Operation All Realms
Chapter 3
When they gathered to do the mirror spell Henry, Roland, and Snow decided they wanted to be there as well. Henry because he was the author in this reality and this was about his family. When Henry said he wanted to be there Roland decided he should be too, and maybe his emotion influencing ability might be needed. If things were so wrong in that reality, maybe his magic might help everyone's horrified reactions calm a bit. Roland was especially concerned about his younger sisters, who hadn't lived through many magical traumas. Snow wanted to be there because she wanted to know how things had gone so wrong in the other reality, and because it was about her family too.
The scent of the potion enhancing the mirror spell wafted around Regina's vault. It was a vaguely pleasant smell. When Snow commented on it Regina responded "there's a bit of cinnamon and bit of peppermint in it. It's a light magic potion. Take out the other ingredients and it's a mild potion that relaxes and increases concentration."
"Sounds like a great potion for studying for a test, mom." Hope commented.
"Maybe." Regina responded with a smile to her studious daughter.
"I could use it." Grace sighed. It frustrated her that she wasn't as good in school as her siblings. Even Roland, who disliked most of his homework, got A's in everything but math and science. She had mostly C's in everything, except chorus. That was the only class she had A's in. The vocal music teacher said she had a pretty alto voice and let her have solos in the school performances.
"I'll make up a recipe then." Regina hugged Grace.
Robin hugged Grace as well and gave her a sympathetic look. Grace had inherited his way of thinking. School was a struggle for her. But she'd also got his singing ability, but better. People said his singing was pleasant, but Grace had actual talent. She was not as outgoing as Roland with his acting; so after graduation probably only the family would be blessed by her singing. She had also won a number of trophies in cross-county running, as well. But her heart was in medicine. Robin hoped the potion might help Grace in her determination to become a doctor.
Once everyone with magic abilities joined in to boost the mirror spell, they quickly connected with Avalon.
"Hi!" A startled Brigid replied to Regina's call out to them. Brigid came into focus as she spoke. "Just a couple of the junior priestesses and me here right now; but mother and Mout are on their way. What's happened? Is the book's magic spilling out of your containment spell?"
"Thankfully no. But Emma thinks we might learn something useful from seeing just what happened in that reality."
Brigid frowned. "Don't open the book."
"That's what I said, that's why we're here."
"Why?"
Emma responded "Regina says you can see that reality."
Brigid nodded. "We'll definitely need mother and Mout to open it safely. Are you sure you want to see it? It's pretty awful."
"Yes. From the point it diverged from our reality."
"Okay. Mother and Mout are here now, let me tell them." Brigid motioned a young girl with short bright red hair over. "Thistle, keep this open on our side while I talk to my mother and Mout"
The girl nodded and came fully into view of the mirror. "Hi, Brigid's my mentor." Thistle grinned.
Regina smiled at the young girl; she looked a bit younger than Grace. "You must have a lot of magic ability."
"Everyone says too much for my own good, right now. Sometimes I put too much into what I'm doing and then I have to sleep half the next day." Thistle giggled.
Hope and Grace were intrigued by a girl close to their age learning magic on Avalon. "How long have you been training in magic?" Hope asked.
"Since I was real little. Brigid saw me using untrained magic to stop from falling down the temple stairs and made me her student."
"Wow. My mom said she could sense magic in me from when I was real little too." Hope responded.
At this point Morgan came up beside Thistle. "You did a good job."
Thistle grinned. "Thank you!" And then she moved out of view.
"You want to see that reality?" Morgan questioned through the mirror.
"Yes. I think we'll get important info."
Morgan raised an eyebrow, showing her doubts about that. "It's going to take a lot of magic on your side to see it. Good thing you have that many magic users on your side. Have you linked up all your magics?"
"Yeah."
"Alright. But I think you won't learn much and you'll definitely regret seeing it. Just keep the mirror spell going full power."
After they saw everything from that reality, Grace, Hope, Snow, Regina and Roland were crying. Grace and Hope were sobbing and holding tight to each other, while Snow, Regina and Roland had silent tears rolling down their faces. Henry was angry and repelled by what he'd seen. Emma was in shock, too shocked to react any further. Robin felt depressed, and upset the children and Regina had to see those awful images.
"Oh Regina, that me was so awful to you!" Snow exclaimed. "You were deep in the rawest of grief over Robin and she pushed you into splitting off your darkness. Then when the strange Robin showed up with you and Emma from that wish reality; that me just said those horrible things that made you feel even worse, and she seemed happy you were in pain. I wish I'd never seen that. That was as bad as what Isaac did to me. She seemed normal on the surface, but she was so selfish and cruel to you."
"It wasn't you, Snow. That reality's authors made you act that way. They did their best to break that me, again."
"And they turned me into a Stepford wife to Killian." Emma said with disgust. "Killian and I have a partnership, nothing like that pod person me those authors wrote." Emma sighed. "All of you were right. We learned nothing useful from this. Sorry I pushed everyone into this."
"We may have had doubts, but we all agreed to do it. No need to assign blame on anyone." Regina said calmly, getting her emotions back under control. "We did learn something, though. I don't know how useful it was, though."
"What was that?" Emma looked surprised. She hadn't gleaned anything useful and was as disgusted at herself for pushing this idea.
"Did you catch that glimpse of the authors?"
"The fat guy and the weaselly looking guy?"
"Yeah. Do you remember what we saw right after? "
Emma thought for a moment. "Oh! There were people who looked almost exactly like us, dressed like us, that were being filmed…actors! Different from the actual versions of us in that reality."
"Yes!" Henry exclaimed excitedly. "I saw them too!"
"It's like what Morgan said. Those authors have no idea they've tapped into something real; and that their cruelty and capriciousness have damaged actual lives."
"So the authors think they are just writing characters for a TV show or something, not torturing actual people."
"They probably don't know they've traumatized people, and are causing damage to all realities from their dark chaotic stories." Robin said.
"Likely not. But they're no innocents. What kind of disturbed mind comes up with things like that? They have to be stopped." Regina replied.
"You think we can save those other versions of us?" Henry asked.
"Maybe. But we'll need more help. Avalon is trying to get in contact with other healthy realities. See what they know, and if they can help." Regina felt an intense curiosity about those other realities. She really wanted to talk to the Regina that had lived out the page 23 story. What was she like? The other alternate version she knew about from Morgan was more intimidating. A daughter of Morgan who grew up on Avalon…. Regina couldn't imagine she'd have much in common with her.
"I'm done wanting to know about other realities." Emma said firmly.
"Me too." Snow nodded. "I wish I hadn't seen that. It's as awful as remembering what Isaac turned me into."
"But I'll definitely help stop that reality from destroying ours." Emma said with controlled fury, she assured Robin and Regina. Those things she'd seen in that other reality… She was furious about what had been done to her friends and family in that reality.
Emma and Snow left the vault, still talking about how vile the things they'd seen in that other reality.
On Avalon Brigid, Morgan and Mout were also discussing the destructive reality.
"Do we have enough magic users to contain the chaos?" Brigid asked.
"I don't think so, not yet. We've sent out the distress call to our closest healthy realities. Hopefully we can get their aid." Morgan responded.
"I'm sure the first reality will contact us. They have much more power than us." Mout said with certainty.
"But will they help us? They are so distant from us; they are the closest to actually being gods. Will they feel they are just observers of all the other realities?" Morgan voiced her anxiety.
"We've been guilty of that in the past. We should have rescued Regina from that monster she was forced to marry when she was an innocent girl." Brigid said.
"Close to what we did in that other reality." Mout smiled.
"Yes, the one Regina calls the page 23 reality." Morgan nodded. "It was so painful to see our Regina be broken and fall into darkness, and do nothing. I thought we would damage our reality more than what Isaac and the Blue Fairy had already. Did I make the right choice? I don't know."
"Do you think we did intervene in the page 23 reality?" Brigid responded.
Morgan looked thoughtful. "I don't know. But I don't think so. Regina escaped right after Daniel was murdered by Cora. Tinkerbell discovered her godchild and helped her escape before she was forced to marry Leopold. She met Robin during her months of hiding. Then Tinkerbell led them to Avalon. It's so different and earlier than our reality. That doesn't look like our intervention; that looks like what was meant to happen."
"I agree. And we've debated whether that reality split off from ours, or ours split off from theirs. It's muddled so badly that we can't tell for sure. Morgan thinks we came first, but I think they did." Mout replied.
Morgan shrugged; it was an old debate between them.
Brigid smiled, she'd heard the arguments on both sides many times. "I agree with Mout. The timeline break comes when Regina is 18."
"But it could have come later, going back and correcting where ours became too wrong. Remember, the interference started before Regina was even born."
"And we'll never convince each other that our argument is the right conclusion, my dearest Morgan." Mout chuckled.
In the first reality the distress message had reached that Avalon. They had also seen the dark chaos reality beginning to damage other realities. The Regina of that reality spoke to her mother, Morgan. "We should intervene."
"I'm not sure. We have kept with noninterference, even in the face of other realities interfering with their own stories."
"But this is different! It's not only one reality having a problem with an author or characters trying to shift a story in a malicious way. This is bleeding out to other realities!"
Morgan looked at her younger daughter and nodded. "It is different, which is why I'm even considering asking for our council to vote on it.'
"Please, mother, we have to help."
"I cannot arbitrarily decide we will. The council will have to vote on it, Regina."
"You know I'm already voting yes."
"And your sister will as well, I'm sure." Morgan smiled faintly. Brigid was every bit as warmhearted as her younger sister. Morgan would discuss this with Mout. She trusted her partner's levelheaded nature. If Mout agreed to put it to the council vote, then they would. If Mout thought they should intervene, likely her words would carry the vote.
In the Page 23 reality they were already acting to prevent the damage spreading to their reality on that Avalon. That Regina and Robin discussed what to do next.
"They've contacted us in that other reality." Regina said
"The one being torn apart by the chaos?" Robin responded with surprise.
"No, not that one. I don't think they really know about other realities. It's the one closest to ours."
"The one where we have a family in Storybrooke? Where Henry is a schoolteacher and the current author?"
"Yes, that one."
"What did they say?"
"Their Morgan contacted us. They think if we combine our magics we can contain the chaos to that other reality. They are just barely holding back the spread of the chaos to their reality. They need our help."
"Can we help them?"
"Our Morgan thinks so. Our Brigid and Mout are sure we can. But I don't know if we can do more than protect our two realities. To contain the chaos we'll need the prime reality's help."
"Aren't they strictly observers?"
"Usually. Usually we all are."
"But they are, in particular."
"Yes. I don't think they've ever intervened to change something before."
"But this dark chaos is like nothing that's ever happened before. Sitting back and watching means we'd all be destroyed eventually."
Regina nodded solemnly. "Let's hope they decide to intervene. There are many other realities where magic never existed or died out. Those realities can't help us, but if the prime reality helps, we can contain the damage to just the one destroying itself."