And so it was the next day, that Darling Charming found her way walking down the halls of Ever After High.

The hallways looked the same as they always had been. Tall vaulted hallways with equally tall windows that let in the shining sun, the polish waxed marble floor sparkling from the sun's rays. The great tree mingling with the castle stone in a prefect harmony of nature and civilization. The lockers and classroom doors lined neatly along the hallways. Normally this was a comforting sight for her...except nobody was there.

Darling walked down the hallways alone and literally nobody was there. Normally, the hallways would be filled with her fellow students hanging around, talking, getting ready for class. She walked cautiously through the hallways looking for signs of life...

...and still the hallways were completely empty. Barren. Deserted. The lack of life around her was beginning to mystify and unnerve her.

She continued walk down the hallway until she reached the school's open doors. When she got closer to the doors, the world around her began to lose it's color and fade out to dull grays.

Finally, someone appeared in the doorway. It was Faybelle Thorn, the daughter of the Dark Fairy and one of the most feared students in the school. Faybelle looked really angry and her fists were glowing with her magic. The dark fairy was staring directly at someone approaching behind Darling.

The Princess turned around and saw who was approaching. It was Raven Queen, the daughter of the Evil Queen, unofficial leader of the rebels, and one of Darling's best friends.

Raven didn't notice Darling, she looked only towards Faybelle, equally furious and her hands glowing with her magic.

Faybelle and Raven approached each other with hostile intent. Both were ready to attack and destroy the other with one solid blast of dark magic.

Both girls fired on each other with a powerful blast of dark magic. Darling unfortunately found herself caught in the middle of the blast. She was blasted by both of the opposing girls; but rather than being burned or killed by the blast, the school and the world around her shattered into a million pieces. Faybelle and Raven disappeared and Darling fell down into the infinite void, like a rabbit hole from Wonderland, but without any of the wonder.

She fell into the endless dark abyss. She fell.

Fell

Fell

Fell

Fell

Fell

Fell

Fell

Fell

Fell

and fell

Until she landed in a grass field that too was beginning to lose it's colors, turning a "bleh" shade of gray.

She looked around the field and again she saw no life around her.

Save for one man.

A monk with a long white beard and wearing a black cassock, hunched over and supported by a cane, beckoned her to follow him. He was heading towards a church that was out in the distance.

She hesitated for a moment to follow. She heard the sound of a bone-chilling inhuman roar behind her. She looked over shoulder, and saw monsters of unimaginable, demonic horror running after her.

While a normally brave girl, she become terrified beyond description at the beasts of hell coming for her, so she ran after the monk, who paid little heed to her or the monsters.

Darling ran and ran until she found her self in front of the Church the monk was heading to in distance. It was a large Church she had never seen before. The Church's twin bell towers stood tall and imposing, but yet welcoming and inviting.

She approached the Church doors, and entered them. The monsters outside could not and would not enter, but fled in fear at the very sight of the holy place. Darling had found sanctuary within.

Inside, the Church glowed with golden light. Familiar faces of her fellow Ever After High Students greeted her in the congregation as she passed through them. In here, she felt comfort. Safety. Sanctuary. She moved through the church until she approached the altar.

At the altar she found a family consisting of a Father (who was also the Priest of the Church), a mother, a younger sister, and an older brother. They were kneeling before the altar, praying. The great 7 foot golden Cross on the altar glowed with golden light.

The family stood up and turned to face Darling. They welcomed her warmly and wanted her to join them and the brother offered his hand to her, as if silently saying to "Please, be with us". His expression was warm and genuine, the gesture was gentle and inviting. Darling took his hand and she felt a connection to him. Not necessarily romantic, but one of a kindred spirit.

Then the light of the Church dimmed around them save for the great golden Cross which glowed in a golden light, but floated in mid air and then shrunk from a 7 foot piece to a hand held size.

Then, the family was attacked by an unseen evil force. First, the father was attacked and swallowed by the darkness. Then, the mother and sister followed shortly after. The Cross grew a blade beneath itself and became a sword. The son picked up the sword and fought back against the enemy, but he too was overpowered and screamed in agony as he was swallowed by the darkness.

Darling picked up his sword and prepared to fight, but she too was swallowed by the dark beast. She was crying out for help and the help responded back: 'Darling! Darling! Wake Up!

Darling Charming woke up in a hot sweat, quickly breathing. It took her a few seconds to realize that her dream was just a dream, and not a reality.

Darling looked around to make sure that she was still in her bed, in her dorm room, at school. And indeed she was.

Darling saw that she was still surrounded by the multiple floral arrangements that made up her and Rosabella's shared dorm room. She saw their royally opulent room. She saw the tasseled curtains that were opened, letting in the morning sun. She saw her roommate's unoccupied bed. She saw their vanities and desks on either side of the room. Darlings' desk and vanity was immaculately clean and organized while Rosabella's was the opposite since both contained multiple petitions and signs for her various protests to help beasts and other creatures in distress from the wrongs of modern society.

Good. I am still at home. Darling thought in relief and let out a huge sigh to go with it.

She looked up into the kind and concerned eyes of her awaker. Her roommate Rosabella Beauty, daughter of Beauty and the Beast, who was sitting next to her on the bed.

"Are you OK?" Rosabella asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Darling yawned.

"Sorry for waking you up, but you were having a nightmare." Rosabella

"Thank you. I needed that." Darling sat up in the bed.

"Was it the same nightmare again?" Rosabella asked gently. Darling paused, then nodded, confirming that it was.

Rosabella was the first person Darling ever told about her bad dream. Darling had thought the dream would just be a one time thing, after one night, and it would just go away. The dream, or rather vision, kept persisting long after the curse on Wonderland was lifted, which was last week, and now it was starting to really become bothersome since it wouldn't stop haunting her.

Darling sighed in exhaustion. "I wish this would stop bothering me. I wish this bad dream would go away."

"I know. You would rather be dreaming about Chase Redford." Rosabella lightly teased, knowing full well of her roommate's "secret crush" on the Red Knight of Wonderland.

Darling said nothing, but blushed red, pretty much confirming that she would. Rosabella did not need her magic touch of sensing people's true emotions to see that.

Ever since their adventure in Wonderland, the son of the Red Queen, the Red Knight, Chase Redford had grown closer to Darling than any boy had previously; mostly because he was the first boy to actually get close to her in a way that was completely sincere, and not done because of infatuation or wanting to gain her family's title. He saw her as an equal, and she him.

At first, it was just a simple friendly rivalry between them because of their duel at the Queens of Hearts birthday party (That she won!). Soon this became a friendship, that was on the verge of becoming a full blown romance.

Their "relationship" was one of the hottest gossip stories on Just Right; Darling and Chase; The White Knight and Red Knight in secret relationship? the headline said. Were they or weren't they? In public, Darling would never comment on it, but the privacy of their shared dorm room, she freely shared her secrets with her roommate. Another thing that changed since she first revealed herself as the White Knight, much to Darling's relief. Rosabella was one the most trustworthy friends Darling ever had.

After giggling to themselves, Rosabella handed her roommate a glass of ice water that was by her bedside. Darling took the glass and drank it down quickly. Rosabella got off the bed and went back to her desk, allowing Darling to start her morning workout routine. Another thing Darling was grateful for, freely being able to work out in front of her roommate.

Rosabella looked over her various protests and petitions that she had planned for the day, but then she looked over at her roommate was in the middle doing push ups. For a quick minute. she had a crisis of conscience. Should I spend today being the beast rights activist I usually am? Or should spend the day with Darling, and make feel better? she pondered. She quickly made her decision.

Rosabella put down her petitions she had planned for the day, and turned to address Darling.

"Hey Darling".

Darling stopped her push-ups, got up, and turned to her roommate.

"I know what you need to feel better. You need a day on the town. Come on, it's Sunday, we have no thronework, and the weather's great outside. Get dressed, and we'll go to the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe for breakfast."

"But what about the petitions and protests you had planned for today?"

"They can wait until tomorrow. Right now, I want to make you feel better today."

Agreeing that breakfast at the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe was a hexcellent idea. Darling stopped her morning workout routine early, disappeared to the bathroom for a quick second to brush her teeth, and get dressed. I can always resume my routine when I get back she reasoned as she got dressed for the day. In her private changing station, Darling quickly shed her night gown and put on her favorite dress; The blue and silver one with armored shoulder guards and armored belt. She quickly freshened up her hair and makeup; not a very long task since the members of Charming kept a constantly perfect appearance and almost never tarnished themselves in any situation. This was a part of her family's magic touch, magically perfect and charming beauty.

Fully dressed and ready to seize the day, Darling and Rosabella made their way out their dorm and on their way to he Village of Book End and the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe for a hexcellent breakfast on this sunny, Sunday morning.

They were were not even off the school grounds and Darling Charming was already feeling better. The memory of her bad dream was fading from memory already, and happier thoughts were replacing them. Bad dreams never haunted her long because they never meant anything.

After all bad dreams were only that, just dreams. They didn't have any real meaning to them, nor did they foresee the future...

...didn't they?


Sorry that took too long to update! I'll do my best to not let that happen again!

As mentioned before this chapter onward takes place after the events of Way Too Wonderland.

Also, if I don't describe what anyone is wearing, just assume that they are wearing their basic outfits, until otherwise noted.