Note: Gah, I've gone and done it. I got the idea in my head and I just had no other choice than to pick it up and sprint ahead with it. I just had to go and start writing up that Fairy Tail in Wonderland mashup you never realized you needed. Muahaha.

I will be adapting this story with lore from several interpretations/variants of the Wonderland realm. Though it will be comedic, I believe I am going to take a somewhat darker route as the story goes on…because, cruelly, angst and darkness is usually where my writing excels. But don't worry, it will have a happy ending! I just like to make them feel really worth it, ya know?

Summary: After reading an enchanted book, Lucy is sent to a bizarre land. Tasked with bringing order to the chaotic world, Lucy soon finds it won't be easy when your closest allies are a weird blue rabbit and a hatter who is mad in more ways than one.

Pairings: Nalu (primary), Gruvia, Gale, Jerza

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Curiouser and Curiouser

Chapter 1

Serendipity

Lucy loved the smell of books. She found it intoxicating, completely exuberating. Every time she stepped into a bookstore and she got hit with that crisp smell of recently bound books it overwhelmed her senses. She would take all the time in the world, opening them, flipping the pages and enjoying the gentle wafting of that fresh, new book smell.

However it was an entirely different realm when going into a library where the ages of books ranged drastically. That earthy, musty tang that was distinct of mature books – it was something entirely different. She would become entirely mesmerized, reveling in the scent of stories told through the generations. She could spend a lifetime in a library, the aura calming and leading to worlds long forgotten but prepared to be recalled.

Yes, she could spend an eternity in a library.

"C'mon, Lucy. We've been at this library forever and I'm bored." Natsu complained, unabashedly disturbing the numerous occupants settled into their reading. Everyone turned towards the impolite trio, their replies a long, near simultaneous hiss for silence.

She frowned at him after awkwardly waving her apologies. "Don't be insensitive to the other people here. And we have been here for fifteen minutes. There's plenty of stuff for you look at if you would just try." She chastised him, disregarding his scowling face.

"Fine." He snorted before trudging off with Happy in tow. "I bet we can find some fishing books, huh, Happy?"

"Aye!" The feline yelped excitedly. They were again met with a series of peeved shushes.

Lucy growled, rubbing the ends of her fingers around her temples. She warned them that they would not want to go and that they should not, that they would only be bored to tears while they waited for her to pick out a new novel to read. All she wanted was to find a good book that she would be able to curl up with and try to ignite some inspiration in her own writing endeavors. But those two had been making it a far more arduous task for her than it ever had been – than it needed to be.

She supposed it was her own fault for giving in to his insistence and telling him to come on. Natsu was not known for his quiet demeanor or his patience. Part of her did not even want to bring him. But most of her just enjoyed him being around, no matter how infuriating he could be. And if she was not so annoyed with him for embarrassing her like he had, she would have found his childlike antics endearing and would not have snapped at him like she did.

She knew she should have made the two of them wait back at the guild for her. Hell, she should have just told them to wait at her apartment for her to come home. They would have accepted that without any fuss. But it did not occur to her at the time and now here they were, trying to keep themselves entertained in a dim room that reeked of that distinct, acidic tang of old books where the only sound to be heard was the gentle flap of turning pages. This was putting Natsu and Happy completely out of their element.

She sighed, her body bending at the middle as she allowed herself the graceless display of exasperation. I'll guess I can just pick out whatever looks most interesting.

She followed the path Natsu and Happy had taken just minutes before, looking for an unruly tuft of pink hair amongst the corridors of books. Hearing his familiar snicker along with Happy's small voice, she continued on her route through the walls of books.

As she was about to exit the aisle of shelves, a book caught her eye. She could see its spine barely peeking out from the others, high on the shelves. She reached for it, standing on the tips of her toes so that her fingers could brush against its rough exterior. She pawed at it gently, freeing it from the confines of books that surrounded it.

Lucy held the large tome in her hands, brushing against the dyed leather that covered the dulled, wrinkled pages. The leather was faded, she could see that it had once been a remarkable red but years of exchanging hands had left the hue dim, waning from a rich scarlet to a demure maroon. The cover was debossed, intricate damask patterns weaving around the border and brushed with what had once been a vibrant, metallic gold but had faded to a clouded bronze. The script of the lettering was elaborate, flourishing across the cover in bowed streams. It was breathtaking, telling a story without ever needing to be opened.

"Wonderland…" She whispered to herself as she traced the title with her index finger.

This was it. This was the book she was looking for. She could already feel the gears of her imagination working, spinning faster from just holding the antique piece.

"Oi, Lucy." Natsu called, snapping her from her trance. "What's the matter?"

She shook her head, coming back to the place her body was waiting for her mind. "What? Oh. Nothing. I just found this book and I thought it..." She trailed off, blushing. How corny would she sound, saying that she found such a rundown book to be beautiful?

He tapped on the object she held out in front of herself, his brow furrowing as he leaned forward to examine it. "Hey, that's a cool lookin' book you found." He seemed to be thinking aloud, not really acknowledging her stunned reaction but keeping his eyes firmly set on the tome. Natsu was taken aback by it. It really was something to behold.

She clutched it to her chest. "Did you find any books on fishing?"

He smiled, rubbing the back of his head, back to his usual, carefree self. "Well, yeah. But then Happy found a bunch of books on fish so he's going through those."

"Both you can pick out one to take home as long as you both promise not to destroy them. We have to bring them back in a couple days and there shouldn't be any damage done to them." Lucy chastised but Natsu brightened at her words.

"I don't want to pick one out. I want to read that one." He pointed to the book she hugged to her chest.

She beamed at him, enjoying the excitement they shared over the novel. "Alright, we can read it together then." They each had a light blush tint their cheeks. She wanted to read the book immediately but if Natsu had interest in it too then she could at least share this with him. Perhaps she would just try reading to him, otherwise they may not ever actually make it through it. "You and Happy can stay over tonight and we can read the first chapter together then?"

He bristled slightly, astounded by her words. "For real, Luce?"

"Yes, but you're sleeping on the couch." She glared at him, conscious of his midnight habit of sneaking into her bed. He pouted but acquiesced.

"They liiiiike each other." Happy snickered into his paw, his book of fish secure under his tiny arm.

"Shhh!"

Natsu and Happy went back to their cabin to gather their overnight garb for a planned sleepover at Lucy's.

Gods, she must have lost all sense of reason after finding that book. She was just so intrigued by it that she did not really think about what she was saying and just said whatever had come to mind. She actually invited them, him, to stay the night with her. There was no doubt in her mind that they would both end up in her bed by some point in the night but she was quite used to it by now. She could not actually say it bothered her as much anymore. She just sometimes wished that he could at least ask first and get some kind of approval before deciding on his own accord.

But that was Natsu for you. Childlike but with the steeled resolve to go after what he wants, no matter how silly or insignificant it may seem.

She put her hands in her damp hair, having removed herself from her bath minutes before. What was she thinking?

"Oh yeah, I wasn't." She grumbled.

She changed into a light tank top that bared her midriff and loose sweatpants. She readied three cups of tea and took a seat on her couch next to the large book. She looked at it out of the corner of her eye. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I just read the first couple pages."

Picking up the hefty object, she set it on her folded lap and carefully opened the book. The spine creaked and cracked, a quiet groan from the sudden reuse after being left untouched for an indeterminate interval of time. It was certainly a well-thumbed novel, having seen a significant number of readers escape into this far away land.

Thumbing through the first few blank pages, marveling at their dated appearance. The pages were yellowed entirely, the center of pages being less tainted from wear and exposure than the ends. The edges had miniscule tears, some cleaving deeper into the pages than others. Faint creases could be detected on the sides. She ran her finger across the thick parchment, its surface was slightly rough as if a thin layer of dust coated it.

She found the internal title page, written in the same elegant calligraphy as was on the cover. Still, she found no author. She was perplexed by that but turned the page, assuming it would be found on another. The following page was the introduction. It was a few words, a poem. She read it.

A unique world to behold.

Through this land you shall go,

Living fables long since told.

Lost and found you will be.

To find the end

You must begin.

She recited it to herself, trying to make sense of the unusual prose. It was a strange way to structure poetry but she found it oddly captivating. She turned to the next page, blank again. "What?" She whispered, flipping through several more. They were all blank, the only thing on them the small rips from previous users. "How?"

She finally found a page that read "chapter one." The writing was simple, a plain contrary of the script seen on the previous pages.

"Oh, thank goodness." But that was the only thing on it. She flipped the page back and forth, hoping to find lettering that told of the unique land. There was nothing. "What is this book?"

She stared at the simple scrawl of "chapter one," discouraged. The book that captivated her attention, that sent her reeling at its aesthetic, was completely devoid. "This is what I get for judging a book by its cover." She huffed as she leaned her head to the back of the couch, closing her eyes. "I will just have to find something else to read to Natsu and Happy later on."

She could see the light from behind her closed eyelids. Surprised, she opened them and looked at the now glowing book that sat on her lap. It was a beautiful luminescence but not what she was expecting to come from the book – or any, for that matter. She sat it on the small coffee table as the light glittered around it.

"Oh no." She moved to run from the object but the light surrounded her. "Natsu!" She yelled as the light enveloped her. In a bright flash, she was gone.

Lucy opened her eyes slowly. She shielded them from the bright light but opted to close them again. She was groggy and her head felt heavy, as if it were full of cement. When did she go to sleep? She must have fallen asleep on the couch when she was reading that book.

Wait.

"The book!" She shot up suddenly, head spinning from the sudden motion. When her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she discovered she was no longer in her apartment. "I…where am I?"

She sat atop a grassy hill, surrounded by water that gently lapped at the sandy shore. The small island had a long pier that lead out into the open water but she could see no end to it and land beyond it. She was stranded.

Lucy began to panic, standing up and reaching for her keys only to realize that she had none. She did not have the sweatpants and tank top on anymore. Instead she was wearing a strapless baby blue dress with a lightly ruffled petticoat tucked beneath. Matching sleeves bound at her biceps flared out around her wrists. A white apron was over her dress, tied in a large ribbon at the back. She had stockings on, with thick, horizontal black and white stripes. Her boots were black, the outsides lined with several buckles. Her long hair was tied up in a side ponytail, a miniature black top hat securely pinned against the base of it.

She looked around the tiny landmass, the only other thing being a small, leafless tree with a mound of large stones beside it just a few meters away.

What was she supposed to do? She was trapped in the middle of the ocean with no way to reach out to anybody. She had no idea where she even was.

Tears welled in her eyes as she flopped to the hard ground. "Someone…help me…" She sobbed openly into her knees, hugging them tightly as if it would bring someone to her.

"Shooby do bop."

Lucy perked up, turning to the familiar voice.

"Late, late. Doo, doo, doo."

"Gajeel?" Lucy said quietly, not believing it initially. Her mouth dropped when she saw him heading in her direction from the endless pier. He was dressed in his familiar white suit with his sunglasses and white loafers. The most noticeable differences however were the fact that there were rabbit ears peeking out from the tops of his hat and he was hopping down the pier that fell off into the ocean with each small jump.

"Shalala, late, I'm running late."

Despite his bizarre visage, she jumped up, elated. "Gajeel, thank goodness!" She darted towards him but he continued on his hop. She stepped aside, making way for him. "Gajeel, wait!"

"Shooby doo wop, gotta hop." He continued his scat with his guitar, mildly impressed he could play through his hops. "Gonna be late, for a very important date. Doo, doo, doo."

"Wait, Gajeel, please! Tell me where we are!" Lucy begged, latching onto the back of his white suit.

"We are here but I need to be there." He turned to look at her, stopping his hop. "You want to leave or stay? I can show you the way. Shooby doo bop!"

She fixed him with a look of pure exasperation at his incessant singing but she listened, desperate for a way home. He began hopping towards the rocks and she followed a few steps behind, perplexed. But as she got there, she could see the small opening but a man of his stature surely would never fit through such a small space. Even she would not be able to fit!

He paused in front of it, shuffling for something in his coat that she could not see. He set something on top of one of the rocks and to her bafflement, he began to shrink.

"Oh, my heart's feelin' heavy because I'm late for my date with Levy! Shooby doo wop!" And he jumped down the hole.

Lucy gaped at what just happened, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to make sense of the event. "How did he…" She walked over to the hole and saw the tiny vial of luminescent purple liquid swishing about. There was a small paper on the glass, attached by a thin strand of twine. It read "DRINK ME" in the familiar lettering as was found on the book.

With no other option, she took a sip, surprised by its pleasantly sweet taste. She soon began to shrink and she jumped through the small hole.

Note: Alright, that's a wrap for chapter 1! I'm hoping to be around again real soon! If you're reading Paper Moon, chatper 12 is almost done too!

Also, also, I just want to say, I know that "curiouser" is not actually a word! But I think it suits the story quite well. And please excuse my "poetry." I have never been any good at it but also it was just supposed to be something kind of silly because, y'know...Wonderland!

Don't forget to drop a review if you enjoyed it! Thanks a million for reading!