Eventually she marries a merman.

Notice that I said nothing about whether Ariel is happy or not.

Like Disney would do it.

Other: Ariel stays a mermaid for a few more years, getting to know Eric slowly (Triton would also get to know him) and then she'll be turned into a human to be with Eric.

It ends with Ariel realizing she was wrong too, that her actions hurt other people, that she acknowledge how much pain and worry she put them through, and acknowledge that she shouldn't have done many of the dangerous, careless, and reckless things she did.

It would have ended with Ariel apologizing to Triton too; not JUST Triton (and Sebastian) realizing that HE was wrong and just giving her her way.

Personally, I love the original fairytale, it's a masterpiece. Though I love Ariel it makes more sense that she would do it this way, proving she isn't completely selfish or else she would've killed the maiden, it's tragic, but by far the best way to prove her worth. Again how I would end it. Not only this in particular, but also deleted scenes from TLM, like apologizing to Triton and taking blame for Ursula's rule. Also a yet another scene where she save Eric's life, for the most part the original fairytale though.

I don't want Ariel to not have a happy ending. First off I would have maybe have her first try to show her dad that they're not all that bad in the first place without jumping to conclusions. And don't say that "she tried to" because, yes, at first she did, but then immediately lost control by spurting out, I'm 16! I'm not a child!" .....yes, you are. but if that didn't work my story would be her becoming human BEFORE she met Eric, and then meeting him on the shore or something. I would want Ariel to defeat Ursula too. They're was also a deleted scene in the movie where she tells her father that she's ready to go home showing that she didn't want to cause so much harm. And yeah, I would have loved an apology. Still, I want her to have her happy ending since she did work hard for it.