At Cruella's behest, Donald and Goofy restrained Sora tightly. Sora knew very well that anything that he could do to break free would inevitably end up severely hurting his friends or worse, so Sora let them hold him down for now. This was now the second time that Maleficent and her goons managed to hypnotize Donald and Goofy. Those two really needed to learn a mind control protection spell of some sort for future reference. As it was, Sora was currently facing down the tip of Maleficent's staff. Just one burst of lightning from it would be enough to seriously ruin his day.
"It is quite fortunate that I finally have you right where I want you," Maleficent said with an evil grin. "You'll make a fine bargaining chip to use against Master Yen Sid."
"So you're the one who did something to his apprentice," Sora said, trying to put the pieces together.
"Actually, if you're referring to that old man guarding the hat, that would be my doing," Rumple interjected. "Maleficent, it appears your enemies and mine share a mutual acquaintance."
"A man I know all too well," Maleficent spat.
"Capturing this boy should expedite our search greatly," Rumple remarked.
"Do not count on it," Maleficent warned. "Sora and Yen Sid's involvement only makes things more complicated for us moving forward. We'll have unparalleled interference if you do not act quickly."
While Rumple and Maleficent were busy discussing his fate, Sora managed to slip his hand into his pocket. After some digging he managed to get his hands on one of his summon gems. If he could time it just right, he could call upon the aid of one of his friends worlds away. Sora couldn't tell which charm he managed to get his hands on, but he silently hoped that it wasn't Chicken Little's gem.
"Give me strength," Sora whispered as quietly as he could.
"Then what exactly would you suggest we-," Rumple said before he was interrupted by a streak of blue smoke rocketing out of Sora's pocket.
"Heeeeeeeeere's," the blue streak said loudly, and Sora couldn't help but grin, knowing what was coming. "GENIE!"
The big blue genie of the lamp appeared in a flash as an invisible audience applauded loudly. Maleficent had only encountered this creature once, back when it was under the control of Jafar. The Genie was considerably more upbeat and energetic than he had been back then.
"Thank you, thank you, it is so nice for all my hard work to be acknowledged!" the Genie said as a tiny golden statuette appeared in his hands. "I'd like to thank Sora and the Academy and of course my buddy Al for setting me free to spread my wings and win this award!"
"Genie!" Sora said. "Time limit on summons, remember?"
"Oh, right!" Genie said, poofing away the fake Academy Award and turning his attention towards the villains. "Whoa! I see there was a sale on ugly!"
"Wretched thing!" Cruella growled, "I'll teach you to-"
But her tirade was cut short by Genie literally shoving a sock in her mouth. "Ah, put a sock in it! And now for the peanut gallery!"
Maleficent, Rumple, and Ursula were disgusted to find a flood of peanuts engulfing them and burying them. Genie transformed into a prehistoric squirrel looking creature that was apparently a reference to some movie that Sora hadn't seen and lifted a peanut into the air triumphantly.
"Genie, Cruella has Donald and Goofy under a spell," Sora said. "You've got to knock her out or-"
They were interrupted by all of the peanuts being burned into ash from Maleficent's green fire as the three villains emerged from their "imprisonment" with newfound rage present on all their faces. Genie transformed himself into a heavyset, gray haired woman who Sora could only assume was a TV personality connected to cooking.
"Well, I do love me some roasted peanuts," Genie declared in a thick Southern accent. "But these got a little overdone. Just slap some fried butter on top and you'll never know the difference!"
"I've had about enough of this ridiculousness," Rumple declared through clenched teeth.
"Okay, okay, friend saving Hail Mary time!" Genie declared as he blasted Cruella in the face with his magic as he disappeared from the battle field.
Donald and Goofy instantly woke up from their trance and let Sora go.
"Final Form time?" Sora asked.
Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. In a flash of white light, Sora took on the all white garb of his final form. Rumple launched a fireball at Sora's head that the young Key bearer easily deflected. Sora swooped down, and blasted Rumple in the face with a beam of light magic, sending the fearsome Dark One hurdling through a window out onto the lawn.
"Meteors of Heaven!" Maleficent called out. "Unleash thy fury!"
A giant blue meteor shot out of a dark portal before Sora had the chance to glide out of the way. Sora used his magic to press back against the meteor and keep it from slamming into him. However, he kept finding himself sliding back against the force of the meteor.
"We need to retreat!" Maleficent declared. "He's too powerful in that form."
Ursula nodded in agreement and scooped up Cruella in her tentacles. Maleficent used her staff to telekinetically lift the unconscious Rumple. With everyone in tow, the villains disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness. Sora's light magic finally managed to shatter the meteor, but he was too late to stop the villains from escaping.
Fish and Blackheart, as per the thug's direction, made their way to Radiant Garden's Zero District. Fish could tell just by the change in architecture alone that this area hadn't been gentrified and that this neighborhood was where the poor and downtrodden made their homes. It was the same old song and dance she'd seen back home in Gotham with the Narrows. The people down here didn't matter to the people with money, and so they were left living in barely passable conditions. That also meant that the area was ripe for a local crimeboss to take power.
The duo found their way to a seedy hole in the wall joint that the thug from earlier had pointed them in the direction of. This smoke filled bar was considerably less high end than Tifa's establishment, though that was hardly a surprise. The past-her-prime waitress who wore far too much makeup made her way over to the two new customers after they settled into an open table.
"What can I do ya for?" she asked.
"I'm looking for information," Fish replied. "Are you familiar with a man who goes by 'The Professor'?"
The waitress's face immediately blanched. "Never heard of him."
"That's a lie," Blackheart said.
"I, uh, I should go get ya some drinks," the waitress said, turning to leave.
There was little doubt that the drinks she was going to bring would be drugged. Before the waitress could go, Fish grabbed the woman by the arm and unleashed her toxin.
"Tell me what you know about the Professor," Fish ordered.
"Nobody's ever seen him in person," she answered. "He runs everything through phone calls and letters in the mail. But he's got some trained mice or somethin' that kill anybody who tries to double cross him."
"He has to get his money somehow," Fish said. "Where's the drop site?"
"Down in the waterways where the drainage from the Aqueducts goes," she answered. "In the maintenance chamber right by the docks."
"A sewer," Fish replied. "Lovely. Anything else I should know?"
The waitress just shook her head.
"Now you're going to forget this conversation ever happened, you hear me?" Fish said. "Do not tell a soul."
The waitress nodded absent-mindedly and walked calmly back into the kitchen.
"If he's keeping his identity a secret, his identity must be some kind of weakness," Fish said. "Don Falcone was never subtle about who he was. The man was untouchable. This Professor, though? I'd be willing to bet money he's a publically visible figure moonlighting as a crime lord. And what does everyone with a secret identity fear?"
"Being exposed," Blackheart said with a grin. "If we find out who he is, we can get him right under our thumbs."
"With this town being so close to Maleficent's old base of operations, that could be very useful for her," Fish declared. "And if it lines our pockets a little, well, that's a win-win."
"So, off to the sewers?" Blackheart asked.
Fish grimaced. "Not exactly how I was hoping to spend my evening, but yes. I suppose I should be grateful that Hades made me wear inexpensive shoes this time."
As the mid-morning sun hung high over Storybrooke, the four villains licked their wounds from last night. Rumple, despite taking the hardest hit, recovered in full by morning. Cruella, on the other hand, was still very obviously off center from the Genie breaking her spell. Maleficent and Ursula had avoided any wounds other than wounded pride, but the presence of Sora in Storybrooke made their task that much harder.
All four gathered around the kitchen table for breakfast. Though she couldn't summon her armies of Cauldron Born in this town, a spare bit of the Black Cauldron's magic and a local cemetery were all Maleficent needed to create one Cauldron Born warrior to do her bidding. At the moment, Maleficent's bidding was breakfast. The Cauldron Born served the four villains eggs and coffee and wagged its finger in disapproval when it noticed Cruella spiking her coffee with gin.
"Don't you sass me, you skeletal lackey," Cruella said. "I'm nursing a dreadful headache, and I need the sweet numbness of gin to make me forget my last name by noon."
"Sora will make things very difficult for us as long as he is in town," Maleficent stated as she sipped her coffee. "We'll need to deal with him before we can proceed with our plan."
"Is that so?" Rumple asked. "Because it seems to me that he is your enemy, and I can proceed with my plan if I leave you behind and deal with matters personally."
Ursula's tentacles crept up the back of Rumple's chair menacingly. "Is that so, big boy? Then maybe we'll be better off making you shark bait."
"I don't think you want to do that, dearie," Rumple warned as he added creamer to his coffee, unfazed by Ursula's threat. "Bad things happen to those who cross the Dark One."
"HA! Look who has a backbone once he's in a town with magic," Ursula replied. "I don't take threats like that lightly, little goldfish."
"I don't need to threaten you," Rumple said as he sipped his coffee. "It would take all three of you to get as far as to wage a war of attrition against me, and I promise you that won't be far enough."
Maleficent held up a hand to signal for Ursula to stand down. True, Maleficent knew well that Rumplestiltskin's magical powers dwarfed her own, but it was rather presumptuous of Rumple to assume that her only option was to wear him down. The Dark One underestimated her resourcefulness, and that was going to be an important tool in defeating him when the time inevitably came.
"You will not be leaving us behind," Maleficent said plainly as she dabbed her mouth clean with a napkin. "Sora and Yen Sid's presence opens up variables you were not prepared for. Like it or not, Ursula and I know these adversaries quite well, and you'll need us if you ever want to find the Author."
Rumple smirked, but Maleficent knew quite well it was only to mask his frustration at the situation. "Very well. You're right. Last night's encounter proved that I am woefully inexperienced facing the power of the Keyblade. How would you suggest we deal with him?"
"We need a way to strip him of his Final Form power," Maleficent said. "When he takes that form, he is able to unleash light magic beyond anything any of us are capable of combatting."
"I may have an idea," Rumple said. "But we'll need to steal something from the local heroes first."
"Not going to work," Ursula chimed in. "If we try to steal anything, that brat will be on us like a shark on chum."
"Then we'll need a distraction," Maleficent said, thinking aloud. "Something that can create utter chaos and pandemonium. He will not be able to resist a situation where he can play the hero."
A devious smile cracked onto Rumple's lips. "I may have just the thing."
Meanwhile, Sora, Donald, and Goofy made their way to Granny's Diner for breakfast. The three of them hopped up on the bar stools, totally oblivious to the strange looks they were getting from the diner's patrons. Regina, Emma, their son Henry, and Emma's boyfriend Hook were all eating over in a corner booth, looking over Storybrooke's newest arrivals with interest and mild concern.
"Donald Duck and Goofy?" Emma asked. "Really? They're real too?"
"But how did they get into town? Regina asked. "And are they good or evil?"
"Mom, they're Donald Duck and Goofy," Henry said. "How evil could they be?"
"Well Peter Pan wasn't exactly as nice as the cartoon," Emma said. "Regina. Go talk to them."
"Me? Why me?" Regina asked.
"Well you are the mayor," Emma said.
"Fine," Regina grumbled as she got up and walked over to the trio. "Um... Hello, I... don't believe I've seen you around town before."
""Uh, yeah, we're from out of town," Sora answered. "A good friend of ours has a big mansion here on the edge of town."
Regina's eyes widened. "You know the Author?"
"Uhh, I don't know any authors, but that's Master Yen Sid's house," Sora replied. "He's a really powerful sorcerer. Have you met him?"
"No, but we have his hat," Regina said. "His mansion just appeared during the last curse, and it had a room filled with... you know what, I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Regina. I'm the mayor of this town. Why don't you three join my family and me for breakfast?"
The group pushed two tables together and shared introductions. Regina started by explaining how she was looking for the Author to write her a happy ending now that she's changed her ways, and Sora remarked how much she reminded him of Riku. Sora, Donald, and Goofy then explained their story to the four.
"Maleficent and Ursula are here, and they're bad news," Goofy said.
"I should have known," Regina said shaking her head. "We shouldn't have let them into town."
"Yeah, and they've got two friends with them too," Donald said.
"Two?" Emma asked, confused.
"Yeah, one's a lady who wears a fur coat and can control animals with her magic breath," Sora explain. "The other is a short old man with long hair who said he did something terrible to Yen Sid's apprentice."
"Rumple," Regina said with a sigh. "I should have known he'd find a way back into town."
"The crocodile has returned?" Hook said with a growl.
"So now we're trying to find out what happened to Yen Sid's apprentice," Sora said. "Maybe we can still save him."
"Wait... is the apprentice an old bearded man who favors a crimson attire?" Hook asked.
"Yep, that's him!" Goofy said.
"The... crocodile trapped him in the hat," Hook answered after a moment's hesitation. "Perhaps we can find a way to release him."
"And you're only just telling us this now?" Emma said, irritation present in her voice.
"Well I was... primarily concerned with the fairies," Hook replied. "And... I was ashamed of my part in his capture."
"You should have told us," Emma said, shaking her head. "Wait... why would you be ashamed to tell us? You were under his mind control spell, weren't you?"
Hook wouldn't meet Emma's gaze. "Aye love, I was."
"Hook," Emma said, her voice very obviously angry at this point. "Did you forget about my superpower? I know when you're lying. Now tell me the truth."
Hook sighed. "I was blackmailing the Dark One once I learned that the dagger he gave Belle was a fake, but then he managed to turn the tables on me."
"You knew the dagger was a fake, and you didn't tell Belle right away?" Emma asked. "No, wait, worse, you tried to use it for blackmail? And then once everything went wrong you still didn't tell anyone the truth? You just helped him hurt people until shit hit the fan? That about right?"
"Well when you put it like that, it does sound rather awful," Hook said.
"Hook, just... just go," Emma said her voice suddenly sounding very tired. "I just... I can't deal with this right now."
"Swan, I-,"Hook started.
"GO!" Emma cut him off.
Hook huffed and got up to leave. Everyone still at the table was left feeling incredibly awkward and unsure if it was appropriate to say anything.
"Well I see I'm not the only villain who didn't get a happy ending," Regina chimed in.
"That's not a 'Villains Don't Get Happy Endings' thing," Emma said. "That's a 'Don't Keep Acting like an Asshole after You Say You've Changed' thing."
"Well, we need to find a way to get the Apprentice out of the hat," Sora said. "Do you guys know how to do that?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Master Yen Sid probably does," Goofy said. "Let's take the hat back to the tower."
Fish and Blackheart made their way to the sewer location the waitress had indicated. At first glance, the chamber seemed perfectly normal, but when Fish's eyes drifted to the ground, she saw arched scrape marks on the floor coming from what appeared to be a solid wall.
"There's a secret door here," Fish said, gesturing to the marks. "There must be a handle or switch hidden nearby."
"Allow me," Blackheart said.
Before Fish could ask what he meant, the demon punched a hole right through the wall. Using that hole as a makeshift handle, he tugged at it with demonic strength, forcing the hidden door open.
"After you," Blackheart said with an altogether too pleased look on his face.
Fish entered into a well decorated and refined room that was drastically different from the previous chamber. It was like having images of wealth and squalor juxtaposed against one another.
"The lights are all on," Fish said. "Someone was just here and probably still is."
A white curtain on the far side of the room lit up from the opposite side, and the silhouette of a man with long hair and glasses took shape on it.
"Well done, you've found my little hideout," the silhouette said. "You're the first to manage that feat. But no one crosses the Professor and lives to tell about it!"
"Threatening me is a bad idea," Fish Mooney said. "Ever hear of Maleficent? How about Hades? You know what they'll do to anyone who lays a finger on one of their allies, don't you?"
"And you saw what I did to your door," Blackheart added. "I don't think a street crook would stand much of a chance against the son of the Devil himself."
"Ehehe, perhaps I misspoke earlier," the Professor said. "What business do you have with me?"
"Well, let's see," Fish said coyly. "I think I'd rather like seventy-percent of your cut."
"SEVENTY?" the Professor growled. "What makes you think you can extort that from ME?"
"You know, I do so hate not being able to negotiate face to face," Fish said.
Picking up her cue, Blackheart grabbed the curtain and ripped it clean off. What they saw on the other side was not expected. The silhouette had been cast by a robotic puppet situated in front of a projector lamp. What they'd been looking at wasn't the Professor at all. However, they'd definitely heard his voice in the same room as them, and there was no way it was over a speaker. Fish scanned the area for a secret door, but found nothing.
"There!" Blackheart said, abruptly turning his head at a slight noise.
Fish looked where Blackheart was pointing to see one of the oddest sights she'd seen since joining the Overtakers: a rat dressed in a Victorian suit with a cape and top hat trying to slip past them. Other worlds truly had strange phenomenons.
"The Professor, I presume," Fish said to the rat.
The rat stopped in his tracks and turned to face to duo, knowing that he'd been caught. The Professor put on a fake smile and tried to hold himself in as gentlemanly a posture as he could. With a tip of his top hat and a sweeping gesture of his cape, he gave Fish and Blackheart a bow.
"You may call me Professor Ratigan."
Rumplestiltskin stepped into the forest clearing and made sure he hadn't been followed. He didn't fear Maleficent or the others, but creating the necessary diversion would briefly require making himself more vulnerable than he wanted to be. Using his dark magic, Rumple plunged his hand into his chest and pulled out his heart. The metaphysical manifestation of the organ was black as coal with a small solitary red light blinking from deep within the core.
He was running out of time before the Dark One curse totally consumed him. It was only a matter of time until everything about him that was Rumplestiltskin was gone forever. That was what made the Author's Book so important; it was his one chance for salvation. For now, however, the darkness within his heart would provide the means to keep the heroes occupied.
Rumple winced in pain as he pulled out a sliver of darkness. Even manually extracting such a small quantity of darkness felt like an intense heartburn, but it would all be worth it. Rumple threw the sliver to the ground where it expanded into a much larger shadow and immediately began to slither towards the town, towards other hearts to consume. Satisfied that his work was done, Rumple returned his heart to his chest and went to rejoin his allies.
The heroes of Storybrooke faced many atrocities in their time, but never before had they contended with the Heartless.