Disclaimer: Me don't own, please don't sue. As always thanks to my loving fans. -Passes out tea and cookies. – To answer any questions.
Mousewolf, I have a pictures I found online of the Mad Hatter with a spade in his hat, but your story did help me design 'dark' Hatter. KillallFlamers, your wish is my command; I give you more Alice/Hatter flirting. Please R&R. Also thank you for all the reviews so far, and I'm looking for some that knows html. I want to start a web page around my story, but I don't know diddle about html, so I need some help, or someone who will co-own one with me. As always thank you all loyal reviews.
When Alice landed on the other side of the looking glass, she was quite surprised by the look of the land. It was a barren wasteland with no trees, and the grass had a strange chessboard like appearance. The white spots were covered in a slick ice, while the black spaces were burned as if they had been scorched by fire. Normally Alice would have quite surprised by this strange land, but after seeing what the Queen had done to Wonderland, it wasn't shocking to her that the looking glass world had become just as corrupted.
"You came to play with us," a voice said, Alice turned to see her reflection standing in front of her holding a badly damaged plush rabbit. The reflection smiled at her counterpart; "we were starting to get a little bit lonely."
"Who are you?" Alice demanded, the reflection just giggled.
"I'm you, silly!" she laughed innocently. Alice noticed how even though the girl in front of her was smiling, her eyes didn't show any emotion, like the Marionettes she had fought when she first arrived.
"Stop staring and come play with me!" the reflection demanded, pulling Alice further into the chessboard just as the Hatter appeared.
The reflection stopped when she saw him, "Yay! Now we have another friend!" she said, "isn't this great mister rabbit?" the girl made the rabbit nod his head, then grabbed Hatter's hand so he could join their little game.
"Alice what have a told about playing with strangers?" a low voice asked, the reflection Alice let go of the real Alice and Hatter's hands and looked down at the ground, kicking nervously at the ground.
"Don't play with them unless they can finish the game." She said, as the owner of the voice appeared. It was the mirror Hatter. He placed a hand on the mirror Alice's shoulder, grinning wolfishly at the real Hatter.
"You've come back," he said, his blood shot eyes glowing with insanity, " and you've brought your own doll."
"DON"T CALL HER A DOLL!" Hatter yelled, attempting to strike his reflection but as Alice watched in horror, the reflection grabbed Hatter's wrist.
"Don't you dare strike at me." The reflection hissed, squeezing Hatter's wrist tighter causing him to cry out in pain. The reflection then turned to Alice, "Are you going to play my game? If you don't your friend dies."
Suddenly, two Marionettes appeared and launched thin golden wires that looped around Hatter's joints and throat. The Marionettes pulled him to the ground the air filling with their mechanical laughter and the Mad Hatter gasping for air as the string around his neck tighten. Alice shook her head, "I won't play, unless Hatter is unharmed and travels with me."
"Fine," the reflection Hatter said, "let him go."
The Marionettes bowed, then retracted the strings. The dark Hatter once again flashed a wolfish smile at his fallen counterpart, then turned to the real Alice. "I'll see you soon my dear, and next time I'll make you mine." he whispered to her then planted a kiss on the real Alice's forehead.
"Bye-bye!" the reflection Alice said, waving as her and her master vanished from view. Just the reflections vanished; the Marionettes jerked once again to life. Swing their bladed arms wildly as the moved around Alice. Hatter was still on the ground, out cold from lack of oxygen, so she knew she had to end this fight as quickly as possible. Launching two playing cards into the turning gears in the Marionettes' chest, the automatons started to move slower and slower before collapsing on the ground.
"Hatter wake up." Alice begged, as she tried to move her friend away from the collapsed Marionettes. She didn't know how long the cards were going to keep the puppets down, but she wasn't going to stick around and find out. After pulling the Mad Hatter a few yards, she collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
"How are you getting along?" the Cheshire cat asked, suddenly appearing.
" Not very well," Alice said grimly, as she cast a glance at Hatter's limp form, "Cheshire what is going on here?"
"This is a mirror world, almost everything has a counterpart with an opposite personality here," the cat said, "Now only those that this world sees as a threat to its ruler have a doppelganger created."
"And that was mine."
Alice turned, and saw that Hatter was finally awake, a healthy color starting to return to his face. He grinned at her as she hugged him tightly, "Alice, I'm fine you can let go of me." He said, running his fingers through her hair. Cheshire's smiled at this brief moment of romance, before Alice detach her self from Hatter.
" As you said, Cheshire," Hatter continued, "After I refused to work, the Queen imprisoned me here, and my madness took form as that sadist reflection, and for some reason when you looked in the mirror reflection of you was made."
"She didn't seem evil though," Alice said, "how is she different from me?"
Cheshire's tail twitched nervously, " She is your doubt, and fear."
"What do you mean?" Alice asked.
"She's all the childish fears that you still have, and the doubt you carry with you."
Hatter nodded, "My shadow is my madness, and hatred," He said, "so don't believe anything they say, and lets hope we can get out of this game of his alive."
Alice watched as Hatter tried to stand. His limbs shaking as he got up. Then turned to the Cheshire cat, but the cat had already vanished. She now found her self in stranger place then Wonderland and one that seemed ten times as dangerous. Then in the distance she saw a tall building that bared a striking resemblance to the asylum her aunt had been confined to. Then Alice suddenly started to move towards it, acting as if she had fallen into a trance.
"Don't go there yet." The Mad Hatter said, grabbing Alice. A glare suddenly flashed a crossed her face, causing Hatter to release her in surprise. It was only there for a split second, but he recognized it as a look of madness.
"Why not?" she asked, as her expression returned to normal.
"That's the dungeon," he said, "and it lays in the territory of the red queen, and her pawns. Unless you wanna make this a really short trip, I think we should find the white queen first. The Village of the white pieces is just south of here."
As soon as they started south, the air was filled with the scent of burning flesh and smoke. Hatter's eyes grew wide with fear when the scent hit him. Alice followed him as sprinted off in the direction of the smoke. Then he suddenly he stopped and Alice saw why. The whole white village was on fire, the ground littered with the body of the pawns. Over the roar of the flames Alice could hear a faint voice crying, "Mamma."
"Lily!" Hatter gasped, rushing into the flames. He found the little pawn nudging at the form of the dead white queen.
"Mamma," Lily sobbed again, "Mamma wake up!"
"Lily, we have to go." Hatter said, scooping up the little girl, but just as he was about to leave a white horse suddenly charged out him.
"Unhand the princess!" the white knight, yelled, his lance pointed at the Mad Hatter.
"If you haven't noticed your town his on fire!" Hatter yelled, starting to race towards the outskirts where Alice was waiting.
"Fine, we'll finish this outside." The knight said, kicking his horse in to a run, while Hatter carried the tiny princess. Alice watched in horror as the Hatter was almost crushed by a flaming beam that had fallen from one of the house but he managed to roll out of the way, still clutching the tiny pawn to his chest.
"Is that fiend all right, my lady?" the white knight asked Alice, as his horse trotted towards her, "I don't want the princess harmed."
"We're both unharmed." Hatter said, placing Lily on the ground, both of their faces covered in soot from his dive. Alice saw how lovely the little girl was, with bright white skin and hair. Lilly stared at her with wide fearful eyes as she hide behind the white knight. The knight gave Hatter a disapproving as he moved towards Alice.
"Mister knight, why did you call Hatter a fiend?" Alice asked, as Hatter wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"It was him and those mechanical monsters of his that did this," the knight hissed, "He killed the queen and the king. He should pay for this murders!"
"I didn't do this," Hatter said, hold ing up his hands in defense, " it was my reflection. I not even from here."
"YOU"RE WITH THE QUEEN!" The knight roared, charging at Hatter, but Alice should in his way.
"Get out of the way my lady!" the knight, yelled, dismounting his horse sword in hand, " I won't let this villian lay another hand on you!"
"But mister knight, he's telling the truth." Alice said, never moving from her spot. The knight glared at Hatter angrily then looked at Alice.
"Very well, I will listen to your story fair maiden" the white knight said, bowing to the girl.
"Do that quickly, my dear," Hatter said, " and remember, when you come to the end stop."
Alice quickly began to tell her tale of how she had followed the Cheshire cat down the rabbit hole, then ended up in the now twisted Wonderland, and then was sucked in to the mirror by her reflection. The white knight thought about this for a moment before speaking again.
"You are a very brave girl come here," he said, " and I believe you can save both are worlds from this evil, I still don't trust your friend, but I will help you cross in to the red pieces territory, after I return Lily home."
Alice watched in disappointment as the knight carried Lily off to the other side of the chessboard. "Oh dear," Alice sighed, she had been hoping to get across the chessboard sooner, but that hope quickly disappeared.
"You could take the shortcut." The Cheshire cat said, suddenly appearing on the Mad Hatter's hat.
"Get off, fur ball," the Hatter growled as the feline leapt to the ground. The cat's grins widen as it saw the scowl on Hatter's face.
"What do you mean?" Alice asked, confused by the cat's statement. It just grinned at her as it started walking away from them. Hatter shrugged, then followed the cat, Alice in tow. It led them to a single tree in the middle of the chessboard. It climbed up the tree then smacked a knot in the tree. Then the trunk of the tree started to move, and revealed a dark tunnel filled with the sound of rushing water.
"It's the sewers that run under the dungeon." Hatter said, slipping into the tunnel. He looked back at Alice for moment then said, " we don't have to go this way."
Alice shook her head, " It's the fastest way," she said, then plunged in to the darkness.
The door slammed shut behind her, leaving them in complete darkness. Over the rush of the water Alice could hear what sounded like children laugh and crying. She looked the around, then shook her head think she had imagined it.
"So you've joined our game!"
Alice spun around, and saw her reflection grinning at them, her stuffed rabbit in hand. "What sick game is your master playing now?" Hatter demanded, grabbing the reflection.
"Owies, that hurt!" the reflection whined, then suddenly Alice felt the pain race up through her arm causing her to cry out. Hatter looked at Alice then realized what had happened. Anything he did to the reflection would happen to Alice.
"You should hurt other people's toys."
The dark Hatter appeared out of the shadows, a psychotic grin on his face as he eyed Alice, "You've brought your doll with you too." He said, licking his lips hungrily. Alice backed away from him, her knife in hand. He then turned his attentions to the real Hatter.
"Don't touch her," Hatter growled, while his reflection just laughed.
"You think you can protect her from me?" the reflection laughed, "I don't even have to touch her!"
A knife suddenly appeared in his hand, then with a swift movement, he slashed the reflection Alice across the face. An equal wound appeared on the real Alice's face, to Hatter's horror. The reflection grinned at his owner, then licked the blood off the blade.
"I meet you both in my tower," the reflection said, grabbing the reflection Alice, "that is if you survive." After those words they vanished in to the shadows again, and the sound of the children's laughter and crying growing louder.