Flounder bobbed with the small swells of the ocean, watching the massive ship carry Ariel away with her new husband. He was overjoyed that Ariel had been able to get to her Prince in time, that all they had done was not in vain. But he couldn't help but think: what now?
The ship was taking his best friend away, never to return to her home under the sea where her family and friends were left behind. He tried to imagine a day spent without Ariel and shivered. Sure, she took him to dark and scary parts of the sea, into sunken boats and deep caverns to find treasures and adventures. But it had been fun, a terrifying, life-flashing-before-your-eyes kind of fun, but still exciting. Now, without his closest friend by his side, what was the point in any of it?
Hours later, the ship had become only a spot on the horizon now. Flounder had never been so far apart from Ariel since the day they had met, not even when Ursula turned her into a human. He had always been in the ocean nearby, ready to assist Ariel any way he could to convince the Prince to kiss her. And what did he get as a reward? A kiss on the nose. A kiss on the nose and he was dumped back in the ocean, abandoned and lonely.
Night had started to fall and the ship had disappeared altogether. With nothing else to do, Flounder dove below the surface, down to the ocean floor and burrowed a space into the sand amongst a clump of seaweed. He lay there, miserable and lonely, wishing the little redheaded mermaid would come find him.