She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, developed by ND Stevenson, is property of Mattel Inc. and DreamWorks Studios. Young Justice, developed by Brandon Veitti and Greg Weisman, is property of DC Comics and Warner Bros Entertainment.
THE TRAITOR'S CLAW
May 15, 20:21 UCT
"MOVE, FLESHLINGS!"
The rock creature's voice was like a mountain crashing, his face a sheer pitiless cliff. His jagged shoulders scrapped the roof of the dim rusty corridor, raining sparks down on his captives as he herded them with a crackling stun-baton. He hardly needed it; the tiny baton was barely noticeable, clenched in his massive boulder of a fist.
The 'herd' consisted of about a dozen human teens, frightened and sobbing. Cold metallic shackles bit into their wrists and ankles, leaving them red and raw. None of them knew why they were here, why they were taken. The searing shock of the stun-baton was the only answer their questions ever received.
At the head of the shuffling column was a young girl with red hair and amber eyes. She looked no older than sixteen, her freckled expression strangely hard-set. The others' horror and despair washed over her like icy waves, threatening to overwhelm her mind.
By the redhead's side, shuffled a younger Asian-American girl, radiating terror. Her violet eyes teared up behind purple-rimmed glasses as she tried to repress the sobs clawing their way up her throat. Her arms were drawn tight and close against her chest, her only shield against this waking nightmare.
"Hey," whispered the redhead softly. "What's your name?"
"Ami," the first girl sniffed quietly as she could manage. "You?"
"I'm... Moira," decided the redhead, leaning close. She lowered her voice even further. "Listen, Ami. I know things look kinda scary now but just keep close to me and everything will be alright. Okay?"
"What do you-"
"No talking!" The man-rock roared, waving his stun baton meaningfully.
The dim corridor finally opened into a vaulting command deck. It wasn't much better lit than the corridor, with flickering consoles embedded in walls of bare grey plating. The bridge was dominated by a weirdly off-angle viewscreen that presented the waning dark side of Earth's moon.
Several alien creatures ambled about the bridge, no two seemingly of the same species. The gunner was clearly a water breather, head encased by a glass dome containing some murky slush, slender mecha-tendrils lining his back. The navigation helm was manned by an armoured humanoid whose 'head' was just a single giant eyeball.
At the very center of the bridge rose a dais crowned by a cross between a throne and a chaise lounge, lustrous gold and soft rich velvet contrasting absurdly with the ramshackle utilitarianism of the rest of the command deck. Upon it reclined a barrel-torsoed, purple-skinned toadish creature, clad in silver and crimson armour. A thickly coiled neural whip hung from his belt.
"Cap'n Flogg, sir." The rock-creature saluted, bringing his shackled captives to a halt. "Cargo ready for inspection."
"Very good, Mr. Calix." Flogg popped a squirming arthropod into his wide toothy maw before chomping down with a wet crunch. He raised a scaled brow, leaning in to examine the 'cargo'. "Bit on the scrawny side, isn't they?"
"The Client wants 'em young, sir," rumbled Calix. "Easier to activate the Terran meta-gene, I'm told."
"Well, who be I to argue with a paying customer?" Flogg chuckled throatily. "Stow the primates below and set course for Rimbor. That multi-armed freak 'ill pay fine coin for fresh Terran mea-"
"Excuse me."
Flogg glared down at the source the interruption, the redhead with hard-set amber eyes. His yellow orbs went wide as flying saucers. "Moons of Mondor! IT TALKS!?"
"Yes, she does," replied Moira icily.
"Calix, you never said this species was sapient!?" Flogg gasped in shocked indignation, pounding his golden armrest with a clawed fist. "We should be charging DOUBLE!"
Moira's eyes narrowed. "I take it you're in charge then?"
"In charge?" The reptilian space-pirate rose to his full height, dwarfing the diminutive Sol native. "Lass, ye stand in the presence o' Flogg the Terrible! Devil o' Denebria, Plunderer o' Primus, Terror o' the Triax-"
"Noted." Moira's eyes flashed green. Halo, Terra!
BOOOOOM!
A thundering indigo vortex erupted in the middle on the alien bridge, like a hole punched in space-time. Before Flogg could react, a giant boulder came crashing out of the portal like a comet, smashing him and his ornate lounge throne into the far wall.
Two more humans emerged from the vortex: a hooded dark-skinned youth whose body glowed with the same indigo aura, and a short blond whiff of a girl clad in green, black and gold.
"Oh my God!? That's Terra! From the Outsiders!" Ami trilled. "The Outsiders are here to save us, everybody!"
Halo raised a glowing hand. "Technically, I'm not an Out-"
They were cut off by 'Eyeball' unleashing a blast of emerald energy upon the interlopers. Halo's aura instantly shifted from indigo to scarlet, summoning an energy shield to deflect the blast.
Halo, can you Boom-Tube the captives out?
Halo grimaced, their scarlet shield straining under 'Eyeball's' emerald assault. Not yet!
Flogg tossed the boulder aside with a groaning heave, only lightly dishevelled for being struck with half a ton of granite. He unclipped his neural whip, crimson energy crackling across its coils as he advanced on his 'cargo'.
Moira placed herself between the captives and the space pirate. "Ami, everyone, stay behind me!"
"Are you crazy?!" Ami practically screamed. "He'll kill you!"
"Better than him have tried," spoke Moira dryly. Rosy-pink skin turned an ashy grey-white as her shape began to flow and reform, snapping her shackles. In a moment, the young redhead was replaced by a hulking four-armed semi-simian behemoth. The great white ape-thing bellowed like an entire brass section, facing down the reptilian slaver.
"A shapeshifter too?" Flogg clucked appraisingly. "I'm goin' ta make the Client pay triple for you, lass!" He lashed out with his neural whip, coils twisting about one of the white ape's forearms before unleashing an excruciating surge of energy that wracked the behemoth's body.
Terra… give us some breathing room!
The Outsider nodded as Calix barrelled down on her like an oncoming avalanche; the entire bridge shook with the rock-man's every step. Terra stood her ground, planted her feet firmly and thrust forward a single hand.
Calix immediately ground to a halt, pillar-like legs flailing helplessly as he floated above the deck. "Oh, this can't be good."
Terra smirked. With a flick of her wrist, the geokinetic metahuman sent the rock-man flying into 'Eyeball'. Finally free of the optic onslaught, Halo's scarlet aura shifted back into indigo.
BOOOOOM!
Another Boom-Tube opened beneath the captives. Ami let out a sharp yelp as she and the other captives were swiftly spirited into the ether.
"MY BOOTY!" Flogg roared, rounding on the white ape-thing. "I'll take what I'm owed out of your filthy Terran hide!"
I'm no Terran! The great white ape growled low, turning transparent as the wind, melting into the deck plate like mist.
"Nordor's Teeth! Where'd she go!?" Flogg shrieked, stomping on the all too solid deck.
Behind him rose an ash-white, red-haired spectre in a hooded, midnight blue cloak. Her eyes burned with unearthly green light. At her gesture, the coils of Flogg's own whip snaked about him with python speed, sending the space pirate toppling like a top-heavy sack.
"By the Three Suns..." Flogg whispered in fearful awe, gaping at the pale vision that loomed over him. "What be ye?"
"Me? I'm just a school counsellor," intoned Miss Martian coolly. "And I really don't like creeps who prey on kids."
She telekinetically activated Flogg's neural whip, sending the reptilian into screaming paroxysms of agony as crackling energy coruscated through his body. He flapped on the deck plate like a drowning fish before the charge eventually died out, leaving the space pirate an insensate lump.
The slush-headed gunner crept quietly towards the exit, only to be cut off by a searing blast of yellow energy.
"And where do you think you're going?" asked Halo, suffused with a striking yellow aura.
"Um... nowhere?" 'Slush Head' burbled meekly, shrinking into a corner of the bridge.
"Bravo Squad to Watchtower," spoke Miss Martian, tapping her earpiece. "Bridge secured. Status of the hostages?"
"Hostages have arrived safely in Taos," came a static tinged reply. "Nicely done, Bravo. Tigress out."
[-]
THE WATCHTOWER
May 16, 10:08 EDT
Recognized:
Miss Martian-B-Zero-Five,
Halo-B-Three-One,
Terra-D-One-One.
The swirling golden vortex of the Zeta-Tube whirred to life. It took a moment longer than normal; the newly installed bio-filters screened out any untoward microbes as the three young heroes stepped out of the warm light.
The Watchtower's main foyer was light, airy and open, a stark contrast to the dismal confines of the alien slave-ship they had raided the day before. A vast panoramic window spread over two levels, framing the slowly rotating Earth.
Miss Martian understood why the Justice League (and by extension its covert ops Team of which she was a founding member) had chosen the satellite as their HQ. As its name suggested, the Watchtower was ideally placed to monitor the planet below and surrounding space for potential threats to humanity. But more than that, one look out the window was all it took to remind Earth's heroes why they held their never ending vigil in the first place. The blue-green orb below seemed so delicate, so fragile, like a sleeping babe swaddled in a blanket of night.
Waiting to greet the newcomers in the satellite's main foyer was an athletically built young woman with olive-toned skin, thick blond hair and steely dark-grey eyes. She wore a black and orange striped costume and a stylized tiger mask that did nothing to hide her small smirk.
"Morning, Team," chirped Tigress. "Someone had a busy weekend."
"Not as busy as those Denebrian slavers," replied Miss Martian. "Any word on the rescued meta-teens?"
"Taos has already started contacting their families," replied Tigress. "Good news is all of them made it back to Earth in one piece."
"And the bad news?"
"Still no leads on Floggs' mystery 'Client'." Tigress consulted her tablet. "But an Ami Winston did want to thank 'Moira'."
"Aww, that's sweet,"' said Miss Martian. "But Halo and Terra deserve the real credit."
"Look at you two," Tigress beamed proudly at the younger heroes. "All grown up and kicking space pirate butt like a coupla rock stars!"
"Terra was the real rock star," Halo giggled, nudging their friend affectionately. "Cuz of all the rocks!"
"Heh, good one, Vi," Tigress chuckled awkwardly, turning to the short blond girl and smiling warmly. "Seriously though, Tara, thanks for helping the Team out these last couple of weeks. I know you must be itching to get back to the Outsiders."
"Tas nekas." Terra shrugged. "The Hub's been fairly quiet lately."
"Why don't you and Vi head up to the conference room?" Tigress said. "GL's already getting set up."
"Uh, sure," answered Terra, swapping a questioning look with Halo as the two of them left Tigress and Miss Martian alone in the foyer.
"Is everything okay, Artemis?" Miss Martian used Tigress' real name. She didn't need Martian telepathy to tell her best friend didn't want to talk official Team business.
"I was going to ask the same thing, M'gann," replied Artemis. "You've been riding yourself pretty hard these last few months; volunteering for practically every mission, helping Dinah out with Sanctuary, not to mention your regular 9-to-5."
"It's summer break. I really appreciate the concern, but I can handle the extra workload." M'gann had to stifle a chortle. For a moment, she was afraid this was something serious. But it was actually reassuringly sweet that Artemis was worried she was over exerting herself. It was part of what made Tigress the ideal leader for the League's Team of young covert operatives.
"It's not that," said Artemis warily. "Well, not just that."
M'gann's lips pursed. Maybe this was serious after all. "Then what?"
Artemis took the plunge. "Is everything okay… with you and Conner, I mean?"
M'gann started fidgeting with her wedding ring. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"It's just... after everything that happened last year, I thought we'd never be able to pry you two off each other again. But now, it's almost like you're… avoiding him?"
"What?! That's ridiculous! Conner is perfect!" Too perfect, whispered a traitorous voice at the back of M'gann's mind before she quickly smothered it. "Come on, we don't want to keep GL waiting."
[-]
As the lights dimmed, a holographic representation of the Milky Way Galaxy shimmered to life above the polished conference table, casting a ghostly blue-green glow on the gathered heroes. The holo-galaxy was superimposed by a three-dimensional wireframe, dividing it into three thousand and six hundred roughly equal segments. The image flickered before zooming in on one segment in particular, repeat with countless twinkling stars.
"Galactic Sector 2891, home to thousands of inhabited worlds," spoke John Stewart, one of Earth's resident Green Lanterns "Most of which were, until recently, under the direct rule of a brutal fascist regime calling itself the Horde."
"Recently?" Miss Martian asked.
"That's going the need some backstory," Stewart explained. "Most of the Horde's military was made up of cloned and robotic troops connected by a technopathic hive-mind. Imagine an army of billions directed by a single brilliant yet sadistic intelligence..."
Constellations of holographic pixels swirled, reforming into the image of a looming alien figure clad in pristine white robes. His arms extended as though in benediction, four asymmetrical eyes set in a pale chiropteran visage, gleaming with cold contempt. His lips curled in a smile suggestive of sensuous cruelty.
"Horde Prime, self-proclaimed Emperor of the Known Universe and Leader of the Galactic Horde," intoned Stewart, making no attempt to conceal his contempt. "Centuries ago, Prime seemingly came out of nowhere, annexing systems all across the outer sectors. Even now, we have no idea where he came from or how he managed to amass his army in secret. The few Horde clones we'd managed to take alive over the years claimed he came from somewhere beyond our galaxy. But then they also claimed he could control the movements of the stars, so take that with a fistful of salt."
"More past tense, I notice?" Terra prodded.
Stewart nodded. "'Bout a year ago, Prime disappeared without a trace, taking the Horde Hive-Mind with him. Over the ensuing months, rebellions have sprung up on almost every known Horde-occupied world."
"What about Prime's remaining forces?" asked Miss Martian.
"They let it all happen practically unopposed," answered Stewart. "Without Prime's guidance, what was left of the Horde simply lost the will to fight back."
"And that's... good?" asked Halo uncertainty.
"Well, I'm not shedding any tears," snorted Stewart. "If it weren't for Darkseid or the Reach, Horde Prime would probably have gone down as the most rapacious conqueror in modern galactic history. But anything capable of bringing down an interstellar empire practically overnight is something the Guardians wants tabs on."
"Why wait so long then?" asked Terra.
"Short answer: space is big," spoke Stewart. "Horde territory is pretty remote, it's taken the better part of the year just for the news to filter out to the larger galaxy. Plus the Guardians are sticklers for protocol. A millennium old treaty prevents any representative of the Green Lantern Corps from even entering Sector 2891."
"But we're not members of the Corps," spoke Terra knowingly.
Tigress smirked. "Exactly."
Again, Miss Martian didn't need telepathy to pick up Tigress's meaning, a classic Team covert recon mission. The Guardians of Oa may be sticklers for the rules, but the cryptic founders of the Green Lantern Corps weren't above letting others bend them on their behalf. "Doesn't the average galactic sector contain millions of star systems?"
"Tens of millions," Stewart corrected.
Miss Martian sighed. Not for the first time, she privately questioned the wisdom of a few thousand strong peacekeeping force taking it upon themselves to police a galaxy of a hundred billion suns. It was all the League, the Team, the Outsiders and the JL Reserves could do just to safeguard Earth. "Where would we even start looking?"
"Well, we do have one lead..." Stewart offered. "A rogue planet on the very edge of Horde space that, according to Corps Intelligence, was Prime's last confirmed location."
"How much do we know about this 'rogue planet'?" asked Miss Martian.
"Well, there's the rub." Stewart stroked his chin thoughtfully. "According to the Corps' most up to date star-charts, this planet shouldn't exist."
That got an eyebrow raise from Miss Martian. "This mystery planet have a name?"
[-]
ETHERIA
May 16, 10:32 UCT
The morning moons were just beginning to reach their zenith, turning the dusky purple skies a rosy pink. Below them, the blue-green canopy of the Whispering Woods murmured dreamily, true to their name. Between forest and firmament, a giant floating tree drifted lazily across the sky, the youngest of the ancient world's many satellites.
Adora leaned over her balcony at Castle Bright Moon, soaking in the view. She still couldn't believe how much Etheria had changed since she first came to Bright Moon, how much she had changed. She'd been nothing but a Horde deserter with a magic sword and a heavy conscience back then, uncertain yet determined to undo some of the damage her former masters had inflicted on Etheria for decades.
Barely a year had passed since Adora and her friends had saved the universe from Horde Prime, a year since Etheria had finally been freed from the Horde's shadow. The months after Prime's defeat had hardly been any less eventful for Adora. She and the rest of the 'Best Friends Squad' had spent weeks on an 'interstellar road trip' traveling the newly returned stars, reintroducing magic to worlds where the Horde had all but stamped it out; as well as seeking relics of the First Ones, the ancient settlers of Etheria.
Adora had to admit, she'd been more invested in that last part than she'd let on at the time. But every lead, every artefact that might have revealed the fate of her lost people, had only led to one dead end after another. But she'd made peace with that. Wherever she may have been born, Etheria was home. It was where she'd grown up. It was where she'd met...
"Hey, Adora," Catra yawned sleepily, wrapping her arms about her girlfriend's waist. The felinoid Etherian purred contentedly, nuzzling the back of Adora's neck.
Catra was another thing Adora couldn't believe had changed so much. Only two short years ago, it seemed like the ex-Horde Force Captain was trying to kill her on a weekly basis; now Adora couldn't imagine living without her.
"Finally, it's almost high moon," Adora giggled, leaning back to peck Catra's fuzzy cheek. "You never used to sleep this much back in the Fright Zone."
"I was never allowed sleep this much back in the Fright Zone." Catra teasingly nipped the nape of Adora's neck. "Is this what not having chronic sleep deprivation feels like?"
Melog padded up the canoodling couple. The feline fey was like a panther sculpted out of smoke and moonbeams. Their mane shimmered bluish-green mane as they flopped themself down at the couple's feet. The alien changeling had imprinted on Catra during the gang's first 'interstellar road trip' and the two had been nigh-inseparable ever since.
Adora fondled a thickening tuft behind Catra's pointed ear. "You growing your hair out again?"
"Yeah, thinking of trying for a pony-tail," Catra gave her almost chin-length hair a teasing flick. "I hear they're all the rage nowadays."
"You can't have a ponytail," protested Adora, only half-seriously. "Ponytails are my thing!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought being She-Ra, Princess of Power and Savior of the Universe was your 'thing'," Catra snorted, rustling Adora's blond locks "That and hair-poofs."
"Okay, leave my hair-poof outta this," Adora chuckled. "I was just going to go for a mid-day workout. Wanna come?"
"I'll uh... catch up. I wanna ask Sparkles about something first."
"Oh?"
"You know just boring... political stuff," Catra muttered, unconsciously reaching for a small satchel hanging from her belt. "Nothing major."
"Well, if you say so." Adora gave Catra another quick peck on the cheek before jogging out the door of their chambers. "Later then."
Catra waved Adora off, lingering for a long moment before withdrawing with Melog back into the interior. Neither of them noticed the shadowed figure, watching from the undergrowth beneath the balcony.
[-]
Scarlet runes traced across ebon velvet, as though scrawled upon the void by some demon's bloody talon…
WELCOME, FRIGHT ZONERS!
"I don't know, Glimmer…" Bow tilted his head, eyes squinting skeptically at the black banner draped across the bright marble and cool pastels of Castle Bright Moon's throne room. "You sure they'll like it?"
"Of course, the Fright Zone's full of red and black. They'll feel right at home," answered Glimmer.
The young Mage-Queen twined her arm about the Master Archer's, resting her glittering pink hair on her boyfriend's dark shoulder. Wow, boyfriend. Even a year later that still gave her a giddy thrill. "Now, show me the confetti arrow!"
Catra poked her head into the throne room, Melog padding alongside her. "What are you dorks doing?"
"Oh, hey Catra. We're just prepping for Scorpia and Perfuma's diplomatic delegation next week," answered Glimmer. "So… what do you think?"
"Looks great, Sparkles," said Catra through what she hoped was a sincere grin, taking in the odd combination of gaudily colored floral bouquets and grinning techno-gargoyles that bedecked every flat surface.
No lazy stereotypes here, she thought sarcastically. See? I have grown. A year ago, I would have said that out loud. "Look, can I ask you guys something, something... personal?"
"Sure," answered Bow, "Is everything okay?"
"It's just..." Catra began awkwardly rubbing her arm, eyes locked on the floor before Melog gave her a soft head-nudge. "I read somewhere that here in Princess Land when you're, you know, with someone and want to make it... official, you exchange personal items so..."
She reached into her satchel to reveal the old red headdress she had worn in her days with the Horde. She had immaculately waxed and polished it to the point it could probably deflect a laser-bolt in a pinch.
"Awww, Catra, that is so sweet," Glimmer cooed teasingly. "But Bow and I aren't really looking for a third. Not right now, anyway."
"WHAT!?" Catra blushed furiously. "No, you dingbat! It's for Adora! I just wanted... I don't know... your advice or whatever."
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself," wheezed Glimmer, practically buckled over with laughter before regaining her composure. "I'm sure Adora will love it as much as she loves you."
"But what if she doesn't? What if it reminds her of the bad times? What if she forces herself to wear it to make me happy?" Catra rapid-fired before dropping into a hollow whisper. "What if... What if she says 'no'?"
"Catra…" Glimmer smiled a small wistful smile, giving her friend a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. "If you could see yourself the way I know Adora sees you, you'd never even think to ask that."
"You really think so?" Catra asked softly.
"I know so. Isn't that right, Bow?" Glimmer turned to find her boyfriend's eyes wide as saucers and streaming like faucets. "Bow?"
"I'm just so proud of you both," he sniffled.
[-]
Adora had decided to cap off her midday workout with a dip in the deep end of the Crystal Lake to cleanse the sweat. She'd returned to the castle courtyard overhanging the lake to collapse on the soft warm grass, listening to the wind moving through tinkling silver leaves. She was barefoot, clad only in her shorts and workout top; the rest of her clothing lay neatly folded nearby.
She'd planned to do a little moonbathing to dry off, but her mind and body had different plans. She fidgeted incessantly, trying to get comfortable in the warm moonlight. But every time she thought she'd found a good position, one of her limbs would twitch, or her thoughts would spin-off on some weird over analytical tangent. Did Catra seem 'off' earlier? Was she upset with me? Did she not like the thing I did with her feet last night?
Adora tried to shake her head clear. She supposed she could do a lap of the castle to dry off? But then she'd be sweaty again. No. If she could help topple an interstellar despot, she could lie still for twenty minutes and do a little moonbathing; she just had to empty her mind. Her eyelids gradually sank as the moons sailed by, her breathing slow and deep. She'd almost completely drifted off when her subconscious caught the tell-tale whine of a blade being drawn from its sheath.
She had only had a split-second the roll out of the way before a gleaming steel-white sword impaled itself in the lawn where her neck had just been.
"Well, that was pathetic," drawled a voice like crystal: tinkling, cold and sharp
Adora leaped to her feet as a tall statuesque woman in gleaming silver-white armor sauntered from the shadows. Platinum blond waves fell about a perfectly heart-shaped face. Her frost blue eyes tracked her prey like an ice-hawk.
"WHAT THE HECK!?" Adora instinctively summoned her energy sword, assuming a battle stance. She gawked at the white-clad warrior. Adora might have thought her pretty if not for the attempted murder just a few seconds ago. "You almost killed me!"
"Almost isn't good enough," sneered the stranger, pausing to retrieve her own sword. The alien blade was embedded in the ground, almost to the hilt. But the stranger tore the sword loose with a single fluid gesture. She gave the blade a performative twirl… then pounced
Adora raised her own sword in a two-handed grip, barely parrying the blow. "Who are you?"
"My Granny named me Gilotina," cooed the blade-wielding assassin, grinning wickedly. "Wanna see why?"
"Not particularly." Adora held her sword high. Her opponent circled languidly, smiling like a cat that had found an especially cute mouse. Adora's eyes narrowed. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
"I was going to ask you the same question," Gilotina drawled, absently twirling her blade. "Come on! I want to see what all the fuss is about? Show me the magic!"
"Oh, you want magic?" Adora smirked, raising her sword to the heavens. She always loved this part. "For the honor of GRAYSKULL!"
Light like a new-born star filled the courtyard, enveloping Adora in celestial radiance. Raw energy flowed through her, reshaping her, becoming part of her. Within the blink of an eye, the young ex-Horde soldier was replaced by a towering shining figure in gold and white armor.
"YOU GOT MAGIC!" She-Ra, Princess of Power, roared defiantly. She hurled a fist that had shattered tanks... only for Gilotina to catch it in mid-swing. She-Ra's eyes went wide in stunned disbelief. Feeling seeped from her fist as Gilotina's grip tightened.
"Finally..." Gilotina leered cruelly. "Now, I can really cut loose."
An armored boot hit She-Ra like a piledriver to the abdomen, blasting the air from her lungs, sending her flying over a marble railing and plummeting back into the Crystal Lake. She hit the stony shallows like a crashing asteroid, cracking the lakebed. It would have killed Adora instantly. As it was, She-Ra struggled to claw back to her feet, coughing up water.
Gilotina leaped from the platform above like a diver from a springboard, her lithe body pirouetting in mid-fall as her weapon split into two flashing blades. A groggy She-Ra barely threw herself aside before her attacker landed with enough force to jellify an ordinary mortal.
The blond assassin struck again and again, opening a dozen paper thin shallow cuts across She-Ra's skin like stinging kisses. Gilotina was not quite as strong as She-Ra, or quite as fast as Catra, but she was clearly an expert swordswoman, combining strength, speed and finesse with playful sadism.
She-Ra finally staggered backwards, falling on one knee. Her breath was ragged, her aura dim.
"Aaawww, did the poor little birdy get her pretty wings clipped? I just hate seeing a poor animal suffer." Gilotina broke into a coquettish giggle. "Just kidding, suffering animals are hilarious!"
"Why... Why are you doing this?" She-Ra panted, clutching her side.
"Oh, hun, you have no idea how big your universe just got." Gliotina's plastic smile cracked. "Do you really want to know why I'm doing this?"
Stars burst across She-Ra's vision as Gilotina delivered a steel-toed kick to the face.
"Because I'm the best!" Gilotina snarled. "Because I clawed my way out of the gutters of Armagetto to prove I'm the best! And you? You're just some... nobody! You think you're special 'cuz you tripped over a magic sword in the woods!?"
She-Ra reeled from another blow, bracing herself against a rocky outcropping. "How do you even know about that?"
"Oh, we know lots of thing about you, Adora. Things you probably don't even know about yourself. For example..." Gilotina smirked, raising the tip of her blade to She-Ra's throat. "I know how you die."
Four bloody slashes erupted across Gilotina's face, sending her reeling back, clutching her scarred visage.
Melog dropped their glamour, shimmering themself and Catra back into visibility between She-Ra and Gilotina, hackles raised like lionesses protecting their pride. Catra's eyes blazed with heterochromatic fury. "HANDS OFF MY GIRLFRIEND, BITCH!"
"My face... you scratched my face..." Gliotina fingers trembled as she traced the scarlet rivulets running down her once flawless visage. "I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE, YOU FILTHY ALLEY-"
Gilotina was cut off by She-Ra's energy sword shifting into a glowing warhammer and knocking her flying across the lake. While the platinum blond was still flailing in mid-air, the warhammer shifted into a glittering lasso, wrapping about Gilotina's ankle. With a swift yank, She-Ra brought the would-be assassin slamming face down unto the rocky shore.
"Hands off my girlfriend…" She-Ra bellowed defiantly before trailing off awkwardly. "Um... jerk face!?"
"Seriously?" Catra asked. "How do you hang out with me and Sparkles and still not know how to swear?"
"It feels weird," She-Ra whined.
A disheveled Gilotina leaped to her feet, charging forward with both blades. All her icy poise washed away by a shriek of banshee rage. Which was quickly drowned out by a barrage of violet energy blasts and exploding arrowheads.
Glimmer and Bow appeared in a flash of pink light next to She-Ra, Catra and Melog.
Bow nocked another arrow. "Adora, Catra, should we know why there's an evil sword lady trying to murder you?"
Glimmer's mage staff pulsed with violet light. "Is she from the Horde?"
"I think I would remember seeing her in the Fright Zone," She-Ra answered.
"Or aboard the Velvet Glove," Catra added, recalling her brief but horrific stay aboard Horde Prime's flagship.
Gilotina staggered upright, bloody and bruised, blades broken into jagged metal stumps. A shining energy sword, a glimmering mage staff, a trick arrowhead and two sets of very itchy claws were pointed directly at her.
"It's over, Gilotina," spoke She-Ra. "There's no reason for anyone else to get hurt."
"Oh, someone always has to get hurt..." Gilotina laugh was like shattered glass, sharp and broken. "Come on then, you fruity little brats! Who wants to die first!? DIE FOR DARK-"
BOOOOOM!
A swirling vortex of hellish light opened beneath Gilotina's feet. She only had a moment to scream in bloody terror before the fiery orange maw swallowed her whole. A moment later it vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, leaving no trace behind. The four Etherians stared in mute shock before Glimmer finally broke the silence...
"What. The. F-"
[-]
THE GODHEAD
May 16, 13:52 UCT
"LET ME GO, YOU UGLY FREAKS!"
Gilotina kicked and screamed as she was dragged through the dim corridor by two snarling Parademons. The hulking cybernetic horrors reeked of rancid meat and rusted copper. Their metallic talons dug into her immortal flesh, drawing glistening red beads that looks almost black in the low light. She tried to dig her heels into the steel grating of the deck, only for the cyber-demons to nearly twist her ankles off with with a brutal wrench.
On some level, Gilotina knew it was futile to struggle. She could no more prevent what was about to happen than she could stop the planets from spinning. But that certainty did nothing to quell the animal panic that seized her hindbrain in white terror.
The corridor eventually opened into a cavernous command deck dominated by a sharply angular throne. A crimson hololith of Etheria and her twelve moons blazed overhead, casting the entire chamber in a dull red glow. A tall raven-haired warrior-goddess in azure and gold armor stood by the throne; her gaze was blank, impassive.
"Barda, please!" Gilotina looked imploringly to her sister Fury. Barda had always been a tough bitch, tough but fair. She would understand. She would plead Gilotina's case. "You have to talk to her! Explain to her why I-"
"Enough!"
The unseen voice echoed across the command deck as the looming throne rotated to reveal its occupant, a stoutly built elder goddess in armour much like Barda's own, though far more ornate. The crimson cloak draped across her broad muscled shoulders seemed at odds with her pale grey mane and serenely smiling wrinkled face.
"Oh, sweet Gilotina," she cooed softly. "Why must you hurt your dear old Granny so?"
The Parademons tossed the shaking Gilotina down at the foot of Granny's throne. Her eyes were locked on the deck plate, voice stuttering as her body begin to freeze up. "I… I just…"
"Look at me when I'm speaking, child," Granny spoke, in that deathly quiet tone she only used when she was really really mad.
Gilotina's lip trembled as she raised her eyes to meet Granny's iron gaze.
"Now, didn't Granny say that entrapping our quarry would require patience and careful planning?" She spoke sweetly, almost soothingly.
"Yes, Granny," answered Gilotina mechanically, distantly, sinking into herself.
"And haven't you always listened to your Granny?"
"Yes, Granny."
"Then why ever would you run off on your own like that, you silly little dumpling?" Granny chuckled warmly, kneeling to cup Gilotina's cheek with a tenderness that surprised her. Maybe she'd get off easy after all?
"I did it for you, Granny! For you and Great Darks-" Gilotina began hopefully before Granny's fingers clamped down her throat like a vice, squeezing every sliver of breath from the young Fury's windpipe.
"LYING HARLOT!" Granny roared. Her toadish face distended in a hateful snarl as she wrenched Gilotina bodily from the ground. "You wanted all the glory for yourself! You wanted to show-off! And after everything Granny's done for you! Why, if it weren't for me, you'd still be rotting in an Oan Sciencell!"
Gilotina tried to choke out a response, to beg for forgiveness. But all she could manage was a wheezing gurgle as her legs flailed impotently in mid-air. Her vision began to fog. Even a New Goddess needed to breath.
Granny tossed Gilotina back to the deck with casual distain. The young Fury just lay there in a foetal curl, lungs burning as her they sucked in the acrid air in broken heaving sobs.
"I'm afraid the usual disciplines simply won't suffice this time, Gilotina," sighed Granny, shaking her head dolefully. Her rage was hidden behind a mask of sad resignation, smouldering just beneath the veneer. "This transgression calls for a very special punishment."
"With respect, Granny," spoke Barda, stepping between her mentor and the fallen fury. "I'm Gilotina's commanding officer. I should be the one to answer for her insubordination."
"My, how very selfless of you, Barda dear?" Granny smiled. before her voice dropped back into that deathly quiet. "But I will decide who is and is not punished on this ship. Am I understood?"
"I only mea-" Barda began, before withering under the elder goddess' glare, as she had a thousand times before. "Yes, Granny."
Granny turned her glare back on Gilotina, ruby lips curling in a cruel leer. "Take her… to the Lump."
"No, Granny, please!" Gilotina jerked up, wild-eyed with terror as the silent Parademons once more dug their steel claws into her. She trashed wildly, her piteous wails reverberating down the corridors "I'll be good! I'LL BE GOOOD!"
Barda watched impassively as her fellow Fury was dragging off, waiting until the girl's screams had faded into the distance before turning back to Granny. "New orders?"
"Now that our quarry's aware she's being hunted, we'll have to accelerate our schedule. But never fear, Barda dear…" Granny's lips curled into a cruel smile, turning to regard the crimson holo-Etheria that floated above.
"In the end, Goodness always prevails."
