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?
“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.”
