The elder Rapunzel looked outside the cave again, checking left and right, and found no sign of the thugs before heading outside to a lake nearby the cave. Using the bowl that she crafted from a large rock, she gathered water before heading back. Things seemed fine for the moment, but she wasn't sure how long it would last. At any point, the thugs could find both of them, so she knew both of them needed to get to Corona and fast. Though with her younger self hurt, getting there wouldn't be so easy. Hopefully, the water would help.
Inside, the younger Rapunzel held onto her foot, still hurting. What didn't help was her squeezing onto it. She winced and cried out in pain, causing her older self to rush over.
The older Rapunzel placed the rock bowl next to her younger self before grabbing her by the wrists. "Don't do that! That'll only make it worse!" she said before she carefully removed the leaf from her foot. "Now this may sting a little...or a lot...not really sure."
She dipped another leaf into the water then shook some of the water out before wiping the cut.
Her younger self winced in pain again, but she implored her to stay still while she kept wiping. Afterwards, she took another leaf and wrapped it around her foot, once again using the torn piece of her dress to hold it in place.
It had been a while since the two princesses had taken refuge in the cave and despite the pain, the younger Rapunzel's foot was starting to heal. However, it would still be a while before it healed completely. Until then, the older Rapunzel again insisted that her younger self not move, so as not to aggravate the pain.
"Now do you believe my mother?" the younger Rapunzel asked, cringing.
"I admit she may have been right about a few things," the older Rapunzel admitted. "But that still doesn't change who she is."
Her younger self countered. "But even if what you say is true, you can't say that Mother didn't care about you...me... US somewhat! I mean, she didn't have to be nice to you, right?"
The older Rapunzel retorted. "Yeah, real nice. Backhanded compliments, lies, deception; yeah, real peach she is or-er, was," she said, crossing her arms.
"Was?" the younger Rapunzel curiously asked.
"I mean was...when I lived with her..." the older Rapunzel stammered.
Given her younger self's age, she felt it better not to upset her by telling her of Gothel's death.
"Well look how we turned out," the younger Rapunzel argued. "I mean Mother must've done somewhat of a decent job raising us."
The older Rapunzel sat next to her younger counterpart, contemplating her argument. "Maybe...but it all was just so I wouldn't leave the tower. She never loved me, she doesn't love you, I doubt she loves anyone but herself," she said.
"I don't. There is some good in her, otherwise we wouldn't have become the person we are now," the younger Rapunzel said.
A plethora of thoughts pounded themselves into the older Rapunzel's head. On one hand, some of the things her younger self rang true in a way. Even though she had kidnapped her against her will, Gothel had raised her for years; bathed her, clothed her, fed her; like any mother would. On the other hand, it was all just a means to an end, so she could keep her for her hair. The more she thought about it, the more it felt like an anvil was being pressed hard against her head.
Seeing her younger self still in pain, she decided to wait it out for at least another hour.
Gothel, along with the Shadow Demons, escorted Yen Sid to the main hall where Golett and Maleficent sat on their respective thrones. Yen Sid stood stoic and resolved as Golett approached him. The monster paced around the sorcerer who stood statue like; his eyes not following him.
"Claiming a throne that isn't yours once again. Only difference is you've actually succeeded this time. But it won't last forever, I'm afraid," said Yen Sid.
"Oh, I beg to differ on that, thanks to your 'generous assistance,'" Golett said.
Just then, Ursula entered the room carrying a small bottle containing a green liquid. "Generous indeed," she said with a chuckle.
Meanwhile, Gothel looked back at Golett and Maleficent and though she tried, she just couldn't shake off Yen Sid's words from earlier. She herself had seen the kind of power Golett was capable of and with how powerful he was, it was more than likely that at any time, he could dispose of her of any of the other villains at anytime he wanted. As these thoughts went through her head, Ursula approached her, offering her the potion.
"Here, darling. You can do the honors," said Ursula.
The sea witch motioned the bottle towards Gothel who just stood pondering. It was as if neither Ursula or the bottle were in front of her. Ursula waved her hand in front of her to get her attention, but Gothel was too lost in thought to notice.
"Gothel!" Golett shouted as he quickly rose from his throne chair.
This finally got Gothel's attention.
"What?! Oh, sorry," Gothel blustered as Golett stormed towards her.
"Are you hesitating?" Golett said, standing before Gothel. "I said, 'ARE YOU HESITATING?!'"
The monster towered over her as she subtly gulped, nearly frozen in her tracks.
Ursula looked on with concern.
Despite the situation, Gothel was able to compose herself. "Of course not," she said with resolve.
"You had better not," Golett growled.
With that, Gothel took the potion from Ursula.
"Next time, be a little quicker on the draw," Ursula whispered to her.
At Gothel's command, the Demons grabbed Yen Sid and held him in place, though Yen Sid offered literally no resistance. With the potion in hand, she stood face to face with the sorcerer. As the two stared eye to eye, Yen Sid's words began to creep into Gothel's head once again. However, she quickly placed them to the side, lest she want to face Golett's wrath, and ordered the Demons to open Yen Sid's mouth.
She then proceeded to pour the potion into Yen Sid's mouth and watched as a dark aura surrounded him. The sorcerer dropped to one knee, wriggling and screaming in pain, clutching himself tightly. Soon the dark aura completely engulfed him.
Golett, Ursula, and Maleficent gave sinister smirks as they watched on while Gothel remained indifferent.
After the aura disappeared, Yen Sid emerged, now in black attire. He opened his eyes which were now black with orange pupils, and addressed the party in an almost lifeless voice.
"I am yours to serve"
The older Rapunzel took the time to press her thumbs on the areas of her younger self's foot, much to her younger self's chagrin.
"Ow! Hey! What happened to, 'don't squeeze, it'll only make it worse?'" the young Rapunzel said mockingly.
"I know, but I have to check to see how your foot is doing," the older Rapunzel said.
She pressed all around and while there were a few sore spots, there were considerably less than there had been before. At this rate, her younger self would be healed very soon.
She then instructed her young self to stand and try walking. Taking the first few steps would help.
Slowly, her young self got to her feet and started walking around in a circle, limping slightly on her hurt leg. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
The older Rapunzel gave a small applause. "Good job," she said approvingly. "But don't go too fast."
However, the younger Rapunzel did so and began to trip. Luckily, her older self was there to catch her and give her a stern look.
"Sorry," the younger Rapunzel said sheepishly.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them started to shake. Their bare feet could feel the rumbling ground vibrating beneath their toes. Almost like a tickle, but not.
The young Rapunzel embraced her older self out of fear, not knowing what was going on or why the ground had suddenly decided to start quaking. The older Rapunzel didn't have any answers either, but she did know that in a cave, an earthquake usually meant a cave-in which would be bad news for them.
"Come on! We have to get out of here!" the older Rapunzel said, taking her younger self by the hand.
"But my leg still hurts!" the young Rapunzel protested.
"We can't wait any longer! Come on!" the older Rapunzel said.
The two rushed to the entrance as fast as they could. The younger Rapunzel's limping made her struggle, but the older one helped her along. This didn't help however as the cave entrance caved in on them, much to their chagrin.
"Oh great," the older Rapunzel said through gritted teeth.
To make matters worse, the ground was still quaking and it seemed to be getting worse, making the younger Rapunzel even more scared.
Just then, the older Rapunzel noticed the other side of the cave seemed to go on a long ways. She hadn't noticed this before as she never cared to explore the cave further, thinking that she and her young self would be leaving soon. But with the cave entrance blocked, she didn't really have any choice in the matter.
"OK, um...me...we're going that way," the older Rapunzel said resolutely, pointing to the other side of the cave.
The young Rapunzel looked down the dark corridor of the cave and shivered with fear before she grabbed onto her older self again. "But it's...so dark.." she said wearily.
Immediately, the older Rapunzel pulled her young self off of her and firmly grasped her in her arms before sitting on one knee. "Listen, do you wanna stay here and die or do you wanna stay alive?!" she asked sharply.
Though taken aback by her older counterpart's tone, she answered. "Stay alive," she answered softly.
"Then come on!" the older Rapunzel again said sharply, before taking her hand.
Narrowly avoiding multiple falling boulders, the two princesses rushed through the cave. The intense rumbling caused large cracks to form in the ground. However, they weren't too that the princesses couldn't jump across. The younger Rapunzel was hesitant, but her older self assured her they both would be fine as long as they timed their jumps correctly.
"OK, on the count of three. One...two..." the older Rapunzel started.
But before she got to three, her younger self immediately jumped across, much to her surprise before she jumped across herself.
The two princesses continued with a few more cracks before the cracks stopped.
However, there was no time to rest. The ground was still quaking and the two still needed to find a way out. Hand in hand, the two Rapunzels continued.
As they ran, the older Rapunzel looked to her younger self with an approving smile. "Nice work, you were very brave," she said.
This made the younger Rapunzel blush. "I get it from you, I guess," she said sheepishly, making her older self blush as well.
Just then, the two halted as they found themselves at the edge of a cliff. The older Rapunzel looked ahead to see the other side far ahead, way beyond jumping distance. And they couldn't well go back as not only was the cave entrance blocked, but the cracks behind them had grown wider. There was nowhere they could go but ahead and it didn't look like that an option either.
The older Rapunzel stomped her foot in frustration. The fact that her younger self was starting to panic again wasn't helping matters either. She around for someway, anyway to get across until she looked upward and discovered a series of stalactites hanging across the chasm like large icicles. It was here where an idea came to her. Turning to her younger self, she grabbed the young princess's hair and tied it tightly around both of them. She then took her own hair and lassoed it onto one of the stalactites.
"Listen," the older Rapunzel said, turning back to her younger self. "I need you to hold on tight like always, but this time I mean really tight. And uh...don't look down."
The young Rapunzel nodded and did just so, wrapping her arms around her older self's waist as her older self pulled back on her hair to see if it was wrapped tightly on the stalactite.
With her younger self secured to her, the older Rapunzel sprinted to the side of the cliff, jumped, and swung across the chasm.
The young Rapunzel screamed as she couldn't help but look down.
Luckily, the two were able to make it to the other side. Both breathed a heavy sigh of relief before again barely avoiding a falling boulder.
Catching their breaths, the two Rapunzels noticed the ground had suddenly stopped shaking. The younger Rapunzel jumped joyously at this realization. Though the elder Rapunzel was also relieved, she wasn't sure how long it would last, considering all they had been through, but for now, it seemed their troubles were over for the moment. However, looking back down the cave, it appeared there was still a bit of a ways to go.
"Well...trauma temporarily avoided for now," the older Rapunzel chuckled, brushing herself off. "We should keep going."
She turned to walk, but a few steps in, she realized her younger self wasn't with her. She looked and saw the young princess with her head slumped down, barely moving a muscle, and walked back to her, bending down on one knee and placing her hands on her shoulders.
"What's wrong?" the older Rapunzel asked.
"Maybe we should go back," the younger Rapunzel said.
"Um...we can't go back, it's blocked, remember?" the older Rapunzel said.
"I mean when we get out of the cave...we should go back to Mother," the younger Rapunzel said, clenching her hands into fists.
"No...listen...we can make it if we just keep going," the older Rapunzel said with slight hesitation in her voice.
The younger Rapunzel retorted. "But we almost got killed."
"But listen, we survived. And if we can survive that, we can survive anything," the elder Rapunzel retorted back.
"But I miss Mother," the younger Rapunzel said.
Her older counterpart paused for a second. "Well she doesn't miss you," she stated. "Trust me, it's better this way. You'll be happy at the palace. There's better food, you'll get to wear all kinds of pretty dresses, you'll get followed around everywhere by guards, mostly never having any privacy...OK, it's mostly fun."
Despite her joking, her younger self, her younger self couldn't bring herself to smile. With a weary face, she looked up to her older self. "OK...if you say so," she said hesitantly before they continued on.
Up until now, the elder Rapunzel seemed adamant in her desire to take her younger self away from Gothel. After all, if she took her to the palace, then the test would be complete and the scepter would be hers. Though throughout the journey, she had been confronted with all the things that Gothel had told her about which had some truth to them. They may had been used to keep her in the tower, but they were at least true. In a way, she couldn't condemn her for telling her about the dangers of the outside world, even if they were for selfish reasons.
As the two princesses continued walking through the cave, they appeared to be halfway through.
During the walk, the older Rapunzel was contemplating her feelings towards Gothel. Before arriving on the island, she did it from time to time, but now she did so more than ever. On one hand, she hated that she kept her locked away from her real family for years, but on the other, she still raised her; fed her, clothed her, bathed her; she was her mother, even though she really wasn't. A combination of confusion and anger and sadness engulfed her emotions with every step she took until she decided to erase it from her head.
Eventually, the two came upon two cave entrances; one to the left and one to the right.
"So...any ideas on which one to take?" the older Rapunzel said, turning to her younger counterpart.
"Un uh," the younger Rapunzel answered, shaking her head.
The older Rapunzel turned her head back and forth between the two caves, scratching her head with uncertainty. "Well, it's like I always say, 'when in doubt... eeny meeny miney moe,'" she said, pointing between the two cave until choosing the one on the right.
Grabbing her younger self's hand, she and her went into the right cave. As they rushed inside, the cave grew darker and darker until they could barely see each other, let alone where they were going.
The older Rapunzel stretched out her hand, attempting to feel for a wall, but felt nothing. Groaning in frustration, she at that moment longed for her healing magic. At least with that, she could light up the tunnel. However, she immediately remembered her younger self, who at this point, still had her powers. Despite the darkness, she was still able to feel her and put her hands on her shoulders. She then suggested to her that she use her powers to light up the cave.
"OK...I guess I could try," the younger Rapunzel said with uncertainty. "But...why don't you use yours?"
After the older Rapunzel explained what had happened to her powers, her younger self now realized she was the only one who could help.
Chanting the magic words, the younger Rapunzel's hair lit a golden glow that filled the entire cave.
"Nice work," the older Rapunzel said, smiling.
With the cave now lit, it seemed as though things would be easier for the two princesses as they continued forward. As they walked down the cave, it was quiet for a while and the older Rapunzel realized that not once throughout this entire journey had neither of them had once encountered Eugene. It probably made sense though, considering this was a test and though she loved Eugene, she realized his presence probably wouldn't have added anything.
Just then, the two princesses stopped upon hearing a faint growling noise echoing from the cave walls.
The younger Rapunzel quickly hid behind her older self as the noise grew louder, inching closer and closer towards them.
Due to the darkness, the older Rapunzel couldn't make out what was making the noise, though it sounded familiar.
Suddenly, two glowing yellow eyes slowly emerged from the darkness, accompanied by the growl. The older Rapunzel held her younger self tightly behind her as the eyes came into the light, revealing a large black bear. Drool dripped from his snarling mouth from which exposed his rows of sharp teeth.
Bears were another one of the things that Gothel had told both of the Rapunzels about and there they stood, face to face with one; terrifying, menacing, ready to pounce on both of them.
Still, the older Rapunzel stood her ground, not budging an inch. Though she was scared, nothing would prevent her from protecting her younger self.
"He's gonna eat us," the younger Rapunzel whimpered, clutching onto her older self.
"No he's not," the older Rapunzel said adamantly before grabbing her younger self by the hand again.
The two princesses ran in the opposite direction with the monstrous bear chasing them in pursuit. They made their way out and the elder Rapunzel immediately decided for them to go into the other cave which was equally as dark, thought they were able to see where they were going, thanks to the younger Rapunzel's hair. They managed to get some distance between themselves and the bear and hid at a nearby rock.
"I think we lost him," the younger Rapunzel said, panting.
"Yeah, but not for long. With that hair, we might as well be a meal beacon," said the older Rapunzel.
This made the younger princess shiver in fear.
The older Rapunzel urged her younger self not to panic, realizing it wasn't going to help matters. Looking down and seeing her glowing hair is when she got an idea.
After the bear exited the cave, he sniffed the ground for the scent of the two princesses. Suddenly, something caught the bear's attention, it was the younger Rapunzel's glowing hair, coming from out of the other cave. Curious, the bear followed the trail of the hair inside. He followed it further and further into the cave until the hair seemed to go up to the cave ceiling. The bear looked up to see the older Rapunzel hanging from a stalactite who quickly wrapped her younger self's hair around the bear's mouth.
Tightening her grip, the older Rapunzel forced the bear to the ground onto his back, then proceeded to tie his legs together with her younger self's hair. Once she was sure the grip was tight, she called out to her younger self, insuring her that the bear was incapacitated.
Reluctantly, the younger Rapunzel emerged. "Are you sure he can't hurt us?" she asked, cautiously.
"Don't worry, he's not a problem anymore. Thanks to you and your reliable hair," the older Rapunzel said with pride.
After tiptoeing past the bear, the younger Rapunzel approached her older self. Though the bear was tied up, she still feared it could break free at any moment. "So what do we do now?" she asked.
"Once we put some distance between us and our friend here, you un-glow your hair, then I'll untie him," said the older Rapunzel.
For the time being, it seemed the two princesses were safe as the older Rapunzel breath a small sigh of relief, though she was still a bit weary.
The older Rapunzel rubbed her younger self on the head, assuring her that everything was fine now.
"That was very smart," the younger Rapunzel said.
"I'll bet Mommy Dearest never taught you that," the older Rapunzel said, beaming with pride as the bear struggled to get free.
"Well no...but...she was still kind to me," the younger Rapunzel said.
The older Rapunzel sighed at what seemed to be her younger self being in denial and honestly, it was starting to annoy her. It seemed no matter what she said, her younger self refused to believe the truth about Gothel. One would think with her being the older version of her, she would believe her, but her younger self was adamant in her beliefs.
"Look, why can't you just see that her 'kindness' is all an act?" the older Rapunzel said with aggravation growing in her voice.
"It's not an act!" the younger Rapunzel protested.
"Yes it is! I've experienced it, myself. That's why I was given this test, to take you away from her," said the older Rapunzel.
This statement made the younger Rapunzel pause. "Is...is that why you wanted me to see the lights? For your test?" she asked.
The older Rapunzel then paused. "Of course not. I want to get you away from Gothel!" she argued.
"'Gothel!?'" the younger Rapunzel responded.
Hearing her own self refer to Gothel by her name was unnerving.
"Yes, 'Gothel!'" Rapunzel answered bluntly.
As the two princesses began to argue, the bear slowly tore his way through the young Rapunzel's hair.
"That's our mother you're talking about!" the younger Rapunzel argued.
"No she's not! I keep telling you that!" the older Rapunzel argued back.
Just then, the two princesses looked back as the bear broke free from the hair and immediately pounced on the younger Rapunzel.
The young princess screamed in terror as the bear let out a massive roar, his sharp teeth dripping with drool.
The older Rapunzel attempted to stop the animal by jumping onto its back, however it proved to be ineffective as the bear just shoved her off.
Tears fell down the younger Rapunzel's eyes as she stared into the bear's intimidating eyes. She could feel his hot breath on his face.
Meanwhile, her older counterpart sat on the ground, seemingly helpless; she couldn't fight off the bear with her bare hands and there were no weapons nearby, but she had to think of a way to save herself and fast. Just then, she spotted a rather familiar item to her left; a frying pan. She had no idea how it just appeared out of nowhere, but the moment, she didn't care. She immediately grabbed the pan and with a swift swing, knocked the bear across the head. Angered, the bear turned towards her, allowing the younger Rapunzel to crawl away towards the wall. The bear let out another roar before the older Rapunzel hit him again, causing him to slightly pull back. Taking advantage of this, she hit him again and he pulled back further. She continued to hit him until he eventually retreated.
Breathing a sigh of relief, the older Rapunzel quickly hurried to her younger counterpart who was shivering in terror. Realizing how terrified she was, she placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, knowing it would take it a little while. "It's OK. He's gone. We're safe now," she assured.
After a few minutes, the younger Rapunzel seemed to calm down with her older self not leaving her side. Meanwhile, there was no sign of the bear. The older Rapunzel assumed he had most likely given up in his pursuit of them. But still, she didn't want to take any chances as their way a possibility he could come back at any time. Once her younger self had fully calmed, she and her could continue on their way.
Just then, the younger Rapunzel sat up with clenched fists and turned to her older self with a look of resolve. "I don't wanna go anymore," she said.
The older Rapunzel sighed. "Listen, I know you just went through a scary experience, but we're fine now," she said.
"No! I don't wanna go anymore! I just wanna go home!" the younger Rapunzel said with more assertiveness.
"But we've come this far! We can't just quit now!" the older Rapunzel protested.
"No! It's not worth it! Mother was right! The outside world IS dangerous!" the younger Rapunzel said.
The older Rapunzel couldn't help but admit to herself that there was some truth to the things Gothel her about the outside world, even if it was all to keep her inside the tower. But still, it was just that, a means to an end. And she needed her young counterpart to realize that. "Yes, the world can be dangerous, but it's all filled with great things too, and you'll never know what they are if you don't go out and see them!" she said.
"I don't care anymore! I was almost eaten by that bear, not to mention almost killed by those thugs! I'm better off back at home where I'm safe; with my mother!" the young Rapunzel protested.
The older Rapunzel then quickly rose to her feet with clenched fists of her own and a look of anger on her face. "Ugh! When are you gonna get it through your thick head?! Gothel does not care about you or me or anyone! She's just a selfish monster, whether you like it or not!" she shouted.
"She is not and you know it! You say you're me, right? Well I'm you, so that means I should know something about you too! And I don't really think you feel the way you do about Mother! I don't think you entirely hate her! you may think you do, but you don't and you just don't want to admit it!" the younger Rapunzel contested.
This caused the older Rapunzel to pause for a second, angrily shaking before she snapped back. "That's not true, OK?! And it doesn't matter! We are going to the castle and that is that!" she said before immediately placing her hands over her mouth, realizing what she had just said.
I'm that moment, the elder princess flashed back to when she had first asked Gothel if she could go out and see the lights, the anger on Gothel's face, the clinging, clutching bellowing in her voice when she forbade her from ever leaving the tower, and the slight fear and shock she felt, very similar to what her younger counterpart was experiencing now. This was a moment she thought would've never come, a moment she never wanted to come, but in this instance, it appeared that it had happened; she was starting to become like Gothel.
But she didn't mean to yell, she was just frustrated. Her younger self wouldn't stop going on and on about how great Gothel was when she knew better, but at the same time, though she wouldn't admit it out loud, her younger self was right. In spite of everything that Gothel had done to her; lying to her, manipulating her, keeping her trapped for years from her real family, even almost killing Flynn; she couldn't find it within herself to fully hate her. And it was a fact that had been eating away at her for a long time; she should truly despise Gothel, but she just couldn't. Even though it was all a lie, she couldn't help but think back to the many years where Gothel took care of her; clothed her, bathed her, fed her; for so long, Gothel was, in fact, her mother, even though she wasn't.
The tone and sternness in the elder Rapunzel's voice took her younger self back. But her face soon turned fro one of shock to one that seemed of realization "Oh, I see. This isn't about me, this is about your test, isn't it? This is all about passing so you can get that scepter!" she assumed.
"No, it's not!" the older Rapunzel protested. Of course she wanted to get the scepter, but at the moment, she was more concerned with making things right with her younger counterpart.
"Don't lie to me!" the younger Rapunzel shouted. "You don't care about me at all! You only care about yourself!"
Feeling betrayed, the younger Rapunzel fled down the cave, nearly disappearing into the darkness with her older self in pursuit.
"Wait! Come back! Stop!" the older Rapunzel pleaded.
Her younger self, however refused to halt. Tears fell down her eyes as she rushed down the cave, tears of hurt and betrayal, trying to put as much distance as she could between herself and her older self. "Leave me alone!" she shouted.
The young Rapunzel was stubborn in trying to avoid her older self, but her older self was just as stubborn in trying to catch up with her.
Further and further the chase went through the cave until suddenly, the two princesses halted when the ground beneath them began to quake. Cracks formed underneath their toes as they struggled to keep their balance. Just then, ground beneath the young Rapunzel split, then broke and slanted, causing her to slide down into the crevasse.
Reacting quickly, the older Rapunzel slid down and whipped her hair into the crevasse before holding onto the edge. Her younger self quickly grabbed on. The added weight and tug from her grip caused her to wince in pain, but she maintained her hold on the edge.
"Don't let go!" the older Rapunzel pleaded.
Suddenly, the two princesses heard a sound eminating from below at the bottom of the crevasse. Upon looking down, their eyes widened with shock at the sight of dozens upon dozens of slithering, hissing snakes.
From snakes, to vipers, to cobras; all of them were venomous and the sight of their long fangs was enough to make the young Rapunzel gasp in horror.
Meanwhile, her older self was still clutching onto the edge with just one hand. She managed to get both hands on it, but struggled to climb up. With each effort, she strained herself harder and harder, using all her strength to climb, just barely able to inch. Unfortunately, her efforts proved to be in vain as it didn't take long for her to slip down. Each time she tried, the result was the same.
The snakes relentlessly tried to bite at the younger Rapunzel's feet as she desperately clanged onto her older self's dress. "Help! somebody help us!" she cried.
As the older Rapunzel looked down at her younger self, the dozens of snakes, and then back at the edge where she was slowly losing her grip, at that moment, she felt nothing but defeat. Both of them were in a undesirable situation and they hadn't even reached Corona. Not only that, but the two hadn't even settled their argument. From the looks of things, her chances of passing the test were going up in smoke and with it, any chance of gaining the scepter. Not only that, but any chance of making amends with her younger self seem to be gone too. Still, she fought to keep her grip as best as she could, even as cracks started form where her hands were, but as the cracks got wider, her grip loosened more and more. She tried to use her feet to climb up, but it was all but useless; the fate of the two princesses was all but sealed.
Realizing this, the older Rapunzel turned to her younger self who looked back as she stared at her with a look of sadness and regret. "I'm sorry," she said solemnly before losing her grip.
The two princesses started to fall, awaiting their fate below as the snakes hissed with venom dripping from their fangs when suddenly, their fall was stopped, leaving them both confused. The older Rapunzel looked up to see a hand had grabbed her, but not just any hand, it was a hand she never thought she'd feel; Mother Gothel's hand.
"Mother!" the younger Rapunzel cried.
"Hang on!" Gothel shouted as she struggled to hold onto the two.
The older Rapunzel stared befuddled at Gothel who tried to pull the two princesses up with all her strength despite their combined weight being too much for her. A thousand questions ran throughout her mind as well as a plethora of emotions as she stared at the face of the woman who pretended to be her mother for so many years. The very same woman who had lied and manipulated her was now grasping on her hand, trying to save her. Though she didn't know what to think, she knew now wasn't the time, she had to save her younger self.
"Climb up on me! she cried.
Though hesitant at first, the younger Rapunzel began climbing up her older self's back. When she reached Gothel, her mother took one hand out of the older Rapunzel's and used it to grab the younger one's and pull her out of the crevasse.
"Thank goodness, you're safe, Rapunzel," Gothel said, sighing in relief.
"Mother, we have to help her!" the younger Rapunzel said pointing to her older self.
"Quick! Help me lift her up!" Gothel said, straining.
The young Rapunzel grabbed onto her older self's other hand and her and Gothel pulled her up just before the crevasse closed beneath them. The two princesses breathed a sigh of relief before being met with a disapproving glare from Gothel.
As the older Rapunzel eyed Gothel, the memories that had haunted her reemerged; the lies, the deception, keeping her prisoner; all of them came back to her and a feeling of anger began to well up inside her. But at the same time, she felt confusion, given the fact that she helped save her life. This Gothel seemed concerned about her younger self's safety, though for all she knew, she could've just only cared her younger self's hair.
"Well I have many questions; one of which being, 'what were you doing wandering off from the tower?!' and the other one being, 'who is this girl and why does she look like you?''' Gothel said.
Neither of the two princesses had any idea exactly what to say as Gothel eyed both of them. They weren't sure what to tell her as far as the second question was concerned. The younger Rapunzel was on thin ice already, having left from the tower and Gothel's icy cold stare combined with her impatiently tapping her fingers wasn't helping.
Taking a deep breath, the younger Rapunzel stepped up and spoke. "I was trying to see the lights," she said with guilt.
Gothel took both of her hand and gently held them against the younger Rapunzel's cheeks, then looked at her with, changing her demeanor from cold to nurturing. "Rapunzel, you know the outside world is dangerous. Look what almost happened to you," she said softly, but firmly.
"I'm sorry, Mother," the younger Rapunzel said, teary eyed before Gothel embraced her.
As the older Rapunzel looked on, she was flabbergasted by what she had seen. Gothel not once was stroking her younger self's hair, not even looking at it, she just hugged her; warmly and affectionately. Was this really the same Gothel who kept her trapped for most of her life? It didn't seem like it. Watching them, she was reminded of all the times Gothel hugged her and even though it was all a lie, she still couldn't help but think somewhat fondly of it. Seeing them like this reminded her of the better aspects of her relationship with Gothel; the times when she fed her, the times when she clothed her, bathed her; all of it. Though she tried to deny it, she couldn't escape the truth; that a small part her that actually missed her. Despite all the lies and deception, there was a part of her that couldn't help but acknowledge her as her mother.
It was at this moment that she realized the true purpose of the test as Gothel gave the younger Rapunzel a stern, firm look.
"We are going to have a long talk about this when we get home, young lady," Gothel said.
The younger Rapunzel slumped her head down in shame before her older self stepped in.
"Wait! Don't be mad at her. This was my fault. I convinced her to come with me to see the lights and I put her in all this danger. I was wrong. I wanted to give her some fun and I did at first, but ended up giving her grief. I'm sorry. She belongs home with you," the older Rapunzel said.
This comment made the younger Rapunzel smile.
"Well, she will still be punished, but thank you for telling the truth," said Gothel.
So with that, Gothel took the younger Rapunzel by the hand and, with the older one accompanying them, headed on their way back to the tower. Though Gothel was still curious as to why the older Rapunzel looked like her younger self, to which the older Rapunzel figured she might as well tell her.
On the way back, the older Rapunzel informed Gothel of everything.
"So you're...Rapunzel, from an alternate time?" Gothel asked.
"Yep, that's me, 'Alternate Timeline Rapunzel' right here," the older Rapunzel said, with a nervous chuckle.
"And you're taking some kind of test you say?" Gothel asked.
"Yes, I thought that bringing my...self to see the lights was the only way to pass, but I thought wrong," the older Rapunzel said with an awkward chuckle.
"Do you know the real way to pass the test?" Gothel asked curiously.
"It took a while to figure out, but yeah, I think I do," the older Rapunzel said assuredly.
As the trio continued walking, the older Rapunzel was surprised as her younger self took her by the hand, smiling. She smiled back.
"It seems she's taken a liking to you. I shouldn't be surprised. You are 'her' after all," Gothel said, chuckling.
Finally, the trio arrived back at the tower, much to Gothel's relief as she had a ton of extra chores for the younger Rapunzel to do in the morning which was something the young princess was not looking forward to.
Standing outside the tower, Gothel and the younger Rapunzel turned to the elder one.
"Listen, I'm sorry for putting...'me' through all that," Rapunzel said sheepishly.
"Hey, don't worry about it. It was fun for the most part, except for the danger," said the younger Rapunzel.
This made both the Rapunzels chuckle, though they immediately stopped upon seeing Gothel's stern glare.
"Well," the older Rapunzel said, clearing her throat. "Again, I'm sorry. I thought taking her away from this place was the answer, but I was wrong. I know now that she belongs here with...her mother."
Upon saying those last two words, it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted off the older princess' shoulder. After all the denial and the mental blocking, her mind felt lighter than it ever had before. Though she had preferred to forget her past with Gothel, she knew she couldn't run away from it and upon deciding to embrace it, she felt at peace with herself for the first time in a long time.
A smile came on both Gothel and the younger Rapunzel's faces as the younger Rapunzel took her older self's hand.
The older Rapunzel smiled back before looking back at Gothel.
Well done, Rapunzel," Gothel said.
After releasing her hand, the younger Rapunzel stood next to Gothel and took her hand. "You have passed," she said.
The elder Rapunzel watched as her younger self and Gothel disappeared with the tower following soon after, followed by the rest of the environment around her, leaving a black void much the one she had been in when she first entered the Zenotytes' tower. Suddenly, a bright light shined above her. She looked up, mostly covering her eyes, to discover five familiar silhouettes emerge from the light and descend upon her. It was none other than the Zenotytes themselves.
One by one, the Zenotytes; Cestius, Waestro, Poragon, Gilus, and Tapir; all landed down, forming a circle around the princess.
"Well, well, well; Gilus. Looks like someone has to eat their words," said Poragon.
As Gilus scoffed, Weastro chuckled at the large amount of egg that was left on his face.
Meanwhile, Cestius turned to Rapunzel. "So, you figured out the true purpose of the test?" he asked curiously.
"Yes," Rapunzel answered. "The whole time, I thought that getting myself away from Gothel was the answer, but the truth is, I was just running away from the truth."
"And what is the truth?" asked Tapir.
"The truth is, as much as I hate to admit it, is that Gothel is a part of me, just as much as I was a part of her, even if it was for selfish reasons," said Rapunzel.
Cestius, Poragon, Tapir, and Waestro all gave approving grins to one another before turning to Gilus.
"Fine, she's right," Gilus growled.
Outside the tower; Feemer, the good fairies, and the other princesses stood outside, still awaiting Rapunzel's return.
"Oh, she's been in there for hours," Cinderella said, growing worried.
"Maybe we should go in after her," Snow White suggested.
"We can't, Snow. The door's gone," said Tiana.
"Besides, this is something that Rapunzel has to do on her own," said Pocahontas, placing a hand on Snow White's shoulder.
Suddenly, a bright golden light appeared at the foot of the tower where the door was as it appeared before them. The door opened up, and a familiar silhouette emerged.
"Rapunzel?" Cinderella asked, calling out to the figure.
And indeed it was Rapunzel who stood before them, holding a glowing gold colored crystal scepter.
The three good fairies flew towards the princess, beaming with pride.
"Rapunzel! You've done it!" exclaimed, Flora.
"Great job, dear!" exclaimed Fauna.
"Way to go!" exclaimed Merryweather.
"Well I'll be, she actually did it," Feemer said with slight disbelief.
"Mmmhmm. That's right," said Tiana, snapping her fingers at Feemer.
The rest of the princesses gathered around Rapunzel, patting her on the back at what she had accomplished.
"So you really passed the test?" asked Jasmine.
"Yep, I sure did," said Rapunzel.
"How did you do it?" pondered Belle.
"Well, I guess I have Gothel to thank for that," Rapunzel said, much to the group's confusion.
"Whatever do you mean?" asked Fauna.
Admittedly, it was somewhat confusing for her, but she was still able to explain. "For the longest time, I had been doing my best to erase Gothel from her mind, to pretend like she didn't exist. But it never really seemed to work, because as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was in denial. Denial of my past, Gothel, everything. It took me a while to realize but Gothel will always be a part of my life. But while Gothel may a part of my life, she doesn't decide my life, I do."
"You got that right!" exclaimed Merryweather.
Just then, the Zenotytes appeared before the group.
"Congratulations, Rapunzel," said Cestius.
"As much as I hate to admit it, you did well," said Gilus.
"But be warned, while you may have passed this challenge, Golett is a far greater one," said Tapir.
"Only by working together can you even hope to defeat him," said Poragon.
"And only through true leadership can you be effective as a team," said Waestro.
"True leadership?" Flora asked curiously.
The Zenotytes smiled at one another before turning back to the group.
"You'll see in time," said Cestius.
"If you can figure it out by them," said Gilus.
The group wasn't exactly sure what the Zenotytes meant. The most they could gather was that someone in their group would have to lead them into battle against Golett; but they weren't sure who.
With that in mind, the group bid farewell to the Zenotytes and headed back to the ship with yet another scepter under their belt. The group continued praising Rapunzel for her accomplishment as they boarded.
Upon entering the ship, the group stopped to see Merida, standing in front of them, arms crossed and stone faced, staring a hole through Rapunzel. As she approached them, the group weren't sure how to react for they didn't know what was going through Merida's mind. Soon, Merida stood face to face with Rapunzel, virtually no experession was written on her face.
Rapunzel stared back awkwardly and gave a slightly nervous chuckle. "Hi," she said with a slight wave.
For a moment, there was silence until Merida her right hand to Rapunzel, offering a handshake. Rapunzel looked back to the group before looking back to her and returning the handshake.
A proud smile came on Merida's face. "Nice work, lass," she said.
Rapunzel nodded.
Merida looked to Snow White, upon which her expression changed and her smile disappeared. With that, she returned below the deck, much to Snow White's sadness.
Jasmine placed a hand on Snow White's shoulder. "Don't worry, she'll come around...eventually," she said.
And so with another scepter in hand, the group departed from the island, ready to find the next one and the next scepter. And for Rapunzel, the journey would be a little easier for her, for she could sleep easier knowing that even though Gothel was a permanent part of her life, she wouldn't let it be a dark cloud over her head.