Over the course of the evening, CinderAmity was having the time of her life. She danced, played games, shared stories and jokes, and even made new friends, all with the Princess at her side. Even Ghost was having a great time, playing and messing around with Stringbean and a few other palismen running around the ballroom. Soon enough, CinderAmity began to grow feelings of affection towards the Princess; she shared the emotion towards her. But she was having so much fun that CinderAmity had completely forgotten Eda's warning… and midnight was drawing nearer. The couple and their palismen soon made their way out of the bustling ballroom and into the castle gardens for a breath of fresh air. They took a seat on a stone bench under a tree.
Luz cleared her throat after a moment of awkward silence. "…Beautiful night, isn't it?"
CinderAmity looked up at the sky and smiled; the air was clear, the moon was shining, and the stars. "Yeah, it is." She twiddled her thumbs before noticing Ghost and Stringbean were lying near the tree and cuddling together. Luz noticed it too.
"Awww." They said in unison; they both thought it was adorable.
They shared a laugh, but then they felt their fingers brush up against each other. The two girls quickly pulled their hands away in fear and looked at each other in surprise as their faces turned bright red. They stared at one another with wide eyed expressions for a good minute or two, unsure of what to say or do next. After a moment, Luz anxiously scooted closer to CinderAmity.
"I've had a really amazing time tonight." She said.
"Me too." CinderAmity replied with a smile. "Then… maybe you could tell me why… we're so comfortable together."
Luz blinked. "Oh, that's an easy one… I have no idea."
They giggled.
"But if we're being honest, I didn't exactly expect you to come to my party tonight, but I was secretly hoping you would… and I'm really glad you did."
"What do you mean?"
Luz awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I just thought you'd be too cool for something like this."
CinderAmity blushed again and smiled sheepishly. "I'm not as cool as you think."
She smirked. "You know… it's kinda funny."
"What is?"
"We've spent the entire evening together, and I don't even know your name."
CinderAmity paused; she remembered she hadn't given the Princess her name, even when they first met. She feared she would be laughed at or made fun of if she told her; she looked away in embarrassment. "It's a silly name, you wouldn't like it."
Luz took her hand. "Hey, I'm sorry if I'm moving too fast. But I just want you to know that… I have no idea what my future holds, but it would be so cool if you were in it."
"…Really?"
CinderAmity scooted closer, almost nose to nose with the Princess.
"Because I feel the same, but about you." She said simply.
"You do?" Luz asked, sounding hopeful; she nodded. She then put a hand on CinderAmity's cheek and they leaned in closer, their lips almost touching. "So… could you finally tell me your name?"
"My name is…"
But before she could say anything else, the clock tower began to strike the hour. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was twelve o'clock.
"It's midnight?!" CinderAmity gasped in horror.
"Yeah? So what?" Luz answered.
She quickly stood up from the bench. "I'm sorry, but I have to go!"
"Go? When?" Luz also stood up.
"Now! Again, I'm so sorry!"
She gave the Princess a quick kiss on the cheek and ran back into the castle with Ghost in tow.
"Wait! No, don't go!" The Princess cried as she and Stringbean chased after her.
CinderAmity ran through the crowded ballroom and the throng of guests as fast as she could, desperately trying to reach the exit. As she continued to run, the Princess ran after her as she pleaded for her to stop. Meanwhile, Belos and a few other witches he knew were standing near the staircase at the entrance of the ballroom. He was still trying to figure out who the mystery girl was and he told them his concerns.
"I swear I've seen that girl before, I just can't place it." He said.
"Come now, Belos. You're over thinking things. I'm sure you've probably just seen her on a crystal ball or a poster or something." Terra said dismissively, taking a sip of punch from her glass.
"No, it's much more than that. I know it." Belos argued. "Something about her is so infuriatingly familiar, and it's driving me mad. Someone's got to know who that is."
"Well, I have to say that girl's style is very… odd, at best." Adrian commented, making an 'so-so' gesture with his hand. "Her dress was charming, but did you see her shoes? Honestly, who dances in glass heels?"
"Outta of the way!" CinderAmity shouted as she pushed through the group; they all cried out in surprise.
For a split second, she and Ghost made eye contact with Belos; he glared at her. Before she made it up the stairs, he reached out his hand to grab her, but he missed and took out her hair tie instead, letting her hair fall out of its bun. When she made it to the top, Luz stopped at the foot of the stairs and called out,
"At least tell me your name!"
CinderAmity disappeared down the hall before Luz continued after her. Soon, Queen Camila, Lilith, King, Vee, and Luz's friends went after her to see what was wrong. CinderAmity knew Luz wasn't far behind. She kept on running, her heart beating faster and louder with every toll of the clock tower's bell. Soon enough, she finally made her way outside. But while she was racing down the stairs, she stumbled and lost one of her glass slippers. And when the clock finished striking, the Owl Lady's potion had completely worn off. Her carriage had turned back into a peacock pumpkin, her Pegasi were rats again, her coachman and footmen turned back into frogs, and she was once again dressed in rags.
"Oh no, I'm too late." She said, looking at herself shamefully.
"Stop! Come back!" Luz's voice called.
CinderAmity fought back a couple tears. "Goodbye, Luzura."
Noticing her mistress's distress, Ghost quickly turned herself into a staff. Thinking fast, CinderAmity climbed on and flew off towards the abandoned graveyard where she dove through the portal back to the Demon Realm. Moments later, Princess Luzura had finally made it outside but to her disappointment, the mysterious young witch had vanished. She was quickly joined by Camila and her friends.
"Luz! Mija, what happened?" Camila asked.
"What's going on, Luz?" Gus added.
"Is everything okay?" Willow chimed in.
"Wait, where is…?" Lilith started as she looked around.
"She's gone." Luz simply said before falling to her knees; her hand was on the cheek CinderAmity kissed.
Her mother quickly wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "Oh, baby. Hush, it's okay."
"How will I find her now?" A few tears started to stream down Luz's cheeks as she took off her mask.
"I'm so sorry, sis." Vee said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I just wish I knew her name." The Princess sighed, wiping a tear away.
"Wait, you don't even know her name?" Hunter commented in disbelief. "What have you been calling her, 'Hey you'?" Lilith and King gave him disapproving glares. He paused and let out an awkward chuckle; this was no time for jokes. "Uh… Bad timing, right. Sorry."
As Stringbean was comforting her mistress, she noticed a sparkle on the stair. Feeling curious, she flew down towards it to get a closer look; her mood quickly changed when she saw it and did a few flips in mid-air. King noticed the little snake-shifter's behavior and quickly went down the stairs to join her.
"What is it, Stringbean?" He asked before he saw what she had found; it was CinderAmity's lost glass slipper. He picked up the shoe and inspected it before looking at Stringbean. He ran up to the Princess and said, "I know what'll cheer you up, Luz."
"Aw. No bread puns right now, buddy." She sadly replied.
"No. We may not know a lot about your mystery girl, but I do know one thing about her." He said.
"What's that?"
He held up the slipper. "She has really dainty feet."
Luz gawked at the shoe before taking it from King. "Where did you find this?"
"On the stairs. Stringbean found it." He replied as he stroked the snake-shifter's back; she let out a proud little hiss.
Luz looked at the shoe, then at her palisman, then at King. Her face quickly lit up as she pulled them both in for a hug. "King, you mad genius! You and Stringbean just gave me an idea!"
"Huh?" King asked before he was let down.
"Luz?" Camila asked as her daughter stood up.
"Whether she wants to be found or not, I have to see her again." Luz said in a determined tone. She stood up, held the glass slipper close to her chest, and smiled up at the moon. "And this time… I'm gonna find her."