LOCKED in the Heart

Lizzie was at the entrance to the shortcut after so long, it was night now and she had snuck out of the cave with her bag even though she had promised the mother bear she wouldn't, Lizzie had to go to her mother, maybe the bear was wrong, maybe she wasn't crazy and with her help, her friends wouldn't go crazy.

She opened the door in the tree and she was blinded by the artificial light in the courtyard, it had been a very long time since she had entered the magnificent courtyard, but now it looked like a mess, the grass and the trees hadn't been attended, the painted roses had dried red paint on their sick petals.

She stepped into a different world, one without care and comfort and she wanted to go back.

"No Lizzie, you came to see Mother, and see her you shall," Lizzie informed herself.

For a peculiar reason the air here was cold and shockingly it matched the scene in front of Lizzie, cold bricks and scrapped-off paint, there seemed to be no card guards around and Lizzie wondered by any chance if there was no one here, what if her mum and dad had left the castle maybe to stay at their another castle by the Wonderland Lake because it was safe.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Lizzie cried out.

Just then a two of hearts card guard appeared, holding a red spear, aiming it at Lizzie.

She gasped, "It's me, Princess Lizzie of Hearts!"

"Princess," the red guard said and bowed down. "Your mother demands your presence immediately."

Lizzie was about to ask why when she remembered one of her mother's advice cards that she had back at Ever After about a true queen never acting as if she never knew what was happening around her.

"Very well then, let's go," Lizzie said as she changed her face into one of a regal princess and walked with the guard, towards the cold Heart Castle.

"Are we there yet, it's like we have been walking for hours," Briar said as her eyes dropped and she almost fell on the floor.

"We are close, the shortcut is close by, just a few more steps," Vanilla said.

"My wings are so tired," Cupid let out as she flew back down, she didn't want anything of hers to touch the green clouds that were getting closer.

"How are we gonna leave Wonderland with all this poison in the air, it could come on us anytime," Sparrow said.

"I have no idea, I hope we can think of something, since the seal on Wonderland is very powerful not even Raven or Willow could reverse it," Donnie replied.

"Well then, when we get Lizzie, we can sit comfortably and wait till we die," Hopper said.

"No! Guys we need to have faith that we can think of something, I mean we survived the Evil Queen, we can survive Wonderland," Leo said.

"Speak for yourself," Dexter said almost defeated.

"We gotta listen to him, he's right, we have to come up with some kind of solution," Copper added.

"It's getting too dark, can we stop for a while?" Blondie asked as she removed some leaves from her golden curls, not wanting to ruin her 'royal' hair.

"We are here," Kitty said as she pointed at the tree that looked as if it had been already opened.

"Lizzie was here recently," Apple said.

"Well can we get in there already, it's starting to get cold," Duchess said as she rubbed herself.

"Duchess, it's not a portal to another dimension, it's just to another place in Wonderland, it would still be freezing," Briar said looking at her and then looking at the clouds. "Can we just get in please."

They all entered and were suddenly in a courtyard with dead trees and dead flowers and also the poisonous clouds were also around.

"Wow, talk about being unorganised," Maddie said. "The Castle shouldn't be like this, even if everyone is MAD!"

"I doubt anyone even cares," Raven said as she shivered, not from the cold air but from the coldness being released by the flowers and stone.

"So how do we get in without getting caught and probably beheaded?" Sam asked.

"Well, I see no guards around, but it is best to play it safe and maybe use a spell, an invisibility spell that would last for a while, gives us time to enter the castle," Willow said.

She waved her hand and green dust surrounded everyone and even though they could see each other, it was unlikely anyone would see them.

Being cautious and without making noise with heels, they all walked away from the courtyard and reached the entrance of the castle, luckily it wasn't shut and they all entered.

"Guys we have a problem," Copper said as he pointed at the red lasers flashing around the long corridor, they flashed on and off and gave off an uncomfortable heat.

"A spell?" Ollie asked.

"Unlikely, I doubt using a spell could do it and even if it could, it might sound the alarm," Sparrow said.

"How do you know that?" Apple asked.

"Hey, I am a master thief after all," Sparrow replied.

"Teleport?" Blondie asked.

"Nope, I can't see the end of the corridor, what if I make us appear in the middle of all this," Kitty said.

"Maybe we can find the de-activation panel and use it?" Sam said.

"Yeah, but it's obviously on the other side," Duchess said, she watched as the lasers flashed on and off and she realised how to go through: ballet.

"Ballet, it on and off pattern follows the Swan Ballet and don't worry, it's easy to learn so it wouldn't take us that long."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and jumped into the danger zone, she turned, twisted and moved her legs here and there, avoiding all the lasers and managed to get to the other side.

"Did everyone memorise the moves?" Duchess asked from the other side.

"Obviously not," Sparrow retorted.

"I'll go next, I know the Swan Ballet very well," Apple said and performed the same moves as Duchess, also avoiding all the red-hot lasers.

Willow rolled her eyes, "Since none of us can do this why don't we just use a spell, make us perform like Duchess and Apple?"

With a spell, all of them began twirling and turning, one by one through the corridor and it wasn't long before they were all on the other side.

"We made it!" Maddie almost cried.

"Well that was easy," Vanilla said suspiciously.

"And humiliating, with all the twirling," Hopper said.

"Well we are safe aren't we?" Duchess said and rolled her eyes at Hopper.

"Not exactly," came a voice behind them, it belonged to the Knave of Hearts. "Take them to the Queen!"

The card guards appeared out of every door and they were surrounded, they were trapped.

They were then led into a throne room with the Queen of Hearts on her throne and the King of Hearts as well, along with Lizzie Hearts on hers.

"Lizzie!" Kitty cried as she tried to reach her BFFA but was held back by a spade guard.

"Lizzie you are in grave danger, your mum is evil, she wants you dead!" Vanilla cried.

"Be quiet or else Off with your head!" the Queen cried out with extreme force and Vanilla fell silent.

"Lizzie, listen to us, we want to help you, the poison is still here in Wonderland and we need to leave and your mum just wants to kill you because she is paranoid and thinks you want to take her off her throne," Donnie said with a loud voice.

"What did I say?! That's it, Off with all their heads!" the Queen shrieked.

"No Mother! Why don't we just put the in the cells and wait, maybe it will give them the sense not to go against you and obey," Lizzie inquired.

"What!" everyone said at once.

"Lizzie, we're your friends, how could you?" Apple said.

"I will not be called by my first name in my own land, it's Her Royal Majesty Princess Elizabeth Hearts of Wonderland to you," Lizzie screamed yet her teal eyes told a different story.

"That's my princess, now take them to the dungeons into the cells," the Queen ordered.

"Mother, why not in the Portalable Prison, you do know that they have a Cheshire with them and a Lockes, and you know how they are with locks, best to seal her hands," Lizzie smiled.

"Oh aren't you the best, very well take them to the Portalable Prison," the Queen said to her guards.

"Lizzie, I can't believe you," Blondie cried.

Kitty just smiled at Lizzie, as if knowing something and they were all led downstairs and sooner than later they were all dumped into a high tech cell.

"This is a cell? More like a container from a sci-fi," Ollie observed.

One of the guards grabbed Blondie's hands and covered them with metal cuffs that covered her whole hands, "Let's see how you open any doors with that!"

"Why I never! So rude, I am a Royal you know that, I deserve much more respect," Blondie said.

"Whatever," the guard replied.

Soon the door was shut and they were all left in silence until Apple broke it," How could Lizzie do this to her friends and even if she thinks her mum is nice, why would she send us to the dungeons and we told her about the poison, why isn't she trying to do something about it?"

"Lizzie isn't evil, I have known her longer than most of you here, it's all a trick, Lizzie will come through, trust me," Kitty said.

"Well, she locked us in here, I doubt she will come through," Duchess rolled her eyes and sat down on a stool.

"But how do we escape, Blondie can't help us, Kitty, can you do it?" Donnie asked.

"No Donnie, it's a Portalable Prison, if I teleport, I will end up right here because it will move with me as I vanish," Kitty said.

"Vanilla?" Donnie asked.

"Same thing with her, if I am right, if she tries to burrow through which I doubt she can since it's metal she will end up back where she started, the prison will literally move with her, she may think she's moving forward..." Sam said.

"Bit I would just be coming back to the beginning," Vanilla finished the sentence.

"Okay, we are doomed," Cupid said.

"My love, I will do anything to protect you," Daring said to Cerise as they held hands and looked as if they were about to embrace.

"Please, get a room or something," Duchess said and went back to examining her nails. "If we're gonna be trapped here, I don't want these two to be all lovey-dovey while I'm around."

"So what can we do, if anything we try can literally back fire on us?" Jackson asked.

"We could try and get my cuffs off and I think I could be able to open the door, I have never ever after tried tech doors but seeing that I am cuffed they think I can open it," Blondie replied.

"Excellent, but how do we do that?" Dexter said.

Copper touched the cuff and suddenly his whole body reacted with the electricity pulsing through the cuffs, he immediately let go.

"With that much electricity, it could kill anyone made out of flesh," he answered.

"So someone that isn't skin and bones has to do it well also someone of metals that can conduct electricity," Donnie said. "So that leaves Sam and Cedar."

"What?! I'm very scared, what if I get burnt?" Cedar said unwillingly.

"Don't worry Cedar, we will make sure that doesn't happen," Donnie assured the wooden girl.

"Okay so maybe we should analyse the metal, we know it generates electrical currents meaning it's either electrocide or electrick, seeing that it's tainted blue it's the latter," Sam said.

"So the real question is how do we fuel it with so much electricitythat it would overload its molecular structure and break down, turning into gas," Donnie said.

"Wow, that's right, when did you become a Science and Sorcery expert?" Willow said.

"Well, Professor Rumpelstiltskin is a very good teacher, in his odd way," Donnie replied.

"Yeah whatever-after, the thing is how do we get it off, I mean we could use magic but I heard electrick is magic resistant hence the trick in its name so how can we go about it?" Duchess asked and gave a side look to Sparrow, who ignored her.

Everyone was in thought and finally Cedar got an idea, "I might be wrong but isn't this prison like high-tech so it must be powered by electricity, what if we get Copper to find the circuit and grab them, pulsing him with electricity and..."

"And he can touch the electrick cuffs, this would cause it to be overloaded with so much electricity that if would transform into gas state, Cedar you are a genius!" Copper smiled.

"Thank you but I kinda just used common science-y knowledge," Cedar blushed.

"Well then, let's give it a try," Daring said as he got up.

"Yeah, but how do we find the circuits?" Hopper asked.

"Umm, guys, they are here, I think," Briar pointed at a barred up section with screws drilled into all four sides.

Copper peeled the metal away and in line were circuits of various colours, he grabbed some at random and soon his metal body started to shake with electricity.

"Blondie?" Apple smiled.

"Are you sure this is safe, I feel as if it is just wrong," Blondie said nervously as she walked forward to Copper.

"Don't worry Blondie, it's completely safe," Apple said.

"Umm, okay, if you say so Apple."

She brought her cuffs to Copper who touched the cuffs and in five seconds the cuffs began to melt and soon the liquid transformed into gas and was no where to be seen.

"Okay, Blondie are you alright?" Cupid asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine didn't hurt one bit," Blondie smiled.

"Can you open the door?" Hopper asked.

"I can try."

She placed her hand over the high tech lock and it gave way, the door opened and they were in the dungeon corridor and Lizzie was standing there with a key card.

"Lizzie!?" they all said.

"Hey guys, before you get angry I was playing along with my mother so she would trust me, I discovered she was evil when she started acting really weird and we need to escape now, my mum said the poison fills the whole of Wonderland tomorrow morning and it stays on ground for three days," Lizzie said.

Kitty, Vanilla, Willow and Maddie rushed to hang their friend.

"I knew you were pretending," Kitty smiled.

"Yeah."

"Wait, but how do we escape?" Jackson asked.

"There's a portal in the Maze, we can escape through there," Lizzie replied.

"But I thought it was sealed from the other side by powerful magic, how do we get through?" Dexter asked.

"It only answers to my voice when I am inside, my voice from here is strong enough to override the magic by Headmaster Grimm, guys we have to go, morning is in less than an hour!"

"What? That's impossible, we were in here for like twenty minutes or so," Donnie said.

"That's the thing with the Portalable Prison, it doesn't follow time, a minute in there is like an hour on the outside, now we have to go, it took me so long to get here 'cause my mum had guards watching me, now let's go!"

"No one is going anywhere!" the Queen of Hearts said from behind. "Get them!"

Guards swarmed from behind her and towards the tales.

THE NEXT CHAPTER IS HALF NARRATION AND HALF SPOTLIGHT, BRB! ;D