Break This Down [D3]

9 - Stronger Together

The rest of the walk was silent, all three of us trying to sort out how we felt. I know we were all hurt, but I was feeling more than that. I was angry that I was lied to, and I still felt the sharp stab of betrayal even as we walked across the lawn at Auradon Prep.

"Uma!" Mal's voice called. I turned my head and caught sight of her running toward us, nut I rolled my eyes and faced forward "Bridgette! Stop, please. Stop! I need your help!"

Mal ran in front of us, forcing us to stop. I let go of Uma and Harry and stepped forward, glaring at Mal as I tried to pass her.

"We have a chance if we do this together!" Mal pressed.

"Your friends kick you to the curb?" Uma asked. Mal's shoulders sagged

"Good." I snapped.

"Ben saw something in you," Mal said. "And today, Bridgette, I saw it too. You care about everybody, and Auradon is worth saving! Help us... please."

"You talk pretty," Harry said, standing beside me. "But... she's already made up her mind."

"You brought this on yourself, Mal." Uma stated as I huffed.

"You figure out how to fix it." I finished, starting to walk away again. "Let's go."

I scanned the surrounding area, trying to catch a glimpse of Gil so we could get out of here. Instead, I saw Mal's dragon and grabbed Uma and Harry.

"We have to help her." I muttered.

"What?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

"We have to help her." I said, louder. "She's right, I do care about people. And I want to help her."

"Let's go." Uma nodded, running ahead. I smiled softly at Harry and chased after her, sliding to a stop below Mal's dragon.

"Woah!" All three of us said, ducking as Mal flew over us. We watched as Mal tried to light the ember, but her fire breath wasn't hot enough.

"She doesn't stand a chance without the ember." Uma said, looking up at Mal. Audrey shot Mal in the wing, sending her down. "Come on!"

As soon as Mal was closer to the ground, I felt my body begin to glow gold. Uma grabbed her shell in one hand, and my hand in her other.

"We're stronger together." I said, looking up at the dragon. "Stronger together."

"We're right here, Mal." Uma said.

"Regain your might and ignite." We chanted together.

"We're right here, girl, we're right here!" Uma urged.

"Regain your might and ignite!" We chanted again. The ember lit up blue and I fell back into Harry out of pure joy.

"Yes!" I cheered as Uma laughed. Harry steadied me and started laughing too. We watched in awe as the magic from Maleficent's scepter and the magic from Hades' ember clashed in blue and pink lightning.

"Get her Mal!" Harry yelled.

"You got this, girl!" Uma cheered.

"Come on." I muttered, screaming happily when Mal defeated Audrey.

"Yes!" Harry yelled, catching Uma as she jumped into his arms. I laughed as he spun her around, both giddy that we helped Mal save Auradon. Harry put Uma down and kissed me, smiling through it. I pulled away with a giggle and picked up his hook from the lawn.

"You dropped this." I teased, handing it back to him.

"Thanks, love." He smiled, throwing his arms around Uma and I. 

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"She's slipping away." Evie said from Audrey's bedside. Uma and I stood beside each other, looking down at Audrey with worry clear on our faces.

"There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this." Mal sighed. "And that's Hades."

"Hades?" Ben asked. "He wouldn't do it."

"And I wouldn't let him risk it." Ozzy said, trying to cover up the fact that she'd been crying.

"Actually, he might do it for me." Mal said, looking between Ben and Ozzy. "He's my father."

A stunned silence blanketed the room, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'll have to send guards to get him." Ben stated.

"Maybe I can hitch a ride." I suggested, earning looks from everyone. "The Isle is my home. Somebody needs to be there to protect it."

"Well then," Harry sighed, grabbing my shoulders. "You'll need your first mate."

"And your guard." Uma added.

"The Isle will be in very good hands." Mal nodded.

"Can I go, too?" Celia asked. "I wish I could be in both places."

Mal stood up, regret clear on her face.

"I really think that Evie was right." She said. "And... I do think we could've been friends, Uma, Bridgette. And I'm really sorry that I lied to all of you guys."

"You deserve so much better than that." Ozzy added.

"You guys were just trying to do the right thing." Jay said, wrapping an arm around Ozzy.

"Yeah." Uma and I nodded. Mal then turned to Evie.

"I get it." She stated, making Mal smile.

"I need my scout and we need to go." I said. Ben nodded and pulled out his phone. "And Carlos?"

"What?" He asked, looking over at me. I walked forward, standing right in front of him.

"Don't let this one incident ruin your shot at true love. You're stronger together." I said, smiling gently at Ozzy. I dusted Carlos's shoulders and looked him in the eye. He nodded once, and I walked out of Audrey's room.

"I like her." I heard Jay from down the hallway. I smiled slightly at his comment, turning a corner.