《Artemis || OUAT》100. The Black Fairy
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Astrid held her son's shoulders in her hands as the seven year old stood in front of her while everyone cringed at the smell of the egg Gold was breaking open.
"Well, that smells disgusting," Emma started, "What is that?"
"A dragon egg that never hatched, and the dragon breath trapped inside is potent medicine indeed." Gold explained.
"And that's how you wake up Blue?" Hook wondered aloud, "With a dead baby dragon?"
"That's dark even for a Dark One," Astrid muttered as her son looked up at her and over at a still unconscious Mother Superior.
"Do you have a better idea, Artemis?"Gold remarked and glanced up at her as Astrid shook her head, "That's the problem with Creators and even Saviors, isn't it? Never quite as helpful as advertised."
He opened the egg as a green smoke drifted over to Blue and entered her nostrils, making her deeply inhale and then sigh.
Once Blue remained asleep, Emma also remarked, "Well, I guess neither are you."
Gold sighed and stood up, leaving out of the room, as Belle also followed behind him.
Astrid soon stepped over to Blue and sat beside her, moving a glowing hand over her sleeping form.
Mother Superior moved her head and began to stir somewhat.
"Go get Gold," Astrid told her sister who nodded and left out of the room.
The twenty-eight year old immortal gently shook her, "Blue? Hey, it's me-"
Blue sighed in relief, "Astrid."
Before anymore could be said, Hook stepped forward and showed the half of the wand, "Hey, Tiger Lily gave me half this wand. We need the other half. Have you seen it? Where is it?"
"Grandpa," Zephyr started, also able to feel others' pain like his mother, "She needs a minute."
Hook glanced down at the small boy and stepped back, pocketing the half wand again.
"The wand is..." Blue started weakly, "It's at the center of Storybrooke."
"That's enough of that," They suddenly heard Snow speak up, "We don't need you sharing all your secrets."
Astrid and Emma both shared a look as Emma asked first, "Mom? What are you doing?"
Snow then turned into the Black Fairy, "Oh, I'm not your mother, Emma. I'm his." She had glanced over at Gold at that. "Now back away, all of you." She now held a hand on Zephyr's neck, "Kids have such delicate necks."
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Astrid kept a protective arm in front of the fairy beside her as she carefully watched the Black Fairy next to her son.
David turned into Gideon magically then, "You should listen to her, Father. She always makes good on her promises."
Hook withdrew his sword and pointed it at Gideon while Astrid slowly inched over to the Black Fairy holding her son hostage.
"Zep," Astrid began softly, a hand slightly outstretched in front of her.
The seven year old let out, "I'm okay, Mommy-"
Astrid's hands started to glow until the Black Fairy tightened her grip on the child's neck.
The fairy smirked, "I wouldn't do that. Now, step aside, and the boy won't get hurt."
Astrid dropped her hands and stepped away from the bed Blue laid on, "I'll find you, Blue. It's gonna be okay."
The Black Fairy stepped over to Mother Superior and pushed Zephyr aside as she disappeared with Blue in a cloud of black smoke.
Astrid quickly moved over to her son and now held him in her arms, one hand on the back of his head.
She glanced down at him in concern, "You okay, kid?"
Zephyr nodded and tightened his hold on his mother, burying his face in her waist.
"I'm sorry I had to do this, Father," Gideon spoke up, lifting his hand, "Goodbye-"
Gold swiftly moved a magical cuff on his son's wrist, "I'm afraid your magic is no longer any use to you. It's time to get your heart back!"
***
Astrid, Zephyr, David, and Hook stood a few feet behind Snow inside of the clock tower as the raven haired woman talked in her phone, "Okay, Regina, time to put on your mayor pants."
"Excuse me?"
"Blue said that the wand is at the center of Storybrooke, so we're here at the clock tower," Snow further explained, "The geographic center of Storybrooke. But there's nothing here. Except, you know, the clock."
"Well, slow down and tell me what you want from me."
Snow sighed, "You cast the curse. You made the town. You must know what Blue meant."
"Of course. Fairies breathe love and hope, right? So when a fairy talks about the center of Storybrooke..."
Astrid spoke up, "She means the heart of Storybrooke."
Snow also realized and added as did Regina, "Granny's."
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"Let's go!" Zephyr grinned as the two women hung up while he took his mother's hand and dragged her downstairs.
***
Snow, David, Hook, and Astrid followed by Zephyr then entered inside of Granny's diner in determination.
"Finally! Would you please do something about her?" Granny spoke up and gestured towards the counter.
Regina popped up from behind the counter, "I told you, it's important."
"So is my lunch rush," Granny pointed out in annoyance.
"All right, people, let's tear this place apart," David commented, "Let's find that wand."
Everyone began searching for the other half of the wand then.
Astrid sighed and shared a look with Hook as the two of them then glanced over to the jukebox in thought.
"Jukebox?" Astrid wondered aloud.
"Jukebox," Hook also agreed.
The two of them moved over to the said jukebox and pushed it out of the way.
Astrid noticed a compartment built into the floor and opened it up to reveal a rectangular box and picked it up.
She walked over to Regina and opened the box to reveal the wand as the former Evil Queen let out, picking it up, "That's it. The other half, please."
"Well, hang on just a second." Hook began, "How do we know that you are actually you?"
"Because it's me!" Regina told him.
"Wait. No. Hook's right." Snow agreed with the pirate, "We should have a safe word or something. How do we know you're not the Black Fairy?"
"Because I am," The said Black Fairy spoke up in amusement from behind them as they faced her.
"Right. Sorry I doubted you, love." Hook replied, already pulling out the other half of the wand.
"That wand won't do you any good." The fairy remarked, "Not without the Savior around— or the Creator."
Astrid had a protective arm in front of her seven year old as she inquired, "What do you mean? I'm right here and not going anywhere."
The Black Fairy scoffed, still amused, "You've been absorbing too much negative magic. You won't stop me."
Astrid glanced down at her lower left arm to find even more veins had blackened as well as the tips of her fingers starting to turn black.
She sighed and glanced back at the said fairy, "Oh, but I am gonna bloody stop you."
The immortal woman stepped forward in front of her family, herself glowing, "This has gone on long enough."
The two of them vanished in a cloud of white smoke and appeared on Main Street.
The Black Fairy carefully watched her as spheres of light magic formed inside of Astrid's palms.
"You have the potential to stop it all... You just have to believe in yourself, Kid."
Astrid heard the same mysterious voice from way back to when she was trapped in that storybook.
"ASTRID!" Snow yelled out in concern as her, David, Hook, Regina raced out of the diner; Zephyr in between Regina and David.
Astrid glanced behind her at her family, "I got this. Stay back!"
"Mommy," Zephyr also began.
The immortal woman smiled in assurance at her son, "It's okay. This isn't goodbye. At least, not today, anyway."
She held the Black Fairy in place as the said fairy began to glow brightly due to Astrid's magic.
"But first," Astrid started, "Gideon's heart." The said heart appeared in her hand as she handed it over to Regina, "Give this to Gold for his son."
The goddess then opened a portal up to the Black Fairy's realm, "You are never returning, nor will you bloody be able to even leave for a second."
The Black Fairy struggled in the magical hold on her as she let out, "No! This can't be how the Final Battle ends! If you do this, you'll have to leave, too!"
"Nobody decides my bloody fate, but me," Astrid remarked, soon blasting the fairy inside of the portal along with all of the negative magic coursing through her veins.
The portal soon closed as Astrid fell to her knees, breathless.
"AJ," Hook was the first one to help her stand back up, already checking to make sure she was alright, "You alright?"
Astrid quickly nodded out of breath just as Snow and David also hugged her in relief.
"I told you not all my plans are self-sacrificial plays," Astrid let out, moving a comforting arm around her son's small shoulders as he hugged her waist.
"Looks like the wedding can happen tomorrow, thanks to you," Snow spoke up lightly.
Astrid lightly smiled at her, "What else am I here for?"
She kissed her son's head as the six of them walked down the street, happy, content.
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