I took my time with this, so I can't say I don't like it. Finally getting into the meat of the arc now at least, so here to more chapters coming. For everyone that had to wait a while, there's at least some side content for you to enjoy.
See you at the end!
"You know, I'm starting to think that whoever built this place is trying to make sure books are never found."
"Alistair, I'm sure that's not true."
"Come on, Bunny!"
The library of Wonderland, much like the country it resided in, was confusing. The Dewey Decimal System was non-existent, the architecture of some shelves was warped in ways few could comprehend, and books would attack their readers for daring to open them without permission. Or attack them for not reading them in the first place. Very finicky, those books.
Alistair Wonderland and Bunny Blanc were walking through, finding what Alistair believed would be a treasure map. As he went over a map, and she kept her ears open for a librarian (who'd fight them to the death if they wanted to check out a book), the two were doing their best to make good of a nice, normal day. Well, normal enough for Wonderland.
"The one time I want to find a recipe book that has one of those long stories in it, and the section's been moved." Alistair closed the map in a huff, blinking away the symbols dancing across his eyes. The map was supposed to move as long as the library moved, but he wasn't so sure if it was doing so in real time anymore. "I'll go blind at this rate looking into this thing."
"I really wish you invested in those reading glasses." Bunny sighed. It would've sounded sarcastic, but she unfortunately meant it. That somehow stung Alistair's pride even more. "Though, are we getting close? I don't think we'll survive another battle with a math textbook. Those things are very frightening."
"No one reads them for fun and I guess they feel neglected." Alistair hummed, checking the labels on the shelves. It certainly looked like they were in the right place. "Shouldn't take more than few minutes, as long as we keep up the pace."
"I'd watch your step, if I was you."
The two started at the sound of a voice, Alistair preparing to throw his map and Bunny disappearing in a poof of white smoke. The teen didn't have much time to think as he let Bunny crawl onto his shoulders in her rabbit form as held the map as a sword at…
Alistair stopped, slumping as he finally got a good look at the intruder of their adventure. "Miss Cheshire, what are you doing here?"
The grown woman lying on her side on one of the bookshelves gave a sharp smile, looking relaxed despite being in a place like this. She looked much like her daughter, Kitty, and her personality was much the same; cat-like, mischievous, and just someone you avoid making angry, otherwise your day is shot.
"I'm just purr-using the books at my local library! Heard that saying from all of those PSA's and I figured that it was better late than never to try it out." She discreetly hid the torn-up books she had to take down to get here. Damn pests. "Though, I'm wondering why you two are out so late. I know you're not good at time management, Bunny, but you should probably learn a little."
"We're just finishing up some personal business." Bunny didn't want to say anything about their little adventure. She'd mess it up just for a laugh, or at least make it even harder to finish their quest. "Just wanted to find a few recipes for my dad. You wouldn't have happened to see where that section was, right?"
"I saw a man gathering some books up and putting them in a boiling pot. I'd say he was misunderstood, but I may have told him to do that." Cheshire checked her nails casually, noting the two deflate at that. She smiled again. "Hope you find what you're looking for before he does."
"He better not. Didn't spend this much time just to find out he made alphabet soup." Alistair sighed. He started to move off, wanting to cut the conversation short before he got roped into something convoluted. "We'll have to knock out another adult again. I really wish that weren't so normal."
"Never say normal in Wonderland, Alistair. That invites trouble." Bunny warned with a poke to his side. She gave a nervous smile at the woman before getting the guts to ask another question. "Can- Can you tell us what you're actually doing here? You don't have to tell us, I suppose, but I thought you usually talked to Kitty through-"
Bunny stopped as Cheshire's eyes flashed dangerously at the mention of her daughter. The woman vanished before her form appeared in front of them, her smile appearing before her eyes. The two backed up at the display, remembering then how tall she actually was.
"She was just curious, Cheshire. We haven't had time to talk to her lately either since her school year started, so we just wanted to know." Alistair wished that hadn't been the case. Due to Wonderland being quarantined from the rest of the magical world and only having the exceedingly rare privilege to talk to his old friends through digital communication, it had been stressful for everyone.
"…I couldn't talk to her in a while now. Whatever communications between Wonderland and the other world has been down for a month now." Cheshire did scowl at that. She figured Snow White must've been cutting back funding on that venture. She forced herself back into smiling, somehow looking angrier as she thought about it. "I was running a few experiments in the meantime to help… make myself feel better."
Bunny and Alistair looked at each other, taking another involuntary step back at the word "experiments." Bunny cleared her throat once more. "What kind of experiments?"
Cheshire shrugged, pointing behind them. "Ones involving that."
Alistair stopped, tipping backwards with a confused expression. "Wha-"
And Alistair, for a brief moment, felt himself fall.
Alistair nearly screamed as he felt gravity shift and nearly take him in full.. Bunny was able to grab him before he could fall back first into colorful water, steadying him as they looked into the chasm that had nearly claimed him..
The library was always, in some way, warped, but the fact it was so chaotic today made a lot more sense as they found the Well of Wonder in the middle of the massive room. The special anomalies shifted the and deepened the hole, the well making the place looking more like a lake than anything. The colors made the scene almost psychedelic in nature, the water flowing outward as well as inward, making it all the more confusing.
"The Well of Wonder?! I didn't know this was open here." Alistair felt literal wonder flood his system, the terror that had occupied him dissipating. It was quick to return as he could see Cheshire move in the corner of his eyes. "You-you were running experiments on this?"
"Only some small ones." Cheshire's slit eyes didn't move away from the well, her demeanor somehow… calm. It was strange. "Just to see what I can do with it."
Neither teen felt comfortable with that statement, subtly shifting away from her. She was too lost in her thoughts to care, however, so they felt safe enough to give it another look.
Something did catch Bunny's attention, seeing a book in the water. She frowned, jumping down closer to it, much to Alistair's protest. She reached out for it, grabbing, and trying to wipe away some of the water.
"As amazing as this might be, it's probably going to destroy a lot of the library while it's here." Bunny looked closely at the book that had been caught in the aftermath of the natural wonder, somehow still dry despite where it had been located. "The librarians might cause a riot if this- wait a minute. This can't be right."
The heavy book hadn't been damaged at all, and Bunny faintly realized that it may have had to do with the magic emanating from it, preventing the water from seeping in. As if it was a strange film to it, the water dropped off of it carefully, showing an ornate cover that, while not something she managed before, was still awfully familiar to her and any other Legend that knew their history.
"...Is this-"
The book was snatched from her hand by Cheshire, who had noticed what it was soon after. Disappearing and reappearing on top of another bookshelf, she looked over it with surprised, frantic eyes.
It was the Book of Legends. Here, in Wonderland, waterlogged but protected by the old magic that made it.
"Hey, that isn't yours!" Alistair yelled out defensively. He didn't get that good of a look, but he recognized it too, feeling panic crawl up his throat at seeing the Cheshire Cat of all people have it. "That isn't ours either, I guess, but- you know what I mean!"
The woman ignored him, face twisting as she looked over the book, checking each page. This was authentic. Some lunatic had thrown it down the well and it had fallen into her lap like it had been waiting for her to grab it. She turned the page to the Wonderland section, seeing none of the members of her story had signed up yet. Kitty's blank space taunted her the most out of those blank spaces.
She... she couldn't waste this chance even if she tried.
The bookshelf shifted under her, nearly toppling over, and forcing her to rip her eyes off the page. Alistair was trying to climb up, awkwardly she might add, as if he had a chance to take the book from her. She put it to the side, giving him a taunting grin.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not all of us were born with cat-like reflexes, after all." Cheshire heard a grunt come from the boy, causing her to laugh. "Determined, aren't you? It's a big fall from up here, you know."
"I don't care. We need to get that- ah!- book back to the right authorities." Alistair grunted each word as he moved up. He didn't appreciate the roll of her eyes at his statement, as well as the muttered "goody two-shoes" comment. "Not that I don't trust you, but it'd be a lot safe if it was in the Queen of Hearts hands."
"That last statement might not actually be true, but the point still stands!" Bunny hovered near the base of the bookshelf in open worry. "Though, uh, Alistair? Maybe climbing up isn't the best option?"
"Nonsense! How else am I going to get up there?!"
Cheshire subtly moved her hand to grab something from behind her, exerting a little magic on it quickly. She might as well unload this before she gets things ready.
"I appreciate the guts, boy, but maybe you should think things through. Or not. That tends to make a better spectacle." Cheshire put a finger to her chin, shrugging after a little thought. "Y'know what? Fine. Take it. Don't need it anyhow."
Cheshire threw a book forward, over Alistair's head, forcing him to nearly leap back and grab at it. He caught it in his arms, though his victory was short lived as he realized gravity was taking over.
"Alistair!" Bunny ran back, leaping off something to try and catch him. She was able to do so, but the weight caused them to spin out, both screaming as they fell into the chasm the well created. The Well of Wonder expanded then, opening up big enough to let them inside.
Cheshire laughed victoriously, moving a few more things around before she stood up from her perch. With one last look around, she took a few running steps forward before jumping off.
No one saw here dive into the well, headfirst, and laughing like a madwoman.
Eddy was starting to lose his patience. With this holiday, and with Apple.
The festivities were something he'd normally jump into without any problem, but considering he was busy, it was all just a bother. Everyone was getting in his way, the planning committee's he was sure she was a part of couldn't tell him anything, and he literally had to ignore every legitimately cool thing just for this. The cold shoulder from Princess was only making it all the worse.
Which made waiting in the room that had previously housed Rumpelstiltskin's office all the more anxiety inducing.
"If she doesn't show up within the next five minutes, I'm blowing something up." Eddy flicked the finger with the fire evocation on it, turning it off and then on again like a ritual. It didn't calm him down, though it was good to test the suit's reaction time occasionally. "She has to be doing this on purpose. You think she'd stand us up?"
"This entire situation is weird enough that it's possible. Though I made her promise to come on over when she had the time." Raven didn't know if this would work, especially since Apple was being adamant about avoiding him. "You two just need to talk once at least. I'm sure it'll go smooth from there."
"That is surprisingly optimistic coming from you." Cleo had kept her eyes on the phone so Ghoulia could update them on that love festival that was going on. Something called the Amore Festival or something. "I just hope we can knock it out of the park now. Deuce is wanting to go to that thing at our school, and I want to join him."
"Yeah, why not do that instead? I like Deuce. He's cool." As much as Eddy wanted to get this over with, he also wanted to avoid it. It was an extremely complicated situation all around. "We can pick up Dexter and Raven could go with him."
"Hey, wait, I didn't say I would go with anybody-"
"Oh, hush Raven, we know you like that guy… for some reason."
What was ready to devolve into a strange tangent died as footsteps could be heard from outside. Fearing a teacher, they held their breaths before sighing in relief as Apple walked in, looking through a binder.
"Raven, I appreciate being able to talk to you, but I do want to make this quick. Spring Fairest is still hard to plan for, even if we're recycling stuff from Thronecoming." Apple flipped through a few pages, not looking up for a few seconds. "I was just finished with phone call involving a supply run for food, and it's really difficult to get some items so…"
Apple looked up, trailing off as she caught eyes with Eddy. She stopped instantly, a frown flitting across her face instantly. "Ah. So this isn't just a simple chat?"
"No. I'd suggest sitting down. Not sure how long this will take, but hopefully we won't have to pull teeth." Cleo motioned towards Eddy, a smile that could be mistaken for a grimace on her face. "Our old friend Eddy has a few things to say to you."
"Queenie, as someone who usually doesn't know when to talk talking, I'd suggest you'd shut up." Eddy shut the door with his magic, moving chairs until Apple was moved to sit down in front of him. "We need to sort a few things out, Princess, and I don't want you running off before we do."
"I don't think we have much to talk about, Eddy. That's what the contract was about, and you've made your choice." Apple said, disinterested in having this conversation. She had stuff to do, anyway, and she really wasn't in the mood for this. "It's done. We're moving on from that."
"I'd agree if you haven't been trying to avoid talking to any of us since we signed the contract." Raven walked so she would stand near the two and make sure whatever happened didn't get explosive. Possibly literally. "We can't exactly get back to what we're supposed to be doing if we're at each other's throats."
"Look, Princess, whether you believe it or not, I want to apologize." Eddy figured she didn't believe him judging from the look on her face. "I maybe shouldn't have said what I did during one of the last "conversations" we had. A few things may have been low at the time…"
"Eddy."
The boy did stop, scowling as he saw the hard look on her face. Impatience spiked as she just shook her head, and he immediately wondered if this had failed.
"I... I don't think I'll accept whatever apology you give me. Not because I don't think you regret it, but because I don't think you're really sorry." Apple figured that was cruel, but she honestly didn't care. "You've obviously thought that for a while now. Thinking I'm just some selfish brat that's finally being told no."
"Uh," Cleo started to move up from her seat, putting her phone away. Despite the interruption, the two didn't look away from each other. "Maybe this is getting a little off topic-"
"This doesn't concern you, Cleo." Apple barely gave her a friend a glance, softening her gaze after a few seconds. "I get that you weren't in your right mind at the time, Eddy. Honestly, I understand why you lied for so long, even if that fact still hurts. But that really wasn't an excuse to lash out at me when I was trying to help you."
"I get that. I'm trying to apologize here, but you ain't letting me." Eddy didn't want a serious conversation. He wanted to apologize, bury the hatchet, and leave it alone. Princess just had to make it more complicated. "And can you honestly say that I'm wrong? You're right that I've been thinking on it for a while, but you know I'm not stupid. I know you pretty well at this point."
"You literally told me that I was better off poisoning Raven if I wanted to move my story along and blamed me for sending the school into disarray." Apple was willing to admit her initial reaction hadn't been pretty, but she wasn't at fault for anyone else feeling that way. Things just fell in line like that. "And I know you're not stupid. You know I'm not completely to blame."
"Maybe, but maybe addressing the public like a princess would, things might've calmed things down."
"Hey, nobody was at fault for the Royal/Rebel stuff. It just happened." Raven may have thought the same thing at one point, but that wasn't the focus here. "If anything-"
"Ray, keep quiet for a second." Eddy stood up, giving Apple a glare. He was done with this conversation, and he intended to finish it. "Princess, do you mind a little friendly advice? I think you need it."
"Fine. What do you have to say?" Apple figured it would be better than dealing with a half-baked apology.
"Learn to swim."
The temperature shot down and Apple felt herself shiver. She had a flashback to the cave again at how he said it.
"I get that the boat you've been coasting in has been nice. Been in your family for generations and hasn't failed to break down so far." Eddy snaked a hand grab the chair she was sitting in, tipping it back. "But it's an old ship, Princess. Maintenance can only do so much good before the leaks add up. A lifeboat might help, a life jacket will keep you floating, but time is still limited."
"Get to the point." Apple wasn't sure if she could take this any longer. Not without wanting to scream.
"What I'm saying is, you're going to be stuck in the water eventually, and the only thing that can get you to shore will be you." Eddy leaned forward, forcing her chair back farther. She could smell cologne wafting off of him and see how white his teeth were as he sneered. "You going to learn to swim? Or are you going to let the current drag you down?"
Eddy stepped back then, letting the chair clatter forward before taking his leave. Apple looked too dazed to be upset.
"I need… I need to go." Apple grabbed her personal items, shuffling out in a hurry, leaving Cleo and Raven behind.
"Why are they so bad at this?" Raven leaned onto a wall, groaning as she slipped down and eventually held onto her knees. "How can people be this bad at communicating?"
"My family is a lot worse, if it makes you feel better." Cleo received another groan. The mummy did agree with her, though. "This wasn't… great, but maybe we can do better next time?"
Raven groaned louder and Cleo couldn't agree with a sentiment more.
"…Anyone else just get a weird chill that something got worse?"
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Ed." Ghoulia felt a little weird holding onto his arm in public like this. On the other hand, it probably only felt awkward since they were in the middle of the Amore Festival, where the crowds were converging. "We'll check in at Ever After when the guest speaker gets done with his piece, though."
"Alright, alright. I can probably wait until then." Ed did want to enjoy himself for once, especially since this was their first "date." At least, they figured that they could call it that. Still debating on semantics right now. "Kieran Valentine. Did he, like, invent Valentine's Day, or is it just a coincidence he's called that?"
"He helped make the holiday popular, according to some sources, but didn't actually invent it." The confusion was warranted, especially with the naming structure. There was a reason behind it, though. "Kieran is actually one of the few emotional vampires that are known to exist, and he claims that he survives on ambient emotions, and obviously specializes in love."
"Huh. That sounds pretty neat. When I told Eddy about it, he said it was probably some kind of brand thing." Ed looked about to make sure nothing had started yet before catching sight of Clawd and Draculaura. "Hey, looks like those two beat us here! Weird, I thought they'd be all over this type of thing."
Ghoulia gave a passing glance and saw the two near instantly. Draculaura seemed excited, though she was looking around everywhere as if she was expecting someone. Clawd was looking straight ahead, obviously not focused on the present situation, looking awkward. It was almost funny, but considering they'd been dating a good while now, it was hard to tell why.
"...Maybe we should check on those two. Clawd looks ready to swallow his tongue." Ghoulia would admit she was more curious than concerned but might as well avoid hearing about a future disaster. "Worst case scenario, it becomes a double date."
"Sounds fine by me." The two changed course, moving toward the couple with clear intent. Ed waved first to see if he could snap Clawd out of his funk first. "Hey, you two! One of you looks pretty excited to be here today."
"Oh, hey guys! I was wondering when I'd get to see you." Draculaura hadn't so much as moved over to them, but more… teleported. They were almost impressed at how fast she got over there, but more terrified by her manic expression. "And how funny is it that I only learned you were dating this morning?"
"It was a fairly recent thing, so it's not unbelievable." Ghoulia figured she'd be upset for only a few minutes, so she wasn't really afraid of what she'd do. "I'm more curious as to what you two are doing anyway. Clawd?"
"Just, you know, waiting for the speaker to show up. Can't wait." That was a poor lie. The werewolf looked like he didn't want to be anywhere near here. "Congrats on getting together, though. Almost lost a bet, but it was worth it."
"I'm going to ignore that last part." Ed said, blasé about the comment. He wondered if Eddy was running the betting ring. "You look a little weirded out. We're not getting a surprise 'talk' from the teachers, right?"
"No, thank God. Just, uh," Clawd stopped, watching as Draculaura and Ghoulia chatted. He leaned towards Ed and whispered the rest to him. "The speaker is one of Draculaura's ex's and I'm not looking forward to meeting him."
"Oh!" Ed stopped, realizing who exactly he was talking about. Kieran Valentine. The partial inventor of Valentine's Day. "…oh."
"Yeah. I just got a history lesson, and you want to know something a little hard to swallow?" Clawd dejection was becoming increasingly obvious as time went on. "Apparently, he was able to choose the date for the holiday, and he chose it to be on Draculaura's birthday."
…Oh.
"So, I'm guessing you're feeling you're going to be shown up." Ed squinted. He could see the problem, but it probably wasn't that bad considering who they were talking about. "I wouldn't worry about it, though. They must've broken up and Draculaura seems to like you a lot."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to be weird. And from what she told me, they didn't technically break up." Clawd saw something, eyes narrowing. He subtly pointed a clawed finger. "I think I may know what he looks like too, and I might have competition."
"Draculaura! Over her, hon!"
Ed did look to see a vampire dressed formally and wearing sunglasses that framed his face. He could get why the guy was considered popular at first glance; the hair, the clothes, and even the smile looked like something straight from a boy band poster. The accent he had sounded southern, but somehow that didn't fit right at all.
Kieran Valentine took off his sunglasses and Ed could see Clawd tense. Guess he was going to have to play interference.
"Kieran, it's so good to see you! How long has it been, four hundred years?" Draculaura hugged the much taller boy quickly, nearly being lifted up. "Almost feels like five centuries, to be honest."
"It's been entirely too long either way. You haven't changed, not by much at least." Kieran stated, putting her down. He still kept an arm around her, swaying as if to put weight on her. "You seem stronger too. That vegan diet seems to be working out for you."
"It does taste much better than blood."
"He seems nice enough. A little forward from the looks of it, though." Ghoulia was moving back to Ed's side, leaning back into him. She quirked an eyebrow at seeing her boyfriend keep an eye on the interaction. "I'm guessing Clawd told you they knew each other?"
"Yep. And they're ex's too, so this is going to be a fun few hours." Ed figured it would blow over soon. He didn't get too many bad vibes from the guy, though that accent was going to drive him nuts. Wasn't he Transylvanian, not a southern belle? "Should we do something about this, or..."
"Give it a few minutes. Maybe this will just be a normal, everyday- wait." Ghoulia straightened up, frowning. She nearly kicked herself for almost doing that. "I almost jinxed us. You'd think I'd know better."
"You do know better. It was just a slip of the tongue."
Clawd had been stalking over, keeping his jealousy in check before putting a hand out for Kieran to shake. "Nice to meet you, Kieran. I'm Draculaura's boyfriend. She's told me a lot about you."
Kieran raised an imperceptible eyebrow, looking down at the werewolf's hand before giving a tense handshake back. "Pleased to meet you. Glad to see she's keeping in good company."
"...I didn't even finish saying it and look where it got us." Ghoulia groaned in frustration. She wanted to disappear into Ed's coat rather than deal with this. "I was hoping for a regular day, but I guess that's shot."
"If he starts getting too aggressive, we can find a way to throw him out." Ed figured that an explosive teen romance was better than something that literally exploded. "As long as nothing else happens, this is all we have to deal with right now."
"…Ed, I don't want to alarm you-"
"I felt that chill too. I'm so sorry."
Cerise figured out one thing about being a big, decorative part of a festival; she didn't like being said part of the festival. At all.
The weather being what it was and all the layers she was wearing made her feel sweaty, the people were overwhelming when they came in droves, and she was never that good at being cheery. So, she needed a break.
The fact it was in the cold catacombs that currently hosted the Well of Wonder where no one else could find her was perfect for that.
"I appreciate wanting to help me with my studies, but are you sure you want to keep dressing up like that down here?" Double D was taking some of the water from the well and putting them away for later experiments. He was lucky to get permission to do this at all, and he intended to make it count. "You said it yourself that it isn't comfortable in this weather."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't like wearing it. Besides, it took hours to put it on, so I'll make it last." Cerise twirled her hair. It felt weird to just sit there and be pretty but doing anything else would risk ruining Clawdeen's hard work. "At least I can avoid being flirted with by the wrong people."
"Does that make us the right people then? I feel honored." Clawdeen was moving some of the debris around with her armor on. She did move the one Cerise was on to get it out of the more crowded parts of the room. "Maddie, you still finishing up that ritual or do you need a few more minutes."
"It's not really a ritual, more of a long-standing tradition. Though, I am just about done." Maddie finished putting up the last few baubles, making up a small tapestry strung up on one of the walls. It looked a lot like a representation of her story, beginning and end. "It really has been a long time since I've seen this done, though. Too long."
The way she said it was wistful and nostalgic, and she ran her fingers over the fabric. The others heard a small sigh escape her lips as she stepped back and double check her work.
"I'm guessing the anniversary of leaving Wonderland is coming up?" Double D had been watching the date and it was fast approaching. "It just seems like you've been down since we started and…"
"Yeah, it's just a tough time for a lot of us that had to leave Wonderland." Maddie figured that was the case for everyone. Still, it wasn't like home was completely lost to them. "Some of the people that left others behind are able to contact them, but still way too far from home."
"The well keeps you connected, right? I heard that from one of the history classes." Cerise shifted uncomfortably, looking at the well with caution. "The well is supposed to connect Wonderland and this world together, otherwise…"
"We can't survive without it. I mean, we don't drink it either. Magical water is still magical."
The presence of a new voice sent everyone on edge, except for Maddie. The hatted girl looked at an unoccupied spot, giving it a brief wave before getting back to work. "Good to see you, Kitty, but maybe knock next time. It's rude to eavesdrop after all."
"…I hate how you know where I am at all times." A flutter of magic rippled, the familiar form of Kitty Cheshire occupying the previously empty space. She smiled, teeth sharp. "So, how's the decorating going? I've been messing around upstairs for a while and wanted to check in."
"There are guards outside, you know. Maybe check in with them next time?" Clawdeen didn't really know much about Kitty, but if Maddie wasn't trying to get her out, she figured it was fine. "Doesn't seem like it would stop you, I guess."
"Not even a little." Kitty jumped off her seat to head over to the well. Leaning over the side, she looked into it with cat-like curiosity. "Is this what everyone is going on about? I always thought it would be much bigger."
"Well, not all things can live up to its legends, I suppose." Double D swatted Kitty's hand away from reaching into his pocket, forcing her to yowl. He didn't even look up as she stuck her tongue out at him. "I keep telling you that won't work on me. It's not my fault you keep getting proven wrong."
"You could at least let me take one thing, though. Such gloomy Gus's, the lot of you." Kitty wanted to see if she could pry a secret or two out of these people, but it didn't look like they wanted to play. "You are going to be done soon, right? I have to do some business here if you don't mind."
"Last time you conducted business anywhere, they had to quarantine it." Maddie laughed. So many fires and Milton screaming in fear. "…I'm guessing its some letters to your mom?"
"Some for my mom, and some are for the Queen of Hearts. Lizzie wanted to come, but she was busy too." Kitty's façade didn't drop, but it was subdued. It didn't look like a lot of papers, only a small stack. "Since video communication is down, Lizzie wanted to send a few things. Not sure if it'll reach anyone, but the chances aren't zero."
"…Feel free to toss them in. Not like we can stop you anyway." Clawdeen figured if a trick was coming, it wouldn't come in like this. Lizzie would have the girls head if that was the case. "Anything else you need?"
"I want to borrow Maddie's staff, but I have a feeling you won't let me do that, so…" Kitty held the hand with the letters over the well, dropping it into the water unceremoniously. They seeped into the magical water without getting wet, eventually disappearing. "Now, I do want to talk to you about pranking your friend Eddy-"
The sound of water bubbling caused her to stop, as well as everyone else in the room. They looked at the Well of Wonder, noticing the water shifting and bubbles giving it the appearance of a cauldron. Double D's octo-arms activated, grabbing some of the debris in the area.
"Cheshire," Double D cautiously stated, still keeping an eye on the well. It was getting worse by the second. "What exactly did you put in those envelopes."
"Just letters! I'm charmingly mischievous, not stupid." Kitty's ears twitched, water rising out of the well enough to soak their feet. "Everybody back up!"
The well burst then, a geyser shooting upward and hitting the ceiling. There were shouts as everyone dove to avoid the water. Double D and Clawdeen shielded themselves from the most of it, providing a barrier for everyone to hide behind.
The geyser stopped for a few seconds, the well cartoonishly shrinking down on itself before a loud pop could be heard. Two figures were seen flying above, forcing Double D to knock aside the debris and grab them before they could hit the ground.
"Ok, somebody mind explaining what that was? There are very few times I want to be wet, and this ain't one of them." Clawdeen put down her own shield, pointing a finger at Maddie. "And don't say "that's what she said." I know how that sounded."
"What the heck shot out of there?! Did somebody send a care package or something?" Cerise looked as Double D pulled down what he'd grabbed from the air. The two figures coughed out colorful water and she stopped to give them a second look. "People? I thought people didn't survive going through the Well."
"It's survivable, but ill-advised from what I've read. Too many conflicting accounts to say which one is true." Then again, Double D had proof right in front of him. Whoever they were, they didn't appear to be hurt. "Are you two alright? Actually, better question; who are you two?"
Maddie finally got to see the two in the light, the blue clothing on one and the bunny ears on the other. She almost reached out to touch them when she said their names.
"Bunny? Alistair?"
Nobody noticed the last figure slip and disappeared into nothing.
Alright, that's that. Had to try and insert Kitty in there to make things make sense, and you'll understand what I'm going for soon.
By the by, I do have some side content for you guys. Just a few playlists based on some AU's involving the Five Headcanon's Game (which is always still going on), and some more memes. Hope you enjoy.
Reverse AU: playlist/5kynRgofKTSg3AJkjAcwjz
Childhood Friends AU: playlist/2TkX3NUhJARj3NNNCPC3f0
Madness Reigns AU: playlist/25SR5cbJtQl9UPHvkGbsk1
Memes: post/687093391125774336/more-blending-in-memes-for-the-distinguished
Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you next chapter.