Cinderella had done many things in her life up to that point, but travelling by train was not one of them. Her life had mostly been confined to that prison which had effectively been her home for years, a servant, to put it mildly, to her stepmother and stepsisters. They had even attempted to prevent her from going to the Ball! Thankfully, her fairy godmother had had something to say about that, and had not only provided her with a new ballgown to replace her torn one, but even transportation, in the form of a coach and some horses (provided courtesy of some mice, a pumpkin, and goodness knows what else).
And when she got to the Ball, she had had the time of her life, not only getting the first dance with the Prince (whom she had admittedly only met the previous day), but getting to know him better. Pity the clock had rung twelve before she could tell him her name, and she had been forced to flee, lest anybody find out who she was. It had been a few days before the Prince had found her, as apparently he had swept the entire country with the glass slipper (or was it crystal? Apparently the Duke and the King had debated the matter for hours) trying to see whos foot it fitted to. It had taken a long time, but at last he had found her, and when he had asked her if she would marry him, she had said yes. She'd have been totally crazy to say no. The Prince had left ahead of her, but not before banning the Tremaine's from attending the royal wedding, but he had left instructions to the Grand Duke and his troops to put on a special train to convey Cinderella directly to the capital.
And here she was now, the world flying past at incredible speed. She had thought the journey in the coach was fast, but according to the guard that was only doing about 30 miles an hour. Here they were doing 70! "It must be marvellous," she said to herself, "to be able to travel in such speed and comfort, whenever and wherever you want to go." At least they would always have a Royal Train on hand. She would see to that.
Just as they flew through one station, suddenly something caught her eye. The station was thronged with people, waving banner and cheering as the train thundered past. But one person on the platform was not waving. She looked... sad, crying even. Cinderella only got the briefest of glimpses of her, but she knew what had to be done. She reached up, and pulled the emergency brake cord. The brakes on the train slammed on, bringing the train to a sudden and rather abrupt halt. She knew that although her actions were somewhat against protocol, what she had done was the right reasons.
The guard then made his way up the train and knocked on her compartment door. "Yes?" she asked.
"Is everything alright, madame?" the guard asked. Although Cinderella technically wasn't a member of the royal family yet, everybody was already treating her like one.
"Can you please back the train up to the last station?" Cinderella asked. "There was a child on the platform I'd like to speak to."
The guard nodded. "I'll contact the driver right away, madame." He then headed back down the train, and in a few minutes the train began to back up. A few minutes after that, the train had stopped in the platform, and Royal Guards dismounted from a compartment higher up the train. A butler opened the door for Cinderella, and she stepped onto the platform gently, dressed in a royal blue gown.
The people on the platform bowed, or curtsied depending on their gender, but Cinderella paid no attention to them. She walked across the platform to where the child had been, and indeed still was. Her eyes were red, and she looked a mess. She had purple hair and eyes, and was dressed effectively in rags, with no shoes on her feet. She looked as if she had come straight out of a workhouse.
Cinderella knelt to her level. "Excuse me, young lady, is something wrong?"
The girl barely replied, wiping a tear from her eye, before suddenly understanding who was speaking to her. She tried to curtsy, but simply fell over backwards, before Cinderella took her hand and helped her up.
"Y-yes, your majestiness," the girl replied. Cinderella could tell the girl was not being sarcastic. "I-it's such a happy day, of course, and I know it sounds selfish, but I've never been happy. I'm an orphan."
Cinderella was shocked. She knew exactly what this girl was going through, and spoke gently. "I know exactly what that's like," she said gently. "Tell me, who runs the orphanage where you live?"
"I do, your majesty," said another voice. Forward stepped a man dressed in a tweet suit with a top hat and watch and chain. "Mr Winterbottom, at your service. I run the Foggy Valley orphanage. This is Scootaloo. She's one of our oldest, at 10. Tragic case, I'm sad to say. Lost her parents in a mine collapse."
Cinderella temporarily turned her attention away from the girl, and to Mr Winterbottom. "I would like to adopt her as my daughter," she said. "I knew exactly what she's going through, and I am not going to stand by and let another person suffer."
"Very well, your highness," Mr Winterbottom said. "Please take good care of her."
"I will," Cinderella replied, before taking Scootaloo by the hand and leading her over to the open carriage door. She let the girl climb aboard, before entering herself. The butler again closed the door, the Guards got back onboard, and the train got underway once again with a short toot of the whistle.
"What an amazing act of kindness!" said the station master. "Three cheers for Her Royal Highness, Cinderella! Hip hip!"
"Hoorah!"
"Hip hip!"
"Hoorah!"
"Hip hip!"
"Hoorah!"
Scootaloo was stunned. She had never had an easy life, and this was the last thing she had expected to become. A princess of the realm? It almost seemed too good to be true! She looked out in amazement at the world rolling by, at incredibly high speed. She looked to the prin- her mother now, and her mouth had a massive grin on it.
"You look happy," Cinderella laughed.
"I sure am, your highness!" Scootaloo replied. "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me!"
Cinderella smiled again. "There's no longer any need to call me by such formal titles. I never liked them anyway."
Scootaloo nodded. "Yes, but calling you 'mom' still feels a bit too weird at the moment."
"Take the time you need. There's no rush." Just then, the guard came up to the compartment, and knocked.
"Your Royal Highnesses," he said to them, "we are now approaching the capital. The King has already got a carriage waiting on the platform, so we shall be ready to proceed whenever you are."
"Thank you," Cinderella replied. "I've only been to the capital once, I'll admit. That was for the Ball."
Scootaloo's jaw dropped. "That was you?" she asked. "The lady who-?"
"Ran away from the ball, yes," Cinderella replied. "I'm probably not the best choice for a football team." Just then, the train pulled to a stop in the station, which was full of people, wanting to see the new princess, but not realising they would be getting a double bill of princesses. Cinderella opened the carriage door, to a barrage of press cameras and flash bulbs. She did her best to smile for the camera, and took Scootaloo by the hand.
"Who's the girl?" called a reporter, a short fat man in a black suit with a top hat.
Cinderella just ignored him, and proceeded over to the carriage. Meanwhile, the Grand Duke was busy distracting the press, standing in front of the cameras and talking to the reporters. The coach driver then rang his bell, to indicate that the coach was ready to pull out.
"Right away, driver!" the Duke called, and the coach rolled away onto the streets to a chorus of cheers and whistle blasts from the passing trains. The press continued taking pictures as the carriage thundered away, rolling through the streets which were thronged with people cheering and waving. Along the way, Scootaloo looked out of the window with a massive grin on her face, while Cinderella simply smiled and waved in a formal manner as the coach rumbled along the streets. The sun shone in a cloudless sky, and within a few minutes the coach had reached the Palace in the heart of the city, a towering structure built in the Neo Gothic style. The coach entered the grounds, being checked through by another group of guards, and came to a stop just outside the entrance to the palace.
Upon the carriage door opening, a group of guards arrived, with the Prince standing amongst them. He reached forward and took Cinderella's hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't accompany you to the palace," he said. "But official business dictated I had to return to the capital. These civil servants are such a nuisance."
"I'm technically not at the palace yet," Cinderella replied. "So you can still accompany me there. I trust you are aware of the extra visitor?"
"The Grand Duke telegrammed ahead to let me know," the Prince replied. "So, you're name is Scootaloo, right?"
"Actually," the girl said, "in honour of her highness, I wish to change it to Scootarella."
The Prince nodded. "I'm sure that can be arranged."
"Prince Thomas!" called a voice, and all three individuals looked over to see who it was. It was an older, bald man with an incredible moustache, accompanied by more guards. This man was the King. "I see everybody has arrived?"
"Yes father," the Prince replied. "Cinderella has a matter that she wishes to discuss with you."
"Well, shall we do it indoors?" the King asked. "I see no point in standing around in the heat outdoors!"
There was no debate on that one, and they headed indoors to discuss the rest of the matter at hand.
Once they had reached the throne room, the King took his seat, and motioned for the Prince and Cinderella to step forward. "Now then," he said. "What is this matter concerning my future daughter-in-law?"
Cinderella cleared her throat. "Your majesty," she said. "Whilst being conveyed here by train, I spotted a young girl on one of the station platforms. I asked the guard to back the train up, and I spoke to the girl. I learned she was an orphan herself, and I wish to adopt her as my daughter. With your permission, of course."
The Grand Duke briefly looked astonished. "A peasent in the Royal Family?" he stammered. "This is certainly an interesting turn of events!"
"Please be quiet," the King told him. The Duke was immediately silent. "I see no problem. The more, the merrier!" He then looked over, to see the girl standing behind Cinderella. "Tell me, child, what is your name?"
There was a moment of silence, before the child spoke. "My birth name was Scootaloo, your Majesty-"
"There's no need for all this formality!" the King jovially boomed. "You may call me grandfather, if you wish."
The child stopped for a second, clearly trying to process what was going on. "However, in honour of her highness, I wish to change my name to Scootarella."
"I see no issue there either," the King replied. "Cinderella, you may adopt the child immediately, as you see fit."
There were brief murmers of agreement, before 'Scootarella' chose to speak. "There's a small problem I can see," she said. "I don't exactly look like royalty, do I?" She indicated to her somewhat torn and ragged clothes.
"Clothes make not the royal," the Prince told his new daughter. "It's what's in their heart that marks them out as Royalty. A lesson my brother could have done learning before he left for another land."
The King shook his head, indicating that this matter was not to be mentioned further. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and a woman in a huge white dress appeared. "Did somebody call?" she asked.
"Who are you?" the King asked, in surprise.
"Don't worry," Cinderella said to him. "This is my Fairy Godmother." She went over to her. "I was wondering if you could help with something."
"Well, your wish is my command."
Cinderella indicated to Scootarella. "My... 'daughter'," she said pausing for a moment. She was still getting used to the idea of calling this child her daughrer. "My daughter is having certain difficulties fitting in, and..."
"Can you make me look like a princess?" Scootarella asked quickly, catching everybody else off guard.
The Fairy Godmother laughed. "Well, I can't make anybody look like a Princess," she said, with a gentle smile. "That is carried in your heart, but I can say you have enough kindness and grace in you to more than fill the role. But, I do suppose I can touch your attire up a bit."
"I'd like that very much!" Scootarella replied.
The Fairy Godmother nodded. "Well then, here we go!" she said, motioning to Cinderella to step back. Then she pointed her wand, and a small sparkle of magic flew out of the end, touching Scootarella's clothes. The girl looked around her in amazement as energy began to flow all around her.
Her sleeves shrank back, until her arms was fully visible, and her collar shrank back until it sat around the top of her chest, running around the sides of her shoulders. Her waist contracted slightly, as the bodice began to shift, the tears and holes in her clothes stitching themselves together and forming into rich, soft fabric. Her skirt began to grow longer, until it reached the ground and she could no longer see her feet, and then began to expand in diameter, growing wider and wider until it took up a full four feet in diameter. Multiple extra layers formed under the skirt, giving it extra volume, and the entire dress turned a royal blue, to match the similar, but much larger, dress her mother was wearing.
"Well?" the Fairy Godmother asked. "What do you think?"
Scootarella grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.
Cinderella leaned in to speak to her daughter. "Remember it wears off at midnight, so make the most of it."
"Actually," the Fairy Godmother smiled, "I made the spell permanent. It will never wear off, so it will stay that way forever. I also used some magic to lighten the skirt a little, to make it easier to move about in."
"I'd always wondered how that worked," Cinderella said, before taking her daughter's hands.
The King then suddenly interrupted the conversation. "Don't we have a wedding to prepare for?" he asked.
"Ah, yes!" the Grand Duke called. "I'll get to work on that right away!" He then stopped. "With your permission, of course."
"Granted," the King replied. "Prince Thomas? I want you to assist in the planning as well."
"Gladly, father," the Prince replied. "I'll ask one of the guards to give Scootarella the grand tour of the palace."
Many weeks passed, all of them busy. With the King, the Grand Duke, and the Prince all busy trying to complete the logistical headache that was the royal wedding, time for family bonding was... limited, to say the least. Nevertheless, Scootarella got to know the place inside out, and was later introduced to the daughters of two prominent nobles. Safe to say, she made firm friends with both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.
But at last, the great day came. The railway system was packed, the ports were jammed full of ships, and the roads were clogged with crowds trying desperately to either be on the official parade route, or inside the cathedral itself for the Royal Wedding. Everybody in the kingdom had been invited (except Lady Tremaine and her daughters, for reasons that should be obvious). It was a relatively short journey from the Palace to the cathedral, but even so with the roads being clogged as they were, progress was slow. Eventually, the royal procession began, the bridesmaids and flower girls leading off the procession. The Best Man and Groom were already in the cathedral itself, per protocol. Nobody was prepared to tempt fate.
And who should be leading the three flower girls, but... Scootarella. The rest of the service went without incident, apart from a person coughing in the middle of the vows (how rude!), but just as the royal couple were headed away, Scoot ran into somebody.
"Sorry!" she said, before getting up and seeing she had accidentally knocked over a young boy her age, dressed in a military uniform.
"Not to worry," he said, brushing himself off. "You're the princesses' daughter, right?"
"That's me!" Scootarella replied. "And you are?"
"Prince Rumble, of the kingdom of Munchendorf." The boy smiled. "It's nice to make your acquaintance."
"Scoot!" called the Prince. "It's time to leave!"
"OK, see ya!" Scootarella called, as she headed for the waiting coach. The door was closed, and people lined the way cheering as it rode off into the sunset.
The King smiled, a tear in his eye as he looked at the happy scene. "If only you were hear to see this, my love," he said. "How I do love a happy ending."
And they lived happily ~~ever after~~.
Author's Note
Hello! I am aware this is not my usual style of writing, but my friend Chazkopa requested this, and given that fude-chan-art had provided a great piece of art, it would have been a bit rude to turn it down.
Many elements of this story combine different adaptations of the Cinderella fairy tale. The Grand Duke and the King are based on their appearences in the 1950 Disney film, whilst Ella and the Prince are based on their portayals by Lily James and Richard Madden respectively, with the Prince's given name taken from Once Upon a Time. The costumes are also based on their 2015 versions.
Other elements are included to try and bring the story into a cohesive time period, as there is a random jumble in most portrayals of time periods. As a result, I have attempted to put this universe about the year 1870.
