Tangled After The Series - There's No Such Thing As 'The End'

Chapter 9: Dark places...

Warnings: implied PTSD, trauma, nightmares

*~*~* Five months later *~*~*

     She didn't know where she was. She was just floating in an expanse of blackness. Suddenly, shards of light broke through the darkness. She crashed to the floor and the darkness solidified into bars around her.

     All the breath left her body and she choked. Her stomach hollowed out and she thought she might vomit.

     They were black rocks. The whole room was made up of them. A room she recognised. She knew she was in a tower. She knew all of it was made out of this black rock. The same as the throne at the centre of the room and the armour that the girl sat on it wore and the sword that she sharpened.

     Her lips curled in a malicious snarl. She laughed maliciously then brushed a curl of her blue hair from her face. "You really thought that you could escape me?"

     Cassandra reached for the sword that should've been strapped to her back, but her fingers closed around nothingness.

     "Don't bother searching for a weapon." The blue haired girl sheathed her sword across her back then rose lazily from the throne. "It's pointless." She swaggered over to the cage. "You will never be able to defeat me. I'll always be a part of you."

     Cassandra pushed herself up from the floor. Her arms shook as she sat back on her knees. "I am nothing like you," she growled.

     "Say it all you want," the blue haired shook her head at her, "But do they agree?" She snapped her fingers and three identical cages rose up out of the floor. The blue haired cackled loudly as Cassandra gaped at who was in the cages.

     Rapunzel. Eugene.

     And Varian.

     "Cassandra! Please!" he yelled,

     "Varian!" Cassandra screamed, "Hold on! I'm going to get you out of there!" There was no reaction. "Varian!"

     The blue haired leaned against her cage. "Shout all you want he can't hear you or see you. He can only see the real you." She thrust out her hand and black spikes began to grow inwards inside the cages.

     "Cass, stop!" Varian yelled again, "I know you're upset but this isn't right!"

     "No, it isn't," the blue haired strolled into the middle of the room, the heels of her boots echoing as they tapped on the floor, "But I don't care." She stopped and examined her nails. "You should know kid, what it feels like to be shut out and ignored. Well if this is the only way that I get to be listened to, so be it." She thrust out her hand again and a rock scratched along Varian's cheek. He hissed in pain. A rock grew closer and closer to Rapunzel's stomach.

     "Rapunzel!" Eugene glared at the blue haired girl with a fury Cassandra had never seen. "You touch her, and I'll rip you apart myself!"

     She only shrugged, "I'd like to see you try." She flicked her fingers at his cage and a rock grew to press its tip against Eugene's temple.

     Cassandra clawed at the bars on her cage. "Don't you dare hurt them!" she screeched at the blue haired girl.

     The blue haired frowned and looked at Cassandra. "That wasn't going to stop you before." A rock grew out of the floor in front of Cassandra, but she didn't see her own reflection.

     She saw the same tower, but it depicted her and Rapunzel's first battle using the sun and moon incantations.

     "Oh my," the blue haired girl drawled, "They look to be in some trouble." Images flashed before Cassandra's eyes. Rapunzel pinned against the wall. Rapunzel nearly crushed by the black rocks. Eugene trapped in bonds made of the black rocks.