Mongo was infiltrating the boulevard.

Shrek was almost here.

The castle had descended into chaos. The plaza guests, including the Fairy Godmother, were completely unaware.

Music thundered alongside the siege on the castle as Fairy Godmother's voice rang across the kingdom with an all-too-familiar song.

Outside, knights stood atop the castle walls doing everything they could to stop the gigantic gingerbread man while fireworks burst overhead in frantic flashes, briefly illuminating the panic below.

Felicia and Vanity sprinted down the corridor, their dress shoes pounding uncomfortably against the stone as they made their way toward the moat entrance, which was inconveniently located at the opposite end of the castle.

They stopped in their tracks as a violent rumble shook the castle from floor to ceiling.

The girls moved quickly toward the wall. Felicia grabbed the stone to steady herself. "We have to get Shrek inside! He comes in through the moat entrance."

"But he can't see us! That would probably wreck everything!" Vanity said in a panic.

"We should stall the guards. Trip them up somehow."

Vanity smirked. "How about just tripping them?"

Without another word, they nodded and continued toward the entrance. As expected, reinforcements had been called. This was their chance.

At the first hall, Felicia grabbed the first thing she could find, a rolling dessert cart stacked high with dirty dishes. She shoved it directly into the path of an approaching line of guards.

The wheels hit uneven marble stone and veered sideways, sending the cart crashing into the guards. The first knights tumbled immediately, and the others tripped over them like falling dominoes. Dishes shattered across the floor.

Felicia ran before anyone could spot her.

Further ahead, they came upon a hallway lined with decorative suits of armor.

Vanity's grin widened. "Oh, absolutely."

They pushed over one suit, then two, then three, causing a deafening metal crash that transformed the hallway into a minefield of armor pieces. The sound blended perfectly with the chaos already consuming the castle.

As the guards approached, they skidded to a halt at the mess. The room became eerily quiet as the knights searched for the source of the noise.

"You!" shouted one of the guards still sprawled across the floor from the dessert cart. He pointed directly at the girls. "There they are!"

Every helmet turned toward them.

Vanity's smile vanished. "...Well," she muttered, "that was fun while it lasted."

The captain drew his sword. "Seize them!" The knights surged forward.

Vanity grabbed Felicia's wrist and pulled her backward. Before she could think, she planted her feet, raised both hands, and traced a glowing spiral through the air. Golden symbols flickered around her fingertips.

Without a word, thin ribbons of shimmering blue light shot across the hallway, wrapping around the legs of the first two knights. They collided with one another in a spectacular clang before crashing to the marble floor.

Felicia blinked. "V..."

She knew Vanity was part fairy. She had never imagined she could cast magic without an amplifier.

More guards rushed toward them. Vanity swept her arm low across the floor.

For only a heartbeat, the marble shimmered like glass, causing the front line to instantly lose their footing.

Armor crashed into armor as five knights slid helplessly down the corridor, bowling through the toppled suits in a spectacular chain reaction.

Despite everything, both girls burst into laughter.

Another knight managed to keep his footing. He vaulted over the pile of armor and swung his sword, slicing across Vanity's forearm.

She gasped, clutching the fresh cut.

"V!" Felicia shouted.

The wound wasn't deep, but it immediately stained her sleeve crimson.

Something inside Vanity snapped.

Golden-purple sparks erupted from her fingertips before she even realized she'd raised her hand. A brilliant wave of shimmering fairy dust exploded down the hallway.

The knight was launched backward into three others. They toppled like dominoes, crashing through the remaining suits of armor in a spectacular avalanche of steel.

Vanity slowly looked down at her glowing hand. Another tiny spark danced between her fingers before fading away.

Felicia couldn't hide her grin. "I knew you had magic."

Vanity flexed her fingers experimentally once more, but nothing happened.

She frowned. A single purple spark popped from her thumb.

Felicia laughed. "It'll come back!"

The captain, still laying in the pile of knights was struggling to his feet, now thoroughly furious. "Get up! Get off me! After them!"

The girls exchanged one look and sprinted away.

They bolted down the corridor just as another tremendous rumble shook the castle.

Dust drifted from the ceiling. Somewhere outside, Mongo roared.

Vanity glanced over her shoulder at the tangled mountain of knights still trying to untangle themselves before grinning. "You know..."

"What?"

"I think we're getting pretty good at this."

Felicia laughed. "Let's not make it a habit."

They kept moving.

Felicia tipped over trash bins and trophy stands, while Vanity discovered that her fairy magic responded strongest whenever she acted without thinking. She enchanted brooms to dump water buckets across the floor, sent serving trays whirling through the air like spinning shields, and even coaxed a chandelier to swing low like a wrecking ball, with enough to whack a group of knights.

If Shrek was lucky, he now had a clear shot straight to the plaza.

Quickly ducking behind the wall, they peered toward the moat entrance just in time to see Shrek lowering the drawbridge to allow Donkey and the other fairy tale creatures safely inside.

Donkey, now transformed into a stallion, came charging through the gates. Shrek mounted him immediately, and off they went.

The girls exchanged excited looks before making sure the coast was clear. Then they sprinted after them toward the outside plaza, filled with adrenaline. Vanity, still carrying a silver serving tray.

They took a minute to breathe but knew they would have to head back. Fortunately, all of the guards had followed the stallion outside or were completely bested by them, or Puss.

Once they backtracked and reached the ballroom doors, they pressed their ears against them, listening. They couldn't hear anything clearly.

Odds are, Shrek was declaring his love once more to Fiona. Any second, Shrek and others would fight for the wand.

Just as predicted, the sounds from the ballroom suddenly erupted into full chaos. If they entered now, nobody would notice.

Felicia pushed one of the massive doors open just enough to slip through before immediately ducking behind the enormous flowerpot decorations. Vanity followed close behind. From their hiding spot, they watched the madness unfold.

Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, and even the blind mice all did their part to keep the wand out of Fairy Godmother's hands.

The girls climbed over the banister and dropped quietly to the hedges below. Crawling closer to the edge, they peered out and continued watching. And for the first time, Felicia realized she was truly living inside history.

Shrek had made it here because of them.

Bolts of magic sparked wildly from the wand with every struggle. One stray blast struck Pinocchio directly, causing him to gasp excitedly as he briefly transformed into a real boy before immediately changing back again to his disappointment.

"Is there any way we can get the wand?" Vanity whispered. "We need it to go home."

"If we're seen..." Felicia warned, not needing to finish her sentence.

"When Godmother..." Vanity hesitated slightly. "...where does the wand land?"

Felicia pointed toward a spot near the side of the ballroom floor. Not center stage but not entirely hidden either.

Vanity leaned farther out, observing the crowd carefully. Every eye remained fixed on the fight.

Vanity levitated her final serving tray as a shield. She crouched low and hurried toward the opposite side of the ballroom while staying as far off to the side as possible. Felicia ducked behind her as best she could.

One stray spark of magic ricocheted off the tray, nearly knocking Vanity sideways onto her hip.

Both girls froze and glanced upward.

No one noticed.

Vanity dropped her scorched tray. Moving faster now, they darted behind a large marble planter near the royal platform. They were suddenly very close to the King and Queen, Harold shielding Lillian behind him.

It all became quiet as Shrek yelled, "No!"

Charming had kissed Fiona. Both girls stared gob smacked. But not for long, as one swift head-butt from Fiona knocked out Charming. He fell to the ground ungracefully.

Fairy Godmother confronted the King about the tea, to which he simply responded that he must have given her the wrong cup.

Then without warning, Charming had gotten up and stolen the wand form stallion Donkey's mouth. He threw it towards Fairy Godmother.

She caught her wand. A livid grunt came from Fairy Godmother as she screamed, "I told you, ogres don't live happily ever after!"

Everything slowed. The moment Felicia had heard about her entire life was unfolding right in front of her.

Shrek pushed Fiona aside, willing to take the blow. King Harold shouted in distress. In his armor, he threw himself directly in front of Shrek and Fiona. Fairy Godmother's spell struck his armor and ricocheted straight back at her.

She looked down at herself in shock.

Raised the wand again. Then—

Pop!

She vanished.

The wand, and her red glasses, hit the floor with a soft clink as bubbles and glitter drifted down.

Felicia glanced toward Vanity.

Vanity wasn't looking at the wand. She was staring at Charming.

He stood frozen in place, staring at the drifting bubbles as if he couldn't fully process what had happened. His entire world had just collapsed in an instant, one hand resting on the lump on his forehead Fiona had given him.

Then, slowly, reality seemed to hit him. While the rest of the attendees remained stunned by Harold's survival, and new froggy appearance, Charming turned and fled. He vaulted over the side of the plaza wall and disappeared into the night.

To Felicia's surprise, Vanity suddenly began laughing quietly. Not because anything was funny, but because all of her emotions came up at once.

"That was horrible," she whispered harshly. "That was insane. Everything you said was true."

Felicia stayed silent, unsure whether to laugh with her or comfort her.

"My grandmother and my father..." Vanity shook her head. "Gone in one instant."

"You didn't know."

"But you tried to tell me." Vanity laughed bitterly. "I guess villainy is hereditary."

"No," Felicia said firmly.

Vanity looked at her.

"You're better than them," Felicia continued. "And when we get home, you can prove it to everyone. Far Far Away gave my parents a second chance. It's only fair they give yours one too."

For the first time that night, Vanity looked genuinely certain. Before she could respond, the clock tower began to chime midnight.

Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey were about to transform back into themselves. Every eye in the ballroom lifted toward them.

Felicia tensed, preparing herself to sprint.

As the clock continued chiming, spirals of blue magic lifted Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey into the air. The entire ballroom stared upward in awe.

Felicia moved instantly. She slid across the floor, snatched up the wand inches before anyone noticed, and ducked back behind the planter. Breathless, she placed it into Vanity's hands.

"You got us here," Felicia whispered. "You can take us home."

The second Vanity touched the wand, warmth surged up her arm. The wand hummed and began glowing once more. Whatever fairy magic existed in her blood, the wand recognized it.

Felicia stared. "I think that means you're its new owner."

Vanity looked horrified. "Absolutely not."

"But it chose you."

"But it needs to end up in the classroom. And I do not need this as a family heirloom."

They peeked back toward the ballroom just in time to see Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey return to their true forms. Two ogres and one donkey.

Puss and Donkey almost immediately lifted the ballroom's spirits while the celebration resumed around them. Another explosion of fireworks boomed overhead as cheers erupted for the newlyweds, the downfall of Fairy Godmother, and to the heroic king, whom Felicia was proud to have finally "met".

Felicia smiled softly at the sight of her family together. "All is as it should be."

Vanity continued staring down at the glowing wand in her hands. "Almost," she said quietly. "There's still one thing I need to do first."