Landing the TARDIS in the mines' furthest end, the Doctor stepped out of the box, followed by Mary Margaret, Emma, Aurora, and Mulan.
"We've moved," Aurora stated. She didn't know how they could be in the mines when they were just in the forest, surrounded by trees.
"What sort of trickery is this?" Mulan asked.
The Doctor turned around. "Not trickery. Science. The most advanced form of science than anyone here will ever know."
Mary Margaret led the way towards Rumplestiltskin's former cell, followed by Emma before the others followed. "Huh. Rumplestiltskin's cell," she mused. "I haven't been here since before Regina's curse." She turned to Emma. "This is where he told us you were going to be the Saviour."
Emma looked back at her mother. "He knew?"
"Oh, it was prophesized. Come on."
The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned along the walls of the cell. He read the readings. "This isn't just any rock. It's been calcified ..." he mused. "I believe the Zygon's were here. The safest jail cell in the Universe." He looked back up at the others. "Did you find the Ink?'
"It's not here," Aurora answered.
"This is where Rumple said it was."
"Well, was there anyone else in here with him?" Mulan asked. "Cold they have taken the ink?"
Aurora searched along the rock crevices and pulled out a scroll.
Mary Margaret shook her head. "No. He was kept alone. Visitors were forbidden. He was too dangerous to allow any human contact."
"How'd he keep from going crazy?" Emma asked.
"He didn't," Aurora said, reading the scroll.
Everyone turned to look at her. "What is it?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Is it a message?" Emma asked.
"Yes. And I think it's for you," Aurora answered, giving Emma the scroll.
"Why would you think that?" Emma asked and looked at the parchment. It was her name. Emma. Written over and over.
The Doctor looked over at it, scanned the written words with his sonic, and read over at the parchment's words. "Well, I think we found the squid ink."
"What does this even mean?" Emma asked.
Mary Margaret looked down while searching for some more squid ink in the upper layers of the cell. "He was obsessed with you, Emma. You were the key to breaking the curse." She began to climb back down after finding nothing.
"We've looked everywhere," Aurora stated and turned around. "There's no ink in this cell."
"No. There has to be," Mary Margaret told her.
"And there is. On that parchment," the Doctor said.
Mulan pulled out a small bottle in the walls. "There was."
"You found it?" Mary Margaret asked.
"There was ink in this cell," Mulan said, showing everyone the empty bottle.
But, as she did, Aurora picked up the compass lying on the rocks and threw it at the levers outside the door, and the bars began to descend. Everyone was trapped.
"Aurora. What are you doing? No," Emma said, rushing to the bars. But it was too late. They were sealed in.
"Helping me," Cora said as she stared at them. She approached Emma and picked up the compass. Emma began to rattle the bars. "Don't waste your energy, dear. Rumplestiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell. Thank you, Aurora." She looked over at the princess. "We couldn't have done it without you." She then looked over at the Doctor. "Even when powerless, a Time Lord is best contained."
The Doctor walked over to the bars. "You know who I am?"
"Oh, darling. You don't meet one Time Lord without learning a thing or two about them"
Emma looked over at Aurora. "Why would you do this?"
"How could you?" Mary Margaret asked.
Cora chuckled. "Don't blame her. She was only doing what she was told." She held up a read, beating heart.
"You took her heart?" The Doctor asked.
"Actually. I did," Hook answered. "It was a gift."
Cora began to squeeze the heart, and Aurora collapsed in pain. "I will not let you harm anyone here," the Doctor threatened.
"And what are you going to do?" Cora asked. "From inside your cage. Now, forgive us. We would love to stay, but Storybrooke awaits." She turned around and began to leave them.
"Hook," Emma called out. "Wait." Hook turned around. "Please don't do this. My son is in Storybrooke. He needs me."
Hook approached the cell. "Perhaps you should have considered that before you abandoned me on that beanstalk."
"You would have done the same."
"Actually, no." Captain Hook pulled out a necklace from his pockets and held it up to them. "Do you know what this is, Emma?"
Emma began to reach for it, but Hook pulled it away. "The bean that the giant kept."
"Uh-uh-uh. Yes, indeed. A pirate always keeps a souvenir of his conquests. But this, well, this is much more than a mere trinket. This is a symbol, something that was once magical, full of hope and possibility. Mmm. No, look at it. Dried up. Dead. Useless. Much like you. The time for making deals is done. Just as I'm done with you." He turned away and followed Cora out of the cells.
The Doctor scanned each of the bars with his sonic screwdriver while Emma bashed them with her sword. "No. That won't help," he mused, reading the sonic. "Even with the sonic, it would take hundreds of years. I'd have to calculate the exact harmonic resonance of the entire structure down to a sub-atomic level."
Emma looked back up at the Time Lord. His words had lost her.
"These bars were enchanted to hold Rumplestiltskin," Mary Margaret explained. "We don't have a chance."
Emma walked away from the bars and slumped down against the wall.
"This is my fault," Aurora stated.
"no. It's mine," Mulan said. "Cora stole your heart because I failed to protect you."
"That's very sweet, but I believe it's my fault," Emma said. "I'm the Saviour, and I'm not doing much saving, am I?"
Approaching the other three woman, Mary Margaret sat down between Emma and Aurora. "We're going to win this fight, you know. Good always defeats evil."
"You sound like Henry," Emma replied.
"Guess optimism runs in the family."
"I think it skipped a generation."
"you should know better than anybody. You broke the curse."
"What have I done since then? I got us stranded over here, burned down the wardrobe, let Cora get the ash and now the compass. The only reason I ever broke the curse is that it was exactly what Gold wanted me to do. I had nothing to do with it."
"We still have one thing Cora does not have," the Doctor corrected. "The TARDIS. As soon as we escape from here, we can go home."
"Can't you sonic your TARDIS over here?" Aurora asked.
The Doctor shook his head. "A calcified Zygon cave. Practically TARDIS proof. Exactly like the Black Archive."
"What were you talking about?" Mary Margaret asked Emma.
"Gold told you I was the Saviour. It was his plan. Once I fulfilled that role, maybe that's all I was ever meant to do? Everything I've ever done, he had it mapped out before I was ever born. I'm not powerful. I'm not a saviour." She picked up the parchment. "I'm a name on a piece of paper. I'm a pawn. And that's exactly why we are in here, and Cora's on her way to Storybrooke."
"We are going to get out of here," Mary Margaret remarked.
"How? By staring at that scroll?" Emma asked. "it's not like it's going to magically open the door for us."
"Yes, it is." She stood up and approached the bars of the cell.
"What?" Emma asked.
"When I was a little girl, I used to sneak into Cora's chamber and watch her practice magic. She had a spellbook, and, Emma, the spells were in the book."
"Yeah. Isn't that what a spellbook is? A book that has spells in it?"
"Watch." Flattening out the parchment, she blew on the written words. The words flew towards the bars.
Emma stood up in amazement. "Squid ink. Gold wrote the scroll in squid ink."
The ink – once at the bars – began to dissipate them, clearing a way for everyone to escape. "Told ya. Good always wins."
Everyone began to make their way before Aurora spoke up. "Wait! I can't go. You have to tie me up."
"No. I'm not leaving without you," Mulan said.
"I can't be trusted. Not as long as Cora has my heart."
"Then I will get it back for you."
"Mulan ..."
"I will."
"Mulan. We gotta go," Emma said, turning back from the TARDIS.
"Do it," Aurora ordered, as Mulan took out some rope and began to tie Aurora to the remaining bars. "Good luck."
"Thank you," Mary Margaret said. "Good luck to you all."
