Well, I'm back! I know it's been awhile. I will forever be sorry, but I will not promise that it won't happen again. I was just really off my game, which I might still be off of. But I've been feeling inspired, which is also the reason why I haven't been updating. I just wasn't feeling it. On top of having so much going on, I've just not been in the writing mood. But, like I said, I'm back. I may be a little rusty, so bear with me. I hope some of my followers are still around and if you are, man, I appreciate you so much. My birthday is tomorrow, so what better gift to myself than an update?

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's definitely not my best, but it is what it is.

Happy Independence Day!


Arendelle…

With the urn now in their possession, Anna carries the urn down the castle's dungeon with her sister, Elsa, on the search for their Aunt Ingrid. As they walk down the hallway, they find a guard sleeping against the wall.

"He looks peaceful." Anna says in a slight awe. "Though you should probably look into hiring some new guards when this is all over."

"Smart." Elsa agrees. She looks at the cell her sister was previously in before she rescued her with uncertainty. "Now, are you sure you're gonna be okay down here?"

"Yes, it's not as bad as it looks, except for the dankness and the darkness and the mice, who are cute, when they're not scurrying over your toes. But I have shoes." Anna assures her. "I promise I'll be fine."

"And I promise I won't be long. As soon as I return to the palace, I'll tell Ingrid you're to be banished. And that she's to see to your punishment personally."

"Then when she comes down here, I'll surprise her with the urn. Not like a party – 'Surprise!'" Anna mocks. "Something more dour to match the occasion, like, 'surprise.'" She says again in a more low and dark voice.

"What if something goes wrong?" Elsa worries. "I should come down here, too, just in case."

"No, you need to be as far away as possible. We don't want you getting trapped in the urn by mistake. Please don't worry." Anna begs quietly. "I promise – everything is going to be fine."

They give one another reassuring smiles before Elsa opens the cell door, allowing Anna to walk through. Once again, locked inside. The sisters lock eyes, once more, the look of apprehension evident in both.

Elsa begins to walk away, but not without taking another look back before disappearing back in the main halls.

Suddenly, inside the cell, a cloud of smoke appears, frightening Anna. She gasps, dropping the urn, while two chain cuffs wrap around her wrists. "Surprise!" Ingrid chuckles as she comes into Anna's view. "How was that?"

"I'd have done it different." Anna says, terrified.

"Well, I'm afraid you won't get the chance. You see, I was hoping that Elsa would believe the lies I told her, but I knew I had to be ready in case she didn't."

"It's doesn't matter." Anna argues, defiantly. "You'll never turn us against each other."

"'Never.'" Ingrid repeats. "That's a strong word."


Storybrooke / Present…

Still on the side of the road, Emma wakes up, grabbing her head from the impact. She quickly jumps out of her car and walks onto the road, looking for the Snow Queen, who purposely caused her to run off the road in the first place.

"Emma."

Emma gasps, turning around to find the Snow Queen behind her, causing her hands to spark with magic. "Stay back." Emma demands.

"Wherever you're headed, turn around and go home." Ingrid orders. "You are in great danger."

"Gonna listen to you about danger?" Emma scowls. "Get out of my way."

"My sweet girl, I am not the one that you should fear. Rumplestiltskin is. Whatever he's promised you, it's a lie."

"How do you know he promised me anything?"

"So, I was right." Ingrid says, slightly surprised. "You musn't trust him, Emma. He doesn't do anything unless it benefits him. He doesn't care about you. He would kill you to get what he desires. He'd kill Avia."

"The fact that you don't want me to go means something. I have to save my sister and for me to do that, I have to save myself. So, I'm going."

"I won't let you."

"You're not gonna hurt me. You need me." Emma turns around to walk back to her car, but Ingrid appears in front of her.

"Don't do this."

Emma stares at the Snow Queen in disbelief. "What the – You're not here." She realizes, touching the misty form of the Snow Queen.

"If I could be, I would." Ingrid tells her. "I'm trying to protect you, and that is the truth."

"I don't care what you say. That's the truth." Emma stubbornly walks through the Snow Queen's misty form and gets into her car.


Inside her snow lair, the Snow Queen is still trapped, watching through her mirror as Emma drives off.


Arendelle…

Anna tries desperately to free herself from the chains. "I'm sorry." Ingrid apologizes. "Elsa won't save you."

"You don't know her." Anna exasperates. "You don't know me."

Ingrid smiles. "But I do. We're a lot alike. We had families, but we both grew up in this palace, isolated and alone. I liked to go to the library and bury myself in a good book. My favorite was an ancient Norse legend – The Trolden Glass. Perhaps you read it."

"Of course I did." Anna glares. "I read everything in there."

"Tell me what you remember."

"Giving a book report would be a lot easier if you'd let me go."

"The other option is I kill you." Ingrid raises her hand, threateningly.

"It's about a Norse King." Anna quickly explains, trembling as she tries to remember the book she read a long time ago. "Who had a beautiful daughter he loved dearly."

"Go on."

"He wanted his daughter to be able to see the beauty he saw in her, so he had a mirror made for her birthday. But the day before, she died, so instead of reflecting her beauty, it reflected the ugliness of his pain and sorrow."

"Very good. What happened then?"

"It's been awhile, okay? I don't remember every detail."

"Well, I do." Ingrid says, sadly. "He was so devastated, he decided his kingdom should share his pain. So, he spent years harnessing dark magic, used it on the mirror, and cast a spell over his entire kingdom. It made his subjects see only the worst in the ones they loved. And they turned on each other, destroying themselves."

"What does that story have to do with anything?" Anna asks.

"You were in my room." Ingrid states. "I'm sure you saw the mirror." She grabs a shard of glass from her pocket and shows Anna. "This is just a small piece of it. I spent years gazing into that mirror, but all I saw reflected back at me was pain, just like the Nordic King."

"You're going to cast that spell." Anna realizes, fearfully.

"The spell of Shattered Sight." Ingrid chuckles. "It would take an entire lifetime to cultivate enough power to cast a spell over an entire kingdom." She exhales sharply. "Luckily, I only need to cast it over you." Anna watches in fear as Ingrid waves her hand over the shard of glass, causing it to break into millions of pieces as it floats over Ingrid's palm. Ingrid then blows the shards towards Anna, sending them right into the girl's eyes.


Storybrooke / Present…

Outside the abandoned manor, Emma pulls up and turns off her engine before stepping out. With determination to get her powers out of her and get home to her family, she begins to walk towards the manor, stopping shortly when she sees a light shining from inside.


Inside the manor and into another room, Rumplestiltskin continues to hold his dagger over Avia's body as she lays unconscious. He looks back when he hears the car door, sending a small grin to his face.

"Showtime."

"Hello?" Emma calls out once she's inside the manor. "Gold? You here?" Her hands continue to spark as she walks through the room, searching for the imp. "Gold?" The electricity crackles with each step she takes. Rumple walks over to the table and sets down the hat box. "Gold?" Emma continues to call out. Rumple waves his dagger over the box, revealing the hat once again. He sets it down on the floor as the portal inside begins to form. He walks over to the bed that Avia is lying on, seeing that she is starting to wake up.

Her eyes begin to open, and she squints from the bright light coming from the hat. "What's going on?" She asks, groggily. Rumple walks over with a small smile on his face. Avia looks confused. "How'd did I get with you? Where's the Snow Queen?"

Rumple smirks down at his dagger. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about her. She can't get to you."

"You saved me?"

Rumple moves his eyes away from his dagger and back at the girl. "Not exactly." He grits.

Avia's eyes widen at the menacingly look on Rumple's face.

"Gold, you in there!?" Emma shouts from behind the doors.

Avia looks behind Rumple, gasping at the sound of her sister's voice. "Emma." She attempts to get up, but Rumple pushes her back down. "Em – " Rumple covers Avia's mouth.

"Don't worry, dearie. This'll all be over soon." Rumple smirks as he waves the dagger over Avia once more. He disappears leaving Avia staring with widen, horrified eyes, at the illuminating hat.


On the other side of the doors, the electricity continues to crackle as Emma stares into the crack of the room where she sees the light from the hat seeping through. "There's no need to shout." He says, suddenly appearing behind Emma, who jumps, turning towards the man. "I'm right here." Emma tries to move closer, but Rumple moves back, causing her to stop. "You'll forgive me if I keep my distance. It appears your powers are growing increasingly out of control."

"Yeah, it was a rough night." Emma tells him. "So, what do I need to do?"

"I've already cast the spell inside that room. All you have to do is step through the door." Emma looks at the door before turning back to Rumple in apprehension. "Is something wrong?"

"Just – I ran into the Snow Queen."

"Did you?"

"Well, sort of. It was a projection or a hologram, or I don't know what it was. She said I shouldn't do this, that you were trying to hurt me."

"Alright, so now we know who doesn't want you to do this – the villain." Rumple points out. "Sounds like an argument for it, but maybe that's just me."

"That's what I said."

"But you still have doubts."

"Do you blame me?" Emma asks.

"No."

"Is it safe? Will I be okay?"

"No magic is without risk, even magic used to take away magic. Look, this is very much your choice. And, of course, it was also your idea. You do want to see your sister again, am I right?"

"Uh – Yeah. Of course I do. It's gonna stop me from hurting people."

"That much I can promise, yes." Rumple confirms.

Emma looks at the door, then at her hands, before looking up curiously at Rumple. "What would you do?"

"I wouldn't go in there for anything."

"What? Why?"

"Because, Emma, I'm not like you. I'm a man who makes wrong decisions, selfish decisions."

"But you spent all that time looking for Neal. You sacrificed yourself to save the town. You married Belle."

"And each time, I meticulously undid all the good." Rumple explains. "Neal is still gone, the town is still in danger, and Belle, for better or worse, she knows who I am, and that's the man who always chooses power."

"She believes you can change."

"And I love her for that. But I fear she's quite likely wrong. But you, Emma? You don't need to change. Because you do the right thing. Always." Emma takes in all Rumple has said and faces the door once more.

Rumple starts to walk away. "Gold." Emma turns back to the imp, who looks back at her. "Thank you."

"Of course. We have no choice."

Emma watches as Rumple turns and walks away before she turns back to the door hesitantly, unaware of her fate if she walks through the double doors.


Inside the room, Avia is holding onto the bedpost as the hat continues to attempt to pull her into its opening.


Outside the manor, Killian runs towards it, calling out for the savior.

"Swan!"

"Watch your step, Captain." Rumple appears, stepping in front of Killian. "The terrain's a little rough around here."

"Get out of my way, crocodile." Killian demands, furiously. "I'll die fighting before I let you use that bloody hat on Emma."

Rumple waves his hand and sends Killian flying against the gate. He continues to hold the pirate with his magic, tying his wrists and waist against the gate. "Death can wait." Rumple says, simply. "How about before you depart, I'll treat you to a front-row seat and we can watch her use that hat on not only herself, but her dear sister as well."

"Avia." Killian continues to struggle, desperate to save the Swan sisters.

"Oh, and, uh, in case you were counting on Emma getting your message - " Rumple holds out Emma's cell phone he stole. "Don't."

"No." Killian grunts.

"I'm not one for loose ends. Don't worry. You'll get over her." Rumple smirks as he walks closer. "Just like you got over Milah. How many centuries did that take? Oh, it matters not. This might even add a little fuel to your fire. Don't tell me you haven't missed the taste of vengeance."

"They're innocent!" Killian screams. "Avia is just a child!"

"And, yet, both very powerful and very dangerous." Rumple shrugs. "But for me to get what I want, I need the Swan sisters. Surely you understand that."


"Emma!" Elsa shouts as she, Snow, David, Regina, Karley, and Nick run towards the other side of the mansion where the red scarf has brought them. "Emma!"

"Avia!" Snow shouts.

Bright lights from not only Emma's magic, but as well as the hat, are shining out of the window, making it nearly impossible to look inside. "They have to be in there." Regina tells them.

The scarf drops at the manor's doorway. Elsa picks it up before attempting to open the door, but it's locked. "Stand back." She instructs the others.

"We're going in." David tells her, bravely.

Elsa shakes her head. "Please. We can't risk any of you getting hurt. I promise I will get Emma and Avia back to you. You have to trust me. I can help."

Snow and David give one another questionable looks, but they know Elsa is right. They don't have magic, so they don't know what Emma or Avia are going through. They have to trust their new friend. Snow nods as the group stands back. They watch Elsa extend out her arm and use her powerful ice magic to freeze the doorway, breaking the lock. Elsa looks back at the apprehensive parents before she makes her way inside the manor.


Arendelle...

Elsa is sitting anxiously inside the dining room, surrounded by the desserts she prepared for Anna earlier that day. When Anna opens the door carrying the urn, Elsa looks up relieved to see her sister.

"Oh, thank goodness you're safe." Elsa says as she walks towards Anna. "At first I couldn't find Ingrid and ever since, I've been worried sick."

"I suppose I should be grateful." Anna replies back spitefully.

Elsa furrows her brows, confused by her sister's unusual mood. "Did everything go all right?" She asks as she watches Anna walk towards the table. "You seem upset."

"What's all this?" Anna asks, contemptuously.

Elsa smiles, shrugging sheepishly as she follows Anna. "Oh, I wanted to surprise you with something special." She explains. "It's all chocolate. I'm afraid the ice cream's long melted now, but I can make you more if you'd like."

"That's just like you, thinking some food and fancy jewelry can make up for everything you did to me."

"Everything I did to you?" Elsa asks, taken aback. "Anna, what are you talking about?"

"It all came back to me when we were in the East Wing of the palace, how you ignored me for all those years, left me to wander this place like a ghost."

"Is this a joke? Because of my ruse? Because if you're trying to get back at me, Anna, it isn't funny."

"Do you want to know the worst part?" Anna asks. "You left me to believe it was all my fault, that I had done something wrong."

Elsa stares desperately at her sister, confused by where this is coming from, unaware of the spell Anna is under. "How can you say these things? We promised we'd never be like this. What's happened?"

"I've come to my senses." Anna rips the snowflake necklace from around her neck.

"Anna, no!" Elsa watches as Anna throws it into the fire. "Oh, this isn't you." She says, shocked by what just happened. "It can't be."

"I'm afraid it is." Ingrid confirms as she walks into the room.

Elsa is surprised to see that her aunt is not inside the urn like she and Anna had planned. "Ingrid, you're not - "

"In an urn. No." Ingrid continues to make her way towards the girls, passing Anna and standing behind Elsa. "Fortunately, I have a chance to show you that I am the only one who will ever understand you. Anna never will."

Elsa narrows her eyes, knowingly, at the Snow Queen. "This is because of you. You used your magic to cast a spell on her." She says, looking back at Anna, who stands quiet, glaring angrily at her sister.

"Yes, but a spell that reveals her true feelings, even if she wasn't able to admit them before - her deepest, darkest emotions now brought into the light."

"You wouldn't even talk to me." Anna roars. "'Go away, Anna. Go away, Anna.' You were supposed to be my sister!"

"I am your sister." Elsa assures her calmly. "Anna, please, put down the urn."

"She won't listen to you, Elsa, just like your mother wouldn't listen to me." Ingrid tells her. "The only way to stop her is to accept who you truly are. Use your powers on her."

"No." Elsa refuses. "I won't give up on my sister."

"Do it, Elsa!" Ingrid continues to insist. "Freeze her!"

"No, I won't." Elsa says, staring desperately at her sister.

"Do it!"

Elsa folds her arms, refusing. "Do what you will, - " Anna removes the urn's top. " - but know that no matter what, Anna, I love you."

Elsa reduces into blue liquid and is trapped inside the urn. Ingrid watches, horrified by what she has witnessed as Anna seals the lid and immediately she comes to her senses as the spell that was cast upon her loses its effect. "No!" Ingrid exclaims.

Anna gasps, appearing confused. "Wait. What?" She looks down at the urn that she is still holding. "Elsa!?" Anna looks up at their aunt. "What did you make me do?"

"You foolish girl." Ingrid violently grabs the urn from Anna. "This is all your fault!" Ingrid starts to grab onto Anna's neck.

"Stay away from her!" Kristoff shouts as he steps into the room, holding out his ice axe.

"Oh. Here comes the noble hero." Ingrid says, sarcastically, taking a step back from Anna. "I know that look in your eyes - in both of your eyes."

"Just let her go." Kristoff continues to walk closer to Anna as Ingrid steps back, holding her hand out to the both of them.

"Eventually, everyone sees me as a monster. Maybe it's time to embrace that and be one." Ingrid mightily waves her whole arm and causes Anna, Kristoff, and the entire room and everything inside of it, to become frozen; covered in layers of ice. She walks out onto the balcony and looks outside to find that the entire palace has been affected by her snowy vengeance. She turns back into the room and looks around once more before looking down at the urn in her arms which now has Elsa trapped inside. "Elsa - " She says, softly. " - you will accept who you are one day, too. And we will find our third sister, no matter how long it takes."


Storybrooke / Present...

Avia continues to hold desperately to the bed post as the hat continues to try and pull her inside it. She tried to call out to Emma, but it seems Rumple took away her voice. Avia looks over her shoulder at the powerful, shaking hat, confused on why Rumple is doing this to her. He obviously wants to get rid of her, just like the Snow Queen. But Avia was losing her strength. She has been weak due to her illness and was finding it difficult to hold on.


Outside the room, Emma continues to stand at the door, nervously and teary-eyed. Her magic continues to have effect throughout the house, though.

"Emma, stop." Emma turns around, shocked to see Elsa standing there.

"Elsa, what the hell are you doing here? You have to leave now." The chandelier above begins to spark due to Emma's fear. Emma flinches, holding her hands close to her chest, afraid she may hurt Elsa.

"I'm sorry." Elsa apologizes. "I won't let you do this."

"My powers are out of control. There's no other way." Emma points out. "Please, go, now."

"No. You didn't give up on me even when you and Avia nearly froze to death in that ice cave, so I'm not giving up on you now. I know how scary it is, hurting someone you love. I've lived in fear of that my entire life." Elsa explains. "But giving up your magic is not the answer. There is another way."

"Yeah, you told me all about how Anna's love saved you, and that's great, but guess what. My version of that with Avia didn't work. Anna doesn't have magic like you. Avia and I are too powerful for each other. Our magic is growing and we can't handle it - not as long as we both have it." Emma tells her. "I'm the savior. I am meant to save my sister. So, I need to do this. I need to do this for her, for our family, and for this town." She turns back to the glowing room, allowing her hand to reach out for the door handle.

"I was wrong." Elsa admits as the electricity sparks. Emma quickly pulls back and turns to Elsa. "It wasn't just Anna's love that saved me."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I landed in this strange town, I was certain that without Anna, I was doomed. But I got control over my powers again without her.

"How?" Emma wonders.

"I didn't really know until today, until the same thing happened to you and Avia, and then it finally hit me." Emma flinches as sparks continue to fly out around them. "It's not only Anna's love or Avia's that can save us." Elsa begins to approach a timid Emma. "They accept us for who we are. You and Avia have always accepted each other, despite the mishaps and wrongdoings, and that's important. But it's not enough. It's on us, too. You have to love yourself, Emma, the good and the bad. The only way to ever truly be in control of your powers is to embrace them. Because this - " She gestures around the room at all of the disturbances. " - this is who you are." Elsa holds out her hand.

Emma looks down at Elsa's outstretched hand in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"It's time to stop being afraid."

"But this could kill you."

"I'll take that risk if you will." Slowly and with much caution, Emma removes her hands from her chest, flinching as sparks continue to fly, her palms glowing with magic, but Elsa takes her hand anyway. And the moment their hands embrace, a burst of light magic emanates outwards, expanding beyond the manor walls. All the disturbances caused by Emma's magic stops and the two smile at one another as Emma's magic remains back under control. "Now, let's find Avia."

Emma furrows her brows. "Wait. Avia is still missing?" Suddenly the doors behind Emma fly open causing them both to jump back. The magic from the hat has dissipated and has left Avia lying on the floor, trying to catch her breath as she lays on her back. Emma's eyes widen, shocked to see that her sister has been behind those doors the entire time. "Avia!?" Emma and Elsa run into the room, kneeling down next to the breathless girl. "Avia, are you okay? What are you doing here?"

Avia continues to breathe rapidly as she looks up at Emma and Elsa. She sits up with their help and looks at the spot on the floor where the hat used to be. "He - He - " She clears her throat, relieved to have her voice back. "He tried to kill me."

"Who?" Elsa asks, confused. "Who tried to kill you?"


Outside the manor, Rumple watches in disappointment as the glowing light from the hat dissipates.

Killian smiles, knowing that Emma and Avia are now safe. "Well, I'm guessing she didn't go through with it. So sorry." Rumple glares back at the pirate. "Oh, but I do love the look of loss on your face." He laughs.

"I may not have the savior, pirate. But I assure you, today won't be a complete loss." Rumple turns back to the manor. "I need to fill that hat with power, yes, but that was only part of the equation. Because I need something else, a secret ingredient, one I didn't know about until an associate clued me in." He says, looking back at Killian. "A heart."

"Well, if you need my help procuring it, know the only help I give you is with your demise." Killian seethes.

"Oh, you're gonna help me, alright. You see, this spell is gonna finally separate me from the dagger so it no longer holds power over me. But to cast it I need the heart of someone special, someone who knew me before the dagger, before I was the Dark One." Rumple explains, menacingly. "Unfortunately, everyone who fits that description is already dead, but one still lives."

Killian struggles to break free as Rumple approaches him. "No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"As luck would have it, dearie, you're my oldest friend." He then plunges his hand into Killian's chest and rips out his heart. The pirate screams in pain.

"Get on with it, then." He encourages the Dark One. "Just do it."

"Oh, no. I promised you we'd have some fun first. You're gonna do everything I say because you're my puppet now. You're gonna find another way to fill that hat with the power it needs. And then? Then I'll kill you."


Arendelle...

With a rock in one hand and the urn in the other, Ingrid is extracting a purple flow of memories from her niece, and storing them into the stone.

"I see someone's been practicing their rock-troll memory magic." Rumplestiltskin says from behind her, frightening her. "Quite impressive, dearie." He looks back at the frozen Anna. "You know, I prefer her better this way. More cooperative. Less mouthy." The Dark One looks down, becoming interested in something in the now icy fireplace. "Ooh. But this." He bends down and picks up the snowflake necklace. "This was much lovelier when it was around her neck. You know, when she was breathing."

"What do you want, Rumplestiltskin?" Ingrid asks.

"Just an old trinket your frozen niece stole from me - a hat."

"I haven't seen it."

Rumplestiltskin giggles, maniacally. "Ooh, lying is so unqueenly, Ingrid."

The urn vanishes from her arms and into thin air. "Where is she?" The Snow Queen angrily makes her way towards the Dark One. "Give her back - "

Rumplestiltskin holds out his hand, stopping her from walking any closer. "Careful, dearie. You're not the only one who knows how to hide something of value. We wouldn't want it lost forever, now would we? Though, I'm curious to why you took memories from that poor girl. I mean, you would have thought being trapped inside a bread bin was punishment enough."

"She learned more than she was meant to. I wanted us to have a fresh start."

"Don't we all, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin grins. "Don't we all? You know, I'm gonna make you a deal - an urn for a hat, as simple as that. And just to make it easy for you, when you 'find' the object of my desire, just say my name three times, and I shall come to you. See you soon!" He giggles as he disappears in a cloud of smoke.

The Snow Queen then looks around at her frozen surroundings, feeling at a loss.


Storybrooke / Present...

Killian walks inside just as Emma and Elsa, who are helping Avia, walk out of the room.

"Swan!" He exclaims, relieved to see them. "Are you both alright?" He hurries over and brings Emma into a hug.

"She didn't do it." Elsa tells him. "She didn't take away her magic." She smiles down at Avia. "Neither one of them did."

"I've never seen so many people happy about us not doing something." Avia says, earning a laugh from Emma.

Killian pulls back, keeping Emma at arms-length. "We'll find another way to defeat the Snow Queen - together." He brings Emma into a passionate kiss.

Avia groans with disgust as Elsa turns them away, amused. Emma pulls back, looking up at Killian. "I didn't know you were such a fan of my magic."

"Why would you say that, Swan? I'm a fan of every part of you."

Avia groans. "Okay. I'm officially going to vomit."

Emma looks curiously at Killian, feeling something off. "Are you alright?"

"Of course, love. Why?" He asks.

"If you look at me any harder, you're gonna drill a hold in my head."

"I'm just relieved."

"Um - " Elsa decides to interrupt the two. "We should probably head outside. I left a lot of worried people waiting."

Emma smiles and turns around, taking Avia's hand, before walking out with her and Elsa.

Killian stays behind, losing his smile as he watches them leave. He then walks to the room that Avia was trapped in and finds the hatbox containing the sorcerer's hat. He approaches it slowly and picks it up, hiding it under his jacket, before proceeding to exit the room.


Over at the library, Robin Hood is sitting at a table looking through Avia's storybook when Regina quickly walks in.

"I got here as soon as I could." She tells him. "What's so important you couldn't say over the phone?"

"I'll show you in a second. But first, you remember this?" He asks, pointing to the storybook.

Regina looks quizzically at it. "Avia's storybook. How did you - " She shakes her head, realizing she was about to ask a stupid question. "Never mind. Yes, I remember it quite well."

Robin smirks. "You knew I was a thief when you met me." He reminds her. "Alright, so, tonight, I came here looking, trying to find a clue towards that author - towards your happy ending."

"In the public library?" Regina questions. "Robin, my happy ending is not a Stephen King book-on-tape."

"Hang on. But then the strangest thing happened." He pulls out a folded piece of paper from out of his pocket. "I found something."

Regina looks even more confused, taking the paper from Robin and unfolds it. She too is shocked by what she sees: it's a page from the book. "Is this us?" She asks, looking at the illustration of herself and Robin kissing in the Enchanted Forest.

"Yes." Robin confirms. "Inside the pub."

"I don't understand. This isn't what happened. Is this from the book?" She walks around the table to stand near the book. "23. Page 23. Is it missing from the book?"

Robin flips to page 23. "No. No, it's already there, and it's you leaving me." He grabs the page from Regina and places it on top the book. "This goes in the same place. This is the meeting that we never had."

"What does it mean?"

"It means that your fate could have gone many different ways. It means you're not doomed to suffer. There's a bright future for you around every turn, even if you miss one."

Regina grabs the page, staring down at it again, intrigued. "Well, where did you find it?" She looks around at the many books on the shelves. "Is there another book? What shelf?"

"No, it was in my satchel." Robin tells her.

"What?"

"Not at first. It wasn't there when I left. It appeared."

Regina sighs. "Like magic."

"It's a sign." Robin says. "And you can take it however you want, but to me, it's showing you possibility - hope. That's not something that would ever happy to a villain, is it?" Regina shakes her head with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I owe someone a quarter."

This time Robin appears confused, but he doesn't ask. He just brings Regina close and the two proceed to kiss.


Back inside the Snow Queen's lair, Ingrid remains standing in the circle of dust Rumple trapped her in. Soon, however, the invisible barrier dissipates. She reaches her arm out to make sure it's definitely gone before stepping out of the circle and walking towards her three yellow kite ribbons, tied up in little bows. She sits beside the box and waves her hand over it - the ribbons disappear.

The Snow Queen raises her left arm, allowing her sleeve to drop and reveal one of the ribbons now tied to her wrist. She smiles, pleased, and places it to her cheek.

Her plan has now been set in motion.


Arendelle...

Ingrid is walking barefoot through the snow-covered town and into a cave which she has hidden the sorcerer's hat. Making sure no one is watching, she removes a large rock, revealing the frozen hatbox. She waves her hand and unfreezes it before picking it up.

"Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplest - "

"Stop!" The sorcerer's apprentice yells out, appearing inside the cave. The Snow Queen looks up, shocked. "I have traveled far to find you. Why are you conjuring the Dark One when you have a deal with the sorcerer? Do you doubt he can find the sister you seek?"

"No. But I lost the one that I already had." Ingrid explains.

"You told me you were a patient woman. Happy endings can take a long time, but they do happen."

"Does that mean you found a match?" She asks, hopeful.

"The sorcerer did locate a third magical sister, yes." The apprentice confirms. "And she will be a perfect match."

"What do you mean, 'will be'?"

"Therein lies the catch. She is not born yet."

"How does the sorcerer know something that hasn't happened yet?" She asks.

"He knows many things. For example, he knows that if you deliver that hat - " The apprentice extends his hand out to the hatbox, but Ingrid backs away. " - to the Dark One, you will never find your happy ending."

"But if I give it to you - I will?"

"You will find this third sister and be reunited with the one you've just lost." The apprentice assures her. Ingrid is still hesitant to give up the hatbox, and watches as the apprentice turns around and waves his arms, creating a door out of thin air. "This door will lead you to a new land where your happy ending awaits." He explains, turning back towards her. "Just hand over the box, and I will open it for you."

"You said that the sorcerer doesn't make deals, especially with people like me." She remembers. "Why is he doing this now?"

"The hat is important to him. And sometimes, people surprise you."

Ingrid cautiously approaches and hands over the hatbox. Relieved to have the hatbox back into his possession, he then produces a scroll from his robe, handing it to her. "Now, take this. When the time comes it will lead you to your third sister." The apprentice waves his hand, opening the door, and Ingrid willingly steps through the portal.


Ingrid steps into a land with tall buildings and moving cars and crowded people - a land without magic.

Our World, 1982


Storybrooke / Present...

Emma, Avia, and Elsa finally walk out of the manor where Snow, David, Karley, and Nick are waiting.

"Oh, thank God!" Snow exclaims, seeing her daughters. Snow quickly brings them both into her arms, hugging them close. "Emma - " She begins carefully. " - did you do it?"

"I didn't." Emma tells her. "Thanks to Elsa."

"I'm so, so glad. Just...please don't change." She squeezes them both even closer. "Both of you."

Avia groans, slightly. "Can't breathe, Mom."

Snow pulls away, but keeps a firm grip on them both. "We love you, girls, no matter what." David tells them.

Emma smiles down at Avia, who looks slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah. We know."

Snow bends down slightly, shaking Avia a bit. "Don't you ever run away like that again." She says, sternly. "Do you hear me? You scared me."

Avia nods. "I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to save Emma." She shrugs, looking up at her big sister. "She's always saving me."

"But now we are a family." David reminds them as he brings Avia to his side. "We save each other."

"What happened in there?" Karley decides to ask.

Avia lets out a long breath. "Well, the Snow Queen isn't the only one we should be worried about."

"What do you mean?" Snow asks, bewildered. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

Avia shakes her head. "No, Mom. I'm okay."

"Emma got control of her magic again and saved her." Elsa tells them.

Avia rolls her eyes. "Again."

Emma chuckles, bringing her arm around Avia. "Sorry, kid. It looks like there's no getting around that anymore. You're always going to need saving." She teases.

They look at their parents who are still looking back at them with curiosity and worry. "Gold. Rumplestiltskin." Avia sighs. "Whatever you want to call him. He took me from the Snow Queen's lair and brought me here to kill me - to take my magic. I don't really know. I was unconscious the first half of it." She explains.

"What?" David exclaims, furiously.

Avia cringes. "Dad, can we just talk about it at home? I'm still sick, remember?" Nick takes off his jacket and wraps it around her. "Thanks." She smiles, gratefully.

"Fine. Let's get you both home. But this isn't over. We can't let Gold get away with this."

"Agreed." Snow says.

Both parents wrap their arms around their daughters, leading them away from the manor as their friends follow. As they are walking, though, Avia notices the yellow ribbon on Emma's wrist. "Emma, when did you get that?" She raises Emma's hand, revealing the ribbon.

Emma looks curiously at her wrist. "I don't know."

The group stops walking, looking at the girls. Elsa then sees that she has the same ribbon on her wrist. "Emma, what's happening?"

They both try to pull it off, but it doesn't budge. "What's wrong with it?" Nick asks. "Why won't they come off?"

The ribbons start to glow. Emma clutches her stomach in some kind of pain. "Emma?" Snow asks, concerned.

"I feel it, too." Elsa tells her. "It's like it's funneling all my magic away, like it's harnessing it somehow."

"Any idea what this is?" David asks.

"No." Emma scowls. "But I have a pretty good idea where it came from."


Inside her lair, Ingrid is staring down at the ribbon on her wrist, which begins to glow, too. Rumplestiltskin enters, causing a small smile to escape her lips.

"You look disappointed." She tells him.

"Miss. Swan did not behave as I had hoped. Both sisters are still alive, along with their powers." He tells her. "Did you have a hand in it?"

Ingrid laughs. "Of course not. My hands were trapped here the entire time. Although, as you said, the urn dust didn't last long at all." She steps up to Rumple.

"I'd keep my distance if I were you." Rumple warns her.

"You really don't understand what's happening, do you? I wasn't the one who saved Emma. Elsa was. They really are quite wonderful together - like sisters." She amuses.

"Your strange fixation really holds no interest for me."

Ingrid chuckles. "Oh, but it should. And it will. You see, these ribbons were of no use to me until this moment. They can bond three magical sisters together, but only if all of us are a perfect match."

"And what makes for this perfect match?" Rumple asks.

"When all three have embraced their powers, which we now have, thanks to you. Now I wield the magic of my three sisters. Now my mirror is complete. And with this power, I can finally cast a spell over all of Storybrooke. I could probably even defeat you and decorate this place with your bones. Shall I try?"

"Dearie, I warn you - do not overestimate your power. And let us not forget the most powerful Swan sister we both failed to eliminate."

Ingrid smiles. "No worries. Once my curse enacts, Avia will have no choice but to destroy herself. It's a shame you failed. You're going to miss out on all of that power."

Rumple backs away, and silently walks out. The Snow Queen smiles proudly at the glowing ribbon, before turning her attention to her mirror, the Trolden Glass. She extends her hand and smashes the mirror with her magic, smiling at her broken reflection.

The entire mirror then explodes outwards and a large cloud of gray smoke pours out, enveloping Ingrid, ready to cover the entire town.

The spell of Shattered Sight has been cast.


Hours later, as the magic of the storm cloud drifts through Storybrooke's sky, Ingrid stands watching proudly from the forest.

"Well done, dearie." Rumple says as he approaches the Snow Queen. "It appears you've won."

"That's big of you. A welcome change. You're usually so confrontational." Ingrid tells him.

"I prefer reasonable. I'd like to make a deal."

"You have nothing that I want." She assures the Dark One.

"Well, perhaps I do." Rumple argues. "This spell of yours, when it hits... in a few hours from now?"

Ingrid shrugs. "Sundown."

"Sundown. Yes. It'll bring out the darkness in everyone in this town."

Ingrid chuckles. "It'll do more than that. They will tear themselves apart until everyone is dead."

"Or until our young Swan kills them." Rumple smirks. "But she won't kill everyone." Ingrid appears curious. "You'll have what you want - you alone with your 'sisters' Elsa and Emma doing who knows what, and I'll be here, too, spending every waking moment of my immortal life trying to rip your heart out."

"It seems you do have something to offer. What do you want?"

"To leave."

Ingrid seems confused by this. "Didn't we already make this deal?"

"Yes, but I have an eye for a loophole, and I think I've spotted yours. My wife will be destroyed by this spell, but before you allow Avia to destroy her family and this entire town, you will allow me to take hold of her powers as I was meant to before you intervene with Emma Swan. And then you will allow Belle to leave with me. You spare my wife, I spare you misery. Do we have a deal?" Rumple asks.

"Enjoy your trip." She agrees.

Satisfied by this, they both turn their attention back to the storm cloud above, watching as it slowly engulfs the town.


Over at the clock tower, Elsa is looking at the cloud through binoculars while Emma, Avia, Regina, Snow, David, Killian, Karley, Nick, and Leroy watch from behind.

Elsa sighs. "Belle was right. My aunt is actually doing this."

She hands the binoculars over to Snow, who looks through them. "The spell of Shattered Sight." She whispers.

David grabs the binoculars from his wife, doing the same. "We open the mines and the vault. We take shelter there."

Regina sighs. "This is magic. It doesn't care about ceilings. It's started."

"How long?" Killian wonders.

Regina looks through the binoculars. "By sundown. By sundown, everyone in this town will start tearing each other apart."

"Okay." Emma says. "The answer is simple. Let's not be in town."


At the town line, the group is standing in front of the ice wall that is keeping them inside.

"Hardly an elegant solution." Regina comments.

"Nothing wrong with brute force if it works." Emma tells her.

"If we can get over, we can build a frame, take people over one at a time." Leroy theorizes.

David tosses rope over his shoulder. "David, be careful." Snow whispers with worry.

David strokes his wife's arm in reassurance before taking out his pickax and approaching the ice barrier. He lifts his arm and proceeds to take a hack at the ice, but this only causes more ice to rise from the ground, knocking him down as the barrier shakes violently.

Emma and Snow run over to help him. "You okay?" Emma asks her father.

"David?" Snow questions.

"Looks like that wall doesn't care much for your brute force." Regina states.

David stands to his feet, appearing fine. They walk over to Avia who stands frightened. David wraps his arm around her, squeezing her close. As Elsa approaches the barrier, she notices a crack forming in the surface; the ice splits apart, and inside Anna's snowflake necklace appears. Elsa reaches down and takes it in her hands while the barrier continues to rumple.

"Elsa? No, stop." Emma warns her. "Hey. No!" Emma reaches for Elsa. "That thing could go off again."

Elsa steps away, revealing Anna's necklace. "It's Anna's necklace." She says, happily, as she allows Emma to move her away from the ice wall. "I thought it was gone. It's like a miracle."

"Glad you found it, but sentimentality's not worth risking your life over."

"It's a sign, Emma - a sign we're gonna win."

Regina sighs, annoyed. "Is everyone into this hope thing now?"

"If we're gonna win, we need to stop wasting time." Emma tells them. "Mom, Dad, Avia, and Leroy, go tell everyone what's going on. When this goes down, everyone needs to be separated from their loved ones if they don't want to hurt each other. Killian, go to the waterfront. See if we can use boats to get some people out."

"I have to warn Robin Hood." Regina says. "His camp's not far from here. Nick and Karley, you two are with me. I am not leaving you both just yet."

"Okay, go." Emma agrees. "Elsa and I are gonna go to Gold's and see if we can get any information from Belle."

As Snow and David begin to walk away, Snow turns and finds that Avia isn't following. "Avia, honey, we have to go."

Avia shakes her head. "No. I can't be around you guys."

Snow furrows her brows as she steps up to her daughter. "Avia, what are you talking about?"

Emma sighs heavily. "Avia, we don't have time for this right now. This spell is happening whether we are here or not. We have to be ready for it."

"That's exactly why I can't be around. That's why the Snow Queen and Gold want to get rid of me. Once this spell enacts, I will be infected." She steps back, away from the group. "I will have the power to destroy you guys and then myself. This is what they want. As long as I am gone and there is no one else to save in this town, Emma, you are free. You'll have no responsibilities towards anyone. The Snow Queen wants you and Elsa to be her sisters, and only her sisters, with no strings attached - with nothing to look back on."

"Avia, it's not going to work." Emma assures. "We are going to get through this. Nothing is going to happen."

"You don't know that. I'm a teenager. I have a lot of anger. And Elsa said so herself; my magic comes from my emotions. I can barely control them as it is. Do we really want to see what will happen once I'm filled with all that anger and hate?"

"Avia, we are not leaving you alone." Snow refuses.

Avia looks around with tears in her eyes. "You have to. You have to lock me up somewhere, or put another sleeping curse on me. I don't know. I just know if I'm around you - " She sighs, looking sadly at her parents. "I'm going to hurt you."

But Emma refused to play into this. She was not going to let her sister destroy herself or this town. "No." Emma says, firmly. "We are not doing this right now."

"Emma - "

"No!" Emma practically shouts at her sister. She walks over to Avia and grabs her hand and stands her near their parents. "Now, you're going to go with Mom and Dad and I will see you later."

"Emma - "

"Avia! No. We are not doing this. Mom, Dad, go."

Avia reluctantly walks with her parents to the truck to warn the townspeople. Regina turns around, looking at the cloud. "We gotta go. This is happening now."


Over at Gold's shop, Emma and Elsa are standing in front of Belle, who's reading up on the spell of Shattered Sight.

"Any luck?" Emma asks, hopeful.

Belle sighs deeply. "No. It appears to be pretty much unstoppable. The one thing I did find is there may be a way to undo the effects from anyone it touches."

"That's wonderful." Elsa says.

"It seems that when somebody's been touched by the spell, that you can use them to undo it." Belle explains. "With a strand of their hair, you can make some kind of counterspell, like a vaccine."

"We can use it on Avia. Then we can help her defeat the Snow Queen." Emma says.

"My sister." Elsa realizes.

"What?"

"My aunt said she put me in that urn. I didn't believe her because Anna would never do that, unless she was under that spell. We have to get to her."

Belle appears confused. "But you still don't know where she is."

"No, but now you can help me find her." Elsa takes out Anna's necklace from her pouch. "You said if I had something of hers, you could use this locator spell. Well, now I have something of hers. Sometimes sentimentality pays off." Elsa smirks.

"Point Elsa." Emma concedes.

Belle grabs the necklace and inspects it under a magnifying glass. "There's mirror dust in this. Actually embedded in the metal."

"So, I was right." Elsa concludes. "She was under that spell. So, if we find Anna, she can save everyone."

"I'll round up the fairies. They can set up shop somewhere close and figure out how to make the counterspell." Belle offers.

Elsa smiles, joyfully. "Thank you. Let's go." She says to Emma.

Emma stops her from walking away. "Elsa, you realize this is a long shot. I was time traveling when I brought you here, and when Anna disappeared, it was - "

"Thirty years ago." Elsa interrupts. "I know. But she's okay. She has to be. And I don't care how old she is. She can save us. Avia's right, Emma." Emma sighs, already knowing this. "We don't know what's going to happen, but Avia will not be the same. We have to do this."

"Okay, then." Emma says. "We're relying on mirror dust and fairies, but now we have a plan, which is progress. Let's go find your sister, so we can save mine."


Arendelle...

The spell the Snow Queen enacted over the town is finally wearing off. All the ice is melting, including Anna and Kristoff.

Anna gasps. "Holy cats! That is cold." Anna exclaims.

Kristoff groans, shivering. "Ice is like that, I've noticed."

Anna looks around, noticing that the Snow Queen and the urn she placed her sister in is gone. "The urn. It was here. It's gone, and so is Elsa and my aunt!"

"But I saw you with it."

"Well, now it's missing, and Elsa is in it." Anna panics. "I just have to get her out, let her know I didn't mean it." As Anna paces, they hear a crack from the floor.

Kristoff looks down at Anna's feet. "What's that?"

Anna bends down and picks up golden straw. "It's straw. Gold straw. Rumplestiltskin. Kristoff, my aunt doesn't have the urn. He does."

"You are literally hanging a big assumption on a really thin straw." He points out.

"But it makes sense. He would never let someone walk off with something he valued. I should've known he'd follow me."

"And this is...good news?" Kristoff asks, unsure.

"Don't worry." Anna tells him. "We can get to him. We can handle him. And even if we can't, we can figure out a way how to. Elsa is the only one who can rule Arendelle."

"Um, I beg a differ." They both turn to find Hans and three out of his twelve brothers, including Franz and Jurgen, walking into the room.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hearing you confess you attacked the reigning queen, and then lost her to another land - that sounds like treason to me." Hans looks back at his brothers. "Doesn't it, guys?"

"And I sang with you." Anna yells in annoyance, causing Kristoff to become confuse while Han's brothers laugh, only embarrassing Hans.

"You're both under arrest, under my order as the new king of Arendelle." He continues, ignoring Anna.

"What?"

"We were all frozen. But now that your sister's spell has worn off, no one will argue with a new benevolent leader such as myself."

"It wasn't her." Anna tells him.

"As if anyone will believe that." He says, smugly.

"Okay, you know what?" Kristoff interrupts, outstretching his hands. "You got us."

Anna glances at her fiance as she outstretches her hands as well. Han's brothers approach them with rope to bind their wrists. But, the next look the engaged couple share is a signal, and quickly they begin to attack. Kristoff grabs his pickax from the table and rams it into one of the brother's leg, causing him to fall down in pain.

Anna grabs the other brother's arms and uses the rope to bind his wrist, before pushing him down. She then takes the sword out of the third brother's sheath and points it to his throat. Hans attempts to grab his own sword, but he stops, seeing that he had no way on his own against Anna and Kristoff.

Slowly, Anna and Kristoff turn away before quickly exiting the room. "Stop them!" One of the brother's yell.

The other two try to chase after them, but Anna and Kristoff shut the door before they brothers can pass, placing the sword between the handles, locking the brothers and Hans inside.


Storybrooke / Present...

At the pier, Killian is looking through his telescope out at sea, watching as more of the ice wall starts to rise from the water.

"No fleeing by boat then." He says to himself.

"This Snow Queen is good, isn't she?" Rumple asks while he sits on a bench next to the pirate. He pats the empty spot next to him. "Sit, lad." He orders, giving Killian no choice but to follow. Rumple pats his satchel that is leaning against his leg. "Don't forget where your heart lies." Killian just sits silently, scowling hatefully at the imp. "Now, I have a job for you. You remember how this works." Rumple waves his hand over the empty space between them and magically makes the hatbox appear.

"The hat? Emma and Avia."

Rumple chuckles. "No, no. Not this time. I have a better plan. Granny's Diner is being converted into a temporary hive for the vilest of creatures - the pious little fleas."

"Pious?" Killian questions, confused. "The fairies?"

"Just like any flying pests, if you wanna eliminate the infestation, it's important to get them all. Doing so will infuse this hat with enough power to allow me to cleave myself from the dagger and then leave this town with my powers intact, along with young Swan's of course, a suddenly urgent undertaking. Now, will you assist me?"

"You have my heart." Killian sneers. "You know I can't refuse."

Rumple chuckles. "Indeed. But here's the rub, dearie. Belle intends to spend the day sequestered amongst said fleas. So, I need you to stand by while I get her out of the way."

"After what you pulled, you really think she will go with you?"

"I have my ways of convincing. No one truly knows what my plans were."

"The fairies are working to stop the spell." Killian then realizes what Rumple is planning. "You're killing the cure? You do this, you condemn the entire town to whatever happens."

"Not my problem. Once I have received Avia's powers, I will leave this town to its fate. If I have to choose between everyone else and me - " Rumple chuckles. "'Me' wins every time. Once I have Avia's powers, this town will be grateful. They will no longer face an instantaneous death."

"But death they will still face!" Killian furiously exclaims.

"You can clench your jaw and flash your eyes - " Rumple takes his dagger from out his coat. " - all you wish, because it doesn't change the fact - " He waves the dagger over the hatbox, unlocking it. " - that we're in this together."

Killian stares at the Dark One with pure hatred in his eyes.


Over at Robin Hood's camp, Regina, Nick, and Karley are watching as Robin embraces his son, Roland, as the other Merry Men are making themselves busy around the camp.

Nick and Karley sadly follow Regina as she approaches her true love. Robin glances up, seeing Regina. "Stay right there." He says to his son before standing up. "Regina."

"It's happening." Regina tells him. "You and your men need to scatter. Altogether with all these weapons, you'll kill each other once the spell hits."

"Will!" Robin shouts. "Will Scarlet!"

Will pokes his head out from a tent behind Robin. "There's no need to yell. I'm just here, Robin."

"Emergency. Break camp."

"Right then." Will scrambles out the tent. "Come on, little man." He says, walking away with Roland.

"Why don't you two go help." Regina suggests to her children, needing alone time with Robin.

Nick and Karley simply nod and follow Will. Robin and Regina stand staring longingly at one another. "What? Is there something else?" Robin asks, worried.

Regina shakes her head. "No. I'm just trying to memorize you like this."

"Like what? Nervous and alarmed?" He teases.

"No, with love in your eyes. I told you what this spell is going to do."

"Maybe it won't." He says, caressing her hair.

"It will. The only people who believe in me in this town are Nick and Karley, and you. The thought of you looking at me the way everyone else does, with - with hatred - " Regina groans. "That just might kill me."

"Stop thinking. We're here now, and this is true."

She nods, and the two of them share a kiss, then exchange a heartfelt hug.

A little ways away, Karley and Nick are standing, watching their mother with Robin. "I can't believe this is really happening." Karley says in disbelief. "After everything we have gone through. We spent thirteen years under the evil queen's curse."

"Emma broke the curse." Nick reminds her.

"We finally find our father, only to lose him again."

"But Regina took us in and showed us the real side of her."

"You guys go to Neverland and you switch bodies with Peter Pan."

"Mr. Gold defeats Pan and saved us all."

"But Pan's curse enacts and Emma and Avia are sent away to save Avia's life and they lose a year of their memories." Karley continues.

Nick rolls his eyes. "And they come back and Avia breaks the curse, and Mom defeats the wicked witch."

"Then Emma and Avia go through a portal to the past and returns with Elsa and Robin Hood's wife, who we all thought was dead, and they break up Regina and Robin."

Nick nods his head to the two still hugging. "And, yet, that still doesn't keep them apart."

"Only because his wife is frozen. But, don't you see it, Nick. We are destined for bad luck." Karley tells him. "Another curse has enacted and if it doesn't kill us, our best friend will. Avia's life is on the line and there's nothing neither one of us can do about it."

"And don't you see it, Karley?" Nick asks. "Nothing ever stays cursed for long. Emma and Elsa are going to figure out a way to fix all of this. Emma is the savior after all."

Karley rolls her eyes. "That doesn't mean Emma can't be defeated. Emma is powerful, but you've heard what everyone has said. Avia is powerful, too. She holds our lives in her hands."

"Only if she turns." Nick points out.

"And once this spell hits her, she will. She won't have a choice, Nick."


Elsa exits Gold's shop with Anna's necklace in tow while Emma follows.

"Okay." Emma holds out the locator potion. "Here you go." Elsa places the necklace into the palm of her hand as Emma pours the potion on top. The necklace immediately begins to glow. "Hah!"

"Is it supposed to do that?" Elsa asks.

"Yeah. I know this spell. It gets brighter as you get closer to your goal. It's how my parents found each other."

Elsa holds out the necklace in front of her and it begins pointing in all different directions. "Did you see that?" Elsa asks, excitingly, seeing the necklace glow brighter at one point. "That means it found her, right? She's out there?"

"Yeah. Come on. Don't stand here. Let's keep going." Emma encourages.

They continue to walk further down the street, following the glow of the necklace in Elsa's hand, and quickly find that it wants them to go into the library. "The library?" Elsa questions, bewildered. "But I've been inside before, and Anna wasn't here."

"The library's, well, a funny place. There are all these tunnels underneath."

"You think she could be down there?"

"Regina kept a whole dragon under there for thirteen years." Emma tells her. "I'm sure you can fit a small princess, too."

"Yes. Frozen by the Snow Queen. That's why we never found Anna." Elsa walks into the library. "But now we will."


Arendelle...

"Wait!" Anna yells as she and Kristoff run through the woods. "Stop! Too much running."

They both stop, panting out of breath. "Okay." Kristoff coughs. "I don't hear eight enormous feet, so I think we lost them."

"Great. So, now, we just need to get that urn back."

"Call me crazy, but I really don't want to face an evil wizard." Kristoff tells her.

"I never said 'evil.'" Anna exclaims. Kristoff narrows his eyes at his fiance. "I mean, he is, but - " She gasps. "Oh! I have a plan. Right before I left, I read Mother's diary. The one Elsa found, looking for clues. There was something they were looking for called a wishing star."

"What's that?"

"I have no idea. But the important thing is, you can wish on it. I'm sure they were gonna use it to take Elsa's power." Anna states, unhappily. "But maybe we can use it to wish Elsa back to us."

"Well, obviously they never got it because... Elsa... Powers..." He mocks.

"Right. They tracked it to a pirate named Blackbeard. But there's no record they ever met with him, but we can."

"Oh. So, my choices are evil wizard or pirate?" Kristoff asks, sarcastically.

"Pirates are better than wizards." Anna glares.

"Says who?"

"You can pay off pirates." Kristoff laughs. "You and I are rich in many ways, but the thing we're richest in is riches." Anna points out. "So, let's take the power of the royal treasury and go buy ourselves a wishing thing. We can use it to rescue Elsa, and she can save Arendelle."


Storybrooke / Present...

Elsa and Emma are making their way through the town mines, which, partially, runs beneath the library. They are still following the glowing light of the necklace. When they turn the corner, the necklace grows brighter.

"It's brighter." Elsa states. "There!" She points. They both run to a dead end; just a wall of solid rock. "What?" Elsa gasps. "No. How can there be a barrier? Look how bright the glow is. She must be practically right on the other side. Anna, are you there?"

They step closer to get a better look. "Look at this dust." Emma notices. "It just recently fell. All the new ice spiking and earth shaking that the Snow Queen's been doing must've caused it."

Determined, Elsa stands back. "I can move this."

"No, Elsa, stop." Emma says, quickly. "As much as I enjoyed our last cave-in, I don't want to do it again."

"But she's right there!"

"Then we'll find another way."


Enchanted Forest...

Anna and Kristoff step off a boat and onto the docks, stretching their limbs.

"That was the slowest boat ride ever." Anna comments. She then spots the Jolly Roger ported beside them. "Oh. That must be Blackbeard's ship. Okay, now we need to find a crewman and tell him we wanna meet with Blackbeard because he has something we're willing to pay anything for." She explains as they walk towards the ship.

"Ah, someone is playing my song." They look forward as Blackbeard himself emerges from the ship, chuckling. "I'm Captain Blackbeard." Anna and Kristoff smile at one another. "Come aboard."

"I'm trying to find my sister, and you have a certain sculpture that can help me do that." Anna explains.

"And we wanna buy it." Kristoff adds.

"Sculpture?" Blackbeard questions.

"The wishing star?" Anna says, slightly unsure.

"Ah, yes. The wishing star." He turns around, looking out into the sea. "For the right price, it's yours."

"And what is the right price?" Kristoff asks.

Blackbeard turns back to the couple. "My weight in gold."

"So, if it's not delicate, how much...tonnage? What would you say you weigh, sir?" Anna asks, receiving a blank stare from the pirate. "Oh, never mind. It's fine." She laughs, nervously. "Sold! I mean, bought." Blackbeard turns away as Anna turns to Kristoff. "See." She says in a lowered voice. "Look, things are going so nicely. I told you if we just keep the faith, everything's gonna work out."

"And I told you that pirates were easier to deal with than wizards." Kristoff reminds her.

Anna scoffs. "Hey, I told you that."

"And no one asked me at all." Hans interrupts, stepping up behind them with his brothers, shocking them both.

"He did it again." Anna utters as they get surrounded by not only Hans and his brothers, but the pirates on the ship as well.


Storybrooke...

Inside the library, Leroy is staring down at the map of the mines as everyone else is gathered around him.

"Sure, me and the guys can clear the tunnel." He tells them. "We'll have to work careful, but we can do it."

David's cell phone rings. "Let's go now." Elsa insists.

"Excuse me." David walks away to answer his phone.

"Look at this mess." Regina complains. "A good Mayor checks that these things are kept up to code."

"Yeah, well, if the Mayor only has to worry about one villain, and it's herself, - " Snow retorts. " - that frees up a lot of time for infrastructure. I've had other issues."

"Leroy, how long to clear the passage?" Emma asks.

"Couple of hours, maybe." Leroy guesses. "We can get right on it."

"That's wonderful." Elsa says.

"We don't have a couple hours." Regina reminds them. "Have you guys not been watching the clock? It'll be sundown before you munchkins finish."

"Dwarfs, sister." Leroy argues.

"Like I care. Let's just blast through and take the risk."

"That was Belle over at the diner." David says as he walks back over. "It turns out they can possibly make the counterspell even if we don't find Anna. They can pull the mirror dust out of the necklace and try to use that."

"It's exactly the same?" Snow asks.

"Almost. It'll take a little longer. The process is difficult and - " David glances at Elsa. " - it will destroy the necklace."

Elsa looks devastated. "So, the necklace can either save all of us or Anna." Emma assumes.

"No. It can do both." Elsa argues. "We have time."

"Ah!" Towards the front of the library, Avia suddenly yells out in pain, clutching her head in pain. Nick and Karley jump up from their chairs and hurry over to her.

"Avia?!" Nick shouts.

Snow, David, and Emma run over. "Avia, what happened?" Snow exclaims.

"It's hurts." Avia groans, squeezing her eyes shut as the pain continues to shoot through her head. "I can't - AH!"

"We don't have time." Regina comments,pointing towards Avia. "The Snow Queen is wasting no time. Once Avia is hit with the spell, we won't have time to save ourselves, let alone your sister. Exploring these tunnels could take days."

"So, what'll it be, folks?" Leroy asks.

Emma shares a look with her parents before looking down at Avia who is huddled into David's chest.


Making their way down the street, Rumple and Killian, who is holding on to the sorcerer's hat, make their way towards Granny's Diner.

"Go around the back and wait." Rumple instructs the pirate. "You'll know when you're needed." Killian walks around back while Rumple makes his way inside where Belle, Mother Superior, a.k.a Blue, and the rest of the fairies are working on the counterspell.

"What do you want?" Blue asks him, displeased to see the Dark One.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to borrow my wife." Rumple walks through the fairies and over to a confused Belle.

In the back of the diner, Killian walks in, holding the hat close to him as he listens to Belle argue with Rumple.

"She's working." Blue tells him. After what everyone had heard Rumple apparently tried to do to Avia and Emma, they all tried to stay clear of him. "We need her."

"I'm not going with you, Rumple." Belle says, defiantly. "We've already been through this. After what you did to Avia and Emma - How can you even think I'd want to be around you?"

"I was doing what I had to do to protect you, Belle. To protect this town. They were not going to be hurt." He tries to assure her. "They would be together and safe. I was not trying to kill her. I'm not like that anymore, Belle. You know this."

Belle folds her arms, shaking her head. "How can I believe anything you say right now? If you want to save us, then I need to stay here. This is too important."

"Fine." Rumple reluctantly agrees. "I can prove it to you. Let me help - the right way."

Blue walks over wearily over to the couple. "This is light magic, Dark One."

"Well, then maybe I'll learn something." He smiles.


At the library, Elsa is staring teary-eyed at the glowing necklace while the others are in the back still trying to decide on what to do.

"This shouldn't even be a conversation." Regina angrily tells them. "If we don't get the necklace to the fairies right now, we and all our loved ones will be hit by this vicious spell." David looks down at his daughter who is sitting on Snow's lap, resting her head against her mother's shoulder. "It's one woman's life versus a whole town."

"Maybe we just haven't found an option where we don't have to lose anyone." Emma suggests.

"Mm, you're talking like a hero." Snow commends her daughter, yet she couldn't help but sound frustrated. She was about to lose her entire family yet again from another curse. So, she was finding it a little hard to stay positive.

"Yes, like all you Charmings always do." Regina says. "But right now that's not your job. You're more than heroes. You're leaders, which means making the tough choice where someone has to lose, and you have to say who."

Avia hand begins to shake while sparks shoot through her fingertips. Snow pulls back, frightened by what's happening to her daughter. Emma hurries over and kneels down. "Hey. Hey. Avia." Emma says, running her hand down her sister's warm face. "You're okay."

Avia's hand stops sparking at the sound of Emma's voice. Snow sighs, running her hand down Avia's cheek as she looks down at her oldest. "I agree with Regina." She turns back up to Regina. "You're right."

Regina is taken aback by this, giving Emma a look. Emma stands up, shocked as well. "Yeah, I heard it, too."

"We need to do what's best for the most people." Snow continues. "We need to give this town its best chance." Avia groans in slight pain, squirming in her mother's arms. Snow squeezes her close. "We have to stop this, Emma."

David looks up at his daughter. "I'm so sorry, but we have to let the fairies destroy that necklace." Emma hesitates, knowing they're right. She looks over at where Elsa is standing and slowly approaches her to break the news while the others watch. "This can't be easy." He whispers.

Elsa begins to cry as she hands over her pouch to Emma. Emma walks over and hands it to her father.

Elsa walks away and into the elevator, revealing the glowing necklace that she still has in her hand. She stares down at it, knowing she's betrayed her friend, but she has to save her sister. She uses her magic to close the elevator doors and begins to descend.


At the diner, Emma rushes inside with Snow, David, who is carrying Avia, Regina, and Karley and Nick.

"The necklace." Belle exclaims, happily. "Do you have it?"

"It's right here." Emma hands Belle the pouch.

David looks in the corner to find Rumple sitting at one of the chairs. "What the hell are you doing here?" He growls.

Rumple shrugs. "Helping."

"After you just tried to kill my daughters!?" David tries to rush towards him, but Snow grabs onto his arm, stopping him.

"David." David looks down at Avia, who is barely awake in his arms.

"You've got it all wrong." Rumple says, simply. "I was just trying to save her. You'll soon come to realize that."

"What the hell does that mean?" Emma wonders.

In the back of the diner, Killian is still waiting, listening. He hears Emma has entered the diner and closes his eyes in worry, hoping Rumple won't make him hurt her.

Blue opens the pouch excitingly as everyone waits. She empties the contents into her hand, but the pouch contains nothing but pebbles from the mines.

"She tricked us." Regina says, looking as shocked as everyone else. "She tricked us so she can use it to keep tracking down her damn sister!"

"We should go back and get it." Emma says.

"No, it's too late." Belle tells her.

"Too late?" Snow exclaims. "Already!?"

Belle shrugs. "By the time you get back here, yes. Without Anna being here physically, there's no way to make a counterspell in time."

"Time for a hope speech?" Regina asks Snow sarcastically. "Virtues of blind faith?"

"Well, it seems Elsa's blind faith is exactly what's screwing us right now."

Regina looks surprised by Snow's attitude. "Coming from you, that's just terrifying."

"Well, I'm not giving up." Emma tells them. "I know she's down in the mines looking for Anna. I'm gonna help Elsa find her."

"Well, then go, because right now that's our only shot." David encourages.

"You have to lock me up." Avia whispers.

Snow walks over to her daughter, shushing her. "Hey. We're not locking anyone up right now." She feels Avia's forehead and quickly pulls back. "She's burning up."

"She's right. By the time Emma and Elsa return, it may be too late." Blue tells them. "We should find a safe place for the princess, and for us."

David and Snow look at one another with worry before glancing down at their daughter. The last thing they wanted to do was lock their little girl up. They were hoping to save her before the curse hit, but it seems the Snow Queen has other plans for their girl.

Rumple continues watching the group from the sidelines, running out of patience.


Down in the mines, Elsa rushes through, clutching Anna's necklace, which glows brighter as she approaches the barrier from earlier.

Inside the library, Emma steps inside the elevator and descends down into the mines. Once she hits ground, she opens the elevator, running out. "Elsa!" Emma starts running to the Ice Queen.

"I'm sorry!" Elsa calls out, hearing Emma. "I have to try this!" She aims her arms out and shoots a blast of her ice magic at the stone wall. Emma runs up beside her, watching as the rocks begin to crumble, and, soon enough, leaving nothing but a huge hole.

Emma follows Elsa through the hole. "The beach? The map couldn't have been any more wrong."

Elsa looks around in complete confusion. "I don't understand. She should be here."

"Elsa, I'm sorry. Magic isn't always perfect." Emma stresses, knowing they are running out of time.

Elsa looks down at the necklace. "So, even though it's still glowing, because she's not here, it means - "

"The search is over." Emma finishes. "Thirty years is a long time."

"You think something's happened to her, and this has all been a mistake?" Elsa asks.

"I think we need to deal with the problem in front of us right now. I'm sorry."


Enchanted Forest...

"How do you keep doing that?" Anna asks Hans as he and his brothers close in on herself and Kristoff.

"You didn't exactly leave inconspicuously." Hans tells her. "A paid informant on the docks in Arendelle and the swiftest ship in the Navy got us here. Just in time."

Anna looks around, realizing that Blackbeard and the rest of the pirates were in on this, too. "This was a trap?" Han's brothers, Franz and Jurgen, proceed to bind their wrists behind their backs. "We have a deal!" She shouts at Blackbeard. "Something about... what, well over two hundred pounds of gold."

Blackbeard laughs as he steps closer to Anna. "You know, when you're angry, you look so much like your mother." He says, caressing her cheek.

"Wait. You met my mother?" Anna questions, angrily, pulling away from his touch.

"And your dear papa as well. A very regal couple. The fact that they thought I wouldn't recognize royalty was charmingly naive of them. Honestly, I liked them." He adds. "Sold them the star at cost, actually."

"The wishing star?" Kristoff asks, confused.

"That doesn't make sense." Anna says. "If they had it, they would've used it to take away Elsa's magic."

"Oh, well, perhaps they didn't know that the wishing star can only be used by those with pure hearts." Blackbeard states sternly.

But Anna was not willing to give up. "Well, if there's another one, we're still interested, and we can pay just as much as he can."

"Can you?" Hans asks, curiously. "Because my brothers and I spent Wednesday rolling around on the money in the royal treasury." He laughs, along with his brothers.

Anna scowls, disgusted. "You rolled around in gold bars? Weird. And ouch."

"Figure of speech. We reveled in it. The point is, it's now in my control, not yours. You're what they call penniless. But that doesn't matter - " He tosses a pouch of gold over to Blackbeard. " - because where you're going, you don't need money."

"Where is that?"

Hans steps closer to Anna, leaning menacingly into her. "Death."

"I'm not sure that's a place." Kristoff points out as Anna stands with worry.

Annoyed, Hans turns to him. "Well, you're both about to find out."

Hans, his brothers, and the pirates draw out their swords and aim them at the royals' throats.


At the edge of the Jolly Roger, Anna and Kristoff are being held by Hans' brothers, while Hans stands before them.

"This is the treacherous area known as Poseidon's Boneyard - the exact spot where your parents' ship went down." Hans explains. "How fitting that mother and daughter will have their last regrets in the same place. Will you both die, wishing you'd never tried to help your freak sister?" He walks behind them, wrapping his arms around both their shoulders. "Well, maybe your bones will mingle with your mother's on the bottom of the sea."

"Bring forward the trunk!" Blackbeard calls out. The pirates bring over the large trunk, placing it in front of Anna and Kristoff, at the edge of the ship.

"There's a trunk?" Hans asks, unaware of this plan. "How will their bones mingle if she's in a trunk?"

"I once had a rival who made me walk the plank." Blackbeard explains. "And much to my surprise, I was saved by a mermaid. I applied the lesson. This trunk will make sure you die without 'finterferance.'" He jokes, causing the entire crew to belt out in laughter.

"Elsa's gonna get out of that urn, - " Anna states, furiously. " - and when she does, she's gonna take back the kingdom and kick you and your brothers back to the Southern Isles, which sounds lovelier than I bet it actually is!"

The brothers force Kristoff and Anna into the trunk, as Hans stands amused. "I doubt that. I control the royal navy, the vast armies, and even this enchanted ship you're about to be thrown off - the Jolly Roger. And if Elsa hasn't found a way to escape an urn in the last thirty years, I doubt she ever will."

"Wait." Anna gasps, shocked. "What? Thirty years?"

"The spell that froze Arendelle, it had us all frozen for thirty years." Hans says, though it's obvious.

"My aunt kept us like that for decades?" Anna realizes. "Elsa. My poor sister. She was stuck in an urn all that time!"

"Why would Ingrid unfreeze us all right now?" Kristoff wonders.

"Because she wants to do something worse. We have to get to Elsa. We have to stop whatever it is Ingrid - "

Hans slams the trunk closed. "She's so talky." He grimaces.

"Men!" Blackbeard orders.

The pirates picks up the trunk containing Kristoff and Anna and tosses it overboard, into the water. Hans watches joyously as it sinks into the bottom of the ocean.


Storybrooke...

Elsa continues to stare down at the glowing necklace as she and Emma make their way across the beach.

"I'm sorry, Emma, but I still have faith." Elsa says, determined. "I still believe she's - " Elsa stops suddenly.

"What?" Emma asks.

"It stopped glowing."

"I'm sorry."

"She's really gone." Elsa utters, devastated.


Enchanted Forest...

At the bottom of the ocean, the ship that Queen Gerda and her husband had died on, is seen not far from the trunk containing Anna and Kristoff, who are struggling to free themselves as water flows through the cracks of the trunk.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute." Kristoff says. "There's a nail back there." He situates his wrists so that the rope is hitting the nail. "Okay, I think I can get through the ropes."

"Help!" Anna screams. "Help!"


Storybrooke...

"This was my present for Anna for her wedding." Elsa says, sadly, looking down delicately at the no-longer glowing necklace. "It was among my mother's things, but to us, it was new. And I turned it into the last gift I ever gave her."

"Elsa, I'm so sorry, but it's almost sundown." Emma says, impatiently. She looks behind her at the cloud approaching. "That cloud is gonna hit any time. We have to go. Everyone's gonna turn on each other, and something tells me that being immune to the curse is not gonna stop them from attacking us."

"I failed." Elsa utters. "I deserve to be attacked." Elsa begins to cry even harder than before "This is all I have left of Anna. Now I'll never know what happened to her."

"But it can still save Avia and give us enough time to find out."

Elsa looks up at Emma, knowing she's right.


Enchanted Forest...

"Come on. Come on!" Kristoff shouts out in frustration as he continues to try and free himself. He continues to pull and pull until, soon enough, the ropes shed and his hands are free. He begins to laugh, looking at his distraught fiance. "Look! Look!" He shows Anna his free hands. "I got my hands out. Okay. I'm gonna untie you. Alright? Okay, come here. Come on." Kristoff pulls Anna to him. He holds his breath and goes under the water to untie her. After doing so, he floats back up." Okay. Okay, come here." Anna seems to barely notice what is happening, crying out of fear. "Come here." He pulls Anna to him as the water continues to rise.

Anna places her free hands upon his face. "I, Anna of Arendelle, promise to love and cherish you."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Kristoff stops her. "Stop. What are you doing?"

"Marrying you before we die." Anna cries.

Kristoff shakes his head, refusing to do this. Not here. Not now. "No."

"What?"

"You don't get to marry me unless we get out of this. Okay? Just keep your chin up and breathe. Okay?"

Beyond scared, the couple embrace, allowing the water to continue to rise above them.


Storybrooke...

Elsa continues to clutch Anna's necklace with both hands and holds it close to her heart as she stares out into the sea.

"Anna, wherever you are, whatever happened to you all those years ago, I'm so sorry I didn't find you." She whispers. Emma turns around her upon hearing this. "I still have faith. I know you're out there somewhere. I won't give up hope. I just wish - I wish you were with me now."

A mysterious noise emanates as Emma approaches Elsa. "Elsa, come on." Suddenly, the necklace once again starts to glow and a giant burst of blue magic shoots out. Both of them look around in confusion, hearing a strange gust of wind. "Something's happening."

"Do you think it's my aunt's spell?" Elsa asks.

"I don't know."


Enchanted Forest...

In the ocean, the trunk is entirely filled and Anna and Kristoff are forced to swim to the very top if they want to avoid drowning for however long they have. They begin to gasps for as much air as they can.

"Come on." Kristoff helps Anna stay afloat. "Come on. Come on. Come on. I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two intertwine hands, readying themselves for what's to come. But, suddenly, the water begins to rush and bubble, and then swirl around them. They both begin to panic as they begin to spin around one another and a golden light takes them in and -


Storybrooke...

Emma and Elsa watch as part of the sea begins to swirl, opening a portal. "What is that?" Elsa asks.

A bright light flashes and a burst of magic comes with it, knocking both Emma and Elsa off their feet. They slowly sit up from the impact to find a trunk has washed ashore. Suddenly, it opens and Anna and Kristoff sit up, coughing up the seawater they swallowed.

Emma and Elsa slowly rise to their feet, shocked by what they seeing. "Anna?" Elsa is finally able to get out. Anna looks up, looking just as surprised to see her sister. "Anna!" Elsa then runs full speed to her sister, bringing her into a hug.

"Elsa!" Anna exclaims.

"Anna! Oh! I couldn't find you!"

"I was looking for you! I put you in an urn!"

"You missed your wedding!"

Kristoff steps up and Elsa immediately brings him into the hug. "It's okay! We're here!"

"But you're still young!"

"We were frozen!"

"For thirty years, apparently." Kristoff adds.

"How did you get here!?" Elsa shouts.

Emma was still standing behind them, still taking in what happened in. "It's like you wished it." She says, looking at the necklace.

Anna turns to Emma. "My necklace. It was the wishing star!"

"This is an amazing miracle." Kristoff laughs. "But it is a cold miracle, and we're all wet, so - "

"Yes." Emma agrees. "If we can get Anna back to the fairies right away, she might be able to stop the spell."

As the sisters continue to embrace, back into the sea a barnacle-message bottle floats up, having come through the portal along with them. But no one has seemed to notice.


At the hospital, down in the basement where Regina had once kept Belle, Avia is now lying in a bed with Snow sitting beside her with tears in her eyes. David walks in, placing his phone into his pocket.

"Anna is on her way." He says, happily.

Avia looks out the small window, seeing the clouds grow darker. "It's too late." She says, weakly. "You have to go."

"It may not be, Avia. We may get through this." David tells her as he sits on the other side of her.

Avia's hand flinches as the sparks grow brighter. She shakes her head as pain rises through her chest. "No." She mumbles. "You have to go. You have to leave me... again."

Tears fall freely from Snow's eyes as she leans down, resting her cheek against Avia's. "We are never going to leave you, baby. We will defeat the Snow Queen and we will come right back to you. Do you hear me?"

As tears fall from her own eyes, Avia looks helplessly at her parents. "You're the best parents ever. I love you, guys."

Snow and David lean down, placing a long kiss on either of Avia's cheeks. "We love you so much, sweetheart."

"You're our princess." David tells her. "Always remember that."

As a small smile escapes Avia's lips, suddenly she jumps up, grabbing onto her head. She screams, causing Snow and David to back up. "Avia." Snow panics.

"It's starting!" Avia cries out.

They watch as the veins in Avia's hands and forehead become more visible than usual - turning a slight dark purple. "Snow - " David utters, realizing what's happening. " - We need to go."

"I can't leave her like this, David." Snow cries.

David wraps his arms around Snow, attempting to lead her out. Avia's head shoots up and she makes eye contact with her mother. "Mommy - " She sounded so weak and scared. "Please don't leave me here." But there was something eerie about her voice.

"Avia..." Snow gasps.

"This isn't our daughter right now, Snow. We have to go." David forces Snow out of the room.

"Daddy!" Avia screams just as he slams the door shut. They look into the small window of the door as Avia falls back onto the bed, the Snow Queen's curse on Avia slowly taking its form.

Avia lets out a curling scream just as David locks the door. He grabs a reluctant Snow and runs out of the basement of the hospital.


At the diner, Belle walks up to Rumple.

"Anna is on her way. Do you really think they can do it?" Belle asks, looking around at the hardworking fairies.

Rumple grabs Belle's hand. "Perhaps. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's never trust a fairy. Come. Let's get you someplace safe - Just in case."

Rumple opens the door for Belle and before following, he looks to the back where Killian is still waiting, giving a gentle nod to the pirate.

Killian is still clutching the sorcerer's hat, knowing what he has to do now and hating that he has to do it.


The storm cloud continues to spread over Storybrooke's sky, nearly completing, as Emma, Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff make their way towards the diner.

"So, this spell can't affect Anna because it already got her once?" Kristoff asks, trying to understand.

"Exactly." Emma confirms.

"And the two of you?" Anna asks.

"We're immune. It's a long story. We just gotta hurry."

"What a funny-looking world." Anna whispers to Elsa.

"Right!?" Elsa exclaims, smiling.


Inside the diner, Blue adds a pinch of a magical substance into a mix, before pouring a blue liquid after. Suddenly, screams are heard and bright flashes are seen as Blue's fairies begin running around the diner in a panic. Blue is confused and ducks behind the counter, watching as each of her fairies get sucked away. She begins to crawl away behind the other counter, but when she attempts to escape, Killian steps in front of her, stopping her.

"I'm sorry. I truly am." Killian aims the sorcerer's hat at her and sucks her into the magical vortex.


As the cloud whistles in the background, Emma rushes into the diner, followed closely by Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff. But they all stand in confusion when they see that everything is destroyed and not a fairy in sight.

"What happened here?" Elsa asks.

"What do you think?" Emma asks, knowingly. "The Snow Queen."

"What does this mean?" Anna asks.

"It mean that even with you here, we can't protect everyone."

"So, what do we do now?" Elsa asks.

"Prepare for the worst."

As the cloud rumbles, down below, hiding, Killian is sitting, crying to himself for what he was forced to do while the others leave the diner.


Belle and Rumple make their way into the shop as the cloud continues to rumble as lightening displays.

"You'll be safe in here." He tells her.

"So, you can keep the spell out?" Belle asks.

"No, but we must be separated. As Dark One, I may be immune to the spell, but you can still hurt me. Go inside and stay in the back room. I'm gonna seal it with a protection spell so no one can get to you."

"Okay. And where are you going to go?"

"I will help secure the others. But I'll be back soon, and then we're gonna be together and we're gonna be fine." Rumple assures her.

Belle smiles. "You really are trying to help."

"I told you, I would never hurt you. Not again." Rumple brings Belle into a hug before allowing her to make her way inside the shop. He waves his hand, enacting the protection spell over the building. Killian then walks up, holding out the hatbox. "Is it done?"

The pirate ignores his question, narrowing his eyes at the door Belle just went through. "You know, she truly loves you. You could have her forever, or all the power in the world. It's your choice."

"I don't need to choose, thank you." Rumple snatches the hatbox from Killian's hand. "I can and will have both."

"Now that it's settled, are we done?" Killian asks, furiously.

"No, no. I'm not gonna give up control of you just yet, not until I have everything I need."

"What's left?"

"That's my concern, not yours. But by morning, all should be complete, including your life. Now run along, dearie, and enjoy your last day in this or any land." Rumple threatens before he walks away leaving Killian standing in fear.


"Mom, Dad, we're running out of time." Emma says, nervously, as she and the rest of the group walk into the sheriff's station. "You said you had a plan."

David sees Kristoff and Anna, recognizing them immediately. "Kristoff?"

"David?" Kristoff says, happy to see his old friend.

"You cut your hair."

"So did you!" Kristoff laughs, hugging his friend.

"I see you brought your lovely fiance. Joan?" David teases.

"Joan?" Kristoff questions, looking at Anna.

"It was a code name." Anna says, sheepishly. "David, I like your short hair. Not that I didn't like it long or that I thought it was - It's good to see you."

David chuckles, hugging her. "Likewise. This is my wife Snow, and our son Neal, and our daughter Emma."

Anna looks confused. "Wait. What? How can she be your daughter?"

"It's a long story." Emma tells her. "Once we survive this curse, I'll be happy to tell you all about it. Where's Avia?"

"Our other daughter." David informs Anna.

Snow sighs. "She is in the hospital basement."

Emma frowns. "Wait. What? That was your plan?"

"No." With Neal still in her arms, Snow grabs the keys from the desk. "No. This is the plan."

"What?"

Snow steps in front of one of the jail cells as David steps into the other. "You and Anna and Elsa are the only ones immune, so the rest of us need to protect ourselves. We placed your sister in the basement, but we aren't sure how long that'll last. The curse the Snow Queen placed on Avia is already forming. The basement may not hold her for long once the spell takes place." Snow explains.

"You might wanna try that desk, old friend." David tells Kristoff. "It's sturdy. Cuff keys are in the top drawer."

Elsa follows his instructions as Emma stares at her mother, who is holding out the keys to her. "I'm not locking you in there." Emma declaims.

"Yes, you have to." Snow insists, not liking this just as much as her daughter.

"We won't be able to hurt anyone from in here." David explains.

"Take the keys, Emma." Snow urges as Elsa handcuffs her future brother-in-law to the desk.

Emma begins to panic. "I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know how long it's gonna last. I don't know what's gonna happen to me. I don't know if I'll be able to save Avia. What if she comes after you before I can get to her? What if you starve in there before she does?"

"No, Emma, you're gonna fix this thing, and then you're gonna come back and save us." Snow assures her daughter.

"We believe in you." David tells her.

"Please." Snow begs with tearful eyes.

With tears streaming down her face, Emma slowly steps up, obeying her mother and takes the keys. She begins to lock her father in his cell first. "What about the baby?"

"No, don't worry." David tells her. "Neal won't be with us."

"Who's gonna take him?"

Crying heavily, Snow once again entrusts her oldest with another one of her siblings. "You are." She whispers as she places baby Neal into Emma's arms. Snow steps inside her cell, closing the door. "We don't fear your magic, Emma. We don't even fear Avia's because we know you both are good. With your magic together you will get through to your sister and you will take on the Snow Queen and win."

"And when you do, you'll be right back here, you and Avia both, unlocking these doors." David adds.

"You have wonderful parents, Emma." Elsa smiles.

Emma turns to Elsa, her voice breaking. "I know."

Killian walks in. "Swan? A word."

"Elsa, can you hold my brother?" Elsa obliges and takes the baby from Emma's arms as Snow and David watch on with tears streaming down. "What are you doing here?" Emma asks as she approaches Killian. "You know what's about to happen."

"Aye." He says. "I know. I just needed to see you. Before I chained myself to the dock for the protection of all, I needed to see you one more time."

Emma begins to cry more, still in a panic. "Killian, I'm not a tearful goodbye kiss person." She looks longingly into his eyes. "But maybe just this once." She pulls him in, kissing the pirate with passion and sorrow, hugging him close as the storm cloud rages outside.

"Goodbye." Killian takes one last look at her before he slips out.

Placing her finger onto her lips, she realizes something strange in their kiss. But she quickly ignores it, having no time to wallow. Emma takes a deep breath and walks back over to the cells. "Okay." She takes her brother from Elsa, while Kristoff looks towards the window.

"Not long now." He states.

Anna walks up to the window, watching as the spell heads their way. "Looks like one more adventure together."

Emma turns to her mother, who turns to her as well and nods. "Here it comes." Snow says with a heavy heart. She and David join hands through the bars of their cells and await their fate.


Inside the mayor's office, with Nick and Karley at her sides, she rushes them into a room.

"Nick, Karley, I am so sorry." She apologizes to her children. "I should have stayed focused on our plan to find the author, but Robin Hood - " Regina sighs, heavily. "I let my heart pull me elsewhere."

"It's not over, Mom." Nick says as he smiles at his sister.

Regina looks confused. "Emma and Elsa are going to fix this." Karley assures her. "You will be happy."

"We'll all be happy."

"First, we have to survive." Regina tells them. "Now listen to me carefully. Nicholas, you are going to stay in this room and, Karley, you are going to go into the other room across the hall. I'm going to seal this place. You're both going to be locked in, but more importantly, everyone else will be locked out."

"We understand." Karley nods.

"Don't be scared." Regina tells them, although fear was evident on her face having to leave them.

Nick and Karley grin at one another. "We're not." Nick assures her.

Regina sighs, bringing them both into her arms. "I wish I was as brave as the two of you."

They pull back smiling at Regina. "We're brave because of you." Karley says, putting a smile on Regina's face.

"Now, go." Nick urges. "We'll be okay."

Regina grabs Karley's hand and leads her to the other room. "See you on the other side, bro." Karley jokes.

Nick just laughs. Both kids stand inside their rooms as Regina stands in the middle of the hall with tears in her eyes, looking at them both. "I love you both so much."

"I love you, too, Mom." Nick tells her.

"Thanks for never giving up on us." Karley says, sincerely. "I love you, too."

Regina chokes back a sob as she waves both hands in the air, causing each door to slam shut, locking her kids inside, and emanating the protection spell. She starts to walk down the hall just as Robin approaches. "Where to now?" He asks her.

"My vault." She informs him. "And you need to get as far away from it as possible. It's dangerous even being around each other now." The light begins to flicker. "We're moments away." She says, fearfully.

"It's okay. Roland and Marian are locked away somewhere even I don't know. Nicholas and Karley are safe. I'll go and chain myself to a tree in a minute unless you want me to come with you." He says, desperately wanting her to say 'yes.'

"No, no, no, no, no." Regina panics. "I need to seal myself in that vault."

Robin furrows his brows. "To keep people out?"

"Oh, no. To keep me in."

"Regina, I'm not afraid of you."

Regina stares at Robin, disheartened. "But you really, really should be."

She turns away and begins to run from the Mayoral building.


Regina runs down into her vault and acts fast. She waves her hands through the air, creating an invisible, rippling wall in front of her that extends all around - a containment spell to make sure she doesn't escape.


Inside the basement of the hospital, sparks are forming throughout Avia's entire body as she moans in pain with each horrific shake her body lets out.


Snow and David continue to hold hands through the bars of their cells.

"Never let go." Snow begs her husband.

"Hey." David says, looking at her. "Don't be afraid. You know, we share a heart, and nothing can come between two halves of one heart. And we have three beautiful children who have our blood running through their veins. Nothing will ever tear this family apart. These are just precautions. No spell is strong enough to break what we have."

Snow seems comforted by his words, but not for long, because the curse creates a strong breeze inside the sheriff's station and the Charmings, along with Anna and Kristoff, look up.


The same breeze emanates through both rooms inside of the mayoral building as Karley and Nick, separated, sit at the center of their rooms, looking up.


Inside Gold's shop, Belle, with a look of dread upon her face, waits as the breeze comes through.


Out in the woods, Robin Hood is staring up at the sky in anticipation as his Merry Men rush around in the background, finding places to protect themselves.


At the docks, Killian looks up at the sky as well, not having chained himself up as he promised Emma.


Rumple stands in the middle of the street, waiting for the spell to arrive so he can further his plans.


Regina begins to pace inside her vault, anticipation rising through her body.


Standing atop the same hill, Ingrid raises her hands to the sky as her spell finally comes to. She smiles proudly at herself.


Inside the hospital basement, Rumple steps into the entryway, looking straight ahead at the flashing lights coming from Avia's room.


The storm cloud begins to cover the entire town - purple and blue thundering and flashing the sky as it begins to rain. Small, glimmering shards of mirror begin to fall down on the streets of Storybrooke coming to a complete.


At the station, Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa all appear worried, but not more than Emma, who's still holding her sleeping baby brother close in her arms. As small shards of glass make their way through the ceiling vents, Emma covers her brother for safety, while Kristoff winces and Anna and Elsa exchange a hug. Elsa covers her eyes with her hand as Anna looks towards her fiance as the mirror begins to fill his eyes.

The Charmings continue to stand in their place, holding hands and looking upwards, wincing as the mirror shards invade their vision. They stare at one another for a moment as the mirror falls directly into their eyes, forming a casing, shattering throughout. Their hands soon drift apart as they continue to start at one another, but not with the love they once had.


Inside the hospital basement, Rumple steps up to the closed door. Inside, Avia's eyes widen as mirror shards fall into her eyes. The sparks in her eyes become more prominent. She lets out a loud scream as purple magic shoots out of both her hands and into the ceiling above.

"Showtime." Rumple grins.