Douse the Flame

Summary: When Sofia gets word that Greeneyes has been revived and is out for revenge against Sofia and her family, she calls for help to eradicate the evil entity for good.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Sofia the First, as they belong to Craig Gerber. I own Serena, Charlie, Angel (mentioned), Takoda (mentioned), Butterford, Muscles, and several others. MarionetteJ2X owns Nana and Tanya (both mentioned).

A/N: Yes, I know this chapter is short. It's intentional. There will be more of a revelation as to why in the next chapter.

Chapter 9: Emerald Flame

Before Greeneyes could even think about moving, Serena held her hands above her head, her eyes quickly altering between her normal blue shade and those terrifying green ones.

"Why are her eyes changing colors?" Cedric wondered as he and the others had managed to scramble closer to the younger girl, his eyes trained on his daughter.

"Perhaps a…connection with…" Orion nodded his head toward Greeneyes, and that was all that needed to be said. It was fairly obvious to what he was alluding, though none of them liked the notion. Especially not…

"Serena, please!" Sofia cried, feeling as Cedric's arms held her as she stared after her little girl. "Please be careful!"

While Serena heard her mother, she was focused on her task at hand. She could feel a wave of heavy magic flooding her like nothing she'd ever experienced before. It was like her entire being had been reimagined and rebuilt, from the inside out. Her skin tingled a bit as energy coursed through her veins and into the palms of her hands. In an eerily calm and serious voice, she finally spoke to Greeneyes: "You may have come back once," she told the woman lowly, her accent a bit thicker than it usually was, "but I promise you won't ever do so again. This time, I will be the one to destroy you."

Greeneyes growled heatedly while the others watched her quietly though still in a state of shock. "You were nothing more than a ball of energy spared by sheer dumb luck!" Her demonic form pulsated a bit, radiating with negative energy, as she prepared to throw everything she had at the little girl.

With a surprising smirk on her lips, Serena challenged almost playfully, "Wanna bet?" Just as Greeneyes released her powers, Serena did the same, and both of them winced as they could feel the magnetic pull of the other one's powers.

While the power Greeneyes possessed was beginning to wane, the magic Serena possessed was somehow growing stronger. Her eyes had settled in a strange pattern: mostly her mother's blue orbs, but there was a thin circle of electric green circling her pupils. Unwanted images of Greeneyes stealing her from her mother's womb, hauling her spiritual form around as an intended sacrifice, danced in her mind, and it fueled the flames… Literal green flames mixed with a brightly-glowing Light Magic began pulsing in her palms, and she screamed out in both pain and surprise as she hurled it toward the demonic presence before her. After just a few seconds, with one last shout, she threw all the magic and energy she had, watching with a neutral and unflinching expression as Greeneyes was set ablaze with the strange magic.

In a matter of moments, the entity known as Greeneyes was disintegrated, though her green orbs stared up through the pile of dark ashes at them in a very unsettling manner.

"W-Where did that come from?" Butterford wondered in awe before gasping and catching Serena before she could fall. He noted her tired features and made a connection: she had fainted. "She's out cold…" He picked her up, cradling her carefully as Sofia hurried up to him.

"She overexerted herself," Vega reasoned. "She'll be all right, though I think there is something important to note…" She looked toward Cedric and Sofia, who turned their attention to her. "Greeneyes is still within your daughter… I think that's obvious with her eyes and her powers."

"Can we remove that part of her?" Cedric asked, grimacing at the question. To even think of putting his daughter through something as brutal as negative magic extraction was painful, but…

"We could," Orion answered. "But there is a possibility that Serena could use those abilities as a form of protection. I think it was obvious from the way she handled herself and eliminated Greeneyes… She pretty well has a good handle on things."

"At least for now," Chrysta added, massaging her arm. "Who knows? Maybe your kiddo will become just as powerful as you guys."

"I just hate that it's with her powers," Sofia muttered, sighing as she leaned into Cedric's arms. "But…" She glanced up at him. "Maybe we can just let her decide for herself when she's older if she wants to keep those powers or not."

He nodded, wrapping his arms more securely around her. "She's always been responsible and has reasonable, rational ways of looking at things. For now, I'm just glad to have her back."

"Me too…" Sofia blinked as Butterford turned toward her, smiling, and gently shuffling the sleeping girl into her arms. She returned his smile, feeling as he gently squeezed her hand in a silent exchange of encouragement. Then, she looked at the others. "Let's… Let's get out of here…"

To be continued…

Next chapter: Precious Gems