Author Notes - Like most Disney movies, it is never all sunshine and rainbows.

CHAPTER NINE - TROUBLE BREWS

'Nymphiaaaaa! Wait for meeeee!'

The young Eevee ignored her exhausted Murkrow friend trailing behind her, and ran through town square anyway. Her parents only allowed her to run off by herself as long as she went with him, but she rarely followed that rule anyway.

'WAH!'

Which perhaps she should have, because then she might not have tripped over a stone in the path and fallen onto her face.

'Owww…'

'Woah, are you okay there?'

Nymphia's ears twitched. Most of the Pokémon in the plaza paid no attention to her, not out of apathy but merely because they didn't realise she was there. So this voice stood out among the public. The Eevee looked up, and spotted an Absol about her age looking down upon her with a look of worry on his face.

She stared into his eyes for a bit. They had a certain warm quality to them.

'Oh yeah, I'm okay.' She said, slowly getting up. 'I've had worse.'

The Absol sighed in relief. 'Okay, that's good to know. What are you doing out here by yourself anyway?'

She scoffed. 'Hey, I'm fifteen. I'm sure I can handle myself.'

'And you're still an Eevee?'

'Oh, shut up.'

Karasu finally arrived, but he was so exhausted in his attempts to catch up that he just collapsed. So, the field egg group Pokémon were alright to simply ignore him. Nymphia looked around, but she couldn't see any Vaporeon or Delphox anywhere, so she knew she was in the clear.

'What are you doing here anyway?' She asked.

'My parents brought me out here to check up on the people.' He replied. 'Oh, where are my manners? I'm Absalom. I know, not a very creative name for an Absol. What's your name?'

'Nymphia. My parents named me that cos they thought I looked like a fairy when I hatched. Frankly, I don't know what they were thinking.'

Absalom chuckled. 'I mean, you kinda look like a fairy to me.'

'I'm not sure how to take that, but I'll assume it was a compliment.'

The Absol laughed again. 'Look, I gotta catch up with my parents soon, but you seem like a neat girl. Come back here tomorrow, and we can chat again.'

Nymphia gave him a rather incredulous look. Now, she was no expert on the flirting game, but she couldn't help but to think that he was already hitting on her. She didn't mind it too much though - he was a teenaged boy after all, and she didn't think it was that odd for them.

'Oh, that would be lovely!' She said, waving him off. 'Goodbye!'

'Bye!' Absalom said, running off to see his parents. 'I promise I'll be here!'

Imagine Nymphia's shock when she watched Absalom run into his mother's loving embrace. His parents weren't some commoners like Nymphia, but instead King Ashiren the Primarina and Queen Pandora!

'That guy was royalty?' She questioned. 'Huh. Could've fooled me.'

'Wait, that dude was the prince?!' Karasu cried, finally conscious once again.

Nymphia wasn't expecting to see him there the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. Yet, every day he was there, waiting for her. She noticed a blush peeking through his dark fur every time he talked to her, and she couldn't help but blush back at him.

They spent almost every afternoon together, and the only time they separated was when Prince Absalom had important things to do. So, just a few months after their first meeting, Absalom decided to take a risk and ask Nymphia an important question.

'Hey, I know it sounds weird to hear a prince asking a commoner this, but… do you want to go out with me, and perhaps be my princess?'

'You want to go out with me? Oh, I would love to!'

At that moment, once she accepted his loving invite, something amazing happened.

'Nymphia?' Absalom said. 'You're… you're evolving!'

And, in just a few moments, there was no longer an Eevee standing right in front of the royal Absol. Now, he was face-to-face with the most gorgeous Sylveon he had ever seen.

'I did it!' She cried, dancing around her surprised boyfriend. 'I finally evolved into a Sylveon! Oh, this is what I always wanted to be, but it took so long for me to find someone I loved so much!'

After all that dancing, it wasn't surprising that everyone hit the bed earlier than usual for the second night in a row. Even Ebony found herself unable to stay up late at all, which was something her older siblings never thought they would witness. It was an early wake-up, and fortunately this time everyone awoke to the lovely sound of Melancholy playing his guitar from last night, just as loudly as he did before. Regardless, Sunshine still wanted to kill him.

Breakfast had been served, and everyone had recovered from the rough party the night before. While Sunshine, Ebony, and Melancholy were washing up the dishes together the same way they did before - without Rose to carry them back this time - Whiskers sat by the kitchen window and stared out into the forest before him.

'Whatcha thinking about, Princey?' Melancholy asked, nearly smacking Sunshine with the next plate.

Most of the other Pokémon weren't doing much. Rivers struggled to carry a still-sleeping Flash down the stairs by her ear, having difficulty not so much with dragging her but more so trying not to hurt her. Rose and Spring, meanwhile, sat on the couch and read to the princess one of their favourite books.

'Here is a great tree, standing close to the ditch, said the Cacturne.' Rose read, doing a gruff voice for the titular Cacturne. 'If the Tin Scyther can chop it down, so that it will fall to the other side, we can walk across it easily.'

Spring, appropriately enough, did a shaky voice for the Cowardly Luxray. 'That is a first rate idea. One would almost suspect you had brains in your head, instead of straw.'

Spring's favourite was always the Cowardly Luxray. Unsurprisingly, he found the timid Electric-type quite relatable. Rose liked the smart (and sometimes snarky) straw-laden Cacturne to be more enjoyable, while Snowy found herself falling in love with the Tin Scyther. The tin Bug-type reminded her of the sweet Leafeon even more than the Luxray did.

'My parents will be expecting me soon.' Whiskers replied to the Espeon. 'And I don't want to worry them. It's been a lovely stay, but…' With a sigh, he turned to the rest of the family. 'I think it's about time I left.'

Sunshine groaned. 'Good riddance!'

Though she was in the next room, Rose heard the prince's response easily. As soon as his voice hit her ears, she gasped.

'What?!' She exclaimed. 'You can't be leaving yet! You've only been here a few days.'

Prince Whiskers jumped off the counter and hopped onto the couch instead. He found that he enjoyed looking into her deep blue eyes more than he expected, and he couldn't explain why. Likewise, Rose had no idea why she couldn't help looking deep into his eyes either. She grabbed onto his paws and held on tight, worried that this could be the last time she ever saw him.

'It has been an amazing time here with you and your family.' He said. 'But my parents will worry. I don't know what Queen Nymphia will try to do to me, but it's a risk I must take. I'll inform my parents about this horrible situation, and hopefully we can move on.'

Sunshine put a plate down to dry and slammed his face into the counter. 'Oh no… that means that Blaze will be leaving too! Of course, the one other Pokémon I meet who isn't a complete idiot has to leave just a few days…'

The aforementioned Mudsdale could hear his whinging from outside, and laughed to herself.

Melancholy's ears drooped. 'Aw, and you were such good company too!'

'Don't fret about it, my good Espeon sir.' Whiskers said. 'I can promise you that I will return as soon as possible. In fact, I may even make accommodations for you and your family if you wish. Regardless, I am certain we will meet again.'

As he left out through the front door - a somewhat difficult task as the bed had not been moved - where Blaze waited for him, he waved goodbye to all the Eevee evolutions inside the cottage.

'I bid you all a fair fareway.' He said, hopping over the foot of the bed so he could leave. 'You have been some of the greatest friends I have ever met.'

And so, the others waved him off, giving him a chorus of 'goodbye's and 'so longs'. Sunshine bothered with a quick wave before pretending he wasn't there, and Rivers managed to wake up Flash (with a small slap) just long enough for her to say goodbye before she conked right out again.

The Vaporeon groaned. 'Flash, come on…'

As the royal Litleo disappeared out the door, and as the sound of his steed galloped away, Snowy could feel her heart sinking. Still, she felt hope knowing that she would see him again… if she managed to survive her mother, at least. Rose, on the other hand, could feel a sting in her eyes. It was a feeling she was all too used to - blasted pollen - but this time it was different.

'S-Sis, are you crying?' Spring asked.

'N-No!' Rose pleaded. 'I-I just…' She sniffed. 'Just my dang allergies acting up again?'

Spring frowned. 'Oh no!'

Snowy chuckled. 'Bashful, she's lying. She's actually crying. I think someone really misses the prince already.'

He gasped. 'Oh no!'

Rose blushed. In a moment, Melancholy dropped the plate he was washing - making Ebony have to catch it for him - and ran over to the Glaceon. He leaned in close and gave her a cheeky little smirk.

'Oh, does someone have a crush?' He asked. 'Cos I think someone has a crush!'

Rose's blush intensified. 'N-No I don't!'

She turned around, and nearly shrieked when she saw Ebony sitting right behind her. The Umbreon was giving her the exact same cheeky smirk that the Espeon had, not entirely sure why that expression was needed but imitating Melancholy perfectly anyway.

'Look at that, Dopey!' Melancholy said, slinging his 'arm' over Ebony's shoulders. 'Our sneezy sister has herself a crush!'

'Stop calling me that!' Rose yelled. 'And I don't have a crush!'

Spring couldn't help laughing at his sister's expense. At least his laughter could perk her spirits just a little, even as she was being subjected to embarrassment by her siblings. Ebony put her 'hands' on her heart and did a dramatic backwards faint onto the floor, before she reached out to the heavens and seemingly 'died' from too much love.

'Doc!' Rose whined. 'Happy and Dopey are making fun of me again!'

'Can't help you, Rose.' Rivers said. 'Still dealing with a freeloading Jolteon over here.'

'And I think it's too funny to stop it!' Sunshine said with a laugh.

Prince Whiskers set Blaze in the right direction, and they headed back to Auroria through the forest. They didn't get far, however, before his mind drifted away. Blaze continued down the path she had already left with her own hooves, but soon Whiskers forgot about the world around him as he drifted into his own thoughts.

After a while, Blaze huffed. 'Okay, you haven't argued with me once for the past few minutes. What's going on?'

Whiskers sighed. 'I'm thinking about those lovely Pokémon. Not just the princess, but that whole family too. For everything they've gone through, they offer fantastic hospitality.'

Blaze smirked. 'Oh, I think I see what's going on. You're thinking about that Glaceon, right?'

'Uh, yeah. How did you know?'

The Mudsdale just rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself. She trotted through the woods at a leisurely pace, finding perhaps a little too much enjoyment in Whiskers's obliviousness. Especially since his ability was actually Moxie, and Litleo couldn't even have 'Oblivious' to begin with.

'Rose has been on my mind more than I care to admit.' He said. 'What is it about her that compels me to think about her so much?'

'Oh my Arceus, Whiskers…' Blaze said with a groan. 'Are you really this dense?'

'Don't just mock me for my 'stupidity', Blaze. That doesn't exactly-'

'WOAH!'

Blaze came to an abrupt stop and reared up for just a moment. Whiskers had to wrap his front legs around her neck just to stay on at all, and it only took him a second to realise just why she had stopped so suddenly. A Gardevoir - a rather familiar one - had teleported right in front of them without a warning.

'Dude, what are ya doing?!' Blaze demanded. 'You could've been trampled.'

Whiskers cleared his throat. 'I apologise for her attitude, Chevalier. But I must ask, what are you doing all the way out here?'

Chevalier did not respond to his question. He just stared at him without a hint of emotion to be found in his eyes or even his stance.

'Uh… Chevalier, are you okay?' Whiskers asked.

'I'm not liking this at all…' Blaze muttered.

After a few moments of silence, Chevalier lifted up his arm and signalled for them to stop. Blaze, for once in her life, trembled and took some steps back.

'Chevalier,' Whiskers said. 'What is going-?'

'You cannot return to Auroria.' The Gardevoir said, his voice as emotion-free as the rest of him. 'My queen forbids it.'

'Excuse me?!' Blaze said. 'Since when did she have command over us like that?'

Whiskers gulped. 'B-Blaze, I suggest you keep quiet.'

'I don't care what this dude wants. I'm getting out of here!'

She lifted up her hoof and… well, she tried to. She poured all of her energy into turning around and fleeing the scene, but not a single thing moved. It was as if she had been dipped into cement. She could barely even gulp.

'I can't move… I can't move!' She cried.

'N-Neither can I!' Whiskers said.

Blaze would've screamed if her muzzle would only open up wide enough. The Litleo could just barely stay calm, for he could tell by Chevalier's glowing eyes just why they couldn't move - he was using the move Psychic to keep them in their place.

'My queen forbids you to return to Auroria.' He said. 'And you must be punished. You are to come back with me.'

Before either Whiskers or Blaze could say anything - a retort, a demand, or even a beg - they disappeared into thin air.

To take their minds off the goodbye, Spring, Rose, and Snowy kept reading the fantastical story detailing a lost Rockruff yearning for her home, a Cacturne made of straw, a Scyther cursed to become tin, and a timid Luxray in desperate need of courage. Thanks to the Cacturne's plan, the gang escaped the ferocious Bewear and were back on their way to the Celadon City. The Tin Scyther accidentally crushed a Caterpie, and cried so hard that his mouth rusted. It was up to the Cacturne to figure out that he needed oil.

'Okay, maybe I'm an idiot,' Snowy said. 'But if the Cacturne doesn't have a brain, how is he able to come up with all these ideas?'

Rose gave her a look. 'Uh, cos that's kinda the whole point. The same way the Tin Scyther keeps crying even though he doesn't have a heart.'

'Oh. Oh! So it's meant to be an 'inside you all along' thing. Right, so it is just me then.'

'No offense, but haven't you ever heard of this story before? It's only one of the most famous stories ever!'

Snowy rolled her eyes. 'You're really underestimating just how sheltered I've been.'

Spring frowned. Every time he heard about the princess's plight, he wanted to give her a great big hug. The only reason he didn't was because he'd find the physical contact too unbearable. How his own shyness annoyed him sometimes…

Melancholy, Ebony, and Sunshine packed the dishes away and dusted off the counter. The job took a while because they spent half of the time fighting. Well, more correctly, Sunshine kept yelling at his younger siblings and grew more and more frustrated when they just smiled at him.

'I'm gonna kill the both of ya!' Sunshine yelled.

Melancholy just laughed. 'Wanna know why it's so funny? Cos we know you would never really do it!'

Ebony nodded, and gave the Flareon a rather punchable smirk.

'You wanna bet on that?!'

While all of this was going on, Rivers had dragged Flash into the same spare room they had used to party in. Through all of that, she had remained asleep. Seeing as yelling and slapping had done nothing, he settled for the next best thing. He opened up his mouth, and from it fired a jet of water. It emitted steam almost immediately, and when it hit Flash in the face…

'AH!'

That steaming hot water managed to get the Jolteon to express the most emotion she had in years. Once she jumped awake, however, she returned to her usual stoic self as she stared up at her older brother.

'Oh, hey there, Doc.' She said, not even bothering to stand up. 'How's it going?'

Rivers sighed. 'Flash, we need to have another talk.'

'About what?'

'You know what. Now, please get up.'

Flash managed to sit up, after some struggling, and Rivers considered the effort good enough.

'My time is coming up.' He said, his tone serious. 'My bones are giving in, and it isn't too long before my heart and body follow suit. Very soon, the oldest after me will become the 'Doc' of our family, and I'm still worried that she isn't capable of the job.'

The Jolteon's ears moved downwards, just a little. It managed to bring some relief to the Vaporeon, if only because it meant that she was listening. He had gotten quite used to her barely-existent reactions after the three decades of having known her, after all.

'But I led the bed building.' She said.

'That you did.' Rivers said. 'Far better than I was expecting, I admit. But I shouldn't have to wake up a future leader by splashing hot water in her face. Our brothers and sisters deserve the best of the best. While I cannot say that I am the best of the best myself, I fear that you simply won't come close.'

Flash opened her mouth, but soon closed it again.

'Good to see you agree with me.' Rivers continued. 'If the bed was any indication, I know that you can do a good job. And no matter what, I will always love you as a sister. But you are the same freeloading Jolteon who only came into my life because her parents kicked her out. What I'm trying to say is…' He sighed. 'You have to do so much more. And right now, I don't think you're worthy. It's a big family, and while you may be dealing with one last sibling than I do, I haven't seen the proof that you really can do this.'

Flash stared down at her paws for a moment. It hadn't been the first time they had this talk, but it definitely sounded more serious than last time. She was about to respond, when there was a knock at the back door.

'Another visitor?' Rivers questioned. 'We've had so many already.'

'We're popular.' Flash said.

'Evidently.'

'I'll get it!' Melancholy yelled.

The Espeon dashed over to the door, and Ebony followed him with such enthusiasm that she accidentally bashed her face into it. Once she backed away, Melancholy opened up the door with his mind and gave a big friendly smile to whoever was on the other side.

'Hiya, kind stranger!' He greeted. 'I'm Melancholy, and this is my little sister Ebony!'

Only after he was finished with his greeting did he actually see who was on the other side of the door. It was a Houndoom, easily identified as female (in most cases) thanks to the smaller horns on her head. She carried a basket of various berries on her tail, and had a pleasant little smile.

'Sorry for the roundabout entrance, but there appeared to be a massive bed blocking the… why, an Espeon and an Umbreon?' She said. 'I haven't seen any evolutions of Eevee for a while.'

'If you think that's crazy,' Melancholy said. 'Wait until you see the rest of my family! See, we have… oh, hey Doc!'

Rivers was the next Pokémon to step up to the door, and he gave the Houndoom guest a look of suspicion. It was enough to make Ebony hide behind her other big brother.

'What brings you here?' Rivers asked.

'Dear me, I'm afraid I got lost.' The Houndoom replied. 'I was on my way to deliver some berries to my good friend in Forressidon, but this was the first time I tried visiting her on my own and, well, the only way between the two kingdoms is this forest.'

'Maybe we oughta do something about that!' Melancholy said. 'Maybe Snowy could build a bridge or something when she becomes queen.'

Rivers rubbed his temples. 'Did you really need to bring up Snowy? We're trying to keep a low profile here.'

At the sight and sound of another stranger, Spring squeaked and dove behind the couch, where he shook like a leaf - appropriately enough. Snowy hid between Rose and peeked out from behind her, looking the Houndoom over for any feelers or bows.

'Well, you've come this far.' Melancholy said. 'How about you stay here for a little while?'

The Houndoom smiled. 'Oh, alright, but only for a bit. My friend will be expecting me soon. Ooh, and my name is Cerbera, by the way.'

'In that case, howdy Cerbera!'

Cerbera let herself into the house, and settled the basket of berries onto the floor right next to the door. Ebony sniffed at a particularly ripe Pecha berry, and salivated at just the smell alone. Quickly checking to make sure that no one could see her, she reached in for a bite…

BONK!

'Dopie!'

Until Sunshine arrived on scene just quick enough to bash her in the head. Thanks to her thick Umbreon hide, she barely felt it, but still she gave the Flareon a glare. Knowing that she knew Mean Look for real, Sunshine just backed away slowly.

'Look Cerbera,' He said. 'We have enough guests as is. So if you could just leave, that would be nice.'

Cerbera paid his subtle threat no mind. 'My, a Flareon and a Vaporeon too? I've never seen so many evolutions of Eevee in the same place before! I wonder who else lives here?'

She looked around the cottage for just a moment, and found the Glaceon watching her intently. With a smile on her long muzzle, Cerbera approached the Ice-type sitting on the couch.

'And a Glaceon too?' She remarked, looking up at her from the floor. 'I didn't expect to ever see one of-'

'AH-CHOO!'

The Houndoom jumped back, and wrinkled her muzzle as she watched the frozen droplets fall to the floor. It made Snowy flinch, just a little but more than enough for her to jump away from her Pokémon shield.

'Sorry about that.' Rose said with a sniff. 'I think you brought a little too much of the outside in with you.'

Cerbera didn't care about that, however. Her attention fell solely onto the shiny Eevee who was on the couch with the Glaceon. Her white fur sparkled like glitter under the sun, and her grey eyes were some of the most entrancing eyes ever to be seen.

'Oh my!' Cerbera cried. 'Are you… the princess of Forressidon?! What are you doing here?'

Snowy sighed. 'It's a long story, and I'd rather not get into it.

'Oh, that is alright. I must admit, I too don't wish to talk much. I… I'm feeling rather tired after my trip. If it isn't too much trouble, may you show me where the beds are?'

Snowy smiled. 'Oh yeah, I can do that!'

'As long as I can come with you.' Rivers said, approaching the girls. 'I don't want to leave Snowy alone with a stranger.'

For a split second, so quick that most Pokémon would miss it, Cerbera glared at Rivers before she smiled. As Snowy led her and Rivers up the stairs to the bedroom, Spring stuck his head out from under the couch. He watched that Houndoom for as long as he could before she disappeared around the corner, after which he dragged the rest of his body out.

'I-I don't know what it is,' He said. 'But there's something about Cerbera that I don't like.'

Rose rolled her eyes. 'No need to be paranoid, bro. It's a Sylveon we're looking out for, and a Houndoom is pretty far from a Sylveon. And even if she was Queen Nymphia somehow, I'm sure Rivers can handle it.'

'Y-Yeah. I-I hope you're right…'

Cerbera growled to herself as Rivers took his sweet time making his way up the stairs. The longer it took him, the longer it was until she could do anything about him. Still, she waited patiently until all of them were through the door and into the bedroom. She allowed them to go before her, if only so she could lock the door behind her.

'Oh, you have so many beds!' She remarked. 'But there seem to be too many here. Where are the other two?'

'Flash was too busy sleeping in the spare room,' Rivers replied. 'And Spring doesn't like strangers. If you were wondering where the Jolteon or Leafeon were, now you know.'

Snowy hopped onto Rivers's bed, and gave the stranger Houndoom a friendly grin. 'You can use whichever bed you want! Oh, except for maybe Flash's. I don't think she'd approve of a stranger sleeping in her bed.'

'I'd recommend you take my bed.' Rivers said. 'Mine was designed with my old bones in mind, so it should be comfortable for just about anyone.'

Cerbera didn't hop onto the bed, and instead just stood in the middle of the room. Her friendly smile turned into a wicked snarl, and she laughed through her sharp gritted teeth. Her head suddenly snapped to Rivers, and he shuddered from the look alone. Before he had a chance to react, Cerbera winked at him, and a bunch of glowing pink hearts emerged from her eye.

Snowy gasped. 'Rivers, look out! That's Attract!'

Rivers heard her warning, but by the time he processed it, it was already too late. As a male Pokémon with no way of deflecting the move, he fell victim to Cerbera's Attract in seconds. All life vanished from his eyes, and his face had no hint of emotion whatsoever. It was in that moment that Snowy realised the true identity of the Houndoom before her. She ran to the door, or at least tried to before she was stopped by Cerbera pinning her to the ground.

'Going somewhere, princess?' The 'Houndoom' said with a snicker. 'You seem lost out here. How about I take you home?'

'No! NO!' Snowy cried. 'HELP! THE QUEEN'S GOT ME!'

Even through the locked door, her voice could be heard from everywhere within the cottage.

Sunshine's ears perked up. 'Snowy? Snowy!'

He dropped everything he was doing and charged for the door. Everyone else in the house - even Flash - ran after him, following close behind as they ran across the house. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

'The dang door's locked!' He yelled. 'Now what?!'

'Easy.' Rose said. 'Ya bash it down!'

Unfortunately, it seemed Snowy's cry for help was the cue that Chevalier was waiting for, as the Gardevoir teleported into the room right after she screamed. He had the same dead expression that Rivers had, and his eyes glowed blue. The blue aura surrounded Snowy, and she couldn't move an inch.

'You finally figured it out.' Nymphia said, grinning in a way that showed all of her sharp teeth. 'And now you know too much.'

'WE'RE COMING, SNOWY!' Sunshine yelled from the other side of the door.

Nymphia just rolled her eyes. 'Chevalier, teleport us to the dungeon. And take that Vaporeon with us. These idiots will be useless without their leader.'

The Gardevoir nodded. 'Yes, your majesty.'

Sunshine threw his entire body against the door. Once. Twice. He didn't stop, even as it began to hurt. He couldn't explain why, but something in him pushed him to keep trying. So he bashed into the door again.

'So we're just gonna stand here?' Rose asked. 'Come on!'

Both she and Spring bashed into the door alongside Sunshine this time, and that finally did. The door flew open, and the trio of Pokémon fell into the room. They looked up just in time to see the Houndoom smirking at them before Chevalier teleported away, taking the other Pokémon along with him. In just half a second, the room was empty.

'Where did they go?!' Sunshine demanded.

Melancholy closed his eyes and focused on the entire area. The gem in his forehead glowed a bright turquoise, before it went out in a moment. Ebony approached him and rubbed her cheek up against his; it was all she could do for him, for she had never seen her brother in such a state before.

'I-I can't sense them anywhere!' He cried, tears coming to his eyes. 'They're… they're gone!'

'G-Gone?!' Spring yelled.

The Leafeon ran into the middle of the room, and looked around. His heart had never beat so fast before, and he couldn't see any hind nor hair of his new friend or oldest brother.

'S-She has to be around here somewhere!' He said. 'S-She has to be!'

Sunshine growled through his gritted teeth. 'That witch took her, Bashful! And she took Doc too.'

'She took Doc?!' Rose exclaimed. 'What are we supposed to do without him?'

Ebony glanced back at the Jolteon. There were no tears or even a frown on Flash's face, but her widened eyes conveyed her emotions well enough. Ebony stepped up to her, and gave her the big Lillipup eyes. Without being capable of muttering a single word, she said everything she needed to through her eyes alone.

'I… don't know.' Flash said. 'I really don't.'

Rose growled. 'We've got to go find Snowy and rescue her! And Doc too!'

'Great idea.' Sunshine said. 'If you can tell me where the heck Nymphia took them!'

The realisation of what had happened finally hit Spring, and with the sudden disappearance of his first friend in years, he broke down crying. Rose rushed to his side, but she had no idea how to even begin making him feel better. Melancholy too began crying, and since Ebony couldn't stand the sight she ended up weeping alongside him too.

Sunshine grinded his teeth. 'If I ever see that Sylveon again… I AM GOING TO KILL HER!'

Flash backed up, just a bit. She watched as all of her younger brothers and sisters failed to cope with this sudden revelation, and it slowly dawned on her that she was the oldest one left.

'Doc,' She muttered to herself. 'I hope you were wrong about me…'

The bright flash had blinded Snowy for a moment, and by the time she had her vision back, she no longer saw the lovely cottage. Even when her vision returned, she couldn't see anything in the darkness. She could feel mossy rocks beneath her paws, and the smell of dust and suffering was thick in the air, but the only thing she could see - as her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness - was the edge of a long, sharp knife.

'AHH!'

She jumped back as far as she could, but found the back wall of wherever she was to be just a few feet away. Pouring all of her focus into seeing through the darkness, the figure before her became clear: her mother, who had returned to her normal Sylveon form and had a knife in one of her feelers.

'This is the night you pay for everything you did to me!' Nymphia declared.

Snowy shivered on the spot, and closed her eyes as she awaited the moment when it all ended. A few seconds had passed, and all she waited for was for the knife to end it quickly. The knife above her shook about, before it suddenly dropped to the floor. It clinked against the stony floor, and the sound echoed all through the silent and empty dungeons.

The shiny Eevee dared to look for a moment, and saw Nymphia backing away.

'I can't do it…' The Sylveon muttered, growling to herself. 'I finally come this far, and I can't do the final deed. I'm just as pathetic as your little Leafeon friend...' She glared at Snowy. 'Don't think this means I'll set you free. I'll just leave you here and let starvation do you in for me.'

Snowy rushed up to the bars and glared at the queen. 'Where is Rivers?!'

Nymphia stepped aside, revealing a cell on the other side of the hallway. Snowy gasped when she saw Rivers lying on the floor, hardly moving or even breathing.

'What did you do to him?!' Snowy demanded.

'Oh, be quiet.' Nymphia replied. 'He's alright. He's just old and tired, that's all. Be grateful that I didn't deal with him myself. It doesn't matter anyway. A Vaporeon of his age isn't going to live very long in a place like this. Chat amongst yourselves, because it's all you have left to do.'

And, without saying another word, she ran deeper into the darkness to return to her throne room. She had to hurry, after all, before the other Pokémon worried about her absence. It left Snowy and Rivers all alone with each other, with the only other Pokémon in the dungeon being the skeletons of those who had suffered the same fate.

'Doc?' Snowy said. 'Are you okay?'

Rivers huffed. 'I failed. Look at me. I was telling Flash that I didn't consider her a suitable leader, and now I have failed worse than she ever could. I should've known that was the queen. I should've done something about it. And now…'

'Doc, please, don't be so hard on yourself. You need to conserve your energy if you have a chance at surviving.'

The Vaporeon groaned. 'Survive how? No one knows we're here, and even if they did… I'm not sure if my brothers and sisters could help us.'

'Well, maybe you could do something! I'm sure that if you think about it hard enough, you'll come up with some way to free us.'

Rivers said nothing and just turned away from her, as if he was too ashamed to even look her way. Snowy decided it was best to leave him be, and made her way into the back corner of her cell. With nothing else to do, she provided herself and Rivers with a little song.

'Someday, my prince will come. Someday, we'll meet again. And away to his castle we'll go, to be happy forever, I know.'

Rivers lifted his head to listen to her singing better. 'Where did you learn a song like that?'

'I remember it from my childhood. Not too well, so I might be getting some words wrong. My mother used to sing it to my father before he… well, you know.'

'I see. If I may, can you keep singing?'

She smiled. 'Gladly. Someday, when Spring is here, we'll find our love anew. And the Swanna will sing, and Chimecho will ring, someday when my dreams come true…'

As Rivers listened to her lovely song, he couldn't help but wonder - did she mean spring as in the season, or Spring as in the Leafeon? He didn't worry too much about it. After all, it wouldn't matter if they never saw him again.

Author Notes - I am also a big fan of Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Could you tell? This is also partially based on another deleted plot thread of the movie, where the Seven Dwarfs would rescue the prince from the Evil Queen.

I assure you, naming the Leafeon 'Spring' when the song 'Someday My Prince Will Come' mentions that very season was not intentional. It was just meant to be an ironic name, since spring is about blooming which he is yet to do. However, I am taking this happy coincidence and rolling with it for it is perfect for where my story is going to go.