Meridarella Read Along

Narrator: This is the story of Meridarella. You can read along with me in your book. You'll know when it's time to turn the page when the chimes ring like this. (chimes ringing) Let's begin now.

Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a young girl named Merida. When she was a child, her mother, Madellaine, died. Her father, Quasimodo, found a new wife who had two daughters a few years older than Merida. But after Merida's father died, the Stepmother found a new husband. They were very cold and cruel to Merida. The kind girl was forced to work as a servant in her own house. Still, Merida was always cheerful. Sure that one day her dreams of happiness would come true, she started each day with a song.

Merida was always busy cooking, cleaning, and serving her stepmother, Queen La; her stepfather, John Clayton; and her stepsisters, Rapunzel and Anna. One day while Merida was doing her chores, she heard a knock at the door. "Open in the name of the King and Queen." a man shouted. It was the King and Queen's messenger, LeFou. He handed Merida a letter.

La and Clayton were giving Anna and Rapunzel music lessons. Merida knocked at the door. "We warned you never to interrupt!" barked Clayton. Then Merida showed him and La the letter. It was an invitation to a royal ball for the Prince! "By royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend," La read.

"That means I can go!" Merida cried happily. "You!" Anna shrieked. "We see no reason why you can't go to the ball." Clayton said in a silky voice. "*If* you get all your work done..." La added, "and *if* you find something suitable to wear." "Oh, I will," promised Merida, hurrying away. "Do you realize what you just said?" a horrified Rapunzel asked her parents. But La and Clayton had a plan. "Of course. We said *if*," answered the evil jungle queen. "Ohhh...*if*," Rapunzel repeated. Anna giggled.

Merida went up to her room in the attic and found an old dress in a trunk. "It was my mother's," she told the Equestria girls and dog, as she twirled around.

"It's a little old-fashioned," admitted Merida. "But I can fix that." She took out a book and found a picture of another dress. She had just started making plans when she heard a shrill cry. "Merida!" "My dress will just have to wait," she said patiently. "I'm coming," she called, as she headed down the stairs.

"Now let's see," Merida's stepmother said, "there's the large carpet in the main hall, clean it! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies---" "But I just finished," Merida said. "Do them again!" ordered the cruel poacher. The Stepparents planned to keep Merida so busy that she would never have time to work on her dress for the ball.

The plan worked. La, Clayton, and their two daughters kept Merida so busy that the sweet girl didn't have a moment to work on her dress.

"Poor Merida," a duck named Donald Duck said to his new friends Jose Carioca and Panchito Pistoles. "Work, work, work. She'll never get her dress done."

"Hey! We can do it!" exclaimed Applejack. "We can fix the dress for Merida." The dog and the other Equestria girls thought it was a wonderful idea.

Donald, Jose, and Panchito scurried to find some new trimmings for the dress. Anna and Rapunzel were throwing things away. "I wouldn't be caught dead in that sash," Anna said, while Rapunzel kicked aside her old beads. So the birds scooped up the discarded items.

Donald, Jose, and Panchito had to sneak past Azrael the cat. It wasn't easy, but they did it! The dog and Equestria girls were proud of Donald, Jose, and Panchito. The dog and Equestria girls began to work on Merida's dress.

The dog, Equestria girls, and Ham-Hams measured and cut and sewed. They all sang as they worked. They couldn't wait to surprise their friend Merida. But would they finish in time!

Soon it was eight o'clock. "The carriage is here," Merida told her stepparents. "Why Merida, you're not ready," said her stepmother, sounding surprised. "Aren't you going, child?" "No, I'm not going," Merida hadn't had a chance to work on her dress all day. "There will be other balls," her stepfather told her smugly, knowing that he and La had kept Merida from going to this one.

Merida told herself the ball would be frightfully dull, but in her heart she knew it would be completely wonderful. Slowly, Merida walked up the stairs to her attic room. When she entered her room, she couldn't believe her eyes. "Surprise! Surprise!" shouted the dog, Equestria girls, and Ham-Hams. "*¡Feliz cumpleaños!*" cried a confused Panchito.

The dog, Equestria girls, and Ham-Hams had finished her dress. She could now go to the ball! "Oh, how can I ever---oh, thank you so much," the delighted girl cried.

Merida dressed quickly and raced down the stairs calling, "Wait! Please! Wait for me!" La and Clayton were shocked. Now they would have to let Merida go to the ball---or would they? "Those beads, they give it just the right touch," the Stepfather observed. "Don't you think so, Rapunzel?" the Stepmother asked one of her daughters. Rapunzel saw that Merida was wearing her old beads. "Thief!" Rapunzel cried. Then Anna noticed her old sash.

The two girls tore at Merida's dress. By the time they were finished, the dress was in rags and Merida was in tears. "Good night," the Stepparents said, as they left for the ball with their horrible daughters.

Merida ran outside to the garden. The dog and Equestria girls felt terrible, but there was nothing they could do to help their poor Merida.

It seemed as if her dreams would never come true. "It's just no use. There's nothing left to believe in," Merida sobbed.

"Nothing?" asked a voice. "Now you don't mean that. If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here, and here I am." It was Merida's fairy godmother, a lioness named Florrie, and she was going to help Anna go to the ball.

With a wave of her wand and a few magic words... ...a pumpkin became an elegant coach... ...a dog and three birds were changed into four horses... ...a horse was turned into a coachman... ...and Polar the polar bear became the footman. Florrie was pleased. "Well, hop in, my dear, we can't waste time." But Merida wasn't quite ready. "Don't you think my dress," she began.

Florrie looked at Merida. "Goodness! You can't go to the ball in that!" She waved her wand one last time, and Merida was wearing a beautiful ball gown. Merida loved her dress. "And look--glass slippers. Why, it's like a dream--a beautiful dream come true." Then Florrie told her that like all dreams, this one would end. The spell would be broken at midnight.

Merida was very happy as she rode to the ball. But at the castle, the King and Queen were not so happy. Their son, Prince Wreck-It-Ralph, hadn't fallen in love yet. Wiggins told the King and Queen that falling in love at the ball would be like a fairy tale--and it would never happen!

Just then Merida arrived at the ball. When Ralph saw her, he asked her to dance.

The King, the Queen, and Wiggins were amazed as they watched the couple dance. It looked as if Ralph was falling in love with Merida! Rapunzel and Anna were very jealous of the new girl. Their parents thought there was something familiar about her, though.

Merida didn't notice them. She didn't know that the handsome former bad guy she was dancing with was Ralph. But she did know that she was falling in love!

The couple went for a walk. They laughed and talked. Time seemed to fly by--and all too soon, Merida noticed it was almost midnight. "I have to go!" she apologized, and she hurried away.

Ralph didn't even know her name. "Wait!" he called. But Merida couldn't wait. As she rushed down the steps of the castle, she lost one of her glass slippers. Still, she didn't stop.

Ralph told Wiggins he would marry the maiden whose foot fit the slipper. She was the girl of his dreams. Meanwhile, Merida was sitting by the side of the road. Everything had been changed back. But Merida still had a glass slipper--and memories of a magical night.

It wasn't long before everyone knew Ralph was looking for his mystery maiden. Wiggins was going from house to house to find her. The news made Merida happy--too happy for the Stepparents' liking.

So the Stepparents locked Merida in her attic room. "You can't keep me in here. Please," sobbed Merida. The Stepmother put the key in her pocket. Donald, Jose, and Panchito wanted to help. They took the key from the Stepmother.

The brave birds worked hard to bring the key up to Merida. But would they reach her in time!

By now Wiggins and LeFou had arrived at Merida's house.

Rapunzel tried on the slipper. When it didn't fit, she blamed poor LeFou! "Get away from me!" she shouted. The slipper didn't fit Anna, either. "Are there any other ladies of the house?" Wiggins asked. "There is no one else," replied La.

Just then they heard Merida calling. "Your Grace! Your Grace!" The birds had freed Merida! The jealous stepparents didn't want to let Merida try on the slipper, so they tripped up LeFou, and the slipper broke! Luckily, Merida had her other slipper in her pocket. Wiggins was delighted.

And so was Ralph. He had found the girl of his dreams. But no one was happier than Merida. All of her dreams had come true. Merida and Ralph lived happily ever after.

The End