Tales scary and joyful.

She groaned as a short exclamation woke her up. She was sore from riding all day, and tomorrow they will be climbing. She was no longer young ... It's mean, she was in her prime, ready to fight and go to the end of the world.

"What's going on there?" she exclaimed, looking around with sleepy eyes. Frosta stood up summoning ice fists. Entrapta poked her head out of the sleeping bag she had hung on a line on the escarpment, making her look like a caterpillar cocoon or the prey of a very large spider. looking around curiously. Unarticulated groans came from Lance and George's tent . They were probably as sore as she was, after all, they were much older and not so seasoned with the hardships of hiking in the wild, although she should not forget that they lived and raised children in the Whispering Woods... They had some experience. Finally she looked at Catra , the Great Marshal sat panting, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead, and Melog cuddled up to her. She seemed scared.

"I'm sorry, I had a bad dream. I didn't want to wake anyone up." she said a bit embarrassed. She smiled at her.

"Nothing happened." she said as gently as she could. "And so the moon rose, we have a long way to go before dusk today. It's good to start the day as early as possible."

"This girl has the right to have nightmares like no one else." She thought sympathetically. Even today, Spinny would wake up screaming in the night because of what Horde Prime had done to her. And Catra was…much closer to the deranged Horde lord. She has also undergone purification. She heard about this cruel procedure from a one clone. It was excruciatingly painful even for an obedient clone, she couldn't imagine how much someone so tough must have suffered before she was broken". And Shadow Weaver's upbringing will turn anyone's soul into armor of steel" she thought. "Well, you mustn't forget about her childhood yet. It also left its mark on her."

Catra smiled weakly, then made a face as if she was sick and went to the side.

"Oh, morning sickness, something's up, she thought." She and Spinna had been postponing motherhood until after the end of the war for a very long time, and now they were trying to catch up at an accelerated pace, though Quickling and Greypaw had already taken care of it. There was no point in Adora and Catra waiting so long if they wanted to change diapers, even though they had time, and they were young and full of life. They might as well have waited. It was also logical that Catra was going to give birth, after all, no one knew how the transformation into She- Ra would affect the pregnancy, although Catra could care more about herself. On the other hand, how could she know about such things? Who would tell them what they didn't even know, that they didn't know. Shadow Weaver probably didn't care about explaining such things to her wrds. She couldn't imagine what their first period was like, they probably thought they were bleeding internally.

She just hoped Adora knew all this. Yes, the heroine of Etheria sometimes had to be pushed when decision paralysis seized her, but it was still necessary to agree on everything. But that was none of her business.

After a while, Catra returned and seemed to be feeling better. Entrapta and Frosta were already busy making breakfast, while George and Lance were doing their morning System Check. She decided she should go too and help the others instead of gossiping to herself. She cast a glance at Catra and saw that under the mask of apparent indifference, she was hiding anxiety, maybe even fear ... Well, it really wasn't her business ... But was it really?

They heated breakfast and water on a portable plasma stove Entrapta had built, though she and Catra had to keep from stepping back to a safe distance. Entrapta's inventions were certainly safer now, especially since she had a child, or so they thought, but old habits were hard to shake off. Lance and George made cappuccino , they even had soy milk. Admittedly after the full adoption of Greypaw Spinny relaxed the rules a bit and allowed dairy and fish to be included in their diet, but she tried to avoid eating non-vegan food… although she sometimes made exceptions. She couldn't resist a few slices of greasy smoked fish. But he didn't eat the bacon, though it was so tempting. Frosta fed Melog fish and dried meat, although he was a little ashamed of this snacking and glanced sideways at Catra . The latter, however, was thoughtful and worried, which also affected her companion, and soon the magical cat lay down on the ground slightly blue.

Entrapta was eating her rations that looked like cupcakes or cubes of… nougat. She offered them to Lance and George, who ate them with some effort. Frosta much more openly tossed her portion to Melog , who, having sniffed it, moved away from the food as if it were about to bite him. Entrapta had never been able to cook, though given her special dietary needs, this was not surprising. Although it was sometimes fascinating that such a wise woman, who could remember the chemical composition of every substance she came into contact with , could not cook a decent broth. From Scorpia, she learned that Hordak was responsible for preparing meals in their household. She couldn't know what to think of his skills, at their wedding and their baby's birth party, she ate only a few tiny cookies prepared by Scorpia . It was the hungriest party she'd ever attended.

She couldn't understand how an intelligent woman like Entrapta could get involved with someone like Hordak. He was… just Hordak , the invader and self-proclaimed ruler of Etheria. He was responsible for the death or ruin of tens of thousands of lives. He was the one who allowed Shadow Weaver to torture her father to death. He was the reason Greypaw and Quikling were orphans Entrapta spoke of him fondly and lovingly, as if he were the kindest person in the world. She didn't understand it. More than once she and Spinny wondered if he had brainwashed her or chipped her in some fancy way. Although her wife assured her that it was completely impossible, she still sometimes looked suspiciously at the nape of her neck. Until finally, even the purple-haired woman noticed it.

"Do I have something on my neck?" She pulled a mirror out of her pocket and began to examine herself in it, so she missed the indulgent look cast by Catra at the ruler of Armoria She coughed in embarrassment.

"Because I was wondering. How is your life with Hordak because… you are quite an unusual couple." she said carefully, trying not to giggle goofy.

- Hordak is a wonderful laboratory assistant. Entrapta began. - Thanks to him, my work turned out to be three times more efficient. He has a wealth of knowledge that comes not only from Horde Prime, but also from decades of research conducted in the Dread Zone. Without his help, I would not have been able to carry out many of the most important experiments that have significantly increased our knowledge and made Etheria a safer place. And then… I love him." A gentle, almost blissful smile appeared on her face. "We were both single for many years. I know this is hard for you to understand, especially for you, Catra , but we were all prisoners there in the Fright Zone. He understands that I see the world differently, because so does he. He's always been different than his brothers and Horde Prime... He really understands what love is and can be tender... in many ways..." Entrapta smiled wider and she was pretty sure she saw the ambiguity in that smile . "Besides, we share a lot of common interests. Science, technology, ping pong… I guess that's how a good marriage should be. George and Lance share a love of books... Catra and Adora tried to kill themselves."

Catra laughed, but surprisingly cheerfully for her current mood.

"We have a lot in common, but not this. In fact, we've been best friends for most of our lives at least... except for that one year... But you're right, we always understood each other very well, almost read each other's minds... There's only one thing we've never been able to realize."

She smiled at the feline girl.

"We with Spinny initially caught each other's eye. Our lands have long been at odds, and after we lost our lands, my grandmother wanted to show everyone, especially those wimps of Windcrest, that Armoria wasn't dead as long as we were alive... So I challenged "that stupid hottie chick" to a "Friendly Duel." I thought that I, a warrior trained since childhood to fight an n owner of artifact that generates energy nets, would have no problem kicking… She looked at Frosta . "I will kick the ass of a wagon-raised girl… and she kicked my ass. she said and laughed at her memories. - I could not believe that. I got obsessed with Spinnerels . Nothing mattered to me but that pink-haired girl. I forgot everything and everyone. Even about the Horde. I collected every piece of information about her. I decided to pretend to be friends with her. I was nice and cute, I invited her to game night… And it turned out that I liked her. She was smart, brave and sweet. I felt that I felt something more than just sympathy. Only then my grandmother intervened and told her all that was just trick tu inquire her. Spinnerella got very angry with me, and we didn't speak to each other…until the Great Battle. I was severely wounded in the head there, I still have a plate there. I thought I was going to die and… I confessed my love to Spinny . We got married practically on the battlefield… We joked that I had to hit my head to say I love her We've been together for eighteen years now… Geez, Spinny got chipped on our thirteenth anniversary , so we moved our anniversary to Victory Day… So it looks like we'll be able to celebrate our anniversaries together as three couples next year!"

Catra groaned.

"First we have to survive this wedding." said the feline girl resignedly.

She laughed warmly.

"A wedding is nothing terrible, you will survive it."

"Let's hope..." Cattra said , smiling thoughtfully.

After breakfast, they washed up and went on their way. They were at the foot of a mountain range slightly lower than the Drill but much less explored. Few people lived here, mostly a few pastoral settlements and a few bands of nomads using arc-powered skimmers. Even Frosta couldn't say much about the place, though she was their guide anyway and was quite good at it.

She and Melog decided to go ahead with Frosta . She felt better than ever. The crisp and fresh mountain air sobered her, banished her dark mood as the wind blew away the dark mists. She wondered how she had once preferred the bitter and stuffy atmosphere of the Fright Zone to clean and healthy air. She often didn't understand what was good for her and what made her happy. And despite all the worries that plagued her, she was genuinely happy. And with any luck, that won't change.

"Catra, Catra! Look!" Frost called her. Although the girl was small in stature, she was very agile, although of course she was no match for her. In a few bounds she was at the top of the pass where the ice princess stood. As she stood beside her, she inhaled sharply, and Melog shimmered in various colors. She stood at the entrance to a wide valley covered with silver-blue bushes. A river flowed through it, the waters of which reflected the blue of the sky. It was fed by a glacier rising on top of the nearby mountains. The glacier was shattered and cracked. Gigantic fragments of it broke off from the main core, presumably in an earthquake triggered by Entrapta when she hacked the black garnet. But what made her jaw drop was the city. She could only see part of it through the binoculars, the rest was hidden under the ice dome, but what she saw was extraordinary. Dozens of high towers with large windows, reminiscent of huge chimneys or insect mounds. She couldn't see the doors or the streets, as if the inhabitants didn't need them to travel around their settlement. She wasn't sure of its size, but it was certainly much smaller than the city she'd seen in that dream... Though it had an aura of strangeness around it, as if those who built it had completely alien minds and physiology. She shivered.

"Isn't it great to be on a great adventure again! Ancient cities, terrible monsters and wicked villains! Frost exclaimed, jumping for joy." She smiled happily at the girl's reaction.

"For now, there's only the city, no monsters, let alone villains, to be seen around."

Frosta waved her hand as if it were a completely insignificant detail.

"Uncle Lance said that there lived a terrible many-eyed monster, although no one had ever counted his eyes, but we will, we are the Invincible Seven after all." she said, full of unbridled enthusiasm.

"We're the Invincible Seven now?" she asked, feeling Frosta's humor getting to her.

"Sure! It's you, me, Melog, Netossa, Entrapta, George and Lance. We are seven and we are invincible, that is, we are the Invincible Seven! And there will always be a villain. The world is full of them. For example, one chancellor. " Frosta suddenly became serious, becoming a real ice princess. "The Chancellor… He wanted me to take the title of Empress and separate the Kingdom Snow from Etheria, so that I would betray Glimmer. But I refused him because it was stupid and I would betray Glimmer. And we are friends. Will you tell Glimmer about this? That we're still friends and that she can count on me?" she asked, and tears suddenly appeared in her eyes. She took her in her arms and hugged her as tight as she could.

"Of course I'll tell her, but Glimmer has never doubted your friendship." She assured Frosta , but inwardly she wasn't so sure, for she remembered that the Chancellor had spoken to Storm Heart, Sister of Shadow Weaver, in his Lady's absence. "This is how all evil begins. From dark disputes in the shadows."

They waited for the rest of them, especially Lance and George, who then spent the entire drive arguing vehemently about who the people of this town were. She was thinking about her dream at the time. That girl... she had cat eyes and heterochromia, though of a different kind. She knew about Kesler , and... "You've been dead for over twenty years," she said, and she was twenty-four after all. Before, she would have thought it was her subconscious trying to tell her she felt dead inside. But she had never felt as alive as she did before marrying her beloved. Besides, the dream was all too real, which was unsettling. Her companion had the same opinion on the subject. Melog always dreamed her dreams. She needed to be sure, so she decided to ask Lance and George one thing.

"Have you ever heard the word Pahtra ? she said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"Yes, that's the word some cat people like you used to describe themselves." Lance said, and when he saw that she had gone pale, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"We walk differently from real Pahtras "

"Nothing special. I just heard that word somewhere . And the word Vesk? Does it have anything to do with them?" she asked, trying to control herself.

"No…" The librarian shook his head, and for a moment she felt relieved. "The word has something to do with reptilians like your friend Rogelio ." Vekse , Vaste , Vesku , or possibly the oldest Vesk is the name of their homeland. It used to be thought that it was some lost land, but now I think it could be another planet... You really look bad..." he asked, seeing that she turned green.

"It's nothing, absolutely nothing ..." she stammered with effort, trying to control the nausea, she barely noticed Netossa's eloquent look .

They traveled until late in the afternoon, and stopped near a city. They did not want to visit it after dark. They still had plenty of supplies thanks to what Alice was carrying. They must have left the vehicles at the foot of the mountains yesterday, but behind it, no one was afraid that someone might steal them, well, that's what Etheria was like... They set up camp and made a fire. It got quite nice and cheerful, like when traveling with a buddy . Frosta suggested telling scary stories . Lans told of a terrible book that ate people to get life into its pages. George told the parable of the sorcerer's apprentice, Netosa told the story of the terrible octopuses Scylledi living in the depths of the oceans. Entrapta knew none. Finally, Frosta presented a delightfully gruesome tale of Ithaka , the great cannibal.

- And all you could hear was Ithaqua crunching their bones. Oh oh oh oh. She finished and everyone looked at her expectantly. She smiled and looked up at the starry sky.

"Most of the scary stories I know come from Shadow Weaver… Not scary stories like that… I could tell those too, but I don't think that's the point." She… had a real knack for storytelling. She told them with her whole being imitating voices and even did tricks with magic to add color to the whole story. Of course, she always replaced all the monsters with princesses. Although she didn't always have to change them. I'll tell you about the blood-sucking princess. she said and began to tell her story. She had no dark sorceress talent, but everyone sat listening, even Entrapta began taking notes. When she finished, she sobered up.

- That's all ... and not all because this story is true ... - She looked at the bewildered faces of the others. - I'm serious. I recently fought one of these in Mystacor , though he wasn't exactly a princess. - she began to talk about what happened in Mystacor quite recently , and everyone listened attentively to her with growing amazement and disbelief. When she had finished, Entrapta began to jot down frantically.

- It's fascinating. Do you suspect animating magic, animating magic, animating nanites , or a new kind of neural chip ? Have you examined the object? – asked the inventor in an excited voice.

She blinked twice processing the information provided by the inventor.

"I'm not sure if I understood you correctly, but since it was Mystacor, I'd bet on magic, but I don't know much about this kind of thing." All I know is that I don't like the idea that the dead can come back. And the words of this crazy woman. Hello ... - she fell silent. Netossa gave her a sympathetic look. Frosta and Entrapta looked fascinated, though probably for completely different reasons. George thought for a moment, exchanged a few whispered remarks with his husband, and said.

"What you're describing sounds like a vampire to me, one of the more powerful not dead ones."

- One of? Are there other worse ones? she asked, and she and Melog bristled. Lance and George nodded together and Lance said.

- Of course. Liches, Devourers, Soul Hunters... according to legend at least.

Netossa snorted.

- So what else awaits us? Will we encounter a dragon or maybe a dragon-vampire right away ? she said in an extremely annoyed voice.

- To be honest, I once read about a dragon-vampire . Lance said. "Her name was Ashaq Annihilator . She lived on the other side of the world and served another dragon, the most feared of all.

She groaned.

- No exaggeration, some myths will always remain myths...

Not that far away, both on a galactic scale and counting in Drift time, Lady Sorrowflame was praying aboard the heavy cruiser Invincible . She prayed sincerely, with all her dark soul and dead heart. She summoned her master Dachak . As for over three hundred years, and as for over three hundred years, silence answered her. This time, however, she answered for the first time.

- For this silence, I will draw a scream from the throats of millions. I swear by my dark heart I, Ashaq Annihilator . she said, tears of blood streaming down her cheeks.