The door slammed behind Walsh as he departed, leaving the two women motionless. They were no longer trapped by the wizard's command to the bench, but they were facing the reality that they had been trapped in his plan since they first stepped through the portal. Their emotions were mixed. Between them there was a melting pot of fury, fear and regret but neither had a handle on which of the emotions would take centre stage.

"Before you even start - " Emma broke the silence, taking the offensive before Regina had a chance. "You can blame me all you want but I wasn't the one who dragged us here or who made us use those amulets."

"The amulets I knew there was something wrong with -" Regina replied emotionlessly as Emma stood up off the bench and began to pace, cutting off Regina's sentence with what she assumed would be another scolding.

"-and you tried to tell me and I should have listened because you have experience and I'm naïve and if I had listened to you just now and just killed Walsh then we would be back with our power - ." Emma continued to rant, mimicking an accusatory tone as Regina dipped her head, biting her tongue. "Then we all would have gone back to Storybrooke and just worry about the next time a power maniac comes up with an evil plan."

"Are you quite done?" Regina stood up calmly to face Emma. "Because we haven't yet defeated the current maniac and -"

"No!" Emma bit back sharply, not ready to lose her platform. "I'm not done, and before you link him to me remember he's only doing this because of your feud with your sister."

"Who I exiled back here after her hitched ride back to Storybrooke -" Regina rolled her eyes, beginning to lose her composure as Emma stubbornly began to interpret again.

"Which was of course my fault for stumbling into the portal just like I gave you rigged parchment or like I ran into the poppies -" She flayed out her arms, practically shouting. "Well you're my teacher, Regina. If my recklessness is such a problem why do you keep insisting that I nurture this damn power? You were the one who keeps forcing me to use it." Emma stood glaring, eyes wide and heart pounding as Regina took a deep breath and looked back, with a deep breath. Giving her companion a moment to cool she tipped her head and folded her arms.

"If you would stop ranting long enough to let me finish a sentence then you would hear that I am agreeing with you." Regina stated but still with authority absorbing her voice. "This may surprise you but I'm actually trying to apologise."

Emma looked back blankly before dipping down her eyebrows. Her chest was still pulsing as she looked Regina up and down.

"Yes I had suspicions about the amulets later on but I should have also realised they shouldn't have remained in the first place. My impatience forced you to use your initiative and that brought us here without a plan. That -" She impeded a protesting Emma with a raised hand before she could speak. "is not a criticism it's just a fact, and you're right that I am hard on you but that is because I have grown to rely on you and your powers. Maybe sometimes it makes me give you too much of the responsibility." Emma softened as Regina bit her lip and shook her head. Sitting back down she sighed.

"Regarding Zelena we have both done things that have made it easy for her but ultimately she will keep coming for us regardless of what we do and now apparently even her collateral will. We're powerless, Swan. Literally." She admitted. "I've engineered enough evil plans to know when the chess pieces don't stand a chance. I know I'm hardly a great example but let's not kill each other ahead of Walsh's schedule." Her eyes locked with Emma's, earnest in their request. She mulled it over for a moment before taking a seat next to her partner.

"Just because you've had some epiphany doesn't mean I don't get to vent." She mumbled, giving Regina side eye. "I have to put up with enough of yours."

"Which is why I get a better deal when it comes to companions." She replied brashly but Emma could recognise the compliment. They paused for another moment, thinking over what they had been through.

"Well you do keep me alive long enough to be one. Even if you do spend most of it bitching." Emma returned the favour as Regina conceded with a gentle headshake. "I wasn't expecting you to go all reflective. I'm not sure I even like it." Emma admitted warily. Dejected and apologetic Regina didn't give her much confidence in their odds of survival.

"We must be missing something." Emma buried her face in her hands. "He's just a mortal. There's no way we can't outsmart him."

Regina exhaled deeply, resting her head back against the wall. "Well you were auditioning him to be Henry's stepfather - another villain, I might add, which is something else we will be talking about if we get through this..."

"There it is..."

"But -" Regina recovered as Emma gave her half a smile, almost relieved that the snark was back. "That means you must have some intel on him and his weaknesses."

Emma thought back, trying to remember as much as she could.

"Well he did have a furniture shop called the Wizard of Oak. What's the betting we're not just dealing with a bitter monkey here? Yet another childhood character tainted beyond belief." She whispered to herself. "I actually hooked up with the Wizard of Oz."

"He's a wizard?" Regina screwed up her face in confusion as Emma turned, suprised.

"You don't know anything about the Wizard of Oz?" She asked as Regina looked back blankly.

"I knew about the witches of Oz...you know I don't read those infernal adaptations. They always tell a biased interpretation. Wait -" She suddenly twigged. "You mean Oz the Great and Terrible? I haven't heard anything about him in years."

"I guess so. And if there's any truth in our adaptation, he was no more than a conman, fraud guy. He collected magical things to trick naïve people into thinking he had more power than he did."

"So in your book the mortals worship a fraud? Figures." Regina crossed her arms. "I bet he is revered a hero in the end."

"OK, me teaching you things from books will never not be weird." Emma rubbed her head. "But no, not really. The point is now he has some real magic and with that protection on it I am really not sure how we are going to get it off him."

Emma caught sight of Regina's bag, still lying on the floor of the cell.

"Did they take the mirror or is it still in there?" She asked, walking over.

"It's still there." Regina confirmed. "But I'm not sure those idiots will be able to help us much. They couldn't even cross reference this Caradagh guy..."

"I thought you were playing nice." Emma scolded as Regina shrugged.

"Fine. I may agree that no-one's to blame but old habits still die hard." She took the mirror out, dusting it off.

"Even so, I don't think they're going to find enough before Walsh comes back for us."

Emma went very quiet as she took the mirror from her.

"It's not for information Regina." She looked at her nervously. "If you kill me and they don't know what-"

"Swan." She cut her off.

"Oh come on, you know he's going to make us fight and you've no doubt fantasised a million ways to do it -"

"And you think I stand a chance?" She shot back desperately. "We both know who wins on a neutral battlefield. You think we'll be able to control what we do if he commands it? You've got darkness in you too, Emma. You're deluded if you think you won't win in a fight where he is pulling the strings. Of course who knows what will happen to you after that."

"Well then all the more reason we need to prepare them. It may be hard for her to hear but it will be nothing compared to her regretting not being able to say goodbye." She flicked open the mirror as Regina sighed again.

"There's something so morbid about Charmings giving up hope." She murmured. "You're going to need to channel the Oz magic. There's no way I can cross realms, if you want to get through it's going to have to come from you."

Emma nodded, examining the mirror but bit her bottom lip. Seeing her trepidation, Regina took her arm.

"You can do it, Emma. The magic is just a little different. You just need to try harder to find where it comes from. Focus." Emma closed her eyes and tried to channel all of her power into the trinket in her hand.

"Magic in other realms is just harder to sort out. It's why in the cave we couldn't find whether the magic was dark or light. Just think about where you're trying to get to. What you need to find."

Emma meditated in silence as her hand began to glow

"Think about your mother and your parents. How much you want to speak to them." Regina whispered. "How badly you want to find them. You know that feeling." She added warily, knowing it would touch a nerve. Emma winced as she heard the words but it had worked nonetheless and a shot of light burst from the mirror as it connected through.

"This is exactly why I don't stand a chance." Regina mumbled under her breath as Emma looked back sadly.

"Emma, Regina. We were so worried. You weren't answering!"

"We're here now." Emma reassured them. "But listen, we probably don't have long and we don't have good news.

"What happened? Have you lost the cup?"

"In a manner of speaking." Emma admitted sheepishly. "But we know we're in Oz and we know who's responsible."

"Oz? Is it Zelena?" Hook chirped up, showing he was also there and appearing from behind. Emma smiled to see him.

"I almost wish that was the case. Hook, you remember Walsh? The monkey in New York?"

"Hard to forget your girlfriend's demon ex-fiance..."

"To cut a long story short, he's bitter and we unwittingly played right into his hands to give him the cup."

"So he's the 'them' in the message?" Belle tried to reason. "But the message told you to get the cup, unless it wasn't from Glinda?"

Regina thought it back over, trying to remember without having the written form.

"Wait..." It suddenly hit her. "Dammit Guyliner!" She scolded Hook. "Don't let them get the cup - not don't let them. Get the cup!" She shouted back as all eyes turned to Hook. "How could you mix that up?" she folded her arms as Emma sighed.

"Well I'm sorry, maybe you should tell your witch friend to use proper punctuation."

"I told you they were imbeciles." Regina muttered to Emma as she raised a hand to stop her and Regina relented with a final squint at a sheepish looking Hook.

"I'll be sure to pass the message on to her." A voice spoke from behind them as Regina and Emma jumped back. "Of course if either of you try to steal my watch then you can tell her yourself. I sucked her in right after she snuck that message to you."

"Speak of the devil." Emma snarled.

"I can finally meet the in-laws." Walsh smiled, taking the mirror from her.

"What are you doing to my daughter?" Mary Margaret spat at him.

"Why can't you fight him, Swan?" Hook shouted through, frustrated at his powerlessness.

"Go on tell them, your majesty." He nodded his head to Regina who bitterly obliged.

"He is in possession of King Caradagh's chalice. It has the water we got in the cup and now he can control us because he has our magic within."

Walsh's eyes glinted with pride.

"King Caradagh. You didn't find that name, did you Mrs Gold?" He looked to Belle. "Now be a dear, go into that spare back room of the shop and look in the box under that old crib that is in there."

Immediately Belle did as she was told. "You see this is the best bit of the chalice." He edged another look at Emma and Regina. "Don't try anything funny, by the way, just to be clear you two are not allowed to kill me or restrain me. Understood?"

Belle returned with a box opening it up and pulling out a stock of books and papers.

"We didn't see these..." She frowned, looking back through the mirror.

"No, when I did the purge I got some of my buddies to do a bit of a scourge and make sure this info wasn't found. It has a few bits about Caradagh. Some about the well." He shrugged. "The rest of the information about riddlers was so that you just saw what I wanted you to. Standard magicians tricks. Show them only what they need to see." He grinned.

"Was he this patronising when you were dating because I am starting to think you have a type, Swan." Regina threw a dark look between Emma and Hook who defended it with a scowl, too distracted by the imminent danger to be too offended.

"You said this was the best bit. That doesn't seem too dramatic to me." Emma challenged Walsh, also ignoring the comment. She was met with another toothy grin.

"The best bit is that your friend just did what I asked." His eyes flickered with a villainous glare again as Regina and Emma quickly looked to the mirror. The three back in story will exchanged nervous glances.

"Hook, restrain Mrs Charming, will you?" Walsh asked as Hook quickly wrapped his arms around Mary Margaret.

"No!" Emma yelped as she tried to grab at Walsh and he immediately raised his arm and she whipped it back with a force that caused her to frown in pain.

"That's right. I don't just control the witches with this, but also the lands that I take the magic from. I guess I can add puppeteer to my resume as well. Belle, be a dear and find the Prince Charming. Make sure he brings his sword." Walsh spoke, looking directly at Emma. "They won't get hurt as long as you don't try anything."

"If you've got so much confidence in your cup, why threaten our family?" Regina spat, her patience thoroughly expired.

"Insurance." He replied bluntly. "But it shouldn't matter to either of you anyway, as we're about to start the games and I'm quite sure you won't both make it through round one. Come along." He quipped pointing to the door.

"And I'll take this." He grabbed the mirror. "That way they can have a front row seat."

"Why? Why are you doing this? We didn't do anything to you, Walsh. Your problem is with Zelena." Regina fired at him as she powerlessly followed his command, marching down the hallway.

"Witches did this to me!" He spat. "And witches have ruled these lands for too long." His voice raised maniacally, showing that his resentment when much deeper than just one enemy.

"I'm not a witch." Emma replied frostily as his possessed eyes caught with hers as they looked back.

"Well you just rejected my proposal." He stated, his tone popping to eerily calm. "I wouldn't care about the rejection but you did choose magic over me which is good enough for me - and your powers make you a witch as far as the chalice is concerned!"

"I chose magic over you?" Emma stopped walking to face him before groaning as she was immediately pulled back to it by the power. "What we had was a fallacy. You were the one tricking me with magic."

"Then you should be on my side." He growled. "Defeat the witch and maybe we can talk about alternative, arrangements for your fate."

He pushed her forward so that she caught up with Regina. "Now. Through those doors."

They pushed through a swing door into a grand hall. There was a wall around an empty patch in the centre, set up like an arena. There was a mighty throne at one end, clearly left for Walsh. The rest of the seats behind the wall were filled with a crowd. It was clear from their expressions and confusion that they had not elected to be there but there was still a bustle and buzz of anticipation.

"I ensured we'd have an audience, after all they didn't have much of a choice." Walsh raised his arm to bear the watch and placed the mirror on the side. David had arrived in the mirror and was shouting through.

"Hush now, Prince. You four should all watch this as well." He placed the mirror on the side, knowing that they were now unable to leave.

"Now, if you two would take your places at either side of the hall." He ordered as Emma and Regina reluctantly followed the instruction. "Quiet please." He announced, followed by an eerie and sudden silence. "I would like to welcome you all to what will be the first in a series of the new national sport. Magic Battles." He grinned looking at his two contestants.

"You have all been able to place your bets but now let's sweeten the deal. Catch." He reached into his pocket and took out two of Regina's original amulets and threw them to the two women. They both caught them and shared a look of nervousness.

"Put them on." He commanded.

"We could fight for days without killing each other. Trust me, we frequently do." Regina shouted back defiantly as she tried to maintain the authority in her voice. Walsh laughed.

"That may be true." He ran a hand along the back of his chair.

"But what if I command you to return to your forms of the Evil Queen and the Dark One." His voice hushed to a low buzz as the two women's eyes locked in fear. Before they could react, their amulets flashed and they felt themselves transforming.

Emma looked down her arms and legs. Her tight leather had returned and she could feel the restriction of her hair, knowing what colour it would be. Regina similarly looked at her form, feeling the grip on her chest at the new constriction of her corset. Her face turned into a snarl as their eyes met once again. Emma knew she should feel different but she didn't. She could hear the whispers of the dagger as she had done before but there was none of the conflict she had felt when she was first turned. She looked ahead and saw Regina generate a sword into her hand and let out a wild cackle, elated to have been set free.

It was becoming clear that although Emma's mind had not been corrupted by her old darkness it did not seem to be the case for Regina.