"Are the children asleep?" Mal asked.

"Yes." Regina said softly, running a hand through her hair. She glanced over the floor where the kids had created a massive bed that covered every inch of the floor. They were knocked out after trying to stay awake and talk to Millie. Belle was asleep as well, using a book as a pillow. The Charmings were splayed across one of the chairs and Emma was gone. On Mal's end, everyone was asleep and she had taken the night shift. Not much had changed since they found Millie. They were still flying over a desert, but this time, the sun didn't rise. Luckily, the moon provided some light and it wasn't as hot. In fact, it was quite cold.

"You should get some rest." Mal said.

"I'm fine. I have to watch the radar."

"You think something can sneak up on me? The Mistress of All Evil?"

Regina smiled and rubbed her eyes. "Mal, something's above you!" Mal's head whipped upwards and her wings shook at the sudden movement.

"You bitch." Mal growled, looking back at her passengers. Most of them had stirred at the odd movement, but a soft purr lulled them back into slumber. Regina laughed softly and quickly checked the radar. Everything was fine for now. "Sing me a song." Her mate requested. "Scratch that, sing my song."

"I'm not a singer, Mal."

"You have a lovely voice and I love hearing it when you think I'm not paying attention. You've danced for me, why not sing?"

Regina glanced around the room to make sure everyone was still asleep. "You sure?"

"Please, dear?"

She rolled her eyes and licked her lips. Mal waited patiently for her to begin. She took a deep breath and silently hoped that she didn't sound terrible.

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream

I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam

And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem

But if I know you, I know what you'll do

You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream

"Beautiful." Mal purred. "You really shouldn't doubt your talents."

"Thank you." Regina felt herself blushing girlishly at having the dragon's approval. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to make some coffee. I'll be right back."

"Or you could get some rest."

"Nah, be back in a minute." She heard Mal growl behind her as she rose to her feet and carefully maneuvered her way through the sleeping bodies on the floor to the kitchen. The day before she'd conjured everything they would need in the kitchen to keep from ordering out for food. She went to the coffee maker to start making some coffee to keep herself awake. She heard the back door open and close but she didn't think much of it.

"Make enough for two?" Emma asked, sitting down to the kitchen island.

"Sure." Regina said without turning around.

"I figured it out, by the way." Emma said.

"Oh? Do tell, Miss Swan."

"I know why you're here, why you're fixing up the town." Regina arched an eyebrow as she turned around. Emma scratched her arm. "You're bringing back Maleficent's parents and you don't know if they'll be able to cross over into the Land Without Magic. That's why you're repairing Storybrooke, making it nice and pretty for them in case they're stuck here."

"Very good, Miss Swan. I'm glad you were able to figure out something that was never a riddle or a secret. Our business is our own."

"Yeah and you acted like you did this to fix the town for the people."

"Two birds one stone." Regina replied. "Besides, nothing would need to be fixed if you hadn't destroyed it." She paused to watch the blonde continue to scratch at her arm, despite knowing that the itch would never go away. "You've spoken to Archie?"

"Why would I talk to Archie?" Emma frowned slightly.

"Because you need to talk to someone. You're insane, Emma, and you need help. If you won't do it for you, then do it for Henry. This is no environment for a child, for anyone."

"I don't need help."

"Yes, you do. You need it badly. You have people that want to help you. Let them." Emma only rolled her eyes and Regina grabbed her arm, causing the blonde to jerk her head back to her. "This is not just about you and what you want to do."

"And it also has nothing to do with you. Not anymore."

"It clearly has something to do with me." Regina released Emma's arm and turned around to pour them cups of coffee. "I don't think Robin will be able to recover from whatever the hell is wrong with him. But you can." She placed a mug of coffee in front of Emma. "I know you can and you need to. If you prove yourself to be a threat again there will be no more chances."

"Are you going to kill me?" Emma asked, glaring up at her.

"Threaten my family and I will. Maleficent definitely will. The other Queens definitely will. That doesn't even include Cynder and Millie. Millie may not like to kill, but Cynder will snap you in half in a heartbeat. I don't want you dead, Emma. Henry needs you. Your parents need you." She gestured to Emma's arm. "This cannot stay anymore."

"Why do you suddenly care?"

"Because I might have to live here again. That wouldn't bother me except your sickness could lead to people getting hurt. It has led to people getting hurt already."

"Well, let's just hope you don't." Emma scoffed.

Regina sighed and made her way back into the living room. She retook her place on the couch and checked the radar again. "Mal?"

"I'm here. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. For now anyway."

"It's still quiet." Mal said.

Regina sipped some of her coffee. "Mal?"

"Hmm?"

"I know that you'll succeed in bringing your parents home. After that, I know we'll spend a lot of our time introducing them to this world and helping them adjust, but afterwards…"

"What is it, my love?" Mal asked.

"I...want more children. Perhaps...a clutch?" Mal's purring shook the transmitter and Regina had to grab the controller before it fell off her back. "Jeez, Mal, relax before you wake everyone up."

"How can you say that?! You're talking about more dragonlings. Yes, we can have a clutch. A dozen more if possible."

"Okay, maybe that's a little too much. Unless you want to carry the dozen."

"So be it." Mal replied, not bothered by the thought in the slightest. "We must expand the house. We can build a whole new wing. I'm thinking tiger wood floors, a soft color for the walls? It should be dark in the hatching room and we'll need a fire-"

"Mal, relax."

"You can pick the color this time since I chose purple for Mel's room. Red maybe? Or blue? Royal blue! Yes, it will be glorious."

"Mal."

"Hmm? Is something coming?"

"No, but you should slow down on the baby talk until you get back. We can't even have sex right now."

"Fuck that bet!" Mal growled. "When I get back, Regina, I want you in our bed immediately. Or perhaps after a nice dinner where you meet my parents."

Regina only smiled. "As you wish, my queen."

Mal let out a soft groan and Regina noticed her put on more speed. "I'm ready to go home now!"

"Slow down, baby. I mean that literally, before everyone gets blown off of your back."

"Don't you dare call me baby when I'm not home to do something about it." The dragon replied.

Regina sipped her coffee, struggling not to laugh. Mal did slow down slightly, but she kept growling under her breath so Regina distracted her with more talk of children. Dragons could have massive clutches depending on their size and age. Mal even told her that she'd heard of a dragon having over a dozen at once. Older dragons were bigger and bigger meant that they were stronger and able to provide for more eggs. Young dragon mothers usually had one egg their first time and that egg was more often than not a female. "I hope we don't have twelve eggs."

"I don't think I'm old enough for that." Mal said, growling slightly again. Regina smirked. Unlike human females who didn't like to be reminded of their growing age, dragons didn't mind it. In fact, they preferred it. Older meant a bigger dragon form and more time spent gathering a hoard and growing in magical strength. Older to a dragon meant bigger, stronger and richer.

"Well, I'm glad for it. Mel, Rai and Jade were more than enough."

"There's no telling how many we'll have this time. You should feed your dragon form at least twice a day."

"Fattening me up?"

"Yes." Regina glared at the transmitter screen, to her mate's amusement. "Anyways, I expect us to have two or three eggs at most. Unless both of us get pregnant!"

"I hope not."

"What do you want, Regina? You said we could have a clutch."

"I meant over time. Not all at once."

"As if we could control that, dear. Anyways, I need a favor from you."

"Anything."

"Clear the land north of the house. I would prefer that you move the trees rather than cut them down, but it is your decision. In my alchemy room you will find a flower that is dark purple similar in appearance to a rose and encased in glass. In front of it is a drawer with seeds. I want you to plant those seeds in the cleared land."

"Why?"

"For mother. She refuses to eat meat and as you know that is more than half of our diets. I suppose she can eat fruits and vegetables and grains and there's nothing wrong with that, but after not eating anything for so long, she'll want to fill her stomach and in doing so she could eat the town dry. Those flowers can grow quite large and spread far. They're called Pelas and they will provide her extra sustenance."

"Okay, I'll do it in the morning. What's so special about these flowers?" She asked.

"They're magical flowers that produce lots of nectar that's as sweet as syrup and thick as honey. Their petals collect a lot of water too so the nectar isn't too sweet. In fact, it's delicious. The only reason I haven't planted them is because I probably wouldn't stop eating them. Anyways, eating a few of them can fill a dragon up and are good for you. They're a delicacy."

"Maleficent, the Dragon Queen who eats flowers." Regina chuckled.

"Shut up, Regina. Do I even need to mention cheesecake, Golden Girl?"

"I was pregnant!" Regina hissed. "And that was a damn good cheesecake." She glanced over at the sleeping children to make sure they hadn't woken up. Jade and Mel were huddled together in their beast forms and Roland was sleeping on his back. She smirked and got up to nudge him over onto his side and the little T Rex let out a little squeak of approval. She searched around for Sarai, her dark coloring almost hiding her in the dark sheets. She heard her granddaughter before she saw her. Sarai was usually dead to the world when she was asleep, but here, she couldn't seem to stop moving and fidgeting and Regina had a feeling it had something to do with both of her mothers being in the Forbidden Lands.

"Is Henry okay?" Emma asked, walking into the room.

"He should be fine." Regina crouched next to Sarai and gently stroked along her back. She let out a soft purr to let her grandchild know she was here and safe. It calmed Sarai a little. Regina glanced around, trying to come up with a solution. Then she got an idea. She conjured a large wolf plushie and used magic to make it warm to the touch and placed a recorder inside that would play the sound of a dragon purring on loop. She teleported out of the room to the dragon mansion and proceeded to rub the toy against Ruby and Lily's pillows. She returned to the others and laid the toy next to Sarai. It didn't take long for her to pull it close and bury her snout in it. Regina returned to her seat with a smile seeing Sarai finally settle into slumber.

"Is everything alright, Regina?" Mal asked.

"Yes, I was just checking on the kids. Sarai is having a hard time sleeping soundly."

"She need not worry. I'll bring her mothers back to her." Mal said. Something seemed to catch her attention and Regina picked up the controller. She took flight with the transmitter to scan the landscape and found that the land below was no longer desert. All Regina could see was a lush garden full of flowers and herds of deer and elk. Running streams of silver water and trees full of hanging fruits seemed to cover the land.

"Don't land, Mal." Regina warned. "Wake Lily and switch places if you get tired but don't land."

"What's going on?" Emma asked, moving to sit next to her on the couch. "Why can't she land?"

"If they eat or drink anything, they won't be able to leave the Forbidden Lands."

"So what?"

"So they're with a powerful dragon who hasn't eaten in years and is probably starving." Regina rolled her eyes and turned back to the screen. Mal was waking the others, but they were being very quiet. She tried looking around with the transmitter but whatever Mal was sensing she couldn't see. Zelena flew off on her broomstick to scout the area and Lily leaped off of Mal's back and shifted into dragon form. She took up position beneath Mal and Mal changed into a human and let herself fall to land neatly right between her wings. Ruby dropped next to her and made Henry sit while Millie sat closer to Lily's tail with her arms wrapped around herself.

"Mother?" Mal crouched next to her. "Are you okay?"

Millie glanced up, a curious look on her face. "I smell mangoes."

"I know you're hungry, Mother, but-"

"I know I can't eat anything here. You can relax."

Mal sat down next to her and Regina moved the transmitter next to her. "May I ask you something, Mother?"

"Of course."

"Why are you here?" Mal asked. "Why were you imprisoned here?"

"Because death would've been too easy." Millie replied. "When you live as long as me and your mother have and do as much damage as we did, you make enemies. Many enemies. Many powerful enemies. One day, all of those powerful enemies might decide to ban together to make you pay for your past actions, real or perceived." Millie let out a sigh. "I knew that it would happen. Cynder and I had changed. We were building something good, we had done good things, helped people, saved people, created a kingdom to be envied. Then we had you and everything was perfect. Life isn't meant to be perfect though."

"What happened?"

Millie shook her head. "I don't remember the night in its entirety, but I remember a lot of smoke. The house was on fire, the forest was on fire, our entire city was crumbling, even the stone melted. The fire even burned us."

"Must've been some form of dark magic." Regina suggested. "It had to be a pretty powerful spell if you guys couldn't stop it."

"We weren't trying to stop it." Mille frowned. "As much as we loved that city, we would've let it all burn down if we could just get Maleficent to safety." Millie looked at Mal. "You were in the garden and we didn't know it. We were searching and calling and when the garden caught fire, you were trapped. You were too afraid to move, too afraid to be burned. I remember when I found you and grabbed you and dove into a pond. I don't remember how we got separated or much of what happened after. Just fighting some wizard, some bright lights and the next thing I know, I'm here with a mountain on my back with nothing to do but sleep and dream." Mal reached out to pull her mother close as Millie started to cry. "I was useless."

"No, you're not, Mother. None of this is your fault."

"Of course you would say that."

"I'm saying it because it's true. What happened in the past doesn't matter anymore. We can all have a second chance and start over. You will have that chance when we get home."

"Um, Mal?" Zelena's voice rang through the air despite the witch being nowhere in sight.

"Yes?"

"We're coming up on something weird."

Mal turned around and climbed on Lily's head, scanning the horizon. Regina followed and sat the transmitter on Lily's nose.

"Holy shit." Emma whispered.

The sand came to an end at the edge of a steep cliff. Lily landed on the cliff's edge, staring in awe at the ocean that lay below. A volcano loomed in the distance, lava pouring down its sides and bubbling in its mouth. The water hissed and steamed where the lava touched it and a blanket of gray clouds covered the sky, shaking with thunder and lightning lit them up every minute or so.

"She's in there." Millie said. "I can feel her."

"In the volcano?" Lily sighed. "Are you serious?"

Zelena appeared next to Mal. "We've got a problem. A few actually."

"What is it?"

"There's something in the water. I saw big tentacles just beneath the surface. And there's something even bigger out there." She gestured to the east where the water was darker and deeper. "It looked like a dragon...but it had too many heads."

"A hydra and a kraken?" Lily sighed again. "Who did you guys piss off to do all of this?"

"I told you, a lot of people. Many of them were magic users." Millie answered. "When separate, they were weak and trivial competitors, nuisances really. Together, they turned out to be quite formidable."

"I think I saw something in the lava too." Zelena added. "I'm not sure though."

"You probably did." Mal replied. "If these magic users can create a fire that can burn a dragon I wouldn't put it past them to create something that can live in lava. That means it'll probably burn us."

"What's the plan?"

"I'm going to go investigate. Have the sun blade ready by the time I return, just in case."

Zelena pulled out her bag and set to work. Regina moved the transmitter to Mal's shoulder. "What's a sun blade, Mal? Is it dangerous?"

"Very."

"What is it? What are you going to do?" Mal knew a lot of spells that she didn't. She knew Mal had even created some of her own, mixing magic like Zelena often did. She liked to hoard magic artifacts as well and whatever a sun blade was, Regina knew that it had to be a weapon beyond measure.

"It's a weapon that can be charged with magical energy to make it more powerful."

"Is it charged then?" Regina asked.

"Yes. We've all been charging it daily since you gave me the map to this place."

Regina frowned. "You didn't ask me to help."

"You can't use light magic with it. It might have killed you." Mal replied.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do a bit of reconnaissance and I might destroy the volcano."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Force got Millie out safely, but what if there is a trap down there?"

"I'm almost certain there is. That's why I said I would check first." She turned to give commands to the other Queens and Zelena returned to hand her another potion.

"What's that?" Regina asked.

"Invisibility potion mixed with a rejuvenation elixir." Zelena answered. "It should get you there and back and by then we'll be ready."

Mal nodded and drank the potion. She looked at Henry. "Stay here and don't do anything heroic. Listen to the others. Understand?"

"Yes." Henry said.

"Yes what?"

"Yes, ma'am." He glared at her and Mal only smirked. And with that, she jumped over the edge of the cliff.

Regina quickly grabbed the controller and followed. Mal shifted in mid air and her invisibility potion activated itself. Regina settled the transmitter on her back to avoid bumping into her. She turned to the radar and found that it detected the giant octopus and hydra. Both were deeply submerged in the water, completely hidden, but she could see their positions and luckily they were too far away to be a threat.

"Be careful, Mal." Regina said.

"Always, my love." Mal flew to the volcano and circled it, flying along the perimeter and investigating the walls. She ascended and circled the summit, peering through the smoke at the lava pooled below. She growled repeatedly and dove low over the lava. Regina chose to remain silent as Mal contemplated her next move.

"Are you even sure she's in there?" Emma asked.

"Millie said she was. The world was designed to keep one of Mal's parents from rescuing the other. Millie can't fly. She can't swim in lava and if she tried to go through the ocean she'd have to fight the kraken and the hydra."

"She could be in an underwater prison."

"Maybe." Regina shrugged. Mal suddenly fell into a dive and Regina grabbed the controller. "Mal, what are you doing?" Her mate didn't answer. She grabbed the transmitter in her fist just as she hit the water. The screen went black for several long minutes. The sudden darkness woke Belle.

"What's going on?"

"Mal's doing something strange. Everyone's okay so far."

Belle sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Where are they?"

"They found a volcano. We think Cynder's inside. Mal?" She called.

"I'm here." Mal released the transmitter and Regina took hold of the magical raven again. She looked around and noticed that they were in some sort of cave. She looked for her mate, who was already walking off down the tunnel.

"Mal, wait. Are we inside? Did you find a way in?"

"You said Mother would have to swim to get to the volcano. There was an entrance underwater."

"Did the hydra or the kraken see you?"

"Probably, but they can't get in, I don't think." Mal paused to look around. She began to whisper a spell that Regina recognized instantly.

"An ethereal spell?"

When Mal finished, she looked like a ghost, a walking spirit. She cast the spell on the transmitter and sat it on her shoulder. "I think this was designed for Mother specifically. The hydra and the kraken were meant to force her through this passage. In case it's booby trapped I don't want to set anything off." She walked down the long tunnel into the heart of the volcano. Regina kept a watchful eye on her surroundings while Belle took up position at the radar. They spotted a number of razor thin wires crisscrossing the tunnel at different places and at different heights, but Mal's spell allowed them to pass right through without disturbing them. Then they found her.

The tunnel opened up into a wide cavern. Lava spilled from the roof and flowed down the walls. There was a single platform in the room, tall and held up by a thin column of stone, and only large enough to house a coffin of ice. Cynder lay inside. Suspended above her was an orb of magic. It was massive and filled with more lava. Any attempt to move Cynder or reach her prison could cause it to fall. Regina looked down at the lake of lava below and watched it churn and bubble. She used the transmitter to fly down to the lava's surface and inspected the walls.

"Did you see something?" Belle asked.

"Yeah." Regina let out a sigh when she saw the markings along the wall. They looked more like scratches, but she could recognize the symbols. The entire mountain was rigged to blow. Even if they got past the guard beasts and managed to get around that floating lava hanging above her, the volcano would probably erupt. She returned to Mal and told her what she'd found and they returned to the others.

"I don't care." Millie said instantly, walking to the edge of the cliff. Lily and Mal both leaped up to stop her.

"Mother, calm down. We need to think of a solution better than you throwing your life away."

"That is my mate!" Millie hissed. "She's right there and you want me to calm down?!"

"I want you to think before you act." Mal said. Millie growled and pushed her away, pacing on the edge of the cliff. They all knew that they couldn't really stop her if she chose to charge in to rescue her mate. Not even Mal was that powerful. "Please, Mother. Let us think for a moment. That entire volcano is booby trapped. One wrong move and Mother will die. Please, just give us a moment to come up with a solution." Millie continued growling and pacing, but Mal seemed satisfied that she wouldn't do anything crazy.

"Maybe you should let her try to get Cynder out." Zelena suggested.

"What?" Mal glared at the witch. "One wrong move and-"

"Just hear me out. She is the strongest one of us, the one with the most to lose and the one least likely to make a mistake."

"No. I came to get both of my mothers back safely. I will not bargain the life of one in an attempt to save the other. We need an actual plan."

"Well, we can't use the sun blade then."

"What if you use that specter spell again." Ruby said. "Get you and Lily and Zelena back in there. Zelena can get rid of the lava trap and you guys move Cynder."

"The entrance is booby trapped." Mal reminded her.

"Make a new one."

"What about the thing in the lava?" Lily asked her.

"Who cares about it? Just get Cynder out and you guys can open a portal as soon as you get back here. We're not here to fight."

Regina could tell that Mal was skeptical about such a reckless plan. There were plenty of ways it could go wrong and she didn't want to take the risk.

"Belle, do you have any suggestions?" Regina asked, looking at the bookworm.

/

Maleficent listened to Belle's plan silently, a mere revision of Ruby's. It could work. They were both right about one thing. They just needed to get her mother out. Damn the hydra, the kraken and whatever thing lives in that lava. "What if we-"

"MAL!" Regina's scream made her spin around and it was just in time to see Millie dive off the edge of the cliff. Her eyes zeroed in on Zelena's bag of potions that had been left to the side.

"What'd she take?" Mal demanded as Zelena ran to her bag.

"One for pain tolerance and another to increase endurance."

Mal growled and jumped off the cliff, shifting into dragon form as she did so. She took off after her mother whose great form was unmistakable, cutting through the water with ease. Milicent was swimming faster than she would've thought possible for a dragon her size.

"She's heading straight for the kraken and hydra." Regina said, flying next to her. "What is she doing?"

"I don't know." She hissed, flying faster. Millie suddenly dove, disappearing into the watery depths. She could do nothing to help her. In the water they were useless. Mal threw out her wings to hover and Zelena and Lily caught up to them. "I don't know where she is."

"I can track her. Follow me." Regina said, flying closer to the water. "She's still going straight."

"What the hell is she thinking?" Mal growled again and waited. She couldn't see anything beneath the waves and every second that passed made her want to rip her scales out. What if her mother was hurt? What if she was bleeding out and they couldn't do anything to-

Milicent suddenly burst out the water. The kraken had wrapped itself around her, constricting her like a snake, but Millie didn't seem to care. She dove again and this time she stayed near the surface. Mal followed her shadow and when Millie surfaced again, the hydra was firmly locked in her jaws. It clawed and bit at her face, tearing out scales, but again, she ignored the attack and continued dragging it through the water. She sped towards the volcano and it was only then that Mal realized what her mother planned to do. "Mother! No! You're crazy!" Her words fell on deaf ears. "Lily, go around to the other side of the volcano. Zelena, get ready to stop the lava."

"What do you mean stop it?"

Mal growled to herself as she frantically thought. "Cast a spell on Mother. Make her impervious."

"We can't hold it for that long." Zelena cautioned her. "She'll only have a few seconds at most."

"We have to do something before-"

Millie slammed the hydra into the side of the volcano with brute force. She dropped the stunned creature long enough to blast a hole in the wall with a breath of fire that Mal noticed didn't really look like fire. Millie grabbed the hydra away and dove into the hole, tunneling through the rock and creating another entrance to use. The kraken attempted to release her and run back to the safety of the water, but Millie grabbed a tentacle in her jaws and pushed through, dragging the creatures along with her. Mal shifted into human form and dropped to the entrance. Her mother was off again, never slowing and never stopping.

"Mal, come back." Zelena called. "She clearly has a plan in mind-"

"I'm not letting her die!" Mal took off down the tunnel and Zelena followed. If Millie set off the trap above Cynder they would both die. They came to the end of the tunnel and found that the trap had been set off. Lava freely poured from the magical case above Cynder's prison and for a moment she couldn't see her mother, only the kraken and hydra trying to get away. Panic set in before Zelena pointed out that beneath the other creatures, Millie had curled herself into a ball, using them as shields against the lava.

"Mal, you have to get out before that place blows." Regina warned her.

Mal looked around, trying to think quickly. "Zelena, seal the room. Make the platform cover the entire lake of lava. Get out as soon as you do." She turned around and took off, exiting through the tunnel her mother made and shifted into dragon form. She roared, calling for her child as she flew to the summit.

"What's going on?" Lily asked.

"Hover and fly as straight as possible." Lily threw out her wings, staying level as Mal landed on her back in human form once again. She reached out with her magic while spells poured from her lips in a variety of languages. Elvish, half-elvish, draconic, fae. Cracks began spreading along the sides of the volcano. Steam and lava began to seep through them and she twisted her hands, in turn, causing the upper half of the volcano to twist as well. With waves of her hands pieces of the volcano began falling away, widening the mouth of the volcano. It was all she could do and she was glad of her quick thinking because the volcano erupted moments later. The explosive seals on the walls blasted holes in the walls of the volcano and the pressure built up below sent the platform shooting into the air. The hydra and kraken flew past the hovering dragons and they barely managed to move out of the way.

"Lily, catch Mother's tail!" Mal yelled, diving through the smoke to grab her mother's head. Millie was a third of her size now and badly burned. She didn't see Cynder's prison anywhere either.

"Got it- oh shit!" Lily let out a scream as Millie's weight began to pull them down.

Mal flapped her wings so hard she thought they would break off. It wasn't enough. All three dragons slammed into the ground and she felt her wings tear, ripped by the sharp rocks. "Lily?"

"I'm...here." Lily groaned, struggling to stand. "My leg is broken, I think. It's healing though. Give me a minute."

"We have to move." By now molten lava was flowing down what was left of the volcano, eating away the rock and stone. The earth shook from the constant mini eruptions and the sky was filled with fireballs. "We have to get back to Ruby and make sure she's okay."

"What about her?" Lily asked, gesturing to an unconscious Millie.

Mal went to her tail again and popped up the fake scale. She conjured another pin and Millie let out a screech. Her entire body convulsed and she opened her mouth, involuntarily regurgitating her prize. Cynder was still locked away in her prison but it was intact and she seemed unharmed. "Mother, you did it!"

"And you stabbed me again!" Millie growled, shifting back into human form. Mal winced at the burn marks running down her right leg and across her back, still steaming from the unnatural fire.

"Mother-"

"Don't. Just wake Cynder." Millie panted, in too much pain to even move.

Mal obeyed her command and approached Cynder's prison. It was made of a transparent material, like ice or glass. Her mother lay inside, as if sleeping. She touched the prison and a golden glow passed over them both. Cynder's eyes opened for the first time in years. Mal pried open the prison and stepped back. Her mother covered her eyes as she sat up and gingerly got to her feet. She had a different glow than Millie, a much brighter one. She had more fair skin and long golden hair. Her blonde mother always preferred to wear white, as it was the color of her scales and she had a golden girdle embroidered with jewels and gems to symbolize her status and show off her immense wealth. She was the one most like Mal herself, all fire and fury, a true dragon queen.

"Millie?!" As soon as she saw her mate, Cynder was by her side. "What happened?" She held a hand over Millie's back, attempting to heal her burns, but Millie pushed her hand away.

"Save your energy until we're away from this place. Maleficent, how soon can you open a portal?"

"Maleficent?" Cynder did a double take and looked her daughter up and down. "Millie, are you certain of this?"

"Yes, yes, I'm also in quite a bit of pain and ready to leave."

"Let's get back to Ruby then." Mal said. "We can open a portal to-" Her words were halted by a roar that threatened to tear the world apart. The women covered their ears against the onslaught. The ground shook and rumbled nonstop.

"Um, Mom…" Lily said.

Mal followed her gaze to the mouth of the volcano. Her magic had split it and caused cracks to open the way for more lava to flow forth. The lava was slow moving, creeping, but around the rim of the volcano was something else… It looked like claws. Four gargantuan claws. "What is that?"

"I'm guessing the thing in the lava." Lily murmured. "Maybe we should go now."

"I agree."

The earth shook violently again and a head rose over the rim of the volcano. It looked almost like a dragon head, one with lava pulsing through its veins and scales of stone that cracked whenever it moved. Fiery orange eyes landed on them and its pupils narrowed.

"Mal!" Mal looked up as Zelena flew over, dropping the Sun Blade. She caught it and held it with both hands. She felt the magic that had been funneled into the weapon pulsing through her fingertips. They only had one shot with this thing. The lava dragon wrapped another hand around the rim of the volcano and pulled itself up, splashing lava everywhere. Mal took a deep breath and raised the Sun Blade. She swung it down as hard as she could, aiming to split the creature right down the middle. Magic erupted from the blade, blasting a deep trench straight through the volcano and obliterating any and everything in its path. It split the volcano in half and Mal swiftly shifted into dragon form and grabbed her mothers before the lava could reach them. She and Lily joined Zelena in the sky and looked back at the wreckage, only to find no body amongst it.

"Mal, dive!" Mal pulled in her wings instantly and dropped, narrowly avoiding something hitting her. She threw her wings to hover and turned to find the lava dragon off in the water.

"It...teleported?"

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