The stories say that Maleficent was a fairy, dark of heart and whose great power allowed her to take the shape of a dragon. Her magic was a carefully cultivated talent, one she twisted to curses and maledictions rather than spells and potions.
The stories were written by fools. Maleficent was no mere fairy, she was one of the Greater Fae- a Dragon. One who had grown powerful enough, and shrewd enough to shed her scales to take a more human form, one which could hide in valleys and shadows, and walk among lesser beings. It was a lesser form, yet a form which allowed her to speak the human tongue, and use delicate hands rather than unwieldy claws to whip up potions and conjure spells. Over time, as she became more and more skilled with her craft, it became her default form.
A Dragon in a human-shape is still a Dragon- and one of the Greater Fae.
There are few insults as great as those not said- and humans are so useless, at hearing what isn't screamed at them. It is one of many, many quarrels between humans and the Fae. For Fae can be wise, and great, and powerful- but that is not to say they can't be malicious, fickle and arrogant.
To invite three lesser Fae to a Christening, and not the Greater could indeed be taken as insult, especially when the quarrels between the three lesser and the Greater were known. It could be perceived as allegiance against the Greater, or as the Greater being thought unnecessary.
The humans argued that Maleficent had no love for humans, that this was known far beyond the boundaries of the little fiefdom ruled by King Stefan and Queen Leah- that it would make no sense to invite Maleficent in the first place. That if they had invited her, she would have scorned the invitation.
This was not the point. Maleficent, as a Greater Fae living within the lands claimed by King Stefan and Queen Leah, deserved an invitation. That she did not receive one was a travesty bordering on malpractice on the Royals part. Insult had been given and thus retribution was taken.
Many debate on the reaction itself- even those among the Greater Fae. However, The King and Queen speak for the land. Thus, punishment for their malfeasance rests on not only them, but on all those they speak for, from the lowest of the servants children, to the castle steward, and even on the crown princess, resting in her crib.
It may have been unfair and malicious of the Fae Maleficent, but it was within what could be expected of her, as a Greater Fae spurned by those who were lesser.
What was not expected was the eighteen years she had hunted for the young Princess, already cursed to die (to fall into a sleep like death until True Love's Kiss) at the prick of a spindle. That she would capture young Prince Phillip to keep him from breaking the sleeping curse, and hunt him down once he escaped, to the point of trying to kill him…. That was pure malevolence. It was only fair of the Prince, with the aid of the three fairies, to kill her.
Yet it was King Beast who had the greatest revenge on the fallen Dragon- he ordered her, among dozens of others, to be ripped from death and imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost, bereft of magic, and most of their holdings.
Maleficent woke broken and alone on the Isle- her only friend Diablo lost to her. Her fortress, her ancestral home- gone. The powers that were hers by birthright, that she had spent centuries honing in her chosen craft- vanished.
Revenge filled her mind and hatred consumed her heart- if there was ever a touch of softness, a hint of light, or a flicker of love within the Dark Dragon, it was destroyed by life on the Isle.
The closest thing to affection she what she felt for her daughter-the small, squalling half-human creature that had kept her awake night and day, interrupting nightmares and thought alike. Born a human to a human male and a Great Fae bound in human form, it was nothing she'd ever wanted. It had fingernails for claws and gums where milk-teeth fangs should have been.
And yet, the first time Maleficent had truly lost her temper and had growled at the creature, her draconic eyes flaring in rage- her daughter's own green eyes had lit up like envy. It hadn't lasted long, the will of a hatchling nothing compared to that of the Great Maleficent- but it had happened.
Maleficent's rage was swept away by her surprise- and the slight flutter of pride.
"Dragon's eyes." She mused aloud, reaching for the whimpering infant (hatchling). "Blood of the Dragon. Perhaps you are worthy of being the daughter of the Mistress of All Evil."
And if the creature truly was her daughter, it would need a name. "Maleficent is a fine name. It strikes fear into the hearts of good and evil alike. But is an awful big name for a hatchling. You might not grow into it, with human weakness in your veins." The dark Fae told her daughter. "Mal will do for now, until you're big enough and mean enough to be a Maleficent."