"Your daughter?!" Cathleen asked her friend as her eyes widened. "Then... That means that Gold is her father?"
"You really are a genius like Dexter once was." Mr. Gold nearly deadpanned.
"Be nice..." Cherry warned him before sighing. "But yes... While I was here... Mr. Gold and I got... Very close with each other..."
"Does Belle know?" Cathleen asked.
"...Do you know what a triad is?" Cherry asked sheepishly.
Cathleen shook her head as she did not.
"A triad is when three people are in a relationship together." Cherry explained.
"...Then that means, that you, him, and Belle were all-" Cathleen began.
"Yes." Cherry interrupted with a nod.
"...So you sleep with both of them?" Cathleen asked.
"Yes, Cathleen," Cherry rolled her eyes. "I used to live with them in their mansion when I took a year off of school to come here and we had your and everybody else's memories erased of me being gone for a year to make it look like I was just visiting Gotham City for a couple of weeks."
"...Does Atticus-" Cathleen began.
"No, he just wouldn't understand," Cherry sighed. "But Aurelia is my daughter, I'm not married to either Belle or Gold, but we were all together... Kind of like a family. I would've stayed forever, but I knew Drell would find me sooner or later, so I just decided to go as soon as he found me, not bothering fighting it."
"I don't understand..." Cathleen said. "Didn't you want to stay with them?"
"I had to go back to Greendale," Cherry told her. "I had a huge responsibility there... Until the memory wiping spell came out. We've had adventures, all of us."
"If we had adventures, why don't I remember?" Cathleen asked.
"Because I didn't want any trace to come back after my time in Storybrooke... So I made it all up," Cherry sighed sharply. "I didn't want anyone to be hurt, so I made it look like were powerless, normal mortals with no adventures or magic. I wanted to leave it all behind so that no one would get hurt and I didn't remember anything until I got my memories back. This pawnshop has everything that everybody's used or had from their stories and adventures before someone took them all away. This book helped me see the light." she then added as she held up her scrapbook which said "Cherry's Adventures" on the front cover.
"I see..." Cathleen realized.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Cherry replied. "I didn't want you to get hurt because of me."
"So you took away my memories and everyone else's..." Cathleen said. "How did you do that?"
"It's really complicated," Cherry sighed. "I don't think you'll understand... Especially with this universe's rules."
"I think you two oughta get some dinner at Granny's later tonight," Mr. Gold advised. "I'll take you out if you want."
"I think you've done enough, Bumple." Cherry grumbled out sharply.
"Come on now, dearie, don't be like that." Mr. Gold told her.
Cherry sighed as she put her hands to her face.
"It'll be all right," Mr. Gold told her. "And you can help the three missing kids who went away from the curse, but sadly, no one else has noticed."
"Are you gonna tell us about them?" Cherry asked.
"I will... If you promise to stay," Mr. Gold nodded. "Do you promise me? You know I'll know if you're lying or not."
Cherry sighed before glancing at him. "...Fine," she then said. "I'll stay... And especially avoid the town line."
"And I'll stay too," Cathleen added. "Anything to help my best friend out."
"You're smarter than I pegged you for... Good..." Mr. Gold nodded. "Even if you were a bit of a violent type, Miss Ross, in certain adventures, especially around Cherry's other friends."
"Please don't remind me about that part of my past," Cathleen begged. "I feel really bad about it."
"You've learned your lesson..." Mr. Gold nodded. "Very good."
"Now, about these three missing kids?" Cherry asked.
"Ah, yes," Mr. Gold said before he took them over to his globe. "They come from this desert island... So obscure... So unknown... So in the middle of nowhere... No one really knows a whole lot about it... But I know some stories about it."
"Which island?" Cherry asked. "Not Gilligan's Island?" She then smirked.
"Charming, but no..." Mr. Gold smirked back at her. "It's called The Albonquetine Island."
"Albonquetine Island?" Cathleen repeated.
"Why does that sound so familiar?" Cherry murmured to herself.
"It's an island that's right off the pacific," Gold said as he showed them his globe. "Mostly peaceful... It was created and invented by a man named Wendell Joshua Albonquetine who crashed with people from Britain on The Good Ship Betty Anne over 300 years ago. And since then, the people adapted and eventually a new civilization was born."
"So the kids are from some sort of tribe?" Cherry asked.
"Two of them anyway," Gold nodded before he took out a file. "This is the only one I can really tell you about that I got from Mother Superior and the other nuns at the church."
"Yes?" Cherry and Cathleen asked.
"Her name is Michelene Mazinsky," Gold informed as he opened the file to show a girl with ginger hair in pigtails in a red shirt, red skirt, white socks, and red and white sneakers. "No one really knows where she came from aside from Manhattan in New York where my son was living for a while after our separation in The Enchanted Forest or much about her family, but she became an exchange student on The Albonquetine Island and met a couple of native children named Lu and Og."
"Sounds a little like Emma's situation... About not knowing where she came from." Cherry commented.
"Yes, I suppose you could say that." Gold nodded at her as he showed them the file.
"Could you tell us where they are?" Cathleen asked as Cherry was still looking over the file.
"That's the problem, I can't track them down, especially since I don't have a blood sample or where they had gone," Mr. Gold explained. "I don't even have anything that belonged to them that would let me use a locator spell."
"That redheaded girl... I don't know why, but she looks so familiar to me." Cathleen remarked.
Belle soon came out from the backroom. "Are you going to live with us forever then, Cherry?" she then asked.
"I-I... I don't know if I should..." Cherry said. "Especially since... What happened before I had to leave. My true heritage."
"We won't hold it against you," Mr. Gold reminded her. "I was a Dark One many centuries before you came along before Regina cast her first curse that created Storybrooke."
"Cherry... I won't be upset if you decide to live here," Cathleen said maturely. "You have a daughter and two lovers who need you here."
"I especially had to go after I became a new Dark One because I had to make my parents happy." Cherry sighed sharply.
"Your parents wouldn't want you to be evil." Cathleen shook her head as she knew Cherry's parents very well and they were always very kind and supportive people, even parents to their daughter's friends.
"Not those two, Cath," Cherry said as she looked off to the distance. "I didn't know it until I came here, but... I was given alternate memories until I ended up here... I'm a child of evil and from the Fairy Tale Realm like everyone else here. My parents are Ursula the Sea Witch and Dr. Facilier the Shadow Man from this universe."
"Say what?!" Cathleen asked as her eyes widened in even more shock.
Cherry sighed as she stood in front of the counter and put her hands to her face.
"You worked your way through that," Mr. Gold reminded Cherry. "No one's mad at you for it, dearie."
"I know," Cherry groaned. "But that's part of the reason why I left and had my memories taken from me. Because of all this drama."
"I still don't understand," Cathleen said. "Does Drell know about this?"
"He does, but he shouldn't get involved," Mr. Gold replied. "This is our jurisdiction."
"Even if he, Hilda, and Zelda used to visit the Enchanted Forest all the time back when Regina was The Evil Queen and Snow White's step-mother," Belle added before she sat down on the stool in front of her husband's spinning wheel. "And now, we're living our new cursed lives, but with the people from Cartoon Network."
"And, much like Emma Swan, you were chosen to become the Toon Saviors sometime after Cherry left and made your lives normal," Mr. Gold added with a sharp sigh. "So she left after the big battle... And we never saw her again... Until Henry and his new friends found out about her and brought you both here."
"And those kids with him... Who are they?" Cathleen asked, referring to Dylan and Eve.
"They're from the distant future... Very far from the future..." Mr. Gold said ominously. "20 years from now."
"We can't figure out where they exactly came from, but yes," Belle nodded. "Eve even... Oh... Um..." she then stopped.
"Belle, you might as well tell her," Cherry sighed. "There's no turning back now."
"...No, there isn't," Belle shook her head before facing Cathleen. "Cathleen... Eve is actually your daughter from the future."
"What?!" Cathleen asked.
"Well, technically adoptive daughter, but yes." Mr. Gold nodded to that.
"I have a daughter... But then... Who's her father?" Cathleen asked.
"A young man by the name of Rex Salazar." Mr. Gold replied.
"Rex Salazar..." Cathleen said before pausing. "...I feel like I know him, but I can't think right now."
"It'll come to you later," Mr. Gold reassured. "This is the classic generation of Cartoon Network right now after all."
"...I see," Cathleen said. "Looks like I have a lot to learn and remember..."
Cherry soon sat down at the spinning wheel stool and began to spin at Mr. Gold's wheel since she had a lot on her mind.
"Careful." Mr. Gold reminded her.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," Cherry rolled her eyes as she spun vigorously. "I just wish you guys could figure out who's probably behind this... I wanna suspect Regina, but she's changed a lot since Emma met her."
"I just wanna know one thing... Why is that redheaded girl so familiar to me?" Cathleen continued to wonder.
"You'll figure it out later," Mr. Gold told her. "Just stop and enjoy the sights until you start work tomorrow."
"I just can't believe I have to be a waitress..." Cathleen muttered.
"Trust me... You'll enjoy working there more than you think..." Mr. Gold told Cathleen. "And Cherry, slow down before you make my wheel roll away."
"Just so... Frustrated..." Cherry grunted as she used his wheel before she slowly began to calm down as she took a deep breath. "Mm... That does feel a little relaxing..." she said as she watched the wheel spin. "I can see why you would do this so often."
"Might as well do this thing then." Cathleen suggested.
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Belle asked Cherry, hugging the girl from right behind. "It'll be like old times."
"Do I get dessert too?" Cherry smirked.
"If you're good enough~" Belle smirked back.
Cherry chuckled before looking over. "...I probably shouldn't leave Cathleen alone..." she then said.
"Perhaps you could show her around town?" Mr. Gold suggested. "You ought to know your way around by now."
"You do remember your way around, yes...?" Belle asked.
"Yeah, I remember..." Cherry sighed. "I'll see you guys later, okay? ...By the way, uh, does Aurelia know about me?" she then asked.
"We were going to tell her when she was a little bit older, but she believes that Belle is her mother since you left right after she was born," Mr. Gold told her softly. "But we thought that whenever you'd return that you would help explain some things."
"...Okay," Cherry said before going out the door. "C'mon, Cath."
"Right... I'm coming!" Cathleen replied as she followed after her friend.
The two young women soon left the pawnshop as Mr. Gold sharply sighed.
"Mama... Papa..." Aurelia spoke up as she came out of the back room with her dolls. "Who was that?"
"We'll tell you later, dearie," Mr. Gold said as he patted his daughter on the head. "We'll tell you later."
And so, Cherry and Cathleen walked all over Storybrooke City to explore, though it changed a little bit since Cherry was last here, especially with the addition of the Cartoon Network citizens.
"Aha! I have done it! I have created..." Dexter beamed as he was working at a photo store. "A 5x7 glossy photo of your pet Schnauzer!"
"It looks like there's some red-eye." The woman said to him.
"Tell that to the vet. Good and bye!" Dexter told her before dismissing her.
"Dexter was a boy genius and now he's working at a photo store?" Cathleen frowned. "What could have happened?"
"I don't know... I doubt Regina did this, but you should meet her," Cherry said. "Luckily she's not evil anymore."
"Hmm... I wonder who did this then?" Cathleen shrugged.
"I don't know and I don't care..." Cherry rolled her eyes.
"Hey, you feeling okay?" Cathleen asked.
"Fine... I'm just a little annoyed that I'm back here now and I can't leave otherwise I'll forget everything, including you... It's the curse of this town..." Cherry said as she took Cathleen into the walkway of a mansion where the man formerly known as Samurai Jack was, though he was now a landscape artist and made bush displays in the mayor's yard next to her apple tree.
Eventually, they made it to the door and the front door was knocked on.
"Yes, what is it?" A woman with short black hair asked before opening the door and looking over. "...Cherry, is that you?" she then asked in surprise.
"Hey, Regina." Cherry waved weakly.
"It's been so long," Regina smiled as she hugged Cherry. "How have you been?"
"A little bit annoyed and confused about what's going on," Cherry said, flinching from the hug before looking over. "This is my friend, Cathleen... Cathleen, this is Madam Mayor: Regina Mills."
"So, you're the Evil Queen from Snow White?" Cathleen asked.
"Yes, but I've changed since then," Regina nodded. "I'm not going to hurt anyone anymore, unless they hurt the people I care about like my son, Henry. Tell me, do you like apples?"
"Sometimes." Cathleen shrugged.
"Perhaps I'll make some of my famous apple turnovers," Regina said as she walked off to her tree. "Excuse me."
Cherry nodded as she then took Cathleen into the living room to sit down.
"Well, she seems nice." Cathleen said.
"Yeah, now," Cherry scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "She used to be this cold witch when she was The Evil Queen and borrowed the curse back when Mr. Gold was Rumplestiltskin just to ruin Snow White and Prince Charming's happiness after he kissed her awake."
"How did she turn good?" Cathleen asked.
"She changed," Cherry said. "She became more helpful. And she wanted to make Henry happy."
"Yes, Henry is my whole world," Regina nodded as she came back in with a basket filled with apples. "I didn't want him to know too much about the past until his teacher gave him that book, but I guess I was the one who needed to change and not just curse everyone."
"Not to mention trying to poison Emma when she came into town." Cherry rolled her eyes.
"But now, this is the new me," Regina defended before she decided to change the subject. "Have you seen my new landscape artist? He does a really great job."
"Yeah, that's great..." Cherry blinked. "For someone who used to be a very honored and trained samurai."
"I just hope Zelena didn't do this." Regina said.
Cathleen was about to ask.
"Wicked Witch of the West, Regina's half-sister, long story." Cherry explained before she could ask.
"Ohh..." Cathleen said. "Um, do you think that she could've done this?"
"I hope she didn't." Regina said as she went to make them some apple turnovers.
"Where is she then?" Cherry asked.
"In Oz as far as we know," Regina replied. "So hopefully..."
"Eh, just for the heck of it, I'm gonna say your mom for drama." Cherry shrugged as she sat back on the couch.
Cathleen looked out the window where the man formerly known as Samurai Jack was finishing up the yard work.
Regina soon came into the other room and gave them each cups of tea. "So, Cherry, you'd rather live life like a boring mortal with no adventures?" she then asked.
"I had to regain some sort of sanity," Cherry said. "This isn't Wonderland."
"Believe me, I know." Regina smirked.
"It just doesn't look right.' Cathleen said as she watched Jack as he clipped the bushes in Regina's yard.
"Regina, do you know anything about these three missing kids? Gold gave us a file of a redheaded girl." Cherry asked as she handed the mayor a file on the girl known as Michelene Mazinsky.
"Hmm... Let me see..." Regina said as she took the file.
"Take your time..." Cherry said. "Maybe she came from the same place Gold found Henry for you to adopt him."
"Probably..." Regina said as she looked the file closely. "Hmm... This child seems familiar... I'm not sure from where though."
"We know that the two other kids are natives from the island called Albonquetine." Cathleen remarked.
"Yes, Gold's mentioned about that island, sorta like Neverland." Regina nodded.
"Don't say Neverland." Cherry groaned as she held her head.
"Oh, sorry, Cherry," Regina said as she looked over the file. "I think I saw this kid when Mother Superior was visiting the school to help out a little with the PTA before I had to sign out."
"I don't know why, but I keep having visions about her." Cathleen then said.
"Those could mean something." Cherry remarked.
"Let me see something..." Regina said before her hands began to glow. "Cherry, do you still have Memory Vision?"
"I... I guess I could..." Cherry shrugged.
"Try it and see what happens." Regina said.
"Um... Okay then..." Cherry said before she put her hand on Cathleen's head. "Just relax... I'm gonna try to look inside your head to see your visions."
Cathleen then took a deep breath and relaxed. Cherry took some deep breaths too before their eyes both went wide and glowed as they began to see the same thing.
We are shown an island where three children and a turtle were lying in the middle of the sand on a desert island. There with them were Cherry and Cathleen as they seemed to know the kids in this memory somehow. They were lying underneath the shade of a tall palm tree.
"It's hot... Way hot..." The redheaded girl said.
"Hot..." The brunette girl added in a whiny voice.
"Hmm..." The quiet boy hummed in agreement.
"If it gets any hotter, we're gonna need to add Island Fried Cherry on the menu." Cherry grumbled.
"I hate being hot." Cathleen added.
"If I knew it were this hot, I would've stayed in New York!" The redheaded girl snarked. "But nooo! I had to end up on a lost island."
"It's her..." Cathleen's voice said. "But something about this isn't right..."
"Looks harmless enough so far... So that's Mike..." Cherry realized. "We were friends with her, though mostly Cath..."
"If we were, then how come I don't fully remember her right now?" Cathleen asked.
"We will, slowly but surely, the memories will come flooding back like when Emma was the original Savior." Cherry reassured.
"She just disappeared." Cathleen said.
"I'd help you if I knew how, but I'm not a wizard in that sort of thing." Regina replied.
"Isaac!" Cherry soon called out.
"...Isaac?" Cathleen blinked. "Who's Isaac?"
"You think he did this?" Regina asked.
"Who's Isaac?" Cathleen tried again.
"It seems likely since he was the reason I ended up here in the first place." Cherry replied.
"Who is Isaac?!" Cathleen asked.
"Hmm... That does make sense now that I think about it... But why would he bring Cartoon Network characters here too?" Regina pondered.
"Please for the love of all that is cartoons and Fairy Tales WHO IN THE HELL IS ISAAC?!" Cathleen nearly roared.
"Inside voice." Regina warned firmly.
"Sorry..." Cathleen said once she sat down.
"Sorry about that, Cath," Cherry replied. "Anyway, Isaac Heller is known as 'The Author'."
"Like you?" Cathleen asked.
"No, Cath, not like me." Cherry sighed and shook her head.
"He had a special book and pen given to him from the last author and he can write out whatever he wants to have happen." Regina explained.
"And you think that he's behind this?" Cathleen asked.
"I think so." Cherry nodded firmly.
"So where is he now?" Cathleen then asked.
"I banished him somewhere after we faced him before Aurelia was born..." Cherry said. "...I can't think of where though."
"So, that's it? We're gonna give up?" Cathleen asked.
"No, no one is saying that, we just have to have a look around," Cherry said. "It's a very curious mystery to say the least."
"I'm sorry we can't do much work, but I'll take a look around, especially in the mines where Leroy and the other dwarves are." Regina offered.
"That'll be great, Gina," Cherry replied. "I might also need to borrow certain spells of my own... If I can channel my magic again, it's been too long."
"Of course, Cherry." Regina nodded.
"I'd call Minnie over, but I don't know if I should risk it." Cherry said.
Regina nodded.
"Friend of yours?" Cathleen asked.
"Yeah, another friend of mine outside of you," Cherry replied as she faced her. "She and Elvira help me out in a bit more of darker and edgier stuff, but I don't think that this is their territory."
"You mean Elvira: Mistress of the Night?!" Cathleen asked in shock.
"Please stop yelling in my house." Regina told Cathleen.
"Sorry." Cathleen said softly.
"Yeah, what about her?" Cherry asked, confused.
"I can't believe that you know her!" Cathleen said.
"I didn't tell you?" Cherry asked.
"Tell me what?" Cathleen replied.
"Long before the adventures started and I had to be put up for adoption, my parents used to know Elvira, she was an old friend of my mother's," Cherry explained. "I used to see her all the time when I was a baby and my mom made her into my godmother until the prophecy began."
"No, you didn't tell me about that." Cathleen replied.
"Really? I thought I did..." Cherry shrugged. "Plus sometimes she sends Minnie over to see me whenever she's too busy."
"I didn't know Elvira had a daughter." Cathleen then said.
"She doesn't," Cherry said. "Minerva, or as I like to call her, Minnie, is her niece/apprentice. She's a really good friend of mine..." she then said, showing a picture on her phone with a girl with shoulder-length shiny black hair in a dark gray shirt with black and white striped sleeves, a darker gray skirt, and black boots who stared at the screen with a gloomy, disinterested frown.
"Wow, she looks as cheerful as you on a regular basis." Cathleen snarked.
"Oh, I miss them, I haven't seen them in a while, but now, I guess, I never will see them again..." Cherry said firmly.
"Hey, it's not my fault that the town line does that." Regina defended.
"It's okay, Regina; I'm not mad at you." Cherry reassured.
"I should hope not," Regina said before sighing. "I thought we were past all of this, but it seems like no matter what we do, we can't stop getting cursed."
"Sounds like my life half the time actually," Cherry replied. "...Cooking something?"
"My famous apple turnovers," Regina nodded. "Cathleen, do you like apple turnovers?"
"Yes, please," Cathleen nodded. "Thank you."
"They'll be ready in a little bit." Regina said.
"No poison this time, eh, Evil Queen?" Cherry teased.
"Cherry..." Regina rolled her eyes.
"I kid, I kid." Cherry smirked.
"I'll go ask Landscaper Jack if he wants one." Regina said as she stood up and went to go out to her front yard.
"You do that..." Cherry shrugged.
Regina soon walked outside to go and see the former samurai.
"So... This Henry kid..." Cathleen said as she checked the photographs of Henry that Regina kept around the house. "Is he a brat?"
"Nah, Henry's really sweet and mature for his age," Cherry said. "He left Storybrooke once to go and find Emma to bring her into town because she was The Chosen One to break Regina's curse on everyone when they lost their memories for 28 years."
"Oh, I see..." Cathleen said.
"Somehow he found out a way, especially after Mary Margaret gave him that book," Cherry said before she set one picture down. "Don't get me started on his family tree though after Emma came into town."
"Why?" Cathleen asked.
"Don't ask... It'll give you the worst headache," Cherry told her. "I guess we'll start working tomorrow and trying to find out what to do from there."
"All right then." Cathleen shrugged.
Regina soon came back inside the house with a giggle.
"New boyfriend?" Cherry teased Regina.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe..." Regina said as she went to check on the oven.
"Yep, definitely a new boyfriend." Cherry smirked.
"Don't you have old junk to sell with Gold?" Regina rolled her eyes as she opened the oven to take out the apple turnovers.
"Not 'til tomorrow probably," Cherry smirked. "Anyone's better than Sheriff Graham... Whatever happened to him anyway?"
"I don't know and I don't care," Regina scoffed. "He's old news anyway."
"So sad... The Queen has a fallen King... And her new King seems to be in the form of a Samurai," Cherry sighed dramatically as she gave a small smile. "It'd be nice if you could keep a new boyfriend though, Gina... You could definitely use one, you've had worse luck than I have with boyfriends."
"Thank you, Cherry." Regina smiled back.
"Yeah, yeah, I try." Cherry shrugged.
Eventually, the three shared their apple turnovers with some glasses of water.
"Pretty nice as always, even if I'm not a big apple eater." Cherry said since she had eaten them before.
"This is delicious," Cathleen added. "Much better than my dad's."
"Now if you want to know more about this Michelene Mazinsky kid, you could probably try to ask Mother Superior or the other nuns," Regina suggested. "They look after a lot of parentless children here like some of the Lost Boys that Cherry saved from Neverland."
"We'll see what we can do." Cherry nodded.
"Is she a fairy tale character too?" Cathleen asked.
"The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio." Cherry told her.
"Would you girls like any more turnover?" Regina offered.
"Yes, please, thank you." Cathleen replied.
"Do you want some too, Cherry?" Regina then asked.
"I'm full now, Gina." Cherry said.'
"All right," Regina nodded. "I also have to get ready to go later on."
"What's happening later on?" Cathleen asked.
"I sort of promised Mother Superior I'd help her and the sisters out with the orphans," Regina said. "Funny thing is, I don't think they come from The Enchanted Forest or the same place the Cartoon Cartoons came from... I mean, some of them look like it, but they don't seem like it, like Henry's friends Dylan and Eve."
"Thank you, Regina, for helping us out." Cathleen said.
"You're welcome, girls, and you're always welcome to stop by again." Regina invited.
"So, what do we do now?" Cathleen asked Cherry as they walked off.
"Just explore, I guess I could show you around," Cherry shrugged. "This was kind of my home away from home... Even if no one remembers me being gone."
"So your parents are Ursula the Sea Witch and Dr. Facilier the Shadow Man?" Cathleen said. "I never would've guessed that."
"Sure, in the Onceverse." Cherry muttered.
"Huh?" Cathleen asked.
"But yeah, I guess I'll show you all about this place that has Cartoon Network people involved," Cherry said, dodging the question. "Though I'm curious a little bit about those orphans that Regina talked about. Maybe Mary Margaret's seen some of them if they're allowed to take classes with Henry."
"We could always look around and see if you want?" Cathleen offered.
"Meh..." Cherry shrugged.
They soon went to the school where the students were as their teacher gave them their lesson, holding a bluebird in her hands gently and calmly.
"As we build our birdhouses, remember: what you're making is a home. Not a cage. A bird is free, and will do what it will," A teacher who was a woman with short black hair told her students as she paced around the classroom. "This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures." she then released the bird out of the window.
The bird then flew up into the birdhouse that was outside as the students watched in awe.
"If you love them and they love you, they will always find you." The teacher then told her students.
The bell then rang as the class stood up and went to walk out the door.
"We'll pick this up after recess. No running!" The teacher told her students before accepting a pear from a student. "Why thank you!"
"Just as kind and animal loving as I remembered..." Cherry said as she stood outside the door with Cathleen.
"Is that Snow White?" Cathleen asked Cherry.
"Yeah, more or less," Cherry replied. "Though here, she's Mary Margaret Blanchard."
"...Cherry, is that you?" Snow asked as she looked over.
"Hey, Snowy," Cherry smirked as she held up her hand. "Luckily for me though, she's not as obnoxious as her Disney movie counterpart."
Snow beamed as she soon hugged Cherry. "Oh, I know you don't like hugs, but it's so good to see you," she said softly. "I didn't think we'd ever see you again."
"Yeah, I tried to live a normal life on the outside, but I just got sucked right back in anyway." Cherry said, her hands dangling from the hug.
"Oh, and who's this strange new friend of yours over there?" Snow asked once she spotted Cathleen.
"This is Cathleen," Cherry introduced. "One of my friends from before I ended up here years ago."
"So... You're Snow White?" Cathleen asked. "Are you afraid of apples?"
"Very funny," Snow replied. "You shouldn't cross me though, I'm a lot tougher than I look."
"Sure, just ask David." Cherry smirked.
"Do you have special abilities or something?" Cathleen asked the teacher.
"I was pretty good with a bow and arrow when I tried to rebel against Regina before I met the dwarves," Snow replied. "Regina used to want me dead because of a mistake I made when I was a little kid before she married my father."
"What happened?" Cathleen asked.
"Regina told me a secret that she was in love with a stable boy named Daniel and didn't want to marry my father... But then I told her mother what happened and got her in trouble... So then the wedding went on," Snow sighed. "I made Regina into The Evil Queen... So then I became a thief, weapon master, and a lot more."
"Wow, you sound different from the Snow White I know from childhood." Cathleen commented.
"Yes," Snow nodded before she then smiled. "I did whatever I could to survive until I met the dwarves and eventually David when he was about to marry a woman named Kathryn and I stole something from him, but... Eventually, we fell in love and he became my Prince Charming and we were excited to become parents at first."
"Aww~... That's so sweet." Cathleen said with a small smile back.
"What's this? I thought tomboys weren't allowed to like anything sweet and nice." Cherry smirked.
"Cherry..." Cathleen pouted.
"Hey, your words, not mine," Cherry replied. "You're the one who threw a fit about finding a lost duckling cute and thought you were going insane."
"Hey, I couldn't help it if I found him so cute and adorable!" Cathleen defended.
"My point exactly." Cherry rolled her eyes.
Snow glanced over.
"Cathleen used to go on about how tomboys aren't allowed to find anything cute or whatever," Cherry rolled her eyes. "I don't know what her deal is either."
"I don't know," Snow said. "I hope you can find out what's going on. Storybrooke was crowded enough as it was and now these people just show up like that guy who thinks he's Elvis and tries to flirt with me when I already have David."
"Ah, yes, Johnny Bravo," Cherry rolled her eyes. "Very obnoxious."
Cathleen nodded as she then slowly remembered their What a Cartoon adventure when they first met Johnny Bravo and his attempts to flirt with them.
"You better run along," Snow told them. "I don't have long for recess and I promised Ms. Keane I'd talk with her about how to handle Buttercup. Must be weird having the Powerpuff Girls around without them using superpowers."
"Actually, it sounds a lot like 2016." Cherry snarked.
"Hm?" Snow blinked.
"Well, we'll get out of your way, thanks, Snow." Cherry said as she took Cathleen out the door.
"You're welcome," Snow smiled. "Stop by anytime."
"We might later... If we can figure out what we're gonna do here..." Cherry said as she rolled her eyes. "But you know Rumple... Cryptic as all heck."
Snow smiled as she began to erase what was on her chalkboard as they left.
"Man, I don't know how we're even gonna help," Cherry rolled her eyes. "The pawnshop usually has stuff from people's pasts that they come to see and buy which helps them bring their memories back, but those are from the Enchanted Forest."
"Maybe he has stuff from the old Cartoon Network." Cathleen suggested.
"All right, you go ask him and I'm gonna go wait for you outside." Cherry smirked.
"He's your boyfriend." Cathleen smirked back.
"But it was your idea." Cherry retorted.
"Come on, Cherry, be a pal." Cathleen urged.
"...All right, but you're coming with me..." Cherry rolled her eyes.
Eventually, they were coming back to the pawnshop, even though the closed sign was at the door right now.
"It appears that when I bought that 'closed sign', I was just throwing my money away." Gold smirked at himself.
"Uh, hey..." Cherry said as she came up beside him with her hands behind her back. "...I think we need to talk."
