Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-34924658-20150405041917/@comment-25926288-20150425014033

What everyone needs to remember that this was Maleficent before she was pregnant with Lily!

This is when Mal helps get the DC, then she trades curses with Regina, gets pregnant I guess, fights Regina and her unicorn (for her baby I suppose), reveal she's pregnant to Snow etc. Remember she trades curses with Regina before Snow is under the sleeping curse and before Snow and David took back the kingdom. SO, this is at least 3-5 years before the Dark Curse is casted.

You could argue love = great potential for Darkness or Lily = great potential for Darkness, but she had neither at this point facing Chernabog.