Crown of Winter

by CartoonNerd12

Chapter 11

Author's Note:

Songs featured: Agony from Into the Woods and Tonight from West Side Story.

Days went on that passed into weeks. During that time, the cousins were doing their own thing. As the boys spent time with their girls, Gemstone spent time with Seam as the dress was coming along great. Cotton and Star kept giving Cannon and Pen lessons about having fun while learning more about each other. However, not all of the cousins were feeling happy. Screwball and Apple Jewel grew more and more sad. Apple Jewel's reason was the lack of love while Screwy's was no love. With that, they became a bit envious of their cousins for experiencing something wonderful.

But despite the happiness that some of the cousins were feeling, all of them were still feeling distant from their parents for not trusting them to make their own choices and forcing them into something that they believed was too fast for them.

Cotton led Cannon into the ballroom.

"What are we doing here?" he questioned.

"We're going to decorate the place, with… these!" She pulled out two party cannons.

Cannon slightly winced, for he remembered seeing cannons being used by his royal guards whenever they were under attack in Maretonia by the enemy.

But once Cotton aimed one of them at a table, she set it off. In an instant, the table was decorated and a few other party decorations surrounded it. Cannon was amazed.

"Now you try the other one." she told him.

He glanced at it and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure!"

He took a deep breath and aimed the cannon at an empty table. Once he set it off, the cannon released the decorations. He was stunned and ended up releasing a laugh.

Cotton smiled as she motioned, "You laughed! You actually laughed!"

"I… I did… didn't I…?" Something inside him stirred, like a great burden had been lifted from his chest. It was an amazing feeling. He aimed at more empty tables and set off the cannon. It was a strange feeling to be feeling, but it made him feel light. He laughed again, which ended up to be a snort, and quickly covered his muzzle.

"What a cute laugh!" she exclaimed.

"You… you think so…? You don't think it was improper?"

"Not at all! Who cares how you laugh as long as you are having fun?!"

"Fun? You mean… this is what fun feels like?"

"Uh-huh."

"Wow… so this is what you and Princess Starling have been teaching us all along… We don't have fun because we must, but we have fun because we want to!"

"You got it! Congratulations, you have just graduated from Fun School!" she blew on a noisemaker.

"And that is what you mean by a joke. Very amusing." he smiled.

"You're smiling! You never smile like that!"

"I… I don't know what's going on with me, Cotton. I never felt so… so…"

"Happy?"

"Yes! I feel happy!"

She grinned, "Well, happiness and fun usually go hoof and hoof."

"This is amazing! Absolutely amazing!" He started doing a dance and ended up twirling Cotton with him.

She giggled at the gesture. Then, they came to a stop and she saw him frowning again. "What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

"I…I finally find happiness and now I must give it up…"

"Why?"

He sighed, "When I go back home, my parents will insist that I marry Princess Desert Flower of Saddle Arabia. A marriage I never agreed to or want. I don't know this Princess Desert Flower, but how can we be happy through such circumstances?"

"Can't you just tell your parents you don't want this?"

"I tried to, but they won't be satisfied until I marry a princess to strengthen our country and to avoid war from happening again. Sadly, I must agree with them. By going around Equestria, I was hoping I could strengthen our country through other means and that my parents will let me marry whoever, but I fear it won't be enough."

Cotton was near tears and shaking her head, "That's… that's so awful…"

He touched her chin, "So I want to thank you, Princess Cotton Candy, for giving me this one last chance at happiness before I lead a life of sadness…"

"No! No, you can't go back there!" She ran out of the room.

---

Starling and Pen were in the library going over favorite subjects and books. It turned out that they liked a lot of the same things.

"You're quite knowledgeable, Pen Pusher."

"As are you, Princess Starling."

"Please, just Starling, or if you like, Star. My family calls me that a lot."

"I can see why. You're bright like a bright star in the night sky."

She blushed to the compliment. "Why… thank you."

As soon as Cotton had told her what Gemstone said to her a couple of weeks ago, she realized that she could pursue Pen Pusher because she was attracted to his looks. She also admired that he didn't want to pursue her and her cousins in the first place, so what was to stop her from pursuing him instead?

Pen himself was finding the princess's company to be rather enjoyable. She helped lifted his spirits up while being factual. He was quite impressed. In fact, she was everything that he could want in a mare, but then doubt crept into his head.

He scolded himself, You idiot! She could never fall for someone like you, so don't start thinking you can!

He suddenly got up as Star looked on in concern, "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, I'm… fine. I just didn't get much sleep. I think I'll go back to the suite to take a nap." He quickly went out.

Star was taken aback by his sudden departure and was worried it was something she did. Then, she heard a sniffle and Cotton came inside the room.

"Oh, Cotton, are you okay?"

"Just my heart throbbing, that's all…"

"You, too?"

She nodded.

Starling started to sing, "Did I abuse him? Or show him disdain? Why does he run from me? If I should lose him, how shall I regain the heart he has won from me? Agony! Beyond power of speech… When the one thing you want is the only thing out of your reach…"

Cotton looked toward the stairway leading upstairs and sang, "High in his tower he sits by the hour keeping his posture... Blite and becoming and frequently chuckling… A carefree laughter… Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…Agony! Far more painful than yours! When you know he would stay with you, if there were open doors…"

They sang, "Agony! Oh, the torture they teach!"

Cotton sung, "What's as intriguing…"

Star sang, "Or half so fatiguing…"

They sang, "As what's out of reach?"

Starling sings, "Am I not sensitive, clever, well-mannered, considerate, passionate, charming, as kind as I am pretty, and heir to a throne?!"

"You are everything stallions could wish for…"

"Then why no?"

"Do I know?"

"The guy must be mad!"

"You know nothing of madness… Till you're trying to make him laugh and also break the walls he set up, which won't let him lighten up…Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha..."

They both sang, "Agony!"

Star sung, "Misery…"

Cotton sang, "Woe…"

They sang, "Though it's different for each…"

"Always ten feet too high…"

"Always ten feet away…"

They sang, "And he's just out of reach… Agony! That can cut like a knife! I must become… his wife…"

They dejectedly sighed.

---

"Seam, it's perfect!" Gem practically squealed when she wore the deep red dress with roses around the neckline and hem.

"Do you really like it?" he asked hopefully.

"Like it, no. Love it, yes! It's just so beautiful!"

"You were the inspiration." he smiled, causing her to smile too.

"Seam. I don't know how it was possible but this proclamation turned into something good after all! I was so sure I was going to hate anypony who came to call for me, but only to find that there was one stallion out of a hundred that has won my heart…"

He gaped at her words.

She giggled and helped close his mouth, "I can't see anybody but you to spend the rest of my life with…"

"Gem… I… I don't know what to say except… that I had admired you for a long time. When we met, I suddenly felt strange, and getting to know you… I can't help but… be in love with you…"

Her eyes brimmed with tears of joy as she started singing, "Only you, you're the only thing I'll see forever, in my eyes, in my words and in everything I do, nothing else but you… Ever!"

He sang, "And there's nothing for me but Gem, every sight that I see is Gem…"

"Seam, Seam…"

"Always you, every thought I'll ever know, everywhere I go, you'll be…"

"All the world is only you and me!"

"Tonight, tonight, it all began tonight, I saw you and the world went away…"

"Tonight, tonight… There's only you tonight, what you are, what you do, what you say…"

"Today, all day I had the feeling… A miracle would happen… I know now I was right…"

They both sang, "For here you are and what was just a world is a star… Tonight!" They leaned in for their first kiss.

Somepony had spotted them and was shocked by what she was seeing.

No! Now we'll never get to go to Marendelle and our parents will forever keep controlling our lives! I have to do something! But what…? The idea suddenly came to her. I don't want to do that… but at this rate, I got no choice… I'm sorry, Gem, but desperate times call for desperate measures…

---

It was very late at night as all of the girls were sleeping except for Screw Ball. She quietly approached Gemstone's bed and slightly nudged her. Gem started stirring out of her sleep and Screwy cupped her face as she softly said.

"Gem…" her eyes started swirling around in a hypnotic way. "Tomorrow, you will tell Seam that you changed your mind and that you want him to leave…"

Gem's tired eyes started swirling in a purple and white color as she mechanically said, "I will tell Seam I changed my mind…"

"And that you want him to leave…"

"And… that… he… has… to…"

Screwy knew Gem's subconscious was fighting back and the Earth pony had to strengthen her hypnotic power. "Leave. He has to leave."

"Leave… He has to leave…"

Comments

[Godslittleprincess]

What?! WHAT?! Okay, you're upset with your parents for not letting you guys have as much freedom as you want, but then you force your cousin to make a decision that she didn't want to make? How does that even make any sense?! Oh, right. Princess of chaos.

[Skye Mist]

Nuuuuuhhhhh...
Why Screwy? Everypony was back on my like list, then you did this bullcrap!

[Foxhelm]

Wow...Screwball you are a b####. Thus is going to bit you in the ### and you will only have yourself to blame.

[Godslittleprincess]

"I tried to, but they won't be satisfied until I marry a princess to strengthen our country and to avoid war from happening again. Sadly, I must agree with them. By going around Equestria, I was hoping I could strengthen our country through other means and that my parents will let me marry whoever, but I fear it won't be enough."

Still think you girls have it bad?