Melissa's cave.
"Get on with it, Hunter. That squid ink's going to wear off soon." Zelena said
"Jeremy, please." Melissa begged
"You took my memories. You tried to stop me from knowing the truth. And now I'm going to return the favor." Jeremy said
"By the look on your face, it would appear someone needs restraining. (Zelena puts the magic blocking cuff on Melissa.) There. No more magic for you. Now, I assume, given my helpfulness, you'll allow me to go about my business undeterred." Zelena said
"As long as you don't get in my way, I won't get in yours." Jeremy said
"I like this new you. Tell me, how does it feel to be a Dark One?" Zelena asked Jeremy
"I like it." Jeremy said
Both Jeremy and Zelena teleported out.
30 minutes later.
"Melissa! Melissa! (Regina sees Melissa lying down on the ground with the magic-blocking cuff on.) Melissa, what happened?" Emma asked her sister
"You turned Jeremy into a Dark One?" Regina asked Melissa
"I had to save him." Melissa said
"And you didn't think of the consequences to everyone else?" Regina asked again
"He's my brother. I couldn't him die. You can understand that." Melissa said
"Well, yes, but...(Regina sighs.) Now we have a bigger problem." Regina said
"I didn't think any of this would happen. I was trying to get rid of the darkness for good. You can't tell me, after all Zelena's done to you, your life wouldn't be easier if she were gone. I was doing you a favor." Melissa said
"There had to be another way. You should have come to us." Emma said
"And risk someone elses life? I thought the best way to control the darkness was to isolate myself. I was being stupid!" Melissa said
"You're being stupid. So stop it." Regina said
"We have to clean up this mess." Emma said
"No. We don't. Give us back our memories. Your dreamcatchers...We can piece together Jeremy's plan and stop him." Mary Margaret said
"I'm afraid not. Dreamcatchers you said were in the cave...they're gone." David said
"What the hell is Jeremy up to?" Emma asked again
Emma's house.
"Why wipe my memory if he was going to announce his plan anyway? There must be more to it." Melissa said
"Yeah, well, even if there is, we only have until noon to stop him. And to save you." Belle said
Belle grabs Gold's hand.
"What about Merlin's message? He said this "Nimue" is the key to stopping the Dark One." David said
"Nimue was Merlin's true love." Melissa said
"And she was also the first Dark One." Gold said
"How do we find out more about her?" Emma asked Gold
Gold looked at Melissa.
"Start your search with the Dark One chronicles. There are many texts that can help us." Melissa said
"As much as I appreciate devotion to scholarship, there is an easier way. I am still a Dark One. I can protect you, Gold. You just have to take off the cuff. (Gold chuckles.) You don't trust me." Melissa said
Melissa looks at everyone.
"Well, if the situations were reversed, would you trust me?" Gold asked Melissa
"So it's true. You're here." Henry said
"Henry. I need you to tell them it's okay to take off this cuff. It's the only way to figure it all out." Melissa said
"No." Henry said
"Henry!" Emma said
"You lied to us...about Jeremy, about everything. Why should we trust you now?" Henry asked his aunt
"Henry, I'm your Aunt." Melissa said
"I can't." Henry said
"So that's it. You can forgive everyone, but not me?" Melissa asked her nephew
"You were good yes. But when you became the dark one. Things got tough, you didn't come to anybody. You decided that you would figure it out on your own. I thought we were a team." Henry said
"Operation Cobra." Emma said
"I was part of that Operation. I remember." Melissa said
"But now you just want your dark magic back so you can do it alone. And I've seen what you do with dark magic." Henry said
Henry ran upstairs.
"Henry!" Melissa said
"He needs time." Emma said
"All of this is my fault." Melissa said
"We should really get to the library. We've got a lot to do." Belle said
"I have a stop to make first. I'll meet you there." Regina said
"I'm not invited." Melissa said
"I love you, Melissa." August said
"You guys don't trust me." Melissa said
"We don't trust the darkness." David said
"Stay here and let us save you. It's for the best." Emma said
Camelot.
Three weeks ago.
Melissa found Jeremy in the Woods.
"Jeremy! It worked! You're alive!" Melissa said
"Yeah. It did. You threw me right back into the darkness!" Jeremy said
"You're linked to Excalibur. It was the only way to save you." Melissa said
"Right, the sword." Jeremy said
"Ah. Isn't that convenient? She's still a Dark One. No matter how ineffectual she may be." Darkness said
"Don't listen to him. He's not real. (Melissa looked everywhere and realized that the Darkness is gone.) Jer...look." Melissa said
Jeremy gasps.
"He's gone." Jeremy said
"We can get the darkness out of both of us for good." Melissa said
Storybrooke. Present.
Emma's house.
"You know, when Regina asked me to guard you, the last thing I wanted to do was be in the same room as you. Now that we're here, this isn't so bad." Merida said
"Put it down, Merida. We both know you're not going to shoot me." Melissa said
"Oh, won't I? After everything you've done to me. Fine. I'd say an arrow to the knee would do you right good. Maybe me too." Merida said
"Don't worry. (Jeremy whoosh in black smoke. Merida fires an arrow at Jeremy, who catches it and throws it away. He stuns her.) I was hoping that you and the others were reading the books, trying to figure out my plan." Jeremy said
"That's not why you're here." Melissa said
"Anger. Hatred. Disappointment." Jeremy said
"You don't mean that." Melissa said
"I see you for who you really are...an anchor. And I clearly see that you were nothing more than a sibling distraction. But guess what, Mel? We lost Elena and now...I lost you." Jeremy said
"Jer. Listen to me. The darkness is using you. It doesn't care what you want. It only cares what it wants." Melissa said
"As long as I get what I want, I don't give a damn about the rest. You're so afraid of losing the people that you love. You don't need a bad guy to destroy you. You did that on your own." Jeremy said
"Jeremy why're you doing this?" Melissa asked her brother
"Because I want to hurt you like you hurt me." Jeremy said
Camelot.
Three weeks ago.
Woods.
Jeremy hears whispering.
"What the hell is that noise?" Jeremy asked himself
"That's the sound of the dagger singing to the sword. And if you can hear it, that means Excalibur is quite close." Darkness said
"No. Margaret said it disappeared." Jeremy said
"Wake up, dearie! Your sister lying. She has the sword." Darkness said
"Why would she lie to me?" Jeremy asked the Darkness
"So she can control you. Not that she needs Excalibur. She's quite good at doing that all on her own." Darkness said
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jeremy asked again
"Get out of here!" Melissa said
"Oh, we were just talking about you. Why don't you ask her yourself?" Darkness asked Jeremy
"Ask me what?" Melissa asked her brother
"Do you know where that sword is?" Jeremy asked his sister
Whispering continues.
"Jer...he's manipulating you. That's what he does." Melissa said
"I can hear the dagger calling to me. Do you have Excalibur?" Jeremy asked again
"Yes. And I did it to protect you. My own brother." Melissa said
"I convince you not to turn me into this Dark One in the first place! But you did it anyway." Jeremy said
"You were dying and you're my family too. If you died, then I couldn't live with myself." Melissa said
"I trusted you. But you clearly don't believe in me anymore, so how am I supposed to fight this?" Jeremy asked again
"Jer..." Melissa said as Jeremy cuts his sister off
"Don't." Jeremy said
Storybrooke. Present.
Gold's shop.
Door opens and the bell jingles.
"Hello, Dark One. Sorry the, uh, shop's in a bit of a mess since you sent Merida here to kill Belle. Forgive me if I don't offer you tea. What can I do for you today? Because I assume this isn't just a social visit." Gold said
"I need help. To stop my brother, I need to get everyone's memories back, including my own." Melissa said
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Gold asked Melissa
"Zelena and Jeremy used squid ink to immobilize me. There's still some left." Melissa said
"And you want me to use this on him." Gold said
"All I ask is that you last long enough to occupy him while I steal back the dreamcatchers." Melissa said
"Ah, yes. But for that...I don't need this. This...is where that magic belongs." Gold said
"What are you doing? You can't beat Jeremy without it." Melissa said
"If I am gonna beat him, I'm gonna do it with honor. And I will." Gold said
"Suicide mission?" Melissa asked Gold
"Oh, we'll see. But my stakes...are me. Do you really think you can win on your own?" Gold asked again
"I know I can." Melissa said
Gold laughs.
"Here's the thing about confidence, Melissa. It's great at starting a fight, not so great at finishing one." Gold said
"I didn't have a chance to save Elena. But I did save Emma from going to a dark place again. I'm going to help Jeremy." Melissa said as she leaves
Library.
"Henry!" Melissa said
"Melissa. You escaped?" Henry asked his aunt
"And for good reason. I know how to figure this all out. I need your help." Melissa said
"I told you..." Henry said as Melissa interrupt his sentence
"I know, and I heard you. I deserve it. I'm not asking you to remove my cuff." Melissa said
"Then how are you gonna do it without magic?" Henry asked again
"Jeremy stole the dreamcatchers. He took my memories, too, which means I must know something. If we can get it back, I can help everyone. And, you... no one was ever better at figuring out how to break a spell than you." Melissa said
"A locator spell. There's one at Grandpa's shop. All I need is the stuff you used to make the dreamcatchers. It will take us to the others." Henry said
"So you will help me?" Melissa asked her nephew
"I'm always having hope for everyone." Henry said
"I'm going to do everything to make it up to you. I promise." Melissa said
Camelot.
Three weeks ago.
Middlemist field.
"Jeremy? Jeremy? (Melissa summons Excalibur. She struggles with the decision to use it.) Dark One, I summon thee. (Her brother whoosh in black smoke.) I'm sorry. I didn't know how else to get you here." Melissa said
"You could have given me a choice." Jeremy said
"We need to talk about this." Melissa said
"I don't want to talk." Jeremy asked his sister
"I know exactly how it feels! We lost Elena and we can't lose each other." Melissa said
"It wasn't fair losing Elena." Jeremy said
"Jer, wait! (Jeremy pauses, required to do so because Melissa is holding Excalibur.) I didn't mean to do that." Melissa said
"See, that's what I mean!" Jeremy said
"I called you here because I do believe in you! I do trust you to control your own fate! It's yours if you want it. We are going to get the darkness out of both of us. We are going to do it together." Melissa said
Outside of Granny's.
"There you are! We've looked everywhere for you." Regina said
"Melissa. What happened? Are you okay?" August asked his wife as he was worried about her
"For now. It looks worse than it is." Melissa said
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Emma asked both her sister and Jeremy
"Yes. We're ready to get this out of us. Where's Merlin?" Jeremy asked them
"He's inside." David said
"Let's do this." Melissa said
"I'll go get him." Jeremy said
Jeremy walks inside of Granny's.
"The Dark One's found me already." Merlin said
Jeremy locks the door.
"I heard you were preparing for the worst. I'm sorry. It's already here." Jeremy said
Jeremy takes Merlin's heart and he gasp.
"Careful, dearie. That's the oldest heart in all the realms. Let's cut it open and count the rings." Darkness said
"You're too late. I've already left a message for the others." Merlin said
"They can't do anything to stop me. Not while I have this." Jeremy said
"Excalibur. What do you want?" Merlin asked Jeremy
"I need to get back to Storybrooke." Jeremy said
"Do you want to cast a curse? It's not possible. Not without crushing the heart of the thing you love most." Merlin said
"Which is why I am not going to crush it. But someone else will... someone who might actually have feelings for you, dearie. And that's not me." Jeremy said
"But it is me." Nimue said
"Nimue." Merlin said
"Remember? I am all Dark Ones. It's romantic, isn't it? After all that's happened between us, you're still the thing I love most. And I do love you. I always have." Nimue said
"But you're not really here." Merlin said
"Yeah, she is. She lives in all Dark Ones. So when I crush your heart, so will she." Jeremy said
Storybrooke. Present.
Clock tower.
"This is it. He put them here." Henry said
"Makes no sense. Why would Jeremy keep the dreamcatchers where we could so easily get to them?" Melissa asked her nephew
"Because we can't get to them." Henry said
"He knew I wouldn't have magic. He's tormenting me." Melissa said
"Good thing the locator spell wasn't the only thing I took from Gold's shop. Call me an optimist, but I was hoping I'd have to use it." Henry said
Henry shows the bottle of squid ink.
"Henry, are you sure?" Melissa asked again
"You didn't have to include me in this operation, but you did. You didn't try and do it alone. If you're willing to take that first step back, so am I." Henry said
Henry pours it on the cuff and takes it off.
"I will make it up to you. That's the promise." Melissa said
"You want to start by saving the day?" Henry asked his aunt
Camelot.
Three weeks ago.
Granny's.
"What did you do? You were playing me the whole time." Melissa said
"You lied to me about Excalibur. But I knew it was a matter of time before you tried controlling me. And now no one will ever control me again. (Jeremy looks down at Excalibur.) Go back from once in came. Back to stone." Jeremy said
Melissa walks towards Nimue.
"I don't understand." Melissa said
"Don't be naive, Melissa. Dark Ones never do anything without getting something in return." Nimue said
"What do you want?" Melissa asked Nimue
"So hostile. You're a Dark One. You know what we want. You want it too." Nimue said
"No. You can't." Melissa said
"Yes, we can. And we will." Nimue said
"Jeremy... Killing is never the answer. If you destroy his heart, there is a path that you won't come back from." Melissa said
"No, Jeremy Gilbert is gone. Your brother died the moment you turned him into a Dark One." Jeremy said
Jeremy crushes Merlin's heart and pours the ashes into the cauldron Merlin prepared. He fell on the floor. Melissa bends down on the floor.
"Oh, don't take it too bad. I mean, he died for a good cause." Rumplestiltskin said
"I'm sorry. Rest in peace." Melissa said
Melissa closed Merlin's eyes.
"It's over. I'm sorry, Mel. You can't stop the curse." Jeremy said
"I might not be able to stop it...but I can make you forget why you cast it. (Melissa get's up and knocks her brother out.) And that you were ever the Dark One in the first place." Melissa said
"Clever, dearie." Rumplestiltskin said
Melissa uses a dreamcatcher on her brother to capture his memories.
"When you wake up, you'll be my brother again." Melissa said
"Ah, you'll have to do more than that if you want him to forget he was ever a Dark One." Rumplestiltskin said
"I know. I need to erase the memories of everyone who knew...that I turned my brother into a Dark One." Melissa said
Melissa summons everyone on the floor and knocks them out. She uses the dreamcatcher on them.
"Right. Because no one could possibly understand. Why trust your everyone to help when you can do it all yourself?" Rumplestiltskin asked Melissa
"Cause this was my fault. I'm the one who's going to fix this." Melissa said
"By using dark magic to add a memory wipe to the curse. But you won't like where it leads. Or worse...you will." Rumplestiltskin said
Thunder rumbling and it crashes.
Storybrooke. Present.
Mayor's office.
"And we're meant to believe you're gonna give back our memories, just like that?" Merida asked Melissa
"We can trust her." Henry said
"Can we?" Regina asked in confusion
"I trust her." Emma said
"Ok." Regina said
They hold up their dreamcatchers and their memories flow back into their heads.
"Melissa, what's wrong?" Tyler asked Melissa
"I remember. I know what he's doing. I know what they're doing." Melissa said
Upper lake at Burnaby Park.
"Congratulations. You didn't completely fail. You returned from your duel with exactly the right ingredients for our plan. Rumplestiltskin has done what few can claim. He died, and then he returned. This pond holds a portal to the underworld itself." Rumplestiltskin said
"This is where the fury tried to drag Robin to the underworld." Jeremy said
"Yes, for a fury. But it's always existed, dearie. You just have to know how to open it." Rumplestiltskin said
"What the hell." Jeremy said
"That's exactly where that came from." Rumplestiltskin said
"Nimue." Jeremy said
"We're here. All of us, as promised, in the flesh. And now it's time to get to work, to do what Dark Ones do best... snuff out the light." Nimue said
"Say hello to Storybrooke." Jeremy said