The Brain Storm
"Huh?!" Apple responded. Did Rotbart just say that she ought to go ahead and expose Lizzie and Daring?! He IS crazy! She thought.
"Don't you see, princess?" Rotbart continued. "That's precisely the kind of incident we need; let everybody know that Dick Charming cheated on you. That alone will trash his reputation as golden boy!"
"It would, wouldn't it?..." Apple said as she caught onto Rotbart's reasoning. She was Apple White; crown princess, school darling, and fairest of them all. Everybody (save Rotbart, and apparently Daring and Lizzie) loved her. And if anyone betrayed her, that would ultimately damn them in the rest of the school's eyes. Daring had already dug his own grave and now it was just a question of pushing him in it!
"And it won't do wonders for Lizzie either, let me tell you." Rotbart said. "She'll never be able to hold her head up as the-crazy-queen-of-cards when this comes out."
"And Daring will dump her!" Apple added elatedly. "He'll hate her once it he loses his reputation because of her! That'll break her several hearts." Apple giggled almost maliciously, and the sound of it did something to Rotbart's own twisted heart. But he ignored that.
"Yes! Now, how do we expose them?" He said.
"Get the news to Blondie?" Apple suggested.
"Nah, too obvious. And too blah. We need something BIGGER. Something epic. Reputations like theirs deserve a proper send –off."
Apple sighed . "Too bad we couldn't have the whole school catch them in the act, like we did. That would do it."
"And says we can't do it?!" Rotbart said with even more excitement in his voice.
"Wait, what? You mean, make sure all of EAH sees them together? Live? In person?!"
"Yes!"
"How?!"
"Simple. We set up a little romantic rendezvous. Something that'll get them nice and horny…"
"Ewww…"
"And while they're doing the nasty, we subtly arrange for the entire school to drop in. With you at the forefront."
"Why?"
"To detract suspicion, of course. And once all of Ever After High sees you supposedly witness your precious prince's infidelity for the first time…"
"No more princely perfection!" Apple said dreamily. She could see it now: her future subjects would loathe and shun Daring, like the womanizing scum he was, and admire her as the perfect future queen she was. In the face of heartbreak, she would be dignified and proud. She would be a shining example to all. She'd have all the pity (and the secret satisfaction of ensuring that Daring got his just desserts)!
But then something else occurred to Apple:
"Wait! What about the whole making Daring ugly for three months part?! How's that going to fit in?"
Apple could practically hear Rotbart's evil grin over the phone: "Tell me what you think of this, princess…." And proceeded to tell her about the specific wicked spell he had in mind for Daring Charming and Lizzie Hearts.
It was cruel. It was unusual. It was of epic proportions. But it also wouldn't be permanent. And so Apple told Rotbart:
"It's perfect!"
"Hexcellent. So here's what I'm thinking needs to happen to pull this off…"
"APPLE!" Queen Snow White called from downstairs. "It's almost time for tea!"
"Coming, Mother!" Apple yelled back. She turned her attention back to the phone. "Sorry, I've got to go, can I call you back tomorrow?" She asked.
" 'Fraid not; I'll be in the Candy Kingdom tomorrow." Rotbart answered.
"Oh, you're going on a trip?"
"I AM on a trip, actually."
"You mean you're traveling right now?"
"Uh-huh. The reception is remarkably good on the Sugar Rush Express."
"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take up your vacation time." Apple said politely.
"Eh, travel is boring. Scheming isn't. You're actually making this more bearable."
"Oh, you're welcome…erm, why are you going there? " She asked. The Candy Kingdom seemed like one of the last places a villainous guy like Rotbart would want to go to. It was incredibly saccharine, even by fairytale standards.
Snow White's voice interrupted again: "APPLE! The White Queen is here, come say hello!"
"Ooop! SORRY, JUST A SEC MOTHER!" Apple shouted. "When can I call you?" She asked Rotbart.
"Don't worry about it. I'll text you the plan when I get a chance. Memorize it, delete it, and we'll get started when we get back to school."
"Right." Apple said. "Erm…goodbye…" She finished awkwardly. "Have a nice time?"
Rotbart chuckled. "It'll be nice for me. I don't think those candy suckers will, though. Bye, princess." He said. And then he hung up, leaving Apple to wonder just WHAT Rotbart planned to do on his trip.
As Apple headed down the stairs to have tea with the White Queen of Wonderland and the Ellas, she reflected on her conversation with Rotbart. She had always known that he was smart (and a real smart-ass!). But now she realized that he was brilliant. He had a knack for analyzing situations and human behavior and using it to his advantage. He was artfully subtle, had incredible attention to detail, and was capable of accomplishing nigh impossible feats with very few resources. It was easy for Apple to see why Swan Lake sorcerers had such fearful reputations as successful villains.
The thought made Apple gulp a bit. Rotbart didn't really scare her anymore, especially since he had promised not to harm her until she got a new prince. But she couldn't help but feel relieved that this would-be evil genius was on her side. At least for now.
Meanwhile, Rotbart pensively stared out one of the many windows of the Sugar Rush express. He was on his way to spend New Year's Eve with Ratty and his family in the land of sweets. Ratty had told him the Candy Kingdom's New Year's gala would be just as sumptuous as the Christmas one. And much less sickening.
The young sorcerer was trying to plan some suitable pranks to play on the denizens of the Candy Kingdom upon his arrival. But his thoughts kept drifting back to his grander upcoming scheme: helping Apple White expose Daring Charming and Lizzie Hearts. It was much more interesting.
And Apple was exceedingly interesting too. He had always known that Apple was a spoiled brat, but there was far more to her. Despite her entitlement and self-centeredness, she was capable of great kindness. And even though she desperately tried to remain poised and confident at all times, Rotbart suspected that the-fairest-of-the-all was secretly fearful about a lot of things.
But the most intriguing thing about Apple White was her dark side.
Of course, Rotbart didn't think that Apple was some sort of closet villainess; he could tell that that girl was a heroine through and through. There was no question about that.
But that didn't mean that she didn't have a secret, wild, wicked side lurking in her soul. A side that resisted restraint and convention. Lots of people had parts of them like that. But only villains fully gave into that part of themselves.
Deep down, Rotbart secretly liked that little part of Apple. It was endearing. And captivating. Somehow.