Part I: The Hero's Sacrifice (Final Mix)

Once upon a time, every fairytale character you've ever known, lived in an enchanted world, where magic is a way of life. But in this land, magic always comes with a price. An evil queen, blinded by vengeance, unleashed a powerful curse, and banished every storybook character to a place where all their lives and memories were stolen. This place is our world. And every soul is trapped in Storybrooke, Maine, where the evil queen makes all the rules. And only one person can break the spell…

Storybrooke, Maine was a quaint little town. The streets came to life as the sun rises. People were slowly getting their lives together. After all, they had just remembered who they are. Unfortunately for some, that was pure torture.

Prince Charming and his grandson Henry were longing for Snow White and Emma, for they were whisked away to another dimension. But they were not alone.

A teenager with messy brunette hair walked down the streets of Storybrooke. He stared at the ground with sad eyes. How could he be happy if he wasn't with that one girl? The girl he loved was not there, at all. He felt depressed, as if he'll never see her again. It ached in his heart to even think about her.

The teen stopped in front of Granny's. He kept his head down as he walked in. He saw eleven year-old Henry reading through the storybook that told his own life's story, and not a pleasant one at that.

"Henry?" the teen spoke. Henry looked up from his book. It was clear that he was reading the teen's story. "Can you help me find someone?"

Henry smiled for a split second, "Yeah, sure. I'd be happy to help Sora."

Sora returned the grin. "Well, at least you have an idea of who I am," he ruffled the kid's hair, and sat down with the tiniest bit of hope.

Henry skimmed through the book, "Let me guess, you're looking for the Princess of Heart, right?"

Her title stung his heart, "Yeah."

Henry stopped at a picture of a fair red head girl. Her bright indigo eyes seemed to sparkle lively, even in a picture. She wore a silver crown on her head. The current picture showed her laughing at two boys wrestling, "Is this her?"

Sora only took a split second to see that she's the one, "That's her."

The kid's expression turned solemn. She was nowhere to be found in Storybrooke.

Once Upon a Time…

A large castle, made of sliver stones and covered in vines, stood in the middle of the secluded forest. A large balcony was placed dead center of the larger part. The castle was lit up as a thousand fireflies. Fireworks flew into the sky and exploded into all kinds of colors. Inside the ballroom, a fair princess was enjoying the festivities. She danced around, letting the world fade around her. Suddenly she stopped, giggling at the sight of one of her best friends trying to sneak a cupcake while attempting to be suave with the ladies.

The princess shook her head, "Oh Riku; Same as always." She noticed that her other best friend, the guest of honor of this grand party, was missing. The princess gracefully danced over to Riku, wanting to find her friend.

Riku had long silver hair and very built muscles. He was older and wiser, when it came to serious situations. Other things, such as friendship, were a little off with him. He turned to his friend, "What is up Kairi? Not enjoying the festivities?"

Princess Kairi placed her hands on her hips, "I am enjoying the festivities, than you for asking. My goodness Riku you are stealing all of the red velvet cupcakes," she swiped the cupcake from Riku's hand, leaving him with a slightly dejected expression. "I was wondering where our guest of honor is, do you know where he could be?"

"Have you tried the balcony?" Riku suggested, trying to grab the cupcake and failing.

Kairi smiled mischievously. "Thank you Riku! For once, you are finally useful in other things besides thievery" she strode away, almost skipping.

It took a couple seconds for Kairi's words to register in Riku's brain, "Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" All he could hear was the sound of Kairi's laughter. He shook his head, "Same old Kairi."

Kairi weaved through the crowd, trying to move fast while not dropping the red velvet cupcake. She finally reached her destination, the balcony. A boy her age with messy hair was staring at the outside world, lost in thought. She walked up to him, tapping his shoulder. He turned around, seeing Kairi with the cupcake in hand.

"I snagged you one before Riku would take them all," she said with a small smile. Sora returned the grin, and took the cupcake from her hand, "Thanks Kairi."

"So, how come you are not enjoying your own birthday party?" she questioned.

"I just wanted to think, that is all," he said, obviously hiding something.

She raised an eyebrow, "Think? About what?"

He sighed in surrender, "I am just, well, the Keyblade thing and all that."

"Oh,"

Sora looked down, "I do not want to burden you Kairi, but I just do not feel ready to take on protecting the realm of light all by myself. The last Keybladers disappeared fifteen years ago. I am alone."

Kairi placed her hand on his, saddened by his words, "Sora, you are not alone. You have me and Riku. So what if you are the only Keyblader? You are not the only one protecting the realm of light.

"Look, when I was little, my father would tell me stories about the protectors of the realm of light. They were all types, from Keybladers, to knights, to even fairies. And well, I want to be able to protect the realm, from evil, from darkness. But I cannot do that. I'm forever doomed to be the princess damsel-in-distress. But I will try my hardest to protect my kingdom, the realm, and all that is good. You are not alone," she finished.

Sora stared at her, hope renewed in his heart, "Thank you, Kairi."

Kairi beamed. "No problem. Now, let's go inside before Riku thinks that you have stolen me away."

He rolled his eyes, "Even though I'm a Keyblader, I still cannot steal you away."

Once Upon A Time…

"I'm sorry, Sora, but I haven't seen Kairi anywhere," Henry regretfully informed.

Sora remained the same. "Thank you for your time Henry," he got up and left Granny's. He walked up the street, his heart and mind thinking. How could he contact Kairi? She was not here in Storybrooke, so where could she be?

Where Snow White and Emma went, that is where. He remembered his last few moments with her; the most painful memory of all. He pushed the thoughts from his head.

They say that people with deep connections with each other can 'see' each other using an important object. But the only thing that was important to Sora was Kairi's lucky charm.

How unfortunate that it fell into the hands of Rumplestiltskin.

"Sora! Did you find her?" shouted Riku, his friend.

"No, she is not here,"

"Oh,"

Sora sat down on the nearest bench, "The only way for me to at least contact her is through her lucky charm."

"But, Rumplestiltskin has it, and he is not one to break a deal,"

"So? Emma managed to do it. Why can I not?" Sora said with a chuckle.

Riku raised an eyebrow. He has a point.

Sora began walking to Rumplestiltskin's shop. Once he got there, he barged into Rumplestiltskin's shop, a determined glint in his eye. Riku followed, slightly afraid, and slightly wanting to know what his best friend was going to do. Sora marched right up to Rumplestiltskin's front desk, staring down Rumple.

"What is it, Keyblader? " Rumplestiltskin asked politely.

Sora's expression remained unchanged. "I need it back," he demanded.

Rumple was not happy to hear that, "And why?"

Sora remained determined, "I need to find Princess Kairi."

Rumple chuckled, "I'm afraid that is not going to work."

Sora clenched his fist, "And why not?"

"You see, you gave it to me for payment. You made a deal. I would help you in your conquest, and you would give me the object of most value to you in return," Rumple said, his tone unchanging.

"And look how good that turned out for me," Sora applied heavy sarcasm to his words. Riku raised an eyebrow that this. This was not like Sora, or at least the Sora he knew.

"He is right, you know," Riku added.

"My conquest almost got me killed," finished Sora.

Rumple stared at him oddly, "Well, you were so madly infatuated with her, you did it. You paid the price."

Sora slammed his fist on the desk, starling Riku, "Well, I paid a very hefty price."

Riku stepped forward, "That bothers me. Why did you even offer the deal in the first place?"

Rumple waited a few seconds before responding, "Princess Kairi of Radiant Garden is a very special princess, containing something only six other princesses have themselves."

"Contains what? And who are the other six?"

"Two reside here in Storybrooke, one of them is dead, the others are far away, including the Princess of Radiant Garden,"

"You haven't told me what she possesses,"

"Your princess has an item so rare, yet powerful enough to surpass even the most dark of power, including my own: a pure heart. Not a touch of darkness in their heart. Their magic protects them from darkness in various ways, even if that protection is not as magical as it is coincidence,"

Sora tried to contain himself. Why was he acting this way? His patience was running low. "Enough about this, I need the charm back."

"And what are you going pay in exchange? It is not something for nothing you know," explained Rumple.

"A favor. I have nothing else,"

Rumple eyed him suspiciously, "You have got yourself a deal." He grabbed a star shaped charm from a nearby jewelry rack and tossed it to Sora. He caught it in his hands. Sora examined it. It was made by seashells strung together. On one of the shells, was Sora's face drawn onto it. In the middle, was a golden crown, very similar to the one on his chain necklace; the one he never leaves without.

It was his only connection to Kairi as far as he was concerned.

Rumple grinned. That lucky charm has done its job for him.

Once Upon A Time…

Kairi dragged him towards a big table, where a huge cake with lit candles was placed. Sora smiled. There was always something worth fighting for. To live to see another birthday was a blessing.

"Make a wish, Sora," Kairi whispered in his ear, leaning on his arm for support.

"Blow them out," said Riku.

Sora took a deep breath, and blew out all the candles. Everyone who was at the party cheered. Sora did not even notice the noise, as he was thinking about his wish. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Kairi presented him a box with a smile. "For you," she simply said.

Sora returned the grin and took the wrapped-up box from her dainty hands. He opened it to find a charm made by seashells strung together.

His grin got bigger as he examined the charm. "I love it Kairi," he embraced her.

"I'm glad," she replied.

The moment was ruined by Riku. "Hey! Lovebirds! Do that somewhere else!"

The two darted apart, a blush on Kairi's cheeks. Sora was grinning sheepishly. His wish was to able to protect his friends from harm no matter what.

The early morning sun shone on the castle. All was peaceful throughout the castle, except for the sudden panic attack echoing through the halls.

"Sora? Sora! Get up!" Riku practically shouted in his ear.

"Riku, go away," Sora mumbled. Why does Riku have to interrupt his sleep? He was up until three am, partying. It was his fifteenth birthday after all; might as well party in these dark times.

"But Kairi is gone!"

"Yeah Kairi is gone…" Then it clicked in his brain. Sora immediately shot up. "What?!"

"She is nowhere in the castle. We looked everywhere, every nook and cranny," Riku explained.

Sora rubbed his eyes. "And the King? What is his reaction to all this?"

"He is about to send out search parties. He is in no mood to talk right now."

Filled with fear, determination, and panic all at once, Sora leaped off the seat that he crashed on four hours before, grabbed his lucky charm and his satchel, and headed down to the armory. He ran by servants and guards, startled by his pace.

"Sorry! Excuse me. Pardon me! Sorry! I will get that later!" He knocked over a servant holding a box of blackberries. By the time Sora got to the armory, Riku was pretty sure that almost everyone was petrified by the panicked Keyblader. Sora quickly putting on his armor, which was a gold color, with red mixed in. He wore black underneath. When he was done, Riku had caught up to him.

Riku had barely any breath left. "Good grief, Sora. You must really care for Kairi that much to give everyone nearly a heart-attack."

"W-What?" Sora asked, being totally oblivious.

Riku just shook his head. Poor Sora, he was totally clueless. "Never mind. What is the battle plan?"

"Split up and find out Kairi's location," Sora said. He pulled out a map.

"Why split up?"

"we can cover more ground that way,"

Seeing the determined glint in Sora's eye, Riku question the decision.

Sora walked through the woods for hours. His feet ached, his body weary from the armor. The trees became endless as the sky darkened. But he had to keep going. He just had to find her. He had to find Kairi. He promised her father to keep her safe and protected. It was more than that though. Sora cared for Kairi so much that he might be possibly falling for her. Maybe that is why Riku has been teasing him so much. He shook his head so he could concentrate and continued on, desperate to locate her before something horrible happened.

"A little lost?" a mysterious voice echoed through the forest. Sora whisked around, nothing there. He turns back around to find a tall figure standing on top of a falling tree trunk. The figure had a black traveling cloak on.

"Who are you?" Sora questioned cautiously, slowly moving the Keyblade in from of him.

Suddenly, the cloak was gone, revealing none other than the Dark One himself.

"The Dark One!" Sora hissed. He had heard the stories of his dark powers, and his unbreakable deals.

"I prefer Rumplestiltskin, if you don't mind," Rumple said in his high and giddy voice.

"What do you want?" Sora slowly backed away. "If you want something, then there is nothing here."

Rumplestiltskin grinned. "Why, I want nothing from the all-powerful Keyblade wielder. No, I was just taking a lovely little stroll through the forest, when I saw a heart filled with desperation. So, I decided to watch the show. I wanted to watch how that desperate heart was going to get what it wants without knowing where it was." Rumple smile grew bigger as he continued. "Too bad I know where the heart wants to be. But well, since it does not want to know, I will just be on my way." He began walking away.

Sora only gave himself a few seconds to think it over. He did want to know, and keep Kairi safe. As long as Rumplestiltskin does not ask for something far out of his reach, how bad could it be? It would be very bad, but like he had a choice. Sora would later regret his decision.

"Wait!" Sora called out. Rumple smirked. "Tell me."

Rumplestiltskin turned around. "Tell you what? I cannot exactly 'help' you if I do not know what you want."

Sora sighed. "Tell me where Kairi is."

Rumple laughed. He was getting his way. Another step in his plan was complete. "Here is a better deal. Why not I just transport you to your dear princess' location, and we will all be on our way?"

"Because, I have nothing to give you in return," Sora did not want to become Rumple's pawn.

"Ahh, we all know that is a lie. Everyone has something. I help you save your dear princess, and you only have to pay a small price. How does that sound?" Rumplestiltskin held out his hand. Sora was little skeptical, and the deal seemed too good to be true, but Rumple was right about him being desperate. He shook his hand.

Suddenly, Sora was transported to a dark, depressing castle on the side of a lake. The only sunlight that shone through was from the stained glass windows. The hall was wide, with thick columns on the sides He was about to take a step forward, when a horrific sight stopped him.

It was Kairi, lying on the ground, a corpse. Her body was a lifeless doll. Sora sprinted over to her, his heart breaking. He took her into his arms, trying to wake her. No, this could not be happening.

"Come on Kairi! Please wake up! Kairi! Kairi!" He tried relentlessly, but failed. Was she dead? He checked her pulse. It was very slow. He looked up, seeing a woman in black sitting on a throne, staff in hand. "Who are you?" he croaked, trying to keep himself together.

The tall woman stood up. "I'm Maleficent. This is my castle," she grinned sadistically. "I knew you would be coming, Keyblader. After all, you best friend arrived just before you did." She pointed to Riku, chained to a pillar. Sora's eyes widened.

"Sora! It is a trap!" Riku shouted. "She is gonna kill you!"

He looked back to Maleficent, who was smiling wickedly.

"Now why would I kill an all-powerful Keyblader?" She stood up from her throne. "When all I want is power? Power that is stronger than the Dark One's magic? Hmm? And the only way to gain that kind of power is the dear Princess' pure heart, along with six other pure hearts."

"Why?" questioned Sora. "Do you even have the six?"

Maleficent glared. "No, I do not. The only one I'm about to acquire is one from a princess, one with all the beauty and attention. Of course, once my sleeping curse takes effect that is the end of her. And the other one?" She pointed straight at Sora. "You know where it is."

"What?" Sora said confusion in his voice. "What do you mean?"

Then Rumplestiltskin decides to pick the right time to make an appearance. "Well, now, the show is just becoming more entertaining! Now, the hero gets to save the day, or does he?" He turns to Sora.

"What do you want, Rumplestiltskin?"

"Hmm, well, I am a man of my word. You need my help, and I'm willing to aid you. I will help save you dear princess, and I get your lucky charm in return. This is your payment,"

Sora already decided his answer without a second thought. "Yes, please."

Rumple grinned like mad, "A desperate heart weeps."

The Keyblader stood up, summoning his silver Keyblade. No object was worth Kairi's life.

Rumple stood out of the way, snapping his fingers. The chains binding Riku to the column disappeared in purple smoke. Free, Riku grabbed his sword, and stood alongside Sora.

"I was not going to let you get all the glory from killing this witch,"

"Oh really?" Sora asked.

"Yes really,"

Maleficent's expression turned from fearful, to furious. "You spiteful imp!" she shouted at Rumplestiltskin. "You interfere with my plans?"

Rumple smirked, "Like I would let you get your hands on that power. It will be mine." He vanished, leaving the two warriors to deal with the witch.

Maleficent turned to them. "At least all I have to do now is deal with you two." Dark purple smoke engulfed her. The smoke spread almost to the ceiling, and when it cleared, a purplish black dragon was standing in Maleficent's place.

Sora paled. "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

Riku snickered. "I thought you were tougher than that."

The dragon lunged at them, breathing fire in the process. They dodged out of the way, but just barely. The dragon, seemed to know who the biggest threat was, as she clawed at Sora, who used the Keyblade to block the attacks. He was steadily pushed back, due to lack of experience with the blade. Riku ran up to its other claw and stabbed his sword in it. The dragon cried out, setting her new target on Riku. Riku jumped out of the way just in time before dragon flames could hit him. He ran behind the pillars, while Sora was trying to get up higher.

Riku had suddenly realized he was bait. 'Thanks a lot,' he thought sarcastically. He ran behind the columns, dodging fire. Sora climbed onto the chandelier, swinging closer to the dragon.

"Hey scale face!" he shouted. The dragon looked up, her attention away from Riku. Sora jumped from the chandelier, throwing his Keyblade at the dragon's long neck. The Keyblade sliced the neck off. The dragon burst into green flames, and burned until all that was left was Maleficent's black cloak. Sora landed on the ground rather ungracefully. He was proud that he had defeated an evil witch.

But that victory was short-lived.

Rumplestiltskin reappeared, in a rather pleasant mood, "Well, now that one problem is out of the way, I will tell you how to solve the other."

Sora got up from the ground, looking to Kairi's corpse, "How do I save her?"

"When the witch said that you know where her pure heart is, she was right," Rumple explained.

Sora shook his head. "I don't know where it is."

Rumple laughed. "But you do know, or at least, your heart knows. The heart, as they say, will admit more than its owner."

Sora looked baffled, then upset, then shocked. It finally clicked. "Kairi's heart, is next to mine?"

"Bingo!" exclaimed Rumplestiltskin. "Now to get her heart back to its body and soul."

Riku eyed him suspiciously. "And how do you do that?"

"Why, with all-powerful Keyblade of course. It can unlock anything! Nyah!" Rumple giggled.

Sora raised the Keyblade, knowing what he must do.

Riku knew what Sora was going to do, "No! You can't do it."

Sora smiled sadly for a second, "I have to. I vowed to protect you and Kairi, I cannot break my promise." And then he plunged the Keyblade straight into his heart.

Rumplestiltskin disappeared while everything happened at once. Riku watched in horror as a small light floated from Sora to Kairi. It absorbed into Kairi, and she awoke with a gasp. She looked up to Sora falling unconscious.

"S-Sora!" she shouted. She quickly got up and sprinted towards him. But it was too late. The impact of the situation has stunned Kairi. Sora lay on the floor, a stone statue. She collapsed to her knees, checking for his pulse. A faint and slow pulse, which meant he was practically dying. "No! No! Please, you can't leave us! No!" she cried, tears flowing freely. Riku got down to her level, and comforted her with a hug. She clung to him, crying her heart out.

Once Upon A Time…

Standing in Rumplestiltskin's shop, Sora tried repeatedly over and over to use the charm to summon the Keyblade. "Why won't it come?"

Rumple sighed. "Magic is different here. It is not enough to use a very momentous charm."

Sora stopped. "Have any other suggestions?"

"One that could get you killed,"

"Then I'd rather not," Sora and Riku left the shop, Sora feeling more desperate than he has in a long time.

That night, Sora watched a slightly frightening scene as he slept. It was Kairi, unharmed, and with a few familiar faces.

Emma, Snow, Mulan, and Aurora quietly walked through the woods, hoping not to attract attention from the ogres. Ogres were not ones to mess with. They had horrible sense of sight, but amazing sense of hearing. After Emma's mistake of shooting off her gun, she started using a sword. Swords were much quieter.

"Why can't ogres relay on sense of touch, instead of hearing?" Emma said softly, knowing the risk of talking loudly. "It'll be so much easier on all of us."

Snow sighed. "The world is just bent on making things tough on us. First we forget who are, remember, and then get separated from family and stuck in a forsaken forest with almost no way out."

"A lengthy summary, but okay." Emma agreed.

Due to Aurora's long dress, she tripped on a huge branch, and fell to the ground, letting out a loud yelp.

Mulan quickly helped her up, but before the four could run, an ogre was already stomping towards them. Emma's and Snow's eyes widened in shock at the ugly sight. It had a big, black hole in its own chest. It took a few more steps then fell to the ground, unconscious. Mulan cautiously approached the ogre. She flipped it to its side, examining the black hole.

"It... cannot be. There's only one weapon strong enough to do this..." she gasped.

"What? What weapon?" Emma asked, curious.

Snow's eyes grew. "It's the mark... the mark of a Keyblade."

"You got that right," a mysterious voice echoed in the woods. Everyone looked for the source of the voice.

A red haired female with indigo eyes stepped out into view. She wore a purple suit of armor. In her hand, was a golden, flowery weapon shaped like a key. "Whew, that was a workout," the teen said.

Snow quickly curtsied. "Princess Kairi. Haven't seen you in a while."

Kairi curtsied back. "And do I, Snow White," she swung her Keyblade around.

"First, we had Jiminy Cricket a human, then a dragon in the underground, then a Chinese legend, now a video game princess?" Emma said, exasperated.

Kairi raised an eyebrow.

Snow shook her head. "Just ignore her, Kairi."

The five of them suddenly heard another ogre roar.

"Follow me to my hideout," Kairi gestured to them.

Sora shot up from his dream. "B-But how?" he asked himself. A vision of Kairi? This was new magic, that was for sure. With a new resolve, he headed out to Rumple's shop in the morning.

Meanwhile, Riku barged into Granny's, startling Charming and Henry. "Have you seen Sora anywhere? He ditched school this morning."

"I saw him this morning," Ruby said. "He was headed for Gold's."

And it struck him like lightning, "He is going to do something stupid, I know it."

"What? What is he going to do?" asked Henry.

"I'm coming with you," said Charming. The two ran out of the diner, leaving Ruby and Henry behind with questions.

Sora once again barged into the shop that belongs to Rumplestiltskin. Rumple came out of his office, as if he knew Sora would come back so soon.

"That other solution? How will it kill me? What do I need to do?" Sora calmly asked.

Rumple took a deep breath. "You have to rip out your heart, again. Now that magic is different here, the effects can be different."

Sora, clearly not thinking, made up his mind. "That is a chance I'm willing to make."

Rumple walked over to the young, mature teen. He reached in, and pulled out his heart. Charming and Riku arrived just in time to see the heart in Rumple's hand. The heart then turned into a light that floated around the room before it split in half. The bigger half went back into Sora, who had collapsed onto his knees. The smaller half hovered in the middle of the room. Then a blinding white light shone from the light.

"What is happening?" said Charming, shielding his eyes like everyone else.

The light faded, and a person cloaked in black stood in the room. Henry and Ruby came in, Henry in awe.

The figure turned around, shocking everyone in the room except Rumple. Sora was only able to speak three words, "Who are you?"

End Part I