Mal didn't expect to find herself in Auradon ever again, and she definetly didn't expect to find herself in a dress shop browsing gowns to pass the time.

She needed to think, and what better way than to surround herself with things she found less than distracting? She didn't care for clothes, so the seas of fabric around her barely caught her eye. It was the perfect way to empty her mind and focus.

She had to somehow break her mother's curse, and she was set on doing it alone. Her old friends didn't have to know about it, and she was definetly not going to tell them about it either. She was going to sort it out for herself, without involving-

"Hello! Can I help you?"

Anyone.

Mal would've recognised that voice anywhere.

It was the bubbly tone that Mal didn't recognise in Evie's voice. She'd always had a calming voice, a voice people could be lulled to sleep with, but never had it sounded so joyful and so... Happy. Mal didn't have the heart to ruin happiness anymore, so she lowered her voice and hesitantly replied, keeping her back to her old friend.

"No, no I'm fine," she coughed raspily, "Just looking around."

"Alright, but feel free to call me if you need anything!" Evie replied in her bubbly voice.

Mal didn't dare move until Evie's footsteps had faded away. She had to get out of there, and fast.

However, she couldn't help but take a peek at how Evie looked after all those years. Mal turned around slowly, ducking behind a rail of dresses to look at Evie. She was as beautiful as she'd always been, maybe even more, with her hair in long blue ringlets and her dress adorned with silver flowers. She was the poster girl for a princess, however something told Mal that it wasn't her destiny to become one.

Looking around, Mal realised her mistake. She'd stumbled upon Evie's dress shop, clear from the multiple logos around the store, and as soon as Evie turned away again, Mal rushed through the door.

She made it out of the store and down the street faster than she'd thought possible, making her way around the town looking for something to do. Mal kept her thoughts far away from her near-encounter, making her way to the library as soon as she spotted the old rusted sign.

The library was empty by the time she entered the building, the sun setting through the tall glass windows. When she first set off to find her mother, she didn't plan on staying long, therefore she hadn't planned out where she'd stay. However, she soon spotted a leather couch with a blanket on it near the back of the library, and figured it would be better than nothing.

And so, Mal lay down on the couch, her mind swarmed with thoughts about the past twenty four hours. Her mother was dying, that was obvious, and that meant that she didn't have long to figure out how to save her and her old friends. So, as the sun finally set and night fell over Auradon, Mal got up and began searching the library for books, or something to help her.

Little did she know that on the other side of the town, news about her was rising. Evie hurried down the cobble streets, a tablet clutched against her chest as her heels clicked against the pavement. She'd perfected the art of running in heels, just to prevent a cinderella disaster from happening. As she reached the familiar view of the castle, she was greeted by Jay at the gates, allowing her to walk into the royal gardens.

"I didn't realise who it was at first, but when I saw them hurry out of the shop I thought they were shoplifting, so I checked the security camera footage," Evie explained in a rush, "It was her. Mal is back."

"Evie, are you one hundred percent sure of this?" Jay asked hesitantly.

"See it for yourself," Evie replied, putting the tablet in Jay's hands and starting the video. Evie was right, it was Mal.

"Carlos is waiting for us inside," Jay said as he handed the tablet back, the two friends walking up the steps of the palace and into the grand foyer, guarded by two royal guards in dark blue uniforms.

At the sight of Jay, the two guards parted to let the two friends inside. Although Jay had grown used to the palace life, Evie was still taken aback by the sheer beauty of it all. It seemed that she was the only one to still remember the slums of the Isle, and sometimes she still wondered if it was still like that.

"We can use the first floor study, no one goes there," Jay explained as Carlos approached them, the three eventually making their way to said room.

The first floor study was mostly used as a recreation room for the guards and staff in the palace. Carlos had spent the last few years training the palace dogs, therefore leaving Evie as the only one unfamiliar to the palace. Of course, she'd delivered a few gowns for Cuore before, but she'd eventually learned that the overbearing palace life wasn't for her, and she was much happier behind a sewing machine.

"So, what did you find?" Carlos asked, sitting on the ledge of the table in the middle of the room, crossing his legs together. More often than not, he still resembled the skittish sixteen year old he once was.

"Well, we have video footage to prove that Mal was in my store," Evie explained, handing the tablet over to Carlos, "She's back, but we can't figure out why."

"Has something big happened in Auradon recently?" Carlos asked, "Like a runaway robber or something?"

"The only noteworthy thing around here recently has been Ben and Cuore," Evie explained with an eye roll, her eyes going wide in realisation, "You guys don't think she's back for Ben do you?"

"Unlikely," Jay replied as he leant against the table, "She made it pretty clear that she was done with Ben last time we saw her."

"Feelings can change," Evie pointed out.

"I doubt it, it's Mal we're talking about," Jay argued, "The only solution I can see is to inform the other guards to keep an eye out for her."

"We can't put her on the wanted list," Carlos argued, "As far as we know she's only passing through town. Nothing's happened yet, so I don't see why we're getting so-"

The trio were interrupted by someone opening the door to the study. They turned around to find Ben, with tired eyes and in his pajamas, looking around in confusion.

"This isn't the kitchen?" he yawned, Evie stifling her giggles before he could hear her.

"Nope, but I'm guessing you just woke up," Carlos laughed, his dimples making him look years younger than he really was.

"Had a nap," Ben explained tiredly, "I should probably go back to bed though."

"I'll take you," Jay offered, leading Ben out of the room, "Evie and Carlos, I'll talk to you later."

"You better," Evie grumbled as she crossed her arms, "The King isn't the only one who needs his beauty sleep."

And so, the trio spent the rest of their night looking for clues about Mal in the footage, coming up blank and therefore resulting in them falling asleep on the desks in the room. Mal didn't have much luck either, ending up also falling asleep in an unfamiliar room. However, all four of the former villains woke up to four chimes from the church bell tower not too far from the palace. Evie and Jay looked at each other in worry, knowing exactly what the four chimes meant.

The chimes meant that someone in Auradon had died.