Angel: I'll let you guys decide whether or not Varian and Harmony are a couple, because I'm evil like that XD Also, I am not talking about season 3 until we are ready for it, people XD Please be patient.
Also, so many favorites this week, thank you!
It's a beautiful day in Corona as citizens are walking around or talking. Suddenly all of them stop as the little boy points forward. "Mommy, look who it is!" They all wave to Max as he's trotting through the town. He whinnies happily at all the attention.
Monty waves a lollipop that looks just like the horse. "Pretty good likeness, huh? Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite example of equine excellence. Good morning, Maximums."
"It's Max!" The little boy gasps at the lollipop being handed to him. "Alright!"
Monty winks at the horse, who returns the gesture.
"Ooo, Maxie!" Hook Foot hollers as he, Big Nose, and Vlad all wave to him. "Looking spry and svelte today!"
Pete and Stan salute to him and he salutes back, smiling at all the attention. Rapunzel chuckles as she, Harmony, and Varian walk up to the horse. The princess and Varian are holding hands, smiling. Ever since they confessed their feelings, they've gotten closer and more romantic with each other. Sometimes he'll bring her flowers, and sometimes she'll come over to his house just to see him. They can certainly say that they're going out, but they're not serious yet. They just wanted to take things slow.
"Hey there, Max," Varian smiles up at him.
"Everyone seems to be noticing you today," Harmony looks at all the people around them.
"Max, if this were a popularity contest...you'd come in first place," Rapunzel holds his snout, Harmony putting his mane.
"Or least a close second," Eugene chimes in. "But I gotta say, Max, that mane is looking great!"
He whinnies happily, Varian holding out a shiny apple to him. He eats it from the alchemist's hand. "And that's coming from someone who knows good hair," Eugene nods at him.
"Max wants to look his best. He's got an important assignment. Pulling the armored cart to the depository," Rapunzel explains to them.
"Wow! The depository," Lance joins the group. "Where they keep all the kingdom's money!" He leans in towards Eugene. "Hey, didn't we try to rob that place once?"
"You know, I don't have any specific recollections, but if it's a place with money...I'm gonna go with yes."
Harmony rolls her eyes at them, patting Max's snout. "He's been looking forward to it all week. He's got the route memorized," She grins towards Varian.
"You're pretty excited, huh?" Varian pats the horse, who nuzzles their cheeks with a confirmed whinny.
"Aww, look at Max acknowledging the happy couple," Lance nudges Eugene a bit teasingly. Both Harmony and Varian both blush, glancing away bashfully.
"Lance! We're not at that point yet," Varian whispers to him in embarrassment.
"Stop! Thief!"
Suddenly all the pub thugs and Lance hold up their hands. "Look. There," Rapunzel points to a thief named Dwayne, who Harmony knows well because she's caught him trying to steal before, or he's been brought to the throne room too many times to count. He's also...kind of an idiot.
Max eyes him and he sees the horse, running down the street. "Max, you know what to do," Rapunzel smirks up at the horse. He nudges Harmony a bit.
"You want me to come with you? Okay then..." She quickly jumps onto the saddle, allowing Max to speed up. She hugs his neck, laughing a bit. Now she sees why he wanted her to come: so she could experience this thrill! Not even Silver goes this fast!
Dwayne glances back at the duo, smirking. "Stop right there, Dwayne!" Harmony orders him, and once he sees her, his smirk drops. They run past the baker, Feldspar, and the Captain.
"Good old Max!" He nods in approval, a black figure running past them. Max opens his mouth, ready to catch him, but another horse steps in and catches Dwayne. He comes to a stop in shock, Harmony opening her mouth wide as she sees a black horse with a brown mane standing there. He whinnies, raising his legs as a little girl looks in amazement. His blue eyes wink at her and the bystanders cheer for him.
"Would you look at that?"
Max, while a bit hesitant over the save, smiles gratefully and trots around the horse, congratulating him. "Impressive," Harmony smiles, patting the horse on the head. The others join the three, Varian holding Harmony by the waist and helping her down gently. Dwayne is thrown into the arms of Lance, with Eugene taking back the purse.
Max whinnies, nodding in approval for the horse's speed.
"Brilliantly done!" The Captain runs up to them. "I have never seen such an impressive horse."
"And he's so fast too!" Harmony smiles towards the horse.
"I don't think I've seen any horse capable of that kind of speed!" Varian gestures to the horse.
Max's eyes widen, looking back at the newcomer. "Aww," Rapunzel walks up to him. "What's your name, big fella?"
"O-at bag," Attila points to a bag named this.
"What? O-at bag was my mother's name," Shorty waves a fish around.
"No!" Rapunzel dusts away the name on the collar. "His name is Axel. Where's your owner, Axel?"
He simply bows his head and she gasps, putting her hands over her mouth. "You're all alone?"
Axel nods with a grunt. "Aww, well you can stay in the castle tonight. Yes you can. Tomorrow we're gonna find you a good home," Rapunzel coos at him.
"Yep, a horse like this will have no problem finding an owner," The Captain gestures to Axel. "In the meantime, Max, why don't you show your new best pal around?"
Max whinnies eagerly, jumping up and down. He gestures towards the tunnel, running off. Axel chases after him and the others leave.
"Uh, guys?" Eugene calls out as they still have Dwayne. "Guys? Hey! Don't worry about us, we'll take him in."
"Or...you can let me go?" Dwayne asks eagerly.
"Can it, Dwayne."
"Alright..."
Axel and Max arrive back at the stables. They watch a man place down hay and they start eating some. Axel chews his way faster than Max usually does, taking the white horse's portion to his annoyance.
While they're walking around town, they notice a pyramid of apples. Axel licks his lips and is about to eat one when Max stops him. He points to the sign that says it costs a coin per apple. Axel looks annoyed and distracts Max so that he can take the apple. This causes the entire pyramid to fall over and he quickly leaves so that Max can take the blame.
"Hey, what is this?"
"Come on, man."
Axel smirks, eating his treat as he watches Max get humiliated.
"Yeah, that's not gonna do it, either..."
They walk past a fence, where they see Fidella eating some grass nearby. Max smiles at her and starts walking towards a bush full of plumbagos. He takes a mouthful and runs over to her, but Axel has more flowers in his mouth, Max getting more. Axel gets the whole bush, shocking the horse as he gives it to Fidella. He drops the flowers in shock.
"Hey!"
He turns around towards Old Lady Crowley. "Who tore up my plumbagos?!"
Max smiles sheepishly, and she thinks he did it because he has one still in his mouth. Old Lady Crowley chases after him while Axel is wooing Fidella.
That night, Max dejectedly walks back to the stables with Axel. Silver lifts up his head to watch them. Max's stable is the most decorated with medals, awards, and even his name engraved above some weapons. Max goes over to his spot...but Axel is already sleeping in it. And since there's no other places available, he has to squeeze in and sleep standing up, much to his dismay.
Rapunzel is reading a book with Pascal on her shoulder. Harmony and Varian are sitting on the grass, the girl looking over his shoulder. He takes a dead flower on the ground, plants a blue chemical ball over it, and makes it bloom again. She gasps as he gives it to her, both of them smiling.
Axel walks up to them, fully energized. "Axel, you look well-rested." Rapunzel pats his snout. "I'm glad it hasn't taken you very long to get comfortable around here."
"I hope you and Max are getting along too," Harmony looks up at Axel, who bends his neck down so that they can greet him. Max himself looks very tired as he joins them, because he's gotten no sleep at all, proven by the red eyes and eye bags.
"Well good morning, sleepyhead," Rapunzel chuckles at him. "Look who's already up. Your pal, Axel."
He just grumbles and since his neck is lowered, the teens can see his state. "Whoa, you don't look good, Max," Harmony recoils back a bit in shock.
"As if you didn't get any sleep," Varian frowns at him in slight concern. "Everything okay?"
"Oh there you are, Max," The Captain speaks up as he arrives. Max shakes his head, snapping out of it. "I've been looking for you. I know you're aware of our intention to find Axel a home today." Max nods in confirmation, giving Axel a sly look. Soon he'll be gone, and Max won't have to deal with his trouble-making ways and stealing his spot in the stables. "But after some serious thought, I've made a slight change of plans. In light of Axel's impressive show yesterday, and seeing how inseparable you two have become, I've decided Axel is just what we need around here. Maximus, meet the newest horse on the royal guard!"
Max, Harmony, and Varian all open their mouths in shock. Could the Captain just make a decision like that? Axel winks at Max.
The Royal Guard Rules and Regulations book slides onto the desk. Max wanted to make sure that Axel couldn't just be instated into the royal guard like that without having to do anything. Pascal flips through pages, Daisy flying above him. Max spots a particular rule and huffs.
The princesses and Varian appear in the room. "There you guys are! So Max, are you excited Axel's joining the force?"
He snorts in disdain, sliding the book forward. "The rule book?" Harmony takes it into her hands, Varian and Rapunzel peeking over her shoulders. "Before gaining acceptance to the royal guard...every man, woman, or horse must pass a series of tests designed to measure his or her qualifications."
The three trio of animals give each other smug looks. "Kind of how Flynn had to do all that training when he wanted to be a guard..." Varian murmurs as he stares at the page.
Later on, the Captain has been made aware of this rule. Some guards, Max, Harmony, Rapunzel, and Varian stand in front of Axel.
"Okay, Max was right," The Captain admits, to Max's joy. "I may have been premature in awarding you a spot on the royal guard, but pass these tests, and you're in."
Max holds his head up high, Varian leaning in towards Harmony.
"I think Max is a little, uh..."
"Jealous? Maybe," Harmony finishes for him. Axel walks past the crowd, Pete and Stan joining the four.
"That Axel's some horse, huh, Max?"
Max huffs at the question. "He's a lot like you, but younger," Pete adds in.
"Oh, and bigger. Like really," Stan growls to show his point, "I'm guessing that probably means he's stronger too?"
"I think he's gonna put on quite the show!"
Neither of them realize how much all of this talk is irritating the white horse. "Oh yeah. Pete, did you...did you polish your helmet for Axel?" Stan notices how shiny Pete's helmet is.
"No," He rubs the back of his neck. "I bought a new one this morning."
Max rolls his eyes. The Captain stands near a wall. "Let the testing begin!" Axel and Max give each other smug looks. "Okay Axel, stand on your hind legs and let's see how high you can reach."
He does so, seeing Max's record and beating it within seconds. They all exclaim in awe, the teens' mouths wide open. They've never seen anyone beat Max's record.
"Did he just break Max's record? Oh, he just broke Max's record!" Pete shouts as Stan drops his mouth.
"I can't believe it! I didn't think anyone would break that record!"
Max snorts jealously and stands up on his own hind legs, trying to stretch higher, but he ends up falling onto the grass. Varian glances to Harmony in slight worry for the horse. "Max, what are you doing?" Rapunzel chuckles at him. "You're already on the guard."
"I don't think that's what he wanted to do, princess," Varian raises a brow, crossing his arms. Axel glances back at the other horse as a weight is brought to him. He takes it into his mouth and lifts it up with ease. Stan claps for him and Max glares at him.
"Impressive strength," The Captain claps with a smile. Then Axel stands on his hind legs, the other guards cheering for him. Max gives a deadpan look and rushes over to the weight. He puts it in his mouth and lifts it up, spinning around.
"Max, take it easy," Rapunzel warns him, but he accidentally throws it. Pete and Stan scream, jumping out of the way as it hits Old Lady Crowley's freshly picked plumbagos instead. She glares at the horse as the weight leaves a hole in the wall. Varian cringes as Harmony puts a hand to her mouth in shock. Rapunzel stares at him, slightly concerned.
Axel flips and kicks a target, impressing the crowd. He winks at Max, who grits his teeth and runs up to the pole. He slides to a stop and glares at Axel. He could do this, and show everyone that Axel's not so great. He attempts the flip...but lands on his belly, causing the others to wince.
"Not too good, Max..."
Pete and Stan gasp as they're underneath the horse. "Hey Pete, your helmet's dented!"
Pete gasps sharply. "Don't let Axel see me this way!"
"Well, at least Axel made a good showing today. Congratulations, you are now a member of the royal guard," The Captain declares, to Max's dismay.
"Really Max," Rapunzel smiles up at him sympathetically. "You don't have to be the best at everything."
"Yeah, it's like apples and oranges. T-There's really no comparison," Varian adds in with a small grin.
"There's really no point in being the best."
"Yeah! Cause Axel is," Pete states, causing Harmony to facepalm. Max storms up to Axel, drawing a line on the grass with his hoof. He points to Axel, gesturing to himself. Axel's surprised, but seems to accept it.
"Well, well, well. Looks like we have an old-fashioned horse challenge here."
The guards and horses cheer, but Eugene, Varian, Harmony, and Rapunzel don't. The teens give Eugene a hesitant look. Given Max's current state, they weren't sure that it was the best idea...not that Max is terrible, he's a great horse. This race just seems to be a way for Max to be on top again just because of Axel's incredible skills.
"I'm sorry, what?" Eugene asks in confusion.
They set up a race for the two and they prepare. Unfortunately, since they're allowed to have riders if they wanted to, the two horses decided to rope Harmony and Varian into it. "First one to make it around Old Man's Bend and reach that tree on the other side of the ravine wins. And horses must be with their riders at all times, or the win won't count. Now, ready to choose your rider?"
"No!" Both Harmony and Varian answer in unison. Despite their protests, Axel nudges Harmony from behind, causing her to give a deadpan look. Max whinnies, trotting around Varian, who sighs slowly. The two get onto their respective horses.
"Now, ready?" He blows the whistle and Axel takes off quickly. The others cheer as the four run past him. Max glances at Axel, who looks up at Harmony. Max picks up speed, Axel moving to the left of the horse.
"They're past the bend!"
"Come on!" Rapunzel runs after them, the two horses reaching the bridge.
"Oh man," Harmony squeezes her eyes shut, hugging Axel in slight fear.
"You can do this, Max," Varian encourages him, but Axel pushes the horse into the mud below.
"Max, Vari!" Harmony gasps, glancing behind her. She snaps the reigns and the black horse comes to a stop, looking down at his rival. He winks at Max and Harmony looks down at the two in worry. "Are you two okay?"
"Ah, well, besides being covered in mud..." Varian looks at himself. "I'm okay."
"Axel, we should go down there and help-" Instead of listening, he goes forward and reaches the tree. "Wha-hey! We can't just leave them down there!"
The crowd reaches the bridge, cheering for Axel. Rapunzel looks around for her friends. "Where are Max and Varian?"
"Down here!" Varian calls out, waving a hand. Max sighs sadly for the humiliating loss.
The three walk a muddy horse back to the castle, albeit very slowly. "Cheer up, buddy," Rapunzel tries to cheer him up. "So maybe you didn't put your best foot-" She clears her throat. "Uh, hoof, forward today, but...as far as I'm concerned, you are still the best horse in the kingdom," She smiles up at him, Pascal giving a thumbs up with a wink. Daisy flies off Harmony's shoulder and flies around the horse.
"Punzie's right. So what if you've had a bit of a slump? Happens to everyone," Harmony pats his snout, Rapunzel giving him a slight hug.
"Everything's going to be okay, Max," Varian says softly, a hand on the horse's neck.
"Max, just the horse I wanted to see," The Captain walks up to the horse, nuzzling his neck. "I'm worried about you, buddy. You haven't been yourself lately. I think you're overworked, and sometimes us old-timers could use a break, so I wanna lighten your load. Axel can handle the trip to the depository tomorrow."
Max shakes his head no rapidly, giving an angry look. "A little rest will be good for ya."
He walks away, leaving Max dejected and upset. He was really looking forward to that trip...
Later that night, with Axel in his spot again, Max has trouble sleeping. He suddenly opens his eyes, to find that he's running. Axel appears behind him and he tries his best to keep up, but the black horse slips right by him. He slides to a stop, seeing someone in the distance. Squinting his eyes, it's Fidella, who meets Axel at the top of a hill. She also has a veil in her mane. Axel smirks towards Max, whose mouth goes wide open.
The next thing he knows, Axel and Fidella are getting married, and everything turns red. He neighs in distress, moving around, but he can't stop it.
Cass and Eugene look on, the lady-in-waiting giving her cloth to her father. The two are officially married and Max snorts in anger, jumping up and down. He jumps, but falls onto the grass below and embarrassing himself. Every single criminal in the kingdom stands before him in a cart.
"Axel, with the arrest of all these bad guys, you have proven yourself the most valuable horse in all the land. You can have Max's job, and Maximus' stable. In fact, you can have Maximus' name."
Soon, his name disappears from his tag. "I hereby dub three...Maxelmus!" The Captain gives Axel his new name.
"Whatever happened to the old Maximus?" Pete wonders with a small smile on his face.
"I'm sure he found something to do," Stan shrugs lightly. "But does it really matter?"
"It sure doesn't!"
In the blink of an eye, he's set up to be a hay rider for kids. He runs away, a door closing shut in front of him. Rapunzel tsks at him from the top of the castle door.
"Worst. Horse. Ever."
"I don't know what everyone saw in him," Harmony shakes her head.
"Axel is the best..."
Varian's voice echoes in Max's head, and then he wakes up. He turns his head and sees that Axel has disappeared. He sniffs around and hears something, making sure that no one else can hear. He can see Axel is dragging something from one of the stables before the horse leaves. Max sniffs for Axel's scent, following after him, looking out the stables. His senses are going off as he sniffs around for his rival, ending up inside the castle. He walks past all the royal portraits, the scent leading him in the hall. He sees the horse walking and ducks out of the way. Axel is holding beige sacks with the Corona symbol on them.
Max is using a knight statue as a disguise, moving away from it, but the helmet is still on his head. He notices a gold coin sticking out from a rip in one of the bags. It rolls onto the floor and Max stops it with his hoof, snorting angrily.
Rapunzel, the Captain, and Harmony stare at the coin on the floor, out of bed. "This is why you woke me up, Maximus?"
He nods in confirmation. The Captain facepalms, but Max insists on what he saw, suddenly seeing Axel still carrying a sack. He lunges forward and grips one end. Axel grips the other part, and the bag explodes open, coins falling into a pile. Max neighs knowingly, gesturing to Axel and trying to expose him for a thief.
"What? You think Axel is stealing money?" The Captain asks in disbelief. Max nods to him and the man looks outside, a caravan parked near the entrance. "Max, he's loading the cart for his mission tomorrow. He's taking initiative. Like a good horse!" Max opens his mouth in shock. "And now he's gotta pick up all these coins, thanks to you! Good night."
"Poor Axel..." Rapunzel walks up to the horse and comforts him. "Max," She gives him a brief look, hugging the horse.
"The poor thing, he worked so hard..." Harmony states sympathetically, both of the princesses hugging him. They don't see Axel winking at his enemy. He sees it and jumps up and down, neighing out of control.
"Hey, hey! What is going on with you? Leave Axel alone," Rapunzel defends the horse. He neighs in protest. "We're going back to bed, and you need to do the same."
He walks away dejectedly, Harmony staring after him. Something wasn't right about this...He looks over his shoulder to Rapunzel.
"Now," She points forward. He leaves the hall, sitting at the port and looking out the water sadly. He had been so sure that Axel was stealing...
He walks through the town in disappointment, his head down. No one greets him as he walks past, until he reaches Monty.
"Hiya Max!" He greets kindly. "Pretty good likeness of Axel, huh?"
The horse turns his head away as the little boy from yesterday runs up to the sweet shop owner. "Wow, best candy horse ever! Too good to eat."
"Guys, check this out!" Hook Foot runs up to Attila, Big Nose, and Vlad in front of the combined shops. "Axel signed my forehead! How cool is that?"
Max looks towards Pete and Stan walking by. "You can't grow a mustache, that's my thing," Stan defends to his best friend.
"Why can't we both be stashe guys?" Pete wonders, it's not really that big of a deal who has a mustache.
"Listen, I wanted to tell you, you can't grow a mustache," Max looks up to speak with them, but they just ignore him in favor of their conversation.
"No, I'm telling you-"
"No, no, no, it looks really bad."
"No, Look, I'm telling you..."
A water droplet lands on Max and he looks up at the sky. It suddenly starts to rain, only further dampening his mood over Axel. After everything that's happened...he doesn't feel like the best. He feels like he really is the worst...
"Hey Max!"
He looks up to see Varian, who's holding an umbrella over his head. He's on his way over to see Harmony. "Is...everything okay?"
Max just walks away from Varian, leaving him confused. "Max?"
He goes further into the city, coming across the want ads. He pulls down an ad for hayrides...just like in his nightmare...
He takes a slip...and then he sees something underneath the poster. Lifting it up with his hoof, he sees that it's a wanted poster...
For Axel.
He gasps and takes the poster, running off to go confront Axel. When he reaches his stable, he sees that it's already empty, meaning Axel must've already left for the trip to the depository. He runs off again, examining a stable that's empty. He steps inside and falls into a trap, as the hay was fake. Axel comes into view and he whinnies up at the fake hero. Axel just snickers at him and Max huffs in anger. He was right, and yet no one believed him. He neighs for help, but no one's around to hear it.
"Hey, guys?" Varian speaks up as he knocks on Eugene's door, coming in. "I just saw Max, and he looks pretty upset."
"Yeah...he tried to accuse Axel of stealing coins, but it didn't stick," Harmony crosses her arms while Rapunzel is pacing. "He's really fixated on putting the horse in a bad light lately."
"Max has no reason to dislike Axel," Rapunzel adds in.
"Or...does he?" Lance asks, leaning against the fireplace and getting their attention. "Back in the orphanage, we had a hopscotch court. I was the best. I could hop, I could skip, I could jump," He chuckles a bit. "No one could out-scotch me. They used to call me the Sweet-Feet Champ! Remember that, Eugene?" He looks over his shoulder.
"I remember you called yourself the sweet feet-"
Lance interrupts him, holding up a hand. "The important thing is, someone did. The other kids loved me. It was wonderful. Until..." He clenches a fist, "She showed up. We just knew her as...Big Hops. She could go from one to ten in a single bound. I grew to despise her. Because once Big Hops hit the scene, it was like Sweet Feet never existed..." He suddenly whimpers at the memory. "I need to be alone!" He runs off to go cry.
"...I can't believe I'm saying this," Eugene speaks up after a few seconds. "But that actually made sense. Lance is right."
"Max is a good, honest, loyal horse, and just because some new horse came into town, doesn't make him any less special," Rapunzel defends the horse.
"Yeah, but when everyone else was praising him, he didn't feel special, Punzie," Harmony tells her.
"Everyone forgot the real horse Corona needs," Varian nods at her. "Including us..."
The crown princess sighs in guilt. "I...I better go apologize..."
"We'll come with you," Harmony states, Varian helping her up to her feet. The two follow her out the door.
"...He was a wizard on that hopscotch court," Eugene sighs a little over what happened to Lance.
They decide to check the stables, but they don't see Max in his usual spot. "He's usually here when he's upset..." Harmony rubs her chin.
"Huh..." Rapunzel murmurs in confusion. "I wonder where Max is."
Varian hears another whinny and looks in Silver's stable. "Mona, come quick!"
She rushes over and sees the horse all tied up. "Silver!" She gasps in horror, she and Daisy setting him free. "Who could've done this to you?"
"Hey..." Rapunzel picks up the wanted poster that Max wanted to show people. Pascal points to the horse in recognition. "Axel?" She gasps in realization. "Those two are partners! The whole arrest was a set-up! Max?"
Silver guides them over to the hole and they all gasp at Max still stuck down there. "Oh no..."
Axel walks up to the guards, standing in front of the dungeon doors. "Officer!" Stan blinks in shock. "What are you doing down here?"
He gestures to the exit. "You're relieving us?" Pete asks in confusion. "But our shift isn't over until-"
"If the horse wants to relieve us..." Stan whispers to him.
"Till five minutes ago..."
He chuckles at his partner. "There you go! Yes! That's the great thing about horses. They can't tell time!"
"That's right! That's why they don't have pocket watches." Axel rolls his eyes at how gullible and stupid they are. "Or pockets!"
He walks up to the door and opens it with ease. "Axel!" He looks to his right to see Dwayne running up to the cell bars. "Ma'am, he made it!"
"Of course he did," Lady Caine herself emerges from the cell across Dwayne. "Hello Axel..."
The trio pull with all their might to get Max out, but it's no use. He's simply too heavy for all three of them. Silver even tries to help, but nothing. "How do we get you out of here, Max?" She sighs, Daisy and Pascal going back to the respective shoulders.
"It's gonna take someone strong to get him out..." Varian wheezes in exhaustion, rubbing the back of his neck. He realizes what he said, eyes widening as he glances at Harmony. "N-Not that I'm not strong enough! I'll keep trying!" He pulls as hard as he can, even though he knows that Max won't budge with him pulling by himself.
Harmony giggles at him, moving his hands away from Rapunzel's hair. "Relax, Varian. We've tried our best, but it'll take more than the six of us to get him out of this hole," She gestures to Max, who doesn't even try to help himself. He's already given up. Pascal and Daisy point to something behind the two teens. They look down in confusion, stepping away to reveal a bushel of apples.
Rapunzel gasps at the sight. "Good idea!" She winks at the others and goes for it. "Oh, Max~! We've got your favorite! Shiny red deliciousness!" She throws up an apple in her hand, Harmony and Varian showing the bushel.
"Look! You love apples," Varian sings a little.
"And...jump!" Rapunzel throws her apple into the hole, but Max doesn't jump and catch it like he usually does. It hits his head and rolls to a stop in front of his hooves. The three glance at each other in concern, wondering just how they were going to get his spirits up...
Rapunzel sighs slowly at Max's state, glancing at Pascal and the three sadly. This was all their fault. If they hadn't paid so much attention to Axel, then Max wouldn't be so dejected, and he wouldn't be doing whatever he could be doing right now...
"You know, Max..." Rapunzel takes a seat in front of the hole, Varian and Harmony joining her. "When Axel showed up, we thought his size...his strength...his speed...all made him the perfect horse. But we forgot the most important thing: his heart. Max...you would do anything for Corona to protect its name, and more importantly, its people. No other horse has half the heart you do. We're so sorry we didn't believe you..."
"And we're sorry for fawning over Axel," Harmony smiles weakly. "I couldn't ask for a better horse. You were there for me when I was in the castle for 14 years...and I shouldn't have taken that for granted."
"And we also should've made sure you were okay..." Varian adds in.
All of the pep talk and heartfulness in their words cheers him right up as he neighs happily. Varian pats his snout with his hand, Rapunzel and Harmony doing the same. "Aw, Max...now, come on, guys!" They rush over to get some apples. "What do you say we catch ourselves a horse? Huh?"
They're all confused to see that the horse has disappeared. Max eats the apple from Rapunzel's hand, smiling at them. They share a group hug.
"That's it, Max!"
"It's better seeing you this way," Harmony smiles up at him.
"Okay, I don't know what Axel's up to, or even know where he is..." Rapunzel picks up the wanted poster. "But I do know where he is!" She points to Dwayne on the poster.
"Time to find that dishonorable excuse for a horse," Harmony narrows her eyes.
Axel is carrying more gold in his mouth, glancing around the hall. He grins when he sees no one around and walks past the guards with ease. They salute to him and he puts the last of the gold in the green caravan. He shuts it closed.
They reach the dungeons, only to find Dwayne's cell empty. "Ah...there's been a breakout!"
Max zips past them and points to another empty cell. "Where are the guards? And why didn't anyone sound the alarm?" Rapunzel asks in confusion.
"Wait...who else was in the dungeon?" Varian questions Harmony, whose eyes widen in realization.
"Oh no..."
The guards are eating eclairs. "These are delicious."
Axel trots past them with the caravan. "Axel's the best." They salute to the horse as he leaves, smirking towards the back. Lady Caine comes out of the sack, hands on her hips.
"Come on out. We are finally free!"
Dwayne wiggles out of his own bag. "Nice work, Axel," Lady Caine smirks at him. "You always were my favorite horse."
He neighs proudly towards her. "I'm your favorite thief, right?" Dwayne asks her and she gives a look of annoyance.
"No," She pushes him away. "I'm my favorite thief." She looks out the back, waving. "Ta ta, King Frederic! I bid you adieu."
Suddenly, in the distance, she can see two horses, being ridden by Rapunzel, Varian, and Harmony. "What the?!" She narrows her eyes, but isn't fazed by their arrival. "Looks like we've got company. Axel, show 'em what a real horse can do."
Axel speeds up and manages to reach the bridge, going over it to the forest. Silver and Max follow after them.
"There he is, guys! Come on!" Rapunzel shouts as they lock eyes on their target. Axel looks back to see that he's still being followed. Max catches up to the side, where Lady Caine lifts up the ceiling to greet them.
"Well, if it isn't the pathetic princesses and their second-rate steeds," She grins playfully at them, pointing her sword at Varian behind Harmony. "And who's this? Your little boyfriend, Harmi?"
None of them say nothing and she swings her sword at Rapunzel since she's closest. "Just keep chasing him, guys," Rapunzel grits her teeth as she lets down her hair. Silver holds up Harmony's quiver and bow in his mouth, the princess smiling. He throws them up into the air and she catches the items. Rapunzel tries to grab the sword with her hair, failing. Then she knocks it out of Lady Caine's hand into the air. Harmony fires an arrow and it hits the hilt, trapping it against a tree when it lands.
Dwayne lifts up the flap. "Don't worry, Lady Caine!" He calls out. "I'm-" Lady Caine grabs him and lifts him out of the caravan. "Sorry, Dwayne. Time to lose the deadweight!" She pushes him off the roof and he flies off. Varian turns around and throws one of his chemical balls, trapping Dwayne in goop. One of his hands is free, though, and he grabs Rapunzel's hair, knocking her off the horse.
"Rapunzel!" The two teens shout as she lands in a bush.
"I'm okay, guys! Get the other two!"
The two horses run side-by-side. Max gestures for Harmony to jump on and she does so, landing safely on his saddle. Varian takes the reins, though a bit nervous to do so. Silver neighs in assurance, Axel looking back once more to see the four still hot on his tail.
"Faster, Axel!" Lady Caine demands and he takes off the reins holding the caravan, leaving her behind. "Oh no, what are you doing?! I'm not deadweight! You traitor!"
While she's yelling this, the caravan goes backwards right towards a tree. She gasps in fear, holding onto the roof. Harmony and Max notice this and it slowly comes to a stop. She looks back to see the two in front of her, the horse having stopped the caravan.
"You saved my life..."
She narrows her eyes. "I didn't do it for you."
"You know...if either of you are lookin' for a job, I just happen to be in the market for new-" A piece of blonde hair covers her mouth, pulling her towards the tree. Rapunzel tries her up in her hair, Eugene and Lance nearby holding Dwayne.
"This is getting old," Lance mutters under his breath.
"These two are covered," Rapunzel glances at both of them. "Max, you know what to do."
He smiles a little, taking off with the princess again.
Axel is panting in exhaustion as he reaches a small hill. He notices a log over a large hole up ahead. Then he hears a familiar whinny, turning around to see a determined Max and princess.
"Come on, Max! Come on, boy!" Harmony encourages him, holding the reins. Axel opens his mouth in shock and takes off, the two chasing after him. Max catches up to his enemy, trying to push him. "Oh no. Max!"
He sees the log and Axel pushes him again. He suddenly loses his balance, Harmony holding onto him tight. "Whoa!"
Max suddenly does a flip, Silver appearing and scaring Axel, knocking him into the mud. Just like he did with Max during the race. Harmony pants quickly, Max glancing at her in concern. He had no way to warn her, and she looked really scared.
"Mona?" Varian asks gently as her head is down.
"That...was...AMAZING!" She lifts up her head, showing an impressed smile. "I'm not even mad," She hugs Max's neck. "You did great. And nice job, Silver."
They look towards Axel down below and Max winks at him. He lowers his head in shame as the other guards and Fidella arrive, being escorted by Rapunzel.
"Her other accomplice is down there."
The guards walk down carefully to arrest him.
"Brilliantly done, Maximus!" The Captain congratulates the horse. "You are one of a kind. And excellent job to you as well, Silver."
Max looks to Fidella, who smiles and leaves him. "Nice job, you guys," Rapunzel pats both of their snouts. "Max, you really are the best horse in the kingdom."
"That flip was incredible, Max!" Varian smiles as he jumps off Silver. The trio hug the horses.
"It's good to have you back, Max..." Rapunzel tells him and Silver whinnies in agreement. He holds out his hoof to Max, and they do a hoof bump. "Come on!" The crown princess jumps onto the horse, Varian going back to Silver. "I think there's an apple cart with your name on it."
He neighs happily, standing on his hind legs before taking off, followed by Silver. "Now that is how you do it!" The Captain exclaims as he and Fidella follow, leaving Max and Lance behind once again with Dwayne.
"Uh, guys?" Eugene calls out in annoyance.
"Such a good horse..." Dwayne compliments Max.
"Can it, Dwayne," Lance deadpans at him.