Chapter 13: The Instructions

As Shadow Weaver escorted Brittni out of the monumental room, a copious amount of thoughts and questions were parading around in Brittni's mind. Who was that in the crystal ball? Was it the crystal ball that was the voice? What was happening tonight with Adora and Catra? Does helping them restore balance mean defeating the Rebellion? These instructions and questions from an incorporeal being were so cryptic. Out of all these questions Brittni was asking herself, the most cryptic of all them was one that was very personal to her.

"What did the voice mean when she said, 'Continue to watch over your brother. Help him stay on the straight and narrow path?'" It seemed as though the crystal ball said that almost as some kind of after thought, and yet, that piece of instruction was at the forefront of Brittni's mind.

"Straight and narrow? But, Brett's fine… He has a big heart and great loyalty to the Horde… He'll always be a good person." Brittni thought to herself. Shadow Weaver took notice of Brittni's silence.

"Brittni? What seems to be troubling you?" Shadow Weaver inquired. Brittni looked up at Shadow Weaver.

"Oh, uh… well, I'm honestly still hungry. I never did get that ration bar…" Brittni said, hiding her real feelings. Shadow Weaver stopped her stride, lightly chuckled, and wiggled her fingers, rhythmically. That dark aura that had restrained the cadets in the mess hall suddenly began transuding from Shadow Weaver's fingers. Brittni shuddered and took a step away from it. Shadow Weaver continued to focus the black aura as she used it to draw a circle in the air with her fingers. Shortly after Shadow Weaver's conjuration, a portal, the size of a wall mirror appeared. Shadow Weaver reached into the portal and pulled out a plate that had a gray ration bar laying on it. Brittni gasped as Shadow Weaver handed her the plate. Brittni gently pulled the plate from Shadow Weaver's hands, switching glances between the food and Shadow Weaver.

"Thank you, Shadow Weaver!" Brittni said, gratefully as she shoved the gray ration bar into her mouth, chewing rather quickly. Despite wearing a mask, Shadow Weaver looked strangely at Brittni.

"Yes… well, the Horde does need its medical staff fully nourished." Shadow Weaver said, cordially, "now, I must go and speak with Adora. While Dragstor is out of commission for the time being, we'll be needing another Force Captain." Brittni's mouth went agape.

"Adora's getting promoted?" Brittni inquired.

"Oh, yes. She is one of our best. She'll make her debut as Force Captain when we commence the invasion of Thaymore." Shadow Weaver said, putting her hand on Brittni's shoulder, "don't worry, though. Your time will come." Brittni gave a forced smile.

"I'd rather be in the clinic… not the battlefield…" Brittni thought to herself. The duo made their way to a fork in the hallway. Shadow Weaver went to the left which lead towards the female cadet locker room. Brittni waved goodbye to Shadow Weaver and went to the right towards her quarters. As Brittni was walking, her thoughts continued to encircle her mind.

"That crystal ball said that tonight, the Horde was going to change… what exactly is going to happen?" Brittni questioned herself, "It has something to do with Adora and Catra... I can't tell Hordak, he doesn't believe in all that hocus pocus. Plus, that's going to give away the fact that Shadow Weaver allowed me into Hordak's prized possessions room… Shadow Weaver would kill me. But I'm going to have to keep an eye on Adora and Catra." Brittni finished her thoughts as she finally arrived at her quarters. She unlocked the door, and slipped in. It was around 17:00, so Keirnan would be arriving soon. She had no idea when Brett would show up from his new promotion. Brittni took a seat on the couch planning on what exactly she was going to do that night. She had to get the crystal ball, but she also had to watch over Adora and Catra. It didn't help that the crystal ball was rather vague at the timeline in which all of these things were going to happen. Brittni buried her head in her hands and groaned out loud, thinking of all these obstacles. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in order to clear her mind. She raised her head up, then opened her eyes.

"Okay, here's what I'll do. I'll get to the Monumental Room, first, grab the crystal ball really quick, then find Adora and Catra. Simple." Brittni said.

"You'll do what?" Keirnan inquired. Brittni shrieked and nearly fell forward, off the chair she was sitting in. She turned her back to face Keirnan, standing behind the chair with his arms folded.

"Oh! Hi, Keirnan. Uh, how was your day?" Brittni asked, rubbing the back of her head. Keirnan narrowed his eyes at her.

"It was fine. Now how about telling me about the Monumental Room?" Keirnan asked, sternly. Brittni's cheeks started reddening from anxiety. She picked herself back up to the chair and sat down. Keirnan walked around the chair and knelt down next to Brittni. He looked around, suspicious of the Imp, then whispered.

"Do you mean to tell me you actually made it to the Monumental Room? How did you even know about it? What made you want to go there?" Keirnan asked, almost apprehensively.

"Keirnan… I know almost nothing about my past. I just wanted to see something, anything from my childhood." Brittni started before taking a big sigh, "look, what I'm about to say is going to sound incredibly weird, but I was… lead there." Keirnan cocked his eyebrow.

"Lead there? By whom?" Keirnan inquired. Brittni looked Keirnan straight in the eye, and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"I went through your photo album." Brittni said, to Keirnan's shock. He opened his mouth to say something before being rebuked by Brittni: "wait, don't freak out, just listen." Keirnan gritted his teeth, briefly, then nodded. Brittni continued, "while I was in the photo album, I came across a certain photo… It seemed to be calling out to me. The picture… well, it… It started to glow." Keirnan's mouth went agape.

"Glow…?" Kiernan asked, distantly.

"Yeah, like, it was shining until I looked at the picture and saw this crystal ball. As soon as I looked at the crystal ball, I heard a voice. It told me to "find" her in the Monumental Room." Brittni whispered, with conviction. Keirnan said nothing, but gazed at Brittni, intently. Brittni continued, "anyway, I made up some excuse so Shadow Weaver could get me in there, and, well… I found the crystal ball. The crystal ball told me that I needed to come back and pick her up, and that I had to watch out for Adora and Catra, and help them restore balance, and.. And.." Brittni began breathing heavily. Keirnan put his hands on Brittni's shoulders and gently shushed her.

"Hey, shhh… Take a moment, Brittni. You're fine. Take a deep breath." Keirnan directed. Brittni took a deep breath and exhaled, slowly. Keirnan took one hand off one of her shoulders and continued to whisper, "listen, Brittni, I don't know exactly what's going on… but there's no way you could have known about the Monumental Room unless everything you said was true." Brittni's worried expression curved into a smile as a tear ran down her face. Keirnan quickly wiped it and continued, "well, I've seen and heard a lot of aberrations in my life. Things I didn't believe could exist, and yet, here we are. I believe you, Brittni, and I believe this has something to do with you, and your brothers powers. If there's one thing I've learned, is that you always trust your instincts." Although normally, Keirnan was incredibly protective of the Twins, something about what Brittni was saying seemed to ring with conviction. Keirnan also thought back to when Shadow Weaver questioned Keirnan's parenting towards the Twins. Back when she had censured him for coddling them. If there really was something significant happening that night that Brittni was supposed to be apart of, he wasn't going to allow himself to get in her way.

"If this crystal ball did speak to you, then you have to trust it. Believe me when I say, I've seen stranger things." Keirnan said, supportively. Brittni smiled and leaned forward to wrap Keirnan in a hug. He smiled upon being embraced. When Brittni pulled back, she continued her whisper.

"Okay… the crystal ball said I need to retrieve it and keep an eye on Adora and Catra, tonight. I know that I'd be going after hours… but." Brittni began, waiting for Keirnan's reaction. He looked at Brittni thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

"If I can remember correctly, the Monumental Room should be in the Western Quadrant of this complex, right?" Keirnan inquired. Brittni nodded, "okay, there aren't too many guards around that quadrant, so you should be able to evade most of the guards. Brittni's eyes grew wide upon hearing what Keirnan was suggesting.

"Keirnan, this is so unlike you…" Brittni said, surprised. Keirnan chuckled.

"Sometimes you have to bend the rules for the greater good… You two are not children anymore. If this is what that crystal ball told you to do, I think you should listen to it. I remember that day that you were brought in, very memorably. There was an enormous amount of magical energy that pervaded all of the items that the Horde brought along with you, so I think that what you're saying is legitimate." Keirnan said. Brittni was astounded by this sudden change in Keirnan, but she wasn't complaining.

"Thanks, Keirnan. You don't have to worry. I've memorized the guard patrols, so I know when they switch posts." Brittni said, candidly. Keirnan smiled.

"I don't doubt it. You and your brother's gifts have always astonished me." Keirnan said, reassuringly. Brittni had just remembered Brett, and her expression changed to concerned.

"Should we tell Brett?" Brittni asked, almost worried. Keirnan thought for a few moments then sighed.

"For now, let's keep this between us. Your brother's pretty quick to go gung ho on an operation. I think the less people that know about this, the better." Keirnan said, sternly. Brittni looked away. She always included Brett in everything she did, so withholding information from him, seemed wrong. Nevertheless, she agreed that she wanted to keep the circle as small as possible for the moment. Keirnan continued, "besides, Octavia told me that Brett would be training for the invasion of Thaymore, and so he won't be getting home until late tonight." Brittni looked back at Keirnan and nodded. Brittni walked over to the one window in their quarters to see the time. The outside was an amber color, indicating there was still a little time before dark. Brittni decided to use this time to prepare. She went into her room to find some dark clothes. She managed to pull together some dark leggings, a long sleeve shirt, some black gloves, and black shoes. Brittni folded them onto the bed to be ready for the night. She then exited her quarters to go observe the security at the Western Quadrant. She took notice of all the security cameras as she walked. Eventually, Brittni arrived near the hallway that had a dead end where the magic, monumental door was. Brittni looked around. The opposite hallway had a door. The door lead to a residence, so Brittni didn't concern herself with it too much. She went back to the hallway that lead to this T-fork. Standing behind one of the security cameras, Brittni pulled out Keirnan's camera that she took from the quarters. She snapped a shot of where the security camera was pointing at. She then carefully taped a paperclip to the side of the security camera. Once her camera developed the picture, she very quickly slid the picture onto the paperclip. She did this with the few cameras that were currently monitoring the hallway. As she put the last picture on the last camera, she started heading back. Looking at her watch, Brittni saw that it was getting to be about 19:30. Brittni was about to start heading back when she heard a slightly distorted voice,

"Hey! What are you doing here after hours?" A guard demanded. Brittni looked over to see the guard walking towards her. She recognized the voice, despite the distorted vocals coming from the helmet. The guard once again asked, "I said, what are you doing here?" Brittni quickly hid the camera in the bag she brought then cocked her eyebrow at the guard.

"Jenson? Is that you?" Brittni inquired, peering closely at him. The guard was taken aback and stuttered a bit.

"Uh.. N-no, it's not me. I mean! Jenson! It's not… oh forget it. Yeah." Jenson said, sounding defeated. He then shook his head and regained his composure, "well, you're not supposed to be here! I should have you reprimanded for this!" Brittni narrowed her eyes at Jenson and put her hands on her hips.

"Oh really? I wasn't aware rules mattered so much to you. Say, by the way, how are those opioids you've been sneaking into the Fright Zone treating you?" Brittni demanded. Jenson started stuttering again, holding up his hands in protest.

"Whoa, hey! I thought there was patient-nurse confidentiality." Jenson protested. Brittni folded her arms.

"Tell you what. Are you patrolling here tonight?" Brittni asked. Jenson nodded, rapidly. Brittni smirked and simply said, "Don't. Go patrol somewhere else, take a break, I don't care. Do that, and I won't let Lord Hordak know that you're using unauthorized drugs. Deal?"

"D..D..Deal." Jenson stammered. Brittni smiled and walked right passed him. She then made her way back to the quarters. Keirnan had already gotten into bed, exhausted from working a twelve hour shift. Brittni had gone into her room and changed into the dark clothes she had folded on the bed. Not wanting to people to recognize her if she did happen to run into anyone, Brittni tied a cloth around her face, masking everything but her eyes. She then carefully snuck out of her quarters and headed towards the Western Quadrant. Just as she expected, she didn't see Jenson, and the cameras were looking at the pictures she had taken. She was going to have to remember to take the pictures off in order to not raise suspicion. Brittni then, without any resistance, made it to the hallway. She looked to the left where the residence was, and there was no sound. She then moved to the right where the dead end was. She then pulled out the key and plunged it into the wall. When she did that, the magical door appeared again, and she was able to walk in. Entering the room, she was still amazed at all the artifacts that had been collected by the Horde. She started walking towards the back where the crystal ball was. On the way, Brittni suddenly heard some kind of growl. She stopped dead in her tracks by the display that had that Stalhrim axe that she had previously seen. Next to the axe was some kind of gem. It was a purplish looking crystal. She picked it up and held it close. She heard the growl once again, and realized it was coming from the gem. Out of fear, Brittni shuddered and accidentally allowed the gem to slip through her hand and fall to the ground, shattering completely. Brittni shuddered,

"Oh, man… I really hope Shadow Weaver doesn't notice this." Brittni muttered. At the end of Brittni's speaking, some kind of bluish sphere emanated from the gem and started swirling like a cyclone. When the swirl started fading, a fiery figure appeared. Brittni took a few steps back, unnerved by the creature. It seemed to be some kind of living fire that had a feminine, human shape. The fire had pieces of brimstone that served as some kind of armor for some body parts. The brimstone covered the forearms, shoulders, and calves. The face was eyeless, and brimstone covered the bottom half of the face. The face extended to where human ears should've been, which then curled behind into horns. The creature seemed to levitate with fire burning beneath it. The creature took notice of Brittni and pointed at her. It started spinning around in the air. As it spun around, a fireball started building in its hand. Once the fireball was completed, the creature hurled it at Brittni. Brittni gasped and dove to the right, avoiding the fireball. When she dove, she quickly crawled to another display case and hid behind it. Brittni looked at the display case she was near and found some kind of can that had the word "Cram" embroidered on its tin exterior. She grabbed the can and hurled it at the living fire, hitting its bottom face, causing it to shriek in pain and look away. She then ran over to another display case about ten feet away from the case where she found the gem. She looked up again and saw the fire scanning the area and levitating towards her direction. She didn't have any weapons and was wondering what to do. Suddenly, she remembered the axe. She crouched, and started sneaking around to the right of the display, while the living fire was levitating to the left. The fire looked around, not noticing where Brittni had gone.

"Man, this thing is stupid…" Brittni muttered to herself. She then quickly snuck towards the display. Once she got to the display, Brittni lifted her head up above the case to see a fireball coming right at her. With almost superhuman speed, she ducked, dodging the fireball, "okay, maybe not that stupid." Quickly, she grabbed the Stalhrim axe. The living fire became more enraged as it saw the axe, and started levitating quickly towards Brittni. A swirling fire cyclone started building in the living fire's hand and the creature hurled it at Brittni. Quickly thinking, Brittni observed the temperature of the blade was −78.5 °C. She then hurled the axe with quick precision. The axe sliced through the fireball, causing it to dissipate, and ended up lodging into the living fire's chest. As the axe stuck into the chest, the rest of the living fire's brimstone started freezing over. The creature shrieked in some kind of pain, pulling at its chest, trying to remove the axe. The enchanted ice from the axe began enveloping over the brimstone until it was completely consumed with ice, extinguishing the living fire, harboring the brimstone. With the living fire extinguished, the brimstone collapsed to the floor with a loud thunk, leaving an icy-smoldering mess. Brittni stood there, breathing hard.

"I… I did it!" Brittni exasperated, while chuckling and putting her arms up in victory. She then sighed and said, "well, I don't think I'm gonna come back here again…" No longer interested in touching or even looking at the artifacts, Brittni made a bee-line towards the display case that housed the crystal ball. She combed through the items in the case, carefully stacking them on top of each other or gently on the ground, afraid that another artifact would attack her. Finally she saw the glow. Her hands reached for the crystal ball and pulled it out. Cupping the ball in her hands, she spoke to it.

"Um… creepy crystal ball? It's me, Brittni. I came to get you.. But, you're kinda big, so I'm not sure how I'm going to get you back without somebody noticing." Brittni said referring to the fact that the ball was about 19 cm in diameter, and was placed on a stand that stood 7cm tall.

"You could remove it from the stand…" The crystal ball replied, scaring Brittni. Brittni shrieked, fumbling the ball out of her hands. Luckily, she managed to grab the ball before it hit the ground. The voice continued, "I knew you would fumble me around and manage to catch me. Forgive me, I needed a bit of… humor." Brittni stared at the crystal ball in a wide-eyed glare.

"What? What even are you?! Why do you keep reaching out to me? What is happening tonight?" Brittni demanded.

"Patience, young one. I will reveal all in due time. For the moment, I cannot tell you much. Using this method of communication with you requires a great deal of my power, so what I tell you must be quick." The voice replied.

"Great deal of power? Who are you? Where are you? Why are you telling me all this?" Brittni continued to demand.

"I will explain everything in due time. For now, you need to find Adora and Catra. They will be coming back from their trip from the Whispering Woods. Adora will sneak out tonight after hours, around 3:00. Follow her, and you will begin to have a greater understanding of what is going on. Now, I must depart. Leave the crystal ball in this room for now. When the time is right, you will retrieve it again. For now, Adora, Catra, and Glimmer are depending on you. You will do great things, Brittni, remember that." The voice said. Brittni stared at the crystal ball, almost angrily.

"What did you say? Glimmer?! The Princess that nearly killed Dragstor and most likely crippled him for life?!" Brittni demanded, irritably.

"That Princess will become a major threat to both the Horde and the Rebellion. You can help prevent that. Please forgive me, I have said too much regarding her. For now, think about tonight. I will reveal more, soon. Don't worry, Brittni, you will do great things. I have to go now, but I will contact you again. Good luck." As the voice ended its speaking, the glow faded away. Brittni's mouth was slightly agape, and she bit her lower lip. Her hands were shaking the crystal ball as she pondered everything that had just been revealed to her. She gently placed the crystal ball back, as well as the rest of the items she had taken out, then sat down on the floor, holding her knees to her head. She took a deep sigh and spoke out loud to herself.

"Glimmer… Why should I do anything for that… that…" Brittni began before rebuking herself, "oh, forget it, I need to focus on tonight." Brittni took a deep breath, "okay… Creepy crystal ball is actually some lady that somehow can see the future and project her voice onto an inanimate object." Brittni said to herself, pondering the craziness. Regardless of all this, she knew she had to get back home. She made her way back to the end of the monumental room where she had entered. Once she arrived at the opening, she inserted the key into the air, causing the magical door to appear. She opened the door, walked through, then reinserted the key, letting the door dissipate into the air. She turned around and was about to begin walking when she saw the door from the residence, opposite the Monumental Room open up. It was dark, so Brittni couldn't make out the figure, but the figure saw her.

"Hey! Stop right there!" the figure yelled, right before Brittni saw a burgundy-red, well-honed barb, was being plunged at her. Brittni rolled forward, dodging the barb. She looked back at the barb and realized what it was…

… A scorpion stinger…

Gasp! Who could it be?! I apologize for the short chapter. I have had a myriad of tasks to do this week. I promise that the action is going to pick up, and the morality is going to get very ambiguous. For what it's worth, I hope that y'all enjoyed the chapter. Much love! :)