The last chapter!

Mal was waiting on the front steps of the castle when Ben, Evie, Jay, and Carlos stepped out of the trees accompanied by the bear cub. Since the surprise visit from Beast, she had crafted the magic in the forest to alert her of intruders, and it had paid off. She stood, her hands on her hips as she glared at them. The scepter stood on its point next to her, perfectly balanced and at the ready.

"Geez, I definitely don't like what you've done with the place, Mal," Evie said, looking around and then at Mal.

Mal narrowed her eyes. "I prefer Maleficent. Whatever idiotic intervention you all have planned, I would suggest giving up."

"Now, why would we do that?" Jay laughed. He looked up at the castle and whistled in appreciation. "Nice place."

Mal lifted the scepter and pointed it at Jay. "Thanks, but no thanks. Like I said, you guys are leaving."

"Mal," Ben said. Her gaze immediately went to his face, and her heart clenched uncomfortably. She had been avoiding him up until he had spoken.

She cleared her throat. "It's Maleficent."

"Since when?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, you told us yourself that our parents don't determine who we are," Carlos put in.

"Enough!" Mal snapped. She whipped the head of the scepter around. Two bolts of green lightning shot from the tip, hitting both Jay and Carlos square in the chest.

Evie screamed. Her hands went to her mouth. Jay and Carlos each stumbled and collapsed. Evie shook her head, looking from one to the other. "Jay! Carlos!"

Mal rolled her eyes and turned the scepter on Evie where she stood on the other side of the clearing. "Relax, they're just unconscious."

Ben stepped between the scepter and Evie, putting himself in the direct line of fire. "Mal," he said. "They're your best friends. Don't."

Mal flinched as though she had been slapped. Her hand holding the scepter shook as she hesitated. Ben glanced over his shoulder and said something to Evie that Mal couldn't hear. The blue-haired girl looked again to Jay and Carlos. Then she nodded to Ben. She stooped, picked up the bear cub, and ran off into the forest with it.

Ben turned back to face Mal. "Are you going to shoot me too, Mal?"

"It's Maleficent," Mal said, though she didn't shout it with confidence this time. It was quiet.

Ben walked toward her. "Mal, you and I both know that's not true. You've never been like your mother."

"How would you know? You didn't know me until two weeks ago," Mal snapped.

"This is true," Ben said, approaching the bottom of the steps. "But I know you're good, Mal."

Mal brought the scepter around to point at him. It was aimed directly at his heart.

Ben only stopped when the head of the scepter was inches from his chest. He could feel the heat radiating from the green orb that topped it. "Are you going to kill me, Mal?"

"If you get in my way," she said, but the scepter wavered an inch as she said it. "And don't think that I won't."

Ben slipped his hands into his pockets. "That's a shame," he said, "because I don't want to live without you."

Mal blinked, and the head of the scepter dipped. He smiled, and stepped up onto the next stair. He instantly found the scepter jabbing into his chest. He winced and stepped back down, a hole burned into his shirt.

Ok, so maybe just talking wouldn't work. He needed to show her what he meant. "So, what's the big plan?" he asked, playing with the ring in his pocket. "Take over Auradon?"

"Precisely. What else would it be?"

Ben shrugged a shoulder. "So, what will happen to me? You think I'll just stand by while you take over and hurt my family?"

"I...well." Mal blinked, appearing as if she was trying to dispel some foreign object from her eyes. She shook her head and jabbed at him with the scepter again. He moved to avoid it.

"Mal, if you want to take over Auradon, you're going to have to kill me," Ben said.

"Wha-what?" Mal blinked and shook her head. The bright green glow of her eyes flickered. "I...Ben..." But the glow returned quickly. Mal clenched her jaw and growled at him. "Fine, if that's how it's going to be."

The orb of the scepter started to glow. Ben withdrew his hand from his pocket. This was his last shot. His father would have said it was insane. But he loved her. He loved her. He chucked the ring up the steps toward Mal. She reached forward as if on instinct to catch it. As she did, time seemed to slow down. The ring spun, turning over and over as it neared her open hand. Then it slid straight onto her index finger. There was a flash of white light, and Ben was knocked off his feet.

Mal woke up with a searing headache. She blinked open her eyes with a groan. What she saw made her grin. Ben was bent over her, his face beaming against the backdrop of a cloudless star-filled sky. "Ben," she breathed. He was stroking her hair. "Are the horns gone?"

"Yeah. And the castle and all the thorns. Hopefully, Dad's back to normal too. I made Evie take him back to Auradon to get Fairy Godmother," he explained.

"Oh, right," she said. She recalled the arrival of her friends and the flashes of light from the scepter. She gasped then, moving to sit up. Ben pushed her back down so she was still lying on her back. She gripped his arm. "Are Jay and Carlos..."

"They're fine. I sent them back ahead of us."

She immediately relaxed. Her friends were safe. "Good. Thank you." She closed her eyes when he started stroking her hair again. "So, what happened...with the ring?" She stroked her thumb over it as she spoke.

"I don't know. I guess some things just have a magic of their own. I mean, don't you think our love is magic?"

Mal laughed, not even having to open her eyes to tell he was grinning. She smacked his arm lightly. "You're so cheesy."

"But you love me."

She opened her eyes. "Yes. I do. I love you, Ben."

"I love you too, Mal." He bent closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Light tingles ran through her body. His lips felt like silk against her skin. Now that the greed of the power was gone from her mind, she could relax.

"But, really, what happened?" she asked again.

"Honestly? I don't know," Ben said. "After the bright light, your mother's scepter was gone. And then things just started disappearing as if they were made of smoke. Your horns disappeared and then you woke up."

"Just like that?" Mal asked. He nodded. She wondered how it was possible. Her power had held her in a vice grip. It wasn't until Ben had shown up that she had really been able to fully fight it. Ben had said she would have had to kill him to take Auradon, making her and her power directly oppose each other. Had it really been as simple as her remembering what to fight for? Had she locked the power away for good?

"I don't think you'll have to worry about it again," Ben said, smiling. "Just always remember who you want to be, not where you came from."

Mal smiled and nodded. "I will. Besides, you're probably right; our love probably is magic." They both laughed, and Ben helped her to her feet.

He brushed her hair back from her face before kissing her softly. "As long as you believe it is, it will be."

Thank you guys for being such fabulous readers! I am so grateful for the feedback I've gotten on this story. I never imagined it getting so many reviews, faves, and follows. It is truly astonishing. However, this is where this story ends, so it is here I must leave you for a bit. I plan on getting some more stories up for you guys soon. If you're interested in knowing exactly when they're posted, I'd suggest giving me an author follow. For now, keep reading and keep loving life.

Foarrin

P.S - This story is now complete and will not receive any more updates. If you wish to be notified when I post new things, please put me on your author alert list. Also, this story now has a sequel entitled "Irreversible". Go to my page to find it and read it. :)