Tales From the Cave-Megan Morse and the Seven Dwarves

The Apple of Blood

Hildy Gloom ran her hands over her hair to smooth it down before pressing a finger to her chin.  "So, let me see if I've got this all sorted out."  She looked at Queen Bee, sitting in a comfy chair nearby.  "You want to be the fairest one of all, but there's this teenage alien girl whose bumped you down to second place.  So, your plan is to kill her so you can become the fairest in the world again?"  Queen Bee nodded her head.  "Precisely."

Grim scratched his head.  "So, you're gonna kill a sixteen-year-old girl just because she's prettier than you?", he asked.  "Isn't that kinda petty?"  Bee whipped her head towards him.  "And besides, why do you have to kill her to be more beautiful than her?", he said, shrugging his shoulders.  "Can't you try something a little less...violent?  Like a makeover, or something?  Also, this goal of yours seems like it leads to a dead end.  I mean, sure, you can kill this girl and be the fairest again, but what if some other girl becomes prettier than you?  What, are ya just gonna go around, killing everyone whose better looking than you are?"

Hildy sat up.  "Shuddup, Grim!  You know nothing about beauty!"  She turned back to Queen Bee.  "You know where she is!  Why don't you just go over there and stab her a bunch of times or shoot her or something?"  Bee shook her head.  "She's a Martian!  She has telekinesis!  If I use a knife or gun or any physical weapon, she'll pry it away from my grasp!  So, being such experts in magic and witchcraft, I was wondering if you could think of a way for me to kill her."

Hildy raised an eyebrow.  "What's in it for me?"  Bee leaned forward.  "Depends.  What is it that you most desire above all else?"  Hildy sat up, grinning and clapping her hands in delight at Queen Bee's offer.  "To be Queen of Jollywood!"  Bee leaned back in her chair.  "I'll do you one better.  I'll take a great amount of land, dump some spare commoners on it, and make you Queen of that.  You can do whatever you please with them."  Hildy smiled.  "Throw in a castle of my own, and you've got a deal!"  "Very well, than."

Hildy put her mind into evil-plotting mode.  "Wait a minute...", she said.  "What if she was to take the blow willingly?"  Bee stood up and put her hands on her hips.  "And why in the world would she be stupid enough to do that?"  Hildy grinned like a black cat that had eaten the canary.  "Because the blow is in disguise."  She stood up and walked over to the bookshelves, taking out a spellbook and leafing through the pages.  "Aha!  Here it is!"

She thrust the book into Queen Bee's hands.  She read the page, her full red lips slowly stretching out into a sinister smile.  "The Poison Apple.  One bite, and the victim's eyes will close forever...in the Sleeping Death."
---------------
Hildy dipped the apple into the cauldron, bubbling with ghoulish green witch's brew as she chanted her spell. 

"Dip the apple in the brew!
Let the Sleeping Death seep through!"

The gook attached itself to the apple's skin, coating it in a thick layer of enchanted mix as she pulled it out.  Some of it dripped off, leaving the remains in the shape of a skeleton's face. 

"Look!  Upon the apple's skin!
The symbol of what lies within!"

The goop slid off, revealing the new color, the most deadly shade of pitch black.

"And now, so it'll look just right,
Turn red to make her take a bite!"

At Hildy's words, the apple turned from night black to the brightest, rosiest, reddest hue ever seen.  Just one look was enough to make a person's mouth water.  Hildy was looking very pleased with herself as she handed it off to Queen Bee.  "This will solve all your problems.  The moment Miss Martian takes even the tiniest little bite of that fruit, she'll collapse onto the floor.  Her breath will still, her eyes will shut..."  Bee held it up to the moonlight.  "And I will be the fairest of all!"  She cackled loudly, her wickedness in every pitch.

Grim looked at the spellbook.  "But Hildy, my Wildy, look at this!", he exclaimed, pointing to the page.  "It says that a victim of the Sleeping Death can be revived by True Love's Kiss!"  Hildy snatched the book back from him.  "Let me see that!"  She read the page again.  "Hmm...so it does."  Queen Bee grabbed it and slammed it shut.  "No need to worry.  The 7D will think her dead."  Her eyes widened, insane joy sparking out of them.  "Why, she'll be BURIED ALIVE!"

Grim nodded.  "Okay...but how are you gonna get the apple to her?", he questioned.  "I mean, obviously, she's not gonna take anything from you."  Queen Bee stroked her chin with her long, glamorous manicured nails.  "You're right.  I'll need a disguise."  "But as what?", Hildy pointed out.  "I mean, only a complete idiot would take free food from a total stranger."  She and Grim looked at the screen, each of them raising an eyebrow in disappointment.

Queen Bee grinned from ear to ear, an evil glimmer in her eye.  "That's why the apple won't be offered by a stranger.  It'll be offered by the one she trusts...MOST in this world."  The Dark Woods were filled with sounds and echoes of evil laughter.