There are degrees of darkness.

Tucked safe in our beds, we turn out the lights at night and fall asleep in what we call the dark. In reality, there is almost always some light—from the light down the hall, from a streetlamp outside, the blinking dot of a cell phone charging. Our eyes adjust, and we can see, enough at any rate to find an additional blanket or a glass or water or other such comforts.

Then there is the darkness away from cities and towns, in the middle of a forest, our world at night with only the stars above, mere pinpricks of light…but still, light in the face of eternal darkness.

But then there is the Dark.

If you weren't able to move, to open and close your eyes, to touch your own face to convince yourself that the hands you couldn't see were in fact there, you could go mad from it. Were you alive or dead? How would you know? Perhaps your panicked breathing could give you a clue, or the racing heartbeat you heard in your ears, the heartbeat you had to convince yourself was yours.

Emma Swan woke up in the Dark.

…..

Regina stared at the dagger lying in the road, the place where, moments ago, Emma had vanished without a trace. Save, of course, for her name across the Dark One's dagger.

Regina felt her heart clench.

Mary Margaret looked stricken. "She…she…"

David grabbed his wife's arm; he turned to Regina. "She gave her life for you."

"Don't you think I know that?" Regina whispered. Her eyes went to Henry; her son looked like he didn't know what to feel.

Hook managed to shake them all out of their stupor—he rushed forward and snatched up the dagger. He held it aloft. "Dark One!" he snarled. "I summon thee!" But nothing happened.

"Give me that," Regina growled, "before you hurt yourself."

Hook ignored her and again shouted, "Dark One—I summon thee! Emma Swan!"

In a whirl of purple smoke, the dagger materialized in Regina's hand. "This isn't a toy, Pirate. You know nothing of this magic."

He whirled on her, his eyes a blaze. "Give that to me."

"No."

"How dare you say I know nothing of the Dark One? I pursued the Dark One across realms for centuries!"

"And with so much success," Regina said coolly.

"Regina," Mary Margaret warned.

She ignored her. "You know plenty about anger and obsession, I'll give you that. But you have never understood magic, and this? This isn't the time for a pissing contest. This isn't something to get wrong." Regina gazed down at the blade in her hand; she clenched her teeth. "This is Emma."

Henry had wandered over to her; she put an arm around his shoulders and held him close. "Isn't the…the person whose name is on the knife," Henry said, unable to say The Dark One, "don't they have to obey the dagger?"

"Yes, they do," Regina said.

David swallowed. "So if she didn't answer Hook's summons…?"

Regina looked back at the Charmings. "It means she's not in Storybrooke."

...

The ground shook.

Birds took to the sky to escape the tremor, while animals ran to higher ground; all of them, save one. Her nostrils flared, and she raced down into the valley to find the source of the disturbance. Her fur bristled at the unfamiliar smells.

While the trembling had stopped, clouds now rolled in to take what had been a sunny day to a different direction entirely. A cold wind raced down from the mountains, and the valley grew unnaturally quiet. She sniffed furiously at the ground, but couldn't pick up a trail of any kind—there had to be something underground, but everything was starting to smell the same. It just smelled…wrong. Her ears pricked up; in the distance was the sound of hoof beats. She raised her head and shook out her fur, hoping to shake the sense of foreboding away as well.

Mulan slowed her horse to a stop and jumped off. "You scared the life out of me," she barked.

Ruby shook herself once again and took on her human form. "I'm sorry. I'm still used to working on my own."

The other woman thrust her red cloak at her; Ruby slipped it on for protection against the elements.

"If I can learn to work as a team, so can you," Mulan said. "Did you find anything?"

Ruby shook her head. "No. Something's wrong, but…I don't know what it is."

"It didn't feel like a curse."

"No." Ruby pulled her cloak tighter. "But it's something like that. Something big."

Mulan held out a hand. "Let's ride back together."

Ruby frowned. "I can run faster."

Mulan raised an eyebrow. "The operative word being 'together,'" she said with a wry smile. "I want you close in case there's more to come."

Ruby considered the hand before her, as though she would have made any choice other than the once she made, which was to accept the offer; they rode back up the mountain, Ruby wrapped in her cloak and her arms wrapped around her lover's waist.

...

They made their way back to the Charmings' loft.

"How long has it been since a new Dark One was…respawned?" Robin asked.

"Hundreds of years, at least," Regina said. "I'm not even sure how old Rumplestiltskin is."

"And I'm not sure why we're letting the Evil Queen control the Dark One's dagger," Hook growled. "Am I the only one who sees what a bad idea that is?"

Regina whirled on him. "What is your problem with me?"

"Are you joking? The woman I love is now the Dark One. The woman who tried to kill her, multiple times, is now holding almost unlimited power in her own magical hands." He jabbed a finger at her. "The darkness tried to take you, Regina, so I don't think you should be the one to control Emma."

"She's not even here," Regina bit back. "I'm not controlling anyone! I am holding a knife, an object capable of magic, something I know much more about than you do. Forgive me if I don't trust it in your incapable hand."

"Stop it!" Henry shouted. "We have to figure out what to do." He narrowed his eyes at Hook. "My moms believe in each other, otherwise Emma…she wouldn't have done what she did. We're a family." He gazed back up at Regina. "Mom…we have to save her."

"We will, Henry." She pulled him close and glared over the top of his head at the pirate.

Mary Margaret stepped forward and took a breath. "If Emma's not here…she must be back in our realm. Can we all agree on that, at least?"

"That makes sense," Hook muttered.

"Do we have any way of getting there?" David asked. "Magic beans? A hat? What about a scroll, or…"

"There's nothing," Regina sighed.

"We always think that," Henry said, "but then we find another way. What about the well? Could it be enchanted?"

"We should ask Belle," Mary Margaret said. "There must be more information in the library. With all of us working together we'll come up with something."

"I'll meet you there," Regina said. "There's something I need to do first."

…..

"Now isn't a good time, Regina dear. You never did learn not to wake a sleeping dragon."

Regina stood on the front steps of the home Maleficent now shared with her daughter. "I'm desperate."

Mal crossed her arms, smooth and unhurried. "You must be, since I owe you nothing. Well, nothing good."

Regina had the decency to look away. "I know."

"You made my daughter turn into a dragon for the first time, alone," Mal hissed. "As if her life wasn't confusing enough."

"Mal, I'm sorry…"

Maleficent stepped onto the porch and pulled the door shut behind her. "You most certainly are not. You got exactly what you wanted then, and you're only trying to get what you want now. I'm not interested, Regina. You're lucky I want a life here with Lily—her world, but with our magic. Storybrooke is the only place for both of us. And if I reduce you to ash, the villagers may riot in protest." She looked Regina up and down. "I must say, I never saw that day coming."

She turned to go inside, and Regina realized she wouldn't be given the time to explain herself at all. She blurted out: "Emma is the Dark One now."

Maleficent's hand stilled on the door.

"She's vanished," Regina continued. "Probably back to the Enchanted Forest."

"Why do you care?" Mal asked, her back to her.

Regina's hands clenched into fists. "Because the darkness came for me. She saved me."

Mal turned to her. "It was supposed to be you?"

Regina nodded.

"So now, the entire reason my child was taken from me to begin with has become a moot point? After everything we've lost, the savior chose the darkness."

"I need to get her back, Mal. I have to save her. For Henry, for…"

"I say the people of our realm have been yanked back and forth because of curses and counter-curses and the Charming family so many times we just need to stay put. If the Dark One, whoever it is, is back in a land far away from us, so much the better. Be grateful, Regina. You won."

Maleficent slammed the door.

...

"How is he?" Mary Margaret asked, her hand gentle on Belle's shoulder.

Belle shook her head. "I don't know. He hasn't…left us," she said, biting her lip. "But there's no sign he's going to wake up, either."

"Are you ok here, helping us?"

"Yes." Belle reached into her shirt and pulled out a locket; it was glowing the faintest shade of red. "Mother Superior gave me this. It glows warm with Rumple's life force, so I'll know if there are any changes. But…" she sighed. "I don't need to consult my books to tell you that you need an awful lot of magic to create a portal in this world. And it usually needs to be channeled through an object, otherwise it's essentially impossible to control."

David placed a hand on Henry's shoulder. "What about Henry's idea of the well? It's been used as a portal before."

Belle pulled a large, dusty tome off a shelf. "Hmm. From what I understand it was more of a door."

David frowned. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"Not exactly. Try to think of the connection between worlds as a funnel—the entrance, the portal, is the large end. At the other, narrow end is the door, one-way, that spits you out of the funnel." She paused. "But the well is quite the magical hotspot, isn't it? Perhaps we can use that to our advantage. Good thinking, Henry."

Henry smiled.

"There must be plenty of magical objects in Gold's shop," Mary Margaret said. "Maybe we could…combine their power, or something."

Belle drummed her fingers in thought. "Possibly."

"It's been done before," David pointed out. "Like with Jefferson's hat."

"Or Mom's mirrors," Henry piped up.

They stared at Belle hopefully. She sighed. "Those objects were so powerful they had traces of magic even during the first curse. I can't think of anything in the shop like that—something that has original magic from the Enchanted Forest, and never lost it."

They all turned at the sound of Regina clearing her throat. The former queen was wearing something the others rarely saw on her—an anxious look. "There's nothing in the shop," she said quietly, "but there are…some things that might work. Unfortunately, our best bet has no interest in helping us."

"No interest?" David said. "It's a person?"

"Maleficent," Regina said. The others exchanged a look of realization as she explained, "Her magic was the key to guarding various treasures of mine when I first created Storybrooke; she was my prisoner, but she never lost her powers."

Mary Margaret stepped forward. "You spoke with her?"

"Barely. She has no desire to cross realms to find a Dark One, no matter who it is. Maybe especially because it's Emma. We'll have to…" she frowned. "Where's Hook?"

David shrugged. "He was upset. He didn't come with us, said he wanted to be alone."

A feeling a dread washed over her. "Yes, but alone where?"

"We left him at the loft," Mary Margaret said, puzzled. "Why?"

Regina clenched her teeth. "I left the dagger there." She vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.

…..

It wasn't there anymore. In that moment, had they been standing in front of her, Regina felt she could have killed the Charmings.

Objectively, it wasn't their fault of course. She was the one who decided to leave the dagger and not bring it to Maleficent's. She had no idea the Charmings were infatuated enough with the pirate to leave him in their home unattended. She should have known.

But where had he gone? The dagger was relatively useless without a Dark One to control, and they hadn't figured out a way to open a portal to the Enchanted Forest yet…

Regina swore and slammed her hands on the counter. "That bastard," she spat. Hook must have a way. He always did end up in whatever land he chose—he just couldn't leave until he had the dagger, too. And now she had to find him, fast, before he vanished with their only chance of saving Emma.

When the Charmings caught up with her, their apartment was ransacked. "Regina!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"I need something of his. Hook's," Regina shouted. "There must be something here, something he gave Emma, or…"

"Or me," Henry said. He raced up the stairs to his room and returned with a small telescope. "How about this?"

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, perfect."

Mary Margaret tried again: "Regina, what is going on?"

"Hook's taken the dagger," she said. She cupped the telescope in her hands and closed her eyes. "I think he knows a ways to our realm; he's going after Emma alone. We have to find him, before…" She opened her eyes and glanced at her son's worried face. "We just have to find him."

In a matter of moments, the telescope was activated by the locator spell. Regina grit her teeth. "Hang on."

…

She appeared seconds later with Mary Margaret in the woods near her vault; her eyes searched frantically in the darkness for the blasted pirate.

"There he is," Mary Margaret breathed, "but what…what is he doing there of all places?"

Regina looked where Mary Margaret pointed; Hook was at a grave, behind the headstone, digging.

It was Neal's grave.

Regina thrust a hand out and suddenly the pirate was suspended in mid-air. He twisted and swore; as they approached, she could see his eyes were wild.

"You'll pay for using magic on me, witch."

She clenched her other hand into a fist and his face contorted in pain. "You were trying to bury the dagger. You wanted to hide it, until you found a way to use it yourself."

He said nothing; he was too busy trying not to scream. Mary Margaret had gone around the headstone to retrieve what Regina thought would be the dagger, but instead…

"Oh my god."

Regina frowned at her tone, but didn't take her eyes off the pirate twitching in the air. "What? What is it?"

"He wasn't burying something." She stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees; she was holding a small leather pouch. "He was digging it up." She stared at Hook. "How long have you had these?"

He glowered. "Every pirate needs an escape hatch."

"That's not an answer."

Regina chanced a look at Mary Margaret, who was pouring the contents of the pouch into her hand. Her eyes went wide at the sight. "…Beans. You've had magic beans for years."

Hook twisted again, trying to fight her magic. "For an emergency. The savior going dark qualifies. She needs my help."

"She needs all of us," Mary Margaret said with an angry edge to her voice. "You can't vanish to the Enchanted Forest with our only means of helping Emma. I know you love her, but we all love her, and our only hope of saving her is for all of us to work together. We need more than your determination, Hook." She looked at Regina. "We need someone who truly understands dark magic. We need a plan. And we need to stay calm. If we lose our heads…the Dark One has the advantage no matter what we do, and won't hesitate to kill us."

Hook was still straining against Regina's magic in mid-air, teeth clenched. "Emma won't hurt me. She loves me. And as you heroes always say, that's the strongest magic of all." His last words came out strangled as Regina tightened her hold on him, her own face twisted in rage at his total lack of comprehension.

She felt a gentle hand on her arm and glanced at Mary Margaret; she saw the look of understanding in the other woman's eyes. "Regina, be careful."

"He's a liability, Snow. He's just going to interfere with any plan we try to make, he'll get someone killed."

"I know. But I'm realizing that you brought me here with you to make sure you didn't kill him, right?"

Regina glowered at the pirate. "A decision I'm regretting."

"We'll bring him to the police station and lock him up. We'll have the beans and the dagger…and we can start our rescue plan without any distractions." She squeezed her arm. "Please, Regina. Let's not waste any more time."

Regina nodded and lowered the pirate toward the ground, not enough that he could stand, but enough for Mary Margaret to reach into his cloak and withdraw the Dark One's dagger. "Let's get him to the station, then, and get back to the others."

…

Ruby couldn't sleep.

An unfamiliar smell was invading her senses to the point that she had shifted to her wolf form without realizing it. But now her hackles were raised, her fur standing on end, and those things just didn't have a satisfying human equivalent.

She paced around their small cabin, checked that Mulan was sleeping peacefully, and then let herself out. She trotted in circles around the house, nose at first to the ground and then in the air. The scent was everywhere, and it baffled her. It wasn't stronger in one place and fainter in another; it was ever-present. She sat in front of their home and peered with sharp eyes into the woods.

Nothing.

If this was just how their world smelled now, it was a very bad sign. It was too sudden and too extreme for it to be anything but magic, and with the deep sense of dread that went with it, it could only mean dark magic was at work. Ruby wondered if it had to do with the Dark One; as far as she knew, Rumplestiltskin wasn't in their realm, but his was the most powerful dark magic she could think of. Not even the Evil Queen in her darkest days was as frightening as he could be.

Her tail twitched. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense—this change in their world involved the Dark One in some way. Ruby shook out her fur and checked around their home once more before going back inside. Her realization had turned her dread into more of a sense of foreboding; they could prepare for this. They had a place to start, at least.

She shifted back into her human form and stoked the fire before slipping into bed; she wrapped an arm around Mulan, who pressed closer to her in sleep, and Ruby tried to fill her senses with her warrior instead.

…

Granny's Diner had filled with people who were prepared to save the savior.

"We can't all leave Storybrooke," David was explaining. "There are plenty of people here who will still need protection, and at least two people who need to be guarded at all times."

"Besides," Mary Margaret said, "we don't know what we're going to encounter on the other side. A large group could actually hinder us instead of help, though we appreciate all of your support."

Leroy glowered, arms crossed. "I'm going with you. I've been left out of too many adventures. I can't sit here again just hoping you'll make it back—I have to help you."

"All right," Mary Margaret conceded, "but…"

Her words faded when the door jingled open and Maleficent stepped in. Silence settled over the packed diner. Her eyes searched curious and uneasy faces until they settled on one. "Regina. I need to speak with you."

Regina stood up from her booth where she'd been sitting with Robin. "All right."

"Outside, please." Maleficent turned and left without another word.

Regina tried to maintain her composure as she passed through the crowd and met Mal at a little table out front.

"I will help you," the sorceress said.

Regina blinked. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Maleficent raised an eyebrow and did not repeat herself. "When Lily found out what had happened to Emma she…well, she reacted differently than I expected. She didn't see it as Emma choosing darkness, as I did. She pointed out that the Dark One's magic just happened to be the enemy this time, and what Emma really chose was you. Saving you, no matter the consequences." She sniffed. "And that's what a hero does."

Regina didn't say anything, she just waited for Mal to continue.

"Emma and Lily are linked through no fault of their own. Emma had nothing to do with Lily's…curse, really…to always make the wrong choice. But she had everything to do with saving her from that life, and bringing her back to a place where she would be understood and accepted. She gave us a second chance to be a family. Lily reminded me of all of that. I'm sorry I bit your head off, before."

Regina's expression was pained. "I deserved it, Mal. And more."

Mal shook her head. "You and I could get lost in what we truly deserve, Regina. But our children deserve better." She cleared her throat. "So how can I help?"

"Well…" Regina glanced back over her shoulder to where Mary Margaret and Granny were watching them through the window. "As it turns out, that hideous pirate was hiding a cache of magic beans, so opening a portal will be easier. But returning…"

"Mmm," Maleficent said. "You'd rather not kill any more people that you love."

Regina grimaced.

"It's possible to enchant a portal to keep it open."

"Yes, but if we fail we don't need to make it any easier for the Dark One to get back here," Regina sighed. "We should have enough beans to return on our own but…if something should happen to us, I'd want you in Storybrooke."

"Me?" Maleficent scoffed. "Protecting the town from darkness? Surely there's someone else."

"There isn't. You and I understand this power better than the others."

The other woman shifted in her seat. "That doesn't mean we can contain it."

"No," Regina conceded, "but we have a better chance than anyone else. And if she makes it through me…" She couldn't finish.

Mal looked at her with understanding. "I see. Then it won't be a rescue mission anymore."

"No," Regina said quietly.

Maleficent drummed her fingers on the table between them. "This is a lot of trust you're placing in me, Regina. I thought you would need a spell or an amulet."

"If you've got them, I'll take those too." She hesitated. "Mal…I didn't expect it, but…Storybrooke has become my home more than the Enchanted Forest ever was. The only good things that have happened in my life have happened here. It sounds like you and Lily want to be happy here too. I have to do what I can to save Emma, but our home needs to stay safe, from Hook, from Zelena…and yes, from the Dark One."

Mal studied her carefully. Her gaze wandered once or twice to the townspeople in the window. "Well," she said quietly. "Don't keep the peasants waiting. They're going to love that you're leaving the dragons in charge."

She stood; Regina did too. "Thank you."

Maleficent stepped close and took Regina's hand. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I…of course."

"I mean it, Regina. Rumplestiltskin was one thing—Emma Swan is quite another. You care about her; her darkness will be all the more dangerous for it."

Regina didn't know what to say. She felt Maleficent press something into her palm.

"A dragon's tooth. It will amplify your protection spells. Keep it close."

"I will. Thank you."

Mal leaned in and kissed her cheek.

…

Several hours later, the group of would-be heroes was gathered at the well. It had taken some time to convince the masses that they would be safe in Maleficent's care, but when Belle and Granny each agreed to assist the sorceress the arguments started to lose their weight. Besides, the heroes had a plan now—the Apprentice had told them to find Merlin, hoping his magic could stop the Dark One. They would seek him out, and hope Emma hadn't found him first.

A handful of the merry men had agreed to "camp" in the Charmings' loft to care for both Roland and young Neal while their parents were away. Regina, Mary Margaret, and Robin each carried a magic bean, and the rest were secretly left with Granny.

Henry, David, and a very insistent Leroy made up the rest of the rescue party. They waited with the others as Maleficent held a magic bean above the well. "Are you ready?" she asked them.

They were.

The bean was tossed into the well. Regina held Henry's hand as Mal uttered a spell to stabilize the portal, giving them their best chance of arriving where they could do the most good. Green and white lights swirled and crackled as the portal to the Enchanted Forest opened and carried them away.