And I'm back!
I can not express how much I love you guys right now. 16 reviews in just the first hour and a half. That's faster than any other story I've ever worked on; even We're All Monsters didn't do this well. Guess that myth about the sequel never being quite as good is false in some ocassions ;)
But of course, I can't take all the credit. That's what you guys are for! Thank your for leaving all your wonderful comments and ideas in the reviews below; I honestly don't know where this story would be right now without people like Codecrash, Kaiju Fan, Morantis, Megatron the Angel of Ideas, and Titanzilla, just to name a few. Really, I have to thank you all for giving this story such big support. It really means a lot to me.
But I bet you're tired of my sniveling and groveling now, aren't you? Well, you'll have to wait a little longer because I have to give credit where credit is due; everyone give Kaiju Fan a round of applause! Yes, bow down to them and start groveling and sniveling like me! Now then, on to the review answers!
Megatron the Angel of Ideas – I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!
superfanman217 – Glad you enjoy reading it as much as I love writing it.
Linkonpark100 – I honestly have no idea what that is, but if you think that's what it was influenced by, then good on ya, mate!
Redrangerlegacy – You bring a lot to table; A fight between Cerise and Clawdeen would technically be a dogfight, would it not? And Paradox understanding Riddlish and being able to hear the Narrators? Well, the dude did go insane for a bit, so it's pretty plausible. As for Raven . . . my lips are sealed.
Darkness Rissing – Ha, ha, ha! Oh, I swear these reviews are a regular chuckle factory! Anyways, I can't reveal too much without giving away the chapter, but let's just say that what Raven finds is not what she expects. As for Blitzwolfer discovering Cerise's secret . . . well, you'll just have to see XD
Codecrash – Glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, though you deserve some of the credit. And I have to agree: Raven and Cerise are my two favorite characters of the show, with Sparrow Hood being my third favorite simply because he's hilarious to watch when he fails. And yes, Apple's in for the surprise of her life . . .
kival737101 – Thank you, thank you very much.
Royal Rebel – Yeah, that seems to be the majority of things. Looks like Dexter's gonna need a huge smackeroo upside the head!
Dragonsaurus – No, you didn't make me mad. You could never make me mad with suggested couples. Really, they were really thoughtful and a lot of people actually agree with you on it.
Titanzilla – I plan to, my friend. I'm glad you enjoy my and Codecrash's work.
Kaiju Fan – She is trapped in Mirror Prison, but that's the thing about prisons and jails: they're meant to be escaped from. As for you ideas . . . OH, MY RA, YOU ARE A GENIUS! Codecrash would be proud.
Lord Dominator – I won't reveal the entire harem, but I can guarantee that Raven and Cerise are a part of it. And Cupid will finally be with the prince she loves (once he gets some sense knocked into him, that is).
New Universe Returns – Yeah, my updates are usually fast and quick, with a week of inactivaty between chapter's most of the time; sometimes I'm just weighed down by life and have to push this aside for a while (annoying, I know).
masterart – Maddie is also one of my favorite characters; her upbeat and insane personality just make me laugh, especially whenever she's talking to the Narrators and people think she's just crazy. As for Paradox . . . well, you'll just have to see ;)
luciayshadow – I'm glad you enjoyed We're All Monsters! And don't worry; with what have planned, things are going to get messy. Very, very, very, very messy. Even Ball Weevil wouldn't be able to clean it up.
Dethroned King Umbros – No, no it is not wrong to want to do that. Personally, I don't like Headmaster Grimm very much either (I like his brother, Giles, better), but you just can't deny that it's hilarious when he gets what's coming to him. As for you idea, this actually makes a lot of sense; I imagine Giles would be more kind to the characters, but Headmaster Grimm seems to be that kind of person once he has a good enough reason to do so.
DracoAngel17 – You are pathetic, young grasshopper Daring! You must shatter your mirror and brush your teeth three times a day so that one day you will have ears like mine!
IcySnowSage – I can't for sure safetly say what Whisp's response would be, but I'm Gigi would at least recognize Giles. As for your second question, Cupid's Crystal Ball and Once Upon a Tennyson do not exist in the same universe.
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!
Onwards!
F.N: It seems Blitzwolfer, or should we say, Ben, has caused quite a stir. And it wasn't even the end of the day yet!
M.N:Will you get on with the narration? The reader is getting impatient.
F.N: Stop breaking the fourth wall! There was already enough of that in the last story with that Genie and-
M.N:Now who's breaking the fourth wall? Anyway, it seemed that the new student had caught more than just the attention of Raven Queen. He also had seem to elicited a small movement in Cerise Hood's otherwise mostly frozen heart; could True Love be brewing?
F.N: Really? Your just going to end it like that?
M.N:Yes, yes I am!
F.N: But what if the reader gets bored?
M.N: Again with the breaking of the fourth wall! Fine. Have it your way.
F.N: I always do. But not all was bright and happy as it seemed. In addition to the Headmaster's patience slowly wearing thin with the latest student his school had collected, dark forces were at work. Dark, evil forces that had slept in quiet slumber for almost ten years without much movement. For ten whole years, the dark force had remained silent and inactive, bidding its time.
Until now.
M.N: Really? That's where you're going to end it?
F.N: Oh, shut up!
Blitzwolfer scratched his head as he watched what was happening before him. A full grown grizzly bear standing well over nine feet tall on its hind legs, wearing a pair of spectacles, and a red and black vest over a plain white shirt was trying to calm down the crowd of hexcited boys and girls before him, their constant chattering and talking starting to put the bear at his wits end before he final let out a loud and angry roar from his jaws that quickly silenced the class.
"Thank you." Poppa Bear breathed, recomposing himself as he took off his spectacles and cleaned them with a rag. "Now, I'm sure you are all very impressed by Mr. Wolf's . . . performance on the Save the Damsel in Distress course, but please hold all of that off until class is over." the bear asked kindly.
Word of Blitzwolfer's skills and destruction of the Save the Damsel in Distress course in Heroics 101 spread like wildfire, instilling fear and awe in the students of Ever After High; Daring had fallen into a stuttering mess, unable to comprehend that his record had been completely obliterated by not only a villain, but a wolf of all creatures, Tiny was now utterly terrified of someone who was utterly dwarfed by him could do as much damage as a giant could, and Cerise had been more quiet and reserved than before, though she seemed to walk with a slight spring in her step wherever she went. If the downfall of the Save the Damsel in Distress course wasn't enough to whisper about in the halls and in class when the teacher's back was turned, one could snicker and chuckle at the look on Headmaster Grimm's face when Blitzwolfer had told him off. And then one could marvel at the man's colorful vocabulary that he spouted off once the classes had left him alone on the field; it was loud enough to hear crystal clear in the majority of the classes on the first and second floors.
A series of loud and absolutely furious roars caught the student's attention and they all turned their heads in a random ripping motion towards the noise. Strolling up the lawn towards them was a small platoon of enchanted suits of armor, each one tightly holding onto the thick and heavy chain that hung around the long, serpentine neck of a gigantic and ragging dragon the size of which no one had ever seen before. Each of the nearly dozen or so deadly beasts had to be nearly sixty feet long and the wings that folded up and forced them to walk like a prehistoric pterosaur had to be nearly double that if the enormous bulk of the dragon was to ever be lifted off the ground. Colors of the armored, fire-proof scales ranged from a crimson red to deep purple with faded, yellow underbellies and crisp, reptilian eyes that glowed like the embers of a dying fire. Patches of black spots covered their bodies, a series of fleshy barbels hung from their chins, a rack of impressive, black horns curved out and back from behind their skulls; it was perhaps the most distinctive feature about them, with the exception of massive underbite of razor-sharp teeth jutting out from its jaw.
Poppa Bear coughed loudly in order to return the attention back to him. "Now then, as I'm sure you've all have noticed, today we will be working with the Gruesome Horror. Before we begin I would like to remind you all that these are wild dragons and should be treated as such, meaning the only one to get through to them is to show them who is the alpha dragon before they, er, eat you." the ursine finished awkwardly. To be fair, the most dangerous part of the Gruesome Horror – the mouths – were clamped shut by a strong, iron muzzle that was just out of reach of its semi-dexterous claws. The rest of the dragon however, was free to do whatever it wanted, especially with those wicked claws of theirs that they would most likely not hesitate to employ if they became too agitated.
Ashlynn flinched slightly next to Blitzwolfer and unconsciously tried to hide behind him when she caught sight of the rough handling the Gruesome Horrors were receiving. Most of the methods used in Beast Training and Care were simple enough for most creatures and she normally had no qualms about them; if the lesson required fighting an animal simply just to get it to listen to you however. . . she didn't want any part of it. Unfortunately, there was no getting out of the class, since all fairy tale princesses were required to have some knowledge of animal training, considering their connection to the woodland creatures of the Enchanted Forest.
"Now then, find a partner and pair up, one boy per girl." Poppa Bear instructed as the magical suits of armor stopped next to him and tightened their grip on the dragon's chains. Everyone was quick to pair up with one another, leaving Blitzwolfer all alone to handle a dragon by himself. Not that anyone doubted he wouldn't be able to do it.
Hunter gulped nervously as an enchanted suit of armor strode up and handed him a heavy chain in one of its gloved hands and a gigantic Gruesome Horror attached to the other end. The dragon glowered heavily at the huntsman with its fiery, ember eyes fixed tightly on him as if daring to try and get it to sit and roll over like a dog; the size of the flying reptile however, was more than enough to intimidate Hunter into simply just standing there, completely transfixed.
"Pssst! Ashlynn!" Hunter hissed out of the corner of his mouth without taking his eyes off of the Grusome Horror; he had learned a long time ago from his parents (specifically his mother) that animals were more likely to attack distracted prey than prey that knew they were there. "Can you try talking to it? See if it's willing to cooperate?"
Ashlynn swallowed nervously when she caught sight of the murderous look in the dragon's eyes and the puff of hot smoke that came from its nostrils. "I-I can try," she inhaled a deep breath. "I've never talked to a dragon before . . . at least, not one this big."
"Well, do it quickly!" Hunter yelled as the dragon pulled back its head and reared up onto its hind legs with its wings spread wide for support. Before the Son of the Huntsman could scream much more, the Gruesome Horror bellowed and roughly snapped its head to the right, yanking Hunter in that direction like a fly on a fishing rod and smashing him into the ground. The beast then jerked its head back up a second time and swung its head back to the left, once more pulling Hunter in that direction and slamming him against the ground its head; the huntsman was then wrenched out of the dirt and into the air one final time before the dragon beat him back against the ground and growled venomously at him, seriously annoyed that it hadn't managed to get Hunter to let go of the chain.
If it was any consolation, Hunter wasn't the only being thrown around like a ragdoll.
Dexter Charming screamed at the top of his lungs as he held onto the end of his own Gruesome Horror's horns while the wyvern swooped and rolled through the air at a breakneck speed in an effort to throw the nerdy prince off its back. Dexter simply kept his focus on trying not to fall to his doom and keeping the golden crown he wore on his head and his glasses from falling off his face as the wind blasted against his ears. His blue waist coat fluttered out behind him like a cape in the breeze as the dragon dove downwards through the air before swiftly pulling up into a steep incline and then proceeding to go through a series of barrel rolls and loops. "F-Fear not, Apple! I-I-I've got this under control!" he yelled.
"If you say so, Dexter!" Apple called from down below, wincing as the dragon suddenly went into a tight corkscrew in an attempt to throw Dexter flying off into the distance; to his credit, the Son of Prince Charming had a vice-like grip that prevented him from plummeting to his doom. Apple sighed as she watched her partner getting thrown around like a ragdoll, silently wistfully wishing that Daring was here to help them; the prince had a way with dragons it seemed that no one could quite explain. Unfortunately, Daring was still in shock about having his record shattered mere hours ago and still wasn't over it, which was slightly irritating.
More screams and panicked cries echoed across the field as other students were having trouble controlling their Gruesome Horrors, having their legs swept out from under them by the snake-like tails and narrowly avoiding the sharp claws. It seemed no one could rein in the temperamental fireb-breathing reptiles.
Except for Blitzwolfer, apparently.
Apple watched in surprise as the Loboan scratched his dragon's armored belly, the animal panting happily like an over grown puppy dog; it was by far the biggest dragon out of the bunch by at least a few more feet with blood red scales laced with wild, black stripes and three pairs of horns fixed to the back of its skull in addition to the dozen or so barbels and growths on its chin. What surprised and possibly frightened Apple even more was that the Gruesome Horror's heavy, iron muzzle, thick collar, and chain leash were lying discarded on the grass; Blitzwolfer's dragon was more than happy to reward him with a warm lick up the length of his furry body.
Apple gaped in awe as several more students took notice. "How did you do that?"
Blitzwolfer chuckled as he scratched the massive dragon under its chin, its tongue lolling out of the cage of teeth. "Easy," he grinned. "Just show 'em a little respect. A dragon won't stay made at ya if ya just let 'im know you respect their authority as an apex predator and give 'im a friendly hand on its snout."
Ashlynn bit her lip while Hunter slowly climbed to his feet – sudden movements tended to be a no-no when it came to taming animals – and let the weight iron chain fall from his grip; the dragon remained where it was, curious as to what the chewy slab of meat before it was planning. The huntsman inhaled a deep breath to try and keep himself from shaking and simultaneously wetting himself in the process and reached forward with a trembling, shivering hand. He never broke eye contact with the ferocious, fire-breathing beast that dwarfed him simply by existing, knowing full well that if that iron muzzle wasn't tightly clamped over its jaws, he could very well be a broiled meal right now digesting in the dragon's belly; even with the muzzle offering some form of protection, the claws and sheer, brute strength of the Gruesome Horror alone was enough to kill him on the spot, and he had to admire that with fear stricken awe.
Ashlynn held her breath (as did most of the class) as her boyfriend carefully placed his hand on the Gruesome Horror's snout, right between the pair of flaring nostrils and just below a small nose horn that reminded Hunter of a rhinoceros. During the whole ordeal he never pulled hi gaze away from the dragon and in turn the dragon never pulled its gaze away from him, the smoldering embers starring intently at him as if examining his soul to see what his intentions were. The skin of the Gruesome Horror's nose felt rough and armored beneath his fingers yet oddly smooth and warm as well, like the calloused skin of a dwarf's arm (Hunter wasn't sure how he knew what that felt like).
"Nice dragon?" he winced, fully expecting to be attacked.
What happened next however, was something he hadn't expected to happen in a million years. He had heard tales of dragon riders mounting their fiery beasts and taking to the skies, fighting through thick and thin side by side like a pair of war hardened warriors that had known each other since the day they had entered the world; he hadn't expected to ever seen someone bond with a dragon bigger than they were and yet . . . the Gruesome Horror shivered its jaw and slithered its long neck forward, gently nuzzling Hunter's chest with affection. Shocked and feeling thrilled at the same time, the Son of the Huntsman reached out with his hand and carefully scratched a spot behind the wyvern's horns that was just out of reach of its claws, watching with surprise and a hint of amusement as the Gruesome Horror nearly collapsed with pleasure.
"Where did you learn this?" Ashlynn giggled as the Gruesome Horror turned its attention to her and cocked its head like a curious parrot. She smiled brightly and reached with calming hands, scratching it in a rough manner that felt gentle to beasts with tough skin under its chin and along its jaw before her fingers grazed against the iron muzzle; the dragon seemed to droop at that and Ashlynn couldn't help but feel her heart clench. She couldn't stand to see an animal even the slightest bit sad, even if that animal was easily ten times her size. Before Hunter could try to stop her she reached up with a quick yet cautious touch and grabbed hold of the thick, leather straps that were out of reach of the dragon's claws and began to untie them. The muzzle fell to the ground a few seconds later with a deep thump! and Ashlynn gave an almighty scream that quickly dissolved into a fit of giggles when the dragon happily licked her with its forked tongue.
Blitzwolfer grinned. "A friend mind o' mine taught me. Most dragons don't wanna fight. Show 'em a little respect or scratch an itch they can't reach, and they're ya friend forever." he chuckled knowingly. "You could say she kinda knew how to speak their language."
"Make a note of that." Poppa Bear whispered to one of the suits of armor as the students stopped trying to wrestle their dragons into submission – which would have been a ridiculous idea in the first place, considering how big the average Gruesome Horror got – and instead began to follow Blitzwolfer's example with much better results. In fact, the worst injury anyone sustained was when they were slammed into the ground by an over affectionate dragon that got a little too hexcited when Dexter discovered that scratching a wyvern under the forked tongue made them – for lack of a better term – extremely happy.
Before long the bell rang, signaling that the students were forced to bid the flock of Gruesome Horrors – who hadn't lived up to their name for a good majority of the class, thankfully – farewell before the enchanted suits of armor led them back to the dragon stables beneath the school with a lot more cooperation than it took to drag them out in the first place. As much as Apple was relieved that no one had been turned into crispy, smoked bacon, she couldn't help but feel that something was . . . off. With nothing against the dragons, weren't heroic knights and princes supposed to slay them and cut them down to save the princess or damsel in distress, not tame them with belly rubs and treats? Her gut was telling her that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She instead decided to shrug it off for the time being as she hurried off to her next class.
Unbeknownst to the students, the Headmaster was watching from the forest that ringed the school, tucked just behind a row of bushes and grasses as he watched the students head back towards the school. He had seen the whole thing with his own eyes, and he was not happy about in the slightest; that Blitzwolfer was starting to annoy him. First, he showed up one of his most important students in class and made him look like an utter fool in front of the students, now he was teaching them a better way to train dragons when the stories called for the dragons to be slain? If he didn't something quick, the Headmaster would lose all respectability he had and the Rebels would slowly gain more ground.
The Rebels were like a dragonfly infestation: no matter what one used, they always came back in stronger force than before, getting harder and harder to get rid of than the last time. And pretty soon enough, he wouldn't be able to exterminate them. He had to end the problem before it got any worse, and it seemed the most likely way to do that was to solve the problem at the source.
He had to get rid of Blitzwolfer. One way or another.
"Sign the book!" Headmaster Grimm roared angrily, thrusting a quilled pen into Raven's fingers.
"N-no! Raven argued, throwing the quill back at him and succeeding in striking him in the face. "I don't want to sign and I never will sign it!" she yelled. "I'm not bad! I'm good! I want to be good!"
"I'm afraid, Ms. Queen that you do not have a say in the matter." Headmaster Grimm snarled as his eyes flashed that horrible purple once more while he snapped his fingers. Raven gulped nervously and looked around her, gasping with horror when she saw the dark knights marching down the isle of the courtyard's stage, two rows marching down the red carpet in extreme precision. Between either knight was one of Raven's friends, beaten and in chains. Maddie was at the head of grotesque parade, one of her eyes blackened and swollen shut while her nose and bottom lip dripped with blood, staining her teeth and tattered dress red. Cerise followed next, her right leg dragging limp and twisted at an unnatural angle as blood dripped from several wounds in her mouth where her teeth had been pulled out; her hood was no longer there, exposing her wolf ears, but leaving raw and bruised skin around her neck where the hood's clasps had rubbed against the skin when the knights had unkindly tried to tear it away. More and more of her tortured students followed, most of them either unconscious or barely awake to groan try to plead Raven to not listen to the cruel Headmaster.
Raven brought her hands to her face, squeezing her eyes shut as she covered them with her palms. "Why are you doing this?" she choked, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Because leave me no other choice, you insolent girl!" Headmaster Grimm snarled as he roughly grabbed Raven by the arm and shoved her towards the open pages of the Storybook of Legends. "If you do not sign the books, then your friends pay the price and it will be all your fault!"
"N-no! No it's not!" Raven protested.
"It is, you annoying girl!" Grimm growled as he began to change before Raven's very eyes. She watched with horror as the Headmaster convulsed and twitched uncontrolably, his potbelly stomach pinching almost painfully as he thinned out, his butt and chest swelling outwards as his thick, rough fingers shrank and became more delicate looking as his nails grew into sharp claws. His legs thinned as his shoulder shrunk down, his bulbous face molding and morphing into something more heart-shaped. His mustache was sucked into his lip as his dark, gray hair flashed midnight black with purple streaks done up in a crown-shaped updo as his eyes flashed a dark purple. Raven trembled and fell to her knees as her mother, the Evil Queen, emerged from Headmaster Grimm, shaking off the disguise as she cackled loudly and towered over her daughter.
"Sign the book, you pathetic insect!" she hissed, a forked tongue slipping out from between her perfect teeth.
"N-no! No, please! Don't make me sign it!" Raven cried, scooting backwards away from her mother until she was caught against the Storybook of Legend's podium; the Evil Queen cackled darkly at seeing her daughter trapped like the rat she was, her claw-like fingers flexxing as she stalked forward, licking her lips hungrily as Raven covered her face, silently praying for a quick death or some sort of divine intervention.
"Stop trying, you miserable brat!" the Evil Queen snarled. "Nothing can save you now!" The villainess hissed and lunged at Raven, her hands clenched tightly into stinging hooks that were fully prepared to grab the trembling girl before her by the throat and choke her to death, eager to feel her nails digging into her daughter's skin and drip with her blood.
CLANG!
Raven cracked open her violet eyes and looked up in terror and awe, wondering why the life wasn't slowly ebbing away from her as her mother slowly choked her to death. Standing over her with closed eyes and a grim expression was a large, roughly humanoid creature with crystalized skin all over his body. His exposed arms were huge and shined in the dim light like the diamonds they were as they formed bulky muscles and strong fingers and shoulders as a pair of sharp blade protruded from the creature's back. The creature's jawline was large and roughly box-shaped with fairly large eyes under a heavy brow that pulled back into a short crest; a black body suit covered it from its feet to its neck, a thick, green stripe down the middle that stopped at a green belt around the waist.
"You okay?" he asked in a deep, kind voice.
"Y-yeah." Raven replied shakily. "Who are you?"
The creature didn't answer at first as he opened his vibrant green eyes and rose to his full height, towering over the shocked Evil Queen as she struggled to form or find words; the creature whipped out his right arm to the side, and Raven watched with surprise as his fingers and hand effortlessly fused together and morphed into a long, sharpened blade like that of a sword. "We've met before." he replied without looking at Raven.
The diamond-plated creature sprang forward, swiping his blade in a wide arch and forcing the Evil Queen to duck under the attack; she dodged the first strike, but was blown across the stage by a solid punch to the stomach from the creature's fist. She flew and rolled across the stage before coming to a complete stomp, unmoving as she gasped for breath. The creature stood still for a few more seconds before his arm shifted back into its original form with a sound like glass clattering together as he turned around to stare at Raven, his expression softening as he knelt down to rest a strong hand on her shoulder.
"Be strong, Raven. It's almost time." he reassured her. "You'll find salvation soon, I promise."
"Really?" Raven sniffed.
The creature nodded as he climbed back to his feet, gently sliding one of his hands under her legs and the other one behind her back as he lifted her off of the ground and hugged her to his chest. The young witchling snuggled in deeper to him, resting her head against his chest as she let a few more tears fall free. "Be brave, Raven. The time will come when you will not have to live fear of your past anymore." the crystalline creature comforted her.
"Raven?"
Raven sniffed and looked around her to see that her world was starting to crumble around her, with the dark, stormy sky shattering like glass and the distant, rolling hills disintegrating like old, fallen walls in the ruins of a city; her friends and the horrid knights that imprisoned them faded into dust.
"Raven!"
"Go. Your friend needs you." the creature said to her, setting her down as he himself started to crumble into sand blown away by the wind.
"Wait! Don't go!" Raven pleaded. "I have questions!"
"All will be answered," were the creature's last words before he fully faded away, leaving behind only a disk with a black backward and a sharp, green hourglass figure on the front.
"RAVEN!"
Raven snorted and startled as she jolted right up, nearly back out of her chair before Cerise managed to catch her and push her back into place; the Daughter of the Evil Queen blushed slightly and wiped away a thing line of drool that had trailed from her lips in her sleep as Cerise cocked an eyebrow at her. "Raven? Is something wrong?" Cerise asked.
"Well . . ." the young witch trailed off.
"C'mon, Raven. You tell me." Cerise said as she sat down in the chair next to her friend. "You already know my secret." she added quietly, glancing around to make sure no one had heard her.
Raven sighed as she rested her elbows on the table in front of her. "I've just been having some really weird dreams lately." she began to tell Cerise about the two dreams she had of lately, emphasising on the mysterious boy in the first and how he seemed to be absent from the second. Then she move on to how the strange symbol seemed to be wherever she looked, on Blitzwolfer's collar, on a belt around the waist of the strange creature she had summoned, the appearance of the disk around the waist of the diamond creature in her dream.
"I've been trying to see if I can find that symbol anywhere in Ever After's history," Raven explained. "I've also been trying to find that symbol the knights had on them, but I haven't found anything that matches."
"Why are you so freaked out over this?" Cerise asked. "Your usually so calm and down to earth about everything."
Raven bit her lip. Some things were just better left unsaid, locked away inside of her and away from the light of day so that only a few people knew about them. As of lately, only her father and Maddie knew what she was hiding, and she intended to keep it that way for as long as she could, possibly until the day she died. Some secrets were better left stuffed into the deepest, darkest corners of ones mind and away from prying eyes. "My dad always told me that dreams would sometimes give us glimpses of things to come in the future, warnings or visions. I just want to make sure that these symbols aren't anything bad."
Cerise nodded. "Well, the best option seems to be to ask Blitzwolfer." she said, a light blush creeping across her face that she hoped Raven didn't notice; thankfully, the witchling did not as she quickly agreed and closed the large book in front of her with a hevay thud!
"Shhhhhh!" one of the evil step-librarians hissed with annoyance; other than the soft noise the book made when it closed, the library was dead quiet.
"Sorry." Raven whispered as she quickly slid the book back on its shelf and left the library with Cerise in tow before the evil sisters could get them in trouble. They stopped running after a few more minutes, stopping to rest in front of a row of lockers a couple hallways and classrooms over from where the library was located.
"How do we go about this?" Cerise asked Raven. "Do we just down right ask him?"
"Ask me what?"
Cerise startled and Raven clutched her left breast, breathing heavily; she was not use to having so many heart stopping surprises in one day. "Oh, uh, hey, Blitzwolfer." Raven chuckled nervously once she was sure she wasn't going to have a heart attack.
"Raven, right?" the Loboan tried to remember. "What did you want to ask me?"
"We wanted to ask you about your collar." Cerise replied, walking right up to him and tapping the Omnitrix with a finger; the Loboan flinched with every tap, hoping that the Omnitrix would take it as a sign to transform. "Uh, my collar?"
"Yes, your collar." Cerise frowned slightly, cocking an eyebrow.
"Uh, family heirloom." the Loboan gulped. "I'd love to answer more questions, but I uh, have to go check out and move into my dorm. Bye!" he quickly ran away, dropping down onto all fours and only wincing slightly at his injured paw as he ran away down the hall, his claws clicking loudly.
"Well that worked out well." Raven rolled her eyes.
"You think he's hiding something?" Cerise asked.
Raven tapped her chin. "I dunno. I think we need a second opinion on this."
"The chameleon's colors are never true and the fox is always changing its colors!" Maddie giggled madly as she poured Raven another cup of tea; Cerise gave Raven a 'you can't be serious' look and quietly sipped her own cup of tea. The three of them plus and slightly off put Apple White were currently having a tea party in the Home Evil-nomics room, which might have been the reason Apple was feeling uncomfortable in the first place.
"I'm sorry, but what was that?" Apple asked politely, like any normal person would.
"Uh, she said she agrees." Raven replied as she set her tea cup down.
"But Blitzwolfer said he was going to spend the rest of the day moving into his dorm," Apple argued politely once more. "He even got a notice from the Headmasters themselves."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Cerise asked.
"When the parrot's lost its squawk, it borrows one from the flamingo." Maddie said in an obvious tone.
Cerise and Apple blinked as Maddie cackled madly, turning to Raven for a translated.
"My best guess is that she's suggesting we go fishing." Raven replied, much to her friend's confusion. "What? Riddlish isn't an exact language." she defended herself.
"Oh, you Ever Afterlings! I'm saying if we can't ask Blitzwolfer himself, lets just ask that bug guy Raven summoned in Home Evil-nomics and see if he knows anything." Maddle laughed.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Raven asked. "Last time I talked to him he wasn't exactly . . . very friendly." she flinched at the memory of the strange creature, how the very temperature of the room dropped and it felt like ice was creeping through her veins towards her heart, slowly freezing her through.
"Does the penguin know when to quit trying?" Maddie smirked.
"Uh, no?" Raven guessed.
"Exactly!" Maddie grinned madly as usual. "Summon him already, Raven! Ooh, I bet he's all sorts of fun!" she smiled; the girls looked at her as if she was crazier than she normally was. Raven gulped and got up from the small table set up and walked to the front of the classroom as Maddie took one last sip of her own tea before pulling off the small top hat on her head and effortlessly stuffing the teapot, cups, table, biscuits, and Earl Grey inside before placing it back on her head and following her friend up to the front as Apple and Cerise shared stunned looks and followed after the Daughter of the Mad Hatter.
Raven sucked in a deep breath and calmed her jittery nerves, summoning the dark magic that coursed through her veins like a virus and felt the familiar tingling sensation at her fingertips, her hands glowing an ominous purple as she raised them above her head, quietly chanting incohert things under her breath as she tried to summon the desired creature they wanted. She then felt a light sting as her power reached its peak and opened a small rift in the wall of reality to bring the creature she had summoned forth into the classroom in a flash of purple light.
Blitzwolfer tried to not look out of place as he strolled down the main street of Book End, admiring all the white wash buildings that had a medival look yet a modern feel to it; the thought was quickly withdrawn when he saw a horse drawn carriage speed down the road behind him, nearly running over his foot had he not jumped out of the way in time.
"Hey, watch it!" the Loboan snarled, though it seemed the driver didn't hear them. With a shake of his head, he continued down the road, taking note of the different shops that lined either side of the street, everything from small cafes and a rather bizarre looking tea shop to shoe stores and even a movie theater; a quick sniff of his sensitive nose told him that at the center of the village was a marketplace and perhaps a bakery of some sorts. He ignored the sweet scent of food for the time being, trying to find a furniture store of some sort; he had managed to take a look at the dorm he would be staying in and was thankful that it already had a bed and white wash walls that were just waiting to painted. It had a private bathroom, was fairly large even for a dorm that was supposed to house two students, and it gave a good view of the courtyard below. Unfrotunately, it didn't include much else, and Blitzwolfer had been given a small amount of money from the Headmaster's to spend on getting comfortable in his dorm.
"Help!"
Blitzwolfer perked up at the sound of that and listened for the source of the noise with his sensitive ears just as the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of light; Ben panicked, thankful that the street was empty for the time being and quickly turned on the Omnitrix again, not caring what alien he got as he slapped the activation core and was swallowed in a flash of bright, green light, changing his DNA at the molecular scale into something new and twisted. His skin began to harden into a smooth covering, little diamonds and crystals racing up his arms and legs to cover him as his bones disappeared altogether; his frame bent and warped as it increased in height and size as Ben felt his jawline push out a little ways, his teeth fusing together into two, hard plates as his head pinched back into a sharp crest. Two sharp blades suddenly sprouted from his back as his entire body hardened into a diamond-like substance, a black and green jumpsuit materializing on him and ending the transformation while a green belt with the Omnitrix at the center appeared around his waist.
"Well, better than Walkatrout, I guess." Diamondhead sighed as he rushed towards the source of the cry for help, running down an alley and coming to a halt, completely stunned at what he saw. Cornered at one end of the alley was a girl with deep brown skin, like that of an old pine tree's bark; upon closer inspection, the Petrosapien realized that it was bark, though technically is more wood. Her joints were suspended together by brass bolts and her hazel eyes opened and closed every few seconds with a soft clacking noise. She had dark brown, wavy hair with purple strands held together by a cricket headband while she wore a vibrant purple, pink, and yellow dress that bared resemblance to a pair of lederhosen with a wide skirt that didn't quite reach her knees. Trapping her against the alley wall with a roughly crimson red humanoid figure, its deep red skin shining in the limited light the dark alley provided. It seemed to look like some sort of futurisic, medival knight of sorts, with metal claws for heads, an unreadable, red helmet, what seemed to be a laser gauntlet of some kind on its right arm, and a large shoulder pad on its right shoulder; the shoulder pad sported a strange symbol, a small shield divided into four quadrants of gold and red with a black infinity symbol in the middle.
"You!" Diamondhead yelled, whipping his arm down towards the ground as it immediately shifted into a large, sharpened blade. "How did you get here!?" he spat angrily as the Forever Ninja turned to face and rush at him with an uncanny speed as swiftly changed directly and pushed off one of the walls of the alley, flying through the air directly at Diamondhead and ready to execute a deadly kick to the jaw before the Petrosapien raised his blade and blocked the attack at the last second, sending the robot assassin flying back at the wooden girl.
"What's the matter? Diamondhead got your tongue?" he grinned as he pointed the crystal blade at the Forever Ninja and charged forward, swinging his sword in a wide arch and forcing the robot to jump over the blade, only to be slugged in the head and crash against the far wall of the alley; the wooden girl dove out of the way just in time as Diamondhead came charging like a crazed bull, his fist drawn back and ready to crush the assassin before him. The Forever Ninja dodged the first blow with ease, ducking underneath the crystalline fist and lashing out with a metal leg, sending the Petrosapien skidding back as he whipped out a laser sword from the tool belt around his waist and activated it, the pulsing, red blade clashing against the crystal sword as both sides struggled to hold their ground.
"You know . . . what's handy about being made . . . of diamonds?" the Petrosapien grunted.
When the Forever Ninja didn't respond, only pushed harder, Diamondhead answered. "You're never without more of them!" he yelled as he stomped a foot down into the ground, grinning triumphantly as crystals thrust themselves up and out of the ground around the robot assassin, trapping it where it stood as Diamondhead relaxed a little, before shifting the sword into a large mace-like structure. "Sleep tight, tin can." he grinned before clubbing the Forever Ninja over the head and shutting it down.
"Whew. Glad that's over with." the Petrosapien breathed with relief as he looked up to see the girl looking at him with a mixture of interest and fear. "You okay?"
The girl nodded. "My name's Cedar Wood. Who are you?" she asked.
"Diamondhead." he replied as he straightened up. "And, uh, I'd appreciate it if you kept this a secret-"
"That's not a good idea." Cedar shook her head, her brown and purple locks swishing back and forth. "See, I was cursed by my dad to always tell the truth and to never ever tell a lie until my time to play the role of Pinocchio, which is kinda let down considering my friends can never tell me any secret at all whatsoever because I'll be compelled to tell the truth no matter what, like I'll just blurt it out and-"
"Okay!" Diamondhead yelled, halting the conversation; he had been covering his ears after the first ten seconds of listening to the wooden girl rattle off an incredibly long sentence in one long breath without stopping. "I get the idea."
"Oh, that's good." Cedar sighed with relief. "People tell me that I have a tendency to ramble."
Diamondhead was about to say something else when a flash of purple energy arched in a ring around him in the ground, consuming him in a purple light before he vanished from the alleyway and left Cedar and the shut down Forever Ninja behind.
"That was . . . weird." the Daughter of Pinocchio remarked to no one in particular.
Raven fell to her knees, breathing as Maddie crouched down to support her and massive her shoulders to calm her down; performing a summoning spell within the span of just a couple of hours really drained Raven of her energy, and she was already starting to nod off until Earl Grey popped out of Maddie's hat and handed the Daughter of the Mad Hatter a tea cup full of a soothing, hot liquid that she then handed to Raven.
"What is it?" she asked, holding the steam cup in her hands.
"A tea of my own creation," Maddie replied. "It should help you stay awake until we're done question the bug man. Or it will make you violently explode." Maddie added in a confused tone that didn't settle Raven's nerves in the slightest. "I can't remember which one."
"Well, lets start interrogating!" Apple declared in her best attempt at a mean voice, turning to face what they thought would be the dark, creepy, aggressive bug man that Raven had summoned, only to find that there was something quite different in its place. A large, roughly humanoid creature with crystallized skin all over his body stood at the front of the classroom, blinking and trying to find out where he was. His exposed arms were huge and shined in the dim light like the diamonds they were as they formed bulky muscles and strong fingers and shoulders as a pair of sharp blade protruded from the creature's back. The creature's jawline was large and roughly box-shaped with fairly large eyes under a heavy brow that pulled back into a short crest; a black body suit covered it from its feet to its neck, a thick, green stripe down the middle that stopped at a green belt around the waist.
"Uh, Raven? That's not the bug man you told us about." Cerise said quietly as the diamond creature set his sights on the girls and instantly froze when he caught sight of Raven once more.
"Y-you . . ." Raven barely whispered, dropping her tea cup to the floor where it shattered into a dozen pieces; Maddie pouted slightly at the sight of the broken tea cup but watched as best friend forever after cautious walked up to the strange creature, as if afraid he would suddenly crumble to dust before her very eyes as she reached and gently touched his chest with a trembling hand; the creature didn't dare move as Rvaen started to touch his features, running her fingers along his jawline and standing up on the tips of her toes to touch his crest and stroke his shoulders. Once she was sure that the creature was really, she lunged at him and hugged him tightly, much to the creature's surprise.
"Uh, is your friend okay?" the creature asked.
"We . . . aren't really sure," Cerise told him. "She's been having some weird dreams lately. You were in one of them."
"Really?" the creature blinked; Raven hadn't moved an inch, sniffling as if she were crying without tears. With a grunt, the diamond creature gently grabbed Raven by the shoulders and pulled her lose from him, bending down to so that he was eye level with her. "What happened in your dream?"
"Can I first know your name?" Raven asked.
The creature paused for a bit before nodding; something about the way the girl looked at her with her deep, violet, pleading eyes just made him give in. "My name is Diamondhead." he spoke to her kindly.
Apple watched with awe, both at Diamondhead's look and the way he treated Raven; as a princess, it simply came natural to her to treat everyone in a friendly, polite manner, even her future enemy, but here this creature was treating Raven as if he had known her all his life; that, or he was just being polite as well. She couldn't help but stare at his shining exterior, completely transfixed by the crystals that made up Diamondhead's body; they reminded her of a knight's armor. In fact, he just seemed to have that kind, heroic personality about him that Apple found oddly endearing for some reason; maybe she was hoping that Daring would become less egotistical and more like Diamondhead?
"What happened in your dream?" Diamondhead asked Raven.
"You . . . you saved me . . . from my mother." Raven gulped slightly.
Diamondhead froze at the answer. "Your . . . mother?"
Raven quickly decided to change the subject. "We've been trying to find out the meaning of that strange symbol on your belt." Raven said, pointing at the Omnitrix on the Petrosapien's belt. "What does it mean?"
Diamondhead blinked. "Uh, truth be told I just found it lying around and thought it looked cool." he lied.
"Are you sure?" raven pleaded. "One of the newest students at our school has it on his collar, and this strange bug man had another one around his waist."
Diamondhead sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about the symbol." he continued to lie; his heart clenched when he saw her wilt slightly before him, her face contorting into one of disappointment and sorrow as she sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I guess I should have seen this coming." she sighed. "Do you want me to send you back?"
"Please." Diamondhead nodded.
"Raven . . ." Apple started, reaching for the witchling's shoulder with a comforting hand but withdrawing when Raven flinched just the slightest bit. "We should head back to class. School's almost over."
"Alright." Raven sniffed. "I'll meet you guys there." she said. Apple nodded and left after a few more seconds of starring at Raven's back; Cerise and Maddie shared a look before leaving Raven alone with Diamondhead, sensing she needed some alone time. Once he was sure they were gone, the Petrosapien gently tapped Raven on the shoulder, catching her attention.
"Listen," he said with a grim voice. "I'm sorry I had to do this to you, but I was lying." he told her in a low voice.
"Why?" Raven choked.
"I can't have too many people knowing." Diamondhead answered. "But if you meet me at the gazebo in the Enchanted Forest at midnight, all will be revealed. I promise you that." he comforted her. Raven looked at him with disbelieving eyes, but his own were unreadable to her.
"Really?"
"Yes, Raven. I promise." Diamondhead reassured her; the Daughter of the evil Queen nodded and climbed to her feet as the petrosapien followed suit, waiting patiently as Raven's fingers glowed a warning purple in color before a ring of light of the same color formed around him and engulfed him in violet light, sending him back to where he had come from.
Raven then shuffled towards the door of the classroom, only making it to the stairs before she collapsed from utter exhaustion; Cerise came by a few minutes later to see what was taking Raven so long and gathered the young witchling in her arms, running as fast her legs would carry her to her friend's dorm.
Raven shivered as she walked the main trail of the Enchanted Forest, pulling her jacket farther up around her nearly naked frame as the wind blew against her; she was really regretting not changing out of her purple night gown and black undergarments into something far warmer. An owl hooted from somewhere far in the woods, startling Raven a little as she walked a little faster, leaves slapping against her face in the wind as she moved along. Before along, she had finally arrived at the gazebo, surprised to see that while Diamondhead was not there, something else was.
Hovering at the opening of the gazebo much like a ghost was a large, roughly human-like figure floating a couple feet off of the ground. He wore a black body suit with green-arrowed stripes running down the front and legs, exposing smooth, rust red skin arched and patterned with darker red designs of seemingly random design. The fingers were long and jointed and the figure was nearly skeletal, his pelvis showing under his skin when he folded his legs together. What really caught Raven's attention however, was that the creature had no visible eyes, seemed to be meditating, and had an ever familiar symbol on his chest.
"H-hello?" Raven called out. "I was hexpecting-"
"You were expecting Diamondhead." the creature interrupted without much movement. "You come seeking answers and have done so wonderfully. No you shall reach enlightenment."
"Uh, okay?" Raven quirked an eyebrow as she approached the gazebo and climbed in under the roof and out of the wind. "Who are you exactly?" she asked.
"You may call me Mindmesser." the creature replied. "Tell me, Raven why have you come here?"
Raven blinked. "Uh, because I kept on having these weird dreams with the same symbol always in them. I wanted to know if they mean anything."
Mindmesser nodded sagely. "And you come seeking answers to your dreams?"
"Yes." Raven agreed. "Now please, for the love of ancestors, just tell me what's going on." she pleaded.
The Protinaphibian nodded as he lowered himself to the ground, remaining cross legged. "Prepare yourself, Raven, for what you are about to see may very well scare you."
Raven nodded. "I'm ready."
"Very well." Mindmesser said before he reached with a hand and slapped the disk attached to his chest, suddenly becoming engulfed in a flash of green light right before Raven's wide eyes as the Protinaphibian vanished before her very eyes and was replaced by something new as the green light faded away into nothingness, leaving Raven blind for a second before she looked at what was standing in front of her.
Towering about a foot or so over her was a boy with dark, chocolate brown hair that was rather scruffy and unkept and pale skin, though it was rather tanned compared to Raven's. He wore a black T-shirt with a green stripe down the middle that stabbed a white number 10 on its way down to the hem of the boys shirt while he wore a pair of brown pants with pockets at the knees and legs, a pair of green and white sneakers on his feet. The most noticeable thing about him that Raven found however, was the strange yet familiar watch-like device strapped to his wrist and a pair of ivy green eyes that stared back at her. Those eyes . . . they almost reminded her of . . .
"I-is it you? Is it really you?" she shook slightly, unsure of whether she was hallucinating or not as she forward and cautiously touched him, throwing her arms around him and sobbing happily as she hugged him tightly in a warm embrace; no tears fell from her eyes as she held him tightly, pressing her head into the boy's neck as his own arms slowly circled around her and hugged her back, slipping around her lower back and head, holding her close.
"I guess it it." the boy smiled. "My name is Ben by the way. Ben Tennyson."
"R-Raven Queen." the young witchling replied with pink cheeks, nuzzling her head deeper into his chest, his heart sounding like a gigantic bass drum in her ears. "I can't believe you're here." she whispered.
"Believe it, Raven." Ben smiled as caressed her ivory cheek with the back of his hand. "If I can ask a question, why can you cry in your dreams but not in the real world? Why no tears?"
Raven hesitated for a second before speaking. "Because I can't. I just can't cry." she said. "No matter what happens, no matter what I do, I simply can't cry." she said, sniffing and hugging him tighter as if she were trying to shed tears from an empty tank of sorts; Ben rubbed his hand up and down to sooth her as he ran his fingers through her long, purple locks, marveling at how smooth and cool they were to the touch.
"Shhhh. I'm here." he promised to her, talking to her as if they had known each other for a life time despite Ben only having met her a few times and Raven met him in her dreams; oddly enough, Raven felt beyond safe in Ben's arms, as if she were locked down in the comfiest, maximum security prison the world had to offer. For once in her life, she felt safe.
Unbeknownst to the happy couple, Apple had been watched from behind a tall, thick oak tree at the edge of the clearing, her eyes wide with shock; she had originally went to see where Raven was going when she had awoken to the sound of the dorm door clicking shut, but it seemed that the script had just been flipped beyond comprehension. The mirror's prophecy came back to her and her eyes widened further.
My Princess, today be, the day you meet your destiny.
You shall meet your Prince today and forever more shall you frolic and play.
He will appear in a puff of green smoke, summoned by one who you despise the most.
Apple ignored the fact that the mirror's message hadn't rhymed entirely as the words finally made sense; magic mirrors were not known for being one-hundred percent accurate on details, but the boy had definetly appeared from a puff of green and he had technically been summoned by the one she was to despise the most, if not now than later on in life, Raven. Daring was not her prince, but this mysterious, shape-shifting boy was! With this in mind, Apple made her way back to the school, the gears in her head already turning to formulate a plan to make sure that her destiny played out as it should.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Click!
The work was exhausting, forcing her to draw upon massive reserves of energy just to simply pick away at the seal of the mirror that resided in the Headmaster's office. It took much more energy to simply form a tendril of dark magic just to see the world outside of the mirror, but from what she had gathered, the spawn was definetly nearby. Somewhere close, she could sense the spawn's aura all around the area, taunting her as it lied just out of reach.
But she had time. Plenty of time to spare. Soon enough, the spawn would be hers . . . and then the fun would begin.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Just a little more time.
Click!
And there we go!
Wow, this has gotta be the fastest I've ever posted a new chapter. It's almost as if I have nothing better to do . . . OH, WAIT! I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO! IT'S STILL SUMMER VACATION WHERE I AM, BABY!
Ahem. Sorry about that emotional outburst.
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! Really, I have all these wonderful ideas and events buzzing around my head like a hive of wasps, but now way to connect them, so leave your requests and suggestions down below! They are always welcome, though they may not be used.
Hasta Luego!
