Switching Lives
PokemonFreak90: I...have nothing to say this time. Just roll it!
MDM: Whatever you say!
Chapter 11
Finally Breaking Free
At Cyrus' manor inside his large and dark wine cellar, Salvia was on the ground, hugging her knees and her face was buried in her arms. Piplup, Buneary, and Glameow were beside her, trying to comfort her. Candice was frantically searching the cellar, trying to find if there was a way out. But after a few minutes, her efforts were proven to be futile.
Salvia was fighting back the tears that were building up in her throat. She had been trying to keep a strong facade for a while, but it was getting harder and harder to keep them at bay. She recalled the events that had led to her and her friends being trapped.
Flashback
Salvia had finished reading the note that Buneary had given her. Her mother was dead. And now, she was to be the new queen of the kingdom. She had to come back to the castle before the crown was mistakenly put on Dawn's head. So now was not the time to start crying.
"All right, then." She said. "Let's get ready to leave."
"And where might you be going, Dawn?" A voice asked her.
Salvia froze and slowly turned around with Piplup and Buneary. There, Saturn was standing in the kitchen entrance, along with two women with cruel smiles on their faces.
The first woman was named Mars and she had red hair in a spiky pixie cut, and red eyes. The other one was Jupiter and she had dark fuchsia hair in two loopy buns, purple eyes, and weirdly matching lipstick on her mouth. Both of them were dressed similarly to Saturn.
"Uh, to do a late night grocery run?" Salvia weakly excused.
Saturn shook his head. "I'm afraid you can't do that now." He said. "Master Cyrus wishes to speak with you."
The disguised princess gulped. Now was not the time for this. She needed to get back. "But we're all out of bread. And I plan to use some bread for the master's breakfast tomorrow. So, if you will excuse me..."
She turned to leave again, but then a more chilling voice called to her.
"You mustn't worry about that...Princess Salvia."
Salvia felt her blood completely freeze as she turned back and saw that all three had made way for Cyrus himself to come forward. Piplup and Buneary hid behind Salvia's work dress as they could sense the intimidating presence of the cruel lord.
"I must admit, you and my servant, Dawn, really had everyone fooled." Cyrus said. "You two do look remarkably alike. But I'm afraid that this little charade of yours must have some added...weight to it."
"Why?" Salvia asked, trying her best to remain cool and confident in the situation.
"You see, everyone in the castle suspects that Dawn is you." Cyrus said. "So unless she wants you and her Pokémon friends to get hurt because of her incompetence, then at the coronation tomorrow night, she will continue to act as you and hand over the throne willingly to me."
Salvia gasped. "She would never do that!" She shouted. "And now, as your true princess and future queen, you will stand aside so that I can maintain my rightful place! And once I'm queen, I'll have you arrested and free all your servants whom you have mistreated so, including Dawn!"
Cyrus chuckled darkly. "I'm dreadfully sorry, Princess, but you're not going anywhere."
He snapped his fingers and three Pokémon appeared from behind Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter. A Toxicroak, a Purugly, and a Skuntank. The Poison and Fighting type restrained Salvia while the other two grabbed Piplup and Buneary.
"Any resistance, and I won't hesitate to let Toxicroak poison you." Saturn told her, making her stop struggling as she looked up fearfully at the four conspirators.
In a matter of minutes, all three of them were thrown into the wine cellar and the door was slammed shut. Salvia ran to it and tried to pull the handle, but it won't budge.
"I command you all, unlock this door!" She shouted. But there was no answer. Salvia lightly banged her fist against the door as she released the handle and walked away from the door.
But then, the door opened again. Salvia had just enough time to turn around before Glameow and Candice were roughly shoved in and she had to catch her friend to balance her.
"Candice?" She asked.
"Your Highness!" The frightened girl exclaimed, who was usually so chipper.
"She was the only other one in this house who knew of your true identity." The two young women looked back towards the door and saw Cyrus standing there. "I couldn't have her roaming free and letting everyone know the truth."
Salvia gritted her teeth, but her eyes were starting to well up. "You will regret this, Cyrus." She said.
Cyrus just smirked. "I don't think so. After all, in just a matter of hours, I will become king and finally have this whole land in the palm of my hand." He chuckled darkly before he slammed the door shut and locked it. "Keep an eye on them." He said to his three loyal lackeys. "And don't let anyone in or out."
"Yes, sir." They all said as he exited the hallway.
End of Flashback
Salvia felt hopeless. There was nothing that they could do now. Soon, Dawn would have no choice but to give the throne to Cyrus. Once he was in power, he'd bring the entire kingdom to its knees.
Candice stopped fiddling with the door and went over to sit next to Salvia. "You okay, Your Highness?" She asked her.
"No, I'm not." She said tearfully. "Because of my selfishness and foolishness, the kingdom will be lost. I just wanted to try living my own life...and now everyone else will suffer because of it."
Candice silently put her arm around Salvia's shoulders to give her a comforting hug. "We'll find a way out of here. I promise." She vowed.
Just then, there was the sound of something exploding outside the cellar. Both girls stood up and went over to the door, peeking out of the opening. "What was that?" Mars asked.
"Let's investigate." Jupiter suggested.
"It came from the end of the hallway." Saturn said, and the three of them went over there to see what had happened.
Once they had disappeared from sight, Salvia and Candice saw a feathery head zip by the door and then landed in front of them. The princess, however, recognized it.
"Togekiss!" She exclaimed happily.
The Flying and Fairy type chirped happily as she held a key hanging from a ring in her mouth. Salvia reached as far as she could and grabbed the key. She then used it to unlock the door.
In a matter of minutes, everyone was out of the wine cellar and running through the halls of the manor.
"Now, how are we going to get back to the castle?" Salvia asked. "The coronation will be starting anytime soon. And we can't just walk up to the front gates and demand that they let us in. They think that Dawn is me, and that I'm just a simple servant."
"Also, I think that Cyrus might have spies in the castle." Candice added. "If he had spies guarding us here, it's very likely. Even if we did get in, they'd make sure that we can't get to the coronation. Even if you showed them your ring, you'd be giving yourself up to his spies."
Salvia bit her lip and asked, "So what can we do?"
Candice looked around and saw that the hall they were in looked very familiar. She soon realized why.
"Wait a minute." She said, stopping everyone. "I remember that there was something special about this particular hallway. There's a secret passageway somewhere in here."
"Really?" Salvia asked. "How do you know about it?"
"I stumbled upon it when I was to run some errands to the castle a couple of weeks ago." Candice explained.
Then, she found a certain candelabra sticking out of the wall. She took hold of it and twisted it. There was a loud creaking sound and the wall opened up to reveal a dark passageway.
"Impressive." said Salvia.
Candice grabbed a nearby candlestick and said, "Follow me and stay close." Salvia nodded, and everyone entered the dark passage as the wall closed behind them.
In a matter of minutes, Candice pushed a hidden button on the wall and it opened up to reveal a very familiar background to Salvia. It led to one of the many hallways inside the castle. Everyone quickly exited the passage as the wall closed.
Candice put the candlestick on a nearby table. "Now, where is the throne room?" She asked Salvia.
"This way." Salvia gestured over to everyone, and they all began to run down the polished marble hallway. "Togekiss, fly ahead and get inside the throne room."
Togekiss chirped in understanding, and gained an extra speed boost as she flew down the hall.
In the throne room, the coronation was underway. Dawn nervously walked down the long pathway that led to the royal throne, where the magistrate was waiting with the Queen's crown in his hands. She was once again dressed in the same pink gown that she'd worn days earlier, but there was a long red cape that trailed behind her.
Beside the throne was Cyrus and her heartbeat continued to race faster and faster when she caught the cold smile starting to form on his face. Not even the sight of Ash, who was sitting in the front row, smiling kindly at her, could ease her nerves.
Outside of the throne room, Salvia stopped everyone and they hid behind a corner of the hall. They soon found out why. There were guards at the entrance. "Now what?" Candice asked.
Piplup chirped confidently and waddled into the guards' sight. Before they could do anything, a ball of light blue energy appeared in the little Water type's beak. Then, it released the crackling energy ribbons of an Ice Beam attack. Ice then formed around the guards, encasing them in giant blocks.
"Nicely done, Piplup." Salvia complimented the little Penguin Pokémon. Piplup stood proudly, puffing out his chest before following them.
Both Salvia and Candice threw the doors open. And just in time too, for the crown was about to be placed on top of Dawn's head. Everyone gasped as Salvia ran forward to Dawn, with everyone else following close behind her.
Dawn breathed out a sigh of relief, almost slumping down in the throne. "Cutting it a little close, but I'm so happy that you're here." She said, standing up from the throne and meeting her doppelganger.
Everyone gasped at the sight of the two girls who looked so remarkably alike. Zoey stood up and came over to her friend Candice. "What is going on?" She asked her.
"Long story." Candice answered.
"What is the meaning of this?" The magistrate asked, turning to Salvia. "Who are you?"
Salvia turned around to face everyone that had come for the coronation. "Fellow subjects, I must confess, but I am the real Princess Salvia, daughter of the late Queen Johanna." She held up her hand high in the air, making her royal ring visible for all to see it, making them gasp.
"It IS Princess Salvia!" Someone exclaimed.
"But then...who is she?" Someone else asked, pointing to Dawn.
Dawn gulped and stole a brief glance at Ash. He too looked very confused, but she could see the hurt that was beginning to show in his eyes. She quickly swallowed the lump in her throat, tore her gaze away, and stepped forward beside Salvia.
"I'm not the princess." She said, reaching up and undoing her hair, letting it fall down her back. "I'm just a simple servant girl named Dawn."
Everyone gasped again for the third time. Ash was stunned. This girl, who looked so much like Salvia, was really just a servant?
Salvia placed a comforting hand on Dawn's shoulder. She smiled at her briefly, feeling determination beginning to swell within her, knowing that they could now turn the tables.
Both of them then turned to the side to face Cyrus, who had a bitter look on his face. "You traitor!" Salvia began. "You locked me up in your manor and forced Dawn to be me so that she could hand over the throne to you!"
"And you threatened to hurt Salvia and my friends if I didn't go along with it!" Dawn added, glaring at her cruel master. "Well, this time, I'm done taking orders from you!"
Cyrus looked like he was going to go on a rampage, but instead, he just shouted, "Kill them both!"
Immediately, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter appeared from their hiding places in the throne room. And some of the guards inside raised their spears into the air. Everyone screamed in panic as they all tried to hide behind the chairs or get to the edge of the room.
Dawn and Salvia took their battle stances, Piplup and Buneary with Dawn, and Togekiss and Glameow beside Salvia. Candice and Zoey joined them as well.
"Skuntank, use Flamethrower!" Jupiter ordered.
The Poison and Dark type quickly unleashed a stream of flames from its mouth.
"Counter with Bubble Beam!" Dawn shouted.
Piplup released powerful watery bubbles from his beak, extinguishing the flames and creating a bunch of smoke.
"Togekiss, use Air Slash!" Salvia commanded.
A glittering orb of powerful wind appeared between Togekiss' wings. Then she threw it at Skuntank while blowing away all of the smoke. The Poison and Dark type didn't have much time to react before the attack hit it, knocking it to the ground.
Buneary had a ball of light blue energy forming in her mouth as she released an Ice Beam at some Golbats that had appeared above them.
Purugly had a big ball of orange power forming in its mouth as it prepared to fire. But then, it was stopped as it was hit by a powerful bolt of lightning, zapping it. Dawn and Salvia turned to the side where the electric attack came from and saw Ash standing there, Pikachu on his shoulder, cheeks sparking.
"I don't know what the heck is going on, but I'm not gonna stand around and do nothing." Ash said, and then pointed to Dawn. "And you owe me an explanation."
Dawn blushed at that, making Salvia turn to her curiously. "I will, I promise." She said to the prince as both of them took battle stances.
Zoey was about to get attacked by another Golbat, but Glameow jumped in front of her, her paw having a ghostly purple energy around it, sharpening into claws. She then gave the Poison and Flying type a good scratch across its body, making it fall to the ground.
"Thank you." Zoey said. Glameow just purred up at her with pride.
"Toxicroak, use Poison Jab." Saturn ordered, pointing at the false princess.
The Poison and Fighting type had its two claw appendages glowing a sickly purple as it charged towards Dawn.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash shouted.
The little Electric type had his tail glowing a bright silver as he quickly charged towards Toxicroak. He then swung his tail into its side, pushing it away from Dawn.
Dawn shot Ash a grateful smile. "Thanks."
Ash just gave her a thumbs-up. Salvia was now even more curious about the interactions between them. It was obvious that Ash wasn't like the other suitors that had come to the castle to court her in the past. And Dawn seemed to have noticed it.
But then, she saw that Cyrus was about to approach her with a knife in his hand. She screamed in fright, making everyone turn around in horror. But then, Togekiss quickly fired an Aura Sphere at him, knocking him away from her mistress.
Salvia ran over to Togekiss and hugged her companion. "Thank you, Togekiss." The Fairy and Flying type just cooed happily as she wrapped her wings around her mistress.
Dawn and Ash smiled at the scene before they saw that Candice and Zoey were getting overwhelmed by the hordes of Golbat flying around them. They then gave each other a confident smirk.
"Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Dawn commanded.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash added.
Piplup quickly had a giant swirling torrent of water forming above his head. Then, he threw it over at the Golbat. Pikachu then fired a Thunderbolt at the Whirlpool, making it glow a bright yellow, since water conducts electricity.
The crackling whirlpool sucked up all of the Golbat as it swirled around the room. Then, it dissipated into puddles and all of the Golbat dropped to the floor.
Buneary and Piplup used Ice Beam to trap everyone in blocks of ice that were in on Cyrus' attempted coup, including the mastermind himself before he could get away.
Salvia stood in front of him with a stern glare in her eyes. "Lord Cyrus, you are no longer welcome in this castle." Then, she turned to the guards that were loyal to her mother. "Arrest them." She pointed to Cyrus and his followers.
"Yes, Your Highness." The guards said as they grabbed all of the traitors and pulled away and towards the dungeon. Their Pokémon were also confiscated and led elsewhere. They were now free.
The grand hall was now calm again as everyone went to help reset the chairs. Both Zoey and Ash came over to Dawn and Salvia. "All right, no more secrets." Ash said.
"How are you so similar-looking?" Zoey asked.
Dawn looked around and saw that everyone had stopped what they were doing, eager to know the truth as well. Salvia looked down at the ground, not sure about how she and Dawn looked so much alike.
But Dawn knew. She didn't tell Salvia before in her note, but she supposed that now was as good a time as any to finally tell the truth about what she learned from the late queen.
PokemonFreak90: Cyrus and his goons are defeated and captured! It looks like all's well that ends well! But there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered and all of the characters need to be filled in!
Be sure to read the next chapter, where Salvia will learn that the state of her kingdom is even worse than she originally thought, and that she has much work to do in restoring it!
MDM: Until then, we'll see y'all! Please leave a review about what you think.
Got to fly! ;)