Ouat season 5

What now?

The Dark One's dagger fell to the ground with a clang and on it the name Emma Swan was inscribed with swirling black ink.

Everyone else just stared in shock at the dagger, still unable to believe the scene that took place before their eyes a moment ago.

"Emma! No...she's gone David, we lost her again" Mary Margaret sobbed.

"Where did she go?" David asked, hoping Regina would know something.

"Not a clue, but I do know that the dagger should help us find her" Regina replied as she bent to pick up the dagger.

"And what exactly will you do after you find her?" Robin asked tentatively, "You all saw what that darkness almost did to Regina and now that its combined with the Savior, I'm not sure if we should be so keen to call it back."

"But Robin, its Emma, Dark One or not she would never hurt us!" Mary Margaret objected.

"Be that as it may, I'm just cautioning all of you. I mean I have nothing against Emma, really..."

"How about Henry?" Killian finally asked after being quiet for the most part, "The lad's got that magic pen now right? So let's go find the boy and get Emma back."

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The last thing Emma Swan remembered before being consumed by the Darkness was looking into the eyes of her parents, after that she was lifted into the air and now, she found herself standing on the edge of the town right next to the sign that read 'Welcome to Storybrooke'.

"What a nice welcome for the new Dark One" she thought to herself, " yeah no...on second though, I'm not calling myself that" she muttered out loud.

For a moment she considered stepping over the town line just so she wouldn't hurt her loved ones but as she turned to put her foot over the line, something stopped her, "looks like the Savior in you is still strong ms Swan" a voice whispered. Emma looked around and realized that that was the voice of the darkness, "aren't you at all curious to see what our combined power can do?"

"What do you want? And how are we having this conversation? Aren't you supposed to be just some mindless evil?" Emma retorted.

"Mindless? I'm insulted Emma, everything has a beginning. And as to what I want," the darkness chuckled, "I want what you want...or more accurately what WE want."

Emma scoffed "And what do you think we - I want?"

"Well, for starters you still crave some sort of penance from your parents from putting your potential for darkness into that dragon girl and you still fear that people will not love you back, that you'll never be good enough for the title of 'Savior' or for a certain pirate's heart...shall I continue?"

"No and you're wrong, I resolved all that already."

"Okay...but what about the murder of Cruella?"

"I did that to protect my son!" Emma retorted.

The darkness was silent for a bit, "We could do this all eternity Emma, we are connected now. I grow tired of this childish argument. Time for me to show you what being the Dark One really means". Emma felt the darkness press even harder into her mind and heart, and as it did so, she could feel herself slipping until finally:

"Let's go show Storybrooke the new Dark One" Emma laughed gleefully

"So what exactly is yo - our story" Emma asked her darkness curiously as she turned away from the town line and disappeared in a cloud of dark red smoke.

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"Henry!"

Henry looked up from his anxious pacing, "Guys so what happened to the darkness, did you defeat it?" He asked eagerly but then he noticed something, "uh...where's my mom?"Everyone was silent, "guys...what is going on?" Henry asked again with dread. Regina broke the news to him, "Henry...after we chased the darkness out onto the street, it disappeared or so we thought. It attacked me...and...Emma sacrificed herself to contain the darkness again."

"What? No, no! She can't have become the Dark One, s- she's the Savior" Henry exclaimed, unable to believe the news.

"That's why we need you to write the Darkness out of existence" David said.

"B-but I can't - "

"Come on lad, surely whatever the rules of being the Author are do not say you cannot save someone" Hook cut in.

"I broke the pen!" Henry shouted, "I did it so that no one could have that much power ever again." Regina went over and gave her son a big hug "I'm so proud of your choice Henry, resisting that much power, not easy".

"Okay so that option is a dead end. The other choice is to find Merlin - wherever he is"

"Why not we just wake Gold up and ask him?" Mary Margaret suggested, pointedly looking at Regina. Regina stood up and walked over to where Gold was lying, still under the apprentice's preservation spell. Regina ended the spell with a wave of her hand, not caring much if he was too weak to survive without it. Belle immediately rushed to his side, "Rumple wake up, come on" Slowly his eyes opened.

"Well nice to see everyone still here, but what happened? I was dying...hang on, I'm not the dark one anymore and I'm not dead" Gold stated with a tinge of awe in his voice.

"Yes but Emma is the Dark one now." Regina said irritably, this was taking too long and Emma could show up anytime soon. The only comfort was that the dagger was safely in her hands.

Gold was silent as he processed the news, "and now you want my help to know either the dark one's weakness or how to change Emma back am I correct?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Well first, the dark one has no weakness aside from MAYBE light magic...but since Emma was previously the Savior, I don't know if she will still retain that weakness. Secondly, the only way to free her from the darkness permanently if it is transferred to another person who has to kill Emma."

"That's not helpful at all, Gold" David said threateningly.

Gold sighed, "Well, if you want to know more, I will have to tell you how the Darkness was first created.