A/N: I intended to finish some of my other WIP, but the Captain Swan from the Indestructible 'verse wouldn't leave me be. Here's a bit of a prologue/teaser.
Disclaimer: Yeah, if you believe that I could own any part of Once Upon a time or any of its characters, you have more screws loose than I do. Nope, nuh-uh. It's owned by Ed Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and the ABC network.
Prologue: By The Pricking of My Thumbs
As the citizens of Storybrooke slumbered peacefully in their beds, they were blissfully unaware of what danger has made its way to their momentarily peaceful town.
Thick, angry, hulking clouds begin to form and gather above the town. They swirl slowly, as if being stirred by an unseen force, gathering speed, spinning faster and faster, spiralling manically, twisting and turning, narrowing into an angry column of cloud until it's suddenly hurled to the ground, piercing the grass just inside the town line. Almost as soon as contact with the earth is made, the clouds dissipate like a dream when the sleeper awakens. In the wake of the clouds departure remains a viridescent mist that seemed malevolently alive.
The mist slinks low to the ground, furling and unfurling on itself, creeping steadily towards the centre of the town, taking everything of note, greedily drinking in every detail of its surroundings.
It searched the streets and buildings, slinking along the shadows, until it found what it was looking for. Once it does , the mist starts to circle, travelling upwards, beginning to solidify and form a cloaked human figure.
A female figure.
She lightly touches an emerald pendant dangling from a fragile golden chain on her neck, triggering a ripple of magic from her head to her feet. In an instant, her skin takes on a distorted alabaster glow, disguising the truth of who she is.
"This…is what Regina does with the dark curse?" she murmurs with an unimpressed lilt. "All of that potential just…wasted. But then again, what else can be expected of someone with such a dull imagination? One would think her mentor was Norman Rockwell not Rumplestiltskin."
With a bored wave of her hand, the viridescent mist reappears, this time spreading outward from her, slinking along the streets, climbing the buildings, altering everything that it touches.
"There we are," she murmurs with an amused giggle as she appraises her work. "Much, much better. I think that the touch of nostalgia will be appreciated by everyone."
She looks up to see another funnel cloud form over the forest on the outskirts of the town, smiling as it touches down somewhere over the trees, a faint boom that could be mistaken for thunder rumbling in the distance.
"Ah, my guests have arrived." She grins wickedly. With another wave of her hand she's engulfed in a cloud of coloured smoke and reappears at a small farmhouse just inside the town line. Its cozy and rustic, two things she abhors, but it will have to do for the moment since it fits in well with her plans. Patience, she counsels herself. Soon she will be able to live in accommodations that befit her, wear clothes that aren't dowdy and prudish, and she will have the life that she should have had all along, packaged neatly with her revenge.
She walks over to a nearby mirror, inspecting her flawless disguise. She intends to reveal herself - eventually. First, she intends to stir up some mischief, wreak a little havoc, and of course cause some mayhem. This dull little town won't know what hit it.
"This is going to be so much fun!" she cackled.
She suddenly notices a darkened shadow pooling at the corner of her eye and feels her blood run cold.
"Master, you're here!" she sputters, wiling herself to remain on her feet.
"I am here in spirit, my child," the shadow hissed. "Are you enjoying the magics I've bestowed upon you?"
"Yes Master," she beamed happily. "I'm ever so grateful for-"
"Your gratitude is not what I seek," the shadow growled. "While you pose and preen at this new facade of yours, I remain trapped, much of my powers bound by my wardens. I gave you magics for reasons other than your vanity. You swore fealty to me, vowed that you would be the one to free me. You would do well not to forget, my eyes are ever on you-"
"Worry not master," she breathes, smiling widely and hoping to project confidence and ease, knowing that anything less than absolute and total victory will not be tolerated. "I know what you have sent me here for, and I swear I will not fail you. But these things do take time, and I do beg for your patience. Regina and the Saviour are here and working together along with the other heroes. I must take care and ensure that I am not discovered before everything is ready for you."
"Very well," the shadow huffed. "Do what must be done."
"I shall Master!" She vowed emphatically. "For you I will tear this town apart slowly. Piece by piece, bit by bit I shall turn everything and everyone inside out. All that these people have come to know, have come to count on will be unravelled before their ignorant eyes, and they will cry out your name in fear."
"I will give you time as you requested, though not much," the shadow warned. "And because I am a benevolent god, I will remind you of the consequences of your failure."
She didn't have time to let out a shriek of pain before her breath was ripped from her. Wave after wave of indescribable pain crested over her relentlessly as she felt herself melting, pooling onto the hardwood floor, until suddenly it stopped.
"Please Master," she gasped shakily, unable to pick herself up off the ground. "Please, no more. I won't fail you. I swear that I will free you to claim this realm and all of the other realms for your glory. They will fall to their knees for you, or fall to their deaths."