The servants began to clean up the "postponed" wedding. They were taking down flowers, silks, leaving the whole chapel empty. Briar's casket remained inside, almost ready to moved.
Suddenly, a whisk of green and blue magic appeared and made Briar's casket disappear. A few servants shrieked. The current sleeping beauty was gone! The news than rushed quickly to Queen Apple White.
"It's gone?!" She screamed.
"Yes my queen, but we don't know who did it."
"Raven Queen did this!" She said with fury.
"Actually no, my queen. It appears the magic was sort of an off green and blue color. Raven's magic is more of purple."
"The only other person with magic like that would have to be Farrah Goodfairy, but she would never do that...or, Faybelle Thorn." She said whispering her name.
Apple looked outside. "Summon the visitors. I have the next stage of the plan for them."
~•~
Dexter tried to wiggle his way out of his chair. Not his idea of comfort. Well, neither was Apple. The castle doors suddenly opened with a loud, startling creak.
"Dex?" A voice said. Dexter turned his head as much as he could.
"Hunter?!" He said with joy.
Hunter ran to him.
"Lemme guess? Raven strapped you here?" He said with a snicker.
"Hey it's not funny!" Dexter said with a smirk.
"I'm not really surprised, she's kinda obsessed with you." Hunter said examining the chair.
"Really?" Dexter said with a tiny sparkle in his eyes.
"Totally. Aha! Here it is!" Hunter said.
"What? What did you find?" Dexter said.
"Raven gave me a key that opens all the doors in the castle. And all the locks."
Hunter said, then he unlocked Dexter's chains, which freed him.
"Thanks, but you sure Raven isn't gonna be mad at you?" Dexter said, a bit worried.
"She will, but not that bad." Hunter shrugged casually. Then he walked along the hallway with Dexter tagging along.
"Where are we going?"
"To Raven, I gotta let her know that I came back and that she should take it easy on you."
"You know she saw you, right?" Dexter said, having a worried expression.
"Doing what?" Hunter said, also striking a bit of fear.
"You with Ashlynn, in the fields."
"Oh no." Hunter said putting his palm on his face.
"Okay, just gotta explain to her." Hunter said opening the door. "You better wait here, now that you told me."
Dexter nodded. Hunter swung open the door and went inside.
"Hey Queenie." He said, trying to act casual.
"Don't call me that." Raven replied sternly while studying a letter.
"Who's that from?" Hunter said with a bit of curiosity. It's not everyday Raven got letters, or mail. "None of your business. And by the way I saw you with Ashlynn." Raven replied, with her face getting a bit more tense. Hunter stood a bit nervously. "We were just...meeting again."
Raven looked at him.
"Oh! Ashlynn! This view isn't more gorgeous than you are!" Raven said while batting her eyelashes in a mimicking way.
Hunter nervously laughed.
"Your not a Huntsman anymore. Your a coward." Raven sternly said.
Hunter sighed. "Listen, that's not why I came to talk. I think your going a little over board with this Dexter thing." Hunter confessed.
"He's in a much better place than he was before!" Raven yelled.
"Oh yeah? Then why was he strapped in chains huh, Raven? Your better than this, you love him, confess Raven!" Hunter yelled back.
"You are not the one to ask!"
Dexter put his ear on the door. It seemed to him that Raven changed a lot. It hurt him inside but he still knew that somewhere, stood the real Raven. His Raven.
~•~
People were just beginning to enter Queen Apple White's castle. She cleared her throat and got ready speak. "I fear that we have another wicked old friend of ours to face."
Everybody groaned. The crowd consisted of Blondie Lockes, Ashlynn Ella, Daring and Rosabella Charming, Sparrow Hood, and Farrah Goodfairy.
"It appears Faybelle Thorn has taken Briar." Apple said, choking at the last part. Everybody ghasped.
"So, I devised two teams. The first one, Blondie, Ashlynn, and Farrah, will go to Faybelle Thorn's castle and get Briar back before Faybelle does any harm to her. The second team, Daring, Rosabella, and Sparrow will go to Wonderland to get Maddie."
"What? No! No way! Sparrow Hood will never go to Wonderland Ever After." Sparrow said.
"Sparrow, I don't need your frustration! Your going to Wonderland!" Apple shouted.
Sparrow piped down. "Yes, your majesty."
"I need you to go there because on your way, I'll be needing you to get Duchess." Apple said.
"Uh, I'm not sure that's the best idea.." Sparrow said.
"Why not?"
"Well, she's both Black Swan and White Swan..." Sparrow said with discomfort. Everybody stood silent.
Apple gulped,"Her assistance may prove of importance!"
~•~
Faybelle solemnly stares stares at Briar in her casket, Briar looked beautiful- her wavy curls were adorned with pastel color flower and the bold pink that once stood with pride on her hair were now gone leaving her caramel brown hair in an beautiful state of elegance.
Briar wore a soft silky white gown that gently exposed her warm brown legs and on top of the white gown were the same pastel flowers that are placed upon her hair- she was the most beautiful Sleeping Beauty too ever come, thought Faybelle too herself.
Once Faybelle had committed the bad deed off putting Briar into an eternal sleep she found out about a past Evil Fairy, who like her suffered from guilt off putting an innocent soul into forever sleep where the sleeping princess was trapped within the barriers off their body but alas that version of the Evil Fairy rebelled and so she sought too do so as well!
"I'm sorry Briar..."said Faybelle,"I'll set things right."
~•~
The chapel was cleared leaving only Apple and Blondielocks there.
Apple didn't move.
She stared straight ahead in a scaring way.
"Apple...it's okay....it'll be just fine shush..."
"BLONDIE! BLONDIE! DEXTER WASN'T THE ONE WHO WOKE ME UP!"
Apple collapsed on the floor, hysterically crying- she screamed and yelled,"AHhhhGH!"
"Apple...what on eart-"
"IT WASN'T DEXTER!"
~•~
Raven looked at this scene that unfolded in front off her through the glass mirror- Apple was in hysterics as she finally admitted what happened too Blondie.
Raven felt something she hadn't in a long time- empathy.
After realizing how unlike her mum she was acting, she snarled and headed towards the dungeon in which Dexter lay.
"Hey"
"Hi Raven," said Dexter, in fear of Raven's peaceful greeting.
"So how have things been, you weeb..."
"Errm fine I guess."
"Uh-Huh?"
"So why have you come?"
"DO NOT QUESTION ME!"
"Ahh sorry..."
"But one thing- why so wicked?"
~•~
"Ugh, I hate this part of the woods." Daring said.
Rosabella giggled. "Aw, is it because this is where I came to help you with those attacking wolves?" Rosabella said who was now holding hands with Daring. They both became entranced in each other and started cuddling.
"Ugh! Gimmie a break! That's so disgusting, I'm already in a situation I don't like. I don't need anymore." Sparrow said pushing a tree branch.
"C'mon there had to be someone you liked back at Ever After." Rosabella said.
"Trust me, I dont want a commitment to someone. That's the worst thing I can do, especially because of my story." Sparrow said.
"But having someone that you love is one of the best parts of life Sparrow, just like me and Daring." Rosabella said smiling at Daring.
"And Robin Hood falls for Maid Maryon remember," says Daring with a cheesy wink.
"I alr-"
"Shhh!" Daring interrupted.
"Listen."
Everyone stopped, crouched down behind a bush and listened. They heard a beautiful sound, kind of like music was coming out of the water. Something they never heard of. Sparrow started to go closer to get a better look. Daring and Rosabella followed. They moved a few branches of a tree which revealed to look like Duchess Swan dancing on the water. With every time her feet touched the water it created a beautiful symphony.
Bzz bzz bzz
Rosabella's mirrorphone started to vibrate loudly.
"Sorry!" She said fumbling to get it out. She quickly turned it off, trying not to make any sudden distractions.
They all looked back at Duchess who seemed to pause her dancing and so did the music. She then turned her head.
"Sparrow..." she slowly said.
Sparrow didn't say anything, he didn't know how she would react.
"I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again." Duchess said, still paused on the water, as if her mouth can only move.
"I'm not the one who needed you." Sparrow said.
"Who does? It's not like anybody cares about the Swan Princess. Nobody did. Nobody ever will-"
Duchess kept on talking and with every word she grew blacker, her feathered dress turned black, her hair, and her eyes turned red.
~•~
"Where exactly are we Ashlynn?" Farrah Goodfairy said as they walked through the woods.
"We're in the Northern parts." Ashlynn said, who took off her slippers and walked bare footed.
"Ugh!" This is so not just right! Blondie said trying not to get dirt on her royal blue heels.
"It's not that bad when you get used to it." Ashlynn said finding pleasure in digging her toes in the dirt.
"Bleh!" Blondie did putting a finger to her mouth.
"Since when did you get so used to the forest? I knew you loved it in ever after but it's been ages and of course that darling Charlesworth never approved of such filth," She added.
Ashlynn's pupils dilated. "Uh, well-"
"Oh my fairy godmother! Girls! Come check this out!" Farrah screamed.
Blondie and Ashlynn both ran where Farrah was. There were huge briar patches in the forest, larger than normal. And they seemed to have a tinted-blue look.
"Looks like we're here."
~•~
Duchess Swan's eyes were as red as blood. Her dress was dark like midnight's fall.
"I told you never to come back!" She screamed. Her feathers flared as she gave out a loud screech.
"Everybody run!" Daring demanded.
"Your not going!" Snarled Duchess, "Geese get them!"
Rosabella looked at Daring in confusion.
What looked like a dozen geese arose from the tranquility of the lake. Their eyes sparked with fury as they made their way towards the trio.
"P-please don't Duchess..."
"Why should I stop huh? In Ever After I was hated for not being the 'powerful princess' everyone else was- for having a sarcastic and 'mean' personality well now I am stronger and I am not going too waste my time with YOU," she spat in disgust.
"Yeah and spending your time dancing in water isn't a waste of time?" Whispered Daring in sarcasm.
"I HEARD THAT MR. JERKUS!"
Rosabella looked at her husband in frustration before saying,"Duchess, if that's how you felt than I'm sorry, but we've matured from being the angsty teens we were so please give us all a chance- we need you..."
~•~
Written by wildplants- and @Light_And_Luna