Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Wicked Winter
"Blondie Lockes reporting live outside of Ever After High, where the weather is so not just right! And if the storm outside wasn't bad enough, it's twice as bad inside!"
And she was right. Inside, the snow had broken through the windows and was piling up. Melody tried bringing a lantern with fire in it to Kitty and Lizzie, but the flame was extinguished. Apple ws rick climbing a giant ice block with the three billy goats tied to her with a string, trying to get to class. Alister and Bunny struggled to open the latter's locker, and when they did snow flew out of it.
"If the Snow King wanted to blow us all away with her blizzard powers, this reporter says 'mission accomplished!' " Blondie continued.
In a tree above the struggling students and teachers, Jackie Frost watched their misery with delight.
"Wow, your whole curse-the-king plan is really working, Jackie!" her brother Northwind said. "He's on an evil role!"
"I know!" Jackie said gleefully. "He made his queen into an ice sculpture, changed half his servants into penguins, and took away her daughter's wand of power! He's close to a snow blowout! We just have to keep an eye on the lazy princess, then winter will be ours!"
Crystal stood on the balcony of Ashlynn and Briar's room, staring out at the icy horror in front of her.
"Crystal," Ashlynn said, shivering. "Whatever after are we going to do about this weather?"
"I'm sorry, but without my wand there's nothing I can do," Crystal said sadly.
"Her powers are totally in the deep freeze," Briar explained.
Suddenly, the door opened and Raven walked in with Nevermore behind her.
"Here comes the fire department!" she announced.
Blondie, Ashlynn, Briar, and Crystal all sighed in relief as Nevermore blew her magic flames into the fireplace.
"A fire! Good idea. Thanks Raven!" Crystal said.
"No problem," Raven responded cheerfully. "Amanda's taking the other side of the school - Nevermore and Amethyst have never been so much in demand!"
She waved to the girls, and turned and left.
As the girls stood by the fire, Blondie said, "Your dad breezed out so fast on Career Day. Has he always been so...stormy?"
"No! He was the polar opposite," Crystal said. She took out her phone, showing them many pictures of her happy family.
"Wait," Blondie said, stopping Crystal from scrolling. "Who's that?"
She was pointing to a boy in one of the pictures. He was a few years older than Crystal, with blond hair with white and blue highlights and skin as pale as her's. His eyes were also the same shade of turquoise as Crystal's and he had a mischievous smile. He was dressed in a white fur jacket over a dark blue shirt. He was wearing black pants and white fur-lined boots.
"My brother - Storm," she said. "He's incredible and in his first year of college."
"So how are you the heir to the throne if he's older?" Blondie asked.
"He never wanted to be the Snow King, but knew I wanted to be Queen. We told our parents, and they allowed me to become the next ruler instead of him," Crystal explained. "That's the dad I know - the one who would let his children break a major rule of royalty to follow their hearts. I wish Baba Yaga had gotten more time to examine him."
"Wish...that gives me an idea!" Ashlynn exclaimed.
Fyabelle was scrubbing at a spot on the castle.
"Headmaster Grimm set me up for a royal fairy fail," she said out loud. The wind and ice blew at her, making it impossible to clean anything.
She moaned. "It'll take forever after to clean up this castle myself! There has to be a way to get it done without actually," she shuddered, "working."
Suddenly, she had an idea. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she took out her phone and searched up something.
"Castle cleaning...castle cleaning...Aha! 'Call 1-900-FAIRY-MOB. The Fairy Mobfather makes your problems disappear.' "
She grinned to herself and dialed the number.
Daring was sitting outside, still trying to make a snowman, when Cerise walked up.
"Hey Daring," she said casually, so the people around them wouldn't get suspicious. "Thought anymore about our chat? You know, your problem..."
"Yes, and once my new mirror arrives, I am going to take a good, long look at myself. And here it comes!"
A goose holding a parcel was flying over to them, but instead of going straight, the wind made him fly straight into the snow.
Daring gasped, and he and Cerise hurried to help the goose up.
"You okay?" Cerise asked, helping him stand.
Meanwhile - even though he had helped the goose - Daring said, "Don't worry - the mirror is safe! Everyone can relax!"
Cerise sighed but frowned when Daring turned away. Before he'd turned she could have sworn his nose was...furry?
"So, Crystal was wishing that we could turn back the clock," Ashlynn explained to Baba Yaga, Hopper, and Farrah. "To when the Snow King stood right here. And I realized that there is a way! But we need everyone to help - especially Farrah."
"Yes, in a magical reenactment!" Baba Yaga understood. She flew forward on her magic stumb thing and grabbed Hopper by the arm. "Hopper, you stand here. And Farrah - did you bring your wand?"
"A good fairy godmother in training always comes prepared," Farrah smiled.
She stepped back and waved her wand, and a moment later Hopper turned into the Snow King.
"Hey! Look, I'm the Snow King!" he said, making Briar smile.
A moment later, a dome appeared around them, blocking the snow and wind and making it seem like they were in the auditorium.
"Hey, it looks like we're back at Career Day!" Ashlynn said.
"Nice fairy glamor," Crystal complimented.
"Why, thank you! I've been practicing," Farrah said.
"Everyone - look for clues," Briar instructed.
"What does evil even look like?" Blondie wondered out loud. "And how long can you keep up this illusion?"
"My transformations last until twelve - midnight or noon. Whichever comes first," Farrah said.
Crystal was looking at the "Snow King's" face when she noticed something.
"Baba Yaga! Quick! Over here!" she called. Baba Yaga flew over, and looked into his eyes.
She gasped and picked up an enchanted magnifying glass and looked into his eyes, where there was a little speck of purple dust.
"That is the tiniest grain of pure evil I have ever seen!" she exclaimed. "It's made from a shard of the Evil Queen's magic mirror. Someone close to the Snow King is behind this. This evil speck landed in the king's eye, forcing him to see only evil. We can assume the same magic touched your mother, but didn't get into her body so it wasn't as horrible."
Realizing their job was done, Farrah waved her wand and everything disappeared, despite the fact that it was't noon yet.
"My poor parents!" Crystal said. "We have to help them or this wicked winter will last forever!"
At the castle of the Snow King, a frost elf was shining the king's boots.
"Hurry up, servant," the Snow King boomed. "I want my boots to shine as much as my queen does."
"Yes-yes your majesty! All done!"
"You're a big, dumb icicle with a snow cone for a brain! Your children are ten times better rulers than you are!""The insubordination around here!" the Snow King roared, turning the elf into a penguin. He turned and walked over to the still frozen queen. "Everyone is plotting against me my dear - even our own daughter! Well, let them try!"
He laughed evilly.
While the cursed Snow King tormented the Fairytale world, Jackie and Northwind continued their treachery.
"Wow, Jackie!" Northwind exclaimed from where the twins were at - the roof of a school tower. "The King really went full arctic blast on this school!" He smiled goofily as he slid down the roof of the tower and onto the snow right under them.
"That's what we wanted," Jackie smirked. "The King is out of control and driving everyone away who used to adore him. Soon, he'll be ice-olated and we can take him down!"
"Look Jackie!" her brother shouted, not listening to her. "I'm a snow worm!"
Jackie threw a snowball at him.
"So, there's no magical eye-wash or something to remove the glass shard in the evil king's eye?" Briar asked. The girls were all in Baba Yaga's hut again, looking for answers.
"Intriguing," Baba Yaga said. "Come to think of it, there might be a counter-curse in the ancient scroll of Deep Magic. But the last known copy was in the Library of Elders."
"Wasn't that like, totally destroyed thousands of years ago by the giants at Beanstalk High?" Ashlynn said. "You know, after we beat them in bookball?"
"Well, yes," Farrah said. "But anything that has been decimated can be re-created. At least temporarily. Let's conjure up some answers! To the library...or the place where it was.
"Good idea. Anyone want hot cocoa?" Baba Yaga said. But there was a clattering sound as the girls all quickly left.
After the incident with the goose, Cerise walked up to Daring's dorm room and said, "Daring? I need to talk to you."
"Cerise?" her boyfriend's nervous voice answered. "Uh...he...why? There's nothing new or unusual going on with me. At all."
Cerise frowned and pushed against the door, but something was holding it back.
"Step away from the door," she said in a commanding voice.
She heard him obey, and walked inside. When she saw what was happening, she raised an eyebrow. Daring was sitting on the bed with a book above his face. Cerise could now tell that her suspicions about what happened to him were right.
"Daring, what in the world are you doing?" she asked.
"Um, catching up on homework. Oh no, my quill fell under the bed."
He lept behind the bed. When Cerise started forward, grinning, he jumped up with a blanket in front of him.
"So cold in the dorm, isn't it?" he said.
"Drop the blanket - I see the fur on your toes," Cerise said.
"Is it that obvious?" he whined, still not removing the blanket.
Cerise sighed and pulled it away. She saw Daring, but he didn't look the same. In fact, he was a...
"Beast," Cerise said.
"Don't look at me! I'm hideous!" Daring said.
"Daring, listen to me. You're still yourself. You put all this focus on the outside instead of showing people who you are inside. And besides, maybe all this fur has something to do with your real destiny," Cerise comforted.
Daring perked up.
"You're right! I'm still charming, just in a more...furry way. I've got nothing to hide!" He turned and left.
"Oh gods," Cerise muttered, poking her head out of the doorway.
Daring was strutting down the hall, ignoring the gasps and shocked looks people gave him. At least, until a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Daring!" Apple White exclaimed. "What happened to you? You're a beast!"
"No, it's a phase!" Daring argued, much to the amusement of everyone there. "You think I'm a joke, don't you? Don't judge me!"
He turned and ran back to his room.
Faybelle was shrubbing another spot on the roof when a portal opened up and three fairy men in tutus flew out.
"We were sent by the Fairy Mobfather," one of them said. "Maybe you need a little somethin' somethin'?"
"Yes, you got my message! Fableous! Do you do castle restoration?" Faybelle questioned.
"You betcha. No mess too big," one of them said.
"Then get cracking!" Faybelle said bossily and rudely. "I've been working my wings off all day!"
"Yeah, yeah. Sure you have, doll," the first fairy said.
Another one of them flew up to Faybelle and said, "Just so we have an understanding, we provide valuable services, right? We solve your problem, you own us."
"Deal. Whatever after."
One of the fairies took out a piece of paper and asked Faybelle to sign, which she did without even reading the paper. The three fairies flew out and Faybelle sighed, expecting them to take a while. But a moment later, a voice said, "Okay kid. We're done."
Surprised, she looked up and saw that the school did indeed look perfect.
"Fairy fairy good job!" she complimented.
"Thanks doll. Here's your bill," one of the fairies said.
When Faybelle read the cost, she exclaimed, "Two hundred years of service! That's an ever after long time!"
"Welcome aboard, toots! We give you our time, you give us yours. That was the agreement. You signed."
Faybelle sighed. "So what kind of service would I be doing?"
"Eh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that."
"Mostly hard labor."
"She's not gonna be a problem, is she?"
"There's got to be another way," Faybelle begged.
The girls arrived at the ancient library, in hopes of finding a cure for the curse.
"The Library of Elders," Briar said in fascination as the girls walked down the school hall and to the regal marble doors.
Ashlynn walked over to the door and tried to pull the handles.
"Locked!" she exclaimed. "We can't catch a break!"
"I've got this!" Blondie exclaimed, walking forward. She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and used it to pick the lock. The girls pushed the door open, but where the library used to be, clinging to the cliffside, was a ledge of stone high above the school - a.k.a. certain death.
"Oe conjured library coming right up!" Farrah exclaimed. She waved her wand and grand halls and shelves piled with books appeared around them. The girls sighed, glad to be out of the snow and harsh wind.
"Farrah, I hope your goodfairy magic can hold our wait," Briar said, taking a cautious step forward.
Ignoring the fact that if the floor broke they would die, Crystal ran forward.
"Oh, wow!" she said happily, looking around. "Spelltacular!"
The girls joined her.
"Are you okay, Farrah?" Crystal asked, noticing their fairy friend was the only one who didn't join them.
"I need to stay here - to hold the spell," Farrah said.
The girls set off, knowing they only had until noon to find the ancient scroll of deep magic.
They stopped when they reached a wall made out of a bookshelf.
"A dead end," Blondie mused. "Unless..."
She walked forward and knocked on the shelf.
"There's a door here!" she exclaimed. "We've gotta look around for some sort of switch!"
The girls did just that. Crystal pulled on the books, looking for a lever. Ashlynn examined the statue of a man. Briar leaned against the bookshelf and pulled out her phone, planning to quickly text Hopper about what was happening. However, a moment later Blondie had pressed a button on the globe and the bookshelf fell back, making Briar fall too.
"Sorry," Blondie apologized. "I found the switch!"
They walked down and Blondie helped Briar up.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Then, the girls looked around and gasped. They were in a dark room with scrolls everywhere.
"The scroll of deep magic must be somewhere here," Crystal said.
The girls spread out and started looking for the scroll.
" 'The Lazy Mud Prince,' " Briar read aloud. "Ew! Glad he doesn't go to Ever After High."
" 'The Slippery Slippers.' I don't think I'd want a pair of those," Ashlynn said.
Crystal picked up a scroll, and accidentally sent the rest tumbling down. As she stumbled, she stepped on a scroll, which glowed golden under her foot.
Her friends caught her, and they all watched as the scroll unraveled itself and floated in front of them, waiting for them to come near.
They walked over and looked at it,
"This must be The Scroll of Deep Magic!" Ashlynn exclaimed.
"It explains how the Evil Queen's magic mirror was made," Briar said, scanning the scroll as words appeared on it. " 'Magic mirror glass is forged by goblins out of molten hot evil pixie dust!' "
" ' Exposure to particles of magic mirror glass can cause kindness blindness!' " Ashlynn continued, gasping at the end. "That sounds like what happened to Crystal's parents!"
"But does it talk about a cure?" Crystal asked.
"Aha!" she exclaimed. " 'Only the bouquet of the four roses of the seasons has the power to undo the kindness blindness curse. But the roses can only be revived from a spell by magic light.' How will we get that?"
"I know a girl," Briar said with a grin.
Crystal nodded, smiling. "An aromatherapy cure!'
"Talk about a strong perfume."
"These aren't just any roses. Each rose is one of a kind and there is one for every season. They're enchanted! There's some kind of riddle."
As she walked forward to read it, the scroll expanded and formed a circle around the girls so they could see what it said.
" 'Spring's Rose stands out, all alone,' " Blondie read out loud.
" 'Summer's Rose wears a disguise,' " Briar continued.
" 'The Rose of Fall hides in the crowd,' " Ashlynn said.
" 'The Rose of Winter's found inside!" Crystal finished.
"So we need to make a superpowered bouquet!" Ashlynn exclaimed. "Fableous! Where are they?"
"They're royal property, so each one is at the home of a different fairytale royal!" Crystal exclaimed.
"You know what that means!" Blondie said. "Road trip!"
"But which castles are they at?" Crystal asked.
As though hearing her question, the scroll's images and words changed once more.
"That's Sleeping Beauty's castle!" Blondie exclaimed.
"That's mine," Briar said.
"And look - there's my castle too!" Ashlynn said.
"And...Red Riding Hood's cottage?" Crystal said, confused. "I guess we'll just have to ask Cerise to come with us!"
Suddenly, the clock chimed twelve.
"Hurry up! I can't keep this magic going!" Farrah could be heard shouting.
The scroll rolled up and the girls stared in horror as the ground started to dissolve.
"But we didn't see the last castle!" Crystal shouted over the wind. "It could be anywhere!"
"Three out of four ain't bad!" Blondie exclaimed. "Let's run!"
As fast as they could, the girls turned and sprinted towards the entrance. A gap between the magic floor and the only real part of the library was appearing. Blondie, Briar, and Ashlunn jumped over it, but Crystal stopped, backing away from it.
"Crystal! Jump!" Ashlnn yelled.
"My pixies always help me when I'm in troub-"
"Your pixies aren't here! Now, jump!"
Taking a deep breath, Crystal jumped off the magic floor just as it dissolved. She was nearly with her friends when she slipped and nearly fell off the cliff.
"Hold on!" Ashlynn said urgently. Crystal's friends pulled, and all four of them flew through the doors and into the school, panting. They closed the door and Crystal said, "That was close. Farrah, you're amazing."
Faybelle watched the mirrorcast, where Blondie was talking with Briar, Ashlynn, and Crystal in the background.
"Crashing through magic ruins for a death defying jump that was just right! Crystal and her rescue team are about to embark on an epic quest to find a top secret magical thing and end this wicked winter! But we aren't leaving yet - there are a few additions to our team that we need to make. You'll find out who they are soon! Stay tuned, and stay toasty!"
"Whatever they're after sounds pretty important," Faybelle said to herself. "I bet it would be worth a lot to the right fairies..."
With a smirk, she turned and flew away, already plotting.
Daring looked up at Raven and Apple's dorm. He picked up a pebble and tossed it at the window.
"Hey, do you mind- Daring?" Apple said as she walked out.
"I need to talk to you," Daring said. Without waiting for an answer, he climbed up her balcony, making Apple gasp a little.
"Look, I know I must be hard to look at like this, but I do really need to talk to you."
"Is this about what I said in the hallway? Even if it's not, I'm really sorry, Daring. I was just surprised - I never meant to hurt your feelings," Apple said sincerely.
Daring smiled at her. "Thank you. But that isn't what I want to talk about. Things have been so awkward between us lately, and we need to fix that. We both know why my kiss didn't work on you - we never loved each other. And we both know it. We were never even really in a relationship! And we never will be. I think it's time we both let those prearranged destinies go."
Apple smiled genuinely - not the showy smile she usually wore.
"You mean...just be friends?"
Daring hesitated. "Well, as much as I want that to happen, I'm not sure if you'll want to be my friend after this confession I have to make."
He took a deep breath. "Apple, I have a girlfriend."
Apple blinked. "Already?"
"Not quite. I mean, I've had a girlfriend. For three months."
Apple's jaw dropped.
"What?! You were cheating on me?"
"No! Like I said, we were never together!"
"I- I can't believe this! Daring, how could you?" Apple said, near hysterics.
"Apple, I'm sorry! But at least you got to hear it from me! Wouldn't it be worse if you found out from a stranger or something?"
Apple was silent for a moment, then-
"Who is she?"
"If I tell you, you have to promise to keep it a secret. We're going public soon - sort of - and we don't want anyone to know before then."
Apple nodded. "I promise."
Daring took a deep breath. He had told Cerise what he was doing, and she had told him she wanted Apple to know it was her. That she thought it would be kinder for her to find out this way.
"Cerise."
Apple sighed. "Well, I hope you two are happy together. Maybe someday we can be friends, but I don't think I'm ready to forgive you just yet."
With those words, she turned and walked back into her room, closing the door behind her.
"Well, it could have been worse," Cerise tried to comfort Daring. "At least she didn't scream or hit you or something?"
"Why did I tell her myself? What is wrong with me?!"
Suddenly, a voice behind the two exclaimed, "What the hex?!"
The couple turned to see Ashlynn, Blondie and Crystal. They were staring at Daring as though they had never seen him.
"What? Have you never seen a cursed guy before?" Daring asked.
Cerise rolled her eyes. "Guys, it's Daring. And he's just a bit grumpy."
The girls smiled and walked over to them.
"That's new news," Blondie said.
"Well, curses have been going around lately," Crystal said.
"What's up?" Cerise asked them.
"We need you help," Ashlynn said. She quickly explained the situation. "And the only cure to the curse is the roses of the seasons, and one of them is at your house so we're going there."
Cerise froze. She turned and forced a smile.
"Sorry, what?"
"We're going to your house to get a rose. Why is a rose at your house anyways?" Briar repeated.
"No reason," Cerise said, still with a forced smile. "If you'll excuse me, I need to make a quick call."
She pulled her cell phone out and hurried into the restroom. Suddenly, they heard her scream, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! NO SERVICE! WHEN I SEE WHOEVER CURSED THE SNOW KING I'M GOING TO SICK A PACK OF WOLVES ON THEM!"
The girls turned to Daring, who said, "I'm not gonna be the one explaining that."
The girls walked down the stairs. Cerise had invited Daring along, claiming since he was a beast he could help them. The girls had bought it, and their secret was safe.
"So, where's Briar?" Cerise asked.
"Getting help. The scroll said only 'magic light' could break a curse on the roses. She said she knew who to get, but wouldn't tell us who," Crystal said.
A moment later, they had their answer. The girls had just reached the bottom on the steps when Briar and Eve sprinted around the corner.
"We're here!" Eve exclaimed.
"Ohhh," all the girls said.
"I said I knew how to get magic light," Briar said with a grin. "Eve said the demigods' powers temporarily stopped when the Evil Queen was here because she cast a spell on them, but they're fine now and she can help us."
"So let's get started!" Eve exclaimed.
Unknown to them, behind one of the dragon statues at the entrance Faybelle took out her phone and called a number.
"Okay, Mobfairies," she said. "I have a proposal. If I can get you something extremely valuable, will you let me off the hook for my debt?"
"I donno, whatcha got?"
"We don't really negotiate."
"How about a magic cure to the most evil curses ever after?" Faybelle said confidently.
"We're listenin' "
"You have three days, or we double your debt."
The call ended.
"I call the front!" Daring said, ready to sit down on the old, worn sleigh.
Suddenly, a voice said, "Wait up girls! I'm in!" and Faybelle flew down to them.
"Faybelle has a thing about inviting herself," Briar whispered to Crystal. "Kinda part of our Sleeping Beauty story."
"Oh, come on! With Farrah taking a break, you could use a little fairy magic," Faybelle said. "Don't you wanna travel in style?"
She waved her hand, and the old sleigh transformed into a beautiful blue one with Daring at the front, ready to pull the sleigh.
The girls smiled and were about to enter the sleigh when Faybelle said, "HEy, wait a spell! You wouldn't survive a day out there in those rags!" she motioned to their outfits. "How about something a little bit warmer?"
She waved her hands, and their normal clothes transformed into furry and warm dresses and boots. The girls laughed in delight, and spun around, admiring their outfits.
"When I called the front, this is not what I had in mind," Daring said as the girls entered the sleigh.
But, he still pulled, and the heroes were off!
However, they didn't know what they were leaving behind. And the moment they were gone, the dragon statue in front of the school turned into Jackie Frost.
She walked over to the griffin statue and tapped on it's leg. A moment later, the statue turned into Northwind, who stumbled and fell.
Ignoring his fall, Jackie said, "Crystal is trying to fix things herself!"
"But, Jackie, Crystal never does things herself," Northwind said from the floor. "That's why she has us servants."
"Had, Northwind," Jackie said, yanking him up. "Our days of serving are done. But to make sure it stays that way, it looks like we're gonna have to close the book on Crystal's story ourselves. You're not getting cold feet, are you?"
"Uh...kind of," Northwind said, holding up one of his feet - which was literally frozen. "Can we switch to claws?"
"Fine. Let's stop this 'rescue mission' in its tracks," Jackie said. She turned into an owl and flew away, and Northwind followed a bit less gracefully.
The girls arrived in the middle of the woods. A path had been cleared - but well hidden - and Cerise had led them. To everyone but Daring's confusion, she seemed on the verge of a panic attack. It didn't help that Blondie insisted on filming everything.
They got out and walked over to a beautiful two-story cottage with a rose garden (sort of, it was frozen at the moment).
Cerise took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. A moment later, it was opened by none other than Ramona Badwolf, who's entire face lit up when she saw Cerise. Maybe if she had seen the others, she would have been a bit more cautious. But she only had eyes for her little sister.
"Cerise!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her sister and hugging her tightly.
Cerise's nerves faded a bit and she thought, Well, if they want the truth I'm gonna give it to them.
"Hi big sis," she said. Everyone except Daring gasped, and that caused Ramona to let go of Cerise and look up. Her eyes landed on the camera, and she cursed.
"Hey! This is supposed to be family friendly!" Blondie said.
"Do I look like I care?" Ramona snapped. "Now turn that camera off or I'll do it for you!" She turned to Cerise and her face softened. "Come on - Mom's been worrying about you and Dad none stop."
Cerise turned to her friends and said, "I think you guys better come in."
Cliffhanger! Sort of. So I tried to brew up some mystery about Cerise's life. Daring is the only one who knows the full truth - even you don't know it. Why do you think Cerise's mom has the Rose of Spring?
Also, I created a poll on my profile for which story I should do next. Please go on it and vote! I know it's a bit early, but I'm not a major writer so I thought I would post it early.
As always, please review and thank you for reading!
-Creator of Magic