And after an eternity of waiting, I have returned! Man, it seems like the enter Mesozoic Era passed by right into the next ice age! All jokes aside, I thank you for all the reviews you have sent my way; I didn't even think I could make it this far this fast, so I thank you once again from the bottom of my undead Tetramand hearts.
Now, I've been getting a few negative comments about the last chapter, mostly about the yaoi pairings and how fast I've been taking things so far. And to be honest, I completely agree with you. I know I have probably been taking things a little farther, and this is mostly because I didn't know where I wanted to take my first story before and eventually came up with a good plot with the help of you guys; now, I have a full idea that I want to implement as fast as possible, so I guess I'm getting a little too eager. As for the yaoi pairings, I will admit they were a little hard to write, but they were never meant to be serious, merely for comedy reasons. All couples are still together.
Onto the review answers!
Kaiju Fan – I understand where you are coming from on the yaoi pairings and, as stated above, they were merely for comedic reasons. And yes, Ben hasn't forgotten about his ghouls back home; as for whether the victims of Apple's horrible aim will remember what happened . . . well, you'll just have to see ;)
Cylon One – I thought you would like it.
Harem Lover 26 – I don't think Raven's the jealous type, so your idea doesn't have much promise. As for an ApplexRaven pairing within the harem-to-come, I'll have to check with everyone else.
Zak Saturday – Awkward, hilarious, both mean the same thing right? :)
Morantis – I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'll admit, I didn't Ben could be so sarcastic, but when you're being chased by love crazed fairy tales who want to go all the way with a bikini wearing princess, things can get a little tense ;) And I totally agree with you on the rushed thing, though Apple always seemed like the kind to do something desperate as a last resort to me.
TheInnerBeast – I understand if you feel uncomfortable with this, but a lot of people find this interesting and it was apparently a huge success in my previous story; I'm not saying you are wrong or stupid for not liking this sort of thing, but with the way things are going, there's a high prospect of it coming up in the future.
n1ght4ury20 – I don't think that's actually possible, but it seems like a very good idea.
Unknown – Yep, Ascalon will appear eventually. Eventually being a very long time though.
Darkness Rissing – Yes, I have read Ever After High Civil War, a wonderful work by the way. And you make valuable and compelling points for the yuri pairings between Raven, Maddie, and Cerise; at least, I now have reasons should one of these pairings go into motion. Anyways, your points on Apple are also valid . . . wonder what the princess will chose? As for Cupid . . . well, that would be too easy, now wouldn't it?
Guest – I like the incubus idea! I'm definitely going to use that. As for a 4th wall breaking alien, be patient; there will be one coming up later on; as for Phantux tricking Apple . . . you'll just have to see ;) And once again, I agree that I have been taking things a little fast. And no, I am not the slightest bit annoyed that you are not leaving actual comments on my stories.
maverickmoxey2000 – I like the ideas, and something will happen to Cerise. The only thing I don't understand why people like watching ghouls/girls go animalistic on Ben. I agree that it's fun to write and that it's hilarious to read, but I don't get why everyone else likes it so much. Meh. Must be a reader thing ;)
superfanman217 – Can you wait now? Can you wait now? Can you wait now? XD
Cartoonfan10 – Actually, no. Officially, no girl is in Ben's Ever After harem, but that is subject to change. And you have guessed correctly, my friend.
Mata-NuiXIII – I have actually mulled this thought over for some time now, and I actually intended to start this whole mess before Thronecoming, but with Giles already in the picture, that idea wouldn't have worked. So yes, this story takes place before Spring Unsprung, which will also be included in my story with Way to Wonderland.
Isom – Glad you found it so funny. As for Duchess and Dexter, I don't think that would work. Compared to other 'evil' characters in the show, like Faybelle, Kitty, or even Lizzie, Duchess is truly evil; she doesn't care about who she steps on to get what she wants, and Dexter . . . well, he's Dexter. Need I say more?
Redrangerlegacy – Yeah, I understand you there; yuri is so much easier to write than yaoi, but that was only for comedic purposes. If you're looking for a more permanent yuri pairing, then stick around; it will happen, that I guarantee.
masterart – hehehehehe. Send Maddie my regards. Either way, you aren't alone out there; a lot of readers were rather uncomfortable with the yaoi scenes, but it's nothing serious. No is threatening to sue you (yet) XD. To answer your review you left on my Total Drama story, I will not be making a Xover with that. To answer the review you left on my Ben 10/Monster High one-shot series, the ghouls will eventually come to Ever After, all of the girls you mentioned are high candidates for Ben's harem, and the Forever Knights will team up with a villain from Ever After (which one, is anyone's guess). As for Ben's new fusion partner . . . well, you'll just have to wait a little longer, my friend. Only a few more chapters, that I promise you!
Codecrash – I'm glad you found it so funny! To be fair, I didn't think I could be so good at writing comedy, but apparently I can. And hey, you deserve some of the credit too!
StrongGuy159 – Glad you found it so funny.
kival737101 – Ooh! Swear word! It must be true!
Numbervania – I like your suggestions for Ben's aliens; I really need to start implementing them in. As for your suggestions, most of them are sound in some form, except for the last one, that one might raise a few protests (incest and all that).
DracoAngel17 – I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it so much. Enjoy!
Stretchy-Rat – Ooh, this is gonna be a tough one. What could Kitty do with Ben's secret? The suspense is killing me XD
spurlinpatricksean2 – You know there will be attempts on the ghouls part to get even with Paradox ;). And yes, Ben will tell the girls about his ghouls . . . eventually.
Menatron the Angel of Ideas – This is assuming Faybelle doesn't hurt him first :)
Now then, I have been getting a lot of requests for a yuri pairing to appear within this series, and I have to say . . . I totally agree. Ever After High is full of potential yuri pairings, considering there are practically only five or six boys for the entire series and more than enough girls. Hex, even Raven's voice actor ships Raven and Apple together! So I am setting up a poll on my profile, dear readers that will allow you to select which girls get paired up! Whether they get paired up with ben as well or not is up to debate, though, so be patient!
Alright! Enough of my senseless babbling!
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!
Onward!
Raven sighed as she drummed her fingers on the lunch table, bored while she picked at her food with her spoon; looking around, she could see the other students enjoying their predetermined meals based on whatever their destinies had before them, with the Three Billy Goats Gruff feasting on a pile of vegetables and tin cans, Faybelle sipping sweet nectar and munching happily on her fruit salad, and Apple chewing away on . . . well, an apple. The princess stopped in mid-chew when she caught sight of Raven letting her gaze wander around the room; Apple swallowed and set the half-eaten fruit her tray before picking it up and walking over to the witchling to sit down across from her, taking note of the rather fancy looking food on Raven's plate and the glass of expensive looking red juice in a cup.
"Is that wine?" Apple raised a suspicious eyebrow.
Raven shook her head. "Thankfully, no." she said. "Apparently being the Daughter of the Evil Queen means I'm supposed to enjoy expensive, fancy foods; what I wouldn't kill for just some regular toast and bacon." she sighed, picking at her exotic spice covered omelet before she realized she had spoken too loudly and winced when she heard a trio of gasps coming the Three Little Pigs.
"Well, at least you aren't given apple's for every meal." Apple shrugged. "I mean, I feel like I'm ninety percent applesauce." she joked; the light humor made Raven only smile slightly before she returned to picking at her food with a fork.
The princess sighed; she wasn't sure what was going on with Raven as of lately. When she had woken up that morning, the witchling was already up and awake, slowly and almost absentmindedly brushing her hair as she starred at her reflection in the vanity mirror for the longest time without speaking. She hadn't said a word all morning, not even when Apple sang her usual morning song or when Sparrow woke up the rest of the school with a loud and rather off-key song of his own creation. The noise had promptly ended seconds later, followed by the loud clicking of claws on the floor.
"Raven? What's wrong?" Apple asked, reaching across the table to a rest a hand on the witch's arm. "Is something bothering you?"
"I . . . I guess." Raven sighed without looking up. "It's just . . . I keep having these dreams . . ."
"Go on." Apple urged her gently.
"A-About Ben . . . and me . . ." she said quietly; Apple stiffened slightly, but was all ears nonetheless. Perhaps this was nothing but a harmless dream of Ben kissing her awake as Raven watched her from a distance, or perhaps just one of those dreams Raven had been having before Apple was even aware of Ben's identity.
"What are the dreams about?" Apple asked.
"Well . . ." Raven bit her lip, hesitating for a few seconds before speaking. "He and I are there . . . and were in this huge city, with towers that reach for the sky surrounded by all these strange looking creatures; some have tentacles or extra eyes, horns or claws, and some seem to even be part animal. A-And there are all these people there too, not even the least bit bothered by them!" Raven continued. "Me and Ben are just standing there when this group of odd looking girls come walking up to us covered in everything from bandages, feathers, fur, vines, wings, claws, fangs, you name it. And . . . you were there too, actually. And Cerise and Maddie!"
Apple raised an eyebrow; this dream of Raven's was getting weirder and weirder by the minute.
"And . . . we just start talking, all of us. Like . . . we know each other or something." Raven finished, barely even more than a whisper before she massaged her temples with her palms and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. "These dreams are so lively . . . I haven't been getting any sleep."
"I could ask Briar to help you with that." Apple offered kindly. "I'm sure she knows a thing or two about getting sleep considering she'll asleep for the next one-hundred years when her tale comes into play."
"Always nice to see so optimistic." Raven rolled her tired eyes sarcastically.
"Who's being optimistic?"
The two girls turned to see a tall creature standing over them with well, muscled arms and strong looking legs wrapped in something that looked like melted leaves. His entire body was covered in green with red hot thorns tipped a poisonous yellow tearing through his broad shoulders and firm arms; a large flap formed a sort of collar around the creature's brightly colored red, orange, and yellow head as it regarded the two girls with bright green eyes and a familiar symbol on his stomach.
"Ben?" Raven whispered, not daring to raise her voice any louder. "Is that you?"
"In the living flesh. Er, plant." the Methanosian corrected himself as he sat down next to Raven with a tray of compost, plant food, and cup of water; the witchling gagged and covered her nose with a hand before flicking her finger towards Swampfire and summoning a little air freshening shaped like a pine tree.
"Sorry about that." Swampfire apologized as he took the item between two fingers and slipped it around his neck, masking his horrible odor for the moment. "That's where being filled with methane gets ya." he chuckled.
"Why aren't you Blitzwolfer?" Apple hissed quietly, hoping no one would hear.
Swampfire shrugged. "Got tired of being stuck in one alien form all the time." he answered. "Plus, the Omnitrix doesn't always give me what I want; better to have more disguise options on hand should I not get what I want."
"That's . . . actually pretty smart." Raven admitted. "But how did you even get enrolled?"
"Funny thing about that," the Methanosian tapped his chin as he scooped a spoonful of plant food and swallowed it thoughtfully. "Giles seemed to accept me right away without concern; as for Headmaster Grimm, he only let me in when I told him I was the Son of the Beanstalk. For some reason, he seemed really tense when I mentioned that and let me enroll without issue."
"Son of the Beanstalk?" Raven cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah. You know, from Jack and the Beanstalk?" Swampfire shrugged. "Hate to have Tiny climbing up and down me though. That's gotta be uncomfortable, not to mention smelly." he shivered.
"This coming from the guy who just turned into a gas-filled plant that smells like a sewer." Raven smirked.
"The irony is not lost on me, Raven." Swampfire rolled his eyes. "But seriously, how often does a guy that size wash his feet?"
"Quite a lot, actually." Apple said. "He's quite considerate about others being at the same level as his feet and is really careful about not stepping on anyone." she said. "He's actually quite a good dancer, too."
"I don't think Duchess will want to share the spotlight though." Raven shook her head, remembering the time Tiny had somehow accidentally tripped when he was performing for Blondie's show and nearly crushed the Daughter of the Swan Queen. Oddly enough, the Headmaster had suddenly started walking around with a cane after that and was never too far from it as he hobbled through the halls of the school, mildly cursing under his breath when he thought no one could hear him.
"So what's been up with you two girls?" Swampfire asked, digging into his plant food and compost as he occasionally washing it down with water every now and then.
Raven was about to reply when Apple interrupted. "Oh, you know. Just discussing our destinies and all that." she said innocently; Raven raised an eyebrow at this and twisted her face into something of confusion. What was Apple doing?
"Tell me more that. Just what is destiny and why is so important?" Swampfire wondered.
"Well, long ago, our ancestors partook and wrote the first fairy tales known to anyone to ward off and protect the world from an ancient and all powerful dragon," Apple began. "As long the stories were passed down from generation to generation and reenacted each time, the balance of world would remain absolute; should anyone not agree to follow the destiny laid out for them and sign of the Storybook of Legends, their story will fade away forever, with them along with it, thus weakening the barrier that protects our world from the dragon."
"But it's never been proven to happen before." Raven added hurriedly.
"What do you mean?" Swampfire asked.
"There hasn't been any documented proof of someone denying their destiny and ceasing to exist," Raven explained. "I'm . . . actually the first to refuse to sign the book and . . . well, I'm still here." she chuckled sheepishly.
"So basically you're the smart one and everyone else is just paranoid?" the Methanosian summed it all up with a slight smile.
"Well, I wouldn't say that." Raven shrugged. "The only reason I'm special is because I'm apparently the only one brave enough to deny their destiny in public, and now suddenly there are all these other Rebels coming out of the closet and they see me as their leader or something; Hunter, Ashlynn, Tiny, Cerise, Maddie, even Cupid."
"Speaking of Cupid, weren't you supposed to explain something to her?" Apple wondered.
The Methanosian seemed to have forgotten, as he snapped his fingers in remembrance and excused himself from the table, dumping out the rest of his food from his tray and heading towards the dorms, ignoring the odd looks passing fairy tales sometimes gave him. Once he was out of sight, Raven turned to look at Apple with a stern look, an ever familiar look that said that the witchling wanted answers and didn't want the princess to beat around the bush. Apple knew that look well and gulped nervously; she knew that Raven was not evil at heart, but she could definitely be scary when she wanted to be. Very scary.
"Apple," the witchling said in a calm, cold voice that made Apple forget all attempts to either escape or cover her tracks. "Why didn't you tell Ben about the dream I had?" she asked.
Apple gulped, shivering under the frightful glare of those dark, violet eyes that seemed to flash with lightning behind them. She gulped against and felt herself start to sweat before she finally spoke in a stammering voice at first; Raven might as well have been a Gorgon, she could turn people to stone with that frightening scowl of hers. "I-I thought . . . now might n-not be the best time to tell him." she tried to say in a confident tone. "He just got over the whole love mess yesterday, and he still has to tell Cupid something; bothering him about another dream will probably just stress him out more than he already is."
Raven glowered at her for the longest time, seeming to bore straight into her very soul with those chilling eyes of her, as dark as the magic that flowed through her veins as much as her blood did, her gaze unwavering as she studied Apple's body language and pleasant smile before finally, after the longest time, accepting the answer and returning to her breakfast.
"I'll trade you some of my omelet for a few of your apples," Raven offered. "I can't even remember the last time I had those." Apple smiled and mentally sighed with relief as she sat two of her apples on Raven's tray while the witchling cut away a good portion of her meal and set it in front of Apple with a pleasant smile; it boggled Apple's mind how Raven could efficiently switch from being as cold as ice one moment and then to as warm as the sun's rays without hitch.
The real reason she hadn't told Ben about Raven's dream yet was that she wanted to make sure she had her hooks buried into him, so to speak, so if any other girl out there tried to flirt with him, he would be unaffected by them and stay loyal to her. That was the idea, anyway. Really, she hadn't the slightest idea on what she was doing, considering she never really actually had to think about love in all her life; with her entire destiny set out for her, with her predetermined Prince Charming being Daring Charming himself, she was quite unprepared for when it seemed everything set for her was wrong, that Daring wasn't her prince in the slightest. Now that years of preparation were thrown out the window, she had to work to make sure her destiny was to continue and that she would receive her happily ever after. She could only hope that she was doing the right thing.
"Hey, Raven. Hey, Apple."
The two girls looked up to see Cerise some limping over to them, her red hood pulled tightly over her face to shield the embarrassed look plastered to it as she struggled to move on the pair of crutches she had been given without spilling her tray of food; Raven took pity on her and took her tray for Cerise and set it down next to her as the Daughter of Red Riding Hood gave a small smile and sat on the bench next to her; it was only seconds before she sniffed the air and gagged horribly, her face turning a pale shade of green.
"What . . . what is that awful smell?" she whimpered, shuddering as she tried to keep her stomach in check; Raven snapped her fingers and summoned a bucket in a flash of purple smoke just in case Cerise wasn't able to keep her lunch down where it belonged.
"Well, uh, the new student, Swampfire, sat with us earlier," Apple explained. "He has this unfortunate problem with some kind of gas that makes him smell really bad."
"Methane." Raven corrected. "A gas common in belching and flatulence."
"What?" Apple blinked, confused.
"In simple terms, burps and farts." Raven sighed before turning to Cerise. "How's the leg coming? I stopped by yesterday to check on you, but there was this . . . issue I had to deal with first." she hesitated for a moment, not sure whether or not she should tell anyone else about the rather odd and confusing events from yesterday involving a scantily clothed Apple, a magic, love bow and arrows, a rather annoyed and tired shape-shifter, and some very poor aim on Apple's part; she wasn't even sure if she could explain to anyone else without thinking she was crazy or just bursting out into laughter.
"It's fine." Cerise said in her usual quiet tone. "Thanks for the soup you left me. It was delicious."
"It's the least I could do." Raven smiled, giving her small hug and flinching slightly when Cerise inhaled sharply. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Cerise winced as the pain started to subside. "The nurse says I should take part in any strenuous activities or put pressure on my ribs for a couple of ribs. So, looks like I'll be skipping out on Bookball practice for a while," she sighed unhappily. Once her ribs had stopped hurting she dug into her breakfast, a meal consisting of fresh mutton and a small salad; Apple blinked and watched with slight concern and fear as Cerise gave a savage growl and messily tore into the leg of lamb before her, sinking her teeth deep into the meat and shaking her head from side to side like a dog before she noticed that Apple was starring at her.
"Sorry." Cerise swallowed the piece of mutton she had torn off. "I have a cold and . . . uh, headache." she fibbed, hoping the princess would buy it; thankfully, Apple did and offered her some medicine that she kept on hand for when she was in such moods. Cerise kindly declined and said that it wouldn't be necessary, that her sudden stuffiness often went away within a couple of hours at the very least.
"Well, if your sure." Apple shrugged as she picked up her tray. "Well, I better get to class. Have a royal-tastic day!" she called over her shoulder as she practically skipped out of the Castleteria, humming a peppy tune to herself.
Cerise practically went limp with relief when Apple was out of sight and ear-shot. "That was too close."
"You can say that again." Raven sighed before she put a hand on the hooded girl's shoulder. "Cerise, you can't hide this forever. Sooner or later, you're gonna slip up and someone's going to find out."
"I know." Cerise sighed. "I just wish that things weren't so . . . complicated."
"Believe me when I say I know someone with a much more complex life than yours." Raven joked; Cerise smiled again before hungrily returning to her breakfast and quickly finishing it off as if she hadn't eaten in days. Then again, she had spent the majority of yesterday halfway in and out of consciousness as the sedatives kicked in and out, only allowing her enough time to eat the soup Raven had left for her before she fell asleep again. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know where Blitzwolfer is, do you?"
Raven shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him." she lied. "Why? Do you like him?" she teased.
"N-no." Cerise blushed her hood, tugging it down further to hide her red face. "I-I just want to ask him a few things; he is supposed to be distantly related to me, you know."
"Fair enough." Raven laughed as she grabbed her and Cerise's lunch trays. "You better get going; class is gonna start soon."
"I know." Cerise nodded as she climbed to her feet and leaned on the crutches she had been given, wincing slightly when her bandaged and cast foot scrapped against the floor every now and again. "Oh, and Raven?"
"Hmm?" the witch hummed.
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For everything I guess." Cerise smiled, giving Raven a short hug before she smiled again and limped down the hall towards her first class, noting that Raven smelled like lavender. It was a rather pleasant smell.
Swampfire strolled through the halls of the dormitories, quietly whistling an aimless tune to himself as he walked along. He was thinking as he walked along, mostly about how he was going to explain things to Cupid about how her world technically no longer existed but had been combined with another one entirely; however, a single thought kept on cutting through his thoughts like one of Nefera's swords.
Apple.
The Methanosian had to admit that she was quite beautiful, even for a princess; he could easily see why she was well liked around the school by practically everyone, especially the boys. But in addition to her looks, she seemed a bit . . . stubborn, to put it lightly. While more than a good share of the student populace of Ever After High had claimed to join the Rebel cause with Raven as their unofficial leader, Apple seemed to cling on to the strings of tradition with a death grip worthy of the Grim Reaper himself. This concerned him slightly about how she would act and behave during their date, should it still it still be in action, and concerned him even more of how she would react when she found out that he was in a relationship with well over a dozen monster girls back home.
"E-Excuse me? Swampfire?"
The Methanosian startled slightly and turned at the sound of his name towards a large open window to a gigantic, hazel brown eye starring right at him, blinking every few seconds; Swampfire startled for a second before he realized that it was most likely the school's resident giant, Tiny.
"I-I would to, uh, apologize for, er anything I or my people have done to kind." the giant apologized, his voice sounding frail and afraid for someone of his size.
"What?" Swampfire blinked. "Oh, uh, yeah. So harm done." he said quickly.
"R-Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. We don't really feel it when people or giants climb up or down us." Swampfire said. "The whole 'chopping us down so the giant can't follow me' thing though, that hurts like Sphinx."
"Well, if you're sure you're okay with it." Tiny seemed to shrug; the Methanosian couldn't really see any other part of him. "Bye then!' the giant said farewell, backing away from the window so that Swampfire could just barely see a glimpse of the sun as Tiny turned around. With a shrug, he continued on his way, walking down the hallway that led to the girl's dormitory and counting off the number of doors on his left side before he counted three and came to a stop in front of what he presumed to be Cupid's dorm; he gave a short knock and waited as the sound of footsteps came from the other side of the door, rapid and quick at first before becoming slow and calm.
The door creaked open wide enough for Cupid to poke her head and glance at the Methanosian; confusion crossed her face before she noticed the Omnitrix residing on Swampfire's chest and recognition crossed her eyes. "Oh, Ben! I didn't recognize you for a second." she smiled.
"I get that a lot first time around." Swampfire chuckled, taking note that Cupid's hair was damp. "Is anyone else in there with you?"
Cupid shook her head. "No, Blondie left earlier so that her breakfast porridge would be 'just right'." she joked as she opened the door further and beckoned the Methanosian in. Swampfire walked into the dorm and noted how that it smell like a combination of perfumes and chocolate, with just a hint of honey, which he suspected the later to be from Blondie and the former to be from Cupid.
"Pardon my appearance; I just got out of the shower when you came." Cupid apologized as she closed the door behind him and exposed her bright pink bathrobe to Swampfire; a small, red heart sat over where her own beating organ would be. Swampfire tried not to blush as the Omnitrix beeped and timed out in a flash of light while Cupid hurriedly rushed over to the windows and pulled the curtains across them to keep Ben's identity secret from any prying eyes. That, and her semi-nude form.
"Alright, start talking." Cupid said, getting down to business as she sat down on her bed next to Ben. "How do you know about Monster High?"
"In order to explain everything I'd have to tell you about the mechanics of time travel and parallel universes." Ben replied. "Long story short though, I ended up at Monster High through a rift in the fabric of space/time with the interference of my time traveling friend, Professor Paradox." he said. "Are you following me so far?"
"I . . . think so." Cupid said, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Ben was from an parallel universe where she most likely didn't exist and the rules were entirely different than what she might be use to. "Continue."
Ben nodded. "So anyways, when I first arrived, I disguised myself as some of more monster-looking aliens and infiltrated the student body of Monster High, attracting the affections of Frankie, Venus, and Robecca. To start out anyway."
"What do you mean 'to start out'?" Cupid wondered.
"By the time I returned make to my universe with the ghouls in tow, I already had a harem of about . . . seventeen? I sometimes forget." Ben admitted sheepishly. He had approximately three seconds to cover his ears before Cupid squealed happily and clapped her hands like an excited child that had just been told they would be going to an amusement park for the entire day for free; Ben then had less than two seconds to react before Cupid suddenly hugged him tightly, squeezing him in a bone crushing hug that not only seemed to cut off Ben's oxygen supply but seem to break his spine in two. That, and the young deity's sizable breasts were pressed quite deeply into his chest, making him blush furiously until Cupid was kind enough to let him go and allow the color to return to his face.
"Sorry." Cupid apologized. "I'm just so happy! I've never heard of so much love in one place!" she squealed. "So who's all in one the fun?" she asked eagerly.
Ben chuckled. "Well, there's Frankie, Venus, Robecca, Clawdeen, Spectra, Skelita, Jinafire, Twyla, and even Nefera; those are just the ones you know, though. Then there's also Vandala Doubloons, Avea Trotter, Bonita Femur, Jane Boolittle, Lorna McNessie, Gigi and Whisp Grant, and Lilith Van Hellscream."
Cupid yelped and startled back a little. "Did you just say Lilith Van Hellscream?" she whimpered.
Ben nodded. "Don't worry. She's totally changed her view on monsters. And, truth be told, she's a monster herself." he added a grin. "Jersey Devil, to be exact. Van Hellscream got turned into an ogre." At this, Cupid relaxed before bursting out into laughter, falling back on the bed as she giggled at the thought of Van Hellscream finally getting what he deserved; Ben just tried not to look up her bathrobe out of common courtesy; Cupid eventually stopped laughing and sat up.
"So your love life aside, what happened to Monster High?" Cupid asked.
"It is currently fused with my own universe." Ben explained. "It's now a place where humans, monsters, and aliens live together; there are some issues here and there, but nothing I can't smooth out."
"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Cupid nodded. "Can you really turn into aliens?"
"Yep." Ben grinned as he hopped off the bed and tapped the Omnitrix. "You wanna see?"
Cupid eagerly nodded her head as Ben cycled through his roster before selecting Feedback and slapping the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light as his DNA was scrambled and twisted into something new. His skin quickly hardened, fusing together with his bones to form a thick, tough shell that quickly reddened, parts of it turning a gray in color; four of his ribs suddenly ripped out of his skin and bent in two places, becoming a pair of jointed legs that folded back against his chest as green eyes formed on his chest. Spikes that curved backwards appeared on his feet as dozens of barnacles appeared all over his body while his fingers cracked and shifted into jointed claws; his lips protruded outwards and hardened into a pair of pincer-like mouth parts. Ben's separated into two, splitted pairs as the skin on the back his head became loose and saggy like a wet, paper bag before hardening again to form something similar to a hood over his skill. The final transformation was the addition of a nozzle-like hole on each of his palms and the Omnitrix on his chest, completing the form.
"Oh, great. This thing's on the fritz again." Water Hazard grumbled.
"It's still cool though." Cupid admired as she traced her hands over the Orishan's tough, red armor plating. "What can you do?"
"Water manipulation, mostly." Water Hazard replied before his eyes set on Cupid's wet, pink hair. "Allow me to demonstrate." he said as he raised his hands over his hand and opened the hatches on his palms; the young deity watched with awe as the Orishan began to absorb the moisture from her hair and the surrounding air, drawing it into himself in thick, vaporous streams until Cupid's hair was nice and dry. Before she could do anything else, Water Hazard then walked over to the window and opened it before pointing his hands out of the window and shooting twin, pressurized streams of water from his hands, gulping nervously as the water smashed into headmaster Grimm during his morning walk and knocked him down to the ground; the Orishan quickly disappeared back into Cupid's dorm and drew the curtains shut before the grumpy and now wet man could figure out what had hit him.
"Hexcellent!" Cupid smiled as she patted her dried hair before starting to brush it how she liked; the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of green light and returned Ben to the world.
"Well, I better get going to class." Ben said as he headed towards the door. "If I'm late, Professor Rumpelstiltskin is gonna have my head."
"Actually, that's the Queen of Hearts," Cupid corrected. "Professor Rumpelstiltskin will most likely make you spin gold if you're late."
"Great." Ben said sarcastically. "And I don't have the faintest idea on how to spin straw into gold."
Cupid laughed. "Relax. You'll be fine. In fact, if you wait a moment, I'll go with you. I happen to have Science and Sorcery first class, too." she smiled as she grabbed a change of clothes from her closet and moved to the private bathroom she shared with Blondie.
"Better change into my own suit." Ben mused to himself as he turned on the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting Swampfire and slamming a hand down on the activation button. He felt himself grow taller and much more muscled a s gray colored fur sprouted all over his body while his face bulged forward into a pointed muzzle lined with sharp, canine teeth as a black nose formed on the end. Organs sloshed around him and bones crunched and ground together as he felt said muzzle split into four, flexible flaps; his fingers became longer tipped razor-sharp claws that could easily slice through most objects. His toes melted into two, large talons as a third sprouted from his heel and a long, furry tail grew from the base of his spine. A mane of shaggy, dark fur rose from the back of his neck as spikes sprouted from his elbows and shoulders. A green and black suit appeared on his body with green wrist bans and a collar around his neck with the Omnitrix at its center.
"Hard to believe Blitzwolfer's an alien." Cupid remarked as she came strolling out of the bathroom in an outfit similar to what she had worn the other day. "Ready to go?"
"Ready whenever you are." Blitzwolfer nodded as he held the door open for the young deity and followed after her.
Cerise sighed as she rested her head on her hands, tuning out the boring drawl of Professor Rumpelstiltskin's lecture; truth be told, the little, diminutive man was yelling and making rude comments at the top of his lungs as he waved his ruler around like a sword, but it was his teachings nonetheless. How the imp even managed to see past his long, scraggly beard and over-sized hat was beyond the Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood.
"You okay, Cerise?"
Cerise rolled her head to the side to see Maddie sitting in the chair next to her, enjoying a cup of tea with Earl Grey as she scribbled notes down onto a piece of notebook paper every now and again when she deemed something was important enough; this was usually a rare case in Rumpelstiltskin, as the impish man spent most of his time either yelling at his students or making impossible tests so that they could spin gold for him.
"Yeah. Just sleepy." Cerise replied. "Twisting your ankle and bruising your ribs will do that to you."
"I imagine it would. Well, I would imagine if I had a mind, but I let mine wander yesterday and it hasn't come back yet. I think it might be taking a vacation somewhere." Maddie shrugged as she pulled off her hat and reached inside to pull out a second tea pot and cup that she set down in front of Cerise before pouring some for her. "Drink this. It'll perk you right up!" the Hatter said cheerfully.
"Thanks." Cerise gave a small smile as she curled her fingers around the steaming cup of tea, enjoying the warmth that slowly spread from her hands to her arms and eventually every last part of her. She eventually then took a sip and savored the warm, almost meaty taste of the tea; this made her pause and glance at Maddie, wondering if she somehow knew Cerise's secret. When she noticed that the Hatter was now standing on her head to drink her tea and take notes, she decided this was not the case and returned her attention to Professor Rumpelstiltskin.
This was significantly harder to do when she noticed Blitzwolfer sitting at the lab table across the way from her and Maddie, drumming his claws on the table while he sat next to Cupid. Cerise felt a smal; pang of jealousy towards Cupid, but this quickly subsided when she noticed that the young deity was starring lovingly at Dexter Charming in the row in front of her. As much she hated to admit it, she was starting to fall for the wolf; she didn't know if it was just his kind personality or his charming good looks, but she was falling for him. She had originally been attracted to Daring Charming, drawn to him by his status as the school's alpha, the one who was large and in charge in the halls and on the Bookball field. That all quickly changed when Blitzwolfer had effortlessly shattered his record into a million pieces before putting them back together again only to tear it apart again and bury it six feet under; Cerise supposed the analogy was a rather cruel one, but that pretty much the gist of Blitzwolfer's capabilities. By her rules and ancestry, he was now the alpha.
"Cerise Hood!" Professor Rumpelstiltskin announced loudly, shaking her out of her thoughts. "For the experiment, you will be partnered with . . . eh, the over-sized doggy." the short man said.
"I have a name you know." Blitzwolfer growled.
"I know. I just do not care." Rumpelstiltskin replied. "AHAHAHAHAHA!" he cackled.
Blitzwolfer rolled his eyes and got up from his seat to cross the way over to Cerise's table, saving her a long and potentially painful trip as Maddie was called upon to be Cupid's partner; the young deity seemed rather uneasy about this, especially when she noticed that the Hatter was walking on her hands and balancing her tea pot, cup, and Earl Grey on the bottoms of her shoes. While everyone else in the class regarded this as weird, they didn't it that unusual considering it was Maddie. Had it been anyone else, there would have been cause for alarm.
"How do you put up with this jerk?" Blitzwolfer grumbled.
"I heard that!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled from his desk before he sat back in his comfy chair and promptly fell asleep, snoring loudly as his students worked.
"We mostly make fun of him behind his back." Cerise answered in her usual tone with a small smile. "That, and he gets really upset when everyone in his class passes his surprise tests."
"Seriously? That's all you do to get even with the guy?" Blitzwolfer wondered as he scanned over the list of instructions they had been handed.
Cerise tapped her chin. "Well, no. Sparrow Hood once waxed his beard off all at once to get back at him for confiscating his guitar; he was supposed to spin gold for nearly two months before Professor Rumpelstiltskin let him go earlier. Apparently he couldn't stand Sparrow's music." she smiled slightly.
"Now that is torture." the Loboan grinned before returning to the assignment at hand. "How much powdered dragon claws are we supposed to add in?"
"I think a tea spoon." Cerise answered as she took the small measuring instrument and scooped into a bowl of black powder before dumping it into the beaker that sat over a flame in front of them. "Then we stir for two minutes exactly before adding in the phoenix ashes; the mixture should turn a bright green." Cerise read off the instructions as Blitzwolfer dipped in a stirring stick and moved it about the beaker.
"I know you're probably getting' tired of bein' asked this asked this, but how's the leg?" the Loboan wondered. "I heard you injured at the race."
Cerise smiled. "It's okay. I'm just really tired as of late, and getting to class is a pain."
"I could give ya a lift if you want." Blitzwolfer offered. "I'm pretty fast; I can make it ta your class and then to mine with minutes to spare." he added when he noticed the Daughter of Red Riding Hood was about to protest. With a reluctant sigh, she returned her attention back to potion they were working on, tensing up when she noticed that the mixture was bubbling furiously in a fiery, orange color.
"Uh, is it supposed to be doin' that?" Blitzwolfer wondered fearfully.
"No, no it's not." Cerise gulped as the concoction began to get more and more violent with every passing second. "Oh, hex."
"Hit the deck! She's gonna blow!" Cerise yelled loudly to the class; students spared a glance at their table and immediately went into a panic, throwing themselves onto the ground and crawling under the desks to prepare for the unknown; Cerise yelped when Blitzwolfer grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed her tightly to his chest, curling himself up into a ball of fur on the floor as the potion rattled and clattered violently in its holder.
"What is going on!?" Professor Rumpelstiltskin yelled angrily as he awoke with a start. "Why have you awaken me!?" he roared angrily before he noticed the frothing potion.
"O, dlya lyubvi zolota." the diminutive imp cursed before the potion suddenly exploded in a fiery, orange and yellow cloud; Cerise could have sworn she felt her ears pop, but she really could tell all that much. All she knew was that she was safe and warm at the same time, a wonderful feeling that made her blush a crimson red as well as yawn slightly. By the time Blitzwolfer had released his hold on her, she was nearly half asleep and was brutally awoken by loud cursing in another language.
Looking up from Blitzwolfer's embrace, she found Professor Rumpelstiltskin plastered to the ceiling inside of a gelatinous, sticky substance like that of petroleum jelly mixed with maple syrup; and if the cracking noise that was filling the air was anything to go by, it was quickly hardening like cooling lava, no matter how much the diminutive little man struggled and cursed incoherently in his prison.
"Now that," Blitzwolfer grinned. "Is what I call payback."
"Agreed." Cerise smiled, subtly snuggling a little deeper into the Loboan's chest, not wanting to be disturbed; if only that faint cursing would fall silent. And the funny thing was, her sensitive hearing told her that it was coming from outside the classroom, despite Professor Rumpelstiltskin now starting to yell threats if he wasn't cut down soon. Apparently the resulting substance of the mysterious potion was giving him the worst wedgie imaginable.
Apple raised an eyebrow as she waited outside of the Science and Sorcery classroom, glancing at the wall clock out in the hall every few seconds; her class had been released five minutes early and she was waiting for her second class to begin. Curious as to what was taking so long, she peered in through the window in the door and nearly dropped her books when she saw Cerise Hood sitting on top of Blitzwolfer's shoulders as the Loboan stood on top of a stack of chairs on Professor Rumpelstiltskin's desk; said teacher was clearly plastered to ceiling by a mysterious, orange substance and was spouting off curses and profanities in some language Apple couldn't identify as Cerise tugged on his little legs in an effort to free him.
Eventually, Cupid dug out her bow from her backpack and notched an arrow, biting her lip nervously as she took careful aim and fired off the projectile, flinching and nearly dropping her bow when the arrow just barely missed Professor Rumpelstiltskin's right hand; fortunately, the arrow had embedded deep within the adamantine material, forming thin cracks that allowed for Cerise to pull Rumpelstiltskin's arm free so that he could start making rude gestures while he cursed. It wasn't until Maddie reached into her little top hat and pulled out a comically over-sized mallet did the impish professor shut up and wait as the Hatter climbed the ladder of chairs, Loboan, and Riding Hood to smash the strange, orange substance into pieces with two swings of her weapon and catch the falling professor before he could face plant on the floor below.
"Class dismissed." the imp groaned with defeat; Apple quickly stepped away from the door as the entire class came stampeding out of the classroom in a mob of papers, heels, and crowns; Maddie soon followed on her hands, balancing a tea pot, full tea cup, and Earl Grey on the bottom of her shoes with Cupid behind, staying a fair distance away so should Maddie trip she wouldn't be splashed with the hot liquid. Finally, Cerise came hobbling out of the classroom on her crutches with Blitzwolfer right behind her with her books under his arm.
"Hey, Apple. What's wicked?" Cerise smiled.
"Oh, nothing much." Apple shrugged. "What happened in there?"
"Lab experiment gone wrong." Cerise said simply.
"Oh. Hey, Cerise? Can I borrow Blitzwolfer for a splinter?" Apple asked.
Cerise nodded. "Sure. Just be quick; he's giving me a lift to my next class." she said as she hobbled a short distance away to give the princess and Loboan some privacy.
"What's up?" Blitzwolfer asked once he was sure Cerise was out of earshot.
Apple sucked in a deep breath before she spoke. "You remember . . . what happened yesterday?"
"No, I was out of town at the time." Blitzwolfer said sarcastically.
"R-right." Apple flushed a deep crimson. "Well . . . you remember what I wanted to ask you?"
"Yes?"
"Will . . . you go out with me?" she asked with a slightly timid voice, slightly afraid of what the answer might be; in the short time between yesterday's insanity and now, Apple had quickly learned that Blitzwolfer did not want to talk about the event all the much. It seemed to bring unpleasant memories back, as if he had experienced something like it before; Apple didn't know what the prospect was of someone experiencing some as similar as fending off crazed, love-struck fairy tales was, but she decided not to push the subject.
"I guess I'm willin' to try." Blitzwolfer shrugged. "You gotta a place in mind?"
"How about a movie at the Multihex?" Apple suggested.
"A movie, eh?" the Loboan tapped his furry chin. "Alright. How does sometime around eight sound?"
"Sounds great!" Apple practically squealed happily, bouncing up and down on the toes of her heels. "I'll see you then!" she smiled before skipping merrily into the classroom.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Blitzwolfer wondered under his breath as he shuffled back over to Cerise and sat her on top of his shoulders, letting her feet dangled down around his neck and on his chest as she dug her fingers into his furry mane while he carried her crutches and books in his paws while he walked down the hallway towards Cerise's next class.
And there we go!
As I really have nothing else to say right now, I will remind you all of the poll that will be set up on my profile shortly after this chapter has been posted; don't forget to vote for what yuri couple you wish to see, and the answer will be revealed when the time comes!
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!
Hasta luego!