A bit of tenderness
She was present on main plaza, when Lonnie swore her not-so-temporary wards as friends of the Rebellion, a military formation specially invented for them. She had to admit that Comrade General showed exceptional composure, because Bina's wards were not used to official ceremonies. Alatar was constantly looking into the Datapad, Lilka was fidgeting and looking around. Eti stared at Lonnie with her head tilted to the side, like a cat curious about a small defenseless animal, of course, only when she wasn't translating to Rosie what the Comrade General was saying. The glasses that allowed the deaf girl to understand what others were saying to her still hadn't been repaired. Now she stood with her head down, scared and lost. The perpetrator of the whole situation, Itel, stood to the side sullenly, not very good at hiding her guilt and anger. These were the children she had been entrusted with, and now she had to take care of them, even though Crawling Chaos himself knew he was not fit for it. If it weren't for the Lord Admiral, cursed by devils and demons, she would have liked to have sent them back to Brightmoon, where they would have been better taken care of, although the wild beasts would probably have taken care of them better than she ... What she wouldn't give to be able to drink something stronger.
„Okay, that's all from me for now. Any questions?" Lonnie turned to her new rebels and was very surprised when all five of them raised their hands .
„Can I see your computer servers? And in general, you have a terribly cumbersome interface on your computers. Has anyone here ever heard of computer mice and ergonomic keyboards? – Alatar asked
„I really need pumpkin spice for real orc pumpkin pie... and chocolate! And some popcorn ! And corn too! Because the Bone Festival is approaching! The coolest festival! Orcish one!" Lilka said, jumping up after saying each sentence.
„When will we finally start doing something instead of talking pointless, meaningless shit?!" Itel asked in a sharp voice.
„I don't have any questions, but Rosie has two. When will you fix her glasses and gloves so she can talk to us again, and when will I get the tank?"
Lonnie stared at them silently, only the twitching of her eyelid giving away her annoyance. She took a deep breath and answered the kids in the order they asked their questions.
„We have the computers we have, you have to deal with it. The spice is in the third warehouse on the northern ledge, ask the quartermaster about the rest. You don't decide when and what we will do, you just listen to orders. We're working on fixing them, and you'll get the tank over my dead body."
Everyone, more or less satisfied, dispersed, except for Eti, who looked at the Companion General for a moment before she spoke.
„So it was a figure of speech, not a proposal? Ok, but think about it, I'm sure i'm a great tank driver.„ the cat girl said, but Lonnie gave her a dark look, so she waved her hand and said. "Okay, I'm going with Sparklepaw to look for Blonde boy, I'm sure he misses us." Eti and the white-haired girl went along.
Lonnie was about to head back to her quarters, but then she spoke
„You did it well, Lonnie." she said, coming closer, but Comrade General gave her a suspicious look.
„ What do you want? I know you're not saying this out of the goodness of your heart... „ she growled sharply.
„It's just a statement of fact." she tried to keep her voice impassive, even though she knew that her former protégé was right, at least partially.
„All these years you spoke kind words Only to Adora, and even then only when she was polite and obedient, so leave the flattery... „ Lonnie spoke angrily and then smiled, causing the scar on her face to twist nastily. "Were you this nice towards Glimmer too? I heard you taught her sorcery..."
She nodded and said in a thoughtful voice.
„Glimmer was an extremely bright student, perhaps the brightest I ever had, even surpassing her father..."
Lonnie let out a short laugh.
„If one of us showed such talent... Tell me, would you get rid of him yourself or organize an accident?" she asked, walking up to her and looking her straight in the eye.
„I don't know, honestly. Hordak hated magic, even mine, but I doubt he would let me condemn someone just for being talented, if not out of compassion then to annoy me and provide me competitor. Fortunately, we will never have to find out." she said, and then Grizoll approached them . His species in the Galaxy was known as Bugbears and had a disreputable reputation. She didn't know much about his kin on Etheria, the former Force Captain was the only one of his species she'd ever met and their relationship wasn't very good, though she couldn't actually recall having a good relationship with anyone since leaving Mystacor. Not as a Shadow Weaver.
Grizoll spoke to Lonnie in a low voice for a moment, and then the Comrade General looked at her and smiled again and said.
„But I guess you'll be able to see what you would do if one of us started using sorcery... Do you remember Scarlet?"
She barely remembered Scarlet. The red-haired cadet stood out mainly because she was almost inconspicuous. Now she understood why. The only sorceress of the Rebellion was waiting for them near the castle entrance gate, next to the car repair shop. Eti was talking to her, and Rosie was standing next to cat-girl, looking at everyone with a slightly frightened look. Since fight with Itel, the deaf girl had been withdrawn and lethargic, not least because of her inability to communicate with others, not including Eti. What happened there was unbelievable and she had no idea what it could mean. The girl had already shown amazing abilities, especially for a intern, but the Galaxy was full of wonders. She saw many completely unknown kinds of power, Solarians drawing power from photons and gravity created energy weapons and armor, Vangards using the power of Entropy protected and destroyed, and Evolutionists constantly mutated their bodies. The fact that the girl was able to lift the truck was amazing, but what happened to her magic... Rosie not only resisted her spell, but actually began to drain her power, like a leech devouring her, perhaps even would have consumed her if it weren't for withdrew its power. Now she had to wonder who... or what the deaf girl was. Rosie herself had no idea who she was and stayed close only to Eti...
The mystery of the cat girl... both cat girls was explained... At least to a large extent, because she had the feeling that there was something else hidden in the whole story, the last piece of the puzzle... But she didn't even know which way to look to find it... But at least Eti was safe, but Catra... What plans could her father have for her? And also towards Adora and the rest? What could he be planning? She knew she had to find out and warn both girls about him in some way. That's why she needed Lonnie's help...
It's just that there was a certain Risk involved in being here. Almost all members of the People's Rebellion knew her and knew what she was capable of. Many were former cadets and saw with their own eyes how he treated Catra and hers other students. How will Eti react when she finds out how she hurt her sister? The scout herself suffered a lot and it is doubtful whether she would forgive her. And it was only a matter of time until he found out the truth. She liked to pick on the cadets, especially Kyl-, who knew her well... It was good that the blond-haired boy didn't hide any secrets. He had some ridiculous sword on his belt, from what she had heard, it was a treasure he had picked up on his last expedition, kids like him often got attached to worthless things, and he was in a relationship with Lonnie and Rogelio, but apart from that he was just Kyle .
„Good afternoon, Scarlet." she said, trying to sound as neutral as possible. The Sorceress turned to her abruptly and said.
„ Good afternoon Shadow Weaver... I'm so glad to see you safe and sound." although her voice was calm, she could feel the tension in her, which was understandable, although she had the impression that there was something incongruent with the whole situation, but she couldn't say what.
„I'm glad to see you too. And congratulations on discovering a new talent, one of the many advantages of my absence on Etheria." she said, trying to smile in a friendly way, but she could feel that Lonnie and Kyle were watching her with great tension, as if they expected that tentacles of darkness would soon rush towards the young sorceress to choke the life out of her. This would have been unlikely even in the old days, she knew much more subtle ways to eliminate those who stood in her way, but the fears were fully justified. There was a very awkward silence, which was broken only by Eti.
„Apart from Grimmy, we also have another spellcaster . Her name is Ireanis, and unlike your former boss, she can be really dangerous." when she said this, she also translated her words into sign language. Scarlet looked at the cat-like girl again, and her face showed surprise combined with disbelief, a very common reaction to Eti's words...
„So there are more of you? – Never mind... I bring very important information, although from what she has heard, some of it is known to you, but probably not all of it. There are still a few important things we need to discuss." said the younger sorceress, turning to them. She nodded, but said.
„Agreed, but I'll solve one problem first... „ she said and saw that Lonnie and Kyle looked at her worriedly, apparently thinking of another way of solving problems. Well, what he is about to do will also cause others pain, although of a different kind than they expected.
Itel stood with her back against the wall and stared at her blade, which she summoned and unsummoned mechanically. She tried not to think about what she had done. Or what Eti said. But it was impossible. Eti's words kept ringing in her ears. " but nothing more ". They resonated in her soul, tugging at it and tearing it to shreds. She hadn't realized before how much she loved the cat girl. That love, never spoken aloud, but she could always hold on to. It was a support, an anchor that helped her control her anger. The same anger that caused her to lose her. She was furious with that deaf girl. For lying to them. She knew from the beginning who they all worked for. She may have been unaware, but if they had known the Lord Admiral was coming here then... It wouldn't have changed anything. She persuaded everyone into this expedition to find a cure for Captain Blazebringer. It is more important than anything in the world... More important than even than... than love for Eti? She rubbed her temples. Wasn't it possible to have the one you love and get revenge at the same time? "You can't have another person's love, you can only receive it." She remembered a quote from some idiotic book of Alatar. She wanted to cry and scream like a little child, but she couldn't. She hadn't been able to since Kesler's destruction .
„I think we should talk.„ she heard the voice of Miss Daisy, or rather Shadow Weaver. She immediately pulled herself together. He won't show weakness in front of that bitch.
"I have nothing to tell you!" she shouted to a woman who emerged from the shadows between the buildings. The dark sorceress looked at her with a serious face. She felt as if those strange yellow eyes were looking deep into her soul. She shuddered. She hasn't worn a holographic mask since they arrived here. Everyone in the rebellion feared her, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to look at her as a useless old woman
„Unfortunately, I think we need to discuss recent events, although I'm probably not the best person to do so." she sighed and continued. "But there's probably no one else here with enough experience."
Itel let out a broken laugh.
„Don't try to play the caring nanny here! I have eyes and ears. I see how they look at you and hear what they say about you."
Shadow Weaver smiled grimly.
„ Indeed, my past has caught up with me here and I will have to face it, but it does not concern you." the Dark Mystic was saying, but Itel interrupted her.
„We are here among your former wards, so I guess it concerns us." she approached the gloomy elf so that she could look her straight in the eye. "And Eti? What do you want from her! I know how badly you treated her sister! Do you think that if you are nice to her, you will redeem yourself? "Bullshit," she smiled contemptuously, but then stepped back as the shadows lengthened and darkness swirled around her. Several former cadets looked their way. They seemed scared. Maybe she overdid it this time... But she won't humble herself... She won't apologize.
„I didn't treat her badly, I just tried to turn her life into a nightmare. You don't know how many nights she cried... How many times she screamed in pain when I punished her for the slightest insubordination, or simply when I was in a worse mood. And the worst thing was that she wanted my love all this time, almost until the very end. I raised Adora with the belief that she deserves love only if she gives everything she has, including her life. I was no better to Lonnie, Kyle and the rest, and that's just small part of the evil I did. There is no redemption for me, I know it well... I can only avoid making the mistakes of the past... and prevent others from following this path." Shadow Weaver sighed deeply and withdrew the darkness she had summoned. "I know what love is... And I lost it, irrevocably and forever... But you don't have to lose it. There are different types of love. Maybe you won't get the one you want, but you can replace it with something else... Some say that friendship is a much deeper and nobler feeling... Perhaps you will also manage to meet someone who will love you back. Life sometimes disappoints us, but it also surprises us positively." said the Dark Sorceress and left her alone with her pain and sadness. Itel sighed heavily and left as well. She had to find Eti and Rosie and do the last thing left to her.
Rosie stared at Kyle explaining to Eti what life was like in the Rebellion, or at least that's what she thought, because despite Eti's efforts, the cat-girl was unable to translate everything what the blond-haired boy was saying. She felt as if she had gone back to the very beginning, to the moment when she was found by the research ship. Back then she didn't have glasses or gloves for a while and had no idea what others were saying to her... No, it was much worse now. She was already used to this equipment and now she felt completely helpless. She had to wait for it to be fixed, but at the same time she was very afraid of it. What others will say about her. She saw fear and distrust in the eyes of the others, except for Eti and, surprisingly, Kyle, though in the latter case she didn't understand why. This fear was fully justified. She finally did something terrible, she almost killed her friend, if it weren't for Eti, she would have succeeded. And the worst thing was that she didn't remember anything. It had happened to her twice before. Once during training with Lady Cala, and the second time when Captain Moonshadow attacked Adora, but in this cease she didn't hurt anyone. It definitely had to do with her extraordinary fighting skills. She had always enjoyed them so far. She had found them useful many times during this expedition, using them to defend herself and her friends, but now she suspected that they had the same source as the power that filled her when she fell into a trance. She could never afford it again, now she was even afraid to train with Eti that she would hurt her.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around abruptly, instinctively taking a fighting stance, but she immediately relaxed and lowered her head when she saw that Itel was standing in front of her. She felt ashamed. At first she hid the truth from them, maybe she didn't know that it was so terrible and that the Lord Admiral was the father of Eti and that Catra, that he was someone evil. And then she tried to kill her ... if she hadn't been stopped... Then Eti said something that hurt the elven warrior greatly. I guess she knew what she meant. That they, Eti and Itel will no longer be together. It was probably her fault too... Now the Solarian was trying to talk to her, she seemed sad instead of angry as she should have been. For a moment she didn't know what to do, and then she threw her arms around the elf's neck and burst into tears. She tried to apologize, but it was difficult to speak sign language when hugging someone. Itel also started crying and hugged back. After a while, Eti approached them. A tear rolled down the cat"like girl's face.
„Whose side is this Lady Cala on?" she asked the Dark Sorceress. Shadow Weaver and Scarlet were in her quarters, a rather modest room furnished only with a table with maps and a few chairs. She was apprehensive about their meeting, she knew her former lead officer well enough to guess that she wouldn't take kindly to the presence of the competitor, but it was surprisingly calm, perhaps even too calm. She didn't fully trust Scarlet, but she didn't trust Shadow Weaver at all.
„Lady Cala and I share a common mission and I believe... No, I am sure that I can count on her in this respect, but I cannot guarantee that she will support your cause, even I cannot force her to do anything."
She smiled, crookedly, at her former superior.
„It's surprising, you never had a problem with forcing others to your will... „ She felt more and more confident in her presence. Is it she who has lost her old fear or is it the Dark Sorceress who has changed
„Apart from Adora and Catra... Doesn't that mean that they were my best students?" Shadow Weaver said, looking at her with a hint of amusement. Scarlet rolled over.
„Maybe instead of making fun of each other, we can start discussing serious matters, Shadow Weaver, what exactly did you come here for?"
„To find out the location of Eternia ... What I do with this knowledge is my business, but all, or almost all, Artifacts of the First Ones will be yours. Even if you simply want to sell them all, you will get such a price on Abbalon that you will be able to finance your rebellion for years, or even better, buy the entire planet for Your. explained the Dark Sorceress.
„I'm not going to leave Etheri." she snapped back sharply, such a possibility had never even crossed her mind.
„So what are you going to do?" Hordak's former righthand man asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice. She hesitated before answering.
„For now, we intend to attack during the Victory Day celebrations. We'll hack into Brightmoon's database , make some noise, declare a Great People's Rebellion, and kidnap Entrapta .
Shadow Weaver nodded at the first points, but her eyes widened at the last one.
„Why do you want to kidnap Entrapta ?!" the Dark Sorcerer exclaimed in surprise. She thought about her answer for a moment.
„We found an ancient First One warship. We need Entrapta to repair it."
Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes.
„ Is this your new allies' idea? Listen Lonnie, creatures like Mi"Go are not the least bit trustworthy. – Hordak's former Right Hand was saying , but he didn't let her finish.
„I've been listening to you all my life! Enough of this! You are no more trustworthy than Mi-go! Now go out and inform your new charges about what I have decided because I expect them to help me in this entire mission. March back." she ordered, aware that she was trying to convince herself.
Nightgale didn't like Lonnie's Plan much, so she would have to think about how to help her perfect it, though for now she had other things on her mind. She had to do something she had been preparing for and dreaming about all her life. This was something she was so afraid of. But she had to do it.
„Shadow Weaver, I need to show you something... Follow me „ she said, trying to sound as natural as possible."
The Dark Sorceress looked at her in surprise and nodded. Aaravos hovered next to her, watching her curiously but saying nothing. They went deeper into the castle, wandering through countless corridors, she had the impression that she passed the same chambers several times, although she couldn't be sure because she didn't know the purpose of most of them. Sometimes she was sure that the layout of the castle changed every time she walked through it.
„This place is like Entrapta's mind ." Shadow Weaver muttered. She nodded. They finally reached their destination, although she wasn't heading to a specific part of the castle, but simply wanted to get as far away from prying eyes and ears as possible. She started taking off her clothes.
„What are you doing?" asked the Dark Sorceress.
„Not what she thought." she replied and unraveled the spell. Pain beyond all imagination shook her body, and then she took a deep breath, feeling the strength of her real body. She turned to her mother.
„Who are you?" Shadow Weaver asked with surprise, although he didn't hear the disgust in her voice, it was a good start.
„Scarlet called me Nightgale, a twist on the word nightingale. She never had any magical talents, but she had a good heart. She took care of an unfortunate creature wandering alone underground in the Fright Zone, which was created and then rejected by Hordak, who wanted to create a new Right Hand, using his and his former long-time Second in Command's genes." she said, staring at her mother's disfigured face, which showed shock and disbelief. Absolutely understandable reactions. She waited a long time to see what would happen next. Will she face rejection or acceptance? Her heart was beating, her muscular body was covered with sweat. But then the Dark Sorceress, the one who had destroyed so many lives, smiled sadly and extended her clawed hand to her.
„ Good evening Nightgale, nice to meet you, my daughter."
And then Nightgale ran up to her and hugged the Dark Sorcerer, finally she wasn't alone,