"I love it!" Walsh barked with glee, hopping on his throne like a child. "Now come on ladies, I want you to fight until I've got a body lying limp on my floor. Nobody is leaving this arena until then!" He clapped his hands as the two woman began to pace opposite, Emma mimicking Regina's bewitched lead. The crowd tried to move but they were glued to their seats and there was a mix of panic and intrigue at what they were seeing unfold.

"Oh it's been a long time. Such a very long time." Regina growled as Emma continued to panic. She knew what she looked like but she couldn't feel the darkness like before. If Regina did would she have an advantage? Would that even be a bad thing? She didn't want to kill Regina...but then if Regina was transformed there was less chance of them being able to come up with a plan to stop it.

"You better draw your sword, Ms Swan. You don't want to make this too easy." Regina taunted her as Emma drew one to keep up appearance. If Regina really was going to attack her she didn't want her to know her weakness.

"You said yourself, you don't stand a chance against me, Regina." She shouted back, generating her own sword in her hand and trying not to show the fear in her voice.

"You haven't been able to do a thing without me holding your hand." Regina taunted as they began circling opposite each other. "Not without screwing everything up. That's what got us in this mess and now I intend to get out of it."

"So it's back to being my fault then." Emma relayed. "Of course it is. You never seemed to have much depth as the Evil Queen. I guess coming to Storybrooke suddenly gave you more than one dimension." She paused, the two of them now having orbited closer and closer, almost with a distance to be able to fight.

"I guess every time you revert it's not just decent fashion sense that you lose. Not that you have much of that in either world." She taunted, trying her best to emulate her Dark One tones. It wasn't fooling Regina, however.

"You seem to have lost your sting, Dark One. That sounds like the kind of infantile insult Ms Swan would come up with." Regina snarled. "Not that it will matter soon."

"I'm just warming up." Emma added, stalling. She couldn't put combat off any further as the command was pulling her and she could hear Walsh getting restless in his seat.

"Well you better put your heart into it. I know I've got mine and it's got one desire. To obliterate my enemy." Regina whispered with a flash of evil in her eye.

Emma breathed heavily, hoping for some wave of inspiration but nothing was coming.

"Enough of the posturing. Fight, witches!" Walsh demanded as Regina growled again.

"With pleasure."

As Emma was still yet to swing her sword, Regina massaged a fireball in her hand and shot it straight at Emma's right side. She instantly sliced it with the sword as Regina pelted her with 3 more, all on the same side. Emma battered off each one, even though the stream was relentless.

"You're not as sharp as my Regina either." Emma panted, between the blasts as she caught eyes with Regina again. "I see you've forgotten which is my good side!"

"Have I?" She thundered, urging her with a new fire in her eyes. A fire of determination that suddenly lit Emma ablaze. Suddenly something clicked into place.

"I'm ready for you now." Emma stated, conjuring her own ball of light and blasting Regina backwards.

The witch went flying back as the audience gaped and hummed with awe. She jostled back to her feet and grabbed Emma by the throat through the air.

"I knew you'd catch up eventually." Regina gripped her hand tighter, the power strangling at Emma's throat. "I knew you'd know that you can't fight the evil. It always comes ends up ripping the good out at some point. It's the only way to succeed." Emma listened to every word, hanging on to every syllable while trying desperately to think up any form of plan to break out of Regina's death grip and ultimately any plan to survive.

Walsh's eyes danced between them, his mouth agape with anticipation as he rubbed his tongue, slavering it along the inside of his teeth.

Emma looked Regina up and down and began to squint towards her as Regina's hand began to hiss and smoke. She began to stutter with pain until the burning was too much and she released her captive. As Emma dropped down on the release she blasted Regina again, backwards, before tossing her into the air, controlling her with both hands and thrusting her back to the ground.

She extended her sword again, tossing another blast of light at Regina in order to stretch the time as much as she could. Stalling was all she could do as the more they fought the less power she had over stopping herself. Regina scrambled up, taking the handle of her own weapon and clinking the blade off Emma's advancing one.

"How can you be sure your evil is going to be strong enough?" The steel flashed and sparked as the two danced their steps, each time a near miss as the other skillfully impeded.

"Because I've been doing this longer than any of you." Regina stammered back as the pressure mounted from each of Emma's lunges.

"You may have been born in the Enchanted Forest but you were made by the real world. You were dragged up in a pathetic...non-magic -" She struggled, pouring her energy into trying to hold her back as Emma pressed her blade hard against the shiny silver. "-mortal world and mortality is the ultimate weakness. Witches always win."

The pressure was now pushing her almost into the floor. She tried to generate a fireball but Emma immediately took control of it, raising it into the air and exploding it into a shower of tiny embers that rained down around them.

"Witches are the only...people...who can control mortality with a single squeeze of our hand." She choked, even though it was clear she was about to lose.

"I'm well aware." Emma replied boldly. "I'm sure young Violet will remind you that I am more than capable of that as well."

"Then prove it." Regina croaked, Emma's sword now neatly aligned along her throat and only millimetres away from touching her flesh. "My death will be the only chance you have."

With a yell, Emma drove her hand into Regina's chest, pulling out her glowing heart. Still trapped by the instruction she could feel her grip tightening on it, the only control she had was being able to slow down the inevitable. With a final shriek, Regina flopped lifeless, startling Emma as Walsh leaped from his chair. "Now that is how you end a battle!" He glimmered, leaping over the low wall his throne sat behind as Emma felt her grip able to relax.

Breathing heavily, she lingered over the body, trying to process what was happening and what she needed to do next.

"I've never seen a heart be ripped right out of its body." He growled as he approached Emma, fascinated by the powers that had been on display even if he had ordered it.

"Very impressive, Ms Swan." He mused, seeing the look of fury in her eyes as he spoke and catching a glimmer of the blade that was dragging on the floor. "Probably best if you put that down though. And no killing me just because you've got your powers. Regina is now an example of the only way to be free of my control." She looked to him and looked at the heart in her hand, hoping the only plan she could think of would work.

"There's the cocky again. Assuming a witch can't hurt you just because they're dead." Emma baited him, dropping the sword, reluctantly as the wizard giggled at her audacity.

"Well I'd like to see her try." He kicked the body below him as it flopped, moved only by the force of his foot. "Which now leaves the decision of how fast you join her as a dead witch."

"I'm not a witch. I never have been. I'm a saviour and a Dark One." Emma narrowed her eyes, dipping her head forward to lock into his gaze. "You've seen me rip out one heart, how about I rip out more? If you keep me alive you can control the world not only through the cup but through fear. You'd have the most dangerous pet you can find." She offered as he examined the passion in her eyes.

"Zelena was right. Dark Emma really is a lot of fun, if not a little ruthless. I do like the sound of being able to command the Dark One - and don't even need a dagger." He looked her up and down, twitching his watch.

"And if you command me, you command my magic. I can transfer it to others, have any puppet you like ripping out the heart of their neighbour." She explained, being sure to add a flicker of madness in her tone. "You just have to say the word and I will show you what I can make these people do." He thought it over as she continued. "You've seized the world, executed your plan perfectly. The only way to go is to go bigger. Show them what Caradagh didn't live long enough to do."

Walsh began to smile, tipping his head.

"I like the sound of this Ms Swan. Your dark self is much more compliant than your whiney saviour self. Show me what you can do - but no clever tricks. You can't make anyone kill me or steal my cup."

Emma's face cracked into a smile as she spun Regina's heart in her hand.

"Oh it won't kill you." She whispered as Walsh's face lit up, possessed with excitement. "Show him. you know what I want you to do."

Walsh began to smile before letting out a groan of pain as Regina's hand thrust through his back replicating what Emma had just done to her in a carefully orchestrated chain of puppetry.

"I said...you can't...kill -"

"As the Dark One said, it won't. Unfortunately" Regina struggled, being sure to induce as much pain as possible as she squeezed his heart tightly. "And nor will it be stealing if you give me the watch. Order me to remove the cup from the stone then you will take off the watch."

Walsh fell to the ground as he felt himself undoing the strap.

"I order you to...remove...the cup..." his face fell, his eyes stuck torturing themselves with the view of his fingers doing her bidding. He yelped again as Regina squeezed furthermore, stopping any further words before the watch clanged to the ground.

"Thank you, monkey." She articulated before sending him clattering backwards, smashing his head and body against the wall as the crowd was a mix of gasps and cheers.

"Do you mind?" Regina asked as Emma smiled, thrusting the heart back into her body.

"The problem with only stealing magic and pretending you know how it works..." Regina explained as Walsh groaned. "Is that you don't actually know how it works. Or how witches work, for that matter." She zipped her hand over the watch as the cup came jumping out and she caught it. The command had worked as she wasn't sucked in as it emerged. She tossed his heart into the air, catching it and making him jolt.

"You can't turn me into the Evil Queen, Walsh." She moved closer to him as he reached for the cup and she held it back, Emma magically yanking his arm behind his back.

"Because I've never stopped being the Evil Queen. She is still as much a part of me as the Regina I've become, no matter how I dress. I've just grown from her." She taunted as he gasped and struggled, Emma holding him back with her grip. "And as for Ms Swan, it takes a lot more than a peddler to create a Dark One, even if she does still hold some of the magic."

Regina leaned in, matching her daring eyes with his eyeline. His were seething and panicked, darting between the cup and her damning look as he tried to fight the pain of his restrictions while also coming down from the power trip he had been on.

"You were...faking it?" He stuttered out.

"Pretty convincingly too." Emma commented. "You had me fooled until those fireballs. Especially with how genuine your taunts were."

"Oh that was pretty real." Regina grinned, now with a new wave of devilish arrogance from their sudden upper hand. "Your insults really are infantile."

As she finished the sentence, Walsh yelled in pain as she thrust his heart back into his body.

"I was tempted to keep that and crush it, but I am sure my companion will take issue with that so I suppose I can just use this instead to make you behave." She swapped it between her hands as the wizard had been doing. "So if I say stay there like a good boy, you will?" She commanded as Emma let go, now her services were no longer needed. "And to think I thought you were actually going to give us specific instructions. I should have known a mortal would have been so scrappy. Now let's undo some of your amateur damage." She looked around the crowd of people in the tiers of seats around the hall. "Everybody disregard whatever messed up instructions this poor excuse for a human gave you." She commanded as they saw in the mirror that Hook was able to let Mary Margaret go and there was a general gasp of relief as the people regained their freedom to leave their seats.

"And Belle - " she looking into the mirror, still propped up on the side. "I know I don't even need to ask you to look through those hidden documents and tell me how they destroyed this cup."

"On it." Belle was already flicking through as Regina smiled at Emma.

"Well done, Swan. I knew you'd figure it out." She nodded, earnestly.

"Not bad for someone who was dragged up though a pathetic non-magic, mortal world, huh?"

"I will get it back! You can't take it -" Walsh struggled as the tone became lighter. He wriggled against the magic holding him down, spitting with fury.

"Oh zip It, Walsh." Emma bit back at him.

"What she said." Regina added, ensuring it was carried through. "You know maybe we shouldn't destroy this." She examined the cup as Emma crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

"Calm down, I'm joking." Regina replied, waving her hand at her. "Mostly." She looked at it again.

"Easy there, your majesty." Emma attempted to take it off her as Regina splayed out her hand to stop her.

"Uhm, look don't touch, remember? Not until I lift the stealing hex. I should be able to if I am the holder. See. You really do still need your hand held." She teased her as she waved her hand over the cup, causing it to flash and releasing it from the condition.

"There. Try and take it." She offered as Emma waved her hand and zipped it through the air.

"God it's good to be in control of my own magic again." She flexed her hand with a smile before her face dropped into a nervous frown.

"Regina..." She started. "You know that if we break this up we're going to set her free..."

Regina took a deep breath, matching Emma's disheartened look. "Well we don't have much of a choice, do we. For one, Glinda is in there and two..." she paused as Emma's eyebrows raised.

"Say it." She ordered

"It's the right thing to do." Regina grumbled, reluctant to say the words but feeling the pull before throwing a dirty look at Emma who shrugged. After a pause, Regina began to walk away, thinking through their last encounter with her sister.

"You never did tell me what happened before you sent her back." Emma whispered, walking forward to catch her up.

Regina looked across at Walsh's embittered frame scrawled up against the wall.

"She threatened to take the baby." She explained as Emma tipped her head. "I used the wand, sent her back. It was always only going to be a matter of time."

"And you reckon this was part of her master plan?" She asked as Regina gave her a look of agreement.

"I'm sure he convinced her she wanted it without much resistance, but thanks to your boyfriend over here she won't get a chance to use it herself." She added loudly so that he could snarl back with resentment.

"Hey, easy there - he's her ex-boyfriend." Hook chirped up from the mirror as Regina picked it up again.

"Speaking of which..." Regina looked to him, taking the cup and trying to distract herself with more light-hearted thoughts.

"Go get your chequebook, pirate. You'll need it for when I return." She pointed at him as he immediately began to protest, losing control of his body that was no drawing him away to the door.

"Can we focus on getting magic back so we can return?" Emma interrupted as Regina gave her a side glance. "Call him off please."

"Fine." Regina huffed as Hook stopped, throwing her a look.

"I'll be making you do it with or without the cup." She threatened giving him another warning glare.

"I think you should just be able to free them magically. Will them out." Belle instructed, having read through. "And they destroyed it by pooling their magic and blasting it while the bearer said a chant. They must have forced him somehow. You won't have that problem seeing as you're now the keeper."

"Right.

"We're going to need some firepower to do it. How does the weight of all four of us sound?" Emma clapped her hands together, rubbing them ready to go. "Assuming Zelena agrees, that is."

"Oh she won't have a choice. Not while we have this." Regina raised the chalice and took both handles.

"I command that all the magic be returned to its rightful lands and bearers - with the exception of Zelena." Regina stated, closing her eyes. "And that you release anyone trapped inside you. In a way they can't instantly kill us." She added as a disclaimer.

The chalice began to hum and buzz before it slowly ramped into squeal like steam escaping from a kettle, just as the mirror had. After a moment or two it thrust itself into the air, Regina holding on tight as it forced her arms up and all colours of blues, greens, reds, purples, whites and various patterns of smoke and dust came firing out in all directions. The crowd ducked and shaded themselves from the light and the noise as the impressive display of colour rocketed through the room. It was cast far beyond to worlds and realms near and far.

Regina and Emma were both hit with a wave of it, feeling it explode within them, and the crew back in Storybrooke ducked as the amulet around the mirror smashed into a thousand pieces without interrupting the connection.

"The magic is holding by itself." Belle confirmed, shouting through before there was another crack and two bursts of light, one green and one white came flying out before materialising into the two trapped witches.

"Don't move from that spot, Zelena. No magic, no tricks, you sit there until we know what to do with you." Regina warned as the witch wriggled but quickly she got distracted from her sister as she turned with fury to lock onto her target.

"You...you...pesky little monkey! You are going to feel pain like you have never felt before!"

"Only if I allow it." Regina ordered, stepping between them. "Which I'm open to persuas - "

"Regina..." Emma warned, raising an eyebrow again as Regina sighed with a nod.

"Fine." She conceded, walking over to Walsh." But we are going to hurt him." She narrowed her eyes, locking them with his again. "We're going to make him help a group of witches rip his precious cup to shreds."