I OWN NOTHING
IMPORTANT: after some consideration, I edited the first eleven chapters. Don't worry, no big plot changes were made.
Heads up for those who have been reading this from the start, other than correcting some errors and changing his current outfit after the Dryl incident, here is what has changed so far:
1. Naruto's now 17 after spending 5 years mastering the sword, so now he's taller than Glimmer and Entrapta by a head, but the other princesses are still taller than him by a few or several inches. Before you ask, I had planned to do a time-skip later on but immediately got rid of the idea, so I aged him up from the start.
2. I made him far less cruel when ranting to Angella – I realized too late that he was criticizing her in a very hostile manner without any empathy and she just took it like an abuse victim. There was no reason that was warranted and I ended up HATING that part the more time passed.
3. Mermista is properly motivated rather than having it happen so abruptly, considering it was one line that changed her mind.
4. Toned down his anger when having to rescue Entrapta and Glimmer in the Dryl arc to not make it as cringey as I found it in a second read.
-0-
Breathing deeply with his eyes closed, Naruto meditated at the clearing where Castaspella had been training him with his wooden sword resting on his lap. Glimmer was nearby and had a basket filled with fruit at her side, waiting for his call. She had slowly started to get better at throwing fruit and reading his moves while he had become more adept at the art of clearing his mind. Both princess and swordsman were ready while Castaspella observed their practice with a giddy Entrapta nearby. Both high sorceress and tiny engineer watched with recently baked cookies.
"Phew…" exhaling, Glimmer focused on her bodyguard and gripped a purple fruit in her hand.
The princess took a breath and shot it forward like she would a bolt of pink energy. Keeping his mind focused on everything and nothing at the same time, recalling Castaspella's lessons, Naruto pulled his sword from its sheath and sliced the fruit in two. Both halves fell into baskets behind him, which made him smirk. Grinning at his confidence, Glimmer readied herself and saw his breathing. Inhale, exhale… and throw! Giving her bodyguard half a second to react, she had thrown another fruit after the first one, which his blade impaled with a stab. However, he had to tilt his head when a third fruit nearly nailed him on the face.
"Listening to the wind without focusing too much on it, his senses are developing quite well," Castaspella said, then giggled. "And Glimmer's starting to read him quite well, too."
"Log 17: regarding the biological clock of Princess Glimmer," Entrapta started with her recorder ready. "Subject has started to develop an exceptional sensor for an opponents' habits in battle. Reading the patterns of subject Naruto Uzumaki has fine-tuned this process where she can even trick an experienced fighter like him. In a matter of days, she has started to adapt herself to the flow of battle in their sparring sessions."
Smirking when hearing that, the princess perked up and flexed an arm, "Hear that, Naruto? Maybe I won't need you to guard me all the time?"
Chuckling as he opened his eyes, the blond playfully told her, "Someone still has to watch over how many Snow Crows you eat, though."
"No, they do not!" the girl protested with an angry blush.
Snickering at her reaction, the blond stood up, "It's fine. I think we've done well enough in learning more about the art of the sword and magic."
Turning to Castaspella, he found the woman nodding with a proud smile, "Indeed. It's been a few days, but you've leapt great distances. Naruto, you harnessed your body first, making it so your mind would be polished into the art of the Bright Sword of Mystacor. Glimmer, your control on your input of magical energy and your training with Naruto has greatly improved your attacks. Dare I say it, you two were meant to be together."
"Auntie!" Glimmer squeaked.
"Well, we did help each other get better," Naruto said, unaware of what Castaspella could imply. Then, he narrowed her eyes at him, "Although, please don't give Entrapta reasons to try to hook us up."
"Don't worry!" the inventor chirped when popping out next to him, startling the blond and two magic users with him. "I'll let it all play out! It seems like you two will do all the work from now on!"
"Give it a rest already!" both Naruto and Glimmer exclaimed together, then looked at each other before turning away.
"See?!" the engineer squealed.
"Anyway!" Castaspella cut in to prevent any further embarrassment for her niece and future nephew-in-law, "I have the perfect way to celebrate for this. Come to the Lunarium for the moon eclipse. It is a wonderful sight that you shall not forget. All of us gather together to use the Lunar Lenses in order to refuel the magic which protects our home."
Glimmer gained a worried look before forcing a smile, but Entrapta beat her to it, quite giddily, "Are you kidding me?! Let's do it! Naruto, you must see this! It may awaken something in you or just be a pretty show!"
Castaspella beamed, "We'll even have a traditional banquet for dinner."
"I'm in!" Naruto immediately agreed with a starry, hungry look in his eyes.
Castaspella smiled beyond pleased, "I cannot wait to show you! Glimmer loved the Eclipse Ceremony when I first showed it to her about a century or so ago."
Naruto blinked, then deadpanned, "Let me guess, your magic keeps you young?"
"Years of practice, the sauna, and complete mastery of the Mystical Arts do that," the woman explained. "I shall see you at the Lunarium. I can tell this Eclipse Ceremony shall be one to remember!"
Once she left, Naruto groaned, "I'm never getting an exact age with you princesses or your family, am I?"
"Not to worry, I'm 29!" Entrapta beamed, shocking the blond. "Although, I stopped aging around the time I reached proper age to sire children, meaning that I am biologically around 16 to 18, like Glimmer."
"Wait, if you girls stop aging around that…" he started, knitting his eyebrows. Looking at Glimmer, he rubbed his chin, "What about your mother?"
"Marrying a princess is true commitment," Glimmer sighed deeply with a nostalgic look. "Mom told me that when she met Micah, she saw the man who would be given part of her life force. It's a beautiful ceremony for two people to share their remaining days together. Once a princess becomes a queen and has a proper spouse, the Life Ceremony begins, in which-"
"Princess and husband unite and mature until reaching the peak physicality and mentality!" Entrapta cheered, then cackled when the two turned to her. "Hahahaha! Isn't it amazing?! Oh wait, did I interrupt rudely?! I am so sorry! But! It's such a fascinating way for the truest of- Ah! Words fail me!"
"So, your mom met your dad, and grew to be a fully mature woman after marrying him and sharing her immortality with him?" he asked, ruffling his hair. "Now I've got to wonder why there aren't more people trying to marry you. I mean, aging until I'm a fully grown man and staying like that forever…"
"Oh, trust me, it happens," Glimmer's mood soured. "Suitors stopped requesting to see me after I said I'd focus on the war. Of course, there's the occasional one, but I turn them down."
"Let me have a few words if they don't get the hint," Naruto replied without thinking, subconsciously clutching his blade.
Noticing his reaction, Glimmer gained a small blush and a sheepish grin, "Don't worry about them." Shaking her head off the thought of Naruto holding her close to protect her from the annoying lot of pseudo-nobles, she decided to focus on her real worries, "Worry about the ceremony."
"You're getting married to someone other than Naruto?!" Entrapta asked in shock. "But you two make a-"
"I meant the Eclipse Ceremony," Glimmer grunted with a deadpan expression. "While pretty, it's not the most exciting thing to look at."
"What are you saying?!" Entrapta asked as if offended, ranting with both awe and frustration. "It's how Mystacor keeps its shield up! Also, it's in the one room the guards wouldn't let me do research on! Can you believe only now they allow people to study such beauty of magic and ancient First Ones' tech?! Such an offense to science shouldn't stand! But they at least let me in, so I forgive them!"
Observing the tiny engineer beam at the end made the swordsman and his princess sweat nervously, the former speaking, "You sure bounce back easy."
"Every studious mind must look at the bright side of things, especially when analyzing the unknown!"
Glimmer shook her head with a chuckle, "Truth be told, I'm torn between admiring you and worrying for you. Possibly both."
"Definitely the latter with me," Naruto bluntly told her. "Anyway, I'm grabbing myself some grub. Glimmer, you want something?"
"Our new kitchen staff is preparing quite the feast," Castaspella told her niece. "They wanted to honor you three and offered to prepare an unforgettable meal."
"Really, then don't mind if I dig in now," Naruto cheered.
"Save me a plate, if you'd be so kind," Glimmer asked him. "I do need a change of clothes after training. Proper princess manners require I look presentable."
-0-
As the meal began, a recently bathed Glimmer looked at the sword in her room. It rested against a circular waterbed, the purple sheets and pristine white and gold décor of the room made the black weapon stand out. Reaching out to grab it, she looked at the detail and thought back on how she was given such a blade. Hues of pink matching her hair tinted her cheeks when recalling her swordsman kneeling, then handing it to her. Every word he said still rang in her head. She'd be lying if she said it didn't make her feel warm.
"I acted recklessly, I wanted to protect you…" the image of Naruto told her, his head hung low as he kneeled like a true knight. "I was so desperate to take you back but I… I went for what first came to mind without… Ah, crap, I'm no good at this, huh? Listen, I'll be the greatest swordsman in this world, but I don't deserve this blade. Keep it with you."
"But why?" she had asked, too shocked to even look at the blade.
Chortling, Naruto answered with a soft smile, "Well, I am protecting the future queen of Bright Moon, aren't I? If you want to give it back to me, do so once I've earned this sword. In the meantime, let's work our asses off at that place you talked about. Mystacor, right? Just get me there and I'll start working on being the right swordsman worthy of a weapon you could grant me."
Back to the present, Glimmer blushed, "You silly boy… I think you earned it already, but…" she blushed with a shaky smile spreading on her face. "Ugh… Why did you have to say something so cheesy? I didn't make it and he thinks me handing the sword to him is like a rite of passage… Ah, why did he have to actually look cool?!"
Letting her back hit the waterbed, Glimmer let the wobbly mattress embrace her with a blush. At long last, she was admitting she liked her bodyguard. Spending so much time with him had been quite the experience. They ate and trained together, spent some much-needed relaxation time next to each other, and had gone in crazy adventures. Many more trails waited for them. However, she felt the haste.
"Wait, no, I'm getting ahead of myself!" she shook her head, then groaned. "I barely know him… It's not like we've talked about our likes and dislikes or… Crap!"
Rolling face down on the mattress, she tried to clear her head. Thinking on it, many other princesses could and would claim Naruto as a king. Every single one of them was a lot better than her. Perfuma was the single kindest woman and could conjure crops with a wave of her hand. Mermista, despite her harsh exterior, had more appeal than her. Also, there were rumors that Netossa and Spinnerella were looking for a man to sire children with them. Then, there was her, Glimmer, sparkly princess with teleportation and-
"No, you've trained hard with him to be better!" she snapped to herself. Standing up, she looked at herself in a mirror, "Sure, I don't have Perfuma's slim figure or Entrapta's curves, but I've got this!" Delivering a soft smack to her rear, she tried to keep herself cheerful… and then lowered her face, "What am I doing with my life? What are you doing to me, Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Princess Glimmer, if you could come with us," a voice asked her from behind her door. "We were told by Mistress Castaspella to escort you to the dining hall."
Frowning, the girl stopped her thinking and opened the door, "Thanks, but you don't need to be so formal or-"
All color drained from her face when she encountered a grinning Scorpia, who tossed out her guard disguise, "Hey!"
"When did you-" the princess had no chance to complete her sentence when the soldier's tail nearly stung her.
Dashing back, Glimmer got ready with pink energy bolts ready in her palms while Scorpia entered the room. Reading the scorpion woman's moves, Glimmer watched her muscles bulge with her pincer ready for a right hook. Using her skills seeing how Naruto fought, she threw a magic bolt right when the buff Force Captain was about to throw her punch. It had the expected effect of taking Scorpia off balance and making her stumble back. Despite the shock, the large female soldier smirked and stomped forward, readying another strike which Glimmer didn't bother to read. Instead, the plump princess teleported right behind her and blasted her!
Scorpia staggered forward, but she grinned, "Not bad! I knew you had it in you!"
"How did you Horde soldiers get in?!" the princess asked in shock.
"Ever since you did!" the large woman innocently smiled. "We hitched a ride with you! It wasn't fun climbing the rocks, but it was one amazing view!"
"Okay, where did you hide?" she asked.
"Everywhere!" Scorpia beamed. "We disguised ourselves as staff members and such! I was that guard who helped you find your lost slipper last night!"
Narrowing her eyes, Glimmer prepared another magic bolt, "And you've got a plan you're confident on to say this to me, aren't you?"
"Uh, well, kind of," Scorpia struggled for an answer. "Like, it's a plan, but it's not mine and I have no idea what it's about. All I know is I need to take you."
"Joy…" Glimmer dully replied.
Ruffling her hair with a pincer, Scorpia gave an apologetic smile, "Listen, if it makes any difference, I don't like this. I had fun with you guys. The waterbeds are Ah-May-Zing! Also, you and the Forest Gale were beyond cute while training together! It makes this gal feel really bad to have to keep you away from each other."
"Feel free to let regret set in now," Glimmer told her and aimed.
Scorpia ducked under the blast, rolled forward and jumped at Glimmer with a pincer pulled back, "Super Serious Scorpion Style: Hoppity Punch!" Glimmer teleported behind her, letting the woman hit the waterbed and drench herself, "Ah! Pah! Aw, I got some on my nose!"
As she coughed, Glimmer was quick to reappear right in front of her and plant her hands on Scorpia's steel abs, "Nighty-night."
-0-
At the dining hall, things weren't going so well, and Castaspella was one of the first to feel it, "Ugh, what's with this…?"
One of the guards grunted before collapsing, "The stew… I…" he struggled for words, but he was too weak and soon passed out with one last sentence. "Don't eat… the stew…"
Naruto, thanking his biology but cursing how much food he could intake, was in a similar predicament, "Someone spiced up… the meal…"
Giggling deliriously, Entrapta pulled out her recorder, "Log 13 on my adventure: strong sedatives were implemented on our meal. Subject Naruto's metabolism seems to make him somewhat resistant. And he's quite handsome… Ehehehehe… Really cute, too… Personal note: remind him of my proposition of… first-time… experience… for breeding…"
"Entrapta!" Castaspella called when the engineer fell backwards with a dizzy smile on her face. Groaning, the sorceress held her head with a hand while holding the small inventor close, "Why is she so affected…?"
"Her main source of nourishment is sugar and caffeine, so eating this crap…" Naruto got up on wobbly legs while the high sorceress fell with her face down on the table. "She's feeling it worse than any of us… What's even going on? This is no food poisoning…"
"Naruto, Glimmer, please…" Castaspella struggled to say, but her eyelids were too heavy.
Letting out a grunt, the boy walked forward to his princess' room, but had his path blocked by five familiar faces in their regular Horde uniforms, "You…"
"Hello, Forest Gale," Catra told him with a triumphant smirk. "It took us some time to prepare this, to know the schedules and preferences of every person who could be a threat to us to do this. Thank you for being so predictable. It almost makes not fighting you for real head on seem like a waste, but war is more than just brawn."
"Um, if it makes you feel better…" Kyle started while Naruto gritted his teeth in anger. "We did have some fun talking with you. And hey, we learned about cooking. Can't wait to share that at the Fright Zone."
Adora stepped forward with a solemn expression, "Do not resist, Forest Gale. Your princess is in our custody. And this time you can't pull on any crazy tricks to get to her."
"He…hehehe…" Naruto started to chuckle.
Lonnie looked at her friends, "Did you put too much of that stuff Shadow Weaver gave us on his stew or what?"
"He's had the same as everyone else," Kyle replied and Rogelio nodded.
Sitting on an empty chair while Naruto snickered, "Pfft, you think you can just grab Glimmer now…? You can't bluff worth beans…"
"We sent Scorpia to go get her," Adora tried to correct him.
Grinning with a dazed smile, Naruto went to grab his wooden sword with wobbly knees, "So, you haven't really captured her, then. Good…"
"Oh, you sneaky…" Catra growled before smirking. "Speaking of bluffs, what about yours?"
Clenching his jaw as his knee hit the floor, Naruto continued grinning, "I trust in Glimmer. After all… She's been really working… her wonderful rear off…"
Dropping backwards into unconsciousness, the whiskered swordsman was easily captured while snoring, but his words worried Adora, "Catra, call Scorpia! Kyle, Lonnie, Rogelio! Go aid her! Now!"
"Y-Yes!" the munchkin trio exclaimed and ran off, leaving a confused Catra with their captain.
"What is it? It's Pinky we're talking about. Scorpia is already on her way back carrying her on her shoulder like a sack of potatoes," the cat girl told her friend.
"If it was the old princess, yes," Adora bit her thumb nervously. "The Forest Gale trained with her, so that confidence on her after he's faced us in battle can only mean he can rest easy, even in our clutches."
"Listen, if Pinky's too much of a pain, I will scratch that itch," Catra told her, brandishing her claws with a malicious glint.
As for everybody's favorite scorpion woman, she had been blasted with enough force to leave her stuck on a wall. Her arms were bound to her sides in the hole she created with her legs and tail dangling on one side. On the other was Glimmer, standing on the hall. The scorpion woman tried to wiggle her way out, cracking the wall as she did. However, a bolt of pink magic ready for her attempted escape made her thing it through. That, and she could tell that the plump girl was more than a little irked. After all, the pink-haired ruler had been talking about personal matters.
"Did you…" Glimmer started, gulping when facing the stuck Scorpia. "Did you hear what I just said out loud before you barged into my room?"
"Oh yeah, every word," Scorpia shrugged as best she could on the wall. "Like, you like him. As in, like, like him. Why not tell him?"
"He'd possibly get too big a head for it," Glimmer deadpanned. "Also, I haven't gotten to meet him. It'd be awkward to just go up to him and say I want to hang out after all we've been through!"
"Bit of advice before you try to save him?" Scorpia asked and the princess nodded. "Don't fret, just go and do it! You've seen the kind of guy he is! Nudge his ego a bit to get answers if you need to, but he isn't the kind of guy who'd try to push you away! After our many encounters and battles, he's definitely not the type to do so."
"Thanks…" Glimmer said before knitting her eyebrows in surprised stupor. "I can't believe I'd rely on a Horde soldier for personal advice."
"No need, that's what Scorpia here's for!" the Amazonian woman beamed. "Also, to be a great friend and give even greater hugs, but I'm too stuck to do so now while you don't seem to be in the mood to let me out."
"Listen, you seem like the nicest person to ever live," Glimmer told her. "But you can't expect me to let you loose with Catra and Adora having most likely poisoned my aunt and bodyguard?"
"Not poison, we put a special anesthetic on their meals," Scorpia corrected her. "It should pass in an hour or so, but it's quite strong."
"Why tell me this?" the princess questioned her warily.
"Because I've got good friends!" the muscular captain beamed right when her reinforcements arrived.
"Captain Scorpia!" Kyle's shout was accompanied by him shooting at Glimmer, who quickly teleported away while Rogelio went to help her out of the wall.
Lonnie was the next to speak up, "Kyle, let's search the perimeter. Rogelio, check up on Scorpia. If any of us finds the princess, we inform Catra and Adora."
-0-
Meanwhile, at the Lunarium, Naruto started to wake up with a blurred vision, "Crap… My head…"
Looking around him, he found the place to be quite a sight. A dome adorned with hanging lenses, crystals which formed a beautiful constellation. There was an altar in the middle where the sorcerers would gather to channel the magic into a birdbath. Pictures depicting the cosmos and a hole on the ceiling made everything a tribute to the universe and the stars. If his head wasn't swimming because of the extra sauce in his meal, a more sober Forest Gale would've whistled at the sight. Unfortunately, he was tied up tightly with sturdy chains of a mysterious shadowy substance wrapped around his body.
"Does it hurt?" Catra asked, planting her foot on his chest to push him down. Leaning over him, she smirked at the boy, "Good, because you put us through worse. Especially Adora with that scar you left on her."
"Entrapta…" the blond noticed the girl snoring next to him, the tiny scientist was covered in the same strange tar-like material. "What's this gunk?"
"Shadows, courtesy of Shadow Weaver herself," Adora told him, walking to the boy with his wooden sword in her hands. Unsheathing it, she smirked, "Fighting us with this toy, cutting through steel with no edge at all. If you had been among our numbers, I'd have loved to be your rival, Forest Gale."
"Gloat, then," Naruto told her as he regained some of his senses, but found the biddings too strong to even budge against. "No, really, do boast now. I want to go to sleep again."
"Put on the tough guy act somewhere else," Catra growled at him, grabbing him by the chin with a snarl. "You nearly cost us our lives, you took Adora from me, got us into hiding because Hordak is not a forgiving guy and then had the gall to come here and enjoy a nice little break. You're not getting off this one easy."
"Calm down," Adora told her friend firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder with a gentle squeeze. "We've got what we wanted. All that's left is capturing the princess."
"Not yet…" whispered a dark voice.
Turning to his side, Naruto saw a being made of shadows with a single red eye looming over the girls, who recognized it, "Shadow Weaver."
Seeing Adora show respect and Catra sneer, the boy had a good guess who he was dealing with, "Let me guess, lady… You're not Hordak, but close to him. His right hand, huh?"
"Clever little boy," the witch cooed in her quarters, observing everything through the eyes of her servant. "My Shadow Minion made sure to keep its eye on you for a reason, child. Your potential shall serve us at the Horde quite nicely. Why, you shall welcome it sooner than later."
"In whose dreams?" Naruto quipped. "Because you ought to be stupider than I think you are to- Gah!"
Balling her hand into a fist, Shadow Weaver had the chains tighten around the boy, painfully, "Thank you for acknowledging my intellect, child. Who said it'd be voluntary?"
"Shadow Weaver?" Adora asked in shock. "What are you…? You're going to force him to join us?"
"Not just that," the woman softly told the girl. "You see this place, the Lunarium, it has a lot of history of magic. It's the perfect channel for both light and dark spells. Guess which one I have saved for this boy…"
"Brainwashing?" Catra asked with a shiver.
"Like I'd let you trick me!" Naruto snapped, but was punished for his defiance by a tighter squeeze from the shadowy chains. "Ah! Dammit…!"
"Once everything's perfectly aligned, the Forest Gale shall cease to exist," the witch hissed with delight as her Shadow Minion took Naruto by the shoulders with two large, clawed hands and carried him to the altar. "Instead, a new warrior shall emerge. One born of the perfect body and my darkness. Girls, prepare to welcome… the Shadow Gale. A fusion between my Shadow Minion and our once persistent enemy, a rebirth as a perfect servant to the Horde. One with no will of his own except that of his new puppeteer."
"Wait, you can't!" Adora cried in shock, her scream stirring a nearby Castaspella. "You're… You're stealing his free will, his mind!"
"Understand the gravity of our situation, Adora," Shadow Weaver told her while the weakened Naruto struggled in the shadow's grip to no avail. "If you return empty-handed to Hordak, you shall face consequences so dire that legends shall be spoken of your punishment. By making this child our newest asset, bringing despair to the Resistance, you could be rewarded beyond your wildest imagination."
"But…" Adora felt herself freeze. Her mind raced with a million thoughts, "Robbing him of his own self…"
"I'm with Adora," Catra shocked everyone, mostly her fellow Horde members. Crossing her arms with a snarl, she glared at the Shadow Minion, "There's no way I'm taking him like that. He's the one who had the guts to face us head on. He is a pain in our ass, but he is our pain to deal with. Stealing any semblance of who he is takes away all we've worked for."
"Don't let your kindness or ego get in the way," Shadow Weaver told the two girls, but she directed her glare at Catra. "If we don't do this-"
"You don't have a reason to," Adora argued. "Taking him as he is should be-"
"No…" Catra recalled a previous suspicion. "She's wanted this from the start. It's why she had us wait until now. Because today's the moon eclipse, when this place recharges itself with new power. And her new spell to take over the Forest Gale and turn him into her minion… You wanted this from the start, didn't you?"
"For Lord Hordak, it'd be-" the witch started, but was cut off by Catra.
"Lies!" the feline warrior exclaimed. "You're doing it for yourself!"
Mad with anger, the witch roared out to the cat girl, "Insolent brat, do you know who you're talking to?!"
Someone did, "Light Spinner…"
A gasp escaped the witch, "You…"
Castaspella was awake and seated up, "So, you've come back… In a way…"
"You know each other?" Catra asked in stunned shock mimicked by Adora.
Shadow Weaver regained herself in that moment, the eyes of her Shadow Minion emitting red haze as it looked down upon Castaspella, "My dear old friend. How are you? Have you been well? Kept up your lessons?"
The way Castaspella's eyes shrunk and the corners tightened let everyone know how furious she was, "Better than you, Light Spinner."
"It's Shadow Weaver now, I've changed for the better since we saw each other last," the witch corrected Castaspella, her tone carrying a smug air to it which her shadowy servant copied with a more mocking posture. "I've won this little game. I'll soon have my Shadow Puppet, and then everything will belong to Darkness. As it should be."
Castaspella refused to give in, "You haven't changed at all, Light Spinner. All you've done was to gain power through easy methods."
"Faster and more efficient than yours," the witch growled. "Sure, it had its setbacks, but look at yourself. Helpless and unable to fight back against those biddings. And soon to witness my newest, greatest spell yet."
An unknown voice suddenly called out from above them, "Not if I have anything to do about it!"
"Glimmer!" Naruto called out in shock.
Nodding at him, the girl gave a determined nod, "Naruto, Auntie, this time it's my turn. So just let me bloom into the leader you both think I can become!"
Glimmer didn't know what she was doing, or how she'd win. How could she defeat everyone there by herself? She just had to do it, though. Which was why she supercharged what she was going to do right then and there. A flash of pink illuminated the darkened room, light chasing away the darkness like a lion dominating a pack of roaming jackals. She touched upon the ground lightly, her hands up and armed with two glimmering blades covering both hands.
"That girl…!" Shadow Weaver choked at the sight.
Castaspella held a hand to her mouth weakly. For a brief moment. For such a brief transient moment. Glimmer had the same expression Micah once had.
"If I lose energy firing these off, or teleporting, it's all over. So, for once, I'm going to fight like you do, Forest Gale!" Against all odds, against multiple foes who could fight better than she could in swordplay and martial arts, Glimmer was standing firm. Holding one hand close to her face, Glimmer whispered the name of her technique, "Brilliant Mystic Arts: Divine Adornment Hallowed Swords!"
"You think spell-work will save you?! Worthless pest!" Shadow Weaver silently waved her hand across the air and then sliced it down in a chop.
From her minion's back, two shadow blades rushed past it, intermingling into a dangerous X-shape pattern. Glimmer watched it come towards her, and felt the world go silent. All she could hear was the intake of her breath. If she teleported and wasted energy, she'd lose her power. That was why she decided instead to let the motions of the Forest Gale guide her. Recalling how the boy moved and what she learned, she acted.
Glimmer stepped to the side, her body angling itself inch by inch until the attack passed her by. An afterimage flowed after her as she once again repeated the deliberate slow-paced move. Rather than waste energy needlessly, she let her inner sense of rhythm push her to the best possible way to dodge an attack. Standing to the side as another shadow blade rushed past her, Glimmer turned her head to face the Shadow Minion.
Her face was set in a stern frown, as if judging her opponent, and it made the witch madder than ever before, "Y-you… How? HOW!? That technique! That motion! That was Micah's! The Phantom-Step! How?! How!? HOW!? No matter how hard I tried to learn it, I could never understand!"
Glimmer didn't answer Shadow Weaver's enraged howl while Castaspella felt herself tear up, "The Phantom Step. Micha's personal sword-fighting technique, one he had invented outside the realm of Mystic Arts or Mystic Swords. The speed at which one could Step was determined by how well their mind could clear itself of outside clutter. Glimmer… You…"
Naruto smirked despite being in the hold of the witch's puppet, "Not bad."
Glimmer opened her eyes, revealing the brilliant pink light within. Her Princess Shine.
She let the sounds that cluttered her mind go. The disharmony that clouded her judgment and kept her from focusing. The noise of her ego. The thought of failure. The ambitions she clung to. All of that was reduced to the barest whisper. And only then could she be as a Phantom. On her palms dual swords made of her magical energy appeared as she imitated her bodyguard. She let both blades cross each other as she stepped forward, reappearing behind the Shadow Minion with a faint pink mirage of her body running forward left behind her. The twin blades rushed into the mistress of Shadow's puppet, impaling it in two different directions.
"Brilliant Mystic Arts: Silence Dance Twice!"
As the Minion begun to crumble to pieces, Shadow Weaver let loose a shriek that echoed in their heads like a cacophonous bell, "Not like this! No! NO! Kill them! Kill them now! GET HER!"
New Minions had already emerged from the shadows and surrounded Glimmer, who inhaled slowly. She withdrew her energy blades inwards, and concentrated. Each Shadow Minion that attacked was one that she smoothly dodged. Claw strike to her head, dodge with a step back. Shadow blade aimed at her body, step to the side. Like her bodyguard, Glimmer reacted by instinct, copying what he had seen and using everything the young swordsman taught her. It wasn't mere mimicry; it was the result of the hard training between her and the boy she loved.
"Naruto, this time I'll protect you!" she declared, earning some red on the whiskered boy's cheeks.
"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" Shadow Weaver was losing her composure fast.
"Perhaps when she looks at you Glimmer… she just sees Micah's own face staring back at her." Castaspella whispered to herself in awe. "Finally, my niece is awakening to her true potential. The strength that she had always had, the ability to truly lead, all it had lacked was the conviction. And now, Glimmer has obtained that determination."
The boy still bound Naruto knew only one thing, what the princess would do, "Kick her ass, Glimmer!"
Dark clouds shroud the sun from view, and it Is darkest before the dawn. Walking through the night, I see that others have lost their way.
But. If the shadows threaten to engulf them, I will still stand forward. And be the one to shine a way through the twilight.
The glimmer of light paves the way to peace.
Glimmer pivoted on her heel and sent both arms forward in a twin spear strike! This double piercing attack ripped through the Shadow Minions around her, sending them flying!
"So…" she turned to her bodyguard with a smirk. "How's that for a girl who likes a few extra Snow Crows with her meals?"
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "Don't think I'm letting you get too far ahead of me, Glimmer."
"Please, untie us," Castaspella pleaded politely.
Seeing the princess free her aunt and bodyguard, as well as the unconscious Entrapta, Shadow Weaver started to panic, "Catra, Adora, don't stand there! We must do something!"
The two glanced at each other briefly. They weren't about to do Shadow Weaver's dirty work, and it seemed like this plan might be going down in smoke. Adora put a hand on her hip while her fingers clenched. The muscles on the back of her palm tightened then pulsated.
"Didn't your puppet have everything under control?" Catra asked sarcastically.
"I- You little brat! This rebelliousness won't do if you wish for the world you're aiding Adora in creating become reality!" the witch's composure returned when she realized what Catra was doing, and her eyes narrowed into tiny white shards. "Fine! I'll do everything myself then! I have enough of his power! The Gale of Shadows will destroy them all. As for you both… Do you wish for Lord Hordak to hear of your refusal to aid me?"
Flinching at that comment, Adora asked, "You're really going to punish us?"
"No, I'm going to bring out what you're really made of," Shadow Weaver cryptically told them.
"What are you-" Castaspella asked, then looked up at the top of the ceiling. "The eclipse!"
"Mnnhm, hmm, mnnhmnhmn!" the shadow witch just started to hum with her eyes closed.
It was time. The battle had done nothing but give her the time she needed to fully perform her Shadow Mystic Arts. The light of the full moon had streamed down over the room. With both hands rotating around her body and leaving dark haze in their wake, Shadow Weaver continued to hum in a drone. Even Castaspella felt the connection between her dark acquaintance and the woman's puppet strengthen.
"Naruto, Glimmer, we must-" Castaspella cried, but it was too late.
"Mnnhmm, hmmm… Mnnnhmnnhmm~" the witch cracked her fingers to pantomime the movements of a puppeteer.
Shadows danced and covered the place, engulfing the heroes in darkness as Adora cried, "Stop, Shadow Weaver! Please, st-"
Then, the dark woman uttered the name of her spell, "Shadow Mystic Arts: Shadow Play…"
Everything turned dark, darker, darker, darker, darker still...
-0-
And that's my rap!
So sorry for leaving it on a cliffhanger, but this are now finally set things up for something I really wished to do from the start. Also, the chapter would've been too long if I did that here. I am sorry that it turned out shorter than others, but I hope you enjoyed Glimmer's time to shine. Pun unintended.
Next chapter, I shall go all out and write with my heart!
Swordslinger out!
