Chapter 26: Vengeance and Penitence
Back at Bright Moon, Queen Angella makes her way to find General Arya and… deal with her appropriately…
Queen Angella uncharacteristically stomped through the castle, headed towards the barracks where General Arya was stationed. Adora and Bow quietly followed behind, keeping their distance. The barracks was a short walk from the castle entrance. As Angella made her way outside, the brightness of the sun illuminated her overarching scowl. She had never felt more furious in her life, and those that were unlucky enough to be in her way were shouted at to get out of her way. Most people had never seen anything but happy words and humility from the Queen, so for the citizens that were witnessing Angella's behavior were quite disturbed. After arriving to the door of the barracks, Angella clutched the knob of the door firmer than a vise, and ripped the door open. Once the door swung open, Angella saw a few soldiers sparring that immediately stopped from the commotion. She marched inside and went up to the closest person and grabbed him by the shoulders, lifting him a foot off the ground.
"Where. Is. Arya?!" Angella demanded as her eyes curved into the deepest glare she could muster.
"Uh.. uh..!" The soldier stammered, nervously.
"Answer me!" Angella growled. Bow, with every ounce of bravery in his soul, crept up to Angella and attempted to reason with her.
"Uh, Your Majesty, I think if-" Bow began before Angella turned her scowled face towards him. Upon seeing her irate countenance, Bow's normally dark skin began to pale from the fear he felt from Angella's anger. He nervously chuckled and slowly backed up to Adora. Adora was also not about to tempt Angella's wrath and kept her distance. Finally one of the other soldiers spoke up.
"She's at the training yard!" the soldier spoke up. Angella looked to her and hmphed.
"Thank you." Angella said as she dropped the soldier she was holding. He stumbled a bit and fell backwards. Angella, without a second thought, stomped out of the barracks and towards the training yard. Sure enough, she found Arya performing drills with the soldiers. At the moment, they were doing burpees and fireman carries.
"Arya!" Angella shouted at the top of her lungs as she made a beeline towards her. Arya had her back faced towards Angella. She let out a rather long sigh and slowly turned towards the Queen.
"Yes, Your Majes-" Arya began before Angella moved within inches of Arya's face and grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her up further than the soldier she had grabbed earlier. Arya was surprised by Angella's strength; though much of said strength was from the adrenaline that was surging through her body. Arya struggled while her soldiers stopped and stared in horror at the Queen making a scene.
"Your Highness, please, what are you-" Arya tried to speak again before being interrupted.
"Did you tell Hordak to kill my daughter?!" Angella demanded. Arya shuddered.
"My Queen, please, I-" Arya, once again started. Angella was fully enraged at this point. With the adrenaline still flowing, Angella body slammed Arya onto the ground. Arya let out a grunt and a groan as she hit the ground.
"Did you tell Hordak to kill her?! Answer me, Arya!" Angella shrieked, beginning to tear up at this point. Arya's lip quivered as she looked deeply into Angella's eyes. She then looked down and let out another elongated sigh.
"I… I told Hordak that you rejected his demands. I couldn't let you surrender yourself and the Rebellion, Your Highness. I-" Arya admitted, and was yet again, interrupted. This time by a punch. Angella had struck Arya in the face, with her head hitting the grass. Despite the grass cushioning the blow, Arya was still rendered unconscious by Angella's adrenaline boosted right hook. Everybody in attendance switched glances between Arya and Angella. Angella was hunched over Arya and panting as though she had just ran a marathon. Adora and Bow slowly approached Angella.
"Qu...Queen Angella?" Bow asked, carefully. Angella turned to him, the scowl still remaining on her face.
"Take this traitor to the prison!" Angella commanded.
Meanwhile, back at the Fright Zone…
Catra, Scorpia, and Brett had finished helping the rest of the guards clear out the corpses from the prison. The group was uncharacteristically quiet, disturbed by the massacre that ensued from the princesses' attack. The more bodies they moved, the more the fiery indignation burned within Brett. His breathing became more and more pronounced the more bodies he hoisted onto the carts destined to the incinerator. Scorpia was melancholy towards this dirty work, and Catra was seemingly apathetic. Once they were done, Catra spoke.
"You know, since this plan failed, that must mean that Shadow Weaver's going to be blamed for this…" Catra said, grinning devilishly. Scorpia gasped.
"Maybe you'll even get a promotion!" Scorpia cheered while holding her claws close together in anticipation. Brett simply nodded.
"Only one way to find out, let's go to the Black Garnet chamber." Brett suggested. And with that, the group made their way to the chamber. Scorpia, trying to be polite knocked on the door. Catra rolled her eyes and slammed the bottom of her fist on the access button. The trio then entered in. It was dark in the chamber and the light switch didn't seem to work. Catra groaned.
"Hey, Tech Boy, get the lights on." Catra grimaced. Brett rolled his eyes and moved to where the local power panel was. He felt around it, and could tell from feeling it that it had been smashed in. Brett activated the torch function on his flamethrower which illuminated the power panel enough for him to work. After splicing a couple of wires and repairing the broken fuses, he managed to activate the lights.
"Well, looks like I…" Brett started as he turned around. But his speech was cut short at the quagmire of gore and violence that befell his eyes. Catra and Scorpia as well, shuddered in absolute horror at the state of the chamber. The entire chamber was in complete disarray. The walls had cracks, there seemed to be electrical burns in various parts of the walls, but the most distinguishing feature was the blood. There was a trail of blood that lead from a giant, humanoid shaped crack in a wall, that lead to the Black Garnet. Atop the garnet was the most horrifying aberration:
Shadow Weaver, impaled on it.
Scorpia tried to speak but sputtered out bits of horrified words. At one point she managed to say a coherent word.
"B...B...Blood..?!" Scorpia yelled before fainting towards Catra. Catra let out a loud shriek before Scorpia toppled over her. Catra growled from her predicament and motioned for Brett to help her. He ran over and pulled Scorpia off then held out his hand to help Catra up, but she simply picked herself up. Brett, still disturbed by Shadow Weaver's demise turned towards her body and let out a nervous exhale of breath.
"The princesses…" Brett muttered, "I can't believe they killed Shadow Weaver..." Catra said nothing but simply walked over to the garnet. Although horrified by the grisly scene, Catra felt more anger than disgust. Catra punched the Black Garnet and growled. Brett eyed her suspiciously.
"Um, what's your problem? I thought you hated Shadow Weaver." Brett inquired.
"I do hate Shadow Weaver. But I was supposed to be the one that did this to her! I never even got to see the look on her face when I succeeded where she failed!" Catra yelled, without looking at Brett. Brett narrowed his eyes at her.
"That's what you care about? Lord forbid that we lost not only our second-in-command, but the one person that knew everything about Etheria! And all you care about is getting revenge on her?" Brett snapped. Catra shifted her head towards Brett and glared deeply at him.
"We don't need some magical witch to guide us through Etheria, we can do that ourselves! Aren't you and your sister the most observant beings on the planet? You two can figure everything out about the planet just by looking at it. And as for her being the second-in-command, well…" Catra said as she turned her head back to the garnet. She pushed her claws onto the garnet and scraped them down, leaving scrape marks as her claws went down. She then let out a sigh and turned towards Brett again, "it's time for a new second-in-command. Not one that's obsessed with perfecting her magic, abusing her cadets… or favors a traitor that she tried to bring back into our ranks. No, this is definitely my time. Nobody is ever going to question me, or have authority over me, or abuse me ever again!" Brett was taken aback and let out a slight scoff.
"Whoa, hold on. You have no idea what this means. How do you figure that Hordak is going to-"
"Enough, Infiltration Saboteur." Catra said, glaring at him. Brett returned the glare.
"Catra, you only want the job because you want to have power." Brett said, lowering his tone. Catra gritted her teeth and hissed. Brett, despite her anger continued, "I get it. Growing up… you've had a tough life…" Brett muttered while letting out a sigh and looking away. He then added, "and I didn't help you even when I could have…" Brett said bitterly. He then looked at Catra again.
"But you don't need to try to take Shadow Weaver's place just because you're afraid of somebody abusing you again." Brett muttered. Catra shuddered for a moment, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Upon feeling the tears, Catra shook her head and let out a hissy growl. She then glared at Brett.
"I don't need a lecture from anybody, Infiltration Saboteur! Go take Scorpia and get her to the medbay or something. Just… just get out!" Catra yelled. Brett said nothing. He looked into Catra's monochromatic eyes and seemed to stare into her soul. Behind Catra's anger, Brett knew, that she knew, that he was right. Nevertheless, he did not want to continue provoking her and simply nodded and saluted her.
"Yes, Force Captain." Brett said as he went over and picked up Scorpia, hoisting her over his shoulders, grunting a bit from the size of Scorpia. He then started out of the chamber, taking one last look at Catra before he finally walked out. Catra looked at Shadow Weaver again and hissed. She took another swipe at the garnet, leaving another scar on the garnet. She then marched out of the chamber and headed to Hordak's sanctum.
Hordak had lost all of his patience at this point. Even though much of the Fright Zone had become a mess from all of the firefights that happened within it, nothing compared to what Hordak did to his lab. When he found out that Shadow Weaver died, the Princesses successfully rescued Glimmer and Bow, and the Horde lost many of their prisoners, Hordak saw nothing but red. He picked up objects that were normally too heavy for him and threw them across the room, smashing them into the walls. He growled animalistically as he had his temper tantrum. In the midst of his anger, an individual made the grave mistake of attempting to bother him.
"Um, Lord Hordak…?" Catra said as she walked into his sanctum, unannounced. Hordak was laying across his workbench, physically and emotionally drained from all of the manifestations of his anger that he had just experienced. He was breathing deeply and sweating profusely. When he heard Catra's voice he turned part of his body, still laying on the workbench.
"What do you want, Force Captain?!" Hordak demanded. Catra stopped her advance and attempted to choose her words carefully.
"Lord Hordak, I just wanted to let you know that all of the prisoners that were left within the Fright Zone have been accounted for, and-" Catra began before Hordak let out a loud growl. He slammed his fist onto the workbench, causing many of the tools and beakers to fly off. His breathing then returned to a more deep and rhythmic panting. He then completely picked himself off the workbench.
"...I'm guessing you already found out about Shadow Weaver." Catra muttered. Hordak marched over to Catra and calmed himself down a bit.
"Yes, I've heard of her demise… it is of no consequence." Hordak said, rather callously. He then put his hand to his chin as if in deep thought and went silent for a few moments. He then let out a slight grunt and nodded his head, then continued, "however, there are two things to take into account moving forward." Hordak began. He then walked over to a strongbox located near his workbench.
"What two things, Lord Hordak?" Catra inquired. Hordak opened up the strongbox and reached inside.
"The first is that we need to strengthen our security. I want scouts and patrols within a mile of the Fright Zone. I want checkpoints and updated passcodes." Hordak said as he pulled out a badge and marched back to Catra. He then placed the badge into her hand. Catra looked down on it and widened her eyes. The badge gleamed in the light, but upon closer inspection, the badge declared its recipient the second-in-command of the Horde. Catra gasped and switched glances between the badge and Hordak.
"Seeing as how Shadow Weaver has had her… sudden termination, I have decided to grant you her position and all the authority that comes with it." Hordak said peering deeply into her eyes. Catra gasped in excitement but also in confusion.
"You're promoting me… to your second-in-command?" Catra inquired. Hordak let out a breathy 'hmm.' A moment later, the imp flew passed Catra's hair, startling her. The imp then perched onto a pipe and opened its mouth, letting Catra's voice come out of it.
"it's time for a new second-in-command… No, this is definitely my time…" The imp said in Catra's voice. Catra blinked a few times at the imp then turned to Hordak.
"I see that you already had this aspiration, Force Captain. You've proven yourself to me at the capture of the rebel officers. Perhaps you could prove your worth again in the future?" Hordak said. Catra stared for a few moments until she narrowed her eyes and grinned.
"Anything to crush the rebels, Lord Hordak."
Meanwhile, back at the Bright Moon 'Prison'...
Bright Moon once had an expansive prison back before the early days of Hordak's invasion. When Queen Angella took the throne shortly before her mother died; (This was the same mother that imposed taxes upon Hordak and his followers, thus, indirectly starting the war,) she had made drastic changes to her mother's rule. All the prisoners were, in a sense, set free. Instead they were put into rehabilitation camps where they would serve a sentence of performing community service and simultaneously attend meetings to help them modify their behavior. It was largely successful and ended up eliminating much crime. However, this did not mean there was not a location to hold a traitor. Arya was brought to a spare room in the castle where she was encased in some kind of magical energy field. After a little while Arya woke up, groaning and rubbing the part of her head that Angella hit. Arya sat up and looked around. Instead of being in a prison, she found herself surrounded by cushions, a bed, and an overall nice atmosphere. Arya's eyes curved into suspicion, wondering where she was.
"Am I… Is this a prison?" Arya questioned to no one in particular. A few moments later, Bow, Adora, and Queen Angella marched in. Angella retained her bitter scowl while Adora and Bow's expressions revealed their anxiety. Angella approached the energy field with her hands folded behind her back.
"My Queen…" Arya began.
"Silence! You will speak when spoken to. Now answer my question…" Angella yelled. She took a few moments to breathe and gather her breath. Tears then began to well up in Angella's eyes, but she mustered the strength to pose her next question:
"How could you do this to her?! How could you sacrifice my daughter?!"Angella demanded. Arya frowned and looked away for a moment. After taking a deep sigh, Arya looked back.
"I did this for the Rebellion, Your Majesty. I did this so that the Rebellion would thrive." Arya submitted.
"At no heed to the cost!" Angella screamed, "because of you, my daughter's mind was almost wiped! She could have died! And now, she thinks that I'm the one that allowed Hordak to kill her! I've lost my daughter!" Angella began crying. The tears warm from the fiery indignation that was surging through Angella's body. Arya shuddered from seeing the Queen so somber. Arya did not realize the full extent of her actions until she saw the pain manifested by Angella. Arya sighed.
"Your Highness… Angella. I'm… I'm sorry." Arya said, humbly. Angella wiped her tears and slowly lifted up her head towards Arya.
"You're sorry?" Angella challenged, "you're sorry?! You're sorry that you nearly killed my daughter?! You're sorry that she now hates me?! You're sorry that-" Angella was then interrupted by Bow.
"Your Majesty!" Bow began. Angella turned towards him, with her scowl more deep than before. Bow swallowed hard then bravely continued, "if I may, Your Highness, maybe we could go find Glimmer? After all, the Fright Zone jailbreak that we staged managed to get rid of a lot of Horde soldiers. With this hit against them, it's going to take a little while for the Horde to recover, so I think we're going to have a few quiet days. On top of that, ever since we established the Princess Alliance, we've managed to recruit a lot of new soldiers. We can send out some scouts and see what they come up with." Bow suggested. Angella's scowl began softening. She sniffled and wiped away her tears. She then glanced at Arya for a few moments, then back to Bow and Adora. Angella then let out a loud sigh.
"Perhaps, that would be the most practical thing to do…" Angella said, admittedly. She began pacing around, considering Bow's offer. She turned to them again and added, "well, ranting and raving about losing my daughter is not going to help get her back." Angella inhaled a deep breath of air then nodded at Bow, "very well, Tech Master Bow. I will grant you and Adora charge in bringing my daughter back." Adora and Bow smiled at this prospect.
"Your Highness! Allow me to go as well! Please!" Arya begged, pressing herself against the wall. Angella turned towards her and glared.
"I think you've done enough!" Angella snapped. Adora spoke up then.
"Your Majesty, if I may. It's like you said, it's the practical thing to do. Yes, Arya did something wrong, but you can let her make up for it." Adora suggested. Angella rubbed her chin as she stared deeply into Arya's eyes. Angella did see the penitence in Arya. She let out a dramatic sigh and waved her hands rhythmically. The magical energy began dissipating and Arya was free. Her countenance was still somber and her lip quivered with the modicum of forgiveness that Arya was granting her.
"Thank you, my Queen… I will atone for my crimes." Arya said humbly.
"You can never atone for what you've done, General Arya." Angella sneered. She sighed and continued, "but, if you manage to bring my daughter back, I will grant you amnesty." Arya bowed herself before Angella.
"I will make this my sole purpose in life, my Queen. I will bring Glimmer back." Arya promised. Angella glanced at Bow, Adora, and then Arya.
"See that you do…" Angella said, and walked out. Once Angella walked out, Arya could not hold in her emotions any longer. She was on her knees and began sobbing from realizing the pain that she caused.
"I'm no better than the Horde…" Arya choked out. Adora and Bow looked at each other solemnly. In one way, they were furious with Arya for what she did to Glimmer. At the same time, they understood the reasons as to why Arya did what she did. Bow knelt down next to Arya and put his hand on her shoulder.
"I know that you did what you did for the sake of the Rebellion. It was an impossible decision." Bow said understandingly. Adora moved to the other side of Arya.
"I'm not sure what either of us would have done if we were in the same position." Adora admitted. Arya cried even harder. Adora put her hand on Arya's shoulder and continued, "well, what's done is done. All that matters now is that we go and get Glimmer back. Right Bow?" Bow nodded and looked at Arya. Arya paused her crying and switched glances between Bow and Adora.
"...Thank you… Thank you…" Arya said, gratefully. The trio then picked themselves up.
"Okay, you two are right. Let's go get our princess back!"
Meanwhile, back at the Fright Zone…
"Hey, Brett- Oh my goodness! What happened to Scorpia?!" Keirnan demanded as Brett brought her in. Brett had successfully dropped Scorpia off at the medbay. Although, 'successful' was a generous term. As Brett brought Scorpia in, he ungracefully dropped her in a gurney, which proceeded to succumb to the weight of Scorpia's person. Brett's eyes were widened in shock. Not only did Scorpia's massive exoskeleton bend the welded, refined steel. But she managed to stay unconscious! Brett simply rolled his eyes and took his leave out of the medbay.
"She's all yours, Keirnan." Brett muttered as he walked by. Keirnan switched glances between Brett and the gurney that had been demolished from Scorpia. Keirnan let out a groan and walked over to Scorpia to treat her.
Meanwhile, Brett made his way back to his quarters. It was getting late in the day and he really needed some rest at that point. Upon entry, everything in the living room was seemingly normal. That is, until he went into his own room. When he turned on the light, everything, again, seemed rather normal… until he looked at the vent. Thanks to his observational prowess, Brett noticed that there was a screw in the vent that was loosened about a millimeter from the wall. Brett narrowed his eyes at the screw and grunted.
"There's no way I left something unsecure…" Brett muttered to himself. He looked around his room and inspected all of his tools. To his astonishment, and irritation, he was missing his voltage capacitor; (essentially, a portable jump starter.)
"Wha? Who would?! Grrr…" Brett growled as he realized that somebody had broken into his quarters. He quickly grabbed a screwdriver and set to work getting his vent open. He then crouched into the vent and began his search for the assailant. The vents of the Fright Zone were a maze. They essentially lead to almost every room and outlet of the entire establishment. Nevertheless, Brett would be able to find the assailant with pinpoint accuracy, thanks to his observational powers. As he moved through the vents he found certain clues. A very slight, but fresh, dent in one place, a bit of precipitation from heavy breathing on a wall. But the most important clue that Brett began to see was hair. Purple hair to be exact. Upon the first strand of hair that Brett found he picked it up and analyzed it deeply.
"Purple hair…?" Brett questioned to himself. After a moment the hair began moving on its own. Brett gasped and let it drop at the base of the vent. The hair then began moving like an inchworm away from Brett. Despite the abnormality of what was going on, Brett cocked his eyebrow and then grinned devilishly, knowing the hair would lead to his prey. He then followed the hair. It moved rather fast, with him having to double-time his crawling. After a little while, the hair turned a particular corner and Brett could sense a presence. He readied his energy baton. As he turned the corner, his head bumped into the assailant's head.
"Ow!" Brett and the assailant said simultaneously as they began rubbing their heads. After rubbing out the injury, Brett got a good look at the assailant.
"Wait, you're-" Brett started.
"Hi, Brett!" Entrapta said, grinning.
Meanwhile, back at Oracle's residence…
Brittni had spent the next day learning how to use her powers from Oracle. Picking up the gift of healing was rather easy for Brittni to do. At first, Brittni was baffled by Oracle speaking in reverse. Oracle had taught Brittni that it was not so much as speaking the words, as it was feeling the words. After Brittni pondered that for a moment, she thought of her knowledge of healing. She moved over to the man that she had performed her treatment on earlier and began imagining him being healed. Brittni then began feeling a warm feeling in her diaphragm that can only be described as burning in her bosom. Once she felt that, she began speaking, with her words coming out in reverse, just like Oracle's:
"!delaeh eb ot ydob siht dnammoc I ,roivaS eht fo eman eht nI" Brittni spoke in reverse. Once she spoke those words, she did an examination. The guard's vitality had risen to the green, with his blood coming back full force. Brittni chortled as she switched glances between the guard and Oracle.
"I… I did it! I healed him!" Brittni declared, pumping her hands into the air in excitement. Oracle smiled.
"I wouldn't expect any less from a child of mine." Oracle said, winking. Oracle then motioned for Brittni to follow her. Oracle lead Brittni to the room that Oracle referred to as the Seer's Sanctuary. The room was glazened with colorful tiles on the walls and ground. Different, brightened stones appeared on various end tables covering the room. In the middle was the Crystal Ball. Brittni stared in awe at its majesty. It certainly was bigger than she realized. Upon entering, Oracle explained that the next gift for Brittni to learn was the gift of prophecy. Brittni was confused, however.
"Don't you just see the future from your Crystal Ball?" Brittni inquired. Oracle smirked.
"Not exactly… you see, the Crystal Ball functions very similarly to the other runestones. It is merely a power source. We can see the future from the power that the Crystal Ball gives to us. Meaning, that the power is intrinsically in us." Oracle explained. She then peered closely into Brittni's eyes.
"What's even more amazing is that we can see the future of others by merely touching them." Oracle declared. Brittni gasped at what Oracle had said.
"We can see the future of somebody by touching them?" Brittni inquired.
"The future and the past. You see, the Gift of Prophecy and Gift of Discernment can work together in that fashion. Call it an… empathetic prophecy." Oracle said, giggling. She then added, "however, before you're able to perform that feat, you'll need to connect with the Crystal Ball." Oracle declared.
Brittni switched glances between Oracle and the Crystal Ball. Brittni walked over to the Crystal Ball and gazed at it, admirably. Slowly, she reached her hand until it made contact with the Crystal. Once it did, Brittni felt a surge of energy beginning to flow through her. Brittni started gasping erratically, unfamiliar with the energy she was feeling. Oracle's voice became more pronounced.
"Do not fear the Spirit! It is granting you the power." Oracle commanded. Brittni looked back at Oracle and nodded. Brittni then willfully allowed the 'Spirit' in. The Spirit began feeling more soothing. After a few moments, the Spirit had fully interwoven within Brittni's body. She began breathing hard.
"How do you feel, daughter?" Oracle inquired. Brittni looked back.
"I… I actually feel… peaceful." Brittni said, chuckling a bit. Oracle grinned.
"That is good. I understand that the Spirit can feel… overwhelming, but you seem to have-" Oracle began before Brittni started screaming. Oracle gasped and ran over to her.
"Brittni? Brittni! What is it?! What do you see?!" Oracle demanded. Brittni's iris' and pupils had turned white. After a few moments, Brittni went silent and fell backwards. Oracle caught her in her arms. Brittni coughed a few times and opened her eyes. They had turned back to normal.
"Brittni…?" Oracle inquired.
"I… I saw… Elberon. I need to get there. Now!"
Meanwhile, back with Glimmer and Night Moon…
Glimmer had gazed at Void's face. She had the same skin tone, the same facial features. Everything down to the sparkles in her pink hair with purple highlights that Queen Angella had. Glimmer was unsure of what to think. The similarities between Void and Angella were irrefutable. Still, Glimmer was cautious about this meeting.
"How do I know that you are who say you are?!" Glimmer demanded. Void smirked.
"Well, for starters, my real name obviously isn't Void. I'm Angella's sister, Starr. By any chance does the name ring a bell?" Void inquired. Glimmer thought hard for a moment. Angella never spoke of a sister, but Glimmer did remember a time when she was staying in Mystacor where she saw a certain painting of a 'renegade sorceress' named Starr. Nobody in Mystacor would speak of her. Glimmer continued to stare suspiciously at Void.
"Would you like me to fire energy blasts from my hand like your mother? Or perhaps teleport like you do? Sad to say, your mother severed me from my connection to the Moonstone…" Void began while she looked away. She turned to Glimmer again and continued, "listen, I know that this is a lot to take in. Right now, you don't have to believe me. What's important right now is that I take you to our hideout, and we get settled." Void said holding out her free hand. Glimmer switched glances between Void's hand and her face then sighed and shook her hand. Void smiled and put her mask back on.
Void had lead Glimmer, her followers, and the skiff that they stole, to Void's hideout. Her hideout was an old barn that lead to an underground bastion. At first glance, Glimmer and her followers were unimpressed.
"A barn? Seriously?" Glimmer inquired, impatiently. Void smirked.
"Looks can be deceiving, dear." Void said as she walked up to the barn and opened the door. Under a pile of hay was a button that Void pushed. When the button activated, an elevator appeared in the middle of the floor. Glimmer and her followers stared in awe at the arrival of the elevator. Void marched in, followed by Glimmer.
"I'll have your people take the next elevator." Void said as she activated the elevator, sending them underground. When they arrived, Glimmer was in utter amazement at what she was looking at. It was not a huge base, but it had all the amenities. In front of the aunt and niece was a lobby that was filled with desks and computers. At the far end were shelves filled with armor and weapons; laser rifles, energy batons, swords, bows. To the left were a couple of doors that lead to a barracks and bathroom. To the right was a wide open kitchen and dining area. Void took a few steps in and welcomed Glimmer. Glimmer followed her, admiring the landscape.
"This is a bunker that I began building a long while ago, partnering with a few members of the Makers Guild. I had to get a lot of supplies from raiding Horde caravans, but you do what you gotta do." Void declared. Void then turned to Glimmer.
"This is your home as much as it is mine." Void assured. For the first time in a long while, Glimmer felt at home. She smiled at Void.
"Thank you… Aunt Starr." Glimmer said gratefully.
"Ah, please. Call me Void. But enough about that…" Void said looking Glimmer up and down, "we need to get you out of those rags. I have just the clothes for you." Void said taking Glimmer's hand and leading her to a room adjacent to the barracks. It was Void's personal space. Void opened up a walk in closet to reveal a generous assortment of clothing and armor. Glimmer gazed wide-eyed at the clothes. Although she had become more corrupted from the Black Garnet, she still had a fashion sense. Glimmer went into the walk-in closet and closed the door, spending almost an hour in there. When she walked out, Void applauded her wardrobe change.
Glimmer had adorned herself with black leggings, black fingerless gloves, dark purple boots, and a dark purple, sleeveless top. Armoring her were a pair of pauldrons, plate armor that covered her upper legs, and a chest plate with the Night Moon symbol emblazoned in front. The symbol was a large black circle with a dark purple crescent moon. Void began slowly clapping. Glimmer grinned at her with narrowed eyes and asked,
"So… when do we invade Elberon?"
