Eugene attaches Silver to the second caravan, everyone except Cass and Shorty frowning. Varian stands in front of the entrance to the caravan. It's finally time for him to return back to Corona...he has to serve the rest of his sentence. They're getting pretty close to the Dark Kingdom. He looks towards everyone, hugging Eugene first to his surprise.
"Thank you, Eugene...for being there for me."
"...Anytime, kid," He pats Varian's back as Rapunzel hugs him next.
"It was so great having you on this trip, Varian...and I'm so glad we're friends again."
"Me too, Princess," He smiles softly up at her. Lance puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Goin' back to the kennel, huh? Save me some chow! They'll know what I'm talking about."
Varian rolls his eyes. "Thanks Lance."
"Bring me a sky chicken, Hair Stripe," Shorty points up at him, pulling out a fish from his beard. "I'll just enjoy my beard fish."
"Um...okay..." Varian blinks at him, walking up to Cass. "Bye, Cassie."
She simply walks off, confusing him. He shakes his head and then turns to the two horses, hugging them. "Hey, take good care of them, okay?"
They both neigh with nods, Pascal and Daisy coming into view. "You make sure that you help them find their destinies," He smiles and they salute, nodding.
And then there was her...
Harmony slowly steps up to him, hugging the boy. "I'll miss you, Vari..."
"...I know," He closes his eyes, hugging her back. "But hey...it won't be for too long," He pulls back to look at her. "Soon, you'll be back and then you can free my father. And then we can be happy..."
There's still the town he has to deal with, but he has to keep that a surprise for when they return.
They look into each other's eyes and he leans in to kiss her. Harmony kisses back, pulling away a few seconds later as she rests her cheek on his chest. "I love you."
"I love you too, Mona. Try to translate that scroll and find the last piece."
"We will," She whispers to him.
He reluctantly pulls away, stepping into the caravan. He looks at them one last time and smiles weakly, closing the door. Harmony looks on with sad eyes as they watch the caravan leave. Rapunzel places her hands on her shoulders from behind.
"Are you okay?"
"No, but...I understand that he has to go back," Harmony closes her eyes. Princess or not, she can't just let him not serve his punishment. Corona would protest against it, and they didn't need a mob on their hands when they get back. "And besides...I'll see him again," She smiles happily at the thought. Eugene is staring at the three scroll pieces on a table.
"Just another day's travel and we are at the Dark Kingdom!" Rapunzel places her hands on her hips. "Hope we packed our torches!" She bites her lip, looking at the others to see if they get the joke. Owl just hoots as no one says anything. Even Pascal and Daisy aren't amused. "Because the Kingdom is dark...is where I was going with that. Are you okay, Eugene? You seem distracted."
"Huh?" He looks up to see the two princesses sitting on the barrels in front of him. "Oh. Uh...I didn't want to make...light of it?"
Daisy and Pascal roll their eyes as Harmony facepalms.
"Look, it's just...now that we're so close to the Dark Kingdom, it all feels more...real, you know? Ha. I mean, crazy rhino-man said if we went there, we were doomed. And we have no idea what we're in for! And our only clue as to what's waiting for us is on three stupid pieces of a torn scroll. That we can't even read!"
"Hector also tried to kill me by putting a sword to my neck, so I wouldn't take him all that seriously," Harmony raises a brow, taking a scroll piece into her hand. She does understand his frustration, however.
"I know it's scary, Eugene," Rapunzel places her hand on top of his. "But we cannot turn back now. Besides...you and us both have other plans. Or at least we should have other plans."
She smiles at him and looks at her in confusion. "Birthday plans?" She continues, which causes him to freak out.
"Oh my gosh, I forgot your birthday!" He exclaims at her.
"How could you forget, Eugene?!" She shouts at him.
"I'm so sorry! You know what, I'm pretty sure that giant firefly scorched my date book and..." He suddenly realizes that he remembers her birthday. "Wait a minute, it's not your birthday!"
"Ha ha, got you!" Rapunzel laughs at her boyfriend and then he turns to Harmony in a panic.
"Is it your birthday?!"
"Yes," She pouts at him. "How dare you?!"
"Ahh, no! I didn't mean to, I—wait, it's not your birthday either!"
"No, it's not. We celebrated it after we got back on the mainland from Tirapai Island, remember? I just played along to freak you out!" Harmony grins widely, pointing at him.
"Oh, you should have seen your face!" Rapunzel giggles along. "Pascal, Pascal, do his face."
Pascal recoils back with his mouth wide open, all of them laughing. Rapunzel wraps an arm around her sister, smiling.
"Well then, whose birthday is it?"
They lead him away from the others. "Happy birthday!" Rapunzel tells him and Harmony blows a noisemaker, showering confetti over him. She hands him a cupcake, that is made out of berries and a mushroom.
"You know I don't have a birthday, right?" He asks the two.
"I know we don't know when you were born, but everybody has a birthday. So we figured, why not today? Oh! Make a wish! Uh, just don't eat the cupcake."
"Eh, I don't really believe in the whole wish-making thing," He shrugs at them. "Or really anything...that I can't see with my own eyes. That I see, frog."
He sticks his tongue to the cupcake, eating a berry. "Oh come on, Eugene. I spent 14 years in a castle, throw me a bone here," Harmony waves him forward as he shakes out the candle.
"Okay, okay, fine, you don't need to make a wish. It is your day." He gives the cupcake to Pascal, who holds it out towards Daisy. She flies over to him so that they can share as Rapunzel adjusts Eugene's vest. "You do what you want."
He takes a hold of her hand, smiling. "Let's just make it our day. And you know what? I'm not gonna worry about tomorrow, or the Dark Kingdom. I'm just gonna live in the moment. And you should too, Brownie. You'll see the kid soon again."
"Yeah...thanks Eugene," Harmony smiles softly at the advice.
"And nothing...and I mean nothing can ruin this moment." He leans in to kiss her, but a llama bleats. They turn to see a familiar cart riding past.
"Smooch on your own time, canoodlers!" Madame Canardist shouts at the couple as she rides past them.
"Oh, come on! Canardist and Vigor?!" Eugene gestures to them in exasperation. "Are they following us? They gotta be following us. I have half a mind to-"
"I'm sure they're not following us," Rapunzel waves it off.
"We have been following you," Canardist confirms once they ask her.
Eugene gestures to the woman and she simply smiles.
"I'm not giving you my necklace. I'm not warning you again," Harmony holds her necklace protectively.
"No! Vigor wants to give you an important fortune. He seems to have grown attached to you both," She laughs as she gestures to the sisters. "There is no accounting for taste."
"And no accounting for what happened last time," Harmony deadpans at her in annoyance.
"Well, I like him, too. That curse of deadly misfortune? Pfft! Water under the bridge," Rapunzel touches his banana, causing him to freak.
"Don't touch his banana." Canardist warns her, holding up a bunch of keys.
"I'm still a bit bitter," Harmony crosses her arms, glaring towards them.
"Oh ho ho, lemme guess," Eugene rolls his eyes at the woman. "The price of this... 'important fortune' is five silver pieces."
"The prediction is free, of course. Now, quiet down and let Vigor summon the spirits from beyond. Ugh, banana peels everywhere," She picks up the peel and the five watch as Vigor sits in a criss-cross way. The silverware starts clanking against the wall and thunder strikes, alarming the two pets.
"Yawn..." Eugene yawns, raising a brow. The crystal ball lifts up into the air as everything is suddenly green. Vigor screeches, rolling his eyes around. Eugene pokes the crystal ball, wondering if it's being held up by a string. Vigor dances around. "Heavier yawn."
Lightning strikes, startling the princesses.
"Vigor!" Canardist warns him, clapping her hands. Everything turns back to normal as the two pets fall on the floor, and the cart stops shaking.
Vigor pulls something out from his turban. "The things you keep under your turban!" She smiles, taking the paper. "Wonders never cease. For you, the path awaits, where the final quarter lies, after many dire straits."
"Final quarter...?" Rapunzel gasps sharply. "He's gotta be talking about the fourth piece of the scroll!"
"What?" Harmony asks in disbelief. "We don't even know where to look for it!"
"That's what you got from that?" Eugene stammers a little and she nods. "I got absolute gibberish. If he meant the fourth piece of the scroll, why not just say fourth piece of the scroll!"
They watch the monkey eat a banana as Rapunzel scoffs. "That would throw off the rhyme!"
"If what he says is true, then we'll finally be able to piece it together," Harmony turns to them.
"She's right, we need the fourth piece to make sense of the others." Rapunzel gets onto her feet. "And besides, doesn't this sound like it's gonna be a birthday to remember?"
"Fine. Where is this path deal?" Eugene says in defeat.
"Vigor will guide you...for five silver pieces." Canardist holds out her hands.
"I got it," Harmony sighs, digging into her bag. Only because of his birthday, though.
Vigor leads them into a forest. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Eugene tries to keep up with them. "It's my birthday, remember?!"
"Vigor, wait up!" Rapunzel calls out.
"I wonder where he's going?" Harmony murmurs as she comes to a stop in front of the monkey. He's standing on top of a rock.
"What did you find?"
Eugene moves away the vines to read the inscription. "The Path of Demanitus."
Harmony gasps sharply at the name. "Demanitus?!"
"Demanitus was that engineer-inventor guy who built that thing that stopped the blizzard in Corona."
"Which I still never saw, by the way," Harmony pouts, crossing her arms. "Still unfair."
"Oh, I promise I'll let you see it when we get back," Rapunzel ruffles the girl's hair, causing her to smile.
"Whoa, hello," Eugene comments at an entrance up ahead. Vigor jumps away from the slab, leading them inside. "Vigor? Monkey? Want a banana? Vigor?"
Once they're through the door, they open their mouths in shock to see a labyrinth. "It's a...a...a..."
"A-maze-ing!" Rapunzel grins at it. "This is great! I've always wanted to go through a giant maze."
"This must be Demanitus' maze that he designed...which means that he hid the scroll piece here somewhere!" Harmony gasps a little.
"I'm happy for you both, I am," Eugene states sincerely, gesturing to the maze. "But look at that! It woulda been nice if Demanitus left us, I don't know, a map or something."
"You require no map..."
They stand in shock at the voice, turning around to see Vigor hanging from a vine. He steps off and lands in front of them, standing up fully. He gestures to himself.
"For I...am Lord Demanitus!"
Their mouths open in shock as he glances at all of them. Eugene suddenly bursts into laughter.
"Ha...ha ha ha!" Harmony laughs in awe of him. "Oh my gosh! I'm talking to the real Lord Demanitus! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! OH, Varian's gonna wish he didn't go home! This is even better than seeing your device in Corona!"
"Yeah. Nice try, Canardist!" Eugene looks around for her. "He's not Demanitus! That guy lived a thousand years ago! Harmi, you really believe him?" He continues laughing. "Oh, that's rich! Yeah...well, no strings..." He sniffs the monkey as Harmony glares at him, crossing her arms. "Although, you certainly smell like a 1000-year-old monkey! Okay, what's the trick here, huh? Come on, costume?" He pulls at the ears. "Very convincing...lifelike costume?"
"This is no subterfuge, I assure you," Demanitus tells him. "I am Lord Demanitus...protector of ancient Corona, devotee of science and invention, who has emerged from this monkey in your time of need. Banana!" He runs over to it, chattering.
"Wait, there's a machine he built that can swap minds! That's how he did it! Incredible..." Harmony gasps at him. She's meeting her idol! Yes, he's a monkey, but her idol nevertheless!
He plucks two bananas and eats them.
"What is going on here?" Eugene asks him and he swallows his food.
"Listen, and listen well...millennia ago, a mysterious event in the heavens divided an ancient power...in two. The sundrop and moonstone fell to the Earth! Three of my pupils and I researched the legend of the sundrop and moonstone...two elements that longed to reunite. We searched, but, alas, could not find them. Unfortunately, we were not the only ones looking. My pupils betrayed me, and summoned my old nemesis, Zhan Tiri! A warlock from another realm, bent on destruction. It took all of my powers to banish the evil from our world. I knew the research I had written about the sundrop and moonstone was valuable. Dangerous...in evil hands. So I tore the scroll, and hid the pieces! I placed the final piece within the maze...which I created to keep away the unworthy."
"Oh, you have a little something right there," Rapunzel points to his cheek. "I think it's banana."
He wipes away his cheek. "And you're a monkey because...?" Eugene points at him.
"I could not let Zhan Tiri find me! Using my scientific acumen coupled with an ancient spell, I was able to create a hiding place, a living, simian creature, inside of which I would lay dormant until such time as I could emerge, again."
"Ironclad logic," Eugene rolls his eyes, Harmony elbowing him.
"Why didn't you come out before?" Rapunzel asks curiously.
"I'm no sorcerer, but from what I understand of the spell, it would allow me to emerge from this form but once...and only for a few short hours. After which, my spirit shall retreat into this monkey...forever..." He scratches his armpit, slightly disgusting the two sisters.
"Wait, wait," Harmony waves her hands as she recalls something he said. "You told us that the sundrop and moonstone long to reunite, right?"
He nods his head.
"So then, why hasn't that happened? My sister and I have been the embodiment of the sundrop and moonstone for months," Harmony gestures to her sister.
"You see...when you touched the moonstone for a few moments, it gave you the power to use the decay incantation and to control the black rocks. Your father stopped the process of all of its power transferring to you. This gave you only half of the moonstone and its abilities. There are a few things that you do not have with the powers you've been given or that have been lost within time. And some of them you cannot use without the moonstone. Without the opal, the sundrop and moonstone will not reunite."
Harmony's eyes widen slowly. "So...I only have half of the moonstone's power? All this time, I thought I knew everything about this thing!"
"Then we'll go to the Dark Kingdom and get you those lost powers," Rapunzel states optimistically. "It'll be okay, Harmi."
"But what if those powers...corrupt me?" She looks up at Rapunzel and Eugene in fear.
"That won't happen," Eugene shakes his head. "Throughout this journey, we've seen you grown in a mature, level-headed, intelligent young girl who can make decisions like that on her own. You don't let those kind of thoughts cloud your head because you know in your heart that you're a good person."
"He's right," Rapunzel smiles softly. "You see things through better than anyone else I know. Not everything evil has to be that way."
Harmony smiles at the two, hugging them. They hug her back happily. "Thank you for reminding me, you guys."
They stare after the monkey as he walks off. "Wow, if this guy really is Demanitus, this is a huge honor!" Rapunzel smiles as Harmony bounces up and down.
"It's a dream come true for me! I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad I met Demanitus!" She squeals in excitement. "And Vari too! He'll either love me more or blame himself that he had to leave early this morning."
"if this guy is Demanitus. How do we know he isn't another one of Zhan Tiri's cronies?"
"I hear you, I hear you," Rapunzel states as they walk down the steps. "Cautious optimism. Emphasis on the caution."
"I dunno, he knows a lot about the sundrop and moonstone. Not really stuff you could make up," Harmony gestures to the monkey. "This is him, I can feel it. I don't even sense any evil intentions from him."
Rapunzel and Harmony run through a path, joining Eugene and Demanitus a few seconds later. "Dead end! This is so much fun! Okay, okay, okay. So that was a—a right turn..." She freezes once she sees a skeleton with a single eyeball.
"Creepy," Harmony murmurs as they walk past.
"Not encouraging," Eugene cringes as he follows the three. They then stand in front of a door with an inscription on it.
"A room with no way in, and no way out, see it in the rain, but never in a drought," Rapunzel reads it. "It's a riddle! I. love. Riddles! Okay, no one tell us the answers. I got this."
"Seriously? Riddles?" Eugene asks in disbelief. "What the heck are riddles gonna do for us here?!"
"Riddles shall help you get through this maze," Demanitus states, walking up to him. "And also...faith," He suddenly appears on Eugene's shoulders, chewing his hair.
"Cut it out," Eugene waves him off.
"Sorry...habit."
"Ahh," Eugene looks in disgust at his hair.
"You must not believe in only what you see," Demanitus takes a stick and uses it as a backscratcher.
"Alright, look. When you grow up like I did, you learn real quick: the difference between believing only what you see and 'having faith things will work out' could be the difference between eating a hot meal or having your last." A white spider appears on his shoulder. "I don't want your flea-scratching stick!" He moves the stick away from his view. He then sees the spider, screaming. "Gimme the stick, gimme the stick!" He knocks the spider off his shoulder.
The single eyeball from the skeleton is actually a spider. More eyeball-like spiders appear, surrounding them. Demanitus shrieks as he jumps off the rock he was standing on.
"Oh, for the love of-!"
"Ivory spiders!" Rapunzel gasps at the sight of them. "They're venomous! Do not let them bite you!"
"We need to figure out that riddle!" Harmony turns around to the wall. Pascal smacks one away with her tail, Daisy punching them with her wings, daring them to come closer. They run away from the spiders to stand on a rock.
"Come on, Demanitus, tell us the answer!" Eugene urges him.
"I don't remember! I built this a thousand years ago, what do you expect?!"
"Oh, I don't know, I expected you to maybe remember how to get out of your own spider death trap!" Eugene takes a branch nearby, knocking and kicking spiders away. Pascal and Daisy fend them off, Rapunzel smacking one away with her frying pan. Harmony fires an arrow with a chemical ball onto it, trapping some spiders into goop.
"Wait, I got it!" Rapunzel smiles widely and Harmony looks away towards something. "A room with no way in and no way out..."
"See it in the rain, but never in a drought," Harmony continues for her.
"A mushroom!" The two sisters finish in unison.
"Ah-ha!" Demanitus points at them and Harmony points to Eugene's direction.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, there's one!" He throws away the branch and jumps to the mushroom. He pulls on it and it turns into a lever. He pulls it and the door behind them slides open. They rush through and the door closes, squishing a spider's legs.
"I told you faith would get us through," Demanitus states to Eugene's ire.
"What did that have to do with faith?!"
"Harmony, your arrows are astounding!" Demanitus compliments her as she puts her bow and arrow back into place. "Where did you acquire them?"
"Oh, my boyfriend made some for me," Harmony smiles weakly at the mention of him. "He gave the arrows to me as a present a while ago. And he had to go back home because he did regrettable things to me, my family, my home...but you'd love him. He's really smart, kind, and sometimes a little silly, but I really admire him. Even if he did all of those things...I know that his heart is in the right place. Just like mine is with the moonstone for trying to make the best out of my...situation."
Eugene and Rapunzel both smile at her for her words.
"I'm sure it would be a great honor if we were to meet," Demanitus grins a little.
"I'll be sure to tell him! He'll be so happy to hear it. Oh, or maybe you could write a letter to him for me?"
Demanitus chitters, nodding in agreement.
Rapunzel takes a left and they walk up to a fountain. The blonde stares at it and reads the riddle. "If thou wish to skirt a deadly stress, donate a coin, and earn safe egress...hm." She pulls out a coin from her purse and flips it into the water. Harmony checks her bag and finds one, donating one as well.
"Oh, um..." Demanitus checks his diaper. "Think I misplaced my wallet."
"Of course, the monkey has no money," Eugene replies mockingly.
"Oh, it's okay. I'll spot you," Rapunzel hands him a coin and he flips it into the fountain. Eugene just think it's a scam, though, since this is his maze.
"We're waiting," Demanitus replies and he groans, pulling out a coin.
"Oh, come on, this is my last coin!"
"Think of it as a...birthday wish," Rapunzel smiles up at him.
"And besides, if we don't all put in a coin, we'll be in danger," Harmony gestures to the fountain. "I don't know from what exactly, but just do it."
"I'm sorry, guys, it's just not my style," Eugene sighs a bit. "I know, I know, you two think I'm being cynical."
"Mmhm," They hum in agreement.
"...Okay, fine, I'll put the coin in." He flips it into the air as they walk away, only to catch it into his hand. "I already paid that stupid monkey five coins in the past." He walks right past the fountain, the statue's eyes glowing red and coming to life. His face changes to an angry one, roaring at them.
They reach the next point of the maze. "Remove a piece, and I increase..." Rapunzel reads, reaching into the hole underneath.
"No, wait-!" Eugene warns her, thinking it's a trick. The door opens up and they walk through, Demanitus winking at him. Rapunzel crosses a mark off her map, taking the banana from the monkey. She aims it at a hole, creating a path from them.
Eugene crawls through a small tunnel in disgust since it's covered in spider webs. He crawls out as Demanitus gestures to a door which the sisters went through, to his shock.
They continue walking until they finally reach the end of the maze. Leading to a chest is a path that looks very unstable, with acid underneath...Rapunzel can see that the chest holds the last scroll piece from their spot.
"The fourth piece of the scroll!" Rapunzel smiles, hugging Eugene and her sister. "We did it!"
"We finally found it!" Harmony beams happily. "Now if only we could translate it...but thank you, Demanitus!"
The monkey chatters, snapping out of it. "We'd better hurry."
Eugene reads the sign. "Before thou claim thy glory, have faith the crystal bridge shall lead to thy quarry. Use the key to unlock, after thy faithful walk. It's really not your best work."
"Yes, yes, but look..." Demanitus holds the key in his little hand. "A mon-key!"
"No, denied," Eugene crosses his arms at the joke.
"Here," The monkey tosses the key and it goes right past Eugene, falling into the acid down below.
"Why did you just do that?!"
"You were supposed to catch it!" Demanitus protests to him.
"I wasn't ready! You gotta warn me!"
"I said here!" Demanitus shouts back to the man.
"That is not-"
"Eugene...you can pick the lock," Rapunzel informs her boyfriend.
"Doesn't matter what happened, so go cross the bridge so we can get back to the caravan," Harmony points to the box.
"...Fine. Rapunzel, bobby pin me."
She plucks a pin out of her hair and gives it to him. "Mon-key..." He mutters under his breath as he approaches the bridge. He takes one step and the crystal bridge starts to crack. A piece falls off and lands in the acid pool. "Acid, really?"
Demanitus simply turns the sign around to face him and points to faith. "Faith. Right, right."
He continues walking across the bridge. "Faith..." He tells himself and reaches the chest. He manages to pick the lock, smiling as he opens it. He takes the piece, when the bridge cracks again with a rumble. The cracks all the way to the others.
"Eugene!" Rapunzel says in fear. "Run!"
His eyes widen and he turns around, sprinting towards them. More crystal pieces fall into the pool below. Suddenly, the entire bridge crumbles away, leaving him wobbling in mid-air. Rapunzel takes out her hair and throws it to him. Eugene catches her hair just before he could fall in.
"Pull me up, pull me up!" He calls out, the trio helping him up. They run away from the collapsing bridge as it crashes behind them. Once the dust goes away, they get onto their feet. "Okay..." Eugene turns to Demanitus, hands on his hips. "What can we learn from this? How about...crystal makes for a terrible bridge? How's that?"
"Eugene! Look," Rapunzel shows him the scroll piece.
"Looks like a person surrounded by plants, the sundrop and moonstone, and the animals," Harmony points to each of the pictures. He smiles at the last piece and Rapunzel lays it out on a nearby rock. Harmony takes out half while Rapunzel has the last one. They put them together, smiling. Suddenly, blue surrounds the edges, joining together the pieces so that the scroll is now restored.
"Wow..." The teenage girl murmurs in awe. "That is so cool!" She pumps her fists.
"Maybe there really is something to this faith business after-" A stomp is suddenly heard.
"Oh no..." Harmony's eyes widen as she stands up. "Guys...we're in trouble," She looks around.
"Good gravy, what is that?!" Eugene exclaims as the rocks move away. Demanitus jumps and lands on the ground, whipping around to Eugene.
"What did you do?!"
"What?" Eugene asks cluelessly.
"The coin!"
He pulls out the coin that he took back. "Eugene!" Harmony yells at her brother figure.
"You were supposed to put it in the fountain!" Demanitus accuses him.
"Okay, so who cares if I didn't put the coin in? What's the big deal?"
"Are you that cheap?!" Harmony screeches at him. "Whatever is coming this way is because of you!"
The booming footsteps get closer and they cringe up ahead. "That is the big deal..."
The statue from the fountain emerges in front of him, putting on an angry face. It approaches the four, roaring at them. It slams its fists on the ground and Harmony steps forward. She flings her hands, black rocks emerging from the ground. But the statue stampedes right through them, to her shock.
"Uh oh," Rapunzel cringes at the broken black rocks.
"Faith is great, now turn it off!" Eugene yells as they run off.
"I can't! I didn't construct it with vulnerabilities! I thought people would be smart enough to put a coin in!" Demanitus gestures to Eugene as the statue looms over them.
"Watch out!" Harmony pushes them to opposite sides, flipping out of the way forward. Rapunzel lands on the ground first, looking up to see Eugene and the monkey running away from the statue.
"Oooh! Ooh, I'm not smart?! Well, who builds a giant whatever-that-is, and doesn't throw in an off switch, huh? Huh?! That is not smart!"
"Well, who doesn't put in a coin?" Harmony calls out from nearby. The statue jumps and lands in front of them. It raises an arm over them and Rapunzel throws her hair, pulling them away just in time. She catches Eugene in her arms.
"Eugene, next time, dodge and then make your point," She informs her boyfriend. The statue turns its attention on Harmony, who flips over it and runs over to them.
"Just by looking, it's not gonna be easy to defeat this thing!" The girl cringes a bit. It leaps towards them and Demanitus screeches, all of them running away. The statue chases after them as the monkey climbs the wall. The statue crawls a few feet away from them and jumps, landing in front of them again. The three start running in circles.
"We all make mistakes, but perhaps..." He lands on the ground, staring at them. "I can atone for my errors."
He screeches at the statue, getting its attention. The trio run off as Demanitus jumps into the air above the statue's fists. He crawls onto the being and then jumps off, taking off into a run. He turns right as the statue bumps into the walls. Demanitus reaches the others and they race down the path.
"In there!" Rapunzel looks to an opening and they slide inside. The statue bumps into the wall as they get inside and Eugene closes the door with a chain, but it falls off due to the age. The statue roars at them as it can see the four inside. Rapunzel grabs her hair and throws it onto the pulley. Together, Eugene and Harmony pull, and they shut the door before the statue could come in. The man sighs in relief before the ceiling starts crumbling.
"Harmi, give us some light."
Harmony snaps her fingers and moonlight comes from them, going towards the ceiling to light up the whole room.
Demanitus starts making monkey noises, shaking his head to snap out of it again. "I'm running out of time. Listen...one must unite the Sundrop and Moonstone to summon the ultimate power. Which means you must grab the moonstone before you can summon it, Harmony. Fourth piece of the scroll contains the instructions to wield that power."
"Wield the power?" Rapunzel asks slowly.
"In the right hands, it can be used for good. In the wrong hands, it could be inconceivable deadly. Now you know why I tested your faith—to ensure the purest of hearts controls the power!"
"Then what if we just leave the moonstone alone, right?" Eugene questions in concern.
"If the sundrop does not join with the moonstone properly, the black rocks will reawaken, and seek you out forever, even if the wielder has control. It'll destroy everything in your path," He draws a picture of Corona and then destroys it.
"Oh, yes, let's not do that," Eugene cringes at the thought. Harmony covers her mouth in horror, the blonde giving her a small hug.
Demanitus chatters, clearing his throat as he hands the scroll to Rapunzel. "I don't know if I can do it, Demanitus..." Harmony states skeptically.
"You must. Even the evilest of objects can be controlled by a pure heart. You must ensure that you will not give in to its evil, Harmony. I have faith in you."
She smiles happily at his words. "You do? You hear that guys, the greatest inventor of Corona has faith in me!"
"That's so great!" Rapunzel gives her another hug.
"I have a question...how do we get out of this miserable doom labyrinth?!" Eugene gestures to the room, the ceiling crumbling. The statue is trying to ram itself into the room from outside.
"The moon cannot be seen without the sun's light," Demanitus holds all of their hands. "She gives you light. And she gives you the way to see that light. Now you must return the favor with your faith."
"Demanitus, I don't think I have it," Eugene glances away.
"It's not that you need to have faith, it's that you need to find the faith you already have. Think..." The monkey points to his head.
He closes his eyes, thinking about how the two sisters have taken everything positively today.
It's a riddle!
No one tell us the answers, I got this.
A mushroom!
You were great!
Even if he did all of those things, I know his heart is the right place. Just like mine is with the moonstone...
We finally found it!
You hear that guys, the greatest inventor of Corona has faith in me!
He smiles at the memories made today. "I do have faith...I've always had faith in Rapunzel."
"Aww," Harmony smiles softly at them.
"I didn't forget my little sister," Eugene pats the top of her head. Demanitus chatters as the two pets smile, and then they get their attention.
"Oh no...no, no...oh no..."
"No! Please stay, Demanitus! We have so many questions! H-how does my hair work, what does the moonstone do-"
"Questions you must answer yourself..." He interrupts her. "I waited millennia in this monkey to meet the sundrop and moonstone. I have faith in you. And by the way..." He holds out a piece of paper for Harmony. "Do give this to Varian."
"How did you know his na-"
He screeches and turns around. Then he squeaks and whines as Demanitus is now gone...he runs up to Eugene and crawls on top of him. The statue breaks the door open and steps inside.
"Blondie, Brownie, you're going to save us," Eugene places a hand on his girlfriend's shoulders.
"How?!"
"My black rocks are useless against that thing!" Harmony points to it.
"I don't know. But I've always believed in us. I've always believed in you, the both of you."
She smiles, placing Pascal on Eugene's shoulder. Harmony does the same with Daisy, and they all hold hands. The statue runs up to them as they squeeze each other's hands. The sisters close their eyes as their hair glows golden and blue respectively. Rapunzel's hair comes out of the braid to wrap around them while Harmony's moonlight surrounds the statue. The hair engulfs them completely as the blue light touches the statue, and the two lights cause an explosion throughout the maze.
Rapunzel's hair falls onto the floor as Eugene hugs them both. The statue is completely in pieces.
"Well, looks like my birthday wish came true," He smiles at Rapunzel.
"What was that?! We've never done that before," Harmony looks at her hands.
"I know, right?!" Rapunzel holds her hands. "That was..."
"Don't say it-"
"A-maze-ing~!" The two sisters sing in unison.
"Oh, there it was," Eugene groans at the joke.
They return back to Canardist's cart, where she opens the door and smiles. "See you, Vigor. It's been...educational."
The monkey picks his ear, sniffing it before he goes inside. Canardist groans in disdain at them, slamming the door.
"Well, shall we-"
"Wait! Wait, please!" Canardist interrupts, approaching them. She takes off the gem from the turban. "Vigor said...he wanted you to have this."
Eugene smiles, offering a coin to her. "Unfortunately...it is free."
"No, no, take it. I think I owe him."
"If you insist," He spins the coin into her hand in exchange for the gem. She then slams the door again.
"I really hope no one runs into them in the future," Harmony closes her eyes, shaking her head. Who knows what she might put them through?
"Blondie, I gotta say, this has been the weirdest, best birthday I've ever had," He hugs his girlfriend. "Now come on, we got a Dark Kingdom to get to."
"And no matter what happens...we'll be there," Rapunzel places a hand on her sister's back, causing her to smile.
"I can't believe today! We met Demanitus and he gave Varian a letter for me, and-"
"Aren't you going to read it?" Eugene raises a brow at her.
"No way! I want him to read it first when we get back home," Harmony places the scroll into her bag.
The others have returned to the caravan, where the two sisters are telling their friends everything. "And then Vigor said, for I am Demanitus! Now this is a monkey talking, by the way. So he took us to a maze, and-and there were riddles. Oh, Cass, Cass! You know how much I love riddles!"
"And we had to deal with these disgusting spiders..."
Eugene opens up the gem to see a tiny piece of paper.
"Oh! This one, I had to put my arm in a wall, totally figured it out."
"And he said he had faith in me with the moonstone, and the next thing I knew, he gave me a letter to give to Varian! He's gonna love it!"
At the end of Rapunzel and Harmony's journey, one of their party shall turn against them.
He raises a brow at the laughing Shorty and Lance. "Pascal, Pascal, do the face again..." He does so and Daisy chirps, flapping her wings. They all laugh, the horses neighing along. "That's the one! That's the face, oh!"
The last person he turns to, Cass, has a sinister smile on her face as she glances to the duo...
His eyes widen in alarm.
She wasn't really going to do that...was she?
Angel: I know making Varian go back to Corona might seem unfair, but I have a reason for it, which I will not say XD It's nothing personal against him, believe me.
And yes, Harmony is only half of the moonstone. Which, if you think about it, explains a lot XD No, there isn't two moonstones, but she's the embodiment of only half of it. I don't know how to explain it any clearer than I have in this episode lol.