Time to Go pt. 3
Henry runs off into the forest, into the direction he believes carries Emma's voice. Mary-Margaret shouts out after him but he doesn't respond to her, nor does he to Regina.
"We can't just let him go off in this strange place alone!" Regina is fit to be tied.
"Regina, he isn't a boy anymore," David says.
"Right. You sent your daughter into a wardrobe, then you cast my curse and make everyone suffer in the process. Of course, your model parents."
Mary-Margaret is about to say something but David silences her with a hug.
Regina goes off in the direction of Henry. "Regina!" Mary-Margaret says.
"It's okay. Henry will be fine."
August and Killian are trapped inside a tree. The hole that they climbed through is not large enough for the winged beast to get through, but its talons scrape against the bark to claw its way into them.
"This isn't good," Killian says.
"Gee, you think so? We don't have any weapons or magic to take this beast out, so I'm fresh out of ideas."
"I doubt my hook is going to be of much use. What is that thing?"
"Well, it's something Emma imagined. It could be anything but my guess would be it's some sort of demon. Maybe a harpy. It appears that Emma's imagination is growing stronger, to the point that the imaginary is becoming real."
"Great. We can't stay in here. It's going to get in. The hole is getting bigger." Killian lunges with his hook, to you know, do something. He is able to jab the beast in the finger and it recoils with an ear-shattering shriek.
Killian and August put their hands over their ears and cringe. "How about you don't do that again?" August says.
The beast comes back again, its talons scraping faster now. Then, like something commanded it to stop, it leaves. Unsure if it is really gone, Killian pushes August forward. August sort of sighs with acceptance and peeks his head out of the hole. No sign of the beast. "Coast is clear."
August climbs out of the tree, with Killian peeking his head out before exiting. Killian loses sight of August. "Where did you go?" Killian goes on a search. He finds August a few feet away with Regina and Henry. Regina is trying to use magic against August but nothing is happening.
"Regina, what are you doing?"
"Going to make him talk. He knows something he isn't telling us."
"I swear I don't know anything, but Your Majesty, you should stop trying to use magic. It isn't going to work here. This is Emma's world. She makes the rules."
Regina backs off. "What have you two been doing?"
"We arrived the same way you did," August says.
"But you weren't with us," Henry chimes in.
"Ah, we landed in a different part of this world, but obviously not far from you," Killian says.
"Emma wants us divided. If we are separated she can easily pick us off. Henry, you have to understand that Emma is consumed by the darkness. This world proves it."
"No, Mom, she is still good. You have to believe that."
"Actually I don't. But I know you do. I just don't want to see you disappointed when you see that she can't be saved."
Killian wishes he could wring Regina's neck for saying that.
David and Mary-Margaret hold onto each other tightly as Emma's voice echoes around them, sharper this time. Then, coming through a white mist that neither saw a second ago, is Emma: dressed in a white, flowing gown made of tiny crystals and a black collared cape swaying behind her, hair loose and wild. Mary-Margaret gasps, can't believe what she is seeing. "Emma."
"Yes, Mother?"
"Emma, what has happened to you?" David asks.
"Exactly what you knew would happen, regardless of your intervention. I was destined to be dark. Merlin saw it. This is all because of your meddling."
"Emma, we explained to you why we did what we did…" Mary-Margaret starts, but is silenced by Emma whooshing over to her like a heavy breath of wind ready to steal her soul.
"But you should have let things be!" Emma fires at her mother. Her poignant sting of abhorrence makes Mary-Margaret burst into tears. Emma lovingly grazes her mother's cheek with her one finger. Her nail is pointy and sharp, a good weapon. "Aww, oh, don't be sad, Mother. The truth does hurt, doesn't it?" Her voice is like poison, like a dagger, straight to her parents' heart. They share a heart now, and the darkness had already took over a spot in Mary-Margaret's heart before she split it in two to save David. The little piece of darkness flutters with the sound of Emma's voice.
"Yes, Emma, the truth does hurt," Mary-Margaret says with a glimmer of darkness in her eyes.
"What are you telling me? You are saying that Emma knew that snowglobe was dangerous?" Regina asks August.
"Yes. She was quite angry about it. We haven't seen her yet but I bet she's watching us now," August says, taking a look around them.
"Well we can't take any chances. I can't use magic, we don't have her dagger, but we can at least be smart about our actions. If we meet up with Emma, we should try our best to not anger her further."
"I agree with the queen, but none of us will be able to get through to her."
"Well, Captain, why don't you consider using your persuasive charms on her?"
"Emma isn't like any other woman I've met. My persuasive charms, as you like to think of them as, never worked on Emma. That's not how I won her heart."
"Killian, I know that my mom loves you. She will probably listen to you because she will think I have been turned around by my mom, Regina. You are our only chance of reaching Emma."
That softens Killian's heart. He wants to believe that he is the one to help Emma, but not knowing how far into the darkness she has gone does put a damper on his optimism.
"Emma, please stop this," David begs.
Emma has Mary-Margaret at her side, both of them with evil looking eyes fixed on David.
"I don't need you. Besides, you are supposed to be dead," Emma says.
Tears swell in David's eyes as he reaches out to his wife. "Snow, please tell me that you can hear me."
Mary-Margaret stands there like a zombie. "She can't hear you anymore. You share a heart but you don't share her mind. She knows there's no way of you saving me. You can't save anyone."
"Emma, I know this is not you talking. It's the darkness. Fight it. Don't lose hope."
"Oh, I'm so sick of hearing about hope. That's all I hear from any of you." Emma's voice echoes loud and far, shaking the area around them. David loses balance and almost falls. "On your knees, Dad." David is forced to his knees, before his wife. He looks up at her, holds out his hand. He remembers a similar time to when his wife gave him that blank, loveless look. He never wanted to experience that again, but now he is and it hurts him deep. He feels the half heart, the shared heart, starting to beat less.
"Emma, what are you doing?"
"My mother killed you. Why shouldn't I?"
"Emma… NO!"
"Emma!" Killian screams.
David feels the beating slowing down even more. He is light-headed. He falls over. Killian rushes up to Emma and grabs hold of her. Mary-Margaret is still zombiefied. "Emma, listen to me, please don't do this." Emma is unresponsive to Killian. She continues her evil gaze upon her father.
"Do something, Captain," August says.
"Mom, stop this!" Henry pleads.
"Emma, you may not understand what you're doing right now, but you're going to regret it, and I can't let you slip away from me." What might kill him, but he doesn't care; Killian grabs hold of Emma's face and kisses her. She responds to that.
Mary-Margaret comes out of her trance and grips her chest. "Charming. David!" She rushes to her husband's side. "David!" She cries over his limp body. Suddenly, David opens his eyes and puts his arms around her.
"You saved me," he whispers into her ear.
"No. Hook did."
As Killian thinks he is succeeding, Emma opens her eyes and an evil look lingers. Killian is blasted off her and lands behind her parents. "Don't think this changes anything." She disappears into a black smoke.
"Nice move, guyliner," Regina says as she keeps a watchful eye out.
Henry runs over to his grandparents and hugs them.
"She is gone. She manipulated me," Mary-Margaret says, completely hopeless.
"We have to believe she can come back, Snow."
Killian gets to his feet holding his ribs. "I want to believe that as much as you do, and for a moment I thought I was getting her back, but the darkness is very strong in her. Your wife is right. Emma is gone."
"No. I have tasted darkness and I have struggled to be good. I can't believe that the savior is completely gone. For Henry's sake, we have to try," Regina says.
"Then be prepared to step up and take charge, Majesty," Killian says.
"Oh, be sure that I'll do whatever it takes," Regina says, a sly smile, a twinkle of doom in her eyes.