The elder Rapunzel rapidly paced back and forth, muttering to herself, much to her younger self's confusion. "OK, Rapunzel, keep your composure. You're only talking to your younger self from the past," she said to herself.
For the moment, muttering to herself was all she could do. She didn't know exactly what to say to 'herself.' She didn't even know what the purpose was of this test, even though her instincts told to come to the tower. She knew she had to figure it out in order pass and get the scepter, but strenuous thinking wasn't gonna help, so for the time being, she decided to just go with the flow until she could figure things out before she turned back to her younger self, giving an awkward wave hello.
Suddenly, the younger Rapunzel sprung with enthusiasm. "Are you my long lost twin?!" she exclaimed with widened eyes.
"Actually, no," the elder Rapunzel answered. "This may sound crazy but, I'm...you. Or at least I'm what you will be in a number of years."
The younger Rapunzel paused in response.
The elder one gritted her teeth, feeling awkward having disclosed such information to her. "I know, it's-"
"AMAZING!" the younger Rapunzel exclaimed suddenly.
Meeting her older self was not something she saw everyday. She shook with excitement, grabbing onto her older self's, tugging on her and dragging her around in a circle.
"OK, OK, starting to get dizzy," the older Rapunzel said.
"Oh, sorry," the younger Rapunzel said before stopping. "But I can't believe this! How did this happen?! Where did you come from?"
"It's kinda hard to explain," the older Rapunzel said.
"I'm talking to my older self. I don't think it's that hard," the young Rapunzel responded.
The older Rapunzel chuckled at her younger self's response. Mainly because it was something she herself would've said. She was always an optimistic kind of girl, so it was no surprise that she would believe a story like this. After sitting her down, she explained about the test.
"A test? Really?" the younger Rapunzel asked.
"Yep, and I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to do," the older Rapunzel answered. "Don't suppose you have any ideas?"
"Nope, drawing a blank," the younger Rapunzel said.
"Figured I would," the older Rapunzel said.
The two Rapunzel's shared a giggle when suddenly, a voice came from upstairs, it was Gothel. The young Rapunzel called out to her, wanting to tell her of her older self, but said self quickly grabbed her by the mouth and pulled her back behind the cabinet closet, making sure to hide her long hair.
Gothel emerged from her room, at the edge of the stairs, looking out to the empty hall where she could of sworn she heard Rapunzel's voice. "Rapunzel, is that you?!" she called out again.
From behind the closet, the younger Rapunzel removed her older self's hands from her mouth. "Hey. Why'd ya do that?" she asked.
"I'm the older you, right? Then I know for a fact that Gothel would not like anyone else being in this tower, let alone an older version of you," the older Rapunzel whispered.
Knowing her mother, the younger Rapunzel realized her older self had a point as Gothel called out to her again. To say Gothel was overprotective was a bit of an understatement when it came to keeping her safe in the tower. The last thing she needed to see was another person in their home. She agreed to keep her older self hidden before she revealed herself to Gothel.
"Rapunzel, what are you doing up in the middle of the night?" Gothel asked firmly.
"I was just getting some water," the younger Rapunzel answered.
Gothel eyed her daughter suspiciously before surveying the hall. "I thought I heard someone. Is somebody in here with you?" she asked.
"Somebody? Something? Oh! That something! Well that was just me. I've been...practicing my...puppetry...with books..." the younger Rapunzel said nervously.
Gothel raised a suspicious eyebrow while the younger Rapunzel put on the best convincing smile she could, though Gothel didn't appear to be buying it, prompting her a rush over to the bookcase, take out one of the books, and flap it up and down like a mouth.
The older Rapunzel looked on, giving a faint giggle.
"Hello, my name is Mr...Puppet Book," the younger Rapunzel said in a high pitched voice. "Hey, Rapunzel, why does the book always take a bath?" "I don't know, Mr. Puppet Book. Why?" "Because it always has a...st-ink!" "Heh heh heh...heh get it? Stink?...ink? Because you use ink...to write...in books?"
Both Gothel and the older Rapunzel had blank expressions as a result of the younger one's attempt at a joke while she just blushed in embarrassment.
Though still a bit skeptical, Gothel dismissed her suspicious and believed her daughter. "Well, hurry up and go to bed, Rapunzel," she said sternly.
"Yes, Mother," said young Rapunzel before Gothel walked back up the stairs.
Just seeing Gothel made the older Rapunzel twinge in anger. But as much as she wanted to go tell her off one more time, she didn't want to get her younger self in trouble, so she held herself back. But then a thought came to her mind; maybe the test was for her to take her younger self away from Gothel. Maybe the test was for her to change history and bring her younger self back to her real parents. That had to be the reason. Why else would she be brought back to her past like this?
The young Rapunzel breathed a sigh of relief after her mother returned to her room upstairs.
With the coast clear, her older self emerged from behind the closet. If this test was in fact what Rapunzel thought it was, now was the opportunity for her.
"Listen, come with me," the older Rapunzel said.
"Where?" asked her younger self.
"To your real family," the older Rapunzel answered.
Young Rapunzel was rather confused by what her older self was saying to her, but still continued to listen. Her older self told of how her 'mother' stole her from her real parents,who were the king and queen, when she was only a baby and how Gothel only cared about her for her hair and nothing else. The young Rapunzel was shocked and taken a back a bit by this sudden revelation. Many thoughts ran through her mind. Could what her older self was saying be true? Was she the lost princess? Was Gothel not really her mother?
Older Rapunzel knew this would take a while for her younger self to process as she patiently awaited her response.
"No! That isn't true!" young Rapunzel protested.
Unfortunately, this was one of the responses the older Rapunzel was expecting. However, she insisted that what she was saying was true due to the fact of the two being the same. Despite this fact, the younger Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to believe what her older self was saying to her.
Just then, the older Rapunzel's gaze turned to the window and a thought came to her. "Hey. What is today?" she asked, turning back to her younger self.
The younger Rapunzel was a bit perplexed by the question at first, but soon answered. "It's my birthday," she said.
"And let me guess, you didn't come down here for some water, now did you?" the older Rapunzel assumed.
Though surprised, the younger Rapunzel figured her older self would know that she in fact was not getting water, but came out to stare outside the window at the lanterns which came every year on her birthday.
"You got me," the younger Rapunzel said.
With that the elder Rapunzel grabbed her younger self by the hand and brought her over to the window where the two waited for the lanterns.
"They should be coming right about...now," Rapunzel stated.
And as if on cue, the lanterns appeared, shining in the night sky. It had been a while since the elder Rapunzel had seen them, but they were still beautiful. While gazing she told her younger self about how the king and queen lit the lanterns and placed them in the sky every night on her birthday in hopes of finding her after Gothel had stole her from them.
The younger Rapunzel stopped thought for a moment. She had always wondered why the lantern always popped up at such a convenient time and this as good an explanation as any. Still, she just couldn't believe what her older self was saying was true.
"But...Mother has been so kind to me...she loves me," the younger Rapunzel said.
The elder Rapunzel gave her younger self a stern look before grabbing her by the shoulders. "No! She only loves your hair! She's just using you-uh, me...both of us, technically," she said.
"No. It can't be true," the young Rapunzel replied, shaking her head.
Obviously, Rapunzel knew it was gonna take more than words to get through to her younger self so she again suggested she come with her.
The idea was very tempting to her, but at the same time, she was rather reluctant, remembering everything Gothel had told her about the outside world.
"Let me guess? Cannibals, snakes, the plague?" the older Rapunzel surmised, imitating Mother Gothel.
"Yeah, how did you...oh right, me," the younger Rapunzel replied.
Though she was a bit scared, her older self assured her that she would be safe with her as an escort.
"Come on, it'll be fun," the older Rapunzel said, giving her younger self a gentle elbow to the arm. "You can see the world for the first time."
As the young Rapunzel pondered, she looked out to the lanterns outside again. She had always wondered what was outside her tower and it seemed like she had the opportunity. Suddenly, she rushed over to her older self and grabbed her by her dress.
"Promise to stay close to me, warn if anything bad come, and if necessary, hold my hand very tightly?" she asked frantically.
"I promise," the older Rapunzel answered with a chuckle.
So with that, the younger Rapunzel agreed.
Before they set off, the older Rapunzel went up to Gothel's room. She slowly crept to the side of the door and peeked over to see that Gothel was fast asleep. So with that, she and her younger self were cleared to go.
At the window, the younger Rapunzel couldn't help but feel bad about leaving her mother without saying goodbye, but the older Rapunzel insisted they didn't have time. However, the young Rapunzel couldn't leave just yet and rushed up to Gothel's room.
"Wait!" the older Rapunzel called silently.
Inside, the young Rapunzel tiptoed to her mother's bedside with the elder one close behind from outside.
The elder Rapunzel watched as her younger self gave Gothel and kiss on the forehead. An act which made Gothel smile.
"I love you most of all," the young Rapunzel whispered in her mother's ear.
The elder Rapunzel's eyes widened upon hearing those words as her younger self walked out of the room past her. She then looked back at the sleeping Gothel, but instead of anger, her face read indifferent. On one hand, this was the woman who manipulated her for years and kept her from her real family, but at the same time, this was also the woman who took care of her; fed her, clothed her; like any mother would. But she wasn't her mother. She never was. And she never would be. And hopefully, she could convince her younger self of that.
Said younger self called out to her, snapping her out of her train of thought and the elder Rapunzel met her at the window. "Well, you ready?" she asked.
The younger Rapunzel nodded.
"Hold on tight," the older Rapunzel instructed.
The young Rapunzel heeded her older self's advice and wrapped her arms around her waist before she used her hair and whipped it around the bar over the window. Once she had a tight grip on it, she and her younger self slid down the tower.
However, waiting at the bottom for them was a black portal that suddenly opened up. Though she tried, the older Rapunzel couldn't stop sliding down and she and her older self fell through.
After falling down through the portal, the two Rapunzel suddenly appeared up through another one. Only now, they weren't near the tower anymore, now they were in the forest. The older Rapunzel looked around, confused by what had happened, then turned her attention to her younger self who didn't seem to think anything of it.
"Is something wrong?" the young Rapunzel noticed.
"Uh...no, it's nothing," the older Rapunzel said.
Being that this was a simulated reality, it wasn't that surprising that the younger Rapunzel would have no idea about what was happening so she decided the best thing to do would be not to dwell on it.
"So what now?" asked the young Rapunzel.
Pondering, the older Rapunzel looked up and noticed the lanterns that were still lit up in the sky. "We follow the light," she answered.
So with that, the two Rapunzel's headed on their way.
The darkness practically engulfed Yen Sid's cell, but despite it, he maintained his composure; meditating, gathering his thoughts, and not losing hope. But he also knew that hope could only go so far. It was up to the princesses to follow through.
Suddenly, a horde of shadow demons surrounded the door leading to his cell, led by Gothel. It appeared that Golett was now ready for him.
Gothel walked up to the door to see the meditating Yen Sid and gave a condescending smirk. "Having yourself a good time?" she asked sarcastically before opening the door.
Yen Sid opened his eyes as the demons entered the cell, surrounding him. The sorcerer got to his feet, not even bothering to show resistance.
"Well, nice to see you know how to cooperate," said Gothel.
"My 'cooperation' is only because I have faith in the princesses ability to succeed in their destiny," Yen Sid responded.
Gothel chuckled. "Well months of good faith aren't doing you much good," she said.
"I realize that faith can only go so far, but I believe that the princesses will succeed because they care about their kingdoms and more importantly, they care about each other. Which is more than I can say for Golett who is only interested in his own agenda," said Yen Sid.
At that moment, Gothel began to ponder what Yen Sid was saying. "Look, it doesn't matter. We won, you lost," she said.
"There is no 'we' with Golett. It's only about him. Everyone around him is just a means to an end. Including you and the others villains. Once he's done with you, he'll toss you aside. You're all just his puppets," said Yen Sid.
Gothel paused, thinking to herself. She had had her suspicions as it pertained to Golett's methods and Maleficent's demeanor around him, so there may have been some degree of truth to what he was saying. Regardless, Gothel decided not to think too much of it at the moment. "I'm nobody's puppet," Gothel protested before ordering the demons to take Yen Sid from out of his cell.
As they departed, Gothel continued pondering Yen Sid's words.
The elder Rapunzel continued leading her younger self through the forest, following the path of the lanterns.
"So how long before we get there?" asked the younger Rapunzel.
"About a day or two," the older Rapunzel answered. "Just stay close."
As the two continued on their way, the younger Rapunzel took the time to enjoy the surrounding area, virtually doing everything that her older self did; swinging around the trees, splashing water on herself, and rolling around in the grass; repeating practically every word that she said. It was like she was looking into a mirror, reliving all the joy and wonder she felt the very day she first left the world and went into the world for the first time.
At this point, the older Rapunzel could see the end coming from a mile away and wasn't surprised when her younger self sat in front of a tree to cry. She chuckled as she went over to console her.
"So...feeling a bit down about disobeying 'mother?'" she asked.
"She's gonna hate me forever," the younger Rapunzel muffled with her hands covering her face. "She'll be worried sick about me!"
"Yeah, worried about your hair," the older Rapunzel muttered.
"No, I know my mother. She would never use me. I know she wouldn't," the younger Rapunzel protested.
"I know she would. I know because I'm you, remember? I'm sorry, but what I'm telling you is the truth and the sooner you realize it, the better," said the older Rapunzel.
Despite her claims, the younger Rapunzel still could not find it in her heart to believe what her older self was implying.
There was however no time to dwell on the subject as the older Rapunzel realized as they still had a bit of a long way to go. Keeping on her promise, she took her younger self by the hand and the two continued.
At that point, a strange feeling came over the two Rapunzels. Neither of them could describe it, but there was a sense of comfort, security, almost as if they were sisters.
Further into the forest, the two started talking to pass the time.
"Fitzherbert? What kind of a last name is that?!" the younger Rapunzel said.
Both Rapunzels chuckled, but then stopped when they suddenly heard a growling sound coming from inside the forest. The younger Rapunzel held onto her older self tightly and the older one held her close. As the growls got louder, the younger Rapunzel began to shiver in fear.
"It's alright, I got you," the older Rapunzel said reassuringly, wrapping her arms tightly around her.
Just then, pairs of glowing yellow eyes appeared from behind the trees. The eyes were soon revealed themselves to be none other than a pack of wolves. The wild animals snarled as they encircle the two princesses. Despite her fear, the older Rapunzel held her grip on her younger self.
"This was one of the things mother warned me about," the young Rapunzel whispered to her older self.
"Can we talk about this later when we're not in danger of being eaten?" the older Rapunzel pointed out as the wolves slowly closed in from all around.
Drool oozed from their jaws, their sharp teeth shining in the moonlight. The older Rapunzel knew she had to think of something fast. Seeing the branches, an idea came to her. She grabbed her younger self, took some of her hair, whipped it, and wrapped it around one of the branches. She then proceeded to run up one of the trees, jump off it, and then swing over the pack of wolves. Upon landing, she took her by the hand and they proceeded to run with the wolves relentlessly pursuing the two princesses.
The chase took them a small hill where the two princesses tripped and rolled down. After getting up, they continued, eventually finding shelter in a nearby bush.
The wolves did not see them, so they were safe for the moment, but they all stayed around the area, searching for them. It was only a matter of time before they found them.
The two princesses watched on from the bush and the younger Rapunzel began to sob before her older self had to calm her down.
"What are we gonna do?" the younger Rapunzel whispered.
"Calm down, let me think," the older Rapunzel answered, before looking around.
Suddenly, she noticed some small rocks around her, then looked back at the bush and started to get an idea. As she did, she also noticed a random shovel right next to them. Rapunzel at first found it weird, but remembering that she was basically in an illusion, she brushed it off. In any case, seeing the shovel gave her another idea.
The hungry wolves relentlessly searched around for any sign of the two princesses, growling and snarling, when they suddenly heard a voice that sounded like the older Rapunzel's.
"Hey wolves! I'm over here, big boys! Come and get you some!" the voice said.
The wolves looked in the direction of the voice and saw a silhouette of Rapunzel in the distance. They immediately charged forward as the silhouette continued taunting them. They closed in on it, only to fall into a cleverly placed pit trap.
The older Rapunzel jumped ecstatically at the success of her plan, hugging her younger self in the process. She then took her by the hand and brought her over to the hole where the wolves growled from inside.
Though they were safe, the younger Rapunzel still stayed close to her older half. "Wow. That was amazing," she said, looking up to her.
The older Rapunzel scratched her head, blushing."Well, we better get going. Still have a bit of a way to go," she said.
The younger Rapunzel nodded in agreement before she took her older self by the hand and the two continued.
Though the older Rapunzel wasn't sure what other dangers awaited them on their way to the castle, even though it was an illusion, she would do everything in her power to keep her younger self safe; even though she herself was an illusion. She felt like she had to, After all, she made a promise to her and when she made a promise, she always followed through.