gifThe AccidentSlowly, Mouse opened their eyes. They were back in the Stitched Castle, Hero's Road, more specifically. Looking around, they noticed that the halls were bigger than before. Walking down the hall, they could hear voices. They ran as fast as the could, halls feeling longer the more they ran. The voices sounded... familiar... "A............ou two, list....up! ...........ches gave................ha.....way. ........ill..........pass thr...............the boss.............defeat him!" "You do.................just cannon....................we don't............that monster! ...............drop..............or something." The more those voices spoke, the more Mouse realized who those voices belonged to. "Well, we're not............ with that attitude...... Hey, you!...........The quiet one back................anything to say?" The chandelier... Mouse thought as their legs shakily caried them closer to the voices. Bumping into a large mass, Mouse looked up, and their blood went ice cold. "Ready to meet the masked void, worm?" A masked kid proclaimed. "Wow, that was awful. What does that... even mean...?" As the masked kids bickered, Mouse saw themself, shakily gripping the lever that connected to the chandelier. The same chandelier that crushed the hero. "I was so scared when the hero came, and then my fellow underlings left me behind..." As if their body was controlled by something else, Mouse's past self pulled the lever down. "Say, weren't we supposed to be a trio?" Realization hit the masked kid. "Oh, no..." At that point it was too late for anyone to react as the chandelier rapidly fell on everyone... "I snapped all of a sudden, and let the chandelier fall... I couldn't believe what I had done..." Mouse woke up screaming and clutching on to their chest. Cereza woke up to see her little friend hyperventilating. "Mouse...? Mouse?!" "Wha...what's going on...?" Elizabeth asked groggily. "I think their having a panic attack." The princess murmured. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Mouse repeated over, and over as they breathed rapidly. "Oh no..." The hilt murmured. Cereza hugged Mouse tight as they gasped and sobbed, they were unable to hear her or feel her touch. A couple minutes pass, the tiny Eevee slowly wrapped their arms around the princess, hugging her back, still crying. "It's okay... I'm here... Ellie's here... You're safe... no one's going to hurt you..." Cereza whispered. "I promise..." The two girls let the underhero cry it out, until they grew tired and fell back asleep. Cereza didn't let go of Mouse, not even as she grew drowsy herself, closing her eyes. The trio finally drift to sleep. "I... I am so sorry. :::"gifgifCH 4: Sneaking OutBack at the Chestnut Kingdom, Princess Cereza looked out her bedroom window with a crestfallen look. All she could think about was her friends she knew for a short time. She gazes into the sunset as if Mouse and Ellie would suddenly appear over the horizon. It's been months since their disappearance. The princess felt hopelessness clutch her heart. But she refused to let it completely take hold of her. Some people would tell her that it was just a few days and to just forget about them, but what would they know? They weren't the ones who masqueraded as a masked kid to find the hero's weapon and wanted to battle Lord Stitches. Cereza thought about writing again to Mouse and Ellie, but she's started running out of interesting things to talk about, to her at least. And the unsent letters were starting to pile up. She can't keep doing this... She can't keep sitting here and do nothing! Cereza then looks at her Grey Kid outfit. Feeling the smooth glass-like surface of the mask, made her get a sense of nostalgia. Oh, how she longed to go venturing as the mysterious Grey Kid again. A knock on the door made the princess hid the costume in her closet. "C-come in!" Cereza tried to hide the panic in her voice. The door opens and She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Oaken walk enter the room. "Oaken... Thank the gods its just you!" "Yeah, I asked the guards if I could visit, and they told me you were in here." The brown-haired boy said. "What were you doing?" "Oh, you know... Staring our into the sunset for what feels like years... You know, princess stuff!" Cereza grimaced. "You're still thinking about them, aren't you?" Oaken frowned. "It was that obvious?" Cereza asked. Oaken just nodded. "I just... I just feel so helpless. I want to help, but I don't know what to do..." Tears were threatening to fall, but she refused to acknowledge them. "I haven't felt this helpless since Stitches kidnapped me. Back when he was a puppet to that dice head..." She breathed out. A tear finally fell from her face. Despair started to sink in, but not for long. Her sad face shifted into one with determination. Like a fire started in her heart. Her mind was set! She knew what she wanted to do. "I want to be the Grey Kid again." Cereza said with a firm tone. Oaken just stared at the princess. "I want to be the Grey Kid again." She repeated. "I know this is selfish, but I'm desperate to see them again. I never even knew Green Boot's name." "So, when do you plan to sneak out?" Oaken asked. "Tonight, you don't have to go if you don't want to." Cereza said. "But just know, you're not stopping me!" "But what if I want to go with you?" Oaken asked. As Cereza writes something, she pauses and turns to her friend. "Are-are you sure?" The dark haired boy nods. "Okay, while I'm getting ready, guard my door. Knock three times to warn me when someone approaches." Understanding his task, Oaken leaves the princess' room, allowing her to get changed. Her gown neatly hung in her closet, and the grey hoodie took it's place. She always felt comfortable in it anyway, she's long since washed it. The red gloves and red boots fit nice and snug. Placing her crown on her desk, She hides her face with the horned mask. Finally her rapier, she always felt secure holding this weapon. Cereza checked the tip to make sure it was sharp. Princess Cereza was now the mysterious Grey Kid again. After no warning knock, the disguised princess opened the door, and tapped Oaken on the shoulder. "All set!" She whispered. Oaken followed Cereza inside. "Remember, not to call me by Princess Cereza when I'm like this. I'm just Grey." "Got it!" Oaken nodded. Grey tied his bed sheets together and threw it down his window for Oaken, since he doesn't have a hoodiechute like Grey. He looked at his unsent letters and decided to take the small pile with him, tucking them into his pouch. The Grey Kid sat on their window sill as Oaken got ready for his decent. Just as Grey was about to take off, she heard her doorknob shaking, leaping off the window as quick as she could, as the door opened. One of the knights looked around her room, looking for Cereza. Pulling the sheets off her bed, only to see a bunch of pillows that looked like a person was sleeping. He looked under her bed and desk, in her closet. "Princess? Princess!" The knight looked out the window as Grey hovered to the ground. "You! Grey child! Stop at once!" You've got to be kidding me! Grey thought to himself. Thankfully, Oaken hid himself under the bushes until the knight looked away. Grey looked back, just in time to see the castle light up, and Oaken catching up to her. "I bet you they think I kidnapped myself!" Grey laughed. Oaken smiled at that, and followed the grey kid into the woods behind the castle. The guards, although to far away to catch up, chased after them and split up.