Chapter Text
Alright, it's time for some honesty from this narrator, before I return to Ever After and Maddie and Kitty can hear me.
I want to skip to the good parts. In Wonderland, where I'm sure you know we are going. To the fierce battle between red and white, unraveling the plot against the Queen of Hearts, and perhaps best of all, the friendships between our main characters.
But unfortunately, I have to start at the beginning. That's what a good narrator does, according to my parents. I can't go revealing any deeply buried secrets, because that's not how beginning's begin.
So now, I’ll whisk you away from wherever you're reading this from, back to Ever After, where we truly belong. And we shall begin.
…
Once upon a time…
“Oh, Brooke!” Maddie exclaimed excitedly, dropping another lump of sugar into her tea. “You're back!”
“About time,” Kitty said from beside her. She yawned into her hand, as if she was incredibly bored. In truth, without Brooke there to tell her everyone's secrets, she had been.
Well, that's really not what a narrator is here for.
“Don't ruin my fondness for you,” Kitty said. Lizzie looked in between the two of them knowingly, while Bunny and Alistair stared, confused.
It was fitting that we would begin with the Wonderland kids, because this story is about Wonderland.
“Oh, that is wonderlandiful!” Maddie jumped up, drawing the attention of the other students eating breakfast in the Castleteria. “Lizzie! The story is beginning!”
“The story,” Lizzie gasped, because she knew what that meant. She had memorized the prophecy the Cheshire Cat told them, because it meant she had some hope of saving her mother.
And as she remembered it perfectly, she repeated it in her head now: Into our world six girls will drop to end this endless rhyme. The curse will tick-tock to a stop and ring its final chime. The legend book which the cat did swap they possibly shall find, and the regal head shall not be chopped, if they graduate on time.
“Oh, this is a Lizzie section,” Kitty said with realization. “I suppose that makes sense.”
“And nonsense,” Maddie said, like her father would.
“And nonsensical sense,” Lizzie said, like the White Queen would.
“What are we talking about?” Alistair interrupted.
“The narrator has arrived!” Maddie declared. “Her name is Brooke.”
“Oh, hello Brooke,” Bunny said with a shy little wave to no one in particular. “It's nice to meet you.”
Although they really weren't meeting, since the narrator had been familiar with her for quite some time.
“What is she saying?” Alistair asked, always intent on getting to the bottom of any mystery.
“It doesn't matter what she's saying,” Kitty said, rather rudely. “It matters that she's here. That means the story is beginning, and we get to go back home!”
“Oh!” Bunny exclaimed. “How wonderful!”
“Well, six of us do,” Lizzie said. “According to the prophecy.”
“Right,” Maddie said with a nod. “Six girls.” They all turned to Alistair, who sighed.
“So I guess I don't get to go.”
“I'm so sorry, Alistair,” Lizzie said, and she really meant it, despite the thrill of excitement in her heart. It wasn't fairest that Alistair wasn't coming with them. He belonged in Wonderland as much as they did.
“So I suppose it will be the four of us,” Kitty said. “And who else?” She turned her eyes skyward, as if looking at the narrator.
I'm not spoiling.
“Boo,” Kitty said, and shoved a spoonful of porridge in her mouth.
“Well, I think it's clear what our next move is,” Lizzie said. Bunny raised her eyebrows.
“And what's that?”
Lizzie smiled. “Well, we have to call a royal student council meeting.”
…
Aside from herself, only one other person was on time. Apple sighed as she brought out her papers, ready to act as secretary and co-president all at once. Normally, Justine would keep track of such things, but she had a dance competition in Camelot and wouldn't be at school for the week. So, as always, responsibility fell on Apple's shoulders.
“Well, state your name for the record,” Apple said, looking up at the meeting's one attendant. Of course, she knew who Darling was. Aside from the fact she was Daring's little sister, they had been in their princess core classes together since kingdergarten.
“Um, Darling Charming,” Darling said. Her voice was rather pretty, Apple thought. Perfect for a princess. Of course, Darling represented that exactly: a perfect princess. She was demure and elegant, always racing Apple to answer Maid Marian's questions in damel-in-distressing. Apple definitely admired her, though she was sure Darling didn't feel anything warm towards her. She was frequently squinting at her, as if wondering what made Apple so special.
“Well, thanks for coming, Darling,” Apple said, scratching Darling's name down on the attendance sheet. She was a little ashamed to say where she had gotten it after Lizzie had come to her with a proposition for this meeting. She was technically supposed to get it from the Headmaster's office, but she didn't want Headmaster Grimm to know about this meeting. He was so adamantly against any connection between the two worlds, and she was afraid she may have stopped the meeting. So she had gotten it from Giles Grimm instead, who was much nicer and more understanding than his brother. He didn't have an official role at the school yet, though it was very much like a vice principal position.
“Is there some special interest you have in Wonderland?” Apple asked, putting her shame aside for the time being. She could deal with Headmaster Grimm later. Preferably after she got Lizzie and the others to Wonderland.
“Oh, ah, you know, who isn't interested in Wonderland?” Darling asked with a shrug. She looked to the side and mumbled, “especially what secrets it might hold.” Then, as if realizing the words that had tumbled out of her mouth, widened her eyes. “Not that I like secrets!” she exclaimed. “Or have any!”
Apple blinked. That was… weird. But it's not like she had to go prying into any secrets Darling definitely had. She continued the meeting as normal, stalling until all the others arrived.
“Well, I'm happy to have your help,” Apple said with her signature smile, batting her eyes at Darling. Really, she didn't mean to activate her powers, but Darling's jaw dropped as she stared at Apple with sparkling eyes. Whoops.
Luckily, the door opened and Darling broke out of her trance. Apple turned excitedly towards the door, expecting to see her girlfriend Raven, who had promised her she would be here. (Although she didn't promise she would be here on time, notably.) But it was Lizzie.
“Oh, Lizzie, glad you could make it,” Apple said, even though it was Lizzie's idea to have this meeting in the first place.
“Where are the others?” Lizzie asked, looking around the nearly empty room. Apple just shrugged.
“I'm sure they’ll be here soon,” Darling said, more to Apple than to Lizzie. “I heard Professor Rumplestiltskin gave a hard pop quiz today, so maybe they're trying to get out of detention.”
Apple knew about the quiz. She had aced it, afterall, even if Professor Rumplestiltskin had given her a B+. But Raven had done well too, and Briar was an ace in science. Kitty hadn't been so lucky, but surely she could just teleport here. Where were they? If they were unfortunate enough to have Ashlynn's curse, all their clothes would turn into rags when they arrived.
But of course, Ashlynn didn't have that curse anymore. Not since her destiny was taken from her and she had dropped the Storybook of Legends down the well of wonder, which no longer existed.
But that was another thing, wasn't it? They were going to Wonderland not only to save Lizzie's mother, but to retrieve the Storybook of Legends. Then maybe she could set things right, since she had royally messed things up during Thronecoming.
“Well, we don't have any time to waste,” Lizzie said, taking a seat near the door. She pulled a scroll out of her pocket. “My mother's birthday is today. I’d like to get there in time for the party.”
“Do you think that's when she’ll be targeted?” Apple asked.
“I'm almost certain, Lizzie said. “But as far as I'm aware, there's no way to go home, with the worlds sealed.” Lizzie sighed sadly.
“We’ll find a way,” Apple said, and Darling nodded, biting her lip. “We have to.”
…
Okay, yes, Faybelle was spying. She had mastered her invisibility spell a long time ago, even before she had access to her new dark magic, courtesy of being the next evil queen. But there wasn't anything particularly evil she could do yet without being hexpelled, so she used it for simple things like this. Eavesdropping, pranks, more eavesdropping. Things had been in a bit of a lull since the chaos of the Spring Fairest, and she was desperate for something interesting to happen. Not that she wanted her classmates to turn all bonkers-crazy again, but at least it would be interesting.
But now it appeared something was starting again. Something wonderlandiful, to use her new roommate's favorite word. And based on what Apple, Darling, and Lizzie were discussing, they were going to need the help of a dark sorceress. So just as it looked like Lizzie was about to burst into tears, Faybelle pulled the birthday invitation from Apple's hands and poofed into existence.
“An invisibility spell, booyah!” Faybelle cried out, flapping her wings rapidly in the air. Apple frowned at her and crossed her arms.
“Sorry,” Faybelle said, showing her way in between Apple and Darling, the latter of whom wouldn't stop staring at the former. “But I had to pull the brakes on that sob story. We were only one pun away from waterworks, and I don't think the foundation is flood proof.”
Based on what she remembered from the events following the Spring Fairest madness, she knew Lizzie's painted heart over her eye would smear badly. She didn't want to have to see that again. Dealing with crying, vulnerable people wasn't exactly Faybelle's strong suit.
“Is there some reason you're here, Faybelle?” Apple asked. The student council co-president wasn't exactly fond of Faybelle since the fairy had tricked her into handing over the Storybook of Legends, causing her friend Ashlynn to lose her destiny. But that was so last chapter, two chapters ago, even! Wasn't it time for everyone to move on?
“If you're wanting to go to Wonderland,” Faybelle said, magicking Apple's paperwork off her desk and into the trash so she could take a seat. “You’ll need the help of a dark fairy. One with the powers of the Evil Queen.” She grinned as Apple pulled her papers out of the trash.
“Last I checked, you stole that destiny,” Darling said, putting her hands on her hips. Faybelle laughed.
“Was it stolen or given? Why don't you ask Apple? Oh, or Blondie?” Apple looked away in shame as Faybelle referenced her actions. Clearly, she wasn't going to come clean about handing the book over to Faybelle any time soon. And Faybelle was fine with that. Having something to hold over the future queen would have its benefits, especially if they were to be fairy tale enemies.
“What are you talking about?” Darling asked. Lizzie looked confused too, but Faybelle just shrugged.
“It hardly matters, don't you think Apple?” She smirked at the blonde, who flushed. “So, don't you think you could use my help?”
“Well,” Apple said nervously, “I suppose there's no harm in you trying.”
“Of course not,” Faybelle said. “Now, I think we should start with--”
Purple mist swirled around Faybelle, filling her lungs, and she started to cough. Yuck, she knew unreliable magic when she smelt it. Raven was here.