"We're here, Mal," Carlos announced as he, Jane, and Ben hurried to the middle of the bridge to join the others. "What's going on?"
"We're waiting for Jay and Lonnie," Mal explained. "And then I'll tell you all at once." She was busy on her phone, attempting for the fifth time to get a hold of Evie. Nothing. Straight to voicemail. Mal was really beginning to get concerned now. It wasn't like Evie not to text her back. Something must be very wrong.
Mal!" came Lonnie's voice as a magic carpet swooped overhead and landed gracefully at the foot of the bridge. Jay helped Lonnie off and then the two of them raced to join the others. "We got here as fast as we could!"
"Why is everyone here?" Jay questioned, his gaze scanning all of the AKs and VKs.
"Dragonfires?" Mal questioned, holding up her own.
"Right here," Jay answered, showing his to her. Ben stepped up beside him and held his out as well. Carlos did as well. The rocks, shining in red, orange, green, and purple, seemed to reflect the sunlight, showering the bridge in a rainbow of colors. Each began to sparkle and shine in the presence of their counterparts. Four of six in the matching set. Only two more and they'd have them all and Maleficent would be powerless.
"But why are we in such a rush?" Jane questioned. "And where are Evie and Doug? Shouldn't they have been back a long time ago?"
Mal nodded. "And that's why we're here. Something's coming to Auradon. Something that we've never seen before."
"Another villain?" Ben frowned. "But you can handle them, right? Just like you did with Maleficent? And Uma?"
"Hey!" Uma protested, stepping between them and folding her arms. She glanced at Mal and jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "He does know I'm standing right here doesn't he?"
Mal ignored the sea witch and shook her head, already beginning to scan through her spell book for the page she'd seen before. "Take a look at this," she told them, holding the book up for them all to see. "I found this symbol on a stand inside the museum."
"It's the Sign of the Lost," Uma added.
At this, Ben, Lonnie, and Jane's eyes widened as if they recognized it. Mal glanced at them with a frown. "What? What is it?" She turned to Ben. "Why do you all have those looks on your faces?"
"It's just...the Legend of the Lost...every Auradonian knows the stories-sorry, legends- of the 'chosen one'." Ben explained. "But...you're saying you've seen this?" He pointed to the book. "You know what that means, right?"
"That somewhere out there, there is someone who can end the war with the villains once and for all. Yeah...know all about it," Mal responded.
"But...wait...hold on..." Carlos now butted his way into the conversation. "I thought the barrier was down. Aren't we pretty much done fighting the villains?"
"Not according to the legends," Ben said. "And definitely not by Maleficent's standards. Maybe some of the villains are good now...but that doesn't necessarily mean all of them are. We still have a lot of enemies, many of whom would like to see villains take over the world."
"But, back to Evie and Doug," Jane spoke up. "Why aren't they here? Why are they still on the Isle? Has something happened? Are they in trouble? Is that why-"
"Yes," Mal cut her off hastily. "And that's why we're here. As some of you know, Evie managed to call me a while ago. She said that Doug was missing and she suspected that Evil Queen found out they were on the Isle and got him when Evie was recovering from a fight."
"Oh no!" Lonnie gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock. "So what can we do? We have to go and get him back, right?"
"Of course we will," Ben interrupted before Mal could say anything. The purplette folded her arms and rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting for his bold and daring plan. "But..." he added quickly, seeing her look. "We're definitely going to need a plan. If Evil Queen does have Doug, then she probably knows about the Dragonfires. So, it's safe to assume that she has at least one of them. And we have no way of knowing for sure if Evie has acquired hers as of now. So, we have to suppose that Evie doesn't have her Dragonfire, that it's still out there somewhere, and that Evil Queen either has it, or is looking for it now."
"So...what you're saying is...we have no idea what's happening on the Isle or where the two lovebirds might be?" Uma translated.
"That about sums it up, yeah."
Uma sighed and leaned against Harry who looked just as irritated. Gil folded his arms thoughtfully. "Well, in that case, I suggest we split up. Half of us go find Evie's Dragonfire and the other half try to find the two of them before either gets too injured. So, may I suggest that myself, Harry, Gil, and Ben start the search for Evie and Doug while the rest of you start scouring the island for the jewel. Yeah? Yeah..." She didn't wait for the others to respond. With a gesture to her first and second mate, she started towards the Isle.
The others stood there for a moment, stunned. And then, Mal hastily hurried after her. "Uma! Wait!"
The turquoise-haired girl paused and turned back around. "What?" she asked with a slight eye-roll.
"Evie's my best friend," Mal explained. "And I think you could use my help."
"Mine too," Carlos added.
"Me three," Jay agreed.
"Doug has been my friend for years," Ben added. "And I think I can say Evie's become like family...to all of us. I think, for the time being at least, we should all stay together."
Uma looked from him, to Mal, and then to all of the others. All shared the same look of determination. She was outvoted. "Ugh!" she groaned, throwing her hands into the air. "Fine! Let's just go!" She turned on her heel and marched towards the graffiti-covered archway. Harry and Gil hastily followed her. A moment later, so did the others.
"So this is the Isle," Jane said, her voice trembling as they passed under the gateway and were instantly submerged in darkness. "It's..."
"Spooky," Carlos finished, shuddering as he too gazed around at the crooked and narrow streets that he'd once called home. He truly hoped Cruella wasn't anywhere nearby. "Um...Mal?" he questioned. "How exactly are we supposed to find Evie and Doug? The Isle is...pretty big."
"You see? That's why I said we needed to split up!" Uma exclaimed.
"Well, okay, but we've already decided that we're staying together," Mal interjected. Jane and Ben nodded quickly.
"Well, come on then!" Harry interrupted before Uma could argue any more. He had taken the lead and was quickly sliding through the shadows, quieter than a ghost. "Let's go." He ushered them past with his hook and then, with a glance behind him, he quickly followed.
Evie hurried through the deserted streets. The thunder intensified as she reached the castle. Taking a deep breath, she hastily tied her hair up into a loose ponytail and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the worst. It had been three years since she'd last seen her mother. And, with Maleficent no longer head of the Isle, she feared Evil Queen might have turned as cruel and bitter-hearted from the sudden increase in power.
She just hoped Doug was still alive.
She dropped the drawbridge and had just begun to pull out her lock-picking kit when she heard the thunder of several footsteps behind her. She turned, cursing herself for getting caught so quickly, and let out a sigh of relief to see Ben and the others hurrying towards her. Uma and Harry stepped protectively in front of her while Mal took her hand and dragged her away from the door.
"Mal..." Evie began in a squeak.
Mal just shook her head and gestured for her to be quiet and pulled her in for a hug. At that moment, Evie lost it. The bone-crushing weight of their argument, of her keeping secrets from all her friends, and Doug being captured all came out in an ocean of unstoppable tears.
Even as the tears came pouring down her cheeks, Evie spotted the glint of four brightly colored stones in the hands of her friends. They found their Dragonfires. That means I'm the last one. Of course, she thought bitterly. I wasn't good enough to face Uma and didn't do any good against Audrey. Makes sense that I'd be last. I'm the least heroic hero here.
And now Doug's in danger.
Because of me.
"Um...I'm sorry to break this up," Uma suddenly interrupted, stepping up beside them as Evie backed up and wiped the tears out of her eyes, trying to save what ever mascara remained. "But we really should be figuring out how to get inside Evil Queen's castle. Yeah? Let's go."
"Yikes," Carlos commented as the sea witch stalked away. "Anyone else think Uma's starting to sound creepily like Mal?"
The others said nothing and just headed towards the door. Gil laughed and slapped Carlos on the shoulder before the two boys hurried after the others. "So," Gil questioned as they knelt down and began to investigate the door. "How are we going to get through that?"
"I could kick it down," Jay offered.
"Oh, because we all know how well that went last time," Mal said with an eye roll.
"It would have worked, Mal, if you hadn't performed that stupid little spell to show off!"
"Well, Jay, had you proceeded to kick the door down, you would have gotten us caught! Not like you didn't almost with the stunt you pulled!"
"Okay? Guys?" Uma glanced up from studying the lock. "I don't know what you are talking about and, frankly, it sounds intriguing. But, do you think you could focus on the task at hand? Unless you want to leave the dwarf in there with the woman who probably hates his kind the most?"
"I think we should get in there," Evie whispered, her voice almost inaudible. Mal shot her a concerned glance that the bluenette pointedly ignored as Harry attempted to jimmy the lock. "Oh...just let me do it, okay? We actually want to get in today." She didn't see Harry's flabbergasted expression or seem to notice her blunt rudeness as she pushed him aside and began to work on the lock herself.
"Um...what's gotten into her?" Uma questioned, watching the princess fiddle and jiggle the latch.
Mal shrugged, not really knowing herself. "Probably has something to do with her true love being locked away in a castle at the mercy of her mother. And how dead Doug will be when-not if-when Evil Queen realizes he's Dopey's son."
"Yeah...I can see that. Mother would have killed me if I had fallen in love with the son of Ariel," Uma folded her arms pointedly. "Really, Evie, you couldn't have fallen in love with anyone else? I mean, prince or no, surely there was someone else you could have liked!"
Mal glared at her as Evie sniffed back her tears. "You're not clear on the concept of true love are you? Uma, you were there! You saw it for yourself! Evie can't choose who she's destined to love anymore than your mother can trick Ariel into giving up her voice again!"
"Okay, okay, sheesh!" Uma raised her hands in surrender. "No reason to go all beast on me...no offense," she added with a quick glance towards Ben who shrugged it off. "How's that lock coming?"
"Almost done...and volia!" Evie stood up suddenly and carefully pushed the door open. Cautiously, she peered into the darkness, and, not seeing anyone, signaled for the others to come closer. Mal took the lead, Ben, Uma, and Jay flanking her. The rest of them followed closely behind. Evie stepped lightly across the room and, scanning the darkness for traps, snapped her fingers quietly. Immediately, lights all around the room flickered to life. Carlos and Gil flinched as this sudden action but the others seemed chill with it.
"Whoa. So this is your home?" Carlos gasped.
"Yeah, I've never actually been inside," Mal confessed. "E, it's a bit...spooky."
Evie nodded. "Tell me about it. I lived here for sixteen years."
"Yeah, no wonder you were always so eager to have a plotting-party at my house."
"A...what?" Ben asked.
"It's like a slumber-party," Carlos explained. "Only Isle style"
"Oh."
"Well, I think you're all missing one very crucial point," Uma interrupted again.
"Yeah," Gil spoke up. "If this is Evil Queen's castle, where is she? And where's Doug?"
"Oh...yeah...good point. Doug? DOUG?" Evie began shouting for her boyfriend. Her voice echoed back to her, but there was no sign of the dwarf. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "DOUG!"
"Evie, go check upstairs," Mal suggested. "We'll spread out down here to search."
"Yeah...okay." Evie didn't hesitate. She turned and darted for the steps, leaping up them three at a time. She reached the top in a matter of seconds and peered over the banister, spotting her friends as they began to search the lower level. Then, she turned and began checking every room and opening every door. "Doug? Doug, where are you? Are you here? Doug!"
No sign of him.
Evie was nearly in tears as she reached the final door, the one that her mother had always kept locked, the one that lead to the real Magic Mirror, she knew. Maybe...just maybe.Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, revealing a spiraling staircase. Here goes nothing.
She started running up the stairs. Never had she run so fast or with so much purpose. She felt her heart beating viciously against her rib cage and she was sure she was running on pure adrenaline by that point. "Doug? DOUG! PLEASE!"
She threw open the second door and found herself in a room filled to the brim with old junk and unusable furniture. She saw the faint blue glow that could mean only one thing. The Magic Mirror. She nervously moved towards it, feeling as though its power was flowing through her.
And then, as she neared, she saw him, lying at the foot of the mirror, bruised, broken, and motionless, most likely unconscious.
"Doug!"
She hurried over to his side, kneeling down down beside him. He looked as though he'd been reaching for something but had gotten clocked before he'd gotten the chance. After checking for a pulse and letting out a sigh relief, she scanned the floor around him for the Dragonfire. There was no sign of it. Oh no, no no no no no!
"Doug!" She shook his shoulders roughly, trying to wake him up. "Doug, we have to go! Get up! Come on! Doug...don't make me kiss you..."
Doug groaned and began to stir. Evie backed up as she found him staring at her and tears of joy trickled down her cheeks.
"Evie..." Doug groaned.
Evie pushed herself back and gasped. "Oh my badness! Doug! You're hurt!" She hugged him tightly, ignoring his gasps of pain. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I should never have asked to you to come. This is all my fault!"
"Evie..." Doug coughed, struggling weakly to push her away. "Evie...run...go...it's a trap...your mother...she has the Dragonfire...E, please..."
"No!" Evie pulled him closer. Doug grunted by didn't try and stop her. She suspected he must have a few cracked ribs. "No, I won't leave you! Not again! This is my fault and I won't leave you here to face my mistakes! We are going to get out of here together, okay?"
"Evie-"
"Oh, how utterly repulsing!" came the cackling laugh that Evie recognized all too well.
"Mother," she said, slowly standing up and turning on her heels. "That's enough. Let him go. This is about us. Leave Doug out of it."
"Mother?" Evil Queen sneered as she emerged from the shadows behind them. "My, how Auradon must have changed you, Evie." She eyed Doug. "In more ways than one. I do recall making only one simple request of you, dear. I asked that you find yourself a prince. Someone who could take care of you...and me...with lots of money and a big castle. And what do you do? You go and you fall in love with a miserable no-good underling. A dwarf. And what can he do for you? He has no castle, no money, and certainly no love for a princess like you!"
"That's not true!"Evie snapped, her face turning a bit red as she continued to shield Doug protectively. "You don't know anything about him! So, maybe he's not a prince, but he's more of a gentleman than any royalty I've found. And he loved me for who I am on the inside, not just how I look! Which is more than I can say for you!"
"EVIE!" Evil Queen gasped, flinching as though stung by her words. "How can you say that? I gave sixteen years of my life to you! I loved you with every bit of my heart and I raised you to be just like me!"
"You see?" Evie nearly cried. "That's the problem! You wanted me to be just like you, all because of a petty rivalry with a fourteen year old girl! Thirty years ago! You don't understand what love is! And that is why the Magic Mirror chose Snow White!"
"How dare you speak to me in such a tone!" Evil Queen screeched. "You know nothing about being a villain! Not since you ran away to Auradon!"
"You forced me to go!" Evie screamed. "I didn't want to leave! I didn't want to be good! But, you know what? It was the best thing that ever happened to me! I found friends who care about me and someone who loves me for me! I really wish you could understand that! But we don't have time for this! Maleficent is out there," she pointed towards where she thought Auradon would be. "And she's trying to destroy everything! You say you're the 'fairiest of them all', right? So prove it! Do the right thing for once! Help us save Auradon!"
"And what?" EQ growled. "Get the same treatment as Hades or Morgana? And how did that go for them? Didn't Morgana end up dead?"
Doug tensed, Evie noticed, though she didn't know why. "I'll put in a good word for you," the bluenette promised, holding out her hand desperately to her mother. Doug weakly took her other arm, whispering a hoarse warning. Evie ignored this, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on her mother who seemed to hesitate and actually consider this option. "Mommy," Evie went on, reverting to her old talk. "Please. Come with us. Help us show Auradon that you've changed."
The Evil Queen stared at the two of them, anger flashing in her eyes. Her gaze hovered over Evie's outstretched hand. And, for a moment, she actually seemed to consider it. But, whatever she was thinking was obliterated a moment later when footsteps echoed off of the building and Queenie came running through the door a moment later.
"EQ!" she gasped, not yet noticing the two teens cowering there. "Maleficent's daughter and her friends are here! They're in the castle! They're here for the Dragonfires! We've got to prepare for-" She stopped, seeing Evie and Doug standing there. "Well, that was easy." Then, she turned to Evil Queen who still had made no move to restrain them. "What are you waiting for? They're right here! Get them!"
"Mom..." Evie began pleadingly. "Please." She took Doug's hand and they both stared desperately up at the queen.
"EQ..." Queenie began warningly. "What are you doing? You know what'll happen if she doesn't get them! Just...stop them...before they can get the Dragonfires back! EQ," she added in a gentler voice. "It's just a few more hours. I'm sure she won't hurt Evie. Now, come on, help me."
"Mommy?" Evie repeated as her heart beat furiously in her chest.
EQ faced her sadly. "I'm sorry my little evilett."
With that, she suddenly raised her hand, revealing their Dragonfires. Then, without another word, she blasted the two teens backwards into the wall.