It took Apple another thirty minutes to convince Headmaster Grimm after she submitted the names of the nine other competing girls, but it was definitely happening now: Miss Ever After would be renewed for the school year. The very next week the Charmitorium was packed with students and faculty members, as Grimm himself stood behind the podium on the stage.
"Who are you hoping will win?" Hunter asked Dexter. They were both sitting near the front, having arrived early to watch their girlfriend-slash-friends. Daring Charming was there, too, but he was chatting to a girl sitting behind him.
"Well, uh… I'm rooting for Raven and Cupid. Although I guess they can't exactly both win," Dexter admitted. "What about you?"
"Ashlynn Ella," he replied proudly. Then, adding hastily: "Because we're pretty good friends and all. You know."
Dexter just nodded.
SCREEEEEEEECH!
The sound of the audio feedback tore through the room; several students yelled covered their ears.
"HELLO, IS THIS ON?"
"It's on! It's on!" they cried with fingers stuffed in their ears.
"OH, YES. THANK YOU." Grimm frowned and adjusted the microphone for a moment - creating a few more screeches along the way - before finally setting it back on the podium. "Is this better now? Good."
"Ahem. Good evening Ever After High, and welcome to this year's Miss Ever After!" Headmaster Grimm said. The crowd whistled and clapped. "Thank you, thank you. Now, before we begin, allow me to remind you all of the very short and reasonable list of rules that you - the audience - must follow during the entirety of this competition…"
All the students groaned, but Grimm continued to go through a laundry list of incredibly specific rules without skipping a beat. Thirty minutes later, he finally reached the end of the list and the crowd began to wake up again.
"The first competition today will be the Evening Dress Contest," the Headmaster announced to renewed cheers. "A lady deserving the title of Miss Ever After should possess beauty, poise, and good taste. Those wishing to get past the first round must show all three. Contestants will appear on stage one by one wearing an evening dress of their choosing, where they shall be judged on their fashion sense, how they hold themselves, and their natural beauty. So! Now we begin!"
Everybody cheered.
"...By waiting another hour, as the contestants prepare themselves in the dressing room backstage."
Everybody groaned.
"Mirror, mirror, what about this dress?" Apple asked her personalized mirror, twirling around in what was now the sixth dress she tried on.
"It looks wonderful, Apple White," the mirror replied.
"Thanks, mirror! Hmm." Apple turned and surveyed herself at different angles. "Is it better than the last dress I tried on?"
From the opposite side of the room, Raven sighed. "Apple, you know that mirror is always going to agree with you. Can you please stop talking to it?"
Ten girls were put together in a large dressing room, complete with three shower stalls. Their wardrobes, which the girls had selected before entering the dressing room, were separated into different displays - Apple's collection was clearly the largest of the bunch, while Cerise's only had a single dress. The contestants were all at different stages of dressing up, helping each other with their hair and applying make up.
"Have any of you seen my other slipper?" Ashlynn asked from her position near the window; a number of birds and squirrels were helping her brush her hair, while she herself was trying to help Maddie comb through her messy locks.
"If it's a lost slipper you seek, you'll might just find it at the turniest peak!" Maddie giggled. Ashlynn shook her head.
"That dress is a little too gold, I think. But the last one you had was too wide at the shoulders," Blondie answered Apple. Blondie was still in her underwear, having rejected nearly every article of clothing in her own collection as not being "just right" and was now going through the other girls' dresses.
"Blondie, can you please not touch that?" asked Cedar. She winced as she tried walking in her new uncomfortable flats. "These aren't going to work at all… Ashlynn, could I possibly borrow a pair of shoes from you?"
"Sure, go ahead. Just tell me if you find the one I'm missing, though."
Duchess and Cerise were both in the shower, and Briar was fast asleep in her chair. Cupid was trying to apply mascara on her eyelashes, but she kept missing and poking herself in the eye.
"Ouch!" she cried, dropping the wand. "Oh, no… Raven, do you think you could get this on with magic? I just can't do it!"
"Uh… you don't want me to try using magic for this, I promise. But I'll see if I can help you by hand."
The amicable chatter continued through the room as the clock ticked closer and closer to the hour of the event.
When the clock struck 6:55 - just five minutes before they were to go on stage - things weren't quite as calm.
"Ohh, mirror, I don't know! I can't choose between these!"
"Does anyone know where my slipper is? Please, guys, I still can't find it - "
"These are all just wrong! Why, oh why didn't I just go shopping yesterday?"
"Ashlynn, these really - ouch! - hurt. Do you have anything maybe more comfortable because I'm really afraid of tripping on stage, see…"
"I'm so so so sorry, Cupid…!"
"Don't step on my train - and don't you dare touch that, Blondie!"
"Urgh… hey, I'm up, girls. What time is it?"
"Is Cerise still in the shower? I really, really need to wash this out of my eyes!"
"If with the iris one cannot see, find a new watch glass in the oak tree~!"
"Mirror, mirror, which of these ten - "
The door swung open, revealing the chaotic mess going on inside - dresses everywhere, water everywhere, and girls frantically trying to complete their outfits in the very last minute. Kitty Cheshire grinned, hands on her hips.
"Well, Miss Ever Afters, it sure looks like you girls are having fun," Kitty drawled from the doorframe, "but Headmaster Grimm wants me to tell you all that the event will be starting now. If you're not at the Charmitorium in five minutes wearing appropriate attire, you'll be disqualified! Good luck, hee hee hee…" She promptly vanished.
There was a tense silence. Then somebody screamed, and clothes, make-up, and bodies went flying in all directions, just as Cerise Hood finally came out of the shower.
"Cerise, my dear, I am glad that you are here, but…" Headmaster Grimm looked over her shoulder as if expecting the other girls to appear any second, but they didn't. "Where are the other contestants? They have just a minute left."
Cerise was currently the only one standing backstage with the Headmaster. Despite her long shower, she had been the first to depart and hastily left the scream-fest that was happening in the dressing room.
"They'll be here soon," she suggested, although she wasn't entirely sure if that would be true.
Headmaster Grimm exhaled… he had done Miss Ever After for only two years, and both of them had ended after the first round (both times, only one other girl was willing to compete against Snow White). He wasn't sure if he wanted the same thing to happen now.
"Very well. You may go on stage first while we wait for the other girls."
Cerise looked apprehensive; she hadn't wanted to go first - that would bring too much attention to her - but she eventually nodded. Grimm gave her a tight smile, patted her shoulder, and pushed past the curtains. She waited and listened.
"Ahem," came Headmaster Grimm's voice, booming over the speakers. The hum of student chatting soon died down. "Thank you for waiting. Again, welcome ladies and gentlemen to this year's Miss Ever After!"
There was loud applause. He continued:
"Now, let us begin the introduction and first contest - the Evening Dress Match!" Grimm announced, giving way to even more cheers. "Keep your scrutinizing eyes open, ladies and gentlemen, because I will now bring out our contestants one by one. Without further delay…"
Cerise took a deep breath and walked closer to the curtain. Just then, she saw a flash of gold and red coming behind her - Apple made it. She turned around and saw that the other girls were finally trickling in.
"Has it started?" Apple whispered, breathing hard.
"It just started," Cerise answered. "You guys just made it - "
"Introducing our first contestant!" Grimm said. "She loves to run and can travel through shadows - please give a warm welcome for Cerise Hood!"
Cerise walked rigidly on the stage. She was wearing a simple crimson gown underneath her magical cloak, and her hair was left down in her usual style.
There was modest applause, although she could detect with her enhanced hearing that a few people were whispering questions about why she was still wearing her day cloak for the event. Cerise crossed her arms defensively; she couldn't wait for this to be over with. Just before she left the center stage, however, she heard distinctive howls; Cerise looked again at the massive crowd. In the very far back the Big Bad Wolf was clapping proudly, and she could see some of her pack howling their approval.
She grinned shyly and stood at the end of the stage.
"Thank you. And now for our next contestant - a true beauty to behold and the apple of everyone's eye, put your hands together for the one and only Apple White!"
The crowd went wild as Apple waltzed on stage, looking as radiant and charming as she'd ever been. Apple ironically settled for the very first dress she tried: a billowing white ball dress with red and gold highlights, ruffled sleeves, and deep blue ribbons around the hem. All of her hair was piled on top of her head with intricate care, except for the few artful strands that had been deliberately left out to sit delicately on her shoulders.
She beamed and waved at everyone when she stopped at her position next to Cerise, eliciting more applause from the crowd. It took twice as long to silence the audience for the next contestant.
"For our third contestant, we will be introducing a fun-loving party goer who 'throws the best illegal spellebrations'... hmm. Briar Beauty, what kind of self-description is this?"
Briar had the bad luck of being introduced just after Apple, but upon hearing her botched introduction, the crowd began to laugh and clapped for her earnestly. Briar had her wavy brown hair in a high ponytail, and the sleek lace dress she wore was classy as anything: it was pink and black, like her usual attire, but the dress looked more mature and showed off her body to great success. The knee-length slit up the side of her dress allowed her to strut confidently across the stage.
Briar laughed nervously, dodged the threatening glare of the Headmaster, and settled safely next to the other two girls at the end of the stage.
"Fourth contestant! She has an eye for perfection and runs the local MirrorCast show Just Right, say hello to Blondie Lockes!"
Blondie bounced on stage and waggled her fingers at the audience. Luckily for the other girls, she eventually chose to wear one of her own dresses: a cute light blue gown with honey-colored accents. Her blonde locks were bunched into two girlish pigtails, giving her an idol-look that only highlighted her background as a show star. Her fans cheered and snapped pictures of her, and Blondie obliged them by making various model poses.
She skipped to the end of the stage with the rest of the contestants. "Just right," she mouthed to them.
"And… our fifth contestant. Er, Miss Raven Queen, please come on stage."
Raven walked calmly despite Headmaster Grimm's lackluster introduction. She hadn't managed to get her hair to curl at all despite her efforts, so Raven opted to wear a french braid with a tall crown instead; it looked elegant on her. For her outfit, she was wearing a deep purple dress paired with a silver shawl. The rebels in the school - and Dexter Charming - clapped and stomped their feet, so much so that the applause she received was almost equal to Apple's.
Looking quite surprised but happily so, Raven stopped and waited at the end of the stage for the next competitor.
"Now for our sixth contestant! She can dance with the very best of them - we proudly introduce Duchess Swan!"
The polite applause that had started up as Duchess entered the stage quickly fell to a hushed awe. She was wearing a short white dress and white gloves, but there were several long, translucent ribbons attached to her outfit that fanned the entire stage; they floated and twisted along with her ballet-like movements, creating a sort of ribbon dance. However, Duchess stopped abruptly in the middle of her walk. She looked nervously at the crowd, mistaking their silence for dislike.
It was an uncomfortable quiet until someone in the audience shouted "Woo! Work it!", and the crowd laughed. Duchess quickly shuffled into line amid renewed applause.
"She loves tea and madness more than anything else in the world - please join me in welcoming our next contestant, Madeline Hatter!"
Maddie hopped on stage, eyes closed and smiling to herself. Ashlynn hadn't managed to tame her hair in the least, but her curls suited the puffed purple dress that she was now wearing. In fact, Maddie looked quite fashionable - except for maybe her headdress, in which she was wearing seven vastly different hats right on top of one another. The crowd was genuinely stunned into silence for a moment, but then the rebels clapped for her heartily.
"I hope this finishes soon - it's almost tea time!" Maddie whispered to the rest of the girls when she reached them.
"Our eighth contestant! She loves nature, nature's creatures, and lots of shoes - here's Ashlynn Ella!"
The applause that Ashlynn received was as much animal as it was human. Every bird, rabbit and rodent voiced their support from the crowd, and Hunter Huntsman let out a big whoop. Ashlynn's style was natural: her hair was down with a single flower tucked over her ear, and her dress was mint green and flowy. Only her shoes were quite extravagant - they sparkled with every step she took. (Or rather, only one of them did - Ashlynn hoped nobody noticed they weren't exactly matching.)
She gracefully took her place at the end of the stage, tucking one of her feet behind the other.
"Now for our ninth contestant! She doesn't come from fairy land, but she's here to spread the love: it's our one and only Chariclo Arganthone Cupid!"
Cupid glided on stage with a frilly pink-and-white dress. Her eyelashes had less eyeliner on it than she had hoped, but her smile erased any flaws that might have been noticeable on her face. She styled her hair in a heart-shaped ponytail and painted her lips in a way that made it look like it was a heart; her wings spread out like an angel's. Cupid's MirrorCast fans, including Dexter, stood up and started chanting her name.
Cupid blushed and side-stepped her way to the end of the stage.
"And finally, our last contestant! Her honesty is her best and worst trait, and she loves to paint - put your hands together for Cedar Wood!"
Cedar stumbled into the spotlight, smiling nervously. She had her hair in her usual style, swooped back and braided in the front; her lilac short-long dress, on the other hand, was something definitely new. Cedar had luckily found a pair of high heels that matches her dress and didn't pinch her feet when she walked.
Being the last contestant, the applause she received was noticeably less enthused than the girls' before her. However, when Apple White began to clap - as did Raven Queen - the whole school began to join in. By the time Cedar made it to the lineup, she was getting the most cheers of all the contestants; she stood there looking utterly shocked.
"Splendid," Headmaster Grimm said crisply. He stood a little straighter from the podium. "Now that you have been introduced to all of our lovely contestants…"
The crowd cheered.
"...I must ask you to now eliminate one of them."
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other notes: Writing about clothing is extremely painful |||OTL Promise the other contests will be a lot more interesting, but I had to get this one out of the way first.