On the Isle, Shuriki had successfully pulled Maleficent to the side while the rest of the villains eagerly awaited a glimpse of their children on the television. Maleficent growled as she was forced to enter conversation and not watch her daughter pull what would probably become the most legendary robbery in all of Auradon.

"This better be good, Shuriki," she warned the sorceress with a black nail pointed her way.

Shuriki ignored the threat with a casual roll of her eyes. "You should be honored I'm giving you this opportunity, Maleficent. I always felt that out of every villain in Auradon you were the only one to be on my level."

"You mean you were on my level," Maleficent gently corrected though her smile was tight with warnings. She passed a hand over her sceptor and motioned Shuriki to go on and say whatever she was going to say. They could both hear Snow White giving the report on the coronation.

"I have a secret agenda that I'm sure you'll like to hear about," Shuriki began and was unusually quiet. Maleficent noticed it and cast a glance back at their villain roommates. "I appreciate the others but in this case you and I are better off alone...at least until we each have what we want."

"And what exactly do you want?" asked Maleficent.

"My wand back. I could care less about Fairy Godmother's wand," Shuriki made sure to leave clear. "I only want Fairy Godmother's wand to break open my own from wherever it's stored at. Afterwards, I don't care where Fairy Godmother's wand ends up at."

"But I do," Maleficent's voice rose suddenly. "That wand is the key to getting Auradon back!"

"Maybe for you, but for a Sorceress like myself, I require my own wand to fulfill my desires. In order to destroy Avalor I need to use my own magic. And this is where I strike a deal with you," Shuriki stepped closer so that any possibility of being overheard diminished. "I know that once this barrier is broken you're going to leave all of us here-" a smug smirk spread across Maleficent's face, "-and you're not going to look back. Without my wand, I can't leave this place so I need to hitch a ride with you."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because in return for the ride, my wand can be connected to Fairy Godmother's and we could create the two most powerful wands in all of Auradon," Shuriki knew she had gotten Maleficent's attention then.

"Mm, and what if I go and take your wand instead?" Maleficent couldn't help herself from thinking.

"It wouldn't work," Shuriki was glad to declare. Maleficent's smirk fell off her face. "The wand, just like my daughter's, only answers to an owner related by blood. It's a fail-safe, you see. Only I can use my wand and create the link."

"Smart," Maleficent, annoyed, sighed. "I suppose we have a deal, then."

"I thought we would," Shuriki cast one more look at their roommates before adding, "And, just so there's no surprises that can lead to defeat, I'm going to confide one more little secret with you..."

~ 0 ~

It was a grand day in Auradon for a new King was to be crowned. Cheers rang in every corner of the land but even that was not enough to lighten Shreya's mood. Her heart felt as if it was being squeezed with such incredible guilt she felt. She was sure her mother, wherever she was on the Isle, was watching her through a television making sure everything was going according to plan.

Unfortunately, everything was going according to plan.

"Don't be nervous," Ben said, bringing Shreya out of her thoughts. She turned her head in his direction and managed a small smile. "All you have to do is sit there and look beautiful. No problem there."

Shreya blushed and looked down at her hands over her lap. The turquoise gown Evie had designed for her was a puffy one and it semi hid the small box she was cradling. So far, the carriage they were riding in hadn't managed to knock the box out. "Can't say I ever saw this coming..." she said what she thought had been in a quiet tone.

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure my Mom is blowing a fuse somewhere on the Isle because I look too much like a princess."

"I don't think you look like a princess," Ben said, dead serious. Shreya's eyes widened a bit with looming pain until he elaborated. "I think you look like you, Shreya. Neither a princess nor a villain but just...you."

Shreya stared at him for a long minute before smiling. "So, is there just some like...poetic class every person has to take here or...are you just naturally good with words?"

"Well I am about to be crowned King so being good with words is sort of a requirement," Ben chuckled.

"...I think you would make a really good King, Ben," Shreya said with nothing but honesty. Ben just didn't know she lamented the fact because of what was going to go down later. "You're kind, you're very kind. I mean, you decided to give people like me a chance that...not even your father ever thought of. Thank you, Ben, really. And...I'm sorry."

"You're sorry for what?" Ben asked, just a tad confused over the last part.

Shreya wished with all her heart that she could explain it but instead she gave a light smile. "Just...for all the trouble we are."

"Nah, you're not trouble," Ben reached for her hand and rubbed a thumb over her fingers. "Listen, Shreya...would you...wear my ring?"

Shreya gave off a small gasp when he raised his golden beast ring for her. That would just be utterly cruel for her to accept it. "U-um...maybe not right now? Um...I just...I think it would probably fall right off me with everything that's going to happen."

"Right," Ben agreed and desisted on the idea, but he made a mental note to ask again after the coronation.

Shreya looked down at the box in her lap and bit her lip, nervous of course. "I have something for you too."

"For me?" Ben gazed at the box she was now holding to him. He'd been wondering what was inside but hadn't asked out of politeness. He took the box into his hands and opened the lid to find a small chocolate muffin inside.

"It's for later," Shreya explained. "I'm pretty sure this coronation thing is gonna be long and you might get hungry. I know how much you like ice cream so it may or may not have an ice cream filling. Don't worry, it's spelled so that it won't melt."

"And you made this?" Ben blinked.

"Oh God no!" Shreya was quick to shake her head. "I'm a disaster for cooking so I had Mal to help." Ben laughed and dropped the muffin in, prompting Shreya to panic. "No, wait!"

"This is really good!" Ben savored the ice cream filling which turned out to be mint-chocolate.

Meanwhile, Shreya was deeply panicking now. She was sure if Mal didn't get her for ruining the plan, Shuriki would. "D-do you...do you feel any...different? Like...would you say that you're still in... that... that you have very strong feelings for me?"

Ben was finishing up chewing the last bits of the muffin. "I'm not sure. I mean, let's give the anti-love potion a few minutes to take effect."

And because Shreya was so lost, she agreed. "Yeah, okay..."

Wait...

Shreya's head snapped in his direction again. "Wait, what!?" Ben could not take her face and laughed again. "You knew!?"

"That you spelled me? Yeah. Yeah, I knew for a while now!"

Now I'm dead, Shreya thought. "Ben, I-I can explain myself. I was just...I didn't even want to do it! I told Mal no but she tricked - as usual I'm that gullible so maybe it kind of is my fault but-"

Ben stopped her with a surprise kiss. Shreya blinked and, of course, turned red. He once again took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's fine. In her own way, Mal was just trying to help. I was with Audrey and you didn't trust that it could happen on its own. Am I right?"

"R-right..." Shreya agreed. "So, then, how long have you known?"

"Since our first date. Your spell washed away in the Enchanted Lake."

"That long?" Shreya gaped. "So you've just been...faking it since then?"

Ben looked at her with confusion. "I haven't been faking anything."

"M-me neither..." Shreya felt confident in her statement. "Believe me, if there is one real thing in all this it's my feelings for you. Remember that, okay? Please."

Ben had no idea what meaning her words held but with what he thought made him happy. He held their interlocked hands and gave hers a kiss.

~ 0 ~

From inside the cathedral, the group of Isle teens looked over the balcony to see Audrey and Elle conversing. They were probably the closest to the platform where Ben was to be crowned.

"She's going back to her family," Evie said when Elle began walking back to her Avalorian family. "It's now or never, Mal."

"Definitely now," Mal looked to Jay and held her hand out. Jay had hidden her spell book in his jacket and was glad to hand it over. Elle was finally going to pay for her insults and threats. That was the only thing they weren't going to be sorry for doing.

"For every threat she makes, if the situation is dire, make her feel on fire!" Mal was careful to chant the spell quietly so that no one would hear. Evie, Jay and Carlos gathered around her so that no one saw her cast the spell down below.

Elle never noticed the stream of green hit her on her back.

Mal then slapped her spell book shut and looked at her friends with a gleeful smile. "And that's the end of Elle."

~ 0 ~

When the coronation finally began, Shreya had taken the spot between Audrey's and Elle's family and only had Jane as company. Everyone else still refused to speak with Shreya and her friends except for Jane.

Still the only real person here, Shreya thought while she glanced at Jane.

The front doors opened up, pulling everyone's attention to Ben who begun to make his way down the aisle towards the platform. Everyone did a courteous bow as Ben passed them, including Shreya (though she received an extra smile from Ben that no one else did).

King Beast, Queen Belle and Fairy Godmother awaited for Ben at the platform. Fairy Godmother unveiled her wand sitting perfectly inside a glass casing. Shreya involuntarily gulped at the sight of it. She was sure her mother was already shouting at the television screen for her to grab the thing already. Ben stood just before the steps of the platform and got down on one knee to receive the blessing of the wand.

Fairy Godmother came down the steps and pointed her wand to Ben's left shoulder. "Do you solemnly swear to govern the peoples of Auradon with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?"

"I do solemnly swear," Ben dutifully responded.

Fairy Godmother smiled and tapped her wand over his shoulder before moving it to his right. "Then it is my honor and my joy to bless our new king-" but before the coronation could truly end, someone snatched it right off her hand.

The entire crowd went through gasps of shock when they saw none other than...

...Elle raising the wand high in the air.

Whispers were quick to arise but no one was more confused than Elle's family.

"Elle, what do you think you're doing?" Queen Elena of Avalor stepped forwards. Her jaw was tight and her dark eyes were boring onto her daughter. "Return the wand-"

Elle rolled her eyes and gave a thrust of her hand upwards to release a thunder-like stream of energy that broke through the cathedral's ceiling and directly cracked the Isle's barrier. From the balcony, the Isle teens moved into a run. Something was going wrong and they needed to stop it!

"Elle, what are you doing?" Ben took a step towards her but Elle was quick to brandish the wand at him.

"I wouldn't move, your highness," she spat with an unusual coldness in her words. "I've never been able to practice up until now. I don't know what I can do but I'm fairly excited to discover it."

"Child, give me the wand!" Fairy Godmother demanded and held her hand out for her wand.

Elle laughed and used the wand to tap her cheek. "Let's see, I've been planning this ever since I can remember so...no, I don't think I will."

"What are you doing, Elle?" Ben couldn't finish understanding. He could see past Elle that her family, her mother especially, were even more lost than he was.

The front doors opened up again and this time, the Isle teens came running towards them. Mal immediately yanked Shreya behind her so that she was protected. "I'd step away from her, Ben, if I were you," Mal warned.

"What? Why!?"

"Because she's evil," Evie replied, sending a hard look to Elle.

"I don't...I don't understand..." Queen Elena walked up to her daughter and grabbed her by the arm. "Elle, you must-"

"That is not my name!" Elle snapped and pushed Elena backwards. "My will is for the Avalorian Queen to be still!"

Queen Elena was struck with energy that forced her feet to one spot. No matter how much she attempted to move her feet wouldn't respond. "Elle!"

Elle had a short-lived laugh before thunder clapped above and green smoke streamed down. When it dispersed, Maleficent and Shuriki were left standing in its place.

"We're baaaaack!" Maleficent sing-sang to the room. If people had been scared before, now they were terrified...all except for one.

"Hello mother," Elle greeted with the biggest smile anyone who knew her had ever seen.

Shuriki glanced over her shoulder to see the anxious girl holding the wand. She turned around and surprised everyone when she genuinely smiled for the first time. "Hello...Shreya."

Shreya, who was still surrounded by her friends, pushed Mal to the side to get up ahead. "WHAT!?" her loud voice pierced through the moment.

Elle's smile vanished the moment she laid eyes on her. "You will take my place no longer you fake!"

"Excuse me?" Shreya could only blink despite being threatened. Elle pulled her amulet off her neck and threw it at Shreya, the latter yelping as it merely hit her shoulder without actual harm. "What the hell is going on!?"

"Are you that big of an idiot that you can't figure out you're not actually Shuriki's daughter?" Elle's words were covered in frost meant to wound Shreya. "I was only six when I learned the truth and even I understood it. It's a shame you got the Avalorian trait of stupidity when you were surrounded by the greatest villains and minds!"

"Wh-what...?" Shreya felt her nearly stop but when she looked at Shuriki she could see nothing but contempt for her.

It made sense. The times where she believed Shuriki actually hated her...were true. Shuriki did hate her and now Shreya knew why: she wasn't actually Shuriki's daughter. Somehow, she'd been cast to the Isle under the guise of Shuriki's daughter and forced to live like a villain.

"That's why you were a bitch all the time," Mal wasn't going to play nice anymore now that she knew the truth. "You were away from 'Mommy' all the time."

"I was away from my true people!" Elle snapped and pointed the wand at Mal, not that the purple-haired girl cared much.

"Put the wand down little girl," Maleficent was the one to speak up. She threatened her scepter at Elle and glanced at Shuriki. "I don't care if this girl is your daughter or not, I want the wand and I want it now."

"Give me the wand," Shuriki demanded from Elle and was not questioned. Elle handed the wand over and watched as Shuriki waved it in the air, using her own magic to call upon another wand.

Shuriki's wand flew directly into her hand, and the second wand - put back together - landed in Elle's palm. "Finally!" Shuriki exclaimed and had no problem handing over Fairy Godmother's wand to Maleficent. "Now you will all pay! Starting with you!" she turned to Queen Elena.

"How could you switch two children!?" Queen Elena struggled in her frozen spot. "Your own child!"

"I told you I had the last laugh. I did the sacrifice I had to," Shuriki replied calmly. "When I saw that my defeat was inevitable, I made the sacrifice of leaving my child behind so that one day, she could bring me back."

"I heard the message you left me," Elle said softly. "Your voice...it rang in my head when I was a child. It told me who I was, and where I came from. And it took me a while but I finally was able to do it."

"It's why you were so on board with bringing children of the Isle..." Ben finally realized.

Elle smirked at him. "And I played my part just right. I thought you would almost heed my warning and send them back. That would've been troublesome."

"But why bring me, then?" Shreya asked. "Why bring me into it if I could just stop you?"

"Because I wanted to meet the girl who took my place. I wanted to destroy you and finally reclaim my name. And it looks like now I'll be able to do it," Elle raised her wand at Shreya. "You never got to be the real villain and yet you were never a hero either. Goodbye."

But just when energy fired off Elle's wand, something happened. The energy zapped out of existence but Elle screamed like she'd been the one hit. She fell to her knees, clutching herself and letting her wand roll on the ground.

"What's happening!?" Shuriki blinked and rushed to help her daughter.

Mal smirked. "My own little spell, that's what. It prevents Elle from hurting Shreya."

"The fire spell," Maleficent gawked with true pride. "Oh, I am so proud of you, Mal!"

Mal's smirk faded at her mother's words. "I didn't do it to be evil, mother. I did it to protect my friend."

Shreya spared her friend a soft smile. "Thank you."

Elle screamed in pain and nothing Shuriki did - even with her wand - could stop it. Furious, Shuriki turned on them. "Reverse the spell! REVERSE IT!"

"Sorry," Mal turned her hands over and shrugged. "I'm still learning the book. I don't know the reverse spell."

Shuriki looked ready to explode. "Then I will have your head!" she raised her wand in the air. "I will have everyone's head!"

"You will not touch my daughter!" Maleficent warned her.

"Then we are enemies after all," Shuriki had no hesitation to fire at her.

"Mom!" Mal exclaimed but was pulled out of the way by Shreya.

Maleficent growled, her eyes glowing a dangerous green. "Don't play this game with me, Shuriki. I'm the Mistress of Darkness, don't you forget!"

"And I'm the most powerful Sorceress, don't you forget!"

The two women entered a battle of magic by the wands. Everyone around had to duck and move around to avoid being hit. Elle, still screaming on the ground, barely managed to avoid one of the zaps.

"You both have to STOP!" Mal scream managed to freeze the two women for a second. "Mom...you don't have to do this."

"Of course I do, honey. Once Shuriki is out of the way, you and I can finally begin our plans for Auradon," Maleficent smiled sweetly. "In fact!" she waved around Fairy Godmother's wand and, before anyone could do anything, she froze everyone except herself, Shuriki and the teens. Even Elle had been frozen in her agonizing pain. "I can't have everyone moving around when I only want Shuriki right now."

"You're delirious if you think you can catch me," Shuriki condescendingly gazed at her. "Don't forget I'm the last villain captured. Even you weren't smart enough to avoid being caught."

"No, stop!" Mal once again cut in. "Mom, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but...you're better than Shuriki. I mean, you may be cold and distant but I know that you'd protect me. You wouldn't switch me for another kid." She glanced at Shreya, the girl disheartened with the truth. "And that's why you can stop all this."

"Mal, what are you saying?" Maleficent crinkled her nose in obvious disgust. "Have these Auradon princesses clouded your mind? You are better than these people, all of them..." she said directly to Mal's friends. "You're not the one who fell in love with a prince," she spat for Shreya. "You're not weak like them. It's definitely not what you want."

"You don't know what I want," Mal said in frustration. "Mom, have you ever once asked me what I want? I'm not you!"

"Oh, obviously. I've had years and years and years and...years of practice being evil. You'll get there."

"No, she won't," Shreya finally spoke up. Her eyes were glistening with tears but she would not let her friend be drowned in evil again. "Because thank God she is nothing like you. She's got a twisted perspective but she's not evil. None of us are," she glanced at Evie, Jay and Carlos. "And I'll have you know love is not weak. It's pretty damn amazing."

Maleficent rolled her eyes. "Shuriki, on second thought, take care of that girl and then you and I can duel like respectable villains."

"And now I command, wand to my hand!" Mal quickly said and took the wand away from Maleficent. "Ha! It worked!"

"I hardly think so. Frankly, this is tedious and very immature. Give me the wand. Give me the wand!" Maleficent shouted but Mal did no such thing.

"Hold on, Mal. Maybe good really is more powerful than evil," Carlos spoke up after he recalled several lessons bearing the same theme. "Try it."

"Oh, please!" Shuriki laughed at them then attempted to fire upon Shreya. The girl jumped to the side and her friends to the other.

Maleficent took the distraction for her own gain. She changed into her much more powerful version: her famous dragon form. Mal had never seen her mother in that form and was frozen to her spot. Thankfully, Carlos and Jay pulled her down the aisle when Maleficent began to chase them for the wand.

"It's just you and me, darling!" Shuriki warned Shreya on the ground. "I've always wanted to put you in your place and now I can finally do it!"

Shreya turned her head up. "You think I'm afraid of you? Not a chance!" she swiped her arm and knocked Shuriki on the ground. She then jumped up and started running but tripped over something a couple feet away. When she looked around she spotted the Avalorian amulet Elle had thrown earlier.

If you're an Avalorian, then...Shreya blinked. She snatched the amulet off the ground and, when it didn't burn her like Shuriki once assured her it would, she knew what she could do with it.

"It's the end of the line for you, Elle!" Shuriki maliciously laughed and fired with her wand again. Shreya held the amulet like a shield and fired her own attack, a stream of red energy, that met Shuriki's halfway.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Isle teenagers were still running away from Maleficent.

Evie was the first to stop and she brandished her magic mirror at the dragon. "Magic mirror, show your bright light!"

The light stunned Maleficent for a second but she swiped at Evie. Mal yanked her down just in time. "Everyone, behind me!" Mal then ordered as she faced her mother. "Leave my friends alone! This is between you and me, mother!" the dragon came to a stop when it saw the familiar green glow in Mal's eyes. "The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one. The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one. The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one!"

Maleficent seemed once again stunned in place but in the next minute she was surrounded by green smoke. What was left in her place was a tiny lizard. At the same time, Fairy Godmother came out of the frozen trance. She saw the teenagers crowded around one lizard and then saw Shuriki and Shreya still fighting.

"What just happened!?" Mal was severely lost.

"Did you do it?" Evie inquired.

Fairy Godmother came running towards them to explain. "No, no, no, no. Your mother did," she told Mal. "She shrank to the size of the love in her heart. That's why It's so itty-bitty."

"Oh..." Mal didn't have much time to process when she heard the struggling grunts of Shreya nearby. She picked up the lizard into her hands and rushed towards Shreya with the others behind.

"You think you can stop me, little girl?" Shuriki laughed at Shreya, intending on minimizing her confidence in order to finally win. "You? The villain who's not really a villain and yet not a hero either? You'll never fit in anywhere! I can promise you that!"

"I...fit in...just...fine!" Shreya shouted. She knew the trick all too well and promised herself she wouldn't listen to Shuriki. She thought about her friends, knowing they had defeated Maleficent and how they were one step away from happiness. They deserved it. They deserved to be happy and live in a world that was better. She dared to dream it could be a perfect world.

"C'mon, Shreya!" Mal began to cheer. "You can't let her win! She's nothing without that wand!"

"Yeah, she needed her daughter to do her bidding!" Evie added in.

"Clearly, she's not that big of a villain," Carlos dared to laugh a little.

"Show her who's boss!" Jay was the last one to say.

Fairy Godmother picked up her wand from the ground and turned to the teenagers. She was quite proud of what she was seeing. It was definitely the kind of teenagers she knew they could be.

Shuriki began to feel her power weaken as Shreya's stream of energy reached further. "No! You can't!"

"I can!" Shreya smirked and gave off one last round of energy that reached all the way to Shuriki. It wrapped around her in tendrils and began pulling her towards Shreya.

"No! No! What are you doing!?" Shuriki began to panic. "No-" the energy wrapped over her head, preventing any further words to come out.

The energy finished bringing Shuriki to Shreya but Shuriki's entire figure was turned into energy that was sucked into amulet in Shreya's hand. Shreya fell backwards when the energy diminished.

"Okay, what was that!?" Mal said before running towards Shreya with the others.

Fairy Godmother then finally took down the frozen spell. Everyone quickly looked around for the two villains but only saw Elle, now again screaming, on the ground. Fairy Godmother zapped Elle so that she went unconscious.

"Shreya!" Ben ran to Shreya and helped her up to her feet. She was panting like she had just ran a marathon but was otherwise alright.

"It's okay, they're...they're gone..." Shreya leaned on him for support.

"But where...?" Ben looked around and saw Mal motioning the lizard in her hands.

"It's my Mom...apparently..."

"And Shuriki?"

"Um..." Shreya looked at her amulet.

"You trapped her inside the very amulet once used to trap me," Queen Elena moved towards them. Shreya blinked at the woman, no words coming to mind. "Hello there...Elle."

The name was soapy. It wasn't hers and yet...it was.

"It appears we have a lot to discuss," Queen Elena said with a small smile.

"I think we do," Shreya gave a small nod of her head.

Author's Note:

I'm baaaaack (literally lmao). I was on vacation with horrible wifi so there was no updating for any of my stories! Additionally for this story, fanfic deleted the last two chapters so I had to literally rewrite this chapter. For that reason, I decided there will be no Set if Off for this story. I'm just tired in general of having to rewrite and stuff. Besides, it's not like there was anything important to add on.

Sooo...I think only one person kind of figured out that our Shreya was not actually Shuriki's daughter - well done! Shuriki was extra bad and switched her own daughter for Shreya! Talk about being a villain, yikes!

There's a sequal to this of course titled: The Code. The story is already posted on my profile so go check it out and see what's happening next with our local baddies and heroes!

For the Reviews:

lilnightmare17: Thank you so much! I hope you liked this last chapter and that you go on and read the next story! :)

Fading Feathers: Yeeeah I liked writing that part too lmao. Well, I went ahead and started writing the third story that includes the plot of the second book. I thought it would be fun xD. I think Wicked World is like its own separate story because it goes off into different arcs. Well, as far as I know, Shuriki is just a villain from Elena of Avalor. I don't know if they based it off a japanese character, sorry!

gossamermouse101: Yeah, Shreya is awesome like that xD

Faby0411: Hmmm...I think your answers were given in this chapter ;)