Redbat132: Hey, everyone. Here is the RotG story that takes place around the end of the other epic crossover, 'You Need To Believe To Be Free'. Wicca West belongs to RD, I only own Lea and Nightlight. And we both have collaborated into making a new character in the EAH universe. You just have to wait and see. ;) The rest of the character belong to their respected owners. Anyway, without further a due, the moment you've all been waiting for, let the story begin. Hope you all enjoy.
Once upon a time, in a far away land called Ever After, all was beautiful and well as always. Many next generation fairytale characters were enjoying themselves and taking things easy. Especially the Royals and Rebels. But today, little did anyone know, Ever After was about to have a few new visitors coming.
Around the parts of the Enchanted Forest, a glowing doorway appeared to reveal Katherine and Lea going through it.
"Here we are, Lea. The world of Ever After!" Katherine happily announced, gesturing her left hand to show the area.
The blonde teen stared at the gorgeous place she was in. This whole world was just as magical as all the other places she had seen from the Guardians' home. "Wow...This is beyond amazing, Kate!" she managed to say already walking around with her eyes wide with wonder.
Who's that?
Brooke! This is not the time for questions!
But Dad! Who is that?! You and Mom never tell me these things before the story starts!
Katherine couldn't help but chuckle at hearing them. "It's nice to finally hear you for the first time, Brooke Page. I am Katherine, the Guardian of Imagination. Also called Mother Goose. The blonde teen is my friend, Lea Carolina Thompson. She is into myths and legends plus believes in the Guardians of Childhood, the protectors of what children believe in."
A new voice was heard. "Then perhaps you can all narrate quieter, please? Some of us need to take a cat nap."
"Kitty! Don't be rude!" said another new voice. "It's not every day a new narrator is heard! It's hat-tastic to meet you, Katherine!"
"Same to you, Madeline. And sorry for disturbing your little catnap, Miss Cheshire," Katherine called out to the Mischief Making Feline before lowering her voice to talk to the narrators of this realm. "To explain plus recap, Lea and I came here to take a break from a long eventful adventure. Every once in a while, I go to a dimensional place to cut loose. And this is the first time in my centuries of traveling I bring a human friend along."
"I'm gonna need some Wonderland rosebud tea for this!" said the chipper voice, already coming out to reveal herself behind a tree.
Her hair was curly and wavy, and comes in three colors: dark turquoise, mint green, and dark purple or violet. She had bright blue-teal eyes and light skin. She appeared to be slightly petite in height and had a signature baby face. Her outfit attire appeared to be tea themed. She had on a mini purple teacup hat, a magenta puffy-sleeved layered dress with a blue bow around the waist, white leggings with blue polka dots covering her legs, and white-cream shoes with gold teapot-handle-resembling wedges or heels at the bottom of them.
"And I assume you're Maddie Hatter?" Katherine asked, not leaving her grin.
"You bet your tea trays I am!"
Lea turned around to see a girl with turquoise and purple-highlighted hair. "Oh! Hello. I'm Lea," the blonde teen said with a friendly smile and waved her hand.
"Already here for less than a few minutes and we've already met a few of the Wonderlandian girls," Katherine softly replied in amusement to Brooke. "Can't wait to meet the others."
"Others?" Lea questioned.
"You betchies! There's all kinds of fairytale friends here!" said Maddie. "We gotta show her around, Kitty!"
Turning her head, Lea noticed the girl on the tree named Kitty had long lavender hair pulled into curly high pigtails, sleek blue eyes with cat-like pupils, fair skin, and brownish-orange eyebrows. She wore maroon lipstick and had pointy blue clawed nails. Her clothes were pale colors of purple and blue with cat-like attributes and accessories that describe her mischievous charm.
"You give her the ten-cent tour. My cat nap is overdue and you're really rubbing me the wrong way," And the catty Kitty disappeared.
"Whoa! Did she just...?" Lea started, seriously intrigued by the disappearance of that lavender wearing, pigtailed girl.
"Disappear into thin air? Yes. When you're the daughter of the Cheshire Cat, it can be very handy in disappearing from one place to another," Katherine explained. "And you already know Madeline Hatter, the daughter of the Mad Hatter."
"Too. Cool!" Lea exclaimed. The blonde teen was beyond excited! She couldn't wait to meet more fairytale friends! "So, where to first?!"
"Good question. There are just so many places to check out here. It's just hard to choose. What do you recommend, Maddie?" Katherine questioned.
"I say...The Wonderland Haberdashery and Tea Shop!" Maddie skipped along. "Onward!"
"Perfect! Come along, Lea," Katherine said, already following the daughter of the Mad Hatter.
Not staying behind, Lea grinned and hurried to be by her storytelling friend's side.
Moments later, Lea was amazed as they entered the Village of Bookend. It was like a fairytale village but with a modern twist.
"So, what can you tell me about this dimension, Kate?" Lea asked, not keeping her eyes off the street.
"The world of Ever After is a land beyond imagination. The very same element I swore to protect," Katherine explained. "In this dimension, many of the next generation of characters from famous fairytales go to high school to learn what they become. It used to be where spellbinding students are destined to follow in the footsteps of their fairytale parents. However, thanks to one student, things have changed for the better."
"What do you mean?" Lea questioned, a bit confused.
Maddie pointed to someone sitting at an outdoor table underneath a teacup shade. "There's a conveniently placed example over there."
Lea looked and saw a beautiful girl with flawless fair skin, striking purple eyes, cascading long wavy black hair streaked with violet, magenta, and purple-maroon colors, and wore a spellbinding purple and black dress. On her head was a spiky metal headband-like tiara from the parted center of her hair. She had long, thick lashes, dark purple lipstick, and light-purple eyeshadow. Her eyelashes go into a wing at the end and so does her shadow. Her dress also has a chain, belt-like accessory around the waist. She even wore fishnet stockings, and open-toed short-wedged-high-heeled boots with buckles and an opening in the backs for shoes. Lea studied that her style was gothic-like.
"That's my best friend forever after, Raven Queen!" Maddie said. "Hey, Raven!"
"Raven Queen?" Lea looked at Katherine, only to see a smile on her face.
"Don't worry. She's actually very nice. You could say that she was the one that started the Royal and Rebel drama," Katherine assured.
"Royal and Rebel what now?" the blonde teen was seriously confused.
"Oh, right. You haven't read the story nor heard of it. Let me put this in a different way. Royals are fairytale students who do want to follow tradition of their parents in the story role. Rebels are the students who don't want to and choose a new path of what they want to be,"
"Ahhh," Lea nodded her head, slowly understanding. "So...what makes Raven so special?"
"She's the one who started the Rebel movement!" Maddie said happily.
"You see, Lea, in every fairytale, there's always a villain. And at Ever After High, everyone would be destined to play their part, regardless what it is, especially villains."
"What?! You mean they teach people to be villains?!" Lea was shocked to say the least.
Katherine nodded. "Yes. And Raven is the daughter of the most wicked villain of them all...The Evil Queen."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! The Evil Queen?! As in the same character with the magic mirror who wanted to be the fairest of them all so badly that she poisoned Snow White with a poison apple from 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'!? THAT Evil Queen?!" Lea nearly exclaimed, a bit baffled.
"Yes. However, Raven doesn't want to follow the same ways as her mother. Even if people started off treating her like an outcast," Katherine reasoned.
Lea looked at Raven in sadness. She couldn't imagine what the daughter of someone evil had been through. Being alone and not having anyone. It nearly reminded her of Jack Frost before becoming a Guardian.
"Wow...Now I feel sorry for her," Lea replied.
"Yeah, poor innocent Raven had it hard for so long." said Katherine. "Everyone would run away from her. Even if she did nothing."
"And even worse, people would make up rumors like she would eat spiders for breakfast, or put 'Kick me I'm evil' signs on her back! And people would actually kick her!" Maddie added
Lea's jaw dropped. How could anyone do such a thing to Raven?!
Just then, she spotted a boy in a green fedora and studded boots sneaking up behind Raven carrying a sign. He was going to put it on her back!
Lea's body moved on its own. She charged at the boy and sucker punched him in the face. "DON'T YOU DARE!" she roared.
Looking closely, Lea noticed that the boy she punched had light skin, olive green eyes, red hair and a soul patch. He wore a studded leather jacket over a black shirt, gray pants, and black boots with gold features. His accessories were a feathered green felt cap, a green kerchief around his neck, along with studded gloves and a gold pendant. His style appeared to be similar to a punk Rockstar's, due to the studded and buckled accessories and piercings in both ears.
Katherine's eyes were slightly wide in surprise. This is the first time up close she had every seen Lea use brute force fists on anyone. Then again, it would make sense for a New Yorker girl that's spent her life in the big city to stand and defend against bad people.
"If only the Guardians of Childhood can see her now," Katherine quietly muttered.
Raven stared, shocked to her core. Bystanders were too stunned to move or even respond. Lea walked over to the boy and picked up the note he was about to put on Raven's back. After reading it, Lea scowled and brought the note to Raven. "Sorry you had to see that. But that punk with the hat was going to stick this on your back."
Raven read the note out loud. "'Kick me, I'm Raven Pansy'?!"
"WHAT?!" a voice screeched. It turns out Raven was sitting with someone. Lea didn't notice because she wore a black cape with green spirals to represent tornadoes and black witch's hat. When she stomped forward, Lea gasped when she saw that the girl had green skin like a Halloween witch. Along with black asymmetric short hair with green streaks, green eyes, a short black dress with a green belt with a silver W shaped belt buckle, red lipstick and short red boots that look like the red ruby slipper kind.
The boy groaned as he rubbed his sore cheek. The witch girl pointed her green finger at him.
As this pain you will feel be sore.
You shall keep hitting yourself forever more!
Green magic shot from her fingertip and hit the boy. His fist was raised up and began punching himself in the face!
Lea placed hand on her mouth, seriously too stunned to see what that green-skinned girl just did.
"Um, K-Ka-Kate? Wh-who exactly is she?" Lea questioned, not keeping her eyes off the witch-themed girl.
"That would be Wicca West. She's the daughter of the Wicked Witch of the West that's from the tale of 'The Wizard of Oz'," Katherine explained. "Wicca is a Royal that wants to be the baddest of them all while, at the same time, help plus defend the Rebels' choices, like Raven. Even considered extremely powerful."
Lea gulped, starting to feel her confidence slip away when knowing Wicca.
"Um, Wicca? I think Sparrow learned his lesson." said Raven. "You can call off the spell."
Wicca looked at the boy named Sparrow. Her spell made him punch himself in the face repeatedly. Seeing tge pleading look on Raven's face, Wicca sighed and undid the spell.
Sparrow felt like he was trampled by an ogre army. Wicca marched up to the defeated boy. "You know, it's not smart messing with a wicked witch, especially friends of hers.
Sparrow gulped. "But...I...I didn't see you!"
"Story of my life." Wicca rolled her eyes. "NOW GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I TURN YOU INTO GRAVY FOR MY LUNCH!"
Sparrow screamed and ran as fast as the gingerbread man.
"Oh, dear," Lea whimpered, slowly moving back.
The blonde teen understood what Sparrow tried to do was wrong, but the punishment on him seemed a bit extreme. She seriously didn't want to get on the daughter of the Wicked Witch's bad side.
Just then, she felt her backpack opening to have her little wooden friend's face pop up to know what's going on.
Lea lightly squeaked in concern. "Stay low, Nightlight. I don't want you to get hurt," she quietly said, trying not to make matters worse.
Nightlight slipped back inside before zipping the bag closed. Hearing footsteps, Lea gasped when she saw Wicca coming her way.
Lea became terrified by the witch's presence. Was she going to turn Lea into a frog?! Or make her act like a chicken?! So many horrific thoughts raced through her mind.
Wicca smiled. "I saw what you did back there. That was pretty sick with that knuckle sandwich!" She gave Lea's shoulder a friendly nudge. "I don't think I've ever seen a girl tough enough to stick it to that loser Sparrow besides...well, me!"
"Oh! Um, th-th-thanks," Lea stuttered, tugging her backpack close to her back in both shyness and nervousness. "I-it was really nothing. I'm sure someone else would have done the same to defend Raven."
"Well, I do appreciate it." Raven said. "I'm not used to having people on my side. So, this is a nice change of pace. So, who are you?"
"I'm Lea. Lea Carolina Thompson," the blonde teen answered, still a bit shy. "I don't actually live here. I'm just visiting with my friend, Katherine."
"She's right," Katherine replied, already walking closer to the Magical Girls. "We're actually from another world where a few known legends and myths protect children of the world from fear and darkness. Thought this would be the perfect place to just cut loose after the exciting adventure we experienced when saving the Guardians of Childhood."
Wicca arched a brow. "What's wrong with a little fear and darkness?"
"Wicca..." Raven started.
"Okay, okay, you have your reasons." Wicca said, rolling her eyes again.
"There's nothing wrong with it!" Lea immediately spoke out, trying not to provoke the next Wicked Witch of the West. "It's just...without wonder, hope, dreams, good memories, fun, and imagination, children would be sad and miserable. And if the children stop believing in the Guardians of Childhood, they would vanish from none-existence! I nearly even lost Katherine because of what Pitch tried to do last time!"
Wicca and Raven appeared confused.
"Pitch?" questioned Raven.
"You know! Pitch Black!" Lea exclaimed.
"Um...I have a dress that's pitch black. There are many different shades of black." said Wicca. "But I don't know anyone named Pitch Black."
Raven turned to Wicca. "What do you mean there are many shades of black? Isn't black 'black'?"
Wicca shook her head. "No, Raven. There're all kinds. Pitch black, eerie black, spooky black, black cat black, midnight black, sadness black..."
Lea slowly turned to Katherine, wondering if this is actually happening. Did those two fairytale kids never even heard of the Boogey Man?!
Sighing, Katherine explained, "Pitch Black is the Boogey Man in our world. Also goes by the Nightmare King. He is the enemy of the Guardians of Childhood and would stop at nothing to be believed in with fear from children. He once used his Nightmare Creatures to capture and replace the Guardians. He trapped the real Guardians in coffin-like prisons that put them in an endless nightmare state that was slowly destroying them."
"It was horrible!" Lea exclaimed, shuddering at the thought of that terrible event.
"Are these guys for real?" Raven asked Wicca.
"Well, I don't think they would be saying all this crazy talk if it wasn't true." said Wicca.
"Of course, it's all real! I was almost taken by Jackmare, a Nightmare that's disguised as Jack Frost, the Guardian of Fun, if Katherine hadn't come in and saved me!" Lea nearly shouted. "And don't even get me started on facing Nightmare versions of North, yetis, Bunny, and bats. That was beyond insane."
Raven rubbed her chin. "You don't say..."
"Y'know, Raven. You said you want to write stories, right? Maybe these guys can help you," Wicca said. "This stuff sounds so good, it should be a story!"
"Way ahead of you, Wicca," Katherine replied, giving a wink while opening her handbag to reveal a dark green book with black lining. "As the Guardian of Imagination and Keeper of all stories, it is my job to record and tell fascinating tales. Some include all of you."
"How many books did you write about Ever After?" Lea questioned.
"Well, counting crossovers, I'd say...Twenty-two. Twenty-six, if you count the Lauhinians visiting here," Katherine answered, thinking how many she had written.
"There were others from different dimensions that have been here besides us?" Lea asked, a bit surprised.
"Of course. Ben Tennyson, Kai Green, Spider-Man, Dana the Ectonurite, and Azmuth the Great Thinker Galvan were in Ever After before we came along. There were even tales that few of the Ever After students went over to those characters' dimensional world and met their friends," Katherine explained.
"Cool! I so got to read those stories!" the blonde teen grinned.
Katherine gave the book to Wicca. It was titled 'New Villain in Town' by M.G. Joyce in gold letters. Curious, the witch opened it and when she read the first few pages, her green eyes nearly popped out of her head!
"HOLY CAULDRONS!" Wicca grabbed Katherine by the shirt. "How do you know all that?!"
"Whoa, easy, Wicca! The books from my home, the Ganderly, show me the upcoming tales with magic," Katherine answered calmly. "When I came to your story, it meant you were important and needed to be recorded."
Wicca's eyes flashed. "Well, you better keep these books to yourself. Or I will destroy you..." she growled, shoving the book back to Katherine.
Lea placed her hands on her mouth in distress. Whatever Katherine wrote about Wicca, it seemed to made her angry.
"Uh, hey! I thought we were going to a tea shop," Lea quickly said, trying to change the subject before Wicca tries to harm her best Bookworm Friend while getting Katherine out of the Wicked Witch's hold on her.
Raven managed to pull Wicca and Katherine apart. "Sure! We better get going!"
"Those dorks are immediately on my hit list!" Wicca said through her clenched teeth.
Lea gulped, not liking Wicca's reaction. She grabbed Katherine and hurried to get inside the tea shop.
"Kate, what did you do?!" the blonde teen exclaimed. "Wicca was just starting to like us for one minute. But the next, she threatened us! Which story did you give her?!"
"I might have given Wicca the very first story of how she started Ever After High. Although, I realized now that it was an unwise move. She had a different reaction about the story than I expected. I'm really sorry, Lea," Kate apologized, rubbing her neck sheepishly.
Lea started to hyperventilate, not wanting to be targeted by an evil witch that could turn her and Kate into toads. This was going to be a long day and vacation for her.