A shocked silence came upon them as Night Prowler continued, "And let's not forget her parents, Mary Margaret and David Nolan. Though Swan was the one to kill my queen, her parents aided in ruining my queen's life."
"Your queen was Cruella De Vil," Emma said putting the clues together. "I swear that was an acciden-" Emma broke off as Night Prowler clapped her hands together once and all oxygen was forced from her lungs.
"Wrong again, lassie and since the sound of your voice irritates me, I'm gonna cut ya off right there. I didn't believe my rage could increase, but it just did tenfold as ye don't even her. My queen… is Maleficent," Night Prowler revealed as she released Emma from her telekinetic grasp.
"But," Emma choked out, "Maleficent's alive and well."
"Aye," Night Prowler agreed, "Now she is thanks at the Dark One reviving' her from the dead. To show my thanks, Dark One, I will not destroy you this time and one more thing." Night Prowler reached out and appeared to be yanking on air, when the sleeping form of the baby Gideon fell into Belle's arms.
Belle let out a cry of happiness, while Mr. Gold asked, "How did you ever get him away from the Dark Fairy?"
"Ye of all people should know best," Night Prowler grinned. "We made a deal. If she returns all the children she kidnapped, then I won't have to pay her another visit. See, Enigma and I are both protectors. We just have different styles O' doin' it." Night Prowler looked directly at Mr. Gold when she said, "Every child is a second chance at love, don't waste yours." Mr. Gold mutely nodded in return.
"We've been off topic long enough. Mary Margaret, ye kidnapped my queen's child and forced them to be separated for thirty some years. Nolan, ye held a blade ta my queen's neck without knowing who she might be. She may have been an innocent bystander, but did ye let that stop ye. Ye then forced her to guard the true love potion, the reason Emma went after her in the first place."
"I had to return to my family," David argued and immediately regretted it.
Night Prowler lashed out with a telekinetic blast and sent him hurtling into the wall of Mr. Gold's pawnshop. "Ye are the most selfish person, I have ever had the displeasure of meeting and that's including all the Dark Ones," Night Prowler roared as her wolfish teeth gleamed in the moonlight. "What about the Maleficent's friends and family? Ye never think of how your actions effect people whom ye have deemed not worthy of your attention." Night Prowler released David from her attack and he slumped to the ground, unconscious as Mary Margaret ran over to check on him.
"Last and least, Emma Swan," Night Prowler continued as if she had never been interrupted. "Ye killed my queen in your first year in Storybrooke when my queen was in her dragon form. If not for ye, my queen would never have known the sensation of being stabbed though the heart. I mean ta pay ye back in kind."
"Do you really think Enigma would want you to kill them?" Belle asked, ever the voice of reason.
Night Prowler let out a series of harsh barking laughs. "O' she did more than that lassie. She gave me permission ta do as I please. Not that she coulda' stopped me when I did go after Swan. Ye," Night Prowler addressed Emma, "harmed Maleficent and made Enigma weep. That is something that has not happened since I came into being. It's not something I can forgive, either," Night Prowler stated simply as she pulled two identical katanas out of shadows. Night Prowler then threw one to Emma who fumbled, but managed to catch the bamboo hilt with stiff fingers.
"Ye hold in your hands the blade, Immortal Slayer. Should work fine on me, if ye can hit me that is. I hold the, Soul Snatcher, ta which ye'll find out first hand what it does when I win. Your parents are welcome ta join ye in battle if ye'ed like. That is if Nolan wakes up in time. I care little what the order of extermination is."
"We'll fight with our daughter," Mary Margaret proclaimed as she placed a hand on Emma's shoulder. David struggled to his feet and approached.
"Safety in numbers, right?" David's half-joke fell flat when Night Prowler replied.
"Nah, just makes for a bigger target." Night Prowler, without warning, leapt at the threesome blade outstretched. Emma barely had time to lift her blade to block before Night Prowler came at her with an upwards strike. Emma dove left and tried to take the offensive, but Night Prowler gracefully sidestepped her. The two women clashed again and locked blades. Emma could feel herself losing ground by the second as Night Prowler's sheer physical strength was unmatched. Night Prowler suddenly broke off her offense as she jumped back to avoid being impaled with Mary Margaret's arrow.
"So the royal highnesses decided to join the battle after all. Thought I scared ye off with my ability."
"Night Prowler, we don't want to hurt you," Mary Margaret tried to reason. "Maleficent is fine now. Let's put this all behind us."
"First off, the feeling is not mutual. Ye all have hurt far too many people for me to just over look it. All actions have consequences and you will now pay the price."
The sound of pounding feet and a sword leaving it's scabbard could be heard in the otherwise silent night. Night Prowler calmly raised her blade and thrust it behind her head. David had to swerve off his attack course to avoid getting shishkabobbed. The three circled Night Prowler who stood motionless.
"They're looking pretty good," Henry murmured optimistically. "And they've held their own against Night Prowler."
"Hardly," Mr. Gold replied, "Night Prowler's not even taking them seriously."
"I think we've had enough practice," Night Prowler announced, "Now the fun can begin." With a flourishing gesture, Night Prowler brushed the hair away from her right eye for all to see. Her eye was completely golden, but where her pupil should have been there was an intricate, crimson rune slowly circling clockwise.
Emma had never seen anything like it and she found the motion soothing. She simply couldn't look away nor did she want to. Then, Emma heard Henry scream and saw him and her parents running towards her, but they were far too late. A searing pain erupted in her stomach and Emma looked down to find the blade, Soul Snatcher lodged there.
"Ye shouldn't have taken your eyes off me lassie. 'Coarse not lookin' away wouldn't have saved ye either. Twas' one mistake of many and also the last thing you'll ever do." Night Prowler as gently as she could, removed her blade and Emma fell with a gasp. Emma reached out to press the wound shut even though she knew it was futile. But, she found nothing. No blood. No gaping hole. Even the pain was receding as a distant memory. And yet all Emma could do was lay there motionless. Purple smoke writhed at the edge of her vision. She heard her family and friends screaming, but there seemed to be a great distance between them. A numbness crept over her body and clouded her mind. Then, Emma felt a pair of hands carefully remove her own from where they lay clenched to her stomach. Night Prowler entered Emma's field of vision, and Night Prowler smiled sadly. "Tis' not that kind O' blade, lassie," she whispered as the purple smoke over took Emma.