And followed them they did. Emma and Hook were blissfully ignorant to the presence of the children prancing behind them, as they trekked through the forest in search of the Vault of the Dark One. Every once and awhile they would encounter an ogre and would have to hide, spending their nights laying on the mossy forest floor, under the stars. Hook was weary of nights. He knew the shadow of a lad that would fly from the second star to the right every night looking for children to whisk away and was cautious. He wasn't the only one, though. Rumple would glare in hatred with sad eyes at that cursed star every night before sleep claimed him.
One morning, as the sun burst from its hiding place, the boys awoke to find that Emma and Hook were nowhere in sight. They quickly got up and darted through the forest, looking for them. They finally found them in a most peculiar segment of the forest that was shrouded in darkness. As they continued to follow the clueless adults, Rumple's foot caught on something metal and he tripped and fell to the ground with a thud. Emma and Hook turned at the nose and spotted Killian helping him off the ground.
"What are you two doing here!? We told you to stay put!", Emma yelled.
"He made me come with him. I didn't want to come", Rumple said.
"You big liar! You wanted to see what they were up to as much as I did!", Killian argued.
Hook looked toward the object that Rumple had tripped over. It was a large metal hatch which appeared to be sealed by magic. It was covered in ancient symbols and writing.
"This is it. This is the entrance to the vault", Hook said.
"Vault? What vault? What's going on?", Rumple asked.
Emma and Killian shared a look a irritation before sighing and turning back to the children.
"We're from the future. The only way for us to get back is to find the Dark One, get his dagger, and use it to control him. If we can control him then we can make him send us home", Emma said.
"The future? Really? What am I like in the future?", Killian said excitedly.
"Strikingly handsome and a real ladies man", Hook responded.
"Yes! I knew it!",
Emma rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself.
Rumple curiously looked at the hatch and brushed his hand over the words written on it. The hatch clicked open and revealed a long, dark staircase.
"How did you do that?", Emma said.
"I d-don't know. I just t-touched it and it opened", He sputtered.
"The answer, boy, is magic", said a dark ominous voice.
Behind them stood a figure in a black cloak with grayish green skin and piercing eyes.
"The vault is sealed by dark magic. Only someone with the same dark soul as mine or the potential for such can open it. Fate has wonderful plans for you dear boy, I can sense it", he said.
Hook drew his sword and Emma prepared a magic ball of energy. This action caused a low, rumbling laugh to echo from the Dark One.
"Come here, boy"
He gestured for Rumple to take his hand. A spark of something glinted in Rumple's eyes as he gave him his hand. Fear and curiosity radiated from him as The Dark One placed his other hand on the boys chest.
"You might feel a slight sting"
Hardly having any time to react or comprehend what that meant, Rumple watched as his hand went through his chest and grasped at his heart. With a firm tug, the Dark One pulled out Rumple's heart. It was a vibrant red, clear and pure. He turned it in his hand and looked at the other side. A stream of darkness was engraved in the heart, much resembling a bruised fruit.
"I was right. You have been touched by dark magic. More than once by the look of it"
He shoved the heart back into its home and directed his attention toward Emma and Hook.
"I will not let you control me. You are not worthy to wield the dagger. However, I shall allow the boy to do as he wishes with it. Kill me, heal your wounds, help your friends, whatever you wish. To you I give the power of the Dark One"
He reached into his cloak and pulled out the dagger. Rumple nervously reached out for the dagger but suddenly dropped his hand.
"No. I can't- I won't do it. I won't control another person. I won't take someone's free-will like that. I don't need power. I have all that matters", Rumple said.
"Really?! The one time we need you to be selfish and power-hungry, you decide to be selfless and humble!", Hook shouted.
"Silence!", the Dark One boomed.
He forced the dagger into Rumple's hand.
"Yes you can. Think not of the evil that you could do but the good. The dagger will return to me when you wish to give it back"
"Why are you helping me?"
"You are a lot like I was, a desperate soul looking for someone to turn to"
Rumple examined the dagger in his hand and read the name written on it.
"Zoso? Is that your name?"
"Indeed. Now, Rumpelstiltskin, what would you have me do?"
The boy said nothing and only glanced down at his bum leg in distast. The Dark One noticed his discomfort and with a wave of his hand, Rumple's leg was healed.
Rumple smiled brightly and then ran off. When he came back, he carried a sharp rock in one hand and his walking stick in the other. Using the rock as a tool, he began to carve his name into the stick. The letters were poorly written and some were backwards. Then he handed the branded stick to the Dark One.
"Magic is just another crutch. I figured since you gave me your crutch then I'd give you mine. Now we're even"
The Dark One smiled at his sincerely and patted him on the shoulder.
"Can you send my friends home, please?"
"I'll need to find the resources to create a spell to send them back. This could take a long time and I might ask you to fetch ingredients"
"What are the ingredients?", Emma asked.
"That is another problem. I do not know a recipe for a time spell"
"Oh great. So you're useless as well then?", said Hook.
"Legends tell of a mystical being even more powerful than me. The very origin of dark magic. The Black Fairy"
"How might we find this Black Fairy?", Hook asked.
"The Black Fairy was banished to a dark realm long ago. In order to find her, you must make her come to this world. Set up some bait and she will bite"
"Bate? What kind of bate?", asked Emma.
"A baby. She likes to take abandoned babies and raise them in her dark realm. Find a baby, leave it to wait and she will come for it. No harm need come to the child as long as you catch her first"
"This is crazy. Where are we even going to get a baby? Do you think that someone will just hand over their kid?"
"Maybe they would, my father gave me away easily enough. We just have to find someone just as horrible. Do you think someone would give up a baby if they lost a bet?", Rumple said.
The others looked at him incredulously.
"I am so glad to hear you say that. I thought you were a lost cause", Hook said in a relieved tone.
"Wait, does this mean that we have to walk all the way back to the village?", Killian asked.
Suddenly, a gulf of black smoke surrounded them and they appeared in the center of the village.
"Cool!", Killian and Rumple said simultaneously.
"Yes it is indeed very cool", said Zoso.
"I can understand why some people would give up their kid. Some people just aren't cut out to be parents and some people don't have the money. Some parents just want to give their kid their best chance", Emma said.
"Why do I get the feeling that you're about to monologue about your past?", Rumple asked.
Emma gave the boy an irritated glare before speaking again.
"My parents gave me away to save me from a curse and so that I would one day be able to save them. I gave up my son so that he could live a good life without a mother that was in prison"
"Me and my papa never had much but the clothes on our backs and whatever food that we could gather together, but I'm not blind to the reason why. My father would gamble and drink. Any money that we had went to his bad habits. Then, when he gave me away, he claimed that he was never meant to be a father. Now I wonder if I wasn't just a mistake"
"Look kid, the world is filled with bad people but it is also filled with good people who help their families and always find eachother. Don't let one bad person ruin your perception of the world"
Hook turned and pointed towards something, getting the attention of the others.
"Look", he said.
They followed his finger to the front door of a cottage where a woman in a cloak was stooped down and laying a basket at the doorstep. Inside the basket was a baby. Rumple made to walk toward the woman but was grabbed by his shirt by Hook. The woman bent her head to kiss the babe before darting away towards the woods. The group all walked together to the basket and peered inside. Killian stretched out a hand to touch the baby but was stopped by a magical barrier. The force of the barrier sent him whirling backward.
"Bloody hell! What was that?!", he screeched.
"A magical barrier, blood magic I believe", Zoso said.
"Can you break it?", Emma asked.
"Unfortunately not"
Rumple shifted on his tired legs and leaned to balance himself on the magical barrier. When his hand made contact with it, the barrier fell and so did Rumple, crumpling onto the ground like a piece of paper.
"Why does this keep happening to me?!"
Killian helped Rumple up off the ground as the woman from before appeared. She lifted the hood that rested on her head and revealed dark brown curls with feathers woven into them. Her eyes were a familiar brown and she wore a victorious grin. With a puff of smoke she disappeared and reappeared in front of Rumple, the cloak gone. Her dress was an elegant black and was scattered with flecks of gold. She pulled out a wand which matched the dress in color and waved it in the air, striking a dramatic pose.
"Hello child. I am your fairy godmother", she spoke.
"Really? Can you grant wishes?", Rumple asked.
"Yes. Before you get your wish, where, may I ask, is your father?"
"He- He left me"
"He did what? I- I mean I'm sorry for your loss"
"It's okay I have my aunts and my friends who care for me"
"I am glad that you are in capable hands. Now, my child, what is your wish?"
"I wish-"
Rumple was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't lad. She's lying. She used our trap for her as a trap for us", Hook said.
"The pirate's right. This is the Black Fairy not your fairy godmother", said Zoso.
"Can I not be both?", the Black Fairy said elegantly.
"I trust you", Rumple said to the fairy.
"You are indeed an intelligent boy then"
"I wish for your spellbook. We need a spell from it to get my friends home"
With a wave of her wand, the spellbook appeared in Emma's hands.
"It is done. Is there anything else that you want? Anything at all?"
"I wish that you would send this baby to a family that would love it. I want you to give it it's best chance"
Rumple turned and smiled at Emma, who returned a smile of gratitude.
The Black Fairy grasped the handle of the basket and lifted it and the baby up. As she made to poof herself away, she mumbled something soft and sad which was left unheard by all: "I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you when you needed me"
Emma tossed the spellbook into the hands of the Dark One.
"There's the spellbook, now send us home"
Zoso flipped through the pages until he found the spells that he required.
"Ah yes. Here they are. There are many different time spells. Finding the right one and gathering ingredients will be time consuming"
"Do you need help?", Rumple asked.
"I am the Dark One. I possess some of the most powerful magic in the world. I do not need help"
"That must be nice"
"No actually it is quite burdensome"
"How so?"
"People who have held the dagger in their hands have used me to do most horrible things. I have become so one with the darkness that I can no longer stray from it without feeling incomplete"
"Maybe you're just not doing it right"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you just sort of sit around and wait for people to take the dagger. Why not hide it away and use your powers to benefit others"
"Doing good with dark magic is still using dark magic. My soul will still be dark"
"Okay and? You don't have anything to lose anyway"
"That's true. Maybe I will pass my powers on to someone better suited for them one day"
Hook dragged Rumple away from Zoso and Killian along with him, walking further into town.
"Hey! What was that for?!"
"You were starting to freak me out. Why don't we three do something fun, just us guys?"
"Are you gonna take us swashbuckling?! I'd love to go sailing with some scurvy dogs!", Killian yelled excitedly.
"Um no and please never say those words again"
"Aren't you a pirate? I thought you got to do cool things like that"
"I am a pirate but a pirates life is one of danger and isolation"
"You stay on a boat with 20 men. I wouldn't exactly call that isolation", said Rumple.
"Hey I live on a boat too! I'm basically a pirate!", Killian screeched.
"No you're not", denied Hook.
Rumple slowly looked from Killan to Hook, his eye's flashing with realization.
"Hook?"
"Yes, lad"
"Didn't you say that you were from the future?"
"Aye"
"Is your name Killian Jones by any chance?"
"Why would you ask such a foolish question?"
"Because you have a flask that says Killian Jones on it"
"Alright lad, you got me. Yes, I am him and he is me"
"Wow! I grew up to be so cool!", Killian cheered.
Hook walked away with a huff and a long sigh.
"How did you know about the flask?", Killian asked.
"I didn't", Rumple answered with a grin before giggling in a very familiar way.