Before the Evil Queen could enact her plan, she needed to reclaim the Dark Curse. In a magical duel with her closest friend, Maleficent, the Queen took back the spell. But when she tried to enact it using the heart of her prized childhood steed, it failed. She was forced to make a second deal with Rumplestiltskin, the one who had given her the Curse in the first place, to learn more about the spell. He told her that the only way to enact the Dark Curse would be to cut out the heart of the thing she loved most. In exchange, the Queen agreed that he would be wealthy and powerful in the new land created by the Curse, and that she would be forced to comply with his every request, so long as he said “please.”