//------------------------------//
// To Be a Princess 
// Story: The Royal Canterlot Family 
// by CartoonNerd12 
//------------------------------//

"Button, are you sure about this?" Sweetie Belle asked her king while they were in Marendelle's palace throne room.

Button assured his queen, "I am. I had to go through the same thing when I was Snowy's age."

"But to have a ball that grand and large…I'm not sure she can handle it."

"Alone, no, but if she had her sister and cousins with her..."

"And that's another thing. Little Button is too young to attend balls. I would permit the twins and Apple Butter as long it was all right with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom."

"Let's ask them, then." He summoned the page and when the page came back, Scootaloo, Rumble, Apple Bloom, and Pip were right behind him.

Button explained to them, "As it is tradition in my family, there is a royal ball in honor of the next heir to the kingdom."

Pip said, "I thought you weren't going to follow traditions anymore."

"Well, there are some that I'm willing to keep, this being one of them. I had a ball in my honor. I figured it was time to have Snow Pea be honored. Of course, my wife has given her concerns, and while we can't have LB at the party, the least we can do is have Roller Blade, Skater, and Apple Butter. That is, if it's all right with you guys."

Scootaloo gestured, "Of course it is! The twins are going to have a blast!"

Apple Bloom smiled, "Yes! Apple Butter will be so excited!"

Sweetie voiced, "I'm not sure if Snowy will be…Remember when we had our first Grand Galloping Gala…?"

Scoots said, "How could I forget? It was one of the biggest moments for us…"

AB pointed, "With us being the new princesses…"

Rumble asked, "What happened?"

The trio started saying, "Well…"




Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo got up and walked down to breakfast, where their new parents were waiting for them.

Sombra smiled and greeted them, "Good morning, girls."

"Morning, Dad." they said.

At this point of the adoption since their big sisters got married and went on their honeymoons, the fillies were comfortable with the idea of the King and Queen being their new dad and mom.

"Good morning, my darlings," said Celestia. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Fine." said AB.

"Great." said Sweetie.

"I still can't believe that I'm sleeping on a soft, large mattress," said Scootaloo. "You don't get something like that in the servants' quarters."

"It's a big change," said Sombra as he magically lifted his cup of coffee to his lips.

Celestia turned to her husband, "Remind me to tell Kibitz that we need to improve the servants' quarters."

He nodded.

"So what are we doing today, Mom?" Apple Bloom asked.

The queen smiled, "I thought we'd put a hold on princess training and start teaching you how to prepare for your first important event."

"Huh?" the three fillies exclaimed.

Sombra explained, "The Grand Galloping Gala is almost upon us, and as the newest princesses of the royal Canterlot family, we shall be introducing to you to the royal court and our subjects."

The girls' eyes widened, "Really?!"

"Of course, my darlings," their mother beamed.

Once they were done with breakfast, Celestia met with Kibitz and they went off to complete the duties of the day while Sombra looked after his little daughters.

"Well, girls, while your mother handles the royal duties for the day, I'll be helping you on preparing for the Gala."

"What do we have to do, Daddy?" Sweetie asked.

"Well… The first thing to do is review what you know so far about being a princess…" He started a song cue, "To be a princess is to know which spoon to use…To be a princess…Is a thousand pairs of shoes! To maintain a regal gait…Leave the parsley on your plate and be charming but detached and yet amused…To be a princess is to never be confused! Do a plié and never fall…Don't ever stray from protocol…All through the day there's just one way…You must behave…Do keep a grip and never crack…Stiff upper lip and arch the back…Bend from above and always wear your gloves and wave… Shoulders back and…Tummy in and hoof out and lift the chin and slowly turn the head from side to side…"

The fillies sang, "We see now!"

"Breathing gently…Stepping lightly…Smile brightly…Nod politely…Never show a thing you feel inside…Glide! To be a princess is to always look your best…To be a princess is to never get to rest… Sit for a portrait, never squirm! Sleep on a mattress extra firm! Speak and be clever… Never at a loss for words…Curtsy to every count and lord… Learn how to play the harpsichord! Sing lullabies and always harmonize in thirds…"

They sang together, "Thirds… thirds!"

Sombra stopped to look at a portrait of Celestia. He sang out, "And… She has beautiful eyes… Your spirits rise… When she walks in the room…"

Sweetie sang, "I see…"

"Doors close… And the chemistry grows…She's like a rose…That's forever in bloom!" Realizing then he had an audience, he went back to business, singing, "Do a plie and don't…"

Scootaloo sang back, "Ever, ever, ever, fall!"

"Never show dismay…"

Apple Bloom sang, "And be there when ponies call…"

"Be prepared whatever royal life will bring… Do keep a grip and don't…"

Sweetie sang, "Ever, ever, ever, crack!"

"Take a dainty sip…"

The trio sang, "Never ever turn your back!"

"There's a time and place and way for everything…To be a princess is to never make your bed…To be a princess is to always use your head!"

AB sighed, "As great as this all is… but there's no way we can remember all that in time for the Gala…"

Scootaloo sighed too, "Yeah… We're never going to be like our sisters…"

Sombra gave a slight frown before he proclaimed, "Of course you won't be!"

They looked at him in confusion, "Huh?!"

"You won't be like your sisters because you are going to be yourselves."

"What does that mean?" Sweetie asked.

"It means… you are special in your own way. You don't have to be like someone else…"

The trio questioned, "Really?"

He smiled, "Really. You are special, my daughters. Your mother and I saw that the moment you came to us."

"How did you know we were special?" AB asked.

The fillies waited in anticipation for the answer.

Sombra glanced at each of them. He knew the answer of course, but he figured it was best if the girls found out for themselves what made them special.

"Girls, you don't need me to tell you how special you are."

"We don't?" they said in confusion.

"No." he started heading for the door, "Now, I must head to the ballroom and decide on this year's Gala decorations."

"Do you want help?" Scootaloo inquired.

Apple Bloom excitedly said, "Yeah! We could get our cutie marks in Gala decorating!"

Sombra chuckled, "That's okay. It takes a long time to decorate for the Gala. You three go ahead to go play."

Though disappointed they couldn't help decorate, they obeyed their father and went to play outside. They went into the tree house their sisters played in when they were fillies. Inside the clubhouse were the gifts Discord gave them before he got married to Fluttershy. Sweetie Belle's karaoke machine was in a corner and so was Scootaloo's scooter. Apple Bloom's paintbrush was on a stand next to a blank canvas, having an assortment of colored paints next to them.

Apple Bloom grabbed for the brush, "I think I'll paint a picture of Mom and Dad."

"Good idea!" Sweetie exclaimed as she started searching for a song on the machine.

Scootaloo was playing on her scooter.

Meanwhile, below the tree house, Celestia was with Kibitz as they moved around the gardens.

He said, "Now, the groundskeepers believe we should have a different arrangement in the garden now that Princess Fluttershy is newly married to Prince Discord…" He slightly cringed at that before he kept talking, "She won't be around anymore to oversee the gardening."

"That is true. My daughters did tell me before their wedding they wanted to live in their own place. If Fluttershy moves away with her husband, she can't work in the gardens anymore."

"I have a few suggestions from the groundskeepers on how we can fix that." He listed them off just as three fillies stopped with what they were doing and watched them from above.

When he was done listing, Celestia replied, "I'll think it over."

"And there's also a servant shortage ever since Spike and Fancy Pants married Princess Applejack and Princess Rarity. We also need another guard now that Flash Sentry married Princess Twilight. And we're also three maids short with the young princesses being adopted."

She slightly looked up and noticed her young daughters listening in. She turned back to Kibitz, "I take it arrangements are being made for seeking new help?"

"Quite so. We just need your final approval of who to hire."

"What's next on the agenda?"

"You must do a routine check on the Filly and Colt Orphanage."

"Excellent. I'll take it from here, Kibitz."

"Are you quite sure, Your Highness?"

"Yes. I'll be back. In the meantime, you can help my husband with Gala preparations."

"At once, Your Majesty." He then left.

She called up to the tree, "Come on down, my darlings."

The trio was shocked that their mother knew they were there and came down.

She asked them, "Would you like to come with me?"

"To the orphanage?" Sweetie Belle questioned.

"Yes."

AB winced, "I… I don't know, Mom…"

"Why? What's wrong, Apple Bloom?"

"I… I grew up in that orphanage. I much rather stay away from it as much as possible."

Celestia's eyes widened at this revelation. She didn't know much about her daughters' past, but she felt guilty for not asking sooner. "What happened?"

"Well… I don't remember much other than this: I know I was a baby when I brought there. I stayed there as I waited for the day I would get adopted, but it seemed no pony wanted me, so I ran away."

"Were you being mistreated?"

"A little. I tried following the rules, but it wasn't easy. The caretaker didn't seem to like me very much and a few other fillies were teasing me for having no cutie mark."

Scootaloo said, "That's one of the reasons I'm glad I didn't go to an orphanage after my parents died. I was a street urchin until Rainbow Dash found me after she was coming home from the derby and offered me a job."

AB pointed, "A similar thing happened to me and Applejack. She was making a supply run for the kitchen and she found me wandering the streets."

Sweetie mentioned, "Rarity took pity on me after she found out my mom was a servant who passed away."

"Oh, my darlings… I am so sorry…"

"It's okay. It all worked out in the end." AB said.

"Yes, I am quite grateful and proud that your sisters took you in when they did… But there are others who are not as fortunate… Apple Bloom, I think it would be best if you came along. You can help me provide insight when I inspect the place."

"Really?"

"Indeed."




They got to the orphanage and looked around the place. It was just as Apple Bloom remembered it. Then suddenly, she bumped into a colt with an orange coat and purple mane.

"Sorry about that!" the colt said.

"Oh, no worries. My name is Apple Bloom," she extended her hoof.

"Tender Taps," he shook on it.

"Please to meet ya! So… have you been living in the orphanage long?"

"About a few months now…" he sadly admitted.

Apple Bloom just nodded her head.




When the inspection was over, AB gave her mother her report.

"I see… Well, I will have a talk with your father about improving the conditions of the orphanage."

The filly smiled.

When they got back to the castle and went into the ballroom, they saw Kibitz telling Sombra how things had changed since the king's absence. Sombra seemed sad by this.

Celestia asked, "How are the preparations going?"

Kibitz said, "Not good I'm afraid. It's a good thing you sent me over when you did. His majesty was choosing very outdated décor, so we had to remove it and redecorate with new garland."

"Oh, honey… I'm sorry…"

"It's fine, my dear sweet Celestia. After all, we want the best for our subjects. Suddenly, I think I should have accepted the girls' offer this morning. They could have helped me prevent making a bad choice."

"You didn't know. You're still trying to get used to how things are now. Rules and procedures have changed in matters of foreign affairs, Canterlot has a new style, Equestria has expanded… There is so much to do."

Sombra hung his head, sighing.

Apple Bloom suggested, "You know, Mom, a lot of those fillies and colts in the orphanage have never experienced a great big party. Inviting them to the Gala could be what they need to cheer up from what they went through."

Celestia beamed, "My darling, that is an excellent idea. Kibitz, make it so."

"Of course, Your Highness! But I will need the details." he escorted her out of the room.

The trio went over to their depressed father.

Sweetie asked, "You okay, Daddy?"

Sombra gave a small smile, "Daddy will be fine, sweetheart. It's just going to take me time getting used to how things are run around here now."

Scoots pointed out, "You don't seem fine. If anything, you look really sad. I know that feeling…"

"We all do…" said AB.

"What seems to be bothering you?" Sweetie asked.

Sombra gave out an amused grin, "There's no fooling you girls… The truth is I'm starting to wonder if I'm meant to be a king anymore."

"Why?!" they said.

"Because I've been away for so long, I don't know if I can make a good decision without making a mistake."

"You're just a little rusty," said Scootaloo. "Happens to me all the time with my scootering. I don't get on my scooter for a long time and I end up losing my groove."

AB mentioned, "From what our sisters told us, you were a really great king and I bet you still are."

Sweetie smiled, "You just got to give it time and it'll happen. You are the king! And that's what makes you special."

Sombra was flabbergasted that his words were coming back to him. He let out a giant grin and gathered his girls in a huge hug.




The day of the Gala arrived. The young princesses dressed up in matching gowns and wore tiaras. They were strange things to have on their heads, but the girls wore them with pride when they were on the stage with their parents, who were making the announcement.

Celestia spoke, "Citizens of Equestria! It gives us great joy to introduce the newest members to the royal family of Canterlot!"

Sombra took over, "We give you Princess Scootaloo, Princess Apple Bloom, and Princess Sweetie Belle!"

Applause went throughout the ballroom as the girls were blushing while waving.

As the Gala wore on for the night, AB noticed Tender Taps in the middle of the dance floor. She was surprised that he was sporting a brand new cutie mark! She turned to her sisters, whispering, "It's great helping ponies by giving them a chance to find happiness in their lives."

Scoots agreed, "Yeah, and I liked how we helped Dad out of his sadness before it got worse."

Sweetie said, "We could help others find their places in the world."

"As princesses, we will do just that!" Apple Bloom held up her hoof and her sisters cheered as they made contact. Suddenly, a bright light surrounded them and lifted them off the ground.

Ponies turned their heads in awe, including their parents. When the bright glow died down, every pony gasped.

AB worried, "What? What is it?!"

Tender pointed, "It's… It's your cutie marks!"

"WHAT?!" the girls gasped. Once they saw their marks, they shrieked out in delight, "Our cutie marks! Our cutie marks!"

Celestia was in near tears, "I am so proud of you, my darlings…"

Sombra pointed, "Just wait until your sisters hear about this!"

They just kept on cheering.




"Best. Night. Ever…" said grown-up Scootaloo.

Button turned to his wife, "It sounds to me like you had a very good first Grand Galloping Gala."

"True, but that doesn't mean Snowy will have a good first ball."

"I guess we'll just have to see…"

Sweetie sighed. I guess so…