Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24721813-20140701025328/@comment-4975807-20140701033719

1) Because that was part of the seer's prophecy. "There will be a young boy who will lead you to your son, but the boy will be your undoing." The boy was Pan, but ultimately, Rumplestiltskin had to die in order to save everyone from him. What else choice did he have? He realized the boy in the prophecy wasn't Henry, but Pan. He already tried to overpower Pan using Pandora's Box and instead he was the one who ended up in the box. If he did not kill himself and Pan, there is no telling if there was even another possible way to defeat Pan. Rumplestiltskin saw the opportunity, and he took it. Plus, it makes sense because for once in his life, he understood what it meant to sacrifice himself for his loved ones and to truly let go of his obsession with self-preservation and be courageous in the face of immense danger.

2) This is still largely unexplained on the show. It has not been implied or hinted that magic is passed down through genetic bloodline or is a manifestation from the person's inner strength/traits, but I suppose either could be possible.

3) Not sure if my explanation is going to sound correct, lol. True love is basically pure, unselfish love. As seen on the show, true love can have magical properties. A kiss of true love can break a curse. A child born of true love is considered special. I would compare true love to being a kind of soulmate connection between two people, in which they fit each other in the right ways. That's basically my definition for it, but I think everyone can define it differently.