It was quiet in Storybrooke, but tense as the family waited for the others to come home. A couple of days had passed since the rescue party had departed to bring Myra and Nala back. Jackson led commands for the groups taking out Fiona's warehouses and so far they had destroyed half a dozen. "How's it going?" He asked, looking between the trio of monitors in front of him.
"All good." Lily said.
"Done here." Jake added.
"Is there another one?" Dianah asked. "Ruby's still in wolf mode."
"One more. This one looks like a big one and if you took the others out quiet enough, they shouldn't be on alert, but just in case, I've sent you backup. Maedhros, Ivar and Giselle are on the way with weapons Zelena made. I've sent you all the address. Wait for them to make a move."
"Thanks."
Jackson stepped away from the computer and went into the hallway just as Evie came down the stairs. "How are the boys?"
"Adam is asleep. Henry is fighting it, but he's tired too." They both looked into the living room where Zelena was laying on the couch with Tink watching over her. Elias was asleep on the other end on the couch. Several hours ago the witch had fallen into a coma-like state and she hadn't woken up yet. "Go ahead." Evie said. "I'll sit at the monitors."
"Thank you." Jackson walked into the living room and sat down next to Tink. "How is she? Anything we can do?"
Tink shook her head. "She's fine. I believe that she cast a spell of some sort. It's not a true coma and she's not sleeping, so she's not resting. I just don't know what it is."
Jackson moved over to Zelena's side. Zelena's eyes were closed but he could see her looking around behind her lids. "It's like she's watching something."
"I think she is, but I'm not sure what."
"What can you tell me about it? I don't know as much about this stuff as I should." It was difficult to hear a subject that he knew nothing about. Facts, figures and statistics were always things he could rely on, but not here. Even spending the last few years with Zelena had not given him a lot of insight into the subject of magic and its many subcategories. Zelena talked like it was a foreign element of some sort and grasping it was easier and yet more difficult than anything he'd ever learned.
"In your world, everything makes sense. There is a logical explanation for almost everything. That's not entirely true in mine." Zelena said, looking up from where she was reading her magic book. It was a thick, ancient tome that she looked back on frequently. "Magic is not logical. It is difficult to explain unless you possess it."
"There must be rules to magic though." Jackson said, taking a seat next to her. "Constants that keep magic consistent."
"Of course there are, but there are endless variables that can change spells and enchantments entirely. Different languages, differences in wording, phrasing, inflections, different types of magic, different worlds. Magic is not the same for everyone. It is unique to every person and can change as the person changes. Yes, there are rules that do not change, but depending on where you are and who you are, even those rules may not apply." She turned back to her book and flipped a page. Jackson glanced around at the quaint, book-filled home that they shared with Elias. He looked back at Zelena, waiting for her to continue.
"What are they?"
"You can't change the past, can't make people fall in love and can't bring back the dead. But I've pretty much done all of that so I don't know if there are rules anymore."
"Anyone can learn it?" He asked.
"Yes and no. You can learn it and magical languages, enchantments, very easily, but knowing it and being able to use it are very different things. Magic is in my blood because of my mother. That makes it easier for me to use magic. Those without magic can be taught, but that doesn't mean they will ever be able to cast a spell. It's not about what's up here," She tapped his forehead and then put a hand over his heart. "It's about what's in here. It's not enough to know it, you have to feel it and that is where most people fail."
"Feel what?" He frowned.
"It. Magic." She frowned as well, finding it difficult to explain a concept that she never had to before.
"Is it a creature, an entity?"
"It is what it is." She smirked. "I don't know everything, Jackie. I wish I did. As much as I know, I'm sure I've only scratched the surface. Going any deeper is almost scary."
"Tell me more." He begged, scotting closer to her and drawing a smile from her. "Regina once said that her anger gave her power. Is this true?"
"Magic responds to emotion, but it is a flighty kind of magic." Zelena replied. "Regina was in a dark place when she was learning magic from Rumpelstiltskin. Anger and hatred was all she could feel and he taught her to use that as a source of power. Indeed it did make her powerful, one of the most powerful magic practitioners in the world. However, when Regina no longer hated the Charmings and was no longer angry, it left her vulnerable and weakened. She had to learn to use her magic almost all over again because she had changed and her magic had changed with her."
"And you?"
Zelena flicked an eyebrow. "Oh, you're going to have to work for that information."
"Name your price."
"You have to tell me the story of Wicked."
"Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Macguire?" He smirked. "No Wizard of Oz?"
"The Wizard of Oz is about Dorothy, who is far less interesting in my opinion. I want my story word for word."
"Fine, thought you would give me a challenge."
"Explaining the entirety of magic to you would take half a lifetime and even then, I don't know a fraction of what Zelena knows." Tink said. "You're a genius in this world but she's a genius in ours."
"She told me about her adoptive parents. Her father who thought magic was wicked."
Tink nodded slowly. "As you know, she learned to love her magic and made it her greatest strength. So hopefully he's rotting in hell somewhere." She felt of Zelena's forehead and frowned. "I'm going to get some ice packs and find something for her to eat. She'll be hungry when she wakes up." He gave her a nod and took her place as she left the room. He reached out to take Zelena's hand and clasped it in his own, letting his thoughts wander to brighter days in their lives.
Unlike his siblings who were romantically involved with someone from Storybrooke, his relationship with Zelena was a bit different. It began with Elias, who saw her as an amazing person the moment they met. The two became nearly inseparable and it pleased Jackson immensely to see him opening up to her and she doing the same in return. Over the last few years, they settled into a nice life together, raising Elias with the rest of the Swans. His relationship with Zelena was built around friendship and companionship more than anything. Romantic relationships were difficult for the both of them. The best part was that she was different than any woman he'd ever met. She didn't find him nerdy or annoying when spouting the endless information that flitted through his mind. His siblings were always loving and supporting but he was sure they tired of listening to him tell them about some complex fact or scenario they simply didn't understand. Zelena didn't understand either sometimes, but she didn't seem to mind listening to his explanations. She actually seemed to like it.
A minute later he felt her squeeze his hand and he sat up. Zelena's eyes fluttered open and she looked around.
"Welcome back."
"How long was I out?"
"Six hours, forty-three minutes, twenty-three seconds. Are you okay?"
Zelena smirked. "Help me up?"
"Sit up, yes. You're not going anywhere." He said, drawing a soft laugh from her. He hooked an arm under her back and helped her sit up, propping herself against the arm of the couch. "You were watching something, weren't you?"
Zelena looked up as Tink returned with some supplies. She accepted a glass of water and drank some of it while pressing the ice pack against her chest. "I gave Regina a magic button that transforms into a flying monkey. She didn't know that I could see through its eyes if I chose to. It's bad there."
"You saw Fiona?" Tink asked.
"I saw...someone."
Jackson watched her until she drank again and noticed her muscles twitching as she rubbed her head. These were no doubt symptoms of fatigue spawning from her constant use of magic. "You're exhausted."
"I'll rest in a minute."
"You have been up for almost three days now and you expended everything you had working on the wand. You are no help to anyone in this state."
Zelena shook her head, turning in the chair to face him. "You don't understand. There is a person there whose magic is on another level. Who can go toe to toe with Mal or fight Regina and Emma at the same time. This is just one person, Jackson. They haven't even met Fiona yet. What is that?" She looked at the plate Tink held and the fairy handed it to her.
"Just some apples and a couple of baked rolls. I'll send the boys to the store later to restock the kitchen." Zelena barely registered her words before she started eating it, devouring the meager meal within a minute. "What were you saying about a woman?"
"A powerful woman." Zelena said, downing the rest of her water.
"Mal, Regina and Emma might be powerful in this world, but not in that world." Jackson replied.
"Well, that bitch has never met me. Help me up." She growled with eyes burning bright blue. He'd never seen her so angry before and he wasn't even sure it was for the same reason as before.
"You're not going anywhere." He said, firmly.
"That's cute, Jackie. Help me up." She held out her hand and he rolled his eyes, but moved to pick her up anyway.
"One day, I will not do everything you say."
"Not today." She smirked, pecking his cheek. "We need to get to my vault. The others need help."
It was no use arguing with her but she let Tink teleport them rather than doing it herself. He carried her into her vault and she got down, limping steadily over to a lever on the wall. She flipped it and electricity started to fly up several cords placed against the wall, running up to the group of statues that lined an alcove above. The statues were of flying monkeys and where the lightning hit them, the stone started to recede. Jackson's jaw dropped when Zelena flipped the lever again and they started to climb down from their perch and greeted their mistress with happy chirps and trills.
"Everyone, say hello to Jackson." Zelena cooed. The monkeys all came to him and he took a step back. They were so lifelike. There were five in total and each one was a different color with different markings and each possessed a pair of large, feathery wings. He hesitantly reached out to one and it responded well as he scratched its head. "Alright! To work." Zelena commanded. "I need three rejuvenation elixirs, a bowl for the blood ritual and the ingredients for a tether spell." The monkeys took off, some flying and others running to gather everything Zelena asked.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to use blood magic to get in touch with Regina and try my best to help her out."
"What's the other stuff for?" Jackson asked. "Rejuvenating elixirs and tethers?"
"The elixirs will replenish my magical energy. Sort of like an energy drink."
"And you need three? Is this wise?"
"I know my limitations, dearie." Zelena replied. "Besides, we don't have the time to argue about this. Regina is fighting a losing battle."
"This woman you spoke of, who was really powerful, she can defeat all of them? I thought Regina had light magic now. Doesn't that count for something?"
"Usually yes, but Regina is a master of dark magic and we don't have any teachers of light magic to expand her knowledge of it. It's not the same thing. Light magic is powerful, but she can barely use it beyond making shields and flashes of light. It drains her far quicker than dark magic does."
"I suppose I shouldn't even ask if Emma can do something then." He muttered.
"Emma is a surprisingly good student...when she's paying attention. Her magic is more instinctual. It works without her having to think. It protects her, defends her. Besides, she has Charming blood. They're basically like cockroaches. Can't kill them. If I can just get in contact with Regina, I can send her something to help her. Or at least find the best way to take this woman down."
"But what about-"
"Jackson, calm down." Zelena smirked. "Panicking and worrying is not helping. It's just distracting. Our family will prevail. Believe me, they are ridiculously difficult to kill. Now, relax and let me work. I know what I'm doing."
He had to admit that he was out of his element with this and there was little he could do. Zelena moved over to a table and sat down while the monkeys rushed about, collecting everything she'd requested. A little brown one landed on her shoulder and held out a small, bright blue vial. She thanked him and drank it. The color returned to her skin instantly and he could see her veins glowing beneath her skin with a pale blue light. The glow lasted for a few more seconds before it faded away. "Are you okay?"
"Actually, I feel much better."
"You said this was like an energy drink. That means you're going to eventually crash, doesn't it?"
"Yes. I'm trusting you to catch me."
"What?"
Zelena only smirked at him before returning to the task at hand. The monkeys brought a large bowl to the table made of clay, along with two more rejuvenation elixirs and a bunch of herbs and other things he couldn't name. They began crushing them up and dropping them into the bowl while Zelena drank another elixir. "Jackie, look behind you." He did. "There is a chest against the wall full of daggers. Bring me one." He nodded and went to one of the large, ornate chests and flipped over the lid, jaw dropping at the sight of all the blades. He grabbed a pretty silver one and returned to Zelena. "Thank you, dearie." She took hold of the dagger and proceeded to slice open her palm and allow the blood to drip into the bowl.
"Why do people always slice their hands? Do you know how many nerves are in there?" Jackson asked. "It's one of the most vulnerable and utilized parts of the body."
Zelena giggled. "I've cut off my entire hand before." She laughed softly to herself before looking at him. "I realize that this little trip may make me look and sound crazy, but I assure you I'm not."
He couldn't resist letting out a little smile. "The best people are. Now, do whatever you have to do to save everyone."
Zelena nodded and conjured green fire in her hand. She dropped it into the bowl and the herbs caught fire. Her eyes glowed purple for a moment and then she whipped her head to the side, as if struck, before collapsing to the ground.
"Zelena?" Jackson rushed to her side. "What happened?"
"I connected to Regina. She...She got hit." Zelena ran her hands across the right side of her face. Her skin was blotchy and red, but she wasn't injured. She scowled and got back to her feet. She grabbed the third rejuvenation elixir and downed it before unleashing her magic again at the bowl.
/
Regina struggled valiantly with the woman in black, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to beat her. She kept trying to use the pin, but the woman was prepared for that too. She drove a knee into Regina's stomach and swung with a magic fueled fist at Regina's head, so fast and so hard that she didn't see it coming. Zelena's shield blocked most of the impact, but it was still enough to knock Regina to the side and send pain shooting through the side of her face. The brunette lay stunned in the grass, trying to get back up. She felt the woman take the pin from her hand and she couldn't do anything to stop her.
Regina! She heard Zelena's voice pounding through her head. Get up and destroy this bitch! Regina's eyes snapped open wide when she felt something foreign rushing through her veins. It was her sister, sharing her strength. How it was possible, she didn't know, but she would take it. The pain in her face was erased and energy flooded her limbs. She got to her feet and lashed out with both light and dark magic, blasting the woman across the field. She conjured the cuff and the pin and teleported to where she landed. A quick stab with the pin and the cuff had the woman firmly subdued. Regina also used magic to bind her wrists and legs, although she had every intention of ripping them off for what she did to her family.
"You are going to die slowly and painfully." She raised her fist to deliver one more blow for all the damage she'd caused when someone grabbed her fist.
"We need her alive." Emma said.
"She killed Mal!"
"No, she didn't."
She spun around. "Mal?" She looked behind her to find that the rest of her family were alive and well. "I thought she'd killed you. I was about to beat her senseless."
"I know and I'm fine. Right now, we need to get out of here and have a little talk."
Mal put an arm around her and she felt the presence of Zelena's magic dispersing, leaving her weak and tired. Mal teleported them all away.
Not long later the Swans had chosen a new place to rest and recover. Mal seemed to trust this new blonde woman, who'd taken them to some underground cavern. They'd stopped and made a fire so they could check each other's wounds. Regina winced as Emma healed her face next to the fire that was flickering wildly. It would be morning soon and night had only begun minutes ago. It felt as if they'd been fighting for hours.
"I'm fine, Emma."
"You sure?" Emma asked.
"Positive."
Across the fire, Mal growled softly while Rose and Grace did their best to tend to her burns. Regina could see that she'd taken a heavy blow and would need time to regain her strength. Their prisoners were nearby with Alexander and David keeping watch, although the blonde was free to move around. Regina just assumed she was a companion to the black haired bitch. She kept glancing at them and looking away when she attracted their attention. Snow came to kneel next to Emma.
"You two okay?"
"Fine." Emma said. "Haven't taken a beating like that in a long time."
"I agree." Regina murmured, touching her face where she was punched.
"Well, let's see what these two could tell us and then we need to get moving. I doubt there's a place in this world where Fiona couldn't find us so we can't stay here." Emma stood up and held out her hand to help Regina and Snow to their feet.
"Permission to use torture?" Regina growled, glaring at the pair of them. The blonde looked confused and a little frightened while the brunette returned her murderous glare without fear.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Mal said, wincing as Rose helped her put her coat back on.
"And why is that?"
"Because they're who we came for."
"What?"
Emma and Regina both turned to look at the blonde, who took a wary step forward, looking between the two of them like a frightened deer ready to bolt. There was hope in her eyes. Hope and fear.
"No." Regina whispered. "It can't be."
"I-It's me." The blonde whispered. "Nala. I swear it."
"Prove it." Regina commanded.
"I-I don't know how to. Please, you have to believe me. We've waited so long." Nala sobbed. "Look at my memories, check my blood. Anything."
Emma took a step forward, looking at the woman that claimed to be their daughter. She didn't understand it and she was angry that it happened, that Fiona had done this to her child. Could it be true? Regina was not entirely convinced. Fiona could have picked any of her minions who happened to be blonde and had them pretend to be Nala. She looked at the black haired woman, who was still glaring at her.
"That's Myra." Nala said.
"You sure?" Regina scoffed. "Because she almost killed us."
"Don't blame her." Nala whispered. "She had it worse than the rest of us."
"Shut up, Nala!" Myra roared. "You traitor!"
Rose and Grace stood up and helped Mal up as well. She walked to Nala and bid her to sit on the ground. Nala obeyed. "I'm going to show you her memories. If what I believe is true, I'm going to need you to not get upset. Not yet."
"Her memories could be tampered with." Regina said.
"Decide after you've seen them."
"We don't have time for this."
"We do." Mal replied, raising her hands over the blonde's head. Purple cords of magic enveloped the girl while a screen-like square appeared overhead. In it, they could see everything. The oldest memories were fuzzy of course considering how young Nala was originally. Emma smiled when she recognized Cody among the memories, talking to Nala, listening to her, giving her his food or beating up someone who messed with her. He was always a protector. Regina watched in stony silence as she and Emma entered the memories. Their meetings with Nala and outings as a family, integrating her into the Swan family, it was still fresh in everyone's minds. They were clear as crystal. Then the night of the attack came… She saw Myra and Adam huddled in the closet of Myra's bedroom, trying desperately to bury themselves in the clothes and shoes. It didn't work. Fiona's men dragged them out of the closet and although they fought, they were taken away, bags thrown over their heads and just like that, they were gone.
The next face she saw was Fiona's. Regina didn't recognize the room they were kept in or the castle, but she assumed that it was Fiona's fortress. She'd even made it bright and cheery, filled it with toys and books for children, a small pool, puppies and kittens. However, Myra and Nala weren't fooled and wanted to go home. Every day that passed they asked to be released or asked about their mothers, despite Fiona's pretty words and promises. The more they asked, the less kind she started to be and one day, everything changed. All traces of niceness vanished. Emma stiffened in rage when she saw Fiona strap her daughters to some kind of table and inject them with something in a syringe. Myra and Nala screamed for them and Emma had to turn away after watching them seize and convulse. Regina did not. She watched as Fiona tormented her children and broke them, forcing them to bend to her will. She couldn't look away. She had to see everything that monster did to her daughters so she could know how much pain Fiona would feel in retaliation, how many bones she would have to break. She already knew that answer though. All of them.
"Hold out your hands." The voice brought Regina out of her murderous reverie to refocus on the memories playing before her. It was one of Fiona's men, clad in all black with a black helmet on, and he was standing in front of Myra while Nala struggled with another boy, begging for mercy. Myra held out her hands in front of her, emotionlessly. "Mother does not like to be disobeyed. You know the punishment-"
"Shut up and do it." Myra growled. The man didn't even hesitate and he slammed something across Myra's hands and wrists. Emma and Regina both flinched at the sound. No wonder their arms were covered in scars. They were beaten, whipped. Myra didn't even react to the beating, didn't flinch, didn't cry out. The man stepped aside and motioned for her to lead the way and she did so dutifully. Nala was ultimately taken with them, although she fought every step of the way. They were taken to the same room as before, when they were injected with Fiona's serum.
Fiona gave Myra a smile as she climbed onto the bed and laid back, opening her arm to receive the serum. "Have we learned our lesson?"
"Yes...Mother."
"You're not our mother!" Nala screamed. "You're a monster!" Fiona glared at her and nodded, signalling for Nala to be taken away. "Get off of me! Myra! Fight, Myra!" She screamed. "Please!"
"Administer the next round. I'll deal with this." Fiona commanded the woman in the lab coat nearby. She walked around the bed to follow Nala and her captor out of the room. They passed many more rooms similar in design.
"Stop." Grace said. The screen froze and she stepped forward. "Can you...rewind it?" Mal nodded and did so. "Play it slowly." Mal did that as well. She looked at Alexander. "You see what I see?"
"I do. You can stop it, Maleficent. I don't think we need to see anymore." Xander glanced over at his daughters. Emma had yet to comment on what they'd seen and Regina...was gone. Even he could feel her aura pulsing with murderous intent.
"You sure?" Mal asked, pausing the spell. Nala rubbed her temples, grimacing in pain.
"I counted about ten other rooms. Saw glimpses of others getting dosed with that serum. There were others, weren't there?" Grace asked. Nala simply nodded without opening her eyes. "Was that pixie dust?" Nala nodded again.
"Looks like human experimentation. Using different people with different abilities and seeing how they react to the pixie dust serum." Alexander said. "Still doesn't explain why she needs them. We thought she wanted to replace the family that rejected her. She stole enough kids to do that. She's built an army, brainwashed them to follow her without question and sent unfathomable amounts of power to our world. What is this, some kind of supervillain bullshit?"
"Doesn't matter." Regina whispered. She took a shaky breath. "Fiona dies. All of this dies with her." Emma reached for her as she started to walk away, but Rose stopped her.
"Leave her be. She's just angry and she has every right to be. Nothing's gonna change that."
Mal and Grace continued looking through the rest of Nala's memories but after her outburst she was transformed into a lion and chained. She was practically a pet from that point on and Myra devolved into Fiona's favorite little experiment.
"Looks like Regina was right about the bloodline thing." Xander said softly to his wife. "If Myra was the only one who reacted so well to the serum then she's Fiona's prize."
Grace slowly nodded. "She's been doing this for a while, watching us for a while. I'm surprised she didn't make a move until now."
"Meaning?" Snow asked.
"Well, why didn't she take Emma? Why didn't she take Henry? She had plenty of time to do so. If this was about finding children with special bloodlines and abilities, they would meet the requirements, right?"
"I don't think we should care about her reasoning." Emma said. "We have the girls and we should get home. Can you change them back?" She looked at Mal. The dragon looked over at Myra and Nala. "Can you do it, Maleficent?"
"Perhaps." The dragon said, facing her again. "It is possible, but it can't be done in the blink of an eye. I would have to come up with a spell to draw out the serum and revert their ages, remove their memories. It is a difficult and dangerous process. I would need to consult Zelena and Regina first."
Emma looked at Nala. "Are we safe here for the time being?"
Nala nodded. "These tunnels run all throughout Fiona's kingdom. They're a part of the mines. She sends children there to mine for pixie dust. They're the problem ones and she doesn't care about them so she doesn't watch them."
"Then we'll rest here for now. We'll need energy to open a portal home."
"What happened to stopping Fiona?" Snow asked.
"I have to think about my family first." Emma replied.
"I get that, but don't you think it'll be dangerous bringing her back into Storybrooke as she is?" She lowered her voice as she spoke, clearly fearing making Emma upset. "She almost killed us. I want her back too, but she could destroy Storybrooke in one blow. She's still loyal to Fiona. We take her back to Storybrooke and she's going to go straight back if she gets free."
"I agree." Grace added.
"Give me a few minutes and I can put her to sleep." Mal offered.
"You should probably focus on resting." Rose intervened. "You took some nasty hits."
"I will be fine." The dragon scoffed.
"I'm sure we'll be safe for the next five minutes. Sit." Rose commanded. Mal narrowed her eyes momentarily before taking a seat on a rock.
"We'll go keep watch." David suggested. "We'll take the tunnel."
"We'll take the entrance." Xander agreed. "And we have to take stock of our ammo."
Emma nodded as they moved off and turned around to take a seat on the ground next to Myra. Nala was nearby, having chosen to lay down and even in human form, she laid as if she were an animal, curled up in a little ball. Emma wasn't sure if she was asleep or not. "I'm sorry about this." She said softly. "It shouldn't have happened. I wish it didn't." Myra said nothing in reply, choosing to stare across the tunnel at the dirt on the other side, doing her best to ignore Emma. "Regina feels the same way, although she's more angry than anything. I don't know what Fiona told you about us. She might've lied or she could've told you nothing, but we're not your enemy. We love you and we're going to do everything to make this right."
A soft chuckle came from her child but it was humorless. "You have no idea what's going on, do you?"
"Why don't you tell me in case I don't." Emma suggested.
"I'm not that stupid, Savior."
"You really think she cares about you? You think you're more than just a pawn?"
"Of course I am." Myra growled. "Fiona loves me. She's my mother."
"She abducted you. She nearly killed your brothers and turned your own sister into an animal so she couldn't convince you to fight back. She has manipulated you into loving her when she is a cruel, evil woman who steals children from their families."
"She said that you would lie about her."
Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm not lying. You saw Nala's memories for yourself. You saw what Fiona did to her and to you."
"Memories can be faked with the right spell."
Emma took a deep breath feeling a powerful rage start to swell in her chest. She was going to kill Fiona for this. She was going to destroy this entire world for this. She stood up and searched for anything to calm her down. When she looked towards Regina she found that her wife was gone. "Where's Regina?" She called, looking around.
"Oh no." Mal was on her feet instantly.
"What do you mean 'oh no'?" Grace demanded.
"You're never seen Regina when she has someone to hate, have you?" Snow asked. "Hatred and anger are Regina's biggest crutches."
"And strengths." Mal added. "We have to find her before she-"
The tunnel suddenly shook, showering them with dust. Everyone made a break for the tunnel. Emma ran to Nala and shook her awake before throwing Myra over her shoulder and racing for the tunnel entrance. They made it just before the entire thing collapsed. The earth continued shaking violently.
"Over there!" Snow gestured to a plume of smoke rising over the forest in the distance. Heavy explosions followed and the sounds of gunfire soon filled the air.
"Before she does something stupid!" Mal growled, already starting to shift. She crouched down so the others could climb onto her back. "Tell no one about this. Except Rose. She can have a ride anytime she wants." With a strong flap of her wings she took to the skies, racing the clouds across the heavens. A black castle came into view and it had already sustained significant damage from Regina's rage. Massive holes had ripped through the walls and a tower of the castle had fallen over. Regina was in the courtyard, blasting her way through Fiona's men and threatening to bring the entire castle down. The pixie flowers around her began to die as she stole their energy, lending force to her magical blasts.
"Bring me Fiona!" Regina roared. She waved her hand, setting fire to everything around her, burning so hot that Emma felt the heat from the air.
"Let me down." Emma said.
Mal began to circle above Regina's head, bringing them closer to the ground. A column of gray smoke appeared and Fiona emerged from within, a smirk firmly planted on her lips.
"Regina-"
Regina didn't give her time to speak. She unleashed a burst of magic so powerful that it blew half the castle away and created a massive sinkhole beneath Regina's feet. The blast completely blew out Emma's hearing and was strong enough to knock Mal off balance, flinging her passengers into open air. She rotated her wings, desperately trying to correct herself and reach out to catch the Swans at the same time. They were falling...She could teleport but she didn't think she was capable of teleporting all of them at once. Especially not with Mal as well. The dragon wasn't even flapping her wings anymore. If the blast knocked her own hearing out, she couldn't imagine the pain Mal must be in with hearing ten times better than her own. She tried to think of a way out but Regina and Fiona didn't give her a chance to. A second and third blast followed the first and for a moment, she was blinded by a bright light. Then she hit the ground...and everything went dark…
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