5 return to the Isle

A newly blonde Mal is standing in front of the school, surrounded by reporters asking her various things.

"Mal, only three days until the royal cotillion, which prince are you going to go with?" One reporter asks.

"How does it feel to be the most envied girl in Auradon?" Another reporter asks.

"Are you still going out with that monster?" the last reporter asks before Ben, who was standing close by breaks up the gathering.

"Did you ever think that you might go to Cotillion with a Villain Kid?" A reporter asks him.

"OK, we're done here." Ben tells them and the Fairy Godmother shows up, telling the reporters to get off her schoolyard.

"Don't pay any attention to them." Ben tells Mal once the reporters and Fairy Godmother left.

"Phew, that's easy to say. And I just don't get where they get these crazy ideas that we're together, just because you broke up with Audrey doesn't give them the right to assume, we have something going on." Mal says.

"Yeah, I think they just want their big heroes to get together and present a united front, which we are doing but only as leaders of our people." Ben replies.

"Still I find it insulting towards Scott that not only don't they acknowledge him as the one who beat my mother in the first place but also assume that I'm going to leave him for you." Mal says disappointed.

"I know, but even though I'm King much of it is only in title because my father is head of my council now and forbids me from including my brother in any formal events other than as our bodyguard." Ben says not understanding his father.

"Sometimes I honestly don't know why Scott just doesn't forget to lock himself up at midnight and rips everyone wronging him a new one." Mal tells him.

"And I'm just glad he doesn't otherwise my live would get really difficult." Ben chuckles lightly.

"I have a council meeting." Ben tells her looking at his watch.

"That's OK." Mal replies and Evie show up dragging her away telling her "If we don't do your dress fitting right now, you'll be dancing in your bathrobe."

The two girls go to their room, where Evie makes her stand on a small podium and puts her in a puffy yellow dress, wearing the school's emblem.

"OK Evie, I cannot breathe." Mal complains once her sister figure zipped up her dress.

"Well you can until Cotillion." She replies playfully.

"I doubt that, I have like 10 more events and I can't even remember what every single one is." She tells her.

"Evie, do you ever think about what we would be doing back on the Isle right now?" Mal asks upon seeing her usual clothes hanging from the dresser.

"Hah, that's funny. Oh, look who's on TV." Evie replies and they stop to watch the news.

"Ben and Mal, widely known as the royal couple dine with Aladdin and Jasmine. A few months ago no one thought King Ben and the girl from the wrong side of the bridge would grow so close to each other. Now Mal has to be counting the days until the royal Cotillion where she'll officially become a Lady of the court no matter which prince she chooses." the announcer says showing a video of her and Ben eating with Jasmine and Aladdin.

Mal realizes something and uses her spell book to read something in a book on royal customs, making Evie look at her funnily.

"Mal, don't you think you should stop using your spell book, I know Scott wouldn't mind if you don't know the customs." Evie tells her.

"I know but don't you remember how I was before I started using the spell book? I mean I was a complete disaster and that would have eventually reflected poorly on us VKs." Mal explains.

"Still, personally as you best friend I strongly believe that this spell book belongs in the museum along with my mirror. And don't give me that face, put the pout away." Evie says ignoring her friends pout.

"You don't ever miss running wild?" Mal asks her.

"And stealing and lying and fighting?" Evie adds.

"Yeah." Mal says.

"No, why would we. Look at where we are, we're in Auradon. We're Auradon girls now." Evie replies proudly and shows her the TV again, where she's eating strawberries with Ben while exchanging a glance with Scott.

"See this is the land of opportunity, we can be whatever we want to be here, so please let's just leave the past in the past OK? Besides, look at those shoes." Evie adds holding up Mal's shoes for the Cotillion, making her put on a fake smile whenever Evie looked.

After the dress fitting the two girls meet up with their fellow VKs and head to classes. Along the way Jay gets approached by a lot of girls.

"Why do you torture them? Just pick one." Carlos tells him.

"I'm going solo, that way I can dance with all of them." Jay replies.

"Ahh, you're the expert. Uhm Jay if you were gonna ask someone what's the best way to go?" Carlos asks him.

"Listen, all you gotta do is look like me." Jay tells him with a smirk.

"Oh haha." Carlos says when Jane comes over to ask Mal something.

"Oh hey Jane, I was wondering if... You liked the carrot cake last night?" Carlos asks her, not going through with asking her to the Cotillion.

"I had the pumpkin pie." Jane replies confused and Carlos gets pulled away by Jay.

Jane then asks Mal for various thoughts on the decorations for the party, making Mal breath in deeply once her eyes glow and try to remain calm while answering one of her questions.

Evie and Lonnie then come over and say, " I honestly can't wait to see what your wedding will look like."

"Me too, wait what?" Mal replies.

"The royal Cotillion is like engaged to be engaged to be engaged." Jane informs her.

"Everyone knows it." Lonnie adds.

"I didn't know it." Mal replies freaking out.

"Hi Mal." Ben greets her, arriving at the group.

"Hi Ben." the other girls greet him knowingly and Jane pulls him aside to talk to him about the decorations.

"What was that 'Hi Ben' about?" Mal asks her friends as they continue to head to class.

"You don't know? haven't you noticed that Ben is smitten with you?" Lonnie tells her.

"What are you talking about? Stop being crazy." Mal says.

"I didn't want to be the one to opens this particular can of worms, but I think Lonnie is on to something. Once or twice even I was wondering which brother you are dating, Ben or Scott, since you barely have time to hang out with Scott." Evie says.

"Thanks for making me feel bad, it's not like I have a choice in the matter, if I don't want everyone to treat us VKs as outsiders.

After the first-class Ben approaches Mal at her locker, making her jump back, still freaked out by what Evie told her earlier.

"Hi Mal." He says.

"Oh, sorry. You surprised me." Mal replies.

"Aren't you going to donate that to the museum?" Ben asks her, seeing the spell book in the back of her locker.

"Oh, is that still in there?" Mal says closing her locker and starting to go to her next class.

"Anyways, I wanted to ask if you needed some help before the Cotillion." Ben asks her.

"No, one thing though. Evie said something that really freaked me out this morning. She said that you might actually like me. She's wrong right?" Mal says worrisome.

"No, I do like you and if it weren't my brother, you're dating I would have asked you out already." He says honestly.

"So, what they are saying on the news is actually true, and I thought everyone else was being crazy, looks like only I was being obvious." Mal says mostly to herself.

"look Mal, I know this might be weird, but I'm being honest here." Ben says going to try and calm her down but Mal leaves telling him "Sorry, I can't deal with this right now."

Meanwhile at fencing practice

Jay instructs the team to do a free for all duel and is soon the only one of three people left. He then fights head to head with the unknown enemy until he gets beaten while Scott waits from the sidelines.

Upon winning the mystery enemy takes off her helmet and reveals that it's Lonnie.

"Not bad." Jay tells her impressed while a few watching girls, including Jane cheer her on.

"Fight's not over." Scott tells her while she gets back her second sword from Jay, having given it to him after she beat him.

"Ready?" Scott asks, getting a determined nod from Lonnie and the two then lunge at each other.

Lonnie tries to hit him with a sideward swing while she is ready to defend herself with her second sword.

Scott puts one arm behind his back and blocks the strike easily, putting a little strength into pushing it away, he then rotates the other direction, slashing at her with a backhanded swing but Lonnie dashes backwards just in time.

"That all you got?" Lonnie challenges him.

Scott only smirks and then launches an all-out assault on her, making her block the strikes with both blades one after another until she falls down, having been forced against one of the blocks standing in the arena.

"should keep your surroundings in check." Scott tells her, having the tip of his sword touch her forehead while blocking her arms movement with his free hand.

"Damn." She curses to herself.

"Don't feel bad, fighting is the only thing the instructors were serious about teaching me." Scott replies, helping her up.

"Still I think I should be on the team." Lonnie says looking at Jay, the new captain.

"What? No,no,no. What's gonna happen next, we're gonna have girls playing tourney? come on guys." Chad disapproves.

"So?" Jay asks not getting why he's against having her on the team.

"So? Have you read the rulebook? A team is comprised of a captain and 8 men." He tells them, getting out his rulebook and showing it to Lonnie.

"Yeah but you're down a man since Ben had to do all that King stuff." Lonnie argues.

"Exactly, we're down a man." Chad replies.

"Jay." Lonnie pleads.

"I'm sorry, coach trusts me I'm not gonna stay captain if I throw away the rulebook." Jay apologizes.

"If my mother thought that way, she would have lost the war." Lonnie replies, making Chad scoff.

"If you want you can train with me and Carlos privately." Scott offers her, since he's been helping Carlos with his combat skills for the last 2 months.

"I'll think about it." She replies thankful at least someone is willing to give her a shot.

"Scott really? You want to waste your time on her?" Chad asks him perplexed, only getting a "Shut up." and a degrading glance thrown at him from the former prince.

"Alright guys, practice is over." Jay tells his team, and everyone leaves. Carlos sees Jane in the stands and stops her asking her "Hey Jane, what's up."

"Not much, we finally found the golden banner color but now we can't find the right blue." She informs him.

"Oh, that's a bummer. Uhm, speaking of the Cotillion..." Carlos says.

"I know right, it's all everyone is talking about Cotillion 24/7 it's like they've never been to one before." She replies.

"I haven't." He points out.

"Oh, lucky. I always end up serving punch with my mom anyways." Jane tells him.

"Jane maybe we should just..." Carlos says until he gets interrupted again.

"Skip the whole thing? I really wish I could. It's so nice to have a friend who's on the same wavelength." She says and leaves. Carlos moves to get changed and sees Dude whimpering at him.

"It wasn't the right time OK?" Carlos tells him.

Soon after in Carlos' room

Carlos is sitting on his bed playing with his computer while Dude sits next to him in his basket when Mal enters visibly upset. She locks the door behind her and paces up and down the room, getting annoyed at the TV reporter talking about her and the Cotillion and quickly shuts it down. After shutting it down she breathes heavily as her eyes start to glow.

"Whoa, easy girl." Carlos tells her.

"You think this is easy? You don't have people taking photos of you every single time you open your eyes and you don't have your boyfriends brother tell you that he wants to go out with you." She says upset.

"Woah, sorry, wait Ben did what?" Carlos says shocked.

"Carlos, don't you ever miss just leaving and avoiding everyone." She asks him.

"No, not really. Scott helped me grow more confident and face things head on." He replies.

"Oh hey, did you bring it?" Carlos asks her.

"Yeah, um." Mal says getting out a container with a gumdrop.

"So this thing will make me say what I really feel to Jane?" He asks her.

"Yes, it's a truth gummy so take it or leave it." She tells him, holding out the gummy to him when Dude sees it and eats it out of her hand.

He then hops back on the bed and says "Eww that thing was nasty. And you, you should think about who you really like and who likes you back. Plus scratch my butt."

Both teens look at the talking dog shocked and Mal tells him "You heard him, scratch his butt." leaving the room.

"Mal, wait do you want to talk about it?" Carlos asks her but she leaves the room without giving him a reply.

While this is going on on the Isle Uma and her pirate crew are discussing recent developments with Mal and decide that they are going to take away what is hers once the opportunity arises.

Back in Auradon Mal is in her room, wearing her old purple clothes and pokes holes in a paper box, crying to herself.

Once she's done she goes over to her aquarium and puts her mother, who's still a lizard into the box, closing the lid while telling her "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Suddenly someone knocks on the door and Mal attempts to blink back her tears.

"What is it?" She asks.

"Can I come in?" Scott asks her.

"Now's not a good time." She says trying to sound OK but not pulling it off.

"Look, Carlos just told me that you're having some trouble and if I can I want to help if you let me." He tells her through the closed door.

"You can't help me with this." She says tears swelling up again.

"Try me." He replies opening the door and going over to her.

"It's just... I don't think I can even tell you. It'd hurt you." She says sorrowful.

"I can take it. Just tell me what's bothering you." He says caressing her arms.

"Your brother and everyone in this God dammed place just doesn't accept that we're together and want me to get together with Ben." She tells him.

"Huh? Ben wants you to leave me for him?" Scott asks stupefied.

"Not exactly but he told me that if you weren't his brother, he would have made a move on me." She explains.

"But he didn't, right?" Scott asks worried.

"No, no he didn't but it's not just him every news channel and everyone in this school wants us to break up so I can get together with Ben." She says sitting down on her bed exhausted.

"Look, I can't change what other people think. I can only assure you, that this feels right to me." He tells her, pointing at them.

"I feel the same, but I just can't take all this pressure. There are so many royal events I have to attend and decisions to make and even Evie hinted to me that she'd like it if I and Ben got together." Mal tells him throwing her head into her hands.

"OK, so what do you want us to do about it? You know that I don't care if you follow all these dumbass traditions, I only want you to be happy." Scott asks.

"I don't know, I was going to go back on the Isle to think things through by myself." She tells him, feeling a little guilty that she wants to leave him behind.

"Well, then I better get my things ready." He says with a small smirk.

"What do you mean?" She asks confused.

"I'm coming with you of course, and don't even try to stop me. I can leave you alone on the Isle but I at least want to keep an eye on you to make sure you're OK." Scott tells her.

"Scott..." Mal says thinking of some way to stop him.

"Save it, and face it you need me, how were you going to get on the Isle anyways? Blow a hole with your magic and let everyone escape?" He asks.

"I didn't think that far ahead." Mal replies.

"See, you need me. Meet me in front of the school in 10 minutes." He tells her, giving her a kiss on her forehead and leaves.

"I really don't get why he's excited about this." Mal wonders, noticing that Scott immediately supported her idea to take a trip to the Isle.

10 minutes later the two of them meet up in front of the school with Scott having stored his important possessions in his magic armband.

"Ready to go?" He asks Mal, trying to see if she really wants to go to the Isle and gets a nod positive in return.

"OK, get on." Scott tells her, turning into his wolf for (war craft wolf size)

Mal complies wordlessly and climbs on his back, hugging herself Close to him, having gained some experience from the few trips they took.

"What about the others?" Mal asks once Scott started to run through the woods, headed to the coast in front of the Isle.

"I left them a letter, informing them that we're taking a small vacation." Scott replies.

It doesn't take them long to reach the coast overlooking the Isle.

"You ready? I mean I taught you how to swim but that was always in shallow water and I don't want you to get hurt." He asks her.

"I'll be OK. And thanks for being here for me." She says confidently.

"Always." He replies and leaps into the ocean, swimming dog style over to the Isle, trying to keep Mal on his back to the best of his ability.

Once they reach the barrier he shifts back to human and takes Mal's hand, while she's focusing on staying afloat in the rough waters surrounding the Isle.

Using's Scott's ability the two then pass though the barrier and arrive on the same Rocky Beach Scott first arrived on when he was a kid.

"Come on, I know a place we can go." Scott tells her and offers his hand, which she gladly takes, shivering slightly from the cold water and harsh wind.

Scott pulls her in close by her hand and picks her up bridal style, telling her "I think this way will be faster." with a smirk.

Scott then runs though the barren Rocky landscape until he reaches the edge of the forest and with it the well hidden cave he found when he first stranded there.

"What is this?" Mal asks curiously, getting back on her own two feet.

"This is my own hideout. Well I got it after my teacher passed away." Scott informs her.

"Teacher?" She asks shocked.

"Yeah, he's the one who taught me how to control my animal nature." Scott replies.