Beauty and the Beast (Moonbe version)

Prologue: Kindness and Lies

(No one's POV)

Many years ago, there were two princes. Brothers, in fact. Both were guardians, created for the purpose of protecting the fabled "Tree of Feelings".

The Tree of Feelings had two sides, one side growing beautiful, sparkling golden apples of positivity, the other growing mysterious, black apples of negativity. One prince guarded the positive side, the other guarding the negative. Together they kept harmony in the world stable.

The two got along quite well, as brothers do. However, the negative prince had been fiercely bullied, merely due to the fact the villagers of the town they protected associated him with the emotion he guarded. He kept the fact of this secret, even from his dear brother, but little did he know, the positive prince was also facing difficulties. Being the one housing a positive and friendly demeanor, the townsfolk relied on the positive brother, to the point it caused him plenty of stress. Eventually, the positive prince could no longer take it. He took a golden apple from his side, and consumed it. The townsfolk were shocked, the negative prince in disbelief and fear, as his brother consumed more and more apples, until one remained.

Swiftly, the negative brother took the last apple and ran away, as the positive prince grew large, golden wings (not food ya ding dongs) and glowing yellow eyes. The warped prince turned to the terrified townsfolk and declared,

"From this day on, the negative prince is no brother of mine! He is a parasite that is the reason all of you suffer! When the children cry, when the adults shout, when someone has a nightmare, it is cause of him! We will find a way to be rid of this parasite once and for all! Are you with me?!" The townsfolk cheered and rallied their support for the warped prince. He then turned what once was a peaceful and quaint village, into a kingdom ruled by a monarch.

King Sun became the new title for the prince. Some say to this day he searches for his brother, the negative prince, eager to kill him.

The prince fled as far as his legs could carry him, as he arrived at a castle not too far away. The scenery was breathtaking, and as the prince stared mystified at the architecture, he entered the castle. He was greeted by some inhabitants of the castle, maids, butlers, even wealthy people. The prince explained his woes to the castle goers as they felt sympathy for the poor boy. The prince was allowed to take up residence within the castle, the residents declaring him the new owner and prince of the castle, while he prayed his brother would soon find reality again and return to him, not in rage but in regret and newfound love. The prince solemnly held the last positive apple, using a cloth so his powers would not corrupt the apple. He swore he would protect the apple as a reminder of what his brother used to be.

But that promise did not last long. One fateful day, the prince and the other castle goers were having fun, partying and dancing in the main hall, when a knock came from the door. The prince cautiously opened the door as there stood an elderly woman, covered by a hood and drenched from the storm outside,

"Young prince!" the woman begged, "Please allow me to take shelter in your castle until the storm goes away!" the prince, feeling sorry for the woman, allowed her to stay for the evening. However what he did not realize was that the woman was, in actuality, a witch sent by King Sun to kill him. But as the witch organized her plan to murder the prince, she was treated with such kind, warm hospitality that she soon became conflicted,

"I cannot murder someone so kind." The witch thought, "The backlash would be severe, I would be burnt at the stake! But... I cannot return to the King empty handed. I must do something."

And something she did. The prince offered the witch to stay for breakfast before leaving, to which she accepted. Before breakfast was served, however, the witch snuck into the prince's room and snatched the golden apple. She cast a spell on it and sliced it up, serving it with the prince's breakfast to deceive him. Without thinking, the prince happily dug into the apple, and thus was the final nail in his coffin. The prince suddenly began to transform, screaming out in pain as he begged the others for help. The residents and servants backed away from the prince as he collapsed, his arms and legs bending and twisting painfully as they became more animal like, tufts of dark purple fur growing on his limbs as well as on his face, two large wolf ears, a large, bushy wolf tail, and four glowing, turquoise wings sprouting out of him. His teeth sharpened, his nails becoming claws, and his eyes turning from what once was a beautiful purple, into a yellow/turquoise blend with his pupils becoming slits, similar to a wolf.

The beast collapsed as he looked around scared and confused. He did not understand; who would hurt him like this? Why? He curled up with a pained whine, still reeling from the spell, as the witch revealed herself guiltfully (there is no reason this should not be a word),

"Dear prince, I deeply apologize for doing this to you. You see, I was sent by your brother to kill you, but I could not bring myself to kill you after all the hospitality you showed me. Therefore, in order to not be punished by your brother, I cast a spell on the golden apple you had in your room, and tricked you into eating it, turning you into this... beast." The prince began to cry hearing the witch, but whether in pain or dismay is up to interpretation. The witch gently lifted the prince's head and wiped his tears, before handing him a beautiful bouquet of delicately arranged flowers,

"This is a curse, however, meaning you are able to break it. Before the last petal of this bouquet falls, you must find someone who truly and deeply loves you, and you must reciprocate their feelings. If you cannot find one before the last petal falls, you shall remain a beast forever." The prince nodded as he gingerly held the bouquet in his hands. The witch gently pet the prince as a small smile tugged at his lips, the feeling of being pet easing his pain for the time being. Before the witch left, she then cast a spell on the castle, turning its inhabitants into sentient, inanimate objects, and making the castle become forgotten from everyone's memories, especially King Sun, whom she promised to she killed his brother.

To this day, the prince waited patiently, hoping to break the curse before it was too late. However his hope diminished over time, watching more and more petals fall and flowers wither away. Now remained a single purple rose, shimmering as it taunted the prince to his inevitable demise, or so it seemed.