"Don't fall!" Unikitty shouted.

"I'm not going to fall. I promise."

Marie reached up, putting the streamers near the ceiling. It was Sunday night, approximately three hours before Unkitty's ball.

She stepped down from the latter, looking up to appreciate her work.

"Nice underwear." Unikitty commented.

"Goodness! I thought this dress had shorts underneath."

Unikitty laughed, "I'm teasing, bestie. You're fine. You did a super excellent job! Everything looks cute!"

Marie sighed, "Thanks...and never scare me like that again. I was wearing this all day, and it was windy."

"I think we're just about done. We just need to set up the dessert table, then we can get ready!" Unikitty bounced.

Marie smiled, "I can't wait to see Rex."

"This is pretty serious Marie. You gotta impress him! If this date doesn't go well, then it'll be awkward and if it's awkward, there's no chemistry." Unikitty gasped, "And if there's no chemistry, there's no true love's kiss!"

Marie sighed, "I'll be fine, Unikitty. Rex really likes me. I'm positive this date will work out...then I can be his girlfriend."

"Then wife! Then you have his kid-"

"You are getting way too ahead!" Marie pushed Unikitty playfully, "Let us start off with a normal boyfriend and girlfriend relationship."

Unikitty groaned, "But I wanna see you guys be like Emmet and Lucy."

"That's going to take some time. Just be patient. After a few years together, we'll know for sure what we want."

"A few years?!" Unikitty sunk.

Marie put a white tablecloth over an empty table. "Let's just finish this up. I want to get dressed already. I have to look my prettiest for Rex!"

——————————————————————

After the ballroom was fully decorated, Marie and Unikitty headed upstairs to get dressed for the party. Unikitty actually didn't need much. After all, she's a unicat.

Marie stood behind the changing station, as Unikitty stood at her dressing room vanity, combing out her fur.

"How are you doing back there?" Unikitty asked.

"I'm fine." Marie replied, "But this dress shows more cleavage than I like."

Marie could be heard making adjustments.

"Ah, there we go! That's not so bad."

She stepped out, twirling in her gorgeous ball gown.

"What do you think?"

Unikitty turned, "Wow! So pretty!"

Marie picked up the skirt's fabric, elegantly bowing. Her pink colored ball gown glittered like stars, as she walked into the light illuminated by the vanity.

"Let me brush your hair!" Unikitty bounced.

"Alright. Don't mess it up. I already styled it down." Marie sat in front of the vanity.

Unikitty picked up a brush with her magic, sliding it through Marie's hair.

"Not even a braid? I know you like your pink, but you're going to have to cut it sooner or later. You're almost stepping on it."

Marie shifted, "Um-"

"Actually, your face frames are clearly cut but they're still pink." Unikitty gasped, "Have you been lying to me?! Is this pink not natural?!"

"It is!" Marie sighed, "It just...comes back. I never told anyone because it's very unusual. I don't want people to think I'm some weird creature, when I'm very much human."

"It what?"

Marie turned her head slightly, "If I cut my hair, the pink just goes up on my brunette hair. I never lose the color."

Unikitty blinked, "Woah. That's so cool!"

"It's just a hidden fact about me. Sometimes it even glows in the dark." Marie shifted, "What time is it?"

Unikitty looked at the heart shaped clock on the wall, "Gosh, did it really take us that long?!"

"After makeup, hair, dress. That's actually pretty good timing. We also spent a little extra time on picking out my shoes."

Unikitty put down the brush, "Put on your tiara! It's the finishing touch!"

"Right. My tiara."

Marie picked up her solid gold tiara from Unikitty's vanity. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, placing it on her head.

"I haven't worn this in...forever."

"Well now you can wear it a lot more! Because after tonight, you're taken! That's what it means to wear a tiara, right?"

"Sometimes." Marie stood up, "Let's head downstairs. I hope Rex gets here soon."

——————————————————————

Marie watched the guests come in, she eagerly waited for Rex. She was usually very patient, but she really wanted to see him.

Unikitty hopped up to her, noticing her anxiousness. "Rex will be here soon. Don't worry!"

Marie smiled, blushing lightly at the thoughts of her crush.

"Do you think he'll look handsome? Do you think he really got all dressed up for me? He said he would."

"I definitely wouldn't be surprised. You're so excited! I can tell!" Unikitty cheered, "If you're happy, I'm happy. You're my best friend after all."

Two familiar faces entered Unikitty's castle. Marie looked forward, and Unikitty jumped.

"Heya, Emmet! Wyldstyle!"

Emmet waved, walking over to them with Lucy at his side.

"Hey! Princess, you look super fancy."

"Thank you." Marie replied, "This is definitely one of my favorite gowns."

"And your jewelry. Is that the necklace Rex gave you?"

Marie looked down, touching her necklace.

"Yeah. It's my favorite thing right now. Speaking of Rex, have you seen him?"

"We haven't today." Lucy spoke up, "But he was excited about seeing you tonight. He's definitely coming, trust me."

"That's good to hear." Marie spoke, relieved.

"You know, I'm glad he's moving on." Lucy smiled, "He probably really missed the feeling of having a girlfriend."

"And I've never had a boyfriend. This is a completely new experience for me."

Marie looked towards the entrance again, Her eyes lit up when she finally saw Rex step inside the ballroom.

He looked back at the doorway, waiting silently. He wore his planned suit, and Marie absolutely loved it on him. She was so in love.

She smiled her brightest, walking over to him.

"Rex!"

Rex turned towards her, staring at her with a lack of emotion. Marie stopped in front of him, blushing deeply as her eyes twinkled.

"You look so handsome. Just like a prince. I tried my best to be pretty for you." She lifted her skirt, "Do you like my gown?"

Rex didn't respond to her, and she suddenly became aware of his blank stare. That most definitely wasn't like him. His eyes were so empty.

Marie's smiled faded, "Re-"

"Hello, princess."

Jade spoke, as she walked out from behind Rex. She held onto Rex's arm, leaning against him. Her stare was evil, and menacing.

"Rex...who's this?" Marie asked.

"I'm Jade." Jade spoke for him, "I'm his girlfriend."

Marie froze in shock, "G-Girlfriend?"

"Yes, Rex and I have known each other for a while. Last minute he asked me to be his date, how could I say no? It was tonight that we realized we were totally in love. Now we're a couple!" Jade lied, but Marie didn't know that.

Marie looked at Rex, growing more saddened by the second. The pinks ends of her hair flickered.

She stepped closer, "Rex, what about me? I thought you...really wanted to date me."

Jade whispered something in his ear.

Rex looked down at Marie, lowering his eyelids slightly. "I've changed my mind. I don't love you."

Marie teared up, stepping back.

"Rex...you..." She paused, putting on a fake smile. "You have been such a kind friend to me. If this is what you want then...that's okay. I wish you only happiness."

"We don't have all night, princess." Jade interrupted, "I'd love to stay and chat, but Rex and I have a party to get to."

Jade walked away, "Come on, Rex."

Rex stared at Marie, showing a slight change in expression. It almost appeared like he was in pain.

Jade stopped, turning her head slightly. Her eyes glowed as she became agitated with Rex not following orders. "Rex!"

Rex turned, quickly going after Jade.

Marie stood in complete shock, and was left with a broken heart. She hugged herself, leaning against the wall. The sadness just too much for her to bear anymore.

"No..." she cried, "No, no. This isn't real. Rex...my prince..."

"Marie?" Unikitty bounced up to her, "What's going on?"

Marie looked at her best friend as tears rolled down her cheeks, "H-He...found someone else."

Unikitty's eyes widened in shock, "No! That's not possible."

Marie wiped her tears, "Sorry. Excuse me."

She exited to the castle balcony, leaving Unikitty.

"What?! No, there's no way this is happening!" Unikitty shouted.

Emmet and Lucy walked up to her, "What's happening?"

"Rex is with another woman!"

"Huh?" Emmet stood in disbelief, "There's no way. Rex wasn't seeing anyone else."

"Something fishy is going on here." Unikitty turned, "I'm going to comfort Marie. Can you two find out what's going on? Rex wouldn't change his mind like this. I know he wouldn't."

"Yeah. We'll do what we can." Emmet frowned, "I'm worried about him."

Unikitty moved, joining Marie out on the balcony.

Emmet and Lucy moved through the ballroom, trying to keep a low profile while they looked out of Rex.

"There's a lot of people here." Emmet noticed.

"Let's just find Rex. I'm very curious about this woman he's with."

The couple moved through the crowd, spotting Rex and Jade on the sidelines.

Jade smiled, though Rex wasn't much for conversation she appeared to be chatting away about whatever came into her mind.

Emmet and Lucy walked up to the two.

"Rex." Emmet called.

Rex turned to look at him, and Jade showed annoyance. She tried not to make it too obvious.

"You're Rex's friend. Emmet, right?" She stepped forward, "He's with me tonight."

"I need to talk to him. It's important."

Jade tensed up, "Um, well he-"

"Rex." Lucy interrupted, "What are you doing? Who is this?"

"I'm Jade. I'm his girlfriend."

"We're not talking to you!" Lucy raised her voice. Jade growled, "You should mind your business."

Emmet stepped forward, "Rex, please say something. You need to explain this. Why aren't you with Marie?"

"I love Jade." Rex replied in a flat tone.

Emmet frowned, "But you've never mentioned her before, and you tell me everything. You were so excited to see Marie tonight. This just isn't like you."

Emmet waved his hand in front of Rex's face.

"You're not fully there. Rex, hey!"

Jade grabbed Rex's arm, "Ignore them, dear. Look, we just want a good date night. Can you leave us alone?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "Who are you?"

"Me?" Jade shrugged, "No one special. I'm just a simple girl working at the coffee shop downtown."

"Let me rephrase that." Lucy stepped up to Jade, "What are you?"

"Huh?"

"Rex isn't himself. He's obviously under some kind of spell...but we've never seen magic like this before. You must have come from a very far away place."

Jade shook, backing up.

"U-Um, Rex. Let's go."

"You're not-"

Before Lucy could finish talking, Jade and Rex had disappeared in the flash of green light.

Emmet stood confused, "Woah, where did they go?!"

"Dang." Lucy looked around, "There's gotta be a way to track them down."

"Did...I just see a flash of light over here?"

Emmet and Lucy turned to see Caylus. Emmet smiled, "Dude, you're here!"

"I had to come, but I'm not actually a party guy. I was hanging out in the library." Caylus said, "You two look worried."

"Rex is in trouble." Lucy stated, "Some weird girl has him under a spell. Can you sense supernatural beings by any chance?"

Caylus closed his eyes concentrating on his surroundings, "Hmm...there's an energy upstairs. On the forth floor."

"Upstairs. That must be them." Lucy turned to Emmet, "We need to tell Unikitty and Marie."

——————————————————————

"Marie." Unikitty frowned, "Shh, come on. You're going to ruin your makeup, and your hair! Wow, okay."

Due to Marie's stress, her pink hair had lit up the area with a pale pink light. You couldn't see the true glow from inside.

"I don't care." Marie cried. She gripped her necklace, looking at the ground below.

"That's another love lost." Marie wiped her eyes, "It's hopeless, I'll never find my prince. I thought...he was the one."

"He IS the one." Unikitty responded, "Marie, something is wrong. This is a big misunderstanding."

"Girls!" Emmet called, walking out onto the balcony. "Rex, he's under a spell."

Marie turned, "W-What?"

"That girl he's with has magical abilities. There's no other explanation. She's hiding upstairs, but with Caylus helping us, it'll be a lot easier to catch her."

Unikitty turned, "Marie, did you hear that?! Rex still loves you! He's just under a spell!"

"A...spell..." Marie thought for a moment, "So, do you think I'm actually his true love after all?"

"Definitely! Let's get to him Marie!" Unikitty jumped, "We have to stop that awful woman."

——————————————————————

Jade couldn't avert her eyes from Rex. She ran a hand through his bangs, before moving her hand down to feel his stubble.

Rex, of course, didn't have a reaction to any of this. He simply watched her mindlessly.

The two stood in the same storage room where Rex and Marie met. Jade turned looking out the window to observe the beautiful night sky.

"Okay, let's discuss the important stuff." She started, "What should we name our kids?! Okay, hear me out. Diana for a girl, and Cedric for a boy? Huh? Rex, what do you want, boy or girl?"

Rex processed her question.

"Boy."

"Right! You totally seem like that kind of guy." She hummed, "I have one of those fairy rings that predicts your future baby's gender. I can try it out."

Jade suddenly grew quiet, as she thought about the events leading up to this point. She did notice a couple things about Rex that she hadn't noticed before.

"Um, sweetie...your voice actually sounds a little bit different. Just a little bit. Maybe because you're more, um...rested. It sounds strangely familiar though. Why is that?" Jade asked.

"I share a voice with Emmet." Rex replied.

"Oh, your friend? " Jade paused, "Share a voice? Oh, are you like brothers or something?"

"No."

"Ugh, I should have researched more." Jade sighed, "Cousins?"

"No."

"Right." Jade paused, "Are you related at all?"

"Yes." Rex answered.

Jade was relieved to finally get a yes from him.

"Okay, cool. You're related, but how so?"

Rex blinked, lowering his gaze slightly.

"We're the same person."

"Huh? Um, can you repeat that?"

"We're the same person."

Jade laughed nervously, "Right. I definitely heard that correctly. That...must have been a secret."

Jade was now extremely curious about it. Rex wasn't entirely who she thought he was.

"How is that even possible?"

"I'm from an alternate timeline." Rex replied weakly, "Caylus Clark brought me here with time manipulation magic."

"Caylus Clark." Jade hummed, "Never heard of him. That power sounds absolutely incredible."

She turned to Rex, suddenly seeing Emmet in his features.

"I actually don't think your friend is all that attractive. Knowing that you're a different version of him is a bit off putting. You know, it's fine. Maybe I'll get used to it."

The door to the storage room opened, causing Jade to jump. The friend group entered the room. Unikitty growled, "You! You're-!"

"Unikitty, calm down." Marie spoke up.

"No! Marie, she purposely came tonight to make you unhappy. That, and the fact that she's controlling Rex is unforgivable!" Unikitty turned red.

Jade growled, "Leave us alone! I love Rex, you can't take him away from me!"

"This is not Love." Lucy said, "This is an obsession. Since when is something like this considered loving?!"

"Yes, she's right." Emmet sounded, "Please let Rex go."

Jade was angry, and not willing to surrender. She tried teleporting, but was shocked when her power didn't work. That was only possible if she was energy blocked by a nearby magic user.

"What?" She looked forward, "Who blocked my power?!"

Caylus stepped forward, appearing from behind his friends.

"That would be me."

Jade's eyes widened. She observed Caylus in full detail, blushing lightly.

"Woah...you're smoking hot!"

Caylus blinked, "What?"

Jade realized what she said, "Um...I mean, you shouldn't have done that! Rex is going to be mine, and none of you can put a stop to it!"

"We're not getting anywhere talking to her." Unikitty spoke, "We should try talking to Rex. We need to help him break free of this."

"Rex is mine!" Jade snapped, "You won't be able to. My power is far too great."

Unikitty pushed Marie forward.

"Huh?"

"Please." Unikitty begged, "Try something."

Marie looked at Rex as she stepped closer. She tensed up, visibly nervous.

"Rex, I love you." Marie stepped forward, touching his cheek. He showed a slight reaction to her touch.

"Hey-!" Jade was stopped by Caylus, she looked up at him.

"Don't interrupt. This isn't right, you know this."

Jade hid her pink tinted cheeks with her hair, as she looked away in frustration.

Marie's eyes watered, "She may have your mind, but...I know your heart belongs to me. And mine to you."

She moved her hand away, as she held her necklace. "You make me so happy. I've never felt this way about anyone else. I know that it's you I love, and it's you that I'll love forever. My tough guy."

Marie stepped closer, putting her hands against Rex's chest for support. She looked upwards, and into his eyes.

"You are my true love, Rex. I know you are. I love you...so much."

Marie wasn't sure why she felt compelled to do such a thing, but she felt like she had to do something to show Rex how she felt about him.

Marie stood on her toes, leaning upwards. She closed her eyes, kissing his lips as gently as she could manage.

Rex's eyes had suddenly lost their bright green tint. He closed his eyes, welcoming the kiss.

Everyone stood surprised, as Jade growled quietly in anger.

The two pulled away. Marie looked up at Rex, hoping that was enough to get through him.

Rex looked at her, appearing confused.

"Marie."

"Rex?"

Rex moved her hair away from her face, "You...kissed me."

Marie blushed, "But it worked. I broke the spell. It was true love's kiss."

Rex looked up at everyone, looking confused.

"Woah, what's going on? What happened?"

Emmet sighed, "Rex, it's really you."

Unikitty hopped forward, "Rex! Some meanie put a spell on you! She tried to take you away from Marie!"

"She...what?"

Rex recalled the last thing he remembered vividly.

"Jade? Jade had powers?" Rex held his temple, "Ow. Killer headache."

Marie hugged Rex, snuggling into his torso.

"Rex. I was so worried."

"Marie." Rex stroked her hair, "You're so gorgeous. Did you dress up like this for me?"

"I tried." Marie looked up, "I love you, Rex."

Rex smiled, lifting her chin.

"I love you too. Man, that feels so good to say."

Jade was overwhelmed, she pushed Caylus away, running out of room pretty fast despite wearing heels.

"Hey!" Unikitty called.

"She can't possibly get that far." Lucy turned, "But Unikitty, don't try to kill her. Okay? I know you're mad, but we can talk this out."

"Still, I don't want her to get away. Let's go look for her."

The group agreed to do so, exiting the room. Rex kept Marie close so she'd stay behind with him.