The world can be a terrible place. Society defines beauty as women who wear makeup or pretty clothes or whatever aesthetic look they can think of. Or physically adept men who have worked out in order to obtain "perfect" muscles and a "perfect" body. These ideals have torn beauty from this world and left it to only be a dystopia you would find in fiction novels. However, before the world's crash and burn, there were seven types of beauty. Natural Beauty, Earned Beauty, Rigid Beauty, Frightening Beauty, Forced Beauty, Painful Beauty, and False Beauty. Each one competed with the others in order to prove themselves as the "True Beauty". After the tragedies that stripped the world of these ideals, none of them survived. Except seven. Seven representatives of "beauty" persevered, one for each type of beauty. Their rivalry was far from over, though. But they wouldn't engage in a true combat. They were much more clever than the others like them. Which would prevail? Well.....that was to be determined.
~
The chamber was dark and cool, but clean. There was a single circle of light that illuminated a circular silver table. Seven thrones surrounded this table, a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple one. All were empty but the yellow one. In that throne, a humanoid figure was collapsed, like a marionette with its strings cut. It was a perfect robot, an android with a feminine figure and smooth features. It had long, slender fingers on perfectly molded hands. The body consisted of a curved figure with tall, perfect legs. A thin steel rod propped up a perfectly shaped head with a curved jawline. The face, though, was smooth and almost featureless-just two small holes served as eyes and a pill shaped grill created a mouth. A round plate lay on the chest right above the supposed "breast"-where the surface just rose out and shrank back with no features. This plate was dark, but the faint outline of a power symbol (as one might find when they turn off their phone) could be seen. This strange entity was Fault, the last Rigid Beauty, a creature made solely to defeat the other beauties. However, Fault couldn't convey human emotion, the one fatal flaw that earned the android her name.
Anyway, for the moment, Fault was powered down. She wouldn't reactivate until at least three of the other beauties entered the chamber. Speaking of which, another figure slipped into the chamber. This one was Rachael, the Natural Beauty. She was truly a sight, with a generous figure, gentle shoulders, shapely legs, and delicate features. She had on a black crop top with a hot pink star-like design on it, and a pink mini skirt. The one side was slightly lowered to reveal a tattoo of a heart being pierced be an arrow. Tall white socks went up to her thigh, and her feet were covered by cream colored high heels. She had on finger-less fishnet gloves, and long fake fingernails. She also had a lovely face, but one that retained a natural condescending look. This was framed by long, wavy red hair that ran to her mid-back, and a headband with gray wolf ears on it. Her amber eyes shone as she strutted forward and assumed the orange throne.
Two more figures entered the chamber; Mary, the Frightening Beauty, and Valerie, or as she went, "Madame Valentine", the False Beauty. Mary was certainly a sight- long black hair, highlighted red, that fell over a gorgeous lace trimmed wedding dress. To complete the bridal look, she wore a long, pristine veil that flowed down her back like a waterfall. Despite her wedding theme, though, there was no ring on either of her snow white hands. Her face was a total shock, though. She had wide, blood red eyes, featuring gentle eyebrows and brazen harlequin-like makeup. The biggest shock, though, was the large steel mask she wore over her nose and entire lower face, looking like someone tore the bottom of a knight's helmet off. At her side, Valentine was dressed in a perfect ballet outfit, purely pink and white. A large tutu with golden circles outlining the frame spread wide and perked up. Gold ballet slippers, currently arched in a dancer's position, led up to pale pink fishnet stockings. Her upper body was covered with a white covering over a pink frilled undershirt. Her short blonde hair was woven into two long faux braids that hung down in front of her hair. The rest of it was woven into braids across her scalp, and these were tied together with a clip on braided bun. Her fair features were covered with blush and foundation, and her right eye shone a brilliant emerald. Her left eye, though just as green, had no shimmer; it was a contact lens. Mary swept her long dress around the table and settled into the red throne, and Valentine delicately leaned into the green throne. Their presence caused a tremor to go through Fault and her eyes lit up a bright topaz, and her limbs locked into a soldier-like position as she powered on. Finally, her power symbol glowed the same shade of yellow as her eyes.
"The others are always late to these meetings," Valentine said with a sigh. Rachael didn't pay her any mind, instead tapping her fingernails on the side of her throne to produce an annoying clacking sound.
"They just have more time on their hands. Their duties are much more important than ours," Mary replied, caressing an ornate handheld mirror that was framed with rubies. Fault mechanically twisted her head to utter a reply, but at that moment the last three members entered.
The middle figure was Astra, a tall, lean woman wielding a tall silver staff-like scepter. She had very long brown hair with blonde highlights that she tied into two pigtails on top of her head. She also wore a mask, this one a midnight black masquerade mask with wing like tips. Her indigo eyes glittered behind it. Her jewelry consisted of a set of diamond shaped earrings and a pearl necklace, but nothing else. Her entire upper body was covered with a dark blue blouse with a star pattern at the bottom, and huge billowy sleeves that covered all of her hands beside her fingertips. Her lower half was adorned with tight black shorts and a long, layer cut white cape that ran from her waist and out. She had simple ruby shoes, and her final accessory was a moon tattoo on the top of her right hand. She was the Earned Beauty, and she had worked hard to earn that title. Cynthia, the Painful Beauty, stood at her left. She was dressed quite simply, a purple sleeveless leotard that matched her violet eyes, but those were unseen behind a black blindfold that was chained shut behind her head. She covered the lock with her curled black hair that was dyed cyan at the bottom. Her graceful arms were in a praying position, but totally binded shut. She also wore heavy iron bracelets around her ankles that were meant to handicap her and make her stronger, but usually just caused immense pain. She had found her way into the room with trained ears that could hear a feather drop from miles away. She had no adornments, unlike the others.
The final member of this council was Muriel, the Forced Beauty. She was just as pretty as the others, with a cute gold dress and diamond rings on each of her ring fingers. Her long, dark hair was curly, her pale blue eyes big and beautiful, trimmed with mascara. Her hands were manicured, her feet in slim verdant green shoes with red rose attachments on top. She would've been the prettiest person on Vogue, the first girl to be asked out in any prom, so and so. But was she happy? You could have the answer the moment you saw her, with her "perfect" hands always shaking, she was always slightly wobbly as she walked, her jaw always clenched, her blue eyes always with a spaced out look. She took her seat in the blue throne, and Cynthia in the purple throne. Astra smiled at the crowd, but first circled the room before sitting. She smiled at each of the ladies in turn, and then finally assumed the indigo throne.
"Well, ladies?" Astra said to the table as she laid her staff in front of her. A blade clipped out of the top. Valentine laid a set of steel rimmed cards down, Mary set down her mirror, and one by one, each woman laid a weapon down. Astra turned her luminous smile to each of these threats.
"Let's get started."
