"Previously on "Once Upon A Time"..." "Where's my family?" "They're in here now, in kind of an alternate reality." "So, now we're both trapped in the book." "Congratulations." "I am Rumplestiltskin, a knight at your service." "The boy I told you about..." "he'll be trying to help Regina." "Who are you?" "What do you want?" "I want you to kill them both." "Gladly." "Have you ever met someone that you would change your entire world for?" "Hello, darling." "[ chuckles ]" "Regina, I'd like you to meet my fiancée." "This is Zelena." "Everything's flipped." "This must be Zelena's happy ending." "We have to stop this wedding." "There were rumors once of a woman who called herself the savior." "Snow white locked her up years ago." "The prison she's in is impenetrable." "[ screaming ]" "[ horse whinnies ]" "[ horse whinnies ]" "Look!" "It's him!" "[ all shouting excitedly ]" "Belle!" "[ chuckles ] [ baby coos ]" "Sounds like someone else wants to celebrate your return." "[ chuckles ]" "And how is the newest member of our dear family?" "With any luck, he'll grow up to be just like dear old dad." "Belle." "You didn't tell me we had a visitor." "Name's Isaac." "I was traveling through your village, when your wife invited me in to slake my thirst." "[ slurps ]" "Mm." "Not to be too picky, but the water tastes a little murky." "Oh." "I'll get some that's fresh from the well." "[ door opens, closes ]" "You didn't come here for the water." "Perceptive in all worlds." "Good." "Yes." "I came here to warn you." "Your happiness is in danger." "From what?" "A boy." "He's on a mission to help the bandit Regina." "If he succeeds, everything you have will be destroyed." "Not to mention what I have." "Ha!" "What nonsense." "How can some stranger's actions affect my life?" "Because your happiness, your entire life..." "It's not real." "I know because I am the one who created it... with magic." "And it is all about to crumble." "Regina's true love is about to marry another." "She's going to try and stop the wedding." "You cannot let her succeed." "You have to kill her." "Demon!" "You've been sent here to try to corrupt me." "You have already been corrupted." "Before all of this, you were a villain..." "Maybe the worst one of all." "Which is why you had me use magic to rewrite your story." "Look, I can prove it to you." "I-I know things... the secrets that you've kept from Belle, the ones about your first son..." "Baelfire." "Where did you hear that name?" "In this story, he was killed in the ogre wars despite your heroic efforts." "But in reality, he died because of your cowardice." "No, no, no." "I..." "I protected him." "I did my best." "I..." "I was honorable." "No." "You weren't." "He died because of you." "Liar!" "Get out of here... now." "All right." "I'll go." "But deep down, you know I'm right." "You're not really a hero." "And if you don't kill Regina and keep her from her happy ending, then everyone, including Belle, will know, too." "I know you'll make the right choice, Rumple." "You always do." "Once Upon A Time:" ""Operation Mongoose Part (2/2)"" "Season 4 Episode 23 Original Airdate May 10, 2015" "Ahoy!" "Is anyone here?" "!" "Careful, boy." "No one steps aboard the Jolly Roger's decks without an invitation from its captain first." "Are you gonna make me walk the plank?" "All depends on why you're here." "I need a ship to take me to the bottomless sea." "Now, those are treacherous waters." "There must be something of great value there to be worth taking the risk." ""Someone."" "Her name is Emma." "She's my mom." "And she was put there by the queen." "Well, then, I'm sorry for you." "Even if I wanted to, I can't help you." "Why?" "You're a captain." "Can't you take your ship wherever you want?" "[ laughs ]" "A captain?" "Is that who he says he is?" "I thought I told you to be done swabbing the decks when I return." "I'm sorry, captain Black Beard." "Wait..." "he's the captain?" "Indeed." "Unless deckhand Hook wants to keep playing pretend." "What do you say, Hook?" "Beat me, and the Jolly Roger is yours." "Or are you still a one-handed coward?" "What are you doing?" "!" "Stand up to him!" "You can beat him." "I'm afraid you don't know me very well." "I'm sorry." "I can't help you." "[ scrubbing ]" "Then I'll have to help you." "Ugh!" "What the bloody hell are you doing?" "!" "Getting you your ship back." "Come on." "Let's dump Black Beard and go." "You think it's that easy?" "I can't sail the Jolly Roger alone." "I can help." "How do you know how to sail a ship?" "I had a great teacher..." "you." "Look!" "We found it!" "There's a black knight standing guard." "Only one." "We can take him out." "Well, you perhaps you hadn't noticed, but I'm a deckhand, not a soldier." "Then maybe we don't need to fight." "[ door opens ]" "[ groans ]" "I'm here on official business for the queen, delivering a dangerous prisoner from the kingdom of kashyyyk." "Well done, lad." "The Wookiee prisoner gag..." "it always work." "The what?" "Never mind." "Lock the guard in the cell." "I'll be back with my mom as soon as I can." "What... [ sighs ]" "[ door unlocks ] [ door creaks ]" "Hi." "My name is..." "Henry." "Mom?" "[ chains rattle ]" "Henry." "You... you remember." "I knew you'd find me." "I don't understand." "How do you remember when no one else does?" "Must have been part of Gold's plan." "My punishment in this world is that I know the truth but I'm powerless to do anything about it." "In this world, I'm no longer the savior." "I've got no magic." "That's all right." "I think I know what to do." "Now, come on." "Oh!" "Oh!" "Henry:" "Uh, Killian, this is my mom." "Mom, Killian." "Uh... [ clears throat ]" "Yeah, um... [ chuckles ]" "Pleasure." "Yeah." "Right." "Look, we need to..." "Get going." "We've got a wedding to stop." "Emma:" "Thank you for your help, Killian." "Hook:" "Uh, yeah, of course." "I'm pleased you regained your, uh, your freedom." "Me too." "Unfortunately, it's not gonna last unless we put some distance between that tower and us before the guard wakes up." "Why?" "Because that was not any ordinary black knight." "Her name is Lily." "She's dangerous." "I don't understand." "What's the problem with this Lily?" "[ roars ]" "Henry, get below now!" "[ roars ]" "I need you to load the cannon with a chain shot." "Come on!" "Now!" "Hold your fire till I tell you!" "Lily, over here!" "Hey!" "[ roars ]" "Come on, Lily!" "Come on!" "Now!" "[ screeches ]" "[ laughs ]" "That was close." "[ sighs ]" "Cheers." "You did it." "We did it." "What is that?" "It's goat's milk." "[ scoffs ] Where's your rum?" "I'm allergic." "Never touch the stuff." "Of course you are." "Can I ask you a question?" "You trusted me with your life just now." "Why?" "It's complicated." "Might take a while." "My schedule's pretty clear." "Okay." "Let's first work on your fighting skills." "Then we've got to help Regina stop that wedding." "Where is Regina's heart?" "No one?" "And what of the child?" "Surely you imbeciles aren't all stupid enough to report back here empty-handed." "Actually, your majesty, they are exactly that stupid." "We would have caught the bandit if blue and her gaggle of uglies hadn't laid a trap of dark fairy dust, paralyzing our axes." "Always blaming the fairies." "Maybe you should try and take responsibility for once, dwarf." "You mangy, flea-infested wolf." "I should get a muzzle..." "Silence." "We aren't here to fight." "We're a team." "So you're not..." "Mad?" "Of course not." "It's not your fault." "It's mine." "You see, I am your leader, and I have to lead by example." "We have to go to extreme lengths to succeed." "And to do that..." "I have to show you how." "I have to motivate you." "[ squish ] [ gasps ]" "Aah!" "[ crumbling ]" "Well, now you're down to six." "Do you want to make it five?" "Find Regina and the boy and kill them." "[ chair creaks ]" "[ indistinct conversations in distance ]" "You're telling me that..." "In this other reality," "I'm an expert with such a weapon?" "You're a regular Jack Sparrow." "Is that good?" "Here." "Let me show you how to use it." "[ laughs ]" "Oh. [ chuckles ]" "They say once you become an expert, your subconscious takes over." "Ah." "Back in my world, that's what we call muscle memory." "Tell me more about this reality you want to return to." "Us, for example." "I sense that we, uh..." "We may be close." "[ chuckles ]" "Very." "Really?" "[ chuckles ]" "Well, I'm starting to get jealous of the other me." "Let's see what food Henry's discovered." "I'm starving." "There they are." "It's as I told you, my queen." "The one-handed pirate was helping them." "And the boy was with them, as well." "Tell us where the child is hiding!" "Hey!" "Back off, dwarf!" "Or they'll change your name to "stumpy"!" "I know you." "You're..." "Emma." "The mad hag who was locked in the tower." "I almost didn't recognize you out of your chains." "You're the one that's hard to recognize... both of you." "This isn't who you are." "Tell me..." "who are we?" "You're my parents." "I'm the product of your true love." "You taught me how to be a hero, you taught me how to believe in hope." "And I do." "And now I need you to believe in it, too." "You're right." "Emma." "Hope is a very powerful thing." "Which is why I'm going to have to snuff it out of you and that awful son of yours." "Kill them." "Charming:" "Wait!" "There he is." "My, my." "I am going to enjoy watching him die in front of his mother." "Save Henry." "Killian, you can't beat them." "If I can help return things to how they were meant to be, then what happens to me here won't matter, will it?" "Now go." "Save your boy." "Is she worth your life, pirate?" "I'm willing to find out." "[ grunts ] [ whimpering, gasping ]" "[ breathing heavily ]" "What do you know?" "I'm a natural." "Hey!" "What about you, your majesty?" "Shall I make quick work..." "No!" "[ gasps ]" "I never did like pirates." "Mom!" "[ sword plunges ]" "We have to get out of here!" "Mom!" "[ whimpers ] [ gasps ]" "[ birds chirping in distance ] [ baby cooing ]" "[ door opens ]" "What... what's wrong?" "I've just learned..." "Of a threat to our realm." "If left unchecked..." "It'll destroy all that we've built together." "All our happiness." "But you're the Light One." "Whatever this force is, you'll overcome it." "It's more complicated than that." "Eliminating this threat means I have to make a difficult choice." "And if I make the wrong one..." "But..." "You won't." "You never do." "You're a hero, Rumple." "Yeah, but what if I'm not?" "Here." "Things never seem quite as bleak after a cup of tea." "Belle, I'm so sorry." "It's all right." "It's fine." "See?" "It's just chipped." "We can fix it." "I'm not so sure it's as simple as that." "[ hurried footsteps ]" "Henry:" "Mom!" "[ gasps, sighs ]" "I knew you'd still be here." "You again?" "Listen, I-I don't have time for stories." "I need to hit the road before the evil queen has my head." "Wait." "I brought someone else this time." "Maybe you'll listen to her." "[ breathlessly ] Regina." "Let me guess..." "You're his other mother." "Emma." "I have to give you credit." "Breaking her out of that tower couldn't have been easy." "Henry, can you give us a minute?" "Sure." "You know, your son can use some reining in." "He's been running around the forest, getting into trouble, spouting nonsense." "Regina, everything he said about this reality..." "It's all true." "[ scoffs ] I doubt that." "I don't know why I'm wasting my time with a madwoman who..." "Calls herself the savior." "Because I can help." "Your happiness is still a possibility." "Your first step is going after the man you love." "My happy ending isn't a man." "Of course not." "But love is a part of all happiness, and you have to be open to that." "Go to Robin Hood." "All you have to do is tell him how you feel." "Oh, is that all?" "You forgot to mention the part where I'd have to crash his wedding." "What does your heart tell you?" "I know what my heart says." "But what if his doesn't say the same thing?" "Isn't that a risk you're willing to take?" "I just watched the man I love die." "I'm..." "I'm sorry." "That's horrible." "The worst part is that I never told him I loved him." "Not once." "I was too scared." "Too scared that..." "Somehow, saying it would make it real..." "And change everything." "But now I'll never have a chance to take that next step with him, because he's gone." "My only chance with him is if you don't make the same mistake I did." "[ indistinct conversations, slow music plays ]" "[ guests murmur ]" "[ all panting ]" "We haven't heard the wedding bells yet." "There's still time." "I don't even know what to say to him." "I think, in this case, actions speak louder than words." "Once you and Robin share true love's kiss, everything should be great again." "Okay." "What?" "You don't remember this, but I promised you once" "I'd help you find your happy ending." "Just glad I'm here to see it." "You got this, Regina." "I'm afraid none of you are crashing this wedding..." "Dearies." "Go." "I got the Dark One." ""Dark One"?" "I'm afraid you have the wrong name, dearie." "We'll see about that." "Regina, go!" "Bishop:" "Let all who have gathered here..." "Do you, Zelena, take Robin to be your lawfully wedded husband?" "I do." "[ grunts ]" "Mom!" "Out of my way, boy." "You have to get through me to get to her!" "And do you, Robin, take Zelena to be your lawfully wedded wife?" "Go!" "You have to stop that wedding!" "Robin?" "You won't hurt me." "You're supposed to be a hero here." "And that's exactly why I must do this..." "To ensure I remain one." "Unh!" "Mom." "[ grunts ]" "It's done." "[ voice breaking ] Mom?" "Regina?" "Mom." "Why didn't you go into the church?" "I..." "I couldn't let you die." "[ church bells ringing ]" "We're at the end of the book." "We're not gonna be able to change anything now." "[ laughter ]" "Robin: [ laughing ] Oops." "Sorry." "Regina?" "Regina!" "Zelena:" "Robin?" "What's going on?" "Oh!" "Oh, now I've got blood on my dress!" "Can't you see she's injured?" "This is supposed to be my day!" "And she's ruined it!" "It's okay." "You're gonna be all right." "[ voice breaking ] no." "No, I'm not." "No." "At least I can promise you..." "You won't die alone." "Too little, too late." "Then you're gonna change things." "Return them to the way they were." "Bring back Hook." "Save Regina." "I can't." "I'm not the Author anymore." "I can't change a thing." "Whoa." "Kid, what the hell?" "No." "What's happening?" "He's the next Author." "I-I can feel it." "Henry." "Fix it." "Write everything the way it was." "Without ink, he's not writing anything." "My blood." "It was supposed to work last time." "Yes, when mixed with darkness, but you're not the savior here." "Because of him." "But that doesn't mean we didn't find one." "And in this world, we don't need a dark savior." "We need a Light One." "Hold on, mom." "No, don't!" "Henry, do it!" ""Thanks to the hero Regina's sacrifice," "Isaac's villainous work was undone."" "Henry?" "You did it." "No, mom." "We did." "Mom!" "Henry." "Hook." "Where is he?" "Where's Hook?" "Uh, h-he was there..." "Right before we got dragged away." "Everyone reappeared where they were before this whole mess started." "No." "Hook:" "Yeah, sorry about the mess." "I really needed to find that book, and I'm usually a bit tidier." "Killian." "[ both laugh ] [ laughing ] oh!" "[ laughs ]" "How many times do I have to tell you, love?" "I'm a survivor." "Look, I didn't mean to cause any panic." "I awoke moments before your parents and came up here, looking for your boy." "He's fine." "Henry's fine." "I'm just..." "Glad you are, too." "[ sighs ]" "What is it?" "When I..." "Watched you die..." "I was afraid I was never gonna get a chance to tell you something." "Tell me what?" "That..." "I..." "Want to thank you for sacrificing yourself." "Henry and I wouldn't have succeeded without you." "Of course, love." "It's all in a day's work for a hero." "No." "W-w... wait a minute." "[ grunts ] Where are you going?" "Sorry... can't risk that bum ticker of yours slowing me down." "[ bells jingle ]" "He's all yours, lady." "[ breathing shakily ]" "Belle." "You came back for me." "I came back to make sure you weren't going to try to hurt anyone else." "No, Belle." "Y-you don't understand." "I only did what I..." "I thought was... [ groans ]" "Rumple?" "[ engine revs ]" "[ tires screech ]" "[ sighs ]" "Wait." "I need to see..." "Not on that list?" "No best-seller, no fans, no awards." "It's all gone." "My life." "I need to know." "Years ago, you set us on a path to hurt maleficent and her daughter." "Why'd you want to hurt us so badly?" "The truth, "Charming"?" "It's not you, but who you represent." "You remind me of a boss that I once had." "One bad boss started all this?" "A lifetime of bad bosses..." "Of people like you, who fancy themselves heroes, pushing around people like me." "It was my turn to win." "To be the hero." "But you became a villain." "'Cause that's what villains do..." "They make themselves happy at the expense of others." "But it just makes them more unhappy." "I know what it is to feel your heart go dark." "And that..." "That isn't something to idolize." "It's something to pity." "It is tempting, is it not?" "The power of the quill?" "I-I just keep thinking..." "Maybe I could use it just one more time..." "To bring back my dad." "[ sighs ]" "Henry..." "Not even an Author can bring back the dead, no matter how much they might wish it." "But Hook was dead, and then I brought him back to life..." "Hook's death was never real." "That was a fiction created by Isaac." "And now, thanks to you, that fiction has been erased." "You see?" "All gone." "But your father, Baelfire, died in the real world." "And that, sadly, can never be undone." "The best way to show your love for those that are gone is to tell their stories." "Now, this book, these stories..." "Can never be erased, because..." "They are more than stories." "They are the truth." "And the truth is what you must write." "I hope that you can resist the temptation of the quill." "The power to change reality is only outweighed by the cost." "No one should have that much power." "It would seem that, this time, we have found the right person for the job." "[ groans ]" "Hey." "What's happening?" "It's my heart." "The last human fleck of red..." "Is disappearing." "Your ability to love." "At least, in the end..." "I got one last taste." "[ breathing heavily ]" "We were happy in there." "We were in love." "[ chuckles softly ]" "I was already in love." "Everything we had in the book, you... you could have had here." "You could have been a good man with a good marriage for real." "Why wasn't it good enough?" "Because I didn't believe it." "[ voice breaking ] Who could ever love me?" "I knew what I was getting, Rumple." "I-I wasn't going to pull back." "But I made you do just that." "[ inhales shakily ]" "There's a whole world out there, Belle, for you." "Go with Will." "I don't love Will." "And I'm not letting you die alone." "[ sniffles ]" "Go far away." "When the man is gone..." "Only the Dark One remains." "And that is more... [ groans ]" "That's more dangerous than... [ sniffles ] [ hoarsely ] You can ever imagi..." "Aah!" "Rumple!" "[ groans ]" "Rumple!" "[ sobs ]" "[ indistinct conversations ]" "♪ Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain ♪" "♪ with the rain in shambala ♪" "♪ wash away my sorrow ♪" "Hello." "♪ Wash away my shame ♪" "So, not to puncture the party, but did you check on Zelena?" "Still locked up, still pregnant." "But that's something we'll be able to deal with." "Together." "So, Will is looking after Roland." "Perhaps I could take you for a walk in the moonlight?" "[ chuckles ]" "Perhaps." "♪ Everyone is lucky, everyone is so kind ♪" "♪ on the road to shambala ♪" "I didn't mean to kill you." "Though, to be fair, I didn't have a heart." "So it's my fault?" "What I think he means to say is..." "We are sorry." "Eh, you don't need to be sorry." "Although I do intend to hold it over your heads for a very long time." "I think we both know what happened in that world was not real." "Although, seeing you guys as real villains made me sorry for holding a grudge against you for so long." "♪ How does your light shine in the halls... ♪" "Emma:" "Give me a second." "Hey." "What's up?" "Something wrong?" "Do you remember this?" "Yeah." "I nearly got hepatitis stealing it back from your boyfriend's rat-infested place." "It's a piece of the egg I was hatched from." "It's also the only clue I have as to who my father is." "Have you asked your mother?" "She doesn't know, either." "What?" "It's a dragon thing." "You know, it..." "Happened in dragon form." "Do you want to find him?" "Do you mind if I stick around Storybrooke and look?" "I think that'd be great." "[ panting ]" "Rumple... his heart." "He said it's almost gone." "And, uh..." "He said we're in danger." "Hook:" "He tried to use the hat to free himself from the dagger." "Apprentice:" "This is not unlike that." "We're pulling the darkness from him and containing it." "Does that mean that his heart will be healed?" "Perhaps..." "if the strength is there." "This is more dark power than the hat has ever been asked to contain." "Do what you need to do." ""Purest evil, blackest bloom, darkness, too, can find its doom."" "[ squish ] [ heartbeat ]" ""Never dying, but contained, bound inside the falcon's chamber, shorn of anger, thornless danger, there forever to remain."" "[ heartbeat continues ]" "[ grunts ]" "He's barely breathing." "Rumplestiltskin was the Dark One for centuries." "His return to the man he used to be will not be easy." "This will preserve him until we discern if we can help him." ""If"?" "[ whooshing ]" "Everybody step back." "[ gagging ]" "Mom, dad!" "Go after it!" "Go!" "I'll be right there." "Help me make him comfortable." "[ grunts ]" "What was that?" "[ weakly ] Long before..." "Your stories began..." "The sorcerer battled the darkness." "He was able to keep it from consuming the realms." "He tethered it to a human soul that could be controlled with a dagger." "The Dark One." "The sorcerer is the only one with the power to destroy the darkness once and for all before it destroys everything." "Where is he?" "Who is he?" "He's far, far from here." "Find him." "His name is..." "Merlin." "You must..." "Stop..." "The darkness." "Find..." "Merlin." "[ panting ]" "Where is it?" "!" "We don't know." "It just disappeared into the night." "Regina:" "Hey, what's going on?" "The Dark One... it's no longer tethered to the crocodile." "What?" "!" "Where the hell is it?" "It hasn't gone anywhere." "The darkness..." "it's surrounding us." "[ gasps ]" "Robin:" "Regina!" "What's it doing?" "!" "What darkness does..." "Snuffing out the light." "I'm not gonna let it." "That's not gonna work on this thing!" "The Apprentice told me we have to do what the sorcerer did!" "We have to tether it to a person to contain it!" "Emma!" "No!" "[ voice breaking ] There has to be another way!" "There isn't." "You've worked to hard to have your happiness destroyed." "No!" "You figured out how to take the darkness out of me once." "[ voice breaking ] You need to do it again..." "As heroes." "Hook:" "Emma!" "Emma, please!" "No." "Don't do this," "I love you." "No!" "[ grunts ]" "Aah!" "Aaaaaah!" "[ groans ]"