Post by Zane on Dec 8, 2017 20:57:20 GMT -5
Part 1: The Whiner
"I lost what I defined myself be... Then I lost those who stood by me... And now, I'm simply... lost. I feel as though there is almost nothing left of me. Out here, I'll either lose myself completely... or find something new to be."
November 18th
Undisclosed Location
Zane walks into the large exhibition room and freezes as his left eyebrow raises slowly. Larry skips into the room in front of him, happily humming to himself. Zane’s eyes sweep the crowd as if he’s not sure what to make of his surroundings as he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Larry skips a few feet ahead of Zane and suddenly stops. He slowly turns and casts a confused look at Zane. Zane slowly flexes and relaxes his fingers, then places them into the pockets of his jeans. Larry shakes his head and walks over to him. He puts his balled fists on his sides as he looks up at his employer with disappointment on his face.
“Mr. Zane.” He says. “What’s the matter?”
Zane’s eyes sweep the room again. They take in the bright blues, yellows and greens as well as neon pinks and purples so bright that they border on blinding. He observes the mass of males who mill about alone and in clusters. They clutch sparkly pink lunchboxes, bright blue ponies, loudly multicolored bags and other assorted nick knacks as they walk around in brightly colored and sparkly t-shirts, among other assortments of attire that range from childish to outright strange. Zane takes all of this in as if he’s not quite sure what to make of it.
“Larry...” He says without looking at his assistant. “Where...the fuck...are we?”
Larry’s eyebrows furrow at the question and he looks at Zane as if he’s asking the most insane question in the world.
“We’re among my friends.” He replies with a shrug.
Zane blinks at Larry’s reply and shakes his head.
“There are men in horse costumes walking around…” He replies. “And they’re pink and purple. It looks like a nineteen eighties cartoon threw up in here.”
Larry’s eyes narrow at the last statement and he steps up onto his tiptoes so that he’s as close to even with Zane’s face as he can get. It’s clear that he’s attempting to look Zane in the eyes. All he manages to accomplish is to make it look as if he’s glaring at Zane’s chin.
“Don’t be a meanie!” He exclaims. “These are good, hard working people and they, we, deserve to not be judged by people like you for what we enjoy!”
Zane looks down at him with a sideways grin on his face.
“People like me?” He asks with a chuckle.
Larry shakes his head emphatically.
“Yes!” He indignantly squeaks. “Normies!”
He stomps his foot on the floor as he almost blurts out “normies” and fixes an expression on Zane that’s supposed to be a glare but just looks like he’s having bad gas. Zane shakes his head and laughs again.
“Normies’, huh?” He replies.
He pauses and runs his hand over his somewhat scruffy head.
“I suppose that I’m supposed to be insulted by that,” He says with clear amusement. “I just find it impossible to take offense at anything when I’m in a room that’s filled by grown men who look like….”
Larry’s face reddens even further and he tries to prop himself up even further, but only manages to barely avoid falling face first into Zane’s chest. Zane put his hands on Larry’s shoulders and gently pushes him upright before he takes a half step back.
“Settle down, killer.” He says as he barely stifles another laugh.
Larry stomps his foot on the floor again and does his best to thrust one of his skinny fingers into Zane’s face.
“That look like what?” He says through clenched teeth.
“Like...” Zane replies, momentarily at a loss for words as a man walks by with a pink saddle on his back.
“That!” He replies as he points at the saddled male.[/i]
Larry’s eyes widen to approximately the size of baseballs and he stands sputtering in front of Zane. Zane watches this for a couple of minutes with great amusement on his face before he finally holds his fingers in front of the face of his stammering assistant and snaps. Whether it’s the sound or the action that breaks Larry from his mental implosion, his barrage of sputtered and strangled sounds ceases.
“I brought you here because you’re my best friend.” He exclaims. “And it really hurts me that you’re making fun of me and my friends.”
Zane closes his eyes and rubs his fingers on the sides of his nose.
“Larry.” He says without opening his eyes. “I’m not making fun of you. I’m just taken a little…off guard by this. It’s…weird.”
Larry angrily stomps on the floor again and his bottom lip quivers.
“It’s not weird.” He says. “We’re celebrating something that we love in a community. We’re a family. Have you ever thought about which one you are?”
Zane blinks and his mouth opens and quickly clamps shut as he manages to avoid saying something that one can only assume would have profoundly insulted his assistant. Larry sees it but relaxes when Zane doesn’t say what he was apparently going to say. Zane opens his eyes and drops his hand back to his side.
“Larry, go and have fun with your friends.” He replies. “I’m flattered that you wanted to share something that you consider to be special with me, even if I don’t get it.”
Larry’s frown evaporates and his face is enveloped in a gigantic smile. He leaps forward and wraps Zane in what would be a crushing hug if he was strong enough to crush anything stronger than a plastic bag. Once again Zane puts his hands on Zane’s shoulders and slowly pushes him back with a smile.
“Thanks.” He says. “But you never answered my question.”
Zane stares at him blankly for a moment before he shakes his head.
“You mean the one asking me which horse I am?” He asks.
Larry nods his head enthusiastically, although his brows momentarily drop at Zane’s use of “horse”.
“I have no idea.” Zane replies. “I’ve never wasted a nanosecond of my life on this.”
Larry clearly catches “wasted”, but lets it pass and answers with a shrug.
“So?” He replies. “Just answer it.”
Zane shakes his head.
“I can’t.” He replies. “I have no idea about any of it .”
Larry responds with a beaming smile that’s so bright that it would make Ray Charles blindness worse, if that were possible. Zane raises an eyebrow and quickly face palms.
“God, no.” He replies.
Larry shakes his head enthusiastically as he practically jumps up and down in front of Zane. Zane watches this before he takes a deep breath.
“I’m going to regret this.” He replies. “But fine. Explain it to me.”
“YIPPIE!!!” Larry yells as he jumps up and down and Zane’s palm finds its way to his face again.
Larry stands in front of Zane red faced and giddier than a fat kid in front of cake and begins to stammer out very rapid and incoherent explanations of each pony. This goes on for about two minutes before Zane puts a hand on his shoulder.
“Stop.” He says. “Too fast. You’re going way too fast.”
Larry stops and takes a deep breath. He lets it out slowly and then begins to rattle off the same river of “information” that he’d barraged Zane with the first time. Zane listens to this for a couple of minutes before he once again puts a hand on Larry’s shoulder.
“Slow...down...” He says to his giddy assistant.
Larry stops again, takes another breath and exhales it extra slowly. He does this while bouncing up and down on his toes, much to Zane’s apparent annoyance, although he does nothing to stop it.
“Ok.” Larry says excitedly. “Here’s the breakdown of them...”
Zane looks almost physically pained by what he knows he’s about to experience.
“Go for it.” He answers.
Larry claps his hands together like a squirrel on a speedball and launches into his explanation.
“Well, the main character is Twilight Sparkle.” He explains as the camera momentarily shifts to an almost comically large male in a purple bodysuit who has a large mane of purple hair sticking out of his head and a longer one sticking out of his lower back.
Zane blinks at the sight of it and shakes his head before he looks back at Larry.
“Twilight Sparkle is the main character, the heroine.” He explains. “She live in Canterlot with Princess Celestina and her best pal, Spike. Much like I live with you.”
A funny look flashes across Zane’s face.
“Does that make Donovan Princess Celestina?” He asks with a crooked grin.
Larry stops and shoots Zane something that approximates a glare.
“Don’t interrupt.” He replies. “He’s more like Spike the Dragon.”
Zane shrugs and shakes his head but can’t help but chuckle.
“If you say so.” He replies.
Larry throws out a big “thumbs up” at Zane.
“Trust me.” He replies. “It fits. His friend Mister Travis was a lot like Twilight and Mr. Donovan was always with him.”
Zane shrugs.
“Whatever you say.” He replies. “Although I bet Donovan would contest part of that.”
Larry shakes his head.
“Mr. Donovan isn’t who he portrays himself as. I know he misses Mr. Travis, even though he likes being with you.”
Zane nods.
“I’m sure he does.” He answers with a shrug.
Larry shakes his head.
“May I continue?” He asks.
Zane gestures in a “go ahead” manner with his right hand. Larry smiles and picks up where he left off.
“As I was saying, Twilight isn’t always the friendliest or most social, but she’s heroic, book smart and eventually figures out how powerful friendship is. In the end she matures into an Alicorn and becomes a princess. She’s one of the most popular characters.”
“Well, that removes her as a comparison to me.” Zane replies with a grin and a shrug.
Larry puts a finger to his chin and taps it a couple of times.
“You don’t work as Pinkie Pie because you don’t laugh a lot.” He says.
Zane responds with a raised eyebrow. Larry notices it and keeps going, counting them down with his fingers.
“You’re not very generous, so that eliminates Rarity.” He says, ticking down a finger.
He flinches as if he’s about to get hit. Zane stares at him in silence for a few moments before he smiles widely and laughs.
“If I wasn’t being compared to an imaginary horse, I might be offended by that.” He replies.
Larry exhales loudly and waves at a wispy man who’s decked out in an all-white costume that’s so bright that it practically glows. He has a large purple mane poking out of his head that runs down a little past his shoulders. He also has something that looks like an attached collection of purple dyed broom ends protruding from his lower back. Zane watches as the man walks up to Larry, holds out his hand and the two proceed to engage in a ridiculously convoluted handshake that ends in what Zane’s expression shows to be a very uncomfortable looking hug, at least to him. Zane pulls a pamphlet from his pocket and begins to flip through it as the two oddly adorned men talk. He scans each page and barely manages to stifle multiple laughs while doing so.
The wispy man turns and looks at Zane and gives him a quick “up and down” before he turns back to Larry. His expression is one of disdain, if not contempt. Larry seems largely oblivious to it.
“Normies.” He says with a dismissive head shake and thumb thrust over his back.
“Normies.” Larry says with an uncharacteristically arrogant grin. “I’m trying to educate him now.”
“Good luck.” The man replies. “Normies just don’t get it.”
“Tell me about it.” Larry replies with a snide smile. “He sure doesn’t.”
Larry’s smile evaporates when he looks at Zane, who has his arms folded across his chest and is looking at Larry with a raised eyebrow. The person Larry’s talking to catches the look and walks up to Zane. The size difference is profound. The man stops in front of Zane and points a finger at him.
“Aren’t you a pro wrestler or something?” He inquires as assertively as his nasally voice will allow. “How dare you make fun of
us when you run around in panties and play assertive grab ass with greased up men!”
Zane replies with a derisive sound that’s part grunt and part laugh. He smacks the man’s hand away and leans over so that they’re almost face to face.
“Yes. I’m a professional wrestler.” He replies. “I’m an athlete. You’re a grown man who dresses like an imaginary horse. I get hit with chairs, get put through tables and I’ve been thrown through glass walls. You dress like an imaginary horse. I’ve been attacked with weed whackers, Singapore canes, croquet mallets and chairs. You dress like an imaginary horse. My job is violent, I risk life threatening injury every time I step into the ring and I do all of that while entertaining tens of thousands of people because there is a certain degree of theater to what I do.”
He pauses and smirks snidely.
"Also, I get to grapple with women." He says. "Which isn't something you'd know anything about beyond hugging your mother."
He pauses for dramatic effect.
“And you...dress...like...an imaginary...horse...” He says slowly.
The man glares up at him and stammers, but nothing even remotely coherent comes out. He finally turns and looks at Larry, red faced.
“Your Normie friend is a freak and an asshole.” He snarls. “Good luck with him.”
Larry’s eyes widen and he inhales indignantly. The man in the white costume turns on his “heel” and clops off into the room.
Larry turns on Zane with his hands on his hips.
“That was rude!” He squeaks angrily.
Zane nods his head.
“Yup.” He replies. “He was a dick.”
Larry adamantly shakes his head and points at Zane.
“No!” He squeaks again. “You were rude!”
Zane chuckles and shakes his head.
“Sure.” He replies. “I was the rude one. He deserved it.”
Larry drops his hands to his hops and glowers up at Zane, who smiles in return. Larry stands and fumes for a moment before Zane reaches out and places a hand on his shoulder.
“Listen, Larry.” He says. “I don’t get any of this. I think it’s weird to want to dress up like this around other adults and be seen in public and when you asked me to accompany you to this, I almost said ‘no’ because I didn’t want to be seen around these people.”
The cherry hue of Larry’s face deepens.
“Then why did you come here?” He asks angrily.
“Because you’re my friend and it’s important to you.” Zane replies with a shrug.
The red color drains from Larry’s face and a wide smile spreads across his face. He leaps forward and envelops Zane in what is, for him at least, a bear hug. Zane pats him on the back.
“By the way, when you were talking to him, I leafed through one of the character pamphlets you gave ti me.”
Larry pulls back from him with a beaming smile.
“You did?” He asks gleefully.
The two disengage and Larry takes a step back. He looks up at Zane and eagerly claps his hands together.
“And?” He asks expectantly. “Which one are you?”
Zane smiles a crooked grin.
“Before I answer that, tell me what you think of this.”
Larry looks at him curiously.
“Ok?” He replies.
Zane smiles, points to a page in the book and turns it around so that Larry can see it.
“You’re ‘Fluttershy’.” He says. “From my limited understanding of the character, she represents kindness and I don’t know anyone who is as genuinely kind as you are. How you tolerate me, let alone like me, I have no idea.”
Larry blushes and kicks his foot softly on the floor.
“Thanks.” He replies quietly as he looks at the floor. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“You’re a good guy, Larry and people only pick on you because they don’t understand you.” Zane explains.
Larry raises an eyebrow.
“Do you understand me?” He asks.
Zane shakes his head.
“Not entirely.” He replies. “But that doesn’t bother me. I like who you are and I figure that if we’re friends for long enough that I’ll eventually ‘get’ you. Besides, I can relate. People don’t really ‘get’ me. They just see who and what they want to see. I let them.”
Larry raises an eyebrow.
“Does it bother you?” He asks.
Zane nods.
“Sometimes.” He replies.
“That’s why people pick on you about it?” Larry asks.
“Yes.” Zane answers. “But that’s life. I’ve been an asshole to a lot of people in my life, so I suppose it’s fair in a way. It balances things out.”
A weird smile comes across his face and he looks at the camera.
“Besides, I have a feeling that I’ll be answering this question later, so I probably shouldn’t say too much.”
Larry looks at Zane quizzically.
“Why are you looking at the camera like that?” He asks.
Zane turns and looks at him.
“Don’t worry about it.” He replies.
Larry shrugs and gestures towards a giant Yak when it walks by. The Yak raises a hand and keeps walking.
“I started out as that guy.” Zane says with a head raise of his own.
Larry responds with a look of surprise on his face.
“Prince Rutherford?” He asks. “When were you him?”
Zane laughs in response.
“Well, I can still be like him now. I still like classical music and I can be pretty ill tempered, loud and destructive. I’m also still accused of speaking in fragmented sentences.”
Larry stares at him dumbfounded.
“Pick your jaw up, Larry.” He says with a smile. “It looks like someone stabbed you in the ass with a hot poker.”
He reaches over and slowly pushes Larry’s jaw shut. It looks rather cartoonish. Zane pulls back and places his hands in his pockets as he waits for Larry to recover. It takes a couple of minutes for it to look as if Larry has put the gerbil back on the mental wheel, but he eventually does and he gives Zane a funny look.
“What changed?” He asks.
“A lot of things.” He replies. “I had a lot of different experiences, both good and bad. I came across a lot of other people. If you look at it, everyone in this match bears some resemblance to one of the characters in this show.”
Larry blinks at Zane and gestures for him to continue.
“Pierce is basically Prince Blueblood.” He explains. “He’s obnoxious, self-entitled, arrogant, often oblivious to reality and incapable of seeing the world past the end of his own nose. If you look at it, his entire situation with Eden was a lot like Rarity and her doomed attempt at a relationship with him.”
Larry stares at Zane, clearly taken off guard by his exposition.
“Okay...” He says slowly. “I’ll take your word for that since I didn’t know you then.”
“Take my word for it.” Zane replies. “Anyway, Eden is a combination of Tempest Shadow and Adagio Dazzle. She wants power and influence, she’s vengeful and she craves recognition. In the end she reacts to things as she does because deep down she feels that her friends will always betray her.”
Larry stares at him dumbfounded again.
“I’m impressed.” He answers. “What about Jessica Mathis?”
He says “Jessica Mathis” with a slight raise in his voice. Zane replies with a raised eyebrow, then rolls his eyes.
“Still with the Mathis shit.” He says in a slightly exasperated tone.
“She’s so adorable.”
Zane rolls his eyes again.
“She’s annoying.” He replies. “And she’s got the potential to be great, but she can’t get out of her own way. If she were one of these ponies, she’d be Princess Skystar. She’s too obsessed with being loved and it handicaps her. She’s also too impulsive for her own good.”
Larry stands in silence for a moment before he seems to gesture with his expression that he agrees with Zane, at least to a point.
“I like her exuberance.” He responds. “It’s very attractive. Besides, aren’t you impulsive and obsessed with being loved?”
Zane smiles a narrow smile.
“Not quite.” He answers. “I’m not nearly as impulsive as I used to be. I’ve had a lot of help with learning how to reign that in.
In regard to the second point, I’m not concerned with being ‘loved’. I want to be respected. I can be respected and hated, they’re not mutually exclusive.”
Larry answers with a dubious eyebrow.
“I’m not sure I buy that.” He answers. “Why would you want to be hated?”
Zane shrugs.
“It’s a useful emotion to make use of.” He replies.
Larry exhales slowly and rubs his temples, a gesture that tends to go the other way.
“Ok.” He answers. “What about you? Which one are you? You said that you used to be Prince Rutherford but you aren’t now.”
Zane smiles and laughs a somewhat ironic laugh.
“I’m a combination of a few of them.” He replies with another shrug. “But I’m the most like Rainbow Dash.”
Larry’s expression betrays that he’s clearly perplexed by Zane’s response.
“Why?”
Zane grins, clearly appreciating the self-revelatory moment that he’s about to voice.
“Because throughout my entire life I’ve had one glaring character trait.” He responds. “I’m loyal… to a fault.”
Larry stands and considers Zane’s words before he slowly nods.
“I never thought about that.” He replies. “That makes a lot of sense.”
Zane nods.
“Yes.” He replies “And it explains a lot of the conflicts of my life. Alan said it perfectly…”
Larry shakes his head in agreement.
“What you see is what you get.” He answers.
“Right.” Zane answers, although his voice doesn’t sound entirely pleased by the characterization.
The two men stand in silence for a few moments before Zane finally looks at Larry.
“Go have fun with your friends, Larry.” He says. “I’ll find some way to entertain myself.”
Larry nods, turns on his heel, skips away and rapidly disappears into the crowd. Zane shakes his head and watches him go. He steps from where he’s standing by the door and walks over to a set of tables that have been set up to create a small cafeteria space. He sits down and sweeps the room with his gaze. He clearly finds the entire spectacle very odd.
“I can appreciate this, as weird as I find it. I can also appreciate you for who you are, Mathis.” He says. “You stand at a crucial point in your career where you can continue to be who you are, or you can allow your anger to change you. The decision is yours as to the future you want. Just keep in mind that if you give in to your anger, that you’ll shatter people like Larry who look up to you as a hero. There’s no coming back from that.”
He takes a deep breath and exhales it slowly.
“In the short term, you’re in my way and I have to move you out of it.” He says. “Don’t take it personally. You aren’t worth enough to me for it to be personal. It’s just simple necessity.”
He stands up and walks over to Larry. Larry pauses in his conversation and smiles as he sees Zane walk up to him. The smile momentarily falters as he catches the look on Zane’s face, but it quickly reappears, although we can’t see why. Zane appears to say something to him and he nods in reply. Zane pats him on the shoulder, turns around and begins to walk from the room. He moves through the crowd with the uncharacteristic swiftness that he’s been known to exhibit for a man his size. He finally reaches and then passes through the door. As soon as he passes through it the camera swings upwards.
“GREATER NEW YORK BRONY CONVENTION: 2017”
"After the invasion, I should do something for the soldiers. You know, like a pizza party! Or a funny hat day! Something to show I appreciate all their hard work pillaging and looting!"
-Storm King, “My Little Pony: The Movie”
-Storm King, “My Little Pony: The Movie”
Part II: The Bitch (Eden)
“Don’t be silly!” The dark haired girl exclaims incredulously. “Even you can’t be that dumb!”
The short haired boy shoots her a glare out of the corner of his eye and returns his focus to the telescope that stands in front of them. His eyes sweep the sky until he finds the “Red Planet”. He focuses on it and sweeps it with his eyes, admiring the planet as much as is possible through a telescope that’s as limited as a child’s telescope. He answers the girl without looking at her.
“I didn’t say that believe it.” He replies. “Just that some people do.”
The boy is large for his age, which appears to be about seven or eight. He has short black hair, broad shoulders and looks like he’s going to be a walking mountain when he’s an adult. The girl is also dark haired, but she’s lithe, graceful looking and has a youthful beauty that hints at the stunning beauty that she’ll flower into in adulthood. She walks up beside him with her hands on her hips. Her conniving smile is barely noticeable in the low light that’s cast from the nearby porch.
“Well if you don’t believe it, then what do you believe?” She asks devilishly before she pauses briefly. “I think that you do and you just don’t want to admit it yet.”
The boy’s shoulders slowly raise and lower at her taunt, although he doesn’t step away from the microscope.
“I don’t know.” He responds. “We haven’t covered that in school yet.”
“But you don’t believe the Earth is flat, do you?” She presses.
“No.” He answers.
She kicks her foot in the grass and look at him.
“If there are ‘Flat Earth’ groups, do you think there are any ‘Flat Mars’ groups?” She asks. “And if not, why not?”
The boy looks up from the telescope with a slightly befuddled look on his face. He shrugs and goes back to the telescope.
“I’ve never heard of any.” He replies. “And dad believes in some pretty strange sounding things.”
“You didn’t answer why there aren’t any ‘Flat Mars’ societies.” She presses.
He shrugs.
“I bet that telescopes have a lot to do with it.” He answers.
The girl looks up at the stars and smiles.
“But they can see Earth through satellites and photographs from space and they don’t believe in those.”
The boy shrugs again.
“Adults are weird.” He answers. “I think that people get crazier as they get older. I bet that believing in a ‘Flat Earth’ while believing that Mars is round because of telescopes is a part of that.”
The girl giggles at his response.
“I guess.” She answers. “It all sounds funny to me, too.”
“Yup.” The boy replies.
“But it doesn’t really explain for me why there aren’t any ‘Flat Mars’ groups.” She says again.
He looks up from the telescope and turns to look at her.
“Because adults are weird.” He replies, looking back into the telescope. “Why else would you care if the Earth is round or not?”
The girl lowers one hand from her side and places it on the frame of the telescope. The boys turns it and looks up at something else in the sky before he swings back to Mars. The girl waits for a second and then begins to wildly jerk the frame back and forth, which yanks it from his face and nearly pokes him in the eye. He forcefully pulls away from it glares at her.
“Would you stop?” He yells.
She grins and yanks back and forth on the telescope again. This time her actions cause it to hit him in the chin. He glares at her again.
“Please stop!” He demands. “You just hit me in the face!”
She sticks her tongue out at him.
“Nobody would notice!” She says with a cruel smile. “You’re already ugly and smelly!”
He shakes his head and keeps the glare leveled on her.
“You’re so annoying.” He growls. “Why can’t do anything without trying to torture me?”
The girl dances back and forth around him, jumping from toe to toe before she finishes with a pirouette that stops directly in front of him.
“Because you’re a moron and it’s fun!” She says.
She grabs the telescope and jerks it back and forth again, grinning tauntingly at him the entire time.
“Stop!” He bellows.
He slaps her hand away and stands glaring at her. She initially responds with shock that he stuck her, then smiles devilishly at him and runs to the house.
“MOOOOM!!!!” She wails. “He hit me!”
She runs across the lawn, vaults up onto the porch, pulls the screen door open and darts through the front door. The boy watches her go, shakes his head and rolls his eyes. The pulls the cap back over the lens of the telescope and turns to face the house with a resigned look on his face. A few seconds later the reason for this becomes obvious as the little girl comes out, hand in hand with her very angry looking mother. The girl alternates between crying, sniffling and playing up her misery and her mother appears to be buying every second of it. She marches up to the boy and grabs him by the wrist.
“Why did you hit your sister?” She demands. “We don’t do that in this house!”
She puts extra stress on “do”. She pauses and glowers down at him as she strokes her daughters raven colored hair with her free hand. The boy looks up at his mother and then to his sister, who is grinning devilishly at him from behind her right hand, which she has over her face. The boy exhales slowly and looks pleadingly up at his mother, who continues to glower down at him.
“Well?” She demands. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
The boy looks at her and shakes his head.
“She hit me in the face with the telescope.” He explains. “I was just trying to get her to stop.”
Their mother responds by letting go of his wrist, but she promptly waves a scolding finger in front of his face.
“Did you ask her to stop?” She asks.
“Yes.” He replies with a head nods. “Three times!”
The mother looks down at her daughter.
“Did he?” She asks.
The little girl shakes her head “no”.
“No.” She replies, adding in a sniffle for good measure. “I asked to use the telescope and he just hit me without saying anything!”
She breaks out with a loud wail and another round of tears. Her mother turns and glares down at her son.
“Get in the house, young man!” She growls. “We’ll discuss this later!”
She grabs him by the back of his collar, spins on her heel and marches him into the house. The girl skips back into the house behind them with a gleeful smile on her face. The boy glares back at her over his shoulder. She looks at him and adds insult to injury by flashing an obnoxious smile at him. His mother yanks him up onto the porch and scolds him one last time.
“Just wait until your father gets home!” She says. “You’re in big trouble mister!”
The two of them disappear into the house as the little girl skips up the step, onto the porch and through the front door, which closes with a clack behind her.
Later
The boy sits in his room on his bed with his angry parents standing over him and his gloating sister behind them. His mother has her hands on her hips as his father waves a scolding finger in his face as he reprimands him for what he thinks had happened earlier.
“We’re both very disappointed in you young man.” He chides his son. “You shouldn’t have hit your sister.”
The boy nods his head as his father continues to speak.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” He demands.
“I’m sorry, Dad.” He says. “I tried to tell mom what happened, but she won’t believe me.”
His father crouches down in front of him and places his hands on the boy’s shoulders.
“It doesn’t matter what your sister did.” He explains. “She’s younger than you. You’re supposed to protect her, not hurt her.”
The boys nods his head.
“I know.” He replies as he drops his eyes.
The father stands up, looks at his wife, then to his daughter, who is back to sniveling where she had been grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He runs a hand over her head and looks back at his son.
“Your mother and I have decided that your punishment will be that she gets to take something from your souvenir collection.” He says.
The boy exhales despondently and nods. His father nods at him and pats him on the shoulder.
“No go wash up for dinner.” He says.
The boy gets up and walks between his sister. She puts a hand to his chest and smiles cruelly at him.
“I’m going to take your World Championship belt from the first wrestling show that we went to.” She says devilishly. “I know that one’s your favorite. I’m going to put it with my “’Lady Eden’ Victory Playset”.
She turns and pats him on the side of his face and then steps aside so that he can leave the room. He walks down to the bathroom and up to the sink. He turns the water on and quickly washes his hands before he plugs the drain and lets the water begin to build up. He grabs a wash cloth off of the small towel holder that hangs slightly to the side of it and turns back to the sink. He turns the water off and stares down into the pooled water. He pauses with it over the washcloth and gazes down into it.
]“Vinegar: And this time Stein comes in to break up the pin! The challengers are finally feeling the brunt of today and are obviously hurting bad. Stein climbs back through the ropes as Scott nurses his shoulder. Pierce comes running in as Scott gets to his knees and hits a high knee to the temple! Scott, for the first time tonight is in trouble!
Covert Jay: And as the Main Event should be, this is possibly the best match of the night!
Vinegar: It sure is. Scott now back on his feet, but he’s not stable. He’s wobbling around as he tries to get a grip on what’s going on. Pierce climbs to the top rope, dives off and hits a bulldog! OH NO! The momentum from the fall caused Pierce to bounce straight up and into Jet Somers! Jet just cot knocked off the apron and into the barricade!
Lieberjosch: Scott back on his feet after the Bulldog, Travis is checking on his partner, and hasn’t seen Scott get back on his feet!
Covert Jay: He turns to face Scott
Vinegar: AND GETS HIT BY THE MURDEROUS INTENT!
Covert Jay: PIN!
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
DING! DING!
Dennis: Ladies and Gentlemen, your winners and NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONS…………SCOOOOOOOOOOOOTT ‘N’ STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vinegar: A night of near pure dominance. That is what we’ve witnessed tonight folks, and the birth of a new era was what came from that.”
Covert Jay: And as the Main Event should be, this is possibly the best match of the night!
Vinegar: It sure is. Scott now back on his feet, but he’s not stable. He’s wobbling around as he tries to get a grip on what’s going on. Pierce climbs to the top rope, dives off and hits a bulldog! OH NO! The momentum from the fall caused Pierce to bounce straight up and into Jet Somers! Jet just cot knocked off the apron and into the barricade!
Lieberjosch: Scott back on his feet after the Bulldog, Travis is checking on his partner, and hasn’t seen Scott get back on his feet!
Covert Jay: He turns to face Scott
Vinegar: AND GETS HIT BY THE MURDEROUS INTENT!
Covert Jay: PIN!
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
DING! DING!
Dennis: Ladies and Gentlemen, your winners and NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONS…………SCOOOOOOOOOOOOTT ‘N’ STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vinegar: A night of near pure dominance. That is what we’ve witnessed tonight folks, and the birth of a new era was what came from that.”
The boy suddenly jerks from his reverie as he hears his name called from downstairs. He quickly dips the cloth into the water and then runs it over his face before he wrings it out, hangs it up and opens the drain. He turns and walks downstairs.
Later that night.
The boy sits in the living room playing on his tablet. The sound of the TV filters in from the other room as his parents watch something in the other room. The boy smiles as he enjoys watching old wrestling clips on his tablet. He sits and watches until he eventually nods off against the couch.
Lieberjosch: Yes! YES! I knew that wouldn't be enough...
Vinegar: Eden so, so close to retaining her title, but Zane Scott kicks out just at the very last moment, and she rolls off...
Lieberjosch: She knows that it's over...
Vinegar: I doubt it, she may have just levelled the playing field, both are struggling to get to their feet, Zane clutching at his ribs...
Lieberjosch: She's not the picture of health either...
Vinegar: But ten minutes ago we thought she might die, so it's a massive improvement...
Lieberjosch: Let's see just how much improvement there is both are up, and Zane has just slammed his hand around her throat....and he's smiling again....
Vinegar: Eden struggling, trying to get out of his grip....
Lieberjosch: But his hand strength is just fine, the more she squirms the harder he squeezes, all whilst maintaining a smile and looking deep into her eyes...
Vinegar: Her eyes are bulging from her head...
Lieberjosch: CHOKESLA...
Vinegar: NO! He loses grip when trying to ehave her up and falls to a knee clutching his ribs...
Lieberjosch: He scowls as he gets up...
Vinegar: Eden pounces...
Covert Jay: FALL OF EDEN!!!
Vinegar: She covers...
1...
2...
Lieberjosch: AGAIN! Zane Scott kicks out...
Vinegar: But now Eden senses the momentum in this encounter is swinging back in her direction, she is up quickly, and you can see her thinking...
Lieberjosch: Zane gets to his knee's, clutching his ribs...
Vinegar: Eden springs back onto the top turnbuckle, she knows she has to put Zane down before momentum swings again...she leaps...
Lieberjosch: Zane gets up, catches her...and with all his energy tosses her up in the air again...
Covert Jay: MURDEROUS INTENT!!!
Vinegar: Eden spins 360 in the air before crashing to the ground, and Zane Scott covers...
1...
2...
3!!!
Eliminated: Eden Morgan
Dennis: Ladies and Gentlemen, here is your Outlast winner, and NEW UGWC WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION...ZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNEEEEEE SSSSSSCCCCOOOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!
Vinegar: Eden so, so close to retaining her title, but Zane Scott kicks out just at the very last moment, and she rolls off...
Lieberjosch: She knows that it's over...
Vinegar: I doubt it, she may have just levelled the playing field, both are struggling to get to their feet, Zane clutching at his ribs...
Lieberjosch: She's not the picture of health either...
Vinegar: But ten minutes ago we thought she might die, so it's a massive improvement...
Lieberjosch: Let's see just how much improvement there is both are up, and Zane has just slammed his hand around her throat....and he's smiling again....
Vinegar: Eden struggling, trying to get out of his grip....
Lieberjosch: But his hand strength is just fine, the more she squirms the harder he squeezes, all whilst maintaining a smile and looking deep into her eyes...
Vinegar: Her eyes are bulging from her head...
Lieberjosch: CHOKESLA...
Vinegar: NO! He loses grip when trying to ehave her up and falls to a knee clutching his ribs...
Lieberjosch: He scowls as he gets up...
Vinegar: Eden pounces...
Covert Jay: FALL OF EDEN!!!
Vinegar: She covers...
1...
2...
Lieberjosch: AGAIN! Zane Scott kicks out...
Vinegar: But now Eden senses the momentum in this encounter is swinging back in her direction, she is up quickly, and you can see her thinking...
Lieberjosch: Zane gets to his knee's, clutching his ribs...
Vinegar: Eden springs back onto the top turnbuckle, she knows she has to put Zane down before momentum swings again...she leaps...
Lieberjosch: Zane gets up, catches her...and with all his energy tosses her up in the air again...
Covert Jay: MURDEROUS INTENT!!!
Vinegar: Eden spins 360 in the air before crashing to the ground, and Zane Scott covers...
1...
2...
3!!!
Eliminated: Eden Morgan
Dennis: Ladies and Gentlemen, here is your Outlast winner, and NEW UGWC WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION...ZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNEEEEEE SSSSSSCCCCOOOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!
The boy momentarily lashes out in the air of the living room as he rolls over onto the other side on the floor and falls back into dreamland.
Vinegar: WHAT IS THIS GIRL MADE OF!
Covert Jay: Eden throws a hand out and grabs the rope, and she is trying to heave herself to her feet!
Vinegar: It's slow progress but so is that of Zane oin the ladder, he's only just managed to get both feet off of the canvas, such is the struggle he is having with his injured leg.
Covert Jay: She drags herself across towards the ropes with both hands before placing her right hand on the middle rope...
Lieberjosch: Zane still making slow progress and he can see Eden throw her second hand on to the middle rope...
Vinegar: And his eyes widen...
Covert Jay: From the crowd, hopping over the guard rail is Cypress Moprgan! Eden Morgan's brother...
Lieberjosch: Zane intensifies his efforts, but he still has a good five rungs to go...
Vinegar: The Morgan's may have had a factitious year, but Cyrpess has appeared right at the moment his sister needed his support, he heads straight for her as she drags herself and body onto the second rope...
Lieberjosch: Even Eden looks surprised... and that delay could be enough, Zane pushing hard as she reaches up for the top rope as she looks at her brother who comes towards her...
Vinegar: He reaches out and strokes his sisters face, and she gets a glint in her eye, she turns and look at Zane, with a new belief all from the love of her bro...WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING!
Lieberjosch: Cypress whips out a pair of handcuffs and before Eden can react he's attached her to the top rope!
Vinegar: OF ALL THE TWISTED THINGS TO DO! SHE'S HIS SISTER!
Lieberjosch: Zane makes his way to the top, and he sees Eden looking at her brother in complete shock and she looks from her wrist to the rope and the handcuffs inbetween. Before she slumps down, just as Scott smiles at Cypress before reaching up and slowly, but surely unbuckling the belt.
DING!
Dennis: Ladies and Gentlemen, here is your winner, and still UGWC World Heavyweight Champion...ZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNEEEE SSSSSSCCCCCOOOOOTTTT!!!!
Covert Jay: Eden throws a hand out and grabs the rope, and she is trying to heave herself to her feet!
Vinegar: It's slow progress but so is that of Zane oin the ladder, he's only just managed to get both feet off of the canvas, such is the struggle he is having with his injured leg.
Covert Jay: She drags herself across towards the ropes with both hands before placing her right hand on the middle rope...
Lieberjosch: Zane still making slow progress and he can see Eden throw her second hand on to the middle rope...
Vinegar: And his eyes widen...
Covert Jay: From the crowd, hopping over the guard rail is Cypress Moprgan! Eden Morgan's brother...
Lieberjosch: Zane intensifies his efforts, but he still has a good five rungs to go...
Vinegar: The Morgan's may have had a factitious year, but Cyrpess has appeared right at the moment his sister needed his support, he heads straight for her as she drags herself and body onto the second rope...
Lieberjosch: Even Eden looks surprised... and that delay could be enough, Zane pushing hard as she reaches up for the top rope as she looks at her brother who comes towards her...
Vinegar: He reaches out and strokes his sisters face, and she gets a glint in her eye, she turns and look at Zane, with a new belief all from the love of her bro...WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING!
Lieberjosch: Cypress whips out a pair of handcuffs and before Eden can react he's attached her to the top rope!
Vinegar: OF ALL THE TWISTED THINGS TO DO! SHE'S HIS SISTER!
Lieberjosch: Zane makes his way to the top, and he sees Eden looking at her brother in complete shock and she looks from her wrist to the rope and the handcuffs inbetween. Before she slumps down, just as Scott smiles at Cypress before reaching up and slowly, but surely unbuckling the belt.
DING!
Dennis: Ladies and Gentlemen, here is your winner, and still UGWC World Heavyweight Champion...ZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNEEEE SSSSSSCCCCCOOOOOTTTT!!!!
The wall clock chimes and the boy jerks awake. As he does the scene momentarily goes black. It quickly fades back in to show a solitary and hulking figure sitting with his head declined as it rains steadily around him. His face is hidden by the black hood that’s over it as the rain bounces off of it and the black oil skin duster that covers him almost like a cape. The whole scene makes him look like a mourning super hero.
After a few seconds a thick white cloud emanates from under the hood and the person looks up, revealing himself to be Zane Scott. He looks off in the distance and exhales another white cloud again.
“Eden, It seems to me that you and I are destined to keep crossing paths in a never ending dance of violence and self-destruction.” He says. “Maybe this Monday at ‘Horizons’ it’ll come full circle.”
His voice is calm and even with a touch of excitement to it.
“Or perhaps we’ll write the opening lines of the next chapter.” He states with a shrug. “I expect that’s what will happen, because I can’t see you letting me walk away with the Chaos Championship that you now clutch so tightly to your lovely chest.”
He slowly stands and reveals himself to be holding a single red rose.
“If I’d had a sister, she’d have been you.” He says. “Instead we’re locked in a never ending cycle of mutual destruction against each other.”
He pauses.
“One day, one may write the other one’s epitaph.”
He stands up and lets the rose slowly drop from his hand. It slowly tumbles downward until it lands in the wet grass. The image pulls back to show that Zane had been sitting atop a headstone. When it pulls back, the stone reads a single name.
Ryan Hanneman
“THE HAMMER”
R.I.P.
“THE HAMMER”
R.I.P.
Part III: The Bozo
[/b][/div]We open in a UGWC interview room. The backdrop is a simple red curtain with a “UGWC” emblem emblazoned on it. There are two comfortable looking red chairs that face a dark blue chair. Each chair has a small table next to it with a glass and a pitcher of water on it. The floor is covered with a nice looking rug, which also has a “UGWC” emblem on it.
Roxy Malone enters the room and sits down in the dark blue chair. A tech walks over and attaches a mic to her white “UGWC” polo shirt. They execute a couple of quick tests and once they’re complete she smiles and nods. The assistant disappears and a couple of moments later “The Paradox” Zane Scott and “The Lord of Pain” Donovan Hastings enter the room. The two men sit down Zane in the chair to the left and Donovan to the one on the right. Both men adjusts their microphones, lay the UGWC Co- Operative Championships across their laps and look at Roxy. Roxy looks at the two of them and smiles.
“Welcome gentlemen.” She says.
Both men nod at her.
“Roxy.” Zane replies.
“Malone.” Donovan says.
Roxy nods back and does a quick check of his iPad. She looks up at them and the view briefly swings to him.
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen and welcome to a special, pre- ‘Horizons’ interview with one- half of the UGWC Co-Operative Championships, “The Paradox” Zane Scott. He’s joined by his tag team partner, “The Lord of Pain” Donovan Hastings. Thank you for
joining me.”
Zane nods and smiles while Donovan sits silently in his chair. Roxy looks at Zane and smiles.
“So, Zane, some of these questions are mine and some are fan questions.” She explains. “Is that ok?”
Zane nods a single nod and smiles.
“Sure.” He replies. “Go for it.”
She flashes him a positively radiant smile in return and looks down at her iPad. She looks back up, checks her mic one last time for no apparent reason and continues.
“First and foremost, how are you?” She asks.
She gestures towards Donovan to indicate that he can answer as well. Donovan smiles but doesn’t reply. Zane does.
“I’m great.” He answers. “How’re you?”
She blinks at him, almost as if surprised that he asked. She regains her composure and smiles at him as she responds.
“I’m well, thank you.” She replies.
He nods his head.
“No problem.” He answers.
She shuffles in her seat and looks a serious expression his way.
“How do you feel about your match at ‘Horizons’ going into it?” She asks.
Zane smiles.
“I’m looking forward to it.” He replies. “I’ll freely admit that I’ve gone out of my way to avoid challenging for that Championship in my career because I felt like I’d be stereotyped into the division due to my straight ahead and smash mouth style. I wasn’t thrilled when I saw the initial card for ‘Horizons’, but as the weeks have gone by, I’ve warmed to the idea.”
She nods in reply.
“Is that because the Chaos Championship is the only one you’ve never won?”
Zane nods in reply.
“Yes.” He answers. “That’s a part of it.”
“What’s the rest of it?”
Zane smiles.
“In all honesty, while I enjoy pummeling Pierce and it’s always fun to throw Mathis around, the real joy of this fight will be the one person I haven’t mentioned.”
Roxy nods her head.
“Eden Morgan.”
Zane smiles.
“Yes. Eden.” He answers.
Roxy looks at him with slight confusion on her face.
“Why not Pierce?” She asks. “You two have had a very bloody history.”
Zane laughs and seemingly sighs in amusement.
“That’s easy.” He replies.
Her expression of confusion deepens.
“Why is that easy?” She saks.
Zane smirks.
“Because I’ve owned him.” He answers.
Roxy responds with a strange look that’s a mixture of confusion and amusement.
“Wasn’t it Pierce who put you on the shelf for a year?” Roxy asks.
Zane shakes his head.
“No.” He replies. “That was Killian. Pierce challenged me afterward because I had one good leg and he thought he could buck history and actually beat me for once. Do you remember how that ended for him?”
Roxy nods and smiles awkwardly.
“You beat him.” She replies.
Zane shakes his head in agreement.
“Exactly.” He replies. “I had a torn ACL and MCL and I still beat Pierce.”
“But that’s one match.” She answers.
“Yes.” He says with a nod. “I don’t know if you remember Day One of ‘Wrestlestock 2012”. Do you?”
Roxy thinks about the question for a moment and then shakes her head.
“Not without looking it up.” She answers.
Zane smiles.
“Allow me to remind you. Scott N Stein defeated The Piercing Weapons for the Co-Operative Championships.” He explains as he and Donovan both hold up the Co-Operative Championships. “These Co-Operative Championships.”
He pauses for a moment.
“Do you remember who one-half of ‘The Piercing Weapons’ was?”
She shakes her head and laughs a little.
“Travis Pierce.” She replies.
“Very good.” Zane answers.
Zane and Donovan lower the championships and Roxy looks at them with a quizzical look on her face.
“But that was five years ago.” She replies. “Is that really relevant now?”
Zane replies with an arrogant and amused smirk in the left corner of his mouth.
“Of course it is.” Zane answers. “Understand that for all of the trash talking that that failed experiment of a wrestler does, I guarantee you that Pierce hates it that I’ve made him look extremely foolish at least twice in his career. Three if you count this year’s ‘Outlast’.”
Roxy nods her head and continues.
“Speaking of the Co-Operative Championships, knowing that your partner could be retired by the time ‘Horizons’ ends, how do you feel about your reign as Champions?”
Donovan opens his mouth to say something but Zane puts a hand up.
“Firstly, I have all of the confidence in the world that Donovan will defeat Jet and become the only five-time World Heavyweight Champion in UGWC history. Once he does that, and I defeat Eden for the Chaos Championship we’ll see what happens. I’m perfectly happy to defend two Championships, as I’m certain that Donovan is, but those decisions aren’t entirely ours to make, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
Donovan replies to Zane’s comments with a nod and hoists his half of the Co-Operative Championships onto his shoulder. Zane smiles and looks at Roxy. She looks at him and nods.
“What’s second?” She asks. “If there is one.”
“There is.” He replies. “As far as how I feel about our reign, I’m proud that we won them. It works even better for Donovan that we
took them from Jet. Jet may say that it doesn’t matter, but it does. That’s momentum, in spite of what anyone says.”
Roxy scrolls down her list and looks up at Zane.
“If Donovan wins, do you plan on challenging him for it?” She asks.
Zane shakes his head.
“No.” He replies. “Maybe it’s a fault on my part, but he and I are a team and it doesn’t help that if he thinks I’m planning to stab him in the back for the World Championship.”
Donovan grins.
“Besides, I’d beat you anyway.” He says.
Zane chuckles in reply.
“Would you?” He replies. “I think history might say otherwise.”
Donovan shrugs.
“So you and history claim.” He replies. “Unbeknownst to both of you, we already had the match and I won when you weren’t paying attention.”
Zane responds to Donovan with a single raised eyebrow and after a moment of silence the partners share a laugh before Zane turns
back to Roxy.
“My focus is on defeating Eden for the Chaos Championship.” Zane says, his face and tone completely serious.
Roxy smiles and immediately shoots Zane another question.
“Eden has asserted that you and her are the real show in this match.” She says. “I’m sure that Travis feels that he’s the most important part of this match along with Eden because of their history and because he’s a former Chaos Champion and she’s the present one. What do you say to that?”
Zane throws back his head and laughs loudly for a good minute. Donovan shares in the mirth, although not quite as overtly. After he’s done he looks at Donovan and wipes a tear from his eye.
“I didn’t realize that Pierce was taking up comedy.” He says with a smile. “Have you heard anything about that?”
Donovan shakes his head “no”. Roxy doesn’t seem nearly as amused.
“It’s a perfectly serious question, Zane.” She insists.
Both men look at each other and bust out laughing again. This time they laugh so hard that they have to steady each other by placing a hand on the other’s shoulder. This goes on for a couple of minutes before they both finally stop and look at Roxy, completely deadpan.
“I respect Travis Pierce as a competitor and I understand why he thinks that he and Eden are the center...”
Zane slowly trails off and once again both members of “Pain and Paradox” dissolve into helpless and hysterical laughter. Roxy watches all of this with a slightly annoyed expression on her face, one that stays in place even after they both stop and Zane wipes his eyes again.
“It’s simply, Roxy.” Zane says flatly. “Pierce’s career is living on borrowed time and in order to try and stay relevant, he’s going to keep loudly insisting that he matters in this match. He doesn’t. He is in this match what he is in every other respect of his career.”
“What’s that?” Roxy asks somewhat hesitantly.
“An afterthought.” Zane replies bluntly. “Maybe I’ll do everyone a favor at ‘Horizons’ and take the old horse to the glue factory.”
Roxy shudders at the statement but keeps her composure and moves on.
“Speaking of Eden, what are your thoughts on her?” She asks.
Zane’s face contorts into a cruel and somewhat psychotic looking smile.
“I can’t wait.” He replies. “Eden and I are going to do what we always do when we stand across a ring from each other.”
“What’s that?” Roxy asks.
“We’re going to tear the house down.” He says with a pleased headshake.
Roxy nods at his response and moves to her next question.
“Are you concerned that ‘The Court’ will interfere in either of your matches?” She asks.
Zane and Donovan both laugh.
“They’re welcome to say ‘hello’ in mine.” Zane replies. “The more people I get to bloody, the merrier. Maybe I’ll take Pierce’s head, stick it up Baal’s ass and turn them into a full person.”
Once again Roxy shudders at his response, but she sallies forth, ever the professional.
“What if someone busts out a weed whacker?” She asks.
Zane laughs.
“Then someone’s getting whacked.” He answers with a shrug.
“What if it’s you?” She asks.
Zane shrugs.
“I’ll bleed.” He replies as if the answer is stupidly obvious. “Which is all part of the fun.”
Roxy shakes her head but her expression is extremely serious.
“What if they interfere in the World Championship?” She asks.
Donovan looks at Zane, who smiles evilly.
“I’m going to christen some new chairs.” He replies coldly.
Roxy visibly pales.
“That’s terrifying.” She replies.
“Good.” He answers with an icy grin. “It should be.”
She shakes her head and scans through her tablet. She appears to settle on a question and looks at him.
“Would you mind answering a fan question?” She asks.
Zane nods.
“Go ahead.”
She reads the question and looks up at Zane nervously.
“What bothers you more, that people still use the same insults on you?” She asks. “They put stupid, quick to anger and or a follower’ in parenthesis and end with ‘or that part of you believes them?’”
Zane rolls his eyes at the question and begins to say something when Donovan leans over and says something into his ear. Zane looks at him and laughs, then looks back at Roxy. She looks at them quizzically.
“What did Donovan say?” She asks.
Zane smiles.
“Donovan pointed out that that’s really all anyone has against me anymore...” He explains with a slight pause. “He also correctly pointed out that even if that is the case, it seems to be working out this year.”
Roxy looks at him in confusion.
“I don’t follow.” She answers.
Zane laughs again.
“Shall I explain?” He asks.
“Please.”
Zane nods his head and he and Donovan both laugh.
“Let’s go through this year, shall we?” He asks, rhetorically. “I came back in December of twenty sixteen after a year and change on the shelf. My first few months were just getting my feet back under me. Since then I claimed my second Cross- Hemisphere Championship reign in June and my third Co-Operative Championship in October. I’ve also challenged for the World Championship twice.”
Roxy shakes her head but an almost “gotcha” look comes across her face.
“But you lost both of those World Championship Challenges and dropped the Cross-Hemisphere Championship to Lucy Wylde.”
Zane nods and shrugs.
“True.” He replies. “And there’s no shame in either one. I lost those World Championship matches to Gabriel Baal and Rogan MacLean. Are you telling me that I should feel embarrassed by that?”
She blinks at him in confusion, as if she’s been tripped up by his question.
“Well, no.” She replies. “They’re both great competitors.”
Zane smiles at her as if she’s an idiot.
“That’s what I thought.” He replies. “Remember that while I lost the Cross- Hemisphere Championship to Lucy, who I may detest but is a hell of a competitor, that I took the Cross- Hemisphere Championship off of Gabriel Baal, who was the hottest talent in the company at the time that I challenged him for it and Rogan MacLean had the match of his career to win the Championship. There’s no shame in losing to that.”
Roxy blinks at him.
“Ok.” She asks. “What does that have to do with the question?”
Zane and Donovan roll their eyes in unison before Zane answers.
“It means that for a moronic, easily angered follower that I’ve had a hell of a successful year.” He replies with a smile. “That doesn’t speak well for my adversaries, does it?”
Roxy stares at him as Donovan flashes a wide smile at her and Zane sits back with his arms across his chest and a smirk on his face.
“I...” She stammers. “I guess not.”
Zane looks at Roxy with a raised eyebrow.
“I have a feeling that question wasn’t submitted by ‘a fan’.” He says. “That sounds too much like one of my opponents, one who has everything to lose in this match.”
Roxy shrugs.
“I don’t know.” She answers.
Zane nods and Donovan shakes his head.
“It’s such a pathetic question.” Donovan says disdainfully. “My daughters could have come up with better ones and they spend half of their time talking to stuffed animals”.
Zane smirks.
“So does she, they just have different names.”
Donovan laughs.
“Touché.”
“Thank you.” Zane replies.
“Don’t mention it.”
Roxy looks at “Pain and Paradox” and smiles.
“Well, I guess that’ll do it for this interview.” She says. “Do you have anything more to say?”
Zane and Donovan both stand up. Donovan removes his microphone and hoists his Championship belt onto his shoulder. Zane looks at her for a moment and smiles.
“Yes.” He says. “Pain and Paradox’ are going into twenty eighteen as double champions.” He says. “And I’m going to put a serious dent in the only claim that ‘The Court’ has to stand on when I become the eighth ‘Grand Slam’ Champion in UGWC history.”
With that Zane removes his microphone from his shirt, hands it to Roxy, turns, picks up his half of the Co-Operative Championships and walks out of the room with it dangling from his hand.
2013, '18, '23 
2013 
