"Evie," Mal hissed as the group ducked to safety behind a cluster of trees and bushes. "Queenie, stay back with the kids. Ben, Jay, Carlos, come with me. We need a plan." Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Mal began to creep across the crunchy leaves, making the least amount of noise possible.
"I have a plan," Evie grumbled. "I'm going to get Doug back."
"Okay, one, that's not a plan," Mal pointed out. "Two, how? You'd be up against Morgana, your mother, and Doug. Trust me. Stay here. It will be better that way. Jay? Ben? Carlos? Come on."
Evie watched silently as her friend led the boys away. She felt the younger VKs' eyes on her and she took a deep breath, putting on a reassuring face. "They'll be all right," she told them, opening her arms to Dizzy as the girl leaned up against her worriedly.
"Of course they will," Dizzy replied quietly.
Evie glanced over at Celia who was leaning against a tree, fiddling with her magic cards. "Hey," she said. "Your cards showing you anything helpful?"
Celia looked up. "Define 'helpful'."
Evie sighed. "Something that can tell us how to save Doug?"
Celia frowned. "You really don't know how the cards work, do you?" When Evie gave no response, Celia rolled her eyes. "They don't show the solutions to problems. They just show parts of one's future and past. Happiness, darkness, fear, betrayal..." she trailed off here.
"Is that what you see?" Evie questioned, sitting up and gently leaning a sound-asleep Dizzy against a tree. "Who's future? Mine?"
Celia shook her head. "No..." She glanced toward the clearing. "It's...someone else...and their future...it keeps changing."
"Doug?" Evie barked, coming over to kneel down beside her, stepping cautiously around Squeaky and Squirmy who were also asleep.
"I thought you might ask that," Celia confessed. "But no, it's not him. It's..."
"Who?"
"Let's just say, even villains don't often start out that way." Celia refused to say more and just peered through the shrubbery at the scene unfolding. Evie did the same. She spotted Mal and Jay flanking in from the left, Ben and Carlos from the right. But her eyes kept coming back to the center. Both Morgana and Evil Queen stood there, the latter keeping watch for trouble while the former moved around a ring of burning fire. Doug lay unconscious in the center. He did not seem to be aware of anything...certainly not that Morgana was only moments from killing him and seizing his powers. He was more still than death and was positioned like an offering to whatever evil Morgana was conjuring.
Hurry, Mal, Evie thought pleadingly. I don't know how much longer he can hold on.
Mal seemed to hear her desperate prayer. "NOW!" the purplette bellowed, thrusting a fist into the air. Immediately, the villains whipped around, but it was far too late. The VKs had already made their move, and it took the villains only moments to recognize that they were greatly outnumbered. Still, they fought back. Evil Queen moved to challenge Mal, Jay, and Ben simultaneously, while Carlos crept toward the ring of fire where Morgana was speeding up her spell.
Be careful! Evie mentally warned Carlos.
Evil Queen held up the fight, skillfully taking on all three teens...and overpowering them, sending all three tumbling to the ground.
Evie watched all of this in horror. "Morgana's given her some of her powers!" she hissed to Queenie. "She's stronger than ever. They don't stand a chance!" She hastily got to her feet and reached for her sword.
"Wait!" Queenie protested. "Where are you going?"
"They need my help," Evie answered sharply. " I can match my mother's magic. I'm the only one who can stop her. Queenie, stay here and watch the others. I'm counting on you." With that, she drew her sword and leaped over the foliage and into the clearing.
"But--" Queenie began. It was no use. Evie was already gone. The redhead sighed and sat down against a tree. "Hey, voodoo girl. Do you think you could do me?"
"Sure!" Celia skipped over and fanned out the deck of cards before the Princess of Heart's face. The two girls laughed quietly and the fight faded into the background.
Meanwhile...
"Ben! Duck!" Mal called out the warning as Evil Queen aimed to separate his head from his shoulders. The king dodged quickly and Evie jumped in to match the blow.
"Mal, go help Doug!" Evie snapped as she shoved back, hard, pushing Evil Queen away from her and bracing herself for another blow. On her right, Jay twirled his sword, preparing to strike. Ben stood, breathless, behind Evie. It was four to one, but the Evil Queen was still fighting admirably, though she was obviously beginning to weaken.
"But Carlos--"
"Carlos can't take on Morgana by himself!" Evie snapped furiously as she swung her blade up to parry another attack. "I've got this! Seriously, go!"
Mal didn't argue. Dropping her stance, she turned and took off running toward the flames. Evie, then, was left to face her mother, with Jay and Ben flanking her.
"Hello, my little evilette," Evil Queen whispered, ignoring the boys as they began to close in.
"Don't call me that!" Evie spat. "I am nothing like you! You threaten Auradon, kidnap my boyfriend, nearly kill me and all of my friends! Mother! What has happened to you? Killing...destroying things...this isn't who you are!"
"You know nothing about what I went through!" Evil Queen spat, deflecting a blow from Ben and knocking back Jay. " I used to be fairest in the land! I was loved! I was respected! And then that, that girl, a mere child, took it all away from me!"
"So what?" Evie screamed. "All this is what? Revenge? Mother! It was thirty-five years ago! Please! Don't do this! Don't let Morgana kill Doug! I know you aren't evil inside. This isn't you and you have a chance to be a real hero...to make people love you again!" Her eyes drifted away and around her mother toward Mal and Carlos who were struggling to find a way past the fire. Every time they neared, it seemed to come alive, lashing out and knocking them back away. Meanwhile, Morgana continued her spell, not seeming to realize that a battle was raging around her. Her mind was on the curse and nothing more.
"Mother!" Evie pleaded as her gaze fell on Doug who was inching closer to death by the moment. She couldn't even tell if he was breathing anymore. "Think about this! If you help us, you can have everything back that was taken from you! I'll talk to Ben! He'll help you! But please, please, don't let Doug die!"
"Evie?" Jay questioned, shooting her a nervous glance as he continued to hold his sword out threateningly. "What should we do?"
She didn't look at him.
"Jay, keep your sword ready," Ben warned. Then, he leaned over Evie's shoulder. "Hey," he whispered in her ear. " I know this is your mother and this is an extremely difficult situation, but, we can't trust her not to backstab us as soon as she's free. "
Quite literally, Evie couldn't help but think. But she knew Ben was right. Doug's life was quite literally hanging in the balance, and, with a glance at Morgana (whose body was shining radiantly), it was pretty clear that his time was almost up. "All right," she sighed when Evil Queen gave no answer. "You guys take her back to Queenie and the others. I'll try to find a way through those flames." She felt Evil Queen's gaze on her but it no longer mattered. Her mother had had her chance. She hadn't taken it. Evie couldn't wait around any longer.
She turned and took off running toward the ring of fire, catching up to Carlos and Mal as they were roughly knocked away once more.
"We can't get through it!" Carlos shouted. "The magic's too powerful! Even Mal can't conjure up a spell to counter it!" He held a hand up in front of his face to shield his eyes from the flames as they lashed out dangerously.
Evie felt his panic in her own heart. Doug. She had to get through the flames. But how? If Mal wasn't powerful enough, then how could she possibly have a chance? And then it hit her. There was only one thing more magical than Mal...and that was the Dragonstone. "The stone!" she gasped, falling into Mal desperately. "Mal! I need the Dragonstone!"
The purplette's eyes widened as she realized Evie's plan. "Yes! Yes, of course! Here!" She fumbled around in her pockets for a second before drawing the stone from her pocket and handing it to Evie forcibly. "Go!" she yelled. Evie didn't wait. She turned and, without a second of hesitation, threw herself forward into the flames.
She landed neatly on the other side, the fire not responding to her at all. She didn't have time to revel in this victory, however, as her eyes fell on Doug who was lying a few feet away. He was so still...Evie could barely hold back the tears of fear that she might already be too late.
"DOUG!" she screamed.
At this, Morgana finally seemed to realize that something was awry. Her eyes snapped open and she twisted around, but Evie was already almost to the dwarf. Tears stinging her eyes, the bluenette fell to her knees beside her true love, taking his hand and checking frantically for a pulse. It was there, but it was so incredibly weak...and was progressively slowing. Morgana's spell was almost complete.
"Doug..." Evie whispered gently, brushing his cheek tenderly and squeezing his hand tighter. "I'm here. Doug, please, fight it. I know you can. I've seen you do so many incredible things. I need you to fight now, for us. Doug, you are the NeoMerlin. Your Auradon's hero...and mine."
"Oh how pathetic," Morgana hissed. Evie looked up and she was struck with a powerful surge of electricity that sent her flying backward onto the grass near the edge of the flames, wheezing. "You can't save him! You're the reason he's here in the first place!" She cackled. It was a wicked sound.
Evie staggered back to her feet defiantly. She could feel the heat in her palms as her magic began to churn. She had had just about enough of the sorceress and all of her evil tricks and lies. "Get away from him," she spat, summoning her own magic and launching it at the witch. Morgana didn't even glance over as the spell passed right through her and disappeared into the forest. "I SAID GET AWAY!" She ran at the sorceress and punched at her head as hard as she could. Morgana stepped back and Evie slugged thin air.
The red-headed witch laughed, stepping behind Evie and striking her hard in the back. The bluenette gasped and rolled into the grass next to Doug.
"Your resistance is weak," Morgana spat. "The boy could never have saved you. Merlin was a fool to try and establish peace between villains and heroes. In the end, evil always wins." She raised her weapon high above her head and prepared to bring it swinging down on Evie.
Evie covered her head with her arms, bracing for the end.
Suddenly, she felt movement beside her. Through her closed eyelids, she perceived a flash of blue light, followed by Morgana's petrified scream. Silence fell over the clearing. And then Evie could hear a weak voice whisper in her ear.
"Evie. You can look up now."
Doug! Evie's head shot up in shock, nearly bonking Doug's as he leaned over to help her up. He took her hand. She could feel him quivering still. But the spell...the spell was broken. And Morgana? Evie glanced once around the clearing. The sorceress was gone. "What...how...Doug...?" Evie stammered in confusion.
"That's me." He gave her a goofy grin. "Where you expecting someone else? "
Evie gasped and elbowed him in the ribs. "You scared me!" she scolded him as he fell back, wheezing and laughing breathlessly. "Don't do that! Do you have any idea how frightened I was? I thought I'd lost you!"
Doug struggled back into a sitting position. He took a deep breath and stared firmly into her eyes. "Evie, I'm here. I'm never going to leave you. All right?"
Evie pulled him in for a tight hug. He grunted but quickly returned it. They kept hugging, even as the flames trickled away into nonexistence and the others surrounded them, cheering, whooping, and patting Doug on the back.
"Here," Ben spoke up suddenly, leaning over and handing Doug Fairy Godmother's wand. Evie looked at him questioningly, wondering how he'd got his hands on that. He shrugged in response. "I think you should have the honors. Bring down the barrier. Again."
The group laughed as Doug straightened up and pointed the wand at the barrier. There was a rumble on the earth and a crash of thunder as the barrier exploded into nothingness and the bright sunlight could flood through the trees once more.
Evie laid her head on his shoulder and Mal did the same to Ben as the group stared up, satisfied, to receive the warmth and glow once more.
But there was still one more thing that bothered Evie. "Doug," she spoke up suddenly, twisting to face the dwarf who glanced back at her, a small, but confused smile on his lips.
"Yes?"
"You're the NeoMerlin."
He blinked, confused. "Yeah? I know...?"
"But, how? I mean, your dad is Dopey right?"
Doug nodded. "Without a doubt. Evie? What are you getting at?"
"But, if Dopey is your father, and you're the NeoMerlin..." Evie trailed off, not sure how best to ask the question.
"Your mother must have been a villain," Jay finished for her. He glanced at her. "I mean, that was what you were trying to say, wasn't it?"
Evie nodded.
Doug sighed heavily. "I don't know. All my life, I was told my mother had died in a car accident. I never questioned it. But now, now I don't know what to believe. Yeah, I guess it's possible. She may be a villain. But it doesn't really matter now, does it? She wasn't a part of my life. I'm just fine not knowing who she is."
"Speaking of super evil ladies," Carlos piped up. " I know Evie's mom is back there." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "But where is Morgana?"
Doug and Evie looked at one another and it was Evie who spoke, securely keeping her arm around Doug, steadying him even though he appeared outwardly oriented. "Gone. Gone forever. It's all over. Auradon is safe."
Mal smiled gently. "We did it. We saved the world."
"Again," Jay and Carlos said together.
And, with those words, the world seemed to get just a little brighter.