Chapter 44: Dark Hollow
The group had just left for Neverland, when the dwarfs, Archie and Blue approached Belle and Ruby. They explained what happened and showed Blue the spell that Gold gave them. They went to the mines to find a vein of fairy dust. Once they found it, Belle hesitated.
"I've never cast a spell before. Maybe you should do it" She said, turning to Blue.
She shook her head and told her it had to be her. Ruby nodded and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Gold gave this task to you for a reason, and Rose trusted us to protect Storybrooke." She squeezed her shoulder with a soft smile. "You just have to believe in yourself. We all do."
Belle nodded, took a deep breath and dumped the vial on the vein. All waited expectantly, but nothing happened. Then a burst of light came from the crack and shot the barrier around the town. But none of them realized was that it had been a second too late.
Back in Neverland, Gold was explaining to Ariel how to reach Storybrooke past the barrier. Ariel asked what she needed to bring back, but Gold was being cautious and handed her a charmed sand dollar and told her to give it to Belle.
Ariel asked about Eric, but Regina refused until they got what they wanted. She only granted the mermaid legs for 24 hours.
"How are you going to go back? My sisters helped Rose before, but they won't do it again, and they will sure not help you." She said to Regina with a glare. "I felt her magic. Rose is here and that is bad. Tell me you have a way to get her out of here."
"Bring us back what we want, and we will be able to leave without bothering your sisters." Gold said looking at the mermaid. "I promise that Rose will get out of this island. I won't let Pan kill her."
She was reluctant, but left anyway. She was determined to find Eric.
On another part of the island, Pan noticed Ariel's parting. He told Felix not to worry and to warn the people they have in Storybrooke to take care of that.
"I need to have a chat with our friend in the other cage, and I should check on Spitfire." That got Felix attention, and chuckled. "I have to check that she is recovering fine."
"Yeah." Nodded Felix. "The boys want to see her again. Now that they know what happened that day. Because we know what happened, right?"
"Of course you do." Said Pan with a scoff. "I told you, the mermaids just put into action the plan too early. And the memory spell was just supposed to erase how to get back to Neverland. That was the deal I made with Spitfire in order for her and the boys to leave."
Felix nodded and left. Once he was gone, Pan frowned. It seemed that the lie was enough for the rest of the boys, but Felix wasn't completely convinced yet.
Ariel had made it to Stroybrooke, startling the dwarfs that were having lunch on the beach. She asked them to bring her to Belle.
At Granny's Belle wasn't up to eating, again, so Archie decided to intervene.
"You know they are going to come back."
"Yes, but Rumple spoke as if he wasn't." She said with a frown. "I just, I wish I was able to help them."
Archie told her how she had helped protect Storybrooke and how important that was, but Belle said that she had barely done anything.
"That's not true." Both turned to the voice and saw Ruby enter. "I'm sure that Gold made it so only you could cast the spell."
"Yes, but after that, what have I done?" She said frustrated. "You have taken the spot of Sheriff. I wasn't on the ship, because they don't need me."
"I only took the job because Rose asked me to protect the town. And she asked that of you too. If bad people are coming, the two of us have to deal with it. Just like she wanted."
"Then you can start right now, sisters." Said Leroy entering the diner. "Cause this lady just swam a really long way to find you."
Ariel gave the sand dollar to her and told her Rumplestiltskin sent her. The three women went to Gold's shop to figure out what the others needed. Ruby helped Ariel find something to wear, while Belle looked the object over. Belle used a magnifying glass to try and figure out what to do, when the sand dollar activated, and a hologram of Gold appeared.
The women started to look around the shop, and Ariel was interested in every little thing, while Belle and Ruby told her what every knickknack she picked was. Ariel told them about Eric, and both women smiled and promise to help her find him. Finally, Ruby ran out of patience and turned to Belle.
"Okay, think." She said with determination. "He said it was hidden, but that you would find it by the strength of your friendship and his love for Rose. What would that be?"
Belle looked around and pointed at the phoenix figurine. Ruby picked it up with a smile.
"This is for his love for Rose. What about your friendship?"
Belle thought about it and kept looking, until her eyes landed on a very special item. She picked up the tea cup, and Ariel commented how it was chipped. They put both object on the counter.
"No matter how much these things have been through, they survived. Just like our relationships." She looked around until her eyes set on a cabinet. "Rumple used to keep them in here."
Belle set the cup on a plate and Ruby the figurine on a small pillow. Once both objects were on their correct places, the magic revealed a trap door, where the object was.
"It's Pandora's Box." Belle informed them. "Legend says that it contains the world's darkest evil."
While Belle and Ariel kept talking about the box, Ruby turned to the door.
"Someone is coming, be careful."
At that, two men came in with guns. Ruby was about to transform, when one of them turned his gun to her.
"Don't even think about it, dog. This one is loaded with silver bullets."
Ruby glared at them, but couldn't do anything else. While he stopped Ruby from doing anything, the other tied Ariel and Belle to a chair. They asked them what they knew about the box. They told the women how they knew who their boss was and that her mission was for the box to never reach Neverland. At that, Ruby went to attack, but they shot her in the shoulder.
"That should keep you from transforming until the silver leaves your system." He said to Ruby, and turned to the other two. "Let's see if she can survive long enough for that to happen."
They took the box and left.
They managed to free themselves from the chairs and Belle told Ariel to stay with Ruby, while she looked for help. She found Archie and the dwarfs, and they decided to split up. Archie and some of the dwarfs would take ruby to the hospital, while the rest would go to the mines to stop the strangers from destroying the box.
They managed to stop them and brought them to Granny's, so they could learn what they were trying to accomplish. The strangers introduced themselves as the Darlings and explained what happened to them and their sister. They convinced them that by bringing the box to Neverland, they could save their sister along with the others.
"Between the box and Rose, I'm sure that they can defeat Peter Pan." Said Ariel with a smile.
"You know Rose?" Asked Belle. "You've seen her in Neverland? Is she okay? Did she get her memories back?"
"I didn't see her." Said Ariel, a little startled as everyone was looking at her expectantly. "But I felt her magic, so I assume she is okay."
"If her magic is back, then so are her memories." Said Blue with a smile.
Everyone was relieved at the news that Rose Red had finally recovered her memories and her powers after all this time. Granny wanted to go tell Ruby right away, but someone interrupted their joy.
"Mermaid, you have to get Rose out of there as soon as possible." Jefferson stood up and held Ariel by the arms. "Do you understand? You have to take Rose away from Neverland."
Everyone looked at the Mad Hatter and asked him why was he so worried, as Rose was very capable of taking care of herself.
"You don't understand. I was there when Rose's powers first truly awoke." He said with panic and fear in his eyes. "She exploded with magic and took down everyone around her."
"But, if she has her memories back, she knows how to control her powers, right?" Asked Belle worried about her friend.
"Don't you remember how you felt once you got back your memories? How confusing it is to have two lives in your head?" At that, everyone got silent. "It will take her sometime to sort through everything in her head, and in the meantime, she is in a place bursting with magic that feeds her powers. Mark my words. Rose in Neverland in her current state is a nuclear bomb waiting to explode."
Jefferson and the young princess Rose Red had just made it to a different realm. One that had a famous magic school that may have some of the information that the princess was looking for. On their way, Jefferson reminded the girl of the rules.
"Remember, two people came through, so only two people can go back. We will only stay for a couple of days and then we will go back. Understood?"
Rose nodded and asked him about the realm they were in. He told her about the school, but also about the dangers. The school not only had knowledge, it also held valuable magical artifacts, and that attracted a lot of thieves.
"Do you know how to use your magic like the Dark One? Can you protect yourself from danger?" He asked with some concern.
"Not really." Said Rose with a frown. "I never tried to do anything with my powers. Lately they have been growing, and some things have started to happen. A glass broke, a candle was lit, a book appeared in my hands, but nothing big."
"Well, maybe in the school they will also teach you a thing or two."
When they were approaching the school, they were ambushed by a band of thieves. Jefferson looked around and counted ten that he could see, but he was sure that there were more hidden in the trees. All of them armed and closing in on the two of them. He wasn't a fighter, but he couldn't leave the princess alone, she was still just a child. He put a hand on her shoulder, and noticed that she was looking around in fear. His eyes widened when she started to glow red.
"Jeff." Started to say Rose with fear in her voice. "I don't know what's happening to me, but it's not good."
She started to tremble and the glow intensified. He took his hand away and took a step back.
"Run." Whispered Rose.
Jefferson's instincts to flee kicked in, and he ran as fast as he could. He could hear the thieves laughing, but he knew that whatever was going to happen was bad. He didn't stop running until he heard an explosion and a red light enveloped the area. Once the light died down, he shakily went back. As he was getting closer, he saw that everything was destroyed, trees burned, ground blackened. No sound could be heard.
When he reached the place of the ambush, he saw the charred bodies of the thieves. He was right, a part from the ten that were in plain sight, there were six more hidden around. All of them dead. And in the middle of the destruction was Rose Red on her knees. He ran to her to check if she was alive. He confirmed that the princess was alive, but she had a faraway look in her eyes and wasn't answering to his calls.
"She won't answer." Jefferson turned around to see a group of magicians from the school approaching. "She went into shock. Her magic busted out without control."
He signaled the other magicians and they grabbed Rose. Jefferson protested, but the leader spoke again.
"We have to contain her powers. We cannot let something like this happen again. We will bring her to the school." He extended a hand to Jefferson, so he would go with them. "Once she has recovered, we will help her control her magic. If she doesn't, she is a danger to herself and everyone around her."
Jefferson nodded and followed them. He looked again at the result of the little princess's magic and swallowed. He knew that he was way over his head with this assignment.
Ariel made it back to Neverland and gave Gold the box. Regina enchanted the bracelet again and told her that she could now have legs whenever she wanted. Before going back to Stroybrooke to look for Eric, she needed to deliver a message. She told them about Wendy and how everyone wanted them to bring her back. Regina was only focused on Henry, but Ariel insisted. Finally, Gold agreed that they would do their best to save the girl too, and Ariel nodded, happy with the answer.
"Before I go, there is something you should know." Regina was getting impatient, but Ariel just glared at her. "It's about Rose."
That got their attention. Both wanted to know what the mermaid had to tell them about the other redhead.
"A man called Jefferson told me that we had to get her out of Neverland as soon as possible. That her power would feed from Neverland's magic, and that it could make her very dangerous. That it would be much worse than the first time her powers awoke." She could tell from Gold's face that he understood. "Please, help Rose."
With that, she went underwater and back to Storybrooke.
It had been three months since the Mad Hatter and young princess Rose Red had left, and Rumplestiltskin didn't want to admit that he was getting worried. The father and sister had asked him about the redhead's whereabouts, and so had Regina.
Finally, he saw the portal open and the Hatter and the princess came through. He was about to ask, but Jefferson held a hand up.
"Give her some time. We can talk after we have reached your castle." He put an arm around the young girl's shoulder, and they started walking towards the castle.
He wasn't too pleased about that, but could feel a change in Rose Red, her magic was more powerful. He was willing to let it slide, so he could hear what had happened. Once they arrived at the castle, he saw that Jefferson made a cup of tea for the princess, and he stayed close to her.
"So, darling, what happened in this unexpectedly long trip?"
Rose looked at Jefferson and he nodded. She took a deep breath and started to tell the imp about what had happened, their encounter with the thieves, her power's reaction and how they were taken to the school.
"They taught me how to control my magic and in the meantime, I looked around the books they had, but I didn't find anything useful."
"You managed to control your magic in three months?" He said in disbelief. "Sorry, darling, but for what you told me, to have full control of magic so powerful that you obliterated everything and everyone around you, it would not be controlled such little time."
"Well," Said Rose, wringing her hands. "I just learned for it not to explode like that again and the basics of magic."
"Why don't you tell him the reason why you didn't stay to properly learn?" Said Jefferson with a stern voice.
"Yeah." Said Rose, scratching the back of her head. "I got bored."
The Dark One stayed silent for a second and then started to laugh.
"Well, they were taking forever to teach simple things, and I knew that they didn't have anything about what I was looking for." She said with a big smile. "They told me of a few places to look for information thought, and Jeff has agreed to take me there."
Rumplestiltskin watched the two of them argue about where to go next, he felt like he was watching two siblings bicker. The overprotective older brother and the reckless younger sister. But his mind went back to the tale they had told him. He didn't know what Rose Red was, but if she could do that on pure instinct, he couldn't imagine what she could do once she reached her full potential.
Pan had just left Wendy in the hut to trick Henry and went to check on Rose. He reached Skull Rock and approached Rose, who was magically hanging in front of the hourglass. He saw that the wound had completely healed and that the poison was practically gone from her system. He knew that wasn't possible, even with the woman's powers back.
He looked at the hourglass and realized that the sand was falling faster. He growled and threw Rose against the wall. She groaned, but didn't wake up.
"You were supposed to feed the magic of Neverland, not take it for yourself. What are you?" He said in anger. "I won't let you take my immortality."
He took a dagger covered in dreamshade and plunged it in the same place he struck before. He waved a hand and the wall grew to trap her inside a small alcove.
"You will never make it out of Neverland, Spitfire." He said, glaring at the wall and then looking at the hourglass. "I will get what I want. Henry will give me his heart. The Lost Boys will stay. And you, along with your family, will die here."