Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The mood in the war room was far from jubilant. Queen Angella slumped in her chair as she looked over the map, not even bothering to hide her despair from the Gang.

“Without Frosta and Mermista, our only potential allies lie with Dryl and Mystacor.” She remarked grimly.

“Surely at least Castaspella will join us, right?” Glimmer asked hopefully.

“Last time Mystacor fought the Horde, her brother was… lost.” Angella softly replied. “Even if that hasn’t soured her on helping us, she’s an elected leader, not a monarch. If the sorcerers of Mystacor do not want to fight, there is nothing she can do to make them.”

“We have to try, at least. I’m sure she’ll listen to me.” Glimmer said with more confidence than she really had.

“Castaspella still sees you as a child, Glimmer. She won’t take you seriously.” Angella answered sternly. “I’ll handle her. You four will go to Dryl and do whatever you can to secure Entrapta’s assistance.”

“I… yeah, point taken.” Glimmer rubbed her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. I’m sure we’ll find some way to make that crazy lady see reason.” Netossa reassured her.

“Yeah, we’re the Best Friends Squad! Er, I mean the Gang of Four!” Bow grinned.

Glimmer’s smile failed to reach her eyes.

“Yeah, of course.” She replied quietly.

“Just tell me when you’re ready to leave and I can bring you to Dryl…” Angella trailed off before looking up at the ceiling, her eyes narrowed.

“Mom?” Glimmer asked her with concern.

Angella stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before looking at her daughter.

“It’s nothing.” She smiled.

“Well, no time like the present. Any objections?” Netossa rubbed her hands together. Nobody spoke up.

“Very well.” Angella nodded.

The five promptly vanished in a flash of light. The war room was left empty in their wake, save for the shadowy creature slithering across the ceiling.

Adora and Catra arrived at the hangar, where the rest of the squad waited outside the gunship.

“You all know what we have to do.” Adora walked past without looking at them. “So let’s get it done.”

Everyone followed her into the gunship and took their seats.

“Puff, are we ready to take off?” Adora asked.

“Uh… not exactly…” Puff replied fearfully without turning to face her.

“What’s wrong?” Adora stiffened, unnerved by the pilot’s atypical reaction.

“Your pilot is afraid, as she should be.” Shadow Weaver replied coldly from behind them all. Everyone except Puff turned in surprise to see her standing in the rear corner.

“Shadow Weaver? What are you doing here?” Adora asked nervously.

“Your mission to Dryl will be more difficult than anticipated. The Princesses are sending a delegation in an attempt to secure Entrapta’s allegiance.” Shadow Weaver informed them as she hovered over to the front of the ship.

“Who are they sending?” Adora’s eyes narrowed.

“Who do you think?” Shadow Weaver replied patronizingly as she stared out the window.

“Glimmer…” Adora clenched her fists in anger. “How are we going to defeat Entrapta and Glimmer’s stupid gang at the same time?”

“You will not.” Shadow Weaver bluntly answered. “Not with the paltry force you have.”

She turned around to face Adora.

“Which is why I am coming with you. I can handle the child and her pathetic minions while you acquire Entrapta.” Shadow Weaver said firmly.

“I… we… thank you for your assistance.” Adora dipped her head in respect while Catra rolled her eyes.

“Save your gratitude.” Shadow Weaver callously dismissed her. “Pilot, take us to Dryl.”

“As you command.” Puff replied stiffly. The gunship blasted away from the hangar, heading full speed towards the lair of the hermit Princess.

Angella and the Gang of Four appeared before the entrance of Entrapta’s castle, with Angella vanishing as soon as they arrived.

“I wish I could teleport like that…” Glimmer remarked dryly.

“Woah…” Bow breathed, utterly in awe of the great castle. “So this is where the greatest genius on Etheria lives…”

“Try not to drool on the floor, will you?” Netossa snorted.

“Aww, darling, let him have his fun.” Spinnerella chided her.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone here…” Glimmer said as the four walked into the castle courtyard.

“From what I’ve heard, this place used to be a thriving village, but Entrapta’s experiments drove everyone away. Now it’s just her and an army of robots.” Netossa commented.

“If that’s the case, where are all the robots?” Glimmer wondered.

As if answering her question, several dozen combat robots swarmed out of the castle, surrounding them in seconds.

“Visitors are not welcome in Dryl. Please leave immediately.” Every single robot said in unison.

“We’ve come to speak to Princess Entrapta. It’s important.” Glimmer informed them.

“Visitors are not welcome in Dryl. Please leave immediately.” The robots repeated, raising their arm cannons threateningly.

“I don’t think we’re getting through to them.” Bow said.

“Then we’ll just have to go through them.” Glimmer fired twin blasts of magic at the robots in front of her, blasting several of them to pieces.

The rest of the Gang quickly followed her lead. Spinnerella calmly extended her arms, sending forth a gust of wind that tossed the remaining robots into the air.

Bow fired up at them, ripping through many robots with his arrows while Netossa conjured energy spikes beneath the rest of the falling robots. They promptly fell onto the spikes and were torn to shreds by the impact.

Less than fifteen seconds had passed, and the way into the castle was now open.

“Nobody can stand a chance against us, Spinny!” Netossa jubilantly high-fived her wife.

“I hope she doesn’t take that personally...” Bow murmured in concern.

“C’mon, we need to find her!” Glimmer shouted.

The Gang ran past the destroyed remains of Entrapta’s robots until they approached what appeared to be the castle’s front door.

“Now we need to be careful. This place is full of traps.” Bow informed them.

“Knock knock!” Glimmer said cheerfully as she fired a blast of energy at the door, ripping a hole the size of her head in it.

“Glimmer!” Bow cried out.

“What?” Glimmer asked innocently before firing several more blasts until the door was nothing but a few burnt shards of metal.

“Did you not hear me about the traps? We can’t just rush in blindly. Who knows what kind of crazy things Entrapta has in here?” Bow admonished her angrily.

“If they’re anything like the welcoming committee back there, I’m sure we won’t have any trouble.” Glimmer gave Bow a cocky smirk before walking through the now open doorway.

Bow stood there incredulously as Spinnerella and Netossa followed her through.

“Am I the only one here who values caution?” He asked nobody in particular before reluctantly going along with them.

The four made their way down a long empty hallway, devoid of anything except for metal struts and the occasional bizarre painting.

“I’d heard stories about this place, but I don’t know if they do them justice.” Netossa remarked, noticeably disturbed. “This is just creepy.”

“Yeah… it doesn’t feel like a home at all. Why would anyone want to live here?” Spinnerella asked, shuddering.

“Hey, I’m sure she’s not as bad as the stories say…” Bow claimed, but even he was starting to sound uncertain.

“As long as she’s willing to help, she can be as weird as she wants.” Glimmer said flatly as the Gang made it to a large empty rectangular room.

“Uh, where do we go from here?” Bow asked, noticing that there was no path other than the one they came from.

Before anyone could respond, a large metal door slammed shut behind them, trapping them inside.

“I knew it!” Bow’s voice cracked in fear. “I told you all about her traps, and you didn’t believe me!”

“Calm down, Bow.” Glimmer said confidently. “I’m sure we can handle anything she can throw at us.”

As if provoked by that statement, the lights suddenly cut out, leaving the Gang in complete darkness.

“...Guys?” Netossa asked nervously.

“Don’t panic! We’re fine!” Glimmer summoned a magic ball of energy to serve as a makeshift flashlight.

“We need to get out of here! Like, right now!” Bow squeaked.

“Oh, it’s already too late for that.” A high-pitched female voice warbled from unseen speakers. “My robots were supposed to keep out unwanted visitors, but I guess they didn’t do a very good job.”

“Entrapta? Is that you?” Glimmer asked. “We came here to ask for your help.”

“My help? Well, I’m flattered, but I have no time for guests. Science waits for nobody!” Entrapta said cheerfully.

“Ugh, come on!” Glimmer growled. “We came all this way, you could at least hear us out!”

“Really? Strange, my sensors indicated you appeared just outside of the castle. Hm, maybe I need to recheck them.” Entrapta replied thoughtfully.

“Uh, no, that’s not necessary.” Bow interjected nervously.

“Anyway, as I was going to say, you four are about to make a glorious contribution to science! Are you excited! I’m excited!” She sounded positively giddy.

“What contribution? What are you talking about?” Glimmer demanded.

“The room you’ve just wandered into is one of my test chambers! I’ve been experimenting on the use of electrical energy to incapacitate biological organisms, and now I finally have the opportunity to see how far I’ve gotten!” Entrapta blissfully rambled on.

“Uh, Glimmer, I think we need to get out of here…” Bow said nervously.

“Entrapta, I’m sure this is all very interesting, but we’re fighting a war and we need your help. So can you let us in already?” Glimmer asked with what little civility she could muster.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time to talk afterwards. Assuming my calculations are correct. If not, well… I will not forget your heroic sacrifice in the name of science!” Entrapta declared.

“Sacrifice? What?” Glimmer’s eyes widened in shock.

Within the blink of an eye, bolts of electricity arced through the room, impacting everyone simultaneously. In unison, they screamed in pain and spasmed violently before collapsing to the ground.

Glimmer remained conscious, if only barely. She dimly noticed the lights coming back on and several robots entering from previously hidden doorways. She felt herself being crudely hoisted up in the air and saw the floor beneath her move as she was dragged off.

As her eyes slipped shut, her last conscious thought was an irritated admission that Bow had been right all along.

“I must say, this is quite the surprise.” Castaspella said with affected courtesy while she walked down the halls of Mystacor. “It’s been so long since you last visited, after all.”

“My duties as Queen keep me extremely busy. I’m sure you understand.” Angella did her best to remain civilized as she followed her former sister-in-law, but a small hint of irritation still leaked through.

“Yes, of course I do. Being Head Sorcerer is not as fun as it sounds. You wouldn’t believe how much paperwork is involved in running this place. Or, maybe you would.” Castaspella laughed mirthlessly.

“Yes, well.” Angella cleared her throat. “I must admit that I did not come here simply to make small talk.”

“I suspected as much.” Castaspella continued to sound superficially cheerful. “What do you want?”

“We are doing everything in our power to resist the Horde’s advance, but it is not enough. We need your help.” Angella said somberly.

Castaspella stopped in her tracks, but did not turn to face her.

“We lost so many that day. Limner… Micah… and what do we have to show for it? How can I expect anyone here to fight and die, just for the faintest hope of victory?” Castaspella asked quietly.

“If the Rebellion falls, you know that Hordak won’t stop with us. He won’t stop until all of Etheria is under his rule. You can either stand with us now, or stand alone then.” Angella replied, her tone firm but understanding.

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.” Castaspella sighed, turning around to face the Queen.

“The Council will never agree to offensive operations against the Horde, but I will do everything in my power to convince them to sign a mutual defense treaty with Bright Moon.” Castaspella declared.

“I… that’s more than I expected. Thank you.” Angella bowed her head slightly in gratitude.

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m not doing this for you.” Castaspella replied curtly.

Without giving Angella any time to respond, she walked off, leaving the Queen to watch her leave in dismay.

“Hmm. Subjects are rendered unconscious for a period of approximately four hours. No lasting physical trauma…”

Glimmer slowly awoke to the sound of Entrapta muttering to herself. As she opened her eyes, she noticed that she and the rest of the Gang had been sealed in a large metal cage.

“Subject is beginning to regain consciousness. Must investigate impacts of electrical incapacitation on mental acuity.”

Glimmer looked up to see Entrapta standing over them, holding a recording device with one of her hair tails.

“Good evening, my new test subject! How do you feel?” Entrapta asked cheerfully.

“Like someone took a sledgehammer to my head…” Glimmer groaned, pressing a hand to her throbbing forehead.

“Subject is still capable of coherent speech. Wonderful! Tell me, do you remember how you got here?” Entrapta inquired, staring eagerly into Glimmer’s eyes with amoral curiosity.

“We… we came to recruit you for the Rebellion… and you lured us into a trap…” Glimmer muttered angrily.

“Test chamber.” Entrapta corrected her. “And if you didn’t want to be my test subjects, why did you destroy so many of my robots? It takes a lot of work to build that many, you know.”

“I’m sorry about your toys…” Glimmer grunted with exertion as she slowly rose to her feet. “But the survival of Etheria is at stake and we need your help.”

“Yes, yes, you said something about that before.” Entrapta stroked her chin with both a hand and a hair tendril at the same time. “But I’m really not sure what you’re talking about.”

Glimmer stared at Entrapta incredulously. “The… the Horde. You do know about the Horde, right?”

“The Horde…” Entrapta’s eyes sparkled with passion. “So advanced, so mysterious… I’d just love to get my hands on some of their tech. Think how much I could learn from them!”

“Hundreds of thousands of people have died because of them.” Glimmer replied curtly, clenching her fists in an attempt to restrain herself from yelling.

“Isn’t that what people always do?” Entrapta asked, completely sincere.

“...What?” Glimmer was at a loss for words. “How can you say that?”

“There are folds of tissue in the throat that produce various sounds when they vibrate, producing what we understand as speech.” Entrapta helpfully explained.

Glimmer slapped her forehead, grimacing.

“No, that’s not…” She let out an exasperated sigh. “How can you be so callous? People are dying out there and you’re just sitting in your castle playing with robots.”

“You don’t understand. Nobody does.” Entrapta’s jovial demeanor cracked and for just a moment, Glimmer could see an incredible sadness in her eyes.

“But that’s okay! I don’t need anyone to understand me! My robots are all the friends I’ll ever need! Whatever happens out there, I know they will never betray me.” Entrapta was once again acting cheerful, but it seemed almost forced now.

“Entrapta…” Glimmer tried to think of something to say, but came up short.

The sound of groaning from behind Glimmer caused her to turn around. The rest of the Gang was slowly beginning to wake.

“Remaining test subjects have regained consciousness.” Entrapta mumbled into her recorder. “If mental functions have not been inhibited, I can consider this test to be a perfect success.”

“You, with the exposed lower abdomen! Tell me, how are you feeling?” She gazed inquisitively at Bow.

“Ugh… what… what’s happening?” Bow mumbled, rubbing his head.

“Subject may have experienced craniocerebral trauma. Must investigate further.” Entrapta muttered.

“You, with the lopsided hair! How are you?” Entrapta moved her gaze to Netossa.

“Lopsided? How dare you!” Netossa growled, quickly getting to her feet.

“Subject appears unusually hostile. Uncertain if natural behavior pattern or the result of craniocerebral trauma. Must investigate further.” Entrapta now regarded Spinnerella as Netossa helped her to her feet.

“You, with the abnormally wide hips. Have your mental functions been impaired?” Entrapta asked.

“What? What’s wrong with my hips?” Spinnerella looked down at her hips, blushing with self-consciousness.

“Nothing at all, Spinny. Ignore her.” Netossa replied reassuringly.

“Hmm, with the exception of the sole male subject, all subjects appear to be mentally undamaged by the prototype.” Entrapta stroked her chin.

“Hey! I’m not brain damaged!” Bow finally managed to stand up, anger temporarily displacing his pain.

“Oh, excellent! Then it appears this test has been a complete success!” Entrapta cheered. “I thank you all for your participation!”

“You say that like we had a choice in the matter.” Glimmer crossed her arms.

Ignoring her, Entrapta walked over to a switch on the wall and activated it, causing the cage to sink into the floor.

“It was nice meeting you all. Follow George here and he’ll make sure you find your way out.” Entrapta said as a diminutive spherical robot rolled into the room.

“Wait, Entrapta, what about the Horde? You said we could talk about it.” Glimmer replied, walking closer to the hermit Princess.

“I thought we already did.” Entrapta turned to face Glimmer, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“I guess, but I was really hoping we could convince you to join the Rebellion. Please, is there anything we can do?” Glimmer begged, desperately wishing to avoid returning home empty handed.

Entrapta stroked her chin thoughtfully with a hair tendril for a few moments.

“Nope.” She said blithely before turning around.

“Entrapta, wait!” Glimmer’s words went unheeded as Entrapta quickly left the chamber.

Glimmer turned to face the rest of the Gang with a resigned sigh.

“Well, I guess we’d better go. She clearly has no interest in helping us.” She said softly.

Netossa and Spinnerella shared a sad glance while Bow walked up to Glimmer.

“It’s not your fault, Glimmer.” Bow tried to console her.

“I know it’s not my fault!” Glimmer shouted, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “It’s theirs! We’re doing everything we can to stop the Horde, while they do nothing at all! If the people who are sworn to protect Etheria are this useless, maybe… maybe we deserve to lose.”

She looked down at the ground, closing her eyes tightly in an attempt to stem the flow of tears.

“I know you don’t believe that.” Bow said gently, taking Glimmer’s hands into his own.

“No, I don’t…” Glimmer looked into Bow’s eyes sadly. “But I’m starting to believe we will.”

Bow opened his mouth, trying to think of some way to reassure her, but nothing came to mind.

The loud, grating sound of an alarm ended the conversation prematurely.

“What the…” Glimmer looked up at the ceiling. “What’s going on?”

“Test subjects!” Entrapta’s voice emanated from the round little robot. “I require further assistance. Please follow George if you wish to contribute.”

The Gang looked at each other.

“Maybe we still have a chance after all.” Bow smiled slightly.

“Only one way to find out.” Netossa commented.

Glimmer nodded silently. The four followed the strange robot down several hallways until it led them to a room filled with computer screens and open wires. Entrapta hovered a meter off the ground, supported by her hair tendrils as she watched a large screen.

The Gang approached her, their eyes widening in recognition as they saw the screen. It depicted a Horde gunship travelling at full speed towards the castle.

“It appears we have some more visitors.” Entrapta commented casually without turning to face them.

“You see? They’re coming for you, Entrapta.” Glimmer said with a hint of triumph.

“That is indeed the most likely conclusion. Strange, though.” Entrapta stroked her chin with a hair tendril. “I would have expected them to wait until after the fall of Bright Moon. Why would they attack now?”

“They must know of your talents.” Bow spoke up. “They’re afraid of you helping the Rebellion, so they’ve come to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Hmm…” Entrapta hummed thoughtfully, turning around to face them. “Normally I would send out my army of robots to drive them away, but well, you know.”

Everyone in the Gang suddenly looked sheepish.

“Oh, I know!” Entrapta’s eyes lit up. “You want my help for your Rebellion, right? And I need help protecting my home! If you agree to fend off the Horde, I’ll consider joining you. Is that acceptable?”

“You’ll consider it?” Glimmer raised a skeptical eyebrow. Bow elbowed her.

“Right, of course, we, uh, thank you for the opportunity. We won’t let you down!” Glimmer corrected herself.

Entrapta glanced at the monitor, where the ship was no longer in view.

“It appears they’ve landed just outside the castle.” She informed them. “You’d better hurry if you want to get back to the courtyard in time. George!”

George rolled over to her dutifully.

“To the courtyard!” She ordered, dramatically pointing at the door.

George made a mechanical chirp in response before rolling out of the room, the Gang following behind.

“Try not to die!” Entrapta cheerfully shouted after them.

An excruciatingly uncomfortable journey was mercifully concluded when the ship touched down in the open area just in front of the castle. Adora descended the ramp, followed by everyone else.

“Kyle, Lonnie, Rogelio. Protect the ship. Catra, Scorpia, you’re with me. Shadow Weaver, uh…” Adora looked at her uncertainly.

“We have no time to waste. The Princesses will have arrived ahead of us. We must ensure they do not obtain Entrapta.” Shadow Weaver said curtly, levitating towards the entryway.

“Right.” Adora hesitantly agreed.

“Could’ve sworn Hordak assigned us this mission…” Catra muttered to Adora as the three followed Shadow Weaver.

“Given how badly it turned out last time we fought them, I’m not going to complain.” Adora replied quietly.

Shadow Weaver stopped in the middle of the courtyard, the three stopped behind her.

“They’re coming.” She said ominously.

A few moments later, the Gang of Four rushed out of one of the castle’s entrances, lining up a few meters away from them. The two groups stared each other down, ready for combat, but refrained from attacking.

“Princess Glimmer.” Shadow Weaver said with a twisted facsimile of charm. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Who… or what… are you?” Glimmer demanded.

“Did your mother never tell you? I suppose the memories were simply too painful for her.” Shadow Weaver enigmatically replied.

“What memories? What are you talking about?” Glimmer growled.

“Glimmer, don’t listen to her. She’s trying to bait you.” Bow interrupted.

“Clever boy.” Shadow Weaver calmly remarked. “We have wasted enough time, I think. It is time for you to learn what true power looks like.”

Shadow Weaver lazily raised an arm, firing a blast of dark energy from her hand. The energy impacted the ground in the middle of the Gang, knocking them all to the ground.

“Go. I will deal with them.” Shadow Weaver ordered.

Adora nodded and quickly ran past the temporarily incapacitated Gang, Scorpia and Catra hot on her heels.

“Now… shall we begin?” Shadow Weaver asked maliciously as the Gang got back to their feet.

“Rrraaagh!” Glimmer leaped back to her feet with a roar and fired several blasts of magic at Shadow Weaver.

The dark witch lifted her hand and Glimmer’s magical attacks dissolved like grains of sand in the wind.

“Pathetic.” Shadow Weaver remarked coldly.

“How about this?” Netossa conjured an energy net, quickly wrapping it around Shadow Weaver. Within a few seconds, the bright net started to turn black and melted away.

“What the…” Netossa backed away slightly, her eyes wide with shock.

“Your little magic tricks may serve you well against common soldiers, but I have more power than any of you could possibly comprehend.” Shadow Weaver haughtily declared.

“She’s too powerful! We need to get Entrapta and get out of here!” Bow yelled.

The Gang quickly ran towards the castle entrance. Before they could make it more than a meter, a massive barrier of black magic rose from the ground, cutting them off from the castle.

“If you wish to save Entrapta, you will have to defeat me first.” Shadow Weaver informed the Gang smugly as they turned around to face her.

“Then that’s what we’ll do!” Glimmer shouted confidently. “For Etheria!”

She punctuated her battle cry by firing several more energy blasts at Shadow Weaver. The dark sorceress swatted them away like flies, sending them back towards Glimmer.

Glimmer barely managed to jump out of the way, falling to the ground. Bow fired an arrow at Shadow Weaver, but the arrow disintegrated before it could even get close to her.

Spinnerella fired a massive blast of air at Shadow Weaver, but she raised a hand and set the attack flying back towards the Princess. Spinnerella was blasted backwards, slamming headfirst into a wall before limply falling to the ground.

“Spinny!” Netossa cried out, instinctively rushing over to the prone form of her spouse. Glimmer and Bow stopped attacking and watched in horror.

“Love… they told us it was our greatest strength.” Shadow Weaver slowly approached the couple. “They told us that there was nothing that could break it.”

“Spinny, wake up, please…” Netossa tearfully held her unconscious wife, barely even cognizant of Shadow Weaver bearing down on her.

“Bow… get mom…” Glimmer said quietly.

Bow quickly took out his tablet and desperately attempted to contact the Queen.

“How wrong they were. Love is fleeting, fragile. It is not a source of power, only weakness and failure.” Shadow Weaver continued as she stood over Netossa.

“Spinny… no… no…” Netossa whimpered softly.

A black tendril flew from Shadow Weaver and wrapped around Netossa’s neck, lifting her into the air. She struggled fiercely against the vile snare, but all of her strength meant nothing now.

“Netossa! No!” Glimmer cried, rushing forward. Without even looking, Shadow Weaver raised an arm in her direction, freezing Bow and Glimmer in place with dark magic.

“Watch how easily it breaks…” Shadow Weaver said darkly, clenching her fist.

The tentacle suddenly jerked to the side, and a loud cracking sound emanated through the courtyard. Netossa’s eyes bulged as her body went limp. The tentacle evaporated, allowing her body to fall listlessly to the ground next to her wife.

Glimmer and Bow watched helplessly, their eyes and mouths wide with shock and anguish. Shadow Weaver turned around and slowly walked over to where they were trapped.

“Do you understand now? This is what love brings you. This is what-” Shadow Weaver’s sadistic rant was cut off when a massive beam of light slammed into her from the side.

The sheer force of the impact catapulted her across the courtyard, and she landed on her back loudly enough to crack open the ground beneath her.

Glimmer and Bow looked towards the source of the attack in surprise. Queen Angella was standing before them, stoic and divine. With a slight wave of her hand, the dark fields holding the two in place ceased to exist.

“Mom!” Glimmer had never been more relieved to see her mother in her entire life.

“There’s no time to talk. We need to go, now.” Angella said soberly as Shadow Weaver began to rise.

“Bah…” Shadow Weaver spat, staggering to her feet. “You can’t protect them forever…”

Angella didn’t bother responding as she and the Gang of Four vanished into the light.

The three Force Captains walked down one of the castle’s corridors, weapons and pincers at the ready.

“Where are we even going? This place is like a maze.” Catra commented.

“If I had realized how hard this was going to be, I would have just ordered Puff to blow a hole in the wall.” Adora grumbled as they passed by a peculiar painting of a dog.

“I’d rather not have holes blown in this place while we’re standing in it, thanks.” Catra replied sarcastically.

A few moments later, the three emerged into a massive room, large enough to serve as a Horde hangar bay. It was well-lit but otherwise empty, A vast metal door was positioned on the opposite wall.

“Uh, I don’t want to be that guy, but… does this look like a trap to anyone else?” Scorpia asked nervously.

As if to confirm her concerns, the door sealed shut behind them.

“They do call her Entrapta…” Adora unholstered her pistol.

“Does anyone else hear that?” Catra asked as she followed suit.

The distant sound of gears and metallic clanging began to get closer and closer, coming from the door at the opposite end of the room.

“Giant robot?” Catra glanced at Adora.

“Giant robot.” Adora affirmed.

A loud metallic groaning sound emanated throughout the room as the enormous door slowly slid open. Catra and Adora aimed their pistols at the door, while Scorpia stood by with her pincers, uncertain of what to do.

Slowly and deliberately, the robot emerged into the light. A great steel behemoth as tall as a house and as wide as a particularly fat cow, it stood on four sturdy legs and was affixed with a twin cannon on the front. On each side was a strange metal protrusion with a function that was not readily apparent.

“Spread out.” Adora ordered. “Scorpia, hit it from the front and try to keep its attention.”

Scorpia nodded and charged forward.

“Catra, you go left. Let’s see if we can’t poke some holes in this thing.” Adora continued.

“Aye aye, Captain.” Catra winked.

The robot trained its sights on Scorpia as she charged screaming towards it. She raised her pincers in front of her head defensively, just in time to absorb the red bursts of energy from its cannons.

Simultaneously, Catra and Adora ran to each side, peppering the walker’s legs with energy blasts. The shots singed and blackened the armor wherever they hit, but failed to do any significant damage.

“Damn it.” Adora cursed under her breath.

Scorpia by now had advanced close enough that the walker was unable to shoot at her, and began clawing at its legs. Her pincers were unable to do anything more than dent the durable steel.

The walker began moving forward in an attempt to dislodge her, but she grabbed onto one of the legs and refused to budge. Looking up, she noticed something interesting.

“Hey, guys! I think the armor under here is weaker!” Scorpia called out.

Reacting quickly to this information, Adora and Catra rushed forward and followed Scorpia’s lead, grabbing onto two of its other legs. They began firing their pistols straight into its underbelly.

Scorpia’s insight proved correct. The armor of the walker’s underbelly was far thinner, and a handful of blasts were enough to begin to tear holes in it. The mechanical workings of the robot were exposed and began to melt like butter.

Now crippled and unstable, the walker began to teeter. The three moved out of the way as fast as they could, leaving the walker to collapse onto the ground with a satisfying crunch.

“Huh, that wasn’t so bad.” Catra commented as she looked over the carnage approvingly.

“Teamwork makes the dream work, or so they say.” Scorpia rubbed her forehead.

“I have bigger dreams than smashing a walking garbage can.” Catra replied as she began walking towards the entrance the robot had come from.

“Hey, you gotta start somewhere.” Adora remarked as she walked after Catra.

For whatever reason, the door had not been resealed after the robot’s dramatic entry, leaving the path wide open for the intruders. They cautiously continued down the eldritch corridors, wary of any further resistance.

Eventually, they reached a junction in the hallway with an imposing metal door on the opposite end. A large device was affixed to the wall next to it along with a large keypad.

“This looks important. Do you think she’s in there?” Catra wondered aloud.

“Hmmm...” Adora scrunched up her face as she examined the keypad.

“Careful, Adora. We probably shouldn’t touch that…” Catra warned.

“Boop, boop! Boop boop bop boop!” Adora blithely booped the big blue buttons.

Nothing happened. Adora hunched over slightly in defeat, turning away from the door.

“Did you really think that randomly pushing buttons was going to work?” Catra looked at Adora with a raised eyebrow.

“I wasn’t randomly pushing them! I put in your favorite number!” Adora pouted, crossing her arms.

“I’m pretty sure eighty-eight is only two numbers, not ten.” Catra smirked.

“Hmph. Well if you’re so smart, you open the door.” Adora retorted.

Without missing a beat, Catra unholstered her pistol and fired it at the keypad, melting it into slag. The door remained defiantly closed.

“Huh.” Catra looked at the door in surprise. “Usually that works.”

Adora leaned against Catra with a teasing grin.

“Having trouble?” She slyly asked.

“Shut up.” Catra said flatly.

“Alright, stand aside, you two.” Scorpia flexed her pincers. “This calls for a delicate touch.”

Adora and Catra gave her a wide berth, watching skeptically.

With a heaving grunt, Scorpia shoved her pincers into the door, attempting to pry it open with brute force.

Adora and Catra’s eyes widened in surprise as Scorpia slowly began to win the epic struggle. The pitiful steel proved to be no match for her might, and she forced the doors back into the wall where they belonged.

Catra whistled in appreciation.

“Nice work, Scorpia.” Adora grinned.

“Aw, you’re gonna make me blush.” Scorpia blushed.

The three made their way through the now open door and into Entrapta’s command center. The hermit Princess stood on her hair stilts, watching them intently as they entered.

“Hello, Horde invaders!” Entrapta smiled, waving a hand in greetings.

“Uh, hello.” Adora replied stiffly.

“I’ve been trying to figure out why you’ve come all this way.” Entrapta stroked her chin. “If you wanted to kill me and destroy my work, it would have been much easier to fire missiles at the mountain and cause a landslide.”

Adora and Catra exchanged an uncertain glance.

“If you wanted to kill me and seize my work, that wouldn’t help you very much since I’m the only one on Etheria who knows enough about it. Which only leaves one possibility. You’re here to capture me!” Entrapta excitably concluded as she leaped onto the ground.

“Why do you sound so happy about that? Do you want to be captured?” Catra bemusedly asked.

“Yes!” Entrapta covered the distance between them in what seemed like an instant, violating Catra’s personal space as she stared deeply into her eyes. “Since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of getting my hands on all that Horde tech!”

“Good to know…” Catra averted her eyes uncomfortably.

“You are here to capture me and bring me to the Fright Zone, right? Please tell me you are!” Entrapta switched her focus to Adora, pressing their foreheads together.

“That’s our mission, yeah…” Adora rubbed the back of her neck, blushing slightly.

“Wonderful!” Entrapta exclaimed before rushing over to one of her computers. “It will take a few minutes to transfer all my data, and then I’ll be ready! George!”

George quickly rolled through the door and up to Entrapta’s side.

“It’s finally time! Can you believe it!” She picked up the small robot and kissed it on what was presumably its mouth. The robot chirped happily in reply while the three Force Captains looked on, disturbed by the sight.

“Boy, am I not looking forward to the return trip.” Catra wryly remarked.