Chapter Twenty-Three: Eclipse

Emerald was, to nobody's surprise on either side, growing angrier and angrier. "What is the hold-up!?" he yelled, still looking down at the barrier protecting Brightmoon. "We have superior numbers, superior technology, and superior firepower, but their defenses still stand!? How is this possible!?"

"T-they have powerful magic at their disposal, My Emerald!" a Nephrite said, shying away from her commander. "I recommend we wait and rely on our fighters to wear them down before we–"

But Emerald was not interested in excuses, shoving her aside. "Unless someone has an actual solution, I recommend we keep firing! All weapons at maximum output, until we break through that shield!" Not wanting to anger her further, the Gems under her command did as they were told.

However, one Peridot spoke up, seeing something that should be brought to her attention. "My Emerald! We're detecting numerous craft approaching from the east! It appears that the Old Horde has deployed fighters to aid Brightmoon. How should we respond?"

Predictably, this news made Emerald even angrier. But rather than lash out, she simply placed a hand over her eyes. "How about we intercept them? Would that be too obvious? Do it, now!"

Further ships were deployed from the Supermassive, scrambling to engage the incoming enemies. Soon, the skies above Castle Brightmoon were filled with swarms of ships, explosions, and gunfire. But despite all of that, the shield held strong, refusing to go down. Emerald refused to go down either, ordering her troops to keep firing, no matter what.

"Aerial forces are wearing thin, My Emerald," reported a Citrine. "Should…should we begin charging the nova cannon?"

Emerald stared down at the shield. "Not yet," she decided. "If the shield survives that, we'll be more or less dead in the water. Keep wearing it down further." She reclined in her captain's chair, watching the battle play out with a predatory eagerness. "But when I give the signal…charge away."

Within the shield dome, Netossa was doing all she could to keep the barrier in place. Even with Hordak's fleet driving away some of the smaller ships, several shuttles still battered her net, as did ground forces. Glimmer knew that their only hope of stopping her lie with the Heart of Etheria.

So there she stood, just at the edge of the shield. The Citadel was only a short trek away, and with a little luck, they would be able to reach it before Brightmoon fell. "Are you sure this is the best idea?" asked Bow, standing beside her. "Brightmoon's in danger. Shouldn't the queen stay here to defend it?"

"Has Hessonite responded?" Glimmer asked.

"Well…no, but–"

"Then something went wrong." She looked up at him. "Bow, even with all of us together, we don't stand a chance against that ship. We can't wait around for Hessonite to activate the Heart at the last minute, or for Adora to drop in from above and save the day. If we want to stand any chance of surviving, we have to go. And the less of us drawing attention to ourselves, the better."

Bow was hesitant, of course, as he felt that just the two of them going was risky. But he had faith in Glimmer's power, and his tech. "Then let's go. We can't risk waiting any longer."

Glimmer took him by the hand, feeling his warmth against hers, and prepared to warp them to the other side. However, a familiar voice caused her to pause. "Got room for one more?" They turned around, and there was Steven, holding the Sword of Power in his hands. "Because I'm ready if you are!"

Three wasn't that much more than two, but could make all the difference if they got into a scrap. Not to mention, He-Man could provide a definite advantage. Glimmer held out her other hand, which Steven took. In a flash of light, they all stood outside of the barrier. The sounds of explosions filled the air as Emerald's forces hit it with everything they had. Hopefully, nobody would notice them amid the chaos.

"Here's the plan: we make our way to the Citadel, and I'll try and teleport us inside. Once we get down to the Heart, Bow will figure out how to activate it, we shoot down Emerald's ship, and restore peace to the galaxy. Any questions?" Glimmer said.

"Uh, one," Bow said. "Even leaving aside my capacity to get the Heart working, are you sure you can teleport us into the Citadel? If it's First Ones, they might have some sort of defenses against that."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," said Glimmer, as they made their way underneath the sky full of ships.

Steven, though he pressed on, had his doubts. Not just about their plan, but about their entire situation. "And if we can't? I know you're evacuating everyone, but you do have a plan in case Emerald wins, right? Some way to regroup with everyone?"

For a few moments, Glimmer was silent. "If Emerald destroys Brightmoon, she'll destroy the Moonstone along with it. And if that happens…I won't deserve to be the queen. Not only because I'll be the only princess to have lost my powers, but because I let my kingdom down. And I will not allow that to happen."

"Glimmer, even if Emerald wins, and she hasn't won yet, it won't be because you let us down. We're all fighting our absolute hardest, you especially. It's just that sometimes…sometimes these things happen." He trailed off, only to realize how somber his tone had become. "But as long as we give it everything we have, I'm sure everything will turn out alright! Right, Steven?"

"Yeah, of course!" said Steven, though he didn't sound quite sure. "Just go in there, turn it on, and everything's great!" His forced smile slowly gave way to a ponderous frown. "Um, you don't happen to know what the Heart of Etheria actually does, do you? I mean, more specifically than just being a weapon. Because a weapon that's built out of a whole planet…that's a pretty big weapon. You guys probably don't know what the Death Star is, but what if the Heart of Etheria is a giant gun made for shooting other planets?"

"Then it should be more than capable of destroying Emerald's ship," said Glimmer, undeterred. "Look, with a gun that size, she'll probably back down without us even needing to fire it. We will if we need to, but just having it should be enough."

They continued walking in silence for a while, until Bow stopped in his tracks. He raised an ear to the sky–"Do you hear that?" he asked.

Steven and Glimmer both listened, but heard nothing. "Hear that?" the former asked.

None of them were prepared when a Gem dropship sped overhead. It turned back once it passed the trio, opening its side doors once it was just above them. Instead of Rubies or Quartzes, several Horde cybertroops fell, weapons engaging upon hitting the ground.

"That, I can hear!" said Glimmer, warping them out of the way of the incoming blasts. The cybertroops took a moment to zero in on them again, firing on them as they hid behind a tree. "Spread out!"

As she warped away, Bow dove out from behind cover, piercing one straight through the optic with an arrow. Before they could fire on him, Glimmer appeared between the closest two, blasting them apart with beams of light. She teleported on top of another, disappearing before it was riddled with shots from its fellows. And in the midst of all this, Steven continued to hide.

"You can do this, Steven–they're just robots," he assured himself. "They aren't like Catra's Horde posse. This should be a walk in the park! Just gotta take it slow…" He peered out around the tree, only for a cybertroop to fire, sending him ducking back to safety. "Nevermind, just go, go!" He ran out as fast as he could go, avoiding further laser-fire as he closed the distance between him and it.

Steven swung the sword with all his might, aiming to cut off the robot's legs. Although he hit his target, it failed to cut all the way through, embedding in the metal. Thankfully, he was able to use this to his advantage, toppling it before it could fire by yanking the blade out. Before it could get up, he held the sword aloft and swung it down forcefully, cleaving through the cybertroop's head and putting it out of commission.

But one victory was hardly enough, as more cybertroops continued to drop down from the ship. "We need to take down that dropship!" called Bow. "I don't have any arrows strong enough to put a dent in it!"

"Leave that to me!" Glimmer replied. She vanished, and in an instant she was onboard the vessel. She demolished a few surprised machines with a burst of energy, before moving onto the ship's computer, repeatedly blasting away at it.

Back on the ground, Bow was holding off the remaining cybertroops as best he could, but with their sheer numbers, there was only so much he could do. Exploding arrows and slime arrows put them down handily enough, but net arrows and the like were mere nuisances. He retreated to cover, firing off the occasional shot as he hid from their shots. "Steven! Meet with Glimmer at the Citadel!" he shouted. "I'll hold them off!"

"But what about you?" Steven cried back, similarly taking cover. "You're gonna run out of arrows before long!"

"I'll be fine–go, before they surround us!" One of the cybertroops reached the tree, grabbing Bow to pull him out into the open. He swept its legs out from under it, before driving an arrow into its optic before firing it at another. "Brightmoon is doomed unless you do something!"

Brightmoon was doomed…unless Steven did something. He looked down, examining his reflection in the Sword of Power. He was afraid of what would happen if he lost control as He-Man again, of the people he could hurt if he transformed. But now, all he could think about was all the people who would be hurt if he didn't transform. It seemed that if there was ever a time to lose control, it was now. "By the Power of Grayskull!"

The cybertroops had shot the tree so many times, it was about ready to fall over. Bow held fast, waiting for the right moment to leap out and strike. But with so many cybertroops, all firing in tandem, there might not be a right moment. Knowing the tree would fall soon, he prepared his last explosive arrow, hoping to take out as many of them as he could. Instead, almost all of the cybertroops were torn apart as a large projectile sliced through them: Steven's sword.

Bow watched as the sword raced back the way it came, destroying yet more cybertroops on its way back into its owner's hand. He-Man leapt into the air, crushing another beneath him and knocking more back with the shockwave. "We'll hold them off together!" he shouted, blocking their fire with his blade.

Bow just smiled, glad to see help had arrived. He hurried to his companion's side, firing off more arrows at the remaining machines. Between the two of them, they were able to handily dispatch the rest of the cybertroops, while the dropship above them had begun to smoke as Glimmer worked her magic.

With its navigational systems thoroughly sabotaged, the ship careened towards the ground in a spiral. Glimmer warped away before it hit the ground, exploding and taking out any cybertroops that remained within. Once she landed, she looked up triumphantly at her accomplishment…but something else caught her eye instead, something quite worrisome.

He-Man and Bow hurried over. "Glimmer, that was awesome!" said the former–despite his newfound bulk, he was still Steven. "...Wait, what's that look for? What's wrong?"

They had arrived at the Citadel. But instead of seeing Hessonite and her crew, as was expected, it was eerily silent. None of the Gems were present–it was as though they had all suddenly abandoned the place. The only sign they had been there was Demantoid's limb enhancers. "What…happened here?" asked Bow.

"Nothing good," Glimmer replied. "Come on." She led the three up to the wall, focusing to try and find the right spot to warp into. "If I can just find somewhere hollow, I can–"

Her attention, as well as that of the other two, was suddenly drawn to a section of the wall with grooves that glowed red. It was just the right size and shape to be a door; and seeing as it seemed to have reacted to their presence, glowing brighter as they got closer. "Huh. Did it do this before?" asked Steven.

Bow looked closer. "I've never seen it do anything like this," he said. As he looked between the glowing grooves and the group themselves, a hypothesis came to his mind. "...Steven? Can you hold up the sword for a minute?"

"Sure, but I don't know what…woah." As he held up the Sword of Power to the door, the glowing intensified. "That's new. Uh, can you open for me?"

The three of them were surprised when a female voice responded. "Administrator detected. Opening access shaft." The door slid open, revealing a circular platform in the center of a small room.

"I…I think that's the way to the heart," said Glimmer. With no time to waste, she stepped inside. "Well? Are you coming, or what?"

The two of them stepped onto the platform beside them. "I don't like this," said Bow. "What happened to Hessonite? Did everyone already head down here? Or did someone else get to her before us? We could be walking right into a trap."

"Only one way to find out," said Steven. The door shut behind them.

Light pulsed through the chamber as energy flowed through a series of tubes. This had the disconcerting effect of giving Catra a half-second of sight, followed by a second of near-blindness. But her eyes were keen, and her ears were even keener. She easily pushed the rubble aside, readying her claws.

"Just going to run away again?" she asked into the darkness, her head on a swivel for her foe. "You never could back up your talk! As soon as things got tough, you ran away to hide behind someone bigger and badder than you! This time, you've got nowhere to hide!"

A shadowy tendril shot out from the blackness, smacking Catra across the cheek. "And you are the same insolent little miscreant you've always been!" Shadow Weaver said from the darkness. Her voice seemed to echo all throughout the tunnels, giving Catra no chance to pin down her location. "Always attaching yourself to the strongest you could find–Adora, Hordak, Emerald–only to inevitably betray them. If I'm as power-hungry as they say, then you truly are your mother's daughter!"

More shadows swirled around her, but this time she was ready. Leaping and dodging their strikes, she moved like an acrobat, using the walls and cables like springboards and handholds. She watched as the streams came at her, trying to figure out where they were coming from. Eventually, she saw a flicker of a familiar silhouette just beyond a wall–she leapt in that direction, slashing with her claws.

She caught fabric, and nothing more. Shadow Weaver had moved just in time for Catra's claws to barely graze her robes. "You call yourself my mother–when have you done anything motherly!?" Catra shouted, swiping in every direction as Shadow Weaver disappeared and reappeared over and over again. "When were me and Adora anything more than tools to you? Just dolls for you to mold and reshape however you saw fit! To make into smaller versions of you!"

Shadow Weaver thrust out her hand, blowing Catra back with a blast of dark wind. "As if you could ever be me!" she hissed. "You should be thankful I took you both in! Without me, you and Adora would be nothing more than cogs in the machine! Pawns to Hordak, with no worth aside from what throwing your life away could bring him. Thanks to me, you rose above all of that! Everything you are, you owe to me!" Darkness began swirling around her, blanketing the already-dim lights.

Catra tried once more to leap aside, but Shadow Weaver was too quick. Tendrils of shadow latched onto her arms and legs, keeping her firmly planted on the ground. They pulled her down still, until she was forced onto her knees. Her mother-slash-tormentor glided closer, looming over her, though Catra refused to be intimidated. She glared up at her captor, not needing to speak a word.

"Do you know what I think?" asked Shadow Weaver, lowering herself closer to Catra's eye level, but still remaining above it. "You need someone to blame for everything that goes wrong in your life. Adora was the one who betrayed you, not the other way around. All of your losses were due to Scorpia's incompetence…or Entrapta's, or Hordak's, or Emerald's, or whoever you happened to have attached yourself to at the time. And because you can't fathom your successes going to someone else, you blame me for every one of your shortcomings. But despite all of that, I forgive you. In spite of your shortcomings, I want nothing more than the three of us to be a family again. Come with me, Catra. Come and be part of my family again."

"I never want anything to do with you again!" Catra hissed, pulling against the shadows that bound her. "Nothing about us was ever a family! I…I…never had a family…" Her anger faded away, replaced with a look of regret. "Without Adora, everything is so…empty…" She went completely still, a thousand-yard stare on her face. "There's nothing…"

Shadow Weaver's victory was assured. As Catra sank into despair, she dissipated the tendrils, confident that she had thoroughly broken the girl. "You don't have to be," she said, reaching down to brush the hair from her eyes. "Help me get Adora back, and the two of you can be together again."

As soon as Catra felt Shadow Weaver's hand upon her, it was her turn to smirk in victory. "I will…but first…" She sprang upwards, her claws slicing into Shadow Weaver's mask. The force of the attack threw her backwards, the remains of her mask falling down to the floor. She roared in rage, clutching her hand over her face. Readying another strike, the balance of power had shifted. "...I'll deal with you."

"You…you…" Shadow Weaver's voice quavered as she trembled with fury. "You ungrateful wretch!" She rose up in a blast of darkness, causing Catra to fall back for two reasons. The first was her magic, but the second lay in her appearance: her face had all but rotted away, looking like that of a corpse. Her eyes seemed to be red with blood, her with pupils in the shape of diamonds. She continued to roar and gnash her teeth as she hurled her shadows all over the room.

After the initial shock of the sight, Catra hid her disturbance quite well. "No wonder you wear a mask!" she said, leaping out of the way of her dark tendrils. A few that grew too close for comfort, she sliced apart with her claws. "At least now you're as twisted and rotten on the outside as you are inside!"

Gone were Shadow Weaver's strikes from the shadows, as she was now going all out to crush her adoptive daughter, all affection for her forgotten. "You can't hide from the truth! If you continue on your path, you'll end up just as ugly as me! Stand down, or it will be by my hand!" Darkness lashed all around her, turning the room into a localized hurricane. Catra was certain that the tendrils had become grasping hands, and the flashes of light were eyes gazing on their battle from afar.

"And the truth comes out!" Catra said. "For all your talk of loving us, all your talk of wanting to make us stronger, you're nothing more than a bitter old woman, blindly grasping at whatever sort of power you can find!" Using the swirling shadows to her advantage, Catra was able to close the distance between them. "You say you made me who I am, but you know what? You didn't. I did!" She launched herself at Shadow Weaver, thrusting her claws forward. They hit their mark, piercing deep into her target.

Shadow Weaver gasped and groaned, her magic slowly beginning to fade. Looking down, he found that Catra's claws extended from her chest, embedded deep within. She wasn't the only one surprised by this, as Catra herself seemed to not believe what she just did. The two sat in silence for some time, until she fell to her knees. With her dying breaths, she lifted a hand to her daughter's face. "Look at how far you've come…my Catra…"

Her arm fell to her side, and she began to dissolve. Shadow Weaver's body faded away into a cloud of black dust, blown by an unfelt wind into the air. The dust spread upward and outward, eventually fading from sight. All that was left of her was her mask, and even that, too, crumbled into the same black dust.

Catra had been sure that finally killing Shadow Weaver would have filled her with triumph. And while she was triumphant, to be sure, she also couldn't help but feel sorrow. With everything that woman had done, how could she still feel for her? But there was no easy way to forget your mother. Catra swallowed her tears–there would be time to mourn later. Preferably when she had forgotten her sympathy.

But it seemed things were not yet finished. Just as Catra was about to leave to find Adora, she noticed that the pulsing lights of this chamber had become erratic. The tubes carrying energy had begun to dissolve as well, becoming the same black dust that Shadow Weaver had. As they did, the energy began to leak out, sparking and flashing as more and more of the tubes rotted away. This was certain to have disastrous consequences for the rest of the station.

"You couldn't just die and be done, you had to get one last shot in," Catra muttered. Change of plans: Adora could wait, her new priority was getting off this station. She quickly made her way towards the nearest hangar–hopefully it, or one near it, would have a ship for her to commandeer.

Although Emily had Leech beat when it came to size, the mutant was still remarkably strong. Both of her enormous guns glowed with heat as they poured plasma into the halls, but even the shots that didn't miss had barely any effect on its thick hide. Even though close-quarters strikes with her arms fared better, Leech was far too sturdy to be put down with just a few swings.

"Adora, I just wanted to say I'm really sorry about how all of this turned out!" said Entrapta, multitasking. "I thought Modulok was my friend! I had no idea he was going to break your sword and use it to take over the universe! He tricked me! …Probably because I wanted to believe him…"

Glimmer's words had reinvigorated Adora. Even without the power of She-Ra, she fought with all the might and dexterity her Horde training had afforded her. She still didn't stand much chance of defeating Leech, but with Emily, they were able to keep him on the defensive. "Don't worry, I forgive you!" she replied, mostly because of the situation they were in, though she still didn't hold it against her. "When we get outta here, I'm sure you can more than make up for it!"

From inside her mech, Entrapta lit up. "You really think so? I'll do whatever I can to help!" She suddenly cried out at the sight of Leech's mouth clamping down on the viewscreen. Emily's arms grabbed the mutant, attempting to pry it off. "So, aside from everything, how are you?"

"Oh, y'know, hanging in there!" Adora had climbed onto Leech's back, trying to stick what remained of her sword under his mouth as a lever. "I'll tell you all about it once we're safe back on Etheria!" Leech grabbed her, and she felt her energy draining before being tossed aside.

Something similar was happening with Emily. "Uh, m-my battery reserves are declining far more rapidly than they should!" Entrapta announced. The mech's arms fell to its side as Leech deprived Emily of her power. She stumbled back and fell, unable to so much as stand anymore.

Adora knew that the mutant wouldn't just stop at Entrapta's machine. If she was going to do something, it had to be now. "For the Honor of Grayskull!" she shouted, holding the hilt aloft. The broken sword glowed silver at her declaration, but the light soon began to fade. "No, no! For the Honor of Grayskull! For the Honor of Grayskull! Please, c'mon, work! For the Honor of freakin' Grayskull!" But she just couldn't muster up the power to transform.

Leech continued to tear into Emily's fallen form, intent on reaching Entrapta. "Okay, let's review our options," she said worriedly. "Backup power has failed. Ejection seat has failed. It looks like we're dead in the water here!" The hatch at the front slowly opened, pried apart by Leech. Entrapta could only watch in horror, staring into its lifeless eyes, as Adora crawled her way over.

But just as things seemed hopeless, there was a light in the dark–almost literally. Following a cry of "There they are!" a bolt of magic streaked through the air, colliding with Leech and freeing Entrapta. Both of the fighters looked down the hallway, and it was safe to say neither expected their rescuer to be who it was.

"Scorpia!?" said Adora. The large woman sprinted down the hall, accompanied by a bearded man holding a staff. "You're alive!?"

"She's alive!" cried Entrapta, pulling herself free from Emily's wreckage. "Scorpia, it's me, Entrapta! I can't tell you how glad I am to see you again! When Catra had you sent to Beast Island, I thought I'd never see you again, and I…probably should have said something, but…" She trailed off, overcome with guilt.

For her part, Scorpia held nothing against her. "I missed you too! But what do you say we save the reunion for after we beat this guy?" Leech was back on his feet, staring down the four. It let out a hiss and charged, grappling with Scorpia.

Micah helped Adora up, getting her to safety. "You must be Adora," he said. "Scorpia's told me a lot about you. And let me just say, thank you for being such a friend to my little girl."

"Uh, don't mention it," she replied. She had no idea who he was talking about. "Wait, you're not Catra's dad, are you? 'Cause that would be…wait…King Micah!?" Looking closer, she saw the resemblance between him and Glimmer. "You're not dead?"

He grinned. "Reports of my death were greatly falsified." Using his magic, he pried open Emily's doors, allowing Entrapta to escape. "You can thank Modulok for that."

The mention of Modulok snapped Adora out of her shock. "Modulok! He's on his way back to Etheria–he'll probably already be there by now! We have to head back to stop him!"

Scorpia was then violently hurled into Emily, who Entrapta had thankfully departed. "Okay…this guy is one tough…bug? Fish? What is he supposed to be, anyway?" Leech leapt at her again, though she rolled aside. It landed on Emily, who gave an indignant chirp.

"Don't worry, girl, I'll fix you up!" Entrapta assured her. "Scorpia, look out!"

Leech had torn off one of Emily's guns, before hurling it at Scorpia. She blocked it with her claws, though the impact was still enough to send her skidding against the wall. "You two get to safety–we'll handle him!" said Micah, readying his staff.

Adora didn't exactly like the idea of letting them fight it alone, but without her sword, she was better suited to getting Entrapta out of harm's way. "Got it!" The two ducked into a nearby room, watching the battle from relative safety.

Casting a series of spells, Micah summoned a flurry of chains that shot up from the floor. These chains wrapped around Leech, binding it in place. "Now, it's all you!"

In response to this, Scorpia began to channel her energy. Shadows from within the hallway surged into her, and began to coat her form. She grew bigger, filling out as multiple legs appeared at her side. Red armor covered her body, and her transformation into a giant scorpion was complete.

Both Entrapta and Adora were shocked. "Did…did you know she could do that?" Adora asked. But Entrapta was too stunned to reply.

With one of her massive claws, Scorpia grabbed Leech and slammed it against the wall in one swift motion. This was not enough to defeat the mutant, however, as it began prying her claw open to escape. She repeatedly bashed it into the wall again and again, but it soon was free of her grip. It ran down the length of her body, leaping over her tail towards Micah.

"Micah, watch out!" Adora shouted. She ran out to help him, despite having no weapon. Micah shot a magic projectile at the incoming beast, but it had no effect–it was almost as though Leech had absorbed it. It grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air. "Let him go!" Adora struck it with what remained of her sword, but she too found herself being lifted by the neck. Both of them were slowly drained of their will to struggle as Leech siphoned their energy.

Before it could hiss in triumph, Scorpia's stinger pierced it from behind. It dropped the two to the ground as it screeched in pain, feeling the venom pumping through it. But despite the wound, it managed to reach back and remove the stinger, turning around to face Scorpia. Before she could strike again, it darted past her claws and latched its mouth onto her head.

Scorpia raised her tail to strike again, only for it to suddenly feel much heavier. In fact, even just holding herself up was becoming difficult. As her energy continued to be drained, she collapsed to the floor, her new form evaporating. She couldn't even hold herself up, and Leech still continued to drain her. "Stop it…get off…" she said, barely audible.

Just as it seemed she was about to black out, Leech was hit from behind by a blast of plasma. Entrapta had managed to fire off one of Emily's guns, distracting it from Scorpia just in time. But she only had one shot in her–the mech was all but spent. Leech hissed angrily, but knew she was not a threat, turning back to its current prey.

In that short moment, with Leech distracted, Scorpia gathered up all her remaining strength, lifting her tail into the air. She waited, holding for just the right moment. And then, when Leech turned back around, and she saw into its spiral of teeth, she struck with everything she had.

Leech had opened wide to drain what little remained of Scorpia's energy, only to get a stinger shot into its maw. The pointed tip emerged from the back of its neck, having pierced straight through. The pair were still for a moment, before Leech shuddered, and finally fell to the ground. Scorpia simply lay back, recuperating now that the danger had passed.

But while this danger had passed, the crisis was far from over. Adora and Micah slowly worked up the strength to stand, while Entrapta ran over to Scorpia. "You did it! You save us all!" She leapt down to hug her, both with her arms and her pigtails. "And you turned into a giant scorpion! How did you do that!?"

"Well, I am a princess," she said, getting to her feet. "It just took a little longer for me to connect with my Runestone."

"While I wish this was the time for celebration, Modulok is still out there," said Micah. "Whatever he's planning, I have a feeling it's finally coming to fruition."

"He's after the Heart of Etheria," Adora said. "Apparently, it's some kind of ancient First Ones weapon that only She-Ra can access. I don't know exactly what he wants it for, but when has a bad guy wanting a superweapon ever turned out well?"

Scorpia pounded her claws together. "Well then, let's go put a stop to his plan! With the four of us together, we're practically unstoppa–"

The entire station shook, trembling like an earthquake. "Uh, I'm no space expert, but that didn't sound good," Adora said. "We should get going, right Entrapta? …Entrapta?"

The scientist looked quite worried after that tremor. "Did you all feel that?" she asked.

"...How couldn't we?" said Micah.

"No, I mean, feel how the artificial gravity shifted! Whatever caused that quake, it shifted us on our axis, and now we're on a decaying orbit!"

"And…what does that mean?" Scorpia asked, even though she had a sneaking suspicion she already knew.

Entrapta wore a grave expression. "It means we have to leave. Now."

The Citadel was an imposing sight, even for Gems who were used to towering constructions. It was by and large the biggest structure on all of Etheria, despite having no visible means of entry. Gems of all sorts scoured the exterior, searching for a way to gain access, but so far they had little luck.

Demantoid oversaw the project, staring intently at a holographic model of the Citadel. She didn't notice Hessonite trying to get her attention, only looking away when the latter turned off the display. "Is this important? I believe we were making real progress," she said.

"That was Glimmer," Hessonite said. "Emerald's begun her attack on Brightmoon. We'll have to move fast if we want any chance of stopping her. Please tell me you're close to reaching the Heart."

"While we are no closer to reaching the Heart of Etheria than when we started, we have made significant progress concerning opening the Citadel." Hessonite was unimpressed. "I have managed to isolate several doors, however the issue lies in getting them to open. We will need to connect with the structure directly, which will require a device compatible with both Gem and First Ones technology that does not currently exist. Give me five minutes."

Hessonite hid her concern. She trusted Demantoid, but now was not the time to show off. "Five minutes may very well be all we have," she said. "Hurry. The longer we wait, the more time Emerald has to–" She suddenly froze. Silently creeping closer to the Citadel, she summoned her weapon. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Demantoid, raising an eyebrow. "It is silent. There is nobody…here…" She realized the problem.

The two of them looked around. A moment ago, there had been dozens of Gems hard at work all around them. But now, it seemed like it was only them. "Stay alert," Hessonite said, readying her saber to strike. "Whatever did this had the element of surprise–keyword being 'had.'"

A rustle in some nearby bushes put the pair on high alert. Demantoid's mechanical arms began to whir and hum as they prepared to fire at the unknown interloper. Hessonite slowly crept over, reaching out to pull the underbrush aside, her sword in place to strike. With one swift motion, she cleared it away…and there was nothing.

"Clearly, we are being toyed with," Demantoid said. "I suggest we call for backup before we–"

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence, as a figure leapt onto her from behind, perching on her mechanical body and driving a blade through her chest. A snakekin with orange scales, the blade extended from his left arm, which was mechanical. Demantoid's body disappeared, leaving her gemstone and suit to fall to the ground, where the snakekin faced towards Hessonite. He sneered, waving this blade tauntingly. "That's, what, eight or nine for me? How 'bout we make it one more?"

His victory was short-lived, as faster than he could blink, Hessonite rushed from her position to his, her saber pressed against his throat. "That's all the Gems you'll take today." He tried to counter with his armblade, but she grabbed it by the wrist with her free hand, pressing it against a nearby tree. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just some passing ne'er-do-well," he said, smirking. "Saw you all had such pretty jewelry and thought I'd help myself. Say…that'd look nice on a brooch. What's your price?" He eyed her gemstone with a glint in his eye.

She was not amused, pushing her sword closer to his neck. "No mere bandit can do all of this. I ask again: why are you here?"

"Hessonite?" The Garnet turned around to see, to her great surprise, Pyrope strolling towards her. "Oh, am I glad to see you! I tried to get in touch with you when Emerald showed up, but her ship almost crashed right into ours! I had to land quickly, or I would've ended up as space dust on her windshield! …Who's this? Where's Demantoid?"

Although rather confused by Pyrope's sudden, unannounced arrival, Hessonite had other things to worry about. "That's what I'm trying to find out." She turned back to her would-be assassin. "Answer me this, how does a single bandit destabilize an entire company of Gems alone, without being detected.

The snakekin grinned. "Who said I was alone?"

Hessonite cried out as the Gem destabilizer was pressed into her back, sending shocks coursing through her physical form. She vanished in a cloud of dust; Pyrope, who held the destabilizer, watched her gem fall with a wicked expression. "And that wasn't even my best performance!" she said, her eyes turning red.

"That it weren't," said the snake, picking up her gem to examine it. After some consideration, he chucked it over his shoulder. "Though I can't say Pyrope was yer best choice…"

Double Trouble scoffed, having taken on their true appearance. "I wouldn't expect a ruffian like you to understand the intricacies of subtle manipulation. In any case, we've successfully cleared out the camp. I believe I was responsible for twelve in total?"

"Eleven and a half," he muttered. "I held her in place for ya!"

The sound of clapping from the side drew both their attention. "Yes, yes, you both performed very well," said Modulok, stepping out of the forest. Mantenna crept along beside him, eyes darting all over. "But there is no time to celebrate this small victory. We must press onward, as our goal is within our reach. The time has come to activate the Heart of Etheria."

The orange snake-man stepped forward, intentionally getting in front of Double Trouble. "Can't wait! I'm excited to see the look on those Gems' faces when they–"

"Just a moment, Jerrick," Modulok said, holding up a hand. "Unfortunately, you will not be here to witness our triumph. I have an important assignment for you instead."

Though visibly disappointed, Jerrick awaited orders. "Whatever you need, Master Modulok, I'll provide." Modulok approached and bequeathed him with a small pouch, filled with black dust. The significance of this gift was immediately known to him, as worry crossed his face. "M-Master…?"

"I trust you know where to bring this," said Modulok. "Merely a precaution. A failsafe, in the event that She-Ra should return. Go now, Jerrick–our destiny grows closer by the second."

As Jerrick dutifully headed away, the three remaining stood before the Citadel, none of them phased by its magnificence. "So, stupid question, but are you sure this will work?" asked Double Trouble.

Modulok only laughed. "I would not base our future on a gamble." He held up the Runestone he had retrieved from the Sword of Protection to the building. It began to glow, humming as a red light illuminated the formations carved into the Citadel's side. These grooves began to light up as well, and a chime sounded.

"System restored," said a voice that had not spoken in some time. "Note: data corruption detected. Maintenance procedures underway. Expected time to completion: five hours."

"Delay maintenance procedures," Modulok said. "Open access shaft to the Heart of Etheria. Activation code: Eternia."

After a moment of processing this, Light Hope spoke again. "Administrator detected: Galen Nycroft. Opening access shaft." Red light spread in an arc over the section of the wall that lit up, lowering to reveal a tunnel into the Citadel. "Please, watch your step."

Modulok led Double Trouble into the small chamber that had opened up. The door closed behind them, and with frightening speed, the floor began to descend. "So, about that failsafe of yours," Double Trouble said. "You really think we'll need it?"

"That, I cannot say," Modulok replied. "What I am certain of is that the princesses will no doubt try to stop us. All we can do…is ready ourselves for the final confrontation."