Elena of Avalor S3 E13

## Plot

While heading back to the palace after taking Elena to a royal summit, Skylar learns from Luna that his father wants him to come to Vallestrella right now. He goes there with Nico, Ciela, and Avión, and finds out that his dad is sick, so he has to take his place and be king for a day. No one believes that he can do it and thinks anyone else can do a better job, including Skylar himself, but Verago tells everyone that the king has spoken and roars. Besides, all Skylar has to do today is put the kingsguard through their noon time drills. He's worried that he can't do it, but Elena and Luna encourage him. Nico pressures Skylar into letting the kids play skyball in the palace by saying that he'll be everyone's favorite king if he allows it. He also lets the entire kingsguard take a break from drills to go see Agua Dulce pond, despite it being off limits. Luna and Elena remind Skylar that he has to stay to watch the palace. The same butterfrog from those earlier season 2 and 3 episodes is relaxing at Agua Dulce pond when the jaquins come, blocking his sun. Also, his name is Bruce Butterfrog. Despite saying that they would only look at the pond, the jaquins dive in. While Luna is playing skyball indoors, Tornado shows up and asks where the other guards are. Luna says they took the day off, and it was Skylar's idea. Elena explains that Verago is sick, so he made Skylar king. Tornado tells him that the kingsguard doesn't take days off, ever. When she learns that they went to Agua Dulce pond, she says it's off limits. She doesn't know why, because she's never been there, and the reason she's never been there is because it's off limits. They head there to get everyone back. When the jaquins dive into the pond, Bruce says creature names, and then the jaquins turn into that creature, like butterfrogs, flaringos, peabunnies, and velociervos, which are super fast and colorful deer. Everyone is freaking out and they demand that Skylar fix this. Tornado wants to tell Verago, but Skylar says he doesn't need to know, and Elena reluctantly agrees with him to support him. She tells him to investigate the area and look for clues. They see a glowing purple thing in the water. It looks like a tree root. They follow it to Grotto Metamo, the magical shapeshifting cave from ten episodes ago that Troyo wanted to use to get revenge on Chief Zephyr, but he ended up getting turned into a butterfrog thanks to Bruce. Elena tells them about it, and warns them not to touch the vines. They think Troyo is calling out the creature names, but he says it's not him. He tells them that the only way to reverse the transformation is to get whoever changed you to call out a different creature name. The grumpy butterfrog is at Agua Dulce pond, and he said if Troyo followed him, he'd turn him into a snurtle. Before they can find Bruce, Verago and Tornado show up. He tells Skylar that putting him in charge was a mistake, and tries to solve the problem himself, but his cold causes him to fall into the pond and get turned into a butterfrog. Skylar thinks Elena needs to tell him what to do, but she points out that he's been leading this whole time without even meaning to. He spotted the tree root, followed it to Grotto Metamo, and got Troyo to reveal how to reverse the curse. He's worried that the others won't like his ideas, and Elena tells him that's the hardest part of ruling. He has to make what he thinks is the right decision, not the most popular one. He tells Elena to use her scepter to cut off the butterfrog's sun and flush him out that way, even though no one else likes that idea. He roars at them and says that the king has spoken. Tornado and Luna will have to be ready with snap traps to catch the butterfrog while everyone else is completely silent. Luna and Tornado catch him. Skylar says he'll let Bruce have the sunny pond all to himself, but only if he reverses the shapeshifting on everyone, and he agrees. Troyo sneaks into the line and tells Bruce to say coyote, but Elena sees that it's him and tells Bruce to say snurtle, turning Troyo into a snail with legs. Basically a combination of two ridiculously slow animals, a snail and a turtle, like how butterfrogs are a combination of butterflies and frogs, etc. At the palace, Verago tells Skylar that falling into the pond made his cold worse, so he'll have to keep ruling for a little while longer.

## Review

Spoilers for future episodes. I honestly feel really bad for Elena right now. I wonder how she's handling all of these sudden changes? Dealing with Ash and Esteban and his betrayal is hard enough, but now there’s Chatana, plus many other villains in the future; Luna leaving Avalor to become a kingsguard, Migs mating with Dulce, having kids, becoming chieftain; Skylar effectively becoming king of Vallestrella, but at least that was temporary… for now; Alacazar's death, etc. And now one of her best friends has left her behind, right when she needs her the most. It's amazing that she's kept it together for so long. I think I would've had a mental breakdown.