Author note: I don't own Bravely Default or Bravely Second!
I pulled a lot of inspiration for this from "Alice: Madness Returns," "Heart No Kuni No Alice," and the annotated version of Lewis Carrolls' "Alice In Wonderland" for this fic. It's been a while since I attempted a Wonderland AU fic, and it's also been a while since I tried writing a fanfic with Praline as the protagonist, so I hope you all enjoy reading this! XD
Warning: Takes place post-Bravely Second therefore there are spoilers for Bravely Default and Second, possible eventual pairings, Wonderland AU, canon-typical violence, more warnings to be added later on as necessary.
Down The Rabbit Hole
Summary: When Praline a la Mode takes a tumble down the rabbit hole and finds herself in a Wonderland filled with alternate versions of everyone she knows, she learns very quickly, while trying to find a way back home, that nobody is what they claim to be.
1. The Fall
"Hey! Hey you! Get back here, that's my merchandise! PAY FOR IT, AT LEAST!"
Praline a la Mode found herself running, and running fast. A random person just up and grabbed one of the bunny ear headsets she'd been selling just after her concert finished up, and RAN OFF WITH IT!
Also weirdly enough, said person was wearing nothing but white clothing. It was very, very weird, but Praline didn't care. She just wanted her rightfully-owned merchandise back! Or at least make the person pay for it!
The fans and security guards both yelled for Praline, but she ignored them. No stupid idiot was going to get away with stealing the merchandise that she could rightfully sell! Not even ONE idiot would!
She was so into chasing down the thief that she tripped, fell forwards, and…down a hole.
The Diva screamed, trying to grab onto any roots sticking out of the walls surrounding her as she fell, so she could hang onto them for her life. The roots slid out of her hands, scratching her palms, and some weaker ones broke off, sending dirt all over her face and falling down faster than she did.
She rolled and tumbled in the air as she continued falling, screaming, screaming for help…
And the next thing she knew, she hit marshmallows.
Or, rather, something that felt like marshmallows. They were so soft and squishy that they might as well be marshmallows!
But no, she realized as she sat up, dazedly gazing down at what she landed on. They're not marshmallows.
They were giant, giant flowers, petals spread wide. They had to be at least the size of a large rug, or twice the size of one. Conveniently enough, she happened to land in the very middle of one of the flowers, sending pollen all over her dress as a result. She groaned, getting to her feet, slapping at her dress to try to wipe off the pollen.
"Eww." This was disgusting! Her dress was totally ruined at this point! "I should call my manager…"
Before she could even do anything else, however, she heard soft, mirthful chuckling, and she turned to see who it was. She stared, realizing who it was standing only a few feet from her.
"….Oh, Crystals."
It was Geist the Bloody that stood before her. The man was certainly coated in blood, like what everyone said about him, but the clothing was a little different. Instead of the usual coat, he had a plain, white button-up shirt with black slacks—at least, they would've been plain if not bloodstained. A black choker with a heart on it was around his neck, with the collar of his shirt pushed up instead of down. Over his shirt, however, he wore chainmail and plated armor.
Huh. Weird look. It did suit him, though, she had to give him kudos for that.
"Well, well…" Geist took out a rapier, tilting his head to the side just faintly. His red eyes, trained on her, brightened just a bit, a wide and toothy smile showing on his face. His teeth gleamed in the moonlight. "Looks like I have a little rabbit to catch, hm?"
"Yeah, duh!" Praline raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Did you see that guy that stole my merchandise!? He totally ran this way! And…what's with the giant hole I fell through!? Do you know a way back up?"
"No…I wasn't referring to him, though he would be exciting prey." He laughed, loud and clear, before pointing the rapier at her. "I meant you, little rabbit."
She swallowed, blood going cold.
She should run, shouldn't she?
She immediately turned around and started running, but he followed. Branches of trees snapped as she pushed past some weaker ones, and she hissed as a thicker branch snagged at her dress.
"Crystals!" The fabric ripped in a few places, but they weren't huge rips. But still, this dress was expensive! She'd have to get this replaced, she knew that for sure. Not only did pollen ruin her dress, but now these stupid branches ripping at it, too! Ugh!
And now she was also being chased. This was far from fun, honestly. Where was the exit—?
A small rock flew through the air, and Praline hissed, putting a hand to her head where it hit. "Ow!" She looked to her left, glaring. "Rude!"
She was surprised to hear the bushes talk. "Come this way, quickly! Before Geist catches you!"
She heard the footsteps of Geist get closer, and…that voice, from the bushes—that voice sounded awfully familiar. It was deep, commanding, but more urgent than anything. Who could it…?
She decided it was best to figure it out later, and she rushed into the bushes, only for something to clamp onto her left wrist. She opened her mouth to scream, but another hand muffled her mouth, the hand on her wrist moving to his extend his arm around her waist and drag her further into the bushes.
She kicked and did her best to bite or scream, but a sharp hiss from her captor stopped her.
"Foolish girl, I'm trying to help you! Keep your mouth shut!"
Her eyes widened. She now knew whose voice it was. Or…at least she thought she knew what it was.
She hit the grassy ground, and she groaned, eyes shutting before fluttering open again. The world above her flickered, and then someone loomed over her—an older man, with dark hair and eyes…and yet the face was definitely familiar. Those grey eyes were certainly recognizable, and…
Crystals, this was getting weird, but could it be…?
"Swordmaster….K-Kamiizumi?"
Praline slowly sat up, only for him to quickly shake his head, motioning with a finger to his own lips for her to stay silent. She took the time to turn her head, look around, but all she could really see were trees, bushes, and more trees…oh, and Kamiizumi, too.
Melodic whistling filled the air nearby, then was cut off by a laugh.
"Come out, come out, little rabbit…" Geist crooned. "Where did you go~?"
Kamiizumi? frowned but said nothing, staying completely still. Praline followed his lead and said nothing either. Footsteps cracked twigs and shuffled through grass, before a growl.
"Damn you, little rabbit…testing my patience? We'll see about that."
Multiple footsteps followed, fading after a few moments. Kamiizumi sighed, running a hand through his own hair, before looking to her, silent, before speaking again.
"You know my name." He managed. "And yet…I don't know yours." The look he gave her was purely confusion more than anything. "Do you…know me?"
"Uh, yeah." Praline managed, fully standing. "Swordmaster Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, leader of the Black Blades that got disbanded some years ago, you just adopted a little girl—"
"Oh no." His face crumbled. "I was really hoping this wouldn't happen."
She stared. "What?"
He was muttering to himself at this point, shaking his head with his gaze averted from her. "Another Alice, already? What is the Queen thinking? After the chaos with the last one…"
"What? What Alice?" Praline waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention. "Hey! What are you talking about?"
"Uh…" He swallowed, looking to her. "We should get back to my territory, first. Then, I can explain. Once we get there, you won't be in any danger."
He turned on his heel, motioning for her to follow, and she did.
"Why?" She asked, pushing wavy locks out of her face (she betted she didn't look any more glamorous than she did BEFORE she fell down that rabbit hole by now, especially given her ruined dress and wild goose chase after landing).
The not-quite-Nobutsuna Kamiizumi paused, before speaking.
"Because my territory is the only neutral area in all of Wonderland. That's why."
It took Praline a few moments to try to process this, on the way to Kamiizumi's territory, and utterly fail.
"Wonderland!? What are you talking about!? C-can I even get back home—?!"
Kamiizumi glared at her. "Will you please shut your mouth for a moment? The last Alice was not nearly as babbling as you are!"
"Hey!" She glared back at him, hands on her hips. "Look, I fell down a rabbit hole, nearly died, you basically kidnapped me—"
"I was saving your life!"
"AND," Praline continued, ignoring him, "You're not even giving me any info about this place! What or who are you, anyway?!"
Was Swordmaster Kamiizumi always this brash? Or maybe it was just this version of him, Praline mused. She wasn't entirely sure. She knew the Swordmaster she knew from her own world was…well, calmer than this one. That was for certain, right?
Both stopped their journey at low, wooden gates attached to a matching-coloured wooden fence. The not-quite-Nobutsuna Kamiizumi paused, opening the gates, before speaking, turning towards her.
"I'm…well, you know my name. It's Nobutsuna Kamiizumi. But most in Wonderland know me best as the Caterpillar."
She blinked. Wait a sec… "Caterpillar?"
"Yes." He nodded. "That is so. I foresee things…most things."
She followed him through the gates he opened, and he shut them gently behind them after entering.
"Did you just say you're the Caterpillar? And...you said Wonderland, right?" Praline asked again, slowly putting the pieces together.
All he did was nod. "Yes. Wonderland."
"I'M IN WONDERLAND!?"
A gasp escaped him at her sudden screech, and he almost jumped at this. "Don't suddenly scream like that, girl! Yes, you're in Wonderland! How did you not figure it out sooner?!"
"I never said I was clever, did I, oh so great and mighty Caterpillar?" Praline's cheeks puffed a bit as she glared at him. "Where's your hookah, anyway?"
"Wh.." He blinked, staring blankly. "My…hookah?"
"I mean," Praline blurted, words gushing out her mouth, "You're the Caterpillar, right? Don't you have a hookah to smoke?"
"It's in my house." A sheepish grin crawled onto his face. "I don't use it often, but I use it sometimes."
"Caterpillars can have houses?"
"Um…" He blinked. "Yes. This…whole fenced area, as well as the Garden of Talking Flowers behind the house, is my entire territory."
"Okay then." She paused, looking around the front yard. There were flowers, alright—some petals of flowers looked like triangles, some looked like stars, some even looked like pentagons and hexagons, even octagons! The grass looked relatively normal, but that was the most normal thing.
The house itself looked more like a small, plain cottage. At least, on the outside.
"Small territory, isn't it?"
The older man scoffed. "Yes, I'm aware. Either have something nice to say about it, or shut up."
Walking into the house showed that it was much, much bigger. The space had a coatroam/mudroom where Kamiizumi took off his shoes, motioning for Praline to do so. He walked further into the house, and she followed him.
As they walked further into the house, he led her into what appeared to be a lounge or living room. There was a sofa, as well as a few arm chairs and a coffee table that they all surrounded. A
"I should explain what's going on...even if it's so you'll stop pestering me." Kamiizumi managed. He motioned for her to sit, and as she sat on the sofa, he sat down beside her, bending down to pull out a map from underneath the sofa before unrolling it and spreading it open as best as he could on the coffee table.
The map itself was coloured in different colours according to territory, with labels. Praline read "Mad Hatter" on a green one, "Queen of Hearts" on a red one, and even "White Rabbit" on a smaller, white-coloured territory.
"All of Wonderland," Kamiizumi managed, "Is split into territories. My territory," He pointed at a blue spot, "Is here. It's where we are right now. Each of us has a Position in Wonderland. I am the Caterpillar, as I pointed out earlier. Other Positions include the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit…"
"And Alice?" Praline asked. "That's what you mentioned earlier before we got here."
Kamiizumi nodded. "Yes, that's true. 'Alice' is its own role, like all the other Positions. Unlike all the other Positions in Wonderland, however, Alice has certain…requirements. I mean, all Positions have certain requirements, roles and expectations, but Alice is different because he or she must come from outside our world."
She stared. "Hence the rabbit holes?"
He could only nod, guilty. "Yes, the rabbit holes. Not the most convenient way of travel, but it gets the job done. The White Rabbit is in charge of creating those for the Queen of Hearts, by the way—thought I'd tell you in case you want to punch him in the nose later. Or the Queen of Hearts, too, but I'd recommend not trying to hurt her. She'd just chop off your head."
"Hmm." She made a mental note—punch the damn rabbit. "Thanks, I might actually do that."
He stared. "Please don't."
"But you just said…"
"Anyway," He continued, ignoring her protest, "Back to explaining the Positions. Those who have Positions have certain requirements, roles and expectations…well, we all hold a certain rights and privileges usually not given to those that live in this world. For instance, we have the right to rule our properties, and we all have special powers. Mine is the power of foresight."
"Do you need the hookah to do it? The foresight that is?"
Kamiizumi gave a flat look. "No."
"Oh. Okay."
The Caterpillar cleared his throat, before continuing. "Another part of my position is that the Caterpillar always stays neutral. I don't get involved in the violent warring. That means if anyone were to ask me to assist their side fully against another, I must refuse."
She tilted her head. "So…basically, as long as I live with you, I won't die."
"Yes." He then blanched. "Wait, you're living with me?"
"Well, yeah!" Praline gave him a look this time. "I don't wanna die!"
"But, I—oh, fine." The Caterpillar groaned, sighing. "It's not like you get any territory being 'Alice,' anyway, so…"
"I don't get territory?"
"No."
"Aww, fiddlesticks." Praline groaned, shaking her head. So much for imagining a mansion with all the luxuries offered to her in this world!
"Anyway…" The Caterpillar took a deep breath. "If we're going to be living together, there's a guest room just down the hall, second door to the left. Don't make a racket at night, don't get in my way when I need to attend to things, and please clean up after yourself. Is that something we can agree on?"
Praline slowly nodded. "Yeahh…I think so."
"Good." His expression mixed into lips pressed thinly against each other, before he spoke again, voice weakening. "I…I hope you sleep well."
Praline blinked. She hadn't expected that. Especially given how harsh he was, just moments ago. She saw how his eyes softened, but eyebrows furrowed in worry.
She offered him a soft smile.
"Thanks for letting me stay here. And…I hope you sleep well, too, Caterpillar..?"
"Kamiizumi." He corrected her gently. "You can call me that, if that's easier for you."
"Right. Kamiizumi." She nodded. "Goodnight."
She made her way down the hall, leaving him behind, and into the second door to the left. It was a simple guest room, with a comforter and pillow laid out on the bed already, and there was a small desk with some blank paper and a few quill pens, an inkwell resting on the desk as well.
She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost immediately, too exhausted to think of anything else but trying to understand what the hell was going on.