Intro: Most of my fan fiction, I write as if they were bonus episodes of the show, complete with flashbacks. They are a part of my head canon and I usually try to add to established canon, rather than modify it. I have been hesitant to rewrite parts of the show because I consider it a bit presumptuous to act as if I know better than the writers. I mean no disrespect to the writers, it is because I find their work so engaging and inspiring that there are certain things I feel strongly could have been improved in the show. This piece is quicker than most of my fan fiction because I imagine it as an alternate B-plot to an existing episode. I think that the Underworld arc should have had something like this happen. The episode Her Handsome Hero has a very good A-plot about Belle but the B-plot is a bit empty. I feel that the alternate one I have here could have better served the series as a whole and, in particular, Regina's character development. It is inspired by moments on the actual show where characters talk each other out of vengeance. Obviously, the actual show will not change and people who read this can take it or leave it as part of their head canon. Without further ado, this is my idea of something that would have made a good B-plot during the Underworld arc.
Regina, Emma, David, Snow White, and Henry were in the Underbrooke loft, trying to decide their next move in finding a way out of the Underworld. There was a knock at the door. Regina went to open it, Emma and David close behind her in case it was an enemy. Regina cautiously opened the door, and there stood Percival with a few other men behind him.
"Remember me?" Percival asked.
Regina was terrified as she thought back to the Camelot Ball, where Percival had tried to exact his revenge on her for destroying his village during her days as the Evil Queen.
"Percival" she said "I'm so sorry for what I did".
"Not good enough!" Cried Percival.
He snapped his fingers. More men came up behind him and ambushed Regina, placing a magic cuff on her to restrain her magic. They placed a net over her and tied her hands. Emma tried to protect Regina by throwing magic at the men, but there were too many of them. Percival walked over to Emma to show her a blade he had gotten from Hades, bigger than a typical knife but smaller than a sword.
"This blade is dipped in the River Of Lost Souls" he told her "when I pierce Regina with it, it will kill her and hopefully damn her soul too. Don't cross me, or you and your loved ones will meet the same fate".
Emma and Henry stared desperately as the mob led Regina out.
"Where are you taking her!?" Henry cried.
"To the place where souls move on" answered Percival "where she will go to a worse place".
Henry knew how to get there, it was the cliff where he had seen Regina's father, his namesake, move on to a better place. The cliff that sat above a fiery pit.
The heroes followed the mob to that place. Emma wanted to use her magic to save Regina but struggled to find an angle that would get Regina out of the crowd and not just upset them further. Soon they were at the cliff. Men held Regina down at the edge of the cliff, where Percival pointed his blade at her.
"You killed me on my wedding day!" a man shouted.
"You razed our village!" another one shouted.
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you!" Percival shouted.
"Because it won't bring you peace" Regina said with remorse.
Percival continued to glare at her with hatred but let her continue.
"I know how it feels to be full of hatred" Regina explained "I became the Evil Queen, the person who did all these horrible things, because I lost a loved one and I hated someone for it. For years I thought revenge would finally bring me peace, but all it brought was destruction, it destroyed all your lives and left me with a burden I have to bear forever".
Percival cried. The blade shook in his hand.
"You killed everyone I loved!" He shouted "you left me to grow up with nothing! You don't deserve peace or happiness!"
Regina closed her eyes.
"Maybe not" she said, opening her eyes "but I want you to let go of your hatred, not for me, but for you. What happiness I have found, I haven't found by pursuing the ones I blamed for my unhappiness, I found it by letting go of my hatred and being open to love again, by forgiving those I blamed and becoming part of a family".
Emma, Snow, David, Hook, and Henry looked on, worried for Regina but happy to hear what she said. Percival tearfully began to lower his blade.
"Percival" Regina continued "I want you to have the peace you deserve, and I will do whatever I can to help you get it, but I really don't think my death will help you or anyone else".
Percival lay his blade down and knelt to the ground. Hook walked over and lay his hand on Percival's shoulder to comfort him. Percival lay his hand on Hook's.
"We've all lost loved ones, mate" Hook said "there comes a time you have to let go and open yourself to new love". He looked at Emma and she smiled back.
Suddenly a light came shining from the sky and a shining new place appeared near the cliff. Emma opened her mouth in awe. Percival looked up.
"What is that?" Percival asked.
"It's a better place for you" answered David.
"You don't want to kill Regina anymore" Emma explained "so you no longer have unfinished business".
The entire mob looked to the light.
"You all have a choice" Snow White said "you can let go of your hatred and allow yourselves to move on to a better place where you can be happy, or you can stay here and see whether hurting Regina will really make you happy".
Percival got up and started to walk into the light. The others were reluctant but a few decided to begin following him. Soon the rest of the mob began to follow as well, one of them releasing Regina from her restraints before moving on. When the entire mob had left, the portal closed.
"I'm proud of you, Regina" said Snow White "you helped them find peace without anyone having to come to any more harm".
"I'm proud of you too" said Emma.
"Me too" said Henry.
Regina was happy and they all walked back out of the cliff area and back into town. Suddenly, a tornado came and dropped off a doglike creature. The heroes approached it and saw it was a wolf. Snow White noticed a red cloak and put it on the creature, who transformed back into their friend Ruby.