And here we are with chapter twenty and the final part of Great Expotations. I finally managed to get through the episode. I still don't like it, but I did it.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Tangled. I only own this story idea.
Now, let's finish this episode.
"One of you will walk away with the greatest prize in all of the sciences: my approval." St. Croix gave his speech. "As for the rest of you, may the universe show mercy… on your wretched souls." Varian, who was in the audience, gave him a blank look along with some others at his theatrics. "Good luck."
He walked off the stage to his podium as the audience applauded slightly while Varian headed backstage. Various other inventors were there (Which Varian noted was a smaller number than the number of inventions he had seen out front), along with Rapunzel, Maximus, and Eugene, who were standing with a large invention. Nodding to his dad, Varian walked over to them. "Hey, guys." He greeted cheerfully.
"Varian, you made it in time!" Rapunzel cheered. "I'm looking forward to what you're going to present!"
"Hopefully, I can impress Dr. Drama King out there," Varian pointed towards the curtains, getting a laugh from Eugene. "Anyway, good luck, Princess."
"You too, Varian."
He smiled at her and walked off to his invention, passing by Fernanda as he did. He glanced at her and noticed she was eyeing him as well. He glared at her suspiciously and then stood next to his covered device.
"Let the judgment begin." The judge announced. The audience clapped as the curtains opened for the first contestant. A man came out with a device made to milk a cow. St. Croix turned to him with a paper and quill and asked, "Can it milk a cow?"
"No, sir," The man replied.
"Next!" The judge said sharply as he crossed out the man's name.
The curtains closed as the man moved his invention to make way for the next contestant, Rapunzel's Snuggly Duckling friend, Big Nose. Speaking of the Princess, she, Max, Pascal, and Eugene were staring up at her final invention. "Okay, Pascal, we've had some missteps, sure, but I think this one is the winner!"
"You've got this in the bag, Blondie!" Eugene complimented her, and the two animals encouraged her.
"Showtime!"
Big Nose showed off his switchblade, flicking it to show the different utensils, such as a blade and fork. "Next!" St. Croix rejected, causing him to walk through the curtains sadly.
Moments later, Rapunzel stepped out, waving to the audience as they cheered wildly for her. "Dangerously wet hallways. Cold, wet clothes. Wet hair that takes forever, and I mean forever, to dry? All those things are yesterday's problems!" St. Croix took some notes as Cass glanced between them.
As Rapunzel gave her presentation, Varian noticed Pizzazzo watching them smugly. He narrowed his eyes at her before turning to his father. "Hey, Dad? Could you keep an eye on Fernanda when she steps up?" He asked quietly, nodding to the other inventor. "Something doesn't feel right about her."
"Of course, Son," Quirin said quietly.
"Say hello to the Mega Dry!" Rapunzel stepped aside as the curtains opened, gesturing to a big fan painted in her art style and powered by Max. Pascal and Eugene were also there, the latter holding a bucket of water as he gave a device a spin for the audience, leaving them 'ahhhing.'
"Assistant?" Rapunzel turned to Eugene as they moved in front of the device. Her boyfriend poured the water on himself, tossing the bucket aside dramatically.
"I'm all about the wet look."
Varian rolled his eyes in amusement.
"The Mega Dry uses cutting-edge equine technology to release a powerful, focused stream of air," She explained as Maximus started running on a treadmill, activating the device while Pascal ran on one of the gears. "The result? What used to take hours to dry now takes seconds." Eugene's hair was completely dry when the fan stopped, to the crowd's amazement.
"Well, hello." Eugene turned to the audience smoothly. Suddenly, his hair turned all poofy, causing the spectators to laugh. Varian covered his mouth backstage to smother his own laughter.
"Okay, Son. It's not that funny." Quirin scolded slightly, though even he was smiling somewhat in mild amusement.
Eugene looked up and yelped in horror, covering his hair with the bucket before running off. "Oops. I think I still had it calibrated for my hair." Rapunzel said sheepishly.
Cass was also laughing as the judge looked unimpressed before glancing at her. Seeing St. Croix's look, she cleared her throat and straightened up professionally. "Next." He said before the curtains closed.
Finally, it was Varian's turn. He peaked through the curtains as his father brought over his invention. "It's time," Quirin smiled at him. "Are you ready?"
"Don't ask me that; I'll get nervous." His son replied, looking at him.
"You'll be fine, Son." Quirin smiled reassuringly, patting his shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, Varian gathered his nerves. "You're right. We've got this."
His father nodded before they moved into place just before the curtain opened. "Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to witness the full power of alchemy!" Varian declared as his father pulled the cloth off his machine, which looked like a cauldron crossed with a canon with multiple levers and wheels around the bottom. "I give you the Elemental Remogrifier!"
There were plenty of oohs and ahhs from the crowd. Even the judge looked impressed as Cass watched with interest.
"To quickly summarize, alchemy is the complex science of altering matter. Essentially, it's about changing something into something else. With this device, you will get to see that in action." He smiled at Quirin, who picked up a bag of sand next to the machine and poured the contents inside. While that was happening, Varian walked over to a lever and knelt to turn a wheel below it as his dad pulled the bag up and set it to the side.
"Here we go," Varian said to himself before he straightened up to grip the lever and pull it, starting up the device as it spun counterclockwise. "The rotation causes friction, which heats the sand, while the counter-centrifugal force promotes particle compression." He explained as the device ran. "The result?" He pulled the lever again, shutting it off, then walked over to reach inside. "A bag of sand turns into…" he pulled out a beautiful purple stone, holding it out for the crowd to see, "this."
The crowd gasped in amazement, impressed by the display of science. "I'm going to call this new element Rapunzium, after our long-lost princess."
"Aww!" Rapunzel cooed from backstage.
"That was… very impressive." The judge admitted after a minute. "A definite contender for first place."
Varian bowed at the waist as the curtain closed and went backstage with Quirin and his invention. He slipped the new stone into his pocket for later before moving closer to the stage, with his father beside him, so they could watch the last presentation.
Fernanda Pizazzo walked past him with her invention. "Cute machine, kid, but let me show you how a pro does it."
Varian raised an eyebrow at her but didn't reply.
Moments later, loud music starts to play, causing everyone to look towards the curtains. They see magenta smoke and a flashy explosion, forcing everyone to avert their eyes. Looking back, they see Fernanda Pizzazzo throwing open the curtain dramatically.
"Really?" Varian rolled his eyes. He may have his theatrics, but this was just tacky.
"Everybody at this expo, make some noise!" she cried enthusiastically, the audience applauding. "This is the momensational moment you've all been waiting for! But first…" She pulled a rope she'd been holding, attached to a cannon that shot out a confetti of red and blue candies. "I give you… chocolate!"
The crowd cheered again as Varian quickly caught one and opened it, eyeing the woman suspiciously. Turning it over in his hand, it didn't seem dangerous on the surface. Pulling a scalpel out of his belt, he carefully cut the candy in half and found it was solid chocolate, nothing out of the ordinary.
"What do you think, Son?" Quirin asked as his son examined the chocolate.
"It looks normal…" He said slowly, hesitant to admit he was wrong, especially when he noticed the judge eagerly eat one.
Fernanda walked over to the right side, closer to where Varian and his father stood with her covered device behind her. "Jaws, prepare to drop! Larynxes, get ready to scream! And eyeballs, how about you take a good look around because once I unveil my marveltaculer creation, the world will never look the same." she declared dramatically before taking off the sheet to reveal it. "I give you… the Fantasphere!"
Everyone stared at a table with a sphere in the middle, surrounded by two large stones folded over the top and decorated with gems. She pulled the lever, and the two stones moved away, leaving the orb floating over the table. "Huh? How'd she do that? Oh my gosh! It's awesome!" She whispered to herself, smirking slightly.
The audience gasped in awe before clapping for her, making her look smug with a proud grin. "But what does it actually do?" Varian questioned, giving her an unimpressed look as she dropped her smile.
"Uh, the real question, kid, is, what doesn't it do?" She said pleasantly, saving face with the audience. "Now here, have some chocolate and shut up." She added less pleasantly as she tossed him a chocolate and walked away. Quirin narrowed his eyes at how she spoke to his son.
"Excuse me–"
"Dad…" Varian murmured before his father could say anything, stopping him from telling the woman off. Quirin looked at his son and frowned sadly, knowing this was upsetting for him, too, but wanting to stay professional.
Varian looked away, trying to control his anger so as not to make rocks appear. It was clear to him now that this woman was a hack, probably not even a real scientist. She was just putting on a show and throwing bribes to the audience to make up for it. This was insulting to real scientists like himself, yet St. Croix was eating it all up. Then again, Varian doubted he was even an actual scientist, either.
"Its luster is glorious!" St. Croix praised Fernanda, who gasped as she leaned on her invention. "I see no need to continue this contest!" He declared as he left the podium, Cass watching him in shock. He handed Pizzazzo the ribbon, pinning it to her. She jumped up and down in glee while Varian turned and left, trying to maintain dignity as his father and Cass watched him with concern.
Varian went over and sat on the fountain; his head hung low as he tried to gather his emotions to keep his powers from acting up. A minute later, Varian was joined by his father, who sat beside him. "You should've won."
"It doesn't matter now," He didn't look at him. "If it was an actual inventor, I could've accepted it. Pizzazzo's a hack that knows how to play a hack. The only reason St. Croix is the judge is because the real scientists had work to do." He sighed when he was done with his rant. "Now I know how Cass felt when Rapunzel entered the Challenge of the Brave with her. At least the Princess brought something practical to the table…"
"Even so, you deserved the ribbon the most." Father and son looked up as Cass joined them, sitting on Varian's other side. "Your dad's right, you should've won. You're the real scientist next to Pizzazzo and St. Croix."
"Thanks, Cass." He smiled at her slightly. Quirin gave her a grateful nod, glad Varian had a good friend in Cassandra.
"Speaking of the doctor," Cass added as she glanced past the Ruddigers. "Looks like he wanted a second look at your invention." The two looked in her direction and saw that St. Croix was examining his machine. However, he started getting too hands-on as he turned the wheel, the sound of steam emanating from it.
"Master St. Croix! No! Stop!" Varian shouted as they rushed over to him. "You're causing too much pressure to build up!" He shoved past him to try and turn the wheel back, but the doctor pushed him away.
"Back off, boy. I'm a scientist."
"And I'm the one who invented this machine, and I'm telling you, you've turned it up to high. I need to turn it back down!" Varian insisted.
"Listen, Varian, or whatever your name is, I'm certain I know a thing or two about machines far more than you ever could." He grabbed the lever.
"Don't!" He shouted, but he pulled it anyway. The invention roared to life, rotating faster than before. The four all stepped back in fear as the device spun faster and faster before shooting off the stage like a canon. It hit one of the towers before bouncing to the other side of the courtyard, frightening the spectators. Then, it hits the wall and goes back to the stage.
"Somebody do something!" The judge gasped.
Reacting quickly, Quirin grabbed Varian and Cass and pulled them off the stage, the invention hitting St. Croix. "Disqualified!" He shouted as he flew into the air. The device then hit Fernanda's so-called invention, replacing the orb as it spun faster.
Meanwhile, Quirin, Cass, and Varian pushed themselves up. "Thanks, Dad."
"I owe you one, Sir Quirin," Cass added.
"Former or current, it's a knight's job to protect others," He smiled slightly before looking at the situation on stage. "And the job isn't done yet. Come on!" The three scrambled to their feet, heading back towards the stage.
"Oh, this is bad," Varian said as the wind blew faster, his and Cass's hair flying. The Elemental Remogrifier was on top of the Fantasphere, spinning faster than the eye could follow, thin bolts of green energy shooting from it.
"How bad?" Cass asked since Fernanda, Rapunzel, Eugene, and, for some reason, Shorty were still on stage.
"Introducing counter-centipegation to the magnetism could result in… well, that." He explained as a vortex formed in the sky over the stage.
The trio looked at the sight in terror before looking back at the source. "Its angular momentum is rapidly approaching critical velocity." Everyone ran off stage as the combined inventions lifted off the ground, causing the vortex to become stronger as they rose. "Once that happens, it'll suck up everything in sight! Us, the castle, everything!" Varian shouted over the wind.
A tarp got sucked up, disappearing. People ran away screaming as a woman with her invention (a device that used cycling motion to flip pancakes) was lifted into the sky. She jumped off it right before it exploded, landing on Shorty's back before running off.
"You're welcome…" He groaned in pain.
"Okay, so very bad," Cass replied as the three were back on stage. "How do we stop it?"
"There's only one way to stop it!" Varian said determinedly. "I gotta get close enough to pull the handbrake."
"What?!" Quirin gasped, stopping his son when he tried to get closer. "Varian, no! It's too dangerous!"
"Sir Quirin's right! The machines are too high! There's no way you can reach them!" Cass agreed with the older man.
Unfortunately, Varian knew they were right. Glancing at the combined machines, he knew his powers could stop it, but there were people all around, and he was right next to Cass and his dad. This may be the time, then…
Resigned, he turned back to his father and friend, ready to reveal his secret for the sake of everyone there when he noticed something behind them. Rapunzel and Eugene were still there as everyone else fled, looking at them worriedly. Seeing her invention behind her, Varian realized he had another way to solve the problem… his mind.
"I have an idea…" He said, moving to get the couple's attention. "Rapunzel!" Varian called. "Bring your invention closer!"
"What? Why?!" She called back.
"The vortex has gotten too strong, and the handbrake is too high for me to reach it!" He explained. "We need to pull them back in using an equally powerful wind source, like–"
"The Mega Dry!" Rapunzel realized, turning to her boyfriend. "The Mega Dry can generate that kind of wind speed and blow against the vortex!"
"Yes!" Eugene grinned at her before getting to work.
"Cass, I'll need you to help them. They'll need all the help they can get to move the Mega Dry," He instructed the guard.
"On it, kid!" Cass agreed, jumping off the stage to assist the Princess and her boyfriend.
"Dad, stay with me in case we can't get the machines all the way to the ground." Quirin nodded as he put a hand around his son's shoulders. They glanced back at the vortex, hoping this plan worked.
With help from some others, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cass were able to pull the giant fan over to the stage. "Okay, now hold it at that angle and have Max run backward to create a counter-pull to the vortex's critical velocity!" Varian called over to them.
"Do your thing, Max!" Rapunzel shouted to the guard horse, and he turned around and ran as fast as he could, Pascal doing the same on the gear.
They held the fan up so that it was aimed at the vortex. It began to suck back the two inventions, Varian moving closer to reach the lever. "It's working!" He exclaimed as it got closer and closer, reaching up to the hand break. Max and Pascal saw that and poured on extra speed to draw them in more.
Varian kept trying to reach for it but soon realized it was at a standstill. They had reached the point where the forces were at equal strength, but the remogrifier and Fantasphere were still too high for him.
He was about to turn to his dad when he felt his powers beginning to surge under his skin. Confused yet unafraid, he followed the feeling and felt like it was latched onto the machines like invisible cables. Focusing, he felt a tugging sensation as he saw the table start to move again, lowering towards him.
Unaware of what was happening, Quirin noticed the devices weren't moving as fast as before. Knowing his son needed help, the village leader stepped forward and picked Varian up by the waist, startling the boy into losing his concentration on the machines. Recovering from the magical whiplash, the alchemist reached out his hand again, now close enough to grab the lever.
"Hold on, Dad!" He yelled as he pulled the brake. The vortex immediately stopped, and the inventions fell back onto the stage. Quirin lowered Varian to the ground, father and son sharing an accomplished smile.
"Woohoo!" Rapunzel cheered as Max and Pascal stopped running, panting from exhaustion. "We did it!"
Everyone let go of the Mega Dry as they cheered, causing it to fall to the ground. Eugene grabbed Rapunzel's hand lovingly. "Blondie… hands down your best invention yet." He kissed her hand, and she smiled in return.
"Pardon me," Shorty said muffledly, causing the other to look down and see the Mega Dry had fallen on him. "I believe I've been folded in half."
Cass picked up the first prize ribbon on the ground, a little battered and torn but still intact. This was more than could be said for the expo, the sun now shining on a courtyard in ruins. She looked up as a couple of guards carried a wounded St. Croix on a stretcher to the infirmary. When he saw Cass, he sat up with narrowed eyes. "You–!" He tried to yell at her for not saving him but stopped and grabbed his neck as he laid back down in pain. "Ahh… Neck… hurts…" He whimpered as the two guards carried him off.
"Master St. Croix, this still counts as a win, right?" Fernanda called out as she ran after him. "No take-backsies?"
Once they were gone, Cass noticed Varian and his father sharing a tight hug, knowing that had to have been scary for the older man. Quirin then nodded to his son before leaving to do something. As the alchemist looked around to survey the damage, Cass chose that moment to join him. "I believe this was meant for you," she said, pinning the first-place ribbon on his vest.
The boy stared in surprise before smiling in joy. "Wow… thanks, Cass," he thanked her before becoming bashful. "Now, I feel bad I have nothing for you."
"Eh, don't worry about it," Cass brushed it off since it was no big deal. "So, what are you going to do with your new element?"
"I was thinking of making a necklace for Rapunzel with it. Kinda like a friendship necklace," Varian explained. "I know, probably cheesy, but I thought she'd like it."
"Oh, she'll love it," The female guard assured him. "Just be careful she doesn't ask you to make something for everyone."
"Mhm, I wouldn't mind that much. It would give me a chance to experiment more with my Elemental Remogrifier… Once I get it repaired, anyway." He added as they glanced over at the machines that caused the mess. "On that topic, I'd better get my machine to the castle. Dad and I are going to stay at the castle tonight, so I'll work on it later. See ya later, Cass." Varian smiled at her before walking off.
"Cassandra." She turned around to see her dad approaching. "You helped prevent what could've been a disaster for all of us. Well done. And I have another assignment for you."
"Thank you, Captain, but first," she said, taking off her helmet and handing it to him. "I should help my friend get his invention back inside, and it couldn't hurt to have extra hands out here cleaning up."
"Agreed," The Captain nodded, understanding. "We'll work out the exact details later."
"Yes, sir."
"You should be proud of your daughter, Captain," Quirin praised.
"I am, both as her captain… and her father." He smiled at her, and Cassandra smiled back in gratitude. The Captain left her helmet, and Cass and Quirin went over to help Varian with his machine.
Working together, the three got it onto a cart, and Quirin offered to wheel it back to the castle. Cass was about to follow him as he left when Varian grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Varian?" She looked at him, seeing a concerned look on his face.
"The next chance we get, I need to show you and Rapunzel something," he said thoughtfully as Rapunzel walked up to them. "Alone."
"Show us what?"
"Is something wrong, Varian?" The Princess asked, joining their conversation.
He stared back at them fearfully as he simply said, "We may have a problem."
The girls looked at each other, knowing they needed to see this immediately.
(Later that evening)
Varian was in his lab, doing a closer examination of the chocolates Pizzazzo was giving out. While they looked clean on the surface, he wanted to make extra sure. Eugene was his lab assistant since there was something else he wanted to talk to him about.
Ruddiger sniffed the chocolates they recovered from the expo. "Ruddiger, don't eat those." He said, lifting him off the table and setting him on the floor. "I'll get you something to eat later, okay?" He straightened up and then got back to work, his lips pursed.
"Kid, I know I don't have the science mind you do, but we've been at this for hours now and haven't found anything," Eugene spoke up, feeling bored out of his mind. "I think it's safe to assume there's nothing there."
Varian was silent for a minute before sighing as he sat back in his chair. "You're right. I'm looking for something that's not there."
"In fairness, I applaud you for being thorough. From how confident she was, I'd wager Fernanda had done this before, maybe even with the same judge."
He pulled his goggles up and rubbed at his eyes. "Good point. I think we should mention that to the King. Clean chocolate or not, one's a con artist, and the other is a hack who put people in danger today."
"You can mention it to him at dinner," Eugene suggested as he walked over to him. "Which is in ten minutes, give or take."
"One more thing before we go," Varian looked to Eugene. "Something happened while we were trying to stop the vortex. Something… phantom related."
Eugene's eyes widened as he became concerned. "What?"
"I think I tapped into a new power." He stood up. "Watch this." The alchemist walked over to where some boxes were sitting. Holding out his hands, he felt his powers awaken as the boxes began to levitate for a minute before setting them down.
"Holy mind games, kid, how'd you do that?" The former thief asked.
"Given my powers revolve around the moon, I think I have the power to control gravity," Varian theorized. "Since the moon uses its gravity to control the tides, it makes sense."
"Dang, Goggles, you've got quite an arsenal, don't ya?" Eugene nudged him playfully but frowned when he saw the worried look on the younger's face. "Or is this a bad thing?"
Varian sighed tiredly. "My powers are getting stronger. Until now, I could block my abilities with my gloves, but now…"
"And… this is a bad thing, right?"
"My powers are connected to my emotions. If I get angry, scared, or excited, my hair starts glowing," Varian explained. "And if it's a negative emotion, black rocks start appearing around me."
Eugene's eyes widened as he got what he meant, remembering the tunnels with his heaters.
"I'm just worried it's going to happen in public, and someone's gonna see it." The alchemist leaned his hands on the table, feeling the weight of his secrets take on a new heaviness.
Seeing the weariness on his face, Eugene's furrowed determinedly as he moved to stand next to him. "I know it feels like you have the world on your shoulders, but it's not a weight you have to carry alone."
Varian glanced at him as he continued. "I'm here whenever you need me, and Lance may not be the most reliable, but he's a good guy if you need emotional support. You've got a team in your corner now. As far as the powers thing goes, there's no point in worrying about something that might not happen. Unless it becomes a problem, I don't think you've got anything to worry about."
The younger male smiled slightly. "Thanks, Eugene."
"My pleasure. Now, let's go get something to eat."
"Yeah, I could use some food." Varian agreed, and they walked out. Closing and locking the lab behind them, they walked down the hall just as Rapunzel turned the corner.
"Varian! Eugene!" She smiled when she saw them. "I was just going to get you two for dinner!"
"By some strange coincidence, Blondie, we were on our way to dinner right now." Eugene joked and took her hand. "Let's walk together."
"And now I feel like a third wheel," Varian remarked with a playful smirk.
They all laughed and continued to the dining hall. "So, did you find anything?" Rapunzel asked the alchemist.
"No. I'm beginning to suspect Pizzazzo's just a hack who knows how to play St. Croix like a kazoo."
"I thought the term was 'play them like a fiddle?'"
"It is, but fiddles are complicated instruments to learn to play, so a kazoo seemed more appropriate given how simple it was to swing the contest in her favor." He explained. "Given how confident she was, Eugene figures she's done this before."
"Maybe," Rapunzel frowned. "We should talk to my father about it."
The trio walked into the dining room and sat at the table. Varian was between Rapunzel and his dad while Eugene sat across from him next to the Queen. "Ah, Varian." King Frederic greeted. "How are you doing after today?"
"Tired in all honesty, Your Majesty." He admitted. "I was doing a more thorough analysis on the chocolates Pizzazzo was giving out."
"And did you find something?" He asked, becoming concerned.
"No," He shook his head. "They were just ordinary chocolates. I suspect Pizzazzo isn't even a real scientist. She throws a bunch of bribery chocolate at the audience to make them like her and then puts on a show with some flashy machine with no scientific value to dazzle the judge."
"Given how confident she seemed, I'd wager a sack gold she's done it before," Eugene added. "Probably on the same judge if St. Croix is as much of a pushover as Goggles has ranted about."
The King's expression turned grim. "I see."
"Speaking of the judge, Your Majesty," Quirin spoke up. "For endangering the people and unfairly treating the other contestants, I believe action should be taken to ensure this doesn't happen again."
Frederic nodded. "I agree. I will have Dr. St. Croix and Fernanda Pizzazzo on the ban list by the end of the week. They will not be allowed to set foot in Corona again."
"Thank you." His old friend replied.
"I'm sorry you had to have this kind of experience at the expo, Varian," King Frederic apologized to the young scientist. "Rapunzel told me about your invention, and it impressed everyone."
He nodded. "Thank you, Your Majesty, but your daughter also brought an impressive invention to the expo. She should've been a contender for first place despite the mishap with Eugene's hair." Varian gave a sly smile to the older man.
"If you wanna keep me as your lab assistant, Goggles, you will never bring that up again to anyone." Eugene deadpanned, getting a laugh from Varian and Rapunzel.
"Speaking of the Mega Dry, Cass asked if the maids could use it for laundry tomorrow," Rapunzel added cheerfully. "I have it set up by the clothesline. Those clothes will be dry in no time."
"She also asked if I could show them the silverware polisher I invented," The alchemist added.
"I'm telling you, Hairstripe, you should start taking orders," Eugene said. "You're gonna be in high demand after this."
Queen Arianna smiled. "I'm glad you both enjoyed yourselves despite the circumstances."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Thank you, Lady Arianna."
While the adults were having another conversation, Varian caught Rapunzel's attention with his eyes, directing her attention to a piece of paper he was hiding in his hand. The Princess discreetly took it from him and read it under the table.
'Can you and Cass sneak out tonight?'
She glanced over at him and nodded before they turned their attention back to the table, the Princess slipping the note into her pocket.
(After dinner)
"What do you think Varian wants to show us?" Rapunzel asked as Cass pretended to help her get ready for bed.
"I don't know, but from the look on his face, it's probably something serious." Her handmaiden said.
"How are we going to get out tonight?" She asked.
"We'll take the same way we did the last time we snuck out. I already told Max and Fidella to meet us at the docks."
There was a knock on the door, and the girls turned when they heard Varian ask, "Princess? Cass?"
"Come in, Varian," Rapunzel said before the alchemist entered the room.
"Ready to go?"
"Yup." She nodded.
"Everyone got their cover stories?" Cass asked.
"My dad and the King were going to play chess before bed," Varian said. "So as long as we make this a direct trip, I can tell him I went to clean up some things in my lab."
"As far as anyone is concerned now, Raps is in bed, and so am I," Cassandra said.
"Then let's get going," The alchemist agreed.
"Right!" The girls nodded.
(Near Old Corona)
Once the trio snuck out and got to the mainland, Varian took the lead and directed them towards Old Corona. Sticking to the woods, he led them to the Wall.
"So, what did you want to show us?" Rapunzel asked.
"Believe me, it's better you guys see it for yourselves," Varian looked at them.
Moving aside some shrubs, he led them to a hill, and their eyes widened when they saw what was sticking out of the ground. "Black rocks!" The girls gasped in surprise.
"Yeah," Varian nodded as they moved closer. "They sprouted up a couple of weeks ago. It was a small cluster then, but it's gotten bigger since then."
Suddenly, Rapunzel's hair started to glow, alarming Pascal, Cass, and herself. The black rocks began to glow as well, shocking everyone but Varian. He had concluded there was a connection between the rocks and Rapunzel a while ago, and this just reconfirmed his suspicions.
"Fascinating… the rocks are demonstrating an actual physical response…" He looked at the rocks before turning to Rapunzel. "To you."
The three glanced at each other, knowing he was right. "Shh," Rapunzel held her hands in a 'quiet' motion while Pascal had a claw to his lips. "Varian. I need you to promise to keep this between you and me, okay?" Pascal glanced up at her as she looked at her friends. "And them."
"Let me guess: Your dad knows about the rocks." Varian crossed his arms suspiciously.
Rapunzel sighed. "… Yes, and he's forbidden me from talking about these rocks to anyone."
She didn't notice Varian's eyes narrow at her words. So, the King knew about the rocks and didn't want anyone else to know. It made the alchemist wonder how far he would go to keep that secret… and who would get hurt in the process.
"We collectively are going to figure it out…" The Princess touched his and Cass's shoulders. "but I need your word that you'll keep this a secret."
He smiled after a few seconds. "You have my word."
Rapunzel and Pascal smiled at him gratefully, hoping they could solve this mystery together.
With that, the chapter is done. I was going to do something where the chocolates were laced with something, but I didn't want to look like I was copying ZoneRobotnik. Besides, the chocolates seemed too small for any kind of filling. So, St. Croix is just an easily bribed idiot, and Pizzazzo's a con artist who knows how to play said idiot.
Anyway, I'll be back with more of this story while I work on Celestial Bonds and keep an eye on my Assassination Classroom fanfictions. I have one under rewrite and will post the new first chapter soon.