Disclaimer: You guys know already.
*Come one and all
take a trip through my own sadistic Wonderland
and into my dark dream you will drop..*
I screamed as I felt myself being pulled into my mirror. When I was on the other side I began to fall.
~Oh, Damn! What's going on? I'm falling. Where am I? It's so dark, I can't see anything.~
I felt my dress fluff up, slowing the pace of my fall. Needless to say, I was quite grateful. I looked down and saw that I was about to enter a lighted part of what appeared to be a rabbithole.
~Wonderful. I wonder where this really leads. I've watched and read so many different versions of 'Alice In Wonderland', I'm not sure where I'm gonna end up.~
As I continued to fall, I noticed a table floating with a book on it. Naturally, I was curious and picked up the book. I laughed when I read the title.
"'Alice In Wonderland' by Lewis Carrol. That figures." I said.
I opened the book and began reading the part where Alice followed the rabbit down the rabbithole and ended up in the Vale Of Tears. All of a sudden, the book caught on fire. I screamed and let go of the book.
"Holy shit! How did that happen?" I asked.
When the fire died out, in it's place appeared another book. I grabbed it and gasped when I read the title.
"'Libby In Wonderland'" I read.
~This is strange. How did the book just change title like that?~
I opened the book and flipped through the pages. I also saw pictures of everything that happened from the time I went to sleep til now. When I tried to read ahead, I noticed that from the page of me falling down the rabbithole on, the pages were empty.
~Figures. I should have known that the pages are being written as I go along. Man, I hate that.~
Sighing, I closed the book and tucked it under my arm. I heard the chiming of a big grandfather clock floating near by. I looked at the face and saw that the time was set to six o'clock. The clock was all black and had a rather eeire look about it.
~Curiouser and curiouser. According to the story, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse would always have their tea parties at exactly six o'clock. I wonder what's going to happen next.~
My question was answered by what sounded like air vents being turned off. My dress unfluffed and I began falling rapidly again. I screamed at the top of my lungs the rest of the way down. I landed with a hard thump when I finally did reach the ground. After the pain and shock of having fallen for god knows how long subsided, I stood up and took a quick look around.
~Where am I? Is it possible? Could I really be in Wonderland? And if this is Wonderland, where is everybody, but more importantly, where's Alice?~
The first thing I noticed were three odd colored mushrooms in the corner where I had landed. The smallest one was metallic blue, the medium sized one was pink, and the largest one was a lavender purple.(A/N: remember these three colors for a later chapter.) They were surrounded by tall grass and little white flowers.
~Whoa, now that's trippy. I wish I had a camera. I would love to take a picture of this and enlarge it so I can hang it up in my room.~
I went to open the book again and realized that it was gone.
~Huh? hey, what happened to the book? I just had it. Strange, where did it go?~
I raised my hand to scratch my head like I always do when I'm thinking and felt something lacy. To my right there was a bucket full of water. I walked over to it and looked at my reflection. Turns out the ivory ribbon that I killed the Boojum and the cardguards with was back on my head.
~What the hell? How did this get back on my head? I don't remember ever putting it back on!~
I sighed and took off the ribbon. It reappeared back on my head a few seconds later.
~What the bloodly hell is going on? Why did it reappear back on my head?~
I took it off again to see if it reappear back on my head. Sure enough, a few seconds later it was right back on my head.
~Beautiful, I'm stuck with this thing. I must admit, I'm surprised it's not stained with blood, can't say the same for my dress though. Well, if I must drag this thing along, I'd better be able to use it a weapon, or else I'm gonna be pissed.~
I looked to my left and saw a big building with smoke coming out of it.
~Must be a factory of some sort. Maybe I'll find someone who can tell me where I can find Salem.~
"I say, you're early! I'm impressed child! I thought I would have to go and fetch you myself!" Exclaimed a male voice.
I was taken out of my thoughts when I heard the voice. I gave a startled gasp and turned around to find the White Rabbit. He was standing there in front of me checking his pocket watch.
~Early? Early for what? What's he talking about? He always bites your head off for being late. Well, maybe I can get some information out of him.~
"Come along, Libby dear. If we leave now, we can get an early start." Rabbit said.
He hopped away before I could say anything. I sighed in annoyance and frustration.
~So much for getting any information out of him. Looks like I'll have out where Salem is myself. I'd also love to find out what the hell happened to Wonderland. I thought Alice killed the queen and saved everybody.~
I saw a few minors with the orbs on their backs on the platforms above me. I looked back down and saw a slanted platform that I could use to get the higher ones and headed towards it. I stopped when I saw a row of smiling teeth. I smirked and waited for the Cheshire cat to appear.
"Cheshire puss. I say, you've gone quite mangy cat. But as always, your grin gives a comfort." I said.
"And you my dear, are still quite the smart mouth. So good to see you again, Libia. You're still curious and willing to learn I hope." Cheshire said.
"See me again? What do you mean?" I asked.
Cheshire's grin became wider and began to rub against my legs. I smiled. Despite his boney and magny appearance, he could be quite a sweetheart.
"This is not your first visit to Wonderland. You have been here three times before." Cheshire said.
My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped. Cheshire laughed at my look of surprise. He perched himself on the purple mushroom and motioned for me to come closer. I sat down on the blue one since I didn't have to do any climbing to reach it. I guess you can say I was feeling a bit lazy.
"Cheshire, when did I come to Wonderland? I thought the only time I came here was when I was on my acid trip. I don't remember ever being here before that." I said.
Cheshire's grin softened into a smirk.
"Well, of course you don't. You were too young to remember. In fact, you were only a baby! You were two years old when you came to us the first time." Cheshire said.
"Two years old?! No wonder I don't remember! Did I come alone or did someone else come with me?" I asked.
"No, you didn't come alone. You came with your older brother Damian, believe or not. He was about eight or so." Cheshire said.
"Really? Was Wonderland the way it is now?" I asked.
Cheshire shook his head.
"No. Wonderland was a beautiful place where childern with wandering minds could go and have fun. Anyway, you were the youngest child to ever visit Wonderland. Everyone thought you were adorable and we were all quite fond of you. Especially me, Rabbit, and the Duchess. I remember you somehow got your dress ripped and Duchess had to make you a new one. Your curiousity really got you and your brother into some trouble, but nothing too bad." Cheshire said.
I laughed. I couldn't believe me and my brother had actually been to Wonderland together. No wonder he used to say I was such a little troublemaker.
"How old was I when I came here the second time?" I asked.
"You were about seven the second time you came by. It was about two weeks before your birthday. You did not yet have the dress that you are now wearing." Cheshire said.
"Well, how come I don't remember the second time?" I asked.
"You are one of those people who never remembers their dreams, well, almost never. The memories of Wonderland, as well as all your other dreams are locked away in a corner of your mind, though." Cheshire said.
I just starred at him for a moment. It was true, I don't remember half of my dreams. Hell, I'm lucky if I can remember bits and pieces of them.
"Do think I'll remember this time, Cheshire?" I asked.
"Perhaps. I think you will. Something like Wonderland is not something a 21 year old girl can forget so easily." Cheshire said.
I laughed.
"Did Damian come with me the second time? I asked.
Cheshire sighed.
"No, Libia." Cheshire said.
"Please, call me Libby. A lot of my friends do." I said.
Cheshire laughed. I raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.
"What's so funny, Cheshire?" I asked.
"I remember when you were two, I was the first to call you that. You hated it. Damian started calling you that afterwards to tease and bother you." Cheshire said.
I shrugged.
"Yeah well, the nickname kinda grew on me. I actually preffer to be addressed as Libby now. Strange isn't it." I said.
Cheshire laughed again, and this time I laughed along with him.
"Well, I remember how I got here the third and fourth time." I said.
"Really. Do tell." Cheshire said.
"Well, the third time was while I was on what I like to call my little 'mindtrip' when I was 18, which surprisingly enough, I remember quite vividly a certain mangy feline who wasn't so mangy at the time, following me around, and the fouth time I was literally pulled into a portal that was on my vanity mirror by that same mangy feline after my kitten jumped in. I guess he was curious to know where the Boojum's head would go." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Now, now. There's no need for sarcasm, Libby dear. I assure you, Salem is quite safe." Cheshire said.
"He had better be, or else I'm gonna get medievil on someone's ass, just like I did to those nurses." I said.
"We can only hope, now can we, Libby." Cheshire said.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?!" I exclaimed.
"You have a guilty conscience, Libby. It kept getting in the way, that's why I kept telling you to kill that nurse. You finally sent your conscience to hell when you saw Salem being threatened." Cheshire said.
"Yeah, it always comes and kicks me right in the ass, but what am I supposed to do? It's part of who I am." I said.
"Yes, I know, but you must put your guilty conscience aside if you want to win and survive. Besides, I don't think you'll feel too bad about killing a few evil cardguards and Boojums." Cheshire said.
I smirked. He was right. I felt bad about hurting and killing the nurses when I was at Rutledges, but I didn't feel the least bit guilty about killing those cardguards and the Boojum.
"Okay, now let me ask you a question that has nothing to do with me." I said.
"Ask away." Cheshire said.
"Well, what did happen to Wonderland? Didn't Alice kill the queen and save everbody? Speaking of Alice, where is she?" I asked.
Cheshire sighed.
"She did, but that was 138 years ago, Libby. The cardguards somehow found a way to bring the queen back from the dead. She's stronger than ever and mad as hell. She kidnapped Alice and is holding her captive. We don't know where she is." Cheshire said.
"Wow, 138 years ago. Wait a minute, you mean she's still alive?!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. When you are in Wonderland your body does not age. The only way it will die is if you die here in Wonderland." Cheshire said.
"So, Alice has been asleep for 138 years?" I asked.
Cheshire nodded.
"The mind can live without the body, but the body cannot live without the mind. Always remember that, Libby." Cheshire said.
I starred at him wide eyed.
~That sounds like something I would say!~
"Okay. So, what does all this have to do with me?" I asked.
"Well, do you remember when I said that you could be trapped in the queen's nightmare if you woke up before your mission was over?" Cheshire.
"Yeah, I remember." I said.
"It's really quite simple. All you have to do is save Alice. If you're lucky, you may not even have to face the queen." Cheshire said.
"Does the queen know I'm here?" I asked.
"I don't know. I hope not. God knows what she'll do this time." Cheshire said.
"Alice kidnapped by the queen, is that why we linked minds and experienced that time paradox?" I asked.
"I think so. I'm not exactly sure to be honest. All I know is that somehow Alice got through to you in your mind. That is why you woke up at Rutledges. That's when I picked up on your scent and realized it was you. At least, that's what I think." Cheshire said.
"But, how did Salem manage to get dragged along?" I asked.
"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out." Cheshire said.
"Let me ask you another question." I said.
Cheshire nodded and motioned for me to continue.
"Well, in the game, the Duchess, Centipede, the Tweedles, and the Hatter were bad guys. Did Alice manage to save them as well?" I asked.
"Yes. They were also able to resist the queen's evil this time around. Last time it came without warning, but this time we were all prepared." Cheshire said.
"So, they're all on my side?" I asked.
"Of course. We all are." Cheshire said.
~Thank the gods. I'm gonna need the help I can get.~
"You're going to be my guide, right?" I asked.
Cheshire nodded his boney head.
"I'm surprised you haven't spoken in one of your insane riddles yet." I said.
"Wonderland has become strange and twisted. A girl cannot have a guide she does not understand, else she may never find her way." Cheshire said.
"I spoke too soon." I said.
Cheshire's grin grew wider and laughed. Then I remembered Rabbit saying that I was early. I had to find out about that.
"Cheshire, Rabbit said I was early. It struck me as odd becuase I thought for sure he was going to say I was late. He ran off before I could say anything, though. What did he mean by that?" I asked.
"Oh, you have me to thank for that, dear. I wanted to bring you here as soon as I could so that the situation could be calmly explained to you. I thought that if I brought you here eariler than the queen expected, you would be better prepared, and she would be none the wiser. I didn't want to send you out there without knowing what was going on first. I tried to do the same for Alice, but the queen knew I was trying to contact her and made a block in Alice's mind. She allowed Alice passage here when she thought she had the upper hand, and Alice still kicked her ass." Cheshire said.
I had to laugh.
"Then, that must mean that the queen doesn't even know about me, not yet anyway." I said.
"Oh, she knows about you. She's just not expecting you for at least another year." cheshire said.
"You mean I'm a year early?!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. The queen isn't expecting you, but the Jabberwock might." Cheshire said.
"The Jabberwock? But, didn't Alice kill him?" I asked.
"When the queen was resurrected, so was the Jabberwock." Cheshire said.
"Figures. Now I have mind tricks to worry about." I said.
"Yes, do be wary of those. I just thought I sould warn you." Cheshire said.
I smiled.
"Thanks for the warning." I said.
"I also didn't want you to be unarmed." Cheshire said.
"But Cheshire, I don't have a weapon." I said.
"Oh, yes you do. It's on top of your head and it's ivory." Cheshire said.
I gasped and grabbed my ribbon.
"My hair ribbon! You mean, I can use this as a weapon?! But, how can I do it without having to actually get up close and personal with the enemy?" I asked.
"Do you see those rocks over there?" Cheshire asked.
"Yeah, what about them?" I asked.
"Well, you can use your ribbon as a whip. There are three different attacks that you can do with it." Cheshire said.
"Really? Cool." I said.
"Alright, see that little rock over there, hit it just like you would with a whip, almost as if you were bitch-slapping someone you're really pissed off at." Cheshire said.
I did as I was told. I took the ribbon off and threw it. To my surprise, it extended once again and hit the rock, breaking it into a thousand little pieces. I was awe struck. Cheshire's grin became wider.
~Damn, does his grin have no end?~
"Now, that medium sized rock over there, pretend you're strangling someone, like you did to that Boojum." Cheshire said.
I threw it again. This time, it wrapped itself around the rock. I pulled on my end and that rock was cut into little pieces as well.
"Alright, you're gonna love this one. I want you to pretend that big ass rock over there is a cardguard who's head you'd like to see chopped off. This time, instead of throwing it straight, throw it from left to right." Cheshire said.
I did just that. My eyes went as wide as tea suacers and my jaw nearly hit the ground when I saw the ribbon just slice and dice through that rock like a hot knife through butter. Cheshire waved his paw in front of my face a few times to snap me out of my trance.
"Oh, my god, that was awesome! I never imagined I'd be able to use a hair ribbon as a weapon!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. The first two are meant as a single enemy attack, but if you're lucky enough to have a few of them close together, you can get them as well. The third one is especially made for multiple enemy attacks, such as decapitation, which I'm sure you'll enjoy." Cheshire said.
~Oh, yeah. You bet I'm gonna enjoy cutting their heads off alright! Hee-Hee.~
"Okay, I have one more question." I said.
"I'm all ears." Cheshire said. "Will I be able to use the toys that Alice used, or will I have to find my own?" I asked.
Cheshire sighed.
"All I know, is that yes, you can use the Vorpal Blade and the cards. As for the rest of the toys, I'm not sure. Don't worry, though. I'm sure there are some special toys that Alice made just for you and are waiting for their mistress to come and claim them." Cheshire said.
"Alice made weapons uh, I mean, toys for me?!" I exclaimed.
"How do you think your ribbon became a weapon. Your ribbon and the knife reqiure no strength of will and the cards was the only toy Alice had the will to leave you. She was still weak after her fight with the queen." Cheshire said.
"I see." I said.
"Well, you better get going, dear. You don't want to be late." Cheshire said.
I nodded and rose to leave.
"If you ever need me, you know what to do." cheshire said.
I smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He disappeared and I was left alone once again.
~Looks like there more at risk here than I thought. I have to save Alice, find Salem, and I'm going to personally take it upon myself to find out what the fuck is going on here.~
I jumped off the mushroom. I put a hand to my head to make sure the ribbon was there and headed towards the mineshaft. My journey to save my cat, my sanity, and restore the happiness of my childhood dreamland, my 'Wonderland' has only just begun.
A/N: Rabbit said I was early, yet he still ran off on me, can you believe that? Thank god Cheshire took the time to talk to me and tell me what was going on. R/R.
*Come one and all
take a trip through my own sadistic Wonderland
and into my dark dream you will drop..*
I screamed as I felt myself being pulled into my mirror. When I was on the other side I began to fall.
~Oh, Damn! What's going on? I'm falling. Where am I? It's so dark, I can't see anything.~
I felt my dress fluff up, slowing the pace of my fall. Needless to say, I was quite grateful. I looked down and saw that I was about to enter a lighted part of what appeared to be a rabbithole.
~Wonderful. I wonder where this really leads. I've watched and read so many different versions of 'Alice In Wonderland', I'm not sure where I'm gonna end up.~
As I continued to fall, I noticed a table floating with a book on it. Naturally, I was curious and picked up the book. I laughed when I read the title.
"'Alice In Wonderland' by Lewis Carrol. That figures." I said.
I opened the book and began reading the part where Alice followed the rabbit down the rabbithole and ended up in the Vale Of Tears. All of a sudden, the book caught on fire. I screamed and let go of the book.
"Holy shit! How did that happen?" I asked.
When the fire died out, in it's place appeared another book. I grabbed it and gasped when I read the title.
"'Libby In Wonderland'" I read.
~This is strange. How did the book just change title like that?~
I opened the book and flipped through the pages. I also saw pictures of everything that happened from the time I went to sleep til now. When I tried to read ahead, I noticed that from the page of me falling down the rabbithole on, the pages were empty.
~Figures. I should have known that the pages are being written as I go along. Man, I hate that.~
Sighing, I closed the book and tucked it under my arm. I heard the chiming of a big grandfather clock floating near by. I looked at the face and saw that the time was set to six o'clock. The clock was all black and had a rather eeire look about it.
~Curiouser and curiouser. According to the story, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse would always have their tea parties at exactly six o'clock. I wonder what's going to happen next.~
My question was answered by what sounded like air vents being turned off. My dress unfluffed and I began falling rapidly again. I screamed at the top of my lungs the rest of the way down. I landed with a hard thump when I finally did reach the ground. After the pain and shock of having fallen for god knows how long subsided, I stood up and took a quick look around.
~Where am I? Is it possible? Could I really be in Wonderland? And if this is Wonderland, where is everybody, but more importantly, where's Alice?~
The first thing I noticed were three odd colored mushrooms in the corner where I had landed. The smallest one was metallic blue, the medium sized one was pink, and the largest one was a lavender purple.(A/N: remember these three colors for a later chapter.) They were surrounded by tall grass and little white flowers.
~Whoa, now that's trippy. I wish I had a camera. I would love to take a picture of this and enlarge it so I can hang it up in my room.~
I went to open the book again and realized that it was gone.
~Huh? hey, what happened to the book? I just had it. Strange, where did it go?~
I raised my hand to scratch my head like I always do when I'm thinking and felt something lacy. To my right there was a bucket full of water. I walked over to it and looked at my reflection. Turns out the ivory ribbon that I killed the Boojum and the cardguards with was back on my head.
~What the hell? How did this get back on my head? I don't remember ever putting it back on!~
I sighed and took off the ribbon. It reappeared back on my head a few seconds later.
~What the bloodly hell is going on? Why did it reappear back on my head?~
I took it off again to see if it reappear back on my head. Sure enough, a few seconds later it was right back on my head.
~Beautiful, I'm stuck with this thing. I must admit, I'm surprised it's not stained with blood, can't say the same for my dress though. Well, if I must drag this thing along, I'd better be able to use it a weapon, or else I'm gonna be pissed.~
I looked to my left and saw a big building with smoke coming out of it.
~Must be a factory of some sort. Maybe I'll find someone who can tell me where I can find Salem.~
"I say, you're early! I'm impressed child! I thought I would have to go and fetch you myself!" Exclaimed a male voice.
I was taken out of my thoughts when I heard the voice. I gave a startled gasp and turned around to find the White Rabbit. He was standing there in front of me checking his pocket watch.
~Early? Early for what? What's he talking about? He always bites your head off for being late. Well, maybe I can get some information out of him.~
"Come along, Libby dear. If we leave now, we can get an early start." Rabbit said.
He hopped away before I could say anything. I sighed in annoyance and frustration.
~So much for getting any information out of him. Looks like I'll have out where Salem is myself. I'd also love to find out what the hell happened to Wonderland. I thought Alice killed the queen and saved everybody.~
I saw a few minors with the orbs on their backs on the platforms above me. I looked back down and saw a slanted platform that I could use to get the higher ones and headed towards it. I stopped when I saw a row of smiling teeth. I smirked and waited for the Cheshire cat to appear.
"Cheshire puss. I say, you've gone quite mangy cat. But as always, your grin gives a comfort." I said.
"And you my dear, are still quite the smart mouth. So good to see you again, Libia. You're still curious and willing to learn I hope." Cheshire said.
"See me again? What do you mean?" I asked.
Cheshire's grin became wider and began to rub against my legs. I smiled. Despite his boney and magny appearance, he could be quite a sweetheart.
"This is not your first visit to Wonderland. You have been here three times before." Cheshire said.
My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped. Cheshire laughed at my look of surprise. He perched himself on the purple mushroom and motioned for me to come closer. I sat down on the blue one since I didn't have to do any climbing to reach it. I guess you can say I was feeling a bit lazy.
"Cheshire, when did I come to Wonderland? I thought the only time I came here was when I was on my acid trip. I don't remember ever being here before that." I said.
Cheshire's grin softened into a smirk.
"Well, of course you don't. You were too young to remember. In fact, you were only a baby! You were two years old when you came to us the first time." Cheshire said.
"Two years old?! No wonder I don't remember! Did I come alone or did someone else come with me?" I asked.
"No, you didn't come alone. You came with your older brother Damian, believe or not. He was about eight or so." Cheshire said.
"Really? Was Wonderland the way it is now?" I asked.
Cheshire shook his head.
"No. Wonderland was a beautiful place where childern with wandering minds could go and have fun. Anyway, you were the youngest child to ever visit Wonderland. Everyone thought you were adorable and we were all quite fond of you. Especially me, Rabbit, and the Duchess. I remember you somehow got your dress ripped and Duchess had to make you a new one. Your curiousity really got you and your brother into some trouble, but nothing too bad." Cheshire said.
I laughed. I couldn't believe me and my brother had actually been to Wonderland together. No wonder he used to say I was such a little troublemaker.
"How old was I when I came here the second time?" I asked.
"You were about seven the second time you came by. It was about two weeks before your birthday. You did not yet have the dress that you are now wearing." Cheshire said.
"Well, how come I don't remember the second time?" I asked.
"You are one of those people who never remembers their dreams, well, almost never. The memories of Wonderland, as well as all your other dreams are locked away in a corner of your mind, though." Cheshire said.
I just starred at him for a moment. It was true, I don't remember half of my dreams. Hell, I'm lucky if I can remember bits and pieces of them.
"Do think I'll remember this time, Cheshire?" I asked.
"Perhaps. I think you will. Something like Wonderland is not something a 21 year old girl can forget so easily." Cheshire said.
I laughed.
"Did Damian come with me the second time? I asked.
Cheshire sighed.
"No, Libia." Cheshire said.
"Please, call me Libby. A lot of my friends do." I said.
Cheshire laughed. I raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.
"What's so funny, Cheshire?" I asked.
"I remember when you were two, I was the first to call you that. You hated it. Damian started calling you that afterwards to tease and bother you." Cheshire said.
I shrugged.
"Yeah well, the nickname kinda grew on me. I actually preffer to be addressed as Libby now. Strange isn't it." I said.
Cheshire laughed again, and this time I laughed along with him.
"Well, I remember how I got here the third and fourth time." I said.
"Really. Do tell." Cheshire said.
"Well, the third time was while I was on what I like to call my little 'mindtrip' when I was 18, which surprisingly enough, I remember quite vividly a certain mangy feline who wasn't so mangy at the time, following me around, and the fouth time I was literally pulled into a portal that was on my vanity mirror by that same mangy feline after my kitten jumped in. I guess he was curious to know where the Boojum's head would go." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Now, now. There's no need for sarcasm, Libby dear. I assure you, Salem is quite safe." Cheshire said.
"He had better be, or else I'm gonna get medievil on someone's ass, just like I did to those nurses." I said.
"We can only hope, now can we, Libby." Cheshire said.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?!" I exclaimed.
"You have a guilty conscience, Libby. It kept getting in the way, that's why I kept telling you to kill that nurse. You finally sent your conscience to hell when you saw Salem being threatened." Cheshire said.
"Yeah, it always comes and kicks me right in the ass, but what am I supposed to do? It's part of who I am." I said.
"Yes, I know, but you must put your guilty conscience aside if you want to win and survive. Besides, I don't think you'll feel too bad about killing a few evil cardguards and Boojums." Cheshire said.
I smirked. He was right. I felt bad about hurting and killing the nurses when I was at Rutledges, but I didn't feel the least bit guilty about killing those cardguards and the Boojum.
"Okay, now let me ask you a question that has nothing to do with me." I said.
"Ask away." Cheshire said.
"Well, what did happen to Wonderland? Didn't Alice kill the queen and save everbody? Speaking of Alice, where is she?" I asked.
Cheshire sighed.
"She did, but that was 138 years ago, Libby. The cardguards somehow found a way to bring the queen back from the dead. She's stronger than ever and mad as hell. She kidnapped Alice and is holding her captive. We don't know where she is." Cheshire said.
"Wow, 138 years ago. Wait a minute, you mean she's still alive?!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. When you are in Wonderland your body does not age. The only way it will die is if you die here in Wonderland." Cheshire said.
"So, Alice has been asleep for 138 years?" I asked.
Cheshire nodded.
"The mind can live without the body, but the body cannot live without the mind. Always remember that, Libby." Cheshire said.
I starred at him wide eyed.
~That sounds like something I would say!~
"Okay. So, what does all this have to do with me?" I asked.
"Well, do you remember when I said that you could be trapped in the queen's nightmare if you woke up before your mission was over?" Cheshire.
"Yeah, I remember." I said.
"It's really quite simple. All you have to do is save Alice. If you're lucky, you may not even have to face the queen." Cheshire said.
"Does the queen know I'm here?" I asked.
"I don't know. I hope not. God knows what she'll do this time." Cheshire said.
"Alice kidnapped by the queen, is that why we linked minds and experienced that time paradox?" I asked.
"I think so. I'm not exactly sure to be honest. All I know is that somehow Alice got through to you in your mind. That is why you woke up at Rutledges. That's when I picked up on your scent and realized it was you. At least, that's what I think." Cheshire said.
"But, how did Salem manage to get dragged along?" I asked.
"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out." Cheshire said.
"Let me ask you another question." I said.
Cheshire nodded and motioned for me to continue.
"Well, in the game, the Duchess, Centipede, the Tweedles, and the Hatter were bad guys. Did Alice manage to save them as well?" I asked.
"Yes. They were also able to resist the queen's evil this time around. Last time it came without warning, but this time we were all prepared." Cheshire said.
"So, they're all on my side?" I asked.
"Of course. We all are." Cheshire said.
~Thank the gods. I'm gonna need the help I can get.~
"You're going to be my guide, right?" I asked.
Cheshire nodded his boney head.
"I'm surprised you haven't spoken in one of your insane riddles yet." I said.
"Wonderland has become strange and twisted. A girl cannot have a guide she does not understand, else she may never find her way." Cheshire said.
"I spoke too soon." I said.
Cheshire's grin grew wider and laughed. Then I remembered Rabbit saying that I was early. I had to find out about that.
"Cheshire, Rabbit said I was early. It struck me as odd becuase I thought for sure he was going to say I was late. He ran off before I could say anything, though. What did he mean by that?" I asked.
"Oh, you have me to thank for that, dear. I wanted to bring you here as soon as I could so that the situation could be calmly explained to you. I thought that if I brought you here eariler than the queen expected, you would be better prepared, and she would be none the wiser. I didn't want to send you out there without knowing what was going on first. I tried to do the same for Alice, but the queen knew I was trying to contact her and made a block in Alice's mind. She allowed Alice passage here when she thought she had the upper hand, and Alice still kicked her ass." Cheshire said.
I had to laugh.
"Then, that must mean that the queen doesn't even know about me, not yet anyway." I said.
"Oh, she knows about you. She's just not expecting you for at least another year." cheshire said.
"You mean I'm a year early?!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. The queen isn't expecting you, but the Jabberwock might." Cheshire said.
"The Jabberwock? But, didn't Alice kill him?" I asked.
"When the queen was resurrected, so was the Jabberwock." Cheshire said.
"Figures. Now I have mind tricks to worry about." I said.
"Yes, do be wary of those. I just thought I sould warn you." Cheshire said.
I smiled.
"Thanks for the warning." I said.
"I also didn't want you to be unarmed." Cheshire said.
"But Cheshire, I don't have a weapon." I said.
"Oh, yes you do. It's on top of your head and it's ivory." Cheshire said.
I gasped and grabbed my ribbon.
"My hair ribbon! You mean, I can use this as a weapon?! But, how can I do it without having to actually get up close and personal with the enemy?" I asked.
"Do you see those rocks over there?" Cheshire asked.
"Yeah, what about them?" I asked.
"Well, you can use your ribbon as a whip. There are three different attacks that you can do with it." Cheshire said.
"Really? Cool." I said.
"Alright, see that little rock over there, hit it just like you would with a whip, almost as if you were bitch-slapping someone you're really pissed off at." Cheshire said.
I did as I was told. I took the ribbon off and threw it. To my surprise, it extended once again and hit the rock, breaking it into a thousand little pieces. I was awe struck. Cheshire's grin became wider.
~Damn, does his grin have no end?~
"Now, that medium sized rock over there, pretend you're strangling someone, like you did to that Boojum." Cheshire said.
I threw it again. This time, it wrapped itself around the rock. I pulled on my end and that rock was cut into little pieces as well.
"Alright, you're gonna love this one. I want you to pretend that big ass rock over there is a cardguard who's head you'd like to see chopped off. This time, instead of throwing it straight, throw it from left to right." Cheshire said.
I did just that. My eyes went as wide as tea suacers and my jaw nearly hit the ground when I saw the ribbon just slice and dice through that rock like a hot knife through butter. Cheshire waved his paw in front of my face a few times to snap me out of my trance.
"Oh, my god, that was awesome! I never imagined I'd be able to use a hair ribbon as a weapon!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. The first two are meant as a single enemy attack, but if you're lucky enough to have a few of them close together, you can get them as well. The third one is especially made for multiple enemy attacks, such as decapitation, which I'm sure you'll enjoy." Cheshire said.
~Oh, yeah. You bet I'm gonna enjoy cutting their heads off alright! Hee-Hee.~
"Okay, I have one more question." I said.
"I'm all ears." Cheshire said. "Will I be able to use the toys that Alice used, or will I have to find my own?" I asked.
Cheshire sighed.
"All I know, is that yes, you can use the Vorpal Blade and the cards. As for the rest of the toys, I'm not sure. Don't worry, though. I'm sure there are some special toys that Alice made just for you and are waiting for their mistress to come and claim them." Cheshire said.
"Alice made weapons uh, I mean, toys for me?!" I exclaimed.
"How do you think your ribbon became a weapon. Your ribbon and the knife reqiure no strength of will and the cards was the only toy Alice had the will to leave you. She was still weak after her fight with the queen." Cheshire said.
"I see." I said.
"Well, you better get going, dear. You don't want to be late." Cheshire said.
I nodded and rose to leave.
"If you ever need me, you know what to do." cheshire said.
I smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He disappeared and I was left alone once again.
~Looks like there more at risk here than I thought. I have to save Alice, find Salem, and I'm going to personally take it upon myself to find out what the fuck is going on here.~
I jumped off the mushroom. I put a hand to my head to make sure the ribbon was there and headed towards the mineshaft. My journey to save my cat, my sanity, and restore the happiness of my childhood dreamland, my 'Wonderland' has only just begun.
A/N: Rabbit said I was early, yet he still ran off on me, can you believe that? Thank god Cheshire took the time to talk to me and tell me what was going on. R/R.