"C'mon you two, we're going to be late." Krissy chided Rosalie and Ansel as the three of them wove through the crowds of students and faculty to find a spot for that day's pep rally, where the kingdom would get to see Ben, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos journey to the Isle of the Lost to retrieve the four new VKs that would be transferring to Auradon Prep.

While it had been months since her expedition onto the Isle, she admired their strength and willingness to return, to do what was right and begin giving more kids the chance at a new life here in Auradon. She could only hope their journey would be successful, without any of Uma's Pirates thrown into the mix, and they'd be back safely so Rosalie could finally meet the new VKs and help make their transition into their new life in Auradon as seamless as could be.

"Over here," Krissy said, leading them to a small opening at the front of the crowd near Chad, Audrey, and her grandmother, Queen Leah, who the three newcomers greeted respectfully with a small bow. Rosalie herself wasn't the biggest fan of the old queen, but remained cordial either way, out of respect for her and her kingdom, which held a fair relationship with Rosalie's home kingdom of Corona. Chad greeted Ansel with their usual secret handshake, and the spectators were instantly met with applause as Ben and Mal officially made their appearance, walking to the front of the stage sitting in the middle of the courtyard and greeting the crowd with regal and excited smiles.

"Bibbidi, bobbidi, one two, one two, can everybody hear me?" Fairy Godmother asked, the crowd being met with a small screech of feedback as she turned the microphone on, causing Rosalie to wince slightly, though she quickly shrugged it off.

"Thank you, Fairy Godmother." Ben said, taking the microphone from her outstretched hand. "What's up, Auradon?" Ben exclaimed into the mic, the cheers from the crowd rising throughout the surrounding courtyard as everyone greeted their king. "Thank you, thank you so much for coming out to welcome our new arrivals. They'll be here soon."

"Like we had a choice." Rosalie could hear Queen Leah murmur to Audrey, and when she glanced over in their direction, the disgusted look on the old queen's face was all too evident. Queen Leah made it no secret how much she despised anyone who came from the Isle of the Lost, Mal in particular, who ruined her granddaughter's relationship with Ben, who was still only a prince at the time.

"It worked out pretty well for the first four." Ben said, and Chad snickered from his place next to Ansel.

"Yeah, especially for you." He jeered, only stopping when Audrey brought a hand up, snapping the young prince back into silence, causing a small snicker to escape from Ansel's lips.

"Really funny," Audrey said sarcastically, never once meeting Chad's eyes, and Rosalie tried not to smirk, willing her eyes to move back to where Ben and Mal stood on the platform.

"Mal," Ben said, taking his girlfriend's hand. "This is the exact spot where we first met not so long ago. I feel like I've known you my whole life. But did I mention," he asked with a sweet smile, "that I'm in love with you?"

The crowd let out an aww as the sound of a guitar could be heard across the courtyard, and Rosalie looked over to see Doug playing, Evie, Carlos, and Jay standing near him, all watching Ben and Mal with hopeful grins, and they were slowly joined by Jane, Fairy Godmother, and Queen Belle and King Beast. Rosalie had heard whispers the other day with Krissy, Evie, and Carlos about the events that were about to take place, and she was all too anxious to see how Audrey would react to Ben asking Mal to marry him.

"I met this girl who rocked my world like it's never been rocked," Ben began to sing, twirling Mal around slowly as he serenaded her, his purple-haired girlfriend oblivious to what was taking place but going along with it nonetheless. "and now I'm living just for her and I won't ever stop. I never thought that it could happen to a guy like me, but now look at one you've done you've got me down on my knee." he finished the song slowly, kneeling down and pulling the ring box from his back pocket as Mal let out a small gasp, that seemed to reverberate about the whole of the kingdom of Auradon.

"Mal, it's you and me," Ben said nervously as Carlos stepped forward, quickly taking the microphone from him and passing it back to Fairy Godmother. "It's you and me forever. Will you marry me?" he asked, opening the ring box to reveal a golden ring with a purple stone set in the middle. "Will you be my queen?"

"No!" Audrey exclaimed, distraught as both Queen Leah and Chad attempted to hold the young princess back from rushing onto the stage after Ben.

"Yes," Mal said as applause and cheers erupted from the crowd, Ansel throwing an arm around both Krissy and Rosalie in celebration as the three began to cheer for their friends.

While Rosalie still didn't know Mal quite as well as she knew Evie and Carlos from all their recent party planning, nor did Krissy and Ansel, the three young royals had known Ben since birth, and they had all grown up together. A feeling of happiness warmed Rosalie's heart as she saw the smile on his face, that he was getting to marry the girl he truly loved, rather than the girl who had been arranged for him at such a young age, before he could truly make decisions for himself and his well-being. Mal had brought out a side of Ben that Rosalie had never seen before, and she couldn't have been happier for him. And, while she hadn't always gotten along with Audrey, aside from keeping a respectable face for the courts, she knew Audrey had always loved Ben, and pitied the girl for what she had lost.

"A lifetime of plans, gone." Queen Leah mused, drawing Rosalie's attention to where she stood watching the happy couple while she began to berate her granddaughter. "Our family's status, gone. Audrey, you were supposed to be his queen, and you let him slip through your fingers. Your mother could hold onto a prince in her sleep."

"Don't you think I feel bad enough already, Grammy?" Audrey asked sharply, and Rosalie took that as her cue to leave, wandering over to the other side of the courtyard where celebrations were already beginning for the newly engaged king and soon-to-be queen.

As Mal talked to Queen Belle, Rosalie hurried over to Ben, pulling her friend into a tight hug. "Congratulations!" She exclaimed as he hugged her back tightly, and she could practically feel the joy radiating off his body. "I'm so happy for you two."

"Thanks, Rosie," Ben said gratefully, and Evie bounded up to the two of them, pulling Rosalie into a hug next.

"It's finally happening!" Evie cheered, giving Rosalie a grateful smile. "And thank you again for agreeing to help us with their transition into Auradon." she said. "It means so much to the four of us that you guys have helped us like this."

"Well, shall we?" Jay asked, approaching the three of them.

"Go on," she told them, giving Ben a gentle shove towards the purple stretch limo that awaited them. "Go bring these kids home."

"The only reason they should be opening that barrier is for putting Uma back in." Queen Leah muttered again, this time to Rosalie, who had found herself standing next to the old royal when she had finally rejoined the group after the departure of the VKs, and the kingdom was left to watch the newsfeed overtop the castle of the exchange from the Isle. "Not letting more villains out."

The screaming happened so fast, it was almost in a blur.

One moment, the limo had been heading out of the Isle of the Lost, onto the golden bridge that would take the group back to Auradon. The next, a flash of blue was charging through the crowd of VKs that remained on the Isle of the Lost, punching a fist through the barrier and attempting to wrench it back open. The limo came to an abrupt halt as Ben, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay rushed out onto the bridge, the blue flash turning to flame as Hades managed to get the top half of his body through the barrier.

"I am a god!" Hades bellowed, his voice coming through the speakers of Auradon Prep as the screams continued around them, a voice that sent an icy chill through Rosalie's body as it reached her ears. "I don't belong here!" He yelled, sending three blue rays of energy towards Ben, Carlos, and Jay, who fell onto the bridge below them.

As she watched the encounter before her, Mal's eyes turned green, and the purple-haired girl was lost in a cloud of smoke of the same color, a bright purple dragon emerging only a moment later, wings flapping as the creature ascended above the bridge, protecting the others. Rosalie had only ever seen Mal transform like that once before, at the cotillion ball before Uma had gone missing. It was a talent Mal was unaware she had before that evening, and they had all prayed that she would never need to use it again.

Hades reached out with his powers, only able to use them through the hole his body left in the barrier, the same ray of blue energy shooting up at Mal's dragon form, hitting her in the heart as she began to stagger back from the sheer force of the attack.

"Do not panic!" Fairy Godmother exclaimed into the microphone from her place at the top of the stage, trying to call the distressed crowd around her. "There is no need to panic!"

"There's your precious queen, she can't even protect us!" Audrey shouted angrily, gesturing up to the screen showing the battle to the spectators at Auradon Prep.

"Okay, we're panicking," Fairy Godmother said anxiously, "Bibbidi, bobbidi, run!"

As Fairy Godmother fled her post atop the stage, chaos ensued in the Auradon Prep courtyard. King Beast rushed Queen Belle to safety while Rosalie, Krissy, and Ansel found themselves stuck in the midst of all the panic. Krissy grabbed each of their hands, attempting to lead them through the entrance of the school and away from the crowd, but Rosalie held fast, keeping Krissy from moving too far as her eyes remained glued to the screen above them.

"Ro, what are you doing?" Krissy asked. "It's not safe out here!"

"Look!" Rosalie exclaimed to the two of them, gesturing up to the screen where Hades was blown back from the barrier, tumbling down to the pavement on the Isle of the Lost as the barrier sealed shut, and Mal shakily returned to her normal self, Ben rushing to help his fiancee remain on her feet as she began to stumble.

"She did it," Ansel said in awe. "Mal actually did it."

"We're okay," Rosalie said. "He's back where he belongs."