Featured Music:

1. "Meant to Be" from Teen Beach Movie

2. Excerpt from "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

3. "Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright

____________________________

Strawberry paced for a bit, trying to contemplate a way she could get these two wannabe lovebirds together. It was getting dark, and Mace had gone who-knows-where, leaving Strawberry alone by the fire, when she heard something moving in the bushes.

"Uh... Mace? Is that you?" said Strawberry.

No answer. Strawberry got into a defensive position as she prepared to fight whatever was in the shadows, when Strawberry realized it smelled like... the ocean? And then, whatever it was came into the light, prompting Strawberry to pounce and hold who or whatever it was to the ground. But then, she found it was...

"You?!" Strawberry exclaimed, looking down and saw it was the kelpie from Brenda's tower, in the form of a horse.

"Hello," said the kelpie.

"Come to take the princess back, did you?" Strawberry got into a fighting stance. "We beat you once, we can do it again!"

"No! I'm here for you. I think we got off on the wrong hoof." the kelpie said. He pulled some flowers from the ground with his mouth. "I never properly introduced myself. Kelly Kelpstein, at your service."

"Strawberry Sundae." said the pegasus awkwardly. "So, let me get this straight? You came all this way to bring me flowers?"

Strawberry had to admit, that was kind of noble.

"I don't understand though. Why me? Surely, many knights came to the tower before, and had pretty mares of their own you could flirt with."

Kelly told Strawberry he had seen some pretty mares before, but their riders were all such cowards. It didn't take much to get them to run away. All he had to do was show up and roar, and they soiled themselves before jumping into the stormy sea to drown, or they attacked him when he was just sitting there, prompting him to fight back.

"Kelpies get a bad rap. I spent many years guarding that castle to await the perfect prince for the princess," said Kelly. "But in all that time, I've heard the princess sing about her dreams for true love. And after many years of that, I dreamed of such too. And for some reason, I only thought of it when I saw you."

There were those who said pink and green should never be together, but that was probably because they hadn't mixed the right kinds.

Kelly:

I believe we all have a soulmate

The chance for a perfect duet

I believe in hopeless devotion

I just haven't found her yet

But in my mind I see

The girl who is meant for me

Kelly trotted as though dancing around Strawberry, admiring her beauty.

She'll be someone who is lovely

Someone wonderful and true

Deep down, Strawberry thought it would be nice to find a stallion of her own. Some colt who loved her as she was, made her happy, and she did the same for him.

Strawberry:

The kinda boy who makes you smile

Even when you're feelin' blue

Both: And I know, I know she's/he's out there

Most definitely (oh, yeah)

Strawberry:

Not a phony or a fake

Both: Sweeter than a chocolate cake

My "meant to be"

And then the two horses started to trot around together as though dancing beneath the moonlight.

When it's meant to be

You go kinda crazy

Meant to be

You forget your own name

When it's meant to be

That's destiny callin'

And nothing ever will be the same, oh yeah

Strawberry and Kelly came by a nearby lake for water, and Kelly showed off his skills in the water by swimming and making ripples pull the lily pads into the shape of a heart

Strawberry: You need a girl who's into music

To ride up high on Cupid's wings

Kelly:

Find that boy with perfect hair

Hello, fairytale ending with strings

The two ran together and played like horses did together.

Both: Oh, I know, I know she's/he's out there, can't you see?

(Oh, yeah)

Maybe I've already met the one I'll never forget

My "meant to be"

When it's meant to be

The stars seem to glisten

Meant to be

All the clouds depart

When it's meant to be

That's destiny callin'

And if you listen you'll find your heart

Then, Kelly and Strawberry came by the side of the hill and played some more until they found themselves tumbling down together, and they ended up looking into each other's eyes.

Both:

Four eyes meet, and the meet is sweet

Could it lead to something more?

What's the deal, when the way you feel

Is something you've never felt before?

Strawberry: Oh!

Kelly: Gee!

Um...

Go out with me?

Chorus:

La da da, da da da

La da da da da da

La da da, da da da, la da dum

La da da, da da da

La la la la, la la la la

La la la la la la la

La la la la la la la

Kelly & Strawberry: When it's meant to be

You go kinda crazy

Meant to be

You forget your own name

When it's meant to be

That's destiny callin'

And nothing ever will be the same

Chorus:

La da da, da da da

La da da da da da

La da da, da da da, la da dum

La da da, da da da

La la la la, la la la la

La la la la la la la

La la la la la la la

"This has all been very sweet." Strawberry said. "Maybe you're not as big a monster as I thought."

"When you're a kelpie, it ain't exactly easy to find a date. You never know who's real, 'cause they're always changing. You know what I mean?" said Kelly.

"Hmm. I hear you. Not everyone is what they seem, and you are more than you seemed at first."

Strawberry placed her muzzle by Kelly's the way horses usually did when they were in love.

"Guess the princess isn't the only one who found a special someone in this quest."

"Oh, she has. Only, neither seems to realize how well they'd match."

Strawberry told Kelly about the whole deal Mace made with Palpatine, and how although this began as some insane trade deal, it was clear Mace was falling for the princess, and she was falling in love with him.

"Hold up! Let me get this straight. He rescued her, but he's giving her away to marry someone she hasn't even met? That's not how I remember any love story going."

"That's what I said!"

"He has no idea what he's missing, your friend. If he heard that girl sing, he'd fall for her right away."

Now that Strawberry thought about it, she hadn't heard Brenda sing once since meeting her. Weren't princesses supposed to be beautiful singers who attracted cute little critters? Then again, that did sound stereotypical. Strawberry decided she needed to go and talk to Brenda. If Mace wouldn't make the first move, maybe Brenda would.

____________________________

Strawberry entered the windmill Brenda entered to rest in. She looked around, but didn't see anyone. Just a bunch of barrels and spider webs.

"Uh... Princess? Princess Brenda?" Strawberry called, walking inside. She jumped when she heard the sound of flapping, and it turned out to be just some birds flying through a hole in the roof. And then there was a creep that made Strawberry gasp!

"Princess, it's very spooky in here. I'm not playing around." Strawberry said, still sounding nervous.

But, even though she could sense it, she was almost totally unaware that she was being watched by someone walking across a wooden rail, only to fall with a scream and land on some soft bales of hay.

Strawberry's ears fell back as she caught sight of something rising from the cloud of dust, something tall with blue streaked hair and shiny blue scale-like markings on its skin similar to some creatures Strawberry remembered running into on the voyage to the tower. A siren!

Strawberry whinnied in a panic.

"No! No! Don't panic!" said the siren.

"Oh no, help!" Strawberry screamed. "MACE! KELLY! ANYONE!"

"Strawberry, it's me." The siren seemed familiar, but Strawberry was too blinded by her fear to see at first.

"What did you do with the princess?!"

"Strawberry, shh! I'm the princess." said the siren. "It's me, in this body."

"Oh my fairy godmother, you ate the princess!" Strawberry exclaimed. "Can you hear me?"

"Strawberry!" the siren groaned.

"Keep breathing! I'll get you out of there!"

Strawberry called for her friends again, but the siren held her muzzle and got the pegasus to look at her.

"It's me." said the siren.

This time, Strawberry recognized her. It was Brenda! But, she looked different. She had blue markings like shiny scales on her arms and ocean blue streaks in her hair, and her hair seemed to have gotten longer too. Even her gown changed to looked more wave patterned and ocean colored.

"Princess Brenda?" Strawberry gasped. "Wow... you look... wow."

"I'm a siren, okay?"

"Well, yeah, but you are still very beautiful." Strawberry said. "I mean, the sirens we met before were bad, but you... I know you. You're not like them."

"I wasn't always like this. It happened a long time ago, and I only look like this when the sun goes down. And I can never go near water unless I want to grow a tail."

Brenda looked at her reflection in a barrel of water as she recited a little poem.

"By night one way, by day another. This shall be the norm. Until you find true love's first kiss, and then take love's true form."

"Wait... that sounds like a magic spell."

"It is a spell. When I was a little girl, a witch cast a spell on me. Every night, I become this." Brenda looked at her reflection again. "This beautiful, but hated and dreaded monstrosity!"

Brenda splashed the barrel, getting Strawberry's face a little wet.

It was a sad truth. Sirens were beautiful creatures, but they had a pretty bad rap too. They were infamous for singing a seductive song that lured men into crashing and sinking their ships. Many sailors and even pirates lost their lives that way. Even in the event a siren didn't sing to hypnotize but simply to share their voices, people covered their ears and attacked them.

"I placed in that tower to await the day my true love would come and rescue me," said Brenda, wiping her eyes. "That's why I have to marry Lord Palaptine tomorrow before the sun sets and he sees me... like this."

"Okay, first off, let's take a deep breath. Second, are you out of your mind?! You don't know Palpatine like I do. He is most certainly not your true love. He didn't come to rescue you, he doesn't even know you, and if what you say about him not wanting to marry you if you look like that is true, which it likely is, then that's not true love. And besides, anyone would have to be crazy not to see how beautiful you are inside and out. Mace, he looks menacing twenty-four-seven, and he doesn't mind it."

"But, Strawberry. I'm a princess. And a princess is not meant to be feared by everyone around her." Brenda started to cry, Strawberry wrapping her good wing around her.

"Princess Brenda, listen. I know what it's like to be mistreated for being different. You know... it's part of how I met Mace to begin with. You know, Palpatine banished all the Magics from Naboo, which is why I can't live there anymore."

"What?"

Brenda was shocked. Strawberry and Mace never mentioned this to her before.

Strawberry told Brenda all about how Palpatine offered a reward for the arrest of every Magic that existed, and both adult and child Magics were placed in cages and chained, all set to be banished. Except, Strawberry was able to escape; she'd already been a prisoner to some mean farmers; she couldn't be banished too. And then, when Mace took her in, they quickly found that everyone was banished to the mountaintop that just wasn't big enough for everyone.

"Tell me, Brenda. Do you have a family?" Strawberry said.

"Yes. My mother, my father, and my little sister Heidi. I've been away from them for so long."

"And you love them, right?"

"Of course. The last thing they ever wanted was to place me in a tower. They sacrificed getting to watch me grow because they wanted to help me break my spell because they say someone willing to make a great sacrifice for someone else is a true love of sorts."

"Well, do you love Palpatine? A man you've never met, yet now you know he mistreats children, took Mace's home from him, and is feeding the people of Naboo a bunch of lies? Do you think sacrificing innocent men instead of his own safety is a sign he loves you?"

Brenda couldn't lie; Palpatine couldn't be her true love if he was such an awful person. And there was a difference between making a sacrifice, and throwing someone under the carriage. But if Palpatine wasn't Brenda's true love? Who was?

"You know, funny story. I'm a pegasus, but... I've recently fallen in love with someone of a slightly different species than I am. You're a siren, Mace is a minotaur. Both are pretty much half-human, and you and Mace... you guys have a lot in common."

"Mace?"

____________________________

Outside, Mace came back from doing a little exploring, and he was carrying a beautiful sunflower in his hand. He decided he was going to make his move, but first he had to figure out what he would say.

"Princess... how's it going, first of all? Good? Uh... good for me too." Mace practiced nervously. "I'm okay. Well... I saw this flower, and... I thought of you because it's beautiful and enlightening, and...well I thought you might like it because you're beautiful and enlightening."

Mace sighed and felt kinda foolish. But, he decided to go for it anyway.

"Okay, here we go."

Mace walked up the stairs, and then he heard voices in there.

"Who would want to be with someone who's known for endangering the innocent?" Brenda said. "That's why I can't stay here with Mace."

"I know what you mean," said Strawberry. "I can understand wanting to protect the people you love."

Mace, however, didn't stay long when he heard those words. He immediately thought the girls were talking about him. So, without a word, he angrily threw the flower down onto the step and left.

____________________________

"I don't even know what I can do anymore." Brenda said. "I can't be with Mace, but I can't be with Lord Palpatine either."

"Brenda, as your friend, I say the best thing now, is to tell Mace the truth." Strawberry said.

"No! Please, Strawberry. No one can ever know."

"But Mace deserves to know. If you don't take the chance now, you might never get another. You never know when you're gonna lose the people you love. I learned that the worst way possible when I was barely more than a filly."

"Strawberry, promise you won't tell. Promise."

Strawberry sighed reluctantly. "Alright, but you'll have to tell Mace sooner or later."

And with that, Strawberry left the windmill to go for a walke and clear her head.

"When Sasha was around, she usually took my advice." Strawberry said before starting to sniffle.

Brenda looked outside and spotted the sunflower Mace dropped on the porch, and she picked it up. Thinking about what Strawberry said, she took it inside.

Strawberry eventually fell asleep by the campfire.

____________________________

Early the next morning, Brenda was picking petals from the sunflower, debating whether to tell Mace or not about her spell, and more importantly, how she felt about him.

"I tell him," she plucked a petal. Then another. "I tell him not."

That left just one more petal.

"I tell him!" Brenda immediately rushed outside and called for Mace, but she didn't see him anywhere.

And then, the sun rose. The moment the sun's light touched the princess' skin, she transformed from a siren to a regular human. And then, Brenda spotted Mace coming over the hill, but he didn't look happy. Brenda rushed over and asked if he was okay.

"Perfect. Never been better." Mace snorted.

"Mace, there's something I need to tell you." Brenda explained.

"You don't have to tell me anything, Princess! I heard your girl talk with Strawberry last night."

"What did you hear?" Brenda asked.

"Every word!"

"Are you sure you heard everything?"

"Yes! Who would want to be with someone who's known for endangering people? That's what you said, right?"

"Mace, I didn't know that mattered to you."

"Well, it does."

Suddenly, a fanfare blew.

"Right on time," said Mace.

Except, the fanfare had Strawberry shot awake, and she took that as her cue to run and hide behind the windmill.

"Princess, I've brought you a little something." said the minotaur.

Brenda looked behind her to see a group of knights in shining armor arriving. The one up front appeared to be their leader, and he rode on a big black horse.

"Princess Brenda." Palpatine smiled.

Brenda hid it well in her face, but she could tell if this was Palpatine, he was definitely a lot older than she imagined.

"As promised," said Mace. "Now hand it over."

"Very well, minotaur. The deed to Mount Gaia, cleared as agreed. Take it and go before I change my mind." Palpatine said. Then he turned to Brenda. "Forgive me, Princess, for startling you, but you startled me... for I have never seen such a radiant beauty before. I am Lord Palpatine."

"Lord Palpatine?" Brenda gasped. "Oh, do forgive me, my lord. I was simply saying a short farewell."

Palpatine got off his horse to approach the princess directly.

"How sweet. But you need not waste good manners on the minotaur. It's not like it has feelings."

From her hiding spot, Strawberry couldn't believe Palpatine's audacity.

Brenda wanted to speak out against Palpatine's uncalled-for behavior, but when she realized Mace could lose his home if she did, she kept quiet. Even if Mace didn't feel the same, deep down she loved him.

"Princess Brenda. Beautiful, flawless Brenda." Palpatine took Brenda's hand and got down on one knee. "I ask your hand in marriage. Will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom?"

Brenda hesitated as she looked at Mace, who had a tinge of sadness in his eyes as he looked back, only to turn back to the deed he was reading. But again, she put aside her feelings for Mace and decided she was willing to sacrifice her dreams so Mace could have his home. So, she gave Palpatine an answer.

"Lord Palpatine... I accept. Nothing would-"

"Excellent! I will begin plans immediately, for tomorrow we wed."

"No!" Brenda said, surprising both Mace and Palpatine. "I mean- why wait? Let's get married today. Before sunset."

"Oh, anxious, are we? You're right. The sooner the better. There's so much to do!"

Palpatine boarded his horse again, this time with Brenda riding with him as he listed all that needed to be done by tonight.

"Captain! Round up some guests!"

"Fare thee well, Minotaur." Brenda bid goodbye.

Strawberry looked out and couldn't believe Mace wasn't doing anything else.

"Mace! What are you doing?! You're letting her get away!" Strawberry said.

"Yeah, so what?" said Mace, not seeming to care.

"Does it not concern you even a little bit what that man will do to Brenda? There's something about her you don't know. We talked last night and-"

"I know you talked to her last night! You're besties now, aren't you?" Mace interrupted. "So if you two are such great friends, why don't you follow her home?!"

"You know I can't go back to Naboo! I'll get arrested." Strawberry snapped back.

"Then go back with Sasha! Go be back with your original girl!"

"I can't!"

"Why not? Because she realized that truly you have no loyalty and talk behind her back?!"

Now Strawberry was really steamed. If her wing were healed, she would fly up to Mace's face to shout what she shouted next.

"NO! BECAUSE PALPATINE KILLED MY FAMILY! OKAY?!"

That had Mace frozen all of a sudden.

"What?" Mace gasped. "You never told me this."

"Why would I? Apparently all that's outside is what matters." Strawberry then spoke in a mocking voice, "I'm a happy-go-lucky pony outside, so I must have an all perfect life." Then she spoke in her normal voice. "Well, guess what! Even happy people have their problems! I've never been able to forget that day I lost everything I loved."

Many years ago...

It had just been another day at a little bakery in Naboo, where a little filly named Strawberry Sundae lived with her pony family and her human rider Sasha. That day, Strawberry was helping Sasha and Sasha's mom frost cupcakes, and they were having so much fun together tasting the icing, making messes of sprinkles and edible glitter, and laughing too. But then, that happy moment was quickly destroyed, when Lord Palpatine's men attacked, throwing torches at buildings.

People were screaming, people were running, and each time the bad knights threw a torch, they blocked the doors so the people inside couldn't escape. And Strawberry's family's bakery was one of them. The whole bakery was quickly engulfed in flames, and rubble began falling from different places. Strawberry and her family tried to find another way out, but the rubble was falling too fast, and to make matters worse, the bad knights came in with blasters, arrows, and axes they used to make more rubble fall, and to attack anyone who tried to escape or fight back.

"Get them all!" shouted a voice. That voice belonged to none other than Lord Palpatine.

"Someone, help! Please! Anyone!" Little Strawberry shouted, whinnying as loudly as she could. But no one could hear her.

And then the filly saw something horrifying to her eyes. Sasha had spotted some rubble about to fall down on Strawberry.

"Strawberry! Watch out!" Sasha screamed.

And before Strawberry could respond, Sasha jumped in and pushed Strawberry out of the way, only for rubble to fall on top of her!

"NO!" Strawberry screamed.

The filly didn't even have time to mourn, as more of the knights quickly came. She had no choice but to run. She ran and ran and ran until she was out of Naboo. Eventually, she was found and captured by farmers though. But as sad as being enslaved was, nothing broke her heart more than losing her girl. Her Sasha.

(Cue: piano from "Total Eclipse of the Heart")

Present Day...

Once upon a time there was light in her life

And now there's only love in the dark.

Nothing she can say

A total eclipse of the heart

Strawberry had tears in her eyes as she was reminded of that fateful day.

"I was alone for so long, without a real home. And then I met you and found a home with you." Strawberry sniffed. "At least, I thought I had."

"Strawberry," said Mace, touching Strawberry's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!"

And Strawberry ran off, leaving Mace alone.

"Strawberry?" Mace called. But, Strawberry was gone. Now he really was alone.

____________________________

Mace now had to walk all alone back to Mount Gaia, back to his cave. All the Magics were gone as promised. Mace should've been happy, right? But he wasn't. He was the exact opposite.

I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

Meanwhile, Strawberry met back with Kelly, and they started to walk through the forest together to start a relationship and perhaps a life with him.

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Brenda, on the other hand, was being fitted into her wedding dress. It was a beautiful white and pink gown with a long veil to frame her beautiful hair. But no matter how lovely the wedding dress was, Brenda just couldn't bring herself to smile when she looked in the mirror, knowing she was about to marry a man she didn't love.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Mace got into his cave and started to clean up the mess left behind. He looked at a little bowl on the floor. It had a little strawberry picture carved into it, identifying it as Strawberry's bowl. He felt terrible for how he treated her before, but it wasn't just her. He also missed Brenda

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to a kitchen chair

She broke your throne, she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Palpatine looked at himself in the magic mirror with the crown on his head he would wear once he and Brenda were married. Garrett was disgusted by this whole ordeal. He knew Princess Brenda deserved better than Palpatine.

Maybe I've been here before

I know this room, I've walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Mace tried to settle in by himself, back the way things were before he had even one friend. But... it just hurt him even more. And when he looked at his family portrait, he realized he'd just lost loved ones all over again, but to a fate worse than death.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time you'd let me know

What's real and going on below

But now you never show it to me do you?

And remember when I moved in you?

The holy dark was moving too

And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Maybe there's a God above

And all I ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you

It's not a cry you can hear at night

It's not somebody who's seen the light

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Brenda was heartbroken too. Now it seemed she would never be with her true love. She couldn't go through with this wedding, but what choice did she have now?

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah