A/N: This fic is basically just a bunch of "what if"s that change the storyline. Some of these changes cause other changes to happen like a ripple effect, and others are stand-alone changes. I'm not going to say what these changes are to prevent spoilers, but if you are confused about anything that happens just ask. There will also be some slight timeline altering to make the story progress better and make more sense. Hopefully, all this will make sense when it gets going. Enjoy!
The moon shone brightly in the sky that night. Most people would be looking out telescopes or sitting on top of a hill gazing at the stars, but some people didn't have that luxury. It was very hard to see the sky through a small window placed up so high that it was almost impossible to see through. But she didn't care very much, she never liked the moon anyways. It reminded her of the moon and sun mobile that was always placed above her whenever she was having her magic power increased. It reminded her of the electricity that ran through the cords attached to her hands and feet. It reminded her of the pain that would soon follow, causing her to scream for the mother that had left her there. Ultear didn't like the moon very much, but she did enjoy the rays of silver light that shone through the window making lines sparkle across the floor. Sometimes she imagined that she was in her home. She imagined her and her mother gazing up at the moon, letting the light hit their faces. She pictured herself as an ordinary girl who wasn't trapped in the middle of nowhere wondering what she had done to deserve all the pain she had to go through. Ultear knew she would never be an ordinary girl. Being ordinary isn't even what Ultear wanted the most. She wanted her mother. Ultear didn't know why she had left her here with these awful people, but it couldn't have been on purpose. She just knew that her mother had good intentions.
"Mommy…" she whimpered, head in her hands as the tears streamed down her face. "I miss you, Mommy," Ultear cried harder and harder until she was completely sobbing. She remained that way - curled up on her bed - for a period of time. Suddenly, the magic power forced into the young girl's body began to build up. With a frustrated yelp, she unleashed all the power building up inside her. The window above her bed shattered; pieces of glass fell to the floor and glistened in the moonlight. Ultear looked up and knew what to do. She was going to escape.
Ultear placed cardboard boxes previously abandoned in the corner of her room on top of her bed until the stack became tall enough for her to reach the window. She heard sirens going off - someone would be coming to stop her soon. They would be too late. Ultear climbed up her pile and pushed herself out of the broken window. She felt shards of glass scraping at her sides, but she didn't care. She was going to be free. Her knees sank into the snow, and the wind smashed the falling snow into her face. She couldn't see and could barely feel her legs as she rose and stumbled forward. She began to run, despite slipping and falling over multiple times. She didn't care where she would end up, as long as it was far far away from the place she was being held. Hopefully, she would be able to find her mother, but there was no guarantee.
After running for what seemed like forever, the weather began to clear up and the sun started to rise. Ultear looked to the east in complete awe. She hadn't seen the sun rise in such a long time; she had forgotten what it looked like. All the reds and oranges stretched across the sky as far as she could see. The sunrise filled her with hope. Maybe things would turn out okay for her after all this time. Ultear decided that she had run far enough so she leaned herself against a tree and tried to relax before moving again. Her feet at this point were swollen and red. She always had associated the color red with a fire, not with snow.
Suddenly, while lost in her thoughts, she heard a yell behind her. Ultear snapped her head around and looked for the source of the noise. Had they come for her? Did she have to go back? No. She wasn't going to let that happen. She would fight them if she had to. Ultear slowly crept towards the direction of the mysterious yell. Looking down from the hill she was atop of, she saw three people who seemed to be practicing something. She could tell that it was one adult and two kids, but she was unable to see their faces. Ultear tried to walk down the hill to get a closer look, but she slid through the snow and tumbled down. A small cry for help escaped her lips. She landed in a pile of snow near the trio. The adult, who now Ultear could tell was a female, ran towards where she had fallen.
"Are you hurt?" the woman asked in a worried voice.
"N-no I don't think so," Ultear meekly replied. The lady reached down to help her up but then suddenly stopped. She gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. Ultear noticed this and looked up. The first thing Ultear saw was her shaky eyes that started to water. Not watering because she was sad, but because a miracle had happened.
"I thought you were dead," the woman gasped. Ultear wondered how this woman could possibly know her. She was trapped in that terrible place for so long, no one should be able to recognize her. Except for one person.
"Mommy?"