Chapter Text
It sure was beautiful outside. The sun was shining and not angry for once, the birds were chirping, the clouds were smiling brightly, and everything felt just right. There was not a single sound that could disrupt such a peaceful da-
"LET'S PLAY BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!"
Oh yeah, right. This is Belletopia, the kingdom that never sleeps. They were always active and rowdy, hosting big sports events every day. So much for peace and quiet, but hey! Everyone who lived there was happy with it!
We zoom into the stadium booth where the beloved Prince Benjamin sat in a throne with a microphone, wearing a robe so large that all his arms were buried and a tiny crown barely visible in his bushy hair. By his side was his assistant Brittany, who wore a colorful dress with images of powerups all over.
"Greetings, Belletopia! Your lovely ruler, Prince Benjamin, is proud to announce the kingdom's eleventy first baseball season!" The prince took a bow as the crowd cheered.
"Uh, sire? Eleventy one isn't a numb-" Brittany tried to correct, only to be interrupted.
"Well, in Belletopia it is! Now let's meet our players!" Benny takes the camera and zooms it in on the players. "At bat, we have the woman, the myth, the legend! The queen of awesomeness and hurrah, and aura, and… and…"
"We gotta move along, sire," advised Brittany.
"So many words to describe how awesome she is, but so little time. We've got BEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEE!"
The crowd went wild as Belle flew into the field with a baseball cap and a bat in hand, flexing her muscles. "YEAH! Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Belle is the best! Belle is the best!"
"At the pitcher's mound, we have the smartest bee on the planet and a tact… tacti… um…"
"Tactical," whispered Brittany.
"Tactical expert on the playing field, BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKE!"
Brooke stepped onto the bound with the ball in her mitt as the crowd cheered. "Salutations, and thank you! I will put my all in this game today."
Benny cleared his throat. "And finally, we have a NEW PLAYER out on the field! She may be as hard as stone, but her heart is as sweet as honey! Let us introduce the lovely princess of the Underworld, PEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLL!"
Pearl gracefully skipped onto the field with a baseball mitt in her left hand. "Yay! I'm so excited to play! So… how do I do this again?"
Brooke turned back to her. "It's easy! When Belle hits the ball into the air, you have to catch it before it hits the ground, and Belle will be out. If it hits the ground before you catch it, quickly grab the ball and run to a base before Belle can reach it."
"Okie dokie!" Pearl beamed.
"Now then, let's PLAY BALL!" exclaimed Benny as the game began.
Brooke got at the ready to throw. "Are you ready for a strikeout, Belle?"
"Hah! Do you know who you're talking to?" taunted Belle. "I'm gonna send that ball flying so high that Rosalina will be able to see it on my first try!"
Brooke prepared herself, and threw the ball straight toward Belle in a straight line. She missed the swing.
"STRIKE!"
"Heh… HA! I was only bluffing with that first swing! This time for real!"
Brooke rolled her eyes as she caught the ball back and threw it a second time. This time, Belle sent the ball flying and made a dash for the bases.
"Oh! I got it!" Pearl held her mitt in the air and ran backwards beneath the ball. "I got it! I got it! I got it! I got it!" But then all of a sudden, something massive jumped into the air and ate the ball, turning Pearl's excitement into fear. "I… don't got it!" Pearl screamed and ran out of the way as the thing landed. It was a terrifying pink monster truck, with an actual monstrous face! It roared as it raced around the baseball field, striking hysteria into the audience. Its rider, a small pink Deeparian with a paper crown, cackled evilly as this occurred.
"Oh no! It's Belletopia's greatest enemy! The queen of destruction and monster trucks! It's…" Benny couldn't finish when the large beast stopped in front of him and Brittany.
"Dat's wight! Your new wuler of Belletrophy, QUWEEN SQUISHYOOOOOOOUUUUU, has alwived!" the evil snail proclaimed.
Benny growled. "Squishyou! What are you up to this time?!"
Squishyou rolled over to the prince while chuckling to herself. "My sweet Benny! Fow too wong, I've been wanting to wule Belletrophy-"
"TOPIA!" yelled Brittany.
"And now, I'm gawnna do it by…" hearts grew in Squishyou's eyes "making you MAWWY MEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Benny went wide eyed as did Brittany next to him. "MARRY YOU?! EEEEEEEWWWWWWW!"
"EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!" repeated everyone in the stadium, just as repulsed.
"Awwww, c'mon Benny! It'll be fun!" Squishyou shook her arms in glee. "We'll get mawwied and wule Belletrophy togethew fowevew! You can make me so much food, and we'll have wots and wots and wots and wots and wots of babies!"
"That is not happening! No way!" Benny crossed his arms.
"Yeah! Get out of here, you fiend!" backed up Brittany.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Squishyou guffawed. "There is no such ting as 'no' in MY kingdom!"
"But you just used the word 'no'..."
Brittany's claim came on deaf ears when Squishyou summoned a giant orange and black shell that Benny was sucked into like a vacumn! "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! HELP MEEEEEEEE!"
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's time fow da best wedding evaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Queen Squishyou rolled off in her literal monster truck as the prince screamed for help and Brittany chased after in vain.
"NO! Our prince! Is there anyone out there who can save him?!"
"Fear not, Belletopia! Your heroes are here!" Belle tied a black bandana around her forehead and put on a karate jacket with a black belt at her waist and a yellow and orange triangle pattern on the sleeve collars. "You ready, girls?"
Pearl put on a burgundy dress with a matching witch hat that had dark pink stripes and held a purple crystallized staff with a heart in the center. "Ready!"
Brooke put on a light blue lab coat with vials of chemicals in hand. "Prepared!"
"I guess I'll go too." Brittany grabbed a raccoon leaf to gain a tail and put on a Spiny Shell helmet, also grabbing a red boomerang and drinking a fire, cat, and ice mix potion for good measure.
"LET'S GET 'EM!" Belle ordered.
"YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Our unlikely quartet of heroes charged through Squishyou's monster truck army. Belle kicked, smashed, and karate chopped some cars in two. Brooke had Bob Omb potions prepared to blow up some trucks from the inside. Pearl protected the team using stalagmites she could summon with her staff. And finally, Brittany was able to trip up some cars using a combination of multiple different powerups in her arsenal. Together, the girls made an army that no amount of giant sentient monster trucks could squish over. And good thing too, because they made it just in time to witness Squishyou making her wedding vows to a tied up Benny.
"And so… blah blah blah! Bowing wedding stuff! Time ta become my hubby!" Squishyou puckered up her lips which Benny flinched at.
"I OBJEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCT!" roared Belle as she and the others burst through the wedding hall.
"Girls!" the prince tried to break free. Only for Squishyou to hold him back.
"I dint invite you cwowns ta my wedding!"
"You're the clown if you think you'll get away with this, you twisted creep!" Brittany sharpened her boomerang.
"Give us your worst!" dared Pearl.
"I will!" Squishyou put on a set of goggles. "Doctor Squishyou wilw show you no mewciiiiiiieeee!"
The girls facing her tilted their heads.
"Dats wight, Bwooke! Youw not de onwy genieus hewe! I'm gawnna use my sciency genieus stuff ta tuwn all da people in da kingdom inta monstah twucks! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAH!" Doctor Squishyou cackled.
Brittany was dumbfounded. "Wh-What ever happened to just being an evil queen that wanted to marry a prince…?"
"No time to question it! We'll stop you, you slimy miscreant!" declared Brooke and they all charged.
Squishyou got into her own makeshift truck with engines and charged into them. The battle was long and tough with Squishyou thinking she was so brilliant and clever. But she wasn't! While the others distracted her, Brooke hacked into her vehicle and sent Squishyou crashing into a wall.
"NOOOOOOOO!" the villain whined in defeat while trying to get her truck to start up again.
"YES! Way to go, girls!" Belle high fived the others and untied Benny from the altar.
"My heroes!" he hugged them all. "Thank you! Belletopia is safe once again."
"Oh no, it's not! You'll nevah beat me! Nevah!" Squishy got up definiantly. "You know why? 'CAUSE I'M A MONSTAH!" Squishy grows in size with her face becoming more and more grotesque. The girls and Benny once again got ready to fight. "AND I'M GAWNNA EAT DIS WHOLE KINGDOM! AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Time out…" Brittany muttered. But no one could hear her over Squishyou's cackling. "Time out!" she yelled, but still to no effect.
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"TIME OOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUTTTT!" Brittany screeched loud enough to get everyone out of their imagine spot.
"Oh come on!" complained Squishy. "It was about ta get weally good!"
Pearl consoled a crying Brittany. "Hey… Are you okay, Brittany?"
Brittany wiped her tears. "Squishy, I can't handle this! First you're an evil queen that wants to marry a prince, then you're a mad scientist that wants to turn everyone into monster trucks, and now you're some big monster that wants to eat everyone?! Make up your mind!"
"Brittany…" Brooke sighed. "It's just a game. It's not that serious."
"Yeah. I think Squishy shaking things up is really fun!" agreed Belle.
"If there's one thing you can count on Squishy for, it's that you'll never predict what she'll do next," added Pearl.
"Well, it's serious to me!" cried Brittany. "I hate it when stories keep reviving the villain over and over again after many seeming defeats! Like… just give up already! I want the heroes to have their happy ending! Is that too much to ask?!"
The kids decided to give Brittany a minute to calm down. And when she did, Brooke turned back to Squishy. "Squishy, tell you what. Continue doing what you're doing, but after we beat you in your monster form, that's it. You're defeated. For REAL."
Squishy pouted. "Oh fiiiiiiine… NOW GET WEADY TA BE CONSUMED!"
"CHAAAAAARGE!" Belle declared and the others made their attack.
Meanwhile, Ruby watched her daughter and her friends playing in the castle's private playground. Now, one could argue there were better things she could be doing in her free time like reading a book or taking a stroll. But no need. She was content just watching her little girl having so much fun with her friends. What wasn't there to like about it? Ruby couldn't fully wrap her head around why she enjoyed watching this so much like it was a professional play. Maybe it was simply because when she was Pearl's age, she didn't have such carefree liberties. It was always "make a good image for yourself" this, and "royal duties" that. And she probably would've given Pearl that same kind of childhood had her husband not shown her the light of a more carefree childhood. And look at her daughter now! Even with Ruby's more laid back approach to raising her, Pearl was still turning out to be a fine heir to the throne. Perhaps even the best one yet! Maybe it was just bias talking, but Ruby didn't care. She had a wonderful daughter with such a wonderful group of friends surrounding her, and no one could change her mind about that.
Ruby jumped when she got out of her trance to see Belle accidentally smash Squishy's shell, with the Deeparian crying in despair.
"Oh crap! Squishy, I'm so sorry!" Belle frantically picked up the pieces. "Ooooooooh, what have I done?!"
"It's okay, Belle. I've got this!" Pearl took the broken pieces of Squishy's shell, rubbed her hands together, and worked her rock magic to repair Squishy's shell as if it were never broken.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Squishy wrapped Pearl around her arms. "You da best, Peawl!"
"You're welcome, Squishy! C-Can you let me go now? I'm covered in slime…"
Ruby's mind went racing. She knew this wasn't the first time Pearl had fixed Squishy's shell and was very much proud of her for it, but now seeing it firsthand… It gave her an idea! Although as she thought more and more about this idea, it seemed more and more out of reach… But maybe it wasn't! Maybe not if she had a little help…
Ruby approached the playground. "Having fun, kids?"
Pearl grinned. "We're having so much fun, mama! Imagination is even better when you have friends to do it with you!"
"I second that!" added Belle.
"I see!" Ruby nodded proudly. "Sorry to interrupt, but… Brooke, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Belle chuckled. "Oooooooh! Somebody's in trouble!"
Brooke just ignored her and stepped to Ruby's side. "Sure thing, Ms. Ruby. Whatever you need."
"Perfect! We'll be back in just a moment, kids." They walked back inside as the battle continued.
"MWAHAHAHAHA! You'we scientist is down! Time ta feed on da west!"
"Not today, Squishyou!"