The earth gave an uncharacteristic rumble. People screamed and ran for cover beneath old buildings and crumbling structures. Bricks crashed into the marketplace. Overhead, lightning flashed and thunder roared. The barrier shuddered as the ocean waves bashed mercilessly against it.
Above the frenzy, in one of the more stable castles, three villains loomed, ready for their moment at last.
"Is it time?" Cruella demanded, marching impatiently around the room, stroking her stuffed dog repetitiously. "Queenie...is it time?"
"When it's time," Evil Queen growled dangerously. "I will let you know!"
"Wowza, someone has jumped into Maleficent's shoes pretty quickly, hasn't she?" Jafar mused, creeping up to stand beside the woman as she glared out at the dirty city. "Who died and made you leader of the Isle?"
"You've forgotten, Jafar," Evil Queen snapped. "That I am a queen! I should be ruling Auradon, not some...creature! And, after today, no one will dare speak my name!" She turned away from the ledge with a huff and stormed back inside what was left of Maleficent's castle. "Cruel!" she yelled for the dog-obsessed woman. "I need a mirror!"
"What are you going to do, Your Highness?" Jafar sneered. "Look at your own reflection some more?"
"Of course not," the queen responded loftily. "The barrier is down. It's all over the news. We are free...though...I do have some wrinkles that I should attend to."
"Shocking."
Evil Queen glared at him as she held out hand, waiting as Cruella returned with a mirror. It was just a small handheld but it was enough. "Mirror, show me the Seven Dwarfs!" she ordered. The mirror swirled and morphed until the cluster of men could be seen, dancing around their cottage with their wives. "Foul beings, Dwarfs," Evil Queen grunted. "Too busy digging jewels to notice what is right under their noses."
"And yet," Cruella put in. "They were the ones that chased you up and over that cliff were they not?"
Her glare was enough to melt pure steel. Like mother like daughter. Jafar, who normally would have laughed at this, wisely decided to keep his trap shut. Evil Queen seemed to notice this and decided to leave it at that, focusing her attention once more on her mirror. "Show me, Evie!" she growled. Once more the mirror changed and the bluenette appeared, hurrying down shining white corridors, Mal and a boy in tow. "What is she doing?" the queen wondered aloud. "And what is up with her hair?"
"She looks a thousand times better than you," Jafar snickered.
Evil Queen hit him upside the head.
"Ow!" he complained, rubbing his scalp painfully. "What did you do that for?"
"You know why," she replied, swishing her cape back behind her majestically, just like Maleficent used to. "Villains!" she called. "It's time! The barrier is gone! Those hero fools thought they could keep us imprisoned forever? I think it's time we got our revenge! Against 101 furry beasts," she glanced towards Cruella. "And a prince and a genie," she looked to Jafar. "And, most of all, against Snow White and her army of little men." She glanced back at her mirror with a wicked grin. "And I know just how to begin." She cackled.
Jafar shuddered. "You sound just like Maleficent."
Evil Queen turned back toward him with a grin. "Perfect."
* * *
He was standing in blackness. All around him he could hear the steady pings of steel hitting stone. He blinked, struggling to see. He reached up instinctively to adjust his glasses only to find nothing there. He frowned. Something was very wrong here. This place...it seemed too familiar... yet...he didn't recognize it.
Where was he? How had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was chasing Mal and Evie towards FG's office. No one had been there. Jay...Jay had shown up, hadn't he? But after that, everything was foggy.
"Hello?" He called, hearing the ringing grow louder. "Is anybody here?"
He tried to take a step forward. His foot hit a crevice and he stumbled, throwing out a hand to try and steady himself, feeling something cold, damp, and solid against his fingertips. A cave, he realized. He was in his family's mining cave. "Evie? Hello?" he shouted again, hearing his voice bounce around the stillness and come back to him. "Mal? Jay? Anyone?"
Silence. He was all alone.
He took a deep breath. What would Evie do? Instantly, he pictured her whipping out her magic mirror and saying some rhyming sentence to activate its powers. That obviously wasn't going to work for him. He certainly didn't have a special magic mirror to solve all of his problems. All he had was his intelligence--and a merit badge in s'mores.
Instinctively he reached once more for his glasses.
He sighed.
Starting with small steps, he began inching forward, using the invisible wall to guide him. He felt the cavern closing in on him, threatening to suffocate him. He had to get out of there. The darkness...it was coming after him.
He walked faster, feeling eyes staring at him from the shadows. His heart started throbbing, his lungs froze and he struggled to breathe. What he wouldn't give to be back in his dorm, messing around with his trumpet and driving Chad insane.
"Look out! She's found us!"
"Everybody get down!"
Voices rang out from the shadows. Panicked. Frightened.
Doug moved faster. He was almost running. Though from the fear or the shouting, he didn't know. Hold on! he yelled to whoever was screaming. I'm coming! What he was planning on doing, he wasn't quite sure. But he knew someone was in trouble and they needed help.
An explosion rocked the cave and the next thing he knew, he was face-planting the rock. The earth shook violently and parts of the roof crumbled down on his head. He lay there, eyes squeezed tightly shut until the quaking stopped and then a minute longer.
Getting back to his feet, he moved quickly away from the fallen debris, shuddering. There was a reason he didn't like mines. He forced the images and memories from his brain. Where is everyone?
He emerged from the dark cavern into a room flooded with light. He blinked, bringing up a hand to shield his eyes as he took it all in. He was standing in a large cave. Jewels and diamonds littered the walls. Doug's eyes widened. He'd found it. The cave his family had spent decades looking for.
I don't believe it.
"Move!"
"Look out! "
A second tremor. Doug backed up against a wall as boulders crashed from their perches to the cave floor. What was going on? Caves weren't supposed to shake like this! Was there an earthquake? Where were the voices coming from?
"FOOLS!"
The scream seemed to come from everywhere at once. He searched the room frantically, seeing no one.
"Doug."
He turned, hearing a familiar voice. "Evie," he breathed, a smile creeping onto his lips as he spotted the bluenette standing a few feet away. "What are you doing here? Where are we? Where are Jay and Mal?" She didn't return the grin. His smile faded as he saw the ruby red dagger clutched tightly in her fist. " Evie? Wait...what are you doing?"
She smirked at him, turning the blade over and over in her hand. "Did you really think I loved you?" Her voice was cold. This wasn't the Evie he knew. "Who could love you? You're nothing more than a runt and a geek. The son of a dwarf."
Doug couldn't breathe. He felt his world crashing down all around him. "W-what are you s-saying?" He couldn't keep the quiver out of his voice. He hated that. It made him feel even weaker.
She smiled wickedly. "My mother is Evil Queen. You should have known this was coming sooner or later." She flicked the dagger at his chest. He flinched, pressing his back harder against the cold stone. Panic flashed through him and it must have reflected in his eyes. "Oh," Evie pretended to look sad. "What's wrong? You actually thought I cared about you? I don't love you. I never loved you. I merely used you to get what I wanted. Not such a unique thought is it? But I guess it must be painful for you. Good. The more you suffer, the more joy I feel."
"Why are you here?" he gasped, his smarts abandoning him. He'd feared this kind of reaction from her when the villain kids first arrived from the Isle, admittedly. But now...now he'd thought she'd changed. He loved her. And now he knew she didn't feel the same.
"I'm here to finish what my mother started. And that means ridding the world of dwarfs. Including half-breeds like you." She lashed out with the dagger. Doug ducked. The blade sunk into the rock where he'd been leaning only moments before. He jumped backward, tripping over his own feet and hitting the ground. Evie towered over him, her eyes glowing with strange orange fire.
A sharp pain erupted in his chest and he brought a hand to his heart as he gasped. Blood oozed between his fingers as he lay his head on a slab of rock, unable to move. "No..." he pleaded, trying to crawl away. The pain intensified and he gave up, panting. "Please..." He held an arm in front of his face. He shook uncontrollably. "Don't."
"Please," Evie mocked in a high voice as she stomped towards him. "You dare ask me for mercy? Your father showed no mercy to my mother when he chased her off of that cliff!"
Doug closed his eyes. He couldn't run. There was no way to escape. "Evie..." he coughed. "No!"
She raised the dagger above her head, preparing to strike. "WHAT'S THAT?" she screamed.
Even through closed eyes, Doug was aware of a brilliant silver light radiating from behind him. He heard Evie fall away and he dared to open his eyes, gasping as the light grew even brighter. He struggled to turn, squinting through the light to see a small bluish-silver jewel. His eyes widened. What was happening?
He glanced up at Evie. She was no longer looking at him. He decided this was his chance. Heaving himself up onto his arms, he struggled toward the rock, reaching desperately for it. He didn't know why but he felt like it was immensely important.
"NOOOO!" Evie screamed.
His fingers brushed the jewel. A wave of heat shot through his body.
And then everything was gone.
"Doug? DOUG!"
"Evie, back up! Give him room to breathe!"
"I can't believe that worked!"
Doug opened his eyes slowly, feeling as though every muscle in his body was broken. Unconsciously, he lifted his hand weakly to fix his crooked lenses, breathing a raspy sigh of relief to feel the cold metal on his face. Something icy was in his other hand but he was too stiff to look and see what it was.
His gaze flicked upwards. He blinked and the blue, purple, and brown hair of his three friends came into view. Evie was closest to him and Mal and Jay were right behind her. Doug had the suspicion Evie might have kissed him again. "What...what happened?" he wheezed.
"A sleeping spell," Mal answered shortly.
"Again," Evie put in. She looked extremely relieved. He gave her a small smile which she returned. Immediately, the dream began to fade. It wasn't real, he told himself firmly. Evie would never do that.
"Sorry to break...this...up," Jay interrupted, helping Doug up and giving him a friendly slap on the back. The boy grabbed his glasses quickly before they flew off and grinned weakly. "But we really need to get moving."
"Where are we going?" Doug questioned.
"We have to find Ben and Fairy Godmother," Evie answered, passing by him and scanning the hallway. "And Carlos, Lonnie, and Jane if we can."
"I think we should split up," Mal suggested, drawing all of their eyes. "Evie, you and I will go back the way we can and see who we can find. Maybe Audrey or Chad can help us find the others and find out who's doing all of this. Doug, you go with Jay and find Uma, Gil, and Harry. I have a feeling we're going to need their help for this."
"Got it!" Evie took off down the corridor back toward the Physics lab. Jay, meanwhile, went down the opposite hall. Mal followed Evie and Doug was left standing alone in the dark room. He glanced down at the object in his hand.
The jewel.
What could it mean? Why did it save him? How did it save him?
He didn't know the answers. He had to remember to ask the VKs later. When it came to magic and things beyond the realm of science, the others were much more knowledgeable on the subject than him.
With that thought, he shoved the stone into his pocket and took off after Jay.