I just had this idea of what if Regina became the dark one instead of Emma and just had to write it. I'm not sure whether this should just be a one shot or not but if you are interested in seeing where this could go, whether Regina could cope with that amount of darkness and if the people around her could help her, then just let me know as I'd be more than happy to add to this.
Those of you who have read my other stories know that I have been asking what story I should write next, Outlaw Queen, Evil Charming or Regina raising Emma and I shall be writing the story that has the most votes but I just had to write this one down as it was running through my mind.
So I hope you enjoy this and let me know if you think I should continue it on :-)
Regina and Robin had taken a walk in the moonlight, hand in hand, in a silence that was in no way awkward but content. They were just happy to be back in one another's presence, all the drama either gone or put to one side for now. For once they were happy and they hoped they were going to stay that way but of course drama is never far away in Storybrooke.
Just down the street in Mr Gold's shop drama was beginning all over again. The darkness had taken over Rumplestiltskin's heart practically killing him. The Apprentice had an idea on how to help him. He placed a box down onto the floor beside Rumplestiltskin while everyone stood back and watched.
"He tried to use the hat to free himself from the dagger." Hook said as everyone watched on.
"This is not unlike that…" The Apprentice said as he took his hands away from the small circular box with stars and a night sky on the top. "We are going to pull the darkness from him and we will contain it." The Apprentice explained.
"Does that mean that his heart will be healed?" Belle asked the worry evident on her face and in her voice. She may have banished Rumplestiltskin but she still loved him with all her heart and that would never change.
"Perhaps." The Apprentice said glancing at Belle. "If the strength is there." He looked back at Rumplestiltskin. "This is more dark power than the hat has ever been asked to contain." He said as he reached forward to Rumplestiltskin his handing resting where his dark heart lay.
"Do what you need to do." Emma uttered from behind them.
"Purest evil, blackest bloom, darkness to can find its doom." The Apprentice rhymed and he pushed his hand down into Rumplestiltskin's chest and pulled out his dark black heart from his chest. Everyone looked on, not sure what to think as they saw what the darkness had done to Rumplestiltskin's heart. The Apprentice waved his hand over the small circular box and a blue hat with silver stars on it appeared in its place. He lifted the hat up and stood up from his crouched position beside Rumplestiltskin. "Bound inside the falcons chamber, Shorn of anger, Thorn of danger, there forever to remain." The Apprentice finished and light shone out from the hat and started to pull the darkness away from Rumplestiltskin's heart.
The dagger shone a yellow light, Rumplestiltskin's name being erased from the dagger once and for all as the darkness seeped into the hat. The light of hat dimmed out and Rumplestiltskin's heart was no longer black but shone white. The Apprentice knelt down and he placed Rumplestiltskin's heart back into his chest.
"He's barely breathing…" Belle said as she placed her hands on Rumple's chest.
"Rumplestiltskin was the dark one for centuries." The Apprentice said as he stood back up. "His return to the man he used to be will not be easy." The Apprentice waved his hand over Rumplestiltskin and magic shone over him. "this will preserve him until we see if we can help him."
"If?" Belle asked worry hitting her face again.
The Apprentice was about to answer Belle's question but his gaze was drawn back to the small circular box that still lay on the floor beside Rumplestiltskin. The starry sky on the top of the box began to shine, a light fighting its way through. Everyone started to step back not sure what was going on. The box began to move on the floor, and the top of the box turned black as the darkness fought its way out from it. The essence of the dark one flew out of the box and wound itself around the Apprentice and then into his mouth. It needed to attach itself to someone. It needed someone.
Everyone watched on helplessly not sure what they could do. Emma looked around her and then down at her hands. She moved her hands out towards the Apprentice and white magic shone out of her and to the man. It hit the man and caused him to fall to the floor. Once he hit the floor the essence of the dark one flew out of him once more and headed out of the door. It needed to find someone.
"Mom! Dad! Go after it. I'll be right there." Emma said turning to Mary-Margaret and David who quickly did what their daughter said and ran out of the shop to find the dark one. She then turned to hook and crouched down by the Apprentice. "Help me make him comfortable." They lifted the Apprentice up and carried him through the back of Rumplestiltskin's shop and placed him on the bed. "What was that?" Emma asked.
"Long before…Your stories began…" The Apprentice started his breathing ragged. "The Sorcerer battled the darkness. He was able to keep it from consuming the realms and tethered it to a human soul that could be controlled with a dagger." The Apprentice explained breathlessly.
Emma glanced down at the dagger. "It's the dark one." Emma whispered as the realisation of what was lose in Storybrooke was hitting her.
"The sorcerer is the only one who has the power to destroy the darkness once and for all." The Apprentice said.
"Where is he? Who is he?" Emma asked.
"He is far, far from here." The Apprentice breathed out. "Find him…His name is…Merlin." The Apprentice revealed. "Must stop the darkness…Find Merlin…" And those were the last words of the Apprentice as his eyes drifted closed and his breathing slowed to an eventual stop.
Emma stood up and she looked towards Hook and then glanced behind her to where Henry had been sitting. Her mind was racing. The darkness was lose in Storybrooke. They needed to stop it. They needed to find the Sorcerer. The needed to find Merlin. She then looked back at Hook, dagger still in hand. "Come on we need to go." Emma said turning on her heel and heading out into the shop with Hook and Henry following behind her.
"Wait mom! What are we going to do?" Henry asked.
Emma stopped for a minute and turned to look at Henry. "We are going to find this darkness. You are going to stay here."
"No mom I want to help!" Henry said. He hated that everyone always felt they needed to keep him away from the danger. He had just saved them all from being stuck in the book again yet still they wanted to protect him from the danger. He wanted to help!
"No Henry stay here!" Emma called back as she turned back on her heel and rushed out of the shop with Hook following her.
Henry sighed and he looked around him. Belle was still crouched down beside Rumple, all her focus on him she would never notice if Henry just left so that is what he did following behind Emma and Hook. He was going to help.
Regina and Robin had stopped by the park and were now sat on a bench. Regina was resting against Robin who had his arm around her shoulders and Regina had her head resting on Robin. Regina smiled, loving the fact she was cuddled up with Robin again. Maybe her happy ending was finally working out for her. She looked up at the night sky, the stars shining like little diamonds scattered on a blue velvet, the moon lighting up the world around them. It was quite romantic for the moment she guessed.
"What you thinking about?" Robin uttered into the night, his arm wrapping round Regina a little tighter as a breeze blew past them.
"Just that I am so happy to be in your arms again." Regina replied softly.
"I feel the same my love." Robin said and he placed a kiss to the side of her head inhaling the sweet smell of Regina's hair. The smell he had missed so much. He had dreamt of being with her again. His dreams had been plagued with Regina from the moment he had left Storybrooke and he always did wonder if he would see the wonderful woman he had fallen in love with ever again.
Regina smiled and cuddled into Robin a little more. They let a silence take over them, not an awkward one but a content one. Both happy to just be in one another's arms. A breeze swept over them again but this time it felt different, darker. Feeling this Regina sat up, pulling out of Robin's arms a little and frowning as she looked around them. Something didn't feel right. Something felt off. Very off.
"What's the matter Regina?" Robin asked, worry showing on his face as he glanced around them too wondering what Regina was looking for.
"Something feels…off…" Regina said slowly as she continued to look around her.
"Off? What do you mean?" Robin asked her.
"I don't know. I just got this feeling. Something doesn't feel right." Regina said as she stood up from the bench and looked up to the sky. "Maybe we should go back and see if everything is okay…"
Robin stood from the bench and placed his hands on Regina's upper arms making her look up at him. He could see a trace of worry in Regina's eyes. "If it would make you feel better then that is what we will do."
Regina gave Robin a small smile and she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. "Your too good for me." She whispered softly.
"Never too good for you mi'lady. I think it's the other way around." Robin replied and Regina smiled at him. She then moved out of his arms and placed her hand into his and linked her fingers with his.
They headed back, into the towns streets and that is where they saw Mary-Margaret, David, Emma and Hook standing at the cross roads of main street looking around them with looks of panic on their faces. "Come on." Regina said gently pulling on Robin's hand as they headed towards the group. She pulled her hand out of Robins as they got closer. "Hey, what's going on?" Regina asked as they reached the group.
"The dark one is no longer tethered to the crocodile." Hook explained as they all continued to look around them to try and find the darkness.
"What?!" Regina asked an edge of panic in her voice. She had known something was wrong. She had sensed it. "Where the hell is it?" Regina asked joining the group in looking around the area around them.
Emma's eyes scanned the area and a realisation hit her. "It hasn't gone anywhere. The darkness…it's surrounding us…" She muttered.
Regina frowned and she looked up to the sky. She could hear something. She was quite sure what it was. A dark mast was edging towards her and Regina gasped as it got closer and closer, moving towards her. It reached out like vines or branches and wrapped itself around her, pulling her away from the group and over to the side. It twisted around her like a tornado taking over her and essentially sucking out whatever lightness she had within her.
"Regina!" Robin shouted. "What is it doing?" He shouted looking over to Emma and the rest of them.
"It's snuffing out the light…" Emma said as they stood and watched the darkness surrounding Regina.
"Well I'm not gonna let it!" Robin said as he ran towards Regina and the darkness but as he reached her it was as if he hit an invisible wall and he was shot backwards flying back to the ground.
"That's not gonna work on this thing!" Emma shouted over to him as Robin pushed himself up off of the ground. "We have to do what the Sorcerer did. We have to tether it to a person." Emma said.
"How do we do that?" Mary-Margaret asked.
Emma looked around them. Her mind was working on over drive as she tried to figure it all out. She needed to help Regina. She couldn't let the darkness take her over. She had worked too hard for her happiness and in one swift move it could be destroyed. The darkness could take over Regina again.
"Mom!" Henry shouted from behind them.
"Henry I told you to stay in the shop." Emma shouted over to him.
"The dagger!" Henry shouted ignoring what Emma had said. "Someone needs to use the dagger to draw the darkness into them." Henry motioned towards the dagger that was lying inches from where Regina and the darkness stood. Emma glanced towards it and decided to ignore the fact that Henry hadn't listened to her for now. Her son was right. The dagger was the only way to tether the darkness to a person.
All the while Regina had been watching and listening to everyone as the darkness surrounded her and worked its way into her. Her eyes went to the dagger and then up to Emma and she knew by the look on Emma's face what Emma was going to do and she knew she couldn't let that happen. Emma had thought with the potential darkness in her and Regina knew she would not handle the darkness of the dark one well. Her eyes went to Robin and to Henry who was stood beside him. She didn't want her happiness to go but maybe this just wasn't meant to be for her.
She leaned forward fighting through the darkness to get to the dagger. Emma saw what Regina was going and stepped forward. "Regina no!" Emma shouted causing everyone to look back over. "There has to be another way. You've worked too hard to have your happiness destroyed!"
"Mom don't do it!" Henry shouted stepping forward to stand beside Emma.
"You believed in me once Henry…you all did…you helped me out of the darkness once…you need to help me do it again." Regina said, the darkness whipping around. She was beginning to find it harder and harder to breath as it worked its way into her.
"Regina…" Robin said as he stepped forward beside Henry.
Regina looked at Henry and Robin and she uttered "I love you…" And with that she shot her arm up and raised the dagger into the air. Blue lightening forked out from the darkness as it hit the dagger and it started to stop twisting round Regina like a tornado but wind round her arm like vines moving down her body as it took her over.
Everyone looked on as the darkness truly took over Regina and Regina gasped as she felt it work its way into her. The feeling something like she had never felt before. It was nothing like the first time darkness had worked its way into her life. This was something completely different. Regina looked over to Henry and Robin, her eyes pleading with them to help her and save her. To not let the darkness take her over completely. To figure out a way to get her out of this.
The darkness wound round her, blocking her view and then her breath hitched. It was almost done. She could feel it and then everything went black and the darkness disappeared along with Regina the dagger landing with a clatter on the road. Henry was the first to move and he slowly walked over to the dagger lying on the ground.
He looked down at it and in black writing on the dagger read - Regina Mills
Confirming to everyone who the new dark one was.