Authors Note: This fic is an AU set after the S4 finale but not including what happened in the season finale, and as such certain character plot points are very different to the canon. It also includes locations and characters from Wonderland but doesn't have much to do with the canon of OUATIW beyond a few minor references so is not classed as a crossover.
Some parameters of the canon universe are present in this fic but I have also included a few of my own takes on the mechanics/locations/magic of the show.
Disclaimer: all recognizable characters, locations etc belong to their respective owners. The original characters and plot belong to the author.
side note: this is my first large fic after dabbling in a couple of one-shots so any reviews/comments would be wonderful - thanks
Once upon a time, a child was born in Wonderland. She sprouted up one day, quite matter-of-factly, in the flower garden…or more precisely, in the rose patch. It was quite an odd thing (even by Wonderland standards) for a little girl to pop out of a rosebud just like that, and it was such a perplexing predicament that the flowers spent a great deal of time trying to decide what to do with her.
The roses would not take her, claiming that she could not be a rose since she had no thorns. Their snobbery was renowned, even amongst the general aloofness of the garden, so she was quickly shunned. Her petals, they surmised, were neither lilac, nor cerise nor yellow, nor blue. The pansies wouldn't take her, nor the daffodils, as she was too tall for the former and too short for the latter. Finally, since nobody wanted her, the roses sent her to the meadow and so she adopted the name that they all shared there, Daisy.
They soon discovered that her stems were useless, since they wouldn't take root. She couldn't take her sustenance through the soil like the other flowers did. They tried to water her leaves and shoots and soon discovered that an opening near her petals would take the water. She was almost ousted altogether by this discovery when the flowers deduced that she must be a Venus flytrap or another carnivorous plant and perhaps she would eat them. Then, they discovered that the raspberry bushes had given fruit, and Daisy instinctively took a bite.
As she grew, she grew adventurous and became more and more playful. The flowers found her mischievous nature to be far too much for their orderly lives. Her tricks got her into frequent trouble with the Elder Rose and, despite strict words from Mother Gerber she started to play away from the garden so to not get into any further trouble.
One day, Daisy came across a rather strange sight. It looked for all she knew of the world like a giant cloud of grey pollen. She ventured towards and discovered that it was in fact a blue caterpillar. He was smoking a hookah, or as Daisy branded it 'a pollen maker'.
"Who are you?" asked the caterpillar
"I'm called Daisy, but the others usually just call me 'mischief'". She sniffled slightly from the smoke, scrunching her freckled nose.
"Ahh, I see. Well, you are much too small and light for the quantity of much that you seem to be holding"
"I'm holding much?" she cocked her head sideways as she contemplated the caterpillars words.
"Indeed" he said simply, "you need to grow to hold all that much"
She looked suddenly indignant at his observation, "I take my sustenance and the flowers say I'm blooming nicely" she argued.
"I say you need to bloom up" replied the caterpillar simply. "I shall give you something to 'up your bloom' significantly"
He put down his hookah and slithered towards a large blue mushroom to the left of Daisy. He broke a piece off and handed it to her, "Here, this much should do".
Daisy looked at the mushroom and then slowly bit into it. The taste was chalky and very bitter. She daren't spit it out in front of the caterpillar though, for the flowers had taught her the importance of manners and gratitude so she blanched slightly as she swallowed.
All of a sudden, she felt a strange sensation in her feet, then her legs and arms, her torso and neck and finally her head. She hadn't realised that her eyes still remained shut after swallowing and as she opened them she saw that she had shot up. Before, Daisy had been a healthy 3 inches tall. Now she had quite slowly, but quite suddenly shot up past 6 inches, past 1 foot and past 4ft. Dazed, she looked around.
Below her, she heard screams. "No, she'll tread on us. Squash us with her big feet or worse, pick us all! Get out of here, you are far too naughty to be a flower!" The flowers proceed to prick at her ankles and she immediately complied so that the thorns and barbs wouldn't scratch her any further.
The caterpillar had slowly started crawling up Daisy's leg. He steadily huffed his way to her shoulder and perched by her right ear. His tiny voice was just about audible to her. Daisy looked at him and settled into a sullen pout. "Why did you tell me to eat that? Now my family don't want me."
"Because little mischief, you are not meant to stay in that patch. That is why you ventured out and found me. Now, let's go, I must show you beyond the garden".