Once Upon A NeverEnding Story

A "Once Upon A Time" / "The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter"

Crossover Fanfiction

Summary: Bastian Balthazar Bux and Atreyu travel to Storybrooke to visit their childhood friend, Regina Mills. As the three friends reminisce about when Bastian and Atreyu rescued Princess Regina from the evil sorceress Xayide, and avert a war between Fantasia and the Enchanted Forest, the two men give some sage advice to Regina's son, Henry.

Disclaimer: "Once Upon A Time" is owned and created by the team of Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.

"The NeverEnding Story" is owned and created by Michael Ende, and the film on which it was based was produced by Bernd Eichinger and Dieter Giessler, and was directed by Wolfgang Petersen.

I do not own any of the characters depicted in this story. This Fan Fiction Crossover is the work of a hobbyist having fun with some of his favorite characters, and nothing more. I hope that this is a sufficient disclaimer.

Historian's Note: This story is set immediately after Season 5 of "Once Upon A Time." The events in this story are based on a modified version of the second film, "The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter."

As an episode of "Once Upon A Time," the title card would depict Horok Castle in the distance of the Blue Forest Setting.

Chapter 1: A Reunion With Old Friends

Robin was gone. Nothing was left of him. He was completely and thoroughly gone. The thought was almost too much for Regina Mills to accept, much less get her mind around.

Regina would never see Robin Hood, ever again. Robin was dead - but he was not in any of the many Heavens, Hells, or Places-In-Between anywhere in the multiple universes that made up reality as everyone - be they from a factual or fictional world – knew it to be.

Thanks to Hades and his accursed Olympian Crystal, Regina's lover Robin Hood had ceased to exist in any way, shape or form. All that was left of him were the memories of the time they shared together, along with the many myths and legends – and not all of them true – that this world had of a mythical figure known here as Robin of Locksley.

Regina would be denied reunion with Robin even in death.

Because of this, the telephone call from Bastian Balthazar Bux that Regina got shortly after Robin had been annihilated could not have come at a better time. Yes, said Regina, she could definitely use some company. And when Bastian said that Atreyu would also come, Regina felt a sense of relief - and more importantly, hope - for the first time since she lost Robin.

A reunion with old friends would be just what Regina needed right about now; especially since she knew that that was all that it would be. True, both men had once briefly carried a torch for her when they were boys. And to be honest, Regina reveled in the attention at the time, and also had nascent, reciprocal feelings for Atreyu – until her mother Cora ruined that. But for now, Regina knew that she could count on her two old friends to help her get through a rough time without any strings attached.

Regina finished dressing in her room; nothing too fancy – for once, she was not dressing to impress. A simple outfit with minimal make-up would be sufficient. But she had not seen either Bastian or Atreyu since they were about Henry's age, and at the very least she wanted to look presentable. Then Regina was roused from her ruminations when she heard a knock and a familiar voice at her bedroom door.

"Mom . . . ? Are you ready to come out, now? You've been in there for hours!"

After telling her son that she was decent, Henry opened the door, and Regina smiled. Her son was well dressed and groomed, just as she asked him to be, and was carrying his ever-present Storybook, "Once Upon A Time," under his arm. By now, Regina could scarcely remember a time when Henry did not have his Storybook with him. Regina was especially looking forward to formally introducing her son to Bastian and Atreyu; especially to Bastian. She told Bastian about Henry when he called the day before, and they spoke so long that they literally ran down the batteries in their phones.

But Regina could only imagine Bastian's bemusement when he saw her son in-person with his own magical storybook. If that didn't take Bastian back to his youth, then nothing would. Regina said, "I'm ready now, son. Let's go downstairs. My old friends should be here anytime, now."

As mother and son walked downstairs, Henry said, "Mom, if your friends are coming from outside of Storybrooke, shouldn't we be meeting them at the town line with the Snow Queen's Scroll to let them in?"

"That won't be necessary, Henry," said Regina when the doorbell rang as if on cue. "They are already here."

When his mom opened the door, Henry saw two men that he had never seen before in Storybrooke. Both men were in their late-thirties. One man with greying blonde hair was casually dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, and was holding a large, leather-bound book not too different from the one that Henry had with him. The other man was similarly dressed, but he wore a fringed deerskin jacket instead of a sweatshirt. He wore his long, greying black hair in a ponytail and looked vaguely Native American. But Henry instinctively knew that the man was not Native American; much less native to this world . . . .

After getting a friendly, sympathetic hug from both men, Regina said, "Bastian, Atreyu, I'd like you both to meet my son, Henry.

"Henry, I would like you to meet Mr. Bastian Balthazar Bux." Henry shook hands with the man with the book, who smiled warmly at him as he gave him a knowing look at the book that Henry carried with him.

Then, Regina said, "And this is Atreyu, Henry." This man also smiled warmly as he exchanged a firm handshake with Henry.

Henry said, "I'm glad to meet you both. Mom told me that she knew you when you were my age."

Mr. Bux smiled. "You know, it doesn't really seem like that long ago." Mr. Atreyu nodded in agreement.

Henry said, "But I still don't understand, Mr. Bux. How did you and Mr. Atreyu find your way into Storybrooke? Our town is hidden from the outside world by very powerful spells and charms."

Mr. Bux glanced down at his book (or more accurately, the medallion set into the book's cover,) and said, "We have . . . our ways, Henry . . . ."

"Wait," said Henry. "You're from this world, aren't you, Mr. Bux?"

"I am."

Then Henry turned to the other man, and said, "Mr. Atreyu, I have to ask. Are you from the same world as my mom?"

The man nodded. "I am from a neighboring realm. I am a hunter and warrior of the Plains People of Fantasia, Henry. And please; just call me "Atreyu." Also, I think that Bastian would probably prefer it if you addressed him less formally as well, now that we have all been introduced." When Bastian nodded, Henry became more relaxed, and he and his mother joined the two men at the table in the dining room of the Storybrooke Mayor's Mansion.

When everyone was seated, Regina said, "Henry, in the Fairy Tale Lands, Fantasia and the Enchanted Forest share a common border. Long ago - almost a thousand years, in fact - our two Kingdoms fought a war that ended in a stalemate and an Armistice that has lasted for as long as anyone can remember.

"Our two Kingdoms are now separated by a three-mile wide "Demilitarized Zone" of dense, old-growth forest with an additional mile of cleared land on either side. Communications are limited to what you might call a "Hot-Line Mirror" that connects the various Royal Estates in the Enchanted Forest and neighboring realms, such as Oz and Arendelle, with the Ivory Tower of Fantasia's ruler, The Childlike Empress, to be used only in cases of emergency.

"And one day, just before my thirteenth birthday, such an emergency arose . . . ."

Atreyu said, "Your mother made an accidental visit to Fantasia in a hot air balloon, and The Childlike Empress asked me and Bastian to help get Regina back to her home in the Enchanted Forest before it caused a worse incident between our two realms."

Bastian added, "But to make things even more complicated, your mother's balloon landed near Horok Castle. And we had business to attend to there, as well . . . ."

"Horok Castle?" said Henry. "I never read about anyplace called Horok Castle in my own book. But it doesn't sound like a very nice place."

"It wasn't," said Bastian. "Horok Castle - also known as the Castle of the Seeing Hand - was once the home of the Evil Sorceress Xayide. And by the time Atreyu and I got to where your mom's balloon had landed, Xayide had gotten to her, first."

"Wait," said Henry. "Who is Xayide? I've never read anything about her in my book, either."

Regina said, "She was a very evil, very powerful sorceress in Fantasia. Your Grandmother Cora fought her to get me back, and was nearly defeated in the process."

"Whoa," said Henry. "Xayide was more powerful than Cora? What happened?"

"It's a very long story, Henry," said Bastian. "And your mother has a lot that she wants to talk about with us." Bastian then showed his book to Henry. It was titled, "The NeverEnding Story," and it was a little bigger and heavier than Henry's "Once Upon A Time" book. But what immediately caught Henry's eye was the medallion set into the cover of two serpents; one gold with red eyes and one silver with green eyes. Each serpent was biting the other's tail, and they were both entwined in the form of a sort-of Celtic Knot.

Bastian noticed Henry's interest in the medallion, smiled, and said, "That is AURYN, Henry. AURYN is how Atreyu and I were able to find and enter Storybrooke. AURYN also told me that your mother was here in this world, and that she could use some company."

"Then The Auryn is some kind of magical talisman?" said Henry.

"No, not "The Auryn," Henry," corrected Atreyu. "Just AURYN. And AURYN is much more than just a 'magical talisman.' AURYN is the symbol of Fantasia's Childlike Empress, and those who carry AURYN are –"

"Wait," said Henry. "Slow down. Who is this "Childlike Empress," anyway?"

Bastian opened the book and said, "Henry, I know that you must have a lot of questions. But Atreyu and I have come a long way to talk with your mother, and a lot of what we will be talking about is . . . well . . . adult stuff . . . .

"So, I think that the best way for you to find out about how Atreyu and I met your mom would be for you to read about it, yourself. Our story begins, here. Now, it might be a good idea if you were to take a seat at the other end of the table while the three of us take the other end. You will need some privacy for yourself, while you read it. But we still want to keep an eye on you while you read.

"Now it's only fair to warn you, Henry, this book can get a bit . . . intense; especially the first time you read it."

"With all due respect," said Henry with a bit of a smirk. "I think that I know my way around an Enchanted Storybook. I mean, mom said that she told you that I am an Author, you know."

Bastian suddenly became more serious, and said, "Don't be so cocky, young man. I can guarantee that even you have never read a book like this one, before."

"I still think that I can handle it," said Henry confidently.

"Just humor us, Henry," said Regina sternly. "Now, don't argue with us and read where we can keep an eye on you."

"Oh, go easy on the boy, Regina," said Bastian. "Being overconfident is practically part of the job description for teenage boys. So is turning down good advice from adults with more experience . . . .

"You know, I once got similar advice from someone older and more experienced who is in our line of work when I was Henry's age. A man named Thomas Covenant. And I paid him about as much attention as Henry just paid me!

"Now, I managed to live to tell about it. But whenever I see Mr. Covenant again, he never misses the opportunity to let me know that he ". . . tried to warn me . . . ."

"I-I'll be alright," said Henry, this time with a bit of trepidation. "Mom's here to look after me. And so are you guys."

"Just be careful, son," said Regina. Henry nodded and, taking Bastian's book to the opposite end of the table away from the adults, he sat down and began to read:

"It was an early summer morning in the Enchanted Forest, bright and sunny with a steady, cool breeze. But twelve, almost thirteen-year-old Princess Regina knew that she would not be able to enjoy it. Today, Regina knew that she was to be cooped-up indoors all day for yet another boring history lesson from Magister Murgatroyd. Looking out the window from her room in the family estate to the courtyard below, Regina could see her father's carriage being made ready for an all-day excursion that had been weeks in the planning. Oh, how Regina wished that she could go with her father, Prince Henry, instead of having to listen to Magister Murgatroyd's famously monotonous droning.

From much experience, the princess knew that it was normally useless to argue with her formidable mother Cora, but Regina was determined to try. Regina begged her mother to let her go with her father, who would soon be leaving in his carriage, and was not expected to return until nightfall. And much to Regina's surprise, Cora gave her daughter permission to accompany her father on his all-day inspection tour near the border that separated the Kingdom of the Enchanted Forest from the mysterious realm known as Fantasia . . . ."