Later that night, after sundown, there was already a crowd forming on Main Street. At the Clock Tower intersection. Everybody who had witnessed Zelena in Granny's was waiting for Zelena and Regina to arrive. But both were late. And with Zelena controlling Mr Gold, they didn't want Zelena to use him to destroy half the town. They knew how powerful his magic was.
Emma looked at the crowd, then at her mother. "Have you seen Regina?" she asked.
"Not since the vault," Mary Margaret asked. She had found Regina in her vault in the cemetery earlier – going through her mother's belongings. But something she had seen troubled her. And she had raced out of there. Where she went, no one knew. But she guessed it must have been some letter.
"If she doesn't get her soon, that witch could take it out on all of us," Tinkerbell said.
David pushed his way forward. "Let's get everybody out of here before that happens," he said, looking around. "All right, listen up! We need you to get back to your homes."
"No one's going anywhere," a voice interrupted. It was Zelena. The crowd gasped, turned behind them, and saw her dressed in black (with Mr Gold standing behind her). She stepped forward. "This show needs an audience." As she walked, she saw Mr Clark, who was Sneezy, one of the Seven Dwarfs. "Out of my way, munchkin."
"I'm a dwarf," Mr Clark told her.
Zelena rolled her eyes. "That's even worse. Now, where is she, hmm? Don't tell me. She's a coward." She scoffed at the thought—the Evil Queen a coward. "Well, this isn't good. For any of you. If my sister's not here in five minutes, I will let the Dark One off his leash."
Five minutes later, Regina still hadn't shown. Zelena grew impatient. And a promise was a promise. "Time's up." She turned to Mr Gold. "Who do you want to kill first, Rumple?"
Emma stood up to face Zelena. "He's not killing anyone. If you want to fight someone, Zelena, fight me."
"Sorry, dear, I don't dance with amateurs." "I'm not an amateur. I'm the Saviour."
"Mmm. It appears someone's got an inflated sense of self-worth." Zelena nodded at Mr Gold to use his magic on her, but they were interrupted by a voice.
"No," the Professor said, approaching them. He was holding the Dark One dagger. Everyone looked at him. "Rumple, come over here. Come be with your friends." Mr Gold looked at the Professor and then at Belle. And he walked over to them.
Zelena glared at the Professor, then looked at the dagger in her own hands. And she knew that she had a fake one. "How is this possible?" she asked.
"You got sloppy, Zelena. You left it alone for a brief second. And that was all it took for me to grab it and leave a fake in return."
"But I controlled him with this dagger. I saw him be controlled with it."
"Because Rumple – and the Darkness – are affected by the curse. Thought that your dagger was the real one. But when I used mine – the real dagger – the power within awoke. And Rumple was broken free from your grasp. It's like the placebo effect if you can imagine that. Though I'm sure none of you can imagine that, so forget that I mentioned it."
Zelena sighed and threw the dagger she held in her hands away. "Fine. I don't need his power," she said, looking over everybody. "I'm more powerful enough to take on this pathetic town. Does anyone else want to go against me?"
"I do," Regina said as she approached the group of people. She looked at Zelena. "Didn't anyone ever tell you? Black is my colour."
Zelena chuckled. Now, this is what she was waiting for. "But it looks so much better on me. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."
"I couldn't let my sister off that easily."
"Oh." Zelena smiled. "So you've finally accepted me into the family?"
"I've accepted we shared a mother, yes. But I still have one question. What the hell did I ever do to you?"
"Isn't it obvious? You were born."
Regina looked at Zelena. The Doctor was right. Sibling rivalry, all right. And that was precisely what she would get. She raised her right hand, and she slapped Zelena's face. Hard. So hard that she cut Zelena's bottom lip. She took a deep breath. "I've been waiting to do that. All-day."
Zelena glared at her younger sister. "He should have chosen me."
"Who?" Regina asked.
"Rumplestiltskin."
"That's what this is about? Are you jealous of me? Jealous that I cast his curse?" Regina took a breath. "Get over it. It wasn't everything that it was cracked up to be." She looked up, used her right hand to grab a traffic light magically, and threw it at Zelena.
But Zelena caught it mid-air and magically pushed it aside. Towards the crowd, who got out of the way. Sparks jumped from it as it skidded across the road.
"You still don't realise what you had," Zelena said. "You never did. You got everything I ever wanted. And you didn't even deserve it! But I'm going to take it all from you!" She rose her arms, magically pushed Regina back, and landed on the hood of a blue car parked in the streets.
Doc looked at its sight where Regina's body had dented the hood. "My Miata…" he muttered.
Regina grunted and climbed off the Miata. She then marched towards Zelena, creating a fireball in her hand. Her go-to move – nothing could beat that.
But Zelena waved her hand and extinguished the fireball – dissipating it with green smoke. She magically grabbed her younger sister by the throat, lifting her in the air. As if she was Darth Vader. "You can't beat me, little sis," she said. "Everything Rumplestiltskin taught you; he taught me,
too." She chuckled. "But I was the better student." She turned around, and with her magic, she threw Regina up into the air, and she crashed into the face of the clock tower.
Regina looked around. There was glass around her. And the odd minute hand. Or was it an hour hand? Zelena poofed to where Regina had landed and looked down at her.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Regina asked. "Kill me."
"I never said I wanted to kill you. I said I wanted to destroy you," Zelena said, bending over in front of Regina. "And to do that, I need your heart." She pushed her hand into Regina's chest to where her heart was. But, when she did, it felt strange. It felt … empty - too empty. She moved her hand around inside Regina's chest. But there was nothing in there. Finally, she pulled it out and looked at her bare hand. "Where is it?"
"Our mother taught me one thing. Never bring your heart to a witch fight. Something you'd know if she hadn't… abandoned you."
Zelena glared at her. "You haven't won, Regina. I will get your heart. I will get everything you ever had!" She whooshed up her broomstick.
Regina smiled up at her with a gleam in her eyes. "Not today," she stated, watching as Zelena hopped on the broomstick and flew out of the clock tower. After that, everything was quiet until the doors to the elevator opened.
"You all right?" Emma called out as she climbed to the top balcony of the clock tower room. Her parents followed her.
"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Regina asked and slowly stood up. With Emma's help, of course. "It turns out Zelena wanted my heart. It's a good thing I wasn't stupid enough to bring it with me."
"Any idea why she wants it?" David asked.
"Well, she got you courage. And wants my heart. Those are ingredients."
"For what?" Emma asked. "A curse?"
"We're already in Storybrooke," Mary Margaret said. "We've already lost our memories. What else could she do to us?"
Regina looked out of the broken clock face. At the crowd, that was starting to ease off. She then saw Mr Gold head off into his shop, followed by Belle, the Doctor, the Professor and Clara. "We ask the only person here who may have an answer."
