Angel: Another curse word near the end...this is really it. The final episode before the series finale...Waaah, why couldn't they have just left the number for episodes for season 3...? And I could've put a Varian lookalike, but...
There's no one that can be like Varian :3 And it's not like he's a thief like Eugene used to be, so what would even happen there? Varian's reputation now as someone to be trusted doesn't deserve to get tarnished...But maybe I could do that as a one-shot in the future. Although, in the future, please mind your words, or else it'll just sound like I'm being told to do something, even though this is my story. I get that more often than I should, like, think about what you send before you send it...
Not trying to be a hypocrite, it's just merely a suggestion. And I am not deleting this story anytime soon XD I wouldn't want to, anyway.
Rise of the Guardians is still in the lead!
At Varian's home, he's firing amber into the field. Statues of Cass are being affected by it. "Alright Team Awesome!" He cheers, high-fiving and bumping hips with Eugene. The new Captain of the Guard has goggles like Harmony's and Varian's on his head. "Project Obsidian is a success."
"Project Obsidian?" Rapunzel asks as she and her sister arrive.
"Project Obsidian. It's a device that can destroy Cassandra-" Eugene elbows him. "Dra's self-esteem..."
Harmony crosses her arms, raising a skeptical brow at him. "Vari...really? We know what you're really up to."
"Eugene, we are not attacking Cassandra," Rapunzel states to him.
"Of course we're not going to attack her, sunshine. But I'm Captain of the Guard now, I have to be prepared to protect our people from any contingencies," Another amber shot is fired. "But I'm-" He fires two more times and Harmony whistles with her fingers.
"Hey, hi, Vari? You can stop now," She waves to him and he smiles sheepishly.
"But I won't use this thing without your approval," He pulls out the contract. They say nothing, hesitating as they glance to each other.
"Princess, Mona, believe me, I don't wanna hurt Cass either, but we can't promise that she's not gonna try to hurt us," He places a hand on Harmony's shoulder. "I don't wanna lose you too..."
Her eyes soften at his words and she takes a deep breath. "Okay, we will sign it to protect Corona," Rapunzel seems to come to the same agreement as her sister. "But, we won't need it. Because I know the Cass we love is still in there somewhere."
Eugene hands her the quill and they both sign the paper. "I'm only signing it for you, my sister, and everyone in Corona..." Harmony murmurs as she writes her name.
Outside of Cass' lair, she's talking a walk around. She seems to enjoy the wind in her hair when a glint touches her eye. She looks at the ground to see the missing shard piece from the mirror. She bends down to it and takes the mirror, touching it.
"Turn the key, like this, so whenever you hear this tune, you'll think of your dear, sweet mother, and the love I have for you..."
"I love you, Mama!" 4-year-old Cass hugs her and runs off with the music box. The memory put a small smile to Cass' face. Then she puts the shard back where it belongs.
"And the love I have for you."
"I love you, Mama!"
Then little Cass leaves and Gothel groans. "Hopefully that'll keep her out of my hair for a while. Lousy little pest."
Her eyes widen and she glares up at the top.
"Do you wanna explain to me how this got here?" She storms up to Zhan Tiri, who's eating grapes. She throws them away. "Back at Gothel's, I thought Rapunzel and Harmony were hiding the one memory that proved my mother loved me."
"And...?"
"And you manipulated that memory, didn't you?!" Cass yells at her, holding up the shard. "You took this piece out. You tricked me into abandoning Rapunzel and the others!"
"Perhaps...or perhaps I simply pushed you to become what you've always meant to be, what Princess Harmony should have been!"
"Who are you?" She touches the girl's shoulders, tensing up. She suddenly gets a flashback of Zhan Tiri and gasps. "You're...you're that ancient demon Zhan Tiri?"
"Oh, quit pretending you're horrified," She dismisses Cass' reaction as she sits on the side of the throne. "We're not so different, you and I. We were both cheated out of our destinies! In fact, we're more like sisters than you, Rapunzel, and that twit Harmony ever were. She prevented me from getting my destiny! So what if I had to use her to get it? We even want the same thing! And we can get it if you continue to let me help you."
"No...no, I'm nothing like you," Cass stands up, horrified by Zhan Tiri and what she's done. "Just because I'm pursuing my destiny doesn't make me a bad person!"
Zhan Tiri just laughs at her. "Doesn't it?"
Cass runs off in fear of her and she continues to laugh. "Run, Cassandra! But you can't run from who you are!"
She creates black rocks as she continues running, using them to let out all her rage. She even destroys a tree, which falls in front of her. She walks up to the poster that's on the tree to see a wanted poster for herself...it's even labeled traitor.
"Am I the bad guy...?" She whispers as she turns to look back at her fortress. "What am I doing?" She sits down, hugging her knees. "To my home, my friends...Rapunzel and Harmony...I-I've gotta fix this."
Laughter is heard nearby. Vlad, Ulf, and Attila are throwing Shorty around in the woods. "Here, here!" Attila catches Shorty and prepares to throw him.
"Go long!"
He throws the tiny man and he lands right in front of Cass. "Oh hello, tall, dark, and blue," He winks at her. The other three see her and gasp.
"Look, I'm just on my way to Corona to-"
"You heard her! She's gonna attack Corona! Stop her!" The thugs run towards her, but she blocks them off with black rocks, running off. They chase after her and she hides behind a tree. They run right past her and a hoot is heard above her head. She looks up to see Owl.
"Owl!"
He gives a skeptical look, causing her to sink onto the grass. "Oh! I know, I've been...not the nicest person lately, but that's going to change."
He flies over to her. "No, I...I can't just go talk to them face-to-face!" He hoots at Cass again. "Why not? Because they won't be, I-I mean, the people won't be happy to see me! You saw the pub thugs. Not to mention I almost killed a teenage girl by sucking the powers out of her. I pushed her buttons too by kidnapping Varian and baiting her into getting mad." He looks up as he hoots again. "I...I'll have to find a way to get close to Harmony and Rapunzel without being noticed."
"You're useless! Absolutely useless!" Old Lady Crowley just happens to be in the forest with the lady-in-waiting for the sisters. "You're supposed to be collecting flowers, Faith. Flowers! Do you know what a flower is? Because these look like sadness on stems!"
"Ugh! I can't do this anymore!" Faith runs off in the other direction. Cass smirks at her.
"I have an idea." She pulls out the shapeshifting cloak from her bag.
The town is decorated with banners as Faith walks in. Owl sits on a perch. "Owl, there you are," It's Cass' voice coming out of Faith's mouth. "Oh, it's me," She removes the hoodie to reveal herself. He stares at her, tilting his head. "Does it matter where I took the cloak from?" He hoots at her. "Ugh. Fine, I took it from the Spire," She places the hood back on to turn into Faith. She stares at a poster for a play about her and Rapunzel. "But I gotta figure out how to show everyone that this...is not who I am."
Varian is holding Harmony's hand as they walk past and Cass smiles weakly at them. Despite everything she's done to Harmony, she's still going on strong with the boy...she's just grateful that the boy is by her side through everything.
"So your dad is really considering cancelling the festival this year?" Varian whispers to the girl.
"Yeah...he's announcing it later today, but my sister and I would really like it if he considered how the people feel. The Goodwill Festival is something we celebrate every year, it's basically tradition. I can't tell you how many festivals I had to watch from my window before Rapunzel came back."
"True, but he hasn't had a vote or anything like that?" He asks her and she shakes her head no slowly.
"No...hopefully my sister and I can convince him to reconsider."
"I regret to inform you that, in light of recent events, I have decided to exercise caution and...cancel the Goodwill Festival this year."
Harmony, Rapunzel, and Arianna look sad to hear him say this to the people. Cass joins the crowd.
"Unless, anyone has any objections?" Rapunzel asks the crowd.
"Does anyone want to have the Goodwill Festival?" Harmony questions them next.
Cass smiles a bit. "Rapunzel, Harmony, we talked about this," Frederic whispers to them.
"I know we did, Dad, but I still think we need to let the people decide."
"They have fun every year," Harmony gestures to the crowd. "You didn't stop them when I was in the castle for 14 years."
Arianna smiles at her daughters for their input. He looks to his wife, who nods in agreement with them. Frederic sighs in defeat.
"Very well."
"If the Goodwill Festival is important to you, speak now, or forever hold your peace," Rapunzel announces to everyone.
"I'm with you, princess!" Cass shouts immediately with a big smile.
"Faith...really?"
"Whoa, coming out of her shell," Eugene comments at her.
"Look, we don't always have control over what happens to us, but we can choose how we respond to it, right? So when tough times to Corona, Corona fights back by doubling its good cheer! That's why we're gonna make this the greatest Goodwill Festival ever!"
Everyone agrees as they cheer.
"Well, it looks like the festival is happening after all," Frederic says as the two sisters smile at each other.
Cass steps into a room, removing the hoodie with a smile. She pokes at Owl's beak. "Okay, I know. I know you think I should just go tell Rapunzel and Harmony it's me and talk to them." She's smiling at her plan. He tilts his head again, hooting.
"But don't you see? This Goodwill thing is a perfect opportunity to extend an olive branch. Trust me, this is going to work out fine." She sits on the bed and Owl flies away. Zhan Tiri is sitting on a branch from a tree outside.
"I'm sure it will," She giggles menacingly. Shorty laughs nearby and she turns around to stare at him.
"What are we laughing at?"
The next day, Rapunzel and Harmony are checking over Gregorio. Rapunzel pats him on the head. "Is it just me, or did he get even lazier?"
"Come on, Gregorio! You can't wait to grab, right?" Rapunzel holds up his arms. "Oh, yeah, I know you're pumped!"
He falls back down onto the pillow, Harmony frowning a bit. "That's the spirit!"
"I don't think he's up for it, Punzie," She tells the blonde, who jumps up and down.
"Jumping jacks! Come on! Okay, sitting jacks...yeah? Good? Okay, take five." She turns to the others. "Okay, I do not want to alarm you, but I think Gregorio might be a little...past his prime. And what's a Gopher Grab without a gopher? You just run around and grab nothing. That's not fun!"
"I mean, are you really surprised?" Harmony whispers to her. "He's been doing the Gopher Grab ever since it was established."
"Hey, why don't I help you two track down a gopher that's a little more...spry?"
"That's a great idea, Faith. But where would we find another gopher?" Rapunzel asks the 'handmaiden.'
"So, it's a gopher you're after," Shorty questions from behind and they turn to him. "There's only one place you can go to get a gopher. Some say it doesn't exist. Others say it doesn't exist."
"So...it doesn't exist?" Eugene asks him.
"Or does it?!" He eyes Eugene, Pascal, and Daisy in the eye, slightly frightening them. "It does. It is a valley of gophers and I call it...ta ta ta ta...Valley of Gophers!"
"Um...okay," Harmony sweats a bit, feeling a little uncomfortable by the pause.
They stand in the valley as there's a bunch of gopher holes in front of them. "Color me surprised, it actually does exist," Eugene comments as Cass starts to shimmer. She looks down at her dress to see a gopher pulling on the end. She tugs at the cloak. "How did Shorty know about this place?"
Cass tugs back at the cloak, and when she gets it back, she's now Frederic with a lady-in-waiting dress on.
"He said he got married here, so that's nice..." Cass then turns into Adira. "Ah, do not read into that." She turns into Eugene. "I don't want my wedding here."
"I wouldn't either. Not too big on outdoor ceremonies," Harmony waves it off. Eugene laughs as Cass turns back into Faith.
"Yeah, that would be even worse than getting married in Vardaros." Eugene turns around to Cass and she smiles sheepishly.
"Oh, Vardaros isn't that bad," Rapunzel waves it off as the gopher rips off the cloak. "Unless it's you getting married to Stalyan in Vardaros, then it's bad."
The gopher turns into Vigor, Fidella, and Little Big Guy. "Or if Morgan tries to steal Varian again," Harmony deadpans at the memory.
"Oh yeah, can't really think of anything worse than me and Stalyan getting married anyway. Faith?"
She had since gotten the cloak back, having jumped over the gopher to snatch it back and put it on. "What are you doing?"
"What, this? I-I'm s-s-stretching," She stammers, moving away the gopher with her foot.
"Neat! Where'd you learn to stretch like that?" Rapunzel smiles at Cass.
"Uhh, in acting class! It's a—It's a warm-up. Let's catch us a gopher, shall we?" She points behind her as she walks off.
Owl flies overhead as Cass walks past a gopher hole. "Acting, huh?" Eugene questions as they stare at her. "I mean, she doesn't exactly strike me as the performer type."
"What are you saying, Eugene?" Rapunzel looks up at him.
"I'm just saying it's a little strange."
"People can change if they want to," Harmony rolls her eyes and Rapunzel stops the both of them.
"Shh, look."
Cass waves them forward. "Faith, this was such a great idea! Everyone is gonna be so excited to do the grab with the brand new gopher!"
They walk off towards the gophers and she looks up at Owl. "See? My plan's working. Some bad guy," She picks up her skirt and joins the three.
"With this many gophers, we should have our pick of any-" The gophers sit up to look at him and he cringes.
"There," Cass points up ahead. "That one's perfect!" She's pointing at a blonde gopher. "We've got the bait, right? Who brought the bimberries?"
"Bimberries? No, no, no, bimberries make them crazy. It's dimberries that you want."
"No, it's bimberries, Eugene!" Harmony tells him. He drops them onto the grass and she tries to grab them back, but it's too late. A gopher eats one as do the others, going crazy.
Cass grabs Eugene by the collar. "Don't tell me you've mixed them up again!" She then drops him, laughing sheepishly. "Is what I would say if you had done this previously-" A few gophers jump onto Eugene, tackling him to the floor.
"I told you..." Harmony sighs at him before they scatter. It seems as if the one they want is the only one who didn't eat one.
"No!" Rapunzel shouts in alarm.
"We need that gopher!" The girls chase after it, the gophers jumping back onto Eugene.
"No, I don't have any more dimberry. Bimbe—whatever kind of im they are, get off!"
Rapunzel pulls up a crazed gopher, turning to her sister. "Do you have anything to help us out?"
"Actually I do!"
"Quick, get it out now!" She instructs Harmony and she digs into her bag. Cass picks one up and it shows her its teeth.
"Oh, well, that's the stuff of nightmares," Cass puts it down, the gophers running past her skirt and showing her black boots. She pulls the cloak down.
"Faith, there she is!" Rapunzel points up ahead as Harmony pulls out a claw attached to a bow that's retractable. The three trip onto the ground, laughing together. "Where did she go?"
"Look, up there!"
The gopher is on top of a tree. Harmony gives Cass her invention and with Rapunzel's hair, she swings close enough to catch it.
"Ah, good job, Raps and Harmi!" She high-fives them and they all realize what she said. "I-I mean, your highnesses."
"No! No, no, it's okay," Rapunzel waves her hands. "Actually, an old friend used to call us that..."
"Not that I mind other people calling me that," Harmony rubs her neck with a small smile.
She smiles at them, Pascal and Daisy joining their sides. "You better be worth...this," Eugene gestures to his torn uniform.
"Part of me was a little worried about having the Goodwill Festival this year," Rapunzel admits to Cass. "Considering we've spent the past few festivals with..." She looks away, Harmony placing a hand on her back in sympathy. "Well...it just...it brings up a lot of memories. But I am glad that I have you here with us."
"Same here," Harmony smiles, gesturing to herself.
"Thank you for sharing, it means...a lot."
"Ah, Princess Rapunzel, Princess Harmony!" Feldspar runs up to them. "I'm doomed! It's 15 minutes to curtain, and both of the leads of my play just called it quits!"
"Feldspar, my man! You are in luck because Faith here is an actress!" Rapunzel gestures to Cass, who shakes her head rapidly.
"Oh thank goodness! Faith, you're a lifesaver. But, I don't have anyone to play you," Feldspar gestures to Harmony.
"Oh, I'll do it. Better to have the genuine thing, right? Besides, it'll be fun!" The girl smiles at him.
"Oh thank you, Princess!" He holds her hands gratefully. He then stands in front of the crowd. "Citizens of Corona, I present to you, a masterpiece of my own making, The Triumph of Princess Rapunzel and Princess Harmony," He gets off the stage as Faith and Harmony get on, the crowd clapping. Harmony smiles and waves to all her friends and family. Varian and Rapunzel are standing right next to each other up in front for support.
"Psst, Faith, come on. Commence actoring," Feldspar whispers to her since she has the first line. She has a Rapunzel wig on.
"...No, Cassandra! Don't take the moonstone. We can make this right!"
"Please, reconsider!" Harmony holds out a hand to the wind, feeling a bit self-conscious.
"The moonstone is mine!" Vlad steps onto the stage with a Cass wig on.
"Wait, Vlad? He's playing C-Cassandra? Oh, that's just swell," Cass deadpans at him, finding it ironic since she saw him earlier.
"Your destiny belongs to me!"
Harmony had to bite back a laugh on how ridiculous he sounds. "Tremble in the face of my evil villainy," He pretends to create black rocks, which are being played by Catalina and Kiera. They both wave to Varian and he waves back.
"Okay, this is not accurate," Cass whispers to herself. "Cassandra," She places down the script. "I understand you've been feeling like...like no one ever gives you a chance, and that is my fault."
Harmony stares up at her in confusion. Vlad blinks and growls. "When I accepted this role, I specifically said I don't do improv!" He walks off, handing Feldspar the wig.
"Oh...oh, this is a catastrophe."
Rapunzel inches past the crowd and joins Feldspar. She grabs the wig and puts it on, joining the play. "You're right, uh, Rapunzel. It may be your fault, uh, partially, but maybe if I had been more honest about how I was feeling...things would not have gone this far."
She offers a small smile, the crowd feeling moved by her words. "Well...maybe it's not as easy for everyone to say how they're feeling. Not everyone can look someone else in the eye and say...I'm hurting. Or I'm sad or even I-I'm sorry..."
Harmony looks between the two of them. "Just because it's not easy doesn't mean you shouldn't do it."
"Wait, I'm confused," Monty speaks up. "So who's the bad guy in this story?"
"It's complicated!" All of them say in unison, causing him to cringe. Attila claps slowly, Feldspar throwing down the script.
"What's the point of writing, anyway?"
The three look to each other, feeling a bit awkward.
Once she's back in a tent, Cass puts down the wig, taking off the cloak and putting it down. She places a hand on her forehead. She couldn't believe she spoke like that to Rapunzel. She basically poured out her feelings despite the fact that she's supposed to be someone else...
"You didn't really think your plan to make things right would work, did you?"
"What are you doing here?" Cass glares at her in hatred.
"I don't understand," She stands up from the chair. "You could've just gone up to them and apologized, face-to-face."
"I said, get away from me!" She yells at Zhan Tiri, who doesn't listen.
"You've had more than a few opportunities and even still, you haven't done it. Why is that? I think-"
"Because I'm scared they won't forgive me!" Cass finally reveals.
"You're right to be scared," Zhan Tiri steps up to her. "I'm guessing they haven't told you about Project Obsidian. A weapon that was designed to destroy you. The two sisters just authorized it yesterday."
"What?" She asks in confusion. "No, I don't believe you. You lied to Harmi for years, so why should I? They would never-"
"You can ask them yourselves if you don't believe me. You might want something to defend yourself against them," She's holding a bottle in her hand. "This potion may be your only protection against the Princesses when they inevitably turn on you."
"It's that time, folks! The Gopher Grab is about to begin, so make your way to the stadium!" Cass looks between outside and the potion. She couldn't really trust her...but if what she's saying is actually true...
Rapunzel and Harmony are walking through the courtyard together with Pascal and Daisy. They wave to the people nearby.
"Holding the Gopher Grab in the courtyard will take some getting used to, but if Dad thinks it's safer than out of the woods..." She drops her shoulders.
"Oh, you know Papa," Harmony giggles in amusement. "Always worried about safety rather than convenience..."
"Oh, Faith!" Rapunzel notices her up ahead and the two run to catch up with her. Zhan Tiri is nearby hiding behind a tent. "There you are. So...about that play, that got kind of weird, huh? Can we ask you something? What...made you change the lines like that?"
"Yeah, you don't usually improvise on anything at all," Harmony raises a curious brow at her.
"Oh, I...you know...I just heard there's a lot more to the story," She smiles sheepishly.
"There is," Rapunzel looks away, Harmony frowning deeply. "Cass has reasons for doing what she did, and...though her methods may not be the best, I really believe that deep down, she is still a good person."
"Really?" Cass asks softly, glancing to Harmony.
"Well..." Harmony rubs the back of her neck. "In a way, she's sort of like Vari. And...it'll be hard to get past the fact that she almost killed me and lied to my face...and is with Zhan Tiri, but...with time...I'll be able to forgive her. I believe in second chances for those who have been through a dark path. Just like I was when I had the powers of the moonstone. I mean, just look at Vari or Edmund or heck, Eugene." She smiles softly. "Like my sister says, Cass isn't totally gone...she helped raised me, you know. I guess somewhere along the way...she got tired of having to look after me."
"...Raps, Harmi, I...I have something I need to tell you...um, can we talk in private?"
"Oh...okay," Rapunzel glances at her sister, who shrugs. They start to walk away, but Zhan Tiri walks behind them in the shadows. Behind the hay, she reaches out and takes off the cloak, revealing Cass herself.
The two sisters gasp sharply at the woman in front of them, backing away. "Cassandra?"
"You...you were Faith this whole time?" Harmony covers her mouth in shock. "The Shapeshifting Cloak...you stole it..."
"Cassandra?" Rapunzel asks again, people running off in fear.
"We have to protect the princesses!" A guard shouts as they run up to them.
"Girls, listen, I-I can explain," She stammers to them.
"Stwp away from them, now!" The guards arrive.
"Wait! Stand down!" Rapunzel holds out a hand, but Cass knocks them back.
"Cass, why are you doing this?" Harmony asks in slight fear.
"No, wait. I have something," Cass holds out a hand. She steps towards Harmony, who steps back.
"What's she doing?" Zhan Tiri grits her teeth. She wasn't made aware of this.
"To you, I return your power. Set the power free, and let it strengthen," Blue light transfers from Cass to Harmony, surrounding her moon symbol with it. This shocks everyone around them and when it stops, the moon symbol glows from the girl's hand. "I gave you back the powers I stole from you. Try it out if you don't believe me."
Harmony skeptically looks at her hand, raising it. A black rock emerges from the ground, her mouth opening in shock. Except this time, it goes back into the ground. "I can recall the black rocks...?" She murmurs slowly, looking up at Cass skeptically. "Why would you give me my powers back? There's no trick to this, is there?"
"No. It's not a trick, I swear. There's a reverse incantation that was taught to me, and I used half of it on you. Because…I truly want you to know that...I'm sorry for almost...killing you, Harmi. That wasn't my intention. Zhan Tiri told me to take it from you, but she didn't tell me what effect it would have on you."
"Captain," A guard runs up to Eugene and Varian. "Cassandra is in Corona. She's attacking Rapunzel and Harmony!"
Eugene turns to Varian and nods. The two horses take off. Varian hopes that by the time they reach Harmony that she won't be hurt or worse.
Cass is attacking the guards with black rocks, Rapunzel grabbing her wrist. "Cass, don't do this!"
She traps a guard with black rocks.
"It's not too late for us to make things right! If you gave Harmi her power back, and felt regret for what you did, that means we can fix everything!"
"Please," Harmony gives her a pleading look. "Leave the people of Corona alone and we can just talk this out."
She hesitates, stepping away from them slowly.
Varian and Eugene arrive at the scene. They jump off the horses and Varian prepares to fire. "Hold your fire," He whispers to the boy.
"Rapunzel, Harmony," Cass steps up to them. "I want to believe you, but..."
Zhan Tiri appears behind Varian and she pushes the button. The gun fires on its own...
Right towards Harmony.
Rapunzel and Eugene gasp sharply at this.
"NO! Mona!" Varian shouts, but she jumps out of the way, rolling to a stop. It hits Cass instead. She looks towards the amber, panting slowly. He sighs slowly in relief. If she hadn't moved out of the way...she could've been like his father 2 years ago.
She gets the bad feeling and looks up to see Zhan Tiri going into the shadows, narrowing her eyes. Of course: she's here to make trouble again, but she wasn't going to allow herself to give in, ever! She must've been the one behind that, she's behind everything.
Cass starts to get trapped in it, holding out a hand to the two. "No! We said we didn't need to attack her," She whips around to Varian.
"I don't know what happened! I-It must have malfunctioned!" Varian looks between the gun and Harmony in horror. He couldn't believe it, not only did it malfunction, but it was going to hit the girl he loves.
Cass manages to break free with black rocks. "Project Obsidian, huh? Zhan Tiri was right."
"What?!" Harmony exclaims at this.
"Cassandra-"
"You want me to be the bad guy? Fine...now I'm the bad guy," She declares, holding the potion. Rapunzel frowns as those were the exact same words Gothel said to her...
"Cassandra, no!"
"Please don't-"
She smirks and throws the potion onto the floor. The two are hit with its contents, coughing. They fall unconscious on the floor side-by-side.
"No!" Eugene shouts as he jumps on Max. He rushes over there as a guard throws a net. Cass throws a black rock just before it falls over her. Eugene picks up Rapunzel first. "Max, Pascal, Daisy, get the princesses as far away as you can, now!"
Varian picks up Harmony in his arms and places her at the rear end. "Please make sure they're safe."
He whinnies and runs off with them. Cass growls from her spot, creating a black rock to send Eugene on the ground. She then creates more to get herself free, growling in anger. This sends the guards on her flying and she traps them in cages. She stands up and tries to do the same with Eugene, but he rolls out of the way.
A guard pushes her onto the ground and she gets herself back up. She sends more towards the ground.
"Cassandra, please," She grits her teeth at Varian. "This is your home."
"Not anymore," Cass shakes her head. "Corona falls today!"
She creates black rocks surrounding the castle and herself. Cookies get thrown at her face by Monty and Feldspar. She deflects them with a black rock. Shorty and another citizen try this time with their own projectiles, only to earn the same result. She creates black rocks around them to create a hole in the floor, which they fall through. She does the same with Monty and Feldspar, and then to the guards. Nigel is running up the ramp as black rocks follow him. He runs over to the king and queen, pulling them away. Black rocks hit the balcony and she sends some towards Eugene next.
"Gah!" He finds himself surrounded by them. Zhan Tiri just giggles at the damage that Cass is ultimately doing for her.
"Cassandra, I'm putting a stop to this right now!"
"Oh ho ho ho, this oughta be good!" She smirks evilly, recalling some black rocks. She brings up another one with her sword impaled into it. Cass takes it out, grinning at him wickedly.
"Cass, please...you are like a sister to me," He holds out his hand.
"Save it!" She grits her teeth, propelling herself into the air with sword in hand. She swings at him.
"Stop-!" She knocks him into the air with a black rock, and they briefly sword fight. Then she does it again twice, sending him onto the ground.
"That was not fair..."
"Quick, everyone, to the castle! We'll be safe there!" Mary points to it and they take off into a run. Cass notices them leaving.
"Sorry, but the castle's off-limits," She smirks, holding up the Mind Trap. Lance and the others slide to a stop to see Hector and his animals blocking the way. Adira joins his side as he jumps off the rhino, approaching the citizens.
"Adira! Adira! It's me, Lance!"
She doesn't say anything to him as she just stares, the blue in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She pulls out her sword and starts attacking him. He pulls out his own weapon, confused by why she's attacking. "Why is love so fickle?"
"Be careful, Lance!" Eugene warns him. "It looks like she and Hector are under the influence of the Mind Trap talisman!"
Varian joins his side with his firearm, firing twice. He hits the black rocks and Cass flips onto the ground. She creates an X with the black rocks, and they break once touched with Varian's amber. She sends more of them towards the two, the people running away from the rhino. The guards attempt to catch it with a net, but it's too strong for them.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lance exclaims as he defends himself against Adira. "I don't wanna fight you!"
She jumps towards him and he leaps away from her.
Badgers are chasing the citizens, with the guards attempting to catch them with the net. Hector jumps into the air and starts a fight with Edmund. He kicks the man away.
The badger drags the guards across the floor as Adira continues to attack Lance.
"We have to fall back!" He turns to Eugene and Varian.
"We are not falling back!" Eugene points his sword at his friend. Varian fires twice as Cass' hand touches the ground. This sends black rocks towards the boy, knocking the firearm out of his hand. Eugene stands up, gritting his teeth at her. The guards are sent flying by the rhino, Pete and Stan running after it. Adira is looking for Lance, who's hiding behind black rocks.
Monty and Feldspar run past Edmund, who knocks down Hector. "Son, you cannot save a kingdom by being trapped inside it!" Edmund calls out to him.
Eugene and Varian step back from the rocks that Cass is sending their way. He looks to everyone, as they're in no shape to fight back.
"Everyone, fall back!"
They run out of the entrance of the castle. Cass growls at this and attacks the two. Varian and Eugene run away from the rocks, Cass creating bigger ones...
Eyes open to see Eugene, Arianna, and Frederic. "Blondie, Brownie," Eugene smiles in relief. Both of them come to.
"What's going on...?"
"Why are we in the pub...?" Harmony looks around to see everyone's smiling faces.
"Mom!" Kiera and Catalina run up to her, hugging the girl.
"You're awake," Varian laughs in relief as the two step back and he wraps his arms around her.
"Thank goodness you're okay," Eugene hugs his girlfriend. Their eyes widen as they stare at him.
"What happened to Cassandra?"
"Is Corona okay?" Harmony asks next.
"...Aw, sunshine...I don't know if you should be-"
By his hesitation, they know that something is wrong. Harmony scrambles out of bed, following her sister out the door.
"Mona, wait-!"
They open up the door and run into the woods. They see Corona covered in black rocks. "No! I-I don't believe it," Rapunzel looks in horror.
"No, she didn't," Harmony murmurs slowly as she steps back.
It seems as if Rapunzel's greatest fear...has come true...
Eugene takes a hold of her hand, the others joining them from behind. Rapunzel narrows her eyes in determination. No matter what, they'd stop them once and for all...
Not a single soul is in the town or even the castle. Cass narrows her eyes, sitting at her new throne...
Harmony is firing arrows at targets outside the pub. It's now very dark as Varian is staring at her from the doorway. Judging by her rapid firing, she's blowing off some steam. Harmony huffs as she looks towards Corona, her eyes growing sad at the sight.
She then turns her attention to her next target, and gets a bullseye. She reaches for the last arrow, only to find it gone. She turns around and sees Varian holding it.
"Um, hi."
"Hey..." She murmurs at him, taking her arrow from him. She shuts an eye as she fires at the last target, and the arrow goes all the way into the middle, even touching the wood behind it. He watches her as she grabs all her arrows back.
"Mona, I'm so sorry, I never meant to...I swear I would never..."
"Vari, it's okay..." She steps towards him. "I know you didn't mean it."
"...Why aren't you mad at me for what I did?" Varian rubs his arm. "Mona, you could've been trapped in the amber for...for who knows how long until I made the solution again!"
"...I was already mad at you once," She speaks up, looking towards the moon. "When you betrayed me for the Sundrop Flower...and I was mad at everyone else for a little while too for what happened with you...and again when I was saying the decaying spell back at the Great Tree. And with Cass...multiple times with Cass, actually."
He flinches at the recalled memories, looking away. He didn't want to make another bad memory by an accident from his invention...
"But you wanna know the real reason why I'm not angry at you?"
He slowly looks up at her and she turns around, smiling weakly. "Because I don't have any for you, Vari. Or for my friends and family. All of it...is directed at them," She glares towards Corona. "And because I know what happened. Zhan Tiri messed with your invention so that it would look like you wanted to hurt me, because she's just that sneaky and demented."
His eyes widen slowly. She's so sneaky that she slipped right past them. "I...I should've realized, Mona, I'm sorry..."
She brings him into a hug and he returns it, smiling into her shoulder. "It's okay, Vari...the last thing you would do is hurt me. No one's gonna believe that you did it on purpose."
"I don't deserve you, you know that?" He whispers into her hair.
"Well, you're stuck with me."
Both of them laugh a little and then she turns back to Corona.
"Get ready, you demonic little bitch. I'm gonna show you just how strong my relationships are with my friends and family...Cause when I'm done, you're gonna stare at me in the face before I take. You. Down."
"And I'll be there right with you, Mona," Varian wraps an arm around her waist.
She is so tired of Zhan Tiri manipulating everything to destroy close bonds...her home...her dignity. And indirectly, thanks to Cass, she now has her powers back.
She just hopes that it doesn't mean the end for Corona...
"I just wish there was more I could've done. I took the moonstone with my hands when I was born," She kneels onto the ground. "I can't take that back…can't make sense of it either."
"It's going to work out," He sits next to her. "I'm sure of it."
She says nothing as she looks so sad and disappointed with herself. Varian takes a deep breath. She helped him with his problems, and now it was time for him to return the favor.
"Mona…I don't see a person who would willingly endanger her kingdom," He reaches out and gently touches her shoulders. "I see the real you. I see an adventurous, responsible, and caring princess that would do anything for her kingdom."
She slowly looks up at him. "And that's why I love you."
The girl smiles and he returns it. "Thank you, Vari. I love you too."
He lightly presses his head to hers and she smiles softly, closing her eyes and just enjoying the moment.