Angel: Get ready for Harmarian cuteness all around in this chapter (Is that a good ship name for them? I dunno, I'll figure it out XD). Aaand they closed down my work for the outbreak...they said they're gonna reopen at the same they said it's permanent, so I dunno -_- I don't know how I'm gonna earn money for the time being, but at least it gives me extra time for writing and homework...
So I'm basically at home for like 5 months from school and unemployed. I'm honestly so baffled that two places I go through frequently throughout a week are closed XD And I still have finals to take at the end of the semester. But maybe the extra time will benefit me in some ways. And I registered for fall classes, and I don't have to be there until 1:25 in the afternoon in August! YAS! That is, if the COVID19 has died down by then.
And all the carpet in my house is being ripped out...hate wooden floors...
One last thing, Redbat142 from Wattpad is not the person who is doing Harmony's design. She only has Amy from TMNT on her art book. Speaking of Harmony's art, I don't know where my friend is on that, and I'm not going to pressure her every single day to finish it. Both of us have a lot of our plates because of this virus. Literally right now, I'm continuing to write a paper that has to be at least 10 pages.
Hope everyone is staying healthy!
Blue birds fly around in the forest as the three horses are walking down a path. Fidella has Rapunzel, Max has Eugene, and Silver has Harmony and Varian. The two are sitting side-by-side as they're holding the scroll pieces, trying to decipher it.
"I am so excited to see what you have planned for our double date," Rapunzel speaks, smiling. This time, all four of them are wearing their original clothing.
"Oh, it's not a double date," Harmony shakes her head, looking up. "Trying to decipher a scroll we know almost nothing about isn't exactly date activity."
"Oh come on, you guys!" Rapunzel stares at them. "You have lots of time to look over that scroll. It's a beautiful day! Don't you wanna have at least one date before Varian has to go back to Corona? It'd be so romantic!"
"Um, we're fine with the scroll," Varian rubs his neck nervously. "Besides, we both agreed to put the journey first, remember?"
"Then can you at least answer me this: What do you two like best about each other? Something that stood out to you when you first met."
"You're not gonna stop until we answer the question, right?" Harmony deadpans with a raised brow. Rapunzel has her fists to her cheeks with a smile, expecting an answer. The younger princess lets out a small amused sigh, slightly ducking her head as she feels a little embarrassed. Not that she hated questions like this, but the scroll is just one major step closer to finding out more about the Moonstone.
"Well, to get you to stop giving us that look...his eyes. Blue is my favorite color, and when I looked up at him after he saved me...I just knew that he was the one."
Varian smiles bashfully, clearing his throat. "I, uh...don't really have a preference." Harmony blinks as she slowly turns to him. "Mona's perfect the way she is."
Her heart beats as she smiles softly, rubbing her arm.
"Aww~ That's sweet," Rapunzel squeals at them. "Okay, then would you still love each other if you had no skin?"
"You said one question," Harmony narrows her eyes slightly.
"No, you didn't say I had to ask just one question," She smiles smugly, to their slight ire. The two give each other a look, turning their heads back to Rapunzel.
"Well...it would depend on the situation...like is Mona just lying there in bed with her eyes still intact? Or does she have bandages all over her? Is she suffering not able to feel anything?"
"Yes or no?" Harmony rolls her eyes, wanting to be done with this question already. Was he really just gonna ask about every scenario there is about this?
"Of course, Mona! I love you for inside reasons."
"Aww," Both Rapunzel and Eugene say in unison.
"That's also sweet," Harmony beams at him, kissing his cheek. "I'd still love you too if you had no skin."
"Don't you worry, your royal blondeness," Eugene smiles at his girlfriend, gesturing to himself. "Eugene's got it covered. "I've entrusted Max here to seek out and deliver us to the most primo romantic spot around that's bound to get a few romantic bones in their bodies," He nudges the two teens, who look up at him slightly annoyed.
"Hey! I can be romantic," Varian protests to him, Max wiggling his eyebrows.
"You'll see," Eugene spins Rapunzel around. "We're talking dinner for four, the stars twinkling above, the works. Now, I'm not saying it'll top our crown-stealing, lantern-watching first date, but...I kinda am. Isn't that right, buddy?" He looks to Max, who winks at him. Butterflies fly around, one of them landing on the white lily in Harmony's hair.
"Yeah, but you also were on death row after the fact," Harmony murmurs to herself, but he heard it anyway.
"Oh, that's not fair," Eugene frowns towards her. "I was framed!"
She giggles in amusement. "Oh, you got something in your hair," Varian leans forward and gently holds out his finger. The butterfly instead flies onto his nose and he blinks at it.
"I hope that this will encourage them to have an official first date," Rapunzel whispers to Eugene. "The one with Andrew technically didn't count."
"What about her birthday?" Eugene raises a brow and she shakes her head. "Buying sweets from Attila?" Another shake of the head. "C-Come on, the flu I gave her? You're telling me that two teenagers who fell in love at first sight have never been on a first date? But we've been traveling for weeks!"
"Varian prefers his solitude, and she's been exploring every stop we've made like I have," Rapunzel shrugs at him. "And they've never really seemed to made an effort on planning one...but we have to help them have a date! I know that they want to."
Probably anyone couldn't fathom just how that's possible. They like sweets, science, animals...sure, their personalities may vary, but they still deserved to be together.
He thinks about it before shrugging. "Alright, but only because it's them."
She giggles happily.
Eugene is helping Rapunzel stand on his shoulders at an apple tree. "An apple tree? Seriously? That's the best you got?" Eugene hisses to the horse, sighing. "Should've asked the frog to come along. Even he'd come up with something better than this."
"It's okay, Eugene," Rapunzel plucks an apple, crawling to get back on her feet. "Planning a date is hard when you're in the middle of nowhere. No wonder why they haven't done it," She glances at the two teens nearby, who are still studying the scroll.
"Well, these obviously depict the Sundrop and the Moonstone..." Varian points between the two pictures. "But without the rest, it's hard to tell what exactly it says...I'd have to translate it back in Corona."
"Hopefully we find the rest of the pieces soon before you have to go back..." She murmurs, running a hand through her hair.
"We can just play it by ear," Rapunzel smiles up at him. "For both us and them."
"Well, anything is better than the horse plan," He smiles back. Max nickers, rolling his eyes in amusement. Eugene sees some blueberries nearby and remembers that the girl loves anything blueberry. He picks them and hands them to Varian. "Pst, kid. Give these to Brownie."
"Blue-"
"Aw, blueberries!" Harmony exclaims, taking one and eating it. "My favorite."
"W-Well, anything for you, Mona..." He blushes a bit and she smiles.
"Nice one," Rapunzel smirks up at Eugene. Distant chimes can be heard, causing them to look up. "Did you hear that?"
"You mean those out of place, mystical chimes in the middle of the forest? Yeah," Eugene replies back.
"Where are those coming from?" Harmony murmurs as the two stand up. They follow the noise, Rapunzel glancing around as they get closer and closer. Once they push away some bushes, they stumble upon a red, small caravan with a sign outside.
"Vigor the Visionary. See-er and know-er of all," Rapunzel reads it. "Wow! A real psychic!"
"That hack Fernanda should've been one," Harmony snorts at the sign.
"You don't like them?" Varian raises a brow.
"Oh, well...I've actually never met one," She glances away.
"Psychics are fun," The boy smiles a little. "I mean, it's interesting to hear about your future."
"Excuse me? A real psychic?" Eugene asks skeptically. He laughs as a woman suddenly appears behind them. "Oh no, no, no. There's no such-"
"Ahem!" The woman clears her throat, startling them.
"GAH! Holy quiet shoes!" Eugene recoils back from the woman.
"Greetings, travelers," She walks past them to the caravan. "My name is Madame Canardist. And inside this wagon is the world famous clairvoyant, Vigor the Visionary!" She rolls her r's. "He has predicted the fates of emperors, the future of pharaohs, the destinies of dynasties even! And he is offering a once-in-a-lifetime special...One fortune for a mere five silver pieces."
"Eugene, did you hear that?" Rapunzel asks excitedly while gripping her boyfriend's arm. "Emperors and pharaohs!?" She laughs as she stands behind him. "Okay! Well, uh, add princess to that list."
"Make that two!" Harmony smiles a little as Varian takes her hand and they step towards the entrance.
"Uh, guys, you don't actually believe in this psychic business, do you?" Eugene questions in disbelief. "I thought smart people like you two would walk all over this kind of stuff."
"We were turned into birds not too long ago. Nothing phases me anymore," Harmony closes her eyes, shaking her head.
"And we're just trying to 'have fun' like you wanted us to," Varian points out, crossing his arms.
"Well, I don't know if it's real, but what if it is? It's kinda fun to believe in stuff like this," Rapunzel looks around.
"Guys, when we said to have fun, we didn't mean-"
The door slams behind the four, interrupting Eugene. Madame Canardist appears behind them again out of nowhere. She holds up a brown sack. "Silver. His omniscience requires five pieces of silver. But, for the young couple, three."
"Three?!" Eugene screeches as Harmony beams, Varian paying for her. Rapunzel puts in five, the former thief grunting. She pushes past them, the man looking more and more annoyed by the second. Rapunzel leads him to the bead wall, Varian leading the girl over.
"Prepare to be astonished. He's telekinetic, he's telepathic, and he'll...tele-you-the-future!"
"Oh, man..." Eugene facepalms at the joke. Rapunzel elbows him and he reluctantly goes along with it.
"Please welcome the world's most prophetic prognosticator...Vigor the Visionary!" She moves away the bead curtain as a large shadow looms over a crystal ball. They slowly step up to the table, Madame Canardist ringing a gong. Candles from the table and the ceiling light up on their own, shocking them. Because the psychic...
Is a monkey wearing a turban and a diaper. He picks his ear and Rapunzel coos at it.
"Aw!"
"He's a monkey..." Eugene says slowly.
"A monkey psychic?" Harmony raises a brow.
"Well, weirder things have happened..." Varian glances at her. "This I gotta see."
"And he's adorable!" Rapunzel watches Vigor sniff his finger.
"Vigor..." The four take a seat across the monkey. "These people have come in search of your infinite guidance. If you are willing, blink twice."
He turns around to the four, blinking twice. Rapunzel gasps at him. "Did you see that?"
"Please! Vigor requires total silence as he contacts the regions beyond," Madame Canardist closes her eyes as the monkey places his hands on the orb. It hums and glows green as he chatters. The table starts shaking and he howls slightly. It gets more frequent, the windows flapping open and shut repeatedly. He then suddenly opens his eyes and everything stops. He chatters and Madame Canardist starts writing on slips of paper. "Uh huh. Got it. Vigor the Visionary has spoken!"
She hands the princesses the slips, and they open them.
"If you see someone fall, pick them up."
"Listen to your heart when it's calling for you," Harmony stares at her paper.
"Are you serious, monkey?" Eugene asks in disbelief as the two start to think. Vigor just growls, chewing at the orb. "Those are the most generic fortunes I have ever heard. Technically, they're not even fortunes. It's more like advice!" Rapunzel smiles awkwardly, dragging him away. Varian sighs at him, pinching his nose. "Or mottos. Or edicts."
"Okay! Thanks for the fortune, Vigor," Rapunzel calls out.
"It was nice meeting you," Varian waves sheepishly.
"Oo, oo, oo! Or credos! Stop me when you finally understand what I'm trying to tell you!"
"Eugene, let it go," Harmony warns him quietly.
"If you see someone fall, pick them up..." Rapunzel reads her fortune again.
"Listen to your heart when it's calling for you..." Varian eyes his girlfriend's paper.
"What do you think those mean?" Rapunzel looks up at Eugene as they're riding the horses back.
"Oh, I know what they mean. It means we just paid 8 silver pieces in total for a pilfering primate to hand you two phony fortunes!" Eugene exclaims, glaring.
"Well, so what?" Rapunzel shrugs at him. "Maybe it was all just a trick, but what if, what if, it wasn't?"
He rolls his eyes. "And, I'm surprised at you, Eugene. We have seen some really strange things together."
"And experienced strange things together," Harmony holds up a finger.
"Why are you being so cynical?"
Varian and Harmony start laughing towards him.
"Cynical? Cynical? Look, Blondie, I believe in some crazy stuff. You know that I do, right? Life-saving hair? Believe it. Magical rocks? Sure! Sword-fighting horses? Why not? Being the embodiment of the Moonstone that we know almost nothing about? Yes! Hermano caballo, you sign me up." Max nickers at him with an amused look. "But if there's one thing I do not believe in, it's fortune tellers. And if there's a second thing I do not believe in, it's fortune tellers that also happen to be monkeys."
"So you basically believe in everything but anything to do with these," Varian smirks, holding up the fortunes.
"Yes! They're all sleazy, underhanded, fly-by-night, dubious hucksters, and you know what? I'm gonna prove it."
"Eugene?" Harmony speaks up.
"Yeah Brownie?" He turns to her.
"You basically just described your old life."
His eyes widen as Silver turns back around. "...Good point...Max? Back to the wagon." Max neighs loudly, running past the others. Rapunzel sighs, knowing that there's no talking him out of this. Fidella slowly walks after them, Silver walking next to her. Rapunzel notices some lilies and unties her hair. She snatches some flowers with it and tosses them into the air. They land in Varian's hands, confusing him.
"Huh?"
"Oh, Vari...these are for me?" Harmony looks at them with a shocked expression. He smiles sheepishly, looking away.
"I...I guess I thought you would like them?" In truth, he had no idea what was going on. She takes them into her hands, sniffing them.
"They're lovely! Thank you." She leans forward and hugs the boy, causing him to smile down at her.
Madame Canardist bursts out of her caravan, crying. She continues to sob as she kneels, the four stumbling upon her state.
"Madame Canardist?" Rapunzel questions in concern. She rushes over to the woman. "Are you okay?"
"I never okay again! My Vigor has been taken. Thieves snatched him right out of his wagon." She cries into her hands.
"What?" Varian's eyes pop out of his head.
"But we were only gone for a few minutes! How could that happen?" Harmony looks to the others.
"It's gonna be alright. Don't worry," Rapunzel assures her. "The others and I will find the thieves that took Vigor, and we will bring him back."
"What?" Eugene calls out in protest immediately. "Oh, no, no, no. Come on! The last thing I wanna do is spend the one night we have to ourselves, chasing some monkey..." He looks towards the ground, seeing something. "Okay, we'll track down the monkey."
"I knew you would come around," Rapunzel smiles towards him.
"What made you change your mind?" Harmony tilts her head at the man.
"I wouldn't go that far, but I have a pretty good idea of who took him..." Eugene holds up the comb that he gave to a certain duo. Varian sighs upon seeing it.
"Man..."
Vigor is being led away by a swinging banana being held by a stick. "Lift it higher!" Angry tells Red. "If he gets this one, we're all out of bananas!"
They bump into four people, looking up to see Harmony, Eugene, Rapunzel, and Varian, three out of four not looking happy with them.
"Eugene! Princess Rapunzel! Varian! Princess Harmony! Uh, hi! Hey," She notices Varian and Harmony holding hands. "So you finally made a move, V? Majorly impressed."
"Don't change the subject," Harmony deadpans at her.
"Alright, Angry. Gimme the monkey," Eugene orders the girl.
Angry quickly pushes Vigor away. "What monkey?" The two smile innocently.
"Angry? Red?" Rapunzel hugs the two. "Oh! We've missed you!"
"We missed you, too! Especially Red," She nudges the red-haired girl. "She won't shut up about you or Harmony."
"You are so sweet!" Rapunzel clasps her hands with a big smile.
"Uh, have you forgotten what they did?" Varian gestures to the two, and she sees the looks from the others.
"Oh! Um...yeah, and so, so in trouble."
"Now, I thought the two of you saw the error of your ways," Eugene kneels to them. "And if you're going to steal, why steal this monkey?"
Vigor appears out of a bush with a small shriek. "And while I'm thinking about it, how could you leave my comb behind, yet you're still wearing the flowers that Brownie gave you? It's the first thing I ever stole-"
"And it's a shameful reminder of your criminal past," Angry snatches the comb from him. "We know. We haven't stolen anything since we left Corona."
Eugene raises a brow. "Honest!"
Red puts a hand to her heart, nodding. "But, we had no choice. This monkey holds a very important secret..." Vigor turns around and belches. "Red and me are walking through the forest, and this weird lady comes out of nowhere and says, 'Have you heard of this psychic? He can tell you your future and your past for one silver piece! It's a special one-time-only offer'."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on. One silver piece? She charged us five, and Brownie and Goggles three!" Eugene suddenly exclaims. "She's a crook! And I'm oddly impressed."
"Eugene, let them continue," Harmony rolls her eyes.
"So then, this monkey comes out, and does a weird future-predicting dance. Then he gets this funny look on his face and grabs my necklace. The weird lady says, 'The necklace you're wearing has been in your family for a long time.' And I think, how does he know that this is the only thing I have left from my family? Then, she reads our fortune. 'Follow the leaf to find your tree.' Tree? Like, a family tree? Are you saying I have a family somewhere? I didn't even know my family existed. Then, she tells us, 'If it is your family you seek, Vigor can show you, but you gotta give the monkey more money.' When she finds out we're broke, she says, 'No money? No monkey.' So...we decided to borrow the monkey."
A butterfly flies past the animal. "Alright, look, I understand why you did what you did," Eugene kneels in front of them again. "But no matter what you call it, borrowing without permission is stealing. You have to bring him back."
"I get that this is important to you, but you did what you were trying to avoid," Harmony sighs slowly.
"No, no, no!" Angry rushes up to the monkey. "I can't bring him back now."
"Eugene, I know you want them to do the right thing. I do, too," Rapunzel whispers to everyone. "But, Angry and Red have been on their own for a long time. And if there's even the slightest chance that Vigor can lead them to a home, shouldn't we take it?"
"I was just like them when I was stuck in the castle. Alone, and having to take care of myself in my own room. How do you think I learned how to invent or do archery? I learned that all by myself. And they really want this," Harmony looks to the girls.
"And who knows? Maybe Vigor's help would change things around for them," Varian shrugs a little. Eugene turns around to see a glaring Red, meaning that she won't back down from this.
"There isn't a chance, but fine."
Angry gasps once she hears the sentence. She lifts her head up from the bush. "That said, you have to promise on Maximus' life that you will give Vigor back once the search is done, and he proves to be a phony. Oh, and one more thing," He leans in and whispers to the girls. "We're trying to get Brownie and Goggles to have an official first date, and with your stealth, we could use your help."
The two girls smile. "Is that clear, you two?" Rapunzel asks them.
They look to each other and smile in agreement. "Deal," Angry holds out her hand, but Vigor just sniffs Eugene's hand instead, causing him to recoil back in disgust.
"Monkey germs..."
"Okay, so now, all we've gotta do is figure out how to get Vigor to do his thing," Rapunzel smiles a little.
"Oh, that won't be too hard to figure out," Eugene digs into his pocket, tossing a coin into the air. "Hey, li'l fella," He holds out the coin to the monkey. "Where can we find Angry's family?"
The monkey jumps into the air, causing Rapunzel to gasp. "Look!"
"This should be good," Harmony smirks in amusement as he lands on a stump, laying out all of his cards. Eugene tosses him the coin and he catches it. He flips the cards around and holds up a card with a wheel on it.
"The Wheel of Fortune?" Angry stares at him in confusion.
"Not...the most helpful card," Varian looks at the other cards. And then Vigor eats the card.
"Why would he eat it?" Rapunzel cringes a bit.
"Well, it probably means his diet is deficient in fiber," Eugene states as Red opens up a map. Her eyes go wide as she tugs on Rapunzel's dress. She looks over to Red, who points to a city named Fortuna.
Rapunzel gasps as she kneels. "Red is right! There's a city named Fortuna not too far from here. That's what Wheel of Fortune meant! Fortune, Fortuna?"
"Come on!" Eugene comments derisively. "You got "Fortuna" out of "Wheel of Fortune?" That's a coincidence?"
"Is it a coincidence, Vigor?" Rapunzel runs up to the monkey. "Blink twice for yes, and once for no."
The five stare at him as he blinks once, and they all gasp. "Oh! Oh! What was that?" Rapunzel points at him. "Why, it looks like a single eye-blink. Is that a coincidence? Hmm?"
Eugene just sighs, rolling his eyes.
The three horses walk down the path. Eugene rides Max with Angry, while Rapunzel rides Fidella with Red, and Harmony and Varian continue to ride Silver.
"Hey, you two must be hungry," Rapunzel pokes her head between the two teenagers, startling them a little.
"What are you doing?" Harmony whispers to her, but she ignores it and holds up two cupcakes.
"Have some cupcakes!"
"Um, okay...?" Varian takes it into his hands, Harmony doing the same. Rapunzel ducks back down, the younger princess rolling her eyes. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know what she's up to," Harmony shakes her head, about to take a bite. Angry shoves her hand and the cupcake into her face. The teenage girl gasps sharply at Angry, who runs away laughing. "ANGRY! You got it all over..."
She wipes it off her face, Varian laughing a little. She looks at him and blushes slightly in embarrassment. Though she decides to not be embarrassed in favor of his laughter. She even laughs with him as she finds his laugh adorable.
"Here, have mine," Varian holds out his cupcake to her.
She shakes her head no. "No thanks, I feel like we might lose this one again," She sends a tiny glare to the black-haired girl.
He unwraps the cupcake quickly and took a small bite as she wipes her face with a cloth. Or, at least, he makes her think he took a bite because he actually cut it in half instead. He hands one half to her, causing her to smile warmly and take it in into her hands.
Rapunzel watches them enjoy the cupcake, smiling. "Nice one," She nudges Angry.
Rapunzel holds up a basket of flower petals to Angry and Red. "Pour these over Harmony and Varian."
"Are you sure that while taking this trip, we can set the mood?" Eugene raises a brow.
"Of course we can! They just need a little push. Wish we had Daisy or Owl, but we can handle this."
Harmony and Varian walk right underneath Angry and Red, who are being held up by Rapunzel's hair. They dump it over the two.
"Whoa!" Harmony exclaims as she watches the petals fall around them. "Did you do this, Vari?"
He shakes his head no. "No...you know, now that I think about it, weird stuff has been happening on this trip. And that tree doesn't have flower petals..." He looks up to see the girls. "Aha!"
"Alright, what's going on here?" Harmony places her hands on her hips towards her sister, who's smiling sheepishly. She should've picked a tree with flowers in it! "Why are you acting so weird, and why are the girls helping you?"
"Well...we just wanted to help you guys have a proper date," Eugene rubs the back of his neck.
"So you did all that stuff?" Harmony raises a brow.
"Well, yes and no. We just pushed him," Rapunzel gestures to Varian. "We just kind of helped him, but the rest was on his own."
Varian smiles bashfully, but then it turns into a small frown. "You guys, we were fine not doing that kind of stuff."
"I mean...I kind of liked it," Harmony murmurs to him and he blushes. "But you guys have to understand that whenever we want to have a first date, we'll do it on our own terms."
"But you two were only focusing on your own individual goals and not your relationship. It's okay to do something romantic," Eugene tells them. "I mean, you two are teenagers, live like teenagers!"
They glance to each other and smile. They started to see their points. The journey shouldn't just be spent on their missions. "Okay, we'll try on doing more romantic things if you guys try to not meddle in it, Rapunzel," Harmony gives her sister a look when she says the name, knowing fully well that she was the mastermind.
"Fair enough," She chuckles at the girl.
They finally arrive at Fortuna, which is foggy and basically quiet. It's almost as if something happened to the town. As they walk by, the people close their windows.
"This place gives me the creeps," Rapunzel whispers as she looks around.
"Eh, it's nothing to worry about. It's just a quiet, little town," Eugene replies with Vigor on his shoulder. Crying can be heard not too far away. "With sad, foreboding crying."
"Something happened here," Harmony looks around and the horses come to a stop, looking to a barrel, the lid shaking.
"Uhh...you guys see the shaking barrel too, right?" Varian glances at them. The crying continues and finally, an octopus lifts up the lid.
"Beware!"
They all scream at it, Vigor crawling up to a weathervane. "Okay. Psychic monkeys, and now we've got a talking octopus, I presume? Yeah, sure. That's—That's normal. Why not?"
"Ye scared the whole town, ye did!" A man lifts himself to reveal that he was the one talking, and not the octopus. "We thought you were...The Daylights!"
Rapunzel, Eugene, Harmony, and Varian get down from their horses. "What are the Daylights?" Rapunzel peeks behind Eugene's shoulders.
"The Daylight Thieves," A minstrel lifts his head up from a cart.
"Nasty crooks of the worst kind they be!" The man from the barrel exclaims.
"They stole my one-of-a-kind mahogany piccolo. And now, I have no instrument!" He starts crying, the man glancing away in sympathy.
"Twas a fine piccolo as piccolos be."
"It really was. It really was." The minstrel continues crying. "Alack! Alas! What is a minstrel without his trusty piccolo?" The four glance at each other. "Just a lonely man in fancy, ragged pantaloons."
"Beware the Daylight Thieves!"
"Beware! Beware!" They exclaim while sinking back into their hiding places.
"And, scene!" Eugene closes the lid on the barrel. Vigor starts hooting, getting their attention. They look up at the monkey, who swings around the weathervane a bit.
"Vigor says we need to go this way," Angry leads the way, the other two horses following Max. Eugene stares after them.
"Eugene, what is it?" Rapunzel places a hand on his shoulder.
"Look, Blondie, I'm just worried, that's all. I mean, what if we've come all this way, and she finds nothing?"
Rapunzel stands in front of him, smiling. "Don't worry." She pecks his lips. "Whatever happens, we'll be there for them."
"In the best way possible," Harmony adds in with a small grin. He smiles back, holding Rapunzel's hand. Vigor suddenly lands on top of him, causing the man to sigh wearily.
"Monkey..."
"I don't get it," Angry says in confusion once they've gotten past the town. "It should be here."
"It might be. I..." Rapunzel sighs, trying to let her vision see something, which was next to impossible. "Can't see a thing through this mist."
"Well, the end of the line is Snake Canyon, and that's kind of-"
Max whinnies, stopping everyone in their tracks. Up ahead is the aforementioned canyon, and seemingly not way to get across it.
"Hard to miss."
"Vigor, this is a dead end. What do we do now?" Rapunzel looks to the monkey.
He picks his ear, jumping towards Harmony's bag. "Hey!"
"Eugene, do you have another coin?" Rapunzel asks him.
"Oh no. I say we go back, return the monkey to the weird old lady, and call it a day. You hear that, Viggy? You're not getting one more shiny outta this guy, you got it?" He holds the silver coin in front of the monkey's face, who looks up from Harmony's bag.
"Why would he do that...? Wait a minute, I forgot! I have this!" She holds up a tiny fan, extending it with her hands to make it longer.
"What is it, sis?" Rapunzel looks at the object.
"Oh wait!" Angry opens up the fan. "It's a fan!"
Harmony waves it in front of them, moving away the mist to reveal a bridge. "A bridge!"
Eugene stammers in disbelief. "Anybody could've known that Brownie had a fan to get rid of the mist! Monkey see, monkey point!"
"But we didn't know. Vigor, however, did," Varian smirks, pointing to the monkey.
"Oh, Eugene. Remind me again," Rapunzel steps up to her boyfriend while holding Vigor's hand. " 'If there's one thing I don't believe in, it's fortune tellers'. But, what, ugh, what was that second thing that you don't believe in? Fortune tellers that are also, ugh, what again?" She points towards Vigor.
"Oh, whatever, I give up. Lead the way, monkey boy," Eugene sags his shoulders, Rapunzel clapping happily. Vigor holds out a coin, to which he groans at. He reluctantly hands the monkey another silver coin. "But let the record show that I follow only out of a sense of obligation to the group as a whole!"
"Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that," Harmony snorts a little.
Harmony shudders as they walk onto the bridge. "Guys, I'm getting my bad feeling again. Something's wrong."
"You can do that?" Angry looks up at her.
"Ever since that whole craziness at Janis Point, yeah," She looks up ahead. "I don't know if you will find your family in there, but...are you sure you wanna do this?"
"...Are you sure you're not wrong?" She stares up at Harmony, a bit doubtful.
"She's never been wrong before," Rapunzel places a hand on her back.
"Every time she's sensed stuff like this, it ends up coming true," Eugene tells her.
"Because of the Moonstone...she can detect evil or wrong intentions," Varian glances at the girl. "And if something's telling her that evil is up ahead...then we believe her."
"...I still wanna go in. I need to see them," Angry declares, getting hesitant looks from the four.
"Okay...but if you want to, you two can hold my hands."
The two nod, holding the girl's hands in slight fear.
They reach the end of the bridge, where a house rests in front of a big tree. A sign creaks as it swings back and forth. Angry runs up to the sign, gasping. She sees a woman walking around inside. "Look! There's people inside!"
"Look, I know you're excited, but let's play it cool. Okay? Remember Brownie's warning. And seeing you will probably be a shock to them, so we should do the talking first," He gestures to himself and the other three.
Rapunzel opens up the door, beaming. "Mom! It's me!" Angry runs up to the woman, hugging her. "Your daughter!"
She stares down at the little girl in surprise. "I know you weren't expecting this, but Vigor told us to follow this leaf symbol on the necklace you left me with to the tree, and we weren't sure if we would find anything, but we did and now we can be together forever!" The woman looks up in shock to the others.
"Uh, this is Vigor, and what she's saying here is, you are her long-lost family and she's come to live with you," Eugene chuckles a bit awkwardly. "So...congrats!"
The woman looks down at Angry, seeing her soft smile. She bends down to the girl. "Finally! After all these years!" She holds Angry's cheeks, the girl beaming. "William, our...our little girl has come home!"
A man peeks into the room. "What was that, Petunia?"
He sees the girl, smiling. "I thought we would never see you again. Thank goodness you're home." He pulls them into a group hug, the four smiling. However...Harmony still thinks that something's wrong, and it has to do with something in the house. This is where it's most strongest, after all...
"Wait. You gotta take Red, too," Angry looks over her shoulder to the girl. "We're a package deal."
"Oh, of course she's welcome," William holds out an arm and Red smiles. She comes out of hiding behind Eugene and Angry holds out a hand. Red runs up to them and joins in on the family hug. Eugene has a worried look on his face as the black-haired girl looks over to them.
"Thank you," She whispers to the five. Eugene takes Vigor into his hands, Harmony and Varian waving to them. Eugene slowly closes the door, still concerned about the whole thing.
"I understand you had your doubts about Vigor, Eugene," Rapunzel speaks up as they start going down the bridge. "But, he did lead us all the way here. And just look how happy the girls are."
"I, uh...I-I dunno, Rapunzel. I just can't help but feel that your sister is right," He looks up ahead to Harmony, who's frowning with crossed arms.
"But what if her feelings were wrong?" Rapunzel asks him. "What if this one time, it sensed nothing? What if for once, it was because of a good thing?"
"I'm not sure..." Varian looks over to the two. "Why would her sixth sense steer her wrong? It doesn't just pick and choose, it only senses real bad intentions or evil."
"Every time I sensed this, I was never wrong," Harmony shakes her head slowly, turning around to stop them. "I'm not making this up, something is wrong...Those two aren't what they seem." She points towards the house. "Don't you remember my fortune? Listen to your heart when it's calling for you. And my heart is telling me that they're not Angry's family."
"Maybe we should go back," Eugene agrees with them. A toot startles them and they look downwards to see Vigor playing a piccolo, and not just any ordinary one.
"Where'd you get that, huh?" Harmony asks him, hands on her knees.
"Vigor, did you take that whistle from their house?" Rapunzel questions slowly.
"Blondie...that's no whistle. That's...a piccolo," Eugene cringes towards her and they remember what the minstrel said back in Fortuna.
"A mahogany piccolo," Rapunzel murmurs slowly.
"Oh no..." Harmony whispers in slight fear.
"Step on it, guys!" Varian tells the horses as they run back down the bridge.
"Faster, everyone! The girls are in big trouble!" Eugene urges, and then they see William at the end of the bridge. Harmony squints and sees an ax in his hands. Her mouth drops open in a sharp gasp and she waves a hand, trying to knock the ax out of his hands. He keeps a tight grip on it and cuts off a rope, sending all of them flying towards the ground below. "Whoa! RAPUNZEEEEL!"
"Eugene!" She cries out as they disappear into the fog.
"Mona!" Varian screams as they fall.
"Vari!"
Angry and Red smile towards each other, holding hands. Petunia approaches them slowly, no longer having a kind expression on her face.
"Making yourselves at home?" She laughs a little, confusing them. "I wouldn't."
William opens up the door, having returned from what he's done. "They won't be coming back."
"Good. Now that we're alone, we can be completely honest. We aren't your family, and this isn't our house. It's our hideout. We're..."
"The Daylight Thieves," Angry narrows her eyes at them. "I don't get it," She gets onto her feet. "Why take us in if you don't want us?"
"And turn away our long lost child?" Petunia gestures to herself. "Coulda given us away. Not worth losing our hideout. Was better safe than sorry."
William laughs evilly, stepping forward. "Yeah! And now that we're safe, you're gonna be real sorry. Just like your friends..." The two surround the girls.
Varian and Rapunzel are laying down on top of rock, eyes closed. The fall had knocked them unconscious. Max, Fidella, and Silver look over the edge. Max whinnies to them, getting their attention. The two slowly open their eyes.
"Eugene!"
"Mona!" Varian quickly gets onto his feet, looking over the edge. "They're over here!"
"Don't worry, we're coming!" Rapunzel hollers to the two. Eugene is hanging onto a swinging rope, hugging the girl with one arm.
"No! No, no, stay where you are. We'll find a way up."
"Mona, you guys okay?" Varian shouts, looking a bit worried.
"Yeah, we're okay!" She calls out, Vigor landing on Eugene's head, causing Eugene to lose his grip. They scream as they stumble down the wall, Harmony creating some moonlight orbs below them. They suddenly catch the two in place, leaving them floating over the ground slightly.
"Nice," Eugene smiles a little. "Of course, this would be a bit easier if I could see my hand in front of my face," Harmony stops the orbs and leaves them landing safely. Eugene stands up, the girl dusting herself off, giggling towards her brother figure. Vigor is hugging his head. "Or without a monkey on my head!"
He moves away Vigor's legs and arms.
"Brownie, can you get us back up there?" He asks curiously and she looks up at the significant amount of height between them and the cliff.
"Judging by only eyeballing it, this wall is at least 2,000 feet tall. That's too high for me to create a black rock or for me to float up there without getting exhausted. It'll drain me before we even get halfway up there."
Vigor shrieks as hissing is heard, and they look to see black snakes. Eugene steps back slowly. "Snak-snakes! Oh boy...This place is called Snake Canyon. Of course because snakes! That's why you're afraid right now, got it?"
"A frying pan would've been useful right about now...man, we just had to leave our weapons and gear behind," Harmony pouts a little, cringing as she hops backwards a bit, kind of doing a little dance. "And be careful, because these snakes are poisonous!"
"Guys! Guys!" Rapunzel calls out for them.
"What do we do?" Varian frowns towards her. "I don't have any of my equipment."
"I don't know…but I promise I'll get them back."
He clamps his mouth shut at her words. She broke her last promise to him… but this was their lives at stake down there. He had no choice but to trust her for the time being.
"So! How do we get outta here?"
Vigor looks around and sees the vines on the wall. He hoots as he starts climbing. "Right! Smart! Be a monkey," Eugene climbs after him, Harmony following closeby. "Alright, ignore the snakes, Fitzherbert. Ignore the snakes."
He can still hear the hissing down below. "They're just really long, gross turtles without shells or legs! That's all!"
They crawl after the two, Harmony sweating a little. "I really hate this right now..."
Eugene accidentally grabs a snake, which hisses at him. He lets go and Harmony turns back to him in horror.
"Eugene!"
He screams as he's nearing the ground, bracing himself. He's suddenly stopped in mid-air, seeing Rapunzel hanging onto him. Harmony is holding onto her hair from above their hands. Max is being used as a pulley, Fidella and Varian walking backwards with hair in hold.
"I thought I told you to stay up there."
"Yes, but if you see someone fall..."
"Pick 'em up. Yeah, yeah, I know," Eugene finishes for her.
"I guess both of our fortunes really did come true today," Harmony smiles at the two. Vigor chatters as they get to the edge. Harmony steps off first, Varian rushing over and hugging her.
"Mona!"
"Vari," She smiles, hugging him back. Varian smiles gratefully to Rapunzel and she returns it. Then Harmony ooks up towards Rapunzel and Eugene.
"We gotta hurry back."
They rush back into the house, Eugene kicking the door open. "You let those little girls..." They're surprised to see Petunia and William tied up on the floor. "Go?"
Red sits on top of them. "Oh, man, I love those girls!"
"Red!" Harmony hugs her in relief. "Oh, are you okay? These lying jerks didn't hurt you, did they?"
She shakes her head no, and they notice that someone isn't with them. "Where's Angry?" Rapunzel asks next.
The girl gives a sad look, looking towards the window. They follow her direction to see Angry standing outside alone. The four walk up to the window in sympathy. The girls and Varian rush outside to comfort her, pulling her into a hug. Eugene gives a sad look.
He wishes that for once, him and Harmony were both wrong...
"I-I shoulda known better," Angry releases the trio. "I don't know why I believed that stupid monkey. Guess I just wanted to believe I had a family so bad, that I fooled myself."
Eugene bends down to the ripped fortune that Angry teared out of anger. Rapunzel takes them into her hands, handing them to Eugene.
"Follow the leaf to find your tree. Hey...did you know that when I found Rapunzel, I was looking for a crown? And when Rapunzel found me, she was chasing lights in the sky," He chuckles at her as she smiles. "That's what we thought would bring us happiness. That's weird, right?"
"Or the fact that I just wanted to help Vari with his father...that he turned to anger and revenge?" Harmony lightly touches the element necklace he gave her at the science expo. "Despite that I have these evil powers and that he did regrettable things..." Varian takes a hold of her hand. "We wanted to just focus on those because we thought that was more important."
"So? Why are you telling me this?" Angry turns around, frowning towards the ground.
"Well, because you thought finding your tree would bring you to your family. But, who's by your side right now, when you're feeling your lowest?" Eugene takes Rapunzel's hand and she glances at the four. She looks up towards Red. "You have a family in Red." The girl slowly smiles. "And if the journey helps you realize that, then following the leaf helped you find your tree."
"Anyone would be lucky to have you two as family," Harmony smiles at them.
Angry tears up, placing her leaf necklace over Red's neck. "So I don't forget who my family is." She hugs Red, who gasps and returns it, humming slightly. The others look on with a smile. "Princess Harmony?"
"Hm?" Harmony blinks at being addressed.
"Did you mean what you said?"
"Of course," The girl smiles brightly. "Not really something I'd make up."
"Then...will you be our mom?"
The four's mouths go wide open as Harmony looks to the two. "Oh wow, um..."
"We really like you," Angry steps forward. "You comfort us, you make us laugh, and show us that we can be more as thieves. And you're really nice too. Don't you like us back?"
"Girls...of course I do, and I'm flattered," Harmony places a bang behind her ear. "And honestly shocked that you would pick me. But...I-I'm on a journey to figure out where my black rocks are taking us, and what exactly my powers mean for me. It's dangerous, and...I'm not sure I'm old enough right now to take care of you."
"It doesn't have to be right now," Angry gives her a pleading look. "What about after you come back home? Please? We won't be too much trouble."
Red nods in agreement, grasping Harmony's hand. The girl notices their hopeful looks and sighs a bit.
"Well...I...I'll think about it. How about by the time I come back, and that you two have fully turned around...we'll see what happens?"
"Really?" Angry beams a bit towards her. "You'll really consider it?"
"Yes," She chuckles, getting hugs from the girls.
Madame Canardist sits outside the caravan sadly, when suddenly Vigor lands on her head. "Vigor!" She laughs happily as the six return.
"We're real sorry we took your monkey," Red tells the woman.
"Did he show you what you needed to find?"
"Yeah, he did," Angry smiles towards Red and Harmony.
"Then...that'll be five silver pieces!"
The four just laugh as she's holding out her hand. "That's a good one."
However, by the look of her face, she's not joking. "Oh, you're serious. Yes, you are. Alright, you heard the lady, girls. Looks like you're gonna have to figure out some way to pay." Both girls have disappeared from view, Silver holding a note towards Harmony. She takes it into her hands, opening up the scroll to see a drawing of Angry and Red holding hands with the girl, all of them smiling.
"Man, I hate it when they do that." Eugene reluctantly hands over the five coins, Vigor grunting towards him.
"I can't believe they look up to you as a mom, that's really sweet," Rapunzel smiles at her sister.
"Well, they need someone to look up to," Harmony states, Varian helping her sit on Silver's saddle. He jumps on behind her, kissing her cheek. "Maybe when we get back home, I'll have a proper answer for them..."
Eugene looks behind him as they start to leave. "So, Vigor made a believer out of you?" Rapunzel smiles teasingly.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Eugene states smugly, looking back to Vigor. The monkey turns around and stares at him weirdly.
"Ha!"
Max comes to a stop, the other horses coming back. "What are you looking at?"
"What is it?" Varian raises a brow.
Vigor continues to stare until he lands on the lady's shoulders. "Just looking forward to getting back to our double date."
"And, what do you predict we'll do?"
"Hmm...the spirits tell me...whatever it is, it'll be free!"
"Free?" Rapunzel asks in confusion.
"Yes because that lady and her cheeky monkey took all our cash."
"Relax, we'll pay," Harmony rolls her eyes in amusement. "…So, you and my sister, huh?"
"Yeah…she actually kept a promise for me," He smiles softly and then stays silent.
"Vari… I know that you and Rapunzel had been strained, but it wasn't her fault for what happened. She had to make a lot of difficult choices…I did too the day you kidnapped my mother…"
He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. "… I know…but I'm just glad that I can be trusted again…one step at a time."
"We also have to pay for dinner…I'm starving," Harmony looks at her growling stomach.
"Oh, looks like you're not denying it's a date anymore, are you?" Rapunzel smirks at the two as she rides up to them.
"If you mean we're going to stop looking at the scroll pieces for today, then yes," Varian hugs Harmony from behind.
"But we're not doing any more of your meddling," Harmony gives the other couple a look.
"Will you at least answer some of my questions?" Rapunzel smiles widely. "You two are just so cute together!"
They both sigh at the same time slowly. They were never going to escape this, were they...?
Angel: Before I get a mob, let me just say that I know Lance adopts the girls in Plus est en Vous at this point. I watched the entire special literally an hour after it aired on TV March 1st from Youtube. But I didn't know that fact until after the show ended. And this episode was written/proofread long before I saw the special. By the time it came out, I already had Harmony taking in the girls when she gets back set up...^^' But then again, this is a different universe...