Life in the shadows
Hordak had the urge to kill, not the rebels, or the residence of BrightMoon, not even the worthless trainee who tried to rise above their station. The target of his ire was the one being that he could not bring harm to without serious consequence. That being, was his nephew. The heir to the Evil Horde and the only provable offspring of Horde Prime; the supreme and unquestionable ruler of all the lands and realms the horde had conquered.
It had infuriated Hordak once, when the worm that he would have to address as High Prince would learn to walk and there for never kneel before him again. It made him feel contempt and bloodlust now that the disgrace to the mighty Evil Horde would smile with familiar warmth in his presence.
Then the worm prince began to speak "Uncle are you not going to speak to me? I've been so eager to see you after all these years."
It was the prince's voice that Hordak despise most about his nephew. He knew to most that it would be pleasant to the ears, clean, clipped and regal like royalty should sound. It was proof that he had not been raised by his own kind, and had never seen a true battle in his life. What lapse of judgment Horde Prime must've had to allow his only hire sequestered a way with self-reliant AI, and twisted creatures that could only mimic civility? Hordak would never understand.
"Are you really going to just stare at me?" The High Prince's smile never faltered.
"Your father has informed me of his concerns, that you may be growing rebellious in your solitude." Hordak humored his nephew with an answer "That is why he sent you to Etheria under my care while he journeys to recharge." He took a single step towards his nephew staring into the young man's wide gray eyes. "Though, I think we both know why you're really here. You, have been sent by her father to spy on me. I'm sure that he has become irritated on the lack of progress in conquering this realm."
Then the Prince did something that would've gotten anyone else beheaded of where they stood.
He laughed at Hordak, a loud and musical sound that echoed in the chamber.
"Oh, uncle you mustn't speak of my father so. Sending me to spy on you?" The Prince gave a sigh "Surely, if my father ever doubted your skills, he would've sent an inspector." The Prince then began to move to Hordak arms outstretched as if to hug him.
"Shadow Weaver!" Hordak he turned his on the Prince, leaving the young man stunned.
"Yes, Hordak?" The former shadows sorceress appeared from the darkness of the chamber as if she had always been standing there. Dethroned from her place as Hordak's second-in-command by Catra and her abilities as a sorceress reduced to nothing, she only lingered as a ghost in the Fright Zone.
"Escort His Highness Zed to his chambers." Hordak commanded Shadow Weaver "Assign a captain to take care of his needs during his stay. I'm holding you completely accountable for him, understand?"
"Of course." The former sorceress answered, before moving to lead the Prince out of the room.
Zed stared at his uncle for a short while before relenting and following the sorceress of shadows. The Prince found the walk through the Fright Zone to be rather unpleasant, it was completely different from his home on the Velvet Glove. The halls and core doors were much too crowded for his liking and when they weren't, they quickly became so by hordes men and trainees trying to catch sight of him.
A concerned him slightly how a young the majority of the residents of the Fright Zone seem to be. He knew very well that there was not an age requirement on when one would begin their services to the Evil Horde, but the entire set up reminded him of the schools that he had visited where the children of slaves and the poor working-class of the planets the Horde had liberated would gain a more proper education.
Shadow Weaver stopped in front of a large door that had been placed in a secluded area of the Fright Zone "This is where you be staying my liege."
Zed use the control panel to slide open the door "It seems it is, thank you." He stated matter-of-factly before closing the door again.
Shadow Weaver seeing that her job was done turned to return her own duties.
"Before you go, I have a request to make." Zed spoke up before the sorceress could disappear, only pausing for a second before he continued to speak. "I require a skiff, or some type of all-terrain vehicle with solar sail enhancements. I would also need to clothes ones that do not have the Horde insignia and are reflective of this realms culture."
Shadow Weaver tilted her head towards him with interest "Why do you acquire such things your highness?"
"My uncle's behavior, concerns me. Tonight, I wish to investigate the borders of the Fright Zone to check on his progress." The high Prince answered with honesty. He was greatly distraught on how his own family could've accused him on spying, it made him wonder if there was something on Etheria that his uncle didn't want him to tell his father about.
"Trust me my liege. That investigation is unnecessary." Shadow Weaver tried to convince the boy in her sweetest tone, but only came out sounding like a malevolent whisper.
"Shadow Weaver. I understand that your loyalties lie with Hordak." He approached the sorceress seemingly unafraid of her dark aura "Though I think it's necessary that I inform you on something. That it's my father that gave Hordak his power!" He whispered giving her a pitiless grin "I would advise you to think twice before you question me on what is necessary!" His words incurred both as a threat and a promise as see stared into her eyes, as this being able to see the face underneath her mask.
"I understand your highness." Shadow Weaver shrink away slightly. "I will have what you require by sundown." Before disappearing into the darkness of the hall.
Zed stood there in the hall until he felt the woman's present leave, before entering the room. "Come out!" He called out to the seemingly empty chamber.
As if responding it to the command the blue winged creature known as Imp hopped out from his hiding place and on to the bed.
"Oh, it's just you." He addressed imp like seeing a beloved pet and went to pet the winged child. "They must love you here with your wings and tail, you'll grow up to look more like royalty then I will." He spoke absently to Imp who just stared blankly at him. "I bet." Prince Zed whispered "if I younger or you older I bet Lord Hordak in my father would've had us switched." He gave a sad chuckle at the thought.
He looked at himself in the mirror as he Imp began to nibble on one of his fingers. His skin was the color of warm ivory, in the results of spending the majority of his life under bright artificial light or no light at all. His hair long and unkept was a bright umber that was almost red at times, he learned that it was a very uncommon hair color for whatever realm his father told him to visit it caused people to stare at him. While Zed's nose was slightly up turned it was not as prominent as his uncle's and, while he had a few sharp fangs they were not the threatening maws that warriors of the Horde prided themselves on. In fact, unless he bit down on someone, they truly had no clue he had any fangs at all.
It disheartened him to look at himself all the time. Someday days he would hate the body that he was in and during the night he would dream that his dull and flattened teeth would fall out to reveal the nubs of sharper deadlier teeth underneath. The only thing that stopped him from undergoing biological modification or going down the route of his uncle and infusing himself was machines was the words of his father.
'On lesser worlds looks and genetics dictate the nobility, but here in the Horde it is by your actions that you become king.'
Zed would not disappoint his father. One day he was sure he would prove himself to the Horde and take his place as the unquestionable ruler of all sentient beings.
"Are you trying to draw blood?" Zed looked down at imp who had not stopped nibbling but instead was trying to cram more of the prince's hand into his mouth. "Dose my uncle not feed you?"
The blue creature didn't make a sound, instead the sound of knocking could be heard from the door.
A drained and annoyed look passed over Zed's face, and shook him off of his hand. As he moved to open the door, he wondered if he shouldn't answer just let the person on the other side think he was not there.
Out of courtesy he opened the door anyways.
Then instantly regretted it.
"Hi!" Squealed a girl with purple hair "OH MY GOSH! What's with your hair? Dose it have powers like mine?" She then demonstrated those powers as her hair lifted herself up so she could peer down at him.
"N-no!" He answered begrudgingly, his cheeks tinting with embarrassment.
"Oh, I'm to close." The girl lowered herself and took a couple steps back, before giving a poor attempt at a bow "Your highness, I'm Entrapa inventor for the Horde."
Zed gave a nervous smile "I see." Despite her improper behavior somehow the high Prince could tell Entrapta was a princess.
"So…"
Zed watched her as she fumbled in her pants pockets then briefly looked at a note card.
"Catra told me I need to bring you to the mess hall?" She started to explain unsure how she knew to speak to him "Scorpia and her worked really hard on a surprise party… But you're not supposed to know that!"
Equal parts touched and annoyed his smile wavered a bit "Thank you Entrapa, but as you can see, I'm rather tired." He moved to try to close the door.
"Your experiencing vertigo!" Entrapta shouted jamming the door open with her hair "We were all advised about this the meeting, you know since you were born and raised in space, you don't react well to different types of gravity." Her eyes darted around with excitement "Do you need medical attention! I just learned first-aid recently!"
"No, I just need to rest." He insisted, using the door command to close it.
"Before you go to sleep is it true that you raised by robots! How intelligent were they? Could you have a deep intellectual conversation with them? What were they made out of!" The purple haired inventor continued to prattled out despite the mechanical door trying to squish her.
"Out!" It was not sure if he had pushed the strange Princess outdoor the pressure of the door had family got into her, Entrapa was sent flying out of the room landing with a side in the hallway.
Zed panted his four head pressed to the door as he listened to the noises in the hall. He heard the overeager Princess scramble upright and mutter something like 'Fascinating.' Before the sound of feet or hair pattered out of hearing range. With a sigh of relief, he turned to his room was completely destroyed the bed mattress had tears in it in the crate of things that he had brought with him were scattered about.
"Imp!" He shouted at the winged child as it proceeded to shove something in its mouth before skittering into an air vent.
The Prince assess the damage of his belongings. His clothes in the few books he owned were untouched, but to his dismay imp had eaten through the health and nutrition supplements along with the few rations he could bare himself to bring. He had been warned that food on Etheria was sweeter than most other realms, and that ran the risk of him craving the food he ate later on. If he craved the food than he would want to return, and if he returned, she would grow attached, and when he became the ruler, he would be making decisions for realms that he had grown attached to instead of for the good of all the Hord.
He cannot let that happen. Zed would have to fast during his stay, it was the only option. It wouldn't be the first time he would have to do such a thing though his stomach already began to feel hollow at the thought.
He missed the Velvet Glove, he missed the residence there in their dark blue uniforms. He missed his tutors Leach and Mantana, False Face and Multi-bot as well. He wondered sense he was on Etheria if his father had sent them away to some far-off mission.
He started it to get a headache at the thought in curled up on the destroyed mattress for a short nap.
That did not know how much time had passed when he awoke, only that there was a soft knock at the door. So quick and so slight it was like the person on the other side did not want to be heard. When Zed open the door at his feet was a bundle of clothes with a key to a skiff along with a note on how to find it.
"Thank you, Shadow Weaver." He whispered something shift in the darkness. He would remember to put in a good word to his father about her, he could tell by the way she huddled and cowered in the darkness that the Horde on this planet had not treated her well.
Zed then got dressed in the clothes that were provided, they were dull and rough, but would serve their purpose for the night. Making sure that his blue uniform along with the metals and adornments that went along with it were secured in his room he set out for the location that was written on the note. The only other thing he would be taking with him was a multi tool that he had made himself from the discarded weapons and loose parts from the other residents on the Velvet Glove.
He arrived at the hangar where the skiff was with little incident, he would have to remember the route you took back to his room in the morning. Though seeing how he was able to make it as far as he did without his uniform made him question the level of security the Fright Zone actually had.
The skiff was ready for him exactly how the note described it, starting it up as a bit of a chore yet once he was out on the flat desert area that surrounded the Fright Zone, he was able to pilot it with ease. Skiffs were not his favorite vehicle, he considered the mode of transportation primitive. He much preferred his custom Sky Cutter he had dubbed Wildfire, he honestly wish that his father had agreed to let him bring it. Sadly, remembering his uncle's words on how his father said that he was becoming rebellious perhaps it would send a bad message for him to bring a vehicle that was once a designed to drop firebombs and acid on enemy encampments.
Zed watched the sky as it turned from yellow to dusty pink to a dark purple. It was breathtaking to watch how each color morph and changed the landscape with each passing hour. On the Velvet Glove, the Hordes interdimensional spaceship the skies never changed, it was just a cleverly woven tapestry of galaxies and nebulous. When he was younger, he considered the space outside the Velvet Glove to be made of priceless gemstones, such fantasies were not he humored for long. Yet the skies from the ground were always a wonder to him, light and dark meant something when your entire concept of existence revolves around a gaseous ball of light.
Fixated on watching the sky above them instead of where he was going, it was too late for him to steer away from the massive creature that emerge from the sand. Breaching like a whale from the sea the monster rise step bringing tons of sand and rocks up with it, the skiff became off balanced and crashed into the unforgiving ground.
Zed was tossed off the skiff the flow of great distance before being smashed of grants the ground. Sore he got to his feet to see the state that the skiff was in, his chest seized up to see a fire starting around the vehicle. A clear sign that it was not safe to approach.
In a state of panic the Horde Prince grabbed for his multi tool moving his hand around this cylindrical body until he had found the area of the metal casing where he had painted the Horde insignia upon it. Kneeling down to the ground he took the piece of far-flung scrap metal and scraped off the insignia from the multitool. It would be impossible for him to walk through the desert back to the Fright Zone, especially with the creature that had destroyed the skiff living somewhere under the sand. He would have to travel into enemy territory until he found the Horde base. Until she managed to find one, he would need the multi tool to survive. As for when dawn came and those in the Fright Zone realize that he was missing, would be a problem he would have to solve later.
With the full moons as his guide Zed made his way to the border of the desert, following the tree line of the Whispering Woods listening curiously to the sounds from within. Eventually the tall purplish trees fell away to sturdy green ones but he continued to walk. He is hoping to find a road or the tire treads of a Destructor or Ground Buster, something that would lead him to a Horde base camp. His track was not hopeless however as he saw in the distance the glowing embers of a distant campfire.
As he got closer the outlines of tents and a horse-drawn caravan came into his view. "Hark who's there?" A man standing guard pointed a spear as it approached "Don't you come any closer!"
"My name is Zed, I'm just a traveler looking for shelter tonight." It was not a lie, Zed simply didn't state where he was traveling from.
The man narrowed his eyes taking up a more hostile stance "You came from the Fright Zone, didn't you? That seems awfully suspicious to me?"
Zed gripped his multi tool tightly, debating on whether a fight would be worth it or if he should just move on. Etheria was in an inhospitable planet and he was sure if he kept walking, he would find something else.
"Let the boy be Grievous, can't you see his clothes!" An old man emerges from one of the tents, his head was adorned with a single antler the other seeming to be damaged. The elder hobbled towards the man with a tired displeased look. "He's a traveling scholar from Mystacor." He looked to said narrowing his eyes at him "Are you on your mission boy? Plan to the study magic? Perhaps First One Tech?"
"I seek knowledge." Again, Zed did not lie. He was quite confused on what the old man was talking about and sense Etheria was an unconquered realm there was not enough information on it for his tutors to make a flock while lesson out of.
"Ha! You hear that Grievous? The boy seeks Jared's crown, isn't that your favorite story?" The old man laughed shaking a finger at the man who was standing guard.
The man named grievous gave an indignant huff and relaxed his stance.
"What is Jared's crown?" Zed asked.
The old man gestured him over to sit by the fire "You probably know it better as Wisdom's Light."
"Yes, Wisdom's Light!" He looked over to Grievous who had followed him and the elder to the center of camp. "Since you are so fond of the story could you tell me of this Jared?"
"That is King Jared boy!" The man gave a bark then with a smile began the story "Back when Etheria was young and there was no telling the difference between man or monster he accomplished miracles. He traversed the whispering woods and knew all the secrets that lied within, he recorded the notes of the Singing Sea and taught the chanting River its first song. It's been said that he was the first to hear the Growling Sea let out a roar during the storm."
Zed listened intently trying to decipher whether the story was historical fact, or a myth meant to entertain children.
"The First Ones were pleased by Jared's pursuit of wisdom and gave him a crown, a crown they gave him unfathomable knowledge and remarkable powers. He became Etheria's first a marksman, and he was proficient with any weapon that he forged. Jared brought all the races out of the totality of nature and rules of the entire world as Etheria's first King."
Zed new quite a bit about the civilization the man called First Ones his father and uncle had been greatly interested reverse engineering their technology for the betterment of the Horde. "What happened to him?" The Horde Prince someone convinced that the crown in the story may be more than just a myth.
The elder sitting beside him shook his head despondently "He doesn't exist boy, you'd be better off cataloging all the dragons on Beast Island before chasing after that crown." He tried to scold him.
Zed's gray eyes glanced between the two men who seem to be studying him as much as he was setting them "Humor me. If Jared was real, and the First Ones had given him such a powerful artifact where would it be?"
The elder side and clasped his hands together "I guess I can't convince you out of it." He looked up to the sky for a moment, and said wondered if the old man was praying "See boy, we're but traveling bards and artists. In this time of war, it is hard for us to get money to sustain ourselves. We are heading to the Laughing Swan inn, in the village on the foot of Bright Moon. There is a boy about your age called Bow who's whose fathers had devoted their lives to trying to find that crown before the Horde invaded. If you are so desperate to have wisdom's light is your own, for all the knowledge that the First Ones had once been bestowed upon Jared you'll need him."
Zed nodded taking in every detail. In this world that was greatly unknown to him wouldn't let any drop of information go to waste.
"In exchange for letting you come with us you have to earn your keep. When we perform you better be willing to sing songs and tell stories, and I don't want to hear any whining." The old man narrowed his eyes at him waiting for an answer.
"Understood Sir." The Horde Prince answered with a smile. If all were to go well by the time his uncle sent out the first search party for him, that would've completed a task that would cement him as the true and only ruler of the Horde.
(Author's note: Just in case anybody is confused, I'm not using any OCs in this fic, just reinterpretations of characters and concepts from the old show to fit the new shows lore. Because of this I'm using characters and things that might never appear in the new show or will make this fic seem inaccurate and dated when they do appear. If you have any thoughts/concerns feel free to leave a review or PM me.)