Between death and dream

She adjusted her head, which was resting on her wife's muscular shoulder. She must have been asleep for some time without even realizing it. The events of last night were terrible. She was so close to death, although that wasn't what really scared her, it was the creature they faced. This creature was the embodiment of horror, a denial of everything beautiful, a perversion of the laws of nature... It was so close that... she didn't know what exactly threatened them ... but it was definitely something terrible. However, they will be able to work through it, they just need a little time and love, and there was plenty of the latter. Others had it much worse…

It turned out that there was another monster hiding in Brightmoon Castle, much more insidious than what they were fighting. She remembered what a shock it was for her when it turned out that Flutterina was actually Double Trouble. Only the shapeshifting spy was actually quite a nice person, wonderfully parodying them all, and Lady Cala was... Something else... She wanted to murder, first Adora, and then the children of Spinerella and Netossa. What did they do to her? She could see the cold evil in her eyes as she looked at them as if they were something nasty stuck to her shoe... And that smile... As if all the pain she was about to cause made her happy. There was something so monstrous about her that even Horde Prime seemed less inhuman, more understandable compared to that creature

Additionally, Catra captured Shadow Weaver, the woman who contributed to the death of her wife's mothers. In fact, unlike the others, she didn't feel such dislike towards her. She felt great suffering and anger in that bitter woman, somewhat similar to what she saw in Catra, only with a different shade, and she also had a knack for plants, although her style of gardening was not to her taste. She didn't know what the Grand Marshal was going to do with her, but nothing good would come of it, especially since Entrapta and the Empress had been kidnapped. The Inventor Princess was sometimes very overwhelming, but she was actually very likable. Scorpia often visited her and had to admit that the inventor could be very Empathetic, as a wedding gift she gave her a self-heating meditation mat, a very practical invention. She and Scorpia would take part in freeing her, she just hoped that Lonnie wouldn't hurt her. After all, she was Catra's friend and they served in the Horde together for a while...

However, it was Frosta who suffered the greatest harm... She was hit by a spell and has been in a coma since yesterday. For now, her condition was stable... But it was unknown when she would wake up, or even if it would happen at all. They could only wait to see what fate would bring. Therefore, he and his wife decided that they would take the first shift to watch over the ice princess. They were tired anyway, so they wouldn't be of much help during the meeting. Next to the girl was also this strange creature from ancient city, which wrapped itself around her as if it were a blanket... He must have loved his companion very much...

Finally, sleep fell upon them, although it was not very deep. She didn't have any dreams, which made her incredibly happy, because what they could bring now wouldn't be nice. While she was half asleep, resting her head on her wife's shoulder, she felt a warm, gentle voice in her head.

„I hope I will be able to help this child somehow."

She opened her half-conscious eyes and saw a tall Insectoid in an emerald robe. The creature looked familiar.

„Hylax ?„ she asked sleepily, and then she felt warm, joyful laughter in her head.

„Oh, that's definitely an exaggeration! I am only a relatively humble servant of the forever queen, although she is often portrayed as one of my species. You probably saw her image somewhere, that's why you are confused."

„I had a dream once... And you are Shirren ! Just like Ashurk!"she exclaimed, now fully awake.

The insectoid nodded.

„Yes, this is my granddaughter. Her parents asked me to keep an eye on her, but as you've noticed, she's quite... independent and I'm unlikely to protect her from anything she gets herself into." said the Insectoid in her head. That's when Scorpia woke up. She looked around confused for a moment, and when she saw their new guest, she jumped to her feet, almost saluting. She hadn't given up her soldierly habits, but she loved her for such quirks.

„Oh, I think I fell asleep a bit... Hello... you... uh." said the former force captain. Shirren laughed amiably again in their minds, making Scorpia flinch slightly.

„I'm Reverend Zimach, he, him, if you're interested. I am a priest of Hylax , the Forever Queen, goddess of friendship and community. I accompany the Fleet, serving with my mystic skills and preaching the glory of living in serene harmony with our fellow people, but I have decided that I will remain on Etheria to explore this planet and meet its inhabitants, and, If they are interested, to impart the teachings of Hylax to them.„ his tone echoing in her head was gentle and cheerful. There was something very nice about this person, she liked him immediately, he didn't irritate her like his granddaughter, although she probably irritated everyone except Entrapta , but she could be just as intense.

„Oh, you're one of those priests they have on Ikarus and Eridani... There aren't many of your kind here... Maybe apart from the Isles of Sorrow or the Singing Jungle... But I believe that the people of Etheria will welcome you warmly and you'll definitely find one here those who will listen to your mistress's teachings." she said, smiling friendly. Zimach nodded and spoke into their thoughts.

„Yes, it's a strange place because of its approach to matters of Faith, but in a sense that's why it's so fascinating. I think that we priests can learn a lot from people raised outside our influence. Perhaps this will help us serve both the gods and our faithful better." Said priest.

„Yeah, I know a lot about service, orders and things like that, and honestly, it's probably better not to speak about it to some people... And this speaking in someone's head may not really appeal to people who were, you know... Under the influence of Horde Prime?" said her wife in a very careful tone. Now she understood how unpleasant it must be for her to hear someone's voice in her head. It reminded her too much of when she was chipped and became part of Horde Prime's hivemind.

„Yes, I understand what you mean.„ This time she felt great sadness in the priest's mental voice. "What Horde Prime did to all of you is an unforgivable act, even dark gods like Asmodeus and Zon-Kuthon would not do such a thing. I must admit that Hylax is also the goddess of collective consciousness, but not one that enslaves and exclude individuality, but allows for the common sharing of emotions and exchange of experiences. It is especially important for me as a priest of the Forever Queen to change the perception of the shared consciousness as something evil and vile... Yes, the mad tyrant has made the work of my brothers and sisters on this planet much more difficult than anywhere else... But in my old age I have become terribly grumpy. I didn't come here to complain about the path I've chosen in life or to talk in vain. I learned that one of the princesses, a girl named Frosta, had fallen victim to Dark Magic and I would like to use my skills as a healer to help her." He finally finished his overly long speech, which echoed in their heads, making her feel like she walked out of the loud concert and into a quiet forest clearing.

„Adora has already used She" Ra's power to heal her, and we also have doctors and healers here." said Scorpa, looking a bit distrustfully at the priest, who waved his antennae vigorously and said.

„I don't doubt She-Ra's power or the competence of your doctors and healers, but I have some knowledge that you couldn't know...„ he thought for a moment before adding „I served in the army of the Lord Admiral for some time, but not only that. In the fight against the Swarm, Lady Sorrowflame , and not only her, used dark magic to gain an advantage over this terrible enemy. I understand that sometimes greater necessity forces us to resort to means that are morally questionable, but sometimes it is easy to cross the line... I have seen many soldiers who were struck by death magic and fiendish powers when they found themselves in the crossfire... I had to learn how to help them … Moreover, our lady gave us the power to contact those trapped in a black sleep caused by the powers of darkness."

She shuddered when Zimach mentioned Lady Sorrowflame. This creature made her heart grip with terror. She could imagine that many innocents had crossed her path and suffered a fate similar to those of the unfortunate guards. They exchanged uncertain glances. After a few moments, they nodded together.

„I guess we can try." she said, and the three of them approached the girl's bed. She stayed with Zimach, and she sent Scorpia to inform the head of the hospital about what they were going to do. Frosta was pale, and when she touched her hand, it was cold. However, she could feel a pulse, although it was very faint, and the girl's chest was moving, albeit slightly. Frosta was changed into hospital pajamas, Shogi flattened herself and wrapped herself around her like a blanket. As they approached him, he looked at them with his many eyes.

„Don't worry, we're here to help your lady." she said to the Ice Princess's friend, not sure if he understood her. Apparently so, because she saw concern and an unspoken request in his eyes.

„Such friendship with Shogoth... Amazing!" the priest echoed in her head, and then he placed his chitinous hands on the girl. After a moment, his jaws chirped.

„Not good... The spell sent her to the Dreamlands, and that in itself is extremely dangerous, but I feel that some other, dark force is reaching for her... I guess no one here has heard of Charon, the rider of Death." Shirren could hear fear in her voice .

„No... But is there anything you can do to help her?" She asked, also scared.

„Maybe... But you'll have to help me." said the priest.

„I? Help?" she was completely surprised that Zimach was turning to her for help.

„Yes... We have a lot in common. You are marked by Hylax ... I will explain what that means later, for now do as I tell you."

She felt as if she had been wandering these halls for days, maybe much longer... perhaps even her whole life. She had trouble remembering her name... who she was... where she came from. It was as if the past was hidden in a thick fog that could not be penetrated. Maybe if she tried a little harder...

Music brought her back to consciousness. Suddenly she heard someone playing the violin. The music wasn't pretty or pleasant, it was downright irritating and even painful, but it was thanks to it that she regained consciousness. She tripped and almost fell. She blinked and looked around. She was in a wide semicircular corridor covered with strange, incredibly complex patterns. The stone it was made of seemed strangely organic and a bit slippery. The corridor in front of her curved sideways and climbed slightly upwards. Strange multi-colored balls were embedded in its walls, glowing brightly. She had the impression that they were looking at her with curiosity. She shivered, but then she felt a tickle on her cheek and heard a bird chirping. She looked back and saw a reddish-brown cloud with many eyes floating next to her.

„Shogi!" she exclaimed with joy at the sight of her shapeshifting friend. Now that she wasn't alone in this strange place, nothing was scary for her!

„Let's go! I don't know where we are, but it's definitely Shadow Weaver's doing!" she exclaimed, because memories were just starting to come back to her. The dark sorceress hit her with a bolt of black power with which she wanted to hit the Entrapta. She must have been sent to some distant place, perhaps to some new headquarters of hers, some Scare Zone, where she was to be imprisoned... Well, if it was a prison, it was a surprisingly poorly guarded one. She shrugged, because it actually suited her, and moved forward together with the cloud-like Shogi.

The corridor wound chaotically in front of her, disturbingly reminding her of some creature's intestines, she hoped they weren't someone's meal... She kept hearing that horrible music, slowly and inexorably getting louder and louder, so she had no choice, that was her only point. indicative of this place. After some time, they reached a longer, more regular and straighter corridor, in one of the walls of which there was a circular opening resembling a window, behind which there was a narrow balcony. Out of pure curiosity, she climbed onto it and looked around, breathing in the frosty, thin air. All around her, she saw towering mountains covered with blue, black, and red ice. The peaks were bent in all directions, twisted like old trees. Some resembled the bones of some unimaginably large animals, or sculptures created by someone with a very strange idea of what is beautiful. The whole place somehow reminded me of that strange town where she found Shogi.

„I don't think we're in Brightmoon anymore ... Or even Etheria" she said anxiously. She shuddered and moved on.

Eventually she found herself in a large, circular room with many circular doors. The largest ones were in front of her and that's where the music came from. Out of curiosity, she looked into the other rooms. One looked like a natural history museum with lots of skeletons, but they looked strangely asymmetrical, as if someone had put them together from random bones. She had the unpleasant feeling that those skulls were staring at her. She shuddered and looked into another room. It was full of strange plants unlike anything she had ever seen . The bark was strangely leathery, and the needles and leaves looked like bones sticking out of living flesh. When one of the flowers turned towards her and she saw that there was an eye inside it, she ran out screaming.

It was time for her to enter the main room where the music was coming from. She stood on the threshold and looked around carefully. She saw that it was a huge circular concert hall, a place that seemed to generally avoid sharp angles. The stands with seats adapted for people of very different shapes were empty. There was one person playing on stage, wearing a flowing white dress. Her back was turned towards her. Her blue-purple hair flowed in the imperceptible wind. There was something fascinating about this creature. Almost unconsciously, she started walking towards her. When she was almost to the stage, the music stopped and the person playing the violin spoke to her in a soft, feminine voice that seemed to come from all directions.

„Forgive me for not being able to welcome you properly, but I haven't visited the house for a very long time, in fact for aeons, very strange aeons... I guess all my relatives have separated, but this is only a temporary situation. Soon Castle Maledictus will have new inhabitants and laughter and wailing will once again echo through its beautiful halls. You will be one of the first, but not the first... This title belongs to Mr. Norwyn." the violinist dressed in white pointed up and then she saw a man, a faun, embedded in the rock. His eyes were still moving so he was alive. She screamed in terror and jumped back, but tripped and fell. She looked ahead and saw the violinist is turned towards her. She was floating in the air, her robe flowing like her hair. He was beautiful, even phenomenal. There was something unnatural about her, you could say almost ethereal. In a way, she resembled Queen Angela or She-Ra , because there was something unearthly about her, but her eyes... instead of them, she had two lakes of violet-purple flame, bottomless and as if burning away from her very soul, she felt like they wanted to devour her, devour her mind, her being…

„Come with me... Live with me... Be a guest in my beautiful home." said the violinist in her omnipresent voice and extended her hand towards her. She screamed and tried to summon her ice, but failed…. She was powerless. She screamed again and started running... But she had no idea where she could hide. This music was her only hope for saving herself from this place. So she ran forward, just to be away from this terrible person. After a while, she saw Shogi floating in front of her, who barked loudly and started motioning for her to follow him. She did so, of course. She had no idea how long she had been running. She felt like her body wasn't getting tired at all, but she didn't think about it because she felt that the woman was behind her. Eventually she reached a large garden, this time looking relatively normal, although she couldn't recognize most of the plants growing there, with a wide stream running through the middle of it. Then she saw the old man. He was dressed in a black coat and wore a wide-brimmed hat. He had a white beard and smiled at her in a friendly manner, but after meeting the previous resident of the castle, she preferred not to approach him. However, he stretched out his hand towards her and said.

„Girl, I know a way that will get us out of here. You just have to get on my boat." he pointed to the rowing boat next to him, which was standing on the shore. She hesitated for a moment because she felt that the creature was getting closer to her, and that from that woman she was threatened by something much more terrible than anything that old man could do to her... right? But then she heard Shogi start barking happily. She looked in that direction and saw her companion standing at the flower gate, with light shining behind it . She immediately recognized that this was the way out. This time she moved in that direction without hesitation. However, when she was almost at the gate, the old man jumped in .

„You won't escape me!" and rushed towards her. He grabbed her hand and she felt an icy chill penetrate her body. It reached her heart and she let out a strangled cry, but then she touched the gate.

She felt like she was lying in bed and the unpleasant hospital stench was surrounding her, so she opened her eyes. She saw Perfuma leaning over her and an insectoid in emerald robes. As soon as the ruler of Plumeria saw that she had woken up, she hugged her tightly and called out loudly.

„It's so good that you woke up! We managed to drag you to us! I didn't know we would make it, but you are here with us safe and sound!"

„We?" she asked in surprise, and then Isectoid bowed low to her and spoke in her thoughts.

„I am Reverend Zimach, Priest of Hylax called the Forever Queen. However, the entire credit for your awakening lies with Perfume." he pointed at the flower princess, who blushed upon hearing his words. Then she felt a strong hug and when she looked down, she saw Shogi wrapped tightly around her, flattening himself like a blanket.

„Shogi was there with me too. Thanks to him, I managed to get out of this place!„ She was about to start talking about what happened to her, but then Scorpia entered.

„Oh! You're awake!" A tall woman ran to her and held her tightly in her arms until she lost her breath.

„Honey, give Frosta some time to find her way, and while you're at it, bring some hot chocolate." Perfuma said and Scorpia saluted.

„That's right, little flower!" and she ran out. While the Scorpion Princess was away, she told Perfuma briefly about what happened to her after the wedding, because both women already knew this part of the story, and then Scorpia came with four cups of hot chocolate. She took one and cooled it with her magic, how nice she was back. After she had had a drink, she told them about where she had been while she slept. Scorpia and Perfuma were looking at her in disbelief throughout the story, they both kept making sounds of disbelief and fear, it was a really great story. However, the insectoid man kept watching her with his antennae down as if he was worried. She herself was cold, very cold, as if the cold that had taken over her body when the old man touched her did not want to leave her. But she assumed it would eventually go away. She just needs to rest a little.

When she finished, she asked the other princesses to tell her what happened while she was sleeping. They both briefly explained what they were doing, but then said that Catra captured the Shadow Weaver and Lady Cala wanted to kill Adora and then turned into a monster.

„This is amazing, she finally exclaimed, and then Zimach grabbed her hand as if he was taking her pulse.

„Take a deep breath." he said and she did as he ordered.

„But what do you... „ she wanted to ask, but then she understood. The entire time the two women were talking, she didn't take a single breath…