Tinker Bell

"I may have lost my wings, but I haven't lost my dignity"

- Tinker Bell to Hook

Tinker Bell is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the third episode of the third season. She is portrayed by guest star Rose McIver and is the Enchanted Forest counterpart of Tinker Bell.

Tinker Bell is based on a character with the same name from the play, Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up.

History
As a fairy working under the Blue Fairy in the Enchanted Forest, Tinker Bell is mischievous and sneaks out against her superior's orders. One night, she saves the life of the Queen, Regina, after the castle balcony gives way and sends her falling to a near death. Introducing herself as Tinker Bell, the two later spend time together at a small inn. Miserable with life, Regina confides in Tinker Bell about her non-existent marriage with King Leopold and playing stepmother to his daughter, Snow White, who she calls a monster for destroying her true love. Hoping to help Regina's circumstances, Tinker Bell offers Regina true happiness with pixie dust, which will help her find a new love. She flies home, but is caught by an angry Blue Fairy, who is neither pleased at Tinker Bell's rule-breaking or her desire to help Regina. Tinker Bell's request for pixie dust is turned down vehemently, though she argues it's not very fairy-like for the Blue Fairy to not help someone in need. The Blue Fairy disregards her argument and orders Tinker Bell to stay in the cavern for further training under her supervision. Though she agrees, after the Blue Fairy is gone, Tinker Bell sneaks out to steal pixie dust. Heading back to the castle, she fetches Regina and the two fly together as the pixie dust is spread in the air, leading them to a tavern. After descending to the ground, they peer inside the building to see the pixie dust causing a certain man with a lion tattoo to glow. Before Tinker Bell leaves, she points him out as the person who will give Regina happiness, and encourages her to go in. Later at the palace, Tinker Bell arrives to check on how the meeting went. She is discouraged to see Regina is not "glowing" as she should be after finding her true love. Grumpily, Regina lists all the bad qualities in the man, but Tinker Bell realizes she was too scared to go into the tavern. Regina denies her own cowardice and calls Tinker Bell a horrible fairy. Hurt, Tinker Bell tells Regina how she stole pixie dust for her sake and will get into trouble for it. Nonetheless, she is coldly sent away by Regina. As she departs, Tinker Bell encounters a severely disappointed Blue Fairy in the courtyard. Though she asks for another chance to make up her mistakes, the Blue Fairy states Tinker Bell is already on her second and final chance. Her superior states that she no longer believes in her anymore, and takes away Tinker Bell's wings.
 * -|Before the Curse=

After losing her status as a fairy, Tinker Bell somehow ends up living in Neverland alone. She sees two men treading through the jungle. After knocking out one of them, she threatens the latter, who is a pirate named Hook, at knife point. She forces an answer out of him for his reason for being in Neverland, which Hook claims is to find magic and return to the Enchanted Forest. He guesses on the spot that Tinker Bell is a fairy, and wonders why she won't help him find his "happy ending". She briefs him on having lost her wings and states that he'll have to figure out his "happy ending" himself. As he takes out something from his waist, Tinker Bell has the impression it's a weapon and pulls out another blade at him. Instead, it's only a rum bottle, which they share as a drink. Hook tells her about his quest for vengeance against the Dark One for killing the woman he loved. She is surprised that he'd go that far for something that might get him killed. Hook claims he would only risk his life for two things; love and revenge. Tinker Bell spies on a group of travelers on the island, David, Emma, Hook, Mary Margaret and especially Regina, whom she recognizes from the past. Tinker Bell eavesdrops on Regina's mention of their "complicated history" and learns her reason for being in Neverland is to find her son. A moment later, she steps out to face Regina and knocks her out with poppy dust. At a cave, she binds up an unconscious Regina's wrists, who wakes up shortly after. Tinker Bell unleashes her anger over the past, and how she lost everything because of Regina. In defense, Regina claims Tinker Bell was the one who wrongly interfered in her life. As her nemesis breaks out of the wrist binds, Tinker Bell threatens to stab her with a Dreamshade coated knife. Instead, Regina sweetens the deal by offering her own beating heart to Tinker Bell, pushing her to crush it, but the ex-fairy furiously asks why she, all those years ago, didn't meet her true love. Tearfully, Regina bitterly admits to being afraid of what she might have become without all the anger inside herself, and exemplifies her blackened heart as the product of choosing hatred over hope and love. Tinker Bell is given the choice to not make the same mistake, though she fears it is too late to go back. Regina convinces her it isn't if she doesn't crush the heart, to which Tinker Bell hands it back, but refuses to help find Henry. Tinker Bell exits outside, where she is confronted by Regina's armed allies. Regina approaches to reassure them that Tinker Bell hasn't harmed her, though she won't be helping to infiltrate Pan's camp. Tinker Bell acknowledges losing her fairy powers because people stopped believing in her. Emma and Mary Margaret promise if Tinker Bell helps their cause, she can make a new home in Storybrooke. She agrees and goes back with them to camp. Once there, Tinker Bell learns that Regina never went back to find her fated partner. As a consequence, Regina's actions ruined her own life as well as her true love's.
 * -|After Broken Curse=

At the camp base, Emma uses a stick and a drawing on the ground to elaborate on their strategy for entering Pan's headquarters from the back after Tinker Bell talks her way in through the front. Before they put the plan into action, Tinker Bell wants to know their escape route off the island, which no one has a clear answer. She stresses that no one ever leaves the island without Pan's permission. To prove a point about how dangerous Pan can be, Tinker Bell shows them a watch that came from the people who brought Henry to Neverland, proving Greg and Tamara were killed by him. Tinker Bell weighs the risk as not worthy unless they have a way to leave Neverland and she makes off for her tree house.

Tinker Bell rejoins her allies, reassured they have a way off the island, when given proof by Neal of having captured Pan's shadow, which they will be using to fly away from Neverland. They make plans for storming the Lost Boy camp, and infiltrate the interior after Tinker Bell gains access inside and Regina puts all the boys to sleep. Neither Henry or Pan are found within the premises. Instead, Neal frees a young prisoner, Wendy, and brings her back to camp to inquire about Henry. Forced to act on Pan's wishes, Wendy lies to them, but with some encouragement, she yields and tells the truth. Tinker Bell gains insight on Pan's real reason for needing Henry's heart, which is to save himself from dying and then become immortal. As a trade, Pan lives, but Henry will die. She stays behind at camp as Emma, Mr. Gold, Neal and Regina hastily make their way to the current location of Henry and Pan--Skull Rock. After Henry sacrifices his heart to Pan, Tinker Bell feels a powerful wave of magic gust through Neverland.

Within an hour's time, Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina speedily steal back Henry's heart from Pan and board the Jolly Roger in time to revive him. Without further ado, they set off for Storybrooke using Pan's shadow to fly home. At the deck, Tinker Bell is glad to see a much happier Wendy, who can't believe they are free. Wendy gives her the last bit of pixie dust from the island. Though Tinker Bell has no way of using it since losing her fairy wings, she accepts the gift. Then, she congratulates Regina for getting her son back. Tinker Bell is pleasantly content that Regina, who she thought was wicked, can love someone like Henry. Regina, too, accepts that Tinker Bell was right. To this, Tinker Bell confirms that she believes Regina still has some good in her. Suddenly, the vial of pixie dust glows for a brief moment, due to Tinker Bell's power of belief in herself.

Following a safe journey out of Neverland to Storybrooke, Mr. Gold seals the box in his pawnshop to keep Pan at bay. Tinker Bell is led by Regina to the former Blue Fairy herself, Mother Superior. Regina wants Mother Superior to give Tinker Bell her wings back. Mother Superior stiffly refuses to take orders from Regina, though the mayor mentions Tinker Bell can make pixie dust work. When asked for a demonstration, Tinker Bell is not able to will the dust into glowing as it did prior. As a result, Mother Superior states that Tinker Bell doesn't believe in herself anymore, and therefore, she cannot either. Frustrated, Tinker Bell goes to fetch a drink from the diner counter. The next morning, she bumps into Hook and pushes away his flirtatious advances in an attempt to maintain her dignity; knowing he wants her to help him forget Emma. A scream from outside interrupts the chat, so they rush out to investigate and are joined by David and Emma. When Emma has the suspicion the two of them are now involved, Tinker Bell immediately denies it, though Hook begs to differ. The foursome catch up in time to witness the Shadow ripping away Mother Superior's shadow. After regrouping with the others, it's suspected Pan is behind the attack. Tinker Bell goes with Hook and Neal to fetch the lighter and coconut halves from the ship in case they need to catch the Shadow again. They attempt to enter the vault where Regina took Henry to keep him safe, but the door is locked. Belle, Emma, David, Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold bring back a released Pan, who is actually Henry, since the two switched bodies. When Mr. Gold breaks open the vault, it is discovered Pan took the scroll for the Dark Curse.

Mr. Gold shares with everyone of the only viable way to stop Pan's curse is for Regina, as the original caster of the Dark Curse, to undo it by destroying the scroll, though there will be a steep price for this. They plan to switch Henry back to his own body so he will be in possession of the scroll and bring it to Regina. Mr. Gold can perform the spell, but needs a strong outlet in order for it to work, so Tinker Bell suggests retrieving a Black Fairy wand that Mother Superior kept. She goes with David, Hook and Neal to ask the convent nuns for the item just as the Shadow attacks. Hook attempts to distract the Shadow, citing his own life at stake, but is injured. Through use of the vial of pixie dust, Tinker Bell lights a flame on the coconut half, flies into the air to seal the Shadow inside and kills the creature in a fire. From Hook's feat earlier, she recognizes that he risked himself for Emma's sake. With the Shadow dead, Mother Superior returns alive and is so impressed by Tinker Bell's actions that she gives back her wings as well as turns over the Black Fairy wand. Later, Tinker Bell regroups with the rest of the townspeople at the border after Pan is killed by Mr. Gold, who forfeited his own life to do so. Though Regina can stop Pan's curse, the price is all former Enchanted Forest inhabitants must return to their old world while Storybrooke will disappear out of existence. Emma and Henry leave town together while Regina crafts new memories for both so they forget everything. As the two cross out of Storybrooke, Regina stops the curse from taking over as everyone inside the town is sent back to the Enchanted Forest.

Trivia

 * After being hinted at in several interviews, Tinker Bell was officially announced at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con.
 * The casting call describes her as, "in her 20's, and is a head-strong party girl and often lands in trouble due to her inability to pass up a challenge or a prank."
 * The casting call name for her was "Violet".
 * A garden pinwheel of Tinker Bell appears on a house lawn in "Pilot".
 * Tinker Bell's hair band in "Quite a Common Fairy" was made by Vancouver-based accessories designer Medicina Designs.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.