Chapter 35: Night Moon Darkens
Glimmer looked around and found herself in some sort of garden. Surrounding her was a wide variety of vegetation with many different colors. Beneath her feet was a little cobblestone path that looped around the garden. The aroma in the air was a mix of trimmed spring grass and freshly cut lemons. Glimmer herself was sitting on a stone bench, utterly confused.
"Where the [EXPLICIT] am I?" Glimmer inquired. As a quick afterthought, she added, "and why can't I swear?"
"Because, Princess Glimmer, I abhor profanity." A mysterious voice said. Glimmer looked around but saw nobody. However, she heard the sound of shears snipping away at plants. Glimmer stood up and walked down the pathway, following the sound of the pruning. As she walked down the path, she saw a floral arch. She entered through the arch and found herself in an even more beautiful garden. In the corner with her back turned, was a lightly blue-skinned woman. She was clothed in a bright, silver dress. Atop her head was a dark blue head wrap that was endowed with silver chains. Without turning back, the woman took another snip of the olive tree she had been pruning.
"You know, the olive is quite a magnificent fruit. Natural healing properties, rich in iron and fiber," the woman declared. She then plucked an olive from the tree and began munching on it, then added, "not to mention its delectable taste." The woman winked at Glimmer. Glimmer shuddered and squared her body up, preparing for a fight. The woman simply chuckled in response.
"No! Ergh. Who are you?!" Glimmer demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the woman.
"My name is Oracle. I have been watching you for some time, Princess." Oracle declared. Glimmer scoffed.
"I'm not a princess… not anymore…" Glimmer muttered as she loosened her muscles.
"Ah, but you are! I know that you renounced your kingdom because you believed that your mother had rejected Hordak's terms." Oracle declared. Glimmer trembled for a few moments. Oracle then added, "but then you found out that it was not your mother, but rather, the Rebellion's chief general that sent that damning message to Hordak."
"How do you know all that?! Just what do you want with me?!" Glimmer demanded. Oracle smirked then moved over to a bench to sit down. In front of the bench was a little table with a tea set resting atop it.
"Right now, all I want with you is to simply talk." Oracle declared. As a quick afterthought, she added, "and perhaps have some tea?" Oracle suggested. Glimmer eyed Oracle suspiciously but nevertheless acquiesced to her request. As Glimmer sat across from Oracle, she began admiring the garden.
"Where are we? How did I get here from Elberon?" Glimmer demanded. Oracle poured some tea into a little cup then took a sip.
"Why, you're still in Elberon, my dear," Oracle claimed as she took another sip. Glimmer cocked her eyebrow at her and Oracle clarified, "this is a dream. You're still soundly asleep in bed with… Frosta." Oracle said chuckling. Glimmer's cheeks turned bright red and she looked away.
"So, I have some magical stalker, huh…" Glimmer muttered. Oracle smirked.
"Something like that…" Oracle chuckled, "forgive the intrusiveness, but seeing others pasts and futures is intrinsic to my very being. I can't exactly stop it." Oracle admitted. Glimmer leaned back on the bench and folded her arms.
"Alright, get to the point. What did you want to say?" Glimmer demanded. Oracle took another sip of tea then gently placed the ceramic cup on a plate.
"I'm here to warn you about a few things." Oracle began as her glowing yellow eyes stared right into Glimmer's soul. Glimmer shuddered a bit but continued giving Oracle her attention, "first of all, I want you to know that I understand how you feel…"
"How I feel? How I feel?! How could you possibly understand how I feel?! Do you know how it feels to be tortured, betrayed, and completely helpless to stop it? And then you have one faint, glimmer of hope that it's going to be okay… and then the one person you love and trust; you believe that they forsook you? Do you know how that feels?!" Glimmer demanded. Oracle let out a sigh.
"More than you'd think, my child…" Oracle muttered, glumly. Glimmer widened her eyes at Oracle and shuddered. Oracle then directed her eyes at Glimmer.
"I know this might not be much coming from someone you have not previously met before, but for what it's worth, I am sorry for your troubles," Oracle said, sincerely. Although Glimmer did feel a bit of comfort from Oracle's sincerity, she nevertheless kept her scowl.
"Right… okay, get on with it." Glimmer said, impatiently. Oracle cleared her throat and continued.
"The one that is dear to you, Frosta. You must keep a vigilant watch over her on your trip to Mystacor. One of your own plans to… do away with her." Oracle forebode. Glimmer let out a massive gasp and stood up.
"What are you saying?! That one of Night Moon plans to kill her?!" Glimmer demanded. Oracle let out a sigh, closed her eyes then slowly nodded her head.
"I'm afraid so, Glimmer." Oracle declared as she opened her eyes.
"Y...You're lying! Why would one of my own soldiers kill Frosta?! She helped us when we attacked Dryl!" Glimmer accused, "why are you even telling me this?!"
"Because I am trying to save Etheria, Glimmer." Oracle proclaimed, "I am very aware of what the Horde has done to make you like this. I am also aware of the factors that caused Hordak to become the way he is. Most importantly, I know that there is a menace coming that threatens the entire world." Oracle explained. Glimmer sat back down.
"Yeah, that menace is called the Horde." Glimmer muttered. Oracle shook her head.
"I wish it was only the Horde… but this enemy is far worse than the Horde could ever prove to be."
"What could be worse than the Horde?!" Glimmer demanded.
"The progenitors of the Horde. Horde Prime and his empire." Oracle said. Glimmer cocked her eyebrow at Oracle.
"Horde Prime…?" Glimmer wondered.
"I'll explain, but first, I have a question for you: Do you know how the war started?" Oracle inquired. Glimmer opened her mouth to speak, but merely let out a breath of air. In all fairness, Glimmer never actually considered what made the Horde invade Etheria; just that they did. Glimmer then slowly shook her head. Oracle nodded then went on to explain Horde Prime, his empire, how he created Hordak, Hordak's escape and crash-landing on Etheria, Bright Moon taxing Hordak to death, and the war beginning.
Glimmer was rather taken aback by these new revelations. Her mother never spoke of Glimmer's grandmother over-taxing Hordak, and Glimmer would not have cared anyway. All Glimmer knew was what happened in the moment; that is, what she personally experienced from being attacked by the Horde. Nevertheless, Glimmer did feel a hint of comfort and understanding from Oracle. However, this did not sway her feelings towards the Horde.
"Okay, look. Even if everything you said is true, that doesn't excuse what the Horde's done to us!" Glimmer challenged. Oracle nodded.
"You're right. It does not." Oracle admitted, "nevertheless, very soon, all of Etheria; including Night Moon, the Rebellion, AND the Horde will have to put aside their hatred and grudges, and face Horde Prime, together. Mark my words, Princess Glimmer, his arrival is imminent."
"Work… With the…" Glimmer said in utter disbelief, "you want us to work with the Horde?! That is NEVER going to happen." Glimmer snapped.
"It is, Princess Glimmer. I know at the moment that an alliance with the Horde is the last thing you would ever want to be a part of… but I promise you, this alliance will save Etheria." Oracle promised. Glimmer growled at this plan. Oracle continued, "I understand, Glimmer. I know what I am saying sounds unfeasible… but once Horde Prime launches his attack, you will understand." Oracle promised. Glimmer simply leaned back in her chair, folded her arms, and maintained a scowl on her face.
"There is one more thing I need to tell you… about Void." Oracle said. Glimmer cocked her eyebrow and leaned forward.
"And what's that?" Glimmer demanded.
"Void is not who you think she is. Void is- Void. Void is- is- isisisis Vooooid. Double. Void is Void is Trouuuuu- Void." Oracle stuttered as though she had been facing a glitch. Glimmer stood up, moved over to Oracle, and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"What?! Void is what?! Tell me!" Glimmer demanded. Before Oracle could say anything else, she began fading away into nothingness. Simultaneously, the garden surrounding Glimmer also began disappearing. Soon enough, there was nothing. After the ground beneath her feet disappeared, Glimmer began falling into the abyss. She tried to scream, but no sound came from her lungs. However, she started hearing a familiar voice.
"Glimmer? Glimmer! What's wrong?! Are you okay?! Glimmer!" The voice demanded.
Glimmer then woke up screaming like a banshee.
"Glimmer! It's okay!" Frosta declared as she reached over to hug her. Glimmer looked around and found herself in her room in Elberon. She slowed her breathing down until it was at a normal rate then hugged Frosta.
"S… Sorry." Glimmer apologized. Frosta broke away from the hug.
"Bad dream?" Frosta inquired.
"...More like a night terror… But, anyway, I'm fine. Let's go back to sleep." Glimmer suggested. Frosta yawned, nodded, then quickly fell back asleep. Glimmer in the meanwhile sat up in bed, hugged her knees, and let out a sigh. Hundreds of thoughts were pervading Glimmer's mind as she considered what she had just experienced.
"Did Bright Moon really start this war? Is Frosta really in danger? Is Horde Prime really coming to finish what Hordak started?" Glimmer pondered to herself. However, despite these rather profound questions, there was one question that stayed at the forefront of her mind.
"Who is Void…?"
Meanwhile, back at Dryl…
Shortly after the trio of girls fell into the hole that led into the Dryllish sewer system, another trio; Bow, Amazona, and Roxy, had gone over to the hole and lowered a rope for the sewer dwellers to climb. Once up, Catra had finally registered that both Bow and Adora were in her presence.
"Okay, seriously, what is going on? I leave you all alone for one day and suddenly we're all friends?!" Catra demanded. Before anyone could respond, another entourage was coming from where the helicopter was. It was Brett, and two squads of Horde and Dryllish soldiers.
"Force Captain, glad to see you made it," Brett said, formally. Catra turned to him and marched up to him.
"Brett, you have three seconds to explain why those two rebels aren't chained up in a prison cell," Catra demanded as she pointed at them while maintaining eye contact with Brett. Brett cocked his eyebrow.
"Ask Brittni, it was her idea," Brett muttered.
"You outrank her! Grrr!" Catra growled, "and aren't you older than her?!" Catra demanded. Brett could not help but chuckle a little bit at that inquiry.
"Why does everyone think that Brett is older?! We're twins!" Brittni protested under her breath.
"Am I the only one that realizes we're in the middle of a war?!" Catra groaned as she put both her hands to her head. Brittni gently pushed passed those in her way and marched up to Catra.
"Catra, look. We came here because this terrorist organization called Night Moon worked with a band of renegade Dryllish soldiers in order to kidnap Entrapta and take over Dryl for themselves." Brittni explained. As soon as Brett heard Brittni say that, his heart sunk lower than rocks at the bottom of the ocean. Adora also gasped, not realizing they got to Entrapta.
"Entrapta… was kidnapped? We need to go get her!" Brett exclaimed. He moved over to Brittni and put his hands on her shoulders, then added, "Brittni. Please, tell me… where did they take her?!" Brittni trembled for a moment and looked away.
"I… I'm not exactly sure…" Brittni admitted, dismally.
"And how is this the Horde's problem?" Catra demanded. Brett glared at her and was about to lash out when Brittni interrupted him.
"Where do I start…" Brittni muttered as she paced around. She stopped then looked at Catra, "for the immediate danger, Entrapta is probably the most intelligent person on this planet. If Night Moon has her, imagine everything she could build for them: combat bots, weapons, armor, you name it!" Brittni explained. Catra mulled her head around considering the danger that could come from Entrapta being held, hostage. Brittni then finished, "but there's even more to this story…" Catra cocked her eyebrow
"Yeah? What's that?" Catra inquired. Brittni let out a sigh.
"This will take a while to explain…" Brittni said. Everybody then gathered around and listened to Brittni explain everything about Oracle, her visions, and most importantly, Horde Prime. There were mixed reactions from the Horde and Dryllish squads. Brett continued to stand with his arms folded, still not completely convinced of everything that was being said. Catra, in the meanwhile, was completely unconvinced from everything that Brittni had claimed.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Catra snapped, "where'd you come up with this stupid story? There's no way-" Catra started before being interrupted by Brittni.
"If you don't believe me, go ask Lord Hordak, yourself!" Brittni snapped back. Catra let out a hiss.
"Fine, I will." Catra accepted. At the behest of Brittni, everyone made their way to the communication center to send a message to the Fright Zone. On the way, Brittni put her hand on Brett's shoulder.
"Hey… we'll get her back." Brittni declared. Brett looked up and smiled for a moment, then looked back down. Although he was incredibly anxious to go and rescue Entrapta, he knew that he had to keep a level head in order to figure out where Entrapta even was.
Catra, Brittni, Brett, and Amazona made their way into the comm room while the rest stayed outside. Everyone figured it best that the two rebels stay outside, as they did not want Hordak to be suspicious of their detachment working with rebels. Once the message was patched through, a grumbly, deep voice was sounded and Hordak's skeletal face appeared on the main screen.
"Force Captain Catra? And I see you've found Saboteur Infiltrator Brett, Nurse Brittni, and Amazona. I trust that the soldiers that I dispatched to Dryl were worth the trouble? The Horde is spread thin as it is." Hordak said, rather impatiently. Catra cleared her throat.
"Lord Hordak, the soldiers were well used… but I have a question." Catra said. Hordak cocked his eyebrow then let out a low, breathy growl.
"And what is that, Force Captain?" Hordak demanded. Catra swallowed hard then posed her question.
"Well, Lord Hordak… Brittni, here told me about some… some being from outer space called Horde Prime?" Catra inquired. The moment that the name 'Horde Prime' escaped Catra's lips, Catra, Brett, and Amazona witnessed an unprecedented expression of Hordak's:
Fear.
Just as Brittni felt the first time she witnessed it, the three Horde soldiers were almost afraid of Hordak's reaction. After all, if this is something that Hordak feared, it must have been incredibly frightening. Hordak attempted to play off his fear by clearing his throat and showing more anger.
"Yes, Horde Prime is a potential threat that we have to consider, but for right now, our focus needs to be destroying the Princess Alliance and their ridiculous Rebellion!" Hordak snapped.
"Lord Hordak, if I may…" Brittni cut in. Hordak let out a groan.
"What IS it, Nurse Brittni?" Hordak demanded.
"Lord Hordak, Night Moon has Entrapta. She's the smartest person on Etheria. With her, they plan on building a portal!" Brittni indicated. Hordak trembled in his growling. For a few moments, he was completely speechless, considering the implications of what it meant for Night Moon to have portal technology and the means to build one. After shuddering for a few moments, Hordak cleared his throat and spoke calmly.
"You're certain they plan on creating a portal?" Hordak inquired. Brittni nodded.
"Yes, my lord. The leader of the Dryllish coup detailed his entire plan, and I downloaded a copy of it. I'll send it to you as soon as I can." Brittni explained.
"See that you do… For now, since Night Moon's attack on Elberon, the Rebellion has become more emboldened; attacking and capturing many of our outposts. We need to halt their advances." Hordak declared, he then asked, "how many soldiers do you have left in your squads?"
"My platoon is at full strength." Catra indicated.
"I lost about half of my platoon." Brett indicated. Hordak hummed for a few moments, pondering what he wanted.
"Brett, get your platoon ready to pull back for reassignment. They will be distributed across the outposts nearest to the most recent Rebellion attacks. As for Catra's platoon, I want you to find this 'Night Moon' and stop them from making a portal. Consider this a life or death situation for this entire planet." Hordak said gravely. He then added, "do you have any idea where they could possibly be building it?" The four in the room switched glances between each other, considering where Night Moon could build such a device.
"Well, the obvious answer is Elberon…" Brett muttered, "but my gut tells me that that's too obvious. Besides, Elberon wasn't a technologically advanced city. It was a trading and farming town." He then turned to Brittni and whispered, "can't you ask Oracle?" Brittni shook her head,
"I'm not sure why, but I haven't been able to get in contact with her. It's really strange… But until she gets back to us, we're on our own." Brittni said glumly while biting her gloved finger, deep in thought. After a few moments, a lightbulb popped in her mind.
"I think I might know how we can find out," Brittni said, grinning. Hordak then cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone in the room.
"Whatever you plan on doing, get it done quick." Hordak ordered. He then shuddered for a few moments and added, "if Horde Prime were to make it here… I promise all of you that it would be the end for everyone on this planet." Hordak then straightened his neck up and nodded, "alright, you have your assignments, dismissed." And with that, Hordak ended the transmission, leaving the Horde (and Rebellion) soldiers in the dark. The group of three turned to Brittni, awaiting her potential plan.
"We're going to need a Dryllish or Night Moon soldier. There's gotta be at least one red armband loyalist left in the city!" Brittni proclaimed.
"And what is that supposed to accomplish?" Catra demanded impatiently.
"Torture 'em?" Brett suggested. Catra grinned, but Brittni turned to Brett and narrowed her eyes.
"No torture!" Brittni snapped. She groaned then added, "look, just trust me. If I can get my hands on a Dryllish soldier that's loyal to Cairus, I swear I can figure out their plans." Catra rolled her eyes, Amazona remained silent while looking at the floor, but Brett decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Brett went over to Brittni and put his hand on her shoulder, then turned to the other two.
"Brittni has been right about everything else so far; with Night Moon, Dryl, Elberon. I say we put a little bit of faith in her." Brett affirmed. Brittni smiled at Brett and he winked. Amazona shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, we don't have any other leads. Fine with me." Amazona admitted. Catra groaned.
"Fine, I'll give you an hour or so. If we don't find a lead, we're coming up with a different plan." Catra declared.
"Deal." Brittni agreed. And so, the group exited the communications room and entered the front room where everyone else had been sitting, waiting for a plan. Brittni then explained everything involving Hordak's orders and Night Moon's plans with the portal. In the back of the group of soldiers, a Horde soldier spoke up.
"Okay, so what are we supposed to do? Attack Elberon again?" He asked. Another soldier chimed in,
"Yeah! And why are we working with She-Ra?! She almost killed us!" Another soldier snapped. A resounding disapproval arose among the Horde soldiers. Adora literally backed herself into a corner and sighed.
The same Horde soldier stood up and pointed at Adora, then added, "I say we take her out right now!" Bow, standing next to Adora, brandished his bow and nocked an arrow in it. Adora reached for her sword but felt frightened when a few other Horde soldiers also reached for their energy batons. The one that was pointing at Adora pulled her baton out and was about to fire when Catra lunged towards her from behind, tackling her into the ground, a few feet from Adora.
"Oof! What the-?" The soldier protested. Catra picked herself up off that soldier and stood to face the rest of the soldiers.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Catra snapped. The soldiers that were making a move froze in their tracks and retracted their hands. Catra then added, "Now take your seats and listen to Brittni!" Catra commanded. Per her command, they all took their seats and faced forward. Brittni nodded at Catra in gratitude. Brett, behind Brittni, smirked at Catra's action.
Adora in the meanwhile smiled with a couple of tears streaming down her face. She took a step and put her hand on Catra.
"Thanks, Catra…" Adora said, gratefully. Catra scoffed.
"Eh, if Night Moon really is that bad, I'm gonna need a heavy hitter on my side," Catra said facetiously. Adora chuckled.
Back to Brittni, she went on to explain what everyone needed to do. All Horde soldiers that were a part of Catra's platoon were to fan out and attempt to find any more red armband soldiers. Brett's platoon was to follow Hordak's command and return to the Fright Zone to be distributed amongst their outposts. All that was left in the communications center were the Horde and Rebellion leaders, and the remaining Dryllish soldiers.
"Okay, so how do we know that they aren't all loyal?" Bow inquired. The Dryllish soldiers began muttering amongst themselves and glanced at each other.
"Why are you even detaining us?! This is our kingdom! The Horde has no business here!" One of the Dryllish soldiers snapped. Brett smirked and pressed a button on his armor that played a recording:
"Oh, Brett! I hope one day you can move here to Dryl! If you decide to stay here, I'll make you my… I dunno, Vice President? Yeah! From now on, you're Vice President of Dryl! I always wanted to switch to a Democratic Republic." Entrapta's voice sounded over the recording. A wave of groans pervaded the room as Brett ended the recording. Everyone in the room gazed at Brett with confusion.
"She made you Vice President?!" Adora demanded. Catra let out a groan.
"There is seriously something wrong with that girl…" Catra muttered. Brett chuckled.
"Maybe, but her weirdness paid off. Anyway, Brittni, tell us what we're looking for." Brett said. Brittni walked around the Dryllish soldiers that were seated, eyeing them suspiciously. Brittni was looking for something, anything to give off a hint of treachery. It was then she noticed a shining bead of sweat that was slowly gliding down a Dryllish soldier's forehead. Brittni immediately stopped and turned towards him.
"You," Brittni said, pointing at the nervous-looking Dryllish soldier. He looked around and then gazed at Brittni.
"Who, me?" The Dryllish soldier inquired. Brittni moved towards him, scooting passed the other soldiers that were seated. As she moved closer, Brittni could almost feel the guilt radiating from him.
"You're the traitor, aren't you?!" Brittni demanded, grabbing him by his chest plate.
"Whuh?! No! I swear! I'm loyal to Princess Entrapta! Honest!" The guard pled. Brittni glanced behind her for a moment, then turned right back to the soldier.
"A likely story…" Brittni said, coldly. Brett, from the front, was studying the soldier's tone of voice and frequency…
"He's telling the truth…" Brett thought to himself, "can't Brittni sense it?" Brittni then dropped the soldier back into his seat then immediately turned towards another soldier to her back left that she had previously glanced at.
"Just kidding. It's you!" Brittni declared. Everyone looked to the soldier who shifted his eyes quickly then immediately stood up with the intention of running. As he ran towards the door, Catra pounced on him, driving him to the ground.
"Ah! Get off!" The guard begged as Catra raised her claws to slash at him. Adora grabbed Catra's hand before it swiped. Catra looked back and hissed, but retracted her claws. By this time, almost everyone in the room had a gun lasered at the red armband. Brittni then moved towards him, snickering.
"How did you know?!" The red armband demanded. Brittni snickered even more.
"Simple." Brittni said, "you can tell how fast a heart is beating just by how much somebody is jittering. The more I spoke of a traitor, the more fidgety you got. However, I couldn't just call you out right then, I needed something else." Brittni explained, "so, I picked some random soldier that was sweating a bit. While I was reprimanding him, I glanced back and saw you breathe a sigh of relief." The red armband shuddered angrily. Brittni then added, "but, your uneasiness wasn't the biggest indicator." Brittni then reached for and pulled a single red thread that had caught on the soldier's pauldron, then held it up for all to see. Everyone but Brett squinted to see what it was.
"Heh, a red thread. Nice eyes, Brittni." Brett said proudly. Catra cocked her eyebrow.
"A red thread? I'm right next to it and I can barely see it!" Catra claimed. Brittni chuckled and looked to Catra.
"Observer Twins." Brittni declared proudly as she winked at Catra. She then turned to the red armband, "time to show us what you know!" Brittni commanded. The soldier began laughing maniacally.
"G'head, torture me for days! By the time I crack, the plan will already have gone through!" The soldier declared.
"Don't tempt us…" Catra muttered as she popped her knuckles.
"That won't be necessary," Brittni stated as she simply placed her hand on the Dryllish soldier's. As soon as this happened, Brittni began to have a vision…
Meanwhile, with Night Moon on their way to Mystacor…
Glimmer and Frosta sat in the passenger hold, opposite Cairus. The majority of Night Moon's forces remained at Elberon to defend it, but the most elite Night Moon, Dryllish, and Snow soldiers accompanied their leaders on their way to Mystacor. Entrapta had been placed in an energy cage in the cargo hold. Void was standing at the helm, patiently waiting for their arrival.
"Wondrous, Eternal Mystacor… I haven't been there for over a decade." Void declared as she turned to the passengers. Cairus had his arms folded.
"It'll be my first time… I've heard these sorcerers are not to be trifled with." Cairus cautioned. Void scoffed.
"Please. I was once one of them, they're all icing, no cake. Yeah, they may command elements, but believe me when I say that the majority of them have seen no real combat. This'll be simple." Void declared.
While Void was talking, Glimmer gazed at her while contemplating what she had been told in the vision she received. Most imperatively, Glimmer truly wondered if Void was really her aunt or not. Glimmer shook her head in agitation.
"Oh, c'mon, Glimmer… you're taking the word of some magical stalker… she's just trying to mess with your head!" Glimmer reasoned with herself. Still, although she pushed these thoughts down, she still considered what Oracle had declared to her.
Frosta had wrapped her arms around Glimmer's arm as she napped. It had been a long flight, and they still had a little time to go. Glimmer smiled at this action and rested her head atop Frosta's. A few moments later, Void continued:
"Well, we're all clear about the plan, yes?" Void inquired. Everybody gave a thumbs up, signaling their understanding. Glimmer let out a sigh and turned to Void.
"I want to try a diplomatic approach just one more time, Aunt Void." Glimmer beseeched. Void let out a groan and rubbed her currently unmasked face.
"Because that went so well last time?" Void stated, sarcastically.
"Aunt Castaspella would respond differently to me in person… If I go in alone, she won't see us as a threat, and might be more open-minded to giving us the tech." Glimmer explained. Void let out a dramatic sigh. Glimmer ignored it and continued, "we don't have anything to lose. We'll reserve our forces, and if she refuses to help, then we can send in our troops. I think potentially saving our soldiers could be worth the risk."
Void looked around at the soldiers. Some were muttering while others nodded in agreement. Void let out another sigh then slowly nodded.
"Fine, you have one more chance. If she says no, though, we're going to use force. Deal?" Void inquired.
"Deal." Glimmer agreed.
And with that, the flight was not that much longer. Soon enough, the rather large air transport landed on a cliffside that was right underneath Mystacor. Mystacor was a kingdom in the sky that was rendered invisible by the magic that was weaved by the sorcerers that called it home. There was only one way that Glimmer knew how to enter.
At the edge of the cliff, there was an enchanted, floating mound of land that would levitate towards the entrance of Mystacor. As Glimmer jumped on and rode the landmass, she was considering just what exactly she would say to Castaspella. Before her anxiety calmed down, the mound of land pushed against the floating foundation of Mystacor.
Glimmer took a deep breath and stepped onto Mystacor's land. Mystacor was a resplendent city that featured ornate, tall buildings, gardens filled with a multitude of vegetation, and training grounds where aspiring sorcerers could test their mettle. There was always a mystical and majestic feel to Mystacor that helped Glimmer feel at peace. At this moment, however, Glimmer felt nothing but anxiety.
As Glimmer moved closer to the gateway that led inside Mystacor, the sorcerers posted outside stopped their sparring and training when they noticed Glimmer. Most of them were abhorred or shocked by her wardrobe and aura transformation. In particular, Glimmer's glowing purple eyes disturbed many of the sorcerers. Before Glimmer made it to the gate, her aunt Castaspella walked through the gateway to greet Glimmer. Castaspella was a tall woman with black hair tied in a bun. She wore a long purple robe, and adorning her head was a thin, golden crown.
Castaspella was visibly disturbed by Glimmer's countenance and attire. Most especially, she was apprehensive because of Glimmer's behavior of the communication she sent to Mystacor, earlier.
"Glimmer! I… didn't expect you here," Castaspella said, ignoring the tension that was present. Glimmer looked around and saw all the sorcerers gazing at her with fear and contempt. Glimmer attempted to ignore them. She cleared her throat and attempted to smile.
"It's… good to see you, Aunt Castaspella." Glimmer said, attempting to be friendly. Castaspella cocked her eyebrow and folded her arms.
"Is it? We didn't leave on the best of terms over our conversation yesterday." Castaspella claimed. Glimmer let out a sigh.
"I apologize. You're right, I could've been a lot more polite. It's just that we really need-" Glimmer began to say,
"The First One's Tech?" Castaspella finished Glimmer's inquiry, "as I said, we cannot give it to you."
"But why?!" Glimmer demanded a little more angrily than she meant to. Castaspella's eyebrows curved a little towards a glare.
"It should be enough that I said so…" Castaspella sneered, "but if you must know, it's because that First One's technology is unexplored. We have no idea what its code can do. It could be volatile and dangerous, and until we fully study it, we can't let anyone else use it." Castaspella said, firmly. Glimmer grunted low under her breath for a minute. A black fog began emanating from her glowing purple eyes. Before she became overly angry, Glimmer inhaled a deep breath and scoffed. The evil was engulfing her again, and this time she was really going to embrace it.
"If that's the way you want it…" Glimmer muttered. She then turned away from Castaspella, towards the floating mound of land. Castaspella angrily shuddered.
"Where are you going, young lady?" Castaspella demanded. Glimmer stopped and turned her head as if her neck was made of rusted clockwork.
"Don't talk down to me, Castaspella." Glimmer snapped. "If you won't do what needs to be done, then Night Moon will!" Glimmer shouted. She then pressed her earpiece radio and spoke to Void, "the answer is 'no.' You know what to do." A devilish laugh was sent back in response.
"This is going to be a great day…" Void muttered, maniacally. Once she said that the Night Moon airship, along with a small fleet of other smaller airships came into Mystacor's airspace. Castaspella and the other sorcerers trembled in place at their enemies in the sky. Castaspella looked back down at Glimmer, her lip quivering. Glimmer simply flashed an evil grin.
"Next time, just say yes…"
