I watched the midseason finale and i was in emotional distress. I almost cried when Rumple sacrificed himself for Neal and Belle. However, as the shock wore off, I began to think about the possibilities for the second half of the season. Which brought me to my theory.
Rumple's main magical powers come from being the dark one. When Pan woke up, he put the cuff on Rumple, eliminating those powers. Rumple kills Pan with his dagger, and then also kills himself. Because he is the dark one, the dagger is the only thing that can kill him. However, because he sacrifices himself, there is no new dark one. The dark one's power is dark magic, which is meant to be used for selfish gain. When he sacrificed himself, he was selfless. He did it out of true love, an even more powerful magic. I think the power of true love will save Rumple. Maybe the dagger killed the dark one, but I think Rumple is still alive.
Anyone agree or disagree?