The bell rings as Rapunzel and Harmony are standing in front of a red ribbon. "Nothing makes me happier than a dream coming true!" The two sisters are holding scissors in their hands. "Especially when that dream belongs to a dear friend like Attila. So let us be the first to welcome Attila the Bun Bakery to Corona!"
They snip off the ribbon, yet no one is around to see it. It's so empty a tumbleweed flies past them. Rapunzel glances to Harmony and Varian, slightly concerned.
"We put up all the flyers, didn't we?" Harmony asks the alchemist, who nods in confirmation. Then they glance away from each other awkwardly. While they had kissed each other and signed the book on the Day of Hearts, they easily fell back into their friendship. She obviously cares about him too much to allow herself to tell him her feelings...
No mistake, she knows she likes him in that way. Ever since the expo, she knew. How could she not? He's sweet, funny, and adorable. But she couldn't risk herself to be a relationship right now.
Attila clears his throat. "My mom always said that you can only get what you want outta life by using the three C's: Crime, carnage, and crime. But thanks to Rapunzel and Harmony, who helped make all of this possible, I've learned there's a fourth C: kindness."
The other pub thugs cheer while the princesses smile bashfully. "Uhh, kindness doesn't start with-"
"Uh uh," Eugene interrupts her.
"Now, who wants a treat?" Attila offers some cakes to them and they holler.
"One bimberry butternut, please," Rapunzel smiles, giving him some coins and taking one.
"Two more over here, Attila," Varian waves a hand, Harmony pulling out some coins from her coin purse. "No, I got it, Mona."
"No, Vari, I insist," She smiles, gesturing to herself.
"You might be a princess, but a gentlemen doesn't allow the lady to pay," He winks at her, giving Attila the coins. Harmony blushes, biting her lip as he holds out a butternut to her. She takes it into her hands and Rapunzel looks on happily. She's taking her sister's advice and wasn't going to interfere with her love life...
Not as much as she did previously, though.
The thugs run up to the plate eagerly, taking one. "Hey guys, come on. You gotta pay for those, you know." They stare at him wide-eyed. "I'm running a legitimate business here." He holds out the tray to Big Nose, who puts it back with a pout.
"Hey, you know I'm good for it, right? V? Harmi? You got me covered?" Hook Foot is about to take a bite.
"Sorry, but the coins I gave him was all I had left," Varian smiles sheepishly.
"And I'm a lady, so with him, I don't pay," She winks back at Varian, who turns red. Attila growls at his friends, who put back the butternuts.
"I want a cookie and a croissant and a baumkuchen and a muffin and, uh-"
"Good afternoon," Attila greets kindly, but all they see is his scary helmet. "Can I interest you in-"
"Mommy, look! A big scary no-faced man!" The child cries, hugging his mother.
"L-Look, mister, we don't want any trouble," The father backs away with his family.
"Oh, let 'em run!" Eugene waves it off. "You know, once word gets out about how good your baking is, no one is gonna care that you are...you."
"Besides, it's still early. Most people don't even like sweets in the morning," Rapunzel crosses her arms confidently.
"I want something sweet this morning!" A different child exclaims as several people are standing in front of Monty's Sweet Shoppe.
"Uncle Monty!" Everyone except Rapunzel shouts as they wave to him.
"Heya kids!" He walks over to the group, glaring at the crown princess. Attila looks between the two frenemies, Harmony pulling him away. "Rapunzel."
"Montgomery," She says with the same amount of animosity.
"They still hate each other?" Varian whispers to Harmony.
"Yup. I feel awkward..."
"I just came by to wish my new neighbor good luck!" He smiles up at Attila. "And to be one of his first customers!" He sees the plate of butternuts. "Wow! Oh my goodness! I believe I will try one of these bimberry butternuts!"
"They're my specialty!" Attila explains proudly. "I grow the bimberries myself!"
Monty takes a bite and gives a pleased look. "Attila, these are bimberry terrific!" He walks away while chewing, Rapunzel glaring after the man. "Hey Feldspar! You simply gotta try one of these bimberry butternuts! They're out of this world!" He states while walking back to his shop.
"Oh, thanks, Uncle Monty. I certainly wi-" He takes one look at Attila and runs off screaming.
"Don't you worry," Rapunzel tries to assure him. "Attila the Bun is gonna be just as successful as the Sweet Shoppe, if not more so." Varian, Harmony, Eugene, and Cass had nodded in agreement with her, but after she said Sweet Shoppe, they sent each other unsure looks. "And we are all going to help! Right guys?"
The thugs cheer as their answer. "Hey, who can float me change for a carp?" Shorty holds up a fish.
"You see, I figured we can get around the whole 'Attila-is-terrifying' thing by luring people in...with the good stuff," Eugene points to his face while Ulf is holding up free samples. "I was talking about the face, but sure yeah, these could work too. Free samples! Who wants 'em? Free samples! Come on, people, they are free! Don't make me go full smolder on ya, it could hurt."
Hook Foot is cornering a citizen in the alley. "Now listen, pal, you're in the mood to buy cakes. A lot of cakes," He threatens while Vladimir is standing nearby, eating an apple. "Because if you don't..." A guard just happens to be walking by. "My friend and I...will take you on a resplendent walking tour of the Corona Art Museum." He puts the apple in the man's mouth and pushes the man away. "Now you have a wondrous day."
Varian and Harmony hold up a cupcake costume from the costume shop, which Attila and Big Nose put over Rapunzel. "What is more welcoming for a bakery than a giant cupcake? Hello!" Monty looks outside, raising a brow at the girl's outfit. "Now...to get people's attention," She rings a bell.
"Rapunzel, no! Not bells!" Attila tries to warn her, but she rings it anyway.
"Milton hates bells!" Big Nose explains, Varian turning to the princess.
"Milton?"
"Oh no," Her eyes widen, turning to the goat sleeping near Ruddiger. He hears the bell and freaks out. The goat starts running towards Rapunzel. "No! Down, boy!" She runs away, the others chasing after them.
"Seek higher ground!"
"High ground," Shorty closes his eyes as he's laying on a window sill.
Later on, Attila shakes out a mouse...and two coins. "Sooo..." Rapunzel asks as they return. "How did we do today?"
"Okay...just a minute...that's, I lost count."
"Oh, here, let me count for ya," Eugene takes the coins, giving a look of dismay. "That would be two."
"And me and Vlad have been punching people all day," Hook Foot punches his fist. "And nothing!"
"People just don't respond to threats liked they used to," Vladimir scoffs, shrugging and shaking his head. "People."
"Ahh, punching people isn't a way to bring in business, Hook Foot," Varian speaks up nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Closing time, everyone," Monty announces, earning groans of disappointment in return. "Ahh, what the heck. Come on in!"
Attila sags his shoulders at all the people who willingly go into Monty's place... "I'm really sorry, Attila," Harmony places a hand on his back, Varian giving a small encouraging smile at him.
"Hey, Mona, do you want me to bring you something from Monty's before I go home?" Varian whispers to her.
"Just a lollipop," She tells him as Big Nose approaches.
"Oh, I know what you're thinking, old friend. Sure, the Sweet Shoppe is a Corona institution. Monty...Monty is a pillar of the community. Not to mention, hm! His candy?" Rapunzel glances at Eugene, who shakes his head. "Truly, it's as if magical sugar fairies descended from the heavens and sprinkled blessings on all of us. We are transformed by Monty and all that he makes, and the fructose of his life."
Rapunzel clears his throat as Attila is looking forlornly at his butternuts. "What Big Nose is trying to say Attila...is...never give up on your dream. Harmony and I believe in you."
"I don't know, Princesses. Maybe it was dumb to think a guy like me could ever be good enough to pull off something like this."
"That's not true! Sure, it's your first day and it was slow, but that shouldn't do anything to damper what you've always wanted to!" Harmony defends, Rapunzel nodding in agreement.
"That's very good, Harmi."
"Okay, okay. No need to worry. There's plenty of everything for everybody!" Monty declares to the crowd inside his store.
"...Maybe some folks just ain't allowed to have dreams..." Attila squishes the butternut to pieces...like how his heart felt. The girls glance to each other in worry.
The next day, Rapunzel, Harmony, and Eugene head over to Attila the Bun, to check up on him and implement a few ideas. "I was up all night and I think I came up with some really neat, bell-free ideas to help Attila the Bun!"
"Wow," Eugene chuckles at her. "You are really committed to this."
"I'm just tired of cutting ribbons, and hosting parties, and making appearances. Well, maybe not all parties. Someone's birthday is coming up~" She nudges Harmony in the arm, causing her to laugh. Yes, Harmony's birthday would be coming soon, and Rapunzel couldn't wait to host it.
"It is pretty tiring doing the same things over and over again," Harmony couldn't help but agree.
"Well, Blondie and Brownie, a statesperson's work is never done," Eugene tells them.
"Being a statesperson is fine, Eugene, but I wanna do things that really matter to the people of Corona. Like helping Attila," She explains with a smile.
"Yeah. With Rapunzel, they realized that they have dreams just like everyone else does," Harmony gestures to her sister. "They're not really so different from us...I just wish other people could look past his helmet."
Rapunzel and Eugene glance at her as she's still walking, a thoughtful look on her face. They couldn't help but wonder if she was doing this not just for a friend, but for herself. When they reach the two shops, the princesses gasp sharply.
"Oh no..."
Monty's shop has been vandalized, with the window broken, the door completely in pieces, and the sign breaking off. Eugene picks up what was left of the sign, confused.
"What...happened?"
"This must've happened after we all left..." Harmony murmurs as she examines the door all over the ground.
"Excuse us, Princesses," Pete calls out as they're taking away a handcuffed Attila.
"I'm innocent, girls! Innocent!" He cries out as they look at him in horror. There was no way he did this, he's since reformed! And even though he was dismayed over Monty having more success, he would never vandalize his store just to get more business...
"He's under arrest for vandalism. It's the Captain's orders," Stan replies, all of them watching Attila get taken away to the prison caravan. He follows after them, turning around. "I'm sorry, princesses." Attila gets locked in and they step forward to talk to him.
"I guess I was right. Some folks just ain't allowed to have dreams..." And that's the last thing he says before the caravan leaves.
"Mona!" Varian runs over to her. "What's going on?" He looks at the caravan disappearing.
"Attila...has been arrested for attacking Monty's shop..." She closes her eyes, not sure who or what to believe.
"Court is now in session. His Majesty King Frederic residing," Nigel announces in the throne room.
"Attila didn't do it!" Rapunzel insists, gesturing to her friend. "We know he didn't!"
"Please, Pa—your majesty," Harmony corrects herself. In court, she or Rapunzel aren't allowed to address him as such. "He wouldn't do that to Monty, they both respect each other!"
"I'm sorry, your highness..." The Captain sighs, stepping forward. "Not only does Attila have motive and no alibi, the evidence is overwhelming...there were two puncture marks in one of Monty's syrup vats that match the horns on Attila's helmet exactly. When we went to question Attila, I found one of Uncle Monty's stolen secret family recipes stuck to the bottom of his boot. Not to mention, moments before the vandalism was reported, two of my men happened to see Attila in the area. When they called to him...he ran off. Why would an innocent man run?"
The two look towards their friend and he stays silent. "I'm sorry...but after reviewing the evidence and his previous record, I have no choice but to exile Attila...to the Prison Barge of the Lost Sea."
This declaration shocks Eugene, Harmony, Varian, and Rapunzel. The Captain points to the exit, where Pete and Stan take him away.
"This is crazy! He's innocent!" Rapunzel groans in frustration. "There has to be a way we can prove it."
"I don't think we're gonna have enough time..." Eugene frowns at her.
"Time...time..." She gasps suddenly. "Onus procedendi!"
"What?" The Captain asks in confusion.
"Uh, your majesty, I would like to cite onus procedendi!"
"Me too!" Harmony holds up a hand.
"Wait, what is that?" The Captain questions the boys, who shush him.
"It's Latin. Smart people talk. Don't worry, she'll go slow," He whispers to the man.
"We've been reading all about Corona Law-"
"You've been what?" Frederic wonders, baffled as Arianna smiles.
"And by onus procedendi, Attila can be granted a 24-hour period to prove his innocence, provided that he has retained the sponsorship of a statesperson. And I'm pretty sure that being princesses qualify us as statespersons."
"You'll see, we can do this!" Harmony holds up a fist in determination. "And as statespersons, we can also provide him legal assistance."
"They are correct, your majesty," Nigel holds up a finger.
"Very well. Then you two have 24 hours to prove his innocence...princesses."
They curtsy to him, the Captain shocked that this ploy actually worked. The two smile at the boys, walking past them to go do just that.
"Nice job, you guys," Varian whispers to Harmony, and she gives him a thumbs up.
"You should open up a book sometime. It's really, really, fun. Shapes make letters. Letters make words. Words communicate thought," Eugene points to his head. "Circle of life!" He walks off proudly and later that night at 8:23, they visit the Snuggly Duckling, which Varian had to get permission from his father since he's usually home at this hour...
"Everyone!" Rapunzel announces to the occupants. "Listen up! We need to prove where Attila was last night. Can anybody give him an alibi?"
All of them stand up, raising a hand.
"I'm sorry, can anyone give him an alibi without lying?" Eugene corrects the question.
"And without threat or violence?" Harmony crosses her arms and all of them sit back down, to Rapunzel's dismay. Vladimir gets back up and sits down after a few seconds.
"That's the thing. Attila won't tell anyone what he did last night," Hook Foot tells them.
"Only that he didn't do what they said he did," Big Nose shrugs a little. "You know, Attila is actually a very, very private person. He's painfully shy."
"Attila?" Varian raises a brow, laughing a little. "No offense, but looks can be deceiving, my friend."
"Why won't he tell anyone where he was or what he was doing though?" Harmony murmurs, raising a brow. She wondered what Attila is going to such great lengths for to not say anything. Though, if anything, she really hoped it was nothing illegal, the case against him is already racked up against him.
"He doesn't seem that shy," Rapunzel glances to the others in disbelief.
"Ever wonder why he wears that helmet?"
"I just assumed he was repugnant," Eugene shrugs, getting a look from Harmony. "What? Fair game, we don't know what he looks like underneath it."
"Well, obviously, there's that too," Big Nose rolls his eyes.
"Alright, if no one can vouch for Attila, then we're gonna need hard evidence. I think it's time we checked out the scene of the crime," Rapunzel narrows her eyes.
The crime scene is being guarded as the others investigate, interviewing Monty. "I closed a little late last night, and there was nothing out of the ordinary. When I came in this morning, well..."
"I'm so sorry this happened, Monty," Rapunzel says honestly as Varian bends down to the barrel, eyeing the two holes.
"Oh, it's alright. I was thinking of remodeling anyway. Although I suppose, a few months ago, that thought never would've crossed my mind," He adjusts the award he won from the Gopher Grab with Rapunzel, who eyes it. Then she steps on syrup, jerking a bit and Pascal lands on some as well.
"Are you sure you don't wanna rethink the whole barefoot thing?" Eugene holds up a handkerchief, Rapunzel rolling her eyes in amusement.
"Yup...these are about as far apart as the horns on Attila's helmet," Cass says regrettably, measuring the length.
"Maybe if we analyze some of the damage, we could deduce what really happened..." The alchemist murmurs to the princess.
"My dad and the Captain are pretty convinced Attila did this, Vari. We'll be lucky if we could get anything to disprove that he's the culprit..." Harmony eyes the scene, noticing the door, the size of the horns, and the broken window. Something wasn't right here, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Attila can't be the only one who could make this kind of damage," Varian points to the barrel. "Maybe if I isolate the wood's structure, we can find out what did."
"Good idea," Harmony nods at him.
"Hey!" Eugene holds up a piece of paper with writing on it. "Here's Monty's secret recipe for blondies...Blondie."
She unsticks Pascal with a smile, eyeing something. "What is it?"
"The door shards...they're all over the sidewalk," She notices that all of the remains are outside, and not inside like they should be. "Huh..."
"If someone broke in the shop...those shards wouldn't be out there," Harmony raises a brow.
"She's right. Those should all be in here," Varian gestures to the floor around them.
"Boy, Attila really did some damage, huh?" Cass earns some glares from the three of them. "I mean...I mean...someone...someone did some damage."
Pascal snarls at her while Daisy fumes. She sniffs the air, feeling awkward and hoping to change the subject. "Ooh, smell that? Something in here really stinks, huh? Yeah, all the, uh...syrup in here must be going bad."
"Monty would never allow that to happen, or for it to smell," Harmony crosses her arms, Varian sniffing the air and gagging a bit.
"She is right on smell, though..."
"Hey, Cassandra, let's go see if we can find someone to remove that foot from your mouth, shall we?" Eugene pushes her out the door before she could ire them further. Harmony turns to Varian in slight concern.
"Shouldn't you be getting home, Vari? Your father must be worried."
"I sent him a letter saying that I'd stay with you and the others earlier," He smiles softly at her. "I might not know Attila that well, but if you wanna help him, then I want to prove him innocent too. We're in this together, Mona."
He takes a hold of her hand and she smiles, squeezing it. "Yeah...thank you for what you're doing."
"N-No problem," He rubs the back of his neck, picking up the barrel as evidence. Luckily, Harmony's already vouched for them to take any evidence if needed. She's a princess; of course she could make that possible.
Monty walks up to Rapunzel. "Listen Princesses. What you're trying to do for Attila is incredibly noble...but it's not looking good for him."
"I know it's not..." She hands him back the recipe. "But Harmi and I are standing by him. That's what friends do..."
He glances away, wondering just what really happened...
It's Wednesday morning, almost 4 AM as Rapunzel has a conspiracy board. Varian is still analyzing the evidence, including window shards and the remains from the door. It'd take forever to make a match for the crate, but at least he knows what happened to the door and the window. Harmony had written down everything on paper for Rapunzel, who stares at the board.
"Something's missing..."
"Yeah, sleep," Eugene interjects from the chair behind her. Harmony looks at all the facts she wrote down, rubbing her chin. "Blondie, Brownie, it's 4 AM."
"Eugene, why don't you go get some rest?" She asks while shuffling papers around.
"No! No, we...we are in this together-" He falls asleep right there as Harmony rubs her tired eyes. Rapunzel smiles at him, placing the blanket over her boyfriend and kissing the top of his head.
"How's that analyzing coming along?" Rapunzel looks to the two pleadingly.
"Still going...it takes 24 hours because of the old wood..." Varian rubs at his face.
"If it's not enough to prove Attila innocent...the only way he'd get out of this is for an eyewitness to step forward, and there are none!" Harmony sighs in frustration. The door knocks and the girl looks up at the door.
"Were you expecting someone?" She questions Rapunzel, who shakes her head no.
"I'll get it!" Varian smiles at her eagerly, opening up the door to see Ruddiger laying on top of a food cart. "Mona, I got you some food."
"What?" She glances upwards, seeing the cart. Ignoring the fact that the kitchen was supposed to be closed at this time of hour, she shakes her head, going back to the papers. "I'm too busy to eat right now."
"You haven't eaten at all," He deadpans towards her, holding out a butternut. "You need to eat, Mona."
She sighs slowly, feeling déjà vu. Whenever she visits him before curfew, she's always finding him in his lab almost always without food. Which is why she always brings him food from the kitchen. Now it's like they've switched places all of a sudden.
"Come on, you know you want to," He grins, poking her cheek with the treat.
"Alright, alright," She giggles, taking it from him and biting into it. "Thanks, Vari."
"We can take a break if you want to. The evidence is still being processed," He gestures to his desk and she nods, glancing at the tray with a grin.
"You know...I don't think I can eat all this food by myself. You wanna share?"
"I'll eat if you will."
The princess smiles and he takes a seat next to her, both of them eating. Daisy looks down from the top of her friend's head, glancing between the two teenagers.
Rapunzel squeals quietly, tiptoeing out of the room and to the gazebo where her family sits during breakfast. She takes a seat in front of the fountain, Pascal staring up at her. He places his chin on her knee. A sigh escapes her mouth.
"I don't know, Pascal. Maybe there is no way to prove Attila's innocent. Or maybe he's not innocent..."
"Oh, he's innocent alright," A female voice speaks up, Rapunzel gasping.
"Who's there?" She looks around the area, Pascal crawling onto her shoulder.
"Attila couldn't have been responsible!"
Suddenly, Old Lady Crowley, the oldest maid in the castle, holds up a lantern to reveal herself. "Old Lad—Ms. Crowley?" Rapunzel corrects herself. Everyone around calls her Old Lady Crowley because of her age.
"I saw that half-wit plucking flowers from my garden right about when they said the shop was vandalized," She explains to the crown princess.
"Oh. You saw Attila picking flowers?" Rapunzel asks slowly.
"What did I just say?" She replies sarcastically.
"Do you think you could testify before the king tomorrow?"
"You bet I could!" Old Lady Crowley answers confidently, to Rapunzel's happiness.
"Oh! Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I know a lot of people give you a hard time, but I just knew deep down that you were-"
"I'm only doing this 'cause I wanna see that knuckle-dragging sod-horse get what's coming to him," The old woman interrupts sharply, "No one messes with my plumbagos!" She disappears behind a bush rather creepily...
"Okay then..." Rapunzel stares to where she left.
Later at 9:15 that morning, the pub thugs, Monty, Rapunzel, Eugene, Cass, and most of the guards are in the throne room in front of the king and queen. Varian and Harmony were still trying to deduce what happened, as they've worked for hours straight with no sleep. Rapunzel crosses her fingers, hoping that they'd make it.
"Your majesty, you have seen that the evidence undeniably places blame on Attila. Unless evidence to the contrary comes forth, I see no need to carry on," The Captain explains to the king.
"I do!" Rapunzel steps up, holding up a hand. "I call to the stand Ms. Hortense Q. Crowley."
The crowd gasps, before murmuring in confusion as they have no idea who she's talking about. "Uh, Blondie, you probably shouldn't just be making up people. This is a court of law," Eugene whispers to her.
"Ugh," She groans at this. "Old Lady Crowley?"
"Oh!" They all give sounds of recognition. The woman slams open the doors to the throne room.
"Of course," The Captain mutters as she grumbles.
"That's right! I saw Attila that night. He was pickin' my precious plumbagos!" She says to the king.
"So, your majesty, I think we can all agree it's impossible for anyone to be in two places at once. The defense rests," Rapunzel smiles confidently.
"I just have one question," The Captain holds up a finger. "Old Lady-uh, Ms. Crowley, would you be so kind as to point to the man you saw picking the flowers?"
"Of course I can! That's him! Right there!" Instead of pointing to Attila, she's accusing Big Nose instead, who is sniffing flowers. Rapunzel gasps in shock and he starts crying.
"I couldn't help myself! I'm a sucker for plumbagos..." He holds them close to his cheek.
"Ms. Crowley, you told me you saw Attila the other night!" Rapunzel gestures to her friend.
"That's not him?" She points to Big Nose. Rapunzel simply shakes her head. "How should I know? Those boys all look the same." And with that, the old woman storms off, to Rapunzel's disappointment and sadness. Attila hangs his head with a small sigh.
"Then I am afraid I have no choice..."
"But, Varian and Harmony are finishing up, I'm sure of it! If you just give them some time-"
"Time is what we are out of," He gives her a regretful look. "Attila will be exiled to the prison barge of the Lost Sea."
He's taken away by Pete and Stan, Rapunzel running up to him. "Attila! I'm so sorry!" She calls out sadly, the door shutting closed.
At 1:48 PM, Eugene and Cass are trying to get the saddened princess to eat something at the dining table. "Raps, you gotta eat," Cass places a hand on her shoulder, feeling sympathetic for her.
"How can I? Right now, Attila is being put on a ship that will take him away forever..." She murmurs sadly.
"Look, Blondie," Eugene speaks while eating a sandwich, "I know you try to see the best in everyone, and I think that's great. But sometimes, you know...people let you down. Not us or Varian or your sister, but other..." He lets out a belch. "People."
Cass groans, waving a hand in front of her face. "You stink."
Rapunzel and Harmony gasp sharply at the same time, even though the princess is in her room with Varian. "Stink! That's it!"
"Why do I feel like my sister and I have the same idea?" Harmony mutters before waving it off. "Come on Vari, let's go!"
"Right behind you!" He calls out, fumbling with the papers in his hand as he runs after her.
The three take Fidella and Max through Corona, hoping to reach the docks in time. "Come on, Max! Fast as you can!"
"Whoa! This is why I don't ride horses!" Varian hugs Harmony tight, causing her to blush.
Attila is being escorted to the ship that will take him away right at this moment. "This will take you to the Prison Barge. You should be there in 3 days time."
Two whinnies are heard. "Wait! Don't leave!"
He turns around to see Rapunzel and the teens, the crown princess' hair out of her braid. "Princesses?" The Captain asks in shock, Pete and Stan with their mouths wide open.
"Princesses?" Attila questions from the ship as it was already moving away.
"Guys, help me out here!" Rapunzel throws her hair, catching a pole. The three jump off the horses, trying to pull back as hard as they can. "We can do it!"
"Princesses, we've been through this!"
"We're sorry, Captain, but we're making a huge mistake! We just want one more chance! Please!" She looks up at him pleadingly while trying to get the ship back.
"We have proof this time!" Varian averts his eyes to his apron, pulling out the papers. "Just give us a chance to explain!"
Without a word, he helps them pull back the ship back to the dock, to their relief. "You have two minutes," He tells the three as they help Rapunzel tie her hair back up.
"That's all we need. Captain, Attila did not break into Monty's that night!"
"Okay, so who did?" He questions them and Varian places his hands behind his back with a smug smile.
"...No one," The three say in unison with a smirk, confusing him.
"Something bothered us about the broken pieces of the door all over the sidewalk. Why would they be outside and not inside?" Rapunzel starts off.
"Because they broke out of Monty's shop, and not in it," Harmony holds up a finger.
"That doesn't make any sense," The Captain says in disbelief.
"Yeah, I didn't think so either, until I noticed that the door had a bell!"
"A bell?" He asks, staring at their smiles. "Princesses, Varian, where is this going?"
"Oh, it's going somewhere, alright!" Varian winks up at him.
"I believe I can answer that!" They all turn to see Shorty being escorted by Cass and Eugene.
"Look what we found at Monty's!" Eugene smiles at the four.
"Just like you said, guys."
"Great? Who's next? The mime?" The Captain asks sarcastically.
"Unlike Old Lady Crowley," Harmony speaks up, "This source is reliable, for he was at the scene of the crime when it occurred!"
"Yup. Two words, Admiral: Sugar fairies."
"As if magical sugar fairies descended from the heavens," Big Nose said to his friends. Shorty opened an eye.
"I once led a walnut to a sugar fairy, and she never returned it. So, I figure Monty's sugar fairies might know how I could get it back. Course, it was about then, I remembered it wasn't a sugar fairy that borrowed my walnut. It was a squirrel."
Shorty facepalmed himself as he remembered the details, Milton standing next to him in the shop. "And he returned it two weeks ago. So we ate. After our snack, Milton thought it would be prudent to take a nap. I wholeheartedly concurred."
Monty, who didn't see them, spun his keys around as he was about to leave for the night.
"But then..."
As he opened the door, the bell went off. "The bell rang."
Milton, upon hearing it, went crazy and started trashing the shop. Shorty woke up upon hearing it, crawling away and hiding behind a barrel. Milton jumped behind the counter, tossing a barrel off his head, which spilled syrup.
"Luckily, I recall Rapunzel's advice earlier and sought higher ground."
Shorty did nothing to stop Milton as he was too tired, hiding in the ceiling. "Where I presumed the aforementioned nap."
He stayed there for a whole day, flies buzzing around his head as Cass sniffed the air from their first visit of the crime scene. "Wow! Smell that? Something in here really stinks, huh?"
"That's why it smelled so bad in there," Cass crosses her arms.
"I object!" Shorty points at her accusingly, sniffing himself and coughing in disgust. "Withdrawn." She rolls her eyes.
"And according to Rapunzel, Cass saying that Eugene stank reminded her of Shorty's smell. I came to the same conclusion, and here we are," Harmony gestures to the short man.
"So the goat obliterated the store from the inside? And where is this goat now?" The Captain demands to him.
"Oh, probably not too far. Never is," Shorty whistles for Milton. "Goat."
He's hiding in one of the rafts, jumping onto the docks and sliding to a stop near Shorty, who hugs him. "You see, Captain, according to these results," Rapunzel points to the papers Varian has and he rolls them out, showing two pictures. One of them is the measured length of Attila's helmet, and the other of Milton's horns, which are the same. "It wasn't Attila's helmet that punctured Monty's chocolate drum. It was Milton's horns!"
Shorty licks the goat, to Harmony's disgust. "Mm, I love me some goat."
"Then why did we find stolen recipes on Attila's boot?"
"They weren't stolen," Harmony shakes her head. "Milton must've knocked them over during his rampage, and some of them had syrup on the back from the floor."
"Yeah, those recipes got tossed all over. Even onto the sidewalk. Attila must've stepped on one just like Pascal did and then it came unstuck back at his bakery."
"And because they were everywhere, it's not impossible for anyone to get one stuck on their foot and not notice," Varian nods at her.
"That's a bit of a stretch," He stares at the three skeptically.
"Everyone who was near the scene of the crime, check your boots," Rapunzel orders, everyone lifting up a foot to see a recipe stuck underneath. "Captain?" She points to his shoes and he scoffs, seeing one on his foot as well. He quickly reads the recipe, looking towards the others as they stare patiently with knowing smiles.
"So you see, Attila couldn't have done it," Varian crosses his arms. "Brown-furred goats have the same length between the horns as he does."
"Uh, clearly, there's been a mistake," He clears his throat, turning to Attila. "Attila, you're free to go."
The others cheer as he's set free from the handcuffs. Max nudges the Captain with a smile, Attila holding Rapunzel into the air out of happiness.
Together, they all head back to Corona, Attila riding up to Rapunzel, Varian, and Harmony. "I can't thank you enough, guys. Almost everyone gave up on me, except for you three."
"No problem," Varian waves a hand. "It was kind of fun, I felt like a detective today."
"Same here," Harmony giggles, patting Fidella who whinnies a bit.
"Aww, you're welcome. I guess when I really believe in something, I don't give up on it. Conviction...hey, maybe conviction can be the 5th C!"
"Yeah," Attila chuckles a bit. "Too bad it starts on a K."
Cass, who was listening in, leans towards Eugene. "Conviction doesn't start with a-"
"Uh uh," Eugene interrupts her again.
"Tell ya what, kids," Attila speaks up, getting Varian and Harmony's attention. "How about I give ya free butternuts after the repairs for your hard work?"
"Wow! Thanks, Attila!" Varian blinks in surprise, Harmony beaming at him.
"Attila, can I ask you where were you that night, anyway?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't you tell anyone your alibi?" Harmony raises a brow.
"It would've really helped you," Varian explains and the man looks around to make sure no one was listening, sighing.
"You won't tell?"
The three shake their heads no.
"Attila, can I ask you where were you that night, anyway?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't you tell anyone your alibi?" Harmony raises a brow.
"It would've really helped you," Varian explains and the man looks around to make sure no one was listening, sighing.
"Okay...I was afraid Attila the Bun was a mistake. I don't know nuthin about running a business, Princess. I just wanna bake. That's my dream. But everyone was so proud, and I didn't wanna let anyone down...so, sometimes, when I get stressed, I sneak out to my bimberry patch in the woods...and I sing to 'em."
The trio smile towards each other. "Well, your secret is safe with us."
"I get it, you don't wanna be embarrassed if people found out," Harmony looks towards Corona. "Sometimes I...dance around and sing using my hairbrush as a microphone while I'm in the shower."
"Everyone has their tendencies," Varian smiles, patting her back and she grins in relief, glad that he doesn't find that weird.
"It's just too bad about the business part. If only there were someone in Corona who could help out with that...hm," Rapunzel looks away with a small smile. "I know just the person."
The princesses step up to yet another red ribbon, but this time, they're happy about cutting this one. "And it is with great pleasure we re-introduce to you..."
"Monty's Sweet Shoppe," Harmony smiles at the business to her left.
"With pastries by Attila," Rapunzel gestures to the place to her right. Both men decided to be a co-op business. The princesses cut the ribbon, everyone cheering as the two men shake hands.
"Here Monty," He holds out some paper. "I tracked down all of your recipes for ya."
"Hm," Monty stares at them with a frown.
"Wait...are you still upset?"
"Oh no, son. It's these silly glasses I'm always forgetting to put on!" He puts on his glasses, blinking. The princesses smile to their parents.
"Girls..." He places his hands on top of theirs. "I'm proud of the way you both represented Corona today."
"Thanks Dad."
"Thank you, Papa," Harmony smiles up at him.
"Monty, I can't thank you enough for giving me this chance."
"It's what friends do!" Monty puts his glasses away. "Now come on...let's give you the grand tour. I got new counters, new shelves. I even got a new door chime!"
"Yeah, I see..." He stops short as he remembers something. "Wait a minute. Door chime?"
"Hey everybody, who wants a treat?" He opens the door...but alarms Milton nearby.
"NO!" Everybody gasps at him.