‘Once Upon a Time’ ABC Season 4 Returns With New Story Arc Featuring the Queens of Darkness - Maleficent, Ursula, and Cruella de Vil, Joining Forces with Rumpelstiltskin to Get Their Own Happy Endings

ABC's hit fantasy TV show, Once Upon a Time, will air the 13th episode of its 4th season on Sunday, March 1, 8PM, and it's titled "Darkness on the Edge of Town." It will mark the start of the second half of the show which as co-creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis previously teased will be about the 'Queens of Darkness.'

The Queens of Darkness were introduced before the show's mid-season break as Maleficent (Kristen Bauer van Straten), Ursula (Merrin Dungey) and Cruella de Vil (Victoria Smurfit). Together with Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlylle) who was banished from Storybrooke by his wife Belle (Emilie de Ravin) for his betrayal, they will be seen going on a quest to find the mysterious person known only as the 'Author' of the magical Once Upon a Time book of fairy tales to force him or her to give them their own happy endings.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kitsis said that the theme for the second half of the season "is what makes a hero and what makes a villain. And what is a happy ending." He also revealed that scenes for the "flashbacks will return to the time of season one. We're going to get much more Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin), Charming (Josh Dallas), Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla), before the curse. We're going to be going back to that time period. W're going to see how the Evil Queen met Maleficent. When we met them in season one and they were what we affectionately called 'frenemies,' we're going to see how that relationship started."

Regarding flashback scenes, TV Line reports that actor Eion Bailey will be returning to reprise his role as August/Pinocchio in multiple Season 4 episodes, starting with Episode 14, which is titled "Enter the Dragon." Since his character already reverted to a 7-year-old boy, Bailey will likely be appearing only in flashback. Aside from Pinocchio, Ariel is also confirmed coming back (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) for the second half of season 4.