Soon, they made it on over to Aunt Em's Diner. Just outside in the back, there seemed to be Dude and the black dog from before who had pink ribbons in her ears. A man was shown to be in the back as he saw the two dogs and smiled at them, moving them over to a turned over cardboard box and put some newspaper on it to be like a tablecloth and even took out a piece of pizza from the trash and put it on a trashcan lid, allowing the two dogs to share the pizza, giving them a little romantic date since they seemed to be experiencing "Puppy Love".
Dude smiled at the female black dog and pushed the pizza over to her with a small hopeful look in his eyes before getting stuck by the sticky and stinky cheese. The female black dog smiled and soon nibbled on the pizza before they both lifted it up in their muzzles and started to nibble on the cheese together before they soon had a hard time ripping it apart and they seemed to get stuck together from the cheese, but they didn't seem to mind. It was made especially special with the beautiful full moon in the background while everyone else met up inside the diner, including Mal, Evie, Zelena, Baby Emerald, and Hades.
Evie looked around. She did see many familiar faces and looked among the crowd. She felt worried about everyone pointing and laughing at her about the incident from earlier, but luckily for her, so far, no one seemed to do be doing anything about her to attack her with. At least... Not yet and hopefully. Dot Hugson was shown to be looking around and looked a little distressed about something. Not surprisingly, Peter and Audrey were among the students at the diner, but nothing seemed to be going on with them right now as they just sat in a far table in the back that was dimly lit compared to everywhere else in the diner.
Neddie walked over and spotted them. "Hello, welcome to Aunt Em's Diner," he then greeted before counting the guests who came to see them. "Table for... Erm... Five?" he then asked since he pointed out Emerald.
"Table or booth?" Zelena asked the girls.
"Booth's fine." Mal replied.
Evie looked over and soon nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, a booth sounds good, Aunt Zelena." she then added in agreement.
"All right then." Hades nodded.
"Okay, just follow me." Neddie told them before he walked off and went to lead them over to where to sit.
"Say... Aren't you in The Summer School Games against our school?" Mal asked as she recognized the boy a bit.
"Yeah, my sister Dot and I both are," Neddie nodded at her. "We're just helping out since this is our family restaurant of course."
"Oh... So you know Aunt Em?" Evie asked.
"She's our great-aunt," Neddie nodded before showing them the booth. "Here you go, folks."
"Thank you." The family replied before they came to sit down inside the booth as Neddie got them some glasses of water and silverware.
"Someone will be with you in a moment to take your orders." Neddie informed before he nodded at them and walked off.
"What a nice boy." Hades commented.
"Indeed." Zelena nodded in agreement as they got settled in.
"By the way, Evie, I don't know what you guys do for Halloween, but I should share some snake and spiders shakes with you guys." Mal soon piped up.
"Erm... Snakes and spiders shakes...?" Evie repeated in concern, wrinkling her nose a little bit.
"Ooh... Sounds wicked~" Zelena smirked.
"It is." Hades nodded.
"Don't worry," Mal said, unable to resist chuckling at Evie's reaction. "It's not real snakes and spiders, it's just a special they had in my old hometown in time for Halloween."
"Oh... Okay..." Evie said before blinking and smirking. "They're at least gummy snakes and chocolate spiders... Right?" she then asked.
Hades looked a bit playful before he smirked at the girl. "Maybe they were and maybe they weren't and we were just lied to after all these years." he then said playfully.
"Augh!" Evie yelped and grimaced suddenly.
Hades and Mal then shared a laugh together.
"You two..." Zelena firmly told the two as she brought Emerald out of her stroller to the booth as they came to sit down and carried her in her arms delicately as the baby girl wriggled slightly.
"Sorry, Zelena~" Hades and Mal then said innocently together.
Zelena rolled her eyes a bit.
"Sorry about that, Evie..." Mal said to the other girl. "We were only just kidding around."
"Hmm... You had better be," Evie firmly pouted before looking a little hopeful. "Snake and spiders shakes sound interesting to try out though."
"Yeah, I think you would like it," Mal nodded. "I'll try out a recipe to share with you on Halloween if you'd like."
"Hmm... Okay then, Mal," Evie said with a small smile. "We can try that out sometime."
"Great." Mal smiled back.
Eventually, an older woman came by with a small smile. "Oh... Hello there... Welcome to Aunt Em's Diner," she then greeted once she saw the family and looked over to Emerald in Zelena's arms. "And hello to you too, sweetie!"
Emerald cooed and giggled a little as she looked up from her mother's hold.
"I'll get you folks a high chair," The woman said to them before she took a look at all of them before giving them some menus. "Do we know what we're drinking today?" she then asked.
"I'll just have some root beer." Hades decided.
"Make that two." Mal added in agreement.
"I'd like some green tea and some milk, please," Zelena replied. "Evie, would you like some too?"
"Oh, gee, I don't know about all of that." Evie said with a small shrug, about to say something else.
"Wait... Did you say that your name was Evie?" The woman then asked Evie.
"Uh... Yes, I am," Evie replied before nodding as she suddenly looked curious. "...Wait. Why? Am I in trouble or something?" she then asked as she felt concerned.
"Oh, no, no, dear," The woman said as she shook her head with a small smile. "It's just that there was a special order made by a mysterious stranger who asked us to give this to you." she then said before walking off for a moment and soon came back with the very popular and famous Over the Rainbow shake and it even came with a black rose.
"Oh... Wow..." Evie blinked with wide eyes.
"I hope you enjoy, dear... No charge to you." The woman smiled softly.
"Wow... Thanks..." Evie replied as she nodded. "This is wonderful. Looks very delicious. Is it true it comes with seven different flavors of ice cream?" she then asked.
"Yes, of course, all of the flavors and colors that match all colors of the rainbow," The woman replied. "Now, do we all know what we wanna eat or should I come back in a few minutes?"
"Emerald will have some apple sauce, but the rest of us will need some time to decide, please." Zelena requested.
"Very well..." The woman nodded as she walked off. "I'll be back with a chair for your little one."
"Thank you so much!" Zelena beamed warmly.
"Well... She seems nice," Mal remarked. "Almost reminds me of Mrs. Potts back in school."
"Mm-hmm." Evie smiled and nodded in agreement before she sipped her milkshake and beamed at the wonderful taste so far.
"Taste good?" Mal asked.
"Very." Evie smiled and nodded.
"Wanna share?" Mal smirked.
"Get your own." Evie smirked back playfully as she moved her glass away from Mal.
Everyone in the booth shared a small chuckle as Dot continued to look around in worry.
"You okay, Sis?" Neddie asked his sister. "You're pretty distracted today."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Neddie... It's just Terry," Dot replied. "I think that she got out. I know Aunt Em wants us to work, but I don't think I can focus without Terry. She's our good luck charm."
"Hmm..." Neddie paused before thinking about it a little. "I'm sorry, Dot... Tell you what? How about I cover most of this shift and you can go out and look for Terry?" he then suggested.
"Oh, Neddie, are you sure about that?" Dot asked as calmly as she could.
"Yes, I think it might be a good idea," Neddie said with a small smile. "I'll just cover for you for as long as I can. I just hope it's enough time before Aunt Em notices something suspicious."
"Oh... Thank you, Neddie... You're the greatest," Dot beamed before she hugged her brother and nodded. "Okay. Wish me luck."
"I don't know if you'll need it, but go on ahead," Neddie replied before hugging Dot back, then allowed her to go out the door as quickly as possible. "Who knows? Maybe you'll make a new friend who can help you out too?" he then added to help make the situation better.
Dot smiled and nodded at him as she soon stepped outside the diner, looking around for their pet dog who meant a lot to the both of them, but mostly her. Neddie then shut the door behind her and went to go back over to his station.
Evie looked over as she sipped her colorful milkshake a bit more before looking over. "Uh... Excuse me?" she then spoke up.
"Hm?" Neddie blinked before looking over before chuckling playfully. "Brain freeze?" he then asked, guessing what she was about to say to him.
"Uh... No. Actually, I was wondering who left this drink for me?" Evie giggled before she explained why she tried to get his attention.
"And this rose," Mal spoke up. "I mean, the rose comes with the shake, right?"
"Ah, yes, they're a set from the mysterious stranger who left them for the pretty lady," Neddie nodded and answered. "I was asked not to tell you who though until the time would be right, so... Sorry, I can't be much help right now."
"Oh..." Evie said softly. "Well, I guess that's okay. Thank you anyway... Neddie, was it?"
"Yeah, I'm Neddie," Neddie smiled and nodded. "Good to meet'cha."
"You too then, Neddie." Evie smiled back at him.
Neddie then walked off, leaving them back to their drinks until their food orders would be taken.
"Well, at least that makes up a little for your crisis, my dear," Zelena smiled softly at her niece. "Remind me though, when we get back home, we should catch up before you girls go to bed."
"For starters, is there a certain someone in school that you probably got together with who might have sent you this scrumptiously colorful treat?" Hades then asked with a small smirk.
Evie's eyes widened. "You think that Doug Clark might have done this?!" she then asked with a big smile and blushed while twirling one of her fingers in her hair.
This soon made Mal smirk a bit and lean in as she sipped her drink, though she didn't say anything.
"Ahem... Wouldn't that be nice?" Evie then covered up sheepishly before she sipped her milkshake while looking bashful suddenly.
Zelena smirked just a little bit. "Perhaps you'd like to give us just a little bit of gossip from what's going on in your neck of the woods?" she then suggested.
"Yeah... Tell us more about this Doug Clark boy," Hades spoke up. "You don't think he's the one who embarrassed you, do you?"
"Oh, no... Doug definitely wouldn't do that." Mal shook her head.
"So... Do you like this Doug boy?" Hades asked Evie then. "Do you like him like him?"
"Well... We haven't used the 'L' word yet." Evie explained sheepishly.
Mal rolled her eyes slightly as she knew that Doug and Evie really liked each other and needed a push into becoming boyfriend and girlfriend together. Though, trying her very hardest to be a good friend and sister, she tried her very best to keep this to herself.
"Maybe someday." Zelena said softly.
"Yeah... Maybe..." Evie shrugged as she continued to sip her milkshake before shaking a chill down her spine as she felt very uncomfortable. "I just know one thing... This milkshake feels great."
The others smiled as it seemed like all Evie needed was a sweet relief and taste of the good life, even being away from home, though she had a very mortifying experience earlier. Hopefully no one would ever speak of it again, especially once it would be time for the next Fall semester. Soon, the owner of the diner, Aunt Em herself, came back to see the family and took their orders after they took a look at their menus. The family smiled as they then began to tell her what they would like to eat for their dinner. Not too far away from their booth, was a different booth which contained a certain trio who were still up to no good.
"We try to ruin that princess's life and she feels great," Audrey complained. "That was barely worth the effort, Peter."
"Yes, yes, I know that was a slip and she doesn't feel so bad now, but the embarrassment will live with her forever," Peter retorted, looking a bit firm as he sat up from his seat. "Besides, the energy around this town is different from what I'm familiar with. I can only gain so much power here." he then muttered the last part to himself.
"I'm starting to wish I never ended up in this awful place." Audrey said with a low groan.
"Really? I love it here!" Peter then said with an innocent grin on his face before looking very deadpan.
"Really? Because I think this place is the worst too." Chad spoke up, oblivious to Peter's sarcasm.
"Ah, ah... No fighting with The Queen," Peter scolded Chad. "The least you can do is cut that stupid hair of yours. You look like the world's ugliest baby ragdoll. I've seen better hair on a scarecrow."
"WHAT?!" Chad cried out as Audrey giggled a bit. "Audrey, are you gonna let him talk to me like that?!"
"Hmm... Maybe...?" Audrey smirked innocently.
"Hmph..." Chad firmly pouted. "I don't deserve this shabby treatment."
"I beg to differ," Peter smirked. "I could use a new little chew toy to play with since Devin's back home and luckily for you, Mophead, you'll do just fine."
Chad groaned and pouted.
"So, what do we do next, Peter?" Audrey asked hopefully.
"All in good time, My Queen, all in good time," Peter replied. "By the end of the week, I'll make the final farewell a day that no one will ever forget and you'll be right there with me. I promise you."
"Oh, Peter... That's exciting~" Audrey smiled hopefully, putting her hands together as she looked like she was in love with him this time instead of Chad right now.
Chad looked over in slight concern, not sure what to say or do in this situation right now.
Meanwhile, outside, Ruby was shown to be sitting alone in the darkness. She had come on The Summer School Games trip to try to find herself away from her grandmother and from other people she knew pretty well. She would be there for Mal, Evie, and the other younger kids around her though as she often acted like a big sister around them, but lately, she felt a bit unhappy and she wasn't exactly sure why. She wasn't sure if maybe it was because she was lonely or just bored at home, but something deep inside herself just felt like something was missing.
She was sure a trip to Emerald Acres would help her find it, though she just wasn't sure what to look for that left a hole in her heart. Ruby then suddenly flinched as she heard a growling in the distance and stood up straight, trying to remember what she learned about being alone in the woods and how to deal with dangerous wild animals in case she would find herself around one. She kept looking around before she heard whimpering and soon, out came a black dog with pink ribbons in her ears who then stumbled out in front of Ruby.
"Oh... Hey, little buddy... It's okay..." Ruby said softly as she knelt down and held out her hand to the dog who approached her. "It's all right... I promise I won't hurt you."
The black dog soon approached Ruby before sniffing the girl's hand and seemed to calm down a little before licking her hand.
"That's right... That's right... Good girl... See? I'm friendly," Ruby smiled as she met the dog. "What's your name, huh?"
The black dog then came closer, allowing Ruby to bend down and pick up the dog in her arms.
"Hey! What're you doing?" Dot's voice complained as she rushed over and looked angry at Ruby. "Dognapper! You took my dog, didn't you?"
"What? No! I just got here," Ruby told the other girl. "Your dog found me actually!"
"Oh..." Dot then said, settling down a little as she came closer. "She didn't bark at you, did she? Terry sometimes barks at strangers she feels unsafe around."
"No, it's okay, there's nothing to be scared of," Ruby reassured. "I guess you lost your dog, huh?"
"Yes, I'm just so glad that she's okay," Dot replied. "She's my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without her."
"That's nice..." Ruby said with a small smile. "She's a very lovely dog too."
"Thank you so much..." Dot smiled back before drawing out a bit. "Um... Uh... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Oh... That's because I didn't tell you it," Ruby said, giggling as she tried to make a joke. "I'm Ruby."
"Dot," Dot smiled and chuckled a bit. "Nice to meet you, Ruby. Did you just move to Emerald Acres or something? I don't think I recognize you."
"No, I'm visiting from Auradon Heights with my school actually," Ruby explained. "I'm almost graduating. I just came to hang out with the kids and explore outside of town a little bit."
"Oh... Well... That sounds interesting," Dot replied. "...Say, Ruby. Would you like to come to the diner?" she then invited. "You seem hungry."
"...I guess I could eat," Ruby said with a small smile. "Let's go then."
"Let's." Dot smiled back and soon walked on over to the diner with Ruby behind her.
Ruby nodded before she sniffed the air a little. "...Do you smell cheesy pizza?" she then asked curiously.
Dot chuckled. "Yeah, a little bit." she then admitted on the way back to the diner.
LATER AFTER DINNER...
Hades paid the dinner bill he shared with his family and they soon headed on back home. It was a very lovely dinner for everybody and very filling, especially with Evie's special milkshake. They soon came back home and it was about time to talk.
"Well, I gotta admit, that was an amazing dinner." Mal commented.
"Very much," Evie nodded before yawning. "Phew... What a busy day."
"Tell me about it." Mal replied then.
"I'm going to feed Emerald and then we'll talk, okay?" Zelena suggested.
"Oh... What are we talking about?" Mal then asked as she seemed to forget.
"We're going to tell you girls about how we met and how we got here." Hades reminded.
"Oh... Right..." Mal blinked before nodding.
"Why don't you get ready for bed and call your mother and we should be able to finish up before you girls go to sleep tonight?" Zelena suggested. "I think this conversation is very important to have."
Evie looked thoughtful before nodding as that did sound like a decent idea. "Come on, Mal," she then said. "Let's get ready for bed."
"Oh. Sure, Evie." Mal replied as they soon walked off together.
Zelena nodded at them before looking over at Hades. "You okay?" she then asked him softly.
"I just hope that they understand... Especially Mal," Hades replied. "I feel bad enough that I left her mother because of what happened to Lily and what I wanted more from my life."
"Oh, Hades... Yes, it was rough, but I'm sure once we calmly explain what happened, it'll be just a little clearer," Zelena coaxed. "At least, I hope so, but I have a very good feeling. It might take Mal a moment to adjust and get used to the idea and what happened, but I promise that I won't blame you and knowing Evie the way I do, I don't think she will too, but Mal will probably just want some alone time after finding out."
"Hmm..." Hades paused before nodding. "Maybe you're right, Zelena. I'm just scared about telling her on my own."
"Oh, but you won't be alone," Zelena reminded as she walked off to head onto the next room. "I'll be here, remember? After I feed Emerald of course."
"...Okay," Hades said with a small smile. "I'll do it, Zelena. If you believe in me."
"I do," Emerald smiled back. "Let's get settled in then."
Hades nodded and waved at her with a warm smile. Zelena waved back at him and soon went to feed Emerald, leaving her lover alone with his thoughts. Hades smiled as she left before he sighed a little bit and bowed his head down, hoping this would be easier than he thought it would be.
Mal looked out the window, using binoculars as she kept an eye on things. It was bad enough to worry about Maddy and not to mention Uma on her case due to what happened before the end of the school year began, but now she kept an eye out for Audrey, Chad, and Peter who seemed to be back with a worse vengeance than Maddy or Uma.
"Mom and Henry say hi. Well... Henry sorta did, though he says he has major spy work to do with Dee Dee and Sophie... Sight-seeing?" Evie explained as she got off of the phone before she then stepped behind Mal, startling her friend accidentally and winced with a nervous smile. "Sorry."
"Jeez! Evie! Don't do that!" Mal warned.
"Hey! I said sorry," Evie smiled sheepishly before looking concerned. "...Looking out for Audrey?"
Mal nodded as she had to admit that was what she was doing.
"Well... I wouldn't worry about it," Evie replied. "Just remember, you can find me in the space between and you won't have to face her alone, especially during The Games."
"Yeah... That's true," Mal admitted. "I guess at least tomorrow starts the smarter challenges, for people like you, Carlos, or Doug."
"You really think I'm that smart, M?" Evie smiled softly.
"Of course you are," Mal smiled back and nodded. "You can nail Deley's chemistry tests like you're in a Kindergarten classroom or something. I wish I was as smart as you or Carlos."
Evie blushed before suddenly hugging Mal.
"Wah!" Mal yelped because of how sudden the hug was, though she allowed it. "Okay, you're the only one allowed to hug me who isn't Harry... Or Ben that one time. I feel bad for humiliating him in front of the whole school, but at least he seems to be more like his old self again and not trying to be bad like Uma."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about Ben for a while," Evie said with a knowing smirk before she let go of Mal. "That girl Keela seems to be keeping him busy."
"Oh?" Mal smirked back.
The two girls then laughed a little bit before they went to go and see Hades and Zelena again.
"Girls... Come on in..." Zelena said as she sat in a chair with Hades across from the couch. "Please, have a seat."
"Thanks, Aunt Zelena." Evie nodded as she walked over to the couch with Mal to sit with the two adults.
"Emerald in bed?" Mal then guessed, due to the late hour.
"Yes... She's asleep." Hades nodded at the girls.
"She's too young to understand what's going on, but we do plan on telling her eventually." Zelena replied.
"So... What's this all about?" Evie then asked her maternal aunt.
"Well... Evie... We haven't seen each other much, mostly because, well... Your mother and I don't hate each other, but... We had a very firm and strong disagreement with each other a long time ago," Zelena began to say. "We got into a fight and bickered like children. Your mother and I used to be very close when we were younger, but we just had the worst fight imaginable and your grandmother seemed to prefer over me and treat her like a princess."
"Oh, my..." Evie said softly as she had no idea about that.
"Your mother and I got into a fight about it... You're probably too young to remember, but do you remember whenever I used to visit and your mother asked you to go play in the other room and one time I visited, I just stormed out the door?" Zelena continued before prompting the last part.
Evie thought about it before nodding. "Yes, I think that was around Springtime or something." she then commented.
"Well... Your mother and I had pretty much enough of each other then and... I decided to leave," Zelena then explained. "We were both pushed over the edge and we said things we both deeply regret right now... April 15th."
"Was that the day you stormed away?" Mal asked, speaking up.
"Yes, it was," Zelena nodded. "Which is also my birthday."
"Yikes." Mal winced as that had to suck about getting in a fight with a family member and on your special day before running away suddenly too.
"Oh, Aunt Zelena..." Evie frowned softly in concern.
"I was in tears, but I soon left because I had no other choice," Zelena then continued to tell them her sad, but true story. "I told your mother I never wanted to see her again and she had no idea how good that she had it with being the top-notch mayor of a town and I mentioned how just everybody blindly followed her like some sort of Evil Queen and she viewed me as a wicked witch."
"Wicked witch?" Mal and Evie repeated.
"Well... She said something that rhymed with that last part, but yes." Zelena nodded.
Mal and Evie both winced and cringed then as they could never imagine so horrible happening between two adults.
"I went right out the door and took my stuff with me and decided to take a bus back home, though I felt like I had nowhere else to go," Zelena then continued to explain. "I wandered off on my own in the dark of the night that evening and just felt absolutely heartbroken. I wandered around for a bit until I was met by a stranger."
"That's where I come in." Hades then spoke up.
"Plot twist." Mal commented dryly.
"I'm very sorry I left you and your mother, Mally, I didn't mean to hurt you, but I was having a rough time too like Zelena," Hades explained to his estranged daughter. "Lily dying, your mother turning into a dragon, I just felt like it was my time to go... Then eventually, I ran into Zelena who was in tears and we both had nowhere else to go, but it was like fate... We found each other and it felt like a sign from above. It was love at first sight... At least for me."
Evie smiled, finding that to be a little sweet as Mal felt unsure, mostly because it was her father being in love with someone else so quickly just after leaving her mother not too long ago.
"I tried to dry her eyes and I asked her what was wrong," Hades continued. "She seemed like she didn't want to talk about it at first, but I decided to treat her because I could tell there was trouble ailing her. I talked with her and said that I was far from home too and I decided to buy her a drink."
"Classic." Mal commented.
"I was still unsure, but I decided to humor him a little," Zelena then added. "He said I had style... I had panache..."
"He said you had a pizza topping?" Mal asked out of confusion.
"Panache, Mal, not the worst pizza topping next to anchovies," Evie explained gently. "It's someone who does something with a certain style or manner."
"Ohh... Okay," Mal nodded. "Like I have panache for scaring people sometimes."
"Maybe not as much as Uma, but yeah," Evie chuckled before looking back at Hades and Zelena. "Okay, go ahead. Please continue."
"Thank you." Hades and Zelena replied before blushing as they said that at the same time.
"So... We had a drink or two together and he noticed that I wished I could change some things and even turn back time," Zelena then continued softly. "Hades said that he believed in me and that he would want to help me out, no matter what the cost would be. It seemed to be the better part of my birthday after the argument I had with Regina... We then decided to get going and soon went to stay at a motel and... Well... Emerald was born nine months later."
"Wait... Wait, wait, wait," Evie spoke up. "Are you saying that Emerald was conceived on your birthday?"
"As in the night you two just met?" Mal added with wide eyes.
"...Well, uh..." Zelena blushed and stammered. "You two are almost adults now, so... I guess you could say that."
"But don't do that yourselves!" Hades quickly added as the father in him came alive suddenly.
Mal and Evie shared a look before they looked back at the two adults.
"Soon... We both realized we woke up in a place called Emerald Acres," Hades then said to continue with the story. "We thought about going somewhere else, but we got so attached to this place, especially Aunt Em's Diner, and... Well... We never left ever since."
"Whoa..." Mal and Evie then both whispered in surprise.
"And... Well... That's pretty much how it happened," Zelena said then. "Emerald was soon born and we got married not too long after that. It was a bit of a lonely time, but we were both fine."
"Because we had each other." Hades then added before taking Zelena's hand and lifted it up to kiss the back of it, making the redheaded woman giggle a bit.
Mal and Evie then looked at each other as they now had a lot to think about, but at least they knew more than they did before.