Once upon a time in a far away kingdom, there lived a gentle and modest widowed merchant and his daughter who was an intelligent filly with a kind heart and sweet disposition; this made her beloved by her father and everypony else she knew. As time went by, the filly grew lovelier as her father grew lonelier. Since his first wife passed away many years ago, he had been looking for another mare to wed so that he could give his daughter a new mother figure.
One day, he met Lady Adagio Dazzle, a mare with two daughters of her own, Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze. The merchant married Lady Dazzle and he introduced her to his daughter as her new stepmother. On the outside, Lady Dazzle was a poised, well-known mare of keen feeling and refined taste; however she spent most of her time doting on her two daughters, spoiling them until they were just as vile, selfish, vain, and rotten as she was. Despite her many attempts, the young mare was never able to grow close to her new stepmother.
One stormy night, the merchant grew horribly ill. His faithful daughter stayed by his side every moment, caring for him to the best of her abilities while his new wife kept her distance. He declared his undying love for his daughter before sadly passing away.
This made Lady Dazzle grow jealous of her Alicorn stepdaughter and a new hatred for the young mare formed in her ice-cold, black heart. She seized the family fortune and spent it all on her daughters, relieving the house staff of their responsibilities and forcing the Alicorn to become a servant in her own home. Despite her stepfamily being so cruel to her, the young mare kept her kind heart, generous nature, and loving spirit. She did the cooking and cleaning around the house without speaking one word of complaint or contempt.
Sometimes when it was too cold in the drafty attic where she slept, the mare would sleep by the amber glow of the dying fire of the hearth to keep warm and the ashes would blow over her body, covering her coat and face in a fresh blanket of dust and ashes and making her look gray and dirty whenever she woke up the next morning. The three mares would make fun of the poor pony so much that they started calling her CinderSparkle. Despite the insults, chores, and occasional beatings, CinderSparkle always looked on the bright side of things and secretly wished that someday this nightmare would come to an end and she would finally be happy.
One morning, CinderSparkle was scrubbing the floor of the foyer when she heard a knock at the door. She curiously opened it to see one of the king’s royal messengers standing before her. The messenger loudly blasted a trumpet in her face before announcing:
“HEAR YE! HEAR YE! THEIR MAJESTIES, THE KING AND QUEEN—”
Before she could finish, CinderSparkle interrupted the messenger by clearing her throat and saying,
“You don’t have to shout, I’m right here. I can hear every word you’re saying just fine.”
“Whoops.” The messenger apologized before giving a scroll with the royal seal to CinderSparkle and saying, “Their Majesties, the King and Queen have requested all eligible mares to attend a Grand Gala tomorrow evening in honor of their only son, the Prince where he might select a bride.”
“A Gala?! Tomorrow night?!” CinderSparkle exclaimed as she held the invitation in her magical embrace; her eyes wide with excitement. “This is fantastic! I have to tell stepmother right away! Thank you very much!”
The messenger smiled, nodded, picked up her trumpet, and happily skipped off to the next house where CinderSparkle could hear her blowing her trumpet loudly in somepony else’s ears. She rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smirk before closing the door behind her. CinderSparkle was so excited about the Gala that she didn’t even notice the dark glares her stepfamily was giving her when she barged in on their breakfast to tell them the news.
“CinderSparkle, what in the name of Equestria are you doing?! You know not to interrupt our meals like this!” Lady Dazzle scolded.
“Oh! I-I’m sorry, Stepmother. I didn’t mean to barge in, I was just—” CinderSparkle stuttered.
“Hey, what’s that?” Sonata asked, seeing the scroll.
“Let me see it!” Aria said as she took the scroll from her stepsister.
"Hey! Let go of that!" "No! Gimme that back! I wanna see it!" “I saw it first!” “No, I saw it first!” “It’s my turn!” “No, it’s my turn!” “Is not!” “Is too!” “Is not!” “Is too!”
As the two ponies continued to argue over the scroll, Lady Dazzle calmly took the invitation from her two daughters with her magic, opened it, and read it silently to herself. As she read, she gasped to herself as her eyes seemed to brighten every few seconds. The moment she finished reading the scroll, she excitedly stood from her chair and smiled.
“Sweet Celestia! This is wonderful news! Our big chance!” She exclaimed before turning her attention to her daughters. “Girls. Girls! GIRLS! Stop fighting! It’s a message from the palace!”
“The PALACE?!” Sonata and Aria cried; their arguing abruptly stopping.
“Yes, it’s true! The King and Queen are inviting us to a Gala tomorrow evening! It’s for the Prince to find a bride!” Lady Dazzle answered, holding up the invitation with her magic.
“A BRIDE?!?” Sonata and Aria excitedly squealed.
The three ponies cheered and jumped for joy at the prospect of meeting and possibly being wed to the Prince himself. CinderSparkle cleared her throat to get their attention.
“Uh, Stepmother? Did you read the part about every eligible mare being invited?” She asked.
All too soon, the room went quiet. Lady Dazzle broke the silence by glaring at her stepdaughter as she grumbled,
“Yes, I did… Why?”
“No reason. But, I was just thinking… can I go to the Gala, too?” CinderSparkle asked, a bashful look on her face.
“You?! Go to the Gala?!?” Sonata and Aria scoffed; Lady Dazzle put her hoof over her face and closed her eye as she shook her head.
“Have you lost your mind, CinderSparkle?!” Sonata said.
“What would a Prince want with an ugly servant pony like you?!” Aria added.
“But, I just thought—” The Alicorn started before hearing her stepmother’s voice.
“Girls, enough.” Lady Dazzle ordered before looking back at her stepdaughter. “Well, let’s see, CinderSparkle. How do I put this delicately? …No.”
She gave CinderSparkle a cruel glare and smiled wickedly; her daughters following suit. The room was quiet again. CinderSparkle’s hopeful smile suddenly twisted into a disappointed frown and her eyes softened.
“What? But-but… but why, Stepmother?” CinderSparkle asked.
“Is it not obvious, dear? You’re all raggedy and filthy. You can’t go to the Gala dressed like this. Everypony would just laugh at you if you came in these old things. And we wouldn’t want that, would we? You stay put, Gala out. No. Bye, bye. End of subject.” Lady Dazzle said bluntly.
Sonata and Aria laughed harshly at their disappointed stepsister. CinderSparkle looked at herself with a shameful expression and sighed; her stepmother was right. Lady Dazzle and her daughters soon went back into the house to pick out their outfits for the Gala.
“CinderSparkle! Come here! NOW!” Lady Dazzle demanded; the dusty Alicorn nervously followed close behind the group of three.
The next day, CinderSparkle helped her stepmother and stepsisters get ready for the Gala that night. There was a lot of primping, grooming, and dressing involved and it was very difficult. And when her chores were done and everypony was ready to go, CinderSparkle couldn’t help but feel sadder as she watched her stepfamily prep themselves; she knew she could never be as lovely as them. Then it was time to head to the palace.
“We’ll be out very late, I’m sure.” Lady Dazzle said to CinderSparkle as she and her daughters stood in the open doorway.
“So try not to do anything stupid while we’re gone.” Aria commented.
“And clean up while you’re at it.” Sonata added.
“Well, I hope you have a good time.” CinderSparkle said.
“You know we will. Come on, girls; the Prince awaits. Oh! And one more thing, CinderSparkle… don’t follow us. Have fun.”
And with that being said, the three wicked mares left the house for the Gala, locking the door behind them so CinderSparkle couldn’t follow. The moment the three mares were out of sight, the Alicorn couldn’t help but feel very somber when she was left alone. Sadly, CinderSparkle gazed out the window at the shimmering castle in the distance. She sighed as she leaned on her hoof on the window sill, she felt like crying at this point. As she looked at the castle, she saw a falling star soar across the sky and made a wish.
“I wish… I wish I could go to the Gala.” CinderSparkle said before throwing herself onto the floor and sobbing to herself.
CinderSparkle was just about to give up all hope when all of a sudden, a bright light shown into the room only she was too sad to notice. When the light disappeared, a hoof from somewhere unknown reached out and tenderly gave the crying Alicorn’s back a pat.
“Don’t cry, it’s alright. Not all hope is lost.” An unfamiliar voice said.
CinderSparkle abruptly lifted her head from the floor and looked around for the source. Then she noticed the hoof on her shoulder. She gasped, stood up, looked behind her, and there standing before her was a mysterious and beautiful mare she had never seen before. CinderSparkle gasped and stepped back in surprise.
“No, no. I won’t hurt you. It’s okay, CinderSparkle.” The mare said reassuringly.
Scared and dumbfounded, CinderSparkle asked, “H-how do you know my name? Who are you?”
“Who am I? I thought that would’ve been pretty obvious. I’m your Fairy Godmother.”
“Fairy…? But-but-but… I didn’t know I had a Fairy Godmother!”
“Of course you do! Everypony does… Well, at least ponies who truly deserve our help.”
“Help?”
“Of course, that’s why I’m here. I’m here to grant your wish… to help you to go to the Gala.”
“The Gala? You mean it?”
“Yes. Now before I do anything, I’ll need some supplies. Can you get me an apple real quick?”
“An apple? Uh… sure. Yes, of course.”
CinderSparkle was clearly confused by this strange request, but she didn’t want to argue. So she retrieved an apple from a fruit bowl sitting on a table and held it up to her Godmother.
“Perfect. Now just set that on the floor in front of me and… you might want to take a few steps back for this.” The Fairy said.
CinderSparkle nodded and slowly backed away from the apple while her Godmother stood above it. The Fairy closed her eyes and activated her magic before the apple on the floor was engulfed in a bright red light and it began to shake, mutate, and morph in kind. It grew larger and larger, hollowing itself out and growing all sorts of new different features. By the time she was done, the apple had been transformed into a beautiful carriage. CinderSparkle gasped in awe, her eyes wide with astonishment.
“There we go. One gorgeous carriage, check.” The Fairy said proudly. “Now, do you have any little animals running around here?”
“Yes, we do. We have a few mice or rats around here somewhere, but I never have the heart to hurt them.” CinderSparkle replied.
“Great. Do you think you can find some for me?”
“Sure, I think so. But what do you need small animals for?”
“Trust me, nothing bad will happen to them. I promise.”
Without missing a beat, four little white mice, a big gray rat, and two sleek green lizards ran out of a hole in the wall right in front of CinderSparkle and stopped at the Fairy’s hooves. CinderSparkle took another few steps back as her Godmother curiously inspected the seven little creatures before her.
“Uh… This is a little more than I bargained for, actually.” She said, blinking a few times and standing straight again. “Oh well. These should do just fine.”
“What are you going to do to them?” CinderSparkle asked.
“Watch.”
Fairy Godmother’s horn glowed again and this time, her magic transformed the white mice into four stunning white chargers, the rat was turned into an elderly gray stallion with whiskers to drive the carriage, and the two lizards were turned into two dashing pony ushers. The group made their way to the carriage, positioning themselves for the mare’s departure. CinderSparkle’s eyes widened again as she gaped at the now fully equipped carriage.
“This is perfect. Now you’re ready to go.” The Fairy said as she gestured her hoof toward the open carriage door.
“What?” CinderSparkle said, looking down at herself, then back at her Godmother. “No, I can’t go to the Gala dressed like this.”
“What? Oh yeah! Yeah! The dress! Sorry, I completely forgot about that part. Okay, just close your eyes and hold still. I promise this won’t hurt a bit.”
CinderSparkle did as she was told. Once again, the Fairy Godmother activated her magic and a bright red light surrounded the Alicorn as she was lifted into the air. In a big explosion of light, CinderSparkle reappeared wearing a beautiful gown in shades of blue, pink, and purple with her mane done into a sleek, elegant bun and sparkling crystal slippers were on her hooves.
“Okay, CinderSparkle, you can look now.” Fairy Godmother said, turning off her magic.
CinderSparkle slowly opened her eyes, excited and afraid to see what had just happened to her. She looked at herself and gasped in awe as she beheld the dress she was wearing.
“Sweet Celestia. I… I… I look incredible! Thank you, Godmother! Thank you so much!” She cried, embracing the Fairy tightly before climbing into her apple carriage. “I’m so excited, this is a dream come true!”
“You’re very welcome. I don’t go around doing this sort of thing for just anypony, you know.” Fairy Godmother said.
Suddenly, CinderSparkle remembered something; Lady Dazzle. “Godmother, what about my stepmother and stepsisters?”
“Oh, them? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they don’t recognize you.”
The Fairy’s horn glowed with magic again and added a special silver headband studded with blue gems into CinderSparkle’s mane to make it so that her stepfamily wouldn’t be able to know who she was.
“Now off you go, for you shall go to the Gala.”
“I can’t thank you enough for this!”
“Please, don’t mention it; I’m always happy to help. Oh, wait! I almost forgot! Like all dreams, this one doesn’t last forever. So remember, you must leave the Gala by midnight.”
“Midnight? Why? What happens if I’m not?”
“Because at the last echo of the last bell of the last stroke of twelve, all of the spells I’ve cast will be broken and everything will return to what it was before. Do you promise?”
“Don’t worry, Godmother. I’ll be home by midnight, I promise.”
“Good. Now go enjoy yourself. And remember… nopony deserves this more than you.”
And with that, the Fairy Godmother used her magic to unlock and open the front doors of the house and the apple carriage quickly pulled its way out of the foyer and it began its journey to the castle to the Gala. CinderSparkle smiled excitedly and waved goodbye to her Fairy Godmother as she waved back.
“Oh, I do hope she remembers the curfew. It’ll be so embarrassing if she doesn’t.” The Fairy Godmother muttered to herself before vanishing in a bright red flash.
At the castle, the Gala was in full swing and everypony that was there was having a wonderful time, all except for the Prince himself that is. He wasn’t having as much fun as the other guests and he was growing more and more bored with the Gala every minute. Things got so bad for the Prince that his parents thought that he would never find his true love.
“Ugh, this is so boring.” The Prince yawned as he stood beside the King and Queen.
“Come on, son. Lighten up.” The King said jokingly.
“Yes, dear. There has to be something you find enjoyable… or maybe somepony who probably caught your fancy by now.” The Queen added.
“No. I don’t even know why you planned this whole thing for me in the first place.” The Prince groaned, putting a hoof over his face.
“You know the answer to that. It’s for you to find and choose a bride.” The King answered.
“Ugh! Not this again! Mom, Dad, I already told you! I don’t want—”
But before Prince Sentry could finish his sentence, everything went silent. The Prince looked and he could see the reason why. When CinderSparkle entered the Gala at the top of the staircase and gazed at the ballroom, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
‘Wow. This is even more beautiful than I imagined.’ She thought, a smile creeping onto her lips.
Everypony stopped what they were doing and they all stared at CinderSparkle in awe as she walked down the stairs and into the ballroom. They thought she was the most beautiful and most regal mare they have ever seen and thought of her as a princess, but nopony knew who she was. Not too far away, Prince Sentry took a good look of CinderSparkle and his mouth fell open.
‘Who is that? She’s beautiful.’ He thought as his eyes widened with astonishment.
“You were saying?” The Queen asked.
“Son? Are you alright? Son.” The King said, nudging Prince Sentry’s shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” The Prince muttered, not turning his gaze away. “Excuse me.”
Prince Sentry spread his wings and made his way to CinderSparkle with single-minded determination; he had never seen a mare so lovely all in his life. Once he had flown in front of her, he bowed his head to her before politely saying:
“Hello.”
CinderSparkle turned her head around and she saw probably the most handsome stallion she had ever seen; her eyes widened when she realized he was the Prince.
“How do you do.” She politely said before bowing her head.
“Hey, I was just wondering, would you… like to dance?”
“Oh, uh… yes. I’d love to. Thank you.”
CinderSparkle smiled and took Prince Sentry’s hoof before they made their way to the middle of the dance floor as the lights slowly dimmed for a more romantic setting. Soon, the two began to dance a waltz as the orchestra began to play. CinderSparkle had never learned to dance before, but that didn’t seem to stop her from gliding across the marble floor with Prince Sentry at her side. As the two ponies danced, the other mares only stared at them in disappointment and envy, Lady Dazzle and her two daughters more than anypony else.
“Who does that little hussy think she is anyway?! Other ponies want a turn to dance with the Prince too, you know!” Aria protested.
“For once, I agree with you! What a brat!” Sonata shrieked, angrily stomping her hoof on the floor. “Mother, who is she?!”
“I have no idea, girls. But I do know one thing; this definitely does not look good… Wait… have I seen that mare somewhere before?” Lady Dazzle muttered, eying the Alicorn curiously.
“Um, Your Highness? Everypony is staring at us.” CinderSparkle whispered.
“Really? I forgot that there was anyone else here.” Prince Sentry smiled.
During the course of the evening, CinderSparkle was having the time of her life while gaining the respect and affection of everyone with her natural charm and beauty. And she soon began to grow feelings of affection towards Prince Sentry; he shared the emotion towards her. And eventually, these feelings blossomed into something more. But CinderSparkle was having so much fun that she had completely forgotten her Fairy Godmother’s warning. CinderSparkle and the Prince soon made their way out of the bustling ballroom and out onto the balcony.
“I’ve had an amazing time tonight.” Prince Sentry said sheepishly.
“Me too. I’ll never forget this.” CinderSparkle added.
“Me neither… Beautiful night, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I love the night. And this view? I don’t think things could get any more breathtaking than this.”
“Yeah, it’s gorgeous. Hey… I just noticed something. You never mentioned your name or who you are throughout the night, not even once. Can you tell me what it is?”
“My name? Oh. Uh… I shouldn’t say.”
“Why not?”
“Because, well… because I don’t even belong here.”
“What? Surely, you must be joking. The Gala’s in my honor, isn’t it? And as far as I’m concerned… you’re the only one that does belong here.”
CinderSparkle blushed and smiled. The two ponies stared into each other’s eyes lovingly while getting closer and closer to each other, their hooves almost touching.
“Now, your name?” Prince Sentry asked.
“Right. My name is—”
But before CinderSparkle could tell Prince Sentry her name, the clock started chiming. She looked at the clock tower and saw that it was twelve o’clock.
“Oh no! Midnight! I’m sorry, but I have to go!” CinderSparkle exclaimed, standing up.
“What? When?” Prince Sentry asked, also standing up.
“Now! It’s just… really hard to explain. Mice and apples and… and things.”
“Say that again?”
“Again, I’m so sorry!”
CinderSparkle quickly kissed Prince Sentry’s cheek and ran back into the castle. She galloped through the crowded ballroom and the enormous groups and crowds of ponies as fast as she could, desperately trying to reach the exit. As she continued to run, the Prince ran after her as he pleaded her to stop.
“Wait! Stop! Don’t go!”
But CinderSparkle kept on running, her heart beating faster and louder with every haunting toll of the clock tower’s enormous bell. Soon enough, she finally made her way out of the ballroom, through the hallways, and down the castle staircase. But while she was running down the stairs, she tripped on the stone and she lost one of her crystal slippers. And when the clock finally struck twelve, the magic had completely worn off and CinderSparkle was back in her old rags.
‘Oh no. I’m too late.’ She thought, looking at herself shamefully.
“Come back! Where are you going?! Stop, please!” Prince Sentry shouted.
CinderSparkle couldn’t risk letting the Prince see her in such a state. Thinking fast, she spread her wings and flew away from the castle as fast as she could and back home with sweat running down her face and tears in her eyes.
Moments later, Prince Sentry finally made his way outside, but to his disappointment, the mysterious mare was already gone. However, he soon discovered CinderSparkle’s crystal slipper sitting on the stair. He picked it up and looked at it, thinking of the beautiful stranger who had stolen his heart. Suddenly, he smiled; the slipper had given him an idea.
A proclamation was soon declared that Prince Sentry will only marry the mare whose hoof fits the slipper made of crystal. The next morning, he tried the slipper on the hooves of all of the mares in the land. Unfortunately, he had no luck. For the crystal slipper would fit no pony else, except for its true owner. Then, the Prince came upon the last house on his search; the house of CinderSparkle. His guard chaperone knocked on the door and Lady Dazzle and her daughters answered it. They excitedly smiled when they met the young Pegasus’s gaze.
“Prince Sentry! What a surprise!” Sonata happily gasped.
“Please come in. I suppose you’ve come to make the wedding arrangements for me or my sister to be your new wife?” Aria asked before flipping part of her mane.
“What?! No!” Prince Sentry nervously exclaimed, shaking his head. “When I find the one whose hoof fits this slipper, then she’ll be my bride. But I’ve tried just about everypony else in the kingdom and I’m exhausted. So… it must be one of you!”
“Of course, Prince Sentry! Come with us, please!” Sonata cried as she pulled the Prince inside.
“Yeah, yeah! Let’s just have a quick look at that shoe.” Aria added.
“Yes, Your Highness. I’m sure either of my two gorgeous daughters will be able to slip on it for you. I promise.” Lady Dazzle said.
The guard tried the slipper on Sonata, but it was too small for her. The guard tried the slipper on Aria, but it was too small for her, too. Prince Sentry sighed and rubbed his head in exasperation, thinking all hope was lost.
"Are there any other mares in the house?" He asked, hoping for a ‘yes’.
“No.” Lady Dazzle answered smugly while her two daughters shook their heads.
But as the Prince was about to leave with a broken heart, he heard a voice he didn’t recognize call out, “Don’t listen to her, she’s lying! There’s CinderSparkle!”
It was the voice of CinderSparkle’s Fairy Godmother. Prince Sentry abruptly stopped in his tracks and looked back at Lady Dazzle and her daughters with a stern look in his eyes.
“I ask you again: is there somepony else in this house?” He asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
“Um… Oh, no, no, no, Your Highness! I can assure you, there’s nopony else here.” Lady Dazzle lied, trying to keep her cool.
“With all due respect, madam, I wish to see for myself. Now, if you please…” Prince Sentry calmly protested.
“But Your Highness—”
“I said now!”
“Uh, excuse me?” A familiar voice asked. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but what’s going on out here?”
Prince Sentry, Lady Dazzle, and her daughters turned their heads to see CinderSparkle slowly peek her head out from behind the wall and meekly enter the room. She had been sleeping beside the chimney again and was covered in ashes and soot, making her look nothing like the mysterious princess from the Gala the night before. But even under the dusty and dirty exterior, the young mare looked radiant to Prince Sentry; he smiled as he approached her.
“Are you CinderSparkle?” He asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.
“Yes, I am.” She answered, nodding her head.
“Oh, please Your Highness, be real here!” Lady Dazzle said, trying to block CinderSparkle with her foreleg. “This dirty, filthy, mucky little creature is the child her late father left behind. It couldn’t be her.”
“Uh-huh! Plus, she wasn’t even at the Gala!” Aria commented.
“Yeah! Don’t even think about it! She’s revolting!” Sonata added.
“I said in my proclamation that every mare in the land has to try on the slipper.” Prince Sentry shouted, his tone stern and calm at the same time.
“Uh… Oh, fine.” Lady Dazzle grumbled, letting her stepdaughter pass through. “But I have to warn you, there’s no point. You’re just wasting your time.”
“Yeah. The shoe probably won’t fit even if you tried.” Sonata commented.
“She’s not even worth it.” Aria added.
“I’ll be the judge of that. May I?” Prince Sentry asked CinderSparkle as he held out his hoof.
“Oh, yes. Of course.” CinderSparkle shyly said, taking the Prince’s hoof and stepping forward.
So Prince Sentry took the crystal shoe, offered it to the mare, and to his surprise, it slipped onto CinderSparkle’s hoof with ease. It fit perfectly! Lady Dazzle, Sonata, and Aria gasped and their eyes widened in shock at the sight.
“No!” Aria cried.
“It can’t be!” Lady Dazzle wailed.
“That’s impossible!” Sonata screeched.
“It is you… isn’t it?” The Prince asked, looking up at CinderSparkle.
“Just so.” CinderSparkle simply said, taking out her other crystal slipper and putting it on.
Prince Sentry held CinderSparkle’s hooves in his own and smiled at her.
“I’ve searched the whole day for you. Would you be my bride?” He asked.
“Yes, I will… that is if you’ll take me as I am.”
“Of course I will, how could I not?”
Prince Sentry wrapped his forelegs around CinderSparkle before they both shared a sweet, romantic kiss, Lady Dazzle, Sonata, and Aria glaring at them all the while.
And so, CinderSparkle’s dream had finally come true. She and the Prince were married and she became a princess, never having to take orders and do chores ever again. As for Lady Dazzle and her daughters, even though they apologized, begged, and pleaded to be allowed into the castle with CinderSparkle, an order was quickly sent saying that Lady Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze were to leave the kingdom at once and to never set hoof in the land again. And so, CinderSparkle and Prince Sentry lived happily ever after.