Meanwhile, Mulan and Aurora soon rode towards an island on their respective horses, Khan and Samson with Lonnie and Audrey behind them on the horses, but they were dragging Emma, Evie, and Mary Margaret behind them with their hands tied and dragged by the horses as they were forced to walk after the horses. After a while, they soon ended up in a village-like encampment which was populated by the remaining Enchanted Forest inhabitants
"W-Where are we?" Evie asked as she looked around.
"What is this place?" Mary Margaret added.
"Our home." Mulan stated as they arrived at the safe haven.
The people there soon stopped and stared before gasping at the sight of their new company.
"What are they staring at?" Evie whispered to herself firmly with a pout.
"It's like they're refugees." Emma remarked.
"We're survivors." Lonnie retorted.
"Precisely." Mulan nodded, agreeing unknowingly with her future daughter.
"We need to get out of here somehow." Evie whispered to herself fearfully.
"Just keep quiet and leave this to me," Mary Margaret whispered back to Evie. "I don't know much about the Snow White you grew up with, but things are going to look a little different."
"How's that?" Evie wondered quietly.
"Just get ready and wait for my signal." Mary Margaret told her.
"What signal?" Evie then wondered.
Mary Margaret then suddenly kneed Aurora in the gut and ran for it. "Girls! Run!" she then told both Emma and Evie.
"Looks like that's our cue!" Evie then said.
Emma and Evie then began to run.
"How dare you?!" Lonnie glared as she and Mulan then stopped the three before they could go any further.
"I think we're going to need some reinforcements with our failures to communicate." Mulan told Lonnie, sounding firm about their three new prisoners.
"Right." Lonnie nodded.
"Mothe-Aurora, are you okay?" Audrey asked in concern.
"I'll... I'll be okay..." Aurora choked a little. "Don't worry about it, okay?"
Audrey nodded before hugging her future mother, fearing anything bad happening to her because it would lead to disastrous results when she and Lonnie would go back home in their own time.
"Mary Margaret! Mary Margaret! What did you do?!" Emma cried out to her mother who was knocked out because of the warrior woman.
"She was trying to save us!" Evie firmly reminded the blonde woman.
"What should we do now?" Lonnie then asked Mulan as Mushu peeked out from her pocket, looking a little scared around Emma, Evie, and Mary Margaret since he didn't know them.
"Take them to the pit." Mulan firmly decided.
"No." Evie and Emma both frowned, sounding defeated and scared.
Soon, the three trespassers were literally and suddenly thrown into a dungeon-like pit underground.
"Be careful!" Emma told them before she soon tried to wake up Mary Margaret. "Hey. Come on. Wake up. Hey. Can you hear me?"
"Oh... Is she...?" Evie frowned in concern.
"No... She's just knocked out..." Emma replied. "I just can't believe that she did that."
Me neither... Guess that's what she meant by Snow White going to be a little different from now on." Evie remarked as she knelt beside the short-haired woman as they were stuck with nothing else to do or able to get back out.
"Do you need help?" A new voice asked, but the person was obscured by the shadows.
"Who said that?" Evie gasped and flinched. "Who's there?"
"There's no need to be afraid, my dear, I'm just a friend," The voice said before showing a bit of an older woman who then stepped forward into the light coming from above. "My name's Cora."
"Cora..." Evie whispered to herself. "...What a wonderful name."
"Thank you, my dear~" The older woman smiled and nodded in response as she looked rather fond of Evie already.
Evie smiled back as she felt very hopeful about this older woman already as they felt a strong connection with each other, though they weren't quite sure what it was yet.
"Here, let me take care of this one," Cora said as she stepped over to Mary Margaret. "I can tell that she'll need some special help the most."
"Thank you, Miss Cora," Evie said, not sure what else to call her just yet. "Oh, please be okay, Ms. Blanchard." she then added quietly and hopefully.
Emma and Evie soon stood by and watched as Cora tended to Mary Margaret.
"You sure she's gonna be okay?" Emma asked out of concern.
"Don't worry. She'll be fine." Cora reassured.
"What is this place anyway?" Evie asked as she looked around the pit.
"It's a little island our captors like to think of as their haven." Cora explained.
"Haven?" Emma soon asked. "From what?"
"The world's dangerous," Cora warned. "What's left of it, anyway."
"Well, they can't keep us down here. We didn't do anything wrong." Evie then said strongly as she tried to behave more like Regina so that she wouldn't feel scared and worried about everything due to being so far away from home.
"Neither did I." Cora replied.
"Then why are you here?" Emma asked her then.
"I'm here because of something my daughter did," Cora explained. "The curse that ravaged this land? She cast it."
Evie's eyes slowly widened as she realized who this woman was now. The woman's daughter cast the curse who was Evie's mother and this made the woman her own grandmother and she never even knew or realized before.
"Regina?" Emma asked Cora out of shock. "You're Regina's mother?"
"Yes, but you've nothing to fear from me," Cora reassured. "The apple fell very far from the tree."
"You're... You're her mother... But... That's impossible..." Evie whispered.
"Pardon me, my dear?" Cora then asked, not sure what exactly Evie was talking about right now.
"You're from over there, aren't you?" Emma asked as Evie was alone with her thoughts as she backed away a little from Cora in concern. "How'd you get back?"
"Girls. No..." Mary Margaret spoke weakly as she slowly came back into reality.
"Oh, Snow, you're awake," Cora said to the other woman with a small smile. "I'm so relieved."
"As bad as you think Regina is, this woman is worse." Mary Margaret warned.
"She's right..." Evie said as Cora approached her and she kept trying to stay in front of the redheaded woman.
Cora soon looked confused at what was going on with the teenage girl. "What are you doing, my dear?" she then asked softly.
"My mother said to never turn my back on you and you moved away after I was born for a good reason." Evie glared in defense, trying to be brave around her maternal grandmother.
"Oh, girls. Sweet girls, please believe me," Cora cooed to both Mary Margaret and Evie. "Whatever she told you isn't true. I just want to help you."
"Let's hear her out." Emma suggested.
"Emma..." Mary Margaret warned her grown daughter.
"Okay. Right now, we're at the bottom of a hole with no other options and Henry is back in Storybrooke with Regina." Emma soon explained to Cora.
Cora began to look rather curious. "Who's Henry?" she then asked.
"My son and Evie's brother. I kinda share him with Regina," Emma gently explained. "It's complicated."
"Don't talk to her!" Mary Margaret warned Emma.
"Enough!" A man's voice called out before the others looked up and over to see him there. "Our leader requests an audience." he then added before pulling down a rope for the girls to climb up with and get out while they still had the chance.
"Very well," Evie replied, trying to be bold and assertive like her mother before she looked over to the eldest woman. "Can you come with us?"
"I'm afraid that I'm not invited to this meeting, my dear, but don't worry about me," Cora replied. "I'll be just fine."
Evie frowned a little before nodding as she followed Emma and Mary Margaret out of the pit for their next task.
Soon, they were out of the pit and followed the man through the camp so that they could meet the mysterious leader they were told about.
"Why can't you just listen to me?" Mary Margaret asked Emma as they walked together to meet this mysterious new man.
"Why couldn't you have trusted me?" Emma retorted. "I was just trying to find a way to get us home. I could've handled her."
"Cora? Don't be so sure." Mary Margaret replied.
"How bad could she be?" Evie spoke up. "She's my grandmother after all."
"What do you even know about her?" Mary Margaret then asked as she looked back at Evie. "I've lived here, girls. I know this world and its dangers." she then advised.
Evie frowned a bit, biting her lip as she refused to believe her grandmother would be that bad, but she did understand that being wary and cautious would probably be a good idea. Cora raised Regina after all and Regina once told Evie that even her grandmother was an Evil Queen, so Evie was destined to become one someday too.
"Wait here." The man soon told the women before walking away to get them who they were assigned to go with.
The three then stayed put before they looked back at each other again.
"Is that why you came through the portal?" Emma then asked her mother. "Because we were helpless here?"
"No. I came through to be with you." Mary Margaret reassured.
"And how about me?" Evie then asked.
"You too, Evie," Mary Margaret replied. "You were always one of my favorite students when you were Henry's age and that's a big fat promise through what I remember. They were good memories, regardless of whether your mother cursed me or not, I had a good time with you in my classroom."
Evie looked a little soft before she smiled a little bit.
Mary Margaret smiled back until she soon saw a rather familiar face approach them. "Lancelot?" she then asked, a bit surprised.
"Snow?" The man replied as he rushed over to the short-haired woman.
The two soon rushed over to each other and embraced each other in a very friendly sort of way.
"Lancelot?" Evie wondered. "As in one of The Knights at The Round Table?"
"I guess so." Emma shrugged in response.
"If I had known that you were the prisoners Mulan had brought back, I never would've locked you away," Lancelot said to his old friend. "Please, forgive me."
"Of course." Mary Margaret reassured calmly.
"Ms. Blanchard, you know Lancelot?" Evie then asked the woman.
"He's an old friend. We can trust him," Mary Margaret reassured with a smile before she faced Lancelot and the other two with her. "This is Emma and Evie."
Lancelot then smiled as he looked curious and began to get to know Emma and Evie better.
Meanwhile, Aurora was looking on and wasn't very happy about what she happened to see. "Why is he embracing them? They were responsible for Phillip's death." she then huffed.
"You're new here, Aurora," Mulan told the other woman. "Phillip trusted Lancelot. So must we."
"I want justice." Aurora retorted.
"Tread carefully. It's dangerous to confuse vengeance with justice," Mulan advised. "Do you understand me?"
Aurora didn't say anything to that.
"Do you understand me?" Mulan then repeated a bit sharply.
"...Yes." Aurora soon nodded.
Mulan nodded to that and soon left to go and join Lancelot as he was reuniting with Mary Margaret who he once knew as Snow White. Aurora then drew out a concealed dagger and looked back at Emma, Evie, and Mary Margaret as conspicuously as possible.
"We should have a feast," Lancelot soon suggested. "You all must be rather hungry."
"Yeah... Sounds great." Emma agreed.
"We haven't eaten in a while." Mary Margaret added.
"I could definitely eat." Evie remarked.
"Then let's get you settled in The Safe Haven and you can sit and dine before we continue on," Lancelot suggested. "I'm sure we can find something decent for you all to eat."
The girls then smiled as they began to get settled. Evie looked around as she adjusted to her surroundings before she saw other teenage girls and decided to bond with them as they introduced themselves as Li and Leah, though there was a lot more to them that Evie didn't know or realize just yet.
"Why don't you go join them, Evie?" Mary Margaret suggested to the teenage girl. "They're about your age."
"Bonding with those two?" Evie then asked.
"Yes... You should have lots to talk about." Mary Margaret smiled and nodded.
"Aw, Ms. Blanchard, just because you're the same age as someone doesn't mean you'll have loads in common," Evie replied. "Besides, we obviously come from very different worlds."
"Just give it a try, Evie," Mary Margaret urged. "Surely you can find something to talk about with them."
"Well... Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Evie shrugged before she went to go and see the other teenage girls here.
Mary Margaret smiled and nodded in approval over that. "So... Where did those girls come from?" she then asked Lancelot. "They didn't lose their homes, did they?"
"I don't know much about those two to be honest with you," Lancelot replied. "They came with Princess Aurora and Mulan."
"Oh... Well, I hope that they aren't too far away from home." Mary Margaret remarked.
"I'm sure that they will be just fine." Lancelot said then.
"Well, all right... If you're sure." Mary Margaret then said.
Lancelot nodded before he walked off to go and get some food for his weary travelers who were probably starving by now.
"So, I guess we should get to know each other since we're alone for right now," Leah said to Evie. "There's something you should know about me and Li."
Li nodded in agreement.
"Are you guys on a mission too?" Evie asked her fellow teenage girls.
"You could say that, yes," Leah nodded. "Well, for starters, we're from the future."
Evie looked a bit wide-eyed to find out about that.
"Our names are actually Lonnie and Audrey, the daughters of Hua Mulan and Princess Aurora Rose," Li, now going by her actual name in Evie's company, soon added as she was holding Mushu in the palms of her hands. "Don't tell Aurora and Mulan though."
"Okay, but I have to ask... How is that possible?" Evie soon asked. "How did you come from the future? And if you're descendants, shouldn't you be in Storybrooke too?"
Audrey then looked over at Lonnie as she wasn't sure how to answer that question.
"It's complicated, but I came to Audrey's kingdom with my cousin Yi-Min because we found out about a warning from my kingdom in Northern Wei," Lonnie soon told Evie as calmly as she could. "We believe there are threats such as Shan Yu and Xianniang, so we came to Audrey's kingdom just before a big ceremony was in store for me."
"Wait. There was?" Audrey asked Lonnie as she didn't know about that. "You didn't tell me about that."
"Don't make this about me, Audrey," Lonnie told the brunette girl before looking back at Evie. "But yes. There was a special ceremony going on back in my home while Audrey here was about to celebrate her Sweet 16th Birthday which is a very big deal, especially for a princess."
"Oh, believe me, I know all about that," Evie nodded. "Scarlett O'Bell had a very big birthday party when she turned 16 and even tried to send out fake invitations to unpopular kids."
"Ooh... That's an interesting idea." Audrey said.
"Audrey!" Lonnie firmly glared as that sounded like a horrible thing to do to somebody.
"What?" Audrey asked innocently.
"Ugh..." Lonnie rolled her eyes before looking back at Audrey. "Sorry about her, but she's a work in progress."
"I can tell," Evie nodded. "So how did you get here? I mean... In this area after my mother cast her curse?" she then asked.
"Well, as I said, we were back home until we got sent away," Lonnie replied. "Audrey's aunts, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather sent us back to the past to protect our future parents from a diabolical threat interfering with the timestream and said that we can't go back home until it's solved."
"Okay. And what is the threat?" Evie then asked, hoping she would find out.
"Well, that's one problem. We don't really know, but Lonnie suspects it's The Wraith," Audrey then said as Evie's face paled at the mention of "The Wraith" again. "It sucked out my father's soul and now he's under a sleeping curse just like my mom was as Sleeping Beauty until he saved her."
"The Wraith... I know exactly what you mean..." Evie nodded.
"It went to your Storybrooke too?" Lonnie then asked out of concern.
"Yeah... We have reason to believe that Mr. Gold was behind it," Evie replied. "He was Rumplestiltskin in The Enchanted Forest after all and was probably going after my mother too."
"Your mother?" Audrey then asked. "Who's your mother?" she then looked suddenly shifty-eyed. "You're not Maleficent's daughter, are you? Yeah, you know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff."
"No, no, my mother's not Maleficent, that's Mal's mother," Evie replied and shook her head. "My mother's The Evil Queen, so I suppose that makes me a princess too, right?" she then asked.
"Oh..." Audrey then said. "Well... The Evil Queen has no royal status here anymore and neither do you." she then added.
"Oh... Okay then..." Evie blinked about how sudden that was.
"The point is, we just all have to help each other," Lonnie soon said before food was being brought over for them. "Just don't blow our cover, otherwise that could be worse for the future than what happens in this timeline that we have to restore."
"Got it..." Evie nodded. "So I'll call you two Li and Leah from now on?"
"Yes, please," Lonnie replied. "I just hope you're good at acting."
"Well, I guess I could give it a try," Evie then said. "It'll take some getting used to, however."
Lonnie and Audrey nodded before looking up and over as some food was being brought over as everyone sat down to get comfortable. On the table was a comprehensive meal.
"Dinner is served," Mulan said before she looked between the three teenage girls curiously. "...Say, what were you girls talking about anyway?"
The three girls were silent and nervous, not sure what to tell the warrior woman.
Luckily, Evie was able to think of a response on the spot before she hugged Audrey and Lonnie instantly, giggling like a typical and bubbly teenage girl. "Boys!~" she then answered and gushed.
"...All right then," Mulan soon said. "I hope you enjoy your dinner."
Evie nodded before looking down at the plate and grimaced only slightly because she had no idea what they were about to eat. Lonnie then winked at Evie, appreciating her fast thinking as they got ready and settled to eat as she carefully cupped Mushu in her hands to take him over to the table as well.
"What the hell is that?" Emma asked as she looked down at the food, feeling just as weirded out and disturbed as the teenage girls.
"That is Chimera. An acquired taste, but all our hunting party could bring back," Lancelot informed as he came to sit down with them. "One part lion, one part serpent, one part goat."
"Like turducken?" Emma then asked.
"It at least sounds better than a tofu version." Evie added.
"I don't understand. We were told this land didn't even exist anymore," Mary Margaret spoke up before she looked very confused. "How did you all escape the curse?" she then asked her old friend.
"It is a mystery. The curse struck, and when the smoke cleared, most of us had been torn from this land, but some of us here, in this particular region, were left behind," Lancelot replied. "We don't know how and we don't know why. Finding this safe haven wasn't easy and luckily my son is safe and sound at his new school."
"You have a son?" Mary Margaret then asked.
"Oh, yes. He's gone to Camelot with some new friends. You'll have to meet him someday," Lancelot nodded. "It took some spilled blood, but, worry not, you're safe here." he then reassured.
"I'd love to meet your son, but we can't stay," Mary Margaret replied. "My husband's back there. Emma's son, my grandson, Evie's little brother."
"She's right," Evie added. "We have to get back to them. Can you help us find a portal?" she then asked.
"No, leaving is unwise. The Enchanted Forest is not as you remember it," Lancelot warned his guests. "The Ogres have returned."
"Ogres?" Emma soon asked. "Like, as in 'Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum'?"
"Those would be giants." Mary Margaret corrected her daughter.
"Yeah, we're talking about ogres. You know. Like Shrek." Evie added.
"They're far worse. That's why we live here, on this island, where it's safe while my son is at his new school," Lancelot added. "Please, Snow, stay here. There are no more portals left."
Mary Margaret looked thoughtful. "I might know of one." she then said suddenly.
"You do?" Evie then asked the woman.
Lonnie and Audrey then looked over, rather hopeful and eager. Maybe that could help them back home too.
"Where?" Lancelot asked the short-haired woman.
"Cora's near. I don't feel comfortable voicing my plans," Mary Margaret warned in a hushed voice. "She's powerful."
"Not anymore," Lancelot replied. "The curse stripped her of her powers, but given her reputation, we've kept her locked up as a precaution."
"Nevertheless, I'm not taking chances, even if she is Evie's grandmother," Mary Margaret said with an apologetic glance to Evie before she then continued with what she was saying. "Just trust me, I may have a way. Let us go."
Lancelot looked thoughtful before he then nodded. I'll allow it... But on one condition," he then said. "Take my bravest warrior with you. Allow Mulan to defend you."
"We can defend ourselves." Emma replied strongly.
"Deal," Mary Margaret disagreed before she smiled at the knight. "Thank you, Lancelot. For always looking out for me."
Lancelot then smiled back as he was just glad to help out his old friend. Soon, everybody attempted to eat The Chimera as it tasted rather unusual before they had to get ready for their next step.
Mulan brought out a chest of weapons and opened it up for everybody else in front of her to give them their next instructions. "Choose wisely. We must be vigilant if we hope to survive the journey." she then advised and informed.
Emma looked down in the weapons in slight despair. "Where's my gun? I want it back." she then demanded.
Mulan soon took out Emma's gun from her pocket, looking it over as she didn't seem to be familiar with a weapon such as that. "Is it magic?" she then asked, referring to Emma's gun.
"Depends on who's pulling the trigger." Emma replied.
Evie soon took out the bow and arrows curiously.
"I can teach you how to use those if you want." Mary Margaret offered to Evie.
"I think I would like that actually." Evie said, smiling hopefully.
Mary Margaret smiled back as they began to bond together rather nicely. Lonnie soon found a warrior sword inside of the weapons' chest and decided to slash it in the air and use it swiftly, luckily not harming anyone in the process, though Audrey looked abit alarmed and annoyed with what Lonnie was doing right now.
"Follow my lead, step where I step, do exactly as I say, and we might survive." Mulan soon told her company.
"Thanks for the pep talk, but I think we're okay," Emma replied to the warrior woman. "I just killed a dragon last week."
"Have you ever seen an ogre?" Mulan then asked.
"Pretty sure I've dated a few." Emma scoffed in response.
"Legend has it that when they kill you, the last thing you see is yourself dying in the reflection in their eyes," Mulan educated fearlessly before she stalked on ahead, having Lonnie beside her. "Let's walk. It'll be dark soon," she then looked over. "Wait. Where are you going?"
"Going to help you slay the ogres," Lonnie replied. "That's what we're here for, right?"
"No, Li. You, Leah, and Evie shouldn't have weapons either," Mulan shook her head. "It's too dangerous for young people like yourselves."
"But-" Lonnie began with a frown.
"Don't 'but' me," Mulan retorted. "We'll take you girls to the campground, but that'll be it. That sword suits you nicely, but you should put it back."
"Oh, but trust me, Mulan, I know how to handle a warrior sword." Lonnie replied.
"How would you know how to deal with a warrior sword?" Mulan asked with a bit of a scoff.
Lonnie desperately wanted to answer with "You and Dad taught me how", but of course she couldn't say that. "I... I..." she then stammered, defeated as she couldn't match her mother's cold and iron gaze, being effective even before she and her siblings were born.
"That's what I thought," Mulan then said. "Put it back and no more fooling around. Like I said, it will be dark soon."
"Yes, ma'am..." Lonnie sighed in defeat before she walked away back to the weapons' chest, then walked over.
Mushu then slithered around Lonnie's hands and soon landed on her head and seemed to pat his tail on the girl's shoulders to try to help comfort her.
"Thanks, Mushu," Lonnie smiled at her pet. "You always know how to cheer me up."
Mushu then kept doing what he was doing as he couldn't speak back to her due to being a lizard and all, even if Lonnie insisted that he was actually a dragon in disguise, sent by her ancestors to protect her. Emma also began to look very unsure about Mulan.
"Don't let her rattle you. I won't let anything happen to us," Mary Margaret soothed Emma as best as she could. "Stick to the plan."
"What is the plan? You haven't told me anything," Emma then demanded. "What's going on?"
"The wardrobe." Mary Margaret simply replied.
"Wardrobe?" Evie asked. "Are we going to Narnia?"
"No, Evie, not that wardrobe." Mary Margaret chuckled a little.
"Like, the wardrobe that sent little baby me to Maine?" Emma then asked.
"Mm-hmm." Mary Margaret then nodded to Emma.
"Oh... That makes sense," Evie said. "Do you think it could get us back to Storybrooke?" she then asked.
"I don't know," Mary Margaret replied. "First we have to see if it survived the curse, then we'll worry about making it work."
"Where is it?" Emma soon asked.
"My place. You wanna see where you're from, Emma?" Mary Margaret replied.
Emma looked a little soft in response to that.
"That's right. We're going home." Mary Margaret then added with a nod.
"I'll be home soon, Henry. I promise." Evie whispered to herself hopefully.
Soon, after a while, they arrived at a clearing in the forest.
"This will do," Mulan soon said. "We'll make camp here for the night. We just need to find water, collect some firewood." she then instructed.
"Uh, if we're hiding from ogres, shouldn't we maybe, I don't know, not start a fire?" Emma spoke up meekly.
"Ogres are blind," Mary Margaret reassured. "They hunt by sound alone."
"Right. Because that's something everyone would know about ogres." Emma replied a bit sarcastically.
Mary Margaret sighed. "Look, I know you're out of your element-" she then started to say.
"I'm fine." Emma reassured.
"I know, but maybe you should just stay here while we get wood and water," Mary Margaret continued then. "Guard the campsite and the girls?"
"You mean the big, empty clearing?" Emma then asked.
"It's the safest place," Mary Margaret said before going to leave with Mulan for the time being. "We'll be right back."
Soon, Lonnie, Evie, and Audrey began to set up their own campsite together while the adults got to work.
"You really shouldn't have come, Audrey," Lonnie said to the pink princess. "No offense, but you don't really have a lot of camping experience, plus you could get in a lot of trouble with ogres."
"Oh, I'll be fine... Besides, you can do the heavy lifting for me since your mother's Mulan and all," Audrey reassured with a smug shrug as Evie and Lonnie shared a deadpan look together, making her frown. "What?"
"Oh, nothing..." Evie rolled her eyes. "I'm not much into camping myself either to be honest with you, girls. I'm just here because I'm ready to go back home, especially to my brother Henry."
"I'd love to go back home to my family too... Later in the future of course," Lonnie then said. "I have a big brother named Shang and a little sister named Sha-Ron."
"Oh... That sounds nice." Evie said with a small smile.
"Yeah, we usually call my brother Li'l Shang because he's so much like my father," Lonnie smiled back a bit. "Especially since he's the assistant coach to The Northern Wei Academy's R.O.R Team."
"What's that?" Audrey then asked.
"What? R.O.R?" Lonnie replied.
"Yeah." Audrey nodded.
"Oh, that's Royal Order of Regiment," Lonnie explained. "It's basically a combination of parkour and fencing. I'm quite an expert at it and my mom's trained me ever since I was 6 years old."
"Wow... That's quite a life..." Evie commented in surprise. "You must be really good at it."
"I can't compete with Li'l Shang, but yeah, I'm pretty good and Sha-Ron is slowly getting there too," Lonnie nodded. "I'm hoping to make it into a tournament someday despite being a girl, just like when my mother was in the war against Shan Yu."
"That Shan Yu guy sounds like really bad news." Evie commented.
"He sure is... I hope that you guys never have to meet him," Lonnie nodded gravely before sighing. "They say that he's far worse than Modu Chanyu, Attila the Hun, and Genghis Khan all rolled into one."
"Jeez..." Evie whispered and winced as Lonnie began to make a campfire for them.
"Ooh... What if he finds you or your mom here and try to come after us too?" Audrey soon asked out of fear as she suddenly trembled. "Is he coming here? Is he coming to get us?!"
"Relax, will ya?" Lonnie replied. "He was defeated in a fireworks explosion after an avalanche took out his army except for him and Xiannang until my parents defeated him after he crashed the 'Welcome Home from War' parade and tried to take down The Emperor of China, but he refused to give in to Shan Yu, then my mother became one of the bravest and greatest heroes in The Dynasty and people still talk about her legend to this very day," she then explained, sounding very determined and hopeful about following her mother's footsteps someday. "She also mentioned her best friends in the army who helped her and believed in her, even after they found out she was a woman in the army despite the penalty being death if one were to find out she was actually a woman... Her friends... My uncles... Yao, Ling, and Chien Po, also due to their bravery, he wed his daughters, Ting-Ting, Su, and Mei, to them as their own reward."
"Wow... Lonnie... That... That sounds very impressive..." Evie whispered.
"Indeed..." Lonnie nodded. "I was even going to be given my own luxurious life."
"Yeah?" Audrey asked. "But you're not a princess like the both of us."
"Aha! You called me a princess and you said my mother had no royal status!" Evie smirked in victory.
"What?! No! That's not what I meant!" Audrey cried out before she pouted and crossed her arms. "Oh... Whatever."
Evie chuckled a bit before looking over. "So how did that happen, Lonnie?" she then asked. "Audrey kinda has a point."
"Well, you see, due to my parents' heroism, especially my mother, The Emperor wished to form a complete alliance between China and the kingdom of Qui-Gong and soon had an arrangement for me for when I would become of age," Lonnie then explained. "I was sent on a mission to marry the eldest son of Lord Qin: Prince Jeeki."
"Oh." Evie and Audrey both said, very surprised to find that out.
"It was decided by The Golden Dragon of Unity," Lonnie nodded. "Why I was chosen, I'm not sure though."
"Did you want to marry him?" Evie then asked Lonnie.
"Well-" Lonnie began.
"Well, duh! Who wouldn't want to marry into the life of luxury if they had the chance?" Audrey replied as she smirked boastfully. "I mean, it worked for Cinderella after all."
"Audrey, I was asking Lonnie." Evie firmly pouted and reminded.
"Well, I was answering the right answer for her." Audrey retorted.
"Actually... I wasn't sure if I wanted to marry him." Lonnie soon clarified to both of her new friends.
"What?!" Audrey gasped. "How could you not want to marry a prince? Especially since it would unite your kingdoms!"
Evie rolled her eyes slightly at Audrey's hopes and wishes. She had a very strong feeling that Audrey and Chad would get along together in an alternate universe somehow.
"Oh, Audrey..." Lonnie sighed before she looked a little sad. "Well... Something happened... I was first going to object to the marriage idea and my mother was going to happen... But then... Something stopped me..."
"Something bad?" Evie soon guessed as she had an idea of what Lonnie was going to say next.
Lonnie glanced over before she nodded sadly.
"I thought so..." Evie replied. "Well... What happened? But if you don't want to tell us, we'll understand." she then asked, very curious, but decided not to pry too much in case it would be too painful for Lonnie to think about and remember.
Lonnie glanced over before she sighed a bit. "Well-" she then started to say, only for something very loud and echo-y to interrupt them suddenly.
"...That was not my stomach." Audrey said nervously as she and the other two teenage girls poked their heads out of the tent.
"Definitely not." Lonnie added.
"I really hope that wasn't what I thought it was." Evie commented.
"RUUUUUUUN!" Mary Margaret was soon heard as she ran toward the forest.
The three girls then saw a certain creature stomping and chasing after the three adult women.
"Holy briars!" Audrey cried out in fear and concern.
The teenage girls then rushed out of their tent and began to run off together after the adult women as the ogre had arrived.
"Come on!" Mulan called out.
Soon, Mulan, Aurora, Lonnie, and Audrey went one way while Mary Margaret, Evie, and Emma went another.
"Over there." Mary Margaret soon said as she went one way with Emma.
Evie continued to go after the two women, but yelped as she suddenly tripped over a branch. Unfortunately, Emma and Mary Margaret failed to notice this while Evie was alone on the ground as the ogre caught up to her and roared in her face, blowing her dark blue hair back.
"S-S-Stand back! I have an arrow!" Evie tried to threaten as she brought out an arrow she had before throwing it. "Duh!"
The arrow then fell flat on the ground while Evie whimpered and shivered as this looked like the end for her.
Luckily for her, however, Mary Margaret soon appeared behind the ogre and tried to divert its attention away from Evie. "Back away from my sister!" she then yelled out as bravely as possible.
Successful, the ogre turned its attention to Mary Margaret. She then aimed and fired an arrow of her own into its eye, which instantly killed it. Evie gasped and panted with wide eyes as the ogre fell down to the ground, dying right away before looking at Mary Margaret in amazement.
"Seriously?" Emma soon asked as she also arrived.
"You have to shoot them in the eye." Mary Margaret informed as she approached the ogre and pulled the arrow back out.
"When was the last time you shot an arrow?" Evie asked breathlessly.
"28 years ago. Guess it's like riding a bike." Mary Margaret replied.
"Yeah, but how did you know you could hit that?" Emma then asked her mother.
"I didn't. And next time, both of you listen to me?" Mary Margaret replied and then advised. "That kind of thing isn't going to work here."
"Yeah..." Evie nodded.
"We should get going." Mary Margaret then suggested as she held out her hand to Evie.
"Don't gotta tell us twice," Evie said before she was helped up back onto her feet. "Thank you."
"No problem." Mary Margaret smiled warmly.
"So... I guess I'm like a sister to you, huh?" Evie then asked.
"Yes, Evie," Mary Margaret chuckled and smirked a little as they walked off together. "Your mother married my father after all."
Evie chuckled a little as they continued to walk off together. "By the way, where did Princess Aurora come from?" she then asked. "I thought we left her behind."
"It's complicated." Mary Margaret replied as they walked off together.
The group walked for a while as a castle was almost coming into view for them.
"We're getting close." Mary Margaret then said.
"I swear you've been saying that for hours now." Evie remarked.
"Just try to be patient, alright?" Mary Margaret smirked. "At least it's not the kingdom of Far, Far Away where The Frog King and Queen live."
Evie chuckled a little to that.
"Aurora, Leah, you've gotta keep up." Mulan complained to the two behind her and Lonnie.
"Sorry, but we're not exactly dressed for the woods." Aurora retorted.
"She's right... It's freezing out here!" Audrey added.
"Then maybe you should've listened to us and stayed back." Lonnie soon said.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Mulan added in agreement.
Evie glanced over a bit.
"Here," Emma soon said, offering her jacket to the two spoiled princesses. "You guys can share this."
"You don't have anything in pink?" Audrey complained.
"Oh, for Heaven's sake." Lonnie rolled her eyes at that.
Aurora looked a bit soft. "But I tried to kill your friend." she then said to Emma.
"Actually, she's my mom and I have a feeling she can take care of herself. And I get it," Emma replied. "You're not the only one who's been screwing up lately."
Aurora looked a bit curious. "What kind of corset is this?" she then asked.
Evie chuckled quietly as that was a little funny to her.
"Mulan, how much longer?" Lonnie soon asked her future mother.
"Not too much longer now... Look!" Mulan pointed out to her future daughter. "Up here!"
"Oh... Wow..." Lonnie whispered in amazement.
"We made it... We actually made it..." Evie added.
"Is that it?" Emma then asked in surprise.
"Yeah. That's our home." Mary Margaret nodded to Emma.
Evie then looked over, seeing a different castle in the distance, then continued to follow the women inside curiously.
Soon, they made it into the royal castle as it looked rather old and mysterious. Then again, it was 28 years old now and hadn't been touched ever since as cobwebs and dust had been collected over the years.
"Oh, my God," Emma said as she looked around. "I recognize this from Henry's book."
Mulan saw that this was a more private family matter, then looked at Aurora, Audrey, and Lonnie. "Come. We'll stand watch at the gate." she then advised.
The other three nodded and decided to do just that.
"Can I come see too?" Evie then asked Emma and Mary Margaret.
"Uh..." Emma began before glancing at Mary Margaret to see how she would feel about the matter.
"...Sure," Mary Margaret soon said after thinking about it for a little while. "You're part of this family too after all."
Evie smiled, feeling thankful as she began to explore with the other two.
"I never thought I'd see this place again. This room," Mary Margaret then said as she looked around before looking at Emma. "It was your nursery."
"I lived here?" Emma asked in surprise.
"You never even got to spend a night," Mary Margaret then said softly before pausing and sighing as she held onto the teddy bear that would've been Emma's. "This is the life I wanted you to have. I was going to teach you how to walk in here, how to talk, how to dress for your first ball. You never got to do any of it. We never got to be a family." she then said, sounding very emotional.
Emma also looked soft as she understood how painful this had to be for her estranged mother.
Evie looked soft too. "You have a family... We have a family... In Storybrooke and right now they need us to get back there. So... How do we get this to work?" she then said before wondering once she saw the wardrobe.
"Let's find a way." Mary Margaret suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Evie nodded in agreement as she decided to try to help out Emma and Mary Margaret.
Emma stepped over to the wardrobe first and reached out to touch it out of curiosity. "Where's the 'on' switch?" she then asked.
"It doesn't work like that, Emma." Evie replied.
"She's right. It's more complicated than that. We'll have to get it back to the island," Mary Margaret added. "Hopefully, someone there has access to enough magic to make it work again."
"How are we gonna carry this thing?" Emma then asked.
"Does Hercules or Paul Bunyan have a descendant around here?" Evie then wondered.
"No need for that. You just need the help of an old friend." A familiar voice soon replied.
The three soon looked over to see a certain literal knight in shining armor come to their rescue.
"Lancelot. What are you doing here?" Mary Margaret asked, blinking in surprise.
"We heard about the ogre attack, and I had to make sure you were alright." Lancelot explained.
"Oh. Where are Mulan and Aurora?" Mary Margaret then asked.
"As well as Aud-Erm... Li and Leah?" Evie added.
"I sent them to find food. Tonight we'll make camp, and in the morning, we'll head back," Lancelot replied before he looked around with wide wonder. "So... This is it... The portal you were after."
"The same one Emma went through," Mary Margaret explained. "It's how she escaped the curse."
"Remarkable." Lancelot nodded as he sounded rather impressed.
"Geppetto carved it from an enchanted tree, but... There's no magic left." Mary Margaret then added.
"A portal this powerful... There must be another way to recharge it." Lancelot suggested as he looked really invested right now.
Mary Margaret suddenly looked suspicious of Lancelot's behavior. "Why are you so interested in the wardrobe?" she then asked.
"Well, I just want you to get home to your husband and son, Henry," Lancelot replied. "They must miss you. Especially Evie, since she's Henry's big sister."
Mary Margaret then suddenly drew her sword out of suspicion. "Stay away from him, girls. He is not who he says he is." she then warned Emma and Evie.
"What are you talking about?" Emma asked, a bit confused. "Who the hell is he?"
"Wait a second..." Evie soon spoke up and approached Lancelot. "How do you know my little brother's name? No one ever told you."
"There is someone who knows though." Mary Margaret reminded firmly.
"Cora." Emma and Evie realized as a puff of smoke then suddenly appeared to reveal the other woman.
"Clever girls. Evie, you must get that from your mother's side of the family." Cora soon said once she revealed herself.
Mary Margaret glared as she kept her sword still and furious. "Where's Lancelot?" she then asked.
"He's dead. I killed him a long time ago." Cora revealed.
"And you've been posing as him ever since," Mary Margaret then realized. "What about his son? Or did you make him up too?"
"Oh, Lancelot has a son, but he's away in school in Camelot and he has no idea what's become of his father and I plan to keep it that way," Cora smirked. "Not that anyone will ever be able to tell him. After all, they'd never listen to me. And besides, every kingdom needs a hero, don't you think?" she then added.
Mary Margaret then tried to attack, but Cora pushed her against the wall with magic.
"Ms. Blanchard!" Evie cried out.
"Thank you, Snow," Cora said with a grin. "I've been looking for a way over for so long."
Emma then tried to attack Cora, but again, the older woman used magic to stall he.
"I never thought the person to help me find it... Would be you." Cora then said.
Evie soon jumped out, trying to get into a fighting pose.
"Ah... You... I don't want to have to fight you, my dear... In fact, I want you to be happy, you deserve to be happy." Cora soon said to Evie.
"After what you just did?" Evie glared and firmly pouted.
"Don't make me do this the hard way, Evie... You'll only get hurt." Cora warned her granddaughter before waving her hand and blowing smoke in the girl's face.
Evie tried to get up and fight, but then suddenly collapsed to the floor.
"EVIE!" Mary Margaret and Emma cried out in concern.
"Would've used an apple, but that's probably not the best way to go... Isn't it, Snow?" Cora smirked as she picked up Evie suddenly over her shoulder.
"If you killed her, I'll go medieval on your-" Mary Margaret began to threaten.
"Oh, don't worry... She'll have a dreamless sleep and I'll help her remember the life she should have," Cora then retorted. "She'll finally get to bond with and get to know the grandmother she never really knew. After all, there's no bond like a grandparent and grandchild."
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Mary Margaret soon asked.
"I want to see my daughter. It's been too long," Cora retorted. "And you know, I would love to meet my grandson Henry and get to know my granddaughter Evie."
"No, you won't!" Emma retorted bravely as she created a fire, using gunpowder, torching the wardrobe instantly.
"NO!" Cora yelled out as she turned to Emma before she brought out a fireball in her hand and used it to throw right back at the blonde woman.
Suddenly, Lonnie dove in and used her sword to deflect it and protect Emma.
"LONNIE!" Audrey soon cried out in concern, not able to think properly as the other girl suddenly fell to the floor.
Cora soon released Mary Margaret, but she still had Evie in her clutches. "We're not done." she then firmly said before disappearing with her granddaughter instantly before anyone else could catch her.
Mary Margaret then gasped as she dropped to the floor suddenly. "Oh!" she then said wearily.
Emma then walked over to help her mother. "You okay?" she then asked.
"You saved me." Mary Margaret said in surprise and relief.
"Yeah, well, it wasn't all me," Emma replied before looking to see Audrey and Lonnie too. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah... Just fine..." Audrey nodded.
"I think so." Lonnie added as Mulan then helped her back up to her feet.
"Li... For once... I'm glad you didn't listen to me." Mulan soon said since Lonnie used her own warrior sword to help save the day."
Lonnie gave a small smile as that warmed her heart a bit.
"So... Where's that lady?" Audrey soon wondered as she stood next to Aurora.
"Gone." Mary Margaret replied in regret.
"So's our ride home and Evie." Emma added with a low frown.
Mary Margaret was still struck with a bit of anguish and depression. "Lancelot was one of the most noble knights I ever knew." she then said softly.
"How could I be so blind?" Mulan complained to herself. "How could I not see that it was Cora?"
"Well, to be fair, the whole shape-shifting thing threw me and Evie, too." Emma replied.
"Is that the witch you told me about?" Audrey then whispered to Lonnie at the mention of shape-shifting.
"It could be, but I'm not entirely sure." Lonnie replied thoughtfully, though she nodded as part of that made sense.
"What are we going to tell the people on the island?" Mulan then asked.
"The truth... That Lancelot was cut down by a terrible villain," Mary Margaret then decided. "He died an honorable death."
"Well, we can't sit here and do nothing forever," Lonnie spoke up. "Cora's still out there."
"Yes. We need to find her," Mulan said as she nodded in agreement. "We need to defend what's left of the kingdom." she then added.
"Who's going to lead us?" Aurora then asked the warrior woman. "You?"
"No. Her." Mulan clarified as she looked at the short-haired woman.
Mary Margaret blinked in surprise. "I'm honored, but Emma and I, and Evie when we find her again, still have to find a way back to Storybrooke." she then said.
"Well... How about we help you?" Lonnie suggested. "We'll help you. We'll find a way, won't we?"
"All of us." Mulan added.
"Yes. Perhaps it'll help me channel my anger." Aurora soon suggested for herself.
"And learn how to think of others besides myself." Audrey added.
Lonnie smiled as that sounded like very good progress so far.
Once it was all agreed upon, Mulan then nodded before leading the way out of the castle. "Come." she then said on the way out.
Soon, the others began to follow her out, though Emma and Mary Margaret waited a bit longer in the nursery.
"I'm, uh... sorry I torched our ride home," Emma soon said to Mary Margaret. "I couldn't let her get to Henry. I just-"
"You had to put Henry first." Mary Margaret guessed knowingly as any mother would do that for her child.
"I was angry for so long... Wondering how you could choose to let me grow up without you, but then just seeing all this... You gave up everything for me and you're still doing that," Emma then replied. "Sorry. I'm not good at this. I-I guess I just... I'm not... I'm not used to someone putting me first." she then said.
"Oh. Well, get used to it." Mary Margaret said before hugging her.
"And we'll find Evie again and make sure Cora never touches her again." Emma then added in the hug.
"Yes, we definitely will," Mary Margaret nodded. "She's family after all and we will always find family."
Emma smiled tenderly at that before she then nodded and let go of the hug.
Soon, they both left the nursery as it was time to move on from there with no other options and hopefully, find a different way back home and hopefully also save Evie in one piece.
Cora then reappeared and put some of the ashes of the wardrobe into a small bottle. "Don't worry, my dear granddaughter... We'll have plenty of time to bond once I give you the life you deserve as a descendant of two Evil Queens," she then whispered. "Things will be a lot different and a lot better for everybody, especially for both of us. I promise you that." she then said before she disappeared again without anyone even seeing her.