Citizens of Auradon were starting to gather in the throne room in Ben's castle. Evie and Doug walked in hand in hand as Doug noticed a worried look on Evie's face. "Evie?" Doug asked. "Everything alright." "Oh," Evie said. "Yeah. Just worried about Mal. She forgot her notes for the speech this morning and that just makes me worried about her. But I'm probably overreacting."
Carlos walked in with Dude and found Jane standing in a corner of the room by herself, looking sad. Carlos walked over to her and asked, "Jane, is everything OK?" "I don't know," Jane said. "My mom went to go check on Chad this morning and hasn't come home. I tried calling her but she won't answer. I'm worried about her." Carlos pulled Jane into a hug and whispered, "Everything will be OK." But Carlos became worried that something could of happened to Fairy Godmother.
Jay walked in with Lonnie and Lonnie said, "So, where did you go earlier today? I thought we were suppose to hang out before the New Years Address." "Sorry," Jay said. "Mal needed to met up for a while. I should have called you." "It's OK," Lonnie said. "Just warn me next time." Jay nodded, but he was tense and had his guard up.
Uma walked in with Harry, Gil, and Celia. Uma had become Celia's mentor after the barrier came down and now saw the little fortuneteller as a little sister of sorts. Uma kept her guard up so that she could sense if something dark would come into the throne room. She looked over at Harry, who had a pained look in his eyes and was still rubbing his chest. "Harry," Uma asked. "What is going on? You've been like this all day." "Sorry, captain," Harry said. "I haven't been feeling well. My chest has been hurting and I'm worried about Audrey. She's not answering my calls." Uma walked over to her first mate and said, "Keep it together. Even though I am fine with this arrangement that you and the pretty princess have, you are still a pirate and my first mate. Start acting like it." Harry nodded as Uma sighed, "Let's hope this isn't a sign that something bad is about to happen."
Ben paced a little back and forth in the room next to the throne room. Mal noticed and said, "Ben, relax. You've done tons of speeches before." "I know," Ben said. "I've got a bad feeling about this, that's all." "Ben," Mal said walking up to Ben and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Everything is going to be fine. Uma will be in the back keeping an eye out with her pirates and my gang are spaced throughout. If Palpatine decides to crash, then we'll be ready for him." "I know," Ben said. "But he's crafty. I'm just afraid that he'll do something that we weren't prepared for." Mal hugged Ben and said, "I know you are worried. But since we don't know where he is or what his game plan is, we just have to be on our guard. OK?" Ben pulled back and nodded.
Mal sighed. She knew that Ben was still upset that she hadn't made her decision on whether she wanted her memories and Force connection back, and the Palpatine mess was not helping matters. She thought back to when she saw Agathe in the forest holding her hand out to her and begging her to come with her, and that made Mal think. "Should I have followed her?" Mal thought. "Should I do this? This might help Ben take Palpatine down when he decides to show his face." Mal heard trumpets sound and Ben said, "That's our cue." He held out his arm and Mal took it, and the royal couple walked out of the room and into the throne room.
The audience cheered as Ben and Mal came into the room and Ben led himself and Mal to the thrones where Adam and Belle were standing. Mal let go of Ben as the king stepped forward and started his speech, "Welcome, citizens of Auradon. And Happy New Year!" Everyone cheered and clapped. "This year will bring many things to the kingdom of Auradon. The biggest one is that Auradon will have a new Queen." Ben looked at Mal and smiled at her, Mal returning the smile. "Also, Auradon will continue its transition of citizens from the Isle to Auradon like it has been for the past 5 months. And the ban on magic has been lifting a little at a time. My goal is to bring balance to Auradon that will help the kingdom flourish…."
"Liar!" Everyone's heads turned toward the entrance to the throne room and saw Chad standing there. Chad started to walk forward while Queen Cinderella tried to stop her son, "Your Majesty, I apologize for my son's actions…." Chad waved off his mother and shouted, "No! I have something to say that everyone needs to hear. And that is that our beloved King Ben is nothing but a fraud!" Everyone gasped as Ben said, "Chad. What grounds do you have to tell me that?" "Last night," Chad answered. "I was attacked by a dark force, led by a woman in a dark cloak. The darkness called her Enchantress." "Her!" Adam shouted. "She's the one who cursed me all those years ago. But no one has seen her in over 20 years." "She was there," Chad accused. "She tried to attack me and affect me with her darkness. Just like she did to the king 11 years ago." The crowd gasped as Belle asked, "What are you talking about? My son is not affected with darkness." "He was," Chad said. "I have proof that King Ben has been possessed by darkness since his 7th birthday. By someone who claimed to be a protector of Auradon. The one people call Solo. But he is no protector. He is a dark spirit known as Kylo Ren, a man who has done great evil millennia ago."
The crowd gasped as Ben clenched his fists but tried to remain calm as he knew that Chad was the one telling lies. Mal grabbed Ben's arm and shouted, "That's a lie! Ben is not possessed by anything!" "Of course you, a villain, would say that," Chad said. "Since you are part of his and the Enchantress' plan to bring chaos to Auradon." "Chad!" Ben shouted. "That is enough! You have no right to come here and throw accusations at me with no physical proof."
"He does." Everyone turned and saw Fairy Godmother walk in with a stern look on her face. Jane saw her mother and whispered, "She's here. But something doesn't feel right." "What do you mean?" Carlos whispered. "She feels cold," Jane said. "My mother can be stern and disciplined, but never cold. Something's wrong."
"When my godson was recovered this morning," Fairy Godmother said to the crowd, "I used my magic to look into his memories to see what happened. And he is telling the truth. He was attacked by the Enchantress and she revealed what she did to King Ben all those years ago. So the king who stands before us is not our king. He has been possessed by the dark spirit known as Kylo Ren while also masquerading as Solo." Everyone gasped as Uma sensed a dark aura coming from Chad and Fairy Godmother, not to mention his parents. "Something's wrong here," Uma whispered to the VKs around her. "I sense a darkness spreading in here, trying to infect everyone here. Grab hold of each other now." The VKs along with Doug, Jane, and Lonnie grabbed each other's hands as Uma's necklace glowed softly. Carlos picked up a whimpering Dude and held him tight in his arms while also holding Jane's hand tightly.
Fairy Godmother held her wand and waved it above her head and everyone saw Chad's memories: him in the forest at night, a woman in a dark cloud surrounded by shadows coming up to him, telling him about wanting to affect him with darkness like she did with Ben, and Chad running away before the Enchantress could do anything. Ben saw the memory and mentally told Mal, "That's not Agathe. She sounds nothing like that and looks nothing like that. Somehow Chad has a false memory. But why?" Mal was thinking in her mind about how this memory could be in Chad's head while Fairy Godmother continued, "I went to the forest where this memory was from and I used my magic to scan the area. And I found a disturbing memory."
She waved her wand again and showed a memory of the past: Ben, age 7, running away from his birthday, standing at the edge of his mother's rose garden. Then the wind picked up and at the forest's edge stood the Enchantress in her dark robes and she sang a siren song,
Come little prince
I'll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment
Come little prince
The time's come to play
Here in my garden
Of magic
Young Ben was in a trance and followed the Enchantress into the forest to her secret realm. She bound the prince's hands and feet together and she called a dark spirit to her side and it looked like Solo when he was Kylo Ren. Young Ben fell out of his trance and started to cry and scream when the Enchantress started her magic spell as Solo's spirit possessed the young prince, his dark mask appearing over the prince's face before fading. The cries and screams stopped and Ben went eerily quiet. The Enchantress unbound the prince's hands and feet and said, "How are you, my dark spirit?" Young Ben looked up and said in a deep voice, "Fantastic." The memory shifted showing the young prince placing himself within reach of the castle to be found by his parents, various secret meetings with the Enchantress about how his dark plan was going, and him getting the VKs over to Auradon to start the plan of chaos. It also showed Ben sharing his plan with Mal and she helping him in his schemes.
The memory ended as the crowd was shocked at what they just saw and Ben stood there in shock and mentally told Mal, "None of that is true. Something dark is going on here." "What do we do?" Mal mentally asked back. But before Ben could say anything, Fairy Godmother shouted, "Guards! Bind the king and arrest the villain next to him!" Guards appeared from all doors into the throne room and stormed the stage. Two guards held Ben's arms and two others started to drag Mal off the stage. "Mal!" Ben shouted as he strongly shoved one guard off of him and raised his hand towards Mal and Force pushed the two guards that were dragging her away. The crowd was shocked at what Ben just did, especially his parents. Doug looked at Ben and whispered, "I didn't know he could do that. Is Fairy Godmother right?" "No!" Evie whispered back. "Ben is not evil. Someone is trying to overthrow him. And Chad is right in the middle of it."
Celia was staring right at Chad. During the showing of the memories, Celia noticed that Chad had one of his hands low to the ground and weaving it strangely. She sensed some strange aura on him that wasn't there before. Something wasn't right about Chad. She broke free of Uma's grasp and walked up and put her hand on Chad, when she got bombarded with visions. Chad noticed this and hissed in his Palpatine voice, "Get off me, girl!" He shook her away as Celia was scared by what she saw. She ran back to Uma and Uma held her in one arm, trying to calm her down.
Lonnie whispered, "Has Ben been lying to us all these years?" "No!" Jay whispered. "Well, yes about some things, but not this." Lonnie looked at him weirdly and Jay sighed, "I'll explain later."
Jane leaned over to Carlos and whispered, "Something is off about those memories. I've seen Solo in action at Cotillion and I didn't sense any evil from him. But is he possessing Ben?" Carlos whispered back, "Not exactly. You are right about him not being evil, but none of what these memories show are true. I promise you that."
Adam and Belle looked over at their son in horror. Ben saw this and had a shocked look on his face. Mal mentally said, "Why did you expose your powers like that?" "I wanted to save you," Ben mentally said as more guards grabbed Mal, but before Ben could use his Force powers again, Fairy Godmother waved her wand and chains appeared on Ben's hands and Mal's hands. Chad secretly waved his hand low towards Ben. Ben tried to break free, but was shocked to discover that he couldn't. "Force binders!" Ben thought. "But how?" Mal sensed his thoughts before his mind went quiet and she couldn't hear Ben's thoughts anymore.
"My boy!" Belle shouted and tried to get to him, but Adam held her back. "He's not our boy," Adam said. "He hasn't been for a long time." Ben heard this and started to tear up. Fairy Godmother then said, "We can end this dark plan right now by freeing the king from this possession. Bring in the prisoner."
The doors opened and guards dragged in a bound Hades into the room. "Dad!" Mal shouted and she tried to break free but couldn't. Hades turned his head and saw his daughter in chains and his hair caught on fire in rage. Fairy Godmother walked in front of Hades and said, "We brought you here to free the king of the dark spirit that inhibits his body. If you refuse, then your daughter will suffer." Jane gasped softly as she knew her mother would never be this cruel. Hades couldn't talk as he had something over his mouth to prevent him from talking, so he looked over at Mal with sad eyes. Mal whispered, "No. Please." Hades sighed and nodded yes.
Fairy Godmother handed him his ember and other guards pulled Ben forward. Belle was crying as Adam said, "Do it. Free my son of this dark spirit, Kylo Ren." The guards pushed Hades towards Ben and Hades closed his eyes and channeled the ember's powers and directed it towards Ben. The king struggled to break free, but couldn't. He then gasped as he felt his soul being ripped from him forcefully by Hades. "No!" Mal shouted. "Ben!" His body went limp and fell to the ground, not moving. A ball of light came out of his body and formed into Solo in front of Hades, shocking the crowd. Doug, Jane, and Lonnie were the most shocked. "Ben did lie to us," Lonnie whispered. "Not in the way you think," Uma whispered. "Ben and Solo are one and the same. That is him. A reborn soul. That Hades ripped right out of him." Jane started to cry and Carlos whispered soothing words into her ear to calm her down as Dude muttered, "That's why Solo smelled like Ben."
Fairy Godmother waved her wand and the chains that were on Ben went onto Solo so he couldn't get away, "As everyone can see, Ben has been freed of the dark spirit Kylo Ren." Belle broke free of Adam's hold on her and ran off and scooped her son into her arms. "My baby!" Belle cried. She rocked back and forth with Ben in her arms. She looked up and saw Solo staring at her with tears in his eyes. Belle noticed that look as she had seen it multiple times, ever since Ben was a boy. Even before he turned seven. "Ben?" Belle whispered to Solo. Solo nodded and whispered, "Mom. It's me. Please see that." Belle gasped as Chad stepped forward and said, "See? I told you that the king was a liar." Solo growled and turned towards Chad, but then he sensed something in Chad. He reached out with what little Force he had access to and felt a familiar presence in Chad. "Palpatine," Solo thought in his head. "He's possessed Chad and planted those false memories. He also must be controlling Fairy Godmother." Solo glared at Chad and shouted, "If anyone is being possessed by a dark spirit, it's you, Chad." Chad laughed and said, "Of course a dark spirit would give false accusations like that. Just to save his own skin."
"Guards!" Fairy Godmother shouted. "Take this dark spirit and lock him in the dungeons!" Guards picked up Solo and dragged him out of the room. Solo looked at Mal and shouted, "Mal! It's him! He's possessed Chad!" The door closed and Mal turned and stared at Chad.
Belle put one of her hands on Ben's neck and shouted, "He doesn't have a pulse!" "The Queen Mother is distressed," Fairy Godmother said. "These events shown here today in front of the council and the citizens of Auradon have shown that this royal family is not fit to rule over Auradon. Therefore, I declare that the next heir in line for the throne becomes king. My godson, Prince Chad." "What?" Adam shouted. "My son is freed from that dark spirit. He will wake up and we will help him return to normal."
Hades' hair flared up and the gag over his mouth disappeared. The god shouted, "Then you're a fool, Adam! You don't realize that you ordered the death of your son!" People in the crowd started to argue as Uma whispered, "Darkness is already affecting people." Adam stood there in shock and said, "You tell lies, Hades!" "No!" Hades said. "You don't understand. I just pulled the only soul that resides in your son. You don't understand that the soul I pulled out was a reborn soul that helped you have an heir. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have an heir to the throne." Adam stood there in shock as Fairy Godmother waved her wand and magically put another gag in Hades' mouth, walked over and pulled the crown off of Ben's head and said, "Whatever the case, I hereby crown Prince Chad king of Auradon." Chad kneeled and Fairy Godmother placed the crown on his head. He stood up smiling. Everyone except Mal, Hades, and the groups of VKs along with Doug, Jane, and Lonnie bowed to Chad. "You're right, Uma," Evie whispered, "They're under the darkness' control. They showed no emotion when Hades revealed the truth about Ben. Chad is now King."
Chad, or rather Palpatine, walked up and sat down on the throne. He looked out to the crowd and said, "Citizens of Auradon. Today is the start of a new reign. It will be a reign of glory and power. And I will rule over Auradon with my new Queen." Suddenly a side door opened and in walked Audrey with her new pink hair with blue highlights hairdo and she was wearing a pink dress with black lacing. She walked up to Chad and kneeled before him. Harry stood in the back in shock. "Audrey?" Harry whispered. "She's under a spell," Uma said. "That's why your chest has been hurting," Gil said. "Same thing happened to Mal when Ben was spelled by Audrey." "That guy will pay," Harry whispered as he glared at Chad.
Chad motioned for Audrey to stand and he said, "Welcome, my dear." "Thank you, beloved," Audrey said, causing Harry to want to charge at Chad, but Gil and Jay held him back. Chad then motioned for Audrey to sit next to him and Chad said, "Guards. Take the previous king and queen to their rooms and put them under house arrest. They will be interviewed later to determine if the dark spirit Kylo Ren affected them at all. They can take their son with them as they deal with their grief." Belle cried as guards pulled her to her feet and escorted her out of the room. Guards tried to grab Adam, but he pulled his arms away and shouted, "I want to carry my son!" The guards relented and Adam bent down and picked up Ben's body bridal style and the guards escorted him out of the room.
"What about the villains, my dear king?" Audrey asked. "I suggest we throw all of them back to the Isle of the Lost. Starting with the not-to-be Queen." Mal glared at Chad and Audrey and said, "Ben was right. If there's anyone possessed here, it's you." Chad laughed and said, "You won't win, fairy child. Guards! Take her and her villain friends back to the Isle. Fairy Godmother, you will help collect all the villains that were released and send them back and put the barrier back up." "Yes, Your Majesty," Fairy Godmother said. She turned to the VKs in the back of the room and said, "Our citizens will not interact with villains anymore. Especially my daughter!" She waved her wand and was magically trying to rip Doug, Jane, and Lonnie away from the VKs' grasps, but Uma's magic was keeping them with her. Fairy Godmother concentrated harder and Doug was ripped form Evie's grasp, Jane was ripped from Carlos' grasp, and Lonnie was ripped from Jay's grasp. "No!" Evie, Carlos, and Jay shouted. Doug, Jane, and Lonnie landed in the arms of the guards, the darkness of Palpatine starting to affect them.
Guards started to advance on the VKs as other guards started to led Mal out of the room. But Hades' eyes started to glow and his hair reignited. The ember was clenched in his fist as he ripped the new gag off of his mouth and used the ember to blast the guards off of Mal and another blast to break the chains on her. "Run!" Hades shouted. "Get your friends and get out of here." "Dad!" Mal shouted as Chad tried to get the guards to arrest the villains. "I'll be fine!" Hades shouted as he threw his ember to Mal, who caught it. "Go!" Hades shouted. Mal cried, but nodded and ran through the crowd, who tried to stop her, but she pushed them away with her magic, and she freezes the guards around here friends so she could reach them. They huddled around her and Mal mumbled her teleportation spell and the eight VKs, along with Dude, disappeared. Hades smiled as guards surrounded him.
Chad roared with anger and shouted, "Find them! Now!" Some guards nodded and ran out of the throne room. Chad pointed to Hades and said, "Take him to the dungeons where he can keep Kylo Ren company." Guards escorted Hades down to the dungeons. Chad looked at the crowd and said, "Now, citizens of Auradon, go and spread the word that there is a new king on the throne." The crowd nodded as if in a trance and left the room. Chad smiled and sat back down. He looked over at Audrey and said in his Palpatine voice, "Everything went according to plan. Mostly anyway. That god let Mal and the other villains get away. No matter. We will find them." "What will you do while we wait?" Audrey asked. Palpatine smiled and said, "We will plan our grand wedding for tomorrow as well as your coronation as my Queen. But first, I need to check on little Ben Solo in the dungeons."
Chewie was lounging in Ben's bedroom at the castle when his ears perked up as he heard, "There's danger in the castle. Ben's soul has been split from his body. His soul is locked in the dungeon while his body is locked with his parents in their rooms. Go find Ben's body. One of the Force spirits still with him will help you. Go!" Chewie barked once and he charged out to the balcony. He realized that he would have to somehow climb the outside wall and roof to reach the balcony of Adam and Belle's rooms. Chewie leaped off and his claws caught onto the wall. He then started to crawl towards his destination.
Ben Solo sat in his cell with a sad look on his face. "Why didn't I sense Palpatine sooner?" Ben Solo whispered. "I should have stopped him sooner. But his dark influence was more than I thought. And now I'm stuck here in these cuffs and Auradon will soon be in chaos. It's my fault. I should have stopped him sooner." Tears started to leak down his face as he cried, "And Mal. I couldn't keep her safe."
He stopped crying when he heard the door to the dungeons open and he turned to see guards dragging in Hades and they threw him into the cell next to his and walked out. Hades growled at the retreating guards and he looked over at Ben Solo and said, "You look like crap." Solo sighed and said, "I feel like it. These cuffs are blocking me from the Force." "So you can't break out," Hades guessed. "Same with these. Especially since I don't have my ember anymore since I gave it to Mal." Solo turned and said, "Wait. Mal. Is she OK?" "She's fine," Hades answered. "I freed her from her chains and she magically teleported herself and the other VKs somewhere. I don't know where." Solo sighed and said, "At least she's safe."
They both heard the door to the dungeons open and they saw Chad walk in with an evil smile on his face. "Well, well," Chad said. "Look what we have here. Ben Solo at his most vulnerable. How does it feel?" Solo stood up and said, "Safe it. Palpatine." Chad chuckled, but with Palpatine's voice, and Palpatine said, "Clever. But not clever enough to see me coming." "You are sick," Solo said. "You are possessing an innocent boy just to have the power back that you had and always wanted. You'll never get away with this." Palpatine laughed and said, "I already have, young Skywalker. It's just a shame that I didn't destroy you like I thought all those years ago on Exegol. When I threw you down that ditch I should have checked to see if you were dead. But now here we are. I am about to take everything you worked so hard to get and you have a front row seat to the start of my new Empire. But this god of the Underworld here freed that fairy child and her friends. But don't worry, I will find them and crush them." Solo banged the cell bars and shouted, "Don't touch them!" Palpatine laughed and said, "You can't do anything about it. I bet you don't have much time left. When Hades here tore your spirit from your new vessel, the connection was broken. Soon that vessel will die and you will be just a spirit that I will destroy forever."
Hades slammed his cell bars and said, "You can't destroy a soul. They're immortal." "Maybe," Palpatine said. "But the Force can do many things that even you, god of death, don't realize. Now, young Skywalker, there is something I need from you. Where is the other half of the dyad? I know it wasn't just you who was reborn here." Solo kept his mouth shut so Palpatine blasted lightning at Solo, who cried out in pain. Palpatine asked, "I'll ask you again. Where is my granddaughter?" Hades froze at that statement as Solo cried out, "You'll never find her. I don't know where she is." Palpatine stopped his attack and said, "I could just enter your mind like I did all those years ago, when you were just a baby. I've been a voice in your head for many years. So, let me in and tell me where she is." Palpatine started his mental attack, but Solo's mental walls were stronger than Palpatine realized so he backed out. "Fine," Palpatine said. "You've grown with the Force since your previous life. No matter. I will find her and destroy her."
Adam and Belle were in their bedroom with guards outside. Belle was sitting on the bed next to Ben's body as she cried softly. Adam paced the room and said, "I don't understand. How could this have happened? Our son has been lying to us for years. Was he ever our son?" "Adam!" Belle shouted, stopping Adam in his tracks. "I don't understand what has happened either. But Ben is our son. I believe what Hades said. And I just want my son back." Belle cried into Ben's shoulder as Adam stared at his wife and son with a solemn look on his face.
Suddenly a magical wind blew through the room and a voice was heard, "Spirits hidden from my sight, reveal yourselves in the sun's light." Adam saw something glowing on Ben's chest and Adam shouted, "Belle. Come over to me now!" Belle looked at what Adam was seeing and ran over to Adam. A ball of light came out of Ben and landed in front of Adam and Belle. It formed into Leia, who smiled at the couple and said, "Relax. I am not here to harm you. I want to help get my son back just like you." "Your son?" Belle asked.
Leia sighed and said, "You two deserve an explanation. The soul you saw ripped out of Ben. In his previous life, his name was Ben Solo. But due to dark circumstances, he went by the name Kylo Ren. And he was my son." Adam and Belle looked at Leia with shock. Leia noticed this and said, "I should start at the beginning. Ben was born over a millennia ago in a galaxy far far away. I was his mother. Princess Leia Organa-Skywalker. I was the princess of a destroyed planet called Alderran. My husband, Han Solo, was a smuggler. We came into each others' paths during a war between the Empire and the Rebellion. Along with my long lost twin brother, Luke Skywalker." "Long lost twin brother?" Adam asked. Leia nodded and said, "Luke and I were separated at birth because right before we were born, the leader of the Galactic Republic, Sheev Palpatine, declared himself Emperor and turned the Republic into an Empire. He also destroyed a group called the Jedi. My mother, Padme Amidala, was a former Queen turned Senator in the Republic. She was secretly married to a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker. Palpatine turned Anakin away from the light to the dark side of the Force…" "What's the Force?" Adam asked.
Leia answered, "The Force is a energy field that created by all life that connects everything in the universe. It is far older than the magic of this world, thus superior to it in a way. Only a few people have powers from it, like myself, my brother, my father, and my son." "That's how Ben was able to push those guards away from Mal?" Belle asked. "Because of the Force?" Leia nodded and said, "Anyway, Palpatine turned my father to the dark side and my father became a Dark Lord called Darth Vader. Shortly after, my mother gave birth to my brother and I and she died in childbirth. In order to protect us from the Emperor and my father, we were separated. I was sent to become a princess of another planet. My brother was sent with my father's family on a desert planet. But fate had us meet again and we, along with Han Solo and others, sided with the Rebellion and fought the Empire. Luke turned my father away from the Dark Side and defeated the Emperor and the Empire fell. A few years later, I gave birth to my son, Ben. But Ben was strong with the Force, much like his grandfather was."
Leia sighed and said, "I was not the best mother to Ben. He had the dark voice of Palpatine in his head since he was a baby and I wasn't around enough to help him. His father wasn't much better, always off on smuggling jobs and never home. I wasn't much better, I was a Senator in the New Republic. We weren't there to help my son with his powers. And he always had nightmares thanks to Palpatine, under the guise of a man called Snoke, in his head, twisting his mind to the dark side. So I sent my son to my brother to train him to become a Jedi. But that didn't help and my son was turned to the dark side. The final push was my brother, in a moment of weakness, almost killing my son when he sensed the darkness within him. But my son ran away and destroyed my brother's Jedi temple. He ran to Snoke and became Kylo Ren. My son….was not a good man during that time. He destroyed many places and people, and even killed his own father in cold blood. But that act has haunted him always. But things started to change when he came across a girl named Rey. She was a scavenger from a planet called Jakku who was his equal in the Force. They learned later that they were a dyad in the Force, two that are one. They developed a Force bond through certain events, even Kylo cutting down Snoke, and me sacrificing the last of my power to call to him which cost me my life, he became Ben Solo again. And he and Rey went to defeat Palpatine, who was alive thanks to cloning, and they defeated him. But Rey lost her life and Ben traded his life for hers. But Rey only lived for another 10 years as her spirit wanted to reunite with my son's. So she made a wish to the Force and they were reborn here in Auradon. Ben was reborn as your son."
Adam and Belle stood in silence as they processed what Leia said. Adam spoke first, "So why was your son reborn as our son?" Leia sighed and said, "When Ben's soul arrived here, he met Agathe, who you know as the Enchantress. She told him the events that happened in this world and said that because of your actions, the world was suffering and unbalanced. The warning she gave you was that you would suffer the consequences. And the consequences were that you would never have an heir." Belle gasped as Adam said, "But Ben was born." "Only because of my son stepping in," Leia said. "Agathe brought him here on the night before you two found out you were expecting a child. You were, but if Ben didn't agree to be reborn as your son, then you would of had a stillborn child. As the baby had no soul. My son reborn as your son was the key to helping this world restore its balance. Ben agreed to be reborn as your son for a second chance at life and to fulfill his destiny as the savior of this world. But his memories and Force connection were taken away. He lived the first few years of his childhood in peace. He got the childhood he should of had. But then he started to get his memories back slowly."
"The nightmares he had as a child," Belle realized. "Those were his old memories?" Leia nodded and said, "Those dreams were his dark memories of when he was Kylo Ren. They terrified him, but he also had dreams of him and Rey. Agathe was sending him the dreams to say that it was time to have his memories and Force connection restored so that he could fulfill his destiny. That was also around the time he started having dreams about Mal. So when he overheard that you betrothed him to Audrey, he was heartbroken and ran away. Agathe found him and gave him the choice if he wanted his memories and Force connection restored. The memory you saw today was not how it happened. Ben had the choice. And he chose to reawaken. He was still the same Ben you knew, just enlightened. His dreams of Mal was the reason he wanted to start the VK program. And he secretly visited the Isle as Solo and saw just how horrible it was there."
Leia then walked forward and took Belle's hands and said, "Ben still loves both of you. You gave him the childhood I couldn't give him. That I should have given him. I thank you for that. But just know that he will always be your Ben. The same Ben who loves eating his favorites of Mrs. Potts. The same Ben who works hard to make Auradon a great kingdom. Don't listen to the lies you heard today. Listen to your heart and know what is true." Belle started to cry again and nodded saying, "I believe in my son." Adam nodded as well and said, "I do as well. But why would Chad show us a false memory?" Leia sighed and said, "Chad has been possessed by Palpatine, who somehow came here. He wants to take everything away that Ben holds dear. Starting with his kingdom. Then he will destroy the other half of the dyad. Which we need to make sure he doesn't find." "You mean Rey?" Belle asked. "If Ben was reborn, then since he is part of this dyad, Rey must have been to. But as who?" Leia smiled and said, "His true love, of course."
Adam and Belle's eyes widened, but Leia held her hand up and said, "Don't say it aloud. The less said the better. We just need to give her time so that she can find Agathe and have her memories and Force connection restored. Only then can Ben be saved and Palpatine be eliminated for good."
Suddenly they heard barking outside and they turned to see Chewie standing on the balcony. Leia waved her hand and the door opened. Chewie came bounding in and saw Leia and ran straight to her. Suddenly another ball of light came out of Ben and formed into Han Solo, shocking Adam and Belle. "Hey, Chewie," Han said. Leia said, "This is Han Solo, my husband." Adam walked forward and said, "You're Ben's original father, yes? Then you and I need to have some words." Han held up his hand and said, "I know. I have made mistakes in the past regarding my son. But I already feel the guilt. And Leia made sure of it. And I know that Ben killed me, but if that meant starting the process of brining my son home, then I would do it again in a heartbeat." Adam saw the truth in Han's eyes and nodded.
Leia turned to Chewie and said, "Dog to Wookiee." Gold mist surrounded Chewie and he turned into his Rookie form, startling Adam and Belle. Han chuckled as Chewbacca pulled him into a bear hug, the Wookiee happy to see his old friend again. Leia turned to Adam and Belle and said, "You already know Chewbacca. This is his true form. Agathe did the magic. She sent him to Ben to watch over him in the physical plane while me and the rest of the spirits stayed with Ben in his mind. Chewbacca, you are going to accompany the other spirits and find Mal and her friends. They need protecting. I will stay here with Padme and help preserve Ben's body. We need to get his spirit reunited with his body." Other spirits came out of Ben's body, most going toward Chewie while Padme appeared next to Ben, startling Adam and Belle. Leia sat next to Ben along with Padme, while Chewbacca roared and magically disappeared along with the other spirits.
Belle ran over to Ben's side and said, "You can save him." Padme spoke up, "Leia and I can preserve Ben's body. But only Agathe or Hades can reunite Ben's spirit with his body. Or maybe…" "Mother," Leia said. "We don't know if the Force can do that. I know what you are thinking." "We need to have faith, Leia," Padme said. "If Hades or Agathe can't help, then maybe Rey can." Belle sat next to the two Force spirits and said, "I just want my son back." "He will come back," Leia said. "And Palpatine will be destroyed once and for all. We must have faith in the Force." Adam sat next to his wife and prayed that his son would come back to him.
Over at the Enchanted Lake, Mal, Evie, Carlos, Dude, Jay, Uma, Celia, Harry, and Gil magically appeared. Mal immediately broke away from the group and paced back and forth saying, "This is bad. This is very, very bad. Palpatine came right under our noses. How did he possess Chad? How does he control Fairy Godmother? How…" "Mal!" Evie walked over and put her hands on Mal's shoulders. "Breathe, Mal. We will figure this out. And we're going to save Auradon." "How?" Carlos asked. "If you remember, Chad, or whoever is possessing Chad, just walked into that throne room, showed everyone that Ben has been keeping certain secrets, had Hades rip Ben's soul out from his body, and took the throne for himself. Not to mention he probably has all of our friends, including my girlfriend, under some dark control." "As well as brainwashing my love into becoming his Queen," Harry added. "So," Jay asked. "What can we do?"
Celia stepped forward and said, "When I grabbed Chad's arm, I saw what happened to him." Uma walked up and said, "I know a spell that can show us what you saw, Celia." She walked up to the water of the Enchanted Lake and chanted, "Magical waters, clear as can be, show us the visions we need to see." The water glowed as the magic of the lake rose and surrounded Celia, then went back down into the lake.
The visions that Celia saw were shown to the others: the dark spirit Palpatine arriving in a dark forest, him finding Chad, who was melancholy about Audrey not loving him back, Palpatine forcefully possessing Chad, the prince's screams ringing in everyone's ears and Evie putting a hand over her mouth in horror, Palpatine walking out of the forest in Chad's body as decay grew around him, him pretending to be unconscious as guards found him, Palpatine unleashing his dark control unto Fairy Godmother, Chad's parents, and the guards, him forcefully kissing Audrey and turning her evil, which made Harry cringe and scream with fury, Palpatine planning his overthrow of Ben, Fairy Godmother capturing Hades, and then the VKs heard Palpatine say, "The dyad will be destroyed once and for all. But I must find the other half. Rey can't hide forever. I will find her and destroy her as well as the young Skywalker."
The visions stopped and everyone stood in silence. "Wow," Gil said. "We're doomed." "That's messed up," Dude commented. "How could someone do that to Chad?" Evie asked. "I know that he can be a bit…him, but even he doesn't deserve this." "Palpatine said that he wants to destroy the dyad," Uma said. "I know that Ben is one half, and this Rey is the other half. But Ben never told us where Rey is. I assume she was reborn here like Ben was, but we don't know who she is. She could by anyone…"
"It's me." Everyone turned and saw Mal staring at the ground. "Palpatine's looking for me. I'm Rey. Or that was who I was in my previous life." Everyone was shocked by Mal's admission. Evie stepped forward and asked, "Why didn't you say anything?" "Why?" Mal shouted. "What would I say? That I started getting my memories back slowly through dreams right before I arrived here in Auradon? How Ben knew who I was the entire time? How now I have to choose if I want my memories and Force connection back like Ben did? Even though I'm afraid I'll lose who I am now? The true me? You, all of you, never really knew the true me. The one who had a facade of a tough girl while on the Isle to hide the lights inside of me. The one who met with Solo alone to talk about my dreams. The one who remembered that my father always called me Rey, his little sunshine. None of you know the real me. Heck, I don't know who I am anymore. Am I Mal? Am I Rey? I don't know anymore. The only person who does is Ben, but now he's captured by that monster, who was my grandfather in my previous life, and Auradon is doomed, and it's all my fault, because I haven't made my decision. It's my fault." Mal kneeled to the ground and started to cry, her friends watching in silence. Mal looked at her reflection in the water and started to sing,
If only I knew what my heart was telling me
Don't know what I'm feeling
Is this just a dream?
Ah oh, yeah
If only I could read the signs in front of me
I could find the way to who I'm meant to be
Ah oh
If only
If only
Mal sobbed into her dress. Her friends watched her, unsure of what to do. Uma walked up to Mal and kneeled down next to her, "Mal. You need to pull yourself together." Mal looked up at Uma and said, "What?" Uma sighed and said, "Look, just because you are a reborn soul doesn't mean that your life up to this point was nothing. You are still the girl who was a leader on the Isle. The girl who defeated her own mother. The girl who saved Auradon too many times to count. The girl who freed those on the Isle. And the girl that loves Ben. You still have all of that despite your previous life. And I know that Ben feels the same way. He loves all parts of you. You as Rey and you as Mal. Do you love him as the king and him as Ben Solo?" Mal nodded as Uma continued, "Then you understand what I am saying. Rey is just another part of you. And right now, we need that part of you if we are going to save Auradon from your evil grandfather of the past." Uma stood up and held her hand out to Mal, who took it and stood up.
A magical wind swirled around the VKs and Chewbacca appeared before them with the Force spirits, although Mal was the only one who could see them. Dude shouted, "Chewie!" Chewbacca roared and ran over to Mal, giving her a big hug. "Chewie!" Mal said as Chewbacca hugged her. "How did you get here?" Chewbacca let go of her and pointed to the Force spirits with him. "Uh, Mal," Evie asked. "What is he pointing at?" Uma's necklace started to glow and Uma asked, "Is there something here that we can't see?" Mal nodded and said, "Force spirits." Uma nodded and chanted, "Spirits hidden from my sight, reveal yourselves in the sun's light." Suddenly everyone else saw the Force spirits standing next to Chewbacca. "Greetings, young ones," Obi-Wan said. "Ghosts!" Gil shouted, jumping into Jay's arms, but Jay dropped him.
"It's OK," Mal said. "These are spirits from my past. This is Han Solo, Ben's dad, Luke Skywalker, Ben's uncle, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, old Jedi masters, and Anakin Skywalker, Ben's grandfather." Harry chuckled at Anakin's youthful appearance, which the spirit used as his wife had her youthful appearance as a spirit, and said, "This is Ben's grandpa? A hippie?" Anakin turned to Harry and asked, "Would you rather I look like this?" His form shifted into his Darth Vader form, with the creepy breathing from his mask and red lightsaber in hand. Harry cowered a bit and said, "Hippie was cool." Anakin shifted back into his old look and said, "Thought so."
"Where are Leia and Padme?" Mal asked. "Staying with Ben's body," Han Solo answered. "So that his body won't shut down completely before his spirit is reunited with it. But Ben's soul is down in the dungeons along with your father, Hades." "We don't have a lot of time," Luke Skywalker said. "We need to reunite his soul with his vessel before it's too late." Mal reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out Hades' ember. "But I have my dad's ember. How can we reunite Ben's soul with his body?" "Ben's soul must be freed, first," Yoda said. "His soul must be close to his body, in order for it to work." "Hades can reunite the two," Obi-Wan said. "Agathe could as well. But we have another thing we must do first." "We came here to guide you to Agathe," Anakin said. "Mal, you need to regain your memories and Force connection. Then the dyad will be whole again and you and Ben and take down Palpatine for good." "Can't we just magically go to wherever Agathe is?" Carlos asked. Luke Skywalker shook his head and said, "We have to go by foot. We must hurry. The guards are in the forest looking for all of you. We need to get Mal to Agathe quickly!"
Uma looked over at Mal and said, "Well, princess. You have to decide. Do you want this or not?" Mal pulled out the Kyber Crystal she wore and looked at it. She felt Ben's presence and that comforted her.
But before she could give an answer, they heard shouts coming from outside the lake perimeter. "We're out of time," Obi-Wan said. "We have to go. Now!" Uma grabbed Mal's arm and the VKs, Dude, Chewbacca, and the Force spirits started to run away.
The guards spotted them and started to run after them. Chewbacca pulled out his crossbow and fired non-lethal shots at the guards to slow them down. Luke, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin used the Force to push guards away and have the Force use nature to block the guards' paths. The VKs ran as fast as they could. But Celia shouted, "Do we even know where we are suppose to be going?" "No clue," Jay shouted back. The Force spirits stopped and Luke said, "The five of us can create a barrier to hold the guards off. But not for long." "Wait," Han said, "How can I…." "You can, smuggler," Anakin said. "We can provide a distraction," Obi-Wan said. "Hide behind some of the trees and wait until the guards have left. Then run." "But," Mal said. "We will be fine, young one," Yoda said. "Go!" "Chewie!" Han shouted. "Protect them!" Chewbacca roared and he, Dude, and the VKs ran and hid behind some large trees. They heard the guards closing in, but then they heard a loud bang coming from the other direction. "They're that way!" One of the guards shouted. "Troops, move out!" The guards went into the directions of the sound.
After a few minutes, the VKs, Dude, and Chewbacca came out of their hiding spots and Evie said, "They're gone." "For now," Harry said. "More may come. We need to keep moving." "Hold on," Carlos said as he picked up Dude. "We don't even know where we are suppose to be going. Does anyone know where Agathe could be?" "He's got a point," Uma said. "She's very good at hiding herself. She appears when she wants to and no one knows where she lives. Why do you think they couldn't find her when they tried to arrest here all those years ago?" "I could send out my shadows to search for her," Celia suggested. "No," Jay said. "That may reveal our location. We can't use magic." "Why not?" Gil asked. "I just said why, Gil," Jay replied.
The group was arguing amongst themselves and Mal and Chewbacca were standing a couple feet away. Mal sighed, knowing that Jay was right about that they shouldn't use magic to find Agathe as that might reveal their location. But she was also thinking about her decision.
She felt the wind pick up and leaves swirled around her. She turned and saw Agathe standing in the distance. The Enchantress held up her hand and said, "The time has come to regain what you have lost. Come with me." Mal was scared, but she knew that Agathe was there to help her. She started running towards Agathe as the Enchantress magically glided through the forest.
Evie turned and saw Mal ran off and shouted, "Mal! Wait!" The other VKs noticed and ran off after Mal, Chewbacca following behind.
Mal kept running to keep up with Agathe. Finally she came to a tree that Agathe passed through. "Come," Agathe called out. Mal sighed and walked through the tree. The other VKs and Chewbacca ran up to the tree, seeing Mal go through it. "Should we go in too?" Evie asked. "Maybe," Uma said. "Uh," Gil said. "I don't know. It looks sketchy….." Chewbacca pushed everyone in then walked in himself.
Mal looked around the room she appeared in and saw Agathe standing there. The Enchantress pulled off her hood and said, "Welcome, Mal. I've been expecting you." Suddenly the other VKs and Chewbacca tumbled into the room, Dude falling out of Carlos' arms. "And it appears that you brought others with you," Agathe said. Uma got up and said, "We had no choice. Palpatine's guards are trying to find us. What were we suppose to do? And why haven't you stepped up and done anything to stop all of this?" Agathe sighed and said, "I am sorry. I knew that Palaptine was coming to this world, but not when. I am only a guide, after all. I did not expect all of this to happen so quickly. My main duty is to Ben and Mal."
"Ben's in trouble," Mal said. "Palpatine forced my father to split is soul from his vessel. He's suffering." "I know," Agathe said. "I felt it. I can reunite his spirit with his body if I can get to him. If we want to save Ben, then we must act quickly." "Like you should have done already," Uma huffed. "Chewbacca," Agathe said. "Can you please escort these guests to another part of the room? I need to speak to Mal alone." "But," Mal said. "It's alright," Agathe said. "They will still be here for you. But we must speak alone. They will still be in earshot." Chewbacca picked up Dude and pushed the VKs to move to the other side of the room and Harry shouted, "Alright, beastie. Calm down. We're walking."
Once the VKs were at the other side of the room, Agathe turned to Mal and said, "You know why you are here." Mal nodded and said, "It's my fault." "Why would you say that?" Agathe said. "I made you and Ben wait for my decision about this," Mal answered. "If I had made this decision sooner, then maybe none of this Palpatine business wouldn't of happened. And Ben…." Mal began to cry again. Evie wanted to go over and comfort her friend, but Chewbacca held her back. Agathe walked up to Mal and said, "It may be true that you could have made this choice sooner, but maybe not. The Force works in mysterious ways, Mal. You must have faith in it." "Then why wasn't I told about any of this sooner?" Mal asked. "I told Ben not to tell you until it was time," Agathe said. "That boy wanted to tell you so many times, but he listened to the Force and waited until the Force deemed it so. And now is that time. But like Ben did, you have a choice. You can walk away from here without your memories and Force connection, or you can regain them and reunite the dyad."
She waved her hand and a ball of light appeared and took the form of Rey. The VKs were shocked as Celia whispered, "That's Rey?" Mal stared at the spirit as Agathe explained, "This form contains your memories and Force connection that I took from you when your spirit arrived here. I split it from you and sent your soul into the vessel waiting for you on the Isle. Just like I did with Ben when he arrived after you." "He came after me?" Mal asked. Agathe nodded and said, "Indeed. He wanted to see you, but I told him that you already made your choice. It was your wish that brought both of you here." "What wish?" Dude asked, but the VKs around him shushed him. Agathe chuckled and suddenly everyone heard a woman's voice say, "Please. I wish to be with him again in a new life. Away from all of this. I want a chance to be with him and live a life with him. I want to be happy again." Mal looked at Agathe and said, "That was me?" Agathe nodded and said, "That was the wish you made to the Force right before you died. Your spirit wanted to reunite with Ben's and have a second chance at a better life."
"But why was I reborn on the Isle?" Mal asked. "From the pieces I've seen, I didn't have a good life beforehand. And my childhood here wasn't that great." "I understand," Agathe said. "But your light helped ease your darkness. You have both, just like Ben. And honestly, Auradon needed a little bit of dark to balance things out. Which was why Ben was reborn in Auradon. You had the light that the Isle needed, and Ben had the dark Auradon needed. You two are destined to bring balance back to this world. You helped do that in your previous life, and like here, you had friends that helped you along the way."
Suddenly other forms stood next to the form of Rey, whom Mal recognized. "Finn," Mal whispered. "Poe. Rose. Maz. I recognize them from my dreams." Agathe nodded and said, "The spirits of the past will help guide you just like others have done for Ben." "Peanut," Finn's spirit said. "You deserve this new life. We are here to help you stop Palpatine for good." "Indeed," Poe's spirit said. "I would love to blast that guy off the face of this planet." "We want to help you," Rose said. "Just like your friends in your new life have." She pointed to the other VKs who were shocked to see the spirits. "Remember what I said to you long ago," Maz said. "The belonging you seek is not behind you. It is ahead."
Mal looked at all of the spirits along with Agathe, then looked over at her friends. And she thought of Ben. Her other half. He made this choice a long time ago and has done everything in his power to make her wish come true. But should she embrace her past to make a better future? Ben was both Ben Solo and Kylo Ren, and now was King Ben and Ben Solo, so could she be both Mal and Rey? She took a deep breath as she felt a song come onto her heart,
Is this my past here before me?
Is this my story unfolding?
It's all here to discover
Everything that I am
Can this be what I've been seeking?
All my life I've been waiting for this
And now these memories
Will they make me see more?
These spirits calling me
Familiar voices haunting
Disappearing taunting me
This is the choice I must make
Mal looked up and Agathe and said, "I will do it." The VKs were shocked at Mal's answer as Chewbacca roared with joy. Agathe smiled and said, "Then let's begin." Agathe chanted her spell as the spirits around the form of Rey turned into balls of light and entered Mal's body. Then Rey's form started to merge with Mal as Mal's body absorbed her memories and Force connection. The VKs gasped when they saw Rey's face come over Mal's face for a second before disappearing.
Back with Luke, Anakin, Yoda, Han, and Obi-Wan, they felt Rey's return in the Force and nodded to each other, disappearing as the guards came running through. The guards looked around, confused at what just happened.
Palpatine, in Chad's body, was walking back from his trip in the dungeons when he felt a shift in the Force. "It's her," he whispered softly. "My granddaughter. I felt her in the Force. She's here."
Ben Solo was sitting in his cell next to Hades, and even though he had Force cuffs on, he felt something in the Force. He shot his head up, which Hades noticed and asked, "What is it?" "Rey," Ben said. "She's reawakened. She has her memories and Force connection back. I felt it."
Back at Agathe's hidden room, the Enchantress looked at Mal and said, "Do you remember?" Mal looked up and said, "I remember." She paused for a second then said in her original Rey voice, "Everything." The VKs gasped as Uma said, "It worked." Agathe walked forward to Mal and said, "So, what do you think? Are you Mal or Rey?" "Both," Mal said in her Rey voice. She then cleared her throat and continued in her regular voice, "I still feel like the new me, but I also feel like the old me. Ben was right. I'm still me, just enlightened."
Agathe motioned for Chewbacca to let the VKs come up to Mal and Evie ran over and hugged Mal and asked, "Are you OK?" Mal nodded and said, "I'm better than OK. I'm me, the full me. I just got a missing piece of me that I realized that I was missing. Maybe I knew I was missing it, but it took a while to realize that. But now, we need to rescue Ben and save Auradon from Palpatine. I destroyed him once, I can do it again. This is what I must do!" Her friends smiled as Mal felt one last part of a song wanting to come out,
Cause I know where I belong
I know where I, I came from
I know the reason why
I did decide
And now I leave here
The woman I am inside
The future is clear for me to see
To be the woman I'm meant to be
Like my love with my head held high
Standing tall
And proud of all
That I am
Mal looked at everyone and said, "I am Rey. But I am also still Mal. But most important of all." She reached her hand out and felt the Force around her again and summoned a rock from another corner of the room to her hand, startling the VKs. "I have my Force powers back," Mal said. "I can feel it making my magic stronger and move beyond it. Now, let's go save Auradon!"
