Masquerade of Evil
Summary: During a Halloween character contest gone awry, Sofia begins acting very strangely and even rudely after donning garbs and wielding a scepter that belonged to none other than Maleficent. Her family and friends are beginning to wonder how much of it is acting and how much if it might be very real.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Angel, Alamea, and Corban. The other OCs belong to MarionetteJ2X, and everything else belongs to either Craig Gerber or someone Disney-related. (lol Sorry, it's been a long week, and my brain is on shut-down mode!)
A/N: Hey, everyone! This story is the last collab between Mr. Shortman92 and myself, so I hope you enjoy it. Just a little fun, dramatic, silly late Halloween stuff in the midst of a bunch of drama and blossoming romance. Because why not? Haha. Enjoy!
*Story*
It was a week before Halloween, and the autumn colors were already starting to show in the swaying trees. Leaves lined the ground in a nice array of browns, reds, oranges, and soft yellows, coating the earth with subtle mixtures of the waning year.
A lot had happened this year so far: both good and bad. Many enemies had been defeated, Tanya recognized Cedric and Sofia as her parents and not just her guardians (which, of course, Nana already seemed to know), Cedric and Sofia finally got together (after a long period of time and people wondering 'will they/won't they' far more often than they should), more children were born, and James had even proposed to Vivian earlier this year… It was a lot to take in. However, thankfully, there had been no signs of any evil recently, and that was cause for celebration!
Halloween was still a fun event for the Enchancians each year, and costumes were a big deal. However, Amber offered a suggestion to make things a bit more interesting.
"We should make it a contest," the future queen told her mother and siblings as they were walking into the dining hall for breakfast that morning. "But not just any contest…" A smirk graced her features as the others offered her curious looks. "A villain costume contest. Everyone who chooses to participate should dress up as a well-known villain, and the costume should be as authentic as possible. Whoever has the most convincing costume wins."
"Wins what, exactly?" James asked, grinning. "A wicked sidekick? A creepy cauldron? A book of dark magic?" He hummed before glancing toward Sofia, who blinked. "You know, I kind of just described Cedric's teen years, from what he's told us."
Sofia rolled her eyes, but a smile formed on her lips as she laughed. "He's changed a lot since those days, James. Wormwood's not wicked. The cauldron isn't creepy—just used to mix potions. And he hasn't had a dark magic book in a long time, since he doesn't want anything negative around the castle."
"That's very responsible of him," Miranda told her. "And actually, Amber, I had a feeling you'd suggest something like that, so I've already made my costume; also, Sofia helped me make some costumes for Nana, Corban, and Tanya: Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, and Wendy."
"That is too adorable!" the blonde girl squealed, clapping her hands once as they sat down at the table. "And probably for the best: kids shouldn't be portraying wicked characters anyway. I've chosen my villainess already, so I've started putting my costume together. I was going to make something for Alamea, but her first birthday is in just over two months, and I've been putting all my energy into planning that instead. So, I guess she's just going to go as an angel or something…"
"That's fitting," Miranda acknowledged. "She is pretty sweet."
"Except that time that she slapped my hand when I tried to pretend like I was taking her food," James laughed. "But I guess I kind of brought that on myself…" He turned to his sisters. "So, which villains would you two be?"
"I'm going to be the Evil Queen," Amber said with a grin. "Not to give you a false prediction of the future, of course. Madame Collette has already started helping me design the costume. Mom, who's your character?"
"Oh, Mother Gothel," Miranda answered with a small laugh. "Mother knows best, after all…"
"Yeah, that's not creepy," Sofia murmured, remembering Rapunzel's story of how manipulative the woman was to her. But then again, this was a villain contest, so… "I haven't really given my costume a lot of thought, honestly. Not with everything that's been going on lately. I wouldn't even know who to portray."
James gasped and pointed at her. "Ooh! Oh, what about—um, what's that lady's name with the horns? The one who put Aurora under that sleeping spell?"
The princess blinked. "Maleficent?"
"Yeah, Maliciousness! Her!"
Sofia laughed. "Maleficent, James… I don't know, though… Do you really think I could pull it off?"
"Sure! You just have to tap into your wicked side. You've been around plenty of bad guys in your life; just mimic them." James playfully flexed his muscles. "Meanwhile, I think I'm going to be Gaston!"
Amber smirked. "Don't you have to be roguishly handsome before you can portray him?"
Her twin scoffed. "I'm handsome! Vivian tells me I'm handsome all the time!"
"She's your fiancée. She's obligated to tell you that. I'm your twin, and I'm obligated to tell you that you look like an older version of a Groundhog Scout or something." She laughed as the prince folded his arms and pouted. "We need to tell the others about the contest so they can start planning ahead. I'll take care of it after breakfast: make it a semi-royal proclamation, but only for those inside the castle." She nodded, as if coming to that conclusion happened to be the best thing she'd done in a while. "Yep. That's what I'll do."
Sofia gasped softly as she felt gentle fingers caress both sides of her neck before trailing to her chin, tilting her head back a bit. Before she knew it, a pair of lips covered hers, and she sighed in delight as she lifted one hand and ran her fingers through that familiar dark hair. She grinned at Cedric from their current position when he broke the kiss. "That's one way to say, 'Good morning.'"
He chuckled before sitting next to her in the empty seat. "Did you still want me to accompany you to the Mystic Isles this afternoon?"
"Yeah. Chrysta said something about needing help encasing some items that belonged to fallen villains or something, and we could use all the magic we can get."
He nodded. "Certainly. And we could bring the girls this time. They're getting rather restless being in the castle all the time."
"Sure," she agreed with a small smile. "I'm sure the Protectors will enjoy seeing them again too."
"Cedric should totally be Jafar," James suggested seemingly out of nowhere as he grinned at the sorcerer, who blinked at him. "He's already got the sorcerer thing going on. He just needs the costume and a fake tiny beard and giant hat."
"I'm sorry, what are you talking about, James?" Cedric asked, frowning in confusion.
"We're having a villain costume contest for Halloween next week," Amber explained. "Everyone who's participating has to have a villain costume."
"And…why would I participate exactly? I'm not necessarily all that fascinated with parties or contests anyway."
"Come on, Cedric," Miranda urged with a warm smile. "It could be fun. Take a break from work and just enjoy yourself. Besides, we're all dressing up too, so it's not like you'll be alone."
He raised his eyebrows at this information before turning to Sofia, who caught his eye. "And who are you planning to be, my dear?"
"James suggested Maleficent," she began with a small grin, "though… I'm not sure if I'd be able to portray her that well."
"You really don't have an evil bone in your body," he told her playfully. He then smiled, leaning closer, subtly slipping his hand under her hair and tracing one finger down her spine as she shivered, and whispering softly to her, "I should know that by now…"
She blushed at his words before clearing her throat. "Um, a-anyway… Y-Yeah, we'll leave for the Mystic Isles after… After the…the thing…"
Cedric chuckled, surprised to see her so flustered. They'd done plenty of flirting by now, but maybe it was the fact that he had initiated such a conversation in front of her family? Yeah, that had to be it. "As you wish, my love."
The others exchanged humored and/or mischievous glances as the rest of the family and their friends began entering the room for breakfast.
A few hours later, Cedric, Sofia, Nana, and Tanya were in the Mystic Isles at the headquarters with Orion, Vega, and Chrysta. The general concept was straightforward enough: seal the magical items from former villains. But doing so with such powerful items, filled with negative energy, would be quite the task to undertake. But they were determined.
"I've never seen these items before," Cedric admitted as they observed some of the things the Protectors had laid out for them. "Are these other villains we've never heard of?"
"Quite possibly," Orion answered. "The shield is from an infamous battle warrior named Vexus. He used dark magic in his shield to protect himself whenever enemies charged him, and then he destroyed them with his own dark magic." He then pointed at a chalice. "That's the poisoned chalice of Lady Showes. She had sixteen suitors or husbands and poisoned them all."
"Something tells me she was better off alone," Tanya told him, though it was hard to tell if she was joking or serious.
Sofia sifted through some other items before gasping as she lifted up something that looked eerily familiar. A dark cloak lined with royal purple interior fabric along the collar and long layers of the floor-length sleeves, a horned crown, and… "Is this Maleficent's scepter?" she asked, turning to the others. "I thought it had been destroyed. I mean, I'm pretty sure it was actually the spinning wheel in the Wicked Nine artifacts, but it was never really proven…"
"We're not entirely sure how her things got in that mix," Vega responded, folding her arms. "But regardless, it's best to go ahead and seal everything away." She turned as one of the younger Protectors walked over, whispering something to her. "Ah, I see. Orion, Chrysta, we're needed for our meeting."
"Can you guys handle this?" Chrysta asked with a playful grin, eyeing Cedric especially. "Without turning evil?"
Cedric scoffed. "Please. I'm perfectly capable of handling this task. You three go on to your meeting, and we'll handle this." After the three friends left, the sorcerer noticed that Sofia was still observing the items that belonged to Maleficent with a strange intensity. "Sofia? Are you all right?"
She didn't respond, her eyes simply fixated on those items.
Sofia… Sofia…
The princess's eyes glazed over, as if entranced, as strange whispers echoed her name in her mind, intermingling with Cedric's concerned voice.
Cedric was growing worried. "Sofia…"
Sofia… Princess Sofia…
He reached out and placed a hand on her arm. "Sofia? Sofia!"
"H-Huh?" She blinked, looking up at him, and then she looked down as she felt two small pairs of hands tugging at her dress. She smiled at the girls. "I'm fine… Just a little…surprised, I guess." She shook her head, tucking the items aside for the time being. "Let's… Let's get started."
Cedric frowned, wondering what was going on with his partner, but he decided to let it go so they could complete their mission.
With the assistance of Nana and Tanya, Cedric and Sofia managed to get the items sealed in a safe location (inside the headquarters). However, Cedric couldn't help but notice how distant Sofia was being. Maybe she was just tired, or maybe she needed food? When he reached out to take her arm, though…
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the princess warned quietly, in a very smooth yet distant voice, unlike anything she'd ever used before. As if realizing how she sounded, Sofia shook her head, just as Cedric released her arm. She smiled sheepishly up at him, clasping her hands together behind her back. "I, um… I'm sorry, Cedric… I think I'm just…"
"Perhaps…we should get you home," he suggested, finally smiling as he wrapped an arm around her. "I think this whole event took a toll on you."
She nodded as he led her along, the girls walking (hand in hand) next to them. She wasn't about to tell him that she was taking a few souvenirs with her, now nestled inconspicuously in a small bag she'd originally brought along for storing snacks (which were now gone).
Over the next week, everyone who'd opted to participate had chosen a character to portray and also had either created or had someone else create their costumes. Vivian had chosen Morgana, Merlin's archnemesis (and honestly, probably a wounded ex-flame, with the way they acted toward each other). James, of course, had chosen Gaston. Cordelia was going as Lady Tremaine. Desmond had finally settled on Hans (which just worked for some reason), and Amber was still sticking with the Evil Queen. Miranda had persisted with Mother Gothel, and Roland had opted for the underrated Horned King. Nigel chose Captain Hook, which was probably the most hilarious choice of the lot, due to his overdramatic flair. Cedric was Jafar, with a reluctant Wormwood dubbed 'Diablo' for the situation. And Sofia did indeed choose Maleficent, especially since she had some…interesting additions to aid her in her conquest.
Baileywick, though uncertain at first, had finally been urged to go with Judge Claude Frollo (quite possibly one of the scariest villains, since he was so human). Violet was unfortunately too busy and had to sit the event out. Calista and Angel were attending a costume party at Hexley Hall and had dressed (quite ironically) as Pocahontas and John Smith and were gone for the evening, and the kids were still going as their predetermined characters.
All the magic wielders had conjured their own costumes; Nigel and Baileywick, along with Amber, James, and Desmond, got help from Madame Collette. Cordelia helped Roland out with his costume and even took things up a notch and practically transformed him into his villain, giving him a clear edge.
Tonight was Halloween. Everyone was currently gathered in the ballroom except Sofia, who claimed she had to spend some extra time fixing up her costume.
"Oh, look at you three!" Cedric laughed as everyone entered into the ballroom, dressed in their respective outfits. He smiled down at Nana, Tanya, and Corban, who were dressed as Tinkerbell, Wendy, and Peter Pan, respectively. What was even cuter was that he noticed that Nana's wings actually worked, so she was flittering around Corban's head, much to the tiny boy's delight. "Don't you look charming?"
"Who are you supposed to be, Papa?" Tanya asked, as she wasn't overly familiar with the historical villains like everyone else was.
"I'm Jafar, an evil magic wielder from the land of Agrabah," he recited in his best Jafar-voice, though he rolled his eyes as Wormwood gagged at the theatrics. "Oh, hush, Wormy. At least you were dubbed Diablo and not Iago."
"I could never conjure a voice that annoying," the raven quipped, smirking. "At least I basically get to be myself, though talking… So really, I think I get the best 'costume' for this party."
While everyone else was mingling with music, dancing, and finger foods, the door to the ballroom opened, and Sofia finally entered.
Cedric's mouth dropped as he saw his partner. She was dressed exactly like Maleficent: the outfit, the horns, the long scepter… He was sure she must have had to magically pin her hair under those horns, which was likely not an easy task. Even her usually unpainted nails were longer with a blood red coating to each one, and they seemed extra sharp for once. If he didn't know better, and had he not heard her voice, he could have easily mistaken her for Maleficent herself. "S-Sofia?"
The princess smirked as she sauntered up to him, placing one hand on his right shoulder and pressing the scepter under his chin. "Surprised, my sorcerer?" She trailed her hand from his shoulder to his chin, her fingers absently twirling the clearly fake beard he wore.
"U-Um, y-you could say that…"
Wormwood snickered. "Princess, don't take this the wrong way, but you definitely could have passed for an evil queen."
Sofia grinned at him, winking. "That's the goal, right?"
"Hmm, and I must say that you look rather fetching—ow!" Wormwood flinched as he felt one of his feathers plucked from his backside, and he tossed a sharp green-eyed glare at the sorcerer. "What was that for?!"
"Wormy, give us a moment, would you?" Without waiting for a response, Cedric lifted the bird from his shoulder and basically forced him to fly off, landing on Cordelia's shoulder instead. "S-Sofia, um… I don't quite know how to say this…"
She smiled slyly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know what you're going to say…"
"Y-You do?" He wasn't even sure how she could, because he didn't even know what he was trying to say at that point.
"Of course… Seeing me as Maleficent awakens something inside you… Something primal…" She trailed her sharpened nails over the skin under his ears, a sensitive area (clearly, since he shivered a bit), and smirked at his reaction. "You still feel attracted to the wickedness you immersed yourself in all those years ago… Danger excites you." She shoved him against the wall, watching his brown eyes widen as she leaned close to him, the heels she was wearing boosting her up enough to enable her to be nearly face to face with him. "It excites me too," she whispered huskily, kissing him deeply.
"Um, Mama? Papa?"
Cedric gently pushed Sofia back, breaking their kiss, and panted as he looked down at the confused faces of Nana, Tanya, and Corban. "H-Hi, children, erm…" He cleared his throat as he attempted to straighten his outfit, which was completely rumpled at that point, and smiled pleasantly at them. "Wh-Who's ready for trick or treat?"
"It looks like Mama already gave you a treat," Tanya teased, sounding more like her adult form than her childish form. Granted, she said it in such an innocent way that Cedric was unsure how to respond.
"Er, y-yes, she… A-Anyway! L-Let's go so that we can get back."
"Yay!" Corban cheered, spinning around and placing his hands on his hips, striking a typical Peter Pan pose. "I'm ready to get sweets!"
"Yeah, because that's exactly what you need," Sofia muttered, but it sounded more irritable than amused, like she'd normally sound. The utterance made Cedric frown curiously at her, and she simply shrugged. "Let's get this over with."
Cedric stood back and watched as Corban took his sister's hand and led her toward the door, Tanya following her. He looked down and saw that Nana was staring after the others, a perplexed look on her face. He picked up the little girl and hummed. "You sense it too, don't you?"
She nodded, a little bell tied into her hair bun jingling as she did.
"We'll figure it out, Nana. Don't you worry." He chuckled as he began walking. "Perhaps she's just tired." He blushed as he recalled the kiss that she'd just given him, and he knew right then and there that she had most certainly not been tired… "Or…perhaps it's something else."
Nana sighed, already exhausted by the evening, and there wasn't even any candy to speak of yet!
As the small group walked around the village, the trio of kids doing their trick or treat routine, Sofia had slowly begun souring in her mood. She sighed in annoyance each time a child ran up to them and asked for candy. She rolled her eyes when some of the adults complimented her 'magnificent Maleficent costume,' chiding them for an 'unoriginal comment.' She'd even snapped at her own brother when he said his shoes were starting to hurt his feet, telling him that he shouldn't complain since Miranda had worked hard on them, and he was just a 'spoiled little prince who'll never know a hard day's work.' That comment had earned a few sniffles from the little boy before Nana had slid down from Cedric's embrace and hurried over to him, hugging him to keep him from crying.
"Sofia, may I speak with you a moment?" Without waiting for a reply, Cedric grabbed his partner's arm and pulled her aside to where they could speak in private. "What is the matter with you?"
"I'm tired of dealing with these fools," she replied, sounding far less like herself than usual. "Children and their incessant whining…"
"He's your brother…" His eyes narrowed as she wrenched her arm from his grip. "Something's off. Ever since our trip to the Mystic Isles, you've been acting strangely…"
"Oh, so I'm 'strange' now, huh? Guess you won't be getting any more of my attention any time soon." She smiled dangerously at him as he blinked. "It's your loss, Cedric… You might have fallen for the good girl…" She leaned toward him, her teeth grazing his ear deliberately as she whispered, "But bad girls are so much better…" To emphasize her point, she placed a hand to his chest, a powerful blast of magic erupting from her fingers and sending him propelling backward into a tree. She smirked and rushed off, back toward the castle, a sharp cackle escaping her lips as she did.
"Papa!"
"Ceddy!"
"…!"
All three kids rushed over to Cedric, carefully helping him to his feet. They checked him over to make sure he was all right before looking back in the direction of the castle.
"What is wrong with Sofia?" Corban wondered, his lip poking out as he remembered the harsh words from his sister.
"I'm not sure, little one," Cedric told him. "But we're about to find out."
The ballroom was currently filled with eerie yet upbeat music, and the contestants for the Halloween competition were dancing like no one's business. Roland, who'd been creeping everyone out with his realistic costume, swept Miranda into his arms before dipping her, kissing her.
"It's kind of weird to see the Horned King making out with Mother Gothel—not gonna lie," James mumbled to Vivian before sipping some of his punch.
Vivian laughed. "No worse than Morgana and Gaston just hanging out…" She sighed dramatically, looking away. "And still no kiss."
"Aw, is that what you were waiting for?" He grinned as he set the drink down, and then he pulled her closer, grinning. "No one kisses like Gaston."
The dark-haired princess smirked. "Prove it." She giggled as he did just that, her hands reaching up and running through the dark ponytailed wig he was wearing.
Sofia entered the room, her eyes narrowing at all the fun everyone seemed to be having. She walked over to the orchestra and made a cutting sign with her hand sharply passing in front of her throat, and she smirked when the music instantly stopped.
"Hey, we were dancing, Sofia!" Amber complained, her angelic daughter snuggled between herself and Desmond. "Where have you been anyway?"
"Causing chaos," the younger princess responded honestly. "Though not as much as I'd like…"
"Don't you think you're taking the whole 'villain' role a little too far, Princess Sofia?" Baileywick asked somewhat worriedly, attempting to brush the annoying hat he was wearing back and finally tossing it aside. "It's not like you at all."
"Isn't that the point, Baileywick?" She twirled the scepter once before waving her hand over it, staring at the small orb on top as it swirled with a mystic energy. "I don't want to be me…"
"Sof, what's going on?" James frowned as the room started to dim, and his sister began radiating a strange green energy. "Sofia?"
The smirk on the princess's face returned, and the voice that responded was not hers. "Try again." She slammed the scepter to the floor, watching the others fly back and into each other, the wall, or both. "Now, then, who gets to go first?"
"Sofia!" Cedric yelled as he banged the doors to the ballroom open, all three children he'd been tending to either on his head, on his back, or in his arms. He helped each one to the floor before reaching out to his partner. "Whatever you're about to do, don't!"
"You know, that's the most convincing thing I've heard all day." She laughed. "I mean, how could I say 'no' to such a…meaningful protest?"
"I think this is going beyond the contest," Nigel needlessly pointed out as he held his arm over Cordelia, protecting her. "I think the princess has been possessed by evil or something."
"Possessed…" Cedric placed a hand to his head. Now it made sense… That outfit, the horned crown, the scepter… The evil disposition and the voice… She wasn't just portraying Maleficent. It's almost like she was Maleficent now… "Sofia, listen to me. This isn't like you. You need to remove the outfit and release the scepter."
"Cheeky," Sofia laughed, turning to cast him a sultry look. "But if you want me to lose the outfit, you'll have to remove it yourself, sorcerer."
Roland's mouth dropped upon hearing those words from his daughter's mouth. "S-Sofia!" But he wasn't prepared for the even more shocking words from Cedric.
"Very well."
"C-Cedric! Don't you—!"
"It's all right, Roland. I have an idea…" Cedric reached into the confines of his large Jafar-robed outfit, withdrew his wand, but before he could use it, it was instantly shot out of his hand by a blast from Sofia's scepter. "Oh, good thing that wasn't my family wand," he said as he observed the now broken and burnt wand on the floor beside him. "Father would not have liked that."
"Was that the best you've got, sorcerer?" Maleficent taunted through Sofia. "Maybe you need more motivation…" She reached up and undid the first button on her outfit, revealing just a small bit of her skin. "A peek is all you're getting, little boy. You want to see more, you'll have to take it off yourself, like you promised–er, I mean, 'threatened' to do." After that comment, she began cackling.
While she was distracted, Cedric sent a blast of magic from both of his hands. She stopped laughing just in time to block it, but not completely. "You broke one of my nails," she shouted as she looked down at her now much shorter nail on her left thumb. Then she shrugged. "Oh, well. I'd say I worked hard on my costume for tonight, but I think we both know that's a lie. Now… Where were we?"
Cedric sent another strong blast, but this time she managed to catch it with her scepter and tossed it right back to him, sending him sliding on his back across the floor.
She slowly approached him, aiming her scepter directly at his face. "What a pity. I really hoped you'd prove to be more challenging than this."
Cedric braced himself for the inevitable. But just before she could finish him off, she was grabbed from behind by James. "Get off of me, you incredibly thick necked man!" She slammed the base of the scepter to the floor, causing a shockwave that knocked over anyone nearby, and launched James away from her.
Cedric had the advantage of already being on the floor, so he was fine. He slowly stood to his feet and prepared to strike again. But then the others got up and began to close in on Sofia.
"Stay back! All of you." Feeling outnumbered, she did the only thing she could do. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice!" She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were glowing green, and her pupils were slits. She threw her hands up and cried out as a pillar of green flames engulfed her.
Realizing what she was trying to do, Cedric knew he had to stop her fast, so he charged her, diving through the flames and tackling her to the floor on the other side. She quickly shoved him off, but as she stood, James grabbed her once again. And before she could use her scepter, Cordelia snatched it out of her hands. "I'll take that." With scepter in hand, Cordelia walked back over to join the main group.
With the most dangerous thing out of the way, Cedric walked up to his partner and stopped just as James let her go, quickly grabbing her arm before she could run, and reached up to the horned crown, carefully tugging it free from her head and tossing it aside. Finally, he smiled disarmingly at the princess as she glared at him challengingly. "Trust me."
"I trust no one," she hissed back, trying to twist free from his hold, and failing.
Cedric used his wand to slowly remove the outfit, button by button, until it piled around her feet on the floor, thankfully leaving her in a simple white underlayer dress. He tapped her shoulder and murmured something, watching as one of her usual sorceress outfits appeared instead. He then reached behind her and unpinned her hair, allowing it to fall down to its normal length, the hairpins falling in clattering masses around their feet. He quickly picked up the outfit and tossed it to the side with the horned crown before looking back at the quiet princess. "Sofia?"
Sofia groaned softly, blinking a few times, her hazy vision beginning to clear up. She frowned up at him. "Cedric?"
His smile faded into a frown of his own. "Be truthful with me. Did you take the Maleficent items from the Mystic Isles?"
"H-Huh? What are you-?" She blinked, remembering vaguely holding that scepter and just completely zoning out. It was like she'd been drawn to those things. "I…guess it's possible…"
"Whoa, Sofia got possessed by Maleficent?" James asked, stunned. "Isn't that cheating? She can't win the contest if the real bad guy—er girl—takes over her body. That's not fair!"
"Kind of missing the point, James," Vivian sighed.
"I don't know if she was actually possessed or not," Miranda pointed out, "but I do know that she seems a lot more like herself now. Thank you, Cedric."
He nodded at the queen before looking back toward his partner. "You realize, of course, you'll need to return those things to the Mystic Isles… And explain how they fell into your possession in the first place."
She lowered her head. "I know…" She gasped softly as he pulled her into a hug, his face buried in her hair. "Cedric…"
A warm chuckle fell from his lips. "My Sofia… I'm glad to have you back."
Finally, Sofia allowed herself to smile.
The party continued as if nothing happened. After all, Enchancia had seen worse. Oh, and the winner of the costume contest was Roland, of course.
The next day, Sofia returned to the Mystic Isles alone and handed over the artifacts to Orion, doing her best to explain how she'd managed to end up with them, but still faltering with details (since she barely remembered any). Having ensured that they were secured, she apologized (and was forgiven) and turned to leave.
As she did, she heard the soft echo of an evil cackle, which sounded strangely similar to that of Maleficent herself. When Sofia turned to look, she saw no one around. "Strange…" Not wanting to stay and ponder the possibility of yet another villain resurfacing for them to deal with, she hurriedly left the isles.
She knew one thing for sure though: she'd had enough 'evil masquerades' to last her a lifetime.
The end