Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke
A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover
Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 3

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It was Henry's idea. From her closet Emma removed a small box. Emma Swan had never put down roots. In her youth she moved from one foster home to another. Once on her own at eighteen she was arrested for possessing stolen property and spent time in jail. She eventually moved to Boston before coming to Storybrooke. Because of this Emma made had no sentimental attachments to places or things, with only a few exceptions. Among the items she did keep included a thick and warm baby blanket. It was hand crocheted with her name embroidered into it.

This she never let out of her possession because it kept her grounded. Though she resented that her parents gave her up and placed her into the awful foster care system, this baby blanket meant that they did care about her once. It gave her hope that she could one day find them. It was also her only connection to them.

She asked Ava and Nicholas if they had any such object. Something that might belong to their father which she could use to find him. They presented her with a compass. The glass that covered the needle was cracked. "Will we get it back?" they asked.

"Yes," she promised. Emma could sympathize.

~O~

Sheriff Swan's first visit was to Mr. Gold's pawn shop. She was not happy to be in this place. Not after what she had learned about the election. How he had manipulated her and the people of Storybrooke all so that Emma could be in a better position to fulfill his future request.

But Emma needed to be here. She showed him with the compass. Most modern compasses were mass produced, this was made by a skilled craftsman. The glass cover was actually crystal. It was also very old and quite rare, precisely what Mr. Gold dealt in.

As it turned out, he did indeed remember this compass being in his shop. He pulled the records showing who purchased it, but before revealing that information he wanted something in return. "Forgiveness," he asked.

"How about tolerance?" Emma countered. She was in no mood to forgive him. Not just yet. Perhaps never.

"It's a start," he said. The buyer of this rare and fine compass was a Mr. Michael Tillman. He gave her the address, though the note card from which he was reading was actually blank.

~O~

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Hansel and Gretel had devised a plan. When The Blind Witch took Hansel to the oven, he was to toss Gretel the key to the cage where they locked up. Gretel would then free herself and Hansel, grab the small bag for the queen and escape. Their plan was working until Gretel made a noise tipping off the witch that the girl was free. Though unable to see, The Blind Witch's other senses were heightened. Her sense of smell and especially hearing were much more acute than a normal person's.

As the two children tried to escape and scurry around she heard them move. "Gravy or butter?" she asked them.

She took Gretel by the arm while Hansel tried to grab a walking stick as a weapon. She heard him and using magic flung the walking stick away from his grasp. Again she asked. "Gravy or butter? How shall I baste you?"

When neither child replied she answered for them. "Butter it is."

The Blind Witch opened the door to the tall oven, but Hansel got the idea to push her into the enormous pan where she cooked her child victims. Both Hansel and Gretel together shoved the pan into the oven and shut the door. They grabbed the small bag the queen wanted and fled the house.

"Let me out!" The Blind Witch screamed through the grates, no doubt in the same fearful way her young victims did as they cooked slowly. "Let me out!"

Regina the evil queen was watching through her magic mirror. It allowed her to peer inside via a mirror in The Blind Witch's home. Regina smiled when she saw her adversary so helpless. She flung a fireball through the mirrors which erupted inside the oven. The Blind Witch screamed as the flames seared her flesh.

"I would have gone gravy," Regina answered flippantly.

~O~

WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Era)

Periwinkle was in the Keeper's library reading more books. This time she was studying what little he had on the mainland. This winter season would be her first visit to that mysterious world of the humans.

"Why don't you have more books about the human world, Dewey?"

He chuckled at her question. "Because I'm the keeper of fairy knowledge, not human knowledge."

This struck her as being so plain and obvious that she was tickled by its simplicity.

"Oh, Periwinkle, I have a gift for you," the Keeper announced.

"For me?"

"Yes, for your first trip to the mainland." He presented her with a hanging mobile. She eyed it with an expression of awe followed by sheer joy.

"Butterflies!" The mobile was littered with butterfly shapes. They were not as detailed as those found in the book she read every night, but they were just as ethereal. Dewey had to explain the basic shape and concept to the winter tinkers who had never seen one before. In the end what they created was more suggestive than descriptive. Shapes that looked like two triangles joined at the point by a slender body. Or two ovoid shapes connected in the same way. Yet despite these shortcomings Peri was completely smitten by this gift.

"Heh, heh. Yes. Just for you," he said. "I thought it would make for a nice decoration in your home."

"Oh yes, yes, yes. I'll put it right over my bed. It will be the last thing I see at night and the first I see in the morning."

Dewey blushed a bit.

"Peri? Periwinkle are you in here?" Fairy Nina called.

"Oh yes, I'm right here."

"Let's go. We're going to leave for the mainland any minute now."

"Coming."

"Go ahead, dear," Dewey told her. "I'll have this delivered to your home while you're away."

~O~

Periwinkle joined her guild at the staging area. It was also the landing site for the snowy owls whenever the winter fairies received their yearly order of woven baskets. Having never seen them before, Periwinkle was instantly captivated. She circled one and then another taking in the fullness of their design and construction.

"Who makes these?" she asked her friend and guild mate Spike. "I've never seen anything so bright green."

"Tinker fairies in the warm seasons," the brunette answered. "They make them for us every season."

"How do they know to make them for us?"

"We requisition the baskets from the warm fairies," a quiet but authoritative voice answered. Lord Milori had joined the group, checking on the winter fairies before they began their trek to the mainland.

"But I thought contact was not allowed?" Periwinkle asked.

"Only communications of an official nature is permissible," Milori replied. His eyes looked over the young frost fairy. "You are the one who is interested in the warm side. Periwinkle, is it?"

"Yes," she replied. Peri shrunk just a bit, standing in the presence of the winter regent. "It's such a wonderful looking place."

"Indeed it is. Tell me, Periwinkle," Milori asked trying to change the subject, "are you excited to make your first visit to the mainland?"

"Oh, I am. Very excited. I've read every book in the library in preparation."

"You have? Commendable. I wish more of my charges were as inquisitive."

She smiled. Then asked another question, one that no one else dared to ask. Or perhaps they just never thought to ask. "Lord Milori, I was wondering…, I mean. We travel to the mainland to bring the winter season. It's warmer there just like it is in the warm side of Pixie Hollow. So why can't we go to the other seasons like we do the mainland?"

Spike face palmed. Gliss squeaked in horror. Fairy Nina gasped. Milori just smiled and answered concisely. "When we visit the mainland, we bring with us the cold temperatures of winter. Our wings will not suffer harm as we go. This cannot be done in the warm regions of Pixie Hollow. The seasons here must always remain in balance. That is why we can never visit the warm areas as we do the human world."

Periwinkle looked deflated as if her single greatest wish had just been taken from her. She peered over at the wonderful world of the warm fairies, a place she would never be able to visit. "Have you ever asked yourself what is over there?" she said. "Wondered what incredible sights you might find? The people you could meet?"

"Always," Milori replied rather quietly. "Always."

~O~

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia was very worried about her queen. As the human Claire, Clarion had become increasingly agitated towards her and also in general. She asked Dr. Hopper why this was so during a session.

"Your mother is grieving," he told her.

"Grieving? Why?"

"She believes that Valerie is gone," Archie told her. "What she is experiencing is anger, one of the five stages of grief."

Dr. Hopper explained the five stages: Denial and Isolation, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and finally Acceptance. Not every person experiences all five, but clearly Valerie's mother was dealing with anger.

"Don't take it personally," he said. "She needs to work through this. When she finally comes to accept how her life has changed she will also come to accept you, as well."

~O~

Tina was supposed to be visiting Penny this afternoon, instead she was waiting for Blake to pick her up for another clandestine date. She found sneaking around invigorating. Lately all Tina wanted was to come out from under her mother's shadow.

Blake took her to a nice, out of the way restaurant that served Mexican food. They sat down for an early dinner. A hostess placed before them a cup of salsa and some fried corn chips.

While looking over the menu, someone walked over to their table. "Blake? Hey, it's been a while."

"Oh, hi, Skip," Blake greeted warmly. "Hey, I can see you're doing something important, but I couldn't wait to tell you. I got my costume ready."

"Costume?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, for our fan club meeting," Skip answered. "We do cosplay once a month."

"What's cosplay?" she asked.

"Oh, we dress up as our favorite pony and act out scenes from the show. I'm Rainbow Dash."

"Huh?"

"What? Blake didn't tell you? Blake is the president of the local My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fan club."

Tina's eyes went wide. "You're a Bronie?" she screamed with dismay.

"Yeah, so?"

"That show is for little girls," Tina protested angrily.

"Well, you're a girl," Blake replied.

"You're not. Why is a grown man like you watching that show? Why not Transformers: Prime or 6Teen or even Code Lyoko. But My Little Pony? That's just wrong."

"Oh, come on, Tina. It's just a TV show," Blake said in his own defense. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you watch the show, dress up as one of the characters and act out scenes," she argued back.

"So? Trekkies do it all the time," Blake answered.

"Star Trek is for adults," she bellowed. "My Little Pony isn't."

The manager of the restaurant walked up to their table. "I'm sorry, but you will have to leave."

"That's fine with me," Tina said. "I'm going home."

Blake refused to drive her back to the school or the house so Tina called upon Clarence to take her home. She had never been so embarrassed on a date.

If you are wondering, a Bronie is a teenaged or young adult male who is a fan of the television show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Some claim to have found some deep, meaning or life philosophy in the episodes. Bronies do indeed wear costumes and attend conventions regularly. There are even documentaries on Netflix trying to explain this phenomenon.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.