Author's Note: For a more enjoyable read, you can listen to the music that inspired this: watch?v=1ea90L91eZk (It's Swan Lake)
Emma was alone in Granny's diner, sitting at a table with the Dark One dagger in front of her. She had thought long and hard about this and she finally knew her decision now. She wondered when it was going to happen, when the darkness was going to start taking effect. She was debating about sneaking into Arthur's castle to get a magic book or maybe asking Merlin when her parents walked into the diner.
"Emma, we were looking for you." Her mother said with honest concern. "Is everything all right?".
"Yeah. I just came down here to do something." Emma replied.
David and Snow noticed the dagger in front of her and Snow cautiously took a step forward. "Is this about embracing the darkness?".
Her parents waited for her reply. They looked so worried and scared about what she might say. Emma took a deep breath. "Yes.". Snow and David suddenly rushed forward and Emma quickly got up from her seat and took the dagger with her.
"Emma, think about this more." David told her. "You're the saviour. Think about how you would be affecting everyone.".
"I- I need it. To protect everyone, to protect my family." Emma explained.
Snow held her daughter's hand. "And while those are noble intentions, you can protect everyone with your own magic, even with your own strength. You protected all the citizens of Storybrooke long before you even knew you had magic. You don't need dark magic.".
"But what if we need it one day. What if dark magic is the only thing that can save you guys, or Henry, or Regina or the dwarfs or Belle or- or-".
Tears were starting to form in Emma's eyes when her father pulled her into a hug, holding the back of her head like he always did. She felt her mother lightly rub her back and for a second, Emma just wanted to stay there. She wanted to live in that peaceful second. But that peaceful second ended when she felt Snow softly try to take the dagger out of her hand.
"No!". Emma forced her out of David's hug. She held the dagger tightly. "I have to do this.".
"Emma, wait!" David said, reaching out for her.
"Please listen, you can't!" Snow urged.
Emma could feel it now. The darkness was creeping up from the dagger, through her arms and pouring into her legs and torso and clawing at her head. "I am embracing the darkness." She whispered to herself. Finally she felt it engulf her heart. As she tried to focus on controlling it, keeping it from devouring every ounce of her humanity, her parents looked in horror as their daughter was swarmed with darkness once more.
When the darkness cleared the new Dark One stood there. She looked at her parents with an elegant smile as she tightened her grip on her dagger.
