Chapter 5: Ombra Mai Fu

"Give Uma Fairy Godmother's wand?" Aria exclaimed, shooting up out of her seat. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open as she stared at the purple haired teen.

Mal had just gotten back from the chip shop and without missing a beat had told her and the others the new plan. Uma's plan. Uma wanted the wand and mix her with that kind of magic, Aria could only imagine what the sea witch had in mind.

"There's no way we can give Uma the wand," Evie said, pacing back and forth before stopping to look at Mal. "We can't just let her destroy Auradon!"

"Uma doesn't get the wand, Ben is toast, guys," Carlos put in.

The red-haired princess' heart sank as she thought of that option. They couldn't let Ben get hurt either. They were in a stand still on what to do and this was making Aria a nervous wreck. She looked at the VKs as they argued amongst themselves, watching one speak over another, going in a complete circle on the outcomes.

"Wait, you guys," Mal interrupted, a look of hope shining in her eyes. "You're 3D printer," she said, gesturing her hands towards Jay and Carlos.

"Print out a fake wand!" Aria exclaimed, a smiling coming to her face. "Mal that's brilliant!"

"A phony wand," Carlos said, a smirk coming to his face as the plan slowly started to form. "I can print it in my sleep."

"Yes, but the second Uma tests it she'll know it's fake," the blue-haired princess stated.

"Okay, so we just get Ben out really fast. We need some kind of diversion," Mal suggested.

An idea popped into Aria's head and she quickly turned to face the ex-thief. "Jay! Weren't you and Wes playing around with Evie's chemicals the other day?"

"Smoke bombs!" Jay said, pointing at Aria in affirmation.

"That's perfect, you guys," Evie said, placing a hand on each of them. "I'll get the chemicals at Lady Tremaine's place. That could work. Oh and sick hair by the way." She walked over to Mal, running a hand through it. "Evil Stepmom really stepped up her work. "

"I was thinking the same thing!" Aria spoke up, walking up to the two VK girls. "That color definitely suits you better than the blonde. Cinderella's stepmother did this?"

"Okay, you wanna know something?" Mal said, a small smile coming to her features. "Dizzy did this. Stepmom's granddaughter," she said, adding at the end when she saw Aria's confused face.

"Little Dizzy?" A big smile appeared on Evie's face at the mention of the VK. "Shut up."

The AK princess began to smile brightly. Despite the tension that was felt in the air since the start of this trip (that was still there) she was glad to see that the two best friends were finding some happiness during it all. But that was quickly squashed as the two boys behind them interrupted.

"Oh yeah," Aria said, giving a sheepish look towards the two males.

"Carlos, Jay, and Aria," Mal began, clapping her hands together. "You guys meet us at Pirates Bay no later than noon. And you guys, losing not an option. …'Cause we're rotten."

"To the core," the other three VKs chimed in quietly.

Aria looked around at the four of them, her heart swelling at the pack they had. It reminded her of her, Wes, and Ben. They stuck by each other through thick and thin, no matter what was happening, just like the Core Four. That's why they needed to get Ben back. For her and Wes and for Mal. They could do this.

ooOOoo

Creeping around Auradon Prep at night wasn't a new thing for the two VK boys or even Aria. It was actually a pretty common thing for most of the students. Whether they were up late at the library studying, running back and forth to others' dorms, or even sneaking a late night snack - like in Aria, Wes, and Ben's case every Wednesday night - it was a pretty common activity at the school. But as Aria, Jay, and Carlos made their way to the boys' dorm it was a lot more stressful than any other night would feel. Aria caught herself constantly looking over her shoulders, hoping a student wandering the halls would catch them. They were turning the last corner before the boys' dorm when the soft sound of metal clinking could be heard.

Aria and the boys tensed at the sound, but quickly relaxed, letting out the breath the princess held, when Dude came scurrying up to them. His dog tags creating the sound as he approached Carlos.

The dog whimpered as the white haired boy picked him up. "Hi," Carlos greeted warmly, bouncing the dog in his arms. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Dude. Ben got captured." The VK was met with a lick on the cheek from the dog in response. Giving his pet a small smile Carlos took a step towards their dorm.

He barely took the step when Jay quickly grabbed him, pulling him back. "Why's our door open?"

The three stared at the door in confusion. Aria could feel her heartbeat getting ever so slightly faster at the prospect of one of the adults finding out that the had snuck out of the school. She was frozen only for a moment when the boys quickly rushed into their room, making her snap out of it and quickly follow after them.

How are they so calm? she wondered, stopping quickly when she nearly ran into their backs at the doorway. Peering between them she spotted a head of curly blond hair leaning over their 3D printer and rolled her eyes. There was Chad, peering into the printer as it made...whatever it was making for him.

"You've got to be kidding me," Carlos said, staring at the AK incredulously.

Chad quickly whipped around, giving a sheepish smile to the three. "I knocked," he said, letting out a small laugh.

Aria took a deep breath, shaking her head as she, Jay, and Carlos walked into the room. Carlos quickly held out his hand to Chad, making it clear that this wasn't the first time the prince had been caught using his their printer. Jay and Aria watched as Chad fished out a key from his pocket, slapping it into the VK's hand.

"Seriously?" Aria said, looking at the key, that she could only guess was a copy of the boys' dorm key, then up at Chad.

"What is that?" Jay asked, causing everyone to look at the thing that was printing in the printer.

The redhead squinted slightly through the dimly lit room and saw what looked like a doll, but without a head.

"Oh, that," Chad said, opening the printer and snatching the object from within, "is my Chad action figure." As he turned around he swung the doll through the air in front of the three students' faces, all the while making airplane noises. "Well minus the head."

Aria could only look on in with a confused and judgemental expression on her face. The only thing that came to mind as the prince showed off the "action figure" was "Why?".

"Sounds like an improvement," Carlos said, giving a quick nod. "'Scuse me."

As they pushed passed Chad, Jay gave Aria a small smile, making the princess let out a small snort of laughter. She quickly covered it up with a cough and joined her two friends at the printer.

"Why are you guys making Fairy Godmother's wand?" Chad asked from between Jay and Aria's shoulders.

Immediately the three jumped back, staring wide eyed at the blond prince.

"Wh-why are we making Fairy Godmother's wand?" Carlos asked, turning to Jay for an answer, worry flooding his face.

"'Cause um…" Jay said also at a loss for words, staring back at his friend.

"Ben's been captured," a new voice spoke up.

Aria's head quickly turned to one of the bed's in the room where Dude sat on a small dog bed. Her eyes widened. She had completely forgotten about the new discovery of Dude's ability to talk. It was a quick moment as she, Ben, Jay, Evie, and Carlos were rushing over to the Isle. Now here it was again, out in the open for Chad to now learn.

"What?" Chad exclaimed, staring at the dog bewildered. "Dude can talk?"

"I was stalling," Carlos declared, giving Dude a look.

"I thought you forgot," Dude responded.

The princess watched as Jay smacked Chad's shoulder, giving him a stern look. "Don't tell anyone. Ben's life depends on it."

"Really?" Chad replied slowly. "So if something were to happen, you know what I'm saying." He gave another small laugh, a smile flickering on his face.

"I hope you're not saying what I think you're saying," Aria said, eyeing the prince.

"Something bad, we get it," Carlos said, staring at the other male, his patience slowly wearing thin.

"God forbid," Chad continued, pulling his lips down in a frown in thought. "But if something were to happen...who do you think would be in line to be king?" He gave a thoughtful look towards the three, holding up his headless action figure as if to prove a point to them.

"Is it me or is that in really poor taste?" Jay asked as Carlos scoffed.

Aria folded her arms, an angry pout forming on her face as she eyed the blond male. "No, Jay, I definitely don't think it's just you. It's really poor taste." The two shared a look before Jay shook his head and went towards the door.

Chad looked at all of them before flapping his arms to his side in defeat. "I'm taking this," he stated, holding up the action figure as he made his way towards the door.

"Not like anyone else will have a use for it," Aria scoffed as she watched him leave. She sighed a sigh of relief as Jay slammed the door on Chad's face just as the prince was about to speak up again. "Finally."

"Thank you, Jay," Carlos said as he turned back to the printer. "Alright, let's do this…"

Aria bit her lip as she watched the printer whirr to life and begin its process. Slowly the bottom of the wand started to form in the tube and she watched as she nibbled on her bottom lip. Her legs began to bounce and her fingers began to tap out a small rhythm as she watched.

Jay and Carlos looked at the princess before looking at each other.

"Uh, A?" Jay started, placing a hand on the princess' shoulder.

"You okay, there?" Carlos finished, giving their friend a worried look.

"I'm just…" Aria let out a groan before hanging her head as she leaned forward on the table. "What if this doesn't work out?" she blurted. "What if Uma can tell right away that it's a fake before we even hand it over to her? What's going to happen to Ben? To us?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, A," the thief said, grabbing the redhead by the shoulders and turning her towards him. "Everything is going to be fine. This is going to work. Uma will take the wand and we'll get Ben before she realizes anything. We'll get Ben back." He paused, giving her a meaningful look. "You just gotta trust us on this, okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Okay…"

"We've got this," Carlos said, placing a hand on Aria's arm, giving her a comforting smile. "Like Jay said, we'll get Ben back."

Aria smiled at the two VKs. "Thank you." She glanced at the printer as it continued to create the fake wand. Her smile fell as she stepped back up to it, a determined look adorning her face. It would work.

ooOOoo

Watching the 3D printer was the most boring thing Aria had probably done in her entire seventeen years of life. And she had sat through Professor Thatch's Linguistics lecture last year!

Minutes had passed as the printer created the fake wand inch by inch. The slow process wasn't helping Aria's nerves as she constantly checked the time on the alarm clock on Jay's nightstand. How much longer would it take to print the wand? They had to get back to the Isle to help Mal and Evie get Ben back.

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'Watching a pot boil won't make food'?" came Dude's voice from Carlos' bed.

"It's 'A watched pot never boils'," the redhead corrected, rolling her eyes at the dog.

"Who cares," the dog said, jumping off the bed and trotting to the girl. "I'm hungry. That's what I'm really getting at here."

"Not now, Dude," Aria said. She paused, her face scrunching up a little. "Oh my god I'm talking to a dog…" she mumbled under her breath.

"Don't you have talking fish back home?" the dog asked, sitting down and scratching behind his ear.

She nodded her head, looking down at the dog. "Touché," she replied. Bending down, she reached a hand out and scratched the dog's head, causing the pup's tail to thump heavily against the floor.

Beeping interrupted the dog's head scratch, drawing the princess' attention back to the printer. Slowly standing up, eyes wide, she stared at the glowing tube. "Jay! Carlos!" Aria hissed at the snoring boys. She quickly slapped each boy on the arm, jolting them awake. She turned and continued to stare at the wand in amazement as the boys slowly stood up next to her. It was an exact replica of Fairy Godmother's wand. She couldn't believe it. Whatever hacks and tricks the boys did to their 3D printer paid off. They had the wand they needed. They were going to get Ben back.

Carlos opened the tube, pulling the wand out as the three of them gazed at it. "Not bad," the white-haired boy said with a "yeah" in agreement from Jay.

"Carlos, this is incredible," Aria said, blinking a couple times still in shock with how real it looked.

"Let's go," Jay said, grabbing the wand and bolting for the door, Aria and Carlos close behind.

"Hey guys, what about me?" Dude called out, staring at the three.

"No, Dude," Carlos said, pointing a finger at his pet, "you stay. I'm serious, stay!" The dog just groaned in annoyance as he laid back down in his bed.

WIth a quick "I love you" from Carlos to Dude, the three Auradon Prep students raced out of the room. Fast and quiet footsteps, they made their way out of the school, making sure each turn was clear before they finally reached the front doors. Not without Aria nearly face planting at least once on the way out.

A sigh of relief came from the princess once they stepped outside into the fresh, night air. The brief moment of relief was taken away at the sound of Doug approaching them.

"Oh hey," he called out, standing in front of the three. "Have you seen Evie?"

Aria caught a glimpse of Jay hiding the fake wand behind his back as the three stared at the boy in front of them, doing their best to act casual. An easier feat said than done with what little time they had left to get back to the Isle.

"Uh…" Carlos stuttered, looking from Aria and then Jay, who ushered him to continue. "She went camping."

"Evie 'I want to live in a castle' sleeping on the ground with no place to plug in a hair dryer," Doug said slowly, not at all buying the excuse.

Aria pursed her lips as she looked Carlos again, hoping he'd have something to backup the camping excuse.

"You know how spontaneous she is, bro," he replied with a laugh at the end.

Joining in with Jay and Carlos' laughter, she smiled at Doug. "She had told me she wanted to get some fresh ideas for some dresses and the only way to do that was to try and see nature at night."

"Totally," Jay said, smiling at the boy as he slowly backed away.

"Later, Doug," Carlos said before the other boy turned to head into the school.

Just as the three thought they were in the clear, they turned around to head towards where they had left the limo. Only in a split second they were met with another obstacle.

"Lonnie!" Aria said, eyes wide. She quickly shook her surprise away and put on a bright smile. "What are you doing out here?"

Lonnie looked at them, a serious look on her face. "I'm coming with you guys."

Aria's mouth dropped as the boys let out nervous laughs.

"We don't need swords at the…" Jay began, falling short when he saw Lonnie's face. "Waffle Hut."

Aria's and Carlos' faces fell at that.

"Waffle Hut?" Aria hissed, giving Jay an "are you serious" look.

"You're going to the Isle to rescue Ben," the Chinese girl stated matter-of-factly. "Look it's either you take me or," she pursed her lips, letting out a breath, "I'm gonna have to tell Fairy Godmother."

The other three shared looks. The boys weren't believing the girl and Aria couldn't help but think that her roommate would in fact tell Fairy Godmother.

"Guys," the princess spoke up after a second. She sighed. "We need Lonnie. We need all the man power we can get. You both have seen her with a sword." Aria took a step back and stood next to her female friend. "I've seen her with a sword one too many times in our room. And her parents taught her since she was ten. She's our best bet to make sure we don't get out numbered."

The two male VKs thought for a moment, staring at the two girls before looking at each other. Barely a second later, they turned back to the girls, nodding slightly towards the new member of the rescue team.

Lonnie squealed and grabbed all three in her arms. "Really?" she asked, a bright smile on her face. "Thanks, you guys!"

Aria couldn't help the smile that came to her face. Knowing that they had someone else to help fight to get Ben back removed a little less tension. She just hoped it wouldn't have to come down to an actual fight.

Well it's been nearly a year since I last updated this story. Honestly didn't think I'd get back to it at all. I've been so busy the past year that I haven't had time to write anything let alone this story. But with the recent trailer for the third movie, I got a little bit of inspiration back. I'm not sure how far into this story I'll get. I know I've said this in previous chapters probably, but I just want to reiterate it. And if I do get to the main plot of the story that I have in mind, I want to let everyone know that every character I created in this story, current or future characters, were created before anything about the third movie was released. I have plans and if I finish this story and start anything after with the third movie I'll try and work it into the third one. If not this is just going to be a stand alone story. No idea. Again not even sure if I'll finish this story.

I don't really have anything else to say. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know your thoughts and leave a review!