Unknown Happen Stance

Chapter 17: "Hades'"

Jane came racing into Mal's quiet zen painting date with Ben, breathless and agitated. "The new girl you invited—she had some terrifying flashbacks. She's with Lady Fauna right now in the nurse's infirmary wing at Auradon Prep. Fauna requested your magical help!"
Mal put her paintbrush down abruptly and stood up, her expression shifting from serene creativity to urgency.
"I have to go, Ben. We'll finish this after the Isle."
"But why, Mal?" Ben asked, confused.
"When my mother, Maleficent, cursed Aurora—Sleeping Beauty, merging that curse with a blessing and increasing Aurora's insane amount of beauty—a beauty that would never fade. Because of this, Maleficent's magic, which I inherited, is compatible with the magics of the Three Fairy Godmothers who raised Aurora. When their magic and mine combine, it can create healing without the explosions—just pure power for restoration."
"Then go, help your new friend," Ben said, determination in his voice. "I'll make sure my dad doesn't find out."As Mal hurried to the infirmary, she recalled the only time she had fully tapped into her magical potential—in a desperate attempt to help Fauna heal someone's horrific tourney injury. That magic had become a source of comfort for her in dealing with her own grief.Upon arrival, Evie greeted them at the door of the nurse's office, her face lined with concern.
"My goodness, it's horrible. Mal, you two have so much in common," Evie said, her voice low. "She's had an abusive father."
Mal nudged her friend gently, whispering urgently. "Ahem, don't scare Jane, E."
"If you need me to give you two a minute, I will," suggested Jane, sensing the intense atmosphere.
"Yes, just a couple minutes," Evie added, stepping aside as Jane exited the room."What is it, Mal? Did I say something wrong about your dad, 'Hades'?" Evie asked, tilting her head.
"Quiet," Mal whispered, her frustration simmering just beneath the surface. "Do you have any idea how many people you could freak out? My dad was far from abusive. He left when I was just a baby—one year old—and has been an absentee father ever since. My mom was the abusive one." She inhaled deeply, trying to reign in her emotions. "But I can see that the Beast, King Adam, isn't much of an upgrade in the role model department either."
Evie looked at Mal, concern washing over her features. "But what does that mean for your new friend? We have to help her."Mal sighed, the weight of her own history mingling with her desire to assist this new girl. "It means I need to help her understand that she's not alone. The past is hard and rough for all of us who have to live with our mistakes, but those mistakes never define us, just as our past will not define us. It only made us begin." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Every scar tells a story of survival, of courage in the face of darkness. We can use our magic not just to heal wounds but to inspire hope—the kind that reminds us we can rise again, stronger and braver."
Taking a deep breath, Mal steeled herself, ready to face whatever challenges awaited her within that infirmary. "Let's go help her," she declared, with newfound determination, stepping into the unknown, prepared to wield her magic to heal not just physical wounds but emotional scars too, transforming pain into power, and fear into a fierce flame of resilience.

Upon entering the room, Mal had a sudden flashback of her own, one rooted in her early memories from the Isle of the Lost, where villains were forced to deal with the muck and grime of daily life. She recalled the sight of Maleficent rocking in a rocking chair, with young Mal standing up in her lap, enjoying the gentle bouncing her mother was allowing her to experience. Mal couldn't articulate her thoughts yet, being far too young, but she remembered vividly because she had asked about it four years later."Mom, what happened to Daddy? I vaguely remember his voice. Who is he? What went wrong with the two of you? Why hasn't he come back?" Mal had questioned, her childlike curiosity peeking through her uncertainty.
"I guess it is alright if you knew; it might help in the long run with your revenge schemes, little nugget," Maleficent replied, her tone a blend of condescension and reluctant honesty."Mom, I told you before, I don't know—"
"None of that squandering evil attitude, pumpkin," Maleficent scolded, her voice sharp. "It was your fairy first birthday on the Isle of the Lost, Mal. I was rocking you while you stood up in my lap, trying to walk as I bounced you. 'What a perfect nugget of a girl you are.'" Maleficent had coined those pet names of endearment for her daughter in those fleeting moments of tenderness.Just then,
Hades burst into the scene. "How is it possible for you, my wife and daughter, to live in a castle with such stink and stench?" he asked, his voice filled with incredulity.
"Not all of this mess is mine, Hades! And in case you haven't noticed, I'm busy at the moment training our daughter for evil and being a mother!" Maleficent shot back, her frustration clear.
"Stop staring with those cold, dead black eyes straight into my soul," Hades announced, his discomfort palpable. His blue hair was unable to light fires currently due to the absence of magic on the Isle.
"You don't have a soul," Maleficent retorted, her response laced with deadly intent.
"My brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, would beg to differ, Maleficent," Hades whispered, the hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Your brothers are weak, stupid fools; they're told what to do and accomplish it through the wily words of a woman, Hades." Maleficent dismissed his comebacks with disdain. "Even the ancient Greek gods have a deadly weakness just like your parents, and it's not women. It's a river in your realm—the one you govern, where you had Persephone as a wife with kids for a while until she died of absolute despair from the gloom. That blue ember in your pocket might be stronger than my mother's cursed staff powers, but it would never survive past the powers of the Styx River of the Underworld. Is the legend true that if a Greek god swears by the River Styx's name and fails to keep their end of the bargain, they are erased from existence, husband?"
"Yes, that's why I keep telling you the ember can't get wet," Hades groaned, rolling his eyes in frustration; Maleficent was more intimidating than him, especially when he couldn't show off his full array of temperamental mood swings. "I brought this for my daughter to wear when she grows up to be a teen."
Maleficent opened the box Hades had left on the floor. Inside were Mal's famous first VK civilian outfit clothing pieces, neatly laid out next to a spray paint can.
"It's a good thing there's a barrier; Poseidon would never let you get away with what you just said," Hades muttered, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Would you like to hold your daughter just this once?" Maleficent asked, her tone softening slightly, though her eyes remained fierce.
"No, I could burn her from the heat of my skin. You keep holding her," Hades replied.
"Sometimes parents need to take risks. How will Mal accomplish anything with us if we don't show her how? It's easy to understand why your brothers don't like you, Hades; you're quite lazy!" Maleficent shot back, her frustration simmering.
"And you rely too much on your powers and intimidating control over others. Banishing the Evil Queen—Grimhilde—to a very lonely part of this island prison? That was a big mistake! You may have caused a major foe for the rest of our lives!" Hades snapped, emotion edging his words.
"Do you really want our daughter in the vicinity of a mother willing to ask someone to cut hearts out of their body?" Maleficent exclaimed, aghast at the thought.
"Again, you take things too literally. The story says 'she hired someone to do that,' not that she would do it herself if she couldn't find someone to hire," Hades retorted, trying to counter his second wife's defensiveness with factual details about the Evil Queen, who was also known as Grimhilde. Frantically, he added, "That lady is obsessed as she is with being beautiful Grimhilde she would plug her nose at the sight of smelly dead organs. It would be repulsive enough to give her wrinkles. While I won't hold my daughter, I will give her a little kiss on the forehead. Goodbye, Mal. Dad loves you. But your mom is too power-crazy for me, so I have to walk out the door." He whispered as he bent down, kissing his daughter's forehead, taking the blue ember with him and leaving the cardboard box filled with her future behind, then walked out the door.
"M, are you okay?!" Evie asked, her voice laced with genuine concern, pulling Mal back from the depths of her memories. Evie, Grimhilde's daughter and Mal's literal best friend, was more than just a companion; she was a sister of the heart, someone who understood the intricacies of Mal's life in a way few others could.
"I—I don't know," Mal stammered, her breath hitching as an old memory washed over her. "My first villain outfit. It was a gift from my Daddy." She gasped as the images flooded her mind, recalling the moment of joy it had sparked. "I just remembered something my mom told me—she said if I knew the truth about my past, it might have increased my appetite for revenge. Unfortunately, she guessed so wrong."
Evie's eyes softened with empathy, her own heart aching for her friend.
"Your dad? I can't believe he got you something like that! That's huge!" The excitement in Evie's voice clashed with the turmoil inside Mal.
Mal nodded slowly, her gaze dropping to the floor as confusion washed over her.
"It was one of the few times I felt like he cared at all. But now it all feels so tangled. How can I embrace that connection when it's mixed with all this confusion and darkness? It's like... like a reminder of everything I've lost."Evie stepped closer, her presence warm and reassuring. "Mal, you don't have to carry this alone. Just because our parents made their choices doesn't mean you have to follow in their footsteps. You're not just the daughter of a villain—you're Mal. You have your own dreams, your own path."
Mal searched Evie's face for comfort, her heart aching with the weight of her uncertainty.
"I thought learning to be like them would give me strength," she confessed, her voice trembling. "But instead, it just makes me feel lost. I want to be powerful, to reclaim everything they took from me, but I don't want to become what I despise."
Evie placed a hand on Mal's shoulder, grounding her in that moment. "I see you, M. I see how strong you are, even when you doubt yourself. You're brave and resourceful, and you can create a future filled with hope, not chains. It's okay to be scared; it means you're alive and feeling every bit of this journey."
Mal inhaled deeply, the warmth of Evie's words wrapping around her like a protective cloak.
For the first time, she realized that it was possible to honor who she was while breaking free from her parents' shadows.
"Thank you, Evie. I just... I need to find my own way—one that lets me embrace the person I want to become without being tied to the darkness of my past."
The two girls stood side by side, their fingers intertwined in an unspoken promise of support. Together, they felt the strength of their friendship flow between them, fueling their resolve to face the challenges ahead not as the children of villains but as the architects of their own destinies. In that moment, they knew that no matter what lay ahead, they would always have each other.
"I'm here, Fauna. Boy, Musa, you look pretty shaken up," Mal said, her voice steady but laced with concern.
Musa's face was streaked with tears that refused to stop. "I can't move my legs," she sobbed, panic creeping into her voice. "It's like they aren't even there anymore."
Mal knelt beside her, determination flashing in her eyes. "We're here to help, Musa," she assured. Turning to Fauna, she asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"Place both your hands on that prism I set between Musa's legs," Fauna instructed. She gestured at the intricate device, its bottom attached to a long tube that snaked down next to Musa's nerves. The air crackled with a mixture of urgency and hope.
"Jane and Evie, keep Musa calm and steady. This is going to sting a little," Fauna said, her voice firm yet soothing. Evie had rushed off to fetch Jane, fear and worry etched on her face.
"Of course," Evie replied, shifting her focus back to Musa. "Look at us, Musa. We're right here."
"Yes, just keep your gaze on us," Jane added as she returned, positioning herself next to Evie.Fauna placed her hands on the prism, her brow furrowing in concentration.

She glanced at Mal, who was poised and ready. "You ready? It's time to begin the healing chant, Mal. Together.""Yes, I am," Mal responded, her voice steady despite the heaviness of the moment.
In unison, they spoke the chant, their voices harmonizing in the dim light of the room—"'Beware for swear,
from the darkness we rise,
Nature's fierce spirit, with fire in our ties.
In unity's strength, let the healing flow free,
Through shadow and light, let the heart find its plea.'"

As they uttered the final words, an electric green energy surged down the prism, radiating from their hands. It flowed into the tube, jolting Musa's nervous system awake, liberating her legs from their slumber. Relief washed over Mal, her expression lightening as she witnessed the transformation.With newfound strength, Musa stood up from the bed, barely shaky at all. She enveloped Mal in a tight hug, tears of joy mingling with her earlier sorrow. "Thank you! You really do have a future as a healing fairy. I thought I'd never escape that pit of nightmares in my mind, Mal."
Taken slightly aback by Musa's heartfelt words, Mal simply replied, "Thank you." Her heart swelled with gratitude and a touch of disbelief, knowing that they had not only healed a body but lifted a spirit from the clutches of despair.

WinxDynamix Normaniforever4 big Musa scene and Evie and Mal best friend scene.