Prologue: Lady Hope

Until very recently, there was a city at the centre of the western world in which clashes between a perceived good and assumed evil would frequently occur. A crucible of power bound only by the imagination of whatever gods were in charge of conjuring these strange quirks of ours. Powers so unique and unnatural we consider them super, the responsibility multiplied tenfold as a result. Responsibility can be a terrifying thing but it can also be a tether, it can ground you and show you the path forwards, help guide you into helping those in need. Help's a funny thing, isn't it? For the longest time I wanted to help and then one day I only wanted to take. Now I sit across a woman I idolised for years until that too changed. Antagonists, protagonists, I'm not sure if the terms even apply in this sticky situation we've found ourselves in. I'm not sure I trust this woman, I certainly can't say I like her, but can I fairly judge her either? This Lady Nova, who was at the top of that city's spiral of power, who sought to enforce order through controlled narratives of permitted crime and timely rescue. All that sits between us is a few plates of finished food and a bowl of fruit. My eyes glance the apple and I cock my head with an expression wryer than the woman's own. 

There was a city once, at the centre of the western world. Here lies New Cassiepeia, the city of superheroes. In its place a forest, a garden, ruled over by a woman who shares my face and little else. The situation we've found ourselves in is a dire one. With New Cassiepeia's greatest hero now a goddess in a gilded cage and the runner ups all succumbed to the garden and its chemical compliance, I'm all that's left to delve into that city transformed. There's a military of course, not a useful one. Save for raining down artillery on their own people made willing hostages, all they can seem to do at this time is contain the garden's growth. Perhaps we were lucky in having a crisis like this break out in a city surrounded by water, but I know that villainess' roots will burrow deep in time. I know those roots well, because they were once mine too. 

I mean to say, that woman who turned our city into a forest of lust and compliance, of unification that melts the walls of your ego to make you one with her collective Hivemind... I was once part of her too. Not unified, but the same original being. We were Joy, fledgling hero simply trying to get herself through college. Then last summer everything changed, we got to meet our heroes and embarked to take down the phantom thief of night who plagued these narcissistic people I'd put up on pedestal. As I delved into the dark, wrapped up in the illusive Miss Murmur's corruptive influence, I soon found that temptation snowballing into a thirst for power unprecedented in Nova's perfect stage play of a city. My hero name, and the ability bestowed me by that higher power we couldn't hope to grasp, was Orchard. With my roots I was able to pull ne'er-do-wells into my mental space, a bright and beautiful orchard in which they'd be left temporarily severed from their bodies in the real world. It came in handy and it was a humble, if strange ability. At least I thought this until I met her, Miss Murmur. Through experimentation and tainted impulse, I learned the true extent of my power and lost my head in the process. Stripped of all inhibition and having been molded into lesbian slut by the heroes I thought I adored, I became Envy. It turned out my power could be used to absorb those of others and using my first stolen power I began to unify anyone I could find into one corrupted collective. I soon possessed hypnotic chemicals I could reproduce at will, unrivalled strength save for Nova's own overwhelming gravity, a healing factor that could not be paralleled and a mind fractured by desire and overstimulation. 

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or something more, that Miss Murmur's final act as a free agent was to arrange my assimilation of our old roommate Danielle. During the final confrontation at Nova Tower in the centre of that now overgrown city, as Envy's satisfaction reached its peak after turning Nova's impossible power inwards with a cheap trick, I was created and cradled. Danielle possesses the power to create a mirror clone of herself and in that moment I found myself born into this world and almost ripped right out of it. Nova's blood restored my health when that thorn in my side almost took me. Now it only seems fair that I pay Envy back in full and become the thorn in her side, even if I've lost my roots and my orchard. In their place I've become the successor to Nova's golden gravity, her giving glow. I've spent these last few days coming to terms with my new powers, growing more and more impatient with each that passes. Flight is surprisingly intuitive, though I suppose the crows could have told me that. Strength is self explanatory, mine is not quite at the level of Nova's at her peak, but it should be more than enough to root up all those weeds in Envy's garden. Finally, I have Lady Nova's own trademarked subjugation tool, her well renowned 'Stare of Submission', it should be a vital ability in confrontations with 'Empress' Envy's lieutenants. 

I am Joy, and as much as I'd rather forgo the hero title and cynically lament on the nature of heroes and villains in this complex state of affairs, I've been convinced by the most complicated of them all that I must see the bigger picture. New Cassiepeia needs a hero right now, it would seem that burden falls on me as the only one left with any capacity to fill the boots. This cape I don reluctantly tells those who see this city's liberation from evil that hope prevails. Can I really call myself Joy when I'm only half of the puzzle that girl became? When one half succumbed to Envy and the other now seeks to balance the scales and embody hope? No, I'll need a new persona, I'd rather keep my record separate from the hero Orchard's at the end of the day. This hero will exist for a time, she'll save and inspire, and then hopefully she'll fade into the annals of history with no mission left to call her own. 

For a time, until this wretched city is saved, until the overgrown flora and its evil have been uprooted... 

I am Lady Hope.

Chapter One: Nova's Protégé

"Joy, you've been staring at your plate for a while now. Lost in thought?" Nicole Black, formerly the hero known as Lady Nova, eyes me sharply from across the table. It's not a kind stare, though nor is it antagonistic. Hers are the eyes of a commander, one ready to hand out orders. With a silent glower I remind the woman she does not hold rank over me in any official capacity, my head lifting to greet the room I had drifted from in bitter recollection. This woman saved me, sheltered me, fed and empowered me. It doesn't mean she has the right to tell me what to do, who to fight, when her responsibility for this mess runs just as deep as my own. It just so happens that our goals are aligned, there are people in need of saving and so I'm beholden to the call. What a good hero I've shaped into, a true prodigy of protégé! As if, I've yet to trade a single blow with an agent of Envy's unified garden, until that moment I test my mettle I'm little more than a baby chick waiting to take its first flight. 

"Delicious eggs, ma'am, but don't you know how to cook anything else? I appreciate you dismissing the staff but for a woman your age isn't that a little embarrassing?" I'm not trying to provoke her, it's just that my image of this woman has tipped from its high pedestal and finds itself in freefall. The eggs weren't even that good, I'm simply being nice. 

Nova hides behind a smirk, cheeks ever so slightly flush from embarrassment. "Well, well, Joy. I'd pegged our progressive youth as a little less old fashioned, if I'd spent all my time in the kitchen instead of training to go to space or keeping this city safe, would we all have been better off? Are you to lecture me on a woman's place in th--"

"Oh my god you're being insufferable, it's not sexist to suggest you learn a few recipes! Besides, I don't think it's particularly progressive to have hired staff doing everything for you either. I'm a student with no money to her name and even I've got a few go to dishes. Or I was a student, my college is currently deep within that maelstrom of vine." I rise from the kitchen table and dismiss myself, not wanting to tarnish the memory of my idol any longer than we already have in this farce of playing house. Today's the day I actually start my mission, or whatever we're calling it. 

The woman rises in tandem and collects the plates with a look of amusement at my words, particularly the end of my outburst. 'Within that maelstrom of vine', I don't speak like that do I?

"I keep catching her in you, from time to time. It's not just the eyes, you're carrying Misty inside of you, I can tell. Not Murmur, I'm sure that doll no doubt stands by her master's side as dark right hand. What sage council she'd have to offer I couldn't say, but I won't pretend to understand either of them. You and Misty, though, can instil hope. A shining mirror against their shadow, or something poetic like that. You know she wrote it? Poetry, I mean." Nova leans over the kitchen counter with a wistful glint in her eyes, cane hanging from her wrist a reminder of her clipped wings. 

"I can believe it." I give the woman a kind look, it isn't always about giving those only what they deserve. She can have my understanding, I just trust her not to take advantage. Unlike her pawns on that old gameboard wiped clean I do not intend to let her use me. "After I'm done here... what'll happen to me? I can't help but worry about it, haha..." A moment of weakness, perhaps I'm feeling more vulnerable than I'd allowed myself to notice. Not to mention nervous, there's a chance I won't even make it to Nova Tower at all. Or that by the time I have, I'm far too... compliant.

Mrs. Black purses her lips, not sure what to say. I'd worry that she's considering more deceit but figure she simply can't give clear answer because she doesn't have one. "If I had to guess, once Envy's garden has been dismantled and unification dispelled, the two of you will be reunited into a single form." What a careful response, she isn't lying to me and yet she omits the obvious follow up. 

"And then we'll be... I'll be imprisoned, right? In that same facility where the other supervillains are held, left to rot for my sins..." It's not the most enticing reward at the end of a hard fought journey, but it doesn't mean I should just abandon the people I've promised to protect. Friends like Mana and Laura, will they even thank me for rescuing them after what I've done? 

"More than likely, yes. Does that give you pause?" Nicole inspects me carefully, invested in the contents of my answer. With aid of cane she approaches and I'm in awe of the woman's presence even in this state of being; she carries herself as any goddess should, even broken. 

Borrowed hazel rises and meets the woman's stained gold eyes, strawberry blonde hair stretching down over this tight white costume I've been gifted. My suit is accented gold, a little gaudy but I'll manage. The short cape, gloves and boots are far less subtle in their Midas affliction. "No, I'd rather confront my crimes than flee from them." My fists tighten in these golden gloves and I hold fast to this lie, of course it gives me pause. 

Nicole chuckles into the frigid air of her empty manor and places hands upon my shoulders, giving me a serious look that makes me blush. I wish I wasn't so hopelessly attracted to her despite everything, it would seem that I've still got the same taste for women that was cultivated in Envy. They trained the straightness right out of me, though I have to wonder how much I really liked men in the first place reaching my first year of college without ever having developed a single crush. The only person I worshipped at that time was Lady Nova, I had posters of her and would watch reruns of her exploits on constant repeat. In hindsight, the obsession could have potentially had a crumb of gayness to it. Obsession, that's a powerful word, compelling as it is intimidating. Obsession is a dance upon a knife's edge, these hands gripping my shoulders with a sense of pride that makes marching drum of my heart. 

"Good girl. Then you're already more suited for the role than I ever was, my protégé." Her lips curl in mischief, hands leaving my shoulders and one moving to mess up my hair. 

I'll let her have this, she's only trying to rile me up. If the woman were not so lonely I might've protested these indulgences of hers. I'm not her good girl, nor her protégé. My hope is my own, I'll nurture it like a flower and plant myself stubbornly in that garden until I've cleansed the rest.

"Yeah well... thanks for breakfast, ma'am. I'll be taking my leave now, bright and early." If I stay any longer she's liable to trap me, dye my hair black again and start calling me Misty. 

The woman senses her reluctance to let me go and smiles at her own weakness, stepping back and giving me a chance to breathe. If she kept petting my hair and insisted I stay, I'd probably be trying to justify a couple more days delay in my duties. It's not right that such a wretched woman could have that effect on me, but again I'll let it pass this time. "Good luck out there, Joy, I've a feeling you'll need all you can get. My heroes were replaceable, sure, but they weren't weak. Not in a head to head anyway."

As if I don't already know that, I've tasted their power first hand. With a curt nod I turn on my heels and resent that these boots aren't simply flat. According to Nova the elevated heels help my image, something the woman has obsessed over her entire life. Well look at her now, though perhaps she's onto something. These clacking steps don't feel half bad and well, I can always just fly if speed becomes a concern. 

"See you in another life, Nova." 

"Oh don't be so dramatic, you'll be back here to lick your wounds soon enough, I..." She cuts herself off and takes a seat, ready to see the back of me. Was she going to say she'd be happy to lick them for me? Such a tease, no wonder she wooed Misty so quickly. 

And with that, I'm off for The Garden, a city no longer. 

A place of overflowing sin, blooming in every corner. 

Chapter Two: False Start

Flight is still something I need to adjust to even if it's not half as daunting as I had expected it to be. More than anything I need to remind myself that I have the option to take flight in the first place, it's not something I've become accustomed to doing without thinking about first. As I come into my powers more I'm sure the act will be no different to extending an arm or taking in breath, all in due time. For now I take things slow, approaching this former concrete jungle that has taken the properties of one in earnest. The buildings still lie dormant deep inside, a graveyard of civilisation, the people who did not manage to evacuate having been converted into dryad drones. So many new servants for the garden, Hivemind's influence stretching from corner to corner in this forest 'paradise'. According to Nova's brief that very much lived up to its name, she explained that while the occasional drone has been seen and even interacted with by ground forces lucky enough to have returned, no men have ever been seen from New Cassiepeia's missing populace. This either means they're being kept somewhere deeper in, perhaps as pets while the female dryads hold the line, or that Envy has repeated her efforts with Mare on a much larger scale. Mare was a small time hero who we crossed paths with during our descent into temptation, he was abrasive but well meaning and we transformed him into something else entirely. Broodmare, a butch powerhouse of a woman who holds undying loyalty towards her empress last I checked. Envy can weaponize her own imagination in the orchard to make alterations such as these, she's a danger to a person's very sense of identity, eager to make you just how she likes. Perfect for her and her alone. 

Thinking on this, as I glide towards the city's edge with growing comfort at the flight, I consider something else I'm going to have working against me no matter where I may walk in that green city. On the same day that we converted our Broodmare, we manifested our garden in an empty lot in the real world and experienced some benefits of the space. Given that this entire city is now garden, I can only assume that Envy's power and influence runs as deep as her roots. There's a good chance I won't be able to hide my presence from her, that the very second I set foot down onto corrupted grass she'll be made aware of it. That's why I have to do this now while the military keeps her spread thin. They may not be making any progress advancing into the city but they're at least keeping my other self and her lieutenants busy. If I wait any longer and things escalate into artillery and beyond, the amount of people I could hope to save will drastically diminish. I don't trust the army one bit, but I'll use them as cover for my exploits. Even if she knows I'm coming, Envy won't be able to give me her full attention just yet. My cape flaps gently in the rush of wind as I reach New Cassiepeia's outskirts and push onwards, noticing that Hive's dryads are not the only drones populating Envy's garden now. 

Technology such as this is surely Mint's doing, a member of the city's former 'Big Four' which was naturally led by Lady Nova herself. Technically Mint was not a member herself, but the creator of an artificial hero known as 'Discoman' who managed to outperform his organic peers in seeing results, second only to Nova. Of course I know these results cannot be trusted given Nova's theatre of crime, but even so. Perhaps I'll cross paths with Discoman himself having been recommissioned by his master, though knowing Envy's preferences all too intimately I can imagine there may be some notable changes in the uh... hardware. For now I have these buzzing drones to contend with, somehow I don't think they'll be all too receptive to my stare of submission and so I'll simply have to smash them. Only if they get too close, of course, but I fear they've already spotted me. 

Mint's surveillance tech swoops in down from the sky above, they're no crows content to simply circle overhead. I glide down into the treeline and wonder at Envy's own explosion of power, this city really is an overgrown orchard of its own now. The drones follow close behind, quickly catching up as they draw nearer and nearer. With superpowered kick I break one into tiny pieces that cascade into the grass below, at least three more surrounding me and firing out tiny darts no doubt laced with that chemical compliance Envy is so proud of flaunting. I twirl my cape to block the assault from one side while swatting away the needles with my iron forearm on the other, reaching forwards to grasp the drone before me and crush it in my powered grip. As the drone bursts, a cannister of gas erupts and causes me to choke, incensing me enough to launch it into the bark of nearby tree. I dodge the other two's shots once again before they try something new that has my head light and breath suddenly short. 

What are these nauseating soundwaves? Of course Mint would have packed these with every trick under the sun, the thrum of sound pushing into my head and nearly causing me to forget my flight, boots landing onto the side of a tree as I assess their numbers. Oh god, there are so many of them now, like a swarm. Subliminal whispers urge submission from all sides, making me feel woozy from this height, a sudden bout of vertigo as they seem to amplify each other's signal. Realising that the longer I stay like this, the harder it'll become to resist that head-splitting sound, I kick off from the tree and swat drone after drone out of the air in a desperate attempt to come out on top. Several darts sink into my skin when I find that I'm too exhausted, too overwhelmed, to adequately fend off such great numbers. It's just a little of Florasma's infamous concoction, something I've had personal training to resist in my past. Still, I can feel the heat, such lust. The subliminals assault me from all sides and I resent my heightened senses for having to hear them so loudly, aren't subliminals supposed to be subtle? These are tuned to a method of brute force, a jagged buzz of static that fills its prey's head with white noise and pushes out all else. Is that what I am, already, simply prey?

^"SUBMIT."

No, I'm not prey... I won't submit.

^"OBEY."

I-I won't! Won't obey... won't uh... 

^"LISTEN."

I... well, I'm listening aren't I? Maybe listening is okay, that seems less threatening than the others. I can listen... I can...

^"SUBMIT."

Ah! We're back to this again? I need to concentrate on my flight, not this rabble. I'm not prey goddammit!

^"DROP."

I'm not prey, I'm falling.

Hi, falling~

It's her voice. As I descend in pitiful freefall towards her soft floor I hear that voice clear as day, Envy's smug and sultry tones prying into my mind like gloved fingers. My body drops limp onto the ground and I try to stop my head from rolling, eyes a little too unfocused and a slither of drool I hadn't noticed descending from the corner of my mouth. Looking up, the swarm above me begins to dissipate and I wonder why they all lost interest. Aren't I their prey? Perhaps then, I've fallen into a new hunting ground with a predator of its own. An apex that has my scent, Envy certainly knows I'm here and no doubt exactly where as well.

I only wish I was just as privy to that information, because I'm no longer sure where the hell I am at all. My legs are like jelly in this heap of grass I've softly indented. How did they ground me so swiftly? It can't just be Florasma's mix... maybe... ah! I run fingers over the back of my neck after removing the darts and feel a slight bump, did they chip me? Not particularly thrilled at the prospect, I steady myself to pull the chip out with just my fingers and wince at the discomfort it brings. I couldn't get it out, the damn thing only pushed deeper in. Oh, Joy. 

Let's see what new wonders await me on the surface of this sinner's paradise. 

Chapter Three: The Hunted

A lingering wooziness seems determined to trouble each and every step I take into this garden of sapphic temptation and I'm no fool. I know that pressing on in present state is dangerous, that I should simply turn back and 'lick my wounds' as Mrs. Black so gracefully put it. Even so, perhaps I've inherited a modicum of her pride in becoming the woman's protégé. Returning now would be humiliating, I've no desire to make a mockery of this hopeful torch I've chosen to carry. I know my limits, I can press on. I refuse to be prey. 

Pulling myself back onto unsteady feet, I take stock of my surroundings and sigh. How far in did I fly? This excess of flora, of grass and moss and apple tree, makes it very hard to tell where I am in a city I've lived in all my life. I'm not even sure which direction to start walking in, perhaps I should fly up and... no. My body shudders at the memory of Mint's swarm and I decide against using flight for now lest I gather them en masse once again. Now I can officially ridicule these heels Nova insisted upon, though the only person here to be ridiculed is me. They never said that hope comes easy, falling into that antithetical pit of deep despair and of course, Envy's sick temptation. That I've proof that someone with my mind could be capable of such corruption only makes me want to cling to this sabre of hope more strongly than ever, letting it carry my feet forwards one after the other in arbitrarily chosen direction.

There's a whistle through the treeline as I press onwards in stubborn motion, my hairs standing on end in anticipation of a sudden confrontation that could occur at any given moment. Just as I had hypothesised, I sense a predator in this stretch of woods just waiting to make their move. Once again, if they think me merely prey I'm afraid that I'll have to disappoint. Focusing my heightened senses while continuing to maintain pace in my walk, I zero in on that cocky hunter who thinks they have me in their clutches. I'll turn this trap around on them, let predator become prey. Tracking every rustle of grass and snap of twig, I quickly learn that I've only one would-be assailant at the present moment and that the way they draw nearer would imply they're getting ready to strike. I keep my calm, training that muscle in my chest to march to my own beat this time and stave off any unnecessary nerves. 

They're to my right now, obscured by hanging vines and sprouted bark, a streetlamp knocked onto its side by the terraform. Keep calm, Joy, slow and steady. I focus in on that waiting threat and circle around the cover calmly, only hastening in my step slightly as the anticipation becomes too much to bear in that final stretch. Such a stupid mistake I've made, in my rush to prove myself a beacon of hope after that rocky start. 

Don't hunters usually lay bait?

I swerve around the tree to see my sudden suspicions confirmed, a mere dryad drone standing there passive as the tree it had taken cover behind. Don't get me wrong, I know that should Hivemind mobilise this city's unlucky remnants I'd have another swarm to face, as above so below... but this one doesn't even appear conscious despite its movements to get here. It's like it had been given one instruction to follow and little else, a programmed bit of live bait that has distracted me long enough for the whistle at my back to make me shudder in sudden despair. Whipping my head around, I lock eyes with the true hunter and find a sight to test my resolve so early in this mission of mine. Short blonde hair swept back behind her ears, a sandy complexion to her skin earned by rough work out on the streets and now, the outskirts. Firefly doesn't appear to have changed all too much, not as much as she could have given Envy's abilities. 

"Hey there." She says with a calm smile meant to provoke me, I'd love to say it doesn't work. Instead, I take a few steps forwards before being quickly reminded of another hunter trait I had forgotten in my naivete and haste. Hunters don't only lay bait, but traps. My ankle touches the wire in too swift a step and I find the taut razor trip me down into the dirt. My hearing picks up the slow footfalls from behind me, that well programmed dryad drone acting in response to my tripping. It's just a trip, do they really expect this to... 

Pshhht-

One of the largest out of the myriad bulbs lining the garden's floor suddenly opens up in a fine pink blossom and assaults me with its overwhelming smog. A pink mist that settles on my skin and makes me weak. Weaker than I was, sure, but that doesn't mean I can't fight this!

Only, while I fight the chemical compliance it becomes a lot more difficult to fight the drone that suddenly holds my arms behind my back harshly, forcing me back up into a restrained kneel I'd love to break free from. Laura approaches with careful, callous steps and places her boot onto my thigh like a hunter posing with their game. "We're so happy to have you back, Joy." The huntress smiles and I shudder for the third time already in my short lived journey into Envy's garden. I'm so much stronger than this, but for some reason I just can't seem to fight such a concentrated dose. Laura holds a mask against my face and my entire world turns pink and floaty, oh is she... she's uhm... protecting me? Gas masks usually filter it out, right? So why am I just sooooo dizzy all of a sudden?

The dryad's arms are so strong I begin to feel turned on at how helpless I am against its hold despite the power I should rightly wield, chewing my lip within the mask and starting to let out loose strings of giggles that make me feel even funnier. As Laura binds me in tight rope and my mind walks rope just as tight, teetering over an abyss I could fall into and never resurface from, the pink fog causes me to lose time and acceptance takes its hold. I'm carried through forest, mask tied firm around my face to keep me from recovering too quickly even if I know it's only a matter of time before my strength returns. Such is the nature of Nova's gift, I'm not so easily broken, not like before. Even so, I can't help but wonder if that's a boon or a bane in this moment. If I could just succumb properly, I'd no longer have to fight. Not fighting sounds nice, I only just started and already it's just so... tiring. Gosh, so tired, I think I'll take a nap. 

Laura's so strong now, isn't that lovely?

Chapter Four: Halcyon Days Are Over

A mask is pulled free from my face as drone drops me down onto my knees. I gasp for air, fresh air, clutching my chest and feeling shame at just how easily they captured me. It's... not like I'll remain captive for very long of course, I've the power of a black hole at my disposal, a mass of infinite gravity and- ah!

The shock collar I wasn't aware they clasped around my neck suddenly zaps me and the pain is only half as disruptive to my thoughts as the static buzz that follows. It's like my mind has to reboot, white noise passing through me like a wave. Weak fingers grasp at the chunky ring of metal and I groan on my knees like a pet being teased. What's next, I whine for my owners? 

"Bring her here." Rings a voice I'd be hard pressed to misplace, my pitiful head lifting to find that mirrored face spitting malice my way. Oh god, they've carried me all the way to Nova Tower already? It's more of a tree now, some grand Yggdrasil, welcoming home the apple fallen furthest from its mighty branches. My knees rest upon reflective black glass, obsidian, showing a face contorted by pleasure I wish I'd the strength to deny. I feel cold metal clasping around those wrists pulled back behind my back and tiny pinpricks that sink deep into my wrist when I try to pry away. The bracelets inject me with some heady concoction and my slave chip regulates it somehow, Mint's technology having been edited to work in tandem with Florasma's intoxicating bliss. 

I get it, if I'm too strong to restrain in cuffs or tie up, their restraints will keep me weak and ensure that any time I act out of line I'm far too distracted to continue disobeying. It's a smart move and one surely not devised of by Envy herself, I hate to admit this but I know she's not cunning enough on her own, she's a creature driven by impulse last I checked. As I lift my head to assess the room I quickly confirm my own suspicion. In the repurposed penthouse office of this orchard's fine centrepiece stands Envy's top lieutenants. On the right hand side of the room is Mint, dressed up in black latex bodysuit under long white coat, hands digging into her pockets and straight, Mint coloured hair hanging down from her satisfied face. She's seeing her tech work wonders on a first time use, why wouldn't she be pleased? To my right stands Wild Rosary, a Rose tamed judging by the way she stands up straight with admirable posture. Her latex suit is sleeveless, showing off those strong tattooed arms and she wears a cross around her neck with the crucifix turned upside down, how sacrilegious. A headpiece resembling that of a habit's hangs down past her shoulders, Rose appearing as devout as she ever had. Both women wear long boots reaching past their knees, though Rose's are longer on account of her advantage in height. 

It's when my eyes centre in on Empress Envy's throne do I really know what's up, that place where Lady Nova's desk once sat now occupied by the black queen of corruption and her harbinger doll. Envy has one leg resting over the throne's arm, midnight black hair flowing behind her and cherry red lips flapping impatiently for Laura to present me at her feet already. The shared face is where our similarities end, her low-cut black dress a shimmering velvet masterpiece that frames her form perfectly, shapely legs so smooth they glimmer even in this low light. Beside her stands Miss Murmur, a person in name only. The doll's whispers steer the temptress queen well despite her lack of a distinct self, a unified ego spread across the garden's soil after sound defeat of her own making. Murmur smiles in a facsimile of contentedness and the sight unnerves me, the doll dressed up in black lace bodice that leaves very little to the imagination and Envy's vines snaking under the outfit to manipulate her like a cheap but treasured toy. 

Laura's fingers hook into my collar and I'm dragged across the reflective flooring on my knees, hands still bound by those bracelets I'd rather not activate a second time. I'm dropped rather unceremoniously at the feet of my sinful counterpart, looking much worse for wear in contrast to this unnatural form she's enhanced through mental re-examination of the self. As I lift my head to face her, not wanting this collar's shock to have my mind whiting out again, I feel Envy's bare foot fall atop my head and push it back down. So forcefully my forehead is pressed against obsidian floor, feeling her grinding foot against my hair and wanting to whine at the humiliation of such an early defeat. No, I can't falter yet. But... look at me. My white outfit is covered in pink stains from that well timed burst, my hair being messed up by toes that place themselves above me in symbolic act. Even my cape is torn clean off by the blonde at my back, best friend in the world turned cold and callous and compliant. I'm overwhelmed by this sense of despair that goes against the name I've chosen out for myself, eyes dulling against the black glass before them. 

"Well you're no fun, Joy. Maybe we should take all that silly tech off of her to see if she'll do something interesting?" Envy speaks of me like a court jester, no, a performing monkey. Jesters were respected professionals, I'm nothing but a joke expecting peanut prize for being made a laughing stock. "Welcome home, runt, it's about time. These long months without my taste of gold to really make this tower shine, hm~ I could've unified Nova on the day of her defeat but I knew then that it would not lead to the most satisfying conclusion like the one we have here. I likely have Murmur's premonitions to thank for that, though I've not had one since. Is that your slice of the pie, I wonder? And look how well it served you if so!" 

She's right, I'm a disaster. The pressure of her foot against my head actually starts to feel a little good when I begin to accept this, because I know that such harsh, grinding touch is exactly what a failure like me deserves. No... I'm being pessimistic, I'm succumbing like the others. I'm losing hope. 

"I know I can't brainwash you with my chemicals for very long, nor will my orchard be an effective tool for convincing you over to our cause. Tech control could work well but even then I think you'd reject it in time from what we both know of Nova's resilience. I'm talking of her body, however, not her actual mind. Or in this case, yours. I don't mean to hypnotise you, Joy, we're going to break you. Dismantle you into a being of pure acceptance and smile, just like Miss Murmur here. Now I could achieve this in the same way I perfected her but... well, I'm not exactly sure what that would do to me. Rejoining isn't an option either, I don't need cowards dragging me down I need them following orders." Envy speaks in a much more collected, confident manner than she had back in the days when I was part of her being. After separating back into individual bodies it seems her mental state has stabilised into something even more sinister. Ambition is more intimidating than instinct when a villain's driving force is concerned. 

"Mmgh... Hope." I turn my head to the side and the collar shocks me for the act of defiance. When I next blink back into the room, there's a few droplets of saliva sitting on the floor below my errant mouth. 

"Oh, what's that dear?" Envy's other foot scoops under my chin and she holds my head between them, moving me back in line as the empress puts me in my place with just her perfect legs. Gosh... I need to remain focused. 

"I'm... Lady Hope..." My voice creaks, throat suddenly very dry. Despite the weakness of my words I feel some pride for having said them, only to find that shattered by the echoing laughter that soon follows. Not just Envy... or to be more precise, not just her body. A unification of garden fills the room with cruel, mocking jeers and I feel smaller than ever. Laura, Mint, Rosary and even Murmur cackle into the cold air and my face burns brightly. What was wrong with what I said?

"Sure you are, hon. You're our bright and beaming ray of hope, golden and glowing!" G-glowing? Oh that's right, my stare of submission! I close my eyes to focus and open them with some purpose. A flickering light peters out into the room and Envy slams my head back down with her foot, making me delirious. I feel the collar's zap and the room becomes a blurred mess, my words of protest slurred and incomprehensible in her hold. I'm sluggish and I don't think it's just the technology, nor the chemicals. So easily does she destroy my will, my hope, like a firm hand reaching through water to pull the plug. "Murmur, doll, please show our Lady Hope to her cell. I want you to start the acceptance training immediately, just as we discussed before."

Discussed... before? They were planning this? They were... waiting for me, to come back and... ah, I'm so lightheaded I can barely keep my thoughts together. Envy's fingers dig deep into my hair and she pulls me up onto my knees, taking a satisfied glance down at my stained costume and laughing a second time. I won't let her break me. 

Murmur nods and as Envy releases me, the woman snaps her fingers and orders me to stand. I comply because I have to, not because I want to. I won't let her break me.

I'm led into the elevator and recall that Nova Tower itself had holding cells in the basement for any villains who would be foolish enough to launch an attack on their home turf. Murmur's finger pushes the bottom button and I step back into the corner of the elevator with a meek look I mean to lose. I won't let her break me. I've witnessed this woman's way with words once before and she has a method of worming into your mind even when you should hold all the power. She may just be an empty doll these days, but I don't think it means she's lost her touch, not if Envy trusts her to make me come around. I won't let her break me. My muscles flex as we begin to descend down the shaft and I break out of the bracelets before they can administer their deadly dose of distraction, feeling the collar's shock before I can quite reach it. My fingers curl into the metal as intense lethargy takes me in the static buzz, arm too limp to rip the damn thing from my neck until I've let these white noise fade out again. Murmur simply watches me, digging a hand into her pocket while I focus on breaking out of this collar with a superpowered tug of strength. I won't let her break me.

My body sags down but I quickly regain my stamina, cracking my knuckles and lifting my head to look upon the doll and... wince. "What the..."

Miss Murmur holds a pocket knife to her neck, the blade pressed so firm against her throat that a drop of red escapes its fleshy confines. I'm shocked by the sight, realising she means to hold herself hostage and appeal to my heroism to stay my hand. No, this isn't her will, but Envy's. I see those lips curl into a fine smile and realise I'm face to face with my mirror half. 

"Take a step towards her and we die." Speaks the cold voice, Envy cocking her head in unfettered delight. "See, I knew you'd do something if we gave you a chance to break free. Heroes are amusing, I can see why Murmur was such a fangirl and still decided to play villain."

"Wh-what do you mean, we die?" I suddenly feel parched again, though why wouldn't I? The drugs are out of my system, the chip has been forced out from where it embedded... all of that takes stamina even a superhero needs replenishing. 

"Exactly what I said, Lady Hope. This gesture before you is merely symbolic, it isn't Murmur who hangs in the balance but all of us. This is my ultimatum, dear, to test how much of a saviour you really are." Envy speaks through her vessel like flexing a limb, Murmur being puppeteered without any need for string. 

She'd do that? End everything, the garden itself? I want to call her bluff, better still I want to take her up on the offer, but know I'm not so selfless as to actually go through with it. Obviously she knows that, Envy knows me better than anyone, she knows just how to make me behave. I feel that despair creep in again, snaking up my legs and tugging at my wrists, the corners of my vision growing dimmer and dimmer and dimmer... until we reach the basement floor. 

"Walk into that cell and sit still, Joy, or be a hero who'll be remembered by nobody and liberate this city from my sweet destructive paradise." I see now, she knows I won't sacrifice myself and yet, by presenting it as an option it'll bring me even more shame to deny it and do as I'm told. She's already taking steps to reduce me, to break me down, and in this instance there's nothing I can do at all to stop it. At least nothing I'm willing to commit to. Would Nicole be disappointed in me if she knew I had this choice and responded accordingly? Fuck her, frankly. 

Without any words coming to surface on my silent tongue, my glare loses light and I look down at the ground where those destroyed bracelets and collar lay in jeer. A slow walk into the cell and some restless contemplation is all that awaits me now, is there nothing else I can do? What was it I kept telling myself before?

I won't let her break me... 

Chapter Five: Acceptance Training

"Joy or Hope? What do you prefer we call you?" Murmur sits herself down across from me in the cell and I shuffle back, they've left me alone in here for an entire day and now my supposed 'acceptance training' begins? Well they certainly know how to keep a girl waiting, I've spent the last 24 hours mulling over that tense moment from yesterday that led to me to locking myself up and sitting still for them. Miss Murmur wears her usual coquettish smirk like a mask, hands folded neatly in her lap as I instinctively do the same. I don't mean to mirror her body language, it just happens. None of this would be happening if I was a true hero, they want me to keep this in mind and let it break me. I know that and yet, I don't want to die. 

"I don't care." My voice takes on a bitter twinge that only seems to make Murmur's fake smile grow wider, her posture relaxing some. 

"Well right now that's quite alright, neither do we. I'll just go ahead and call you Joy, Lady Hope was your chosen hero name was it not? You're not a hero anymore, Joy, entering this cell was your acceptance of that fact. Acceptance training is a little bit of a misnomer, it isn't to train you into accepting your place here, it's to help you realise that you already have. There's no coming back from this you realise? Unless you suddenly grow a spine and a martyr complex I think we both know you're not capable of, you're going to be spending a lot of time here whether you like it or not. Whether you let yourself enjoy it or not. This is your place now, Joy." Murmur's tongue is a silver bullet puncturing my heart, a whip lashing my back, a talisman of want. "If you can accept that you're not leaving this place due to these truths, then I ask you earnestly, what point is there in resisting acceptance? What do you seek to gain, Joy, when your pride is already lost down the gutter?"

My lip quivers and again I consider calling Envy's bluff, only I'm not sure that she is bluffing. The villainess is erratic and impulsive enough to favour an 'all or nothing' play like this, I remember being her. She may act more calm and calculating these days but it doesn't mean she's sane, or that she isn't still as impulsive as ever. I just... I can't do it. All this strength and I've not the will to fight, all because of a sharp prick in my other side's sultry neck. She's so much more beautiful now, Envy, having used her garden to remake herself. Compared to her, I'm... 

"I can see it in your face, girl, and the way you've grown quiet. You're starting to learn what you are, that's okay. Somebody always has to be at the bottom of the food chain, it's simply the law of nature, but without that prey the rest can't grow strong. That is to say, we all truly appreciate you. Better still, we need you. You're not nothing, Joy, you're just not spectacular either. You're exactly where you need to be for the rest of our garden to prosper." Murmur places a hand on my knee and I turn away with a sulk, her words are such poison. I wish I had a witty retort to spit back at her, an antidote to deadly acceptance, but I'm coming up short. 

My stubborn pride is all I have left, even it makes me miserable like she says. Everything Murmur tells me is the truth, an old sentiment that stirs this pound of useless flesh, but that doesn't mean I have to accept it. At least, I can pretend not to. 

"I won't let you break me." My weak protest collapses against the wall, I'm unable to muster the adequate resolve to face her. I'm taking a leaf from Nova's playbook, acting out a theatre of my own, one in which I'm not browbeaten and tamed. 

"Oh honey." The former mistress of midnight gives me that soft, pitying look and I regret the glance at her face immediately. I feel the coddled brat, nobody here has any doubts that I'll be eating out of their hands in due time once my ego has run its course. None of us. "Warm down here isn't it?"

"Huh?" My eyes narrow on Murmur's as I try to wonder at her game, fingers digging into the collar of this stuffy bodysuit. 

"It's awfully hot down here, believe me it isn't just your lust over these humiliation rituals we're running you through. That being said... Joy, your outfit's a mess. Covered in stains and left on for several days, we should really give it a wash. Hand it over please." Of course. I think I knew this was coming, they mean to strip my body and take my modesty. To degrade me in my nudity and lay my acceptance bare.

"Fine, whatever." Pitiful pantomime and I'm happy to undress for her, a preliminary step to the sublimation of my ego, a whimpering end to the hero's journey.

Knowing I can't refuse, I obey quickly. Murmur helps me with the zip and I shudder at her cold hands against my back, staring with unfocused eyes at the wall ahead of me. At some point the woman takes over entirely, undressing me while I disassociate in my cell and stare at fixed point on the wall. They can think they're breaking me, yeah, but I'm just going along with this because I have to. Murmur slips my final boot free and I place my bare sole against the cool ground with a sigh. It isn't hot in here at all, it's just me. 

"Oh and... one last thing." The woman steps over to the wall and unhooks the loop of metal resting there, a short chain hanging down between us that my eyes trace. As though trying to distract myself from yet another step in my downfall into unapologetic acceptance, I focus on counting every link in that chain. 

1, 2, 3...

Cold metal snaps around my neck once again, only this time I know better than to break free. There's no technology to this, just a lump of iron that keeps me tethered to my fate. 

...4, 5, 6, 7, 8...

Doll fingers brushing hair behind my ears, pulling the strawberry locks free from the collar and letting them hang down over bare back. Even the touch of a doll commands me, compels me, controls me. 

...9, 10, 11, 12...

Remembering that I'm naked, a slight shiver passing over me as Murmur's firm hand flattens against my belly and feels so good. I step into her touch and close my eyes, pretending for a while. 

...13, 14, 16... oh uh, did I skip one? I think I've lost count... 15... 15... uhm... 

"Joy, I'm leaving now." Murmur's thumb runs over my lip, fingers under my chin holding it up to make me look at her. Submission takes its hold and I want to beg her not to leave me alone, not just yet. I said I wouldn't let them break me, but gentle touch like this should keep me well intact. I think this is okay, it feels nice. Softly chewing my lip, I nod into her hand and the chain rattles a little. Since when did I start acting like the property they want me to become? Acceptance training, did I miss it somehow? But I've been paying attention, even if I did lose count...

"Okay..." I mumble weakly, having enough pride left not to complain. Why should I request her to stay when she's set on breaking me? Some time alone with my thoughts should serve me well, Murmur's subspace is suffocating, it makes me think I like this. 

With resounding clacks of heels that snap against the ground like lulling fingers, I find myself alone again. I'm standing by the wall I've been chained to, my outfit taken to be washed even if I know deep down I'll never see it again. "Joy, what the hell are you doing..." 

After about an hour passes, though I've no real way of knowing, I hear deft footsteps much different to those deafening heel clacks from Envy's treasured doll. I realise with a light blush that I'm still standing, having become lost in my circular mess of thought again until the sudden noise returns me to the room, the cell. My eyes roll over fair blonde hair and eyes that brim with excitement. It's Laura again but she seems different somehow, less cold than she had been while performing her duties. No longer on the hunt, this girl resembles my best friend once more, I hate how relieved the sight makes me when I remember that it could all be for show. 

"Joy! Oh my god, I can't believe it's really you." My best friend in the entire world steps into the open doorway of the cell with saccharine smile. Murmur left the door open, huh? I hadn't even noticed. My eyes seem to lose their shape as Laura steps into the cell, both of us fighting tears even I'm not sure why she's so surprised to see me given it was she who dragged me here. 

I step closer to hug the girl only to find myself yanked back by that iron encircling my neck, pulling against my throat like I'm a naughty mutt. With a gulp, I regain my balance and cross my arms, not sure how to act. "Laura... you brought me here." It feels wrong to sound so accusatory even if my words are but an obvious fact. 

Laura giggles and looks surprised, flush with embarrassment. "Oh? Firefly did? That's... that's good, she wasn't too rough was she?" The blonde steps closer and takes my hands into hers, not at all seeming perturbed by my nudity. Her head falls onto my shoulder, such softness against my skin that has the tears coming out whether I want them to or not. 

"Firefly? Oh... she has you split too? That's..." This garden of Envy's is terrifying, the thought of it finally breaking free from the confines of this city, it'd be another fine snowball on a much larger scale than before. We're constantly one-upping ourselves, I suppose. I imagine the entire Earth unified by her roots and shudder at the thought, or am I just reacting to Laura's nail stroking down my chest?

"Don't be mad at her, or anything like that. They told me you're still struggling to accept? Well uhm, I asked her for it. The night you and Envy converted me was bliss, Joy, why do you want to stop us in the first place? Do you... hate us? Do you hate me?" My friend buries her face into my overheating body and I gulp for the second time since seeing her, this nostalgic scent of her undoing me whole. Isn't she being manipulative, though?

"I... I don't hate you, but people need saving... people are suffering, Laura. We're heroes, aren't we?" It feels disingenuous of me to suggest as much in the states we currently find ourselves in, but I entertain the fantasy of my imagined heroics here once again like a lingering stench. 

Laura steps back and assesses me, the disturbed look she gives me implying I just said something misguided. This is what indoctrination looks like, Envy's moved past chemical control it seems. Merely a prelude to the real brainwashing, I feel that I'm in the midst of a garden cult spanning an entire lost city. 

"Joy... do you really think that?" Why does she sound so disappointed, like my words have let her down? This isn't right. "Nobody's suffering here, Envy makes sure everyone is content. Everything in its right place, accepting their role and committing to it fully. It's a paradise, Joy, the rest of the world out there is the only place with suffering. I mean, look at you. You look beaten and exhausted, that's not our doing it's yours. Am I wrong? If you accepted your place by her side, like I did, you wouldn't be so tired."

Do I look tired? I'll admit I'm starting to feel it, that tug of despair that makes me want to just give in and go along with their merry little lies. It's hard, though, to pretend this doesn't feel wrong. To not care about concepts hammered into me from a young age, freedom and independence. This place is wrong... and I should care about that. 

"Laura, stop saying such strange things, this isn't like you. I... I want my friend back." I wish I could step closer but this chain is already at its limit, holding me in my place. Everything in its right place. 

My best friend cocks her head cruelly, I know they only sent her here to gnaw at my will and it's been more effective than they could have hoped. "You're the strange one, Joy, stuck in the past. I... I didn't want Envy to be right about you, I still think you're in denial about what she's doing. I think... maybe you're jealous that it's not you in her place. I felt that way about Firefly at first, she's such an efficient hunter, but then I accepted that I have uses she's not well suited for. I... heh, I mean, I won't mince it. I'm basically one of Envy's concubines, she keeps me well pampered for it and happier than I ever was as a frustrated dyke with no good takers." Laura smirks, finding herself lost in thought of Envy's chambers, her kneeling body rewarded for each and every act of submission. Heat touches her cheeks when I find them out of reach, I'm worth less than the blush on her face, than Envy's lingering stain. 

"You know... I always had the biggest crush on you Joy, I wished so dearly that you would look at me in the same way I looked at you. It was painful, really, until the day you shoved me into that wall and kissed me. It was so very impassionate, but I was smitten! I want to kiss you like that, I wanna touch you... I adore our Empress but she's not my best friend anymore, she's more than that. I miss this, though, my dorky little crush. You like girls still, don't you?" The girl steps closer and I back up a little despite having lamented my inability to reach her. Giving into this sweetness is a tempting lure into the dark, another notch towards acceptance. Anything and everything that happens here is part of my acceptance training, I need to care about that fact. I need to... 

"Yeah... I'm... I'm still a lesbian..." Slut. No need to say the quiet part out loud I suppose, not when I'm moving closer to her, holding my hand out over an open flame and asking it to scorch me. Begging to be melted down into raw material, repurposed by Envy's cause. What is my purpose? If I'm not meant to be a hero, then what am I for?

"I knew it~" Laura's arms snake around my Torso and she pulls in closer, treating my body with a reverence the other her certainly didn't care to. Her touch makes me feel special, useful, even though this is the furthest thing from the use I had intended to commit myself to. I'm not being a hero right now, I'm being a slut, but it feels too good to deny. Just a little indulgence won't hurt me, it's exhausting to keep this performance going. I call for an intermission, greedily dipping in to taste my best friend's lips and breaking myself against the softest thing I've ever felt. Her hands slide up my back, intoxicating motion that has me arching for her pleasantly. Her lips are rough and commandeering, but there's a sweetness in the mashing of mouths that makes me glad it's her. My eyes flutter closed and I pretend to give in completely, hearing a chorus of metal clinks describe my journey to the wall as this time Laura is the one to shove Joy flat against it. Her knee pushes into my crotch and I buckle instantly, groaning deeply into her mouth before we share a moment of giggles that tell me this is okay. This is normal and natural. Just friends catching up, I'll ignore the unnecessary details around it that make me feel bad. Guilt and shame are not my friends today. This is normal and natural, I repeat the words in my head like a self inflicted mantra while I submit to my own undying lust, a thirst for touch wet and sticky and flammable. Sublimation, I'm a fool for thinking I wouldn't accept any offerings she sent my way. This is Envy's gift, and despite everything, I'm so fucking grateful I'd be ready to grovel at her feet for a second helping. 

There's a crow in the sky above me, and heaven, let it take me. 

Chapter Six: Kiss the Queen

Several days later, probably...

I'm so thirsty, there's a burning in my calves from standing up for days straight chained to this wall with the bench removed. How many days exactly? I can't be sure, I think I've lost count. Not many, but enough. Enough to stew and fester and hope. I've begun to hope again, digging deep into my soul with battered fingers to find those last remnants of the sentiment I had foolishly sought to embody. I hope they'll take good care of me if I... when I finally accept my place. That sounds defeatist, I know, but I'm just tired. Physically tired, sure, but somebody with my superpowered body should be able to move past that. This burning sensation isn't right, it's psychological, I could hover inches from the floor and bring my body instantaneous relief. I won't do that, though, because comfort is a trap of its own. No matter which I choose I'll be sinking deeper, it's frustrating and exhausting to be paralysed by a pointless choice. I wish they'd just choose for me. I hope. 

Murmur's clacks signal her arrival long before I lay eyes on the woman, my heart-rate picking up as I wonder if this is finally the moment they'll as me to give up in an official capacity. Isn't it obvious that I'm ready to obey? I haven't moved in days! 

"I won't let you break me." Murmur repeats my words mockingly and I pout in frustration, wondering when we reach the point where I can tell her I accept this. I'll accept my place, just give me a chance, please. 

Unsure how to follow that up, I mull over a response in my sluggish subspace as the breeze flooding into the basement creates delectable bumps on my bare skin. Eventually, I appeal to their sense of hospitality, realising I haven't thought to just ask. 

"Thirsty..." My voice croaks out, a hoarse sound I barely recognise that has me feeling feeble despite these powers having gone nowhere. 

Murmur clicks her tongue, giving me a terrible sense of dread. Her treatment of me has become so effective, so uniform. Our exchanges are almost entirely autonomous now, her acting in accordance to doll programming and me... my training. 

"Please ma'am, c-can I have some water?" Addressing a drone as a figure of authority reminds me of my place here, I'm less than her, less than all of them. It's not so bad when you stop expecting more, someone has to be on the bottom; it's a well respected position.

The woman leaves without a word and after what feels like an hour, perhaps literally so, she returns with a glass of clean water. As I stare at that clear glass I find myself almost disappointed that it appears untainted by chemical corruption, the only poison my mind needs now to make me good for them is kindness. A strict kindness, a fair kindness, conditional kindness I have to earn with good manners and this well tamed behaviour. 

"Posture." The woman's voice drones and I obey, straightening my back and lifting my head from its slump before she'll permit me to drink. When the water graces my lips I can't help but feel grateful for it despite everything, gulping it down quickly and then letting her wipe my mouth with a smile. I dare not mirror her placid grin just yet, or they'll think they've broken me. I'm not broken, a broken person would not be so clear of mind. I want to accept of my own volition, of comfort and safety, not because I'm some shattered mess of a whore to sate their satisfaction. I'm doing this for me, nobody else. 

"Can... can I see her? Envy, I mean. I need to tell her that this is no longer necessary. I'm not being stubborn anymore, nor prideful. Please?" I try to speak calmly and clearly, normal and natural. My hopeful eyes sparkle a little when Murmur doesn't immediately deny my request, she's not the capacity to mull it over herself. For all intents and purposes, I'm asking Envy directly. 

"I see you found your way, Lady Hopeless." It's her, I can tell it's her even when she speaks with Murmur's voice. I recall the last time we met face to face and feel light of breath. The way I was still groggy from intoxication and she dominated me with just her feet, those perfect shapely legs that had no rival in a room of impossibly gorgeous women. My foolish pride had me wanting to resist her then, but I have to admit how hot and bothered I am thinking back on that moment. My moment of defeat, at her feet, completely under her influence from the moment we met. I think I understand now, I just need her to put it into the proper words for me. "Come, ride the elevator up and we'll talk. I believe you have something you'd like to tell me?"

"Yes! I.. I uh..." Why am I so nervous and flustered talking to her, she's just another version of myself. Oh who am I kidding, she's so much more than that and I know it. I'm less than her, it was never an even split and besides, look at what we chose to do with our respective powers. In a way, loathe as I am to admit it, Envy's amazing. 

"Hush now. Save your words for when you're in the proper place, Joy. At my feet where you belong. Kneeling before me will feel ah, normal and natural." How does she know those words? They're my words, truthful words I've clung to privately. Did she read them from my very own thoughts or better yet, have I been speaking them to myself aloud without even realising it? I can't have spoken them in my sleep because I haven't slept a wink, I feel as though I've inherited Murmur's old affliction. Sleep would be so nice, maybe Envy will grant it to me if I just go along with her game. I won't let her break me, of course, but maybe she doesn't have to know that. I'll be the humble court jester for her, it's the least I can do.

"Normal and natural." My mouth repeats without consulting consciousness, a muscle of memory. I feel calmer after speaking the words, however, finding Envy's sentiment agreeable enough in this instance. This is normal. This is natural. A ghost of a whisper in the back of my head urging caution but I'm too far gone to heed it. I want this, cold comfort to lay my head down upon come what may. Normal and natural. My legs carry me out of the cell after Murmur unlocks my collar, a sleepwalk of an ascent that has me filing into the elevator shaft with a contented look plastered over worried face. Hope and despair form my inner turmoil, I need Envy to set it right. She'll know how to put me at ease, save me from these feelings of regret and uncertainty. I know this because I've seen her work in my best friend Laura, it's... admirable. 

Elevator stirs into motion and I stand as still as I can, quite accustomed to it after however many days they kept me waiting for. Even this body can feel fatigue when left without food, I'm hungrier than I realised now that I've begun to walk again. Murmur stands behind me with fingers holding my shoulders, I understand the touch to be possessive but I'm too tired to care, instead feeling grateful once again to have someone keeping me steady in this slow ascension of the self. With some indulgence I decide to afford myself for being good, for not letting them break me, I lean back into Miss Murmur's body and let my eyes fall closed. What a woman she is, or was, those long nights we'd spend learning the limits of our bodies. Mostly my body, she had me dancing to the tune of fingers curled like devil horns, tempting me into a world of sin I'd soon surpass her in. Maybe it was meant to be, who are any of us to deny our fate? If a higher power does exist, as I had mused before this journey began, this is surely what they chose for me. For all of us. For the good of all m--

Ding!

I feel so out of it when Murmur pulls me from the elevator and onto the tower's top floor, still slightly dissociating as we enter the penthouse office, Empress Envy's throne room. We enter quietly, reverently, and I've forgotten that I'm still entirely nude until I notice the eyes of her lieutenants crawling over my skin and making it flush. My eyes soon fall upon Envy herself and once entering her pull they can look nowhere else, lost in orbit. A satellite of sight. 

"Bring her here, doll." Envy commands. I almost miss the enthusiasm and erraticism we displayed in the past. Almost. The garden's dark mistress is much more intimidating in this form, with this newly cultivated tone, these sharp eyes like thorns pricking into the back of my neck and making me shudder. This is still normal, still natural, I just need to adjust my definitions. Fighting her would be abnormal, unnatural, when she's my original. I'm just a copy, I... does a copy have a will of it's own? Perhaps that was the real theatre all along, why they can't break my will. 

There's nothing to be broken. 

Murmur pushes down on my shoulder and I buckle but I don't break. I bend to a normal and natural degree as I sink down onto the floor before the garden's empress. What the hell in this city was worth saving, anyway? I just want to let her put me in my place, is that so wrong? 

"Joy, you're looking much more agreeable today. That's good." Her words are packed snow covering my ears, frigid and deafening, I hear nothing but her and I'd have it no other way when these other voices only criticise my weakness. In face of internal judgement, Envy chooses to praise me for my acceptance. Praise is nice, anybody would agree. It's normal and natural to accept praise, take it to heart. "I'm going to ask you if you're ready to accept your place now, and you're going to answer me clearly, honestly. Aren't you, pet?"

Pet? Gosh, the word floods me with a feeling I can't quite describe. It makes me feel owned of course, but also loved? Being owned can't be the worst thing in the world, you're well looked after, protected. Moving from prey to pet is certainly a promotion in any case, so I try to contain my excitement, even as weak as I am. Gosh... pet. Oh shit, she asked me a question didn't she? I've been spacing out like a zombie, kneeling there at her feet without a thread to hide my sweltry skin. I lift my gaze and feel relief at the amused look on her face, along with an intense arousal I can't even hope to downplay. 

"Yes... yes ma'am, I mean." Is that the right way to address her? I'm not sure, but again she doesn't appear to be upset and so I let myself relax. She makes me so tense, I don't want to disappoint her and find myself back in that confused state I've kept for the last few days. Defeat only feels good when she lets it. 

"Empress." Envy lifts her leg and rests her foot on my chest, heel grinding into my softness as I accept the physical admonishment like I deserve it. Whether I truly do or not seems insignificant in this moment, I'm just allowing her to do as she pleases if it'll earn favour. When did I become so obedient? I suppose there's really just... no reason not to be? Perhaps I could attempt to rekindle my power and subdue her here? I-I should definitely do that! Then I'll have no reason to go along with this farce any more. No reason to let her keep... let her... mmgh, maybe I'll just let her finish what she started and then I can consider my retaliation. My thighs squeeze together tightly and I push my chest into her foot, sharing with her my overwhelming heat. My body's a burning lump of coal, her cool touch just feels so good that it would be such a shame to end things here. 

"Y-yes, Empress. Sorry, I didn't mean--"

"Kiss it, that'll tell me that you're sorry. Better still, it'll show me that you really do know your place here in my garden." Envy's bare foot trails up my chest and tilts my chin up, gliding even further up with her ankle dipping it down to hover by my lips. 

My eyes lightly cross as I focus on the foot due to its proximity to my face. I take in as many details as I possibly can, studying the proffered limb like a scholar. Painted nails as rich and red as blood, unblemished skin that puts mine to shame in its supernatural lustre, a confident stillness my trembling form couldn't hope to imitate. Slowly, I dip down and plant lips against the tops of the woman's toes and feel that familiar sense of submission and loss wash over me. I'm losing the will to resist her, because there's a thrill in just obeying. It feels objectively more rewarding to behave for them than it is to resist, it's so boring and lonely in that cell, I'd rather be anywhere else. 

"Tell me, Joy. What do you really want?" Ah, it's like she can read my mind. Or perhaps she really can, I remember in the empty lot hearing Jazz and Trifecta's intentions like buzzing whispers. It's not a power I'm privy to anymore, none of this is, because I'm not an original. Everything in its right place, was it?

Ugh, I know what I want but it's so difficult to admit aloud without sounding like I've been broken. When I attempt to avert my gaze, she uses those pretty feet I think I've fallen for to pull me back into the proper place. I'm in her orbit, her gravity is so much stronger than mine. Why wouldn't it be when she spreads out into every corner of this city with her roots, such mass is unattainable for a loner like myself. 

"I... I want..." I gulp, reconsidering for just a moment. Do I really want this? What's the alternative, I stubbornly rot down in the dungeon until either Envy conquers the world itself or I'm shamefully rescued by outside forces? Such embarrassment, I think I'd rather see the former occur than have to live through the public humiliation. In any case, I can just give in for a while, it doesn't matter what I do now so I might as well pick the most comfortable option. "I-I want to do as I'm told."

"I see." Envy seems disappointed, did I say something wrong? Desperately, I lower my face to kiss her foot again and she swats me away with the sole, uncrossing her legs and standing up. With such intimidating steps does she circle around me, each footfall causing my posture to straighten and my throat to grow even dryer. "And tell me, do you love me?" Her arms wrap around my neck and she embraces me from behind, I catch whiff of her intoxicating pheromone scent and calm myself against it. Even a cold woman such as her can bring such warmth, I never want her to let go, I love this feeling so much I could cry. 

"Huh? I... yes?" I'm content in simply telling her what she wants to hear. My plan of subduing her so that she's unable to harm herself seems so... risky... and so I figure that awaiting a rescue that may or may not one day come is the smarter play. 

"Tsk, tsk. Nice try, Joy, but you really shouldn't lie to me. You're not ready yet. You're only loyal to yourself, all you care about is comfort, I'd like to give you that but it comes at a cost you're still too hesitant to pay. Your training continues, I need you to understand who and what you are here in my garden before I'll permit you a place by my side, on the floor as well kept pet. Such power... ehehe, you sure wasted it but I promise you that we won't. You'll be in good hands, turned against any and all who would threaten the goal of global unification. Humans are so petty, aren't they?" The temptress whispers into my ear like a snake, biting the lobe in a teasing act that makes me squirm as I consider her words. Does she no longer view herself as human? Perhaps she's right not to, just look at how she's grown. Maybe I'm not ready until I see her as something more than human too, until I've deified my better half and accepted my place not for my sake but for hers. That's all bullshit though, isn't it? It is, right? I was just going along with all of this because it seemed easiest to do so, but not it's starting to worry me. Just what is she doing to me?

I mean to break you.

Oh right. Well, I still won't let her--

A tendril wraps tightly around my throat, slick with paralytic sap that makes me feel numb even as it lightly chokes me. More of Envy's vines soon follow, hooking around my limbs and one worming its way into my aching cunt. Sight becomes a blur once again as the garden's tendrils pull me up onto feet with their own sheer strength, my panting becoming obnoxiously loud from the exertion of finally having my body played with again. The last time was with Laura, how long ago was that again? Envy gives her usual churlish grin as her cold steps circle back around my twitching form, hand sliding over the bulky tentacle that fills my sex so generously. My hips wriggle and I adjust myself on the tentacle as it lifts me from the ground, the vines around my wrists pulling my arms up over my head and holding them there. More tendrils come with tips that open up into latching sucklers that attach themselves to stiffened nipples, taking advantage of my sensitivity to ruin my composure even further. I'm breathless, wanting so badly to hit that electric edge that the rest of me becomes all too easy. I'd love to pretend that this isn't amazing, that I don't adore every second of her strong tendrils manipulating my body roughly, treating me as nothing but a plaything... but I can't. It's cathartic to be used, to be useful, even if I'm just here to amuse her at this point. 

"Enjoy this pleasure, pet, because I intend to overload you on it. I'll burn through that lust and leave you a whimpering mess of slut ready to bend the knee in earnest. Enjoy this pleasure, Joy, because after this you'll only exist for others'." As Envy steps back over to her throne and crosses one leg over the other, leaning onto the armrest with a lazy elbow, tiny threads of tendril push themselves into my ears and dig deep. Mind is white hot, joining body in this heavenly overdose from which there is no return. She's not just fucking my body, or my mind, she's having her way with my soul. A slut of spirit, spit-soaked and cleansed in dryad drizzle, honeyed ecstasy making a whore of my ego. I'll gladly let her, because it all feels too good to ever contemplate denying. This is my last chance to feel pleasure? Then I'll happily gorge myself on it until I'm sick, I'll come back for seconds all night until I'm barred from the buffet. 

My eyes roll back and I let the flood of pleasure take me, I no longer care where. 

Chapter Seven: Break This Bitch

My next coherent memory is standing back in my cell, cool metal clasped around my neck once more but also fashioned around my waist. With tired, sluggish motion I drag my eyes down to stare at the chastity belt that denies me further pleasure, I've had enough for a lifetime. I think back on the way Envy's vines completely obliterated my sense of self for a time, fucking me into a state of complete mental oblivion as the ecstasy overrode all thought. Vaguely I recall that I came for her, many times. I made a mess of her obsidian floor, mewling in mid-air a begging broken babe. Broken? I... I can't rightly say, understanding things for myself is becoming complicated and unclear now. 

As the cool air nips my naked frame and I move my lower body around experimentally to get used to my only garment, I distantly recall being harshly dropped onto my knees and slumping over in exhaustion, Envy's firm grip in my hair guiding my tired face to that mess I made as I found myself forced to clean and polish her floor. Not forced, no, I remember being eager to. I remember being so grateful to her, so desperate to get on her good side, that it felt natural to use my tongue in such a way. Normal and natural, simply paying my dues. 

I'm so turned on thinking back on all that happened, even that last part, but I'm unable to give myself relief on account of this newly enforced chastity. Looking back I never took the opportunity to masturbate in here when I could, that feels like such a waste in hindsight. 

A while later, after finding myself lost in corridors of thought, aimless wanderings that make me lose my grip, I remember something important. I'm back in my cell because I failed Envy's test, I wasn't loyal to her but to Joy, I committed the grave sin of wanting for myself in Envy's unified garden. Left to my own limited devices in here, I peer down at my breasts, the teeth marks around my nipples left by latching tendrils, and I feel my face turn a deep shade of red. She made me feel so good that I don't think I could feel any worse than I already do for having disappointed her. I need more training, clearly. I need--

"--said you must be starving, so she sent me down here to come and feed you. I'm... I'm sorry about before, okay?" Laura is leaning in the doorway of my cell, open like always, giving me a sympathetic look and a hopeful smile. When did she get here? I must have been spacing out again, it's hard to keep track when I don't have someone telling me what to do, keeping me tethered with firm instruction. 

"Oh uh... that's okay. I mean, sorry for what?" I'm less emotional at the sight of Laura than I was the first time, though I am happy to see her. If anything though, I'm a little jealous of her. She's good to Envy and in turn, I envy her for it. 

Laura gives a bashful smile, stepping forwards and playing with my hair tenderly. I give in to the touch all too easily, wanting to close my eyes while also wanting to drink in the sight of her. Those denim jeans, tight black vest, it's a nice change of pace from the latex lieutenants upstairs. Despite everything, she still dresses just like Laura, that comforts me even when I'm not being afforded the same luxury. Is Envy walking back on her goals of removing inequality from this wretched world, or is she simply redefining the terms of her ambition? Being equal in rights doesn't mean you have equal needs, purposes, and maybe mine is as the pet soldier they seem set on turning me into. 

"I'm sorry for treating you like my best friend Joy, I just got lost in nostalgia, it happens hehe. You're a good girl, so I wanted you to know you don't have to try to be anything more than that." Laura rubs under my chin and I push against the touch all too eagerly, cooing as her nails give me soothing scritches. 

"Mmh... I... don't... don't stop..." I close my eyes and lean into her affectionate touch, knowing that I'm being treated like a pet and realising how much nicer that is than being captive human. Better a pet than a prisoner, her fingers are remissive, relieving me from past concerns. Her fingers are conditioner, running through my hair in cleansing crawl and rinsing out all past worry. I feel somehow simpler, so eager to see how far into this headspace I can be pushed. It's a gentle push, gravity does most of the work. A diminution of the self that presents itself as cause for celebration. 

Even though I asked her to keep going, Laura soon pulls away and shakes her head strictly when I whine, pulling against my chain like a needy puppy. Laura giggles and tells me I'm cute, the corners of the room might as well not exist in this moment. Only when I take in the sight of her again do I notice something strange, something missing. 

"Uhm... sorry, you said you were here to feed me? I... don't see any food..." Maybe I'm just being stupid again, it wouldn't surprise me. 

The handsome blonde chuckles as though I've said something silly and I try not to pout, there's such relief in not being expected to understand everything. I've no real responsibility like Envy does, all I'm asked to do is be loyal and cast away desire, that's a reduction of responsibility. Never having to make a choice for yourself ever again, it's an alluring prospect... isn't it? Just look at how wound up I got trying to decide what to do while staying here, in the end I did nothing save for what I was told. I'm so good at this already. After her husky laugh that hits me with a shot of arousal I've no power to cover up, Laura begins unbuckling her belt. Brown leather slides from denim and dirty gold zip descends, the jeans growing loose and finding themselves pushed down over hips. 

"Get on your knees, okay? You'll have to back up to the wall 'cause of the chain, haha." Laura speaks so casually as her glistening slit mesmerises me, tuft of blonde hair above it I want to rub my cheek against in sultry, shameful submission. She's wet already, the girl was probably excited to be sent down here to get eaten out by the pet prisoner who looks a lot like her old bestie. My mouth is watering at the sight, the smell, the succor. I do as I'm told without hesitation, following orders feeling normal and natural, backing up and dropping onto my knees while practically wagging a phantom tail behind me. Laura draws near and smothers me in sweet musky air, dizzyingly hot. "Eat up, girl." 

I practically cum from the simple command, but then I remember that my own pleasure has been locked away in favour of giving it to others. Obediently, excitedly, I open wide and bury my face between the woman's legs. Her hand falls onto my head and once again makes me feel so owned, her mind-melting pussy flavour turning me stupid and easy. She tastes like Laura. She tastes so good. She tastes like apple, Envy's corruptive touch. She tastes like owner, all of them probably do. She tastes like hot and sticky ambrosia dribbling down my chin and onto a floor I'll be eager to mop up with my tongue once we're done here. I sate myself against her, purified at an altar of worship I'm too weak to deny. She tastes like destiny, dripping and decided. 

"Haahh..." Laura pushes me back with a firm hand against my forehead, fingers curled into this mess of strawberry blonde. A long line of wet stretches out from my hanging tongue and her messy sex, hot breath collapsing into her crotch as I pant out like a beast. "Hehh... n-no more?" I don't mean to plead, I know that wanting is a sin. When she strikes me for speaking out of turn I know I deserve it, secretly wanting another but knowing better than to voice desire again. 

"I'll be back next week, okay? Be good until then." Laura ruffles my hair and I feel like crying. What does she mean, week? I've lost track of time so for all I know it could be the weekend already, or it could be Monday, brooding and blue. "Heh, that look in your eyes. Don't worry, I'm not the only one who'll be coming down here to make use of you. I think you're going to be quite popular here in the tower. Just be good and she'll probably let you out eventually, I think you're already one of us." With a smile, Laura leans down and presses her lips against mine, kissing me sweetly with such kind touch I don't deserve. I stare dumbfounded at those glistening lips of hers when she pulls away, the prettiest smile glazed with her own reclaimed arousal. Gosh, I don't think... I don't think I want anything other than whatever the hell this is. They can break me, they can burn me, they can brush my hair and make me gush with newfound pride at my own defeat.

They can do anything they want with me, so please, give me another chance. Break this bitch.

Finale: Consent and Condescension

Everything is calm in my cell today. I don't really see it as a cell anymore, but a waiting room. I wait patiently with perfect posture, loop of metal around my neck holding me in comfortable confines. Since being captured by Envy, my life has gotten just a little better every day. I've been on my knees a lot lately, but servicing the garden's lieutenants is fulfilling work, someone has to give these key individuals much needed relief and I feel lucky to have this designated task even if I'm not officially one of them yet. I'm just happy to be of use, even in a cell I'm given purpose, it'd be a waste to rot away in refusal of Envy's generosity. 

Murmur came by earlier and told me that today is the day I'll be able to retake my test, something that I'm very much eager to redeem myself on. I have to admit that a part of me is now a little intimidated at the prospect of leaving this room full time and existing out there once again, but I'll be under her watch, her guidance. I'll be fine, I can trust in others. I no longer need to place faith in myself, no longer need that biting indecision to plague me, I can just accept whatever they tell me. Whatever she tells me. I am Envy's bitch, it's so much easier that way. Everything makes more sense when you learn to be loyal. 

Why did I come here again? Something about being a hero, about hope, about saving this city from Envy? Saving people from Envy? I... do I have that right? Murmur comes in from time to time and tells me about the garden's goals, about unification and peace, and they placate me like bedtime stories would a child. Why did I come here with the goal of tearing this peaceful world of theirs down? See, this is why I shouldn't be thinking for myself.

Doll footsteps clack against the ground but I'm already standing at attention, beaming at Murmur when she turns the corner. 

"Wipe that smile off your face." She commands me and I obey, realising I got carried away in my excitement. Hands reach over me to remove the chain and I'm thankful that they're letting me keep the collar on, wrapped up in her nice fragrance as her body hangs before my face. I breathe in deep and try my best not to smile again even if I'm in such a good mood today. I'm going to see Envy, why wouldn't I be? The last time we spoke in person she gave me the gift of pleasure overflowing, but this time I don't need anything from her. It's what she needs from me that I'm concerned with, nothing else. I don't want to be of service to her or anything silly like that, I'm past that sort of thing. It's just what I'm for, and it does fulfil me, so I do it. There is no alternative here, how could there be?

Murmur clips a leash to my collar and drags me along with it resting over her shoulder. I follow behind her with dutiful steps, reverent steps as I'm reminded of the hallowed halls I'm setting foot into. The ascension is a calm one, even more so than before. I taste them in my mouth, these lieutenants we're about to face, I recall their heat. My own heat is locked away for good measure, so it's easier to commit myself to focusing fully on that of others. Murmur's lashings of literature play through my head as the elevator doors slide open, her storied explanation of Envy's ambition. Envy wants to bring this world to heel before bringing healing to it. I admire her more than anything, more than a hero who thought to fight change, a staunch conservation of corruption will get us nowhere, I can see that now. The doors open with a pleasurable ding and then...

Envy. 

Eyes of Envy set upon and pull me closer, I don't need the doll to tug my leash when my own legs move on autopilot right to where she wants me. I kneel before the throne and feel a calm heat in my heart, eyes no longer brimming with such desperation, only acceptance. Should she send me back again, I won't question it. I'll obey, it's what I'm for. 

"Paw." The woman's voice drips with condescension and I find myself an addict, holding out my hand without a shred of embarrassment at the act. Envy catches my outstretched hand in hers and holds it, my entire body feeling enriched. I stare up at her a waiting statue, if I'm to be a pet then I'm not a needy one, I'm well tamed. Trained. "I can see you've learned your place properly now, I'll be candid with you, girl. Our garden has been thriving within the confines of this city, but all those armoured vehicles, that heavy artillery, the constant ill-fated raids... They're keeping us from expanding, we've been waiting for an ace in the hole to help see the garden thrive to new frontiers. Who better than the successor to Lady Nova herself? I just need you to know that you're not a hero, okay pet? You're my knight. A knight of hope, just like you wanted to be. My chivalrous lady set upon those outside forces, set to smite my foes."

Knight. 

I'm her knight? That sounds so... important. I'd have been happy to accept my place as a footstool at this point, I've not the will to question her after all... but wow, a knight? Envy's sword of justice and hope, her weapon... 

"I can tell you like the title, not that it matters. It's time for your test, okay? You won't fail this time will you?" My entire being flows into her hand from mine, thoughts feeling clearer than ever before. Clarity's a curse and I'm happy to have been hexed. 

"No, Empress." I'm so calm unlike before when my body was trembling, I still harboured pettiness and doubt back then, still wanted for myself like a sinner. 

"Good girl, then tell me. What do you really want?" Envy slides her dress up over bare thigh and points at the perfect skin, my slow brain eventually realising this is the same as her proffered foot from last time. 

Taking care not to rush, while also wanting to respect her time as best I can, I lift my head to meet her pretty gaze and answer directly. "I don't want anything, Empress, I'm yours to command." The part of me that knew this is wrong has been trained out of me and so I speak the words without any hint of hesitation. Envy appears pleased and so I dip down to plant reverent lips against her thigh and show her my devotion.

"Do you love me, Joy?" Her tendrils slide over my form and I relax into their hold, baptised by that sticky coating they cover me up in. 

"Yes, I do. I love you, Empress." I'm so hungry, I'm exhausted, I'm pent up with smouldering lust I can't tend to. And yet, I'm calm and content. All of this, everything happening to me right now, is normal and natural. Hardships often come before comforts. 

A hanging tendril drops paper bag into Envy's hand and the woman empties some of the contents into her other's waiting palm. "A treat for my pet knight for passing the first part of the test, here." Empress holds out her hand, several rich caramels sitting in the palm. A tantalising spectacle of sweetness, creamy and comforting. I've gone without for so long, while it's hardly the best sustenance I'm so very happy to be rewarded. My arm twitches and Envy shakes her head. "With your mouth."

Of course, she wants me literally eating from the palm of her hand. I dip my head forwards and brush lips over the slightly warm candy, pulling piece into my mouth while meekly staring up at her to make sure she approves. The taste of caramel melts against my tongue and I can't help but moan a little, as funny as that must sound. Envy calls me cute, just as Laura had, and I feel dizzy from the praise. I'm acting very normal and natural about her calling me that. 

I take another sweet and roll it around with my tongue, sucking the flavour from it wantonly and wondering if they're laced or if I'm really just this much of a slut. A glutton for obeying Empress Envy and receiving her sweet kindness in return. 

"You can smile, I don't mind. I wouldn't go as far to say you want to, but I know you're holding back. Discipline has its time and place, right now I want to see how happy I've made you." Envy smiles and I mimic it naturally, despite all our differences we still share the same face, though hers is somehow far more beautiful. 

Naturally, I smile. I beam bright enough to light up this dim room. I give a smile you can hear, giddy with enthusiasm now that I've received permission to be. A drooling bitch of a smile. 

"Bring her out, Doll." Envy addresses Murmur and so I don't pay any attention, still smiling and leaning into her touch, loving her with every fibre of my copied form. I'm her fake, of course I love her, she's practically my mother. 

Miss Murmur's clacks sound out from behind me and I do not allow them to distract. I only need to focus on Envy until she tells me otherwise, I'm good like that. Eventually the clacks return with another set of steps alongside them, Envy perking up and lifting my chin with a firm finger. "Joy, I'm going to need you to stand back up now and turn around. This part of your test is the most difficult, but there's only one thing left after it's done. I know you can do it, my knight, you'll be strong for me won't you?" 

"Of course... strong for you. Yeah." Only when I stand back up do I realise how spacey I've become again, all that smile having gone to my head. I turn and look upon the strangest sight yet in this place of naturally occurring oddities. 

It's me. Not Envy, but Joy. Or Lady Hope, I should say. They've dressed the double in that costume they confiscated back when I first came here, turns out they cleaned it after all. If I were still capable of want, I'd want to ask my Empress how this is possible. 

"Danielle was only capable of creating one mirror clone, wasn't she? Our former roommate was also a weakling, mortal bound. We know better than any how powers can be nurtured and developed over time, in cases like yours you've taken a weaker and more pitiful version of Nova's own power. Is it that surprising, then, that an empress like me could do the opposite? They say that seeing is believing, I suppose, so don't look away. That's exactly what you looked like when you were first brought here all those weeks ago." Weeks? Has it really been that long? No wonder I'm so well trained. "A pet playing at hero, a fancy title to promote the pitiful roleplay. I want you to kill her for me, Joy."

"Huh?"

Envy snorts, a vine moving in to return my gaze to Lady Hope when I instinctively turn back to look at her. That wasn't very obedient, she told me not to look away. "You heard me, girl. I need you to kill the symbol of hope before you, the part of us foolish enough to fancy herself a superhero. Have you learnt nothing from watching Nova's facade crumble? Superheroes are a fiction, real heroes like me have no need for them. Kill her, Joy, and I'll know she'll never rear her ugly head again." 

A vine slithers down to place knife against my open palm, closing my fingers around it before disappearing from whence it came. I stare down at the knife in my hand, it's long and sharp looking. It has a decent heft to it, but is otherwise unimpressive. Not a combat knife like those Firefly wields, but something you're liable to find in a kitchen to cut pie or cake with, perhaps chop vegetables. It tells me this act of killing is a casual affair despite the symbolic weight, this is not a duel, I am simply silencing a troublesome voice. Calmness takes me and I nod submissively, stepping over reflective obsidian floor towards the hero who appears to be acting just as much of a doll as Lady Murmur. That suits me fine, I'm not itching for a fight, but if she gave me one I'd win. I'd act as Envy's knight and reduce the enemy to ash if I had to. That's how much I love her. 

"Joy, I--"

Shunk.

Was she saying something? It hardly matters, I've been given an instruction and so I simply followed it. Envy no doubt made the mirror doll speak out towards the end to test my resolve, but that wasn't necessary. I sink the blade straight into her heart with some satisfaction, pleasure even, glad that I appear to have hit the right spot where others may have made mistake. I let the handle slip free from my fingers and sail down with the empty marionette in her sudden slump. Then, without further delay, I turn and inspect Envy's face to see if I've done as asked correctly. 

Just like that, I've killed for her. Better still, I've put an end to the hero inside of us. The relief cannot be overstated, Envy beckoning me closer and my knees naturally finding their spot on the ground. 

"Final question, and then you'll have passed my test. You'll be ready to serve me as knight, succumb to me as pet. I'll ask you plainly, Joy, as I always do. Do you consent to all of this?" It's a slightly vague question, though I find no need to overcomplicate my interpretation, nor my answer.

"Yes, Empress. I'm well aware of what was done to me and what you intend to do, Miss Murmur was very thorough in her educating. I understand how I felt coming into this place, but I've been turned around completely. I consent to being yours. Mind, body and soul. My life is yours to do with as you wish, I'll be your knight, your pet, your anything. I'm willing servant, as willing as I can be with only borrowed will bestowed upon me, of course. Despite this, I'm... happy, if you'll permit me the feeling." Smile and sunshine, you'd never know I just gutted my own likeness mere moments ago.

Envy offers me another caramel and I gladly accept it, she wouldn't offer if it wasn't mandatory anyway. "I appreciate you saying so, Joy. You're going to be a very good, useful girl for me going forward. You passed the test, well done."

I suck the flavour from the candy in my mouth and accept her praise with dull eyes. I've never felt so accomplished in my entire life.

Epilogue: Knight of Hope

Rich red cape flaps in the wind behind me as we reach the outskirts of the city, these drones keep my presence concealed from their eyes and their radars and I find myself feeling sorry for those who are about to meet Envy's wrath at my hands. It can't be helped, of course, but still I'm permitted to feel a healthy amount of pity towards those who'd seek to undo unification. Poor souls, I only hope that today's demonstration will send a message. 

Several rows of battle tanks and armoured cars occupy the repurposed land across the water. They look like they're ready to go to war but most of these are just for show, it'll be aircrafts, unmanned drones, that come for us next. I begin my descent as we cross over the river and tighten fists into my gloves, staring out at the hundreds of men scuttling around like ants. They're all too easy to squash even for a weakling pet like me, a fraction of Nova's power can make mankind shake in their boots. Had the woman been less altruistic, more ambitious like our Empress, perhaps global change would have been enacted long ago. 

And finally I'm spotted, I watch with more pity as the ants begin to rush to their weaponry, cheap toys that couldn't hope to hurt a knight of such calibre. Gravity takes me and I drop down onto the ground with a slam meant to provoke them further, giving indifferent tired look to the fresh cadet who thought it wise to approach me with nothing but a pistol. What, does he fancy himself a hero? I let him take a shot before approaching, turning mind to mush with glowing golden glare and stepping over his collapsed form. 

The unprepared forces mobilise tardily, training their artillery upon me in droves but always playing catch up to my swift and calculating motions. I use the cover of their own vehicles to weave between them and dismantle the armoured cars with well placed punches, my blows the swing of Envy's submissive sword slicing through their frontline with ease.

In my warpath I end plenty of lives, but I don't mean for this to be a massacre, sparing their numbers where I can while making sure my message is heard. I break their little toys with an overwhelming sense of catharsis in knowing they'll never again be used to interfere with Envy's noble ambition. As I reduce an Abrams into scrap I do it for her, I love her so much I know I'd go much further than this if she ordered me to. Bullets don't hurt me, even their heavier artillery only slows me down. It's funny then, how weak I had once felt as a hero in Envy's midst.

Envy isn't mortal, even if she turned me into this with a trick predicated on her being just that. These are mortals, these scurrying men who give such fearful looks when I turn their way. Angry men whose eyes lose all hope the moment their toys don't put me down. 

Nova had something I didn't, a strong sense of will. 

And now, as I carry out the will of a being so much greater than myself...

I've no will to speak of at all, only orders. I like orders, they make much more sense. A person can spend their whole life questioning, I no longer have such a tiresome burden. 

But I am tired, all the same. Being Envy's knight is tiring work, I won't deny it takes its toll. 

Even so... 

I'd like to think it gives the world hope. 

Any destruction needed to grasp that hope is normal and natural.

A Garden of Crows - End?