Angel: Rise of the Guardians is still in the lead with 20 votes! I feel like I'm in a casino just looking at the poll every now and then XD
"Hello again, old friend," The Enchanted Girl is in the Demanitus chamber, looking up at the amber. Varian no longer works in it after what happened and moved all of his stuff into Harmony's lab, not that she minded. "My dear Demanitus, I wanted you to know...you've lost," She takes a crack and throws it at the fallen device. "When the eclipse comes, I shall draw the powers of the sundrop and the moonstone to myself. And as for their human hosts..."
Smoke comes out from the bottom, giving off the silhouettes of the two sisters and Cass. "To ensure that their once inseparable bond doesn't interfere, I have set a plan into motion that will cement their rift..."
Two boys head to a certain cottage, where the bridge has been cut off. They stop nearby the bridge. "Looks like this is the place."
"Come on, let's go. Or are you scared?"
"I'm not scared!" His companion denies and they move away the vines.
"Ha ha, you are scared."
"I am not!" He denies again, peeking through the glass. He slowly opens the door, which has mold grown onto it. "You go first."
The taller boy walks inside as a broken music box is on the floor. The smaller boy who has a lantern in his hand walks past it. They look around the abandoned cottage.
"This place gives me the creeps..."
"Not me." Most of the objects in there are broken, knocked over, or haven't been touched in years.
"See? No big deal."
A creak is heard nearby, and they look to see a door. They step up to it as it opens. "There's no-"
Gothel appears with a cloak over her, scaring both of them. They run out the door, which closes behind them. Then the light inside flickers out.
The next morning, Rapunzel throws up a ball into the air. Harmony and Varian are at her side. The teenage girl has since moved on ever since finding out the truth. There was nothing else she could've done for Zhan Tiri, and even if she wanted to, it'd be for the evil sorceress. Or anything Varian could've done to stop her from entering his freaky dream. That was all part of her plan...for what exactly, they didn't know. But they'd be ready. Zhan Tiri was never a friend to her...
"Okay, all you need to do is keep your eye on the ball," She winks at three little girls. "Like this," She swings her hair at the ball, sending it flying.
"Oh, Princess Harmony, you look pretty today," A girl bounces up and down.
"Aww, thank you. That's sweet," She smiles softly as Varian grins. Then they cringe when the ball hits a boy on the head. One of them that had visited the cottage last night.
"Alright, I was wrong. All you need to do is keep your eye on the ball and move your hands," Rapunzel rubs her neck.
"Ohh...yeah...sorry," He nervously walks to the ball, Harmony glancing up at him.
"He's been like that since this morning," She whispers to her sister.
"He's been really silent today too," Varian rubs the back of his head.
"Is little Seth okay?" Rapunzel asks in concern.
"No. I heard he saw a ghost last night," One of the girls speaks up.
"Ohh. We've seen tons of ghosts. And there's nothing to be afraid of. You know, Ruthless Ruth has a surprisingly beautiful singing voice. Although, the ghosts of my boyfriend's family...they weren't as nice. What did you see?" She bends down to the boy.
"It could've been Ruthless Ruth," Harmony places a hand on her hip, holding up a finger. "She's the only good one we've known so far."
"And yet I've seen none of them," Varian shakes his head.
"You had to be there," She pats his shoulder as they turn to Seth. "So?"
"Go...Gothel," He murmurs after a few seconds, looking away.
Harmony, Daisy, and Varian all gasp. The girl covers her mouth with both hands.
"What did you say? I-It sounded like you-"
"Gothel!" He says louder. "Old Lady Gothel! I saw her ghost!"
Pascal literally turns pale, fainting.
"As in, the Gothel that imprisoned Princess Rapunzel for 18 years? Killed Eugene? Died falling out of a window? That Gothel?" Varian asks in elaboration and the boy nods.
"Where?" Rapunzel narrows her eyes.
"That old cabin, out in the woods."
The three stand in front of the same cabin, moss and ivy growing on the exterior. Pascal squeaks from Rapunzel's bag, looking up at her. "Aw, I know, buddy. I don't like it either, but...whatever's going on in there, I need to see for myself. You guys didn't have to come with me, you know."
"We know, but...you need the support," Harmony places a hand on her shoulder.
"You did the same for us numerous times," Varian chuckles nervously. "I-I mean, neither of us know Gothel on a personal level like you, but I-I'm cool helping you with this."
"Oh, don't tell me you're scared," Harmony smirks, hands on her hips.
"What? No!" He scoffs, waving it off. "I've just...never seen an actual ghost."
"She died by turning into dust. There's no body for her to become a ghost! No way to survive that. But Seth's words aren't exactly easy to ignore," She crosses her arms. "We have to at least investigate that."
"...Do you think we should tell Cass about Zhan Tiri?"
The two look towards Rapunzel, who's still staring up ahead. "She deserves to know the truth, right?"
"In a way, yes, but...I don't think she'll believe us," Harmony speaks up after a few seconds.
"She's blinded by her hatred for you two," Varian murmurs, glancing between the two sisters. "Chances are that she won't listen."
"But we could still try...Come on, guys. Let's go," Rapunzel steps forward, followed by the two teens. A blue glove moves away a leaf as they look at the trio. Rapunzel opens up the door and they slowly step inside.
"Ugh. This place is kind of gross," Harmony whispers to herself as she looks at the walls.
"Yeah, it's really gone downhill," Varian whispers as they look through an archway. They go down the two steps.
"H-Hello?" Rapunzel stammers as they go further inside. They stop nearby an open door and go towards it. She looks to the others before reaching out a hand to it. She slowly moves it, gasping. What the boys saw last night reappears, Gothel moving towards them. The two teens scream at her. She comes to a stop, Harmony inspecting it further.
"Wait..."
Gothel moves back to her original position and the two hesitantly step forward. "How are you...?" Rapunzel seems to be coming to the same conclusion as she sees that Gothel isn't real. Pascal hides underneath her hair as someone else enters the cottage. The person that was watching them from outside picks up a piece from the music box.
Rapunzel removes the cloak, and it's revealed that 'Gothel' is actually just a mannequin with her head on it.
"Made of...wax?" Rapunzel touches it lightly.
"Oh thank goodness," Varian drops his shoulders in relief.
"To others, it's just her ghost to scare people off," Harmony gestures to the fake Gothel. Rapunzel looks up and sees the ropes and candle. "They're too scared to realize that it's all fake."
"What is this...?" All of that was set up to so that the fake Gothel would move.
"A pulley system..." Varian murmurs as he examines it. "Anyone could operate this while in the shadows."
"Clearly someone wanted people to think that Gothel or her ghost was hiding here. The question is..."
"Why?"
They turn around to see the other person who walked in. "What are you doing here?"
Cass steps forward, removing her cloak. "My friend told me there was suspicious things going on."
"Your friend?" Rapunzel then remembers who she's talking about. "Listen, Cass, that little friend-"
"You don't belong here," Cass points her sword at them, causing them to step back.
"But that little friend of yours...she's not a good friend," Harmony shakes her head rapidly. "I know that myself. She was always pressuring me to do what she wanted, and I'm glad that she can't do that to me anymore! She didn't even care about me, and she doesn't care about you either!"
"Shut it, Harmony, I don't believe you," Cass grits her teeth as she touches the Gothel model, causing the door to close. She turns around to it, gritting her teeth and sending black rocks towards them. Even if she was stuck here, she knows that she doesn't want them in here. Rapunzel pushes Harmony and Varian out of the way. She lets out her hair, flinging it at Cass.
She grabs it into her hand and pulls. She then runs around a beam and traps her hair with it. Harmony pulls out her bow and arrow. She fires and it knocks the sword out of Cass' hand, to her ire.
"I wonder, are you fighting us or are you fighting yourself?" Rapunzel runs up to her.
"I'm pretty sure it's you three!" Cass goes over to her sword and with a black rock, she brings it back to her hand. She runs up to Rapunzel, Varian helping her hair free. She ducks her head as Cass slices off the Gothel head. Rapunzel sweeps her leg, causing Cass to fall. She drops her sword again, and this time, Rapunzel snatches it.
"Wait! Can we just talk about this?"
"Both of you knew the same person," Harmony gestures to the two women. "You know that for a fact, Cass."
Music is suddenly heard, getting Cass' attention. She pulls out the chime she took from the music box. She puts it to her heart and she stands up.
"I am through waiting!"
She creates a large black rock, Harmony pushing Varian onto the ground. The cottage tilts upwards, causing them to fall. A secret passage opens up and they scream, landing in a mine cart. Rapunzel sits up first, Cass holding her head. She turns around to attack them when the cart moves backwards, and they start moving down the track.
"What is this place?" She looks around as she's never seen it.
"Worry about that later! Right now, let's duck!" Rapunzel screams at a stalactite and they duck their heads, the rock hitting their cart.
"This was not what I was expecting from today!" Varian cringes as he holds onto the edge. Pascal struggles to hang on as they start turning around in a spiral. They reach the end and bump into a rock that has glowing mushrooms on top. They fly into the air, landing on the ground. Rapunzel lifts her head up, looking at the two who landed nearby.
"You two okay?" She asks as Harmony groans, sitting up.
"I just rode a mine cart underneath a creepy cottage, soo...I'm more in between that and not fine," Harmony waves a hand.
"Ow," Varian slightly holds his head as he sits on his legs. Harmony crawls over to Rapunzel and starts tying up her hair. Cass takes the chime, gritting her teeth at the three. The two sisters stand up once Rapunzel has her hair tied, the ceiling slightly crumbling. They turn around to Cass.
"No, no, no!" They shout, but she doesn't listen and creates a black rock anyway. It hits the ceiling, which caves in on them. They look towards the blocked entrance.
"And now we're stuck. Under a mountain."
"We were going to tell you that those supports were unstable!" Harmony glares towards Cass.
"Perfect," She grumbles underneath her breath, crossing her arms. "Locked in here alone with you."
A growl is suddenly heard, getting their attention. "Maybe not so alone..." They look over the edge together.
Some flies arrive and Pascal chases them so he can have a snack. The four are pushing at the rocks to get them free, but it's no use.
"Look, Cassandra, you wanna get out of here. We wanna get out of here," Rapunzel gestures to herself and the two teenagers. "Pascal and Daisy definitely want-"
They see him eat all the flies and Harmony looks at him in disgust. Thank goodness he's here to get rid of them. The flies suddenly come out of his mouth, and he's left dangling up in the air. They just stare at him as Daisy facepalms.
"Okay, uh, Pascal's having fun, but I know they have our backs on this. We will get out sooner if we work together. So...truce?" Rapunzel holds out a hand to the former friend. Both of the teenagers stare at her wide-eyed. Cass just narrows her eyes. "Temporary truce? Teeny, tiny temporary truce?"
"Ah ha ha," Varian places a hand on her shoulder, interrupting the conversation. "Rapunzel, can we talk to you for a second?"
He leads the two sisters away. "You wanna work with Cassandra?" Varian stares at her incredibly. "Rapunzel, she drained Mona's power and left her for dead! None of us even knew she was alive until minutes later!"
"I know that..." Rapunzel frowns slightly at the memory. The whole time she was using the incantation, she had no idea that her sister was still alive. Which was...pretty awful to think about it, because it looked like that way for a good few minutes...And she knows that he's been very protective of Harmony lately because of that fact. "But we don't have a choice, Varian."
"I don't know...what if something else happens to her?" Varian frowns, hugging Harmony from behind.
"Vari..." She glances up at him. "We're stuck inside a cave underneath an old cottage. These supports could break at any minute. Do you understand where this is headed?"
Varian sighs slowly. The only way to get out was to work together... "Yeah...I don't like this, but I guess I see where you two are going with it."
"I promise that nothing bad will happen to her, Varian," Rapunzel places a hand on his shoulder, but Cass had overheard the whole conversation. "I don't need help from two little brats or from you!" She points a black rock at the two as Varian steps back, holding the girl close.
"You stay away from her!"
"I'm not working with them," Cass denies, shaking her head. "I'd rather we both ditch the lovebirds in separate directions."
"Cassandra...no," Rapunzel narrows her eyes as she stands in front of them. "They're just teenagers. I'm not going to sacrifice their lives. Leave them out of this."
"...Fine..." She relents, moving the black rock away. "But stay out of the way."
"You got that right," Varian whispers to himself.
She turns around and points her black rocks at the rocks in front of them. "Cass, stop. You could bring the mountain down on all of us," Rapunzel states as debris falls from above. "And your rocks made rips in the floor."
Gas seeps in from the floor, and it causes some mushrooms to completely wrinkle.
"Oh no. Poison gas," Harmony cringes at the floor.
"Which are evidently leaking poison gas. Wonderful."
"Nothing good comes out of a rift, huh?" Cass asks casually, and Rapunzel smirks a bit at the irony. Pascal is still catching files when something else comes out of a hole and eats it. It's a mole and it mocks Pascal for himself getting all the bugs. Pascal glares at him and then finally notices the gas. He runs back up to Rapunzel, using her hair to cover his mouth.
"Me too, Pascal. Let's find a way out of here."
"Hurry, it won't be long before it reaches our mouths," Varian covers his mouth with his gloves. Cass swats some flies away and notices a hole going upward. The others notice her leaving and run up to her.
"Cass, don't you think that we'll improve our odds if we stick together?" She asks, only to get a sword pointed at them.
"Rapunzel, there is no bond between us anymore," Cass threatens her. "Got it? The sooner you can accept that, the better off we'll be. So I'm going in this direction, and you're all going to go...anywhere else."
"If this is the only way out, you're killing us, you know that?" Harmony hollers at her, and she doesn't seem to care in the slightest. Rapunzel looks to the gas at their feet and then at the mushrooms.
"Yeah, anywhere else isn't really working for us..."
Pascal holds his breath and they follow after Cass. She's made it to a hole as the debris falls from the ceiling again. A giant mole comes out of nowhere, roaring at her. It stares at her face-to-face as it corners her and she steps back. She crawls onto the edge, an annoyed look on her face as the mole sniffs her. Then it leaves the area and she puts away her sword. She steps back, falling into the hole. She's suddenly stopped in mid-air and pulled up by Rapunzel's hair, to her ire.
"You know she's not gonna like this," Varian whispers to the woman as they're helping her. Luckily, she doesn't let Cass get too close.
"Cass, you gotta watch where you step."
She shushes her and they look up to see a bat sleeping. Rapunzel holds out her hand, and she glares for the gesture. More debris falls again as the giant mole comes back. They all cringe and Cass reluctantly accepts Rapunzel's hand, pulling her up. The chime from Cass' pocket falls out and starts to play.
"Uh oh," Harmony winces as the mole lets out a huge roar, waking up all the bats. They start flying towards them, and they try to get them away.
"They're drawn to the sound! Shut that music box off!" Rapunzel lets out her hair.
"I am otherwise engaged!" Cass retorts back, using her sword to swat away bats.
"A really bad day not to bring my backpack!" Varian cringes as he waves his hands to get the bats away.
"Pascal, shut that box up!"
He rushes over to it, moving past bats. He jumps on the chime to try and make it stop, and then he holds it over his head. He's about to toss it when the baby mole grabs it with his mouth, mocking him again. Pascal and Daisy chase after him.
"You know, for blind things, these guys are pretty good at finding us," Cass states and they all fall to the floor thanks to the mole.
"Technically, uh, bats aren't actually blind," Rapunzel corrects Cass.
"Yeah, they actually have pretty sharp vision," Harmony points out. "Them being blind is just a myth."
"Bats prefer eyesight to sound-"
"Good to know, but I didn't ask for a science class!" Cass interrupts them rudely.
"Watch out!" Rapunzel points up ahead to the mole, and they stuff its mouth with her hair. The bats hold her and fly her up into the air.
"Rapunzel!" Harmony shouts, pulling out her bow and arrow. She tries to get a good shot but can't. "Ah, I can't fire without it hurting the bats or Rapunzel!"
She tries to get them to let go, but is unsuccessful. "Could use an assist, Pascal!"
He's still struggling with the mole for the chime, which falls all the way to Rapunzel's bag. He pushes it inside and closes it. He jumps over the mole and onto the bats' backs to reach her. Daisy smacks some away as Pascal reaches Rapunzel's shoulder, fighting them off. She falls onto her hair as the mole focuses on Cass. The bats fly over to the two teens. Harmony swats at them with her bow.
"Get away!"
"Ah, stop!" Varian covers his hair with his arms.
"Hey handsome! Over here!" Cass jumps onto a bat and the mole jumps after her, falling into the hole. It roars up at her and she lands back on the ground. "You said these bats can see, right? So make your hair do the bright thing!"
Rapunzel focuses and her hair glows, along with Harmony's. Together, they send the bats away in gold and blue light.
"Wait, your hair can still glow?" Varian asks his girlfriend in surprise. "Of course! You were the embodiment of the moonstone! That part still hasn't disappeared unlike your other abilities."
"Ah, we should get out of here before their eyes adjust," Rapunzel tells them.
"I think they already have," Cass points out and Harmony gasps. They take off into a run.
"In there!" Rapunzel stops in front of a door, pulling at it. Cass fights off the bats as Rapunzel kicks the door open. They rush inside and push at the door. The bats try to get inside, but together, they shut them out. Rapunzel pants in relief. Cass puts her sword away. "And that...is going in the journal! 3 pages, easy!"
"Mine carts, bats, moles...ah, it's not gonna end there, is it?" Varian takes some breaths, hands on his knees.
"Nope," Harmony shakes her head.
"Nice move on that mole, by the way," Rapunzel comments as she fixes up her hair again.
"...Okay, fine."
"Fine what?" Rapunzel smiles nervously.
"...Temporary truce," Cass holds out her hand. "But just until we get out of here. And their information might be...useful for now," She glances at the two teenagers.
"Well...now I have a new condition," Rapunzel rubs her chin.
"Let me guess, I have to be nice to you," Cass frowns a bit.
"That's not what I was gonna say. Okay, that is what I was gonna say, but...you just have to not be mean. Especially to them," She gestures to Harmony and Varian. "You won't threaten them in any way or start any fights with your words. And no, I didn't forget about you either on that one," She gives her sister a look. "So...if you can do that, then Harmi won't get angry."
"Easy for you to say, I didn't bait you," Harmony mutters under her breath, Rapunzel elbowing her. "Okay, okay. I won't get angry only if she leaves my name out of her mouth," She crosses her arms. "That means no telling lies or that your friend told you to say it either."
"And do. Not. Touch. Her," Varian warns Cass in the same way he tells others not to touch anything.
Rapunzel holds out her hand and Cass shakes it. Then she shakes with the teenagers. "That was oh so delightful."
"Alright, I'll let that slide because we're just starting," Rapunzel sees a torch and grabs it.
"What is this stuff?" Cass looks at a shelf full of things. Most of the stuff on the wall are drawings, but some of them are familiar. Rapunzel gasps at one.
"The sundrop...oh, look at this. The sun incantation. Gothel was alive a long time."
"She must've been alive when you were born, then," Varian glances to Harmony, who gags slightly.
"The thought of that unnerves me, do not say that again. Ugh! No offense, Cassandra."
He holds up his hands in defense. "Why did she have this...?" Pascal latches onto Rapunzel's shoulder with his tongue, flying over to her shoulder. Daisy sees all the mushrooms and then they notice a wall of mirrors.
"She must've been looking into the sundrop before Rapunzel and I were even born..." Harmony turns to Varian.
"Which means she knew about the moonstone, but knowing its power, she just wanted the sundrop," Varian glances at Harmony. Sometimes he wonders what it would be like if Gothel had taken Harmony too...well, in a sense, she did grow up in a similar way like her sister.
"Oh...I knew she was vain, but..." They look to a wall where a hand mirror is missing. "It looks like one's missing."
Cass touches one and suddenly light comes from it, surrounding the mirror. An image of Cass comes up, and she looks like her younger self.
"Good morning, beautiful."
"Mother?" The two women ask in unison. Pascal goes over to a desk of potions, dropping one onto the ground.
"Well, don't you look lovely today?" She examines herself in the mirror as the potion spills onto the floor. "Smoky eyes definitely work for you."
"And she's...talking to herself," Rapunzel deadpans at this.
"This must be...entries of some sort," Harmony stares at the mirrors. "So that she wouldn't forget," A deadpan look hits her face.
"Mona's nothing compared to her," Varian scoffs, waving it off. The girl blushes, smiling at him.
"Thank you, but I really hope you're not comparing me to the same woman who kidnapped my sister..."
"No," Varian shakes his head rapidly. "But I do mean it when I say that you're prettier than her."
Rapunzel touches another mirror. "Today, I received so many compliments on my way to town."
Cass flips a mirror. "The bookseller couldn't believe how young I looked. Someone told me I was breathtaking. Can you believe it?"
"No wonder why she wanted the sundrop flower," Varian rolls his eyes at this.
"Disgusting at how she came to be," Harmony gags towards the mirror. Thankfully, she'll never have the...pleasure of meeting Gothel in real life. She's only heard of her through stories from Rapunzel and Eugene, but to actually witness it at first hand was a little weird. True, she's seen some paintings of her and saw her in a few dreams, but those were all just in her shared dreams with Rapunzel's mind.
"Magic mirrors," Cacss murmurs as the hallway is full of them.
"It looks like these can trap images and play them back. Like a diary or something," Rapunzel eyes them closely.
"And I thought your journals were-"
"Ah bup, bup, bup," Rapunzel interrupts her, waving a finger.
"Think about how you wanna finish that sentence," Harmony smirks, crossing her arms. Cass sighs in defeat.
"...Less annoying than this. Happy now?"
"Yes I am," Rapunzel smiles, following Cass. However, that potion that Pascal spilled starts to follow them. They end up in the room where there's a large portrait of Gothel above the fireplace. Rapunzel places the torch inside it. Cass touches a mirror to see Gothel touching herself up with makeup.
"I was paid the nicest compliment today. There I was, picking out fruit, and-" She hears a sweeping noise, turning to the little Cass in annoyance. "Ugh, Cassandra. Would you be a dear and sweep a little quieter?" She moves away from the mirror and Cass clamps her mouth shut.
"Ugh. Well, that's typical Gothel right there," Rapunzel comments as she had overheard that. All of them did, really.
"I've never met anyone so..." Varian rubs the back of his neck. "Full of themselves..." Not even Eugene goes that far.
"What do you mean?" Cass asks Rapunzel, since she doesn't remember much growing up with Gothel.
"She wasn't exactly the nurturing type...not like our mom or Quirin," She gestures to Harmony and Varian. "When she was around, that is."
"Funny, she was never around for me," Cass shrugs at her. "I wonder why?"
"Cass..." Harmony sighs, closing her eyes.
"It's not like I asked to be taken from my parents by a mad woman! She never told me that Harmony was my sister either! I had to find out from my parents after I returned home. And all Gothel ever wanted from me was my hair. She didn't love me," Rapunzel gestures to herself. "She didn't love either of us."
Cass looks away, and this conversation gives Zhan Tiri the opportunity to slip the missing mirror into Rapunzel's bag. However, it is missing a shard.
"Cass, the only good thing Gothel ever did was bring us together...not just you and me, but Harmi and I too," Rapunzel gives her sister a one-armed hug. If Gothel hadn't passed away, she wouldn't even have met Harmony.
"Only good thing?" Cass grits her teeth as this was hitting too close to home. "You really think this is a good thing?"
"It was..."
"For you, maybe," She retorts back, looking at the mirrors.
"Cass, Gothel connects you more than you'll ever understand," Varian speaks up. "I never even met her, and yet from what I can tell, Rapunzel's right."
None of them notice the content of the potion spilling past them.
"She was a greedy person from what I've been told," Harmony gestures to her sister. "All she wanted was to stay young and beautiful forever! That's the only reason why she kidnapped my sister and kept her away from the outside world for 18 years! And she's the reason why I grew up in the castle...because she was selfish. She changed my life for the worse for her own gain."
"Cassandra...do you really think that woman cared about anyone but herself? Harmi's right, just look at her mirror diaries," Rapunzel points to a mirror.
"Cassandra, what are you doing in here? I thought I told you to make us dinner," Gothel says from the mirror. Cass turns to look at them. At the back of her mind, Harmony is certain that the only reason that Gothel had a child in the first place was to put her to work. She doesn't even know who would be that oblivious to give Gothel a child, not that she's saying Cass doesn't deserve to exist.
"You and I have something in common that no one else could ever understand."
Cass finally notices that the potion is heading to the fire. "Guys!"
It touches the fireplace and it creates a wall of fire between the three and Cass. It travels back all the way to the potions table. The other liquids bubble up.
"Watch out!" Cass saves all of them by moving them away from the table with black rocks. It still explodes, however, sending all of them onto the ground. "Now we're even."
However, because she used the black rocks, the poison gas reappears from the floor. "What the?"
"The gas!" Rapunzel exclaims as they stand up.
"Please tell me that gas isn't also flammable."
"Uhh, but the looks of it..." Varian follows the trail of gas to the flames.
"Yup. It is," Harmony cringes and then there's an explosion. The picture of Gothel burns to a crisp as they're hiding behind a mirror.
"Moles, bats, gas, and now fire?!" Rapunzel exclaims at everything that's happened today.
"We've dealt with worse," Cass rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, at least there's no savage mermen warriors," Rapunzel chuckles a little.
"Or sneezeweasels," Cass points out.
"Or those Drexis things."
"Or a man with a rhino," Harmony holds up a finger.
"Or even a Mother and Father with tea that can turn us into birds..."
They all smile at the memories. "Good times," Rapunzel grins at her sister.
"Do you mind if we find a way out of here?" Cass asks, a little weirded out by the reminiscing. Not to mention, they're still stuck in a room that's on fire.
Pascal squeaks as Daisy flies forward, pointing outside. "Pascal and Daisy are right! Looks like the bats have already found one. They must know of a way out of the mountain down there."
"The problem with the mole hole is...that there is a whole mole in it, remember Raps?" Cass questions, gesturing to the hole that the bats are flying in. Varian and Harmony whip around to her in shock as Rapunzel gasps.
"You called me Raps!" She clasps her hands. "You haven't called me Raps since..."
"Oh, don't read into it," Cass looks away and the blonde gives a frown. She really thought that Cass was warming up to her again...Harmony puts a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, Rapunzel turning to her. She smiles and Rapunzel smiles back. "Now let's get out of here, fast!"
Rapunzel beams towards something and they look to see another mine cart. "Oh come on," Varian mutters at this.
"You'd rather walk through fire?" Harmony asks him, pulling him inside. Rapunzel throws her bag in and jumps in.
"All ashore that's going ashore!" She calls out, acting like she's in a ship. Cass is the last one to enter the mine cart.
"How do you expect this thing to go anywhere?" Cass asks incredibly.
"Well, with the right acceleration..." Varian starts off.
"Maybe somebody could shoot a rock out of the floor and push it? And since my sister can't do it," Rapunzel clears her throat and mumbles. "That somebody is-"
"Me! I get it! I thought you guys said more black rocks would bring the mountain down on us."
"Could," Rapunzel corrects, holding up a finger. "We said could."
"It's a risk we'll have to take," Harmony looks towards the bats.
"It'll just take one!" Varian smiles sheepishly, shrugging. Cass sighs at their plan.
"This is a very bad idea..."
A rock drops from the ceiling. "Oh, that's your cue!" Rapunzel tells the woman and she creates a black rock. This sends them propelling forward and they crash through the door. The mine cart rolls down the path and jumps inside the mole hole. The four scream, Rapunzel hugging Cass. Varian hugs Harmony as they fall. Pascal hangs onto the end of Rapunzel's hair, and loses his grip. He uses his tongue to get back on Rapunzel's shoulder.
The cart slides down a wall and they end up spinning around, going through the tunnel. The bats fly after them and Cass fights them off.
"Uh oh," She murmurs as she looks up ahead. The giant mole digs into the tunnel, roaring at them.
"Oh no!" Varian exclaims with wide eyes. Rapunzel tilts the mine cart so that it goes to the right and they zip past the moles. The giant mole crawls after them, speeding up to them. Pascal glances behind him to see the baby mole blowing a raspberry at him. Pascal shakes an annoyed fist as they roll forward.
"He's gaining on us!" Cass turns to the three. They hang onto the edge, bending down in the cart.
Harmony looks around for a rock she could probably hit to bring down on the mole, but that'd probably bring them down on all of them if she tried to. "I can't get a good shot!" She puts her bow and arrow back in her quiver.
"I think that's your department," Rapunzel tells Cass. She turns around and raises her hand. She creates a few black rocks to block the mole's path. The mole roars, the baby one roaring along with it. The mole gives up, turns around, and heads in the other direction. "Nice move!"
"Thanks," Cass smiles back at her. The two teenagers grin slightly to each other. It almost felt like the two were friends again by their encouragement. The four look up and scream in alarm to see a small rock up ahead which they can't avoid. The path is getting too narrow.
"Give me a post!" Rapunzel starts to undo her hair. Cass creates one from above and Rapunzel throws her hair at it. She grabs the rock, pulling everyone out of the mine cart. The cart hits the rock and Rapunzel's bag flies out of it. The mirror slides out of her bag. "Mine carts. Who knew?"
The four start laughing at this. "And look! With a little black rock help, our exit," Rapunzel gestures to her left. Then Cass sees the mirror on the ground. She takes it into her hand.
"The missing mirror...you took it?"
"What? No!" Rapunzel waves her hands after tying her hair back up. "I didn't! I have no idea how that got in my bag."
"Did you?" She glares up at the teenagers.
"No!" They both deny in unison.
"How would we do that? We all noticed that the mirror was missing the same time you did," Harmony gestures to the mirror. Cass touches it and the diary entry shows Gothel giving the music box to her daughter.
"Oh, here, let me show you, sweetheart. Turn the key, like this," She turns it slowly. "So whenever you hear this tune, you'll think of your dear, sweet mother...and the love I have for you."
Cass smiles softly, hugging the woman. "I love you, Mama!"
She runs off with the music box and the entry ends there, to their shock. "Cass...I have never seen that," Rapunzel explains to her.
"Really?! The one mirror showing that Mother—my mother—had a shred of affection for me and it just happens to wind up in your bag?"
"Cass, this is Rapunzel. She would never steal," Varian defends Rapunzel.
"We went to Pincosta with Staylan and Morgan, and Rapunzel even refused to let them steal horses!" Harmony points out. "You know that! We told you that story!"
Cass ignores them, staring at Rapunzel, who couldn't say anything. She had no idea how this mirror that she's never seen got into her bag. She then grows angry, as this was a personal blow to her. Despite knowing all of that, she remembers what Rapunzel especially said about her mother. For some reason, to Varian and Harmony, she's honestly surprised. As if she didn't believe Rapunzel would do something like that...
"Out of my way," She pushes all of them away, Varian catching Harmony from behind.
"Cass-"
She creates the exit and goes out into the open. She turns around to them. "Goodbye, Rapunzel. I don't care what you do, Harmony, but you'll never get your powers back from me."
"What?" The rocks shake and they realize what she's doing. Harmony runs up to the exit. "No!" Cass drops the black rocks, trapping all of them inside with no way out. "Cassandra! AHHH! CAAAAASS!"
She hears Rapunzel screaming, looking back...but she turns around and leaves them there. Rapunzel presses her forehead to the rocks, when something seeps in from behind.
"Oh no..." Harmony murmurs as she turns around. The poison gas is back.
"Hold your breath, everyone."
The four do so as Rapunzel pushes against the rocks. They're too heavy for any of them to move. She hits them with her shoulder, but they're just too big. The gas starts to fill up around them and Rapunzel holds her head.
"Cass...C-Cass..." She succumbs to the gas, falling onto a rock. Their eyes widen as they look to each other. Pascal turns to the gas, looking around.
"Pascal," Harmony covers her mouth with her sleeve. "The mole...it's strong enough to get through the wall."
"The chime from the music box! Hurry," Varian points to Rapunzel's bag. Pascal holds his breath and rushes over to it. He digs inside and pulls it out. He turns the crank and plays the music. He holds it above his head as the teens stand on opposite sides from the rocks.
The mole digs into the ground, rising out of it. The mole points to Pascal.
"Draw them over here," Harmony waves a hand towards them. He runs over to them, throwing the chime onto a rock. He jumps onto Harmony's hand and they run out of the way. The mole breaks through the rock and into the open. The sun shines down on them and the mole covers its eyes, retreating away. It crawls into the hole it came from. The baby mole blows a raspberry at them and Daisy flies to him out of annoyance, hitting him a few times.
The mole now has a few bruises and sinks down in defeat. Pascal gives a proud raspberry to him, giving Daisy a high five.
Harmony and Varian both sigh in relief as the gas goes out the exit, completely gone. Rapunzel faints onto the floor.
"Oh my god," Harmony gasps, bending down to her.
"Rapunzel! Are you okay?" Varian lightly shakes the woman. Pascal nuzzles her in worry and Harmony starts doing some chest compressions. She coughs a bit, waking up to see all of them looking down at her.
"Oh..." She stands up, hugging all of them. "Pascal, Harmony, Daisy, Varian...oh, my heroes," She sighs in relief as they hug her back. She then frowns as she remembers what happened.
"I don't know how all of this happened, but..."
"I know, Cass is more lost than I thought, but she's not gone..." Rapunzel finishes for Varian. She grabs her bag and they follow her out. "I promise...I will never give up on her."
"But something's still bothering me..." Harmony murmurs as the three walk side-by-side. "Just how did that mirror get into your bag?"
"I wish I knew," Rapunzel sighs a bit. "I know you two didn't take it."
"Today was the first time any one of us had been in that room..." Varian glances behind him. "And besides, in the time that we've all known you, we know that you frown upon stealing. I mean, you told Dwayne numerous times not to do it himself."
Harmony suddenly stops walking as she realizes something. The two notice her wide-eyed expression, turning to her.
"Mona?"
"But whoever did it...did all of this," She says to them.
"What do you mean?" Rapunzel blinks at her.
"Think about it. Rumors spread around that Gothel is back. Knowing that you'd come here and Cass too, it was to get you here. Because that person knows you two would come. And then right after we leave that room, seeing all those mirrors, the missing mirror just happens to be in your bag? After you and Cass got along for a sheer few minutes? This is all too coincidental. Rapunzel...I think you were set up." Harmony turns to her.
She gasps in realization. "So that Cass and I would still be apart. To turn her further against me...but...why?"
They look to each other in worry. "That's...something we'll have to figure out on our own. Just like with the black rocks. I just know that whoever put that mirror in your bag..."
"...They knew about Gothel all along...they saw the mirror diaries long before we did..." Rapunzel whispers slowly.
"And they told Cass that Mona would want her powers back," Varian glances at the girl. "So that she'd be angry towards her too."
"I kind of do now..." Harmony closes her eyes. "I know what it resulted in, but...that was a part of my normal life. And I just want to use them to stop Cass and Zhan Tiri now...that girl was not my friend," She glares up ahead. "She's using Cass like she tried to do to me. Cass may infuriate me, but I don't want that for anyone, betrayal or not."
"...I think we already know who could've done this," Rapunzel speaks up and they narrow their eyes.
"Zhan Tiri," They say in unison.
Zhan Tiri is holding something in her hands as she smiles evilly. She has the missing shard from the mirror.
Cass returns and Zhan Tiri places the shard behind her back. "You were right. Rapunzel did know that Gothel loved me. Harmony and Varian were in on it too. All the princess wants from me now is her powers back."
"You poor thing," Zhan Tiri clasps her hands together innocently. "But now you know...and that knowledge will only make you stronger."
Cass opens up a door and leaves. Zhan Tiri pushes the shard out the window with a tiny grin. There was a reason why she took that shard. "Turn the key, like this...so that whenever you hear this tune, you'll think of your dear, sweet mother...and the love I have for you."
"I love you, Mama!" Cass hugs her and runs off and then Gothel groans.
"Hopefully that'll keep her out of my hair for a while. Lousy little pest," She says to herself, proving that Rapunzel was right. The shard continues to fall as Zhan Tiri has successfully kept the truth...
That Gothel never really did love anyone...but herself.