Dark Ambition
Shadow Weaver was not having a good week. No, she was having the worst week of her life in what seemed to be the past coming back to haunt her. She would have to have Adora by her side, three Runestones and the heads of her enemies on a silver spike in order to make the week bearable. She worked on her cauldron, creating new potions to unleash upon her enemies as her form of blowing off steam. She had been working for hours to keep the Horde running at top speed against the Alliance, but it seemed that all her efforts were meaningless.
She had read the reports of how several Horde soldiers had been beaten out of their occupied territories, how the pirates that she had hired were sunk to the bottom of the ocean, and now the Oracle was utterly destroyed by the actions of the Alliance. Shadow Weaver couldn't remember the Alliance having so much steam and power behind them since Micah was killed in combat. After his death, the Alliance was all but broken, yet now it had come back from the brink of defeat to wage war against her and her forces. Her eyes narrowed as the pool of her cauldron became clear, and in that brief moment of clarity, she saw the source of all this change and destruction of everything she had worked for.
"You." Shadow Weaver snarled at the images of Izuku and Catra in her She-Ra form. "All of this because of you two!" She slashed at the image with her claws.
Shadow Weaver made no secret that she detested the two runaways. Even when they were children in her care, she saw no value in them other than pets for Adora to care for. She cursed that she hadn't stomped out their pathetic existence when she had the chance. They were nothing but a reminder of what compassion and trickery did to those that were obedient. They were a weakness that she needed to smite down.
"You may pretend to be strong and mighty, but I know that you two are nothing more than weeds. Strangling the potential of those that are truly meant to shine!" Shadow Weaver's hair floated high as her magic crackled around her with black lightning.
However, as quickly as her power started to spike, she stopped. She started coughing. Doubling down to the ground, her mask fell off as she held to the edge of the cauldron. Her claws scratched the large pot of magic, tipping it over and spilling the contents on the floor.
"Damn this curse. And damn you, Orko!" Shadow Weaver pulled herself towards the Black Garnet. "All this is because of you and your blind weakness!"
If it was not blindingly obvious, Shadow Weaver's attempt to use the Spell of Obtainment had terrible consequences that she had been fighting for years, along with several scars. Her body could only hold onto the magic for so long before she needed a recharge. And that's where the Black Garnet came into play.
She pulled herself up to the large Runestone, getting a look at her disfigured scar-covered face. Her once green eyes were now dimly yellow, her skin was dark gray and covered in scars that made her look as monstrous on the outside as she was on the inside. For a brief moment, she remembered the beautiful sorceress that she was back in Mystacor. But that happy memory was broken by those she deemed weak and with no ambition. She narrowed her eyes as she growled at the reflection. Slamming her head against the Black Garnet, she began absorbing the power into her body, recharging what was once hers to use.
The energy of the Black Garnet coursed through her body, going through her veins to all the corners of her decaying body, making her eyes glow bright with power.
Shadow Weaver took in a deep breath of energy before letting out a satisfied and reinvigorated sigh. She might not have looked it, but that shot of pure raw magical energy in her system was akin to shedding twenty years off of her. She looked at her reflection, noticing that the scars were glowing slightly as the energy of the Runestone coursed through her body. But they also reminded her that the Black Garnet was only a temporary fix for her problem, one that she didn't mind having on a daily basis but one that was becoming more of an issue.
A knock on the door of her inner sanctum snapped her out of her thoughts.
With a flick of her finger, she summoned her mask back to her hand. She put it back on before turning to the door to her inner sanctum.
"Enter." Shadow Weaver commanded.
Shigaraki entered the room of his master with a look that could only be matched by the most deranged sadistic corpse in the asylum cemetery. Drool was coming out of the side of his mouth as he gritted his teeth. He was not in a good mood and the end of his last mission hadn't exactly put him in any sort of good spirits. He slapped his hand on the remains of the cauldron, turning it into dust with his decaying magic as it spread through part of the floor.
"You're making a mess," Shadow Weaver said in her usual condescending tone. "Did you choose to bother me for a real reason, Shigaraki, or are you here to destroy my office?"
Shigaraki looked at his master with the eyes of an insane man that had just been told that he was sane all along. And his smile sent shivers down the spines of those who looked at him.
"I've got some news that I thought you might like, master." Shigaraki smirked. "Do you know how those useless runts found the sword in the first place? They had the aid of a princess."
"You came here to tell me that? I assumed that those two insects must've done something to worm their way into the Alliance. Ingratiating themselves with some common princess of loose morals must've done the deal." Shadow Weaver waved off. "Unless that can tell me how to put an end to their pathetic existence, they can whore themselves to all of Etheria for all I care."
"I don't know about that last bit, Shadow Weaver. But I do know who the princess that brought them into the fold is," Shigaraki said. "She is the princess of Brightmoon, the daughter of Queen Angella and King Micah."
Shadow Weaver stopped in her steps as she realized what her apprentice had told her. She slowly twisted her body to look at him with glowing eyes. The shadows and dark corners of the room began to grow, surrounding Shigaraki like wolves cornering their prey. She grew taller with a glare behind her mask.
"Are you certain about this, Shigaraki?" Shadow Weaver asked in a booming voice.
"Still have a soft spot for that little bastard? I thought you would be cursing his name and that of his sister for what they did to us?" Shigaraki kept up his smile, like a cat trying to get himself back onto his mistress's good side.
"I only curse that he was done in by his sentimentality towards those that were obstacles for his ascension. So, Queen Angella managed to produce an heir for the Kingdom of Brightmoon, and that same heir brought those two wretches into this war." Shadow Weaver lessened her glare at Shigaraki, knowing fully well on who to focus it on. "Is there anything else, Shigaraki?"
"Well, I might've heard wrong, but back at the Oracle's temple, I could've sworn that the spirit of the Oracle called the green haired brat a First One." Shigaraki walked around Shadow Weaver's glare.
The dark witch for her part was completely thrown for a loop. Was her apprentice really saying that Izuku, Deku, the weakest runt of the litter, was a member of the legendary First Ones? Surely the Oracle was lying or meant someone else that the brat had a faint resemblance to. If he had any form of potential, she would've sniffed it out when she first laid eyes on him like she had with Adora. Besides, the First Ones were all gone.
"You think me a fool, Shigaraki? If that little twerp was actually worth the legends, then he would never have betrayed the Horde!" Shadow Weaver snapped. "It is high time that I make those parasites pay for their interference. First they distract Adora from her destiny, and now they make the Horde's mission an impossible dream."
"You know, master, I've wondered. Why are you by Hordak's side if he hates magic?" Shigaraki asked.
"Because, what Hordak doesn't understand is that magic is a part of the world and the universe. You can only suppress it at most but it's still there," Shadow Weaver explained. "When Hordak brings the whole world to heel, I shall bring up a new order of Sorcerers that will follow the path where my word is law. And you shall be amongst the first in my ranks, Shigaraki."
Shigaraki liked that idea. Him at the helm of a new generation of sorcerers, like the final boss of a game. Also the idea of bossing around and tormenting those under his command.
"Is that little pink smudge going to be amongst our ranks?" Shigaraki asked. "She is growing into a powerful little pest."
"Sadly, that girl most likely has already been spoiled by her mother, her aunt and those two wretches. But don't worry, I am sure you can choose whoever you see fit to follow in your footsteps." Shadow Weaver smirked under her mask.
Before Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki could get deeper into their plotting, the speakers of the room came to life with static. They looked up just as Hordak's voice came through in his usual intimidating tone, like a monster speaking through a thin veil of humanity.
"Shadow Weaver, you and Shigaraki are to come to my sanctum immediately. This is not up for debate. If you fail to show up in the next few minutes, you will regret it."
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki both wondered what their boss wanted to see them for. Whenever the lord and master of the Horde called someone for a meeting, it was mostly just so that they could be harshly punished for their incompetence. Though Shadow Weaver was not worried, afterall she was the second in command of the Horde and had been a loyal and powerful ally to Hordak for many years. If anything, she thought that this would lead to a new plan to take down the Alliance and their rising stars.
The two dark sorcerers made their way to the inner sanctum of the Horde's master. As soon as they entered through the mechanical doors, they were greeted to a dark laboratory filled with machines moving around, performing experiments with large containers of chemicals and First Ones' technological remains. The sanctum had an atmosphere of a dark industrial graveyard, with steam and sparks of electricity shooting out from random locations as if bringing the wrath of technology and machinery against anything natural. The air was cold like in the northern regions of Etheria with only a few lights to illuminate the path to the throne at the end of the sanctum.
Shadow Weaver looked around, as she heard the sound of something munching on some sort of snack. She spotted Modulock leaning against one of the walls of the sanctum with a bag full of crispy treats.
"What are you doing here, you miserable creature?" Shadow Weaver demanded. "Hordak summoned us for a meeting."
"Oh I'm not here for much, just here to watch you squirm." Modulock munched on his treat. "Snack? It might be the last sweet thing you may have for a long time." He shook the bag of treats in front of the two dark sorcerers.
"We don't need your charity, you overgrown iguana!" Shigaraki snapped, slapping the bag away.
"It's as they say, a prepared man is worth double." Modulock pulled out another bag of treats. "I take it that you got up on the wrong side of the bed, Shigaraki."
"I am particularly angry at you, Modulock. Your machines failed me on my mission! And were used by the Alliance brats to attack me and my soldiers!" Shigaraki glared at Modulock.
Modulock just kept chewing on his treats. He grabbed another handful of his treats, chewing slowly before the man before him. Once he could see the irritation from the eyes of Shigaraki seeping through the air, he swallowed.
"That's funny. From the reports I read, you didn't bother reading the instructions before putting my precious machines to work on meaningless tasks. This led to your soldiers to focus on keeping those machines working, leaving the other bigger ones unattended." Modulock smirked. "Sounds like someone had some serious misplaced anger. Shouldn't your dumb mumbo jumbo magic tell you something bad was going to happen?"
Shigaraki growled.
"Why are you here, Modulock?" Shadow Weaver stepped in.
"Oh sorry, wasn't it clear?" Modulock asked. "I'm here for the show. Pretend I'm not here at all."
"Show? What show?" Shadow Weaver sneered at the head scientist.
Modulock didn't reply; he just stared at the two sorcerers with a perplexed look on his face. It was like when you know something is going to happen to the person in front of you and they surprisingly don't see it coming. The Head Scientist of the Horde had expected to see worry or even a slight bit of discomfort from the two magic users when they entered the sanctum. But it seemed like they were as unaware of their situation as they were short on manners.
"Well, how about we let Hordak explain things himself?" Modulock gestured to the throne of their master.
Hordak looked down at his subordinates with a glare in his red glowing eyes as his claws dug themselves into the armrests of his metal throne. It was clear that he wasn't in the best of moods, sporting a frown that could split the faces of his enemies with a single twitch of his angered face. His gaze went straight to the two sorcerers that were meant to do his bidding.
"My lord, you've summoned us?" Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki bowed.
"I have, and I would like to know what exactly it is that you're doing, Shadow Weaver." Hordak growled.
"My lord?" Shadow Weaver asked. "I don't understand. I've been making sure the Horde is running at its best condition, and I'm making sure that the conquered territories continue to supply resources for our increasingly growing empire."
"You mean the same territories that are now being liberated and the same resources that are now being used by the Alliance to push us back?!" Hordak snapped, bringing up several screens to life. "It would seem that you've miscalculated the conditions of your orders, Shadow Weaver."
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki watched as the screens showed several towns being liberated by the Alliance, Horde soldiers being taken prisoner or forced to flee and people cheering as their homes were returned to them. They saw the princesses and the heroes of Etheria battling against their armies, spearheading the change that for a long time seemed far too much like a dream. Their eyes then turned to both Modulock's and Hordak, with each giving them a different look.
"What is your excuse for this mess?!" Hordak snarled. "The Alliance has not only kicked us out of the territory we had conquered but now they are gaining more support thanks to their heroes!" Hordak pointed to the images of Izuku and Catra destroying the gates of a Horde prison camp.
Modulock couldn't help but hold back a giggle at the sight of his rivals being put down. He just wished that he had brought more snacks for this train wreck.
"My lord, these are but small victories that will soon be crushed by our might. We have nothing to fear." Shadow Weaver assured. "Shigaraki and I-"
"Ah yes, your pupil, I had almost forgotten how he destroyed the location he was sent to capture and wiped the Oracle from the face of Etheria!" Hordak's eyes glowed brightly.
"It was worthless! There wasn't anything useful! I chose to destroy it so that the Alliance couldn't use it!" Shigaraki snapped like a snake that had just been stepped on.
"So, then you just allowed them to download everything to decode later, leaving you with nothing to actually destroy?" Modulock threw his own view on the matter.
Shigaraki glared at the monster as Modulock nonchalantly ate his snacks. He wanted to erase Modulock's stupid taunting smirk for good and show him who was really in control of the situation. His hands glowed with dark energy as the idea of murdering Modulock was becoming a real treat for his mind. Jumping at the head scientist, Shigaraki swiped at him like a wild animal as his hands became coated in black magic.
However, before the mad scientist could meet his maker, a red laser blast struck Shigaraki from the back.
Shigaraki was sent flying to the wall of the sanctum as Hordak stood at the top of the stairs with his arm turned into a cannon. Slowly walking down the steps to the floor, he fired again.
"Do you think you're in a position to attack my subordinates, Shigaraki?" Hordak fired over and over at Shigaraki, putting him deeper and deeper against the steel wall.
Hordak pulled the dark sorcerer out of the dented metal door. Like a gorilla pulling out a vegetable from the ground, the leader of the Horde tossed Shigaraki against the floor with minimal effort. He was not having anything get in his way. He was not going to waste his time.
"My Lor-!" Shadow Weaver was met with the barrel of the cannon aimed at her face, silencing her.
"I have kept you two around because you've proven yourselves valuable to me and my cause." Hordak snapped his fingers, giving Modulock the signal.
The Head scientist pulled down the lever behind him, making four machine pillars to pop up around him like spikes out of the ground. Walls of red light sealed the three members of the Horde inside.
"I love my job." Modulock smiled as he saw Hordak, Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki become encased inside the red field as energy began crackling through the walls.
Inside the secluded square, all the pieces of scrap metal and debris of the experiments began floating in the air around members of the Horde.
"Do you two know what led to the collapse of the First Ones and their civilization?" Hordak asked as the two sorcerers realized what was going on around them.
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki felt the air leaving their lungs, dropping to their knees. They clawed at the air, trying to get it back. Their mouths were filled with coughs as they struggled to stay up and conscious.
"It wasn't because they spread themselves too thin or because some enemy force overthrew them when they least expected, no. No, it was because of their blind belief that they didn't have to worry about their own power falling into the hands of someone unworthy!" Hordak monologued. "They chose an unfit bearer for their mightiest weapon, their idol, their sword, their power. She used that same power against them, shattering the foundations that they created to keep that which they couldn't control at bay. This led to a rebellion, and the in-fighting that came changed the face of Etheria for many generations." Hordak turned to the two sorcerers that were spazzing on the floor.
They were holding onto their throats, gasping for air. It was like drowning, akin to how their lungs were being filled with water as the air was forced out of them. They tried clawing their way to the edges of the barrier, but they didn't have the strength. The only reason they hadn't passed out already was because the magic inside their bodies was keeping them awake and extending their agony.
Hordak snapped his fingers once more, much to Modulock's dismay.
Modulock pulled back the lever, turning off the cage. He grumbled under his breath as Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki coughed.
"Never get to have my fun." Modulock swallowed the rest of his snacks like a pouting child.
"So you see, Shadow Weaver, I've tolerated you and your apprentice's failures because I am aware of what happens when fighting amongst the ranks gets out of hand." Hordak walked back up to his throne. "But make no mistake. If you or Shigaraki continue to fail me, I will take away whatever power you have and I'll have you banished to Beast Island. Is that understood?!"
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki both kept their heads bowed, trying to get the air back into their bodies.
"Good. Now, Modulock has a simple mission and he requires assistance," Hordak said. "Make yourselves useful." Hordak sat on his throne as Modulock took up where he left off.
"Alright you two, this way!" Modulock laughed, exiting the sanctum.
The two sorcerers stood up, glaring at Hordak from where they stood. Taking in deep breath after deep breath of air, they made their way out of the sanctum with more rage in their hearts than ever before. But as they were making their way out of the sanctum, they looked at one of the screens where a recording of Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow was playing. In them they saw all they could've been and all the parts of them that they wanted to forget. They blasted the screen with their dark magic, destroying it on the spot.
They would have their vengeance even if that meant working with Modulock.
Meanwhile, with the Best Friend Squad, they were fighting off the last bit of the Horde's occupying forces with the aid of Perfuma.
"You know, the Horde has to be running out of soldiers at this rate!" Catra sliced one of the armored tanks in two with her sword.
"You'd think so, but they seem to be rotating their forces instead of doing their jobs." Izuku dodged the lasers from a Horde-bot before landing a roundhouse kick against its side.
The Horde-bots charged at the group with avengeance and their lasers ready to fire. But just as they were about to fire at the heroes, their eyes were shot out by Bow's arrows before they exploded.
The young archer fired at the bots from a distance while standing at the top of the canyon path.
"At the very least, they're sending more and more bots than usual." Bow jumped off of the rocks he was standing on, firing a rope arrow from his bow, swinging over the canyon.
Glimmer teleported above one of the bots before teleporting it on top of two other Horde-bots. As they crashed and blew up, she summoned a magical glyph upon her staff. With a mighty swing of her staff, she sent the power of her spell at the remaining bots, making them float.
"Izuku, Catra, big finish!" Glimmer called out.
Izuku and Catra nodded, understanding what they had to do. Izuku gave Catra a boost, sending her high into the air, just above the Horde-bots. Catra thrusted back her sword, transforming it into a golden whip that stretched far behind her.
Catra twisted and turned in the air, cracking her whip with her movements. Swift as lightning, she swung her whip at the Horde-bots, wrapping several of the robots together. Pulling herself forward with her whip, she transformed her whip back into a sword as she swung the blade down on the bots. She sliced through the bots with ease, leaving half of the bots completely destroyed.
Catra smirked as Izuku jumped up, catching up to her. She flung him at the remaining robots as One For All crackled through his body.
Izuku slammed his feet against the first bot, smashing its armor with his strength. Using the crushed robot as a spring, the heir of One For All bounced at another robot after another. Like a bouncing ball of pure power and muscle, the green haired hero bounced and punched each robot that came his way while using their remains as platforms to jump at the next one.
"Smash!" Izuku called out, shattering the last Horde-bot with a mighty punch.
Izuku was just about to land on the hard ground, only for a large flower to sprout out of the ground, catching him.
"I'm so sorry for being late!" Perfuma came up, pulling a green vine behind her.
"Perfuma, where were you?" Glimmer asked as Izuku jumped off of the large flower.
"You were supposed to be checking the back for any ambushes." Catra turned back into her normal form.
"Wait, wasn't Entrapta with you, Perfuma?" Bow asked.
"I'm sorry. But that's sort of the reason why I wasn't in my position. I don't want to point any fingers, but Entrapta is… a little difficult to work with." Perfuma sighed. "We were supposed to look for any bots coming, but Entrapta wanted to test out Emily's new upgraded legs and then she went off rolling around instead. I managed to pull them both back before they rolled down the hill and have been dragging them here for a while. They seemed to have calmed down."
"Um, that's probably because the vine is snapped." Izuku pointed.
Perfuma turned back, looking at her vine that was meant to be tied to a science-focused, geeky princess and a reprogrammed robot only to find it snapped. Her eyes shrunk at the sight as her mouth dropped. She had hoped that Entrapata and Emily were being helpful and worked with her instead of being dead weight. But now it turned out that they had bailed out on her. She looked around for any signs of the princess and the bot in a frantic fashion, zipping from one spot to the next looking for them.
"Oh my gosh! Where are they?! They were right here a second ago!" Perfuma zipped around.
"Perfuma, calm down." Izuku caught Perfuma, stopping her. "They have to be here somewhere."
"Oh my gosh, look at the state of these bots!"
The Best Friend Squad turned around to see Entrapta and Emily looking over the remains of the bots they had just destroyed. Ever the resourceful scientist, the tech obsessed princess and her reprogrammed sidekick started picking up the different pieces of the defeated Horde-bots. Her face was a mix of excitement and sadness rolled into a single hyperactive expression.
"Who would do such a thing?!" Entrapta cried out as Emily beeped in agreement.
"Um, Entrapta, we kinda did that," Izuku said, getting Entrapta's attention.
Entrapta turned around to see Izuku and the rest of the group looking at her. She blushed slightly as she realized what had happened. For all her hyperactivity and buzzing scientific brain that jumped from one experiment to the next one, she knew when her friends were around and had a reason behind their actions. She scratched the back of her head with a sheepish smile.
"Oh, was there a good reason for it?" Entrapta asked.
"They were trying to kill us." Catra raised her eyebrow.
"We're trying to establish a supply line between Perfuma's kingdom and the different villages that are around." Glimmer added.
"They were shooting at us." Bow added.
"...Yeah, those about sum it up." Izuku scratched the side of his face.
Entrapta looked at Emily as she beeped and looked at her creator and friend. She put on her welding mask as she thought of the explanations the group had given her while her hair worked as a makeshift chair. Humming as though the question was something that needed to be thought out.
"Okay, you get a pass this time!" Entrapta flipped her mask up.
"Hehe, thanks Entrapta." Izuku chuckled, knowing that this was the best they could do with the tech princess.
"Please remind me, why did Entrapta come with us?" Catra whispered into Izuku's ear.
"For added security to keep this supply line safe from the Horde. Entrapta has been working on new defense and alarm systems to cover the path for the supply line." Bow explained. "That way, if the Horde comes this way, we'll know and we'll be able to hold the defenses until reinforcements arrive."
"Oh, right." Catra shrugged.
"We need to clear up this path so that Entrapta can set up her systems and that means dealing with any straggler Horde-bot or soldiers." Glimmer added.
Catra sighed as Entrapta's hair picked up all the busted parts of the robots. She looked at the tech princess, knowing that she was as good as they came as long as she focused. They just had to keep her happy and focused and she could help them as much as she could. Catra couldn't help but think that this was very much like taking care of a child.
"Hey, Catra, Izuku, check this out!" Entrapta pressed their faces against her breasts as she showed them some of the busted tech she'd picked up. "This is an intact piece of the main processing chip! This must be some sort of upgrade that has been made to the Horde-bots! It appears to be able to learn from experience and is connected with the rest of the squad! This way whichever bots survive the attack will be twice as prepared for the next battle! Oh, could you imagine if this was used instead as a prototype basis for a hive-mind between the bots?!"
As Entrapta went on with her detailed explanation, she continued to press Izuku and Catra against her surprisingly large breasts that were hidden beneath her thick overalls and grease stains. They were both surprised to feel that the bubbly princess was actually very well endowed underneath her mechanic outfit and lots of hair. Even more surprised that she would be doing this with no worry of being seen in public acting like that.
Yep, it was like having a child alright, with the body of a full grown woman.
"Um, Entrapta, as much as I approve of shows of affection," Perfuma began.
"We're still working, Entrapta. Maybe for later." Glimmer patted Entrapta on the head.
"Okay." Entrapta released Catra and Izuku from their hold before she and Emily went on to collect the rest of the chips.
As Izuku and Catra recovered their cool, they couldn't help but blush at the science girl and her innocence despite her adult body. They turned to look at Glimmer and Perfuma and the smiles that they were giving them. It was almost like they could read their minds. A spooky sort of thing that they had developed after getting into their relationship. Mermista called it the "Harem Magnet Effect". It didn't take Izuku and Catra long to realize what the two other princesses were thinking.
"You two okay?" Glimmer asked.
"Entrapta is still learning about personal space." Izuku blushed. "At least she's getting out of her lab and being more sociable."
"It just shows how good of an influence you've had on her," Perfuma mentioned. "And she does seem to like you both."
"Perfuma, please. Just because we can make the most stoic of women drop their pants by flexing, it doesn't mean we're looking for that all the time." Catra shrugged.
"I'm still surprised that this is happening, especially after the whole revelation thing," Bow said.
Safe to say that the open flirting was something the members of the harem had to work on.
"Can we keep our love life out of the mission for now?" Catra asked.
"Let's go get Entrapta before any more Horde members show up." Izuku and the group ran after Entrapta and Emily as they went deeper into the canyon path.
Very far ahead in the canyon, Modulock, Shadow Weaver, Shigaraki and the rest of their troops were preparing to show the Alliance what they were capable of. He had intercepted a transmission from the Alliance and his destroyed bots and found the perfect chance to put another one of his toys on the field, with the help of the two sulking sorcerers no less. The two sorcerers were not the least bit pleased that they were out in the open and at the beck and call of Modulock's machinations, and he loved it.
"This is a waste of our time!" Shigaraki snapped. "Why are we wasting our time here with all these flowers and butterflies? I just want to destroy them."
"All in due time, boy. The intercepted transmission from my new bots claims that the Alliance is trying to set up a supply line between the Flower Kingdom and the villages around this area. So, I want to make this our personal snatching spot." Modulock typed on his portable computer. "I want you two to be security while my bots plant the disruptors for our little surprise."
"What?" Shadow Weaver asked with rage in her voice.
"I said-" Modulock began.
"I heard you the first time, you pathetic monstrosity!" Shadow Weaver snapped. "You mean to tell me that you brought us all the way out here so that we would play babysitters to you and your trinkets?!"
"Yes, something wrong?" Modulock replied.
"Hell yeah there's 'something wrong'!" Shigaraki snapped. "We should be leading this mission, not you!"
"I am the second in command of the Horde, Modulock! Not some lackey you can order around to do menial security for your experiments!" Shadow Weaver snapped, causing her magic to crackle. "I've destroyed everyone that has crossed me and I'll make sure that you don't forget that."
Modulock flinched slightly at Shadow Weaver's outburst. He'd seen the woman react violently against those that had made mistakes or disobeyed her in the past. However, wetherby child-like innocence or underhanded maliciousness, a counterpoint popped in his mind like a small golden nugget popping out from the ground.
"But, um, that's not exactly true, is it?" Modulock asked.
"What was that?" Shigaraki sneered.
"It's just you two haven't exactly been winning lately and with Hordak not liking such screw ups to continue, I thought you needed a win." Modulock shrugged. "Guess I was wrong. I mean, fighting the people that made you look like fools more than once has to be exhausting."
"What are you talking about, you insidious beast?" Shadow Weaver growled.
Modulock tapped a key on his station, pulling up a live feed of what was happening down the canyon path.
"I just thought that when you face these guys, you always lose." Modulock pointed to the video.
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki looked at the live feed with curiosity, looking for an excuse to land a good pop on Modulock's face. Their eyes then went wide as they saw who the head scientist was referring to. They saw Izuku, Catra, Glimmer, Bow and two other princesses on the live feed, clearing the way of the passage. As soon as the two sorcerers spotted the group that had been making life for them a living hell, their anger boiled up like a kettle being heated up by a forest fire. Their hands turned stiff as they felt every bone in their bodies crackle with anger.
The two sorcerers of the Horde were glaring at the life feed like it was the actual people that have made their lives hell. They wanted to reach out into the screen and crush them with their bare hands. And now Modulock was making them play security so that they wouldn't face them. This would not stand!
"I mean, I get it. You guys want your street cred as intact as possible amongst the soldiers, and I don't blame you." Modulock moved away from the console. "So we do this one mission and you two don't get into a fight, nothing wrong with that. Let's just be smart about this and not go overboard."
Shigaraki slammed his hand on the console, turning it to dust, spreading his decay around him like a plague.
"We will bring Hordak the heads of those filthy little wretches before this day is done! That is a promise." Shadow Weaver cast a dark spell under her feet, sinking into a portal of pure shadows.
"And when we get back, you better be ready to kiss our feet, Modulock!" Shigaraki jumped into the portal as it closed behind him.
Modulock's face turned into a sick grin at the sight of his two 'colleagues' taking off.
"Talk about the best laid plans of mice and men," Modulock laughed, turning to the remaining soldiers. "Get the Thorn Baron ready for deployment! And put the drone in the air asap!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers saluted.
Modulock turned towards the direction of the Best Friend Squad, crossing his arms behind his back. He had planned this like a chess match, stacking the deck in his favor was always a plus. Now all he had to do was wait for the end to happen. If Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki succeeded, then the Alliance would be down their two heroes and their little friends. And if the Alliance were the victors, then the readings of the Plumerian Runestone would be his.
"No matter who comes out on top, they'll be second place to me." Modulock smirked with sick, sadistic glee.
Back with the Best Friend Squad, Entrapta smiled, continued picking up Horde-bot pieces and putting them together as they walked. The group was enjoying the quiet time as they cleared up the path they were on. However, they couldn't help but wonder when something was going to go wrong. They had seen neither hide nor tail of the Horde for a while and that was keeping them with their eyes peeled.
"What do you think Entrapta is making with those parts?" Izuku asked.
"Maybe some sort of trinket to add to her collection." Catra shrugged. "We should get her a hobby."
"Oh, she could join me in my morning meditation." Perfuma clapped her hands. "Perhaps my chanting drum circle. You guys are free to join us if you want, you guys."
"It sounds nice, Perfuma. I would love to do a drum circle!" Bow beamed.
"Maybe after the mission, Perfuma." Glimmer giggled. "We might be able to take care of the mission in a short while. There hasn't been a lot of Horde activity as of late."
"Yeah, which is weird. This spot is a perfect ambush spot, but we haven't seen any more members of the Horde or bots in a while." Izuku pointed out.
"What are the odds that we took care of the last of those buckets of bolts?" Catra wondered.
"We need to catch up to Entrapta, I'll scout ahead and see if there's anything else we need to worry about." Izuku channeled One For All before speeding away.
"Hey! Damn it, I hate it when he does that." Catra growled. "Sparkles, could you bring them back before they get hurt?"
"Already on it." Glimmer sighed, teleporting after Izuku and Entrapta and Emily.
"Sometimes it feels like he likes to put himself in danger to make us worry." Catra huffed as they ran to catch up with the rest of the group.
"Well, we love him all the same." Perfuma said.
"I know." Catra whined as they ran.
Izuku jumped from side to side on the boxed canyon path, looking for Entrapta. He knew that the princess of Dryll could handle herself. But that didn't mean that he couldn't go ahead and check up on her.
Each step with the power of One For All felt like a leap through the air for him. Like the world was in motion but he was in a different rhythm, watching everything go in slow motion from time to time. He couldn't tell it often when he was learning it back in the Crimson Waste. But here amongst the bounty of Etheria, he could feel the power that coursed through him and made him go faster. He was like the wind that blew through the entire world and the lightning that split the sky. But that meant that he was still tied to the world and all those around him.
His eyes landed on Entrapta as he let out a sigh of relief.
Entrapta was sitting with Emily as she was screwing the last bolt into her new machine. She was rambling on in a muttering as Emily watched her work like a faithful pet and lab assistant.
"And then I just have to wonder what happens when it happens. Like I've seen it, recorded it, and made observations on the experiments as they go along. But the same spark doesn't take place. I mean, the results are the same and the temperature rises accordingly but there must be another reason for it," Entrapta said to Emily. "Maybe there's another element that I'm missing. Perhaps it is the effects of the experiment taking place that are the key. I must review my findings!"
Emily beeped and booped as Entrapta pulled up her welding mask.
"There's something I missed. Highly unlikely!" Entrapta denied. "All my cameras and observations captured all the angles and movements that can lead to the experiment succeeding!"
"Entrapta." Izuku landed before her and Emily, getting their attention. "You shouldn't just run off like that. It's dangerous."
Entrapta scrambled to her feet, using her hair to pick up the tech she was working on. She pulled down her welding mask, hiding her face from Izuku.
"Oh, um, uh, huh, Izuku, what are you doing here?" Entrapta stuttered before leaning on Emily, trying to act cool and collected. "Fancy seeing you here." She was pushed back by Emily once it got tired of being used as a leaning top.
"Um, Entrapta we were together just a few seconds ago with the rest. Is everything alright?" Izuku asked.
Entrapta didn't know what was going on with her. Her heart rate was going up, her body was heating up and her mouth became full of saliva. Just by looking at Izuku, her mind became a mess, stopping her from acting like herself. Which was weird, as her mind was always on point to whatever held her interest at that moment. She had tried to find out what was causing these things to happen to her. One of her theories was that she had contracted a strange new disease that made her act like she was crumbling to pieces. But no matter how many exams she made on herself, she kept coming out clean.
"Yep, I'm alright, handsome." Entrapta smiled under her mask just as Glimmer arrived on the scene.
"Here you guys are. We got worried when you took off, Izuku." Glimmer scolded her lover, earning a sheepish chuckle from him. "Entrapta, you should also stay close to the group. We don't know if there are any more Horde soldiers or Horde-bots lurking around."
Emily beeped and booped at that comment.
"I-It's alright, Emily. Glimmer didn't refer to you." Izuku held up his hands, calming down the re-programmed bot.
"So, one of Modulock's toys ended up as some annoying princess' pet bot?"
Izuku and Glimmer widened and then narrowed their eyes at the recently arrived enemy.
Entrapta and Emily turned around and spotted the person that spoke.
Shigaraki pulled himself out of the dark portal. A sadistic smile decorated his face as he calmly walked towards them. His killing intent emanated from him like a cursed spring of death.
Entrapta and Emily flinched in fear, running behind Izuku and Glimmer as they got ready to fight. They had never felt such a great intent to kill coming from a single person. Even with their friends by their side, and outnumbering the newly arrived enemy, they were afraid of what Shigaraki could do to them if he got too close.
Entrapta didn't even realize that she was shaking, hanging onto Izuku as he glared at the dark sorcerer.
However, they weren't alone for long. Catra, Perfuma and Bow arrived at the scene from down the canyon path and they weren't happy. As soon as their eyes landed on the decrepit and spectral corpse that Shigaraki was, they all drew their weapons.
"Shigaraki, stay where you are!" Bow threatened, aiming an arrow at his head.
"You move, you die!" Catra growled. "For the Honor of Grayskull!" Catra transformed before aiming her sword at the sorcerer that was too angry to die.
"You really haven't changed, Catra."
Catra, Bow and Perfuma turned around to see Shadow Weaver rising out of the ground through a dark portal. Like a phantom of the past still haunting the present, she was met with weapons aimed at her.
"You are still the pathetic creature that I should've gotten rid of a long time ago." Shadow Weaver hovered towards Catra and the other members of the Alliance.
"You're very far from the Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver. All alone with no back up," Catra shot back. "Why are you and Shigaraki here? I doubt it's to throw insults at us."
"Do you think that you're in any position to demand answers from us, you little wretches?!" Shadow Weaver glared. "You two are the reason that Adora is missing! You've screwed with my plans for the last time!" Shadow Weaver blasted the group with a blast of dark magic.
Catra transformed her sword into a shield, blocking the blast while protecting both Bow and Perfuma.
Bow jumped to the side, shooting his arrow at the shadow witch. As his attack was about to strike the witch, she held up her hand, stopping the arrow.
"You think toys will do anything useful against me?" Shadow Weaver laughed, snapping the arrow in her hand.
"It did distract you." Bow smirked as Perfuma summoned a large fist made up of plants from the ground.
Shadow Weaver was knocked back by the large hand and back to the ground. She skidded to a halt before swiping her claws at her enemies, sending a shadow slash at the plants. With rage in her heart, she fired blast after blast of dark magic, pushing back the princess of the Flower Kingdom. She was not going anywhere until she got the heads of her enemies and that sword in hand. However, the odds weren't on her side.
Every one of her attacks was being blocked and covered by Catra's wretched shield. The light of the sun wasn't giving her much to work with either. It was almost as if Modulock had wanted her to get thrashed about. Her mind snapped at the realization that she had made a gigantic blunder.
"That little rat." Shadow Weaver growled, blocking another arrow as Catra jumped forward, smacking her back with her shield.
"Adora's missing, huh? Sounds like she finally got wise after all these years!" Catra transformed her shield into a spear before charging at Shadow Weaver.
"She will be back as soon as I've erased you from the face of this world!" Shadow Weaver summoned a swarm of dark tendrils from the ground to attack Catra, snapping and swinging at her like a mob of angry snakes.
Meanwhile, back with Izuku, Glimmer, Entrapta and Emily were doing their best to avoid all of Shigaraki's attacks. As he jumped and clawed at them like a rabid animal, Izuku kept himself between Entrapta and the mad sorcerer while Glimmer summoned her staff to battle.
Glimmer spun her staff over her head before teleporting in front of Shigaraki. With a fast strike to his side, she sent him flying towards Izuku.
"Hang on, Entrapta!" Izuku called out, making Entrapta hang onto him like a large baby koala.
The heir of One For All grabbed hold of Entrapta with his arms as she held onto him as One For All crackled through his body. He took off at top speed against Shigaraki. Jumping up, he pulled his legs against his chest before slamming them down against the mad sorcerer. He jumped back, not taking his eyes off of Shigaraki as the mad sorcerer created a decaying wave from the ground towards them. He zipped around at top speed, moving so far as he could to keep Entrapta from being touched by that lunatic with decaying powers.
Izuku ducked and dodged a magic glyph buzzsaw as they were tossed his way. He didn't want to get caught by whatever dark spell Shigaraki was tossing his way. Just as he was about to take another, his foot was caught by a dark tentacle, holding him in place.
Shigaraki laughed at Izuku's trouble as he held up his hand as Glimmer swung her staff at him. His magical glyph appeared, unleashing a powerful force to push her back like a butterfly pitted against the winds of a storm.
"You are so pathetic," Shigaraki laughed. "Just stay still and I'll end you quickly!" He fired several black daggers from his hand towards Izuku.
Izuku flicked his finger, sending a blast of air at the daggers. The blast was able to knock a couple of the dark daggers, only for two of them to rush towards him. He tried to dodge but the tentacle around his leg held him down.
One of the dark dagges cut his cheek as he shielded Entrapta's body while another one cut a couple strands of her hair.
Shigaraki fired more daggers over and over again, getting a few more cuts on Izuku as he did all he could to protect Entrapta. But the dark sorcerer wasn't making it easy for him. He had him pinned with his dark tentacle, and was loving taking his time.
"Aw, the little hero wants to protect the princess?" Shigaraki mocked, preparing another attack. "Let me put you out of my misery and then the little-ARG!"
Emily fired her laser at Shigaraki's hand, cutting it off before he could fire another spell.
"Yes! Good girl, Emily!" Entrapta cheered as Glimmer teleported next to them.
"You put a laser on Emily?" Glimmer freed Izuku's leg.
"Well, yeah, what was I supposed to do? Not having her with some defensive measure?" Entrapta asked.
Shigaraki screamed in pain as he held the bloody stump that used to be his hand. Sucking in shallow breath after shallow breath, he glared at the Alliance members as he struggled to get back to his feet.
"I'll kill you for this!" Shigaraki bellowed.
"Yeah, you've already said that, get some new material." Glimmer spun her staff to her side before aiming it at Shigaraki.
Meanwhile, back with Catra, Bow, and Perfuma, they were making Shadow Weaver slowly back away from them.
The sorceress couldn't stop herself from cursing herself from being outmaneuvered by Modulock of all beings and now she was being pushed back by the girl that rebelled against her all those years ago. She glared at Catra as she ran towards her in full swing of her spear, cutting down her dark tendrils like a fierce jungle cat. Shadow Weaver would not see herself defeated by this failure. She slammed her hands against the ground, summoning a giant shadow mouth.
"You will not get the better of me, Catra!" Shadow Weaver commanded her large shadow mouth to bite down on Catra, pinning her down.
"That's funny, I thought I'd already done that since we escaped from you!" Catra kept the large jaws of the beast in place.
Shadow Weaver growled behind her mask as she focused on making the jaws crush Catra. However, her tunnel vision kept her from seeing the explosive arrow blowing up before her. Flying back, Shadow Weaver was caught by a large venus fly trap, encasing her in its jaws. In a fit of rage, she unleashed a good chunk of her power, burning away at the plant.
Catra used this chance to break free from the shadow jaws. Using her charged sword, she sliced the shadow beast open. Her eyes landed on Shadow Weaver as she climbed down from the large burning plant. She charged towards the old witch, cutting the distance between them in a blinding sprint. Reeling her arm back, she unleashed many years of abuse and anger that she had been holding. Catra punched Shadow Weaver with an uppercut before the witch could use any of her spells, sending her flying.
"Gods that felt good!" Catra cheered, looking at her fist.
"Catra!" Izuku rushed to his girlfriend's side as his group dragged Shigaraki to where they had defeated Shadow Weaver.
"Whoa, which one of you took out his hand?!" Bow pointing at the bloody stump.
"Oh that was Emily! She took him down when he wasn't looking!" Entrapta jumped as Izuku and Catra shared a hug.
"And I punched Shadow Weaver in the face," Catra said. "Sounds like we both won."
As soon as Catra said that, a loud boom echoed behind them. They turned around, seeing a large shadow looming over them like a premonition of destruction.
The owner of the shadow was a large bipedal Horde-bot covered in spikes. The arms were long, covered with sharp spiraling spikes, razor sharp claws shot out from its fingers with two large barbed whips. Its legs were slightly thin, like those of a runner if it was covered in metal with sharp claws at the heels. The body was thin with black armored plating, and the symbol of the Horde in the chest area. The bot's head had one single red glowing eye with a large spike coming out of the top of the armored chrome dome. This was the Thorn Baron Horde-bot.
"Oh my gosh! Look at that amazing balanced design!" Entrapta beamed at the large bot. "Sharp blades at all joint points to cover weaknesses. Multi angle weapons that can reach up to 90 meters and cut through steel! It's so awesome!"
"Um, Entrapta," Izuku coughed.
"Oh… right. If it wasn't here to kill us?" Entrapta got nods from Izuku and Catra. "Saved it."
"Okay, so Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki didn't come alone after all." Bow aimed his arrow at the Thorn Baron.
"I think that we should get out of its way!" Izuku and the rest of the Alliance jumped out of the way of the large sharp whips of the Horde-bot.
The barbed whips cut through the ground, putting the heroes of the Alliance on the defensive. The bot's movements were quick and deadly, cutting down stone and parts of the canyon with its whips. It jumped after the members of the Alliance, forcing them to put up the best defenses they could muster.
Catra transformed her sword into a shield once more, blocking one of the whips by digging her heels on the ground.
Izuku jumped up, sending kicks of compressed air against the second whip, pushing it back.
Bow saw an opening firing an arrow at the Horde-bot'd leg, missing it by an inch.
The Thorn Baron started spinning in place like a spinning top, flailing its whips at lightning speeds. It stepped towards the members of the Alliance, cutting through any obstacles that it had.
"Retreat!" Glimmer ordered, before the group ran ahead with her by their side.
"How do we beat this thing?!" Perfuma asked as she hitched a ride with Emily and Entrapta.
"The whips are too fast for us to get a hit in." Bow commented, firing another arrow, only for it to be blocked off.
"We need to pin it down!" Glimmer teleported back, avoiding a whip.
"How do we possibly do that?! This thing is like a living paper shredder!" Catra blocked a whip with her shield.
"Why don't we just pull it down by damaging the back of the knee joints?" Entrapta suggested. "After that, it would be easy to use this freshly built charge disruptor on the back of its head and make it short circuit."
Everyone turned to Entrapta as she held out her latest piece of tech. They didn't know if they should be surprised that she made something like that out of busted scraps or if they should be afraid.
"Did I say something wrong?" Entrapta asked.
"Um, no, Entrapta. I think we like that idea." Izuku smiled, causing Entrapta to smile with a blush.
"Alright, let's bring down this overgrown hunk of metal." Catra narrowed her eyes.
"I think I can help with that." Perfuma smiled, getting off of Emily.
Perfuma slammed her hands on the ground, calling upon her magic. She summoned large vines and tree branches out of the ground, pushing back against the large Horde-bot. Despite the whips cutting down some of the vines and tree branches, she managed to tangle up the bot's legs, stopping its steps. She tried to pull it down, keeping the whips away.
As the Thorn Baron stopped spinning, it started using its robotic arms to rip itself free from all the plants.
Glimmer and Entrapta teleported behind its head with the latest invention of Dryll's princess in hand.
"Where do you need to put it?" Glimmer asked.
"The base of the head should do it." Entrapta held the tech in her hands as she moved with her hair.
She held up the charge disruptor over her head just as the Horde-bot's head turned around to face her.
Glimmer jumped over to Entrapta as the Horde-bot fired a laser out of its eye.
Bow fired an arrow at the back of the bot's head, getting its attention.
The Thorn baron fired a shot at Bow, only to be deflected by Catra's shield.
"Is that all you got?!" Catra challenged the bot.
The Thorn Baron reached out to grab her, but his hand was intercepted by a punch.
"SMASH!" Izuku punched the palm of the Horde-bot's hand, pushing it back.
Glimmer and Entrapta teleported behind the head of the Throne Baron once more while it was distracted.
"Now!" Glimmer yelled.
Entrapta stabbed her invention on the back of the Horde-bot's head, turning on the charge disruptor.
An electric blast coursed through the Thorn Baron, paralyzing the Horde-bot with electric spasm. However, the bot was not paralyzed for long as little by little it pulled itself up.
"What's going on?!" Glimmer asked.
"I don't believe it. It's got a self repairing unit!" Entrapta beamed. "Whoever designed this bot must've had access to First One's tech and was able to apply it to this! It's currently fighting the disruptor but it'll get back up soon! This is a marvel of technology!"
"Then we better take it down before it can get back up!" Glimmer said. "Izuku, Catra! Send this thing to the scrap heap!"
"Aim for the main body and sever the head! It'll cause it to freeze up!" Entrapta added.
Izuku and Catra nodded together. They charged towards the Thorne Baron, knowing their targets.
"I'll cut the head, you bust the chest open!" Catra instructed.
"You got it!" Izuku sped up with the power of One For All.
Izuku became a flare of light and power, running up the branches and vines as they struggled to hold the bot in place. A large shadow came down on him in the shape of the fixed arm he'd punched. Jumping to the side, he avoided the attack as the arm prepared to swat him away. With blazing green eyes, Izuku punched through the arm with a single punch, yelling out his signature phrase.
"SMASH!" Izuku punched through the arm with one punch as he reeled his left arm for another blow.
Izuku released a mighty left punch, sending a thunderous echo through the canyon. He cut through the armor of the bot's chest with his brute strength, punching a hole through the bot.
Catra jumped at the Thorn baron, just as one of the arms swung at her. She jumped, spinning in mid-air before cutting the arm and the spikes with a swift slice. Landing on her feet, she ran up the Horde-bot's arm just as Glimmer appeared before her. She smiled as Glimmer held her hand out to her. She spun around before Glimmer gave her the boost to strike at the Thorn Baron's head.
Catra's sword glowed brightly as she cut through the bot's head, severing it from its body with a clean strike.
Once the Horde-bot was without a head and with a large hole in its chest, it stopped moving.
The heroes of the Alliance cheered for their victory, but something was nagging them in the back of their heads. Then they remembered as Entrapata and Emily started analyzing the pieces of the bot.
"Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki are missing!" Bow called out.
Izuku, Catra and Glimmer watched a trail of blood heading away before disappearing.
"They must've taken the chance when the bot came out," Izuku said. "Kind of weird that they attacked us first before the bot showed up, isn't it?"
"Yeah, Shigaraki has enough tunnel vision to destroy everything at the first chance he gets. But not Shadow Weaver," Catra said. "Shadow Weaver may be a spiteful bitch, but she's not stupid. She was goaded into attacking us."
"Then why send the bot?" Glimmer asked.
"Well, whoever built this bot must be a genius to make a bot that's so dangerous, and well put together," Entrapta said.
"Modulock." Izuku, Catra, and the rest spat out.
Far from the battlefield, Modulock sneezed.
"Someone must be talking about me behind my back." Modulock sniffed as Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki limped towards him. "Oh, you're back, and you're both still alive. What a pity."
"You bastard. You'll pay for this." Shadow Weaver held up her hand, holding a black flame.
"Maybe next time, after all, we-I got what I wanted." Modulock held up a tablet with the readings of the Plumerian Runestone, The Heart-Blossom. "Now, off back to the Fight Zone. Don't want to die out here, now do you?"
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki shared one feeling as they watched Modulock walk away: Hatred. Pure, unadulterated hatred. They would get vengeance.