7x01

The Queen's Apprentice

Part 1

A blinding wave of light magic ripped through Storybrooke, enveloping the whole town. Emma Swan stood at the town line, feeling her magic drain from her. The final battle was over. The wave of light magic had completely destroyed the black fairy. It turned out, wielding the sword only worked if she gave up her magic.

So it just happened. She hadn't chosen to. But suddenly her magic was gone. She struggled to keep standing, looking at the town. Her vision was clearing, and she knew her family would come soon. She had to fight the final battle alone, but they would be with her the minute it was over. She waited, shock still pulsing through her.

"Wait, what?" Regina demanded. She looked at Emma with a fierce intensity.

"I just said," Emma mumbled. "I'm not the savior anymore." The heroes had gathered by the townline, seeing the burst of light magic erupting. The black fairy was dead. And Emma had sacrificed her savior status to do it.

"I'm just as upset as you guys are," Emma said, looking at the group.

"We could've helped you Emma," Hook said, looking at his wife in shock.

"You know that's not true," Emma said, completely understanding. "The battle had to be between the savior and the black fairy. Anyone else would have been terminated by that wave of light magic."

"But now… you're not the savior anymore," Henry chipped in, rapidly consulting his storybook.

"Emma I don't understand," Snow declared. "What does not being the savior even mean for you." Regina beat Emma to the answer.

"It means there's no figure for good. Emma is the only person who automatically gained light magic. Now…" Regina trailed off, obviously imagining a horrible fate. The realization that the savior was gone was slowly dawning among the family. Snow and Charming looked at each other, seeking comfort in each other's gazes. Hook put his hand on Emma's shoulder, clearly shaken, but thinking first of his wife.

"So now what?" Henry asked.

"I think I might be able to answer that." The family whipped around, looking towards the source of the voice. A figure stepped out of the trees, clearly exhausted, and dirty and bloody.

"Gideon?" Snow asked, her face lighting up in horror. The young man's face was bruised, and there was a long cut in one of his arms.

"What happened to you?" Zelena asked, looking genuinely worried.

"I tried to stop the black fairy. She was determined to beat the savior. So she could get her own happy ending," he said, now turning to Emma. There was a hint of accusation in his gaze, that Emma couldn't help but feel guilty about.

"Gideon, what are you going to do now?" David asked, slightly suspicious of Gideon's intentions. Gideon was easily able to catch on.

"Well if you must know, I'm traveling back to the dark realm. There is much work there that needs to be done." David nodded, satisfied with his answer.

"But what about your parents?" Emma asked, knowing that they truly loved their son.

"I'll say goodbye of course. But I don't think I'm the one you should be worrying about. Perhaps start thinking about the savior, Emma." With that, he poofed away, leaving just a trace of red behind. Emma could feel her strength come crashing down. For a brief time, she would still be fueled by the wave of magic, and the adrenaline of the battle. Now, she could feel a heavy, crushing exhaustion taking her down. Her legs wobbled, and buckled underneath her. She collapsed, unconscious in Hook's arms.

Zelena looked at the former savior, feeling incredibly uneasy. Emma has always been a symbol of good. Without Emma, what would happen to Storybrooke? Zelena shook her head, not wanting to think about her potential grim future.

"So what do we do now?" she asked, repeating Henry's million dollar question.

"First things first," Hook said. "We have to get Emma someplace where she can heal."

"Guys," Regina said, her head jerking towards the forest. Snow and David both started into the greenery, trying to figure out what the queen was talking about. Hook shifted so Emma would be more comfortable, and glanced towards the forest.

"What is it?" he asked, his shoulders tensing. Regina and Zelena both exchanged worried glances. Clearly they'd both sensed the same thing.

"Regina? What's going on?" David asked.

"It's just… I sense another force of magic. A strong one. It's coming from the forest." She slowly began walking towards the trees, ready to fight at any moment. Henry closed his book, squinting to peer into the endless sea of green.

"Is it a bad magic, or a good magic?" he asked, nervously drawing closer to his mother.

"I'm not sure," Regina responded. "All I know is that it's powerful."

"Hook, you take Emma back to the house," Snow said, clearly terrified of this new potential threat. Hook nodded, then looked to Regina. She was confused for a moment, before she understood.

"Actually, I think everyone but me and Zelena should go back. We're both trained in magic, even if Zelena lost hers." Zelena involuntarily flinched, when Regina mentioned her lack of magic. Snow and David both agreed, but Henry did not.

"There's no way I'm going back," Henry stated, defiantly. "I can help." He looked at his mother pleadingly. Hook gasped, as Emma sank even lower in his arms.

"We need to go now," he said, looking at his wife. He gently brushed her hair, trying to reassure her.

"You're gonna be fine luv," he whispered. Regina sighed, and gave up. She magicked everyone but her, Zelena and Henry back to the Charmings' home.

"Mom, you think my other mom will be okay?" Henry asked, fear in his eyes.

"I'm sure Emma will be fine," Regina said, hoping she sounded confident. "I'm just not sure about us."

"Should we go? I think-" Zelena was cut off, as a powerful blast of magic slammed into the three of them. They all stumbled a few feet backwards, trying to regain their balance.

"What the hell was that?" Regina asked, looking to the forest. A figure emerged, dressed in a black cloak. She was young, with tan skin, and black hair.

"That was a warning. If you know what's good for you, you should leave very quickly."

"Regina," Zelena hissed. Her sister nodded.

"I know. That was light magic. Savior magic." She turned back to the young girl, studying her.

"Is she the new savior?"

Okay, so this basically came from the fear that season 7 is not going to be what we wanted. I'll try my best to create a season 7 that is true to the characters. However I might not get everything right. So basically, during the final battle, Emma sacrificed her magic to defeat the black fairy. However, Storybrooke still needs a savior, so a new (potentially temporary) savior comes. She'll be described in the next chapter. There will the ships of Once on here, as best as I can make them. Please, not hate. Nothing here is canon, just a potential season 7. R&R

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