Hello there! In this chapter, Cora shows up and the Guardians deal with hardcore situations!
The chapter was totally written by me ,this time. I was very inspired and I hope you'll like it. :) But there's a part was later suggested and added by my friend. I'll tell you which one at the A/N.
Disclamer: I own nothing, OUAT goes to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis; SM goes to Naoko Takeuchi/Toei.
A Dark Heart is shown. Emma is powerless.
Enchanted Forest
Prince Charming and Snow White, with a few knights, were in a tent, discussing a plan to gain King George's kingdom. Their conversations got interrupted, by Red Riding Hood's arrival. She exclaimed:
"We must retreat! King George's army is near!"
"No! We won't run away!" – Charming protested – "We said we would get our kingdom back, and we won't succeed if we run!"
"But the situation worsened. The king has a new general." – Red protested.
"Who is he?" – Snow asked.
"He's named "Leviathan" . He is very dangerous. It's impossible to notice him approaching and impossible to survive." – Red explained, full of worry.
"Well, we'll see that!" – Charming commented.
But unlike her fiancé, Snow White was clearly worried, and asked her friend:
"How close his men are?"
As soon the question was asked, an arrow flew through the tent, straight to their map, which was lying on the middle of the table. Prince Charming then said:
"It seems like they're close enough."
Everybody went out of the tent and they decided to run in different directions, in order to separate the opposite army. Snow White was worried to run alone, without Charming. But he reassured her, explaining that since King George was after him, Snow had better chances to survive without him on her side. He then said that they would meet later, in the farm.
"You mean… in her farm?"
"Of course. We're engaged now. It's time for you to meet my mother."
After that the couple kissed, and Snow ran into the woods. But soon, her running got interrupted by the general, who knocked her on the ground. Looking up, Snow asked:
"What general is hiding behind the mask? Who you truly are, 'Leviathan'?"
"'Leviathan'? Is that how people call me?" – the man replied, after what he pulled his cask away, saying – "My name is Lancelot."
"Lancelot..? The knight from the Round Table?"
"Not anymore." – Lancelot replied, putting a bag on the princess' head.
Enchanted Forest, present day
Emma and Rosalie were under shock, after they heard the name of the prisoner who was in the same cave as them. Emma finally dared to speak:
"Cora..? Aren't you… the mother of the Evil Queen Regina..?"
"Yes. It's me. That's why I'm here. Because of the fact Regina casted the Dark Curse."
After the confirmation, the two girls grabbed each other hands tightly, stepping a little behind. Before Cora could say anything else, she was interrupted by Danielle, who woke up seconds ago:
"You… You're Cora… You're the one who killed my father..!"
Standing up quickly, she was about to grab her pen from her pocket, in order to transform into Sailor Fire. But Rosalie and Emma grabbed her both arms, preventing her from doing so.
"Danielle, calm down..!" – Emma said – "You shouldn't do this!"
"Why not?! She's dangerous; you heard what Regina explained us!" – Danielle shouted back.
"But for now, we should stay calm! If you transform, we could give wrong impression on the people up there. We must stay calm, as long as we are prisoners." – Rosalie explained to her friend.
"What is she talking about? Who was her father, she says I killed?" – Cora asked.
"She's talking about Daniel, the stable boy whose heart you ripped." – Emma said.
"Emma..! You should not share this information with her!" – Rosalie said severely at her friend.
The conversation got interrupted by a villager, who came to inform the three girls that their leader wanted to see them. They were pulled off the cave and they waited a moment outside for the "leader" to appear. A moment later, an afro-american looking man approached the trio.
"My name is Lancelot." – he introduced himself, surprising the girls by his name – "Now, you will tell who you three are."
Rosalie, who was from her former life considered as the girls' leader, spoke first:
"We arrived from the… well… Land Without Magic. We were sucked into a portal, while we were fighting a Wraith."
"You survived a Wraith?" – Lancelot asked surprised – "Three young girls like you?"
"We are not ordinary." – Danielle said – "We have magic powers."
"Powers? Like… some witches or something?" – the knight asked, seeming careful.
"No, not witches… We are Sailor Guardians." – Emma explained.
After a moment, Lancelot's face brightened and with a smile asked, seeking confirmation:
"You mean… the legendary Sailor Guardians?"
"You… know about us?" – Rosalie asked slightly amused but also surprised.
"Sure thing! It's a very ancient legend! But sadly, a forgotten one. Not much people from those lands remember it."
Rosalie, Danielle and Emma looked at each other with a smile, feeling that from now, it's going to be easier. Then, Lancelot asked:
"But you still didn't say your names."
This time, it was Emma who spoke, feeling more confident, regardless that they were trapped in an unknown for them world.
"I am Emma… I'm Snow White's daughter." – she noted, hoping it would help them somehow.
"Really? I know Snow White! We are old friends."
"Oh, that's a surprise… So, this is Rosalie and that's Danielle." – Emma then said her friends' names.
"It's nice to meet you, girls." – Lancelot said.
As the four were chatting, Aurora and Mulan were watching the scene from afar. Aurora shook her head in disbelief, exclaiming:
"Why is he talking nicely with them? They are responsible of Philip's death!"
"You are new here, Aurora." – Mulan stated – "Lancelot is trustworthy, Philip trusted him. So, we must trust him too."
"I want justice!" – Aurora protested.
"You must not confound 'justice' and 'revenge'." – Mulan said seriously – "Do you understand me?"
Aurora didn't reply at first, which made Mulan repeat her question. The princess then finally nodded. At the same time, Lancelot and the three Guardians sat at a table, in order to have some lunch. The girls avoided to eat the meat, since it came from strange animals, but ate vegetables and fruits without any problems.
"I don't understand… I thought that the Dark Curse sent everyone in the Land Without Magic?" – Danielle asked a little confused – "How did you avoid the curse?"
"It's a mystery." – Lancelot answered – "After the purple smoke dissipated, most of us disappeared from this world. But some of us, especially in this area, stayed. But we don't know how and why. Finding this haven was difficult, blood was versed. But don't you worry, you are safe here."
"Well, we can't stay." – Rosalie protested – "Our friends, Emma and Danielle's parents are in the other world. Could you help us find a portal?"
"Unfortunately, the land became too dangerous. The ogres are back. That's why we live here, on this island. So, your best choice is to stay here. Besides, I don't think there are any portals left."
Those words saddened the three girls. But before they fell into despair, Rosalie suddenly exclaimed:
"Hey..! I think I know one portal!"
"You… you do?" – Emma looked at her friend in disbelief.
"During my way to Storybrooke, Athena explained me precisely about how we all were sent to the Land Without Magic, when we were babies. There was a platform, with six symbols on it. Each of us were placed on the correspondent symbol, with Lux and Athena in the middle. After a few moments, we were magically transported to another world."
"You think the platform is still here? Didn't your cat tell where it was located?" – Emma asked.
"According to her, it was in your castle." – Rosalie replied, making Emma's mouth drop open.
"But we don't know this world! How will we go there?" – Danielle asked, then she turned to Lancelot – "You said you knew Emma's parents. Could you lead us there?"
"Unfortunately, I can't leave those people… But I can give you my best knight."
As he said that, Mulan approached him, and Lancelot added:
"That would be Mulan. She will lead you to the castle."
Enchanted Forest
Snow White was brought to King George, and Lancelot removed the bag from her head. As soon as he did, Snow said with determination:
"Whatever you do to me, I won't say where he is!"
"I know. That's not why you're here." – King George said, and then he spoke to Lancelot – "Could you bring some water for our guest?"
As Lancelot went for a cup of water, George pursued:
"I see light in your eyes. You should treasure it, because the light can die, if it's replaced with something else: the pain."
"All you know about pain, is how to cause it." – Snow replied harshly.
Lancelot approached her, giving a cup of water, which she took in her hand. The king replied to Snow White:
"You are very wrong. I suffered a lot. The son I loved died. I tried to replace him with your Charming, I offered him the whole world! But he rejected me, he humiliated me in front of the whole kingdom! And all of this for true love!"
"Something you know nothing about." – Snow commented, drinking a little in the cup Lancelot brought her.
"I know more than you think. I loved before. And she loved me back. We lived happily, but then she was cursed. She drank an evil potion, because of which we could not conceive a child. Family is everything, dear! There's no worse unhappiness than lose all hopes to have a family. Charming could have given me that hope. But he worsened my suffering instead. For this, death wouldn't be enough. First, he must know the pain, my pain."
As the king said those words, realization hit Snow White. Horrified, she looked in the cup in her hand, mumbling a weak 'no'.
"You poisoned her?" – Lancelot asked concerned.
"I cursed her. She won't ever be able to have children."
Snow White glared at the king, clearly upset.
Enchanted Forest, present days
Mulan offered some weapons to the three girls, but they refused they offer, claiming they didn't need it. Mulan was confused, wondering how they planned to defend themselves, but didn't ask any questions. She then said:
"Follow my steps, do everything as I say, and you'll be sure to survive."
"Thank you, but I think we can take care of ourselves." – Danielle replied.
"That's true. We killed a dragon, very recently. As long as a Goddess of Darkness…" – Emma added, remembering the battle against Exitumia.
"Did you ever see an ogre?" – Mulan asked – "Legend says that when it kills you, the last thing you see is your reflection in their eyes."
After that, the group of four quitted the village, walking in the direction of the old Snow White and Charming's castle. Emma still couldn't believe that it was where they were going. She would see the place where her parents used to live, the place where she could have lived… But then, she shook her head, trying not bother about that right now. After walking for awhile, they arrived at a plain, where Mulan indicated that they would spend the night there.
"All we need is water and some wood to make fire." – Mulan instructed.
"But… if we're hiding from ogres, maybe… it's better not to make fire…?" – Emma asked.
"Ogres are blind. They're hunting by following the sounds." – Mulan explained.
"Like we were supposed to know that…" – Danielle commented.
Rosalie approached her friend, and she said:
"Look, I see you're not in a very good mood… So, it would be better if you stay here, while we search for water and wood."
Danielle looked at her friend in disbelief, as she, Emma and Mulan went in different directions.
Enchanted Forest
Snow White was pushed violently on the ground in the middle of woods, by King George's knights. Then, she saw Lancelot approach on his horse from afar. She quickly hid behind a tree, taking a long stick of wood as weapon. As Lancelot was close to the tree she was hiding behind, she harshly knocked him, making him fall of his horse. She was about to hit him with the stick again, but Lancelot stopped her:
"Stop! I want to help you!"
"After what you did to me?!" – Snow shouted, angry and hurt.
"After what the king did to you!" – Lancelot corrected her – "I still have some conscience."
"Do you think I'm that naïve? You want my truth, so I would bring you to…"
"… to the farm where your prince hides his mother." – the knight finished for her.
"How do you know about it?!" – Snow raised her stick again.
"King George knows where the farm is. He sent people to kill the mother of your fiancé."
"Charming is in the farm too…" – Snow White whispered in horror.
Meanwhile, Charming remarked her mother, who was working in the garden, that she should go inside. She remarked that she wanted everything perfect for the moment she meets her future daughter-in-law. Suddenly, Charming heard something, and started to worry.
"Go inside." – he said to his mother – "Whatever happens, don't exit."
As she went inside the house, Charming prepared his sword, ready to attack whoever approaches. He was quickly encircled by several King George's knights. But he was not impressed and he fought against them without any problem. As he defeated all of them, he heard:
"Son…"
Charming saw his mother approaching, who had an arrow in her chest. Before she collapsed on the ground, he ran to her and grabbed her, shouting:
"Mother..! I asked you not to go out…"
"I know…" – she replied weakly – "But I heard your shouts… I thought you could be hurt… I'm sorry…"
"No, everything's going to be okay…" – Charming said.
At that moment, Snow White and Lancelot, who just arrived there, ran to them.
"I'm sorry…" – Snow said – "We hurried as we could…"
"Is that her..?" – Ruth asked – "Snow White…"
Enchanted Forest, present days
Short after the sunset, as Danielle was sitting on the ground with boredom, Aurora approached quietly from behind. She quickly grabbed the girl, putting a dagger under her throat in a threatening way. She said with anger and tears:
"Don't move… Philip died because of you..!"
Danielle didn't take long to react. She pushed Aurora on the ground, and grabbing her both hands to prevent her to attack, she shouted:
"Listen here, 'princess'! You think I don't know what it is, to be separated from people important to me?! What happened to Philip is NOT our fault!"
Suddenly, Mulan pulled Danielle away from Aurora, saying:
"Don't you dare speak to her in that way."
"She tried to kill me!"
Rosalie and Emma, who just arrived with water, ran to her friends and Rosalie took her defense:
"She was only defending herself."
"I will have a talk with her!" – Mulan commented, confiscating the dagger from Aurora.
Their little argument got interrupted, as they heard an threatening sound coming from not-so-afar. The five looked at each other in panic, until Mulan yelled:
"It's an ogre! We must run!"
As she grabbed Aurora's hand and was about to run, the three girls stood here. Emma said:
"We are not running! We'll take care of it!"
"Are you crazy?!" – Mulan shouted – "It will destroy you within seconds!"
But the three girls did not listen to the warrior and they held their magical items in the air.
"Light Crystal Power!"
"Fire Star Power!"
"Rose Star Power!"
Mulan and Aurora watched in amazement as the three girls transformed into their Sailor Guardian forms. Who were those girls? But their wonders got chased away, as an ogre appeared from behind the trees. Sailor Light, Sailor Fire and Sailor Rose were thrilled during a moment, but it wasn't the moment to be scared. They had to take some action, and quickly. Sailor Rose was the first to attack, and she shouted her quote:
"Rose Crescent Beam!"
As a pink beam of light went from her finger and straight to the ogre, Sailor Light and Sailor Fire positioned themselves in other emplacements, in order to attack from different sides. Emma was about to use one of her attacks as the ogre, under rage and pain from Rosalie's attack, violently hit her, projecting the light Guardian away. As Sailor Light tried to get up again, the ogre approached her with a very angry roar. But before he could do any real harm, Sailor Rose quickly positioned herself between them, as a shield to her friend.
"Don't you even think to harm her!" – she shouted.
At that same moment, Aurora gasped. That scene… she had seen this before. Of course! It was as she saw in her vision long ago! That girl… the girl who was protecting another… she was the same girl from her vision, her daughter! How didn't she recognize her earlier? Aurora felt ashamed a moment, that was all because she permitted herself to be blinded by her anger. Well, Philip may be gone forever now, but she found her daughter. She then screamed as the ogre was about to hit her, but he didn't have enough time. Sailor Fire, who was standing behind him, shouted:
"Blazing Fireballs!"
As the ogre was suffering from the several fireballs going from Danielle's hands, Emma quickly stood up and grabbed her Star Wand, yelling:
"Heavens Princess Kiss!"
The powerful light emitted by the wand, was enough to destroy the ogre completely. As he exploded into dust, Mulan and Aurora watched in shock and admiration. Mulan approached the three Sailor Guardians, saying:
"Wow… I have no idea who you are, but you definitely saved us… You are very powerful, no doubt."
"Thanks. It's quite our job." – Emma commented, as she and her friends turned back to normal.
Aurora approached Rosalie slowly, asking quietly:
"Tell me… your name… is your name 'Rosalie'..?"
"Well, yes…" – Rosalie said confused – "How do you know? I never told it to you…"
"Because I… My name is Aurora… and… I am… your mother."
Rosalie's breath was cut during a moment. Her mother? Yes, of course, David and Mary Margaret told her that her mother was Aurora. Had she finally found her? With tears in her eyes, she asked:
"Really…?"
"Yes, really..!" – Aurora said, with tears too, and quickly hugged her.
They stayed here, hugging each other, a moment, while Mulan, Emma and Danielle looked the scene, feeling quite emotional too. As they pulled away from each other, Aurora asked:
"But I don't understand… why you're already all grown up..?"
"It's a long story, I'll explain you on our way to the castle…"
"Right, that's where we were going." – Mulan then said – "Let's walk, we don't have much time before other ogres arrive here."
Without waiting any longer, the team of five continued their walk in the direction of the castle.
Enchanted Forest
After Lancelot examined the arrow, he declared that it was poisoned. Refusing to give up, Charming said:
"We can find a remedy."
"Fairies!" – Snow White exclaimed – "They could help us!"
"No… I'm afraid we need something more powerful than fairy dust." – Lancelot replied.
"The Nostos Lake!" – Charming got an idea – "Its water has powerful properties. I saw how it turned a golden statute back to a real human being. The lake is not far from here."
Lancelot then prepared a chariot, in which they placed Ruth. As they were crossing the woods, Charming wondered how Lancelot ended up here, as a former member of the Round Table. Lancelot explained that it was the same reason of why Charming ran from King George, which meant a woman. Both men then left Snow and Ruth alone, in order to check around. As Snow White, who saw Ruth suffering, was taking care of her, the old woman thanked her.
"It's the few I can do to make you feel better." – Snow White stated.
"No, I meant thank you for what you gave for my son: something in what he can believe. His whole life, he dreamed of having a wife… and a son…"
As Ruth said the latest words, Snow White's smile faded from her face. Noticing that, Ruth added:
"Don't worry… It can be a daughter too. What matters is that the baby is healthy. I want to show you something…"
Then, not without a wince of pain, Ruth removed the medallion she was wearing around her neck.
"This was given by my mother, when I was pregnant. She said me that it can predict your future baby's gender, before even its conceived."
"Does it work?" – Snow asked.
"It worked for my boys." – Ruth answered – "If it balances from North to South, it will be a boy. If it balances from West to East, it will be a girl."
Then, Ruth suggested to try, but knowing that she was cursed, Snow White tried to reject the offer. But Charming's mother insisted, she wanted some distraction from what she was going through at the moment. Giving up, Snow gave her hand, and Ruth hanged the medallion above it. But the medallion did not balance in any direction.
"Don't worry… it's just a superstition." – Ruth reassured her.
But she then saw that Snow was very upset and almost crying. So, she asked, taking her hand:
"What's wrong, my dear? You can tell me everything, Snow."
"It's the king… when I was brought to his castle, he cursed me. I won't ever be able to have kids…"
But Ruth reassured her future daughter-in-law, saying that if the water of Nostos could heal her, so it should help Snow too. She added that she would be a good mother.
Enchanted Forest, present days
Mulan, Aurora and the Guardians were still walking through the woods. Rosalie was telling Aurora about how she escaped the Dark Curse and how she became a Sailor Guardian, years later. Aurora listened, both with interest and some sadness. She finally managed to say:
"I'm glad you became a great hero… I can understand that you were very admired, as Sailor R. Athena, that white cat, did a good job."
"Yes, indeed… But I still missed a family in my life… I almost could get one, but… it turned impossible." – Rosalie said, remembering about Catherine and Samuel.
"If you want… and if the portal still works… maybe I could… join you? In the Land Without Magic." – Aurora suggested.
Rosalie looked at her, wondering if she really meant what she meant. She finally dared to ask:
"You mean…? You really would do that for me? Leave the Enchanted Forest, in an unknown world for you, to live with me?"
"Of course, I want that. Before being cursed, I could not imagine a life without you in it."
Rosalie smiled, feeling suddenly emotional about what her mother just said.
"Plus, there's nothing left here, anyway." – Aurora smiled back.
"We arrived!" – Mulan suddenly shouted.
They approached the warrior and saw from afar a ruined castle.
"Is that really…?" – Emma asked quietly.
"Yeah… seems like it was your home." – Danielle said.
Enchanted Forest
Lancelot, Charming, Snow White and Ruth arrived at the lake. But there was a problem: the lake dried. It was empty, there was no water. Charming then understood that it was because he killed the Siren who lived there. But Lancelot didn't give hope; since he grew up nearby a lake, he knew that there had to be water somewhere. Both men looked around, until Lancelot noticed a shell, in which were a few drops of water.
"It's all the water left… there's enough for one swallow." – Lancelot commented.
"Do you think it's enough to heal my mother?" – Charming asked.
"Well, let's find out."
At the same time, the women were talking about who should get that last drop of water. Ruth wanted it to be for Snow White, so her curse would be undone and that she and Charming would have a baby. But Snow White insisted that she couldn't let Ruth die for that. Charming approached them, with the water. Ruth drank it and she then whispered to Snow:
"Don't lose hope, we'll find another way."
Snow White only nodded with a smile.
Enchanted Forest, present days
Emma looked around, as she walked through the destroyed castle. It was a sad scene; it reminded what she saw when she visited the fallen Celestial Kingdom.
"Another home and kingdom of mine destroyed…" – she thought for herself. As the team walked by what seemed a nursery, she stopped. She walked in, looking around. Rosalie, who had noticed, joined her friend. She then asked:
"Are you okay…?"
"Yes… well… I think." – Emma replied – "It's just that… it could have been my life, right now."
"Yeah… but you must keep in mind that this life is what your parents truly wanted for you. They never wanted to abandon you."
"You're very sure of you. Like if you know what you're talking about." – Emma commented.
"Because it's true. I mean, look around, Emma. Your nursery, or what was supposed to be, is filled with a lot of things! Your parents clearly took their time to arrange this room. They prepared your birth. They had plans, and this room definitely confirms that." – Rosalie explained to her friend.
Emma looked around once more, and she could not disagree with Rosalie. This life was taken away not only from herself, but also from Mary Margaret and David.
"Who knows, maybe somehow this could have become the new Celestial Kingdom…" – Emma thought a moment, remembering how she met Queen Serenita in the Heavens.
The silence got interrupted by Danielle, who said from the corridor:
"Girls, I think I found what we were looking for."
Emma and Rosalie immediately exited the room, and followed her friend.
Enchanted Forest
"Why doesn't it work?" – Charming said, seeing that the water Ruth drank had no effect.
"Perhaps, it takes some time for the wounds to heal?" – Lancelot suggested.
"No, I used that magic before, it works instantly. There was not enough water… I must find more!"
Charming was about to leave her mother's side to seek for the water again, but Ruth stopped him:
"Son… stop… There's no magic left here… and I don't want spent my last moments like this…"
"That's all my fault…" – Charming blamed himself – "Forgive me…"
"For what? For being happy? For finding true love? I am ready to die, for your happiness." – Ruth said to her son – "I only regret that I won't see you marrying Snow."
After a moment, Snow White said:
"You will see."
Then, Snow White asks to Lancelot, if as a former Round Table Knight, he still can marry them. Lancelot replied that it would be an honor for him to do so. A few minutes later, after picking some flowers and positioning themselves, Lancelot said:
"In my kingdom, there's a legend of a cup. It has the power to grant eternal life. And so, may the love between you two be strong, true and eternal."
As he was saying those words, he gave them a cup of water, in which first Snow White, then Charming drank a swallow. Once they did so, the couple kissed. After a moment, they turned in Ruth's direction, to see that she passed away. The couple approached her, and Charming said on the edge of tears:
"Goodbye, mother…"
After that, they mourned in silence.
Enchanted Forest, present days
The three girls were looking at the platform during a long moment, before Emma finally asked:
"So… this is what sent us away… How is that thing supposed to work?"
"Well, let's try to figure that out." – Danielle replied.
Suddenly, Lancelot entered the room, confusing the girls. Rosalie asked the knight what he was doing there, and he answered that after he heard the ogre incident, he wanted to make sure they were okay.
"And where are Mulan and Aurora?" – Danielle asked.
"I asked them search for some food. We'll make a camp today, and tomorrow, we'll walk back." – Lancelot replied, then approaching the platform, he said – "So… this is it?"
"Yes. That's what saved us from the Dark Curse." – Rosalie said.
"But we don't know how that thing works." – Danielle stated.
"A so powerful portal like this… there must be some way to activate it." – Lancelot commented.
"Why are you so interested by the platform, huh..?" – Rosalie asked, slightly frowning her brows.
"I just want you to return to your families. Snow White, Charming, Regina… they surely miss you."
As soon as he said that sentence, Danielle quickly made her friends walk back a little, positioning herself in front of them, in a protecting way.
"Danielle..? What's wrong..?" – Emma asked in confusion.
"He is not who he pretends to be, girls!" – Danielle said.
"What are you talking about?" – Rosalie asked on her turn.
"I never mentioned whose daughter I am to anyone! Only one person in the Enchanted Forest knows who my mother is!" – Danielle explained, looking angrily at the knight.
"Cora…?" – Emma and Rosalie said in disbelief.
At that moment, a purple smoke enveloped Lancelot, to make Cora standing here at his place. She laughed a little, saying:
"Congratulation, Danielle! You're smart, like your mother!"
"Where is Lancelot?!" – Danielle shouted.
"Oh, I killed him long time ago… and I pretended to be him the whole time. Otherwise, no one would ever follow me." – Cora said, with a small laugh.
"That's it! I'll do what I should have done in that cave..! Fire Star Power!" – Danielle yelled.
A second later, she was standing proudly in her red sailor uniform. Then, Rosalie and Emma did the same; they turned into their Sailor Guardian forms. Cora, who saw how Emma's brooch glowed during the transformation, commented making a step ahead:
"The legendary Eternal Crystal… so powerful… what a shame its owner doesn't use it in accordance with its oh-so-great potential."
"I use the crystal in order to make good!" – Emma protested – "I won't let anyone evil procure it!"
When she said that, she made her Star Wand appear, and was about to shout her quote, but Cora used her dark magic to block her against a wall, making her unable to move and dropping her Star Wand in process. Rosalie and Danielle ran to her, but Cora magically pushed them on the other side of the room. Approaching Emma, Cora looked at the Star Wand she dropped, and a moment later, she crushed it with her foot, causing Emma, Danielle and Rosalie to be shocked that the only weapon of light was just destroyed. Cora then said:
"I waited this moment for so long… I'll finally reunite with my daughter. But first, I will take this from you."
Cora was about to grab Sailor Light's brooch, but before she could do so, she heard a shout:
"Spiral Flames!"
Turning around, she saw that Danielle used her fire powers to burn the platform.
"No!" – Cora shouted, seeing the portal burn in flames – "We're not done yet!"
After she said it, she teleported herself away. Then, Mulan and Aurora arrived in the room, wondering what just happened. Danielle ran to Emma, asking:
"Are you okay? You're not hurt?"
"No, it's alright… you saved me… and the crystal."
"I couldn't let her join our world, especially in possession of the Eternal Crystal." – Danielle replied – "I'm sorry I had to burn our way home."
"It's alright… we'll find something else…" – Rosalie said, as she was standing up.
Emma walked up to the destroyed Star Wand. As she fell on her knees and picked the broken Star Wand, she now felt powerless, and Rosalie and Danielle became worried about Emma.
Enchanted Forest
As Charming placed a funerary candle at a stone, Snow White approached him, saying:
"I'm sorry… you have no more family left."
Charming looked up at her and said, with a smile:
"That's not true. I still have you. I love you, Snow. And together, we'll fund a new family."
Snow White sighed at his words, while he pulled Ruth's medallion off of his pocket.
"It was hers. She would have wanted you keep it. She said it can predict your future child's gender. Let's try." – Charming suggested.
"Please, no…"
"Come on, it's just a superstition."
Snow White sighed sadly and was about to tell Charming about how King George cursed her, as she suddenly saw the medallion balancing above her hand.
"We'll have a baby… we… we will have a baby..!" – she exclaimed happily – "I mean, someday."
"Of course we will. So, who will it be? A boy..? I never remember which direction means what." – Charming said with a glad smile.
"It's a surprise." – Snow said, taking his hands in hers.
"I'm going to make a sign, to reunite all our army. We will take our kingdom back, Snow. And we'll do it as a family."
The couple kissed, and then Charming went away. Once he left, Snow White had a realization. She turned to Lancelot, and asked him:
"It's all thanks to you, right..? Ruth pretended to drink the water, and she asked you to verse the water in the wedding cup, to make me drink it. That's how King George's curse was broken, right?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." – Lancelot said, with a huge smile however – "So, who is it going to be?"
"A girl." – Snow White replied, smiling brightly.
Enchanted Forest, present days
"How could I have been so blind? How didn't I guess it was Cora?!" – Mulan was asking herself in frustration, after the Guardians explained to her what happened – "What are we going say to people on the island?"
"We'll say the truth." – Danielle said firmly – "That Lancelot, as a brave knight, got murdered by an horrible villain."
"Cora is still free. We must find her and protect all what left from our kingdom." – Mulan remarked.
"But who will lead us? You?" – Aurora asked.
"No… But one of those three will."
The three girls looked at each other in surprise. Emma was the first to make a suggestion:
"Rosalie, you used to be a leader back then, in the Heavens."
"Yes, but…" – Rosalie hesitated – "I think that… Danielle would be a better leader."
Danielle gazed at her friend, the surprise evident in her eyes. Before she could even ask if she heard right, Rosalie pursued:
"Today, you made your proofs. You were the one to see that Lancelot was Cora in disguise. Without you, she would have taken over Storybrooke right now."
"But you have a much longer experience as a Sailor Guardian." – Danielle protested – "You have been Sailor R during years, you should keep your leadership."
"Maybe, but… I feel unsecure lately… Plus, I… I currently have my weakness on my side." – Rosalie said, looking in Aurora's direction – "It would be dangerous for everyone if I stay the leader. Emma can't lead us either, for now. We already lost the Star Wand, and Emma doesn't have enough power without it."
After a moment, Danielle sighed, and said:
"All right, I agree to be the leader from now. But I insist that you stay a leader too, a second one after me."
"Alright…" – Rosalie nodded with a shy smile – "But I remind you that we can't stay here. We must search for another way to return to Storybrooke."
"Of course, we will find it, right Aurora?" – Mulan said.
"Sure thing. I'll do everything to help my daughter." – Aurora smiled to Rosalie.
After that, the team of five exited the castle, and Emma looked at it one last time.
Storybrooke
David and Mary Margaret were walking on the main street. David suddenly saw that his wife was on the edge of tears, and he said her:
"I know, you're worried but… we must believe in them. Emma will come back to us."
Mary Margaret shook her head, replying to her husband:
"I do believe, David. That's not the reason why I'm crying."
David looked at her questioningly, after what she spoke again:
"Remember when we watched Emma fight Exitumia in the sky? Remember how we all prayed, to give her the power to defeat her?"
"Of course, I do." – David nodded.
"At some point, I got some fragments of memories… Those were memories of a former life, in the Celestial Kingdom of the Heavens."
"Yes, I had those memories too, when I used to be the Celestial Knight Endymion."
"And I was Queen Serenita… a queen I'll never become again, because of the sacrifice I did back then, before my final breath." – Mary Margaret said those words, as tears started to actually fall from her eyes this time – "It was a sacrifice I made in order to be all reunited again… to have a second chance to live as a family, to have all those happy and precious moments all together… But it seems like my sacrifice was in vain. We didn't have this, David."
As she said that, she started to cry in his jacket, and David immediately put his arms around his wife, rubbing her back in order to comfort her. After a moment, he finally spoke:
"Don't cry… your sacrifice was not vain, on the contrary."
Mary Margaret looked at him, wondering what he meant by 'on the contrary'. David pursued:
"We died when she was as old as she is now. There were also things we had no time to live back then too. We may have missed Emma's childhood, but we still have a future we didn't have the chance to get in Heavens."
Mary Margaret was stunned a moment, processing her husband's words. He was actually right! They didn't raise her as a child in this life, but they still can watch her grow into a good adult, an adult Emma (or should she say Selene) never became back at the time. As for the 'raising baby' memories, they still had those from their past life, something they would treasure.
"A childhood in the Heavens, and adulthood here and now… that's not so bad after all." – Mary Margaret said, smiling a little.
David smiled back and, wiping her tears away, they continued their walk, hands joined. The couple was totally unaware that Albert Spencer, who used to be King George, was observing them from his car, clearly unpleased about their happiness.
A/N: The part my friend added is about how Cora crushed Emma's Star Wand. Reviews would be nice. :)