"Varian," Rapunzel said.
Varian bent over forwards, shaking his head. "I...I can't hold her back...anymore...R-run..."
"Kid..." Eugene said.
Varian yelled. He pulled up. A blue beam shot out from under him, then vanished, encasing him in the black amber once more. This time, it was much shorter. The black amber cracked and shattered. Varian stumbled, his head down. "Varian?" Rapunzel asked. Ruddiger whimpered and ran away, climbing onto Eugene's shoulders.
"Blondie, stay back," Eugene said, putting his arm protectively in front of her.
Varian looked at his hands, then flexed his fingers. "Ah," he said, in a shared voice with Zhan Tiri. "Much better. It sure is nice having a physical body again. Although, I'm not a big fan of the body, his brain will do."
"Zhan Tiri..." Eugene muttered, his voice a little shaky. He tried to keep it steady for Rapunzel.
"Ah, Eugene, we meet again," Zhan Tiri said, putting her head up. Varian looked no different, all but his right eye, in which his iris turned a bright yellow, like Rapunzel's golden hair. She put her hand on her hip. "Hm...seems I miscalculated a little bit. Oh well, it will be finished soon enough."
"What did you do to him? To Varian?" Eugene asked.
"Oh, so that's what his name was," Zhan Tiri said, playfully, tapping her chin. "Hm, I quite like the name. Oh well, you'll never hear it again." She laughed, putting her hand up to her chin, with all her fingers pointing out.
"What did you do to him?" Eugene cried, with more force.
"Oh, I simply just used his body to recover my power," Zhan Tiri said. "Once I regained enough power, I used his body as my new host, since, well, you know. You guys killed my last one."
"B-but...why?" Rapunzel asked.
"Oh, Varian had what I wanted," Zhan Tiri said simply. "He has a knowledge of Damanicus and his translations. Sure, he got rid of all the physical evidence, so I couldn't use that, but his own words, 'it's in my mind.' I wanted his information, so...I used him. He was unaware until you led him right into my trap."
"You..." Eugene said, darkly. "You did this? You turned the people into statues?"
"That's right, smart boy," Zhan Tiri said. "I'd recommend you leave now, or you'll just get in the way."
Eugene stood stiffer in front of Rapunzel. "I'm not leaving. Not without Varian."
"Hm, well, then I guess you'll have to fight me for him!" Zhan Tiri replied. She clapped and black rocks shot out of the ground. They covered Eugene and Rapunzel's view of her. They heard small, creepy giggles, then the rocks went down. "Yes, my power! It's returned! Now you can't stand in my way!" Zhan Tiri celebrated. "Prepare to die."
Varian's eyes transitioned completely. His yellow eye is now fully filled in the golden color, while his other eye is a bright blue, like the Moonstone. "Eugene," Rapunzel whispered. "W-what are we going to do?"
"I-I don't know, Rapunzel," Eugene replied, walking over to his sword on the ground. "I don't know. But we can do what we can."
"What can we do?" Rapunzel asked.
"We defend ourselves and the kingdom."
Eugene put his sword up. "Blondie, what are you gonna fight with?"
"My pan!" Rapunzel cheered, pulling out a pan. Pascal squeaked, then pumped his fist. "Ha ha! Way to go, Blondie!"
Zhan Tiri took a couple of step forward. "You can't beat me without your precious Sundrop, can you?" she asked. She removed Varian's goggles and tossed them aside. "These goggles get n the way of everything," she complained. A horn burst out of the left side of Varian's head. Rapunzel let out an audible gasp, then covered her mouth. She closed her eyes. "It's okay, Rapunzel," Eugene whispered.
"I almost have my true power back," Zhan Tiri said. "I can't transform in this state, but I still have power over the black rocks." She raised her hand and black rocks covered the entrance, leaving in gaps for light. She raised her other hand, yellow rocks rising from the other side of the room, smashing the wall and breaking off pieces.
"This body feels much more natural actually!" Zhan Tiri celebrated. The second horn grew on the other side of Varian's head. Zahn Tiri inhaled. "Ah, much better. Now...prepare to die without your precious Sundrop!"
Black rocks exploded out of the ground, Eugene falling over just before they touched him. "Woah! Blondie! Be careful! These rocks are sharp!"
"You give him back!" Rapunzel yelled, running towards Zhan Tiri with her frying pan. "A frying pan, really?" she asked. "Is that the best you can do? Really, it is worthless." Zhan Tiri moved slightly, shifting the weight onto her other foot. Rapunzel smashed the hammer onto her horn, her horn leaving an imprint on it, making her pan useless. "Eugene!" Rapunzel called, ducking from Zhan Tiri's fist. "My pan broke!"
"It's okay, Blondie! I still have-" A black rock grew from the ground, and before Eugene could process, his sword was broken. "-uh, never mind!"
Zhan Tiri laughed. "You two are literally useless without your precious Sundrop, aren't you?" she asked. The black rocks grew in front of the doorway, blocking every gap, except for a small one. "Now, you really will die. And no one will hear you scream."
Author's Note
No Star Wars references here! No siree!
Anyway, I bet you guys figured out who I inspired this story off of by now, but if you need help, it's Bunter! Yay! Thanks to Them was one of my favorite episodes in the Owl House, so yeah, that sparked this...kinda.