A/N: AGH! This chapter was a monster to write! It refused to be written! It was so hard :( and it's shorter than normal, but it DOES contain some character-building-important-stuff so don't just skip it (no cookies for people who skip. Just warning ye!) Sorry it was such a long wait :(

Okay so there is a flashback in this chapter. Just so ye guys know, from now on flashbacks and dreams will be written in italics.

Disclaimer: Me no owny, you no suey.

Luna's face contorted into a sly grin as she watched her new-found rival run off. Who she was no longer mattered; she was gone now. Luna would have the Prince all to herself. Her mother gave her a subtle nod of approval and left in search of her elder daughter. Flicking her volumised, pink hair, she approached the Prince with a spring in her step, her golden dress glittering lightly as it reflected the light.

"Could I please have this dance?" She asked sweetly, looking down with feigned shyness.

X.X.X

"You're so oblivious, it's cute!" The Witch giggled, turning around to pinch the rancher's cheeks. "Everyone was watching you,"

"You're messing. You've got to be joking with me," Angela pleaded, desperately.

"Nope, you danced with the Prince!" She smirked. "And from the looks of it... You liiiiiiiiike him!" She sang the last part.

The brunette moaned, putting her head into her arms and mumbling.

"But on a serious note: did you not notice everyone staring at you, or were you just lost in his eyes?" Her smirk grew with each word in proportion to her companion's blush.

The rancher sighed and entered the house, a small frown appearing on her pink lips.

"...So how was the ball?" Gale asked the brunette when she entered the kitchen.

"It was great fun. Thank you so much for everything," Angela replied, gratefully. "I'm going to head up to bed now. It was nice meeting you both," She bowed and tried to leave the room, but Vivi grabbed her wrist.

"Ang, you do realise we're taking you to every ball, right?" The grey-haired witch asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What? B-b-but!" She stuttered, flustered from confusion.

"If I don't, when I kick the bucket*, Molly will give me such a lecture for not helping out her only daughter," Witch grinned. Wizard nodded his agreement, silently shuddering at the thought of the loud-mouth brunette waiting for them from beyond the grave. "Also-"

"But, I can't go to any more balls!" Angela burst out, loudly. "It was only for that mask that I could tonight," She added, thinking of the many other reasons.

The Witch Princess rolled her bright, orange eyes. " Don't you worry, Angie. We have our ways," She motioned to Wizard and released Angela's wrist and headed out of the room. She stopped in the threshold, her pale hand resting on the peeling white paint and said "We'll be back at the end of the week to take you. You're going to that ball, Angie," Her words sounded like a threat to the rancher. "Just don't tell anyone about us, yet,"

Without another word she and her fellow magic-user disappeared into the starry night sky, though her gleeful laughter hung in the air after she was no longer in sight.

With the meddling magic-users gone, Angela was left alone. She sat wearily at the kitchen table. Her thoughts going at a mile a minute, the silence only amplifying them to her unwilling ears. 'I can't go again! ... They'll all know I'm just a farmer... I don't deserve to go... Luna will kill me! ... Lucinda will lock me in the attic for a week ... Of all the men there, why did he have to be the Prince?'

X.X.X

Large, brown eyes fluttered open to bright sunlight. Yawning loudly, the brunette rancher sat up. After a moment a scream escaped her lips when she registered the bright, blue eyes boring into hers. She shot up and with a panicked gaze, realised in horror she was still in the hard, wooden chair at the kitchen table.

"Um, Angela?" The brunette relaxed visibly when she found it was Candace. Sadly, the calm did not last longer than a few seconds. "It's half eight..."

Before her stepsister could enter the state of utter panic, the bluenette grabbed her wrist. "Don't worry. When we found you last night, Mother was in a very good mood. You have the day off," She said, reassuringly.

Angela sighed in relief and gripped her pumping heart. "Could you not have said that first? I was terrified!" She closed her eyes and laced her fingers behind her head, a thoughtful look on her face. "So, how was the ball?" She asked, finally.

A guilty look came on Candace's face. She looked down and bit her lip. "Angela, I'm really sorry. I should have-"

"It's alright Cand. I'm fine with it," The brunette smile, though a hint of supressed worry entered her voice. She opened one brown eye to see her sister, still looking down in shame. "You can make it up to me... by telling me all about your date with Julius,"

With a flushed face, her older woman retold her supposed "not-a-date!" with the fabulous jeweller.

X.X.X Flashback (We's uh goin' to the past!*)

"Hey there, Sister!" A masked Julius greeted his shy date. He strutted up to her and took her hands. Her cheeks became a bright pink - which to her relief was hidden by the mask - as he pushed his purple hair over his shoulder. He walked with her down to the dance floor and beamed."Don't you look gorgeous?" He stated more than asked with a wink.

Candace looked down and smiled slightly, all other, worrisome thoughts leaving her head. The fabulous blacksmith began dancing with her. After a few dances, Julius looked away and asked, in an amused voice. "What's gotten Luna so worked up?"

The bluenette looked over her shoulder, to see her younger sister, practically foaming at the mouth from rage, glaring daggers at a couple on the dance floor. Gasping, she realised most of the guests had already stopped dancing to look at the couple, the women mostly imitating Luna's expression.

"That, er, must be Prince G-Gill," She said, not actually answering the question her 'friend' had asked. Julius knew what she meant, however and nodded. "I, um, think we should, er, stop dancing?"

Julius agreed and they walked over to a table, happily realising the other occupants were Kathy and Owen. The latter was only slightly intoxicated, a relief to all present.

"Whoever that girl is, she sure is in for trouble!" The blonde barmaid exclaimed, with a twinkle in her green eyes.

The bluenette nodded, nervously. "I hope Luna doesn't do anything to her..."

"I'd be more worried about Lucinda, to be honest," Owen pitched in. He laughed slightly, as he continued. "Anissa told me that Chloe and Taylor wrote a ghost-story about her. It was pretty gory too, but the ending was good. Lucinda got her head cho-"

Kathy elbowed, the muscular miner in the gut – though he hardly felt it – to make him stop. She glared at him and tilted her head in Candace's direction. His mouth became a perfect 'o' shape in realisation and he slapped his large hand over his mouth.

The seamstress-in-training looked down and bit her lip sadly, signalling the end of that topic. The group, turned they're gaze to watch the green-clad - now shoeless – woman run off.

"Luna's asking the Prince to dance," Candace noticed, not sure what to feel. "Er, Julius? Um, could we, maybe, go for another da-"

"Candace, sweetie!" She heard her mother call out. The middle-aged woman approached her daughter with open arms and enveloped her into a hug. "How are you finding the ball? Luna just asked the Prince to dance. I'm sure, he'll say yes. She's such a pretty girl," She gushed with glee, not realising she had not given her daughter a chance to reply.

"T-that's nice," The bluenette half-smiled. "Julius and I were-"

"Oh Julius!" The purple-haired woman noticed the young man. "How thoughtful it was for you to take Candace. I was sure no one would take her!"

Candace blushed from embarrassment and sent her mother a pleading look. "Mother could you, er, please-"

"Not now, Candace," Lucinda said dismissively, waving away the bluenette's request with her hand. "So, Julius. Have you been enjoying yourself?"

The fabulous young man nodded. "Yes, in fact, we were just about to go for another dance," He took the shy woman's hand and lead her away, before the mother could say anything else.

X.X.X End of Flashback (back to the future!)

"Julius and I danced, er, until it was time to leave," Candace finished, a dreamy look on her face. The farmer smiled at her stepsister warmly.

"And what about Luna?" Angela asked. 'Don't sound so interested!' She scolded herself. 'You shouldn't care in the first place,'

"Um, she danced with His Highness twice, but, er, from what I saw, he seemed distracted," The bluenette confided.

A small smile came on the rancher's face. She looked out the window at the beautiful rustic leaves, fluttering past by the wind and sighed. Perhaps things would work themselves out...

*Kick the bucket (for anyone that doesn't know) means die. While the witch and wizard have SUPER long lives, they will still die and they are old enough to know that mothers are very good at holding grudges.

*We's uh goin' to the past, is an inside joke that I couldn't resist sticking in. It's supposed to be terrible grammar.

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