Chapter 46: United, We Stand
A series of shudders and gasps described the horror of Glimmer, Brittni, Oracle, and Jovia as they took their steps into the Kingdom of Bright Moon. It was easy to tell that Horde Prime had indeed been there. The farmlands that surrounded the city were laid to waste. Between burned-down barns, charred grasslands, and bodies from Bright Moon that littered the countryside, this was an unspeakably grim atmosphere.
"Oh, no…" Glimmer gasped as she ran towards some of the bodies to see if they were alive. Despite Glimmer's hope, the corpses laid lifeless, bringing tears to Glimmer's eyes. Oracle followed after her, gently placing her hand on Glimmer's shoulder. Glimmer was on her knees, sobbing. Through her weeping, Glimmer managed to mutter, "this is… this is all my fault…" Oracle knelt down and continued stroking Glimmer's back.
"It is alright my child. You could not have known all this would happen." Oracle declared softly, "please, take comfort in knowing that your mother is still alive." Glimmer sniffled a bit and turned her head towards Oracle.
"She... She is?" Glimmer inquired.
"I am, Glimmer." a voice declared coming from behind one of the barns, along with a retinue of guards. Looking forward, Glimmer blinked as she saw her mother, Queen Angella. Glimmer let out a quiet gasp as she stood up.
For quite a few moments, Glimmer and Angella merely gazed at each other in complete disbelief. A myriad of thoughts began pervading Glimmer's mind:
"She's alive! But, what do I do? How can she forgive me? I've caused so much trouble for her… I…" Glimmer thought to herself, standing there, frozen in place. Before she could utter a single word, however, Angella marched right up to Glimmer, standing within a foot of her. As the two locked eyes, the tears burst out even further from Glimmer's eyes. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Glimmer spoke.
"I… Mom, I…" Glimmer mumbled until Angella knelt down, wrapped her arms around Glimmer, and pulled her in tightly. Glimmer was absolutely shocked at this affection and had no idea how to respond other than to continue crying and hugging Angella back.
"I thought I had lost you…" Angella declared, softly, tears beginning to stream out of her eyes. "My daughter…" Though time was of the essence, time seemed to mercifully slow down to extend this rather precious moment of forgiveness and reunion. Many thoughts were still pervading Glimmer's mind, continually believing that Angella would be nothing but furious with her. Nevertheless, Angella was solely concerned with the fact that Glimmer was even alive, let alone in Angella's arms. Glimmer could not help but continue to sob out of both relief… and guilt.
"I… Mom, I'm the reason that Aunt Castaspella is dead. I'm the reason that Horde Prime is here… it's all my fault… I'm so sorry." Glimmer sobbed, the more that she spoke. Angella let out a breathy sigh.
"Yes… I've heard the reports from the refugees we managed to rescue from Mystacor…" Angella began, releasing her embrace from Glimmer. Glimmer stared up at Angella and wiped the tears from her eyes, then Angella continued, "how Night Moon attacked Mystacor and set off the portal…" Angella declared gravely. Looking away and letting out another sigh, she then finished, "but they also report that you attempted to stop Void from opening the portal." Glimmer looked away and rubbed her shoulder.
"Still… I led the attack at first… I… I don't even deserve to live." Glimmer muttered. Angella quickly shushed her and raised her voice.
"At this moment, there's no use in blaming and bickering." Angella declared, "it is time we come up with a plan to deal with Horde Prime." Glimmer sniffled a bit and blinked her eyes.
"But how?" Glimmer inquired. Angella was about to respond, when, off in the distance, the group heard the sound of whirring and jet-propelled engines. Everyone in the vicinity turned towards the sky to see Hordak's airship flying towards Bright Moon.
"Horde Prime?!" Angella shuddered as purple auras began surrounding her fists.
"Wait! Queen- err, Your Highness?" Brittni began, awkwardly, "that's not Horde Prime. That's uh… just Hordak…" Brittni finished, rubbing her shoulder. Angella's shocked gaze fell upon Brittni and quickly fluctuated into a deep glare with gritted teeth. Turning to her guards, she screamed.
"Shoot that down. NOW!" Angella growled. Everyone on team Oracle began to protest, though one of Angella's guards cleared her throat.
"Um, Your Highness, I've just received a transmission from She-Ra… she, along with Tech Master Bow and Frosta of the Kingdom of Snows, is aboard the jet, and...-" The guard began, then added, "- ...and She-Ra just requested a landing." Angella switched glances between Oracle's group and her guards. Turning to Oracle and marching up to her, Angella calmly, but austerely demanded,
"What is this about? Why are my people on board a jet with… that… that monster?!" Angella demanded. Oracle, mere inches away from Angella, retained her composure and replied politely.
"This is how we are going to defeat Horde Prime…"
Hordak's jet descends amid Bright Moon's docking area, rather close to the castle…
If there ever needed to be an illustration to define the word 'awkward,' it would have to be the moment that Hordak and company exited the Horde jet, amidst an entire platoon of rebel soldiers that had circled around, and had their weapons trained on Hordak. Angella stood in the center of them, giving, possibly, the nastiest glare she had ever faced upon someone. Moments later, Adora, Bow, and Frosta exited the craft to which Angella ordered them to move away from Hordak. Without argument, the trio moved out of the way to join the crowd of rebel soldiers. Brett, Catra, Entrapta, and a few high-ranking Horde soldiers also exited the craft, though stayed behind Hordak
Needless to say, the tension and anxiety in the area were beyond excruciating. The two leaders of opposing factions locked eyes for what felt like an eternity; Angella with seething rage, Hordak with a stoic outlook. After the longest few moments of the Horde soldiers' lives, Angella began marching towards Hordak. Brett and Catra wanted to brandish their weapons, though they knew they would immediately be cut down by the rebel soldiers.
The dust beneath Angella's feet seemed to rise up slowly, and her feet echoed along the concrete floor of the landing area as she made her way to Hordak. For a while, the entire focus of everyone was upon her. Soon, she was in front of Hordak, a mere few feet away from him. She glared deeply, doing everything in her power to maintain her composure… but it was not enough, the anger boiled so hot inside her system that her prefrontal lobe was launched out of her brain, and she acted out of pure indignation. She cocked back her hand and thrust it towards Hordak's face, smacking it, and leaving a rather severe, reddened handprint across his white, bony, face.
Hordak's face shifted to the right and did not return to look back at Angella for several moments. Finally, Hordak turned back and laid a rather strange smile on his face towards her. Clearing his throat, he spoke calmly.
"Well…" Hordak began, "it is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." Hordak said, rather facetiously. Angella's eyes grew even wider and she gritted her teeth. She was about to cock her arm back for another smack when she felt a warm, blue hand, gently grab her wrist. Turning her head around, Angella found Oracle shaking her head.
"Your Highness, please… let us be amicable-" Oracle began to say until Angella ripped her hand away from Oracle's and began screaming.
"Do not tell me to be amicable! Not when this… this revulsive, malevolent, and psychotic being stands before me! He will face his consequences one way or another-" Angella screamed until Glimmer moved up, in between the two leaders. Turning to Angella with a look of desperation, Glimmer spoke softly.
"Mom… please. This is the only way to defeat Horde Prime." Glimmer begged. Angella calmed a bit upon seeing Glimmer, though her breathing was still erratic. She looked around the crowd of rebel soldiers, She-Ra, Bow, Frosta, and the rest of the Horde soldiers. Her lip quivered, and she began tearing up. She maintained her glare, though took a deep breath. Wiping away the tears, she turned to Hordak and sighed heavily.
"For the sake of defeating Horde Prime, I will acquiesce to this… diplomacy," Angella said, reluctantly. With another sigh, she added, "very well. Let us proceed to the war room.
To the war room...
Before everyone made their way to the war room, Brittni was finally able to inquire to Hordak of a very personal apprehension that had been tormenting her mind. She walked beside him, and with enough anxiety to overflow her body, Brittni made the inquiry.
"Lord Hordak… is… is Keirnan alright?" Brittni inquired, trying to keep her eyes on him and those in front of her. Hordak blinked a few times and maintained his eyes forward. Letting out a sigh, he spoke.
"He is alive." Hordak muttered, though his tone sounded grave, "I know that because he once created a device that could measure a person's vital signs. He did not want to test it on anyone else, and so, he implanted it into himself." Hordak explained, "unfortunately, he was captured by Horde Prime."
Brittni's heart sunk lower than the ocean bed when she heard that Horde Prime had captured Keirnan. Fighting back tears, she choked out a shudder, not knowing exactly what to do with that information. She wanted to ask more, but everyone had finally arrived at their destination.
The war room; much like every other room in the Bright Moon Castle, was a mystical-looking room adorned with various paintings, desks, statues, and various other decorations. Unlike the other rooms, however, there was a great deal of communication equipment, weapons, and a holographic projector in the middle that showed a virtual map of Etheria. Marching in, all the leaders of the Horde, the Rebellion, and Night Moon took their seats at a rather large, round table.
Sitting at opposite ends, Hordak and Angella merely gazed at each other, continuing to harbor their enmity and disgust towards one another. Glimmer uncomfortably sat next to her mother and decided to attempt to begin the meeting. Clearing her throat, she spoke softly.
"So… as we know, Horde Prime has been using teleportation technology to-" Glimmer began before a growling scoff was heard at the opposite end of the table. Angella glared deeply at Hordak.
"Is there something you'd like to contribute for the good of Etheria for the first time in your life?" Angella sneered. Hordak placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands in front of himself.
"Everything I've done is for the good of Etheria. If you'd like to see the opposite, may I introduce you to your daughter that brought Horde Prime here in the first place?" Hordak inquired, facetiously and angrily. Angella stood up and pointed an accusatory finger at Hordak.
"It's your fault that all of this has happened! I was notified that Horde Prime was hunting you down, not us! And last I checked, you are the reason that my daughter resolved to extreme methods to defeat you and your evil Horde!" Angella snapped. Hordak let out a growl and stood up as well, slamming a fist onto the table. Glimmer's face turned completely pale and she was beginning to feel the guilt of everything that happened again. The Horde and Rebellion leaders were both very uncomfortable but could not bring themselves to open their mouths.
"Do not shift the blame onto me for your daughter's actions!" Hordak snapped back at Angella, "if it was not for your mother trying to take the Bright Zone's resources by force, I would never have had to retaliate!" Hordak growled. Angella let out a slight guffaw.
"Ha! You claim that attacking every Etherian settlement, imprisoning its denizens, and killing anyone who resisted is 'retaliation?' You're insane!" Angella shouted.
The bickering between the two leaders continued to be perpetuated from the mutual animosity between the two sides. Some of the other soldiers on each side attempted to speak but were drowned out by the interchange between the two leaders. This meeting was going nowhere, fast, and time was running out...
A wave of emotions began pouring over Brittni. Although Brittni was normally a patient, calm, polite individual, she was beginning to raise her temper. Her fingers began shaking and her breathing became much more pronounced. Brittni looked over to Oracle who merely gave her a nod. Taking Oracle's unspoken affirmation, Brittni released her irritation in the form of slamming her fists onto the table. Standing up, she attempted to began shouting.
"Look at you two! Everyone on this planet is on the verge of destruction and you're both arguing about petty hatreds that have zero relevance to the problems at hand!" Brittni shouted with absolute outrage. Brittni began steadying her breathing and looked around. She was definitely not used to the attention, but at that moment, all eyes were on her. She became so ahead of herself that she had forgotten how her nerves reacted to public attention. Sensing Brittni's anxiety, Adora quickly transformed into She-Ra and raised her sword into the air.
"Horde Prime is ready to destroy this planet. We are the only ones that can stop him." She-Ra declared, looking over everyone at the table, "Brittni has something to say, and you all need to hear it."
With that said, Brittni nodded and took a deep breath. In general, Brittni was not the most comfortable with public speaking. Looking over at She-Ra and then over to her mother, however, Brittni found the confidence to begin revealing her thoughts.
"I am Brittni. A combat medical specialist in the Horde. Because of my upbringing, I was thoroughly convinced that the Horde were the heroes of Etheria…" Brittni began, building a foundation for her point, "a couple of months ago, my brother, Brett, and I were sent along with a strike force to attack Elberon. During our time there, we captured a rebel soldier that explained to us what the Horde had done to him, his family, and his friends." Brittni explained. "Furthermore, when Adora and I snuck out of the Fright Zone, Glimmer and Bow showed us other atrocities that the Horde had committed."
At these declarations, Hordak and Catra gazed suspiciously at Brittni, though Brett knew where she was going with her discourse. The rebels, in the meanwhile, nodded their head in vehement agreement… though their nodding would soon cease at Brittni's next declarations.
"... That isn't to say that the Rebellion is completely innocent." Brittni countered, "Lord Hordak showed me a decree for his arrest given by the former queen of Bright Moon. This happened even though Hordak had not even raised a weapon to Bright Moon. He was trying to start his life over, renouncing his ties to Horde Prime." Brittni declared, then added, "not to mention my captain, Dragstor, whose father was arrested and his brother killed because they couldn't pay their taxes to Bright Moon, while also needing to buy the medicine needed to keep Dragstor alive." Brittni declared, beginning to sound emotional.
Guilty expressions began forming on Angella, Glimmer, Bow, and Frosta in being told of these revelations. Indeed, a matter of perspective was being given to all of the factions present. Brittni paused for a few moments to allow everyone to digest what she said before taking in a deep breath.
"The point I am trying to make is that destruction and tragedy have been brought about by all three sides. Nobody is perfectly innocent in this war. Nobody is perfectly 'in the right.' Everyone has caused harm to somebody else, and all of this hatred and anger towards one another has just perpetuated more anger… thus triggering a cycle of war." Brittni said, a few tears streaming down her eyes. Taking another deep breath, she added, "it's going to take every faction to put their foot down and end this cycle. The only thing that is going to save us all is if we lay down our hatred towards one another and work together." Brittni declared, her voice ringing with conviction, " I've seen the good that's come from opposing sides uniting for the greater good, and I know that we, together, can save Etheria." Brittni stopped for a moment to look around the room and added her closing statement.
"All of us have shared the same pain caused by Horde Prime. Now that we've all been subject to it, we're siblings of that same pain." Brittni began saying, sounding poetic. Her voice then rose to a shout as she continued to shake and tear up, "there are no enemies here now!" Brittni then looked at each faction as she said the following:
"There is no Horde," Brittni said as she looked at Hordak. "There is no Rebellion," she continued as she looked at Angella, "and there is no Night Moon…" She said, looking at Glimer. She then made her final declaration, saying, "now, there is only… Etheria..."
At that moment, Brittni was trembling with every fiber of her being. The shaking was not a product of nervousness or fear, though. No, Brittni was filled with some kind of spirit that was indicating to her that what she was saying was the truth. A few moments went by and no words were spoken. Everyone seemed to look around the room and begin nodding, indicating their acknowledgment and acceptance of Brittni's proposal. Finally, She-Ra took a stand and nodded.
"I'm with you, Brittni. As somebody that has been a part of the Horde and the Rebellion, I know full well that we can work together." She-Ra declared. Next, Glimmer stood up and pledged her allegiance.
"I've done a lot of bad things in the last couple of months... I'm going to make up for it. I'm all for this alliance." Glimmer declared. More leaders stood up and gave their acceptance, including Angella and Hordak.
"Well…" Angella began, "I suppose if nothing else, we should get rid of the bigger threat instead of warring against each other." Hordak nodded.
"Indeed…" Hordak said, giving a nod. Catra stood up and placed her hands on the table.
"Yeah, great, okay. We're all friends, whatever. So, what's our actual plan?" Catra demanded. Brett then spoke up.
"Actually, Entrapta and I do have an idea of how we can take out Horde Prime and his army…" Brett declared, motioning for Entrapta to stand up. Per Brett's motioning, Entrapta stood up, raising her tablet in the air and letting out a squeal of delight.
"Yes! Okay, so, Brett and I have figured out that every single one of Horde Prime's creatures has some kind of cybernetic implant in order to make up for their... 'imperfections.'" Entrapta declared, "I downloaded the blueprints and schematics of Horde Prime's main ship! If we can somehow get onto it, I can upload a virus onto the mainframe that powers and controls each creature. Once the virus is uploaded, it should leave all the creatures inert, thus stopping his army." Entrapta said, giddier about the fact that she was going to be able to play with technology, rather than defeating Horde Prime. Regardless, a series of nods and voices of concurrence filled the room. That is, until Hordak spoke up again.
"Excellent work in retrieving those plans, Entrapta… but tell us, how exactly are we supposed to board Horde Prime's craft?" Hordak demanded. Glimmer then spoke up.
"I think I actually have an idea…" Glimmer said softly. As eyes moved in her direction, she continued, "when I led Night Moon into Elberon, Void had created some kind of artificial Moonstone. When we touched it, we were able to teleport right into Elberon… I'm thinking we can do the same to teleport onto Horde Prime's ship." Glimmer indicated.
The atmosphere in the war room grew even more hopeful, illustrated by everyone nodding and giving words of affirmation. Though, this comradery would come to a halt as a Bright Moon guard stormed into the room, huffing and puffing.
"Your majesty…" The guard huffed, "it's Horde Prime's army. Th-They're marching right towards us from the Whispering Woods!" The guard declared. Angella shuddered upon hearing this declaration but nodded her head.
"How many?" Angella inquired.
"Thousands… maybe tens of thousands. I've never seen such a vast army." The guard declared, nervously. Angella closed her eyes and rested her head upon clasped hands.
"How long until they reach the gates?" Angella inquired.
"One, maybe two hours." The guard said, gravely. Angella nodded.
"Very well. Get all available troops and guards to the walls. Contact any local princesses and ask for their assistance. Go." Angella ordered. The guard gave a salute and accordingly left the room. Angella then looked around the room and added, "it seems that our timetable has just been accelerated. If Glimmer is going to use the Moonstone to teleport to Horde Prime's ship, I will need to remain near it in order to extract her and her team." Angella explained. Glimmer blinked her eyes.
"You really trust me with this, Mom?" Glimmer inquired. Angella turned to Glimmer.
"My daughter, I guarantee that your apostasy was partially a product of my fear of you being harmed… I have to have the confidence- no, I do have the confidence that you will be able to defeat Horde Prime." Angella declared with all the energy of her heart. Glimmer blinked her eyes with a few tears streaming down. She simply gave a nod and an affirmative word. Bow spoke up then.
"How many can you teleport with you to the ship?" Bow inquired. Glimmer opened her mouth to speak but had no answer. She had not fully considered how many she could teleport all at once. Fortunately, Oracle already had the answer.
"With the power of the Moonstone and your mother, you will be able to teleport yourself, as well as six others. The rest of us will have to stay here and defend the Moonstone from Horde Prime's onslaught." Oracle explained, "you will have to choose whom you will bring with you." Glimmer looked around the room, considering just who would be most effective in bringing along with her. Before she could say anything, however, a few stood up and pledged their support.
"I'm going with you, Glimmer." She-Ra declared, standing up.
"Adora's not going anywhere without me," Catra said, vehemently.
"I have personal business with Prime… I'm going." Brittni declared.
"I need to see a spaceship, up close and personal! Imagine the amount of scientific data I could harness!" Entrapta beseeched. Brett then stood up and nodded.
"No little sister or girlfriend of mine is going without me." Brett declared. Entrapta looked over at Brett with a deep blush and blinked at him.
"G...Girlfriend?" Entrapta inquired, very focused. Brett smiled and flashed a wink at her, to which she let out a squeal of delight. Frosta then stood up.
"I'll go anywhere you go, Glimmer," Frosta affirmed. Glimmer nodded and smiled.
"Okay. Sounds like I've got my team." Glimmer said, optimistically. Angella nodded.
"Alright, let us go onto the Moonstone platform and prepare to board Horde Prime's ship," Angella instructed. Hordak then spoke up.
"I will lead the defense of Bright Moon and I will call for whatever reinforcements I have left under my command." Hordak appointed. Angella turned to him and nodded.
"Thank you…" Angella said, gently. Hordak nodded and motioned for all those, not on Glimmer's team, to go with him to prepare the defenses of Bright Moon. As they all began filing out, Bow stopped in front of Glimmer and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Good luck…" Bow said with a smile and a tear streaming down one of his eyes. Glimmer smiled back and nodded.
"You, too." Glimmer said.
"Hey! Horde Prime's waiting for us to go kill him! Let's go!" Catra growled, impatiently. Glimmer could not help but chuckle a bit at Catra's impatience. Bow said his goodbye and headed out with the rest of Hordak's team.
Glimmer's team, as well as Oracle, headed to the Moonstone's platform. Upon arrival, the Horde part of the team gazed in absolute awe at the luminous and mystical gemstone that hovered, placidly, above the platform. Angella moved to the Moonstone and placed her hand on it. A magenta aura began surrounding Angella's hand and spread to the rest of her body. She then held out her hand for Glimmer to grab onto, which she did. One by one, each member of the team grabbed on to one another's hands until everyone was ready.
Before they went, however, Oracle had a few words to say. She moved over to Brittni and Brett whom were standing right beside each other. Placing her hands on her children's shoulders, Oracle let out a sigh of happiness.
"I am so proud of the both of you. I could not have asked for better children in my life." Oracle affirmed. Brittni gave a smile in return, though Brett merely looked away. Oracle took notice and added, "you don't have to accept that I am your mother or even forgive me, Brett…" Oracle said, gently, "but just know… that I love you… and I always will." Brett turned to Oracle with an unprecedented action happening around his eyes.
A few tears began streaming down them.
Though Brett said nothing, he gave Oracle a nod to which she smiled.
Soon enough, the power of the Moonstone began manifesting. The aura began enveloping the team until they were all glowing a bright magenta. Then, the slowly, each person's body began dissipating, one by one… until finally… they all vanished.
"...May God watch over you all…"
Hey, y'all. It's been more than two years since I've started this fanfic. I apologize for the inconsistent posting. Between going to school for and working as an electrician, going to therapy, and taking care of my family, I very rarely have time to write anymore. Regardless, I am going to finish it.
We're in the home stretch. :D Once I'm done with this, I'm going to re-write the first two chapters of 'The Twelve Apostates,' my other fanfiction. I've gotten plenty of ideas on the direction I want to go with it, so I'm excited to bring this to a satisfying conclusion and move on to new ventures.
Thank you to everyone that continues to read. Please, leave a review. Love y'all 3
