"That's Red's mom? She's the prototype of my future wife Evie, nice and high-spirited with everyone around her. Though doesn't have a secret motive but only to be friends with everyone around Merlin Academy. It also makes me question why he retired and decided to live in the forest, maybe he wanted to get out before he ended up singing and dancing like everyone else. However, I think there's another issue that needs to be addressed, which is me ruining a relationship between a hybrid Wonderlandian and the Princess of Wonderland. I mean who wouldn't know the cat had a villain parent, the chances of that happening are like Jay not knowing lottery numbers which he somehow does because he's a former thief. I'll have to fix this before we return to the future, otherwise, I might as well jeopardize the possible future couple that would ally with Auradon. Talk about a conundrum, Red needs to save her family to prevent an invasion and I gotta patch up her relationship. Just have to figure it out in a careful but not-so-obvious manner, this is their first adventure after all."
Morning-Merlin Academy
With classes starting and everyone heading inside to make it in time, Bridget was leading her newfound friends to a class that she was heading off to. All the while Red was still captivated by the fact her mother was acting like a princess rather than a vengeful girl than the woman she knew as mother in the future. They continued their walk through the hallways as Trickster felt something off with the school on how it felt too perfect due to how everyone felt excited about today's classes.
"Ms. Bridget."
Someone called out her name as she and the others looked behind to see the headmaster of the school, Merlin. It felt strange for Trick and Gamma to see him due to how young he appeared and being charged with the school due to how impractical his magic was.
"I must say you have made quite the collection of friends already in your first year, but they aren't allowed swords on school grounds. They're only allowed to be used in Swords and Shields. I'll have to confiscate them."
He noticed the swords that Chloe and Trickster had on them as Merlin snapped his fingers toward their weapons which left them to be taken away. The Oogie VK looked confused by it and wanted to respond to Merlin for taking his accessories but remembered the bet that he and Gamma made about paying one another if something they saw would take them by surprise.
"Now then, I've never seen you all at orientation. Are you the new transfer students I've been informed about?"
Merlin asked with curiosity since there had been new arrivals coming to the academy, he hadn't had the chance to see who was on the list. Bridget herself was surprised that since she didn't ask if they were new students, Chloe decided to help out since she had read about how registrations on Auradon Prep happened, it may work in this situation.
"Late arrivals sir, we just came in and tried to find out where we needed to attend. It won't happen again."
She explained herself along with the others about not being able to join the other students and promised to not be tardy again. The others nodded to Chloe agreeing with the story as they saw Merlin being skeptical about it. Luckily, Merlin gave her a confident smile on believing her and guided them through the hallways where he'd guide them to their class.
"It's been so busy lately with new arrivals from other kingdoms. Why do next month's discussions revolve around accepting the demigods of Mount Olympus to attend my academy? Rather dramatic don't you think?"
Merlin asked them as they smiled at the headmaster while Trick wanted to speak his mind that it would get crispy if Hades would attend the school. Gamma coughed at the mention and wanted him to show a twenty if he was going to brag about it. The Oogie VK said nothing as they made their way toward alchemy class where they saw several students working with ingredients and potions that could become incredible spells to be used on anyone.
"Now then. We're pairing up two partners for this lesson, Ella. It appears we have some students who could help you out with the class assignment after all."
He spoke out to one of the students as the gang looked over to see a girl walking over with blue hair which looked similar to Chloe's hair. It took only a few seconds for the princess to process that Ella was her mother, who wasn't wearing beautiful clothing but sewn up with thread and needle. It was much to take in since her mother didn't talk about her upbringing since she was treated harshly by her stepmother.
"I'd like to work with you if that will be alright."
Chloe offered to work with Ella and the girl shrugged lightly as she took the princess to her table while Red would pair up with Bridget. Trickster hugged Gamma as he wanted to work with him which left Carmine to work with Merlin since the feline could tell his girlfriend needed space from him for hiding the truth about traveling from Wonderland to Auradon.
"Why didn't you tell me about him? This could have helped us prevent all of this."
Gamma questioned Trick about meeting Carmine in the woods long ago and how he was from Wonderland. If he had been informed then the kingdom would have been ready for the coup. Instead of hearing an explanation from the Oogie, he only saw Trick messing with the ingredients lined up and attempting to make a potion.
"Can't talk right now. Working on a potion that'll help my boy out with his relationship. All I need is something heart-related, think I can sneak into science class and borrow one?"
Responding to the cyborg Gamma groaned at his idiocy of not taking the situation seriously. Back at the other tables was Ella grabbing a griffin claw and plant pod to help make a potion that could make an invisible shield around them to be protected from getting sick. Chloe wasn't able to participate as it felt unreal being with her mother around her age.
"Think you can help out with the project? Merlin isn't all sweetness when we're not working on our assignments."
Ella asked Chloe if she'd help her out and the girl nodded in participating in the assignment and needing to go along with it so she didn't draw any attention. Red noticed how it was surprising to see Cinderella act serious while Bridget was bubbly and friendly, it felt like their personalities switched and resulted in an unusual result.
"I hope your friend doesn't mind how Ella is acting. She's been homeschooled and hasn't had the chance to make any friends, except for me since I visit her whenever she's not cleaning for her stepmother."
Bridget informed Red that she noticed her classmate looking over to see if Chloe was doing alright with her assignment. Red's face changed toward hearing Bridget calling Chloe her friend, while she wanted to argue that she wasn't. She noticed a familiar ingredient that wasn't a part of the set that Merlin had given to the rest of the class.
"Flamingo feathers?"
Red called out as flamingos in Wonderland were popular across the land due to how sweet they were while having magical properties. She remembered how her mother had all of them taken from the forest and kept them in her pen. With that being said, there was a dining sound coming from the side as Bridget had a stove where she pulled out a tray of cupcakes that were freshly baked.
"Freshly plucked from Wonderland. There for a secret project that I'm doing which is making more friends, hopefully helping Ella make friends. Would you like one?"
She offered one of the cupcakes to Red which was confusing to imagine her mother sharing something with someone. Accepting the cupcake with one of the feathers on it, Red takes a bite out of the cupcake which feels incredible along with noticing her nails turning dark pink.
"You got serious baking skills. How do you do it?"
Red asked that she'd never tasted her mother's cooking since she had always been served by the chefs at the castle. Tasting her mother's cooking felt special to being carefully made to taste perfect. Trickster noticed the two bonding together and he decided to help out the moment as he tapped on the cups to start a beat. Just as the VK was making the tapping sound, it started with other students tapping several of their items adding a musical beat to Red and Bridget's conversation.
"It's really not a secret recipe. A little butter, flour, sugar, and a lot of positivity."
Bridget started to sing in an upbeat voice her song was able to keep up with everyone's tapping Red looked over seeing Trickster responsible for starting the musical moment. While she'd feel annoyed at the need for it, she smiled at how kind Bridget's voice sounded compared to her mother's voice in the future which was filled with pride and anger.
"Honestly, it always works for me. That's why I got enough to go around for everyone I see."
Continuing her song as the class bell rang which left Bridget to rush over to Ella to present the cupcakes she'd made in class. Ella smiled at how excitable Bridget was whenever she made something that could be shared with anyone. The others got together and saw Bridget walking out of class with her Ella as they watched their classmates eating the pink cupcakes.
"Sometimes, I make mistakes. And sometimes, I burn the cake. But I still believe that all will be okay."
Insisting that even if Bridget had doubts about her cooking and people not enjoying it, there would be several that would find them wonderful. Such as right now with her classmates having one article of their clothing changed to different shades of pink. They thanked her for the color change to that of the cupcake as Bridget felt excited at the possibility of making new friends at the academy.
"Cause the sun shines a little more brightly! When you take things a little more lightly! It's all gonna turn out nicely with just a taste of your heart. It's likely you'll fall into something spicy. Just mix it up, you'll keep finding that life is sweeter when you are."
She and Ella sang about how no matter how the person would find themselves in a predicament. It would eventually turn out for the best and change into something beautiful. Bridget walked over to hand Chloe and Gamma a cupcake which gave them a bit of pink on their clothing, Trickster was happy to receive one until the pink-haired girl noticed one of her classmates having trouble with her studies."
"I'm just here for a spell. Even though it never really works out well for me. One wave of my wand and it's whoopsie."
Fae sang about her trouble with mastering her wand which Trickster wanted to announce that she was the reason why he and every VK ended up like the way they were in the future. Gamma glared at him and about giving him twenty bucks if he bragged anything about future-related things as the Oogie remained quiet. Suddenly without hearing, there was a whooshing sound in the air as a couple flying in the air while riding on a carpet.
"Jasmine and Aladdin? Call us Jaladdin, he's like a magnet. She's so attractive, it's all fantastic. Cause we're flying high together on a magic carpet ride."
They answered Chloe's question about who they were as Bridget was able to toss up two cupcakes for them before seeing them landing in the courtyard to enjoy the snack they were given. Seeing how there wasn't anyone without one of Bridget's cupcakes, he gets rejected again as the girl's attention goes over to someone riding a skateboard and drawing them toward him Trick is confused at who is ruining his snack time.
"Charming? That's just a name people know me by Crowned Prince isn't the way I ride. If you wanna roll together, it could be a vibe."
The prince answered Trick's question about who he was and flirted with the girls except for Chloe as she saw her future father taking one of Bridget's cupcakes that turned his skateboard pink. She also noticed Red looking at Charming with a fascinating look of how attractive he'd appear and skilled with his skateboarding skills.
"Red, that's my dad."
Chole informed her which made the princess of Wonderland shutter at the thought and look over at Carmine to remind herself she was already dating. It ended quickly since she was still mad at him for lying about his hidden powers. With that being handled, Trick decided to liven things up with one of the potions he made in Alchemy class that exploded into the air making the surroundings appear pink. This left the entire courtroom to thank Bridget for her generosity in giving them cupcakes.
"Cause the sun shines a little more brightly! When you take things a little more lightly! It's all gonna turn out nicely with just a taste of your heart. It's likely you'll fall into something spicy. Just mix it up, you'll keep finding that life is sweeter when you are."
The students sang as Gamma seemed to be the only one not dancing but only bobbing his head that there wasn't a reason to act serious. With the dance finished, Red and Chloe went to talk with Bridget about how devoted she was to making friends and helping out Ella. The boys watched from the side as Carmine was scratching his ear on something that was bothering him.
"It doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone want to mess with her? She's great!"
He proclaimed that there wasn't anyone around who would want to prank her due to her kind heart and priming personality. While the dance was handled and Bridget had enough cupcakes left, Trick decided to try and get one for himself before feeling a sudden chill down his spine and his heart clenching. He collapsed on the ground which drew the attention of the girls who rushed over to see what had happened.
"Is he alright?"
Ella asked as she noticed how the expression Trick was showing was the same that she'd get whenever she'd make her stepmother angry. Hearing his breathing going fast an expression of confusion appeared on his face. The Oogie VK stood up and shrugged himself off as he had forgotten what it felt like to be afraid of the one person who made him the man he is in the future.
"I think found the maggot responsible for it."
Responding to Carmine's notion of who would be the candidate for Bridget's downfall to become the Red Queen they knew in the future. Noticing the pink background disappearing, students were screaming at the sight of pirates coming in the courtyard showing them an array of bugs to frighten them. They were being led by two boys who appeared familiar to Trickster and the others back home. It was a teen James Hook and Jafar with their known items such as a hook and cobra staff.
"Look for a hand, find a golden hook. Captain of the seas, I got 'em all shook. Future Vizier of Agrabah. Jafar's the name, better run and hide."
The two introduced themselves to the girls trying to sway them with their wicked charm as it made them step away since they weren't interested in the pair. Gamma looked at Trickster seeing how they weren't the ones that made him afraid, it was the others in the back of the pirates as they made way for three familiar faces that made the cyborg cautious of them being the reason for being scared. It was Maleficent and the Evil Queen who despite not being powerful were just as wicked and devious in the future. There was another boy amongst the girls as it was a young Oogie Boogie who was responsible for the bugs and laughing at the trouble being caused.
"Maleficent's here from the fiery depths. Beauty incarnates, I'm Grimhilde. With Oogie Boogie here to steal the scene, I think we need one more queen to make everyone scream. Here she comes, Uliana!"
The trio sang as they moved away to allow their leader to make her presence known as they saw a dark-skinned woman with the same attire as Uma did in the future. Red and Chloe were confused at the girl being a family relative of their future headmistress while the fear of seeing his father went away as Trickster knew who the VK leader was.
"I'm not your everyday villain. I'm taking souls for a living, got a torturous mind, full of evil designs. I could grind up your bones in a minute. Down in the darkest depths of the sea, the scariest things are scared of me. Say, 'Uliana', and I'll watch them flee."
She introduced herself and was the dangerous member of the gang which was surprising since she had Maleficent and Oogie with her. The two didn't expect to see two of Auradon's infamous villains working under her as Trick had a smile on his face as he nudged him about how she was Uma's aunt.
"Looks like someone is going to have a better relationship with their girlfriend in the future."
He teased his friend before Gamma snapped his finger at him talking about the future as the VK had no choice but to give him the twenty. Seeing how the moment was feeling uncomfortable, Carmine took one of Trick's potions and threw it in the air before it exploded into a colorful sight which made everyone continue their singing and dancing.
"The sun shines a little more brightly! The dark is a little enticing! It's all gonna turn out nicely with just a taste of your heart. It's likely we'll make it all much more frightening! Just mix it up, you'll keep finding that life is sweeter when you are. Seeing things brightly when you take things a little more lightly. Just mix it up, you'll keep finding that life is sweeter when you are!"
Both groups sang and finished their song before they confronted each other Bridget was looking at Uliana as the octopus girl stared at the girl with a questionable expression of why she was acting nice toward her. Deciding to be nice to the obvious villain who was taking a moment to look at her clothing and the smile Bridget was expressing. Uliana took a cupcake from the tray it left Bridget to think she was going to be friends with her.
"You know, one cupcake isn't going help satisfy me after that entrance of mine. I think it's right if I take all of them."
Uliana responded as one of her tentacles slithered from her back and grabbed the tray from Bridget she soon removed the feathers from the treats before dropping them on the ground. Trickster gasped at the sight before seeing Oogie's bugs eating the remains while Uliana kept the flamingo feathers to herself.
"Just because you can flaunt those tentacles around doesn't mean you can use them."
Ella stood up for her friend and was ready to defend Bridget from being bullied which left her to fake gasp at how she was standing up toward her. It left Uliana to have her tentacles float above her in a frightening manner which made Ella take a step back due to how they could squeeze her in a second.
"Of course, you would, the peasant girl and maid as best friends. However, I think you need a change of clothing that truly shows your status around here."
The VK continued to bully her where she ripped an article of her clothing which left her gang to laugh at Ella's torn shirt as Chloe walked toward one of the students watching and grappled a tourney stick. Spinning it around in a defensive manner and aiming it at Uliana for ruining her mom's clothing, the tense moment is interrupted by Oogie who comes between the girls with a smile before directing his attention to Chloe.
"As much as I would love to see a girl fight. We can resolve this over a game or two, something to make it exciting."
The boy asked with delight making it more dramatic as he showed her his snake tongue which took Chloe by surprise and made the other VKs laugh at Oogie's frightening move except for Trickster. Who walked over and grabbed the serpent making Oogie gag at how he couldn't bring his snake back which was making him look weak in front of the others.
"You can take that idea and this fake tongue of yours and shove it in a whale's backside. There's going be one foul-mouth monster in this school, and it's going be me."
He pointed out before ripping the snake out of Oogie's mouth which wasn't attached to anything as it slithered passed several students which left Trick disgusted at how he did it. It left the Boogie boy to growl at him which he returned to his future father as they were ready to start fighting each other, only for Hook and Gamma to pull them back from one another so they didn't get seen by the teachers.
"Relax. I only wanted the feathers, they're a rare delicacy around these parts."
Uliana stopped the two boys from fighting which left Bridget to stop her since it was dangerous to eat that amount of feathers. Devouring them all in one gulp, Red and Carmine shuttered at how creepy it was but noticed that Bridget looked scared for the girl since she tried to prevent Uliana from doing it.
"You really shouldn't have done."
She's advised her about it being a bad move Uliana shrugged it off as not caring and decided to look at her mirror to see her eyelashes changing dark pink which made her smirk at the new look. Her prideful moment ended with her making a honking sound which took Uliana by surprise along made the others notice the unusual sound.
"Seems like someone has bitten off more than they can chew."
Maleficent made a snarky remark toward Uliana but couldn't respond as she continued to make the flamingo sound and started to make pink feathers appear off her body. Glaring at her crew to help her out, Hook walked over to remove her jacket as her arms started to make feathers to the point she started to change completely where her face had become a flamingo.
"Is that a thing? I mean no one has ever eaten flamingo feathers before."
Carmine whispered to Red if this was used on people who had different ideas toward her mother and she shook her head since she never had any feathers back home. Uliana felt the change stopping and looked at Bridget who was responsible for the transformation, Ella grabbed her by the hand and ran out of the courtyard with Uliana chasing after them. Trickster watching the chase happen pulled out his phone to try and attempt to record it.
"This is going on the internet when it gets invented!"
He announced as Red and her friends rushed in to see if he was going to help the two avoid getting harmed by Uliana. The two girls continued to avoid being caught as Bridget attempted to save Ella from suffering the flamingo girl's wrath and rushed over to the water fountain where she saw the VK coming at her.
"I'm sorry!"
Bridget shouted before ducking from Uliana who tripped on a nearby stone resulting in her falling into the fountain. Ella walked over to help her friend get out of the situation Trickster was able to get the footage while seeing Uli's gang coming in to help her out. The water was able to reverse the effects of the feathers and make Uliana normal again, except for how she was now devoted to punishing Bridget for humiliating her.
"I will destroy her!"
Announcing what she'd do if she encountered Bridget again she stumbles out of the fountain and leaves the school with the group following her. Seeing the person responsible for making Bridget into the Queen of Hearts left them to keep an eye on them to that of preventing anything from happening to Red's mother. Deciding to check up on the others, Gamma took Trick's phone to delete the video so it wouldn't affect the timeline or cause any problems. Grumbling at what his friend had done, he was angry that his father was here and working with the villains as it could be him who made Red's mother evil. Much like the others, he'd have to be cautious of Oogie Boogie and see what he'd be cooking up for the girls.