"Are you really sure about this?" Cinderella reluctantly asked. 

"Of course!" Snow White said to loudly for comfort, and was met with the blonde clamping a hand over her mouth and raising a finger to her own lips.

It was the dead of night, the only lighting available was the white moon, and currently she was helping her best friend, who was a princess, break into her own castle to try and find the king. And into the office of her step-mother Regina no less! 

It had been 2 months since King White had remarried, and suffice to say both Cinderella and Snow White hated the new queen with a fire. Put it simply the only thing attractive about her was her looks, but since those had started to fade, she had started to truly look like the witch she was. 

The only reason the scullery maid was assisting with this madness was out of simple devotion to the princess. They had known each other since they were 13, when Snow White convinced her father to hire her at the castle and save her from a hellish existence from her own step-mother.

She knew all to well the feeling of a having a cruel new mother figure in your life while having a missing father, and while she was glad to assist, she at the moment was proceeding with much more caution then her brunette friend. Regina would have their heads!

"The things you do for friendship," She mentally lamented. 

With that they unfurled two long, thick ropes and tossed them through the opening of an open window. Next was the hard part, actually climbing. While Snow had no problem, being strong as an ox, Cinderella struggled thanks to her dainty limbs caused by years of not exactly eating like a king. 

Eventually the pair made it to the top and caught their bearings on the windowsill before sliding down the ropes. While the princess landed solidly on the ground like a cat, the blonde was lucky enough to land right in the nearby velvet chair on her butt. 

"We made it," Cinderella gasped in relief before she noticed a certain someone was looking off in space. "Snow?" She then looked over the shoulder of her friend to see what the fuss was about and was immediately caught off-guard by a tree sprouting in the middle of the room. What's stranger was that the leaves were paper white!

"This wasn't here before," Snow said confusedly, raising her brow at her friend. "How is a tree growing out of marble?" Cinderella responded in a tone laced with suspicion.

"I don't know, but she must be up to something."

With that they set out about the room in search of clues for what had befallen the king. Snow was propping up the numerous paintings in search of a safe, and Cinderella was tapping all the floorboards in hope one was hollow. This went on until the creaking of the door could be heard along with the light of a lantern, as one of Regina's little bear henchmen came in via broom.

Thankfully the two women were in close proximity, allowing them to take cover under the desk together. For a tense moment, the two held their breath while huddled together, but just when they thought they were in the clear the little bear made a sharp turn and looked back at the rope protruding out of the window.

"Huh, you weren't here before," he said in an oddly adorable voice while coming to fly up to the rope, before turning the light in their basic direction. However, fast reflexes proved yet again to be a god send and they were able to turn to the other side of the table, and eventually the henchmen left, leaving the princess and maid to their mission.

As they went to stand up, Snow hit her head on the bottom side of the desk revealing a trapdoor as a leather-bound journal slid out into her hand. There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other in shock. Did they just find the key to saving the kingdom by accident. Yep. 

They high-fived and both let out a triumphant "Yes!" before laying out the book to reads it's contents.

It started out fairly normal, with a recount of Snow's eighteenth birthday party. Of the day Regina entered their lives. It went on into detail about his marriage to her and how 'perfect' she was. Cinderella was beginning to think they had hit a dead end until a line grabbed her attention.

"Except for Regina's strange looking mirror. There's something not quite right. People around the castle have been disappearing one by one. Is it because of that peculiar mirror?"

The entry then finished, leaving the two reader's vastly enlightened yet confused. Magic mirror? Since when did Regina have one of those? Although this did offer an explanation as to the various missing people. Continuing on, the next passage was even more chilling.

"I saw it with my own eyes. Regina talking to a tree. She must be a witch. I should send Snow away to a safer place along with Cinderella, whom I have heard Regina muttering constantly. "

"Me? Do you think she intended to get rid of me?" Cinderella asked Snow in surprise. "I can't say," the princess responded. "But we were right about her being a witch. Look," she flipped the page, "There's one more before it cuts off."

"My dear Snow and loyal Cinderella, by the time you read this my fate will be uncertain. She's coming for me now. I only hope you can find the Fearless Seven and ask them for help!  Apples. The most suspicious of fruits."

The reading ended with Cinderella wide-eyed at the text and Snow with a forlorn look in her eyes. "Oh papa," she whispered, "Where are you?". The servant seeing this dipped down to swiftly embrace her and bring her to a standing position. "Well you heard him. We have to find the Fearless Seven!"

Suddenly the morning bell chimed and Snow looked up at the tree, seemingly entranced as she made her way towards the two red apples hanging on them. "S..Snow? What are you doing?" Cinderella followed her to make sure she did nothing foolish. As they made their way to the tree, something utterly miraculous happened. The apples morphed into a pair of red shoes. Looking at her friend, Snow stood with an entranced look at the shoes, while Cinderella felt something while gazing at them.

They almost felt pervasive. Like they were delving into her mind to find her deepest desires and to take advantage of her. The almost seemed possessed. 

So lost in her inner musings, she was roused when Snow suddenly plucked them from the tree. "Snow what are you doing!" Cinderella cried before gripping the princesses wrists, the brunette only now seeming to realize what she had done. Before anything else could be said, the intimidating sound of clacking heels outside could be heard.

"Regina!" They looked at each other. Cinderella knew what it could mean if they were caught. However, she knew Snow could be much more valuable to the kingdom's future. She needed to stay safe at all costs, being the heir. In a split-second decision, The scullery maid, grabbed the shoes from Snow and pushed her back. "Go," she pleaded. "Get back to your room and I'll cover for you. It's important you stay safe. I'll try to get away and find the Fearless Seven."

"What! No, Ella you can't. Do you know what she'll do to you!"

Cinderella pulled her in for a quick embrace before pushing her back by the shoulders. "I know what she'll do, and that's why as soon as I get the chance I'll book it. Now go, and I'll bring your father back."

Reluctantly, Snow turned to the window and scaled up the rope laving Cinderella. Critically thinking, she deduced the shoes must be important, and seeing as she had no better way to carry them and the fact that she might need her hands, she did the next best thing.

She put them on.

Suddenly a bright, white light engulfed the room as the shoes seemed to change. Sadly the wonder was interrupted as Regina came barreling into the room, looking down in horror at the shoes on Cinderella's feet.

Looking down herself, she saw what the fuss was. The shoes had changed from solid red, to a clear...wait were they made of glass now!

The stuper was broken when the queen screeched. "You..Cinderella...my shoes! GET HER!" Then, by what she assumed was magic, a predatory looking vine came shooting out towards her, causing the servant girl to jump behind the desk for momentary cover, only for the matching chair to be crushed to bits.

She attempted to jump off onto the side only to be met by three more of the bear minions each riding a broom. She ran back again in the opposite direction diving under the vine causing all three bears to crash. Thinking fast she dashed over to one of the currently unoccupied brooms. "Sorry, do you think I could borrow this?"

"Okay" it said in a cute voice. Cinderella genuinely felt bad for the three creatures. They seemed like kind innocent creatures trapped under Regina's thumb. Only one more reason to take her down.

With the go ahead the mounted the broom, and while she got off to a tipsy start, she managed to make her way to the window and shoot off into the distance, narrowly escaping on last vine attack.

******

Elsewhere in the forest, seven princes now turned green dwarfs were slugging on, discussing the need to find a beautiful girl to kiss them, and hopefully return them to their handsome forms. 

All of a sudden a feminine scream rang in the air and a figure on a broom went shooting across the sky in the general direction of their house. 

"What was that," the red-headed one, Hans asked. "Some kind of bird?"

*******

Back at the castle Regina was striding up to her magic mirror, ready to inquire about the girl who continued to be a thorn in her side. Once the mirror finished extending down to her, she asked her question.

"Magic mirror full of wisdom," she said with a scowl before raising her voice. "Whose the fairest in the kingdom!?"

The mirror replied by showing an image of Cinderella on the stolen broom, the now glass slippers on her feet. "The one who wears the glass shoes, Cinderella is the fairest." The mirror then erased the image and his face reappeared. "And side note, wisdom and kingdom don't rhyme."

"Cut the sass! Tell me what happened to change the shoes!" 

The mirror chuckled at the queen's rage and answered. "I guess there are things even you don't know. As you know the red shoes feed off of one's vain desires such as beauty and power, however if the wearer possesses no such desires, the shoes become glass and gain the power to grant any one wish."

"One wish," Regina whispered, the gears turning in her head. She then whipped around to the three bears huddled behind her. "Distribute wanted posters of Cinderella to every town, village, valley, forest and forge in the kingdom and find her!" Once the command was given they scampered off, and the queen slumped in her chair.

"I feel my power draining. I don't have much time, the aging is accelerating," she tugged at her wrinkles. "and only three bumbling bits of kindling for help!"

"Perhaps you should recruit another, someone who stands to gain from your success. How about this fellow." Once again the mirror projected and image, but this time of a most average prince. None the less this peaked Regina's interest. 

Since the moment she had stepped foot in the kingdom, that dirty servant girl had somehow managed to outclass her beauty, and she wouldn't stand for it any longer.

"Interesting," she mused. "Tell me more."

*******

Back at the dwarfs 'castle' hideout, the seven of them had just raced from the forest to investigate the flying figure.

"Hey, over here! Look, look look," Pino, Noki, and Kio called the others over to a dug out line in the dirt. "What is it?" Arthur asked. They followed the line until it connected to a broom stabbed into a tree and a human looking engraving in the leaves.

"I know a lot about silhouette's," The blonde, Jack, stepped forward. "And I think the shape is a witch."

"Let's not jump to conclusions. Yes it could be a witch or...yeah it's a witch." Hans deduced.

"The witch who cursed us! Let's capture her and make her break the spell." Hope coursed through Merlin at the thought. Maybe this could be it. Maybe he wouldn't need a kiss to return to his former self!

They all then heard a groaning sound from the inside of the house, and silently crept towards the door preparing for an assault. Weapons at the ready, Merlin gave Hans a signal to go round back, before the remaining six of the broke down the door and entered.

"En Garde!"Jack yelled. "Wand where I can see it witch!" Merlin demanded, pointing a lighting card at her. They were all expecting a certain something in the figure like green skin or a long nose. What they got though, left them in awe.

Now facing them was the single most beautiful girl any of them had ever seen. With golden blonde hair like the sun, crystal blue eyes the sky could envy, and a gentle expression which maximized her beauty. Even though she was dressed in a tattered brown dress, her elegant glass shoes added simplicity and character. In short, she was an angel. One who could break the curse.

In response the six members of the F7 currently facing her dropped their weapons and simply stared, taking her in while letting out cries of 'wow!' before another voice brought them back to their senses.

"I bake you some revenge," Hans called out and hit the angel over the head with his frying pan, knocking her out, stone cold. There was a moment of silence before Merlin and co. cried out in shock.

"HANS!"