Felicia landed hard on her back. The impact knocked the air from her lungs. Dizzy and aching, she grabbed her head and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the violent spinning. Even through her eyelids, the light was blinding.

She blinked her eyes open and lifted a hand to shield her face. Above her stretched a brilliant blue sky, the kind that appears just before sunset, dotted with soft white and gray clouds.

She wasn't in a room.

She was outside.

The air felt warm, like mid-spring. Which made no sense because it was autumn.

Felicia pushed herself upright slowly. Lush green grass cushioned her palms. Ahead of her lay the edge of a forest. Somewhere nearby, a stream rushed gently over stone. Birds chirped. The air smelled fresh and floral but heavy, like rain waiting to fall.

"Where am I?" she whispered.

"No," came T's voice behind her, amused. "You're supposed to say, 'When am I?'"

Felicia twisted around. T stood a few steps away, back turned, twirling the silver wand between her fingers as if this were all a game.

Felicia rose unsteadily. "T? Where are we? What happened back there?"

T didn't answer. She was staring across the small stream.

Felicia stood and walked to T's side. Her jaw dropped.

Across the stream sat a small, quaint cottage, almost storybook-like. But looming behind it was something else. A massive gray stone factory with towering smokestacks that belched ribbons of rainbow-colored smoke into the sky. Recognition prickled at her mind.

"What in Grimm's name is that?" she breathed.

T sighed. "You do ask a lot of questions." She started toward the cottage.

Felicia rushed in front of her. "Whoa—no. We are not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

T lifted the wand slightly. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's... a wand."

"Whose wand?"

Felicia swallowed. "The Fairy Godmother's."

T gestured toward the cottage. "And that?"

"...Her cottage."

"And that?" She tilted the wand toward the factory.

Felicia's stomach dropped. "Her factory."

"Exactly." T's smile was sharp. "You really do know your history."

That's where she'd seen it. In books. In stories. In retellings around the dinner table; her father, Donkey, and Puss laughing about the chaos they'd caused inside that factory while stealing a potion.

After the Fairy Godmother's defeat, a council of magic users such as Merlin, Fowlfeather, and others, had confiscated every enchanted object inside. Once cleared, the factory had been demolished.

They were now standing in history.

Not where. When.

Felicia looked at T slowly. "Your spell. We went back in time."

"Took you long enough."

Her head spun again. "That's forbidden magic. How did you even—why would you—"

"I have you to thank," T cut in. "I found the spell while researching the Fairy Godmother's wand. A forbidden magic book isn't that hard to find if you know where to look." She shrugged. "I tried for weeks. Nothing worked. Until you explained how motion impacts spellcasting."

The realization hit like ice water.

During cheer practice, Felicia had explained magical modifiers. Movements. Precision. She'd handed T the missing piece.

"I practiced every day for a month," T continued. "What I did in Fowlfeather's classroom was mostly a guess. Turns out, it was the right one."

"And Professor Fowlfeather just conveniently taught magical modifiers?" Felicia asked quietly.

T smiled. "I may have suggested it. Stayed after class. Asked the right questions. I knew I'd get into her enrichment course. After that? Easy."

Silence stretched between them.

"You knew about the class ahead of time?" Felicia asked.

"I have friends," T replied. "They said with my abilities, I'd be a shoo-in."

"You keep saying that. What abilities? Are you magical?"

T laughed in an unsettling way.

"You really don't get it," she said, stepping closer. "Blonde hair. Blue eyes. And you still don't see it?"

Felicia stared at her, confused. T sighed.

"Maybe we should start over."

She extended her hand. "I'm Vanity. Vanity Charming of Far Far Away."

Felicia froze. "Charming. As in Prince Charming?"

T flipped her hair back with deliberate elegance.

"Charming," Felicia repeated faintly. "Your father is Prince Charming?"

"Obviously."

"And that makes the Fairy Godmother your—"

"Fairy Grand-mother."

"Which makes you..."

T lifted the wand and drew it down her body. Glitter spiraled around her as her school uniform dissolved into fitted brown trousers tucked into sleek boots, a navy cloak draped over a tan shirt. A satchel appeared at her hip. She slid the wand inside.

"Yes," she finished coolly. "Part fairy."

Everything clicked.

"You got close to me to learn the spell," Felicia said slowly. "You're not my friend. You want revenge. You think what happened to your family was my fault!"

"It was!" T snapped. "And I'm going to fix it."

An explosion thundered from the factory causing both girls to slightly jump. Sirens blared. The smoke from the stacks darkened to deep purple.

"That's my cue," T said, pulling up her hood.

Felicia grabbed her shoulder. "You cannot go in there."

"Why not?" T shot back, shoving her hand away.

"For one, I'm not letting you hurt my family. And for another, you'll be turned into a bird! Or worse! Trust me!"

T hesitated.

More screams echoed across the clearing.

"And time travel has laws," Felicia pressed. "If anyone sees you or talks to you, we could change everything. We might already have."

"If it helps," T muttered, "I'm not planning to kill your dad."

Another crash. The factory doors burst open. Shrek, Donkey, and Puss came sprinting out, running towards the bridge.

They were seconds from being seen.

Felicia didn't think. She grabbed T's arm and dragged her toward the woods.

"Let go of me!" T struggled.

Felicia hoisted her over her shoulder. "Shush! They'll hear us!"

She sprinted into the trees and ducked behind a fallen trunk, dropping T beside her but keeping a firm grip.

"Let go, you ogre!" T hissed.

Felicia clapped a hand over her mouth.

They watched in silence as Shrek, Donkey, and Puss raced past.

Once they were out of sight, Felicia released her.

"That is my father," Felicia said, low and fierce. "And nothing is happening to him."

"I'm here for my father," T shot back. "And nothing is happening to him."

They glared at each other.

"I don't know what you think you're fixing," Felicia said, "but if you want my help, you have to talk to me."

"I brought you here to show you you're wrong," T said. "My family's not evil. You had no right to take everything from us."

"They were planning to ruin a marriage and overthrow the kingdom!"

T groaned in frustration.

"You can't go in there," Felicia insisted. "And we can't be seen. So, let's stay here. Talk. Help me understand you. And I'll help you understand me." She hesitated. "And if I end up agreeing with you... I won't stop you."

T's blue eyes softened slightly. "Really?"

"Really, really."

A rain drop hit Felicia's shoulder. Both girls looked up at the rain beginning to fall. Lightly at first, but within seconds, it turned into a downpour.

"We need shelter!" T shouted over the storm.

She pulled out the wand from the satchel and waved it like an orchestra conductor. Fallen branches, logs, and leaves lifted from the forest floor, weaving together into a small shelter.

They scrambled inside.

T dried herself with a quick spell. After a brief pause, she did the same for Felicia, while also transforming her school uniform into something more practical in the process.

"Thanks," Felicia said.

T only nodded.

They sat across from each other, knees drawn up, listening to the storm raging around them.

And for the first time since arriving, neither of them spoke.

Before she knew it, Felicia's eyes became heavy, her mind had quieted, and the sound of rain began to lull her sleep.