Meanwhile, somewhere in a forest, Mo, Derek, Bromley, and Thor were riding on horses until they stopped at a certain spot with Patch and Tyke following them.
"He's in here, guys; I can feel it." Derek told them.
'Is he sure? Because my heart is telling me we'll find Odette, Atticus, and Cherry, but not The Great Animal.' Mo thought to herself.
"How will you know The Great Animal when you see it?" Bromley asked his friend.
"I'll know." Derek reassured as he readied his bow and arrow as they got off of their horses.
"Well, that's comforting." Thor muttered to himself in deadpan.
"Better stay close." Derek suggested.
Bromley then yelped as he bumped into his friend before smiling nervously with a laugh. "If you say so." he then replied.
"When we find that Great Animal, we'll be ready to shoot, but only after we see it change." Mo said.
"Yeah, we don't want to hurt any innocent animals because we thought it was The Great Animal." Patch agreed.
"Yeah." Tyke nodded.
"Um, right." Bromley said nervously.
The group then began to look all around the forest for this so-called "Great Animal". Eventually, Derek and Bromley got separated as they examined the forest.
"Do you guys think this creature might be from The Everfree Forest?" Mo asked Thor, Tyke, and Patch.
"It must be a coincidence," Patch replied. "At least, I hope so."
"Something tells me this Great Animal won't be from the Everfree Forest." Thor said.
"I wonder what we'll see in the forest?" Tyke said.
"We'll just have to see." Mo replied.
"I guess so." Patch added with a nod.
Eventually, Bromley began to feel very alone right now. "D-D-D-Derek. Mo?! Thor?! Puppies?!" he then cried out quickly and nervously. "Oh-oh-oh-oh Derek!"
Derek turned around and shushed him to show that he was just right there.
"Shh! We're right here!" Thor whispered and shushed loudly. "You'll care the animals away."
Bromley looked over, then smiled in relief to see his friends before looking nervous as a dragonfly flew out around him and he looked ready to shoot it with an arrow. The arrow then went flying high in the air, missing the dragonfly.
"Oh, I hope any poor, innocent birds don't get hurt up there." Mo said to herself in concern as the arrow looked like it could go anywhere right now.
Meanwhile, up in the sky, Puffin and Odette were flying together and looked around.
"We better keep an eye out for hunters." Odette suggested to her newest animal friend.
"At ease, Odette," Puffin reassured. "I can smell a human a mile away."
Bromley's arrow soon shot past Puffin, causing both him and Odette to gasp.
"Where did that come from?" Puffin asked.
"Derek?!" Bromley's voice called out.
"Derek. He's here." Odette gasped with a smile.
You will not lose control," Puffin told Odette, cupping her face with his flippers. "You will follow the plan as outlined. Acknowledge. Acknowledge!"
Odette looked at him and decided to ignore him, shooting right down from the sky to go and follow where she thought Derek was.
"Odette!" Puffin cried out as he flew after the swan princess.
Derek was looking around the forest from where he was on his own, looking around with his bow and arrow. He then thought maybe he heard or saw someone, about to shoot, then saw no one there and soon kept going.
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Bromley was wandering on his own until he found a mouse and grinned at it, about to shoot it with his bow and arrow as it backed up and looked scared to death of what might happen next. "Oh, I've got you now," he then chuckled, about to shoot the rodent instantly. "Don't give me that innocent look. Change! Go ahead, change! I'm not afraid of you!" he then challenged.
The mouse then let out a small squeaking noise. Bromley cried out and soon ran off suddenly out of cowardice. Patch had a look of deadpan on his face while Tyke smiled.
"Are you okay, mousey?" Tyke asked the poor mouse. "I'm sorry Bromley scared you."
"...I guess I'll be okay," The mouse just blinked. "I can't say the same for that guy who was just going to shoot me with a bow and arrow for no reason."
"He thought you were an animal that can change into a terrifying creature." Patch told the mouse.
"Ohh... Well, I better go before he decides to get back up and finish me off." The mouse replied.
"Good idea." Tyke nodded.
"Thank you, kind dogs." The mouse said before dashing off.
"No problem!" Patch smiled. "If you happen to know anyone named Mrs. Brisby, tell her that Atticus and Cherry say hi!"
"I'll keep that in mind!" The mouse called back while going back home.
Meanwhile, Derek continued to look around with his bow and arrow, as did Thor and Mo.
"I'm not sure about this Great Animal, but I'm also not sure about hunting it," Mo frowned. "That kind of makes my skin crawl."
"Eww..." Thor groaned as he took that a bit too literally before looking back at her. "Erm... Try not to think about it too much. We find this animal, then we can probably find Atticus and Cherry." he then suggested.
"Yeah." Mo nodded.
Odette was then seen in the shadows of the trees as she saw Derek, Mo, and Thor. "Derek and Mo and Thor are with him." The swan princess then whispered before flying off to them as the light shone on her marking.
Derek noticed the flashing lights before going to hide behind a tree suddenly.
"What's with the flashing lights?" Mo wondered.
"I know, right? What is this, Dragon's Lair?" Thor added.
Odette continued to glow and flew in the distance before Derek took a closer look to see what was out there.
"A swan?" Derek pondered to himself. "A swan! Of course!" he then realized.
"What? What does it mean?" Thor asked the prince.
"It's not what it seems!" Derek replied before he looked ready to shoot the swan when it would come close enough, of course not knowing or realizing that it was actually his princess. "Just a little closer... Come on... Come on..."
"Something doesn't feel right." Mo said.
"Derek." Odette said as she kept flying towards them.
"Well, if it is then we just have to let it lead us to Atticus, Cherry, and Odette, right?" Thor asked before seeing Mo gone. "Something tells me that she's following her heart and not going to let Derek shoot the swan."
"This one's for Odette!" Derek proclaimed as he got ready to shoot his arrow and soon did that.
"Aah! Odette!" Puffin gasped and flew right towards the swan princess.
"Derek, don't!" Mo cried out as she lunged out to tackle Derek, but it was almost too late.
The arrow then shot, but luckily, Puffin got Odette out of the way as the arrow was fired. Derek and Mo were then both on the ground.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Derek glared at Mo. "I almost had it!"
"I couldn't let you shoot that swan!" Mo told him.
"What are you talking about?" Derek rolled his eyes. "It's just an animal!"
"What?!" Mo glared as he geode glowed. "You seriously think it's just an animal?!"
"Uh-oh." Thor gulped.
"Well, if that's what you think then I'm glad Odette isn't here because if she saw you shoot down that swan she would have been horrified! Only a heartless person would shoot down a innocent animal like a swan," Mo glared before getting up. "I'm going and following my heart and let it lead me to Atticus and Cherry."
"Man, what's her problem?" Derek complained.
"Mo, uh... Mo has a very soft spot for animals," Thor said to the prince. "You really shouldn't talk about them like that around her."
"Well, excuse me if I upset The Animal Princess!" Derek rolled his eyes a bit.
"Hmph." Thor firmly pouted, not liking Derek's attitude.
Derek decided to keep going after the swan he found, deciding that was The Great Animal while Thor just looked disappointed in him. As did Patch and Tyke.
Mo continued to run off into the forest before slowing down and sighing to herself. "Man... I didn't wanna believe that princes who are good guys could be such jerks," she said to herself softly. "I mean, I thought jerkish princes were bad guys like Prince Hans from The Southern Isles or Prince John in Sherwood Forest. Well, Mo, you don't need him to find Atticus and Cherry, just follow your heart," She soon saw Odette and Puffin flying in the sky. "And right now my heart is telling me to follow those two. Somehow, someway those two will lead me to them." she then said before following after Odette and Puffin.
Thor, Patch, and Tyke soon saw Mo following after Odette and Puffin.
"Looks like she's following after those two." Patch said.
"Yeah, but Derek is going in the same direction." Tyke replied.
"We better go and make sure that swan doesn't get shot at and the same for that puffin." Thor said.
"What's a puffin?" Tyke wondered.
"It's... Sorta like a penguin that can fly," Thor explained as best as he could. "...I think."
"Eh, close enough." Patch shrugged before they soon tried to follow the swan and puffin in the sky who they did not know. Or at least they thought that they didn't know.
Back up in the sky, Odette and Puffin continued to fly about.
"Oh, phew. Oh, oh! That was close!" Puffin told Odette as they flew around before he gasped and panicked, seeing the prince wander into the woods. "It's working! Here he comes. Hey, slow down, you're going to lose him! Slow down!"
"He's too close." Odette said about Derek as she flew faster and faster.
"Too close? He can hardly see us anymore let alone-" Puffin began to retort as an arrow shot right up in front of him, leaving a trail of smoke in the shape of a beard, resembling the beard of The Great Merlin. "Aah! Speed up, girl!" he then told the swan princess before seeing Derek running in the woods after Mo. "Oh, that boy of yours can move."
"I told you he's faster than you thought." Odette told him.
"Don't worry, Odette; I've been taught of what to do in this situation." Puffin replied.
"Well?" Odette asked.
Puffin began to stammer as he tried to remember what he was taught in this situation while Derek stopped at a spot to launch another arrow while Mo, Thor, Patch, and Tyke kept on following after the two as Mo got her geode ready to stop Derek from shooting another arrow. Mo looked over before gulping and bearing a brave face as she glared at Derek for doing what he was about to do.
"Puffin!" Odette cried out as they were running out of time.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Puffin then said once he thought of something. "When the archer has you in his sights, fly into the sun and use its light. Follow me!" he then suggested.
Odette was unsure about that, but she soon followed Puffin towards the sun.
Mo's geode seemed to glow with the sun as it shined very bright suddenly and the sunlight got into Derek's eyes, blinding him and unable to take the shot. "...Did I do that?" she then wondered to herself, unsure if that was her geode or if the sun was actually shining very bright suddenly.
"Aha! Ah... Well, what did I tell you, Odette?" Puffin beamed at the swan princess as they felt victorious. "Now all we have to do is stay in the sun."
However, as soon as he said that, the sun was now starting to set behind the two birds.
"Oh, no..." Mo gasped.
"Quick, we better keep going." Patch told the others.
"Right." Thor and Tyke nodded.
Puffin and Odette soon gasped as they saw they weren't in the light by the sun as it was setting down before they saw Derek wasn't in the same spot he was before.
"Alright! Don't panic! Don't panic!" Puffin told her.
The two of them soon flew up a bit before seeing Derek in a new spot ready to shoot an arrow.
"Puffin!" Odette cried out.
"That swan sounded like Odette." Patch told the others.
"What? But that's impossible... If that swan sounds like her then that means..." Thor said before gasping.
"That is Odette!" Thor, Tyke, Patch, and Mo gasped.
"Derek, stop it!" Mo cried out.
"You're not stopping me!" Derek firmly told her. "You just don't understand what it's like to be a hunter!"
"And you think shooting that swan will bring Odette back?!" Mo glared.
"Quick, you two! Hide!" Patch told Odette and Puffin.
"You just don't know what it's like," Derek glared. "I guess you're working with the swan just to get what you want."
"Working with the swan..." Mo repeated in disbelief of him saying something so stupid just to help himself and annoyance. "Do you hear yourself when you talk?!"
"Who said that?" Puffin wondered once he heard the young Dalmatian's voice.
"Just call me a friend," Patch replied. "Now get down before Prince Derek takes out another arrow!" he then warned.
Odette soon looked around until she found the perfect place to hide. "Into the trees!" she then told Puffin.
"Get going and quick!" Patch told Odette and Puffin. "Prince Derek is very relentless no matter what Mo tells him!"
Derek soon shot yet another arrow, luckily missing the two before he grew frustrated and kept moving around until he would be in a good enough spot to shoot the two birds, unaware that one of them was his princess.
"We better think of something quick or else, we're dead ducks." Odette soon suggested.
"All right! Don't panic, don't panic! Uh..." Puffin said as he looked around, trying to come up with an idea before looking at the cherries beside him and decided to take one to splatter onto his chest to make it look like he was wounded. "'A bird should remember', the old possum said, 'When there's no escape, you have to play dead'. Gives the right touch, yes? Wait 'til I give you a ha!" he then told the swan princess before clutching his chest and suddenly dangled his tongue out to appear dead and suddenly fell like a stone right in the middle of the ground to look like he was shot dead for when Derek would come around.
Derek soon looked to see Puffin on the ground before seeing the bird acting as he felt the spot where the cherry stain was before seeing his wing covered in cherry stain before the bird then acted like he was dying. This impressed both Mo and Patch.
"Wow... He's good..." Patch whispered to himself.
Derek came closer to Puffin and looked like he was about to pick him up. Puffin then suddenly sprang back to life and bit Derek right on his foot. Derek soon grabbed his foot and groaned before Puffin went flying away after Odette in victory. Patch and Tyke seemed to smirk at each other, feeling like Derek deserved that.
"That'll put some distance between us." Puffin told Odette as they flew away as the sun was setting.
"That's what you get," Mo firmly told Derek before looking around. "Atticus and Cherry, I can feel and sense you here, but where?" she then pondered to herself before sighing. "I almost wish Gloriosa and Timber were here."
"If we keep following those two we'll find Atticus and Cherry." Thor told her.
"Yeah." Tyke nodded.
"That's right; Atticus and Cherry were with Odette when The Great Animal attacked so they will most likely be where ever those two are headed." Mo smiled.
"Follow that puffin and swan." Patch smiled.
The four of them soon followed after Odette and Puffin. Mo let out a small sigh before she followed after the others.
"It'll be okay, Mo," Patch soothed the tomboy. "We promise."
"Yeah, you've got nothing to worry about." Tyke added.
"Thanks, guys," Mo said to them. "I just have a lot on my mind right now about Prince Derek's bullheadedness."
"We all do, but don't let it stop you." Thor advised.
Mo cracked a small smile as they continued to follow after the swan and puffin.
Meanwhile, it began to get dark around Jean-Bob, Speed, Atticus, and Cherry as fireflies were soon coming out.
"No sign of them yet." Cherry said a little boredily.
"Where could they be?" Atticus wondered.
"I hope that petty Puffin knows what he's doing." Jean-Bob scoffed to himself.
"Incoming." Speed soon reported as he looked up in the sky.
They soon saw Odette and Puffin flying in as Jean-Bob soon grabbed two fireflies, moving his two hands around as if to signal them where to land.
"Alright, doing good so far." Atticus said.
"As long as Derek and the others follow them here." Cherry replied.
"You think so?" Atticus asked her.
"I'm not fully sure, but it's worth a shot, right?" Cherry shrugged.
Puffin and Odette continued to fly until they saw the firefly signal.
"Aha! There they are!" Puffin beamed before they soon landed as he looked over as the moon was soon rising to symbolize nighttime.
Jean-Bob nodded once Puffin and Odette made it before he blew the fireflies away.
"It's almost time, Odette. Look." Cherry pointed out to the moon.
Odette looked very upset, however. "I can't do it." she then said weakly.
"Odette, if you don't go now you'll lose your chance for life." Atticus said.
"He's right, Princess." Puffin agreed.
"Atticus and I will join you in the water," Cherry told Odette. "After all, that's where we were going to be anyway."
"He'll kill me, you guys!" Odette gasped and panicked, referring to Derek.
"It's now or never!" Cherry told the swan princess as she and Atticus got in the water, luckily not drowning as the water was shallow enough for both of them to sit in, at least until they would then become human again.
"All right. I'll do it." Odette then said out of defeat before flying off to the moonlight.
"Go!" Puffin urged.
Odette flew to Swan Lake as Atticus and Cherry were already on their way there as the clouds floated past the moon as Mo's geode glowed brighter and brighter before she looked around in Swan Lake until she gasped, making a rather shocking discovery.
"All right, come on, come on..." Puffin urged Odette once Atticus and Cherry came into Swan Lake's waters.
Derek looked ready to shoot the swan before the moonlight glowed over him and Mo as the magical transformation soon began for Odette, Atticus, and Cherry, turning them back to their human forms, outside of a swan, rabbit, and skunk.
"Hello, Derek." Odette smiled.
'Patch was right. That swan was Odette.' Mo thought to herself.
Derek dropped his bow in shock and soon ran across the lake to go and see Odette up close.
"Oh, and by the way, we're here too." Cherry crossed her arms as she stood around with Atticus as Derek came to his princess.
Derek and Odette smiled at each other before Derek picked up Odette and happily spun her about before they kissed each other right on the lips.
"Oh, Derek, I've missed you so." Odette smiled warmly at her prince.
"No one believed me, but I knew." Derek smiled back at her.
"You can't stay." Odette said with a sudden urgent frown.
"Can't stay? No, I'll never let you out of my sight again." Derek frowned back in concern.
"Uh, yeah... That might be a slight issue." Cherry spoke then.
"Atticus!" Mo's voice soon called out.
Atticus and Cherry soon turned to see Mo, Patch, Thor, and Tyke.
"Cherry!" Thor smiled.
"You're both alright." Tyke smiled.
"Oh. Hey, guys." Cherry said casually.
"I knew you guys had to be around here somewhere," Mo beamed as her geode glowed. "I just knew it."
"This... This probably isn't a good time." Cherry said cautiously.
"Listen to me, Derek." Odette added.
"What could be wrong?" Mo asked them. "We're all together again."
"Odette!" A familiar voice soon yelled out.
"What's going on?" Derek asked in concern.
"It's him!" Odette gasped and panicked.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Another familiar voice yelled.
"Oh, come on sure why not? He just came to see us unable to go anywhere ,not just because of the spell, but also because of these." Cherry said sarcastically while gesturing to what she and Atticus were wearing on their wrists.
"Spell? What spell?" Tyke asked.
"It's a long story, Pup," Cherry replied. "Very annoying and very much unwanted."
"You're worried about these things? I'll get them off," Patch said, biting on Atticus's anti-magic cuff, but found it difficult to get off as he groaned before giving up. "Man... That's tougher than seven-month-old beef jerky!"
Tyke even tried to bite the cuffs off, only to have the same result as he whimpered and shook his head.
Thor soon took out his wand from Witch School and found himself unable to get the cuffs off, even with his magic. "Hmm... I'll have to take a look at those later..." he then said as he made note of the cuffs, seeing they weren't going to be easy getting off almost like they were super glued on or something like that.
"Let them come! I'll-" Derek glared, looking ready to fight if he had to.
"No, he has great power," Odette told him. "You must go! All of you."
Derek soon held Odette in his arms gently. "Then you're coming with us." he then told his princess as well as Atticus and Cherry.
"We can't," Cherry sighed. "When the moon sets, Odette will be a swan, Atticus will be a rabbit, and I'll turn back into a skunk. Guys, just get out of here before you get hurt, adventures experience or not."
"Well, there must be someway to break the spell." Derek said.
"Oh, there is. You must make a vow of everlasting love." Odette told him.
"I'd make it; it's all I ever wanted." Derek replied.
"You have to prove it to the world." Atticus told him.
"He's right." Odette agreed.
"How? How?" Derek then asked.
"I don't know!" Odette shrugged.
"Odette!" Rothbart's voice soon called out.
"Maybe next time Odette asks you why you love her, maybe look apart from just her looks?" Cherry suggested cynically.
"Go!" Odette then urged.
"The ball! Tomorrow night, come to the castle," Derek then suddenly said once he had an idea. "Before the whole world, I will make a vow of everlasting love." he then decided.
"Odette!" Rothbart's voice called.
"Is someone with you punks? I hear extra voices!" Jackson's voice soon added.
"We're coming!" Atticus called out before looking at their friends. "Go!"
"Tomorrow night." Derek reminded Odette.
"Yes. Tomorrow night," Odette quickly agreed. "Now go."
Derek soon took out a locket and soon tossed it over to Odette for her to catch and Odette soon caught the locket.
"All three of you will come, right?" Thor asked.
"Yes, yes, yes. Now go, quickly." Cherry said.
Derek, Patch, Tyke, and Mo soon left to get back to the castle.
"Odette!" Rothbart shouted as he and Jackson soon both came out from behind a tree.
"Oh. Hey, Razmataz. Hey, Jackson." Cherry greeted flatly.
"Rothbart! Rothbart! You know that my name is Rothbart!" Rothbart glared at her, but she wasn't scared in the slightest.
"That's pretty much what I said." Cherry smirked.
"Ignore her," Jackson rolled his eyes. "Anyway, didn't you guys hear us calling for you?" he then asked sternly.
"I... I..." Odette stammered nervously.
"I heard extra voices..." Jackson glared before he checked the bushes to see a certain amphibian there.
Jean-Bob was tiptoeing away before he was found and soon began to croak like a normal frog so that Rothbart and Jackson wouldn't be suspicious of him.
"Extra voices?" Odette asked.
"Yes." Rothbart replied.
"Um, that was just the three of us talking." Atticus lied before biting his lower lip.
"Really? And what were you discussing?" Jackson asked.
"I have agreed to become Rothbart's wife." Odette replied.
"Yeah, Odette agreed to be-" Cherry added with a glare before her eyes widened and she glanced at the swan princess. "Odette... No!"
Puffin and Speed even gasped while Jean-Bob fainted in dismay at what Odette just said.
"No! You mean... Odette, Odette, you've made me so happy," Rothbart gasped, surprised and grateful before falling to his knees. "I'll be a good king, you'll see, I'll wear nice clothes, and I'm going to get my beard trimmed."
Atticus and Cherry shared an awkward look while looking back at Odette and Rothbart.
"Oh, oh, you've made me so happy, Odette," Rothbart then said before he suddenly took out a certain bow. "Oh... By the way, you wouldn't happen to know who this belongs to, would you?" he then asked.
Odette gasped while Jean-Bob fainted again.
"Shoot..." Atticus muttered.
"'Come to the ball?' 'I will make a vow of everlasting love'..." Rothbart quoted mockingly and laughed before tossing the bow into Swan Lake. "Thought you could fool Rothbart, did you?"
"I will never be yours, you creature!" Odette soon glared and snapped at Rothbart as bravely as she could. "I will marry Prince Derek and you cannot stop me!"
"Sorry, but you won't be able to make it to the ball tomorrow night." Jackson told her as he took the locket from her.
"If you want to stop me you'll have to kill me." Odette replied.
"Yeah and we're going with her." Atticus nodded.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. You see, the reason is because there's no moon tomorrow night." Jackson smirked.
"That's impossible," Cherry replied. "You can't take the moon away."
"You sound silly when you have no idea what I'm up to." Jackson smirked.
"...Jackson de Vil, what have you done?" Atticus narrowed his eyes, though did his best to stay calm even if not even his crystal spikes would be able to save him out of this situation.
"Oh, I haven't done anything, it's just scientific facts." Jackson said with a chuckle as he pointed into the sky.
Odette looked up at the sky as the moon was nearly completely gone because of the darkness of the clouds which soon made her fall to her knees and break down crying.
"That's right tomorrow night the dark side of the moon will show meaning it'll look like the moon isn't in the sky at all." Atticus gasped.
"How did we forget that important detail? As long as the moon light touches Odette's wings and as kong as we are in the lake, we turn human, but without the moonlight we can't trun back." Cherry said.
"Exactly." Jackson smirked before laughing evilly.
Cherry glared, annoyed with Jackson while Atticus looked concerned, but he did glare too.