The young girl holds the Book and looks at the remains of her home. She picks up her father's charred sword, and Tiger Lily arrives and tells her not to cry on her father's behalf. Tiger Lily admits that she doesn't know where he is, but that he fought valiantly so that the girl could escape. The book is safe and they need to take it to the girl's mother. Tiger Lily assures the girl that the fairies have foreseen that she and her father will be reunited even if the future is cloudy. She tells the girl to learn the lesson of the Book: to never lose hope.
Fiona shows Henry the ashes of the Book. She assures him that Emma destroyed the last vestiges of her belief and is packing for Boston. Henry promises to stop Fiona for his family's sake, and Fiona tells Henry that his family won't live long enough to save him or Emma.
David grabs Hook as he falls from the beanstalk, but loses his grip and the pirate plummets toward the ground.
Mary Margaret realizes that David is in danger, but doesn't know where. Jasmine summons the magic carpet so that they can go find him. They locate Hook in the ruins of the beanstalk that broke his fall, and shows Mary Margaret and Jasmine the bean. There's no sign of David, and Mary Margaret tells Hook to get to Emma and make her believe while she looks for David.
Henry finds Emma preparing to leave in her car. He tells her that Fiona cast the curse to get Emma to leave, but Emma tells him that Storybrooke wasn't good for either of them. It sent them on a dangerous path, and they have to get back to their lives. Henry realizes that Emma doesn't believe, and she kisses him goodbye and drives out of Storybrooke.
Emma reaches her apartment in Boston and finds a note from Henry on a new sketch book. It says that he knows that the stories are true and can still have a happy ending. A man calls with a job for Emma, and she accepts. Once she hangs up, Emma thumbs through the book and sees the stories that Henry has drawn.
Hook returns to the castle and tells Regina what happened. He gives her the bean, and Regina explains that without Emma's lack of believe, she doesn't have enough power. Zelena says that she can do it with the help of the Evil Queen.
Mary Margaret runs through the forest looking for David. She finds him seemingly dead and begs him to wake up. She cries and kisses him on the lips, and David wakes up. As the land shakes, David assures her that darkness never ultimately win. They say that they love each other and kiss, and head back to the castle.
Henry goes to the pawnshop and tells Gold that he's his grandson. Gold figures that he's delusional, but Henry goes into the backroom and pulls the sheet off of the lab where Gold is practicing his magic. Gold comes in and Henry figures that Gold knows what's really going on. He asks what Gold is doing, and Gold admits that he didn't trust Fiona. Their agreement wasn't for her to leave him without Gold, and he plans to find Fiona's true intentions. Gold figures that Fiona kept Belle in Storybrooke as leverage, and Henry tells her that everyone in the Enchanted Forest is in danger because Fiona made Emma stop believing. Gold refuses to help, and Henry asks him to let him take two things with him to help the others.
Once Henry has the mirror and the sword, he goes to the beach and contacts his family in the Enchanted Forest. He apologizes for letting Emma lose his belief, and then takes out the Savior's sword and goes to fight the Black Fairy. The others watch, and Regina tells the Evil Queen to get the bean working. She warns that it will still take. David and Mary Margaret arrive, and they realize that the black magic is almost there. As everyone else goes to get the others to safety, the Evil Queen prepares to hold off the encroaching darkness. She tells Regina to go to the courtyard where she can survive long enough to get the bean to work. Regina hesitates and the Evil Queen says that Henry is her son too and he needs at least one of them. After a moment, Regina goes and the Evil Queen unleashes her magic on the darkness.
In the courtyard, everyone gathers in the center and Regina tries to unlock the bean's power.
The darkness sweeps over the Evil Queen, consuming her.
The castle starts to fall.
Henry goes to confront the Fairy in her office. Emma stops him and says that she found his book, and was inspired by the Emma he drew that was the Savior and never run from a battle. She admits that she's not sure if it's her, but it's who she wants to be. Emma says that she believes it.
The darkness withdraws slightly, and Mary Margaret realizes that Emma is back.
The Book leads Gold to an old house. Someone inside peers out through the curtains, and runs as Gold comes inside. He goes to the kitchen and finds Belle, cowering in a corner. She says that she doesn't want to leave and hides, and Gold tells her that the Fairy changed her into a coward. He promises that he will make the Fairy pay.
Fiona enters the pawnshop and Gideon asks what's wrong. She says that Emma is back, and Gideon has no idea what she's talking about. Fiona says that her Fairy wand is in the shop and she needs it back. When Gideon tries to call Gold, Fiona orders him to drop the phone and Gideon does so. She explains that she still has Gideon's heard and he has to do what she says, and tells him to find the wand. Fiona takes out the runes that Henry scribbled and explains that she needs the wand to translate them because they hold the key to winning the Final Battle. Gideon finds the wand and Fiona uses it to translate the runes. Smiling in triumphant, she tells Gideon that it's time to go to work.
Emma takes the sword and breaks into the mayor's office. There's no sign of Fiona.
Gold returns to the pawnshop and finds Fiona there. He tells her that he knows she's his mother, and Fiona says that she separated him from Belle for his own good. She explains that Belle would have convinced him to go against his dark instincts, and once the Final Battle is won the curse will be lifted on Gideon and Belle. Fiona promises that she can make them love Gold without his giving up being the Dark One, and he can finally have it all. Gold refuses to trust her, but Fiona insists that they can finally be a family. With her new powers she can bring back the dead: Balefire. Gold considers her offer and Fiona hugs him. However, he reminds her that all magic comes with a price and takes the Dagger. He puts it to her throat and says that he's no longer willing to pay the price. Gold vows to make her pay for what she did to Belle and Gideon, but Fiona says that according to the runes, only light can snuff out light. Her son realizes that she's using Gideon to kill Emma, and her death would ensure it. Gold figures that there's only one way to find out and uses the Dagger to turn her to dust.
There's a burst of magic that sweeps through Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest. Emma remembers her past... just as Gideon steps out to fight Emma. She tells Henry to go.
Belle arrives at the pawnshop, remembering everything. She realizes that Gold killed Fiona, and he figures that they can ask Henry where Gideon is. As Gold calls Henry, he says that he's going to save Gideon.
As Gideon prepares to attack Emma, Henry knocks him over the head with a fire extinguisher. They run out of the mayor's office and Emma magically seals the door. Henry tells Emma that they have to find Gideon's heart and break the Fairy's control over him.
As Gold and Belle go to the tunnels, Gold figuring that's where Fiona would have hid it, Belle trips and twists her ankle. She tells Gold to go on ahead.
Emma and Henry run to the streets, and Emma apologizes for doubting Henry. Hook and the others arrive.
Gold finds the coffer with Gideon's heart.
Henry tells the others about the Fairy's last command to Gideon to kill Emma. Regina warns that it's a trap. No matter whether Emma kills Gideon or vice versa, light will be darkened. Emma realizes that darkness wins no matter what, and Regina tells her that there's always a third way. She reminds her that that when she first came to Emma, they hated each other. Emma found a third way, and earlier the Evil Queen saved them all. Regina figures that Emma will see the way out, and know when the time comes.
Gideon teleports in and grabs Mary Margaret, putting his sword to her throat. Emma steps forward and tells Gideon to let her go, and he shoves Mary Margaret away and advances on Emma.
Rumplestiltskin appears to Gold and asks why he would stop Gideon. The hallucination says that they can have it all if Gold lets Gideon carry out his task. Gold insists that he will do the right thing, but Rumplestiltskin says that once Emma dies, it will change magic and they can make the rules. Unimpressed, Gold says that it won't be real and orders Gideon to not kill Emma. The heart's glow fades, and Rumplestiltskin says that it's the Fairy's spell and they can't always get what they want.
Gideon attacks Emma and the two fight. She insists that she is ultimately a hero, and refuses to kill innocents no matter what the cost. Emma tosses down her sword, and Gideon apologizes and admits that he hoped she'd save them both. He stabs her and there's a burst of light as Gideon disappears.
Gold goes back to Belle and says that he failed his family. He tells her that he made the right choice but it didn't work out.
Henry and the others go to Emma's body. Henry kisses his mother on the forehead, and there's a burst of magic. Emma wakes up and says that she loves him, too.
Gold and Belle hear a baby crying. They turn and see Gideon as a baby, lying in a blanket on the tunnel floor. They realize that they've been given a fresh start with their son, and a happy beginning.
The Book appears on the street, and Mary Margaret gives it to Henry. More words appear at the end, saying that when Good and Evil did the right thing, faith was restored and the Final Battle was won. There's no "The End," and Mary Margaret says that it isn't the end. Now they go see what's next and that's hope. They get to do keep doing what they love with the people that they love, and that's happiness.
The realms of story are restored. The Evil Queen is restored as well, and all the others that were destroyed.
Later at the Charmings' house, Mary Margaret goes off to work while David watches the baby. Emma and Regina say goodbye to Henry as he gets on the school bus where Violet is waiting. Hook becomes a deputy and he and Emma go on patrol.
Regina goes to the mayor's office. The dwarves have put up a sign on her door saying that she is the queen, and bow to her.
The Evil Queen is in her chamber when Robin shoots an arrow into her mirror with a wedding ring and a note asking if she's ready for a new adventure.
At the pawnshop, Belle and Gold dance and kiss.
At Granny's, everyone gathers. Belle and Gold bring their baby, and they all sit down to eat as a family.
Seattle, Years Later
The little girl is on a monorail and looks at the picture of everyone eating in the storybook. She then goes to an apartment and knocks at the door, calling to Henry. An adult Henry who looks just like her father opens the door, and the girl says that she's Lucy... his daughter. He insists that he doesn't have a daughter, but Lucy tells him that he does and his family needs him.
Written by Gadfly on May 15, 2017