(3) The Isle of the Lost

-Chapter 13: My Once Upon A Time-

Mal pov

I scream and shout after Y/N leaves. Wishing her to come back, to fix this, to work together to fix it. But she leaves, walks away from me. Finally, after all those years of me getting into trouble, or disappointing mother, she finally decided to leave me. I look back at our family. At their stilled bodies and lifeless faces. "No..." I repeat, crying.

"Here you are alone, and you deserve it. Your friends have turned to stone, and that's on you...You had a cause to serve, but did you serve it? Did you see yourself in a way that wasn't true?" I wonder, feeling the heavy heart I have because of what I did. "This is not your sister's fairytale. Now she is leaving you, because you failed. So when your story comes to light, make sure the story that they write...." I sing before thinking back to how I failed.

"Once upon a time, a girl tried harder. Once upon a time, she tried again. Once upon a braver choice, she took a risk, she used her voice. And that will be my once upon a time, this time." I sing before walking to my friends, family.

"Why tell all those lies? You feel unworthy..." I sing, taking Ben's cold hand into my own. I walk to Jay, looking at how he is frozen, looking out into the forest. "Like there isn't solid ground for you to stand." I sing before looking down at Carlos who is reaching out to Dude for comfort. "But a stack of lies is not a firm foundation...You cannot build a castle on a mountain made of sand." I sing, before standing and walking in the middle of all of them.

"This is not your mother's dark desire. And now your sister's calling you a liar...." I turn to look at Evie and feel dread. I didn't tell her because I was scared to lose her, but I lost her anyway. I place my hand on her cheek, stroking the cold rough stone instead. "Turns out it's you, who's not awake. So if there's change you wanna make...." I sing, looking at her lifeless eyes before I sigh. No point staying here.

I turn, walking into the forest and going after Y/N. "Take, once upon a time, she fought a dragon. Once upon a time, that beast was me. Once upon a misspent youth, she faced herself, she spoke the truth..." I sing before I look at the school where I see two figures walking along the grass. "That's how I see my once upon a time, this time."

"Uma!" I shout, running to the girl. She ignores me and just continues walking. "Uma, stop! Please, stop! I need your help." I say, making her and Harry turn around. "We have a chance if we do this together." I add. Uma scoffs, crossing her arms. "Your friends kick you to the curb? Good..." She says. I sigh, gesturing wildly. "Ben saw something in you. And today, Uma, I saw it too. You care. Uma, you care about everybody....and Auradon is worth saving." I say, stepping forward. "Help us, please." I add.

Harry steps forward, holding a hand out. "You talk pretty, but....she's already made up her mind." He says. Uma nods, turning around. "You brought this on yourself, Mal. You figure out how to fix it." She says before nodding to Harry. "Let's go." She says, walking away with the pirate.

"Life is not a storybook. But life unfolds in chapters. Turn the page and start to make amends." I sing, turning back to the castle. "There's no pre-written guarantee of happily ever after. Step into your greatness, before your story ends....and when your story ends, They'll say..." I sing, walking up some stairs and looking to the top. I think back to when we first arrived. The way we all relied on each other, how we stopped Y/N and I's mother. We worked together. Five hearts as one.

"Once upon a time, a girl flew higher. Once upon a time, she made things right." I sing, now thinking of how far Uma and I went. We started from enemies from different gangs. I held a grudge on her for Y/N and one against Harry. But up until an hour ago, we actually got along and worked together. "Once upon a tie that binds, she changed her heart, to change their minds." I sing, geting to the top of the staircase. I look over the land of Auradon, my new home, before looking further to the Isle. My hometown. Where I was born. Where I vowed to protect. "That's got to be my once upon a time. This once upon a time. Will finally see my once upon a time. This time" I sing. I made a mistake. I'm fixing it.

I turn, hearing a loud cackle before I see pink smoke filling the roof of the building. I look up to see Audrey peering over the edge, a sly grin on her face. "Heya, Mal!" She says, over excitedly. "What do you want, Audrey?" I ask, watching her. I now realise, I can't fight her. Only Y/N can use the ember. "Oh nothing. Just the whole world to bow down to me." She says, laughing. "And we can start....with the Queen of the Isle." She adds.

"What did you do to Y/N? Where is she?" I ask, looking around. "Right...here." She says, hauling a figure to the edge. I see Y/N with a large bruise on her face, eyes closed. She's unconscious. "Y/N!" I call out. Audrey cackles, using her staff to point it at Y/N's face. "Would be a shame if that horrid island lost their Queen, no?" She asks. Using the staff's magic (Because she isn't physically strong enough), she holds Y/N over the edge, leaning out so that one small slip, she'll fall. "Say goodbye, Mal." She says.

I growl. I was just going to get her back, I'm not losing her again. I feel my magic course through me as my eyes glow green. Remember what Y/N taught you. Let the magic flow, let it take over your senses, allow it to morph you. Out of the corner of my eye, I see two figures return to the area, but I'm too overwhelmed to care. I close my eyes, feeling my body morph and shift. Once I open my eyes, I'm no longer on ground level...I'm flying. After months of Y/N helping me figure out how to shift, I've done it, under the need to protect my big sister.

I roar at Audrey, making her laugh. "Careful not to fry your sister." She taunts. "We don't stand a chance without Y/N and the ember!" Uma calls from below, making me look down. Her and Harry have returned, watching as I fly. I growl, seeing Y/N stir a little before flying towards the two, swooping down in an attempt to grab Y/N. It fails because Audrey pulls her aside, using the staff to hit me with a beam of magic. I roar in pain, faltering slightly and swirling around to stand near Uma. "We need to get Y/N. I can try to cause a distraction." She says, holding her necklace. I nod, flying again as I hear Uma chant some sort of spell. At that, the voice of Audrey's grandmother fills the air.

A lifetime of plans. Gone.

"Grammy?"

Our family status. Gone.

"I'm trying, Grammy. I'm queen now."

Your mother could hold on to a prince in her sleep.

Using the distraction as Audrey whips her head around, trying to look for her grandmother, I swoop down, roaring and pushing Audrey back with the blow before swooping in and grabbing Y/N, who is now half awake and screaming. "Holy shit! What the heck!" She shouts as we become airborne. I look down, trying to grin at her as she looks at me and my purple scales. "Mal?" She asks. I roar in response as we land next to the sea witch.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Uma asks, helping her up. "I-I think so." She replies. "What happened? Where are the others?" She asks now. "They're....they got turned to stone." Y/N responds, looking down. Uma's eyes widens. "All of them?" She asks. "All but us....and Celia. Wherever she is." Y/N adds. Once she does, we hear a familiar shout from the top. "Guys, help!" Celia shouts.

"Celia?" Y/N asks, looking up. "Seems like we're on to plan B. Save your little friend, VKs!" She shouts.

I morph back, shaking my head slightly to ease the headache of transforming for the first time before reaching into my pocket and holding out the now dead ember. "Y/N, it's our only hope." I say, holding it out to her. She takes it, looking at it. She nods, concentrating before speaking. "Regain your might and ignite."

It doesn't do anything, but Uma's necklace glows. "We're right here, Y/N." She says, taking her hand. "We're stronger together." She adds, looking at me. I take her other hand and the three of us chant together.

"Regain your might and ignite." We say once. "Regain your might and ignite!" We say again.

The ember shimmers lightly before it glows brightly, shining and bathing all of us in a light blue glow. "Yes!" Y/N says, grinning. "Go get her!" Uma says, making Y/N nod before closing her eyes, letting blue smoke envelope her. Above, I hear Audrey and Celia. "You want a piece of this? Huh?" She asks. "No. no!" I hear Celia shout, in fear. "Come on, Y/N....you can do this..."

Word Count: 1593