Day 7 - Magic

Prompt(s) from .com: Ruby convinces Regina to host a Halloween party at the manor. It doesn't go quite to plan & Everyone turns into their Halloween costumes

This was all Ruby's fault.

If she hadn't convinced her that it would be a good idea to throw a Costume Party of all things, then her night would've been the quiet, dignified affair she'd intended. She certainly wouldn't have had to spend the days leading up to it putting up garish black and orange decorations or flipping through her recipe books until she'd accidentally stumbled upon a myriad of Halloween-themed edibles.

If she hadn't allowed herself to be swayed by the she-wolf's criminally long lashes and stunning green eyes, she wouldn't have found herself opening the doors of her once impeccably decorated home to all manner of gaudily dressed townsfolk, Swan and the two idiots counted firmly amongst their number. Said townspeople certainly wouldn't have been scattered throughout her home wearing costumes varying from the ironic to the obscene to the just plain ridiculous, chugging her prized cider like cheap beer and talking to her like they were equals or, even worse, friends.

But, if they hadn't been there at all and, instead, were safely ensconced within their own houses when Emma got the brilliant idea that her powerful magic could make some great parlor tricks, well, the whole situation could have been avoided. Or, if not avoided entirely, at least she would've been left out of it.

Or, perhaps Ruby wasn't to blame. After all, if Emma had only been more careful, if she'd practiced her magic as she'd been repeatedly told too, if she'd just considered the power inside as more than a quick source of entertainment…

Unfortunately for everyone involved, she hadn't done any of those things. And magic had a way of knowing when it was in inexperienced hands. Like a spoiled child, it got a special thrill out of pushing its boundaries, of seeking loopholes and exploiting them mercilessly. So, when Emma declared that they should all get 'more into the spirit of the holiday' well, her supposedly pure magic decided to take her at her word, which was how Regina found herself with a house full of brainwashed fairytale characters who suddenly believed they were the entities their cheaply made costumes portrayed them to be.

As one of the few people who'd decided not to spend the night parading around as someone else, Regina was, fortunately, immune to the poorly executed spells' effects and, if she thought for even a second that someone else would be able to take care of it, she'd wash her hands of the whole affair. But it was her town, her house, the costumed masses were terrorizing and no one, albeit no one, messed with things that were hers.

Of course, the second she got her hands on Wonder Woman (the Savior formerly known as Emma Swan), well, all bets were off.

"Regina?" Ruby asked, slinking up to her girlfriend, her proverbial tail between her legs.

She sighed, bone weary even though the night, it seemed, had only just begun. "What is it, Red?" she asked, turning to face her girlfriend.

The she-wolf's expression was unfailingly apologetic and, despite her resolve to stay angry until long after they'd put this dreadful night behind them, she felt her resolve start to slip. "I know this isn't going exactly the way you planned," she began, her eyes soft and entreating, "But I…I'm here for you. To help make this right,"

"I know you are," she breathed, "I know,"

"Okay," Ruby said, "So…what do we do?"

"Well, first things first, I suppose," she began, frowning slightly, "We have to make sure the town is contained. At this point, I have no idea what effects crossing the border could have and, honestly, I'd rather not find out. And once that's done, well, then the real fun begins,"

"Fun?" she repeated, eyebrows drawing together in consternation.

Regina nodded. "We have to save the Savior so she can save everyone else," she shook her head, narrowing her eyes in the direction of Storybrooke's main street, "All I have to do is figure out a way to immobilize a super-powered Amazon long enough to turn her from Diana back into Emma,"

Ruby huffed out a laugh, slinging her arm loosely around her Regina's waist, "That's all, huh?"

"Mmm,"

"Sounds like a snap,"

She chuckled. "Indeed. We could use a little extra fire power, though. Or ice power, as the case may be,"

"Elsa?" Ruby offered, blinking away her surprise as realization settled, "She wasn't at the party,"

"No, she wasn't,"

She nodded then, decision made. "I'll get her; she's probably at the Inn," she started away only to stop, turning back. "Promise not to take on Wonder Woman without me?"

Regina grinned. "I promise,"