This is going to be a long one, folks! (The longest I have written, actually!)

We're going to get a few answers in this chapter.

The night must have been a dream. It certainly felt like one. Her surroundings felt as though they were there, but at the same time, they weren't. She couldn't even comprehend what was happening, nor where she was. The only thing that was understandable? Magic had been used, and it was strong. Mal was new to the art of magic, never before had she felt the presence of magic. She supposed that was made up of two parts; being born on the Isle where there was no magic, and then when she did return to Auradon, there being hardly any magic ever used - let alone magic strong enough to put out an energy.

The magic felt similar to the Fairy Godmothers' aura, and yet it was different. She knew it wasn't Fairy Godmother, but she didn't know who it could possibly be otherwise. Mal was completely unaware of anyone else who could possibly have the magic she was feeling.
Was she trapped inside of her own mind?

As the fog in her mind cleared slightly (but, rather annoyingly, not completely), Mal began to take in the trees around her. Not far, just across the river bend, there was a creature unlike any Mal had seen before (and she had seen plenty of ugly creatures). It was small, not even two foot in height, and had this nose like a pig. But it clearly wasn't a pig. The nose, while being similar, drooped down to the mouth, rather than standing erect.

The creature, who she dubbed Monstrum, was holding a pink flower with a smile on its face. Wherever she was, it wasn't so bad that smiling was an impossibility.

Just then there was a rustling from behind the purple haired fairy. She turned quickly, deciding as she did that she would dart for cover.

"My, my, Gsubor, where have you been?" The voice was gentle and kind, full of happiness, and definitely feminine. And Monstrum, or Gsubor she supposed, lit up in excitement. Though he didn't speak, he merely grunted and smiled, which seemed enough for the voice, who giggled in response.

"Why thank you, Gsubor! You're so kind!" The tone indicated a smile on the speakers face. "You're looking quite well yourself! I swear, you get more handsome each day!"

Mal risked a look from her hiding spot, gasping loudly at the sight before her. There was a girl, no older than ten, with beautiful wings. But that was not what caused the gasp that escaped her throat; the ten year old had something that she had only seen on one person before, her mother.
There was no mistaking the resemblance. All she had heard as she grew was how she was her mothers' twin, and this girl certainly looked like Mal. That and the horns? This was her mother - as a child.

So it was true. Mal had to have been trapped inside of her own mind. But how would her mind come up with this? She hadn't known her mother then, nor was she alive, and the young fairy had never seen a picture. This didn't seem possible, even with magic.

Then there was smoke.

Maleficent seemed to have grown since Mal's last glance. She now looked to be nearing her teen years, and she had developed breast buds. Her eyes were still filled with light and her smile was not malicious, nor was it fake. She looked to be completely happy. And yet, Mal noticed she was all alone. Well, besides Gsubor.

And suddenly, the silence that Mal hadn't even noticed became broken by Maleficent's laughter. It sounded like the gentle music that they often played in Auradon. The purple haired girl couldn't help but smile, with only a hint of sadness behind it. She had never heard her mother laugh like this. If Maleficent laughed, Mal knew to hide. During her mother's laughter, Mal knew to expect chores, never-ending studying, and the not-so-gentle teasing. She would rather not deal with it, and quickly learned to avoid it.

The winged fairy looked to the sky, a look that could only be described as peace on her face.
"Mama, papa, I hear your wishes in the wind. I promise I will protect them and our land."

The thing that Mal didn't know? Maleficent had just been warned by her parents, who had long since passed, that a war was coming. The king and his army would be storming the land she called home, wanting to rid of the one's who weren't of God. It would be there any second, and Maleficent didn't have much time to prepare.

Suddenly, to Mal's shock, Maleficent took off into the sky. The grounded fairy fell to the forest floor, momentarily losing the ability to breathe. The wings that carried her mother were strong, much stronger than Mal had ever thought they could be, at least at the young girls size.

She attempted to follow Maleficent, wondering where she had gone and what she was doing. In all honesty, Mal couldn't wait to see her mother again, something she thought she would never admit or feel.

The horned girl gathered her army of magical creatures. There were wooden giants, ogres, and centaurs. Gsubor gave her a look of sadness, and gave a small grunt, but Maleficent only shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Gsubor. It's too dangerous." And she lifted his head with her finger. "I couldn't bear to lose my best friend in the entire land. Please, stay hidden and safe."

Gsubor nodded with uncertainty. As he was hers, she was his, his best friend. And he worried about her and her safety. Maleficent had been given the duty of protecting their land at such a young age, much younger than any before her, and sometimes he worried that she did too much for the smaller and weaker creatures.

All he wanted was her safety.

Mal was completely breathless, and her legs were shaking with weakness. Her mother could move fast! Smoke had appeared and taken her to a different place and time before, where was it now?

She let out a low growl just before the smoke appeared and took her in the middle of a field. There were men on horses to the left, and magical creatures to the right.

DAMMIT. She was in the middle of a battlefield! What the hell?!

The purple haired fairy quickly darted out of the way, not noticing that no one had actually seen her appear in the first place (nor that she wasn't corporeal). She heard a horn and yell, and then they charged.

Maleficent quickly eyed the king, recognizing him by the insignia on his shield. This was her target. The king would not surrender until he was beaten, or until he knew to never toy with her land again. And the fairy was going to teach him, along with anyone who may interfere, that lesson now.

There was a sword aimed at her, but she quickly took flight, her eyes glowing a bright green. And just as quickly as she gained the sky, she tucked her wings in and dove straight down at the king, surely a kill shot.

The king flew, and Maleficent screamed. Not out of anger, not out of excitement, not even out of adrenaline, but purely out of pain. The shield of the king was iron, and she should have realized. Iron was one of the most impenetrable forces in the land, of course the king would protect himself with it. And as he gasped for breath, Maleficent stood over him, the pain quickly fading.

"Do not ever mess with my land again!" Green fire escaping her mouth as she spoke. "If you come near me or mine again, you will pay! Your children will pay, and their children will pay! I will take no mercy!"

She hadn't realized Gsubor was standing by her, having entered the battlefield he was forbidden against, attempting to protect his only friend.

He looked at her, sorrow and pain written on his features as he let out a weak grunt. And Maleficent finally noticed him, only it was too late. Someone had driven their sword through his small chest, and Gsubor fell over, certainly gone.

Maleficent let out a heartbreaking sob, her anger disappearing completely and being replaced with the hole in her chest. She couldn't breathe, her chest hurt, and it felt as though she would never recover.

"Gsubor." She stuttered, unable to speak like the leader she was. "Gsubor, please. Wake up. I'm sorry, Gsubor." Maleficent held her friend close, gasping for breath in between her sobs, and looked around. "Somebody, please! Help him!" But nobody would come to help, and even if they had, it was already too late.

Not even Maleficent could bring back the dead.

Mal was watching her mother, feeling the horrible pang in her chest, wanting to protect her mother and take away her pain. She didn't know how to react. The young fairy had never felt this particular pang, this sorrow that was overwhelming. She had called Gsubor 'Monstrum', which she knew to be the Latin word for monster, and he was anything but. He was in her life for moments, technically not at all, and he had already won a place in her heart, just for being her mothers' friend.

And then she saw it. The kings men, or man, who could easily be called Leviathan. Sure, he wasn't a sea creature, but he was large. He was heading towards her mother, holding an iron trap in his hands.

"Mom!" Mal cried out, but she couldn't be heard.

Then it was sounded. The worst sound she could ever imagine, even worse than the sobs she heard only seconds ago. Her mother's screams of torturous pain. Leviathan had trapped Maleficent, carrying her to his horse and off in the direction of the kings castle.

She would be punished.

When they arrived at the castle, Maleficent didn't know which was worse, losing and leaving Gsubor, or the burning pain of the iron that surrounded her. But the worst was yet to come, she was smart enough to know that.

She was set in a cell with iron bars. It looked to have been made specially, just for her. And she was left there, for hours, days, maybe even months. Only getting a scrap of food once every few days, just enough to keep her alive. And truthfully Maleficent didn't understand, if they were going to kill her anyway, why even bother giving her food? Just let her starve to death, it certainly would be easier.

She sensed somebody watching her, but she didn't see anyone, nor did she hear. But something was for sure, she wasn't going to get near the bars to check.

Little did she know that the person watching her was sitting in the cell with her, and that it was her own daughter. Mal looked on in sadness. Her mother had ranted and raved about the kingdom that betrayed her, about Aurora's parents, and about Aurora herself. Never had she mentioned Gsubor, never had she mentioned that she was happy, nor that they imprisoned her like an animal, starving but never dying.

It was truly torture.

But eventually the day came. The day of Maleficent's sentencing for killing the king. Traditionally, Maleficent would lose her head, which was the common price of treason against the king. At least, that's what Mal had learned in history class. Funny they'd leave out the torture that the perfect Auradonian's would do themselves.

And she found herself questioning it once, when she put together that this was her mother.

Where were her wings now?

But Mal would regret the thought, as she just got her answer.

The winged fairy was bolted down with iron bars, and an executioner came up behind her.

"Maleficent, child against God. You have killed our king, and normally we would have your head. However, due to your age, and due to the severity of your crime going beyond that of normal standards, death would be too kind of a punishment." He spoke in a deep, throaty voice. "And so, your punishment shall not be to die, but to live. Knowing forever the impact your actions has had on not only our people, but yours as well. Many lives were lost, some being more important than others, but nevertheless, many were lost. And so we shall have your wings as repayment."

And Mal thought the scream was bad before? Well, this one would forever be ringing in her ears. The executioner brought down an iron chain and tied it around her mother's wings, pulling tightly until the wings dismounted from her mother's body. However long it actually took? The purple haired fairy would never truly know, but it seemed to take forever.

The scream was agonized, it was tortured, and it was ear piercing. It was the kind of scream you shouldn't hear from anyone, let alone a child.

When she was out of wherever she was? Oh, Mal could bet Aurora and her family would pay. Perhaps she'd start with Audrey.

Back in Auradon

Fairy Godmother was in her office when her cell rang. She never really used the thing, and found it quite confusing, but she answered it (after only some minor difficulty) anyway. But she was more than shocked at what she was told by the king.

The kids had been found. Well, their bodies anyway.

Yeeeeah, that was difficult!

Do you hate me?

Well, we now know (thanks to Mal) that Fairy Godmother didn't transport them to their parents time, and we know that their bodies are still in Auradon! -insert ooh's and ahh's-