What Will 'OUAT's Happy Endings Really Mean?

With the finale of Season 4 of Once Upon A Time swiftly upon us (as in, TONIGHT!), we're soon going to find out just how Gold plans to get his own happy ending out of the Author... while simultaneously ruining everyone else's. Whether or not this grand plan will actually come to pass — and whether it'll stick if it does, or if some unlikely hero will save the day again — there are a few things we do know: everything is about to seriously change in Storybrooke. With the Author's ability to completely rewrite the past, present and future, it could spell disaster for some of our beloved characters... even if it's only temporary (which frankly, I feel it probably will be).

We already know that, unlike in previous seasons, we won't be introducing any new characters during the Season 4 finale, meaning we can pretty much safely assume that the chaos unleashed by Gold's new life script is going to be major enough to need much of the focus for the first part of Season 5. I personally have a soft spot for Gold/Rumpel, so while I don't want anything awful to happen to (most of) the other characters, I also know that his heart is mostly black and to not give him his happy ending might deprive everyone else of theirs, anyway. After all, if the last flicker of humanity fades from Rumpel's heart, we're only left with the Dark One... and that won't be good for anyone.

So what will Gold and the Author have in store for the major residents of Storybrooke? We may not know for sure, but that doesn't mean we can't speculate.

Regina

Regina had her chance to get her own happy ending with Gold a while ago, but she decided to bank on staying good in this life rather than hoping for some luck in Gold's version. There is always that chance that Gold could spare her and let her have a bit of happiness with Robin, considering the villains are meant to be the heroes this time around, but that remains to be seen.

Emma Swan

Gold has always said that in order for him to get his happy ending, Emma had to go dark. While that's not necessarily true (the magic ink already exists after Regina stole some of Lily's blood), SOMEONE has to be the Dark One in the Author's new version of events, and why can't that be Emma? Of course, he could write her out of the story altogether if he wanted to make Snow & Charming's lives that much worse, but she's the star of the show, so we know that's not going to happen.

Snow White & Prince Charming

I don't necessarily think Gold hates Snow & Charming, but given that they were always seen as the heroes, it's likely they'll take a darker turn and will end up being the villains. After all, Snow was portrayed as one by Regina for years as she tried to smear her and hunt her down back in the Enchanted Forest, so it's not such a far leap. As for Charming, well, he seems a bit useless either way sometimes, so it's likely he'll just have to fall in line as Evil Snow's sidekick.

Henry

Henry is Gold's grandson, but Baelfire is dead... for now. Since Gold will likely have the Author make it so that Bael lived and loved his father dearly, I don't know that he could bestow such a dark fate upon the son of his own son. Of course, there's the complication that Henry's also Emma's son, and she's meant to be evil... it's all starting to get a little complicated, isn't it?

Belle

Let's be honest, Belle is really who this whole thing is about. Since Gold betrayed her so many times, she wants nothing to do with him. But if he can redeem himself, he can ensure that he and Belle live happily ever after. Is that likely to happen? Doubtful, but you've got to give him credit for trying, I suppose.

Image: Jack Rowand/ABC (1); Giphy (5)