Disclaimer: I do not own the Descendants franchise, and no money is being made.

Summary: Points in time, where someone said something different, and potentially took things in a whole new direction.

Coronation

Mal stood within reach of Fairy Godmother's wand, within reach of finally making her mother proud of her. Yet, she did not make that move, despite being able to clearly see her friends staring, wondering why she hadn't moved.

Mal hesitated as Fairy Godmother lifted the wand, caught between the chance to stay in Auradon, blessedly away from Maleficent, and fear of her mother's disappointment. She hesitated again as Ben was crowned, swearing to do well by all of his subjects. Somehow, Mal believed him. She didn't miss the way he emphasised 'all', or the tiny glance in her direction...

And suddenly it was too late. A hand reached out, snatching the wand, heedless of Fairy Godmother's horrified cry. "Child, what are you doing?"

Jane struggled for control of the powerful magic, driven to desperation in her self-loathing. "If you won't make me beautiful, I'll do it myself!"

Mal turned paler than usual when an uncontrolled burst of magic smashed a window, headed in the direction of the Isle of the Lost. Deep inside her core, the magic that was her birthright shivered in response to the feel of her mother's glee. Pushing past Ben's protective arms, Mal seized the wand, wrestling Jane for control.

Mal had been fighting for high stakes almost since she could stand, while Jane had been sheltered. The struggle was over in seconds, seconds that Mal knew she didn't have to spare, as she felt Malificent coming ever closer. A part of her rejoiced to see the citizens of Auradon step back as she raised the wand, but a larger part mourned at the confirmation that she, that any of the Isle's comparatively innocent children, would never be accepted.

Ben stepped forward, cautiously, and Mal almost gave into the urge to cry. For all that Ben may have loved her, he feared and distrusted her, too. Confused, hurt and terrified, Mal lifted the wand into the air, "Stay back!"

Brave or foolish, Ben continued to approach her, as though she were a skittish animal. "Mal, you don't have to do this."

What did he know? Ben might be sincere in his desire to help the children of the Isle, but he would never truly understand them. He hadn't lived their experiences, and no words could fully explain the lives they had led to one who had not shared a similar fate. Ben had never had to fear his own family, had never been looked at like a constant disappointment. The Prince of Auradon had never wondered how long he had before his father declared him too much of a failure to live, or gone hungry for a week because his mother didn't think him good enough to deserve food. "You don't understand! The wand broke the barrier! It's unstable! Stay back!"

King Beast stepped forward, and in the crowd, Lonnie's mother started to draw her sword. Mal felt, more than saw, as Jay, Evie and Carlos ran up behind her, ready for a fight as every dream they had once dared to hope for crashed down around them. Holding back tears with nothing but sheer determination, Mal faced him squarely. "We don't have a choice, Ben! The rest of Auradon made it clear that we won't be staying here, and if we return to the Isle without the wand, we'll meet the same death as every other person who failed my mother's bidding!"

Chad broke the silence of the crowd, only a few of whom seemed to have caught her implication. "We told you they were evil!"
Jay whirled around and punched him, knocking him down, his normally carefree face fierce with anger. "For one in your pampered life, shut up! Wanting to live when everyone wants to kill us doesn't make us evil!"

Ben ignored the byplay, focusing on Mal, "You always have a choice. Give me the wand."

Mal huffed, torn between frustration and gladness that Ben would never understand. "No! Jane's magic fractured the barrier, and my mother will be here at any second! If I don't have something to appease her or the means to fight her, we are all dead!"

A girl that was probably related to Snow White rallied, "So why are you worried? You'll be fine, it's the rest of us who need to be worried!"

Evie turned on her with a snarl. "You think villains stop being villains just because they're stuck on an island without magic? We don't want our parents ruling Auradon, but we don't have much of a motivation to save you jerks, either! You never gave us a chance to prove that we were more than our parents, and maybe if you had, none of us would be facing death right now!"

Further conversation was halted when another window shattered and green smoke poured in, resolving itself into the form of a laughing Maleficent.

Mal tightened her grip on the wand, not willing to let Maleficent summon it from her. "Go away, Mother!"

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A/N: If anyone wants to take any of these chapters and turn them into actual stories, feel free. Just remember to credit me in the original.
Feedback and constructive criticism are always appreciated, but flames are not. If I suck, tell me why.

Sorry I haven't been around much on fanfiction. I've had a lot on my plate, including a new published book, working on three more, and the mundane job that lets me pay bills. If you're interested, go check me out on Amazon, under the pen name Natasja Rose.

Thanks.

Nat