Chapter 27: Return to Elberon
"Hi, Brett!" Entrapta, the quirky, young scientist greeted. Brett simply widened his eyes at her in unbelief. His mouth was agape as well. That is until Entrapta reached out and pushed his chin up, closing his mouth. She then added, "you shouldn't keep your mouth open in these vents. With all the asbestos flowing through this place it's a miracle we don't both have lung cancer!" Entrapta said, giggling. Brett shook his head, impatiently, and kept his energy baton ignited.
"Entrapta! What are you doing here?! Didn't you take off with your precious little princess friends?" Brett demanded. Entrapta was sort of taken aback by Brett's demeanor, as he had always been soft spoken to that point.
"Oh! Well, I was waiting for my friends. They had trouble finding me before.
I figured I'd make it easier and stay put right here." Entrapta declared, gleefully. Brett narrowed his eyes at her.
"I don't think you fully realize the situation you're in." Brett said, calmly. Entrapta giggled.
"Of course I do! They'll find me eventually. But they can take their time. I've been having so much fun! Oh, the Fright Zone has technology that I've never seen before! And all the components and power sources I need are seemingly everywhere for the taking!" Entrapta said, letting out a shrill laugh. Brett grunted.
"You mean like my voltage capacitor that you stole?!" Brett demanded, raising his head up and hitting his head at the top part of the vent, "ow!" He then let out a low growl, which agitated Entrapta a bit. Brett then bellowed out, "do you even realize what you've done?! Because of you and those princesses, we lost a lot of-" Brett started before waving his arms in anger, hitting the sides of the vent. "Ow!" Entrapta gazed at Brett, intently.
"Oh, maybe we should continue this conversation outside the vent?" Entrapta suggested. Brett let out a growl that slowly turned into a sigh as he rubbed his hands.
"Yeah, I think that'd be-" Brett started before he heard a delightful exclamation from Entrapta. She used her hair to grab a hold of Brett's energy baton.
"What's this?!" Entrapta asked as she admired the baton. Brett reached for it, but his elbow was caught on a corner of the vent, as they were both still in awkward positions.
"Give that back!" Brett yelled.
"Fascinating… if I'm guessing right, this is an energy baton that can function as both a deadly and incapacitating weapon." Entrapta said, analytically.
"Entrapta!" Brett yelled as he adjusted his arm so his elbow could move. As he grabbed the baton, Entrapta put up a minor resistance, but Brett took it as a major resistance and pulled it a little too spasmodically. In pulling it, he accidentally activated the trigger sending a surge of electricity through Entrapta. She began screaming until Brett released the button. She then groaned and her head fell onto Brett's hands. He let out a loud gasp, wondering if he had killed her.
"Entrapta! Entrapta, are you okay?!" Brett screamed. He felt for a pulse on the neck, so she was still alive, just incapacitated. He breathed a sigh of relief, then began wondering what he would do. Of course, she was a princess, and he was angry about the princess attack. Yet, at the same time, just from talking to her and observing her demeanor, Entrapta seemed more of a follower and yes-person.
"She's just easy to persuade…" Brett thought to himself, "I don't think she comprehends the full extent of what she did…" Regardless of how he felt, Brett knew that Entrapta still had to answer for the princess attack on the Fright Zone. He could convince Catra that she's worth being interrogated, rather than executed. With this thought in mind, Brett began dragging Entrapta out of the vent that lead to his room. Once inside, Brett placed Entrapta on Brittni's bed and sat across from her on his own bed.
As he sat, he took a good look at Entrapta. Back at Princess Prom, he had developed an admiration for her just from noticing her clothes, and talking with her about technological marvels. Now that Brett was observing under more peaceful circumstances, he was able to get a more clear view of Entrapta. There was something about the simplicity of her looks that really made Brett infatuated with her. Her crimson red eyes, her perfectly proportional, yet makeup free face. And then there was her hair; her long, gorgeous purple hair. Not only was purple Brett's favorite color, but the fact that there was practicality with her prehensile hair completely built upon Brett's infatuation.
"Ugh, I'm being a total creeper right now…" Brett muttered, scolding himself, "she's a princess, and I'm… oh my gosh. Am I going crazy or am I falling for this chick…?" Brett then lightly groaned then put his hands to his head.
"Oh, get it together, Brett. She's a source of information against the Rebellion. Nothing more…" Brett muttered to himself again. Despite feeling like a creeper, he couldn't help but gaze upon Entrapta. She had shifted from being knocked out to actually falling asleep. She even began to snore a bit! Brett let out a sigh.
"Welp, all there is to do is wait for her to wake up…"
Meanwhile, back at Void's hideout…
The next day after Night Moon sheltered Glimmer and her followers, Void knocked on the door to the room that Glimmer was staying in. Glimmer granted access for Void to come in. When Void walked in, she leaned against a dresser with her arms folded. Glimmer was sitting on the bed sharpening a dagger.
"Sleep well?" Void inquired.
"I got enough sleep, if that's what you're asking. If you're wondering if it was peaceful, then no. It won't be that way until I slaughter every single last Horde soldier." Glimmer bellowed as she put a particularly deep stroke on the dagger against the whetstone she was holding. Void smirked upon seeing Glimmer's determination. She then walked over to Glimmer and admired her sharpening skills.
"I see you've found my iridium daggers. Please, take them. They'll be instrumental in our first move against the Horde." Void offered. Glimmer took one last stroke with the dagger against the whetstone she was holding then casually blew the metal debris of the dagger. She then stood up and sheathed the purple tinted blade at her hip.
"Thank you. Now, when do attack Elberon?" Glimmer inquired, impatiently. Void put her hand on Glimmer's shoulder.
"Patience, my dear niece. Before we do anything, we're going to need a plan. Now, I saw you use some sort of telekinesis… when I was connected to the Moonstone, I never had any kind of ability like that. Where did you get that power from?" Void inquired. Glimmer looked away, almost ashamed.
"When I was in the Fright Zone, I was tortured by some kind of energy coming from a runestone called the Black Garnet…" Glimmer said, dismally. She then added, "while the energy was surging through me, I kind of… started absorbing it or something." Glimmer muttered angrily. She then unsheathed the dagger and turned towards the bed, plunging the dagger into it. Glimmer began growling as she finally admitted to herself that she didn't have her power of the Moonstone. Void put her finger to her mouth and bit it, deep in thought.
"I need to show you something, Glimmer. Follow me." Void bade her. Void started walking out of the room with Glimmer in pursuit. Void lead Glimmer to a hallway that seemingly lead to a dead end. Glimmer eyed Void suspiciously as her Aunt walked towards the wall at the dead end and pushed her hand against it. Once Void did that, fog began emitting from the bottom and top of the wall, and the wall was lowered into the ground. After the fog dissipated. Glimmer was astonished at what was before her. It was…
… A Moonstone.
At least it was shaped like one. This Moonstone, instead of being held by some invisible force was held up with some kind of metal rack.
"B...But how did you get this?" Glimmer inquired in complete shock. Void smirked as she walked over to the stone and turned to Glimmer.
"I didn't *get* this. I forged it." Void corrected. Glimmer was visibly confused, and Void decided to clarify with a question:
"Tell me something, Glimmer. Do you know what a runestone is?" Void inquired. Glimmer was taken aback by the question.
"I… I honestly never thought about it." Glimmer admitted, pondering the question, "I mean, they're magical stones that give us our powers, right?" Glimmer guessed. After a few moments, Glimmer simply allowed Void to explain.
"True to an extent. A runestone is simply a repository for magic. Every single runestone across Etheria is simply a rock that serves as a conduit of magic for those that make a connection with it. I have been working on this Moonstone for years. I've gathered ingredients and followed a strict set of cultivation to imbue it with the magic of the moon. Sadly, it hasn't been enough. In order to give this Moonstone its full function of magic, we're going to need… certain components from the most magical location in all of Etheria…" Void forboded. Glimmer knew exactly what Void was talking about.
"Mystacor…" Glimmer said, shuddering. Void let her face curve into an evil grin.
"Exactly…" Void confirmed. Void's tone became more softened when she added the next line, "but, that's a concern for the future. For right now, this Moonstone has enough magic for us to perform one daring strike against Elberon. It can teleport us right within the city walls." Void explained. Glimmer copied Void's evil smile.
"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's get the troops prepared!" Glimmer declared. Void nodded and lead Glimmer to the rest of Night Moon. As they walked, Glimmer's followers were donning their new equipment from Night Moon. Glimmer was wowed by the new gear that her followers were being equipped with. Their armor was a combination of Horde and Rebellion armor. The chestplate was Horde armor that had the Night Moon crest painted over it. The pauldrons were that of a Bright Moon soldier. The rest of the uniform had an amalgamation of different armor parts from bots, tanks, and other metal parts that seemed to be welded together. Void noticed Glimmer's reaction to the troops armor.
"Admittedly our armor and weapons are somewhat makeshift. After all, we're guerilla fighters. We attack a Horde outpost, loot the place, and leave before they have a chance to retaliate." Void said, admittedly. But Glimmer didn't mind the improvisation that Night Moon had been performing. With Glimmer and her followers supplementing Night Moon, they all finally had a big enough army to start conquering and holding locations. Once Void and Glimmer reached the end of the bunker, Glimmer took one last look around. At this point, she had one thought. One goal. One purpose.
Revenge.
Meanwhile, back at the Fright Zone…
Brett was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall. He was still attempting to figure out exactly what to do with Entrapta. On the one hand, she was a princess insurgent that was in league with the enemy. On the other hand, she seemed almost… oblivious to the plight of the Rebellion.
"Maybe…" Brett began thinking to himself, "Maybe she could be convinced to join the Horde?" Brett wondered. He then scoffed out loud and began arguing with himself, "oh, c'mon Brett. Are you really falling for this princess? You've met her, like three times. One of those times… she caused a lot of Horde deaths…" Brett sighed aloud. All this thinking was annoying him. He jumped off his bed and headed for the door. As he did, he heard Entrapta start to stir in Brittni's bed.
"Why, yes… *snore*... Bow, I would like some tiny food…" Entrapta muttered in her sleep. Brett was not about to miss this. He turned towards her and waited for more of her dream talk.
"Please hand me the… *snore* ⅜ socket… need to remove these… spark plugs…" Entrapta continued muttering. Brett cocked an eyebrow.
"She uses ⅜? Huh, the typical socket is usually ⅝…" Brett muttered.
"Oh… oh, thank you Brett. You're the best friend I've ever had." Entrapta muttered and smiled amidst her deep sleep. Brett's eyes narrowed at Entrapta as her dream talk suddenly piqued his interest. Entrapta then began moving her arms in a hug-like position and began giggling.
"Oh… *snore* you want to do THAT?!" Entrapta yelled at the last syllable. Brett moved closer in anticipation. Entrapta then added, "I've never kissed anyone before… but if you insist!"
Brett's eyes widened longer than a giraffe's neck and his cheeks became redder than Kushina Uzamaki's hair. He had never felt so embarrassed by something that wasn't even being displayed publicly. Suddenly, dream-mode Entrapta began shaking in bed like a hypnic jerk on steroids.
"No. NO! Brett! Look out for *snore* the… teddy bear monster…!" Entrapta yelled in her sleep. Brett narrowed his former widened eyes in total confusion. Entrapta then added, "LOOK OUT!" As Entrapta spoke that last statement, both pigtails of her hair thrusted at Brett and began wrapping around him, lifting him into the air.
"Whoa! What the?! Entrapta!" Brett began protesting. Suddenly he started hearing a beeping. It was the emergency tracking signal that all Horde officers received, and Entrapta accidentally activated it. Brett gasped upon hearing it, "oh, no, no no!" Brett hollered as he struggled to get free from Entrapta's hair. He knew that soon enough, somebody was going to come find him… and Entrapta. He thought of something, anything that would get her to loosen up. Nothing was coming to mind. His arms were completely bound under the hair, and he was unable to reach for a weapon. A minute went by and Entrapta kept her hold on Brett, still sputtering about how the 'Teddy Bear was going to get her.'
Soon enough, however, Brett heard someone enter his quarters.
"Oh, no. Oh, no, oh, no! Entrapta!" Brett yelled. As he said that, he heard a familiar voice and shuddered upon hearing it. All of a sudden, his bedroom door flung open, and there stood someone that made Brett scream…
Meanwhile, back at Seer Sanctuary in Oracle's residence…
Brittni was rapidly panting from what she had seen. Oracle was trying to calm her down by strongly embracing her and chanting another spell.
"uoy otnu eb ecaeP!" Oracle said in reverse. Upon finishing her words, Brittni's breathing stabilized and she calmed down. Oracle hugged her close and added, "I'm sorry, Brittni, I should have warned you that the first time you experience a prophecy… it takes a toll on your body. Are you alright?" Oracle inquired. Brittni blinked a few times.
"Yeah… yeah I'm fine." Brittni said, coughing a couple times, "but I saw Elberon! The Horde… it was getting slaughtered! I need to get there now." Brittni exasperated. She picked herself up out of Oracle's embrace and started walking out of the Seer Sanctuary. As Brittni was making her way out, Oracle put her hand on Brittni's shoulder.
"Let me come with you." Oracle suggested. Brittni shook her head.
"No, Mom, what I saw… I can't let you get hurt." Brittni chided. Oracle cocked her eyebrow.
"Now wait a minute. I'm the mom here, I'm the one that's supposed to say that!" Oracle protested. Brittni narrowed her eyes at Oracle.
"Mom, I'm the one that's had extensive medical and combat training from the most powerful military organization on this planet. I can handle myself." Brittni assured. Oracle's golden yellow eyes gazed at Brittni with desperation. Oracle knew that Brittni was right. Oracle looked away for a moment, sighed, then turned back to Brittni and smiled.
"Okay… okay, you're right. But going in, I want to be able to keep in contact with you." Oracle said. She wriggled her free hand rhythmically for a moment, and out of thin air, puffed a necklace into Oracle's hand. She then handed it to Brittni. Brittni took the necklace and eyed it, analytically.
"This is apart of the Crystal Ball." Brittni gasped. Oracle nodded her head.
"If you're going in, I want you to know what you're getting into. This necklace will allow me to communicate with you." Oracle explained. Brittni nodded and put the necklace around her neck. Brittni started for the door again then stopped. She looked back at Oracle again then turned her whole body and wrapped it around Oracle in a tight hug.
"I'll be back. I promise!" Brittni said, tears streaming out of her eyes. Oracle returned the hug and kissed Brittni on the top of her head.
"I know you will. I've seen it." Oracle said, reassuringly. The two then broke away from the hug and Oracle added, "alright, Elberon needs you. Get going!" Oracle said. Brittni nodded and ran out of the Seer Sanctuary and began running back to Elberon. The trip was much faster this time, as she was able to successfully remember all the foliage she observed on the trip to Oracle's home.
"Red fern, take a left. Overthrown tree, on the right path. Creekbed flowing through a tiny crack in the large boulder with moss pointed towards civilization? Almost there." Brittni thought to herself. Soon enough, she made it to Elberon…
...But it was too late…
A couple hours earlier…
"Are you ready?" Void inquired of Glimmer. Glimmer gave Void a look of determination and nodded. Void then said, "okay, hold my hand and put your other hand on the Moonstone." Void explained. Glimmer positioned herself to the right of the Moonstone while Void was on the left. Void put her hand on the Moonstone and reached out for Glimmer's hand. Glimmer took a deep breath and put her hand in Void's, then put her free hand on the Moonstone. Not soon after, the two family members felt a warping sensation as though their bodies had evaporated into nothing. But a split second later, they found themselves within the gates of Elberon.
The two looked around. Glimmer recognized this as the bottom level. They were near the guard barracks. However, the guard barracks was also near the marketplace. As such, Glimmer and Void saw a small group of Horde soldiers as well as workers grouped around, gazing at the two Night Moon leaders in shock and awe. For a moment, Glimmer did not know exactly what to do. But Void set into action rather quickly.
"Don't just stand there!" Void yelled as she ran at the closest Horde soldier to her and plunged her sword clean into the unarmored part of his neck. He made a gurgling choking noise as she pulled the sword out and kicked him away. Two more ran at Void with their energy batons ready to fire. One managed to hit her with an energy blast from a distance, but her chestplate managed to stop the laser from piercing. She did stumble backwards a bit, however. The one that fired the shot ran closer to her with the intent of getting a clearer shot at her unarmored parts. However, he was easily dispatched when Void leaned to the side and stuck her sword into the side of his chest plate where there was an unarmored opening. She then grabbed his arm and moved him to the front of her, to use him as cover as the other soldier started firing his baton. As he fired, he only hit his partner. While that soldier was attempting to hit Void, he started feeling a dark purple aura surrounding him.
"Wha- Huh?! Ahh!" The soldier screamed as Glimmer used her power to stop him in place, then hurled him backwards behind her. His body was thrown against a couple other soldiers that were coming at Glimmer, knocking them down. The Horde workers that were around were stunned from the shock of Void and Glimmer's dramatic appearance. Void quickly took notice of them and ran to the closest one to her and sank her sword into his chest and kicked him onto the street. For a moment, Glimmer was taken aback. Although Glimmer was out for blood against all the Horde soldiers, she was dismayed from seeing Void kill a civilian. The other workers screamed as they started running away.
"Stop them!" Void ordered. Glimmer turned towards them and placed them all in her dark purple aura. They all stopped dead in their tracks, completely unable to move. Their screams could still be heard, however.
"Good! Now finish them!" Void ordered.
For a few moments that felt like an eternity, Glimmer shuddered. Although these were people from the Horde, they weren't armed combatants. The aura began shrinking around them for a moment, to the chagrin of Void.
"What are you doing?! Glimmer! These are the people that have slaughtered and enslaved your people! They're just as bad as Hordak himself. Kill them! Before they warn the rest of the guard!" Void shouted. Glimmer thought about Hordak for a few moments then began seeing flashbacks of the Horde marching in to different Rebel villages. The anger began seething within her and she started letting the rage take over. Glimmer started growling and the aura surrounding the people started widening. One by one, Glimmer forced the aura to surround their necks, strangling them to death. Most of the group died quickly, but there was one woman that somehow managed to reach her hand out towards Glimmer.
"P...Please… I have… a fam..il...y…" The woman managed to choke out. For a brief moment, Glimmer felt a bit of somber pity. However, when she heard family, Glimmer became even more enraged.
"I had a family, too. And you people destroyed it." Glimmer sneered. And with that, Glimmer forced the aura to wrap even tighter, successfully choking the woman to death. The aura then began being absorbed back into Glimmer and the civilian corpses collapsed to the ground. Glimmer began breathing hard, and her sclera started turning black. Void walked up to her.
"You did the right thing. Now, let's get that gate open." Void said. Glimmer nodded, and the two made their way towards the gate.
The Night Moon army had already gotten into position in the forested area near one of the gates of Elberon. Thanks to the lax attitude of Force Captain Viktor, there were no patrols near the vicinity of the gate, so all they had to do was await for Void and Glimmer's signal. Once the Aunt and Niece duo made it to the gate, Void started pulling the chain to raise the portcullis, and Glimmer used her power to lift a Horde soldier's body in the air. The dark purple aura glowed radiantly, and the Night Moon army knew it was time.
The street that the Night Moon army was on was surrounded by buildings. On one side, there were buildings adjacent to the wall, and on the other, buildings towered over the street. Both potential covering points for each faction. Nevertheless, Glimmer's followers and the Night Moon army were in a bloodthirsty vengeance, and charged right down the street into the heart of the Horde soldiers.
Soon enough, the inhabitants of Elberon began hearing a distant, vocal clamor. All the workers and soldiers on duty stopped their work and looked towards the noise. Slowly, the clamor evolved into a multitude of roars. No amount of training could have prepared the Horde soldiers for the fear they felt as they saw the wave of the Night Moon army coming at them. With Void and Glimmer at the helm, and over the thunderous cries of the invading soldiers, the Horde soldiers could hear the cry of Void.
"Death to the Horde! Charge, Night Moon!" Void cried amidst uproar of her soldiers. The Horde soldiers readied their weapons.
Some of the soldiers were ordering the civilians to evacuate while the rest readied themselves at the corner of buildings and behind market kiosks. On the wall, there was a mounted turret that was ready to spray a hail of lasers at any enemy that dared stay within the street. Soon enough, the Night Moon army were in the crosshairs of the Horde soldiers, and they began to open fire. A hail of lasers began being fired by both sides as they both began taking casualties. The Horde was surprised by this attack, however, and did not have the proper mobilization. Slowly, the Night Moon army began pushing towards them. Through the cover of lasers, many Night Moon ninjas would run from building corner to building corner, inching ever closer. Soon enough, the first Night Moon ninja peered out from a corner and hopped over a makeshift barricade that a couple Horde soldiers were using as cover and decapitated them both in one swipe of his sword. This similar scenario continued as the ninjas moved closer and closer using their comrade's laser fire and the corner of buildings as cover. Around a dozen Horde soldiers fell by this tactic, but it did not last long.
The turret that was mounted on the wall began opening fire at the street. The lasers started breaking apart the cobblestone road as the barrage of lasers inched ever closer to the ninjas. As much as they tried to evade the lasers, many Night Moon ninjas began getting cut down, with the turret's lasers piercing their armor. Glimmer took notice of this and quickly joined the fray. Because of the mass of the turret, it would take her time to wrap her aura around it. The laser armed soldiers were out of range, and the rest of the ninjas were pinned down. Void ordered the laser armed soldiers to move up and take cover behind anything they could and lay down suppressing fire at the turret. The soldiers obeyed and began running towards any cover they could find in order to get a clear shot at the turret. The turret began firing again, slaughtering a good amount of the laser armed soldiers. While the turret was distracted, however. Void and Glimmer were making their way into a building close to the wall. At the top floor, they found a civilian cowering the corner.
Unlike last time where Glimmer felt a sympathetic restraint against attacking civilians, this notion she was about to perform contained no mercy. The aura that Glimmer controlled began wrapping around the civilian.
"No! Please, let me go!" He begged. Glimmer simply smirked.
"Oh, I'll let you go." Glimmer said coldly as she aura-forced him through a window.
Still holding him with the aura, she found a clear shot at the turret that was still distracted with keeping the Night Moon army pinned down. Using the civilian, she used her force aura to throw him at the Horde soldier manning the turret. The civilian smacked into the soldier, knocking the both of them out. Void, with her agility, hopped onto the window sill, then jumped onto the wall, grasping the edge, then gracefully pulled herself atop it.
She then ran over to the turret and began operating it. She aimed it away from her army that was coming from the East, and aimed it towards the West where more Horde soldiers were coming to reinforce the guards that had been killed. Upon seeing the second wave of Horde soldiers, Void shifted the turret towards them and began raining a hail of lasers at them. The lasers tore through the soldiers like a blowtorch through paper. Some of the soldiers wised up and took cover behind the buildings, but it was too late for them to mobilize. The ninjas made their way to the buildings and began slaughtering the guards as they took their cover.
A rather thunderous cheer rang across the lower level of the town from the Night Moon army. Glimmer had jumped to the wall. Void helped her up, since Glimmer was not used to not being able to teleport.
"Thanks… I miss teleporting." Glimmer huffed as Void helped her up.
"Glimmer, once we reforge the Moonstone to full functionality, you will have power you could only dream of." Void said, excitedly. Her voice then became more serious as she added, "okay, this operation is going better than planned. I didn't realize that the Horde had such lax security… but never mind that. We need to find the leader of this town and kill him. Once he's dead, the rest of their forces will be thrown into disarray and they'll be forced to retreat."
"What're we waiting for?" Glimmer demanded, grinning devilishly.
Meanwhile, an hour or so after Night Moon began their assault, Adora, Bow, and Arya made their way to Elberon…
Adora, Bow, and General Arya had heard from credited sources that Glimmer's stolen skiff had landed near Elberon. Naturally, the Rebel group assumed that she wanted to retake Elberon, and so, made their way there. About a half mile away, the group noticed smoke rising in the distance.
"Smoke? It can't be… did Glimmer really attack Elberon? And by herself?!" Adora exasperated. Bow nodded, somberly.
"She was really bitter after the Horde took Elberon. She was hellbent on taking it back, like she was obsessed with it… but going alone…?" Bow muttered.
"Well, we won't know what happened to her until we get there. Let's move out!" Arya ordered. Adora and Bow nodded and began picking up the pace heading to Elberon. The closer they got to the city, the more the black smoke pervaded the air. Soon, the group began seeing fires on different buildings. The group stared in horror as they moved closer.
"No way… Did Glimmer do this?" Bow inquired in disbelief. Soon enough the group made it to the gate. At the exact same time that the Rebel group arrived, Adora heard an incredibly familiar voice. Adora shuddered upon hearing the voice, because she soon realized it was her old friend. Slowly, Adora turned towards the voice. Out of the woods came a white colored, armor clad, combat medic. Brittni.
"...A...Adora?"
