Rotten to the Core

Coronation Day (Part 3)

   "What are you doing, child?" Blue demanded as soon as she realized what had happened.
   "If you won't make me beautiful, I'll do it myself!" Lacey snapped at her mother.
   The entire party was frozen in surprise as Lacey began to lose control of the wand. Unbeknownst to everyone there, Lacey had accidentally shot a small crack in the border between Storybrooke and the Isle of the Lost.
  As soon as it broke, Regina cackled in delight, getting up from her seat. The rest of her entourage followed her.
  Regina grabbed her magic mirror and shouted, "C'mon, Sydney! We're going on a trip!"
  With that, she slipped through the small crack, the only one who could do so. Everyone else just sat there.
   "Bring me back a doughnut!" Ingrid shouted after Regina.
   "A doughnut? Seriously?" Fiona said, with disbelief.
                            * * * * *
   Meanwhile, back in Storybrooke, Gideon, Elsa, and Ruby finally were able to move. Elsa shot some ice at Lacey, sticking her feet to the floor and Merlin grabbed the wand.
   "Merlin, give me the wand!" Blue shouted over the uproar.
   Merlin hesitated, causing Karayan to shout out, "See? I told you so!"
   Rose started towards Merlin. "Merl, please! Give me the wand!"
   "Stand back, Rose!" Merlin warned as Gideon, Elsa, and Ruby arrived by his side.
   "Do you really wanna do this, Merl?" Rose asked, her eyes filling with tears.
   "We don't have a choice! Our parents--!"
   "Your parents made their choice! Now you make yours! You're not them, Merl! I see good in you! In all of you! Please tell me I'm not wrong!"
   "How do you know?"
   "Because I'm listening to my heart. And you should too. Just think about it. Don't worry about what I want, what the kingdom wants, what your parents want! What do you want?"
   "I..." Merlin faltered. "I think I want be good. I think we all do." He thought about what Rose had told them last night and he knew Rose had a point. "We should listen to our hearts! Because mine is telling me we're not our parents!" He turned to Ruby. "Ruby, terrorizing people with your wolf doesn't make you happy! Being with Percival makes you happy! You love each other!"
   Percival stood up from the crowd, rushed over, and picked up Ruby, spinning her around in a giant circle. "He's right, y'know? I do love you!"
   "I love you too!" She said, kissing him.
   "And there's someone else here that loves you and wants a relationship with you."
   This time, it was Red's turn to get up and run over to Ruby. She paused for a second. "I mean...if you wanted me around..."
   Ruby hugged her. "I'd like that very much."
   Merlin continued, "And, Elsa, conjuring ice and snow monsters doesn't make you happy! Giving Olaf belly rubs makes you happy! Who would've thought?"
   Everyone laughed. "That is true."
   "And your art makes you happy! Having a job and working towards that castle you always wanted, that makes you happy!" Merlin turned to Gideon. "And, Gideon, torturing kids and using black magic doesn't make you happy! Video games and victory pizza with the Tourney team makes you happy!" Percival and Gideon fist-bumped. "And, as for me, trying to be what I was never meant to does not make me happy! Being friends with you guys makes me happy. This place, this school, these friends, they make me happy!" He turned to Rose. "I wanna stay here and be with Rose. Cuz she makes me very, very happy."
   Rose smiled as she stepped closer to Merlin. "Being with you makes me happy too."
   She leapt into his arms and, in that moment, before everyone, the pair shared their first kiss as they were cheered on.
   "So," Elsa said, "we don't have to worry about the fact that our parents are gonna be mad at us? Cuz they're gonna be really, really mad."
   "They can't reach you here." Rose promised.
   Unfortunately, at that moment, the castle shook with thunder and lightning. In the center of the room a figure suddenly appeared from black smoke.
   "I'm baaaaack!"
   "Mother?"
   The Evil Queen had returned.