The Right Alice
Just a quick oneshot I thought of recently, and I couldn't help but write it. I only saw the movie last week, so everyone should be in character, though with a memory like mine it's hard to say for sure.
"I'm still not entirely convinced she was the right Alice," said Mallymkun one evening, over tea.
Of course, there was no particular reason for Mally to doubt the girl, after she had proven herself to be the correct Alice on the Frabjous Day. If Tarrant had to guess, he would say that it was more a matter of pride for the Dormouse, and that she was too stubborn to fully admit to her mistake.
"She would have been the right Alice, even if she were the wrong Alice," the Hatter said to his small friend, taking another sip of tea.
The Dormouse looked at him strangely. "You've stopped making sense yet again, Tarrant." It was one of the rare occasions where she called him by his given name – usually, she only did so when she thought he was being particularly unintelligent.
"Breadbasket!" exclaimed the March Hare; no one paid any particular amount of attention to him, seeing as he had been prattling on for the last hour and changing the subject every fifteen seconds anyway.
The Hatter could not help but smile as he continued, "You see, Mally, if it had been any other Alice, she would have been much less muchier – in the end, I mean. Any other Alice would not have had the courage to face the Jabberwocky."
"Unless she was the right Alice," retorted Mallymkun, seeming unconvinced.
"Perhaps even then," Tarrant said, as the Hare screamed something about toffee in the background. "And even if she were the wrong Alice, and even if the right Alice could have slain the Jabberwocky, would you have actually wanted any other Alice?"
"Yes, I would have," snapped the Dormouse. "Perhaps the right Alice wouldn't have taken my Bandersnatch eye from me." The Hatter resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Mallymkun had been complaining about the loss of that eye ever since Alice took it from her, despite the fact that if it hadn't been taken, the Frabjous Day may never have occurred.
"Oh, when will you let that go?" the Hatter sighed. "The entire point of it is that I don't believe any other Alice would have done. Not at all."
"I'll admit she's the real Alice," said Mally, crossing her arms, "when she comes back. Didn't the Oraculum say she would, if she was the right one?"
"Did it?" asked Tarrant, a hint of surprise in his voice. He couldn't remember if the Oraculum had said such a thing, but he rather hoped that it had. "Well, if so, I daresay she should hurry up. It's getting a bit boring here without him."
"You've gone and called Alice a 'him' again, Tarrant," the Dormouse sighed, quickly moving to another spot at the table for a clean cup of tea. "Why don't we just let the matter go for now?"
The Hatter ducked as a flying teapot came quickly towards his head; it shattered somewhere behind him, spilling tea all over the ground. "Really, Thackery," he scolded, turning to glare at the Hare. "I don't mind if you throw a few cups now and again, but that was rather naughty of you. I'll have to go and fetch another pot!"
Getting up from the table and heading out to prepare another pot of tea, Tarrant grinned widely to himself. He knew that she had been the right Alice – even if she were the wrong one.