Strong Intentions in Luster

By: Aria Breuer

Disclaimers: All canon material from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and any works in the Middle-earth series, belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and New Line Cinema. All canon material from The Unicorn Chronicles series belongs to Bruce Coville. All canon material from "Once Upon A Time" and "Once Upon A Time in Wonderland" belongs to ABC. All canon material from other works belongs to their respected owners. All original material, original songs like in the first section, except for the melody to the first song which belongs to Bruce Coville, and OCs belongs to the author of this fanfiction spin-off story.

This is not a new idea, as I've been thinking on this ever since "Once Upon A Time in Wonderland" came out on television. Unlike Strong Intentions, this is mostly an original plot, but it is a multi-crossover story due to how many canon characters are crossing and meeting other canon characters. Since we don't see Fredegar Bolger, the hobbit in Middle-earth, that much, he's one of the leads here and has an expanded role.

Like "Once Upon A Time in Wonderland", this story too has flashback stories coinciding with it. Also, the format I'm using for the chapters is similar to Strong Intentions. As for where this chapter starts, it begins years, I won't say how long, after the events in The Unicorn Chronicles and during the episode "A Tale of Two Sisters", from Season 4 of the ABC television show "Once Upon A Time".

Prologue – Part 1:

Using the Amulet

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A long time ago…

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Our World – The Past

Cara Diana Hunter was two or three years old when her grandmother, Ivy Morris, kidnapped her from her parents' house. She had ginger hair and wore what any modest young girl would wear. Now four years old, almost five, it had been a year or two since she last saw her parents. All she had for company was her grandmother, who was always there to take care of her. Cara didn't know her grandmother's secret back then – her grandmother was really a unicorn – for her grandmother didn't tell her the truth.

On the day she walked with her Gramma Morris throughout the bustling streets, when she was age six, Cara stopped before the toy shop and saw a stuffed unicorn. Oh, Cara wanted it so badly. So, in an effort that she hoped she would get the stuffed unicorn, Cara started to beg.

"Oh Gramma, can I have this unicorn? Please?" asked Cara.

Gramma Morris stiffened and immediately put the stuffed unicorn back where it belonged. She knelt before Cara and told her, in such a way that would make Cara stop asking questions, "Cara, under no circumstances are you ever to get a cartoony unicorn."

"Why not?" asked Cara, confused.

Gramma Morris looked at her and said, "You'll understand someday. Let's leave this place." She took Cara by the hand and led her out of the toy shop.

Days later, Cara was reading one of her Gramma's fairy books and felt a desire to explore other worlds. She said to herself, "Someday, I will escape this world and travel to other worlds. I just know I will." She giggled and continued reading.

Storybrooke, Maine – The Present

Fredegar Bolger, more commonly called by his Storybrooke Cursed Alias Fred Dewey, was sitting inside Granny's Diner when the unexpected attack occurred. He had been sipping his coffee and having a pleasant conversation with Curtis Greenhow, or by his Middle-earth name, his true name, Samwise Gamgee, at the long white table, when an unearthly bellow sounded very close by. Granny's Diner shook and everyone who was inside the diner felt the shake. Sam, or Curtis, was immediately searching quickly for a number on his cell phone.

Fredegar/Fred asked Sam/Curtis, as if he already knew what Sam/Curtis was thinking, "Are you calling Frodo?"

"Yes Fatty, I am," said Sam/Curtis, finding the correct number and pressed the send button.

Fredegar/Fred watched Sam/Curtis leave Granny's Diner, but not before paying the tip first. This was perfect. Another monster that everyone would face. Fredegar/Fred shook his head, knowing full well what adventure does to people. He would never have one here. He was too small of a character to even fit into a larger story.

As Fredegar/Fred took a sip of his coffee, a green light rippled from the centermost part of the restaurant part of the diner. The green light blasted and blew a few tables off to the sides like nothing. Fredegar/Fred felt the blast and clung onto the table, while Granny/Widow Lucas protected everything near her on the other side of the diner. Red Riding Hood/Ruby did the same thing, wondering what was happening.

"What is that green light? More magic?" asked Red/Ruby, as if she was yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Oh, it's magic all right," said Granny/Widow Lucas.

All Fredegar/Fred could do was stare. There weren't many people in the sitting area of the diner. Only him, and that didn't help being the only paying customer at the diner. Where had everyone gone? Oh, they were probably off slaying the beast roaming around Storybrooke, or so Fredegar/Fred hoped. That explained the sudden absence of customers.

Out from the green light, as it vanished shortly afterwards, was a creature that was somewhere between a squirrel and a monkey. It had thick fur in two different shades, with the face, stomach, and limbs lighter while the rest was dark. This furry cross between a monkey and a squirrel also donned a bushy tail. Fredegar/Fred recognized the creature right away. This was the last creature he wanted to see.

"Not you again," said Fredegar/Fred, feeling like he had stepped back into a humiliating memory.

"I'll get rid of it!" cried Granny/Widow Lucas, pulling out a broom. She was prepared to swat the squirrel-monkey as soon as possible, hoping to get the creature out of her diner without complaint. It was Red/Ruby who stopped her.

The squirrel-monkey fled up Fredegar/Fred's arm and whispered in his ear. Fredegar/Fred became wide-eyed after a moment. He told the squirrel-monkey, "I see. Squijum, do you know where Cara is?"

"Squijum saw mean men take pretty Cara captive. Squijum knows where Cara is," said the Squijum. It was obvious to Fredegar/Fred that the Squijum's dialect had improved, much more recognizable and intelligent since last they met.

"Can you take me to her?" asked Fredegar/Fred, his voice raising a bit. He noticed the Squijum skittering about the diner, about to take a bite out of Fredegar/Fred's donut. Fredegar/Fred snatched the donut away from the Squijum, but not without feeling guilty and handing the Squijum a large piece. Calming down some, Fredegar/Fred asked the Squijum more politely, "Can the Squijum bring me to Cara?"

The Squijum nodded. He said, outright, "Cara lost. Cara is somewhere in Luster. Luster changed, Squijum knows. Good hotcha!" He hiccupped between bites.

"Take me to her, at once Squijum," said Fredegar/Fred. The Squijum handed him a crystal-and-gold amulet.

The Squijum told him. "Use it. Tell it…" He whispered in Fredegar/Fred's ear.

Fredegar/Fred understood, nodding to show proof to the Squijum. After whispering the words to the amulet, "Luster, take me home" the green mist portal opened in the middle of Granny's Diner. Happy that something worked, Fredegar/Fred followed the Squijum through the portal. The green light vanished, causing Granny/Widow Lucas to convince Red/Ruby to clean up the diner, as if this was something they were used to.

Summerhaven, Luster – The Past, 8 Years Later

Cara, now fourteen, was a unicorn and thrilling in every second she had. Even though it had been two years since her transformation from human girl to unicorn, Cara still missed having her two hands to work with. But the cost of her hands meant that she could enjoy being a unicorn. Wasn't that what she always wanted? To be happy and spend time with the unicorns and her family? She was lucky to have her family, and that was reward enough for her.

As she galloped across the fields of Summerhaven, her white mane ruffling as the wind picked up, Cara reared up upon seeing a strange peddler in brown robes and a hat. Seeing the man wasn't dangerous, Cara set her front legs back down on the ground. So if the man didn't want to hurt her, then what…

The man sprinkled a purple haze around her. The haze swirled and swirled around her, making her dizzy. The next thing she knew, Cara was back to being a fourteen-year-old human girl. She was amazed she wore clothes, but they too were also brown and looking like rags. The man extended an arm, took her hand, and pulled Cara to her feet.

"Now we can talk," said the peddler. He grinned in a cheery manner. "I knew you were a girl, behind that unicorn display."

"Change me back," said Cara, alarmed.

The peddler chuckled, shaking his head. "No, you don't see it at all, girl. There's a new threat come to Luster. His name is Dorian Grey and he's after the unicorns."

"Why?" asked Cara, confused.

"He wants eternal youth and he will stop at nothing to gain it," said the peddler.

"What can I do?" asked Cara. She checked her hair, and saw her hair was a mixture of red and silver, a clear sign that she still had unicorn in her. The peddler pulled out a strand of the silver hair, putting it inside a wooden box and closing it before Cara's eyes. "What do you need my hair for?"

"Nothing important," said the peddler. "Now do run along. Oh, and tell your friends about me. It may come in handy."

"What's your name?" asked Cara.

"Merlin," said the peddler, introducing himself. "I am called Merlin. The reason I said what I said is that there's another man named Rumplestiltskin, the current Dark One. He cannot know either about unicorns. He may have powerful magic, but the magic I possess is even greater than his. That's how I was able to return you to human form. Now, you must find Lightfoot. Tell him about me."

Cara said nothing and ran off, hoping to find Lightfoot in Summerhaven. Surely, he was there right now and not wandering off again.

Corsica, France, Our World – The Present

A green portal appeared in the forests on the modern-day island between France and Italy. Coming out of the green portal was the Squijum, followed by Fredegar Bolger/Fred Dewey. Fredegar/Fred looked about him, wondering if they had arrived in Luster. However, the air felt familiar and the forest seemed very familiar. Fredegar/Fred shook the amulet, as its light dimmed.

"Stupid amulet," Fredegar/Fred shook the amulet in his hand, before pocketing it. He told the Squijum, "You said we would find Cara. We're still on Earth, Squijum."

"Hotcha Squijum knows where to go," said the Squijum, darting off.

"Do tell. All I see is trees and… is this Corsica, France?" asked Fredegar/Fred, upon seeing brown buildings and a cement street.

"Yes," said the Squijum. "Lightfoot here."

"Lightfoot? Last time I saw him, it didn't end well between us," admitted Fredegar/Fred. "Do you think he'll trust us after that meeting? I mean, how did you know where to find me?"

"Hotcha knows… this way!" the Squijum led the way down a cobbled street. He was leading Fredegar/Fred down a quiet neighborhood, away from the tourism. However, the Squijum informed Fredegar/Fred a few things, as they approached an apartment complex.

Finding the right door, the Squijum banged on the hard wood door with his fist, before clambering on Fredegar's/Fred's shoulder. At that, the door opened, revealing a slim man with a slightly muscular build. This man had short brown hair, donned a scruffy beard, and wore a leather blazer over a red shirt and white breeches. The second the man saw Fredegar/Fred, he shut the door on him. Fredegar knocked on the door again, as the door opened on the inside to reveal the scraggly man once again.

"I'm not interested in what you're doing here, Fatty. Now please, get off my porch!" said the man, about to kick Fredegar out.

"Handel Smith, I expected better of you," said Fredegar. "We have much to discuss, about Cara."

"I don't know any Cara," said Handel, avoiding the question.

"Yes you do. You know her well. She was your best friend. Remember Luster?" asked Fredegar. "We need to go back there."

"My time in Luster is done. My place is here now," said Handel.

"That's not true and you know it!" Fredegar whispered, close to earshot, "Lightfoot. That is your true name. And my name is Fredegar. Fredegar Bolger. I just go by Fatty because that's what friends call me." He may have said too much.

Handel eyes widened. Opening the door more and moving out of the way a bit, Handel told the two, "Get in here now." As soon as Fredegar and the Squijum were inside his apartment, Handel Smith shut the door, locking it as a precaution.

Thanks for reading. :)