Enchanted Forest
Snow and Charming come across a unicorn which has the power to show them their child’s future by touching it’s horn. Charming sees a perfectly good child and says everything will be alright, but Snow sees her daughter pull her heart out and says their child is going to be evil.
On the way out they pass a peddler who asks for help with his cart. Charming helps him and offers him brandy. He tells them that there is a horrible sorceress the way they are going named Maleficent. She has turned herself into a dragon and laid an egg. He tells them to go to the Infinite Forest and to find a cottage with an old man. It’s the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
They tell him about their different visions and he says either could come true. Snow asks how to ensure their child’s goodness. He says there is a way, but it comes with a price. He tells them another vessel must absorb the darkness. He says to bring them another blank slate and he will put the darkness on that child. Snow suggests Maleficent’s dragon egg since it’s not a child.
Snow and Charming knock out Cruella and head into the cave. They see a nest and the egg in some rocks. As they go to take it the Dragon unfolds. They grab it and Maleficent asks what kind of people they are to threaten a child. Snow argues that it is a monster not a child, but they will return it when they are done.
They take the egg to the Apprentice. He does the spell and the darkness is shifted to the egg. Once the spell is done, he opens a portal as they hear a baby crying and sends it along with Cruella and Ursula.
Later, Snow complains about a mobile Cinderella sent with unicorns on it. Snow says she doesn’t want the reminder of the unicorn who made them rip Maleficent’s baby away. Charming says she deserved it because she was lying about Regina’s dark curse. Snow says they were selfish not heroes. Charming says they can fix it but Snow says she isn’t sure redemption is possible. Charming says he has to believe it is possible, but says they have to be the best people and spread hope everyday so this doesn’t strain them and affect their child.
Storybrooke
Emma, Regina and Henry wonder how they can get the author out of the page before Rumple does. Regina snaps a picture of the door hoping that will get Rumple off her back.
Emma finds Hook and her parents at the loft. Hook tells her that Ursula told him the villains plan to turn Emma’s heart dark. They plan to use the Author to do it. Snow and Charming worry about what they saw back in the Enchanted Forest.
Regina meets up with the other villains and says the page was under a protection spell so she took a picture. Cruella says the photo is ruined because of the glare, but Rumple realizes its magic and that the Sorcerer has imprisoned the author in the book. Maleficent says she will get past Emma to get the page.
Hook asks Emma about August and if she cares for him. She tells him not to be jealous and that he is just a friend. Hook sees magic and they both fall asleep.
Sleeping Curse
Maleficent talks to Rumple and says she wants to know what happened to her child. She says she will help him with the author if he tells.
Charming and Snow go to the diner and find everyone asleep. They figure they are immune since they have both been under a sleeping curse. The villains go to Emma’s house and look for the page. They don’t see it and Rumple figures Henry is awake and likely has the page.
We flash to Henry running to the Sorcerer’s house across town. Regina tells the others to leave Henry to her. Rumple has Cruella and Maleficent follow her and make sure they get the page. Henry calls Snow and Charming and tells them where he is. Snow knows that as long as he has the page he is in danger so they go to the Sorcerer’s house. He thinks they should destroy the page which means Regina would not get her happy ending.
Henry looks at the page and sees a light under the door. It points him to a drawer where there is a key. The villains come and Regina tells Henry to give her the page. He hands over a page and the witches go.
The villains pull up and Regina says they have the page. Rumple takes it and says it is a fake. He has Maleficent knock her out and take her to the vault. The villains want to kill her, but Rumple says no. He has something that will make Regina do his bidding.
Charming and Snow show up and Henry says the villains were there and he gave them the fake page. He also tells them about the key. Charming tells him not to open the door yet and tells Henry to go. Charming gets ready to throw it in the fire when Snow says they need to stop lying and tell Emma.
Emma overhears and says she was right and they have been lying. She wanted to believe in them. Snow says she is her mother, but Emma says, just like in the vision, she doesn’t care. Later, Hook comes to find her at the docks. He tells her that August is awake.
Lily
Maleficent turns to Rumple to get some answers. He at first is reluctant, but finally spills. He warns her that the scenes are from 30 years ago. She sees a crying baby and a man hugging the daughter he adopted. He wants to call her Lily, AKA Emma’s old friend. Maleficent cries and says her daughter lived and is here in this world.
Emma goes to see August to ask how he is. She shows him the key fits int he door. August says the author isn’t a person, but rather a job and the same person didn’t write all their stories. They were supposed to record but the last one started to manipulate the stories.
The Author
We flash back and see the Apprentice confronting the author. The Apprentice locked him into the book and August says the Sorcerer and the Apprentice choose the author. Emma unlocks the book and the author springs out.
It is the same peddler Snow and Charming met on the road. Emma says they have a lot of questions, but the author runs out with Emma chasing after him.