"What's the hold up?" Double Trouble asked lazily. "Let's go, Darlings"
"Awesome" Sprig and Anne made to run up the gangplank but Hop Pop grabbed them by the back of their shirts.
Eda casually picked Luz up who had been fiddling with a loose and definitely unsafe wire. Luz grinned sheepishly.
"Oh, she's perfectly safe" Entrapta called from inside Darla. As if on cue, a fire broke out on her motherboard.
Spinnerella blew a gust of wind to put it out. Netossa shook her head with a disappointed frown.
"…Mostly safe!"
Amity walked into Darla cautiously and picked up Netossa's weakness book.
"Every princess has a weakness and it's all in there" Netossa said proudly.
"It's mostly just fire" Spinnerella whispered to Amity.
Amity laughed and smiled softly "I like to journaling too"
"I don't think my wife's crazy ramblings count as journaling"
"Hey!"
"Sorry, Darling" spinnerella chuckled and kissed her. Netossa seemed mollified.
"As touching as this is we have to go" Double Trouble pointed out.
"Belos has siphoned enough magic to make our dear Big Brother seem like a kid in a sandbox. Wel…almost. It's bad, ok?"
"Big Brother?" Luz's eyes widened "Is this a backstory?"
"Horde Prime" Adora ground out.
"Oh"
"He was never much up against magic."
"We're going to take the fight to him" Double Trouble said.
"Why do you care?" Catra snarled. "You were going to let the rebellion and the Horde destroy each other. Why not now?"
"Ouch, kitten. If you recall, I helped you people fight Horde Prime. I have no interest in a scorched planet, you know that. Who would see my performances?"
"You're unbelievable" Catra lunged at them but Adora and Anne held her back.
Catra scoffed and stalked off to Darla's infirmary to sulk.
"What happened between them?" Anne marveled.
Adora shook her head. "She never told me the whole story. But it sounded bad."
"Oh please," Double Trouble butt in, startling them. "I saved her. Her life was a mess until I gave her a wake up call"
Spinnerella clapped her hands using a gust of wind to make it resound like thunder. It got everyone's attention.
"now then everyone" she said decisively. Before she could say anything more Netossa pushed her out of the way.
"We think Belos is heading to Spinny and me's castle" Netossa said "we'll be ready for him"
Adora punched fist to palm, grinning "Now that's more like it"
Luz shuffled through some glyphs selecting the ones that would be good for traps. "I like this plan"
"let's pulverize him!" Polly yelled bouncing up and down and pulling out a boom shroom.
"Where did you get that?" Amity wondered vaguely.
Suddenly, Entrapta pushed a button and Darla lurched to the side, making everyone pitch right, falling over, screaming.
"Everyone hang on!" she cried.
"Say that before you take off!" Gus shouted, bowling into Adora.
"Oof"
"Sorry"
Adora gently helped him up.
Darla hurtled at light speed and after a few seconds of more panicked screaming they were back at Brightmoon.
"Was that necessary?" Bow shouted shrilly, his voice breaking.
Perfuma was in the front courtyard trying to wrangle Bessie with no luck. Bessie was chewing her hair as
if it were delicious leaves, tears streaming down Perfuma's face.
"I do plants, guys, not snails" she said in distress. Bessie belched and licked her face.
She sighed in relief as Sprig took Bessie's reins, coaxing her with leaves.
"C'mon girl you know you want some"
Bessie chirped and followed him
"Mrrrrr!" Melog came bounding out of the castle and tackled Catra to the ground.
Catra shrieked in laughter and protest as Melog licked her face, wagging his tail.
"Ok, ok, down, boy" Catra said, gently pushing him off. "I missed you too." She took his face in her hands.
"Just a bit longer, ok? Wait here till we get back" Catra kissed him lightly on the nose.
Adora observed her girlfriend being tender with big tearful eyes and a goofy smile.
"At least I don't need to worry about Entrapta's-" Perfuma began before explosion wracked Darla.
"fires" she finished in a small voice, her mouth twitching.
Entrpata came out of Darla coughing and waving away noxious black smoke. "She's ready!" Entrapta said cheerfully.
At Spinerella and Netossa's castle, everyone got to work. For some reason, Double Trouble pulled Eda aside and spoke with her in a hushed voice.
Willow and Perfuma worked together to produce a thick shield of thorny vines. Willow jumped in victory and Perfuma giggled demurely.
Amity began burying fire glyphs like land mines.
"Here, let me help you" Luz dug enthusiastically, covering a helpless Polly in dirt.
Sprig unearthed her and they planted boom shrooms along with the glyphs.
"I don't normally approve of tricks" Amity admitted. "but in this case, I'll make an exception"
"I always approve of traps" Sprig said. "How else do you hunt?"
"He's got you there, Amity" Luz laughed. Amity rolled her eyes but couldn't help grinning
"you call that a spring trap?" Hop Pop barked at Bow. "Set it properly, boy!"
"Yes, sir!" Bow saluted, eager to please.
Glimmer put her face in her hands and groaned. "Bow, you don't have to take orders"
"But he sounds so…authoritative"
"Bow!"
"When did you learn to be such a drill sargent?" Eda laughed.
"Heh! Ain't much different than running a farm" Hop Pop declared proudly.
"It's true" Anne said through a mouthful of chips she had dug out of her backpack. "he's a tyrant"
"Why, thank, you Anne
"Anytime, H.P."
"And what do you think you're doing?" Catra snarled at Double Trouble who was lounging in the grass, idly shifting their appearance. First Eda. Then Hop Pop. Then Catra.
"Being the star of the show, Kitten" they said in Catra's voice with a wicked smirk.
"You're just lazing around" Catra snapped.
"You can't expect a performer to come on stage before they're ready. My part is coming up so stay tuned" they said brightly.
Catra stalked off muttering about how everyone was impossible.
Not looking where she was going she bumped into one of Gus's illusions of himself. The illusion popped like a balloon and catra fell flat on her face with a shriek.
"Oops, sorry about that" Gus took her hand and helped her up. "I thought I'd give him the Illusion Coven welcome"
Catra gave one of her old evil smirks "I like the way you think, kid. That's devious. We coulda used you in the Horde"
Adora, Bow and Glimmer gave her raised eyebrows and disapproving looks.
"I mean, don't trick people, it's bad?" she smiled awkwardly and shrugged.
As Seahawk was arguing with Hop Pop about the viability of a setting a ship on fire as a defense there was a shout of victory from inside Darla.
Entrapta ran out of Darla , babbling and squealing excitedly.
Mist was swirling low on the grass obscuring everything now.
"Everyone, I think I've done it!" Entrapta cried. She threw the old palisman back to Eda, but Eda wasn't quick enough. It hit her square on the forehead.
"Ouch! Hey watch it, kid!"
King fell over laughing.
"Don't laugh, King" Luz said but she was snickering herself. Composing herself, Luz looked at Entrapta. "Do you mean the portal will work now?"
"A scientist never makes promises without experimenting first"
"Entrapta!" Anne barked.
"Ok, yes, it will work" Entrapta conceded.
"Then I've come just in time"
Belos appeared out of the mist.
To be continued...