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INDIANA JONES
xiii. TEMPLE OF DOOM

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1800s
THE ENCHANTED FOREST

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, INDIANA did exactly as she was instructed and met up with the bartender that was named Kali, along with her 12-year-old brother, Ronald. They were a peculiar duo. They were complete opposites, but they weren't anything special in Indiana's opinion. The trio would be riding in a carriage to a mountain range to get to the so-called Temple where they would collect the so-called Sivalinga. During this, Indiana decided to do some reading on the stone.

According to the book that she borrowed from Ronald, the Sivalinga was a stone that was often used for worship. It was often seen as a symbol of the energy and potential of a god called Shiva. Apparently, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, the stone was stolen from a village and dropped off in a temple, also known as the hideout for some bandits. The people who stole the stone passed away during a mysterious Earthquake. Legend has it that the souls of those people haunted the temple to this day.

Indiana scrunched up her nose in confusion. "Hey, guys? Do you know what Andhakaar ka Mandir means?" she questioned, looking up from the book in her lap.

Ronald, being the nerdy little preteen he was, nodded. "Yeah. It means the Temple of Darkness. That's where the Sivalinga is being hidden," Ronald explained.

"Sounds welcoming," Indiana mumbled.

After riding in the carriage for a while longer, Kali decided that they would walk the rest of the way. It was only a 5-minute long hike, but Ronald complained the whole way. He was your typical, textbook definition of a nerdy kid.

They arrived at a shady and creepy-looking cave that was supposedly the Temple. "This is it," Kali excitedly said. "Mom and Dad will be so excited when we bring the stone back to the village." Ronald nodded in agreement.

Together, they walked toward the entrance. As they neared it, they could hear the faint sound of screaming. It managed to send chills down the trio's backs. "Maybe we should've baked a pie," Indiana awkwardly said. "You know... to let them know that we're just passing through..."

A blast of cold wind was blown at their faces.

"Guess they're not a fan of being neighborly," Kali mused dryly.

➖➖➖

PRESENT DAY
STORYBROOKE

"Mary Margaret Blanchard, if you don't sit your butt down right now on this couch, I will pick you up and do it myself!" Anna James exclaimed from the inside of Mary Margaret and Emma Swan's shared apartment. She placed a bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table.

The black-haired woman proceeded to glance between her and the cell phone in her hands. "But what if David texts?" the woman questioned. Anna let out a groan.

"You told me you needed a David-free day. This is the best you've got," the girl scolded her.

For the past few days, Mary Margaret found herself falling head over heels over the very attractive and very married David Nolan. Anna could tell that the teacher was putting herself in a very complicated situation, so she decided to give her a day of relaxation and movies while Emma spent the day with Henry Mills.

"You sound like a 16-year-old in high school!" Anna added. She watched as the pale woman arched an eyebrow.

"You are a 16-year-old, Anna," Mary Margaret mentioned. That being said, Anna marched toward Mary Margaret, snatching her phone out of her hands and placing it onto the table. "Hey—
Whoa!"

The teenager had bent down and grabbed Mary Margaret, throwing her over her shoulder. Anna swiftly and easily carried her over to the couch, where she then, carefully threw Mary Margaret down onto it.

"I'm a lot stronger than you think, Mary," Anna mused. She flopped onto the couch beside her, cuddling up against the blanket that she had grabbed from somewhere within the teacher's apartment. "Now, what are we watching?"

Mary Margaret pressed her lips together. "You're gonna hate me for this, but..." she trailed off. "It's a rom-com."

Anna snorted. "Of course. You better hope it's good."

The odds didn't seem to be playing in Anna's favor that day, though, for it was the most pathetic Rom-Com the two girls had watched in their entire lives.

➖➖➖

1800s
THE ENCHANTED FOREST

"Oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot," Indiana Jones repetitively muttered to herself for the billionth time that day. "Why did I think this was a good idea? Oh my—Whoa!"

She dodged as a strange-looking, animal-like creature threw a large chunk of rock at the girl. See, once the trio had walked into the Temple of Darkness, they were shocked to discover it was quite literally a walk in the park. The Temple was more like a long hall within the cave. At the end of it was the Sivalinga, which sat on an elevated pedestal with a dim light shining on it.

All seemed to be going fine until the three attempted to leave the Temple of Darkness. When they tried to, they were immediately attacked by strange creatures that Indiana was unsure of how to describe. They were like mutated gorillas, almost. That was the best way and only way Indiana could put it. When the creatures attacked, Indiana told Ronald and Kali chose to take the stone and run. She declared that she would meet them outside, deciding that she would be the distraction that would save their lives.

As of now, Indiana was really regretting trying to be the hero.

So far, she managed to assassinate five of them, but there was still one left over. The exhausted girl's method of "running and dodging" was working for the most part, at least. Every once in a while, she would use her whip, but Indiana had a feeling that it wasn't going to last forever.

Adrenaline rushed through her body as she spun around, pulling out the dagger she usually kept in her boot. Indiana swiftly flicked her wrist and threw it at the final beast. It lodged itself in the creature's throat, dying almost instantly.

"Well if I knew that was going to work, I would've just done that in the first place," Indiana bitterly grumbled to herself.

Once the final creature fell to the ground, dead, the Temple began to shake. Rocks began to fall all around her. Indiana took that as an indicator that it was time for her to get the hell out of there. Therefore, the brunette broke out into a bolt and managed to get out of the Temple just as the entrance was blocked by several boulders.

She bent forward while catching her breath, placing her hands on her knees. "That... That was... so cool..." Indiana huffed. She looked up slightly, spotting the Sivalinga sitting in the grass. "Huh?" She straightened her posture after picking up the stone. "Kali? Ronald? Where'd you guys go?"

Suddenly, Indiana was swept up in a puff of smoke that only magic could have created. The smoke entered her lungs, causing her to cough as she waved her hand in front of her face. She was teleported from the Temple to a place she didn't recognize.

She stood in a room that was extravagantly decorated with antiques, weapons, and exquisite furniture. It was as if she was standing in one of the many rooms in a palace of some sort. Indiana looked up, spotting an all too familiar face.

"Welcome back from your little adventure, Indiana Jones," the being sang, emphasizing specific words in his greeting. "You know, that has quite the ring to it! No wonder you're so well known, dearie. This adventure will be great publicity for you!"

Indiana stared at him with a blank look on her face. "What do you want, Dark One?" she demanded dryly.

"Aw, why the face?" Rumplestiltskin wondered in amusement. "I just wanted to congratulate you for retrieving the Sivalinga for me!"

Tilting her head to the side in confusion, she asked, "Eh? What are you talking about? This is for—"

"Kali and Ronald? You mean these lovely siblings?" Rumplestiltskin interrupted, causing Indiana to narrow her eyes at him. She hated when she was interrupted. He waved his hand, making the two appear before anything. Before Indiana could say a word, Rumplestiltskin waved his hand again. They morphed into the creatures Indiana faced back at the Temple.

"You're joking," Indiana breathed with realization and irritation. She put the pieces together rapidly. "You set this whole thing up? Unbelievable! I can't do anything without you somehow appearing! I knew something was off when Kali was so welcoming!"

"Don't give me that sass, young lady," the Dark One joked as she glared at him, much like a daughter would to a father.

"I hate you, you know."

"And that's music to my ears."

Indiana couldn't help but roll her eyes at their strange friendship. It was strange to think that if anything spoke to Rumplestiltskin the way she spoke to him, they would get turned into a frog, murdered, or something else that was totally weird but ironic. "Why did you want the Sivalinga?" she asked.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged as he walked around the room. "I wanted it for decoration. I didn't want to do the work to get it, so I thought about it, and then you just waltzed in at the perfect time. Coincidence, I suppose," Rumplestiltskin explained. He used his magic to transport the stone from Indiana's hands to a random spot in the room they were in. "It looks quite nice here, wouldn't you say?"

"Coincidence, my butt," Indiana hissed. "You made me fight all those beasts in the Temple of Darkness just to tell me that you wanted it for decoration? This is why no one likes you, Rumplestiltskin."

"Who said I wanted people to like me?"

Narrowing her eyes at him and folding her arms over her chest, she said, "Figures. Anyway, could you just send me back to that village I was in earlier? I'm bored of being in your weird, Dark Palace... or whatever this place is."

Rumplestiltskin, without a word, did as she requested, for he was getting a migraine just speaking to the outspoken girl. The same puff of smoke from before swept her off her feet and Indiana was teleported from Rumplestiltskin's home to the same pub where she met "Kali."

Coughing from all the smoke, Indiana muttered, "How do people do this so often? I feel like I have lung disease or something."

A chuckle appeared from behind her. "I won't ask," the voice said. Indiana turned to see Captain Hook standing beside the entrance of the pub. "You mind telling me what that was all about?" Indiana opened her mouth, only to find the Captain continuing to speak. "Or were you just not going to tell me you were going after the Sivalinga?"

A look of surprise was written on her face. 'Rumple... Of course he'd somehow make everyone know I found the stupid stone...' she thought.

"There she is! Indiana Jones!" a new voice exclaimed. Before Indiana knew it, various men were standing around her. "Is it true you just returned from the Temple of Darkness?"

She was shocked to see that none of them were interested in giving her head to the kingdom. Nonetheless, Indiana snorted. "It was more like the Temple of Doom, if you asked me."

With that, Indiana Jones proceeded to tell the people of the village all about her trip to retrieve the stone. She made sure to keep out specific details about Kali, Ronald, and the Dark One. She merely told them that Kali and Ronald died during the adventure and that she gave the stone to a friend, for she didn't feel the need to keep it.

And for the first time in a long time, Indiana Jones was known for something more than being a bandit.