Fish Mooney and Blackheart stared down Ratigan, the infamous Professor of Radiant Garden. When Fish learned of the Professor's dual identity, she assumed he kept his identity a secret due to being an allegedly upstanding citizen by day. But now the bizarre truth was clear: his secret was to hide the fact that a talking rat was the mastermind behind all human crime in the city. Fish couldn't help but be impressed by that.
"So how exactly does a talking rat get an entire city wrapped around his finger?" Fish asked.
Ratigan cringed at that. "I am NOT a RAT!"
"Yes you are," Blackheart replied. "You're just like the ones my dad used to spread the bubonic plague... except cleaner and with a tailored suit."
"Do NOT call me a RAT!" Ratigan warned. "That type of slander upsets me, and bad things happen to those who upset me."
Ratigan produced a tiny bell from his coat pocket. Fish and Blackheart looked on with mild intrigue as he gave the bell a little ring. Fish suddenly became aware of the pitter patter of little feet all around them. A cursory glance around the room revealed the presence of at least three dozen rodents who looked more like the kind of rats Blackheart's father would have used for the plague than Ratigan.
"Now these are rats!" Ratigan declared. "They prey at night; they stalk at night. They're the rats! And now... ATTACK!"
Fish screamed in horror as the rats all began to jump on top of her. She desperately swatted off as many as she could, but more seemed to take their place to claw and scratch at her. The only thing her struggles accomplished was swiping off her wig and exposing her shaved head.
"Hold your breath!" Fish could barely hear Blackheart say behind the shrill squeaks of the rodent attackers.
Fish did as she was told and forced herself not to inhale. She closed her eyes without thinking about it to shield herself from the tiny claws. She felt a burning mist against her skin and dozens of rats falling limply off of her. A cold hand yanked her away from her spot and tossed her out of the room.
"You can breathe now," Blackheart said.
Fish gasped for air and finally opened her eyes. She and Blackheart were out in the sewer area, so the odor was not in any way refreshing, but Fish would take it over the onslaught of rats any day. A glance back into the Professor's room revealed the floor littered with the dead bodies of rats.
"I excreted sulfuric acid," Blackheart explained with a sick grin ever present on his face. "They took the brunt of it, but we need to get you back to the mansion and into a shower immediately before your skin dehydrates. Trust me, it'll be excruciatingly painful if it does."
"Oh I am going to kill that spiffy little rat with my bare hands and my teeth," Fish vowed as she vanished back to the Underworld through a Corridor of Darkness.
Villain's Vale was coming along nicer than Hades had expected. While still adhering to the aesthetic styles of Maleficent's previous base, this new and improved Villain's Vale was far more spacious and well constructed. Hades was so pleased with the progress being made, he allowed Russell and Steve to call it quits for the day so that they could grab a bite to eat in the nearby town. That left Hades and Jafar alone to supervise the mind controlled construction works and the Cauldron Born.
"I think it's lookin' nice, don't you, Jaffy?" Hades asked. "Like I don't wanna brag, but, hey, Malef is gonna be thrilled when she sees this!"
Jafar sneered. The reconstruction of a second rate castle was hardly what Jafar would consider an accomplishment. He was ready for a power grab of actual substance, and he was growing restless with these side detours. What were the Overtakers with nothing to overtake, after all? Surely keeping all of the eggs in the basket of the Book of Prophecies was not the wisest course of action. What surprised Jafar was how eagerly Hades indulged Maleficent's quests. That was quite strange. After all, Jafar recalled well how quickly Hades shunned Maleficent to run his own "show." Something had changed since then, and Jafar wanted to know what.
"Why exactly are you so focused on pleasing Maleficent all of the sudden?" Jafar asked. "I hardly took you for one of her mindless lackeys."
"Hey, hey, HEY! Watch it, ya stiff!" Hades warned. "The Lord of the Dead ain't nobody's lackey, mindless or otherwise. I'm doin' this for Malef because I wanna, and that's that."
Jafar looked Hades over with disgust. "Ah, so you desire her. How utterly pathetic. You do realized she'll never share her bed with you?"
"Hey, I'm a god. If I wanted a nice wham, bam, thank ya ma'am I could get it like that," Hades said with a snap of his fingers. "Malef's more than that. She's a partner with vision, and, I mean, hey, she'd make a fantastic Queen of Olympus once we get the book."
"Romance is nothing more than a distraction," Jafar replied.
Jafar's mind drifted back to that insufferably handsome street rat who thwarted his plans. Jafar knew if he'd have tried hypnotizing Aladdin, he wouldn't have been able to control himself. Jafar put his goals ahead of any simple lust, and he had to keep telling himself it was worth it.
"Distraction-shmaction," Hades said. "Doom and Loki are makin' it work. The vampire butt buddies too. Why shouldn't I get a chance, eh? I mean, sure, I kidnapped my last girlfriend and now she has an iron clad restraining order against me... But, c'mon, past in the past. Malef and I were made for each other!"
"So you say," Jafar said with a roll of his eyes.
"Uh pardon us, o' scheming ones," Pain said.
"We managed to unearth Maleficent's magic vault from the rubble," Panic said.
"Yeah, but we can't get it open to connect with the rest of the base," Pain said.
"Oy, duty calls," Hades said.
Hades and Jafar made their way over to a free standing room that had mostly survived the Heartless' destruction of the base thanks to the enchantments inherent in its door and walls. A protection spell kept the door locked to any intruders.
"Hmm, interesting," Jafar said as he examined the spell.
"Yeah, magic, boom, fun, can you open it?" Hades asked.
"Of course," Jafar replied. "But this enchantment isn't Maleficent's. Oh it's been rewoven to look like Maleficent's original spell, but the magical signature is not hers. Someone broke the spell and tried to carefully make it look as though they hadn't."
"Meaning what exactly?" Hades asked.
"Meaning we'll likely find an empty vault on the other side of the door," Jafar said.
Sure enough, once the spell was broken and the vault was opened, there was nothing inside but empty shelves where powerful magical artifacts once were.
"OH HELL NO!" Hades said, flaring up to orange. "NOBODY STEALS FROM US AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"
"Calm yourself, Hades," Jafar said. "Would this have been Xehanort's handiwork?"
Hades cooled himself back down to blue. "No, not his M.O. The guy's not a magic freak, and he'd have left the spell broken so that Malef would see that he could break her spells. Sort of a 'neener, neener, look what I can do' type of booga-booga. He's a smug old jerk like that."
"So someone who would normally not be able to cross Maleficent with impunity," Jafar said, putting the pieces together. "It seems we have a new quest here in Radiant Garden. Things may have finally gotten interesting."
Russell and Steve walked down the streets of zero district, window shopping for a tasty morsel for them to snack on. However, most of the neighborhood seemed to be keeping to themselves this evening. Russell didn't mind too much, though. It gave him some time alone with Steve to just talk.
"Over the centuries, I collected crowns from all over Europe and North Africa," Russell shared. "I had a collection no other king could dream of. Viking crowns, papal tiaras, pharaoh crowns from upper and lower Egypt. You name it, I got it."
"I think collecting is such a great hobby," Steve said. "When I was younger, I used to collect Masters of the Universe action figures. He-Man, Skeletor, I had them all. Lots of muscular guys in skimpy little outfits."
"Ha! Wonderful!" Russell chuckled. "The best kind of collection."
"Yeah, I had a pretty good sized collection," Steve said proudly. "Well, that is, until one day my father started going through my stuff. He took one look at those toys and threw them all in the trash. He said that kind of thing was 'just for fags,' and that no son of his was going to give in to 'the devil's worldly influence.'"
Russell put a sympathetic arm around Steve. "Give it a century and you won't even remember that blood bag. Trust me, I don't remember anything about my father. Besides, I highly doubt that Mephisto spends his spare time trying to corrupt the youth through pieces of plastic."
"If only my dad could see me now," Steve said. "A gay vampire dating the guy who ripped a man's spine out on national television and workin' alongside two Pagan gods. He'd shit himself."
"Well, I don't know everything about every afterlife," Russell said. "But if your father could see us right now, what'd you say to him?"
Steve stopped and thought for a second before answering.
"First I'd tell him, fuck you!" Steve said, flashing a middle finger up at the sky. "And then after that, I'd do this."
Steve pulled Russell into a passionate kiss. Steve was usually a more gentle kisser, but in this moment, his passion and certainty was coming through. Russell loved that.
"Mmm, we should show off for your daddy more often," Russell said.
"Perhaps a delicious apple for two lovers to share," an old woman called out to them from a fruit stand.
Russell and Steve shared a look once they saw the woman. Dinner. True she was practically ancient looking, hunchbacked, and hideous, but she still had a beating heart and it would do nicely.
"My boyfriend and I aren't exactly... apple people," Russell said as he and Steve approached the fruit stand.
"Oh, I see, well old granny knows just what you need," the fruit vendor said. "I receive fruits from many vast and different worlds. I have just the thing inside my cottage, if you'll follow me."
Unbelievable. She was even going to invite them in without Russell having to glamour her. Human were such fools.
"Oh! We'd be delighted to enter your home," Russell said. "With your consent, of course."
"Yes, yes, both of you, come in, come in," the vendor said, waving them into the cottage.
The two vampires followed the elderly woman into her cottage. Once they stepped in, however, the door slammed behind them. A quick glance around the room revealed shelves of grimoires, potions, and a large bubbling cauldron. On the far wall, an ornate mirror hung majestically with symbols of the zodiac decorating its edges.
"A fucking witch!" Russell yelled.
He tried to move to escape or attack the witch, but he found himself held in place. Steve also was struggling to move, but he too was caught in her spell. The old hag cackled with delight.
"A touch of necromancy," she said. "That's all it takes to hold two powerful vampires under my control."
"I will tear your fucking head off," Russell threatened. "I am friends with some very powerful people who you don't want to fuck with!"
"You know, your voice is rather grating," the witch said. "Magic Mirror on the wall, consume these fools once and for all!"
Russell growled as he and Steve were consumed by a bright flash of light and then dragged into the ornate mirror.
Sora burst into Yen Sid's chamber with Donald, Goofy, Regina, Emma, and Henry in tow. Yen Sid seemed taken aback by the new people Sora had brought with him without permission, but he quickly regained his usual composure. Riku was in the room too, and he kept avoiding Sora's glance. Sora hated that things were so awkward between them right now, but there were bigger things to worry about.
"Master Yen Sid!" Sora said. "We found out what happened to your apprentice. This guy called the Dark One sucked him into a magical hat."
Sora gestured for Regina to bring the hat forth, and she did so, setting the small round box on Yen Sid's desk. Yen Sid waved his hand over the box, and a glowing conical hat that seemed to be a galaxy unto itself emerged from within. With a gesture from Yen Sid, the hat began to levitate and glow, and from a flash of white light, an old man dressed in red emerged. The Apprentice.
"Thank you Master," the Apprentice said with a bow and a warm smile. "And thank you very much, dear friends of the light, for finding me and helping to get the hat back to Master Yen Sid."
"Every Dark One tries to obtain the hat's powers," Yen Sid said. "I apologize for putting you in such danger. I should have foreseen one of them getting this far."
"You knew about the Dark One?" Sora asked.
"Yes, indeed," Yen Sid nodded. "You are aware of the fairytale about the beginning of the worlds, are you not?"
"Yeah," Sora nodded. "Back in the beginning there was only light, but then people started fighting over it and that made the darkness come. But then light survived in the hearts of children, and they restored the worlds even though they were separate."
Emma, Regina, and Henry absorbed this story for the very first time. It sounded like any other creation myth they'd encountered, but they all knew well not to discount the power of a story.
"Correct," Yen Sid said. "But that original darkness was potent and evil. Those hearts of light who restored the world could not fully extinguish it. So they tethered that darkness to a human soul who could be controlled by a magical dagger. And so the first Dark One was born."
"So... Rumple has inside of him the very first darkness?" Regina asked.
"That is correct," Yen Sid nodded. "It is quite miraculous he has been the Dark One for as long as he has without having completely succumbed to its power."
"We have to help him," Henry said.
"Henry, I know he's your grandpa," Emma said. "But he's done some really bad things. He can't just hand wave responsibility like that."
"But it's not all his darkness," Henry said. "Belle's always believed there was good in him, and so did... so did dad."
Sora knew just from Henry's tone that his dad was a touchy subject and still a very fresh wound. Emma's face seemed to convey a lot of pain at the mention of him as well.
"Darkness like that... makes you do crazy things," Riku said, chiming in. "I know I couldn't have changed to be better without the people I love helping me."
Riku glanced over to Sora with a slight smile. Sora flashed a smile back. At least now Sora knew that Riku wasn't mad at him. That was something.
"Neither could I," Regina said. "You're right, Henry, we do need to help Rumple... but I have no idea where to start, shy of letting him sacrifice Hook to cleave himself from the dagger like he was planning. Even then with the whole 'Villains Don't Get Happy Endings' thing, it might be impossible."
"Perhaps not," Yen Sid suggested. "The hat can contain much magic. It has never been asked to sustain as great a quantity as that of the Dark One, but perhaps it can. If there is a chance that it can save Rumplestiltskin, then it is a chance we should take."
Everyone was in agreement. Rumple had done horrible things in his past in pursuit of power, but he deserved a chance to be free of that darkness if there was one. After all, taking crazy chances was what heroes were for.
"There was... something else I wanted to ask you about," Regina said, clutching Henry's storybook close to her chest. "I've been trying to find the Author. The book seems to only see me as a villain, and I was... hoping we could find him and show him how much I've changed, so that... he could write me a happy ending."
Yen Sid was silent for a moment before speaking. "I fear you are confused as to the nature of the Book of Prophecies. It is to record what has been and what may come to pass. Yes, it does have the power to alter fate, but that power is simply too dangerous to allow any to use."
"But... every time I get close to my happy ending, something terrible happens and ruins it," Regina explained. "Robin and I had finally gotten to a good place in our relationship when everything with Marian ruined it. I want to be able to love again like Daniel said, but every time I try, some magical force beyond my control gets in the way."
"Regina, my dear, you have my sympathies for that," Yen Sid said. "But I fear you are missing the larger picture. You have a good relationship with your son, do you not? Old enemies who have opened their homes and hearts to you to extend the hand of friendship? A town that has grown to respect you and accept you despite your past transgressions? You have many blessings in your life that constitute a happy ending, if you care to look."
Regina thought about that for a moment and looked back to Henry and Emma. They smiled back at her encouragingly and sympathetically. Things really had come so far from the days of her and Emma fighting over who Henry's real mother was. He was their son now, together, and Henry loved and believed in her like no one else had ever done before. They were happy, and maybe that was enough.
"You're right, Yen Sid," Regina said. "And I love my friends and family dearly. I just... thought that Robin was a part of that, is all. Because I was so happy when he was there and we were all together."
"Sometimes the universe has a way of telling us that what we want may not be what is best," Yen Sid explained. "I know you loved Robin Hood very much, but perhaps it was not truly meant to be. Perhaps there is another love on your horizon that you do not want to miss out on."
Though Yen Sid's words were meant for Regina, Sora knew that they were also in part for Riku. On one hand, Sora was happy with the prospect of Riku finding someone who could really make him happy. However, on the other hand, did Sora really want Riku to find someone else? And was that selfish when Sora didn't know his own feelings yet?
Rumple made his way to a small cave near Storybrooke's beach that he knew somehow connected to the mine system further down. Maleficent overestimated her usefulness to him. True, he was out of practice dealing with Key bearers, but once he obtained the hat, Rumple knew he could handle Sora without her help. In truth, keeping Maleficent around was far more of a liability than a benefit. Rumple knew what he wanted to write with the Author's powers, but whatever dark thing she was planning would almost certainly be opposed to what he wanted. The time to remove that unpredictable variable was now.
The Chernabog hung upside down from the ceiling of the cave in suspended animation, just like a bat. After being repelled by the tolls of a church bell, it was locked in a hibernative state, waiting to be reawakened to resume its search to consume the hearts with the greatest potential for darkness. With a cloaking spell over his own heart, Rumple knew that he would be safe from the Chernabog's hunger. Maleficent, Ursula, and Cruella would not be so lucky. A jolt of dark magic was all it took to cause the Hell beast to open it's glowing yellow eyes once again.
What Rumple didn't notice, however, was a dark black raven watching everything transpire from the mouth of the cave...
Sora, Donald, Goofy, Regina, Emma, Henry, and the Apprentice returned to Yen Sid's mansion in Storybrooke with the magic hat in hand. No one was really sure if Rumple would end up going along with a plan to free him from the Dark One curse, but they knew they had to try. Emma called a woman named Belle who apparently knew Rumple well to ask her to bring the dagger to the mansion. However, as the heroes were waiting in the mansion, a disturbance outside drew their attention away.
Outside the mansion were at least fifteen shadow and neoshadow Heartless. Sora, Donald, and Goofy immediately sprung into action, slicing through the lesser Heartless as they had done many times before. Emma and Regina, picking up quickly that these creatures needed to be destroyed, joined the fray with their magic. Once the dark creatures were cleared from the area, Sora turned back to his new friends.
"Those things are the Heartless," Sora said. "Maleficent probably sent them, but they usually have a big boss Heartless who summons them."
A terrible commotion seemed to be coming from the town square.
"That must be where the boss Heartless is!" Goofy said.
"Come on!" Donald said as he took off running in that direction with Sora and Goofy following suit.
"Henry, I want you to stay here with the apprentice," Emma said.
Henry frowned. "But mom, I-"
"Do what Emma says, Henry," Regina interrupted. "We'll be back as quickly as we can!"
Henry's two mothers then ran to chase after Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The Apprentice gave Henry an understanding pat on the shoulders.
"Let's go have some tea inside," the Apprentice said warmly.
"I would ask for you to put on a third cup," Rumplestiltskin said as he stepped out from his hiding place, "but I think I'll just take the hat and go. Time is of the essence."
"Grandpa!" Henry said. "Look, we might have a way to save you from being the Dark One if you'll just-"
"Henry, please," Rumple said, waving his hand dismissively. "I know you mean well, but I have everything under control. I need the power of the Dark One so that I can find the Author."
"But Yen Sid said that the Author's power was too great for anyone to use," Henry said.
"Did he now?" Rumple said. "Did he also mention that the Author's power can bring back your father?"
"It... it can?" Henry asked.
"Henry, you mustn't be tempted," the Apprentice said. "Life and death are not for us to choose. I know it's hard, but that power is too great for-"
"Yes, yes, meddling in forces and blah blah blah," Rumple interrupted. "Henry, I... we can have it all! I can use that power to keep my magic, do away with the Dark One for good, bring back Baelfire, and make sure our happy endings are never again threatened. I'm not the villain here."
"Maybe we could try... wait," Henry said, suddenly growing suspicion of his grandfather. "If you're after the Author, then why do you want the hat?"
The Apprentice answered for him. "To do away with his enemies so that he can do as he likes unopposed."
Rumple glared intensely at the Apprentice before masking his frustration behind a haughty smirk.
"I think I'll just take what I want," he said through bared teeth.
The Dark One summoned up an orb of flames in his hand to throw at the Apprentice, but the orb dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Rumple looked down at his hand puzzledly until he saw who had just arrived.
"Rumplestiltskin, I command you not to hurt them," Belle said. "And I command you not to take the hat!"