Cruelty

"Uuuurgh..."

Evelyn slowly wakes, looking around. Seeing everyone else back to their non-magical appearance, unconscious and scattered across a stone floor, she nearly has a heart attack.

Evelyn: Oh no! Gertrud! Ume! Candy! Chloe! Bee!

The senior woman bolts upright, twitching from her back pain at first and then dashing to the others as fast as she can manage.

Evelyn: Everyone, please wake up!

Evelyn kneels down to them, trying to shake each of them awake. Gertrud is the first to move slightly. Then Bee's wings start twitching. One by one, Candy, Chloe and Ume follow. Glad that everyone begins moving again, Evelyn breathes out in relief.

Evelyn: Thank goodness! Are all of you alright?!

Gradually, the others get up.

Gertrud: I think so. This scumbag Colonel!
Candy: You said it! What a jerk!
Bee: For real!
Chloe: Uh... I still feel all dizzy...
Ume: That was rough, but it seems everyone is okay, at least.
Candy: By the way, where exactly are we?
Evelyn: ...Right! Where is this place?!

Everyone gets up again and Bee takes flight along with the magical tablet. They scan the vast interior of the Dark Castle's empty throne chamber.

Ume: I think... we've been brought inside the castle. ...Oh no! We're inside already and our transformation dissolved! Quick, everyone! Take as maby of the rations as you can before they arrive!

Evelyn swiftly grabs for the backpack... and realizes in horror there is a big hole in it now.

Evelyn: No! NO! Our rations, almost everything fell out!!
Ume: WHAT?!
Evelyn: The only things left are two cookies and one juice!! This is terrible!!

Just then, loud steps can be heard from above. Carbocalypse and Glucodoom step through two different hallways, slowly and gracefully taking the stairway down to them.

Bee: Oh shit! SHIT! IT'S THEM!!
Ume: This is bad! Erm... quick, Evelyn! You take the juice, Candy and Gertrud take one cookie each, fast! Then transform back as fast as you can!!

As the Dark Royals walk down the stairs, Evelyn swiftly gives away the cookies and drinks the juice herself in one go. Gertrud and Candy shove the cookies right into their mouths and everyone prepares their transformation devices in a hurry.

Team Evelyn: Blood sugar rush, go!

During their change of clothes, Carbocalypse and Glucodoom come dangerously near to the heroines.

Bee: Stay away, you! I won't let you interfere!

He flits between the royals and the Hive Five, then pounds on his Honeycombat. An energy wave expands from it, stopping the two from approaching any further for a few seconds.

Then they simply break through it, hurling Bee with the Honeycombat to the ground due to the shockwave. With everyone completely changed now, Evelyn quickly bolts to Bee to check on him.

Evelyn: Bee! Are you doing okay?!
Bee: Urgh...

He holds his head for a bit, then Bee and the honeycomb-like tablet become airborne again.

Bee: ...Let's say I've felt better before.

Then everyone turns toward the Dark King and Queen, watching them cautiously.

Carbocalypse: Well, well, well... if it isn't the legendary Hive Five. So Colonel failed.
Glucodoom: This fool surely overestimated himself. How pitiful. It seems that in the end, one always has to take care of things oneself if one wants it done right.

Bee: That's right! He failed terribly because The Hive Five are incredible! And I'd bet on my life that they will defeat you as well! Now spill it and tell us where the missing drones are!

Carbocalypse: Hm? Missing? Seems like Colonel at least left the fun reveal to Us!
Glucodoom: Truly! Let Us show them PRECISELY what happened!

Suddenly, the royals embrace one another, melting into a wobbling blob of pitch, steadily growing bigger and bigger until it reaches the ceiling. Then the black mass quickly changes its form, shaping itself to a dragon with two heads, one dark red and the other one deep green, while the rest of its body stays the same black as the mass before.

And as if that wasn't enough already, two food soldiers appear next to it, a chocolate bar one beside where the King stood, a hot dog knight beside the former Queen. Shocked, the heroines just stand there and look at the monster these two have become.

Green dragon head: Mhmmm... they brought another one! This one is mine, too!

All of a sudden, black tentacles emerge from the floor beneath Bee, swiftly grabbing him.

Evelyn: No! Quick, go and...!

But before anyone can even react to that, the tentacle flings Bee right in front of the dragon.

SNAP.

The whole group turns pale.

Evelyn: ...WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU DID JUST NOW?! GIVE HIM BACK!!
Candy: RIGHT! SPIT HIM OUT! SPIT HIM OUT YOU...!!

The two quickly rush toward the dragon, full of rage and tears welling up while the others gasp and cover their mouths in disbelief.

GULP.

The Honeycombat falls to the ground, wobbling in circles before settling flat.