I know it's only been a few days, but I hope I didn't take too long. Enjoy.

Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.

I'd like to thank the following users for the most recent reviews: DragonEmperor999, xez2003, Mustang52, ceara1888, Pnk fan, Bobba, The 007, EroSlackerMicha, Guest(s)

To Mustang52: Man, you are really loving all the Bal in this story, aren't you? Well, I'm happy to satisfy.

To ceara1888: Well, my series is all about hardship and the consequences of your actions. Peace is not easily accomplished in my series, but that is for story purposes.

To Guest (the one who talked about Harriet and Clay): A little too late to be talking about Clay, don't you think (considering what happened in the previous chapter)? But regarding the physical descriptions of Harriet and Clay, I re-edited Chapter 14, specifically the part where Harriet, Clay, and Anthony were introduced. I added physical descriptions for all three of them. Hope you're satisfied.

To Pnk fan: A big Marlos fan, huh? Well, so am I. That's why I wrote a Marlos love story for "Ways To Be Wicked". And believe me, if I could make Mal and Carlos endgame, I would, but this series is targeted for the biggest fan bases, and there's no Descendants fan base bigger than the Bal fan base. But don't worry. Mal still loves Carlos, it's just that she's trying to move on. What happened between Mal and Carlos in "Ways To Be Wicked" was powerful, pure, and definitely true love. But Mal was too caught up on being hard on herself. And yup, Evie really needs to get it under control. Then again, one chapter in "Ways To Be Wicked" was titled Blue Envy and it was about Evie's feelings about Carlos dating Mal. There's a reason I chose that title.

To The 007: Well, thank Ben for that.

To EroSlackerMicha: It was a lose-lose situation, if you really think about it.

It's always awkward if Ben and Mal start fighting with witnesses around. This time, the poor unfortunate souls who have to listen to the two former lovers yell at one another are Belle and Beast. Mal and Ben were arguing in Ben's room while the two parents were listening through the door. They wanted to ignore it at first, but as parents, they were concerned about Ben's well-being, and as former leaders of the kingdom, they were worried about Mal's behavior. It wasn't pretty so far and it sounded like it was only gonna get uglier. Yet, their ears are still against the door.

"Are we doing the right thing here, Adam?" Belle asked quietly. "It's just a lover's spat. It'll blow over."

"That's our son in there, Belle," Beast reminded her. "If it gets way too heated in there, then we barge in."

"Let's not barge in. Let's just calmly open the door," said Belle.

Beast nodded at his wife as the two continued to listen in on the argument between their son and their would-have-been daughter-in-law.

"I'm not gonna apologize for saving you," said Ben.

"No, but you can apologize for saving Uma," Mal said angrily.

"I didn't want you to cross that line," Ben argued.

"Oh, I've crossed that line a long time ago, Bennyboo," Mal said darkly.

Belle covered her mouth as she giggled. That nickname really amused her, despite the fact that it came from a suck-up princess whose name is Audrey.

"You let Uma get away when I could've ended it there," said Mal.

"Mal, this is more than just taking a life," said Ben. "You wanted to make Uma suffer, to make her beg for her life."

"No, I wanted her to beg for death," Mal corrected.

"That's exactly my point!" Ben exclaimed. "What is wrong with you? I know you like to hurt people if they anger you, but what I saw earlier today, that was someone else entirely."

"Well, you can say I am someone else entirely," Mal said as she gestured to her new black leather jacket.

"Okay, let me see if I can recall what you told me earlier," Ben said. "You stored the Dragon's Egg magic inside your mother's necklace, kept it hidden from us, and then used it to power up your mother's scepter, which you stole from the museum, and that just triggered another transformation?"

"Ben, I can't change the color of my jacket even if I wanted to," said Mal.

Mal tried to revert her jacket back to her signature purple, but no matter how hard she tried, the color black covered every spot of purple in an instant.

"It's who I am now, Ben," said Mal. "I'm still the same, but now I have the will to do what is necessary."

"How is this any different from when you died and came back?" Ben asked.

"It's different because dying destroyed my inhibitions and gave me a new vision of life," said Mal. "What makes it different now, besides my black clothing, which I actually kinda like since there's still some purple in there, is that I have a better understanding of my own inhibitions and how to act upon my understanding. Maybe the scepter corrupted my mind a little, but be glad I'm aware of that. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and all that stuff. What could be worse than me not being aware of my own corruption?"

"Mal, we all just saw what you did to Clay," Ben reminded her. Earlier, someone left Clay's motionless body for everyone to see. "I can't even fathom... the horror in all our faces... is he even alive?"

"His heart's still beating. He just can't do anything," said Mal. "See? I have my personal restrictions."

"Mal, I know you're bad, but how can you not see the horrors of what you do?" Ben questioned.

"I grew up on the Isle, Ben," said Mal. "If you really want to understand my people, remember where they're from. Maybe VKs can forget about that past, but the past will never forget about us. Why do you think Uma is still doing all this after an entire year of an opportunity to be good?"

"What about you?" asked Ben. "You had an entire year to think about who you want to be to your friends. Maybe you have gotten better, what with Carlos and re-adjusting here to Auradon, but you still put on this mysterious persona that insists on making it nearly impossible for everyone understand and predict her."

"You know why I do that, Ben?" Mal questioned. "I do it because I'm trying to block as much of the ugliness inside me as I can while still being as me as I can. But now I can't block the ugliness."

"There's ugly in all of us, Mal," said Ben.

"But the difference is that I'm not afraid to show my ugly side, as clear as possible," said Mal. "All of you... you'd rather be your best selves. I'm just being who my gut tells me to be, no matter how painful it is for myself."

"Mal, how many more transformations do you have to go through until you start thinking about how we think about it?" asked Ben.

"You think I don't think about what you think, Ben?" Mal replied. "Okay, so maybe I didn't the first, but you guys kept me prisoner in the library! I tried to make things right even if I would still be ticking people off. And yes, I did think about all of you when I stole my mom's scepter from the museum. I knew I was gonna be different after I grabbed it and united it with the new Dragon's Eye. But after what Jay and Evie did during that whole ocean war stuff... I don't know, Ben. I'm running out of options."

"You keep worrying about poisoning the lives of those you care deeply about, but now you're just doing that to yourself," said Ben.

"Yes, Ben. If anyone should be infected with my darkness, then it should be me," said Mal. "Evie shouldn't be stabbing people like a lunatic. Jay shouldn't be stealing something as huge as a merman king's trident. Carlos shouldn't be subjected to any more harm; he's had too much in his life. I reap what I sow."

"So, you believe making yourself suffer will help anyone?" asked Mal.

"I wouldn't say I'm suffering from what I'm putting myself through, but if it means everyone's hands stay clean, so be it," said Mal.

"What's the point of subjecting yourself to this much darkness if no one would ever see who for you want them to see you as?" Ben questioned.

This got into Mal's nerves, as she looked like she was trying to repress her anger.

"Why you wise, noble, kindhearted, virtuous son of a..."

Mal was cut off when Beast opened the door with force. There was no way he was gonna let Mal insult his son in such a provocative and unspeakable manner.

"Beast," Mal finished. "I was gonna say beast."

"Young lady, you and I need to have a word," said Beast. "Belle, be sure Ben's ears are still clean."

"I didn't bring any cotton buds," said Belle.

"I didn't meant literally clean," said Beast.

Beast asks Mal to follow him out of the room, leaving Ben with his mother. Belle jokingly checked Ben's ears for any "stain" from Mal's language. Ben silently laughed. His mother constantly insists on being funny when it's not really necessary, but that's one of the reasons she is a good mother and a good person to everyone.

"Mom, I'm used to Mal's obscene language at this point," said Ben.

"Even if, no one should talk like that," said Belle.

"Agreed," said Ben.

"Ben, where's your ring?" Belle asked, noticing that Ben is not wearing his signet ring.

"Mal took it from me before she blew up the yacht," Ben answered. "Apparently, she's... ready... to start over. Well, maybe now she's not ready again. I didn't ask her. Too busy..."

"Fighting," said Belle.

"I love her so much, mom," Ben said sadly. "But I just don't know if I can ever really accept her for who she keeps believing she is."

"Well, I don't know exactly how to help you with that. Honestly, she's quite the enigma these days," said Belle.

"You have no idea," said Ben.

"I think the best you can do is support her unless you feel you have to help her," said Belle.

"She almost killed Uma, mom," Ben reminded her. "I feel like I should always be trying to help her, but she keeps on being stubborn."

"Okay, I give up. I don't understand her anymore," said Belle. "My brain hurts."

"Everyone's brain is hurting because of her, mom," said Ben.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ ROTTEN TO THE CORE ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Mal follows Beast to Ben's office. It used to be Beast's office when he was king, of course, butt now that his son is the king, Ben owns the office. Beast sits down behind his son's desk and asks Mal to sit down on the other chair. Beast was not happy and pretty much every person would not want to see him unhappy. Mal, however, just looked at him with a blank expression on her face. Beast was kinda disappointed that he couldn't intimidate her.

"I know you mean well, Mal, in your own way," said Beast.

"We're starting to understand each other," Mal said sarcastically.

"But you don't have to act like a mystery around my son," said Beast. "Is there something wrong with just trying to be open about who you are?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with it," said Mal. "It's just I don't want everyone to fully understand me."

Beast facepalms as he sighs. He was beginning to understand how difficult it is to deal with this brand new Mal. No wonder Ben complains so much, Beast thought.

"Let's go with something simple then," said Beast. "Why take Uma's life? Surely, my son would want to help her."

"He already tried. Hell, we all tried," said Mal. "But she can't let go of the past. She still wants revenge for all those years she was abandoned and treated like dirt."

"But we let her come here," said Beast. "We gave her a chance to find a new life, to see the benefits of not being evil, yet you're telling me she won't stop this war because she was..." Beast's words trailed on. "A prisoner on the Isle... without proper love... surviving off rotten food... and she wouldn't have been through all that suffering if... if..."

"Three... two... one... and now," Mal counted, predicting something specific coming.

"If I hadn't ignored all the villain kids all these years," Beast said as he slumped on his seat.

Mal seemed satisfied with herself. For the longest time, no one has called out King Beast on his decision to ignore the VKs in the first place. It was only when Ben became king that the VKs were given a chance, not during King Beast's reign. Beast can suddenly feel his heart weighing down so much that it might as well have crumbled from the pressure.

"Well, good to know it wasn't completely my fault," Mal smirked. "But don't worry. I'm not holding any grudges. I don't blame you. I mean, considering how horrible our parents were, you could only imagine how their children would be."

"But I shouldn't have thought like that," said Beast. "I never thought about the villain kids because of, well, what you just said. But I should've known better. I thought villain kids were just future villains, but the real villain here... is me."

Mal drops the smirk as she actually feels kinda guilty for making Beast feel like this.

"Maybe, but there's no changing the past," said Mal.

Beast continues to sulk behind the desk. Clearly, the realization that he is responsible for the villain kids' misery hit him like a sack of bricks to the back. Ouch, Mal thought.

"Adam, you may be responsible, but it's not all on you," said Mal. "I mean, sure, we all suffered in our own way growing up on the Isle. Evie spent ten years alone in a castle with her mother and grew up obsessed with beauty. Jay was one hell of a kleptomaniac, the best of us. Carlos was a slightly autistic nerd with cynophobia, and plenty of other phobias, because of an abusive mother. Uma became a very, very, very angry witch. Gil was and is still an idiotically dimwitted dunderhead. Freddie was a princess of mischief among the mischievous. The Hook siblings are, in each their own way, crazy. And me, I'm... ha-ha... I'm insane."

"You're not insane, Mal," said Beast.

"I started torturing other VKs just for the fun of it when I was 3. I find amusement in other people's pain; I still do. I torched Auroria and Neverland. I hurt my friends physically, mentally, and emotionally for revenge. I killed 2 of my own people, half-killed one just recently, and I enjoyed it," Mal enumerated. "How am I not insane?"

"Because you are capable of love, Mal," said Beast. "You still love my son. You can never be truly insane when you love Ben that much."

"Well, keep believing that," said Mal. "But I do love your son, very much. That's why I'm wearing this again." She showed him the gold signet ring on her finger.

"I do still wish you could be an official part of the family," Beast said sincerely.

"Me too, Adam. Me too," said Mal.

At the very wide lakes next to the Enchanted Wood, there sailed The Lost Revenge. The ship was seriously understaffed right now. With the pirates captured, Ginny's betrayal, and whatever the heck happened to Clay, the only ones on the ship are just Uma, Harry, Gil, Harriet, and Anthony. The captain stared at the trees as she held the magic trident in her hand tightly.

"I can't believe we had to leave the crew behind," Uma said angrily.

"Hey, you made me leave my crew behind on the Isle," Harriet reminded her.

"But look on the bright side, we have the trident," said Gil. "We make our wish and our crew will be free."

"As much as I would despise the idea of concurring with Gil, he's correct," said Harry.

"I am?" asked Gil, surprised.

"All we have to do is open the door and organize our evil wish," said Harry. "Once it's granted, our brethren will be free and our reign begins."

"As long as we have this..." Uma gestured to the trident. "Our victory is assured."

"But what about the younger pirate?" Anthony asked, referring to CJ. "She's got a knack for dramatic timing, right?"

"Harriet's right. Imagine it. There we are, in the cave, making our wish. Just when we think we've won, CJ comes swinging from some king of rope that she probably tied to the ceiling to make some dramatic entrance," said Gil.

"We'll be expecting her, as well as Mal's party," said Uma. "Our victory may be certain, but the fight's not over yet."

"I hate to sound pessimistic, but Mal looked different back there," said Harriet. "And I don't just mean the clothes. I think she's gotten darker, crueler, maybe eviler. She did just try to kill you."

"Don't have to remind me," Uma said as she rubbed her back. It was still sore from before. "But you're right, Harriet. Mal has her mother's trident now. Maybe it turned her into more like her mother, minus the horns and the cloak clearly. She looked more powerful and she was definitely ready to end me had Ben not stopped her."

"Why would he stop her?" Anthony wondered.

"Because Ben is Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes, remember?" Uma reminded. "If Mal really is like her mother now, go figures Ben would try to stop her from being like her mother."

"So, basically, Ben will help us stop Mal from killing you?" Gil asked.

"He'll want her to settle this peacefully or just spare my life if she wins the next fight," said Uma. "But now that I have the trident, I won't lose."

"You did kinda lose back there," said Gil.

Uma grunted, annoyed. "Someone hit. Ginny's here to do it."

Harriet did the favor, smacking Gil across the face.

"Ow!" Gil cried. "That hurt, but you don't hit like Ginny."

Harriet hits him harder.

"No. No. It still doesn't feel the same," Gil said, sounding as if he missed Ginny's way of hitting him.

"Miss her already?" Harry questioned.

"Well, her hitting is kinda like our friendship thing," said Gil.

"I'm surprised you two don't sip tea and sing songs about ponies together," Uma said sarcastically. "Ginny betrayed us, Gil. She chose to save Jay at the cost of her life, like a hero."

"Ginny's not dead, right?" asked Gil.

"I-I don't know," said Uma. "But we'll find out when we get to the well."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ ROTTEN TO THE CORE ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Gil leaned towards the railing and stared at two flamingos in love in the water. The two flamingos leaned at each other lovingly. Their beaks and necks formed the shape of a heart. Gil was familiar with this sight from TV. It only made him think of Sophie, which made him think of the kiss she gave him.

A hand was waved in front of his face. That hand belonged to Harriet. She did this for a minute, but Gil still stared at the flamingos. So, Harriet punches him in the back of the head.

"Still don't think I can hit like Ginny?" Harriet asked sarcastically.

"When Ginny does it, she does it with some emotion. Hate and love combined," said Gil. "You're just hitting me."

"What, you think you and Ginny have this frenemy kind of bond?" Harriet questioned. She rolled her eyes.

"I've never seen anyone who would harm another out of respect. It's always anger and hatred," said Anthony.

"Well, I wasn't even thinking about Ginny," said Gil. "Although, she is part of the reason I'm thinking what I think I'm thinking now. I think."

"It's about Sophie, isn't it?" Harriet guessed. "Yes, Ginny has informed me of your so-called love for her. And I saw her kiss you. You were frozen stiff afterwards."

"Well, it was just a kiss from a pretty girl," said Gil.

"Look, Gil. One of our just betrayed us," said Harriet. "The only reason I'm not telling Uma about that kiss is because you're too damn loyal to betray her. Just be sure you know which side you're on when we get to the cave. 'Cause if you think about abandoning ship, it won't just be Uma who will have to deal with you. I may be #3 on the VK Evil Ranking, but I can be worse than Mal and Uma if I want to."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ ROTTEN TO THE CORE ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

In the captain's quarters, Uma was sitting on her throne, fiddling with the trident in her hand. It still felt surreal to her. She had wanted this for so long. She almost had it last year when she fixed her mother's necklace and found it within the waters of the Isle of the Lost, only to lose it to Mal. But now, here she is, holding it in her hand. The link between it and her mother's necklace, the power flowed through her and it was a good feeling. She felt more powerful than before, powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Mal like the bad old days (she still can't forget about the humiliating sword fight at Dragon Point last year).

"There she is. The Queen of the Seas," Harry said as he entered the room.

"Shouldn't you be taking the wheel?" Uma said.

"Harriet will take care of it," said Harry. "And I had to see you, my luv. I thought maybe my presence would make this triumphant moment worthwhile."

"Well, you're not wrong," Uma said with a loving smirk on her face.

Harry touches the trident with his hook. To think, one of the most powerful magical objects is now in the hands of the crew of The Lost Revenge (although it wasn't as much of a crew now, much less a small VK gang).

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Uma.

"Not as much as you, my captain," Harry said in his own charming way.

"You overestimate my appearances, Harry," said Uma.

"If I was, then I'm a fool," said Harry. "We both know I'm not."

Uma curls her pinky around Harry's hook. It was one of their favorite flirtatious gestures, and it's not gonna go away even if their relationship is official. Official. The word made Uma think.

"Harry, are you sure you're ready for us?" She asked nervously.

"I've been ready for a long time, Uma," said Harry. "I'm just waiting for you to be."

"Do you promise to always stand by my side?" asked Uma.

"Always," Harry said as a breath of love escaped his lips.

"Do you swear it?" asked Uma.

"I swear from the bottom of my heart," Harry answered as he placed his hook on his chest where his heart is.

"How much are you willing to give up for us?" asked Uma.

"The whole world, luv," Harry answered.

Uma smiled uncontrollably. Then she did what she didn't think she would do on today of all days. She leaned forward and smashed her lips against Harry's. Harry quickly gave in and kissed her with so much passion. And Harry was quite the passionate guy, so this kiss is not just your everyday kiss.

"Hey, Uma, I..."

That was Gil, who was entering the room. Uma and Harry stopped kissing when they heard him. And now the room is silent and filled with awkwardness.

"I'll, uh, I'll close the door," said Gil.

Gil left the room and made sure to close the door.

Back at Beast Castle, in the living room, Fairy God Mother was using her magic to heal Ginny's injuries. The daughter of Mother Gothel was still injured from the magic blast that Uma fired from the trident. She lied down unconscious on the couch as the other AKs and VKs watched. Evie, meanwhile, was looking into her Magic Mirror. Carlos and Lonnie take a look and see that the blue-haired narcissist has found Uma. She was currently sailing The Lost Revenge across the conveniently large lake next to the Enchanted Wood.

"Well, about time this thing finally worked," said Evie. The mirror didn't work when she tried to look for Uma's ship and when Mal disappeared after the yacht explosion. "Too bad it had to be when Uma is so close to victory."

"We'll stop her," said Carlos. "Question is, how long are we gonna sit here until we're ready to make a move."

"Until Mal or Ben say we can go," said Evie.

"Well, they're the bosses of us," Carlos replied.

"How's your leg?" Evie asked, looking at the bandage on the boy's leg.

"It's just a thumbtack wound. I've had worse. I'd pull up my sleeve just to prove it, but I know how much you hate looking at them," said Carlos, referring to the M-shaped scars on his shoulder.

"Mal did what she did to Clay all because you're marked," Evie said softly, still dreading the scars on Carlos' shoulders. "Never thought I'd be happy that you have those scars."

"That's why I never asked her to remove them," said Carlos.

"I'm sure she'd protect you even if you didn't have those scars," said Evie.

"I know, but I guess you can say the scars have sentimental value," said Carlos.

Fairy God Mother had finished sprinkling healing sparkles all over Ginny's body. All they have to do now is wait until Fairy God Mother's magic completely heals her.

"She should wake up in a few hours," said Fairy God Mother.

"Thank you," Jay said gratefully.

"The was very heroic of her, risking her life to save you, Jay," said Fairy God Mother. "I'm actually impressed and quite surprised. I heard you're not the type to give emotional pep talks."

"Hey, I have my moments," Jay said with a little arrogance.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Lonnie said as she playfully elbowed her boyfriend on the gut.

"So, are we good?" asked Jay. "I mean, I got Ginny to save me. I think I'm getting through to her. Surely, you must be impressed."

"Well, I can't say I forgive you for stealing the trident... yet... but I can say, you're the best, Jay," said Lonnie.

Lonnie kisses Jay on the cheek. Jay smiled at her with that smooth look in his eyes. Lonnie just smiled a little smile at him, telling him that they're on their way to patching things up.

"So, I hate to ask, but where's Clay's body right now?" asked Jane.

"He's not exactly dead, so you don't have to say Clay's body. Just say Clay," said Evie.

"In a coffin... with a few holes punched in for oxygen," said Fairy God Mother. "That way, he can still breathe..."

"If he can even breathe," Jay joked.

"And for us to not have to look at him," Fairy God Mother finished.

"Tell me about it. I think I'm gonna have nightmares of Clay's immobile body for the next month," said Doug.

"I'm gonna be seeing that dead face in my dreams for the next year," said Dude, traumatized.

"I know we have the right to know what happened to Clay, but who would show us his, well, not-quite-dead body?" Audrey wondered.

The answer of Audrey's question came crashing in through the window, shouting "Ahoy!" Swinging down from a rope and landing in style is CJ Hook. She reached behind her back and took out Clay's shotgun. She just tossed it down, deciding not to keep it.

"Guns aren't my thing," said CJ.

"Did you have to break the window?" Chad questioned. "And how did you not get hurt doing that? This isn't a movie."

"Wait, you were the one who left the body in the kitchen?" Evie asked the blonde pirate.

"Well, no way I was keeping it. It looked so dead," said CJ. "Is he dead?"

"His heart's still beating," Jane answered.

"Wow. Mal really outdid herself with fates-worth-than-death stuff," said CJ.

"What do you want, CJ?" Evie asked as she drew her sword.

"Ooh, Evie's gone feisty. Guess Mal's really gotten into your head. I like it," said CJ. "Well, believe it or not, I'm not here to fight."

"Then what else could you be here for?" asked Fairy God Mother.

"I... I want my brother back, and I want your help," CJ admitted.

WHHHAAAAAAAAAAAATTT?! (Lol sorry, but if I someone else wrote what CJ just said, I would have lost my mind due to so many questions in my head)

Just so you know, we're nearing the end of the story. I mean, Uma finally has the trident and that's beena big part of her plan in this whole story, so... Just one more chapter before we get to the big one. There are a few things I need (and want) to explore in the next chapter, such as why CJ just showed up at the end of this chapter.