After Alice' visit in Wonderland, Cheshire decides to take a gander around the outskirts of this magical place. Due to FIM's 5 character rule, marked other.
I got this idea while watching the 1950's Alice In Wonderland while watching it with my dad late one night.
It's been a long day and Red Queen has already forced Alice out of 'Dream Like' state, but while everything in Wonderland may seem normal (If you count talking playing cards, flowers, and animals normal) one little pink and purple cat is bored out his mind... if he had one. Cheshire Cat, or as his friends call him 'Ches', was floating lazily above the forest where he met Alice. Looking the signs go That Way and This Way, Up and Down, Left and Right. One sign on the other hand caught his eye, and this sign said 'Round The Bend'. Ches had been in the forest for years, and he's never seen this sign before.
"Where could it go I wonder, where in Wonderland could this sign lead?" He asked himself and the forest around him. He purred to himself pondering on whether he should tred on this path or not. He gave a shrug and floated down the path with his smile that could be trademarked, and right away he found things were different. The trees were... almost normal, the animals, most anyway, don't talk and the atmosphere was darker then usual. He did not like where this path had led him. As he floated slowly down to the ground he saw a small wooden sign that had seen better days and it read:
Everfree Forest
This sign for some reason unnerved him. Him! The Cheshire Cat being unnerved! The thought was almost impossible, but considering that himself didn't believed it, it must be true. The cat decided to play it safe and turn into a pair of eyes and a mouth. As he rounded trees and dodged battles with furious animals, he finally found himself at the end of the forest. He smiled and made the rest of himself visible. He landed on the roof of a cottage hugging the boarder of the forest. He looked down to see an amazing sight. A horse or more correctly a pony but that's not what amazed him. This pony had a yellow coat with a pink mane and had three butterflys on her flank. He stared and saw Alice for a split second and a thought came to him. He smiled and floated to a tree that was behind her.
"Lose something?" He said with a grin on his face. The pony jumped and looked around to see where the voice came from.
"Wh-who said that?" She said nervously and took cover under a bush, but little did she know that a smile had appeared next to her and to eyes as well...
"Why, only me. Can't you tell?" He said as her eyes fell upon his smile and his yellow eyes. She screamed and jumped out of the bush and took cover behind small purple box. The box she was in suddenly lifted and with her eyes still closed she screamed.
"Please don't hurt me I promise I'll leave you alone!" She squeaked out and as she looked up she saw that there was only a cat that consisted of pink and purple. It gave a purr and rubbed itself against her and she giggled at him. "Silly kitty, you scared me to death with that stunt," She said continuing to pet him with her hoof.
"Oh, well I thought it was pretty great stunt if you ask me,"
She stopped petting the cat and looked down back at its face to see it smiling and its eyes rolling in different directions. "Now what about this? Is this a good stunt?" He asked and his body disappeared but his smile and eyes still remain.
"And the Mome Raths Out Grabe..." The voice sang as it disappeared out of her sight. She looked fearful and ran back inside of her cottage. She quickly got a glass of water, finished it, and looked around to make sure she wasn't crazy.
"By the way," The voice said again and she looked for his source only to find him standing on the ceiling. "he went that way," He said pointing to his left.
"Who did?"
"The white rabbit,"
"He did!"
"He did what?"
"Go that way,"
"Who did?"
"My rabbit!" She said getting cross with this cat.
"What rabbit?" He said with a small shrug and floated down to her eye level. She hopped back looking fearful.
"Tell me my dear," Said the Cheshire Cat. "what is your name?" He asked and poked her in the nose. She stuttered he cupped his paw to his ear. "Say that again deary?"
"Fl-Fluttershy," She said. Fluttershy sat up to meet his yellow eyed gaze and his widened. He began to laugh but just as suddenly as he did he stopped.
"You may have notice that I'm not all there myself," He said and began to disappear and laughing again. "Good bye dear Fluttershy, but remember, your Angel went that way," He said pointing at fridge and winked out of her sight. When she regained her mind, she walked to the refrigerator and opened it to see a very cross bunny hop out the white metal box.
"Oh I'm sorry Angel, why were you in there in the first place?" Fluttershy's only answer came with a smack across the face and a book in her line of vision. "Ok Angel with a cherry this time," She said as she walked to the cabinet to retrieve the food stuffs for the bunny's dish. As she was however, she swore she heard signing just out side the window. She smiled and happily walked out of the kitchen and saw that same smile looking back at her and it sang.
"And the Mome Raths out Grabe..."
Before winking out never to be seen again... until it showed itself at a certain farm ponies orchard...
"Hmmm, maybe I was being to easy on the little pony..." The Cheshire Cat said trailing behind some bird seeds that he had taken before he had left. As he floated lazily above Ponyville, he stopped at a particular piece of land that again intrigued him. A small farm but upon looking at the vast hills, he could now say a big farm. A really big farm. He floated to the trees spotted with apples of many different colors, consisting of red, green, yellow, a mix of two colors, and he could swear he saw rainbows! It was all very strange for the Cheshire Cat, but that wasn't going to stop him from having fun.
In stead, what was going to stop him was white, brown... and canine. Due to popular belief, cats are deathly afraid of dogs, however, in Wonderland dogs and cats live in harmony (Pardon the pun). What happens when a dog barks at a cat? It runs, obviously. But what happens when a dog barks at the Cheshire Cat? Well, this happens.
BARK, BARK!
"EEEEEE!" The Cheshire Cat screamed and flew over to the nearest tree. The accursed dog kept barking him up the tree, so to speak. He was shaking with fear, and the dog only growled at his presence. The Cheshire Cat under any circumstances did NOT like dogs. He disliked them in fact. Mangy mutt... He thought to himself, his frowning. That is, he heard another sound.
"Winona! Get back over here this instant!" Upon hearing this voice he smiled again think of Alice and her difficult time with talking to him. He giggled at the memory and walked to the edge of the branch. He murped at the golden orange pony below him and when she looked up she had a glare on her face.
"Winona, did you chase this cat up the tree?" She asked the dog and the dog replied with a small whimper and nodding conformation. She glared at the cat and back at the dog walking up to the tree. She gave a mighty kick to the tree knocking all the apples and its only occupant out of the tree. Ches landed first, followed by the apples that buried him with out even trying. She faltered only slightly expecting the cat to pop out of the apples but when this did not happen, she feared for him.
"Is that anyway to treat a visitor? Why, I thought the last one was nicer than Alice herself," A voice said from above the pony. She looked around but could not find the speaker. A laugh emanated from above her but every time she looked she saw no one there.
"You might want to look up. Not up." The voice said and laughed again when she looked up at the tree. "Try your hat..." The voice said and she took her hat off to see nothing there.
"I swear, if ya'll don't come out right now, Ah'll skin ya the first chance I get!" She screamed to the seemingly invisible voice. He chuckled at this.
"Did you check your head?" He asked seeing if she could play along. She swatted her head, only to hit herself and she wobbled about. While she regained herself, the Cheshire cat moved in her line of sight grinning ear to ear. Literally. When she regained her sight she saw him smiling and laughing at her.
"'Twas brillig and the slithy toves, did grye and grimble in the wabe. The Cheshire Cat sang out infront of her. All mimsy and the borogoves, and the mome raths out grabe." He sang and did a small bow.
"...I need to lay off the cider..." She said as she walked back to her house. The cat scoffed and floated toward her.
"Now, whats the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He ask and pulled out her tongue. Now, her tongue didn't bleed nor did it hurt. But the pure shock of the cat doing that sent her over the edge. She gaped and boiling with anger.
"Giv' me bah mah hun!" She said.
"Your what?"
"Mah. Hun."
"Come again? I didn't catch that," He said as she ripped her tongue out of his grasp and placed it in her mouth.
"I said, Give me back mah tongue!" She yelled at the cat who in response, pulled out her tongue again. She begining to become cross with this cat. Very cross. She didn't not like being made a fool of, she did not like talking cats, (She cannot confirm nor deny that she has met any.) and she most certainly did NOT like having her tongue ripped out of her head. Twice! She took her tongue and, again, put it in her mouth.
"Now look here mister cat, I don't know who you are or where you came from and frankly I don't care but I-"
"You don't where I came from? Well I came from Cheshire! It's a wonderful place around this time a year and I must tell you, you can't find another place like it!" He said cutting her off. "And it just came to me, what is your name?" He said, smile still adorned on his face.
"Well, mah names Applejack, and this hereis Winona," She said gesturing down at the dog who had a growl on his face.
"Well Miss Applejack, I can assure you that I meant no harm. Just simple pranks," He said looking at her with his yellow eyes. He... unnerved Applejack with his fancy Canterlot accent but the more he look down on her the more she saw...
"Discord..." She whispered that accursed name and Winona backed up in fright.
"I-I-I beg pardon? No, I'm The Cheshire Cat. Not this Discord..." He said with a smile that would split anyponies face in two, save for Pinkie Pie. "But... if you think that I am dangerous, well you have yet to meet the Bandersnatch, or the Jabberwocky," He said as faded in the air.
"Wait, what are you talking about? Are ya'll mad or sumthing?" She asked before he faded only leaving two eyes and a mouth.
"You should know... after all, we're all mad here..." He said laughing into nothing before Applejacks' very eyes.
"Well, if ain't one thang... it's another..." She said going back to work.
"Wait a minute... THAT DARN CAT STOLE MY APPLES!!" Applejack screamed as she looked the pile that fell with the Cheshire Cat. Last she counted, at least thirteen apples fell, now she counted nine. "I swear, when I see that cat I'm gonna skin him alive..." She said with anger ever raising.
--Elsewhere--
The Cheshire Cat was happily munching his third apple and hovering over Ponyville. "Hmm... I feel like getting a hat. The Mad Hatter would never let me wear his hat..." Ches thought to himself. After milling about floating out of the perceptive gaze of everypony, he found a purple building with a fancy sign on top.
Carousel Boutique: Where all your fashion dreams come true!
"A boutique? Well, that some where I haven't been in a long time," The Cheshire Cat said to himself as he phased through the window almost effortlessly. Almost. When he entered he noticed that his tail was still outside. It tapped against the glass and, if it had eyes, gave him and angry look. Ches smiled nervously, and stuck his butt the window then as he pulled away his tail came with this time. "Better?" He asked his tail, and in response his tail nodded.
As he walked on the floor, he jumped on the counter where the sewing machine was. From that point on he was looking for a hat to fit, and one that looked like the Mad Hatters'. As he was browsing, he heard a scream that was the mix between the Jubjub Bird, and the Red Queen herself. Or better yet, a white unicorn pony with purple curls with red brim glasses.
"Opalescence! What do to your wonderful coat?! Where's your ribbons?! And collar?!" The white pony screamed. Ches was plucked by her magic, and set down on the floor. "And, what were you doing browsing hats? Cats don't wear hats!"
"How rude of you to think so..."
"How rude of me?! Well Opalescence, I had enough your back talk. Now go out-" Click. Wait a minute. Opal doesn't talk... She looked back down at the pink and purple cat, whose yellow eyes made her feel uneased. He looked back up at her with a unpleasant frown upon his face.
"Well, I never! Never in all my years have met a rude, brutish, and most uncivilized being in all my life! Why, you had a potential customer and good job! You just blew him out the window! Good day madam!" Ches said as he faded from her gaze. Never had he been so insulted before. She was throwing insults left and right. His coat was wonderful, he did not wear ribbons, and he most certainly did not wear a collar. And to top it all off she said 'Cats don't wear hats.' He scoffed and walked behind the shop of his (once thought) dreams.
Upon going to the back of the store, he saw an alluring sight. There, sitting on a box like tower, was a white cat with purple ribbons, and diamond fitted collar. But all those where nothing to Ches as he stared into her eyes. Those jade green eyes that had small black slits. Upon seeing her, he had wide eyes and an urge to sing.
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord... I've been waiting for this moment, for all my life, oh lord... Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord...
His face was a stark red. His cheeks burned like fire and she took notice to him.
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord... I've been waiting for this moment, for all my life, oh lord... I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord... I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord, oh lord...
She jumped from her box tower, and strutted up to him examining him up down. As she did her tail stroked his chin.
And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord... I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord... I can feel it in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord... And I've been waiting for this moment all my life, oh lord, oh lord...
She purred in his ear, and rubbed herself against his body. He kept still, for he feared if he moved, she would leave him for another male. The white Persian Cat began to notice this and rubbed again on his soft underbelly. He felt like he was melting under her trance, when she came to his face again she did not say it, but one could see it in her jade eyes.
"On the ground please..." They said and Ches was more then eager to comply. He was on the ground as fast as he possibly could. On his back, he looked up to see her come over his form. If face was pink before, then it was crimson red now. She smiled at his obedience, and murrped a compliment. He murrped back. Then once again the screech was heard.
"Opalescence! Where are you?" The white pony cried. The white cat, whose name was Opalescence, looked at him in the eyes. He could read the message.
"Will we meet again?" Her eyes asked. He only replied with a nod before he smiled and phased out of Opals' sight. While she stood there confused wondering if that cat was real or not, the white unicorn came from the corner.
"There you are, my little baby~ Now Momma Rarity's gonna be gone for a few days so you behave yourself," she said after putting Opal inside the shop. Opal sighed the best the could, and curled on her cat bed. As she did, she thought, she had been with many males on her free time, but this one smarted than the rest. A "Diamond in the Rough" as Rarity would say. But as she did her normal routine, she was quite shocked that the cat could talk. As she lay her head down and prepared for her cat nap subconsciously thought and "talked" at the same time.
"Murrp meow, meooow..." (I wish you give your heart to me so I can love you...)
"My heart will always belong to you..." Opal sat straight up looking the source of the voice only to find a small music box, that played a sweet loving melody as she drifted off to sleep unaware of the yellow eyes watching her...
Night had befallen Equestria and Princess Celestia had lowered the Sun to let her sister Luna raise the Moon. As Luna rose the Moon, she felt dreams coming from many different ponies. The teal unicorn with the harp cutie mark dreamed of world like no other, Celestia's Faithful Student was dreaming about how would life be if they switched places, but one dream caught her off guard. In the Canterlot Gardens outside the castle, she even saw Discord in his stone prison dream. She giggled when she saw him dream in a world full of cotton candy clouds and rivers of strawberry milk.
She check on Scootaloo to see if she was still having nightmares. Thankfully no, but her dream was still filled of many strange things, like scary backgrounds and mind boggling sounds. She looked at her Moon, remembering things from before her... accident, but at the same time she remembered how it felt to be embedded with impossible power. She hated it. Luna sighed and kept looking at dreams, never interfering unless it was necessary. As she came to one dream, again catching off guard, she looked into the dreams of a cat. This cat reeked with power, but never bothered to use it unless he needed it.
"What are you?" she asked herself. As she wandered into the cats dreams she stopped and looked around to see very weird and strange birds. She saw birds that were shaped as umbrellas, shovels, buckets and many more things. She looked on in his dream and finally stopped at the many signs. They said, 'This way' and 'That way'. 'Up' or 'Down' and 'Side to Side'. She even read two signs that said: 'East to Queast' and 'South to Snouth' As she examined these signs she heard a voice of a girl.
"Why you're a cat!" Her voice said.
"A Cheshire Cat," A high but friendly voice correct. Luna had seen many things before, but this was completely new. A human girl in this cats' dreams? But how? After watching the conversation she heard the girl again.
"I don't want to go around running to mad people," She said in a sweet voice.
"Oh, you can't help that! Most everyone's here," He said as his voice starting laugh and grew dimmer and dimmer. The girl grumbled to herself to quietly so that only she could here herself. Luna watched as the background grew dark until nothing was left but her.
"Maybe he has woken up?" She asked herself.
"Now why would you think that?" His voice echoed in the dark dream world. She stiffen, only for a second before calming down. In his dreams, he towered over her, with a smile that would even split a Jack-O-Lantern. As he stared down at her, he noticed the crown on top her head.
"Well, I had no idea there was another royal in Wonderland..." He said mostly to himself. He shrunk down to size and did a curt bow before resting in a tree that popped in the darkness. Luna was amazed by how much energy leaked and flowed of this cat. But that's when it hit her as well.
It was a cat.
Luna, in all her thousands of years of life, has never seen a cat with this much power. (Again, she cannot claim nor deny.) How was one cat so powerful? This 'Cheshire Cat' could probably topple over Celestia, herself, and-
"No!" She thought to herself. No matter how innocent he may be, or how they used to be childhood friends, she would not say his name again. See him and speaking about him were two different things in her eyes. As the she shook of her thoughts, she drew her attention back to the tree.
"Tell me cat, what is your reason here?" She asked with the slightest bit of authority. He noticed this but he played dumb.
"Why, I was just strolling around when I saw a sign, a sign that said 'Everfree'," He said drawing a gasp from Luna. "There, I saw monsters like never I've seen before," He continued. "But honestly, I would say that they aren't really as strong as they think," He said confusing Luna.
"Why would you think so?" She ask curiously.
"When it comes to the Bandesnach..." He said as a large image of cat-like creature came from the darkness and where its belly should be, is net and the end of its tail was large claw, Luna suspected, that was used to grab something and store it. "...they don't stand a chance," he said as the image dissipated. Another image came up and this was a winged creature, who had both teeth and beak. It looked as if it would tare anything that looked at it to shreds.
"This lovely little canary, is the Jubjub Bird," He said as it as took to the skies of the black realm. It was like staring up at fire work that hasn't went off. As it landed it began it to call.
Jub-Jub. Jub-Jub. The bird called. The bird, like the Bandersnatch, dissipated into the dark. As he walked next to Luna, he had a small sad frown on his face.
"And finally, the Jaberwocky..." Though she couldn't see it, she could feel it. The Jabberwocky stared at them with piercing red eyes. ready to strike at any moment. She could barely make out the outline it made, and it was big. The wings grew to atleast three and half cottages in Ponyville, its head was the shape of Spikes when he was a rampaging Greed-Dragon, but the tail was the most frightening part. The tail was thick from the base and thinned to the end, on the end however, was a club like bone. The black realm conjured up cottages and showed how small they were compared to the Jaberwocky.
With one swing, the cottages were nothing but splinters in seconds. Luna watched as this monster destroyed the homes, almost forgetting it was a dream. She stared as the red eyes dissipated and finally she looked back at him with a sad frown still on his face.
"That was the reason... everything in Cheshire burned. The reason why I am the last of my kind," He said with a small tear. That tear hit the dark realm and and it burst to flames, different creatures going around.
"DESTROY THEM!! MAKE SURE NONE SURVIVE!!!" A deep raspy voice filled the air and when Luna turned to see, despite the fact it was still an outline, it was the Jaberwocky. Blue flames came out of its mouth burning all in its way. By the time the smoke cleared, everything was ash. The occupants that were once there, gone. The only one left standing was a small pink and purple kitten who had yellow eyes...
----
The Sun shone over Ponyville, filling the small village with warm rays of spring. While every pony was out as happy as could be, one cat found himself shedding a tear for the one who shared his dreams... He could still hear the screams...
"Mommy! Daddy!"
He shuddered at the sound... and wept for the lost...
