If you couldn't tell by now, they are the witches from Hocus Pocus. I really love that movie and I know many other people do as well, so I figured why not. Enjoy!
Chapter 24: The Three Witches
When Mandy stepped through the force field, she could feel the change in the atmosphere. It was heavy, like someone was sitting on her chest. There was nowhere to hide; she was hoping the witch was preoccupied and wouldn't see her. She studied the cottage from afar, deciding where her point of entry was going to be. She saw cellar doors on the side of the house. That would be the easiest way in, she thought, without getting caught. She took a moment to think about Peter, their baby, what it will be like raising the baby without him by her side. She did take care of the Lost Boys for a while; it wouldn't be that different, would it? She put her hands on her stomach. She couldn't believe she had another life growing inside her.
She was snapped out of her daydream when she heard what sounded like thunder from behind her. She quickly turned around and saw Gold, Cora, Regina, Emma, and Blue using their magic to break the outer force field. She smiled at their teamwork but remembered she had a job to do before saving the kids. She summoned the energy required to break the force field. It didn't take long for it to disintegrate; it wasn't that strong to begin with. The witch probably thought there were no kids with magic so that force field wouldn't need to be that strong. On the other hand, the outer one would be better constructed because if adults got through, it would be disastrous for the witch. Once she finished breaking the barrier, she snuck down to where the cellar doors were. She unlocked them with her magic and began to descend the stairs. She couldn't believe what she saw.
"Why isn't this working?" Emma said expecting the force field to break almost instantly.
"The force field is very strong, it will break soon though. Miranda weakened it by breaking the other force field from the other side." Blue said trying to explain to Emma that there is work that still needs to be done.
"How can you tell?" Emma asked.
"We felt the change in the force field, didn't you?" Cora replied.
"No! This isn't Star Wars. The Force is not with me!" Emma exclaimed.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Regina said frustrated.
"Focus ladies." Gold commanded. He didn't feel like listening to them fight again and they really needed to break the force field sooner rather than later.
"I don't think I'm doing anything." Emma said doubting herself.
"You're helping more than you know." Regina said still focused on the force field in front of her.
"I don't feel like I am." Emma replied not really giving it her all. She wished she knew how to use her magic better.
Regina looked over to Emma and saw how unsure of herself and her powers she was. "Emma, you have more power than you realize. Keep your focus and think about Henry." She instructed as Emma nodded. She wasn't expecting the brunette to help her, especially after she told her she needed to go see a therapist.
Mandy's jaw dropped as she saw a bunch of kids huddled close together in the cellar. There wasn't that much room for them to move around too freely. They all looked scared and shielded their eyes from the light that was coming in. They clearly have been stuck in the dark the entire time they were here.
"Mandy?" She heard a small voice call her name from the back. She squinted her eyes trying to make out who it was.
"Nibs? Is that you?" She asked unsure. A group of kids came rushing towards her, knocking her to the ground.
"I knew you would come for us!" Slightly said excitedly. "We missed you!" exclaimed Binky.
"Don't ever leave us again!" Cubby sobbed hugging her, not wanting to let go.
"I missed you all too but you have to be quiet." She whispered as they all got up except for one who was still hugging her. "Cubby, get off me." She groaned. "Sorry."
As soon as she got up, she was captured in another hug. "Henry!" She exclaimed.
"Where is everyone?" He asked curious as to why she didn't bring back up.
"They are trying to break down the force field. Hopefully, they do it soon." Mandy said looking around at the rest of the kids. "Where's Tiger Lily?"
"The witches took her and a few other kids a little while ago." Slightly informed.
"The kids they took before, never came back." Nibs added nervously.
"Wait, wait, wait! Did you say witches, as in more than 1?" She asked with a concerned and frightened look on her face.
Henry nodded. "There are three of them and they have magic." He warned.
"Great!" Mandy said throwing her hands up in frustration. "How am I going to defeat three witches by myself?"
"You're not by yourself, there are people outside with magic right? Can't they help you?" Binky asked.
"Who knows how long it will take for them to break the barrier. If we wait too long, more lives will be in danger. I can't wait for them." She replied. "How many kids have they taken so far?"
"We lost count." Cubby said sadly.
Tootles tugged on Mandy's shirt. "You're gonna get her back, right?"
Mandy kneeled down to his level. "Of course!" She lied. She didn't know if Tiger Lily would be alive by the time she got to them. She didn't want to upset anyone either.
"So you have a plan?" Henry smirked. She was more like him than he realized.
Mandy looked behind her, still kneeling. "Sorta. I don't know exactly what I'm up against."
"Well what do you have so far?" Slightly asked.
She proceeded to tell them her plan. She gathered all the children closer so they would be prepared when they set the plan in motion. Mandy picked four kids who could lead groups to the parents who were anxiously waiting. Henry, Slightly, Nibs and Ava were chosen.
"You 4 will have 15 to 20 kids in each group." Mandy said to the leaders before speaking to the rest of the group. "There's nowhere to hide so you have to run quickly and be light on your feet. Your parents will be waiting. I will be distracting the witches and try to rescue the kids they have now."
"Do you want us to come back when we finish leading out group to help you?" Ava asked.
"No, I don't want anyone getting hurt. Once you're out with your parents, don't come back. Understood?" Mandy said firmly. Every single head nodded as they listened intently to her instructions.
"Good. Anyone know how to get to the next floor?" She asked the group.
Nibs pointed to a door in the ceiling. "They come in from up there and climb down the rope ladder."
Mandy nodded. "Alright. Give me a few minutes to get up there before the group leaves. Everyone get into your groups." They all began to scramble to find a group.
Ava grabbed Mandy's hand. "Mandy, when you get up there can you look for my brother? His name is Nicholas; he also goes by Hansel."
"Paige is up there too! I don't know her real name." Henry added.
"I will try my best to rescue all the kids up there." She said before heading towards the rope ladder. She didn't want to say she would definitely bring them back. She was basically going in there blind. She had no idea what to expect when she got up there.
She began to climb the ladder but someone grabbed her ankle. "What are you doing?" She asked annoyed.
"I don't think you should go up there alone. Let me accompany you." He replied still holding on to her ankle.
"Do you have magic?" She asked looking down at him. "No." He replied.
"Then you are no help to me. Let me go." She said firmly.
He wasn't afraid of her; intrigued was more like it. He wasn't letting go. "I can watch your back."
"Look dude, I don't know who you are but I got this. So you go be all macho somewhere else." She said shooing him away.
"The name's Jacob, but you can call me Jake." He said smiling.
"I didn't ask…now would you please let me go? I have things to do." She whispered impatiently.
He finally let her go. "I'll let you go…for now."
She rolled her eyes and climbed a little more. She unlocked the door with magic and quietly ascended to the next level, checking her surroundings before she made a move. She peaked around every corner but didn't see anyone. She faintly heard a whimper coming from a tiny closet tucked in a corner of the cottage. She slowly opened it and saw 7 kids tied up and gagged, one of them was Tiger Lily. Once she untied them, she began quietly asking them questions.
"Are there any other kids around?" She asked.
"Only three. A boy and two girls. They took them a little while ago." Tiger Lily replied in a whisper.
"Where did she take them?" Mandy asked.
"We don't know." A boy next to Tiger Lily replied.
"Alright. You guys go down where all the other kids are. The first group should have left but there are 3 other groups you can go with." She informed. The nodded and all began moving quietly towards the cellar door.
"The force field is weakening quite a bit. The witch's cottage is coming into view." Blue exclaimed.
"Are those children?" Cora asked squinting her eyes.
"Yes! They're coming from the cellar." Emma said excitedly. The first group of kids, led by Nibs, made it out safely and reunited with their parents.
"Nibs, where's Henry? Is he okay?" Emma asked when Nibs passed between her and Regina.
"He is leading one of the groups. He should be out soon." He replied making Emma smile.
"What about Miranda?" Regina asked concerned for her other child.
"She's rescuing the kids the witches took." Nibs said. Regina looked more worried than before. "She's really brave." He added. Regina looked away.
"She is." Emma confirmed. "Thanks for the update Nibs. We appreciate it."
Once he was out of earshot, Emma checked up on Regina. "Regina, are you okay?"
Regina shook her head. "He said witches…plural…more than one."
Emma looked concerned. "How many do you think there are?"
"I don't know but Miranda can't handle all of them at once, especially if they each have magic. We need to get in there!" Regina was more desperate now than ever to break this force field. She needed to get to her daughter.
Mandy finally found the witches and watched what they were doing from her hiding spot. She saw the three kids tied up in chairs. One of the witches, a tall, heavy woman with her raven black hair tied up in a weird hairdo on top of her head, was stirring the potion that was in the big cauldron in the middle of the room. Another witch, a thin woman with long straggly blonde hair, was watching the children. She saw another witch standing over the cauldron. She looked like the head witch; this one had red hair and was giving instructions to the other two.
"Is the potion almost done?" The blonde witch whined.
"Oh shut up, Sarah. It's not like you're doing anything to help." Mary, the heavy set one shot back.
"Will you two stop fighting? You're giving me a headache." The red headed one said.
"Please don't hurt us." Paige begged.
"If you let us go, we won't tell anyone about you." Nicholas said trying to reason with them to let them go.
"Quiet children." The leader snapped. "You won't be going anywhere."
"Winnie, the potion is complete." Mary informed her older sister.
"Excellent!" Winnie exclaimed. "Pour three glasses for our lovely guests."
Mary did as she was told and handed each witch a glass of their own. They picked a child they wanted and tried to make them drink it.
"Open wide." Winnie said cheerfully to Paige. She clenched her mouth tighter, as did the other two kids. They grabbed their mouths and yanked them open, making them drink it. Mandy quickly jumped out of her hiding spot and pushed the cauldron over, spilling everything in it.
"You stupid girl!" Winnie snarled. She sent a spell straight for Mandy but it was deflected.
"Winnie, she has magic." Sarah said her mouth wide open.
"I realize that Sarah, thank you." Winnie snapped. "Get her."
The witches began to surround Mandy. She was nervous but she didn't show it.
"How did you get out?" Mary asked.
"I think the better question is how did I get in?" Mandy replied. "You should really consider protecting your little cottage better."
The witches were circling her now. "How did you acquire such power?" Winnie asked.
"Don't worry about it. Just let the kids go." Mandy snapped.
"I'm afraid we can't do that." Winnie said motioning to the kids in the chairs. They were slumped over and were glowing.
Mandy quickly threw spells at Sarah and Mary. They were easily knocked out but Winnie was a different story. She was too quick for Mandy and she was quickly engulfed in Winnie's magic. The magical binds were tightly wrapped around Mandy, making her powerless; she couldn't move.
"Not so powerful now, are we?" Winnie said mockingly. "Maybe if you were a polite little girl, it wouldn't have to end this way." Winnie was suddenly struck in the head by something and fell to the floor. Behind her stood Jacob with a pot in his hand. The magical binds holding Mandy were released and she was free to move around.
"I thought you might need some back up." Jacob said smiling.
"I didn't ask for your help. I was doing fine on my own." "Mandy hissed.
"Didn't look like it…" He replied.
"Yea, well…whatever! We need to get these kids out of here!" She said running over to the kids still slumped over in the chairs. He just stood there smiling at her.
"Why the hell are you smiling like that?" She asked untying Paige.
"You said we…"
"Don't get all sentimental on me; besides, you don't even know me. And you're here now so if you want to help so badly, get your ass over here and help!" She shot back. He ran over and started untying the other girl.
"Hey, hey wake up." Mandy said lightly tapping Paige's face. She wasn't moving.
"Looks like we're going to have to carry them out." Jacob said observing the three kids.
"Thank you, Captain obvious." Mandy said rolling her eyes.
"I've got these two, can you carry that girl?" He asked picking the other girl and boy up and putting them over his shoulders.
"Yea, I got her. Head to the cellar. I'm hoping we can catch the last group." Mandy said.
They walked as quickly as they could with kids in their hands. She opened the hatch and yelled down, "Is anyone down there?"
Henry quickly appeared at the bottom. "Mandy, what's wrong?"
"We have three kids but they are unconscious. I need you to carry Paige; Jake will carry the other two."
Henry nodded. "Okay, lower her down." She gently lowered Paige down followed by the two other kids so Jake could climb down the ladder.
"You guys need to leave right now." Mandy instructed.
"What else do you have to do?" Henry asked.
"I have to find the kids whose lives they took. They deserve a proper funeral." She said back.
Jake's head was sticking out of the cellar, waiting for Mandy. "I'm not going without you. I'll stay to help.
"No you won't. I need you to carry those kids out." Mandy replied.
"Someone else can carry them, I want to help you." He said trying to climb out.
Mandy pushed his head back down causing him to fall. "Sorry, but I'm not risking your life! Henry, tell my mother I love her!"
"Mandy!" Henry and Jake shouted in unison but she closed the hatch and sealed it with magic so they couldn't follow her. Their only way out was through the opened cellar door that led to their parents.
When she got back to the room where she left the witches, they were gone. She looked around cautiously. She could feel their presence in the room but she couldn't see them. "I know you're in here." She shouted to the empty room.
The three witches appeared on the opposite side of the room. "Well, well, well….look who came back." Winnie said her hand on her chin.
They began circling the spilled cauldron, avoiding the potion that was all over the floor. "You're the girl that resisted my song." Sarah said realizing who this girl was.
"Guilty." Mandy said smiling.
"You didn't tell me a child resisted your song." Winnie snapped.
"I didn't want to disappoint you." Sarah said cowering in fear from Winnie.
"If you told me, I could've disposed of this little brat before any of this could've happened." Winnie yelled.
"Sorry Winnie."
"You're not going to win." Mary said crossing her arms.
Mandy smiled. "You don't have any kids left…so I don't see how you'll win."
"You let them go?" Winnie asked in a deep voice.
Mandy nodded. "I also removed the force field so they are safe." The witch frowned. "Now where are the kids whose lives you took?"
"And why would we tell you that?" Winnie asked.
"Look, I've got like an army of angry parents just on the other side of the force field that should be broken any minute now. So you can tell me now, or you can face them and be tortured like crazy…The choice is yours."
The witches conversed quietly amongst themselves.
"Oh and some of those parents have magic; one just happens to be the Dark One. So I would choose wisely if I were you. Either way, you're screwed." Mandy added crossing her arms, waiting for their answer.
"They're in that room behind you." Winnie said pointing to the door behind Mandy.
Mandy used her powers to, not unlock the door like the witches thought she was doing, but to protect the room and the bodies within just in case something went wrong. The witches thought Mandy was distracted but she was fully aware of what they were up to. She quickly turned around to block a spell Winnie threw at her.
From outside, the huge group could see the light show going on in the cottage.
"We need to get in there!" Cora yelled over the roar of all the magic that was is the air.
"It's almost complete." Gold shouted.
"Everyone, give it your all." Blue instructed.
They all concentrated and put everything they had into their magic, resulting in the force field being broken. Once it was broken, all 5 ran towards the cottage to assist Mandy with the witches but were thrown backwards when the cottage blew up.
I had fun writing this chapter so I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think.