Cherry in Beauty and the Beast

chapter 10: Evil Schemes

Forte continued to play his tune as Cherry walked in. She liked the song and even had a small smile on her face. Fife, Forte's apprentice who was now a piccolo, was clapping like a captive audience member.

"Bravo! Encore! Encore!" Fife cheered.

"Fife, you approve?" Forte chuckled at her as he looked down at her. "How about you, Cerise?"

"Oh, Maestro!" Fife beamed. "It's magnificent!"

"Not bad, almost soothing for a lullaby." Cherry added, though the song was incredibly sad, she loved it too, then again, she loved all things miserable.

"Oh, come along, it's merely an opera," Forte played a loud, booming tone which made Cherry jump back in fright as the window cracked slightly. "To bring the house down." Forte laughed as debris fell from the ceiling.

Fife ducked down from the falling debris. Some of it caught on to his top though and made it slid down and cover his eyes as Forte darkly chuckled. "Is there a part for a piccolo?" he asked, hopefully.

"Absolutely," Forte replied, making green laser sheet music which scared Cherry for some reason, lift a box open to show sheet music for Fife. "Solo for Fife, in B Flat."

"Oh, I'd do anything for a solo!" Fife beamed.

"You promised me a reward too, Maestro." Cherry brought up.

"Yes," SLAM! Went the music box as Forte rolled his eyes. "I know..." Forte looked down at her. "Now, children... In the middle of my crescendo, I thought I heard merriment outside the window. Have a little look-see, will you two?"

"Why don't you do that yourself?" Cherry looked away in a straight, unimpressed face.

"Well Cerise, now that I think about it, I think I might, I'll just pick myself up and..." Forte stopped in mock surprise as he tried to move himself, but couldn't. "What's this? Oh Heaven's look! I'M BOLTED TO THE WALL!"

"Thank goodness..." Cherry mumbled under her breath, then she looked outside the window, hiding fright. "Your Master is skating."

"Skating?" Forte wondered. "Why on Earth would he do a thing like that?"

"Probably because that pretty girl is holding his hand." Fife replied, looking out the window for Forte.

"What!? Belle!?" Forte hissed at her.

"No, Snow White." Cherry grumbled in sarcasm.

"Hey, maybe if she falls in love with him, the spell will be broken, and we'll be human again!" Fife perked up with excitement.

Forte didn't like the sound of that last part and he blared his organ to make Cherry and Fife fall down in cowerance. "Trust me, kiddies... Humanity is entirely overrated..." he snarled. "Before the enchantment, there was no need for my particular brand of genius. But now, the master needs my melodies to feed his tormented soul. I am his confidant, and his best friend and I won't let some peasant girl ruin it for me!" He looked down at the girl and made her shoot up into attention. "CERISE! FIFE! See to it that this blossoming love withers on the vines..."

"Sure thing..." Cherry walked off out the music room to go back outside.

"Yes, Maestro Forte!" Fife saluted and giggled on his way out with Cherry.

"Difficult little creature.... But yet so passionate... I will have her as my very own child." Forte wickedly smirked as he watched Cherry leave.

Cherry and Fife came outside and saw that the Beast was skating much better than he was earlier. He was around Belle as he continued and they both laughed. Cherry was sickened by it, she felt like if she wasn't happy, then everybody else around her shouldn't be either.

"This looks like fun! What do you say we join them?" Mrs. Potts giggled, looking up at Cogsworth.

"Maybe another time, Angela." Cogsworth chuckled at her.

"Now come along, David." Mrs. Potts smirked.

"Angela? David?" Chip looked at his mother and Cogsworth in confusion.

"Ah, yes there is something in the air." Lumiere sighed as he watched his master and guestess skate together. "Could it be love?"

"Love? Oh, we got to stop them!" Fife cried, then Cherry pushed Fife down the bridge hand rail to make him plummet toward the ice. Fife screamed as he landed in the fountain and spun around in several circles.

"What's that little toot up to?" Mrs. Potts watched Fife, looking irritated.

Fife was by Belle and the Beast as they were closer on the ice beside her. She watched them skating and holding hands. Fife then grabbed onto the Beast's cape. "STOP!" he cried, then the cape ripped in his hands, making Belle and the Beast fall against a snow bank as Fife spiraled in the air and landed under a tree with a pile of snow landing on top of him.

"They look like abominable Snowpeople." Cherry snickered evilly. Then somebody threw a snowball at her and Cherry glared around to see who threw it as more snow from a tree she was under, fell onto her. "Hey! Whoever did that is dead meat!"

"Nice shot, Lumiere!" Mrs. Potts laughed.

"Thanks, Mrs. Potts." Lumiere smiled.

Cherry popped her head out, shivering and coughing. She then saw Belle lean back and wave her arms and legs around in the snow. She then got up with the Beast as they looked down together.

"It's a Christmas angel, see?" Belle showed, but then she noticed the Beast's was a smushed plant in the snow.

"This is no angel," the Beast sighed. "It's a shadow of a monster!" the Beast then growled and kicked and slashed around the snow, storming off inside.

"Forte's gonna be so proud of us." Fife smirked as he followed Cherry back inside the castle.

Cherry followed, but then sneezed loudly. She took out a handkerchief, and blew her nose longly and noisily, then went back inside the castle where it was safe and warm. Cherry sniffled her nose, and kept going inside to tell Forte with Fife what they did so they could earn their rewards.