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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.

Chapter Text

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Artwork by Orka

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Hordak viewed his sanctum in dismay. He sat, hunched up, next to the ruined portal, sparks still spouting from it from time to time even after the power source had been cut. The capacitors must be overloaded. He tried to think of a way to reconnect the lost power source without it overloading again but his head was full of red and purple swirls. He hadn’t slept all night. He imagined his lab partner waking up in Brightmoon, refreshed and cheerful, ready for a new day of inventions and science experiments to power weapons meant to destroy him. He imagined her with a new partner. Someone younger and perhaps faster at keeping up with her. His stomach turned at the thought.

He had been so sure that she was genuine. How could he have misjudged another so badly? Hordak prided himself on spotting lies, weeding out the untrustworthy. He’d spotted Catra a mile away. But this time…

His gaze fell upon a broken piece of tech upon the floor. He picked it up, the shiny metal sharp and strong, purple rivulets of wiring coursing through to its very core. In one fist he crushed it to a pulp. His eyes gleamed bright red, a deep fire within and his teeth, sharp as razors, gave his broadening smirk a look of distain. As the fear and sadness gave way to hatred beneath the clouds of despair he dropped the tech to stamp on it with his sabaton.

She would regret her actions. He would crush her for her betrayal, her lies, her affections. He would drag her back to the Fright Zone and show her the damage she had caused to the sanctum, to the Horde, to… him. He would force her to make weapons to defeat the Alliance and defeat them he would.

He would not be weak. He would not let anyone close to him again. He stood, straight and tall and left the sanctum. He would not speak her name again.

Entrapta woke up with a ringing in her ears. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and, for a moment, lay in the drowsy bliss of comfort between the waking and sleeping worlds. As her eyes opened fully she realised there was more light than usual, more colour too in fact. This wasn’t the Fright Zone… She sat up, her blanket falling to the floor as she took in the marble pillars, glossy floors and pink curtains. Her head felt fuzzy and her throat was dry. Where was she? Wait… it couldn’t be…

“Brightmoon?” Entrapta’s voice was hoarse but it travelled. As the sound filled the mostly empty room, Bow sat up in the corner, where a cot had been set up and stretched.

“Hey, Entrapta,” he said with a yawn, “How are you feeling?”

“Umm…” She didn’t know how she was feeling. The last thing she could remember was talking to Catra… about the portal… Adora had said it was dangerous so she’d checked it… there were anomalies… Catra wouldn’t listen… she wanted to tell Hordak… then nothing.

“Just take it easy.” Bow moved towards the sofa she was now sitting up on and she realised a soft purple shimmer separated her from him. Was it magic? “You’ve been asleep for over sixteen hours…”

“Sixteen hours! That’s way more sleep than I need! I gotta get back to work, Hordak will… wait, Hordak’s… not here… right?”

“No, it’s just you.” Bow tapped reluctantly into his data pad, keeping his eyes on the princess. He looked tired.

Entrapta slumped onto the floor, back leaning on the sofa, her pigtails rippling as she took in her situation. A tendril or two slithered towards the purple force field to prod and poke it and a small electrical jolt frizzed out her hair at the ends. She winched and another memory flitted across her mind. It wasn’t pleasant so she pushed it away and investigated instead. There was always so much to learn, did it matter where she was?

Her hair now pressed against the purple force field, pushing the magic to see how far it would bend, gently prying the edges to fit even one strand of hair underneath. But it was futile, even the magic of her hair could not disrupt the rune magic. As she made her first Brightmoon log into her recorder there was a shimmer of purple and the princesses appeared in the room next to Bow. Glimmer nodded to him and he stood next to her and Adora who passed a canister of water and a tray of tiny food through the force field. Clearly it let things in but would not let her out. Interesting. Frosta, Perfuma and Mermista stood a little to the side, watching.

“Faaasciinatiiing…” Entrapta continued talking into the little device, “Hiiii Princesses! This is amazing! I’ve never been in a trap I couldn’t escape from before! Glimmer did you make this rune? It’s perfect. I just need to work out how long it lasts for and then I…”

“Oh, it lasts long enough.” Glimmer’s tone was clipped, sharp, her eyes hardened. She lifted her hand and, without warning drew another glyph and blew it at Entrapta’s face. Entrapta felt the glyph pass through her body and she stiffened. It didn’t feel right. She felt unexpectedly exposed and vulnerable, two feelings she avoided as much as possible but there was nowhere to go. She reached for her mask with a tendril of hair but several glowers from the group before her made her hesitate. It took all her will power to leave the mask where it was. There was an atmosphere in the room, chilling and tense. She wasn’t used to being afraid but she was close to it now.

“Let’s get this over with,” Glimmer began, arms crossed over her chest. “Bow did you tell her why she’s here?”

“Not yet.” Bow looked at Glimmer with concern in his eyes. He’d managed to speak to her between his shifts watching Entrapta but he wasn’t sure he’d been able to help much. Glimmer was distraught at losing Angella and needed time to recover. He wasn’t sure this was the best time for her to be interrogating anyone but she was adamant that blame had to be apportioned somewhere and Entrapta was most decidedly, to blame for creating the portal.

“Ok Entrapta,” said Glimmer, “here’s how it works. I’ve put a truth spell on you so we can find out if we can trust you or not. I’ll ask the questions and you have to answer with the truth. Adora, you have the questions.” Adora nodded, a small piece of paper in her hand. There couldn’t be many questions on that it was so small. “You’re here because Catra betrayed you and was sending you to Beast Island, presumably to die. Scorpia saved your life and asked us to bring you here but She-Ra had to heal you from the severe taser burns that Catra left on you. Scorpia also said you refused to open the portal. Is that true?”

Entrapta’s smile grew larger as she ignored the brutal reality of Catra’s betrayal. She didn’t need to focus on that right now. She nodded, rising up on her pigtails as she felt the spell take effect. It was a horrible feeling of loss of control but the question was about science and she was always eager to share her findings.

“Yes, Adora said the portal couldn’t be opened and I had noticed some inconsistencies in the data previously. I ran through some simulations and discovered the portal, once opened, would render space time nullified. Everything would be destroyed. Scorpia was there too, I guess she did understand what I was saying.” Entrapta was thankful that her friend had stood by her. She spun upside down on her hairtails and hovered on them ready for the next question.

Adora nodded, “Thanks Entrapta. It didn’t work obviously but thanks for trying.”

“You’re welcome!” Entrapta’s smile filled her face. “Wait, the alternate dimension, I… remember… You came to talk to me and I told you…” Entrapta’s mind threw images at her, memories of another reality that quickly took shape and forced themselves into a picture. “Oh… the portal reality… who stayed behind?”

There was an awkward silence and Glimmer shut her eyes, a tear staining her cheek. Bow put his arm around her in comfort.

“Queen Angella,” he said softly. Entrapta took in the information silently. That meant Glimmer would be Queen now. Entrapta never had taken an interest in politics but if Glimmer was now in charge and it was her fault that Angella was gone… where did that leave her?

“I’m sorry,” said Entrapta quietly. “It should have been me, right? I mean I made it… But the portal reality was breaking down so fast, there wasn’t time, and I disappeared.” Entrapta sat on a chair made of her long purple hair. She looked to the side to avoid eye contact and twiddled her fingers together. A mechanical object appeared from her hair and she began to tinker with it distractedly.

Mermista moved forward a step and glared at the tech genius. “Why did you even build that portal? If you knew it was dangerous why did you build it?”

Entrapta looked at the water princess with her head tilted in thought. She wasn’t sure how to answer but the spell took hold anyway. She shrugged,

“Because Hordak wanted me to. He’s from another planet, another Horde actually. He was a soldier sent to die on the front lines because of a defect. He landed here on Etheria almost thirty years ago and he just knew that if he took control of the planet he could convince his leader Horde Prime that he’s good enough to return home.” Entrapta finished her speech with a wide smile and her arms spread above her head in triumph. The princesses were silent.

“He wants to what?” Perfuma asked with a shocked expression.

“He wants to conquer Etheria as a gift for some space alien so he can leave this place in a mess and return home as a hero,” Glimmer spat.

“Wait, this is why Hordak built the portal,” Adora realised suddenly, “Entrapta we asked why you built it.”

“Oh…” the spell shifted slightly, and new words poured, unbidden from her mouth, “well… I guess I just wanted to help a friend. It’s not my place to judge why he wants to build it. I don’t want to change him. I just want to be a good friend and friends help each other.” She looked away again a sad smile on her face, “Even if it means helping them to leave.”

Another silence filled the room as the information sank in.

“Wait,” Bow began, “disagreeing with someone is not judging them. Sometimes you have to say no and stick to your morals Entrapta. You can’t just give someone everything they want, it’s not healthy.”

“It’s not?” Entrapta was confused. Surely being a friend meant helping them no matter what.

“Sometimes people want things that are bad for them. A good friend should be able to say no and still be friends.” Entrapta’s face was blank but a light seemed to turn on.

“Oh… so when I said no to Catra and she tased me…”

“She shouldn’t have done that,” Adora said, a fire in her eyes. “Catra’s gone too far and cost us Angella too. I’m sorry Entrapta, we shouldn’t have left you behind, we didn’t mean to but if you’ll give us another chance, we can be friends.”

“I thought Catra was my friend,” Entrapta muttered to herself.

“Why did you join the Horde?” Perfuma chipped in, eager to get back to questioning.

“Because they were nice to me.”

“Nice?” Perfuma’s voice cracked in incredulity, “The Horde was nice?”

“Yeah,” the truth spell forced her to continue, “They said I belonged with them, Catra listened to me and asked about my theories. She collected so much First Ones Tech for me and helped with my data. And Scorpia called us the Super Pal Trio. I’ve never been in a friendship group before. Also they had much better tech.”

“You were with us!” Mermista said indignantly, “We were supposed to be your friendship group.”

“I guess…” the spell dragged the words out and, at last, the mask dropped over her face to conceal her emotions, “I felt excluded. You called me names Mermista, like Geek Princess. I didn’t like it. Perfuma tied me up in vines and dragged me everywhere, no-one understood me or wanted to, except you Bow but even you tried to change me. Even when I rescued Sea Hawk from Scorpia it was, “Where have you been?” I might not be good with people but I can still see the glares, the eye rolling and so on. And Ice Girl, I don’t know you but you’re glowering at me so I guess you don’t like me either.” Frosta’s eyes narrowed but then grew softer. She hadn’t realised she was being aggressive and there was something in Entrapta’s words that she identified with. She’d felt alone for so many years with few people to understand her once she had taken her throne.

“I’m sorry,” Entrapta whispered, “I didn’t want to tell you…”

There was an awkward silence as the princesses processed what they’d heard. They wished they’d never asked what Entrapta thought of them. It made them feel guilty.

“What about when Bow and I tried to rescue you from the Horde?” Glimmer asked changing the subject.

“When was… Oh… right… I was pretty busy by then with all the experiments, I couldn’t leave them.” Entrapta’s eye lit up at the mention of tech and she threw the mask above her head again.

“We’re not getting anywhere,” Mermista complained. “We need to know if we can trust her.” She turned to Entrapta again, “Why did you try to kill us with robots and tanks? Why did you help the Horde?”

“I tried to kill you?” Entrapta asked in surprise, “When did I… oh, you mean EKS and her robot siblings I altered. Oh, they weren’t meant to kill anyone.”

“They weren’t?” Adora was confused, “They seemed pretty deadly.”

“Oh, deadly yes, I mean who doesn’t love a good explosion and the threat of mortality on a daily basis? I for one find it a great source of exercise and entertainment.” Entrapta’s smile beamed at the group who stared back at her with blank expressions. She tried again,
“The three laws of robotics? I put them in every bot I make or tinker with.”

Bow’s face lit up in understanding, “OH! Dryl’s laws of Robotics! So every Horde bot is programmed not to harm anyone… but they fired lasers at us!”

“Weeelll… I did alter the first law just a teensy little bit. Just to make things interesting. I needed data on how the bots would fare against princess magic.”

“UUrrggh,” Mermista groaned, “What are we just gonna let her off the hook with that one? She made machines capable of killing us.”

“And I tinkered with the Black Garnet, causing the weather systems of Etheria to fluctuate and draw power from the planet in a chaotic attempt to understand the link between science and magic!” Entrapta’s hairtails spun in excitement as she cackled and bounced on her hair.
“That was you?” Perfuma, Adora and Glimmer gasped.

“I’ve had enough of this,” Mermista stepped up to the force field. “Entrapta I saw that look earlier when we talked about Hordak. So what is it between you and him?”

“We’re friends… and lab partners.” Entrapta blushed slightly as the spell fought between her understanding of the truth and her feelings now buried deep down inside. Mermista glared at her, waiting for more.

“Do you love him?” she asked pointedly. Entrapta shrank back at the unexpected question. Something she didn’t even know herself. Her eyes flitted around the room trying to find a way out, her hair wrapping itself around her body and frizzing out to the sides in an attempt to figure out what her true feelings were. In the end the truth spell weaved its way through her, penetrating her soul to find the answer.

“Yes,” she said softly, stunning both herself and the group before her into silence. Then there was uproar as everyone spoke at once demanding so many things that Entrapta couldn’t focus anymore. There was too much noise, too many people. It was so overwhelming she slammed the mask back down over her face and, unable to escape, wrapped herself tight in her hair to focus on breathing. Usually she would take to the vents or deflect the conversation back to a topic of science, but now, unable to do either, she froze in position, tears silently streaming down her hidden features. Did she really love him?

“Can I go back to Dryl?” she said in a small voice that carried a weight. The roomful of people stopped talking in surprise. Bow stepped forward and looked into the red eyes of Entrapta’s mask.

“Entrapta… the Horde owns Dryl. You can’t go back there, or the Fright Zone ever again. Catra wants you dead and who knows what she’s told Hordak.” The mask stared back at him, expressionless and empty but behind it Entrapta felt her body begin to panic.

“Catra said…” her heart hammered in her chest, her breathing hitched and grew faster as her world finally crumbled around her. “She said, she’d go get my stuff… but… I didn’t need to go too…” The realisation that Catra had lied to her even back then was too much for her. Catra had offered to bring her belongings from Dryl to the Fright Zone in a bid to take Dryl for the Horde without even telling her. Was it Catra’s idea or Hordak’s? Who could she trust anymore? Had he used her feelings to take what he wanted from her and then cast her aside when she was no longer useful to him? All those nights they had been so close… was it all a lie? Had he ordered her sent to Beast Island? In the turmoil of her heart she let go of her last shred of hope and curled up into a ball on the floor wrapped in her hair, her last refuge in a rapidly disintegrating world.

Mermista’s voice filled her ears once more, too loud and full of spite, “What did you expect from the Horde? From Hordak? After what they did the first Alliance, I’m surprised you trusted them at all!”

The first Alliance? Her parents had been involved in that but in what way she didn’t know. Had the Horde had something to do with their disappearance? But she couldn’t go back to the Fright Zone to find out and she couldn’t go back to Dryl. She couldn’t go anywhere anymore.

“I’m a prisoner… again. I feel I’ve spent my whole life as a prisoner.”

Chapter Text

I was born under the quarter moon paradox. That is to say that all twelve of Etheria’s moons were in alignment in four sets of three, an occurrence which only manifests every three thousand years. I don’t know why it’s a paradox, I didn’t care to find out. It was on that night that my mother realised how important the moons were to Dryl as the beacon at the top of Crypto Castle flared up in the power the moons created and lit up the city state in a beautiful purple aura.

My mother was both a prolific scientist and monarch in the Kingdom of Dryl or so I’ve been told. Dryl is a technological community of inventors, miners and scientists. Its people generally quiet in nature, keeping to themselves and their work. My mother brought Dryl into a new era of technological prowess and gave them wealth and status on Etheria. Her inventions improved the lives of countless people from sanitation, roads and health care to communication devices and even robotics. She was amazing, I miss her so much. She taught me as soon as I could talk and I remember her saying she was so excited that I was both interested and extremely competent in science and technology.

Both my fathers were scientists too but not nearly so engaged. They were the fun parents. They took me on trips into Dryl to play with the other children. It never went well, the other children said I was weird. I tried to play with them but I couldn’t figure out why they laughed at me if I said the wrong thing, or would just ignore me and walk away. My dads were always there to play with though so it didn’t seem to matter.

Until the day of the accident. My mother used to call me into her lab where the big purple crystal stood. It was pretty. I liked to touch it and feel the tingly jolt of electricity run through my hair. It made my hair grow and I could stand up on it or walk with it or hold things with it. My mother rarely smiled, she was always working and thinking about her next project but when she saw me play with the crystal she would always smile, recording something complicated into a tiny device and that made me happy. Sometimes she would brush my hair which took forever because it almost reached the floor, and sometimes we would play for a while before learning something new.

The accident… was confusing. I had been… playing… or making something… a robot? My dads were in the room and a loud explosion reverberated from deep in the castle’s depths. My dads ran off, leaving me alone but I followed. There was screaming, dust, black ash across the stone floors of the basement levels. A huge hole in the walls. The enormous purple crystal was gone, disintegrated. My mother… gone… dead… my heart left empty. The bad feelings were horrible. I didn’t want to think about them.

My fathers were very sad but if I smiled, they smiled too so I smiled as much as I could and soon I was smiling all the time. It made me feel better but my dads… sometimes they had strange looks on their faces when I smiled my brightest. They didn’t say anything.

One day they told me they were leaving to join the Rebellion. It was important, they said, to fight for what you believe in. I could relate to that. I believed in science, the only thing that could make real sense of my complex world. I didn’t want them to leave but they wouldn’t be gone long they said.

They never returned and the Alliance failed soon after. Did they leave me because they didn’t understand me? Was I too different? My world became one of isolation and scientific pursuit. There were no more trips outside the castle. Lord Dryllian, head of the Council of Elders and Master of the Makers Guild had been left in charge of the Nation until my fathers returned. Now it would be until I was eighteen and old enough to take the throne. He was a quiet, nervous man who liked to keep order and routine. He was afraid the kingdom was in great danger from the Horde and closed its borders unceremoniously. I know this because it’s all in the documentation in the archives.

Lord Dryllian was a respected politician but he had no idea how to raise a child. I was their last heir and he told me I must be protected at all costs so he forbade me from leaving the castle in case the Horde kidnapped me. Anyone who entered Crypto Castle was thoroughly checked and Lord Dryllian moved into the castle in order to better run the nation and to keep me safe. I didn’t mind so long as I could continue my studies and the finest minds in Etheria were hired to teach me science, mechanics, languages, maths and even basic magic. It was all for the best of intentions but left me socially starved and devoid of companionship. I usually only had one teacher at a time.

I was so lonely I began to create my own friends. Robots I could talk to and tinker with. I made myself robot dads to fill the gaps in my life. I couldn’t bring myself to create my mom though, it was too painful. My dad bots were so much fun! We’d play in the corridors and in the basements racing, hiding or exploring. Once, I found myself back at the blast site where my mother died. It was horrible but my dad bots held my hands and took me back to my lab to play.

Lord Dryllian believed spies were everywhere. He appointed himself the royal food taster in case of poison and gradually I found my food cut up into smaller and smaller pieces as he searched for invisible threats until tiny food became the norm. Fizzy juice, he declared, was preferable to water as he considered the chemical compounds of most poisons would not mix with the carbonated structures. I liked the taste.

The Horde never came and Dryl became isolated from everywhere else. Lord Dryllian retreated into his rooms and I rarely saw him. I went outside once when I was about twelve. The moons were so bright and beautiful, the sky was blue. But then the alarms went off. Soldiers appeared everywhere and Lord Dryllian was shouting in my face. It was so much noise and too much information. I wanted to go outside again but Lord Dryllian forbade it. He put a lock on the castle gates and had robots patrol the corridors. My dad bots disappeared and I never saw them again.

I threw myself into my studies diving deeper and deeper, until even the most proficient scholars had nothing left to teach me. They left quickly, replaced by others until, finally, Lord Dryllian couldn’t find anyone else and I was left alone. He didn’t come to visit me anymore and then, one day, he was gone. I was almost eighteen, I thought… I thought he was handing over the kingdom to me. But the robots still wouldn’t let me leave, the soldiers still watched from outside.

My eighteenth birthday came and went and no-one cared. It was Princess Prom that year too but I never received the invitation. I hacked the computer system and deactivated the bots. It was my castle and no-one could tell me what to do anymore.

I left that night hidden under a cloak and went into Dryl to find out what was happening, why I wasn’t allowed to leave the castle. I found Lord Dryllian talking to another man. He was talking about me. He said I was weird, how I was unfit to rule the kingdom. How he would have to keep on looking after Dryl. The other man nodded and said it was for the best. The council would keep on running Dryl and I would be kept safe in Crypto Castle. They didn’t plan on telling me.

I went home that night confused and alone. I started working on the bots and made them my own. I invented traps to stop anyone getting in without my knowing and set up cameras and a security system. I hacked the computers of Dryl and took back power. It made the council sit up and take notice. They thought they were smart but they underestimated me.

They came to the castle to ask for their computer systems back and I said no. I decided to rule Dryl like my parents wanted but then I found my education extremely lacking. Lord Dryllian had found educators based on my interests but had neglected to have me learn politics or sociology of any kind. He had raised me as a Puppet Princess, someone to make Dryl look the part in the Etherian monarchy systems but unable to actually rule and make good decisions for the people.

I wanted to learn but the council said the money was gone. Dryl wasn’t doing as well as it had when my mother ruled. People were leaving and the mines were drying up. I didn’t know whether to believe them or not but there was no-one else to talk to. We made an arrangement. I gave them power to rule Dryl and I would get sole ownership of Crypto Castle and the surrounding lands. They were to leave me alone but I would still remain Princess Entrapta of Dryl. I would still have a vote in the council and I could still make laws to be passed through them. I would be the face of Dryl, attending all the official celebrations but I wouldn’t have a coronation and I wouldn’t get in their way. I didn’t think I had an option. At least I could secure my freedom.

The castle was finally mine and I celebrated by redesigning it with my special traps and robot friends. I sent the guards away and hired my own kitchen crew and it was fun for a while. I joined the makers guild and they loved my inventions but even there I felt like the odd one out. It was better to be alone… until Adora, Bow and Glimmer showed up… Now I don’t know where I fit in… The only thing I’m good for is tech. Once that’s gone, everyone abandons me.
________________________________________________________________________________

The room fell silent. Entrapta still lay on the floor in a cocoon of hair but she felt calm enough now to sit up and raise her mask. The group stared at her with mixed expressions of sadness, horror and pity and she realised she must have been talking through her memories. Possibly the truth spell, or the fact she liked to talk to calm herself down, had made her verbalise the trauma she’d been so used to burying deep below the surface. She rather wished they weren’t there, she’d rather be alone.

“How old were you?” asked Frosta in a small voice, “When you lost your parents?”

“Six.” There it was again, the pity and sadness directed at her. Her face broke into a smile as she charged back into her practised default mode of exuberance. Three data pads appeared from her hair and she settled back into her favourite position sitting on her pigtails to analyse the data.

“Anyway, this is fascinating. The data from the rune magic shows clearly that…”

Glimmer turned away and huddled with the others while Entrapta carried on with her rambling discoveries. “What do we think?” she asked them all. Her earlier misgivings and anger had lessened but she still felt resentment towards the Tech Princess. She needed a balanced argument. She would listen to everyone before deciding what to do.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Bow replied, “We can’t send her away and we can’t keep her locked up. I think we have to trust her and get her on our side.”

“But she loves Hordak,” said Perfuma, “Doesn’t that mean she’ll go back to the Horde the first chance she gets?”

“If she wants to go and it’s safe for her there, we can’t stop her.” Bow was adamant. “We’re the good guys, all we can do is show we care and try to support her.”

Glimmer nodded, “I agree, she’s been through a lot more than any of us ever realised. We should work on including her and getting her on side.” For the moment she put her own feelings of mistrust aside. “Let’s get Spinerella and Netossa in on this and work out a plan. We’ll meet in the war room.”

“I’ll catch up with you,” Mermista nodded, “I just need a quick word.”

“Me too,” Perfuma decided with a determination that showed in her eyes. Glimmer teleported everyone else out of the room leaving Mermista and Perfuma alone with Entrapta who looked up from her data pads and said,

“Oh, is it over?”

The Sea Princess nodded, “We wanted to apologise Entrapta.”

“We’re so sorry,” Perfuma added, “I had no idea you were unhappy around us and I shouldn’t have used my vines on you. The truth is I was worried about losing you and then we lost you anyway. I guess I should have trusted you better.”

“And… urggh I won’t call you Geek Princess anymore. Thing is it was meant to a kind of cute nickname like… I want to be Sea-Ra or something and… I didn’t think it through. Can we start again?”

“Sure!” Entrapta enthused, “You know I only told you that because of the truth spell but… I’m not good at people, and… I thought I could make friends by helping you with tech. Maybe the truth is a better way? Hmm…” she reached into her hair for her recorder and pressed a button. “Social Experiment number 65… 66?… no, 65. I have discovered that telling the truth no matter how disagreeable it might be can actually achieve better results than hiding my insecurities and can create better friendships. More experimentation required.

“Oh, and you can call me Geek Princess if you want Mermista,” Entrapta conceded.

“What?” Mermista scowled, “But you just said it hurt your feelings!”

“Yeah but then you said it was meant to be a cute nickname. I thought you were teasing me.”

“Oh… well urgh… I really don’t get you Entrapta but if it makes you be feel better, I’m a bit of a book geek.”

“You are?” Entrapta’s eyes sparkled with joy and her smile grew ever larger. She stifled a shriek as her hands became fists under her chin vibrating with excitement. Mermista groaned and rolled her eyes.

“I wish I hadn’t shared that now.”

Perfuma giggled and led the way to the door. “We better get going Mermista, I mean Book Geek Princess. Entrapta hang on I think Glimmer will let you out of there soon.” As the princesses left the room Entrapta waved to them, her face glowing and her hair bouncing in joy.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Catra paced the floor while Scorpia watched. “We need a new plan.”
Scorpia nodded, “Yeah, plans are great. What are you thinking?”
Catra smirked and looked her friend in the eye, “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Scorpia frowned and turned away. She wished Catra would trust her like she used to.
“Come on Catra,” Scorpia pleaded, “I can help.”
“Help? You couldn’t help yourself out of a cardboard box. Useless.”
Catra strode into Hordak’s sanctum. He turned to see her and then looked back at the schematics he was studying.
“What do you require Force Captain?” he said, “I’m extremely busy.”
Catra noticed the damaged computer terminal behind the warlord which had been perfectly functional on her last visit only hours ago. It had been subjected to a violent temper. Catra guessed Hordak hadn’t taken her news about Entrapta’s betrayal well.
“I need permission for a new attack. On Brightmoon.”

Entrapta was bored. No-one had entered the room since Mermista and Perfuma had left hours ago and she was still stuck inside the rune circle. It was dark outside and well after midnight. She’d tinkered with as much as she could and gotten as much information from the magic around her as was possible. Boredom wasn’t a bad thing though, she had plenty to think about and emotions to try to organise. Solitude was her safe space as much as any lab could be, after all she was a scientist – all she needed was her mind… and some equipment, theories, datapads… ok everything she’d left behind in the Fright Zone.

It was dark outside and presumably the middle of the night but she couldn’t sleep. She felt tense in the darkness, trapped in a room far from her equipment and her experiments. She desperately missed Emily. She’d gotten used to the robot following her everywhere. She missed Scorpia and Hordak too but when she thought about Catra… what had gone wrong? Had it been her fault? Did she do something wrong? Would she ever see any of them again? Would Hordak want her back at all? What if he had been the one to order Catra to send her away. Even if she went back to the Fright Zone, she knew the only person she could truly trust was Scorpia. It was all so confusing.

And then there was her last interaction with Hordak. She’d tried to push it aside, forget the words he had shouted in her face, “Just get it to work!” and how he had brushed her hair from his shoulder so roughly, but the memories repeated themselves over and over. Only minutes before they had agreed to take their time over the portal, make it perfect. The speed of his change in mood was breathtaking. Why was he angry at her? Why did he change his mind about completing the portal just because Catra had returned with a sword? Didn’t she matter? Did he want to leave her so badly? Did he know Catra was on her way back and was stalling for time?

Entrapta stopped working as a single tear travelled down her cheek. He had thrown her away hadn’t he? She was only useful for building the portal. Once it was done he had no need for her. He had indulged her, pretended to be friends, welcomed her into his sanctum and now… he was done with her. She was thrown out, discarded like she didn’t matter, abandoned and rejected.

Well she could discard him, for the moment. She looked back down, distracted, at the data pads (better not tell anyone yet that she was working out how to get Angella back from the other dimension just in case it came to nothing). She didn’t notice as the door to her room cracked open. Absorbed in her work and her thoughts she didn’t see the shadow enter the room and settle in a darkened corner.

Chapter Text

Shadow Weaver stalked the corridors of Brightmoon, a glass of wine in her hand. She finished her drink in one last gulp and left the glass on a shelf next to an alabaster figurehead. Good luck finding that one she smirked to herself, imagining the poor kitchen staff hunting the castle for the missing glass. She was in a good mood tonight. Now that Queen Angella was out of the way and Castaspella had decided she would retreat back to Mystacor after the coronation, she was in a much better position to control Glimmer.

She had freedom to roam the castle albeit with two guards, easily succumbed by a simple sleep spell. It was perfect timing for her next move. The coronation was due to happen in the morning. With all the commotion and the castle staff thinned in preparation, Shadow Weaver had until then to execute her plan.

She gently pushed open the door to Princess Entrapta’s room and was pleased to discover that the Tech Princess was still confined to Glimmer’s magic rune circle. She was much less pleased to find her still awake and studying several data pads, the glow of the screens lighting up her face in a pale blue aura. Shadow Weaver hid in a dark corner for a few moments, working out her next move. Deciding directness was best, she stepped forward to speak.

“Good evening, Princess.” Entrapta looked up in surprise at the sound of Shadow Weaver’s voice.

“Oh, Hiii.” She smiled and waved a tendril of hair but then looked back at her work with barely a pause in her typing.

“What are you working on?” Shadow Weaver tried to get her attention. She began to pace around the rune circle.

“Oh, I’m looking for a way to bring Queen Angella back. She was lost in the portal experiment and I just know the answer is in here somewhere…”

Shadow Weaver frowned. This was not good news. She definitely needed Entrapta to stop working on this particular project.

“I have a proposition for you princess,” she said smoothly as she came back to her starting position. Entrapta hadn’t even glanced at her. “I can offer you safe passage back to Hordak and the Fright Zone. We leave tonight.”

There was no response. Entrapta carried on working with the data pads. She moved closer and watched the scientist at work. Strangely, the Tech genius had donned her mask at the sound of Hordak’s name. Shadow Weaver had thought the princess would be eager to return to the Warlord. Her shadow spies in the Fright Zone had shown them to be close and she knew from her personal experience that Entrapta was the only person Hordak had ever given free reign of his sanctum. He appeared to dote on the purple haired scientist, for what reason she could not fathom.

She stared into the red glowing eyes of the mask, eerie in the dim light exuding from the data pad below the Tech Princess’ chin. The hair coiled in ragged bunches around her head and flowed down her body to become a makeshift chair which she perched on, legs crossed. Shadow Weaver knew of Entrapta, had studied her dossier in the Fright Zone as she had studied all the Princesses throughout the war but she had never actually spoken with her, had only met her once, briefly, when she stole the Black Garnet from her.

Shadow Weaver clenched her fists at the ends of rigid arms. She felt the old anger at the loss of her runestone rise in her chest but she pushed it down. The rage could wait, controlled. This could not. She needed Entrapta for her plan to work. She needed to reconnect to the Black Garnet tonight, before the princesses noticed she was gone. She softened her voice to a silky-smooth tone and tried again.

“Would you like to go home Entrapta?”

Entrapta’s mask looked up and stared at her, round ruby eyes blank, inhuman and cold. The head tilted to an odd angle, hair framing an unspoken question. Then, just as suddenly a tendril of hair threw the mask back on top of her head and Entrapta’s voracious smile came into view.

“No thanks!” The cheery response threw Shadow Weaver off guard. She grimaced behind her own mask, eyes darkening as she realised the princess would not be as easy to manipulate as she had expected. What had Catra said to achieve results?

Once more Entrapta returned to a single data pad, the others vanishing into the massive bundles of purple hair. She hummed as she focussed all her attention into her work. Shadow Weaver felt a shiver as if she were the one imprisoned by the magic rune. The air seemed to chill around her, drawing her breath from her chest as though sucking her very soul from her body. Suddenly the distance between her and her prey seemed to grow exponentially.

Never deterred, even in the face of dire circumstances, Shadow Weaver worked out her next move. She would not be thwarted by a simple princess, especially one with little to no magic. Magic was all that mattered. Magic and Power. Entrapta had neither as far as she was concerned. She was an easy target. But something niggled at the back of her mind. Something that made her hesitate and reconsider. While she suspected Hordak would do anything for the tiny scientist, there was much about her she didn’t know. And knowledge was also power.

Shadow Weaver cursed under her breath and weaved her magic, hands casting shadow tendrils across the floor and under the magical barrier. The princess, hyper-focused as she was, did not notice at first the dark magic snake-like tentacles sidling and winding their way across the floor and into her pigtails. They wove a dark pattern of inky black into the cascading purple tresses. When she suddenly fell a tug and realised the magic had harnessed her hair she dropped the data pad with a screech and grabbed a pigtail in each hand just above her shoulders to stop the onslaught.

The dark magic tendrils stopped at her hands but then began to wind around her wrists and up her arms like vines encroaching upon a tree. Entrapta used a strand of hair to flip down her mask once more, the metal robot features obscuring her own. Shadow Weaver intensified her attack, her eyes glowing with power. The magic pulled at Entrapta’s wrists and arms and she fought back valiantly but it was too much for her. She screamed, a hollow, tinny sound behind the mask, as the inky black magic finally tore her hands from her hair and forced her wrists behind her back. Her hair coiled and writhed in an attempt to escape. Thin strands whipped around her head, reaching for the sorceress, a tool or two thrown in vain but the magic rune prevented anything from getting close to the older woman. The strands succumbed to the veins of darkness one by one and Entrapta’s hair finally became motionless as the magic engulfed it completely. Shadow Weaver smirked in silent joy at her conquest.

The magic vine-like tendrils enveloped Entrapta’s body and hair pulling the massive purple tresses behind her back to tie them taught. She still hovered above the floor, dangling precariously from her twin pigtails and Shadow Weaver’s magic but she could barely move.

“Dear me Princess,” Shadow Weaver intoned, “Anyone would think you didn’t want to go back to your beloved Hordak. Scream all you want, no-one can hear what goes on in here.”

Entrapta’s attention was now fully focused on the mage before her. The sudden and unexpectedness of the assault had taken her completely by surprise and she hadn’t been prepared. Now it was all she could do to stay still and try to think things through. Pulling at her bonds only made them tighter, the magic snaking through her hair restrained it so not even a strand could escape. But her hands could reach into it…

Shadow Weaver smirked to herself. This would work if she could only stick to her plan. Get in, get out and back by morning. She’d have her time with the Black Garnet and so help her she would get her full magic back and regain some control of this ridiculous war. Perhaps with any luck she could sneak her way to the Moonstone and connect with it. Then she would truly know power. She waved a hand and Glimmer’s holding spell was released. Amateur. The magical barrier disappeared with a shimmer. She pulled the Tech Princess towards her on an invisible tether.

As she passed over the abandoned data pad, the eerie blue glow lit up Entrapta from below giving her purple hues a more iridescent quality. The Tech Princess hung in the air silent and still. Her mask gave away nothing, staring through Shadow Weaver as though seeing into her very soul. Just as Shadow Weaver pulled her magic back towards her, the small scientist flipped the switch on her chosen device and the magic faltered and died. The black tendrils vanished as abruptly as they had first appeared. The hair shook off the remnants of magic and Entrapta landed on her feet, hair spiked out in long threatening tendrils, each grasping a tool or device while her hands appeared by her sides, palms forward facing as if poised to attack.

She rose up on hair legs again and hovered on purple strands of immense strength and fluidity. The princess appeared to float in mid-air, her body straight but motionless in the half-light as the purple tresses continued to ripple softly still wielding tools of destruction. The red eyes of the welding mask spoke of robotic aptitude and precision. Shadow Weaver gasped as the bubbly princess became an emotionless, unstoppable machine before her eyes.

Just as suddenly the mask flipped up and Entrapta’s eyes sparkled, “It worked!” the voice recorder appeared again, the tools disappearing back into her hair, “Edit to log, my Magic Dampener Device can absolutely negate and counteract the effects of magic!” A hair strand stroked her chin as she continued, “However, it was ineffective against the rune magic of the Sparkly Princess. This could be due to the type of magic used or, more likely, it wasn’t powerful enough to counteract the spell. More experimentation required.”

Pleased with herself, Entrapta finished her recording and turned to find the sorceress staring at her with contempt. She felt her hair bristle at the unwanted attention and she searched the room for an escape route. There was a window ten steps away and a vent in the corner of the room. If she could just make it to either she had a chance to evade the witch and, perhaps, call for help. She collected a tiny box hidden in a pigtail and threw it at Shadow Weaver, then another. The sorceress yelped at the sudden explosion of smoke and fumes that obscured her vision as Entrapta, still perched on her hair, stepped back a few paces towards the vent. She reached up to open it with a hair strand but in her haste knocked over a chair.

Shadow Weaver heard the thud and launched a hasty spell in its direction. She heard another thud and a yelp. The second box activated a cage beneath her feet and the older woman found herself behind bars of a tiny cell. She snarled as the trap encased her, metal bars chinking into position. She reached out an arm between the bars and continued to target the space behind the fog where the sound had come from.

The magic hit Entrapta with a force so great she felt it to her very core. She found herself frozen in place and panic rose in her chest as her heartbeat quickened. She was petrified in time and space and unable to move anything but her vibrant amethyst eyes. This was far more serious than Entrapta had considered possible. As the smoke veil cleared, revealing her caged opponent, she stared at the device in her hand now certain that it wasn’t working to full capacity and wondering why.

Shadow Weaver had not come this far to lose and she did not intend to either. She grabbed a bar in each hand and magically ripped the cage apart before Entrapta’s eyes. It was rudimentary and only supposed to delay the mage not stop her. Shadow Weaver glared at the princess. It was time for direct action, she had no time for any more games. She strode forward, a malice in her eyes that was lost on Entrapta. She plucked the magic dampening device from the Tech Princess’ hand and threw it on the floor where it met her boot heel in a sudden and violent thump. Entrapta gasped in horror at the wanton destruction of her technology but Shadow Weaver had no time for sentimentality.

“You will come with me Princess and you will do as I say,” she stated simply. It became clear to Entrapta, frozen as she was, that choice was a luxury she no longer possessed. As she struggled to move within the confines of the spell her captor laughed and pointed at the door. Perhaps she could make the smaller woman see the bigger picture.

“I’m going to trade you for one hour with the Black Garnet. You don’t have to agree.” It was a simple plan and simple was always best. She peered at the Tech Princess, curious. Why did she not want to return to the Fright Zone? She didn’t really care but she didn’t want her plans ruined along the way either. With a shrug she waved her hand again and magically pulled Entrapta’s hands in front of her, hair behind. To the princess’s horror Shadow Weaver pulled a rope from the folds of her cloak and bound her wrists together. Seemingly the mage had left nothing to chance. At the same time the dark magic again wrapped her hair in tendrils of black, endless power that restricted and pulled at the purple tresses. She found her feet on the floor, reduced to walking. As the dark mage pulled at the rope around her bound wrists, the tech princess felt the unfamiliar notion of fear fill her chest. Tears filled her eyes as she was dragged towards the door of her room.

_____________________________________________________

Catra stormed into the Black Garnet chamber her fur on end. Scorpia stood up as she entered, her efforts now forgotten.
“Did you do it?” Catra said, her tone blunt and sharp as a razor.
Catra stopped pacing and sat down on a chair. Scorpia walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder but Catra shrugged it off.
“Whatever. He said no.”
“Who? No to what?”
Catra put her face in her hands, “You know what?” she straightened up and a cold expression filled her eyes, “We need a win. Scorpia, rally the troops. We’re going to Brightmoon.”
Scorpia gasped, “But Catra, if he said no, shouldn’t we listen?” She suddenly realised that Entrapta might still be at Brightmoon and if Catra discovered her there... A cold shiver ran down her back. “Anyways, attacking the princesses now? Shouldn’t we get Entrapta back and, you know, make new weapons first? I could go get her and be back by morning…” If the princesses would let her go that is.
Catra moved so fast it made Scorpia’s head spin. The feline barrelled into Scorpia, pushing the large Scorpioni against the wall and pinned her there. The smaller woman was so fierce that Scorpia was truly afraid of what she would do.
“Never mention her name again, you got that? She was a traitor and if she ever makes it off Beast Island she’s a dead woman, I’ll see to it personally. Unless Hordak finds her first of course. He’s hell bent on capturing her and forcing her to work for us. You better not screw this up Scorps.”
“But she’s our…”
“NO! She is not our friend, she never was. She’s an Alliance spy and needs to be dealt with accordingly. You got that?”
Scorpia nodded, tears in her eyes. How could Catra be so cold and unyielding? Catra turned away and left the room but Scorpia noticed her tail was puffed out and her small frame shivered with nervous tension. Perhaps this was all bravado. Perhaps Catra was hiding her true feelings to appear stronger. Was she lying about killing Entrapta? They had been friends, the Super Pal Trio. They had had so much fun and made so many memories. How could it come to this? Scorpia shuddered. If this was what power did to someone, it wasn’t worth it.

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If someone had been watching the corridors of Brightmoon Castle, they might have noticed two strange figures darting between shadows and hidden alcoves. They might have wondered why the taller figure, silent as a ghost, dragged the smaller one behind. Strange as the sight was, any observer would have wondered about the noise the smaller figure made as they apparently attempted to leave the castle unobserved. If they had listened carefully they might have been surprised to find the endless chatter was in fact an endless curiosity about everything.

Shadow Weaver dragged the tiny princess along the dark corridors, ignoring her in her fixation towards the exit. The Princess of Dryl was beginning to get on her nerves. She’d assumed she’d use a cloaking spell but her skirmish had cost her more magic than she’d expected. She’d also assumed the princess would have helped, not hindered their flight back to the Horde. Too many assumptions she chided herself and wondered at her own recklessness.

They came to a junction in the corridor and the solid sounds of footsteps could be heard around the corner. Shadow Weaver ducked into a dark alcove behind a large stone statue and forced Entrapta to stand close beside her. She held the rope firmly in one hand, pinning her captive in place, and the other she cupped around Entrapta’s mouth to silence her. There, in the shadows, they were almost invisible. The guards walked right past to Entrapta’s dismay and Shadow Weaver’s relief, the sound of footsteps disappearing along the corridor leaving behind only an empty silence. Shadow Weaver hissed at Entrapta to remain quiet as they made their way to the main doors and left the castle behind.

Once outside Shadow Weaver made for the gardens where she had hidden a skiff beneath an overhanging canopy of tree branches. It wasn’t the best of hiding places but it was all she could manage at short notice.

“Get in!” she demanded but Entrapta shook her head and pulled as far away as she could.

“No! I keep telling you, I’m not going.” She sank to her knees as Shadow Weaver pulled at the rope. Desperation filled the eyes of the tech genius along with pleading tears.

Shadow Weaver strode over to Entrapta, towering over the stricken technician and put her hand on the tech genius’ shoulder,

“I understand, princess,” she said softly, almost a whisper. She gently stroked the purple princess’ hair entrussed as it was within its magic bonds. Entrapta stiffened at the touch and Shadow Weaver realised she had made a mistake. She let go of the rope and reached out to the princess. Without warning she grabbed Entrapta by the arm and shoulder and dragged her back to her feet, pulling her to the skiff. Using another burst of precious magic she lifted the smaller woman and threw her into the back of the vehicle.

“However, you belong to me and you will do my bidding.” Entrapta found her wrists lashed to the gunwale of the skiff by Shadow Weaver’s magic, hair knotted and encased in a burlap sack behind her head, a gag to keep her quiet. A tiny strand of fringe, the only hair finally able to pull itself free, slammed down her mask as Shadow Weaver climbed aboard. Standing tall above her, Entrapta watched in silent awe as the mage weaved a concealment spell about the skiff hiding them from view.

Shadow Weaver took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, flexing her fingers to release the tension. She had used a lot of magic already, far more than intended. The meagre power she had managed to siphon from Glimmer and Castaspella would not hold out for long. But if she succeeded… the power she would gain would make it all worthwhile. Soon she would be back in the Fright Zone and in range of the Black Garnet.

Her powers were growing weaker. Intimidation was now her best way to keep the Princess of Dryl submissive. If she tried to escape again, she might not have enough power to keep her subdued. She looked down at Entrapta once more, a frightening tower looming over her,

“Stay still princess, and don’t try to escape if you value your life.”

Shadow Weaver turned away and reached for the controls of the skiff. She powered up the machine, staring straight ahead, intent on her destination. She did not want to let the skiff’s other occupant see how tired she was. The fight had taken more from her than she would ever let on. Soon they were moving away from Brightmoon Castle, towards the Fright Zone. She pulled a bottle of wine from a hidden compartment. She drank to give herself courage for the future, to celebrate the present, to forget the past. There wasn’t much time left. She drove faster.

*****

Entrapta’s mind worked rapidly as she considered her options. The thought of returning to Hordak was pressing on her. She missed him, his scientific input, his praise and genuine interest in her work but… he’d sent her away, she was sure of it. No-one wanted her. She was too strange for anyone to understand. She’d been of use to him and when that ended, he’d thrown her away. She couldn’t bear to go back to find out it was a lie, everything they had dreamed and talked about.

Her eyes welled up behind her mask as she realised she had been fooled by kind words and a listening ear. Was she really so pathetic? He was a Warlord, he could have anyone. Why would he want her for anything more than tech? She sighed inwardly and realised two things all at once. First, she didn’t need to go back to the Fright Zone to know that he was probably better off without her and her constant chaos breaking and blowing things up even if she did miss him.

And secondly, if she ever did go back to him she certainly wasn’t going to do it like this, tied up like Adora had been when Catra returned from the Crimson Waste. There had been something odd about that scenario but she’d missed the point. Catra had looked at Adora strangely… but that can’t be right, they were on opposite sides of the war and she was always wrong with these sorts of social cues anyway.

She’d made up her mind, she wasn’t a toy and she wasn’t going to be forced into going back against her will. If she ever did go back to the Fright Zone it would be on her terms only. And she’d better get Dryl back too. Hordak would rue the day he threw her away like she didn’t matter.

She couldn’t move her hair but she could pull small tendrils out of the sack and away from the dark magic. By leaving most of her hair inside the sack Shadow Weaver was none the wiser and she never took her gaze away from the horizon. When Entrapta had enough hair freed to untie the ropes around her wrists and remove the gag she did so quickly and quietly. Relief flooded her body as she carefully reached her hand back and pulled a device from her hair.

A quick tinkering with the gadget and a new, improved Magic Dampening Device was born. It was the work of a moment to release her from both the rune magic keeping the skiff concealed and the dark tendrils still clutching the bulk of her hair. She swept the sack from her head and gratefully dropped the stifling thing behind her. Free at last. Keeping the dampening device switched on this time, she used all her will power not to make a sound. Silent hair tendrils swept forward at lightning speed. Before Shadow Weaver knew what was happening, her back still turned to the rear, purple threads of hair wrapped around her wrists, pulling them swiftly and expertly from the controls. Several hair tendrils then steered the skiff back towards Brightmoon.

Shadow Weaver turned to face her enemy with a glower that could have melted steel. She found herself mask to mask with a floating apparition haloed in purple wisps of lilac hair, red eyes piercing and hollow. Entrapta hovered in mid-air suspended by her ultra long tresses that writhed and flowed in a menacing way. The sight was truly terrifying but the old sorcerous was a practiced mage. She broke the hair bonds around her wrists with little effort and drew herself up into the air, hands extended to mimic her opponent, surrounding herself in her own halo of dark magic. Her black hair billowed around her head as though an invisible wind which affected only her was blowing it around. Her eyes became slits of malice compared to the round, wide eyes of the robot mask which tipped to the side in curiosity. How this fight would be fought and won would be interesting to any passersby, matched as they were in appearance yet so different in execution.

Shadow Weaver threw her arms forward and the dark tendrils shot towards Entrapta. The magic dampener stopped them from harming the princess but the range of her device was short due to the speed at which it had been created. She sent hair hands towards the dark mage in a calculated manner but Shadow Weaver slapped them away in deft manoeuvres. Her magic was fading fast but she was determined to win. Entrapta’s hair was still steering the ship and Shadow Weaver, angry at being caught unawares, feeling her powers drain and full of wine she probably shouldn’t have been drinking tonight, attacked the strands with the last of her magic.

Entrapta landed on her feet at the back of the skiff and sent all her hair towards Shadow Weaver in a desperate attempt to keep control of the transport. An entire pigtail wrapped itself around the old witch and hauled her away from the controls while the other pigtail split into strands to reconnect with the instrument panel. Her concentration divided she tried to slow the vehicle but the controls were pulling away from her. She ran over to the console to find the problem, raising her mask to see better, only to discover a magical intervention was keeping her from steering the vessel the way she wanted.

She turned to the Shadow Mistress behind her just as the sorceress unleased a final burst of magic into the very fabric of her precious hair. The world slowed to a standstill as Entrapta felt the world explode around her. The pigtail around Shadow Weaver fell limp and slack as the magic struck it. The magical fibers were too strong to be disintegrated. Instead they flexed and warped, releasing their captive and landing in a crumpled heap on the floor of the skiff. She felt her breath hitch, her hair now useless, numb and heavy, a hinderance. Then the pain hit her with full force.

Shadow Weaver grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her hard against the main console. The skiff was veering out of control but she couldn’t stop it. One pigtail now lay useless across the floor but the other reached out to try again to take control of the skiff. The older woman grabbed her good pigtail in one hand and twisted. She screamed. The pain from both hairtails was enough to make her push the mage away from her but Shadow Weaver refused to let go and they toppled together onto the floor of the skiff. Entrapta furiously wished she had more weapons.

They rolled across the floor in a battle of strength and wits but without the use of her hair, Entrapta felt weakened against her taller counterpart. She grabbed the wrist still clinging to her good hairtail and pressed a tiny box from her pocket against the exposed skin. Her own hands, protected as they were by industrial gloves, hardly felt the impact but Shadow Weaver screamed in pain and let go as the box detonated a tiny charge, just enough to cause a sting.

Released from her grip Entrapta leapt to her feet as best she could, her useless hair setting her offbalance, and threw another miniature explosive box towards Shadow Weaver. As the tiny box detonated, the now out of control skiff suddenly hit the side of a tree and veered wildly to the side. Both women were thrown from the transport to land heavily on the mud packed ground. Entrapta felt herself roll instinctively. Her side ached from the impact and she felt dizzy. She looked up from her position lying on the ground in time to see the skiff careen wildly into a tree, a fireball rising into the air as the fuel tank leaked.

She looked around to get her bearings. They were in an open area. Several trees and bushes littered the flat ground in a sparse manner. It was warm even in the middle of the night but there was no shelter. She had no idea where she was or where she should go. In the light created by the skiff fire she spotted a dark mound not far from where she lay on her side. It moved and she stiffened as she recognised the dark mage. Shadow Weaver. That was one person she didn’t want to tangle with again.

She sat up. Instantly her head and side complained emphatically. Her hair had started to come to life again but it would take some time before she could use it like before. It felt like a dead leg, prickly and numb. The magic had drained it or perhaps damaged it. Time would tell.

Shouts could be heard just beyond the wreckage and Entrapta looked up to see figures outlined in the fire of the skiff. Someone was running towards them. Someone knew they were here. She felt her throat constrict and her eyes widen as she realised she had no-where to go. Whoever it was, she was at their mercy.

Chapter Text

“I’m so sorry!” Bow said, panic in his voice as he barrelled into the guest room. Entrapta wasn’t there. He gasped in surprise and stared at the empty room in astonishment.

There was no trace of the Tech Princess. Had someone been in already? Had Glimmer released her? He spotted a chair, knocked to the floor and a glow from a data pad. One glance at the pad and Bow knew it to be Entrapta’s. Had she broken out and gone back to the Horde? He couldn’t imagine her leaving this behind though. He picked up the data pad and gasped. Portal logs. Anger flooded his body and he felt so disappointed his eyes misted. How could she be working on this again, after everything. Entrapta had been his hero. He’d never told her so but he respected her for her brilliance and determination. Nothing ever phased her or her mood, she was so bubbly and exuberant.

But then she had defected to the Horde. He knew they had left her behind and that had hurt her but he and Glimmer had tried to rescue her. Why hadn’t she come back to them? Was the Horde truly so much more accepting of her than they were? It was a difficult concept to grasp and one he had hoped to fix but now it appeared that she had left them yet again. Saddened, he let out a hollow breath. How he was going to tell the others he had no idea.

He turned to leave the room when the data pad in his hand caught his eye again. A blinking tab in the corner. He tapped it and it opened into a series of questions.
Theory – How to retrieve a living organism from a mid-realm alternate reality.
Questions :–
1. Does the plane of existence, in fact exist? If so how to determine this and find the correct universe in question?
2. Will Queen Angella be aware of where she is and if so, can communications be initiated and sustained?
3. Can the portal be reopened long enough to retrieve the Queen and is another organism required to enter the realm to locate and retrieve her or can she find her way out on her own?
Bow gasped, “She’s trying to help us!” He squealed and hugged the data pad, his faith restored. He took in the room again, the fallen chair, the absence of Glimmer’s magic. She might be a Tech Genius but she was no mage and had no ability, as far as he knew, to deactivate the magical barrier that had kept her prisoner since she had arrived at Brightmoon. That meant someone else was involved. Had someone taken her? With a shiver at the prospect of Brightmoon not being the secure haven he’d always assumed it to be he ran from the room to find Glimmer.
________________________________________________________________________________

Frosta couldn’t sleep. She’d taken a walk to the balcony to get some fresh air when the sound of a skiff caught her ear. It sounded like it came from the gardens but there was nothing there except… the trees and bushes were moving. Weird. There was no wind and nothing to move them. She narrowed her eyes and followed the sound with them. As the sound became fainter she saw it. A skiff appeared in the distance, lights pointed towards the Badlands. Someone was sneaking off somewhere. She ran to alert the princesses.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Mermista led Perfuma, Frosta and Juliet’s team towards the fireball. The only light they had was from the lanterns they had brought, the light from the hover bikes of Juliet’s team and the fire that set the air alight. Ash clogged the air and the smell of fumes and burning metal and wood made her hold her breath as much as possible. She felt Perfuma and Frosta inch closer to her as they skirted around the burning wreckage. Perfuma coughed into a handkerchief, her eyes watering.

The skiff was destroyed. The fuel tank had lit up and exploded, possibly from the collision with the tree it was now embedding in, but there was no-one on board. They got as close as they could but it was clear, between the flames, that it was empty. The princesses turned around and split up to look further afield until Frosta saw a shape in the darkness.

“Over there!” she shouted and led the way.

“There’s someone over there too,” Juliet said, heading towards a second figure, her guards behind her on their hover bikes.

As the three princesses grew closer, the moonlight helped them to make out the figure ahead. “Entrapta!” Mermista gasped. Wasn’t she supposed to be behind Glimmer’s rune-magic wall?

The tiny princess sat on the ground dishevelled and covered in dirt. Her hair lay flat on the ground behind her, matted and bristling. It moved in tiny rigid spasms as though an electric current was rippling through. Her breath was heavy and laboured. She braced her weight on her hands as she looked up at them eyes wide. Not far away Juliet was helping Shadow Weaver to her feet. The older woman did not look to be in much better shape. She was filthy and limping on one leg. She leaned against Juliet dramatically her eyes half closed emphasising her weakened state.

“Of course!” Perfuma snorted, “The two ex-Horde members escaping together. We should have guessed this was a rescue mission for Shadow Weaver!”

Entrapta looked up at the princesses in horror. Her voice came out hoarse, “The Scary Ghost Lady? I don’t even know her! Why would I...”

Perfuma glared at Entrapta in disbelief, “You came to get her back for the Horde! I can’t believe we almost fell for this.”

Entrapta clambered unsteadily to her feet, a hand pressed to her side as the pain hit where she’d fallen. A hair strand pulled her mask down to cover her now tear-stained features. Her heart hammered in her chest. She didn’t know what to say.

Mermista looked around in the semi-darkness, lit only by the nightmoon, to look at Shadow Weaver. The older woman smiled softly in gratitude but her eyes gave away a smirk. She leant heavily on Juliet as she tottered towards the princesses. Mermista suspected the limp was a little too realistic.

“Princess Mermista, Princess Perfuma, I’m so glad you have arrived.” Frosta glowered at the omission of her name. “I visited the Princess Entrapta to welcome her to Brightmoon but she overpowered me. You must be careful, she has a magic dampening device which can dissolve magic. It’s how she escaped Queen Glimmer’s rune-magic and kept us hidden as she dragged me through Brightmoon Castle.”

“NO! I told you I didn’t want to go back and you wouldn’t listen.” Entrapta’s arms stiffened at her sides, her hands balling into fists. Her voice broke as her sobs became louder. Behind the mask they sounded raspy, hollow, almost like a stiff laugh. Perfuma stepped closer, summoning up vines to wrap around the Tech Princess who, hidden behind the mask, appeared threatening.

Mermista took note of what she could, nodding to Juliet. “Take Shadow Weaver back to Brightmoon,” she ordered the soldier in her lazy, bored tones, “And watch her. We’ll bring back Entrapta… or something.”

As Juliet and her team left on the hover bikes Shadow Weaver left parting advice, “Be careful Princesses, the Princess of Dryl is a tricky one and will deceive you if you are not careful.”

Mermista, arms crossed over her chest, screwed up her face at the old mage’s words, “Like… whatever.”

As a huge fan of the Mer-mysteries series and like any good detective Mermista had been looking for clues as soon as they had arrived, and especially after noting Shadow Weaver’s presence. Now she mentally listed her clues and came to a conclusion.

“Perfuma, let her go,” she monotoned as if she didn’t care what Perfuma did. The Flower Princess gasped,

“What, why? You heard Shadow Weaver. Entrapta is a spy sent from the Horde to rescue her. Lucky for us Shadow Weaver is on our side.”

Mermista stood in front of her friend, sighed and gestured vaguely to the wreckage-strewn ground around them. The skiff fire was beginning to tire but it was still bright enough to light up the surrounding area.

“Look around Perfuma. What do you see? Ropes… an empty wine bottle… doesn’t Shadow Weaver drink that one?... and a sack which, if you look carefully, has hair in it. Long hair. Like really long… and lilac…” She waited, hand on hip, for the other Princesses to catch on.

“Oooh!” Frosta punched the air with her fist, “So Shadow Weaver was lying! Way to go Mermista!”

Perfuma snorted, “No way. Shadow Weaver’s been with us for months now. She works for Glimmer.” The Flower Princess walked behind the now shivering Entrapta whose vine ropes were keeping her from running off. Perfuma wasn’t trying to be cruel but she didn’t want Entrapta to run off again and get lost in the darkness. The Tech Princess felt her body go numb with shock but she listened intently for once.

As Perfuma came closer to Entrapta she noticed something in the Scientist’s hair. A strand of burlap. Another, and another, her hair was full of the tiny strands and Perfuma felt her chest tighten as she realised that, yet again, she had dismissed the Tech Princess’s words and assumed the worst in her.

A tear filled her vision as she released the vines and Entrapta sank to her knees, her body shaking with the cold and shock. Perfuma took her shawl off, horrified by her own actions and wrapped it around the Tech Princess.

“I’m sorry Entrapta,” Perfuma said, shaking her head. “Mermista is right, the evidence speaks for itself. I guess… data never lies.”

“You… believe me?” Entrapta asked in disbelief. Frosta nodded and Mermista gave her a wry smile. Eyes wide she allowed Perfuma to help her to her feet again.

“What’s wrong with your hair?” The demand from Frosta was sharp but curious, not unkind. Entrapta looked down at it as though seeing it for the first time. The pigtail lay in a large puddle of limp lilac, stretched and thinned into fine fibres. It wouldn’t respond to her. She prodded it gently with her foot before producing her recording device from her hair.

“Fascinating. Brightmoon log day 2… no 3… no… I don’t know when I got here… Skiff Fire log 1, my hair, after direct exposure to a magical assault by the Scary Ghost Lady has become numb and will not respond to environmental, physical or neurological input. It has lengthened significantly and thinned by around 75 per cent. Some thirty minutes after contact it is still unresponsive however the pain level has dropped from grade nine on impact to a steady grade three showing recovery is quick. More experimentation required.”

She dropped her recorder into her good hairtail and carried on, her smile so bright it could have split her face in two, “Isn’t this exciting? I’ve spent so long studying first ones tech and the magic of Etheria, it never occurred to me to study my own magic!” She laughed maniacally causing the princesses to wince at the shrill sound and its unexpected appearance.

Frosta held out her hand, “Entrapta, lets go home.” Entrapta looked down at the hand in surprise and took it with a strand of hair. Frosta smiled and created a seat made of ice for the Scientist to sit on. Then she led the way back to Brightmoon on a river of ice, Mermista and Perfuma following on. As they rode back, Entrapta lifted her mask to look at the other princesses. They were listening to her, they were helping her… at least she thought they were. What if they weren’t so bad after all. Perhaps Catra had been wrong about them. She listened to them chatter on the way back to the castle, gossip she didn’t care about and parties she hadn’t been to. They didn’t ask her to join in. She didn’t want to either. When they returned to the castle they found a quiet room with a fire and plenty of comfortable chairs and cushions. With sugary tea and blankets they shared stories into the night and Entrapta found herself soothed by the princess’ chatter like the white noise of the Fright Zone had once soothed her to sleep what felt like eons ago. She found herself telling them the story of how the Scary Ghost Lady had taken her away. They asked questions, she answered. It was nice.

________________________________________________

Bow, Glimmer and Adora crashed through the door to the little study where Mermista and the others were still bundled up in blankets, curled up on sofas and armchairs.

“Quick!” Glimmer shouted, “We have a security breach! Entrapta’s escaped! We…” She trailed off as the group awoke and the three newcomers realised that Entrapta was among them.

“Entrapta!” Bow rushed over to pull her into a tight hug. Then, with a yelp, she rose up on her pigtails, now working again, and stared at him in surprise. Blankets fell to the floor and onto Bow as he gave a sheepish smile.

“We thought someone took you,” he explained.

“I thought you’d run off,” Glimmer added.

“I’m the backup,” Adora finished, an awkward grin on her face. “Entrapta are you ok? What happened? How did you get out of Glimmer’s spell?”

“Well…” Entrapta sat on her hair tails and began to tinker with some tech when she spotted something familiar. “Bow, you found my data pad!” She grabbed it from his pocket with her hair and launched herself backwards into an empty armchair. Her hairtails spun with excitement, “I have so much work to do, I better get started.”

The princesses looked at each other in confusion. Mermista rolled her eyes.

“So, we found Shadow Weaver and Entrapta trying to leave in a skiff last night,” her tone was bored. She examined her fingernails. “Turns out the old witch was trying to trade Entrapta for time with the Black Garnet. Until they ran into a tree.”

“What?” Adora’s tone was now focussed and concerned.

“I’m sure there’s some other explanation,” Glimmer laughed lightly, waving her hand with a dismissive air.

Adora turned to her friend, “Shadow Weaver can’t be trusted Glimmer. I keep telling you. You have to keep her locked up. We…”

“Glimmer!” Castaspella dove into the room to grab the sparkly princess, “We must get ready now! Your coronation is due to begin in three hours and you’re not even ready.”

“Oh, my gosh the coronation!” Glimmer grabbed Bow’s arm in a panic, “What do we do? I need the lantern, there’s no decorations. This is the worst coronation ever!”

“Don’t worry,” Bow soothed, “We’re here for you Glimmer. We’ll get it all ready in time.”

“And we’ll help,” Frosta chimed in with a fist pump.

“For Glimmer,” said Mermista.

“For the team,” Perfuma added.

“For the honour of Greyskull!” said Adora to the bemused looks of the room. “What?” she shrugged.

____________________________________________________

Catra sat at the top of the Fright Zone, in her favourite lookout spot. No-one would bother her here. How had it all gone so wrong? She hadn’t meant to taze Entrapta. It all happened so fast. She had panicked and then the Goat Girl had asked what to do with her. The anger she’d felt at Shadow Weaver abandoning her, at Adora leaving her, at Entrapta… The tech princess was just like them. She was a threat she had to neutralise. She was too close to Hordak, he listened to Entrapta instead of Catra, his own second in command. She wasn’t even really part of the Horde. She had not trained with them, had no rank, she hadn’t earned her place there. She had no right to waltz in and take whatever she wanted. The scientist was too involved with the Horde Warlord, she barely had time for the Super Pal Trio anymore. It had hurt to see Entrapta so happy with Hordak when she couldn’t have Adora. Catra was just getting in first before Entrapta abandoned her like everyone else had.

Was she jealous? Catra realised she’d used Entrapta to fill the hole left behind by Adora. That sickly feeling of being left behind, abandoned. When Entrapta had mentioned the same feelings of being left behind by the princesses, Catra had encouraged the technician to stay with the Horde. She’d sympathised with the princess but she’d also felt her own abandonment rise to the surface once more. If Adora could leave her behind, then she’d steal one of her friends as punishment. Adora couldn’t get away with leaving her so empty.

But Entrapta wasn’t Adora. She wouldn’t listen to her or cuddle her like Adora had. She’d saved her from being sent to Beast Island but only to have her sent to a similar fate in the Crimson waste. Albeit it turned out to be a haven to the feline. Perhaps Entrapta had been aware that Catra would thrive there, after all the tech princess needed her First Ones Tech so she needed Catra alive to retrieve it.

But she’d sent her friend to Beast Island to die. Why? The image of Shadow Weaver rose in the mind again and she realised it had been her old mentor she was imagining when she sent Entrapta away. It was Shadow Weaver she was angry and afraid of. Adora she was furious at for daring to tell her what to do. Entrapta had suffered the consequences.

Catra was afraid of herself and what she was doing. But she was committed now. She was too close to success to quit now. There was no-one left to trust or turn to. Scorpia was her only friend left but all she talked about was bringing Entrapta back and going back to the good old days. There was no possibility of either now. Entrapta would get them both killed just by telling Hordak what she had done. There was no filter on the tech Princess, no way to stop her blabbing. She couldn’t allow Entrapta to return to the Fright Zone. And Catra couldn’t leave. This was her home, all she knew, and the only way was up. She had only one more obstacle in her way. Hordak.

Chapter Text

Shadow Weaver woke up with a headache. She sat up in the bed groggy and tired. As her memories of the night before began to return, she focussed on the purple sparkly image before her. Her vision began to clear and it became obvious it was Glimmer she was looking at. And the newly appointed queen did not appear happy.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” the mage greeted warmly. Her deep tones were a little quieter than usual, slightly strained as she focussed all her energy on appearing fully alert to her hostess. She didn’t feel too good after all that wine the night before and she was exhausted from her expenditure of magic. She got up from the bed as gracefully as she could. Trying to appear composed before the queen she smoothed her robes she’d been wearing from yesterday. Evidently she hadn’t bothered to change before sleep had taken hold of her. “I trust you slept well. Today is your coronation is it not?”

“You can cut the pleasantries, Shadow Weaver,” said Glimmer. She crossed her arms and looked directly into the dark sorcerer’s eyes, “You wanna tell me what happened last night?”

Shadow Weaver closed her eyes and walked over to the washbasin to clean her face. It gave her time to think and was a useful tool she’d often used in the past to make underlings feel little uncomfortable. It made them wait.

“Well?” Glimmer made her way across the room to stand next to her. Intimidation wasn’t working, yet again. Perhaps she was losing her edge. Diplomacy was her best bet to win over the Queen.

“I’m afraid I made an error of judgement my Queen,” she bowed low to Glimmer and spoke in such an honest, apologetic way that Glimmer’s face softened. She relaxed her stance and offered a hand to support the older woman to stand back up.

“It’s ok, just tell me what happened. The truth.”

“I was taking an evening stroll through the castle. My guards had not shown up for duty, I assumed they were no longer required. As I passed the room of the Princess Entrapta I realised the light was still on and I entered to check on her.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Apologies, Your Majesty. I know I am still under guard and that I had no right to enter the room in question, however it has been my job for the past twenty years to check on prisoners and ensure they are well taken care of. It did not occur to me that I should leave this duty to someone else.”

Glimmer wasn’t sure she bought this story but she nodded to allow Shadow Weaver to carry on.

“When the princess asked me to remove the force field I initially said no, however, she was insistent and told me that if I did not release her and return to the Fright Zone with her, Hordak had ordered a battalion of soldiers to wait in the Whispering Woods to attack at dawn if they did not hear from him. I did not wish to be the cause of yet another battle, especially on the day of your coronation, so I agreed to return with her and see what Hordak required of me. We escaped the palace and commandeered a skiff. Once out of Brightmoon Entrapta then let down her guard and I challenged her. Fortunately the princesses and Brightmoon’s finest soldiers were close by to help us return here.”

Glimmer narrowed her eyes as she considered the story. It seemed plausible enough. Entrapta’s story was entirely different and Mermista, Perfuma and Frosta seemed to believe her but…

She thought back to the night of the portal incident, how Shadow Weaver had helped them get in and out safely, protecting them from Catra and Hordak. Entrapta had built the portal. It was her fault that Queen Angella was gone. She brushed a tear from her eye and turned to leave.

“Thank you Shadow Weaver. I’ll speak with you after the coronation.”

As the new queen left the room, the old mage closed her hand on the dark magic tendrils wrapped around it.

“My pleasure, my Queen,” she muttered to herself. Glimmer was so easy to suggest to and so easy to manipulate.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Catra entered Entrapta’s old lab with a stern gaze. Scorpia sat on the floor sorting through the technician’s belongings.

“Catra, are you sure we need to do this? She was our friend.”

“She betrayed us.”

“No, she tried to protect us from the portal. It was gonna… it did explode.” Catra picked up a small pig shaped robot.

“Just get rid of this stuff,” she said, squeezing the robot until it broke between her fingers.

“But…”

“No but’s Scorpia. Are you with me or not?” Scorpia looked into the heterochromatic eyes of her… was she a friend… and tried to think of something to say. She couldn’t, she’d already tried everything she could. Perhaps time would help.

“I’m with you, all the way,” she answered with a smile, but Catra looked away, dropped the remnants of the broken robot, and left the room. Scorpia sat on the floor, a tear forming in her eye. She dearly hoped things would get better. She felt so alone.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Entrapta stood between two of Brightmoon’s guards at the front of the crowd. She wasn’t quite trusted yet it seemed. Glimmer had wanted to keep her under close supervision. Mermista, Perfuma and Frosta stood beside her with Sea Hawk and Swift Wind. They watched the ceremony with bated breath. Adora and Bow stood with Castaspella at the waterfall, ready to accompany Glimmer on her Queen’s Quest while Glimmer herself stood at the foot of the tall steps wearing the ceremonial robes and holding the lantern. As she ascended the steps to the regal music and Castaspella finished reading from the official manuscript, Mermista stepped forward to open the waterfall and allow the three travellers entry into the caves behind.

As the three disappeared from view and the waterfall fell back into place behind them the crowd gave a hushed sigh and then erupted into excited chatter as they awaited the Queen’s return.

Mermista turned to her friends, “Come on we need to make this place look fantastic before Glimmer gets back.”

“You’re on!” Frosta exclaimed.

Suddenly there was a roar from the Whispering Woods bordering Brightmoon and the group turned as one to see what was happening just as a series of tanks and robots burst through the trees.

“The Horde, they’re attacking,” Perfuma wailed.

“What, oh no they don’t,” Mermista said, eyes narrowing, “Not today. Perfuma cut them off at the left, Frosta you take the right and I’ll take centre. Everyone else, find positions and do what you can. We cut them off and force them back into the woods to retreat. Glimmer’s day will not end in a battle, we settle this now.”

Perfuma and Frost nodded and Mermista turned to set off when her eyes drifted to the Tech Princess still standing between the guards. She was sitting in her twin pigtails, head buried in yet another data pad, her tongue sticking out in concentration. She seemed oblivious to what was happening around her. If the Horde got hold of her, there was no telling what danger could befall the Alliance. The upgraded tech she’d already given them had cost them greatly.

Mermista looked at the guards either side of the tiny purple princess, “Protect her at all costs, the Horde may want her back and we can’t allow that to happen.” She nodded encouragement to the technician but Entrapta didn’t even glance at her. Mermista snorted in annoyance. Geek Princess was too much for her. She turned towards the battlefield.

Although she appeared unperturbed Entrapta was aware of people staring at her. She frowned in discomfort, her eyes glued to her screen. As the princesses entered the fray, she tapped madly at her data pad to distract herself and soon lost herself in the safety of data and calculations.

*****

Grizzlor opened the hatch of the tank and stared, dumbfounded at the crowd in front of him. How in the name of Lord Hordak had they ended up here of all places. Brightmoon! He’d been heading back to the Fright Zone after a scout mission and ended up lost in the Whispering Woods. Those damned woods. They should be burnt down, that would sort the problem. As the princesses and city guards surged towards them Grizzlor weighed up his odds. He had only five tanks, fifteen robots and about a hundred soldiers. Not enough to win against three princesses and an entire city.

He looked deeper into the crowd and spotted Shadow Weaver in the distance. He’d never liked the dark sorceress. They had clashed many times in the past over soldier tactics and the age at which cadets could start fighting in campaigns. She was constantly arguing the age should be brought down to twelve while he agreed with Commander Cobalt that the current age of eighteen should be raised to twenty-one. There was no love lost between the two commanders of the Horde and the ex-horde leader. Perhaps now that Shadow Weaver had defected, tossed aside by Lord Hordak, they could get things running properly. That was if Catra would listen to sense. The little cat girl was a hairs breadth away from insanity and it was all Grizzlor could do to keep an even keel with his own garrison. She was a perfect example of just why the age of being allowed into combat should be raised. No-one that young should be in charge of the whole army. Lord Hordak was going soft. These days Grizzlor opted for distant missions as much as possible. Who knew what crazy direction the Horde would go in next.

His eyes searched the crowd again for any more information he could use to subdue the Brightmoon citizens and princesses just enough so they could make an escape. He had no intention of losing any more soldiers unnecessarily. His gaze fell on an unexpected sight and he remembered the memo Lonnie had brought to him the day before.

It had been sent direct from Lord Hordak and stated that Princess Entrapta, if sighted, should be brought back to the Fright Zone. It wasn’t a huge surprise, Grizzlor had never trusted any of the princesses and letting one into the Fright Zone and Hordak’s sanctum had never been a good plan. He’d tried to talk to Cobalt about it but his friend had just shrugged and said, “Let him be.” He suspected Cobalt was as fed up with the job as he was.

Grizzlor sighed and relayed his orders to the troops. He sent a small party of five towards the tech princess as a half-hearted attempt to show good faith but she really wasn’t his main concern. As he closed the lid on the tank and returned to the controls he aimed the cannon directly at Mermista, front and centre of the oncoming attack. She was fast but he had only to deliver one calculated blow and she would be out of commission permanently. He smiled to himself as his finger reached for the controls. As long as they made it out of here, this would be fun.

*****

Frosta slammed her ice fist for the final time into the bot, leaving a great dent in its outer shell. She grinned as it fell and turned to the next one only to find a Horde soldier in her way. She knocked them aside and iced their gun to prevent it from firing then turned towards the second robot. She hit it twice before a blaster shot hit her leg from behind and she fell to the ground. The pain was immense and she cried out. She couldn’t stand. A Horde soldier rushed towards her and in a panic she created an ice sheet. It surrounded her position on the ground, expanding to cover a circular area several meters in diameter. Horde soldiers and robots alike skidded and slid across the surface and fell all around her. The cold ice helped soothe her leg enough to pull and limp herself across the rink. At the edge of the ice she collapsed, exhausted. The Horde soldiers and four robots had fallen on the ice. Their armour and lack of experience of the material meant they had not been able to escape the slippery surface.

Frosta sat up carefully and used her magic to form a dome of ice around the horde soldiers and bots. She smiled at her work. Trapped inside, the soldiers finally found a way to stand on the ice but to no avail. They hammered at the thick ice walls and tried to break them but it would take some time.

*****

Lonnie led her team towards the rebels with a determination Kyle was familiar with. He always felt nervous going into battle but with Lonnie and Rogelio he felt safer. He leaped over a rock and raised his stun baton at a Brightmoon guard. The Flowery princess was moving closer, vines reaching towards them at an incredible pace.

“Retreat,” Lonnie yelled just as Kyle felt a vine grip his ankle and he was lifted into the air upside down. Rogelio grabbed his arm and pulled as Lonnie blasted the vine, snapping it and he fell into Rogelio’s arms as the trio ran back towards the woods. This was not a fight they could win. Even Kyle could see that.

*****

Perfuma chuckled as the Horde soldiers raced back into the Whispering Woods. They left two robots behind and she quickly wrapped them in her vines but the vines broke easily, the spherical domes too difficult to encase and the bot’s lasers easily destroying them. As two more bots encircled the flower princess, Perfuma threw out multiple vines encasing all four bots with enough vines to completely engulf them. This time she gave no leeway for them to break her vines before she spun around. Her movement tossed the robots into the air to smash against each other, destroying the outer hulls. Exhausted but pleased with herself she threw the damaged bots towards the Whispering Woods and out of sight.

Too late, she realised her mistake. Behind her a tank rolled up slowly with two more bots. She couldn’t see them but the sounds were now familiar and terrifying. A voice ordered her to raise her arms as the sound of a cannon revved up. She turned her head but felt a gun pressed into her back and the voice again told her to face forward and raise her arms. Slowly, as her arms lifted higher, the realisation dawned on her. She was trapped.

*****

Mermista finished flooding the tank with water and laughed as the drenched Grizzlor jumped out of it and shook himself. He growled at her, furious at the loss of his tank. He hadn’t even had time to fire the cannon before the Water Princess had started trying to drown him. He launched himself at her, fists driving forward and Mermista had to dive out of his way. He had a laser weapon, now soaked and useless. In his rage he wanted to punch her. Mermista hit him first as he ran past. She smirked as he fell to the ground but then realised the Horde Commander had in fact distracted her as a second tank had rolled up and was now pointing its gun directly at her. Three bots charged up their weapons cutting off her retreat and she realised she had nowhere to go.

Grizzlor chuckled and stood up to confront his opponent. With a snap of his fingers he gestured to two Horde soldiers who approached the water princess from behind to cuff her. Mermista groaned and rolled her eyes as the cuffs snapped into place behind her back. This was how her day would end?

*****

Sea Hawk raced towards Mermista as fast as he could. He could see she was in trouble. He raised his sword and shouted “Adventure” as though it were a war cry but he just couldn’t seem to make any headway. The Horde Soldier numbers were few but they were well trained and Brightmoon’s guards were well versed in holding them at bay using enforced line tactics. Trouble was Sea Hawk just couldn’t get past the line Brightmoon’s guards had created so he was cut off from the action. He shook his head in dismay as he watched his beloved Mermista be captured. He was just too far away to do anything.

“Did somebody say Swift Wind?” Sea Hawk’s face lit up at the voice and he shouted,

“Yes, my friend. I could use a lift.” The great horse settled next to the pirate who clambered on and they rose into the sky as one singular force of nature, ready to defeat the forces of evil and rescue his beloved angel from a fate worse than any he had yet encountered.

*****

Frosta’s leg hurt so badly she couldn’t stand let alone walk. Her earlier dash to safety had injured her more and she found it too painful to move. The thirty or so soldiers and three bots still trapped inside her ice dome were working together. They had almost created a hole big enough to allow the troops to escape. When that happened Frosta would have to use her ice powers again but the pain in her leg made it difficult to concentrate. She hoped she had enough strength left to defend herself.

*****

From behind the battle scenes Shadow Weaver once more weighted up her options. She couldn’t believe her luck. The very battle she had fabricated to Glimmer and the Princesses was now real. If the Alliance won then surely she could use this to establish herself as an ally and to gain trust. Perhaps she could strengthen her relationship with Queen Glimmer. However, if the battle was indeed won by the Horde as it appeared it must now be, would she be allowed to leave and take her own path or be forced back to the Fright Zone? Could she escape and run off in the confusion? Her guards, now standing on either side of her, would not be easy to distract. She waited with bated breath to see the outcome and to decide where her loyalties would ultimately land.

Chapter Text

Hordak sat slumped in his throne. His head leaned heavily on a fist, elbow resting on the armrest. It was so quiet. His eyes dropped in weariness as sleep deprivation finally took hold but he sat up, alert again when he heard the heavy banging on the door. He shook himself awake and called to them to enter.

Grizzlor emerged from the doorway with several guards and, to Hordak’s utter delight, a few prisoners in tow.

“Commander Grizzlor, it appears you have returned… finally.” His tone was warm but authoritative. He stood up, hands folded behind his back and he descended the great staircase to approach his commander at the base.

At the foot of the steps three princesses knelt, hands tied behind their backs. He recognised their colours as water, ice and flowers. Or was it nature? He really didn’t care. He was about to congratulate his longest serving commander when Grizzlor beckoned a young soldier forward.

The young soldier with blonde hair and thin frame, carried a lilac bundle in his arms which he dropped to the floor at the warlord’s feet. Entrapta gave a short, sharp scream as she hit the stone floor. Hordak’s face lit up in a satisfied smirk of unbridled joy, eyes sparkling like fireworks.

“Ah, welcome Princess Entrapta,” he said, his voice oozing false warmth, “I see you have finally been returned to me.”

She looked up at him from her position on the floor, hands tied behind her back like the other princesses. Her hair was restrained with roiling coils of black cables tied tight and using a new type of electromagnetic wave to prevent even a strand from escaping.

“I’m not yours to be returned to,” she challenged, eyes narrowed in defiance.

He lunged at her with a roar, “Insubordinate!”

He grabbed her collar and yanked her up to his height, red eyes piercing hers, talons extended, displayed before her face, to show his strength but her eyes narrowed yet again and she smiled knowingly.

“You fell for it didn’t you?” she whispered, just for him. “You thought I was your friend, your… was it more than that?”

He dropped her in a sudden panic at her words. She fell to the floor hard but she rolled to minimise the impact. The other princesses shouted out in her defence. She laughed so loud it echoed around the chamber, becoming a cackle of glee.

“Hordak, you were so easy to fool. You think you can win now? I’m smarter than you are. I always was. I played you and you didn’t even realise. Catra knew. Oh yes… she knew. She warned you didn’t she, but too late. I’ve won Hordak. The Alliance will win even now.”

“Fool! I have you and the princesses and there is nothing they can do now to stop the Horde from taking control of the planet.”

“There’s She-Ra,” Mermista shouted at the warlord.

“There’s the will of the people,” Perfuma interjected.

“There’s us,” Frosta warned.

Entrapta stood up using her legs alone and, from her short stature, stared up at the Leader of the Horde, defiance radiating from her.

“No matter what you try Hordak, you can’t win. Imperfections are beautiful but the weeds must be burned so that new life may flourish.”

Her eyes shone pale green and Hordak gasped, “What did you say?”

Her smile widened and fangs showed between her lips. She did not reply. Hordak growled and brought his face down close to hers.

“You will regret every action you’ve made since you set foot in the Fright Zone!” he shouted. His voice sounded terrifying but undertones of apprehension betrayed his new perturbed mindset. Why had her eyes changed colour? What was happening? He had to regain control. Without thinking he slashed his claws across her chest in anger then drew back in horror at his own actions. He had injured her. But as he watched, she melted away in clouds of black smoke leaving behind nothing at all. Everyone, everything was gone.

He screamed in his sudden isolation and heard the echo of a single voice from a past he’d longed to regain but failed to achieve, “Without me… you are nothing…”

His eyes opened with a jerk of his body and he gasped, sweat dripping from his brow. He was sitting in his throne in the Fright Zone, body shaking from the impact of the intense dream. He calmed his racing mind and tried to slow his breathing. He’d killed her… no it was a dream. The things she had said. It wasn’t her. Him…

As Hordak slowly recovered, he began to realise how deeply he felt for the Princess of Dryl. How it had taken him so long to understand he didn’t know. He had to be prepared for her return. To convince her to side with him… but what if she would not?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Entrapta glanced over the top of her data pad at the battle before her. She had never been at the scene of a battle before although she had watched such events on tv with the Super Pal Trio as a kind of research on how her bots fared. She’d never been particularly concerned with who was fighting who or why. She just needed to know what worked and what didn’t so she could make improvements. Her eyes drifted across the scene before her. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it.

Was war bad? She hadn’t thought about it before. War was all she had known. It had existed all of her life on the borders of her kingdom, on the fringe of her conscience, on the cusp of her morality. She’d never considered it before, it was just something other people did and no-one had ever talked to her about it. Even while growing up.

Now that she was witnessing it first hand, eyes moving side to side to take it all in, she knew she didn’t like it. People were getting hurt. Bots were getting broken. And no-one was taking life seriously. They were excited to fight each other. Both the Horde and the Alliance had people involved that she cared about, considered her friends. For the first time she felt internal conflict and anguish. What she decided to do, or not do, intervene or not, could change the whole outcome and place her decidedly on either side.

She had so many questions. Whose side was she really on? Did it matter? If she helped the Alliance would that make her a traitor to the Horde? Was she already a traitor to the Alliance for defecting to the Horde previously? Her head spun with the ramifications of decisions she had made and had yet to make. How could it all happen so fast, a choice spun on a knife edge.

As she thought about what she was witnessing, the guards on either side of her stiffened and she turned her head to see what they were looking at. Five Horde soldiers had appeared from behind. They had skirted the edges of the crowds, staying hidden in foliage and behind walls and using the battle as a distraction to gain ground unnoticed.

The first soldier launched herself at one of the Brightmoon guards and struck them in the shoulder with a stun baton. The guards had been complacent, so far from the front lines. The Brightmoon Guard fell, unconscious, landing on top of the Horde soldier and pinning them underneath. Entrapta gasped as the other Brightmoon guard took on the remaining four soldiers. Sword raised, shield in position, it was clear they were the stronger of the two guards but even they could not hold off four Horde soldiers alone.

Entrapta swung her hair over to pull a Horde soldier away from the fray. Her hair wrapped around the soldier and enveloped him. He shouted at her but her mind was fuzzy and she couldn’t make out the words except, “…traitor! Lord Hordak will destroy you for this!”

At the mention of Hordak she dropped the soldier into a crate of apples destined for the Coronation party later on and she froze to the spot, slamming her mask over her face.

“Run, princess!” the Brightmoon guard yelled. The three remaining Horde soldiers were still parrying with the Brightmoon guard but it was clear, even to Entrapta, that they were here to capture her. To take her back to the Fright Zone by force. She turned and ran, not caring where she went in the madness that was Brightmoon’s citizens scurrying about trying to find an escape route. She didn’t even see the robot until she ran straight into its spherical shell.

She fell back onto the ground and sat, staring at the machine before her. As she raised her mask to see it better, it revved up its laser blaster. The red laser swung round as the robot turned the top sphere. The bot’s laser grew brighter as it picked out its target and with a gasp from Entrapta it stopped, pointing directly at her chest.

“Hold, Entrapta 990.15!” She leapt to her feet, right hand extended in a stop motion, pigtails fizzling out as though an electric current ran through them. The bot stopped instantly, frozen to the spot and immobile. Entrapta cackled in relief. The codes worked! She couldn’t believe they hadn’t changed them. Perhaps Hordak hadn’t known she had her own back doors into every Horde system. Then again she was supposed to be dead on beast Island wasn’t she? She swung herself onto the top of the drone to pull open a panel and started to pull out wires and circuit boards. This she knew. This she understood. Within minutes she had overwritten the Horde codes and made the bot her own. Its newly acquired indigo laser made the bot different from Emily but programmed with its own AI just the same. Entrapta smiled and swung back down to the ground to test her new creation.

“Alright Phil, let’s boot up! Entrapta alpha 1106.2!” To her utter joy the robot booted up exactly as predicted and raised itself back up onto its three legs. The laser cannon powered up again, the indigo light swung round… to hover over Entrapta’s chest once more…

“Uh, oh…” she said quietly. Panic swelled inside her just as the laser clicked off and Phil squeaked a happy greeting.

“Whew,” she sighed and hugged her new robot. “You’re not Emily, but you’re just as perfect.”

Feeling happier than she had done in some time, Entrapta looked over to where the fighting was still going on. There was something she could do right now that could end things with minimum casualties. She reached up to pull down another panel on Phil’s casing and found the communicator keypad. With a few quick commands she shut down every bot and tank in the field and used the airwaves relay to block all the Horde weapons and stun batons. It was easy. She’d designed them after all.

She knew she could recode the robots and tanks to obey her but she wasn’t quite ready to admit she’d changed sides yet. That she wasn’t a traitor, not really. It was enough just to end this battle early. The words of the soldier still haunted her. She wondered what he meant. She missed the Fright Zone terribly. The darkened corridors that didn’t hurt her eyes with their brightness, the soft humming of machinery at all times that helped her sleep at night, when she could find the time to sleep that is. She loved the thrill of discoveries in the lab, of her theories and imaginings becoming reality, of sharing her ideas and concepts with a like-minded friend.

She missed Scorpia and, dare she say it, Catra. Her friends in the Fright Zone had never questioned her abilities, had never told her to stop exploring. They’d encouraged it, stood by her as she tested the limits of science, and helped her when she needed more first ones tech. She missed Emily. She wished she could go back to how things were. She wished she’d never finished the portal.

*****

Perfuma’s eyes grew wide in surprise as the bots fell over, useless and silent. The tank stopped too. The lid opened and two Horde soldiers fell out of the now useless tank to run away into the whispering woods. She looked up and spotted Entrapta waving at her enthusiastically. The tiny princess held a spanner and sat upon a Horde robot whose central band was lit up in indigo rather than the standard red.

Perfuma felt her face break into a wide smile as she realised that Entrapta had disabled the Horde in one technological move and she ran over to the tech genius to thank and congratulate her. Perfuma might have a short fuse at times but she liked to think she could admit when she was wrong. She waved back at Entrapta and created a huge bunch of flowers to hand over as a gift.

*****

Lonnie led her team through the woods towards the ice dome. There were around thirty soldiers inside clammering to get out. She’d been shocked to find their weapons were now useless, the robots dead.

“We gotta get them outta there,” she shouted over the noise. There was a place at the back of the dome, nearest the woods, where the soldiers had almost created a hole large enough for them to escape. She pointed to it,

“There! Everyone chip away at it, get them out!”

The Horde soldiers worked tirelessly to free their friends and it didn’t take long to create a hole big enough to free the soldiers. Their weapons no longer worked but they made perfect pickaxes.

“Leave the bots,” Lonnie shouted, “Get into the woods and reconvene at the Fright Zone!” After making sure everyone was out of the dome and that the battlefield was empty, she grabbed Kyle and Rogelio,

“Come on! We gotta go!”

“What about Grizzlor?” Kyle asked.

“He’ll have to get himself out. We don’t get paid enough for that.” She pulled her friends into the woods and they disappeared.

*****

As the bots around Mermista fell, Sea Hawk and Swift Wind landed behind her. In one swift move Sea Hawk cut the cuffs around Mermista’s wrists with his sword and made a threatening move towards the soldiers who fled back towards the woods. Grizzlor’s face fell and as the beast man ran after his troops, a small piece of paper fell from his pocket. Mermista picked it up, her eyes widening as she read the message and as Sea Hawk peered over her shoulder to see it, she stuffed the note into her pocket.

She looked over at the Tech Princess, now bouncing wildly on her hair as she excitedly spoke to Perfuma and showed off her new robot. Perfuma held out a bunch of flowers to the smaller woman who ignored it, too enthralled in her new creation, too focussed on what she could do next to notice the social cue. The flowers hung from Perfuma’s hand as though lost until the flower princess spoke again and held them up. Entrapta stopped, a shocked look on her face and she took the flowers slowly as if unsure of what to do. Of course she would be unsure, Mermista thought to herself sadly. The tech princess had never been good with social cues and Mermista was beginning to wonder how she could help with that. She ran over to join her friends, Sea Hawk not far behind.

“Hey, Geek Princesss,” she said breathlessly as she arrived next to them.

Perfuma looked at her accusingly, "Mermista, we talked about this. She doesn't like that name."

Mermista grunted. "She said I could," she said simply. She turned to Entrapta, nonplussed and gave a bored smirk. “Entrapta, that was like… wow! You like, completely took down their entire arsenal! I… Uh… Thanks.” She smiled and tossed her head to deflect from the uncharacteristic praise she'd just given. Entrapta beamed at her and threw her arms out to the sides.

“You’re welcome, I saved you!” She turned to Phil, showing off her latest work. “Mermista, Perfuma, meet Phil, my new robot friend.” Phil beeped a greeting. “Isn’t he a darling!” Her eyes sparkled with stars as she watched him toddle in a circle, one leg bent at a funny angle. The recorder appeared in a lock of hair and she pressed the button to record, "Note to self, ensure to fix Phil's leg at the earliest opportunity."

A cry of pain rose up and the three princesses turned, startled, to see where it came from. Frosta limped towards them, her leg clearly injured.
“That was… AWESOME!” she yelled, fist pumping the air with a jump. She landed hard on her sore leg and cried out again as she fell to the ground.

Mermista and Perfuma rushed over to help her onto Swift Wind’s back and Frosta smiled triumphantly. “Did you see my Ice Globe? I did that! Yes!” She fist pumped the air as the group below her smiled up.

“We did see it,” Perfuma congratulated her, hands clasped in front and a smile on her face, “It was very well done. Now let’s get you back to the castle and see about that leg. We have a party to prepare for.”

Chapter Text

The Moonstone lit up and Glimmer, Adora and Bow appeared back in Brightmoon castle. They were astonished to find the place looking so beautiful since they had left it in an uproar. A huge ice sculpture of Angella and Glimmer adorned the entrance, flowers and tiny fairy lights lit up the ornate ballroom inside and the princesses stood, perhaps a little dishevelled, just inside to welcome the new Queen of Brightmoon.

“It’s beautiful,” the new Queen said in awe, “Did you guys do this for me?”

“It was my idea,” Memista smiled and pointed to the waterfall in the centre of the room, “Did you see my centrepiece?” but she held out her hand to the others too, “Frosta’s ice sculpture, Perfuma did the flowers and Entrapta made tiny coloured lights to decorate the hall.”

Glimmer thanked them all and she and Adora led the way into the hall to begin the festivities. Frosta winced as Mermista helped her to her feet. Her leg hurt but not as badly. She limped into the grand hall and as they passed Entrapta, a piece of paper fell from Mermista’s pocket to land on the floor. Entrapta picked it up,

“You dropped something,” she called in her exuberant, energetic voice. She reached out to hand it back to the Sea Princess but something caught her eye and she pulled it back for a closer look as Mermista reached out to take it.

“It’s ok, I’ll take that!” Mermista grabbed for the paper, recognising what it was, but it was too late. Having spotted her name on the paper, Entrapta had started to read it.

“Oh! It’s a memo from Hordak!...” the bubbly princess’s face fell and her eyes misted over. As horror began to encroach upon her features Mermista reached out to put a hand on the scientist’s shoulder but she flinched and shrugged her off.

“I… I… I can’t…” Entrapta reached for a vent with her hair and pulled herself away from the princesses to disappear into the darkness beyond. The paper fell to the ground and Bow picked it up.

“What is this?” he asked, He read the paper aloud so everyone could hear, “ ‘The Princess Entrapta of Dryl has defected to the Rebellion of Brightmoon. She is now regarded as a Traitor to the Horde and will be dealt with accordingly. If sighted, she is to be obtained with minimum impact to the Horde and returned unharmed to Lord Hordak of the Fright Zone where she will be suitably disciplined. As previously stated Shadow Weaver is of no consequence and should be avoided at all costs. The Horde has no use for her. End transmission.’ Where did you get this?”

“It seems Commander Grizzlor dropped it in his haste for departure,” Sea Hawk offered sadly.

Mermista groaned and hid her face in her hand, “I was going to show it to you all. I just didn’t want Entrapta to know. You know… like whatever. I just… I was…”

Bow put his hand on her shoulder, “It’s ok Mermista, you tried your best.”

“You did indeed my sweetheart,” Sea Hawk said putting his hand over his heart and his other hand dramatically into the air. Mermista glared at him.

“She wasn’t supposed to see that,” she sighed.

“Should we go after her?” Perfuma looked at the grating to the vent Entrapta had disappeared into. It was too small for most of them to enter.

Bow shook his head, “Let her go. I’ll have the guards keep an eye out and I’ll talk to her later once she’s had time to recover.” The princesses reluctantly made their way into the ball room and Bow glanced at the vent opening. He hoped everything would work out for the best.

The corridor emptied as the guests entered the ballroom and Shadow Weaver hid around a corner, watching events unfold. She felt the anger creep into her veins as Bow read the message aloud.

“No consequence,” she thought, eyes narrowed. She’d show Hordak what ‘no consequence’ looked like. She had led his armies for over twenty years, raised Horde children to be soldiers, taken on far more than she’d acquiesced to back when she’d first forged a deal with the Horde leader. Back when King Scorpio had been in charge and Hordak had been merely second in command. No-one even remembered those times. She had taken a firm hand back then, helped Hordak see the potential the Scorpian army could have, what it could be.

He dared to throw her away like she was nothing, no-one. The rage consumed her but she was patient, calculated. She could wait for her retribution. She’d begun to walk through the castle at a rapid pace away from the celebrations. Her guards kept pace with her a step behind. As the palace quietened, the sorceress felt her thoughts become clearer. She would wait for her chance.

A soft sob came from the vent grating close by and Shadow Weaver stopped to listen. Perhaps there was yet another way to get her revenge. She had known Hordak for many years. Although his letter had been precise, authoritative, she could read the subtext. He didn’t want her back but he wanted his princess. That meant Entrapta was important to him.

She stepped towards the vent shaft to speak just as General Juliet stepped in front of her, blocking her way. The General said nothing but looked at the sorcerous with distaste. Shadow Weaver nodded slightly and turned back towards the ballroom. Perhaps Queen Glimmer would be more approachable now her quest was complete.
________________________________________________________________________________
Grizzlor entered Hordak’s throne room with an uneasy feeling. He could never tell what mood Hordak would be in. Over the past thirty years working for the Horde, twenty as a commanding officer, he had found Hordak in only one of two moods; indifference or anger. He hoped today it would be indifference. If it was anger he was afraid he would speak up against the warlord and demand the praise he was owed.

Six years as a Force Captain, fifteen as a Commander, he’d been with the Horde at the beginning. At eighteen he’d begged King Scorpio to let him join as a recruit. He had admired the ideals and strengths of the old monarch. When Scorpio had been killed in battle and Hordak had taken over five years later, Grizzlor had been eager to please the newest leader of the Horde. He’d worked hard to achieve results, never needing more than a small smile or a nod to his achievements but lately, he’d grown tired of being taken for granted. Of Catra being given precedence over himself and other, longer serving officers. What had she done that was better than his own efforts? What could she possibly offer that he hadn’t already achieved?

He reached the bottom of the steps to the throne, Lonnie, Rogelio and five soldiers standing to attention behind him. Lord Hordak sat upright in his seat, his eyes focussed on him. Grizzlor bowed and said, “Lord Hordak.”

Hordak stood and made his way elegantly down the steps to stand in front of his Commander.

“Commander Grizzlor. I am told you encountered an attack at Brightmoon. I did not authorise this.”

“It was accidental. We were on a scout mission and became lost in the Whispering Woods. We came out at Brightmoon. I hoped to turn around and leave quickly but the princesses were ready for us. They attacked.”

“You lost!” Hordak glared at the smaller man, towering over him, hands folded behind his back, “You lost my robots and arsenal as well, fool!”

Grizzlor’s fur ruffled in his embarrassment, “It was not my fault, my lord. I had but a hundred soldiers, three tanks and fifteen robots. I had full control until your princess…”

“My what?” Hordak had turned to walk away but spun around at the Commander’s words. His eyes were blood red but betrayed a sense of urgency. Grizzlor realised that Hordak didn’t know she was present at the battle. He hadn’t read his report yet.

“The Princess Entrapta of Dryl was at Brightmoon,” he carried on as if there had been no interruption, “She commandeered the robots, tanks and all Horde weaponry. I sent five soldiers to intercept her. She escaped. She’s a traitor, my lord, just like you stated in your memo. It’s all in my report, Sir.”

Hordak turned, wide eyed, away from his soldiers. His breath was shallow. The last few days… he’d never really believed it… had he? So, she truly was a traitor, a spy for the Alliance and he had fallen for it. No more. The anger swelled in his chest, bubbles of fury he channelled into his now balled up fists.

“You all saw this?” he said, turning once more to see them all nod.

Grizzlor watched Lonnie step forward to speak. She knelt to the floor and said, “Lord Hordak, the princesses had us surrounded and outnumbered but we were stronger. We had Perfuma surrounded, Frosta wounded and Grizzlor had Mermista in cuffs. We were about to bring them back to you when the robots fell, deactivated and useless. The tanks and weapons we carried stopped working. It was Entrapta. It had to be. She knows all the codes, she build half our arsenal. She commandeered a robot and used it to stop the others from working.”

Hordak screamed with rage and punched a nearby console with a powerful blow. He left it dented beyond repair, smoking. Grizzlor watched him in curiosity. He’d never seen the warlord this distraught about a loss before. They could always make new weapons and robots. Prime knew, they had enough in storage. Usually, he would be pleased to know that they hadn’t lost a single soldier. He hadn’t even asked.

“We made it out alive, my lord,” he added, trying to calm his master, “Every one of my one hundred strong brethren. We walked back to the Fright Zone. That is the main thing here.”

Hordak turned to look him in the eye. “That is good,” he said. Something in the warlord’s voice didn’t ring true though and Grizzlor wondered if there was something else going on here.

“You are dismissed.”

“But my Lord…”

“Dismissed!” Hordak’s voice was final. Grizzlor bowed deeply and ushered the soldiers out of the throne room. Before the door shut completely he looked back and saw Hordak sink to the ground, hands over his eyes, as though devastated and unable to comprehend some vital component of his work. It almost… almost seemed, to the old war veteran, that Hordak was crying.
________________________________________________________________________________
Bow spent the first few hours at the ball arm in arm with Glimmer chatting to royals and aristocrats, sampling the food and showing off his latest arsenal of arrow technology. He was relieved to see Glimmer in her element at last, taking on the role of queen as elegantly and professionally as Queen Angella had.

Shadow Weaver had appeared soon after at the Coronation Ball to converse with Queen Glimmer. Bow was concerned that the new queen was giving her too much of her attention but he didn’t interrupt as Shadow Weaver recounted the earlier battle with the Horde. Apparently she had been pivotal in its demise and talked at length of how she had used her magic to weave spells to keep the army at bay. She warned them against trusting the Princess of Dryl, decrying that she was a Horde spy but Bow did not believe her. Entrapta may be a genius but she was not deceptive. Hadn’t she said it was nice being friends with the Best Friend Squad even in the midst of the portal fiasco?

He looked at Glimmer. Behind the mask of steel determination he could see she was tired. The quest had been strenuous but it was seeing Queen Angella that had worn her out. It had been less than a week since she had last seen her mother and she missed her desperately. Bow could see the fatigue in Glimmer’s brow and necklines. He put his hand on her shoulder as she listened to the old woman’s monologue and she smiled at him in gratitude. He would be there for her, whatever she needed. She had to know that. Glimmer put her hand on top of his and cut Shadow Weaver off politely, waving her off towards the food tables.

“What would I do without you?” Glimmer looked into his eyes and smiled again. He smiled back.

“It’ll be ok. We’ll work this out… together.” He took her hand in his and squeezed in reassurance. “Queen Angella was an inspiration Glimmer, but you… you’re awesome. You can do this and you can win this war and bring peace to Etheria. I believe in you.”

She looked down at the floor as she contemplated her past, “The last thing I said to her was awful. I said she’d always be around telling me what I can’t do. Now she’s not here.” Her eyes looked up between her lashes, head bowed. “How can I live with myself Bow? I didn’t even say goodbye. I ran off. I did what I always do. I don’t listen to reason. I run off and put everyone else in danger…” tears spilled down her cheeks.

“That’s not true,” Bow moved his hands to her shoulders and then hugged her tight. “Glimmer you always think of others, it’s why you do what you do. To protect us all. It’s why you let Shadow Weaver and Entrapta stay at Brightmoon, it’s why you put Adora’s safety before your own. It’s why you will win in the end. It’s why I’m your friend.”

“I just miss her so much.” She hugged him back and the tears fell silently.

“I do too,” he replied. He waited until she had calmed down and was ready to resume talking to people at the ball. If anyone had seen her take refuge in her best friends’ arms no-one mentioned it. They were swept once more into the fray and the party carried on into the night.
__________________________________________________________________________

As the crowds began to depart and Glimmer retreated to talk to her friends, Bow whispered to her and she nodded her consent. He paused to collect some tiny foods from the party tables and made his way through the corridors of Bright Moon to take refuge in a small study close to where General Juliet had last heard quiet sobs from the vents.

He sank into a comfortable armchair next to a roaring fireplace, placed the plate of delicacies onto the small table next to him and waited. He was almost asleep in the soft quiet of the room, the fire crackling before him when he heard a vent cover move and the Princess of Dryl fell to the floor in a flurry of lavender hair.

“Entrapta!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was here. I saw the tiny food, I’ll… just go…”

“No wait.” Bow stood and gestured to the second armchair on the other side of the fireplace. “I brought you some food. I thought you might be hungry by now.”

Entrapta shifted her eyes around the room, undecided. She’d wanted to be alone but, Bow’s gesture was so kind she couldn’t refuse. They sat, either side of the fireplace in the quiet for a few moments. She helped herself to a few pastries and mini cupcakes. Bow was right, she was hungry, she hadn’t realised.

“Entrapta, I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while. I wanted to say this from us all. We’re so sorry we left you behind in the Fright Zone. We didn’t mean to. We thought you were dead. Everyone was so upset. Perfuma made a statue in your memory… We missed you.”

Entrapta blinked, eyes darting around the room to look anywhere other than at Bow. She felt vulnerable, she shouldn’t have come.

“It’s ok, I forgive you.” She smiled brightly but the mask quickly covered her face. Bow didn’t know if she meant it or not.

“It’s the truth Entrapta. We should have checked before we left. We should have waited for you.”

She peeled the paper from a tiny cupcake, each piece leaving crumbs to scatter across the chair. She lifted the mask just long enough to pop it in her mouth, rhuberry. Both sweet and tart with a hint of lime. She hadn’t tasted a rhuberry cupcake since Princess Prom. The paper casing left behind rolled between her fingers, a soft pliable length of paper she could squeeze and bend to her will.

She sighed, “I’ve been thinking… what I did… For Science… I did bad things. Didn’t I?” She didn’t want to think about it but she knew that Bow was here for a reason. Probably to ask her to leave Brightmoon. She wondered where she would go.

Bow sighed. He didn’t want the conversation to lead in this direction but she’d opened the discussion. He couldn’t help himself from asking, “Why did you do it, Entrapta? Why did you join the Horde when you knew what they were doing?”

She fell silent again. It wasn’t an easy question to answer. Her hours in the vent had led her to imagine returning to the Fright Zone. Her imagined Hordak had not been pleased to see her, he’d imprisoned her as he had Shadow Weaver and Catra in the past. He’d gloated and shouted at her and made her feel small and useless. He took credit for her work and taunted her with threats to Dryl. He’d suggested what he might do to her once the war was over. Then he’d forced her to work for him to make weapons and tech for him. She’d tried to escape but… in her imagination he’d poisoned the vents. She’d died trying to escape and no-one had cared, no-one had known or looked for her, no-one even knew she was gone.

She shuddered at the dark thoughts invading her mind and pushed them aside quickly. She was not one to hold on to such things. Her movements were slow. The datapad disappeared into purple depths. She squeezed her eyes shut behind the steel mask and nervously played with her fingers.

“She said I belonged. I thought… I thought it was friendship. Catra said I wouldn’t have to pretend anymore. I’m not used to people caring what happens to me.”

“You don’t have to pretend with us.” Bow said. She glanced at him and then looked away.

“Everyone leaves me… eventually.” Her voice was soft, distant. Her robot eyes stared directly ahead, deep chasms empty of emotion. Something caught her eye in the firelight. Eager for the distraction, she rose up on her pigtails and stared at the wooden mantle around the fireplace. The mask was lifted for closer inspection. The panels were etched with figurines depicting various stories of Brightmoon. One in particular had caught her eye. A scene of two figures, one tall and elegant her angel wings folded neatly behind her as she reached out towards the second figure. Entrapta felt her breathing slow almost to a stop as she took in the figure beside Brightmoon’s former Queen. She moved closer to gently lay a finger on the carving of her mother, tall but not as tall as Angella, regal yet not as majestic, intelligent and dressed in Dryl’s finest, the three-cog insignia clear across her chest. The carving was detailed enough to show the form fitting regalia of the flight suit, pockets and all but the most impressive feature of Queen Ensnarea was her floor length hair that framed her silhouette as Angella’s wings did in return. They were holding hands.

“My mother…?” Entrapta said quietly. Her fingers brushed the surface of the wooden scene, scarely believing what was carved there.

Bow moved to stand next to her and put his hand on the top of the mantle. Close enough to show solidarity but far enough so as not to invade her space.

“Queen Angella showed this to me and Glimmer once.” A tear filled his eye as he remembered fondly the once immortal Queen. “She told us that each scene encompassed a new beginning for the rebellion. The First Alliance as it grew and took shape. It collapsed before it could flourish but when this mantle was made it was full of hope for the future. Angella kept it to remind her what can be accomplished by working together. By forging new friendships and facing our fears. She said there’s nothing we can’t achieve if we work together for a brighter future. If your mother is here, the she joined the Alliance with the other princesses.”

Entrapta gasped and withdrew as though burned by the mural. “But…” The recorder appeared in her hair, ready to decipher new thoughts and feelings, untangling and comparing them to old memories. “Personal Log Brightmoon Day 3… 4?... I have discovered a wood carving on a fireplace in Brightmoon Castle. Room 117 on the first floor near the library. The scene depicts my mother being friends with Brightmoon’s Queen Angella around the time of the First Alliance. This is… unexpected. Dryl has always been neutral. I was told we never joined the Alliance, we built weapons to sell to the Horde and Brightmoon. My fathers left to join the Rebellion after she was gone. They left Dryl and never returned. They left me...” A tear drifted down her cheek but she stood frozen to the spot and let it fall.

Bow’s heart broke for the small princess. He thought carefully before he spoke again. “My fathers know more than I do about Dryl and the First Alliance. Maybe they have more information.” When she didn’t respond he continued, “Entrapta, I’m here if you want to talk. About anything.”

Entrapta slowly stepped back and lowered herself back into the armchair by her pigtails without taking her eyes from the mural. She said nothing.

Bow looked at her in concern. Then, almost to himself he said, “I’m sorry. I never knew how isolated you were. I… I wish I’d visited you sooner. Maybe we could have been friends. Created things together.” He paused to shake the dream-like images from his head. “You were my hero, you know.” He said with a sadness in his voice, “before you defected. You created such amazing things. The Makers Guild was nothing compared to you.”

She looked at him wide eyed in surprise, “I was…?”

“My hero.” He nodded. “You can do anything with tech, invent anything you dream up. I can only mess around with arrows and tracker pads. I’m nothing like you.”

She drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her hair around herself. “Is that why you left me behind?”

“What? NO!” Bow reached out an arm to reassure her but the princess slammed her mask down to cover her face once more and lifted herself up and over the chair on her pigtails.

“I don’t belong here… I should go.” She turned to leave but Bow leapt in front of her and blocked her path, arms and hands flung out in frustration.

“No, please don’t go,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry. I just… I want to get this right…”

He chose his next words as carefully as he could. “Entrapta, we want you with us. You’re a technological genius! You’ve achieved more in the past ten years than the entire makers guild has over its hundred-year existence! I know the princesses favour magic but I… we all… admire you for what you can do.”

“For what I can do…” her voice behind the mask was a robotic monotone. The unspoken words echoed round the room, ‘for what I can do, not who I am’. She wanted to be accepted as an equal not endured as an essential pre-requisite of the war effort. Not used as a tactical option to win and then discarded, unfit to socialise with.

Bow sighed, resting his hand against his face, eyes closed. “I’m getting this wrong. What I mean is, we want you to come back to the Alliance Entrapta. Just be our friend. That’s all.”

“Friendship? But…I’m not good at people. I’m good at tech.” She was confused. All anyone had ever wanted her for was her tech abilities. There must be something she was missing, some clause or social cue she couldn’t decipher. She lifted her mask to see him better.

Bow shook his head, “No, just be our friend. That’s all I ask.”

He smiled and she smiled back, too big and bright. It covered up a multitude of questions, hiding them from view and plastering over the moment. Her voracious energy returned in an instant bringing them both into a happier place as the incessant chatter into her recorder resumed. Bow grinned wider and put a hand on her shoulder to focus her attention.

“The princesses told us about the Horde attack today,” Bow carried on, “What you did sounded awesome. You’re awesome. You have to show me what you did.”

“Great! I’ll put it on my list.”

“Your list?”

“My list of jobs of course! It’s how I track everything.”

“Just how many jobs do you have?”

“Countless!” she giggled and ran her recorder to replay an enormous list of tasks yet to be completed. “Although… some of these might need adjusted, now I’m no longer in the Fright Zone and… I no longer have a lab… or equipment…” Her face fell at the thought of her experiments ending before they even began.

Bow noticed her mood change. “You can use my lab.”

“You have a lab!” she squealed. “Where is it? Can I see it? Can I have it?”

“I’ll get you your own, right here in Brightmoon.”

“My own lab! Right here! But wait… does that mean I can stay? I don’t really have anywhere else to go right now…”

“Of course! Actually… how would you like to visit Salineas? Mermista wants to show you the Sea Pearl.”

“The Sea Pearl!” Entrapta jumped in her excitement, squealing with delight. Her hair lifted her high into the air where she spun around, arms extended in joy, “The runestone of the ocean!” she cackled, hands rubbing together. Diamond shaped stars shone in her eyes which were as wide as saucers. “Imagine the data I could collect! I wonder if it glows? Does it glow? Does it let you close to it? Can I touch it?”

Bow giggled at her enthusiasm. It lightened his heart to see her happy. He’d asked Mermista to host her temporarily (Shadow Weaver had been paying far too much attention to the tech savvy princess for his liking lately) and the Sea Princess had grudgingly agreed. He thought the mermaid was putting on a show of indifference. She said this was the last favour she would ever do for him but she’d been hiding a small smile. He suspected Mermista had a soft spot for the tiny scientist. She certainly had a lot of plans prepared to show Entrapta the best Salineas had to offer.

He stood and held out his hand to Entrapta, “Princess Entrapta of Dryl,” he sounded grown up all of a sudden, formal and cordial, “Would you do me the honour of accompanying me to the Grand Ball of the Coronation of Queen Glimmer?” She looked at him, eyes wide in apprehension and he said in much lower tones, “Don’t worry, it’s almost over, it’ll be just us and the princesses and no formalities.”

She smiled and placed a pigtail into his outstretched hand, “Ok, I can do that,” she said.

They left the room anew, the old misunderstandings and unease forgotten, for the moment, and left behind.

Chapter Text

The seagull soared above the waves, wings extended, gliding effortlessly high in the air. The act appeared carefree, almost leisurely, head turning towards the wind, legs tucked up beneath the feathery foliage, however, the beady eyes darted across the watery surface fixated on every cresting wave, wing tips adjusting to control every methodical movement it made. There! The eyes caught hold of a small shimmer of movement, the flick of a tail. The dive commenced immediately, eyes never once leaving the point they had sought out. Wings folded in on themselves, beak became arrow, tail became propeller. It was fast and accurate. The fish did not see it coming. The seagull opened its razor-sharp appendage to snap it shut almost immediately, barely scraping the surface of the sea, to once again sail high into the air. It gulped down the morsel as it rose up, wings now flapping lazily in satisfaction.

“Fascinating…” The voice rose on the winds to the ears of the ignorant seabird who resumed its deceptively leisurely soar once more.

The City of Salineas was approaching on the horizon, pinnacles of towering buildings and low-lying dwellings. The architecture was modelled on seashells and corals each building rounded or scalloped to give the impression of being underwater. Entrapta stared at it through her goggles which could enhance and magnify the view as she perched in the tiny crows nest at the top of the sailboat Dragon’s Daughter 6. She could just make out the Sea Pearl on the opposite side of the city and, closest to them, the city harbour where they hoped to dock soon. Below her Sea Hawk stood at the tiller driving the small boat with one hand. His other arm was raised in song and a fabulous Hero’s pose. One leg was astride a storage box to emphasise his enthusiasm.

Mermista groaned and held her hands up to her ears. She was lying on a lounger strewn with soft pillows at the ships bow. She was trying to relax and wished for the hundredth time that she had remembered to bring the ear plugs. Sea Hawk’s singing wasn’t bad in truth but she couldn’t be seen to enjoy it. That would ruin her image. If only she could get him to like rock music so they could sing together. She glanced up at Entrapta high in the crows nest. The Tech Princess was humming along to Sea Hawk’s tune subconsciously as she studied her surroundings. She leaned over the side smiling brightly and moved her goggles back onto the top of her head to wave to Mermista. Her hair whipped back behind her in long tendrils like a weather vane measuring the wind speed and direction and she typed furiously into her datapad. Every so often an unexpected air shift caught her hair in the other direction, catching her in the face. Mermista would have told her to move inside to avoid the aggravation but she just couldn’t be bothered. If the Tech Princess couldn’t even figure out how to keep her own hair out of her eyes she had no right calling herself a genius now could she?

Phil Bot was powered down at the opposite end from Mermista and for that she was grateful. The robot was heavy and when they had first set out his stamping had rocked the boat so violently even Sea Hawk had admitted that the risk of capsizing was a possibility. It was best to have the robot act as a ballast at the stern. It helped Mermista’s irritability levels too.

As the tech princess hopped back down onto the deck, she was also grateful that Entrapta was downwind of her and behind the wheelhouse. That meant that Mermista was safe from the exceptionally long tresses whacking her. The wind shifted again and one of Entrapta’s pigtails whipped forward, hitting her hard in the eye.

“Ouch!” Entrapta cried out, hand darting for her eye and the mask was down in an instant to protect her. Sea Hawk was beside her in a flash.

“Are you OK?” he asked, concerned, “Perhaps you should tie your hair back to stop it blowing around so much.”

Mermista felt a pang of jealousy rise in her chest. Was she seriously jealous of the Geek Princess? Not possible. But Sea Hawk was awfully close to her and… touching her hair to move it away from her face… yuck! She and Sea Hawk had broken up again, it didn’t matter. She didn’t care and… the jealousy wouldn’t go away. Did that mean she still liked him?

Entrapta moved a step away from Sea Hawk, now uncomfortably close to her, “Thanks Sea Hawk,” she said, smiling brightly, “but I can’t tie my hair back. I need it to conduct my research.”

“Sea Hawk,” Mermista called from her position on the lounger, arms folded lazily behind her head. “Who’s sailing the ship?”

“Ah, my Mermista, I am of course! I will return to my position of authority on board this fine vessel. Adventure!” Of course the sea shanty’s soon returned and Mermista groaned again and buried her head in a pillow.

“Sea Hawk, can’t you sing anything else? What about a rock ballad?” She sat up determined to sing her own song and show him how it was done but Entrapta suddenly sprang up onto her hair tails and twirled around in excitement.

“I just had the greatest idea ever,” she said and bounced her way over to Phil to power up the robot. Mermista frowned. Whatever the tech princesses had planned it probably wasn’t good but she’d agreed to trust her more.

“What about him being the ballast and not moving from the back of the boat?” Trust only goes so far she conceded.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll tell him to stay here. We don’t want a repeat of last time.”

Mermista groaned as she remembered the ship lurching to one side, almost taking on water, as the robot bounced excitedly. Surely an oil change from Entrapta was nothing to write home about.

“How can a robot be enthusiastic about anything?” she muttered to herself. ‘Enthusiasm is for the weak,’ she thought to herself and smirked at the idea. The only enthusiasm she’d ever shown was when she’d been given the keys to Salineas. That had lasted around ten minutes before her father had disclosed his intent to retire to the Misty Isles and everyone had left the kingdom to join him. She’d realised, too late, that Salineas was actually falling apart and she’d inherited a lemon. One filled with salt water and rubber shoes no less.

She shook the disgruntled thoughts from her head and watched her new friend with interest. There was just something about the Geek Princess that inspired her. Perhaps it was the fact that her sarcasm and dark humour didn’t register with the Tech Genius. She didn’t see her as jaded or cranky, words she had been described as while growing up. Entrapta took her at face value, didn’t register any secondary meanings Mermista made or ironic quips. It made Mermista contemplate her words. It made her want to talk to the princess in a simple, honest way she didn’t with anyone else. She wanted to be real with Entrapta instead of hiding away as she did with almost everyone else. She wanted to see her smile and hear her praise. Right now she wanted to see what she would create.

Entrapta tinkered with the bot for several minutes while Sea Hawk belted out yet another song and Mermista, tired of the same ballad she’d heard so often before, was about to dive overboard for some personal solitude when the purple princess shouted, “Ta da!”

Phil powered up, his indigo blue lights flashing then appearing solid. He beeped a few times happy to see Entrapta and she patted the bot with her hair in response.

“It’s good to see you too Phil,” she said. She turned to her friends arms wide, a spanner in one hand and a bright smile on her face, “I’ve programmed Phil to create new songs, a mix of Sea Shantys with a Rock twist. I hope you like it.” She patted Phil again and continued, “Take it away Phil!”

Phil stood up on his three robot legs and began with four deliberate beeps to create the timing. The music began and Sea Hawk immediately smiled. The notes rang out loud and clear against the sounds of seabirds and waves, a rendition of rock ballad and sea shanty that Mermista had never heard before but found herself nodding along to. Sea Hawk tried out a few notes, legs akimbo, one arm outstretched, the other with his hand on his heart.

“I love it!” he cried, “Entrapta, you are surely a genius. I can sing of all my adventures across the sea now!” The sea shanty beat of the music was easy for Sea Hawk to add lyrics to and he took up the rhythm right away.

Mermista had to admit, it wasn’t bad. In fact, she rather liked the new sound. It made Sea Hawk’s old songs sound new and exciting.

“Not bad, Geek Princess,” she admitted, standing up, “I guess this could work.” She tapped her foot a few times to get the rhythm and before she knew it, she was singing alongside Sea Hawk with her own rock song and even though the two songs were different they seemed to match. She allowed Sea Hawk to put his arm around her shoulders and she leaning into his chest as they belted out their new song.

(Tune “Wellerman” by Nathan Evans)
(Mermista’s song is her own)
There once was a lad through shimmering sea,
Who met a mermaid by the quay,
She called to him to sing shantys,
And join in merry melodies.

Who, then, will sail my ship,
To carry my sugar and tea and rum,
Who, then, will sail my ship,
Coz I am marrying gold.

Now then, that I have joined,
The mermaid fellows and maids below,
My ship won’t sail because I know,
We’ve all become mermaids!

Entrapta clapped her hands and whistled. “I’m glad you both like it,” she enthused, “If there’s something I’ve learned it’s that opposites do attract! Like magnets!”

Mermista wondered if there was a double meaning in there about Entrapta’s own situation but there was no way she was treading that minefield. Besides Entrapta was most definitely not subtle and probably didn’t even know she’d alluded to anything other than magnets.

Mermista grabbed Sea Hawk’s arm and spun him around and before they knew it the three friends and their robot companion had an on-board party going on.

“I’ll get the snacks!” Entrapta shouted and dived below deck in one bound from her massive pigtails. Mermista laughed and inwardly admitted that this trip was actually becoming fun. It wasn’t long before the deck was filled with laughter, food and music, Sea Hawk singing from the tiller while Mermista struck up her fabulous Rockstar poses belting out the lyrics to her own tunes. Entrapta busily took readings on her data pad, tinkering constantly with Phil to improve upon the sound. She took great joy in her work and in the joy it gave to both Sea Hawk and Mermista. It was the first time, other than with Hordak, she had truly felt at ease in a social situation, even in the Fright Zone she’d been on the periphery most of the time and uncertain of her role in the group. Here, she felt welcome and useful but in a good way. She sighed in contentment.

__________________________________________________________________________

Later on, Sea Hawk offered to clean up the juice bottles and packaging from the party while Entrapta and Mermista lay on the loungers to soak up the last of the sun as it disappeared along the horizon. They’d paused their journey for the impromptu party and intended to resume in the morning. For just now, there was time to breathe and listen to the world around them. As the sky darkened Entrapta’s thoughts shifted back to the Fright Zone and all that she had left behind. Mermista saw the look in her friend’s eyes change slightly. She propped herself up on one arm to look at her.

“Do you miss him?” Mermista prodded gently. She told herself she didn’t really care if Entrapta missed Hordak but if she were honest with herself she was really asking herself if she missed Sea Hawk. Who was standing barely ten steps away. Who had danced the night away with her. Who was always there for her. Even when she told him to go away. Even when she was horrible to him.

“Who?”

“Hordak.”

“Oh… umm.” Entrapta fell silent. She wasn’t good with feelings. She wasn’t good with people either. What was the correct response? This time there wasn’t a truth spell making her talk.

“Hey, it’s ok. You don’t have to like… share or whatever. I was just curious.”

“I guess, I do miss him. A bit.”
“I think I like Sea Hawk.” Neither princess was really listening to the other but they kept talking as if they were.

“He was always there for me, he listened to me.”

“But I’m always so cruel to him.”

“But sometimes he shouted at me, and now he wants revenge.”

“I don’t know if I want something… serious… yet.”

“Did I do something? Is it my fault?”

“What if it doesn’t work and we end up hating each other?”

“I’m scared.”
“I’m scared.”

The two women looked at each other in astonishment, “But you’re not scared of anything!” they both blurted out at once then Entrapta grinned and Mermista’s lips curved into a coy smile. Mermista held up a hand and Entrapta high fived her with her hair.

“Team Princess is ON!” Mermista shouted and Entrapta whooped. They lay back to look at the darkening sky and Entrapta sighed.

“Hordak promised to show me the stars one day,” she said dreamily. Mermista looked at her in surprise.

“Stars? What are they?” Entrapta’s eyes sparkled and her face lit up even more than when she was tinkering with tech. She launched into a tirade of scientific facts so complex that Mermista had difficulty understanding any of it but it did sound beautiful and Entrapta’s enthusiasm made her wish they could see the stars right away.

As the Tech Princess came to the end of her tirade she yawned and Mermista felt her own eyes grow heavy. Without a word more they lay back on the deckchairs on the ship, the rhythm of the waves lapping at the sides and the gentle rocking of the boat lulling them to sleep.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Catra stood at the entrance of the Sanctum. She should press the call button to let him know she was outside. The doorway was large and imposing, the heavy metal structure ridden with rivets. It was so polished she could see her reflection in the shine. Brushing back a strand of hair she shook herself awake. Her lips rose in a smirk, eyes narrowed, hand on hip, tail swishing. ‘That’s better,’ she thought to herself, ‘Never show weakness.’

She opened the sanctum door without knocking, she was second in command after all, why shouldn’t she? She strode into the room with a confident swagger, an attempt to hide the nerves just underneath and reached the bottom of the steps to the throne. She looked up. He sat astride the throne, arms upon the armrests, feet planted firmly on the floor, back straight and head up. His dark red eyes looked down at her with cold malice and a sly grin graced his features. A good mood was not to be found. He stood, Entrapta’s armour gleaming around the purple crystal in the centre. As he descended the stairs, his gait slow and deliberate, hands folded behind his back, he nodded slowly in her direction and waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the computer screens and equipment littering the edges of the room.

“Force Captain,” he said, his voice deep and melodious as silk, “Do you know why the Horde has achieved so much more than the Alliance in this war?”

Not another lecture about Horde politics! However, she shook her head, encouraging him to continue. It bought her some time to figure out what the warlord wanted from her.

“We have strength, stamina and loyalty!” He grinned at her and stepped closer. “Force Captain Catra I received news today from a battalion of soldiers who all saw the Princess of Dryl incapacitate several tanks, robots and weaponry. I was a fool to doubt you when you warned me about her.”
Catra’s eyes widened at the news but she caught herself quickly and turned it into a sly grin. The news was a surprise considering Scorpia was supposed to have sent Entrapta to Beast Island but Hordak seemed to be more trusting of her now. She could use this to her advantage.

“I’m only sorry I let her in here in the first place,” she said, with a false look of regret, “But now you see what I saw Hordak. She’s a traitor.”

He nodded and turned away to pace along the front of the steps to the throne. He didn’t want her to see his eyes mist over.

“She is a traitor as you told me Catra. I want her back here to answer for her crimes and to atone to me. She owes me more than an apology. She owes me respect!”

“My Lord, I did request an attack on Brightmoon but…”

“It was not the right time. Grizzlor’s forces could not defeat the princesses.”

“Grizzlor is a weak minded idiot!”

“Hold your tongue! Grizzlor is a well-versed combatant and one of the founding members of my army. You will show him due respect.”

“Of course Lord Hordak.”

“To that end I’m giving you control of the whole Horde army. Your task is to find Princess Entrapta and return her to me in the Fright Zone.”

Catra looked at him anew. Ah, so that’s what he wanted. He wanted Entrapta back. There was no way Catra was going to do that. She might as well sign her own death warrant. She needed control of this situation and fast. She looked at him with a flash of concern in her eyes, “With all due respect, don’t you think you’re taking this a little personally?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just a princess, why do you care so much?”

Hordak stopped in front of her, hands folded behind his back. Why did he care? He couldn’t remember. The rage at being taken for a fool consumed him, he was beyond reasoning. He thought about why he needed her back and his heart tightened. No, he needed her back so he could prove to himself that she didn’t matter. So he could make her suffer for making him suffer. He would use her to win the war and then discard her as she had discarded him. He would end her, and he would forget her.

Catra was standing in front of Hordak a step or two above him on the throne’s pedestal. Her eyes were level with the strange purple crystal in his armour. It was clearly Entrapta’s, it had her colours and first ones writing inscribed on it. Hordak was deliberating, why did he want her back so bad? Entrapta couldn’t be allowed to return, she’d tell Hordak everything and then he’d kill her no matter what she said. Catra saw her chance and she took it.

She reached up and yanked the purple crystal from its housing. The effect was immediate. Hordak dropped to his knees in agony as the armour malfunctioned. Clearly he could no longer stand, his body weakened without his armour to help him stand tall. Interesting effect she thought. She had assumed it was there for sentimental value but it turned out to be a power source. Talk about tied to your work. Looking at the purple gemstone it became clear why Entrapta had used this particular piece of tech to power Hordak’s armour. The deep purple colour pulsed in her hand like a heartbeat, the edges of the crystal slightly fizzing with electrical residue from being pulled away so sharply.

Entrapta had never said anything about her feelings towards the reclusive tyrant but there were rumours drifting throughout the Fight Zone. Even a few bets made. Now that the princess had disappeared Catra had expected the rumours to dissipate but speculation had in fact become even more pronounced. It seemed Hordak had become humanised by his newfound passions, even if he was as yet unaware of it, or the gossip.

She couldn’t find out for sure how Entrapta had felt but she had an idea it was more than just friendship. As much as she was jealous of the scientist she felt a thread of guilt tug at her heart. But oddly, she wasn’t jealous of Hordak. No, not jealous, just… angry. Now to see if Hordak felt the same way in return. She reached down to him, still kneeling on the floor gasping for breath. She opened her palm and offered the crystal back. He took it, hand trembling, and fixed it back into position. The armour, now fully restored, enabled him to stand again. He grabbed Catra by the lapels and pulled her close.

“Don’t ever try that with me again.” His voice was deep, menacing and reverberated around the room but Catra smirked.

“I just found your weakness,” she crooned, “and while Second in Command has a nice ring to it, I rather prefer the title Ruler.” Her tail swished behind her, agitated but moving in considered circles.

“Ruler of the Horde?” He dropped her and stared blankly at the far wall.

“Oh, I want complete control you understand. I own you Hordak. But, I want you to be my scapegoat.” She laughed as his face fell. “If something goes wrong, you get the blame and if it goes right, I do. We’ll be partners, run the Horde together except you do it from here. In the sanctum.”

Hordak stepped back to put some space between them. “And if I refuse?”

“You can’t refuse.” She looked at her nails as if bored, “If you do, I’ll rip that gem from you and tell everyone your little secret.” She looked him dead in the eyes, “That you’re in love with a princess. I mean, I’m pretty sure they already know, you haven’t been very good at keeping it secret but… when I tell them, they’ll know for sure. When the princesses find out… you’ll be humiliated.”

It was a gambit. Her heart beat hard and fast against her chest but there was so much at stake here, so much she could lose and yet, so much more that she could win. She stared at Hordak and tried to read his expression. He looked pained, distant. If he refused, could she kill him? She’d never actually killed anyone before. She’d tried to. She’d even tried to kill Entrapta but… exile was all she’d managed. Could she make good her promise and kill Hordak if he got out of line?

Hordak stood across the floor from his magicat subordinate and wondered how he had missed her ruthless takeover bid. Shadow Weaver had worked for him for decades with never a thought of overthrowing him. Catra had done it within the year. He thought about what she had said and about his feelings for Entrapta becoming public knowledge. He thought about Entrapta finding out, how she would laugh about him with the other princesses, how he would be deposed and Catra would rule the Fright Zone. After thirty years his reign would end and he would become a laughing stock. With nothing, no-one. Forgotten to time. Catra would use the Horde’s advantage to win the war, gain credibility and take what was once his. His failure. His defeat. His loss. He was already cast out as a failure. He could not afford to be thrown aside as worthless yet again. He could not be rejected and stamped on from above

“So be it,” he growled, “but I want Entrapta back.”

“Because you love her?”

“No. Because if she stays with the Alliance they will have the upper hand. I need her to gain an advantage.” He stood tall and straight, one arm by his side, the other crossed over his body with a fist over his hearts. His eyes glowed red with a menacing aura. “I will give you command of the Horde if you do this for me Catra. You will be leader and I will be your Chief Science Officer creating new and improved weapons but I need my Lab Partner to ensure victory across Etheria.” He grinned, fangs showing over his thin lips as he considered the deal he was making.

Catra had shown far greater capacity for winning battles than any other commander he’d worked with. He was sure she could secure the planet with her at the helm of his ship. If Prime ever showed up all he need do is claim victory over the planet as his own. It would be her word against his after all and Prime was unlikely to listen to a simple planet dweller when his own Top General was there to put him right.

There was something wrong with term Top General. It didn’t feel quite right. As though it were a dream played back in a mixed up order. Had he been a top general? There was something he had forgotten about those days when Prime had been his single focus and motivation.

He mentally brushed the thoughts away and watched as Catra returned his smirk. She extended her hand and he met it with his. They shook hands to seal the deal.

“Ok Hordak, I’ll get your princess back and you give me command of the Horde.” Catra let go of his hand and stepped away. She’d made a deal but it wasn’t perfect. She’d have to think about how to make it work in her favour. She turned to leave.

“Catra.” She stopped but didn’t turn around. “If you fail me. I will have to dispense you to Beast Island.” A shiver made its way up her back but she kept resolute.

“Understood.” She left the room and waited for the doors to close before bolting to her room. She needed time to think.

Mermista woke with a gasp. The unfortunately familiar smell of burning filled her nostrils and a plume of anger replaced the calm of sleep. She sat up with a lurch to find Sea Hawk running towards her with a bucket of water in his hands.

“My sweet Mermista, the ship. Is on FIRE!”

“Yeah, I can see that you dolt!” Mermista was enraged. This, THIS was why she had broken up with Sea Hawk, “How did you do it this time?”

“It was an accident, I swear it my love.” Sea Hawk knelt before the Sea Princess his hands pressed together, begging for forgiveness, “You see there were spare marshmallows from last nights revelries and I…”

“Urrrgh, and you decided to melt them on a camp fire! On a boat!”

Sea Hawk looked guilty and Mermista could see her guess was correct. She looked towards the stern of the ship to find it ablaze. It was too far gone for a simple bucket to put out. In fact, even if she put the fire out herself it was obvious the ship was already sinking. The deck had begun to list to the rear and the loungers she and Entrapta were lying on had slid down the deck and were now resting on the outer wall of the wheelhouse. She shook the Tech Princess awake hurriedly.

“Traps, we gotta go… now!”

Entrapta opened her eyes and was astonished to find herself staring at the wide blue-green eyes of Mermista. The ship was tilted so dangerously that the bell above her, which usually hung down from a short rope, was rolling along the wall of the wheelhouse, its rope keeping it tethered to the wooden mount.

“What happened?” she asked in surprise.

Mermista groaned again, “Sea Hawk happened!” She looked at their surroundings and was relieved to see the harbour of Salineas on the horizon. It was a distance away but easily swimmable for Sea Hawk and Mermista could help in her mermaid form to get them all to shore.

“Right everyone dive in and swim to shore,” Mermista stood up ready to dive into the sea when she heard Entrapta’s frantic words,

“What! But I can’t swim! And what about Phil? He’s a robot, he’ll sink.”

Mermista groaned and slapped her hand to her face. “You can’t swim. Of course not.”

“Hey, I live in the mountains. There wasn’t any need to learn.”

“Mermista, if I may…” Sea Hawk interjected.

“Do we have a lifeboat Sea Hawk?”

“Errr…”

“So, no then?”

“Umm… well.”

“Graahhh! You are so useless. I was almost gonna take you back Sea Hawk and now this! We’re on a sinking ship with no lifeboat. What did you do, lose it in a bet?”

“Now you come to mention it, yes.”

“Ahhhh!” Mermista threw her head back and screamed at the sky. “Ok Sea Hawk swim to shore and get help. I’ll try to push us to shore as fast as possible. Hopefully we make it to shallow water before it sinks.”

“It’s quite a distance my love but for you, I would swim twice that distance and back again. I would swim…”

“Just get going…” Mermista pushed the rambling pirate overboard as the ship tilted even further to the stern and Sea Hawk yelped as he fell into the salty sea below.

“Wait, Sea Hawk,” yelled Entrapta, fishing around in her hair, “I’ve been dying to try this out. Here catch!” She threw a small device into his hand and he caught it easily.

“What is it?” he asked intrigued.
“It’s a breather. Just put it in your mouth and you can breathe underwater!” she cackled and her eyes sparkled in triumph as her hair lifter her high into the air on the sloping deck. She slid a short distance before anchoring herself with hair tendrils to the metal railings and anything they could find purchase on. It occurred to Mermista that she looked like a tangled up octopus in a fishing line.

Sea Hawk looked at the tiny object with curiosity. It was clear plastic, a short, fat tube with a mouth piece in the middle. He put in into his mouth and dived a short way. When he returned to the surface he waved excitedly to the two women still onboard the sinking vessel.

“Entrapta this is amazing!” he enthused, “I can breathe underwater!”

Mermista groaned and slapped her face again. They were wasting valuable time.

“Great news Sea Captain!” Entrapta grinned at her work, “There’s enough for all of us! Here, Mermista.” She held one out to the Sea Princess who stared at it and then at Entrapta, dumbfounded for several seconds.

“Emmm… I’m like, a literal mermaid.” Entrapta’s hand did not move and she kept smiling at Mermista. There was an awkward pause.

“I can, like, already breathe underwater!”

“Ohhh,” Entrapta said, unfazed, “So you don’t need my device. OK,” The device disappeared into her hair and she turned towards the flames again. “So, what do we do now?”

Mermista, ignoring her, dived into the sea, her legs instantly becoming a tail. She swam to the rear of the boat, surfacing close enough to the flames to raise a wave of water. She let the wave crash over the top of the fire putting it out and Entrapta cheered at her ingenuity. Mermista grinned at the praise. Using her magic she created a current to propel them towards the shore as she pushed the boat from underneath the surface.

“No need to worry,” she grumbled to herself, “Mermista will sort everything out, fires… people who can’t swim… robots…” They were making good progress but she felt a pressure to get back to shore as soon as possible. The boat was sinking too fast, there was too much weight on board. She pushed harder on the hull and felt the boat move swifter.

***

Back on deck Entrapta was beginning to feel a little unnerved. The water was slowly creeping up towards her and Phil, having been forced to move from his designated position at the now submerged stern, was losing the ultimate battle against gravity. Entrapta’s hair was the only thing holding the robot in place along the gunwales. The strength of her prehensile hair was incredible but it had limits. A heavy and rapidly sliding lump of metal put strain on it. Phil dug his metal legs into the wooden deck to brace himself but the fire had weakened the structure. The robot legs made holes in the woodwork, cracking the structure further. With a screech of metal and a cry from Entrapta, Phil broke free of her hold and unceremoniously tumbled down the now sloping deck towards the waters of the sea. He hit the surface with an almighty splash and, to Entrapta’s horror, sank like a stone. Beneath the waters he hit an unsuspecting Mermista who, knocked unconscious, sank with him into the dark depths below.

***

Entrapta screamed as he disappeared from sight, her friend lost to her, into the murky darkness below, but there was no time for tears, her own situation was dire. She was alone on a soggy strip of wooden decking now tipped to a fifty degree angle. She’d done the math to confirm it. She couldn’t see Mermista, Sea Hawk was halfway to the shore, still swimming. As she clung to the railings of the boat for dear life with both hands and hair she realised Mermista was no longer pushing the boat. It had stopped moving. The damage caused by Phil had left great holes in the deck. Through the holes she could see water flooding the lower compartments, seeping through the wooden planks and there was much less boat to hold onto now as the Dragon’s Daughter 6 made a decidedly one-way trip to the bottom of the sea.

Entrapta quickly calculated her options and the likely outcome of how the sinking ship would finally meet its demise. The boat would pull her under if she stayed close when it finally sank. She grinned madly to convince herself everything would be ok and rambled out calculations for encouragement and luck before popping a breathing aid into her mouth, placing goggles over her eyes and launching herself into the water. She knew the basics of swimming she’d just never tried it. At least she could breathe. She used hands and hair to push herself through the water and towards the shore and at first it seemed to work but her hair quickly filled with water becoming heavy and difficult to maneouver. The more water-logged her hair became, the less responsive it was and the slower her movements. It dragged her down beneath the shining surface. She began to sink.

The shoreline looked so far away and no matter how hard she struggled and fought against the current, the sheer weight of hair, heavy overalls and boots not to mention all the tech and tools she always carried with her finally took its toll. Entrapta felt herself being dragged under the shiny surface and into the silent abyss below. Her breathing aid still functioned but only if she didn’t panic. She slowed her breathing and counted as slowly as she could.

As her small frame slipped beneath the waves into an alien landscape she took her first breaths underwater. Urging herself to remain calm she looked at her new surroundings. Her descent was picking up pace and she could feel the pressure building in her head as she sank. There was nothing but open ocean. It was so exciting. A new environment she’d never before witnessed or studied. A place as pure and pristine as a new planet. Fish swam nearby, a turtle, a whale in the distance as large as a ship. It was fascinating, quiet and beautiful. It was the most peaceful place she’d ever been. She reached for her voice recorder, realised it was useless underwater (she couldn’t speak with the breathing device in her mouth) and swapped it for a data pad video. She just had to make some kind of recording. Hopefully the waterproofing she’d designed for it would work. She was so intent on what she saw she forgot about where she was headed, until a chance fish swam below her making her peer downwards.

She looked down to see the fathomless depths, dark as night and twice as deep as the tallest mountains of Dryl. As her chest began to constrict with the pressure bearing down upon her, the panic rose again. She flailed her arms and legs to no avail. Her hair, buoyed up by the saltwater was more controllable but ever so slow and no matter how she pushed and pulled, she continued her downwards spiral. She couldn’t swim. She didn’t know how. She couldn’t get to the surface or the shore. The darkness pressed in as her descent continued to grow faster, the light from the daymoon ever further away. Her head swam as she tried to focus. Behind the goggles her eyes became wide in growing alarm. Where was Mermista? Phil? There was nothing she could do. For the sake of science she kept recording as long as she could.

***

Mermista opened her eyes and shook herself awake. She remembered the ship sinking and the robot hitting her on the head. Sinking… She moved her tail expertly and swam upwards to gain her bearings. She spotted something in the distance. A purple jellyfish moving oddly in the textured light of the ocean. It was sinking at a steady pace but the tendrils moved at the top in a swirling cloud. In an instant she realised she was looking at Entrapta sinking below the surface, arms and legs scrambling for purchase against an empty sea. Her hair faired no better as it slowly meandered through the waters and Mermista realised her friend would drown without help.

She was about to swim to her aid when a shimmering caught her eye in the open ocean. A Sideon Snake! Ocean sea snakes so large they rarely ventured this close to shore and certainly not this close to the surface. It was headed straight for Entrapta. Perhaps the princess had somehow attracted its attention unawares. But how? Urgh, it didn’t matter, let’s get this thing over with. She magically summoned her trident and flicked her tail before swimming as fast as she could to cut off the snake.
********

Entrapta watched in fascination as the snake veered directly towards her. Other than holding the video feed steady she could do nothing but watch. With no control over how fast or slow she sank or any ability to steer left or right beyond a slow-motion sweep of her hair, she stared at the enormous monster in admiration and awe. Her breather was still working with calm, slow breaths, her feet gently pedalled the water to keep her upright. She wrapped her hair around her body in an attempt to confuse the serpent whose eye was as large as a door and its body as long as a ship. It seemed familiar somehow, as if… as if… no, it couldn’t be… Its body shimmered in the softening glow of the daylight now far above. Not scales… metal plating. Was it… First Ones Tech?

Entrapta felt her heart soar in excitement and her breath quickened. Too fast. The rebreather failed and she had to consciously take slow, steady breaths to start it up again. Her heart thumped loud in her ears. Underwater she could hear it clearly. Her face poked through her hair tendrils which had made their way by now around her body to shield her from the snake. It was still traveling at a great pace but something caught her eye to the left. She turned to find another object arriving at pace. A fish… mermaid… Mermista! She tried to shout and wave a greeting, forgetting once more her location, and the rebreather fell from her mouth. She reached out to snatch it before it slid from her grasp but instead lost her grip on her datapad. Hair tendrils shot out to retrieve the missing articles, just as the snake opened its mouth to shoot tentacles from its gaping maw. They wrapped themselves around the stricken princess squeezing the last breath from her body. Mermista reached out her arm to point her trident at the snake’s aperture and blasted an energy bolt directly into its mouth. She had already tried to communicate with the beast using her ability to talk to sea creatures but it had not responded.

The serpent shrieked in anguish but didn’t loosen its hold on Entrapta. Her hair and body, now engulfed by the creature’s tentacles, hung limp in its grasp. It began to drag her towards its open mouth as she held her breath against the crushing vice like grip. Now she was closer, Mermista could see the metallic armour of the beast. This was no Sideon Snake. Its scales looked… metallic.

Mermista hung back and extended her arm yet again. Once more she threw a bolt of energy from her trident at the serpent’s eye. Before it connected the beast sent a tentacle towards her so fast she didn’t have time to respond. It knocked the staff from her hand and shot a cloud of ink like that of a cephalopod. When the water cleared the snake was gone, and Entrapta with it.

Chapter Text

Sea Hawk had swum almost halfway to the shores of Salineas when he stopped to tread water for a moment. He looked for the Dragon’s Daughter 6 to get his bearings and was overcome with distress to find the ship missing. Surely his beloved ship could not have sunk so quickly? He was still some distance from the shorelines but going back to look for the missing ship would serve no purpose. With a last check of his breathing apparatus and a quick line of sight to his intended destination, he dived beneath the waves to search for his missing crewmates.

At first he couldn’t see much as he sank deeper beneath the surface but as the light grew dim he spotted a trail he knew all too well. A teal shimmer of magic belonging to his favourite princess. She was headed deeper underwater and he could not fathom why. At least she wasn’t headed out into open water but towards the rocky outcrop at the edges of the reef beneath Salineas’ castle. Why wasn’t she aiming for the shore as they had agreed?

He followed her trail as fast as he could, kicking strong and powerful against the eddies. He had no idea how long his breather would last underwater or if he was supposed to use it this way at all but... Adventure! If Mermista was in danger he would be ready to help in any way he could. He knew she could protect herself but even so… the waters were dangerous and any adventurer worth his salt would dive into the unknown to protect his partner… even if she wasn’t quite ready to be his yet.

He dived deep into the dark abyss and swam after the echoes of his Mermista. The breather allowed him to swim much further and deeper than he’d ever gone before and he was an avid pearl diver. He was impressed at Entrapta’s ingenuity. If only she hadn’t been left behind in the Fright Zone how much more tech and gadgetry she could have made for them. He realised with a guilty heart that he should have missed her kind heart and soul instead of her tech abilities. When he thought about it (and for the first time in a long time there was plenty to think about here in the quiet where he couldn’t sing or tell stories all day long) he rather felt a kindred spirit in the tech princess as he had done with Scorpia in the Northern Reach. He himself was used by Mermista as a ‘ride’ or a useful tool when he wanted to be her friend and confidant. Why wasn’t he good enough for her as he was? Why wouldn’t she let him hang with her other, mermaid friends? Didn’t she deem him ‘cool’ enough to partake in such revelries?

At that thought he realised something was swimming alongside him. Not quite alongside, in fact, but rather, behind. He was certain now that more than one entity was following him. A shiver crept up his spine and he swam a little faster. The whispering began, just on the edge of hearing at first. Underwater his ears were not attuned to every sound made around him but he could tell that these whispers, which became louder at every kick or stroke he made while swimming, were meant for him to hear. It was as if the words travelled directly into his ears without distortion from the water.

“It’s him isn’t it?”

“It’s him alright. And there’s a new one too.”

“What does she see in them?”

“Haven’t the faintest idea…”

“You’d think she’d see sense and leave them all behind.”

“Just be with us.”

“We’re her real friends.”

“Let’s make her see.”

“Let’s show her how much better things can be…”

“When we leave the surface realm behind…”

Sea Hawk swam faster. He didn’t look behind.
___________________
Mermista had lost the trail. In frustration she shot a bolt of energy at a nearby rock and watched it explode. Then she felt horrified by her actions when she noticed the crabs and fish swimming and scuttling away from their destroyed habitat. This wasn’t her. She knew the sea, knew where and how to track any animal. She could talk to them too. She talked to the homeless creatures now, soothing them until they were able to calm down enough to make new homes among the debris.

There was something strange about that serpent. It didn’t move like any sea snake she’d ever dealt with before, rather robotic in fact. Bow had mentioned something about first ones tech at the last war meeting. How they’d come across snake-like robots protecting runestones and first ones artifacts. Her father had mentioned the guardian of the Pearl many times but she had never witnessed it before. Perhaps they were closer to Salineas than she realised. If the guardian had detected them nearby and analysed Entrapta as a threat… perhaps that was why it hadn’t attacked her, just torn her trident from her grasp. It made sense.

She focused on her connection to the Pearl and swam as fast as she could in the direction of its base where, she presumed, any guardian would reside. A soft whisper reached her ears and she slowed to listen. The song of the sea usually told her news of any goings on in her realm. Whale songs, dolphin gossip, turtle tidings, even jellyfish ramblings could teach her and help her govern her underwater kingdom. This whisper was different. It was directed at her personally so she could not refuse to listen. She considered her options and then waited for the inevitable.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Scorpia finished making her bed and adjusted the items on her shelf. There… nothing like a tidy room to start the day off. Emily beeped from the corner and Scorpia laid a bowl of nuts and bolts on the floor beside her. The robot beeped and bounced in excitement making Scorpia laugh. She had a good feeling about today. The floors were scrubbed, the showers were immaculate and the smells of breakfast were inching their way down the corridors. Today was the day things would start to get better. She was sure of it. Things had felt so strained in the Horde lately. In fact, since Entrapta had left Scorpia couldn’t think of a single day when she’d felt relaxed.

She was just about to pat Emily goodbye and leave the room to start her chores when she heard the door open. She looked up to see Catra entering and her face lit up in delight to see her favourite cat-person. Catra strode into the room without a word, her sight fixed upon the Scorpian princess in a glare that could wither even Hordak’s composure. Her heterochromatic eyes narrowed in the dim light, fists clenched at the ends of rigid arms, tail flicking in barely contained rage.

“Hi Wildcat! Great to see you I…”

Catra marched straight over to the larger woman, grabbing a bicep in each hand and pushed Scorpia hard against the wall. Beside her Emily beeped in alarm but the robot was programmed not to interfere with Entrapta’s friends’ conversations so she stepped back, blinking and beeping in soft tones. The scratches Catra had left on her metallic panel stood out and Scorpia noticed the robot shiver and shy away from the catgirl, her outer shell swivelling in confusion as her cybernetics recorded the conversation. Catra pressed Scorpia further against the wall and looked up at the taller woman with eyes of fire.

“What did you do with Entrapta?”

Scorpia’s face fell. “Oh, uh. Well… I sent her to Beast Island. Like you said to.” Her eyes suddenly lit up as realisation hit her, “Oh, are we going to go get her back? That’s great Catra! I’ll set us up with supplies and you can get the skiff. It’ll be a real roadtrip…”

“No.”

“No…?”

Catra laughed at an unspoken joke in her head and stepped back from the Scorpion princess.

“No. We’re not going. Because you didn’t send her to Beast Island Scorpia like I ordered you to. You did something else.” She moved her face closer to Scorpia’s again pinning the larger woman to the wall with nothing but a stare. Her voice became soft, dangerous.

“What did you do Scorpia?” Her eyes penetrated Scorpia’s to coax information out of her. The silence was too much for the Scorpioni. She swallowed. Catra noticed the older woman’s discomfort and noted how she touched her pincers together awkwardly. She began to pace a short path in front of Scorpia, never tearing her eyes from her colleague even for a moment.

“I will find out so you might as well just tell me. Hordak knows. Grizzlor saw her Scorpia, with the princesses. She disabled a whole fleet of robots and weapons not to mention several tanks. So I’m asking you Scorpia… what did you do with the princess I specifically told you to banish to Beast Island? Why didn’t you follow my orders and, most importantly, where do your loyalties lie? Because I’d hate to find out you’re a traitor too Scorpia, just… like … her.”

“I… umm…” she fidgeted and looked at the floor until Catra grew impatient and flicked her tail, agitated, from side to side. “Look, it was right before the portal thing. A lot of stuff happened. Things we … “

Catra’s patience reached its limit and she slammed Scorpia up against the wall again, one arm braced across her chest to restrain her. “Get to the point.”

Scorpia felt the hard surface of the wall press into her back. She could have pushed Catra out of the way but she didn’t want to hurt her. She still wanted Catra to like her despite what she’d done. Maybe she could still get through to her.

“I gave her to the princesses.”

“You what?”

“You were gonna send her to Beast Island. You didn’t even send Shadow Weaver there. I couldn’t do it Wildcat.”

“It was an order.”

“One I couldn’t follow.”

Catra slammed a fist into Scorpia’s torso and watched as the taller woman fell to her knees the breath knocked from her body. As Scorpia knelt there, heaving the air back into her chest, Catra drew her claws down the wall behind the Scorpioni creating a loud screeching. Then she slammed her fists, one after the other, into the wall above Scorpia’s head creating a hole, the plaster coating raining down over Scorpia’s head like raindrops. Scorpia shielded herself from the debris with her pinchers above her head.

Catra knelt down in front of the Force Captain and looked her dead in the eye. She brought a clawed hand up to Scorpia’s face and held it inches from her skin.

“You ever disobey my orders again, I’ll have you bumped back down to cadet. You got it?”

Something changed in Scorpia in that moment. She began to wonder when Catra had ever been nice to her. When she had done so much and been so loyal, what had Catra done to deserve or reciprocate that kindness and loyalty? She couldn’t think of a single occasion and now the feline had actually had the audacity to hit her. She glared at Catra, eyes narrowed slightly and a new feeling welled up inside her, one of resentment.

“Yeah, Wildcat. I hear ya.”

Catra smirked and let her hand drop to her side,

“Good girl.”

With a swagger of entitlement she strode off but found Emily in her path beeping wildly, clearly agitated at the way Catra had treated Scorpia. First Entrapta had disappeared and now Scorpia was being threatened. The robot was trying to defend her friend but she was still programmed to believe Catra was a friend. Her programming was rapidly becoming difficult to compute and her AI was learning the hard way. She blocked Catra’s path and beeped her annoyance demanding an apology but Catra didn’t speak computer.

“Get out of my way.” She slashed her claws at the robot and thumped a fist into her side, denting a panel.

“Stop that!” Scorpia yelled, “She didn’t do anything.”

“Keep that robot away from me or I’ll send her to the scrapyard for parts.” Without a backward glance she stalked off and Scorpia watched her go with tears in her eyes. When Catra reached the doorway the Scorpioni muttered,

“You’re a bad friend.”

Catra heard her and hesitated a fraction of a second before she disappeared around the corner, the door shutting behind the Horde Leader. Scorpia felt her breath shudder through her body at the shock of what she had witnessed. As Emily approached to comfort her tears fell freely and she resolved to do what she should have done a long time ago. She grabbed a bag and began to fill it with everything she owned.

“Come on Emily. We’re leaving this awful place. Let’s go find Entrapta.” Emily beeped her excitement.
________________________________________________________________________________

The Pearl runestone stood high above the ocean next to the Sea Gate. As the Sea Gate’s only power source the Pearl was protected by many charms and magical artifacts. Above the waves the serpent Sea Guardian of the rune stone had not been sighted for hundreds of years since the gate had been devised and built. In ancient times it was recorded, before the gate was built, the Pearl had been housed underground in an ancient cavern. Below the depths of the ocean surface, within that cavern, the ancient guardian lay dormant, patiently awaiting the Pearl’s return, it’s only task to protect the precious runestone.

The Sea Pearl had been removed from the cavern following the Great Sea Wars, a fight between Merpeople from the shores and shallows and the Merlopians, a race of merpeople from the darkest depths of the oceans who rarely ventured into the light of day. The war had been fought over the Sea Pearl. Each faction had desired it for themselves with Princess Mermista’s ancestor, Princess Pearla in control of its power. She had called each side to consider their actions, to sign a peace treaty but they had refused. Each side wanted power and control of the sea in its entirety. Princess Pearla had called an end to the war and removed the Sea Pearl to its lofty vantage point. There, she had stated, neither one of the underwater factions could gain from it. She had built the Sea Gate to guard and maintain the Pearl’s power as it, in turn, powered the gate.

The war had ended. The Merlopians retreated to their dismal realm and the Merpeople to their underwater sactuary. Neither engaged or communicated with each other again. Over the centuries the people of Salineas had forgotten the Merlopians completely. The Merpeople had remained friends only with the Princess of Salineas. Only she could walk with both Merpeople and Land Dwellers.
******

Entrapta concentrated her mind and body on her breathing. Slow and steady. Keep it even, keep it calm. The tentacles had pulled her inside the deep, cavernous maw of the creature, deeper into the dark fathomless abyss where light could not break through. As the pressure from the tentacles and the cold of the deep entered her body her thinking became sluggish. She’d located another breather stored in a pocket and slid it up a strand of hair to push it into her mouth before her lungs grew too painful from lack of oxygen. The tentacles still gripped her body and legs, hair and arms pinned to her sides, enough to prevent escape but allow her to breathe, if she kept it shallow and slow. She lay there, in the dark, on the edge of panic as a slow realisation dawned on her. She was no longer submerged in water.

The thought struck her as the next one lined itself up in her mind. She was lying on a floor of metal. Strange, unless her hypothesis was correct and this was no ordinary sea creature but a First Ones Guardian robot left to protect the Sea Pearl. She had to test her hypothesis to be sure. Recklessly letting go of the breather in her mouth, Entrapta tested the air inside the hollow machine and breathed in fetid, dank but deliciously breathable oxygen. She grinned in triumph.

“Underwater log day 1 hour 3. The air is indeed breathable,” she noted on her voice recorder. “Information gathered so far.

1. I am alive.
2. This is no ordinary creature but a robotic one made from First-Ones Tech.
3. It is taking me somewhere.

“I suspect this robot to be a First Ones Guardian so it would seem appropriate that it would be going towards the Sea Pearl, however, the Sea Pearl stands on a plinth some 300 meters above sea level and there is no record of a Sea Guardian at that level. It may be assumed that this guardian is water based only. If I surmise that I was attacked as an intruder within the serpent’s territory the question remains, why didn’t it kill me and why take me to the Sea Pearl? End of log.”

Entrapta put away the voice recorder and stared into the darkness her eyes sparkling. She had so many questions, it was all such a mystery and so exciting! Where to begin? Ah yes, the tentacles still binding her body were a nuisance.

Well she couldn’t just lie around all day. Science doesn’t study itself and it wasn’t as if help was coming anytime soon. Activating a tiny saw from a pigtail she painstakingly cut through her bindings until she was free. With a maniacal laugh she stood up, dragging her soaked pigtails off the floor. She slammed down her mask to use its night vision capabilities and found herself in a control room filled with panels of switches and buttons. In her excitement she almost didn’t notice the eyes of the vessel were viewports so she could steer the sea snake wherever she wanted.

“Faacinating…” she giggled to herself and rubbed her hands together. It was a moment’s work to locate the light switch. Before long she had the heating on and a hairdryer in motion. “Now to figure out how to steer this little lady… Esmerelda!” She licked her lips in anticipation as her fingers wriggled over the controls.
*****
Mermista gasped as the distant figures swam towards her. No! Not just now. She glanced to either side of herself but there was no-where to hide in the open sea. She groaned inwards and sighed, her hand over her face as she reconsidered her options yet again. Why now? She plastered a smile across her face as the mermaids drew closer.

“Hey, Cherise, Shells… Chelsea. Yeah, it’s me. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” she squinted her eyes at the fourth figure. “SEA HAWK! I thought you were swimming to shore for help.”

He raised his arms in a shrug and pointed at his breather to show he couldn’t talk right now. Shells had dragged him over, her hand still wrapped around his wrist. She was staring longingly into his eyes, a coy smile on her lips. Sea Hawk shrugged her off and smiled at the woman he loved. Mermista groaned and glared at him. She’d spent so long trying to keep him from meeting her mermaid friends and now, at the worst time possible, here he was invading the life she’d kept separate for so long.

The three mermaids were all similar to Mermista in appearance but with long waist length hair that flowed and hovered to give each a halo effect and tails that ended in beautiful transparent fins. Chelsea, the blonde mermaid with a tail of bright yellow wore a yellow vest top. She was adorned with shells of all shapes and sizes of vibrant colours and styles. She loved to collect new ones. Strings of pearls hung loose around her waist and along her luxurious tail, twinkling in the gloom of the underwater world to show off her dainty figure. Her hair was threaded with strings of pearls and iridescent shells that reflected the pale light that filtered beneath the waves.

Shells’ perfectly white hair and silver tail made her shimmer like treasure. Always the alluring one she had the boys chasing her everywhere she went. Mermista grunted as she noticed the mermaid still had her hand wrapped around Sea Hawk’s wrist. How dare she! Although… they weren’t actually together… right? Shells had the most beautiful voice, she had won many competitions with it and she was called the Siren of the Sea for good reason. Her silver scales reached right up to her chest to cover her modesty then down to her lower back to show off skin as pale as the night moon. Mermista envied her simplistic look. She wore only shells in her hair and a small smattering of individual pearls to catch the light.

Cherise, the youngest of the group, was the most excitable and boisterous. With deep rose pink hair and tail and a bright pink vest top to match she simply loved hair and would spend hours brushing her own or others tresses for the sheer pleasure of it. She talked constantly and although she seemed dim-witted she had often surprised her friends with a casual comment or two right when they thought she wasn’t paying any attention. She wore only pink pearls and pink shells or stones linked together with strings around her neck and waist and along her tail. A simple pink flower adorned her hair because as she said, ‘what’s the point in having hair if you can’t spend all day brushing it.’ She was the most bubbly of the four and with Mermista’s teal shades the quartet made a colourful group.

“Is this your like… boyfriend?” Chelsea’s tone was syrupy sweet and friendly but superficial. Mermista, brought back to the moment, knew the mermaid was toying with her. She was jealous. She could tell because she was being extra nice and extra friendly. The blonde smiled beautifuly and grabbed Mermista in a hug that was more showy than meaningful and said, “He’s so dreamy Mermista. How like you to pick a land being instead of an underwater one. How quaint. My boyfriend would never amount to anything next to yours.”

Behind Chelsea, Mermista spied Sea Hawk grinning at the praise directed at him. He puffed up his chest and was undoubtably about to commence a rendition of a sea shanty when he remembered where he was and that he couldn’t breathe without the device he was currently using. He waved his arms instead in an attempt to illustrate his song without words.

Mermista rolled her eyes at him and pushed away from Chelsea. Her teal locks and colouring had completed the group as they had grown up. They had been best friends since they were very young but while she was able to walk amongst the land dwellers, exploring the whole of Etheria, they had been restricted to swimming beneath the waves. All they could do was clamber onto rocks to sing enchanting lullabies for anyone who would listen. It was a pastime Mermista had joined in with until her father had given her the throne. Now she had little time to give to them and every moment was precious. She knew she had been gone too long and Chelsea would be angry but she had no time for pleasantries. This was not the time.

“Chelsea…” she had to wrap this up fast. Entrapta needed her help and although the three mermaids were her friends they were mermaid friends. She was determined to keep her underwater and overland lives separate. It was the promise she had made to her father, to stop the war from resurfacing. Land and sea did not mix. She was sure of that. If only Sea Hawk had just swum to shore, or if she’d stopping their ship from sinking…

“Actually, it’s ‘Shell-sea’ now. I’m pronouncing it that way so we’re more ‘together’ as a group. Y’know… like Cherise, Shells and Shell-sea.” The smile deepened, eyes crinkling at the edges, playing with Mermista’s feelings.

“What group?” Mermista narrowed her eyes, suddenly distracted from her thoughts. Entrapta was all but forgotten. “Where do I fit in here?” Chelsea smirked and said nothing. She knew her friends too well and knew they would fill in the gap where her words should be.

“OOOh!” Cherise chimed in on cue. Her voice was soft and high pitched but carried a long distance.

“Don’t worry Mermista, Shelsea’s thought of everything. You can be Shermista! It’s beautiful. You’ll fit right in.” Cherise extended her arms wide in her excitement, her face radiating honest pleasure, pink hair floating behind her. There wasn’t a bad thought in her pretty head. In fact, there wasn’t much thought there at all except her love of hair styling. She reached out to touch Mermista’s hair,

“I do wish you would let me brush it,” she said mournfully, “I used to looove brushing your hair. Why do you braid it and keep it tied up all the time?”

Mermista groaned and looked Chelsea in the eye, “Sher-mista? Are you crazy? Like, the whole point is the Mer part like Mer-maid-a… as in my mother’s name… You know I was named after her you evil siren!”

Chelsea gasped at the insult and her mouth dropped open in mock shock. Mermista knew that Chelsea was trying to make her angry. The mermaid was always trying to upstage her. She was jealous of her ability to be both mermaid and human and of her princess status not to mention her awesome runestone powers over water. Mermista narrowed her eyes at her ‘friend’. They had been through much together, changing lives, lost parents, boyfriends…

“I’m so sorry Mermista,” Chelsea gushed in mock regret, a dramatic hand over her heart, “I completely forgot!” Mermista highly doubted that as both their mothers had been friends with each other when they were at school. Mermista and Chelsea had grown up as sisters and that was the only reason right now that she was getting away with such insulting behaviour.

“You forgot?” Mermista intoned, sarcasm dripping from her words like oil.

Chelsea looked up at her through long black lashes then suddenly perked up and said, “Hey, you coming to the Undersea Ball next week?”

“Snake!” Shells screamed and pointed towards the deep water of the ocean. Chelsea looked shocked as she stared at her friend.

“Snake? Are you insulting me Shells?”

Her friend shook her head and repeated, “No, it’s a real snake. Heading this way!”

“So? Snakes don’t bother with mermaids.”

Shells grabbed Chelsea by the shoulders and shook her friend, “It’s a Sideon Snake! It’ll eat the boy!”

Mermista felt her chest tighten. She looked in the direction Shells had pointed to and sure enough the swish of a long tail could be seen approaching at speed. Still Chelsea didn’t see the issue at hand. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say, ‘so what’.

Mermista sprang into action. “I know those snakes won’t bother us, but Sea Hawk here, he’s fair game and we need to get him out of here.” Chelsea looked at Mermista and Sea Hawk and considered her options. Mermista grabbed her shoulders to talk to her directly.

“I need help Chelsea!”

Chelsea shrugged and examined her nails. Shells and Cherise swam nearby ready to help but Mermista was angry with her best friend’s indecision. She turned to grab Sea Hawk, “Fine! Be that way. I’m done Chelsea. Just stay out of my way in future.”

She pulled Sea Hawk aside and turned to leave when Chelsea blurted,

“Wait! I’m sorry Mermista, of course I’ll help. You’re my best friend!” Mermista rolled her eyes but turned back to let Chelsea finish. “You and Cherise hold off the serpent. Shells and I will hide your boyfriend over there.”

She pointed to an outcrop of rocks and Mermista nodded in agreement. As Shells and Chelsea grabbed an arm each and pulled an unusually silent Sea Hawk back towards the rocky outcrop of the shallows, Mermista and Cherise took off towards the sea serpent in an attempt to distract it. While mermaids were not generally sought out by serpents they were sometimes mistaken for seals by the huge beasts which had a powerful bite. The snake swam towards them blindly, mouth wide. Its head was as large as Mermista was tall, its long tail undulating fifteen meters behind eyes like large dinner plates. The dark green of its scales shimmered in the shards of light penetrating the surface of the sea. The mermaids swam past alongside the snake trying to coax it back out to sea but it took no notice and continued on towards the rocky outcrop where the mermaids and Sea Hawk hid.

Mermista reached out to the creature with her powers. She spoke to it in calming tones to find out what was wrong. It was not hunting; its mind full of panic and fear. Something had startled the poor reptile out of the depths where they normally lived and into the shallow seas. It was afraid. She tried to calm its mind, pull the thoughts back to a grounded state but it was no use. She did not have the power to soothe it, only to suggest thoughts but the creature was too crazed to understand or notice her.

Mermista launched herself in front of the sideon snake. Perhaps she could use the trident to divert it back into the open ocean. She was the fastest swimmer of the group and easily caught up to the reptile again, overtaking it in quick strokes of her powerful tail. She turned at the last moment, a smile of satisfaction radiating from her face, and aimed the trident between the creature’s eyes. A blast of light erupted from the weapon, enough to startle the snake but it was so fixated on its path that it didn’t divert its course. It ploughed towards the Sea Princess, mouth wide and inviting, teeth sharp as swords while Mermista took aim once more. There was no-where to swim to in any case and no time left to avoid the great maw.

From the darkness of the sea floor another serpent reared its head and roared at the sideon snake. It was twice as big as the first snake with meter long spikes lined up along its back and rows of teeth glistening in the sub-light. Its silvery hues caught any light available in the underwater depths and it sparkled. A mouth large enough to swallow a small boat in one go opened up to take a swipe at the sideon snake. As fast as it had arrived, the sideon snake, now stunned back into submission, turned tail and disappeared into the deep seas where it had come from. Mermista lowered her trident and tried to appear nonplussed as Cherise grabbed her in a wild hug.

“MERMISTA! It almost ate you! Don’t do that again.”

Mermista shook her friend away in disgust. She was about to add something clever and sarky to the conversation when the second serpent slowed down and turned towards the mermaids. The great mouth closed and the spikes along its back flattened. Great lights glowed from the enormous eyes. Mermista raised her trident again on impulse before she realised the eyes were in fact glass windows. On closer inspection the snake was in fact made of metal. Layers of wires and components ran across the skin of the creature, First Ones writing glowing across every surface, and inside…

“ENTRAPTA! But how did you? You’re not dead? Why are you not dead?” Mermista fumbled her words in her confusion and relief. She didn’t notice Sea Hawk, Shells and Chelsea swimming over to join them. Inside the First Ones Guardian Entrapta grinned wide and threw her arms out to show her joy.

“I saved you! Mermista, I’m so glad I found you! This is the Guardian of the Sea Pearl, it’s incredible! Aaaanndd I HAVE to show you what I found down here. Quick, there’s no time. Who knows what secrets are down here. I don’t think it’s been opened in hundreds of years!”

Mermista groaned at Entrapta’s enthusiasm. The small scientist bounced around inside the capsule, her hair fluffed out to twice its usual size, her eyes wide and sparkling as she continued her tirade of scientific facts and observations into the recorder grasped in a hair strand. As her mermaid friends were still some way off, she turned to make a derogatory quip to Cherise about her geeky friend to find the pink mermaid glowing from head to fin in adoration. Cherise was frozen in position and utterly speechless. Her hands, clasped in front of her trembled with excitement. Her eyes were wide, bright and sparkling like gemstones to match those of the scientist she was staring at. Then she emitted a high-pitched squeal of joy that had Mermista backing away and staring at the pink mermaid as if she’d lost her mind.

“Oh… my… hair… looong hair… Wishes do come true!” Arms flung wide against the backdrop of her own rose-coloured halo of keratin, the deep pink mermaid gathered her thoughts together, “This is like… the best day of my life ever! It’s incredible. How does it work? Can I see it closer? Can I touch it? Oh… can I brush it? Please let me brush it! It’ll take so long. I can style it! Oh the things I could do with it!”

With each question from the mermaid’s lips her tone pitched higher and higher until Shells and Chelsea, who had dumped Sea Hawk into Mermista’s unresisting arms, had to swim over and tell her to breathe. Cherise held her gaze on Entrapta’s hair, her friends on either side of her, and sighed in contentment. Entrapta, unassuming as ever, carried on with her data collection. She paced back and forth across the small cabin, hair swishing behind her as she moved, Cherise’s eyes following it everywhere it went. She finished recording and looked up to find herself face to face with not one but four mermaids and her eyes shone brighter than ever.

“Mermaids! Where do you live? How deep can you go? Is it true you can breathe both air and underwater? I have so many questions!”

Entrapta pressed her face and hands against the glass of the submarine viewscreen that doubled as an eye of the guardian and Cherise copied her actions. The two women gasped in awe at each other while Sea Hawk’s eyes shone in rapture of a new friendship blossoming.

Mermista, Chelsea and Shells grunted; arms crossed, facepalming and yawning in turn. Mermista shared a glance with Chelsea that said, ‘figures’ and they smiled at each other. They had been friends since childhood and could never fight for long. Chelsea grabbed Mermista in a short hug to the bemusement of Sea Hawk who could say nothing at all so he waved at her good humouredly. It seemed her land-based life had come crashing down upon her underwater one after all.

Chapter Text

Entrapta guided the Submarine serpent a few meters above the sea floor. She had opened the hatch to allow Sea Hawk to enter the cockpit where he had avidly begun singing sea shanties and Entrapta hummed along as she drove the vehicle. Shells’ head stuck up through the hatch on the floor of the cockpit. She hugged the edge of the round opening and sang alongside Sea Hawk her voice haunting and melodious. It gave an etherial and beautiful edge to the song that Sea Hawk really liked. He looked at her white hair and silver tail and she looked back at him in awe.

Outside, the three remaining mermaids swam alongside the sea serpent. It did not go unnoticed that Sea Hawk and Shells were getting along so well and that their voices matched perfectly. Mermista was on edge and rethinking her decision to find out what Entrapta had found so deep beneath the waves. What could possibly be hidden down here.

“Urrgh,” Mermista groaned, “This better be important Geek Princess.”

“Isn’t her name Entrapta?” Cherise asked innocently, “Why do you call her Geek Princess.”

Mermista frowned, “It’s just a friendly nickname. She said I could.”

“Oh,” Cherise smiled, “Like you call me Pink or Chelsea is now Shellsea?”

Ooo, I get it,” Entrapta added, “Shell-sea, like seashell! Shells, sea-shell and Cherise!” a frown clouded her features, “Oh, that’s gonna get confusing. Can I just use colours? I find descriptors much easier to understand when it comes to remembering names.”

“And that’s why she’s Geek Princess,” Mermista said with a smirk. She swam off and Cherise stuck her tongue out after the teal mermaid. Mermista may have been the Sea Princess but as friends they were equals.

Cherise swam under the submarine and popped her head up through the hatch next to Shells. She used her arms to anchor herself to the edge of the round, metal hole in the floor of the control room and waved to her new friends.

“Hiii” Entrapta waved back. “Did you want to see how the controls work?”

Cherise shook her head, “I just wanna touch your hair,” She gushed, eyes twinkling, “It’s longer than any hair I’ve ever seen and I’ve met a lot of mermaids!”

Entrapta thought for a moment but she couldn’t see the harm. The pink mermaid appeared to be somewhat like herself, single minded and hyper focussed. Albeit not quite as scientific as she’d like, she felt a simple connection to the young mermaid. She smiled and allowed one pigtail to extend into the water behind her as she returned to the controls. She was guiding them to a secret cave she’d discovered.

Cherise squealed with excitement, pulled a brush from her hair and dived under to begin brushing the longest tresses of her lifetime. At the same time a squeal of excitement came from the cockpit as Entrapta saw her beloved Phil before them on the sands sea floor. He was patiently walking towards the shore but a current had taken him off course and he was, instead, heading in the wrong direction. With a few maneouvers Entrapta steadied the sea serpent and Phil was brought on board via a landing ramp and a robot arm or two.

Mermista groaned. At this rate they’d never reach the cave she’d been promised would make her day.

They reached the entrance to the cave in due course, covered as it was in sea grass and moss and the mermaids and Guardian Sea Serpent ducked under the overhang concealing the entrance. Once inside all six of them held their breath in astonishment.

“This isn’t the best part,” Entrapta warned, “Watch this!” She pressed a button on the Sea Serpent’s console and a tunnel appeared above them, daylight filtering through from above. She motioned for the mermaids to follow. “This is just where the First Ones Guardian slept, but through here…”

The Sea Guardian rose up into an enormous cavern around a hundred meters in diameter, cylindrical in design and built of carefully hewn granite the surface of which was smoothed to perfection, glittering crystals sparkling softly in the light of luminescent moss which grew in the damp conditions. The large eyes of the submarine became torches to light up the darkness but even so, much of the cavern was left in a soft green glow from the moss. No light penetrated from above. Mermista, on reaching the water surface, raised her head back as far as possible but the tower was so high it faded into darkness far above.

The hatch on top of the Sea Guardian sprang open and Sea Hawk’s head burst through ready to exclaim his excitement at the new adventure they had been thrust into. The words died on his lips before being uttered as the magnitude of the ancient architecture and the beauty of its construction hit him and took his breath away. He looked to Mermista in awe but she was too overwhelmed at the discovery of the undersea cavern and was lost in her own world.

The large pool the Sea Guardian now resided in was perfectly circular with a stone five-meter wide walkway surrounding it. The walkway had no doorways or openings at all, only a single stone staircase that spiralled upwards into the unknown fathoms above. No light penetrated from anywhere apart from luminescent moss on the stone walls as far as the eye could see and the eyes of the sea guardian which lit up like torches.

The four mermaids surfaced next to the guardian serpent and swam around the pool in amazement. On their backs they had a perfect view of the whole cavern and the staircase leading up into the abyss above. Cherise oohed and aahed while Shells and Chelsea made flippant comments about how their secret cavern back home was so much better. Mermista glared at them. Entrapta steered the First Ones Guardian to the edge of the pool, leaping from the top hatch with an ecstatic proclamation of,

“This is incredible!” She leapt from the metal submarine to the stone paving slabs in one enormous bound. A large and powerful torch appeared in a hair hand to light up the area around her as she began to study each and every glyph and rune marking on the walls beyond.

“Faaascinatiing…”

Mermista swam to the edge and lifted herself out of the water to shake herself dry. She was done being a mermaid for the moment. Sea Hawk hailed her as he jumped to shore and ran over.

“My dearest Mermista! Are you all right? This cavern is a wonderous place indeed. Are these mermaids the friends you so often talk about? I would be honoured to be introduced properly.” He stole a glance at Shells who winked at him.

“Shut up Sea Hawk!” Mermista, arms crossed rolled her eyes at her errant pirate and groaned. “Entrapta… What’s she up to now? Gruuhh, why can’t anything be easy? I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up in Salineas in time for a luxurious bath and time to read my new book. Why does everything have to be an ADVENTURE?”

The glare she gave Sea Hawk made him take a step back and raise his arms in surrender. When Mermista was in this mood it was best not to speak at all.

A loud humming of a sea shanty crossed the cavern and the pair looked up to find Entrapta taking notes on her datapad on the other side of the dark pool, evidently the pad was waterproof despite her inability to swim. Sea Hawk espied the tune of his last sea shanty in her vocals and smiled in self-pride. Entrapta moved swiftly and effortlessly on her prehensile limbs, raising herself up when necessary to study the walls as fully as possible, her high beam torch lighting up the room as she moved.

“Where was she keeping that?” Chelsea asked Mermista.

“Don’t even ask,” was the clipped response.

They all waited patiently as the purple haired scientist finally made it back round the circle to join them at the foot of the stairs. She drew out her voice recorder which leaked water onto the floor and sparked electrical charges into her thickly gloved hand.

“Oh shoot! Another one destroyed.” She handed it back to her hair where it disappeared once more, “Hopefully I can repair it at a later date or at least retrieve the data stored in it. Until then… guess I’m gonna have to remember this.” As she spoke her gaze moved upwards in solitary contemplation of the vast structure above. With one finger on her chin in contemplation, the other perched on a hip in thought she considered their next move. It was such a beautiful and inspiring structure of unique architecture how could anyone not want to stand at gaze at the tower all day…

Standing on her feet, not far from the edge of the pool, Entrapta’s purple pigtails cascaded from her head to the floor in wonderous waves. Cherise, head resting on her arms at the side of the pool, stared at them, her eyes shining and bright as though stars glistened within. Her own deep pink locks swept around her head and down to the water to float leisurely around her in a brilliant aura. Cherise sighed in contentment. That hair… if only it was closer she could…

In unison both women sighed and said, “It’s beautiful.”

Mermista watched the interactions from a short distance away and tried not to scoff. Between Entrapta’s science obsession and Chelsea’s hair fixation this was too much to for her. She made a face at Chelsea and pointed at the pair. Chelsea and Shells nodded in agreement and made the same disgusted face back. Although it seemed rude the gesture was a form of endearment from the mermaid trio who would never normally be seen showing any form of endearment towards anyone. Mermista had made herself very clear on that long ago and only Cherise, always smiling and oblivious, had been allowed to offer the traditional welcome hug or squeal of joy she felt had to be uttered at every available opportunity. It was a group dynamic that worked and Mermista loved her mermaid friends and how different they all were. It made her think of her new friends in the Princess Alliance and of Sea Hawk… where was he? She looked around until she spotted him at the wall examining the glyphs. He was trying to decipher the clues for himself. She smiled to herself. Typical Sea Hawk looking for adventure at every step. She strode over to lean against him but as a friend of course, nothing more.

Chelsea and Shells drifted silently around the pool in a beauteous display of mermaid backstroke. The casual silence between them was one that had been garnered over many years of friendship and they were comfortable in each other’s company. There was no need to say anything.

Entrapta considered the glyphs and what they meant. There was a history here that spanned thousands of years. Connections to other kingdoms, even Dryl, were etched up on the stone walls but the same symbol appeared over and over. Sea-Ra. Perhaps it was more than a myth. Too engrossed in contemplation Entrapta took tiny, absent-minded steps backwards, towards the water.

Cherise, perched at the water’s edge and low to the ground, reached out a hand to brush her fingers through the ends of a pigtail. It slapped her hand and she giggled. An idea occurred and Cherise pushed a hand into the pigtail to see what would happen. She pushed the entire arm into the pigtail and nothing came out the other side. She looked around to see if anyone had noticed but they were all preoccupied. Even Entrapta was too engrossed in her thoughts to care she had ‘lost’ an arm.

Pulling the arm free Cherise had another bright idea and she was determined to try it out. Without a sound she disappeared underwater, turning to swim as fast as possible back up towards the cavern and leapt… She dived into Entrapta’s pigtail in a shimmer of pink and purple glitter and disappeared. Entrapta, not expecting this was rocked off balance. She wobbled and emitted a high pitched scream as she lost her fight against gravity and plunged backwards into the pool behind her with an enormous splash.

Mermista and Sea Hawk looked up in alarm with Chelsea and Shells diving under in a flash of silver and gold. Without a word she diving in after them all, leaving Sea Hawk to cry out,

“Adventure!”

Sea Hawk was left alone in the cavern. The luminescent moss, the lights from the Sea Guardian’s eyes and Entrapta’s torch, dropped in the turmoil, still lit up the section he was in but it began to feel rather quiet and empty. He was beginning to get worried when there was a large sucking noise and the water rose six feet above him, Mermista riding the crest of a wave with Entrapta over a shoulder. She rode the wave to the edge of the pool and stepped onto the stone slabs to lay the princess on the ground. She wasn’t breathing. Sea Hawk ran over to help and he shook the princess gently to try to wake her.

Without any warning Entrapta sat up and spluttered water over the stone floor. Her hair, soggy and heavy with the weight of gallons of water hung in ragged bunches from her disheveled head. Her eyes slowly opened against the grit of the salt in her eyes.

“It hate water.” Her voice was uncharacteristically monotoned. She gathered her thoughts, her breath slowly returning to normal, body shaking with the fresh chill to her bones. There was a pink sparkle to her hair then the perky voice of Cherise rose up as the mermaid reappeared and dived, doing a loop de loop in the air, back into the pool with an enormous smile.

“That… was… AWESOME!! I was IN her hair. It was so soft and long and I got lost in there, it was incredible like… awesome incredible… like… wow… like…” she sighed, eyes dreamy and half lidded. She sank beneath the surface only to resurface in the water next to the prone princess. Her dreamy far off look never left her face as she smiled and reached out to touch that purple mass again…

“No!” the hair twitched away and Entrapta glared at the mermaid in a manner uncharacteristically stern. Cherise backed away and looked down at the water.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “it’s just that you have such beautiful hair and I wish I had hair like yours. Its super long and it can grow and move by itself and you can even walk with it! Mine just hangs here in a lump. I can’t do anything with it.”

Chelsea pushed forward to hug her friend, “What are you talking about Cherise? Your hair is beautiful. You’re the best hair dresser I know and everyone says how much they wish they had hair like yours.”

Cherise sniffed, “Is that true?”

“Oh yeah,” Shells added, “I wish my hair was like yours, mine just tugs all the time.”

Mermista groaned again, “Yeah about that… That’s why I tie my hair back Cherise. It saves me trying to brush it all day. Also the braid makes it easier to dry when I’m on land. But… I get why you like Entrapta’s hair. You wish you could go on land too right?”

Chelsea examined her nails. “We all do,” mumbled into her fingertips, “Mermista you and your land dweller pals are so exciting. I wish we could be human for a day just to join you all.”

All three mermaids sighed as Entrapta listened and took note of what was being said, “Well I for one think being a mermaid is way better than being human. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get grouchy. It was kinda tickly having a mermaid tail in my hair, I kind of liked it actually… but falling in the water… I don’t wanna do that again!”

Entrapta looked back up at the staircase again. It ascended into the air above as far as she could see. She stood up and made her way over to look at it. Her hair and clothes, still wet, hung from her body and made her look like a drowned cat. She prodded the bottom stair as hair strands squeezed out as much water as they could.

“There’s a mechanism here. Look, if I push it down, there’s a counterweight. I think you have to press the whole step in one go to activate it buuuut…” she pressed the stair a little harder, “There! It activates something inside the staircase. Wanna find out what it does?”

She looked at Mermista and Sea Hawk for a reply. The Sea Princess shook her head.

“No, but I’m guessing we have to find out what this temple is hiding right?” Entrapta nodded with enthusiasm. Mermista groaned. She put her hand on her face then dragged it back down to her side. “Ok. Lets get this over with.”

Entrapta quickly moved them into position so she, Mermista and Sea Hawk were in a line. On her count they all took a step onto the first stair. Once the weight was added the step slowly slid down and the mechanism connected. There was a stoney grating sound as granite blocks moved against each other and a churning of machinery. Cogs whirred, gears turned and ancient technology came to life once more. The step slid down… and the water of the pool rose up. It wasn’t much, only a hand’s depth but the mermaids grew excited.

“We’re gonna get to see what’s up there!” Chelsea was so excited she jumped from the water into a double loop then dived back under. She surfaced next to Shells and Cherise who were just as excited.

Shells looked at Sea Hawk with a glint in her eye, “Hey there sweet prince, I’m a-coming for ya!” He gulped and smiled at her but tried to hide behind Mermista’s body as they began to climb the staircase as one.

Several flights later Mermista called a break. Leaning against the wall of the undersea tower she took in her bearings. Entrapta and Sea Hawk sat on the steps while the mermaids crawled up to sit next to them. Shells grabbed Sea Hawk’s arm and cuddled her head into his shoulder while Cherise whipped out her brush to attack Entrapta’s hair once more. The tech princess was too busy on her datapad to shrug her off but Mermista detected a small smile on the smaller woman. It seemed that Cherise was beginning to grow on her and they were quickly becoming fast friends.

She glanced down to find Chelsea sitting on the step beside her, hair dripping but surprisingly dry. She gave her friend a look that said ‘don’t test me’ and folded her arms around her mid-drift in stoic silence.

“Mermista we miss you,” Chelsea said. The mermaid actually sounded genuine and didn’t even show a trace of sarcasm in her voice. “I know I upset you but I just wanted to get your attention. You never visit anymore. It’s not the same.”

Mermista sighed and knelt down to sit beside her best friend. She took Chelsea’s hand in hers. “You know… sometimes I miss you guys.” Mermista said it with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. “We’ve been friends for like… forever and… I guess I got busy with… on land stuff and… I forgot I’m a mermaid too. I’ve been keeping both my worlds so separate from each other because I was afraid none of you would like Sea Hawk or my new friends. She looked at Shells and Cherise. It’s not like that is it? I guess… I was afraid I’d have to choose.”

“Oh, Mermista!” Chelsea grabbed the teal princess in a hug so tight that Mermista yelped in surprise. “We LOVE your new friends. And there’s more? Can you bring them to see us? Please?”

“Eeew, If you let go, I’ll think about it.”

Chelsea dropped the hug instantaneously and swept her blonde locks back in a swish of gold. She perched a hand on a hip and splashed the tip of her tail lazily in and out of the water. The other four laughed as Mermista glared at them. Even Entrapta felt the tension in the air shift to one of commonality and friendship. Mermista could never be truly mad at Chelsea or Shells or Cherise. They’d grown up together, shared so much that even the worst insults could be forgiven as sibling rivalry and forgotten without apology. None of them had any siblings and none of them needed any. They had each other.

Entrapta felt a tiny tear prick the corner of her eye and she brushed it off with a gloved finger surreptitiously. She wished, yet again, that she had grown up with someone, anyone she could call a friend, that she could have shared her life with. Not even a robot could fill that void in her heart. Except maybe Emily. In horror she realised she hadn’t thought about her robot companion in several days now. Guilt protruded into her heart like a tidal wave and a frown crossed her features. Phil Bot! He was still in the Guardian Sea Snake. She glanced at the eyes of the beast to see him puttering about inside, oblivious to what was happening on the steps. He was there but he wasn’t Emily, or Scorpia. She missed them both terribly, even Catra and Hordak. Life was strange to give you friends and then take them away without warning. It was unsettling.

As emotions grew in her chest she pushed them down to replace the tiny frown with an energetic smile before she became embroiled in misery. There was nothing she could do about it now and she had a job to do. Help Mermista find out what the cavern kept hidden away. Leaping to her feet she sprang onto her hairtails to Cherise’s delight and began to run up the stairs three at a time. Cherise who had been brushing her hair was now on top of a pigtail, held high in the air, bouncing and screaming in delight at the sudden change.

“Gruuhh,” Mermista groaned. “Guess breaks over.” She pulled Sea Hawk to his feet making Shells, who was almost asleep on his shoulder, fall face first into the water of the pool. They began to ascend the staircase once more. Luckily the two of them were still able to activate the mechanism to raise the water level by standing a little further apart and Entrapta was never on a step long enough to create any issues.

An hour later they arrived at the top of the stairwell. Sea Hawk collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion as Mermista took a look around. The stairwell had come out into a domed, circular room made of stone as before. A magical lantern hung every few feet along the walls and lit up the cavern in bright yellow hues. The wide gap across the chasm they had just climbed was now covered over by a stone floor, the staircase now completely submerged. There was no going back that way as a human. Mermista didn’t wan to begin thinking about what kept that floor in place. There was a small circular gap in the floor right in the centre three meters wide. It was enough for Shells and Chelsea to surface unto but the Guardian serpent was too big and had to stay below the stone floor. Above them the domed ceiling was filled with stained glass images of past Salineas rulers and famous mer-people. Mermista recognised several images from her studies as a child. It was lit from behind as though, finally, they had reached the surface and lit was getting through from somewhere on the other side.

Entrapta could be seen at the other side of the cavern, once more studying runes and glyphs carved there. Cherise was having the time of her life lying on the tech genius’ head while lazily brushing the massive pigtails with her favourite brush. As Mermista watched, the mermaid reached into her own deep pink hair to produce seashells which she laced into Entrapta’s hair adorning it in beautiful decorations.

“Hey, Mermista!” she called over exuberantly, one arm waving at her, “Isn’t it wonderful! Entrapta’s hair can hold its own seashells! I don’t even have to fix them in place!”

Mermista face palmed with a groan. One ecstatic friend was enough, two was just stupid. “Sure Cherise, that’s great. I’m just gonna lie over here and die right.”

“Wait watch this!” Cherise dived into one of Entrapta’s hairtails and disappeared. Even though she knew both of her friends fairly well Mermista was still shocked to see Cherise appear in the opposite pigtail, her tail still sticking out of the first one.”

“What the name of the Goddess? How the hell are you doing that?” Mermista said as Sea Hawk spluttered and gagged at the sight. Ever the sailor he couldn’t stomach the sight of a fish torn in two. Shells and Chelsea looked up from the tiny pool in the centre of the room. They screamed. Entrapta, suddenly aware of noise around her turned to see what was going on. Her hairtail rose up behind her in a questioning manner. This meant that Cherise also rose up, her body now split in the middle by several meters.

“Aaaah!” Mermista shouted, “Entrapta what are you doing to her?”

“What me? What am I doing?” she glanced from side to side in open confusion.

Mermista face palmed again, “Gruuh! Honestly, you don’t know do you?” she pointed at Entrapta’s hair. “Just get her out of there!”

“What?” Entrapta said, looking at a pigtail to find Cherise’s pink hair melting into her own, the mermaid’s smile voracious and her eyes glowing with delight. Entrapta yelped in surprise and promptly dropped the pink mermaid back into the pool with her friends. She stepped back towards the wall to escape the evil clutches of the hair siren.

“Aw,” Cherise complained, “That was fun.”

“How did you do that?” Sea Hawk questioned her.

“Huh? I don’t know. I just thought, why not?” Mermista recognised this to be the extent of Cherise’s scientific pursuits. She decided to ask a more knowledgable individual.

“Entrapta?”

The tech princess shivered in the damp room and looked at her sidelong. “Umm… I have… well… I…”

Mermista’s glare deepened as she fumbled for an answer.

“I have pocket dimensions in my hair,” she blurted out. “Where else am I supposed to keep all my stuff?”

The glares turned to confused looks and the silence continued.

She spoke slower with a deliberate and careful tone, “I use al-ter-na-tive re-ali-ties to hide stuff in… my… hair. It means… I can keep… a lot… more… stuff… in there.”

She turned away to look at her data pad. There was no use explaining. They wouldn’t understand. Sure enough Mermista retorted,

“Wait! After everything we’ve been through, you’re STILL using portals?”

Entrapta froze, suddenly realising what she had said and exactly why the room had fallen silent. Both Mermista and Sea Hawk were staring at her in horror.

“It’s not like that,” she said, eyes wide, “they’re not real portals, it’s like… tiny tears in the fabric of the universe, they already exist, I didn’t create them. It’s just how my hair works, like you can move water using an imbalance of gravity and surface tension. Or, or… how Frosta manipulates temperature to create ice.” She was speaking too fast, her voice layden with facts. Mermista tried to keep up but all she could hear was the word portal.

“Urgh, just tell me, are you still working on the portal project that almost destroyed reality?”

There was a small silence while Entrapta considered how to answer. Mermista filled it.

“I knew it! I knew you were hiding something. Stars! Why can’t you just stay away from…”

“It’s for Angella!” Entrapta didn’t mean to shout but the words came out before she had time to consider them. She’d always found communicating with others to be difficult. Always found that no-one really understood her or her motivations. She was trying to change that but it wasn’t easy. Mermista took a breath and calmed herself. She was trying too. Everyone else watched on with interest.

“It… it’s for Angella.” Entrapta continued her voice slow and careful now. “I showed Bow before we left for Salineas and he asked be to keep trying to find a way to bring her back. I promise it’s nothing to do with how my hair works and it’s safe. I won’t build anything until Bow says so. It’s purely theoretical just now, but I have to try. I have to fix what I did wrong.”

Mermista looked into those amythest eyes and realised the small woman was trying to her best. It hadn’t occurred to her properly until now but Entrapta was sorry for what she had done, she just didn’t have the words to say it. Her gaze shifted to Cherise and her mermaid friends in the pool. They rarely apologised for hurting one another. They were so close as friends they didn’t need to. They knew where the line was and how to help each other. Entrapta needed support to get to that place.

She sighed and reached out to the Tech Princess. “Ok Entrapta, just forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m just nervous I guess. This place is so old but… familiar. I feel like I’ve been here before.”

Entrapta felt uneasy after the outburst but there was work to be done so she distracted herself by doing it. Looking up she could see a trident attached to the ceiling. It was too far away for her hairtails to extend to, too far for any of them to reach. But one of them could.

“I’ve read the runes.” She said, “They say you have to use your water powers Mermista to reach the trident on the ceiling. You need to bring your friends from both sea and land to witness. The trident is one of great power. The power of Sea-Ra. It will give you far more than the power you currently have…. OOooo mermista, it’s the Sea-Ra powers you always wanted! I can’t believe it’s real. All you have to do is use your water powers to lift you up there and then just take it!”

Mermista stared around the room in awe. The glyphs on the walls told stories of long ago, of people long since departed. She shook her head.

“No. There’s more to it. I needed human friends to help with the staircase. I need mermaid friends to reach the trident. That’s how it works. It’s why there’s a pool of water right underneath it.”

Entrapta and Sea Hawk looked at the walls again and chorused, “Yes, that’s it!”

Mermista waved her arm and projected a tower of water into the air to reach up to the trident stuck to the ceiling. Chelsea, Shells and Cherise were swept up in the current and they exclaimed at the movement as they floated up on the fountain. Mermista dived in, instantly turning back into a mermaid too and swam up the column to reach up as high as she could go.

Sure enough, the trident was still a little out of reach so her friends pushed her up so she could grasp the handle and pull it towards herself. It glowed. She glowed. The room became so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes and Mermista almost lost her hold on the water fountain.

She pulled the trident out of its slot in the ceiling and a gap opened up above it powered by invisible machinery, revealing the skies of Salineas. They had climbed the full height of the palace and were now standing inside the stained glass dome of the Salineas Temple. It was a place Mermista had learned about but never visited. She could see the dome and its stained glass imagery from the top of the Sea Gate and had often marvelled at the structure’s beauty and elegant design. She’d never been inside however, the entrance lost to time and now she knew why.

The Sea Gate had been losing its power before She-Ra came to visit. Mermista had thought something was wrong with the magic. Now she knew. As new power surged through her body, filling her with energy and a strength she’d never had before, she knew. This was the power of the Sea. This is how it was supposed to be. Somewhere along the line, after Princess Pearla had removed the Sea Pearl runestone from its place under the water to its new position over the Sea Gate, the monarchs had become careless. They had forgotten their place beneath the waves and had lost their magic to it.

Mermista held the trident high above her and, even though she was still inside the funnel of water her magic created, her tail became legs, her outfit changing into a teal dress with a halter neck and loose frilly edges that cascaded like waves from her waistline to her feet upon which she still wore turquoise running shoes but with more glitter. Her hair, still in its braid hung thick and loose over her shoulder and a seashell necklace adorned her neckline. She felt like a queen.

She stepped up onto the roof of the dome above the city of Salineas. At the top of the dome was a small walkway around the hatch she had stepped through. There was a small railing around it to stop anyone from falling. She took a deep breath of the fresh air of her city and felt the water behind her ebb back to the floor beneath her. Her mermaid friends sank with it to wait patiently in the small pool at the base of the domed tribute to her ancestors. Beside them Sea Hawk watched in awe while Entrapta made detailed notes on her datapad.

Mermista surveyed her kingdom from her lofty vantage point. It was beautiful. She walked round the small gantry and looked out to sea. ‘I wonder what I can do as Sea-Ra,’ she wondered. Her thoughts drifted to something far out to sea that was approaching the city. It was getting closer. She leaned out to see better and gasped as the creature reared its head for a moment to dive under again.

“No!” she cried. Mermista stuck her head through the gap in the dome and shouted to all her friends below.

“There’s a Sea Dragon headed for Salineas! Quick, warn the mer-folk. I’m going to stop it from attacking.”

“Wait!” Sea Hawk shouted, “Mermista, you can’t do this yourself!”

Mermista had already withdrawn into the open air and she looked back at the Sea Dragon. It was still far away but there was no mistaking its shape. Sea Dragons were rare and hadn’t been sighted in Salineas for hundreds of years but every princess of the sea knew what to look for. With a deep breath Mermista climbed onto the railing of the gantry and judged the distance she would need to leap to dive into the sea beyond. It was the fastest way to get there, the fastest way to stop the monster from destroying her kingdom. She leapt. There was no going back now.