Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-4936165-20140827005907/@comment-24386552-20141103003410

Maleficent's unicorn however didn't appear in 1.22, so it was established that Maleficent only lost because she valued her unicorn more than herself. We see her transform into a dragon in 1.22. We also know Maleficent is known for her form magic. So she could easily take on Rumple if she took on a form that could easily defeat him. I think Rumple was doing so much work already, he decided that getting his hands dirty (Which ironically they always are when he's the Dark One) wasn't going to happen. Which is why he got Charming to do it.