A/N: Thanks, Ur Personal Geek. I saw your LONG review from last chapter and I'm glad you posted it. Yes, that WOULD make an epic sequel. I have about a dozen other stories I plan on writing, but I'll think about your proposal. And while we're discussing a sequel, I should tell y'all something. This story's gonna end soon. I think…IDK…by the end of the year? Again, I don't know.


Mira carefully pushed the door ajar. "Apple? Raven?" she called slowly, proceeding into the room on her tip toes. The girls' dorm room was empty, not counting Apple's snow fox and Nevermore. Upon seeing Mira, the purple-scaled dragon growled loudly. Unlike stupid human beings, you could not fool a dragon. They were some of the most intelligent creatures in all of the Fairytale World. Thus, Nevermore was sensing Mira for who she really was, the Evil Queen. The dragon could sense Mira's evil presence, one that was completely identical to the one of the Evil Queen's.

"Oh, don't get your scales in a twist," smirked Mira, waving away the dragon. She wasn't here to waste time. And since Apple and Raven were in the bathroom getting ready for bed, Mira had the perfect opportunity to put part of her plan in motion.

From what she'd just heard from Raven, the dark princess was being really stubborn about her destiny as the next Evil Queen, much to Mira's disappointment. And though Mira wanted Raven to become evil on her volition, the queen in disguise needed a backup plan.

Mira crept onto Raven's side of the room and opened one of her bureau's drawers. A black-framed amethyst-jeweled hand mirror lay by itself in the drawer, just as Mira expected. She took hold of it and immediately got to work.

"With this spell, I enchant this mirror," she recited, her hand and the mirror setting aflame with dark magic. "And whosoever wields it will set ablaze a new trail—yes, the evil within her has never been nearer. This mirror will surely help us avail, making sure her evil will not fail." And with that enchantment, she fused Raven's hand mirror with pure dark essence.

Just in case Mira's infiltration didn't work—which it would—this dark mirror will be her backup plan. If Raven didn't take heed to Mira's advice and knowledge, then Mira's beta plan will set into motion. If Raven had at least an inch of evil within her, her new mirror would seek it out and erase the good out of her heart and she would become pure evil to the bone, and Mira's wish would be fulfilled at long last.

Just in case any of the girls decided to show up, Mira quickly put Raven's mirror back where she had found it and escaped the dorm room. It wouldn't be long now. Eventually, her daughter would grow to become the evil princess Mira always knew her to be, and there was nothing Raven would do about it.


Apple rapped softly at Briar's and Ashlynn's door. "Briar? Are you in there?" she called gently.

The door cracked a bit and Ashlynn stuck her head out of the opening. "Oh, hi Apple. You're here for Briar, right?" she asked, opening the door wider and bringing Apple into her dorm room.

"Yeah. She said she wanted to talk to me about something," nodded Apple, "we were supposed to talk earlier, but I was with the twins all evening. I didn't mean to keep her waiting or anything."

"Oh, I'm sure Briar didn't mind," assured Ashlynn, pulling her hair up into a messy bun. She gestured over toward the other side of the room, where Briar was snoozing softly on her bed. "She passed out there a few hours ago and hasn't woken up yet."

While Ashlynn finished getting ready for bed, Apple crept over to Briar. "Briar. Briar. Briar?" she called, poking on her best friend forever after's backside. "It's me. Apple." The sleeping princess just snored in response.

Apple then reached out for Briar's nightstand, picking up her best friend's rose-themed alarm clock. She held it right over Briar's ear. "WAKE UP!" it yelled loudly, startling Briar awake.

"Huh? I'm up!" she yelled, looking around in panic. Upon seeing she was still in her dorm room, she calmed down but frowned. "How long was I asleep?" she asked bluntly.

"For a few hours now," answered Apple like it was no big deal. Briar, who now looked annoyed, just nodded. "So what did you want to talk about?" asked Apple curiously, raising an eyebrow. "You wanted to speak in private, so I can assume this must be important." That or she didn't want Blondie snooping on them.

"Oh. Right. Well…." Briar hesitated and cringed. "I wanted to talk to you about…well…my destiny."

Apple bobbed her head. Honestly, it would be nice to talk about someone else's story other than hers. Apple's story was too complicated right now, so perhaps it would relive her to talk about another. And to be frank, Apple was glad Briar wanted to talk to her about her destiny. After all, Apple was a fairytale enthusiast. It made her happy to converse about them, the very things that made their world so special. "Sure thing! So what's up?" asked Apple anxiously. She then remembered thronecoming last year. If her memory served her correctly, Briar had been upset about her story. Apple bit her lip. She wondered if Briar still felt the same way. "Briar, you have to live out your story," she accidentally blurted.

Briar sighed and facepalmed and Apple swore she heard Ashlynn wincing. "Apple, I thought we've already been over this," started Briar with another tired sigh. "I don't want to sleep for a hundred years. I don't want to waste my life like that. All my friends, including you, are in this century, and I know most of you won't be around in the next."

"But Briar, you can't just throw away your happily ever after because of us," argued Apple, "you living your promised future is more important than us."

Briar furrowed her brows. "Seriously? Apple, I don't want to give you guys up over some prince."

"But he's your true love," pointed out Apple patiently, "true love is beautiful, and everyone should get the chance to experience it. Even if you have to wait for a hundred years."

Briar rolled her eyes. "Yes, love is beautiful, but so is friendship. You all mean the world to me. And besides, when I fall asleep….I don't know if I'll get my happily ever after."

"What do you mean? Of course you'll get your happily ever after," insisted Apple. She didn't see why Briar was being so difficult. It wasn't like the princess had to deal with the stuff Apple had to. It wasn't like someone else was putting her story in jeopardy. She didn't have much to worry about. "Why wouldn't you?"

"Because….well….regardless of what the books say, things can still happen. Anyone or anything can flip the script and alter the story," replied Briar slowly, looking a little uncomfortable. "And the worst part is, I have no idea if I can stop it or not."

"Stop what?" inquired Apple. "Briar, insecurities are totally normal, but you're not making sense. You need to open up, just like you told me. I can't understand you if you don't explain yourself." She took Briar's hands and squeezed them encouragingly. "I can see why you don't want to speak up about it, but holding it won't help. It'll only make you more frightened. More uncertain. Trust me, I've been there. I know what it's like to think no one can help you. That no one understands you."

Apple partly felt like a hypocrite. There were still secrets she was keeping from Briar and yet here she was pressing Briar to tell Apple her own. But keeping Briar in the dark about Mira/the Evil Queen was legit, right? It was for her own safety. Other than that, Briar pretty much knew about everything else.

Briar hesitated once again. "I know this sounds a bit weird, but I don't think you'll understand," said Briar, pulling away and starting for the window. On the other half of the room, Ashlynn lay in her bed with her eyes closed, but was probably listening carefully to Apple's and Briar's conversation.

Apple was confused.

"It's my 'destiny' to fall asleep for a hundred years," began Briar, staring out at the moon. "So many things could go wrong. Think about it. One hundred years I'll spend laying up in a tower, unconscious and unaware of my surroundings. Anything could happen to me! I could get cursed again, someone could kidnap me. Hex, I could…even be murdered."

"But Briar, that won't happen," argued Apple, raising an eyebrow. Okay, this girl was way superstitious. "You're a princess and all princesses are protected by nature, magic, and our Prince Charmings."

"Being a princess doesn't spare you from what life can throw at you, Apple. You of all people should know that."

"True." Apple slouched a bit. She perked back up. "Well, maybe if you sign the real Storybook of Legends, things will-"

"Will be what? Set in stone?" interrupted Briar, hissing slightly. "In case you haven't really noticed, things don't work like that."

"They did for our parents."

"Did they, Apple?" countered Briar, "we don't know everything what happened in our parents lives, as your own mother has proven. Other things probably happened, but we won't know about it because they want us to keep living in this…in this fantasy. They want us to be them, so why would they tell us the whole truth? I'm not saying everyone from the Class of Classics has a secret but-"

"I get it," said Apple lowly, looking down at her slippers. "But Briar, that's no reason to not believe in your destiny. Don't you want your happily ever after?"

"More than anything. But…I just don't know if sleeping for a hundred years is the way to get it."

But wouldn't that be the only way for Briar to get it? She was the daughter of Sleeping Beauty for a reason. If she lived out her story and honored what made the Fairytale World so special, she'd be rewarded for her dedication and dutiful outlook. Wasn't that securing enough? Apple herself believed if she went through with her part of the Snow White tale, her happily ever after would be given to her. She just had to somehow find a way to take her story back from Duchess.

"I…I don't understand you completely," admitted Apple, 'but I think I know what you mean. Life is unpredictable at times, and we're sometimes not ready for what's about to happen. But maybe it's all part of destiny in the first place. If you do chose to fall asleep for a hundred years and something does happen to you, maybe it's supposed to be that way." And Apple could see why Briar was so unsure. With how rebellious fairytales were being these days, everyone's stories were being thrown off.

"Well, if that's the case, then you might as well take Raven's story," spoke up a voice. Briar and Apple startled and Ashlynn sat up from her bed. They all turned to see Duchess side-leaning on the doorway.

"Duchess? What are you doing here?" gasped Apple, "how long have you been listening?"

Duchess closed the door behind her with her foot and proceeded into the doorway, giving slow-measured claps. "Listen, Swan. I don't eavesdrop on you, so why are you always all in my business?" frowned Briar, straying from the window and approaching Duchess with a sour look on her face. Being some of the tallest girls in their grade, they came face-to-face.

Ashlynn eyed Apple uncertainly, who shrugged. The problem was between Apple and Duchess, so why was it suddenly Briar vs. Duchess? The swan princess rolled her eyes. "If you're so worried about sleeping for a hundred years, then just become the Evil Queen," yawned Duchess, waving away Briar's question. "Even if that means you'll have to poison the most popular girl in school, at least you'll still be in the same century as us."

"What? No way I'd poison my best friend forever after," insisted Briar, cocking a brow and hip.

"I was talking about me," growled Duchess lowly, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is my story now, remember?"

Briar wrinkled her nose. "As much as I'd love to shut you up, I still don't want to become Evil Queen."

Duchess snorted. "Then that proves how stupid you are. Being involved in the best and most popular story ever after, that happily ever after is the best. Well, second best. My new story is the absolute best, but I'm sure you won't have a problem being second to me. If you're smart." The girl started to pirouette around the room. "My happily ever after is naturally superior to everyone else's since I'll have Prince Daring Charming all to myself, be the Fairest Of Them All, not to mention have a fableous kingdom, and everyone will basically worship the ground I walk on—WHOA!" The swan princess ducked just in time, Briar's black high heel sailing over her head. "Hey, you witch! You nearly hit me with that!" barked Duchess, standing back up.

"That was the point!" countered Briar, sliding her foot out of her other high heel. "You better get lost or-"

Duchess laughed airily. "I can't believe this! You're so jealous! Ever since Apple told you about me taking her story, you've been gunning for me. Not that I blame you. It's only natural for you to be envious of me. Every girl should be."

"You're not going to get away with this, Duchess," spoke up Ashlynn from her bed, crossing her arm.

"Shut up, Ash! You better be glad I didn't take your story back when I found out you and Hunter were dating last year," countered Duchess thinly, "not that I still want it now. Why would I when I have the best of all worlds now?"

"I agree with Ashlynn. Apple's still going to have her happily ever after in The End," nodded Briar, holding up her shoe and aiming at Duchess's skull. "Now, you better beat it or-"

"Oh, quit being such a sore loser," giggled Duchess, obviously getting pleasure from this. "Let's face it: you and Apple lost and I won. It's as simple as that. While everyone will rush to my beck and call and spoil me, you'll be catching some Zs in an abandoned tower somewhere. Unfortunate, I know, but that's just the way things work."

"And what about Apple? Do you even care about what will happen to her?" asked Ashlynn.

Apple recalled her dream last school term. According to that enchanted mirror, if Apple didn't relive her story, she'd be doomed to a happily never after.

Duchess shrugged. "Not really. Since all of her fans will become mine, everyone will basically forget her and her life won't be so grand anymore. But hey, that's not my problem."

"Everyone knows Apple's supposed to be the next Snow White, so why would they just willingly accept you like you think they will?" pointed out Briar coldly, "to everyone else, you're just a no-name whose story no one knows about."

Apple gasped at how rude Briar was being. That was so unlike her! Why was she letting Duchess get under her skin so much?

Duchess gritted her teeth. "You better watch out, Beauty. I'll screw you over just like I did Apple."

Briar arose from her bed. "Is that a challenge, Swan?"

"You two should keep it down," spoke up a voice. Everyone turned to see Cerise was now in the open doorway. "Our else you'll catch some more unwanted attention."

"Great. Just what we need." Duchess rolled her eyes. "Why are you here?"

The Hood probably heard the argument with her wolf ears and super hearing. "Relax, Duchess. I'm not here to fight or anything. Just to warn you," insisted Cerise, pulling her hood further over her head. "With Blondie around, secrets are never safe."

"Secrets? Don't have any" snorted Duchess, "Apple's the only one here who needs to watch her mouth."

"Just leave, Duchess. You're not wanted here," yawned Briar, "it's getting late and I want to get some shut-eye."

Duchess snorted. "Whatevs, Beauty. But trust me, this isn't over. You AND Apple better watch your back, or you'll be sorry."


Apple couldn't sleep.

It was three in the morning and she was still lying awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Raven was snoring loudly, and even their pets were peacefully snoozing, but not Apple. Again, she couldn't sleep. She wasn't even a tad bit drowsy.

So when her phone started to chime Once Reflection's latest song, Apple swiped her phone off her nightstand within seconds. She held the screen up to her face, its light nearly blinding her. The caller ID had Duchess's number, name, and picture on it. Apple groaned. What did this girl want again? It was funny, really. Although Duchess had what she wanted, she was messing with Apple more than ever now.

"Hi, Duchess," said Apple bluntly into the phone.

"White. What's Daring's favorite dessert?" whispered Duchess impatiently.

"Why do you want to know?" asked Apple curiously. She didn't really care that Duchess was trying to bait Daring and wheel him in for her own personal use (which was kind of bad considering Daring was supposed to be with Apple and not Duchess).

"Just tell me!" hissed Duchess lowly, "I don't have all morning!"

Okay, now it was clear to Duchess. The girl had obviously snuck into school and broken into the cooking class-ic kitchen. Now, she was trying to concoct something that would win Daring's favor.

If Apple remembered correctly, Daring had a thing for blueberries. During the royal bake-off the school held every year on Apple's birthday, he always baked something that had something to do with blueberries. Blueberry pie, blueberry cake, blueberry brownies (which had been disgusting). But instead of telling Duchess this, Apple blurted out something else, "He likes strawberry shortcakes," she lied, much to her horror. Daring detested strawberries. And Apple couldn't emphasize detested enough. "With hextra strawberries."

Apple couldn't believe herself right now. A White did not lie! So why was Apple telling them so uncontrollably?

"Great." And with that, the call ended without Duchess even bothering to thank Apple. Not that Apple wanted the apology. She was in for it when Duchess discovered that Daring didn't like strawberries. But deep down, Apple really didn't care. Duchess could kick rocks for Apple's concern.

Okay, now Apple was getting really worried. Why was she being so inconsiderate these days? What was happening to her? Apple sat up and sighed. She was probably on edge because—

She gasped lightly when an apple suddenly soared through the window, rolling over and stopping in front of Apple's desk. Apple pushed her covers back , swung her legs over the bed, and arose, eyeing the apple carefully. She bent down and picked it up to examine the fruit. The second she made contact with it, the apple set ablaze with magic and she heard a faint whooshing sound.

Startled, Apple whirled around to see magic stairs conjuring outside the window. Knowing what this meant, Apple tucked the apple into her robe's pocket and went over to the window. She boosted herself onto the windowsill and stepped out onto one of the floating platforms outside. She loomed high above campus, but Apple wasn't paying attention to that (she could barely see anything anyway since she didn't have her glasses on).

Apple slowly proceeded up the following stairs, each one bringer her higher and higher above school grounds. Eventually, she made it to the final stair, which hovered right above the roof. The princess cautiously stepped onto the wooden roof, her hair and robe flowing in the wind.

"Hello, Apple," greeted Mira's voice creepily from somewhere.

Apple bit her lip as a bunch of dark clouds formed a silhouette and Mira materialized in its place. "Hi, Mira." Apple tried to keep her greeting calm, but her voice cracked. It was just the two of them. On top of the school. Where no one could see or hear Apple. And it didn't make things any better that she was in the presence of the most evil person in the Fairytale World. Who knew what Mira was going to do to Apple.

"So, uh, what do you want?" asked Apple, trying not to sound rude and scared.

"Oh, Apple. Do you always have to be so suspicious?" chuckled Mira, rolling her eyes. "I simply want to talk to you."

"It's not going to work, you know. Raven's heart…it's too good," said Apple slowly, "she just won't turn evil and won't let anyone persuade her."

Mira hissed. "I can see that. Thus, we're going to have to play dirtier. To make an evil queen, you gotta think like one." Which would be no problem for Mira considering she was the Evil Queen. "But it's no problem. I've already planted a seed of doubt in her heart," explained Mira, "eventually, it'll sprout a beautifully evil blossom."

"And then I get my happily ever after," Apple whispered to herself. She looked up at Mira. "Right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure." Mira looked slightly annoyed. "And while we're on the subject, there's actually something I need you to do."

Apple started to feel uncomfortable. "L-like what?"

"You're my Raven's destined storybook rival, right? Then act like one." Mira frowned. "Thus, Raven will become thirsty for victory and-"

"But I can't do that! Raven…there's no way she'll take our rivalry seriously. I mean, she hasn't all this time."

"Well, when your mother and I were in high school, our rivalry was legendary," retorted Mira proudly, "people near and far knew how far we'd go to be victorious over the other. I'd sabotage her pesky little social events and she'd always to steal the spotlight whenever she could. Oh, and don't even get my started about dragon games. Snow White might look pathetic and absolutely useless—don't get me wrong, she totally is—but she was ruthless on the field. Such spirit made life here at Ever After High interesting."

"What's that got to do with anyone?" asked Apple, hesitating.

"What I'm saying is that things at Ever After High nowadays are boring," replied Mira with a mock yawn, "no one's blowing up classrooms or poisoning the food in the castleteria. No one—besides that Swan girl—is making things worth talking about. People love drama and hexcitement. They want to see and talk about things like that. So by renewing you and Raven's rivalry, you'll hexcite your classmates. They'll anticipate things to get ugly between the two of you. And if you keep giving them a reason to keep thinking this way, Raven will eventually have no choice but to give in."

Apple raised an eyebrow. She wasn't quite understanding what Mira was saying. And Mira apparently sensed her confusion, because she sighed and facepalmed. "Teenagers these days are so ignorant," she muttered, "but lucky for you, I have a bit of patient since this involves my Raven. Tomorrow morning, just follow my lead, okay? Can you do that or are you too-"

"Yes! I mean, I'll do whatever you want me to," whispered Apple, knowing it'd mean trouble to defy such a powerful person.

"That's a good Apple. Be up bright and early tomorrow morning," advised Mira, putting a delightfully wicked look on her face. She rubbed her hands together anxiously. "Things are about to get way more interesting. Count on it."


Apple couldn't sleep a wink. Mira's words had haunted her all night.

Apple herself was fearful. Fearful about what was going to happen to Raven. Fearful about what was going to happen to herself and her happily ever after. Fearful about what was going to become of Ever After. With the Evil Queen free from her mirror, the whole world was in danger, and it was all Apple's fault. But regardless, what was done was done. All Apple could do was keep looking forward and hope for the best.

That's why when she entered the castleteria the next morning, she put on a smile brighter than the sun. She greeted everyone a good morning and sat with Mira, who was sitting by herself at a table in the corner.

"Good morning, Mira." Apple forced a smile at the "girl".

Mira didn't say anything. In fact, she didn't seem to see Raven. Instead, she was staring straight past Apple at Raven, who was seated at a nearby table with Cerise, Melody, and Maddie.

"Mira," Apple called her name again.

"Huh?" Mira startled. She frowned when she laid eyes on Apple. "Oh. It's you."

"So…what's your plan?" asked Apple lowly. From the corner of her eye, she could see Duchess Swan approaching Daring at his table with a plate. And atop it was fresh strawberry shortcake, complete with whipped topping and a lot of strawberries.

"Don't worry about. Like I told you last night: just go along with it," said Mira half-heartedly.

There was silence as Apple watched Duchess and Daring cautiously. The swan princess was batting her eyelashes at him as she presented her "work of art". Daring took one glance at it and said something with an expressionless face. In response, Duchess's whole body turned bright red and Apple turned away before the princess could catch her staring.

"Give me your porridge," ordered Mira suddenly, startling Apple.

"What?"

"Just give it here!"

"O-okay?" Apple slid her bowl across the table over to Mira. Mira rose from her seat, taking a good look around to make sure no one was watching. And while the coast was clear, she grabbed the big bowl of porridge and aimed it at the back of Raven's head.

Oh no.

Before Apple could cry out, Mira hurled the bowl at Raven. Apple cringed as it sailed straight into the back of Raven's head. Splat! Goopy porridge was running down the girl's head and the back of her dress and the girl crashed onto the floor. The dark princess whirled around in seconds. "Okay, who did that?" she demanded loudly, causing the castleteria to go silent.

"It was Apple!" blurted Mira, pointing down at Apple.

Apple felt herself going white. Oh hex! "Apple?!" gasped Raven, her mouth dropping open.

Before Apple could defend herself, all she saw was Duchess. "You lied to me, you witch!" hissed Duchess, throwing the shortcake on Apple's dress. "You said Daring liked strawberry shortcake!"

At this point, everyone was watching. "Oh, hex, no!" exclaimed Briar, rising to her feet. She grabbed the first plate she could see and chucked it straight at Duchess. The swan princess honked in distress and seconds later, her dress was covered in the castleteria's morning special.

"You…you…." Duchess was so embarrassed, she couldn't even speak straight.

"FOOD FIGHT!" yelled Sparrow Hood from somewhere. The castleteria became a warzone in a matter of seconds. Sausages were ricocheting off walls, blobs of porridge were sailing across the room, and fruit was being used as projectiles. Briar and Duchess were in a heated one-on-one battle, Lizzie and the Wonderlandians were laughing their rumps off as they willingly let themselves get bombarded, Blondie was trying to capture the chaos with her Mirrorpad while trying not to get onslaught, and Mira was laughing with wicked delight. Some kids were cowering under tables, others were trying to stop the madness. All around Apple things were going extremely wrong. And oddly, regardless of the all the food flying around, nothing landed on Apple. While everyone else, including Raven, was covered in icky food while Apple remained flawless.

"In coming!" Sparrow threw his bowl of hot cereal at Daring and it landed directly in the Prince Charming's hair.

"My hair!" he whined, "how dare you!" He and Sparrow immediately sprang into an argument, complete with hair pulling and mild swearing.

Raven, who didn't seem to notice the surrounding chaos, was just staring a hole into Apple, which made the princess feel a tad bit uncomfortable. Behind her, Mira's breath tickled her skin. "Go ahead, White," she whispered softly, "make the next move."

Knowing she had no choice but to obey the queen in disguise, Apple found herself reaching for a bowl of porridge atop a neighboring table. With Raven watching her, Apple slowly spooned out some of the porridge and catapulted the spoonful of glob directly at Raven. It landed on the dark princess's chest and everything around them seemed to pause. All the students turned to stare at Raven, anticipating her next move. Would she strike back at the perfect princess or turn the other cheek?

The dark princess pressed her lips together and reached behind her. She swiped a sausage off Cerise's lunch tray. Gripping it firmly, she looked at Apple with a look Apple couldn't read. Then, she held her arm back like she was preparing to throw the sausage. The next thing Apple knew, the meat was flying through the air. Apple couldn't move. She couldn't react. All she could do was watch. The meat landed, but it couldn't have landed any more awkward.

Okay, to start things off, Apple's top was strapless. So when the sausage hit her in the nose, it slid down the rest of her face, somehow ending up in her cleavage. Sparrow burst into laughter, and Apple felt herself becoming angry as a few students scrambled to get a picture of the awkward situation.

"You…you…you," stammered Apple, struggling to find her words.

"Not so pleasant when it happens to you, is it?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"You foul witch! How dare you strike the helpless Apple White!" shouted Daring, looking red and just as embarrassed as Apple. Duchess gasped, obviously hurt that her crush was sticking up for her rival.

"What the?! Helpless? And that's not fair! She threw food at me first!" snapped Raven.

"Guys, chill. We were all already hexpecting this from Raven, right?" spoke up someone from within the crowd. "She's the Evil Queen's daughter! This kind of behavior is only natural for her." Half of the castleteria murmured in agreement, while the other half defiantly disagreed.

"Hey, Raven's writing her own happily ever after, remember?" growled Cerise at Daring. "She's good! She just reacted because Apple assaulted her first!"

"Blasphemy!" insisted Daring in his regal voice. "Apple is too perfect for such things."

"Are you kidding me? Everyone saw what Apple did!" hissed Duchess, glaring fire and brimstone at Apple.

"Apple's a bitch," said someone straightforwardly.

"Yeah, well Raven's a witch!"

And in an instant, the whole castleteria divided into two halves—one side Royal and the other Rebel. The two sides argued back and forth as the food right raged on. But instead of it being every man for himself battle, the Royals and Rebels were only throwing food at the opposing side.

Apple just stood there, her mouth hanging open. She had forgotten about the sausage wedged in her cleavage. She was too busy experiencing a huge case of déjà vu. All of this…the fighting between the Royals and Rebels…it all brought back memories of Legacy Year. And apparently, Raven noticed it too because she remained frozen as well like nothing was happening around her. Like she wasn't aware of the fighting between their friends.

"I-I have to stop this," whispered Apple, removing the sausage from between her boobs.

A cold hand rested on her shoulder and Apple didn't even have to turn around to know it belonged to Mira. "Don't," consoled the queen in disguise, "this is exactly what needs to happen Raven. I want Raven to discover the authority she had and revel in her newfound power. When you keep people separated, you can control them. You can literally divide and conquer, which is Raven needs to realize. The first step toward evil is embracing your resources and manipulating them to your own desire and beneficiation. Raven is a Queen—wickedness runs in her blood, meaning she thirsts for power. She just doesn't quite realize this yet. But once she experiences the thrills and pleasure of being in charge, she'll yearn for more power and start further progressing toward her true destiny. And isn't that what you want?"

Apple lowered her eyes. Is that what she wanted? "Remember your story, Apple," coaxed Mira in Apple's ear softly, "remember your destiny. Your mother did and look where she is now. You want to be like her. But you can't embrace your own destiny unless Raven does the same, meaning your happily ever after depends on Raven and only Raven. You can't achieve Happily Ever After without her, your storybook rival. So if you're smart…"

Apple sighed, knowing Mira was speaking the truth. "You're right. This…is what Raven needs. For her own good."

"That's a good girl. Now, as Raven's enemy, you have to keep up the appearances. Even now, Raven doesn't see you as a threat. Thus, you have to make her believe the two of you are truly rivals."

But wasn't that deception? Raven and Apple were friends. But then again, the story did say they were destined to feud. That would always be inevitable.

"Students! Stop this madness at once!" commanded Milton Grimm's strong, authoritative voice. Everyone froze and turned to see the headmaster standing in the archway, looking redder than Apple's blouse. "Who is responsible for this?" he demanded, proceeding into the castleteria.

Apple held her breath as her eyes locked with Raven's. Did Apple really want to do this?

"It was Apple White!" blurted Duchess, casting a vengeful look at Apple. The swan princess's feathery tutu was dripping porridge and a flapjack had perched itself in her now ruined hair. She pointed at Apple accusingly. "She started it when she threw food at Raven."

Headmaster Grimm's stern eyes landed on Apple, making the princess feel shaky and fearful. Behind her, Mira yawned, unimpressed, but Apple wasn't paying attention to her. She was too busy panicking. Oh no, oh no, oh no! This couldn't be happening! This would ruin her reputation for sure! And as Snow White's daughter, Apple could not afford anything as trivial as this on her record. Her family would be so disappointed in her!

But instead of scolding Apple and sentencing her with detention, Milton just sighed. "Everyone to the restrooms in an orderly fashion at once," he commanded, "clean yourselves up and then report back here to help clean this mess up immediately." And with that, he turned sharply on his heels and exited the castle with his hands clasped behind his back.

Murmuring for all different reasons, the students obeyed their headmaster and started for the hall in organized groups. Though the chaos was over, the students remained in separate groups of Royals and Rebels. Giving their rivals nasty looks, they proceeded into the corridor.

"This isn't over, White!" Duchess hissed a warning before rushing off to join Daring and his group of princes.

"Gee whiz! That was the most Wonderlandiful fun I've had in a while!" giggled Maddie enthusiastically. The short girl bounced over and pulled Apple into a tight hug. "Thanks a lot, Apple!"

Apple's eyes watered at the smell of the rotting porridge in her hair. "Uh, no problem?" she managed to say, struggling to breathe.

After another quick squeeze, Maddie bounced after her Wonderlandian friends. All who remained in the castleteria were Raven and Apple—Mira had already left, probably to spread a rumor about the Apple/Raven rival among the other students.

The two girls locked eyes, eerie silence slicing between them. Apple expected Raven to say something, but she never opened her mouth. Instead, she raised a questioning eyebrow at Apple before turning to follow after the others, the porridge dripping off her skirt creating a trail behind her. Apple sighed, though it wasn't with relief. Instead, she was feeling quite dreadful. This wasn't the end of anything—no, it was just the beginning. And considering what the Evil Queen had in store for Apple and Raven, things would never be the same at Ever After High ever again.


The girls' restroom on the main floor was jam-packed with girls, all who Apple couldn't help but notice were Royals, Duchess included. Most of them were grimly stating their opinion on the Royal/Rebel food fight, and became even livelier when Apple stepped into the doorway. Though most of them were trying to talk and sympathize with her at once, they parted so Apple could walk into the room.

"Apple! Care to give us your thoughts on the epic food fight between the Royals and Rebels?" asked Blondie excitedly, holding up her Mirrorpad to capture Apple's face.

Duchess pushed her out of the way. "This is all your fault, Apple White," she growled, "because of you, the rest of us got in trouble!" Duchess snorted. "And I still can't believe how Grimm let your get away with it. I can't believe he's playing favorites like that! Other people have good stories too, you know!"

"It's not like Apple actually started it," insisted Holly, not sounding a bit defensive or rude. "She'd never assault anyone like that. It's not in her nature."

Duchess smirked and shook her head. "How naïve you are. If only you knew."

Apple frowned. She didn't want to point fingers, but she had to keep this new fight between the Royals and Rebels alive if she wanted Mira's plan to work. But lying was wrong, and it was also Apple's destiny to keep the peace.

"I don't blame anyone, really," spoke up Briar, leaning in close to the mirror as she picked some shredded potato out of her hair. She sent Duchess a sour look. "It's just that some of us got a little out of hand."

"Hey, you better back off, Beauty," warned Duchess, looking defensive.

Though Apple might not have had the power to stop the Rebel/Royal conflict, she could bring peace to her friends. "Everyone, calm down," she urged gently, "the important part is not this is over and-"

"Oh, it's far from over," interrupted Faybelle impatiently, flittering above everyone else. Her sequenced tunic was ruined, applause trying on its delicate fabric. "I've had it with those Rebels. First, they ruin everyone's stories and put our happily ever afters in jeopardy. Someone's gotta put a stop to them before they ruin everything."

Oh no. This was definitely Legacy Day all over again. Apple was about to say something to distract everyone from the thick tension, but the bathroom door suddenly swung open and in walked a humming Madeline Hatter. It was bad enough she was a Rebel, but what was even worse was that Raven, Mira, and Cerise were right behind her.

"Hey, hey, hey! Where do you think you're going?" snapped Faybelle, landing in front of the Maddie. A lot of the others grouped behind her, prohibiting the Rebels from entering any further. "In case you haven't recognized, this is bathroom is for Royals only."

"But isn't Maddie technically a Royal?" wondered aloud Lizzie from somewhere, "she does want to relive her story after all."

Everyone ignored her.

"Hey, not cool, Faybelle. Last time I checked, the bathroom's open to any female," pointed out Raven, putting her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes.

Duchess laughed airily. "You're so naïve, Raven," she jeered, "if it weren't for you and your stupid little stunt on Legacy Day, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"What Raven did has nothing to do with it," insisted Briar, turning around from the mirror to glare at Duchess. Apple had expected such a remark to come from Cerise, not Briar. Hearing her best friend forever after kind of broke Apple's heart. Briar was supposed to be defending her, not Raven.

"No, this wouldn't have happened if Apple hadn't thrown that food at Raven," said one of Faybelle's dark fairy groupies from cheerhexing.

"Yeah. And it's totally not fair that she didn't even get in trouble for it," added another.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Mira laughed loudly. There was silence as everyone turned to look at her. "Find something funny, Shards?" asked Faybelle a little too aggressively.

Mira was laughing so hard, she couldn't even talk. She just held her side, snickering at everything. After another moment of nonstop laughter, she wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah," she said, inhaling deeply. "All of you! Use your heads for use! Of course Grimm wouldn't bust Apple. It's not really the fact she's Snow White—it's the fact that she started the fight with Raven. They're storybook rivals just like their mothers, remember? This is only natural."

"Okay, for the last time, Mira. I know you think my mom is cool and all and I'm not holding that against you, but I'm seriously not like her," said Raven a tad bit bluntly.

That must've caught Mira off guard, because she now looked a little startled.

"I don't care whose mother is who," snapped Duchess, "I just want these Rebels out!" She pointed at Raven. "Especially that one."

That's when Mira shook out of her daze. The "girl" stepped in front of Raven. "Why don't you make us? Surely Raven isn't afraid of some pathetic nobody like you. Swans might be 'graceful' and 'elegant', but ravens are sharp and wise. It's instinct."

"Mira, I know you're upset, but there's no need to be rude," advised Raven gently, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Oh, so you wanna go there, huh?" Duchess looked ready for a fight. She crossed her arms and smirked. "Swans are the best. Their clean, pure, beautiful, and graceful. Meanwhile, ravens eat garbage and hextremely unpleasant. Swans are unique. They stand out. Meanwhile, no one can tell the difference between a raven and a crow."

Mira clenched her fists, which were aflame with fiery dark magic. The "girl" was ready to fight, and Apple knew Duchess wouldn't be able to withstand an attack from the most powerful sorceress of them all. "That's enough," ordered Apple in her strong, queenly voice before Mira could make Duchess eat her own words. "It's around time we all make our way to the castleteria so we can clean up the mess we've made," said Apple seriously, looking up at the ticking wall clock. "And unless you want detention for the rest of the day…"

"Whatever after! I'm out of here!" spat Faybelle, pushing past the Rebels and marching out into the hall. "I don't you guys anyway." Her dark fairy groupies scrambled after her.

One by one, the other girls poured out of the bathroom, joining with the rest of the Royal sisterhood. With the restroom now near empty, Raven, Cerise, and Maddie proceeded into bathroom to clean themselves off. Mira remained in the doorway, scowling at Duchess, who was at one of the sinks fixing her head, coordinating between glaring at Raven and Apple.

Thankful for some peace, Apple went over to one of the mirrors to check out her own appearance. Though she was flawless as usual, the princess adjusted her crown and leaned in closer to make sure her makeup wasn't ruined. At this point, the Rebels, who had taken no to little times fixing themselves up, exited the bathroom with Mira, leaving just Apple and Duchess.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to, White," sneered Duchess, cocking a hip. She snorted and pointed a finger at Apple. "You think by encouraging a rivalry with Raven, you'll get your story and happily ever after. Well, two can play at that game! I'll make Raven my enemy, so she'll end up poisoning me, not you. You might think you're smart, but I'm smarter. Daring and your happily ever after will be mine in The End!"

And holding her chin high, Duchess sauntered out of the bathroom, leaving Apple all alone.

And trust her, Apple felt even lonelier than what she was. This was an ordeal.

Not only was Mira forcing Apple to do things she didn't want to, but her friendship with Raven was already falling apart. Raven was one of Apple's dearest friends! She couldn't just…betray her like that! But then again, Raven was destined for evil. It was in her blood, just like it was in the Evil Queen's. Nature intended for Raven to be evil, so she should be. And besides, it wasn't fair how Raven was just ignoring her true destiny without caring that Apple's was linked to her own. Without Raven, Apple wouldn't get her happily ever after! She would become forgotten and forced into a life of poverty and sorrow, as that mirror in her dream had demonstrated. Thanks to Raven and her selfishness, Apple would live happily never ever for good!

She recalled what the voice of her destiny showed the night Apple had almost gotten raped. She had seen herself getting disowned by her mother. Then she had been forced to live in the cold, harsh streets with her baby, clothed in rags, penniless and desperate. Her friends would then forget all about her, and Apple would have to work to the bone in order to survive. Being homeless, she'd have to sleep under a newspaper and eventually fall prey to an abusive man.

Plus, if Raven agreed to be evil, then she'd get her own happily ever after too. It was a win-win, right?

Apple sighed, remembering that it was both her and Raven's responsibility to live their predetermined destiny and carry on their families traditions. They had to do their duty so their story would continue to be told throughout the generations to come. The princess sighed and straightened up. She had to bring Raven into the light—well, the dark if you wanted to get technical, but the point was that Raven needed to honor their story.

And it was up to Apple to make that happen.


The castleteria was buzzing with activity as princes, princesses, giants, boys, girls, wooden people, and goats scrubbed the tables and polished the floors. And though no one really seemed to be angry anymore, the room was divided—Royals on one side, the Rebels on the other. And though Apple wanted to reunite the school as one body, she knew this rift needed to be.

"Hey, guys," called Apple, joining her friends in Royal territory. "How's it coming along?"

Duchess dropped a lunch tray into a trashcan and scowled. "We're the ones doing all the work." She hissed over at the Rebels. "I'm a princess and princesses don't clean. Especially after other people."

"Well, to be fair, we did sort of help make the mess," spoke up Holly from under one of the tables.

"Oh, please. We were only defending ourselves," insisted Duchess, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "They're the ones who got savage with it. Well, maybe because they are savages but-"

"Is it even slightly possible for you to shut up?" grumbled Briar, glaring at the swan princess as Ashlynn handed her a mop.

"Haha, very funny, Beauty. But at least I'm sticking up for us. Everyone else is excusing the Rebels for what they did."

Faybelle flittered down from the air, landing beside Duchess. "That's why we have to get them back," she said with a wicked smile, her wings folding gently on her back."

Apple frowned. "Wait a second-"

"I'm so in," smiled Duchess, eyeing Raven. "They need to pay. So what's our next move?"

Faybelle glared at Apple. "I'll tell you when we're laterbecause some people here might snitch on us." And by 'some people', she only meant Apple.

"I don't snitch," insisted Apple, standing her ground. "I just don't want anyone to get hurt or in trouble. Besides, if you get caught-"

"Which we won't," yawned Faybelle boredly, "I'm the Dark Fairy's daughter, remember? I specialize in wicked things like this, so you of all people shouldn't try to stop me."

Apple pressed her lips together but didn't say anything. Faybelle was right. She was supposed to create chaos as a villain, but she would most likely go over the top with things. Plus, she'd also be getting in the way of Mira's plan to put Raven back on track. And it wasn't that Apple was afraid that Faybelle would ruin Mira's plan—no, she feared what Mira would do to Faybelle when that happened. Though she might've been disguised, Mira was still the Evil Queen, one who didn't fare well when people got in her way. One that always hexpected her plans to succeed without fail. If she wanted to, she could outright destroy Faybelle.

Apple would just have to come up with her own plan to foil Faybelle's. That is, if Mira didn't come in between them first.


"Right on time," said Mira as Apple exited the classroom. She was side-leaning against the wall, a look of mischief all across her face. Princessology class had just ended and like always, Apple was the last one to leave since she always stayed behind to work on extra credit assignments (she wasn't failing or anything, but she felt that doing the optional assignments was her duty) .

"Uh, I have to get to science and sorcery class," squeaked Apple, pressing her books against her chest as she proceeded to hurry down the hall in the opposite direction. However, Mira grabbed her wrist.

"Not so fast," she said with a small chuckle, "you and I have something we need to do."

"But I have to get to-"

"Don't worry, this won't take long," assured Mira as the "girl" dragged Apple through the hall. Apple gulped. Oh no. This wasn't good. What was Mira up to now? Though Apple strongly disagreed with Mira's methods of handling the situation, she had no choice but to follow the dark queen's instructions or else…

"What are we doing here?" asked Apple slowly as Mira led her into the castleteria. Thanks to the efforts of the students, it was once again clean and spotless. And since everyone was supposed to be in class, the place was empty and so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

"You'll see," giggled Mira. "Just stay quiet so we don't get caught." After looking around to make sure no one was watching, Mira pushed open the door beside the soda machine. A plaque was nailed to it, reading: STAFF ONLY.

"Mira, we don't belong in there," whispered Apple, "we'll get in trouble if we-"

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" hissed Mira, proceeding into the room. She gestured for Apple to follow. "Now c'mon already."Since it was obvious Apple didn't have a choice, she crept after Mira.

The door brought them into the large kitchen, which was just as vacant as the castleteria. The place smelt strongly of bleach, its scent overpowered the aroma of mediocre food. Everything about the kitchen was white—the tile on the floor, the ceiling, the countertops, the appliances. Though the rest of the school was uniqte, colorful, and impressive, the kitchen looked like a regular, plain 'ol kitchen. "Where are all the lunch ladies?" asked Apple nervously, looking around superstitiously like someone was going to jump out of the pantry at her.

"Coffee break," was Mira's half-heartedly reply. She proceeded over to one of the islands, where huge steel pots set on the stovetop. "Hm. Looks like today's lunch special is spaghetti," observed Mira, reaching into her skirt pocket for something.

"What are you doing?" gasped Apple as Mira took out a small bottle. "What is that?"

Mira giggled wickedly. "Liquid laxatives," she answered amusedly, unscrewing the cap. "A few drops of this stuff, and the whole school will be rushing to the bathroom. Just make sure you and Raven don't eat any of the spaghetti."

"But, but…" stammered Apple, who knew this was wrong.

"Look, do you want you and Raven to be rivals or not?" snapped Mira, dripping a few drops into the pot before moving on to the next one. Apple looked down at her feet quietly. "Then just sit back and let the Evil Queen do her thing."

That was exactly what Apple didn't want to do. She didn't know how far the Evil Queen would go with this and was too scared to even consider the consequences to her actions because she knew that if they ever got caught, Apple would be the one to pay the price.


When lunchtime came around, Apple was shakier than Raven had been on Legacy Day. All around her, her classmates were commencing with their everyday afternoon routine as they crowed into the castleteria: gossiping, whispering, and conversing about their latest assignments. And though everything seemed normal, everyone still stayed separated into Royal or Rebel crowds. And it made Apple a little queasy to see Duchess, Faybelle, and her dark fairy followers sticking together like glue. All of them together could only been trouble.

But nevertheless, Apple managed a swallow a bit of her worries as she grabbed a lunch tray and took a place in line. "Hello, Your Highness." Hagatha the Lunch Lady gave a small, wrinkled smile at Apple when it was her turn to order lunch.

"Good afternoon." Apple forced a careless smile. Hagatha proceeded to give Apple a bowl of spaghetti, but the girl interfered. "Uh, just a princess pea butter sandwich, please," requested Apple, trying hard not to look nervous or suspicious. "I'm...uh…laying off the pasta for a while. Watching my figure and all of that healthy stuff."

A look of concern spread across Hagatha's face. "Okay, dear, but please be careful with dieting. According to this month's edition of Dr. Charming's, girls are making themselves sick that way."

Apple nodded, keeping her smile. "Sure thing." After receiving her sandwich, Apple grabbed an orange and a pudding cup before venturing over to the seating area. She scanned the castleteria and sighed in relief when she spotted Raven, Maddie, and Mira sitting together by one of the windows.

"Hi, guys," she greeted as cheerily as she could as she took a seat beside Mira. "How's it going?" She noticed that Raven and Maddie didn't have spaghetti on their lunch trays, meaning either they didn't have a taste for it or Mira talked them into avoiding it.

Maddie laughed and said something crazy in Riddlish while Raven stayed quiet. Apple couldn't help but feel guilty for her silence. After all, the two had just rivaled during breakfast.

"Raven, about this morning," Apple accidentally blurted, "I'm-" She winced when Mira kicked her under the table right as she was about to apologize. Raven looked up, her eyes searching Apple's.

"Hey, Raven, I heard you have a dragon," spoke up Mira in an attempt to change the subject, "have you tried dragon riding yet? I heard it's wicked hexciting."

Raven shrugged. "Not really. Dragon riding was my mom's thing, you know. And true, it does sound cool but that sort of thing isn't for me."

"Hey, weren't both of our moms dragon riding champions?" piped up Apple, recalling all the stories Snow would tell about her high school days.

"Dragon riding legends," corrected Mira, looking all too pleased and prideful. "Snow White and the Evil Queen were the best dragon riders Ever After High had ever seen. And since their rivalry was just as legendary, it must've been wicked cool seeing them play."

Raven just shrugged again, obviously not interested in the conversation. "Probably," was her short reply. "But I know how aggressive my mom could be-"

She was interrupted by the loud screeching of chairs abruptly scrapping against the floor. And all at once, more than half of the castleteria jumped to its feet, startling Apple. Oh no. And all together, the students ran out of the room, all of them most likely aiming to get to the bathroom before it was too late.