When Dorrie and Candice brought Spike back to their friends, he looked around at everyone from the cage. "Why am I still in a cage?"
"So you don't run off," Sandra replied, "You're going to help us now, Spike-a-roo."
"But what about Zeke?" Spike asked.
"What about Zeke?" Candice repeated as she waved her wand over him. After chanting a few spells, she nodded in satisfaction. "Well, he's not under any sort of spell like your family was, so that's a good sign."
"But…" Dorrie prompted her.
"We still need to find a way to get Ezekiel back to normal. He'll be expecting us to try something. And he won't be happy when he learns that we have Spike," Candice finished her thought.
At the same time, Beth, Zoeanna, and Ambre saw that they had lost Spike. "How long is this ride?" Zoeanna asked. She could barely hang onto Ambre's fur anymore. He wasn't a tree, but she didn't want to hurt him with her claws, which were small but sharp if she were to pull them out.
"It's over, Zoeanna. We lost Spike long ago," Ambre answered. "I think I saw some of Sandra's friends take him."
"Good riddance," Beth stated. She carefully took Zoeanna off Ambre's back. "Are you all right, Zoeanna?"
"Am I all right?! I'm fine!" Zoeanna giggled. "Just wait until we get home, Beth! Charles and Aunt Sarah are going to be so surprised when we tell them about this adventure!"
Chuckling, Beth shook her head. She glanced around the room, seeing pots and pans around every corner, and cooking utensils. "Looks like someone's been cooking," she said. Beth smiled softly. "I smell pies…and…is that soup?"
"No soup for you! Forget the pies!" Ambre said. He was twirling one of his whiskers, which reminded Beth of her late father Bernard. "It looks to be some sort of trap."
"Maybe for…what was his name again, Ambre? Ezekiel?" Zoeanna guessed.
"Yes, it does look like Sandra's cooking up some kind of trouble for Ezekiel again," Ambre purred.
As Beth, Zoeanna, and Ambre looked around the kitchen, Lucinda had come up with an idea of her own. "I thought of another way we could get close to Ezekiel to give him the antidote: Polyjuice Potion."
"Okay, but where are we going to get the hairs so we can trade places with some of Zeke's forces?" Sandra asked, swatting James' hand away from the pies and telling him she'd make another one that wasn't laced with Zanven's potion for him. "And how will we be getting the food to him?"
"Leave that to us," a new voice spoke up. Everyone looked around and saw Carol of the Arrow, and the Merry Band. Carol smiled. "It's good to see you again, Princess Sandra."
"We've been keeping an eye on you," Jane agreed. "And we want you in our Merry Band…if it's okay with you, Carol?"
"But aren't you just based in Enchancia? I mean, I'll join if you want me to," Sandra hesitated.
"That's the spirit, Princess Sandra! And it doesn't matter where you live, you can help anyone anywhere at any time," Carol smiled, "And Jane, you're doing just fine."
"It'll be great having another person in the Merry Band," Lucinda smiled. As they had been talking, she had quietly Apparated back to Enchancia Castle, found her Invisibility Cloak, and quietly Apparated back to the group. "Sorry I sneaked off like that, but I thought of something I could use to help you. I inherited this Invisibility Cloak from my birth parents. I also went to the kitchen, and Sof's and my workshop, and put a sleeping potion on these cupcakes. We'll leave them out so some of Ezekiel's forces can find them, then we'll…shall we say, fill in for them?" She disappeared under the cloak with the cupcakes and sneaked off.
A while later, Lucinda came back with some hairs from some of Ezekiel's forces. She poured some Polyjuice Potion into several goblets she'd conjured, and put a few hairs from some of Ezekiel's forces in each of them. "I took everyone who ate a cupcake to a cave a mile or so away from here so they can't barge in on us, and the Polyjuice potion's effects will last about an hour, and the sleeping potion's will last until the end of the day…better safe than sorry," she explained. She then took up a goblet which had ginger-colored potion in it. "Who's ready?" she asked.
"I'll do it," Sandra volunteered, picking up a goblet that had a black and white colored potion in it.
"Me too!" James spoke up, picking up a goblet that had a brown colored potion in it.
"I always did wonder about this," Amber admitted, taking a goblet with lilac colored potion.
"Cheers!" Lucinda, Sandra, James, and Amber clinked their goblets, swallowed the potion, and in a few moments, Rose, Faron, and two of Ezekiel's forces stood before the group.
"I'm coming with you too," Tiana spoke up after she put the finished food on several trays.
"But we don't have any Polyjuice Potion left for you," Lucinda, who was disguised as a ginger-haired girl, wearing a black dress and hooded cloak, spoke up.
"I think it's okay," Sandra, who was disguised as Rose, assured her, "Zeke never paid attention to the legendary princesses, so he wouldn't know who Tiana is. And we'll take Spike back with us. Amber and I can tell Zeke that he ran off, so we're going to guard him. We can take him to the cave that Mom, Dad, and Zoe were in."
"Good idea, Sandra, but I should say something to Spike first," Dorrie aimed her wand at Spike and murmured, "Obliviate!" As Spike slumped to the cage floor, she murmured over him, "You won't remember a thing from the past half hour. You were scouting around, but got distracted by a squirrel. The only people you saw when you came back were Rose, Faron, and their companions, who met up with you."
A short time later, Amber, James, Lucinda, Sandra, Tiana, and Carol and the Merry Band were approaching Ezekiel's hideout. Sandra led Spike out and addressed the guard on duty, telling him that she and "Faron" had found Spike as she and some of the others had been looking for the Orillian royal family.
"Dumb mutt must have run off," the guard shrugged, nodding to her and Amber.
"But at least we found him," Sandra assured him, "We also ran into someone who can help with the preparations for Lord Gray's victory celebration." She suppressed a shudder at the words 'Lord Gray', but she brought Tiana forward.
"Who are you?" the guard asked.
"Tiana, owner of Tiana's Palace," Tiana smiled, "I brought some food for your little party."
The guard grinned as he sampled one of Tiana's beignets. "This is awesome!" he mumbled around a mouthful. "Go on in!"
Ezekiel was just as impressed with the food and Tiana's offer. "Very good," he said as he tried a spoonful of gumbo. "Rose, Faron, help her set up."
As they helped Tiana set up the food, Amber asked if they could try some of it as well. Tiana smiled and had Sandra set up a separate table for the food that hadn't been laced with the antidote. They had put some of what they made in different colored pans and bowls, so just in case someone wanted to try something, they'd know which ones would be safe for them.
"Brown means it's safe, hon," Tiana whispered, "Orange means don't touch it."
At the same time, Carol and the Merry Band appeared before Ezekiel. Sofia, Dorrie, and Candice were also with them, but wore hooded cloaks so they wouldn't be recognized. Lucinda, of course, was concealed under her Invisibility Cloak. "While everyone's eating, why don't my friends and I provide some entertainment?" Carol suggested.
"Go ahead," Ezekiel shrugged, but he knew some of his forces enjoyed music. He'd never been a fan of singing, but he'd try to tolerate it for now.
Carol smiled, and she and the Merry Band started one of their favorite songs.
Carol: When I was just a little lass
I saw something amiss
So I picked up my bow and said
How can I help with this?
I drew my arrow back
And watched it fly so far astray
But I did not give up
Oh, no I didn't run away
See problems pop up left and right
So if there's one you're viewin'
Don't just stand there, lend a hand
Wherever trouble's brewin'
It may be harder than you thought
To save the day from ruin
But any deed for those in need
Well, that's a deed worth doin'
Carol and Merry Band of Helping Hands: Any deed for those in need
Well, that's a deed worth doin'
Carol smiled as she heard "Rose" and "Faron" singing along, and she invited them to join in.
Carol: So whether it's a simple act
Or feat of derring-do
It just takes one to earn your way
Into our merry crew
Amber: But look how great you're doing
You don't need somebody new
Carol: We always need an extra hand
Sandra: Well, here's an extra two
Sandra, Carol and Merry Band of Helping Hands: Cause problems pop up left and right
So if there's one you're viewin'
Don't just stand there, lend a hand
Wherever trouble's brewin'
It may be harder than you thought
To save the day from ruin
But any deed for those in need
Well, that's a deed worth doin'
Carol: Yes, any deed
Sandra: For those in need
Sandra, Carol and Merry Band of Helping Hands: Well, that's a deed worth doin'
Oh!
Ezekiel rolled his eyes as he reached for the slice of pie Tiana set out for him. "Cute, now as soon as I finish my pie, I'm off to talk to Dad about the terms of surrender," As he ate the pie, he felt his eyes grow heavy. He couldn't stop the yawn from coming, either. "Or maybe I'll close my eyes for a second…"
As Ezekiel fell asleep, a strange glow surrounded him. Everyone watched as his features slowly returned to normal. At the same time, his forces were also feeling strange and falling asleep.
"Okay, now that they're sleeping, I'll summon Dad," Sandra volunteered as her Polyjuice Potion wore off.
"And maybe we can try some of this," James, who was also back to normal, added, going over to a pie that hadn't been laced with the antidote. "No sense letting this go to waste!"
As they helped themselves to the food, Sofia and her friends wondered how long it would take for the antidote to kick in, if Ezekiel and his forces would be all right, and what was going to happen to them afterward.
Author's notes
Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping with some of the details in this chapter.
Thanks also to theblindwriter95 for helping with some of the details in this chapter.
Thanks as well to TheDisneyFan365 for helping with some of the details in this chapter.
Ambre's "No soup for you" is from Seinfeld (The Soup Nazi).
Polyjuice Potion, Apparating, Invisibility Cloaks, and Obliviate are from Harry Potter.
Any Deed For Those In Need was featured in Carol of the Arrow.
Sofia, Dorrie, and Candice's wearing hooded cloaks came from Finding Clover.
"Cheers!" Lucinda, Sandra, James, and Amber clinked their goblets, swallowed the potion, and in a few moments, Rose, Faron, and two of Ezekiel's forces stood before the group. This is from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
If anyone is interested in the Buttermilk Pie, Gumbo, or Beignet recipes, PM me and I'll send them to you.