Auradon was like a ghost town when the VKs — now including Uma, Harry, and Gil — returned from their trip to the Isle to get Hades's ember. It was quiet and lifeless: there were no cars on the roads, no one strolling on the sidewalks or parks, and not even the chirping of birds or chatter of people could be heard. They all tried calling their friends — Meredith, Ben, Doug, Dizzy, Jane — to see if they could find out what had happened. But no one picked up.

At first, the group thought that perhaps Audrey had trapped everyone somewhere and prevented them from contacting anyone, but they were proven wrong when they finally arrived at Auradon Prep. Scattered in the lawn just across the school were students and teachers slumped on the garden chairs and tables or sprawled on the floor, fast asleep.

"They're asleep," Evie spoke up. "Everyone."

"I can't get Ben," Mal said defeatedly.

"Or Dizzy or Doug."

"Or Meredith," Carlos sighed, staring at his phone in disappointment. "The signal's out."

"Is that Auradon Prep?" Celia pointed at the building in awe. The original VKs almost forgot that they hadn't even had the time to tour her, Dizzy, and the Smee twins there yet, all because of their busy schedules and now, this whole Audrey situation.

"Yeah," Carlos confirmed. "When everybody wakes up, you're going to love it."

"Yes!" Celia cheered quietly to herself. She couldn't wait for this fiasco to be solved so that she could finally enter Auradon Prep.

Gil wasn't even interested in the school but his surroundings in general. Everywhere he turned looked completely different from how it was back in the Isle. It was full of grass and plants in the place of cracked cement and broken wood, clear rather than gloomy skies, and fresh air instead of a salty, pungent odor.

"Everything is so..." he began.

"Freaky," Jay said, only to be corrected by Gil.

"Green. You have leaves on your trees! And what are those colored things on the bushes?"

"Uh... flowers?"

"Flowers are pretty." Just as Gil stopped by a table with yet another group of sleeping students, he spotted a bow of fresh fruit and couldn't help but get excited. "Cantaloupe?"

He was already picking up the bowl and downing it before Jay could stop him, making noises of approval. Uma was the first to notice Jay's confused and slightly stressed expression, and she stepped forward to explain.

"We don't have any fresh fruit on the Isle, remember?" Uma cocked an eyebrow at him.

Jay's tense shoulders relaxed, and he even felt a bit ashamed. He'd been in Auradon for so long and gotten used to life here that he had momentarily forgotten how bad the living conditions were in the Isle of the Lost.

"Mm, thank you," Gil grinned, setting the bowl down once he'd had his fill.

"They're grapes," Jay informed him. He patted him on the back before setting off again when he saw Harry looking suspicious.

"Grapes?" Gil repeated. "I love grapes."

As Jay suspected, Harry was up to no good as he was eyeing the wallet of an innocent, sleeping student. He slipped it out of the boy's pocket, opening up to take out some cash.

"Oooh, well... I believe I deserve some compensation for my muscles, my wile, and my role in this endeavor," Harry chortled to himself.

Jay made his way over to him and snatched the wallet out of his hands.

"You do," he said. "Me not squashing you like a bug."

He began shoving the wallet back into the pocket of the sleeping guy, all while Harry laughed sarcastically.

"Think I'm scared of you, Jay?" Harry provoked, poking his hook on the other boy's chest.

"Guys," Mal and Uma said warningly. With a roll of their eyes, Jay and Harry separated.

"Mm..." a familiar growl cut through the air. It caught everyone's attention, especially Carlos's. The white-haired boy spun in place, searching for the source. When he looked down, he spotted his favorite campus mutt licking some food off of another sleeping student.

"Dude!" Carlos exclaimed, running over to him.

"Delicious, mmm..." Dude said to himself, followed by a loud burp.

"Dude, really?"

"What? It wasn't me, I swear!" the dog protested, only to give in a second later. "Okay, it was me."

"Hey, do you know what happened here?" Carlos said as Jay and Mal came up to stand behind him.

"Yup! Audrey showed up. She put everybody to sleep, and then she turned some of them to —"

"Guys," Evie interrupted. Carlos, Jay, Mal, and the others made their way to where she stood next to a statue, one that creepily looked exactly like one of their classmates. No, it really was their classmate. "Hannah turned to stone."

"Alright, everybody, stay on their toes," Jay said warily. For all they knew, Audrey could already be lurking nearby, ready to strike them next.

"Look," Uma started. "Since we're here, let's check the school."

"No," Mal countered. "Audrey went straight
for the crown, so I think it's safe to assume that she's gonna go for Ben and his castle next. That's where we'll go."

"Says who?"

Sensing a challenge, Mal stepped closer. "Says me."

"Says you, and that's supposed to mean
something to me?"

"Guys," Evie said tiredly. They couldn't afford more quarreling while Audrey was still out somewhere.

And then, with a tone of finality, Mal said, "To the castle."

The journey to the Beast Castle was tense and spent mostly in silence. It was suffocating, to say the least, but at the same time, they didn't really mind. They were too preoccupied with their own thoughts, wondering what Audrey was planning on doing and if their friends were safe and unharmed.

As expected, the castle was unguarded — that is, all the guards and staff were fast asleep, leaving the doors unlocked. The VKs walked in with ease, hoping that this would be the place where they would find some clues at long last.

"Ben!" Mal shouted.

"This way!" Dude said, following a faint smell.

"Ben could be asleep anywhere."

"Or turned to stone," Celia offered.

"Okay," Evie covered the girl's mouth before she could add to Mal's worries.

"Ben!" Mal went on.

"I got a scent," Dude said. "Very pungent cologne. Easy to track. Follow me, people!"

"That's great, Dude," Jay praised.

"FYI, I give great cuddles, too."

"Really? I never had a pet growing up," Gil said. "Well, except for the elk head in dad's man cave, but that wasn't —"

"Hold up," said Uma, raising a hand to stop everyone from walking any further. Her eyes were drawn to the walls of the hallway. There were long scratch marks and a painting cut in half. "What's this?"

"Uh..." Carlos observed the wall, gulping nervously when he realized that, surely, a normal human would not be able to do this with their bare hands. "Any chance this was already there?

He was met with silence.

"And follow me!" Dude urged, trotting off to the next hallway.

"Ben! Ben!" Mal continued to call out as Dude lead them all to one of the corridors adorned with rows of knight armors and stained glass windows and ceilings. "Ben! Ben?"

"Stay here, okay?" Evie ordered Celia. The younger VK nodded, standing by the door and allowing the others to explore the room.

While most of the group was busy looking for any signs of Ben having been there, Gil was yet again distracted, this time by Dude. He crouched before the mutt, petting him happily.

"So, you can track, cuddle, and talk," he said. Then, he faced Carlos eagerly. "Hey, do you think his puppies would be able to talk, too?"

"Alright, man, he's taken by me and Meredith," Carlos chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Who?"

"Red-orange hair, one of the girls you fought with on Uma's ship last time?" When Gil only sent him a blank look at that description, Carlos shook his head. "Never mind. Anyway, if you want a dog, adopt a rescue."

Dude let out a laugh. "Talking puppies, that's crazy."

While Carlos and Gil were at least civil with one another, and Jay and Harry were quiet but watching the other carefully, it was only Evie who was really keeping a level head throughout it all. Unsurprisingly, Mal and Uma were quick to provoke each other any chance they could get.

"I bet you lost some sleep thinking about me on the loose?" Uma taunted.

"No. Dragons don't really lose sleep," Mal deadpanned. "I wonder what fried octopus tastes like."

"Okay, why do we not do this?" Evie tried.

"We're celebrating our differences," Uma insisted.

One of the armored knights, supposedly an inanimate object, stood up straighter and gripped its sword firmly. It was actually Harry who noticed this first, and he was surprised when he found himself growing a little concerned. He scanned the VKs, checking if any of them saw that, too.

"I believe we're being challenged," he said when nobody brought it up.

Uma waved him off, saying, "Let's just split up and look for Audrey."

"That makes absolutely no sense," said Mal. "Unless you give me my ember, she's going to spell you."

"Girls!" Harry snapped when the knight drew its sword. "We have a situation here."

All eyes turned to the knight in front of them, who, out of nowhere, began to speak.

"Do you like a prince, Mal?" it said, the voice coming out of it being Audrey's without a doubt. "How about a knight in shining armor? Or knights?"

One by one, the knights that lined the room came to life. They drew their swords and pointed them at the group, positioning themselves to attack. The VKs backtracked cautiously, preparing to fight back.

"Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back

We can counter their attack
Hit them till the armor cracks!"

The VKs spread out, inching closer to the walls. There were spare swords mounted there, which they could use to protect themselves. Uma stepped up to the platform, ready to give orders.

"This could get a little sticky
How to win this battle could be tricky
But I know the best way, fall back, let me lead
You hold the line and we'll bring them to their knees!"

The boys managed to snag the swords before the knights could strike them. They drew them as well and handed the others to the girls. But instead of following Uma's plan, Mal pushed her aside and decided to give her own orders.

"Swords in the air if you're with me
They got us outnumbered one-to-fifty
The victory is ours 'cause I've got a strategy
You take the left and the rest of you can follow me!"

Uma reached out for Mal to challenge her, but the latter wouldn't have any of it.

"This is my crew!" Mal asserted.

"Look, this is my squad!" Uma shot back.

"This is my turf!"

Evie stepped in between them, looking disbelievingly at their nerve to fight each other when they could be working together instead.

"Oh, my gosh
Look, guys, we got bigger fish fry
Put your differences aside
'Cause now we're on the same side

Till the night falls
Everyone
We'll stay together
Till the battle is done!"

The boys already seemed to agree with Evie, putting their rivalry aside to work as a team.

"Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back

We can counter their attack
Hit them till the armor cracks!"

By some miracle, Mal and Uma were eventually convinced enough to work together for the moment. They let go off each other and followed Evie's orders, getting themselves ready to fight their common enemy: the knights controlled by Audrey.

"Until the night falls
We're aligned
It doesn't mean
That we're on the same side!"

While Carlos, Jay, Harry, and Gil kept the knights at bay, they realized something: the knights, although controlled by magic, still couldn't move as freely as normal humans could. They had a weakness, and they were determined to target it and find out what else made them vulnerable.

"Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back

Hit them hard and hit them fast
They're too heavy to react!"

Mal took note of this, bracing herself and swinging her swords at the knights barreling at her.

"The situation is getting kind of heavy
Hold your weapons tight, keep them steady
'Cause if we stick together, we can make it out alive
I will cause a distraction, you attack them from the side!"

Uma threw her pride aside, deciding to work with Mal on this.

"All my soldiers stand at the ready
We can cut them up like confetti!"

"We'll hit them from the front, you counter from behind
Don't forget the fate of Auradon's on the line!"

"This is all-out war
They got us outnumbered
The way the swords clash
Is the sound of the thunder!"

"And we are not going under
We will never run for cover!"

"We battle for the victory
And ride for each other!"

"Until the night falls
Everyone
We'll stay together
Till the battle is done!"

"Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back

We can counter their attack
Hit them till the armor cracks!"

"Until the night falls
We're aligned
It doesn't mean
That we're on the same side!"

"Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back
Watch your back

Hit them hard and hit them fast
They're too heavy to react!"

The band of knights assembled before them and made a joint move to attack. Mal and Uma swung their swords in unison again. It caused a ripple effect on the knights, the whole lot of them shaking at the impact. At that, an idea involving magic popped into Mal's head. She climbed up the platform to carry it out before the knights finished them off.

"Suit of armor, strong and true, make this metal bust a move," she spelled, her eyes flashing green.

Mal did a little dance, and the knights followed suit. They copied her moves so accurately that it made her smirk in amusement. Uma did the same, and then Carlos. It was enough  to confirm to them that the plan was working. They had the knights under their control now, and all they could do was dance instead of fight.

At this point, Celia could see that her friends were wining against Audrey's knights. Not wanting to just stand by idly and do nothing, she jumped into the scene to help out.

"Until the night falls
You can trust
I'm gonna help you
Win this battle because..."

"I got your back
Got your back
Got your back
Got your back

All for one and that's a fact
Knights fall, pitch black!"

Finally, the knights collapsed in a heap at the center of the room. The VKs won.

"Yeah!" they all cheered.

"Come on!" Jay yelled.

"Yeah!"

"We did that!" Uma said in satisfaction, turning to Mal. "That's what I'm talk —"

The two girls had their hands raised for a high five, but stopped just before they could touch one another. Awkwardly looking away, they lowered their hands and shuffled to the side.

The boys were still on a high, though. They bumped each other's chests, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah!" Jay kept on whooping.

"Hey, good job!" Carlos beamed.

The boys laughed heartily together, but then, in what felt like a gradual and sudden stop at the same time, it died down. They averted their gazes, walking away from each other and back to their original groups.

"Guys, come on, this was so great!" Evie said exasperatedly, feeling the invisible barrier between them come up again. "We were a team. We worked together. Come on!"

She tapped Mal, who shooed her hand away.

"Come on!"

Evie patted Uma next, who cringed at her. Then, she sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"You know what we should try?" said Evie with a mischievous grin. "An icebreaker."

The room was filled with groans and sounds of disagreement.

"You say something you really like about the other person, okay? I'll start." Evie's eyes flitted from Gil, to Uma, and then the boy with his signature, thick eyeliner. "Harry... great accent. Now, you go."

"Is she always this perky?" Uma asked.

"Oh, it wasn't really your turn, but thank you," Evie smiled.

"Okay, Evie, come here," Mal said when she couldn't take it anymore.

"Yeah?" said Evie as her best friend took her by the hands and pulled her away.

"I love you."

"I love you!"

"I love this energy, but we are very short on time," Mal said seriously. "Audrey clearly knows that we're here and we need to get out of here, ASAP."

"Alright, where does this cheerleader bunk down?" Uma cut in impatiently.

"You say 'cheerleader' like it's a bad thing," Carlos grumbled. The mention of anything related to Meredith made him think of her and badly want to know how she was doing now.

"Don't worry, bud, she's not referring to Mer," Jay patted his back reassuringly.

"Even if she's not there, we might find some sort of clue," Uma continued, ignoring Carlos and Jay's comments.

"Actually, she's still in the dorms," Evie answered.

"You're right!" Mal exclaimed, remembering the reason why. "Because of summer school."

"What?" Harry burst into laughter. "Summer school? Summer school! No wonder she wants revenge."

"Okay," Mal said loudly. "I need you guys to go find Ben. We will meet back at Evie's in two hours, okay?"

"Sounds like we're going with my plan — I'm just saying," Uma pointed out.

"It was kind of the obvious plan."

"Uma said it first," said Gil in a sing-song voice.

"Right, so my plan," Uma smirked.

"Whatever," Mal huffed, already stalking off. As much as she hated to admit it, Uma was right.

"Um, can we pass by Evie's while we're at it, too?" Carlos piped up. "I wanna know if Mer's okay."

"Yeah, just go," Mal said distractedly, not in the mood to talk anymore. Carlos shrugged, taking that as a yes.

"Go check on Dizzy and the twins, too," Evie told him. "And Doug!"

"Of course," Carlos nudged her.

"As long as you go looking for Ben right after," Mal said firmly.

"You got it."

With that, the VKs split into two groups — Mal, Evie, Uma, and Celia in one to investigate Audrey's dorm, and the other consisting of Carlos, Jay, Harry, Gil, and Dude to search for Ben in the woods — all of them prepared to get down to business.