Chapter Text
Everything was wrong. Apple White had royally messed up, and now she was in a funk. She didn't have funks. But reality was re-writing itself before her eyes. Had there been any truth to what she'd known?
Apple felt so guilty about what she'd done to Raven -- to all of Ever After High -- that she hadn't even bothered to defend their school from the Snow King's attacks. Maybe Raven was right. Maybe she really was selfish.
And now, Apple saw Darling Charming everywhere. That girl was in every hallway and classroom in the school, it seemed. Her luscious so-blond-it-was-almost-white hair and sweet blue eyes haunted her, the biggest reminders of her crumbling reality. What did Darling waking her mean..? The walls were closing in on Apple and the only moments where her breath didn't feel strangled were when she was nose-deep in thronework. So that was all she did.
Despite the recent snowfall, it was summer in Ever After and the school year was coming to a close. Apple tried her best to ignore the sickening feeling in her stomach at the thought of starting her final year at Ever After High, her unplanned future looming over her like a storm cloud. "Hey, Apple!" Raven Queen called out, snapping her out of her thoughts. She jogged towards Apple, who had been walking back to their room with quick steps, eager to find respite in her crown-culus workbook. "Maddie and I are hosting a last day picnic in the Enchanted Forest. I already know it's a yes, but I thought I should still ask if you want to come."
Apple looked away. Raven seemed so sure of who Apple was, but Apple didn't know herself at all! She couldn't understand how her roommate had forgiven her after everything she'd done. The guilt made her stomach turn whenever she looked into her friend's eyes.
She considered the question, and her answer flowed from her best attempt at a smile: "Of course I'll come!" She was the co-president of the Royal Student Council, after all. It would be in poor taste for her to skip out on the final activity of the year.
Instead of her desk, crown-culus book open in front of her, Apple found herself knocking on Briar Beauty and Ashlynn Ella's door, which was quickly replaced by the familiar shape of her best friend. "Hey, Apple!" Briar held a small pink fan up to her face. Her hair flowed gracefully behind her, a pair of matching pink glasses resting atop her head and keeping it out of her face.
"Briar, you look fabelous as usual! Is Ashlynn here?"
She snorted. "What do you think?"
Apple laughed, picturing her friend in the woods with Hunter Huntsman, participating in some wonderfully romantic activity. "How silly of me." She invited herself into the room, sitting delicately on the edge of Ashlynn's bed.
"What's up?" Briar asked, moving to touch up her make-up in the mirror of her vanity.
"You still aren't going to follow your destiny, are you?"
Briar rolled her eyes. "If you've come here to preach your side of the story again, I'm good."
Apple winced. Is that what her friends expected of her? "No, Briar, I... I wanted to ask what you're going to do now."
She raised her brows. "Oh. Well, party. Duh."
Apple nodded. She'd hoped to find some sort of clarity, but Briar's words just reminded Apple of the certainty she'd felt in her first year at Ever After, before Legacy Day, when she knew exactly how her life would go. She let her face face all into her hands.
Though she hadn't asked any questions, the picnic Apple had imagined was significantly less hex-travagant than the image before her. A catchy beat flowed from Melody Piper's turntables as Ashlynn coached a variety of woodland creatures to sing in harmony with the music. Branches dripped with bright ribbons, framing a large blanket in the center of the clearing that overflowed with any snack a princess could dream of -- crunchy crackers, glistening fruits, colourful cupcakes, and, her favourite: apple pie. Madeline Hatter plucked a scone from the assortment, holding a steaming cup of tea in her other hand. Apple wondered how she managed to keep it hot. Kitty Cheshire napped on Maddie's lap, disappearing and reappearing periodically. In the woods, Apple could make out Ramona Badwolf's ears as she chased a panicked Cedar Wood, hands raised to the sky. She was confused until the silhouette of a mouse revealed itself, sitting atop Cedar's hands. She couldn't help the smile her mouth formed at the precarious sight. Maybe this is what I needed to get my mind off things, she thought. Until she locked eyes with Darling. Apple rolled her eyes reflexively. Why couldn't she catch a break?
Like all Charmings (and Whites), Darling was perfect. Painfully so. Her skin glowed under the sunlight that streamed through the trees, warm and golden. As she batted her eyelashes, Apple felt frozen in time.
"Come over here!" shouted Raven, who sat to the left of Darling, waving her arm up to get her friend's attention. Apple blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear as she walked towards them. She couldn't remember when Raven and Darling had become so close, but they were spending so much time together nowadays.
"How are you feeling about next year?" Rosabella Beauty asked, taking a bite out of a cookie, which Apple recognized as Ginger Breadhouse's from the icing.
Apple sat across from the trio. Rosabella didn't know how difficult of a question she had just asked. "I'm... hex-cited!" Apple exclaimed. She tried to reflect the lie in her tone, but even she didn't find herself convincing.
Raven furrowed her brow and took Apple's hand. "Apple, I know it's scary, but you say it best yourself: stories have a way of working themselves out! Just because things aren't going the way you imagined doesn't mean you won't get your Happily Ever After."
Apple smiled. They may be cut from a different cloth, but Raven could read her like a book.
Rosabella nodded meaningfully. "Just look at me! I never expected Daring to be the beast in my story, yet here we are." Her gaze slid to a human Daring Charming, playfully tackling his brother, Dexter Charming. Rosabella chuckled as Darling's face fell into her palm. "Sometimes, you can't see a puzzle piece until it falls into place."
Apple considered her friends' words. Perhaps this... funk... was just a matter of perspective. If she believed things were going to work out, as truly as she had before, maybe they would. Maybe this was all part of some bigger plan.
It was high time she took matters into her own hands -- Apple could only handle being un-perfect for so long. She was determined to make it up to Raven and all of Ever After High. And, she hoped, more than anything she had ever hoped for, that her destiny would find her along the way. It had to.