"This insect is on its last rope." Mal declared as she slashed the creature calling itself Ultimate Insect down from the skies with her staff.

"No kidding." Carlos agreed. "Did we just defeat the last of Paradias's best monsters when we defeated Skull Destructor Dragon?"

"Remember not to get too confident guys." Lonnie reminded them. "This could just be a fluke, or a diversion."

Ben moved in and brought the sword down on the insect monster and then started to pursue the engagement. "Mal, it's time to end this." He said.

"No problems over here." Mal agreed. She looked to her friends. "Let's bring it together."

First was Mal's staff followed by Audrey's bow underneath. Evie's shield went behind and then it was overlaid with Jay's scimitar and then had Carlos's claw dagger's and Lonnie's tessens both on either side. They opened up and destroyed the insect monster.

"That was not how I prefer to start my long weekend." Audrey revealed after they had taken apart their weapons and powered down. "I would have preferred to start out with a good breakfast." They were now walking back to Auradon Prep.

"I hear that." Mal said with a sigh. "Can we still make our breakfast date?" She asked as she looked to Ben.

The young king nodded. "I'm sure we can." They waved at their friends and headed off toward the castle, where he and Mal planned to spend some time in the garden and have a breakfast picnic.

Jay looked to Audrey. "Do you ever miss that kind of thing?" He asked her.

In truth Audrey had given that a lot of thought. "That kind of thing, sure all the time." She answered and when Jay seemed disappointed she felt she had to elaborate, "I mean it's nice to spend time with someone and to want to dress to impress someone else and to feel that someone wants you." She shrugged a bit. "But do I miss that with Ben, truthfully not anymore, haven't for about a month or so now."

Aziz came up to the five of them now. "Where's Ben?" He asked Jay and Carlos.

"He just left with Mal to the go the castle." Carlos answered.

"I have to catch up with him." Aziz said and started off.

"Dude, they're on a date." Jay said firmly. "Can't it wait?" He didn't want Aziz ruining it by broaching his suspicions about their activities of later, no matter how accurate it might be.

"I don't know." Aziz revealed as he shook his head and looked at the two guys. "Chad just quit the tourney team." That revelation seemed to catch all of them off guard.

"Why?" Evie asked. They all knew he wasn't getting the star attention that he thought he deserved, even recently complaining that Jay had all but taken his spot. But this just seemed to be too far even for his attitude lately.

"I don't know." Aziz answered, sounding like he was just as perplexed as they were despite everything. "That's why I wanted to know if Ben knew something that we didn't."

"Okay look, let's go find Chad and try to talk to him." Carlos said. "Maybe we don't need Ben for this." He was more accurately hoping that he could give his friends a little bit of peace.

"Hey." Jay said to Audrey before they left. "Why don't we meet up for lunch? Give that new Italian stand a try?" It was the closest he could come so far to getting the nerves to ask the brunette princess out on a date.

Audrey hesitated a moment, not because she wanted to refuse and find a polite way to do so but because she was taken aback by the offer. Then she nodded. "Sure, sounds great. I'll meet you by your locker at noon." She replied.

"Great, see ya then." Jay said and the three boys ran off.

That just left the three girls, with Lonnie and Evie both looking at her a little shocked. Then Evie said, "You know you just kind of agreed to have a date with Jay?"

Audrey was privately aware that it seemed that way but she didn't want to make a huge deal out of it yet. "We're two friends meeting for lunch is all." She replied nonchalantly. "If it was a date we'd be going for dinner at night where I could wear a beautiful gown and show off some of my jewels."

Lonnie laughed. "Whatever you say Audrey." She drolled. Then she shook her head. "I have to catch up with the hip hop club, we'll talk about your lunch later." With a wave she was gone.

"And I'm going to meet up with Doug so we can study for our chemistry test on Monday." Evie said. Audrey was about to make a small protest about a three day weekend but the blue haired girl cut her off. "I know, day off, day of rest, etcetera. But we happen to like chemistry and…I rather like spending time with him."

"You two are dorks." Audrey said with a mock roll of her eyes. "Go, have this thing that you call fun." She said and then waved back as Evie waved good bye. That left her alone and she decided she would go to her dorm and take a look at her clothes, decide if she needed anything to enhance her wardrobe.

She had started up the stairs when she bumped into Chad. She couldn't help but jump slightly. "Chad." She gasped. "You startled me."

"That a fact?" He asked nonchalantly. It set her senses up on alert. He moved down a couple of steps and she found herself backing up a couple of steps.

"I need to get by you." She said coldly. She was getting tired of his attitude and she was getting tired of him taking it all out on her.

"So you can get ready for your date with Jay?" He asked her condescendingly. Audrey's temper flared a bit knowing he had been spying on them. She wondered how much he had heard.

"Not that it's your business who I spend time with, but it's not a date, we're just getting together as friends." She snapped at him. "You really need to get a reality check Chad, before you do something we're all going to regret." She tried to move past him. "Now please get out of my way."

His hand shot out and pushed her down the stairs, where she hit the ground hard. She felt pain in left side and thought a couple of ribs might have broken. She had to struggle to keep conscious and when she had fought the darkness away she had Chad walking down the stairs toward her…

Mal was once again eating a couple of strawberries as Ben was buttering up a piece of toast for himself. It was a nice day and they were sitting next to a stream. It made the tension of the last fight just seem to melt away. She looked up to Ben. "So when do you think Audrey and Jay will stop dancing around?" She asked.

"I haven't seen them dancing." Ben said simply as he set the knife down.

Mal laughed at him. "Wow, you are definitely clueless there aren't you?" She teased him as she poked his arm gently. "Audrey and Jay are really starting to like each other. One of these days he'll ask her out, just you wait."

Ben nodded a moment but frowned. "Mal, I know it would be really cool, and kind of epic, if they were to…to emulate our love story." The young king started as he took Mal's free hand and started to stroke the top it softly. "And I won't deny that Audrey has changed a lot in the last couple of months but…regardless of how she might feel, when it comes down to it I don't know if she can ever see past the fact that Jay isn't a prince."

"I can see how you would think that." Mal replied. "You know her better than anyone, even Lonnie, and you might be right." She licked her lips. "But I think it's just as possible that she could look past it too."

"I hope she does." Ben told her simply. "She can be a great girl, and Jay is a great guy too. They'd fit well together if they let themselves." He leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. "Just like we do."

Mal closed her eyes to enjoy the kiss and then when she felt him pull away she reached for jelly donut. "Let's see if I can eat this right this time." She teased. Ben nodded and Mal added, "At least Evie and Doug shouldn't be so complicated, or Jane and Carlos." She took a bite into it the donut.

Ben laughed. "Just as soon as Jane and Carlos get over their shyness of each other. Of course for the longest time Jane wasn't exactly miss popular." He noted.

"Yeah, I got that one too." Mal said, feeling a bit guilty. She had tried to use Jane's insecurities against her when the four had first shown up at Auradon Prep. She regretted that to this day. "Carlos wasn't exactly a big shot at Dragon Hall, our high school back on the island either." She revealed. "It didn't make for a confidence booster."

"Doug also has that same problem." Ben said. "I've been friends with him almost as long as Audrey and Chad." His voice kind of hardened at his name and Mal tried to ignore it. "He spent the first few years in our friendship waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"I'm sure having a father named Dopey didn't help either." Mal said with a smirk and then tried to correct that. "Sorry."

"No, you're not wrong." Ben admitted to her. "That didn't do any favors either. Doug finally accepted I was on the level, but for the longest time Audrey just kind of tolerated him. It's one of the things I've seen change about her since this whole ranger thing started." He reached for an apple. "How about Evie?"

"Well by the time of high school Evie and I…had discovered we could really get along. So that was a non-issue." Mal said before finishing off her donut. She licked her lips the way Ben had taught her during their first date at the enchanted lake and he nodded in approval. "On the surface she doesn't lack confidence but it's kind of an act." She said softly. "Still, I think she'll find the confidence to ask Doug out."

"What about Lonnie?" Ben asked. "She's kind of…well I hate to say but when it comes our romantic dynamic she's a bit of a third wheel, sort to speak."

Mal thought a moment. "You know, maybe she just guards it well or maybe no one's really gotten her attention but so far I haven't seen her really show much interest in dating." She admitted. "I mean of course there's more to the school and life than that, but if the rest of our friends were to get together…well, wouldn't that bother her." She asked.

Ben shook his head now. "I don't know." He admitted. "I guess only time will tell. One thing is for sure though, we all have other concerns besides school and our social lives these days."

"Tell me about it." Mal agree as he looked down at her iPhone, glowing with a slight purple hue. Her five friends had their iPhones glowing in their own ranger colors. That was a result of the crystal inside that also acted as the basis for their ranger powers. Ben didn't have that with his iPhone but that was only because his powers were activated by summoning his sword and shield. "But that's all the more important to find the fun Ben. To enjoy your friends and your significant others while we have those chances. It's something others really should learn. Like Chad."

Ben's expression again darkened at the mention of the guy she thought was his friend. "Ben, what is going on with you and Chad?" She finally asked, a bit exasperated.

Ben bit his lip and then looked to Mal. "I…shouldn't really say." He said. He saw the look of confusion in Mal's eyes. He was surprised he didn't see any hurt in them and realized that was because she trusted him implicitly. "Mal, it's not my secret to give." He said.

"It doesn't matter." The purple haired girl said gently. "If something is wrong with any of our friends than we should know. Not just because of our team dynamic but because we're family, we help each other with anything."

Ben nodded, hoping Audrey would forgive him for telling this without approval, but Mal was right on both levels. "When Audrey asked for Chad's help to break Paradis's spell, he hit her." Ben said grimly.

He swore Mal's eyes glowed green a moment. "I am going to kill him." She said flatly, between this news and the fact that Chad had attacked Ben during the love potion incident. For the first time he could see a glimpse of Maleficent in her. He reached out and took her hands gently, bringing her back to reality. "How could he?" She asked. "Does he really hate having us here that much that he would turn on you two?"

"It stemmed from that, but it's all on him Mal." Ben said firmly.

"We have to tell the others. We have to tell Fairy Godmother." Mal said. "Before it gets out of hand." They were both about to stand when they received another text from Jordan…

They had a long rush from the castle and ran into Evie and Doug first. The blue haired girl's look of shock mirrored the purple haired girl's. They reached for each other's hands reassuringly for a moment and then continued on. Continuing on they found Carlos and Jane with the same looks of shock. They heard a loud curse from Jay next.

"I am going to kill Paradias for this." Jay said.

Mal gave him a very sympathetic look that made him hesitate a moment. "Jay, don't jump to anything yet." She said. "Let's make sure we understand what is going on here."

They entered the infirmary, right where Jordan texted them to meet. They found Ally and Jordan with Audrey. She had a black eye and several bruises on her body. The blonde girl had been holding her hand as the nurse gently reset her leg, not normally something she would recommend but Jordan insisted that it had to be done this way and she was working a potion to help out.

"What happened Audrey?" Jay asked as he came to her other side. His voice was full of concern.

Audrey looked around and considered asking to speak to Ben alone or something but when she took a deep breath she found it hard to do so for a moment and sighed. "It was Chad." She said to them all, a bit surprised to note that Mal did not see shocked by this news. "He attacked me."

"Chad?" Carlos asked. "That seems…weird, even for him."

"They're better be a damn good explanation for this." Jay said. "Or he's going to be the next one here."

Audrey looked to Ben and Mal. "You told her, didn't you?" She asked her best friend resignedly. With a look of apology he nodded his confirmation and she just sighed. "Guess it doesn't matter now."

"What doesn't matter now?" Evie asked her.

So Audrey told them all about approaching Chad for help with Ben's problem, leaving Ally confused she didn't know about the ranger aspect of it, without revealing their secret and that also confused Ally since she was not privy to that either, and that he slapped her for it. Jay looked ready to kill him while the others looked somewhere between horrified and disgusted.

"No, Jay's right." Lonnie said grimly. "He's going in here next."

"I know he's been a real jerk since you all got here and all." Jordan said. "But why is he going to this kind of extreme?"

"I don't care." Jay practically spat. "I don't care what his problem is, I don't care how insulted he is about me 'taking his place', I don't care what betrayal he perceived from you, Lonnie, Jane, Doug, or Audrey or anyone. He had no right to do this and I am going to make him pay for this."

"How long will you be in here?" Mal asked Audrey gently.

Audrey took a moment to realize that she had been hurt badly, and when the call went out every one of them had come running to her side. It helped to prove what Jay had said to her as her nightmare had come to an end; she was one of them now. "Not long." She said.

"I'm making the strongest potion I can." Jordan said to them all gently. "She shouldn't be jumping into action today but I promise that she'll be fine."

Their iPhones went off again with a text. It was from the last person they expected. "I can't believe it." Mal said derisively.

"He wants that, he's going to regret it." Jay stated simply. He almost moved down to kiss Audrey on the cheek but stopped himself, settling himself with reaching over and patting her hand gently. "We'll be back." Each of her team mates did the same thing and headed out.

Audrey looked down at the text message. Meet me outside Auradon Prep in the forest, it's time to move on –Chad. "I wish I was going with you guys." She whispered, but knew she wasn't able when she coughed and her entire body ached.

They all saw Chad waiting. Jay was about ready to charge at him but Evie stopped hm. "Let's hear him out before we beat him down for what he did to Audrey." She said.

"I've finally been told what's going on." Chad said grimly. "You thought these villain kids could keep Auradon safe by making them power rangers." His glare hit Carlos, Evie, Mal and Jay. The purple haired girl figured that was the order in which he hated the four of them.

"Then Lonnie and my dear ex Audrey were stupid enough to think they were good too and are helping them out." Chad spat out with a glare at Lonnie. "You already know I've spoken to Audrey about this." He added with a laugh.

"I've got a retort for you about that." Jay promised with a glare.

"And now you, my dear friend, have finally exposed your true colors by doing the same thing." Chad concluded. "On hindsight I should have realized it sooner since all of this started with you and your decree." He sad venomously.

"All of that is your problem, not ours. Not Audrey's." Lonnie said to him coldly. "She told you, I told you, Ben told you, you needed to chill out before you did something that crossed a line." She wanted to take a step toward him but Carlos stopped her. "You just beat up Audrey, you crossed that line."

Chad shook his head. "You and Ben and Audrey have blurred those lines a long time ago." He stated coldly. "Good and evil might as well not exist."

"If you know who we really are then you know that's a lie." Mal said. "If anything the line between good and evil is far more obvious now than this land has ever known."

"And it's time for you to learn that lesson." Jay said, real fire in his voice.

"You want to attack me, with no powers?" Chad said and laughed. "Wait, no. Go ahead. That isn't really true."

"What are you going on about?" Ben asked him. "You don't have any powers, thank god."

"I do now." He said. "Thanks to my new allies." Reviveslime, Nerissa and dozens of soldiers appeared behind him. Nerissa stepped up next to him and handed him a shield and sword like Ben's except it was pure black, like the night. "You chose your side, 'Bennie-boo', and now I've chosen mine."

"You'll regret that." Mal promised him sternly.

"Chad, if you use those items you will have chosen your side, and we'll do whatever we can to stop you." Ben warned him. "This is the last chance you have to choose good Chad. To choose us."

Chad combined the shield and sword and transformed into the dark version of Ben as the knight. "Let's see who is the best knight here Ben." He said, his voice harsher and colder now than he had ever been. Nerissa vanished from the fight.

"So be it." Ben said grimly as he formed his weapons. The other five pulled out their iPhones, input their numbers and transformed. They all were ready to fight but for the first time since picking up their powers they were not looking forward to it.

The soldiers charged toward the rangers. Jay would not let Ben get the first shot at Chad, after what he did to Audrey he just couldn't let him. He started toward the dark knight. He needn't have worried as Reviveslime attacked Ben himself.

Jay tried to attack with his scimitar and Chad blocked with his shield. "You want to come after me, for what I did to that pathetic little girl I left lying on the ground?" He asked.

"Yeah, I want you to pay for what you did to our friend." Jay replied hotly. "You had no right to do that to Audrey." He swung again and Chad blocked with his sword.

"I had no right perhaps, but I had too. It was the ultimate proof that I was ready for this." He said and deflected the scimitar, then indicated the armor he wore, the power he now used. "Beating her down was the final proof that I was ready to think another way, and to be honest I had a good time doing it too. Maybe she should be glad that's all I did."

Jay took out his blaster and started to shoot at Chad. The knight blocked the blasts and Jay jumped out at him and kicked him in the chest and slashed him hard. He moved in for another attack and he blocked it. "Losing your cool? Has Audrey gotten into your head that much? I thought you'd be better than to be manipulated by one girl." He said tauntingly.

"Jay, keep it together." Mal tried to order the black ranger. She, Evie and Carlos were getting swarmed by the soldiers. "You can't lose yourself in Chad's taunts or he'll take you down too."

Ben was likewise clashing with Reviveslime, neither warrior getting an edge on the other.

Lonnie however took out a few of the soldiers and before others could make their way over to her she ran forward and jumped up, landing a kick herself into Chad. "Jay isn't the only one who has problems with what you did to Audrey." She said.

Chad had stumbled back and shook off the attack. "All of you so concerned for your friend. You didn't show that for me." He said.

"We did." Lonnie said. "We were trying to remind you that we were your friends too. That you were one of us. You were just as vital to the tourney team as anyone else was. All you had to do was realize that we're all kids, every one of us, trying to find out ways. That included Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay. You didn't even have to like it, just to accept it."

Chad moved in to attack Lonnie and she barely managed to deflect it. Jay moved in and got in a strike at the dark knight now.

The soldiers were getting cleared out now. Mal and Evie moved in to deal with Reviveslime while Ben went to confront his former friend. Carlos stayed behind to finish up the soldiers that were still around.

"Chad." Ben called as he attacked his former friend. He blocked and the two began to clash. They had both taken fencing together and knew each other's moves well but that didn't stop the Auradon Knight from clashing with the Dark Knight, wanting to avenge Audrey for what he did.

However Chad noticed that Carlos had just finished up with the last soldiers and he moved into help Mal and Evie with Reviveslime. It became clear they were outnumbered. "Alright then, Ben." Chad said with a sneer in his voice. "Looks like you get the first point in this match, but we're not done. In fact, we'll be trying this again after I get myself some better soldiers of my own." With that he vanished.

They fight was over and they had technical won. But as they powered down and glanced at each other they all could tell, they didn't feel like winners today.

"This isn't the best start into your foray with us." Paradias said simply from his throne on the bridge.

"No it wasn't." Chad agreed. "Next time give me a better army than these minions."

"And you shall have it." Nerissa promised him. She held up the crystals they had used to try to take control of the Auradon Megazord when that race was going on. "Each of these will be enough to counter your ex and the four basic rangers. Reviveslime can handle Mal and you can handle Ben."

"I look forward to it." Chad said, his eyes now dark.

Audrey finished up her drink. "I am so glad that you at least don't make these things taste like garbage." She remarked. She still felt sore but she was feeling much better than when her friends left to confront Chad.

"I try not to." Jordan said simply. "When I have to make these things I already know how horrible the recipient has to be feeling."

"Are you feeling better?" Ally asked gently in her British accent.

Audrey nodded and rubbed her neck. "I still feel sore but compared to how I felt when you found me it's quiet an improvement." The princess told her. She looked to Ally. "This must be confusing you, I'm sorry."

Ally gave her a small smile. "Quite right it's confusing. But right now what matters is that you're okay." She said.

"And I am." Audrey said and thought At least physically. I wish my heart was feeling as good. Chad is…he was supposed to be our friend. She thought though that maybe somehow Ben and the other rangers had talked him out of his current mood.

That hope was shattered when the six teams came into the infirmary room. Ben looked torn between anger and sadness, Jay was full of anger, Carlos and the girls were between shock and sadness as well. They all had the same feeling of betrayal that reflected in Audrey's eyes.

Jordan took Ally's arm. "I think we need to leave them alone for now." She said softly and lead the blonde girl out of the room.

Audrey looked up as Mal sat on one side of her, Evie on the other side of her. Lonnie sat behind her. Ben stood in front of her on one side while Jay stood on the other. Carlos and Jane were just behind them. To the brunette princess she almost felt like they were trying to protect her, it was actually nice all things considered.

Ben bit his lip. "Audrey, you're right…I'm pretty sure we lost Chad." He said softly. "His attack was definitely premeditated. And in part it was because it was the only way for him to…to take on the dark knight powers, similar to what I had when I was possessed."

"Except Chad isn't possessed." Jane said softly. "He's got nothing controlling him."

Without really thinking about it, she burst into tears. She felt Ben reach out and hug her first and she could feel a few tears land on her head too and knew it could have only come from him. Next she felt the arms of her female ranger companions encircling her. "I'm so sorry Audrey, this feels like this is all my fault." Mal whispered.

"Like it's all our fault." Evie whispered softly.

"It's his fault that he's reacted this way." Lonnie said to the two girls. To Audrey. To all of them really, including herself. "This is his fault, not ours."

Jane felt some tears of her own. "Where did this go wrong with Chad?" She asked softly. She had never been close to him but this wasn't the direction she wanted anyone she knew to travel down.

She felt Carlos wrap an arm around her. "Lonnie's right Jane." He said softly. "Remember that, this is all on him. He's been traveling this path for a while, regardless of what any of you have said."

Mal reached a hand up to stroke Ben's arm gently, then took his hand while keeping the other around Audrey. Her teary eyed face met the teary eyed face of her boyfriend. "I'm sorry it has to come to this between you two." She said softly. "Even if it was his own doing." She didn't want to tell him that for every person on the Island of the Lost that might be like her and her chosen siblings, there were at least two that really were bad…that would be just like Chad had just turned out.

Jay reached over and stroked Audrey's hair gently. "He won't get his hands on you again, I swear." He promised her softly.

Audrey wanted to thank him but she couldn't find her voice. She looked at him, her eyes expressing that gratitude. Then her eyes filled with tears again and cried, with her best friend holding her and crying himself. She had the other three girls with their arms around her too, all of them crying for reasons of their own. Mal was also rubbing Ben's arm gently, working to console him too. None of them could say this day was won.