Just as Mal contemplated running after them, a scream grabbed her attention. Celia. Without hesitating, she transformed into a dragon and flew to meet Audrey at the highest point of Auradon Prep. Celia was cowering in the corner of the tower and Mal breathed fire at Audrey, dodging spell after spell. The reptilian queen-to-be launched for the Evil Princess, only to be forced to stop when Audrey pulled Celia in front of her.
Harry and Uma came running just as Mal tried to reignite the ember. Uma's reminder that Mal was lost without the ember was unnecessary, as Harry was fully aware of the fact and still didn't want to help her. But as he considered it, he remembered what Quinn always said. "I help them, Harry, because they will be indebted to me and that kind of power can change lives." Cursing himself for listening to her, Harry knew that if he helped Mal, and by extension Auradon, the kingdom would be indebted to him and Uma. They could demand something in exchange for their heroic efforts. Uma had barely spoken before Mal was hit with a spell and came tumbling toward the ground. Resigning himself to the fact that he was helping, Harry followed Uma as they ran to see Mal. With Uma's help, Mal used the ember to finally get rid of the princess menace. He shared a look with his captain and hurried to where they had last seen the others, hoping to find their friends as humans rather than the statues Mal had told them they were.
Blinking several times, Jay looked around. Mal was gone and Harry and Uma were running toward them. No one had time to react before Harry swept Evie into his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back and Jay gave a half smile as he watched them. He wished that his reunion with Quinn would be as loving and intense. Remembering why they were there, Jay frowned at them. "What happened?" He was still angry, even as he listened to Uma explaining that Mal had defeated Audrey. One victory didn't excuse her lies.
Ben gathered all of them in Audrey's dorm and, even though her turning him to stone irked him, Jay was sad to hear that she was dying. The back-to-normal princess lay still in her bed, life slipping away from her. Mal finally spoke.
"There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this," she stated, voice low and regretful, "And that's Hades."
That wasn't true, everyone from the Isle knew it, but most villain kids would sooner take their chances with Hades than venture into House of Cards and risk being beheaded on the spot. So Jay didn't protest. He was curious about how they would get Hades' help though. Apparently, so was Ben.
"Hades?" Ben stared incredulously at his fiancée. "He wouldn't do it and I wouldn't risk it."
Mal glanced at Evie, who still refused to look at her without sadness and disappointment in her eyes. "Actually, he might do it for me," she admitted, knowing that she might as well let out all her secrets while her friends are already mad at her, "He's my father." Harry flinched and Mal absently wondered what his deal was.
"Well, I'll have to send guards to get him" Ben relented, seeing that Mal had some inexplicable trust that her father would help. Part of his being agreeable had much to do with the fact that he was a little stunned. Uma sighed and asked if she could hitch a ride, with Harry and Celia both asking to come along. Ben couldn't blame them. The Isle was their home as much as Auradon was his. He gave a small smile as Mal admitted her wrongdoings and apologized once again for lying. Looking back at Evie and Jay, Ben almost backed out of asking them the question weighing on his mind. "Are you leaving too?"
Jay shared a long look with Evie, silently trying to decide what to do. Neither wanted to go back to the Isle and leave the comforts and safety of Auradon behind, particularly considering the treatment they would get once it got out that the barrier would be closed for good. Evie glanced at Harry and Quinn's image flashed before Jay's eyes. "We're still considering it," he finally said, "We'll decide when you get ready to drive Hades back."
Sighing heavily, Harry approached Jay and held out his hand. The former thief frowned, accepting the peace-offering. Harry placed the necklace he'd worn with Quinn's sapphire ring in Jay's palm, closing his fingers around it. There was no need for words. A silent understanding passed and Jay nodded solemnly, stepping back to allow Harry to say goodbye to Evie. It remained to see whether or not it was a brief or forever kind of farewell. Kissing the love of his life, Harry pulled both her and Jay into an embrace before following Uma and Celia to get the limo back to the Isle.
Evie and Jay were still whispering in the corner of the room when Hades arrived. Mal tried not to think too much about the possibility of them leaving and instead formally greeted her father, letting Ben do most of the talking. She wanted to ask more questions, wanted to know who her sister was. But Audrey carried priority.
"Since when do heroes care about villains?" Hades regarded the king, his future son-in-law, coldly as he tried to explain. "She's one of your own?" He knew that his resentment wasn't doing anything to make them trust him, but it was deep-seated and old habits die hard. Chuckling mirthlessly, he continues. "When you guys try to destroy the world it's an error in judgment," he comments, watching the people in the room flinch, "But when it's one of us… lock 'em up and throw away the key." They all jumped when he lifted his arms, indicating his handcuffs. "I'mma need to use my hands." The baby king gave his permission and once his hands were free, Mal gave him the ember. The power felt good, right, as it surged through him and set his hands aflame. The temptation was overwhelming. But he wouldn't let his daughter down. So he healed the little princess.
Mal readily accepted Audrey's apology, countering it with an apology of her own. She had learned a lot about forgiveness and trust, hoping that she would earn it from her friends. When her father was taken away, Mal quickly followed. Her relationship with her best friends wasn't the only one that needed to be made right. "Dad," she called, watching as the guards turned him around, "I'm gonna have to miss you all over again." It was as close to an 'I love you' as she was ready for. Maybe, if the barrier wasn't closing, she could have gotten closer to him.
"Thanks for a glimpse of the sun." Hades smiled, showing his daughter that her words meant more to him than he could really express. The sensation of having his eldest child press her lips against his cheek was different than when his youngest did, even though both were special in their own way. He hoped they would meet one day, get to know each other and love each other the way he loved them both. As the guards took him away, Hades slipped Mal the ember. She would get much more use out of it than he would.
Tears of bittersweet happiness slipped down Mal's cheek as she watched him walk away. He had given her more affection in just a few minutes than her mother had all her life. Once again, her thoughts drifted to her mysterious sister. Maybe she had seen Hades' capability for love and affection. Maybe she hadn't let her resentment get in the way. Mal wanted to know whoever was capable of such goodness on the Isle. It pained her that she never would. Except, maybe she could. If her sister was able to think differently, Mal would too. For her father. For her sister. For Uma and Harry and everyone else who deserved a second chance. For Evie and Jay, who clearly had unfinished business on the Isle.
Days later, Mal stood and looked out over the crowd gathered. The announcement about the closing of the barrier clashed violently with the thoughts running through her head about second chances and getting to know one another. To her absolute relief, Evie and Jay decided to stick around. But she saw how Jay let his fingers trace the necklace Harry had given him, saw how Evie glanced toward the Isle every so often with a wistful expression on her face. So when she was called to make a speech, she made a split second decision. "I can't," she stated, drawing gasps from the gathered crowd and confused looks from her friends, "I can't be Queen of Auradon." Ben implored her, the beginning of heartbreak visible on his face. But she kept pushing. Her people deserved it. "I can't turn my back on the Isle," she continued, looking Ben in the eyes before she turned back to the crowd, "We made a decision to close the barrier forever and it was my idea." She felt the regret creep up on her again, regret she refused to live with. "But it was wrong." In the crowd, Evie smiled at her, giving her strength. "I've learned that you can't live in fear because it doesn't actually protect you from anything." Glancing at Audrey, Mal gave a watery chuckle. "You never know where the bad is gonna come from," she told them, "And you never know where the heroes are gonna come from either."
Jay watched his friend speak, proud. He was the last to forgive her, the last to let her speak to him again. He was glad he did.
"Without Uma and her pirates, Auradon would be gone," Mal announced, voice strong and clear, "And without Hades… my father… Audrey would be gone." Her words made the crowd gasp and Audrey look down at her shoes in shame and gratitude. She knew they would. But she needed to say her piece. "We are all capable of good and bad, no matter what side of the barrier we come from," she stated, clearly and proudly, "And that's why I can't be Queen of just Auradon, I have to be Queen of the Isle too, and it's time we take the barrier down forever." Beast protested, but Ben took Mal's side. She knew he felt it too, the need to do better for the people who had done nothing wrong.
"I choose to be a King who moves forward," Ben spoke, looking back out over the crowd and at the Isle, "It's time for forgiveness and it's time for new beginnings." He looked at his parents for the last time as a King of Auradon. "The barrier will come down!" Those were the first words he spoke as King of Auradon and the Isle. Carlos cheered loudly, drawing laughs from the gathered Auradonians. People clapped excitedly as he asked Mal to bring the barrier down and his fiancée accepted the magic wand from Fairy Godmother.
Her friends joined her as she pointed the wand toward the Isle. "To make the world a better place we have to do it face to face," Mal spoke the spell with the other VKs by her side, because that was how it all started and therefore that was how it would end. They watched together as the barrier disappeared in a cloud of golden sparks and the bridge appeared, opening up a whole world of new possibilities.
After celebrating with the VKs, Mal and her closest friends, among them Uma, Harry and Gil, gathered at Evie's for a private celebration. They sat in her living room, laughing and smiling. Her father had gone back to his lair, claiming that he was getting too old to celebrate into the night, as though he couldn't dance circles around them any day of the week. She knew it would be an adjustment for him, for all of them really. But it was a good thing, at the end of the day. Holding the ember in her hand, she addressed her friends. "Thank you for supporting my relationship with my dad," she said, feeling the warmth of the glowing rock in her grip, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something else I would really like your support on." Evie looked away from Harry to give her a curious glance. Jay looked up from armwrestling with Gil and Uma and Carlos looked up from their game of chess. Ben's hand settled on Mal's waist, giving her courage. "When I went to get the ember with Celia, I found out that I have a half-sister, somewhere on the Isle," she announced, "and I would appreciate any help you're willing to give in trying to find her."
"Actually," Jay said, staring between the ember in Mal's hand and the sapphire ring dangling in the chain around his neck, "I think I might already know who it is." His words earned him several shocked stares, Evie's included. He held the ring up to her and Harry, pointing between it and the stone glowing between Mal's fingers. "Would she normally decide to wear blue, Eves?" Eyes widening, Evie shook her head. Harry tried to school his features into something resembling surprise, but Jay knew him well enough to see right through him. "She's Hades' daughter, isn't she?"
Harry nodded, a weary sigh slipping past his lips as he adjusted Evie in his arms. "I don't think she meant te tell me," he admitted, "But her mum's a loon and I always wondered what kept 'er sane." He recalled the tears in her eyes as she waited for him to push her away. He hadn't, of course, nothing could ever convince him to turn his back on her. For years he had kept her secret and if he hadn't been called out he would have kept it for many more.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Jay winced. He had almost forgotten that Mal was there. Turning to his friend, he held up the ring for her to see. "The stone on this thing matches the one in your hand, Mal," he said gently, "And I'm willing to bet that if you touch it it will glow." Tentatively, she reached out to graze her fingertips against the gold band. When it lit up, she looked at him hopefully. "It's Quinn's, Mal," he continued, watching shock take over her features, "It's her favorite ring."
"Quinn," Carlos stated, eyes wide, "As in 'Quinn's Quid Pro Quo, don't make a deal if you can't keep it' Quinn?"