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Everything was dark; too dark to make anything out. In fact, Snow wasn't sure if her eyes were even open. Every part of her body hurt so much and unless her mind was playing tricks on her, there was an extremely good chance that her arms were giving up and no longer capable of performing normal tasks. Since her eyelids were on strike, the rest of her senses seemed to be hyper sensitized; she could smell some strong, striking aroma most likely in the form of perfume, she most definitely could sense the shackles that were cutting into her wrists and the piece of cloth that had made a home in her mouth, and she could hear a conversation taking place ahead of her.
The pain was excruciating and her body cried for relief from constraint. She was exhausted; so much so that she began to cry silently yet relentlessly, letting her tears tumble down the grooves of her face, helped very little by the truth that it was Emma and Cora who were conversing.
Snow couldn't even gather enough strength to spit out the dirty cloth and step in to defend her daughter. She was a shell of the woman she was a couple of days ago and now she was utterly useless in her duty as a mother.
"Wher-where is she?" Snow heard Emma ask weakly. It pained her to hear the desperation in the blonde's voice but it did highlight something that she was never certain on: her daughter did care for her and usually, under much lighter circumstances, that would swell her heart to its capacity, but right now all it did was make her anxious. Cora punishes people for having feelings and displaying actions of love – Regina and Daniel's tragic love story was proof of that. No, Emma was in big trouble. She continued to struggle as much as she could though she knew it was pointless. She managed to unclamp her eyelids and gaze into the dim area, just making out the silhouettes of the group.
"Is she okay?" Emma's tone was really scaring Snow now; she needed to see her, needed to comfort her, needed to tell her that no matter how despairing their problem appeared to be, they would get out of it. Together. Emma was someone who had to have reassurance in her life; she had to be shown that she was significant and worthy and there was nothing Snow wanted more than to show her that. All of the time she had spent apart from her, not being able to be there for her, echoed around in her head and it was like that guilt and that sadness was never ever going to vanish; she'd forever place blame on herself for everything.
In amid all of her distress, Snow had lost track of the conversation but she was drawn back in when she heard Cora utter, "You. Used. Magic."
Three words that never crossed her mind: Emma had magic. How did that happen? Snow had no experience of magic and she was pretty sure James' family didn't either. And then a thought struck her: Emma was destined for great things; she was the only one who could break the curse, the only one who could save everyone – she was special. True love had created someone who could do the most powerful things and break the most formidable of curses. Honestly, the idea of Emma having the ability to exercise magic was not as unbelievable as she initially supposed. In fact, it was incredible. Emma was deserving and she was worthy.
However, what Cora was going to do with this news remained to be seen and if anything, it would only put her daughter in a more precarious condition. That, added with Emma's evident anger and frustration, was only a recipe for disaster. But no longer did Snow have to live with the unknown; Cora was all too eager to express her scheme. If there was one thing that Cora was not, it was shy. Emphatic by nature, she thrived in being the best, being the one step ahead of everyone else – being the leader of the pack.
Yet out of all the scenarios she had concocted about what the woman might do to her or what horrific fate awaited her, she was none too prepared to hear the actual plan. "Oh yes. I have a much worse fate for her in mind. I'm going to kill you and she's going to watch."
Snow's head shot up, her glance darting rapidly from side to side, sweat developing on her brow, her heart hammering against her ribcage and sobs erupting from the very depths of her soul.
This cannot be happening, it just can't be…
She called me 'Mom'; I can't lose her again. I can't…I can't lose my little girl again. No!
The reality of her life hit her lie a ton of bricks and she scrambled for wisps of air in between blubs; the all-consuming fear too much to deal with anymore as she broke under the weight of emotion.
The eruption of sobs from the other side of the room was enough confirmation for Emma; Cora was going to kill her…right in front of her mother. Possibly the cruelest sickest display of power and evil was about to be enacted. Each heart-shattering, gut-wrenching sob from Mary Margaret cut through her body like a blade, and all she wanted to do in that moment was to pull her in for a warm hug. Just one hug that would assure her that everything was going to be okay and that she was loved. A little reassurance and comfort would go a long way. And the more she thought about it, when it came down to it, that was all Emma wanted out of life. The lifelong goal for her was not to conquer some spectacular feat or achieve wide recognition for making something out of her life; it was to finally reach a certain place, a point in her life where she was comfortable, where she could actually say that she was happy. And now as she stared her impending death in the face, she realized that she had reached that destination; finding her family and forging a deeper relationship with her son was the key to unlocking her happiness. She was no longer alone, no longer searching for answers.
And now that was about to be ripped away from her.
The smirk never left Cora's face as she sauntered over to a bound and gagged Mary Margaret who was verily distressed. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, her cheeks stained with tears, her expression one of innate sorrow and helplessness and she never, not once, removed her watery gaze from the blonde. The moment when their eyes met was Emma's breaking point. Her heart plummeted and she began to lose feeling in her whole body. Suddenly it felt all too surreal; she wasn't there anymore, she wasn't witnessing the end of her existence. Everything would just fade away and she would wake up in her own bed back at the apartment, safe and sound. She threw her head back, squeezing her eyelids closed and prayed that all this would just disappear.
Cora, in all of her twisted glory, wiped away the tears off Mary Margaret's face in the most tender and affectionate way possible while the brunette looked on in wide-eyed horror. Something in the way she held herself despite the position she was in showed Emma that she was willing to fight, that she was going to do anything she could to stop Cora's plan and that alone was sufficient for Emma. Knowing that her mother was refusing to give up hope forced Emma to believe that they would get out of this, for faith was the only thing she had left to cling onto.
With delicate gentleness Cora removed the cloth from Mary Margaret's mouth, automatically shushing her by pressing a finger against the woman's lips. She must have known that she would rip her head off shouting anything that came to mind; that gesture shocked her enough to leave her mute…for the time being.
"Please don't yell, Snow," she ordered softly. There was something so eerie about the way she acted; her calmness and serenity juxtaposing with her malice. "Raising your voice will do you no good; it will merely strain your voice."
Mary Margaret's voice was like ice. "You will not get away with this." Each word emphasised, Emma believed in nothing more.
"And on what grounds are you basing that?"
"You think you know me? You think you know my family? The Snow White you knew was just a kid, just a small, naïve child who thought she was doing what was best for your daughter but the Snow White you see now has a family and has survived more battles and obstacles than she can count. She is a fighter and if there's one thing my family does, is fight for the people we love and if there is one thing you can count on, Cora, it's that I will do everything in my power to protect my daughter." Obviously Mary Margaret was channelling her inner Snow because Emma had never seen her so defiant, so outspoken, so sure of what she wanted to convey. Her assurance seemed to rattle Cora just a bit as the woman digested the words slowly, her arrogance waning slightly.
"You like to talk, Snow, don't you? I've always noticed that about you; you're quick to voice your opinions, love to let people know what you think of them. Your speech was nice - a little dated, but still effective. But there's just one problem with it: it was just words. You're trapped, your daughter is trapped, your companions are out cold, and your husband, grandson and friends are in another realm. There is nothing you can do, my sweet."
She continued to meander toward Emma as if taunting Mary Margaret but Emma couldn't focus; all she could hone in on was the anguished yelps of her mother and best friend spreading throughout the room and understanding that she was the cause of her distress. She clenched her jaw in anticipation for what was to come.
Cora thrust the air with her open arms, seemingly summoning all of her power into one particular area. Suddenly, she was engulfed in a blast of brilliant purple that shuddered around the space, blinding Emma and forcing her to wince away from the flash. She had never seen anything like it. A wind picked up and the purple mist began to swirl violently, creating a vortex of dread in front of the blonde's eyes. With no need for warning Emma was pulled from the wall and thrown high into the air, her chains wrapping around her body, pushing her arms tight against her torso and pressing on her lungs so hard that breathing was proving highly problematic. Then again, that was probably the intended result.
"No!" she choked out as she locked gaze with Mary Margaret whose face was a canvas of pure horror. Though heavily light-headed and panicked, there was just something minute about the brunette's expression that caught enough of Emma's attention to hold on that little longer; it was as if Mary Margaret was instructing her about…something…somehow.
"Is there anything you would like to say to your dear mother?" Cora asked, letting out a cackle. What a witch.
"Emma," Mary Margaret said sternly, her head cocking to the right. The blonde could see that she was crying and doing anything to break her chains but her voice was so calm, so firm that Emma paid close attention. "You can do this."
"What?" She gasped for oxygen, her world beginning to turn dark.
"You know what. Don't be afraid. Just hold on!"
Of course she knew what she meant but how could she remain so collected?!
Staring down at Cora's smirk as she grappled with dying, Emma clenched her fists and had one last idea that she hoped would postpone this for a little longer. She felt the stinging all over her body and knew what she had to do. With a kick of her leg for momentum, she jerked her hands open and, to her actual surprise, a bright bolt of electric blue cascaded around her, connecting with Cora's flow and sending her flying across the room against the far wall.
Cora's magic petered out and Emma dropped to the floor with a mighty thud, but being new to the magic scene, Emma couldn't stop her surge as it continued to batter the already weak walls of the dungeon.
"Emma!" Mary Margaret yelled, her body encapsulated by the dazzling light. "Emma you have to stop it!"
"I don't know how!"
"You have to relax!" Emma wasn't sure when but while she and Cora were in a duel to the death, Aurora and Mulan had risen to their feet, clearly still breathing and not looking too beaten up – much to Emma's relief. Aurora was the only one who seemed to possess a clear head as rods of brightly coloured hazes encompassed them. "Just quiet yourself and let your anger go! It's the only way to stop!"
"Eh, freeing anger is not something that comes easily to me!"
"Please try!" her mother yelped.
The despondency as she spoke provided Emma with the only incentive she needed to remain alert and attentive. She drew her hands together and tried to focus all of the energy into the space in front of her but the intensity frightened her and in one flash, another burst exploded in Cora's direction, dismantling segments of bricks all around them.
And then it was gone.
All of the energy she had generated had disappeared in the blink of an eye leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. Rubble from the damaged walls and ceiling of the dungeon cluttered the floor and its dust permeated Emma's lungs making it practically impossible to drag in any clear air. Instead, breathing was replaced with hearty coughing.
"Emma?"
"Mary Margaret?" She let out another stream of splutters as she crawled on her hands and knees in her mother's direction. "Are you okay?"
"I think so but my leg is stuck. You?" The ringing in Emma's ears was so deafening that the brunette sounded so far away…and worried.
"Honestly? I've been better," she managed to reply, manoeuvring her way through in the least painful way. She thought she heard Mary Margaret chuckle at her response but that could have just been her mind spinning out; she was sure that she was in some kind of shock. Getting into situations such as this was not something that one should be used to.
"Everything's going to be okay." How was that, even though everything around them was literally a mess – not to mention frightening, she could just utter a few simple words and suddenly nothing seemed as bad anymore? It was like her superpower. The way Mary Margaret could make Emma feel safe with just a nod of the head or a subtle wave of a hand was sort of remarkable.
"Oh yeah, what makes you say that?"
"Because we're all still alive," Mulan answered straight, somehow next to Emma helping her to her feet.
"For now. What about Cora?" The dust was beginning to settle and visibility was clearing. Thankfully, Emma could make out Mary Margaret in front of her attempting to free herself of the shackles and push off a pile of stone that held her foot hostage.
Wordlessly, Mulan gestured toward an enormous mound of debris.
"Is she…dead?"
"I wouldn't count on it," Mary Margaret interjected, releasing her foot with a forceful kick. "But we may have bought ourselves some time. Mulan do you have your sword at hand?"
"Of course." The warrior removed the blade from her sheath and with a quick snap of the wrist had managed to cut through the brunette's chains. "There."
"Does that sword ever leave your side?"
She didn't even wait a second before replying. "No." So direct.
Mary Margaret gaped at her free arms, her eyes alight. With a watery smile she launched herself at Emma, wrapping her arms around her so tightly that Emma was sure she had cracked a rib, but the joy of having her mother with her after what they just went through overtook anything else she was feeling in that moment. For that moment it was just Mary Margaret and Emma, mother and daughter.
"You found me," the woman breathed.
"Seems like a recurring theme," Emma joked with a sniffle, not realizing that she had begun welling-up.
"Thank you for saving me." She pulled away to get a good look at the blonde, smiling widely and brushing away any stray tears.
"Yes, what you did was quite…something," Aurora said. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it."
"Me neither," Emma agreed with a humourless laugh. "I didn't really have time to flick through 'Magic for Dummies' before I came out here."
"You were brilliant," Mary Margaret praised, touching her daughter's arm lightly which invited a meek smile from her.
"We must move out," Mulan ordered, taking control so that they all did not forget what was at stake. "The mirror should be around here somewhere."
"The mirror?"
"Mulan thinks that Regina has a magical mirror somewhere here in the castle that could be a portal back to Storybrooke," Emma explained to her mother.
"Well then we better get looking."
So what did you all think? Loved it? Hated it? Indifferent? I'll try to update as soon as possible but everything is just crazy right now so please stick with me! Haha I sincerely hope you all enjoyed it and please, please, please review and let me know what you thought! Please be honest and any suggestions are more than welcome! :D