Happy Birthday, Mermaid!

Back at the cottage, Crysta was humming and lighting all fourteen candles on the cake, which was too tall, very crooked, and, of course, runny. She carefully lit each candle by breathing a puff of fire on them, "There! Whoop!" she said, quite satisfied, after she blew out the fire. Then she noticed the cake was starting to run and held it up with a broom. She turned to Thumbelina and asked, "Well, what do you think of it?"

Thumbelina was also almost finished with the dress. But the dress was a bad joke - there were too many designs, some parts of the dress were way too big, and some were torn. And Tinker Bell was still standing as the dummy in the dress, not seeming too happy. Thumbelina was startled when she saw the sight of the cake. "Why, it's a very unusual cake, isn't it?" she said.

Crysta then noticed a few candles were starting to flow down the broomstick. "Yes. Of course it'll be much stiffer after it's baked." she said, placing the candles back on top of the cake.

"Of course, dear. What do you think of the dress?" Thumbelina asked nervously.

"Well, it's not exactly the way it is in the book, is it?" asked Crysta, as she had a good look at it, standing beside Thumbelina.

"Well, I improved it a bit! But perhaps if I added a few more ruffles? What do you think?" Thumbelina asked Crysta.

Crysta nodded. "Mm-hmm, I think so. What do you think, Tinker Bell?"

But Tinker Bell did not think it was a good idea! The dress was ruined, and the cake was ruined. She had enough. "I THINK WE'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!!!" she fumed, as she turned to face them. A flap from the dress flew into her face as she carried on ranting and raving. "I think we ought to think of Mermaid and what *she'll* think of this mess!" With that, Tinker Bell struggled out of the dress, causing it to fall to pieces, and stomped upstairs. "I still think what I've thought before. I'm going to get those wands!"

As Tinker Bell went upstairs, the cake on the broom began to melt completely, leaving only its burning candles.

"You know, I think she's right." Crysta said to Thumbelina, who nodded at her. This was not easy without using their wands. And the fourteen years are up anyway.

Suddenly, Tinker Bell ran back downstairs, carrying the three wands in her hands. "Here they are! Good as new!" she called.

But Thumbelina was cautious about what Tinker Bell was going to do with their wands. "Ah, ah, ah, duh, duh, duh! Careful, Tinker Bell!" she warned, as she took the wands from the blonde-haired pixie. Then Tinker Bell locked the doors while Crysta closed the windows and Thumbelina blocked up every cranny in the cottage. "Quick! Lock the doors. Crysta, you close the windows. Oh, block up every cranny. We can't take any chances!" said Thumbelina. Then she gave Crysta her wand and said, to her, "And now, you take care of the cake."

Tinker Bell began, "While I..."

"Clean the room, dear." Thumbelina finished, as she gave Tinker Bell her wand and kept her own. "And I'll make the dress. Now hurry!"

Tinker Bell became angry a little. But she realized what Thumbelina meant, and she zapped a bucket, a mop, and a broom that were standing in a corner, making the objects come to life, ready to do any bidding. "Come on, bucket, mop, broom! Thumbelina says clean up the room!" she called. Then the cleaning stuff immediately began to clean up the place as the broom swept away what ever pieces of the ruined dress were lying on the floor.

"And now to make a lovely dress, fit the grace of fair princess!" Thumbelina chuckled, as she took a fresh sheet of blue cloth, and, with a whirl of her wand, she transformed the cloth into a base of the dress.

"Eggs, flour, milk!" Crysta called, as the ingredients also came to life and walked over to listen to the black-haired fairy. "Just do it like it says here in the book. I'll put on the candles." said Crysta, as the ingredients walked over to a mixing bowl, and the flour, milk, and eggs were put in.

Meanwhile, the broom was sweeping some dust. The rug, stool, and chair Tinker Bell was standing on moved up in order to make way for it. When the broom stopped sweeping, Tinker Bell noticed the pile of dust was still on the floor, so she zapped it away.

While the ingredients were still filling in the mixing bowl and a big wooden spoon was stirring up the ingredients, Crysta took a taste of some cinnamon. Then, when the batter was done, the cake looked perfectly baked with thirteen layers containing purple and baby pink frosting, violets, roses, and chrysanthemums.

Now Thumbelina was making the sleeves. She took another blue sheet and, with her wand, she ordered the scissors to cut the cloth five times. Then she zapped some spools of blue thread, making them come to life. The needles also came to life, and the sleeves were stitched with the blue thread. Now the sleeve was long, and it flew over to the left side of the dress and stuck it in its shoulder sleeve. Now the dress was perfectly sewn!

Tinker Bell was dancing with the mop. She danced and twirled while the mop did the same. Then she jumped, and the broom followed suite, only into the bucket and out. Then Tinker Bell kept dancing and twirling while the mop washed the floor.

The mop glided gracefully under the table where Crysta was standing at. She lifted one foot in order to give it room. Then she lifted her other foot until she was floating off the floor. When the mop was done washing under the table, Crysta landed back on the floor.

Tinker Bell was still dancing with the mop, and Thumbelina was using her wand to put teardrop designs on the shoulder sleeves. Tinker Bell saw her and stopped. "Oh no, not blue! Make it green!" said Tinker Bell, as she zapped the dress, making it turn green.

Thumbelina saw that and gasped in shock. "Tinker Bell!" she scolded.

"Make it blue!" said Thumbelina said, as she zapped the dress back to its blue color.

Tinker Bell still danced with the mop as it was still washing the floor. "Make it green!" she whispered, zapping it green again.

Thumbelina saw that the dress was green again and was now irritated. "Oh, blue!" said Thumbelina. She zapped it back to green again.

"Green!" Tinker Bell smiled, still dancing. But this time, Thumbelina stood before the dress, and her dress turned green. Tinker Bell snickered to herself until Thumbelina angrily turned her dress blue. That actually did it. Because they began to start fighting over the color.

As Crysta was putting baby pink frosting on the purple frosting-coated cake, green and blue lightning bolts began flying all over the place and into the fireplace, where blazes of color went through the chimney.

Unfortunately, the fight happened at a wrong time. Because Discord was flying through the forest when he saw green and blue fireworks from a distance. "Hey! What's that?" he said, "I must go investigate." He flew over to investigate, and he saw the fireworks coming out from the chimney. Curiously, he looked down in it, only to get zapped multiple times by the lightning bolts. "Hey! That's not fair!" Discord yelled.

Inside the house, the *war* continued, until they both hit the dress at the same time, with the result that it looked like two cans of color paint were emptied on it.

"Ohhh, now look what you've done!" Thumbelina angrily said to Tinker Bell.

Crysta had just finished lighting all fourteen candles on the cake because she heard something. "Shh, listen!" she said. Then she began to listen closely to a faint sounds coming from the forest. As it got louder, it began to sound like someone singing. And they already recognized whose voice it was.

"It's Mermaid!" said Tinker Bell, realizing who's singing.

"She's back! Enough of this foolishness." said Thumbelina, as she and Tinker Bell changed their clothes back to their original colors.

Tinker Bell zapped the dishes clean and put them in a cupboard, and Thumbelina set the dress and a pair of ankle-length bloomers and silk gloves on the chair and set a pair of shoes on the floor. "Make it blue." she said. She turned the dress, shoes, gloves, and bloomers blue and turned to Tinker Bell. "Now hide! Quick!" said Thumbelina, motioning Tinker Bell to hide.

Before going, Crysta turned to the blue dress, shoes, gloves, and bloomers. "Violet!" she whispered, as she turned the dress, shoes, gloves, and bloomers violet without Thumbelina and Tinker Bell noticing. Then she ran to the attic to join the ginger-haired fairy.

Mermaid was running to the cottage. "Aunt Thumbelina!" she called.

Then Thumbelina was surprised to see the mop still washing the floor. "Good gracious! Who left the mop running?" she exclaimed.

Tinker Bell also noticed the mop and realized that she had forgotten about it. "Stop, mop!" she said, as she zapped the mop, making it drop to the floor, lifeless.

Mermaid opened the door, walked inside the cottage, set the berries on a small table, and unbuttoned her cloak. But she was surprised to find Thumbelina and the others nowhere in sight. As the girl looked around, Discord peeked into the door and sees her. "Who could she be?" he asked. He became very suspicious about the girl. Her hair is auburn, her skin is fair, and her eyes are crystal blue/indigo, but is it the same Princess Kairi? "Aunt Thumbelina! Crysta! Tinker Bell!" she called, as she hung up the cloak. "Where is everybody?" said Mermaid, wondering where they were.

Then she suddenly gasped when she saw the violet dress, shoes, gloves, and bloomers, and the cake and became very happy. "Surprise, surprise!" Thumbelina, Crysta, and Tinker Bell cheered in unison, as they all came out of their hiding place to surprise Mermaid.

"Happy birthday, Mermaid!" said Crysta, hugging Mermaid.

"Oh you darlings, this is the happiest day of my life. Everything's so wonderful! Just wait till you meet him!" said Mermaid, hugging them back.

"Him?" said Crysta, being startled when Mermaid mentioned someone.

"Mermaid!" gasped Tinker Bell, who also seemed surprised.

"You-You've met some stranger?" asked Thumbelina.

"Oh he's not a stranger," Mermaid explained. "we've met before."

"You have?" said Thumbelina.

"Where?" asked Tinker Bell.

"Once upon a dream!" Mermaid said dreamily, and she began to sing *Once Upon A Dream*.

Mermaid: *I know you*
*I walked with you*
*Once upon a dream*

The ginger-haired fairy, the black-haired fairy, and the blonde-haired pixie looked at each other with confused looks. They didn't know what was going on with Mermaid. Then Mermaid took Crysta by the hands and danced with her. Then Crysta noticed the cause of her behavior and realized. "She's in love!" said Crysta.

"Oh no!" said Tinker Bell.

"This is terrible!" said Thumbelina.

Then Mermaid stopped singing and dancing and became confused by what they said. And she didn't understand what was going on. "Why? After all, I *am* fourteen." said Mermaid.

The ginger-haired fairy, the black-haired fairy, and the blonde-haired pixie then began to know that it was time to tell her the truth. "It isn't that, dear." said Thumbelina.

"You're already betrothed?" said Crysta.

"Betrothed?" said Mermaid, still confused.

"Since the day you were born." answered Tinker Bell.

"To Prince Ventus, dear." Crysta agreed.

"But that's impossible!" said Mermaid, "How could I marry a prince, I'd have to be..."

"A princess?" Tinker Bell finished, smiling.

"And you are, dear!" said Crysta.

"Princess Kairi!" said Thumbelina.

Then Discord became surprised when it heard this. "Ah! So *that's* the princess! I must tell Eris right away!" He smiled evilly, knowing that he has found the princess. Then he flew off to tell Eris the news.

"Tonight, we're taking you back to your father, King Aladdin." Thumbelina told Mermaid.

Mermaid's eyes started to fill up with tears. "But...but I can't!" she said, "He's coming here tonight. I promised to meet him."

"I'm sorry, child," said Thumbelina, taking Mermaid's hands in her own. "But you must never see that young man again."

Mermaid became shocked when she heard it and began to cry, thinking she would never see that same boy again. Soon, she began to shed tears. "Oh, no, no!" sobbed Mermaid. "I can't believe it. No, no!" The ginger-haired fairy, the black-haired fairy, and the blonde-haired pixie tried to comfort her, but she suddenly ran upstairs to her room, crying.

Thumbelina, Crysta, and Tinker Bell sadly looked at each other. "And we thought she'd be so happy." said Tinker Bell. A tear slid down Thumbelina's cheek.

Mermaid continued to cry on her bed throughout the afternoon, thinking about the boy she fell in love with.