Chapter Fifteen: The Journey Ahead

"Mom, can you hear me?" said Glimmer. "Mom, please, say something!"

Queen Angella only continued to lie there, her breaths ragged but consistent. Glimmer's attempts to wake her proved futile. The others crowded around her in concern. Spinnerella leaned down to examine her. Bow placed an arm around Glimmer's shoulders.

"Is she gonna be okay?" asked Flutterina.

"I...I don't know," said Spinnerella. "Her wing...I think she's in shock."

Glimmer fought back tears. "Adora, you have to do something!" she said, looking up hopelessly at her friend. "You can heal her! Please, you're the only one who can help her!"

"I-I don't know if I can!" said Adora. "I don't know how...I might hurt her!"

"You have to try, please!" said Glimmer. "She could die if you don't!"

During all of this commotion, all Steven could do was look on, a pit in his stomach. This woman, who had offered him and the others a home while being trapped in this world, who had proven herself to be such a kind and caring mother to her daughter, was dying before his eyes.

Steven turned to face Connie. The latter nodded. Slowly, Steven stepped forward towards Angella, leaning down next to her wounded wing. He licked his palm, covering it with his magically-infused saliva, and then placed it on the appendage. Almost instantly, Angella began to glow. Slowly, the hole in her wing began to shut, until it had almost entirely been sealed. While it still looked wounded, it appeared much, much better than it had before. Angella's breathing became less strained.

Glimmer, Adora, and the others stared in quiet disbelief. "Steven…" said Glimmer.

Steven stood up. "I think she'll be okay," he said. "Usually, when I heal someone, it either works really well, or not at all. She still looks hurt, though. That's never happened before."

"We'll need to get her back to the Moonstone," said Spinnerella. "That might be able to heal her."

Bismuth stepped forward to carry Angella's form back to Brightmoon. Spinnerella would accompany her, and Glimmer anxiously stayed by her mother's side.

"Steven...thank you so much," she said softly. Steven nodded, smiling slightly.

Adora walked over to Glimmer. "We should come to, to help in any way we can," she said.

"No, you have to go to Mizar," Glimmer said. "We'll be fine, but Skeletor's still out there. Follow Netossa to Mizar, get that artifact, and put Skeletor down." Glimmer stared into Adora's eyes with a fiery determination underlied with a quiet sorrow.

"Okay," said Adora. "But once we get it, we're coming right back to check on Angella."

"Of course," said Glimmer, turning back to follow her mother. "Good luck, you all." And she was gone.

"Glimmer's right," said Bow. "We need that artifact if we want any chance of stopping Skeletor. We just can't beat him on our own."

"What about the Lock?" said Peridot.

"What about it?" said Lapis. "If you can't even figure out how to get it working, it's not gonna be much help." Peridot looked down, disappointed.

"Hey, don't worry," said Bow. "It's just good to have a plan B, is all. Speaking of which, we should probably get going."

"Right," said Netossa. "Come on, let's get that First Ones thingy and show Skeletor who's boss! You coming, Flutters?"

Flutterina hadn't been grouped up like the others, instead standing a short distance away, looking in the direction where Queen Angella had been taken. "Hmm?" she said, turning around. "Oh, y-yes, I'm right behind you!" She hurried over, and the group made their way to the kingdom of Mizar.

Meanwhile, Hordak and a small battalion of Horde troops were returning to the Fright Zone, accompanied by Entrapta. "Once again, Catra has proven to have you under her sway," he said. "Time and time again, she has proven to value her own personal gain over that of the Horde. I fear you will be dragged down with her one of these days."

"Catra's my friend," Entrapta said.

"Is that so?" mused Hordak. "Friend or not, she has damn near committed high treason. The only reason I haven't sent her to Beast Island by now is because of her competence, but now, I am beginning to reconsider."

Scorpia, with Catra strolling behind her, caught up with the two of them. "Lord Hordak, if I may?" she said, panting. "All Catra was trying to do was find a way to defeat Skeletor. I'm sure you've figured out he's a bit of a problem, right?" She waited for a response from Hordak, but after no such thing came, she continued. "Well, anyway, she wasn't so much trying to betray you as she was not going out of her way to trouble you. She was going to work with the princesses so you didn't have to. Make sense?"

"And me being unfit to lead the Horde? Was that not to trouble me as well?" said Hordak.

"Uh...well that's just her...opinion," Scorpia said lamely. Hordak sniffed, before turning to continue walking.

"Hang on a minute, Hordak!" said Entrapta, grabbing his arm with her hair. "I know you aren't too happy with Catra, but she's right!"

"You think me incompetent?" asked Hordak. Strangely, he didn't seem all that angry.

"No, no, not like that!" Entrapta quickly clarified. "I just meant that we have to do something about Skeletor! He's been attacking Horde territories, too, hasn't he?"

"It isn't anything I can't handle," said Hordak. "Skeletor will fall eventually."

"No, he won't!" Hordak turned around at Entrapta's forceful delivery. She continued. "Skeletor isn't like the princesses. You can't beat him with brute force like you usually do. He's undead, a powerful sorcerer, and unbelievably dangerous. We can't stop him without that piece of First Ones tech in Mizar!"

"I won't waste precious resources on...Mizar, you say?" Hordak stopped to consider this. "And this is where the princesses are headed as well, yes?"

"I think so, yes," said Entrapta. "Why?"

Hordak thought about this. If Entrapta was right, and this artifact was indeed the key to defeating Skeletor, then sending his troops to Mizar may just be worth it. Besides, that kingdom had evaded his grasp for quite some time now, his attempts to invade fought off every time. This could be his chance to finally take the city. "I have made up my mind. As soon as we return to the Fright Zone, I will send a unit to procure that artifact. And you," he said to Scorpia, "will be given the chance to redeem yourself by leading it."

"Thank you, Lord Hordak. I think…" said Scorpia.

"You, however, will stay," Hordak said to Entrapta. "I cannot risk putting you in harm's way, knowledgeable of First Ones technology as you are."

"You mean...I'm not going?" said Entrapta.

"Of course not. If this insurgence should go wrong, I will not put you at risk."

"And what about me?" asked Catra. "I imagine you're sending me to Mizar. Probably hoping something does go wrong for me, right?"

"Ah yes, Catra," said Hordak. "I had almost forgotten about you. Yes, you will be going to Mizar with the others. And you will not be returning."

"What!?" Catra exclaimed. "You're kidding!"

"I do not kid," said Hordak. "The only reason I am not banishing you to Beast Island is because Entrapta here is somewhat fond of you." He walked closer to her, and removed the Force Captain emblem from the front of her shirt. "Once the artifact is retrieved, you are not to return to the Fright Zone. Where you go afterwards is no concern of mine."

Hordak resumed his walk, the soldiers following suit. Catra just stood there, unsure of how to react. Scorpia and Entrapta both looked at her with concern as they wordlessly returned to the Fright Zone.

"So, this is Mizar," said Pearl, looking up at the acropolis before them. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks. It's nothing special, though," said Netossa.

"'Nothing special?' It's awesome!" exclaimed Connie.

Indeed, the kingdom-or, more accurately, city-state-of Mizar was quite an impressive sight. Built around a small mountain, the kingdom went from small houses to large mansions the further up it went, with Netossa's castle resembling a large white spite at the summit.

"What are we waiting for?" said Flutterina. "Come on, I'll show you the way!"

"Hold on a minute, kiddo," said Netossa. "There's still a few princess-y things I need to do first."

"And besides, we should probably come up with a plan before we run in there," said Bow.

"Well, at least this will give us an opportunity to do some sightseeing!" said Pearl.

"Yeah, and me some time to figure this thing out," said Peridot, still fiddling with the Lock.

The group of heroes approached the gates, unaware of what waited for them on the other side…

Darkness. Death. Desolation. Skeletor sat in the middle of all of these things, fuming. His eyes were focused on nothing but the crack in his staff, which, tiny though it was, represented something much greater to him.

That, despite his vast power, he was still mortal.

He gripped the staff tighter, his hand wrapping around the chip. He raised it into the air, summoning the bulk of his armies to his side. He could feel the allure of two powerful First Ones artifacts, both near one another. That would be where his enemies were.

For a brief moment, he felt something else. A faint flicker-a third artifact. It was gone as soon as it had come. He brushed the thought aside. He had bigger things to worry about.

He slammed the butt of his staff down into the ground. The earth shook as the very ground beneath him was pulled up by some unseen force. He was going to take Mizar. And if he was to succeed, he would need his army to be larger than ever.