Lana Parilla, Andrew J. West Bid Farewell to Once Upon a Time as Fans Rejoice at the Series Finale

Once Upon a Time signed off with happy endings for its fairytale characters during its series finale on Friday night.

Lana Parrilla, who portrayed The Evil Queen in the show since the series debuted in 2011, shared a photo of herself in full costume early Friday thanking fans for their support throughout the years.

“Dear #onceuponatime fans, I would like to thank you all for your love and support over the last 7 years!” Parrilla wrote in the caption. “I never could’ve imagined I would get to play an iconic Disney character in my career and who better than the Evil Queen herself!”

“ONCE’s EQ Regina Mills was so much more than a villain. She became a hero, an inspiration and one of the most influential characters on the show,” she continued.

“She became MY hero. I learned so much from her and I will miss walking in her shoes. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to play Regina,” she added.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you @adamhorowitzla @edwardkitsis @disney & @abcnetwork 💋 This experience has changed my life! Everyone please enjoy tonight’s series finale of Once Upon A Time! It’s a tearjerker so prepare yourselves!All my love – Lana ❤ #evilregals #oncers #villians #hereos #hope #family #love #happyending #dreamsdocometrue 🤘… 📸: @itstroyjensen,” Parrilla concluded.

Andrew J. West, who portrayed the adult version of Henry throughout season 7, also thanked the fans in a tweet, writing, “It’s been a great honor to take this journey through the final season of #OnceUponATime with you. Much thanks for all the love and support. And now tonight we see where this story leads… #seriesfinale.”

Emilie de Ravin, the actress who played Belle, and Robert Carlyle, who played Rumplestiltskin, coordinated their Twitter posts on Friday night during the series finale to say goodbye to the show.

Sean Maguire, who played Robin Hood and Parrilla’s love interest on the show, tweeted, “Tonight is the last episode of @OnceABC. I want to thank @AdamHorowitzLA & @jollychan4 for the opportunity to play Robin Hood. The places I’ve been and friendships I’ve made have changed my http://life.To the incredible fans all over the world thank you for watching.”

Rebecca Mader, who played The Wicked Witch, followed in Parrilla’s footsteps by sharing a photo of herself in full costume, including the green facial makeup on Instagram.

“Dearest You, thank you for watching our show. I will eternally be grateful for this blessing of portraying Zelena. For the rest of my life I get to say I used to be The Wicked Witch! How lucky am I?” Mader wrote in the caption.

“So many memories. So many lessons. My biggest take away from Once Upon A Time is the realization that every day is a chance to start over. It’s not an Ending. It’s a Happy Beginning. And it is ours. I love you #mypretties 💚 Forever, Bex✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ 📸 @vfxsup#wickedalwayswins #staywicked #thistooshallpass,” she added.

Fans on Twitter rejoiced at the series finale, which saw many of their characters receive their own happy endings, including those who were considered villains in the show, such as Parrilla’s Evil Queen and Carlyle’s Rumplestiltskin.

Parrilla’s queen was given the new title of the Good Queen, while fans saw Rumplestiltskin die trying to protect those he loved. While the character was mourned by fans, they were also happy to see him reunited with his main love interest Bell of Beauty and the Beast in heaven.

The show also tweeted their thanks to the fans for their years of support. “To our magical fans, who have given us so much loyalty, unwavering passion, and when we needed it, a little tough love,we leave you for one last time with a lot of love and a little Hope. #OnceUponATime,” the show’s account tweeted.

Series creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz told Entertainment Weekly they would miss the show.

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“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Kitsis said. “Everyone we [asked] to come back said yes, and so I love that two hours [of the show]. I really loved this finale. I don’t think I would change a thing.”

Horowitz agreed, “There’s nothing I would change about it because it got us to where we are. When the series finale ended, I felt very proud of what we’ve done and very emotional. I really couldn’t have asked for more.”