Luz turned to face where Amity was pointing, but by then the pink fire elemental was gone. "Look, if you don't want to talk about it, then just say so." she said in disappointment before walking away to the next portrait that still had scorch marks around its frame. They were beginning to circle around to where they had started, having fixed what felt like dozens of mundane memories that had been damaged by Amity's recklessness.

"No! I actually saw something!" Amity insisted, looking past Luz for any sign of the creature. "At least, I think I did." After her encounter with Grometheus under Hexside, she couldn't be sure of anything she saw any more.

Luz had already begun climbing into the next portrait of Willow and Amity having fun in a field, turning to Amity to reply. "If you need me, I shall be fixing this memory of a ball pit."

"Wait, that's not…" Amity shouted, running forward to try to stop her.

Luz had already dived into the photo though, and Amity stopped short as Luz's face reappeared, protruding out of the picture. Her face was covered in translucent, clear ooze, and a round, green and yellow speckled shell was covering her head. "It's eggs! It's full of eggs! Why is this memory full of eggs?!" she shouted, disgust and panic filling her voice.

"Yeah, that one's hard to explain." Amity said, climbing into the portrait behind Luz. She was getting used to passing through the portals, orienting herself to land on her feet now in the mere moments it took to appear inside Willow's memory. Luz, on the other hand, had once again skidded to a stop after being pitched unceremoniously onto the ground. Surrounding them were large eggs, and in the same monochromatic hue of the rest of the unfixed paintings that they had moved through. "This is a cryptid field." she began, resting a hand on the nearest shell. "Every year after knife season, the Titan pushes them out of the ground in small patches. They can be worth a lot, so it's often a race to find them."

"Like Easter in the Human Realm!" Luz grinned. "But what's in them?" she asked, trying to wipe the gooey albumen from the egg she had broken off of her skin and clothes.

"Well, they all start the same." Amity explained. "Most are used as food, while some hatch into various demons, and wind up living their lives."

"Wait." Luz frowned. "You mean like the beasty demons, right? Not the ones we go to school with? You don't eat eggs that could turn into classmates… do you?"

Amity turned to Luz and blinked. "Why wouldn't we?" she asked, confused by Luz's disturbed look.

Luz's gaze seemed to stretch on for forever for a moment and she shook her head. "The Boiling Isles is not Earth. That's something I'm not quite used to yet." she said, her body going through a noticeable shiver. "Okay, so what do we need to fix?"

"Willow and I found this whole field by ourselves. Both of our parents were ecstatic; though for different reasons, but we didn't care. We felt like Queens of the Isles that day." Amity recalled with a smile. "There should be…" she said, trailing off as she looked through the field for their little wooden cart that was barely large enough to even carry one of the eggs. A wheel had fallen off and the axle was broken from the damaged memory. A single egg sat within it that she remembered taking both her and Willow to place it there.

"Well, this looks like an easy one." Luz smiled, attempting to lift the side of the wagon. While the transport itself was light enough for a pair of eight year olds to pull, its cargo was surprisingly heavy. "Oof! This is going to take both of us." She reached out and grasped Amity's upper arm and gave it a quick squeeze. "You've got muscles!"

Amity reflexively pulled her arm away, feeling her body warm. "Uhm, what?"

Luz grimaced. "Sorry! Sorry! Sometimes I act without thinking." she said, retracting her grip and blushing in embarrassment. "Still though; that school uniform is doing nothing to show off those arms! Did you play sports?"

"Well, I…" she stammered quietly, still reeling from the discomfort of being grabbed. She knew Luz had no intention of hurting her, but the surprise had caught her off guard.

"New plan: see if you can lift the wagon, and I'll put the wheel back on." Luz suggested, picking up the little wooden wheel. She turned back to Amity and frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"I…" Amity paused. She wasn't used to being apologized to. Not from someone that she hadn't already successfully intimidated into submission. Even at the Covention during their duel, Luz hadn't shown to be terrified of her like lesser students at Hexside. She was genuinely being complimentary of Amity and apologetic for her actions. It was… strange, and it was making her pleasantly uncomfortable. "It's not important." she finally finished. "Here, let me help."

Amity placed her back against the wagon and lifted with her legs, feeling the wagon begin to shift. She remembered back to when she and Willow had found the cryptid field, and somehow managed to roll one of the eggs into the wagon without breaking it. She had been so eager to bring proof of something so valuable home to her parents; and maybe been so young and naive, that she didn't think of Willow. They had delivered the egg to the manor, told Odalia of where the field was, and then went to tell Willow's parents of its location as well. When they had returned to the field with the Parks though, the eggs were gone.

"Just a little higher." Luz instructed, and Amity lifted the wagon just a bit more before Luz continued. "There! Got it!" She said, and Amity set the wagon down again, causing it to roll forward and forcing Luz to step backward to avoid having her fingers rolled over. "Whoa!" She exclaimed, and Amity reached out to try to help her keep her balance, but she had already fallen back into another of the eggs before the bright flash hauled them back into the orchard of Willow's mind.

Luz pulled the egg shell off of her head and tossed it aside, still bright eyed and eager for more as the memory of younger Willow and Amity cheering with glee at having found the field played through in the portrait. "We're getting pretty good at fixing these." Amity said, feeling a smile form on her lips again. She was actually having fun…

Gasping for air now that the eggshell was off, Luz agreed. "Yeah, and there's only one last memory to fix! The one you're suspiciously avoiding."

And there it was. The fun was suddenly over. "Me? Avoid?" Amity asked, her eyes darting from the final picture of Willow at her birthday party and back to Luz. "No! But let's skip it. Where's Eda's bell?" she asked, moving to search Luz's pockets for the golden ringer. With surprising swiftness, Luz extended an arm to stop her; her large hand falling upon Amity's face and stopping her in her tracks. Amity tried to get the words, "Give me the bell, Luz!" but it only came out as a muffled command.

"Amity, you've gotta stop being weird!" Luz said as she pushed Amity away. "We have to fix all of them. Unless…" she paused, looking at the remaining portrait and back to Amity. "There's something in there you don't want me to see." Amity looked away and crossed her arms, feeling herself shrink. Of course she didn't want Luz to see what kind of even more horrible person she had been to Willow. She was a coward, a liar, and a terrible friend to Willow, and… and she wanted to be someone Luz could admire; not be repulsed by. Luz placed a hand on Amity's shoulder, offering an accepting smile that suddenly felt less genuine with how little she knew. "Look, I'm not here to judge. I'm just here to help Willow."

"Help?!" Amity growled, growing defensive. "All you're doing is prying into your friends lives!" she accused, pointing a finger into Luz's chest, just like she had at the Covention. "Did you ever think that maybe it's none of your business?!" she continued. But Luz had started to become hazy, and Amity sniffed at the air as a thick plume of grey-ish pink smoke began to waft between them. "Is something burning?"

They followed the wisps of smoke to where pink flames were consuming the orchard and a number of pictures that they had already fixed. Luz pointed toward movement amidst the flames, hidden other than the dark pink eyes that Amity swore she saw earlier. The exclamation caught the fire's attention, and it stepped out of the encompassing flames to reveal its large, vaguely witch-like form. Amity grabbed Luz by the arm, and dragged her behind the nearest tree as they both shouted in panic. "Hide, hide, hide!"

They huddled behind the tree, holding each other close as the heavy footfalls of the flame monster neared, and then stopped on the other side of the tree. Suddenly, the sound of it moving stopped, and Amity opened her eyes to find she had instinctively covered Luz. "I think it's gone." Luz said, pulling herself free from the huddle and rounding the tree to find the portrait had reignited in flames. "That thing is burning up all of the memories!"

"Please call Eda!" Amity pleaded. "I don't want to be here when it comes out!"

Reluctantly, Luz pulled the bell from her cowl and lightly shook it to let out a whimsical ring. "She might be busy. This could take a few seconds."

Amity snatched the bell from Luz with lightning speed, swinging it wildly. "Why. Won't. She. Answer?!"

Luz steepled her fingers in concern at Amity's actions. "Yeah, she is not super reliable." The flames sweeping through the orchard began to grow, blasting them with heat. "Run!" Luz shouted, leading the way further down the path.

The elemental crawled out of the reignited egg field portrait, crossed the lane, and dived into the picture of Willow and Amity in the library. They waited a few moments, and again the creature crawled out, crossed the path, looked at the awkward picture day photo, and dived into the portrait next to it; the memory of the Roller Ghoster. "Why is it destroying all of the photos?" Amity asked.

"I don't know." Luz admitted. Near them were pictures of Willow playing on the slayground swing with her parents. "That one hasn't been burned." she noted, pointing out images of Willow happily opening Yuletide gifts under the tree with her parents. "Or that one!" she said, and noticed that the recently burned photo of the library only had Amity specifically burned away. "Amity! That thing isn't after any photo!" she shouted, grabbing Amity by the shoulders again. "It's after you!"

Amity looked at the elemental as it reappeared, locking eyes with the creature as it cried out in rage. "What?!"

The creature roared and began running toward them, each step burning black ash into the grassy floor. Luz pushed Amity down the path between the burning trees. "Run! I have an idea!"

Amity's eyes widened as the Lake Lacuna portrait got nearer. "We can't go in there! I'm in there!" she protested, trying to drag her heels.

"Just trust me!" Luz shouted back, forcefully shoving Amity through the photograph. Amity didn't have time to orient herself before landing face first in the sandbar, with Luz biting sand beside her a moment later. Without wasting a second, Luz jumped to her feet and began drawing a large symbol in the sand with her finger while Amity watched from her hands and knees. With the ice glyph hastily drawn, and the portal behind them flashing to life, Luz placed her hands in the sand within the circle. "Time for a swimming lesson!" she declared, and the glyph flashed with blue energy as a column of ice grew out of the sand just as the fire elemental was thrown out of the portal. It slid across the icy surface, and was dumped into the cool lake water, filling the area with steam. Amity rounded the ice pillar to stand beside Luz, who reached out and embraced her in a tight hug, pinning her arms to her sides. "Woo! Teamwork, baby!"

Amity glared at Luz for once again invading her expanding bubble of personal space, even though she couldn't help but blush at feeling Luz's warmth, both from her hug, and her expression.

"Luz…" she said, catching movement in the water. As the steam began to clear, the form of Willow climbed to her feet, waist deep in boiling water and engulfed in angry pink flames. She took careful, though barely restrained steps toward them. Luz loosened her grip and opened her eyes, then let go altogether as Amity asked, "Are you the Inner Willow?"

Willow's eyes ignited with raging dark pink light, and her voice echoed across the beach. "I was." she admitted, stepping out of the water and onto the sand, her boots turning her footprints into glass. "Love. Sadness. Fear. I used to be a being made of all emotions." she continued, her eyes settling on Amity with laser focus. "But ever since you set Willow's mind on fire, all I can feel is anger!"

The fire surrounding the Inner Willow flared with pink fire, causing the nearby forest and the witchling's fort to burst into flames. Wisps of the small flag with their initials landed at Amity's feet, smoldering into ash. Luz looked up at the Inner Willow, her voice pleading. "Please! Stop!"

"But Amity wanted this!" the Inner Willow shouted back, diverting her attention for but a moment before turning back to Amity. She summoned the burned portrait of Amity and Willow at the birthday party into existence from the ground. "Every moment she touched, I'm going to BURN!"

Amity couldn't help but shy away. "You're just hurting Willow! Why are you doing this?!"

The Inner Willow flew forward, no longer touching the beach they stood on, and stopped a hands breadth away from Amity's nose. "Still haven't figured it out yet?" she grinned, a disturbing maliciousness in her voice. She floated away and reached toward Amity with a vague hand made of fire; large enough to wrap around her waist and grapple her. "Then I'll show you!" she shouted again, dragging Amity into the portrait.

Amity flew through screaming before landing comfortably on her childhood bed, and bounced off of it and onto her feet. She barely had time to recognize her own room in its grey filter; with Emperor's Coven posters, birthday decorations, and her Good Witch Azura figurine, before Luz flew over her head; straight as an arrow, and crashed into a bookcase as pictures and books scattered from the collision. Luz picked herself up remarkably quickly, and moved to stand next to Amity, surveying the room. "Where are we?"

Before Amity could answer, the Inner Willow emerged from the empty picture frame above the head of the bed and settled softly on her feet, still engulfed in flames. Amity retreated, taking Luz's arm in her hands and instinctively moving behind her before she knew what she was doing.

"You said I was hurting Willow?" The fiery spirit asked. Her eyes flared brighter, and her voice grew angrier. "I'm just finishing what YOU STARTED!"

The room fell deathly silent at the ring of an unseen bell, and the door to Amity's room swung open. Amity and Willow's shared memory began to play out.

Amity marched into her room, her body shaking from anger. It was just like her parents to ruin her birthday like this. She didn't even know those other two girls that had been invited. She just wanted to hang out with Willow for the rest of the day. "You have to get out, Willow! Now!" she shouted, struggling to hold her tears back. She looked back at Willow, who was looking at her with confusion, rejection, and fear.

"Wait, why?!" Willow asked, tears filling her eyes and making small spatters on her glasses.

Amity stammered, unable to think of any reason that she would want her to leave. She couldn't tell her the real reason, or her parents…" Because… because…"

Willow reached out and took Amity's hand in her own. "Is it because I can't do magic? Amity, I'm sorry I got us in trouble at the beach! I just… I can't get the spells right!"

Amity looked away, no longer able to contain her own tears, and she pulled her hand away from Willow's. "Well… yes! That is why!" she stammered, realizing for the first time what a broken heart felt like. "Because you're a weakling! You can't do magic, so I don't want to be your friend!" she shouted. "Now go!"

Amity's last word echoed as both children faded into dust, leaving only the three teens in the room. "And then you let your new friends pick on her for years. All because you thought she was weak." the Inner Willow explained, beginning to float as the air around her began to fluctuate with the heat. "Well now, I can erase all that pain." she said, her eyes darkening from pink, to purple, and finally becoming angry voids of blackness. "After all; out of sight, out of mind."

Luz called out to Amity as a circle of flame erupted at her feet. Amity winced as the flames grew higher and hotter, and she cried out as it became unbearable. "Wait! Please!" she shouted, closing her eyes. She could feel her uniform begin to stick from the heat until finally the flames withdrew. "Before all of this started, there… there was something else…"

"Amity?" Alador asked. Amity was playing with a colorful hair clip with a decorative flower on it that Willow had given her for her birthday as she entered the hall where her parents were waiting. She looked up at her parents as they loomed over her. Her father's usually stained lab coat was replaced by a very nice suit, and his small beard and head of auburn hair were well trimmed for the birthday party, at Odalia's request.

Odalia too, was well dressed and made up for the party. Amity found it odd that they had put on their best for her eighth birthday party until the two new girls had shown up with their parents. "What is Willow doing here?" her mother asked. "She wasn't on the guest list for a reason."

Amity looked at her parents in confusion. She had always been allowed to have Willow over before. "But… she's my best friend!"

"Nonsense." Alador interrupted. "Blights only associate with the strongest of witchlings. You can choose a new friend from one of the suitable companions we invited."

"But they're mean!" Amity argued. "Just because you work with their parents, doesn't mean I have to like them!"

Odalia raised an eyebrow. An expression that meant that she was growing very impatient with Amity's defiance. "Good children don't squabble, dear. Sever your ties with Willow, and if you don't…"

"Then we will." Alador finished for her, causing Amity to gasp in disbelief.

"We'll make sure the girl is never admitted into Hexside." Odalia said with a sickeningly sweet tone in her voice. She touched Amity's shoulder and gently pushed her back toward the living room where Boscha, Skara, and Willow were playing. "Now go, and try not to make a scene."

Amity had been too naive at the time to realize it, but now it was clear that her birthday was little more than a business meeting for her parents, and they simply didn't want Willow getting in the way of whatever deal they had with Boscha and Skara's parents. She was an inconvenience to them, and an obstacle for her to the place at the top where they wanted Amity to be. The flames in the room died down and extinguished; draining all color from the room. "Willow, you were never too weak to be my friend." she said, finally letting her voice waver and tears spill down her cheeks. "I was too weak to be yours." she sniffed. She looked back at Luz for a moment before digging into her pocket and turning to the Inner Willow again. "I can't take back what I've done, but I can promise you this:" she said, pulling Skara's butterfly birthday invite from her pocket. "I won't let Boscha and her gang pick on you ever again." She gently pulled on the butterfly's wings before thinking better of it, and whispering. "I'm not actually gonna rip it because it's a real butterfly, but you get the gesture, right?" she sniffed, putting the invite back in her pocket with a hesitant smile. She held out a hand to the Inner Willow, in the hope that she would take it.

The memory spirit's eyes faded from their eerie blackness, and began to tear up as well as she reached out to take Amity's hand. "I do." she assured her. I think Willow should keep her memories of you. The good and the bad."

Amity paused, blinking away the warm tears that had collected in her eyes. "Me too."

She had nearly forgotten about Luz, as she stepped up to place a hand on both Amity and Willow's shoulders. "Then if it's okay…" she said, speaking to Willow. "Amity and I still have some work to do."

With a quick motion from the Inner Willow, Amity and Luz found themselves standing back in the peaceful, cool orchard, in front of the tree that had held the portrait of Amity's birthday party. Amity handed the now pristine photograph to Luz, who hung it in place in the knot of the tree. The sound of tiny feet running over the dirt grabbed their attention, and they looked back to find an eight year old Willow, covered in stick on bandages, and dressed in the same cute sundress that she'd worn during her excursions with Amity. The Inner Willow appeared from behind one of the trees as well; standing wordlessly, but at peace. She took the younger Willow's hand, and smiled at the pair of teens across the way.

Amity waved, still uncertain about her connection with the being that very nearly turned her to cinders such a short time ago. She could hear Luz sobbing loudly beside her, but tried to grant her some privacy while the eight year old Willow turned to run through the orchard, striking the nearby tree that she had been standing next to. With a giggle, she shook it off, and disappeared into the forest. The Inner Willow watched after her, then returned Amity's wave with a smile and disappeared among the trees herself.

"So does this mean you and Willow are buddies again?" Luz asked, drying her eyes with her cowl.

Hanging her head in uncertainty, Amity shrugged. "I'm not sure." she said, looking up at Luz.

Luz pulled Eda's summoning bell from her pocket and lightly shook it. "Well, why don't we go see?" she said, taking Amity's hand as the light chimes spread through the forest. She continued to ring the bell, beginning to frown. "I'm sure this isn't a prob… whoa!" she exclaimed as the orchard faded to blackness, and they were once again disassembled and felt the unmistakable rush of teleportation back into the living room of the Owl House.

The room was somehow filled with even more junk than Amity remembered; with bells, a washboard, kitchen utensils, and confetti scattered everywhere. Amity looked down at Luz's hand wrapped around her own, and reluctantly pulled hers away and crossed her arms uncomfortably.

"Whoa. What went down here?" Luz asked, holding out the bell to Eda, only to have it vanish in a puff. "And where's Gus? What'd you do with Gus?" she continued, looking about the room for her friend.

Eda grimaced and folded her arms defensively, standing over King. "The kid's fine. He's just dead to us." she explained as vaguely as possible, kicking some of the junk out of her path as she and the small bone demon walked off.

Luz watched after them in confusion. "Those are very mixed messages." she noted before turning to Willow, who began to wake on the couch. "Willow! Do you know who I am?!"

Willow stretched and blinked, still waking. She perked up at Luz's voice and squinted. "Uh, a friendly scarecrow?" she asked, and then grinned at Luz's crestfallen expression. "I'm just messin'! I remember everything!" she said, standing and extending her arms to catch Luz as the human ran forward to embrace her.

"She's back, folks!" Luz exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Willow. "My girl's back! I'm gonna hug you so hard, you'll never forget me again! Hiya!" she smiled, squeezing the witch tightly.

Amity watched longingly at the pair, wanting to be a part of it, but feeling something hold her back. She turned to the door and placed a hand on the its grip. "I remember what you did too." Willow said, causing Amity to pause and look back at her. "What you did in there?" she said, tapping her temple. "I can't say we're friends, but it's a start."

Amity smiled, and waved again to both of them before leaving the house, finding Gus and the house demon… thing having some kind of conversation on the doorstep. She walked a short distance, taking in a deep breath of the warm Boiling Isles air and looking back at the strange house where Luz lived. The day had grown dark while they were in Willow's mind, and she was certain that she'd hear about the classes she missed when she got home, but for now it was quiet. She pulled Skara's invitation from her pocket and let it unfurl its wings.

Boscha, Skara, and the Banshee team were the only friends she had known since she had forced Willow from her birthday. She wasn't friends with Willow or Gus, or even Luz. Not really. If she pushed Boscha and Skara away, who would she have? No one. But maybe having no one for a little while could be the first steps to someone new. Amity smiled, watching the butterfly flex its embossed wings as the insect wondered if it was about to gain its freedom. She opened her hand and watched it flutter away into the night, feeling an odd kinship with the creature, suddenly uncertain where her future was going from this point forward.

Amity entered the manor after a long walk home from the Owl House. It had been a relaxing, if somber trip, and the thought of trying to sneak into her home hadn't occupied her mind until she closed one of the double doors behind her and handed her cowl to the abomibutler.

"Amity?" Odalia called, causing Amity to curse under her breath when she remembered the classes she missed and how late it was. "Is that you?" she asked, entering the entryway. "It's awfully late. Why don't you tell us about your day?"

She couldn't help but eye her mother suspiciously. "Uh… my day?" Amity asked, her mind suddenly racing. "Why? What did you hear?" she asked, mentally kicking herself. Her mother was an Oracle, and had an uncanny knack for shrewdness. Getting away with lying to her was never easy.

"Yeah, Mittens." Edric said, stepping up beside their mother with a mischievous grin. "How was your day?"

Emira appeared on Odalia's opposite side of her twin brother with the same grin. "We told mom all about how you were pinning down a date for Grom tonight. How'd that go?"

Amity glared at them both, and would kill them with a thought if she'd had the ability in that moment. "Actually…" she began, stretching out the word. "I do have someone in mind for the Grom dance." she said, watching with satisfaction at the mild surprise on her sibling's faces.

"That's good news!" Odalia said. "Who are they? I do hope you're not wasting your time with someone with no connections."

Of course, Amity thought. Why would anyone in this family associate with someone that couldn't provide a monetary benefit. "She's new. You wouldn't know her, but her… caretaker is a very powerful witch, and is highly sought after by the Emperor's Coven." she explained, recalling Eda's wanted poster on display in the Owl House's living room.

This brought a smile to Odalia's face, and a pair of knowing smirks from the twins. "Well, make certain you eat something. I'll have the chef whip you up something…" she trailed off, giving a sniff. "Amity, you're positively filthy and you smell like a forest fire. Go wash up first, then come down for dinner."

Amity nodded, and climbed the stairs to her room before shutting her door and pressing her back against it. Finally, she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding and ran to her bed, throwing her face into her pillow and screaming as loud as she could.