>>18499

I only had a vague memory of the second prompt when I came up with this, that's why it's so different but I think I checked off at least one of your wishes. Please tell me what you think.


FUN AT THE FAIR (prologue)

M'gann walked along with Artemis and Zatanna as the three girls made their way through Happy Harbor's High School charity fair. There was candy and performers and all kinds of games to try. Passing an attraction with an impressively large water tank M'gann took an interest and read the sign.

-$5 FOR 3 CHANCES TO DUNK YOUR GIRL-

Drawn above it in marker was a student's rendition of a stick figure girl with blonde hair landing into the water. M'gann turned to her own blonde friend and pointed at the likeness. "This looks like fun, would you like to go up there and try it with me Artemis?"

"What, are you still mad that I was flirting with Conner?" Artemis snorted.

M'gann smiled at her friend's gentle ribbing. "Maybe a little" she joked and they eyed each other mischievously.

"Well?" prompted Zatanna, "Are you going to get up there so M'gann can take a shot at it or are we going to stand around all day?"

Artemis sighed, "If she really wants me to do it then I'll do it." Seeing M'gann nod her head she turned to Zatanna and, seemingly on an impulse, gave the surprised magician a kiss on the lips before blurting out "Wish me luck" and then scurrying up the wooden staircase. An attendant at the top helped secure her in the seat that would drop away if someone hit the bullseye hard enough.

Meanwhile M'gann was paying the student in the target area who in return handed her 3 balls to throw. "For an extra $5 we'll take a special overhead photo for you if she goes in" he offered.

M'gann was starting to turn him down but Artemis interrupted from her perch over the water "Hey! If you're going to try and dunk me you should at least get a picture." M'gann shrugged and paid the extra $5 before stepping back to the line she was supposed to throw from.

Her first attempt missed, the ball was quite heavy and passed well below the target that would trigger the mechanism to get Artemis wet. Putting more strength into her second throw simply made her aim wild and the ball whizzed several feet to the side of where she had intended. "You throw like a girl" laughed Artemis who now seemed certain that she'd be leaving the chair by the dry route. "Sorry that I made you pay that extra money for nothing" she said mockingly.

Lifting the last ball M'gann considered Artemis's boastful confidence and had a wicked thought. Winding up she threw another hard one but this time gave it a subtle assist with her telekinesis to help the ball stay on course. As planned it struck the middle of the target with a loud clang. Artemis had only a split second to be surprised before the chair fell away and she shrieked while being plunged into the water making a big splash.

Chuckling at her cleverness M'gann stepped around to the front of the tank where several other onlookers were already watching Artemis hold her breath underwater. Embarrassingly for the archer her white t-shirt now clung to her chest and the nearly transparent soaked fibers make it clear to everyone that she hadn't worn a bra today.

M'gann was just about to say something about the titillating show Artemis was giving when she noticed a chain leading to a set of heavy weights now resting on the bottom of the tank. "I don't think the she can get back out with those attached to her ankle" she remarked to Zatanna with growing concern.

"It's supposed to work that way" replied Zatanna matter-of-factly, "Otherwise most girls wouldn't remain underwater long enough to drown. I'm sure they have a hook or a winch to pull her body out once they're ready for next girl to try it."

It was only then that M'gann realized the consequences of what she'd done. This wasn't the first time she'd been caught off guard by the way things were different on Earth and many of those times had been because of the same thing, the seemingly trivial manner in which a girl's life was regarded by both herself and her fellow humans.

After some embarrassing incidents she'd endeavored to try and respect and assimilate into Earth's culture despite her initial apprehension. Knowing now that drowning was a normal feature of this game M'gann had to firmly remind herself that neither her friends nor Artemis would appreciate it if she made a scene over nothing. She'd only draw attention to herself with such strangeness and that could compromise her secret identity as a Martian and as a superhero which would be bad for the team and Justice League.

Of course even though Artemis seemed calm and indifferent to her fate that didn't mean she was going to stay that way forever. Zatanna's explanation was correct and once Artemis's body realized her oxygen was getting low it caused her more primitive reflexes to kick in. In class M'gann had learned that this was called the 'fight or flight' response and humans retained this evolutionary baggage despite it no longer serving any purpose in girls.

Filled with the fear of her ape ancestors Artemis began to pull against the chain to get her leg loose, twisting and jerking her body in an attempt wiggle the manacle off her ankle. When that didn't work she tried to reach the surface anyway, kicking and paddling with her arms in a futile attempt to overcome the weight holding her down.

All around M'gann people were watching Artemis's life and death struggle with great interest, some of them had even gotten out their phones to capture a video of the pretty young girl drowning for their amusement.

"She's certainly got a lot of spunk" one woman remarked favorably.

"Look at how her tits are bouncing around when she tries to shake free, that's so hot" said a young man in a group who was watching with one hand moving inside his pants.

Swimming toward them Artemis pounded her fists against the window. Maybe in her panic she thought she could break the glass thought M'gann. She certainly couldn't be appealing to anyone for help since watching girls die was one of Earth's most popular forms of entertainment.

"She looks so desperate to get out before she dies. Her lungs must be burning for air, I wonder if I'll get to go out like that" speculated a preteen girl with obvious admiration.

M'gann watched as Artemis made a last attempt to swim back up, her arms managing to break the surface with desperate splashes but her head always remaining frustratingly short of her goal. Eventually though she slowed and then finally went still, her arms going limp as her corpse slowly rotated in place on the end of the chain.

"Well that was exciting" remarked Zatanna as she retracted a hand from her waistband and licked her fingers clean. She'd clearly been one of the people making the most of Artemis's final moments. "And that was an amazing shot M'gann, they make it really hard to hit that target but you nailed it" she noted with little envy.

"Yeah, I guess I did" M'gann replied.

Zatanna didn't seem to notice any lack of enthusiasm on M'gann's part as something else had already captured her interest. "Oh hey, there are the boys! Let's go see what they've found" she said and ran off to catch up with them.

M'gann was still feeling a slightly stunned when the attendant handed her an instant photo. As advertised it was taken from above showing a close up of Artemis's face with her eyes wide and bubbles coming from her mouth as she tried to claw her way back to the surface, the last seconds of her life captured on film. It would forever serve as a reminder to M'gann that she had snuffed one of her friends on a whim.

With her goal of fitting in on Earth she wasn't sure if that would eventually be a good memory or a bad one. However looking down the concourse she observed how the boys were talking to Zatanna and gesturing with excitement toward an attraction featuring bows and arrows. She realized that being one of the two girls left on the team meant that forever might not be a very long time anyway.


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Originally this was conceived as only a short but along the way I thought up a lot of ideas for how it could be completed as a full story. If you'd like me to write the rest let me know. Since the initial twist is over it'll be more direct and less teasing, following M'gann, Zatanna and the boys as they explore the school's fair where the games and attractions mostly involve girls being casually snuffed. Like I said, leave a comment if you think I should continue this idea.