Mable: After what feels like forever, 6 finally returns to Wonderland! I am thrilled to write this sequel- Beyond thrilled- and I… I'm just going to skip the sentimentalities and continue on with the story at hand. I'm so very excited to present this!... I don't own 9, Enjoy!


The Inmates Run the Asylum

Chapter One: Through the Cracks of a Looking Glass

Things had changed since Six had returned from his Wonderland. Not too drastically, but Six himself felt like a new Stitchpunk. Suddenly he was more willing to go on scouting missions, more willing to help the others work, and was drawing more expansive and whimsical pictures. For a few weeks after this event he would reweave the tales of Wonderland for the others to listen to and, for the most part, they were very supportive. Six wasn't sure if they all really believed that Wonderland was real or not, but he enjoyed how well they listened regardless. Even One was curious about his Wonderland self.

Other things had gotten better. Six had a few less nightmares and even Eight's bullying seemed to back off a bit. Not that the Guard still didn't find moments to tease him, but Six found that they were more innocent than anything, to rile him and not to hurt him. Six wasn't sure what changed Eight as it wasn't like he saw Wonderland, but he hoped maybe that it was from hearing about how close Six had been with the Knave of Hearts, Eight's Wonderland counterpart. Even though Eight frequently had a habit of teasing Six that Wonderland was not real and that it had just been a dream.

Six sort of expected that eventually he would return to the magical place and when he didn't he actually grew a bit discouraged. Things were still going well, but Wonderland eventually came back to mind, more so once the buzz about it died down and the Stitchpunks returned to their normal behavior once more. He began to think about Wonderland much more and suddenly was beginning to try and engage the others in conversations about it. Unfortunately this had finally backfired in one disastrous event that had just cooled down only a few short minutes beforehand.

Eight had overheard Six trying to tell the twins more about Wonderland, about the Tweedles in fact, and decided to come in with his teasing once more. He began again with Wonderland not being real and made a bit of a game out of it. Unfortunately for him, and for Six himself, the Artist had been becoming distressed because of the fact that he could no longer prove Wonderland was real. He never really could and now that he was missing the land and couldn't go back he became defensive. All it took was a little too much prodding and suddenly Six exploded.

The striped male didn't remember much of the incident because it had been a blur. All he remembered was practically screaming at Eight in front of everyone, the Guard staring in surprise, and finally storming out in a huff. Yet now as the male sat outside in the courtyard he felt awful about it. He looked terrible, he felt terrible, and he just wanted to hide from the others forever. He clutched his key and hung his head in shame at his actions. He was supposedly the one who saved Wonderland and yet he had lost control like that. He wasn't even sure if he could say that he saved Wonderland anymore anyway.

"I… I can't go on like this." He insisted firmly, "It wasn't a dream! Wonderland was- is real! I know it!... I know it…" A sad look overtook his face as he stared at the stones lining the courtyard. "But… But how do I get there? If I brought something back I could prove it, but not unless I get there, and I don't even know how to get there anymore. I've checked… Over and over, the Rabbit Hole's not there anymore." He was starting to lose faith and yet didn't know what to do. He slowly stood to his feet and looked around the vicinity of the courtyard hesitantly. He needed to find a way back.

"Six?" Six's head snapped upwards abruptly and his body tensed. He recognized the voice of Nine from anywhere and slowly looked back over his shoulder, seeing the zippered male standing behind him some ways. The Stitchpunk approached further with concern on his face. He had witnessed the incident earlier and had come to make sure that Six was alright. The striped male was glad that he did and smiled a little. "Hello…" Nine approached with the concern still on his face, "Are you okay?" Six nodded slowly, hesitantly, before adding in, "I'm going to find Wonderland."

Nine looked surprised at the comment and before he could say anything Six added in, "I know you don't believe me, but come with me! I'll show you, please! I'm not crazy!" He grasped ahold of Nine's hand. He didn't know why he was so willing to ask another to come, but Nine seemed the most willing. Five too, if he was there, but he was also more hesitant. Nine was known to do things spur of a moment so Six assumed he would be the best candidate. He simply waited for an answer and the zippered male seemed to pause to mentally war with himself about what to do.

"…Alright." Nine finally caved and Six alit. Nine wasn't certain if Wonderland could exist, but if Six wanted to look for it, even if it was a dream, then Nine would assist him in any way possible. Six smiled wide before leaping forward and hugging onto him tightly. "Thank you…" He whispered to the other male, truly relieved that he just got this much. He then pulled back with the same smile stretched across his face. "It shouldn't be far. It wasn't far last time." With that they began to look. Six clamped a hand onto Nine's and began to guide him around the area outside of the courtyard eagerly.

Nine actually found that it was sort of enjoyable. It was almost like they were playing a game of pretend, as he occasionally did with the twins when they were bored, and it was even better since Six suddenly began remembering details of Wonderland that he had seemed to forgotten. "But I never liked the Boojums." He explained hesitantly to the zippered male, "They scared me." The striped one gave a small shiver and Nine looked curious, "Those were the things that were made out of oil, right? The black things that changed shape?" Six nodded slowly, "I think oil. Couldn't have been ink. Too thick."

Suddenly he paused and clutched his key before looking around. "I… I feel like we should go this way." He led further from the Library and towards a tipped over streetlight nearby. Nine noticed they were getting further away from the Library, but because he had his own light source, the newly remade Lightstaff, he didn't say anything and continued going. Six seemed to suddenly see something in the distance and started to pick up speed, "Hurry! Over there!" Nine didn't notice what he saw and the Artist continued to rush along before abruptly stopping at something laying on the ground.

The frame was jutting out of the dirt while whatever it surrounded was covered by a light layer of the dust. Nine crouched down as Six hopped onto it, kneeling down and beginning to wipe away until he saw his own face looking back at him. "It's a mirror…" Six murmured softly and Nine raised a brow, "Think it's covering the Rabbit Hole?" The striped one shrugged and leaned down, listening against the glass. "I… I don't know… But I hear something." Nine straightened as he did too, but immediately from straightening he realized that the sound was coming from behind him instead of from or from under the mirror.

"Six, it's coming from…" He turned around and peered back towards the Library with his Lightstaff raised. Or he did until suddenly Eight appeared and stepped into view. The large male looked just as confused as Nine did while Six only glanced upwards for a second before looking down at the mirror in shame. "Eight?" Nine asked the larger, lowering his staff again, "You followed us?" The Guard was quick to correct, "One sent me out looking for him. What're you doing all the way over here?" The way he said 'him' was laced with resentment and Six realized that he was still upset from the fight.

More than likely Six had ruined what little relationship they had in that one attack, but it wasn't like he could take it back now. Nine was firm, "We're looking around to see if we can find Wonderland." He announced with no shame and no fear. Even Six, who knew that Wonderland was real, would be embarrassed to admit it to the others after what happened today. Eight raised a brow before muttering, "You're kidding, right?" He got an amused smile before chuckling, "You can't be serious." Nine's gaze narrowed, "I am serious, so would you stop? You already humiliated Six earlier with your teasing."

"I humiliated Six? Six humiliated himself." Eight defended himself, slightly annoyed at Nine's accusing. Six quickly stood to say something and break them apart, only to feel a shift in his footing. He blinked in confusion and wondered if he was getting vertigo, which he did occasionally get at times, but then he realized that his feet were sinking. It was like he was standing on something like gel, as though a soft piece of plastic or some sort of jelly. He slowly looked down and realized that his feet were sinking into the mirror.

"Nine…" He spoke softly while Nine was halfway through a sentence, "If you weren't poking at him all the time then he wouldn't have been upset. You know how important Wonderland is to him." He then turned to look back towards Nine, almost giving an annoyed, "Yes, Six?" It was a huffing noise but was spurred by annoyance from Eight, not Six, until his optics dropped down. He stared before blinking for a second, "Six…" Six felt his mouth go to a firm line of dread, his stitched brows tilted in fear, and he noticed that he saw slowly continuing to sink down. He was sinking a bit faster now.

"Six?!" Nine cried out in horror and alarm. He stumbled forward and grabbed for Six, and as the Artist reached forward the movement caused him to almost plummet. Both of his pen tipped hands grabbed onto the burlap male's hand as the mirror sunk far enough that he was hip deep in it, it clinging to his body and sucking at him. Nine stared in horror before looking back, "Eight, help me!" He cried, trying to keep his footing on the mirror, but oddly enough where Nine stood it was still glass and he couldn't get a good footing on it.

Eight paused only because he was in disbelief and stared at the scene. "Nine!" Six called out as he sunk to his shoulders in the reflective material. One of his hands released to scrape at the mirror. "No, Six, don't let go!" Nine corrected quickly and Eight bounded over as well grabbing onto the Lightstaff to pull Nine back in case he grew stuck as well. Six's free hand scratched at the gooey glass before tearing through. Six looked down in surprise before watching as the hole tore wider, and suddenly Nine's hand couldn't hold him. His reflection disappeared as the black hole opened and he dropped inside.

Nine watched in terror as the striped male vanished and Eight actually cried out, "Six!" As though he was afraid for the younger, but their ordeal hadn't ended. Suddenly the gooey mixture tore until it arrived it into the hard mirror, but then began to crack underneath their feet. Nine turned around and leapt towards Eight, "Move! Quick!" But before they could get out of the way they began to plummet into the crater beneath the mirror. Six was already falling in the darkness and stared with wide optics, but surprisingly something else hit him, some sort of familiar feeling like he had been here.

Then he plummeted to where candles lit the walls surrounding him and various floating furniture followed, along with a few cracked mirrors. He suddenly realized that this was the Rabbit Hole and his smile suddenly appeared with a weak laughter of relief. His pulse still pounded and he wondered if he would survive the fall a second time, if there was a way to not survive the fall or if it wasn't possible. "But why was the Rabbit Hole under the mirror? Why did the mirror stretch like that?... I suppose I'll reach the bottom soon." He could see a cabinet pass covered in bottles of black liquid.

"Was that ink? Maybe I can get some later and use it to draw for everyone." He mentally noted before looking upwards, downwards for him, and gasped in surprise. There, high above, was Nine and Eight falling towards him. "They came too?... They came too! They'll finally see- Oomph!" He let out a soft noise as he suddenly landed on something soft and thick that immediately released a small puff of dust when he landed upon it. He straightened a bit and looked down only so see that he was landing on a floating bed with a patched quilt of pale pink and a brass bedframe.

He still felt the wind knocked out of him and waited for a second before Nine, screaming in terror, fell past him. The Artist leaned over and stared downwards, now noticing that the water pool wasn't too far below. Nine landed into it, cutting off his cry with a loud splash. "I hope he's okay…" Six dared to call down with, "Nine?" Though followed by looking upwards and noticed Eight still falling, somehow a little further back. Six wasn't sure how this happened but could only scramble out of the way and dive off of the bed as Eight promptly took his place and landed on it.

The floating bed didn't seem like it could hold Eight's weight and somehow fell out of place, plummeting as well. Six landed right into the pool where Nine had managed to already climb out while Eight landed on the water nearby. Even though the splash sent water everywhere the bed somehow kept buoyancy beyond logic, keeping Eight on the top of the water, the Guard staring upwards with wide optics. Six started to paddle towards the edge of the pool and Nine hurried over, sticking the opposite side of the bulb of his Lightstaff out.

Six grabbed onto it and managed to inch closer before taking Nine's offered hand and being pulled out of the water. "Are you okay?" Nine asked quickly and Six looked around before beaming, "We… Did it…" He grabbed Nine's shoulder's abruptly, "Nine, we're here! This is it! This is the entrance to Wonderland!" He splayed one hand out to point and gesture around and the zippered male followed, realization hitting him and his mouth dropping open. The long fall, the pool at the bottom, the curtained hallway; everything Six had explained.

"It's real…" He gasped and walked towards the hall, looking around and taking in everything he could, "It's all real… Wonderland…" Six suddenly corrected, "Well, not yet, not really." He beamed wide, "We'll have to go through the door to get into Wonderland really." He then looked over towards the glass table nearby and noticed something on it, heading over. Nine stared in awe until Eight spoke, "Nine…" He began slowly, "Get me off of this bed…" Nine wasn't sure that if he was still in shock or if he was afraid of sinking in the water, but he shook himself free and rushed over quickly.

Nine did the same thing as with Six, holding out his Lightstaff so that Eight could pull himself, and the bed, to the side of the pool. He then climbed off shakily to stand on the marble floor before slowly looking upwards, "How is the...? What was going on up there with the mirror?!" He asked the shorter who was just as surprised, "I don't even know anymore… But this means that Six was right!" He cried out in realization that finally hit, "The other versions of us, the adventure, the everything! Everything was real!" It's so reeling and Eight rubbed his forehead, "Creator, this…"

"Yeah." Nine began, "You owe Six an apology." Eight furrowed his brows, "This isn't really the time, Nine. We just fell hundreds of feet through floating furniture and somehow lived." He gestured upwards to the opening in the roof, but Nine was firm, "Yes, this is the time! We… We didn't believe him, and that was wrong, but we kept an open mind and you just teased him." He decided to stay calm and looked around in amazement. "Besides… We're going to need Six as a Leader." Eight exhaled quietly before following after Six, giving in and deciding to hurry and do this.

Six approached the table and was surprised to see four items on it. A small key, a box, a bottle, and a slip of paper with a note laying on it. He lifted it and read what was quickly scribbled upon it with a smile which quickly dropped. "My Dear Six, I am leaving this letter for when you return to Wonderland, which I know you will in the near future. It is a long story, but there is a new threat to Wonderland. Please come to the Hearts Castle as soon as you can. I have left both a shrinking tea and growth biscuits for you to use, but the door to the castle gardens no longer functions. Just use your feelings, I know you'll find your way. I'll see you soon, Two."

Six stared in confusion and upset at the letter. There were so many questions racing through his mind, but at the end of all of them remained a simple lack of knowing what he was going to do now. He felt just as lost as the first time he had gotten here. "Look, Six…" Eight began only for Six to turn towards him. "Something's wrong…" He frowned sadly, clutching the letter, "It's… It's from the White Rabbit, Two, he says there's a new threat in Wonderland." Nine now came to the front beside Six, "What is it?" Six shrugged a bit, "He just said to go to the castle."

"Hold on, wait." Eight suddenly interrupted the conversation, "Let's take this a step back. Nobody's going anywhere." Six tilted his head and Eight continued, "We need to get back up that hole and tell One what's going on before we even think about going off." Nine immediately disagreed, "But Eight, we can't just go back! What if- What if the hole closes up?! We need to see Wonderland while we can." Naturally Nine's curiosity was making him want to see the magical world and he crossed over to the table to look over what was remaining there. Six felt a bit of giddiness as he pointed out matter-of-factly to Eight.

"Actually, Eight, the only one who could help us up the Rabbit Hole would be Two… But he's at the castle." He smiled a little as though being friendly, but Eight swore he caught a cheekiness there as well, as though Six was thrilled in telling him that they couldn't go back. Eight stared after him before grumbling while Nine looked at the bottle and box. "So this will change our size?" Six nodded eagerly, "The drink makes us smaller, the biscuits makes us bigger." Nine opened the box to see only to become confused. "Uh, Six, it's empty."

Six stared in surprise before taking the box in confusion, "But… But Two said he left some! There's nothing in here but… But crumbs!" The crumbs didn't even look big enough to make them any bigger on their own. Six set it back down and lifted the bottle of shrinking tea and looked at it. There was enough for all three of them. "Wait, didn't you shrink the first time you came here? To get through the door?" Six nodded and Nine continued, "So we won't need the biscuits anyway." Six smiled with his confidence returning and Eight murmured, "So… We're shrinking?"

"That's the plan." Nine smiled eagerly and Six pointed to the table. "Don't forget the key! I made that mistake." Eight did the honors and reached to take it, looking at the gold finish on it in his much larger hand. "You sure about this?" He simply asked as though to himself and Six answered, "Eight, it's okay, you don't have to be worried." Before he could say anymore Eight interrupted, "I'm not worried about nothing. Except One figure out what happened and blowing his top because we never told him." Six continued as he dug a finger into the cork on the 'drink me' bottle.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll appear back home without much time passing. Maybe time will pass a bunch." He decided to be playfully cryptic and cracked a smile. "Only drink a sip of this stuff. It works well. Too well." He tilted it back and let the cool and bubbly liquid spill into his mouth. He quickly handed the bottle to Nine as the world shifted, then closed his mismatched optics tightly to stave off the strange sensation that he would feel as he began to shrink. Eight and Nine simply watched in awe as he began to grow smaller and smaller before their very optics.

"It's not too bad really." Six spoke as he began to shrink, "If you close your optics you don't feel strange while it happens." He felt the movements stop and opened his optics to realize that he was small, looking upwards at Eight and Nine towering above him. "It doesn't hurt!" He insisted and Eight crouched down, "That's insane… You got small enough that a human, that if I was a human you'd be Stitchpunk sized." His awe mangled his words and he continued with, "You know what I mean." Six smiled sheepishly and Nine smelled the liquid and grew more curious.

"I guess I'm next. How does it taste?" He quizzed and Six blinked, "Kind of like a tart… But kind of not like a tart." It was hard to explain it and Nine took a sip like Six did before handing it to Eight, then promptly shrunk. He clung to his Lightstaff which surprisingly shrunk with him and soon was beside Six who was smiling eagerly. They then looked to Eight who reluctantly took a swig of the bottle before setting it on the table. He began to shrink as well, bracing himself until he was standing alongside them. Six immediately started to lead them to the door from before.

"I didn't actually know there was a door to the Red Kingdom… You know that, I already told the story." Six continued, smiling, and Nine looked concerned, "I guess they closed it from the threat… But wait a minute, I'm a little confused. Wouldn't only Stitchpunks from down the Rabbit Hole have access to the door?" Eight corrected him, "One's the King, he doesn't take chances. Look, we have a problem here." Six pulled back the curtain to reveal the door before looking to Eight, "A problem?" Eight eyed the keyhole before insisting, "Definitely got a problem. The key shrunk."

He showed the two the key that, in comparison to his hand, was the same size as before. Which meant that it had shrunk incredibly. "It shrunk?!" Six sputtered before exhaling, "I'll… I'll just use my key I guess." He pulled it off to do so and Eight murmured out, "Yeah, this trip is starting out great." Nine looked slightly exasperated and wanted to say something until the door unlocked and Six pulled it open. The Artist couldn't help but smile wide as he saw the world outside. There was no sign of any threat; the beautiful greenery of the meadow awaited him instead.

Nine stepped through first and looked around in absolute wonder, Eight followed and his previous sternness lessened as he saw the enchanted surroundings, and Six closed the door behind them after freeing his key. "This is it." He quietly explained to them, "This is the Wonderland that I remember." The meadow was even lovelier than last time. The flowers seemed to have grown higher than last time, but thankfully they weren't whispering or talking. An actual living butterfly fluttered above and Six gasped, "Oh, look at that! That wasn't here last time!"

He eagerly hurried after it and watched as it hovered above a flower high above. Nine looked at it as well. The only time he had seen one was a preserved one that the twins had. It was framed like a picture and clearly deceased, but this one was living, and Nine had to see it closer. He brought hit staff down to stick it in the dirt, but unlike the Emptiness the ground wasn't as gravelling or loose. The second he let go it fell back, forcing Eight to catch it, but ignored it to pluck a lower flower and raised it up in the air. He and Six both watched in delight as the butterfly landed on it and was lowered.

It's dainty tan wings were smeared with a yellowish liquid while its body was a brown color. The most odd was its head. It turned and looked towards Six when he moved closer, allowing the Artist to see its completely white head, its eyes like large crystals of white. "It's… It's beautiful." Six murmured and Nine smiled wide, "This is more than beautiful, it's alive! If we have to take something back we should take one of these. Maybe they can make more." He explained in delight, "I'm not sure how Butterflies have young, but think about it; we could have these everywhere! Nothing would threaten them, I doubt the Beast would hunt them!"

Eight huffed and crossed his arms, "Come on, we need to move on." Six looked over desperately, "We'll get there. Here, look at the Butterfly!" Eight seemed strangely reluctant. In fact, he seemed to be watching the ground a lot, as though he couldn't look at the world. In a way Eight was having trouble taking this all in, it was just too much all at once and he felt like it was all crashing in. Wonderland wasn't supposed to be more than Six's fantasy and now that it was everything was just too confusing, he didn't know how to react to all of it. "I see it, but it won't be happy being brought back."

"What?" Six asked quietly and Nine bit his lip, "I… I guess not… If we could plant flowers, maybe, but not like it is." Six looked a little surprised at Nine's remark and felt disturbed. He looked to him before smiling a bit and assuring, "But we could grow flowers and then they would come. This time… This time I'm finding a way to go back and forth. Then we can bring everyone here!" Now Nine smiled back, "That would be great. I think Five would've loved to be here, I know the twins would've definitely wanted to come!" Suddenly the arrangement seemed cheerful again and Nine set the flower on the ground.

"Here you go, little guy." He enticed the Bread-and-Butterfly before straightening and taking the Lightstaff from Eight. "Hey," He began in some concern, "Are you okay?" Eight looked to him and hesitated on whether to say he was or not, keeping his normal front of strength, but giving in and admitting, "I'm a little shaken still. That fall was rough." Before Nine could speak, Six dared to interrupt them, feeling his confidence bloom once more, "We'll be able to rest once we get to the castle, but we have to hurry! The Red King will have our heads if we're late!" He playfully quipped.

He then beckoned the two and started down the path with a new life in his core and a smile on his face. It would've been perfect if he didn't have a nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong. After all, Wonderland never was a place to be this empty.


Mable: 6 has stepped back into, or fallen back into, Wonderland yet again!... And he has no idea exactly what he has fallen into… But that's part of the fun, discovery something new, something strange and wonderful, or perhaps terrible if one dwells on it too long. The next chapter shall be posted very, very soon! Keep an eye out and I hope you enjoyed!
It's so great to be back down the Rabbit Hole!