Finding You Always

The Final Battle, Pt 1

Chapter 148: The Final Battle, Pt 1

Emma Swan's eyes snapped open and she looked around at the stark white walls of her room in the asylum.

Since the day Ms. Rocha had taken her book and destroyed it, Emma had been here. She had been so disturbed when the book was destroyed that the state had institutionalized her and this became her life. Mundane days spent in a tiny, dark room with pills forced down her throat and Ms. Rocha berating her about what a delusional little freak she was.

The door opened, revealing her bony silhouette and Emma shuddered at her cruel smile. She really didn't know how long it had been since that day she lost the book and all hope of finding her parents, but Emma knew she was grown and any hope of that was gone. Perhaps her parents, or the people she thought her parents were in the book, really never existed, after all. Maybe what Ms. Rocha said was true. Her real parents were probably criminals on the run or drug addicts that dumped her like trash on the side of the road. She clutched her baby blanket, as the woman came into the room.

"It's time for your meds, Emma," Yzma hissed, as she glared down at the young woman.

"I don't want to take anymore pills...they don't help," Emma replied.

"You don't get a choice in the matter," Yzma snapped, as the orderlies came in. Emma screamed and fought, as the pills were forced down her, while the woman she knew as Ms. Rocha watched with smug glee on her wrinkled face.

Snow and David held hands, as they slowly moved through the streets of their town. Many places were boarded up and there were very few souls on the streets, like something akin to a ghost town. They could see a few people peering out at them from some of the buildings, but once they made eye contact, the people stopped looking, like they were afraid.

"What has she done to our town?" Snow wondered.

"I don't know, my darling...but we will fix this," he assured, as they continued on. They reached the corner and saw the diner in the distance, but noticed that the sign no longer said Granny's. Instead, it read Slade's.

"Okay...the Slades own Granny's. Now I know this whole place has been warped," he said.

"Villains are in control again," Snow said, as she pointed to the place where the Rabbit Hole should have been. Instead, the sign now read Ratigan's.

"Ratigan...didn't I arrest him a long time ago?" David asked, trying to recall it. She nodded.

"Yes...when Emma was fifteen. Remember, he was experimenting and trying to distribute mind-control drugs," she reminded.

"Yeah...I remember now. If he's out of prison..." he started to say, but they jumped then, as a bullet ricocheted at their feet. They looked ahead of them, only to find Sa'luk there, wearing a Sheriff's badge on his hip.

"Trespassers will be detained," he hissed.

"That badge doesn't belong to you," David hissed back, as he unsheathed his sword. Sa'luk chuckled.

"I've been looking forward to a rematch, Charming. After you did this to me," he said, pointing at his missing eye.

"I've been dying to repay the favor by carving up that pretty face," Sa'luk growled.

"So you have your memories," Snow stated, as she pulled an arrow from her quiver.

"Yes, the Black Fairy allowed me to retain them, as my hatred of your entire bloodline will serve her well," he said.

"David...I don't think there's magic here," Snow whispered, as she was unable to summon any power from the chalice.

"Figures...the Black Fairy probably took it all for herself. Guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way," he said, as he poised his sword in strike position, as Sa'luk charged him. David charged at him in response and immediately went about relying on his agility. Unfortunately, despite his size, he was able to keep up with the Prince and their blades clashed furiously. Snow moved slowly about, trying to find an opening, but it was far too risky with Charming so close to the hulking man.