Amalia was beginning to get very tired of sitting by Evangeline on the bank, and of having nothing to do. Once or twice, she had peeped into the book her bodyguard was reading - but it had no paintings or conversations in it. "Why read a book," groaned Amalia, "if there's no paintings or talking? It's just a waste of a good tree. How can you see the shine of the fair princess' hair, or the fangs of the monsters she faces?" She scratched at the daisy in her hair, which was getting dry and droopy in the sweltering sun.

The long-eared Cra turned her focused gaze up to her charge. "All due respect, princess, but most archery training manuals don't have glistening hair or monster teeth." She turned her head to clouds above, and the raging ocean nearby. "Until the seas calm down, we can't travel anywhere without becoming shark food. I'm taking this time to for self-improvement... unlike some Iops."

By the waters, Sir Percedal was screaming challenges, battle cries, and knightly oaths at the crab that stole his lunch. Ruel was a safe distance inland, haggling stubbornly with a "Weather Engineer" of some sort. Occasionally, he prodded Yugo - who broke his cheerful demeanor to make pleading, puppy-dog eyes.

"Urgh, this isn't the adventure I signed up for!" Amalia's bare feet rushed through the grass in defiant stomps, into a wooded area. "If I wanted people telling me to stay still, I could've stuck in the Sadida Kingdom. At least they've got good weather, some Sadida Sacks -- none of these biting insects, or crabs, or..." She squinted at a blue glow in the distance. "...portals?"

Something pale hopped by. Something with long ears, that flopped on each bound. Or was that hair? Happy to have found something to occupy her, the young princess approached - trying her best to hide her wide hips behind the surrounding trees. The curious creature looked like a Wabbit... at the same time, his spry step and fluffy body reminded her of Yugo, in a way. From a pocket in his jacket, he took out a pocket watch, and exclaimed: "Oh no, I'm late!"

"That clock...!" Amalia gasped. The markings on it looked just like the ones she saw around Nox - the Xelor mad scientist out to get them. "But... Yugo's over there, with Ruel. Is this an evil copy? Or did Nox pull him out from a different time...?"

Before she could react with magic, this Yugo-Wabbit disappeared into a portal on the ground. "Hey! Wait up, you!" Rushing after the apparition, she followed him into the blue, spinning aperture -

- and found herself falling down a rabbit hole. Her body spun through the earthy chasm, leaves from her skirt and leg guards catching on twigs and roots. Her full, plump arms waved in surprise. She tried calling out vines to catch her. Above her, the portal to her familiar World of Twelve closed. There was only a curious, tiled floor beneath her - and her target hopping through a tiny door.

Bounding on the vine, into the room, Amalia swung through a table. She knocked a vial of translucent liquid all over herself - the label read "Drink Me." The Sadida felt its contents splashing over her body, from green head to bare toes. Unable to control the arc of her swing, she crashed right into the minuscule doorknob.

"Urgh..." It felt like bees were buzzing about the princess' flowery head. The ceiling spun, growing distant and unreachable. A chilly sensation traversed her brown flesh, as the "drink" seeped into her pores, watering her. With every beat of her heart, she felt herself sink. Like she was... shrinking? She got to her feet, and watched as the minuscule door's frame rose to her ankles; then her knees; then her midriff, and white top; until she could comfortably fit through it. "Oww... What kind of potion is this?"

To her surprise, the doorknob began groaning with her. "That's the hardest knock I've had in a while..."

"A talking... door? I've spoken to trees, but this is something else." She tugged on it, trying to twist it open. "Will you open up, for the Princess Amalia Sheran Sharm?"

In a congested, wheezy tone, it spoke again: "Princess? I don't know of any princess here in Wonderland..." The gold orb refused to budge. "Are you sure you're a princess, and not a potless plant?"

The Sadida clenched her teeth. She was now kicking at the colourful wall - pounding her bare foot to it in brusque slams. "Please! I think I saw a bad guy pass through here! And besides, this room really isn't doing it for my skin!"

With a sneeze, and a shake of its handle, the knob began chuckling. "Are all princesses this persistent? All you need is the key. That glimmering, golden key..." His eyes, brassy and glossed-over, pointed up to the top of a table. Once, it was the perfect height for Amalia. Now, it towered high above both of them.

She coughed back. "So greedy! Just like an Enutrof I know..." It was a long ascent up the table legs. Amalia channeled her energy, and called on nature to help lift her; but there wasn't even a flower in the wide space. Vines emerged from the floorboards, instead: warped, multicoloured, and bizarre; following their own path, as they weaved around the glass furniture. "What?" She formed fists in frustration. "What kind of weeds are these?"

The doorknob chuckled. "You should rather ask, what kind aren't they?"

One rogue, purplish vine knocked Amalia off her feet; pressing her right into the door. Her groin pushed against the knob, causing a blush to cross her face. "Geez, you like making this hard, don't you?" The leafy undergarments stuck to the knob, pushing the damp, green material against him. "You really just want me to stay here with you, huh?"

The entity inhabiting the door reeled back, as best it could, for a stationary object. "Most certainly not, young woman! This keyhole just won't open for any old-"

"-Then you don't mind if I pick your lock?" Teasingly, she inserted a vine in his mouth, brushing it about in circles. He sputtered, the texture tickling gaping mouth. Feeling a little bolder, the princess lifted a leg, and pushed a whole toe in. It was like gagging him, with each wiggle making him twitch and shiver.

Finally, his rusty voice squealed: "Enough! Don't you have any other doors to bother?"

Amalia thought. "What if I made another one?" With another fierce kick, the Sadida princess hit the already-bashed house wall. "I'll just break my way through!"

SLAM. Her sole, dirty from days of travel, made a harsh noise against the wall - shaking the knob.

He cried: "Stop!"

SLAM. Another blow, accompanied by thin traces of moisture sticking to her soles.

The doorknob's protests continued: "Why, you wouldn't treat a window this way, would you?"

SLAM. This kick made the room tremble.

With her thin green brows furrowing, Amalia brushed accumulated dirt off her legs. "It's not working. Maybe if I cast that Sadida's Tear spell..."

It took a lot of focus. Rarely had she ever used this technique - she'd only seen her mom do it once, earlier than she could remember. With an ethereal glow, some water came from her hands. It didn't create the water jet she wanted; the spell manifested more like a rising puddle. However, fed by the liquid, those vines around her grew larger, wider. They knocked over the table, sending its key, bottle, and a tiny box splashing right behind her. This box's sudden crash in the waters generated a tidal wave; washing Amalia out through the bursting door. She vaguely heard the bemused doorknob shout "Good riddance!" behind her, as the waves carried her out into a vast forest.

*Splash...*

"Urgh! What was that all about...?" As she shook the wet droplets out of her hair, and wrung the leaves forming her clothes, she took inventory of her surroundings. There were rows of trees, which looked close enough to the vegetation in her kingdom. However, the massive mushrooms and hut-like houses threw everything off. Each was either too large, or too small. That liquid had shrunk her earlier, hadn't it? Maybe her scale was playing tricks on her deep, gentle eyes.

Noticing a pretty box that had washed up with her, Amalia took it with her. "Wonderland, he said? Yeah, I'm wondering a lot of things already. Where did that fluffy guy - ahh!"

From between the shrubberies, that familiar blue glow sparked again - leading the princess to the next portal. The openings rushed right inside one of those homes: a quaint structure with a straw roof, and pale walls that had gaudy pink accents.

That Wabbit had jumped right in. If the princess entered the house now, she'd be able to catch him by surprise - and he'd have nowhere to hop off to!

Slinking in - with as much stealth as she could manage while still soaked - Amalia sneaked into the door. The place was stuffed humble, cozy furnishings - old trinkets and decorations that looked like antiques, but from countries that she couldn't recognize at all. If Ruel was here, he'd surely be appraising every little knickknack, estimating their costs. The carpet tickled her toes on each step; but she kept her laughter muted, knowing it'd ruin her ambush. Noticing something wobbling in a room upstairs, she trekked towards it. Eyes alert. Steps cautious Her hips had a bit of trouble fitting through the stairs' narrow railings. As they squeezed in the room, wiggling around the doorframe, they knocked over a vase and picture.

"Aww, no!" Bounding to catch them, she juggled them back up between her hands and waist - as sweat poured down her forehead.

"Easy, easy..." With a deep breath, rustling the leaves on her outfit, she held her stomach. No signs of that fleeing creature in this room - it had naught but a soft bed and cabinet. Still, she had to silence any noises around, or her infiltration plan would be wholly ruined.

*Grumble...*

A blush crossed her brown cheeks. That was her tummy rumbling, through the thin walls. Honestly, after that spell-casting, she was hungry - but why did her stomach have to bug her now?

Eager to silence her hunger pangs, she fished around her shirt for that tiny box from the entrance. It was full of cookies, wafers, and biscuits with fancy decorations atop - each with "Eat Me" written on in pink candy. Probably not very filling in the long-term: but she needed a quick boost more than anything. And so, she gobbled them down quickly, barely even chewing before swallowing each treat.

Between bites, a bit of a fluffy tail caught the corner of her eye. The Wabbit with the clock was downstairs; and about the get away! She leaped for the halls, ready to take chase again...

...But couldn't get through the doorway.

Her hefty hips, which already had trouble sliding in, could now barely budge past the frame. The walls buckled and creaked around the ample curves. A few cracks slid out in the white, wooden surface, reaching out through the halls. And they were getting bigger - while the doorway was only getting tighter around Amalia's poor, plump frame!

The princess yelped in surprise, covering her own mouth. The swift motion of her arms knocked paintings off the walls, and left holes. "Am I growing? What kind of nutrients did those cookies have?" She stared at her gut, which started sliding across the floor - and busting through the floorboards. "Urgh, I should've listened to Eva when she said these snacks would be bad for my form..."

Sprouting out, her arms reached further and further across the halls, and down the stairs. Thanks to her awkward position, her left knee was bursting out of the top floor, breaking into the living room. Her head bumped on the ceiling, lifting the straw roof an inch or two up. She tried to grab the stairs' railings to stay steady - but found herself pulping the wood with barely even a touch.

Well, that was her stealthy approach flying right out the window. Literally, in fact: her right heel was poking out the window, shattering its frame, extending further and further out by the minute. Meanwhile, her left foot was making its way down the floors, and into the basement, with no signs of stopping.

A familiar, squeaky voice shouted from below: "Help! Monster!"

She twisted her head to the sudden noise - cascading locks of her green hair knocking over a bookshelf and chair. "Monster? At a time like this? I'm not exactly in fighting condition, here--!" She clenched her teeth, and flailed helplessly in place. One outstretched hand clawed through the furthest wall, opening up a tiny peephole for her: a glimpse at the outside world, still shrinking away before her eyes.

The Yugo-like Wabbit was panicking outside, hopping from portal to portal, like a fish skimming a pond. To her surprise, a wandering dodo in formal gear strutted by, his beak held high. Instantly, the fluffy creature jumped to him, pulling on his coat. "Hyelp! There's a monster growing in my house! I-I was just getting ready for the queen, and - and it's like vines bursting out over the walls! Oh, I hope my poor Tofu is alright in there!"

"Hey!" Amalia called from the window, her bark shaking the ceiling lights. "I should be the one calling you a monster - with that Nox-y clock, and your weird fertilizing food!"

This shout sent saliva crashing on the Wabbit's face; he shook his fur in terror, puffing it up. "Aurgh! The beast is getting angrier! It'll tear my house apart at this rate!"

With a quiet stare, and a shake of the head, the proud bird propped a hand up to Amalia's outbursting heel. The dirty sole twitched, tickled, as his feathers sunk in. "Well, this sure is a big ol' thing. Why, leave this any longer, and you'll have a Great Redwood poppin' out of your windows. Could even have a new forest." He stepped up her leg in fluttering leaps - tickling the gargantuan woman. Her writhing and chuckling kept her from fighting back, or doing anything but shaking. It caused miniature tremors in the ground around, knocking the Wabbit off-balance. The dodo continued trotting along the limb: "Nothing I haven't handled before, though. Monster, leave this house so we can have a proper battle!"

Amalia stared at him through the crumbling holes. "Geez - what are these guys? Treating a princess like she's some sorta weed... You're as muscle-headed as an Iop!" She reached out through the house; but only made more of the upper floors collapse on her. Rubble, furniture, and walls scattered across her half-naked spine, down into her hair, and on her buttocks.

With a little tweet, the Dodo called out to a nearby lizard, bearing a ladder. "You there!" His wide feathers pushed him up. "You can fit in that chimney, right? Pull the beast out through it, and I'll handle the rest!"

Sputtering, the lizard climbed the walls - which now slanted and tilted with every breath its occupant took. "The things I do for this guy..." The little wobbles made the princess' dark skin crawl with goosebumps. His thin frame crept down the chimney... and right onto Amalia's dainty, upraised buttocks.

"Eeep!" She squealed at the cold sensation. Her bulging rear was now pressed against either wall - tight, uncomfortable, and sensitive to even the tiniest touch. The walls' angular frame was almost shaping her round curves, like watermelons forced into cubes. Still immobilized by the surrounding woodwork, she could do nothing but thrash her legs and hands and hold her breath. As the lizard entered, her right foot crashed against the dirt and bushes outside - trampling some of the beautiful, multicoloured flowers surrounding the house. "I want out as much as you want me out, but - watch the merchandise!"

Heedlessly, the lizard pulled at the leafy pants. Its rubbery material bounced him back - pinning him between the twin spheres. The princess kept itching. "Get off there! You can't treat the daughter of King Sadida this way!"

He groaned, getting back to his spindly legs. "I ain't happy 'bout this predicament either, your highness. Gotta do what that dodo tells me, though." Again, he pulled at the green surface; and again, his arms gave out, his body crashing into her cheeks.

"Just like Percy with that sword..." Amalia's leg muscles clenched at the strange sensation, cracking even more of the surrounding structure. "If you keep pulling from there, you'll give me a wedgie!" The plump toes on her left foot curled up in discomfort. They scooped a few of the food crates around the Wabbit's basement, popping them like grapes. That mushy sensation running down her toes only worsened the Sadida's sticky situation.

The tiny reptile scampered closer to the chimney, rubbing his hand together. "Well then, missus, best approach it from another angle!" He began tugging more at her bottom; putting his full force in it; feet sinking into the vast, ever-increasing softness of her booty. Finally, his efforts paid off: a twig snapped on Amalia's outfit. It flung the lizard with such incredible force, that it catapulted him out the chimney, and into the sky.

If the princess had full range of motion, she would put her palm in her face. "Am I ever gonna get out of here...?"

The Yugo-esque Wabbit bounced around in a panic. "The monster! It made such quick work of him! Oh, how will my poor house ever survive...?"

After a moment to think, the Dodo snapped his feathers - and pulled out a match. "Well, this beast is already practically kindling. Why not set it on fire?"

"F-fire?" He gulped.

"Fire?!" The Sadida screamed alongside him. Face pressed to the outer wall, she ripped a larger peephole in the wall. The surface loosened between the pillar-like joints. Was that birdbrain really going to do this?

Lighting the little matchstick on the rabbit's clothes, the bird approached the house. Amalia's squirming had lifted significant chunks of it from the ground; the basement was beginning to peek out from the roots and mud. He paid no mind to the princess' squirming, or the Wabbit's fussing. All it took was a flutter, and a spark - and soon, the base began smoking. The vapors rose up the floors, sweeping into the Sadida's nostrils. Her sneezes and coughs rumbled across the land, making the Wabbit's heart skip. Intense warmth built up around her ankles...

She shouted: "I'll get turned to firewood at this rate! Gotta -- *choke* -- find some way to -- *gag*!" Her speech wavered amid the smoke penetrating her respiratory system. Plant magic would only give the fire more fuel. Desperate to get out, she started lifting as hard as she could, pushing her hands against the ground; bearing the weight of the cabin on her tough, enlarged shoulders.

...*creeeak-snapsnapSNAPSNAP*...

She felt the heavy structure lifting in the air. An avalanche of splinters descended around her, more and more wood raining around from the hut.

...*sssCRRUNCH-!*

The fluffy creature yelled in panic. "My house! My house has grown legs!"

Amalia couldn't focus on him. She was practically wearing his home like clothing, struggling to balance it. The fire started at a bit of hay, which was right near her soles... In a couple of steady, heavy stomps, she snuffed it out beneath her soles. All that was left was a little flame. Lumbering around, the princess lowered her face to it - and blew the fire out like a candle. It was nothing but a breeze to her; but her breath sent the Dodo flying into the skies.

"Ah, there's your problem!" The Dodo spoke calmly from the air, waving to them. "This monster's a Baba Yaga! Why didn't you say so from the start?"

As she rose back up, a dresser fell from the corner of a room. It hit the Wabbit in the head. Quickly, he rummaged through the top drawer. A Tofu fluttered up from it, giving him a pair of gloves. "Oh, thank goodness, they're alright!" A peek at his clock made his eyes bug out. "But heavens, I'm even later! The queen will have my head..." Sticking the clothing on, he quickly made sure his carrot field was okay - before leaping into portals anew, disappearing into the forest with his bird.

Amalia took a deep breath, and called out. "That clock again -! Hey, wait up, I still have questions!" She dashed forward, as well as one could - rubble from the house crashing across her green bottom, more falling with each step. The trees grew in yet more bizarre, labyrinth-like tangles ahead; catching on the windows, and on the exposed bits of her leg guards.

The struggling Sadida let out a sigh. "I couldn't even get a word in edgewise... Don't they know to stand at attention when a princess is talking?"

In long bounds, the princess' pounding soles rushed after the blue portal lights. They flickered in and out, further into the distance, amid the myriad twiggy branches. As the woods themselves darkened, plant growth blotting out the sun, the flashes of teleportation were like flares - signalling her next target. Though they became harder to see when Amalia's face kept filling with the treetops.

And not only her face. Long rows of branches buckled against the force of her chest. They did little to slow down her sprint; she simply let them snap apart. Some scraped the remaining walls of the home. Others, though, ended up right into her cleavage. To her surprise, a few chirping birds fluttered out of nests, caught in the bulbous surfaces. Despite being in sync with nature, something stopped her from fully grasping the pain in these plants. Was there something different about Wonderland's botany? Was she simply too focussed on catching the Wabbit? Or, most likely, was she just annoyed that the branches kept flying at her from every which way, prodding and squeezing her curves?

She spat out some leaves that flew in her face; more bits of the Wabbit's house crumbling from her pumping arms in each swing. Panting, and dusting a little of the rubble off her chest's white cloth, she peeked around. "Hey! Come back here, you springy little-!" Another wooshing teleportation sound guided her - even as the greenery grew vaster, and her visibility grew worse. "He could get away if I stay still... Stay strong, that's what you've learned!"

Continuing on, the princess pushed through the massive tree trunks. Her brown eyes remained pinned to that fluffy tail. Thus, she wasn't looking below as she approached a field of beautiful flowers... And passed right on top of the field.

The plants didn't see a thing coming. One second, everything was serene in the Tulgey Woods, besides their gentle song. Next, they noticed a strange tremor. A dull *boom*, growing louder. Thin cracks emerging from the soil, stirring their roots, as the large invader - whatever she was - pounded the ground. A silhouette covered the space between the trees in the sky, engulfing them in darkness. All they could see disappeared in dust clouds from the stomping foot; until the approaching ceiling of a mud-coated, royal sole replaced the treetops above.

*SCRUNCH*

Amalia trampled the daisies, daffodils, and roses with the full force of her determined dash. Her left heel dug deep into the flowerbed, twisting them slightly underneath - as her right foot pressed on, creating *crash* noises far ahead in the distance. While she took her next step, the flowers craned their stems up, to see some of their brethren plucked from the ground. The plants' vibrant colours brightened up the filthy-covered flesh, pasted to her bare foot like pressed flowers. Still more plants lay writhing and squirming in the vast, deep trench of her footprint. With shock and horror, the forest-dwellers gazed on as the princess continued.

One whispered: "What kind of flower was that?"

"Flower? No." Another gasped. "That was a beanstalk, for sure."

The princess absently wiped her heels on a tree trunk while continuing, dusting off a crushed bits of wood and vegetation. With her efforts to keep up, she was starting to grow tired. Sweat was dripping from her arms and legs, washing away some lingering chunks of the house she was carrying. "Can't slow down... *hah*... Or that Nox-Wabbit-Yugo-thingy's gonna get away...!" Her panting breaths rustled the leaves. Quickly, she set off to running again.

And just as soon as she started, she stopped with a jerk.

She'd gotten herself trapped between two trees' trunks. They clung around the few rooms still remaining stuck to her body - a damaged bit of the living room, and a chunk of the pantry. Even if she wiggled and squirmed, they remained caught, rendering her unable to move. Poking branches had penetrated the holes and windows - and pressed into both her wide hips, and teardrop-shaped breasts. She tried her best to pull herself out; but only succeeded in snapping bits of wood against her flesh and garments. "This day - just keeps getting better - *ngn* - and better..." The princess sighed.

On the ground, woodland creatures got a perfect view of her perky ass jutting out towards the sky. She ran in place, kicking up piled of dirt (and further burying the unfortunate beings she'd thoughtlessly trampled). Her arms swung up and down like a chicken, and she struggled to push the bark back; to no avail.

Amalia drooped over, limbs and flower flopping in exhaustion. "I'm not going anywhere, potted like this..." Calling upon Sadida enchantment, she tried to will the trees into opening up. Vines and branches rose from the ground below, rumbling through the greenery; knotting like pretzels. They only blocked her in further. Some even pressed tighter against her tits, tickling against them - or across her plump thighs, wrapping around her developed leg muscles. What kind of vegetation was this, not responding correctly to her magic? It was like this whole forest was upside-down...

One snaking, slithering green vine rose directly beneath a bird's nest. It plopped the thing right on her green hair. A creature within began screeching down at the wobbling world below: "Serpent! Get away, get away from here!"

The princess grunted, her legs sinking to the forest's floor. "Aw, and now I have to deal with this bird squawking. What I wouldn't give to hear Eva complaining, instead..."

Beneath her, the shifting branches tipped a bit of the Wabbit's house up to her face. Most of the furnishings had flown out the window, but one table remained in place. Atop it were fresh cookies - each marked clearly with the familiar "Eat Me" writing. "Huh, if I were to get a little taller, I COULD break out." Amalia nodded. Unable to reach in, she simply tilted the house against a branch; until the snacks slid right onto her tongue. In a quick GULP, the Sadida downed them instantly.

She tapped her foot, sending yet more quakes through the forest. "Come on, when does it start- Ah - AHRT!" In a few quick, bounding bursts, her body pushed outwards, her pulse quickening. The strong trees bent around the contour of her widening hips, buckling from the pressure - before her instinctual wiggles made them snap cleanly.

In a few thundering BOOMS, the remaining bits of housing snapped apart. The green leaves coating her curves broke exploded out, littering the forest floor with a multitude of wall and flooring bits. The vines surrounding her thighs, one by one, popped open in a splatter of green fluids. Great trunks that stood untouched for years buckled against the pushing force, dropping sideways against other pillars like dominos. Facing pressure from her expanding crotch - still beneath the leafy skirt - birches and firs collapsed. Some massive trees found themselves stuck to the surface, briefly, before still more ticklish flexes crunched them apart.

Unable to keep balance at her new size, Amalia fell over. Her vast backside knocked out scores of other vegetation and animals, burying them into a pair of deep, circular craters. The impact made birds take flight in the distance - and permanently reshaped the woods' twisting layout. It was only by a small miracle that she barely missed that odd tea party below; her groin looming right in front of their long table.

From the nest above, Amalia heard more squeaking: "Oh my, oh my - it's even worse than a serpent! Bursting out of that cocoon - it's a giant moth! Keep away, keep far away!"

She quickly flicked the nest off, a whistle ringing in her ears as it flew out in the sky. "You'd think nobody here had ever seen a Sadida! Honestly..." Dusting her rear, and rising back to her feet, she began scanning the surrounding land. Above the treetops, the rampaging royalty had a better perspective of the way out - and a clearer view of the glimmering flashes that the Wabbit was leaping through. Soon enough, she was back in a full sprint after the blue dots.

Unfortunately, the treetops below, brushing against her chest, didn't help her visibility at all. The entire forest ran in panic from the oncoming stomps, rushing to avoid the pounding assault from the skies. Nobody among the tangled branches was safe from joining the dust and rubble spreading out across Amalia's soles. She took little time to consider the creatures scurrying below her. At this scale, the very wiggle of her toes were a life-threatening action. And if they weren't caught in the web of folds making up her brown skin, they'd be stuck in the avalanche of wood, while she plowed through the mighty trees. Every sway of her hips, or lift of her legs, sent more stray bark tumbling to the dirt ground.

Hopping over a large hill, her soles crushed another large flowerbed - squeezing in discomfort at the slightly wet sensation of dew underneath them, mixing with her sweat. "If only I had that pesky Shushu map to show me the way to go from here..."

A small procession of fluffy creatures - Mome Raths - gathered from amid the trees, their tiny bodies forming an arrow pointed right to the hopping Wabbit. No sooner did Amalia take notice of his bouncing form again; and follow after him. Her right foot crashed through the trees above, and in one deft move, flattened the field of flowery beings below her.

"Ow... Is that a twig caught down there?" Having stepped on a broken trunk, the Sadida's sole was starting to sting. Unwilling to let a potential servant of Nox get ahead any further than he already had, she kept hopping forward on one foot - putting her full weight on the scurrying people below her. She brushed her other heel into her leg, rubbing the flattened rubble (and wildlife) against the thick surface of her thigh's skin. But that itch was still there. Quickly, she ground it into the dirt; crushing everything below, and brushing Wonderland's inhabitants again and again with powerful scrapes.

Finally, at the edge of the forest, she saw the Wabbit's ears peeking up. "Gotcha! Little pest, you're gonna explain what you were up to!" With a few agile leaps through the woods, she landed above the Wabbit. He yelped at her battle cry - and kept running, not looking back, desperate to escape. His tiny form lay in the shadow of her looming chest (still dirty from her promenade), surrounded by sweat droplets pouring down from her shoulders. Her teeth bore a nearly predatory grin, as her eyes narrowed on him...

...And a little itch shot up her leg. The princess felt a pair of tiny hands clutching to her skin, navigating below her leg guards. Someone was climbing up her - someone very skilled at mountaineering. Amalia's teeth clenched when the scurrying sensation traversed her inner thigh. She looked down, and slapped at the teensy, dark blur shooting across her legs. It shot away, jumping into the nearby trees.

Amalia rubbed her head. "Doesn't anyone in this kingdom respect personal space?" She kicked at the darting interloper's last spot; the incredible strength in her plump legs knocking a new set of trees over. A few branches were glued to her legs, thanks to the sweat. But from below her, right around her generous hips, she felt the same tickle - of boots scaling her curves. They hopped around the rubble, continuing their ascent.

"Stop that! Off me!" The princess twisted out, slamming her hips against more of the woods. New trees timbered down, blocking off the suspicious Wabbit's escape attempts. What were twigs to her were entire logs rolling across the clearing. Her backside's shadow arced through the skies, a moving mountain of green and brown.

Yet, the tiny person ascending her was able to match her lumbering motions. In a swift dance, the climber shot an arrow, with a rope attached. It pricked the flower in her hair. Soon, the stranger began scaling her torso -  dodging the living landscape's various slaps and twists. Coming closer into view, Amalia noticed this shrimp had odd clothes, matching the rest of the surroundings - something like a formal guard's uniform, mixed with a card's face. The slender, blonde figure passed by her chest, crawling beneath the white fabric...

Amalia slammed both of her breasts together, reeling back in surprise. "What - what are you? Nobody has that kind of accuracy with a bow! Nobody except..."

The tiny stranger kept moving... Until its head poked out of the chest. A Cra, with a determined glare in her green eyes. She struggled to tug her arms out of the meaty masses that engulfed her - one hand containing a bottle, labelled "Drink Me". Her stern voice addressed the Sadida royalty: "You're not a serpent or moth at all, are you?"

A little chill ran down Amalia's spine; followed by slow relief. She looked down, smiling at her friend's familiar glare. "Evangeline! You found your way here, too? You should have said it was you! We wouldn't have to - ACK!"

She gagged in the middle of her sentence. The guard shot the "Drink Me" vial up between her lips, right from her bow. The liquid slid down her throat; and soon, its tingling, sugary flavor spread across her body. Her eyes shrunk as she felt something pulling inwards; and her unsteady legs rubbing against the greenery and bark below. Branches tickled her from underneath, brushing across her. Slowly, the clouds flew further and further out of Amalia's view; until they were completely overshadowed by the treetops. That water - it was shrinking her, like the drink before!

Amalia stumbled about, confused; as the Cra woman, who was once inside her cleavage, soon surpassed her in height. The Wabbit, still dazed, was already making his way away. The princess rushed after him - only for her companion's gloves to fall on her shoulders, pulling her back. She thrashed in place, panting. "The Wabbit! He's with Nox, I'm sure - we can still catch him, Eva!"

The now-taller woman looked to her in confusion. "...Eva?" She shook her head, ears flopping slightly. "I don't know who you're mistaking me for, but I serve Wonderland's royal family! You have no right to flick me off your head, and you have no right to order me now!"

Amalia gulped - thinking back to what she'd been doing. "You... You were that bird? That - that wasn't - I really wasn't paying attention!" Her height kept diminishing, becoming like a child before the Cra.

"Do I look like a bird?" The Eva lookalike's grip tightened, her fingers becoming stronger. "I was in that nest on lookout for a rampaging monster. It's a good thing Drink Me bottles are easy to come by - or you might have half of Wonderland under your feet by now."

The Sadida looked up in confusion. "My feet? But all I did was run a bit..." She looked down, and instantly wished she hadn't. She was standing in her own footprint, with ruins of trees and flattened flowers buried into the ground. Into the distance, the imprints continued. They cleanly cut through old tree branches, coating the remains with grime and detritus. Some bushes were still reeling over in her trail of destruction. Those trees that trapped her - they'd been torn to confetti. She sputtered; the ruins of her chase only growing larger before her eyes with each passing second.

The guard with Evangeline's features put her hand around the princess. At her final height, she was no larger than one a Sadida's doll. The Cra managed a calm tone, even in the midst of the chaos. "You're under arrest. Come, you're going to see the Queen of Hearts."

"But - but--!" Amalia wobbled her heels in the sky, creating gusts of wind - as the Cra pulled her towards a castle. And, judging by the continuing bursts of blue light, it was the same castle that Wabbit was hopping towards...

It felt like an eternity just travelling there. Everywhere Amalia glanced, there was some detail of her supersized journey. Mome Raths huddling together, around splattered colours in newly-formed clearings. Bark chunks and ripped leaves shattered, scattered, tossed, and torn, as if a mighty whirlwind had swept the forest. Flowers hanging loosely off trees: uprooted if they were lucky; otherwise, lying in the great empty masses of her footprints, immobile except for the wind fluttering through their petals. She could even make out some silhouettes of her full body amid the mighty, distant oaks - or the trenches where her backside had landed.

The princess did have magic. She could escape. But what good would it do, if this was all it'd lead to? She slumped over in the leathery hold of the Cra guard. "I... I really didn't mean this."

The guard turned her pointed nose up. "Does what you mean matter? It's mean, either way." She navigated around a puddle dug in by the massive heel.

From time to time, Amalia's tiny hand brushed by a limp vine, or wilting roots. A sense of foreboding terror coursed through their chlorophyll. Patches of flowers shivered back in terror at her presence, hiding behind each other. The princess looked down in shame. "The Sadidas should protect you - from Nox, from whatever's causing them trouble..." Her hands went to her face, trying to hide away from her own carnage.

The guard's steps remained even, her boots moving in a deliberate rhythm. "Is that why you were chasing that rabbit?"

"The Wabbit? Yeah..." The smaller woman brushed her knees together. Her hands sunk underneath her feet... And she wished they hadn't. Countless remains of plants had shrunken down with her, and remained glued to her thick soles. She tried rubbing their remains off, brushing them on the leathery gloves' fingers. But there was still more dirt; more filth; more traces of her royal rampage. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel them with every twitch of her toes.

Within a few more agonizing steps, eyes still shut to the world outside, Amalia felt a massive shadow overtake her. The guard slipped a sweet cookie into her mouth; and the familiar sensation of growth spread through her body. After all that time tiny, her body had never felt stronger; and never heavier, from her leafy leg guards to her fluttering eyelids. She hoped that she wouldn't be massive again.

Something even worse awaited her. She was at the podium of a dizzying courtroom, the wood seats spreading out in every direction. She could barely even see the distant curtains, closing around her like walls. Dozens of eyes peered at her. The Cra disappeared in lines of identical guards. The Dodo and that lizard sat with judgemental glares nearby.

On a podium much too high for his body, the Wabbit struggled with a flowing paper, with crimes written in cursive. "This woman... this woman is guilty of breaking-and-entering-and-growing, several counts of wanton destruction, harassment, putting woodland creatures on endangered species lists..."

Craning her neck up in front of her, Amalia saw a woman above. She could make out a crown, and arms resting on a throne - though she remained in the darkness, hard to make out clearly. The ominous onlooker declared: "Well? Off with her head! Chop the beast into firewood, already!"

"Wait!" The Sadida slammed at the wooden surface, finding her voice again. "Don't I get a chance to explain myself?"

The woman above loomed closer, long hair drifting over her face. "What? Questioning a queen's authority? That's against Rule 68, you know!"

Amalia quivered. She pointed a finger up to the Wabbit, and exclaimed: "But this creature was acting suspiciously! He had a clock, like Nox's, and he bounced around just like - just like Yugo!"

The fluffy guy stirred in his seat, yelping. "I... I didn't mean to do anything wrong..."

With a pompous huff, the shadowy queen crossed her arms. "Carrying a watch and jumping may be crimes in your realm, but not in Wonderland! Off with your head!"

"That's not the point!" Amalia scratched her head. "I've attended court hearings, they're nothing like this! Can't any of these witnesses that can change your mind?"

A few faces bustled in the stands. The Dodo trotted forward, his chest puffed out. "Why, I can say for sure, this monster nearly ate us all!"

That lizard shrugged. "Afraid I can't help, I only saw her back portions."

Still unconvinced, the Queen shifted in her seat. "Then, the vote is unanimous!"

In frustration, Amalia clenched her fists. "Not fair! Those two were poking all around me, not letting me get a word in edgewise... And that house totally ruined my outfit!" Poking at her leafy uniform, the princess found something rattling in the pockets. One final cookie, with that familiar "Eat Me" decorating the top.

With an eager grin, the Sadida scarfed the snack down - taking only a few bites.

Almost immediately, the woman began sprouting out on every side. Her expanding chest crashed against the podium, making it buckle. Soon after, her knees followed, peeking over it - to the courthouse's horror.

"M-Monster! Again!"

"Off, I said!"

"Is eating here even legal?"

Finally, the girl's feet, themselves, couldn't fit in the tiny space afforded by the brown stand. They burst out of the podium - her toes popping out from its splintered remains, one by one. A little kick sent the wood chunks flying out, and made the courthouse burst into a bustling panic. As Amalia's green hair hit the ceiling, making it crack, dozens of the card-wearing guards began rushing to her rising legs: scrambling on top of each other to jab at her. They launched an assault on her stumbling soles, dashing around to avoid her steps. Some of them stood on top of each other, managing to strike at her leg guards. Their spears' pokes and prods did little but irritate the princess. Her flesh only receded a little from each tip, absorbing their assault in full.

She picked up a huge clump of the soldiers, staring them down with her massive, brown eyes. "Tch! Like I'd be scared of you - you cards wouldn't even make good bookmarks!" A sweep of her mighty arm sent them scattering all among the room - which became smaller and smaller each second.

Soon, it was practically bursting with Amalia's presence. Nobody within could escape her immense form. The twitches of her fingers plowed through the stands, knocking the poor Wabbit to his feet. Even her breaths and heartbeat rocked the floor, which crumbled to dust beneath her slow footsteps forward. "And you - your 'majesty'! Treating a princess like this, I can't believe you! I bet you're behind all this

"Halt! You won't harm the Queen!" The tiny Cra called out - firing a rope arrow up at Amalia's bottom. Several other soldiers began pulling the princess back; or scaling her legs, trying to get to her mouth again. Unencumbered by the forest's shrouds, the gargantuan girl had no problem shaking them all off-balance, simply by lifting her knee in the air. They scattered around the floor as she stomped down to the ground, quaking at the shock waves from her simple action. A few of the minuscule beings kept clutching to the flying rope. She ripped the string off her like dental floss. Some of the guards landed atop her body, scattering on her chest, but she paid them no mind.

The courtroom's ceiling, once like a looming sky, now bumped against Amalia's scalp. She leaned over; but as the growth continued, her hair kept on bursting out through the top. The tiles flew out from her head's shaking - scattering to the guards below. Any of them still clinging to her were instantly knocked off by the rain of rubble. The whole gathering was left to stare up the princess' leafy skirt, stepping back to give her ample room.

Though from the roof above, there weren't any signs of Wonderland's blue clouds - just a starless, dark sky. Had it really been that long...?

With her growth finally over, Amalia leaned down, hands on her knees. She shouted to the queenly figure that once towered above her - cheeks going red. "You! You're the most thoughtless, mean-spirited, nasty, rotten..." Her booming voice shrank to a murmur as the Queen's features finally came into view, out of the shadows. "...M-m-mom?"

It was her. Right on the throne - stepping onto the princess' open palm - Queen Sheran Sharm of the Sadidas stood. The same feel of her skin, the same bob of her hair. Even in the shadow of her colossal daughter, she maintained a calm smile, and a slow step. "...I'm sorry, Amalia. You've pushed through so much for this."

Amalia sputtered. "B-b-but... You aren't... When I was still tiny, you looked so..." She gulped. The cracks around the courtroom, from the floor and ceiling, were starting to leak rays of light - exposing more of the small monarch's beautiful features. She wore the same dress Amalia remembered her in. "...This is a dream, right? Or... Another vision from Sadida?"

Surrounded by her daughter's gentle fingers, the woman looked up, her eyes half-closed. "My poor Amalia. The kingdom was too small for your attitude; but now, you're in the middle of a world that's too big for you. You'll have people who don't believe you... can you still keep following this road?"

The princess shut her eyes, dragging her heel. Her head bowed slightly. "I've hurt a lot of people. Some of them reminded me of my friends. Is that going to happen in the real world?"

Her mother sighed slowly, patting her hand. "People can hurt each other when they're close. Just keep aware of what you're doing."

The dream world began twisting around Amalia's eyes. The door that started it all, with the smirking doorknob, appeared before her. Through the keyhole could see a glimpse of the island she was on before; feel the crash of waves; and smell the salt of the currents.

Thinking over the events of her journey, the princess pointed to the Wabbit. "And him - that bouncing guy. If I'm dreaming... Does he represent Nox? Or Yugo? Or... someone else?"

With a hint of hesitation, the Queenly apparition sat down in her hand's trembling hold. "Maybe Nox isn't all that he seems. Or maybe, you're on this journey for some other reason than stopping him?..." She smirked. "You might be surprised at what you find. Knowing this, will you still continue?"

Amalia thought for a moment. She looked to her friends out on the island; then, her own form resting quietly with them. The woman nodded. She hugged her mother tightly, feeling her warm touch again. "Yes, mom. I'm ready. As a princess of the Sadidas... and a good friend... I'll keep adventuring!"

The walls around - no longer tall and ominous, no longer tight and constricting - began to shatter around her. Light poured in from every side, illuminating her body. The World of Twelve, the land familiar yet new to her, replaced the courthouse's podiums and decorations. And as Wonderland and its people faded from view, she could feel the energy floating from the Queen, as if she were still there...

- Awakening -

Slowly, the doorknob's features gave way to Ruel's face. "Wake up, lazyleaves! I've just exchanged loads of dragon hair to that weather wizard - we can't waste this clear sky any longer!"

Amalia stretched out, yawning as she woke up. Her arms reached out, fingers cutting through the calming ocean breeze. "Wow..." She breathed it in. From the looks of it, she'd been hugging her doll in her rest. "Good to be back, after all that..."

Sharing a bit of food with a crab, Percedal peeked up. "You go adventuring somewhere without us? No fair."

Yugo's portal popped up beside her - with both him and Az looking over her. "Hey, princesses need their beauty sleep, don't they?"

And behind her, Evangeline knelt; her body turned into a pillow for her princess. She breathed in relief as her friend rose. "You say that now, Yugo, but you were scared not that long ago. Thought Amalia was under another spell..." With a pat of the shoulder, she added: "...You are okay, right?"

Holding her bodyguard's hand, Amalia nodded; stretching her joints out more. "Well, there might've been some magic in there... Some adventuring, for sure. Sadida knows. I'll tell you all about it later."

She led the way to their old ship, smiling, rushing through the sand. "Right now, we've got an island to find! Oh, but - watch your step there!"

-Fin-