MK groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked in the bright light. She turned her head. Trees rustled in the breeze around her. She glanced around, trying to figure out what had happened. Wasn’t she just inside a moment ago? The whole event came back in a flash. Her family had been fighting a bear and she opened up a portal using a hat. The bear went in, but it dragged her and her mother in. MK tried to rise quickly, but only managed to get up slowly, her body aching from the fall. She turned around, trying to see where her mother and the bear had gone.
“Mom!” she called out when she couldn’t see anything. “Mom!” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her gun. She took a few steps forward before calling for Merida again. A rustling through the grass came from behind her. She turned around, just in time for Mordu to knock her to the ground and placed his huge paw on her chest. The gun flew from her hand. He roared in her face. She screamed.
“Get away from her!” Merida let loose an arrow. It hit Mordu’s side. He roared and backed off MK. MK rolled towards her gun and picked it up. Merida let loose another arrow. “Get out of here Mordu!” Mordu roared and rushed Merida. MK fired a couple of rounds into him. But that didn’t seem to stop him. He just kept barreling towards Merida. She fired another arrow before running. Mordu lifted his huge paw and swiped at her, sending her sprawling. Merida hurriedly got up, only to be pushed back down again, Mordu’s paw pinning her to the ground.
“Mom!” screamed MK. She shot twice into the bear, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He roared in Merida’s face, then opened his mouth wide as if to bite her head. A whip made of lightning wrapped itself around the bear’s stomach and yanked him off. He was rammed into a tree. A young man not much older than Merida and MK stepped out from behind a tree, lightning crackling around two pieces of paper he was holding.
“Oh no you don’t, not on my watch.” He grunted and sent two streams of lightning at Mordu. The lightning wrapped around Mordu again like a pair of whips, and the man used them to fling Mordu around like a wimp doll.
MK rushed to Merida and helped her up. “Are you alright?”
“I am now, thanks to that young man.”
“Wait, you mean you don’t know him?”
Merida shook her head. “No, we didn’t meet everyone before Mavis cast the spell.”
“Ah-ha!” The young man was smirking as Mordu limped off into the woods. “You just got Merlined.”
“Say what?” mumbled Merida.
A soft giggle came from behind another tree. A young woman stepped out. “It’s his catchphrase. Merlin’s his name, and I’m Snow White.” She waved.
MK gasped. “Wait? You mean there is a Snow White?”
“Well yeah, Ella’s Cinderella,” said Merida.
“Oh, that’s right . . . but her story is kind of different from what we’re used to. How is this Snow White’s story different?”
Merida pointed to the young man. “Are you a prince?”
He bowed. “Yes, I am, Prince Merlin, at your service.”
“Wait, what? Isn’t Merlin supposed to be an old dude?” asked MK.
“Say what? Is that how everyone knows me, as old?”
Snow White patted his arm. “And wise, too, dear, I’m sure.”
“Wait, Snow White and Merlin?” said MK. “Ok, yeah, this is definitely different from the regular Snow White story.” She glanced at Merida. “Even though, technically, you were Snow White, in a way.”
Merida chuckled. “In a way.”
“How were you like Snow White, in a way?” asked Merlin.
“I ate a cursed apple and could only be awakened by true love’s kiss.”
Merlin and Snow White glanced at each other. “Well you definitely had the apple, but they turned into shoes.”
MK blinked. “Ok, whoa, the apple turned into shoes? This definitely isn’t the regular Snow White story.”
“Like the regular Snow White story? What are you referring to?” asked Merlin.
“How does the regular Snow White story go? And, um, not to be rude, but, why are you wearing those clothes? Who are you, anyway?”
MK and Merida glanced down at their apparel before glancing at each other. Merida sighed. “I don’t know if you’ve heard of me, but I’m Princess Merida Dunbroch of Scotland. My husband is Hiccup Haddock the Third, Chief of Berk.”
Merlin snorted. “Is he short and annoying?”
Snow White swatted him. “Merlin! Be nice! You used to be a dwarf yourself, remember?”
MK threw up her hands. “Ok, hang on just a sec. Snow White’s apple turned into shoes and her prince was one of the seven dwarves?”
Merlin nodded. “Yup.”
“Ok, this isn’t the land of fairy tales, this is the land of messed up fairy tales.”
“And it’s your home as much as it is ours, you know,” said Merida. She turned to Merlin. “Thanks for saving us.”
“No problem, it is what I do. Is there anything else you might require my assistance with?”
“Yes, where are we?”
Merlin blinked. “Uh, this is Fairy Island.”
Merida blinked. “Oh, wow, never heard of it.”
MK glanced at her mother in shock. “You never heard of it?”
Merida shook her head. “Your father and I didn’t exactly have enough time to explore the whole world. There was Mavis, the curse, and you to worry about.”
“What curse?” asked Merlin slowly.
Merida sighed. “It’s the curse that’s kept everyone reliving the same day for the past twenty-six years. It was put into action by Mavis, the daughter of Frieda. As a matter of fact, we should be heading for the Wizard’s Tower. The instructions for the curse are still there, and we need some information.”
“Oh, well, I am an apprentice of the Wizard and we’re heading that way ourselves,” said Merlin.
Merida beamed. “Wonderful! We can talk about our stories along the way!”
Snow White clapped her hands. “That sounds great! I want to hear yours!”
“And I definitely want to hear yours. I’ve never heard of Snow White’s apple turning into shoes before.”
Merlin led the way, and the four chatted. It took a little bit of explaining, but Merida and MK managed to explain everything about the curse, where they had come from, and the world they come from. The biggest surprise, of course, was that MK was Merida’s daughter.
Snow White shook her head. “I still can’t believe it! You two look like you could be the same age!”
MK chuckled nervously. “Oh tell me about it, I’m still getting used to it myself.”
“So by kissing Jamie’s head, it sounds like you broke the part of the curse that repressed everyone’s memories,” said Merlin. “And you’re looking to find out why the rest of the curse hasn’t broken and everything returned to normal.”
Merida and MK nodded. “Yup.”
Merida paused and glanced up. “Wait, this isn’t the Wizard’s Tower.”
“Oh no, sorry, we have to get Snow’s father to charter a boat for us to get to the mainland. This is an island after all.”
“Oh, right.” The group walked into the palace where they met Snow’s father, King White, and the other dwarves, Arthur, Hans, Jack, Pino, Noki, and Kio.
Arthur grinned at them. “Well hello ladies.”
“Merida’s married,” said Merlin. The dwarves glanced at MK.
“Uh, so am I,” said MK. The dwarves sighed. “And that’s why we need your help.” Merida and MK explained the importance of their mission, and Snow’s father got the earliest boat out ready for them. They couldn’t leave until the next morning, unfortunately, but it gave them a chance to hear about Snow White’s and Merlin’s story.
“You see, the seven of us are known as the Fearless Seven, great princes who fight dragons and monsters all over the island. Well, one day, we defeated this dragon to save a princess.” Merlin let out a huff. “We thought, at first, we had saved a witch, because, well, she had green skin.” He winced. “It was actually the fairy princess, and, well, to teach us a lesson, turned us into dwarves.” He raised his hand. “I’ve learned my lesson. But, anyways, while we were trying to break our curse, Snow was looking for her father.”
“Hmm,” said Snow, “yeah, and the last thing I found was a note from him to look for the Fearless Seven. But first, I had to get past my stepmother and out of the castle to do so. That’s when I found out about the red shoes.”
“Onceler! Onceler!” Hiccup burst into the store, shouting at the top of his lungs. “Onceler!”
“What? What?” The Onceler came out from the back, a confused look on his face. He blinked at seeing Hiccup with the hat in his hands. “Uh, why are you holding the hat? What happened?”
“Mordu attacked Town Hall and MK used the hat to open a portal to send him back.” Hiccup took a few deep breaths, fighting to hold in his tears. “He, he dragged in MK and Merida with him.”
Onceler’s eyes widened. “No.”
“Yes . . . please tell me there’s some way we can get them back! Or, or that there’s another way of contacting the Lorax!”
Onceler leaned against the wall, looking frail and worn. “I’m, I’m afraid not, Hiccup. That, that was the only way I knew.”
Hiccup sank down to the floor. “Oh no.”
Jamie sniffled. “Mom.” JJ placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, but he was so stunned he couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Listen, those two are a couple of strong willed ladies,” spoke up Jack. “If there’s any way of getting back, they’ll find it. Besides, they’re together, Mordu doesn’t stand a chance.”
Hiccup smirked softly. “Yeah, yeah, they are.”
“Besides, Merida knows the lay of the land, it’s not like MK is all by herself.”
Hiccup nodded as he stood. “This is true too. It’s just that, that . . .”
“You wanted everyone to go back together,” said Rapunzel with a soft smile.
Hiccup nodded. “Yeah, I did, I do, but also, we don’t know what it’s like back home. How has it changed? Has anything changed? Who’s in charge now? All of that.” He pursed his lips. “They could be walking into a pit of villains for all we know.”
“Well that’s not true,” came the Lorax’s voice. Everyone yelped.
“How, how are you doing that?” exclaimed Jack. “MK’s not holding it!”
“Oh, she just needed to activate our communication, she’s still the only one who can open the portal using the hat.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Go figure.”
Rapunzel placed her hands on her hips. “And why didn’t you tell us this earlier?”
“Because I didn’t think that MK would come through the portal so soon after talking to me!”
“Well it wasn’t her fault, Mordu dragged her and Merida in!”
“Is there any way we can get them back?” asked JJ softly, slowly coming out of his trance.
“To Earth? Yeah, the same portal they sent MK through all those years ago,” said the Lorax. “But I don’t know how that would work for Merida. And that’s if they can even find it on this side. Apparently it vanished when the curse was placed.”
Hiccup sighed. “And since the curse technically hasn’t been completely broken, you don’t know if it’s back yet.”
“But how can you not see a door?” asked Rapunzel.
Jack ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh, right, because this door is hidden in a grove of trees, magic trees. And the Lorax and Manny can’t see everything, right?”
“Manny sees more than I do, but, yeah, basically.”
Jack sighed. “You see?”
“Is there really no other way?” asked JJ.
“The only other way I can see it, kid, they’d have to wait for the return of Joey Harker and Moana. Otherwise, I’ve got nothing.”
“You mean you can’t ask Manny to bring them back?” asked Jack.
“Listen, kid, we all were affected by the curse, Ok? If Manny can’t take you all back now, there’s no way he could bring them to you. We’re powerful beings, kid, but not that powerful.”
Jack sighed. “Well, it was worth a shot.”
“It was a good try, but no cigar. No, no, their best bet would be Joey Harker and Moana, it’s just, unfortunately, a matter of waiting.”
“Do you know how long they had planned to be gone?” asked Hiccup.
The Lorax sighed. “No, sorry, kid. As soon as they found out about the curse, they took their kid and Shrek and Fiona’s kid and took off to place both of them in safe places.”
Jamie began jumping up and down. “That’s two more! We just need to know who the seventh kid is!”
“Huh?” said everyone.
“Clara’s Aunt Elizabeth took her daughter, mom, and the daughter of Odette and Daniel through the magic door, so there’s three. Pitch brought dad here, there’s four, and Joey Harker and Moana took their kid and Shrek and Fiona’s to a safe place, that’s six! We just need one more!” He glanced around at everyone. “Did anyone else have any kids? Anyone that got sent over?”
“See, that’s the thing, I don’t know,” said the Lorax. “Those six are the only ones I know of.”
“Then the seventh is still a mystery,” said Jack.
“Is there no one you know of who had a kid around the same time as Mom or Dad?” asked Jamie at the same time.
“Nope,” said Lorax.
“”That does seem odd though,” said Jack, rubbing his chin. “The prophecy said seven . . .”
“The prophecy will take care of itself, Jack, you just worry about the issues at hand,” mumbled the Lorax. “Prophecies are always known to do that.”
Jack chuckled nervously. “Fair enough.”
“But the issue at hand is getting Merida and MK back,” said Hiccup.
“We do still have Dagur, Drago, and Hans at large,” said Jack. “Why don’t we focus on them and we’ll let Joey take care of Merida and MK.”
“Can you let Mom and Grandma know that?” asked Jamie.
“You know what? Why don’t I go down there and give them my hat and let you guys communicate with each other.”
“Really?” exclaimed HIccup, JJ, and Jamie at once.
“That would be great!” shouted Jamie.
“That would be great! Thanks Lorax!” said JJ.
“How can I ever repay you?” said Hiccup.
“I’ll think about it. But maybe while your wife and daughter are here, they can look into the spell left by Mavis at the Wizard’s Tower.”
“And if we can communicate with them, I can tell them where to find it!” exclaimed Mavis.
“Oh, right, I forgot you were there,” said the Lorax. “But yes, you can talk to each other rather than having me keep relaying messages. I’ve got other things to take care of.”
“No, you’re just lazy,” quipped Jack. There was a moment of silence.
“Consider yourself lucky that you’re there and I’m here or else I would give you quite the whooping.”
“Guess so, because now I can say whatever I want,” said Jack, a cheeky grin spreading on his face. “So, you know, like . . .”
“Not another word,” warned the Lorax, “or I will find a way over there and give that whooping.”
“Oh, but Lorax, you do tend to forget quite a few things,” said Rapunzel. “For instance, I’m married to him and can give him the whooping for you.”
“What?” exclaimed Jack. Hiccup and Onceler burst out laughing.
Lorax chuckled. “Oh I didn’t forget that, I just can’t let you do all the whooping for me.”
“Fair enough,” said Rapunzel, shooting her husband a cheeky grin.
“ALright, I’d better get this hat down there to Merida and MK. Keep your hat close, you might be hearing from them soon.”
“Thanks Lorax!” they chorused.
Jack tapped his staff. “Well, let’s go catch some villains.”
Hiccup nodded. “And I think we should tell Elsa and Anna. They need to know.” The others nodded. They told Onceler goodbye and walked back out of the store.
“I do hope Mom and Grandma will get back soon, though,” said Jamie. “I wonder what they’re doing now?”
“And it’s so well planned that we have no choice but to spring it,” said Hiccup.
Merida turned to Jack. “You be ready to give MK that hat. This may be a trap, but this is also a chance at sending one of those villains back to our world. And I’m not about to miss out on this opportunity.”
“You got it,” said Jack, tipping the hat slightly.
“Actually, I think you should give the hat to Jamie to hold,” said Mavis. “We’re going to need Jack’s help fighting this guy.”
Merida tilted her head. “That’s a good idea. Thanks, Mavis.” Mavis smiled. Jack handed Jamie the hat.
“Alright, let’s get going,” said Hiccup, brandishing his sword. He turned to Rex and Slinky. “And go find the rest of the riders and the dragons, we’re going to need them too!”
“On it!” said Slinky before taking off down the road, followed by a whimpering Rex. The others raced towards Town Hall.
“Do we have some kind of plan?” asked JJ as they neared the hall.
“Just that MK and Jamie find a good place to be ready with the hat and we’ll steer Mordu towards them.” Hiccup turned to MK. “You be ready at a moment’s notice.”
MK nodded. “I will.”
“Good.” Hiccup took a breath before grasping the door handles to the hall. “Here goes. Be careful everyone.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” muttered Merida, pulling out an arrow from her shaft.
Hiccup grinned sheepishly. “Right.” He pulled open the door, and they filed in. The hall was a mess. Chairs and glass were scattered into pieces across the floor while claw marks were slashed into the walls. Jesse, Woody, and Buzz were backing towards the far end of the wall on the stage while a huge bear with a couple of arrow shafts sticking out of its hide was inching towards them. Behind him, Bo Peep was directing Hamm and her sheep into pulling one of the curtains taut.
“Buzz, now!” shouted Woody. Buzz aimed his laser at the bear’s eyes and fired. The bear swatted at its eyes, trying to get the light out of them. He backed up into the taut curtain and fell backwards.
“Yes!” cheered the toys. Jesse and Buzz high-fived each other. But, unfortunately, the triumph was short-lived as Mordu was back on his feet in a moment. Bo let out a scream as she and the sheep dashed off. Hamm, however, wasn’t as lucky. Mordu caught him in his claws and tossed him towards the front of the building.
“Hamm!” JJ lunged and caught Hamm.
“Oh thanks JJ,” said Hamm. “That was too close.”
“You’re telling me,” said JJ. The two got up, and realized everything had gone quiet. Mordu was staring directly at Merida and Hiccup.
“Wh-why is he staring at you like that?” whispered MK.
“Because I helped my mom and Hiccup break their curses.” Merida pulled back on the bowstring. “And he didn’t.”
“And he hates you because of that?” asked Jamie incredulously.
“Not too surprised,” mumbled Mavis. Merida shot her a look. Mordu let out a growl.
“Now’s not the time. We’ve got a big bear to worry about!” said Hiccup, igniting his sword. Jack leveled his staff and Rapunzel quickly unbraided her hair.
“MK, go find a good spot. We’ll push him towards you!” said Merida. She let loose her arrow. It hit Mordu’s shoulder. Mordu let out a roar. “Go!”
MK grabbed Jamie’s hand and the two ran towards the nearest corner. Mordu charged. Hiccup swung his sword in front of the bear’s face, making him pause and back up a bit. Jack struck the floor with his staff, and ice tendrils crept towards Mordu. The floor became covered in ice and slippery. Rapunzel threw her hair up to the ceiling and with a flying leap, rammed into the bear. Unable to get a good grip on the floor, he went sliding.
“Yeehaw!” shouted Jesse. “We can take him down!”
“JJ, go tell them what we’re trying to do,” said Jack. He leaned in and whispered. “The less Mordu knows, the better. He might be an animal, but he’s not stupid.”
JJ nodded. “Right.” Taking Hamm with him, he dashed to the stage. He motioned for Bo, Jesse, Woody, and Buzz to get closer and quickly whispered out the plan.
Meanwhile, MK and Jamie got to the corner and were placing the hat on the floor. “Ok, so, I guess it doesn’t matter which way I spin it, I just have to spin it.” She let out a breath.
Jamie placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve got this, Mom.”
MK smiled at him. “Thanks kid.” She glanced at the battle. Mavis blasted Mordu with some lightning while JJ threw some wisps at him. Buzz followed up with shooting his laser into the bear’s eyes again. Mordu took a few steps back, but he seemed to have figured out part of the plan and was pushing back. “But I should be out there helping them.”
“But you are helping them. You’re doing the one part that only you can do, no one else.”
MK let out a huff. “It still doesn’t feel right.” She glanced at Jamie. ‘Though I think it would be best if you went somewhere else.”
“But I want to stay here with you!”
“I know you do, but I would feel better if you were out of harm’s way.”
“But . . .”
“Jamie, go find a place to hide, now,” ordered MK.
Jamie pouted. “Fine.” He got up and raced towards the podium, hiding behind it.
The battle intensified, everyone trying to push Mordu. But every time they were able to push him towards MK and the hat, he would come back with a fierce attack and try to regain ground. Sweat dripped down MK’s face as she watched with tense anticipation. She couldn’t miss her shot, but the more they tried, the more Mordu pushed back.
“Oh!” shouted Rapunzel. “JJ, grab my hair!” Rapunzel tossed him the end of her hair. He grabbed it. She ran around Mordu. “Go to the other side!” JJ dashed to the other side. “Pull!” Mordu roared as he fought against the pressure of the hair around his waist. “Jack, ice, now!”
Jack whooped. “Rapunzel, you’re a genius!” He jammed his staff on the floor hard, creating an icy path straight to MK. MK readied her hands to turn the hat.
“JJ, let go!” Rapunzel and JJ let go, sending them tumbling onto the ground. The momentum sent Mordu sliding across the icy path. Merida and Mavis ran alongside, to make sure he kept on going. Mavis struck him with some lightning when he got close to stepping off the ice on her end. He roared and kicked her, sending her tumbling.
“Mom!” Jamie dashed out from his hiding place to check on Mavis.
Meanwhile, Merida had shot another arrow into him and MK spun the hat. She took a step back as the hat widened and sank into the floor into a portal. Mordu roared as he tried to stop, but the ice was too slippery and it simply made him go faster. He began to fall into the portal, but managed to grab a hold of the floor with his claws. Merida nocked another arrow.
“We’ll finish this later, Mordu,” she said before releasing the arrow. Mordu roared when it hit his paw and let go. The others cheered. But then a look came into Mordu’s eyes, a look MK and Merida had never seen before. The next second, his other paw reached out and dug his claws into MK’s leg. She screamed as the claws pulled her into the portal. “No! MK!” Merida lunged for her, and fell into the portal as well after her.
“No! Merida! MK!” shouted Hiccup as he rushed forward.
“MK!” echoed JJ.
“Mom! Grandma!” cried Jamie. They raced towards the portal, but it was too late. The portal had closed. There was nothing left but the hat. Hiccup sank to his knees in shock. How were they going to get them back?
MK stood up and placed the hat on the counter. “Alright, let’s get down to business.” She turned to face her parents. “Of the villains we found, which one is most likely the best at archery?”
“Dagur,” said Hiccup and Merida without a moment’s hesitation.
Jack scoffed. “Hans wouldn’t know how to string a bow even if his life depended on it.”
“Ouch,” said JJ and Jamie at the same time.
Hiccup shrugged and chuckled slightly. “It’s true though.”
Merida bobbed her head. “That it is.”
“Point is, that’s our culprit,” said MK.
“Well, right, but the more concerning thing is, how did he get the nightmare sand?” said Jack.
“Well, if the two Sandy’s and Mavis have been able to come and go without losing their memories,” said Hiccup, “I guess they can too.”
Jack threw up his hands. “Oh great.”
“But the real mystery is, where are they now?” asked Rapunzel. “And what are they planning to do next?”
“And are all of them able to pass through, or is it just one?” asked Hiccup.
MK threw up her hands. “Ok, Ok, great questions, but we need to tackle one at a time. The most important one being where are they now.”
“Well I want to know how they got into my shop!” exclaimed Sandy.
“Why don't we head over there and take a look around?” said MK. “You didn't clean up anything, right?”
Both Sandy's and Gothi shook their heads. “Nope,” said Sandy. “Hiccup made absolutely sure we knew that we shouldn't.”
MK let out a sigh of relief. “Good, then we can start looking for clues.” She pointed at Jack. “And then I want you to show me where the attack took place. Maybe we can figure out where they could be hiding based on that.”
Jack nodded. “Good idea.” He stood up and held out his hand to the Onceler. “And thanks for telling us your story.”
Onceler chuckled as he shook Jack’s hand. “No, thank you.” He picked up the hat and handed it to Jack. “And I think you had better keep this close, just in case.”
“Are you sure it wouldn’t be safer here?” asked Merida.
“It could be, but if you come across a villain, you should always take your chances.”
“He has a point,” said Hiccup, “we don’t know what chances we’ll get with these guys out and about.”
Merida nodded. “That is true.”
“Well, can someone else hold it for me? I don’t want a constant connection open,” said MK. “And I don’t want to be carrying it around everywhere.”
“I’ve got you,” said Jack as he placed the hat on his head. He grinned. “What do you think?”
Rapunzel giggled. “I think it looks good on you.” She kissed his cheek.
“Yech,” said Jamie with a grimace.
“Alright, alright, we’ll go. Thanks again!” said Jack as the group dashed out.
Onceler waved. “No problem! And thank you!” The group quickly got over to Sandy’s, where MK, JJ, and Jamie got to see just how bad things were.
“Man, what a mess!” exclaimed Jamie as he stepped over a few pieces of broken glass. The back of the store, where the cauldron sat bubbling away, was even worse. Shelves had been toppled over, ingredients were strewn all over the countertop, and there seemed to be glass just everywhere.
“Wait, you just left this all here for the past few days?” asked JJ.
“Oh goodness, this is from this morning!” said Sandy. “Hiccup made it absolutely clear not to clean it up, so we went to Onceler’s so we wouldn't clean it up.” To emphasize her point, she flexed her fingers and quickly picked up a piece of glass to throw it away. “I can't stand this mess! So if you're going to look for clues, you’d better make it quick!”
MK sighed. “Fine, fine. Let me take a look around.” She held up a finger. “But don't start cleaning until I say so, alright?”
“Alright, alright, just hurry!”
“Ok!” MK got to it, shifting carefully through the shards of glass. JJ and Jamie jumped in to help.
“Are we looking for anything in particular?” asked Rapunzel.
“Just anything that doesn’t belong to any of you,” said MK, “or just anything that looks out of place. And don’t rule out anything. You never know what could end up being important.”
“Ok, so, can we help?”
MK nodded. “Sure! Just be careful.”
“Right.” The others quickly jumped in and began looking through everything. They began cleaning up as they did so. A couple hours later, the store was clean, but there were no clues.
“Nothing stuck out to anyone?” asked MK. They all shook their heads.
“I didn’t even see a fingerprint besides my own,” said JJ.
MK turned to Sandy. “You keep your doors locked?”
“Well of course!” blurted Sandy.
“So then how did they get in?” asked MK
“This happened after we unlocked it for the day,” said Sandy.
MK rubbed her temples and sighed. “OK, you need to give me all the information, not just bits of it at a time. Tell me everything that happened from the time you unlocked the store to the time you found this mess.”
“Well, after we unlocked the store, we began getting everything set up for business. You know, turning on the register, getting the cauldron warmed up, and stocking the shelves. We were almost finished when Jack and Rapunzel showed up with the arrow. We were going to run a few tests on it.” Sandy then pointed at the window. “Then the Sandman saw what he thought was a Nightmare, so he, Jack, and Rapunzel went out to investigate. I went out the back, just in case it tried to run around the building.”
“And there was no one else in the store?”
Sandy and the Sandman shook their heads. “No one, which apparently was what they wanted.”
“Apparently,” said MK. “How long were you gone?”
“Only a few minutes,” said Sandy.
“We went around the building a couple of times to make sure we didn’t miss anything,” explained Jack. “Except we obviously missed what was going on in here.”
“How could you have known at the time it was a ruse?” asked MK. “And now that they’ve done it once, they might not do it again.”
“I just hope they don’t mess up my store ever again!” exclaimed Sandy. The Sandman nodded vigorously.
“Well, I think we’ve gone over everything we could here. Jack, could you show me where you were shot at?”
Jack nodded. “Sure, it’s not that far from here, in fact.” He waved his hand, motioning them to follow him out the door. They walked a couple blocks to an alleyway. He tapped the ground with his staff, and a path of ice appeared. “Rapunzel had already gone home, so I was taking this path to try and think of a solution.” He pointed to the top of one of the buildings. “I heard something from the top of that building. I think it was the sound of a bowstring.” He glanced at Merida. “I think I’ve heard you practicing enough times to know it pretty well by now.”
“Good,” said Merida.
“Anyways, next thing I know, I’ve got an arrow heading my way.” He pointed to a hole in the wall. “I stepped out of the way in time and the arrow went into the wall. I sent out a wind to knock them down before flying up to see who it was.” He pursed his lips. “But whoever shot at me, even though we’re sure it had to have been Dagur, was gone.”
“How is that even possible, though?” asked Hiccup. “You’re a fast flyer. I mean, I know Dagur can be fast, but not that fast.”
“How would he get in and out, anyways?” asked JJ.
“See, that’s the thing . . .” Jack paused, and his eyes widened. “Unless . . .”
The others looked at him expectantly. “Unless what?” asked Hiccup.
“Drago had a cloak of dragon scales, right?”
“Uh, yeah.” Hiccup’s eyes widened as he gasped. “Of Nightfury scales! No one should be able to see you at night!”
“He was hiding under the cloak on the roof!” Jack quickly flew up the roof and disappeared from view for a few minutes before coming back to the edge. “Yeah! There was this mound here last night, but now it’s gone! That had to have been him! Oh, I’m so stupid!”
“Dad, you were just attacked and didn’t know about Drago or Dagur being here at the time, how could you have guessed?” said JJ.
“He’s got a point,” said Hiccup.
Jack let out a breath. “True, but, still, even then I thought the mound looked out of place.”
“Well, now that we have all that figured out,” said MK, “now we just have to figure out where they could be hiding.”
“The cave where we found Rapunzel?” asked Jamie. “I mean, grandma.”
“Yeah, but Eret and Gobber would have seen them then,” said Hiccup, and we haven’t heard anything from either of them.”
“There might be another entrance to that cave that we don’t know about,” said Merida. “We haven’t explored it fully.”
Jack flew back to the ground. “She’s right. Besides, someone had to have put those nasty vines into place, because I certainly didn’t, and I know Mavis didn’t either.”
Mavis shook her head. “No, I definitely didn’t.”
“You know,” said Merida, “the fact that someone else might have a hand in this spell might be the reason why we haven’t gone back home yet. We need to break that part of the spell too before we can.”
Hiccup ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath. “Which would make sense, we just need to find out what we need to do to break it now.” He glanced at Jack.
Jack put up his hands. “Don’t look at me, not everything gets a prophecy.”
Hiccup rolled his eyes. “Go figure.”
MK sighed. “But this also means that we can’t exactly follow any clues to their location. Dagur could have gone anywhere once Jack left.” There was a moment of silence as everyone glanced down.
“But if there is another opening to the cave, where would it be?” asked Hiccup. He glanced at Jamie and Mavis. “You two probably know the layout of this city better than anyone. Do you have any ideas?”
The two glanced at each other before slowly shaking their heads. “There’s no place I can think of,” said Mavis.
“Neither can I,” said Jamie, “and I’ve explored this city dozens of times.”
“Well, obviously the only answer is that it’s hidden so well that no one’s been able to find it,” said Jack with a shrug. “I guess we’re going to have to do some looking.”
Merida groaned. “And we have no clue where to start! This could take us forever!”
“Guys! Hey guys! JJ!”
JJ looked down the street. “Rex?” The green dinosaur was running towards them, followed by Slinky.
“Uh guys, we’ve got a situation at the Town Hall,” said Slinky.
“There’s a big, bad bear tearing everything up!” exclaimed Rex. “Woody, Buzz, and the others are holding him off, but they need help!”
“And then came the curse,” said the Onceler, finishing up his tale with a glance at Mavis. She chuckled nervously. “And as someone who’s hurt others before, it’s going to be a while before you can regain their trust,” he added softly. “But you are on the right path.”
Mavis smiled. “Thank you.” MK glanced at Mavis’s hands, they were curled up into fists.
“At least, you’ve started on the right path. It’s up to you to keep working at this and to keep bettering yourself,” said Onceler.
“And let me be the first to say, you’ve done good kid,” came a voice. Everyone glanced around the room, looking for the owner.
Onceler gasped. “That’s the Lorax!”
“I’m glad someone recognises my voice,” said the Lorax with a chuckle. Onceler let out a joyous cry and ran towards the hat that was sitting in MK’s lap.
“Wait, you’re communicating with us through the hat! But how is that possible?” asked Hiccup.
“Oh, simple, really,” came the voice from the hat. There was a soft glow coming from inside the hat as the Lorax spoke. “As long as MK is holding it, you can communicate with me. And, if she spins the hat around, she can open a portal to our world.”
Jack jumped up. “Really?”
“Wait, how do you know my name?” asked MK.
“If Manny can get all his information while living on the moon, I can do the same while living on the sun,” retorted the Lorax.
“One of the fairies probably told him,” said Hiccup.
The Lorax humphed. “They didn’t have to.”
“So, how does this hat work?” asked Jack.
“Well, simple, we are obviously communicating through it. Once the hat has left MK’s hands, we lose the connection,” said the Lorax.
“Oh, like a telephone!” exclaimed Jamie.
“Yeah, kinda like a telephone,” said Merida.
“And MK can create portals with the hat, she just has to spin it?” asked Jack.
“But she has to be the one to hold it. As soon as she steps through, well, no one else is getting through after her.”
“We can go home!” cheered Hiccup.
“And what? Leave the villains there?” asked the Lorax.
They glanced at each other. “Um,” began Hiccup.
“You can’t leave them there any more than you can stay there for long yourselves,” snapped the Lorax. “You’ve got to get everyone through!”
“But we don’t even know where everyone is!” exclaimed Hiccup. “We just found out there are villains here we didn’t even know came through!”
“Wait, what? Really?”
“Yes!”
“I didn’t even know they were here either,” said Mavis. “And I had all the information on each person here.”
“Hmm . . . sounds like magic at work.”
“No duh,” said Sandy. “We’re thinking that Gothel’s behind it.”
“Hmm, wouldn’t be surprised. Zhan Tiri has been quiet over here though.”
Rapunzel sighed. “That’s good.”
“But Pitch hasn’t over here,” muttered Jack.
“Oh, wow, I’ll let Manny know that.”
“Thanks,” said Jack.
“But then again, he could already know. He’s the only one of the two of us who can travel to other dimensions.”
Jack blinked. “Wait, what? He can?”
“Just like Joey?” said Hiccup.
“Who’s Joey?” asked JJ.
“Joey Harker,” replied Hiccup, “he has the ability to cross dimensions without needing magic to do it.”
JJ blinked. “Wait, really?”
“Yes, yes, that's besides the point,” said Jack with a wave of his hand. “The thing is that Manny might be here and he didn't say anything!”
“Like that's new,” muttered Sandy.
Jack groaned. “You are so right.”
“Anyways,” said the Lorax impatiently, “the point is we can communicate with you. The curse has been lifted, but you haven't come back yet. Why is that?”
“Uh, I don't know,” Mavis said with a shrug.
The Lorax sighed. “You mean you cast a spell without looking at the whole thing and the implications of casting such a spell?”
Mavis winced. “Pretty, pretty much.”
The Lorax sighed. “Well, either you come through the hat and look for the spell you used, or I could send one of my Guardians.”
“That, that might be best,” said Mavis. “It’s a scroll, and I left it in the Wizard’s tower. You know, the one with the scales of good and evil?”
“Yes, I know just the one,” said the Lorax. “I’ll send someone there right away.” The Lorax sighed. “We have got to move that to a better place.”
“No kidding,” mumbled Marvis.
“Don’t rub it in,” muttered the Lorax. “Anyways, now that we can communicate, we also have to talk about that prophecy.” The Lorax grunted. “I hate prophecies.”
“Tell that to Manny,” said Jack.
“I have, obviously he didn’t listen,” replied the Lorax.
“When has he ever listened?” asked Sandy. The Sandman huffed as a stop sign appeared over his head.
“The Sandman’s right, we need to stop complaining and figure this out,” said Onceler. “But what is it exactly you wanted to talk to us about the prophecy?”
“Seven villains, seven heroes,” said the Lorax.
“Uh, yeah, we know,” said Jack. “We’ve figured out that Pitch and Zhan Tiri are two of the villains while MK and JJ are two of the heroes.”
“But didn’t we also figure on HEX and Binary on being two others along with Joey and Moana’s kid being one of the heroes?”
“Uh, yeah,” said Jack.
“So we know four villains and three heroes. Those weren’t the ones I wanted to talk about.”
“OK, then who?”
“I’m thinking Chornomor and Laverna.” There was a pause.
“Ok, I know Laverna, but who’s Chornomor?” asked Hiccup.
Jack’s eyes had widened. “But didn’t, didn’t Ruslan defeat him?”
“A guy can grow his beard back,” remarked the Lorax.
“Who is Chornomor?” asked Hiccup.
“A wizard who gets his power from turning women into stone once they’ve found their true love,” said Jack with a growl. “Ruslan defeated him a few years ago, though, by cutting off his beard, which held his connection to magic.”
“And like I said, you can grow your beard back, which is what he’s being doing,” replied the Lorax. “And Laverna’s definitely getting her strength back too.”
“Is there no way to defeat them for good?” asked MK.
“That’s what you seven young heroes are supposed to do, according to this prophecy,” muttered the Lorax. “Hmm . . .”
“What?” they chorused.
“Maybe the curse was a good thing after all. It’s prevented the seven villains from gathering together.”
“But it’s also going to prevent the seven heroes as well,” said Jack, “unless Joey can get here soon.”
“I’ll send him your way once he shows up here,” said the Lorax.
“But we also need to figure out who the other four heroes are going to be,” said Merida.
“That’s more important right now than figuring out who the rest of the villains are,” said Hiccup. He glanced at Jack. “Which I thought you already knew who all seven were going to be.”
Jack shrugged. “So did I, but even I can be wrong, obviously.”
“We can’t afford to be wrong when it comes to the seven heroes,” said the Lorax. “If we don’t have all seven working together, we’re doomed for sure.”
“Well thanks for the confidence boost,” mumbled Hiccup. “Got any other hopeful words of wisdom?”
“Yeah, don’t get killed.”
“Oh, double thanks.” Hiccup rolled his eyes.
“Was there anything else?” asked Merida. “Or were you just wanting to tell us that you think Chernomor and Laverna are two of the villains?”
“Well, that, and you need to get them ready,” replied the Lorax.
“We are, but we're in the middle of a mystery,” said Rapunzel. “Someone tried to shoot at Jack with nightmare sand!”
“What?” exclaimed the Lorax. The group quickly explained everything that had been happening.
MK ended the narration with, “And we came here to look for clues right before I found the hat and we listened to Onceler’s story.”
“Ah, gotcha. Well, since you have found a list of the bad guys, finding out who did it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“It’s not so much a matter of who’s doing it than how it’s being done,” said Jack. “Even though it would be a good idea to find out who did it, too.”
“And we don’t know if there are others who came through that we don’t know about,” said Mavis, “ones that I don’t even know about.”
“Yes, so you had better find them, and fast. Send them through the portal first and we’ll tend to them.” There was a pause before the Lorax continued. “Though my main concern is about Pitch Black being able to move between the dimensions as easily as Joey can.”
“We’ll take care of him later,” said Jack. “The force field around the town is keeping him out right now. We just found out there are at least other four villains here in the town, and we have no idea where they are.”
“But we do have an idea of where to start looking,” said Hiccup. “And MK can pick up more clues as we keep looking.”
“Well, good luck to all of you. Contact me once you’ve found out more, and I’ll let you know what we find out on our end.”
“Thanks Lorax!” said Rapunzel. “It’s always a pleasure to talk to you!”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s just hurry up and get you guys back here soon, alright? And like I said, don’t die! Just, be careful, alright?”
“We will!” they chorused.
“And good luck to you!” said Rpaunzel.
The Lorax chuckled. “Thanks Rapunzel. Bye!” The ‘call’ ended.
Onceler woke up and stretched. He was feeling quite thrilled. Business was booming! But something seemed to gnaw at him, like he was forgetting something. What was he forgetting? He threw off his covers and dashed to his calendar. Nope, he remembered all of his appointments and everything on his to-do list. So what was nagging him?
A loud banging was heard at his door. “Onceler, are you up yet? We have that meeting with the new mayor today!”
“Be out in a minute, Mother!” called out Onceler. He raced to the closet and changed into his suit. He checked himself out in the mirror. With a grin, he placed his hat on his head. He paused. The color green, what was about it that made him feel sad looking at it right now? He hadn’t done so before. Why now? What had he forgotten again?
“Onceler!”
“Coming!” Onceler took one more look at the mirror to make sure everything looked perfect before leaving. The meeting with Mayor O’Hare went pretty well, all things considered. He seemed insistent on hiring Bret and Chet as his bodyguards, but Onceler would only agree to it once the last tree was harvested. O’Hare readily agreed, and the family returned to their mansion.
“I wonder why the new mayor was so quick to accept my terms?” wondered Onceler as they walked home.
His Aunt Grizelda scoffed. “Because the last tree is going to be cut down either today or tomorrow.”
Onceler paused. “Wait, what?” Everything came back to him in a flash. Emerald! The Lorax! The seeds! His promise! “No!” He raced back to the factory.
“Onceler! Where are you going? What’s wrong?” His family ran after him.
“We need the seeds to . . .” he shouted, but paused when he reached the top of the hill. The last tree just fell down.
“What? Whatever for?” asked his mother.
“I-I promised to plant them! And I didn’t!”
His mother waved her hand dismissively. “Oh hosh posh, you didn’t need to do that!”
Onceler didn’t hear her, he was glancing down at the valley. He gasped when he saw a line of animals moving out of what was once their home, aided by fairies. He dashed down the hill. “Emerald!”
“Onceler! Come back!”
Onceler didn’t pay attention. He ran pell-mell down into the valley, calling for Emerald and the Lorax. About halfway down, a red fairy came buzzing around his head, poking and pinching him. “Ow! Ow ow ow ow OW!” Onceler tried to swap him away, but he kept on coming back. “Hey! Come on! Cut it out!”
“Why, huh? You broke your promise! You made Emerald sad!”
“I know! I-I’m sorry!”
“Saying sorry doesn’t cut it!”
“Ruby!” The Enchantress flew up, followed by the rest of the Guardians, including a very crestfallen Emerald. “That’s enough.”
“Enchantress, Emerald, I am so so sorry . . .”
The Enchantress held up her hand. “Ruby is right though, just saying sorry doesn’t cut it.” The Enchantress sighed. “But I sense that you are sincere in your guilt and regret. So,” she paused and gave him two seeds, “you must plant one and give the other to the first person who will listen to your story and learn from it.” She blew some fairy dust onto him. “Until then, you will live forever, and you will grow old.” Onceler’s hair began turning white. “After that, you must tell your story as many times as the number of trees you have cut down. Only then will we reconsider you becoming a friend again.” The Enchantress turned. There was the Lorax. “Do you think that is fair punishment?”
The Lorax nodded. “I think it is very fair.” He turned and glanced at all the sawed off trunks. “Very fair indeed.” The Enchantress flew to his shoulder and sat upon it before he floated away. The other fairies followed.
“Wait, Emerald.” Emerald paused and glanced at Onceler. A tear fell from her eye before Ruby came back and put his arm around her, leading her away. Onceler let out a sad sigh before walking back to his family.
Upon hearing the story, it didn’t take long for his family to up and leave him. He planted one of the seeds like he promised, then boarded up his house, and waited. Years later, Ted came along. He heard the story and planted the seed. Onceler came out and told the story to everyone in town. And then he told everyone he could after that.
Onceler tried selling the thneed for several days before just giving up one day and trudged home. When he got back home, he found Emerald waiting for him by his front door. She rose and flew towards his face. She was clearly excited. He smiled at her.
“What’s gotten you in such a happy mood?”
Emerald squealed. “The Lorax! The Lorax is here! He’s waiting for you in your living room!”
Onceler’s eyes widened. “The-the Lorax!?!?!”
“Yes!” shouted Emerald. She pressed her fingers to her mouth as it formed a perfect o. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, it’s just . . .”
Onceler chuckled. “It’s just a big thing for the Lorax to visit.”
Emerald grinned. “Oh definitely!” She grabbed a hold of his hand and pulled him towards the house. “Come and meet him!” Onceler smiled and allowed himself to be led into his house. Once inside, his mouth dropped. What he had anticipated wasn’t quite what he saw. If that was the mighty Lorax, he was lounging on Onceler’s bed, munching away at some fruit, surrounded by some of the forest animals. He practically rolled out of the bed and held out a hand to Onceler.
“You’re Onceler, I suppose?”
Onceler shook the outstretched hand and said hesitantly, “Yes, and you’re the Lorax?”
The Lorax shook it heartily with an easy smile. “Indeed I am. Not quite what you were expecting, huh?”
Onceler chuckled nervously. “Well, uh, not, not really, no.” He gave him a genuine smile. “But it is good to meet you.”
“Good to meet you too! Now, these animals were telling me you fix excellent pancakes. May I get a sample?”
Onceler laughed. “I’d be honored.” With Emerald’s help, Onceler fixed enough pancakes to feed a small army, and feed a small army he did. Just about all the animals in the surrounding area came to the feast. Onceler didn't mind, he was hosting the Lorax, the guy was kinda a god of the sun and life. They all chatted away gaily while they ate. Once everyone had had enough, they lounged around in various places around the house.
“Mm, that was good!” The Lorax smacked his lips. “Now, why are you focused on selling this . . . thneed . . . thingy? You’d make an excellent chef.”
“Well, I’ve already had these ideas floating in my head and I wanted to give them a shot.” Onceler gave a little shrug. “Guess the rest of the world thinks they’re a bad idea.”
“Oh, you didn’t sell it?” asked Emerald.
Onceler sighed and shook his head. “No, I just keep getting fruits and vegetables thrown at me. I think they were turning me into the local entertainment for a while there. But I won’t be that entertainment anymore! I’ve given up trying to sell the thneed, I have better things to do.” He smiled around at his visitors.
“But you were so sure it was such a good idea!” said Emerald. She huffed and crossed her arms. “If only I had been bigger, I might have been able to help you somehow.”
“You’ve been my friend, that’s been all the help I’ve ever needed.” The two smiled at each other.
“Aw!” chorused the animals.
“OK, OK, the show’s over,” said Onceler, shooing the animals out as the Lorax rolled on the bed, laughing.
“But he is right, we are just friends!” said Emerald as she crossed her arms and huffed.
“Oh, I’m not saying you aren’t,” said the Lorax. “I was just laughing that they thought otherwise!”
“Yeah, sure you were,” mumbled Onceler.
The Lorax waved his hand. “Alright, alright, let’s talk of other things. Tell me more about yourself, Onceer.”
“Well . . .” A noise from outside interrupted him. The three glanced at each other, wondering what it could be, before the Lorax and Emerald followed Onceler to the door. Onceler opened the door, and gasped. A crowd of people were walking towards the house, singing his thneed song. “It, it worked? They want my thneed?” He laughed. “No, they need my thneed!” He let out a whoop and rushed towards the crowd and began taking orders.
The Lorax turned to Emerald. “I think he’s going to need some help.”
Emerald chuckled. “It certainly looks like it.”
“Ah! So many! I’m going to need a lot of help!” exclaimed Onceler when he came rushing back to the house. “I’ve got to get my family!” He leapt in the air. “This is awesome!”
“Now remember, for every truffula tree you cut down, you have to plant three seeds,” said the Lorax.
“Absolutely!” Onceler turned to Emerald. “Um, could I ask you to help me keep track of that?”
Emerald beamed. “Of course!”
“Great! Come on, let’s get started!”
In the weeks that followed, Onceler’s family had arrived and his business began to grow. But things began to change as well. For one thing, after a while, he stopped listening to Emerald’s advice and didn’t plant as often as much as he took down. Emerald began to panic, especially once he stopped planting seeds altogether. She tried to get him to listen to her, but either his family pushed her to the side, or he would downright ignore her. She didn’t know which one was worse.
It finally got to the point to where she had to take drastic action, and she left the little village. She had to find help. She just hoped she wasn’t too late.
Onceler sat up in bed and stretched. Here he was, finally on his own! He picked a quaint little village to live in and hopefully start up his own business. Oh, he had such plans!! However, the only place he could find within his current means was a tiny cottage on the outskirts of town. But that could be seen as a blessing, he did, after all, want to invent a few things, and the nearby truffula trees were needed for many of these inventions. All in all, a pretty good situation. He glanced at his guitar, he would sing for money for now until he got his inventions underway, but he couldn’t wait to get started. But first things first, he needed to get an ax. He quickly got changed, quickly had some breakfast, grabbed his guitar, and stepped out. He took a deep breath of the forest air. Mm, it felt good to be alive! He took another deep breath before heading into town. He played a few hours before taking a break for lunch and getting right back into playing some more. He went back home around dusk, had dinner, and went to bed. This became his routine for several weeks before he decided to take one week off to work solely on inventions. He took an ax, went to the closest truffula tree, and cut it down.
“Timber!” he called out as the tree fell. A few animals darted out from various hiding places in the path of the falling tree. Onceler began cutting down the tree into wood piles and stripped it of its feathery-like leaves.
“What are you doing?” Onceler jumped and yelped at the sound of the voice. He looked around, but couldn’t seem to see anyone.
“Uh, was that my imagination?” He scratched his head.
“It most certainly was not,” said the voice, sternly.
Onceler yelped. It sounded like it was closer. “But, but I can’t see you! Where are you?” He screamed when eight fairies practically flew into his face.
“Does this help?” said the fairy in the lead, her hands on her hips She had blonde hair and was wearing blue, while each of the other fairies represented each of the colors of the rainbow.
“Uh, uh, uh . . . FAIRIES!!”
The eight fairies clamped their hands over their ears, though the lead fairy glared at Onceler. “Yes, we’re fairies, and we can hear you just fine! There’s no need to shout!”
Onceler ran behind a tree. “Wh-what do you want with me?”
The lead fairy placed her hands on her hips. “You just cut down a truffula tree, and I need to know why.”
“U-um, well, I, uh, I like inventing things.” He shot her a sheepish grin.
She sighed and pinched the end of her nose. “Of course you do.” She placed her hand back on her hip and looked at him intently. “And what, pray, are you inventing?” Onceler slowly explained what he was wanting to build as he slowly stepped closer to the fairies, though his main focus was on the thneed. It would be made from the truffula leaves and could be turned into anything the owner wanted, for the most part.
“Everybody needs a thneed! Well, that’s what I’m thinking the slogan will be anyway,” Onceler said before shooting the eight fairies a sheepish grin.
The red fairy groaned. “Really?”
The lead fairy glanced at him. “Ruby, hush.” She turned back to the Onceler. “And how many of these . . . thneeds do you plan on making?”
“As many as I can! Or, at least need. Everyone is going to want one.”
“And how many trees is that going to take?”
Onceler scratched his head. “Uh, I don’t, I don’t know.” He shrugged and pointed at the truffula leaves. “I haven’t even made one yet, so I couldn’t tell you.”
Ruby smacked his forehead. “Seriously?”
“Ruby, really,” said the blue fairy. “Let the Enchantress handle this.”
“Then why do we have to be here?” asked Ruby. The other five glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.
The Enchantress turned and looked at Ruby. “Because I asked you to come, it’s your job to back me up if trouble arises.”
Ruby crossed his arms. “I know that, but do we have to stay? He’s obviously just a weirdo.”
“Hey!”
The Enchantress chuckled. “Alright, Ruby, you may leave. And anyone else who wishes to leave may leave as well.”
“Thank you Enchantress,” said Ruby with a bow and a sigh. He immediately took off.
The blue fairy placed her hand on the Enchantress’s shoulder. “I shall speak to Ruby, your majesty.”
“Thank you Azura,” said the Enchantress with a smile. Azura smiled and curtsied before taking off. One by one, the other fairies bowed or curtsied and flew away, leaving only the green fairy, the Enchantress, and Onceler. “You’re not leaving, Emerald?”
“My goodness, no, your majesty! I want to find out more about this . . . thneed, is it?”
Onceler nodded. “Yes, a thneed.” He tapped his fingers against each other. “Um, may I make the first thneeds for the both of you?”
The Enchantress held up a finger. “Provided that you take the seeds from this truffula tree you fell and plant them. And for any others should your business thrive.”
Onceler gave her a salute. “Yes ma’am.” He grinned. “And it definitely will! The thneed can be used for so many things! Need a fashionable purse for the ball? The thneed’s your thing! Or a hat for a day in town. The thneed’s got you covered!”
Emerald chuckled. “That’s good!”
The Enchantress nodded. “That is very good. But remember, for every one you cut down, you must plant three more. That way, it keeps the balance. The truffula trees can only be found here, and we were assigned to watch over them by the Lorax.”
Onceler’s eyes widened as he gasped. “The Lorax? The Lorax?”
The Enchantress nodded. “That’s right. And so it would be a good idea to not get on the Lorax’s bad side.”
Are you, are you kidding? The Lorax would pulverise me! There’s a reason why his home is on the sun!”
The Enchantress chuckled. “You are absolutely right about that, Mr. Onceler. So, we have a deal?” She held out her hand.
Onceler took it gently, not wanting to squash her tiny hand in his big one. “We have a deal.”
“Good. And now that you have cut down a tree, you must use every bit of it.”
Onceler saluted her again. “Yes ma’am!”
“And, I hope you don’t mind if I or any other fairies come every now and then to check up on you.”
Onceler pressed his finger to his chin. “Well, I guess I can understand.” He shrugged. “Wouldn’t mind seeing you again.” A slight blush came to his cheeks as he glanced specifically at Emerald.
Emerald chuckled. “Well, I wouldn’t mind staying here a little bit longer to watch you make this thneed.” She turned to the Enchantress. “Is that alright?”
The Enchantress smiled as she placed a hand on Emerald’s shoulder. “I have no problem with it whatsoever, provided that you don’t leave your post for too long.”
Emerald nodded. “I promise.”
“Very well. Then I shall take my leave, there are other matters I must attend to. Goodbye Mr. Onceler. I will see you soon, Emerald.”
“Goodbye Enchantress!” chorused Emerald and Onceler with a wave. The Enchantress waved back before disappearing into the forest.
“Well, Miss Emerald, may I interest you in some pancakes while I work on the thneed?”
Emerald clasped her hands. “Ooh, pancakes sound yummy! Do you have any honey?”
“I might have a bit. We can find out.” Emerald followed Onceler into his house where she did get some pancakes covered in honey while Onceler went to work making the very first thneed and tried to figure out exactly what to do with the rest of the truffula tree. Another invention, perhaps? Or firewood? But soon Onceler found that he could make two thneeds out of one truffula top, a regular human-sized one and a fairy-sized one. Emerald didn’t know quite what to do with her thneed, so she left it at Onceler’s for the time being, at least, until she could figure out what she would use it for.
“The Lorax?” asked Jamie excitedly. “We’re going to get to learn about the Lorax?” His grandparents paused and turned to look at him.
“You’ve been talking to Ted a lot recently, haven’t you?” asked Jack with a slight grin.
Jamie grinned back. “Well, yeah, we do go to the same school and he’s only three years older than me. Well, right now he is, he’s been twelve for the past 26 years.”
“Him, and Red, and all the rest of us have been the same age for the past 26 years,” said Jack as he unlocked his car.
Hiccup scoffed. “But you and Rapunzel won’t age at all, ever.”
Jack shot him a glance. “Yeah, so it would seem.” He climbed into the car before Hiccup could say anything else. Rapunzel quickly got into the passenger seat. Hiccup ended up merely rolling his eyes as he and Merida got into the back seat. JJ and Jamie followed MK to her car and the three got in. Mavis got into her car. They followed Jack’s car to Once Upon a Hat, each lost in their own thoughts. Where could those villains have been hiding all this time, especially if neither Mavis, Jamie, or Jack knew they were here? Where were they now? Were they planning anything? Which one shot arrows at Jack? How were they able to hide so quickly from him? But the one question that blared in their heads was, where were they now? Where in this tiny town could have served as the best hiding place for five villains? Where else but the caves? It was the only explanation. Maybe even Rapunzel’s tower for a while, before they had found it. But those thoughts were pushed to the side when they pulled into Once Upon a Hat’s parking lot. Jack waited for everyone to get out of the cars before leading the way into the store.
“Hey Onceler, Sandy, Sandy, Gothi! We’re here!” Ted, Red, Audrey, and Nod came rushing to the front. Jack gasped. “So that’s why you wanted us out of here! So you could use the youth potion!”
The four stared at him in shock. “What?”
Sandy the witch came around right behind them and tsked at Jack. “For one thing, we would need all the ingredients. For another thing, Rapunzel’s hair would be faster.”
Jack chuckled nervously. “That’s true.”
“Hurry it up and get back here. I’m assuming you’ve found something since you brought the detective here,” said Sandy, leading the way to the back of the store. She paused and glanced at the foursome still standing by the front door. “You four need to get going too!”
Ted and Nod saluted. “Yes ma’am!”
Red grumbled and grabbed Ted’s arm. “We’re going!”
“Be back soon!” said Audrey. She waved and pushed Nod out the door after Red and Ted. Sandy grumbled before turning and continued leading the others to the back of the store.
“Well,” said Jack as they walked, “you would be right, we did find something. But, we also need to tell them about the Lorax, and the Onceler’s the best man for the job.”
Sandy tsked. “You’re just as capable of telling them about the Lorax.”
Jack put up his hands. “Hey, the Onceler does it so much better.”
Sandy huffed. “No, you’re just lazy.”
Jack grinned. “Maybe, maybe not.” Sandy rolled her eyes.
“Hey,” said JJ, “I’ve always wondered. Why is he called the Onceler?”
That was where MK stopped listening. She had paused in her walk and concentrated on something else. Ever since she entered the store, it seemed like there was a kind of pull, or a call to her. It was so slight at first that MK shrugged it off. But now, it seemed stronger than ever, like a game of Marco Polo where the person saying Polo was getting louder because they were closer. MK glanced around, trying to pinpoint the source of the pull, but all she could see were shelves of hats. She stepped towards the closest shelf. The pull was getting stronger. It was like the magical item (what else could it be?) was guiding her towards it. She pushed a few hats aside and pulled out a top hat with a green ribbon. She knew she had found it. But, what kind of magical item was it? Besides obviously being a hat.
“MK?” MK jumped and turned. JJ was looking at her with concern. “Are you alright?”
“Um, yeah, yeah, it’s just . . .” She glanced down at the hat. “It seemed like this was calling to me,” she whispered.
Sandy let out a whoop. “You found it!” MK blinked in confusion as Sandy came towards her. She grabbed her wrist and began pulling her to the back.
“Wha-wait!”
“Onceler, she found it! MK found the hat!”
Onceler’s mouth dropped as he saw the hat in MK’s hand. “It was waiting for you,” he whispered. He grinned. “We can finally try to contact the Lorax!!” The Sandman and Gothi bounced around in glee while Sandy let out another whoop.
“Oh, well, um, OK.” MK started to hand over the hat, but Onceler stopped her and pushed it back.
He shook his head. “No, you have to be the one to do it.”
“What? Me? Why me?”
Onceler shrugged. “The hat chose you, it might have to do with you being the one who broke the curse.”
Jamie nodded. “That’s right!”
MK glanced down at the hat, bewildered. “But, but, I don’t even know how to use it!”
Onceler laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I can teach you.” He glanced at Jack. “And if I heard your rather loud conversation correctly, I have to tell you about the Lorax first.”
Jack leaned against the wall, grinning. “Alright!” Hiccup and Sandy shot him glares.
Onceler shot him a look too. “You really could have done it, Jack. You were there too, after all.”
Jack crossed his arms. “Just because the Lorax was complaining about you to Manny all year long doesn’t mean I know everything that was going on. I didn’t even get to meet you until that autumn, remember?” Jack waved his finger. “Besides, this is supposed to be part of your reparation. Right?”
Onceler rolled his eyes and sighed. “Right.” He brought his hands together and popped his knuckles. “Alright everyone, get comfortable, and I shall tell you the story of the Lorax.”
As soon as MK told them that Mavis was already at Town Hall and was planning on looking at the files, the group dashed to their vehicles and raced to Town Hall. Mavis herself was waiting at the front desk and ushered them in.
“I figured you would come here,” said Mavis as they walked to the file room, “so I figured on making things a little easier and give you a hand. Not only that, but, I’m beginning to realize that I might not know about everyone who is here. I was so focused on getting back at Merida that I didn’t realize how many other people were brought here! And I don’t know half of them!” She paused as she quickly unlocked the door. She shot MK a smile. “Even though I trust you, I figured we couldn’t have just anyone wandering in here.”
MK laughed. “I agree with you on that.” Mavis led them into the room. “You’ve been changing some things up.” Instead of the boxes, Mavis had brought in ten filing cabinets, which made the room look so much nicer.
Mavis nodded. “Yes, makes it look more professional.”
MK nodded with approval at the new set-up for the files. “That’s definitely true. Let’s get started.” Each person went to a filing cabinet and began straight away to look through the contents.
Rapunzel had paused. “Are you sure this is a good idea? We’re looking at people’s personal information.”
“Just look at the pictures and names, Punz,” said Jack as he opened a filing cabinet.
Mavis nodded. “I have everything set up to where I can just glance at names and pictures to find someone, just in case.”
Rapunzel let out a breath. “Alright.” She stepped up to a filing cabinet, opened it, and began looking through the files. “Oh! I see how this works! OK, this isn’t that bad after all.”
“And pretty quick,” said Hiccup as he practically flew through a drawer.
“But, are there any other villains we don’t know about?” asked JJ as he quickly flipped through the folders in his filing cabinet.
Jack and Hiccup paused in their search to glance at each other. “He’s got a point,” said Jack.
“Well, if you’re not sure, just say the names out loud. We can tell you if they are or not,” said Merida as she closed the top drawer on her filing cabinet.
Hiccup grinned. “Good idea!”
Merida flipped her hair. “Well of course, I’m just full of them.”
Jack laughed. “It’s why he married you.”
“I know,” said Merida as she shot a playful grin at Hiccup. Hiccup chuckled. The next minute, the only sound that could be heard was the ruffling of files with the occasional opening and closing of drawers.
Rapunzel found the first one, evident by her shriek. “Jack!”
He was by her side in a second. “What is it? Who did you find?” She showed him the file. His eyes bulged. “Gothel’s here?” He shared a startled glance with MK. “But, when we looked for your folders, neither one of you were here!”
Mavis blinked. “Really? I found Rapunzel’s while I was sorting the files.” MK and Jack shared another shocked look. Mavis’s brow furrowed. “Though, it was odd that it seemed like there were a few more files than I remember . . .”
MK turned to Mavis. “Where did you find Rapunzel’s file?”
Mavis shrugged. “In a box under my desk, along with Gothel’s file and a few others.”
Jack relaxed. “Well that explains that, we didn’t look in there.”
“But, I didn’t put it there!” By then the others had crowded around them to look at the villain. They shared a startled glance at Mavis’s announcement.
“But if you didn’t, then who did?” asked MK.
“That might be something you’ll have to figure out,” said Mavis.
MK waved her hand. “That’s going to have to wait. Right now, we have Gothel’s file, which means she is here in Cedar Grove.”
“But, where is she?” asked Merida. “I don’t recall seeing her around town.”
“Neither do I,” said Jack and Jaime at the same time. They glanced at Mavis.
She put up her hands. “Don’t look at me, I’ve never seen her before in my life.”
Jack rubbed his chin. “Maybe she’s outside the city lines with Pitch? I mean, maybe she’s one of the few who could leave the town without repercussions.”
“And if she is out of town, there’s a big chance she could come back,” said Rapunzel.
Jack put a protective arm around her. “But we can handle her.”
Hiccup thought a moment. “But, I don’t think she was the one who shot arrows at Jack. She would have gotten close to attack.”
Jack nodded. “That’s true, that’s how she works, up close and personal.” He glanced back at the file. “So we have one villain, but it’s not the villain we’re looking for.”
MK pointed to the table. “Maybe we can put all the villains we find on the table. I think we need them separated from the rest of the town.”
The others nodded. “Good idea,” said Hiccup. Jack gently took the folder from Rapunzel and set it on the table.
“Well, there’s one. Let’s find out who else is here.” The others nodded and went back to looking through the folders. Jamie found the next one.
“Dagur’s here too! But, I haven’t seen him around town.”
Hiccup was the first to reach his side to look at the folder. “Really?”
Mavis saw the folder too, she and Jamie nodded firmly. “It would be hard to forget Dagur,” said Jamie.
“Definitely, but, where could they be?” said Mavis.
“Apparently there are some things you don’t even know,” said Jack. The others glanced at him. “And in a way, that’s almost terrifying.” His face hardened as he glanced at each person. “Let’s keep looking, make sure we have everyone. Then we’ll proceed from there.” The others nodded and went back to looking. They ended up with five folders on the table at the end of their search; Gothel, Dagur, Drago, Mordu, and Hans. “With Pitch, that’s six, and if Mavis hadn’t decided to change, there would have been seven,” said Jack slowly.
MK’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “S-seven?”
Jack held her gaze. “Yes, seven, there are seven heroes to save us all, and I think seven villains you will have to face. But, I don’t think these are the seven villains. Like I said, Mavis would only have been one if she continued down her path of revenge. But she has finally realized the truth and is now on our side. And of the remaining six, Gothel and Pitch are the main ones we really have to watch out for, the rest are easily handled.”
Merida scoffed. “They’re not that easy.”
Jack waved his hand. “Ok, Ok, not that easy, but easy in comparison to Pitch and Gothel.”
Merida huffed. “Oh, alright, I’ll give you that one.”
Jack grinned for a brief moment before turning back to the folders. “Though I think of this group here, I think only Pitch is one of the seven.” He gazed at JJ pointedly and sadly.
JJ gulped. “You think . . . he’s the villain I have to face?”
“It makes sense, too much sense.”
“B-but what about Zhan Tiri?”
Rapunzel gasped. “The Sandy’s told you about Zhan Tiri?”
Jack sighed. “It would make sense that they would, JJ is your son after all. Besides, Sandy is sort of like the opposite of Zhan, just like the Sandman is the opposite of Pitch. But there are seven heroes, so someone else is going to have to handle Zhan Tiri.”
“A-and who do you think the other five are?” asked MK.
Jack let out a breath as he ran his hand through his hair. “Laverna, Rothbart, HEX, Binary, and . . . “ he shot a sideways glance at Mavis, “I’m beginning to think Frieda is the last one.”
“But all the power my mom had was in that staff. She’s practically nothing without it!”
“But you know magic,” said MK slowly.
“Well, well yes, I learned how to use it . . . with some help from the staff.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Well that explains a few things. But no, I think Frieda is one not because of magical capabilities, though the rest certainly have that, but because she is manipulative and determined to achieve her goal. Not that any other villain isn’t, but, I don’t know, there’s something about her . . . maybe your mother hasn’t unlocked her full magical potential.” His face really hardened. “And to be honest, I wouldn’t want her to.”
Mavis’s face twisted with disgust. “And I would agree with that.”
Merida smiled wanly. “It’s going to take some time to get used to you talking like that.”
Mavis glanced at her. “Yeah, I understand that.”
“But it’s good to hear,” said Merida with a smile. Mavis smiled back.
“Yes, definitely!” said Jamie as he hugged Mavis.
MK turned to Jack. “But if Frieda isn’t the last villain?”
A bit of fear crept into Jack’s eyes. “Then it’s a villain I have never heard of, and that’s worrying.”
“How can you be sure the others are part of the six too, though?” asked Hiccup. “Laverna’s been beaten by Elina several times, and Odette and Daniel have subdued Rothbart with the help of the Enchantress.”
Jack shrugged. “You’re right about those two, but they are the only other two who are capable of being on the same level as Pitch, Zhan Tiri, HEX, and Binary. I know for a fact that those four are definitely going to be four of the villains. Joey is pretty sure about that too. It’s why he, Moana, and their son are in hiding.” Jack rubbed his chin. “Now, if only I could get in contact with them.”
“And that’s one reason why we have to get back to the magical realm,” said Merida, “besides the fact that Frieda and the rest of the villains are still there and running amok.”
“But we have to take care of the villains running amok here,” said Hiccup, “provided we can find them.” His eyes widened and snapped his fingers. “The cave! We haven’t actually explored it!”
Jack pointed him. “You’re right! And I bet those vines we battled were actually put there by Gothel to prevent people from getting through! Well, at least to Rapunzel, she might have another trap set up before the area where they’re staying.”
“But, how would they have gotten food?” asked Merida. “Mavis, Jamie, you and I certainly haven’t seen them around town!”
“Right, we wouldn’t have, because we mostly stayed in town,” pointed out Jack.
Merida gasped. “The farms!”
Jack nodded. “And it would be easy too, they wouldn’t recognise any of these people, though your parents would have recognised Drago and Mordu. But only Drago and Mordu, they wouldn’t have known the others.”
MK picked up the files. “Then that shall be our next stop, the farms, see if anybody recognises them and know where they might be hiding.”
“It has to be the cave, though,” said Hiccup slowly.
“They could be in separate places, Dad,” said MK. “We did find Rapunzel’s tower, one or more of them could have stayed there.”
Jack nodded. “She has a point. But, we can’t go to the farms yet.”
“Yeah, I was just going to ask about that,” said Rapunzel.
JJ glanced between his parents. “Why?”
“We need to get to the Onceler’s store, that’s where we’re supposed to be meeting with the Sandy’s.” Jack looked at MK. “And I think it’s time you all learn about the Lorax.”
MK turned in her bed and looked at Andy, or JJ. She still referred to him as Andy, even though everyone else knew him as JJ, and Jamie called him dad, of course. He didn’t seem to mind, but she thought that she should get used to calling him JJ too. She had time now to do that, now that she got him back. She pushed a lock of hair out of his face very gently. His eyelids fluttered open, and he smiled upon seeing her. Her own mouth curled into a bright smile.
“Good morning,” she whispered softly as she snuggled up closer to him.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Good morning, sweetheart.” They kissed. “What do you say we stay in bed for a little while?”
“Hmm, OK, until Jamie comes in.”
JJ sighed. “Deal.” MK snorted as she buried her face into his chest. She breathed in the cool, brisk autumn scents she had come to associate with him. It only made sense that he would the alter persona of Jack O’Lantern. It was a comforting smell.
“Mom, Dad!”
JJ groaned. “Well that was quick.”
MK chuckled. She gave him a quick kiss before she sat up in bed. “What is it, Jamie?” She saw the worried look on Jamie’s face and quickly got out of bed. “Jamie, what’s wrong?” She walked towards him, JJ now sitting up in bed.
“All of my grandparents are here. Something’s wrong!”
“Did they say what exactly was wrong?”
Jamie shook his head. “They just said they had to talk to you right away!”
MK and JJ shared a look. MK turned back to Jamie. “Alright, you go tell them we’ll be out in a minute.”
Jamie nodded and took off, MK closing the door behind him. JJ was already up and getting changed when MK got to the closet.
“Do you have any idea what it could be?” he asked as he pulled on a shirt.
MK shook her head. “No clue, and I wonder why they didn’t tell Jamie.”
“Well, guess there’s only one way to find out.”
MK nodded and the two quickly finished getting dressed. They dashed out to the living room and found two couples looking rather perturbed, and Jamie was on the floor looking at them with worry and curiosity. Jack and Rapunzel were huddled together on the sofa, while Hiccup and Merida sat in the adjoining chairs and held hands. Hiccup stood up when he noticed MK and JJ coming into the room.
MK hugged him. “Dad! Mom! What’s wrong?”
JJ embraced his parents as well. “Is it Pitch?” he asked as he pulled back from their hug.
Jack glanced at Hiccup. “Well, it has more to do with our attempts with getting back to our world. Something, or well, someone, seems intent on keeping us from doing so.”
“And isn’t Mavis,” Merida quickly added upon seeing Jamie’s shocked face. He relaxed as he shot his grandmother a look of gratitude, but there was still worry creased on his face.
Jack nodded. “Definitely not Mavis, she’s actually been working hard, trying to help us.”
JJ glanced between the four. “But, who wouldn’t want to head back home?”
“That’s why we came here,” said Hiccup, crossing his arms, “we need you to help us figure it out.”
Jack sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Though the only reason why we came now is, it seems to have gotten worse.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked JJ as he sat down. MK sat down next to him while the other four returned to their seats.
Jack let out a huff as he glanced between Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel. “Oh man, where do we begin?”
Hiccup shrugged. “How about when the two Sandy’s really got started working on figuring out a way back home with the Onceler?”
“”Which was New Year’s Day.”
MK and JJ shared a look. “Wait,” said JJ, “since New Year’s Day?”
“That was only a few weeks ago!” blurted MK.
“Yeah, we’ve been having problems ever since,” said Jack.
“At first they were minor nuisances,” said Merida, “or at least we thought so. Then, things got worse and worse. Instead of things being misplaced, or a crack in glass here and there, there were big messes, some ingredients were stolen, and some things were broken.”
Rapunzel shivered. “But now, someone just tried to kill Jack!”
JJ leaned forward, eyes wide. “What?” He glanced at Jack. “Someone actually tried to . . .”
Jack waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. Right now, we need to find out who is behind all of this to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Isn’t Sheriff Woody on the case?” asked MK.
“He was, but there’s only so much a doll can do,” said Jack with a shrug. “And it is just him and Jessie keeping the peace. We need an expert on the case.” He looked pointedly at MK. “And I know we promised to let you have a few months to be with JJ and Jamie, but we need you, MK.”
JJ and Jamie glanced at MK. She let out a breath. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”
“We,” said JJ, “we’ll see what we can do.” He shot a smile at MK. MK really didn’t want to get JJ caught up in it, but she realized that not only would she appreciate the extra help, she would get to spend time with him. She loved him so much.
She grinned back. “Yes, we.”
“And me too!!” blurted Jamie.
MK pointed at him. “Once you’re finished with your homework young man.”
“Oh fine.” Jamie huffed and crossed his arms.
MK nodded. “Good.” She turned to her parents and in-laws. “I’m on the case.” MK was surprised by their reaction as the four smiled wanly.
“I really wish we didn’t have to rely on you for this,” said Hiccup, “but you seem to be the only one who can handle this.”
JJ leaned forward. “Is there another reason?”
Jack clenched his staff tightly. “I think Pitch is somehow behind this.” He glanced at the two pointedly and worriedly. “Please be very careful.”
JJ shot him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Dad, I’ve been practicing a bit with my powers. If Pitch is behind this, it will just give me a reason to try them out.”
“You’re still not strong enough to handle him though,” mumbled Jack.
“I can always send MK and Jamie to find you. I’ll be fine.”
Rapunzel patted Jack’s shoulder. “Jack, he’s an adult now, we should trust him.”
Jack sighed. “I know, but he hasn’t had much training.”
“Then teach him,” said Rapunzel.
“Then teach me,” said JJ at the same time.
Jack ran his hand through his hair. “Well, it’s kinda hard to at the moment since I’m helping the Sandy’s find a way home.”
Rapunzel took his hand. “I’m sure they’ll understand if you want to take a few minutes, or even a few hours to train our son. The more help we have defeating Pitch the better.”
Jack sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll talk to them about it when I see them later.”
Rapunzel pecked his cheek. “Thank you.”
He pulled her closer. “You’re welcome.”
MK let out a breath as she stood up. “Alright, if I’m going to take this case, I’m going to need all the information you can give me.”
Hiccup leaned forward and rubbed his chin. “Well, I think we gave you all the information we could give you. Things seemed to be lost or misplaced at first, but then the next week we found phials broken, ingredients stolen, and things spilled all over the place. Then, just last night . . .” Hiccup paused and glanced at Jack, apparently waiting for him to finish the story.
Jack sighed. “Last night, I was on my way home when arrows were shot at me.”
“What?” blurted JJ and Jamie.
Jack nodded. “I was able to put up a shield of ice just in time.” He shivered. “It was way too close.”
MK blinked. “But I thought you can’t die!”
“You’re right, I can’t, but these weren’t your typical arrows. They had been dipped in nightmare sand! If one of those had pierced me, Pitch would have been able to control me.” JJ gasped and his eyes widened in horror. Jack continued. “When the arrows stopped coming, I went off in search of my attacker, but I couldn’t find anyone. So I grabbed the arrows and took them back to the Sandy’s. The Sandman was able to turn the nightmare sand back into dream sand, but that’s the only good news from that entire incident.”
JJ let out a soft hiss. “So, someone in the town is working with Pitch.”
Hiccup nodded. “And we have no clue who it is.”
MK rubbed her chin. “Well, looks like it’s time for a visit to town hall and take a look at Mavis’s collection of information on each person. Maybe someone will pop out.” She turned to Jack. “Speaking of, you’re sure it wasn’t Justin either?”
Jack nodded firmly. “Positive. He’s been helping us too.”
“Well then,” said MK as she strode towards the phone, “let’s see if there are any bad guys who made it into Cedar Grove.” She picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Mavis? We need to look at the info you have on the townsfolk. How soon can we look at them?” Her eyes widened. “Now?” She glanced at everyone in the room with determination. “That will be perfect. We’re on our way.”
A big, black shape paced within the confines of his dimly lit prison. Two men sat on the other side of the bars, watching the bear pace. He was eyeing them, letting out a growl every now and then. He paused as a third man stepped out of the shadows. The two men noticed the change and turned around to look at the newcomer.
“There you are, Drago,” said Dagur, “where have you been?”
“Did you find the witch?” asked Hans as he played with his gloves.
“No, better,” said Drago as he placed a bag on the bench.
“What’s that?” asked Dagur, holding his torch closer to get a better look.
“Nightmare sand,” said Drago. “Pitch Black said we will need it to fight Jack Frost.”
Hans blinked. “The Boogieman? Told you that? Hasn’t Jack Frost beaten him every time they fought? Including just recently at the force field?”
Drago chuckled. “That’s right, and that’s why he needs our help. He’ll keep an eye out for the witch while we create chaos in Cedar Grove. But we must act quickly, the witch’s spell is going to wear off soon, and if anyone looks for our files, well, they’re going to find them.”
Hans and Dagur rolled their eyes. “Ugh,” said Hans, “why in the world was having a file on every person in Cedar Grove a part of the stupid curse?”
Dagur. “I don’t know, you’re going to have to ask Mavis that. We’re only hidden because the witch has the power to keep us hidden.”
“And it won’t stay that way for long since she hasn’t been here for a while. Come on, we’ve got some planning to do.” Hans and Dagur nodded before leaving the makeshift dungeon. Drago lingered for a moment before approaching the bars. Mordu growled. “Don’t worry my friend, the time will come when you’ll get your chance. I promise it will be soon, and you’ll get to go first.”
“It’s Thanksgiving!” shouted Jamie as he bounced on his parents’ bed, with them still buried under the covers.
“Not for another five minutes, Jamie,” groaned JJ as he pulled the covers over his head.
“But the party at Air ‘N’ Dale starts in thirty minutes!”
“We’ll get there, don’t worry,” mumbled MK as she rolled over.
“But it takes you ten minutes to get up, ten minutes to get ready, and another ten to get there!”
“Exactly,” mumbled both JJ and MK.
“What? But . . .”
“Nice of you to figure out our vacation sleep pattern so quickly,” quipped JJ.
“He gets that from me, you know.”
JJ opened one eye at MK, “Oh, so you’re saying I’m not smart?”
“Nah, just not good detective material,” MK grinned.
“Hey!” Jamie groaned as he fell back, landing between them.
“Well, you’re awake enough now to be flirting, can we get ready to go now?”
“Well why aren’t you ready to go?”
“Because the first thing I had to do was wake you up.”
JJ stifled a yawn as he slowly rose from the bed, “Well, we’re awake now, you can start getting ready.”
“Yes!” whooped Jamie as he bounced off the bed and raced towards his room. JJ just groaned and plopped back on the bed.
“You really should get new pajamas,” commented MK as she stretched. JJ glanced at his cartoony Jack O’Lantern pajamas before eyeing MK with a slight glare.
“Shut up,” he muttered as he began to tickle her. She giggled before the two eventually leaned in for a kiss.
“Mom! Dad!”
JJ groaned and rolled his eyes, “We’re getting ready! Hold your horses!”
About thirty minutes later, as JJ had predicted, the young family pulled into the parking lot of Air ‘N’ Dale. Jamie just about tumbled out of the car in his excitement to get into the party hall. His parents made him slow down long enough to help bring the dishes in.
“Well, howdy there, partner! Got enough rest these past two days?”
“He he, not quite enough, especially this morning,” JJ stated, eyeing Jamie. Jamie just grinned sheepishly.
“Well, maybe you can tomorrow, that is, if Jamie wants to be a deputy for a day.”
“Really? I can?”
“If it’s alright with your parents,” winked Woody.
“Yes,” stated MK and JJ in unison.
Buzz laughed as he joined them, “I don’t think JJ would ever say no to you, Woody. And maybe, on Saturday, you can come help me get the observatory up and running!”
“Awesome! Can I?”
MK and JJ glanced at each other, sighing, “Yes.”
“Sweet! Now let’s go find a spot. I’m starving!”
“Jamie, you just had breakfast!” It didn’t matter, as Jamie was soon swept into a game with his friends, and everyone else was finally getting a chance to meet JJ and the rest of the toys. MK wandered over to her parents, and noticed a glum look on Hiccup’s face.
“Dad?”
Hiccup sighed, “Well, everything’s almost back to normal, except for Gobber.”
“Oh, right, have the Sandy’s . . .”
“The Sandy’s have,” quipped Sandy as she and the Sandman walked past. Hiccup glanced at her in surprise.
“You mean . . .”
“Hiccup!”
“Gobber!”
“Looks like the Sandy’s had an extra stash of feathers after all!” Gobber grinned and he and Hiccup embraced.
“Really?”
Sandy nodded, “Yup, so we went ahead and used them all on restoring memories potions. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Gobber! You’re back!” smiled Valka, as she, Merida, and the other Vikings approached the table. The group began chatting away gaily. MK slowly backed out, and took a glance at JJ and Jamie. Jamie was still playing with his friends, but JJ saw her and waved her over. She walked towards him, and he placed his arm over her shoulders, pulling her close. He gave her a quick Eskimo kiss before turning his attention back to Gramma Norma’s stories about the town. The kids soon joined them, Jamie grabbing each of his parents’ hands. MK noticed the glum look.
“Hey kid, why so down?”
“Oh, just about everyone in Cedar Grove is here, except . . .”
JJ raised an eyebrow, “Jamie?” MK sighed as she glanced around the hall, she knew who Jamie was talking about, Heather had the same look on her face.
“Listen kid, she’ll come out when she’s ready.”
“Who? Mavis? But didn’t she . . .” MK put up her hand to stop JJ.
“Yeah, Mavis. Dad, like Pitch, there’s still some good in her. But, it might be easier to get it out of Mavis than Pitch, right?”
MK nodded, “Right.”
“So, you’re OK with me missing her?”
“Yes.”
“And if I still call her mom?”
“Of course, she was your mother for nine years, and I know she does love you. If she shows up, it’ll be for you, and Heather.”
“Mavis?” Everyone went quiet as the former Mayor walked into their midst with A Faraway Land clutched to her chest.
“Mom?”
“I, I’m going to take you up on your deal, Jack Frost.”
Jack stepped closer, “What deal?”
Mavis took a breath, “I’ll, I’ll patch things up with Merida and Hiccup, if you, if you’ll help me and Heather find our true loves.”
“Uh, no.”
“What?”
“That’s not enough. If you want me to find your true love, and Heather’s true love, you can’t just patch things up with Merida and Hiccup. You also need to discredit everything your mom has ever told you, accept that what Mer, Hiccup, and Heather have been telling you was the truth, and start being a real Mayor and get to know the people of the town.”
“Really?”
“Seriously, I mean, I’m having to take time away from my family, it’s only fair.”
Mavis began to smile, “Well, you should be happy to know that I do believe everything they have told me is the truth, and I have only found a few moments when my mother actually told the truth.” She turned to Merida and Heather, “I am so sorry for everything I put you through.” Merida walked up to her, and held out her hand. Mavis shook it gratefully as a cheer went up.
“Well, guess that means we’ve got ourselves a deal,” grinned Jack.
“Yes! Best Thanksgiving ever!” whooped Jamie as he rushed in to hug Mavis. “We are now the town of Happily Ever After!” Everyone laughed and cheered at that, but no one saw the look that passed between Jack and Hiccup. But for how long before trouble came knocking at their doors? As they would soon find out, not long as trouble was already brewing at Dream Lake.
The big man stepped up to the wall draped in a scaly cloak, “I know you’re there, Pitch Black, I want to talk to you. I have a plan that will destroy Hiccup Haddock and Jack Frost, and get us both what we want.”
Pitch stepped out of the shadows, “I’m listening.”
“Well, what do you say? Put down the magnifying glass, and I’ll let him go.”
Jack aimed his staff at Pitch, “How do we know you’ll do as you say.”
Pitch’s tendril began to lower Jamie to the ground, “I will, don’t you worry. It’s JJ I want, after all.”
“Why do you want him?” asked Rapunzel.
‘Well why else, to make him my darkling prince. And who better than the son of Jack Frost and Rapunzel who is clearly Jack O’Lantern, a figure associated with the haunting terrors of Halloween?”
“Jack O’Lantern represents the fun of Halloween, just like Jack Frost is the fun of winter!”
“Quite right, that’s way too much fun.”
“Let them go and take me instead!”
“Jack!”
“Dad, no!”
“What? You?” Pitch laughed, “As tempting as that sounds, I think I’ll have to pass.”
“What? No, Pitch, listen!”
“I am the one who should be by your side, Father.” Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. Actually, newcomers, Woody and the toys had arrived, alerted now doubt by the sensors they had been given to let them know if JJ was in trouble. With them was Justin, who had clearly had enough time to think things through and realize he had been played, and Emily Jane, Mother Nature, the real child of Pitch Black. Stormclouds rumbled in the distance as they rushed in and blocked the sun. “Have you really forgotten about me, Father?” Emily whispered. Pitch took a step towards her, an undeniable longing in his eyes fighting it out with forgetfulness. “Come back to me, Father, come home.” The Nightmares around Pitch began to get restless as the distance between the two shortened, they were pawing the ground as if in anger. Was Emily winning, was Pitch’s love for his daughter winning? No one moved, no one even dared breathe out of fear of breaking Pitch’s concentration.
Pitch reached out to touch her face as she got closer, “Em-Emily?”
“Yes, Father, it’s me. I’m here, I’m alive,” she whispered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. There was a soft gasp uttered from the group, though Pitch didn’t seem to notice, as Pitch seemed to change. He was beginning to look human, almost normal, starting with the hand that touched her face and it spread throughout his body. The Nightmares reared and charged. “No!” cried out Emily, knowing what they wanted to do. But Jack, Hiccup, and the Sandman jumped into action, taking out as many Nightmares as they could, but one got through and separated father and daughter again.
“What, what was that? What were you trying to do to me?” growled Pitch as he instantly changed back.
Emily shot the Nightmare with a bolt before answering with, “I was trying to get my father back.” Pitch took a step back.
“I am not your father,” he growled. “And Jack O’Lantern will be my darkling prince.”
“No!” shouted Emily as the stormclouds parted to reveal the glare of the setting sun. The glare momentarily blinded Pitch, but it was long enough for Sandy to snatch up the magnifying glass and Rapunzel to get back into position, and begin singing.
“Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine . . .”
“No!” shouted Pitch, but Bo Peep and the toys were already setting about freeing JJ and Jamie while Jack, the Sandman, MK, Merida, Hiccup, Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and Justin, who now had a sword, provided cover.
“Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine . . .” Jack rushed Pitch.
“Your son will be mine!”
“Never!” yelled Jack as he sent a stream of ice at Pitch. The Sandman quickly stepped in, and between the two, began to make Pitch take step by little step back towards the shield.
“Heal what has been hurt, change the fates design . . .”
“We got Jamie out!” exclaimed Bo. MK rushed in, she and Jamie embracing.
“What about Dad?”
“They’re working on it, you get out of here!” MK nodded, grabbed Jamie’s hand, and rushed away from the battle.
“Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine.”
“No!” shouted Pitch as a yellow light shimmered over the shield.
“Jack, just shoot some light through the glass!” shouted Sandy. With a yell, Jack did just that, sending an ice blue light flying through the magnifying glass towards the shield. But doing that took Jack’s attention off of Pitch, who hit him with some black sand and sent him sprawling.
“Jack!” Rapunzel raced towards him as the ice blue light hit the shield and shimmered through it like a ripple. Pitch let out a roar before locking eyes with JJ.
“So, this is how it’s going to be, huh?” Pitch glanced at MK and Jamie.
“No! Leave them alone!” JJ let out a yell as his body seemed to glow.
“What the?”
“JJ!” A wave of light burst from JJ’s body, the momentum of which sent Pitch flying through the shield, destroyed several Nightmares, and everyone else to the ground, JJ was breathing hard as he straightened up to face Pitch, and an orange light rippled through the shield.
“You won’t touch them,” growled JJ. Pitch rose and touched the shield, a rainbow of lights rippling off from where he had touched it.
“Only as long as you keep them here, Jack O’Lantern, but once you or they step outside of this shield, you are mine.” Pitch gave a cruel laugh before disappearing into the shadows.
“No, Father!”
Jack jumped up and grabbed Emily, “No, wait Emily! If you step through the shield, you’ll forget him!”
“I almost had him . . .”
“I know.”
“I was so close . . .” She paused and glanced down, Jamie had hugged her.
“We know, we thought you had him too. But, I got my dad back, I’m sure we’ll get yours back too,” smiled Jamie.
Emily smiled back, “Thank you Jamie, I’m sure we will too. We just need an extra push, is all.”
“Right! And next time, we’ll be ready for him!”
JJ chuckled softly, “You got that right. We should be able to save him for sure.”
“Thanks you guys. I should get back, Johnny might be getting worried about me.”
“Alright, take care Emily, we’ll see you later,” stated Hiccup as he patted her shoulder and gave her a look full of understanding. She nodded before turning and walking away.
Meanwhile, Jack approached Justin, “So, um, thanks, for helping us.”
Justin shrugged, “Thought it was the best I could do considering what I had done. I’m real sorry Jack, I seriously thought it was you. But the Sandman, though it was hard to understand him at first . . .” Jack snickered. “Along with North, Bunny, and Tooth, they all came by to tell me otherwise. So, I believe them, but, I swear, that guy I saw looked exactly like you!”
Jack nodded, “I know, I believe you.”
“I know you do, my biggest concern is, who was that really? And how could he look like you?”
“You’re positive there wasn’t any differences between the two, at all?” asked MK as she stepped closer.
Justin shook his head, “None that I saw.”
“Could it have been Pitch?” asked Hiccup.
“It’s possible, but why would he need to do that?”
Sunset approached quickly, but the group was already at Dream Lake, waiting for the Sandy’s to arrive.
“Where are they? They should have been here by now,” wondered MK.
“They did say sunset, right?” asked Rapunzel.
“They most certainly did. It was almost midday when we noticed that Pitch was attacking,” pointed out Jack. “There might be one ingredient that is being oddly elusive today.”
Hiccup sighed, “That’s the only other explanation, besides them having to leave Cedar Grove for one ingredient, and Pitch capturing them.”
“Would he be able to come in if he did capture them?” asked Jamie.
“I, I don’t know, I didn’t think to ask that,” stated Jack. They all glanced at each other in shock.
“It would explain why Pitch has stopped attacking,” began Hiccup.
Jack shook his head, “Another reason is the light, he became weaker as the sun got higher and hasn’t regained his full strength.”
Jamie sighed as he paced around, “Well I’m tired of waiting! I want to see some action! At least, before I fall asleep.”
“Are you getting tired?” asked Jack with a grin.
“What? No I’m not!”
JJ glanced at them, “Maybe you do need to fall asleep.”
“What?” exclaimed everyone, Jamie the loudest.
“When does the Sandman come?” smiled JJ.
“What? But I wanted to see everything!”
“Well . . .”
“Maybe you should go to sleep if you’re going to make so much noise!”
“Sandy!” blurted Merida.
“Sandy!” blurted Jack. The witch rolled her eyes while the Sandman waved cordially with a big smile on his face.
Sandy pulled out a phial of pale purple light, “Getting together the ingredients. Really, it nearly took all day to get enough light into here with everything else!”
“All day, huh? No wonder you’re late,” quipped Jack as he glanced at Hiccup, who merely grinned sheepishly back.
“Well, now that those hours have been well wasted, let’s get to work. Rapunzel needs to go first, before the sun is completely set.”
Jack glanced at the horizon, “Kind of cutting it close, don’t you think?”
“We know, so we need to get started now. Rapunzel, stand as close as you can to the shield, with your back up against it.” Rapunzel turned and stepped back up against the shield, her hair just about touching the shimmering wall.
“Um, like this?”
“Perfect, now hold that position, and when I tell you to, start singing.”
“Um, OK.” Sandy turned to the pack they had brought with them and began mumbling about where something was.
“Of all the times to lose something,” Jack rolled his eyes, and shot Rapunzel a shrug and a grin. She smiled back, but the smile instantly disappeared when Jack’s did.
“Punz, look out!” He pushed her out of the way as a shadow barreled through, catching Jack in its momentum, sending the two tumbling.
“Jack!”
“Dad!” Jack was back on his feet, and sent a stream of ice through the Nightmare, dissipating it.
“There’s more coming!”
“Well Jamie, looks like you got your wish, as here comes the action!” exclaimed MK as she and Merida shot a few arrows through the Nightmares.
“JJ, time to put those powers to work!” Jack exclaimed as he sent a wave of ice through the Nightmares coming through the shield. “On it!” JJ closed his eyes and spread his hands, little glowing orbs came floating out of the ground.
“Will-o-the-wisps,” gasped Merida. JJ opened his eyes, and each wisp tore through a Nightmare, but more was coming through. The Sandman flew in to help Jack and JJ fend off the Nightmares as Hiccup took to Toothless, the Nightfury helping where he could with his fire. Rapunzel began to move towards them, her hair in her hand, when Sandy stopped her.
“Rapunzel, get back into position, quick! We can slow them down!”
‘Oh, right!” Rapunzel and Sandy raced towards a spot clear from battle, and began to set up to try again. Rapunzel glanced between Sandy’s frantic digging through the bag and the battle. “Hurry, Sandy!”
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“Sandy!” exclaimed Rapunzel as a Nightmare broke from its group and charged. An arrow shattered it, embedding itself in the ground not far from where Sandy searched the bag. Rapunzel glanced at Merida, and the two nodded. Rapunzel quickly picked up the arrow and held it in her hands like a sword, ready to use it if another Nightmare charged.
“Oh where is that magnifying glass?” A scream seemed to ring out as one of Toothless’ fire balls tore through several Nightmares.
“A magnifying glass?” asked Rapunzel. Another screaming fireball, courtesy of Morrigan. Jack let out a yell as he slashed through several, Hiccup taking out several more with his flaming sword.
“Yes, a piece of glass that magnifies things!”
“Are you sure you don’t need my help?”
“Stay in position!”
“Jamie, go stand by Rapunzel and Sandy!” ordered MK. Jamie dashed towards Rapunzel.
“Ah-ha!” Sandy pulled out the magnifying glass as Jamie neared them.
“Alright! Let’s do this!”
“Mom! Dad!” Jamie’s scream, followed soon by JJ’s made everyone pause. Two shadow tendrils had snaked their way towards JJ and Jamie unseen, until each one had wrapped itself around them and lifted them off the ground.
“No! Jamie! Let him go! You have me now!”
Cruel laughter met their ears as a figure emerged from the shadows, “Now, why would I do that? Oh wait, maybe I’ll let him go if you don’t fortify this shield. What do you say? Looks like I have the upper hand.”
