A bright-eyed Hiccup and a not-so-enthusiastic Merida trudged down the spiral stone staircase to the heart of the institute, Rapunzel following behind them. If she weren't in such a frantic state of mind, she would've commented on the exact measurements of the steps. Wider, nearly 2.5ft in diameter. Suggesting that perhaps the crafters of this place had expected to accommodate creatures of all sizes. And judging by the aged cracks in the stone itself, this Institute had been here a long, long time. But all she could think about were the cracks in her own family, her life and this frightening new reality.

Hiccup turned back to look in her direction. He didn't stop his descent, but she could've sworn his pace slowed down. "I'm sorry about all this. I know it was hard to hear, Rapunzel."

"Which part?" She replied. "My parents lost inside of evil sand magic, or my classmates being teenage mutant vigilantes?"

"Yer the one with the glowing tats." Merida grunted somewhere farther down the steps.

Fair enough.

Hiccup just waited. She sighed. "I feel like I just spoke to them, and now… they're trapped? And they might… be gone for good? It doesn't feel real."

"I know." He said softly. "And it probably won't for a while."

"Don't worry Lass, they're not lost or gone for good. I don't know where Gothel lives, but I've got plenty enough arrows to try. Just let me at her, and this'll be over quick."

"Merida, we don't shoot old people." Hiccup said.

She spun around, now face to face with him. "We do if they're evil, ye Spineless Drip! The only reason she doesn't have an arrow in her head already is because that big dancing oaf said he would make me share a bedroom with Feathers if I went after her. And hell if I'm gonna do that."

Hiccup blinked, peering down at her from the step above. "Right. Well, thank you for clearing that up. Are you finished now?"

Merida held his stare, and blew a loose red curl out of her face. Hiccup gave her a small, amused half-smile. She didn't move. After a moment, she broke his stare and glanced over his shoulder at Rapunzel. "Tell them everything, Lass. Don't lie. The bunny will know."

And with that, she continued down the steps and disappeared around the corner. Dismissing them entirely.

Hiccup studied the spot where she had been, a quizzical, long-suffering look on his face. Rapunzel studied that expression, and studied the face that wore it. Just last week, she'd been in class with him. This mysterious, handsome boy with bat wings and glasses. And now here they were, about to face a reality she wasn't at all ready for.

She would give anything to reverse time and go back to an easier era. Back home to the farm fields and slow days of her North Carolina childhood. Why did it have to end so abruptly? Why did everything have to end so abruptly these days?

"We're almost there" Hiccup said, reaching the bottom step and now standing before a large, iron door. When she reached his side, he looked down at her. "You'll be fine, trust me. And Merida was right, eardrum-splitting volume aside. Tell them everything. They… We… can help you. We might be the only ones who can."

Rapunzel met his gaze, and saw the sincerity in it. Saw a boy who had been through this already, had been through pain and loss and confusion, and somehow come out on the other side of it without losing himself. She wondered if whatever he found behind this door had not broken him, but made him whole and given him a purpose. Honed his strange new gifts into something useful, and grounded. Powerful, even. And maybe it was time for Rapunzel to feel like she had some power, too.

"Okay." She offered him a smile, and he blinked again. She wondered if his silence was because he'd expected her to back down or run. "Okay." He said after a moment, his own expression softening before his hand met the door handle. "Let's meet the Guardians."

The sound of muffled voices filled the dark, narrow hallway that Hiccup and Rapunzel entered. She could hear both male and female inflections in them. But her attention was quickly drawn to the panels on the floor that lit up as they walked forward together, bright and thin lines that ran along either side of them and guided their way. She could hear the sounds of mechanics clicking and snapping within the walls, and the iron door slammed shut behind them.

Well, no going back now.

Rapunzel dared a glance at Hiccup, but his face was unreadable. His wings were tucked neatly to his back, and his tail was missing. Noticing her attention on him once again, Hiccup quickly responded as they made to turn around the corner. "The tail isn't necessary for anything except flying, so I keep it hidden with whatever power granted me the rest."

The voices were growing louder. She looked up at him. "Oh, I thought it just fell off."

Hiccup choked on a laugh, surprise lighting his eyes, but it was quickly stifled as they entered the biggest room she'd ever seen.

In the center of the massive, half-arena-half-batcave chamber was a large, spherical globe that was slowly rotating. Lights twinkled dimly inside each continent, and the elevated platform that held the globe itself boasted a table long enough to wrap around it. Chairs lined the black, modern-looking table, and many of them were occupied by figures Rapunzel had to squint, gaslight and pinch herself to believe. They appeared to be discussing something, but halted as Hiccup and herself drew near.

A hush fell over the room. Hiccup was the first to speak.

"Is this everyone?" He asked, his voice steadier than she gave him credit for. A tall, bearded man stood to answer him. "Just waiting on one."

"The usual one." A sarcastic voice added. Rapunzel tried not to jump when she saw the speaker. Grey, fluffy fur, taller than both of them, long ears that stood straight and at attention. And whiskers that framed his rather dainty nose. A… bunny?

"One latte for Rapunzel?" The girl beside him said.

Rapunzel actually jumped this time as Toothania stood and came toward her, the feather earrings she wore now outshone by the large, green-and-purple feathered wings that protruded from her back. Rapunzel blinked. Does everybody from my school have wings now?

"You should see the look on your face. It's adorable! I'm a barista by day, tooth fairy by night-"

"Tooth," The large bunny exclaimed. "You weren't supposed to share that information yet! We have no idea if this person can be trusted. Also, that's quite a bit of news to drop on someone."

Tooth swiveled to face him. "And… we're just pretending that you aren't literally standing here too, Easter Bunny?"

This… can't be real. Rapunzel thought to herself, as she was yet again at a loss for words. And a general grasp on reality. Tooth fairy barista… linebacker-sized Easter Bunny…

"You see," Said the older man as he approached them, his snow-white beard bouncing with each step. "The whole point of initiation is to bring someone up to speed… initially." He shrugged his shoulders, a strange twinkle in his eye. "But then again, it's not every day you meet someone that can face Mother Gothel and live." He now stood before her, his rounded belly nearly bumping her as he sat back on his shoe-buckled heels. "You deserve these answers and more, Dear Rapunzel." He then had the nerve to smile, and he looked almost… jolly.

Rapunzel started up at him. No way. Slowly finding her words, she asked "Are you…Santa?"

He grinned, and somewhere from below them she could've sworn she heard huffing and hooves and sleigh bells.

Surprisingly, Merida was the least out-of-the-ordinary one in this room, her amber-colored bow now strapped behind her back and her red hair tied into a low and somewhat frizzy bun. "Bet ye didn't know you were in a fairytale, lass?"

Hiccup spoke, even as she heard someone else enter behind them. "I wouldn't call it that. This isn't make believe, and this is certainly no fairytale."

"No," A low, frigid voice murmured. A subtle chill blew from the hall into the chamber of the institute as the Easter Bunny and Hiccup angled themselves slightly in front of Rapunzel. She turned, as Santa began a strained greeting. The newest speaker met her gaze, and there was nothing warm or welcoming in his cold, empty eyes.

"No," Said Jack Frost, his mouth a thin line. "It really isn't."