
Norman looked at me thoughtfully. "I think I have a way I can add to this. It will make you feel so relaxed you'll think you're dreaming."
I paused. "Huh?"
He took me to a door in the corner of his room. He opened the door. It was a huge closet, similar to the one I had back at home.
I tilted my head. "You wanted to show me your closet?"
Norman smiled and then shook his head. "No, it's what's behind the closet."
He led me to the end of the closet and there was another door. He took out some sort of key and opened it. When I saw what was behind the door, my jaw dropped. It was the biggest bathroom I had ever seen! The bathroom was as big as the swimming area behind the castle in Hell.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"It's my private bathroom," answered Norman. "No one knows about it unless I say they can."
"Oh," I said, "it's funny because demons don't need to bathe. I go to the swimming area just to relax."
Norman laughed. "I know that. This bathroom has controls where I can set the temperature and things like that."
Norman went over to a box on the left side of the room and opened it up. He pressed a couple of buttons on it and suddenly the bathtub came to life. The water was boiling and after a minute or two, it stopped.
"Okay," I said. "What now?"
Norman rolled his eyes. "What do you think?"
Norman got undressed and then I followed suit. I looked over to see Norman staring at me. "What?"
Norman smiled. "You just can't help but be beautiful, can you?"
Norman went into the bathtub and picked a spot and sat down. I hesitated at first, but then I went over and sat down beside him. He had me sit on his lap and he held me in his arms. He was right, I felt so relaxed that I felt I was dreaming.
* * *
"You know your mind goes back to worrying about Norman and me after you've finished training?" Dae asked.
Dae and I had taken care of our royal duties for the day and we were sitting in the water in the swimming area, just chilling out. Or at least, I thought I was chilling out. I guess my mind did go back to worrying about things again.
I smiled. "You two are very different on how you do things when it comes down to me."
Dae chuckled, "Yeah, I know, and if I was insecure, I wouldn't let you have any male companions, and that would include your brother, Norman."
I paused. "What made you bring that up?"
"Because you're thinking about it right now," Dae said. "You're even worried about Ruby now that she's married and started a family of her own, do you realize that?"
I sighed, "I do. I still can't help it. I guess I should be comforted by the fact that Mr. Giggles won't be able to reach me here."
"I can tell by your thoughts, that you're more afraid of confronting Mr. Giggles again. Am I right?" Dae asked.
I looked away in embarrassment. "I guess so."
Dae snorted. "No need to be embarrassed about being afraid of something. Heck, I'm the King of Hell, and I'm afraid of clowns in general. I'm also going to guess that you're afraid you won't be able to stop Mr. Giggles from harming anyone else?"
I was afraid to say the answer out loud so I just nodded.
"You don't always have to fight your enemies alone," Dae said. "Things are set up in Hell the way they are for a reason. We have our army backing us up in case there's a war. Norman has his army backing him up for the same reason. What my point is, you have help whether you want it or not."
Dae made me look at him and he kissed me. "If I were you, I would just work on practicing the Mirror Technique. We'll find a way to stop Mr. Giggles together, okay?"
I nodded because I didn't know what to say. But one thing I know for sure was that Dae, Norman, Cozy Glow, and I would work together so that we can stop Mr. Giggles.