Chapter 1 of Deeper Descent

New Author: Fairy Of Fandoms

Former Author: DhampyrX2 I Adopted this story originally on

I am adopting this story from DhampyrX2 who has not written in it since 2015.

Rating: Teen and Up

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Don't sue me, I'm poor. I am adopting this story from DhampyrX2 who has not written in it since 2015. She wrote most of this. I am changing some things.

Summary: Just a deeper look into what might have been in Mal's head after the encounter with Jane where she turned her hair back. And if Disney was concerned with maintaining modern movie continuities the way their Marvel cousins were…

Chapter One

Mal's frustration and bitterness simmered within her as she scrubbed at the remnants of her latest project in Remedial Goodness. Despite the fact it had been two days since the encounter on Parent's Day, everything about Auradon was grating on Mal's nerves like it never had been before. The pressure her mother had put on her to get the Fairy Godmother's magic wand mounted by the day and the snippy attitudes of the supposedly heroic royals at the school were making her start to miss the Isle.

Here the facade of civility in Auradon only served to exacerbate her sense of isolation and alienation, contrasting sharply with the raw honesty of the Isle. At least these people were honest about their nastiness.

But either way, her anger, and frustration had most of the school even Evie, Jay, and Carlos were quick to get away from her lest they attract her ire.

Audrey's condescending attitude grated on her nerves, a constant reminder of the prejudice and disdain she faced from those who deemed themselves superior. The title of "Princess" felt like a mockery, a hollow designation that failed to acknowledge her true heritage and the power that flowed through her veins. Especially since where half of Audrey's family's holdings belonged to Maleficent and the other Faerie people by right) but to encounter and be humiliated by that withered old crone that Stephan had sired Aurora with?

But that was too far. She had had enough. Enough of the taunting. Enough of the teasing. Enough of the hatred literally because of where she was born, in which they are "supposedly heroes and royals". The disdainful glances and whispers of the others only served to fuel Mal's resentment, a reminder of the unrelenting hostility she faced simply for being born on the Isle.

As she sat in the room, Mal's thoughts turned to her mother, consumed by her quest for revenge against those who had wronged her. The toll it had taken on Maleficent, once a formidable force of darkness, now reduced to a shadow of her former self, haunted Mal's thoughts. The weight of watching her mother's bitterness, despair, and anger turn to obsessing on how to get revenge against these fools that she was becoming more of a caricature of herself every day. Every villain but her father said that her mother was not fit to be her mother, it was painful to see.

As Mal sat in the room she did not notice her hands start to glow. Glow like a faint fire, one very small so the smoke alarms wouldn't go off but still enough so she could feel the heat.

Mal took her hands and held them so the magic would not release out. She was surrounded by adversaries, but she refused to become a villain due to her emotions getting out of control. The fire that burned within her was a testament to her strength and resilience, a reminder that she was more than the sum of her past and her lineage. As she started to calm down, feeling the heat simmer down. But it didn't stop her thoughts from taking over her.

Did Aurora, and Phillip have any idea what she had done sending Maleficent to a place that bound her mother's magic? An urbanized slum almost totally cut off from nature as a whole? What kind of torture that would be for an all but immortal faerie sorceress? Things only got worse when Mal's father Hades left her and when Mal's uncle, Diaval, passed away stuck as he was in his human form. The rightful Queen of the Moors did not take things like loss and betrayal very well.

Her mental musings were cut short as she heard someone clear her throat and a voice stated, "I saw Jane. She's rather... upset," the Fairy Godmother commented neutrally. Mal turned with a cynical scowl to face Jane's mother and the Remedial Goodness instructor, who was more of a faculty adviser than anything, for the villain children at Auradon Prep.

"If she had any concept of her ability as a Fae she should be able to do her hair all on her own," Mal snorted disdainfully. In her first days at the school, she used her magic to improve the other fae girl's mousy pageboy haircut and make her look glamorous as part of her attempts to get information and ingratiate herself with the other students at the school.

It hadn't hurt that it had horrified Mal to see another child of powerful Faerie kept ignorant of her heritage at the insistence of Jane's mother, either.

But it had taken no time at all for Audrey to get Jane acting just like the rest of the so-called "heroic" children there despite Mal's efforts. Only Ben, maybe Lonnie, and Doug if Evie was involved were the only ones who treated the kids from the Isle of the Lost like actual people. Even some teachers treated them with so much distrust.

The Fairy Godmother nodded evenly as she responded, "I know."

"Do you?" Mal snarled, inside herself, she could feel the fire was almost beyond the breaking point. "Do you?! Do you know what it's like to see a fae girl my age walk around like a scolded puppy afraid of everything around her because she thinks she's too plain? That I needed to bother to do such a simple glamour to make her feel like she belonged here? But then she doesn't belong here, does she?" Mal spat.

"And what does that mean, young lady?" The Fairy Godmother asked, although the sadness in her eyes betrayed her exactly what Mal meant she looked at Mal's hands and Mal saw the glow return and she had to force the flames within.

"You have the nerve to ask me that as you stand here like some powerless human in a human kingdom, while your wand, the focus of your powers, is locked in some museum instead of being in your hands where it belongs?" Mal demanded.

"I didn't need it with the peace the uniting the kingdoms into Auradon created," the Fairy Godmother replied with a sideways glance.

"It's not about needing it. It's about the fact that it's yours," Mal hissed. "But I guess they won't even trust the Fae on their side to have enough power to defend themselves. Nice to see Aurora following in her father and grandfather's footsteps, and that Phillip joined the party."

"They are both crowned Royals still," the Fairy Godmother replied neutrally. "Your mother declared the King, and Queen of the Moors in her stead long before you were born."

"And in return they banished my mother based on lies and assumptions, then gave away a kingdom and people both of them had no right to sign away, betraying us ALL twice over!" Mal raged. "Aurora broke my mother's heart, whatever that was still there after, her father before her, just to join and appease these sycophants that look at me and my friends like we're diseased because of where we were born after THEY put us there in the first place."

"Her Majesty... that is, Maleficent did not look that bad during your video call with her on parent's day. Well, besides her making comments over my weight," the Fairy Godmother noted wryly.

"You haven't seen her decline. Especially after my father left us he could not watch my mother be in pain from living away from nature, and when my uncle died..." Mal noted with a look of painted sorrow. Her father and uncle were amazing from the little memories she had of the two. But her father left her and her mother a year after Mal herself was born. But still, her uncle and cousin were the best.

"I must admit that has been a matter of speculation around the faculty, and the Faire Folk, residing here. Who was he?" the Fair Godmother inquired softly, knowing this was a painful subject for her charge.

"I don't know if my mother doesn't talk about it. All I ever got was from my uncle telling him that he is alive and left because seeing my mother in pain hurt him too much." Mal lied she knew her dad was Hades but didn't want any of her father's family to reach out to her.

"Who is your uncle then?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"Divial is my uncle," Mal replied sadly.

"Her familiar?" the Fairy Godmother asked.

"He was in human form when he was banished and could never return to his natural form as a raven because of the anti-magic barrier around the island. And well, familiars are not so resilient as fae. Especially in a form not truly their own. He's been gone for a while since I was 4. He left his son, who is like an older brother to me since there is a four year difference.." Mal admitted.

"I'm sorry," the Fairy Godmother replied as she moved to place a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder only to be shaken off violently.

"You should be," Mal snapped. She stood up with such force the chair she was previously sitting on fell "Conforming to the whims of these humans to make you act like them. Letting your daughter feel like she's something lesser among them. I was raised with my magic bound around me by the island and its barrier but I at least knew what it is to be proud of my bloodline. Jane has no idea of the power in her veins. She thinks of herself as a commoner even among humans, while you are one of the most powerful of the Faire Folk in this wretched place."

"And if I tried to act like it, where would I be?" Jane's mother asked sadly.

Mal thought for a moment before deflating as she replied, "Your powers were stripped and shipped off to Isle just like Mother."

"We must do what we can to protect our own, Mal. King Adam and Queen Belle did not exactly have positive encounters with magic or Fairy sorceresses. Or did you forget it was one of us who cursed him into the form of a Beast for his lack of hospitality? Even if they don't know it was your mother who sent Belle's father the invitation to the contest so he could get into the castle to help King Adam meet Queen Belle or the fact his cures should have been forever but Maleficent was the one to championed the vote agents Agath the Sorceress to allow him to have another chance to learn from his mistakes and the families of his servants at the time should not die without seeing their loved ones again. Or the fact it was your mother that helped me find out that Queen Cinderella required help, or that she told the Blue Fairy to make Pinocchio into a real boy, and the fact that the thing to help the heroes and royals was because of your mother. They don't know that," the Fairy Godmother sighed as she paused, and looked at the girl before her. She could see the faint glow in her palms must be her trying to control her powers.

The Fairy Godmother reached out to Mal's hands to help Mal down.

Mal relented slightly as the Fairy Godmother continued to speak, "They won't know the truth as long as Aurora and Phillip are the crowd rulers of the Moors none of us can say a thing. I would get called out for treason. Do you think Jane could survive here without me? Or survive on the Isle of the Lost if she was banished alongside me for my insolence?" the Fairy Godmother replied evenly.

"It might have done her some good. She would have developed some spine there. And we DO take care of our own," Mal sneered as she felt the elder fairy's magic calm hers.

"Yes, because Evie looked so much like she could take care of herself letting Chad Charming manipulate her into doing his homework before trying to humiliate her when she stopped helping him cheat," the Fairy Godmother noted the recent plight of the Evil Queen's daughter with sarcasm as she raised her left eyebrow in challenge.

She honestly didn't know where her little Cinderella boy got his manipulative streak from, but there were days she wanted to turn him into a toad or a rat for an afternoon to try to break him of his habits.

Mal grunted and looked away as she conceded, "In her ways, Evie has always been starved for attention. It doesn't help that the four of us grew up almost as siblings, all being the same ages as the kids of the more prominent residents of the Isle. She couldn't exactly look to my cousin, Jay, nor Carlos to reinforce her mother's puerile need to be 'pretty' once she started growing into a woman because they could never see her that way. Nor could she expect them to fulfill Grimhilda's ridiculous idea of her daughter finding a rich and handsome prince to care for them both as if any such thing existed there. All she was allowed to learn was to ensnare men and keep house."

The Fairy Godmother's expression softened as she noted, "At least Ben takes more after his parents than Chad ever did. He does like you, you know."

Mal looked away in what she hoped would pass for embarrassment. The last thing she needed was for the meddling excuse for Faerie to realize Mal had given Ben a potion to make him take an interest in her as part of her mother's plot to obtain the wand of the woman before her. What they were building together wasn't real. No matter how much she wanted it to be. But thoughts of taking after parents made her think of that cow Audrey and raised her ire all over again. "Some people here take too much after their parents, if you ask me," Mal muttered darkly.

"Despite your little introduction on your first day, and the friction between you both over the Prince now, Princess Audrey never knew the whole story between her family and yours," the Fairy Godmother pointed out, knowing full well that the source of the purple-haired girl's sour mood.

"Yes, because a pretty lie is easier to deal with than the truth. My father would be a part of my life, my mother and uncle BOTH would be soaring the skies above our heads right now if it wasn't, and my brother in all but blood would have his dad again," Mal challenged back.

"Perhaps," the Fairy Godmother conceded. "But is there anything you can do about it now without putting yourself and your friends at risk?"

"Does tearing out every hair on my niece's head count as doing something?" Mal asked.

"I think that might still get you in trouble," the Fairy Godmother noted as she tried to hold in a smile.

Mal deflated a bit as she responded, "Then no. There isn't anything I can do. That doesn't make what that family did right, though."

"No, it doesn't. But unless your mother somehow gets free and challenges her for the right to the throne of the Moors there is not much more you could do," the Fairy Godmother replied resignedly.

Mal winced a bit as she noted, "That would be... ugly. Like I said before, Mother has not weathered captivity well." Mal could easily remember all of the beatings, threats, the whippings, and other punishments she got for the stupidest reasons. Like if she did not come home the second the clock hit 11, and that was disclosing the times her mother wished for her to do evil things. Like hurting animals, killing things, and stuff like that. Thankfully her brother was there to help her complete these tasks. Honestly, if the streets were not filled up with perverts, pedos, rapists, and other such things she and he would have left permanently. But no, they were only able to spend a couple of nights at others' homes before her Mother would demand her home, and threaten anyone she was staying with to kick her out back to her mothers. Her brother would have left years ago if it was not for Mal herself. Maleficent loved her nephew enough that she would not hurt the only thing remaining to Diaval.

"At least she had you there with her," the Fairy Godmother replied with a wince of her own. Just the thought of the true Faerie Queen's likely wrath should she ever get free was terrifying to imagine.

Mal saw no reason to discuss how distant and wrathful her mother had become over the years, especially since Diaval's passing, as she weakly replied, "Yeah, right."

"Mal, I know it's been hard adjusting here for all of you. But Ben wants this to work. And not just because you have the poor boy smitten. He wants all four of you to truly feel you belong here. To have a home in Auradon. Is that so bad?" the Fairy Godmother asked.

"No," Mal conceded. "Ben is the best thing about being here by far. And he will make a great king someday."

"Then trust in him. Don't let your anger and jealousy get the better of you. No matter how justified it may be," the Fairy Godmother advised with a shrewd look.

Mal's expression was pure innocence as she asked, "Why do you mean Fairy Godmother?"

"You do realize that I was born in the age when crossing the Faire Folk was still considered a death wish, don't you, child?" Jane's mother asked with a knowing look. "Just because I tried to be better than that doesn't mean I've lost all sense of what it is to be Fae."

Mal remained silent, unwilling to voice her opinion on how little the woman before her seemed to still BE Fae to her again.

"I know you must choose your path. All I ask is that you consider the consequences. Not just for you or your mother, but for your friends. And that includes Ben. Please think it over," the Fairy Godmother advised before turning and taking her leave.

For her part, Mal could only watch silently, her head a whirl of new thoughts to ponder. Did she want to follow her mother's path? Was there redemption at the end of the tunnel for her and her friends? Would Ben think twice about her without the potion in the cookie she gave him?

Mal stood alone in the now empty Remedial Goodness classroom, the weight of her thoughts pressing heavily upon her. Despite her outward defiance and sharp tongue, inwardly, she felt a turmoil of conflicting emotions. The Fairy Godmother's words lingered in her mind like a persistent echo, challenging her to confront the complexities of her situation.

As she pondered her next move, a myriad of doubts and uncertainties flooded her thoughts. Could she truly break away from the path her mother had set before her, one steeped in vengeance and bitterness? Was it possible for her to forge her destiny, independent of the burdensome legacy that weighed upon her shoulders?

No no, she could not her brother was still on that cursed Isle.

But Ben's unwavering belief in her, his genuine desire for her to find a sense of belonging in Auradon, tugged at her heartstrings. Despite her initial skepticism, she couldn't deny the sincerity in his actions, nor the depth of her feelings for him. Could she find solace and purpose in embracing the opportunities that Auradon offered, rather than succumbing to the allure of darkness?

The image of Jane, timid and uncertain, resonated within her. Despite their differences, Mal couldn't shake the pang of empathy she felt for the other girl. Jane's struggles mirrored her own in many ways, both bound by the expectations of others and grappling with their identities in a world that often seemed stacked against them. Could she extend a hand of understanding and support to Jane, rather than perpetuating the cycle of animosity and division?

Above all, Mal grappled with the notion of redemption. Was it possible for her to chart a new course, one defined by compassion and empathy rather than retribution? Could she transcend the shadow of her mother's legacy and carve out a path that honored her values and aspirations?

As the echoes of her inner turmoil reverberated in the stillness of the classroom, Mal knew that she stood at a crossroads.

The choices she made in the days to come would shape not only her destiny but also the fates of those she held dear. With determination burning in her eyes, she vowed to confront the challenges ahead with courage and conviction, ready to embrace the journey of self-discovery that lay before her.

The road ahead might be fraught with obstacles and uncertainties, but Mal was ready to face them head-on. For in the depths of her heart, she knew that true strength lay not in succumbing to darkness, but in embracing the light within herself. And with that newfound resolve burning bright, Mal stepped forward into the unknown, prepared to embark on her journey of redemption and self-realization.

So many questions.

So little time before the coronation, and they had to get the wand to be free for this popsicle stand.

AN: How do you like the changes I made? - Fairy of Fandoms 4Ever