Angel: An episode practically everyone was waiting for...Oh, I found a good friend of mine who's considering drawing Harmony for me! I'm not rushing her to finish it, but I just wanted to let you guys know! Now if only I could find someone who'd be willing to draw Hana for me...XD
Next week this show will end...I'm so disappointed that they shortened the episodes! Oh well. I can't wait to see what happens, and if Quirin will tell Varian about his involvement with the Brotherhood, because I need to know! I also wanna see Zhan Tiri finally be defeated for good, because I really hate her, more so than I did with Cass because of how she's always telling Rapunzel not to trust people (even the good ones). Cass is now my second-least favorite character in the show, cause Zhan Tiri takes that spot automatically. Seriously, I never thought I could hate someone so much like I do with her. She gets on my nerves so much XD
100 reviews! Thank you, but...there oughta be a word limit to the reviews, because I have at least three already that are both too long and have too many words for me to read. I also have one that literally makes no sense, and I have no idea what exactly I'm supposed to grasp from them. I can say this: if the review involves information from a wiki, then please don't send it to me. I'm just saying that, in the future, please don't send reviews that will take a whole page for me or others to sit through, especially if it's stuff we already know.
The doors to the castle open as bare feet step into the hallway. "Good morning, princesses," One of the handmaidens greets.
"Beautiful day."
"Someone's in a hurry."
"Gesundheit, my ladies," Shorty calls out while sitting in a flower pot. The two storm into the throne room.
"You lied to us," Rapunzel glares at her father.
"You've got some explaining to do," Harmony hisses, pointing at him. Nigel and the guard leave the room, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"Rapunzel, Harmony, I just heard what happened in Old Corona. I-I assure you my intent was only to protect you-"
"From what?!" The older princess interrupts sharply. "Your own men?"
"That you sent after us?!" Harmony grits her teeth.
"It's time for answers, Dad. We want to know why you lied about Old Corona, and why you've been covering up the fact that our kingdom is being destroyed by those black rocks! Don't you think your own daughter deserves to know the truth about herself?" Rapunzel places her hands on Harmony's shoulders, squeezing them from behind. Harmony just keeps on a glare at her father. "Just what are you trying to hide?"
"...I'm sorry, my dears. I did not want to lie to you both, but you two are not ready for the truth," He turns around to them.
"Oh, Dad! We are beyond what we are and not ready for," Rapunzel defends, "People are in danger!"
"I'm not some little kid anymore, Dad!" He flinches as Harmony doesn't use her nickname for him. "I'm old enough to know that this is serious!"
"Girls!" He shouts at them. "I am the king, and I have this situation under control."
They keep their glares, turning around to leave. "You know, you are not the first person to lie to me and tell me I am not ready for the real world," Rapunzel glances over her shoulder.
"And this isn't the first time that someone's tried to shut me out," Harmony clenches a fist, referring to when she was stuck inside the castle. He stares at them sadly, closing his eyes when he hears the door close.
Pascal, Harmony, and Rapunzel pace around in front of Eugene. "So, I guess it's a pretty safe bet that Corona won't be hosting a daddy-daughter dance anytime soon," He jokes, chuckling a little. He looks up and sees the glares directed at him. "...Yeah, sorry, not the time for jokes."
Rapunzel sighs, sitting down next to him. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I know Corona's in some kind of danger, and I feel like we're the only ones who want to do anything about it," She gestures to herself and her sister, pulling her into a hug. Harmony sighs slowly as the older sister runs her fingers through her hair in comfort.
"No, no, you're not. Listen, Blondie," Eugene places his hand on top of Rapunzel's. "No matter what we're up against, I'm with you all the way."
"I know, thank you, I just..." She looks away, sighing. "I need some time alone."
"Alright, Punz," Harmony gets up, Eugene smiling.
"Understood. I'll take Brownie to the kitchen, get her a cupcake. How bout it?"
"Sure..." She smiles weakly, "Thanks Eugene."
He guides her out of the room, stopping in front of the doors. "You know...things do seem pretty dark right now, but if anyone can find a light, it's you. And work together while doing it," Eugene points to Harmony, both of them smiling warmly. "I've got a feeling everything's gonna be okay."
"Quit being so mean, Pete!" Their eyes widen as they can hear the guards arguing right outside. Eugene opens up the doors to see them not too far away from Harmony's room.
"Wait! All I said was your breath smells like tree-rot, you are a sub-standard croquet player, and previous instances where I asserted you had a lovely singing voice were patently false!" Pete gasps, putting his hands over his mouth.
Stan gasps sharply, turning around to his so-called friend. "You've always loved my voice!"
"Pete!" Rapunzel runs up to the duo. "What are you doing? Stan's your best friend!"
"Yeah, why are you saying this stuff all of a sudden?" Harmony joins them.
"I don't know! I can't help it! It's like I-I have to say whatever's on my mind!" He stammers nervously, the sisters glancing at each other.
"Oh, yeah? Well, you have cookie crumbs on your cheek!" Stan points at his face, running off and sobbing.
"Stan, wait! I'm sorry!" Pete chases after him.
"Okay...?" Harmony raises a brow in confusion, wondering what just happened. "It's almost as if...Pete's being forced to say all that..."
"You've got enough on your plate, Blondie. Go get some rest, both of you. I'll handle this," Eugene goes after the two guards, the princesses sighing as they go off to their rooms. Rapunzel flops onto her bed, Harmony doing the same. They close their eyes for only a few seconds when they suddenly hear music coming outside of their rooms.
They open the door at the same time, suddenly in the throne room. Their father is waiting for them on the other side.
"Rapunzel! Harmony! There you are," He takes a hold of their hands.
"Dad, what is all this?" Rapunzel smiles a little as he dances with them both.
"How did you arrange all this?" Harmony looks around the room.
"Look, darlings, I feel horrible about the way we all left things, and...well, I'm hoping to make it up to you both."
"Oh, Dad, I'm so relieved to hear that-"
Harmony's left hand glows blue, black rocks shooting up between them and the king. "Oh no," She whispers in horror. They start to separate them from everyone, who run around in a panic. They turn around, only to find that they're outside, Eugene and Cass nearby getting surrounded. The two gasp, running up to them as fast as they can.
"Come on!" Harmony urges her hand, but it does nothing to stop them. Suddenly two rocks stop Rapunzel's hair and Harmony's dress. She helps Rapunzel first with her hair, the older sister ripping off the piece. They rush over, Cass getting engulfed by the rocks.
"Cassandra!"
Eugene looks up in fear. "Eugene! No!"
He holds out a hand, but is then gone as well. "NO!" Harmony screams, slamming a fist against the rocks. "I thought...I was slowly learning to control them...I screwed up...again!"
Someone steps up to them from behind. "Stop running, girls."
They gasp as they look to see Varian. He bends down and grabs a piece of Rapunzel's hair. "Face your destinies, or all you hold in your hearts will be in grave danger."
The two suddenly wake up, Rapunzel's hair flying out of control. With Harmony, her moon powers are reacting badly. The older princess knocks off all the objects from her desks, seeing Pascal being flung around.
"Pascal!" She rushes to him and unwraps him from her hair. "Oh...oh, Pascal, I would never do anything to hurt you." He smiles up at her. "Come on."
Moon beams start destroying everything in Harmony's room and she looks around in fear. "...Wait. Daisy! Daisy!"
The duckling chirps and Harmony looks up at the ceiling to see Daisy tangled up in black vines. "Oh my god," She pulls them apart, everything stopping once her friend is free. She pants slowly, looking at her hands...
After managing to get out of the castle, Rapunzel is at the river, sitting in a canoe and hugging herself. She sighs as Harmony approaches her from behind.
"Mind if I join you?"
Rapunzel scooches a bit and the younger princess sits down, running a hand through her hair. "...You too, huh?"
"...Yeah," Harmony closes her eyes.
"I don't know, guys, I don't know what to do anymore," Rapunzel looks away, the chameleon squeaking at her. "Yeah...I know. There's always a way. We just have to find it."
"Somehow..." Harmony murmurs, looking towards the water. They don't notice that someone's watching them until they hear a thump. Harmony stands up in alarm.
"Did you hear something?" Rapunzel looks behind her.
"Yeah...yeah, I heard it," Harmony mutters, seeing a pair of white eyes from a crate. They both scream, falling backwards until they realize that they know him.
"Oh! Ruddiger! Where did you come from?"
"And why?" Harmony couldn't help but wonder. Suddenly a thump lands behind the two, covering their mouths. The girl looks at the glove and gasps, turning around quickly. It's Varian as he lifts up his goggles.
"Oh, Varian!" Rapunzel immediately hugs him. "Where have you been? I-I-I've been so worried about you!"
"Vari!" Harmony tackles him onto the canoe, hugging him tightly. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"Yeah, uh...I've had to lie low. But I wanted it to be a surprise," Varian chuckles a little at the girl, both of them sitting up. "A funny thing, the people of Corona aren't too keen on guys who attack their princess and supposedly kidnap the other." Ruddiger lands in his hands.
"Attack me?" Rapunzel asks slowly. "Y-You mean during the storm? You came for help."
"And I went to you to see what I could do to help you, remember?" Harmony stares at him.
"And you two got to see why I needed your help," Varian frowns towards them and their eyes widen, remembering the sight of Quirin...being stuck inside of that amber, and the look on his face. Rapunzel gasps, putting a hand to her mouth.
"Varian...I am so sorry. I had no idea until Harmi told me-"
He holds up a hand to stop her. "You had to save the kingdom, you did what you had to, but you can help me now, Rapunzel. Do you two have the scroll?"
"The scroll!" They exclaim at the same time as the younger princess digs through her satchel. "W-W-We got it like you asked. I have no idea what it is, but my dad was desperate to keep it from me."
"I wanted to wait until I saw you again before trying to decipher it..." Harmony smiles weakly when given a look form Varian: a look that asked why she didn't try to figure it out for herself. Of course she could, she's smart enough.
Varian pulls out the scroll piece. "Now it took me a while to translate this old language," He pulls it down to examine it. "But from what I can tell, these black rocks are actually some kind of ancient darkness...which doesn't necessarily mean that the wielder is dangerous," He smiles towards Harmony, who returns it. "Its destructive power can only be stopped by its counterpart, the sundrop, but it won't have any effect on Mona. Girls, the-the flower!"
Their eyes widen, glancing towards to each other briefly. "You mean the flower? The one that healed my mom and gave me my hair? But our dad said it was long gone."
"He told me that story a hundred times," Harmony smiles weakly, hugging herself. "He said that after it healed Mom, that its power had been drained and that I shouldn't be trying to find it...you see, I've been wanting to see it for myself...see just what exactly I've missed out on..."
"Hmm," Varian rubs his chin. "Would either of you say your dad has been really a reliable source of information?"
"Well, um..." Rapunzel looks away, unsure of how to answer. With his recent lying, he hasn't exactly been forthcoming on certain information...
"I..." Harmony stammers, blinking.
"No, Rapunzel, Mona! No, it's still here. I'm sure of it. Your dad wouldn't just throw away something that could wield that kind of power," He insists to them.
"No offense, but he threw away the Moonstone back to where it came from, so yes, yes he would," Harmony retorts back, gesturing across the sea.
"True...but a single petal from that flower would solve all of our problems. That's all we need!"
The two sisters look at each other and then their pets. "Yeah, but even if the flower is here, I don't think we can just ask our dad to hand it over."
"He'd never go for it," Harmony shakes her head.
"Oh, I know we can't...which is why we have to steal it."
They stare at him wide-eyed at his suggestion.
Eugene is looking at himself through the reflection of a knight's armor. "It can be hard to look away from shiny things, huh, buddy?" Cass teases as she's standing right next to the armor.
"The royal chef just told me my ears were too big for my head..." Eugene explains, gesturing to himself.
Cass chuckles at him. "What? No," She waves it off. "It's just that your head's too small for your ears."
"No, no, seriously, people are acting really strange..."
"Then you're gonna love this," Cass leads him away to the hallway.
"I once dropped the king's eclair on the floor, but gave it to him anyway," The royal baker covers his mouth, and by his reaction, he didn't mean to say that at all.
"I stole half these medals from the supply cabinet," A man gasps, covering his mouth.
"People are often impressed by my regal accent, but the truth is, I really sound like this," Nigel speaks in an American accent, so horrified by what he said he runs away. Eugene slowly closes the door.
"...Yeah...we might wanna look into this."
Two guards walk past a hall, the princesses peeking around the corner. They grab Varian and run once the coast is clear, pressing their backs against the wall. "Princess, Mona, what are we doing here?!" He whispers to them, as he doesn't recognize where this room leads to. "The flower would most likely be in the royal vault, and that is on the-"
"Other side of the castle," The two finish in unison.
"We know, but if we want to get past the vault security, our best bet is to use the underground tunnels, and Herz Der Sonne's journal has a complete map of them. You two stay here," Rapunzel slowly opens the door, the teens blushing bashfully.
"The same book that we signed together..."
"Heh. Right," He chuckles a little.
Rapunzel steps up to the journal, sighing at what she's about to do. She's technically stealing from the castle, but...this was the only way that she can see right now to help Varian. She closes the book and takes it, looking up at a portrait of her father. She didn't want to steal and lie to him...
She sighs slowly. "What am I doing...?"
"Rapunzel, you got what we came for," Varian steps up to her. "Come on, let's go!"
Harmony notices the hesitation from her sister, placing a hand on his shoulder. He notices her eyes and allows her to step forward.
"Raps...what's wrong?" She asks gently.
"Taking the journal, stealing the flower. Varian, these are all acts of treason."
"...Vari, I need to know if this is our only choice right now," Harmony turns to look at him. "Is stealing and going behind our family's back really what we have to do here?"
"This may be my dad's only hope. This...may be Corona's only hope. Rapunzel, Mona, Corona needs our help," He stares at them with soft eyes, taking a hold of Harmony's hand. "You understand...don't you?"
She says nothing and Rapunzel sighs again. As much as they don't want to steal from Corona to help it...Harmony has no way she can think of to help Quirin out of that amber. She just wants to help him for Varian... "...For Corona...Come on."
The three run out of there, about to leave when Eugene steps in front of Rapunzel, blocking her way. "Blondie! Whatcha doing?"
"Doing? Uh, I wasn't doing anything?" Rapunzel smiles widely at him.
Varian stares at Harmony next to him, who's keeping an eye out forward. He smiles softly at her, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
"We just have to-" She turns around in time for him to kiss her lips instead. She pulls away quickly, blushing and he does so as well, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What do you got there?" Eugene tries to peek behind Rapunzel's back.
"What?" She asks innocently, shoving the book into Varian's hands. "Nothing. Nothing!" Pascal simply rolls his eyes.
"Right...okay. I know you wanna be alone, but Cass and I, we-" He notices her looking away at something and she just giggles. "You okay?"
"Mhm," She nods quickly.
"Rapunzel?"
The blonde opens her eyes and sighs a little. "Eugene...how far would you go to find the truth?"
"...Personally," He smiles at her. "Not very far. Frankly, the truth's not all it's cracked up to be. For example...I thought for sure that Harmony was getting a little...you know, big in the weight area, but then I just saw that it was just her sneaking in a bunch of apples to Silver."
Harmony opens her mouth in disbelief, grunting a little as she scrunches up her nose. Varian quietly snickers next to her.
"Blondie, you sure you're okay?'
"Yeah, sorry..." She smiles a little. "It's just...I've had a lot to process lately. I promise I'll talk when I'm ready, okay?"
"Okay...just let me know if you need anything," He caresses her cheek before leaving. She gestures for the three to quickly leave. "Umm, Blondie...?" He was about to tell her about what's going on, but notices that she's no longer there. He looks around, wondering where she went...
"I found the entrance!" Varian moves away the entrance to the tunnels. "Down here!" He jumps inside and grabs Harmony's hands to help her down. She stumbles a bit and he ends up hugging her waist to catch her. She stares up at him, her hands on his shoulders. Varian chuckles bashfully at her touch. "Gotcha..."
"So you did," She giggles, turning around to help her sister. Varian's staff lights the way as Rapunzel opens the book. Ruddiger crawls inside, landing roughly as they've already gone up ahead.
"We have to go this way," Rapunzel takes the lead, all of them walking down the path.
"Ah, Mona?" Varian clears his throat to get her attention. "Sorry about...you know..."
"...Oh!" She blinks in realization, putting a finger to her lip, turning red. "Oh, that. No, no...you don't need to apologize for that..."
He chuckles, hands behind his back. "Good to hear..."
"Did something happen while I was talking to Eugene?" Rapunzel asks teasingly, looking over her shoulder.
"Nope," They say quickly in unison, but she keeps on the smile before stopping, trying to determine which way to go.
"Um...that way?" She points to her left, all of them walking in that direction.
"Wow..." Varian murmurs in awe, taking a look around. "Oh, oh, these tunnels depict an ancient technology that is pre-Corona-era-" His staff shows a skeleton right in front of him and he screams, recoiling back. Pascal hides in fear, shivering. Daisy just rolls her eyes, Harmony giggling at the boy. He blushes in embarrassment. "Uhh, yeah, this way."
"We've gotta be careful," Rapunzel speaks up to the two. "Herz Der Sonne's tunnels may have been long forgotten, but that doesn't mean they're not dangerous. They are lined with deadly booby traps."
"And I'm sure that whoever this was, they found that out at firsthand..." Harmony gestures to the skeleton. Varian just laughs at the idea of it.
"As you can recall, I know a thing or two about booby traps."
"Varian, watch out!" Rapunzel shouts as he trips a mechanism, with two arrows hitting the vials attached to his staff.
"Whoa! ...Well, that's one down," He chuckles nervously.
"...You didn't know that was there, did you?" Harmony deadpans at him, crossing her arms.
"No I did not." He cringes, walking forward and they soon step into a room. The doors close in front and behind them.
"Uh oh..." Rapunzel murmurs as they look around, the walls moving towards them.
"Oh no," Harmony mutters at this and Rapunzel pushes at the opposite wall. Varian and Harmony try the other wall.
"We're gonna get squished!"
Ruddiger goes over to help as the teens start sliding backwards. Rapunzel attempts to look for something that would get them out and notices that something's pulling the walls forward. She looks at the bone near her foot and picks it up, taking Varian's staff.
"Pascal, wedge this into the axle to stop it from turning. Hurry!"
"Daisy, go with him in case he needs help!" Harmony struggles to stop moving. Rapunzel lifts up the staff with Pascal on top, Daisy flying up to him. He throws it inside and the walls stop. Pascal smiles, giving Rapunzel a thumbs up.
"Oh, good...now go behind the wall to find some sort of release mechanism."
"If the walls are turning mechanically, then there should be something to stop them," Harmony looks up at the two. "And hurry. I can tell from here that bone won't last long."
Pascal stares at the tiny spaces between gears, Daisy chirping next to him. He nods at her and they step forward slowly, the bone already starting to break. Their eyes widen in horror before it breaks off, and they slip past.
"Pascal!" Rapunzel shouts in horror of the possibility of him being crushed.
"Daisy!" Harmony covers her mouth, both of them going back to push at the walls.
"Ah!" Varian stares at the other side open-mouthed.
"Pascal, Daisy, do something!"
"Hurry!" Harmony calls out as they get closer and closer.
"Please!"
Daisy grips Pascal's back gently between her webbed feet and flies him past all the gears with no problem. Varian pushes at the other wall with his foot, the girls both screaming. Pascal, however, manages to find it just in time, and they're now both squished between each other. The two land on Rapunzel's head, Daisy flying onto Harmony's shoulder.
"Guys, you did it!"
"Thank goodness," Harmony murmurs in relief.
"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Varian whispers to them.
"Daisy, hurry and find the mechanism to get us out of this."
"How dare you point out my obvious flaws with cutting accuracy?" A man demands to a guard, Eugene and Cass watching the whole thing in slight worry. "I'll box your ears!"
Two handmaidens push past them. "You take that back! I don't care how true it is!"
"Let's see you speak your truth with a mouth full of strudel!" The baker tries to shove the pastry into a man's mouth.
"This is getting out of hand," Cass couldn't help but comment.
"Yeah, this reminds me of Xavier's mood potion, only now, everyone can't help but tell the truth."
"Out of my way, big Ears," The announcer pushes past Eugene roughly. He clears his throat.
"Except for that guy. He had no idea what he's talking about," Eugene rubs his ear.
"If this is some kind of truth potion, we have to figure out how it got into the castle," Cass tries to think. "Who was the first person you noticed being a little too honest?"
"Hmm," Eugene rubs his chin.
"Okay, Pete," Cass starts off as they're in a dark room, which is lit by a single candle. Eugene is leaning on the chair behind the guard, the lady-in-waiting pacing in front of him. "Let's start at the beginning. Walk us through your day."
"And relax, just tell us what happened," Eugene adds in.
"Well, I woke up confused, because my mouth tasted like beans, but I had no recollection of eating beans the day prior. So I asked Princess Harmony if she was trying one of her new inventions in my sleep, and she said no." The two glance at each other. "Then I saw my cat, and I said, Hello Mr. Happypaws! Who's a fluffernutter? Of course, he can't talk."
Cass and Eugene sink into chairs out of boredom. This was going to take a while to sit through...
The trio continue walking down the tunnel, where Varian notices the thin wire in front of them. "Trip wire." He steps over it, the girls doing the same. Pascal eyes a spider crawling on the wire, Daisy shaking her head to warn him. He beams and jumps off Rapunzel's shoulder, running over to it. The duckling flaps her wings over to stop him, but it's too late.
"Pascal, no!" Rapunzel calls out as they turn around. "I need you to carefully let go of that spider."
"You can eat later, just slowly release your tongue," Harmony guides the chameleon as he slides a bit, removing his tongue. The spider crawls away and they all sigh in relief. The three smile at each other as Pascal sighs in relief...but Ruddiger breaks the wire when he steps up to it. The ceiling crumbles above them, Rapunzel gasping. She jumps forward and catches the three animals into her arms. A wall of rocks separates them from Harmony and Varian.
"Everyone okay?" Rapunzel stands up, looking at the duo.
"We're fine..." Harmony peeks over the wall. "How about Daisy?"
Daisy chirps, looking up at Rapunzel and beaming. "Aw, you're welcome," Rapunzel strokes the top of her head. "We're getting closer to the surface. We don't want to alarm the guards," She steps over the wall, holding out Daisy to Harmony, who takes her.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure they and everyone else have their hands full," Varian chuckles, looking away. They just stare at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"N-Nothing," He turns around to look away from them. "Uh, it's just, um, they have their hands full every day!" He laughs, turning back to them. "Corona, you know?" He leans against a pole, "Busiest kingdom on Earth." He trips another mechanism, the floor caving in underneath him.
"VARIAN!"
"VARI!"
The two look over the edge. "Hang on!"
"Way ahead of you!" Varian calls out. Together, the two help him up onto his feet.
"Are you okay?" Harmony hugs him and he returns it, enjoying her warmth.
"I'm alright, Mona," He kisses the top of her head. He looks up ahead and cringes. Harmony feels him change his expression, looking back to see the floor disappearing behind them. "What do we do?!"
"I'm gonna go with...run!"
The three rush forward to get away.
Pete is still rambling on, and yet he's failed to get to the point. "I got into work, high-fived Stan, and I noticed his hand was sweaty-"
"Gah!" Cass grabs him by the collar, pulling him towards her so he can see her glare.
"Oh, boy! You are scary!"
"Listen, we've been here for 30 minutes, and all you've been doing is boring us with useless information!" She grits her teeth at him.
"Useless?! I gave you my recipe for strawberry scones!" He exclaims in defense.
"That was the most useless part!" Cass shouts at him and Eugene decides to step in before she does something that she'll regret.
"Okay, okay, okay, okay, let's try this. Can you recall anything out of the ordinary? Maybe something not soul-crushingly boring?" Eugene asks tiredly, it was so useless he was about to fall asleep. Pete thinks for a second.
"...Well, I did find the man in the bush who gave me purple cookies a bit peculiar."
"You think you might have led with that?" Cass scoffs in disbelief.
"Everybody's been eating these things!" Pete holds up a purple cookie, about to eat it himself when Cass slaps it away.
"Don't. Someone may have laced them with some kind of truth serum," She warns the guard.
"Then why haven't you asked the princess about it? She's smart enough."
"Good question..." Eugene glances at Cass. Both of them couldn't help but think that they haven't seen Harmony for a while...only he saw Rapunzel with the girl nowhere in sight. "Listen, Pete, what else can you tell us about the man in the bush?"
"Well, let's see. His voice was kinda, um...squeaky? Oh, and...he was asking about the sun-drop flower, which the king has been secretly hiding in the vault ever since he used it on the queen," Pete explains to the two. "And he asked about Princess Harmony, wondered how she was doing without him."
"Wait, wait, wait, the sun-drop flower? And he asked directly about Brownie?" Eugene stands up in alarm.
"So, someone with a squeaky voice trying to keep a low profile used a potion to get information about a magical flower?" Cass asks slowly, hands on her hips. She crosses her arms, giving Eugene a knowing look. "Sound like anyone we know?"
"Varian!" Eugene remembers how weird Rapunzel was acting earlier. "So that's why Rapunzel was acting so peculiar, and why we haven't seen Harmony all day. Come on, they might be in trouble! ...Man, how are we gonna break this to Brownie?"
The floors continue to cave in and they look over their shoulders, coming to a stop at a dead end. They turn around and Rapunzel looks up at the wooden beams in the ceiling. She lets her hair loose and ties it around one of the beams.
"Come on, guys! This way," She puts her arm around the both of them. When the floor caves in underneath them, the two hold onto Rapunzel, dangling into the air. Rapunzel notices a door up ahead and swings towards it. They all jump to the other side, sighing in relief when their feet touches the ground.
"That was too close. You're sure this flower is worth it, right? It's Corona's only hope?" Rapunzel turns to the boy after tying her hair back up.
"It should be...but, uh, I'm not really concerned about Corona."
The two gasp sharply, turning to him. "You don't care about Corona?" Rapunzel stares at him.
"Vari, is something wrong? You've been saying weird stuff lately," Harmony raises a brow.
"Uh, I mean, of course I'm concerned about Corona," He stammers, rubbing the back of his neck. "I love Corona, I just meant, right now, I'm really concerned about how it's gonna help my dad. Corona, too! And you as well, Mona," He takes a hold of her hands and kisses her cheek, taking the lead. The two sisters glance at each other and then stare after him.
Something...suddenly wasn't right about this whole thing. And not just because of what they're doing.
Eugene and Cass reach the door of the vault, where the guards immediately block it with the axes. "Out of the way, boys. We need to get into the vault and get the sun-drop flower!"
"Sun-drop flower?" One of the guards plays dumb. "Why, whatever do you mean?"
"Oh, I heard the...sun-drop flower was...destroyed-"
"We know the secret. Let us in!" Eugene urges them. "The princesses could be in grave danger!"
Varian's out of breath as they walk into a room with seven pillars. "It's a dead end."
"No...this is it. We are right under the vault," Rapunzel points up to the sun and moon markings in the ceiling. "Do you see that trap door?"
"Yeah, how do we get it open?" Varian turns to the two.
"I've studied up on this room...but I've never been inside it...I'm trying to remember," Harmony rubs her chin as she looks up.
"Hmm...one, two, three, four, five, six, seven...seven pillars." Rapunzel then notices the poles in front of them.
"Oh! Of course," Harmony facepalms herself. "Raps, help me out."
They start to touch one, but green glowing eyes activate, engulfing the whole room. The princesses don't notice as a machine comes to life. The pillars lock into the floor, opening up the vault. Varian smiles up at it before they hear the stomping, turning around.
"Uhh, Varian? Harmi?" Rapunzel steps back a bit.
"Fascinating!" Varian exclaims in awe. "I believe this is an automaton, a marvel of ancient technology, really."
"I thought they were deactivated," Harmony blinks in shock.
"I-I've heard about them," The automaton's arm lifts up over their heads. "But to see one in person-"
"Guys, look out!" Rapunzel pulls them out of the way. The arm slams onto the floor and Varian looks up in determination.
"Don't worry, Princess and Mona! I've got this!" He briefly winks at Harmony pulls out a few of his vials, tossing them at the automaton's face. It explodes and he tosses a few more. The automaton hits one of the pillars, causing it to crack. "See? I told ya! I got this!"
"Uh, Varian?" Rapunzel calls out, the automaton smacking him into a pillar. Harmony gasps as she bends down to him.
"Vari, are you okay?" She asks in concern.
He pants a little, "Despite the excruciating pain and the fact that I am about to pass out, the science at work here is spellbinding!"
She couldn't help but giggle as she helps the alchemist up. The automaton slams its hands, slowly approaching them. "We're gonna need some kind of a plan if we're gonna defeat that thing. "Uh, hey!" Rapunzel moves away a few feet. "You! Metal-head!"
"Automation," Varian corrects her, Harmony elbowing him slightly.
"Not the point."
"Got it," He smiles sheepishly at her.
"Come and get it!" Rapunzel eggs him on. He turns his attention on her, about to punch her. She ducks and he hits the pillar instead. "Distract him and draw him towards you!"
Varian looks on nervously while Harmony pulls out her bow and arrow. "Hear you loud and clear, sis!" Rapunzel lets out her hair, gritting her teeth. Varian hits the automaton with the vials, followed by an arrow fired by Harmony. The two run off towards a wall, where Rapunzel grabs a pillar with her hair. She pulls it on, and it acts as a trip wire for the automaton. The two pillars break, and fall over the automaton, shutting it down.
"Come on, let's go!"
They step over the rubble and with her hair, Rapunzel pulls down the ladder. Harmony helps her tie up her hair while Varian notices something in the rubble.
"Hmm..."
"Sorry, strict orders from the king. No one is permitted beyond this point," One of the guards informs the duo.
"Let's ask ourselves a question, shall we?" Eugene smirks a little. "Whose wrath would you rather face, the king's, or hers?"
He points to Cass, who cracks her knuckles. The guard's eyes widen and he simply holds up the key.
Rapunzel helps up Varian, who helps up Harmony. They stand in front of a light, which has matches nearby. The older princess lights up the match, throwing it into the orb. They look up as this lights up the entire room, before finally reaching the sun/moon symbol, lighting blue and yellow. It shines on one object in the distance.
"There it is," Rapunzel murmurs softly. She hadn't seen it since seeing an image of it while she was healing Eugene in the tower. "The flower..."
The flower now has crumpled petals, as it worn out its use while saving the queen. The two stare at it while Varian stays behind. They smile at it as Varian narrows his eyes, stepping forward. Then smiles turn into confusion as he takes the whole flower from the teardrop compartment.
"Varian..." He simply ignores them, walking forward. "Wait, wait, wait," Rapunzel grips the strap from his satchel. "Y-You said you were just gonna take one petal!"
"What are you doing with the whole flower?" Harmony asks slowly.
"But what if one petal's not enough to harvest what I need?"
"Varian!" They both exclaim at him.
"What difference does it make?! It's just sitting here rotting anyway!"
They both gasp, and when he jerks his arm away, the same vial that held the mood potion falls onto the floor. They both stare at it in shock.
"Vari, what are you doing with that?" Harmony eyes the potion, about to pick it up.
"Give that back!" He shouts, snatching it away. She stares at him in shock. Even when he was upset, he never yelled at her.
"That flacon. That had Xavier's mood potion. Varian, that stuff is dangerous, you shouldn't be fooling with it," Rapunzel warns him.
"There was just one drop left, but there was enough to replicate and modify. I had to be sure the flower was here..." He reveals to the two. Harmony backs away slowly at what she's hearing. The reason why everyone was acting weird...his tendencies when they were arriving here...
"That...that was you?" Harmony whispers in disbelief.
"So you made a truth serum and gave it to everyone?" Rapunzel asks him.
"Heh. You'd be surprised what people will tell you for a cookie," He replies with a smirk.
Harmony felt like everything was shattering inside her. She couldn't believe it. How could such a sweet boy do this? She didn't know what to say, what to think. She can't even process it. They both gasp sharply, now understanding.
"Pete? Stan? How could you?"
"Why would you?" Harmony continues next, trying not to cry.
"Oh, do you honestly expect me to be concerned about the welfare of Corona?"
"But you said you'd-"
"Rapunzel, I used you! I begged you and this kingdom for help, and everyone except only one person turned their back on me! It has to be this way!" He yells furiously.
Her heart completely shatters at this side of him.
Rapunzel turns around, throwing up her hands as Harmony shakes. "...We defied a direct order from our father, the king, because I trusted you! We all broke the law!" She sighs slowly as he looks away. "Give me the flower, Varian. We can find a way to fix all of this, the rocks, your dad, everything! I promise you. I promise! Just...this is not the way. Please!"
He thinks about it and then remembers...that she turned her back on him. Everyone had, except for one. He narrows his eyes coldly as the door shimmies. "Sorry, Princess, but I know firsthand how well you keep promises."
Harmony stares at him, saddened and upset.
"Mona..." He looks to her and she says nothing. "You were the only one who risked herself to help me. Come...join me," He offers his hand to her, but she slaps it away.
"I trusted you! I wanted to help you, but not like this! I thought that you were okay! But you lied. You lied to my sister, you lied to me! And like an idiot, I believed you. I committed a crime because of your lies, against my Papa!" She screams, pushing him away slightly. "You say you used Rapunzel, but you used me to get what you wanted! What do you think that says about you, Varian?"
"It's not like that," He shakes his head rapidly. "I swear, I only did it-"
"Shut up!" She shouts at him, and he clamps his mouth shut. "You probably never liked me at all. And to think that I even..."
She couldn't even finish her sentence. He wasn't her Varian, the one she actually...loved.
"That's not true, I..." He murmurs slowly, staring at her. This wasn't the reaction he expected...
"You never cared about helping me, you just wanted the flower for yourself! We don't even know if this flower would even help me at all!"
"I-I'm sure it can, I just haven't-"
"Just...stay away from me. I-I can't do this," She moves away, holding her head.
"Mona..." He whispers, reaching out towards her.
The door opens behind them, Eugene pointing at the boy. "There he is! Get him!"
He gives the two one last look before throwing down a smokebomb, knocking everyone to the ground. Eugene runs up to the coughing princesses. "Rapunzel, Harmony, are you two okay?"
Rapunzel sits up, catching her breath. "I'm fine..." She helps up her sister, looking towards the open door. "Varian!"
Harmony blinks back tears at the whole ordeal, starting to sob. Rapunzel silently pulls her in for a hug.
Later on, Rapunzel is standing on her balcony, hugging herself. Eugene steps in front of the open window. "The royal medic said the effects of the potion will wear off on their own, eventually. He would've asked Harmony for her expertise, but...she's locked herself in her room. Hey, everything's gonna be okay," He places a hand on her shoulder.
"Really?" She looks at him briefly. "I broke the law...I stole from my own father, and committed treason." She sighs slowly. "...And you know what the worst part is? I let the most powerful object in all of the land fall into the hands of...I don't even know what he is anymore. And what about my sister? She is devastated. But I know we haven't seen the last of him." She looks at Corona, frowning.
Varian is in his lab, plucking a petal from the flower and putting it in the mortar. He crushes it with the pestle, eyeing it closely. He walks up to the drill, coating it with the mixture. He pumps it up with his foot, and it turns on, piercing through the amber.
"Work! Work, please work!" He urges, but all that happens is the drill exploding. "No...no, no, no, no!" He pushes away the drill out of frustration, knocking all of the papers off his desk. "No! This is useless!" he slams down his fist. "It's like I-it no longer holds the sun-drop's power!"
You mean the flower? The one that healed my mom and gave me my hair?
He said that after it healed Mom, that its power had been drained and that I shouldn't be trying to find it...
The rocks are demonstrating an actual physical response...to you.
His eyes widen as he turns to what's left of the flower, taking it into his hands. He now understands why it no longer works...because there's only one person associated with the sun-drop that could solve everything. "The sun-drop isn't the flower anymore..."
He brushes the flower into his hands, destroying it into dust. He slams his hand onto the paper, wiping it away to show a drawing of Rapunzel.
"It's Rapunzel..."