Hello, my faithful readers! I have a surprise for you!
Yes, here it is: the very first chapter of Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction! I told you guys I'd post it sometime in July, and just today I realized July was more than halfway over. So I figured, why not post the first chapter today?
I only have the first two chapters done, though. I'm currently going through a writer's block with this story, although I have all the dialogue written out. I just need to convert it into the story.
Like my other movie-stories, I'm trying to expand Diancie's personality. Little will be revealed now, but I had her belong to a royal Diancie Family before she came to live at Diamond Domain, and her parents were the last descendants of the family. So technically, she is the last Diancie around, making her even more valuable than she originally was. Her mother was named Glittrous, and her father was Gemtaire. That's all I'll say for now.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to Pokémon. I only own Alice, and she's not even in this chapter.
1 - A Search for Xerneas
A peaceful, sparkling cavern rests beneath the valley neighboring the vast Allearth Forest. Dubbed Diamond Domain, it is home to a large colony of Carbink, and—
"Please wait for us, Princess Diancie!"
...And it harbors an immature princess at best.
A beautiful pink and white creature laced with diamonds hops playfully in the cavern, passing two Carbink who hold a large crystal. She wears a gleeful smile on her face; the three Carbink chasing after her, however, do not.
Princess Diancie giggles as she leaps gracefully across the crystal "river" that flows through the cavern with ease. She continues to hop away once she reaches the other side, leaving her so-called playmates in the dust.
The smaller of the three Carbink grumbles and nods to the other two. Without speaking, the two Carbink latch themselves onto the smaller one's sides, all three of them jumping over the river at once. Once they reach the crystal bank, they break apart and continue their pursuit of the princess.
"Princess Diancie, it's time!" the smaller Carbink calls out. "Princess!"
The three Carbink pass a large stack of crystals and diamonds in their search, and once they do, Princess Diancie pokes her head out from behind the stack. Her pink, mitten-like hands cover her mouth as she giggles softly.
"They didn't see me!" she whispers to herself. "This game is so much fun!"
Unfortunately, her voice attracts a swarm of Carbink children, who immediately crowd her and chirp at her with high-pitched voices.
"Princess!"
"Please play with us, Princess Diancie!"
"Shh!" Diancie hisses, her eyes glittering with worry. "Be quiet!" The last thing she wants is for Merrick to find her.
"Princess Diancie!"
Diancie flinches at her guardian's voice as he approaches her, the two larger Carbink at his side.
"There you are!"
The Rock and Fairy-type giggles, placing a mitten hand on her lips once more. "You found me!"
Merrick huffs in annoyance. "I'm not playing, princess! It's almost time for you to—"
But he hops too far, knocking into the stack of crystals. The pile teeters before falling onto the princess's three guardians, swamping them in gleaming diamonds.
Diancie gasps. "Merrick! Are you okay?"
At her words, the two larger Carbink emerge from the pile, kicking off crystals as they do. A small cleared area now surrounds Merrick, who shakes his head and glares at her.
"I'm fine, thank you!"
A final crystal falls from the stack and lands on his head, causing another gasp to slip out of Diancie's mouth. But as a furious Merrick shakes the crystal shard off, she giggles once again.
Merrick bites his tongue from saying anything he might later regret. Not only is it rude to talk down to the princess, he also holds feelings for her. They've been friends since Elder Dace brought her home from the Allearth Forest, as he was assigned to be her guardian, along with his two brothers, Bort and Allotrope.
"This is no time for giggling!" he scolds instead, allowing some of his anger to present itself.
But his voice only coaxes laughs out of the baby Carbink that have gathered around the princess, fueling Diancie's joyous and carefree fire.
"Princess!"
The Carbink crowd falls silent as the aging voice of their leader booms from the distance. Immediately, the Carbink split to create a path for the elder Carbink to step forward and reach the young princess.
"Elder!" Merrick's ears redden at the sight of the colony leader.
Diancie doesn't look so ashamed, though—something Merrick admires about her. "Dace?"
"Now, Princess Diancie," Dace sighs, looking at the taller Pokémon, "you have an important duty to perform. You must not forget that."
Diancie's small teeth find her way to her bottom lip. How could she ever forget?
Dace takes Diancie, along with Merrick, Bort and Allotrope, to a dark, spacious room, and they stand on a ledge. Above the dark chasm below hovers an astounding large, pink and sparkling diamond, its energy flowing throughout the domain.
"The Heart Diamond." Dace speaks the name with so much care and respect. "For countless years, it had provided us with great energy and tranquility. But sadly, time has taken its toll on it. I know that someday it will die out and lose its sustaining shimmer."
But instead of flinching like he expected her to, Diancie smiles. "But look how beautifully it's sparkling now. Worrying too much will make you lose your luster," she giggles at Dace.
The elderly Carbink grumbles under his breath. He cannot believe how naive Diancie can be sometimes. "Oh, please take this seriously."
"Okey-dokey!" Diancie chirps.
"A simple 'yes' will suffice!" Dace snaps.
This time, Diancie's carefree smile falls. "Um, yes." She doesn't exactly find it fun to say, but she'll do it if it makes him happy.
Dace sighs before turning back to the glowing Heart Diamond. "The sad truth is, if the Heart Diamond were ever to be lost, our domain would be finished."
The young princess shrugs at this news. "You're exaggerating."
"I am not exaggerating!" Dace yells. "Creating a new Heart Diamond is a task that only you can do, Princess Diancie." Diancie sighs in defeat at this; she absolutely dreads the idea of using her unstable power like this. "Before anymore time is wasted, I want you to demonstrate your power."
She casts a doubtful glance in his direction before raising her hands. "Okay, I'll do it. I mean, I'll try." She lifts her hands up to the Heart Diamond, but sneaks a quick look at Dace. "...But I don't think I can."
"Princess!"
Diancie looks a bit hurt at his outburst, but nevertheless, she turns her attention to the glowing Heart Diamond before her. She takes a deep breath and allows her mystical power to pour out of her.
A white spark flashes between her hands, and pink leaf-like sparkles form and swirl in front of her. They form into an elegant spiral, merging into the shape of a large pink mass.
"Yes, keep going," Dace encourages her.
Diancie inhales deeply and pushes her power a bit more forcefully. The pink mass expands, taking the messy shape of a large diamond before suddenly dissolving to nothing. Diancie gasps, but sighs, looking down at the ground.
"I told you, I just can't do it."
Merrick hops up to her side, blinking with what he hopes is comfort. "Princess, you will one day. After all, it's what you're here for," he reminds her.
She gives him a grateful nod before turning to Dace. "I thank you for raising me ever since I was very young, but I'm afraid I..."
Her words bring back a flood of memories for Dace. He'd known the royal Diancie family for a while now, as they'd live in the now-forbidden Allearth Forest many years ago and were peaceful neighbors to those who lived in Diamond Domain. They had created Heart Diamonds for the Carbink in exchange for protection from thieves and travelers.
But Diancie and her parents were their last descendants, and her parents were now dead, thanks to the Great Catastrophe caused by Yveltal and—
"Xerneas."
Diancie meets the Elder Carbink's gaze with an interested glint in her eye.
"You must go see her."
"Xerneas?" The name sounds familiar to her, but from where?
"That's right. Long ago, when I was journeying, there was a terrible catastrophe. This cataclysmic event occurred in the Allearth Forest, and...at the same time I found you, princess."
Diancie gasps. Dace had told her she'd come from the Allearth Forest, but refused to speak with her concerning her deceased parents. Was he now openly going to inform her about all she wondered?
Death. So much death.
Energy and life sucked out of foliage and Pokémon. Vivillon and Combee fluttering away to escape the decaying forest.
"Please, I beg you, take her! Keep her safe!"
Now, with a small pink bundle perched on his head—the newborn Princess Diancie of the royal Diancie dynasty—Dace hops away from the destruction. But being quite elderly, his energy runs out, and he finds himself trapped with a small group of Pokémon: three Oddish, a Skiddo, a Linoone, a Zigzagoon, and a Teddiursa.
Death surrounds them. No escape for anyone.
"My life force isn't enough," Dace mutters, placing the newborn princess down and shielding her with his body. "I'm finished!"
A sickly red and purple smoke inches closer, clouding the bushes around them. Up above an ear-splitting screech slashes through the air. The cause of this destruction, Dace thinks bitterly.
Suddenly, a beautiful blue deer-like creature leaps in front of the group of huddled Pokémon. An elegant golden shield of life forms around them, blocking the smoke and protecting the Pokémon.
They're saved!
But Dace feels the last of his strength deep out, and he sways before collapsing onto the ground beside the baby Diancie.
When Dace awakens, he sees the Teddiursa holding Diancie, the Linoone wrapped around her small, fragile body.
Standing on the hill nearby is the great blue deer from earlier. Pink waves of life surge from her form and through the ground, reviving the destroyed land around them.
Xerneas.
"Fairy Aura!" Dace exclaims in joy, shooting up from the ground. His strength returns to his body, a smile on his face.
He steals a glance at the small Diancie in the Teddiursa's arms. Nodding to the Pokémon, the Normal-type bear places the baby on Dace's head carefully. Dace smiles as he feels the baby squirm against his rocky skin.
They've trusted me with their child—their Diancie.
Then that will be her name—she is the last of her kind.
"It's because of Xerneas I am here today," Dace finishes as they hop up a purple slope of Diamond Domain. "And you are here because of her, as well, Princess Diancie."
As they stop and Dace looks at her, Diancie bites her lip once more. She'd never given thought to the possibility she might be alive today because of someone else. Especially from a well-respected Legendary Pokémon like Xerneas herself.
"That's who we're going to meet?" If she did in fact meet Xerneas, she'd have to thank her for saving her and Dace's lives.
"Yes, princess."
"So, if I meet Xerneas, and her Fairy Aura washes over me, I'll discover my true power and actually make a Heart Diamond?" she asks.
"You will!" Dace clarifies, smiling. "You have to trust the Fairy Aura."
"But if her Fairy Aura surged through me when I was small like you said, how come I still can't use my powers like I should?"
Dace nods in understanding. "When you were a baby, a small amount reached you, but not enough to fully complete your powers. You were a child at the time, as well, so your body could not absorb the energy it required, as it did not know at the time what it needed—you hadn't yet tested your powers."
Diancie shifts her red gaze over to the spacious cavern around her. Carbink workers litter the areas with crystals and diamonds, and Carbink children romp around in the crystal-infested fields, their parents gazing lovingly at them.
This is my home, she realizes with a wide smile.
"I'll do it! I'll go!" She allows a laugh to escape her lips for what seems to be the millionth time today. "I always wanted to go see the outer world anyway."
Dace isn't too pleased at this, however, and snaps, "You must take all of this more seriously!"
"Okey-dokey!"
"What will suffice?" the Elder Carbink growls.
Diancie jolts, but masks it with a smile. "...A simple 'yes'? Yes!"
Dace sighs at the young, naive princess. How will she ever survive out in the big world?
I'll have to send Merrick and his brothers with her. I'm sure Merrick won't object.
The next morning, as the sun lifts over the trees, the Carbink colony gathers outside the entrance of Diamond Domain. Diancie stands with Dace, Merrick, Bort and Allotrope on the nearby grassy ledge, the Carbink children waving goodbye to their princess.
The sun peeks over the treetops, illuminating the autumn leaves. Red, orange, yellow and brown shades stare back at the princess, a large waterfall coursing down a cliff and splashing into the river. Mountains that reach the sky protect the forest from behind.
"It's beautiful!" Diancie gasps, her eyes roaming along the brightly-colored forest.
I'm ready for anything! Xerneas, here I come!