Well, this was fun to write. Lots of little twists and turns to set up, but it'll be fun to set them up later. Especially when I'm able to get that 10,000+ chapter posted. I hope you're ready for it, since it will be coming out sooner than you think, and I intend it to destroy you completely.
Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
It was after the initial prep-work that they'd finally come up with a plan that satisfied everyone.
Considering the only places that would be considered a good hiding spot was the underground of both schools, they figured that an expedition into both was in order. Considering the size of both, they'd separate into two groups to cover the most ground.
The official teams were simple; Ed, Double D, Clawdeen, Cerise, Maddie, and Ghoulia would go through the Catacombs. Eddy, Apple, Raven, Cleo, Daring, and Briar would be in the Ever After's very own "Labyrinth." That was the students called it, at least.
It made sense to Briar. Divide the teams into people who would have the most experience dealing with the environment, but they still had a variety just in case things went south. Both places had their unique things to deal with, but it wasn't likely to kill them.
"Briar, are you okay?"
Said girl jumped at the question, blinking at Apple with surprise. She hadn't realized how deep in thought she was until her friend decided to "wake her up." Probably thought she was going through another bout of narcolepsy.
"I'm good. Just mentally preparing myself." Briar rubbed one of her eyes, pretending that was a lie. People always knew she dozed off when there wasn't enough excitement going around. "This is a big thing, after all. Grimm is especially ticked about it."
Milton had sent out a message to them before he was practically swamped with the angry and scared parents that came after him in his office. It hadn't been a long one, and it certainly sounded petty, but he had warned them about a few things.
"Make sure to not go too deep into the Ever After's underground. You have no idea what might be under there." Milton had said. He sounded nervous when he brought it up. "If you find any sign of life, avoid it. Magical creatures are not to be messed with."
They'd all agreed that maybe they shouldn't listen to him too closely, since he did mess this up in a major way. Not to mention whatever happened with Giles.
"I'm sure it'll be just fine. We've gone through worse scrapes before, and we've gotten out of them without a scratch!" Apple almost wished it didn't happen so often, but it was too late to wish that now. "Worse comes to worst, you're in safe hands. Eddy knows enough spells to get us out of anything."
"What, is Daring chopped liver then?" Briar figured the pretty boy would have his moment to shine, but even Apple didn't seem to think about him much when it came to this. "Maybe he'll do something too. Even you seem to have little faith in the guy."
"That isn't it! I just think he hasn't really had enough experience with this kind of stuff just yet." Apple rubbed an arm, looking at her healing wand. "Then again, I haven't really done any fighting either, so I guess I shouldn't speak ill of him too much."
"Hey, Eddy may have been joking, but we do kinda need a healer." Briar didn't do a lot of those online games Hopper, Dexter, or Humphrey liked to play, but healers were a staple. "Though I guess I should feel good about the fact you think I won't have a problem with anything up ahead."
"I've seen you do crazier things, so I'm pretty sure this'll be old hat for you." Apple looked over to her friends planning out their routes, humming thoughtfully. "I should probably try and get an idea where and what we're doing before we head out. Feel free to call someone down if you have any concerns."
"I will." Briar watched her busy friend move over, wondering how much Apple has changed throughout the year. At least she could thank the rest of her little clique for making her braver. "Trust me, I will."
Truthfully, Briar wasn't going to bring any attention to herself if she could avoid it. As far as she was concerned, she needed to lay low if any part of her plan was going to work.
She admittedly didn't have a too rigid plan due to the chaos that the group seemed to bring would disrupt it easily, but the general idea was to find the book first if they found it at all. If she could stave off its discovery long enough, she might be able to actually get into the magical writing and... well, change it.
It did require some materials that wouldn't be too hard to get, especially if it was under some purchases her parents wouldn't care too much about, but it would need time and patience. She can't just change something all willy-nilly and expect it to go well, especially with a centuries-old magic book. She would've considered getting the Ed's to do it, but there was a good chance that they'd simply return the Book of Legends, even if it didn't involve outing her to everyone.
As for actually hiding the book and making it look like it was found naturally later? Briar didn't necessarily know yet. But even if she couldn't find a way to change anything, it would get back to the right place. She'd make her case later.
Hopefully. Briar was running on fumes now and she didn't want anyone to figure out about this. She was panicking, and that wasn't a familiar sensation to her. She needed to pull it together, though, otherwise it would all fall apart in minutes.
Briar took a deep breath as everyone got up, starting to coalesce into a singular group. Looks like it was showtime.
Time to play the part, Sleeping Beauty.
Ed had been tense since the search started. Ghoulia figured that much.
Admittedly, this whole business had come at a pretty inopportune time, so it wasn't that surprising. Even if she was the one rejected, it clearly killed him to do it at all. And as much as the zombie would've loved to have figured out what was going on, it was clear that whatever it was, it wasn't just him.
Ghoulia and Ed had temporarily separated from the main group to investigate any recently accessed locations within the Catacombs, and she almost regretted not bringing at least one other persona along. The tension was almost stifling as Ed rooted through drawers and she searched for any secret passageways with her drones.
"Find anything yet? None of these papers look like anything new." Ed figured he'd recognize the book when he saw it, but it looked like this room was for spare file space. "It's nice to know what Frankie's granddad grades in gym class are, it's not the Book of Legends."
"All sensors are coming in negative, magical and otherwise." Again, Ghoulia was glad to have these, especially with the newly added magical detection. It cut down their time immensely. "If anything, these passageways are pretty boring. I think we'd have more luck finding unregistered ones."
"Is it really a secret passageway if it's known and mapped out? I wouldn't think so." Ed shook his head, forcing himself to get back on topic. "If it isn't anywhere nearby, maybe we should move deeper into the Catacombs. The Evil Queen most likely hid it deep if she didn't want it to be found."
"Sound logic, I suppose." Ghoulia thought about something for a moment and figured that now was as good a time to say something. She doubted they'd be alone much after this. "Ed, is it alright if we talk real quick?"
"...Sure." Ed didn't sound as sure as he was pretending, but that was fine by her. At least he was willing to play ball. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Is what you and your friends hiding so terrible that you can't say anything to any of us about it?"
Ed would've cursed, but that wasn't something he did. Though, it would've been appropriate.
"I'm willing to accept things as they are, but maybe I'm not as okay with some parts of it like I originally thought." It was something she had to decide for herself, and Ghoulia did want to know what was going on. Either way, Ed was still her friend, and she wanted to know if he was ok. "You never struck me as someone who had something to hide, but I do think whatever it is you are hiding, it clearly isn't good for you to keep inside."
"We're fine, Ghoulia. If this is about the thing with Eddy and the fear gas, we're past that." Ed tried to ignore the part of him having nothing to hide. It stung deep, whether he wanted it too or not. "If anything, he's better than he was before the trip. Beating up dictators is pretty good therapy."
"Ed, Eddy would've severely injured Cleo if no one had intervened." Cleo had confided in Ghoulia about the encounter, and none of it sounded good. "We- well, we know about Eddy's brother. We know he's dead."
Ed nearly dropped a set of files at the mention of Evan. Ghoulia was actually surprised to see a flash of anger cross Ed's face as he looked at her.
"How do you even know about that? And what do you mean we?" Ed didn't have to get an answer, straightening as he figured it out himself. "We only learned about that at- were you guys listening?!"
"Blondie had tried to bug you guys at one point and we may have overheard you talking to Kevin and Nazz." Ed looked betrayed, and that was honestly fair. Ghoulia had hoped to keep it under wraps, but this wasn't like reapplying Cleo's bandages. "We weren't going to say anything unless Eddy did, but then things went sideways with the Vampire's Heart. We didn't even want to breach your privacy in the first place, but it just happened."
Ed opened his mouth up to say something back, something accusatory and poisonous, but he was able to hold back. The familiar coil of anger writhed in his gut, and he did his best to shove it away and not let it out.
"That- that doesn't make it okay still. But I forgive you." He doubted Eddy would, but Ghoulia wouldn't lie to him about spying on him. It wasn't like he would've deserved the honesty much anyway if she was lying. "You're going to have to tell Eddy too. What else did you hear?"
"Not too much. We do know that your parents are either arrested or being investigated." Ghoulia knew this would be the big topic to broach, especially if she wanted to make any progress at all today. "Is it alright if I ask why?"
It wasn't, but Ed couldn't tell her that. That would just make her look into it harder.
"I don't really want to talk about it." Ed knew it was a copout, but it wasn't like he could say anything else. Eddy and Double D would have to know about all of this too, another conversation he hoped to avoid. "Like I said before, it's not my story to tell either. A lot of stuff I can't repeat."
"I get that, I do. But everyone on us- even Cleo- are really concerned here." Ghoulia moved towards him for the first time since this started, and Ed almost backed up from it. She stopped, moving slower so he didn't feel cornered. "We've got bits and pieces of information, but the picture gets worse every time. We only want to help."
Ed gulped. This wasn't going to end, was it? Even if he kept trying to put it off, it wasn't like she was going to stop. And if everyone else was as concerned as she claimed they were, Ghoulia wasn't going to be the only one looking into things. Poking holes. Realizing something isn't right.
He had to think of something. Change the subject. He'd find a solution later, or at least hope things get crazy enough to distract everyone.
"Do you think that..." Ed stopped but started again. "How often are humans turned into Monsters?"
The question threw her off, quieting her for a second. It was just enough time for a batch of files to fall out of a case from the wall, hitting the floor with a loud thunk.
The two jumped, and Ed couldn't help but thank whatever god did that as Ghoulia scrambled to pick them up. He joined her soon after, if only to make it short work.
"Strange. This hiding place wasn't documented in the floor plans." Ghoulia was wholly taken in by the mystery again. Ed was safe for now, if only because the bigger crisis was rearing its head again. "It isn't the Book of Legends, but these files certainly look important."
"Looks like it was written by Bloodgood." Ed didn't rightfully care who wrote it, but it was something to note. He flipped through some of them, reading the title off hand. "Seems like she's planning for a... masquerade break scenario?"
"That's what some Monsters and Legends call the possibility of humans discovering our existence again. It's usually treated as grim." Ghoulia saw another person's handwriting on some of the pages. "It looks like Giles wrote some of these plans too. I suppose they wanted to discuss a possibility, no matter how unlikely it would be."
"Eh, you never know. Always good to have a back-up plan." Ed sighed, picking them up. "We should put this somewhere safe for now and let Bloodgood sort it out later. She wouldn't like us looking through it."
"True. The others will probably want to check up on us soon too." Ghoulia stopped as she caught the title of one of the plans, raising an eyebrow. "Huh. Interesting."
"What is it?" Ed leaned over, trying to catch the title. "Something good? Oh, is it love letters?"
"What? No, nothing of the sort." Ghoulia put the files in order, though she subtly put the one she found away. The Human Integration Protocol and Broken Script Situation sounded strange, and she wanted to know what it meant. "Let's move. The book isn't going to find itself."
Ed frowned, but nodded anyway, moving quickly to get out of the stifling tension in the room. Ghoulia followed behind, thumbing the file in her hands with interest.
It was due to that haste that they didn't notice the compartment that had held the files close shut with a quick force of magic.
There were a lot of things about this situation that set off red flags to Double D. Especially when it came to how everyone was reacting to it.
The situation around destiny and people following their stories hadn't been too disturbing of a concept at first, but now that everyone was focused on their lost artifact, he couldn't help but think of how creepy it all was. People giving up their names in service of taking up new ones, the expectations of everyone to follow the story to the letter, and the apparent magical properties that had been unknown to him about the Book of Legends was surprisingly dangerous. He would've thought something like this would've come out of Monster High, but no. It had to be the fairy tale society that did this.
"You've been mumbling for ten straight minutes Double D." Clawdeen snapped the boy out of his musing, much to his embarrassment. She didn't seem phased by it, though, having nodded along to most of it. "Don't get me wrong, I agree with you, but maybe say it with your indoor voice next time."
"It's mostly the name thing that sticks with me, I suppose." That was the hardest thing to swallow, especially when he looked over at Cerise and Maddie. "Would you two start calling yourselves Red and Mad if you went along with your stories? I think I much prefer your real ones."
"Honestly, I think I'll avoid it whenever possible. I'm just glad that my story doesn't have the wolf dying in the end." Cerise had to admit it wasn't the best tradition and she would be glad to help kill it. "Besides, I think it would take too long to get used to it."
"Mad is pretty close to my name already, so it wouldn't be too much of a change. Still, not really my style." Maddie moved in front of Double D, grabbing his cheeks, and squishing them. "But it's sweet that you like our names so much. Don't they just roll out of your mouth so easily?"
"Is it my turn to be flirted with already? Oh, how time flies." Double D gently took the girls hands off of his face, chuckling. It was nice to laugh in the middle of such a crisis. "Clawdeen, you see anything on the sensors? Something should be showing up if it radiates any magic."
"Nothing so far. There's something in the distance, but it isn't exactly Book of Legends level." The werewolf looked at their location compared to it. "We should be getting close to it now. Hopefully it isn't more of those giant rats or something. Or Operetta."
The room that housed the magical signature wasn't big, but the space around it seemed warped. It wasn't until they all stepped inside that they noted the wet floor, colorful water staining the brick as they kept moving. Looking around in confusion, they noted that it seemed to be coming from an overflowing well...
"The Well of Wonder!" Maddie seemed excited as she bounced forward, moving around the well with renewed vigor. The psychedelic colors were certainly trippy, something that no doubt attracted her to it. "I can't believe this is even down here! It hasn't appeared at the schools in forever."
"Maddie, please don't drink the water here. As nice as it looks, I'm pretty sure you'll hear colors if you do." Cerise tried to shake it out of her socks. She hoped skin exposure wouldn't cause pink elephants to start showing up. "I guess it couldn't make you any crazier, though."
"That might be a bold assumption, but something tells me this is causing a spatial anomaly around here. These plans don't match up to the size of this room." Double D didn't have to measure it to come to that conclusion. The dimensions were just all wrong from an architectural perspective. "Is this... Is this Wonderlandian magic, Maddie?"
"The purest kind! The Well of Wonder is a direct link to Wonderland, and it usually leaks some of its magic everywhere." Maddie danced on the edge of it, looking inside with open wonder. And maybe, just a hint of homesickness. "It helps support Wonderlandian's that end up far from home."
"Seems useful. Though, uh, one issue I just thought up of," Clawdeen looked inside too, squinting at the bright lights. "Could this be where the Evil Queen threw the book in?"
"Not really possible. I don't know much about it, but the Well of Wonder is directly linked to the Spring Fairest Festival, and it never shows up in the same place twice." Cerise remembered her mom mentioning how it was basically a nightmare to cover up in the human world. "It probably wasn't even close to here during that time."
"Not to mention that if she ever wanted it back, it would be really dangerous to go through the Well. The ride is usually ok, but the destination varies." Maddie sighed, putting her head into her hands. "If we could, I'm sure some of us would've tried a long time ago."
The statement caused the mood to dip as they remembered Maddie's situation. Wonderland was cut off from her, along with anyone else that would want to gain access. Cerise sighed, running a hand down her face.
"I'm going to go help her. You guys figure out where to go next." Cerise really hoped she wouldn't have to try her flirting skills again so soon, but maybe that would make Maddie laugh. "Don't laugh too much at what you're about to see."
The two just let her go, figuring it was a good idea. They did need to move things along eventually.
"Maybe we should try and contact some more people so they can traverse safer areas while we take the risky ones. That could make things go faster." Double D mused. He did stop as he noted a strange look pass on Clawdeen's face. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing. Or maybe there might be." The werewolf had been meaning to bring this up for a little bit now, and maybe it was a good time to bring it up. "You think we'll have a moment to talk soon? Me, you, and Cerise?"
"Possibly? This isn't exactly the best time, but the search could take days." Double D certainly hoped it wouldn't, but this wasn't exactly a simple situation either. "I guess if we have some time in between searches, we could meet up. What about Maddie?"
"Maybe we can bring her, but this is mainly about you and Cerise." Clawdeen shifted her eyes over to said hooded girl as she clumsily tried to give out a one liner to Maddie. Judging from the other girl's expression, it was cheering her up. "Just a few things I've been putting off since Hellscream."
Clawdeen figured that if she wanted to know what was up with the Ed's, she needed to give up the ghost and tell them she'd heard everything. It wasn't going to be an easy conversation, but it needed to be said. She kind of owed it to them since she did think Double D was a supervillain for a while, and Cerise's secret was her own. If Maddie learned about it too, then it would make things simpler.
"I-I guess. Have we done something wrong?" Double D felt dread at the thought. The wording wasn't comforting. "I'm sure we can make some time."
Good. If things went well, there wouldn't be any secrets between anyone in the group anymore. Clawdeen would help make sure of that.
"Good. Come on, let's head out before Cerise blows a gasket trying to flirt for the first time in her life." Clawdeen hummed, moving towards the well. Cerise had given up already as Maddie was giggling, red in the face. "Can't afford to play catch up."
Double D could only agree with her as he followed behind.
Eddy had his attention divided at the moment, making the search harder than it should've been. Not like they were finding much.
Other than a few signs that something was down in the Labyrinth, they hadn't had much luck. While there was a lot less trap doors and the like, the passageways did twist and turn into each other. The only sign of progression was the fact it had gone from the pristine halls of Ever After High to plant covered areas that hadn't been groomed. At least until Daring decided to be useful and start cutting it with his sword.
That at least made up for the "breadcrumb trail" plan Charmless had when trying to figure out how to mark their path. Not totally, but by a good amount.
"I wonder if Venus would like a place like this. All plants, no people- ah, wait, no sunlight." Cleo tutted, shaking her head. "That would be a dealbreaker for a plant monster. Have to find water too."
"I think the décor would scare her off first. This isn't exactly welcoming. Different magics too." Raven kept an eye out for wandering roots. Magic, especially in the wild, could be dangerous. "Some of these plants might not want a visitor, even if they're similar to them."
"So, go with fire if any of the plants move? Sounds like a plan to me." Eddy had been keeping a fire alight in his hands so they could see better, but it could become worse if he wanted it too. "Should've brought marshmallows and some chocolate then. Oh, and the graham crackers too."
Eddy gave a once over to the other two as he thought over what he was going to say next. If he wanted to fully focus on finding the Book of Legends, he should nip this in the bud now. Or put it out there, at least.
"Hey, Ray. Something I've been thinking about since we talked in your dorm." Eddy tilted his head, giving her a quizzical stare. "If anyone can sign the book and get your role, why is it so important that you have to sign it?"
"It's a family thing? I thought you already knew that. Every woman- occasionally a man too- would sign the book when they're my age." Raven rolled her eyes as she remembered everything else that had happened. "Until me, of course. And everyone has been losing their minds ever since."
"I don't think that's what he meant, Raven." Cleo gave Eddy a raised eyebrow, keeping the Worshipper's Staff out. "Something on your mind?"
"I was just thinking; if you don't want to play the part that badly, why not try and get someone else to do it?" Eddy could see the interest in Raven's eyes spark for a second, though it was hesitant. "Seems like the simplest solution to me. If somebody has to play the part, it could be an understudy."
"…Dear Ra, please tell me that isn't possible. If that is, this whole Royal/Rebel thing could've been dealt with ages ago!" Cleo nearly hit herself in the face with her staff. That was so utterly, stupidly simple. "If we could just replace you, then people would cease their foolishness at once."
"I wouldn't say that. Technically, we still got two big problems with that." Raven counted them down with a grimace. "The first is the fact I might still disappear, something we haven't disproven yet. The second is… well, Apple."
The group sent a look to the blonde, who was directing Daring into whatever direction she was leading them into. Briar was creating a map, the both of them going back and forth with what they learned.
"I suppose Apple is quite self-motivated with the idea of her story being perfect. I don't think it would be that much of a problem, though." Cleo knew about Apple's goals. And she also knew that it wouldn't matter all that much. "As long as she gets her Happy Ending, I'm sure she wouldn't mind a different player. Especially if they're more motivated to play it than you are."
"True. Maybe she'd go Rebel if we can get her to work with it." Raven joked, though that could be possible for all she knew. Apple was a good person, but that didn't mean she was perfect. "That doesn't stop me from possibly disappearing, though. That's honestly the only reason I'd sign the book, honestly."
"Well, we'll just have to find out if it's true or not. I'm sure somebody knows what's up with that enough to give an answer." Eddy flexed he hand holding the flames. It burned brighter for just a moment. "Then maybe I can just sign the book for you, then."
"Wait, you want to be the next Evil King?" Raven stopped, giving the boy a surprised look. "No offense, but that doesn't seem like something anyone would want."
"This does seem to be too generous, even if you're our friend." Cleo knew something had been going on, but this just threw her off even more. "Why would you want anything to do with the Snow White story?"
"What's not to like? I get power, I get a role, and I technically also get a kingdom for a bit." Eddy listed it off. The fourth benefit on not being human anymore was something he'd keep to himself. "That and it solves a lot of our problems at once. Honestly, I'd just give you a worthless title and stipend to do whatever you wanted afterward, and then time would go on."
"That- why- Thank you?" Raven was touched, even if Eddy was giving plenty of selfish reasons why he wanted to do it. "I don't know what to say."
"Just say that after we find a way to make sure you stay around, destiny or not, you'll let me write my name in the book." Eddy waved it off. This was a win-win situation for everyone, so he didn't get why she was so surprised. "At least Dexter wouldn't have to be the Good King in this situation."
Raven blushed at the mention of the boy, keeping her mouth shut. It was honestly a relief to Eddy. It was starting to get too sappy in here.
Raven did need some time to think, apparently, drifting from them both in a haze. Cleo didn't seem as convinced by the generous display, narrowing her eyes at the boy.
"How long have you been planning this?" The mummy knew he was a schemer, but this seemed too much for him. Of course, she didn't know how good he actually was. "A month? Months? Since the school year started?"
"This morning, Queenie. Do you really think I knew anything about this before then?" Eddy got the suspicion, but he still was angered by it. "I can do a nice thing once in a while. Besides, like I said, this benefits me plenty too."
"You don't seem to know a lot of things about your culture, apparently. I never understood why, even if your family was solitary." Cleo let out a humph. Eddy only got more confusing by the day. "Especially since you're so eager to play the bad guy too."
"Queenie, I'm already the bad guy in my own story. Why not play another?" Eddy started walking faster. He'd got what he wanted. This conversation was just filler. "Hurry up. We got a book to find."
The mummy could only growl before joining back into the search. She was going to figure out what was going on with that boy, even if it killed her.
You know, something I've always thought didn't make sense; how is the Well of Wonder the source of magic for Ever After? Shouldn't the land have it's own magic? I think if it ever got hurt, it would hurt the actual residents of Wonderland that are stranded in Ever After more. Just food for thought.
Either way, I hope you all had a good time and I'll see you next chapter.