A month after defeating Horde Prime, Entrapta decides to tell the others she is going back to Dryl. They are all at what used to be Shadow Weaver's garden, just having a nice time when she brings up the subject.
"Are you sure?" Catra is the first one to ask. She didn't think the Geek Princess would stay around long. There aren't much things on Bright Moon that she hasn't searched about yet, making the place a bit boring to the geek one, but a month was a really short period of time in Catra's opinion, considering what they all have been through.
"You can stay here as long as you want." Glimmer assures her. She wasn't expecting Entrapta to leave now. They were having so much fun together that Glimmer even started to like Entrapta's bots in the meantime. They have all really bonded over the month. It is hard to see someone leaving.
"You don't have to leave now." Bow smiles at her. "There are still lots of things about the Horde technology that we haven't discussed yet."
"I have been away from my kingdom long enough. They... need me there." Entrapta looks at Bow. "You can go to the Crypto Castle at any time since all my tech is there and we can always video chat." She looks at the tablet on her hand. "It is finally time for me to start caring for the people of my kingdom. I think I am good enough at the people subject to help them now." Entrapta smile at the others.
"You sure improved your knowledge on people, Geek Princess." Mermista gives Entrapta a soft smile. "I think your people will be happy to have you back."
"I hope so." She has a few tears on the corner of her eyes, but those are happy ones.
"I am gonna miss you." Scorpia runs towards Entrapta and hugs her. "You can show up at the Fright Zone at any time you want. I will make sure there is a room just for you inside the castle they are rebuilding."
Scorpia finally got her kingdom back and she decided to change it for good. The first thing she has chosen to do is having her family's castle rebuilt and, after, getting rid of all that dark Horde's constructions. They are having plants and trees planted all over the Fright Zone. Soon it would be hard to recognize it as the Fright Zone. Scorpia asked Perfuma for help on that subject and she happily agreed to plant all sorts of things there.
"Thanks, Scorpia." Entrapta smiles. "I will be sure to make you a map of the Crypto Castle then."
"That would be really appreciated." Scorpia puts Entrapta back on the ground and places one of her pincers on the scientist's shoulder. "Thank you."
"I will start packing my things today..." Entrapta looks at the Bright Moon castle. "It will take a while to find all my bots around the castle... luckily Emily can help me with that."
"One is with me." Mermista raises her hand. "Sophia prepares really good bubble baths." She tells Sea Hawk, who is sit next to her.
"So that is where Sophia went. I thought she was out, helping the people of Bright Moon." Entrapta scratches the back of her head. "You can keep her, if you want to." She smiles. "She seems to like you." The princess of Dryl looks at her tablet, searching for the list containing all her bots' names and functions. "I do care about all robots I come in touch with. It is hard for me to leave them behind, but I'd rather see them helping someone else then just walking around without nothing else to do." She looks at Mermista. "Take good care of Sophia."
"Ughh... fine." Mermista makes it sound like it bothers her, but she gives a smile to the princess of Dryl at the end.
Entrapta learned lots of things about the princesses during the time she stayed with them. After lots of social experiments she had the opportunity to watch, Entrapta learned that this is the way Mermista shows she cares.
"Once you are ready, I can teleport you there." Glimmer smiles at Entrapta. "You and your bots." She giggles.
"Thank you." Entrapta gives a soft smile back to the queen. "It will be a big help."
"Entrapta..." Catra stares at her for a moment, looking for words to say. She thinks of hundreds of things to tell Entrapta, but she can just say one. "Just... don't blow up your castle, okay?" She gives the princess a gentle smile.
"I will try." The scientist laughs. "I will miss spending all this time together with you guys."
"We will miss you too, Entrapta." Perfuma stands up from the ground. "Remember to stay in touch with your non-robot friends, ok?"
"I will." The geek princess waves at them, however, before she can start her way out, everyone runs towards her for a group hug, making Entrapta really happy. "Thanks... for caring about me." She tells everyone while the happy tears she has been holding back finally fall down on her cheek.
For Entrapta, it is a relief to know that her friends really care about her. The princess of Dryl is finally sure that they are all her friends, she can tell that even without her data. The geek princess will never have to question herself about that again.
After everyone let go of the hug, Adora walks towards Entrapta and asks to talk to her, alone. The scientist doesn't understand why they had to walk away from the others to talk, so, she asks Adora about it.
"What is it that you can't say around the others?" She asks with curiosity. Entrapta learned from experience that when a person wants to tell you something others can't know, they ask to have a conversation with you in private, just like this one.
"I want to ask about... humm... Hordak." Adora looks at the princess with a concerned look.
Adora knows Entrapta and Hordak are close, but she hasn't seen him around lately, making Adora worry about his whereabouts. She knows he has been talking to the other clones and the last thing She-ra needs is Hordak trying to get in the shoes of Horde Prime.
"Oh... Hordak..." Entrapta takes a longer breath. "What about him?" She asks, a bit unhappy to talk about her friend.
"I just want to know about his whereabouts." Adora tries not to make it sound like a big deal. However, she doesn't notice the change in Entrapta's posture, making Adora say things she probably shouldn't. "I know you are close and that he is your friend, but, due to his past, we need to know what he has been up to lately. I thought asking you would be a better approach, since you are always working together and all that..."
"He has been working with W.H., Wrong Hordak as you know him. They are teaching all their 'brothers' about being their own selves." Entrapta thinks it is a good thing Hordak and W.H. are doing, but why doesn't she sound happy when telling Adora about it? "He hasn't been around Bright Moon because he is too busy looking for the clones that got themselves lost around Etheria after the hive mind was destroyed."
"Good to know." Adora has a big smile on her face. He is just on a trip, nothing to worry about then, she thinks. "After you are back on Dryl, can you send us... hum... a monthly report? I know it sounds weird, but it is just to be sure things are ok."
"Sure." Entrapta looks at the sky, wondering about all the wonders beyond the atmosphere. "But, just if you promise to take me with you once you go out there again." She has sparkly eyes while talking about the possibility of going back to space, what makes it hard for Adora to deny that wish from her.
"I promise you will be with us next time we decide to go back to space. Besides, you know Darla better than anyone else." Adora gives Entrapta a friendly smile. "I also want you to know that I am thankful for all your help."
"Thank you, Adora." Entrapta smiles back at her. "For everything you did."
Those words are their goodbye. After a few seconds in silence, Adora places a hand on the scientist's shoulder before leaving to join the others back at the garden.
Entrapta then goes inside the castle, towards the room where she has been settled in the past month. Once she enters the room, she spots her tape recorder on the bed. Entrapta keeps thinking about her conversation with Adora and decides to pick the tape recorder up with her hair and click it on.
"Ethical dilemma number seventy-two..." Entrapta walks towards the big window of her room. "Day 27 since Hordak left with W.H. to help their brothers. I find myself asking if I should or should not call Hordak. He is probably really busy helping the clones... I could be interrupting him at a really important time and I know how inconvenient that can be." She sighs, a little bit bored. "But I wouldn't have this dilemma in the first place if he just showed up from time to time or let me go with him the first time I asked. I know Hordak said this was something he had to do without me and I respect his decision. However, we spent so much time apart and now he is out there, far away from this place... I thought we would be lab partners again once we reunited." She looks at her tape recorder. "I think this became an emotional dilemma after all." She clicks the tape recorder off and uses her hair to sit in front of the window.
She looks at Etheria and then at her kingdom's direction, wondering about how things are going to be once she is back there. It doesn't take much time for Emily to show up next to her, making noises.
"Hi, Emily." She places her free pigtail on the top of the bot. "I know it is not like me to do nothing and look at the landscape." The scientist smiles at the robot. "But I am at an emotional dilemma right now. Can you help me with that?"
Emily just answers her with noises and shakes of disagreement.
"Well, I think I will have to figure it out on my own then." Entrapta jumps towards the bed. "You know, Emily... since I joined the princesses' alliance things have been so confusing... so different. I met them and then Hordak, Scopia and Catra... Much more social interactions than I ever thought it was possible for me. I even had to make a chart." She looks at the bot. "Now I have true friends." She looks at the ceiling. "They helped me and I helped them." The scientist takes a deep breath.
"The problem is that I have a whole universe to explore out there and still so many data about the First Ones to collect here on Etheria. However, instead of being out there, searching, I am here, not searching..." Entrapta closes her eyes, frustrated. "I just... don't understand why... it's not like I don't want to do science. I love science!" She rolls around the bed. "It's so confusing, Emily!" She shakes her legs back and forth and then grabs the tape recorder to click it on. "I came to the conclusion that I need to call Hordak and tell him what I, um, feel." She then grabs her tablet and calls him. It takes a couple of minutes, but he finally picks it up. Not him exactly, after the static is under control she can see the face of W.H.
"Hello, sister!" W.H. waves at her. "I mean, Entrapta."
"Hi, W.H." She waves back. "Is Hordak around?"
"Just a second." W.H. looks around for a couple of seconds. "There he is." He points at somewhere Entrapta is not able to see through the screen. "He is talking to one of our brothers. We just found him in this place... how do you call it?" He looks at the amount of sand around him. "Ah, the Crimson Waste!"
"Can you call him for me?" Entrapta asks a little bit happy to, at least, have some information of where they are.
"Sure." W.H. nods in agreement. "Hey, brother!" He shouts and waves towards Hordak.
"Yes?" Entrapta hears Hordak's voice, he sounds a little bit annoyed. "What is it?"
"Entrapta wants to communicate with you." W.H. walks towards his older brother and gives him the device.
"Entrapta." Hordak smiles at her, sounding way happier than earlier.
"Hello, Hordak." She smiles back at him. "Just calling for an update on your mission. Are your brothers giving you a hard time?"
"You can't even imagine. It didn't come to my mind that they would be so difficult to handle. I am still not used to the existential crisis they all go through." He takes a deep breath. "But the mission has been a success. According to my numbers we will soon be over with it." He says, proud of himself.
"That is good to hear." She nods in agreement and then stays in silence for a moment.
"Is that all?" He raises a brow, thinking it is weird for Entrapta to be so quiet. "Aren't you going to update me on your day?" He encourages her to talk.
"Right..." Entrapta takes longer breath. "Today I told everyone I am going back to Dryl." She looks away from her tablet for a second, but then she focuses back on Hordak. "To take care of my people."
"That is appropriate. You are a princess, after all." Hordak tells her with a smile, trying to show that he supports the princess on her decision.
"I said goodbye to everyone and told Scorpia that I am making a map of the Crypto Castle for her. Promised Catra I would try not blow up my castle and invited Bow to visit at any time he wants to talk about tech." She tells Hordak, but he doesn't seem so happy about that last sentence.
"The Archery Boy seems to know something about technology." Hordak shrugs.
"Hordak..." Entrapta sounds nervous, but she doesn't understand why. "Do you know what you are doing after finding your lost brothers?"
He stops to think about the question for a few seconds before answering her. "I haven't given the proper thought to it yet."
That was a lie, Hordak has thought about it for some time now. He wants to be with her, of course. He thinks they have been separated long enough, but he can't just force his will on her. He doesn't want to force Entrapta to stay around him.
"Hmm..." Entrapta sounds upset when he answers her. She thought Hordak would give her a proper and solid answer. This way she wouldn't have to say what she wants from him.
"Have you been working on any new projects lately?" Hordak tries to change the subject, noticing the change in her mood.
"No." She says, embarrassed.
That isn't like her, he thinks, worried about Entrapta.
"Nothing since the new robots." Entrapta sends him a chart of her bots. "They are functioning as they should be." She shrugs. "I have been distracted lately. There is a thing getting in the way of my scientific thoughts." She looks away, trying to keep her mask on her head and not drag it down on her face.
"Then get rid of it. Anything getting in the way of your experiments has to be exterminated." Hordak says with conviction. Little did he know he is the thing getting between her and her science, making Entrapta, unintentionally, give him an annoyed face.
"What is it?" He asks, confused.
"I am in a emotional dilemma." Entrapta shows him her tape recorder. She knows she can't bring herself to tell him what she wants, but she still can make him listen. She clicks the tape recorder and plays her last dilemma. Hordak carefully listens to every word until the record ends.
Hordak sure is speechless because he opens and closes his mouth for a couple of times after the record ends. He takes a deep breath before looking directly at her magenta eyes.
"Entrapta... I..." Hordak shakes his head, trying to put his thoughts together. "I apologize." He scratches the back of his head. "I didn't know my absence would bother you."
"It doesn't bother me. I just wished we had more time to talk. You just spent three days here and then left to your mission. I know being around the princesses is hard to you, but you didn't come back, not even once. I even thought that, maybe, you didn't want to be my lab partner anymore." She sighs. "I know we are still friends, but what we had before was special to me. It made me... happy."
"It made me happy too." He desperately says, wanting to make that clear. "Being around you changed me... and I appreciated that." He scratches the back of his head again, a thing he noticed he tends to do when trying to express his feelings. "I just thought the sooner I left, the sooner I would go back..." He blushes a little, but still tries to look serious. "To your side."
"Hordak... I didn't realize-" The princess has a mix of surprise and forgiveness showing on her face.
"It is not your fault." He stops her before she apologizes for something she didn't do. "I should have told you. Now I acknowledge that the way I left seemed like I was leaving you behind." He gives her a kind smile. "However, I would never make such a mistake. Not again." He touches the "luvd" crystal, which is now a necklace Entrapta made for him.
During the time Hordak stayed with Horde Prime, his body was healed completely, so he had no need of a new armour. However, Entrapta insisted that he should keep the crystal close to him at all times. Of course he understood what she meant. That crystal means a lot to both of them. More than words can describe.
"It wasn't your fault back then. Catra-" Entrapta tries to explain, without showing any negative emotions towards the subject, but Hordak interrupts her before she can say anything else.
"I should have had more trust in you." He gives her a painful look. "I should have known better than to trust Catra."
"Hordak..." Entrapta touches her tablet, trying to feel closer to him. "I forgave her." She gives him a comforting smile.
"I still don't understand how you were capable of such a thing." He sighs.
"I observed that I have a tendency to 'look at the bright side' as people say." Entrapta shrugs. "But, besides that, everyone deserves a second chance. Like you and me..." She gives him a gentle smile. "We did bad things in the past, but, now, we have got a second chance to redeem ourselves and be good."
Those were the last words she spoke before a long moment of silence fell between them. It wasn't awkward, but it still bothered Entrapta. They are talking, but something feels off in her opinion. It's like they are running around the real subject. Intentionally or not.
"Hordak." Entrapta calls him out of his thoughts.
"Y-yes?" Hordak shakes his head. Just like Entrapta, he noticed they were not talking about what they really wanted to.
In his case, it is because he doesn't want to impose himself, however, he wonders what she wants to talk about, besides all the other subjects they have discussed already.
"Would you consider to..." Entrapta plays with her hair. "Humm..." She looks at Emily, who decided to stay put next to her. "Stay with me... In the Crypto Castle?" She looks back at him, expecting an answer, however, Hordak is now paralyzed, making Entrapta wonder if she should have waited longer to ask him about it.
"I will totally understand if you want to stay somewhere else." Entrapta tries to fix the awkward situation she created. In order to do that, she decides to look at her data, just to have a better panorama to proceed with the conversation. Data never lies, she thinks. "You just got your free will back and now you don't need to follow a path built on the hope of one day being accepted by the tyrant you once believed as flawless and eternal-" Entrapta stops herself, placing a lock of her hair on her mouth. "I mean..." She gives him an embarrassed smile. "Now that everything is different, we don't have to be together all the time. However, I would appreciate if you considered the possibility."
"Entrapta." Hordak is still shaken by that ask, but he wants to give a proper answer to the princess. "I appreciate the offer and I accept it." He sounds a little bit lost. Everything sounded a lot better inside his head.
"Really?" The princess has a smile of relief on her face.
"Yes." Hordak gives a sincere smile back to her. "And, regarding my absence, I am going to make plans to visit you soon."
"Thank you, Hordak." She says, full of happiness. "In the meantime, I will start making plans for your new sanctum."
"Our." He corrects her, blushing a bit while doing it. He is way out of his comfort zone. Friendship and interpersonal relationships as a whole are new concepts to him. Actually, to both of them. Even though Entrapta had a few more experiences on the friendship field than him, she is no expert on that subject either.
"What?" She gives him a confused look.
"Our sanctum." He touches the crystal again, trying to feel closer to her.
"Oh... right." She giggles. "Even though I will keep calling it a lab."
"Do as you please." He smiles, genuinely. He is relieved that his relationship with Entrapta has improved this much over the days.
"This means I will need to make you a map too." She places one lock of hair against her chin. "And one for W.H."
"Is he accompanying us?" Hordak asks, confused. That is an unforeseen turn of events.
"I am responsible for him. So, for as long as he needs, he will be staying with me. I already told him that." Entrapta looks at Emily, having a brilliant idea. "Emily can be his guide!" She says, amazed. "And your other brothers can live on Dryl too. They won't be able to stay inside the castle, but there are lots of other places they can stay. Like the villages down the mountain. Or maybe we could build them their own village." She starts making notes on another tablet. "I have so much to do now!" She throws her hand in the air, thrilled.
Hordak watches her while she talks about her plans for the sanctum and the castle, making him happy. Watching Entrapta work was always fascinating to him and seeing her better than earlier is also a relief.
"I look forward to work by your side again." He interrupts her one last time, getting Entrapta out of her thoughts.
"I miss you too." She looks at his eyes, which are now red again. "I need to go now." She tells him, reluctantly. "See you soon?"
"Can I call you once the sun goes down?" He asks, wishing to be by her side at that exact moment.
"Of course." Entrapta smiles one last time to him before hanging up.
"Emotional dilemma solved." She tells Emily before starting to pack her things.