What is Mal doing in Charmington, you may ask? Well, you're about to find out. Read and enjoy.

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

I'd like to thank the following users for reviewing the previous chapter: DragonEmperor999, Quartz Rider, MaliceMalAmyMalevFaery, xez2003, Mustang52, TheGreatGodzilla, CarvieCamfia

To CarvieCamfia: In case you didn't read the note at the end of the last chapter, I said that Carlos' red eyes thing will be explored in a future story, not future chapter. I'm sorry, but I needed to inform you.

To TheGreatGodzilla: Okay, I understand despising Mal for all the evil that she's committed, but beheading is just... yikes.

Ten months ago...

Mal and Evie were strutting down the streets of the Isle of Lost, scaring little kids along the way. One little girl hid her face with her doll. Two boys threw themselves in the dumpster and closed the lid. A group of kids gave them their money in exchange for their lives.

"This is a good feeling, actually," said Evie. "Being feared. I can see why you revel in it."

"That's all that matters here on the Isle of the Lost, E. Fear," said Mal. "If you want to survive, you're gonna have scare your way to the top."

"Well, it seems easy for you," said Evie.

"Only because of who my mother is," Mal muttered.

"And is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Evie asked.

"We're not here to share parental issues. We're here so that I can help you get to the top," said Mal. "A high EQ and a spot on my gang doesn't mean you're one of the baddest, not yet. As an individual, you still have a lot to learn."

"Well, whatever you have in store for me, I can take it," said Evie.

"You consider yourself manipulative, right?" Mal asked.

"Well, I have the beauty that comes with it," said Evie, twirling one of her little braids.

"Then I have the right challenge for you," said Mal.

Mal leads Evie to Gaston's Duels Without Rules, where Gaston sells hunting weapons and his children challenge the toughest goons of the Isle of the Lost. Gaston the Second was currently fighting Big Murph, a rather large pirate from Captain Hook's crew. The fight ends with Gaston II jumping and slamming his elbow on Big Murph's stomach.

"Ouch," Evie reacted. "You're not gonna make me go in there, are you?"

"No, I want you turn this event in your favor," said Mal.

"How do I do that?" asked Evie.

"Manipulation," said Mal. "If you really fancy yourself a master of that, then you have to prove it to me."

Evie reads Mal's lips and listens carefully. She takes a look around of the place, trying to study the place and find a way to take advantage. The next match was Gaston II against his brother, Gaston III. People were betting on who will win the fight. Evie feels an imaginary light bulb pop in her head at the sight of this. She winks at Mal before moving in.

Two minutes later, Mal and Evie come running out of the shop with a boatload of coins in their hands. The angry gamblers chased them, demanding their money back. The two girls used Carlos' secret entrance into his mother's dressing room to hide. As they listened to the angry mob outside run past Hell Hall, they laughed evilly together, celebrating their getaway.

"Oh, those twins are so gullible," said Evie.

"Flirting with them, tricking them into handing over all the money that was bet on them, you are as manipulative as you claim your are," Mal complimented her. "You make me proud, E."

"Words our own mothers never speak to us," Evie said with a frown.

"Forget them," said Mal. "It's the two of us now. With my savvy and your wits, we'll be the most feared bad girls on the Isle."

"Being feared does make a girl feel powerful," Evie admitted. "Just yesterday, a couple of kids gave up all their money to me before running away in terror. I guess being the Evil Queen's daughter has its benefits."

Mal chuckled in amusement. "Last week, Sammy Smee and a friend of his threw themselves in a trash can as soon as they saw me in a bad mood. Just watching them be scared silly cheered me up a bit."

"So, what are you gonna do with your half of the money?" Evie asked.

"I have a couple of people in mind who owe me favors. If a little torture won't compel them, maybe bribing them will," Mal answered. "You?"

"I think I'll just give half of my share to Dizzy, the poor girl," said Evie.

"Okay, giving Carlos a pillow was good enough, but supplying money to a little girl's failing business is just being too good," said Mal.

"I know we're villains, but I think it's fair to, at least, do favors to, well, since you hate the word friend, I'll just say, acquaintance," said Evie.

"You are such a princess, Evie," Mal said half-disrespectfully. "But I appreciate that, in my own way. Your idiosyncrasies equal that of a unique kind of villain."

"Does that mean we're friends now?" Evie asked eagerly.

"Don't push it, Princess Blueberry," said Mal. "Until I say so, partners-in-crime will do for now."

"Can I give you a hug?" Evie asked nervously. "I know it's frowned upon here, but then again, you broke the rule by being nice to me."

"Okay, just this once," said Mal.

Evie gives Mal a hug, which the latter returned reluctantly. The two teenagers girls have become closer ever since their adventure to the Isle of the Doomed. Evie sees Mal like the sister she's never had before, while Mal secretly thinks of Evie as the best friend she's ever had since Uma and Mad Maddy. However, her bond with Evie was something else. They didn't just respect each other for their respective evil specialties. They respected each other simply for who they are. Although Mal would never admit it, she cared about Evie. Evie, meanwhile, had no issue with being open about how much she cares, which Mal secretly appreciates.

"Okay, that's enough," said Mal, exiting the hug. "Don't expect another one ever again."

"I may not be your friend, but you are my friend," said Evie. "So, you'll be expecting another one from me someday."

"Hug me again and I'll burn all of your dresses," Mal threatened.

Evie chuckled in response, thinking that Mal was joking. The daughter of Maleficent sighed and rolled her eyes, but smiled. Evie's mild-mannered personality clashes with her down-to-earth demeanor, and the feeling was pleasant, meaning that she would rather have Evie as a friend rather than as an enemy.


Evie finally wakes up from a deep sleep that lasted who-knows-how-long. After rubbing her eyes, she opens them and the first thing she sees is her best friend, or rather former best friend, Mal. She stood there, looking down at her with a sinister smirk on her face. Evie then eyes her surroundings. They were in some sort of cave that seemed familiar to her. After taking a moment to remember, it hit her.

"This is one of the underground tunnels that the Seven Dwarfs dug," she said.

"Correct," Mal said, confirming her guess.

"W-Where are the others?" Evie asked, worried.

"Oh, they're somewhere here," said Mal vaguely.

Evie's concerned look was replaced with mild anger. "If you hurt them..."

"Don't worry. They're fine, for now," said Mal. "Carlos, however, he's not looking so hot right now. Oops, wrong choice of words."

Evie's anger was becoming even more transparent. "If you so much as scratched him..."

"Calm down, Evie," said Mal. "Have you wondered why I separated you from your friends? Well, I needed a contestant, and who better to play my next game than my best friend?"

"Me, your best friend?" Evie questioned. "If I was your best friend, then you wouldn't have turned your back on me."

"Oh, no. You don't get to pin that on me. You were the one who schemed to trap me in the library, remember?" Mal reminded her.

"Mal, I get that you're really, really, really mad about that, but turning on me, on Ben, on your friends, on Auradon is too much," said Evie. "All this death... all this chaos... it has to stop. Mal, I'm begging you, please come home."

"Sorry, but I'm having way too much fun," said Mal, speaking in the cold, spine-chilling tone that made Evie feel like she's been spooked by a ghost.

"Mal, you're sick," said Evie with concern.

"That's exactly what Carlos said to me," said Mal.

"And he's right," said Evie. "Mal, I know you better than anyone else. All this evil, it isn't who you are."

"I guess I was wrong when I said you didn't know me well. You don't know me at all," Mal replied.

"I know that your favorite color is purple. I know that you love hip-hop and rock-and-roll. I know that you hate group hugs. I know that you like to sneak out to the Enchanted Lake whenever you have trouble sleeping. And I know that you keep a diary under your bed," said Evie.

"What's the cover design?" Mal asked, testing Evie's claims.

"A black cover with your symbol. Two dragons. One purple. One green. They join together to form a heart," Evie answered as she shaped a heart with her hands. "Like I said, I know you better than anyone. You're my best friend, Mal. I never gave up on you, and I never will. Why do you think I'm trying to reach out to you now?"

"Evie, that's very touching," said Mal, looking as if she's trying to hold back her tears. "Honestly, you're making want to hug you."

"Go ahead," Evie said with her arms wide open, waiting for her friend to come closer.

"But I've made my choice, and you can't make me turn back, not when I'm so close to figuring out who I am, what I am, and what I have to do," said Mal.

Evie's hopes dropped as her arms did, feeling disappointed at herself and at Mal. For a second, she thought she was finally getting through to Mal. Alas, she could not wake up the compassion and the longing for friendship within Mal.

"I do miss you Evie, I really do," Mal said honestly. "You. Me. Jay. Carlos. After everything we've been through together, there will always be a part of me that misses what we had."

"Then come home," Evie begged.

"I'm sorry, E, but I'm afraid I can't do that, mostly because I don't want to," said Mal.

Mal picks up Evie's scabbard, draws her sword, and gives it to the blue-haired narcissist.

"What's this for?" Evie asked.

"Since I know you won't willingly play my game, this is the best kind of persuasion I can come up with," said Mal, drawing her own sword. "If you win, I let you and everyone else go unharmed. If I win, you have to play. But we both know you can't beat me."

"Doesn't mean I can't try," said Evie.

Evie holds her sword with both hands, but hesitated to move, clearly not wanting to fight. Mal takes a step forward, which causes Evie to flinch. Mal smirked because she knew she would react like that. To taunt Evie, Mal simply strikes her sword. She circles around Evie, who follows, before striking her sword again, trying to goad her into swinging back.

Evie takes a swing, but Mal blocks it. She grabs Evie's arm and throws her to the side, making her lose balance. Evie stops her nerves from shaking and slowly removes one hand from the handle. She started swinging at Mal, who had a grin on her face, obviously glad to see her opponent finally put up a fight. After clashing blades for half a minute, the two girls catch each other in a lock. Mal does a flip to the right and lands a hit on Evie's leg, leaving a small cut. Evie reacts to this, causing her to leave a wide opening. Mal strikes Evie's sword off her hand and hits her in the head with the handle, knocking her down.

Once Mal pointed the tip of her sword at her nose, Evie raises both her hands, surrendering.

"Well, I guess it's time for the real game to begin," said Mal, putting her sword back in her scabbard.

Mal leads Evie down the tunnel until they reached a crossroad. One path to the left and one to the right.

Mal begins to explain the details of her game. "To the left, Jay, Lonnie, Freddie, Jane, and Doug are trapped behind a wall surrounded by pixie dust mixed with my own sleeping spell. Exposed for too long and they will be sleeping for a very, very long time. To the right, you'll find Carlos tied to a chair, hanging over a pit of fire, and the rope keeping the chair hanging is breaking as we speak."

Evie gasped with horror. Considering the atrocities that Mal has caused since her descent to evil, it should be no surprise that she's willing to cross any line. However, considering that the people Mal is threatening right now are people she cares about, Evie's concern and fear are justified, especially since these people are ones Mal used to care about.

"There's no way I can save both of them, is there?" Evie guessed.

"You have one choice, Evie," said Mal. "You can choose to either save five people about to fall to a sleep-like death or save one from being burned alive."

"I'm gonna say this one more to prove my point. Mal, you're sick," said Evie.

"Make your choice fast, Evie," Mal said, disregarding Evie's insult. "You have, by my count, three minutes before the pixie dust does its work and the rope keeping Carlos from being incinerated snaps. Oh, wait, I almost forgot to mention. Once your friends fall into a deep sleep, it'll set off the magical trigger I planted that will bury them down here forever."

Mal teases Evie with a smirk and a wave before magically vanishing, leaving Evie all alone to make probably the most difficult choice in her life. She puts a hand over chest as she breathes in and out faster than usual, wondering who, if she had the chance to save both, she would save first. Carlos or her other friends?


Meanwhile, The Lost Pearl was still out of the water and heading straight for Auradon City. CJ was at the wheel, toying with pixie dust, using the upgraded Pixie Dust Amulet. It was clear that she was eager to use its new power on the city. The rest of the crew were eager as well. Zevon was just aching to throw his potions at the people below. Ginny was shining her mother's dagger, which she once used to stab Flynn Rider. Gil tests his strength on the heaviest crate on the ship.

Harry, meanwhile, was serving lunch to Uma, who is now the lone prisoner on the ship. This time, he was serving her mashed potatoes and shrimp.

"Okay, I admit. The food here on Auradon is great," said Uma, munching on a shrimp.

"And yet, we're not getting soft," said Harry, laughing at the villains' belief that good food makes them soft.

"No, it's your sister doing that to you," said Uma.

"Excuse me?" Harry reacted.

"You really think all that touchy-touchy closeness is just her being a good sister?" Uma said, using air quotes when saying the word good. "She's trying to butter you up so you won't question her authority."

"That's not true, Uma," said Harry.

"Tell me. Is she any different than Harriet ever was?" Uma asked.

"She's the captain. It's her place to give orders," said Harry. "At least, unlike Harriet, she treats me like her blood."

"Harry, you may not know how to count, but you're smarter than this," said Uma, touching Harry's face affectionately. "Why do you think you're my favorite pirate? You're ruthless, unpredictable, and sharp-witted, I might add. Don't let CJ take away everything that makes you who you are."

"I'm still the same ruthless pirate I've always been," said Harry.

"Show me," Uma dared.

Uma slowly pulls Harry closer. Harry stares at Uma's lips as his was moved closer to them. Is this the moment he's been waiting for? Has he finally captured her heart?

Their lips move closer and closer until...


Evie was still standing in between the crossroads, unable to make a choice. If she chooses to save Carlos, she dooms Jay, Lonnie, Jane, Doug, and Freddie to an eternity of sleep and imprisonment. If she chooses to save them, she dooms Carlos to a slow, painful death. She was revolted by Mal for making her choose. No matter what she chooses, she's going to lose someone.

Just as Evie was about to break down from fear, panic, and too much thinking, she heard a loud, agonizing scream coming from the right passage.

"Carlos!" She cried.

Carlos was in pain, she can feel it. She had to make a choice now and it was a choice that she was going to regret very much. After taking a deep breath, she started running into the passage where she heard the scream. The passage was long, which made Evie more frightened of the three-minute deadline. She runs as fast as she can, heels and all, desperately looking for her friend.

"Please, be all right," she pleaded.

She made it to the end of the passage and into a cavern, only to be surprised by what she found. There was no pit of fire. There was only Carlos, tied up to a chair. The scar on his right shoulder was burning, which would explain the scream.

Evie quickly runs towards him and looks at him face-to-face with a smile, happy to see that he was all right, more or less.

"Hi," she greeted him happily.

"Hi," Carlos greeted her weakly, clearly in pain.

"I'm so glad you're alive," Evie said with joy as she hugged him tightly.

"Ow," Carlos reacted, feeling suffocated.

"Sorry," Evie apologized as she let go, but her smile remained.

Evie quickly begins to untie him.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Mal," Carlos answered. "She was here just a minute ago. She told me, I'm sorry, before, well, you know." He gestured to his burning scar.

"She lied to me," Evie said.

"Mal?" Carlos asked.

"She said you were hanging over a pit of fire," said Evie. "Why would she lie?"

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

Meanwhile, Jay was repeatedly pounding on the wall blocking entrance to the cavern he was trapped in, trying to break it. The pixie dust was starting to affect him and his friends as they yawn, feeling sleepy. Jay's punches were getting weaker as he felt sleepier with each passing second.

"Give it up, Mr. Athlete. It's no use," said Freddie pessimistically.

"Gotta... keep... trying," said Jay, speaking in between punches.

"Please hurry," Jane pleaded. "You heard the scream. It's from Carlos. I know it is."

"Judging by the volume, he's either not too far or he just screams really loud. I'm hoping it's the former," said Doug.

Lonnie draws her sword and attempts to cut open the wall, to no avail. Her swings weakened as her body did, meaning she was about to pass out any second.

"Stay with me, Lonnie," Jay begged, still punching the wall.

Just when the five friends were about to fall asleep, a sword pierces through the wall from the other side. An X was cut into the wall, followed by a kick that caused it to collapse. The five rejoiced to see their beloved king and friend, Ben, holding Excalibur in his hand.

"Ben! I'm so glad you're here," Jane cried.

Jane hugged Ben with joy, although she was also using him to keep her standing as she still felt like falling asleep.

"Good to see you too, Jane," said Ben, patting her in the back.

"Guys, look," Freddie said, pointing at the pixie dust. "The pixie dust, it's disappearing."

A few seconds later, the pixie dust vanished completely.

"That's odd," said Lonnie, yawning. "Oh, dear. I think I could use a nap."

"I think we all do," said Doug, feeling as tired as the rest. "Now I know how Sleepy feels."

Ben helps his friends out of the cavern just as they heard footsteps coming towards them. Ben keeps a firm grip on Excalibur, readying himself for hostiles. He and the rest relaxed and sigh with relief when they saw Evie, who was helping a weakened Carlos walk.

"Carlos!" Jane screamed happily.

The daughter of Fairy God Mother rushes towards her boyfriend and engulfs him in a big hug.

"Nice to see you, too," Carlos grunted, smothered by the hug. "But I think you're about to break a rib..."

"Oops! Sorry," Jane said, letting go of Carlos. "I'm so happy that you're okay. I was worried sick, like, really. I mean I was losing my mind. I didn't if you were alive or not. I was hoping that you were not dead. I was really afraid that you were..."

"Okay, Jane. Relax," Evie said, interrupting the babbling teenage girl. "He's been through a lot, I can tell."

Instead of a hug, Jane decides to kiss Carlos on the cheek, feeling that it is a better method of comfort. The smile on Carlos' face tells her that he liked it. He was about to collapse, until Jane caught him and helped him stand up, putting his arm around her as she put her arm around him.

Evie takes a moment to enjoy the sight of true love before facing her other friends. She walks straight to her boyfriend, Doug, and gives him a hug, which he returns. Doug wanted to tell Evie that she was hugging him too tightly, but decided against it, knowing that she was probably so worried about him that she wanted him as close to her as possible.

"I'm glad to see that you're all safe," said Evie happily.

"Thanks to Ben," said Jay. "And Excalibur? Where did you get that? I thought Uma hid it."

"It showed up on Arthur's doorstep without explanation, but he kindly lent it to me when I asked him for it," Ben answered. "Let me guess. Mal took you all down here."

"Obviously," Freddie replied after a yawn.

"But how did you know where were down here?" Jane asked the king.

"Someone left me an anonymous message on my phone," Ben answered. "It told me to come down here and bring Excalibur with me. I'm guessing it was the only way to break through the wall."

"But who could've known we were down here?" Evie wondered.

"We'll have to find out later," said Ben. "Right now, we have to check on Auradon City."

"Why? What's happening at Auradon City?" Lonnie asked.

"I received another anonymous message, probably from the same person who told me where to find you guys," Ben answered. "CJ and her crew are about to attack, which means we have to go now."


The Lost Pearl finally arrives at Auradon City. CJ looks down from above, fiddling with the amulet, preparing to unleash its power. Just as she was about to, a beam of magic shot up from below and hit The Lost Pearl. The silver sparkles that signified the ship's state of invisibility disappeared, meaning that the ship has now become visible to the human eye. They can hear some screaming from below the city. The people were frightened to see a pirate ship floating above them.

"They can see us," said CJ.

"But how is that possible?" Ginny wondered.

"I think it's because of Fairy God Mother," said Gil.

"How do you know that?" Zevon asked.

"She's down there," said Gil, pointing down to where Fairy God Mother is.

Fairy God Mother was at the heart of Auradon City. Gil was wrong, however. Fairy God Mother was not the one who removed the invisibility spell from The Lost Pearl. It was Merlin, who was holding his magic wand. The two were accompanied by an army of knights, who were armed with crossbows and arrows. The arrows were attached to ropes, which is a clear sign that they intend to harpoon the ship and climb on it.

"Where's Harry?" CJ asked loudly.

On cue, Harry came flying out of door to ship's interior, crashing and tumbling on the floor, seemingly in pain. Uma reveals herself and playfully spins the key ring on her finger, explaining how she escaped from her cell. CJ was, no doubt, furious by the sight of this.

"Harry!" CJ shouted.

"Don't worry," said Harry, drawing his sword. "I can handle this, captain."

Holding on to her seashell necklace, Uma magically pushes Harry towards a pile of crates. She grabs a rope and ties one end of it around the railing.

"Good luck," Uma teased.

She jumps off the ship and swings down. She let go and safely lands on top of a tall building. She looks up at The Lost Pearl and waves at CJ's crew in teasing fashion.

"Harry!" CJ shouted again.

"Sorry!" Harry replied.

Down on the ground, Fairy God Mother asks Merlin to lower the ship to the ground. Merlin waves his wand and sends another magical wave at the ship. Just when it looked like Merlin was about to ground the ship, CJ taps into her amulet's power and keeps the pixie dust spell active, countering Merlin's magic and keeping the ship airborne, if barely. Merlin's magic was far too strong to be easily overcome.

"Harry, get us out of here!" CJ ordered.

"Aye, aye, captain," Harry obeyed.

Harry gets behind the wheel and steers the ship away from Auradon City. The knight below quickly fired their crossbows. Their arrows successfully hit the ship, but it was too late. Thanks to CJ's amulet, the pixie dust surrounding The Lost Pearl increased its speed, pulling the arrows' ropes far away from the knights before they can start climbing.

"I don't understand it," said CJ, furious. "How could they have known?"

Before anyone can answer, CJ receives a text message from Mal. It said, "When you're done playing, meet me at Charmington."

"We'll discuss this later," said CJ. "Now, Harry, what have you got to say for yourself?"

Harry crouches a little, trying to hide his face behind the wheel. He felt ashamed for being the one responsible for Uma's escape. Just seeing his sister's angry and disappointed face made him feel even more ashamed.

Who was the anonymous messenger who told Ben that his friends were trapped in the Seven Dwarfs' tunnels? How did Fairy God Mother and Merlin know that Auradon City was about to be attacked by CJ and her villain kid crew? How did Uma steal the keys from Harry to escape? Why did Mal lie to Evie about Carlos hanging over a pit of fire? How did Ben get his hands on Excalibur when Uma stole it in the previous story, "The Kids From The Isle"?

So many questions, right? You can provide an answer, via a review, if you wish. I'd honestly like to know what you're guessing.