Fairy Dust

> Fairy Dust is the most... precious substance in all the lands. Its magic is what powers the world.
>       —The Blue Fairy to Nova

**Fairy Dust** is a magical item featured on ABC's *Once Upon a Time*. It first appears in the third episode of the first season.

## History

### Before First Curse

In the Enchanted Forest, a lively fairy named Tinker Bell saves the life of the Queen, Regina, after she falls from a balcony. The two become fast friends as Regina confides in Tinker Bell about her non-existent marriage and loathsome stepdaughter, Snow White, who she claims caused the death of her one true love. Believing Regina deserves a second chance at love, Tinker Bell steals pixie dust. She uses it to trace Regina's destined love to a tavern where a man with a lion tattoo sits inside. Tinker Bell offers encouragement and leaves to allow Regina to meet the man herself, but she is too scared to go in. In the late evening, the fairy checks up on her and realizes what happened. Regina, too proud to admit her weaknesses, harshly insults Tinker Bell for meddling in her life. Even when Tinker Bell protests about how much trouble she will be in for stealing pixie dust, Regina coldly sends her away. As punishment for stealing pixie dust, Tinker Bell's superior, the Blue Fairy, takes away her wings for good. *("Quite a Common Fairy")*
As dwarves mine for diamonds underground, they use machinery to grind them into powdered fairy dust. Collecting the year's supply of dust, a fairy, Nova, flies into the mines to activate a handle and pour some into her pouch. However, she panics when the handle gets stuck, but she is helped by a dwarf named Dreamy. *("Dreamy")*
A dejected and heartbroken Belle gives Dreamy advice on pursuing his love interest, Nova. As thanks for Belle's help, he gives her a pouch of fairy dust. She goes on an adventure to hunt for an animal, the Yaoguai, but instead of killing it, the creature asks her for help to free him. She sprinkles fairy dust over the Yaoguai and unknowingly breaks a curse; turning the beast into a human man, Phillip. *("Dreamy", "The Outsider")*
Runaway princess turned thief Snow White steals valuable jewels from road by-passers and sells them to trolls for money. She is forced to help Prince Charming retrieve the ring she stole from him and sold after he threatens to turn her over to the Queen. On the way to the Troll Bridge, she absent-mindedly twirls a necklace. Prince Charming snatches it away and asks what it is. She says it's fairy dust, but not the good kind. This type will turn an adversary into something harmless, and she is saving it to use on the Queen. However, Snow White later uses the dust on the trolls at the bridge when they grab hold of Prince Charming. *("Snow Falls")*
Snow White and the seven dwarves, along with her other allies, Granny and Red Riding Hood, team up together with the fairies to fight their way into King George's castle to rescue Prince Charming. The Blue Fairy and her fellow fairies launch an aerial attack on the castle and use fairy dust to incapacitate the guards enabling Snow White and the dwarves to breach inside the castle walls. The guards collapse from the effect of being touched by fairy dust. *("An Apple Red as Blood")*
Snow White and Prince Charming battle it out with King George and the Evil Queen to win back the kingdom. The Evil Queen is caught and sentenced to death. During the execution, Snow White stops her death from happening and later visits Regina in her cell. She tests to see if Regina will attempt to harm her, which she does. The Blue Fairy stops Regina from choking Snow White to death by throwing fairy dust to freeze and temporary leave her powerless. *("The Cricket Game")*

### After First Curse

In Storybrooke, Emma and Mary Margaret are sucked into a portal created by Jefferson's hat after attempting to get rid of a dangerous creature, and all three are transported to the Enchanted Forest. David wants to use fairy dust on the tree trunk that brought baby Emma to Storybrooke to find them, but Mother Superior says there is none left. Later, the counterparts of the Seven Dwarves, except Mr. Clark, go mining for the diamonds needed to make fairy dust. *("We Are Both")*
After multiple days of digging, Leroy opens a hole to a cave in the mine and discovers diamonds that can be ground to potentially make fairy dust. Their hopes of finding a way to open another portal on the hat to the Enchanted Forest are dashed after Albert Spencer, still harboring a grudge against David, spitefully burns the hat. *("Child of the Moon")*
After Mr. Gold and Regina realize Cora is trying to bridge a way into Storybrooke, they go to the mines in order to obtain a large quantity of unused fairy dust. Regina asks how much they are taking, and Mr. Gold retorts that they are going to use all of it. With a former Fairy Godmother's wand combined with the fairy dust, Mr. Gold creates a deadly portal at the wishing well, so whoever crosses over into it will die. The deadly magic is undone by Regina at Henry's insistence, and Mary Margaret and Emma are able to come back. *("Queen of Hearts")*
David, Emma and Mary Margaret believe Regina to be guilty in the murder of Archie Hopper, so they devise a way to capture her that is similar to the way the Evil Queen had been captured in the Enchanted Forest. They intend to freeze her with fairy dust, but when Mother Superior throws the dust, instead of freezing, Regina catches the dust and tosses it aside. *("The Cricket Game")*
After has been taking to Neverland, Henry ends up fleeing from the pursuing Lost Boys. Unknown to him, this is a ploy to get him to run to a supposed ex-Lost Boy, actually Peter Pan, who is testing his power of belief. The two move to a safer location, and along the way, the boy claims he stole pixie dust from Peter Pan as a means to escape the island, but it doesn't work. With the Lost Boys still on their trail, the pair rush to the Echo Caves, the one place on the island where they cannot be tracked. Nearing the cave, they are cut off by the Lost Boys and end up trapped on a cliff edge. The boy suggests giving up the pixie dust so the Lost Boys might let them live, but Henry uses it to allow both of them to fly away. After landing, Pan reveals his true name and calls out the Lost Boys to surround Henry. *("The Heart of the Truest Believer")*

## Appearances

 "Home":*Absent*

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

* Fairy Dust is featured in *Once Upon a Time'*s Season One novelization, *Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time Tale*.