Chapter 25: (alright, here's where I take a moment and pat myself on the back for writing 25 CHAPTERS. Wow…I can't believe how long this story it. Call me egotistical, but this is a real accomplishment for me!

E: 1) Thank you! 2) Thank you again! 3) No problem! I just don't always understand what you mean by your questions… Finally: Sorry, but not really.

Little (your review for chapter 24): Thank you so much! I appreciate your support. I adore Ace too. He's actually my favorite character of One Piece. Yes, Ace had to grow up very young, but he did a good job of it! Yes, that is an elegant description of the marines. Gore is…gory. The gore will be returning once we get into post-Mr. Savage Wonderland. Hare is a bastard. Hare is a monster. There are a million negative things I could call Hare, but for the sake of time, I'll leave it at that. Thank you! Wonderland is very fun. Not like physics ever applied in One Piece, but they especially don't apply here. And it's only going to get better~! Yeah…Wonderland isn't exactly the safest of refuges, but maybe it's a bit better than being Hare's captive. Well…He's still technically Hare's captive, but now he doesn't have to really feel any of anything while it's happening. Well, reality was too cruel so he rejected it and opened himself up to the surreal instead. Hahaha it's okay. I like long reviews :) There is a reason behind Serpent's all-knowingness. You'll find out…eventually. Yes he did, but there's more to it than that. Thank you! I appreciate that!

Little (your review to chapter 1): Hahahahahahahaha it's okay. I'm glad you find my story that addictive. Thank you! That's very nice of you. C: Thank you (I say thank you way too much, in case you hadn't noticed) Well…it's justified, I think. Wouldn't you be pissed too? Wouldn't you want to kill Hare too? Wow. Yay! I'm glad he's that much of an antagonist. He's just a sinister bastard, isn't he? Yes, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you for pointing that out! I'd honestly never noticed before! But I fixed it now, so that's good. Sabo oh poor little Sabo… glad he got you hooked though! Thank you so much! Look forward to the rest of your reviews ;)

Little (your review to chapter 2): Serpent is very sarcastic. It's just…her thing. I'm glad you like her! YEEEYA! I love me some CLIFFHANGERS.

Little (your review to chapter 3): Poor Ace…he needs a hug. Poor Sabo. Truly a suckish way to die. Yes, it would be nice if Ace got some slack. Unfortunately, no he doesn't. Yeah it's probably really good that Ace didn't accidentally kill Marco, huh? I leave SO MUCH foreshadowing it's almost ridiculous. Re-reading is worth it because you may pick up on something you didn't catch before. I highly recommend it.

This chapter is rated K+/T for Mildly Disturbing Imagery

And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER)

"Evening, Cheshire." A low chuckle came out from the shadows of one of the trees, and the shadows formed around the two frozen blue eyes.

Cheshire stepped out into the light.

He was big, the top of his head coming even with Ace's shoulder. He had a wide head, the slightly slanted blue eyes burning out of the light grey fur that covered his head and body. His ears curved off the near top of his head, slicing into points. A light gold hoop dangled off his left ear, shining in dull metallic lackluster. He had a long neck, longer than a cat's neck had any business being. It was very thin, seemingly almost too thin to support the head, and the vertebrae bulged out under the skin that was pulled tight against them. The Cat's torso, too, was emaciated beyond natural starvation, the ribs standing out against his skin, his stomach arching harshly back towards his spine like he had been starving for years. His shoulder blades were harshly defined, as was his spine as it continued down his back. His tail was long and thin, the skin around it looking more like an exoskeleton than fur. The appendage looked jointed, like that of an insect, and the tip of the tail came to a tuft of light grey, almost white, hair. His forelegs were thin, though not quite as starved-looking as his torso. Black, tattoo-like markings encircled each leg, and his paws were almost overly large, the claws neatly impaling the ground. The same was true of his back legs, though none of the almost tribal tattoos could be seen there. The marks continued, becoming almost blue-grey as they arched their way over his ears and curled on his eyebrows.

He was grinning.

The smile took up more space on his head than anything else, white, perfectly straight teeth shining out of his face. His heavy eyebrows and overall appearance made the expression…sinister, to say the least.

"Good evening, Ace." His voice was low, smooth, and even. "I'm impressed you know who I am."

"Couldn't forget you. But I can't exactly remember you either." Cheshire stood, and Ace took an involuntary step back. Cheshire chuckled.

"Are you afraid of me?" Ace met his eyes.

"Yes." Ace briefly glanced him up and down. "Why do you…why do you look…"

"Like a monster?"

"Yes." Cheshire's grin seemed to widen.

"I suspect it's because I AM ONE. What lovely little monsters you've made, Ace. Just because I don't lie to you, don't wear a mask like the others, does that make me worse than them?" The buzzing in Ace's ears was back, had come back as soon as Cheshire had begun speaking. "You've dreamed yourself up a Wonderland, Ace. A land of speculation and conjecture. It's all nice and pretty right now because you've only glazed us over, but we have sharp edges, Ace. Everything has sharp edges when it breaks. Why should the mind be any different?"

"The mind is broken." The buzzing in Ace's head was loud, and he realized the sentence didn't make sense but couldn't figure out what he was trying to say.

"Your mind, to be specific." Ace rubbed his forehead, trying to push down the buzzing. "Tell me. Ever since entering Wonderland, you've been told time and time again that this is reality. You've been welcomed as a friend. But what was it you saw laying on the floor and how did you get here?" The buzzing in Ace's ears intensified further and Ace took a step back, shaking his head.

"I- I don't know what I saw-"

"You know. You know, but you want to forget. Tell me, Ace. What did you see there?"

"I don't know! I don't-"

"You know what you saw. Say it. Remember. Avoiding the problem won't make it go away, Ace. Face it. Face it and accept." Ace fell to his knees, defeated.

"I saw…I saw a body."

"Whose body, Ace?"

"It was mine." Ace's voice was hollow. "I saw myself lying on the floor." The buzzing in Ace's ears broke, cutting off into silence. Ace shivered. "I was dead." Cheshire walked forwards, sitting in front of Ace and lowering his head so they were eye to eye.

"Not dead. Just forgotten. Reality was too cruel for you, it seems. You forgot that reality and created this one. This isn't real, Ace. Madness isn't a state of mind. Not anymore. It's a place. Welcome to Madness, Ace. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay."

"I- I don't want to go mad." Cheshire sighed.

"It's true, you aren't mad yet. Well…you're as sane as anyone who hallucinates entire worlds can be. But if you don't want to end up like us, I suggest you get out of here and get out of here fast. You have to win the Caucus Race. You have a leg up on the others."

"The Caucus Race…it sets me on edge. The others…they change when they talk about it."

"If you're not on edge, you're taking up too much space."

"Cheshire. Be useful." Cheshire chuckled.

"You say they change? I beg to differ, Ace. I say they change when they don't speak of it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cheshire chuckled.

"I don't answer questions."

"Wha-"

"If I gave you all the answers, where would the fun be?" Ace glared at him, but Cheshire just laughed. A moment passed, and when Cheshire's laughter subsided he continued. "The others pretend to be nice to befriend you. But what lies beneath this patina of civility? Something wicked I'll wager."

"Wonderland certainly isn't very wondrous."

"It's all a matter of perspective, Ace. If you're going to survive long here, you'd better drop that naïveté. Widened eyes and a cute face do very little to stop a knife."

"Rabbit said nothing here would hurt me."

"That's true for now. But unfortunately you're not a very patient person ergo we aren't either. They want the Prize, Ace, and sooner or later they'll do anything to get it."

"But that has nothing to do with me."

"Reach into your left pocket." Ace did. There was something in it, something fairly small. It was about two inches shorter than his hand. Further exploring it's shape with his fingers, Ace figured out what it was.

A key.

"What is this-" Ace moved to pull the key out of his pocket, but Cheshire snarled at him, eyes hard.

"Don't pull it out. Do you want them all to come here for it? Tear each other apart to get it? Tear you apart to get it?" Ace stopped, releasing the key to let it fall back to the bottom of his pocket. His eyes were wide and he stared at Cheshire. "The only place it's safe is there. As soon as you remove it, they'll all come for you. That's why they're being so polite and friendly right now, but as soon as it clears your pocket there's no more safety. You'll be worthless to them after that and excess is disposed of. Queen sees to that."

"So now my mind is trying to destroy me and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Was your old reality any better?"

"I…I don't remember." Cheshire snorted.

"Yes you do. You've just convinced yourself to forget. An experience forgotten never was. Seeking refuge from the wicked world? Perhaps things only look like they've gone to hell."

"Perspective is reality in this place, it seems. In that case, yes, things do seem to have gone to hell. But I'm safe for now."

"Wrong. Safety is nowhere. You yourself created an exception. There's someone here who can and will take that key by force." Ace blinked.

"I created a monster capable of getting through my only defense? Perfect." Cheshire's grin seemed to widen.

"His name is Mr. Savage." Ace didn't know the name, but he still felt a chill shoot down his spine.

"Mr. Savage. Personified violence, basically." Cheshire shrugged.

"Spawn of Satan, Fate, some malicious Olympian. Postpone your query. Action's required. Before we can advance, or die, I suppose, this generator of disaster must be eliminated."

"You can't just eliminate a creation. Especially not when I don't know who it is. I'm not exactly a capable fighter either while unarmed." Cheshire laughed, and when he grinned at Ace again, Ace noticed something. There were tiny flecks of red on some of Cheshire's teeth. Cheshire's eyes were cold and hard as ice.

"Use your imagination. It's proved to be quite proficient at creating chaos."

"Mr. Savage…you know who he is." Cheshire cocked his head and grinned at Ace.

"What makes you think I know? I can only pretend to know so much."

"Damn it Cheshire! I need your help! My mind is betraying me, essentially trying to destroy me, and I have no way of defending myself! What should I do? Rabbit's trying to send me to the Hatter, but isn't the Hatter just after what they all want too? I feel like I can trust you, but I don't know why."

"The same way you know my name, I suppose."

"You speak like we've met before and you seem familiar in a way no one else does."

"We've brushed shoulders in the past. I don't expect you to recall."

"Then help me. Wonderland's trying to destroy me. There has to be a way out, but I don't know what to do or how to escape."

"Oh there's only one thing you can really do. Win the Caucus Race."

"Win the Caucus Race. Seriously? That won't help me, Cheshire!"

"That's the only way to escape here. Find the location. Find it, and use the key. Oh, and don't let Mr. Savage get his way or we're all dead. Or worse."

"So I'm to just run away? I don't really remember it, but I'm pretty sure reality is even worse than Wonderland."

"A prudent exit is no less so for being hasty. As for your former reality, you managed to survive it once, didn't you?"

"Apparently not. And first I have to survive this Wonderland long enough to escape, but everyone's out to get me, in a sense."

"Of course. Your survival here depends entirely on what you can stomach doing."

"I want to be able to defend myself. I hate being powerless."

"This place is your mind, Ace. Can't find a way out? Make one." Cheshire looked at the sky and his eyes narrowed. "Already the tide is turning. Mr. Savage is doing no less than waging a war on your sanity, Ace. Want some advice? Don't let him win."

"Cheshire, how do I know you? Why are you the only one I've recognized in Wonderland?"

"Are you feigning ineptitude or is your mind in a muddle? I've told you before. I don't answer questions." Cheshire's skin began to burn away, like paper when an ember hits it, tiny holes rimmed with glowing orange expanding all over his body, and where he burned away Ace could see through him.

"Wait, Cheshire! What do I do? Where do I go? I can't do this on my own and you haven't answered any of my questions!"

"Get moving, Ace. Time waits for no one and the change has begun."

Cheshire was gone.

In actuality, the forest was no darker than it had been before Ace's conversation with Cheshire, the light fell in the same golden shafts, the green moss was squishy underfoot, moist with dew or rain. But Ace felt much less safe. He could sense eyes following him, every move he made watched by someone, someone with as of yet unknown benign or malevolent intentions.

Ace was intimidated.

He took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling through his mouth, but the sound seemed too loud to him, magnified. Throughout the forest he could hear the buzzing of insects, the rustling of movement, and the sighing of the wind through the trees, but the natural sounds did little to calm his accelerated heartbeat. I wish I had a weapon. Something, anything to fight back with. Ace's shoulders were tense and he kept glancing around, looking for threats. Whoever said 'ignorance is bliss' didn't know how right they were. Ace passed through a clearing full to bursting of brightly colored wildflowers, but found himself unable to enjoy them, the wafting sweetness making him think of rotting fruit instead of fresh life.

A thicket behind Ace rustled and he whirled around, ready to face whatever he had felt watching him.

It was a mouse. A dormouse, to be exact.

"Hello Ace!" He had a cockney accent, and tipped his miniature bowler hat to Ace as he greeted him.

He was tiny. His fur was white, covering the entirety of his body. He wore a tiny brown jacket with a gold waistcoat, white dress shirt, and red bowtie. Perched jauntily upon his head was a bowler hat, dark brown with a red ribbon. Ace crouched down so they were on more even ground. If the inhabitants of Wonderland were going to play this game with him, he may as well play along while he could and try to figure out who Mr. Savage was before he ended up with a knife in his back.

"Hello, Mouse. How are you?" The mouse crossed his arms, staring up at Ace in annoyance.

"I go by Dormouse, Ace." Ace smiled apologetically.

"Right. Of course. Pardon my dreadful memory, Dormouse."

"Ah well. It ain't a problem. But you're lucky it was my name you forgot. Queen would kill you for such a thing."

"I think the Queen would kill me any chance she got." The Dormouse burst out laughing.

"She?! You must have a death wish, Ace." Dormouse continued to chuckle quietly. "She…" Ace blinked in confusion.

"We're speaking about the same person, right? The Red Queen. Queen: a female monarch."

"No, Ace! No, no, no! You got amnesia or what? Red Queen, not the Red Queen. The ruler of Queensland! Mr. Queen! Mr. Red Queen!" Ace's eyes widened.

"Oh." Ace turned this fact over in his mind. Queen's male. That means he's a viable candidate for being Mr. Savage. Ace looked back to Dormouse. "…Don't tell him I said that, okay?" Dormouse laughed.

"You can count on me, Acey!" Dormouse leaned in, dropping his voice to a stage whisper. "Don't say such things in front of Rabbit, though. It's his job as Queen's servant to defend Queen's honor. Such things could get you more than just a few hard words." Ace faked a smile.

"I'll try to remember that in the future."

"There's a good boy. Now come on! We're running late and Hatter won't be happy if we miss teatime." Dormouse scampered past Ace and Ace stood, turning to follow him.

The forest continued for a good while, but eventually the trees grew thinner until they faded out entirely, replaced by rolling hills of grass and the occasional scrappy bush. In the near distance, maybe a quarter of a mile away, Ace could see the Hatter's mansion.

It was a large building, made of dark brown wood and a shingled roof. The whole thing almost looked like a gigantic coo-coo clock. Speaking of which, a large clock tower was also present, rising almost 100 feet above the building. This, too, seemed designed after a coo-coo clock, the peaked, shingled roof resting above the wide clock face.

As they drew nearer Ace could begin to make out more details of the place like the large windows and the sizeable door, which in and of itself was a wonder.

The door was fairly large, reaching 15 feet at its highest. It was made out of carved wood, the face smooth and uniform. Near the door handle, though, the wood was carved away and a clockwork-like mechanism could be seen, but Ace wasn't sure what its purpose was.

Ace reached for the handle and pulled it.

The gears in the door began turning and the large wooden door opened itself, swinging back to reveal an elegant hallway. Ace walked forward. The bell of the clock tower began ringing, once, twice, three times, then stopped. Ace looked around, glancing at the sun.

"Is it really 3 o'clock, Dormouse?" Dormouse laughed.

"Oh no, silly! That's Hatter's doorbell! The clock rings once for every guest." Ace blinked.

"3? But there's only the two of us here." Dormouse laughed again.

"Hatter keeps other company, you know. I expect the March Hare is here as well." The name froze Ace's spine and a memory tried to wriggle out from behind the wall of his forced forgetfulness. Pain. Agonizing pain. Ace tried to force back the memory, push it back down.

"Oh no, don't do that." Ace glanced around.

"Cheshire." First Cheshire's eyes and grin appeared, then the rest of him followed, becoming whole through a reversal of the process through which he disappeared.

"You're going to need your memories if you want to stay sane. Recalling reality will help bring you back to it." His grin, wide as ever, was directed only at Ace, paying no attention to the Dormouse. "Forgetting pain is convenient. Remembering it? Agonizing. But recovering the truth is worth the suffering. Memory is the warden of your brain, Ace. It's currently underworked." And he began vanishing again.

"Cheshire, stop!" But he was gone. "Damn it. I wish he'd stop doing that. Hey Dormouse?" Ace glanced around, searching for his diminutive companion. "Dormouse?"

Dormouse was plastered against the wall, eyes wide, clearly terrified. He was staring at where Cheshire had been standing moments before. Ace crouched down, facing him.

"Hey, you okay?" Dormouse swallowed thickly and forced himself to look up at Ace.

"Y-Yeah. I-I'm fine. I just- Cheshire just- never mind." Dormouse shook himself. "Let's continue."

The two continued through the manor and Ace actually found himself impressed, if hopelessly lost. The hallways seemed to stretch on for miles, winding and twisting like a labyrinth. At first Ace had tried to keep track of the doors they passed through so he could get out when the time came, but the entanglement of hallways soon defeated him. He knew they had gone up 3 staircases, but come down 4, but as to which ones they were or how to find them again, he had no idea.

Each individual room that they passed through was well furnished, filled with elegantly made sofas, tables, or chairs, and once they passed through what almost seemed like a church. The floors of the hallways were padded with thick, plush red carpet, and antique suits of armor lined the walls, most of which had a window every 10 feet or so.

After who knows how long, Dormouse finally led them to a door. Ace reached to open it, but before he could grasp the handle it was flung wide.

"Welcome, gentlemen! I've been expecting you for some time now!" Dormouse walked through the door, and after a moment, Ace followed.

The room was huge. The ceiling soared 75 feet above their heads. The hall was immeasurably long and wonderfully decorated. A chandelier hung above it and candelabras hung from the walls, illuminating the room in the warm glow of candlelight. Thick carpets covered the floor, deep red and nearly soft enough to sleep on. The centerpiece of the room, though, was the table.

It was long, very long. The color of the table itself was unknown as the entirety of it was covered in a single perfectly, purely white tablecloth. Not a single wrinkle could be seen across the entire length, and the whole table was set with beautiful china plates and elegant silverware. Glass vases occasionally stood along its length hosting bouquets of various flowers, giving the table splashes of color. At the end of the table closest to Ace, a beautiful tea set was elegantly placed. The pot was metal, made of delicately shaped silver. The light shone off its beautifully polished surface, and the candlelight almost stained the teapot gold. The cups and saucers were equally graceful, made out of incredibly, almost impossibly thin china. The exterior of the glass had been stained eggshell blue, complementing the light silver of the teapot. The saucers were light grey, like a cloud before a spring rain.

Hatter closed the door and came around to the other side of the table and Ace saw him for the first time.

He was tall, probably six foot one or six two, give or take an inch. He was elegantly dressed, wearing a tailcoat of deep, deep blue, buttoned shut neatly. Beneath it he wore a startlingly white shirt and a black bow tie. He was wearing dress slacks, the same dark blue as his coat, and top hat perched on his head. His head was bowed as he spoke to Dormouse, welcoming him and thanking him for coming. After a moment he lifted his head, turning to Ace.

Marco blanched in shock.

The Hatter was Ace. Not as a 10-year-old, but the Ace that they knew, the 20-year-old member of second division. The same freckles dotted the same cheeks, the same somewhat wild black hair framed the same forehead, the same hazel-grey eyes shone out of his face with the same flame of energy and vitality. His lips were even pulled into his trademark quirky grin. And yet, even as it was Ace, it wasn't. Marco couldn't decide exactly what it was, maybe the cheekbones were just mildly more defined, the edges a little sharper. Maybe his eyes may have just been a little rounder, or the nose a little more pointed, the shoulders thinner.

Maybe it was the darkness he saw lurking behind the Hatter's eyes.

"Welcome Ace! How was your trip?" The Hatter extended his hand, which Ace shook.

"It was fine, thanks."

"The Rabbit told me you mean to visit Queen. Are you really going to?"

"I suppose so. Rabbit says I should and if Queen is an important figure in Wonderland, I should probably build some kind of relationship with him." The Hatter was stroking his chin.

"That's true, I suppose…Ah but what am I saying? You must be tired. Please, have a

seat." Hatter gestured to one of the seats, the one to the right of the head of the table. Ace sat, and Hatter joined him, sitting at the head of the table. Ace looked down the table, searching for Dormouse. He jolted when his eyes caught on a figure.

There was someone in the chair on Ace's right.

The figure was hunched over in the chair and only about 3 and a half feet tall to begin with. He was curled into a ball, knees tucked tightly to his chest. His hands were clenched tightly into fists, clutching onto something tightly.

It was a dead bird.

The figure was still. Completely, utterly still. The brown fur that covered the head, hands, and rabbit-like ears was matted and unmaintained. The maroon jacket on his shoulders was faded, but other than that still seemed in perfect condition. His chest moved such a small amount with his breathing that it was barely detectable. In front of him was a half-filled teacup resting neatly on its saucer, long cold.

His eyes were the worst, though.

They were wide, unblinking. They stared out, straight forward, focused on something only he could see. The whites around the hazel-grey iris had yellowed from their long-term exposure to air. They were widened to an almost impossible extent, almost perfectly round. He made no sound, no acknowledgment of Ace or anything else in his surroundings.

"Oh don't mind him. That's the March Hare. He hardly ever speaks, much less moves. Just ignore him." Ace looked back to Hatter. Hatter was smiling, just a warm upturn of his lips. Ace glanced back at the March hare.

"What's wrong with him? Why is he like that?" Hatter chuckled, but the laugh sounded wrong. It was a harsh sound, bordering on manic.

"Oh the hell if I know." Hatter pouted almost childishly. "It's made for some very dull tea parties though." Ace looked at Hatter, mildly alarmed. Does he not care at all? Hare looks like he's about to die and he's more concerned with his tea parties?

"Now Ace, we should discuss your visit to Red Queen. How soon do you intend to see Queen?" Ace turned away from March Hare and refocused on Hatter. Hatter was currently pouring them both tea. He filled two cups, setting one in front of Ace and the other in front of himself.

"As soon as possible, I think." Ace glanced down into his cup. The liquid was light translucent brown like most herbal teas. Ace shot a sidelong glance at the half-empty cup in front of the Hare.

"We're going to have to find you something to wear then, hmm?" Ace looked back to the Hatter and faked a smile.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure when visiting royalty one should wear better than what I'm wearing now." The Hatter glanced Ace up and down, one hand resting on his chin thoughtfully.

"That is true." The Hatter glanced at Ace's teacup. For a moment his smile vanished and his eyes went hard, angry, murderous even. But almost instantly he replaced his smile, looking up at Ace. "You haven't drunk your tea, Ace. It's a lovely honeybush, I only got it recently." Ace shifted in his seat.

"I'm sure it's lovely, Hatter," Ace glanced again at the Hare's cup. He faked a smile. "But I've never been fond of herbal teas." Hatter sat back in his char.

"A pity, really. If I'd have known I would have served jasmine." Ace continued to smile.

"It's no problem. I'm not really thirsty anyway." Hatter made a noncommittal sound.

"Anyways, as we were saying, yes you will be in need of some new clothes. I can make you some in no time, but there's one other thing you're going to need to do."

"And what's that?"

"Queen won't accept anyone into his court unless they bring him a gift. If I give you clothes and a gift, Queen will call you a slacker and even minor offences like that end in executions nine hundred and ninety nine times out of one thousand."

"That's…kind of a lot. Queen seems…"

"Deranged? Murderous? Psychopathic? The list goes on. It's kind of strange that you're visiting him willingly." Hatter shook his head. "But I digress. As I was saying, I'll make your clothes, but you're going to have to get a gift from someone else."

"Would you mind getting started on the clothes now? I don't think Rabbit would appreciate my being late."

"Late to dead. Late to dead. Late to dead. Late to dead." Ace started and looked over as soon as the Hare had spoke. His eyes were still widened hugely, but now his ears were flattened back against his head. He was rocking back and forth, clutching his dead bird so hard his fingers actually punctured its flesh. "Late to dead. Late to dead. Late to dead. Late to dead."

"Hare?" Ace called gently to the Hare, but there was no response. Slowly he reached out and placed his hand gently on the Hare's shoulder.

Instantly the Hare's head snapped around, his bulging eyes staring at Ace. His hands clenched even further and he ripped the dead bird apart, its entrails and blood staining his coat and hands.

"LATE TO DEAD! LATE TO DE-" Hatter slammed an open palm down on the wood of the table. At the sound, the Hare jerked and stared at Hatter. Hatter's face was angry and his voice hard.

"That's enough now, Hare." Hare stared at him for another moment, then turned back to stare straight ahead, his rocking stopping.

"Late to dead." It was but a whisper, and when he finished speaking he went back to his former silent stillness. Ace continued to stare at the Hare, his own eyes wide. Hatter sighed, shaking his head.

"He's positively manic. Just leave him alone and don't mention the 'L' word. Anyhow, yes, we can get started on your clothes." The Hatter looked Ace up and down. "I think light blue will be best. Yes. A light blue dress shirt with white buttons. Black slacks. You'll look better in simplistic clothes, I think. Nothing extravagant." Hatter stood and began walking towards one of the doorways. About halfway there he turned back, looking to Ace who was still staring at the Hare with alarm and mild fear. Hatter sighed. "Well come along then, Ace. I'm going to need to take your measurements before we can get started." Ace looked back to the Hatter.

"Y-Yes."

Ace shifted his shoulders in the new shirt. It was made of light, soft fabric, simply and cleanly cut.

"There we are. Now that looks nice on you. It was harder to find the right color because you're so pale. Where have you been the last three weeks? A cave?" Ace forced a laugh. Images flashed through his mind. Bars. Walls. Darkness.

"Something like that."

"Well, in any case, you're dressed and ready to go. Any ideas for a gift?"

"No, not really. What does Queen like?"

"What? Besides blood, death, and that bloody crown he wears? Not much…"

The clock's bell rung once. Hatter glanced up at the ceiling in the direction of the clock tower.

"It would seem I have another guest." Hatter smiled at Ace. "If you'll excuse me."

"Wait! Hatter!" Hatter waved his hand dismissively, already walking towards the door.

"I can't help you with the gift. Just…go ask Caterpillar. Try to get his head out of that cloud of smoke first, though. It can't be good for such young lungs as yours to breathe that stuff all day."

"But how do I get out of here?" Hatter sighed in annoyance.

"Just…wander around. You'll find it eventually."

"That's not a very efficient method, Hatter!" Hatter waved his hand, walking through the door.

"Not my problem. Why not ask that cat that's been following you around?"

"What?" Hatter closed the door behind him. Ace tried to follow him, but the door was locked. Ace looked around the room.

"Damn it all. Cheshire!"

"A called cat never answers. It leaves a message and gets back to you later." Ace looked around the room, searching for the cat.

"Enough of your irrelevant comments. Do you know a way out of this place?" Ace heard Cheshire sigh.

"How many times must I tell you? I don't answer questions." Ace grit his teeth in frustration.

"I have to see Caterpillar."

"Yes, yes you do."

"Stop mocking me Cheshire!" Cheshire sighed again.

"A mansion built by the mad. Just…pretend you're mad. Shouldn't be hard for you."

"Still not helpful."

"If you actually listen to what I say as opposed to getting pissed off about it, maybe it would help you more."

"Show me the way out."

"No."

"Please?"

"I've heard self-reliance is a virtue. Now you've heard it. Just pretend you're an orphan. Oh! That was rude. You are." Low blow, Cheshire. Ace took a deep breath, determined to calm down.

"I know the way out."

"Yes you do. Remember what I told you? This place is your mind. Can't find an exit? Make one. Listening is a virtue you should practice more often, Ace."

"How am I supposed to create an exit, though? It's not like I consciously created this place!"

"Well, then consciously un-create it. Hatter'll be pissed there's a hole in his wall, but it's his own fault, after all."

"And I can do that."

"Yes you can. Just…convince yourself the wall is gone. You're talented at deluding yourself, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"That wasn't a very specific process, Cheshire."

No response.

"Damn that cat. He always leaves when I still have things to say." Convince myself the wall is gone, huh? Ace stared at the wall, trying to decide the best way of going about that. Ace took a deep breath and shut his eyes. The room is rectangular. There are two long walls and two short ones. Essentially, it's your average hallway. It's quite long, reaching all the way from here to the very edge of the manor. There's a door at that end of the hallway, a door that leads out into the rest of Wonderland. There are lamps hanging from the ceiling often enough that the room is well lit. The ceiling is approximately 10 feet high. The walls are unadorned stone. The floor is stone as well, but there's a carpet over it. Ace wasn't sure if he was doing this right at all, it felt more like he was just standing in front of a wall like an idiot, wasting his time trying to dream away something so real that there was no way mere will was going to be able to change anything. Ace pushed that thought away. The carpet is red, not as plush as the carpet in the dining hall, but still of good quality. There's one stain on it, about halfway down. Ace felt a tingling beginning in his head, warm and persistent. The door at the end of the hallway is simple. It's about six and a half feet tall, and it's made of wood. The handle is brass and it swings in when opened. The tingling in his head was growing stronger, weaving into the imagined hallway, expanding it, looking at the little details Ace was imagining. There's an old grandfather clock by the doorway. It's ancient, a real antique, and the wood is faded, but well maintained. It doesn't work properly anymore and is off by about 2 hours. The tingling was overpowering, completely embracing the image Ace had created, filling it, weaving through it, and Ace knew, Ace knew this was it and he couldn't hold it back any more.

The sneeze entirely broke Ace's train of thought.

Ace sniffed and looked up to see the wall. Standing there. Staring at him. Perfect, unaltered, and entirely, completely, immovably there. Ace glared hard at the wall, more angry than frustrated. He shook his head and turned around, walking towards the door, ready to take on the labyrinth of Hatter's mansion.

"Fuck this."

(A/N: Sup bros? How'd you like the chapter? It's pretty long, if I do say so myself. About 6000 words. Not a combobreaker, but still, not bad. I really don't have anything to say down here…OH! Please, please, please, please, please, please review! I will rejoice! Please? *stares up at you with giant puppydog eyes*

*clears throat* ANYWAYS, hope you enjoyed and I'll see you all next chapter! ~Mountain97)