I'm playing with the timeline of OUAT to suit my own whims, so don't shoot me. However, I'll try to keep it somewhat accurate and convincing.

The Evil Queen wanted a child.

Hansel and Gretel had refused her, so she banished them to the Infinite Forest for their insolence. But what did she need them for anyway? She would create her own child from her own flesh and magic. A child of her own creation would certainly prove worthy of a Queen's love and would never reject her.

Queen Regina knew conceiving a child with magic would cost her. A much easier way would be to sleep with one of her many pets, the Huntsman perhaps. But any child born of them would also carry their genetic information, and every single one of them had failed her at one time or another. She would not create a child that could potentially fail her. The child would be conceived from her flesh and her flesh alone. She would share the child with no one, and she would be assured a perfect product.

The Evil Queen flicked through the pages of her darkest tome of spells, preparing the necessary ingredients for creating life from sheer will. The spell she finally settled on was simple enough. It only required her to eat the raw heart of a fierce stallion with a small vial of her own blood. Regina ordered her servants to make preparations for this most unusual dinner.

A few hours later, her table was set and a large heart sat gleaming red on a silver plate before her. Her squeamish servant poured red wine into her cup. Regina smirked with pleasure as her knife cut into the red flesh before her. She had half a mind to call up several of her servants and make them watch her eat her dinner. She had no doubt that whispers were already running like wildfire through the castle about the Evil Queen who ate raw hearts. Just one more item to add to her list of intimidation tactics. Regina had never developed a taste for flesh like the Blind Witch, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy a fresh heart when the need arose. There were obvious consequences for constantly dining on raw meat. The gingerbread witch had been struck blind by her less than savory diet. Regina had yet to ever sink so low and eat human flesh, but the rumors would spread anyway. Oh well... Regina smirked to herself.

Queen Regina rubbed her sore feet as she woke up from another restless night of tossing and turning. The good thing about magical pregnancies was that they didn't last as long as real pregnancies. The bad thing was that her body was under much more stress due to a faster growing fetus.

Though it had only been 4 months since eating her bloody dinner, she was well into her third trimester and her due date was rapidly approaching. She stroked her stomach lovingly as she felt her baby kick out again. She was exhausted, but happy. It had been such a long time since she had felt this happy.

Regina called her servant in to help her dress for the day. The silent girl helped her slip into a soft midnight blue dress that didn't hug her curves too tightly and left plenty of space for her precious baby bump. The Queen dismissed the servant, and then walked to her window, humming contentedly. Using dark magic to create a child was the complete opposite of immaculate conception, but there was no doubt in her mind that this baby would turn out to be perfect. She already knew it would be a little girl. Since she was the only parent, it was impossible for her to conceive a boy. Regina began to daydream of potential baby girl names once again.

The Queen's shriek split the stagnant air. She continued to crush the life out of the midwife's hand as the woman encouraged her to push one more time. She had hired three local women to help her through this ordeal. At the moment, she was thinking about having them all executed afterwards, considering the amount of pain she was in. It felt like the child was trying to tear her insides out. Maybe she had messed up the spell somehow and was actually giving birth to a demon. With a final pained gasp that almost had her crying and begging for mercy, a river of fluid burst forth from her trembling body. She collapsed backwards into her pillows as the cries of an infant barely registered with her weary mind. As Regina rested and recovered, the midwife cleaned up the baby and wrapped it in waiting warm blankets. Finally catching her breathe, Regina demanded, "Well? Is everything alright? Let me see her."

"She's completely healthy." the woman handed the child over to the Queen.

In a moment that shocked all three women in the room, the Queen gazed down at her new daughter with outright adoration etched all over her face. A few seconds later though, the Queen seemed to remember she had an audience. Her head whipped up suddenly with a glare, "Out! All of you! Begone! Before I have your hearts for my collection!"

The intensity of her wrath had the women fleeing frantically from the room.

Finally alone, Regina gazed upon her new baby with wonder. She had created this creature. It was all hers, the thing she loved most.

"So this is what you've been up to? Sulking inside your castle for months on end." a cold voice spoke.

Regina started in fear as she looked up into the terrifying gaze of her mother.

"You!" was all Regina managed to say before her mother pinned her to the bed with magic and took the child from her.

"Didn't I tell you 'Love is weakness', Regina?" Cora looked upon the child with disgust. "You don't need this thing. It is a waste of your time and energy."

Cora walked over to the window and pitched the child out of the tower. A scream of pain, hatred, and terror was the only sound as Cora vanished with a swirl of smoke.

The Evil Queen sat in her castle for months on end, grieving for a fragile being that had only lived minutes, but had stolen what was left of her heart in those brief moments.

Cora had vanished, she was biding her time and letting the wounds in Regina's heart fester slowly. During this dark time, Regina received the "joyous" news of Snow White's pregnancy. Regina watched Snow White in her mirror with growing bitterness. Everything good Regina had ever wanted always ended up destroyed. Yet Snow White always received everything Regina lost. Why was life so unfair? Why did it constantly taunt and torment her while only showering praises and presents on precious Snow White?

The Evil Queen had nothing left to lose. All she had was her bitterness and hate towards her mother and Snow White, both of whom played integral roles in the destruction of her happiness. Regina's thoughts turned towards the Dark Curse she had once bartered from Rumpelstiltskin...

And the rest is history as they say... ;) I promise it's going to get a bit more cheerful in the future. For some reason I get a kick out of the fact that Regina is asexually reproducing like a starfish or something. Cut a bit off and watch it duplicate. :P