Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OUaT, LXG or Disney.
Enjoy!
That same night Emma and Hook found the mysterious sword in Gold's shop, the two of them called Regina, completely unaware of what she and the Evil Queen had done earlier, to go through her vault in search of something that could understand the sword. It was pitch black out as they walked through the cemetery, but that was not what made them nervous. Having the sword destined to kill the Savior in their presence is what did the trick.
"Do you really think you have something in your vault that can destroy this thing?" Hook asked the mayor.
"We don't want to destroy it." Regina corrected, "We want to understand it."
"It's fated to kill Emma." he reminded.
"The hooded figure who uses it, and/or that purple monster, is fated to kill me. We need to figure out who and what they are." Emma corrected.
"And then we can worry about destroying things." Regina added.
"In that case, we may want to show Harker the damn thing after we're done here. Maybe the League has come across it before." Hook offered.
"Oh, so my word isn't good enough, then?" Regina defensively asked.
"No, it's just that she or the others may know what it is. We'll have to tell Nicholas either way so we might as well check." he replied.
"Excuse me, but magic is my area of expertise. We don't need an alchemist who's allergic to magic." Regina snapped.
"What is your deal? Did you two fight again?" Emma asked.
"I don't want to talk about it." her friend sighed in frustration before they all came to a stop.
"Bloody hell." Hook cursed. Kneeling before Robin Hood's grave, the Evil Queen was staring at it with a mournful expression.
"Get away from him!" Regina shouted.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not here to desecrate Robin's final resting place." Evil Queen said, surprisingly with honesty and a gentle voice, "I loved him too, you know. Loved. Past tense. Losing Robin Hood was the best thing that ever happened to us. It pushed you to liberate me, to free me from the prison of your self-loathing, to make me the best version of us."
"Regina, don't let her get to you." Emma coached.
"It's too late." Regina flatly said as she made a fireball.
"What are you gonna do? Throw a fireball at yourself?" the queen mocked with a chuckle before waving it away, "The only way to hurt me is to hurt you, which is why your friends won't be able to stop me. See? Love is weakness. Oh, and, Emma? Say hi to sleeping beauty. Or is it sleeping daddy? Maybe you should call your slave and check which one it is tonight."
Making jabs at three of the people she loved most finally sent Emma over the edge. In a fit of anger, despite Hook's shout of protest, the blonde swung the sword at the queen and sliced her cheek. The queen recoiled in pain as she covered the bleeding wound. Realizing what she had done, Emma turned to her friend with a look of regret and fear at the pain she just caused her.
"Regina, are you okay?" she asked as her friend uncovered her unmarked face.
"I'm…fine." she answered in confusion as they all looked to the wounded queen. Even she was confused, but mostly afraid at this incident. With a wave of her hand, she tried to heal herself, but the wound remained. Realization dawned on both her and Emma and just before Emma could impale her, the queen poofed away in fear.
"We can kill her." Emma exhaled. Back in town, the queen poofed in front of Regina's car as she tried to understand why she was wounded, and why she couldn't heal herself. Unfortunately, it was short lived.
"Thinking of going for a drive?" Rumple asked as he approached her.
"Rumple, I'm in no mood." she sighed.
"Looks like the Savior's found a weapon." he pointed out, "Now, normally I'd be upset that someone stole from me, but in this case, I think I'll let Ms. Swan's pilfering slide, and I can focus on finding my son. And you can prepare…to die."
With ease, the Dark One slapped the exact same cuff he made for Belle onto his former piece on the side. Only for this woman, it was not for the same misguided intentions he had for his wife. It was meant only to cripple her.
"Now, no matter where you go, I can find you. You see, what you did to me, to Belle, was unforgivable. So if, at the end of the day, the Savior has yet to dispose of you, rest assured that after I find my son, I will gladly finish the job. And thanks to you, and the rift Regina has caused between herself and Flamel, I may just be twice as satisfied." he threatened with terrifying, dark smile before poofing away.
While Emma, Regina and Hook went over to the loft to explain things to everyone not in the League, she had called Sawyer and explained everything so that he could tell Nicholas and the rest of the team. Down in their conference room, they all sat in silence in the respective chairs.
"If what Emma says is true, this will be the end of the Evil Queen, once and for all." Sawyer emphasized.
"Nicholas?" Mina asked across from her friend, "Are you okay with this?"
"After what that bitch did to me today, I hope she suffers." Nicholas spat, "And I wanna be there to see her die."
"We know she hurt you in the worst of ways, Nicholas, but don't let yourself fall into hatred." Quartermain gently said.
"Up until today, I had gone over fifty years without feeling the sting of a whip crack against my skin. She may not be Regina entirely, but she was still a part of my sister, and therefore she knew what I went through. Right now, all I have for her is hatred. I want her to suffer. I want to watch her suffer." Nicholas hissed as a few tears fell from his face.
"Lad," Skinner comforted as he gently rubbed his friend's back, "She's not worth it. It'll be over soon. You've finally started to forward, don't fall back into the same hatred you forced yourself to endure for the Homunculi."
"He's right." Nemo nodded on Nicholas' left, "You can't do that to yourself, again. Not now after you've come so far. If not for your own sake, then think of Emma. If what Van Winkle showed her is meant to happen, and the queen is that figure under the hood, she'll need you at your best should the time come."
"Besides, you've still got us." Jekyll smirked, "Granted, we may not be first pick, but we're better than nothing."
"Heh, yeah. You guys are pretty nuts." Nicholas softly chuckled, "But I would've been lost a long time ago without you guys to pick me up."
"Giving into hatred is what the weak do, boy." Quartermain lectured, though it was in good faith, "Don't be weak like your sister. Be better."
"Well, when you put it that way, that's all the motivation I needed to hear." Nicholas joked as he stood up from his chair, "It's time I finally do something to put an end to the Evil Queen."
Without another word, the Immortal Alchemist transmuted himself to the loft. When he arrived, he saw the David was awake while Snow slept and was informed that Leroy spotted the Evil Queen heading down main street. Due to the tension between Nicholas and his sister, and out of Emma's concern for her friend, Regina was left behind. So, it was Emma, her new sword, David, Hook, Ariel, and Nicholas who marched down main street in search of their enemy. As they did, they heard the sound of a woman crying for help inside Granny's. Once inside, they found Jasmine bound to a chair. As they tried to help, her captor, brandishing the magic lamp barged in.
"Ah-ah!" the queen warned with a fake smile, "This is about me. It's always about me."
"Damn right." Emma snarled as she was about to end it, only to stop when the queen began to choke the princess with her magic.
"I can snap her neck before you get a step closer." Evil Queen threatened, causing Emma to back down before she released Aladdin from the lamp.
"What the devil?" Hook gasped.
"No, not the devil. My genie." Evil Queen smirked.
"When the hell did this happen?" Nicholas bluntly asked.
"I believe I have three wishes." she said to her captive.
"Go ahead. Wish. They always come with a price." Aladdin reminded.
"That they do." she said, glaring at her enemies, "Which is why I'm not going to wish for something for me. I'm going to give you something, Emma. Something you've always wanted, something you confided about to Aladdin."
"You heard us?" Emma asked.
"Don't you know by now? I hear everything. You wished you weren't the Savior. So that's exactly what you're going to get." Evil Queen informed, "Genie of Agrabah, I wish that Emma Swan's wish to have never been the Savior be granted."
"No!" Emma shouted as she charged at the queen just as Aladdin, reluctantly made her disappear in accordance to the wish.
"Emma!" David cried.
"What happened? Where did she go?!" Nicholas shouted at the smirking monarch, "You bitch!"
In a burst of rage, he threw his spears at her head. Unfortunately, she vanished, with Aladdin and his lamp, just before she was impaled. After they left, David called Regina, who poofed herself, Ariel and Henry to the diner to hear things face to face.
"Where did she go?" Henry demanded.
"We have no idea, Henry." Hook replied in frustration.
"But we're trying to figure that out, right?" Regina asked, slightly sarcastic, "Because I didn't stay behind for you to screw things up."
"Us screw things up?!" Nicholas shouted, "Need I remind you this whole thing is your fault?! If you hadn't let that bitch out to play, none of this would be happening!"
"You're blaming me?!" Regina snapped.
"You're goddamn right I am!" he shouted.
"Hey! It was the queen who did this. Not any of us. We need to stop pointing fingers and figure out where she sent Emma." David interjected.
"Well, you're her father. Where do you think?" Regina asked.
"Yeah, I am her father. That doesn't mean I know everything." David defended, "What about you, Nicholas? You live with her now. Any ideas?"
"If I had an idea, don't you think I would have said it by now instead of wasting my time scratching my head with you guys?" Nicholas retorted.
"How do you share a home with someone and not know their secrets?" David snapped.
"Because despite all the shit that happens to us, we don't spend our quite afternoons sitting by a fire, roasting s'mores and talking about what do when a fricking genie pops up!" the alchemist shouted.
"Stop it!" Ariel intervened, "This isn't going to help us find Emma. We need to come with a plan instead of acting like a bunch of beta-fish stuck in the same bowl."
"Fish metaphors aside, our little mermaid is right." Regina admitted, "We're doing exactly what the queen wants. She said we would tear ourselves apart, and that's exactly what we're doing. The Evil Queen has thrown a lot of punches today. But now I think I know a way to throw one back."
"What do you have in mind?" Nicholas asked, no less angry.
"Nothing that involves you." she replied.
"Oh, Regina, you are on thin enough ice with me as it is. Don't give me a reason to use you as our way of ending the queen." her brother warned through his gritting teeth.
"What I mean is, in order for this to work, I need to confront the queen alone. She's already proven that she has no qualms in exploiting your one weakness. But, she can't do anything to me without doing it to herself. That's why I have to go alone."
"Don't screw this up." Nicholas warned as she was about to poof away, "Or it will be the last mistake you'll ever make."
With a wave of her hands, the mayor poofed herself to the one place with the closest thing Storybrooke had to a throne; her office. Inside, as expected, she found her other half with Aladdin and an appletini in her hand to celebrate.
"Having fun in my office?" Regina rhetorically asked.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I was about to." the queen replied as she squeezed Aladdin's bicep and winked at him.
"Ew." he said in annoyance and disgust.
"I'm not here for your perversions. I'm here to get Emma back." Regina corrected.
"Oh, well, good luck with that." Evil Queen sarcastically remarked as she sat down on her desk, "You're not getting ahold of this lamp. But even if you did, you can't undo wishes."
"Sadly true." Aladdin confirmed.
"Now take a seat. Have a drink. And give thanks where thanks is due." Evil Queen said in triumph.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Regina asked.
"Don't forget, I know you better than anyone, Regina. I am you." she giggled, "And there was a time when all you wanted was to tear Snow and Charming apart and kick Emma Swan out of your town. And I have done both. A toast. To you. To me. To us."
"No." Regina said as her doppelganger sighed in disappointment.
"That's why you'll never be happy. You've won, and you can't even admit it. If you could, you'd see that victory feels luxurious." Evil Queen said as she relished in her victory.
"Yes, I may not be able to get ahold of that lamp, but you're right. We are the same person. Which means, you're not the only master of the lamp." Regina pointed out with her own look of victory.
"No." Evil Queen groaned.
"Yes." Aladdin smirked.
"Genie of the lamp, I wish to be sent to the same place as Emma Swan." Regina ordered.
"No!" Evil Queen exclaimed.
"Your wish is my command, Master." Aladdin happily obliged before sending her away. Next thing Regina knew, she was back in the Enchanted Forest, standing alone on one of its many, damp, muddy roads.
"Emma? Emma?!" she called out into the woods. However, instead of her friend, she heard a familiar tune being whistled through the trees. A tune only whistled by dwarves. "Hey! Hey! Dwarves!"
As she looked at their confused faces, she noticed something strange. All seven of the dwarves she once fought against looked older. Like thirty years older than what they looked like back in Storybrooke. And none of them looked as happy to see her as she did them.
"I'm, uh, I'm looking for Emma. Have you seen her?" she asked.
"The Evil Queen is back." Grumpy said in anger and fear,
"No, no, you don't understand. I'm not the Evil Queen anymore." Regina assured.
"Move! Move!" Grumpy shouted to his brothers, "We must warn them! The war is not over! Run!"
Clearly confused, Regina continue to walk down the road in search of any indication of anything that might be useful. As she did, she came across a marble monument of Snow and Charming, dedicated to them "defeating" the Evil Queen.
"Seriously?" Regina scoffed in amusement. At that moment, she could hear the sound of a woman humming nearby. Following the sound, Regina came across something she never thought was possible.
Wearing a pink cloak, over a pink dress, with more make-up than Regina had ever seen her wear, picking flowers, singing and gliding as if she were dancing, Emma Swan looked every bit of a stereotypical Disney princess as a woman could. In all honesty, it was slightly unsettling to the small town mayor.
"Emma?" she asked in utter disbelief, "What the hell happened to you?"
"You. You're the Evil Queen." Princess Emma said as she backed away in horror, like a scared little girl.
"You don't remember me." Regina acknowledged.
"I know exactly who you are." Princess Emma said as she hid behind a tree, "My parents banished you."
"Uh, no, they didn't." Regina chuckled, trying to get past the embarrassing state of her, formally, tomboyish friend, "None of this is real. I'm your friend."
"You're no one's friend. My father said you were a liar." the princess in pink sneered.
"No, it's not a lie." Regina reasoned, "Where we're from, we actually share custody of a son. And you happen to be dating my little brother. I know it's complicated but the point is I risked my life coming here because you're the Savior and your family needs you."
Even though Princess Emma's was intrigued by her words, her attention was broken as an arrow flew past Regina's head and imbedded itself in the tree Emma was hiding behind. Much to Regina's shock, and amusement, Snow and Charming, now clearly king and queen based on their crowns and clothes, came to their daughter's rescue. Only thing funny about it was the fact they were both in their sixties with silver hair and wrinkles.
"This is impossible." King Charming gasped as he was prepared to draw his sword, "You were banished."
"The fairies saw to it you could never return. There's no way you can be here right now." Queen Snow spat.
"Snow? David?" Regina asked.
"Show some respect!" Charming barked, "It's 'Your Majesties,' now. This is our kingdom."
"You've gotten so old." Regina chuckled.
"Taunt us all you wish. We shall never back down from protecting our people." Snow White declared.
"Emma, these people aren't real." Regina laughed.
"Mom, Daddy, please help." Princess Emma pleaded like a child as they readied their weapons.
"They're-they're hallucinations, a-a fake reality." Regina tried to explain.
"Step away from my daughter." Charming ordered with his great-sword ready.
"Emma, you have to believe me."
"Never." the princess defied.
"Come on, this isn't you." Regina reasoned, "There has to be some part of you that knows that. Please! Dammit!"
In her annoyance and frustration, Regina poofed away just before Charming could cleave her in two. With not that many options on places to go, and curious about the world in which she lost, Regina sent herself to the ruins of her old castle. Weeds, vines, rust, decay and her destroyed possessions littered the entire palace. It had honestly surprised her that Snow allowed the castle she was born and raised to be abandoned in such state. As she wandered into her old foyer, she heard a maniacal laugh echo from another room.
"No." she whispered. Going down into the dungeons, she found an old cell with a shadowy figure muttering to himself inside.
"There you are." he said with his back turned, "Never thought I'd see you again. Thought their majesties got rid of you for good."
"Rumple?" Regina asked.
"Ha! Rumple?!" the person asked in boisterous amusement as Regina lit a nearby torch. After she did, she saw that the person was wearing a red, hooded coat with a familiar symbol in black on the back.
"I might just take that as an insult, sister dear."
"No." Regina exhaled.
Raising his hood, Regina saw her younger brother, almost as old a Snow and Charming, but covered in scars along his face, neck and hands. His hair was also white, but not from old age. No, it was the same color of white she had seen when he died after dealing with Nimue.
"Nicholas?" she asked in horror, "What happened to you? Why are you down here?"
"What happened, you ask?! Why?!" he shouted as he rattled the bars before giving a crazy smile, "Well, I'll tell you. After Snow and Charming banished you, the first thing they did was capture me. Oh, there were many whips that day. So many lashes. I think I may have gone mad because of those backstabbing brats. Be honest, do I look mad to you?"
"They betrayed you? You helped them over throw me, didn't you?" she asked.
"Yeah! And that's the bitch of it!" he shouted, still smiling like a lunatic, "I remember it well. It was a beautiful day. All the knights and dwarves and other lackeys they employed were rewarded well for their bravery and assistance. But when they got to me…they fired their crossbows at me and had those hypocritical fairies dump buckets of fairy dust on me. Few hours later, the Blue Fairy severed me from the Philosopher's Stone and proceeded to destroy it. I've been in here ever since. For thirty years."
"I didn't think that was possible." Regina remarked, feeling slightly guilty.
"Well," he said clicking his tongue, "I can recount everything I did in that timeframe if it'll help convince you?"
"Um, no need." she replied as a tray of table scraps appeared on the floor.
"Oh, goodie, lunch!" he said sarcastically as he crawled over to the tray, "Looks like they had turkey, today. Delicious, a plate full of nothing but raw giblets. Yum!"
"So, here's my question. What's my big sister doing back here after all these years? And why don't you look any older?" he asked as he ate the scraps.
"Oh, I'm not from here. Not really. I'm not the Regina you know." she replied.
"No?" he asked.
"No. This place, this world, even you aren't real." Regina explained, "Everything here is fake. You're fake."
"Even the food?" he asked trying to amuse himself as he choked down the disgusting scraps.
"Yes." she dryly replied.
"Wow. I think I'm starting to feel intrigued. It's been so long, I've forgotten what it feels like." he grinned, "Why don't you tell me more? I don't hear many good stories lately."
"This world was created by a wish to trap Emma. The Savior." Regina began.
"Ah, yes. Snow and Charming's little bundle of joy. I saw her the day they stripped me of my immortality. I believe she just celebrated a birthday recently. I imagine she's become quite the brat like her mother was."
"Careful what you say." Regina chuckled.
"Why?"
"Well, where I come from, none of this happened. I succeeded in casting the curse and everyone, save Emma, was taken away to the Land Without Magic. For twenty-eight years, my curse served its purpose until she broke it."
"And she let you live?" he asked finding it surprising.
"Oh, there were plenty of complications. But she and I eventually became very good friends." Regina replied.
"And do I fit in somewhere in this other reality?" he asked.
"Well, actually," Regina laughed, "You and Emma are in love with each other and are in a serious relationship. Well, the real you, that is."
"…You expect me to believe that a version of me fell in love with my great-step-niece?" he dryly asked.
"Oh, you had your ups and downs. Especially during the Promised Day."
"Wait, wait, wait." he said grasping the bars intensely, "The Promised Day occurred? I won?"
"With a few casualties. But yes, Branch Quartermain was victorious in defeating the Homunculi."
"Branch Quartermain. Now there's something I haven't thought of in a long time." he said in nostalgia, "So, everyone in this place you come from knows about the League, then?"
"Storybrooke, and yes. You and your friends nearly destroyed the town that day. I'm honestly surprised you're here. I figured they would've sprung you out." Regina remarked.
"…Well, the dead can't exactly do much for the living, Regina." he whispered somberly.
"Oh." she said.
"Yes. Oh." he nodded, "But enough of that. Why is it so important for you to find the Savior?"
"There's something coming to Storybrooke and we need her. And she's my friend and she belongs home with all her friends and family."
"And me? Or, this other version of me?" he asked, "I imagine it's a bit difficult being in a relationship with someone like me."
"Yeah, being with the Immortal Alchemist is tough for all of us. Especially since you keep causing trouble."
"Huh." he remarked, "Well, maybe this version of me can help. Huh?"
"You're not even real." Regina smirked as she turned around to leave, "And from what I can tell, you're not extraordinary, either."
"Ah-ah-ah, wait!" he pleaded, "If your plan is to save the Savior, and you're in another realm, I imagine you're going to need a way home…Storybrooke, yes? I can help with that."
"You don't have your stone, anymore. And, obviously, you don't have alchemy anymore, either. So, it's not like you can create your own portal anymore." Regina reminded.
"True. But, I know you, sister dear. I know you rushed into this without a plan to get out of here. You don't have an escape route. You'll need a portal for when you need one." he countered, "But I can get one for you."
"How?" Regina asked.
"After Charming's twin brother, James, killed all the giants, I set up several hidden caches throughout the realms. And I stored a magic bean in each of them. And as luck would have it, I have one here in the Enchanted Forest."
"So, tell me where it is." Regina said.
"Oh, no. See, I'm not telling you this out of the kindness of my heart. What's left of it, that is. If you want that bean, you're gonna have to do something for me, first. You owe me. Real or not, I've been suffering three decades because of your crimes. So, indulge me, and I'll help you. In fact, I'll even help you get your Savior back."
"Let me guess, you want out of this prison."
"Correct!" he exclaimed.
"You're not giving me much of a choice here." Regina remarked.
"Oh, there's always a choice, sister dear!" he playfully waved off, "But I am the only one who can get you a portal. There's no Rumplestiltskin in this reality, either. They banished him not long after you. So, unless you want to go running around the Enchanted Forest as public enemy number one, in search of a bean that may or may not be accessible without the use of an alchemist, you may just find yourself right back where you started; fighting a war, all alone."
"I'll manage." Regina brushed off.
"You know, Rumple told me something interesting before his banishment." he said causing Regina to stop in her tracks, "The only reason Emma was destined to become the Savior was to destroy your curse. Since my Regina failed to cast it, no Savior was needed. Every Savior needs a villain. The Evil Queen. The real queen! Not this soft, defeated compromising woman you've become. A queen of power and purpose. One the world feared. One that can remind Emma that the world needs a Savior. You know I'm right. Show her the darkness she's feared from the stories she's been told her whole life. Make her nightmares real. Plunge this fake world she's trapped in into darkness so that her light will shine. And then the Savior will be reborn!"
"Alright. I'll do it." Regina smirked, "But I think I'll leave you here until I need you."
"Oh, no, no. You can't do that." he laughed, "How can you scare Princess Emma into being the Savior without the most important supporting character of them all? The character that everyone knew of and always feared because they knew nothing about him. The story cannot end without the Evil Queen's brother, now can it?"
Not giving him the satisfaction of saying he was right verbally, Regina simply waved her hand and opened the door. Thinking it was too good to be true, he hesitated before walking out and taking in a deep breath of freedom.
"Hmm! Smells just as dank outside. Let's get some fresh air." he said before clapping his hands and using his alchemy to create a long executioner's blade to serve as a weapon and walking stick.
"Sounds good to me." Regina smirked.
"Um, I don't know why you're dressed like that, but you're not going to inspire much fear in those clothes. If you're going to play the part of an Evil Queen, you should look like one, as well."
With a wave of her hand, Regina made herself look exactly like she did when she crashed Snow and Charming's wedding all those many years ago.
"How's that?" she asked.
"Much better." he smirked before using his alchemy to change his appearance, as well. Giving himself the same clothes he wore during his service to the League, the only change he made was to his coat. Instead of a red coat, he changed it to black as night with his personal symbol changed to red. Somehow, it was much more intimidating than the previous version.
On the other side of the country, in the grand hall of their palace, King Charming, Queen Snow White and Princess Emma stood at the indoor gazebo where they held their ceremonies. Only on this day, it was for none of them.
"Presenting his Royal Highness, Prince Henry!" a steward announced before the trumpets blared for their prince and his knighting ceremony. Dressed in bronze armor, and looking more poised and confidant than his other version, the young prince strode up to his family with a proud smirk before kneeling at their feet. Drawing Charming's sword, Snow White began the ceremony.
"Do you, Prince Henry, undertake to accept the accolade of knighthood?" she asked.
"I do." he vowed.
"And will you conduct yourself in all matters as befits a knight of this realm?" King Charming asked.
"I will." he vowed.
"It is with pride in our hearts that we, Queen Snow and King David of the Enchanted Forest, do dub you-" Snow White recited only to be interrupted by the doors opening and everyone gasping.
"Sorry we're late." Regina said with Flamel at her side.
"We're back!" Flamel cried out with a wicked smile through his raspy voice.
"It's the queen, run!" Doc cried out as Regina tossed aside the guards and Flamel swung his blade around like a light spear to scare everyone.
"She's not the queen anymore!" Snow White shouted before Regina froze her and Charming with her magic.
"Look at them, missing out on this…happy, happy day." Regina spat, trying to behave like the Evil Queen, "I vowed to destroy their happiness if it is the last thing I do. That promise still stands."
"Please. Don't hurt my parents." Princess Emma begged.
"Oh, but you see, hurting them is the point." Flamel sneered as he checked out the woman his other version was supposedly infatuated with.
"Unless someone knows of a hero who can stop us." Regina baited as she tried to see some part of the Emma she knew. Unfortunately, it didn't show when the princess fell to her knee and begged.
"Mercy, please." the princess weakly bowed.
"Her?" Flamel asked his sister in disappointment, "Really?"
"Look for that hero, Princess, and when you find one, you know where to find us." Regina warned before poofing away with Flamel and her captives.
OUaT
Back in Storybrooke, after trying to figure out a plan to get Emma back, David came up with something that would either work, or make things worse. However, he did not tell the others. Instead he moved them out of his way in order to put his plan into action. Inside the mayor's office, he slid a sword across the floor to the heels of his oldest enemy.
"Ah, David." Evil Queen grinned with an evil chuckle, "I thought I smelled earnestness."
"Please pick it up." he said, eager to end her as he held his own sword.
"Why me?" she giggled, "You're the one who dropped it."
"Because I'm starting to wonder if you still have it in you." he taunted, "An assassin, Gold's magic, a genie? Why don't you try doing something yourself for a change, you snake!"
Throwing the angry prince to the wall, the queen looked down her nose at him in disappointment.
"Snake?" she asked, "You must be confusing me for my brother. You do realize you can't kill me, you imbecilic shepherd."
"Oh, he knows." the voice of Nicholas said from behind. Turning her head, the queen gasped at the sight of her brother sitting on her desk with his legs crossed as her twirled the lamp on his finger, "He just wants to finally inflict some pain on you. But then again, who doesn't? You really don't have the best luck when it comes to genies."
"You tricked me." Evil Queen spat as her brother gave David the lamp.
"Annoying, isn't it?" David rhetorically asked with a smirk, "I know I can't kill you. But I can do something much worse."
With a single rub of the lamp, David released Aladdin and took on the role as the new master of the lamp.
"Careful." Evil Queen warned for her own sake, "Don't dabble with forces you don't understand."
"Oh, I'm going to be quite careful." David promised.
"Your wish is my command, especially if it's gonna hurt her." Aladdin said as they all glared at the queen, "But remember, all wishes come with a price."
"Oh, I know. That's why I'm not gonna wish for anything to do with Emma or Snow or anyone I actually care about. No, Aladdin. The only one that's gonna pay the price is her."
"This is gonna be good!" Nicholas said in excitement.
"Genie, I wish that the Evil Queen gets exactly what she deserves." David wished.
With a thrust of his hand, Aladdin granted the wish. However, nothing seemed to happen to the black-clad queen.
"Are you experiencing technical difficulties? What's going on?" Nicholas asked.
"I don't know. I granted David's wish." Aladdin replied just as confused.
"No, you didn't." Evil Queen chuckled in triumph, "You wasted it. All I ever wanted was to rip Snow and Charming's family apart, and now look. Your daughter's trapped in a wish. And your wife is forever slumbering. And you, you are all alone. Don't you get it? You can't wish for me to get exactly what I deserve because I already have it."
"I will destroy you!" David snarled, like a wild animal as he charged at her with his sword. Unfortunately, the queen used her magic to stop him before he could.
"Look at you. Such bloodlust." she grinned, "I always knew darkness would be a lovely shade on you. Honestly, it almost seems natural for you."
"Oh, shut up." Nicholas scoffed as he hurled his shadows at her, "Kick stones, you middle-aged, Gothic-Lolita-wannabe. We've got the lamp, and I can easily introduce you to a world of pain."
"Fine." she spat before dropping David, "Death is too good for you, shepherd. I'd rather watch you suffer."
And with that, she poofed away.
OUaT
Back at the castle in the wish realm, Regina was waiting for Emma to arrive and remember who she really was. Much to her annoyance, Snow White and Charming were annoying her with their incessant speeches on how they would defeat her. Also, Flamel and his insanity was getting on her nerves, too.
"Whatever you're planning, it won't work." King Charming vowed, "We'll defeat you, Regina. We always-"
"Defeat me. I know, I know. That's what I'm counting on." Regina sighed as she paced.
"In the meantime, let's play a little game." Flamel said as he smacked their faces, "You guys will sing the longest songs you know while I rip out your toenails and if you get through the entire song without crying, I'll make you new crowns out of them!"
"You're more sadistic than the other Nicholas." Regina muttered in disgust.
"Don't worry. They're not going to hurt you." Princess Emma declared as she entered the room with a small box in her hands.
"What? I would have painted the nails. I would've made them pretty." Flamel pouted.
"It's going to be okay." the princess said to her parents.
"I knew you'd find the hero in you." Regina grinned, happy to be done with this madness, "Now, let's get this over with."
As she made a fireball in her hand, the princess presented the box with a blank look on her face.
"What is that? Is it a weapon?" Regina asked with hope.
"The key to our kingdom." Princess Emma said with a bow as she opened the box and presented the key, "It is yours, Your Majesty. We surrender."
"Seriously?" the siblings asked in disappointment.
"Anything to protect my parents." Princess Emma said pretending to be brave.
"Emma, I don't want the key to your kingdom." Regina lectured as she tossed the key away, "I just-I just want you to remember who you are and get you back to Storybrooke."
"Storybrooke?" she asked, "Like in my dream? How do you know of my dreams?"
"Oh, come on, Emma. This! This is the dream!" Regina exclaimed in frustration as she gestured to everything around them, "And now I have to wake you up. I know you won't believe it, Emma, so, I really am sorry about this."
"No!" Princess Emma shouted as she watched her parents' hearts get ripped out, "I-I already gave you the kingdom. I gave you everything. What more can I do?"
"Be the Savior and stop me." Regina replied as Emma fell to her knees and sobbed. Flamel just stood back, paced and watched as he held his executioner's blade, "If not, your parents die!"
"I'm not a hero." she wept as Regina squeezed the hearts, "I'm not the Savior."
"Yes, you are." Regina said in a friendly tone, which may have made the princess feel even worse, "I know you, Emma. You fight when it matters. You always do. And right now, you need to fight!"
"No! Please!" she weakly sobbed.
"Oh, come on, Ms. Swan!" Regina snapped in annoyance.
"I don't know how." she wept.
"You don't want their blood on your hands, do you?" Regina asked as she squeezed, "Do you?!"
"Grah!" Flamel shouted as he swung his blade through the fakes' necks. Blood poured everywhere as the hearts popped into dust like balloons. Emma just wailed at the sight of her decapitated parents.
"Finally!" he shouted in triumph, "Serves you right backstabbing hypocrites! I've waited decades to do that! Ha ha ha!"
"No!" Emma weakly wailed.
"Why?" Regina asked before the blade was pointed at her.
"Why?" Flamel asked over Emma's weeping, "Because they wronged me. Which is why I'm going to kill you next."
"What?" Regina asked as he approached her threateningly.
"I don't care about alternate realities, or wishes, or whether or not I'm even real. It doesn't matter to me. Even if I'm not real, it doesn't change the things I experienced, or at least, remember experiencing until showed up. Whether this reality was created because of a wish, or not, any way you slice it, my suffering and torment was caused by you. Because from the way you tell it, it's your fault the wish was made to begin with. I don't care if the Savior gets woken up, it won't matter. Because as soon I've killed you, and taken her, I'm going to use that bean to get my immortality back."
"That bean can't restore your immortality, Nicholas." Regina reminded.
"No. But the Philosopher's Stone in the other Nicholas can. All I need to do is find him and take it. Oh, and kill him, too, of course. Just because." Flamel smirked evilly.
"…What did you mean when you said you'd take Emma? You're taking her back to Storybrooke with you?" Regina asked in suspicion.
"Oh, no. That's not what I meant." he replied with a dark grin.
"…You wouldn't." Regina paled.
"Thirty years is a long time to be alone, sister dear. Plus, it's a long way to the Mystic Bayou from here. I'll need something to keep myself preoccupied. And she is quite the beauty."
"Please, don't let him!" Emma sobbed.
"I won't." Regina whispered as she looked at what could have become of her brother and readied a fireball to throw at him.
"When you get to hell, Regina, say hello to Mother and Father for me." Flamel grinned as he prepared to swing his blade.
"Nicholas, stop!" Emma shouted in authority as she froze him with magic.
"Emma?" Regina asked, "You saved me."
"Yeah, well, you came to this crazy land to save me, so it's only fair, right?" Emma chuckled, clearly embarrassed over how weak she acted moments ago, "Plus, Nicholas all but said he was gonna rape me after he killed you, so…"
"Yeah. But you remember?" Regina asked trying to change the subject.
"Yeah. I remember." she nodded, "When Nicholas was about to cross lines he would never cross, he was about to become everything he swore he wouldn't become. Uh, are they…"
"Oh, they're not real." Regina assured, "He didn't actually kill anyone."
"Still, that was very…very dark. Come on. Let's go stop the real Evil Queen." Emma declared firmly.
"But what about the sword?" Regina asked before Emma smirked and summoned it to her hand.
"Any ideas on how to get out of here?" Emma asked.
"Nicholas, this Nicholas, mentioned he had a cache of League stuff tucked away somewhere with a bean. And thanks to his overconfidence, I have a better idea of where it is. The Mystic Bayou."
"Okay. Where is it?" Emma asked.
"It's in the southern part of the country. There's a lot of strange magic in those swamps. Not many people visit and get out alive. Even I didn't go there back in the day." Regina informed.
"How do we find it?"
"With a little help from the Mortal Alchemist." Regina smirked as she plucked a hair from his frozen head and enchanted it, "Let's get out of here."
As soon as the two women left, Flamel remained frozen in place. However, after a few moments, one of his fingers twitched.
OUaT
Walking down main street with a skip in her step, the Evil Queen was formulating her next plans for turning Storybrooke upside down.
"This town is almost tolerable when the peasantry is hidden away." she remarked when she noticed Leroy and Walter exit Granny's.
"Call Charming." Leroy whispered to his brother before a gust of wind and lights blew from inside the diner, "Portal! We've been portaled!"
"Well, that was faster than I thought." she sighed in disappointment just before a hooded figured came out, "Who the hell are you?"
Instead of answering, the figure used magic to knock the queen to the ground several feet away. After which, they just kept walking as if they could care less about her presence. But, just as Evil Queen was about to retaliate, the figure unleashed black, magical dust which turned her into a black cobra in a cage, still wearing Gold's magic cuff.
Over at the mansion, one of the members of Nemo's crew who was in charge of the town's surveillance noticed the portal reading on his monitor. Confused and concerned, he notified Nemo who was in the room with him.
"Captain," he alerted, "We've just picked up a portal signature coming from Granny's."
"Is it the Savior? Has Regina brought her back?" Nemo asked as he hurried over.
"Negative, sir. The reading shows the portal used some sort of powerful dark magic."
"Trace back the origin point of the portal. Find out what realm that portal connected to."
"Aye, sir." the sailor nodded but remained confused after calibrating the machine, "Sir, I can't."
"What do you mean?" Nemo asked.
"The origin point is unknown."
"Check the charts. See what realm it's in." Nemo advised.
"I-I am, Captain. There-there are no charts for this location."
"That's impossible. All our charts for this tracking system come directly from Shamballa's records of discovered and LXG ventured realms." Nemo pointed out.
"Aye, sir. All I can say is…" the sailor trailed before Quartermain barged into the room, as if he knew what happened.
"We have an uninvited guest." he said to them all.
Meanwhile, after trying to find some way to find his missing son ever since he was born, Rumple had tried using the tacking globe to find him. For some reason, even it could not reveal the baby's location. So, out of concern for his child, Rumple informed Belle of this who then called the monastery to check with Blue. However, they learned the leader of the fairies had been attacked and was gravely wounded.
"Mother Superior was found in the forest." one of the nuns informed as she showed Blue in bed to the estranged couple.
"What happened?!" Belle exclaimed with worry, "Is she gonna be okay? Blue? Blue, tell us what happened to our son."
"It was dark. And I fought as hard as I could, but she took him." Blue said as her voice cracked.
"Who? Who took him?" Belle asked.
"…The Black Fairy. Your mother." she said weakly at Gold.
OUaT
Back in the Wish Realm, after using magic to give themselves suitable clothes for their travels, the two women had arrived at the Mystic Bayou. It was dark out, so all they could see were the fireflies occasionally lighting their butts and the stars shining through the threes as they drifted in their boat through the swamp. Thankfully, there were plenty of crickets, frogs and other critters to fill the air, as well.
"Storybrooke felt like a dream. Now this does." Emma remarked as they followed Flamel's hair down the bayou, "I mean, a good dream. But the person I was here just wasn't me. The fighting and the pain, it's what makes me me. I'm good with that. Even if it means my end. 'Cause, you know, that other person kind of…sucked."
"Yeah." Regina trailed with an awkward smirk, "Singing Princess Emma isn't my favorite model."
"I didn't sing…that you heard." Emma awkwardly retorted, "Oh, god. Nicholas would've flipped if he ever saw me in that much pink. And he'd never let me live it down if he saw that version of me."
"Well, you'll be able to tell him all about it soon, cause we're here." Regina informed as the boat docked itself, "It should be around here somewhere."
"Regina, I may not be a dainty little princess anymore, but I am not swimming in this disgusting swamp water unless it's a matter of life and death." Emma firmly informed.
"Relax, it's leading us this way. Just keep your eyes peeled for anything that might kill us." Regina replied as they walked through the swamp, "They say there's a powerful voodoo witch in this swamp."
"How powerful?" Emma asked as she followed her friend and swatted away mosquitos.
"Powerful enough that even Cora or Rumple never came here." Regina replied.
"Emma." a female voice whispered through the swamp, frightening the blonde who looked around in panic before catching up to her friend.
"I don't like swamps, Regina! They're disgusting, they stink, and they're filled with mosquitos and alligators. I lived in New Orleans for a few months when I was a little kid. I went fishing on a school trip, fell in the water and almost got poisoned by a catfish! I do not want to be in this place any longer than we need to so can we please hurry?"
"No need. I found it." Regina informed at the base of a tree. After using her magic to dig up the ground, they found a wooden box with the Flamel symbol burned on it. Sure enough, inside the box was a magic bean ready to be used. "Let's go home."
OUaT
"What have I become?" David asked as he looked down at his sleeping wife, "I wanted to execute the Evil Queen back in the Enchanted Forest, but it was Snow who convinced me to show mercy. What if I am just like my brother?"
"You're not your brother, David. You just want to eliminate threats to the people you love. That's not evil. That's doing what needs to be done. As long as you don't take pleasure in it, you won't lose yourself like James did." Nicholas assured, "Now go kiss your wife."
"Should we be concerned about any more wishes causing trouble?" Ariel asked.
"Hope not. Jasmine took Aladdin and the lamp in her wish to find Agrabah. Personally, I've had enough of genies for one day. Hopefully, any other issues we get won't be as bad." Nicholas remarked. Over at the pawn shop, Belle and Rumple were discussing their own problems.
"Rumple. The Black Fairy! Your mother!" Belle exclaimed in panic.
"And need I remind you that you entrusted him to that gnat?" he asked.
"After what you did to me?!" Belle shot back.
"Belle, I swear, I did not dose you with that magic. I couldn't." he swore trying to be the calm one. Seeing that he was telling the truth, Belle realized the severity and consequences of their bickering.
"What have we done to each other? What have we done to our son?" she asked miserably.
"We have to work together before it's too late. There are realms of dark magic beyond even my reach, where my mother would lurk in the shadow." Rumple explained.
"Where has she taken him?" Belle asked.
"I don't know." Rumple said feeling just as broken, "But it's a place of immense dark power. Time runs differently there. Nothing makes sense. Anything's possible."
"Rumple, what could happen to our so?" Belle asked in fear. Over at the loft, Leroy, Sawyer and Mina barged in.
"Big trouble, team. Big trouble!" Leroy barked as he carried the cage the queen was in.
"What the hell is that?" David asked.
"That is the Evil Queen." Sawyer answered as the snake hiss in anger.
"She got what she deserved." David muttered to himself.
"Who put her in there, Leroy?" Nicholas asked.
"A guy in a hood." the dwarf replied.
"Emma's vision." David gasped.
"Did you see him?" Nicholas asked, "Did you see who was under that hood?"
"Yeah, just barely." he nodded, "He…he looked a lot like Gold. Like a…younger version of him."
"…Oh, shit." Nicholas cursed as a thought popped into his head. At the pawn shop, the hooded figure came in to greet Belle and Rumple. Confirming Nicholas' theory, and matching Leroy's description, the man did indeed look like a younger version of Rumplestiltskin but with different eyes. Eyes that resembled Belle's.
"Hello, Mother." their son Gideon greeted darkly, "Hello, Father."
OUaT
In the wish realm, Regina dropped the bean onto the ground and opened a portal to Storybrooke. However, just as they were about to jump in, an arrow sailed past their noses and imbedded itself into a tree.
"Not another step, ladies." a voice neither woman had heard in months warned.
"No, it can't be." Regina exhaled in shock.
"This is a robbery." Robin Hood, or rather the Wish Realm's Robin Hood threatened with another arrow ready to fire.
"Regina?" Emma asked as her eyes darted back to the portal.
"Let's go! Off with the jewelry!" he ordered.
"Remember what you said. He's not real. He's not real!" Emma reminded as the portal was beginning to close, "Regina, we've got to go!"
But it was too late. The portal created by the only bean in the cache closed and all they had left was the ghost of a thief they once knew aiming an arrow at them.
"Come on, now. Off with it. The jewelry, now!" Robin ordered.
"Robin, you don't know me?" Regina asked.
"Enough talking. The jewels." he demanded.
"It's not him." Emma stressed as she handed over the princess jewels she still had on.
"And the necklace, if you please, m'lady?" he said to Regina who complied. As soon as she did, the sound of strange, monstrous shrieks filled the air. "Dammit! Last thing I need right now."
"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.
"Nothing anyone wants to be caught by." Robin nervously joked as he looked around in fear as he ran away, "Best of luck, ladies. If the Shadow Snatchers don't get you, we must do this again sometime!"
"…Did he say Shadow Snatchers?" Emma asked.
"Uh-huh." Regina nodded.
"Why do I get the feeling those aren't good?" Emma asked before numerous shadows in the shapes of monsters swarmed towards them.
"That's why. Run!" Regina shouted. And run they did, but it wasn't easy. The terrain and fauna of the Mystic Bayou made running difficult for anyone on two legs, and it didn't help that the shadows were faster than anything else in that swamp. It didn't take long, but one of them grabbed Emma by the ankle and proceeded to drag her away by her own shadow.
"Emma!" Regina cried. Just as she was about to hurl a fireball, another shadow snuck up and grabbed hers and dragged her away, too. Nothing they did worked. No spell seemed to be working on the mysterious creatures that pulled them across the water and scum.
But just when all hope seemed lost, blasts of yellow light came out of nowhere and destroyed the shadows. Much to Emma's relief, and displeasure, the other shadows were gone, but she was soaking wet and sitting in the shallow end of the swamp with Regina. But before they could say anything, they saw another shadow approach them.
At first, it looked like a hunchbacked man wielding a club was coming towards them. But through the mist and moss, they saw it was something else. The laughter of an old woman joined the sound of crickets as a short, plump, dark-skinned woman wielding a glowing squash with a net wrapped around it like a club, in a white moo-moo and turban with large, gold earnings, a gold necklace and black sunglasses came into view.
"Heh-heh! Not bad for an eleven-hundred-ninety-seven-year-old blind lady!" she laughed as she twirled her strange gourd and blew out the magical light coming from it, "Now! Which one of you naughty dearies been messing with 'dem genie wishes?"
Despite their shock, Emma and Regina just stared in awe, confusion, and nervousness at the strange woman before pointing at each other while sitting in the water.
Okay! I've been looking forward to this chapter! I managed to get this done all in one day and we're practically half way done with this season! I think this helped kick start the urge to write this story since I was able to introduce Mama Oddie at the end. Oh, and yes, she is Madam Odette. Any way. I hope you all enjoyed this and please let me know what you thought in a Review or PM.
Thanks guys!