"That's really the best you can do?"
"Shut up, she's trying."
"Henry, you know not to talk to your mothers like that. And Miss Swan, maybe this would be easier if you had brought me an actual swan, and if you would stop squirming."
"Ugh, can't I just put my hand on your arm again? If you could transcend realms with that why do you need a bear hug just to turn a duckling into a swan?"
"Well adrenaline helped. I'm not going to die if this duck doesn't change. Besides, transfiguration isn't my area of expertise. Cloaking? Apparition? Conjuration? Easy, but transfiguration? Why turn someone into a frog when I can just conjure a fireball?"
"Because it's awesome? What kind of witch are you if you can't turn a pumpkin into a carriage?"
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Less talking, more magic! I'm running out of bread here!"
"I'm trying! There's only so much one sorceress can do in a land without magic!"
"Hey I've got magic, let me help. Here…"
"No, Emma, wait!"
As Emma stuck out her hand, a burst of white magic sprung forth towards the unsuspecting duckling.
For a moment, nothing happened. Emma released her grip on Regina and Henry began to munch on the leftover Wonder Bread.
Then the duckling disappeared in a ball of flames.
Henry stared at the scorched grass in shock. Regina, seeing Emma's crestfallen expression, placed a hand on her shoulder in a gesture that was for once not about magic.
As Henry walked over to Emma and offered murmured reassurances about how they could maybe get a normal parrot, or a puppy, Regina inspected the damage to her lawn. At the epicenter of the explosion was a crater about a foot wide, full of ash and surrounded by warm dirt and smouldering flora. She mourned the destruction of the nearby flower bed, but reasoned that she had needed to weed it anyway.
The ashes shifted slightly. Curious, Regina sifted through the debris in the crater as Emma looked on with burgeoning hope.
From deep within the pile of ashes Regina withdrew a small, featherless bird. Regina looked on with pity as the wretched little thing flapped uselessly in her hands.
Emma, however, drew close with wonderment in her eyes. "I think it's a baby swan," she said as she gently took it from Regina.
"Is it?" Henry mused, brushing some ash from its little head with a finger.
"Maybe the fuzzy part will grow back," Regina suggested. "In the meantime though, that is one ugly phoenix."
"Is it a phoenix though?" Henry asked.
As if on cue the little bird squawked and a jet of flame erupted from its beak, nearly setting Emma's hair alight.
"It is!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Are phoenixes supposed to breathe fire? It's like… a tiny bird-dragon."
"Whatever it is, Emma had better make sure it doesn't burn the house down."
"I'm going to name it Fawkes Smoulder!"
Henry grinned as Regina groaned.
I felt like updating something, so I wrote a short, silly, un-proofread chapter about our trio trying to make Emma's phoenix out of a "swan".
ugh idek
