The next chapter is here! Hopefully you've all been okay waiting for this. Everything is good right now, and I've come up with two more playlists! I'll link them in the bottom/end notes. Hopefully you all enjoy them.

Without further ado, let's get on with this!

"Sockhead?"

"Yes Eddy?"

"Why is a living body pillow holding a camera up to my face?" Eddy stared down Hoodude and his camera, as if daring the walking plushie to take the shot. "This isn't exactly what I'd call a good time to put me in front of a camera."

"It's the documentary people, Eddy. The ones I've been telling you about all week?" Double D really hoped this footage wasn't included, but Eddy tended to say notable lines. Especially if they happened to be rude. "Then again, I guess I can't say it's surprising you forgot. It seems like you've been busy with other pursuits as of late. Why is Daring on a stretcher right now?"

That was indeed a question the hatted boy wanted answered, as the Charming was currently on his back, having clearly passed out. Predicably in a very dramatic fashion, hand draped over his own head.

"Well, that's actually not really hard to explain." Apple didn't seem to mind the camera being pointed at her, just shrugging off the attention as it was put onto her. "We were testing out some of the inventions you gave us when we heard Daring shouting after his dragon. We figured that it wouldn't be a good thing if Legend happened to be loose, so we went to look for him."

"Except it turns out he is not a boy in the slightest." Raven tenderly poked at a dragon egg, frowning at it. She'd never seen one in person before, nor did she think she would. "She needed to go out and lay some eggs. Speaking of which, Rosabella, is Legend okay?"

"She should be fine as long as she gets some rest. Considering the number of eggs she laid today, that should be expected." Rosabella Beauty had been brought in due to the fact she was an expert in all manners of beasts within the kingdoms. Dragons included. "As for where the eggs should be stored, that'll have to be decided at a later. They should be fine for now but getting them over an open flame should be done within the first twenty-four hours."

"Uh, thanks Rosabella. Kinda glad you got out here." Cerise just scratched her head, blinking slowly at the sight of all the dragon eggs. It really was quite a sight. "I didn't think this would happen here at the school, honestly."

"I didn't think it would happen in our lifetime! Do you know how rare this is?" Maddie hopped between each egg, looking over them with pure wonder in her eyes. "The last time dragon eggs hatched were when our parents were in school. Dragons are only born once a generation, and sometimes not even that!"

"That sounds pretty easy to pinpoint actually. I'm pretty sure there's got to be studies about that too." Clawdeen blinked, realizing the words that came out of her mouth. She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Congrats, Double D, I'm starting to sound like you now."

"Why does everyone say that like it's a bad thing? I happen to think that's actually factual and raises a good point." Double D huffed, pretending that he wasn't pouting. "Not my fault that I raise good points."

"We appreciate the help here, Rosabella. Sorry it had to be on such short notice." Apple gave the other girl a hug, smile strained at the madness going on around her. "We weren't exactly sure what to do here, so we figured we should call whoever might be able to help. Daring certainly couldn't help himself here."

"It's not an issue. I'm just glad to help." Rosabella did poke at Daring with her foot, raising an eyebrow as the boy remained unconscious. "Though I do think he's overreacting. I mean, his dragon did lay eggs, but this is a bit much."

"Agreed." Clawdeen shrugged, helping move the last egg into the holding tray. They'd moved the eggs to a safer location, a storage place at Ever After High. "Where the heck did Cleo go, by the way? I thought she'd be all over this whole filming thing."

"She said something about heading over to Monster High to check on Ed and Ghoulia. Not entirely sure what she meant." Raven waved her hand around, a confused look on her face. "Said that she wanted to check on Ghoulia's 'progress' on something."

"I'm sure it's nothing too important." Cerise turned, motioning to the others for Clawdia. "Anyway, these are some of our friends. I'm sure we've given you their names already, so I don't think I need to repeat them."

"Not at all! Anyway, Eddy was it?" The blonde werewolf held a camera up to the short boy's face, which he debatably didn't appreciate. "What exactly led to you all to finding the dragon and her brood of eggs?"

"Charmless was crying out for his pet dragon while we were testing out some stuff. Didn't we already say this before?" Eddy shrugged, watching Hoodude tried to catch another angle of him. "It's not that complicated really. The real part we need to worry about is storage, I guess."

"That's true! We should probably find a way to keep these little guys warm." Maddie pet one of the eggs as if it were alive already. She looked over to Apple with wide eyes, hugging the egg. "Where are we going to keep them?"

"I've already called up Headmaster Grimm. He should be here shortly." The collective groan from the others caused Apple to jump a little, though it quickly turned to a deadpan. "Jeez, try not to sound excited guys."

The chatter in the room increased, causing everyone to distract themselves. Double D noted that Clawdia and Hoodude were focusing on the eggs. He figured this was as good a time to talk to Eddy, subtly pulling him away from the hub.

"Hey, Eddy, did you get much sleep last night?" Double D got close to the other boy's face, inspecting the eye bags intensely. "If you haven't you probably should. I know the news has been pretty hard on you, but…"

"But what? There's nothing to be said. Evan's dead and that's that." Eddy's irritation came in swiftly, sarcastic indifference gone. "Why the hell would I be losing sleep over him? You're making it sound like I cared about him."

"Well, no, of course I know you aren't mourning him exactly. I'm quite pleased that he's rotting in hell myself." That sounded weird coming out of his mouth, but frankly, it was well deserved. "Though I highly doubt that this isn't effecting. I may not have said anything before, but I have noticed some changes lately."

"And? Just because my schedule is a bit messed up doesn't mean a thing. I'm just having some issues sleeping right now. That happens." Eddy ignored the urge to yawn, looking away from Double D's judgmental look. "He's not even worth that, much less any real thought now."

"…Is it because of the funeral, Eddy? Or did you have something that you wanted to do before he died?" The hatted boy really wasn't intimidated by the glare sent his way. "If it's about the first thing, the solution is simple. If it's the second, I'm not sure how to help you here."

"I didn't get a chance to get back at him, alright? The bastard got the last laugh as far as I know." Eddy growled under his breath, magic seeping through his fingers. "We're at the top of the food chain, more powerful than we've ever been before, and he just up and dies? I didn't want him to find us, but I definitely wanted to make sure he knew what he was messing with."

"And I would've liked to see that too! It would've been funny to see your brother run like his life depended on it." Most likely, it would've. Double D had no illusions that if Eddy had his way, he probably would've killed his brother in his rage. "But that can't be fixed. Unless you want to resurrect him to do it yourself, he's not coming back for any climactic showdowns."

"He's not worth the effort of that either." Eddy would never try to bring Evan back. The guy had one chance at life, and he wasted it. He wasn't going to be the one to try and give him a second. "And I get that. But that doesn't mean I can't see it as a lost opportunity."

The two boys got quiet. They didn't speak, refusing to look each other in the eye. Nothing was going to get done today, that much was clear. But that didn't make it any easier to accept.

Eddy would never admit it out loud, but Grimm bursting in at that moment was actually a good thing.

"Why am I hearing about some trouble involving Mr. Charming's dragon?" The older man started, before quickly stopping at the sight before him. The number of eggs made his jaw drop for a moment as he thought about what to say. "…Well, this isn't good. This isn't good at all."

"Hey Headmaster Grimm! We were just sorting out a few more details about keeping Legend's little next ready." Apple wasn't entirely sure how the man would react, so she really felt the need to pull out all the stops here. "It's a little surprising, I know, but it's all being handled."

"A little- Ms. White, how in the world did this happen?!" Milton moved from one egg to the other, looking them over. All in pristine condition, which somehow did little to hold down the anxiety that appeared. "Legend isn't supposed to lay eggs! No dragon is supposed to lay eggs at all until several years from now!"

"Hey, it wasn't our fault. All we did was find out Legend was a girl and that she laid eggs." Raven rolled her eyes at her headmaster's behavior, earning her a glare from the man. "Besides, it shouldn't be hard for you to find somebody to take these off campus."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure we can't do that." Double D just shrugged at the incredulous looks coming from his friends. "I may not know as much about dragons as Rosabella does, but I do know that separating Legend from her eggs would have some dire consequences for the school."

"He's right. Dragons are known to be possessive about certain things, and one of those is their young. As long as Legend stays in Bookend, so does her eggs." Rosabella sighed, looking over said items with worry. "Of course, relocation would be needed anyway. She needs to keep these in an especially hot place, preferably a volcano."

"We can keep them warm with a simple fire, right?" Cerise did seem alarmed now, knowing that anything related to nature wasn't exactly simple. If they needed to do something involving moving both of the dragon and her brood, then it would be extremely difficult. "Magically induced would work just fine. Maybe it could even work as a permanent incubator."

"I've heard of worse reasons to start a fire." Eddy pulled out another ring from his pocket, fixing it onto his right hand. Squinting his eyes at the row of eggs lined up, he stuck out his tongue and closed one of them. "Everybody stand back!"

Eddy flicked his finger before anyone could protest, a small flame erupting below the eggs. The fire spread around, controlled, and moving to not hurt the eggs at all. The fired fixed itself into a certain temperature before Eddy let go of it, his control slipping until it settled into something permanent.

"…Eddy, what did you just do?" Clawdeen would've been angry, but it seemed like the short boy had things under control. The fire hadn't overtaken the building, so he must've known what he was doing. "I mean, this could work. Though we don't know if it's the right temperature."

"Oh, I could test that!" Maddie took off her hat, rummaging around in it before pulling out what looked like a thermometer. She stuck it close to the fire, sticking her tongue out before the measurement settled onto something. "It's about 150 degrees! I think that should work until we find something better."

"Thankfully, yes." Rosabella seemed out of breath from seeing the magical display, giving Eddy a thankful, but pointed look. "Please don't do that again. Ever."

"I'm not promising anything. Let's just hope Charmless wakes up soon because I'm not picking that guy up." Eddy turned around, heading out the door. "Hey, Grimm, you got this all handled? Thanks, good job turning up at the last minute."

"Mr. Williams, please refrain from burning down school property! You also could've hurt the eggs!" The old man saw the boy leave without paying him any mind, causing him to groan in frustration. "Seriously, the nerve of that boy! I'd say to take his example, Ms. Queen, but even I don't want you acting like that."

"It's not like I listen to you anyway."

"Ms. Queen!"

Clawdia raised an eyebrow at the scene, again thanking the fact that she decided to take up this project. This was just a win after win after they got here.

"Uh," Hoodude leaned towards Clawdeen and Apple, whispering. "Is it always like this around here?"

"Pretty much."

"Just get used to it, Chew Toy. It gets weirder from here."

Ed wasn't exactly sure what was going on at the gym, but there was a lot more vampires milling about than usual. He didn't try to make assumptions about certain groups, but most of the vampires at the school usually avoided it like the plague.

Then again, Cleo and Ghoulia were also here, and it wasn't time for cheer practice. So obviously something was going on.

"I really do find it strangely serendipitous that this is happening only a couple days after the movie came to theatres here." Their resident zombie looked simultaneously excited and annoyed by the assembly, foot tapping on the floor. "The pure statistical anomaly that is our lives. What else is going to happen today? Five simultaneous solar eclipses?"

"Do you know what she's talking about?" Ed nudged Cleo a bit, watching their friend rant to herself. She was even beginning to pace, turning to grumbling to herself. "It looks like she's been doing this for a while now."

"That's not inaccurate. She got all riled up about the news and just started muttering about statistics and the like since then." Cleo knew it would putter out eventually. She just had fun watching it play out. "You should've seen her rant after she took one of Mr. Rotter's tests where he made all the multiple-choice answers A. She ripped him a new one for days afterward."

"That test was made to literally trip people up. That is not something a teacher should do. So many anxiety attacks that day." Ghoulia had made sure to stop Mr. Rotter from doing anything like that ever since. She made a mental note to remind him of that, so he'd curb his sadistic tendencies more. "And you can't really comment, Cleo. Considering you weren't part of the Vampire Heart conversation; your opinion is void."

"Oh, that's what this is about? Are they trying to put the film up in the gym?" He was ninety percent sure he would've heard about a movie being put on during school hours. He wouldn't have minded seeing it to figure out if it was as bad as Draculaura said it was. "Seems like a weird place to put it up."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that. Apparently they've finally decided to bring the actual Vampire's Heart here. At Monster High." The mummy rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically. "This is what happens when you switch from divine right to using magical items to decide your next ruler."

"Which again, I still find odd that it happened literally after we talked about it." Ghoulia wasn't going to let this go. She pulled out her calculator, already calculating the odds. "I'm going to figure something out here."

"Well, just because they're low, doesn't mean they aren't zero dear. Maybe you should think on that." Cleo patted her friend on the arm, which was ignored. The mummy raised an eyebrow, a little annoyed by that. "Ed, did you ever mention ever dating anyone before coming to Monster High."

This certainly caught the zombie's attention. She fumbled with her calculator, nearly dropping it on the ground before giving her friend a glare. Ed was just confused by the change in the question.

"No? I'm pretty sure you're the third person whose asked me that." Ed really didn't know why people liked asking him that, but he guessed that was just normal around here. "I mean, I'm not looking to date right now. Aren't you with Deuce?"

"Oh, I was just asking. Just seems like something I should know." Cleo leaned over to a fuming Ghoulia, keeping her voice low. "I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you were one of those people."

"I will neither confirm nor deny that assumption. Though I will say that Draculaura was the second." Ghoulia just sighed, rubbing at her eyes a little. This was not something she wanted to focus on right now. Ed thankfully didn't seem to notice and was just keeping an eye on the crowd. "Thankfully, Ed is a bit dense when it comes to these types of things, so he didn't question it so far. It's not like there isn't more important things to focus on right now."

Cleo rolled her eyes. Ed really was the dense type in many different situations, even if he wasn't dumb. But that didn't really excuse her not trying anything herself.

"I'm willing to agree with you but trying to hide things behind logic isn't going to stop me." Cleo nudged her friend again, though did back off a little. "Though I suppose you have a point. Any new information on Nazz and her human beau?"

The zombie winced. Of course Cleo realized the lies those two told too. Years of knowing her and she still sometimes underestimated her friend.

"Nothing much. Everything about their background outside of Kevin being supernatural is legit. He's on the football team, Nazz is part of several clubs, and both live in Peach Creek." Ghoulia pursed her lips as she said the next few things. "I also looked up Eddy's brother. Repeated felon and apparently got kicked out after an incident involving his little brother when he was six."

"I really don't like this so far, but it's better than nothing." Ghoulia would've said something about what the incident was if she knew it. The fact that she didn't only left Cleo's mind to wander. "Anything else, preferably on the others?"

"The Ed's are runaways. I saw missing posters that were put up online, and I think I have a good idea why that is." Ghoulia figured it was best to state it plainly. Cleo wasn't one for suspense. "Eddy's brother was not only reportedly living with his parents, but Double D and Ed's parents were arrested. The charges haven't been published yet, but it was after the boys left."

…That was strange. Very strange. "Any idea when you'll find the answer?"

"I don't know. And by that, I mean I don't know how long the information will take to be published andI don't know if I should look at it." Ghoulia had felt guilty finding this much information on her friends. If the Ed's were more open about it, she wouldn't mind as much, but they'd been tight lipped so far. "Ed did confide in me once that they ran away from home before, but that's it. I don't know if I can continue unless they tell us anything further."

"But- They won't- ugh!" Cleo ran her hand down her face, careful not to mess up her makeup. The zombie had a point, even if she knew Eddy was never going to say anything unless they dragged it out of him. "Fine. I won't force you to look further. But if things get bad, you better be ready to start digging further."

"I'll be sure to. But for now, I think we need to just try and get one of them to start talking eventually." She looked out into the crowd of vampires, frowning. "I really wish this ceremony would pick up. This has been a heavy conversation thus far."

"We can switch back to talking about your love life then."

The zombie immediately regretted saying that.

Ed, meanwhile, was just surveying the crowd again, watching everyone talk excitedly. He could see Bram skulking about, moving between people carefully. The two caught eyes, prompting Ed to smile at him. The vampire immediately became paler than he was already and ducked behind the bleachers.

Ed blinked before shrugging. Guess he didn't forget about what happened last time they talked.

Good.

"Hey, Ed!"

The boy looked over, seeing Clawd and Draculaura move on up. He waved at them, watching as the werewolf carried his girlfriend on his back.

"Hey, how's it going? I just saw the crowd and heard the Vampire Heart thing is in town." Ed still didn't believe it himself. He wondered if this were a prank, but he was pretty sure someone would sniff that out quickly. "You think anyone is going to get picked today?"

"Oh, I doubt that. If it hasn't done it in four centuries, why would it do it now?" Draculaura hopped off of her boyfriend, rolling her eyes. "This is probably a political stunt by Lord Stoker. He's a good guy for taking office when nobody else could, but according to my father, he's more into pageantry than actual political dealings."

"Whatever he's doing, I hope he gets it done quick. This is cool and all, but I really don't understand why he's doing this at a high school." Clawd scratched below his chin, ear twitching in agitation. "It's really gumming up a lot of stuff going on. Plus, wouldn't he want an adult vampire?"

"That's a bit of an oxymoron since a lot of us are over a thousand years old." Draculaura was just as confused, though she didn't seem to care. She honestly believed that nothing would happen today if anything. "I just wish that no one gets their hopes up. It's a bit disheartening to see a chance like that slip away."

"Well, then we'll just have to hope he gets out of here quick." Clawd, looked over to the podium, ears twitching as he heard some rustling. "Someone's coming out. I think we might need to listen."

Ed perked up, wanting to get a good look at Stoker. A lord of all vampires must've been someone pretty important. Hopefully, he looked the part.

He wasn't wrong that that Stoker looked the part. The vampire walked out slowly, letting the audience's volume rise and hush before he got to the podium. He was dressed in a stereotypical vampire getup. An old red suit, a cravat covering his neck, and pin striped pants, all carefully ironed out. A pair of golden bats were on each lapel.

As Stoker took his position, he smiled to the crowd in what should've been a friendly manner.

Ed immediately shivered.

"Everything all right there Ed?" Ghoulia noticed the face he was making first. The way that it twisted reminded her of the time they dealt with the Ms. Crabgrass when she was pretending to be Bloodgood. "It looks like you just stepped in something."

"Oh, sorry. I don't know what it is either." Ed actually did have a good idea what his problem was but wasn't sure how to say it. "Maybe it was something I ate."

"We're not idiots, Ed. Maybe try to remember that next time you lie to us." Cleo gave the head vampire look, frowning. It had something to do with him. "If it's the gold bats, then I have to agree. It's a bit garish. Don't the fangs already show he's a vampire as is?"

"No, no, it's not that! I just- I just don't like how he looks." Ed waved at the guy vaguely, face scrunching up as he thought about what he wanted to say. "Everything about him is… clean. And not in the good way."

The rest of the group gave brief looks to one another, unsure by what that description was supposed to mean. However, despite their confusion, they did agree with him since everything about the guy seemed really rehearsed.

"Greetings, everyone." Lord Stoker started, accent thick as he carefully looked amongst the crowd. Ed wasn't sure if the fact it lingered on their group was his imagination or not. "I know this must come as a surprise for many of you, but I've decided to widen my search for our next ruler to places farther out than our home country. And as of late, I've been hearing some pretty interesting things about Monster High."

There were some cheers in the crowd that quickly died out as Stoker's gaze went over them once again. The obedience and fealty made him smile wider, showing more of his fangs.

"I figure that if miracles are happening around here nowadays, maybe your school can work one out with me. And since we've been virtually leaderless for so many years, I do think it's time for one now." Lord Stoker opened up his jacket, grabbing something from one of its pockets. He an ornate box onto the podium. "Let's test to see if miracles happen twice around here."

The man opened the box carefully, the Vampire's Heart pulsing brightly as it was turned to the crowd. A chorus of ooh's and aah's filled the gym, though it quickly turned to gasps as it soon did something else.

The Heart floated out of the box, slowly rising into the air. Dead silence filled the room as it seemingly floated from one side to another, some voices rising occasionally if it got close to them. It eventually stopped, floating higher and higher before shooting off…

…And eventually floating in front of a very surprised looking Draculaura.

Everyone in the room blinked, obviously not expecting to see this happen. Only Lord Stoker seemed to take the news well, smiling as if he was overjoyed to see this happen.

"Well, what do you know? I was actually right about that." The man cleared his throat before extending a hand. Ed really didn't like the smile on his face, pearly white fangs showed clearly to the crowd like he was a predator. "Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between! All hail your new vampire queen."

Ed couldn't help but agree with the curse that came out Ghoulia's lips. This really was a statistical nightmare.

Alright, I hope you all enjoyed! Things are finally starting to roll on out, especially on certain fronts. I hope you all enjoy the direction it's taking, even if it can be slow sometimes.

Also, here's the new playlists! I've based them on Milton Grimm and Headmistress Bloodgood, so it's a bit different. It's really hard to find unique songs after making so many of these.

Milton: playlist/7cCKWA8wTWyiJezyLTciKd

Bloodgood: playlist/1lvctF9nsYD5cNv1hOucQh

Hope you enjoy! See you next chapter!