A/N: I had fun writing this song. I hope you enjoy it!
The sun had set completely over Auradon by the time the group reached the museum. All members present were fighting burning lungs and were nearing exhaustion as they hit the steps and Evie set to work on the lock on the door. Carlos glanced through the frosted glass windows beside her. The guard was gone. The building lights were on but the place was deserted. "Coast's clear," he hissed to the others.
Evie unlocked the doors and they hurried inside. The VKs immediately headed for the Hall of Villains. Ben and Doug were a bit more hesitant. Probably because they still were not accustomed to breaking rules...such as breaking and entering. Honestly, Carlos didn't like it any more than they did. But they had a job to do. Morgana had to be stopped. Besides, they could apologize to Fairy Godmother later.
"Guys," Evie hissed, her voice echoing off of the walls as she reached the stairs and she and Mal practically raced each other up them. "Come on! This way! Hurry!"
They reached the second floor and raced down the hallway. Mal reached the last room first and skidded to a halt, grabbing Evie and Jay as they raced past, and turning them to face the once threatening room. Carlos took a deep breath, eyeing the statue of his mother a bit warily. Beyond it, he knew, was the locked vault where all of the villain's talismans were kept under lock and key. Including Maleficent's scepter. The one at the school had been a prop, designed on his 3D printer in case a situation just like this had ever arisen. Now, he was glad he had agreed to Ben's suggestion.
"Over here!" Evie called, already at the door, yanking it open and hurrying inside. The others followed. Ben stayed outside to keep watch. Carlos ducked into the room and was almost immediately hit by a blast of cold air. He shivered and inched closer to Mal who was already approaching the stand and her mother's scepter.
"Dragonfires," she ordered, holding out her hand.
They handed the jewels to her and she slowly advanced towards the scepter, pausing only once when the emerald inside began to glow, crackle, and hiss. "Okay," she told herself calmly. "You can do this, Mal. Just a simple fusing spell, right? You've totally got this." And then to the others, "You might want to stand back. I don't know what this might do exactly."
Carlos obeyed, grabbing Jay by the arm and putting his hand on Evie's shoulder, pulling them both away from Mal and the scepter. Doug did not need any encouragement as he nearly outpaced Carlos and headed for the door. At the last minute, the white-haired boy noticed where his friend was going and let go of the others to catch him. "No, no, no," he sighed, grabbing the dwarf and steering him back into the room. "You're as much a part of this as the rest of us. You have to stay here. Ben!" he added, sticking his head out the door. "How does it look out there?"
"All clear so far!" Ben shouted back, giving him a thumbs up from around the bend.
Carlos nodded, and, giving Doug a firm look of stay, he headed back to stand between Evie and Jay, folding his arms and leaning back against the wall, watching Mal who approached the pedestal slowly, stetting the stones next to the scepter and closing her eyes, preparing for the spell. I don't know what Mal is planning...or how the Dragonfires are going to work together. But I have no doubt she can pull it off somehow.
Evie, who was not clutching Mal's spell book, watched her friend nervously and frowned deeply. Carlos could almost feel the powerful bursts of magic emitting from her. He still found it hard to believe that she wasn't the chosen one for the prophecy. And Ben was right. Who else could it be? Not one of them, certainly. They all knew who they were. Their pasts were secrets to no one.
"Do you think this will work?" Evie whispered nervously to him.
He nodded, not looking away from Mal. "Of course it will."
"Yeah, man, but what if it doesn't?" Jay whispered.
Carlos turned towards him, blinking. He never thought he'd see the day when Jay was questioning a plan. "It will work," he insisted, turning back towards Mal worriedly. "It has to."
Mal, meanwhile, was busy doing something or another near the pedestal. She took a deep breath and laid her hands on the scepter. A moment passed and then a wall of green fire erupted around her.
Carlos cried out as the sudden heat was enough to force him backwards. He shielded his face with his arm, feeling Evie and Jay to the same. They all moved back next to Doug who stood there, wide-eyed, watching the entire scene in shock.
"Is that...is that normal for her?"
The VKs nodded. Carlos nodded, clapping him reassuringly on the back. "Very," he responded. "Don't worry. This is normal. Let's get back and let Mal do her thing. Come on, come on." He led the others back to join Ben.
"How's she doing?" the king inquired as they hurried out of the room and Jay took a watchful position near the hall.
"Mal?" Carlos glanced briefly back towards the room while Evie drug Doug away from the door. "Oh...you know...the usual. Casting some weird spell to save the world. You know how she is. Probably will be done any minute now." Then, he got an idea. "Say, Ben, Mal mentioned seeing the symbol for the Lost on some kind of scroll or parchment. In the heroes wing perhaps?"
Ben nodded. "Yeah. She mentioned that. Sounds like it was on one of the scrolls recovered from Captain Hook's ship. We talked about it once in history. Dad found several on board before he sunk the Jolly Rodger."
"Do you...do you think you could show me?"
"Yes. Of course. Mal-"
"Mal will be fine," Jay spoke up. "You two go and see what you can find out. The rest of us will wait for Mal and then catch up with you."
"I can come too," Doug offered, much to Carlos' and Evie's surprise. Then, seeing their startled expressions, he added. "I...might be able to help."
That was true, Carlos knew. He was good at the tech side of things but Doug was better when it came to raw facts. And Evie and Jay were more than capable of waiting for Mal. "All right," he agreed and Doug hurried over to join them. "Let's go." He turned and sprinted out the door. Ben and Doug followed quickly.
They hurried down the hallway, their footsteps the only sound in the deserted building. Carlos shuddered at the bleak darkness and slowed, allowing Ben to take the lead. They descended the stairs again and sprinted to the back of the building. Carlos ignored the statues all around him, nearly tripping over the ones of Pongo and Perdita as he chased after Ben.
They reached the pirate wing a few seconds later and Ben pointed out the scroll.
"That's it?" Carlos questioned, moving closer to read the fading ink. He squinted. "Anybody got a flashlight?"
"Here," Doug stepped up beside him and handed it over the boy's shoulder. When the others looked at him in surprise, he just shrugged. "What? I'm a Boy Scout. I came prepared."
Carlos smirked as he flicked the flashlight on and began to read the inscription aloud. "Long, long, ago-" he began.
"In a galaxy far far away?" Ben interrupted with a grin.
Doug groaned good-humoredly and rolled his eyes.
Carlos look at him and cracked a smile. "Thank you, Obi-Wan, but, no." He continued reading. "Before the time of villains, before there were two worlds, there were two magicians-"
"Merlin and Morgana," Doug interjected, folding his arms and gaining a knowing expression.
"Yes," Carlos coughed before he went on. "But the greater of these two was Merlin of Camelot, the sorcerer who protected the kingdom and enchanted the sword into the stone."
"That Arthur later removed," Ben added.
Carlos sighed. "Are you guys actually going to let me read or are you going to keep interrupting?"
"Right, sorry," Ben apologized. "Continue."
Carlos resumed once more. "Morgana sought this power for herself. But seeing how she could never accomplish this with the same powers and talents as Merlin, she turned to the dark arts as her source of power. With this newfound magic, she challenged Merlin but was defeated by two of his three apprentices. Later, she returned, only to be defeated by the fated Prime Merlinian. While King Beast exiled all of the villains to the Isle of the Lost, Morgana was never found. No one knows how this is possible or where she might be now. But legends say that one day, when the fate of both heroes and villains hangs in the balance, a child will be born, blessed with the power, far beyond that of the Prime Merlinian, to defeat Morgana and end the war between good and evil once and for all..." Carlos trailed off here and turned back towards his friends. "That's all it says."
"I think that time has come," Ben mumbled. "And there's the symbol Mal was talking about." He pointed to the corner of the paper. The star looked a bit like it had been burnt into the paper. In each of its points was some kind of strange symbol. Carlos couldn't read it, but he didn't like the look of it one bit.
"But there's nothing that tells us how to find that child?" Doug questioned, moving closer to read around Carlos with a scowl.
Carlos shrugged. "No. I guess...I guess we'll just have to hope the Dragonstone can stop her."
"That's not a plan," Doug pointed out.
"But that's all we've got right now."
"Guys?" Ben, who had moved towards the window, now spoke up. They both turned to face him. "Do either of you get the feeling that there...eyes...watching us?"
Carlos frowned as Doug nervously scanned the ceiling as though expecting shadows to peel from the nooks and crannies. "No-"
Loud running footsteps interrupted their concerns and they turned to see Mal, Evie, and Jay rush into the room. Mal was clutching something shining in her hand. She was smiling. She'd been successful. And the light...
"Is that it?" he questioned.
Mal nodded.
Evie gestured them over. "Guys! We're done! Come on, let's go!" With that, she and Mal turned and took off running down the corridor again.
After sharing a weary glance, the boys followed.
They rushed back through the labyrinth of halls, twists, and turns, and darted past the main hall. Evie and Ben reached the doors first and simultaneously flung them open with incredible force. Evie jumped down the stairs three at a time. Ben ushered the others past him, ducking and laughing as Jay whooped before back flipping from the stairs. They'd done the impossible. They'd gotten the Dragonstone.
"Now that that's done," Ben spoke up. "Let's go find Morgana and get her out of Auradon." Mal chuckled as he swung an arm around her and grinned. Jay and Carlos high fived while Doug and Evie shared a small smile, relishing in their small moment of victory.
"Well, well, that was so much easier than I imagined."
The six friends twirled around at once to find an army of shadows waiting for them.
"Uh-oh," Carlos muttered.
"Oh..." Evie's smile faded.
Mal's eyes flashed green. Already, she had reacted. And, as a peppy beat began in the air, she had already signaled for the others to spread out and prepare for battle. She held out her hand and a shimmering silver sword appeared in her grasp, as well as the hands of her friends.
The shadows suddenly surrounded them. Evie and Jay braced themselves on the left. Ben, Carlos, and Doug on the right. Mal scowled as she raised her blade threateningly. A cruel laugh flooded the heavens, no doubt belonging to Queenie, and the creatures took a step in sync towards them.
Mal pushed her friends behind her and gestured for them to get ready to fight.
Mal:
Countdown, bring it on.
We defend Auradon.
Swords up, here we go!
No time left to take it slow.
The shadows advanced. The teens glanced at each other...and then lunged forward. A struggle erupted instantly. Jay and Evie dove left, swords flashing. Jay disarmed one shadow and Evie thrust her sword through it, causing it to explode into a cloud of vapor. Meanwhile, Ben and Carlos began hacking and slashing as many creatures as they could. Mal's eyes continued to flash green even as she jabbed and parried, matching the shadow's attacks blow for blow. At the moment, it was clear that they had the upper hand.
It did not take long for the tide of the battle to turn against them, however.
As quickly as the shadows were destroyed, more spawned in. They suddenly realized that, instead of six shadows a piece, they now had to deal with sixty. They continued to fight, holding back the swarm the best they could.
Doug shakily lifted his sword and prepared to face down a shadow of his own. The creature lunged at him. Their swords met. Doug was quickly overpowered and his sword was sent flying from his hands. He was pushed backwards and he tumbled onto the dirt.
Evie, noticing this, hastily helped Jay finish off another shadow and then sprinted towards Doug, vaulting over a fallen tree and landing next to her boyfriend defensively as the shadows continued to press in. She helped him up and the two stood back to back.
Evie:
Feint to the left, jab to the right, keep up the attack.
Watch out, don't worry, yeah, I've got your back.
The two continue to fend off the army, Doug learning from Evie who, wielding her sword gracefully, knocked back an entire group of shadows. Two approached from behind and Evie spun, noticing this. She grabbed Doug and yanked him off to the side and ran her blade through the shadows in one swift movement.
Meanwhile, Carlos and Jay were busy with their own problems. They battled on, using the trees and rocks as cover as they dodged and parries the enemy's blocks. Jay even went so far as to run up a tree and use it to propel himself over the onslaught of shadows and come out behind them. Carlos shielded himself with his sword as three blades came down on him at once. The crash of metal upon metal echoed in the hills. Carlos reacted quickly, thrusting his sword up, throwing off his attackers. He then proceeded to run them through.
Carlos and Jay:
The odds are stacking up against us.
So keep it up.
Turn the enemy back into dust.
'Cause when the countdown falls...
All:
We will come out on top!
The VKs congested back together and began to circle as the shadows fall into a straight line to fight while Ben and Doug come together and fight back to back. The army is starting to dwindle down now as the group discovered their rhythm.
Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Mal:
Countdown, bring it on.
We defend Auradon.
Swords up, here we go!
No time left to take it slow.
Mal made her way to the front of the group, facing down the oncoming hoard. She grimaced at the sight of the monsters and held her sword at the ready.
Mal:
Hit 'em high! Hit 'em low!
We can match them blow for blow!
Evie, meanwhile, continued to battle alongside Doug. Her body began to glow orange and she took a shadow out with a spinning back-kick. One creature knocked Doug back into her and she hastily shoved him back up before shooting up her sword to block a strike.
Evie:
We're in the fight of our lives.
We can't back down...
So here we go!
Ben and Carlos took out two front lines of shadows. Kilowatts of energy shot from Evie and Mal as they raced to join the others. Hurrying over, Doug and Carlos were almost immediately encompassed by the tightening circle of creatures.
Carlos:
They may be big. They may be strong.
But right prevails o'er all that's wrong.
He lifted his sword to block an attack and it was knocked from his hands. He turned to look at it in a panic, eyes widening.
"CARLOS!" Mal shouted, tossing the glowing stone over the others' heads. Carlos caught it and immediately slammed it against the earth. The grass crackled with electricity and all the shadows around him exploded.
Jay:
And there's no disguising, no,
All that's left, ready, here we go!
Carlos, spotting Jay who was beginning to tire, called his name and chucked him the Dragonstone. A great wall of fire erupted around Jay and took out several more shadows.
Mal and Evie:
Tick, tock, that all you got?
Guess we're gonna give a shot.
One, two, three, four...
They slashed and mowed down an entire row, leaving Ben and Doug behind.
You should get prepared for more.
Everyone:
Countdown, bring it on!
We defend Auradon.
Swords up, here we go!
No time now to take it slow.
GOTTA MATCH 'EM BLOW FOR BLOW!
The remaining shadows gathered together and began one massive frontal attack. Mal led her friends. On either side of her were Evie and Carlos and, behind them, were Jay, Ben, and Doug.
Mal:
Raise your sword and your shield.
'Cause now the end is drawing near...
Evie:
We're gonna hold the line.
We're in the fight of our lives.
And this war will end tonight!
Everyone:
Countdown, bring it on.
We'll defend Auradon.
Swords up, here we go!
No time left to take it slow!
Mal held out her hands and Jay tossed the Dragonstone back to her.
Mal:
Hit 'em high! Hit 'em low!
We gotta match them blow for blow.
'Cause when it all ends...
Jay, Carlos, and Evie
Yeah, we know, right always wins!
Ben and Doug worked together to defeat another hoard and then hurried to join the VKs. The six of them stood together, ready to finish the fight.
Ben and Doug:
Swords up, here we go.
We can match 'em blow for blow.
Countdown, bring it on.
'Cause we defend Auradon.
They all looked towards Mal, who was holding the Dragonstone once more. Her eyes began to glow green as she fixed her petrifying stare on the army.
Mal:
Raise your sword and your shield.
Now the end is drawing near.
And we'll defend Auradon.
'Till the coming of the dawn.
Everyone:
Countdown, bring it on!
Mal lifted the stone high into the air and shouted something over the wind. The stone began to shine with a radiant light. Carlos shielded his eyes and felt Jay and Evie doing the same. There was a rumble of thunder, a flash of white light, and the army exploded into black dust.
When Carlos opened his eyes, the shadows were gone, and Mal was standing, staring absentmindedly towards the hills. She seemed to sense something. Carlos had a feeling that it was Maleficent. She's nearby, he guessed, feeling a cold shudder rush through him at the thought.
"Mal?" Ben questioned, stepping forward and lowering his sword. "What is it?"
"My mother," Mal whispered, not turning to acknowledge him. "I can feel her."
"Maleficent?" Evie questioned, coming to join her. "Where is she, Mal? Can you find her? Is Morgana and Mom there too?"
Mal shook her head. "I don't know that part," she confessed. "But I know where we need to go next."
"Where?" Doug asked.
Mal turned to face them with a grim expression on her face. "Belle and Beast's Castle."