A/N: Sorry to any readers who were confused about Tarrant's 'transformation'. It was indeedie a result of Piper's magic. She used it to scare the crap out of the royal medics. Hehehe. I have issues w/explaining things. Sorry about that!
Note:: sine Hyrene = Latin for 'without Hyrene'

Mary POV

Of course, just as everything was going perfectly well, something had to go dreadfully awful. My skirts were actually in a decent state, though there were a few dirt stains near my ankles. My hair hung in neat ringlets without a single frizzed strand. For once, I was presentable.
And then Lady Malifice leapt from the tower and landed right on my back. My head slammed into the dirt, and my knees squelched right into the particularly wet grass. Rodents and Bullfrogs!
She screamed something completely inaudible and hopped off of my back. I lifted my head just in time to see her raise a particularly vicious- looking club in the air and scream something in Latin. A torrent of blue fire streamed out of her bludgeon/wand and hit Prince Charming square in the chest. He fell backward and would not stir.
Ella screamed in outrage and lunged at the witch. She, too, was taken out by the blue magic. The others quickly followed suite, even Bo lashed down by the sorcery.
Jocelyn, in typical male fashion, headed straight for her in a sad attempt to grab the wand. She arched an eyebrow and lazily pointed at him. "Amateur," she mumbled, quickly followed by the Latin. I flinched, waiting for Jocelyn to fly high into the air. But I had obviously underestimated him.
He ducked down into a slide, bombing towards the enchantress. I couldn't help smirking at the utter shock at Malifice's face. Served her right for ruining my dress. Jocelyn's outstretched leg slammed into her shin and she roared with anger, kicking him square in the chin. But swineherds were obviously used to worse, because he responded by sinking his teeth into her hand. She screeched and flailed, shaking him like a rag doll – rat teeth are very painful. He clawed frantically for her wand and kicked her face furiously like some sort of animal, desperately pursuing that club. My mouth lay open on the ground, but Piper's was twisted into a satisfied smirk. She looked rather proud of him, believe it or not. The indecency.
Jocelyn's bony hand locked around Malifice's wand, and he screamed something in Hyrene, obviously a bit of what Dashing's citizens would call 'rat magic'. But nothing happened. Malifice grinned maliciously at him, bending forward. "My wand was made sine Hyrene, swineherd. Vermin magic defense system built right in."
Jocelyn's eyes went wide as he stared at the club, which was now a glowing blue color. "Baldecricht."
Her enchantment sent him flying at least fifteen feet across the field. He was, despite being the same age as the rest of us, very light, and therefore easy to catapult across a garden.
Piper snarled at Malifice and quickly brought the pipe to her lips. Three deft blasts to the mouthpiece and suddenly he wasn't falling – he was floating, just lounging frozen in the air a few feet above our king's rock garden. He arched a surprised eyebrow at the musician, but she ignored him and blew again, this time bringing him safely to the ground. Jocelyn's toe tips brushed the grass. Satisfied that he was safe, Piper snapped around to face the witch instantly, dropping him. There was a loud snap behind her and he swore, hands going to his ankle. "Baldericht, Piper, you're impatient."
As if he had never spoken, she sneered, "Care to play?", fury in her eyes as she glared at Malifice. Forgetting his ankle for a moment, Jocelyn smiled approvingly. Everything in his face seemed to radiate – Isn't she something?
Malifice opened her mouth, prepared to let the Latin stream out once more.
Piper arched a challenging eyebrow and took her lips to the pipe.
And there went a battle of sorcery that lasted quite some time.
Piper used her music to keep Lady Malifice's attacks back, and Lady Malifice tried desperately to break the defenses. She was truly furious that a simple wooden pipe could keep her magic at bay, screeching until her voice was hoarse, charging and retreating in her madness. Now there was a lack of good breeding. Ah, but Piper was impassable; she parried and swerved expertly, all the time playing at the music that made her glowing red defenses. She was confident, as if this were a game and she was only playing at it until she wanted to win. No one would ever break her defenses. But no resistance can last forever.
It soon became clear that Malifice was winning. Piper's breath grew shallow, and the tune was not quite so loud as it had been. Blue magic grew ever closer to its victim.
I stood up, ready to charge Malifice from behind. She hadn't seen me yet. But, of course, Pafoofka beat me to it.
The little gnome leapt into the sky, almost out of thin air, and snatched her club-sized wand with the agility that only a foot-high creature can master. Cackling madly, the wooden dwarf dashed off into the bushes again, screeching "Mine! Mine! Mine!" in his high-pitched voice.
Malifice screamed and tried to stop the little wooden bugger, but there's no catching a kleptomaniac garden gnome, especially after he's got a good treasure. Piper grinned wickedly at the trapped witch and blasted out the most jarring note I have ever heard.
Malifice howled in pain, clutching her ears, and collapsed on the ground. She did not move, eyes and mouth frozen wide with shock and fury. Exactly five seconds later, a loud pop filled my ears. The Lady Malifice was now a plump pink chrysanthemum.
Jocelyn looked up from his aching ankle to see what had just happened. He laughed merrily when he saw the third-most powerful witch in all the kingdoms planted in the meadow, plump and cheerful and harmless. I stared at the petite blossom for a few minutes, sure it must still be evil. Yet what could be so wicked about a plant? And then Aurora tittered. Rapunzel snorted. Dante snickered. Charming smiled. Ella smirked. Tarrant brought both his eyebrows sky high. We all burst into laughter.

A/N: Worry not. 'Tis not the end quite yet. We must find Dashing and figure out what he and Malifice's motives were. Who in the realms of weasels Jocelyn is we can find in 3 chapters, I think. And you guys are such great reviewers! squeals w/delight You rock!!!!