Complete listed story — includes the ending
Fables #1
Fables are characters of legend and fairy tale. Exiled from their enchanted homelands, they have immigrated to Earth where many reside in New York City. Those who cannot pass for human are taken to a place in upstate New York called the Farm. Snow White is the Deputy Mayor and Director of Operations of Fabletown (the Fable community in New York). Currently, she is attempting to quell a domestic dispute between the Beauty and the Beast.
Elsewhere in the city, a young man known as Jack (ala Jack the Giant-Killer) races into the office of detective Bigby Wolf. He tells Bigby that something terrible has happened to his lover, Rose Red, and pleads with Bigby to investigate. Rose Red also happens to be Snow White's twin sister.
Bigby informs Snow White, and he takes Jack to Rose's apartment where they discover that the room is a veritable abattoir of blood, however, there is no sign of Rose Red. Possessions are strewn all about the place, and the words "No More Happily Ever After" are written in blood on the wall. Bigby performs a cursory inspection of the room, then suddenly flies into a frenzy. He pins Jack against the wall and accuses him of the murder of Rose Red.
Fables #2
At the Woodland Luxury Apartments, Bigby Wolf awakens and rouses his roomate, a pig (of the Three Little Pigs). The two quip with one another and Bigby doesn't understand why he always has to give the pig a place to stay every time he escapes from the Farm. The pig tries to make Bigby feel guilty for destroying his home and trying to eat him back when they still resided in the Homelands.
Bigby eats breakfast (ham) and goes to the Woodlands' Garden to meet with Snow White. The two talk about Rose Red's disappearance and the bloody tableau they discovered at her apartment. Bigby is certain that the person responsible for Red's disappearance and possible murder is a Fable. He further suspects that Jack Horner may be complicit in the crime. Snow asks him why he suspects Jack and Bigby chides that Jack is always his favorite suspect.
Elsewhere, the famed pirate Bluebeard engages in a fencing exercise with his mistress Cinderella. Cinderella is obviously frustrated and lets loose with a string of profanities. During the duel, she tells Bluebeard about Rose Red's alleged murder. Rumors about the crime have already begun to circulate throughout the Fable community. Bluebeard grows distraught.
Later, Snow White meets with her ex-husband Prince Charming at a midtown diner. They discuss Rose Red, and Snow White reminds Charming of the time he seduced her sister while they were still married to each other. Charming quickly changes the topic and brings up the subject of his dwindling income. He tells Snow that he might sell his lands and title, but Snow is dubious of this idea, as such things are of no value outside the Homelands. Charming is convinced that he will be able to sell "a little piece of home" during the upcoming Remembrance Day celebration.
After lunch, Snow White meets back up with Bigby and together they go to the cell where Jack is being held. Bigby has entrusted Jack with guarding the crime scene. He feels that if Jack were going to tamper with evidence, he would have done so before alerting him to the crime. During the interrogation, Bigby brings up the subject of Rose Red's flirtatious demeanor. Jack ardently maintains his innocence and suggests that Bluebeard might have a motive.
Bigby and Snow return to the Woodlands and visit Bluebeard's suite on the 4th floor. During their interview, Bluebeard confesses that he was once deeply in love with Rose Red and that the two were legally engaged to be married. He even produces the contract asserting that Rose Red was his fiancée. Bigby is irritated with Bluebeard's apparent wealth and seemingly aloof attitude, so he angrily accuses him of murdering Rose Red. Bluebeard responds, matching Bigby's passion in equal measure. He declares that he will offer one million dollars to the discovery and capture of whoever perpetuated this crime.
Fables #3
Bigby brings the Flycatcher and Boy Blue to Rose Red's Greenwich Village apartment. He provides them with plastic bags of blood and tells them that he wants them to recreate the crime scene in an adjacent apartment. He wants them to produce the exact same splatter marks so that he can determine exactly how much blood was found at the scene. After he acquires the results he needs, he further instructs them to clean up both apartments of all evidence and to be sure to avoid the attention of Mundy police officers.
Snow White meanwhile goes to the penthouse office of Mayor-for-Life King Cole at the Woodland Building. Cole tells her that Bluebeard called his office complaining about Bigby's brazen accusations. Snow recounts the events of Bigby's investigation and confirms that he did in fact accuse both Bluebeard and Jack Horner of murdering Rose Red. They even interviewed other potential suspects such as the Black Forest Witch.
Snow returns to her office and meets with Bigby. Bigby has commandeered Jack Horner's personal computer and wants Snow White to check the hard drive to see if there is anything linking Jack to Rose's disappearance.
Later, Bluebeard arrives at the Woodland building and manipulates the security guard Grimble into letting him into Jack's cell. Bluebeard is convinced that Jack is guilty and holds a knife to his throat. Bigby discovers what is going on and races down to the jail cell. Charging in, he transforms into his wolf form and warns Bluebeard to drop the knife. Bluebeard retorts, telling him that he has no intention of killing Jack, but he just wants to torture him a little. Bluebeard knows that he doesn't stand a chance in a fight against Bigby, but just the same, he is prepared to square off with him.
Snow White bursts into the cell attended by Grimble and Bufkin the winged monkey. All three of them are armed with medieval weaponry. Snow White herself is carrying the famed Vorpal blade. Bluebeard relaxes and tells them that he intends no further acts of violence.
Later that evening, Bigby goes over the information from Flycatcher and Boy Blue's crime scene recreation. He visits Snow White's office and regretfully tells her that in accordance with the amount of apparent blood loss, there is no way that Rose Red can still be alive.
Fables #4
The night of the Remembrance Day celebration has arrived. All of the Fables who could pass for human dress in their best attire to attend the annual ball at the Woodland Building. John the doorman directs the guests to the 19th floor where a lottery is being held for Prince Charming's lands and title.
King Cole addresses the assemblage in a grand ballroom. He reminds them of the harrowing event two centuries ago when the Adversary and his minions sought to conquer the homelands, driving the Fable community into exile. In doing so however, he managed to unite all Fables with one simple objective - survival. Concluding his speech, King Cole proposes a toast to the Homelands.
As the night wears on, Jack and Bluebeard request an audience with Bigby. They're both irate for missing the celebration, and Bigby reminds them that not only are the going to miss this year's Remembrance Day festival, but the next one-hundred as well. As Jack and Bluebeard plead their case, Bigby decides to let them enjoy the last remaining hours of the evening, providing they can keep from killing each other.
Later, Bigby changes into a tuxedo and meets with Snow White on the ballroom floor. He is a terrible dancer, and Snow White pressures him about information relating to her sister. Through the course of conversation, Snow White inadvertently says something that clicks inside of Bigby's mind. He now knows who the murderer is. He tells Snow to alert everyone who is interested in learning the truth about the case to meet atop King Cole's terrace after the lottery drawing.
The lottery is held, and Jack Horner wins Prince Charming's title after only buying one ticket. He is the first to go up to Cole's terrace to meet with Bigby (who happens to be taking a dip in King Cole's pool). One by one, the other guests begin filing into the terrace. Bigby gets out of the pool and reveals that he knows who the killer is. He walks to one of the guests and tugs at her hair revealing a wig. The woman wearing the wig is a disguised, and very much alive Rose Red.
Fables #5
All of the Remembrance Day guests are standing upon the roof of King Cole's penthouse suite. Bigby Wolf has just revealed that the allegedly murdered Rose Red is alive and well - and present among the assemblage. Feeling proud of himself, Bigby goes to great lengths to explain who did what, how they did it, and how he managed to figure it all out.
His first indicator that something was amiss was when Jack first staggered into his office out of breath. He felt that Jack deliberately over-exerted himself to "sell the act" of a worried lover. When Bigby inspected Rose Red's apartment, he immediately determined that the room was not really in a state of disarray. In fact, everything appeared deliberately placed to give the illusion that a violent murder took place. One of the stranger things he found was evidence of a padlock on Rose Red's freezer. He later determined that Jack and Rose preserved samples of her blood over the course of several weeks and locked them in the freezer for future use. The padlock was necessary so that none of Rose Red's frequent party guests would ever find out what they were up to. More clues left at the crime scene included a scattered pile of blood-spattered CDs. The CDs were removed from the back of the music cabinet, while the ones in the front were perfectly clean. Bigby determined that these were the disks that Rose didn't enjoy as much, and felt that they would make for a convincing prop. Bigby also points out that Rose Red's stereo was completely unmarked with no blood stains at all.
Having satisfied the "who" and the "how", Bigby then goes on to explain the "why". Jack and Rose staged the entire incident in order to get her out of her contractual obligation to marry Bluebeard. In addition to the money she received, she was required to marry Bluebeard exactly one year after the signing of the contract. Another stipulation of the contract was that the engagement had to remain a secret for up to one year. Rose used the money to finance Jack's failed dot-com business interests. When the money ran out, she didn't have the means to recompense Bluebeard for breaking the contract. The only way they could get her out of the contract was to fake her death.
After Bigby concludes his story, tempers begin to flare. Snow White in particular is angered that Bigby knew that Rose was alive the whole time and didn't tell her. Bigby assures her that he wasn't positive of all of the facts until recently.
The following day, Snow and Bigby tie up loose ends. Snow White tells Jack and Rose that they are sentenced to two-hundred hours of community service and up to ten-thousand dollars in fines. She then meets with her ex-husband Prince Charming. Charming mistakenly believes that he is now a millionaire after raffling off his land and titles, but Snow tells him that he actually receives very little money after expenses. The majority of the money is going to Bluebeard to pay back what Rose Red owes him. Snow then invites Bluebeard to her office to give him the money. She further tells him that the contract is now null and void because he revealed the nature of his engagement to Rose Red before the deadline.
When all is said and done, Snow White and Bigby retire to the Woodland Building. They have a conversation on one of the balconies and Bigby reveals that he is attracted to her. Snow White reminds him that any relationship between the two of them is strictly professional. Bigby responds with, "Okay, lady. I got the message. Loud and clear".
Fables #6
As a way of re-connecting with her estranged sister, Snow White decides to bring Rose Red along on her annual trip to The Farm, where the non-human Fables live. She leaves Bigby in charge of Jack, who is stuck doing janitorial duties at the Woodlands for his part in helping Rose fake her own death. Rose finally appears, though she bemoans having to go anywhere with her sister. Snow firmly reminds her that she could make Rose's punishment whatever she thinks it should be, and besides, she was hoping they could repair their fragmented relationship with some quality time. They leave in Snow White's rusty old pickup truck, with Colin the pig tied securely in the back, complaining the whole way.
They're forced to stop on an old country road when the truck's engine starts to smoke. As they wait for the radiator to cool, Rose impatiently wonders when they're supposed to make it to the Farm. Snow explains that they have actually been driving on the Farmland for twenty miles now, the territory is far removed to keep any prying eyes away, and the Mundane never pay much attention due to all the distraction spells set into place. As she speaks, Snow spots something lying on the grass near the road. She grows curious when it turns out to be a pile of spent brass casings...bullet shells. Mundys don't come here to hunt, and if there were shots fired, someone would have called the Fabletown Office, but Snow never heard anything from anyone. So where did the shells come from? The main residential area of the Farm at first glance appears completely deserted. Voices are heard inside the barn and when Snow pushes open the big brown doors, she finds a group of animals and creatures congregating inside with Dun, eldest of the three little pigs, conducting a meeting. All are surprised when she enters, not expecting her so early in the season. Suspicious, Snow asks if this is a town meeting. Dun replies that it is, and motions to adjourn for now so they can see to their guests.
Taking Colin home, Snow and Rose spend some time in the pigs house, Dun and Posey answering questions about what they just saw. Dun says plainly that they were having a meeting about returning to the Homelands and taking it back from the Adversary, by force if necessary. Snow doesn't understand why'd they take such a foolish risk, but quite simply Dun explains they're tired of living on the Farm where they aren't allowed to leave, and would rather fight back than continue hiding. However, they assure Snow that no real plans have been made yet, which eases Snow's mind some. Before leaving, Snow asks what happened to their leader, Weyland Smith, and why he wasn't conducting the meeting as usual. Posey says he resigned suddenly.
Behind the closed door, Posey wonders if Snow believed them when they said that there hadn't been any plans laid down yet. Dun replies that without evidence, there's nothing she can do about it either way.
In the guestroom, Snow tries to remind her sister of when they were children, and made a pact to remain best friends. Rose then reminds Snow of how she "ditched her" shortly after that for a better life at a far-off castle. Snow tries explaining, but Rose won't listen. While she closes the curtains, something outside catches Snow's eye, and she calls for Rose.
The two sisters stare in horror as, in front of the guesthouse and lit up by the truck's headlights, is Colin's head stuck on the end of a wooden pole...
Fables #7
Colin the Pig is dead, his decapitated head stuck on a pole, and his body nowhere to be found. Snow White and Rose Red can only watch as the Farm community helps take the head down. Dun leads Snow away from the grisly scene to talk, claiming he had no idea what could've happened. Colin had wandered off again after the girls left last night, and never returned. Snow tries to ask about Weyland again, but Dun just repeats that he resigned. Posey, meanwhile, takes the time to talk to Rose, who seemed sympathetic to their plight before. Rose admits she understands why they'd want to take back the Homelands, though she points out that in this case her sister is right. A few farmyard animals and the odd giant, troll, and beast wouldn't stand much of a chance against the Adversary's mighty legion. Posey confides that they have, in fact, come up with something of a solution, and beckons Rose to follow him to see something "really cool".
In a wooded area of the Farmlands, Papa and Mama of the Three Bears, along with Goldilocks, dump Colin's body into a freshly dug hole. Boo Bear shows up with Colin's head moments later and dumps it in as well. Mama is unsure that removing Colin's head was really necessary. Goldilocks tells her it had to be done, as a sign to everyone that the revolution has begun and their enslavement at the Farm is at an end. Mama reminds her that she is human, and isn't stuck living on the Farm like they are. Goldilocks insists that she would never leave while her fellow Fables are "enslaved", stating that their cause is also her cause. Suddenly, Reynard the Fox speaks up from behind them. Being against the revolution idea, Reynard mockingly reminds them that Colin was on their side, and the plan was bound to fall apart if they kept killing their own. He is immediately face-to-face with the barrel of a gun as Goldilocks remarks that Colin was a weak link, and like him, Reynard now knows too much. Goldilocks is about to pull the trigger when Papa Bear holds her back, exclaiming that people would hear if she fired the shot. Reynard uses the delay as his chance to escape.
At the same time, in a cavern, Rose Red is astonished at what Posey has shown her. The cave is packed wall-to-wall with guns and ammunition, enough to supply to the entire Farm.
Back in New York, Boy Blue calls Bigby to the Business Office when the Forsworn Knight begins to prophecize a war between north and south and two sisters fighting against one-another. Bigby believes the Knight refers to the Civil War, and combined with the fact that Snow White and Rose Red have been fighting each other for years, the prophecy is a little late. But the Forsworn Knight is not referring to the past...
Rose re-enters the guestroom that night to find Snow looking for her keys. She was going to drive out to find a phone, since the local one isn't working. Rose flat-out tells Snow she is being naive. The phone lines were cut and the truck keys were stolen to prevent her from leaving. They didn't want her going for help. Snow wants to know just what she is talking about. Rose decides it's better if Snow remains ignorant, as the less she knows the safer she'll be. She then heads back out, telling Snow that she'll be gone for a few days and suggests not to look for her.
Reynard is being hunted. Goldilocks has sent out the best the Farm has to offer. He comes across Bagheera and Shere Khan in the woods, quickly backtracking to dodge their notice. But Bagheera cuts him off seconds later, chasing him back and over Shere Khan's back, causing an unpleasant collision between the tiger and panther. Reynard smirks as the two fight each other.
Snow White sits in her room, pondering the events that have transpired with the whole farm acting crazy. Suddenly, she hears a tapping and sees Reynard outside her window. She lets him inside and he frantically tells her to come with him, adding not to pack anything so it'll look like she's coming back.
Fables #8
In the cave where the weapon and ammo supplies are stocked, Rose Red prepares for war. Grabbing two guns and a sword, Rose proclaims to Dun that she's ready.
Early morning sunrise brings the hunting party back together to admit defeat. Reynard had given them the slip, and he may have sent for help by now. Goldilocks tells them that's impossible, all outside communications have been severed and the only ones who could possibly stop them now are living in the city. Just to ensure that Reynard doesn't send out any messengers, Goldilocks sends out her own predatory team of flyers to patrol the edges of the Farm's territory, keeping everything in.
Reynard has been leading Snow White deeper into Farm country, trying to remain undetected whenever possible. He beckons her to follow as he heads into an open field. They stop when Reynard finds what he is looking for. On the ground is an old war helmet, modified with a gun attached to the top. It was made for use by non-humanoid Fables, explains Reynard. He tells Snow that their journey would be safer if she were "packing heat" and tells her to take the weapon. Then he pauses, sniffing the air. He quickly instructs Snow to keep travelling over the mountain and beyond the valley of the sleepers to the hills beyond, until she finds a cave.
Shere Khan charges through the grasses straight towards Snow White. Reynard tells her to run, jumping up and chomping the tiger lords tail between his teeth to gain his attention. Snow dashes for the rocky cliff-face and begins climbing.
Cock Robin is flying into the Farmlands when he is ambushed by an owl and killed. This alerts Boy Blue back at the Woodland building, who had a charm placed on Cock Robin earlier after the Forsworn Knight's prophecy. He rushes to Bigby's office to tell him that Cock Robin's been killed while delivering a message. Combined with the phones being out, Bigby is convinced something rotten is going on and vows to help Boy Blue round up a posse, since he himself is forbidden from entering the Farm.
Snow comes across the gripping sight of Giant Valley, where three giants and a dragon sleep in a deep enchanted trance. Behind her, Shere Khan climbs after the scent. Reynard's distraction only bought her a few minutes at best. Grabbing the gun helmet, Snow waits for Khan to reach the ledge she is on, then bashes him in the head, causing him to fall. She fumbles with the gun while Shere Khan starts climbing back up, angrily cursing her name. Snow manages to find the trigger and points the gun directly at Khan just as he makes it back up. He begs for mercy, but receives none as Snow fires five rounds into the beast's hide. Shere Khan falls to his death, Snow tosses the weapon away and breaks down.
Snow cries until nightfall, finally pulling herself together and continuing onward. The cave Reynard told her about is finally in sight. Inside, Snow gasps at the sight of Weyland Smith himself, chained to the floor forging weapons for the revolutionists. She is also shocked to see Rose Red waiting for her, accompanied by Goldilocks, Dun, and Posey. Rose points her gun at her sister's head, telling her she is under arrest for crimes against Fablekind.
Fables #9
In the cave, Goldilocks wants to off Snow now, but Rose insists she be kept alive to stand trial. Dun suggests they chain Snow next to Weyland and force her to help with the weapons conversion in the meantime.
The chain is locked around Snow's ankle, the other end attached to a stake driven into the ground by the force of Weyland's hammer.
Hours later, over in the city, Boy Blue drives down the highway with his rounded up posse consisting of Bluebeard, Prince Charming, and Bufkin the flying monkey. They were on their way to the Farm to help Snow White and Rose Red, though they didn't know what to expect.
Asking him what happened, Snow learns that Weyland was captured while he slept, and woke up in the cave a few days ago. An enchantment placed on the chain around his leg compelled him to make weapons for the animals, while also preventing him from trying to escape. Weyland slyly showed Snow a key he was working on, adding that the enchantment didn't prevent him from helping her get free, fitting the key in Snow's lock.
Now free, Snow asks Weyland how to get him loose. He recites that he can not by word or deed help her set him free. So she starts rummaging around his tools to find something that can break the lock.
Reynard the Fox meets with the other animals who are against the revolution, explaining that he last saw Snow being chased by Shere Khan, and couldn't say if she had made it or not. They decide to send him off to find her. If she is still alive, they'll hold out, if not, they'll flee. On the revolutionary side, the animals are going door-to-door, calling all out for a mandatory council meeting.
When Reynard finally reaches the cave, he finds Snow trying to chisel at the lock, not helped by Weyland nervously flinching the whole time. Reynard asks her if she's tried using the key lying on the ground. Glad to see he's okay, Snow says that the key was for her lock, not Weyland's. Reynard comments that the locks look the same to him, and Snow suddenly realizes; Weyland had found a loophole to his enchantment. Creating the very key to his chain under pretense of helping her escape. She turns the key in the lock, opening his shackle. The enchantment broken, Weyland got very annoyed that she was seemingly going to use every tool in the cave on him. Snow allowed him one rude comment due to being locked up so long. She has an idea. First Snow asks Reynard to hurry back down and tell any animals still loyal to her to avoid the council meeting for their own safety. Then she asks Weyland how they'd go about waking the sleepers in the valley...
Later that same day, Goldilocks, Dun, and Rose hold a rally in the village center. Snow appears waving a white flag. Goldilocks takes aim, but Rose yells for her to hold her fire. Snow walks into the center of the rally and, despite guns pointed at her from all directions, tells them to drop their weapons. They scoff at that. She reminds them that she runs Fabletown and is never outgunned. A plume of fire sprays over the barn, reducing it to ash and rubble. The dragon, Clarathea, woken from her slumber, flies above the crowd. Snow makes a signal, and the three formerly sleeping giants now tower over the village square. Snow again orders all to drop their weapons and end their revolution. Surrounded by three hulking giants, and watched by a fire-spewing beast from above, the animals all comply.
Boy Blue and the others drive up just as Snow White, Weyland, and all the loyal animals have those involved with the revolution in shackles, including Rose Red. Snow, appreciating their too-late rescue, lets them help round up any stragglers, putting Goldilocks as the top priority. She had gotten away during the confusion.
Out of sight of the others, Goldilocks targets Snow with her rifle. She pulls the trigger, the bullet piercing Snow White through the temple. Rose Red watches in horror as Snow White falls to the ground, dead.
Fables #10
Snow White sits on a patch of ground surrounded by white space, accompanied by the decapitated head of Colin the pig. He tells her they are in Limbo, though she may not be dead yet. Snow asks him what she should do. Colin suggests she try waking up.
Inside the Knights of Malta, a hospital for Fables, Snow opens her eyes to find herself in a bed, her head completely bandaged. Bigby Wolf, sitting nearby, welcome her back to the world of the living. He tells her not to try and talk just yet, promising to explain things as best he could, adding that since he's not allowed on the Farm, it was all told to him secondhand.
Right after Snow was shot, Boy Blue, Prince Charming, and Bluebeard quelled the remaining dissidents. Then with the help of Reynard the Fox and Weyland Smith, they began searching for the escaped Goldilocks, but only found her discarded rifle. The three giants and Clarathea the Dragon were also becoming a problem. Hiding them from the Mundys was going to be difficult. Bigby then stops and tells Snow to get some rest.
As winter begins, the trials at the Farm have officially started. Bluebeard reads off the list of charges as Prince Charming judges them. Most of the revolutionists are given years of hard labor and lock-up. Dun and Posey however, being ringleaders and murderers, are sentenced to death by beheadment.
Snow finally gets released from the hospital, though she's still limited in her mobility and requires a wheelchair to get around. She and Bigby share a ride in an ambulance back to Fabletown. Snow finally asks Bigby about Rose Red. She understands everyone has avoided the topic around her until she got better, but Snow decides it's time for her to know if her sister's been executed yet. Bigby is genuinely shocked at this, asking Snow if she seriously didn't know that Rose had saved her life. Rose Red reluctantly joined the revolution after Colin the pig was killed, knowing that her and Snow would be the next targets. In exchange for her loyalty, Rose made them promise not to kill Snow, and in effect buying her sister enough time to figure a way out. Snow tells Bigby she feels foolish for not realizing.
Spring reaches Fabletown after a hectic time last year. Weyland Smith has been summoned to Snow White's office to discuss a new position, as his Administrative status at the Farm sadly ended when he was captured and lost the respect of the non-humans. Snow does surprise him with a chance to continue his work on the guns, at his own pace this time. She explains that while the revolution was wrong in both practice and method, the idea of fighting the Adversary with modern weapons was a good one. They aren't going to war anytime soon, but when the time does come to return home, it would pay to be ready. Weyland accepts this task, adding that Rose Red was waiting in his truck to speak to her if Snow was ready.
Inside the chapel, the two estranged sisters face each other. Snow begins, telling Rose her feelings of wanting to reconcile with her and be like they used to be way back when. But while Snow may have long ago forgiven Rose, Rose was not yet ready to forgive Snow. Snow was clueless as to what she ever did to earn such scorn, so Rose comes clean; She was angry at Snow's popularity. When they were children, it was always Snow White and Rose Red against the world, come what may. But that was all apparently a child's fantasy when Snow ran off with her prince, leaving Rose behind. Soon the stories changed, and Rose was cut out of the tale all-together. No one wanted to remember that Snow White had a sister. She became so beloved that the Mundys wrote all kinds of books and made movies about her, until her very popularity even brought her back from being sniped in the head. Rose laments that if she were the one to be shot, there'd be no coming back, as she just wasn't popular enough. That's why Rose decides to move out to the Farm and become it's new head administrator. At first she was only helping as a civil service, then she realized she enjoyed the work. And it would get her away from her sister, at the least. Her first official order of business was to get Snow to dig into the town treasury so she could by an expensive charm that would permanently change one's form...
The Farm is introduced to it's new members. The former giants, Donny, Johnny, and Lonny, were now the three little pigs, Act Two. Clarathea the dragon flies onto Rose's shoulder in her new raven form, with Rose declaring that Clara's her new best friend, and enforcer. When asked how she could possibly enforce anything, Clara opens her mouth, shooting out a flame. Rose decided to keep one of her dragon qualities as it was, to discourage any future revolutions.
Later, as soon as she could sneak away, Snow found a secluded spot and wept for all the ones who died. For her lost relationship with her sister. And for a dear friend named Colin the Pig.
Fables #11
It is the Civil War period, where America's north and south armies fight each other for their ideas of freedom. Jack Horner, speaking in a practiced southern accent, had lied and conned his way into the rank of captain in the Confederate Army, for the sole purpose of impressing the women with his status as a war hero. Of course the war didn't exactly pan out in the South's favor, and Jack's claim to glory came crashing around him. Not to be outdone, Jack leaves the unit early, tossing a load of supplies (food, clothing, ale) on his back as his army chums see him off. They warn him to stay out of the swamp as all kinds of vile critter like witches and maybe old Nick Slick himself inhabit it, but Jack waves them off, proclaiming he "ain't afraid of no haints".
Travelling through the bayou, Jack comes across a frail-looking old man sitting on a log, an old black sack lying next to him, playing cards with himself. He invites Jack over for a game of poker. Jack admits he always loves a game, but points out the old man doesn't seem to have much to bet with. The man smiles, saying he might just surprise him, adding that he'll match whatever Jack bets with something from his sack.
Hours later and Jack is cleaned out, having nothing left but the pants he was wearing, and he wasn't keen on traversing the swamp buck naked. The old man offers an alternative; Jack can bet his soul. It was then that Jack realized the old man was actually Nick Slick, a devil from folklore. Surprisingly, Jack agreed to one more hand, pitting his soul against everything Nick had. Nick dealt an Aces High Flush. Jack smiled, showing he was holding four-of-a-kind, featuring four jacks, and thereby winning the hand. Old Nick was upset, but bound by his word, he gave back everything he won, along with his magic sack.
Magic bag now in hand, Jack used it's power to drag animals he came across, such as pigs and chickens, into it's bottomless depths for later consumption. He soon came across a rich, albeit run-down estate, calling out only to receive silence for an answer. He enters uninvited, and searches the rooms for any sign of life. Once he gets to the upstairs western wing bedroom, Jack finds a beautiful young woman lying in bed greeting him. She introduces herself as Sally Cornwelles, last of the Cornwelles line. Jack asks her why she didn't greet him at the entrance. It's because of her debilitating illness, she explains, it's keeping her bed-ridden and is going to kill her before the sun rises tomorrow, just like it did her family and ancestors. In Jack's usual selfish manner, he suggests that he could give her a good last night romp before she dies. Sally, of course, gets offended by his words and begs him to leave her to her fate. Jack then has another idea. What if he could prevent Death from claiming her? Sally is angered that he would suggest such an impossible notion, though she adds that she'd do anything if he really could. Jack simply says "Deal!".
That night, Death himself came to the estate. He climbed the stairs and entered the frightened Sally's room. But before he could take her, Jack sprang up from behind and opened his sack, sucking Death inside. Her paralysis suddenly gone, Sally leaps from the bed and gives Jack, her hero, a big hug. And as she promised, she and Jack had sex for the rest of the night.
The next morning, Jack sends Sally out to fix him up some breakfast while he gets some rest. She starts by grabbing a chicken out in the yard and chops it's head off. To her horror, the chicken didn't die, it's head still clucking while the body ran around like mad!
A few minutes later, Jack wakes up to see Sally covered in blood, yelling at him to come outside. She's tried killing the chickens, cows, and pigs, but none of them will die. What's more, some of Jack's civil war comrades have made their way to the estate, mutilated and bloodied, unable to die. They blame Jack for their condition, saying he's denied them their deaths after being cut down in battle. Desperate, Jack quickly races upstairs and retrieves the magic bag. He opens it up and sets Death free. Death happily mentions that was the first day off he's ever had, asking Jack to let him hop back in the bag once every year or so. Before departing to catch up on his work, Death says he'll give Sally one more year. She looks at Jack, smiling. Anticipating that their year together will be a grand one.
It's said that a few weeks later, Sally ran off with a preacher and whiskey drummer. Jack lost the magic bag soon after.
Fables #12
Briar Rose, the Sleeping Beauty, has done it again. She sits now in Bigby's office as they discuss the incident at Tiffany's Jewelry, where Briar had accidentally pricked her finger on a diamond pin, causing herself and the entire sales floor to fall asleep. They were lucky enough that the Mundys thought it was a gas leak, but Bigby still warns her that she can't let it continue. He suggests that she adopt the eccentricities of a rich person and start wearing thick gloves. They are interrupted by Boy Blue, who tells Bigby that Trusty John the doorman is calling for him. Agitated, Bigby arrives at the front entrance, where John tells him a Mundy gentleman was loitering outside the building. That in itself is not an uncommon occurrence, since most people think Fabletown is just another part of the city, except that this particular Mundy was heard asking for Bigby... by name.
Elsewhere in Manhattan, Prince Charming and his most recent girlfriend are in the process of breaking up, as she angrily kicks him out of her apartment and her life. This doesn't even come to a surprise to Charming, who, having learned to anticipate an ending romance, already arranged for his luggage to be placed back into storage. Taking his leave of the woman whose name he can't immediately recall, Prince Charming finds himself out on the street, wondering what he should do next.
Bigby confronts his "guest" outside, a man who introduces himself as Tommy Sharp, columnist writer for the Daily News. He announces to Bigby that he's been researching into their community for quite some time, and figured out some interesting things about them along the way. He found some old photos taken of some of them, dating back to the very start of photographic technology, proving they have not aged a day. Bigby is annoyed, telling Sharp to get to the point before he gets bored. Sharp puts it all on the table: He believes Bigby and everyone else living in Fabletown is part of a community of immortal vampires. He even spied on Bigby changing form into a wolf one night in Central Park, proof of his vampiric powers. He gives Bigby his card, telling him to contact him if he has anything to say. Bigby just tells Tommy to shove off, drops his card onto the ground and walks away.
A meeting in the Business Office later that day, Boy Blue, Jack, and Bluebeard learn from Bigby what has happened. Bluebeard suggests murdering Tommy Sharp, in a way that makes it look like a suicide. Bigby actually admits he thought of that, but it ultimately wouldn't have done them much good in today's "information age", where Sharp probably has backups of all his work on the internet. Instead, a plan is formed that will require Briar Rose's help to pull off...
Jack and Bluebeard prepare themselves for the plan. Bluebeard reveals a gun that's untraceable, telling Jack that if Bigby's plan doesn't work, they'll need to be ready to step in.
A limousine pulls up to a ritzy apartment building. Prince Charming steps out with Briar Rose. They put on the act of an aristocratic married couple that were invited to a fancy party. While the doorman gets on the phone to check with security, Charming excuses himself for "forgetting the invitations in the car" and exits the building, signaling to Bigby and the others waiting along the side. Inside, Briar removes her glove and stabs her finger on a needle, immediately falling asleep along with everyone in the building. Outside, Jack bums a smoke off Bigby while they wait, as going in too soon would just put them under the same sleeping spell. Soon, thorns start to grow around the structure, and Bigby tells everyone it's okay to enter.
Flycatcher and Charming go to the security office to confiscate all tapes showing them in the building. Bluebeard is charged with guarding the entrance, while Boy Blue and jack go with Bigby to Tommy Sharp's apartment to capture any and all evidence that pertain to their existence.
Inside the apartment, Jack gets to work on Sharp's computer. Boy Blue and Bigby go through all the pictures and documents in the room, confiscating anything involving them. A few hours pass and Jack reports to Bigby with some bad news. While he was able to delete all the files in Sharp's hard drive, he managed to hack his e-mail account and saw that Tommy had sent many of his files out to secure websites where Jack couldn't get to them. In short, they are screwed.
But Jack has another idea, and it all depended on how evil Bigby was willing to get...
Fables #13
Bluebeard has his gun drawn and pointed at Tom Sharp's sleeping head. He reasons that because they can't be sure they got everything Sharp had on them, the only alternative is to kill him and be done with it. Bigby orders him to stand down or else. While Jack and Boy Blue grab Tommy Sharp, Bigby grabs a camera and film from the darkroom. Bluebeard confronts him there, mentioning how Bigby makes a lot of empty threats that lose their meaning since he never acts on them. Bigby replies that he never has to act on them because Bluebeard always stands down, and always will, because at heart he's only not a coward when dealing with young brides and unconscious reporters. Bigby knew he was afraid of him, and that's why he'd always obey. On his way back down to the lobby, Bluebeard scowled as a single tear ran down his cheek. Prince Charming carries Briar Rose outside to the limo, followed by Jack and Boy Blue with Sharp between them, and Bigby and Flycatcher taking up the rear with the boxes of files and photos in hand. In the limo, Bigby calls Grimble, telling him to find Pinocchio and get him to the office asap.
The next morning, Bluebeard raves in his tub while his goblin butler, Hobbes, washes him. Bigby was starting to get under his skin, and it may be time to "remove him". Meanwhile in Briar Rose's penthouse, Bigby and Flycatcher look on as Prince Charming tries to wake her with a kiss. Nothing happens. Apparently, the curse is very specific about only being broken with true love's kiss. While Charming did love her way back when he first saw her, over the years that love waned when he decided he couldn't commit to being in a relationship. Needing a prince to break the spell, Flycatcher offers to give it a try, as he's always been fond of her. And sure enough, his kiss wakes her up, though he quickly departs, leaving Briar to wonder why her mouth tastes like bugs.
Tommy Sharp wakes up in the Woodlands dungeon, Bigby standing over him. He is given a mirror, showing him two holes in his neck which Bigby says are from their bite. Bigby convinces Tommy that he is now their thrall, and that they can make him do anything if they choose to. And if he ever tells anyone or publishes anything about their community, they will do worse than simply kill him. Tommy is handed photos, taken while he was asleep, of him with a little boy (which he didn't know was Pinocchio), who also recorded very convincing therapy sessions where he shows the psychologist where the "bad man" touched him. Sharp breaks down, knowing this kind of thing will destroy him. For even if the accusation was later proven false, it could ruin a person for life. Bigby tells him to go on with his life, forgetting he ever heard of them, because if he doesn't, the photos and videos go public.
Back in Briar Rose' penthouse, Prince Charming smiles to himself as he looks around at all the high-end furniture and decorations that adorn her residence. The clever Prince had found out earlier from Flycatcher that one of the fairies blessings on her christening day was that Briar Rose would always be wealthy. So while she did not escape the Homelands with her fortune, the enchantment ensured that she made it all back within a year of being in Fabletown, making a killing in the stock market. While he places a cold towel over her forehead, Briar asks him why he was still there. Charming responds that he wanted to atone for all his bad treatment of her in the past by taking care of her now. He will therefore stay with her in a platonic sort of way, sleeping in her guest bedroom, and help see her through all her spells for months - years - if that's what it took to earn redemption. His silver tongue served him well as once again, Prince Charming had a new place to stay.
That night in Central Park, Tommy Sharp responds to a summons from Bluebeard. Asking for an update, Sharp confirms that he destroyed all the notes he had, and that nothing remains. Bluebeard thanks him for keeping his word, then pulls out his gun and shoots him in the head. The last loose end has been dealt with...
Fables #14
In Bluebeard's apartment, Sergeant Wilfred and his partner Corporal Rex, of the Mouse Police, peer out from beneath the leaves of a potted plant and hop onto Bluebeards desk where his journal lies. They open it and begin to read.
Back out on Fabletown's Bullfinch Street, Bigby fills in Snow White, who still needed a cane or two to walk, about his "spies" Intel on other Fables around the world. After the Farm uprising, they realized that it may be necessary to keep closer tabs on Fables not currently operating in Fabletown. So far, Bigby reports no unusual behavior, though he gripes that with the funding to afford only three agents, covering the whole Mundy world is a task. They pass the fencing academy, where Bluebeard was currently demonstrating his skill to the students with new fencing partner, Prince Charming.
At the Farm, Rose has been pretty much on top of things. Currently on the phone with Jack, she makes their breakup official, citing the reason being that he wasn't a very good boyfriend, except when it came to annoying her sister. Since that wasn't what her life was about anymore, she had no further use for him.
Bigby continues sharing the goings-on of Fabletown with Snow, mentioning that her ex, Prince Charming himself, has moved in with Briar Rose, ex-wife number two. Snow shows exactly zero concern over this, knowing he's only after her money, adding if Briar can put up with him then more power to her. Bigby tells her that with Charming no longer on her radar, she can open herself up to more worthy gentleman callers, albeit with less refinement that she's used to. Snow rolls her eyes, telling him to let it go, she's not interested, etcetera. Bigby replies that he'll believe it as soon as she convinces herself.
The fencing class concludes with Bluebeard beating Prince Charming, five to nothing. He remarks it was a good effort, telling Charming that his constant traveling and womanizing probably just put him out of practice. They part ways afterwards, Prince Charming wearing a look of contempt.
That night, Bluebeard is in his bed, and lying next to him is Fabletown's most wanted fugitive herself, Goldilocks. Bluebeard has been hiding her in his apartment, keeping her safe. Goldilocks tries to coax information out of him about his plan to get her out of state, more importantly, what it will cost her. Situated on top of a nearby grandfather clock, Sergeant Wilfred and Corporal Rex overhear the conversation, ready to report back to base that Bluebeard is harboring a fugitive. Goldilocks spots them out of the corner of her eye and quickly grabs an axe, shouting to a confused Bluebeard. The axe barely misses Rex as he flees, Wilfred riding on his back, out of the bedroom and towards the exit. But before they can slip under the door to freedom, a knife comes flying out of nowhere and impales Rex straight through. He knows he is done for and tells Wilfred to get away so he can complete their mission. The sergeant reluctantly leaves his dead partner behind.
In the study, Hobbes brings Bluebeard the body of Corporal Rex, still stuck on his knife. There was a saddle on it's back, confirming it was the Mouse Police. The rider had gotten away, leaving Bluebeard little time to act. He deduces that the spies are most likely working for Bigby or Snow White, and he is as good as dead if any of this got back to them. With the rider now on foot, it would take longer for him to travel back to them, giving Bluebeard some time. He'd need to strike first. He tells Goldilocks that she will be able to repay her debt to him sooner than planned.
Bigby and Snow White meet Bluebeard in Bigby's office where he wants to show them something. He holds up a vial of unknown contents, telling them that Jack tried to sell it to him, saying it held magical properties. He pops it open then, a greenish gas comes out and envelopes Bigby and Snow, putting them under a trance. Grinning wickedly, Bluebeard begins to tell them their task...
In King Cole's loft, Snow White asks the good mayor for some time off. She wishes to go someplace where there are no phones, like a camping trip. Snow also informs King Cole that Bigby will be joining her.
At the same time, Bluebeard is giving Goldilocks her instructions. She'll take the same flight Bigby and Snow are on, the spell preventing them from noticing her, and once they are far enough from civilization, she is to kill them...
Fables #15
Boy Blue and his pals Flycatcher and Pinocchio talk about Snow White and Bigby Wolf, who have been gone on leave for three days now. On a romantic getaway, as Boy Blue believes. Flycatcher just thinks they eloped.
Deep in the forests out west, Bigby Wolf finally starts to come out of the trance Bluebeard put him under. At a campsite, Snow White sleeps soundly until she is rudely awakened by Bigby, clanging a pot against the side of her tent. Neither of them can remember where they are or how they got there. Bigby has rummaged through their gear for clues, finding a one-way plane ticket for Seattle. That could put them somewhere in the Cascades, he deduced. And since they both knew that Snow would never willingly go camping alone with Bigby, that means they were placed under a spell that just wore off. Since Snow still had some trouble walking, it wasn't likely they parked too far away from the campsite. Leaving their things behind to fool anyone watching into thinking they're coming back, Bigby and Snow double-time it through the woods.
Meanwhile, in the Fabletown Business Office, Boy Blue, Bluebeard, and Prince Charming surround a small cage holding three members of the mouse police, who were found snooping about the area. They thought it strange to see them here, so far from the Farm. Bluebeard offers to interrogate them, but Charming interjects. He was already given permission by King Cole to conduct the investigation, since he's established good relations with The Farm after successfully leading the war trials. Bluebeard walks away, growling that it was a mistake letting a fool like the Prince handle anything.
Snow White and Bigby soon find the car, and just in time as Snow was still having some trouble walking for such an extended period. Snow drives since Bigby doesn't know how, following the trail through the woods. Suddenly the front tire blows out, and the vehicle careens down a hill. Despite Snow's efforts to keep control of the car, they end up smashing into a tree at the bottom.
Prince Charming takes the cage holding the mouse police back to the apartment he shared with Briar Rose, telling her he'll be in his study. She has some choice words to share with him about their living arrangement, in particular about him claiming an entire room in her apartment to use as his "study", but the prince shrugs her concerns away, and locks the door behind him. When they are alone, Prince Charming asks the mouse policemen how they managed to get caught. They reply that had he brought more of them over from Smalltown, they'd have a more manageable time of it. As it is now, they feel overworked and had to take risks to get the information he requested. Besides that, Sergeant Wilfred and Corporal Rex haven't reported in days, and they fear the worst. Charming decides to give them a break for awhile, curtailing all future activity since they've been discovered. He needed time to think about their next move.
Sergeant Wilfred, at the moment, is engaged in a fight for his life against a pack of Mundy rats inside the wall of the Woodland Apartments. A battle in which he almost loses his life in, but thanks to some fine swordsmanship, the rats are all slain and Wilfred, wounded but alive, hobbles off to find his way back to his comrades.
The car is totaled. Snow and Bigby are alright, more or less. Bigby broke his arm, which Snow helped him set with some pain involved. Bigby suggests they move out quickly and get as far away from there as they can. His sensitive ears picked up a second bang after the first when their front tire went out. It didn't just "blow out" he tells Snow... it was shot out, and the gunman might be nearing their location. He transforms into his "wolf form" and tells Snow to hop on his back and hang on tight. They can cover much more ground this way, and escape the gunman's trail easier.
On the cliff above is Goldilocks, the "gunman" in question. She reports over the phone to Bluebeard, saying how she succeeded in killing the targets by sending their car over a cliff. In fact, she was just about to go down to confirm their deaths when he called, telling him to hang-up and let her do her job. She starts up her motorbike and follows the path down to the crash site.
Bigby and Snow have, for the moment anyway, put some distance between them and their hunter. A realization suddenly comes to Snow as they lie in the brush, resting. There was only one tent and one sleeping bag set up at the camp. Snow is horrified to think that they may have slept together while under the trance. Bigby reassures her how unlikely it was, given the amount of wolf tracks around the site, he probably just went on nightly romps while she slept. Besides, she had already shot him down back at the Remembrance Day festival.
Snow asked him then, why her? Why, after hundreds of years, was he suddenly so attracted to her? Bigby replies that he never acts so impulsively as to fall in love all of a sudden, the attraction actually goes back for awhile. He tells Snow to be quiet if she really wants to hear the answer...
Fables #16
Night falls over the Cascades. As they make their way through the forest, Bigby tells Snow White about how his people, on his mother's side anyway, find their mate. It's whoever produces a pleasing scent, and for Bigby, that person was Snow. Since their first meeting in the Homelands, she had a scent that he couldn't ignore. Even now, when they were living in the city with all the car fumes and loud noise, where he had to smoke constantly and mentally filter out everything around him to avoid sensory overload; even then, Snow White's was the one scent he could not block out, though he's tried. Just by the slightest change in her musk, he always knew where she was, whether she's feeling happy or sad, or if she was having good or bad dreams. That was why he became so attracted to her. Snow asks him to stop talking about it now, she was starting to feel like he was stalking her. Bigby replies he'd stop if he could, and that she shouldn't ask questions that she doesn't want to know the answer to.
Inside Bluebeard's apartment, Prince Charming pays him a surprises visit, offering up a challenge of a duel... to the death. Bluebeard is shocked, asking why the prince suddenly wanted him dead. Charming replies that there were many reasons that a scoundrel like him should be killed, but the main reason for the duel at hand is because of Bluebeard's plot to kill Bigby. He knows that Snow White likes him, despite the mask of annoyance she wears when their in public, he's learned to read her feelings quite well. Though he never really cared much for the wolf himself, Charming truly feels bad for how he treated Snow all those years ago, and figures saving Bigby by killing Bluebeard is the best way he can make it up to her. Bluebeard takes up his sword, reminding the prince how easily he beat him during fencing training. Prince Charming replies that the threat of real danger with real blades can make a world of difference.
Bigby leads Snow on a path away from their pursuer, though he doesn't want to get too far ahead. If they try to escape, the gunman will just hunt them another day and possibly catch them off guard. The two of them conclude that it had to be Goldilocks hunting them, being the only one with a motive for wanting to kill Snow. Bigby finds a small hollow surrounded by boulders and tells now to tuck herself inside as much as she can. He was about to give Goldilocks a taste of the old huff and puff.
Back in Fabletown's Woodland Apartments, Bluebeard and Prince Charming continue their deadly duel. Charming parries every blow, with Bluebeard continuing on the offense, though the noble lord is starting to tire. He bargains with Charming, offering him his price in riches if he would only end the fight. Prince Charming tells him that he intends to take all of his riches once he's out of the way.
Inside the small hollow, Snow is safely protected from the increasingly fierce gust of wind that blows through the forest, trees are uprooted by it's force. Goldilocks is blown off her bike as the wind reaches her. And just as soon as it started, the wind dies back down.
Prince Charming gains the upper-hand, stabbing Bluebeard through the shoulder. In pain, Bluebeard begs him to stop, that he can't save Bigby this way. Charming ignores his plea, telling him to die with some dignity. Bluebeard tries to offer his own surrender, but Prince Charming responds by running him through. With his final few breaths, Bluebeard explains that had Charming listened, he would know that Bigby's fate was already sealed. He had his assassin hunt down and kill Bigby and Snow White days ago.
After a large fresh path has been blown through the forest, Bigby, still in his large wolf form, rejoins Snow. On her shocked expression, he explains that he picked up the skill from his father, the North Wind. He added that the local winds will obey him now, for a time, keeping Goldilocks upwind of them at all times, allowing him to know where exactly she is. Snow mentioned she had heard the story involving him and the three pigs, but it was simply astounding seeing his ability in person. Bigby in turn says he was just a pup in those days, not even a brick house could stand up against him now. Then he tells Snow to stay hidden.
Goldilocks recovers from her fall, grabs her gun, and shouts into the surrounding woods for Bigby to show himself. Pouncing from out of the brush behind her, Bigby obliges, his large form overshadowing her...
Fables #17
Bigby jumps out at Goldilocks, but she uses her quick reflexes to turn and fire the rifle into his chest. After he falls, she fires a few more rounds into his body for good measure. But Bigby isn't dead. He mumbles that only silver can kill him. His wounds are already mending themselves, and he threatens that Goldilocks will be between his jaws soon enough. She responds in kind by shooting him right in the mouth. Goldilocks then starts to gather wood for a bonfire she plans on building around Bigby's body, not noticing Snow White creeping up behind her with a hatchet until it's too late. The hatchet is buried into Goldilocks' skull, she falls to her knees, but doesn't die. The damage to her head is apparent, though, as she falters around for her rifle. Snow hits her again and again with her cane, backing her away towards a cliff. Goldilocks stands up again, taunting Snow, when her foot slips and she goes over the edge, her body bouncing off the rocks as she falls. Even when she lands onto the concrete roadway below, Goldilocks is still able to pick herself back up. Though a bloody mess, she yells triumphantly that she can take anything Snow can dish out. She is then hit by a speeding semi-truck, her body sent flying into the rapids of a nearby river. Snow watches it all from above where Bigby, bleeding but alive, joins her. He hopes Goldilocks is dead this time, mentioning how popular a Fable she is with the Mundys. They wouldn't let her die so simply. He and Snow then continue on their hike, now unimpeded by any danger.
Back in Fabletown, Prince Charming carries Bluebeard's corpse, wrapped in a rug, through the Woodland Business Office, cheerily greeting any curious onlookers along the way. When Boy Blue and Grimble asks, he explains matter-of-factly that he killed Bluebeard yesterday, and is taking his body to the witching well. He tells Boy Blue to call their mayor, King Cole, down so he can explain.
King Cole is, of course, appalled at Charming's actions. Despite the evidence of hiding magical artifacts of strategic value in his massive apartment, a major crime according to Fable law, Bluebeard was still Fabletown's biggest annual contributor. Prince Charming defends himself by saying that Bluebeard was a scoundrel that deserved to die. Besides, he never left any kind of will, so upon his death, all of his riches are automatically granted to Fabletown. King Cole perks up at this news, with all of Bluebeard's vast fortune now theirs, he is no longer bound to begging and bowing to Bluebeards whim just for a pittance of cash. To add to the good news, Boy Blue announces that he received a phone call from Bigby a few minutes ago. He and Snow were on their way home.
Bigby and Snow White exit the LaGuardia Airport terminal later that same day. Snow starts to talk to Bigby about what he said to her last night. Bigby interrupts, saying he understands, and that he'll move out of Fabletown immediately if that's what she wants. But Snow argues that, no, it wasn't what she wanted. She tells him that their adventure together seems to have made them closer than they were before. Smiling, she adds that if he were willing to take things slow, she wouldn't mind a night out with him every now and then. Bigby is pleasantly surprised.
In the following weeks, as things in Fabletown return back to normal, Prince Charming tells Bluebeards butler Hobbes, who now works for him, to search through the business office archives for the Election laws in Fabletown. Things were going to change.
Inside Snow's apartment, Dr. Swineheart had just given her some troubling news. Angrily, she calls Bigby to her apartment, whether he's busy or not. When Bigby arrives, he learns that Snow is pregnant. She demands to know why he lied to her about them not sleeping together while they were under the spell. He replies that he just told her what she needed to hear at the time so her would remain clear during a dangerous situation. Bigby asks her what they should do now. Angry and in tears, Snow tells him she wanted to be alone right now...
Fables #18
It's a quiet day in the Fabletown business office. Little Eddie Underfoot, a Lilliputian, climbs up the high shelves to reach the pot of Barley Seeds placed there. But Bufkin the monkey catches him before he can reach it, and flies him down to Bigby's office. Bigby then sends Eddie back to Smalltown, on the Farm, warning him that if he's caught again, he'd be officially charged. Flycatcher watches this exchange, and after Eddie is taken away by Bufkin, he asks Bigby why he let the Lilliputian go so easily. Bigby replies that it was a tradition for all citizens of Smalltown, once they came of age, to try and steal a seed of magic barleycorn. Flycatcher is intrigued, so, it being a slow day, Bigby agrees to relate the story.
Way back, in the Homelands, on a small island rested the kingdom of Lilliput, where it's people were no bigger than six inches in height. News about the Adversary's attacks on other kingdoms had reached them, and decided that they wanted to help out in the war effort. An expeditionary force was sent out by ship to the lands beyond.
It was on arrival that they noticed everything to be bigger than them, including the plants and animals. Worse still, their ship had been destroyed by goblins shortly after they landed. Capturing a lone goblin by tethering him to the ground, they learned that the goblins had told the Adversary about the possible existence of a tiny kingdom that a single battalion should find easy to conquer. This created a dilemma for the expedition force, since even if they repaired the ship, they couldn't go home for fear of leading the enemy right to their doorstep. So instead they decided to travel across the lands, looking for a new home. It was after many years when they learned from fellow wanderers about a portal to another world where other Fables have been seeking refuge.
And eventually, they found it. Once there, they established a new town in a remote area of the Farm, christening it Smalltown, and living in peace, for the most part.
There was a new problem they soon discovered, though. The town had no females. No one to love, none to procreate with, as they left the women behind in Lilliput. Appeals to the Fabletown government did no good, as a spell to either shrink some women or make the men grow was deemed far too expensive. It was like this until Thumbelina arrived in town, told to live there because of her small height. All the men wanted to impress her, and she was constantly fought over. However, a Lilliputian by the name of Johnny Bullhorn got an idea when he heard Thumbelina's story of her being born in a flower grown from a magical barleycorn seed owned by an old witch. All he had to do was find the barleycorn she was grown out of, and bring it back to Smalltown so everyone can have their own barleycorn bride. He was joined by Commander Arrow, a hawk and member of the Farm's air patrol squad. Together, they returned to the Homelands, to find the witch's house and find the barleycorn seeds.
It was a harrowing adventure, as Johnny and Arrow dodged dragons, hid from goblins, and fought off Gargoyles. Years had passed by back in the Mundy world, and eventually a memorial service was held in Smalltown for the two heroes thought lost. Actually, by that time, Johnny and Commander Arrow finally found the old witch's house, only to discover that it's been completely ransacked! They meet a cockroach named Mustard-Pot Pete, who tells them that everything magical has been taken to a fortress up in the hills. They invite Pete along, promising all the pots he could ever want in the Mundane world. Flying on Arrow's back, they cautiously make their way to the fortress' tower, sneaking in to the treasure room. Inside they came face-to-face with a brown bear, saying he was placed in charge of guarding the magical loot, before pointing Johnny to the pot of magic barleycorn. The bear, who was really a wizard that just looked like a bear, had only agreed to guard because he was unaware that there were still lands that the Adversary hadn't conquered yet, and up in the tower he was at least left pretty much alone. He then asks to join them, and that he can get them back home to Smalltown much faster. Arrow's wings are magically transferred to the bear's back, and he carries the trio, along with the barleycorn seeds, out of the tower.
Bigby concludes the story, Johnny and Arrow were hailed as heroes when they returned, and Mustard Pot Pete found a nice, new snug pot to live in. The bear lived on the Farm with them for some years before transforming himself into a human and moving to the Woodlands. The barleycorn seeds were planted that spring and a whole host of ladies were born from the tulips that sprouted, with Johnny Bullhorn becoming John Barleycorn, and the folk of Smalltown now included boys and girls as children were born and grew up. The magic seeds having served their purpose, were taken to the Fabletown business office where they still remained. Since then, there had been a coming-of-age ritual that has become tradition in Smalltown, in which a young Lilliputian tries to steal a seed for his very own barleycorn bride, known to be far fairer than any single Lilliput lass.
The story told, Bigby sends Flycatcher back to work.
Fables #19
Somewhere up in Canada, a truck carrying a mysterious female passenger was on it's way to Fabletown. the passenger can't believe all the amazing technology the Mundy world holds, as the driver tells her all about the television, radio, and telephones. Suddenly, a car sideswipes them into a large snowdrift. The truck is stuck, and out of the car comes a small group of goblins. The driver and his son pull out a baseball bat and pickaxe, ready to beat down the beasts like they used to back in the day...
Snow White rises from her bed after hearing a familiar voice in her apartment. Colin the Pig, or at least his head on a stick, appears to her. He warns that bad things are coming for Fabletown, and possibly the Mundys too if she's unable to stop it. He apologizes for being so cryptic, but that's all he really knows. Then he disappears, asking Snow to remember what he just told her when she wakes up. Seconds later, Snow awakens in her bed, not quite sure what just happened.
Meanwhile, in Bluebeard's apartment, Boy Blue has been helping King Cole spend every waking hour cataloguing all of the gold and jewels Bluebeard left behind. Bigby Wolf suddenly bursts in demanding to speak with the mayor, King Cole, not happy about the way the old man had been dodging him for so many weeks. Reluctantly, King Cole agrees to spend a few moments to talk.
Flycatcher let himself into the business office to clean. He approaches the Magic Mirror and asks it if it's found his wife yet. The mirror replies that she is still somewhere beyond where it's magic can see, but it reassures Fly that it'll keep looking every day.
In his office, Bigby confronts Mayor Cole about letting Prince Charming get away with the murder of Bluebeard. Cole argues that a trial was indeed held, but there was insufficient evidence to prove that Charming wasn't acting in self defense. Bigby growled that he was building a case against Bluebeard, that he was going to get him legally. King Cole reminds Bigby that he's been saying that for years now. All Charming did was save him some time, he just needs to accept it and move on.
Snow White is getting her check-up at the Knights of Malta hospital. Doctor Swineheart notes that her pregnancy is moving along fine. Snow disagrees, moaning that her reputation as a respected figure in Fabletown could be irreparably damaged. Doctor Swineheart mentions that if she was so unhappy with her pregnancy, there were alternatives if she so desired, it being the 21st century. Snow stops him right there, threatening that if he wants to continue being a part of Fabletown he would never bring that kind of thing up again. Tiredly she exits the hospital, walking with her cane back to the Woodlands.
Prince Charming and Hobbes are confronted by Bigby outside the Woodland apartment building. He tells Prince Charming that his machinations with the mayor have made him safe from justice for the moment, Hobbes was still very much indictable for being an accessory to the conspiracy around Bluebeard's murder. Charming interrupts, stating that he's already given Hobbes blanket amnesty in return for his invaluable help in exposing his former master's wrongdoings. Bigby points out that he's not authorized to do that, to which Prince Charming responds that he's about to be. He takes his leave of Bigby then, explaining that he and Hobbes have five hundred signatures to collect.
Snow White arrives at the Apartments just as Charming and Hobbes leave. Bigby intercepts her, saying they needed to talk. While he's been keeping his distance for the most part out of respect, he tells her that she can't cut him out entirely. Like it or not, he was the father of the cub growing inside her, and he deserved a say in whatever plans she makes. Snow is forced to agree, but she still asks for another day or two at most for her to be ready to talk. The topic is dropped for the moment, and Bigby then switches to official matters. Walking her to the office, he asks Snow why Prince Charming would need five hundred signatures. Snow suddenly stops in her tracks as a thought hits her. She starts muttering to herself, not believing that Charming would really do it... Bigby asks what she's talking about, following behind as she quickens her pace towards the business office. Snow asks Bufkin to fetch her the volume on Fabletown's election rules. Bufkin replies that Hobbes already checked it out some days ago, confirming Snow White's fears. She turns to Bigby, explaining that while it's never actually happened before, a special election can be called for if five hundred Fables sign for it. Prince Charming is most likely trying to run for mayor of Fabletown!
Days pass, and a meeting is called between Bigby, Snow White, and King Cole, who is hurt at the thought of someone wanting to replace him. Hadn't he done a good job? Trusty John interrupts the meeting, poking his head in to say there was a commotion outside that they needed to see. They follow John, wondering what else could possibly go wrong.
After opening the front door of the building, they are greeted by a young red-haired woman. She introduces herself as Red Riding Hood, claiming she just recently escaped the Adversary, and is seeking asylum in Fabletown...
Fables #20
Boy Blue had a rude awakening when he jumped out of bed and stuck his foot on a toy soldier's musket. Pinocchio was in the living room when Blue angrily came out, accusing him of carelessly leaving his toy soldiers on the floor after playing with them. Pinocchio calmly rebuked that those so-called "toy soldiers" were the only thing made by his father, Geppetto, that he could get out of the Homelands, making them far too precious for him to treat as mere toys, however, Flycatcher couldn't seem to wrap that fact around his thick head, so he would often play with them and then forget to put them away. Pinocchio also gives Blue a message from Bigby, who wanted him down at the business office as soon as he woke up.
Red Riding Hood relates the story of her capture after the fall of the Keep at World's End to King Cole, Bigby, and Snow White. It took her centuries of slaving away to earn the guards trust and make her escape through the gateway in Oz, that led to Canada. Unfortunately, goblins followed her through the gate and a fight broke out between them and her two escorts, with all ending up dead. Red Riding Hood eventually made her way, alone, to Fabletown. King Cole was very impressed, gleefully telling her she was the first Fable to escape the Homelands in more than a century, an event that would greatly increase morale in town. Snow White and Bigby exchange suspicious glances.
Meanwhile, a crowd gathers inside Fabletown's Candy Shop, as Prince Charming delivers his first mayoral campaign speech. Likening current mayor King Cole's reign as that of a king, where all money in the treasury is treated as his own, making himself rich, rather than spreading the wealth to improve the community as a mayor's first duty should be. Charming goes on to say that the Mundy's can go on welfare if they lose their job, be given mandatory medical help, and even sue if they think they're wronged. Whereas, he points out, in Fabletown, Fables are told to find a way to fix their problems themselves, or they'd be sent to The Farm. He asks the crowd if this seemed right to them, and in unison they replied, "No!". Prince Charming passes the petition around for everyone to sign. He promised free government sponsored glamours for any Fable that didn't quite look human enough to live in town. He also promises the Farm Fables will be given the same treatment, so that they may finally move to the city if they so wish.
Boy Blue waded through the gathering crown in front of the door to the business office, getting the door open far enough to let himself in. He starts to ask Bigby why he called him down, but then his words died in his throat at the sight of the woman. Red Riding Hood, the girl he thought he had lost at the Keep at World's End, stood before him. At first, neither one could believe the other was alive. Overjoyed to see her again, Boy Blue told her that he managed to get on the last boat out after it sailed. He moved closer and started to take her in his arms, but Red Riding Hood pulled back suddenly. She was hurt that he had just left her to die, thinking she was just a sex toy to him, just like the soldiers who captured her. Boy Blue protests, that isn't how he meant it to seem, but Red rebuffs him, asking him to leave her alone. From behind her desk, Snow White and Bigby watch the whole scene go down. Snow whispers that the reunion didn't seem to go very well. Bigby smiles as he corrects her, remarking that it actually made perfect sense. It was precisely the right move for Red Riding Hood to make.
Elsewhere in the city, three black suited gentleman wearing sunglasses walked past a hot dog stand, the vendor shouting for them to try his Red Hot Dogs. The three strangers appear to get insulted by being offered food, and one grabs the vendor by the throat, lifting him off the ground and calling him a "meathead". They demand that he tell them where Bullfinch Street is, and where they can find some guns. When the vendor threatens to call the police, the stranger holding him let's go, and he and his brothers quietly retreat down the sidewalk. One expresses to the others his reluctance to leave that "meathead" undisciplined, though their orders did state to avoid any affairs with authority figures. His "brother" muses that soon, all those in this world will know to respect their betters...
While King Cole is showing Red Riding Hood to the guestroom in his penthouse, Snow White meets Bigby in his office to discuss his suspicions. He begins by asking her to remember the time he served in both World Wars. Of course, the wars were considered Mundy business, but Bigby always felt that a wolf should protect his territory whenever it's threatened, and he's been on American soil longer than any Mundy. Snow White can't see how this had anything to do with what was happening now. Bigby responds that while he served in the trenches, he and his unit would sometimes trick the enemy by sending an agent over to their side pretending to be a defector. To make things look more real, he and the others would shoot at the fleeing agent, sometimes landing a hit or two, but never anywhere vital. It was a risky way to gather information, but it worked surprisingly well. Bigby believed this was the same tactic Red Riding Hood used. Both times, in fact. The first when she was "fleeing" the enemy soldiers at the Keep at World's End, and the second time when she was "attacked" by goblins on her way here. Of course, it was all just speculation right now, but Bigby planned on doing some investigating out of town. He suggests that Snow keep a close reign on King Cole in the meantime. Their jolly old mayor was getting a bit too excited over the new arrival. In the lobby, Bigby gives instructions to Grimble to do while he's away. Passing him in the hall is Prince Charming and Hobbes, discussing how they'll be sure to triple the amount of signatures once they visit the Farm.
King Cole serves his guest-of-honor a hearty dinner while going over a few minor requirements she'll have to go through before becoming a full-fledged citizen, among them, she'll need to be interviewed by Bigby Wolf as is standard procedure. Red Riding Hood starts to flip out at this. How could they keep doing this to her? First making her face the boy that abandoned her to get captured, and now they wanted to sic on her the same wolf that tried to kill her? She ran out of the building, crying they were all mad!
Fables #21
Late night in a tavern, Jack Horner is trying to convince Thrushbeard to give him thirteen thousand dollars to fund a beanstalk expedition. Jack claims he still has the magic beans from his younger days, but Thrushbeard sees through the deception. He walks away, leaving Jack muttering that he never did like him.
Bigby visits a bar on the other side of the city. Passing by the regular patrons, he approaches a booth near the back, where fellow Fable Kay made himself comfortable. Despite his blindness, Kay recognizes Bigby right away and asks how he found him. Bigby replies he keeps tabs on all Fables who decide to live away from Fabletown, then becomes concerned when he notices Kay's eyes. Kay confirms that he gouged them out again, unable to handle the things they show him. Only ever seeing the bad things people have done throughout their lives, never the good. He laments no matter how deep he cuts, he's never been able to remove the piece of mirror shard that gave him this awful ability. Bigby's disappointed, knowing it'll take a few more years before Kay's eyes grow back, as he wanted him to take a glimpse at Red Riding Hood and tell him what her true story was. Now having to do the extra work to uncover the truth, Bigby excuses himself, when Kay stops him. He got a good look at Bigby awhile back, he says, and if the other Fables truly knew the extent of his misdeeds, they'd still be trembling at the sight of him. Bigby assures him that those days are long gone.
Jack drunkenly stumbles out of the tavern, unable to con anyone out of their cash tonight. Three strange men who looked alike and dressed in black, the same who attacked the hot dog vendor, confront him, asking about the magic beans. Jack, thinking their Mundys, plays dumb about the whole thing, until they become irritated. They surround and attack him, knocking him to the ground and kicking and stomping on him.
Mayor Cole visits Bigby's apartment to discuss why Bigby hasn't signed off on Red Riding Hood's background check yet. Bigby tries to explain his suspicions, but all King Cole cares about is getting her cleared for the welcoming ceremony that will boost morale. After all, he motions, if everyone's happy, they won't feel a need to vote for Prince Charming in an election that shouldn't even be happening. Ignoring him, Bigby calls Snow White to tell her to meet him in the business office He then departs, asking King Cole to lock up before he leaves.
Hobbes had just finished printing out the election posters for Prince Charming, and now he was walking through Fabletown delivering them to all shops in the area to post up. As he walks past an alley, he doesn't notice the severe beat down that's happening within. Though Jack finally gained an advantage when the triplets were momentarily distracted. He kicked one down and pushed the other against the wall, causing him to lose his hairpiece, reveling him to be bald underneath. Jack escapes up the fire escape, with two of his pursuers following behind. Making it to the top, Jack grabs a two-by-four lying on the roof and swings it just as the head of one of the triplets peeks up. The man falls, hitting the railing of the fire escape on the way down, until finally landing on his brother, who just fixed his hairpiece. Surprisingly, the impact caused their limbs to splinter and break, revealing their true nature as being made of wood. Deciding not to pursue Jack any further, the wooden triplets take their leave, helping each other as they hobble down the street.
In the Fabletown business office, Bigby gives a rundown of what he expects Red Riding Hood's next move to be. She'll likely want to play the distraught damsel to his and Boy Blue's harassment. Snow White asks Bigby if he's absolutely sure she's a spy, and not just a refugee that they're criticizing needlessly, pointing out that miracles have happened before. Bigby grumbles that the Canada gate was closed for two hundred years from the other side. She couldn't have just opened it again by herself. That's why he needed to go to Canada and investigate, everything about Red Riding Hood was too miraculous.
Suddenly, the office door opens, and a bloodied and beaten Jack walks in carrying a wooden leg. He tells Bigby he'd like to report a mugging.
Fables #22
Snow White, Briar Rose, and Cinderella are having lunch together at a fine diner. As is always the case whenever they meet, the topic of conversation is their mutual ex, Prince Charming. About how he dumped all three of them because of his commitment issues. Cinderella seems especially angered about the whole thing, claiming that it was she who got the worst end of the deal. Prince Charming really tried with Snow White and Briar Rose to make it work, before he was aware of his own failings in committed relationships. But then, by the time she came into his life, he knew he could never stay with a girl for a "happily ever after" ending. Instead he dragged her along a doomed path for his own sexual gains, with her believing she had found true love, until he dumped her shortly after arriving in Fabletown, her dreams shattered. So Cinderella is left being the manager of a shoe store, The Glass Slipper. She argues that she has every right to be "angry", and shall continue to be. Cinderella excuses herself from the table, bidding the ladies farewell as she had a flight to Paris she needed to catch. Briar remarks that Cindy's shoe store must be doing better than she lets on, but Cinderella confesses she's just using the rest of the shop's money to treat herself to a little vacation, before the creditors shut her down.
The city of Paris shimmers in the moonlight. Cinderella, roomed in a high class hotel, confirms her status over the phone to a mysterious caller. She mentions making herself out to be a bitter ex-wife with a failing business to everyone in Fabletown, and that they are completely ignorant to why she was really in Paris. A knock on the door brings the conversation to an end. Cinderella puts down the phone and answers the door, a look of glee on her face as Ichabod Crane stands before her, briefcase in hand. She throws her arms around him and gives him a big kiss, inviting him inside. Ichabod happily announces that he wouldn't be selling out Fabletown and all it's secrets to the Adversary for anyone else but her. Cinderella corrects him; "Adversary" is what the Fabletown folk call him, loyalists like him and her should always refer to him as the "all-mighty Emperor". They decide business can wait until morning, and spend the rest of the night together.
Ichabod Crane wakes up the next morning to see Cinderella reading over the documents he brought. He beckons her back to bed, but she explains that she needs to finish the work they didn't get a chance to do last night. He still needs to sign one last contract, she says, promising to make him take her out for breakfast afterwards. Once sent off to her boss, Cindy explains, it will allow him to become ruler of the Mundy world once the Emperor invades. And she, of course, will rule by his side as his loving wife. Ichabod eagerly signs his name. Before they can go out to celebrate, Cinderella bids Ichabod to take a shower, so she can be seen with him at his best. She closes the bathroom door behind him, waiting to listen for the shower to run.
Alone now, Cindy's smile instantly fades. She picks up the phone and calls her "boss", says that Ichabod signed the contract and that they'll be out of the room for about an hour.
Ichabod relates the story of when he was assistant mayor to Fabletown, as he and Cindy walk along the Seine river. He tells how Snow White once served as his assistant, just as Boy Blue was now hers. Then one day, as Ichabod puts it, she turned around and falsely accused him of sexual harassment, while he was in fact just trying to congratulate her on doing a good job. It was now clear to him that Snow was always out to get his job, even if it meant sabotaging his reputation until he was forced to resign. Ichabod then switches the subject, he wished to know about Cinderella. Just how long had she been spying for the Emperor? He's shushed, Cinderella asks him to wait until their back at their room, then she'll reveal everything...
When they return, locked in an embrace as Ichabod fumbles getting the door open. They enter, and she locks the door behind them, her demeanor suddenly changes. She pushes him away, telling him he won't be "getting her" anytime soon. She introduced him to her boss, nodding towards the man looking over Crane's files. Bigby Wolf. Ichabod is confused, was Bigby really the Adversary all this time? Bigby replies that he's the lawman of Fabletown, just as he's always been, and Crane just got himself caught in a sting operation. The files he thought were going to the Adversary contained the personal profiles of all current Fables living in Fabletown, as well as all their military secrets and possessed items of magical nature. Crane broke down, saying it was all Cinderella's idea and that he was "just playing along", pleading with Bigby to believe him. Of course, Crane's lie was too obvious since Cinderella was spying for Bigby the whole time.
Ichabod tries to make a break for the door, but Cindy knocks him flat with her punch. She mentions that Crane signed a full confession, thinking it was a contract from the Adversary promising him rulership. Bigby tells her to wait for him outside while he and Crane have a chat.
When Ichabod comes to, he asks Bigby what was to be done with him. Was he to be paraded through Fabletown as a traitor? Bigby tells him that, no. Unfortunately he had no jurisdiction here, and would be forced to let Crane go soon. He makes him look out the window, and tell him when he sees Cindy come out the front of the building. He then picks up a small statue of a headless Napoléon Bonaparte and, when Ichabod says he sees Cinderella, Bigby bashes him in the back of the skull, ending his life...
Bigby meets Cinderella outside. The French police would think Ichabod Crane's death was an accident, the way he made it look. She guesses there wasn't going to be a trial. Bigby explains if there were, he'd have to reveal the fact that she secretly worked for him, something he couldn't allow. At least one of his agents had to remain off the record, that only he would know about. They share a cab back to the airport.
Fables #23
Bigby doesn't buy Jack's story of getting in a fight with three wooden men. Jack insists he's telling the truth, showing them the wooden leg he broke off one of the attackers. But Bigby and Snow don't have time to waste on one of his schemes tonight.
In Brooklyn, the three wooden men enter a gun shop, and ask the owner for one of each gun he has in stock. Once everything is stockpiled on the counter, they try to take them, but the owner tells them they can't. By law, they'd need to wait until Friday to pick up the guns. In response, the wooden men pulled off the dates of his calendar until it read "Friday", then proceeded to take the stock out with them. Further protest from the shopkeeper left him dead, with knives pinning him to the wall.
Out in front of the Woodland building, Flycatcher and Pinocchio try to cheer up their buddy, Blue. He feels terrible that Red Riding Hood hates him, expressing his woe by playing the blues on his trumpet. Fly offers to take him to the comic shop, or the candy store, while Pinocchio suggests the age old cure for any broken heart: Hookers. Then, to their surprise, Red Riding Hood walks over to Blue, this time with a smile. She apologized for her behavior the other day, seeing Boy Blue alive was a shock, and she panicked, saying things she didn't mean. Boy Blue stood up, dropping his horn, saying there was nothing to forgive, he adored her as much as he did back then. Behind him, Pinocchio feigned a gag, and Flycatcher berated him to not ruin the moment. Red overheard Fly say Pinocchio's name, and suddenly she was asking if he really was the Pinocchio. She's heard stories of him back in the Homelands, while she was a slave. Pinocchio responds that if she's heard of him, then maybe she knew what happened to his father, Geppetto, who never made it out of the Homelands? The question goes unanswered when Blue interrupts, and Red Riding Hood takes him to where they could talk privately.
<br/ >
Flycatcher notices that Blue forgot his horn. He never goes anywhere without it, and worse, it was dented. Pinocchio thinks it's a bad omen.
King Cole returns to the Woodland Apartments after a relaxing night in town. Passing one of Prince Charming's election posters, he gruffly orders Grimble to take it down.
<br/ >
Upstairs, Beauty and Beast welcome their guest, Prince Charming, to their humble apartment. He was there to make a business proposal that would raise their salaries tremendously if they accepted. Put frankly, Charming explained that his winning the election was a guaranteed thing. Because of this, Snow White would understandably quit, never wanting to work with him, and the same would go for Bigby, leaving their two positions open for the taking. To Lady Beauty and Lord Beast's shock, he asks them to fulfill the position of his new deputy mayor and town sheriff.
Red Riding Hood takes Boy Blue to the abandoned warehouse where she's been staying. She tells him she's worried about Bigby investigating her. After what he did to her back when she was a little girl. Boy Blue tries to say that was Pre-Amnesty, when all crimes committed in the Homelands were forgiven. the most she'd have to worry about before officially joining Fabletown is a standard interview about her past. Nevertheless, Red wants Blue to help her, like he did back at the Keep at World's End. She asked him to tell her about their magical artifacts, and the number of witches and warlocks they had. He held her steady, telling her the initiation into Fabletown wasn't like taking a U.S. citizenship test, she didn't need to know any of that stuff. It'd actually make Bigby more suspicious. Red changes the subject, asking Blue why he hasn't kissed her yet. They then make love on her cot.
Early morning arrives. Red wakes to Boy Blue sitting up in bed, beckons him to come back to sleep. He can't though, something just wasn't right. Blue asks her who she really is, and what she'd done with Red. Red Riding Hood tries to explain again that the years in captivity have changed her, but Blue isn't buying it. So she switches to Plan B: reaching an arm out and electrifying Boy Blue with a spell. The three Wooden Men come out of the shadows and address her, asking if they should kill him? The phony Red Riding Hood says she would soon chop him up and throw him in her stew, but first she had a few questions to ask him...
Fables #24
Morning arrives on the Farm, and Rose Red comes out of the barn after spending half the night helping Weyland repair the tractor, though Bo Peep's sheep has other ideas about what they were up to. Rose meets up with Stinky, the badger, on her way to the farmhouse to relieve Mustard Pot Pete for the day. Pete points out there were many complaints last night that he had to file. Most of them concern the old cottage previously owned by Baba Yaga, springing to life after hundreds of years and rampaging around the Farm on it's chicken legs. A posse of animals are still trying to rope it down.
Meanwhile, Snow White is starting to get concerned about Boy Blue. He hasn't been at work for five days, and no one else has seen him since he wandered off with Red Riding Hood.
Boy Blue is currently strapped to a chair, bruised and scarred from five days of torture. The faux Riding Hood admits she's impressed that Blue held out for so long. He successfully ruined her original plan, to stay among the Fabletown community for years, learning their secrets and reporting back the Adversary. Unfortunately for her, he and Bigby Wolf knew the original Red Riding Hood too well to be fooled by her act. So now, she os improvising. "Riding Hood" tells her wooden subordinates that she still has one further use for Boy Blue...
Snow White receives a late night phone call from Bigby. He is at the Canadian Gate to the Homelands, where the Fable guards are all dead. The gate has been opened from the other side. Worse, their are several tracks in the snow that suggest at least three large trucks that were loaded up with something had left from the gateway. Bigby fears it could mean an invasion is heading to Fabletown, and he tells Snow to lock everything down. He will get there as soon as he can, but first, he needs to destroy the gate. Until then, it is up to Snow to hold down the fort.
The Fables gathered together in the Business Office are in a state of panic. There hasn't been a Lock-Down drill in ages, and no one can remember what to do! Snow White speaks calmly to the group, reminding them there is still time to prepare before any battle starts. First they need to send a communication to the Farm, then she'll speak to the 13th Floor witches to discuss their part in the battle.
Her rallying speech is suddenly interrupted by a gunshot. The crowd follows her as Snow rushes to the front lobby to find out what has happened. Jack shouts that they came back, the thugs that beat him up. And when they round the corner, they see the three wooden soldiers, wearing their black suits, with a badly injured Boy Blue draped around ones shoulder. Trusty John has been shot and lies bleeding near the front door. The wooden men toss Boy Blue to Snow White's feet, as a sign of their peaceful intent. They then begin reading from a rolled up parchment, from the Adversary himself. The Emperor, as the Adversary is called by his loyal subjects, has declared that Fabletown be allowed to keep it's independence for now, though in a show of good faith, all magical artifacts taken from the Homelands must be returned. A large battalion will arrive in Fabletown tomorrow to retrieve the items, any resistance will be severely dealt with. The wooden men hand the letter to Snow White. They also add that as new information had just reached them, Pinocchio must also be handed over tomorrow. He is the first crafted, their eldest brother and they want him back in their family, despite his horrible curse of humanity. At last they depart, leaving Snow White and the others feeling a new sense of uneasiness. Snow tells Flycatcher and Pinocchio to take Boy Blue to the hospital, then to come back as quickly as they can. There is much to do.
Later that night, Flycatcher walks into Pinocchio's room to tell him that Dr. Swineheart called. Blue should make a full recovery. Pinocchio doesn't even flinch, as if he didn't hear him. Flycatcher notices him packing his suitcase. Pinocchio tells him he's leaving with the battalion tomorrow. He knows firsthand that wooden soldiers are very tough to beat, they never eat, they never tire, they feel no pain, to fight them off would be incredibly dangerous. And besides that, there is one other reason he has to go. Pinocchio becomes teary eyed as he tells Flycatcher that the wooden men's existence meant his father Geppetto had to have created them... that he was still alive and a slave to the Adversary...
Fables #25
Fabletown is preparing for battle. Barrels of cement are stacked up, blocking off each side of the street. Prince Charming deals with the police who come over to investigate, telling them it is a simple block party and send them back on their way. Afterwards, he meets up with Flycatcher to give him further advice on strategic placement of barriers.
Down by the warehouse district, the wooden men are assembling, quite literally, their army of soldiers. Arms and legs are attached to torsos, heads are placed atop. Each soldier is given a black suit and tie, and a hairpiece to cover their bald heads. Finally they are given guns.
Boy Blue sits moping at the Knights of Malta hospital. Dr. Swineheart fixed him up pretty good, but his hands are still a mess. He doesn't know if he'll ever play the trumpet again. Swineheart comforts that through a few more surgeries, he can make his hands good as new. But Boy Blue doesn't have time to wait, he stands up and walks out of the room, intending to join his friends in the fight.
Snow White talks to the witches and wizards of the 13th floor. For the duration of the battle, she'll need them to cast their enchantments to prevent the Mundys from taking notice or remembering anything afterward. Frau Totenkinder says such spells will be very expensive. Snow retaliates, reminding her of the charter signed long ago, and as this is declared a Fabletown Emergency, they are required to do their part for the community...free of charge. Hesitantly, Frau agrees to help.
Rose Red arrives in a pickup loaded with supplies, followed by a convoy of trucks being ridden by all the Farm Fables who want to help. Prince Charming tells them they can unload over in the Woodland's courtyard, where Trusty John had his garden. Charming's sure he won't mind, still being in the hospital and all.
Snow stands outside, in front of all the Fables, speaking to them, reminding them what they are fighting for. Boy Blue is there, a sword bandaged to his mangled hands for better grasp. Rose Red and Weyland Smith stand together in the crowd. Even the Three Bears are present, showing their renewed support after being ousted as part of the Farm revolt...
The same thing is happening over at the warehouses. The wooden army stand at attention, as their brother tells them what to expect. Once the "meatheads" see how many there are, they're likely to surrender. Once they do, there is to be no killing of the masses. Except maybe one or two... a couple, certainly not all of them, anyway...
Jack checks his gun magazines again, while Pinocchio watches with disdain. They are in Pinocchio's apartment, where Jack was given specific instructions to keep an eye on him. Pinocchio's only real concern is getting out there where his friends are going to fight, but Jack won't allow it. He tells Jack that the wooden army isn't coming to hurt him. They said it themselves, he's their beloved "elder brother", they just want him back. And besides, Pinocchio adds, does he honestly believe bullets will stop a person made out of wood? Jack corrects Pinocchio right there, the gun isn't meant for the soldiers. There is absolutely no way they will ever let Pinocchio get taken back to the Homelands, where he could potentially reveal their secrets to the Adversary. If it did look like he is about to fall into the hands of his "brothers", Jack will use the gun on him. Pinocchio gulps and falls silent.
The army approaches. Mundys look out their windows at the sight, as the wooden soldiers march in formation. Above, the Farmland sky patrol fly back to report. Everyone there feels grim when the news reaches them. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, coming their way...
Sources and content license
Source and revision history · Exact listed stories combined in catalog order. Sources retain their stated license; formatting and headings adjusted. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 1. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 2. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 3. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 4. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 5. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 6. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 7. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 8. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 9. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 10. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 11. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 12. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 13. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 14. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 15. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 16. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 17. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 18. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 19. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 20. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 21. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 22. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 23. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 24. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from DC Database contributors, Fables Vol 1 25. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. · Content license