Mal slept so amazingly well the night before that she honestly believed she was stuck in a dream.
Dressed in her old Isle garb with her purple hair cut to chin level again, the fairy thought she was dreaming of her past life on the Isle. If that had truly been the case, Mal doubt that the remaining 'Core Four' would have reacted to a similar way she had.
"Seriously!" Carlos exclaimed angrily as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I hate my curly hair! It took me months to get it to the length I liked!"
"No kidding," Evie agreed as she looked at her own curly hair in disgust. "I had finally found a hair-dye and hair style I liked, but now I'm back to this mess."
"Yours is a mess?" Jay repeated incredulously. "Mine was nothing but tangles and knots."
"Wait . . ." Mal trailed off, catching the attention of the other three. "I want to make sure this isn't a trick, so . . . who is my father?"
"Hades," Carlos answered immediately, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.
"You only started telling people after the sleeping spell backfired onto Audrey," Jay explained to show his knowledge, though he made sure to keep his voice quiet to avoid any eavesdroppers.
"Who cursed Auradon because she was jealous of your relationship with the king," Evie further clarified.
"This isn't a dream," Mal deduced, shaking her head in disbelief. "We really are in the past. But how?"
"Magic?" Carlos naturally assumed. "I can try to do some research on the island, but we need to know what time we are—"
The teenage-genius was interrupted by the multiple screams that surrounded the Core Four. The bystanders, who were innocently walking through the street, scattered to any shop or booth with space to hide like prey about to be caught by their predator. The Core Four did not have the slightest clue as to why everyone was running—
Until a familiar voice shouted the teenage fairy's name.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Mal twirled around with a small smile, greeting, "Hello, Mother."
Standing before the group was none other that the Mistress of Evil, who looked exactly the same as the last time they saw her—though that would be in just a few weeks. "Stealing candy, Mal?" Maleficent cooed, eyeing her daughter in disgust. "I'm so disappointed."
Mal glanced down, her eyes growing wide by the moldy lollipop in her hand. She didn't notice she had been holding it, but it reminded her of a certain scenario that happened right before—
"You are right, Mother," Mal easily admitted, swiftly returning the candy back to the rightful owner; a young toddler playing in a rusty toy wagon. "I can do so much better than stealing candy from a baby."
Maleficent narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but never called her daughter out. Instead, the evil fairy announced, "I have news. You children are four out of seven students that will be attending a different school . . ." She paused to build up the anticipation. ". . . in Auradon."
Three of the four children subtly breathed a sigh of relief; the news evaporating the bubbling tension in the air. However, the remaining teenager noticed a discrepancy from then and before.
"Seven students?" Mal repeated curiously, as that wasn't the same number as last time. "Who are the other three?"
"Students from Serpent Prep," Maleficent informed, keeping a closer eye on the teenagers. "From what I am told, they chose your cousin and two of her pirate friends."
"What?" Evie questioned rhetorically. "Why would he invite them?"
Maleficent raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the phrasing, interrogating forcefully, "Who is this 'he' you speak of?"
"She means that pathetic excuse of a prince," Mal spat vehemently spat, covering the princess's mistake. "Why would he bother inviting us Isle kids to Auradon when we will create so much chaos, mischief, and trouble for them?"
The eldest fairy pursed her lips, as though she knew something wasn't quite right. Not voicing her thoughts, Maleficent gazed around her cautiously, suggesting, "Let's take this conversation somewhere else. There is something your parents and I need to discuss with you before you leave."
The friends waited until the mother walked around the corner—out of hearing range—before they discussed their current situation. "Why would Ben invite the Sea Three to Auradon?" Mal wondered, as that question had been silently hanging in the air. "Do you think he came back too?"
"I'm more concerned about if Uma and the others came back," Carlos claimed. "If they don't have their memories or knowledge about what will eventually happen in a couple years, they may try to go after the wand like we did."
"Not if we convince them not too," Jay argued to keep their moods and attitudes upbeat. "A few days at Auradon Prep will change their minds, just like we did."
"Let's get the conversation with our parents over with," Evie suggested, wrapping her arms around herself protectively as she gazed around warily. "The sooner we leave the better. I know we haven't left in this time yet, but I still don't feel welcomed here."
This time, the Core Four allowed their parents to ramble on about nonsense, as the children had already decided that they wouldn't participate in any harmful schemes while in Auradon. The children did their best to respond the same as before, but Carlos forgot about his past fears of dogs and Evie forgot that she had to act like a dimwitted girl that only cared about her appearance.
Jay, on the other hand, decided it would be a 'good idea' to ask what would happen if they decided not to go after the wand. This resulted in his father thumping Jay in the back of the head, then being verbally abused afterwards. Jafar swore he would burry Jay and his friends in the Cave of Wonders if they decided to betray him.
Of course, none of the children took the threat that seriously, considering they have already been through these events before.
Shortly after the villains' separate monologues, the limousine arrived sooner than it had before, not that the children complained. As the villains and children went outside to meet the vehicle, Maleficent forced her daughter to trail behind so they could 'chat' for a moment.
"The future of the free world rests on your shoulders." Maleficent paused a moment to glare down at her daughter. "Try your best to not fail me again."
"Of course, Mother," Mal obediently agreed in her politest tone just as they stepped onto the crowded streets. "I'll make you proud of me, eventually."
Maleficent nodded absentmindedly. Raising her gaze to the crowd, the evil fairy locked eyes with someone she had wished to never see again. "What is he doing here?" the mother interrogated.
Jerking her head upward, Mal couldn't help when her eyes grew wide or the gasp that had escaped her lips from seeing the particular man. Last time, he hadn't been one of the witnesses of the Core Four riding off, so why . . . ?
"Can I speak with him?" Mal requested, just a hint of urgency in her tone. "It will only be for a moment."
"I suppose," Maleficent reluctantly agreed, breaking the stare-down to gaze at her daughter. "Don't let him cloud your judgement with his sudden appearance. I was the one that raised you all these years, not him."
"And I will always love you for that," Mal reassured, smiling softly. "I'll see you soon, Mother."
After giving her mother a quick, simple hug—which the spectators thought was quite odd—Mal quickly jogged to the 'mystery' man across the way, who swallowed her in a massive, loving embrace.
"I don't know why we are back," the man muttered into the teenager's hair, so no one else could hear him. "But I promise, I will do whatever I can to figure out what is going on. We will return home soon, Mali."
Mal raised her head to smile at her father. "No need to rush," she claimed with a happy gleam in her eye. "One of the best moment of my life was leaving the Isle to live in Auradon."
"Which lead to the king proposing to you?" Hades teased quietly, as no one really needed to know that truth. "Try not to change what you did too much."
"That will be nearly impossible now," Mal stubbornly insisted, backing out of her father's grasp so they could properly speak. "He invited the Sea Three—"
"Who knows everything that you do," Hades calmly claimed, gesturing toward a particular scene taking place near the limousine. "And now one of them refuses to leave for the sake of his family."
Gazing in that direction, Mal finally noticed the event her father spoke about. Two teenagers were arguing with each other while the tallest of the two held the hands of a set of twin boys, who could be no older than seven or possibly eight years old.
"I'll handle that," Mal promised, but before she left to do so kissed her father's cheek in departure. "I love you, Dad. I'll see you again."
Quickly jogging over to the four, Mal interrogated, "What's going on?"
"Harry doesn't want to leave," Uma answered as she glared in irritation at her first mate. "Gil and the others are in the limo waiting on us, but he says he's not going."
"I'm not leaving Squeaky and Squirmy," Harry stubbornly claimed as he tightened his grip on the twins' hands. "I did it once and regretted it ever since. I won't leave them again."
"They will be fine," Mal tried reassuring. "They have their father, your father, and Gil's father to look after them. If it would make you feel any better, my father can watch over them too. He will already be caring for Celia, so he'll have no problem caring for them when needed."
"A god, a pirate, and a hunter does not equal me." Harry glared determinedly. "Two of them don't know how to handle them like Uncle Smee, Gil, and I do. Hell, I chaperone my father when he's watching the boys because I don't trust him."
"Then I will make you an oath," Mal reasoned. "If I break it, it will cost me as much pain as it caused you."
Harry raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Go on."
Taking a deep breath, the fairy vowed, "I swear on the River Styx, the twins will come to Auradon before Prince Ben's coronation."
As the words were spoken, lightning flashed and thunder boomed in the distance, sealing the pledge that had been made. Uma stared at her cousin in disbelief, knowing just how dangerous it could be to swear on that ancient river. Harry must have known as well, since his resolve to stay reluctantly faded away.
Breaking hold of his grasps on the twins', Harry knelt before them as he placed a hand on their shoulders. "I will see you soon," he promised to Squeaky and Squirmy. "I will write to you every single day. The next time we see each other, you'll be in Auradon."
The twins wrapped their tiny arms around the young pirate's neck in a tight embrace as they silently wished they could never let go—
Making Mal that much more determined to keep her promise.
Almost nothing was said during the ride from the Isle to Auradon.
Jay and Carlos hardly touched the candy since they were much too anxious about returning to their home again. Evie was silently moping about having to leave Dizzy again, though the young girl didn't remember the Isle princess leaving the first time. Meanwhile, Uma and Gil were busy trying to cheer up Harry, who was still brooding about leaving his twins.
To ease the uneasy tension about going to Auradon once more, Mal decided she would try to spark up a conversation with the driver. "So," she began to get his attention, "what is it like in Auradon? Do you have any advice? Or maybe anything you can tell us about it?"
The driver remained quiet, making the seven children think he wouldn't say anything. However, after a few moments of silent, the chauffeur announced, "Prince Ben has been determined about having you come to Auradon ever since he broke up with Princess Audrey over a month ago."
That revelation surprised the seven children. They all knew Ben was originally meant to dump Audrey during the Tourney championship game. Why did that change to a month before they arrived?
"Interesting enough," the driver continued, "His Majesty claimed he would rather be with a villain princess than a spoiled princess. He had been so insistent about seven children from the Isle, but was quite stubborn about someone's invitation."
Turning around to look at the fairy properly, the chauffer revealed, "There was an invitation that his parents wanted to revoke, but Prince Ben threatened to step down from becoming king if they did so. Prince Ben almost stepped down . . . for you."