Chapter Text
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The door to Entrapta’s lab opened with a clang. Catra appeared, her face etched with an unfathomable rage, her Goat Goon behind her. She strode into the room with a finality that made Scorpia cringe inside but Entrapta was oblivious to Catra’s moods, all attention on the computer screen before her.
“Why aren’t you in Hordak’s lab?”
“Uh, mm…” Entrapta’s mind struggled to return from the scientific depths she’d been engaged in.
“There’s no time. We need to fire up the portal machine.”
“We can’t,” Entrapta said emphatically as her mind finally caught up with her. “Opening a portal now will be disasterous. It’s going to collapse and take us all with it. Adora was right.”
Catra was far too close, uncomfortably close to her. She needed space between them. She swung her hair up to the ceiling and used it to pull herself over Catra and closer to the door. The Goat Girl was still there waiting, but Entrapta was used to underlings moving out of her way. It was Catra who was giving her strange vibes of discomfort. She seemed more intense than usual and her heart rate was elevated, her eyes slits, claws extended. Something wasn’t right with Hordak’s most prominent Force Captain but Entrapta had no time for that just now friend or not.
“Adora is right.” Catra’s laugh was manic, a menacing laugh that should have warned Entrapta not to challenge the Force Captain but Entrapta didn’t pick up on it. “Adora gets everything she wants. But not this time. This time, I am going to win. I don’t care what it takes, we are opening that portal now.”
“No! I won’t! I need to tell Hordak. He’ll understand - ” Entrapta turned to leave, a fierce determination in her eyes but she’d only taken a step when a jolt of electricity coursed through her small frame. She screamed and felt the shock wave pulse through her, the pain immobilising every fibre of her body, the smell of burning skin and hair fetid and raw in her throat.
Her hair gave out first, falling limp and lifeless around her and dropping her feet to the floor with an audible thud. Then she fell to her knees, her body completely incapacitated, eyes wide with fear and shock. She saw the Goat Girl, face just as surprised as her own, barring the doorway. She’d never get to use it anyway, the door might as well have been a wall. As her body slumped forward to land hard on the concrete flooring, Entrapta felt a strange feeling rising up inside of her. Something she’d never felt before. She’d felt abandonment many times, loneliness, isolation… but this was worse than any of those times. Catra was her friend, had stabbed her in the back when she was only trying to help. It was treacherous… disloyal… betrayal. As her consciousness finally gave out she heard Scorpia’s voice try to reason with the angry feline but she couldn’t make out the words.
‘Please Scorpia,’ she pleaded silently, ‘Not you too?’ Then the world went dark.
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“Who do you think let the princesses in?”
Hordak could not believe it. She would not betray him like this, she wouldn’t. The portal had activated but it was unstable. Why wasn’t she here to witness their project with him? Their project. It was all they had talked about for months. Had she lied about how much it meant to her? Was she using it to get close to him while she planned her escape?
The sanctum was being destroyed, pipes falling and electronics malfunctioning. it wasn’t safe here. Where was she? He needed to know she was safe. He needed to know she had not left him. The princesses ignored him as they ran toward She-Ra and crowded together but not even the sight of Shadow Weaver broke into his reverie. She was not with them. His world spun slower and slower as he searched the sanctum for any sign of the purple haired princess, a cackle, a movement from the vents, anything. But there was nothing. She was gone and she had not been present for the conclusion of their shared project.
“We’ll just keep working on it until it’s perfect.” The words echoed in his head getting louder and louder as the world spun ever slower. Why had she said that? She didn’t believe in perfection. She was so eager to learn about portals, why would she miss the chance to pull the lever?
She had called him a friend. They had been so close… too close. He should have known better than to trust an outsider. To let her in, to let her… get as close as she had.
A hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of his stupor. His misted eyes blinked back into the angry world around them.
“We have to go now!” Catra yelled. Hordak shook his head and they ran from the sanctum. She-Ra finished smashing the portal machine in a few swift strokes of her sword and returned to her waiting friends.
“See, we told you, you could do it,” Glimmer sighed in relief.
“Woo-hoo,” Frosta shouted, punching the air, “Yes! We did it, we did it.”
“Touching as this is, we need to go. Now.” Shadow Weaver intoned, her magic beginning to weave between her fingers. She reached for Glimmer to magnify her powers and give them the energy needed to transport them all back to Brightmoon.
“WAIT!” Scorpia cried out as she ran into the room from the opposite door Catra and Hordak had just left by. She crossed the space as fast as she could, dodging wreckage and debris and skidding to a halt in front of the group of princesses. She was holding a lilac bundle of hair in her arms, tight to her chest. There was no movement from the mound but as Scorpia came closer the hair fell away to reveal a prone figure, silent for once, eerily still.
“Entrapta!” She-Ra said in alarm. The princesses had instinctively taken up their battle stances at the sight of Scorpia but She-Ra’s cry made them hesitate. They stood at the ready, waiting to see what would happen, to follow her lead.
Scorpia held the tiny princess tight as though afraid to let go. She shifted her weight from foot to foot and looked over her shoulder to check for anyone else in the room. There wasn’t much time.
“Oh, gee… I’m gonna be in trouble for this.” Scorpia muttered under her breath. She turned to She-Ra and Glimmer, “You gotta take her. Please.”
“What?” Glimmer looked at Scorpia in shock, then her eyes narrowed, “Is this another Horde trick?”
“Yeah,” Frosta agreed, stepping beside Glimmer, “Like, we take Entrapta back so she can spy on us and report back to you?”
Scorpia looked at them in horror, “What? No! But, she can’t stay here. She’s being sent to Beast Island.”
She-Ra looked aghast, “Beast Island? Why would Hordak send her there?”
“Not Hordak, Catra. She tased her and now I’ve to put her on the transport.” Scorpia’s eyes filled with tears as the time ticked past. “Please, I don’t know what else to do!”
She-Ra stood taller than the Scorpian woman making her feel intimidated but if she ran now she’d have to send her friend away anyway. The tiny princess lay heavy curled up in her arms. Her breathing was slow. Catra or Hordak could be back at any moment. There wasn’t much time.
Behind She-Ra Glimmer and Bow stood tense, nervous. Glimmer wanted to go, Bow wanted to help the friend he’d left behind. Behind them the three princesses of water, frost and flora shared looks of unease. They weren’t against taking the princess with them, they’d been friends in the past, but she’d harmed their kingdoms, put their lives at risk and wasn’t interested in anything but tech. They were concerned. At the back of the group Shadow Weaver examined her fingernails and rolled her eyes. All this fuss over nothing.
Frosta broke the silence, “You’re Horde. Why should we help any of you?”
“Ummm…” Scorpia’s eyes were wide and her mouth opened but she didn’t know how to answer. She held Entrapta out for the princesses to see and as the rest of the mountains of hair fell away limp and lifeless, the princesses gasped. Entrapta lay in Scorpia’s arms unmoving, her sparkling laser sharp eyes closed in a deep slumber, mouth slightly agape. She was hardly breathing. Scorpia lifted her slightly, moving the white top on her back so they could see the ugly bruising from the taser fire. It covered her back, the chilling white lines edged in red flowing like rivers across her normally olive skin.
“Catra did this?” Adora looked Scorpia dead in the eye and anger shone in her eyes. Her once friend had already gone too far with the portal but this was too much for her to take in. To send someone away to die, she couldn’t let Catra do it.
Scorpia nodded, “Entrapta checked out what you told her… about the portal. It was bad. Like, real bad… there was this skull thing and red all over the map and she said it was gonna be even worse than the map. Well I guess it was, I mean we were all just there right and…” she looked up to see Glimmer and Frosta glowering at her. Behind them Mermista made a hand gesture to hurry up, they had no time for this.
“Anyways, Catra told Entrapta to activate the portal and she refused. Said she was gonna find Hordak and tell him not to open it. Catra saw red and… Boom! Tased Entrapta and ordered her sent away to Beast Island. But I can’t do it. She’s my friend. So please… I know I’m asking a lot but…”
“We have to help her,” Bow stepped in, “We’re the best Friend Squad, we don’t let anyone down, even if they make bad choices.”
“Princesses, we have no time for this,” Shadow Weaver hissed, impatient, “We have no reason to believe Force Captain Scorpia, she’s on the side of the Horde. We should leave now.”
Scorpia narrowed her eyes at Shadow Weaver then looked to Glimmer and Adora, “You promised her ‘no princess left behind’. She talked about it a lot. Please, just don’t let this happen.”
She-Ra stepped up to Scorpia and nodded, taking Entrapta from her. The fallen princess slumped into her arms like wet concrete, small and light as a bird. Her breathing was still soft and shallow, pulse weak.
“No princess left behind,” She-Ra stated and the decision was made.
“Your Majesty,” Shadow Weaver implored, “We cannot be reckless here, we cannot trust them…”
Glimmer looked at She-Ra in silent agreement, “No Shadow Weaver, Princess Entrapta needs us now more than ever. She came to rescue me and Bow, now it’s our turn to help her. No princess left behind.”
“They better be right about this,” Perfuma whispered to Mermista who nodded. Beside them Shadow Weaver noted their comments for later. Now was not the time for a debate.
Bow stepped in front of Scorpia, “Come with us. We’ll protect you.”
She shook her head and scratched the back of her neck. “That’s like… so kind and I wanna say yes but… Catra needs me. She’s gone kinda crazy right now but I just know, with a bit of patience... I can help her.” Her voice grew strong and determined and she stood tall.
“You’re a good friend.” Bow smiled at her with warmth in his voice, “If you ever change your mind, you’ll be welcome with us.”
Scorpia smiled back, surprise crossing her eyes but she nodded, “Thanks.”
Glimmer moved towards Shadow Weaver and held out her hand to share her magic as the group moved closer together. Shadow Weaver spun her magic, dark tendrils weaving throughout the group and then, with a flash of light they were gone.
Scorpia looked at the empty space in the room. Her heart sank at losing Entrapta, “Goodbye, little buddy,” she whispered softly and wiped a tear from her eye. There was no knowing when or if they would ever see each other again. She hoped she’d done the right thing. By the Goddess she hoped she’d done the right thing. Now to stop Catra from finding out. Scorpia left the room determined to track Catra down and tell her she’d done her job. Maybe Catra would go back to her normal self and they could work on ending this war once and for all. Maybe Catra would finally see her as a good friend and they could have that picnic she’d been planning for. Maybe… maybe Scorpia could be enough for Catra and she wouldn’t need anything else.
The princesses reappeared in the gardens of Brightmoon and the bickering began.
“We can’t keep her,” Mermista began, scowling at the Best Friend Squad. “She’s a Horde Scientist! She’ll kill us in our sleep!”
“Remember how disruptive she was during our mission…” Perfuma began.
“We abandoned her in the Fright Zone,” Glimmer cut them off. Mermista and Perfuma glowered but said nothing more. “We owe her a chance like we gave Shadow Weaver.”
“If Glimmer says it’s ok, I’m with Glimmer,” Frosta chimed in.
Unobserved and, for the moment, disregarded, Shadow Weaver slinked away into the apple trees of the orchard. She had her own agenda to attend to and the gardens were an ideal place to contemplate her next move without being watched.
She-Ra glowed a brilliant gold as she healed Entrapta as best she could and then she faded back to Adora, still holding the limp princess, unconscious and unaware of the fuss she was creating.
“We need to get her inside,” Adora said moving across the manicured lawn towards the side entrance to the Palace but Bow stepped in front of her. His face was serious, full of concern and an element of anxiety. The princesses bumped into each other as his movement blocked their way. Bow sighed before he spoke,
“We did the right thing. I know we did but… what we did… it’s technically a kidnapping and… that’s not good.”
The chatter started up again indignant and gaining volume.
“What are you talking about Bow?” Gimmer demanded standing between him and She-Ra, “This is clearly a rescue, not a kidnapping. She was being sent to Beast Island to die, we saved her life!”
“What I mean is,” Bow shrugged awkwardly. “when she wakes up what do we tell her? She may not even remember talking to Catra. What if she thinks she’s been captured and runs back to the Horde.”
There was a short silence. Then Glimmer spoke, “Fine. We can’t let her leave until we’ve explained things so we put her in the prison…”
“You mean guest room?” Adora ascertained. Glimmer groaned.
“Guest room… with a magic rune to stop her leaving. Then we make sure there’s someone there when she wakes up to make sure she understands what happened.”
“Gruhhh,” Mermista groaned, “have you ever tried to explain anything to Entrapta? She won’t get it.”
“Ok,” Glimmer said before Perfuma could interject, “We’ll handle this and come get you when we need another meeting.” She waved the princesses off with a sharp hand gesture and grabbed Adora and Bow. With a shimmer of sparkles they appeared in the room they were now using as a prison cell.
“Where do we put Shadow Weaver?” Bow asked. Glimmer shrugged.
“I’m too tired to care right now,” she said with a soft smile. Adora laid Entrapta on the sofa in the middle of the room. Her breathing was regular now and only a faint scar covered her back with white lines, a permanent reminder of what had happened. She looked so small and still without her hair and infectious chatter filling the room.
“She still won’t wake up,” said Adora softly, as Glimmer cast the containment spell around the sofa. A soft purple sheen shimmered in a circular shape around the prone figure.
“I’m gonna go see my mom,” Glimmer stretched her arms and back but she caught the sudden gasp from Adora.
“Glimmer,” Adora hesitated, “about your mom…” She related what had happened in the portal reality and how Queen Angella had volunteered to remain behind and protect Etheria. Glimmer was aghast.
“No! She wouldn’t leave me… I … She told me not to go and I…,” her expression hardened as her eyes fell on Entrapta, “I rescued the woman who created the portal that took my mother away!” Tears fell from her eyes and Bow enveloped her in a hug but she pushed him away. “I… I need to be alone.” She disappeared in a shimmer of sparkles and Bow was left distraught.
“I’m so sorry,” Adora said, tears running down her cheeks but Bow hugged her tight.
“It’s not your fault Adora. Look go get some sleep, you need it. Glimmer just needs some time. I’ll guard Entrapta in case she wakes up. If Glimmer needs either of us, she knows where to find us. Just give her some time.”
“Thanks Bow,” Adora smiled at her friend, “You always know the right thing to say.”
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Scorpia paced back and forth outside of Catra’s command room. She was an awful liar. She just couldn’t do it. How was she going to make Catra believe she’d done as she was ordered to? She shook herself down and put her pincers to her face for comfort.
“Come on, Scorpia,” she muttered to herself, “You got this.” She reached up to press the door release but before she pressed the button it opened to reveal Catra standing right in front of her. They both jumped in surprise and Catra yelled,
“Scorpia! Why are you lurking out here? Get in here now. Did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Did you sent the princess to Beast Island as I ordered?” Catra’s face flushed red in anger and she hissed at her friend. Scorpia cowered slightly at how fierce Catra was. She nodded in fear of what Catra might do if she didn’t.
“Good. Now that’s out of the way, nothing can stop us from making our next move!”
“Umm… wasn’t Entrapta our friend? She was helping us…”
“No! She was distracting us. All she cared about was Hordak, and the portal. We don’t need her. We don’t need anyone else to win.” Scorpia hoped Catra knew what she was doing.