The dark sky thundered with sparks of lightning the moment Tiana arrived back in southern Louisiana, desperately searching for Naveen.
Leaping across the slippery pavement, teardrops of rain started to fall upon her, somehow reminding her that she and the prince had very little time left.
"Naveen," she said to herself, her voice breaking as she started to lose hope. "Where are you?!"
She took a quick glance up at the clock tower in the church nearby. One hour left. The cold chill of the night surrounding her increased as the clouds separated in the sky, but she was nowhere near about to give up.
Meanwhile, down a dark alley decorated with various shadows of death on thue brick walls, Naveen struggled to pull away from the demonic creature holding him in an inescapable grasp.
It was relentless — dragging him closer and closer to the Shadow Man with such an unrealistic speed.
Looking up at all the stars above him, Naveen immediately glowered at Evangeline. Tears of both anger and despair fell from his eyes in knowing that no matter how many wishes he could ever make about her now, he would never be with Tiana.
Within a matter of moments, three candlelit flames appeared from the distance in front of them atop an open dark purple door. Rays of mist surrounded each of them as they came even closer to the room.
Suddenly, an evil laugh echoed nearby, sending invisible shivers down the prince's spine.
He heard soft footsteps eagerly approaching him as the demonic shadows violently threw him inside. And there he stood: Dr. Facilier, the Shadow Man.
A vile gleam circulated within his bright lavender eyes just as an evil smile immediately began to form upon his face.
"Friends," he spoke to the shadows. "At last we are finally at peace."
The wicked minions on the walls snarled victoriously in praise and celebration for their leader, erupting into a thunderous applause.
"As for you, your highness," the sorcerer looked down at Naveen. "You — ."
"I'll do anything you ask," The prince interrupted, his hope finally fading away as he worried about what might happen to Tiana. "Just please, in return for whatever you want, give this to Tiana; it's all I ask for."
"Very well," the Shadow Man relented in knowing that he had finally won. Rolling his eyes, he held out his hand to the tiny frog in a single act of kindness.
The prince slowly placed a small yet priceless object into his dark palm and immediately leaned back once the deed was done, burying his face within his hands to hide the tears.
An overwhelming amount of sadness overtook him as he awaited his fate.
"Now," the Shadow Man continued, placing the small object into his pocket. "Listen carefully! This is what you're going to do."
Tiana continued roaming the many alleyways and streets seeing no sign of the prince anywhere. She was beginning to lose all hope up until the moment when she suddenly heard many melodies and rhythms of music nearby.
With a spark of adrenaline, she immediately leapt towards the direction where it was all coming from — straight towards the echo of every instrument and every cheerful cry.
Tiana giggled to herself happily, "He must be here! Naveen can always be found at any kind of party or celebration!"
Within a matter of seconds, Tiana leapt beneath endless colorful lights and intricate decorations. Silent fireworks streamed through the skies as she got closer to a truly breathtaking Mardi Gras float.
The young waitress smiled, taking in the remarkable beauty of each of her surroundings as the celebration continued.
Suddenly, the clock tower in the church nearby loudly struck another minute for a few fleeting seconds, reminding her to keep searching for Naveen. Tiana quickly turned away from the parade in an attempt to keep looking for the prince but took one last glimpse at the celebration behind her, immediately regretting that decision.
Looking up at the very top of the Mardi Gras float in front of her, she quickly recognized Charlotte, her childhood best friend, held carefully within Prince Naveen's arms.
Tiana looked up in the sky, searching for the Evening Star, Evangeline. Within a few moments, she found her.
'Why...' she thought, glaring painfully at the silver star as tears immediately fell down her face.
The pain in her heart only increased with every passing moment. And without a hesitant thought, she quickly fled from the celebration, disappearing down a dark alleyway and fleeing into nothing but darkness.
Tiana swore she could hear her heart breaking more and more as she stood against the brick wall in front of her, struggling to breathe through the pain of what she just saw.
Losing so much more strength than she could have ever imagined, she fell to the ground, unable to stand once more.
"This can't be happening. It just can't!"
Many teardrops fell mercilessly from her deep brown eyes into the small puddle below her as she suddenly heard a small chuckle in the distance.
Wiping away her tears, she looked up and saw the Shadow Man standing right in front of her with an evil gleam in his eyes.
"Hmmm," he whispered to himself as he looked upon the tiny frog.
"Get out of here!" Tiana screamed, burying her face in her hands.
The tall sorcerer laughed, "It is quite a shame that things had to end this way. Especially since I have absolutely nothing against you."
Tiana sniffled, looking back up at the tall, dark man in front of her. "What are you talking about?"
The Shadow Man said nothing as he slowly reached into his pocket, grasping the small, priceless object that Prince Naveen had given to him.
A few moments passed before he bent down and placed it into her open hands.
"Naveen?" Tiana said to herself, rising back up from the ground with the smallest amount of hope that she had left.
She stared down at the gold diamond ring in her palm and gently brushed her fingers across the delicate details, holding it close to her chest to try and prevent her heart from breaking even more.
"It's too late for you now!" The Shadow Man chuckled evilly. "You'll never see him again."
Tiana looked up at him in disbelief, slowly shaking her head in anger.
She immediately fled from the alley and back towards the wedding celebration.