Traveling through the village, Mirabel, Abuela, and Bruno rode their way up to the Casita. Cecilia, Juancho, and Alejandra stood to the side and watched in wonder as they spotted the trio.
"It's her!" Juancho shouted as he pointed a finger. "I found her!"
Alejandra disagreed and butted in, grabbing onto his wrist harshly. "I found her!"
Cecilia, who grabbed the coffee cup from out of Juancho's hand, clinked the spoon into the cup repeatedly. "She's back!" Cecilia announced. "She's back, she's back!"
The town bells also tolled, alerting everyone who remained in town or was just returning.
As Mirabel and the others returned to the Casita, a look of sorrow painted her face. She looked around, observing the destruction that had been done. Getting off the horse, her eyes then widened when she heard a familiar voice.
"Mamá! Mirabel!" Her mother shouted in the distance.
Running over to where she heard the voice, she saw her mother rush over from the other side of the Casita.
"Mirabel!" She called out again before soon seeing her daughter on the opposite side of her. They ran over to one another, hugging each other tightly.
"Mamá." Mirabel sighed in relief.
"Oh, there you are. I thought I had almost lost you, too." Tía Julieta said, parting from the hug. "Where's your abuela?"
"Don't worry." Mirabel reassured her with a small smile. "She's coming."
"As long as you and your abuela are okay, that's all that matters." Tía Julieta exhaled, caressing her daughter's face.
Mirabel rested her head in her mother's hand, smiling at the warm feeling.
"You have no idea what your father went through when he was trying to find you two." She told her as she chuckled lightly.
Her father appeared from where her mother came from with many bee stings littered over his body.
"There were bees everywhere." He told Mirabel, panting slightly. She placed a comforting hand on her father's cheek, giving him a concerned smile.
Taking his hand, he placed it on her shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be okay."
"Uh... Not if we don't have a house." Camilo spoke, who was elbowed in the side by his father.
"What?" He asked. "We don't have a house. I can't say we don't have a house?" He looked around and held out his hand, gesturing to the ruins. "What is that? Not a house."
You, who stood next to Camilo, laughed lightly at his smart remarks and sighed.
Mirabel looked over from Camilo to her mother, giving her a smile. Then she glanced aside to the house and stepped away. You and the others watched as she stepped up the stairs under the entry arch, examining the house.
Watching Mirabel walk up there brought a feeling of dejectedness. A wave of shame and guilt washed over you as you began to recall the events that had happened earlier. This feeling had spread among the rest of the family as they also glumly hung their heads low. The returning feeling of sorrow ate each person from the inside.
They all finally registered the fact that Casita was in ruins. And they stood there, surrounded by the destruction. Their powers were gone, Casita was in shambles, and half the town was gone. No one knew what to do.
Hearing a grunting sound, you lifted your head and looked around to see who was making the noise. You walked towards the sound, and the others followed close behind. And as they followed you, they also inspected the destruction that surrounded them.
There on the house's foundation stood Luisa, struggling to lift a piece of rubble. Walking up the steps, you, along with Mirabel, approached her and helped push up the piece of rubble.
Suddenly, Abuela turned the corner, stepping up the stairs under the entry arch. Tía Julieta and Tía Pepa's eyes widened as they saw their mother and rushed over to her.
"Mamá." Tía Julieta gasped, placing her hands in her mother's.
"I'm so sorry," Abuela said, with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry for being so hard on all of you. I was just so afraid I'd lose any of you. Especially you two, mis hijas."
Tía Pepa and Tía Julieta both smiled understandingly. But they were also surprised since they had never seen this side of their mother before.
As Abuela stepped out of the way, another person had turned the corner. The two watched as the person hesitantly walked up the stairs of the entryway. A person whom they haven't seen in forever. Someone they have missed dearly so.
Tía Julieta gasped, placing her hands over her mouth while Tía Pepa placed a hand on her chest. As this person slowly made his way over to the group, they both engulfed him in a tight hug, lifting him up off the ground.
"Bruno." Tía Julieta cried. "Mi hermano."
The others could hardly believe their eyes as they watched the sweet reunion take place.
Out of the bunch, Camilo looked more confused than anyone. "Okay so... we gonna talk about Bruno?"
You let out a tiny laugh. "That's Bruno." You and Antonio told him.
A small smile painted your face as you watched Tío Bruno reunite with his family.
"Yo, I knew he never left. I heard him every day." Dolores mentioned, elbowing Camilo. Rubbing his sore arm, he looked at his sister with a 'And-you-never-said-anything?' look.
As Bruno reunited with his family, there was a shuffling of footsteps heard from outside. Everyone looked at each other with the same confused expressions on their faces.
Wondering what was causing the sound, they turned around to face the entryway. A few others peeked over the walls of the house. There, they saw a horde of townspeople gathered at the front, all holding some sort of equipment.
They hesitantly stepped forward, unsure but still holding the desire to help. The Madrigals welcomed the help, appreciating it. They soon got to work rebuilding the house, and one by one, they put Casita back together.
~~~
As the Madrigals stood at the front of the house, they admired their work, inspecting it with proud eyes. The townspeople also admired their hard work, some of them returning home after a long day of working.
You sighed contentedly, standing next to Mirabel. "I think we did a pretty good job." You placed your hands on your hips.
Mirabel laughed. "We did an outstanding job." She agreed, pulling you in by your arm and resting her head on your shoulder.
"Oh, but there's one more thing." Abuela mentioned.
Mirabel's head perked up, turning towards Abuela. "What is it?" She asked.
"We need a doorknob." Tío Bruno said, appearing at his mother's side.
Antonio came up to Mirabel, holding out his hands with a doorknob in them. "We made this one for you..." He whispered.
Mirabel held out her hands, accepting the doorknob from Antonio. He stood by her side and watched with her as the others grouped near the front door. You walked over, standing with Camilo and his family.
He held onto her hand, looking up at her as she looked down at him.
Gesturing with his head, Antonio walked Mirabel to the door, just as she did for him on the day of his ceremony.
You stood next to Camilo, gently intertwining your hands with his. He looked down at you, a small smile appearing on his face. You smiled as you made eye contact with Mirabel. She then averted her gaze and met the gazes of the other Madrigals, tearing up.
She stopped in front of Abuela, smiling with tears in her eyes as Abuela gently caressed her face.
"Open your eyes." Abuela whispered. "Abre los ojos."
Mirabel looked down at the doorknob in her hand, noticing the minor details such as the 'M' imprinted on it. But another thing she noticed was herself in the reflection of the shiny doorknob.
"What do you see?" Abuela asked.
"I see... me." She answered, sniffling as tears flooded her eyes. "All of me." She smiled.
Turning around, Mirabel looked at every Madrigal. They smiled at her, proud of how far she's come.
Her eyes then met yours, in which she smiled so brightly, it almost brought her to tears again. She was glad that you were finally back and that everything else was back to its former glory. She couldn't have asked for a better family or friend.
Turning back around to face the house, she walked up to the front door and placed the doorknob into its plate.
Bright, twinkling sparkles joined at the doorknob, and her eyes widened at the sight. You and the others beamed as the shimmering brightness spread all over the house.
The lights continued to travel throughout the entire house. And soon, it enveloped the entire village in an eruption of sparks. As the magic diminished from the door, it revealed a bright carving of the entire Madrigal family.
The window shutters from a window above creaked as it waved open.
"Casita..." You whispered, grinning widely.
Mirabel waved back with a smile. "Hola, Casita."
The roof tiles flitted, and the planters bounced around. Laughter filled the air as Mirabel was pulled into the house.
"Whoa!" She exclaimed, giggling. "Whoa! Come on! Get in here!"
You and the others whooped in a burst of excited chatter as you all were also pulled inside as well. Faces beamed at the new and vibrant interior as everyone walked inside the house.
Antonio's laughter could be heard as he came in riding on Parce, who took him on a ride throughout the house. Isabela dyed her dress in many colors and then gave Casita a finishing touch. She stomped her foot and decorated the house with many wild plants she sprouted.
Luisa smiled as she lifted a giant cactus plant, placing it up on a table. That's when two donkeys approached her and flipped her backwards. She landed in a hammock, clinging to it, and took notice of the donkey offering her a drink. Taking it, she fully relaxed and laid back.
Tío Félix and Tía Pepa laughed as they danced under a cloud of raining hail.
"A-ha. Yeah, amor!" He exclaimed, admiring his wife. She giggled at his comment and continued to dance.
Bruno, Mirabel, and Abuela stood to the side, laughing and watching the others as they had fun. Suddenly, the tiles beneath them began to pull them together into a group.
You smiled as you viewed the Madrigal family in all its glory. Then, a camera on a tripod came wobbling in, startling you.
"(Y/N)!" Mirabel called out to you. Looking over in her direction, you noticed the entire family had their eyes on you.
She gestured for you to come into the photo with her hands, but you quickly waved yours back.
"I'm good." You smiled nervously, still waving your hands.
"Come on!" She groaned, desperately urging for you to join in.
"Really, Mira. I'm okay- Whoa!" You exclaimed as the moving tiles beneath your feet cut you off.
Bringing you into the picture, you almost stumbled over when a pair of arms caught you. Your face flushed a tint of red from embarrassment. But when you looked up, your face blushed even darker when you realized who your savior was.
"Hey." Camilo said, flashing you a smile.
Regaining your balance, you stuttered, "H-Hey."
"Everyone, together..." Abuela said, preparing for the picture.
Camilo snaked his arm around your waist and pulled you in close towards him.
"La Familia Madrigal!" You smiled when, suddenly, the tiles lifted from the floor, mushing everyone together.
The camera snapped the photo, capturing a chaotic photo of the family.