Mal's Perspective
At sunset, Mal stood with Fairy Godmother, Merlin, Queen Elsa, and the three fairies-Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. All of her friends were on the way to Charmington, packed into cars, buses, trains, and planes. Everyone had evacuated the city of Auradon, fleeing before Wes's curse could take effect at moonrise. Everyone except the AKs who now bore scars that showed the effects of the soul-swapping curse. Ben, Lonnie, Chad, Jordan, Jane, and so many more had agreed to stay locked in the city for the safety of everyone else.
Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things Mal had ever done. But Ben had told her that he didn't want her to see who he'd be when possessed by Gaston. And he'd assured her that if anyone could break this curse, she could. So, now she stood with the other fairies, sorcerers, and wizards that they were able to gather to erect a barrier around the city. Like the dome on the Isle, it would be inescapable. It might not be possible to prevent the use of magic on such short notice, but Fairy Godmother was confident that it would be inescapable, at least for a short time.
"Mal?" Fairy Godmother called. "It's time." Mal took a step closer to the group. Fairy Godmother noticed the look on her face and she spoke, her voice almost breaking, "it's not easy to leave them," Mal saw tears forming in FG's eyes and remembered that even Jane was staying behind in the city. "But they're making a tremendous sacrifice in order to protect who they love. Let's make sure they don't bear its weight for too long."
"Is everyone ready?" Merlin asked. When everyone nodded, he held out both of his hands. The group joined hands, a warm feeling of power and magic spreading between them. Mal had to grab FG's wrist since she held her wand in one of her hands, but that didn't hinder the process.
As they began chanting the spell they'd worked on, golden smoke flew from Fairy Godmother's wand into the air.
"With hearts full of love we summon magic to rise above
To form a shield that can't be escaped by evil hearts full of hate
To protect those for who we care with a barrier that cannot break or wear."
Golden smoke spread out, circling around the entire city. When Mal looked closely, she saw hints of blue, deep green, red, and white swirling among the golden haze-even her own familiar neon green. The mist rose, spreading farther and higher until the sky above Auradon was concealed by its faint glow. And Mal knew that this would be the last time she saw Auradon City-her city-for a very long time.
Wes's Perspective
Wes had watched with disgust as all of the AKs joined together in the courtyard of the school at sunset, squeezing his crystal ball in a hand so hard he worried it would crack. Surrounded by flowery hedges and statues that showcased relics from their parents' pasts (glass slippers, roses, frogs, etc.), Ben gave them a speech that Wes found to be boring and annoying. Togetherness, perseverance, trust in their parents and friends, and hope, hope, hope. If someone starts playing a guitar, I'll scream, Wes thought.
It didn't get entertaining until the stars started appearing in the sky and the moon spread its light. Everyone cried out, clutching the finger that bore the mark of the curse as they felt a burning pain. The moonlight shining on them brightened, taking on a greenish hue as fire coated the bodies of the panicked AKs. Their souls left their bodies, replaced by the souls of their parents' nemeses. Wes heard crackling fire and wicked laughter as he gazed into the scrying crystal, a grin forming on his face.
"Apporime," Wes said, transporting him and Vivianne to the balcony of the courtyard in a swirl of smoke. It was even more impressive in person. The green-tinged moonlight, the sickly smell of smoke, and the triumphant laughter of the villains as they realized they were free...ish. "Good evening, everyone. You look younger than I remember."
As every eye looked up to him on the balcony, Wes grinned. Only for his smile to fall when Jordan's eyes-now the same deep shade of brown as Jafar's-yelled, "why are you here?"
"To tell you how we'll bring Auradon to ruin," Wes announced.
"Ohhh," Aria-eyes the blue-gray shade of Ursula's-tittered with a roll of her eyes, "this ought to be good."
Her voice was low enough that only Vivianne could hear it. Wes glanced at her, noticing how stiff her posture became. He turned back to the villains, explaining, "All of the relics in the museum-the scepters, wands, tridents, and cauldrons-are being held in Charmington for safekeeping. Since this barrier doesn't stop us from using magic, it'll be easy to break it down. Then we launch an assault on the vaults in Charmington castle and destroy the magical artifacts inside-"
"WHAT?" Several people exclaimed.
"Using the magic inside them, I plan to use a spell for the history books. We'll send your souls back in time. Back before you were defeated with the knowledge you know now," Wes said, his voice rising. As he spoke, sparks started dancing along his fingertips. "You can avoid being defeated by those pathetic Auradon heroes. Create a new Isle for them to suffer on and rule the mainland for generations!"
When he heard laughter, the sparks crackled violently. Turning, he saw Ben's face-hazel eyes now the blue of Gaston's-laughing as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "Not a chance," Gaston boomed. "He's a mere sack of bones and skin, I doubt he's ever seen an egg."
"Wha-" Wes started, the sparks in his hands dying out. The uproar of the villains became too much to handle.
"As if we'd trust you with our souls..." Raul-eyes the stormy grey of Gothel-said.
"I'm not goin' back, I have three little girls! Would they even be born then"? Tameron exclaimed-Dr. Facilier's deep brown eyes shining through.
"I've never been fairer," Winter White said. "I think I'll stay right here in this body."
"We're already here in Auradon, what's the point?" Lonnie said-Shan Yu's shrewd gaze overpowering her eyes.
Wes felt Vivianne tense beside him and he didn't like that sign. "Quiet!" Wes roared. When every eye turned to him, he said, "I wasn't asking for permission or cooperation. We're doing this my way. Got it?"
"You'd do well to watch your tongue," Chad said. Tremaine's green eyes were in place of his usual blue as she glared. "As I used to tell my ungrateful step-daughter, everything has a place...and forgetting yours won't end well."
"Stop breathing," Wes said, the command echoing through the air. Lady Tremaine fell to the ground, clutching at Chad's throat gasping for air. No matter what she tried, her body refused to inhale. Daryl, Chad's brother, and Jane crouched around her, calling out for their mother with the shrill voices of Drizella and Anastasia. "Anyone else have any objections?"
"Hmmm," Wes heard. He turned to Winter White and the odd grin on her face. "You used a rather interesting string of words during the curse. 'Let evil spill and bend them to my will, place each soul under the control of this heart black as coal.' Not 'bend them all to my will' or 'these souls under the control.' I didn't teach long at the Cursed Academy, but I assumed I'd taught you better."
"What do you mean?" Wes didn't like this feeling. Before, having every eye on him made his mind practically hum with power. Now...it wasn't comfortable. Evil Queen tapped on Heaven's shoulder-her blue eyes as jaundiced as Hades's. She whispered something so softly even Vivianne couldn't quite hear it before the villain used his possessed host's demigoddess strength to lift the granite statue of a spinning wheel as if it weighed nothing. He heaved it over his head, prepared to throw it at Wes. "Don't move," Wes ordered. And, just like that, Hades was frozen in place as if time had stopped.
Wes heard a sharp intake of breath and turned to Chad's body. He froze in place as realization dawned on him. EQ had pointed out the flaw in his wording, the steering wheel that guided his magic. If he didn't specify that he wanted to control all of the villains at once, the magic wouldn't make it so.
Gothel was now standing much closer to the Evil Queen. When they whispered to each other, Vivianne strained her ears to hear what they were saying. "What an idiotic mistake," Gothel said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Does he know anything about magic?"
"It's a tra-" Vivianne started, grabbing Wes's arm.
"Shut up, hag!" Wes yelled. He smirked when Gothel's mouth shut so loudly he could hear her teeth snap together. Until he saw Heaven, free from the last command, throw the stone spinning wheel right at him. The next thing he knew, he felt a clawed hand pushing him and he fell to the ground several feet away. When he looked up, he saw the spinning wheel lodged into a wall and Vivianne in cat form. Except...she wasn't moving. She was as still as the..."No," Wes breathed.
Wes scrambled across the floor towards her, intending to heal her. But when he checked her pulse...it was too late.
"Well, anyhow," Evil Queen announced, "he was smart enough to stipulate that no living being could break the curse. But the witch who casts a spell can always undo it...typically. I suppose that makes him the only person who could send us back." The queen shrugged nonchalantly before turning around with effortless grace. "Do with that information what you will." As the queen left the garden, Wes saw everyone in the courtyard turn to him with malice. But the only one he cared about was Hades. His ring glowed brighter than ever and he felt a nearly limitless feeling of power, fueled by every bit of anger and hatred he felt in this moment.
"Transfiguro," he chanted with a dangerously low tone. The spell worked instantly, Heaven's body turning to stone within the span of a blink. Wes approached the railing of the balcony, crossing his arms over his chest with his pointer fingers extended. He pulled them apart in a quick motion, saying, "incizo," and the spell rang through the air. The stone villain was cut in two right down the middle.