Chapter 11: Desert Dilemma

…The Steam Vault…

"How is this possible?" asked a shocked and appalled Apple, "how can The Storybook of Legends be a fake?"

"I don't know," said Avery, "but after everything we've been through, I think we at the very least deserve some answers."

He then walked over to the workshop door, "Get this thing open again!"

"But you guys just got back," said Ian.

"Well, we're leaving again," said Tobias.

"And this time we're going back to Ever After," said Cupid.

"Just what is The Storybook of Legends?" asked Clair.

"Just about every fairytale you can imagine is in it," said Tobias, "I mean the classics."

"Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and so on," said Avery.

"There're nursery rhymes in the book too but that's not important right now," said Cupid.

"Ever generation of fairytale characters have signed their names into the book," said Tobias, "every descendent of the original characters have, literally, signed their futures away to reenact the same stories over and over again."

"All for the irrational delusions of our 'illustrious' Headmaster Grimm," said Raven as she stood up.

"Are you alright?" asked Frankie, "you were kinda having a fit just now."

"I'm okay now," said Raven, "I just needed to get it all out," she then giggled for a second, "oh, guess I still have a few in me."

"I told you, you should have had some of this tea," said Maddie seriously. She then sipped from her cup, "it'll chase those grim giggles away before you know it."

"I'm alright, Maddie," said Raven. She then looked at Frankie and the others from Monster High, "so, basically, Milton Grimm has been lying to the people of our world for generations, manipulating the lineage of the original characters into replaying their roles."

"Why?" asked Lagoona, "why would he do that? Wait, I know, he's one fudged up bloke."

"He almost had me convinced I'd go 'poof!' if I didn't sign the book and become the next Evil Queen," said Raven. "so yes, he's nuts."

"More like a man with a serious case of delusional psychosis," said Ian, while Lance and Jessie nodded in agreement.

"Megalomania," said Lance, "he sees himself as some kind of deity, controlling the destinies of the mere mortals."

"He certainly manipulated my family," said an exasperated Dexter, "so many generations of Charming's as princes who gets the princess and live happily ever after, while I was being set up to be a heroic martyr."

"Long story," said Raven to Frankie, "anyway, we wound up with the book after Grimm had a heart attack."

"We tried to use the book to figure out how to better fight Obsidian," said Avery, "when Raven sensed something was wrong with it."

"Of course there was something wrong with it," said Maddie, "Giles Grimm told me so."

"I wonder how he's doing?" Cupid asked, "Headmaster Grimm's brother. Does he still have that babble curse?"

"We'll find out when we get home," said Raven.

"Long story short," said Avery to Frankie, "after a long set of quests and magic spells, we found out that Grimm put a spell on the book, turning it from a chronicle of the stories to an enchanted item that can enslave people into predetermined destinies." He then frowned, "now that I think about it, that would mean it never was The Storybook of Legends, not the one Grimm wanted it to be that is."

"Then it all was lies," said Apple, "all our destinies and the destinies of our forbearers, they were all lies."

"I kept telling you that you were free to write your own story," said Raven, "that your destiny could be anything you wanted it to be."

"I wanted the destiny prepared for me!" insisted Apple, "I wanted a safe, secure future with a happy ending, and I still do."

"Even if that future is based on lies?" asked Clawdeen.

"And you were looking forward to it?" asked Frankie, "to being betrayed and poisoned by your friend?"

"Oh, please don't start that again," said Apple, "yes, I know, Raven would have had to poison me in order for me to fall into an enchanted sleep."

"Then Daring would come and kiss you awake and you'd both live happily ever after, yes, we know," said Raven, "but don't you see, Apple? None of that matters anymore."

"It does to me!" said Apple irately, "all I've ever wanted was a safe, secure happy ending; no uncertainly, no unforeseen events, no unexpected twists of fate."

"So you would have been satisfied acting out a story that's been retold over and over again?" asked Elissabat, "I don't believe it! I don't believe any of you people would have been satisfied."

"Well, yes, a lot of our forbearers were satisfied," said Dexter, "not everyone, but most."

"I still don't believe it," said Elissabat, "I've been in the acting business for a long, long time. I've seen actors of all sorts in the arts; Monsters and Normies. I've known actors and actresses whom were ready to murder their fellows to play a coveted role, be it on film, television, radio or stage, and believe me; I've been in all four mediums."

"You were on TV and radio?" asked Clawdeen.

"And on stage?" asked Lagoona.

"I wasn't always a Hauntlywood star," said Elissabat, "remember, I spent some time in Londoom and worked with William Spooksphere at The Globe."

"Then you went to America and spent some time on a riverboat around New Gorleans," said Frankie, "we know."

"Well, in between my stints on stage," said Elissabat, "and before I hit it big in the movies, I played a lot of small parts in radio and television during the 30's to late 50's."

"Anything we would know?" asked Jackson, while Ghoulia tried to search online, only to sigh with exasperation when she remembered The Steam Vault wasn't connected to her world's internet.

"Nothing you'd recognize," said Elissabat, "but anyway," she looked at Apple, "you can't honestly expect me to believe that you and your people were happy to replay the same roles again and again."

"Well, it's not like we'd reenact the stories every day for the rest of our lives," said Raven, "all we had to do is retell our respective stories once and then pass them on to the next generation."

"And that's it?" asked Elissabat, "one role and then exit stage left?"

"It doesn't work that way," said Apple, "I was supposed to take over from my mother as the next ruler of our realm after being woken by my 'prince charming.' That is the happy ending of Snow White, of every Snow White," she then sighed and sat down, "and now it's over. No more happy ending for any of us."

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Raven, "you can't be serious! Of course you can have your happy ending! You'll just have to make it yourself!"

"It won't be the happy ending I wanted," said Apple, "I mean, what I used to want, I…I mean, after everything that's happened, I…I don't know what I want anymore."

"And what about him?" asked Cupid as she pointed at Avery, "is he what you want? Because after all the intimate moments you've been having over the past few weeks is any indication to this demigoddess, he's your happy ending, assuming we live to reach that ending that is."

"She's right," said Avery. He then walked over and sat next to Apple, "I don't know what the future holds any more than you do, Apple, but this I know; I'll do everything in my power to defeat Obsidian in order to protect the happiness of all those with goodness in their hearts."

He then placed Apple's hand in his, "and I'll do whatever I have to do to ensure that you have a happy ending, whatever it may be."

"And…if that happy ending is one where you're not in it?" asked Apple, "will you be alright with that?"

"Whatever makes you happy," said Avery, "that's all that matters."

"Well, your happiness matters too, you know," said Apple, "I'd never forgive myself if someone else sacrificed their own happiness for my own."

At that Maddie let out a loud cough that only partly covered her saying 'Hypocrite!'

"Sorry," said Maddie normally, "a bit of a crumpet stuck in my throat."

Just then Ghoulia moaned in triumph as she pressed the ENTER key on her laptop.

"Ah, we've established the wormhole to Ever After," said Preston.

"About time," said Raven as the door opened, only for Briar to knock her down hard as she rushed in.

"APPLE!" shouted Briar joyfully as she violently shoved Avery aside and hugged Apple, "you're okay! Thank goodness!"

"I'm perfectly fine, Briar," said a slightly uncomfortable Apple as Briar hugged her tightly.

"I'm fine too, thank you very much," said Raven as Dexter helped her up.

"Wow, this place is so cool!" said Hunter as he and Ashlynn walked in.

"It's so…so…" said Ashlynn as she struggled to find the right words.

"So steam punk?" suggested Jackson.

"Eh… it's alright," said Madison as she walked in, "wait till you see our setup. Then you'll be impressed."

Old friends were reacquainted and new friendships were formed as our heroes from Ever After and Monster High mingled. It wasn't long before Apple, Avery, Raven, Dexter and Maddie, were with Frankie, Lagoona, Clawdeen, Chad, Clair, Ian, Lance and Jessie at The Base.

"Okay, we're here," said Raven as she and her friends settled back in The Base, "now what's this about The Storybook of Legends being a fake?"

"You mean this thing?" Poppy O'Hair as her twin, Holly, carried the book up to Raven and the others.

"It's a long story, Raven," said Briar as she walked back through the wormhole.

"It's my fault," said Cedar as she sat down with our heroes, "if only I hadn't looked at the book with my Revealer Rays, none of this would know this horrible truth."

"I wouldn't exactly call it horrible," said Cerise, "a pain in the fur, but annoying." She then realized that Clawdeen was uncomfortably close to her, sniffing her with intense interest, "can I help you with something?" asked an annoyed Cerise.

"She's just trying to get to know you, mate," said Lagoona.

"Yeah," said Kitty as she flashed in next to Cerise and Clawdeen, startling them both, "she's just being friendly. I thought you wolves were social creatures."

"We are," said an irate Clawdeen, "and we don't like being startled like that."

"It's how I roll," said Kitty, "if you don't like it, too bad." She then flashed out, her trademarked grin being the last to vanish.

"You'll get used to her," said Cupid as she and Tobias walked in.

"Holy crap! What happened to you?!" exclaimed Lance as he, Chad, Clair, Jessie, Ian, Lagoona and Clawdeen stared at Cupid.

"Oh," said Cupid as she realized she had changed form back to what she appears as in Ever After, "yeah, this happens to me when I cross worlds."

"It's a demigoddess thing," said Tobias.

"Obviously," said a still startled Jessie.

"Can we get back to the important part?" asked Briar, "the book that's caused so much trouble for us all."

"How did you figure out that it's a fake?" asked Avery.

"And what are Revealer Rays?" asked Dexter, "and where's Daring?"

"Topside, patrolling for Worms," said Cerise, "the Worm Mother may be dead, but you can't be too careful."

"As for Revealer Rays," said Briar, "they're Cedar's gift for her in Legacy Hall."

"Legacy Hall?" asked Raven, "I thought that place only appeared during…"

"During Thronecoming," said Briar, "yes, it's that time of year."

"My goodness," said Apple, "have we been fighting Obsidian for so long, we've lost track of time?"

"What's Thronecoming?" asked Frankie.

"Like Homecoming," said Cupid, "big game at school and a big dance afterwards."

"And the time when the current Legacy students receive gifts left by their forbearers," said Cerise, "Blondie received a pair of enchanted running shoes from her mom," she then pulled out an elaborately woven wicker basket, "while my mom left me this little wonder! It has compartments for food and other supplies; there's a tool kit, a first aid kit, a compass, a collapsible tent and just about everything else you need to survive an emergency. Plus, it has a really great security lock."

"Our mom left us these enchanted hairbrushes," said Holly as said hairbrushes went to work on her hair and Poppy's.

"They're great when you don't have a free hand," said Poppy, "but getting them to stop isn't as easy," she then glared at her hairbrush as it still worked on her hair, "okay, that's enough already!"

"I got an enchanted neck pillow," said a slightly annoyed Briar, "for when I was supposed to sleep for a hundred years, not like I'll need it." She then smiled, "oh, you have gifts as well."

"Great-grandpa's watch!" squeed Maddie as Cerise handed her a gold pocket watch, "it always runs two days slow, but it's got other functions."

"Your mom left you this, Apple," said Cedar as she handed Apple a ring made of a slightly glowing silverish metal.

"A mithril ring!" said an impressed Cupid.

"And not just any ring," said a awestruck Apple as she held the ring in her hand, "it's my ancestor's wedding band."

"Of course! That ring!" said Dexter, "the original Prince Charming, after he woke the original Snow White up, he officially proposed to her the next day and they were soon married. But my ancestor didn't have a ring with him at the time."

"So he went to the original Seven Dwarves and asked if they could make one," said Apple, "they crafted this ring and imbued it with Dwarf Runes for protection against future curses and evil intent."

"Oh, yeah, those are runes alright," said a still impressed Cupid as she and the others got a closer look at the ring.

"You should put it on, then," said Raven.

"I agree," said Avery, "if that ring is as powerful a protection item as I think it is, then you should wear it from now on."

Apple looked at the ring with longing, not just for the protection it offered, but because of the connection it bore, a connection with her famed ancestor.

Sighing, Apple put the ring in her pocket, "no, I don't deserve to wear it now. But enough about me, what's Raven's legacy gift?"

"That's…that's something she needs to see for herself," said Briar as Cerise brought out a long, narrow wooden box and handed it to Raven. She opened the box and gasped in surprise and horror.

"Don't keep us in suspense, ghoulfriend!" said Clawdeen, "What is it?"

Slowly, Raven pulled from the box a wand made from purple wood.

At the sight of the wand, Apple let out a gasp of shock as her hand went to her mouth.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Dexter as he hastily cleaned his glasses, then gasped in shock, "it is!"

"It's just a wand," said Frankie, "we've got magic users on our world and they use wands all the time."

"This is no ordinary magic stick for conjuring cantrips, my friend," said Maddie, "that's the wand of The Evil Queen."

"My ancestor's wand," said Raven, "the family wand."

"Your mother must have wanted you to have it," said Tobias.

"Rebecca Queen didn't leave it for Raven," said Lizzie irately as she walked into the room, "it was taken from her by force."

"Oh, right," said Tobias.

"I don't get what the big deal is," said Clawdeen.

"Raven's mother wasn't content being the villain of one story," said Dexter, "she wanted to be the greatest villain of them all. She tried to take over all of Ever After."

"And wrecked Wonderland in the process, the bitch!" snapped Lizzie, "if she were here, it'd be OFF WITH HER HEAD time."

"Take it away," said Raven as she placed the wand back in its box and pushed it away, "I don't want it! Take it away and leave it!"

"Raven, don't be so hasty," said Briar, "this is a magic wand we're talking about."

"We know you've gotten a lot better with your magic," said Cerise, "but if that wand is as powerful as the legends say it is, then your magic will be that much stronger."

"And that much darker!" said Raven irately, "this is the wand my ancestor originally brewed the poison that cursed Apple's ancestor, while my other ancestors used it for other horrible things. But my mother, she was the worst." She then looked down at the wand with revulsion, as if fearing it would taint her, "it's evil, pure and simple."

"I always thought that wands choose their wielders," said Frankie, "at least they do in some of the books I've read."

"It's just a magic item, Raven," said Dexter, "sure, it's been used for evil, but does that make it evil? Does that make you evil?"

"No," said Raven in a much calmer, more confident tone, "it doesn't." she then closed the lid on the box.

"You're not keeping it?" asked Briar.

"I'm not throwing it away," said Raven, "something this powerful shouldn't be tossed out like garbage. But I still don't feel comfortable using it. I'll keep it safe until I decide what to do."

"Well, it's your legacy gift," said Briar.

"But what about Cedar's gift?" asked Apple, "just what are Reveler Rays?"

"These are Reveler Rays," said Cedar as she pulled out a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses and put them on, "with these, I can spot any lie in sight; be it a lie spoken by someone or a falsehood in an object."

"Oh really?" asked Jessie. She then smiled mischievously, "let's play a game of 'Spot the Liar.' I once bungee jumped off a bridge."

"I once ate fifty eggs in an hour without throwing up," said Ian.

"I've got nothing to hide," said Lance.

"He's lying," said Cedar as she pointed at Ian, then at Lance, "and so is he. Jessie's telling the truth"

"You bungee jumped off a bridge?" asked Clair, "are you insane?"

"Depends on the mood I'm in," said Jessie.

"Let me try something," said Chad. He then pulled out two pieces of paper, wrote on them, folded them up and placed them on the table, "both of these have X's on them."

"Only one has an X," said Cedar, "the one on the left."

At that Chad unfolded the papers, revealing that the one on the left was an X, while the other had a Z.

"So how did you found out that The Storybook of Legends isn't real," said Raven.

"We were looking at it with The Eyes of Effervescence," said Cerise, "we hoped that it might have something about how to help you guys."

"Did find anything?" asked Tobias.

"Nothing but random tidbits and nonsense," said Lizzie, "which when translated into Riddlish makes perfect sense. But the real brainteasers were the pictures"

"We saw pictures of people and places we'd never seen before," said Kitty as she handed a small stack of drawings to Avery, Apple and Raven, "we copied them as best we could."

"That's definitely Monster High," said Frankie as she and the others looked at one of the drawings, then at another "and, Oh My Ghoul! That's us!"

"Yeah, that's definitely the Ghoulfriends," said Cupid as she looked at the drawings, "but what about these? Who are these people?"

"And where are these places?" asked Lagoona.

"No idea," said Briar, "anyway…"

"I walked in," said Cedar impatiently, as if bursting to tell, "wearing my Revealer Rays. I took one look at the book and my Rays said that there was something wrong with it. A closer look told me that the book wasn't The Storybook of Legends at all. It never was."

"I knew that!" said Maddie incredulously, "Giles Grimm told me there was something wrong with the book."

"You knew?" asked Apple.

"Well, he didn't say exactly what was wrong with the book," said Maddie, "I just asked him if Raven would go 'poof' or not if she didn't sign."

"Well, I didn't," said Raven, "and won't. None of us will go 'poof!' Milton Grim lied to us!"

"He's been lying for a long time," said Briar. She then held up the fake Storybook of Legends, "this book is nothing more than a chronicle disguised as the real Storybook of Legends."

"Was there ever a Storybook of Legends?" asked Dexter, "maybe Grimm's been faking it all this time."

"Who knows?" asked a slightly depressed Apple.

"I know who does," says Briar, "Milton Grimm, that's who! All this time he's been forcing generations of characters into signing their destinies away with no idea that they were free live as they pleased!"

"My mother and father could have had an open relationship!" exclaimed Cerise, "they could have had a real wedding!"

"So many forced romances," said an outraged Cupid, "so many soul mates forced apart, so many broken hearts, so much denied happiness!"

"So many good people forced into being evil," said Raven. "How could he do it!? How could Grimm be so selfish and…and…and…"

"Heartless?" suggested Frankie.

"Exactly!" said Raven. She then got up and headed for The Base's elevator.

"Where are you going?" Dexter asked as he stood up.

"I'm gonna find where they took Grimm and give that control freak of a headmaster a piece of mind!" said Raven irately, "I don't know what I'll do when I find him but I'll figure out something to make him pay for all the lives he's ruined!"

"Raven! Wait!" said Apple as she got up and caught up with her, "don't be hasty and do something you'll later regret."

"The only thing I'm regretting is not standing up to Grimm sooner!" said Raven.

"That's no reason to resort to violence!" said Apple.

"Maybe, but it'll make me feel better," said Raven, "and I'm surprised you're not angry too, Apple!"

"I am angry!" said Apple, "all this time, my destiny and the destinies of every Snow White after the first, all our destinies, they're all lies! My life has been a lie! My mother's life has been a lie! My mother could have been an architect! Did you know she wanted to study architecture?"

"I could have been a scholar," said Dexter, "and so could so many men in my family! Instead, we were all forced into being Charming princes!"

"So many restless nights," said Duchess, "all those recurring nightmares about drowning."

"I could have been on my way to being a rock star," said Sparrow.

"You are on your way to being a rock star," said a slightly annoyed Duchess.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have had Grimm breathing down my neck about being a thief," said Sparrow. "It's really frustrating to have your dreams constantly poked at by someone trying to make you be something you're not deep down inside."

"Damn right, it is!" said Raven, "aren't you frustrated, Apple?"

"I am!" exclaimed Apple, "I'm so frustrated, I could scream!" She then inhaled deeply and let out a cry of angst so loud that it carried over through the wormhole to The Steam Vault, a cry so loud that everyone who heard it had to cover their ears.

"My…what incredible lung capacity you have," said an impressed Cerise after Apple finished her scream.

"Feeling better?" asked Raven.

At that Apple sighed with disappointment, "no, not really." She then sat down and sighed again, "I honestly don't know what to think anymore.

"Well, I know what I'm thinking," said Raven, "I'm thinking about getting the truth from Grimm for once, one way or another."

"I'm with you, Raven," said Briar irately, "that fat fink thinks he can get away with manipulating entire generations into doing what he wanted, he's got another thing coming!"

"Darn right!" said Hunter as he stood up and cracked his knuckles, while Ashlynn nodded with determined agreement.

"Now, hold on," said Apple as she stood up again, "let's not resort to violence without due cause. Yes, Headmaster Grimm has lied to all of us; he's lied to a lot of people and is guilty of who knows what other crimes."

"Then let's go punish him before he commits another crime!" said Hunter, to which Briar, Cerise and a lot more shouted in agreement.

"NO!" exclaimed Apple, "you misunderstood! We can't act as judge, jury and executioner!"

"She's right," said Avery, "we should, at least, give the man a chance to explain himself before we condemn him."

"That's my job," said Lizzie as she sharpens a new scythe, "and I say OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" She then blushed slightly, "sorry, I meant to say, 'let him explain himself, then OFF WITH HIS HEAD!'"

"No, no head chopping," said Raven, "I just want to know the truth."

Just then Robecca stuck her head through the wormhole, "Frankie! You ghouls had better get back here right now!"

"Looks like the truth is going to have to wait," said Frankie as she and the others from Monster High ran back through the wormhole. They were joined by Apple, Avery, Raven, Dexter and Briar, whom stood with them next to Robecca, Jackson and Ghoulia.

"We've decrypted another message from our friends," said Jackson.

"This time it's from Jinafire and Skelita," said Robecca, "they're holding up in the desert near the border with Hexico."

"Any sign of Kaijin?" asked Clair.

"No," said Jackson, "but the message was posted several hours ago, so there's no telling what happened since."

"Then we'd better find them before something does happen," said Clawdeen, at which Frankie and Lagoona nodded in agreement.

At that Ghoulia moaned something as she typed into her laptop.

"'We're going to have to close the wormhole in order to reopen it near Jinafire and Skelita,'" Jackson translated.

"Looks like you've got to go back home, Briar," said Apple.

"Are you kidding?" asked Briar incredulously, "I'm staying to help you guys! I'm a Rider now and I'm itching to take out some Kaijin."

"You won't be so eager to fight these Kaijin after you see them," said Dexter, "Fangire and Orphnochs aren't like Worms."

"All the more reason for me to help," said Briar.

"Can we help too?" asked Ashlynn as she and Hunter stepped through the wormhole, "I've got these new hiking boots I've been meaning to try out."

"And I'm ready to get back into fighting the good fight," said Hunter.

"Would you mind if I sat this next fight out?" asked Cupid, "I've got to get a few things from Ever After," she indicated the arrows she was fletching, "these are good arrows, but I need materials from Ever After; they're more effective against Kaijin that way, they just are."

"Two can help gather materials for arrows faster than one," said Tobias.

"I wouldn't mind visiting Ever After," said Jessie, "who knows, I might find something that'll help us be better Riders."

"And I'd like to get acquainted with Ever After's fauna," said Venus.

"Well, if anyone else wishes to cross dimensions, do it now," said Frankie, "the sooner we can get to Jinafire and Skelita, the better; I don't like that they haven't sent any updates."

It was quickly decided that Briar, Ashlynn and Hunter would stay on the Steam Vault's side of the wormhole, while Ian, Jessie and Lance, as well as Tobias, Cupid and Venus, would go cross over to The Base in Ever After.

Just as Jackson was about to close the door and reset the wormhole, everyone heard a familiar voice shouting.

"Wait! Don't close it yet!"

Blondie rushed through the wormhole, her mirror tablet in a carrying case, as well as a bag full of magical flash drives and a recharger cable.

"No way am I missing out on documenting this side of the fight," said Blondie, she then looked back through the wormhole, "toss me my bags, would you?"

Several suitcases and overnight bags were then thrown through the wormhole.

"Thank you!" said Blondie as she closed the door behind her.

"Moving in, are we?" asked a slightly suspicious Lagoona.

"Of course," said Blondie, "not only do I have to go with you guys on every mission from now on and document it, I've got to interview you all in order to get caught up."

"I don't mind being interviewed," said Frankie, "but I don't feel comfortable taking you out to fight Kaijin."

"You could end up impaled by an Orphnoch or sucked dry by a Fangire," said Apple, "I'd never forgive myself, Blondie, if something were to happen to you."

"Oh, please, Apple," said Blondie, "you know that I can take care of myself. If I can survive the Three Bears and hordes of Worms, all the while getting some incredible footage of Kaijin battles, not to mention several breathtaking slow motion shots of exploding Worms. I just wouldn't feel satisfied if I didn't get some shots of destroyed Orphnochs and Fangire, it just wouldn't be right."

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to have someone document our exploits," said Elissabat, "call me a selfish starlet if you wish, but I feel much more comfortable if I'm on camera."

"And there isn't a lock Blondie can't pick," said Ashlynn.

"There won't be any locks where we're going," said Chad.

"True," said Blondie, "but you never know what you might find."

"Oh, just let her come already!" said an eager Briar, bouncing on her heals in anticipation of the coming adventure.

"Alright, you can come," said a reluctant Apple.

"YES!" squealed Blondie as she jumped for joy and hugged Apple.

"But you're not to take any unnecessary chances," said Apple in an admonishing manner, "you're to do exactly as I say without question. If I say run for it, you run, even if you're filming a fight."

"Let's just hope you don't have to fight," said Robecca as Ghoulia programed the wormhole. It was decided that Chad, Clair, Elissabat, Frankie, Briar, Apple and Blondie would go through the wormhole to rescue Jinafire and Skelita.

"We'll go on the next mission," said a slightly uncomfortable Ashlynn as she looked around The Steam Vault, "I've got plenty of work to do right here."

"What kind of work?" asked Hunter.

"Cleaning, silly!" said Ashlynn, "this place is filthy!"

"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Robecca, "my father's workshop isn't filthy!"

"Not after the cleaning we gave it," said Lagoona, while Clawdeen nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah?" asked Ashlynn as she walked over to one of the tables and ran her finger on it, "there's at least a hundred years' worth of filth you missed."

"Don't argue with her," said Hunter, "she's descended from Cinderella. Trust me, she knows how to clean."

"Uh, yeah," said Frankie as the door opened and revealed a mountainous desert landscape on the other side. With that she, Elissabat, Clair, Chad, Briar, Blondie and Apple walked through the wormhole.

"Good luck and be safe!" said Clawdeen.

"And if you need us, we're available!" said Lagoona, only to have a bottle of cleaning fluid, a scrub brush and a pair of rubber gloves shoved into her hands by Ashlynn.

"Please, call us for anything!" pleaded Clawdeen as Ashlynn shoved a vacuum cleaner into her hands, just as the door swung shut, leaving Chad, Clair, Elissabat, Frankie, Briar, Apple and Blondie on the other side.

"Uh…if you're a vampire," said a worried Briar to Elissabat.

"Why am I not on fire?" asked Elissabat as she waved her arms around and turned in place in the sunlight, "as the Queen of the Vampires and bearer of The Vampire's Heart," said item around her neck glowing brightly, "I'm awarded certain powers and abilities."

"She's immune to sunlight," said Frankie as she pulled out her burner phone and checked for messages, exclaiming in surprise as she found one from Skelita and Jinafire, "They're in trouble! They're trapped in a cave and there's Orphnoch outside!"

"We know they're in trouble," said Chad, "any chance they said anything about where to find them?"

"Especially in all of this?" asked Clair as she indicated the mountainous desert around them.

"It's not that bad," said Blondie as she filmed the landscape with her mirror tablet, "this'll be a perfect opening shot for my documentary."

"Well, while you're filming," said Frankie as she read more of the message, "want to find a cave that looks like Bronson Canyon?"

"Bronson Canyon?" asked Chad, "but that's in California, and we're in…" he then looked around in confusion, "where are we, anyway?"

"Somewhere in New Hexico," said Clair as she checked her phone's GPS.

"What does Bronson Canyon look like?" asked Briar.

"If you're a fan of classic B movies and old TV," said Chad, "you'd know what Bronson Canyon looks like."

"There!" shouted Blondie as she used her tablet to zoom in on a cave in the distance, "is that what it looks like?!"

"Huh, that does kinda look like Bronson canyon," said Chad as he and the others looked at the enhanced image.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" exclaimed Briar, "let's go save them!" with that she rushed towards the cave.

"Wait!" shouted Clair as she and the others followed. The caught up with Briar just outside the cave.

"Jinafire! Skelita!" shouted Briar, "where are you?!"

As if in answer, several spherical objects fell among our heroes and exploded, releasing profuse clouds of tear gas that left them coughing and unable to see.

Before Frankie and the others could react, several gray-clad humans wearing gas masks rushed in and restrained them with handcuffs.

"Well, well, well," said Shadow Acolyte Fabian as he walked up to our heroes once the wind blew away the tear gas, "a bunch of stupid teenagers wandering in the desert and get into trouble. I've seen SyFy movies with better plot lines."

"Don't you knock on The SciFi Channel!" snapped Chad, "it was great before they changed it!"

"Oh yeah?" asked Fabian after he took off his gas mask, "and what was so great about it? A bunch of reruns and bad movies?"

"Classics!" snapped Chad, "the original Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Dark Shadows, The Outer Limits, not to mention the Irwin Allen quadrilogy; Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants."

"Hey, some of SyFy's original shows are great," said Clair, "the new Battlestar Galactica, Haven, Continuum, Z-Nation…"

"Yeah, yeah, their shows are ok," said Fabian, "but can you justify four Sharknado movies?"

"Okay, you've got me there," said Clair.

"Never mind that crud!" shouted Frankie as her neck bolts sparked furiously, "where's Jinafire and Skelita?"

"The young dragon lady and bone girl?" asked Fabian as he smiled insidiously, "ask them yourself."

Two Orphnochs then brought over Skelita and Jinafire, the two ghouls's expressions blank as they didn't resist, nor did they react to the sight of Frankie and the others.

"What did you do to them?!" demanded Frankie.

"Exposed them to the enthralling vapors, of course," said Fabian as he pulled out one of the enthralling masks and a container of the gas. "And now, it's your turn, Frankie Stein. Bring her!"

"NO!" shouted both Chad and Clair as two more Orphnochs grabbed Frankie and dragged her over to Fabian and forced her to stand up.

"You leave her alone, you jerk!" snapped Blondie.

"You're one of those freaks from Ever After," said Fabian, "a shame that the vapors aren't meant to be used on humans." He then looked at Apple, "on the other hand, how fortunate am I to have had Apple White fall into my hands? Imagine the look on Irvin's face when I deliver you to his hands? What a surprise it'll all be!"

"He doesn't know about this?" asked Apple.

"He doesn't even know I'm here," said Fabian, "I followed a hunch and wound up catching these two freaks," he pointed at Skelita and Jinafire, "and imagine my surprise when I found out that the whole lot of you freaks have your own private communications network?" he then held up two burner phones, "and imagine my surprise when you fell for my little ruse?"

"You lured us here," said Chad, "so now what? You've told Irvin how to find our friends?"

"Haven't told him yet," said Fabian, "All part of the big surprise I'm planning for him."

"So he really doesn't know what's going on here?" asked Frankie as she smiled mischievously. Chad and the others then saw Frankie undo the stitches on her left hand, allowing the appendage to fall to the ground and skitter undetected over to Chad.

"It'll be a complete surprise," said Fabian, "and my ticket to a promotion; perhaps I'll be elevated to Master, or even Grandmaster."

"You have ranks?" asked Chad as he felt Frankie's hand behind him. He then heard a slight metal sound, guessing that the hand was somehow picking the lock on his cuffs.

"Oh, absolutely," said Fabian, "We Shadow Acolytes take rank and title very seriously. Newcomers to our conclave begin as Novices, while our overall leader, Exalted Zotarius, he's well over a thousand years old."

"How old are you?" asked Frankie as she continued to stall for time, while her hand finished Chad's cuffs and was now skittering over to Briar.

"I'll be 126 next week," said Fabian, "and I was recently promoted to Adept."

"Really?" asked an impressed Frankie, "126? What's your secret?"

"Magic, of course," said Fabian, "that and a really great healthcare program."

"Hey! What's that?!" shouted one of the Orphnochs.

"What's what?" asked Fabian as he looked to where the Orphnoch was pointing, right at Frankie's hand as it scurried away from Briar towards Clair.

"Oh, trying to pull a fast one on me, are you?!" demanded Fabian as he glared at Frankie, "little miss 'I can detach my body parts' thinks she can outwit a Shadow Acolyte Adept?" he then slapped Frankie across the face so hard, she was knocked back several paces.

"You bastard!" shouted Briar as she stood up, her handcuffs falling from her wrists, while at the same time TheBee Zecter appeared out of a small portal over her head.

"You'll pay for hurting her!" said Briar as her Henshin Brace appeared on her wrist, while she caught TheBee Zecter in her other hand. "Henshin!" she said as she slid and snapped TheBee Zecter into place on her wrist.

HENSHIN

Energy hexagons flowed from the Zecter, materializing over Briar as the Masked from of TheBee. But whereas Clare's form of TheBee was yellow and black, Briar's form had shades of pink.

"Oh for crying out loud," said Fabian, "Get her!"

At that the Orphnochs assumed their true forms and rushed at TheBee, whom reacted by grabbing the closest Orphnoch and threw it over her shoulder, then kicked another in the torso hard enough to knock it back.

"Hey, save some for me!" said Chad as he threw away his handcuffs, put on his Faiz Gear, pulled out his Faiz Phone and began dialing.

5 5 5

STANDING BY

"Henshin!" shouted Chad as he lifted the phone up, then brought it down and clicked it into place on his belt.

COMPLETE

Energy lines flowed up and down from the belt, materializing at Faiz with a flash of light. He then rushed at and fought one of the Orphnochs.

"This is just great!" said an irate Clair as she struggled to break free of her handcuffs, "they're doing all the fighting and we're still tied up!"

"We're not tied up, we're handcuffed," said Blondie, "which makes recording the battle virtually impossible. My exposé isn't off to a good start."

"You're worried about that?" asked an incredulous Elissabat, "we're handcuffed and in dire straits, and all you care about is your journalistic career? I've known paparazzi with more sense of priorities than you."

"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" said Apple, "but you do have a point. Blondie, would you mind getting us out of these unseemly cuffs?"

"Huh? Oh!" said Blondie, "right, just a second." She then furrowed her brown in concentration as she slipped her handcuffs off.

"How'd you do that?!" an astonished Clair asked.

"She's the daughter of Goldie Locks, of course," said Apple.

"There's no lock I can't pick," said Blondie with a confident smile.

"Is that so?" asked Fabian as he stood in front of Blondie, "well, then, I'll just have to snuff out your bloodline once and for all!" he then began chanting in a language that reverberated with dark magic.

A circle of dark purple energy formed on the ground, from which rose a mass of solidified shadow that pulsated with a dark purple energy. The mass then expanded into the shape of a tiger with a tail full of spikes and a mouth filled with rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"Is…is that a…a Manticore?" asked a visibly shaken Blondie, "I don't really like Manticores."

"Oh really?" asked Fabian, "I wonder what other fantastic beasts you're not fond of, wait…" he then frowned in thought, then smiled with sinister glee, "I just had a nutty idea that's just right."

With a wave of his hand while chanting a short spell, the Shadow Manticore disintegrated into a cloud of darkness. Another spell from Fabian and the cloud reformed into an enormous bear covered in thick, black fur. Here and there on its hide were scabbed lesions in various sickly colors.

"What…what is that thing?!" asked an appalled Apple.

"A Yao Gai," said Fabian as the Shadow Beast growled menacingly and stalked towards Blondie, whom looked absolutely terrified, "A mutated species of Black Bear from a world devastated by nuclear war. I know, a prime specimen, right?"

The Shadow Yao Gai then let out a deafening roar and charged at Blondie, whom ran as hard as she could away from the creature as it chased after her.

"You sick mother fracker!" shouted Clair.

"Exploiting an obviously repressed pathological fear?" asked Elissabat, "have you no sense of decency?"

"Since when has decency ever gotten anyone anything?" asked Fabian. He then glared at Elissabat, "now," he then pulled out a cartridge of enthralling gas and a matching mask, "as for you, your highness, imagine how surprised Irvin will be when I deliver the deposed Queen of the Vampires to him?"

"What do you mean deposed?" asked Frankie as an Orphnoch dragged her over. Part of the stiches on her left leg had come undone and her leg was hanging limply.

"Frankie!" shouted Apple, Clair and Elissabat.

"Don't you hurt her!" shouted Clair

"Or what, you'll spit on me?" asked Fabian as he walked over to Frankie while loading the gas cartridge into the mask, "just you wait, your pain will come, and once you're enthralled, Frankie Stein, I'll make you do something really nasty and unforgivable, I just don't know what yet."

Before Frankie could resist, Fabian forced the mask on her. The gas was released into the mask with a loud CLICK. Frankie tried to hold her breath, but a twist of her arm from the restraining Orphnoch forced her to inhale the fumes.

"Welcome to the collective, Frankie Stein" said Fabian as he pulled the mask off and stepped back, "how do you feel?"

Instead of a look of blank compliance on her face, Frankie glared up at Fabian as her neck bolts sparked with outright fury, "how do you think I feel, you jerk!?"

With an earsplitting crackle of electricity, Frankie zapped the Orphnoch restraining her until it caught fire. Thrashing about as its body was consumed by blue flames, the creature was helpless as it crumbled to dust.

"What…how? HOW!?" demanded Fabian as he backed away from Frankie in horror.

"How come you're not a mind slave, Frankie?" asked Clair.

"I don't know," said Frankie as she used her left hand to stitch her leg back on and stood up, "I really don't know, I guess I'm immune."

"Well then," said an outraged Fabian as he charged up a sphere of dark magic, "I guess that makes you a freak among freaks! Now disappear!"

Just as he was about to throw the dark sphere at Frankie, something scurried up to and jumped onto Fabian's face, something that turned out to be Frankie's right hand.

"AAAAHHHH!" screamed Frabian as Frankie's hand skittered across his head, "GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF!"

Fabian finally managed to grab Frankie's hand by the wrist, only for the hand to lunge at his face and poke him in the eye. With a roar of disgust, Fabian threw Frankie's hand at her.

"You! How dare you touch me with your filthy freakiness!?" exclaimed Fabian.

"Hey, I keep my hands as clean as anyone," said Frankie as her hand attached itself to her arm and she began stitching it in place.

"Forget this," said Fabian, "you're all going to die anyway!" he then glared at the Orphnochs that were still fighting Faiz and TheBee, "kill them all!" He then summoned a shimmering gray door.

"Where do you think you're going?!" demanded Clair.

"Back home to take a couple of showers!" said Fabian, "I need to scrub myself raw to get the filth off!" with that he dashed through the door, which vanished after him.

"Jerk!" said Frankie as she finished stitching her hand back on, then hurried over and began picking the locks on Clair's handcuffs, "sorry it took so long, my hand needed a running start."

"What about Blondie?" asked Apple as she looked around. She saw Blondie, still running around the area, still being chased by the Shadow Yao Gai.

"That's interesting," said Elissabat as Frankie finished freeing Clair and began working on her cuffs, "the Shadow Beasts remain even if the summoner isn't present."

"Then let's take care of it, partner," said Clair boldly as Frankie freed Elissabat.

"NO! I've got it!" shouted TheBee as she fought off four Orphnochs, while Faiz only fought one. "I just need to take care of these jerks!" She then flipped the wings back on her Zecter.

"Oh, be careful Briar!" called Apple as energy crackled across the separating segments of TheBee's armor, "you could get hurt if you…"

"Cast Off!" shouted TheBee as she turned the Zecter around on her brace.

CAST OFF

TheBee's armor segments blasted away, revealing the more streamline, adult wasp form beneath, while the armor segments hit two of the Orphnochs with enough force to knock them down.

CHANGE: WASP

"Alright, you did that," said Apple as Frankie released her from her handcuffs. She stood up, rubbing her wrists, "but take it easy and don't…"

"Clock Up!" shouted TheBee as she pressed the button on her belt.

CLOCK UP

Reality blurred and brightened as a rising and falling resonance could be heard. TheBee ran among the time-slowed Orphnochs and delivered to each a devastating combination of punches and kicks.

CLOCK OVER

Time resumed its normal flow as five Orphnochs burst into blue flames and crumbled to dust.

TheBee, seeing that Blondie was still running for her life from the Shadow Yao Gai, rushed towards the nightmarish creature.

"Okay, help her, Briar," said Apple, "just don't…"

"Rider Sting!" said TheBee as she pressed the button on her Zecter.

RIDER STING

Energy crackled across THeBee's arm as she closed in on the creature, passing a hysterically screaming Blondie. TheBee then ducked down as the Shadow Yao Gai, seeing a closer target, charged towards her for the kill. Just as the horrific creature was about to strike, TheBee struck first, delivering a devastating, tachyon-powered uppercut, causing the creature to explode.

Apple and the others then saw Faiz take out the Faiz Shot, the camera-like knuckleduster. He then loaded the memory-card device into the Faiz Shot.

READY

Faiz then pressed the ENTER button on the phone.

EXCEED CHARGE

A pulse of energy flowed from the phone up Faiz's arm and into the knuckleduster as he rushed at the remaining Orphnoch.

"Grand Impact!" shouted Faiz as he delivered a devastating haymaker to the creature, knocking it off its feet and onto the ground. A red circle with a diagonal line through it appeared as the creature bust into blue flames and crumbled into dust.

"Blondie!" shouted Apple as she, Clair and Elissabat grabbed the still hysterical daughter of Goldielocks, "Blondie, it's okay, it's over."

"That thing is gone," said Clair, "seriously, it is."

Slowly but surely, Blondie's frantic actions ceased, her breathing calmed as her pulse began slowing.

"It's okay, Blondie," said a reassuringly Apple, "you're safe now."

"I…I'm sorry, everyone," said Blondie as she lowered her head in shame, "I was supposed to help and I totally choked."

"You didn't choke," said Chad after he and Briar powered down, "you just…"

"Ran like a screaming chicken?" asked Briar, "hey, you were scared of that thing. Heck, if I wasn't powered up, I would have ran for my…" she then grimaced in pain, doubled over and fell to the ground.

"BRIAR!" shouted Blondie as she rushed over and helped Briar sit up.

"I hurt," groaned Briar, "I hurt all over! And I'm so dizzy, I'm gonna be sick!"

"Joint pain, loss of balance and nausea," said Apple.

"And I itch all over too!" exclaimed Briar as she began furiously scratching her arms and legs, "like there's bugs crawling under my skin!"

"All symptoms of decompression sickness," said Apple, "you'll be alright soon, Briar, but you really need to be careful when you use your powers on this world."

"Hey, I did alright in my first real battle as a Rider," said Briar.

"Yeah, but we still need to figure out how to stop you, Avery and the others from getting sick," said Apple.

"And what about us?" asked Clair, "what happens if Chad and I need to fight as Kiva and Faiz on your world? Will we get sick?"

"That's a…good question," said an uncomfortable Chad, dreading the thought of him suffering symptoms of The Bends after a fight.

"I think we have more pressing matters," said Elissabat as she looked at Jinafire and Skelita, whom had been sitting on the sidelines in near-catatonic states.

"My ghoul," said Frankie as she sat in front of Skelita and Jinafire, waving her hand in front of their placid, unresponsive faces, "they're really messed up. What do we do? What can we do?"

Yet Apple and the others were without answers.

…Monster High…

"And that's everything, Mr. Weis," said a showered and raw-skinned Fabian as he stood in Bloodgood's office, while Irvin sat behind the headmistress's desk.

"Let me get this straight," said Irvin, "just to be sure I didn't miss anything; you left without informing me or any of the others, while taking six valuable Kaijin, with the full knowledge that we're somewhat shorthanded in that department; almost forty renegade Orphnochs and Fangire, inconceivable, utterly inconceivable.

"Anyway, you then tracked down what, in all likelihood, was a wild goose chase, grabbed and enthralled two escaped Monsters, then used them as bait for more escaped Monsters, and still you neglected to call it in.

"Then, just when you captured Frankie Stein and Elissabat of all monsters, not to mention Apple White and some of those wretched Kamen Riders, you then ruined everything by allowing them to break free, resulting in the loss of those six Orphnochs and the two enthralled monsters."

"I…I almost had Frankie Stein enthralled, Mr. Weis," said Fabian, "but…"

"Ah, yes, she proved immune," said Irvin, "that's the part I find rather hard to believe."

"As do I," said Valentine as he and Draculaura stood to one side, "my research into the enthralling vapors is foolproof; no Monster is immune to the gas."

"The stitched-up whore should be a slave by now," said Draculaura as she filed her nails. She then pointed the nail file accusingly at Fabian, "that is, if you weren't such an incompetent ass! You obviously performed the procedure wrong!"

"I did do it right!" exclaimed Fabian, "I loaded a fresh cartridge into the mask and made sure the mask had fully conformed to the target's face. I heard the gas release and Frankie Stein got a full blast of it! I did everything right!"

"Of course you did it right," said a sarcastic Valentine, "and yet Frankie's mind is still her own."

"I'm telling you she's somehow immune!" said Fabian.

"Enough!" snapped Irvin as he stood up, a look of cold fury in his eyes, "I've had enough of your excuses and lies. I should destroy you here and now for your incompetence!"

At that Fabian cringed and backed away into a corner, shielding his face with his hands against his impending doom.

But then Irvin calmed down, "however, if I did that, you would learn nothing, not to mention leave a rather unsightly mess all over the place."

"You could at least warn us when you're thinking about making a mess," said Valentine, "do you have any idea how hard it is to get human goo stains out of clothes?"

"Not as hard as the punishment he's going to receive," said Irvin as he glared at Fabian, "you're going to learn a valuable lesson in responsibility, honesty and an overall lesson on being a smarmy smartass." He then pressed a button on the desk's intercom and a pair of human-formed Fangire walked in.

"What are you going to do to me, Mr. Weis?" asked a terrified Fabian as the disguised Kaijin grabbed him by the arms.

"Haven't fully decided yet," said Irvin, "but the first part will involve a few whacks from The Hat of Discipline."

"NOOOOOO!" wailed Fabian as the two Fangire dragged him out of the office, "not The Hat of Discipline! Anything but The Hat of Discipline!"

"The Hat of Discipline?" asked Draculaura.

"Trust me," said Irvin, "you don't want to know."

"If it's that bad," said Valentine, "then I don't want to know. But I do want to know if he was indeed telling the truth."

"About Frankie Stein being immune to the gas?" asked Irvin.

"No one is immune!" said Draculaura, "and it takes a very, very long time for the enthralling effects to wear off, while the cure is almost as painful as anything we could make the victims do."

"Nevertheless," said Irvin, "it is a possibility that cannot be ignored, no matter how remote."

Just then the intercom buzzed. Irvin picked up a phone receiver, "yes?" he asked, "what? Now? Alright, I'll take care of it," with that he hung up.

"Now what?" asked Valentine.

"Neffra de Nile is here and demands a moment of my time," said Irvin in an exasperated tone, "apparently she's complaining of being bored."

"Bored?" asked Valentine, "how can she be bored? Her work has her traveling across the globe, on Obsidian's dime, running important errands."

"A world cruise with all expenses paid, how can you not be bored?" asked Draculaura.

"You'd be surprised," said Neffra de Nile as she sauntered into the office, "staying in the best hotels, eating the best food, even unlimited shopping, before you know it, it all becomes monotonous and lackluster, you're just going through the motions."

"Okay, so we'll set you up with more interesting accommodations," said Draculaura, "I hear there's some resorts that use authentically-constructed treehouses."

"It's more than that," said Neffra, "I'm tired of being Obsidian's errand girl."

"You're the official ambassador for the de Nile family," said Irvin, "reaching out to other Monster families and groups with Obsidian's offer of power and glory."

"Been there, done that," said Neffra, "ever since my father agreed to this little alliance, I've been to all six populated continents and brought over a dozen different groups of Monsters into the fold, and I'm already sick of it. I want a more thrilling, more challenging assignment."

"You want to be challenged?" asked Valentine, "okay, here's a challenge; find out where Frankie Stein and her friends went with the two Star Pieces we need? Or how about finding those renegade Orphnochs and Fangire?"

"Or why Frankie Stein was immune to the enthralling vapors?" asked Draculaura.

"Wait, Frankie's immune?" asked Neffra.

"We don't know that for sure," said Irvin.

"It's still a possibility," said Valentine.

"But we need more information before we act on that possibility," said Irvin. He then glared at Neffra, "you want a real challenge? Find a way to defeat those miserable, meddling Kamen Riders."

"Oh, having trouble are we?" asked Neffra, "an army of Kaijin not enough?"

"Apparently not," said an irked Draculaura, "so if you have any suggestions, we're all ears."

"As a matter of fact," said Neffra in a diabolically thoughtful manner, "I do."

"Well, spit it out, woman!" said Irvin, "at this rate, we'll run out of Kaijin and my head will be on a silver platter before The Obsidian Council."

"It's not really my idea," said Neffra as she pulled out her phone and sent a text, "but it's one I have at my disposal."

"You're beginning to draw my ire," said Irvin, "either tell me or get the hell out!"

"Fine," said an annoyed Neffra, "fine, no dramatics. Okay, long story short, I briefly dated this really smart kid in school in order to get him to help me ace a test and I stole some of his research."

"Why would you do that?" asked Draculaura.

"In case it would prove useful later," said Neffra as an Anubis-headed servant walked, knelt and handed a briefcase to Neffra, "and apparently it has." She unlocked the briefcase and showed the contents to Irvin, Draculaura and Valentine. Within the briefcase were several files of documents and half a dozen vials, each full of a glowing red liquid.

"That stuff isn't magic or radioactive, is it?" asked a slightly nervous Valentine, "I don't like messing with magic I haven't researched."

"And there's nothing worse than a radioactive vampire," said Draculaura, "you're stuck with the radiation until it wears off and no other vampire will associate with you, and there's nothing worse than being a lone vamp."

"Trust me, it's neither," said Neffra as she pulled out one of the vials of red fluid, "this, my friends, is ADAM."

"ADAM?" asked Valentine in a curious tone, "that sounds vaguely familiar."

"Me too," said Draculaura.

"Are you telling me that the nerd you cheated off of had access to Rapture!?" demanded Irvin.

"Just bits and pieces," said Neffra, "nothing I understand, but apparently he had enough and was smart enough to synthesize his own formula for a plasmid, one that can make any Monster stronger, faster and overall more deadly."

"Why would he want that?" asked Valentine, "no, never mind, does it work?"

"He never finished it," said Neffra, "he was distracted by another project and never realized I took it and a lot more of his stuff. But if it does work, then you can turn any of the enthralled Monsters into an unstoppable killing machine that'll tear those Kamen Riders limb from limb."

"If it works," said Irvin as he picked up some of the papers and began reading, "and according to this, it may just work; all we need is a suitable test subject; someone with a physical constitution capable of surviving genetic sequencing."

"I have just the boy in mind," said Draculaura with vicious glee.

"Clawd isn't here," said Irvin in a reprimanding tone.

"Oh, right," said Draculaura in a disappointed tone.

"We'll find the right one among the collective," said Valentine.

"In the meantime," said Irvin to Neffra, "you want something to do? Something even more important than recruiting other Monster groups? I want you to recruit that nerd you took advantage of."

"I don't know where he is," said Neffra, "I barely spoke to him after I passed that test and completely lost track of him after graduation. He could be dead for all I know and care."

"You should care," said Irvin, "if this boy could synthesize ADAM without an ADAM slug, and create a Plasmid for enhancing Monsters, who knows what other strokes of genius he's capable of? Now go track him down and bring him here."

"You want me, Neffra de Nile, to track down one of my old playthings?" Neffra asked, "and a one-shot plaything at that?" she then defiantly crossed her arms, "I may be evil, but I have standards. I won't do it!"

"It's either that or scrub out the bathrooms at Monster High," said Irvin, "it may be under new management, but we still need to keep the place clean."

"You wouldn't!" snapped Neffra.

"I would," said Irvin.

"Well, then," said a nervous Neffra, "I'd better start looking for my old fling then." She then turned to walk out, but turned back, "before I go, has anyone seen Cleo? I'd like to look in on my little sister and gloat."

"Oh, she's around, somewhere," giggled Draculaura, "in fact, you just missed her when you got here."

"Really?" asked Neffra.

"I'm not surprised you missed her," said Valentine, "but she was there in the front hall, standing there, with all those coats and hats on her."

"You mean…" said Neffra as she beamed a sinister smile, "that statue in the front hall…" she rushed out into the corridors. Seconds later, Irvin, Draculaura and Valentine heard Neffra's diabolical laughter echoing through the hallways.

"Using Cleo's petrified state as a coatrack," said Irvin, "I sometimes wonder if I've gone too far," he then shook his head, "and disregard such thoughts, not when there's work to be done."

…Dynatron Industries…

"It'll never work," said Dr. Falchion as he, Drs. Stiletto and Scimitar, sat in his office in the corporate building that served as a front for Foundation X. "You'll never get funding for it."

"Why not?" asked Dr. Stiletto, "my research is sound and the device works in theory. I just need the money and material to build a working prototype."

"Yes, but it's a prototype that can be used only once," said Dr. Falchion.

"You're talking about building a doomsday weapon," said Dr. Scimitar, "a planet killer."

"Please, this is nothing like the Planet Killer from Star Trek," said Dr. Stiletto.

"But it can wipe out all life on a world," said Dr. Falchion, "if your theory is correct."

"It is correct," said an annoyed Dr. Stiletto, "and I'm sure there's criminal organizations, terrorist groups and evil overlords out there in the multi-verse who'll pay top dollar for their own doomsday machine."

"I'm sure they would," said Dr. Falchion, "but that is not what we do in Foundation X. Our task is to design and provide weapons, body enhancements and other methods of death for those who wish to be the best killers, not make products that can wipe out an entire planet full of potential customers."

"Well, what do you expect me to do?" asked Dr. Stiletto, "forget about my idea? Throw out all my research and let scores of hours of work go to waste?"

"I never said let it go to waste," said Dr. Falchion, "set it aside in a safe place. Far from me to discourage such an independent project, but now is not the time; we're on thin ice as it is."

"The upper echelon is still pissed that we messed things up in Ever After," said Dr. Scimitar.

"We didn't mess it up!" said an irate Dr. Stiletto, "that psychopath Claymore, and that brat Halbard, it's their fault, not to mention Cuthbert, Ophelia and Manfred, they're not without fault either."

"We're still under scrutiny from our superiors," said Dr. Falchion, "not to mention Dai Shocker, and let's not forget The Obsidian Council themselves. With Cuthbert and Manfred dead and Ophelia up her own creek without a paddle, the big baddies are still looking for someone to blame. The best we three can do for now is keep a low profile and go about business as usual."

"And what about our true business?" asked Dr. Stiletto, "our business with releasing Rebecca Queen?"

"So long as our faction within Foundation X remains a secret," said Dr. Falchion, "our true purpose remains that, true."

"And we're still a bit ahead of schedule," said Dr. Scimitar, "Phase One: free Rebecca Queen from her mirror prison, complete. Now we're into Phase Two; turn Clare Childs into the one Obsidian wants."

"Assuming she ever recovers," said Dr. Stiletto.

Just then a Foundation X technician burst into the room, "Dr. Falchion! Clare is awake!"

"She is?" asked Dr. Falchion as he, Stiletto and Scimitar stood up, "what are her vitals? Is she responsive and coherent?"

"We…don't know," said the technician nervously, "Rebecca Queen, she's locked the door to Clare's room; no one can get in."

"That narcissistic bitch!" snapped Dr. Falchion, "she'll ruin everything!" with that the three dark scientists rushed through the building to Clare's room. They found several more technicians standing around the door.

"We've tried everything short of blasting a hole in the wall, Dr. Falchion," said one of the technicians, "and even that won't work."

"Rebecca's surrounded the whole room with a magical barrier," said another technician.

"The hell she is!" spat Dr. Falchion. He walked up to the door and pounded it with his fists, "Rebecca Queen! Open this door! Open this door right now!"

"I don't think she can hear us," said Dr. Scimitar as used a scanning device, "that barrier blocks out sound and vibrations."

"It's a total privacy and security spell," said Dr. Stiletto, "let's face it, she's outsmarted some of the smartest of Foundation X."

"Well, we'd better outsmart her and right soon," said Dr. Falchion, "we've got to talk to Clare before Rebecca corrupts her first."

"She's already corrupted," said Dr. Scimitar, "Dr. Claymore saw to that. How much more messed up can she get?"

Inside the room Rebecca sat next to Clare's bed, holding the girl's hand in hers.

"So…you're my real mother?" asked Clare as she looked at the Evil Queen who went too far, "how's that possible? I know my parents; I don't particularly like them, but I know I'm their biological daughter."

"You can thank that bulbous buffoon, Milton Grimm, for implanting that lie in your life," said Rebecca, "after he stole you from me, he all but erased all evidence of your existence from Ever After, altered that evidence and seeded it on the Earth where you grew up. He had compulsion spells set on you so that anyone who tried to disprove your identity would forget they ever thought of it. As far as anyone on any world was concerned, that world, that country, that family, was yours."

"But, if he knew," said Clare, "if Grimm knew who I was, why didn't he react when he saw me? I mean, he didn't like me, he didn't like any of us, especially Avery."

"He made himself forget the whole affair," said Rebecca, "he said it was an embarrassment, a blemish on the perfect narrative he was maintaining. You know how desperate he was to keep things the way he wanted when Raven started her Rebellion. That was his way of dealing with an outbreak of teenage angst. With me, he erased every memory of you from my mind."

"I knew he was a control freak," said Clare grimly as her free hand clench with wrath, "but to make a mother forget her child, that she ever had that child, that's just sick!" She then looked at Rebecca, "but you do remember. How?"

"He may have altered my mind," she touched her forehead, then held her hand over her heart, "but not here. I had to lose everything that mattered to me; power, glory, Raven, to remember that I had something else stolen from me, something even more precious; you."

"I always thought we were alike," said Clare, "even before I was changed, before I realized my true nature, I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that Raven and I were somehow connected, that we shared a special bond, I just didn't have time to think about it. But, if we are sisters, how come Raven and I don't look alike? And why don't I look like you?"

"You take after your father," said Rebecca, "his features run strong in his family."

"Who was he?" asked Clare.

"His name was Nathanial Downing," said Rebecca, "he was a traveler, a wandering outlaw who was never satisfied with his life." She closed her eyes and sat back in thought, "Nathanial, always on the move, never staying in anyplace for more than a few days, leaping from one world to the next, never knowing what he's looking for."

She opened her eyes and looked at Clare, "I'll tell you how we met another time, for now, know that we shared one special night together before I was 'forced' to marry Raven's father. I never saw Nathanial again after that night of passion, but I see him in every aspect of you, from your eyes down to your defiant temperament. The fact that your mind was tampered with by Dr. Claymore only enhanced Nathanial's rebellious and often chaotic aspect."

"I'm definitely chaotic," said Clare, "so, what now? I already made my decision to never go back home, and there's no way Raven, Avery and the others will forgive me, nor do I want them to."

"What is it you do want?" asked Rebecca.

"What I want?" asked Clare, "I want was stolen from me, and I want to make Milton Grimm pay for it." She then looked at Rebecca, "and…and I want to know you, my…my mother, my real mother."

At that Rebecca took Clare's hand again and kissed it, "you will know me, my daughter. Together, we'll make Milton Grimm's suffering legendary, even in Hell. We will bring Ever After under our thumbs and rule the destinies of all stories, and that's just the beginning."

She then smiled and stood up, "I believe we've had enough alone time." She then waved her hand, canceling the privacy spell and unlocking the door, to which Drs. Falchion, Stiletto and Scimitar tumbled through.

"Ah, the good Doctors," said Rebecca in a maliciously cheerful manner as Falchion, Stiletto and Scimitar stood up, their faces lined with worry as they realized their worst fears were coming true, "Clare, say hello to the men and woman who helped bring me to you. Doctors, meet my true firstborn daughter."

"How…how do you do, Clare?" asked Dr. Scimitar nervously as he and the other two stood up.

"I've been better," said Clare, "I'm itching to get out of this bed and back in shape. I owe Avery and the others a boatload of pain. As soon as I get my Zecter back, I'll…"

"I'm afraid that's not an option," said Dr. Falchion, "if our intelligence is correct, Briar Beauty is now Kamen Rider TheBee."

"Briar?" asked Clare, "that narcoleptic, adrenaline-addicted idiot? She's a Rider now?" she then frowned, "great, now I've got to make her suffer even more, after I kill Apple and put Raven in her place of course."

"That's the spirit," said Rebecca. She then looked at the three doctors, "I believe we all have our work cut out for us if we're going to complete Clare's metamorphosis. When we're done with Clare, she'll be more than just a Queen," she looked at Clare, "you'll be queen of so much more."

"Still think our true purpose runs true?" whispered Dr. Stiletto to Dr. Falchion, whom could only look at Rebecca and Clair as mother and daughter, reunited at last, held hands and planned for a dark future.

…The End Is Just The Beginning…