Rather than deal with the dwarf mouse girl the brothers quickly made haste towards the Hatter. Dee went high with twisting his body to perform a whip kick onto Jefferson's waiting scissor daggers, but when he threw off Dee, who flew away in a backflip, Dum was there running quickly with his sickle blade to cut open the Hatter's chest. But Dorma though small was quick to jump in between the two catching the sickle blades with her saber. With a twist of her blade and an elbow to the gut Dum dropped his blades trying to catch his breath. Jefferson wasted no time to try his luck at Dee running full force bringing his weapon onto the unsuspected crazed twin, still, Dee was faster. Within seconds Dee brings his pair of sickle blades up in defense but where he excelled in speed he lacked in strength. The blunt force of Jefferson's swing was enough to force Dee onto one of his knees.
"You don't have to do this Dee."Jefferson said with gritted teeth. "We can defeat her. All we have to do is-"
"Wait for the frabjous day to arrive right?" Dee interrupted before cackling madly. "Don't make me laugh Hightopp. Dum and I are done waiting for some savior to come!" Through anger, he rose from the ground pushing back against the hatter. "Even if it means betraying you lot! I will do everythin' to protect my brotha ye hear me everythin'!" He swings the sword out of his way as he roundhouse kicked the hatter to the ground causing dirt and grass to fill his mouth and the beginning of a splitting headache. But Dee leaves him as he comes to his brother's aid just as Dorma is about to give a blow to his head. Quickly he dropkicks Dorma in her stomach with everything he has away from the two of them. She lands on her back hard and it's clear she was hurt, but the spirited young mouse rose from the ground still willing to fight.
Dee and Dum look at each other as they smirk wickedly before running towards their prey. This time there's no distraction or any flashy hand to hand. Just old fashion swordplay, but Dorma isn't a fool nor a coward. She too runs forward swinging her saber at Dee, but he bends backward as he slides under her swing. She nicks a few strands of his bangs but nothing more. Still, she doesn't let this deter her as she faces Dum and the swing of his own sickle blades. Rather than defend she barrel-rolled under Dum's swing but then slashes the back of his knees making the brother cry out in pain as he falls onto his hands and knees.
"Brotha!" Dee screeches in rage but then a hat pin whizzes out of nowhere landing straight into his eye making him cry out in pain as he gingerly clutches his face taking a few steps back.
"Dee! Dum calls trying to get up but it's no use he's wounded too badly to help. Dorma sighed as Jefferson joined her side grasping her shoulder. They had won their fight so what to do now?
Alice, Martii, and Chester all raced out of Jefferson's home to meet them in all smiles and laughter, but it was cut short by a loud roar from the opposite end of them. From a dark path no one ever dared to go. Or ever came back alive from.
Dee and Dum laughed madly at the sound even though it too could mean their demise. So long as the others were dead they couldn't care less. For out of the darkness came another Grimm, a big-chested hunchback yet sickly skinny black cat-like creature with wicked white claws that looked to be overgrown from the creature's humongous paws. Tiny white spines that gave the illusion of spots covered the top of its body. But what gave away the creature's presence was the thumping of its humongous tail that walloped the ground leaving dents in the dirt every time it moved. A Bandersnatch as Alice recalled it.
She remembered this creature from once upon a time when her fear had gotten the better of her and she had sent the creature away. It seemed Grimm remembered her to for when its soulless red eyes met her own its wide mouth grew into a snarl revealing small yet very sharp teeth. It then roared causing a gust of wind to push back the others a bit and knock off Alice's hood from her head. Her long rose gold locks spilled from its contents as her silver eyes glared at the creature. She heard a string of gasps from the others but paid no mind to the meaning behind them. Rather she kept her focus on the Grimm before her as she took out Vorpal and her shield.
The others, including Dee and Dum, watched in awe as pink and white rose petals began to burst from Alice's hood creating an important scene from a treasured book that a dear friend had read to them once when they were all younger. The small scribbled picture had depicted a young lady, hood down, and surrounded by rose petals about to slay one of the dark creatures that had plagued their land. The person had been fabled to be their liberator, their champion that would save wonderland. It seemed too good to be true, but even it wasn't they couldn't avert their eyes from Alice's back. Eager to watch a prophecy unfold. Or watch her die in Dee and Dum's case.
Alice wasted no time running towards the creature who roared as it charged as well. Twisting her body at the last second, she sliced its side making the creature roar out in pain, but it too pulled the same maneuver as it twirled in place to swing its tail onto Alice's middle. The air in her lungs escaped her as she flew away from the creature a few feet away. She bounced on her back but still was able the momentum to backflip onto her feet and then launched herself forward. She ran forward this time jumping over the oncoming walloping tail. Quickly bringing the sword down the Bandersnatch's tail came off clean making black pools of blood paint the ground.
The Bandersnatch roared again as it swatted at her. Alice held her shield up as she deflected its attack but its strength proved much more than originally thought. She struggled to keep the Bandersnatch's claws away from her but it proved to be too much. The Bandersnatch's strength won out as it pushed the girl onto her knees ready to crush her. It was then Alice was beginning to fear for her life just like how she did back then.
But a loud and proud battle cry pierced through the fear in Alice's heart as Dorma Mauz came to Alice's aid. She pierced her blade into the Bandersnatch's eye effectively taking it out of its eye socket, making the Bandersnatch release a painful cry as it turned its attention to Dorma. The eye evaporated into black dust immediately, but that didn't stop the monster from raising its claws to tear apart the spirited young mouse.
But in a blink of an eye, a teacup hurled across the lawn hitting the creature's face stunning it for a moment as it stood on its hind legs. Alice looked over to see Martii despite being an old hare with very little grip on reality, had been the one to jump into action. Wasting no time Alice gets up again to slash the Bandersnatch's underbelly releasing a stream of black dust, but it still didn't kill the creature. Rather it only angered it even more. It landed on its front paws growling as it kicked up dirt ready to charge at Alice and Dorma.
"This isn't working." Alice thought trying to think of a way to vanquish the creature quickly. Her eyes were a possibility, but only for emergency situations. She could create a portal, but how would that solve...It was then a mad impossible idea form into Alice's head. Crazy enough that it could work.
"Dorma!" She called to the mouse gaining her attention. "The moment the creature charges. I want you to get out of the way."
"What?" Dorma cried out in surprise. "Are ye mad?" But Alice merely smiled at her as her confidence and courage started to take root again. She could do this after all she was born to help others before herself.
"Trust me, please." She said and all Dorma could do was nod in promise.
The Bandersnatch roared as it charged while Dorma simultaneously barrel-rolled out of the way. Alice concentrated and within seconds a portal burst in an array of rose petals from the ground underneath the Bandersnatch who was just mere feet away from Alice. Once it fell through Alice followed suit diving headfirst after the Bandersnatch and in an instant, the portal disappeared leaving everyone perplexed. But rather than go to a new world or back to the world from whence they came from. Both the Bandersnatch and Alice arrived ten feet above from where they were ten seconds ago. The dark creature hurled towards the ground waving its humongous paws in a feeble attempt to keep Alice away from it as it tried to twist its body to land on its feet. But Alice was unphased as she straightened her body with her blade drawn close to her ready to strike. She plummeted faster gaining speed towards the creature. With one swift strike of her sword, she sliced the Bandersnatch's head clean off. Just as how Jefferson, Chester, Dorma, and the others had remembered seeing it done, from way back when.
She landed on her feet as both body and the head landed with a loud thud. They didn't fade quickly as most Grimm do, rather they faded quietly with the wind carrying away the black dust into the lonely dark forest from whence it came. The girl smiled to herself as both Dorma and Martii came to embrace Alice offering heartfelt praise for slaying the dark creature while both Jefferson and Chester watched from a short distance with intrigued expressions. Jefferson moreover than Chester. The Blood Brother's though impressed tried to use the distraction as a means to an escape, but Alice was quick to notice.
"Wait!" She called out to the twins making them stop on their tracks. Both boys turned over to their shoulders unsure what the young woman could possibly want, but when she reached them she tore a long strip off the bottom of her hooded cloak, then tore into thirds. Striking the brothers and the others as odd.
First, she bandaged Dum's knees careful not to make them too tight so the boy could still walk or hobble depending on how bad his injury was. By Alice's conclusion, it would probably be a rough walk to wherever they had come from. She then turned to Dee looking at his eye, it could be saved if Wonderlanders had an aura, but by now Alice figured that this wasn't the case. Meaning the poor boy would probably lose it, still... leaving it to fester and become infected was certainly out of the question.
Silently she bandaged his eye as gingerly as she could taking note of any sign of discomfort his expression gave away. Both Dee and Dum were perplexed by her kindness. That someone like her who unlike anything they've ever seen would tear their our garments to mend their pain. To provide some form of comfort. From her small kind smile to her shimmering silver eyes that shined like moonlight. Eyes, unlike anything they've ever seen.
Howls sang throughout the area as a pack of 3 very large Alpha-Beowolves appeared from the forest, each deliberately coming from a different angle. Making sure no one could come in or escape. Everyones' fear spiked as Grimm growled and slowly stalked around them getting closer and closer.
"More dark creatures?" Martii shouted pulling his ears over his eyes shaken with fear.
"Where'd they come from?" Dorma cried shakingly drawing her saber.
"They must've heard the commotion from earlier," Jefferson growled as he to drew his scissors appearing unphased by the gaze of the Grimm's red eyes as they locked on their prey. Chester too remained unfazed as his eyes drifted to Alice and the brothers. Alice looked also calm as she closed her eyes taking a deep breath. Whereas like Chester both Dee and Dum watched Alice from behind curious of what she would do next. A problem Chester would have to deal with later.
The Beowolves howled again as they charged just as both Dorma and Jefferson were also ready to charge headfirst into battle. Quickly the cat grasped their shoulders pulling them back towards himself and the shivering hare.
"Wait." He said seconds before the same blinding light that Chester had witnessed earlier enveloped them all in its brilliance. When it faded as Alice blinked a few times the Beowolves had not been vaporized as Chester had expected. Rather they had been turned to stone, each frozen forever in a different position from their neighbor. Where they would remain forevermore.