Penance is a Sacrifice
Chapter Twenty-Five
Once the heroes had defeated the genie using a bluff to trick him into saving Hook's life by destroying the dagger, the magical being left the Charmings' loft by his own two feet without poofing himself anywhere, by the snap of his fingers, or by flying off on a magic carpet, all on account of the dampening cuff now around his wrist.
When Emma, David, and Snow returned to caring for Hook now that he was back to his true self, yet still very weak, while the others within the room stayed behind to talk quietly amongst themselves and to be of help where they could be, including Belle, Gold slipped out from the apartment and transported himself down into the mines below the library. He walked silently until he came upon his other self, right where Gold suspected the Dark One had chosen to keep himself hidden.
Upon sensing his weaker self had found him, the villain turned around to face Gold as he stated, "I'm not surprised you found me, dearie. But how did you know where I would be?"
Gold remained stern while he responded, "Because you're not too difficult to figure out… seeing as you're me, as I'm you too. And because I once had been forced to hide from the heroes up there down here at one time in my life as well. It's the same way I know you didn't want the shears of destiny to rid the Savior of her power, although it clearly became a tempting notion for you. I could tell. The only thing I can't figure out… is the real reason for you wanting them. You said you wished to discuss business with me at some future date? How's now?"
"No… no… no, dearie," Rumplestiltskin haughtily replied, while the two Dark Ones kept their eyes firmly on one another. "Now isn't the time for that. And I don't have the shears like I expected to gain possession of. It appears I need a new course of action."
"Go ahead," the villain turned hero answered confidently. "But you won't be doing whatever you think up next, here in Storybrooke any longer. And you won't be hurting anyone else again either. Instead, you're going back to the realm you came from and will forthwith be banished from Storybrooke now and forever."
The crueler of the Dark Ones glared at his other self as he coldly questioned him, "And how exactly do you expect to do that?"
Gold summoned into his hand, the very shard of glass young Killian had used to try to rid himself of the demons in his mind with when he charged against David until he dropped it, as Rumple had found the shard lying on the floor beside the boy earlier when he arrived again at the loft and magicked it away to use for this moment.
He carefully tossed it down at the villain's feet as Rumplestiltskin glanced down at it and then turned back to his other self when Gold smugly responded, "By remembering a lesson I once taught one of my finest and strongest students back when I was still just like you."
All of a sudden, and before the darker of Dark Ones could stop him, Gold conjured a mirror spell from the shard similar to the one he had helped Regina create when she banished Cora from the Enchanted Forest and forced her into Wonderland, as the glass began to reshape itself to consume Rumplestiltskin.
"You may have defeated me for now, but you and I will meet again," the villain angrily cried before he gave into the inevitable of what was going to happen to him. "The Wish Realm won't hold me for long. Our story is not finished yet!"
At last, Rumplestiltskin from the Wish Realm finally vanished within the shard, which once again reformed into the shape it had been moments ago and once it had, Gold stared down at it until it suddenly shattered into nothing and he then used his power again to turn the remnants left behind into dust.
When he finally finished within the mines, Gold left and returned to the loft where he knew the Charmings would still be, along with Belle and Regina as well. When he arrived outside of their door, he once again used his cane to knock and before the shopkeeper could knock for a second time, his grandson answered the door and stepped aside to let him in.
"Rumple… you're back," the beauty said when she walked over to him as he entered the room, then she wrapped her arms around him while she let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Where did you go just now? I was worried you were going to try to take on your evil self on your own after he disappeared too."
Her husband looked into Belle's eyes while he replied, "Actually… that's exactly what I did. But I didn't do so out of anger, or without a plan to rid our world of that monster for good."
Regina turned to him with skepticism as she cynically asked, "Wait… are you saying the real Dark One's gone? He's no longer a threat?"
"Oh… he'll always remain a threat," Gold answered the Queen darkly. "But he's no longer here in Storybrooke to harm any of us ever again. I used an old spell I once taught you a long time ago, Regina. I banished him from Storybrooke and back to the Wish Realm, as you banished your mother into Wonderland. He won't be able to come back once I strengthen your protection spells around our town so he won't be able to enter again should he ever find a way to escape his world."
"I knew you could defeat him," Belle responded proudly, then she leaned over to kiss him again before they both turned to say goodnight to their friends.
Snow came over to them before they left and the Princess embraced them, then she replied, "Thank you, Gold. And Belle. For all you've done for us. And for Killian and Emma too."
Rumple smiled at her once she pulled back, then he replied, "You're welcome, Your Majesty. And Mrs. Jones… I truly do hope your husband is better soon. Good evening."
Emma simply nodded at him in gratitude, then together he and Belle left to return to where their son was being cared for by Phillip and Aurora until they finished dealing with the dangers the Dark One had imposed upon them and all of Storybrooke. Regina, Henry, Blue, and August soon followed suit to leave Emma and her parents alone to take care of Hook for as long as he needed them to. Little did the heroes know just how right Rumplestiltskin from the Wish Realm had been when he had told Gold that night wouldn't be the last time they would meet.
Years later, in a small neighborhood within Seattle known as Hyperion Heights…
"You're a shadow of your former self," the villain known to the realms as Dr. Facilier was saying to Gold cruelly on the evening another dark curse over those who had been trapped within this new land by Gothel had at last been broken and the nymph defeated. "It's sad.Trying to get back to your beloved has made you the worst version of you."
"Well… I find that really insulting," Rumplestiltskin from the Wish Realm retorted darkly, then he laughed giddily once he appeared to Gold from behind the witchdoctor when he suddenly stabbed Facilier through his back with his own version of the Dark One dagger, much to Gold's surprise and horror upon seeing his other self again after all this time passed. "I mean… I'm the worst version of me. Hello, dearie! Did you really think a wish realm could hold me? Now then… it's time you and I got better acquainted."