Prince Phillip fell helplessly on the floor like a wood puppet whose strings had been cut. His neck was bathed in crimson red, the gift of life disappearing from his sharp eyes. All the signs were there and could no longer be ignored. His story had met an abrupt end.

“Mother! What did you do?” Prudence asked, the sound of her distraught voice muffled by Ellen’s unnatural screams. The world had just collapsed unexpectedly, ripped from the inside out by the most coward of actions. Mistress Tatiana rubbed her hands and frowned.

“He was about to ruin everything, too. How would you have handled the situation?”

“I wouldn’t have killed him for sure. Damn it! You’re out of control!”

Drusilla nodded, showing a proper sign of defiance, one she immediately regretted when the dirk landed at her feet.

“I don’t care about what you think. The only thing that matters are the results. We will have our just rewards.”

“Oh, now I’m pretty sure you will,” Cinderella cackled. “For someone who claims to be so smart and powerful, that was the dumbest thing you could have done.”

“What are you babbling about, fairy?” Tatiana growled, a ball of spit between her teeth.

“You really haven’t been paying attention to anything I said, huh? Love plays by different rules than everything else. It is the strongest and most balanced force in all of the universes, but when it’s threatened, when it loses its composure because of an atrocity like yours, oh, it’s the one enemy you don’t want to mess with! You trapped me because you were afraid of me? Try trapping her now!”

“Mother...” Drusilla gasped, trembling fingers pointing at the space where Ellen was kneeling, bitter tears running down her eyes. She was still screaming, broken nails tearing the carpet to shreds. A golden aura, impossible by human standards, emerged from her skin, slowly expanding to fill the entire room and everything caught in its wake began to... shift.

Books crumpled and turned to ask in the blink of an eye, glass vials rose toward the ceiling and exploded in a thousand pointy shards that only by a miracle didn’t hit any living being. The candles all around lit up at the same time, frenzied flames combining in a single entity, like a vengeful phoenix not seeking rebirth but pure destruction. 

“What the hell is this?” Tatiana asked.

“Everyone has a tipping point, and it looks like you found hers. Congratulations, bitch! You’ve just awakened the beast,” Cinderella replied.

“No. NO! This is impossible! This is not how things should be!”

“It is now.”

“You!” Ellen vociferated, imbued by uncontrollable rage. “You did this! Everything you touch withers and dies. How dare you?”

Ellen stood up, but her feet were no longer bound by the laws of gravity or any other scientific explanation. Beyond her eyes now lived every past injury brought into existence, and they all wanted a piece of their nemesis.

Prudence and Drusilla had no reaction when their mother was grabbed by the neck and thrown against the study’s door, all the hinges cracking under the pressure. Tatiana landed on her neck between the knob and the lock, ribs cracking one by one. The enraged young woman flew across the room to grab her again and then dragged her by the hair to face the soul she had destroyed. “Since you love Death so much, why don’t you join her now?”

“Ellen, please... Please don’t do it!” Prudence pleaded. “Fairy, do something!”

“Break the circle. Hurry!” Cinderella declared.

“Right...” Prudence smeared the magical lines with the bottom of her right shoe, a tiny speck of magic creeping between them. Not everything was gone yet and hope never falters in the face of danger. Cinderella tapped her feet together and said,

“ELLEN! Ellen, listen to me. I get that this seems like the right thing to do and that swift retribution will fix everything. I don’t blame you for believing this is what she deserves because - hell! - even I feel the same way, but that power coursing through you doesn’t exist for this. You can take it and harness it into something that truly matters. The only thing stronger than Love is not hating, but more Love, the ability to recognize that forgiveness and mercy outweigh the senselessness of malevolence. You shouldn’t be focusing on her but on Phillip. You don’t know what he’s been through to get here tonight, but I do, because I was always watching and listening even when he thought otherwise. He defied everything to search for you, his perfect sin, and now it’s your turn, to give him what he needs. It’s not too late, Ellen. You can still have him.”

“How? She killed him! Look at him! Look at what she did!” Ellen snarled.

“Focus on what’s right. Not on me, not on the rage within you, or on what the future will bring for everyone in this room. One moment is enough to change the course of history and you can have this moment now if you simply give in to it. Forget the hate and channel its opposite. You have the magic in you, you’ve always had it. Save him and save yourself.”

“I... I’m not sure if I can...” she bawled, the dirk now nested between her fingers, and the bloody blade pressed against her stepmother’s neck. “This feels so much easier now...”

“Yes, it does. That’s how evil gets to people with easy promises and vain rewards. You’re offered a quick satisfaction for a life of endless regret. If you kill her now, you’ll never bring Phillip back, but if you use the power wisely, you can still have the ending you deserve. Please trust me on this. Let her be.”

“If you do that, I’ll haunt you for the rest of your fucking life, Ellen!” Tatiana spat. “I won’t stop until I destroyed you completely. Strike me while you can, because it will get worse from here!”

“Shut up, viper!” Cinderella slapped her. “You thought you were in charge, but not anymore. Ellen, she’s neither your mother nor your Mistress, but a pathetic woman who lost her way. Don’t let her have any kind of power over you ever again. Haunt her with your kindness instead of feeding her with your rage.

“Please, Ellen!” Prudence and Drusilla begged in unison.

Ellen’s lips twitched, the darkness raging in her demanding a worthy sacrifice. One slip and it would be all over. Phillips’s lifeless body stared back at her as if wanting her to confirm the inevitable downfall. She sighed, and threw the knife out of the window, the flames of spitefulness dying out.

“I hate you, but I’m not you. Fuck off, Tatiana. You’re not worth my time.”

“Good,” Cinderella grabbed her protégé’s hands. “Now concentrate that power on him. Bring him back, Ellen. Love is the only thing that can.”

Ellen sat next to the prince’s fresh corpse, her fingers caressing the gaping wound that had shattered reality. The golden aura surrounding her became white as she placed a lonely kiss on his neck, and his blood and her tears combined into a promise of renewal.

“Not like this,” she said. “We haven’t even begun to know one another. If there’s really any power and you are listening, find your way back to me. I’m here and I want to dance with you again. Come back!”

“Is this really going to work?” Drusilla asked, she too awash in tears.

“What do you believe in?” Cinderella retorted.

“Good question. I’m sorry, okay? I never should have played a part in this.”

“Me neither,” Prudence agreed. “Had I known...”

“You’ve always known, girls. You know who your mother is and what she’s capable of. Your excuses now aren’t worth much, but they’re better than nothing, I suppose. If this fails, I advise you to not be anywhere near this place.”

“Stop telling me what to do, stupid creature!” Tatiana complained.

“Enough!” Cinderella slapped her again. “You did your worst, and you lost big time. Whatever comes next, will not end with you on the winning side. Forget the throne. If the prince remains dead, I’m sure his father will be glad to give you the same fate and I couldn’t care less if he has blood on his hands. Leave!”

“You can’t keep me away from my house!”

“Of course, I can when it was never yours, to begin with... Everything you took from Ellen will be going back to its rightful owner. Accept the clemency you just received with a smile on your lips, for it was the first and the last time you’ll get it. Off with you all.”

“Let’s go, mother. She’s right,” Prudence said, helping Tatiana stand up.

“Are you insane? No!”

“Listen to her,” Ellen glanced furiously at the two women one last time. “What’s lurking within me is contained for now, but for how long? Leave before it decides it wants another round.”

“We need to get you checked out,” Prudence continued. “Come on.”

Drusilla joined them and the unholy trinity left the house under the matriarch’s furious howls. Was it the perfect ending? Far from it, but there was still more to tell. Amidst a rain of ash, a love-struck prince opened his eyes again, his lungs filled with the bliss of a magical second chance.

“Oh, my God, it worked!” Ellen hugged him so hard that she almost crushed his larynx. “Fuck, you’re back!”

“Hmmm... back from where? What just happened?” his eyes roved the studio, picking up every trace of destruction all around.

“You’ve been where most people only go once, never to return,” Cinderella replied. “How does it feel to be dead and live once more?”

“I... did that really happen?”

“Yes,” Ellen kissed his forehead. “And now, you’re back. You came for me! Thank you. Oh, thank you!”

“Easy there. Everything is a blur now...” he tried to sit against the desk, the impression on his neck still there even though the wound was gone. “Dead, huh? Didn’t love it, would rather not go through it again anytime soon.”

“How did I bring him back, Cinderella? This makes no sense,” Ellen said.

“Oh, my dear, on the contrary. Things have never been clearer for us both. I said you are special and tonight you’ve proven what that really means. I’m glad I was right.”

“Wait... you knew something like this could happen?”

“No, but I suspected. The potential for the greatest magic of all was always there, but it needed to be unlocked and when you two met at the Royal Ball, something changed. I’ve seen this story play out in so many ways, but I never felt a stronger connection than the one blooming between you two. That is true power and something that never fails when called upon. You can achieve so much more than this, and I have a feeling you will when the time is right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everything has its time to be and I won’t be the Fairy Godmother forever. Who knows, maybe you’ll get to wear my shoes one day...”

“I... have a hard time seeing that happen, to be honest.”

“Understandable for now, but you just tapped into something greater and I know what kind of person you are deep inside. We’re the same, remember? If you’re called, I know you’ll answer, and I even thought of the perfect moniker for you just now. Sinderellen has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“You’re crazy, you know that?” Ellen laughed.

“I kind of like it,” Phillip muttered, “though I’m still confused about how she knew.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“On my way here, I met this old woman who said that mortal danger was waiting for me at the end of this journey, and it seems they were right. Was that you in disguise, fairy?”

“I assure you not, but now you got me curious. Where did you meet this woman?”

“Just before finding the main road that brought me here. She was unlike anything I’d ever seen, including you.”

“Interesting... and something that definitely warrants an investigation. If I give you a map, do you think you can show me where she can be found?”

“I think so, yes.”

“Then you two lovebirds hold tight while I cook something up.”

“What about Tatiana and her daughters? Are we really just letting them go?” Ellen asked.

“For now. Don’t worry. They will not harass you again. Not after what you did.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I simply am. Anyone that thrives on deception can’t hold it together when faced with a stronger opponent. You scared the living shit out of everyone, Ellen. That is quite the deterrent.”

“When you say I scared everyone, does that include you, too?”

“Easy there, young woman. I’m still the magical creature with seniority here,” Cinderella chuckled. “Stay put, you two. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Cinderella left the studio with a feeling of mission accomplished. Things had not worked out the way she had initially envisioned them, but therein lay the hidden beauty of each variation, one that would never be exhausted for as long as there were tales to tell. The future looked promising now, and this was a rare case where looks actually mattered.

“So...” Prince Phillip said. “This was quite something, wasn’t it?”

“You can say that, Your Highness,” Ellen blushed. “Apologies if I’ve not dressed appropriately for you this time.”

“Have you seen and smelled my outfit? You look like a real princess to me.”

“Ah, it’s good to know you’re still quite the flatterer! Wouldn’t it be crazy if the rest of the court saw us now?”

“Yes, it would, but I don’t think they’re ready for that just yet. I brought you something, My Lady,” he replied, unveiling the surprisingly resistant crystal boot. “Sorry that the other didn’t survive the ball.”

“That’s okay. I’m sure Cinderella can get me a new one if I ask.”

“Or maybe you can conjure one yourself...”

“I’m not sure that’s how this works. What happened was...”

“... extraordinary, just like you. It would be a sin not to delve deeper on that.”

“Oh, you want me to study magic, do you?”

“You’re already enchanting enough in my eyes, but why not? The fairy is right. You can do a lot of good with it if you want to.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure I do, but I’ll think about it.”

“What do you want to do now?”

“I’d love to dance with you again... and have a bath, too, not necessarily in this order.”

“We can dance while we bathe...”

“Together? Your Highness, are you trying to take advantage of a poor, innocent woman?”

“They say monarchy comes with some perks, but I’ll only take advantage of you if you wish me to, although...”

“Although what?”

“Considering I just died for you, don’t you think I deserve a little treat?”

“Hmmm... perhaps, but you did bring me a boot, so how about I use it to kick that pretty ass of yours instead?”

“Ouch... can we stick to the kissing part for now?”

“Now, that’s something we can agree with... I just have one question.”

“Ask away.”

“How did it occur to you to look for me here of all places?”

“Lucky guess... fate... I’m not sure. There was also a cat involved, believe it or not.”

“A cat?”

“Yeah. Black, scrawny... a friend of yours, perhaps?”

“You can say that,” she enveloped him in her arms and tasted his warm lips. “Skinny” meowed outside, thanking the moon and stars for such a happy reunion.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Cinderella wandered through the now deserted alleys of the poorest part of town in search of answers to an unforeseen mystery. She found the old soothsayer at the same time she found her, friendly recognition piercing the veils of illusion instantly.

“Ah, so it’s you. You’re a long way from home, aren’t you, Merryweather?” she asked.

“Aren’t we all?” the other fairy replied, assuming her natural form. Dressed in almost identical shades of blue they could almost pass as sisters.

“Are Flora and Fauna around here as well?”

“No, it’s just me. I was taking a little break and suddenly realized I had to be here tonight. It happened, didn’t it? You found something amazing in this world.”

“Yes, I did. Her story rivals anything I could have ever imagined, and it’s only just beginning. When that girl discovers everything she can do, it will be glorious.”

“I’m sure it will, but she’ll still need your guidance until then and you mustn’t forget all the others, either. The stories never end unless we give up on them. You won’t do that, right?”

“No. Not yet. I know my place, Merryweather. I’ll gladly occupy it until I’m no longer required. Ellen is the future. It’s an honor to see it rise.”

“Hmmm, good. Then how about we go grab a drink and you tell me everything that happened in this part of the universe before I got here?”

“You want to hear a fairytale, Merryweather?”

“Why not when I’m a part of one, too? Come on, Cindy. It will be just like old times.”

“I specifically remember asking you to no never call me that again...”

“I never listen, and that’s why you love me. Let’s go, dear. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Yes, they did, stories intersecting one another and creating something new. It was the time for joy and luscious sin. No beautiful souls would sleep that night.