More flashbacks! Anyway, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is produced by Dreamworks Animation Television, and both She-Ra and He-Man are owned by Mattel. Enjoy.
Chapter 13: The Defect
(Right where we left off)
In what could only be described as a supreme act of mercy, the group was spared from having to witness the gruesome murder of King Ro at the hands of his cousin Mara. Instead they were treated to another montage of stills depicting what came after.
"Driven mad by King Nikolas' deception, Mara returned to Etheria covered in her cousin's blood." Shadow Weaver explained almost mournfully. "I cannot begin to imagine what was going through her tortured mind at the time, but whatever it was, it drove her to attack the Central Hub of Etheria's Teleportation Network. Once there, she drove her Sword into the power core and channeled her own energy directly into it. This caused a massive overload that not only displaced our world from the wider Universe, but also destroyed much of the planet and Mara herself."
Adora understood. The love of her life had been murdered, supposedly because of Eternia's backwards views on sexuality. In her mind, she had been doing what was best for her people. Sending them far away from the monsters who threatened their way of life. Oh, how her heart ached for poor Mara. To have died the victim of such a cruel trick. Which raised a very important question.
"What happened to Nikolas?" she asked bluntly.
Surprisingly, it was Adam who answered.
"The Kingdom of Zalesia was on the side of Eternia now known as the Dark Hemisphere." He explained, apparently sensing his twin's need for closure. "When the wave of negative energy struck, which I presume was unleashed by Mara sending Etheria into Despondos, everyone and everything on that side was either killed instantly or horribly mutated. Either way, I imagine his end was unpleasant."
This information made Adora feel a bit better, but somehow it just wasn't enough. Nikolas deserved so much worse for what he'd done; at least in her opinion.
"Thank you." She said to her brother before turning back to the narrators. "So what happened next?"
"Well, as I'm sure you can imagine, with half the planet infected with dark energy, Eternia was thrown into total chaos." The Sorceress replied. "Literally thousands of mutant horrors were unleashed upon the defenseless denizens of the Light Hemisphere. Serpintaurs, Shadow Beasts, Hydra Worms, Basilisks, Dullahounds, Viper Eels. Not to mention over two dozen strains of undead."
"Good Lord." The young Heroine said, sounding utterly horrified.
"Indeed. The surviving Mystics did what they could to contain the situation, but it was a never-ending battle. Dozens of Kingdoms fell, Grayskull being one of the first. Fortunately, Ro's wife survived and had gotten pregnant shortly before his death, so the bloodline continued. But it would be many centuries before the time was right for a new He-Man to emerge."
"And to make matters worse, the Mystics were running themselves ragged." Shadow Weaver took over. "With new threats arising every hour, they had almost no time for anything else; least of all training their successors. So, realizing that Eternia would be lost without them, they took drastic measures."
"Drastic how?" Adam asked tentatively.
"They conducted countless experiments on themselves. Augmented their bodies with whatever Hok technology they could find. Several members died in the process, but those that survived were able to achieve a sort of pseudo immortality. Which was a great boon to their task of restoring order to Eternia."
"It took over two hundred years, but the Mystics managed to repel the invading monsters and ghouls back to the Dark Hemisphere. And to ensure that these horrors could never return, they created an impenetrable barrier to separate the two halves; a barrier that would come to be known as the Mystic Wall." The Sorceress explained, taking over again. "Unfortunately, by then almost all records of Eternia's history before the Great Separation had been lost and the Mystics had become like gods in the minds of the people. So instead of trying to restore the old order, the Mystics, now known as the Council of Elders, assumed control of the Light Hemisphere until such a time that the He-Man could be revived."
"And for the most part, they did a pretty good job." The shadow wraith jumped in again. "Many Kingdoms were restored, new laws were passed, and they worked behind the scenes to prepare for Clan Grayskull's return to power. The only mistake they made came during the third century of their rule, when they began banishing condemned criminals to the Dark Hemisphere. A practice they would come to regret."
"But you're getting ahead of yourself, dear." The ancient goddess jumped back in. "Let us first examine some more recent history."
XXX
(Half a second later)
For what felt like the billionth time, the group was thrown into another new scene. This time they were on what appeared to be the bridge of some kind of high-tech spaceship. Despite never having been on one herself, Adora knew this to be a spaceship, because she could see the stars outside the massive window at the front of the room; along with an overhead view of a planet she assumed to be Eternia.
All along the walls were computer terminals manned by people in strange looking uniforms with a familiar looking crest emblazoned on their backs; the symbol of the Horde.
"When and where are we now?" the young Heroine asked her unseen narrators.
"This is the bridge of the H.S.S. Manticore; the pride of the Imperial Navy." Shadow Weaver began. "And that, as I'm sure you've all guessed, is Eternia; roughly fifty years ago."
"Admiral on deck!" someone shouted from behind, causing everyone to stand up and salute.
From a door on the opposite end of the room, the 'Admiral' walked in. Unsurprisingly, at least from Adora's perspective, it was Hordak; the genuine article this time. Albeit, he looked much younger and, for lack of a better word, healthier than he did in the propaganda posters. Which made sense, since this was taking place over five decades ago.
"So, that's him, eh?" Adam asked his twin knowingly. "That's Hordak?"
"Yeah, that's him." She replied bitterly.
"Lord Admiral!" said some nameless foot soldier, diverting everyone's attention back to the flashback. "The other ships are in position, and the Force Captains are hailing you."
"Excellent." The younger Hordak said with a satisfied smirk. "Bring them on screen."
A few seconds later, four floating holographic screens appeared before the younger Hordak; each one depicting a different, strange, presumably alien creature.
The first reminded Adora of a Force Captain she knew from present day; Grizzlor or something like that. Only this one was much more savage looking. His hair was wild and unkempt. His eyes were like fiery embers. And his fangs were so big that they protruded from his mouth even when it was closed.
The second was a grotesque amphibian-like creature with piercing yellow eyes. To Adora's mind, he looked like a mix between a fanged toad and a humanoid eel. An unusual comparison, I know, but an accurate one nonetheless.
The third was by far the strangest of them all. For it was a short, gangly, red-faced creature with bulging yellow eyes, large fangs, and positively enormous ears.
The last one, by comparison, was the plainest of the group. For he appeared to be some kind of living statue carved out of solid rock.
"Force Captain Grizzlor Reporting!"
"Force Captain Leech Reporting!"
"Force Captain Mantenna Reporting!"
"Force Captain Callix Reporting!"
The four warriors declared one by one, each offering their commanding officer a respectful salute.
"At ease." Hordak said to his men before adding. "Force Captains, are your soldiers armed and ready?"
"My men are always ready for battle." Grizzlor boasted. "This world will drown in its own blood."
"Your enthusiasm is commendable. But save it for the enemy." The 'Admiral' said, sounding much more casual and relaxed than the young Heroine had ever imagined.
"Sir, I think something might be interfering with our scanners." Mantenna spoke up concernedly. "These readings are inconsistent with our current data on Terracon Prime."
"I assure you, your scanners are fine." Hordak reassured his underling. "The readings are inconsistent because this isn't Terracon Prime. It's Eternia."
Upon hearing this, three of the four Force Captains began to panic.
"Eternia!" Callix exclaimed. "But Lord Admiral! The law! Horde Prime forbids…"
"I know what my brother forbids!" Hordak shouted, rattling the walls of his ship, before calming himself down. "But he is mistaken, as he is with many things. My brother avoids this planet because it was the site of our ancestor's greatest failure and he fears the wrath of King Grayskull's descendants. But I am not bound by such childish superstitions. I am not afraid of ghosts or primitive blood feuds. I shall conquer this world in his name, by myself if I must, and present it to him on a silver plate."
"But, Sir. The Prime is very strict about these things." Said Leech in the most respectful way possible. "Even if we succeed…"
"If?" the Admiral asked incredulously. "What is this talk of if? Look at your scanners! They don't have one piece of technology higher than Level 5! Look out your windows! Nearly half the planet has been devastated by some unknown disaster! This world is ripe for the picking! And when we conquer it, we will be welcomed back to the Empire as heroes! That is, if you will help me."
At first, the four Force Captains said nothing. Each one appeared to be deep in thought, except for Grizzlor, who just looked really annoyed and impatient; clearly he had already made up his mind. Admittedly, this younger version of Hordak was quite the charismatic speaker.
"As soldiers, we are honor bound to obey you, Lord Admiral. Even if we disagree with your plans." Callix said, seemingly speaking for the others. "But, as citizens of the Empire, we have a duty to report this kind of treasonous behavior directly to Horde Prime; lest we be labeled traitors ourselves."
"However," Leech interjected. "If victory truly is as assured as you claim, I suppose we could… wait a bit before we contact him."
"A wise decision." The Admiral replied with a cunning smirk. "And you needn't worry about my brother. Our mission on Terracon Prime called for radio silence. The Homeworld isn't expecting to hear from us for several months, and we'll have conquered this pitiful rock in less than three. Now, if there are no further protests, Force Captain Leech, prepare the ground assault."
XXX
(0.237 Seconds Later)
If you've been paying attention then you already know what came next; a montage of stills narrated by our two lovely hosts.
"And Hordak was correct, his campaign against Eternia lasted less than three months; a total of sixty-six days to be precise." The Sorceress explained. "However, things did not go exactly as he envisioned. For although the Horde had superior numbers and technology, Eternia has Miro."
Before their eyes flashed a still image of a great and noble warrior dressed in glorious golden armor. He was tall and muscular with flowing white hair that ran down to his shoulders and a beard to match. His right eye was midnight blue while his left was concealed beneath an ornate eyepatch. In his hand he held a golden spear with a sapphire like blade. In short, he was a most majestic sight to behold.
"Miro?" Adora asked, almost desperate to know more about this magnificent figure.
"Yes, Miro. Captain of the Elder Guard. The greatest strategic mind Eternia has ever known. And your Grandfather."
Suddenly, the young Heroine felt a surge of pride well up in her chest. After witnessing the shameful behavior of her ancestor Ro, it was a great relief to know that she still came from good stock.
"So… my, uh… our grandfather defeated the Horde?" she asked, with a strange sort of quiet exhilaration.
"Indeed, child." Shadow Weaver took over. "Captain Miro was a clever old fox. And for sixty-five days he made fools of Hodak and his forces."
What followed was a delightful montage of their Grandfather's antics. They saw Miro and his men wreaking havoc on Horde encampments with flash bombs and bee hives. They saw Eternian soldiers being chased by Horde troopers, only for the latter to be led into snare traps, oil slicks and pitfalls. They even saw whole platoons stopping to bathe in a river, only for their clothes and weapons to be stolen. It was all rather humorous.
"HA! That's showing him, Grandpa!" Adam cheered as he watched Miro incapacitate the grotesque Force Captain Leech with some kind of pepper bomb.
Adora couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes, yes, it was all very amusing." The Sorceress jumped back in. "But on the sixty-fifth day, Miro decided that he'd grown bored of simply humiliating the invading Horde. So on the sixty-sixth day, he launched a full-scale attack on their remaining bases; driving them off the planet with their tails tucked between their legs."
XXX
(One half second later)
Once more, the group found themselves on the bridge of the Manticore, only this time the window was facing directly into space; presumably because they were retreating.
The main door opened and Hordak entered, only this time, thanks to the painful looking wound in his side, which Adora liked to think was caused by her Grandfather's spear, he had to be helped to his chair by some nameless underling. But once this bit of necessary degradation was complete and the helper had been shooed away, the Admiral seemed to regain a bit of his composure.
"Status report, Ensign." He said to one of his flunkies on a terminal.
"Not good, Sir." Said flunky replied. "Ours is the only ship still functioning. Somehow the Eternians sabotaged the other four. So over 80% of our forces are stranded."
"I already know that! But what about my Force Captains? Did any of them make it aboard?"
"I'm checking now, Sir. It seems Force Captains Grizzlor and Callix are in the medical bay, but they've sustained heavy injuries. No word on Force Captains Leech and Mantenna. And… hold on… I've just received an update. Force Captain Callix is dead."
"Damn it!" Hordak roared like a wounded animal; which he essentially was at this point. "I can't believe I was bested by a bunch of primitives. Curse you, Miro! Curse you and all your descendants!"
Just then, one of the monitors turned bright orange and started making a weird clicking sound.
"Uh… Sir. I'm getting some unusual readings over here." Said the technician manning said monitor. "I think we might be nearing some sort of spatial anomaly."
"That is the least of our problems!" the Admiral spat back. "When Horde Prime finds out…"
"Finds out what?"
Adora felt a sudden chill come over her as a voice that was both Hodak's and yet not Hodak's pierced the air. Then, all of the terminals turned bright red and a figure appeared on the main screen. It was a tall, lean, chalk white creature with four piercing green eyes; three on one side, interestingly enough. Aside from its' face, it seemed almost entirely robotic; even its' hair. The young Heroine was still a little lacking in context, but she understood enough to realize who this must be.
This was Horde Prime.
"My… M-M-My Lord…" Hodak stammered. "I can explain."
"Explain what?" Horde Prime replied coldly. "That you disobeyed my direct orders. That you coerced four promising young Force Captains into committing high treason. That you wasted time, resources and countless lives trying to conquer a planet that I declared off-limits. Which you didn't even do!"
"But, Your Immanence. I was only…"
"Silence!" the icy Emperor barked venomously. "Do you know why I declared this planet off-limits? Because, as it is at the center of the universe, whatever happens on Eternia affects the rest of the universe! And since your little boondoggle began, my communicators have been ringing off the hook! Rebel cells that had been beaten into submission are suddenly getting their second wind! New pockets of resistance are popping up like weeds! Twelve planets that have been loyal for centuries are suddenly declaring their independence! My plans for the universe have been set back by at least three hundred years, and it is all your fault!"
Now this was interesting. It reminded Adora of when Entrapta had explained how a butterfly flapping its wings on one side of Etheria could stir up a wind storm on the other side. But if what he said was true and events here really did affect the rest of the universe, then what sort of chaos was unleashed when Etheria was sent to Despondos or when Eternia was split in two?
"You are an even greater failure than I imagined!" Horde Prime spat, bringing the young Heroine out of her thoughts. "But fear not, Little Brother. For even failures have value, so long as you can learn from them. And you have taught me a great deal. You have taught me that I am too merciful!"
Just then, some sort of alarm went off and the technicians all started panicking.
"Lord Admiral!" one of them called out. "Someone's hacked our systems! The Warp Drives are going critical!"
"When I learned of your defect, I felt sorry for you. So I gave you the Terracon Prime assignment to spare you the shame of being recycled. I gave you the opportunity to die with honor and be remembered as a hero, when what I should've done was execute you on sight! A mistake I will never make again!"
And with that, the image of Horde Prime vanished from the screen.
All around him, alarms blared and underlings panicked, but Hordak paid them no mind. Clearly his brother's words had cut deep. So much so that instead of panicking or attempting to flee for his life, he just sat there, sighed, closed his eyes and let the tears run down his cheeks.
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
End Notes:
Writing these flashbacks is so much fun.
I hope you're enjoying them.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter.
Peace.
