Chapter 12 of Rose in Wonderland. Which means... The end is tomorrow! Wow, we've come so far and I've gotten so much support. Thanks guys, really. But, we aren't done yet. Let's get started.
"You came from the world above, correct?" the white carapace man asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"So you are Rose Lalonde? The one who will bring the heroes together?" he asked.
"No," I said. "I've been told I'm the right Rose, but Hussie denied it. And I don't remember this place at all."
"Are you certain? You recognized your god tier symbol easily. Maybe you have suppressed your memories of this place," the black carapace woman said.
"Perhaps seeing your sister would jog your memory. Come with me, I will take you to her," the white woman said. She led me to the kitchen, where Jake was complaining to Jade about something. Another woman was in the room.
I gasped. She looked like a younger version of my mother. Her blonde hair was the same, as were her pink eyes. She had a purple dress and black leggings on. She was holding a martini and laughing at the antics of the others.
"Mom?" I asked.
The girl looked at me with a stunned expression on her face. "Rose?"
The white carapace smiled. "I think I'll leave you alone. Goodbye everyone."
"See you White Queen!" the girl said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Roxy! Your older sister!" she said. She pulled me into a hug. "Been a while, hasn't it!" She smelled of alcohol. It seemed that she carried the trait of drinking.
"Yes, it has," I replied. It was awkward, as I was much taller than her.
She realized this and said, "I expected you to be shorter."
"Blame it on too much of the grow cake."
"Ah. Here, let me make you something." She led me to a table where there were multiple potions, elixirs, and other odd objects. "How was Alternia?"
"Horrid and disgusting," I said as she poured some sort of potion into a pot.
"How were the twins?" she asked, putting a few coins into the pot.
"Calliope is very kind. I wish I had the chance to speak with her more," I replied. She dumped water into the pot, creating steam.
"And Caliborn?" she asked. She sprinkled sparkling powder into the liquid and stirred it.
"An insufferable prick," I replied. "Utterly detestable." She gave the spoon to me and I drank the elixir. It tasted slightly alcoholic, but the original effect was immediate. I started to shrink, and I held my dress so it wouldn't fall.
"Better?" she asked.
"Yes, thank you," I said with a smile.
"Come on, I might have some clothes that fit you."
Roxy was kind enough to let me borrow a white shirt and purple skirt. I had bathed and ate edible food. I had no idea how hungry I was until I saw the foods, lined up on the table. The White and Black King said that tomorrow we would go to war. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.
I was on the balcony of my room, staring at the road leading to the castle. Suddenly someone knocked on my door. "Come in."
I expected Jade or Roxy to come in, maybe even Jake. Instead, it was Spades. He wordlessly stood beside me. He gazed out at the road, and said, "Hey kid."
"Hello Spades."
"How was the hell hole?"
"Hellish. Not much of a hole though," I replied.
"Ha. Yeah. You got any idea when your friends will be back?"
I saw a group of people walking to the castle. I smiled. "I think they will be arriving shortly. I pointed them out, and he ran out of the room. I followed, and we met them before they got to the gates.
Some of them looked worse for wear. Aradia was leaning on Sollux, and Karkat had scratches on his face. Mituna leaned on Latula, and mustard tears streaked his cheeks. I noticed that some of the older trolls had escaped. The Disciple, the Summoner, and Redglare had followed. The cherubs had gotten out safely, and Pounce and Arthur were flanking them. Casey was asleep in John's arms. Dirk, who had led them here, was holding a robotic bunny.
The three black carapaces greeted Slick, and the white carapace woman hugged him tightly, refusing to let go. Karkat and him exchanged a quick hello, then left the two alone. I would have done the same to John, but I didn't want to wake Casey.
"Rose, your smaller! I mean, not that I didn't like big Rose, but now you're the perfect size!" he exclaimed, before blushing.
"Smooth Egderp, real fucking smooth," Dave said.
"Shut up, Strider," he said. Dave laughed. "Anyway, did you meet Roxy?"
"Yes. She looks identical to my mother. I think we will get along."
"Sheesh, don't sound to excited," he joked. "If you don't mind, could we get some food? I'm really hungry, and I want to put Casey in a bed."
"Stop right there, all of you!" a guard exclaimed. He was a black carapace, in the purple and black clothes of the black carapace guards. "Where are you travelers coming from?"
"Most of us escaped from Alternia," Dave answered.
"Most of you?" the guard asked.
Dave pointed to Dirk. This is my older brother. He was already in the forest by the time we got there. He led us here."
"What about the trolls. They could be Alternian spies! Now that would be extremely illegal, even thinking of bringing spies into our peaceful kingdom!" the guard exclaimed.
"Sir, these are the heroes we have awaited. I am Rose Lalonde. I have already met with the kings and queens. I can assure you, these people mean no harm," I explained.
The guard immediately backed down. "I'm so sorry. I meant no harm. I am the Authority Regulator, but you can call me AR for short. Please, allow me to escort you to the throne room."
After everyone met with the kings and queens, they ate and returned to their rooms. I was left alone, and decided to think about tomorrow. Everyone believed I was the right Rose. Most of the other heroes had sacrificed so much to be here with me. But I was no fighter. Everyone else seemed readily prepared with a weapon. The Black King had made sure of this, and asked the blacksmiths to make as many weapons as possible. I still wasn't sure what my weapon would be.
This topic had come up in my conversations with Kanaya, John, Roxy, Jade, and even Dave. Dave told me that I should learn how to use needles, and Kanaya told me that magic may be real. They may have been joking, but it does get hard to tell.
At one point, I was so bored that I decided to walk around the castle. The guards I walked past gasped in my presence, causing me to hurry to my destination. I arrived at the gates of the castle, where white flowers and benches covered the perimeter. I sat on one of the benches, gazing at the night sky. I had never seen so many stars.
"Penny for your thoughts?" someone asked. I recognized his voice.
"Try a dollar," I replied dryly.
Hussie sat beside me. "Are you ready for the battle?" he asked.
"I'm not looking forward to it. Besides, I'm not the real Rose."
He chuckled. "You really are a stupid girl. Not much brighter than you were last time. You called this place Wonderland."
The answer hit me. "Wait, those weren't dreams, they were memories! I've been here before. I remember this place!" I remembered John's father and Jane baking us a cake while John complained. I saw Jake wrestling with Dirk, and Jade playing with her dog Beq. Dave wore his black glasses, and he chased crows around with his broken katana ironically. Dirk was leading me through the forest, and John pranked all of us more than a few times. Jade dragged me into mounds of dirt and we planted flowers everywhere. Jane led all of us on mystery investigations while Dave and Dirk joked around.
But, more than anything, I remembered Roxy. We would write stories together while Dirk and Dave would illustrate. We would pretend that magic was real, and pretend to be wizards. Roxy flirted with Dirk, Jake, and even Jane constantly, causing me to be the mature one. We chased cats around the forest, and visited the White Kingdom. And, though my father was dead by this time, I was happy.
"It took you long enough to realize. Now go get some rest. It will be a long day tomorrow.
########
Unlike last week, I was up before one of the servants went to my room to wake me. I put on the yellow robe that the White Queen gave me. There was an orange hood that covered my eyes and the orange symbol for Light.
Keeping my hood up, I left my room and walked to the castle entrance. All of the guards were gone, most likely missing to prepare for battle. There was only one carapace there. He looked like a farmer from the purple rags he was wearing. He was playing with cans on the floor, going on about democracy and mayors.
I was the first to the entrance, and everyone else eventually came. Everyone had robes that were color coded according to their god tier. Vriska and Aranea were the only other light players.
Everyone had a weapon. John had multicolored hammer, Dave had a broken sword, and Jade had her rifle. Jane had a giant spoon that turned into a fork, Dirk had an 'unbreakable' katana, Jake had two pistols, and Roxy had a futuristic looking gun. The trolls had odder weapons, but they were probably much more powerful. Karkat and Kankri each had sickles. Aradia prefered to us her psychic powers, as did Sollux. Damara had a whip and Mituna had a giant ninja star. Both Rufioh and Tavros had a lance, and Nepeta and Meulin had claws attached to their hands. Kanaya and Porrim had chain saws, Terezi and Latula had swords, and Vriska and Aranea had eight eight-sided die. Horrus was going to use the bow and arrows, while Equius was going to use his bare hands. Gamzee and Kurloz had clubs, but claimed they were prepared to use anything. Eridan and Cronus had rifles, and Meenah and Feferi had their tridents. Both Caliborn and Calliope had guns.
"Here Rose," the White Queen said. She gave me two knitting needles, though they were abnormally sharp.
"Now, we must march to battle. Are you all ready?" Everyone was too somber to reply. John moved closer to me as we walked away.
"Do you think we have a chance?" he asked.
I looked at the rest of the army. The army consisted of carapaces. One of the white woman carapaces carried a sword, although I remembered her as the mail carrier. The only experienced fighters were Spades and his gang, which consisted of Hearts Boxcars, Diamonds Droog, and Clubs Deuce. They were dressed in their finest suits. "One could hope," I replied.
He grabbed my hand. "Why is your hood up? You looked prettier when I could see your eyes."
"Why is your hood down? It's dragging on the ground," I replied. His blue hood was indeed dragging on the ground.
"Don't avoid the question, Ms. Lalonde. That is very rude," he laughed. He lifted my hood up, exposing my eyes.. "There, much better."
Smiling, I grabbed his hood and pulled it over his head. He frowned. "Rose, this is not funny. Let me go."
"Rosey, come on. We have to act serious," Roxy called. I released John and went to my sister. "Are you going to be okay?"
I nodded. "I'll be fine. I know who I am now."
So, tomorrow will be the end of this story. Which means a new one needs to begin. Choices are:
-Rose Through The Looking Glass (2 votes)
-Sdurb (2 votes)
-Professor Layton and Homestuck Crossover (0 votes)
-Appledash fluff (0 votes)
No, you are not allowed to vote twice. But, because I never specified it before, that vote will count. See you tomorrow, and leave a review for what you want!
Alright, I'm out.