Chapter Text
”Please tell me your morning was at least better than mine." Chloe asks her as they walk through the courtyard.
"Well, if waking up inside a cupcake is normal, then, yeah." Red says.
Chloe isn't sure what to make of that. "My mom followed me here to school,"
Red pauses and looks at her. "Oof, yikes,"
"Its just, when I met my mom as a teenager, I thought I understood her better, but seeing her like that makes me second guess everything." Chloe admits. It was like her mother was a completely different person. "You were there , Red. You saw who she was, I just don't know how to feel about her now,"
She doesn't mention what her mom told her in the carriage.
Red looks at her in sympathetic way. "I don't know how to feel about anything! I mean, just look."
Red guides her to look at the VKs. "Max Hatter is a Vk now,"
The VKs are crowing some other students, with Max playing tricks on them, while the others laugh behind him.
"I don't get it." Red tells her. "His dad used to be my advisor and friend, my only one at that. And his son, Max? He wore button downs and bow ties! How does someone go from that to.."
"Maybe its the people he's hanging out with." Chloe says. "They're all just as ruthless as their parents, always have been."
They watch as Hazel , with the Smee twins trailing behind her, play along with whatever trick Max had going on. She smiles at the two helpless students, she flashes her hook at them, and they look as scared as ever.
Although, Red doesn't seem to recognize them, with her only knowing Max, and she fights the urge to cringe when she discreetly introduces Hazel Hook, alongside the twins, And Felix Facilier.
Red looks at them. "Hm,' Is all she says.
She knows that look, so Chloe smiles mischievously and leans closer to pat Reds arm.
"I hate to break it to you, Red, but you're an HK now!"
But with Reds eyes still set on the VKs, Chloe follows her gaze. Felix walks up towards one of the students, and as he wraps an arm around Hazels shoulder he says in a playful tone." Would you like to see your future?"
The girl looks uncertain, but before she can respond, he shoves a card in her face and makes a noise that scares her away. She runs towards them and passes through her and Red. "Excuse me!" The girl cries out, and Chloe fights the urge to laugh, which is.. different for her. She knocks Red down though, and lo and behold, Luis is there to catch her.
Gross!
With Red in his arms, she looks at him wide eyed. Luis smiles down at her, which shes positive makes Red blush a bit.
"Eugh!" Red squirms out of his arms and scrambles near Chloe. She sighs and fixes her hair, looking embarrassed.
"I got it." Red tells him.
"Don't worry about it, first rescues free." He says with a wink. And with that, she can feel both her and Red cringe.
Behind Luis, Robbie hypes him up. "My boy Luis always saves the day!"
Chloe snorts at that.
"Luis is going to be tourney captain this year," Robbie tells him, but Chloe doesn't see the need to know that.
Before this tedious conversation continues, they hear Max call out to them.
"Hey, Robbie Hood!" He calls out, fiddling with some kind of coin, he throws it towards Robbie, who catches it with ease. "For Sherwood's collection box."
Luis groans as he shakes his head. "Drop the act, Max. No one's buying it, no matter how hard you pretend not to be your father."
"Oh.." Max says with a mock expression.
They both pause. Red looks at her then turns to Luis.
"What's wrong with his father?" She asks.
"You mean the number one villain in Auradon?"
Oh, oh no. Chloe looks back at Red, whose face looks a shade lighter.
Max seems to hear them, he strides closer to them, his eyes not leaving Luis, but for a split second, he looks at Chloe.
"At least I'm not Louisa Junior,"
It looks like his words irked Luis, taking the bait as he steps closer to Max.
Max smiles. "Do they feed you more than hay on that mountain, Madrigal?"
Luis lets out an amused huff. "How about you just keep it moving, huh, Hatter? I'm sure the Hat Trix needs help lurking somewhere."
They're nearly chest to chest now, as if they might fight or something. Robbie steps up too. But out of nowhere , the rest of the VKs are behind Max in a second.
Hazel gets between Max and Luis. "I know you're not dissing my crew," She then pushes Robbie and Luis out of her way, making her way towards Red and her.
"We may be back at school, but you're not gonna like the lesson the Smees and I will teach ya." She points her hook back and forth, then landing it at Chloe.
"Especially you." Hazel says in a sweet mocking tone.
It makes her blood boil! She looks her straight in the eyes and has the urge to say something mean, which, again, isn't like her. It makes her rethink, so she steps back bashfully.
Felix laughs. "Allow me, Hazel." He says as he fiddles with his card with his arm resting on Robbie's shoulder. "But may I suggest a Facilier family speciality?"
But she can't help it, so she pushes Hazels hook out of her face and says. "How original, a pirate itching to fight."
That seems to get a new reaction out of Hazel. But before she can make sense of it they all hear glass shattering from the school. A card hurtles towards their way, and they all dunk down as Red catches it with ease.
"What is it, Red?" Chloe asks as she eyes the card. They all look at it close as an animated queen starts moving.
Maddox Hatter has captured the queen! Come quickly!
They all stare at it dumbfounded.
"No.." Red says, and she looks devastated. "Maddox.."
Felix then swipes the card from behind her. "Thank you!" He says. And the VKs all laugh as he does a dance.
"Stop messing around, Felix." Luis says as he tries to take the card back.
"Huh? What?" Felix says as he does a trick with the card, then hands it to Max.
"It's not funny!" Red says.
It makes them laugh even more.
"You can give it back now," Red says sternly as she reaches her hand out. But to no avail, he doesn't . It's frustrating, and she feels horrible for Red, so she tries her hand at it.
"Just give it back, alright?" She attempts. And surprisingly, Max looks at her uncertain. He drops his act and they all look at her, then he sighs and hands Red the card.
Huh.
"Oh my hearts!" A female voice squeals behind them, making them all jump.
It's Reds sister.
"You gotta stop doing that," Red says as she puts a hand on her heart.
"Oh, my hearts. Oh, my hearts. Oh, my hearts!" Pink keeps repeating as she's on the verge of tears.'
Red puts her hands on her sisters shoulders. "Hey, hey. Calm down. Don't freak out."
"Moms been captured!!" Pink wails out. "I feel.. I feel.." she doesn't finish before she dramatically falls into Luis's arms.
Red sighs. "Great," She mumbles.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Luis and Robbie panic a bit. But they help her back on her feet.
"What the fluff!?!" They hear a voice call from the stairs leading to the school. It's Fairy Godmother. "Did my pumpkins go rouge again?!" She says uneasily.
Max ushers his friends. "Let's get out of here." He says. They all turn to leave.
Red grabs onto Chloe's hand. "I gotta get back to Wonderland. Now."
Chloe thinks of her mom. "We should find my mom, she'll help us." After all, her and the queen were best friends back then.
"Absolutely not!" Her mother says in Fairy Godmother’s office.
Red frowns as she looks at Chloe. Maybe not, then.
"Going to Wonderland? Without Auradon guards? Without the other kingdoms help?" She shakes her head. "There are rules, Chloe."
Chloe feels herself shrinking in on herself. But that doesn't stop her. "But when it's impossible, the rules don't matter!"
Red agrees with her, but it doesn't her mom doesn't bother listening.
With Fairy Godmother behind her, she add softly. "Girls, you can't just bibbidi-bop yourselves into a dangerous villains hands, no ma'am's! Maddox is not to be trifled with! He's terrorized the kingdoms for years, with his deranged inventions! You just can't, your mother banned him to the Isle for this reason. He's a madman."
Chloe looks at Red, both shocked from this news. Banned to the Isle of the Lost.. they did this to him.
"Now, I've spoken with Uma and she and the Auradon Council are coming up with a very carefully thought out rescue plan, we just have to wait."
"A plan?" Wait?" That's it?" Red says. She turns to Chloe's mom. "What about my mom? What happens to her in the meantime? We just, what, leave her there and wait?!"
"Mom, come on," Chloe adds in.
"We don't break rules, Chloe. Even if the cause is good."
"But you don't really believe that!" She cries. "She's your best friend!"
"You'll stay here and let us handle it." Her mother says sternly. "Do you remember our talk?"
That shuts Chloe up for a moment. Her mom steps closer.
"Promise me, Chloe. People look to us to do what's right, now I know you don't grasp that, but I know you're trying. You're a Charming. You need to start acting accordingly."
Red looks between the two of them with a curious expression.
Chloe just nods. She doesn't know what she means by that. She doesn't want to even know. She does act accordingly! She always has! So why would she say that?
"Now, you two have classes to attend, don't you?" Her mother says. Chloe nods, and looks at Red. And she knows exactly what she's thinking of.
"Disobeying your mom. Guess I really have corrupted you."
Chloe slaps her arm playfully. "Don't give yourself too much credit."
The words her mom told her are still lingering, but she tries to ignore it.
They walk across the grass towards the rabbit hole. This way to Wonderland ! The heart signs says, below, is a giant hole with vines lacing around it.
They stop in front of it.
"I mean, she was the one that taught me a lie to save a life is a good trade, even if she doesn't remember it."
Red pauses and looks down.
"What your mom said about Maddox.. about him on the Isle," she starts. "Thats us, Chloe. We did that."
"I know.." Chloe says with guilt. She feels bad for Max, too. With what Red said, he had a good life before. And a good father. And they ruined that..
Red knows that too. She says. "I finally got the mom I've always wanted, and now we put her in danger."
"It'll be okay, Red." Chloe tells her as she grabs her hand " We'll figure it out together,"
Red frowns, but she nods.
"I hope your plan includes us,"
They both turn, and it's the VKs. Great.
"Because we're coming with you to wonderland." Max smiles.
"Yeah, I don't think so. Our interest don't exactly align." Chloe tells him. It makes him laugh.
"Come on, Red." But she stops her to listen.
"You're gonna need someone that knows how to beat my father and his games," He hums. "I can help with that."
"You'd sell out your dad?" Red asks him. "It's not so easy,"
Max smirks. "Well, good news, Princess, not much of my life has been easy, and I have my dad to thank for that. But I'm not him. And I never wanna be."
Before either of them can answer, a pink figure comes out of nowhere. It's Pink, with Luis and Robbie behind her.
"Wait for Pink, too!" She cries out as she runs towards them.
Both her and Red sigh. This was just what they needed.
"Not to fear, help is here!" Luis says joyfully.
"Two merry men reporting for duty!" Robbie cheers.
"And I brought snacks!" Pink says. She then eyes Max and his friends. "Though apparently not enough.. what are they doing here!?"
Red rolls her eyes.
Hazel eyes them too. "This is going well,"
It was the first thing she's said since, well, you know. Her mind wonders to what her mom said to her, about her and Hazel. She still can't make sense of it.
Hazel pauses again. "What kind of snacks did you bring?" She asks Pink. Very serious. Chloe can't believe it.
Max looks at her.
"What?!" She says. "I have to feed the Smees every two hours,"
"Fine," Red interrupts. "Come on," she doesn't leave any room for complaining, and she's the first to step in front of the rabbit hole.
With them all behind her, they peek down at the hole .
"So.." Max starts. "We just jump?"
"Yup." Red says. "What, you're scared?"
"Me? Nope," Max says, although, it kinda looks like he is.
"Into the endless void where we can't see them bottom?" Hazel asks. Red nods. Hazel smiles. "Cool."
Max looks at Red. "It's your show, Princess."
Red looks back at them. "Will everyone just cool it with that? It's not Princess, it's just.. Red." She then jumps down first.
"Whoo!" Luis whoops, he's the second one to go, alongside Pink and Robbie, who screams the whole way down.
They all laugh, along with Felix and the Smees, and then, it's just Chloe with Max and Hazel. Ah, she should've thought this through, but she was having a little bit of fun.
They all stand awkwardly. And Max can't stop eyeing the two of them. It's very obvious.
"What?" Hazel snaps at him. He isn't fazed, though.
"Nothing," He says. Then he gestures between the two. "Are you two gonna.." He makes another weird gesture.
Chloe looks at Hazel, her cheeks slightly red, and it makes Chloe red too. Which, what the heck? She feels weird. And she doesn't know what to say.
"Uh.." Chloe stumbles over her words. Hazel looks at her, like she's expecting her to say something. Chloe doesn't. Hazel scoffs, but she's still blushing, if that's what it is.
"Forget it, you two have fun." Hazel says mockingly, then jumps down the hole by herself.
Max scratches the back of his head. "That didn't go as I planned," He says, and it looks like he's talking to himself.
"What?" She says a little harsh. Then she immediately feels bad. But, again, Max doesn't seem to care.
"Just give her some time," He says instead.
"What?" Chloe squeaks out.
"You know… well.." He stops, then eyes the rabbit hole, and gestures towards it. "Let's just.."
Before she knows it, Max is down the rabbit hole too. Which leaves Chloe alone.
She sighs and tries to pull herself together, like her mom said, she's a Charming, she has to act accordingly. She shakes whatever this is she's feeling off, and jumps down.
It's actually pretty neat, inside the rabbit hole, colors are everywhere, alongside random objects floating through.
But then. There's a mirror in front of her. And she sees herself, but it's different. She looks different. And she's smirking back at her, and she feels uneasy.
Is this who she was? Or who's she's going to be? Her mother didn't want her hanging around the VKs.. was this her, before?
Oh no, she hopes not. She really, really, hopes not.
She looks down, and flowers and butterflies are in her face, then before she knows if, they're in Wonderland.
With the whole group arriving, they all look around to see vibrant plants of sorts, and Pink squeals. And there's animals she's never seen before. It's so beautiful.
"Oh , I just love when the butterflies greet us!"
Chloe catches up to Red.
"I don't know why'd you ever want to leave a place so wonderful." She tells her.
Red laughs. "This was not the Wonderland I grew up with." She looks around.
"So, where's this palace of yours? I don't see it." Hazel says bluntly.
"Well, we do have a long journey ahead of us. Follow me." Red leads the path.
She leads them to what Pink insists is the quickest was the the palace. She opens the fence, which is shaped as a flamingo, and the whole place is basically covered with pink.
The Smees run in first, Hazel calls after them as they run around.
"As you enter Wonderland's crochet gardens, please pay special attention to all the magical flora and fauna!" Pink announces to them all. "Like, our living mushrooms," Pink points to actual walking mushrooms. "And our beautiful flamingos!" She then points to .. well, flamingos.
"They're very cuddly!" Pink cheers. And one actually kisses Felix.
"Woow, look at Felix." Max laughs.
Hazel snickers too. "Who knew the Faciliers were such bird lovers." She goes to lean on a mushroom, but it runs away and she lets out a yelp, which makes Max laugh even more.
As Chloe watches, she can't still thinks about the rabbit hole, and what she saw. She bites her lip, and attempts to look interested whilst she looks at the flowers around the garden. she takes as quick glance at the tree, but then spots what looks like is a robotic dodo bird peeking through the trees.. it isnt colorful like the gardens animals at all. So, could it be Maddox..?
She then hears the wind, and it picks up fast, there's also some sort of purple smoke flying around the garden.
"Um.. guys?" Chloe says, Red follows her gaze. They all huddle together .
"Max.." Red starts. "What is this?"
"It's my dad," Max says. "He knows we're here."
Chloe takes out her dagger, Jacqueline, out of her boot. And before she can blink, the flamingos jump out, and run after them.
"Run!" Red screams.
They all follow after her, with the Flamingos right behind them.
With Pink running beside her, she turns back swiftly and slashes one, with Pink hitting one with her purse.
"Take that!" Pink screams at it.
They hear Max yell out. "There!" They all gather after most of the flamingos are down. He points towards a little house.
They make it to the house, but from room to room, it seem there's no end. With whatever trick Maddox Hatter is playing on them still following. One room goes dark, and they all scream.
Another room is just all doors, and it starts to close in on them. Hastingly, they all try to open them, but they won’t even budge!
She turns for a split second, and sees Luis finally open one of the doors, but, he grabs a lot of Red and they dash out of the room.
"Wait!" Half of them say, but before they can make it, the door shuts itself. The Smees try to open it, but it doesn't open.
"Great," Hazel grumbles as they're all smushed together.
"I'm sure there's another way, they won't be locked forever," Max tells her.
"There has to be!" Pink cries out.
"Yet the princess and her prince charming left us," Felix interjects.
"There has to be," Chloe defends Max. "We have have to keep trying. Here." She points at the door besides the run Luis and Red ran out of. But, she has no idea what she's doing. "We just need a little extra strength."
Hazel rolls her eyes. "The Smees are great for that. Smees!" She snaps and gestures towards the door and the perk up and look at each other. Together, they both slam their bodies into the door, and it opens!
Pink squeals. "Yay! You did it!" She skips out of the room and suddenly they are outside. It looks like a forest, with those mushrooms everywhere.
They find some sort of soft pumpkin looking things. And the Smees have a field day with that. She looks around the trees, remembering that dodo bird, and there it is! Sitting right on a branch.
Max walks up beside her. "Not a bad idea, Charming."
Chloe sighs and crosses her arms. "Yeah, well, it wasn't that hard."
He smiles awkwardly. "Thanks. For that. Following my plan."
She raises an eyebrow. "It was my plan?"
"Hah, sure."
That actually makes her laugh.