"Captain, are we going to leave on The Jolly Roger then?" Smee asked.
"Aye, Mr. Smee, in good time," Hook nodded. "But first, something must be done about this child." he then added as he looked down and was referring to Dee Dee.
"What can we do about her though, Captain?" Samantha asked. "We're pirates, not babysitters."
"The only baby we ever looked after for you was Harry." Smee added.
"Yes, I remember, Mr. Smee, which is why I need you two to clap for me." Hook explained to them.
"Clap?" The Smee siblings repeated out of confusion.
"I think you remember how to show the world that you believe in fairies." Hook reminded them.
"Ohhh..." Samantha and Smee replied, now understanding and soon began to clap their hands together at his request since he wouldn't be able to clap on his own for two reasons.
Dee Dee cooed and stirred a little as she looked into the distance.
"Here comes one now," Samantha said with a small smile as she continued to clap along with her brother as they saw a shimmer of light together before she waved her hand. "Over here, Fairy!" she then called out.
The shimmer of light came closer, showing a glittering green color before the fairy came full-size, but she was still missing her wings for personal reasons before showing that it was none other than Tinkerbell. "I'm not much of a fairy anymore, I had to borrow some magic to come over here. How may I help-" she then said before looking over and stopped as she looked wide-eyed at the adult male pirate.
"Hi, Tinkerbell," Hook greeted innocently. "How's it goi-" he then started to ask.
Tinkerbell just glared at him and slapped him across the face.
"Ah. There it is." Hook mumbled.
"Listen, put differences aside, we need some magic." Samantha spoke up.
"I'm not making this ship fly again," Tinkerbell replied firmly. "It's hard enough trusting Captain Hook after our history together in Neverland."
"We understand, but we need your help with this little missy," Smee explained as he gestured down to Dee Dee. "Isn't that right, Captain?" he then added to his superior.
"Aye, it is," Hook nodded. "We had a little stowaway while going up against Blackbeard."
"And you want me to send her back to Grumpy the Dwarf and Nova the Fairy, don't you?" Tinkerbell then guessed. "Nova gave me her wand since I could hear your summon for me from The Dark One's castle."
"Well, yes, the journey we have is no place for a child, especially one like her," Hook replied. "Can you grant our wish?"
"I'm afraid I only grant the wishes of children who need me, so it depends on if she wants to go home or not." Tinkerbell replied.
"Uh, how're you gonna do that?" Samantha wondered. "She's only a baby."
"Everyone has wishes, Miss Smee, even babies..." Tinkerbell reassured and explained. "Fairies can hear wishes even from the heart which is how my dear Jiminy became a cricket in the first place to escape from his horrible parents that even bring shame to gypsies in The Court of Miracles."
"That makes sense I suppose," Smee remarked. "Maybe a fairy helped grant my wish of no longer being a rat after Rumplestiltskin turned me into one at that Storybrooke place."
Samantha rolled her eyes playfully and smirked at her brother.
"Dear child... sweet little Dee Dee... what do you wish from me?" Tinkerbell asked the baby girl kindly as she stood over her and looked into the baby's icy blue eyes, almost as icy blue as a Winter Palace.
Dee Dee soon suckled on her fingertips before looking up at Tinkerbell. The two looked at each other in a few moments of silence while Hook, Smee, and Samantha waited as patiently as possible to see what would happen next. Dee Dee didn't seem to say anything verbally due to being a baby right now, but luckily, someone understood exactly what she wanted.
"I hear your wish, you don't need to wish it so loudly." Tinkerbell smiled at Dee Dee kindly.
"What is it?" Smee wondered.
"What did she wish for?" Samantha added.
"She wishes to see her best friend Henry again and there's only one way to do that," Tinkerbell explained. "It wasn't Blackbeard that brought you all to young Dee Dee, it was her wish and fate."
"Well, I'm sure she'd like to see Henry again, but the only problem is that he won't remember her and she's a little too young to remind him about their friendship." Hook retorted and reminded the fairy.
"Yes, I know, and I realize that, but luckily with this amount of magic, I can use it to help young Dee Dee fulfill her wish," Tinkerbell explained as she showed Nova's wand. "I just hope that Grumpy and Nova understand Dee Dee's sacrifice... she's such a sweet and thoughtful girl." she then added before she began to wave the wand to cast a magical spell on Dee Dee.
Dee Dee soon began to shimmer and glow with green magic dust that came from Tinkerbell borrowing Nova's wand before there was a big cloud that poofed out. Suddenly, Dee Dee was out of Hook's arms and was standing on deck between the four adults and appeared to have her hair in her usual pigtails and had a blue jacket on with a golden crown on it and had her Storybrooke school uniform underneath it.
"Thank you, Tinkerbell." Dee Dee smiled once she was restored back to her normal age.
"Do you remember what happened before we left Storybrooke, Dee Dee?" Tinkerbell asked the girl.
"Yes," Dee Dee nodded before pouting. "Miss Swan and Henry rode away over the town line before I could say goodbye and we all came back into The Enchanted Forest to prevent Peter Pan from making a new Neverland." she then added.
"I'm sorry you didn't get to say goodbye, dear Dee Dee, but hopefully you and Captain Hook can help convince Emma Swan and Henry to come back to us." Tinkerbell replied softly.
"Thank you again for granting my wish." Dee Dee said.
"You're welcome, dear Dee Dee," Tinkerbell replied. "I'm afraid I'll just have to tell Nova and Grumpy where you are and what's going on."
"I understand, that's why I was hoping you would come instead of Mama Nova or Mother Superior," Dee Dee nodded in understanding. "Mama Nova wouldn't let me go and Mother Superior would probably make it worse."
"I understand as well and I'll let them know that you're safe and you're going to be okay." Tinkerbell said.
"Thanks, Auntie Tink~" Dee Dee beamed as she hugged the fairy woman suddenly.
"You're welcome... Auntie Tink? I think I like the sound of that." Tinkerbell chuckled warmly and smiled as she hugged the girl back.
"Get back to the others safely." Dee Dee told Tinkerbell.
"I will... be careful on your adventure and good luck," Tinkerbell reassured her before facing Hook, Samantha, and Smee. "To all of you."
The group of four soon told Tinkerbell goodbye and waved her off before she flew off of The Jolly Roger to head back to the others. In the meantime, a few mysterious strangers were riding off on a couple of horses through the forest.
At The Evil Queen's palace, Regina appeared to be having an argument with Snow and David. "You've gathered the entire kingdom for this?" she then complained. "There's a Wicked Witch out there, just waiting to pounce. And pretending otherwise would be dangerous."
"There's nothing dangerous about rallying our people and trying to keep our descendants safe." David gently retorted.
"You're announcing you're pregnant," Regina countered. "It's not like you invented the wheel."
The riders soon entered the room.
"What's this?" David wondered until the riders pulled back their hoods, showing their faces.
"Belle! Goldilocks! John!" Snow greeted joyfully.
"Are you okay?" David asked them cautiously. "When you and Neal disappeared, we feared the worst."
"We went off to see if we could revive The Dark One." Belle explained calmly.
"What happened?" Regina demanded.
"Neal was able to resurrect him," Goldie explained before sighing a bit sadly. "At the cost of his own life."
"Rumple's alive." Regina remarked with a pleased smile.
"Neal is dead." Snow frowned.
"We think so." John replied.
"To which?" Regina then asked the trio.
The three looked at each other sheepishly before giving a group shrug. "Both?"
Regina flashed them a bit of a dark look.
"You see, when Rumple saw that Neal was dying, he absorbed him, and Zelena got ahold of the dagger," Belle tried to explain, giving descriptive gestures. "Now, she controls Rumple."
Aurora gave her husband a worried look before she looked back at the others. "Maybe, now isn't the time to announce the pregnancy. Regina is right. It's too dangerous." she then suggested.
"No, if we don't, we give into fear," Snow replied. "But, if we do, we give the kingdom what they need: Hope."
"We don't even know what this Wicked Witch wants." David added.
"Actually, we do," Aurora admitted. "She wants your baby."
"She came to us when you were gone," Phillip added. "Threatened us and our unborn child, unless we told her when you arrived in our land. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather could also foresee it."
"She thinks your baby could be important," Aurora frowned as she explained more to her old friends. "I'm so sorry. She said she'd hurt us."
Suddenly, they were all startled by a gust of wind, which made them all turn around.
"Incoming!" John cried out and pointed out once he saw the cause of it.
Flying in, The Wicked Witch descended on them. "And I make good on my promises. I'm afraid your daughter will have to go without you two in her lives again~" she then bragged before seeing Aurora and Phillip backing away in fear, so she engulfed both of them in green smoke transforming them into flying monkeys.
Shrieking both monkeys took wing right out the window.
"What do you want with our baby?" Snow demanded to The Wicked Witch.
"Calm down, sweetie. You don't want to go into early labor." The Wicked Witch smirked before stunning Snow in place.
"Stay away from my wife!" David demanded as he drew out his sword only to be frozen in place as well.
"Oh, someone's testy~" The Wicked Witch taunted before she went after Goldie and John next to be safe than sorry.
"Enough, Sis. This is between you and me." Regina glared as she raised her hand, intending to magically strangle the Wicked Witch.
Quickly, The Wicked Witch stunned her in place before walking up to Snow. "Now, let's see, if this was all worth it. Yes. Yes, it was. This child will do quite nicely," she boasted and taunted. "So, take good care of it for me. Don't forget to eat well. I will be back for your happy day. And what's yours will be mine." she then added with a cackle before flying away suddenly.
EIGHT MONTHS LATER...
Snow, David, Regina, Belle, Robin, Granny, and Goldie gathered together, trying to discuss how to act on The Wicked Witch's threat until Nova and Grumpy came in together.
"Grumpy, Nova, tell me you found something." David begged as he stood up in front of the dwarf and former fairy.
"We've been to Blue, Tink, and all of the other fairies," Nova explained wearily. "They've been scouring the forest for enchanted items to destroy her, but they got nothing."
"They say, she's just too powerful." Grumpy added.
"It's happening again," Snow frowned once she realized what was going on. "I'm about to give birth and an evil sorceress is threatening the future of my child."
"To be fair, the first time, I was threatening you," Regina reminded. "Everyone else just became collateral damage."
"Remind me again why we forgave her?" Grumpy rolled his eyes.
"Grumpy." Nova frowned.
"Can you blame me?" Grumpy replied.
"Because I'm helping," Regina told them as Robin chuckled to himself. "Frustrating as it is for me to remember, Snow, you had a head start to defeat me last time. How?" she then prompted and reminded her step-daughter.
"We were warned." David explained.
"By Rumplestiltskin." Snow added.
"Does this mean Rumplestiltskin can help you again?" Goldie suggested.
"Goldilocks has a good point." Regina agreed.
"Wait. You wanna sneak into Rumple's castle, where he's held captive by the Wicked Witch?" Grumpy replied before he shook his head at that idea. "Name is Grumpy, not Stupid."
"You're right," Snow admitted. "It is stupid, but for our child-"
"We'll do whatever it takes." David added.
"Heartwarming. He's trapped in his own castle," Regina remarked before facing the other brunette woman in the room. "Belle, you were prisoner there?" she then prompted.
"Yes, but breaking in?" Belle replied. "I would have no idea how."
"Luckily, I do." Robin spoke up.
"Did you break in there once?" Goldie asked her brother.
"Indeed." Robin nodded truthfully to his sister.
"Why are we even listening to him? He's a thief, which means he's not to be trusted," Regina scoffed. "What are you even still doing here?" she then asked the outlaw.
"What I'm doing here, is saving your ass," Robin countered bravely. "The castle has traps and deadly ones."
"Not more deadly than my magic." Regina remarked.
"They are, if you don't see them coming." Robin countered.
"Maybe I'm okay with taking my chances-" Regina began to argue only to be quickly cut off.
"Alright. You may be, but we're not," Snow interrupted suddenly. "He's coming."
Regina gave Snow a bit of a look and the pregnant woman gave a brave look in response and defense.
"Just another thing though: what do we do about the kids?" Nova spoke up. "We can't keep them in the dark forever. This is as much their story as it is ours."
"That may be so, but we can't tell them too much all at once," Belle commented. "They're still young after all."
"Especially with little Audrey having to say goodbye to her parents all over again and we still haven't found any trace of Mulan for Lonnie's sake." Snow agreed and nodded with a small frown.
"We'll just have to keep them safe and protected until further notice," Goldie suggested. "At least, that's my idea on the subject. I have enough to worry about looking after Koda and I promised to be his new mother after I helped him from Neverland."
"All right then," David soon said. "Goldie, you and Nova look after the descendants while the rest of us will do what we can about The Wicked Witch."
"Aww... can't I help?" Goldie asked.
"Sorry Goldie, but it might be better if you look after the young ones until we can figure out what to do next," Robin advised. "And I don't think I need to remind you that one of those kids is your nephew."
"Believe me, Robbie, I haven't forgotten that." Goldie nodded.
"Good, see that you don't," Robin said to her. "Now as your big brother, I'm telling you to look after the descendants until we figure out what more to do."
"Well, all right," Goldie sighed. "It just might not be that easy looking after all of them."
"Yeah, they tend to get loose when we're not too careful." Nova added.
"Well, see that they're all looked after properly, especially my daughter Evie, otherwise you'll start to see why they call me The Queen of Mean." Regina warned the two sharply.
Nova and Goldie looked a little nervous about that, but didn't disagree with her of course.
Soon, after it was all settled, Robin, David, Snow, Belle, John, and Regina came into The Dark Castle. Regina walked up to a door, intending to open it.
"Your Majesty, I wouldn't." Robin warned The Evil Queen before nocking an arrow and aimed at the door, successfully hitting his target.
The impact then disarmed a trap that the door was provided with.
Regina then gasped and glared at the outlaw. "That arrow almost took off my head!" she told him firmly.
"Well, that door almost took off your arm," Robin retorted. "Where I come from, a simple thank you would suffice." he then added.
"Where you come from, people bathe in the river and use pine cones for money." Regina scowled in return.
"Come on. Let's go." Snow suggested.
Soon, they all entered inside and saw a certain man imprisoned inside a cage as he was at his spinning wheel.
"Rumplestiltskin?" Snow called out to the impish man.
"Rumple Bumple isn't here~" Rumple giggled in response as he continued to spin at his prized wheel. "Rumple Bumple gone, my dear~"
"He really is back from the dead." Regina concluded.
"Dead. Dead. So much better. Dead." Rumple babbled to himself.
"And I think he's lost his marbles." John remarked.
"On the contrary. Now I have two," Rumple retorted with a smirk. "Two minds. Mining time. Digging deeper in the grime."
"What is she doing to him?" Belle wondered out of concern.
"Nothing that can't be undone," Snow replied before she faced the imp. "Rumplestiltskin, we need your help. How do we stop Zelena?" she then said, getting straight to the point.
"Round and round, the circle of time, racing towards the finish line~" Rumple replied.
John merely sighed and groaned.
"This is pointless." Regina complained.
"Let me try," Snow offered before she approached the cage and spoke softly to the impish man. "Hey. Hey Rumple," she then said as she reached with one hand through the bars and touched him lightly, startling Rumple at first until he calmed down a little. "Hey. Hey. I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. How do we stop Zelena?" she then demanded calmly.
Rumple glanced at her before whispering an answer. "Light."
"What?" Belle wondered.
"A Light Princess or something like that?" John guessed.
"No, Professor Poindexter. Light magic," Rumple explained. "The Good Witch of the South. Glinda."
"Glinda, but south of what?" Belle concluded before wondering as he left out some details. "Oz?"
"No. Banished. Here," Rumple explained. "The Good Witch of the South was banished north. North of the Dark Forest."
"How do we find her?" Snow asked.
Rumple seemed to ignore her at first.
"Rumplestiltskin. In the Dark Forest, how do we find her?" Snow then asked as calmly as she could.
"Through the door step inside, if pure of heart, then she won't hide~" Rumple recited and giggled.
Everyone looked at each other and they all merely looked confused, not sure what that was supposed to mean. At least they didn't know what to think at that moment and the answer would come to them later.
The remaining members of the team soon left south of The Dark Castle, walking through the woods.
David stopped as he bent down to pick up a flower to give to his true love. "For luck." he then told her kindly.
Smiling, Snow took the flower until she turned to her step-mother who had a stern look on her face. "What?" she then asked softly.
"We're at the edge of the Dark Forest, trying to find the one person who can stop our imminent doom and save your unborn child and you two stop to smell the roses?" Regina reminded and asked sharply.
"Actually, I believe those are snowbells." John clarified.
"He's right." Snow agreed with him.
"I don't care if they are dancing daffodils!" Regina scoffed. "I need to destroy my sister. And so do you," she then added before walking on ahead of them before the other three followed close behind. "And if that babbling mad man sent us on a wild goose chase, I swear I'll-" she then stopped before amidst the path there was standing a door. "What's that supposed to be?" she then asked.
"Well, it appears to be a door." David replied as he carefully approached the door.
John snickered and smirked a little.
"Be quiet." Regina glared at him.
"I'm not part of your kingdom, you can't tell me what to do." John replied.
"You are now, Lost Boy." Regina retorted.
"Please don't call me that," John then murmured in concern before she looked over. "Prince Charming, do you see anything important?" he then asked the other man aloud.
David was soon able to see a path. "Yes, I think I found the way to Glinda through here." he then answered before he continued beyond the path that he found.
"Through the door step inside. If pure of heart, then she won't hide," Snow memorized and now realized what this meant. "It's Rumple's riddle. It's Glinda." she then said before stepping through the door and suddenly vanished.
"Snow!" David called out as he followed her through the door.
"A portal with a cheap clocking spell." Regina scoffed as she stepped through the door as well, but once she realized she was not allowed to use the portal, she briskly walked back and closed the door behind her in frustration.
"I'll keep you company." John offered to Regina.
"How charming of you." Regina rolled her eyes.
"Charming? No, I think I prefer 'darling'." John joked and chuckled.
"Oh, brother," Regina groaned before she faced him. "So, how are your brother and sister adjusting to The Enchanted Forest?" she then asked. "I thought you were going back home to Bloomsbury after we defeated Pan."
"It's a bit complicated, but we're adjusting decently," John explained. "I figured since I'm here I could probably practice and study magic like the rest of you even if it won't really give me a professorship in places like Harvard, Yale, or Princeton."
"Hardly." Regina replied.
"Wendy seems to bond well with the girl Jane," John said. "Does your daughter know her?" he then asked.
"They go to the same school, but I don't think they're exactly close friends," Regina shrugged. "Though I suppose if your sister wants to stay with us in our world, then she can even if it's a bit confusing and complicated right now."
"I think that she would like that," John agreed. "We're not sure what Michael could do right now though."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Regina said.
"Though one thing perplexes me," John then spoke up. "I thought you all said that Glinda was The Good Witch of the South. Why is she in the North?" he then pondered.
"When we figure it out, I'll tell you, or you can just look it up since you wanna study the history of magic and all that good stuff." Regina smirked at him.
"Hmph." John smirked back.
Eventually, Snow and David came back out from the door after they were able to visit Glinda.
"Well? Any word?" John asked the couple calmly.
"Well, we figured out a way to stop The Wicked Witch, but there's a price and as you guys know, all magic comes with a price." Snow explained.
"Yes, yes, we've all heard that many times before," Regina remarked. "So what's your point?" she then added and demanded.
"We need to get Emma back in our lives and enact The Dark Curse like you did when she was born." Snow explained and then revealed.
"Is that wise?" John asked with wide eyes.
"It's our best option for now, John." David replied.
"Are you out of your minds?" Regina asked Snow and David. "Even, if I believe this Glinda, which I don't, to cast the Dark Curse I'd have to destroy the heart of the thing I love most, which, for me, are Evie and Henry." she then added.
"There has to be another way to enact it." Snow suggested.
"If there were, do you think I would have killed my own father?" Regina retorted.
"What about a magic bean? If we had one, we could open a portal," David began to suggest. "Or Jefferson's hat?"
"There are no more portals. Not for us. Not for anyone the curse brought back," Regina replied. "When I undid the first curse to escape Pan to bring us here, it divided our realms. It placed a wall between them."
"Then it sounds like this Dark Curse is our only way." John remarked.
"Haven't you been listening? I can't cast it." Regina replied.
"But someone else can." David stated.
"Who?" Snow wondered.
"You," David told her before he crouched down beside her. "It's the only way. You can use my heart to cast the curse. We have to think of our child." he then instructed.
"Our child needs you. I need you," Snow frowned in concern at him. "We'll find another way. We always find another way."
"I suppose I know what we'll need to help brew it then," Regina replied. "The famed Black Cauldron."
"The Black Cauldron?" Snow and David repeated nervously.
"That's what I said, yes." Regina nodded at them.
"What's The Black Cauldron?" John wondered.
"The Black Cauldron is a very mystical and elusive dark cauldron used to brew magic," Regina explained to him. "Legend has it, in the mystic land of Prydain, there was once a king so cruel and so evil, that even the gods feared him. Since no prison could hold him, he was thrown alive into a crucible of molten iron. There, his demonic spirit was captured in the form of a great Black Cauldron." she then added.
"So this is serious business, huh?" John remarked.
"You have no idea," Regina replied. "I'll prepare the curse and we'll see what we can do about the descendants from there." she then suggested.
"So you ARE going to tell them?" John asked.
"Of course," Regina nodded. "There's no easy way to say it, but they have to know one way or another since they're our children and the children are our future."
"Well, at least The Evil Queen has a conscience to think of the children first." John commented.
"Well, of course I do," Regina smirked. "I'm a Queen with standards after all."
"So I've heard." John chuckled wearily at that.
Soon, the kids were all told about what was going to happen in the most gentle way possible.
"So there's no exact easy way to say this, dears, but we're going to have to cast another curse to get back to Storybrooke, but we'll all be safe and we will still remember this time, so it might get a little scary, but we'll all be back in Storybrooke together." Nova told the young ones.
"But what about my mommy and daddy?" Audrey pouted. "I just saw them again and now they're flying monkeys."
"Does this mean Audrey's gonna be a monkey too?" Carlos asked innocently.
Audrey gasped and freaked out. "I'm gonna turn into a monkey too?!" she then screeched.
"You sure sound like one right now." Elwin snarked.
Lonnie chuckled at that but shushed him for that smart remark. Audrey shook in anger before glaring firmly while Elwin smirked innocently for his quip. The kids all began to look very scared and nervous, wanting to go back home in alarm.
"What's gonna happen to us?" Jay asked out of concern as he stood with Enid.
"Well, darlings, l-I just don't know," Lotus replied as she tried to comfort Jay in a maternal sort of way. "It does look hopeless, doesn't it?"
"I wish we were home with our moms and dads right now." Evie pouted.
"Don't worry, we're all going home very soon," Goldie coaxed as she hugged Baby Koda. "We'll all try to find a way through this just like Snow and David did during the first curse based on what they've told me. We're all going to be okay and all together no matter what happens to The Enchanted Forest."
"But what's gonna happen to me?" Audrey spoke up. "I still don't have my mom and dad."
"We'll look after you, dear." Flora comforted as she came to Audrey along with Fauna and Merryweather.
"You... you will?" Audrey asked them.
"Of course we will, dear." Fauna soothed.
"Yes, why, we've had your mother for 16 years." Flora nodded.
"16 wonderful years." Merryweather added with a nostalgic smile.
Audrey looked emotional before she hugged The Three Good Fairies.
"How do we know when the curse is coming?" Doug asked.
"We'll see a big cloud and don't worry, it won't hurt you like Hexxus." Nova replied.
"Hexxus?" The kids asked out of confusion.
"Trust me, as a fairy, I shouldn't tell you something that will end up scaring you, but this cloud won't hurt any of you and it'll be like nothing happened," Nova reassured them. "I suggest that all of you join hands and find an exit buddy." she then advised.
"Thank you, Miss Nova. For everything," Evie said gently. "You too, Goldilocks."
"I just hope I can find whoever Gabrielle is." Ben said to himself.
"Gabrielle?" Evie asked him curiously.
"It's a long story, but someone asked me to look for someone named Gabrielle for them," Ben said to his childhood best friend. "Do you think you can help me out, Evie?" he then asked her.
"Yeah, I guess I could try," Evie said. "I just hope my mommy's okay by herself."
"I'm sure she's fine." Ben replied before hugging Evie.
"Hey! What's going on?" Audrey complained before she pulled Ben away from Evie suddenly. "You're MY exit buddy, not her!"
"Audrey, we were just talking!" Ben reminded her.
"That's how it starts!" Audrey glared. "Stay away from him, you hussy!"
"What's a hussy?" Evie wondered.
"I dunno, but that's what you are if you keep looking at Benny the way you are!" Audrey replied firmly.
Evie looked frustrated and concerned about Audrey's sudden behavior before Doug walked up to her.
"Hi, Evie."
"Hey, Doug." Evie greeted calmly.
"Wanna be exit buddies? My parents are busy with the other dwarves." Doug offered as he held out his hand to her, looking a little shy in the process.
"Sure, Doug. I would love to." Evie nodded as she took his hand.
Doug smiled before Evie smiled back at him.
"We'll see you again soon, Henry. I just know it." Evie whispered to herself tenderly as she closed her eyes before looking up at a bright and shining star outside.
Meanwhile, Regina, Snow, David, and John were gathering around the cauldron as it was boiling.
"It's ready." Regina soon informed.
"So we're good to go then, right?" John asked.
"No," Snow shook her head, though not exactly answering John's question. "There has to be another way to get to Emma."
"There isn't. You know if there were, I'd have gone back to Henry and take Evie with me," Regina told her step-daughter. "This is it. This sacrifice."
"Snow, we have to do this," David urged his true love. "You have to do this."
"I can't. I can't crush your heart," Snow pouted emotionally. "I can't lose you."
"You'll never lose me. But this... this is our only chance," David told her tenderly. "Think of our baby. Think of being a mother."
"Our child will never know its father." Snow reminded him.
"Of course, it will. Through you. We've always shared one heart," David reassured her. "It'll only grow stronger when you look at that baby's face and see the love I have for you in its eyes."
"I've loved you since the first moment I saw you." Snow told him through her tears.
"And I love you until my last." David told Snow emotionally before he leaned in to kiss her and she then kissed him right back.
John could be heard sniffling and whimpering a little as tears rolled down his cheeks while David and Snow shared a sweet kiss with each other.
"What's with you?" Regina glanced at John.
"Nothing... I've just got something in my eye... that's all..." John seemed to cover up as he took off his glasses and wiped his eyes suddenly.
"If you say so." Regina rolled her eyes at that.
Soon, Snow and David finished their kiss.
"Okay. Do it." Snow soon told Regina.
"I won't lie. This is going to hurt, but it will work." Regina warned them before she then thrust her hand into David's chest and took out his heart.
"Charming?" Snow asked her husband out of concern.
"Don't say goodbye..." David grunted and told her weakly.
"I love you," Snow told him emotionally. "I love you more than anything."
"Which is why you have to crush it." David urged.
Regina then handed Snow her Prince Charming's heart. Snow really didn't want to, but she understood that she had to, so she crushed his heart, adding the last ingredient to the Dark Curse. David then fell dead to the ground, causing Snow to sob for him.
"This won't be in vain. We will get back to Storybrooke," Regina reassured Snow. "We will defeat-"
Suddenly, as if on cue, The Wicked Witch of the West flew in on her broom and descended on them. Hovering above the cauldron she added in a green potion and landed soon after.
"Zelena." Regina glared as she faced her sister.
"Did you really think you could enact Rumple's Dark Curse and I wouldn't know about it?" The Wicked Witch mocked.
"No, but I didn't really care," Regina scoffed. "You're too late."
"Actually, I'm not," The Wicked Witch retorted before facing Snow. "I'm afraid you sacrificed your charming husband for nothing."
"What are you talking about?" John asked her firmly.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Lost Boy?" The Wicked Witch taunted him.
John narrowed his eyes with a bit of a snarl.
"Regina, he can't die in vain." Snow frowned.
"She's bluffing," Regina declared calmly. "Once the curse is enacted it can't be stopped."
"I may not be able to stop it, but that doesn't mean I can't spice it up a bit. How does a forgetting potion sound?" The Wicked Witch stated before they all looked over at the cauldron as the curse cloud began to expand. Snow and John both had a look of shock on their faces whilst Regina's was cold with annoyance. "Mm, sorry. Did you need your memories in the new land?" she then continued to gloat. "Were you planning to stop me? Or, for that matter recognize me as well as a little helper I'll have with me."
"We'll find a way." Snow retorted defiantly.
"Without knowing any of this? I doubt it. You'll be too busy looking for your husband or you'll be looking for your brother and sister," The Wicked Witch taunted to Snow and added to John cruelly. "You won't even know about his sacrifice. Just endlessly wondering where he could be, always fearing the worst," she then added before facing The Evil Queen. "Pay attention, Sis. This is how you take away a happy ending~" she then smirked before she flew off again.
Snow, Regina, and John then looked at David's body, devastated.
"Now what do we do?" John wondered.
"I have an idea." Snow spoke up.
"Yikes." Regina deadpanned.
"Just hear me out, okay?" Snow defended.
"Well, whatever you have planned you better make it quick," John suggested. "I'm not fully sure how curses work, but this one looks like it's about to spread and fast!"
"Don't worry, I know just what to do," Snow said before she faced her step-mother. "Regina, I need you to rip out my heart."
Both Regina and John began to look confused.
"Are you sure you want that done?" John asked out of concern.
"Charming's right. We have been of one heart since the day he woke me from the sleeping curse," Snow explained calmly. "If Regina splits my heart in half, we can both survive."
"Wow." John whispered as that sounded very powerful.
"Snow, I know your love is strong, but this isn't like plucking a flower," Regina reminded her step-daughter. "How do you know it will work?" she then asked.
"Faith! Belief! I believe!" Snow urged out of desperation. "I believe my heart is strong enough for both of us."
"But, if you're wrong, you'll die." Regina reminded as she feared the worst for Snow.
"Please. Please, Regina. Do it." Snow urged as she placed her arms on Regina's shoulders.
Regina nodded and soon thrusted her hand in Snow's chest and ripped out her heart. John stood back as he watched to see what would happen, though he just hoped that Wendy and Michael were okay, wherever they were. Carefully, Regina broke the heart into halves. She then placed the two halves back into Snow and David as they both anxiously waited for the prince's revival. After a moment, David inhaled deeply.
"See? He's fine." Regina told John with a relieved smile.
"So I see." John nodded.
"Snow? Snow, what's happening?" David soon asked, sounding surprised to be alive.
"You're okay," Snow told him tearfully. "We're both okay."
The two soon kissed as Regina and John both smiled at that. They all then saw The Dark Curse slowly spilling from The Black Cauldron and the cloud began to surround them, engulfing them right away just like the first curse did when Storybrooke was created.
In the meantime, Harry made it over to where the other descendants were before he saw them all holding hands together while lying down on the floor. He then looked around, seeing Carla as she had one hand with Carlos while her other hand was free and Dude was lying next to them before he decided to sit down and lie down next to Carla, then took her hand, blissfully unaware of what was going on as the cloud soon floated over them.
"Forgive me, Dad..." Harry whispered before those seemed to be his last words.