crossover_chick | A Multiverse Christmas Carol: Stave Three

Stave Three:
Edna Strickland was still partially of the mind that this could not be happening.
After all, the entire situation was ridiculous. Her old business partner and friend come back as a ghost, chained and shackled, to warn her off her current course lest she suffer like he did? It was absurd. Madness. She’d clearly fallen asleep in front of the fire and any moment now she’d wake and find everything as it should be. Yes. Any moment now.
“You still doubt the evidence of your senses?”
Edna glared up at the shade of Angus Bumby. “It’s all a little hard to taken in, Angus! You claim that I’m doomed to a life of imprisonment and misery if I keep going on as I have, but – have I really done anything that wrong?”
“You’ve hardened your heart to those around you,” Angus replied, frowning at her through his spectacles as he folded his arms, his chains clinking. “You go through life ignoring the common man on the street in need. Or you rail at him for his shortcomings without even the least thought of helping him! Much as I did,” he added, lowering his eyes. “I went through life just like you, and now I’m paying the price.”
“Nonsense!” Edna protested. “Angus, you were charitable! You had that orphanage you founded – the Houndsditch Home for Wayward Youth, I believe?”
There was a moment of silence. “That – that was actually a front for a child prostitution ring,” Angus finally admitted, not meeting her eyes.
Edna’s jaw dropped. “. . .A what?! And – and your only punishment is those shackles?!” she growled, eyes narrowing to near slits.
“They’re usually red-hot,” Angus said, grimacing. “And let me tell you, the other ghosts do like having someone worse than them around when they’re in particularly bitter moods. . . .”

Yes, Angus Bumby is the ghost of Jacob Marley. Since I kinda/sorta crackship Bumby and Edna, it seemed appropriate. You can see that in this verse, he's still a bastard -- and here Edna proves why the Powers That Be are willing to give her a shot at redemption. If she'd know about this while Bumby was still alive, she would have dragged him off to the police herself. She's a stingy, bitter, angry woman, but she's not a monster. Not yet.
-M: *wincing* "Not yet" being the key words.-
Well, to be fair, she never got to the point of thinking brainwashing would be a good idea in this reality. Getting caught for arson really hardened her heart to her fellow man. (And we'll be talking about her habit of setting things she doesn't like on fire in a later stave.) At any rate, I don't think even Doc Dystopia Edna would approve of brainwashing children for the sex trade. At least, I HOPE she wouldn't.
Anyway, here's Bumby -- who shows that he has a tiny spark of compassion left in him -- trying to get Edna off his path so she doesn't have to suffer like he has. Seven years of torment via red-hot chains, the angry actions of his fellow ghosts, and the sure knowledge that, yes, he WAS an evil person, and he DOES deserve all of this, will do that to a guy. If you're wondering why the chains aren't red-hot at the moment, it's because he's earned a tiny break in wanting to save someone else. He's got them cooled for the night for helping Edna. He's not off the hook yet, though -- not by a longshot.
-TTV: I suppose it's just good to see that he is capable of some remorse. . . But what about his relationships with Alice's family?-
That's a tricky one. Alice is still an orphan in this universe, and has still been in an asylum for ten years. But I'm not sure if I want Bumby to have anything to do with it. After all, a lot of the ages here are off. . . Maybe I'll downplay his role? Have him ruin Alice's reputation? *shrug* The focus here is on the Van Dorts-as-Cratchits and not on their pasts, so maybe I'll just loosely skim over it all.

Today was pretty low-key -- watched the Hearth's Warming Eve episode of My Little Pony with lunch, then the new one about the Wonderbolt Academy over dessert. Good episode, and some very nice character moments from Rainbow Dash.

I'm honestly surprised not to see any comments about comparing her new friend Lightning Dust to Gilda, though. She seems to attract some jerkass friends, doesn't she? And also, Pinkie Pie -- RAINBOW WILL SURVIVE A WEEK WITHOUT YOU, AND YOU WITHOUT HER. Sheesh, I heard some news that Rainbow's going to get a coltfriend in one episode. How the hell is Pinkie going to react to THAT? *shakehead*

Okay, back to tumblr shenanigans!