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Chapter Text

"I call upon all the forces of the universe, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"

However, nothing seemed to have happened. Lady Tremaine looked at the magic wand in her hand with confusion. She'd just seen Anastasia work magic with the old woman's wand, yet it didn't seem to be working for Tremaine. She briefly wondered if she'd said the magic words correctly when-

BAM!

The wand fired a bolt of green magic into the sky above, and Tremaine barely kept her grip on the wand as it did. Storm clouds began to gather, and lightning illuminated the sky. A wry smile crept onto Tremaine's lips. Her moment of power had finally arrived!

"Reverse the moon and sun!" Tremaine bellowed as she ordered history itself to reverse. "Turn back tide and time!"

As Tremaine gestured to the sky, the sun rose in the west only to set again in the east and do it all over again only seconds later.

"Unravel Cinderella's happily ever after to the moment my troubles began!" Tremaine commanded.

A vortex of lime green magic gathered up above, and a snaking trail of green light descended from it. Anastasia and Drizella recoiled in fear, but Tremaine held firm. She knew this magic was her chance to set right what had gone wrong. It held no terror for her. As the magic engulfed her, Tremaine watched with wicked glee as Cinderella and Prince Charming were forcibly ripped apart. Their story quite literally reversed before her very eyes. Finally, when Tremaine saw in the mist the morning of the Grand Duke's arrival at her chateau, Tremaine halted the spell.

"STOP!"

She had done it! Lady Tremaine had successfully transmuted time itself, and her second chance worked far better than her first. Anastasia was to marry the prince, and Cinderella would have been banished forever. Yet fate had a way of unraveling even the best laid plans. Tremaine was defeated, time was put back the way it was, and she was stripped of her power over time itself.

But, as the old saying goes, "once you've had a taste, you'll never be the same..."

Tremaine ran her fingers over the black wand and admired the woodwork. It was exquisitely made, and the ornate wiring around the handle gave it a flashy appearance that the Fairy Godmother's plain wand hadn't possessed.

"A marvelous tool indeed," Tremaine remarked as she took it by the handle. "It feels very flexible yet sturdy."

"That's because it is, sweetcakes," Ursula said from behind the counter.

Ursula had many shops across the universe, and each branch was called "Castaway Cabana." It was Ursula's way of keeping tabs on various worlds for the Overtakers and also getting her tentacles on rare and unique magical items. This particular wand had come from the Storybrooke shop.

"You said it belonged to someone called the Black Fairy?" Tremaine asked.

"That's right," Ursula nodded. "Most fairies are born either light or dark, Seelie or Unseelie. The Black Fairy, on the other hand, is the only light fae who ever turned herself dark. She accumulated quite a lot of dark power that was stored within that wand."

Tremaine grinned. "And it will match the power of the wand that I lost?"

"All that and more, dear!" Ursula nodded. "Trust me, this is the moment you've been waiting for! Your big break into the big leagues!"

Tremaine and Ursula shared a chuckle over that. When Lady Tremaine was recruited by Steve Newlin to be one of the Overtakers' "Undertakers," she accepted the job gratefully. After all, it was a step upward in the hierarchy of power, and Tremaine always believed in moving upward at all cost. However, city planning and managing the day to day life of the Overtaken Kingdom wasn't quite what Tremaine was after. She'd always known that she was worthy of being an Overtaker in her own right, and it was only a matter of time before her superiors realized that.

Tremaine waved the wand and transfigured the overhead lamp into a beautiful chandelier. Perfect. The magic flowed easily and obeyed her every command, even though she hadn't spoken it out loud. It seemed that simple spells could be accomplished by concentration alone.

"To bestow such a gift, Maleficent must have grand plans for me," Tremaine remarked as she admired the lighting of the new chandelier.

"We all do," Ursula promised.

"Loki! Have you seen my son?" Amora the Enchantress asked as she approached the trickster god in the hallways.

Loki scoffed. "That entitled show pony you brought from the future? Should not his mother know better than I where to find him?"

Amora rolled her eyes. "My mistake. I had thought one entitled show pony could find another."

Amora turned around and started heading the other way.

"Perhaps I did see him at the House of Villains with a crowd of admirers," Loki finally said after a moment.

Amora nodded and headed that way. When she finally arrived at the bar area of the House of Villains, Ove had just ordered a round of drinks for the other villains. Trakeena, Sarah Sanderson, and Daken were hovering around him, all vying for Ove's attention. He seemed to practically revel in being desired by so many villains, both women and men.

"So there I was, face to face with Captain Marvel herself!" Ove narrated. "Her strength and energy output were cosmic and practically off the scales, but she was no match for me and my glorious power! I neutralized her quite handily and had her locked up in my dungeon for treason against New Atlantis!"

"A fate I'm sure she more than deserved," Daken said with a grin.

"Reminds me of the pesky Red Ranger!" Trakeena huffed as she tightened her grip on her drink so tight that she nearly shattered the glass.

Ove chuckled. "So then-"

"I'm afraid this story will have to wait," Amora interrupted. "Ove, my son, Maleficent wishes to see you at once, and it is not wise to keep the Mistress of All Evil waiting."

"Of course, mother," Ove said before quickly chugging his drink and tossing the empty glass aside, shattering it. "I suppose now I shall be off!"

Amora nodded. "Make me proud, my son!"

Baron Mordo tampered with the potions, crystal balls, and spellbooks sitting out on his workbench. Due to the fact that Mordo was not a true Overtaker, he hadn't been given his own chambers to work his spells, and so he made due with a tiny corner of one of Doctor Doom's several laboratories for his experiments. It was not the glamorous life of a sorcerer he'd had beforehand, but at the very least he was no longer trapped in Morgan Le Fay's necklace. That was certainly a positive.

"Anything to report?" Doom asked, startling Mordo by his sudden appearance.

Mordo quickly regained composure and pretended that he'd known Doom was behind him all along. "Ah, yes, by all magical means at my disposal, it appears that your efforts have indeed successfully trapped Dormammu back in the Dark Dimension," Mordo said. "He shouldn't be able to break free this time... at least not for a while."

"You speak as though Doom's competency was ever in question," Doom huffed, but secretly, he was quite glad to hear the confirmation of what he believed to be true.

"Was there... anything else, your majesty?" Mordo asked, certain that Doom hadn't come all the way here just for a status report.

"Yes," Doom nodded, "for I have had long discussions with Maleficent regarding you, and she and I have ultimately determined that your talents are wasted as a servant to Doom. After all, I am more than capable of accomplishing any magical feat I so desire. What need have I for your paltry talents?"

Mordo sneered at Doom's arrogance but held his tongue. After all, it seemed as though Doom was finally about to release Mordo from the leash he'd been on since his ill-advised attempt on Doom's life back at the Olympus Coliseum. True freedom at long last was a tantalizing treat that made even Baron Mordo swallow his pride... momentarily.

"I thank you, Lord Doom," Mordo nodded. "I look forward to pursuing my own goals again at long last!"

"All in due time," Doom put up his hand to indicate to Mordo that he should remain silent. "For now, Maleficent has a task for you. Think of it as a gesture of our good will, loosening the chains binding you to our control in order to test if the dog intends to run away."

"I see," Mordo nodded, less enthused by being compared to a dog but still intrigued by where this was going.

"Maleficent herself will explain the details further," Doom said. "For now, simply know that I release you from under my hegemony. You are still bound by loyalty to the Overtakers, but you are no longer a servant at my beck and call. But be warned: should you ever betray Doom again, I will make your time spent trapped in an amulet seem merciful."

"I understand, and I graciously thank you," Mordo said with a bow.

"Yes, as you should," Doom nodded. "Now go. Maleficent is not a woman to be kept waiting."

Lady Tremaine, Ove, and Baron Mordo arrived in the throne room at about the same time. Each regarded the others present with mild interest. Ove broke the silence with a boisterous laugh.

"Now what could Maleficent want with you two?" Ove asked. "She already summoned me, and there's simply nothing I cannot accomplish on my own."

"Oh please!" Mordo scoffed. "You really think you're anything compared to my mastery of the mystic arts? Keep dreaming, boy."

Ove's eyes sparked and green energy began to swirl around his fingertips. "I have the magic of the gods, little man. But I wouldn't expect a mortal to-"

"I have fought gods more powerful than you!" Mordo interrupted. "Your ego is the only thing overpowering about-"

"Enough! Both of you!" Tremaine snapped with such harshness in her voice as to cause Ove and Mordo to go silent immediately.

Tremaine's demeanor then shifted to a more gentle and poised tone. "It simply wouldn't do for us to squabble amongst ourselves. After all, none of us have been formally inducted into the Overtakers, but we all serve at their behest... for now. But I have a feeling that's about to change."

"You think we've been assembled so that Maleficent can formally induct us as members of her Overtakers?" Mordo asked.

"I certainly deserve the honor," Ove boasted. "I proved as much by taking care of Ursula's little problem with the Sharkanians."

"The prospect interests me," Mordo admitted, having never truly thought he'd ever be trusted with this honor. "Though I was told a task awaited me here."

"Perhaps a mission that suits all our talents," Tremaine suggested. "Now let me see... what could we all have in common?"

"I doubt I have anything in common with this old frumpy man," Ove scoffed as he gestured to Mordo.

"I feel compelled to point out that you and I came from the same world," Mordo said smugly. "We already have that much in common, at least."

"Yes, but I came from the future of your world," Ove corrected. "I hail from a time when your irrelevance was well established."

"A time you say?" Tremaine asked, a wry smile creeping onto her lips. "I think I'm beginning to get the picture."

Mordo furrowed his brow. "Wait... you think this is about time travel?"

"How very perceptive," Maleficent said as she appeared in the room amidst a flurry of flames, a large book situated under her arm.

Tremaine gave a quick bow, and the others followed suit. "Your excellency, I am at your service."

"And so you shall be," Maleficent said. "Yes, time travel is indeed of great concern to me. An artifact of great power has recently come into my possession due to the service of the three Fates. One of you three is already familiar with it."

Maleficent lifted up the book and held it out in front of her so that the three villains could all see it clearly. Tremaine and Ove shook their heads to indicate that they did not recognize it, but Mordo simply gaped at the cover of the book as he looked upon it. Memories came flooding back for the baron, memories he had long suppressed.

"As I live and breathe, the Book of Cagliostro!" Mordo whispered more to himself than anyone else. "I had thought it was lost after... after...."

Mordo swallowed hard. The last time he saw that book, Mordo and his adversary Doctor Strange had chased one another backwards through history, following along with a sorcerer from the distant future by the name of Sise-Neg. The future sorcerer had grown exponentially more powerful with every jump further back in time. When they'd finally arrived at the dawn of time itself, Sise-Neg grew so powerful that He became the Genesis of the universe itself. Mordo and Doctor Strange had quite literally witnessed God Himself creating all of existence through that book.

"Anyone care to fill us in?" Ove asked.

"The Book of Cagliostro is a tome with the power to transcend time," Maleficent explained. "It is unique in that it holds the power to alter the past without jeopardizing one's present existence."

"How interesting," Tremaine remarked. "Time travel without consequence I see."

"Without consequence is a bit of a misnomer," Mordo grumbled. "I've seen many things that I wish I hadn't thanks to that book."

"As you three are likely already aware, there are three different forms of time travel," Maleficent explained. "Transformative, or the power to alter one's past."

Maleficent gestured to Lady Tremaine, invoking the memory of Tremaine's attempt to unravel Cinderella's happily ever after. She'd plotted to change her own future by changing her past, and the changes would have led to a far different present if the Fairy Godmother hadn't put things back to the way they were before.

"Divergent, or the power to forge new branches in the multiverse independent from the future that one departs."

Maleficent turned her attention to Ove. He came to the past from an alternate future that the current timeline was not on track to create. It was simply another dimension that was better left forgotten as far as Ove was concerned. That future would only happen in that one specific timeline.

"And Fulfilling, or the power to fulfil the course of history by playing one's role in time."

She then landed on Mordo. His adventure with Doctor Strange and Sise-Neg had been that particular brand of time travel. Sise-Neg's movements through time were well documented by history, and the universe had already been created. However, Sise-Neg still had to travel back in time to fulfil his role in history as God so that all of existence could occur.

"The task I have for you will require all three and more," Maleficent said as she rapped her fingers on the cover of the book. "And thus I bestow the Book of Cagliostro upon you three. It shall be your guide in the journey ahead."

Maleficent held out the book in front of her, and Mordo cautiously took it into his hands. So this was why Doom had released him from his leash. Mordo was the only one familiar with the power of Cagliostro, and that experience was crucial to Maleficent's newest plan.

"What are we going to do?" Mordo asked.

"The power of the Overtakers is without equal," Maleficent declared. "And yet for all the conquests we have made, the heroes have thwarted my plans time and time again. I am no fool as to think the solution lies in the past. We in the present must continue to work towards our goals of universal domination! Yet the Book of Cagliostro offers a unique opportunity."

"Let me guess," Tremaine spoke up, "the present reality of the Overtakers will remain in place thanks to the book's power, secure from any unintended side effects. Meanwhile, the three of us can seek out solutions throughout time with impunity."

"Precisely," Maleficent nodded. "You three shall begin a new faction under the authority of the Overtakers, one that can move through time, collecting power of use to our cause and conquering the course of history itself!"

Ove grinned deviously. "Now you're starting to speak my language! I was born to be a king, and a king for all time I shall be!"

"You may operate at your own discretion," Maleficent stated, "as long as you do not forget the generous hand that granted you such power. Trust that I shall be keeping an eye on your efforts, and should I have any reason to doubt your loyalty... well, let us simply say that there will be nowhere in history where you can escape my wrath."

"I assure you, one instance of crossing the Overtakers was enough for one lifetime," Mordo swore. "I won't be repeating that ever again."

"See to it," Maleficent stated. "Now then, there is one other matter to which you three must attend. Xehanort's younger self is traversing the timestream. The captain and I encountered him recently. He presents a danger to our past, present, and future. You are to eliminate the threat at any cost. It is a matter of utmost importance."

"He will be dealt with," Tremaine promised. "I have no tolerance for children who think to undermine the rightful authority."

"Now go, and do not fail me!" Maleficent commanded as she vanished into a flurry of green fire.

Lady Tremaine and Ove huddled around Mordo as they all looked upon the Book of Cagliostro, their current task weighing on their minds.

"All three of our fates are now intertwined," Tremaine stated. "I trust you two will learn to cooperate amicably."

Ove and Mordo glanced at each other with disdain that soon gave over to begrudging acceptance.

"I will try," Mordo agreed.

"I suppose so," Ove conceded.

"Now then, I suppose we have a question to answer," Tremaine stated. "Where to begin?"

"I believe the first matter is finding a base of operations," Mordo suggested. "We need a safe return point for our travels where we can plan and strategize."

Tremaine gestured to the room around them. "We already have access to the Eminence Palace and the Overtaken Kingdom. We can simply return to the present."

"No, the old man is right," Ove said, earning a glare from Mordo. "We need to keep ourselves isolated from the present Overtakers, otherwise our movements could create a paradox... or worse. No, we need a safe point in history that we can always return to and a place to keep the Book of Cagliostro safe as we move through time."

"Yes, exactly," Mordo nodded. "Taking the book with us could be dangerous, after all. Our safe point should ideally be an uninhabited fortress we can defend easily that exists along the margins of the timestream."

A knowing smirk crept onto Tremaine's lips. "I believe I have the solution to that particular problem."

"Can you take us there?" Mordo asked as he opened the book to the proper incantation for movement through time.

Tremaine drew her wand and grinned haughtily. "Certainly."

Back before Sora's first journey, when Maleficent was on her quest to obtain the Seven Princesses of Hearts, countless worlds fell to darkness, erased from the night sky altogether. What remained of the worlds that were consumed by the Heartless made their way to the Realm of Darkness, where dark and twisted permutations of the worlds sat empty and desolate. Lady Tremaine's home world, The Castle of Dreams, met this fate.

The castle itself held together nicely, but it was just about the only building that did. The castle town was in shambles with debris floating in the air, creating roads and sculptures that defied the laws of ordinary physics. The bridge leading to the castle was once broken as well, but it had been rebuilt by Master Aqua during her time traversing the merciless terrain. The castle's clock tower sat unmoving, frozen at midnight, an hour that was once of great significance to this world.

Amidst a puff of green glittering light, Lady Tremaine, Baron Mordo, and Ove found themselves just outside the castle in this broken world.

"So this is the Realm of Darkness, hmm?" Ove asked as he looked around. "I've heard tales about it for years, but the picture crafted in imagination doesn't quite compare to seeing it in person."

"I first saw this place when moving backwards through time," Tremaine explained. "No one on our world had any memory of it falling to darkness or being reduced to this, and yet the timeline did not forget. The castle seemed to be mostly in tact even though it stands abandoned, making it the perfect place for us to call home."

"We'll need to be vigilant about using magic to protect ourselves from the darkness, but this should do nicely," Mordo agreed.

Tremaine took a step towards the castle and took a deep breath, allowing a euphoric rush of accomplishment to fill her mind. Tremaine had always dreamed that one of her two daughters would some day marry the prince and rule from this castle, taking care of her and pampering her with a life free of want. That dream never came to fruition, and yet here Tremaine stood, claiming the Castle of Dreams for her own. She smiled slightly at the implications.

"What should we call our fortress?" Ove asked. "The Realm of Darkness is too broad, and the Castle of Dreams is far too precious for my tastes."

As the three villains opened the large doors and proceeded into the castle foyer, Tremaine glanced out at the desolate town and then back up at the clock tower. An idea struck her immediately.

"Midnight's Devastation," Tremaine announced. "That shall be the name of our fortress."

Ove chuckled as he closed the doors behind them. "I like the sound of that! I look forward to leading our team from the throne of Midnight's Devastation."

"You? Lead us?" Tremaine asked. "What absurdity! You're an impetuous braggart, unfit to lead a delicate operation such as this. My poise, grace, and, above all, self control are what a true leader requires."

"You're also the most inexperienced magic user of the three of us," Mordo pointed out as he summoned up a podium and set the Book of Cagliostro gently atop it. "Our leader should be a true Master of the Mystic Arts! One whose powers can ensure our mission remains successful, namely me."

"You think you fit that qualification?" Ove asked. "HA! You're a second rate old magician! I, on the other hand, am a demigod with the lineage of a king! The divine right to rule is part of my very bone marrow!"

Mordo sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "We're not going to get anywhere squabbling like this, but our faction will need one leader to look to. That much is certain."

"How do you propose we decide?" Tremaine asked.

Mordo held out his hand, and three identical stones appeared. Two of the stones turned black, and one turned white. Mordo pulled a black velvet bag out of his pocket and placed the three stones into the bag.

"We'll draw for it," Mordo said as he shook up the bag. "Whosoever draws the white rock will be the leader. But we must all swear by the Book of Cagliostro to accept the results of this drawing and not to use magic to overturn the Fates' decision."

All three villains placed a hand on the cover of the Book of Cagliostro.

"We swear it," they said in unison, and the book began to glow in recognition of their vow.

Without looking, each of them drew a rock from the bag and held it tightly in their hand, not revealing the color to anyone, not even themselves.

"Three, two, one," Mordo counted down. "Reveal!"

Everyone opened their hands. Ove and Mordo's faces fell when they saw the black stones in their hands, and Lady Tremaine beamed with pride as she held up the white stone triumphantly.

"It appears I will be taking command of this operation!" Tremaine said, laughing lightly in triumph behind a closed mouth.

"Fine," Ove huffed, hurling his stone across the room and crossing his arms in a pouting manner.

"Let us hope your inexperience doesn't get the rest of us killed," Mordo said as he vanished the stones back into oblivion.

"Now then, as leader, first things must come first," Tremaine declared as she took out the wand and began to slap it gently against her palm. "None of us have been formally granted the rank of Overtaker. In fact, Maleficent said we are to be our own faction. It simply will not do to call ourselves Overtakers moving forward."

"Is this really necessary?" Mordo asked with a sigh.

"Our enemies must know who to fear, and our prospective allies should know the banner they are to carry," Tremaine answered. "Now is the best time to determine our name. Now, let me see..."

Tremaine thought about it a moment. They were effectively the time traveling equivalent of the Overtakers. Perhaps a bit of a riff on their parent faction would be appropriate, yet distinct enough so as to not be mistaken. Their movements through time would allow them to traverse across generations... across eras even! Yes, that would do nicely.

"Gentlemen, I have made my decision," Tremaine declared. "From this moment forward, we shall be known as the Era Breakers."

Chapter Text

The green time portal deposited Lady Tremaine, Ove, and Baron Mordo on a golden walkway surrounded by fluffy and dramatic looking clouds. It was raining, but that did not deter from the place's majesty. Having just departed from Midnight's Devastation, the difference between the two locations was jarring, and not just visually either. Midnight's Devastation was eerily silent, but this area seemed to echo with the sounds of battle. Mordo glanced around at his surroundings and stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"We're on Mount Olympus, that much is certain," Mordo remarked. "The only question is when?"

Lady Tremaine smirked smugly. "You really don't know? How humiliating."

Ove looked around and peered over the edge of their current platform. Two figures were flying through the air, engaged in a heated magical duel. Ove recognized one of them as Jafar, and his opponent was a very smug looking teenager clad in all green.

"Eris, Eris, ERIS!" Jafar called out to the ether.

"No need to shout," Eris said with a roll of her eyes as she materialized next to Jafar.

"You think this woman is going to turn the tides?" Pan asked. "Not likely!"

"This woman happens to be a goddess," Eris said with a sneer. "Now, be quiet, kid. The adults are having a conversation."

Ove realized right away what point in time Tremaine had taken them to.

"This is during the final showdown with Cronus, isn't it?" Ove asked. "Not the Titanomachy, mind you, the one where the Overtakers killed the gods and took over Olympus."

"Indeed it is," Tremaine nodded. "This is a moment of great relevance to the timeline. This was the day the Gems of Cronus, with their incomparable mastery of time, were destroyed and removed from history."

"A dangerous moment to travel to," Mordo added. "The Book of Cagliostro is almost certainly the only thing keeping us from being drawn into a void in time itself. Which begs the question as to why we are risking it."

"This was the moment of ultimate victory for the Overtakers!" Tremaine declared. "Yet one loose end got away: Hercules. If he hadn't survived this day, the Overtakers would still rule Mount Olympus!"

Ove smiled devilishly. "Ah, so they would! And with one swoop, we'll have successfully restored the Overtakers to power!"

"Perhaps you two should take a moment to think through this," Mordo snapped. "Altering a point in time as fundamental as this, even with the help of the Book of Cagliostro, could have devastating consequences!"

"Consequences? Hmph!" Tremaine scoffed. "The Book's power is very clear. We cannot jeopardize our present existence, but we can certainly deliver a better future to our allies!"

"It's not that simple!" Mordo argued.

"How is it not that simple?" Ove asked, crossing his arms.

"I... I don't know how," Mordo admitted. "But it can't be, can it? Changing fundamental points in history can't just mean whatever you think it does!"

"Why not?" Ove asked. "Magic is all about intention, after all."

"We need to be cautious," Mordo insisted. "Test the limitations of the book in a less fragile circumstance before we try something like this!"

"If there's unintended consequences, we'll just travel back to this point and set things back to normal," Tremaine declared. "I'll not have us hold ourselves back from our mission out of fear."

"I'm with the lady on this one," Ove declared. "This is exactly the sort of thing we were sent to do."

Mordo realized he was going to get nowhere arguing and resigned himself to simply go along with the plan, foolhardy though it was. A loud rumbling noise echoed from the top of Mount Olympus as Cronus was torn apart by the destruction of his gems.

"Get ready!" Tremaine said. "Zeus is going to send Hercules away any moment now!"

Ove flexed his muscles confidently. "Then allow me to zero the hero."

Ove began to charge his trident up with power and to hover above the ground. "IMPERIUS HE-"

But before Ove could rush off to destroy Hercules, a swirling whirlpool of sand and cloud matter began to engulf the three Era Breakers. Tremaine screamed and covered her eyes, and existential dread boiled in Mordo's gut.

"Now what would you three be up to?" a sultry voice asked as the whirlwind cleared, depositing the Era Breakers in a dilapidated throne room.

Sitting upon the throne was a beautiful woman with long black hair and a lavender dress that extended out into whisps of smoke. She had a deadly and playful look in her eyes as she regarded her abducted guests. They recognized her from earlier, but it was an entirely different experience being actually seen by Eris, the Goddess of Discord.

"Eris! Cease this interference! Return us at once!" Ove ordered.

"You? Command me?" Eris asked with a chuckle. "That's not happening. Now, I don't like repeating myself, so I'm not going to. I'm just going to give you a choice: answer my question or I can feed you to my pets."

Eris gestured above her head at the constellations coming alive and roaring with ravenous hunger.

"We are the Era Breakers," Tremaine responded. "Maleficent's agents in the timestream. We were sent back to conquer the course of history for the Overtakers, and we have come to this time to do just that."

Eris sighed and shook her head. "I was afraid it was something idiotic like that. Why, oh why, would Maleficent send three ignorant novices into the timestream instead of someone a little more experienced?"

"With all due respect, your eminence, we all are experienced in the art of time travel," Mordo insisted.

"Evidently not enough!" Eris said as she grew larger and leaned in closer to the Era Breakers. "You landed at an Absolute Point and then tried to change things! Do you have any idea how badly that could've gone if I hadn't interceded?"

The Era Breakers looked at each other guiltily.

"I told you so," Mordo huffed.

Tremaine cleared her throat. "Eris, I apologize for our ignorance. Ehem, perhaps you might care to educate us?"

"I presume you mortals are familiar with a house of cards," Eris said as she summoned an illusion of one in front of her. "Messing with an absolute point is like messing with the base of the house of cards. Dislodge the card ever so slightly, and..."

Eris nudged one of the cards at the base of her illusion, and the entire house of cards collapsed. Tremaine, Mordo, and Ove's eyes widened when they realized what they'd almost done.

"Universal oblivion," Eris said. "The number of universes out there in the multiverse that are no longer there because someone got a little too ambitious with an Absolute Point... well, it's more than your mortal minds can count. Now normally I love destruction and chaos, but universal annihilation isn't exactly beneficial to me."

"How... how do we recognize these Absolute Points moving forward?" Tremaine asked.

"If it's a point in time that impacts the course of the entire universe, stay away," Eris warned. "Individual worlds are one thing. Universal changes are quite another. Now, to be fair, changing an Absolute Point requires a lot of power, and normally I'd doubt you could even do it. But that Book of Cagliostro you three are using is more powerful than the gods. There's no telling what irreparable damage you could do with it."

"You can rest assured, we'll proceed with greater caution moving forward," Mordo promised.

"Yes, you will, because I'm coming with you," Eris insisted.

"Excuse me?" Ove asked.

"I don't trust you three on your own, but I also love chaos too much to destroy you before you can even do what you're planning," Eris explained. "Besides, the Overtakers have Hades and Loki. Your Era Breakers need a goddess of their own."

Eris grew larger and extended her fingers out like a spider web to appear more powerful and intimidating.

"Don't suppose we have any say in the matter," Ove grumbled.

"We would be honored, your greatness," Tremaine said with a bow. "Perhaps you can provide us with direction only accessible to the divine."

"Indeed I can," Eris nodded. "If you want to secure power over the timeline, it's not about pulling just one big move that changes history. You need to set up dominos throughout time, and then let them knock into each other when the time is right."

"And you're willing to help us with these dominos?" Mordo asked suspiciously.

"Naturally," Eris affirmed as she shifted around and leaned in close to Mordo seductively. "It's all organized chaos, after all, and as long as I can create chaos, how it all ends really doesn't matter to me."

Mordo waved Eris off of him, and she shifted away back to her throne.

"Oh, and one more thing," Eris said with a light laugh. "I'm bringing along my new handmaiden with me. Don't worry; she's definitely your type of crowd. She actually originates from the same world as the Overtakers' Russell Edgington."

Eris waved her hand, creating a small localized sandstorm in between her and the other Era Breakers. The three Era Breakers took a step back as the sandstorm deposited a figure wearing a large helmet in the shape of a bull over her head. The figure's clawed hands reached up to remove the helmet, revealing that she was a woman. The newcomer looked ostensibly human, had wavy black hair, and wore a floor length black chiton. Her hands had also morphed into a more ordinary human shape.

"Well hello there," the woman said, flashing the Era Breakers a smug and playful grin that could give even Eris a run for her money.

"I'd like to introduce you three to Maryann Forrester," Eris said. "She's a Maenad in service to me."

"A Maenad?" Mordo asked. "But the Maenads were the handmaidens of Dionysus, not you."

"There is no need to speak the name of the false god!" Maryann snapped, a deep dark echo ringing in her voice. "I dedicated thousands of years in service to Dionysus! I did everything for him! I turned an entire town into a drunken orgy of debauchery, I found him the perfect vessel to sacrifice, and I built him a shrine twenty feet tall out of the best offerings I could muster! And yet still he did not come! Even on what was to be our wedding day!"

Eris flew down and placed her arms around Maryann to comfort her servant. "He didn't deserve you, dear. At the end of the day, Dionysus is a man, and the only god worthy of being God is a woman."

"Quite right," Tremaine agreed, earning grumbles of dissent from Ove and Mordo.

"Eris salvaged my soul after I was tricked into sacrificing myself to the false god," Maryann explained, calming down considerably. "She gave me new purpose, and a new lease on life. And now I am living as the best version of myself! Debauchery? Still in the cards. It's just chaotic enough. But desperately waiting for a man to show up who never does? Never again! I have spent enough time doing for others. Now I do for me!"

"Congratulations," Ove sighed. "I'm bored of these introductions. Can we leave now?"

"Actually," Maryann interjected. "There's something here on this world that should prove very useful to us..."

Per Maryann's instructions, Ove swam down into the wreckage of the sunken ship. Though it was obviously newly sunk, various sorts of fish and other marine life had already started making the ship their home. None of the sea creatures, however, were willing to cross Ove, and they quickly swam away whenever he would draw near. Even though he was not the ruler of these oceans, power was something that all creatures of the sea were wise enough to respect.

Rhodian vases littered the hull of the ship, but those weren't what Ove was here for. He rifled through the various barrels and chests that had gone down with the ship until he finally found the artifact that Maryann had described: an intricately crafted interlocking series of bronze gears, plates, and dials. Ove picked it up and could instantly feel the temporal energy radiating off of the device, and in that moment he knew that he'd found something of great importance.

Up on the surface, Tremaine, Mordo, Eris, and Maryann stood around waiting on the deck of a small barge floating on the sea. A lush and beautiful Mediterranean island was visible on the horizon. After a few minutes of waiting, Ove burst out of the sea and landed on the deck of the ship with the mechanical device in hand.

"You found it!" Maryann declared. "Excellent! I knew you could do it."

"Don't patronize me," Ove huffed. "I knew I could do it before you even thought it!"

"Of course, of course," Maryann said.

"What is that?" Tremaine asked as she struggled to get a better look at what Ove had brought up.

Maryann took the artifact from Ove and held it up triumphantly. "The Antikythera Mechanism!"

"Wait... I've heard of it!" Mordo stated. "Supposedly the earliest known analogue computer, a relic that seemed to defy all conventional knowledge of the ancient world!"

"You got it in one!" Maryann nodded. "Historians thought it was for keeping time and tracking the movements of the planets, and they're not so off base. But its actual purpose was far beyond their primitive understanding."

"Indeed so," Eris chimed in. "It's a tool forged to calculate movement through time. Think of it like a temporal compass, pointing where in the course of history you ought to go."

"And I'm supposed to believe that something so valuable was just lying about under the sea?" Tremaine asked.

"Many valuable things are found under the sea, Tremaine," Ove insisted.

"You think you three were the first people to travel through time?" Eris asked. "Others have come throughout history, but not all of them survived to make the trip back."

"And I suppose you had nothing to do with that?" Mordo mused with a knowing smirk.

"I don't know what you're insinuating," Eris replied innocently. "But that little toy will point us where we need to go."

"And just where is it pointing now?" Tremaine asked.

"I think the better question is when is it pointing," Mordo corrected.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Maryann suggested.

Maryann cranked one of the gears until it tightened, and then she released it, causing the Antikythera Mechanism to whir to life. The various dials and plates shifted into place, calculating the direction in universal time most beneficial to the Era Breakers.

The alphanumeric plates clicked into place, and the mechanism stopped on a set of temporal coordinates.

"We have our heading! Splendid!" Ove declared as he clapped his hands.

"Then let us be off," Tremaine ordered. "We shall follow this device wherever it might lead!"

Eris smirked deviously. "Now this sounds like delicious fun!"

With the help of the Book of Cagliostro, Tremaine opened a time portal and swept herself and the other Era Breakers into the spell. The five villains hurtled through the timestream, following the lead of the Antikythera Mechanism. However, before the Era Breakers could emerge on the other side, a powerful force struck them, blasting them off of their trajectory.

Tremaine, Ove, Mordo, and Maryann were forcibly hurled to the ground in a strange prismatic dimension, and wisps of purple smoke belonging to Eris were scattered about in the air. Eris quickly pulled herself back together and took form overhead as the others rose to their feet.

"What just happened?" Eris asked, a sharp edge ringing in her voice. "I thought you Era Breakers knew what you were doing, but that was the most uncomfortable trip through the timeline that I have ever experienced!"

"I'm... not sure what happened," Tremaine admitted. "That has never occurred before during any of my spells. What went wrong?"

Mordo groaned. "It felt to me like a counterspell. I don't think it was you; I think someone forced us out of the spell somehow."

"Who has the kind of power to counter the Book of Cagliostro?" Ove asked, utterly dumbfounded. "It was written by Genesis himself!"

Maryann glanced up, and her eyes widened. "I think we just found our answer..."

An enormous storm cloud of black smoke formed a barrier between the Era Breakers and their destination, and from the smoky wall, an immense head resembling that of a dragon with a glowing red pair of eyes and mouth extended outwards. The beast was obviously what had blocked the spell, and it had now turned ravenously hungry towards the Era Breakers.

Ove charged his trident with lightning and cried out "IMPERIUS HEX" as he blasted the bolt into the smoke monster. The beast shrieked and recoiled from the energy blast, but ultimately it seemed none the worse for wear. The beast's head struck forward and opened its jaws wide to consume the Era Breakers.

However, at the last possible moment, Eris swept up her allies into a Corridor of Darkness, returning them to the safety of her realm, Tartarus. Taxed by the effort, Eris slumped down into her throne and exhaled with relief.

"What was that thing?" Maryann asked. "I've never seen something so... powerful! If it wasn't trying to kill us, I'd think it was stunning... come to think of it, it is still kind of stunning."

"How can you possibly say such a thing without a twinge of shame?" Tremaine asked.

Maryann scoffed. "Shame is just a bullshit excuse not to celebrate your own happiness."

"That creature was unlike anything I've ever encountered," Mordo remarked, "and trust me when I say that I have encountered more than my fair share of dangerous magical obstacles."

"It shrugged off my lightning like it was nothing!" Ove huffed.

"It was Alioth," Eris stated.

The other Era Breakers looked to her with a puzzled expression.

"Or, rather, an offshoot of Alioth," Eris clarified. "It spreads itself out and makes duplicate forms throughout time and space. Alioth is a cosmic entity that exists along the edge of time. It's a destructive void that feeds on temporal energy. We were lucky not to have been consumed by it."

"So, you're saying that this offshoot of Alioth is stronger than a god?" Tremaine asked.

Eris begrudgingly nodded. "Unfortunately."

"But the destination marked by the Antikythera Mechanism is beyond Alioth," Tremaine pointed out. "How are we to reach it with that creature in the way?"

"My attacks didn't work, but perhaps my enchantment magic would," Ove suggested. "I could charm the savage beast into allowing us to pass."

"No offense, but you're likely to get us all killed trying that," Maryann said as she gave Ove a sympathetic pat on the back. "But it's okay. You're doing your best."

"You're doing the patronizing thing on purpose, aren't you?" Ove sneered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Maryann replied innocently. "I'm just trying to give you a little positive reinforcement. Has that been scarce in your life?"

"Allow me a moment of silence to scry for the solution to our problem," Mordo requested.

Ove wanted to argue with Maryann further, but he kept his mouth shut for Mordo's sake. The sorcerer summoned up a crystal ball, crossed his legs, and began to levitate. He poured magic into the crystal ball, causing it to hover out in front of him. His eyes began to glow the same shade of green as his magic as he gazed deeper and deeper into the crystal.

"Ah, how intriguing...," Mordo mumbled under his breath.

"Would you care to share what you've learned with the rest of us?" Tremaine asked, a twinge of impatience in her tone.

"I see a weapon capable of destroying any creature," Mordo answered, "a gun known simply as the Colt. The number of bullets are strictly limited, but we will only need one to put down the Alioth blocking our path."

"Limited bullets are meaningless to us anyway," Ove pointed out. "We simply create a temporary divergent timeline and keep going back for more as needed."

"I love cheating the system!" Eris declared giddily.

"Work smarter, not harder!" Maryann agreed. "Where and when are we going?"

"With a temporary divergent timeline, we can pluck the Colt out of any point in history without consequences to the timestream," Mordo explained. "However, for most of the weapon's history, it was in the hands of sanctimonious hero types dedicated to hunting and slaying supernatural beings."

"Give me five minutes with them," Maryann said. "I'll remove these so called heroes from the timeline permanently"

"As tempting as that sounds, there is a path of least resistance," Mordo explained. "It crossed into the hands of someone who might actually trade with us..."

Tremaine smirked slightly at that. "Tell us more..."

The Devil's Gate in the middle of the cemetery had been unlocked. A doorway between Hell and Earth swung wide open as countless demons flew free from their eternal damnation, all according to the master plan. The Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, along with two of their closest allies attempted to physically push the gate closed, but the resistance was far too great. Dean picked up the Colt, the only weapon capable of killing the demon that had murdered his mother. He glanced down at it and opened the cylinder to make sure that it still had one single solitary bullet left in it.

"If the demon gave this to Jake," Dean said to himself, "then maybe..."

However, as he trailed off, Dean heard something sneaking up behind him. Dean whirled around and aimed the Colt at the figure approaching. Though at first glance the figure appeared to be an ordinary man with gray hair, jeans, a flannel shirt, and a brown jacket, closer inspection would reveal that his eyes were glowing an unnatural shade of yellow. To the Winchesters, he was known as the Yellow-Eyed Demon, but to his fellow demons, he was Azazel.

Dean reached for the trigger and attempted to shoot Azazel, but the Colt flew out of his hand and into Azazel's clutches.

"Boy shouldn't play with daddy's guns," Azazel teased.

Azazel telekinetically threw Dean across the cemetery, and the young hunter slammed into one of the tombstones. While trying to close the gate, Sam saw his brother in danger and abandoned his post to rush towards Dean.

"DEAN!" Sam cried out desperately.

Azazel, however, glanced over his shoulder and simply raised his hand. He telekinetically flicked Sam aside, pinning the younger brother to a tree.

"I'll get to you in a minute, champ," Azazel promised with a playfully evil grin. "But I'm proud of you! Knew ya had it in ya!"

Azazel stalked over towards Dean menacingly, but he stopped short when he felt a rush of temporal energy wash over the cemetery. Something powerful had just intercepted the timestream, and Azazel knew it.

"Perhaps you can get to us first," Tremaine requested as she and the other Era Breakers manifested in the cemetery.

Azazel glanced over to them and smirked. "Well this just got interesting..."

Chapter Text

The Devil's Gate had swung open and all Hell was breaking loose. Or at least, that was the intention. Everything in the graveyard was frozen in time with the exception of Azazel and the five Era Breakers standing opposite from him. Azazel twirled the Colt around in his hands playfully as he regarded the uninvited guests with a playful curiosity.

"Time travelers, I assume?" Azazel asked. "An interesting group. You've got a goddess, a Maenad, a demigod merman, a powerful sorcerer, and a mortal woman with a fairy's magic wand. How eclectic."

"I am Lady Tremaine," Tremaine spoke up. "These are my associates Eris, Maryann, Ove, and Baron Mordo, and we have come to make a deal with you for that gun in your hand, the Colt."

Azazel smirked and held it up dramatically. "This gun? Now whatever would you want this old thing for? It only has the one shot, after all."

"One shot is all we need," Mordo interjected. "In our travels, our path forward has been blocked by a beast beyond the boundaries of time itself. We need the Colt to get around it."

"And if you give it to us, you can guarantee those co-dependent brothers will never be able to use it on you," Eris said as she gestured to Sam and Dean Winchester, still frozen between two tics of the clock. "So, really, you'll be doing yourself a favor."

Azazel laughed at that suggestion. "Will I now? Oh ye of little faith! Those pathetic boys could never kill someone like me. I've got the game stacked to my advantage."

"Oh? You think so?" Ove asked, practically giddy about the prospect of what would come next. "Can we show him his fate now?"

Eris smiled and extended her hand to Azazel. "Let me show you how this timeline you're on ends."

Azazel scowled and cautiously took Eris's hand. As he took it, the Era Breakers vanished and time began to proceed forward. Azazel continued right where he'd left off without any memory of time stopping. He hovered over the helpless Dean Winchester with the Colt firmly in his hand.

"Anyway, thanks a bunch! I knew I kept you alive for some reason... until now anyway," Azazel taunted his adversary. "I couldn't have done it without your pathetic self-loathing self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family."

Azazel then pointed the gun at the helpless Dean, but what the unseen observers saw that Azazel didn't was a shadowy soul creeping up on Azazel. The soul, that of Sam and Dean's late father, grabbed ahold of Azazel in a bear hug that yanked his demonic form out of his human host. The human host body fell unconscious onto the ground, dropping the Colt in the process. Though Azazel's non-corporeal demon form was able to break free of the ghost's hold, by the time he returned to his host body, Dean had grabbed ahold of the Colt.

Dean pulled the trigger and fired the gun right through Azazel's heart, shooting him dead once and for all.

Lady Tremaine then waved the Black Fairy's wand, reversing the course of what had just transpired and returning them to the moment that they'd been frozen in mere minutes before. Azazel was no longer dead, and Eris gave him a little tap on the shoulders and pulled him back into their little conversation between two tics of the clock. Azazel clenched his jaw and his eyes widened, and the reality he'd just experienced dawned upon him.

"You came to me moments before my death to make your deal," Azazel sneered.

Eris shrugged. "We figured you'd be in a more cooperative mood that way."

"You've shown your hand, though," Azazel said. "What's to stop me from just returning to the course of history and using what I now know to prevent my own death? Cut out the middle man, as it were?"

"When we return you to your timeline, you'll have no memory of this little aside," Maryann answered. "A nifty little time limbo spell if you're not in the know."

"Smart yet cruel," Azazel said as an evil grin crept onto his face. "I respect that. Tell me this then: what are you five up to?"

"We are traveling through history to ensure the ultimate victory of the Overtakers," Mordo answered, "a team of blackhearted villains seeking universal domination!"

"Now that sounds like fun," Azazel remarked.

"It is!" Maryann said. "I've been having an absolute blast since I joined!"

"It's only been less than a day," Tremaine pointed out.

Maryann shrugged. "Still...."

Azazel clicked his tongue in contemplation as he looked around him at his surroundings. He was clearly weighing his options carefully.

"Alright, here's the deal I'm gonna offer you," Azazel said after a moment. "I've got all of this back here set up meticulously so that even in the event of my death, it would still work out exactly as Lord Lucifer wanted it to, resulting in this world's Apocalypse. If I go messing around with the course of fate, who knows what sort of threads might end up getting tangled. You all know how to create a divergent timeline, don't you?"

"Intimately," Ove answered with a smirk.

"Then make one," Azazel said. "Pull me and the Colt out of a divergent timeline, and let the main one run its course according to plan. Let me survive and join your little time travel party, and you'll have the Colt. Sound about fair?"

Lady Tremaine nodded. "Easily done."

"Oh! And there is one more thing I'll need to sweeten the pot," Azazel said.

"Saving your life isn't enough?" Baron Mordo asked with a huff.

"No, not quite," Azazel said, shaking his head. "That Dean Winchester kid kills me, and I'm not about to let that go unpunished. Killing him at this juncture might be a waste, anyway. His number's gonna come due very soon, and he might just be more useful to my plan if he waits to die until then."

"Then what are you suggesting?" Maryann asked. "Because it sounds a lot like that delayed gratification bullshit. Just let yourself have instant pleasure! Kill a man, make his life Hell, carpe diem!"

"No, I have a better idea," Azazel replied. "A potion I've heard tale of called the Drought of Unending Misery."

"I've heard of that potion as well," Mordo spoke up. "It's pure bottled bad karma to be used on the most despicable villains to ensure they receive their due comeuppance for their sins. There's no way we can get something like that! The wielders of light magic have long kept that recipe guarded to prevent those with dark hearts from turning it on innocents."

"Hence why I'm making it part of our deal," Azazel said. "We're six of the most powerful wielders of darkness in this universe with power over time travel. If anyone can steal that potion, it's us, and it's also my price for giving you the one thing in the entire universe capable of killing me. That's more than a fair trade, I'd say."

"How in the Hell are we supposed to hold up that end of the bargain?" Mordo huffed. "You're setting us on a wild goose chase for a show of good faith."

Eris, however, simply laughed. "There may actually be a way to get dear Azazel what he wants. Not all wielders of light magic are incorruptibly pure, and there might just be one in history willing to stoop to dealing with us. We can make this work."

"If you believe it possible, Eris, then I do believe we agree to the terms of your deal, Lord Azazel," Tremaine nodded.

"Perfect," Azazel grinned, and his yellow eyes flashed with an amber glow. "Now, who wants to seal the contract?"

"Do you have a document to sign?" Tremaine asked.

"No," Azazel shook his head. "Where I come from, deals are sealed with a kiss."

"Oh," Tremaine said with a twinge of disgust. "Perhaps one of my allies...."

"Absolutely not," Mordo replied.

"My mother is the Enchantress," Ove said. "A kiss with me isn't one dear Azazel would want, I'm afraid."

"I could," Eris said. "But I won't. One of you needs to do it."

"Maryann?" Tremaine asked desperately.

Maryann shrugged. "Okay, sure, I'll do it. All of you big bad Era Breakers afraid of a little kiss. I really need to get the rest of you on board with more debauchery if this alliance is gonna work."

"I was hoping it'd be you," Azazel said with a grin.

Yellow runes were magically carved onto Maryann's arms as the contract was written out, and she grinned at the delicious pain searing into her flesh. It made her want to dance naked under the moonlight. She and Azazel then leaned in close and their lips met. The contract was sealed as they pulled each other into passionately making out, and even after the deal was struck, they continued to kiss. Everyone started to get very uncomfortable.

"Would you two please get a room later?" Mordo huffed.

Maryann broke free of the kiss and tapped Azazel lightly on the chin. "You can count on that."

Mordo massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Shall we go find this wild goose chase potion now? Or do we need to wait for the Maenad and the demon to taste each other's parts?"

Maryann thought for a moment. "Well - "

"That was RHETORICAL!" Mordo snapped. "Let's GO!"

"Party pooper," Maryann pouted.

"Don't worry, beautiful, we'll raise a little Hell after we get done with the mission," Azazel promised.

"Eris," Tremaine beckoned. "You may lead the way."

The now six Era Breakers found themselves standing at the edge of a luscious forest overlooking a cute and quaint little cottage... that just so happened to be attached to a massive factory with towering smoke stacks spewing multicolored steam into the atmosphere.

"This is the home of a powerful wielder of light magic?" Maryann asked. "Looks more like the sort of place the proletariat's dreams go to die."

"Those two things are not mutually exclusive," Eris pointed out. "Wielders of light magic have been some of the most corrupt tyrants in history. Something something greater good."

"Known a few angels in my time that can certainly back you up on that claim," Azazel replied. "Hell might be a burning pit of evil and suffering, but at least we're honest about it."

The Era Breakers proceeded into the cottage and entered a very lavender waiting room area with large paintings of the factory's owner, the Fairy Godmother, hanging on the walls. Tremaine silently noticed that this Fairy Godmother looked far more modern and stylish than the old gnome that had helped Cinderella on her world. This Fairy Godmother had silver hair worn up in a beehive, stylish glasses, and a light periwinkle dress that showed off her figure. An elf with a neatly trimmed mustache was sitting at the reception desk, filling out various papers with a feathered quill.

"Excuse me," Eris said, "we're here to see the - "

"The Fairy Godmother, yes," the elf said in a bored tone, "unfortunately, she's not taking clients today."

Eris's eyes flashed with rage, and she raised a fist to strike the elf. However, Maryann held her patron goddess back.

"Please, allow me," Maryann said as she walked over to the desk and leaned in close to the elf. "Poor thing. You look absolutely exhausted."

"It... has been a long day," the elf admitted with a deep sigh.

"Let me help you with that," Maryann said.

Maryann's whole body began to vibrate, and almost instantly, the elf's eyes went completely black.

"Oh! You went quick," Maryann said with a laugh.

"Like demonic possession without you even having to change bodies," Azazel remarked. "I'm impressed!"

"I could have enchanted him if I'd been given half a moment to work my magic," Ove insisted.

"Of course you could, dear," Tremaine said as she placed a gentle handle on Ove's shoulder. "But I believe we should get on with finding this Fairy Godmother."

"Quite right!" Maryann declared before turning back to the hypnotized elf. "You. Stay!"

The Era Breakers proceeded into the factory proper, and once back there, it wasn't hard to guess which room was the Fairy Godmother's office. Magical lights and puffs of smoke floated out of the first door on the right, and the villains followed the convenient trail. Inside, the Fairy Godmother flew around a smoking cauldron, magically adding various ingredients to her enchanted brew.

"Now, let's add a dash of longing," Fairy Godmother said as she dropped a pine branch into the froth, "and some fresh despair!"

She then threw a pear with a frowning face carved on the skin into the brew, and the potion let out a somber wail. Fairy Godmother cackled with glee at how well her potion was coming along, but then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the uninvited guests and jolted slightly from the surprise.

"Oh good Heavens!" Fairy Godmother said. "Demons and dark sorcerers! How in Grimm's name did you get back here?"

"You might want to upgrade your security," Eris said with a light laugh, "but we're not here to hurt you. We just want to make a little deal."

"Heh! Oh do you, now?" Fairy Godmother scoffed. "I can tell just by looking at you lot that you're villains, and I only deal with those worthy of getting their happily ever afters: the pretty, the popular, and the rich and famous."

"Would you like to demonstrate your powers of persuasion NOW, Ove?" Mordo offered.

"Hold a moment," Tremaine said as she pushed her way to the front of the group. "Forgive them, Fairy Godmother. They are a bit crude at times, but they mean well."

"Now you I recognize, evil stepmother," Fairy Godmother said. "Or, at least, I know a version of you since you lot reek of other worlds. I mean, really, did you actually think your two ugly daughters stood a chance against someone with the star power of Cinderella? Not hardly!"

"A mother must try to provide the best possible future for her children, likely or not," Tremaine said with a shrug. "However, my girls failed me and bit the hand that fed them. They were beastly children, as you said, and so I cut them loose. I've since discovered that there are other more lucrative paths to power."

Tremaine held up the Black Fairy's wand dramatically, and Fairy Godmother's eyes went wide with recognition.

"Where did you get that?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"I have made powerful friends in high places," Tremaine explained. "They are, in fact, the benefactors behind this little team you see before you. They helped to show me that my fate did not have to be tied to simply being 'the wicked stepmother,' but, rather, that I could have everything I've desired by reaching out and taking it. The same can be true for you as well if you so choose. Or are you content with being a fairy who exists to serve the will of the younger and more beautiful heroes?"

Fairy Godmother thought about that for a moment and smirked. "Alright then. I'll make a deal with you lot... provided you can make it worth my while."

Azazel grinned devilishly. "Atta baby. Well, see, we're actually here for a potion called the Drought of Unending Misery."

"HA! Oh, of COURSE you are," Fairy Godmother said with a laugh. "That's a spell just beyond your dark reaches now, isn't it? And I suppose the fact that THAT potion is the one I'm brewing right now is just a coincidence?"

Eris shrugged. "Time travel's funny that way."

"So... will you sell it to us or not?" Mordo asked. "I should warn you: if you refuse, we will take it by force."

"That'd be all well and good except the potion has to ferment for another month, and then I have to add one last ingredient to finish it," Fairy Godmother said. "So taking it by force isn't exactly an option for you, but like I said before, I will sell it if you can match my price."

"What do you want?" Maryann asked.

"I don't know just yet," Fairy Godmother admitted. "I have a long term plan in the works that I need to see come to fruition first. Come back when the potion is done brewing in one month, and I'll tell you what I need. That shouldn't be too great of an inconvenience for time travelers, now should it?"

"It is agreeable," Tremaine nodded as she raised her wand. "You will see us here in one month's time, and we shall see you in just a few minutes."

Temporal magic engulfed the six Era Breakers, and in a flash of green light, they appeared in the Fairy Godmother's office exactly one month later. However, unlike one month prior, the factory wasn't bustling with workers. In fact, the whole place looked deserted, and the Fairy Godmother's possessions seemed to have been all boxed up.

"Did she get evicted?" Azazel asked as he looked around in confusion. "Fall behind on her fairy bills?"

"Ugh, I hate it when that happens!" Maryann groaned.

"No," Lady Tremaine said as she noticed a piece of parchment sitting on the Fairy Godmother's desk, a Last Will and Testament. "She's dead."

Ove gasped. "Oh no! How horrible! ... Anyway, that's enough mourning. She was already brewing our potion. I suppose it's time to begin rifling through these boxes!"

"No need," Baron Mordo boasted. "My magic can help us find it."

Mordo gestured to the boxes, and they began to unpack themselves. Various books and bottles began to float out of the boxes and fly around the room. Mordo look carefully through the items until he spotted an ornate jewelry box with a sticky note reading "For the Time Travelers" stuck to its lid.

"This must be it!" Mordo said as he plucked the box out of the air.

However, when Mordo tried to open the box, he found that it was locked tight. He attempted a spell to unlock it, but his magic ricocheted off of a golden light aura protecting the box.

"Curses!" Mordo growled. "She has it under a protection spell. No dark magic can penetrate it!"

"Or maybe you're just too weak," Ove said as he snatched the box out of Mordo's hands. "This takes muscle!"

However, no matter how hard he pulled or tugged, the box wouldn't come open.

"Well... no matter!" Ove said when he finally decided to just give up. "Here, Azazel. We got you your potion. It's in here. Getting it open is your problem. Now hand us over the Colt!"

Azazel, however, simply shook his head. "Nice try, kiddo, but no dice! Gotta give me the potion free and clear and ready to use. Says it all in the contract."

Azazel gestured to the glowing print carved into Maryann's body.

"I think that fine print might be a bit below the belt... literally," Maryann winked.

"Give me that," Mordo huffed as he yanked the box back from Ove. "Eris, you're a goddess. Surely your power can break the seal."

Eris nodded. "Most likely."

"Then break it!" Mordo said as he held the box out to her.

"No," she refused.

"What? Why?" Mordo asked, his mouth hanging open.

"You don't quite understand my presence here, do you, big boy?" Eris asked as she shifted behind Mordo and rubbed her hands over his back. "I'm here to keep the rest of you from breaking the timeline and to have fun creating glorious chaos. Opening boxes isn't fun. I don't share your mission, I'm not a team player, and I don't exert my power unnecessarily."

She gave Mordo a light smack on the back of his head to punctuate her meaning.

"You'll just have to find another way around this obstacle," Eris added.

"Mordo, worry not," Tremaine said as she held up her wand. "We simply need to continue our negotiations with the fairy, and fortunately, we have time on our hands."

Tremaine waved the wand above her hand and a green cloud of temporal energy began to take form in the room around the Era Breakers.

"Bring me the Fairy Godmother moments before her death," Tremaine commanded, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"

In a flash of green magic, the Fairy Godmother appeared before them, alive and well and dressed in a red sequin dress with a slit along the side. She seemed disoriented and frightened by whatever had just happened to her, and she ran her hands all over her body to make sure she was really all there.

"I like your dress," Maryann remarked. "It looks like you just came from a party! Tell me there was drinking and debauchery worthy of the gods!"

"I... I'm not sure what just happened," Fairy Godmother admitted. "One minute I was hurling a spell right for that horrible ogre attempting to steal a happy ending, and the next..."

Fairy Godmother's eyes went wide as she realized that her own spell had ricocheted off the king's breastplate and shot right for her. Lady Tremaine nodded when Fairy Godmother's eyes met her own.

"I pulled you from the timeline mere seconds before your death," Tremaine explained. "You owe your life to me."

Fairy Godmother gulped. "And... this new life will continue following our interaction? You're not about to send me back to the moments preceding my death, are you?"

"If you provide us with the potion, the Book of Cagliostro will allow you this second chance at life," Lady Tremaine confirmed. "I never go back on my word, but please note that I said if."

"Of course, my lady," Fairy Godmother said with a bow. "I see you've got it right there, and that little protection spell just needs a single...."

Fairy Godmother flew over to Mordo and tapped the lid of the box with her wand. It opened gently, revealing the potion inside. Azazel grinned wickedly at the sight of it.

"Ah, and before I start getting all grabby, can I assume that your life is payment enough for the potion?" Azazel asked.

"It is," Fairy Godmother said as she looked back at Tremaine nervously. "But... remember how I told you it had to ferment for a month before I added the last ingredient? Well, it still needs that last ingredient."

"So add it," Ove said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's the problem: I... don't have it," Fairy Godmother admitted.

"That is indeed terrible news," Tremaine said as she raised her wand menacingly.

"I can get it! I can get it!" Fairy Godmother quickly said. "It's just going to take a little... creativity. You see, I was planning to have my son, Prince Charming, marry the lovely Princess Fiona of Far Far Away, but a dirty green swamp ogre with a flatulence problem stuck his fat nose in my business and ruined everything!"

"A familiar tale," Tremaine mused as she thought back to Cinderella's meddling in her own plans to marry Anastasia or Drizella to the prince. "But what does that have to do with the potion?"

"The final ingredient is the blessing of a newly wed royal couple," Fairy Godmother explained. "And, unfortunately, there aren't any newly weds around to do that now."

"That's no dilemma!" Ove declared. "I am royalty! If anyone present is ordained, then let me simply marry one of you so that I may bless the potion. We'll simply divorce tomorrow."

"I like the ingenuity, but no dice, handsome," Fairy Godmother sighed. "Magic, as in all things, is about intent. A sham marriage simply won't do."

"We have the entirety of history at our disposal," Mordo reminded the group. "We'll simply need to travel back to a historical royal wedding and intercept the royal couple to bless the potion."

"A royal wedding! How exciting!" Eris declared, clenching her fists triumphantly. "The last one I went to was the wedding of Pelleus and Thetis. Had to crash it, though, since they snubbed me an invitation."

Azazel squinted at Eris and smirked. "That was the one where you started the Trojan War, wasn't it?"

"Of course it was!" Eris boasted.

Maryann let out a sigh that was practically orgasmic. "Oh FUN!"

"Let's... not go back to that one," Fairy Godmother suggested.

"But it would be to our benefit to choose a royal wedding that was apart of one of our histories," Mordo suggested. "We'd be able to preserve the time stream and better understand the sequence of events."

Lady Tremaine silently groaned to herself as she realized that she had a royal wedding in her history that fit the bill. But to return to that horrible day would be nothing short of torture. Still, if it meant the furtherance of their goals, there was no sacrifice too great.

"I... may have a solution to that particular problem...."

Wedding bells were ringing, and friendly mice threw rice down at the prince and his bride as they left the chapel. As she ran down the stairs, the newly wed princess's shoe fell off of her foot. However, her new father in law, the king, quickly rushed to her aid and placed it back on her foot. In gratitude, the new princess gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before proceeding into the wedding carriage.

Despite all the adversity, the new princess had proven that no matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true. And for Cinderella, it was a true happily ever after...

...Or was it?