Maleficent spun on her heel, moving her scepter at her daughter and reaching the wand midway towards her. The grin on her face was pleased and relaxed, like years have been lifted off of her shoulders, and they probably had.
With magic, anything is possible, Mal thought.
The burlesque act Mal knew growing up was almost gone. Maleficent's eyes glowed greener than ever, in a neon intensity, her horns stood dangerously high, her voice now was richer and her figure statuesque; a tallness her daughter had never seen, nor inherited.
"Well, well, well" She walked over to Audrey, who was protecting her mother and grandmother, even if she was full of fear "I guess you thought you'll never see me again, did you, Leah?" Maleficent made a fake pout before winking her eye to Aurora "I should make you prick your finger again, shouldn't I?" The tip of the wand touched her bottom lip as she pretended to think about it. She moved it and Aurora fainted, falling to the floor where her daughter caught her, a frightened expression in her eyes and a painful whine leaving her lips.
She dynamically turned toward Fairy Godmother, spinning the wand in her hand.
"Mom..." Mal cried out, not being able to soak up the tears.
"Oh pumpkin'" She pouted again "We can finally be together"
Maleficent lifted both her scepter and the wand, making creepers grow from the ground and make their way trapping all Auradon residents. Her favorite trick.
"Mom, I'm not evil!" Mal sniffled in an attempt to recover herself completely.
"Nonsense, I know I have big shoes to fill in, but you'll get there" She chuckled.
"Mom, you don't get it, I don't want to do that, not anymore, maybe not ever" She sniffled one more time "Love is not weak or ridiculous, its actually pretty amazing" Mal didn't know what she was talking about, all her thoughts were a mess, and she couldn't put them in place anymore. She just wanted her mother to understand.
"Frankly, this is tedious and immature" Maleficent waved her hand exasperated, her eyes lighting up again and her voice grew even deeper "I know one thing young lady, you have no room for love in your life"
"And now I command wand to my hand" Mal was a crying mess, but she was able to finally focus on what she needed to do.
The wand blew from her mother's hand, landing on hers with a buzz that went down her spine.
"This is ridiculous!" The well-put persona Maleficent had shown till now was gone, now it didn't contrast as much with the over sensitive form of Mal. Now they both looked on edge "Give me the wand! Give me the wand! Give me the waaand!" Her voice creaked in a groan at the end, purple smoke leaving her mouth in huffs.
Maleficent stopped her pacing, lifting an eyebrow. Mal knew she was in trouble.
"Oh nugget, listen to you mama now" Evil grin twirled the corner of her lips upwards "You want your full name, don't you?"
Carlos did a disgusted sound, flashbacks of how many times he had been beaten physically and emotionally by his mother flew to his head.
Mal lowered the wand, which was pointing at her mother until that second. She wanted to be worthy of her mother's love, probably more than anything.
"Mother knows best" She whispered to herself in a soothing manner. That was her phrase. Every time she doubted, every time she lacked the strength to do something, she reminded herself who she was, who her mother was.
Evie took Mal's free hand in hers, snapping her back to reality, now ashamed and fully aware she was about to give the wand back to her mother.
Carlos put one hand on her shoulder, nodding no.
"Maybe good is more powerful than evil," He said, contradicting everything they had learned till that instant.
Maleficent growled, the purple smoke had come back when she saw her daughter overcome her manipulations.
"Give me the wand, Mal..." She tested once more, offering to say the words she knew Mal wanted to hear; the rest of the name lingering in the tip of her tongue.
"No!" Mal started sobbing, violently "That's not who I am" She might not know who she was, but her feelings guided her now "Mom, I'm not you" She tilted her head, hoping for Maleficent to understand.
"Oh, you obviously aren't! I would never believe in this love crap!" She was fed up, the breaking point was very close, but still, she thought she could get her seed back in her side "You can be like me, honey, you just have to leave all those dumb feelings behind"
"Weak? Dumb? Mom, do you even love me?" Mal knew the answer to the question already, at least, it felt that way.
"Of course a do" Maleficent's voice was amplified and echoed in the throne room, the harsh tone made the words feel like daggers in Mal's skin "But you are letting me down"
Her black gown enveloped her as a cloud of green fog came from her feet, surrounding her figure. Her horns grew bigger and eventually, her body also changed, mutating to a dragon's.
The smell of burning flesh filled Mal's nostrils.
Carlos took both Evie's and Mal's hand and pulling them back with him. Jay stood there, all his muscles tense, but he didn't move, ready to endure through Maleficent's attack.
The dragon wiped its tail and opened its mouth to release a puff of green hot fire.
"Jay!" Carlos yelled full of fear, even if Jay had dodged it perfectly.
Evie and Carlos kept screaming at Jay, who was barely getting away from Maleficent's claws, tail, and fire. Every time closer to getting him.
And Mal was frozen. Jay was her friend, maybe more, maybe they were family. She couldn't let him die.
"Jay" She heard herself yell, he finally snapped his head to them, barely avoiding the spiky tail "Behind me" Her eyes turned green and she ran ahead, almost tripping with her dress.
Maleficent's scepter was between the dragon's claws, Mal guessed the outburst and the transformation happened because of her defiance and not because Maleficent really wanted the wand.
So she tossed the powerful magic element behind her like it was nothing.
She caught Jay's hand and pulled him behind him, she held his hand with a tight grip, when Carlos arrived at her side, she did the same with him.
She could feel Evie's presence behind her, and she silently thanked to have them.
"The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one" She chanted, her eyes had never glimmered that hard, charged with such power Maleficent's dragon forms seemed enchanted by them.
Mal wasn't going to let her friends get hurt, she wasn't going to allow her mother to destroy another thing in her life. She wasn't going to just be a pawn, she was going to be herself, her new self, the new Maleficent.
The sparks and volts of energy started in her hands and her head, but they quickly expanded through her whole body; every inch of her felt powerful, and powerless at the same time. Even her friends appeared drugged by the discharge.
"The strength of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one"
She didn't learn the chanting from the spellbook, nor she had heard it before, it was just there, wandering inside of her, screaming to be released.
The same lime fog covered her mother again, shrinking her to a smaller dragon, and then shifting her form to a lizard one. Mal fainted before she could process what had happened.
Evie caught her and Jay helped her up when she awoke. She could barely stand still, like all the energy had been drained from her. She had become accustomed to the after effects magic had, but that was so amplified she didn't know how to handle it.
She reached for the wand and swoop it with what little energy she had left before dropping it back to the floor.
The creepers started rotting away and disappeared. Mal felt the warmness of Ben's body embracing her, her arms were numb, but she corresponded the hug.
"Bibity Bobity Boo" Fairy Godmother had retrieved her wand, a burst of green light came from the tip of it, shooting to the sky, then a second string of light made a cage appear on top of Maleficent.
Mal smiled, tears in her bloodshot eyes. I do love you, mom, she thought.
The sound of the music increased, but Mal didn't feel annoyed by it, surprisingly.
She still didn't like parties, but the relief she felt made her want to enjoy every second that passed, no matter where she was.
She placed an arm around Evie, smiling at her when she turned her gaze towards her. Evie giggled in response.
The blue haired girl trapped Mal's hand and attracted her body as she began to dance and sing the song.
Their bodies moved together as they chuckled, drunk of freedom.
Mal could think all the things that could go wrong in the morning, she could picture each scenario on her head, make a list of every scary possibility. She chose not to torture herself that night, she chose to let go, for now, to embrace the weight lifted from her heart when she talked to her mother.
Throwing her head back, she stepped closer to Evie. Ben had left to find Jay and Carlos, so the two girls were enjoying the moment on their own.
And Mal was making the most of it, for all the unspoken words she was great hiding.
Evie raised her hands and closed her eyes shut, her whole body delighting with the vibrations of the music, when she opened her eyes again, she found Lonnie smiling her way.
She pulled her close as well and, although Mal retrieved her hands from where they were at her hips, she liked to dance with both girls as the song progressed.
She was letting go all her insecurities for at least one night, she was grasping Mal as tight as she could, she was not keeping appearances, she was not worrying for what a lady should or shouldn't do, she was smiling to the fact that she wasn't a princess.
Or accepting that maybe she always has been one.
Evie's mind drifted away in the music, and Mal loved the sight. The blue, red and purple lights reflected in her skin making her glimmer, but what was brighter was her smile.
She attempted to scoot closer but Lonnie pulled her in a tight hug.
"I am so sorry Mal" She whispered. Mal froze, not sure if she was taking pity on her for having the mother she had, or if she was genuinely apologizing for ganging against her and her friends.
She decided it was the latter when she felt a kiss on her cheek, she grinned in response.
Lonnie repeated that with Evie.
And they went back to dancing as if nothing had been said. Lonnie didn't have to explain why she had chosen Chad over them, because they knew she hadn't really chosen anyone, she was just being the sweet flower she was.
She was just being their real friend.
The three of them embraced one more time in the middle of the dance floor, and it was like their little cocoon blocked the sound almost completely. Then Lonnie was pulled away by Chad.
He offered an apologetic smile and a polite nod. Mal turned her head, but Evie smiled back.
Carlos left Dude on the floor of his room. He didn't want him wandering anywhere without him.
He wasn't stupid; the barrier had fallen, at least for an instant, and Cruella could've gotten out easily. He was not taking chances.
He petted Dude's head once more before exiting the room, closing the door behind him and ignoring the protests of the dog.
Jay was waiting in the hallway, with his back pressed against the wall, his head tilted forward allowing him to stare at his shoes with a dreamy smile.
"Man" Carlos muttered, but Jay didn't move a muscle "Dude" He raised his voice, still no response, and they were three feet apart "Jay!" he shouted.
Jay finally snapped off his trance and lifted his head, eying him, mirroring his furrowed brows "You done?" He asked simply.
Carlos narrowed his eyes at his friend.
"Yeah" Carlos tilted his head. Jay lifted his weight off the wall and motioned for them to leave, but Carlos held his wrist to stop him "You okay?"
Jay sighed but the corners of his mouth were wrinkled with a smile. He turned to look into Carlos' eyes, or, maybe, for him to look into his.
"C, I'm great, stop asking that" His smile was so wide his eyes had been reduced to tiny lines above his cheeks. Carlos noticed how this was the first time Jay meant it "Everything is great"
Carlos suddenly understood why Jay was so lost with such a dreamy look, for him felt and looked the same now.
"I think so too" He sighed as well, a hopeful sigh "When Mal chose good, I felt the most relieved I have ever felt"
"Not only that dude" Jay tilted his head, searching for the right words, "She said we could be happy, that changed something, that..." He didn't have the vocabulary nor the ability to convey what he was feeling in words. He hoped Carlos understood.
He had no pressure to be the best anymore, no pressure to hide the feelings that could've got him killed in the past, he had no fears. For once, his attitude matched how he was feeling on the inside.
His dangerous eyes examined Carlos' lips and he wondered if he could go a step further.
"Because we are happy already," Carlos said, tender smile on his lips. Jay placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. And the sense of security flooded to him.
Carlos had been alone all his life, and now everything surrounding him was finally good; no yelling, no abuse, no pain, not anymore. Jay ought to keep it that way.
"Yeah, we are" He took a step closer "If we have each other" He knew kissing Carlos could be a big mistake, but he had already made up his mind, so he leaned in. To his surprise, Carlos didn't move backward, but forward, catching him midway with his arms.
Jay widened his eyes but hug him as well. Maybe kissing him wasn't such a good idea anyway. Having him so close, their cheeks pressed together, was wonderful as it was.
"Hey! Guys!" Ben was waving his hand and signaling for them to approach. Standing at the end of the hallway with his hair ruffled, his crown almost falling from his head and his clothes out of place. He was dancing badly at the muffled music.
Jay and Carlos chuckled.
"Come on pup," Jay said, taking Carlos hand with confidence.
Jane glanced over at Mal, still dancing with Evie, and jealousy formed inside her. But over that, remorse.
When Audrey gave her the amount of attention she did, she just acted without thinking, she was ready to see Mal suffer for not corresponding her feelings, or not noticing them.
Jane sighed, maybe she was the villain here.
Behind her, Jay and Carlos exchanged a glance. The taller boy smirked, getting in his usual character.
"What' up?" he asked her, nudging her with his shoulder.
She looked at him with her lips slightly parted, then she moved to look at Carlos as well. One on each side.
"You guys must hate me" She breathed out, defeated.
Jay snorted quietly, pulling his best smirk and leaning to enter her view.
"Well, personally, I don't hate you" He didn't, but he was feeling slightly vengeful, and he could've taken advantage of the situation easily, but he chose not to "What about you C, do you hate her?"
Carlos was pressing his thumb to his palm, Jay noticed, he was anxious.
"I don't hate you either," He said with a side grin.
"But Mal does right?" She rolled her eyes at them, not caring enough to fake positivism.
Jay furrowed, leaning closer. He didn't see how to cheer her up, and she hadn't shown any interest in him, so he probably wouldn't be able to flirt until she smiles.
"Ya know," He cleared his throat, locking eyes with Carlos "Carlos was wondering if you'd like to dance with him?"
"I was?" Carlos whispered, widening his eyes considerably.
"Really?" Jane asked at the same time. Jay motioned a 'you were' with his mouth and turned Jane to face his white-haired friend.
"He was" He stated.
Jay wasn't fond of the idea of Carlos dancing with anyone, but he tried to be friendly and considerate. Besides, Jane didn't seem to like boys anyway.
"No one had ever asked me to dance before" She smiled sheepishly, and Carlos pressed his thumb harder in his palm. Jay smiled at him, trying to send him some confidence.
"Guess is your lucky day" He stood to help Jane up, then vowed and send them to dance.
Jay took a seat to admire dancing Carlos, who would hate to admit how much he liked to dance; and how good he was at it.
Audrey walked over to him, bouncing her hips at the music, lip syncing and a hand extended to him. She even winked at him. How could he say no?
Ben had Mal's hands between his, and tried to dance decently. Mal chuckled, she had stopped moving after Evie left to dance with Dough, she could see them from the balcony.
Ben steadied himself with the railing and left a kiss on the apple of her cheek.
"I love you" He whispered like other countless times. Mal smiled with tears in her eyes, after that shitty day and the love potion Ben true feelings were still kind.
He moved to her mouth, but Mal spun around on her feet and dragged him downstairs, hoping the redness of her cheeks wasn't noticeable.
She spotted Jane looking her way, and offered her a smile and a nod.
For that night, not Mal nor Jane said sorry or talked about what they've done. They just enjoyed the night, maybe a little too much.
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The original end of the movie was cheesy to start, I made it cheesier.
This is not the end, we have a lot ahead, the gap between the movies, the second movie and a whole new end if Disney doesn't make a third installment
So you can expect this to go on for a while