Past and present collide

Part 2
"Mal, I…I "
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Trust Ben. I did as you asked, I deleted the movie, I didn't go into my past again, even though I really wanted to see a younger me. And I called to talk to fairy godmother as you asked. Yet, you go behind my back and talk to her first. Trust Ben." With that Mal walked out.

"Ben, you need to talk to her."

"I know."
"But first let me talk to her about the spell." Fairy Godmother didn't even give him a chance to respond. She followed Mal quickly out the door.

"Mal. I know Ben was wrong, but I …"
"I want to talk about the spell, not Ben." Mal was still pretty angry. Fairy Godmother, allowed her to direct the conversation.
"Show me." She followed Mal into her room. Mal took her into the second room where her desk held the wand and spell book. Mal took out the book and opened to the page, she handed it to her. She read the page. "As I thought. No harm here. An odd spell for your mother to have in her book…anyway. Be careful of the parameters life time means your life time. Don't try to go back any time before the day you were born."
"What could happen?"
"It might not work, that's the simple result, and the one to hope is the best result, the harmful results could mean you could no longer exist here, in the present. Or you might not be invisible in the past, and that could change the past. I..just don't know about that result. Be careful who you tell about this spell. Be careful who you take with you. And I would feel better if you only took photos not videos."
"Sure. When my mom…does the staring control thing with her eyes, can it affect me as an observer?"
"I don't think so, as you aren't really there, but let's not test it."
"I won't believe me. Can I see other people's past, in my life time?"
"With this spell, if they are with you. So you can't see what happened here with Ben or Audrey or Chad unless they came with you."
"No, I wanted to see something in Evie's past."
"The party?"
"Yes."
"I shouldn't do this without Evie's permission, but I think it will make you feel better." Fariy Godmother took Mal's wand and all of a sudden they were in Evie's bedroom. A soon to be six-year-old Evie was sitting at her desk, Evil Queen standing over her. "Same as with your spell, they can't hear or see us."
"Ok." Mal and Fairy Godmother watched.

"Very pretty penmanship my little evilette. Now make sure tomorrow you hand these out to everyone but Mal."
"But mommy I want to be her friend. There are so few girls on the isle my age."
"No. Her mother came in here and took over without even caring that I was in charge."
"I know mommy but that isn't Mal's fault."
"Yes, well life isn't fair when you are evil dear, and we are evil. This will be the party to envy." Evil queen cackled and left Evie alone. She moved to her window. Evie looked at her kitten. "Why do I have a feeling this is not going to turn out ok?" she asked the kitten.

"I did believe her, I really did. I just.." Mal said after they returned to her room in the palace.
"Needed to see it for yourself?"
"Yes."
"Ben needed to make sure you were safe with the spell too, Mal. That's why he did what he did."
"So this wasn't about me was it, this was to prove a point?"
"In a way yes. But this moment in time was something that you needed to see. Without it, you would never fully trust Evie. It's how you were brought up, and I understand that, I do. The four of you have more trust and reliance in each other than a family brought up together. Your friendship is stronger than a family bond. You four though brought up differently, were still brought up through similar circumstances. You can understand each other's pain and suffering. Ben, while he was lucky, his parents brought him up as close to being normal, so to speak, as any citizen of Auradon not born royal, he still had a hard time making friends he could trust. I can assure you the trust you have in Jay, Carlos and Evie, is something he envy's. Yes, he has been friends with Doug and Chad since birth, Audrey too. But like your friends they were each brought up differently. And for his friends that was a difficult thing to get past. Each was lead to believe that the way they were raised was best, and the others were wrong. Opinions into each other's lives were always brought up. You four were raised as your parents chose, and no one interfered. You and your friends have learned to forgive and forget the past, Ben and his friends were brought up to fear their parents past. Brought up to not repeat the past. Raised to protect the past 20 years and that it is the only way to live. But still putting their say into each other's lives."
"I see what you mean."

"What I showed you, it is that last little string connecting you to your past, and I just cut it. Now you are free, and it is time to look forward. Why did you want to look back?"
"It's all around me here, Ben's past. Pictures all over the palace, home movies. I just wanted to see what I looked like. I remember the horror, that won't ever go away. But I don't remember what I looked like. That was what I wanted."
"Then take a few trips. Try and remember good times. Take a few pictures. Pick a few different years. Maybe as a new born, say three, six, ten. Space out the times. Then leave the past where it belongs in the past. Don't take Ben anymore. Don't take anyone unless you have too. Don't use this spell as a way to show how bad things were on the isle. Use it for the one thing you need from the past, a photo or two of what you looked like in the past. A photo should be all you take from the past. It is a brief moment in time. Grab a few of the others too. They would like the memory as well. But forget the story about what was happening around the photo. Focus on the subject only."
"I can do that. Thank you Fairy Godmother, you have made me think, and you are right, I do feel free from my past now that I actually saw Evie do exactly what she said she did. The last little evil voice nagging at me, that was saying she only said it, it's not true, is gone. That last little voice of my mother's saying everyone lies, everyone is out for themselves. I am here and that is over, and in this case, the past will stay where it belongs. I plan to grab a few photos as you said and then be done with that spell." Mal hugged the older fairy, who hugged Mal back. She could almost feel a change in Mal. A very good one. Fairy Godmother got ready to leave. "Mal, don't leave this thing between you and Ben too long."
"I won't." But first Mal really needed time to herself. Time to see herself in the past. Fairy Godmother disappeared.

Mal took the spell book, and her wand out, and thought about seeing herself as a baby. She picked a day in her mind. It was the day she was a week old. She had no idea what she would find, but she wanted to see what she looked like as a new born.

Mal arrived to hear a baby screaming. "Mal, Mal." Her mother said, holding her. Mal, snapped a picture. "I am so glad you are a female. You and I one day will rule the world, I will raise you to be just like me. We will rule this isle, and hopefully one day get off this rock and rule the world again."

Mal returned to her room. She looked at the picture. Her mother wasn't smiling per say, but she wasn't yelling at her either. Maybe her mother did love her once upon a time. Mal looked closely at herself. She could see wisps of purple curls under the blanket she was bundled in. 'I was a really pretty baby.' She thought to herself.
"Mal, we really should talk." Ben said knocking on her door. Mal wasn't ready. She pulled out the spell book, and picked her first day of school. The day she met Jay. And she was gone.

Mal arrived at the isle's school that held the younger grades. She walked into the front door and right into Jay. She snapped a photo. Mal watched as she and Jay exchanged names. And she took another shot of them walking down the hall to their school room.

She returned to her room, but went right back out. She wanted to see herself at 3. At three she found herself in her room. She was drawing. It wasn't anything close to what she could do now, but it actually looked like something. Mal snapped a few photos. Then she was about to leave, when she heard Maleficent yelling for her. So she followed herself.

"There you are. Now have you thought about how wrong it was to give that goblin your food?" The littler Mal shook her head yes.

"Good, you can eat again tomorrow, you want to give your food away, then you aren't hungry." The younger Mal walked away, not crying. She went back into her room, and pulled out food she had hidden in her room. Mal couldn't watch anymore. She returned to the present. She pulled up the pictures of herself at 3. She couldn't believe at such a young age she already was hiding food for herself. Keeping food from Mal was one of her mother's favorite punishments. She knew, now why Fairy Godmother told her to stay in only a brief moment in her past, because these memories would always turn sour. She was about to go back to herself at 7 when Belle knocked on her door.

"Mal?"
"Be right there." Mal quickly put away the wand and spell book. "Hi." She said opening her door.

"You and Ben are still here. I thought you would have been off on your adventure by now."
"We had a disagreement."
"I see, care to talk about it."
"Ben asked me to do something for him, and I was prepared to do it, but he didn't trust me enough to do it so he did it himself."
"I see. Please don't take this the wrong way, but were you going to do it?"
"Yes, I promised him and I was going to. He did it before I had a chance to, I was still sleeping."
"Oh I see. I guess, that's all I need to know. BENJAMIN FLORIAN!" she yelled leaving Mal. Mal had never heard Belle yell before. This wasn't going to be good for Ben.

Mal was looking at her phone, at the pictures she had taken so far when Belle returned. "Mal, may I see?" She asked, Mal knew Ben had told her what she had been up to. Mal handed over her phone. "You were an adorable infant. Look at those purple curls." Belle said as she touched Mals hair.

"The next one was the day I met Jay. I was five."

"Jay had long hair even then." She pointed out. "Your hair was longer then." Belle pointed out.

"Mom cut it short just a week later, it was a bother to her, and I just couldn't handle taking care of it on my own yet."

"Well that's sweet." It wasn't the memory she was referring to it was the picture Mal had taken of her and Jay walking down the hall to class.

"I can get right into the moment with the spell and no one sees me. I can get some great shots."

Mal pointed to the phone, and Belle moved to the next one. "Me at three. I was being punished."
"Three? Are you sure, you draw so well for a three-year-old."
"I was punished a lot."

"I see. No more?"
"No. I only just started going back to take pictures. I promised not to until I spoke to Fairy Godmother about it, so I didn't go until she and I were done talking."
"I see. Mal, you did nothing wrong. Ben, well he did something wrong, and he knows it. But it's.."
"How he was brought up, I know that. And I understand that, I had a very long talk with fairy godmother about the past, his and mine. I just need a little time to myself. He and I have never disagreed before, and it was tough. He really hurt me, by assuming I wouldn't follow through on a promise. I mean he didn't even give me a chance to fail to keep the promise. I hadn't even gotten up yet. That's what hurt the most."
"Tell me in your own words what happened."
"Sure. After we came back from the past, I told him I had a video, from the first time I went back. It was the same time in the past that I had taken him. It was the day my Mother told the four of us we were going to Auradon Prep. He said it might not be a good idea to keep it and asked me delete it. I didn't understand the magic that allowed me to make a video of the past, and be able to show it in the present, so I thought he had a point. Then he asked me not to go back again until I spoke to Fairy Godmother. I agreed, it made sense. I didn't understand the parameters of the spell, and so I agreed to talk to Fairy Godmother. I wanted to know why he was in my room and he said he had missed me, so we cuddled in for the night." Hey she was being honest. "I woke up and he was gone. I figured he had gone to get dressed, so I took a quick shower, got dressed and checked his room, he wasn't there. I figured he was working on whatever surprise he had planned, so I went back to my room and called Fairy Godmother. I was glad to have the time to call her as soon as possible. I wanted to know if the spell was safe, I wanted to see me at a younger age. I got her secretary and she said she was in her office, but she came back on the phone and said she was gone. I didn't think anything of it. I said to have her call me as soon as possible, and left it at that. I was hungry so I headed towards the back stairs to go to the kitchen, to see if Ben was down stairs and heard them talking in Jay's room, so I walked in."
"I see. What happened?"
"I heard Fairy Godmother tell Ben that he needed to allow me to come to her, and I said I was trying to, and that trust is important."
"And it is. I …You did nothing wrong Mal. Ben, he needs to think about what he did. He made some bad choices."
"I will give him some space. I had a talk with Fairy Godmother after I walked out on Ben. She helped me understand his side of it. I just needed a little time for me too."
"Can you take me to see your past?"
"I promised Fairy Godmother I wouldn't, but let me ask her. I keep my promises." Mal called Fairy Godmother. And explained all that was going on. She thought a trip with Belle might be a great idea. She suggested, sharing the memory she had already shared with Ben. Then maybe another if Belle was up to it.
"I will do that, thank you."

Mal pulled out her wand. "Mal, it's beautiful."

"Thank you." She didn't need the spell book anymore, but she took it in case of an issue. She recited the spell, and they appeared on the isle in the street just as the group of them came traipsing up the street.

"Can they see us, hear us?"
" No." Mal said taking a picture of the four of them.

"Oh, why is everyone running?"
"Watch." Mal said and turning her around to see Maleficent arrive. Mal felt her shiver. They watched the whole scene unfold. When they walked away after Maleficent, Mal and Belle didn't follow. She brought Belle back to the castle.

"Oh, Mal. That was tough to watch. I can see why Ben was afraid for you."
"And I get that. Honestly that was a rather tame moment. What happened next was worse."
"And Ben saw that?"
"Yes." Mal said the spell and they were in Bargin Castle. Belle watched the whole thing right up to the stared down. Again, to be safe, Mal looked away. Once Maleficent said I win. Mal brought them back.

"That was all I showed him."
"I see. Had you ever won a stare down?"
"Before the cathedral, no. Ben asked me that. He also asked if I thought my mother was going to include Cruella, Jafar and Evil Queen in her take over. I told him I really didn't think so."
"I got that impression too." Belle patted Mal's hand. "What else can you show me?"
"What would you like to see?"
"How about a time when you were a baby, maybe a time you were alone, so you can get another picture."
"I'll see what I can do. If I don't have an exact memory to think of, it's just a guess." Mal pulled out the spell and tried to think about herself at a month old, night time sleeping.

They arrive, in her room. Of course, Maleficent had already put her alone in her room, at a month old. In the corner Mal saw a scared young girl sitting in the corner. Mal had no idea who she was. Mal looked at the makeshift crib she was sleeping in. She took a picture of herself sleeping. She was so peaceful. They were about to leave when the baby Mal woke up. The girl in the corner raced to the bed, but not soon enough. Maleficent screamed from the other room. "Shut that brat up, I need my beauty sleep. If I ever get my hands on that MAN for giving me that burden, I will kill him." The young girl quickly picked Mal up and softly hummed to her.

Mal had hoped her mother would have said his name, but still it was interesting that the other time she went back in time, Maleficent was holding her, now at only a month old, Mal was that brat. A burden.

Mal could see the look on Belle's face, and she knew it was time to leave. Once back Mal turned away from Belle. "You ok?" Belle asked her.

"It was a shock to see it only took her a month to start neglecting me."
"Well she did have someone in there."
"Yes. She was scared to death, but yes, I wasn't left alone."
"So that is something." Belle hugged the young fairy. "Mal. Be careful what you see, you might not like it."

"I know. I am only going to quick memories really. Just a few moments at most. Really long enough to get a picture."
"Good. Try to put those memories behind you."
"I plan to. Thank you."
"No, thank you for sharing."
"I just need a little more time, then I'll go find him."
"I know you will when you are ready." Belle left. Mal decided now wasn't the time to go looking into the past anymore. She needed to think about the present. She called Evie.

"M, how are you?"
"It's been an interesting day." She confessed.

"What did you do today, details."
"We didn't go anywhere, we had a fight."
"Mal, you ok?"
"It's a long story, but it came down to trust."
"Oh M, that is so hard for us, you know that."
"Actually, he didn't trust me to follow through with a promise I made to get information for a new spell I was trying, before I did it again. I was going to call Fairy Godmother first thing, and he beat me too it, never even gave me a chance to try and call her. I wasn't even up yet and he was calling her."
"He didn't even give you a chance."
"Right. That's what I mean. And I did call her. As soon as I took a shower and got dressed. But she was already at the castle talking to Ben about the spell."
"What could the spell possibly do that had him so spooked?"
"I can go into my past. I can watch, see what happened, but not be seen by anyone there. I took Ben to see us the day my mother told us we were coming here."
"OH, fun day. How much did he see?" Evie says with sarcasm.
"From when I took that lollipop all the way to the stare down that I lost."
"I can see why he panicked, but, you are right, he shouldn't have jumped right to calling Fairy Godmother, he should have at least given you a chance to follow through."
"That's why I am upset with him. He didn't trust me to actually complete the task. I mean if I had maybe waited all day and did nothing, fine, but I hadn't even woken up."
"I see your point. So now what are you doing."
"I am relaxing in my room. I just took Belle to the same time I took Ben. She was shocked. Now I am going to draw." Evie knew then Mal had a lot on her mind, she always took out her sketch book when she needed to work something out. "ok, I'll leave you to it. Good Luck. And remember Ben was worried about you. Yes, he was wrong for not allowing you a chance to follow through, but still he loves you."
"I know. Thanks E. I hope you are having fun."
"I am. We are heading into town to return a few things Doug got for Christmas, that he doesn't like."
"OK, have fun."
"It will all be ok."
"I know." Mal hung up and headed to her desk. She took out a sketch pad, pulled up the picture of herself in the crib and started to draw it. Mal was never really into looking at something that she wanted to draw, but she had a hard time remembering the image, so she was looking at the photo.