• Published 3rd Dec 2014
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Sweet Pea - CartoonNerd12



The spin-off to The Midnight Dance starring the CMC as they take a journey to an island kingdom to face challeges that lie ahead

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Chapter 25

Author's Note:

It took some tweaking, but with the help of my editor I figure it out. It be best to listen to the original If Only (Quartet) from the Little Mermaid Broadway musical first before reading the tweaked version it'll help.

Button rushed it over to Sweetie's room, but once he got there, she wasn't anywhere around.

"She's not here." Scootaloo said as she and Rumble came to him.

"What do you mean?"

"A page took her to another room." said Apple Bloom.

"Another room?"

"Yeah, by your mom's orders that she'd be more rested in time for the test tomorrow." said Scoots.

"Hmm…" Button pondered on this, What is my mother up to…?

Cinnamon Swirl sat on the bed and stared at his wife as she was brushing her mane.

"Still not talking to me?" he asked.

"As I recall… you blamed me for my son's unhappiness…"

"Perhaps I was little out of line… You were willing to let the princess who loved our son do the final test."

"For a minute there, I thought that she was bluffing, but the look in her eyes said otherwise…I remembered her answers from the previous tests; they were so honest and pure… She wasn't lying when she said she loved our son…"

"You know, when she said those words… she reminded me… of, well, you…"

She looked back to him in surprise, "She did?"

He nodded.

"Hmm…"

"So tell me already: what is this final test that will determine who Button's future wife is?"

"Well…" she went to him and whispered in his ear. His eyes widened.

Sweetie slowly climbed the twenty mattresses and tried her hardest to not look down. "Pinkie Pie would have a blast with this. She would have already been up all the way to the top!"

At the thought of her older sister, it reminded her of the times all of the daughters of Celestia and Sombra would hang out together before and after the older sisters got married to their true loves. Because she was Rarity's maid first, the two were closer, just as Apple Bloom was closer to Applejack and Scootaloo to Rainbow Dash. But shortly after the adoption, they got to hang with the other three sisters. Twilight helped them learn new skills and read stories to them. They played in the garden with Fluttershy where she taught them about different animals. They had fun with Pinkie Pie whenever she threw a party or with her just being Pinkie.

"Yup… those were the good days…" Sweetie realized, "Oh, I made it!" She lied in the middle of the top mattress and started to get comfortable, but she sat up when she remembered, "That's right, the cookies and milk. I better get them before…" She saw how high she was and quickly moved back to the middle, "Never mind. I wasn't that hungry, anyway. I can stay up here all night…" she gulped, "I think…"

Button was pacing back and forth, with the sisters and their special some ponies watching on the bed.

"Dude, you're wearing a hole in the floor." pointed Rumble.

"I can't help it." Button kept going back and fore.

"Wherever Sweetie was taken, I'm sure she's fine." said Scootaloo.

"Right, the page did say that the queen wanted her to feel relaxed before the big test tomorrow." said Apple Bloom.

"There wouldn't happen to be a spa in the castle, would there?" Scoots questioned.

Button gave a slight chuckle, "Hardly…"

"Listen, mate, you need to calm down. There's nothing we can do. Sweetie is being taken care of, so you don't have to worry about her." said Pip.

He shook his head, "I really hope you're right… but if my mother is planning something… I won't forgive her any time soon…"

"Try to get some sleep. Sweetie would want that." Scootaloo pointed.

He slowly nodded before leaving.

Sweetie tossed and turned. She shut her eyes a while ago, but once she went to asleep, memories of her parents passing away and leaving her lonely came. Then nightmares appeared of being despised by Rarity, the royal family, and her adopted parents, who were all leaving her. Then, she saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and hope rose in her, but that hope was dashed when she saw that they were going further away from her. Finally, her nightmares from last night came back. The queen was telling her that Sweetie failed and banishing her away, forcing Button to marry another… She moaned and groaned in the scaled bed all throughout the rest of the night…

The next morning, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and their friends were gathered at breakfast wondering if Sweetie was coming. Their question was soon answered when they saw Sweetie Belle dragging her feet.

"There she is!" AB motioned.

"Whoa… you okay there, Sweetie?" Scoots asked.

"To tell you the truth…" she yawned and there were the bags under her eyes. "I didn't sleep well last night…"

"Oh, no! What happened?" Dinky questioned.

"I kept getting these really bad dreams… It was so awful!"

"Aw…" Apple Bloom patted her back, "…it's okay. Everything's alright now…"

"Except she's got to take the last test today…" Scootaloo said.

"But how can she if she's so tired?" Twist questioned.

"Sure you're going to be up to it?" Babs asked.

"I have to! I have to win! Or else…" She felt her head drooping and was about to shut her eyes.

"Whoa! Hey!" Scoots did a whistle, "Up and at 'em! Don't fall asleep now!" she shook her.

"Huh? What? Oh, right!"

"Quick! Splash some cold water on her!" Dinky got a glass.

"No!" Sweetie waved her hooves. "That…" she was drooping again, "won't… be…" she shut her eyes and suddenly, cold water landed on her, "I'm up! I'm up!"

"Oh, what are we going to do?!" AB worried.

"She can't take the test like this!" Twist gestured.

They suddenly heard giggling and turned to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"Oh, no… What do those two want?" Apple Bloom whispered.

"We're about to find out…" Scootaloo whispered back.

"Aw, had trouble sleeping last night?" Diamond smirked, "I slept like a filly, and it was all thanks to the queen's special room."

"Special… room?" Babs said.

"Yes, it was quite odd having to sleep on twenty mattresses, but it certain was refreshing! Well, good luck! You'll need it!" she and Sliver giggled as they went.

"Twenty… mattresses?" Sweetie softly said.

"Just ignore them, Sweetie." said Scoots, "They were obviously lying… Sleeping on twenty mattresses…"

"But… they weren't… I had to sleep on twenty mattresses last night!"

"What?!" they all said.

Sweetie nodded, "It's true. When I was escorted to the room, there were twenty mattresses!"

"And you had to sleep on them?! What would've happened if you had fallen off?!" AB motioned.

"The mattresses were enchanted. You wouldn't have fallen off."

"Now the next question is why would the queen make you two sleep on twenty mattresses?" Babs wondered.

The group exchanged unsure looks as to what the answer could be.

The trumpets blared and the royal family came. Button saw the condition Sweetie was in and was worried.

Queen Love Tap spoke, "Princess Diamond Tiara, Princess Sweetie Belle, could you come here please?"

Sweetie yawned as she made her way to face the queen while Diamond smiled and kept her head up.

"As you are aware, you will be tested to see if you are fit to be my son's queen. We shall see from the results of the final test last night to determine that."

There was instant confusion. Everyone in the room was surprised to hear that the test had been already taken, but Diamond seemed to be the only one who was unfazed by this. Instead, she smirked.

Sweetie thought, Oh, no! The test has been done already?!

Button shared the same concern, "No! The test is over?! But Sweetie Belle… did she passed?

The queen addressed Diamond Tiara, "Princess Diamond Tiara of Stirram, you had to sleep in a chamber with twenty mattresses on the bed. Tell me: how did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully! But when I went to sleep, I felt something pinching me, so I went to see what it was. I looked down below the bottom mattress and found a pea." She took it out for all to see, "Here it is!"

The crowd muttered and tried to make sense of this. Button looked at his mother in confusion, but she just kept staring at the princesses.

The queen said nothing, took the pea, and addressed Sweetie, "Princess Sweetie Belle of Canterlot, how did you sleep last night?"

Sweetie hung her head low, "Not very well, Your Majesty…I didn't feel the pea… I didn't pass the test…"

"Didn't pass the test? Why whatever do you mean?"

She raised her brow, "Isn't that the test? To see if you felt the pea under the mattresses?"

"Obviously," said Diamond Tiara, "since only a real princess would be sensitive enough to feel a pea under twenty mattresses."

"You are correct about being sensitive, Princess Diamond, but it's not a matter of being sensitive with your skin, but rather within. Tell me, Princess Sweetie: why couldn't you sleep so well?"

"I kept having nightmares and bad memories about my past. I was afraid I was losing the ones I care about the most…" she looked back to her sisters, and then looked at Button.

The queen nodded and held the pea up for all to see, "This pea was designed to give the sleeper terrible dreams that trouble the pony on a day-to-day basis. Princess Diamond Tiara, you let your suspicions get the better of you and you took the pea out before the nightmares were given to test your spirit. I'm sorry, but that disqualifies you."

Scootaloo whispered, "But that means…" Both she and AB gave each other excited looks.

"Princess Sweetie Belle, you will be Prince Button Mash's future queen."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, along with their friends, gave out a great cheer! Sweetie could hardly believe it. It was a dream true come for her. Button was grinning happily as he felt overjoyed.

"But… But… She's not even a born princess!" Diamond Tiara protested.

The crowd gasped. Sweetie cringed and waited for the queen to respond. Button held his breath until his mother calmly answered.

"I know."

The princesses and Button were surprised.

"I was well aware of the Canterlot sisters' adoption into the royal family, and I think it was wonderful…"

Diamond gaped while Scootaloo and Apple Bloom went over to hug Sweetie Belle. Diamond snapped out of it as Silver Spoon came over to whisper, "So, I guess that's it, then…"

"No…"

"But the test…? You failed it."

"I may have failed the test, but I will be queen of this kingdom and not some little nobody who thinks she's all that… Come on…" She went out the door with her cousin, who was looking unsure, followed.

Sweetie said to the queen, "Your Majesty… Thank you…" she yawned, "…so much…"

"You have only to thank yourself, Princess Sweetie. You have done everything that the tests required of you. I'm sorry that you had more of a rough night sleep than what was intended, but it proves you have a noble spirit to feel fears inside you. However, you don't let that stop you. But for now, you get some rest and I shall send your parents the good news."

The king took Sweetie's hoof and kissed it, "Congulations, my dear. I hope you make Button a very happy stallion."

She giggled and noticed Button slightly blushing.

"Shall I have a guard escort you back to your room?" Love Tap asked.

"Actually," Button went up to Sweetie, "I'll be happy to escort her."

"Uh…" his mother tried to say something, but his father intervened.

"An excellent idea, Button! You and your bride need to have some time together."

He smiled as he took Sweetie's hoof and led her out, with the sisters right behind him.

"We're going to tell Pip and Rumble the good news. You get some sleep and we'll see you when you wake up." said Scootaloo.

Sweetie nodded as she got one last hug from them and they turned to go. Once she and Button were alone in the hallway, they leaned in for a kiss and Button picked her up.

"We did it…" he softly said.

"We did it…" she repeated.

"For a minute there, I thought you didn't make it… I should have known better…"

"It's okay… I was worried, too, especially when I realized that Diamond felt the pea, but for your mom to say…"

"I know, right?"

She gave out another yawn and her eyes drooped again. She tried to stay awake, but Button shushed her and moved her head on his shoulder.

"Sleep now. The nightmares are over… Nothing will stand in the way of our happy ending now… I love you, Sweetie Belle…"

Even though she was sleeping, Button could see she was smiling.

"So… she did it? She actually did it?" Pip questioned while in the gym with the other guys. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom found them shortly after the last test was over.

"That's right. Sweetie Belle is now Button's betrothed."

"Wow…" said Rumble, "So… what are you guys going to have to do now?"

"Not sure, but the queen is going to tell our parents the news and my guess is they'll make all the arrangements."

Apple Bloom nodded, "I think you're right. Now that Sweetie is going to marry Button, we got a wedding to prepare for and help Sweetie move over here."

"But what about you two?" Featherweight pointed out, "You've been stuck to her since you got here, especially after she washed ashore and you wanted to see her to make sure she was alright."

"Well…" AB wasn't sure what to say.

Rumble said, "Scootaloo…?" he stared straight into her eyes and she stared straight back, reading his mind. How were they going to keep their marriage going after they left Marendelle? Rumble needed to get his brother out of jail and she had things to do back in Canterlot. How was she going to break the news to her family?

"Could you all excuse us for a second?" Scoots took Rumble to the side and they left the gym.

"What we going to do?" he asked.

"I… I don't know…"

"Marendelle has given us a chance to be alone and experience life together…"

"To go away from it… it'll seem like nothing happened… We'll be forced to move on to what we did before we ever met… You'd be living on the run… I'd be doing royal duties… But I don't want things to be the way they were before… I want you, now and forever…" She leaned on his shoulder, feeling tears forming in her eyes.

He took out the amulet, which was still split in half, "We made our vows with this amulet… As long as we carry a half of it, we shall always be one…"

"Promise you'll never forget me?"

"You're my wife, Scootaloo. I doubt I could ever forget the pony I committed myself to…"

"So that's it, then. We keep the marriage secret from our families and see each other whenever we can."

"My brother and I can settle in Canterlot, and I'll visit your balcony every night…"

"I don't like this… but if it's the only way…"

"I'm afraid it's either this or telling them. Frankly, I'm a little scared about how your parents will react…"

"So am I… but not as scared as I would be if my sister Rainbow Dash finds out… Then…" she shuddered.

"I getcha."

Back inside, Apple Bloom and Pip were having a similar problem.

"So… I guess you'll be going back to Pony-Ville after we get back to Canterlot…"

"Yeah… I need to give my aunt what little treasure we did manage to get. Then I have to help the inn to make sure we don't end up in the same situation again."

"I'll… miss you…"

He took her hoof, "I'll miss you, too…"

"I'll come to visit you whenever I have the chance."

"I look forward to it." he beamed.

She gave him a small smile, but felt sad inside.

Rumble gave Scootaloo her half of the amulet, "As long as we each have a piece from the Amulet of Amethyst, it'll keep us going after leaving Marendelle."

"This place… is what brought us together. In Equestria, we were fighting, but here, we found common ground… I really don't want to leave…"

"I feel the same way, but it has to be done…"

They embraced until Scootaloo felt her head ache. She clutched her head.

"Scoots? You alright?" Rumble asked in concern.

"Yeah… just had a minor headache there for a second."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine now." she started going back in the gym, "I'm going to get AB and we'll check on Sweetie."

"I'll see you tonight, then."

She nodded, "My room. We need to make every moment count before it comes crashing down." She was about to open the door until he stopped her. He turned her to face him and they leaned in for a longing kiss.

A half-hour later, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom came out of Sweetie's room.

"She sure is lucky…" Apple Bloom said.

"Lucky is right…"

"Does he know?"

"What?"

"Rumble. I know you had a thing for him…"

"Oh," she scoffed, "That's old news, AB. Rumble knows I've been crushing on him since the day we met."

"But I thought you said…"

"So I was steamed. Deep down, I felt something and so did he…" she sighed, "So… about you and Pip…?"

AB sighed, "I can't deny it any longer, can I?"

"It was pretty obvious after you went after him during that treasure hunt."

"I don't want him to go… Now that I met him, I can't imagine a life without him."

"I know exactly what you mean…"

"That's why Sweetie Belle is so lucky. She can have her coltfriend and her happy ending just like our parents and sisters."

"But what about us…? Not only will have to depart from the guys we love, but Sweetie Belle as well…"

"We've been through a lot together… We were the best of friends before we became sisters… I'll miss her…"

"Me, too…"

"This is going to sound crazy, but ever since we came to this island, I feel like we belong here. All of us… Pip, Rumble, you, me, Sweetie Belle, and Button."

"No, that's not crazy… I feel the same way…" Scootaloo grinned.

"I just wish…" AB sighed again.

"I get it…"

"Scoots, I just noticed something. You look… different…"

"Different? How?"

"I… don't know… But there's a spark in your eyes and you seem to be glowing…"

"Glowing? AB, I think missing Pip is making you think strange things."

"I guess you're right. Well… I guess we wait and see what'll happen next, right?"

"There's nothing to do but wait…"

"I'll see you later." Apple Bloom went down the steps.

"See ya…" she went to a hallway mirror and tried to see what Apple Bloom was seeing. Then suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach. She thought, No, that can't be it… It's just the guilt of not being able to tell her or any of my family the truth about me and Rumble… She looked back to where Apple Bloom had gone and started singing, "If only you could know the things I long to say… If only I could tell you what I wish I could convey… It's in my every glance… My heart's an open book… You'd see it all at once if only you would look… If only you could glimpse the feelings that I feel… If only you would notice what I'm dying to reveal… The dreams I can't declare… The needs I can't deny…" she thought of Rumble, "You understand them all if only you would stay…" She sang about her family, "All my secrets you would learn them… All my longings you would know them… Then the silence would be broken… Not a word would need be spoken…"

Rumble was in his room, looking at his half the amulet. Thinking of Scootaloo, he sang, "What is it about her that's so wonderfully, impossibly amazing? Why do I feel dizzy in a way I've only felt but once before? How come when she looks at me it seems like time stops moving… Just like the way it did that day in the alley! But it will pass…"

Scoots sang, "If only it were true…" She touched her stomach, "If only for a while…"

Rumble sang, "It won't last…"

"If only you would notice how I ache behind my smile…"

"It's all too fast…"

"I guess you never will… I guess it doesn't show… But if I never find a way to tell you so… Oh, I what I would give if only you could know…"

Apple Bloom was in the ballroom, looking at the painting she and Pip saw at the ball. She sighed, "Pip… You were the one who inspired me to paint more and showed me what a great artist I already was… You leave me now, and I may never be able to paint again…" she started singing, "If only I knew how I'd make you see the light… If only it were up to me this would turn out right… And if I only could I'll tell you what I'd do… I'd simply wave my hoof and make your dreams come true… And wouldn't that surprise ya if you only knew…"

Pip was on his castle balcony overlooking the ocean, feeling conflicted between his duty to the inn and his feelings for Apple Bloom, "How could she have just suddenly get things so completely out of hoof?! It's been two whole weeks and I don't know how to choose!"

Rumble sang again, "That will pass!"

Pip sung, "If only I'd stay with you!"

Apple Bloom sang, "If only I could help…"

Rumble, "It won't last…"

Scootaloo sang, "If only there were time, I know we'd be together…"

"All too fast…"

Pip, "If only things were different, I'd come with you!"

AB, "Just one more day before we depart…"

Scootaloo, "But time keeps racing forward and our moment's almost passed!"

Pip, "The inn or Canterlot…"

Scootaloo, "It has to happen now…"

Pip, "I want to be with you…"

Rumble, "How I wish we could stay this way forever!"

AB, "Oh…"

Scootaloo, "There's only so much time until we have to go!"

Rumble, "If only!"

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Pip sang, "Oh, what I would give if only you could know…"

Rumble sang, "And at Canterlot, what will occur? Maybe I'll find my brother but I'll lose her!"

Scootaloo, "If only…"

Apple Bloom, "If only…"

Pip sang last, "If only…"

Caballeron sipped from his cup while listening to Princess Diamond Tiara's story. She was still ranting from the fact that she lost to a princess imposter. He waited patiently, for he was in the company of visiting royalty. One interruption and it meant imprisonment.

"Well?" Diamond crossed her hooves.

"Hmm?"

"You said you were going to help me if this little faker won, didn't you?" she coldly said.

"So I did, and I never go back on my word. My dear princess, I have a plan that will help me to help you… You see, I have an old score to settle with a certain thief… Dear princess, you will get us inside the castle and help frame some pony…"

"Frame some pony?" Silver Spoon questioned.

"Mm-hmm… for they will be responsible for the kidnapping of the prince!"

The henchies, Flim and Flam, Trixie, and Silver Spoon gasped.

Tiara had her brow raised and asked, "And would this help get rid of a certain princess who's fake?"

He nodded.

She smirked and said, "Tell me more…"