Angel: Okay, I am getting way too many suggestions for a show that I'm done writing at this point. Seriously, every episode has been done. I do not need more ideas to go back and rewrite episodes for XD Please, do not leave me any ideas, and save it for the one-shot story. I'm sorry, but I'm not going back and changing an entire episode, because I have other things to write.
It's a rainy day as the horses trudge through the path. Thunder booms as Rapunzel is drawing, her quill squeaking with each stroke. The caravan is leaking from all the rain, a rain drop landing on Pascal. He shakes his head at the second one.
Cass is balancing an apple on her sword. She glances towards Rapunzel in annoyance, throwing up the apple in the air. She cuts it up quickly into even slices. "Eight perfect slices. Ugh," She drops the apple, irritated by the squeaking. "Raps, do you mind?"
"What?" Rapunzel asks, oblivious to the squeaking.
Meanwhile, Varian and Harmony are in the second caravan, and they're getting leaks as well. Harmony puts a hand to her cheek in annoyance as Varian has caused another explosion behind her.
"Vari...do you have to do that now? We already have the answer to your father's amber," She glances over her shoulder while hammering something together.
He flinches at her voice, giving her an annoyed look at the noise. "And I thought I told you that I prefer my peace and quiet..."
Suddenly they hear whistling, and the girls do too. Pascal covers his ears in annoyance as Rapunzel sighs at the sound. Varian places his face into his desk with a groan.
Lance is whistling on top of his bed, but the megaphone is on, meaning the other caravan can hear them. Eugene is looking at himself in the mirror, Shorty bathing himself with the rain water. Rapunzel opens up the first part of the door, both girls looking annoyed with him.
"Lance, please." She glares at him.
"Yes, please, the song is awful," Eugene replies while plucking at his eyebrows.
"And we thought we made this clear: turn off the megaphone if you're gonna whistle!" Harmony shouts from the megaphone, piercing Lance's ears.
"Speaking of awful, I see you're looking at yourself again, pretty boy," Cass smiles teasingly and Rapunzel sighs slowly.
"Well, it beats looking at you," Eugene retorts back. "Besides, without proper brow maintenance, the smolder cannot work to full effect."
"Not again with that..." Harmony pinches her nose.
"If the effect you're going for is to make me nauseous, I'd say it's working perfectly," Cass steps into the caravan, Rapunzel storming off towards the desk. Harmony and Varian step into the boys' part in annoyance.
"Well, it wasn't what I was going for, but since you are nauseated, let's call it a happy accident."
Lance continues whistling, Rapunzel looking up at him and groaning, covering her eyes. Varian mixes more chemicals together and it almost hits Harmony's quiver on her back.
"Hey! Watch where you do that!" She warns him.
"This is delicate work, Mona," He glares at her.
"Ooh, this is delicate work," The girl mocks him.
"Like yours is more important! What are you even building now anyway?"
"I'll show you a happy accident," Cass retorts and hits Eugene. "Oops, my bad." Pascal covers his ears with Rapunzel's hair. Daisy and Ruddiger hide underneath the table in irritation.
"See that? Even the frog, badger, and goose can't stand your whistling anymore," Eugene retorts to Lance.
"Oh yeah? And what do they know about music?" Lance looks at them. "They don't even have ears."
They all squeak in frustration, glaring up at him. Rapunzel looks up at Lance and continues to draw.
"And you with the scratching," Cass grits her teeth at her. "What could you possibly be drawing in that journal now?"
Rapunzel looks down to a picture of all of them fighting. "Well, I would try to explain it, but you clearly know nothing about art," She argues back to her friend, realizing what she just said. "Ugh, okay, that was mean. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, look. I know our little ticks are getting on each other's nerves, because we are all stuck in here together. But on the bright side, we're all in here together. So, let's just have some fun with it."
Lance starts whistling again and she slams a fist on the table. "Lance, if you do not stop whistling, I will throttle you!"
"Wow," Harmony blinks at her. "But Vari's one to talk with all of his explosions almost destroying my things!"
"Hey!" He points at his girlfriend. "Says the one who loudly uses her tools! Like your work is anymore important than mine!"
She gasps sharply, clenching her fists. "You take that back!"
The others wince at their argument.
Suddenly, a tree falls in front of the horses, causing them to neigh in alarm. The caravan tilts a bit as a wheel is stuck in the mud. Rapunzel looks at the wheels, a cloak over her head. She steps back inside to inform the others.
"Well, it's official. We are stuck."
"I guess we'll just have to wait out the storm in here," Cass mutters as Rapunzel looks outside. She sees a house up ahead.
"Or maybe not..."
Cass sees the same house. "Raps, I know what you're thinking, but that place creeps me out."
"Hang on, I wanna have a look," Eugene pushes past her.
"Ugh, could you be any more annoying?" She growls at him.
"Hmm, let me see," He plucks a hair from her head.
"Ow!"
"Ha ha! Would you look at that? I can be," He retorts to her and Cass crosses her arms.
"Look, Raps, I can see where this is going. You're going to say something like that shell house looks like a warm, dry place. And then I say, let's not rush into anything. We should be careful-" She looks up in shock to see that everyone is gone. She sighs towards outside. "And they're gone."
A bunch of rain water falls over her.
She reluctantly follows them outside, where Rapunzel uses the doorknob to knock. Harmony looks up at her sister.
"We should turn around. There's something evil hidden in that house."
"What?" Rapunzel asks in alarm. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah...I'm sure," Harmony stares at the door.
"But we don't have anywhere else to go, Harmi...We're wet, cold, and we're out of food."
"Oh, honestly, would you just for once ignore it?" Eugene rolls his eyes.
"No, I can't, because it doesn't work like that," She argues back, glaring up at the man. "Are you sure this is the only option-"
The door opens and Rapunzel waves at the man. "Hello! We are so sorry to bother you, but our caravan got stuck in the mud."
The man slowly opens the door further. "A carriage stuck in the mud, is a carriage that's quite a dud," He speaks in a French accent.
"Um...okay," Varian blinks at the rhyme. They glance to each other weirdly.
"It's a rhyme," He chuckles as they don't seem to have gotten it. "Look how wet all of you are. Do you suppose that's because of the rain?"
"Uh, could we come in?" Rapunzel smiles nervously.
"Of course, of course. My name is Matthews, and you are all welcome," He gestures for them to come inside. "Except the horses. They shed too much and leave 'oof prints in the carpeting. Oui? It's the stable for you!"
"I'm sorry, Silver," Harmony pets his mane. "I promise I'll check up on you after dinner."
He neighs, nuzzling her before following after Max and Fidella. The others step inside as Matthews glances around before closing and locking the door. They look around at the shell-inspired house, a fire already crackling nearby.
"Wow! This place is amazing," Rapunzel looks around in awe.
"It is, yes, but so are pockets," He walks past her. "You can put anything in one, so long as it's smaller than the pocket itself. You know, I like to put my hands in mine."
"Cass is right on the creepy part, though..." Harmony murmurs as she glances around the room. She suddenly gets the bad feeling again, looking towards the stairs. "Um, while this is nice and all, I can still sense the evil here..."
"Ah, there is nothing evil here," Matthews pats her back. "I'm sure it's just the rain."
"Right, okay. So, this place is made entirely of shells?" Rapunzel asks curiously as they walk up the stairs.
"I see you've noticed. Let me guess. You must be the genius of the group, oui?"
"Heh heh, no," Varian gives a deadpan look.
"And as one of the geniuses, I'm 100 percent certain that there's evil here," Harmony places her hands on her hips.
"Indeed, a large shell house in the middle of the forest doesn't seem to belong, but then again, neither do you," He gestures to the two sisters. "And yet, here you are. There are refreshments in the lounge and rooms enough for all of you."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Matthews. And, don't worry, you won't even know that we're-"
"Shorty, put those down!" Eugene snatches a ball ornament. Lance giggles as he juggles them. "I said, put those down!"
"No, you said Shorty, put those down," Lance points out.
"You are ridiculous," Eugene snatches them back.
"Stop scolding him," Cass crosses her arms.
"Thank you, Cassandra," Lance grins at her.
"Stay out of this, Lance," Cass looks away, Eugene groaning.
"Really?" Harmony rubs a temple.
"Yeah, we're not people who tend to stay out of sight," Varian looks up at Mr. Matthews.
"Um..." Rapunzel chuckles awkwardly, hoping to change the subject. "Mr. Matthews, it's so beautiful here. What is this place?"
"It's called...The House of Yesterday's Tomorrow," He gestures to the hall and Harmony flinches, staring at the mirror up ahead. That feeling is definitely coming from that mirror...
"Yesterday's Tomorrow...So, then, today?" Rapunzel smiles a bit.
"I never use one word where two will do, right, correct?"
"Sure...I guess."
Matthews chuckles at the blonde. "Oh, you're just milking it now. Here are the guest bedrooms. Please, enjoy your stay...however long that may be," He walks past them down the hall. Harmony turns around to everyone.
"Guys, whatever you do, don't look in that mirror," Harmony warns them. "Something's not right about it."
"What do you mean? Like something could happen?" Cass asks her and she nods.
"I don't know what exactly, but just don't look into it."
"If you say so," Rapunzel smiles slightly and walks off with Cass to share a room. And since Eugene, Lance, and Shorty, that leaves...
Varian and Harmony stand in front of the door, both of them feeling awkward. Not because they're sharing a room, they already had shared a shelter together. But because of that fight...they weren't sure how they would do this.
"Um...so should I just sleep outside or...?" Harmony rubs her arm, looking towards the ground.
"Why would you do that?" Varian blinks at her.
"Well...because you might be working again and since you prefer your solitude..."
"Oh...oh!" His eyes go wide as he remembers their fight, rubbing his neck. "Oh Mona, I am so sorry I said those awful things to you."
"And I'm sorry for what I said too," She looks up at him, a guilty look on her face. "I didn't mean it, I just...dealing with everyone's tendencies, including yours, has proven to be a bit...difficult lately. And I didn't mean to bug you with my inventing..."
"And I didn't mean to almost destroy your things," He frowns a little, perking up a bit. "Hey, how's this? I'll work on my things less and help you organize your stuff in a safe place. And then we can figure out a way to silence your tools."
"Really?" She smiles softly at him and he cups her cheeks.
"Really really," He pecks her lips. "Besides...this means I can teach you more about alchemy like you've always wanted!"
She giggles and he opens the door for her.
Eugene holds up a towel, watching Shorty eat a yam. "Here, Shorty, at least wipe your face," He tosses the towel on him.
"Not my style," He throws it off, eating the yam. Eugene wipes his face as across their door, Rapunzel is adjusting her hair.
"Something's not right," Cass states to Rapunzel.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why is this huge place just sitting here, in the middle of nowhere? And that guy, or inn keeper, or whatever he is, just takes in, offers us food and a place to stay for the night, without asking for a single coin? I think Harmi's right on this, Raps."
Rapunzel turns around, unsure of all of this herself...
Harmony hums a bit as she brushes her ponytail, having washed up already. Varian is braiding her hair back to the way it was in the ponytail. "I didn't know you could do hair."
"I don't, but I watched you do it for months, so I'm just doing it from memory. It was just easy to figure out from there..." He suddenly has a worried look on his face and she drops the hairbrush, staring at him through the mirror. "That mirror in the hall...you're sure on that?"
"Mhm," She nods slowly. "I don't know what it is, but as long as we all stay away from it, we should be fine."
Shorty steps out into the hall, stepping up to the very same mirror that Harmony warned about. "Hello, handsome. Can you tell me where to find the dining hall?" He takes another bite of his yam, but drops it. He bends down to grab it, his reflection grinning evilly. Shorty looks up and eyes his reflection.
"Hey...don't I know you?" He eyes the mirror, the reflection's eyes glowing red and reaching out to him.
"I'm telling you, it just doesn't make sense," Cass insists to her friend.
"Look, Cass, I know this is weird, but you gotta admit, this isn't the weirdest thing we've seen on the road," She smiles a bit, the door knocking. She opens it up to see Eugene standing there with Varian and Harmony.
"What're you two waiting for? Dinner's ready."
Rapunzel grins towards Cass, who rolls her eyes. "Fine..."
All of them sit around the table, Lance eating some chicken. Rapunzel feeds Pascal some mashed potatoes from her plate as Varian offers Ruddiger and Daisy some bread. Harmony pokes Daisy's stomach and she chirps in laughter.
"Cone on, would you put that thing down?" Cass demands Eugene, who's looking at his reflection through a knife...
"And why would I? You never put your sword down or Harmi with her quiver."
"Don't bring me into this," Harmony warns him, pointing her fork at him. "And I don't always carry around my quiver, thank you very much," She takes a bite out of her ham. The chair next to Rapunzel is pushed back as Shorty sits down. He puts his napkin on his lap, and actually starts using silverware to eat! He wipes himself with the napkin, the teens looking at him in surprise. Rapunzel looks to the shocked three.
"Shorty, you're using a napkin instead of...nothing," Rapunzel points out.
"Oh, so I am, huh. Please, pass the bread," He states in a polite way, Cass giving it to him. "Thank you."
"Thank you?" Rapunzel murmurs to herself. Shorty's eyes widen as he looks at her, then at the yam in his hand.
"Uh...beard, yam!"
The others glance at each other, wondering just what is going on with him. Lance just continues eating his meat.
"Shorty, are you feeling okay?" Rapunzel asks in concern and he slowly turns his head to her. Pascal crawls onto her shoulder as she looks to Eugene. His eyes widen at her and then she gestures for him to go into the hall.
"Um, what do you mean exactly when you say something's wrong with Shorty?" Eugene wonders once they're away from everyone else.
"Didn't you see him at dinner?" Rapunzel whispers to her boyfriend. "Harmi might be right! Perfect posture, impeccable manners, his breath wasn't...stomach-churning. Something is off."
"He didn't even smell, Eugene. And he usually stinks, badly," Harmony gestures to the dining room. He just takes another bite out of his food.
"Whatever is going on, it's definitely weird," Varian rubs his chin. "He was fine before dinnertime...as fine as Shorty could be."
"You're all beginning to sound like Cass."
"We're serious," Rapunzel says in a pleading voice for him to listen. "Shorty isn't...right. It's almost like he was somebody else pretending to be Shorty."
"Maybe it's got to do with-"
"Wait, here he comes, quick!" Rapunzel interrupts Harmony. "Quick, in here," She pulls all three of them into the closet. Shorty appears in the hall, walking up to the mirror. They watch him from the closet. "What's he doing?"
"I don't know, it's Shorty," Eugene whispers to her.
"Well, Shorty doesn't do manners, and yet here we are," Harmony hisses, gesturing to the man.
"He probably thinks he made a new friend. Look, I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary," Eugene eats again, and the three peek through the cracks.
"Hey, Shorty," Lance greets him as he approaches.
"Well, if it isn't my stalwart companion, Lance Wardington. You're looking extraordinarily dapper. Take a look for yourself," Shorty gestures to the mirror behind them.
"I literally wear the same thing every day, but thanks for noticing—aah!" Lance is pulled into the mirror by his own reflection, shocking all four of them. Then a fake Lance steps out.
"Wha...?" They stare at each other, baffled looks on their faces as the doors close in front of them. "We have to find out what these impostors, or doubles or whatever they are, want. But we have to be careful. Wait, why didn't you sense it, Harmi?"
"I can only sense the mirror, and not the doubles," Harmony frowns slightly. "That's why I didn't notice the Fake Shorty at dinner."
"Huh...the mirror copies...seem to have a different sense that you can't detect," Varian theorizes, causing them to stare at him. "Maybe because their physical body make-up are different than regular people. Only the mirror is evil, right?"
"So I guess you can't sense what's fake..." Rapunzel hums a bit. "And now because of that fact, we have to be extra careful."
"Careful, got it," Eugene mutters, pushing the doors open. "Alright, half-pint," He rolls up his sleeves, but Shorty grabs him. "Wha...? Aah!" Shorty spins him around above his head, throwing him into the wall.
"Eugene!" Rapunzel exclaims at him.
"Okay," Varian chuckles nervously. "So not only can't they be sensed by Mona, but they have super strength too..."
"He must be working out," Eugene says weakly.
"You are messing with the wrong people!" Rapunzel threatens as they get out of the closet. "Cause if you think we're scared of a couple of living reflections with crazy strength, well, think again!" She looks up at the chandelier and undoes her hair. "Harmi."
She looks up at the chandelier above them and pulls out her bow and arrow. Rapunzel grabs it with her hair and pulls it down. Varian gives Harmony a pink orb, attaching it to her arrow. She fires it and traps them in goop. The four smile at each other.
Later, they bring the doubles to the dining room, having tied them up as well just in case. "Okay, so explain this to me again?" Cass asks the four. "Lance and Shorty aren't Lance and Shorty?"
"Look, I don't get it either, but that is not Shorty," Eugene points at him. "I mean, this Shorty knocked me down. I once saw the real Shorty lose a fight...to a trout...on dry land."
"So, where are the real Lance and Shorty?" Cass rolls her eyes.
"I'm not sure. But, somehow, I think they're trapped inside that mirror from the hallway. You know, the one that Harmi warned us about?" Rapunzel jerks a thumb behind her.
"Okay, this is just insane," She states plainly.
"It is insane! Don't believe her, Cassandra. I'm the real Shorty," Fake Shorty insists to them.
"Okay, okay. Shorty knowing who Cassandra is, is fishy, but him knowing who he is? There is definitely something to this imposter thing," Eugene crosses his arms.
"That mirror's scientific properties make it so that you're switched with an imposter," Varian narrows his eyes. "If this continues to happen, the real Shorty and Lance could be trapped in that mirror forever."
"Of course, the question becomes if they're not really them, how do we know the rest of us are who we say we are?" Rapunzel wonders, looking at everyone else suspiciously.
"Any one of us could have looked that mirror at any time," Harmony frowns a bit. "And what's worse, if there is another imposter among us, I can't sense them!"
They all stare at each other, as thunder crashes. Rapunzel paces in front of the others. "Okay, if we're gonna get our real friends back, we have to know how to trust. So, I have to conduct some tests to prove there are no more imposters."
"Hold on, you're going to conduct the tests?" Cass points at her. "Well, you could be a mirror person too."
"Ugh, you're right. How do you wanna test me?" She smiles at them, but Harmony wasn't sure by that smile that her sister has even looked at that mirror. Eugene slides a cold plate of turkey, peas, and mashed potatoes to her.
"The real Rapunzel can find the art in even the dullest situations. Turn it into something beautiful," Eugene challenges her.
"Okay, okay. Alright, let's see..." She rubs her chin, grinning when she thinks of something. Food flies everywhere, the others blocking it off. Pascal catches some with his tongue and Rapunzel has used up all the food to make Corona., Pete the Guard, Monty, Old Lady Crowley, and Harmony. "And...voila!"
"Wow," Varian chuckles as he and Harmony clap.
"A diorama of Corona. I am impressed," Eugene smiles slightly.
"Ooh, look! It's a little me!" Harmony points to the tiny little self that has blueberry eyes and made out of cheese.
"But any respectable artist would be able to create a completely edible replica-" Rapunzel simply holds up a finger and squishes the Monty model. "Aah! Uncle Monty!"
"Yeah, that's her," Cass cringes a bit as she still doesn't like him.
"Now who's next?" She grits her teeth at them.
Pascal pumps up his fists, ready. "Okay, Pascal, show me the colors of the Corona flag," Rapunzel asks him. He turns purple with the sun and moon symbol on his belly. "Good. Now how about the color of a bimberry?" He turns a bright pink.
"Ooh! Now do the color that Lance turned when he got poisoned by that spider bite," Eugene grins a bit and Pascal turns a sickly green with spots.
"You know, I'm not even the real Lance, but that's messed up," Fake Lance comments at this.
"You shut up!" Harmony points at him from the table.
"Alright, rapid fire. Old Lady Crowley." He turns exactly into the woman. "Ulf!" Then he turns into Ulf. "Ulf's favorite color!" Pascal turns invisible. "My favorite color!" He turns into all the colors. "That's right! Because all of them are equally amazing in their own way."
Pascal drops onto the table in exhaustion and she picks him up. "He's the real Pascal! Next text."
Rapunzel paces in front of Eugene. "Okay, Eugene, just a couple of questions."
"Fire away, blondie."
"First, what is Maximus' favorite food?" She questions him.
"Apples."
"What is Pete the Guard's middle name?"
"The! Also, Stan's middle name."
"Correct," She eyes him, hiding something behind her back. "Now, which of these posters is an accurate representation of the real Eugene Fitzherbert, aka Flynn Rider?" She asked Varian and Harmony to draw the posters.
"Ooh..." He stares at both of them closely. "Trick question! No artist can accurately capture all of this."
Harmony rolls her eyes at this.
"That's Eugene!" Rapunzel smiles brightly.
"Harmi, you're up!"
Harmony is handed her bow and arrow, with a few targets set up about 200 feet away from her. "Okay Brownie, the real you would know how to get five bullseyes towards these targets...all at the same time."
"Pfft. That's it?" She waves it off. "I can do that no problem." She looks up at the ceiling and the table, and then at the floors. She thinks about what to do and nods to them, signaling for them to move away from the targets. She puts five arrows on the bow at the same time, pulling back slowly. She points upwards towards the ceiling and fires.
Suddenly, all of the arrows ricochet around the room, causing everyone to duck. They hit the table, then the wall, and then hit each target at the same time.
"Ha!" Varian stares up at her, impressed. She simply looks at her fingers.
"Was there ever any doubt in the best archer of Corona?"
"That's her," Rapunzel smiles, hands on her hips. "The real Harmony is smart enough to calibrate the right angles."
"Vari, your turn," Harmony turns to him.
Just like with Rapunzel and Eugene, he has to be asked questions by Harmony.
"Okay...the real Varian would know this," The girl holds up a finger. "When's my birthday?"
"October 8th."
"What's my favorite past-time?"
"Oh, trick question," Varian crosses his arms. "You don't have one because you have a lot of interests."
"Okay..." Harmony rubs her chin. "Then when was our official first date?"
"When I took you stargazing on Tirapi Island, duh," He scoffs a bit.
"Yep, it's him," Harmony smiles in relief.
Daisy stands in front of Varian. "The real Daisy can fly through anything. So I built this little obstacle course to test you."
"And Ruddiger, he has to get this apple from Pascal without him noticing," Harmony gestures to the chameleon who holds up the apple.
She glares at all the food in front of her. "Ready...get set...go!"
The little duckling flaps her wings, flying through hoops, swinging meat, a wall of mashed potatoes, and getting peas shot at her by Harmony who uses a spoon. Ruddiger chases after Pascal on the ground. Soon, Daisy reaches the end triumphantly, panting in exhaustion.
Pascal is no longer holding the apple as he looks up to see that Ruddiger has somehow snatched it away without him looking.
"Next test!"
The fake Lance frowns deeply as the fakes look on. "Now, I was going to write in my journal to see if the noise bothered you, but I must have left it in the caravan. However, I did find this apple," Rapunzel throws it up into her hand. "So, Cass, chop this into eight perfect slices," She hands Cass the apple.
"Now?"
"Yes, right now," Rapunzel tells her. Harmony and Varian glance to each other. Cass wouldn't turn down a challenge like that...
"Well, I'm...I-I could break something."
"You got room," Rapunzel gestures to the spacious dining room.
"Did you see this rug? It'll make a mess."
"Cass!" Rapunzel exclaims at her stalling.
"Alright, alright, alright. Alright," She pulls out her sword, the four staring at her. She throws it up into the air...and then turns around to free the Lance and Shorty doubles! She turns around, her eyes now red.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go with not Cass," Eugene states as they step forward. Rapunzel grabs the chair and puts it in front of them, running off with the others. The fakes chase after them, running down the hall. Rapunzel looks over her shoulder to see them on their tail.
"What do we do?!" Harmony exclaims in a panic. They end up in the living room and hide in the corner. The doubles run past without a clue, and then they run up the stairs, hiding back in the closet, panting.
"Okay, we're back in the armoire again," Eugene states out of breath.
"That was close..."
"Are you okay? Where's the chameleon and duckling?" He asks, shocking all three of them.
"Wait...did you just call Pascal a chameleon? And Daisy a duckling?" Eugene never calls them that ever.
"Wait!" He steps forward, her journal landing in front of them.
"So there's my journal!" She gasps as Harmony and Varian step away from him in horror. "That's how you know our secrets!" She steps out of the armoire with the duo, backing up.
"No! I was just holding the journal," He explains as he comes out into the hall. "You dropped it, and, uh..."
"No, she left that in the caravan; you went back and stole it!" Varian points to him.
"Do the smolder," Rapunzel demands 'Eugene.'
"Uh..." He scratches his cheek. "Ay!" He points to them with a big smile.
"Y-You're not Eugene!" The blonde stammers in disbelief.
"You were a double the whole time?!" Harmony screeches at him.
"Okay, but you gotta admit, I had this Eugene guy down pretty well, right?" Fake Eugene chuckles as they stare at him, beyond shocked. "I mean, I was way better than the other doubles." He coughs into his fist. "Shorty."
"But how? When?"
"Oh, Rapunzel, Eugene was the first of you to gaze into our mirror..." The others stepped into their rooms while the real Eugene stepped up to the mirror. "Oh, come on, you can't be surprised." He admired himself a little.
"Ah, looks like a little hair out of place-" Fake Eugene grabbed him and pulled him into the mirror. Fake Eugene stepped out, adjusting his collar and his hair.
Their mouths are open, remembering something. "But Shorty threw you..."
"Well, I had to keep up appearances until we could get you into the mirror."
"That's why you kept trying to dismiss the fake Shorty!" Varian gasps in realization as the other fakes show up.
"What have you done with our friends?" Rapunzel grits her teeth at them.
Fake Eugene simply growls as his eyes turn red. They all step forward towards them.
"Oh, this is not good..." Harmony murmurs under her breath.
The real four are in a world parallel to their own, but everything is grey. Lance, Cass, and Eugene all yell as they rush to the mirror, trying to barge through. However, they are unsuccessful as they fall onto the ground.
"I said we shouldn't come to this place, but did anyone listen? No," Cass says knowingly to them.
"No, we did not," Eugene gets onto his feet, dusting himself off. "But in our defense, we never listen to you!"
"You know what, Fitzherbjerk, I've had about enough of your-"
"Guys, guys!" Lance steps between them, pushing them away. "Is all this bickering solving anything? I mean, we've been doing nothing but getting on each other's nerves for the last three weeks. And look where it's gotten us."
"I really hate admitting this," Eugene looks away, "But Lance is...right. This isn't helping. If we've got any chance of getting out of here, it's got to be together."
Lance crosses his arms proudly at the recognition. "Exactly. So, let's see if we can find a less painful way to get out of here? Come on, Shorty."
He runs after them.
"What are you?!" Rapunzel questions the fakes, backing away in front of the teens. "Stay behind me, you two."
"Rapunzel, Harmony, Varian, don't run from us," Fake Eugene states creepily.
"It's so much better this way..." Fake Cass continues.
"No annoying qualities," Fake Lance smirks a little.
"No bickering..." Fake Shorty finishes, Harmony giving a look of horror towards them.
"We share the same mind," They all say in unison. "It's bliss."
"We want our friends back! They're not perfect, but that makes them who they are!" Harmony shouts to the group.
"Guys, run!" Rapunzel tells everyone and all the pets scatter. However, she pushed the duo right into...
A fake Varian and a fake Harmony grab the two from behind. "Rapunzel!" Varian cries out as they're dragged into the mirror. The fake Harmony snatches the real one's quiver.
"Let us go!" Harmony screams as they both disappear and are replaced.
"No! Varian! Harmi!" Rapunzel turns around as Pascal, Daisy, and Ruddiger hide underneath a table. She's pushed towards the mirror, where a fake her appears in the reflection, grabbing onto her from behind. Rapunzel is sent into the mirror, but the two Rapunzels push everyone back as they're back in the hall. They wrestle each other until one of them is pushed back inside. The Rapunzel inside slams against the mirror, Fake Eugene looking up as one of the Rapunzels stands up. He's not sure which one it is until she turns around with an evil smirk.
He smirks back as she narrows her eyes.
It's still raining as all of the doubles have taken over... "With no one left to oppose us, we will remain free forever," Fake Eugene explains to his comrades.
"What of the lizard, goose, and raccoon?" Fake Cass asks him.
"Leave them to me," Fake Rapunzel states, searching around the hall. "Here, lizard, goose, raccoon. Where are you? Come out and show yourself."
Pascal comes out of hiding from the wall, Ruddiger and Daisy opening up a door from the room they were hiding in. They step towards Fake Rapunzel, who turns around and smiles.
"Pascal? Ruddiger? Daisy?"
They stare at her skeptically, about to run. "Guys, it's me!" Rapunzel gestures to herself, smiling. They beam at her, jumping up and down happily. "I knew you three would know it was the real me!" She holds out her hands and they jump on.
"Come on, we have to figure out how to free our friends," She places Ruddiger around her neck and Daisy on her head.
The fake Rapunzel is actually in the mirror world, slamming against the mirror. "They got you too, huh?"
She turns around to the others as they walk up to her. "Remember when we weren't all trapped inside a mirror? That was great," Eugene comments as they sit in a circle in front of the mirror.
Shorty spins an orb on his finger.
"Ugh," Varian lays himself down on the floor. "This is just great. If we stay in here any longer, we might never get out!"
"Yeah, this really is the pits," Fake Rapunzel states with her fist to her cheek. Eugene and Harmony glance to each other.
"Did you just say the pits?" He asks in confusion.
"Whoa, you don't think anything is the pits," Cass narrows her eyes and Harmony's eyes widen. "You even call cherry pits fruit rocks."
"Wait...guys, get away from her. Now!" The teenage girl pulls up Eugene and Varian urgently.
"What? Why?" Lance looks up at her.
"No, no, no. I-I meant this is not the pits," Fake Rapunzel chuckles nervously, smiling nervously.
"Harmi can sense evil here." Cass' eyes widen as she looks between the girl and the fake Rapunzel. "She can sense evil in here! So in here...she knows who's who!"
"You are not Rapunzel!" Eugene accuses the fake.
"Yeah! What are you?" Lance demands, hands on his hips.
She slowly smiles evilly. "I could tell you. But it would probably be better to show you," Her eyes suddenly turn red. Her fingernails turn into claws and she twitches her neck. They yelp in fear of her.
"Exactly how is showing us better than telling us?" Lance asks in terror. Fake Rapunzel growls as she runs up to them.
Rapunzel looks around the hall to find it empty, stepping up to the mirror. "My reflection's gone. I wonder if the guys figured out it's not me."
Lance cries out as Fake Rapunzel crawls up the wall, holding onto his leg. "It's definitely not her! It's definitely not her!"
"Brownie, attack her with your black rocks!" Eugene points up at the fake. Harmony looks at her hands, hesitant. She knows it's not really her, but...it still looks like her big sister. And if she did it to her, then...
"Oh, come on! No, no!" Fake Rapunzel lands on the ground with Lance, throwing him into Cass. Eugene cringes towards her, turning to Harmony.
"I know you don't wanna hurt her, but it's not really Rapunzel. Varian, got anything to stop her?"
Varian pats himself, eyes widening. "...Um..."
"Your double took 'em, didn't he?" Eugene deadpans to the boy, who drops his head in slight shame.
"Yeah..."
"I-I can't do it!" Harmony stammers, Eugene grabbing her and Varian. They all run off from the fake.
"Now..." Rapunzel rubs her chin as she stares at the mirror with the three pets. "How did this mirror work?"
"RAPUNZEL!" Eugene slams against the mirror. "If you can hear us, help! There's a really freak you in here!"
Her back is turned, though, so she can't hear them. They slam against the mirror. "I got it! If we can get those doubles to touch the mirror, it'll give our friends a chance to switch back." She looks to the floor, smirking. "How much do you think this mirror weighs?"
"This way, fellow mirror monsters!" She beckons them into the dining room. "I have located the repugnant lizard, goose, and raccoon," The three sit in front of her, and all of their eyes turn red. They run forward towards them.
"Let's go," She whispers to the three and they 'run away' from her. "Come on, you mongrels! You won't get away from us this time!" She joins the group in pretending to chase them.
"You know..." Eugene touches the wall. "I've had girlfriends get pretty upset with me before...but a mirror demon girlfriend...that's a new one."
The fake Rapunzel steps up to the group, snarling at them with sharp teeth. "Oh, we're not going down without a fight!" Cass runs up to her, but she pushes the woman backwards. She tosses the sword away. "A...very short, one-sided fight."
"Come on, guys, we're not gonna beat this thing going toe-to-toe," Lance gestures to the mirror double. "We gotta play to our strengths."
"He's right. We have to work together," Harmony speaks up and Eugene smiles as he gets an idea. He cracks his knuckles, running up to the fake. He slides to a stop and pulls off the smolder. "Well hey there, beautiful."
She stares at him in confusion as he wiggles his eyebrows. She actually falls for it as she gives a dazed look.
"Shorty, go!" He muffles out, stepping backwards. Shorty throws the orbs, and she slips on them. She wobbles backwards as Lance opens the doors to the armoire. She falls inside as Varian sees a rope and the orbs. He bends down to them and quickly works on them.
Lance hears a whistle, turning around to Varian. "Duck!"
He throws the makeshift bolo and it wraps around the double, trapping her inside. Cass runs up to the doors after Lance closes them, sticking her sword there. Harmony waves her arms to create a cage for the double, who struggles inside
"Ah, well, now that the scary, evil version of my girlfriend is down for the count, what do you think the real deal's up to?" Eugene asks everyone.
The three animals run down the hall, Rapunzel taking the lead. She looks over her shoulder to make sure she hasn't lost them, standing on the rug. Pascal, Ruddiger, and Daisy join Rapunzel again. She smirks, looking towards the fakes.
"Come on. Get 'em," Fake Lance narrows his eyes and Fake Cass notices that she didn't capture them.
"Wait a second. Why aren't you-" She gasps in realization. "They're all real. Quick! Get 'em into that mirror."
They all step forward towards her, but see that the mirror is no longer on the wall.
"Hey! Where is the mirror?" Fake Eugene searches for it with his eyes.
"Mirror..." Rapunzel rubs her chin. "What mirror?"
He growls at her as they step forward. "Tell us now," Fake Varian holds up some orbs from Varian's equipment.
"Or else," Fake Harmony points the arrows at Rapunzel.
"Oh, 'the mirror.' Good question. Let me think. Where did I see it last?" She looks at their glares. "Now I remember. It's right here!" She removes the rug they're standing on to reveal the mirror. The real group stares at the feet of their dopplegangers, glancing to each other.
They take their feet and try to pull them back.
"They're too strong!" Lance grits his teeth.
"Man, you are heavy!" Eugene comments to his double.
"We've gotta get them off balance," Rapunzel tells the three animals. The three gesture to her hair and she smirks. She releases her hair and runs up to them. She holds one end, while the duckling, chameleon, and raccoon hold the other end. They trip the doubles.
"Now!" Eugene orders and they pull, eventually pushing the doubles back into the mirror.
"Get in there, you handsome devil!" Lance pushes his double's head. They all climb out of the mirror as themselves again.
"Ah!" Rapunzel runs up to them in relief. She hugs Eugene and then her sister. "We did it!" All of them hug except for Cass.
"You know, I never thought I'd see a mirror I didn't like looking at," Eugene smiles a bit. Daisy and Ruddiger reunite with their owners.
"Oh, it's so good to see you again, Daisy," Harmony pokes her belly and she wiggles around while chirping happily. Varian smiles as Ruddiger sits on his shoulders.
"Great to see you, buddy."
"Is it too late to trade Eugene back for the evil version?" Cass couldn't help but ask. Eugene pulls her forward in the reunion and she looks away with a small smile.
They look at all the doubles besides the Rapunzel one, who's still trapped in the armoire. Eugene and Lance turn the mirror around, running away from it. Thankfully, this way, they won't ever have to look at it again.
The two run down the stairs. "Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'd take a night in that rainy caravan over one in this inn any day," Eugene gestures to outside.
"I'm with you, Fitzherbert," Cass agrees for a change as they rush for the door.
"Let's get out of here!"
"Must you leave so soon?"
They turn around to Matthews tending to the fire. "Or did you meet the people in the mirror? I should have warned you about them. Oh well! Live and learn! Or just live."
"Wait...you knew about that mirror the whole time?!" Harmony shouts at the man, stepping forward a bit. "Why didn't you say anything?! You said there was no evil in the house, so why should we trust anything you say now?"
"Ah, mademoiselle, I deeply apologize. The good news is you are welcome to stay as long as you like. You might even grow to enjoy it..."
"Enjoy it? Uh, no thank you!" Rapunzel turns around. "We'll take our chances...in the rain," However, outside is a downpour, and they won't survive a second in that... Thunder crashes and Cass frowns at this.
"I'll take first watch?"
After they're all set up for bed in the living room, Rapunzel is drawing again, the quill squeaking. After what happened, they weren't taking any chances sleeping in those rooms. Varian has his arm around Harmony's waist as her cheek is on a pillow, both of their eyes closed. Cass looks away from the fire and Rapunzel looks up at her.
"Oh, right. Quill. Sorry."
"Actually, go ahead. What's a little scratching noise among friends?"
"Thanks," Rapunzel closes the door. "But I can write about the mirror later. Something tells me I will remember it...and also that," A smile escapes from her as she looks to the young couple.
She adjusts her pillow and rests her cheek on it.
Nearby, Shorty is snoring as both Lance and Eugene are still awake. Eugene turns around in annoyance, Shorty putting an arm over him. He smacks it away.
"Anyone else having trouble sleeping?" Eugene calls out, the teens sitting up.
"Yep."
"You know what always makes me feel better..." Lance starts whistling, sitting up. Eugene presses his back to the pillow, whistling along with him. The two teens stare at them, and then Cass joins in too. Harmony and Varian continue the whistling along with them. Rapunzel smiles as she sits up, and soon, they all whistle together. They may be stuck in the rain for now...
But at least they have each other.
Meanwhile, outside, that same tree in front of the caravans...has an axe at the stump.
Meaning it was deliberately cut...