Here we are, finally into canon and wading into it like a hydrophobic kid during his first trip to ocean. I'm basically going with the idea of using canon as a basis and changing things depending on how I want the story to go. I don't like the idea of going word for word on some parts, so don't expect things to correlate exactly to the episodes since I am basically playing Dr. Frankenstein with them. Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Apple knew it was going to be an amazing year at Ever After High. The concert went great, she made some pretty interesting friends over it, and hopefully made a notable beginning to repairing relations between Monsters and Legends.
Not to mention she'd get to see her good old friends as well after such a busy summer!
Walking into Rumpelstiltskin's morning class was such a relief. So many familiar faces that she'd been dying to see were there, Briar Beauty and Ashlynn Ella being two of them.
"Apple!" Ashlynn was already jumping into her arms, spinning each other around while they giggled happily. Stopping and letting go of each other, Ashlynn's smile was wide with glee. "It's been way too long! Hope you haven't been working too hard."
"I'm trying not to." Apple happily laughed, separating completely from her. She looked to Briar, having most likely woken up from her latest nap. "Hopefully you haven't spent all your time partying."
"There aren't enough parties out there to take up my time." Briar oozed confidence, giving Apple a hug of her own. "Though I did hear that I happened to miss a concert you helped set-up. If I knew that was coming, I would've come here a week earlier."
Apple would've rolled her eyes at that if it wasn't a rude gesture. "It was a pretty fun concert, all things considered. I can't say that it was lively the whole time though, but I think we made it work."
"Yeah, we got the video of it." Ashlynn held up her MirrorPhone, showing a video of the concert itself. Apple couldn't help but recognize the Ed's on stage, Eddy himself happily using whatever spell he could use at the time. "Seems like you had some pretty good people to liven it up."
"Never saw those guys hanging out at Ever After before. I'm guessing they're new?" Briar looked over at the video, raising an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure Faybelle's not going to be happy that she's going to be competing with another magic user."
"I'm sure she'll be fine with it. He is somewhat new to using it, though, so she might not have to worry about it." Apple shrugged. She still didn't know how he was able to get his magic core to work and why it took so long, but maybe he was just trying to hide certain things from people to have an advantage.
It certainly seemed like something he would do, now that she thought about it.
"I'm guessing you're talking about the Ed's?" Raven walked in, a steaming thermos of tea in her hands as she tiredly looked over the three in attendance. Maddie, as energetic as ever, was behind her and giving her pet mouse another biscuit to snack on. "Just so you know, I'm still terrified that Eddy has magic now."
"Oh, don't worry Raven. You're not the only one that's terrified." Maddie said 'encouragingly,' the mouse disappearing within her hat once again. "I'm pretty sure his friends will make sure he doesn't do anything too bad with it."
"Oh, you actually know them?" Briar actually did seem surprised by this, eyebrow reaching her hairline. "I mean, I just thought you hired some random band or something."
"They were actually in charge of pyrotechnics. So far, randomly performing at a concert during an emergency isn't the strangest thing they've pulled since they've arrived here." Apple blinked after she said this, turning to Raven and Maddie. "You wouldn't happen to have heard from them, right? This is supposed to be Double D and Eddy's first class."
"I haven't heard from them." Raven shrugged, sipping on her tea. "Hopefully they make it, otherwise they'll learn how fun it is to spin gold out of hay."
"Oh, they'll be here soon." Maddie didn't seem to mind the weird looks she got when she said this. "I'm sure they're just running a little late."
"Eddy."
"Yes, Sockhead?"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SET THE ALARM?!"
The first day of school was not going well for everyone, as currently evidenced by the two boys running full sprint to the school, panicking. Double D had overslept due to general anxiety keeping him up last night. As for Eddy…
"I did!" Eddy reminded himself later to get into better shape before the school ends, because he was seriously getting exhausted from running around everywhere. "I may or may not have incinerated it after it went off. I don't have full control of my magic yet!"
"Then why were you wearing the suit?" Double D sarcastically mumbled, legs aching from the exertion. They hadn't broken a sweat yet, though, so he was glad they wouldn't arrive there with terrible hygiene. "Look, let's just focus on getting there in one piece. I'd rather not be late and make a bad first impression with our teachers within the first ten minutes of class."
"At least you don't have to go to villain classes. If it wasn't so accurate for them to put me in there, I'd almost feel profiled." Eddy darted past a couple that almost got into his path, narrowly avoiding a collision. "There are a lot more people here now. Just how many stories does this place have to reenact, anyway?"
"Plenty of them." Double D did notice the increase in population the past few days but didn't consider how it would affect their commute. He figured he would make some calculations in the next few days to find a better route. "Let's just be glad we're going with softer interpretations this time and not have to play by the rules of the original stories."
"A lot of injuries and death in those." Eddy mumbled. He figured that there was some silver lining here. "I'm just hoping we don't get put into some stupid roles or something. If they're going to put me in villain classes, I'm aiming for something top tier."
"Well, we'll see about that when they assign something to us." Double D skidded to a stop in front of Ever After High, Eddy following shortly. He scanned the building, looking it over with a critical eye before pointing at a window. "If I'm remembering the layout correctly, we'll have to get up there soon. I've heard some horror stories about the teacher, so I'd suggest we get there posthaste."
"Remind me to learn how to teleport better." Eddy was only barely able to do it at the concert because it wasn't that far of a distance, plus the fact that he was familiar with the area. Of course, he could try it anyway, but he'd probably teleport themselves right next to the window. On the outside.
"It shouldn't take that long." Double D checked on his MirrorPhone for the layout of the school. "As long as the professor isn't that far ahead of us and doesn't arrive there first, we should be able to make it with a minute to spare."
"Any idea what the professor even looks like?" Eddy looked at his own schedule, frowning. "We're being taught by Rumpelstiltskin? They actually let his name out just like that? I thought it was supposed to be a twist."
"Yes, but that's not really important right now." Double D scanned the area, looking for said teacher. "He's apparently very short, but noticeable. Like some sort of dwarf or gnome, I believe, but he also looks…" He trailed off, looking towards the entrance. "Like he's walking inside the school."
"What?!"
The two looked over to see a short man with pointy ears and wearing a tall fur cap was moving up the steps of the school. He didn't seem perturbed by the number of students moving about, though they did give him a wide berth. Rumpelstiltskin must've recognized them (probably because Grimm warned him about them ahead of time) because he stopped, looking at the two. He pointed at where a watch would be on his arm, tapping it slowly before shrugging and heading inside the school.
"…I haven't even said two words to the guy and I already hate him. That's gotta be a record or something." Eddy said, arms twitching as he debated on just what kind of hell he was going to put that teacher through.
"It certainly doesn't endear me to him, that's for sure." Double D looked even less enthused. He really hoped that there was actual competent teacher at this establishment. So far, the two he's met had been jerks and he was starting to wonder if the scam was worth risking his education on.
He looked back to the window and then back to Eddy. "I think I have an idea to get us up there without landing us in too much trouble."
Eddy gave him a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "I'm up for it if you are."
"Good." Double D smiled, walking towards the building with a confident stride. "Then I'd suggest holding on, because it might be a bumpy ride."
"Maddie, you've been standing there and not talking for several minutes now. How do you know that they're going to be here?"
"Sorry Raven, the line break took longer than I thought it would." Maddie didn't even bother to acknowledge the stares sent her way. "Just trust me on this."
"I guess you've never been wrong before." Apple said tentatively, already attempting to change the subject. "I'm assuming you're all looking forward to Legacy Day? I honestly can't wait."
"Oh god, that is this year, isn't it?" Raven didn't look as excited, wincing at the thought of the upcoming event. "I honestly forgot about it. Things have been pretty hectic lately and I was honestly hoping they'd postpone it till later."
"Why? I mean, the ceremony sounds a little boring, I'm not going to lie. But the afterparty is supposed to be awesome though!" Briar just shrugged, nonchalant about the whole thing. "I guess I might have to speed up my bucket list, but that doesn't mean it has to be all boring."
"Why is it boring?" Apple looked a little offended, hand over her chest. "It's one of the first steps into finally accepting our destinies! My mother told me the story of her Legacy Day nearly every night when I was a child." She sighed dreamily, eyes fluttering as she thought of the upcoming event.
"I get that." Raven rubbed her arm uncomfortably, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I'd just like it if it was more an implied thing, y'know?" She didn't feel like talking about her in particular, especially since she's heard Apple wax romantic about destiny so many times already. "Did Eddy ever tell us what his destiny is?"
Apple stopped her imagining and actually paused at the question. "That's actually a good question. I don't think he's ever said what he role he's playing, but I do know he's going into some villain classes."
"I don't think Double D said what his was either." Maddie thought out loud, shrugging a second later. "That could be because he's going to Monster High too and he needs to keep some kind of anonymity, though."
"Wait, he's going to the monster school too." Ashlynn straightened up at that, surprise evident in her voice. "I didn't think anyone was allowed to do that. Isn't he afraid of going there and dealing with the Monsters?"
"I wouldn't worry. I've talked to a few of them and they've all been pretty nice so far." Apple waved it off, receiving some skeptical and surprised looks. "Though, maybe we shouldn't speculate on Double D's status too much. It might be considered rude."
"Can we speculate why he and Eddy are trying to open the classroom window from outside?" Maddie asked, looking to the side with curious eyes.
The group wasn't exactly sure how to process that statement until they looked in the same direction. Lo and behold, they could see a frantic Double D and a frustrated Eddy trying to pick the window lock and utterly failing at it. Thankfully, they somehow hadn't been noticed by anyone else in the room. They eventually noticed that they were being watched, locking eyes with the girls on the other side of the room.
Double D gave an awkward smile and wave while Eddy rolled his eyes and went back to picking the lock.
Raven sighed and moved across the room, eventually making it to the window with the others following close behind. Undoing the latches, she pulled open the window suddenly, causing Eddy to tumble in and land face first on the floor. Double D was a lot more graceful, swinging his legs through the window and eventually standing on solid ground. "Thank you, Raven. That was starting to get a little nerve wracking. I really miscalculated how high up we were."
"No problem." Raven looked at Eddy, who was grumbling to himself as he moved got on his own feet. "You okay there?"
"Not really, but better in here than out there." He laughed. Thankfully, all his teeth were still there, and he didn't have a bloody nose like last time he failed to climb through a window. "Really wish I could've teleported rather than use Sockhead's octo arms though."
"I'd rather not have to deal with motion sickness while in the classroom, Eddy." Double D didn't notice the stares he received as said octo arms slid through the windows on cue, folding behind him. Ashlynn looked particularly terrified of them. "Though, I suppose I don't have a choice if you do decide to teleport us anywhere, do I?"
"Not even a little." The short Ed boy responded fondly, smirk on his face.
"As amusing as all of this is," Apple started, though really it was more anxiety inducing if she was being honest. "Why did you happen to climb through the window?"
"What's wrong, Princess, not happy that you're going to be the only one on time?" Eddy teased, shrugging. "Maybe I just wanted to make a good first impression on our dear teacher that'll be judging me based on my character for the rest of the year."
"That is a horrible lie, Eddy, and you feel ashamed of it." Double D deadpanned. He turned to the girls with a roll of his eyes. "We did out of spite."
"Oh, you must've met Mr. Stiltskin!" Maddie laughed for a several seconds, but suddenly became somber. "He is not a very fun teacher."
"Yeah, we can tell." Eddy gained an evil smile on his face, hands lighting up in blue fire. "I'm going to make him wish he was, though."
"Eddy, please don't use your magic in the classroom." The smart Ed boy immediately faced his friend's ire, starting another bickering match between the two.
Ashlynn leaned over to Apple discreetly, watching the scene unfold in front of her. "Are they usually like this?" She questioned quietly, eyes moving between the two like it was a live tennis match. Briar seemed almost ready to laugh herself, watching them fight.
"…Kind of?" The blonde said cautiously, not sure what to make of this either. The two were certainly lively, that was for sure.
Before the argument could escalate further, the door of the classroom opened, the dwarfish Rumpelstiltskin walking in with the attendance sheet. His eyes, while hidden to the public eye, swept across the room.
"All right, everyone sit down otherwise you'll all be-" He soon caught sight of the two Eds, suddenly choking on his words. He sputtered inelegantly, pointing at the two with shock evident on his face.
"Hey teach! Hope you're ready to deal with me all year!" Eddy cackled as the man sputtered. Double D tried to hide a few giggles of his own but was about as subtle as Eddy in that regard.
The door was suddenly opened again, slamming against the wall. Headmaster Grimm, out of breath and red in the face, stood there a second or two before pointing at the two boys shakily. "Don't do that!" he tried to shout, but the authoritative effect was lost since he could barely summon the effort to actually say it.
As Eddy and Double D laughed even harder at this, Briar turned to the others with an excited smile on her face. "This is going to be a fun year."
Ed may not have been the brightest bulb, but he did occasionally do things right. Almost in complete opposite to his usually more responsible friends, he actually woke up at the time he was supposed to and got to the school on time.
The only thing that honestly worked against him was the fact that he kept getting lost.
He was getting to class on time, but usually in under a few seconds, so when third period rolled around, allowing a longer break than usual, he was almost relieved that he wouldn't have to try so hard to find his next class.
It was weird doing this without any of his friends though. He was rarely ever alone long enough and had enough time to think for himself when nobody was telling him what to do. It was either Eddy pulling them into his latest plan or Double D trying to get them involved with school stuff. It was fine if he was alone after school when he had stuff to do, but it was weird not to have them talking to him while they were in the hallway or in class.
He involuntarily twitched. Maybe he should find someone to talk to until Double D got here. Maybe make some new friends too!
Ed walked down the hallways with renewed purpose, smiling happily. He looked around, hoping to find one of the Monsters he met before school started. Ghoulia could probably help him out with some stuff or talk comic books with him. Clawdeen was cool too, she seemed responsible and nice. Cleo reminded him of Eddy.
To say the least, the hallway was filled with more cliques than he would've thought, most likely made of lifelong friends that already knew each other. Double D told him not to interrupt people while they were talking, especially if it looked like they were in a group. So, he left them alone.
Oh, maybe that one bull-guy would fun to talk to! Oh, wait, it looks he's talking to that guy wearing glasses. Seems to be holding him up pretty high to get him to eye level. The people around them looked nervous, though, going around them.
…Oh, that was bullying. That guy was being a bully.
Can't have that!
Ed was already moving in, a dull smile on his face as he ignored some warnings sent his way. He gently tapped the shoulder of the minotaur, causing him to turn. The guy honestly only looked
"What do ya' want?" The minotaur didn't exactly look to happy being interrupted, the other teen in his grasp still having his feet dangling off the floor. He didn't even bother looking too closely at Ed, eyes moving over him barely.
"Oh, I was just wondering," Ed said, rocking on the balls of his feet. "What'cha doing?"
The minotaur narrowed his eyes in annoyance, not exactly sure what exactly was going on. "Nothing much." He said cautiously, slowly looking over Ed. "Why are you still in human form?" He said it with such disdain that Ed almost felt the smile drop from his face. He held fast, though.
"Doesn't look like nothing." Ed looked over the poor nerdy kid that seemingly got caught in all of this. He waved at him in a friendly manner, which the nerdy kid returned nervously. "I mean, if this is nothing, then this guy doesn't seem to be enjoying 'nothing'."
"He bumped into me while I was opening my locker." The guy looked like he was having enough and snorted. It sounded like how an actual bull would sound. "Look, would you just back off? I ain't dealing with some rando that wants to play human."
Ed looked over to his left, noticing an open locker next to a classroom door. It looked like it contained some of the minotaur's stuff in it. "Oh, is that it? I can help with that!" Ed whipped out his arm, tentacles shooting out to grab the locker. Shutting it closed, he lifted it up and ripped it out of the wall, accidentally putting it into the ceiling.
Ed blinked, hearing some gasps from behind him. He looked to see the shocked look of the minotaur, smiling sheepishly. "Oops."
The creature was lost for words for a few seconds before suddenly letting nerd go, eyes going red. "The heck, dude?! What the heck did you think you were doing?!" The monster grabbed Ed's collar, pulling him in close so they were face to face. "What's your problem?!"
Ed batted the hand away easily, still smiling. He put his arm around the bull's neck, pulling him close in a friendly gesture. "I was trying to solve your problem!" Despite the nice way he put it, the minotaur was trying and failing to get out of Ed's grip. He was a lot stronger than he looked.
"The first day of school is really hard and I wanted to make sure things were easier for people. Maybe even make some friends." Ed shrugged, ignoring the protests from the minotaur and the stares of every Monster around him. "Maybe I didn't like how you were treating our friend here and I wanted to help." He looked up at the locker dangling from the ceiling. "And since I don't like bullies, I wanted to make sure I did this right."
Ed paused for a second, taking a look at the minotaur. "You didn't tell me your name. Maybe you can be a new friend."
"Manny Taur." The minotaur replied, having gone from angry to somewhat nervous. He kept still while under Ed's gaze, feeling like that smile was only for show at this point.
"Nice to meet you Manny." The disguised human suddenly let Manny go, causing him to stumble a little at the sudden movement. "I hope we can be good friends from now on. I don't want to see you playing too rough with people anymore. I'm not going to have a bully for a friend."
"Got it." Manny backed away slowly, smiling awkwardly as he made sure not to turn his back on the guy in front of him. "I'll- I'll make sure to listen to that."
"Good!" Ed clapped his hands and started to turn around. However, before he did, he stopped to give him one final look. "Oh, Manny! You asked me why I'm in my human form, right?"
Manny gulped and shrunk away at the question. "Yeah?" His voice was a little shaky, suddenly not wanting to see what was going to happen next.
Ed's smile became unsettling as the dark tendrils signifying the use of the storage armor flickered behind him, creating a large and intimidating shadow. "My monster form wouldn't fit inside the hallway."
He blinked and Manny wasn't there anymore. He looked over to find that the guy the minotaur had been holding up was gone too, causing him to sigh. Everyone around him was also talking in whispers too, eyeing him like he was scary. Looks like he missed out on making a friend there.
"As much as I don't normally condone extreme actions like that, I do have to applaud your efforts there." Ed turned and was overjoyed to find that Ghoulia was walking in, followed quietly by a stitched-up girl that seemed more wary of him. "Not many could say they've gotten someone like Manny to run from them in only a few minutes after meeting him."
"Ghoulia!" He bounded up to her cheerfully, giving her a hug. Weirdly enough, he could feel the tension in the room drop after that. The people stopped whispering, almost sighing in relief at the display. It almost felt like he passed some sort of test. "I've been looking for someone I knew around here. Surprisingly hard to make friends out here."
"First days are always the hardest." Ghoulia looked around, noting the parting of several onlookers. "Though, for better or for worst, you might have a few new ones by the end of the day."
"Awesome." Ed didn't exactly get the subtext of that, turning to meet the newcomer behind her. "You a friend of Ghoulia's too? Or are you new here too?"
"Uh," The girl in stitches raised her hand for a handshake nervously, obviously having seen the display herself. "I'm Frankie Stein. I actually just got here."
"Cool, me too. Me and my friends actually got here a couple of weeks ago during the summer period, but this my first day too." Ed shook her hand as gently as he could, but Frankie's arm popped off at the slightest movement. They both looked down at it awkwardly, silent for a few moments before Ed decided to break the silence. "So, do I keep this, or do you want it back?"
Frankie involuntarily let out a snort, causing him to smile as he handed it back to her. As she did, Ed got a glimpse from a smiling Ghoulia, who seemed to be happy at the interaction.
He didn't really know why, but he had a feeling he'd do an okay job making friends here as long as he worked hard at it.
Eddy found that while Double D's nagging could be annoying sometimes, he almost missed it after they got to their free period. He was apparently heading over to Monster High to check on Ed, along with getting to know a few teachers that he would get familiar with in the coming days.
Eddy, as much as he wanted to join him, figured it would be best not to show up on school grounds just yet. Just because the concert was a success doesn't mean that things were all hunky-dory just yet, and he had some sense of self-preservation when money wasn't involved.
Unfortunately, that left him with virtually nothing to do except wander the halls and wonder who he can scam some money off of when he had the time. He did promise Sockhead that he wouldn't try anything yet, but he had the feeling he was going to try and do it at some point.
Speaking of marks, he couldn't help but notice one that he figured would never buy into his sales pitch; Cerise. She was more or less hanging outside the ballroom of one place, texting on her MirroPhone with a bored expression.
Eddy figured bothering her would be more entertaining, so he sauntered over to her with a smile on his face. "Hey, Red! How's everything going? Been pretty quiet since the concert ended."
Cerise only gave him a brief look up before going back into typing into her phone. "I've been busy. Though, from what I've been reading online, you certainly haven't been subtle."
She tilted her phone to show a video that was put up not that long ago. A blonde girl wearing a ton of blue, including a large bow atop her head held a microphone close to her face. She had an excited smile on her face that was reflected by her bubbly voice.
"Hello everyone! This is Blondie Lockes her with the latest happenings of Ever After High. And even though the first day of the new year hasn't ended, it seems like we're this year is primed and ready to be full of surprises." She motioned beside her, a news graphic featuring a photo from the concert. "Administrators and students from Ever After and Monster High collaborated for a brief time during the summer break to create a concert for any attendees of both schools to participate in."
The photo's changed to show the profiles of Apple and Raven. "While all the collaborators in charge of the concert are listed on the website, two notable names stand out; Apple White and Raven Queen, destined enemies, were said to have worked together during the project. We were able to get a quick quote from Apple about her experience."
The scene changed to show Apple White standing in the hallways, smiling her best camera smile. "I won't say that the organization of the concert didn't have its own unique setbacks," She started, her smile never wavering for a second. Eddy couldn't help but appreciate the fact she seemingly mastered that look for public gain if it wasn't so sickeningly sweet looking. "However, I believe we pulled it off well and that we had a good turnout for what many of us on the team thought would be a difficult experience."
The video switched back to Blondie. "Apple went on later to say that hopefully other events like this would happen in the near future, hopefully with further collaboration from more people on both sides. As for Raven Queen, we were unable to reach her for comment." Her expression turned serious. "Some have questioned her involvement, wondering whether she's attempting something to get out of her mother's shadow for better or for worse. Either way, it's only speculation for now."
Eddy leaned back, a little annoyed. "You'd think they'd appreciate Ray's work or something. She probably saved a few lives taking down those traps." He had to remind himself to keep an eye on her later. He couldn't help but be reminded of being back in his old high school in Peach Creek again.
"Trust me, she's not the only one that was talked about." Cerise agreed with him but put the phone back up and played the video further. "Turns out you haven't gone unnoticed either."
The video started with Blondie readjusting her hair and fumbling with the microphone. "In other news, it seems like Ever After High and Monster High has received some very notable new students."
"I don't like where this is going." Eddy felt a pit form in his stomach. He hadn't even done anything yet, where people seriously already talking about him.
"Maybe wait until the video's finished." Cerise said. She received a glare in response, but he wordlessly kept watching.
"It seems as of now, not only has a new villain joined the ranks of the school, a student will be attending both schools." Blondie had two new pictures, one of Eddy, and one of Double D. It looks like they were taken during the concert and the time when Double D was moving the stages respectively. "Only known as Eddy and Double D, they have joined our ranks not long ago. While Eddy has been confirmed to be a part of the villain classes, he has been stated to have no known story, while Double D has not been confirmed to be either Monster or Legend at this time. A third student, primarily located at Monster High and only known as Ed, is said to be a part of their ranks."
Eddy let out a moan as Cerise paused the video, running a hand down his face. "Looks like I don't get to decide my debut anymore." He grumbled. He made a mental note to figure out who let out that information. Either it was normal for students to gossip about new students around here, or someone decided to leak it
He had a feeling it was Headmaster Grimm. He had no proof, but it was probably him.
"I wouldn't feel too bad. At least she didn't decide to an expose on you guys yet." Cerise motioned for him to follow her, starting to head into the ballroom. "If it makes you feel any better, maybe you'll want to watch some people awkwardly fail to introduce themselves. They're doing some practice for Legacy Day inside and it's honestly a train wreck."
"Yeah," Eddy made sure to send find and link Double D to the video to keep him up on things. "Count me in."
The ballroom wasn't packed or anything, but a decent amount of people were in there milling about. A stage, most likely a mock version of the real thing, stood there as one person after another walked up it, saying something, and miming their signature in a fake book. It looked like Apple was there too, running the entire thing.
"I honestly don't get the whole ceremony." The hooded girl frowned, watching each person come up with various levels of enthusiasm. "It feels egotistical sometimes. Like people don't already know what story they're going for, so they got to tell a bunch of people they probably grow up with what it is again."
"It's not like some fairy tales even teach you anything constructive. Half of them have some bad messages when you look at them long enough." He pointed up to Blondie, who was giving her speech. "Like her. Assuming she's Goldie Lockes kid, her story says that breaking and entering is okay."
"I've met the family she's supposed to rob. They aren't fond of her." She shrugged. "What about the others?"
"Well, we got Apple, whose story tells guys that running around forests and kissing sleeping girls in coffins is a great idea." Eddy smiled at the snort he got from her, eyes moving over the crowd with delight. "Same thing could be said for the Princess and The Frog, where kissing random animals asking you too is not a bad idea that will result in you getting some new disease."
"How about Cinderella?" Cerise nodded to Ashlynn, who was still waiting in line with a bored expression on her face.
"A foot fetish can get you money and power if you play it right." Eddy said casually, getting another surprised laugh. His eyes narrowed for a second and he gave her a quick look. "I have a to ask, though, is stepsisters thing a requirement? I don't think I'd like it if my mom remarried or something and it turns out it was because I was the ugliest kid they could find."
"Yeah, she doesn't like to talk about it. It's not a great precedent honestly." Cerise didn't notice the weird look she got from him, pointing at another random member of the crowd. "Jack and the Beanstalk."
"It's okay to commit home invasion if you profit from it." Eddy's frown increased, eyes narrowing more. "What exactly happens to the giant in that situation? Does he even get his stuff back?"
"Usually, but sometimes they don't. Tiny and Jillian are good friends, so most likely." She pointed at herself. "Got anything on my story?"
"Always send your children out on deliveries into dangerous forests with deadly wildlife." He rocked back for a second, looking her in the eyes. "What happens to the wolf in that story?"
"Usually they're forced out of the house and the story ends." Cerise frowned, finally looking him in the eyes. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing." Eddy relaxed at the mention of her stories end, moving his eyes back onto the ceremony. "It's just- it's just that some of the stories sound very complicated to repeat, y'know? A little disturbing too for everyone involved."
Cerise looked like she wanted to say something but stopped to think about it. She looked back into the crowd too, smile gone. "I guess you got a point there."
They watched silently as someone they both recognized went up to the stage, a disinterested look on her face. Briar Beauty rolled her eyes as she went up to the microphone, looking over her lines for the ceremony.
"I'm Briar Beauty and I pledge to commit to my mother's destiny and go to sleep for 100 years." She repeated, deadpan and bored out of her mind.
Eddy choked on his spit.
"100 years! I'm not joking, Sockhead, she literally said that like she was saying that she'd take a nap!" Eddy threw his hands up, landing to lay on the grass behind him. "How is anyone fine with that?!"
"I'm not exactly happy about this too." Double D was definitely irked by the news himself but was also trying to make sure Eddy didn't go too far off into his own rant. "But maybe that isn't the full story. In this day and age, I doubt they'd actually make here try to sleep for 100 years."
"I wouldn't put too much stock in that." Cleo picked at her salad, bits and pieces of it taken out before settling back in. "From what I know, Legends aren't exactly the most flexible when it comes to working around traditions."
"When did you get here?" Eddy asked gruffly, narrowing his eyes at her.
"My boyfriends was busy for lunch and I figured I might as well check on your train wreck of a first day." She took a bite of her meal, ignoring the blistering glare from the boy.
"There's also the fact no one else wants to sit with you during lunch." Clawdeen took a bite from her steak before it started getting cold, attempting not to smile at the offended gasp she got from the mummy. "And as much I hate agreeing with you, you do have a point. Legends are sticklers for the rules."
"It does sound pretty bad, though." Ed had already devoured whatever food of his was there, watching the clouds lazily. "I mean, she's going to miss so many cool movies and video games that come out in the next couple of months."
"That's not what we should be worried about, Monobrow." Eddy pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's just the entire concept of that is way too insane. How has that kept being a tradition."
"It's a matter of life or death to them, quite honestly." Cleo abandoned the salad, not really hungry. "They all honestly believe that if they don't follow their stories that they might disappear if even one of them goes off script. Though, there hasn't been any actual reports of that, as far as anyone knows."
"I don't like it either, but I kinda get it." The werewolf of the group flinched at the stares she got from the rest. "I wouldn't want to fade away either. Who knows, someone probably tried to go off the page or something and ended up getting erased from existence or something and we don't remember it."
"Didn't Monsters do that a long time ago?" Ed flipped over, looking over at everyone. "We still pretty much exist, and we went way off track."
"Monsters only had bit parts in the grand scheme of those stories, so we don't necessarily count. Quite honestly the best part of Monster history is when we recognized our own worth outside of those pesky stories." Cleo's voice took an upturn, prideful.
"True." Clawdeen finished off the last of her steak, frowning. "Now if we could get past some of the stupider problem between us, we could stand a chance against surviving humans. That might take a while, though." She shrugged and started to head off. "I'll see you guys later. Hopefully my brother is done meeting up for casketball practice."
"I'll head out too. Ghoulia probably wants to introduce me to that new student she's been talking about." Cleo took her salad with her, grumbling about how someone was going to learn about how the school works.
The Ed's looked at each other nervously. Ed picked out some of the grass and messed around with it while Eddy absentmindedly flicked his hands on and off with magical fire. Double D picked at his own lunch before looking up.
"This is going to be a very interesting year." It was neither a statement nor a question, just a fact that settled over them quietly.
Ed nodded while Eddy growled, neither contributing more into the conversation.
Unfortunately, they would be proven right by the time Legacy Day came.
It's only a small wade-in thus far, but I do think that it's a great beginning all together. More characters make things unstable, but I think something fresh will end up from it. When things get more involved with the movies is where I think things will shine. I'll see you all next chapter and feel free to leave your ideas in the comments below!