Thank you for reading Cinderella!

This story arc wound up meaning a lot to me, and I wanted to end it on sincerity. It's also one of the future storyline that could end on "they all lived happily ever after" without being cheesy, and I went for it.

(Maybe it's still cheesy, but this is Cinderella. It's allowed.)

The next storyline will begin May 12, and is going to be a short and simple bit of silliness featuring a receptionist dealing with reports of supernatural nonsense (she's been in literally one canon panel thus far).

After that, I'm not sure. The next longer EGSNP storyline could be back in main canon, or it might be another Alternate Universe scenario. It depends on what I feel most motivated to do. I look forward to finding out!

Now to sleep for two weeks. Story comics will still be happening, but I've assured myself I can sleep-comic. Somehow.

- When last we saw Edward (early 2025?!)

One more comic remains before the conclusion of the epilogue! This will be followed by a two week EGSNP break that I just might really, really need.

Many thanks to everyone who has enjoyed Cinderella! For everyone else, um... Thank you for tolerating Cinderella! I usually underestimate how long storylines will be, but this DEFINITELY went on longer than I could have imagined.

As for this specific comic, it's another of the reasons why I wanted an epilogue.

The father in the original 1697 Perrault Cinderella was very much alive throughout that story, but he basically didn't do anything other than get married. He's so inconsequential to the story that the Disney animated version killed him off in its prologue, and the story makes so much more sense with him written out of it.

Speaking of the Disney movie version, I know people talk about Disney making stories less dark, but they didn't do that with Cinderella. There are lighter elements, such as the music and the animals in outfits, sure, but the stepfamily is far more antagonistic in the animated movie than in the original story.

(If you're thinking "hang on, what about (horrible thing)," you're probably thinking of the later Brothers Grimm version.)

Everything ends with everyone on good terms in the 1697 Cinderella. The "evil stepmother" not learning anything is probably lore accurate.

This comic is one of the reasons why I wanted to have the epilogue. If nothing else, I wanted to show that Sarah and Grace's friendship continued beyond the ball.

I imagine plenty of people would have taken that as given, but I wanted to show it.

She really hasn't.

I'm genuinely not sure what lesson Hope is assuming Bishop has learned. I'm not sure even Hope knows? She might have assumed there must have been something.

I original wrote several other options for where the conversation with Bishop could go, but they all felt like starts of much longer conversations I didn't really want to do. This is the epilogue, darn it! It's meant to be a series of quick moments wrapping things up, not part 7.

Though, for the record, even those other options would have begun with "blah blah blah."

"Blah blah blah" was gold.

- GAH!

- More recent GAH!

Either fairy godmother Hope can go through walls (which hasn't really been supported thus far), or she snuck along the floor in some form and suddenly appeared from there.

Either answer is disconcerting, really.

- The morning after the first night of the ball

- Meeting Liz, wearer of a suit

- "Well, i-it's worth noting that (Liz is)—" (morning after the second night of the ball)

- Ashley interrupted by Sarah a couple comics later, presumably on the verge of mentioning exactly this

"I'm going to actually say it this time, and goodness help anyone who interrupts me!"

Indeed! Liz was actually Lady Liz, daughter of a duke!

Also those other things with Cinderella Tedd and Sarah, but that's old news for us.

There's still moments I wish to show, loose ends to tie, and bits of closure to give, but I consider this the official ending!

(By which I mean there's more to show, but this is the moment I wanted to technically end on, so I'm cheating, but it's technically NOT cheating, as epilogues are an established narrative device! HA!)

Given that I missed Tuesday, am blatantly (not) cheating what counts as an ending, and the epilogue will be relatively short, the next break from EGSNP will be AFTER the epilogue comics.

- The shoe found

- The shoe held (whether it was whispering secrets at that time is unknown)

"So, um, when Cinderella runs out of the ball and leaves a slipper behind, that slipper stays glass while the rest of her magic outfit returns to normal. What, are we to believe this was some sort of, magic upon magic slipper that stays a glass slipper so long as Cinderella isn't wearing it? Boy, I sure hope someone got fired for THAT blunder."

Don't worry, random hypothetical person complaining about about a Fairy Tail from the late 17th century! I've finally fixed that plot hole, thereby making my version of Cinderella the best there's ever been! What's more, I've created a potential hook for a sequel: Cinderella and the Whispering Glass Slipper!

"Oh. I, ah, I was joking, dude. I even quoted The Simpsons. I don't really care about any of that."

...This... ENTIRE ARC... Was written to address that issue after you sent us a letter about it.

"Did... Did I forget to include a 'just kidding'?"

YES. YES YOU DID.

- Gah! (Startling Cinderella)

It's reasonable to assume that Fairy Godmother Hope is nearby at all times. It helps prevent being startled when she inevitably appears.

- Singing!

Past me: "I want Cinderella to choose to go to the ball on the third night for her own reasons, but I ALSO want Sarah to choose to help her! Which do I go with?"

Archdemon Arghleblargh: "Destroy all that was and all that will be."

Past me: "You're right, Arghleblargh! I should do both!"

Archdemon Arghleblargh: "You never listen."

Past me: "Good point! I will order Chinese!"

Archdemon Arghleblargh: "I WANT PIZZA"

- Yelling at the king

This wasn't the only concern Cinderella had, but it was the biggest and most personal. Somewhere in the back of her mind, I'm sure she's thinking "there's also the diplomatic matter of talking to other women, and I'm unaware that has been resolved to the relative satisfaction of most," but it's waaay back there in some dark forgotten corner for the moment.

Meanwhile, Sarah's like "I'd wander off while they're talking, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to sneak away when the person I was speaking with was the prince, so I guess I'll just keep standing here off-panel."

Don't worry, Sarah! You'll get to be on-panel again soon.

Cinderella Tedd: "I have chosen the path of open communication."

Elliot: "Uh, I've heard there's only so much actual communication allowed in any given story. Are we going to be okay?"

Cinderella Tedd: "Don't worry! I borrowed a little from the next one."

Sarah: "But I already borrowed some from that one!"

Cinderella Tedd: "Oh. Well, I'm sure the next storyline will be fine."

Elliot: "What's it about?"

Cinderella Tedd: "Something about someone taking 'calls'? Whatever that means."

Sarah: "Probably nothing to worry about."

- Last scene with Cinderella

- End of that scene with Cinderella

Ah, the classic scene from Cinderella in which Cinderella surprises the prince—and a stepsister who was speaking on her behalf—by returning on the third night after having left on the second night due to personal fears, uncertainty, and the belief that they ultimately couldn't be together.

...

Wait, that's not in ANY Cinderella I'm aware of. What the heck is this?

AND WHAT ABOUT THE SLIPPER?!

- Sarah the witness

Lately, I find myself increasingly liking to list things in three. If I can get alliteration in there, all the better.

I don't think this is a problem, as it tends to sound good, and I generally can't do it every other sentence. If I ever do figure out how to do that, however, I might need to be stopped.

- Last scene with Grace

Truly wicked stepsister of evil Ashley is befuddled! Fortunately, Grace is there to... Sort of help, I guess?

Anyway, Sarah pointed out Ashley to Grace at some point the previous night. This was not shown, but it's reasonably assumed (unless someone would prefer to go the wild conspiracy theory route, but that's no longer reasonably assuming things).

Were EGSNP a full page format, I might have attempted Prince Elliot leaping from the top of the stairs and doing a super hero landing in front of the ever-so-wicked Sarah.

Fortunately for at least one of Elliot's knees, and unfortunately for me, EGSNP is very much landscape (wider than it is tall). I struggled a bit with deciding what he'd do.

The result was unfortunate for the guy I've started thinking of as "Frank." Frank is probably going to find his way into the main canon, and he's going to have mixed feelings about that given that his whole deal is being a nervous underling dealing with nonsense.

- "I'm pretty good at drawing!" "I'll teach you how to sing."

- "My... Hopefully better-than-average singing skills!"

- The bar set too high by singing Princess Ellen (the very next comic)

- "If I can't get to him naturally, I have options."

Sarah used Sing! It was super effective!

"Um, actually, the move 'Sing' can't be super effective. It doesn't even do—"

SUPER EFFECTIVE!

Final boss: Guy with a mustache.

His mustache is maximum, and he stands between Sarah and this fairy tale's happily ever after.

Eyes have locked, cue dramatic music, and roll for initiative.

"Sincerely, your highness, you were meant to mingle and improve relations with various noble houses."

"Yes, but... If I hadn't told the truth, mingled, and still ended up pursuing Cinderella afterwards, might that not have created another form of resentment? One far worse?"

"It is not my job to favor logic contrary to an objective the king has given me."

Me, several days ago while writing this: "In the first panel, she'll explain that Prince Elliot would subconsciously resent anyone who tried to woo him while he was still pining for someone else."

Me, the day I made this comic: "There is absolutely no room in the layout I want for that explanation."

Me, some time after that: "Um... Um... 'His heart lingers in the arms of another!' Yeah, that fits."

Waxing poetic is actually a consequence of authors trying to fit complex feelings into small windows of time or space. The results sounding romantic is an unintentional side effect that writers have learned to roll with. Prior to the realization that people care about pacing, the concept of romance simply did not exist.