A/n: I've been a little stressed and sickly lately and have been having some computer issues so I wrote an angst to hurt/comfort to happy ending story to help me get back on track with myself. It helped me a lot!

So a weird thought hit me while I was attending an anti-harassment seminar, and then it hit me again while I was watching a detective show with lots of legal babble written in the script about schools and codes of conduct and safety, and then it hit me one last time; in the real world, or if it wasn't so much a children's show as a teenager's show, would the parents of the kids who go to Ever After… really be okay with a lot of the things that happen over there?

I asked my neighbor who has kids what she thought about all of the trouble the favorite characters got up to and what she would have done if her kids were attending that school.

She said that she understood that it was a kids show and that she wasn't supposed to take it so seriously (because it's a show for little kids, not something that is meant to be looked at too closely by the intended audience) but if her kid was going to that school she'd have hung the Headmaster by his ankles off of the balcony because… well to be perfectly honest he's not exactly running a very physically safe or a very safe feeling school. And I agree with her, even though I like it when they have to fight off danger because otherwise I would get way too bored with the whole show and just not watch it or write about it really (because just a show that is strictly about a bunch or rich kids bickering to each other over whether or not they are either red or purple with nothing else interesting happening would be sooo dull), even though as far as violence goes in regards to kids shows that I've grown up with, it's beyond tame.

Although I do not approve of the utter lack of protection a lot of the characters have to deal with in regards to bullying (I mean running away screaming or just treating the villain kids badly on principle? Seriously? Not very fair of the fairest of them all) and while I do like how conflicted Apple's character is, it makes for an interesting development to watch her struggle with her learned ideals versus real people with real feelings, the fact that the writers aren't touching on the issue that she is being pretty dang mean to all the Rebels, Raven especially, and is like, untouchable despite it all is pretty frustrating. I'd like to see an episode where she either spends some time in some sort of reverse alternate world where she is the designated villain with a crazy psycho mother or spend a day inside of Raven's memories, or even her body (can you imagine Apple opening Raven's mouth to say that she's trapped in Raven's body and can somebody please help her, only for everyone in the room to up and scream and runaway every single time she so much as moves? Hilarious, and very eye-opening).

But the point is that I had a stray thought that led to me wondering whether or not Raven's dad has been sort of begging Raven to come back home to be homeschooled because my headcannon is of him being all like; "Oh my darling baby girl your roommate up and lost her mind and let your mother out of her cage? Is this Apple girl suicidal? And what is with this Headmaster fellow? Trying to manipulate a little girl into signing something strange and following her around and overall being both very creepy and a bully to a minor? And what is this I hear about a dragon from the next county getting loose and you almost getting burned to a crisp? Pplz come home! Daddy loves you and respects you, but seriously; come home!" And so on and so forth in every call home.

But then I started to wonder what the plan would be if Raven did decide to be homeschooled for various reasons because obviously everybody at school is so focused on what the kids are doing that the attention to what the parents have been doing all this time has been left to the wayside, people would freak out over a whole new facet of the Rebel versus Royal thing among the adults being brought to light and there would be lots of unexpected visitors to the King realm trying to take Raven back so that things would go back to blissful ignorance… or something like that.

And it would give me a bit more satisfaction to see that not everything between Raven and Apple became magically all better after Apple had plainly screwed things up in Dragon Games, I'm still a big Rapple fan but obviously some issues do have to be worked out, whether it's all for platonic friendship or something more (though in this fic it will definitely be more, obviously). I mean being constantly stabbed in the back by your roommate and self-proclaimed "best friend" (cough-secret love interest-cough) while also being acutely aware that you can't grow to completely hate said roommate because she also has some major issues to deal with in regards to her mother, pressures from her entire kingdom needing her to be perfect, and perhaps even some form of untreated psychosis going on has got to dole out way more mental crushing blows for Raven than what is glossed over in the show.

Seriously all the crap Raven and some of the other characters have had to deal with is just ridiculous.

So anyway that was the stray thought I had and that is why I did this fic, I hope that some of you will enjoy!

XXX

Of all the ways that their friendship could have ended, Apple later reflected, she had always expected it to involve some sort of epic fight or even Raven finally turning evil and fulfilling her role in Apple's fairytale, at the very least Apple had expected there to be a point where she'd see it coming.

So she first planned for the fairytale part of it, came up with dozens of ideas ranging from keeping Raven close forever after or preparing herself to be properly heartbroken and betrayed, like a pretty damsel and not an ugly crier, should Raven follow her mother's well-bred hatred of Snow White and turn away from Apple's well-rehearsed kindness and charity should Raven one day become the Evil Queen and poison Apple and thus suffer the consequences for being born a villain.

She never expected it to come out of nowhere, for it to be so silent, for Raven to keep secrets from her and softly let go of everything. The school, almost all her friends, Apple's story…

Apple never expected for Raven to leave her so kindly or so tenderly, protecting Apple's feelings until it was all too late to stop.

XXX

It's a cycle on repeat.

She is hurt by the lack of preplanned certainty for the future, she tries to force it all back into something resembling order, finds that it either doesn't fit and never has fit into the mold that she had always been taught it had always been or people get hurt and she is forced to back off, she feels bad for hurting others and for hurting Raven and swears to stop, swears to let others and to let Raven have their freedom, but then she is reminded of all the pretty promises and lies whispering words of certain stability, pre-coordinated victory from a false battle, and of the fact that she does not know any other path aside from the one laid like a red carpet at her feet, does not want to bother with learning to walk through the stone and dirt path through the pretty meadows and wooded areas that are all abloom with a real life to live and explore… not even with Raven by her side, because Raven for all of her faults and sins and regrets would always protect Apple, no matter what happened between them Raven would always give her all to ensure that Apple found a way to be happy-

Except for the fairytale, Raven would stand beside her princess through anything… save for having to live that horrible lie.

Apple sees the pretty gold and ivory palace walls the pretty dresses and pretty people all lining up on either side of the carpeted path all chanting her name… her fake, long dead new name and the whispered lies of all the good things that are to surely come-

But Raven sees that the pretty people and faces all are trying to conceal daggers behind their backs, the light flitting in through the large windows to the walled-up path cast shadows that are prison bars, the gilded gold plated metal set to keep them both in, able to watch the real world going on outside but unable to escape themselves, there is a horrible sickly sweat irony tang in the air and with an alarming squelch reaching her ears she looks down at the place where Apple has taken a step forward upon the red carpet and with horror Raven sees the blood drenching the fibers staining the bottoms and sides of Apple's white silk shoes.

Raven yanks her feet out of her own shoes and jumps just beyond the blood-soaked path, takes Apples hand and tries to drag Apple back to safety because something is wrong here but Apple struggles, whines and cries big fat tears and accuses Raven of terrible, terrible things and finally… when the blonde girl realizes that tactic won't work to convince Raven to join her on the sodden carpeted path, she takes a tiny step towards Raven, and Raven rejoices but before she can start to attempt to coax Apple to her side, to safety, Apple takes two tiny steps back onto the bloodied rug.

It cycles over and over again in a never-ending loop, of tears and accusations and tiny steps forward but two or three tiny steps back until Raven realizes with dawning distress that Apple is the one coaxing her onto the blood-soaked path and Raven is stretched out to the point to where she is in danger of falling onto it if Apple were to give a good sharp tug.

Raven Looks up at Apple and really, truly looks at her this time, demands that Apple look around her, just look around, just once, Raven pointing at the evidence at the floor at the nervous pretty people not even bothering to hide the daggers at this point, at the freaking bars on the windows, and for Ancestor's sake would she just look at the floor and her shoes!

Raven watches as Apple looks around, obviously disturbed and worried herself, showing her distress for the first time ever at their surroundings…

But because Raven is watching her carefully now, Raven notices that Apple is distressed but not surprised, that Apple is pointedly not looking ahead to the end of the hall.

Apple does not look so Raven does.

Two women stand on the other side, one wearing a white dress that has been soaked through with crimson, blood stained and steadily rising as the silk soaks up what is spilt on the floor, she is holding up a kneeling woman dressed in black by a chain attached to a metal collar around her neck.

There is someone with a dagger slicing carefully and lightly, just enough to bleed but not enough to kill at Snow White's bared back, the woman looks oddly euphoric at the pain being given to her, it's as if she almost likes it for some reason that just doesn't make sense to Raven, the pretty person mutilating the queen meekly stopping when Raven gives and outraged shout.

But Snow White is transfixed by the woman she is holding hostage, a woman who is wearing cooling fire-hot metal shoes around her burnt feet, black dress all in shreds and burnt tatters, a dagger being slowly twisted further and further into her back by another pretty person who does not stop when looked or shouted at and-

Raven looks at her mother who is looking confused and pained back at Raven, all hurt and surprised and very, very confused as another pretty person reaches out to slice the last thread holding her black dress up, the ruined cloth falling away exposing her mother in a way that Raven never conceived possible! Blood from previously hidden wounds pouring out of her exposed pale skin and down onto the-

Raven sharply looks at Apple who in turn scuffs the ground guiltily, getting more blood onto her shoe in the process, not looking at Raven's face at all because-… because she knew. She knew what was at the end of this path. She knew exactly what she was about to lead Raven into and yet-

"I want to be just like my mom, I want you to be just like your mom, have the same relationship that they do, best frienamies forever, we don't have to be just like them, but I want to follow their exact footsteps, I want to become them, I want you to become like your mom-"

Raven looks back to her mother as Apple rambles in circles, sees her mother look back helplessly, biting her lip in defeated desperation before taking a deep breath and pulling on the chain that Snow White is holding her by, she falls backwards with Snow White's weight on top of her forcing the blade slowly twisting into her back to-

"I want to become just like our parents, I want you to be just like your mom." Apple says and Raven sees the concealed dagger being slowly drawn out from the folds of her skirt and into view from the princess's free hand.

Raven cries out as she yanks and twists her hand free from Apple's, crying out in pain as the princess's nails draw blood but she breaks free nonetheless, falling back onto the stone and dirt path outside as Apple falls into the bloodied carpet on her end.

A barred golden gate slams between them, separating them.

"Mom! Mama!" Raven howls leaping to her feet and throwing herself at the glittering gold bars locking the people inside the castle walls. Snow White looks distressed now as she shakes the paling limp form of Raven's mother by the neck a few times before appearing to grow angry and doing her utmost to shove the cooling body to the side like the corpse was just a heap of rubbish.

"Broken." Snow White spits with a pout, turning her glimmering blue eyes towards Raven as the girl sobs outright at the limp, naked form of her mother's cold body surrounded by a squelching puddle of wet carpet and blood.

"Apple-seed grab the new toy before it has a chance to run off." The queen orders in a bored harsh tone, pointing a dripping finger at Raven, a finger drenched in the red force Raven's mother's life and all that the Evil Queen could have been if she had not stayed so close to where Snow White could reach her.

Raven backs away from the golden cage in fear, her nose twitching as the stench of blood and death grows more and more pungent until it invades Raven's senses completely.

Apple pops up into view, her once pristine white dress stained with red, her perfect hair matted down and wet with red, her face splattered with drops of red, her Apple-red painted lips smearing with something darker and far more vile when Apple bites her sodden glove finger in guilt and worry as she watches Raven fall once again onto her backside in shock and attempt to scuttle farther away on her hands, backwards down the clean dirt and stone path and gulp down air that is not tinged in vile blood.

"But she looks scared." Apple tells the queen meekly.

"Well force her not to be, break her into your toy, she'll be a far better one than mine was if you do it right! You want to be a good girl don't you? You want to become me right? She is but a tool and toy to get what you want! You'll never be like me, or a proper good little girl without her there to use!" Snow White snaps.

"Apple please don't-" Raven begs.

"You want to become me don't you? Or are you just going to be an ungrateful brat about all of this?" Snow White snarls.

"I want… to be a good girl…" Apple still looks conflicted.

"Apple no!" Raven's voice is high and pleading through her tears.

"You want to become me don't you?"

"Apple, Apple please! No, no, no, no!

"I… I want…?"

"We want Apple! This is what we want! This is what you, and I, we as in Snow White, want!"

"Apple please!" Raven begs.

"I- we want this…" Apple bends down to fish out her blood soaked dagger.

"No!" Raven screams, scrambling to get to her feet and began to trip over herself a few times in her attempt to get away.

"I-… but she loves me… can I really break someone- something that loves me so much?" Apple looks uncertain.

"Break her!" Snow White roars.

"I'm sorry Raven." Apple sighs, lifting her dripping arm. "Maybe if you had loved me less and left it wouldn't have had to end this way…" The princess throws the dagger at Raven's back.

Raven ducks down flat onto the stone and dirt path as the sharp metal whistles above.

XXX

Raven is howling and confused when she tumbles out of bed, bonks the side of her face onto the bedside table (an overrated gothic style thing that Apple keeps placing that infernal silver skull candleholder on) and greets the black and purple bird skull rug (That Raven secretly loathed but wasn't about to tell Apple this since the blonde was the one who had spent good money on the horrid thing) with her face.

Her nose aches and immediately Raven can smell blood, for a horrible instant Raven's petrified mind fears that the nightmare is not over so when Apple kneels down in alarm and takes hold of Raven's shoulders in an attempt to settle the struggling witch down Raven cries out and struggles even more at the touch of someone strange in the dim room.

All Raven can comprehend in the split second she looks up to see who her attacker was, is the blood filling her nose and Apple, all darkened in the harsh minimal lighting of Apple's bedside lamp, and there, so very there and up close and the shiny grinning skull candleholder leering at Raven from behind Apple's shoulder-

Raven feels the horror rip harshly out of her throat with enough force to make her vocal cords feel raw before darkness swallows up her vision and her mind goes silent.

The incident leaves Apple startled and with a limp, completely fainted and out cold witch in her arms when the incessant knocking and alarmed voices at the dorm's front door decided to cut out the middle-man and somebody picked the lock open, flooding the room with what almost felt like to Apple (and the gawking onlookers) like over half of the girl's dorm.

XXX

"This is getting ridiculous." Briar intones flatly.

Raven whines quietly in embarrassed agreement as she listens in on the conversation going on the other side of the blue school infirmary's section curtain.

"And painful." Blondie pipes up, Raven can see said girl's silhouette hold up something. "Her charts say that she's gone and given herself a broken nose and a concussion!"

"Blondie, maybe you shouldn't wave that around where the healers can see it, you don't want them finding out that you swiped it." Ashlynn sighed.

"Borrowed it." Blondie corrects. "And Briar is right, this is like what? The fifth night this month that she's woken up over half the dorm and that's not counting all of the nightmares that she's had in the past few weeks! Something is definitely bothering her!"

"I've tried talking to her about it but she refuses to say a word." Apple sighs in dismay. "Honestly this just isn't right! Villains are supposed to like nightmares not-"

Raven's mind is suddenly invaded by images of a crimson stained Apple lifting up a dagger and taking aim-

The scent of blood fills her nose.

Raven makes it to the trashcan just in time to expel her stomach's contents. People rush into her little sectioned off corner of the school's infirmary and the head healer is barking out orders for everyone to leave as the woman kindly holds back Raven's hair.

XXX

Maddie knows, Raven has told her what was going on ever since the first nightmare because she is Raven's best and most important friend despite Apple's insistence that Apple is in actuality-

No wait… that sounded wrong? Apple is Raven's… roommate, Raven would like to be friends with Apple and Apple says that they are best friends but there is definitely something… off about that statement.

"You're heart does long for her." Maddie points out when Raven speaks her thoughts on the matter. "But that does not prevent you from being friends so much as her insanity does."

"You mean the fact that no matter what we go through together she keeps going back to that state where she is trying to force or trick me into becoming the Evil Queen?" Raven croaks out tiredly because such a thing is obvious by now even without her subconscious all but screaming at her about it every other night.

"She has been starting up again about how you are supposed to act and be correct?" Maddie asks as she pours Raven a tea that is promised to help soothe Raven's sore throat and relieve the ach in the witch's bandaged nose and the bruised side of her face without the woozy and nauseous feelings brought about by the prescribed pain medication.

"Yes." Raven cracks helplessly, the spoken word sounding horribly like a death knell to the witch's ears the moment it leaves her lips. Finality to one story and the beginning of another if the tender-yet-very determined and unusual serious look in Maddie's eyes has anything to say about it.

"Can you handle another go around the not-so-merry-go-spin like that of the Dragon Games?" The Hatter asks bluntly and thankfully without pity, Raven can't handle any more pity right now. "Of being accused of being evil by smiling lips, of being scolded for being kind and having more than one friend, of being ordered how to dress how to act, of being betrayed and then being oh so very surprised when things after apology do not go back to being the exact same, of-?"

"No okay? I can't!" Raven finally explodes, hiding her face away in her hands, shame and sorrow creeping into her chest.

They are both silent for several moments, Maddie calmly drinking tea and Raven staring into hers as if the liquid held the answers to everything and nothing all at once.

"Does your father still offer to rescue you away from school and into a new and better life?" Maddie begins after the silence stretches just enough for Raven to gather her thoughts.

"I have a life here Maddie." Raven coughs through a tickle in her voice.

"Yes but is this life here making you happy? That is the question you must ask yourself Raven, because there is a difference between fighting through a bad situation you can't get out of and actually going out to forge your own destiny with a brighter, happier future." Maddie points out. "I'm not speaking words of easy travels, however I am voicing concern for a friend and a sister who really could do much better. Think back Raven, how many times have people stood behind you when you looked like you were winning the war only to all step back when something went wrong? How often have you had to stand alone in front of the horde when so many of you're so called "best friends" in the royal camp were there and fully capable to defend you? How many of these so called Royal "best friends" who were not from Wonderland made your Rebel supporters too afraid to stand up for themselves? How many times has something gone wrong and somebody pointed the finger at you even though you were nowhere near the scene of the incident?"

Raven hesitates, thinking back and unable to place any holes into Maddie's reasoning. "Can it really be that simple? To just… go away?"

"I think that it would be brainy to seriously consider it." Maddie sips her tea. "You have already won the battle with getting the rebellion going, now you must consider whether or not winning the war requires you to take yourself, and therefore the physical temptation for repeating the Dragon Games and your mother being set free, out of the picture."

"Because without me being there to be a constant reminder for Apple and all the things that she wants but knows that she can't have unless she adapts by herself… it won't happen again. And since she refuses to adapt by herself, even with me there to help her… it'll happen again. And people might actually get hurt this time." Raven bites her lip.

"And your heart will do much better to not be constantly broken by the one you love the most." Maddie added.

Raven blushes bright pink, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Maddie I have no idea what you're talking about."

Maddie opened one eye, brow raised, and teacup at her lips. "Your mind might not, but your heart does."

Raven looks down at the tablecloth, completely shamefaced.

"Just think about it." Maddie requests.