History WMG / Shrek

Without Donkey, there'd be no one willing to guide Shrek to Duloc (remember, all the other fairytale creatures present were too scared to really talk to him much), which would have forced the ogre to search for it by himself. Rumpelstiltskin could then take advantage of this delay to go to Duloc and offer Lord Farquadd a no-strings-attached deal that both keeps Fiona from being saved long enough for her parents to take his deal ''and'' gets rid of Shrek permanently: to make him king of Duloc (which removes any reason for him to have his knights try to save Fiona) and make the pesky fairytale creatures around his kingdom "disappear" (which would erase Shrek from existence in the process). Farquadd, all too happy to have his problems solved without any effort on his part, agrees, and the elf gets to rule Far Far Away completely unhindered.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' cunning and clever, he's not ''quite'' as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on Shrek's rescue of Fiona (and taking the most obvious solution to prevent it), he completely neglects to learn anything else about him, to the point that after Shrek jokingly says he could take the day he and Donkey met, Rumpel outright says that he doesn't know who Donkey is, despite that fact that Shrek and Donkey are best friends - and that the day they met is what led to Shrek rescuing Fiona in the first place - is ''public knowledge''. By focusing only on one part of Shrek's life, he's ignorant of Donkey's significance, allowing him to become an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks (as the only way he learned how to find Rumpelstiltskin's exit clauses was by being forced to work for his witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' cunning and clever, he's not ''quite'' as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on Shrek's rescue of Fiona (and taking the most obvious solution to prevent it), he completely neglects to learn anything else about him, to the point that after Shrek jokingly says he could take the day he and Donkey met, Rumpel outright says that he doesn't know who Donkey is, despite that fact that Shrek and Donkey are best friends - and that the day they met is what led to Shrek being put on the path to rescuing Fiona in the first place- is ''public knowledge''. By focusing only on one part of Shrek's life, he's ignorant of Donkey's significance, allowing him to become an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks (as the only way he learned how to find Rumpelstiltskin's exit clauses was by being forced to work for his witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' cunning and clever, he's not ''quite'' as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on Shrek's rescue of Fiona (and taking the most obvious solution to prevent it), he completely neglects to learn anything else about him, to the point that after Shrek jokingly says he could take the day he and Donkey met, Rumpel outright says that he doesn't know who Donkey is, despite that fact that Shrek and Donkey are best friends - and that the only reason Shrek even saved Fiona was because Donkey was the only one willing to give him directions to meet Farquadd so he could complain about all the creatures he'd relocated to his swamp - is ''public knowledge''. By focusing only on one part of Shrek's life, he's ignorant of Donkey's significance, allowing him to become an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks (as the only way he learned how to find Rumpelstiltskin's exit clauses was by being forced to work for his witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' cunning and clever, he's not ''quite'' as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on Shrek's rescue of Fiona (and taking the most obvious solution to prevent it), he completely neglects to learn anything else about him, to the point that when Shrek jokingly says he could take the day he and Donkey met, Rumpel outright says that he doesn't know who Donkey is, despite that fact that Shrek and Donkey are best friends - and that Donkey's the one who led him to rescue Fiona on the first place - is ''public knowledge''. By focusing only on one part of Shrek's life, he's ignorant of Donkey's significance, allowing him to become an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks (as the only way he learned how to find Rumpelstiltskin's exit clauses was by being forced to work for his witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

In the movie, he takes the day Shrek was born because it's the quickest, easiest solution to reach his goal - Fiona isn't rescued in time to prevent Harold and Lilian from taking his deal, and once the day he gave Shrek ends, he'll be erased for good, "locking in" the new timeline. But if he'd been able to think it through, Rumpelstiltskin would've realized there was at least one other day he could have taken away that would have caused plenty of problems - one that Shrek, not realizing the potential danger of doing so, idly brings up: the day he met Donkey.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' intelligent, he's not quite as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on stopping Shrek's rescue of Fiona (and taking the easiest solution to ensure it sticks), he completely neglects to learn anything else about him, to the point that he doesn't know details of Shrek's life that are ''public knowledge'' to everyone else, like ''who his best friend is''. By focusing only on one part of Shrek's life, he's ignorant of everything else, and allows Donkey to become an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks (as the only way he learned how to find Rumpelstiltskin's exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' intelligent, he's not quite as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on stopping Shrek's rescue of Fiona (and taking the easiest solution to ensure it works), he completely neglects to learn anything else about him, to the point that he's completely in the dark on details of Shrek's life that are public knowledge and ''should'' be expected to know already, like ''who Shrek's best friend is''. By focusing only on one part of Shrek's life, he's ignorant of everything else, and allows Donkey to become an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks (as the only way he learned how to find Rumpelstiltskin's exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' intelligent, he's not quite as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on the fact that Shrek's rescue of Fiona ruined his original plan (and taking the easiest solution to ensure the plan works), he completely neglects to learn anything else about him - to the point that he's completely in the dark on details of Shrek's life that he ''should'' be expected to know already - like ''who Shrek's best friend is''. By focusing only on one part of Shrek's life, he's ignorant of everything else, and allows Donkey to become an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks (as the only way he learned how to find Rumpelstiltskin's exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' intelligent, he's not quite as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on the fact that Shrek's rescue of Fiona ruined his original plan (and taking the easiest solution to ensure the plan works), he completely neglects to learn anything else about him - to the point that he's completely in the dark on facts he ''should'' be expected to know already - like ''who Shrek's best friend is''. By focusing only on one part of Shrek's life, he's ignorant of everything else, and allows Donkey to become an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks (as the only way he learned how to find Rumpelstiltskin's exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Think about it - the day Shrek and Donkey met was also the day (or night as the case was) he started his trek to Duloc. So, Shrek wouldn't have been able to start the first movie's quest until after that day, meaning that even if he still manages to become friends with Donkey and the plot still turns out almost exactly as it did in the movie, the damage would be done. Delaying Shrek's quest by even a single day, while still ''technically'' fulfilling his end of the bargain with Harold and Lilian, means Rumplestiltskin succeeds because it took them until the last second to receive the news of Fiona's rescue in the "normal" timeline.

However, the key difference here is that with no reason to visit Far Far Away (the only reason they even went there in the first place is because Fiona's parents summoned them there shortly after hearing of her rescue), they'd stay in the swamp living their happily ever after, meaning that as long as Rumpelstiltskin sets things in place to prevent them from discovering what he did, he could rule Far Far Away unopposed.

You see, Rumpelstiltskin remembers the original timeline in the realities he creates- he's the one who creates the contracts, after all. If the elf succeded in finding a way to con ''him'' the same way he cons Shrek in the "real" timeline, it'd lead to an even ''worse'' series of events:

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' intelligent, he's not as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on the fact that Shrek's rescue of Fiona ruined his original plan and believing that simply eliminating him from existence would solve it, he completely neglects to learn anything else about him, to the point that he ''doesn't even know who his best friend is.'' His single-minded focus on getting rid of Shrek allows Donkey to exist without his interference (and gain knowledge of how to find his exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), creating an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks, whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' intelligent, he's not as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on the fact that Shrek's rescue of Fiona ruined his original plan and believing that simply eliminating him from existence would solve it, he completely neglects to learn anything else about him to the point that he doesn't even know ''who his best friend is.'' His single-minded focus on getting rid of Shrek allows Donkey to exist without his interference (and gain knowledge of how to find his exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), creating an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks, whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowledge, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, this never happened, because while Rumpelstiltskin ''is'' intelligent, he's not as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By focusing solely on the fact that Shrek's rescue of Fiona ruined his original plan and believing that simply eliminating him from existence would solve it, he completely neglects to learn anything else about him, including who his friends are. His single-minded focus on getting rid of Shrek allows Donkey to exist without his interference (and gain knowledge of how to find his exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created), creating an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks, whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history, gone after Donkey instead, and taken advantage of reliving the past with future knowlege, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

In the movie, he takes the day Shrek was born because it's the quick, easy solution, and one that means he'll be gone for good once the contracted "new" day he gave him ends. But if he'd been able to think it through, Rumpelstiltskin would've realized there was at least one other day he could have taken away that would have caused plenty of problems - one that Shrek, not realizing the potential danger of doing so, idly brings up: the day he met Donkey.

Think about it - the day Shrek and Donkey met was also the day (or night as the case was) he started his trek to Duloc. So, Shrek wouldn't have been able to start the first movie's quest until after that day, meaning that even if he still manages to become friends with Donkey and the plot still turns out almost exactly as it did in the movie, or if he manages to save Fiona by himself, the damage would be done. Delaying Shrek's quest by even a single day, while still ''technically'' fulfilling his end of the bargain with Harold and Lilian, means Rumplestiltskin succeeds because it took them until the last second to receive the news of Fiona's rescue in the "normal" timeline.

However, the key difference here is that with no reason to visit Far Far Away (the only reason they even went there in the first place is because Fiona's parents summoned them there shortly after hearing of her rescue), they'd stay in the swamp living their happily ever after, meaning that as long as Rumpelstiltskin prevents them from discovering what he did, he could rule Far Far Away unopposed.

You see, Rumpelstiltskin remembers the original timeline in the realities he creates- he's the one who creates the contracts, after all. With a do-over and more in-depth knowledge of Shrek's history, the elf could con him the same way he cons Shrek in the "real" timeline. No Donkey means there'd be no one willing to guide Shrek to Duloc (remember, all the other fairytale creatures present were too scared to really talk to him much), which would have forced the ogre to search for it by himself. Rumpelstiltskin could then take advantage of this delay, go to Duloc, and offer Lord Farquadd a no-strings-attached deal to become king of Duloc (removing any reason for him to have his knights try to save Fiona) and have the pesky fairytale creatures around his kingdom "disappear." Farquadd happily signs (erasing Shrek from existence in the process), and the elf gets to rule Far Far Away completely unhindered.

Luckily, while he ''is'' intelligent, he's not as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By allowing Donkey to exist and gain knowledge of how to find his exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created, he sets himself up to fail by creating an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks, whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history and gone after Donkey instead, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

Luckily, while he ''is'' intelligent, he's not as smart as he ''thinks'' he is. By allowing Donkey to exist and gain knowledge of how to find his exit clauses by being forced to work for the witches in the alternate timeline ''he himself'' had created, he sets himself up to fail by creating an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks, whereas if he'd actually done his homework on Shrek's history and sneakily taken that day while claiming to take another day Shrek didn't remember, he'd've effectively ''won.'' Scary.

[[WMG: In Shrek 4, there was one other day Rumpelstiltskin should've taken for an easy victory.]]
Losing a day implies that the traded day never existed to whoever traded it. Everyone else continues on as if the day was there, but the character seems to be erased from existence that day, as well as any memories of that day being erased. In the movie, Rumple takes the day Shrek was born because it extends the effect for all time. But there was at least one other day Rumple could have taken away that would have caused plenty of problems: the day Shrek met Donkey.
Think about it - the day Shrek and Donkey met was also the day (or night as the case was) he started his trek to Duloc. So, Shrek wouldn't have been able to start the first movie's quest until after that day. Meaning (assuming he would still decide to leave his swamp to go to Duloc) there's no guarantee he even becomes friends with Donkey, which in turn means he might have to deal with Dragon alone. But even if he still manages to become friends with Donkey and the plot still turns out exactly as it did in the movie, or if he manages to save Fiona by himself, the damage would be done. Delaying his quest by even a single day means the Rumple would succeed in his deal with the King and Queen because it took them until the last second to receive the news originally.
* So effectively, Far Far Away would turn into what we saw in the alternate timeline in 4 anyway, but with differences. The most likely forms of alternate timeless are like this:
** 1: Shrek and Donkey don't become friends, and without Donkey to distract Dragon, Shrek fails at saving Fiona. This pretty much replicates the AU in Shrek 4, the only difference being that Shrek disappears not because he never existed but because he died trying to save Fiona.
** 2. Shrek and Donkey still become friends, Shrek succeeds in saving Fiona, and they share true love's kiss. Rumple completes the deal with King and Queen, and Shrek 2 and 3 never happen. In this timeline, despite Shrek never initially saving Donkey from the soldiers, Donkey still senses he's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold and attaches himself to Shrek. Because of this, there's nothing stopping the story from continuing like in the first Shrek. Ultimately, though Rumple would most likely try to capture the ogres like in the AU in 4, Shrek would be a part of the resistance from the beginning. In this timeline, Shrek would continue to exist after the day was over, but the new world would persist, just like Rumple mentioned the AU in 4 would. In this version, Donkey would also already be a part of the resistance too. As a result, Donkey may not know how to figure out the exit clause (which would need to be different from True Love's Kiss as Fiona and Shrek would still be in love).
** 3: Shrek and Donkey don't become friends, and while Shrek still succeeds in saving Fiona, he and Fiona never kiss. Donkey is one of the key reasons both Shrek and Fiona finally admit their true feelings. It is possible without Donkey there to convince both of them to open their shells, they may never have. This causes a future similar to the AU 4, but once again Shrek will not disappear at the end of the day - Fiona would disappear when True Love's Kiss doesn't happen between her and Farquuad. She'd eventually fall in with the ogre resistance, which Shrek would eventually be brought into as well. They get a second chance at True Love, but this time instead of starting from scratch they have previous relationship wrinkles to iron out.
** 4: Shrek and Donkey don't become friends, but Shrek still succeeds in saving Fiona, and they share True Love's Kiss. Same as 2 above, but without Donkey.

* Another problem can arise if the only reason Shrek's memory remains unaltered in the fourth movie is that he's an outsider in the timeline due to Rumpel having taken the day he was born. If Rumpel took the day Donkey met Shrek, it could have made Shrek completely forget his friendship with Donkey, and without knowledge of his and Donkey's friendship, he wouldn't have sought Donkey out. Which, funnily enough, completely changes the events of the fourth movie in Rumple's favor, as Donkey is a key element in saving Shrek at least twice, and maybe three times. So if any of the possible futures I mention above happen (except number 2), it would have ended with the events being stuck as an AU, if Donkey hadn't been there to help Shrek. It shows how important Donkey and Shrek's friendship is. And to think ''Shrek'' was the one who suggested that day! Luckily, Rumple was more focused on writing Shrek out of existence and didn't even know who Donkey was. Otherwise, most of the alternate timelines I can think of actually give Rumple a better chance of winning. Granted, it is impossible to say how exactly things would have ended. It just shows you how much of an effect a single day can have.
* Wow. This is awesome. This not only shows just how important a day can be but how important one friendship can be for altering history. Excellent theory.
* Also, if he hadn't been so obsessed and stubborn in his hatred of Shrek (and actually did enough homework on Shrek's history to know who Donkey was), Rumpelstiltskin would've realized that he didn't even ''need'' to erase Shrek from history or even ''stop'' him from ''ever'' saving Fiona - all he has to do is keep him from saving Fiona ''just'' long enough for Harold and Lilian to take his deal. By being smart and taking the day Shrek and Donkey first met, Rumpelstiltskin would get the delay he needs while having ''technically'' fulfilled his end of the bargain - since Shrek and Donkey ''still'' would've met even if ''that'' particular day was "passed over" (as Donkey and all the other magical creatures would've ''still'' been sent to Shrek's swamp by Farquadd's decree regardless), all it would've done is change how and where they met, and considering his good nature, Donkey would've probably ''still'' attached himself to Shrek even if he hadn't saved him from the soldiers, and still offered to take him to Duloc to meet Farquadd when he asked for directions, meaning they'd ''still'' have gone on the quest, successfully freed Fiona from the tower, and broken her curse with True Love's Kiss, fulfilling the king and queen's requests to free Fiona from her tower and her curse. However, the key difference here is that the only reason the main trio even ''visits'' Far Far Away is because Fiona's parents summoned them there after hearing of her rescue. If Rumple rules Far Far Away, then they'd never leave the swamp and live happily ever after there, never interfering with Rumple's rule so long as he prevents them from ever finding out about what he did. So in a way, in his single-minded quest to erase Shrek from time ''completely'', he created an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks, whereas if he'd actually paid attention to Shrek's joke and taken that day instead, he'd've won. Scary.

** This means that if Rumpelstiltskin ''had'' known who Donkey was and been smarter about it, he could have gotten an even ''easier'' win if he'd found a way to con ''him'' into signing ''his'' life away the same way he cons Shrek in the "real" timeline. No Donkey means there'd be no one willing to guide Shrek to Duloc (remember, all the other fairytale creatures present were too scared to really talk to him much), which would have forced the ogre to search for it by himself, and with no directions, he'd probably get so lost and frustrated that he'd throw his hands up in frustration and just find somewhere else to live.

* Also, if he hadn't been so obsessed and stubborn in his hatred of Shrek (and actually did enough homework on Shrek's history to know who Donkey was), Rumpelstiltskin would've realized that he didn't even ''need'' to erase Shrek from history or even ''stop'' him from ''ever'' saving Fiona - keep him from saving Fiona ''just'' long enough for Harold and Lilian to take his deal, and he'll have what he wants. By being smart and taking the day Shrek and Donkey first met, Rumpelstiltskin would have ''technically'' fulfilled his end of the bargain - since Shrek and Donkey ''still'' would've met even if ''that'' particular day was erased (as Donkey and all the other magical creatures would've ''still'' been sent to Shrek's swamp by Farquadd's decree regardless), all it would've done is change where they met, and considering his good nature, Donkey would probably ''still'' attach himself to Shrek even if he hadn't saved him from the soldiers, and still offer to take him to Duloc to meet Farquadd when he asks for directions, meaning they'd ''still'' go on the quest, successfully free Fiona from the tower, and break her curse with True Love's Kiss, fulfilling the king and queen's requests to free Fiona from her tower and her curse. However, the key difference here is that the only reason the main trio even ''visits'' Far Far Away is because Fiona's parents summoned them there after hearing of her rescue. If Rumple rules Far Far Away, then they'd never leave the swamp and live happily ever after there, never interfering with Rumple's rule so long as he prevents them from ever finding out about what he did. So in a way, in his single-minded quest to erase Shrek from time ''completely'', he created an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks, whereas if he'd actually paid attention to Shrek's joke and taken that day instead, he'd've won. Scary.

* Also, if he hadn't been so obsessed and stubborn in his hatred of Shrek (and actually did his homework on Shrek's history to know who Donkey was), Rumpelstiltskin would've realized the simpler solution - he doesn't even ''need'' to erase Shrek from history, but keep him from saving Fiona ''just'' long enough for his plan to get Harold and Lilian to take his deal to succeed. By taking the day Shrek and Donkey first met and letting things progress almost exactly as they had, he'd ''still'' be keeping his end of the bargain - Shrek and Donkey ''still'' would've met even if ''that'' particular day was erased, as all the magical creatures would ''still'' have been sent to Shrek's swamp by Farquadd's decree the ''next'' day; even if things were essentially "pushed" a day, that doesn't change. As a result, they'd ''still'' go on the quest and successfully free Fiona from the tower, and the curse is ''still'' broken because of her True Love's Kiss with Shrek. By being smart and letting things progress just a ''little'' later than they originally did, Rumpelstiltskin would have ''technically'' fulfilled his side of the contract when Harold and Lilian would've signed, with no consequences to himself. However, the key difference here is that the only reason the main trio even ''visits'' Far Far Away is because Fiona's parents summoned them there after hearing of her rescue. If Rumple rules Far Far Away, then they'd never leave the swamp and live happily ever after there, never interfering with Rumple's rule so long as he prevents them from ever finding out about what he did. So in a way, his single-minded quest to erase Shrek from time ''completely'', he created an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks, whereas if he'd actually paid attention to Shrek's joke and taken that day instead, he'd've won. Scary.

[[WMG: In Shrek 4, there was one other day Rumpelstiltskin should've have taken.]]
Losing a day implies that the traded day never existed to the character who traded it. Everyone else continues on as if the day was there, but the character seems to be erased from existence that day. As well as any memories of that day being erased. In the movie, Rumple takes the day Shrek was born because it extends the effect for all time. But there was at least one other day Rumple could have taken away that would have caused plenty of problems: the day Shrek met Donkey.

* Another problem can arise if the only reason Shrek's memory remains unaltered in the fourth movie is that he's an outsider in the timeline due to Rumpel having the day he was born taken. If Rumpel took the day Donkey met Shrek, it could have made Shrek completely forget his friendship with Donkey, and without knowledge of his and Donkey's friendship, he wouldn't have sought Donkey out. Which, funnily enough, completely changes the events of the fourth movie in Rumple's favor, as Donkey is a key element in saving Shrek at least twice, and maybe three times. So if any of the possible futures I mention above happen (except number 2), it would have ended with the events being stuck as an AU, if Donkey hadn't been there to help Shrek. It shows how important Donkey and Shrek's friendship is. And to think Shrek was the one who suggested that day! Luckily, Rumple was more focused on writing Shrek out of existence and didn't realize the significance of Donkey. Otherwise, most of the alternate timelines I can think of actually give Rumple a better chance of winning. Granted, it is impossible to say how exactly things would have ended. It just shows you how much of an effect a single day can have.
* Wow. This is awesome. This not only shows just how important a day can be, but how important one friendship can be for altering history. Excellent theory.
* Also, Rumple could've worked Shrek ''and'' Donkey into his plot if he'd been smarter. The request was to free Fiona from the tower, right? If he simply delays the start of the quest by a single day, Harold and Lilian would've signed the contract, and he could then let things progress almost exactly as they had. He'd be keeping his end of the bargain, as Fiona'd still be freed and, technically speaking, the curse is broken because of her true love's kiss with Shrek, so by letting things progress just a little later than they originally did, he'd have been completing the contract. And even if Shrek and Donkey's first meeting were delayed, they still would've met because all the magical creatures would still have been sent to Shrek's swamp by Farquadd's decree regardless. However, the key difference here is that the only reason they visited Far Far Away is because Fiona's parents summoned them. If Rumple rules Far Far Away, then they never leave the swamp and live happily ever after there, never interfering with Rumple's rule so long as he prevents them from finding out about what he did. So in a way, by erasing Shrek from time completely and preventing him from rescuing Fiona, he put an unintentional SpannerInTheWorks in place, whereas if he'd taken that day instead, that would've delayed Shrek by a single day or maybe even a few more minutes after the contract had been signed, and he'd've won. Scary.
* All very good points. This theory really brings a new perspective to Rumpelstiltskin's, "I don't know who that is," response to Shrek's joke about erasing the day he and Donkey met.
** This means that if Rumpelstiltskin ''had'' known who Donkey was and been smarter about it, he could have gotten an even ''easier'' win if he'd found a way to con ''him'' into signing his life away the same way he cons Shrek in the "real" timeline. No Donkey means there'd be no one willing to guide Shrek to Duloc (remember, all the other fairytale creatures were too scared to talk to him), forcing the ogre to waste time trying to find it himself and delaying the quest.

* Also, Rumple could've worked Shrek ''and'' Donkey into his plot. The request was to free Fiona from the tower, right? If he delays the start of the quest by a single day, Harold and Lilian would've signed the contract and could then let things progress almost exactly as they had. He'd be keeping his end of the bargain, as Fiona is still freed and, technically speaking, the curse is broken because of true love's kiss with Shrek, so by letting things progress just a little later than they originally did, he'd have been completing the contract. And even if it was delayed, Donkey still would've met Shrek because all the magical creatures would still have been sent to Shrek's swamp. However, the key difference here is that the only reason they visited Far Far Away is because Fiona's parents summoned them. If Rumple rules Far Far Away, then they never leave the swamp and live happily ever after there, never interfering with Rumple so long as he prevents them from knowing about what he did. So in a way, by erasing Shrek from time and preventing him from rescuing Fiona, he put the SpannerInTheWorks in place whereas if he'd taken that day instead, that would've delayed Shrek by a single day or maybe even a few more minutes after the contract had been signed, and he'd've won. Scary.

** This means that if Rumpelstiltskin ''had'' known who Donkey was, he could have gotten an even ''easier'' win if he'd been smarter and found a way to con ''him'' into signing his life away the same way he cons Shrek in the real timeline. No Donkey means there'd be no one willing to guide Shrek to Duloc (as all the other fairytale creatures are too scared to talk to him), forcing the ogre to waste time trying to find it himself.

[[WMG: In Shrek 4, there was one other day Rumpelstiltskin could have taken for great effect.]]

Think about it. The day Shrek and Donkey met was also the day (or night as the case was) he started his trek to Duloc. So, Shrek wouldn't have be able to start the first movie's quest until after that day. Meaning assuming he would still decide to leave his swamp to go to Duloc, there's no guarantee he even becomes friends with Donkey, which in turns means he might have to deal with Dragon alone. But even if, he still manages to become friends with Donkey and the plot still turns out exactly as it did in the movie or if he manages to save Fiona by himself the damage would be done. Delaying his quest by a single day means the Rumple would succeed in his deal with the King and Queen because it took them until last second to receive the new originally.
* So effectively, Far Far Away would turn into what we saw in the alternate timeline in 4 anyway, but with differences. The most likely forms of alternate timeless are like this
** 1. Shrek and Donkey don't become friends. Shrek fails at saving Fiona without Donkey distracting Dragon. This pretty much replicates the AU in Shrek 4, the only difference being that Shrek disappears not because he never exist but instead he died trying to save Fiona.
** 2. Shrek and Donkey become friends. Shrek succeeds in saving Fiona. Shrek and Fiona share true loves kiss. Rumple completes the deal with King and Queen. Shrek 2 and 3 never happen. In this timeline, despite Shrek never saving Donkey, Donkey still attaches himself with Shrek. Because of this, there is nothing stopping the story from continuing like in the first Shrek. Ultimately, though Rumple would most likely try to capture the Ogre's like in the AU in 4. Shrek would be a part of the resistance from the beginning. In this timeline, Shrek would continue to exist after the day was over, but the new world would persist just like Rumple mentioned the AU in 4 would. In this version, Donkey would also already be a part of the resistance too. As a result, Donkey may not know how to figure out the exit clause (which would need to be different from True Love's Kiss as Fiona and Shrek would still be in love).
** 3. Shrek and Donkey don't become friends. Shrek succeeds in saving Fiona. Shrek and Fiona never kiss. Donkey is one of the key reason both Shrek and Fiona finally admit their true feelings. It is possible without Donkey there to convince both of them to open their shells, they may never had. This causes a future similar to the AU 4, but once again Shrek will not disappear at the end of the day. Fiona would disappear when True Love's Kiss doesn't happen between her an Farquuad. She'd eventually fall in with the Ogre resistance, which Shrek would eventually be brought into as well. They get a second chance at True Love, but this time instead of starting from scratch they have previous relationship wrinkles to iron out.
** 4. Shrek and Donkey don't become friends. Shrek succeeds in saving Fiona. Shrek and Fiona share True Love's Kiss. Same as what I said in 2 above, but without Donkey.

* Another problem can arise if the only reason Shrek's memory remains unaltered in the fourth movie is because Rumple took the day he was born and therefore Shrek is an outsider in the timeline. If Rumple took a day, that does write Shrek out of time then its possible that Shrek's memory could have been overwritten. So taking away the day Donkey met Shrek could have made Shrek completely forget his friendship with Donkey. Without knowledge of his and Donkey's friendship he may have not have picked-up Donkey during His Day as an Ogre. Which funnily enough, completely changes the events of the fourth movie in Rumple's favor as Donkey is a key element in saving Shrek at least twice and maybe three times. So if any of the possible futures I mention above happen (except number 2), it would have ended with the events being stuck as an AU, if Donkey hadn't been there to help Shrek. It shows how important Donkey and Shrek's friendship is. And to think Shrek was the one who suggested that day. Luckily, Rumple was more worried about writing Shrek out of existence and didn't realize the significance of Donkey. Otherwise, most of the alternate timelines I can think of actually give Rumple a better chance of winning. Though granted it is impossible to say how exactly things would have ended. It just goes to show you how much an effect a single day can have.
* Wow. This is awesome. This not only shows just how important a day can be, but how important 1 friendship can be for altering history. Excellent theory.
* Also, Rumple could've worked Shrek into his plot. The request was to free Fiona from the tower, right? Delay it by one day and they'd have signed the contract already, he could let things progress almost exactly as they had and he'd be keeping his end of the bargain, as Fiona is still freed and technically speaking the curse is broken because of true loves kiss with Shrek, so by letting things progress just a little later than he did, he'd have been completing the contract. And Donkey still could've met Shrek because all the magical creatures were sent to Shrek's swamp, so they'd have met that way. However, the key difference here is Far Far Away was only visited in the second movie because Fiona's parents summoned them. If Rumple rules Far Far Away, then they never leave the swamp and live happily ever after there without interfering with Rumple so long as he prevents them from knowing about it. So in a way, by erasing Shrek from time and preventing him from rescuing Fiona, he put the SpannerInTheWorks in place where as if he'd taken that day instead, that would've delayed Shrek by a single day or maybe even a few more minutes after the contract had been signed, then he'd probably have won. Scary.

* Hopefully not, she's just offscreen.

If the theory that Donkey was once human is correct, then its likely the same person who cursed Fiona also cursed Donkey. This witch seems to have a thing will turning people into unattractive creatures.

[[WMG: Miss Muffet from the nursery rhyme would be another bounty hunter]]
She, of course, would be the one with the most experience dealing with pests, becoming much more hardened after the nursery rhyme.

Likely would be named Miss Muffet, Muffet, or "Big" Miss Muffet

[[Miss Muffet from the nursery rhyme would be another bounty hunter]]