Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I needed to get motivated again, so I ended up listening to a whole bunch of Winx Club songs. In the past when I usually got unmotivated, I just looked at the story reviews. For my old story, there was always this one Guest user who left like 6 or more reviews for every chapter. Her continual reviews always inspired me. But for this story, she only reviewed one chapter, which kinda makes me feel a little sad. If you're that Guest user, then I NEED YOU. FOR REAL. You inspire me so much, and it makes me feel special to see your reviews.
Well, anyways, enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review! Oh, and remember: words inside the single quotation or ' ' is Brooke, the narrator, speaking outside her narration. Also, sorry if this chapter is a little stupid. I just threw something quick together.
~O~
ღ Wonderland High ღ
Courtly Jester giggled deviously to herself as she took her position at her desk in the vice principal's office. "Red Knight to my office at once," said Courtly over the intercom. She began to apply lipstick to her lips and she walked over to the mirrors on the wall. "Once I crash the Queen of Heart's birthday party, I'll take the Storybook of Legends from the Cheshire Cat," she said to herself, using her lipstick to draw a crown above her reflection in the mirror. "We'll see who's grinning then. Hm-hm!" she chuckled, drawing a smile on the glass. She began to cackle.
ღ The Mirror Realm ღ
"Scheme, my little fool," cackle the Evil Queen, approaching the looking glass. A red crown and smile was scribbled on the other side of the looking glass, which happened to be the mirror Courtly was standing in front of on the other side. "You have been quite a pleasant surprise. My own daughter might resist the call of evil, but you seem more than game."
"Rats! I forgot!" frowned Courtly on the other side of the looking glass, "the Cheshire Cat can turn invisible! How can my card tricks compete with that?" She bit her lip and began to pace around her office in deep thought.
"Hmm, looks like Courtly could use a little help," said the Evil Queen to herself, "my evil influence, of course, speaks volumes. With a cackle, she raised her fist and pounded it against the looking glass. Dark magic began to ripple in the looking glass, and on the other side of it, a book fell off one of Courtly's bookshelves.
"Who's there?" asked Courtly, looking around in alert. She then noticed the book on the floor by her feet.
"Read a little, Jester. Read your fill," cackled the Evil Queen as Courtly bent down to pick up the book, "then rule over Wonderland while I bend the world to my will."And with more cackling, the Evil Queen began to walk backwards into the hazy darkness of the Mirror Realm.
ღ Wonderland High ღ
"A Book of Evil Spells"?" read aloud Courtly from the cover of the book as she picked it up. The cover of the book was black and jeweled with silver and red gems. She opened it and read aloud from the front page. "Property of the Evil Quee-" She gasped in realization. "Yes. Yes! Ohhh." She began to giggle and flip through the book's pages as she leaned on the front of her desk. "Oh security cards," she sang.
At the sound of her voice, two card soldiers appeared. "Now. Let's see what I can do with my new toy," giggled Courtly. She turned to one of the pages and began to chant the spell listed on the page. "Time for you to prove your worth, I curse you now to crawl the earth!" she recited, holding out her hand. And just like that, she released a dark blue magic blast that made the card guards shrink.
"At your service, Ms. Jester!" both of the guards saluted.
"Ooh, my own evil powers!" squealed Courtly, dropping down to her knees to look at her mini brain-washed guards. "What fun this will be."
The Red Knight cleared his throat as he suddenly appeared in front of Courtly. "You summoned me?"
"Ah, yes, Red Knight." Courtly quickly jumped back up to her feet, pressing her book of spells against her chest. The Queen of Hearts's birthday party starts in half an hour."
"Uh…" Chase began to look uneasy.
"I am placing you in charge of the school until I return."
Chase saluted. "Yes ma'am. In charge."
"You know my rules," said Courtly, hanging upside down from the ceiling. "You're not to break a single one of them."
"Rules," sighed Chase as the swing Courtly was dangling from began to rise up, "are rules."
~O~
"Hey! Enough with the shoving!" hissed Stella as the card soldiers pushed her and the others into a classroom. "That's like… super rude!" The guards ignore her an slammed the door shut, leaving the heroes to their fate of eternal detention.
"What is this place?" frowned Bloom, looking around the room with uncharacteristic disgust. The ceilings were dripping green goo and water, which was leaking down into the centimeters-high puddles on the floor. To protect their feet from the swampy water, the girls and Nex stepped onto the huge lily pads floating atop the water.
"And who's that?" added Stella, pointing to the hybrid animal snoring at the front desk. The desk seemed to sit atop some form of rocky lump that nearly reached the ceiling.
"I am the mockturtle," responded the animal, waking up a little. "But do not mock me. For I am every bit as good as a real turtle! This is detention, there is no escape." And with those few words, he went back to his snoring.
"Quick! Let's escape," whispered Kitty.
Bloom nodded and led the others to the door. Glancing cautiously at the mockturtle, she slowly opened the door and walked through it with the others following behind her. "That was easy," said Bloom lowly, closing the door behind her. She then gasped when she noticed they were now standing in the exact same room.
"What? No! It can't be!" exclaimed Apple, glancing at the mockturtle who was still snoring at his desk. "We're right back where we started!"
"This is extremely illogical, so it all has to just be an illusion," suggested Tecna with a frown. Bloom nodded
"Well, let's try this again," said Bloom in a whisper, starting towards the door by the front desk. The heroes slowly walked through the door, which led them into the same classroom with the same snoring mockturtle.
"What? How are we here again?" meowed Kitty in distress. Everyone looked at Tecna.
"A very good illusion," added the fairy of technology, "let's try one more time."
Bloom shrugged and the heroes proceeded through the door once more. And just like the other times, it led them into the same classroom. "There's no way out!" exclaimed Briar.
"I'm sorry guys," frowned Raven, slouching slightly. "I'm so, so sorry I brought us to Wonderland." She looked at the three Winx and Nex. "And I'm sorry I got you into this mess."
"This isn't your fault, Raven." Bloom smiled weakly and reached out to squeeze the girl's shoulder.
"My mother. I can't save her from Courtly," sniffled Lizzie, her voice breaking. "There's nothing I can do." And with that, she began to sob into her hands.
"Don't worry, Lizzie. I know we'll find a way out of here," assured Stella as the others tried to comfort the Princess of Hearts. "Somehow."
~O~
Meanwhile, on the Wonderland High premises, the White Rabbit was digging a whole out of the ground. "Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear," he fretted, merging from the hole and hopping through the pink grasses. He ran forward, accidentally running into the White Knight's steed, causing him to fall. "Oh dear! I'm afraid I made things much much worse. The girls are in detention for life!" informed the White Rabbit quickly, jumping back to his feet.
"And the jester?" asked the White Knight from atop his horse.
"Courtly is on her way to the queen's birthday party to find the Storybook of Legends and use it to take over Wonderland. Can you stop her?" asked the White Rabbit, successfully hopping up onto the steed's head after a few failed attempts.
"First things first," responded the White Knight in a strong voice, "those girls are my friends and we will never rest until they are free."
'Ugh! Things are getting so intense! If only there was a way for me to help….'
~O~
"Uhhh," mused Raven thoughtfully, ducking under a dripping pipe as she paced around the detention room. She and the others were thinking of a way to get out of their predicament.
"Maybe we can use magic!" suggested Stella hopefully, standing atop of the benches that were placed on the giant, floating lily pads.
Raven nodded hopefully. "I could try to use my teleportation powers again."
Tecna, who was seated at one o the tables, shook her head. "Remember: the curse of Wonderland is right on top of us. Its dark magic is so strong, it could greatly affect our magic in a negative way. And besides, even if we could use magic, I honestly think we'll just end up here again."
Lizzie gasped and grabbed hold of Kitty's tail watch. "My mother's birthday party starts in only a few minutes! Is there no way to escape here?"
"I would teleport out of here to get help, but my powers aren't working!" frowned Kitty. She jumped up onto a cabinet and smiled widely in an attempt to activate her magical teleportation powers. Her body began to fade away, but then quickly reappeared. "See? No good." Her ears drooped in defeat.
"This could take a hundred years," worried aloud Briar.
Aww, chin up. You could sleep right through it, Briar," snickered Maddie. Briar facepalmed and groaned.
"Okay everyone, we just need to stay calm and think about the problem logically," advised Apple, "maybe there's something in this room that could help us escape, or give us a clue." She stood up and grabbed a book.
Lizzie slowly proceeded over to the giant block on the wall. She reached out to touch it, but drew back as the clock's hand loudly rotated to the next minute. Nex proceeded through the second door by one of the bookshelves just to come back into the room through the door by the sleeping mockturtle's desk. Tecna attempted to reconnect her phone to the school's wi-fi but let out a sound of annoyance as her phone rejected the request. Raven, who was still pacing around the room, accidentally stepped into the icky green water and frowned in disgust. Still atop the cabinet, Kitty was ripping out the pages of a book in frustration. And as if to emphasize their frustration, the teakettle attached to Maddie's hat was loudly releasing steam.
Some goo from the pipe dripped down onto Raven's forehead. "Ew! This place is extremely icky," she frowned, wiping away the goo. "Someone better think of something fast!"
"We tried everything," said Kitty.
"And the only door out leads us right back in," added Briar quickly.
"We really will be trapped in here for life!" panicked Lizzie.
"That's longer than forever," added Maddie with a gasp. And with that, everyone began to frantically murmur in panic.
'And so, the heroes spent their first full minute in detention. I so wanna help! If only I could do more than just push a book around.'
"Brooke, you can push books of a shelf? That's hat-tastic!" exclaimed Maddie at the ceiling.
"Who is she talking to?" asked Stella, looking at Maddie oddly.
"She thinks she can talk to 'narrators'", air quoted Raven.
"Narrators? Like this is some kind of story?" Bloom raised a questioning eyebrow.
Quiet in class, if you please!" exclaimed Maddie, "I am trying to communicate with our invisible friend! Narrator, we need your help!"
'I'd love to help you, Maddie - but narrators have rules, too. Besides, I don't know how!'
Maddie gasped a craving in the ceiling. "Look at that teacup drawing!" she exclaimed, pointing upwards. "It's over there too!" she added, pointing at the giant wall clock. And there, and there!" She began to point at objects all over the classroom. "That's it!" She hurried over to the mockturtle's desk and pointed at the curling MH attached to the teacup craving. "Those are my dad's, the Mad Hatter's, initials. He used to be in detention all the time! In fact, he was famous for getting out of detention."
"You mean getting into detention," corrected Nex.
"Nope, getting out."
Apple perked up. "So there is a way out! But, how can we ask the Mad Hatter? No one even knows to look for us here."
'True, but don't forget. Alistair, Dexter and Bunny know you're missing. They're in the library working on how to find you right now. And the others back at Alfea! Maybe they can help, too!'
"Bunny and Alistair! They're looking for us right now!" Maddie told the Wonderlandians and Ever Afterlings excitedly, "the Narrator just told me so." She looked at the Winx and Nex. "She also said your friends at Alfea can help, too."
'Hold on for second, Maddie. My narrator vibes are tickling. I'll be right back. I'm gonna see what I can do to help.'
ღ Ever After High ღ
Headmaster Grimm settled into his chair as the bell rang, indicating the end of the school day. He had a long day. First, there had been in explosion in the science and sorcery classroom, and then a spell in Magicology backfired and turned the entire class into frogs. Sometimes, Milton Grimm's job as headmaster at Ever After High was very complicated. He had to deal with this sudden rebellion, plus carry the burden of keeping all these secrets….
He stood up and walked over to the full length mirror beside the bookshelf. The centuries-old man placed his hand against the mirror's glass and it began to ripple with magic. "Hm. I'm surprised this portal still responses to magic," said Grimm to himself, "I was sure it was inactive after all these years." He couldn't help but smile at his old memories.
His smile then disappeared when he felt something brush against the back of his leg. He looked down to see a little hedgehog at his feet. It was looking up at him with wide eyes. Grimm frowned. The animal must've gotten loose from the beast training and care classroom. Honestly, it didn't matter what he did. His school never seemed to be in order like it used to be. But not to worry about that now. Grimm turned his attention back to the mirror.
There were many times when he wanted to use the portal inside the mirror again. To see her. "Pull yourself together, Grimm. Ever After had to be sealed off from the rest of the magic universe for a reason. Faragonda is my past."
'Wait. The headmaster of Ever After High knew the headmistress of Alfea? But…how?'
Faragonda. He could feel her presence just by touching the mirror. Like she was just on the other side. Grimm shook out of his memories. That was all a thing of the past. Besides, he had other things to worry about as the headmaster of a school. More important things. "That's all in the past now, Milton," Grimm told himself, clasping his hands behind his back as he proceeded to exit the room. "There's nothing you can do about it now."
ღ Alfea ღ
Faragonda looked out at the ruined Alfea campus outside. The Trix's attack had really damaged the school. And it would end up looking much worse if the shield went down before the Winx got back. And speaking of the Winx, Faragonda hoped that they and Nex made it to Wonderland safely. She wasn't for sure if the portal still functioned properly after the Evil Queen had cursed Wonderland and all its portals.
The Evil Queen. The last time she had spoken with Milton, he said she was sealed away in the Mirror Realm, where she could never escape and wreak havoc on the other realms and worlds like she did Wonderland. But then again, that was many years ago. Things could've changed and Milton never again contacted her.
The headmistress frowned sadly at that name. She reached out and opened the top drawer of her desk. The lady then took out a picture and stared at it longingly. It was an old photograph of her and Milton Grimm when they were both younger. When they were both a part of the Company of Light.
The lady set the photo on her desk and walked over to the full length mirror by her shelf. Though it appeared to be a simple mirror, it was really a portal. A portal she had used to visit Ever After and Wonderland back when they were a part of Magix. Milton had one just like it. They used to use their portals all the time.
Faragonda wondered if it still worked. She hadn't used it in such a long time. She reached and placed her hand against the glass. A warm feeling overcame her. She could feel his presence just by touching the mirror. It was nearly like he was just on the other side.
"That's all in the past now," Faragonda told herself, walking away from the mirror. "I have more important things to worry about. Like the welfare of my students." And with that, the lady exited her office.
'Wait! So Grimm's mirror leads to Alfea in Magix while Faragonda's leads to Wonderland and Ever After? And since the Wonderlandian portals have been closed, that means it just leads straight to Ever After, specifically Ever After High where Grimm's mirror is. I can use this to help out the others! Think Brooke, think! You have to do something-"
"Headmistress?" called a sudden voice.
~O~
"Headmistress?" called out Roxy, slowly opening the door leading into the headmistress's office. She stepped into the room and looked around. Usually, Faragonda would be seated at her desk, but she wasn't there. "Hm. I thought she was here," said Roxy with a small shrug.
'Wait! Roxy! She can help! As a fairy, she's good with magic, right? Maybe she can help Alistair and the others back at Ever After High! Together, they can find a way to get the others out of detention! But how? I can't interact with the characters of the story. That's against the rules, and nearly impossible.'
"Huh? What's that?" wondered aloud Roxy curiously, noticing the picture frame on the headmistress's desk. She walked over and picked up the photo. "I wonder who this is," she said to herself, looking at the picture. It appeared to be a photo of Faragonda when she was younger. And she was with a slightly stout man with black hair.
'Roxy needs to use Ms. Faragonda's portal to get to Ever After High. But she can't hear me like Maddie can. Ugh, what am I supposed to do now? *gasp* Hold on! I was able to interact with that book earlier. Maybe I can interact with the objects to direct Roxy towards the mirror!'
As Roxy was setting the picture frame back where she found it, she heard the sound of something shifting. "Huh?" The fairy looked up and around the room. "What was that? Pixies?" As she was looking at the portion of the room to her right, she heard the noise coming from the left. Roxy sharply turned her head in the direction of the noise. "Are you pixies trying to sneak up on me again? It won't work this time."
Just as Roxy was proceeding towards the tall filing cabinet to see if any pixies were hiding inside, she heard the noise again. The girl turned around sharply on her heels. She definitely wasn't alone.
'Yes! I got her attention! Let me try again…'
Roxy startled as the mirror on the wall shifted, making that noise again. "It was…the mirror?" Roxy asked herself, slowly approaching it. It seemed as if everything in the magic universe was enchanted with some sort of magic.
'Yes, just a little bit closer…'
For some odd reason, Roxy couldn't help but feel just a little bit drawn to the mirror. Like it was somehow calling out to her. The fairy reached out and touched the glass. She drew back as a strong surge of magic coursed through her fingertips. "This mirror is magic!" exclaimed Roxy. She had read about this in fairytales before. The fairy reached out to touch the glass again. But this time, her fingers went through the glass. "Huh?"
Before she knew about magic, Roxy would've been frightened. But not the fairy Roxy. The girl bravely continued forward, her body somehow walking through the glass. Almost like a portal. Choosing not to think of what might be on the other side, Roxy pressed forward.
ღ Ever After High ღ
"What is this place?" asked Roxy as she walked into a totally different room. The room she was now standing in looked like some office like the headmistress's.
'Yes! It worked! Roxy's magic must've somehow activated the portal. Now to lead her to Alistair, Bunny, and Dexter.'
Roxy slowly walked around the room, taking in her surroundings. She walked over to the window behind the desk and looked down at the outside world. Below the window outside seemed to be some sort of school campus; teenagers were walking about with backpacks slung over their shoulders, while others chatted with their friends around the unicorn-shaped fountain.
"I'm definitely not at Alfea," said Roxy, "but where?" She turned around and nearly tripped over a little hedgehog in the middle of the floor. "Oh! Hey there, little guy," smiled Roxy, bending down to pick up the cuddly brown animal.
'Wait a second. If I remember everything Maddie was telling me about Wonderland, hedgehogs in the Fairytale World originated from Wonderland, Maddie's homeland. And if Maddie can hear me, then there's a chance this hedgehog can hear me, too! Only one way to find out. Hey! Hey, little hedgehog! Up here!'
The small hedgehog suddenly stopped cuddling Roxy and looked around the room. "You're such a cutie," cooed Roxy, tickling the animal's belly. "I'm Roxy. I think I'll call you…Deck. Yeah. That's a cute name." As the fairy of animals, she had a huge soft spot for creatures both big and small. The small hedgehog squeaked in delight as if showing his approval of his new name.
'Hey! Can you hear me?'
The tiny animal suddenly stopped moving and looked questioning around the room again. "Huh? What's wrong?" asked Roxy, noticing the animal's confusion.
'Yes! It can hear me! Hey! Deck, I'm Broke, the Narrator. I need your help! It's all a long story, but the Winx, Roxy's friends, are in danger! They're trapped in detention at Wonderland High. And they're not the only ones. Lizzie Hearts, the princess of Wonderland, and her friends are with them and they need to find a way to get out of detention so they can save the Queen of Hearts and find the vorpal sword! If they don't, there'll be serious consequences!'
Deck squeaked with surprise.
'I need you to somehow tell Roxy. Get her to go to the library and find Alistair, Bunny, and Dexter.'
Deck nodded dutifully and began to frantically wiggle in Roxy's arms. "Hey, what's wrong?" asked the concerned fairy, holding up Deck. "Is something wrong?" Deck bobbed his tiny head and continued squirming and crying out in distress. "Are you trying to tell me something?" The hedgehog squeaked louder as if answering her question.
"Hold on; I know a spell that can help." Roxy pointed a finger at the animal's throat and a ray of magic emerged from her fingertip and into the hedgehog.
"The Winx are in danger!" was the first thing Deck blurted out.
That startled Roxy. "What? How? I mean, how do you know that? And what are you talking about?"
"They're being held in Wonderland, and they need your help," informed Deck quickly in his British accent, jumping down from Roxy's arms. "That's not all. Lizzie Hearts, the princess of Wonderland, is with them. If they aren't freed from their containment, Wonderland and the other worlds will face the consequences."
"B-but…what am I supposed to do?" stammered Roxy, "I don't even know where I am! How am I supposed to find help?"
"This is Ever After High," explained Deck, "a magical school just like yours. And don't worry. Lizzie has some friends in the library. They're searching for her and her friends right now. You can help them."
Roxy swallowed and nodded. "Where's the library?" she asked.
Deck turned around to face the exit. "Just follow me," he directed.
ღ Wonderland High ღ
'Maddie! I'm back!'
"Brooke! It's good to hear your voice again," giggled Maddie, looking up at the ceiling. She was oblivious of the odd looks the others were giving her. "You said earlier that you pushed a book of a shelf, right?"
'Yeah.'
"Then that gives me an idea," said Maddie, walking over to the bookshelf. She began to push books off the shelves and onto the ground.
"Maddie, what are you doing?" asked Tecna curiously as the books disappeared under the swampy water.
Maddie giggled. "Getting us out of here, silly. The story hasn't reached The End just yet!"
ღ Ever After High ღ
"They couldn't have just disappeared from the world," mused Dexter, joining Alistair and Bunny on the elevated walkway above the rest of the library.
"But we've looked everywhere," pointed out Bunny.
Alistair was about to add something, but stopped as someone called out: "Hey!" A tiny hedgehog and a girl with purple hair following after it appeared on the walkway. The purple-haired girl gasped for air before speaking. "Are you guys Bunny, Alistair, and Dexter?" she asked hopefully.
Dexter adjusted his glassed. "That's us," he nodded curiously, "who are you?"
The girl took a deep breath as if preparing herself. "I'm Roxy," she began quickly, "and this is Deck. She gestured down towards the hedgehog.
"Good day to you," squeaked Deck.
"This all might sound crazy, but my friends, the Winx, along with Lizzie Hearts and her friends are in trouble," explained Roxy.
"Wait. You know where Lizzie is?" asked Bunny hopefully.
Roxy nodded. "They're in Wonder-" She stopped as a book suddenly dropped down from above. Bunny, Alistair, and Dexter exchanged questioning looks. Just ten, more books began to fall from the ceiling and into a neat line on the floor below.
"That was weird…" trailed off Dexter.
"Wait a second," said Alistair shortly. He and the others traveled down the steps to the ground level to investigate. "Hey, look at this!" he said, pointing at one of the opened books. "Each book is open to a page that has an illuminated letter. These letters must spell out a message! 'Raven's spell to Wonderland did fly-" he started, reading the first words the books were spelling out.
"'In a mockturtle's dungeon with human butterflies at Wonderland High'," continued Bunny, reading more of the message.
"The Winx! They're fairies!" exclaimed Roxy, "they have wings just like butterflies!"
"'Seek help from the tea and hats guy'," finished Dexter, reading the rest of the message. He gasped. "This is Riddlish! I think Maddie is sending us a message! Wha-what do you think it means?"
"They're in detention at Wonderland High ," said Roxy and Alistair in unison. "Raven's spell must've sent them to Wonderland," inferred Alistair.
"And we need to talk to-"
An Evil Steplibrarian appeared out nowhere, interrupted Bunny. "Shhh," she hissed. "This is a library! Are you mad as a hatter?"
"Mad. Mad! Ha, that's it!" exclaimed Bunny, "I know who we need to talk to! Everyone follow me!"