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Penny rushed into Evie's house and she put a small box down. "Are the brownies done, yet?" Penny asked. "No, I checked literally ten seconds ago. I think you added too much water." Penny groaned before thanking Evie. It was the next day, and it was also Jane's birthday. Ever since Jane and Rufio began dating after Cotillion, Penny noticed her former second in command being absolutely smitten and in love. She was happy for Rufio. If she was able to find love, then she's happy that so did her best friend. Carlos jogged in and he greeted his girlfriend. "Hey, babe. Feeling better?"
"Loads, but the brownies aren't done yet," Penny frowned and Carlos chuckled. He then rubbed her arms and Penny leaned into him. Penny would've been even more stressed since she was supposed to attend a meeting, but luckily for her, Peter stepped in for his daughter.
Rufio then rushed in, putting a gift box down. "Morning. Got Jane's gift." "Morning," everyone greeted back. "I really think Jane's going to like this cake, guys," Rufio said with a smile. "She has to. Everyone loves whatever Penny bakes," said Jay, and he winked toward the girl.
Penny chuckled and Evie began throwing apples at Jay. Jay caught them and he placed them in a wooden basket, one similar told in the Red Riding Hood Story.
"Oh, no. Okay, who got into Jane's cake?" Rufio asked as he noticed that the bottom left corner was missing. Rufio wanted Jane's party to be perfect, and Penny felt bad, seeing her second in command in so much stress. She kissed Carlos' cheek before making her way over to the Lost Boy.
"Rufio." She took hold of his hands and Rufio looked down at the Queen of Neverland. "Don't stress too much. Trust me. As long as you show up to Jane's party, she'll be happy. I get that you want to treat her and have everything perfect, but it's the small moments - or the moments that aren't planned - that turn out to be perfect."
Penny was not only speaking of the heart, but from experience as well.
"Trust me on this. As long as the two of you are together, she'll be happy and she'll feel as if she's on cloud nine." Everyone smiled at Penny, and Carlos felt happiness burst in his chest. At times, he still couldn't believe that he has Penny as his girlfriend. He still feels like he's not worth Penny's time, but Penny quickly shoots him down and reminds him that she loves him with all her heart.
"What if I'm not good enough for Jane? I'm just a boy with a bad history. She's smart. And pretty. And kind. She's wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and has no bad blood on her. . . I'm the total opposite."
Penny frowned.
Everyone did, and Carlos stepped forward.
"I feel the same way, Rufio. I was a villain, and I'm dating Penny. She's amazing and funny, and deserves way more than what I can offer. She's the Queen of Neverland and the daughter of Peter Pan, and I'm just the son of Cruelle De Vil. Despite me thinking that I'm not good enough for her, every time I see her. . . I feel so lucky to have her in my life. Trust me, if you truly love her, or have strong feelings, you'll want to be with Jane forever. And never mess up. Jane won't care for your past. Your past is what shaped you to who you are now, a boy that Jane fell for head over heels."
"Carlos is right," said Penny.
"Even I think that I'm not good enough for him. You all know my past - which is pretty bad - yet you all accept me for who I am today. Jane accepts you, and she cares for you. If I can find happiness, so can you." Rufio smiled down at Penny before enveloping her into a hug.
Penny hugged back and Evie wiped away a stray tear. When Penny saw this, she laughed and pulled the girl into a hug.
"I love you, E."
"I love you too, P."
Penny motioned for the boys to join them, and they did. "All we need is Mal." Everyone agreed with Jay, and they all jumped when the timer went off.
"Brownies!"
Penny flew out of the group hug and landed in front of the oven, causing the others to laugh.
Carlos then walked over and he helped his girlfriend cut the brownies while they cooled down. He pulled Penny into a hug and rested his chin on her head. "I love you, Penny. All of you, including your past."
"And I love you, Carlos. All of you, including your past." Carlos chuckled, hearing Penny say his exact words and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. He felt Penny go stiff, and he pulled away a little. "Babe? What's wrong, love?" "Where's Mal?" Penny asked, turning to Evie. "She's getting ready for Jane's party. If not, then she should be leaving the house. Why?"
"She's in trouble."
Penny immediately sprinted out of the kitchen and everyone followed her. They heard voices outside of Evie's house, and Penny recognized them to be Mal and Audrey.
"I want to be dangerous. My life was perfect until you stole it! Then Auradon turned its back on me. Well, it's time for a little payback."
Penny burst through the door right when Mal was turned into an old lady. "You think Ben will love you now, you old hag?" Audrey taunted. The others finally arrived and everyone was looking at Audrey. "You'll pay the price for what you did, and so will all of Auradon. So long, suckers!" Audrey then spun around before disappearing in a cloud of pink smoke.
Penny then turned to Mal and stopped. "Eeeh! Mal, are you okay?"
"Woah! You might want to think of a spell for that," said Jay, having the same thought as Penny. Penny, however, didn't voice her thoughts. Celia, Dizzy, and the twins then ran outside, but the girls held the twins back. "There's no spell that can reverse the spell of the scepter," said Mal.
"Well, that's a shame," said Carlos.
"Forget about me," Mal started, but Penny cut her off. "Hell no! We're family, Mal. If I have to carry you, so be it. Now, what is Audrey up to?" "She's out for revenge. All of Auradon is in danger."
"What should we do?" Evie asked.
"The only thing more powerful than the scepter is Hades' ember," Mal told the group. "Oh! Like he's just going to hand it over," Rufio said and rolled his eyes. Penny glared at her second in command and turned to Evie when she spoke. "No one knows where his lair is. Wait, Penny, don't you have a tracking spell?"
"Yeah, but I need something of Hades for it to work," Penny told them, and they all groaned. Celia contemplated on speaking up, but she knew that they need to stop Audrey, so she stepped forward. "I do. I'm his errand rat. I've got the key at my dad's." Penny grinned and pulled her into a hug.
"You're coming," Evie told Celia.
"But I just got here." Penny stood in front of Celia. "I'll make sure you come back. I promise you won't get stuck there." She held up her pinky, and Celia took hold of it with her own pinky and smiled. Penny smiled back and turned to Dizzy.
"Dizzy, I want you to stay here and take care of the twins. We'll be right back, and everything will be fine. Just, go inside, I'll have my shadow protect you guys too." Penny was taking charge. She was always a natural born leader, even more so when the people she cared about were in danger. Penny then turned to Rufio. "Go to Jane, see if anyone is in trouble. Then go find my dad and do your best to protect Auradon." "Yes, my Queen." Rufio threw some pixie dust on him and he flew away. "Everyone else, go get your stuff."
Everyone nodded and Penny's shadow arrived.
"Go find Felix, have him gather up to Lost Boys, and tell them to be on guard. Then come back and watch over Dizzy and the twins." The shadow nodded and flew away. Now Evie and Penny had to help Mal inside.
"How bad is it?"
"You aged beautifully. Now let's get you into something fabulous."
