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Wish Rumplestiltskin's Once Upon a Time Books are magical items featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. They appear in the twenty-second episode of the seventh season.
History
After Fifth Curse
Wish Rumplestiltskin makes a new spell, one which allows him to create storybooks for "every hero in every realm" to entrap each of them in alternate realms where they live out unhappy endings. Since potent darkness within the Author is needed to open the portals to the realms, the Dark One has the Wish Blue Fairy brought in as a test subject for the spell. Rumplestiltskin carefully guides Sir Henry into reliving how satisfying it was for him when he cut Roni earlier with his knife, to which a vortex opens and pulls the Blue Fairy into it. He explains to Henry how the books will condemn the others to the same fate and says that once Henry kills Roni, their faiths will be sealed.
When David and Mary Margaret rescue Roni from Sir Henry's dungeon, they find the storybooks and bring them to the castle. Regrouping with the other heroes in the castle's war council room, Mary Margaret and David explain that the storybooks will condemn each person to alternate realms where they will live out their unhappy endings. As everyone has a chance to look through their own storybooks, David explains that although the stories are complete, they can still work to prevent Rumplestiltskin from making the realms real. While everyone else works on preventing the realms from becoming real, Roni attempts to steer Sir Henry away from the path of vengeance by telling him about the family he still has in her realm who can help him heal from his pain. Henry refuses as he believes only her death can satisfy him. As Roni reluctantly duels with him, the darkness in Henry's blood reaches a boiling point, enabling Wish Rumplestiltskin to open Weaver, Tilly, Margot, Rogers, and Henry's prison portals. The storybook pages turn in the wind as everyone hangs onto a table to prevent themselves from being sucked into the portals. When Alice loses her grip, Rogers grabs onto his daughter's hand to prevent her from being sucked in, although this gives him excruciating pain. The portals close without absorbing any of them after Roni persuades Sir Henry to turn away from his darkness. ("Leaving Storybrooke")
Trivia
Roni's Book
- When Roni opens her book, a micro-excerpt from the "Cinderella" fairytale can be glimpsed.[1] ("Leaving Storybrooke")
- The illustration in Roni's book shows Regina sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean, with a shipwreck in the background. The caption reads, "Regina knew the most important thing was not to lose hope. She'd see her son again.[2] ("Leaving Storybrooke")
- The illustration is based on a frame of Regina sitting on the floor in her office in "A Tale of Two Sisters".[3]
Mary Margaret's Book
- An excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "The Pink" can be seen when Mary Margaret opens her book.[4] ("Leaving Storybrooke")
- Mary Margaret's unhappy ending reads:[5] ("Leaving Storybrooke")
[image begins] Cave of Wonders?
[image begins] with a deep, rumbling,
[image begins]bs my slumber?" the
[image begins]ow faced him uncertain-
[image begins] is not treasure that I
[image begins]" The Tiger con-
[image begins] allow you to pass.
[image begins] [two illegible words] never see the open
[image begins]ought. It seemed
[image begins] [two illegible words] jaws of this
[image begins] [illegible word]? Perhaps if she
[image begins] should be clear again
[image begins] her way out of
[image begins] thanked the
[image begins] she walked into
[obscured]
- Fittingly enough, the illustration shows Snow White in the middle of a desert, presumably Agrabah, as the Cave of Wonders is located there. The caption beneath the illustration reads, "The shifting sands had Snow disorientated and heartsick with yearning."[5]
- The illustration is based on a frame of Snow White in the Enchanted Forest in "Red-Handed".[6]
- The story is based on Disney's Aladdin, where the Disney version of the cave is guarded by a spirit with the shape of a tiger's head and which kills anyone besides the chosen individual who attempts to enter.
Kelly's Book
- Kelly's book contains an illustration of Zelena looking out the porthole of the Nautilus. The caption reads, "“I hate fish and I have no desire to live like one,” Zelena thought as she looked out the porthole."[7] ("Leaving Storybrooke")
- The illustration is based on a promotional image of Zelena for Season Three.[8]
Other Books
- When the portals to the storybook realms are open and everyone hangs on to prevent themselves from being sucked in, pages from the storybooks are turning in the wind: ("Leaving Storybrooke")
"The Sleeping Princess"
- One page contains a blurred illustration of Sleeping Beauty lying on a bed.[9] It is called "The Sleeping Princess" and is from the 1916 fairytale collection The Allies' Fairy Book, illustrated by the famous book English book illustrator Arthur Rackham.
- One book contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "Little Sister and Little Brother".[10]
- Another page contains a blurred excerpt from the "Cinderella" fairytale.[12]
- The opposite page contains another excerpt from "Little Brother and Little Sister".[12]
- A third excerpt from "The Pink" can be glimpsed on another page.[13]
- Yet another excerpt from "The Pink" is printed in the storybook next to Rogers.[14]
Wish Blue Fairy's Book
- A behind the scenes photograph posted by Keegan Connor Tracy on Twitter,[15] and a prop page auctioned off online,[16] reveal that the Wish Blue Fairy's book shows Blue crying in a forest. The caption reads "The Blue Fairy soon realized she wasn't in her home anymore".
- According to the online auction, the back of the illustration contains yet another excerpt from "The Pink".[16]
- According to another prop page, auctioned off on eBay, Blue's story reads:[17]
home anymore. In fact, she wasn't anywhere near her
home. She was in another realm entirely, and that
wasn't even the worst part of all of this. Not only had the
spell ripped her away from home, it had brought her
somewhere very dark, and very dangerous. Because this
was not an ordinary forest, and these trees that surround-
ed her, nearly blotting the sky, certainly weren't ordinary
tress. They were moving, slow at first, then faster, their
branches starting to articulate like limbs, their knotted
trunks forming what began to look almost like a face if
you squinted just right. The Blue Fairy thought for a
moment of flying into the air for safety, but saw the
branches closing over her like some kind of net, meant
to catch things that foolishly sailed into the sky. She set
herself for a battle, realizing that she may need every bit
of magic she possessed to make it out alive. As
she prepared herself, she tried to remember the lessons
that had been taught to her as a novice fairy, all those
years ago. To be confident and brave and remember that
fairies are emblems of goodness in the world. And what-
ever forces of darkness may be arrayed against them, the
goodness will always win. She said those words over and
over in her mind trying to give herself the strength,
trying to imagine that her sisters were with her. But she
found that courage was hard to summon as self doubt
crept in. If only she hadn't been so foolish, she
thought, allowing herself to be captured. She shook
those thoughts out of her mind, knowing that no
time for negative self talk. This was a time to be reso-
lute and strong, and everything a fairy must be to sur-
vive.
Roni's Book
- According to an alternate shot of the illustration in Roni's book, posted on the website of Gina Mackay,[18] who worked as a graphic designer on Season Seven; and prop pages auctioned off[19] or sold[20] online, Roni's unhappy ending reads:
she stood on a slippery rock. She squint-
ed through the brightness, trying to get
a sense of where this other, darker Rum-
plestiltskin had sent her. All around her,
in every direction, was an endless expanse of ocean.
Regina looked out at the horizon, but there was no land
in sight, no sign of life. She yelled out to the watery
void, "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" But there was no
response, not even an echo of her own voice. Just the
crashing of waves on this lonely rock she now called
home.
Regina knew the most important thing she could
do was not lose hope. There had to be a way to [obscured]
a way back to Henry and her family. Maybe [obscured]
she could use magic to conjure a rowbo[obscured]
her arm toward the sea, flexed he[obscured]
happened. Regina realized th[obscured]
powerless. Her magic[obscured]
Ever determ[obscured]
stop her from [obscured]
breath. [obscured]
Re[obscured]
[obscured]
ise of seeing her son. But the currents grew stronger and
stronger, until Regina became swept up in a massive
wave that took her right back to her barren rock. She
tried again. And again. But no matter how hard she
swam, the water would always pull her right back where
she started.
Regina collapsed onto the rock in exhaustion. "A
ship will come," she thought. So she watched the hori-
zon. But a ship never came. And as days turned to
weeks turned to months, any speck of hope in Regina
faded away, and she came to realize she would never
see her family again.
- An unseen page from Roni's book contains a combination of excerpts from the Grimm fairytales "The Seven Ravens" and "The Pink". Another unseen page contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "Little Sister and Little Brother" combined with another excerpt from "The Pink".[19] Another unseen page contains another excerpt from "The Pink", while a third page contains another excerpt from "Little Sister and Little Brother".[20]
David's Book
- For David's book, a green field was used so that the illustration could be digitally added in post-production. According to a prop photograph from an online auction, the caption reads: "Charming knew exactly where he was, and yet had never felt so lost."[21]
- David's unhappy ending appears in a storybook page which was auctioned off online in October 2019.[22]
to have brothers. He had dreamed of hacing a pack of
other boys to run around with and play games and rogh-
house. He had always through that would be the idyllic
childhood. And yet here he ways, trapped with the Lost
Boys, as they lived out the dark and twisted version of
that childhood fantasy. Here, the "brothers" always
seemed to be in some sort of competition with each
other, and more often than not, the competition turned
deadly. They all dreamed of being the first among the boys,
and they would do anything to prove that they were the
most capable, the strongest, the deadliest.They tried to
drag Charming into their dark games, but he wanted
nothing to do with them, or this place. All he wanted
was to be back home. To see his wife and children
again. But he had learned through bitter experience,
that was impossible now. The magic that brought him to
this realm insured [sic] that he would never escape from it. So
he had nothing to do but look out into the dark water,
completely alone, dreaming of the life he once had. All
he wanted was to be back in his comfortable home in
Storybrooke, telling this tale along with the others.
Tales about impossible moment, the close calls, the
daring escapes. And yet, something told him that this
time was different. That something her was per-
manent. After all, it was always family working
together that got each other out if trouble. But for the
first time in many year he felt alone. Like maybe
this time, hope would not wind the day.
- The backside of the page contains yet another excerpt from "The Pink".[22]
Lucy's Book
- For Lucy's book, a green field was used so that the illustration could be digitally added in post-production. According to a prop photograph from an online auction, the caption reads: "“My hair will never grow long enough. Not in a thousand years,” thought Lucy."[21]
- Another prop photograph from the online auction offers a glimpse of Lucy's unhappy ending:[23]
time. That makes about a thousand
[obscured] despon-
[obscured]
[…]
pacing the room and exploring every inch of it for a way
out. She wondered if she'd cry herself to sleep tonight
and wowed that she would not. She wouldn't give
[obscured]
Rogers' Book
- For Rogers' book, a green field was used so that the illustration could be digitally added in post-production. According to a prop photograph from an online auction, the caption reads: Captain Hook climbed atop a large mushroom and surveyed the land around him.[21]
- Another prop photo from the auction offers a glimpse of Rogers' unhappy ending:[23]
of skirmishes. He was quite experienced in the common
tavern brawl. And the Jolly Roger had been boarded by
enemy pirates more times than he liked [obscured]
[obscured]
[…]
Bread-and-Butterflies large enough to swallow a grown
man whole. But with his cutlass by his side, this seemed
like a fight that he [obscured]
[obscured]
- The Bread-and-Butterfly is a creature from Lewis Carroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass.
Tilly's Book
- A prop photo posted on Instagram reveals that the illustration in Tilly's book shows Alice in a winter forest with a frozen waterfall in the background.[24] The illustration was created from a frame of Alice in the New Enchanted Forest in "The Girl in the Tower".[25]
- The caption reads "Alice shivered [obscured]ately to keep [obscured]".[24]
- According to a prop page auctioned off on eBay, Tily's unhappy ending reads:[26]
Alice hadn't seen her breath like that since last winter in
Hyperion Heights. She watched as the breath floated off
into the starry night. A moment ago she had thought
she saw the light of a city in the distance, but as her
eyes adjusted she came to realize it was simply the moon
reflected off the frozen tundra that stretched away to
forever. Alice wasn't just cold, she was alone. Alice
slumped on a rock, hugging herself, trying to keep warm.
She wondered if she would survive the night. And more
than that, she wondered if she would ever see her father,
or Robin, again. She had spent so much of her life alone,
now it looked like that's how she would end her life.
Only just then, the rock beneath her bum began to
quake. Startled, Alice sprung to her feet, but the rock
rolled toward her as if in pursuit! She turned to fee, but
another rock from nearby her side rolled her way. And
another from behind her. And a dozen more, from all
directions. They circled, herding Alice through an obvi-
ous attack pattern! Alice readied herself. For what, she
did not know when -- The rocks unfurled themselves, as
rocks almost never do. Arms and legs formed on each as
one after the other they revealed themselves to be little
stone men. None were taller than Alice's knee, but
together they made an intimating force. Alice knew
exactly what they were: Trolls. She had experience with
trolls, but she didn't know what to make of this little
army that surrounded her now. She was scared --
Appearances
| Once Upon a Time: Season Seven | ||||||||||
| "Hyperion Heights": | "A Pirate's Life": | "The Garden of Forking Paths": | "Beauty": | "Greenbacks": | "Wake Up Call": | "Eloise Gardener": | "Pretty in Blue": | "One Little Tear": | "The Eighth Witch": | "Secret Garden": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "A Taste of the Heights": | "Knightfall": | "The Girl in the Tower": | "Sisterhood": | "Breadcrumbs": | "Chosen": | "The Guardian": | "Flower Child": | "Is This Henry Mills?": | "Homecoming": | "Leaving Storybrooke": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears |
References
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