As Gilda flew the bubble jet, Wicca was mentally preparing herself to face the evil witch and take back her family castle.
A wicked west witch should fear no one and nothing. But Wicca was actually feeling nervous. Who could this witch be? Someone powerful to conquer Oz and take over her home. Who could have such power? Such audacity? Who? And why?
"I just hope that dragon that trashed our school doesn't have a taste for metal." said Tinothy.
"We can handle a dragon, Tin." said Lizzie. "That's pretty much one of the things we learn in school. We have a dragon stable and everything!"
"A dragon stable?! That is so cool!" said Leo. "We don't have any of those in Oz! In fact, we don't have dragons period!"
"I hate dragons." Wicca said. But she said it in unison with someone else. Swiveling around, she was shocked to see that the one who said that was Daphne!
The Oz kids gasped.
"Holy haystacks!" Hayley exclaimed. "Am I dreaming or did Wicca and Daphne have something in common?!"
Daphne stood up. "No we don't!"
"Well, technically we do, apparently." Wicca corrected gently. "I'm not a fan of dragons and neither do you. Mutual dislikes are something I don't mind."
Daphne crossed her arms. "Well, I hate dragons because they're vicious and destructive monsters just like you!"
Wicca shrugged. "Well, I hate dragons for the exact same reason."
"But why would you hate dragons, Wicca?" asked Apple.
Wicca was silent.
"Because she had a pet dragon." Gilda answered for her cousin. "She wanted one because they were mean and scary and breathed fire! She was hoping to make it her first evil minion! But it didn't go very well..."
Wicca stomped her foot against the seat in front of her. "That fire breathing gecko burned everything I owned and wouldn't stop chewing on my hair! He had to go!"
Daphne laughs at this, which made Gilda share more. "And Daphne hates dragons because one almost ate her." said the good witch.
Maddie spat out her tea in shock. "ATE HER?!"
Daphne gritted her teeth. "Gilda!"
Gilda nodded. "Yeah, when Daphne was little, she thought fighting a full grown dragon would be the perfect warm up for battling real witches...despite having no fighting experience whatsoever. Luckily, my mom saved Daphne in time."
Wicca looked at her nemesis. "Huh. Guess we do have more in common than I thought."
Daphne glanced over to Wicca. "Really?"
"Yeah, your dragon story reminds me of my first banshee encounter." Wicca grinned. "I wanted to catch a banshee and keep it for myself. But she was way more than I can handle but Mom rescued me in time. I thought I was ready to take on a banshee just like you did with a dragon. But we were both horribly wrong."
Daphne would retort with denial, but something made her stop. She thought back to that horrific encounter with that dragon. She thought she could handle it, but she almost died. "Yeah, we were wrong."
"We can be wrong about a lot of things." Wicca continued as she took off her hat. "Even villains can be wrong. But some villains don't want to admit they're wrong, which is why they always lose." She looked at her hat, the witch hat that symbolized who she was. "I don't want to be the villain that always loses. I want to be a villain and be a winner, a winner who can still be with her friends. So...I really what to do about my destiny, really."
Daphne and her Oz friends were too stunned to speak. They had just witnessed the sentimental side of Wicca West. They didn't think she even had a sentimental side.
"There is it, guys." said Gilda. "West Castle."
For the Ever After High students, it was a truly chilling sight. West Castle stood on a jagged cliff over a sea of sharp spikes that could puncture the skin with a simple poke. The castle was a towering, ornate nightmare that loomed over a desolate wasteland that was miles away from any of the villages and cities in Oz to feel really unfriendly.
Sudden lightning lit up the dark and cloudy sky, and the castle seemed to come to life in the flicking light.
"Yikes. Just look at that wreck!" said Daring. "That evil witch that took over is really cruel! Talk about a make-under!"
The Oz kids exchanged looks as Wicca glared at her classmate.
"Uh, Daring," said Wicca. "my home always looks like that. And I wouldn't want it any other way."
Daring blinked. "Oh...right."
Wicca saw the forest of thorny vines surrounding the castle. "But I know that those vines were never there. My mother hated gardening. Our little witch must have conjured those up to keep people out."
"Then we'll just make an entrance!" said Hunter, taking out his trusty axe.
Gilda gripped the controls. "Heads up! We got company."
A flock of dragons flew up from behind the castle! Riding them were goblins in spiked armor.
Apple went sheet-white. Well, more sheet white. "Dark dragons!"
Indeed they were. Dark dragons. But something about those dark dragons was unsettingly familiar. And Raven noticed. "Wait a spell! Those are the dark dragons from our school!"
Everyone gasped as they realized the truth. The dragons were Midnight, Ignoble, Nightshade, Jinx, and Felicity. A hostile batch of dragons that the Evil Queen had created and used them to take over Ever After High. Once the Evil Queen was defeated, the dragons lost their evil-tude. But now they were just as evil as ever!
"Uh, Wicca, is this jet dragon proof?" Maddie asked nervously.
"No, it's not." said Gilda. "We need a plan!"
"Leave it to me." Raven stood up and conjured a magic shield to protect the jet. The dragons attacked with everything they've got. They shot streams of powerful fire. Raven stood her ground to keep her shield up. "I can't keep this up forever!" she shouted.
Wicca stood up. "I have an idea."
From the castle balcony, the cloaked witch watched the dark dragons surround the jet. She watched Wicca's shield break down and the dragons struck. Their flames destroyed the jet instantly. She smiled with delight as she watched the jet fall wildly out of the sky and crash right in front of the castle.
The witch floated off her perch and flew down to the flaming wreck. She couldn't help but smile at the beautiful destruction she had caused.
"You just had to see for yourself that we were dead, huh?" said Raven's voice.
The cloaked witch turned. The moment she did, Wicca used a spell to summon a powerful gust of wind at the witch. The wind was so powerful, the witch was blown into the air!
But she didn't blow away like a lost balloon. She remained in the air thanks to the fairy wings that unfurled from her back.
Her hood had fallen. And everyone saw her face. It was the face of a former classmate.
"Faybelle," Raven glowered at the dark fairy.
"FAYBELLE?!" Raven's friends shouted.
Hayley, Tinothy, Leo and Gilda just stood there with blank looks.
"Who?" Leo asked Apple.
"Faybelle Thorn, the daughter of the Dark Fairy." said Apple. "She was expelled and was sent to the Dark Forest reform school!"
Faybelle threw off her hooded cloak. Underneath it she wore a long black dress patterned with shimmering blue thorny vines.
Raven arched a brow. "Nice dress." she said in a dead voice.
"Thanks, it's the perfect dress for a wicked takeover." said Faybelle as she landed softly on the ground.
"Before we talk fashion, I want to know what the hex are you doing here!" Raven demanded. "You should have been locked away at the Dark Forest Reform School!"
Faybelle rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Headmaster Grimm thought it was the perfect punishment for me. Well, guess what, it wasn't!" She threw her head back with a laugh. "That place wasn't the perfect punishment! It was the perfect place to write my own evil destiny! I was able to form a new crew within that stinking reform school!"
"What do you mean form a crew?!" asked Apple.
"Duh! They literally taught us this in General Villainy! Get scumbags to do dirty work I can't do, manipulate scumbags I can convince and bribe the scumbags I can't convince. With that, I got my own crew and connections! So we all busted free!"
"And you decided to take over Oz and my castle just to spite me?!" Wicca growled, her green fist tight.
"Bingo, Green bean." Faybelle snapped her fingers and the dark dragons flocked to her side. Along with the goblins and other hoodlums she "befriended" in the reform school. They were armed with armor and weapons. And they were ready to battle.
The Ever After Kids and the Oz kids were surrounded. Faybelle Thorn hovered above them. She gathered glowing blue magic in her hands. "So, any last words, losers?"
Wicca looked up at the dark fairy. There wasn't a hint of fear in the witch's eyes. "Yeah..." She adjusted her witch hat and snapped her fingers, summoning her broom. She gripped onto the handle. "I am so going to enjoy this."