DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the properties you will see here. All rights go to their respective owners.
Savages: Multiverse
Chapter 5: Necessary Evils
"So, what exactly are we looking at?" Catra asked as she and the rest of the team looked at the screen before them.
Krang grumbled at Catra's question in annoyance. After gathering the team to the Technodrome to share his findings with the others, however, he had forgotten that his forced allies didn't share his brilliant intellect, so, as with Shredder and his mutant minions, he'd have to dumb things down for them.
"While you were off talking amongst yourselves, I was busy doing actual work," Krang began. "I scanned the Multiverse for any traces of energy similar to that of Hekapoo's scissors and discovered several anomalies. *gurgle*."
"Could you speak a little slower?" Trevor inquired bluntly. "Some of us don't come from worlds with talking brains."
"He's saying he found something weird," Acxa answered.
"I wouldn't call it 'weird' as I would call it 'deeply concerning,'" Krang corrected.
"What do you mean?" the Sorceress asked.
Krang then pulled up four worlds for everyone to see on the screen.
"These four dimensions all had small traces of the type of energy we were searching for," the former lord of Dimension X explained. "What's concerning is that these aren't small traces, which would've indicated that they are worlds Salem and her forces already visited, but-"
"They're worlds they're already attacking," Hekapoo concluded in shock. "Fuck me. It just can't be easy, can it?"
"Uh, that's bad, right?" Leone inquired.
"Bad doesn't even come close to what this is," the portal mistress corrected. "Salem and her goons are ripping multiple holes between the walls of the Multiverse, causing them to weaken. And, on top that, they're attacking multiple fronts, and we can't get to them all in time."
"Well, why can't you just give us our own scissors, and we can just split up and deal with them?" Catra pointed out.
"Because it doesn't work like that," Hekapoo denied. "I can't just give you your own scissors. You have to earn them through trials, and we don't have time for that."
She then coldly eyed several of the members of the team, namely the likes of Erron, Durge, and Krang.
"Besides, I don't trust most these assholes with dimensional scissors," she concluded, earning some scowls in response.
"Okay, so why not just open up multiple portals to those worlds and just send us through them?" the former Horde captain questioned.
"Oh, yeah, let me just further weaken the structural integrity of the Multiverse," Hekapoo sarcastically answered. "That'll sure help things."
Catra growled in frustration at that. Adora was suffering from the poison that was coursing through her veins, and now she couldn't even come close to recovering the one thing that could heal her, let alone get her revenge on Tyrian for harming Adora in the first place. It was then that Krang stepped forward.
"I might have an idea on how to get around our little problem," he began. "As you know, the Technodrome is capable of traveling the Multiverse while doing little to no damage to it."
"Yeah, that's why we got you to work with us in the first place," Hekapoo said. "But the Technodrome can't get us to all those worlds in time to stop Salem."
"It won't have to," Krang answered. "Because I can send you all there from here."
"What do you mean?" the Sorceress inquired.
"Before your Council 'conscripted' my services, I had been working on a new project that would allow an induvial to travel to a different world via my enhanced teleporters," Krang explained.
"Why do I feel like there's a catch?" Acxa mused.
"I didn't have time to properly test it," Krang admitted before eyeing Hekapoo. "I was too busy being kidnapped and forced into this wild goose chase. *gurgle*."
"Oh, cry me a river, you talking ballsack," the demon woman sneered. "And FYI, there's no way I'm letting you or any of the whackjobs that the Sorceress brought along out of my sight for a second."
"Fine, but every second we delay here is a second that we let Salem get closer to her goal," the former lord of Dimension X pointed out with a sly smirk.
All eyes fell upon the Magical High Commissioner. Hekapoo hated to admit it, but Krang was right. Every moment they sat here allowed Salem and her forces to further devastate the Multiverse. However, there was still the danger that she was standing in front of as well. True, the Cosmic Council had forced Krang to help them stop Salem's scheme due to his base being able to track the Queen in Black's trail, but the mad alien was dangerous in his own right. If Hekapoo wasn't careful, she had no doubt in her mind that Krang would stab her in the back the first chance he got in both meanings of the term. There was also the matter of who the Sorceress had brought along as well. While Belmont, though an asshole, was a good soul at heart, and Megatron seemed as though he was trying to find redemption in this quest, the same could not be said for Erron and Durge, who were doing this for both coin and carnage.
However, Hekapoo understood that Salem was the greater of these evils and needed to be dealt with first and foremost. So, with that in mind, she made her choice.
"Fine," she relented. "But I swear, if you try anything funny, I'll cut you to shreds and scatter your chunks across the Multiverse!"
"Why, my dear Hekapoo, do you think so little of me?" Krang asked coyly.
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," the high commissioner responded. "Just get your teleporters up and running."
Krang grumbled a few words under his breath before heading by to the Technodrome's controls, allowing the Sorceress to speak to her fellow Council member.
"How you could trust that monster to aid us is beyond me," she noted.
"Oh, don't even THINK about playing holier than thou with me right now!" the demon woman snapped back. "Not when you're employing likes of Black, Durge, and Megatron on your little side quest!"
"I could say the same about the company your keeping," the mistress of Castle Grayskull sternly retorted. "Acxa was a former Galra general who killed thousands in the name of Lotor. Leone may be a rebel fighting for a just cause, but she's murdered just as many innocents as she has guilty. Krang is...well, Krang. And need I say anything about Catra?"
"You mean the catgirl who's banging your greatest mistake?" Hekapoo snidely reminded her.
"What did you say?" came a third voice.
The two council members were so busy bickering amongst themselves that they failed to notice that Catra was in hearing distance of them. Before the Sorceress could say anything, Hekapoo spoke first.
"Oh, you didn't know? The Sorceress is the reason you have your darling Adora!" the demoness informed.
"What is she talking about?" Catra demanded from the mistress of Castle Grayskull
Knowing that she had been cornered, the Sorceress had no choice but to tell the truth.
"You have to understand, Catra, what I did was only meant to protect Adora," she began. "And it seems I made the right choice."
"What. Did. You. Do?" the former Horde Captain hissed, now with her claws out.
It was then that Catra felt the barrel of a gun pressed against the side of her head, making her glance over to see who was trying to stop her.
"Easy there, kitty cat," Erron warned darkly as he pulled the hammer back on his revolver. "That's my bread an' butter you're fucking with."
"Erron, stand down," his employer ordered. "It's alright."
As ordered, the bounty hunter relented, allowing the Sorceress to continue.
"In the universe that I come from, there are, like in your universe, great evils. But also, like your universe, there are chosen heroes to protect our world from those evils. I knew that if evil should ever triumph over one hero, there needed to be another ready to face it in their place. Such was the case with Adora. When she was born, I could sense the power within her, just like her brother ha-"
"Wait, brother?" Catra interrupted in a stunned voice. "Adora has a brother?!"
"She has a whole family. A royal family, in fact," Hekapoo interjected. "Adora is a princess in the world in the Sorceress' universe. And I'm not talking a 'princess of power,' either. I'm talking like a legit princess!"
Catra's head was spinning at this point. In one moment, everything she thought she knew about women she loved had completely flipped upside down. And the worst part was that Adora wasn't here to hear any of this. As Catra was still trying to process all of this, the Sorceress continued.
"I made the decision to hide Adora in your universe in order to keep her safe," she furthered. "And as fate would have it, it would seem that I made the right choice."
"You don't get to justify a damn thing you've done!" Catra snapped. "Do you know the loneliness Adora's felt all these years? The years of pain she went through? The trauma? Or did you not even think about that when you dumped her off in a different world? If Hordak didn't find her, she would've died! And it's all because of you!"
"On the contrary, I manipulated events to make sure Hordak would find her," the Sorceress countered. "It was the only way she would find the sword and become She-Ra."
Catra's eyes widen in shock upon hearing that, instantly understanding what the guardian of Castle Grayskull meant by that.
"You knew she'd leave the Horde all along..." she said slowly. "That she'd leave...me."
"And yet she returned to you," the Sorceress pointed out. "A testament to the love she felt for you."
Catra's clenched her fists in rage at the words being spoken to her as furious tears began to run down her eyes.
"So that's it, huh?" she sneered. "I was just a pawn in your grand cosmic scheme, right? Do you have any idea what I put Adora through?! What I put Etheria through?! All because you had some grand plan for her!"
"Oh, now this is getting good," Hekapoo snickered.
The next thing she knew, Catra's fist collided with her cheek with enough force to knock the demoness to fall to the floor.
"And you KNEW about all of this!" the former Horde captain accused. "This whole time, you knew about Adora, and you didn't say a fucking word until you decided to spite that bitch!"
Hekapoo scowled at her attacker, but instead of gutting Catra, she merely stood back on her feet while Catra continued to speak.
"You two and that 'Cosmic Council' claim to be fighting for the greater good, but you've got just as much blood on your hands as the rest of us!" the humanoid feline declared furiously. "That's why you recruited all of us. So we could do your dirty work for you!"
Hekapoo didn't say anything at first. Instead, she only chuckled at the statement as if she had heard a joke. The sound of the Magical High Commissioner's laugh not only enraged Catra but the other members of the team as well.
"Bravo, oh, bravo!" she sarcastically congratulated with an added slow clap. "You hit the nail right on the motherfucking head, Catra! You're right. The Sorceress and I don't give a single shit about any of you. You're all just necessary evils to stop a greater evil who we'd gladly sacrifice to keep Salem from killing the Multiverse."
It was at this point that the team began to reach for their weapons in preparation to rush their leader all at once. Even the Sorceress was starting to become angered by her at this point. However, rather than be scared, Hekapoo only laughed at the threat displayed before her.
"Oh, don't even start," she brushed off. "You may all claim to be badasses, but half of you care about the universes you come from, and you need me to lead you through the Multiverse. And the other half of you want to get paid no matter how much you gotta deal with us."
The team hated to admit it, but the demoness was right in that regard. They may all be killers, but they still desired to safeguard their worlds from Salem's wrath. As for the likes of Black and Durge, while they didn't care for what happened to their worlds, they still desired to be paid for their services, regardless of what might happen to their universes. However, it was then that Megatron stepped forward, his fusion cannon at full power and pointed down at both of the council members.
"And what about me?" he inquired coldly. "I care not for money, my well-being, or any world in the Multiverse. So, what's to stop me from killing you both right here and now?"
"Because there's something you DO care about, Megatron," Hekapoo informed him. "You seek the one thing you've wanted since you went into exile: Meaning. And you know as well as I do that this quest will give you that meaning in life."
Megatron growled at that, but he knew that she was right. Ever since he had departed from Cybertron, his sense of meaning and purpose had become lost to him. True, he wanted to keep the Dark Star Saber from falling into the wrong hands, but other than that, he had become a drifter among the stars. No armies to command, no wars to fight, there was nothing left. So, when the Sorceress offered a membership in the hunt for Salem, he had a sense of purpose again. One that a part of him hoped would not only bring him fulfillment in his life but perhaps bring him a good death as well. So, despite wanting nothing more than to blast the demoness to atoms, he stood down, making Hekapoo smirk at that in the process. It was at that time that Krang approached the others.
"If you're all finished with your little drama party, I've made the proper adjustments to the teleporters," he informed the group. "We'll need to move the Technodrome into the space between universes if we're to have a better reception. *gurgle*."
"I will use my magic to ensure you arrive at the other worlds safely," the Sorceress said to the others as she eyed Krang. "And unharmed from any UNKOWN side-effects."
With that, the team made their way to the teleporters. But now, there was a clear rift among the team. How this would affect their quest for saving the Multiverse was unknown. What wasn't unknown, however, was that Salem wasn't going to stop, so neither were they. However, as they made their way to the teleporters, the Sorceress pulled her fellow council member aside to speak with her in private for a moment.
"I do hope you're proud of yourself," she said firmly.
"A little bit, yeah," the Magical High Commissioner admitted with a sly smirk on her lips.
"You've effectively broken any trace of trust the team had in us," the guardian of Castle Grayskull lectured. "And for what? Just so you could insult me? You may be an immortal, Hekapoo, but you act more like a child!"
"Eh, haters gonna hate," Hekapoo brushed off. "And it's not like you were gonna be able to hide that secret forever. We both know that you're gonna take Adora back to your home when all this is said and done, Etheria be dammed."
The Sorceress glared at her fellow Council member but said nothing to neither confirm nor deny Heckapoo's accusation.
"But I got a feeling that you had more to say than just giving me the third degree," Heckapoo mentioned. "So, penny for your thoughts?"
"There's something that's not making sense to me," the Sorceress began. "Salem's movements have been precise as of late. We know she's smart and has had years to plan this out, but every world she's gone to, every target she's gone after, she had extensive knowledge of. Megatron even told me that she knew about his life even before he was leader of the Decepticons. I believe she could be getting help from some outside source."
"She's a master planner, Sorceress. She, ya know, plans things before doing anything," Heckapoo reminded her. "She's had that pair of scissors for years. She probably had her spies watch the other universes before making her move."
"Perhaps..." the Sorceress mused, yet still not convinced. "But all of these recent coordinated attacks have made me dread for Castle Grayskull's safety."
"Oh, so NOW you wanna go back home?" Hekapoo sarcastically replied. "Fine, but I'm coming with you. That place needs to be guarded until this is taken care of."
"Fine," the Sorceress agreed. "But once this is over, it would be in your best interest to stay far from me for a while."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Hekapoo muttered as she began to walk away. "But let's just try to play nice from now on, 'kay? Once you've made sure everyone's gotten to where we need them to go, we'll head on over to your place."
"You know, it's rather funny..." the Sorceress began. "You talk about my secrets, but I know for a fact that you've got your own. I wonder what Rhombulus and Omnitraxis would think about what you're hiding from them...or Star and Marco for that matter?"
Hekapoo sneered at that remark before storming off to the Techodrome's teleporter room, allowing the Sorceress a chance to smirk in victory before following after her. Upon reaching the others, they saw that Krang had finished moving the Technodrome into the space between worlds before explaining how his invention worked.
"I've successfully locked onto the worlds that Salem's forces are currently attacking," he began. "I can send two at a time through the teleporters to each world."
He then began to hand everyone a wrist device.
"Once you've completed your tasks, these recall devices will bring you back to the Tenchodrome," he continued. "Though I must warn you that it won't be a pleasant return trip. *gurgle*."
"So, what's the plan 'boss,'" Trevor asked the Sorceress.
"Our top priority is to keep the people of those worlds safe and the items Salem's after out of her hands," she stated. "Our second objective is to destroy these make-shift scissors her minions are using."
"And if they don't want to just hand them over?" Leone asked.
"Then we convince 'em with a little 'aggressive negotiations,'" Erron mentioned, twirling one of his guns as he did.
"Remember, killing Salem is off-limits. Not that any of you could, of course," Hekapoo addressed. "But her henchmen are fair game."
"That's all I needed to hear," Catra said, thinking about tearing Tyrian's throat out.
"Final preparations are finished," Krang informed the others. "Shall we, then?"
"Heckapoo and I must return to Castle Grayskull to make sure it's safe, but we will try to get in contact with you as soon as we can," the Sorceress said to the others.
"So, that just us leaves with one question," Leone mentioned. "Who goes with who?"
"Leone, you're with Erron," Hekapoo ordered.
"Just stay outta my line of fire, blondie," the bounty hunter warned.
"If you so much as point a gun at me, I'll castrate you," Leone snarled back.
"Catra, you're with Durge," Hekapoo continued.
"If you slow me down, I'll kill you," the Gen'Dai said to the humanoid cat.
"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing," Catra mocked.
"Trevor, you're with Megatron," the Magical High Commissioner went on.
"Oh, sure, just leave me alone with the giant fucking robot," the monster hunter sighed, earning a growl of contempt from his new 'partner.' "At least it's better than Black."
"Acxa, you're with Krang," Hekapoo finished.
"Now wait a minute, Hekapoo! *gurgle*." Krang protested. "I have to stay in the Technodrome in case something happens!"
"I'm sure you have a way to bring us back in case anything goes wrong," the demoness countered. "And I'm not leaving you alone with the getaway car running."
Krang gurgled out some words of irritation before putting on one of his recall devices. With their coordinates punched in, the respective pairs were transported to each of the four worlds that were in distress. Once the others had gone through, the Sorceress cast a protection spell over the teleporter to ensure that they arrived safely at each world. After the spell was complete, Hekapoo opened up a portal with her scissors before the two council members stepped through it.
Salem wrapped her fingers on the arms of her throne. But this was not done out of annoyance but anticipation for what was to come next. She knew that if she sent her subjects to attack multiple fronts, Hekapoo and the Sorceress would have to divide their forces in an effort to combat them. This would mean that they would be cut off from one another and considerably easier to kill. However, the Queen in Black never left anything up to chance, so she had implemented the next phase of her plan.
"I do so hope you know what you're doing," came a sarcastic voice off to her side.
Salem turned her head to the left to look at who had spoken to her, or rather, the prison they were currently trapped in. Sitting off to the side was a purple, cocoon-like prison that held a special prisoner. One who, without his forced help, none of Salem's grand plan would be possible. Though she had been in possession of the dimensional scissors that she had taken from the corpse of the Mewnman she had killed for ages and had, in fact, traversed the Multiverse with them, the Grimm Queen came to a stunning conclusion on two things: That the Multiverse was too vast for even an immortal like herself to explore, and that even if she succeeds in her plan to end all life on Remnant, it would no more than a cosmic blip on the grand scale of things.
The Queen in Black was never the one to be shaken by most things, but she had to admit that this revelation disturbed her to some degree. Once, she was content with just making the world that had caused her so much pain feel the agony that she had long felt. But now that she knew that there were other universes out there in the vastness of time and space, she felt like an ant in an endless colony, and her world's end would not even register with her. It was then that she vowed that, if she was to die, she'd drown the very Multiverse in darkness along with her. But that task was much easier said than done. For as long as Salem had been cursed, she knew that she could not fight a war on multiple fronts. Not only that, but she knew that if she focused too much on the Multiverse, the huntsmen and huntresses of her own world would have a chance to thwart her.
Countless nights were spent trying to strategize a course of battle. But in the end, none of her plans worked out. It seemed like a futile effort to try to wage a full-scale war on every living thing in the Multiverse. It would be as if a single fish was trying to conquer the ocean that it swam in. For a time, Salem considered abandoning her plans for multiversal conquest, thinking that as long as she was able to slay Ozpin for good and bring about her end, it would be enough for her.
That was until a stranger arrived.
The stranger arrived in Salem's most private part of her home, not to confront her or try to bring her to justice, but simply talk to her and tell her of things to come. He told her of the prophecy that she was a part of and how she would shroud the first Earth in a blanket of darkness. He did this as not a way to warn her but as a way to play a jest on the other god-like beings that safeguarded the Multiverse. With his joke done, the stranger attempted to depart, but Salem prevented her uninvited guest from leaving by encasing him in a cocoon that damped his powers. Now, with her new hostage, Salem was able to put together her current scheme that would bring her one step closer to ending the Multiverse.
"Now, don't be like that," the Queen in Black replied. "None of this would be possible without your assistance."
"Forced captivity is more like it," her prisoner countered. "You're playing a dangerous game, Salem. You may be winning for now, but no one wins forever."
"Speaking for yourself?" the Grimm Queen asked in an almost mocking voice.
"I'd warn you to not speak to me that way, witch," her captive advised darkly. "You can't hold me here forever. And when I get out of here, you'll rue the day you became an immortal."
"Tempting, but we both know that if you did anything to me that you'd only be doing me a favor," Salem said.
"If I don't kill you, the Cosmic Council and their little assassination squad will," her prisoner noted. "And you simply don't have enough soldiers to counter them."
"A precaution that I've already taken into account," Salem answered. "Before I began this little campaign, I, like Hekapoo and the Sorceress, had gone on a little...recruitment drive before this all began to use for this moment. Tyrian and the others were the pawns I needed to get my enemies into the positions I wanted them to be on the board. Now...it's time for the knights to come into play."
She then cut upon a portal.
"As well as the queen," she finished before stepping through.
Hazel and Tyrian had inspected the city of Blytonbry for the smallest sign of weakness for them to exploit, or better put, somewhere that they could enter with the least amount of bloodshed. It wasn't that the duo couldn't fight their way through the city's defenses to get the Shiny Rod. It was more that Hazel wanted to do this without harming anyone or letting Tyrian get the massacre he craved. But it was becoming evident that there was no other way than brute force. The trouble was that even with all the power they had, they were still only two. Currently, the two were discussing their plan in a back ally. They've already managed to pinpoint the closest location their scissors could get them to Luna Nova without being redirected away from the school. So all that was left was for them to bust their way in.
"We'll have to make this quick," he began. "I'll tear open the front gate and draw most of their fire on me. You just find the Shiny Rod and kill only those who get in your way. Understand?"
"Ugh, fine," the mad Faunus relented. "But you better not steal all the kills from me!"
"Perhaps you can share your kills with us?" came a deep, growling voice.
The two minions of Salem spun around to face whoever had snuck up on them, only to be greeted by a pair of hooded figured.
"And who might you two be?" Tyrian inquired. "Aside from being a pair of soon-to-be corpses!"
"Salem has sent us as your reinforcements," the first hooded figure informed them.
The stranger then pulled down his hood to reveal not a human face but a reptilian one.
"My name is Repton," he introduced himself. "Your mistress promised me a grand hunt, and I do hope these foes you face are worthy trophies."
"We're here for the Shiny Rod, not for trophies," Hazel denied. "And besides, it'll be difficult to even get through the front gates."
"Leave that to my partner," Repton assured as he gestured to the other hooded man. "I'm told he's quite good at bringing walls down."
"Oh, is he now?" Tyrian asked with interest. "And who might you be, good sir?"
The second man pulled down his hood to reveal a seemingly normal-looking human with blonde hair and the eyes of a soldier.
"My name is Reiner Braun," the man said.
"So...do we even have a plan? Or are you just going to keep looking at dirt all day?" Leone asked.
Erron ignored her question, for he was too busy studying the tracks that lay before him. It was a mass of animal tracks that were headed west, and, by the looks of it, they were moving fast. Now at first, the bounty hunter assumed that they were merely a heard of whatever animals roamed this world, but that changed when he noticed a sliver of green hair that belonged to Emerald laying on the ground. Black didn't know how, but Mercury and Emerald had rounded up a posse to find whatever it was that Salem was after on this world. Not that he cared. It just meant that he'd be spending more of his reward on bullets to pay for the ones that he was going to have to use.
"It's called tracking," Erron finally said. "You oughta try it sometime."
"I don't 'track,' I hunt," the cat-warrior stated.
As Erron looked for any traces of where their prey had gone to over the horizon, his eyes caught sight of the faint glimpse of light reflecting off of some small surface. It took all of one second to realize what that shine was and quickly grabbed Leone before dropping to avoid a blaster bolt that was fired from a sniper a moment later. The unlikely duo quickly sought cover behind a nearby boulder.
"The fuck was that?!" Leone exclaimed.
"A damn good shooter," Erron answered. "Bastard knew we were coming."
"If you want to come out behind that rock, I'd greatly appreciate it," the voice of the shooter called out. "Saves me the ammo."
"Nah, we won't be doing that," Erron denied. "Mind telling us your name, stranger?"
"The name's Cad Bane," the fellow gunslinger answered. "And Salem's paying me a pretty penny for your heads."
"Well, Bane, I'm afraid we're at a bit of an impasse," the fellow bounty hunter replied. "See, I also got a big paycheck riding on this job, and I aim to get paid. So, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to kill you, partner."
"And in case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered!" Leone called out.
"Is that right?" Cad Bane replied. "You might wanna do a recount."
No sooner had he said that did a strong blast of wind not only knock the two out from their cover but also divided them. Leone tried to reach Erron but was suddenly caught up in a whirlwind that lifted her off the ground before flinging her across the ground. The cat-themed killer looked up to see a man with long grey hair and dressed in rags flying above her.
"To quote the wise Guru Laghima..." the Airbender known as Zaheer began. "'The unexpected should always be expected.'"
Cassandra panted heavily as she pulled her sword out of the head of the Boarbatusk that she had just slain. It was one of the many strange monsters that had been plaguing the countryside, and they were growing. After killing the fifth monster that had been chasing after her, it was becoming increasingly obvious that these creatures were seeking her out for a reason, though as to why was still unknown to her. In recent days, she had been camping out deep in the woods not far from a village, and still, the monsters managed to find her.
Was Xan-Tiri still alive? Was this some new form of evil that was rearing its head? Either way, Cassandra knew where she needed to be: Back at Rapunzel's side. As she sheathed her blade, the former captain of the guard heard the sound of rustling in the bushes behind her. Still running on pure adrenaline, Cassandra drew her blade at a blinding speed, ready to strike down the next beast that had tried to sneak up on her. However, what was on the other end of the sword wasn't a monster but a friend.
"Ra-Rapunzel?" Cassandra said in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"Cass, thank the gods you're okay!" her friend sighed with relief in her voice. "I was worried that those monsters had gotten to you!"
"What are they?" Cassandra asked as she put away her blade.
"We don't know. These things have been appearing all over Corona," Rapunzel answered. "Eugene's back at the castle. We're trying to mount a counterattack."
That sounded off to Cassandra. Rapunzel was by no means a damsel in distress, but there was no way that her new husband would just allow the princess to go out into the countryside at night alone while there was an invasion of monsters going on. What was more concerning was that there was also someone else missing from Rapunzel's side.
"Hey, where's Pascal?" she inquired.
"Who?" was the princesses' only answer.
Cass' eyes narrowed as her hand instantly went to her hilt and drew her blade once again before lunging at 'Rapunzel.' She swung her sword at the imposter, who, with a smirk, bent her back at a 90-degree angle to avoid the oncoming sword. The fake Rapunzel then kicked Cass' weapon out of her hand, sending the sword spinning into the air before falling to the ground a few feet away. The fake princess then shot forward with a speed that no normal human would have. Cassandra barely managed to evade the imposter's oncoming fist, which collided with a nearby tree, knocking out a large chunk of it from her blow.
Cassandra fell to the ground as she dodged the hit. She looked over to see that her sword had landed not too far away from where she was. The swordswoman reached out for her blade, but before she could reach it, a large, armored foot stomped on the sword to keep her from taking it. Cassandra looked up to see a tall woman dressed in a suit of armor with large dark hair, pale skin, and a pair of fangs sticking out of her mouth glowering down at her. It didn't take long for Cass to realize that her second attacker was a vampire. The giant of a woman kicked the young warrior several feet backward, sending her flying backward into a rock. As Cassandra began to blackout, she watched as 'Rapunzel' began to shapeshift into someone else. This new person was shorter with long green hair and wearing a black bra, a mini skirt, and a headband with a strange emblem on it.
"See? I told you this'd be easy, Striga," the shape-shifter said to the large vampire.
"Don't be too proud of yourself, Envy," the vampire answered. "We still need to take her to Salem."
"Eh, shouldn't be too hard," the Homunculus said passingly. "But she's gonna wish we killed her."
With that, everything went black for Cassandra.
The world that Megatron and Trevor stepped into was one consumed by fire and chaos. All around them was a city engulfed in destruction. It was not unlike the cities that Trevor had seen after Dracula's armies had pillaged them or Megatron when he ordered a city to be razed to the ground. Off in the distance, they could see a school where the cries of the dying echoed the most from.
"I take it that's where we need to go?" Trevor mentioned.
"So it would appear," Megatron answered.
"Well, we're not going to do anyone any good," Belmont said. "We're too far away to get there in time."
"For you, perhaps," the former warlord refuted.
Megatron jumped into the air and transformed into his jet mode before blasting off into the sky, leaving his partner behind.
"Fine, I'll just walk..." the monster hunter growled. "Sodding bastard."
But before Trevor could even take so much as a single step, he felt a great pain erupt throughout his body as he felt something pierce his body. He looked down to see that a bone-like blade had gone through his shoulder. As Trevor cried out in pain, he was lifted off the ground and thrown several feet before falling to the ground. As Trevor tried to get back to his feet, he got a good look at his attacker. It was as hideous as the night creatures he faced in his universe with a mouth full of fangs and a pair of blades protruding out of each arm.
"You are one ugly motherfucker," Trevor jested as he forced himself to stand, fighting through the pain as he did.
"Laugh all you like, human. It'll be your last!" the monster snarled. "I am Baraka, and I shall be your death!"
As this encounter was going on, Megatron was now halfway to the school where the siege was taking place. As he flew over the wreckage of the city below him, thoughts of his past sins began to flood his mind. All the pain he subjected his fellow Cybertronians, all the worlds left as lifeless husks in a pointless war, it all hit him all at once. So consumed by his guilt was he that he failed to notice a large tank below him taking aim and firing a single shot. The blast struck Megatron across the right wing, making him cry out in pain as he fell to the ground. The former gladiator managed to transform back into his robot form at the last second, allowing him to roll and take the brute of the impact, though he was still wounded.
Megatron watched as the tank that had shot him out of the sky began to roll toward him before suddenly coming to a halt. At first, Megatron assumed that the driver was going to get out to introduce themselves. But instead, the tank started to transform into a fellow Cybertronian. This one was a large purple and black robot with red optics, a pair of horns on his head, and a sadistic grin on his face. Megatron didn't need to be told who this was. For deep in his spark, he knew that, despite his different appearance, there was only one person that it could be. It was one person whom the former leader of the Decepticons hated above all others.
Himself.
"Hello, me, how are we?" Megatron asked his multiversal counterpart before letting out a deep, haughty laugh.
Though the Sorceress and Hekapoo hated each other at the moment, they both understood that the safety of the Multiverse was of the utmost importance. So their petty squabble would be put on hold for now. But as they exited the portal, they found themselves not in the halls of Castle Grayskull but some unknown hellscape.
"Where did you bring us?" the Sorceress demanded.
"I don't know. The portal was supposed to take us to Castle Grayskull," Heckapoo answered. "Where the hell are we?"
"I believe you just answered your own question," a voice said from behind them.
The two council members spun around to see a tall human with pale white skin standing before them. The duo gritted their teeth in disgust, for they knew who this was.
"Quan Chi..." Hekapoo sneered.
"Ah, I see Raiden has mentioned me. How kind of him," the dark wizard said in a darkly playful voice. "On behalf of Lady Salem, I welcome you both...to the Neitherrealm."
As Quan Chi spoke, dammed souls and demons began to slowly emerge from the lava and encircle the council members. Hekapoo took out her scissors once more and prepared to open another portal but stopped when the necromancer spoke up.
"I'd advise against that, my lady," he warned. "The spell I've put on your portals could send you somewhere worse."
"Why are you working with Salem, Quan Chi?" the Sorceress questioned. "She only wants death and destruction for us all!"
"Was Shinnok any different?" Quan Chi commented. "Salem is power, and I desire power above all else."
With that said, the necromancer turned and walked away. But not before saying two words to his demonic hordes.
"Kill them."
As Salem took her first steps onto Eternian soil, she could feel the planet's magic all around her. She could almost swear that she was breathing it in even now. There was light here. A light that would soon be snuffed out. Off in the distance sat her prize: Castle Grayskull. A nexus point to Multiverse. And with it, the key to her ultimate victory. As she suspected, the enchantments around the castle kept her from transporting directly into the castle, but this was only a minor setback.
"So, you must be Salem?" came a strong voice. "And here I thought you'd be uglier than Skeletor."
Salem, neither amused nor surprised, turned her head to the side to see the one person she knew she'd have to face the moment she stepped foot on his world. And he was not alone. Standing with him was a legion of mighty heroes, all of whom stood at the ready to challenge the Queen in Black.
"Surrender, Salem, and you will be unharmed," the hero commanded. "Refuse, and you will face the full might of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe!"