Mr. Gold realized who exactly is the woman in front of him. "So, it is you then. The shadow's attempt to kill you actually brought you to the surface, Your Majesty", he said and she smiled widely. Regina finally revealed herself as the Evil Queen. There's not much that can shock the Dark One but this is one thing he didn't see coming. It sent him a lot of memories when he saw again in her black dress and long dark hair that only she can give justice to. "To be honest, I was very impressed you figure it out so quickly. I was hoping it would take you a couple of days but I guess you can't fool the Dark One that long", she said. Everything about her now is the Evil Queen, the way she talks, the way she walks, everything. "So what is your plan now?" he asked her. She looked at him. "…and why would I tell you?" she asked him back. "…because it's going to be impossible for you to survive in this town on your own. You're going to need an ally", he answered.
The Evil Queen went to his side and played around his tie. "Are you offering me a deal?" she asked. "Yes", he answered and she smiled. "What do you want?" she asked again. He stopped her hand on his chest. "Whatever you're planning, you will leave Belle out of it and in return, I'll provide you with whatever you need", he answered. She looked a bit disappointed. "You're really fond of that bookworm, aren't you? Fine. We have a deal. She will not going to get hurt", she agreed. Gold sighed in relief. "So, I figure you're still after Snow White's heart?" he asked. It's the most obvious goal for her since she's been going after her for so long. She frowned at him. "Snow White? Oh no…I am done seeking revenge on her. After all, I already got it a long time ago. No dear, I'm after someone else this time", she answered and it made him curious. "Who?" he asked in anticipation. "The one person who is standing in my way towards happiness, Lady Marian", she answered.
Meanwhile, Emma and Hook returned to Snow's apartment to tell them everything. Gold already filled her in through text message. "What's going on?" Snow asked them. Hook closed the door. "It's Regina. Something happened to her. She killed the Shadow of Zion", she answered. Snow and David looked at each other. "Isn't that great news?" she asked again. "Yeah, well…that shadow almost killed her before and it took the Dark One to make it go away. How do you think she was able to kill it on her own?" Hook answered. This worried them right away. "Gold will be here any moment", Emma said. Then in just a few seconds, Gold appeared inside. "What, you can't use the door anymore?" David asked him. "Sorry about that but I can't risk the queen seeing me walk in here", Gold answered. That word caught all of their attentions. "What do you mean the queen?" Snow asked. "That's right dearie, the Evil Queen is back in Regina", Gold answered.
"That is not possible. She's not evil anymore. She's changed", Snow said.
"Is it the shadow?" Emma asked Gold and he nodded.
"Do you remember how it tried to kill her using her own memories? Well, it didn't kill her. She woke up on her own because she fought it. Her dark side fought it for her. In the process, the Evil Queen suppressed Regina inside of her", Gold answered.
"So you mean Regina is trapped in her own body?" David asked.
"Wait, how do you know all of these?" Hook asked.
"I know because she paid me a visit again. I have known the Evil Queen for a very long time", Gold answered.
"Yeah, you created it out of her", Emma snapped.
"True. But the Evil Queen that you all know, she still got Regina with her. She still got that little bit of conscience that kept her focus on her goal but the Evil Queen right now, she's free of Regina's conscience", he explained.
"Are you sure?" David asked.
"Her eyes turned purple. She has never done that before. She's overflowing with dark magic right now. The light magic in her has became dormant", Gold answered.
They all went silent. Emma sat down the couch trying to digest everything. This is what she's been worried for. She doesn't want Regina to become evil again. She knows very well how hard she worked for to become good and now it's all gone. "This is all my fault", she muttered. Hook went beside her. "Honey, this is not your fault", he said to her. "Yes it is. If I haven't traveled through time, that shadow wouldn't be able to get here and get to Regina. I caused this. She was right. The more I tried to help, the worse her life becomes", she said. "I guess the hard day just came true, huh", David muttered and Emma looked at him. "There's one more thing", Gold said and they all turned to him. "She's after someone as the queen always have", he continued. That alerted them all. "She's after me", Snow muttered. But he shook his head. "No, she's not after you this time. She's after Lady Marian", he corrected.
Lady Marian is in the woods gathering some herbal plants. Not far from her is the Evil Queen watching her every move. She was about to move towards her when an arrow flew and hit the tree just inches away from her head. She stopped moving and looked to where it came from. She was surprised to see it was Robin who fired that arrow on her. Lady Marian got away from her reach. She looked at Robin in disbelief. "You want to kill me, Robin?" she asked him. Her tone is rather hurt than angry. "I don't want to but I can't let you hurt Marian. I know everything. Emma told me. Regina, I know you're in there somewhere. I know you don't want to hurt anyone", he answered.
She scoffed and realized what just happened. Gold told Emma and Emma told Robin. "That Savior couldn't just mind her own business, could she?" she muttered. She changed her appearance into being the Evil Queen which surprised Robin. It's been a long time since he saw her in that dress. "You can't let the darkness over power you, Regina. You are good. You are no longer a villain", he said trying to give her the hope speech but it's not working. "I just realized something, Robin. I think you're right. Marian is not the enemy", she said and it made him smile. "I've been going on this in a wrong path", she added. "So you're giving up the darkness?" he asked her and she laughed. "Giving it up? Oh no dear, I am not giving up anything. I am just heading on another direction and I have you to thank for that. I'll see you around", she answered and then disappeared.