EP.183|Haunted
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“Why are we doing this…?” Operetta played with what was left of her now short red hair, it was now up to her neck rather than down to her back.
 
“Doing what?” Ben asked. “This,” Operetta turned towards him “staying alive. There’s no point! We’ve been tortured for 4 days now! I can't handle anymore!”
 
“This is what he wants baby,” Hunter sighed, “you can't give up, especially not you, your carrying the hope of another generation! That’s amazing!”
 
Operetta shook her head, “why do I have to be extra strong...I can't do it forever…”
 
“It’s only for a little while longer, Music Note,” Hunter had a sad look in his eyes, he didn't know when they were going to get out of here, or even how, but he had to keep going “I promise, when we’re out of here, I’ll make sure you forget about all this pain he’s caused us.”
 
“You promise?”

“I promise.”
 
Operetta sniffled and nodded, she didn't know if she could take my more of this, but she knew once this was over, Hunter would make her feel like the woman she was. Take all her pain away in just his touch, words, and kisses.
 
“MORNING MAGGOTS!” Araden yelled, flashing into a comfy chair in the middle of the room.
 
“Morning, monster.” they all growled.
 
“Try again!” Araden clapped his hands, all of them got hit with the element that they were most vulnerable too.
 
“Now, what do we say?” Araden cooed. “Good morning...master…” the VKs growled again.
 
“That’s better!” Araden smiled. He then spinned the boxes, trying to find today’s victim. His eyes then landed on Mal.
 
“Oooh! Yes! Malena Maleficent!” Araden smirked. “Get away from me.” Mal growled.

“You got a feisty one here, Benny!” Araden laughed, Ben refused to look at him. Instead, he kept his eyes on Mal, knowing that he couldn't let anything bad happen to her.
 
“Awe, look at that! The beast king is worried about you!” Araden fake gushed. “Leave her alone Araden!” Ben yelled. Araden laughed micanlly “you shouldn’t be barking orders! You...ooh I’m gonna have so much fun hurting your mate!”
 
“Now, while you were running around on the Shadow Realm, my lab team had the time to develop not only Feral Spray, but another spray as well,” Araden pulled out a pink vile from his pocket, pouring it into a small hole in Mal’s box.
 
“Introducing! The Forever Nightmare!” He pressed a button on the box, turning the liquid into a spray, spraying it into Mal’s box.
 
And that’s when it all began.
 
She stood in a beautiful sunflower field, the wind was warm and blew her purple hair gracefully, Mal never felt more at peace. This is exactly what she needed to escape the horrors of that box.
 
Mal looked down to see she was in a beautiful goddess outfit, she spinned around, the sunflower petals flowing off their plants, twirling with her.
 
She could hear the petals whisper to her, “your free…” she ran her fingers through her purple mane “I’m free!” she repeated with them.
 
She rolled down the hill, she couldn't believe it! She was free! She was really free! No box, no araden! Just her!

She then was stopped by a familiar pair of feet, she looked up to see Ben standing there in a beautiful knight armor “hello,” he helped her up “my goddess.”
 
Now it was perfect!
 
Mal tackled Ben in a big hug “Benny!”
 
Ben laughed and hugged her back, the two landing in flowers “I missed you too, my sweet, succulent, dragon.”
 
“What am I? A dragon or a goddess?” Mal giggled, sitting on top of his chest, looking down at him.

“You’re both.” Ben flipped her under him, “your beauty is that of a goddess, and your strength is that of a dragon.”
 
“You know exactly what to say to a girl don't you?” She said, wrapping her arms lovingly around Ben’s neck. He dove down, kissing her neck, leading down to her chest, looking up at her for permission.

He always did this, he never wanted to continue unless she wanted to. Even this, the littlest thing, made Mal know this was the right one.
 
As always, she nodded and smiled softly, “make me forget the pain he caused, Ben.”
 
Ben kissed her lips “don't worry,” his kiss was deep and passionate “I’ll make sure he’ll never touch you ever again.”
 
He smiled up at Ben, but before any of the . Mal's eyes widened in horror as her husband face began to melt away.
 
“What the hell!?” Mal got up from under him, watching as the entire field began to melt just like Ben did.
 
Mal, not wanting to turn out like everything else, started running, she turned back to see a badly melted Ben hobbling towards her.
 
“Mal…wait…!” his voice sounded like a broken record, glitchy and scratchy.
 
As much as she wanted to help him, she knew this wasn't the real Ben. She sighed, “sorry Ben, but this is for your own good!” she kicked him off the patch of grass he was standing on, falling into the deep abyss.
 
Or so Mal thought.
 
When she tried to run again, she could feel the charcoal texture of Ben's, now burnt, hand grip her foot harshly.
 
She looked over the cliff to see Ben's face looked like a broken exoskeleton of a run-down animatronic.
 
“I-If I'm go-go-go-going down,” his face began to glitch, mini sparks flying everywhere “you-your comi-coming with me!”
 
He pulled her to the ground, her nose hitting the ground hard, drawing blood. Mal was grasping for straws, trying to find anything to hold onto as the animatronic dragged her closer and closer to the edge.
 
“Midnight! Zalia! Ben! Anyone!” she called out, desperately holding onto the edge of the cliff.
 
“You…s-s-s-said we b-be together,” he started glitch again, a swift kick to the chest from Mal's foot helped to stop the glitch “till death d-do you part!”
 
“I promise that to the real Ben! Not some terminator wannabe!” Mal scolded, she wanted this to be over.
 
”Hey,” she felt the warmth of someone's hand on her. She looked up, hoping it be her King coming to save her, but instead she was met with Araden's cold stare “oh no…”
 
He smirked and stepped on her hand, causing her to let go of the cliff and fall down to her doom.
 
Meanwhile, outside Mal's nightmare, Ben watched as his wife kicked and screamed. Holding her head as she yelled to stop. 
 
Ben growled loudly “what did you do to her!?”
 
“Wouldn't you like to know?” Araden smirked, he noticed Ben's eyes turning silver again. The demon smirk only grew as he snapped his fingers.
 
A large screen appeared on the middle of the room, showing Mal's next nightmare.
 
Mal looked around to see she was back in her old room “what the…?” she saw her reflection in the mirror to see it was a 15 year old. 
 
“oh no…” she hated when she was 15 year old, and it was because of one my in particular.
 
Haydn.
 
She needed to get out of here. Mal frantically ran around her room, trying to find a way out, the doors were jammed shut.
 
The windows had bars.
 
The walls were made of bricks.
 
She began to hyperventilate, “walls...closing...in!” she curled up into a ball “too small...to small…”
 
Ben turned into a lion, scratching at the box, roaring and growling at Araden, “wake her up! She can't do small spaces! She’s claustrophobic!”
 
“Nah!” Araden laughed as they continued to watch the dream.
 
Mal tried to slap herself awake but nothing worked. She wanted Ben here, he always knew how to calm here down during one of her attacks.
 
But he wasn’t here. She was in a 15 year old body, locked in a small room, with Haydn just down the hall.

“Haydn just down the hall?! I-I-I-I need to leave!” she knocked repeatedly into the door. Begging for it to break.

“Be-Ben! Ben! Wh-where ar-are you!” she stammered, finally the door broke down but she ran into another barrier.
 
She looked up to see Haydn’s stern glare on her. She slowly back up, stammering “Ha-Haydn! Wh-what ar-are you do-doing here?!”
 
“I told you to clean the floors! They’re mud all over them!” Haydn pointed to the floor to show her the mud stains. “Th-Those ar-are from you…” Mal muttered.
 
“Clean it up, maggot!” Haydn threw her to the floor, throwing a bucket and a mop on her back. Mal sobbed as she began to scrub the floors “scrub faster!” he kicked her side.
 
All Mal could do was nod and keep scrubbing, she hated being 15, she hated when she was such a submissive little girl like she was back then.
 
She desperately wanted to punch him in the face, kick him where the sun doesn't shine, heck, even bite his head off.
 
She wants Ben back, as much as she hated Ben being the protector, she actually wanted him to protect her now. She had no magic, no fighting skill, and no confidence, as much as she hated to admit it.
 
She grimaced “I’m…” she almost vomited her next words “the da-damsel…”
 
“Damsel?! More like scum, and if the scum doesn't scrub faster it won't get food.” Haydn dug his foot into her back. Mal hissed in pain, digging her nails into the floor.
 
“Yes Haydn…”
 
Haydn pulled her hair “Yes, what?” he snarled, pinning her to the wall, gripping her throat. “Y-Yes si-sir!”
 
Haydn could hear footsteps coming upstairs “shit Jeeves.” Haydn dropped Mal and whispered “fix your face or I fix it for you!”
 
She nodded and quickly wiped her tears, smiling at Jeeves, “good morning Jeeves,” she hugged him “please...help me…Jeeves”
 
Jeeves nodded slightly “me and Young Miss Mal are going for ice cream.” he held her hand, leading her down the stairs, “wait for me at the door.”

Jeeves went upstairs to see Haydn glaring at him “if you touch Young Miss Malena again, I’ll make sure you’re fired and Miss Maleficent will break your bones for touching her daughter.”
 
Haydn scoffed and walked off, looking up “Araden, something wrong with the gas! What’s Jeeves doing here!”
 
Araden drummed his fingers on the box, “dumb lab rats! They forgot about Jeeves!”

What Araden means is that Jeeves has the ability to appear when the Maleficent family, or friends of their family, need help.
 
The “lab rats”, scientist, forgot to add a mental block that blocks Jeeves from entering.
 
Mal sat at the steps, crying her eyes out into her hands, “I want this to end!”
 
“And it will soon, Young Miss Malena.” Jeeves soothed, handing her an ice cream cone. “Jeeves! Please! You have to save us! We’re in Antoine’s castle in the Dark Mirror side of the Mirror Realm. Araden has us in these boxes and he’s torturing us like circus animals!”

Jeeves nodded, holding Mal as she began to hyperventilate again “shh...shh...happy thoughts Young Miss...happy thoughts.”

“B-Ben...Be-Ben…” she stammered. “I know, I know, don't worry, you’ll be in his arms again, soon Young Miss, just be strong for a little while longer.” Jeeves motivated.
 
Mal shook her head, “I can't! I-I've b-ben strong for years! I wa-want to be the weak one for once! I want to be protected! I don't want to be the one having to plan everything, protect anyone, rally everyone together, I-I-I-I-I…”
 
The walls began to close in “walls closing...walls closing in!” Mal closed her eyes shut “jeeves! The walls are close in!!”
 
Jeeves brushed her hair with his fingers “no they’re not. It’s just Araden trying to scare you. He’s doing all of this to get your fears to haunt you.”
 
“Mal,” she looked up at him, “look at me,” he stared into his eyes “wake up!”

She snapped his fingers in her face, allowing Mal to return to reality. Her vision was wonky but she knew she saw Ben.
 
“Ben!” she smiled and tried to hug him but when she looked at Ben, all she could see was her father’s face “Hay-Haydn!” she back away from him.
 
“Mal? You alright?” Ben asked, but all Mal could hear was; “you worthless piece of scum!”
 
Mal shook her head, her hands on the side of it, curling up into a ball “sta-stay away! Plea-please!”
 
“Wow! That forever nightmare works perfectly!” Araden laughed, getting ready to spray it again. Ben eyes flashed a gold color, “enough!” he yelled, he closed his eyes, not wanting to watch his wife in pain.
 
But when he opened them, he was in the box with Mal “what the fuck…!?” Araden crushed the vile in his hands.
 
“Mal,” he turned back into his human form “my queen, it’s okay...it’s me, your king.” he got close enough towards her to kissed her cheek “there ya go, just relax, I’ll be here.”
 
“Ben!” she cried into his chest “I-I-I-I’m so-sorry! I-I’m no-not strong!”

“My queen,” he kissed her face, planting butterfly kisses, assuring her everything was okay “it’s okay to not be strong all the time, let me be strong now, I’ll make sure he pays for what he did.” his eyes beamed silver with hate and bloodlust.

⊱ ────── {.⋅A/N⋅.} ────── ⊰

Hey guys! Welcome back! I kow Mal's kinda ooc but I hated writing her likr that. But my friend said it was fine and you can have her kill some people later being like wonder woman.

So yeeeees!

Believe me, I hate writing mal like this. It's extremely cringe worthy and I dislike it. But plot development,...what are ya gonna do.

Stay Sweet 💕,
Sugar_And_Spice125