Lunar Alignment
Shigaraki groaned in pain. His eyes slowly opened up to the dark room he was in. There was barely any light, although that hadn't bothered him in the least. He lifted his skinny body like it weighed as much as an ox. His arm shot up in pain. He let out a groan through his gritting teeth.
"Damn it." Shigaraki let out, holding the robotic hand that had replaced his original severed hand. "Modulock should've given me something to deal with the pain. Or at least give me a room that's not much better than a dingy prison cell."
The room was dark with dim lights that flickered and the least to be said about the smell the better. Shigarkai had been dropped in that room to fully recover from his ordeal. But he felt that this was just the dark forgotten broom closet that was used for those that shouldn't be seen by the rest of the soldiers. He was well aware that the Horde didn't like shows of weakness or insubordination. He himself made sure to punish all of those that showed weakness.
"I must go see the master." Shigaraki got up from his makeshift bed, stumbling out of the room. "She will know what to do. She always knew what to do. But maybe it is time to get something of what I should do."
Shigaraki opened the door, only to be met by two soldiers of the Horde.
"What the hell do you want?" Shigaraki growled.
"Lord Hordak would like you to join him, Modulock and Shadow Weaver in the throne room, sir." The officer saluted Shigaraki.
Shigaraki slammed his remaining organic hand on the head of the soldier, decomposing him. He glared at the other soldier as he backed away from the sight before him. However, the walking corpse didn't care about it. Shigaraki merely passed him by as he fought the pains his body was giving him. He was the villain, the final boss, and he would not be treated as anything less.
Shigaraki arrived at the throne room and he could already feel the atmosphere was tense.
Shadow Weaver and Modulock were in the middle of a standoff. Shadow Weaver glared at the Head Scientist through her mask while Modulock only greeted her with a monstrous smug smirk. There was no love lost between these two, if anything resembling love ever took root in what passed for their hearts. However, their fierce visual confrontation ceased when they heard the doors close behind Shigaraki.
"Ah, Shigaraki, how good to see you. Your hand looks so much healthier," Modulock joked. "Are you using some moisturizing lotion?"
"How about I give you a closer inspection, Modulock?" Shigaraki's remaining hand crackled with magic. "You call this a hand? It's nothing more than a few pieces of steel melted together."
"We did all we could, but since we didn't have the other hand, well." Modulock shrugged.
"You could've aided us in our attack against the Alliance." Shadow Weaver stepped up. "Instead, you used us as cover to send in your monstrosity for nothing more than a test run. My lord, can we really trust this monster to do anything other than play with his toys while we do all the work for the Horde?" Shadow Weaver turned to Hordak, hoping their leader would take her side.
However, Hordak didn't say a word. He lifted himself off of his throne before walking up to his subordinates.
"Modulock's 'toys', as you call them, Shadow Weaver, are the reason why we have been able to keep pushing against the Alliance as they've been growing in strength." Hordak walked down to meet them. "All the while your choices have led to a lack of discipline and disloyalty amongst our ranks. You sent Lady Nagant on a mission without my knowledge and now she's a captive of the Alliance."
"What? M-My Lord, that wasn't me." Shadow Weaver denied it.
"Oh, and then I suppose it wasn't under your orders that you and Shigaraki engaged the Alliance head on instead of trapping them and taking them out? Bold, but beyond stupid. I suppose you felt emboldened by your failures when it came to your special assault team? Or was it because your attempted attacks at the Ice Kingdom were such great successes?" Hordak kept pushing Shadow Weaver until she almost tripped on herself.
Hordak turned his sights on Shigaraki.
"And you, her so-called apprentice. You've lost your hand to an accident, destroyed countless resources and wasted the aid of so many of our soldiers with your little tantrums!" Hordak lifted Shigaraki and Shadow Weaver by the necks. "I should've known better than to trust magic when science has always proved to be the stronger of the two. Unless you wish to spend the rest of your miserable existence rotting away in the depths of Beast Island, you will prove yourselves worthy." He tightened his hold on their throats, making it clear that he was done giving them second chances.
Hordak tightened his grip on them, making them choke and groan for air. He had calculated the strength of his exoskeleton to make them feel the pain without passing out from lack of air. If there was one thing he hated was the unnecessary waste of energy. He only needed to make his point, and if they valued their lives, they'd do the rest. All he needed was to keep reminding them about what would happen if they failed.
"I am sure that I've made my point." Hordak dropped the two sorcerers before turning to Modulock. "How goes your progress in your new weapons against the Alliance and the Princesses?"
"Thanks to your support and my amazing timing, I've been able to create several weapons of mass destruction against the magic of the Ice Kingdom and the Flower Kingdom." Modulock explained, revealing a holographic picture of new Horde-bots. "However, I am in need of getting a good look at the Runestones of the Water Kingdom, Brightmoon and the one we've got tucked away in Shadow Weavers personal chambers."
Shadow Weaver regained enough of her strength to realize what Modulock was saying.
"What?" Shadow Weaver snapped.
"Once I get the readings needed, I'll be able to counter their connection with the Runestones and render them helpless." Modulock smirked. "I've yet to see how far I can disturb their connection, but with the proper amount of power, who knows."
Hordak smiled at the idea. He knew that the project was what would take the Horde on to the end of the war. He was going to enjoy stripping those with magic from that unnatural power they prided themselves with.
"Very good, Modulock. I expect you to show results soon. Would this also lead to getting the magic cut off from those sorcerers?" Hordak asked.
"We can only hope, my lord." Modulock smiled with his row of sharp teeth.
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki snarled at the head scientist. He had long made sure to make them look like fools, but now he was throwing down the gauntlet to them. They would not allow someone like him to destroy everything they sought to build before they ever could.
Meanwhile, at Brightmoon, Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow were scouring through the different books in the royal library. Ever since they learned about Mara, the Last She-Ra, they had been looking for more information about her and her connection to the First Ones. They had looked through several history books but so far they had only gotten…
"Nothing." Catra groaned. "Again."
"What do you expect? This is the fourth history book we've read over the last week and we still have no idea who Mara was." Glimmer closed her book.
"There's plenty about the legends of the First Ones, She-Ra, He-Man, Masters of the Universe, but nothing more than that." Izuku shifted through the pages. "It's almost as if someone didn't want her to be known."
"Well, there's also the fact that the First Ones fell, supposedly, five hundred years ago. Which is why a lot of what is known about them is kept to folklore and legends." Bow put back the book he had just finished reading.
"Well, we can't give up just yet." Catra stretched. "There has to be something in these legends about Mara. You don't go down as the last She-Ra and not have something about you being written down."
Izuku scratched his chin, wondering what it could mean. They had seen a lot of the ruins of the First Ones and learned enough from Lighthope to know that they weren't playing around. He knew that whatever secrets the First Ones had were meant only for other First Ones. Yet, they were the key to whatever Modulock and the Horde were after. He sighed.
"We should take a break. Maybe go for a walk around the forest and see what we can find later." Izuku suggested.
Glimmer was about to say something, when she noticed something. Or someone.
"Don't look now, Izuku, but your shadow is back." Glimmer giggled, pointing to one of the shelves.
Izuku, Catra and Bow turned to the bookshelf only to spot Souta poking his head out from the corner. Izuku sighed with embarrassment. However, Catra, Glimmer and Bow all thought that it was one of the sweetest things that they'd ever seen. The young Horde cadet had been sneaking into Brightmoon and followed Izuku around like a lost puppy. It wasn't bad or annoying, but Izuku found it embarrassing. Everyone had started calling Souta Izuku's Number One Fan, which made the green-haired hero blush and feel like he was being put under the spotlight. However, to everyone else, they couldn't help but find it adorable.
"Um, hey, Souta, what are you doing here?" Izuku asked.
"I came to hang out with you guys." Souta walked up to them. "My mom said that I should get used to the sun and all that green stuff."
"That's called grass, Souta." Izuku scratched the side of his face. "I forgot how isolated Horde cadets are raised."
"Yeah, there's a lot of awesome stuff out here that you won't find anywhere else in the Frightzone." Catra jumped on top of Izuku. "So, wanna help us read through these old books or do you want to give us an excuse to leave?"
"Um, what are books?" Souta asked, looking at the books. "Are they like food or something?"
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow raised an eyebrow at his question.
"Oh, right, the Horde didn't have much in the books department." Izuku scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, most of them were reserved for Shadow Weaver and her dark experiments. Bet most of them were covered in the skin of her enemies." Catra hissed.
Glimmer elbowed Catra, getting her to stop. And before Catra could snarl back at her, the princess of Brightmoon nudged at Souta.
He was shaking slightly at the mention of the Horde's second in command. A reaction that was hardly faulted by the former members of the Horde.
"Hey, it's okay, Souta. She's nowhere near this place." Izuku comforted the kid. "And even if she does come by, she'd have to face us."
"And you can believe that we're not to be underestimated." Catra smiled, trying to boost the young kid's mood.
As Souta looked up at them, he gave them a small smile. They knew very well the kind of scars that Shadow Weaver tended to leave the cadets she saw as weak. Which in turn made them think of Adora and their other friends they had left behind.
"Say, why don't we go and give you a tour of the castle?" Bow suggested.
"That sounds like a fun idea. We can always come back and look for Mara some other time." Glimmer helped Izuku and Catra up, holding them in a hug. "I mean, how often do we have a kid running around here?"
Izuku and Catra remembered their night of passion with Netossa and Spinnerella. Their faces turned red like tomatoes as the memories made them realize what Glimmer, unknowingly, mentioned. They looked at each other, wondering how they could keep that night a secret for a little bit longer. They quickly picked Souta up and walked out of the library, hoping to find something to keep their minds off of the possibility of children.
"Hey, Souta, wanna explore the castle? We can start by the gardens." Izuku carried Souta on his shoulders. "It's a great experience on how the world is so different. I wish I had learned it sooner in life. But I did learn it when I was around the same age as you. Man, kids, right?"
"That sounds great! We can then raid the kitchen and then move on to the training field before a trip to the other parts of the castle I didn't bother learning about." Catra smirked, walking next to Izuku with confidence. "I mean, that's what kids do. They do whatever they want from time to time. Right?"
Glimmer watched them go with a raised eyebrow. She felt a curious feel to how they were acting. The way she saw them go on about kids and didn't find it normal. And that was considering that they were helping lead an Alliance against a fierce and destructive Evil Horde. Glimmer thought about what could've been the cause of Izuku and Catra's strange behavior and how it had started.
Her and Bow followed behind them, taking some time to come up with their own speculations about what had happened the other night.
"So, what do you think happened between them?" Glimmer asked her best friend.
"I don't really know. Apart from Netossa and Spinnerella, they are one of the most special and healthy couples I've ever seen or met." Bow shrugged. "Maybe they're wondering where to take their relationship to? I mean, they can't just be like this forever. Oh, maybe they're getting married?"
Glimmer wanted to roll her eyes at the idea of Izuku and Catra getting married so early in life. Besides, their relationship wasn't one to follow traditions like most other couples. She felt a blush, remembering the many nights they'd already shared and how the other princesses were also included in that love. It was like trying to make a sand castle with a professional architect team putting in the effort with you. She hadn't considered it before, but the harem life agreed with her and she enjoyed being in that kind of relationship.
As they made it to the garden, Glimmer had put those thoughts in the back of her head. She didn't want to make Souta's first introduction to a garden into a miserable one.
"Whoa, what-what is all this?" Souta asked, looking at the garden like it was the first time.
"This is a garden. A place where you can grow and take care of plants," Izuku replied. "Some people go for flowers, others pick vegetables and some others-" Izuku put Souta down in the garden only for Catra to pounce.
"And some pick weird plants that make you see some weird trips, kid." Catra cut off Izuku.
"Catra." Izuku and Glimmer scolded Catra.
"What? It's true. There was this one guy in the Crimson Waste that had a hidden garden where he grew these hallucinogenic mushrooms that he sold in the market." Catra jumped over Izuku as he tried to stop her. "Too bad it caused a lot of guys to do some weird stuff. Like there was this one guy that tried to kiss a sand snake only to get eaten and there was this guy that couldn't stop laughing and clapping his hands for hours. And then there was this other guy…"
Izuku and Bow chased after Catra as she jumped and twirled like a kitten running away from their bath time.
"Catra, please stop it." Izuku pleaded as he landed on the soft grass.
"You don't have to corrupt Souta with knowledge of those things!" Bow jumped at Catra, only to receive a kick to the back of the head, sending him to the ground.
"Please, I just added some much needed extra context to the situation." Catra blew a raspberry at them.
Glimmer sighed at Catra's childishness. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to get her patience back.
"Oh yeah, there's no way anyone like her is taking a leap like marriage any time soon." Glimmer sighed. "Sometimes I just can't see her actually being She-Ra and yet every single time I see it happen before my eyes."
Glimmer spotted Souta poking at one of the flowers. She knelt down next to him, trying to see what he was doing.
"Is this the first time you've seen flowers?" Glimmer asked, snapping Souta out of his trance.
"Oh, um, yes. I've never seen something with so much color." Souta touched the flower. "Are they all like this?"
"Yeah, though, some have thorns and there are other types. The ones you're touching are daisies." Glimmer picked one of the daisies and handed it to Souta. "There are many things that flowers help symbolize, love, joy, the sun, among many others. Perfuma could tell you more about them than I can. Plants are like her whole thing."
"Do they grow with magic?" Souta asked.
"If by magic you mean sun, water, the soil and sometimes love, then yes." Glimmer smiled before realizing what Souta was saying. "This really is all new for you, isn't it?"
Souta nodded as he smelled the flower. He shook his head as the sweet and pleasant smell reached the top of his nose. It felt like his nose had just been cleared of all the bad smells he'd smelled before.
"Y-Yeah, there aren't any flowers in the Fright Zone." Souta dropped the flower. "The only thing that even got close was the poisonous plants that Shadow Weaver had."
Glimmer shivered at the thought.
"Let's go hang out with the others." Glimmer offered her hand as Catra pounced on top of Izuku.
"Is it some kind of training?" Souta asked.
"Oh boy, you really need to get out more." Glimmer pulled Souta to his feet before going to the others. "But hey, you're in luck, you've got us. Did you have any friends back in the Fright Zone?"
Souta looked down, wondering about the other kids he'd met and lived with back at the Fright Zone. One would've expected him to see them as his family and the closest thing he had to a normal life. But the tug at the heartstrings wasn't there.
"Not really. Shadow Weaver said friends are crutches that can be used against you." Souta replied coldly. "She said it was better to cast them aside instead of relying on them."
Glimmer narrowed her eyes at what Souta had said. She placed a hand on his shoulder as Izuku, Catra and Bow joined up with them. She looked at them, giving them an abridged version of what Souta had told her with just a glance. His story instantly connected with Izuku and Catra, and Glimmer knew it. Bow for his part shared her sentiment.
"Well, Shadow Weaver was wrong." Glimmer knelt to Souta's eye level. "Friends can be someone to lean on, yes. But they aren't shackles that tie you down. Look at how far Izuku and Catra have come, and they've been friends for almost their entire lives. At the end of the day, it's because they had each other that they were able to get where they are now."
"Really?" Souta asked.
"Yeah, friends can be the reason why you do what you do. To protect them, make them happy, prove that you can live up to what they believe about you." Izuku smiled at Souta. "No matter what happens you have their back and they have yours."
"But in the Horde no one ever said that." Souta replied.
"That's because Shadow Weaver and the guys on top are all looking out for themselves." Catra stepped in. "She only wants power to do whatever she sees should be the future of magic. Shigaraki is losing whatever passes for his mind. And Modulock is a complete monster that just wants to play doctor with whatever comes his way. So don't take into consideration what they say. We got your back." Catra smiled as Izuku held out his hand.
Souta didn't disagree, remembering how the head scientist put the explosive around his neck. He had thought about how he would've died if not for the actions of the man before him. He saw Izuku's smile and his gentle approach to the world and wondered how someone like that had been a Horde child like him when he was younger.
He took his hand as they continued on with their tour to another part of the castle. All the while, Souta kept his eyes on Izuku, making sure not to lose sight of him. The green-haired hero was like a puzzle to him. How could someone that lived in such harsh conditions like he and his mother did become someone so good and caring? He turned to Catra, Glimmer and Bow as they walked. He figured that they were the key to how Izuku became such a person.
Back at the Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki were troubled. They paced around the Black Garnet in search of a way to get back at the source of all their problems. Each step they took was filled with so much malice that it would've turned the all-white floor black. They gritted their teeth in search for a reason they had now been demoted, for lack of a better word.
"How could this have happened?" Shadow Weaver asked. "We've always been capable of keeping Hordak happy and securing our position as the masters of the new age of magic. And now everything falls like a house of cards before our eyes."
"This is all those brats' fault! That She-Ra furball and that other fool, Izuku. They tipped the scales of the conflict in the Alliance's favor." Shigaraki tightened his mechanical hand into a ball of anger before slamming it into a desk. "I will make them pay for taking my hand. But not before gutting Micah's brat before their eyes."
"As much as I'd love to pin this all on them, we must consider all possible reasons. And then there's the other question." Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes behind her mask. "Who benefits most from our downfall? And you know who that is."
Shigaraki snarled, as he looked at his mechanical hand. He knew who was the one to blame for his plight. Modulock's row of sharp teeth smiling at him enraged him to no end. He planted his organic hand on the remains of the broken table, decomposing them for good measure.
"Modulock will pay." Shigaraki hissed. "And tonight of all nights is the perfect time to do so. Hordak will be locked in his own throne room and Modulock in his little lab. Separated from each other by several steel doors and hallways. We can take him down quietly and no one would be the wiser."
Shadow Weaver smiled under her mask at Shigaraki's ruthlessness. She had seen him grow into a deadly force of destruction. A living example of how her way was right. And she couldn't wait to see their line grow into a dynasty worthy of their teachings. She knew that it was premature to celebrate, but she would lie if she didn't see that their legacy needed one small variable to truly take root.
"Nicely thought out, Shigaraki." Shadow Weaver caressed Shigaraki's face. "I am certain that you and I together will turn that fool into dust before he even knows what hit him. And then perhaps we can celebrate our new era of magic."
"But we've got no students to teach at the moment." Shigaraki growled. "It'll be a pain in the ass to go fetch some from Castaspella's whelps. But maybe there will be one or two worth the effort."
"Or we can make some apprentice sorcerers of our own the old way~." Shadow Weaver moved her hand on Shigaraki's body.
Shigaraki had never been touched in such a gentle manner. He felt as though a dark rose tickled him. It was the kind of touch that made men feel alive and well. It was the kind that had him wishing for something more than to destroy the world that had made him into a plague. He looked down at Shadow Weaver as she pressed her body against his own, spreading a warmth that felt alien to him.
The years of anger and feeling the toil of his corrupted magic had left him isolated from the simple pleasures. And the one pleasure that Shigaraki had not even thought of feeling was the loving touch of a woman. And yet here he was, feeling it for the first time and it awoke a ravenous hunger. His mouth watered as his hands reached for Shadow Weaver's dress. He started parting it to see her darkened flesh only for Shadow Weaver to stop him.
"As much as I'd like to give you the full extent of being with a woman, we must prepare." Shadow Weaver pulled Shigaraki's hands off of her. "Tonight is a very very special night for us sorcerers. Can you feel it, Shigaraki?"
Shigaraki closed his eyes, letting his animal urges subside just enough. He felt it. Like a pulse of the water inside a large pond when something caused ripples. He stretched out his arms, letting magic flow freely around his body. His eyes snapped open as a smile split his face from ear-to-ear.
"The Lunar Alignment is here." Shigaraki growled.
"Yes. The same one that took place all those years ago when we became what we are now." Shadow Weaver summoned a black flame on her palm before extinguishing it. "Monsters. And now it is time for us to show what makes us so dangerous, starting with Modulock."
"Starting?" Shigaraki looked at Shadow Weaver with curiosity and animalistic lust. "Who else is on your list, master?"
"Izuku, Catra, among others. They have been a thorn in our side for far too long." Shadow Weaver swayed her hips, enticing Shigaraki. "And once we deal with one little thing, we will be able to make them all suffer for crossing us."
"What about Lord Hordak, won't he be angry that we killed his favorite science experiment?" Shigaraki asked.
Shadow Weaver smirked, taking off her mask. Her face was covered with scars from many years of dark magic abuse. A part of her lips were gone, showing off her sharpened teeth. To most she would've been something to jump out of the shadows to scare you. But her dark eyes enticed Shigaraki and made him feel like a man.
"You let me worry about him." Shadow Weaver kissed Shigaraki.
The kiss was hungry but so full of malice that it would've turned the stomachs of anyone else. But the taste of poison to someone was sweet as honey to Shigaraki. As their tongues tasted each other, Shigaraki couldn't help but feel all the emotions that he'd abandoned in his life. All the things that had fed into his hatred and his rage came flushing back to the surface, tainted with the desire to delve into them.
"Yes. We will forge a new order within the Horde and we will make it without those bastards." Shigaraki broke the kiss as he and Shadow Weaver went on to prepare for their next step.
Back at Brightmoon, Izuku, Catra, Glimmer, Bow and Souta had come across the training grounds of the castle. It wasn't as full of advanced tech as the one in the Horde but thanks to Entrapta, there had been plenty of upgrades to the training field. There were a few fighting bots that helped train the fighters, large weights to keep the strength of the fighters, and a few obstacles for the obstacle course to help the trainees. The way that it was set up, it showed them a lot more friendly than what the Horde had.
However, they were not the only ones that were in the training grounds.
"Keep your guard up, young Kirishima!" Loyax thrusted his sword at the young red head. "A sword may not be much to your hardened skin, but one well placed strike could end you."
"Right, sorry Sir Loyax!" Kirishima blocked the blade with his hardened skin.
Loyax pirouetted in place, knocking Kirishima's hand away. He swiftly thrusted forwards at the leader of the Red Riots, forcing him to block and cover his eyes from the fast blade strikes. The strikes brought out sparks from the collisions but that didn't deter Loyax's swiftness. But the old soldier had one more trick up his sleeve. He jumped in the air and over Kirishima, landing behind him. Kirishima swung his fist at Loyax, but the old soldier circled him with ease.
Before Kirishima could notice, Loyax swiftly swung his blade at Kirishima's knees, knocking him to the ground.
"Holy crap. I thought he'd be slow because of his age," Kirishima thought as he panted in slight exhaustion, looking up at Loyax standing over him with his sword aimed at his chest. "but he's as skilled as anyone in his prime."
Loyax sheathed his sword before holding out his hand at Kirishima. He helped him up to his feet.
"You did very well, Kirishima. No doubt that you've gotten your reputation for a reason." Loyax then noticed Izuku and his group walking towards them. "Ah, young Master Izuku, Lady Catra, Lady Glimmer and Master Bow! It is so good to see you all after so long."
"Loyax, it's been a long time." Izuku greeted Loyax with a handshake.
"It is good to see you again, Sir Loyax." Glimmer bowed with respect.
"What brings you here and out of the sea, you old knight?" Catra asked. "You got seasick or something?"
"Far from it, Lady Catra. I decided to take a break from the sea to help train the recruits of the Alliance." Loyax gestured to Kirishima and the rest of the Red Riots. "Master Kirishima and his team have been a welcomed change to train with."
"If you really want to praise us, Loyax, you could say we are awesome in every sense of the word." Kaminari smirked, loving the praise of the old knight.
However, his smile only lasted for a little bit as Jiro smacked him over the head.
"Keep your ego in check, lightbulb." Jiro then noticed Souta standing behind Izuku. "Hey, who's the kid?"
The attention of everyone turned to Souta as he hid behind Izuku at the sight of so many strangers. He wasn't used to being the center of attention of so many people. Having been raised as just one more amongst the other Horde orphans, he never thought of how large crowds of people looking at him would feel like. All of them were so different and with judgments so varied that he couldn't read them. He felt a lot of pressure just to stand before them without being taken notice of.
"Oh my apologies, but who is this young man?" Loyax knelt before the young child.
"This is Souta, we're giving him a tour of the castle since it's his first day here." Izuku introduced Souta, letting him move ahead from him. "He's a little shy, so please take it easy on him."
Kirishima and the other Red Riots knelt before Souta. They hadn't expected a kid to come here or to be hanging out with the princess or her friends. It wasn't that they weren't expecting kids, but they didn't think young kids would be allowed free roam within the castle. They did think that he looked familiar for some reason.
"Hey there little guy." Kirishima smirked. "Are you here to see if you can join the Alliance? That's so manly."
"Um, my mom doesn't want us fighting. Especially now that she is hurt and hasn't had time to recover." Souta replied while still holding onto Izuku.
"Oh, that's okay. You're a bit too young to join up." Ochacho gushed at the sight of the little kid. "But you are very good at following your mother's advice. I bet she's very proud of you."
"Yeah, you're a lot better behaved than most boys our age." Jiro added.
"Hey, is that supposed to be a jab at me?" Kaminari felt an arrow hit his heart after hearing Jiro's words.
"I mean, I have to tell you not to overuse your power or else. But you tend to go all out like you're connected to a Runestone or a large electrical current." Jiro gave her teammate a deadpan expression.
"Um, what does that mean? If you don't mind my asking, that is?" Bow asked.
"Basically, whenever the bolt head here goes all out, he ends up short circuiting his brain." Jiro fought the urge to laugh at her own explanation, remembering the dopey face of Kaminari after going all out. "We had to keep him on a leash to prevent him from going off someplace else."
Kaminari felt arrow after arrow of embarrassment as Jiro, Catra and Glimmer all held back their laughs. He didn't ask to have that kind of drawback to his powers. But he figured that he could've done worse. All he had to do was save face with the young kid that he just met.
"Come on, can you blame me for going all out on those Horde creeps?" Kaminari puffed his chest. "No one can beat me when it comes to electric attacks. Put anyone before me and I'll zap them down like they deserve!"
"Bold claims, Master Kaminari. But lest you forget that pride begets a harsh fall." Loyax added his two cents. "If you underestimate your opponent you could end up playing into their hands. Always treat your opponents with the honor that they deserve and you will be able to see any tricks that they might be hiding."
"You heard Loyax, Kam." Kirishima smirked, hitting his fists together. "Now that's manly."
"Heck yeah, manly!" Bow added.
Catra and Glimmer turned to the other two girls of the group. They wondered why Kirishima was doing the whole 'manly' thing all the time.
"Hey, why does he call things manly?" Catra whispered.
"Is that like his thing or something?" Glimmer asked.
"Don't look at me, he's been doing that ever since I met him." Jiro shrugged, feeling like she had no reason to say anything other than the truth.
"Yeah, he has plenty of pride about those things." Ochacho scratched the back of her head. "Maybe after all those missions, he started to find it amazing or something. Which can't be said of Kaminari."
Kaminari jolted as though another arrow struck him. He turned back to Souta, the only one that could still cheer him up.
"Hey, Souta, I bet you think I'm cool, right?" Kaminari begged. "Your mom did teach you to show respect to others, right? What's her name anyway?"
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow flinched at the question.
"Her name is Nagant." Souta replied without a second thought.
"Nagant. That's a…" Kaminari froze after saying that name.
The Red Riots looked at the young boy and wondered what it meant. The name wasn't common to have several women named Nagant running around. But they had heard a rumor that Lady Nagant and her son had surrendered into Alliance custody. They looked at Souta, noticing some traits that they had seen in Lady Nagant the first time they ran into her. Which made them lose a little of their color.
"W…W…wait, are you referring to Lady Nagant?" Kirishima asked.
"Yeah, that's my mom." Souta replied only for Izuku to lift him up over his shoulder.
"Well, you guys look busy, we'll just leave you to it!" Izuku and the rest fled the area before the Red Riots could question it any further.
"Wave the nice people goodbye." Catra waved goodbye to the group.
"But I wanted to show Souta the archery range." Bow pouted as Glimmer pushed him away.
"Maybe next time. We'll leave you guys to your things. Sorry to interrupt." Glimmer chuckled.
Kirishima, Loyax and the rest of the Red Riots looked at their friends leaving, catching sight of Souta waving goodbye at them. The rumors were true as far as they could tell, but they hadn't expected to meet the son of Lady Nagant so early. It was almost like when one met their new boss and you hit it off only to then realize that they were your boss. Or in this case, that a young kid was the son of a deadly assassin. They looked amongst themselves to see if they fully grasped what they had just witnessed. But all they could feel was a slight sense of relief that the young man was being taken care of by their friends and allies.
"Wow, the kid is a lot sweeter than I thought." Ochaco pointed out. "I almost feel bad that he is now under house arrest."
"I mean, it could've been worse with him being raised in the Fright Zone," Kirishima said. "Though it makes me wonder what Lady Nagant's next move will be. She can't go back to the Horde and she made plenty of enemies to go anywhere else."
"You believe that she'll be planning something, Master Kirishima?" Loyax asked.
"I mean, I won't lie, we don't exactly have the best relationship with Lady Nagant." Kirishima admitted, looking at the rest of his team. "But I don't hold it against her kid."
"That is very honorable of you, Master Kirishima. One must always be weary of laying the sins of the father upon the son." Loyax watched the group leave, waving back at the young boy. "A real knight must know who is their enemy and who is innocent. And that boy is innocent, despite having his mother's power."
The group made their way out of the training area with Souta wondering what had just happened. Izuku put him down as they managed to get their breath.
"Well, that was an awkward moment if I ever had one." Catra exhaled.
"Are you guys sure we should've left like that?" Bow asked. "I mean, we know the guys aren't the type to attack a kid. Besides, Loyax would've kept them in line."
"Still, Bow. We should be careful who we introduce Souta to and at what rate." Izuku argued. "I know what it's like to make an impression you later regret." Izuku blushed, remembering how he first was introduced to the Alliance.
"Oh I bet Netossa didn't mind it that much." Glimmer whispered into Catra's ear.
"Yeah, she ended up enjoying it a lot more the second time around." Catra giggled with a blush. "As did Spinnerella."
"What?" Souta asked, picking up the giggles.
Izuku, Catra and Glimmer all blushed in embarrassment at Souta having heard them.
"Nothing, buddy. Just dumb grown up stuff." Bow covered Souta's ears from behind before turning to his friends. "Shame on you guys. I know that you three are in a very loving and physical relationship and I couldn't be happier for you three and your lovers. But need I remind you that Souta has no idea about how s-e-x works or what it is."
"Sorry, sorry, Bow. We didn't mean to." Izuku apologized.
"Yeah, it just slipped." Catra's ears dropped as she rubbed her arm.
"We'll keep any jokes of that nature to ourselves." Glimmer assured.
"That is all I ask." Bow let go of Souta's ears. "Okay, now we'll go get a good look at the next spot on the tour. How does the kitchen sound?"
"I'm a little hungry." Souta smiled.
"Then let's go see what the cooks are preparing for today." Bow led Souta while giving Izuku, Catra and Glimmer one final disapproving glance.
They couldn't fault him for acting like that. They should've known that some things were too grown up for Souta to hear about. They just made a note to keep their bedroom lives more private. Though they still sported the blushes of their memories of their loving escapades.
It did make them think that the possibility of things going further after the war was becoming more apparent by the day. They had not forgotten that life went on, but it was something to consider when they were older and ready for that step.
Catra and Glimmer wrapped their arms around Izuku's arms, pulling him to catch up with Bow and Souta.
"Come on, we can't let them take all the cake and meat for themselves." Glimmer smirked.
"Yeah, that's not happening if I can help it." Catra hissed.
"Alright, let's go catch up with them before they get too full of themselves." Izuku smirked. "We can then look at the Runestone and then we can finish things up with a look at the stars."
"That sounds perfect. My aunt Cass told me that tonight would be the Lunar Alignment. And it could be a perfect end to the day." As Glimmer finished that thought only to then realize something. "Hey, you remember what we got from the Oracle? The strange message that seemed corrupted?"
"Yeah, we thought it was a message in First Ones' writing, but we couldn't read it." Izuku remembered. "What does that have to do with the Lunar Alignment?"
"From what my aunt told me, the energy of the alignment of the moons not only boosts magic to its highest point but it can also boost signals." Glimmer explained.
"So you're saying that there's a chance we can get the message back from all that corruption?" Catra asked.
"Yeah, but we have to do it when the moons are aligned." Glimme smirked. "So, where's the tablet with the message?"
"I think Bow has it." Izuku, Catra and Glimmer chased after Bow, hoping to get him in with their plan.
Back in the Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki were finishing the final touches on their plan. Using their knowledge of ancient magics and dark spells, they were able to come up with a contingency for anything Modulock could and would throw at them. They hoped that they would be able to stage the death of the head scientist to look like an accident and fool Hordak long enough to reclaim their former status and reputation without making too much of a fuss. But there was one thing that made their evil little minds stop and wonder.
"What do you think will happen if Modulock puts up a fight against us? Can that reptile even fight?" Shigaraki prepared a mixture, dripping a bit of it on a piece of lead on the table. "I would very much like to see him put on a show." He smiled with glee as the piece of lead turned to a melted mush.
"As much as I'd enjoy sharing that sentiment, Shigaraki, our task must be swift and deadly before anyone could make one strike against us." Shadow Weaver smiled behind her mask. "He will be protected, and that's why we will keep the element of surprise. We won't be going through the door. And these are for his traps." Shadow Weaver summoned her shadow creatures, sending them out to their tasks.
The shadowy creatures traveled through the darkness, sticking to the floor and away from the sight of anyone. Their single purple eyes gave Shadow Weaver a clear view of what was happening and what they were doing. They made their way to Modulock's laboratory while he worked on his latest piece of havoc and destruction.
"You will destroy me~ I will destroy you first~." Modulock muttered as he worked. "You'll be my darkness, my only dark dusk to love~." He pulled one of the cables of the machine before plugging it into his newest bot.
While he was distracted, the shadow creatures melted into the circuitry. They broke the cables and disabled the alarms, tearing apart the wires and the pieces of the equipment that Modulock wasn't using. Like cats hunting mice, the shadow creatures spread from corner to corner of the room, marking it for their mistress and blinding anyone that wasn't her from what was happening.
Back with Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki, they smiled as Modulock continued to work on his project unaware of what was happening around him.
"He is blinded, master. Shall we go in and put him out of his misery?" Shigaraki asked.
"Not yet, Shigaraki. I want to do something else that'll keep the odds in our favor." Shadow Weaver took off her mask, walking towards the Black Garnet. "This Runestone has been guarded for centuries since the fall of the First Ones. And now, only I have access to its power. A power some have forgotten to fear." She pressed her head on the Black Garnet, feeling its power coursing through her body like a lightning bolt crossing the dark sky.
The room lit up with purple lightning coursing from the Runestone and into the witch. The dark ritual was a sight that would've sent chills down the spine of anyone else, but to the eyes of Shigaraki, it was beautiful. The power converted into an aura around Shadow Weaver, making her seem larger and more demonic than she usually looked. Her nails dug into the crystal, scratching it as the power entered her body.
She was thirsty for power and was going to get every bit of it she could. Shadow Weaver's condition was a curse she had often dealt with by connecting to the Black Garnet and getting a powerful charge. Though, as intoxicating and empowering as it was, the witch was well aware that she was using a crutch to hold herself together. She would have plenty of time to deal with her curse once she got rid of the thorn in her side. Shadow Weaver pulled herself off from the Black Garnet, with an almost euphoric sigh escaping her mouth.
"I love how that feels." Shadow Weaver shivered in ecstasy. "Would you like a hit, Shigaraki?" She offered, stretching her body like she had just woken up from a recharging nap.
"Perhaps next time, Master. I would never be able to forgive myself if we missed our chance because of this." Shigaraki smirked with his dry lips. "Let's go."
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki summoned a dark portal up to Modulock's laboratory with him none the wiser. They wanted to tear him up with his little toy being the last thing he ever looked at. But they wanted to see him sweat in his final hours. And looking at his terrified expression would be more than satisfactory for their wicked desires. They cast a small spell, causing two shadow tendrils to sprout from the ground behind Modulock. They commanded the tendrils to snake towards the head scientist like two cold blooded beasts going after a warm, bloody meal.
"Why do I have the feeling that someone wants to dance on my grave?" Modulock asked. "I mean, it's obvious that I'm not everyone's favorite mad scientist, but usually I don't get these feelings so strongly all of a sudden. But I guess it comes with the job, right fellas?"
Modulock turned around, pulling out a blaster on the two sorcerers. He fired upon them like a trained soldier, putting them on the defensive. His shots were blocked by a shadowy shield that Shigaraki had created.
"I knew you would be coming here to kill me, you fools." Modulock pulled another blaster. "Next time you plan to pull a coup d'etat, make sure you're not wearing something that the enemy built." Modulock pointed to Shigaraki's new cybernetic hand with a sinister smile.
"So, you knew we'd come for your head? Cheater." Shigaraki growled.
"When you have my position, you always assume today will be your last day, kid." Modulock continued shooting.
"Then know that you will be right about today." Shadow Weaver appeared behind Modulock.
Modulock turned around only to be ensnared by a black shadowy whip that picked him up. His body was held tightly as Shadow Weaver glared at him with satisfaction and hatred in her very soul. With a tug of the black shadowy whip, the head scientist was sent flying to the ceiling of his lab before being pulled back down. With heavy and loud thuds, he was tossed around like a rag doll before being slammed harshly on the other side of the dark laboratory.
Shigaraki rushed at Modulock as he bounced against the wall. He slammed his robotic hand on the monster's neck, pinning him against the wall. The sorcerer tightened his hold on Modulock's neck, wishing to feel what it felt to strangle the creature before him. His eyes zeroed in on Modulock's gasping maw. A sick glee came from seeing the creature he hated being in pain caused by him. Despite not being able to feel Modulock's life slipping with his organic hand, he still found pleasure in Modulock holding onto his arm, clawing for life.
"You are not getting out of this one alive, Modulock." Shigaraki tightened his hold, not even minding the feeling of Modulock's claws scratching his arm. "I will only regret not being able to feel your neck breaking with my very own hands."
Modulock gagged as the very mechanical hand he'd built was being used against him. He would laugh at the irony of his own work strangling him… if he didn't already have a plan. He pulled out a radio transmitter from behind his back. He quickly pressed the button, letting out a special signal to his latest creation. A dark smile appeared on Modulock's face as his machine went to answer his call.
"Any last words, Modulock?" Shigaraki asked.
"Apart from 'please let me go'? Yeah," Modulock said with a choked voice. "You like my new toy?" Modulock pointed to the shadows.
Shigaraki turned as Shadow Weaver arrived at his side. Their eyes landed on the latest monstrosity built by Modulock's hands.
The new Hordebot was around eight to nine feet tall covered with heavy plated armor and iron spikes. It looked like a large orb rolling towards them. It opened up to reveal four large elephant-like legs with armor around them, the spikes poked out like the quills of a porcupine, more prominent of all being two large drill-like horns on top of its large red eye and the sharp blades that resembled tusks. It had a large trunk on its face as it looked at the two sorcerers with apathetic hatred. It swung its large trunk at the two sorcerers pushing them back and away from Modulock.
"Like it? I call it the Wrecker." Modulock rubbed his throat. "I designed it to cut through any of that pesky grass that Plumeria seems to be very fond of. I was hoping to test it out soon. Science thanks you for your sacrifice." Modulock snapped his fingers as the Wrecker charged at Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki.
Like a mad bull, the Wrecker made its way through the lab. It turned itself back into a ball, rolling with a destructive rage.
Shigaraki and Shadow Weaver summoned shadow tendrils from the ground, wrapping them against the Wrecker. But the tendrils were cut through by the rapidly spinning iron spikes of the Hordebot's body. They ducked under the shadows as the bot rolled past them before crushing another one of Modulock's projects.
"Hey, wreck them, not my work!" Modulock snapped as the Wrecker turned around and rolled after the two sorcerers.
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki popped out of the shadows on either side of Modulock. They fired their magic at him, making him shout in pain. Their shadows bound him to the ground, crushing him against the hard cold steel floor while the tendrils tightened their hold. As they held the mad scientist in ground, they saw the Wrecker rolling after them at high speeds. They were forced to pull up a shadowy shield, blocking the attack, only to send them crashing out into the Fright Zone.
Modulock laughed only to then be pulled along with the sorcerers. As he let out a shriek of terror, he activated his second special Hordebot. He landed harshly next to Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki, feeling two of his legs break.
"I think I broke something in the landing." Modulock groaned.
"Like we care!" Shigaraki snapped as the Wrecker rolled towards them.
Shigaraki had had enough of the overgrown rolling ball of doom. He slammed his hands on the ground, creating a portal underneath the Wrecker, swallowing it before spitting it against some wrecked metal. He stretched out his organic hand, slamming it against the Wrecker's thick metallic hide. His magic started to corrode and rust the metal of the robot at a slow pace.
The Wrecker was able to roll out of the way, letting out flames through its trunk, burning the metal away. The bot stumbled towards Shigaraki and Shadow Weaver, firing more flames at them without any form of restraint.
Shadow Weaver fired her own dark flames at the Hordebot.
"Is this all you've got for all your work, Modulock?" Shadow Weaver taunted. "I could take this thing with ease."
"Well, the idea was to build an army of these things. And in my defense you're not its prey." Modulock shrugged against his restraints. "But you are this one's."
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki didn't have time to react when red shock blasts struck them. They snapped and screamed in pain as they felt like their skin was being ripped off of them with a nail clipper. It took all their strength to remain standing. Looking up, they saw what was attacking them and making their every breath feel like it was complete torture. They could easily say that this bot was on a different level than the previous one.
The new Hordebot floated down to the group like a specter in the night. It looked like a skeleton with large mechanical armor that would've looked small on a tank. It had a large iron cross on its chest with the symbol of the Horde on it. Armored hands with sharp spike-like nails on each hand. It carried a large black shield with the symbol of the Horde on it, giving it an almost Black Knight look to it. Large spiked iron boots crushed the floor under the large bot's weight. And for a final selling point was the large red horns on top of the Hordebot's head that matched the cape behind it. From his right hand came red electricity that sapped the energy of the two magic users.
"What abomination is that?" Shigaraki groaned.
"This lovely thing? I like to call it the Iron Death." Modulock snapped his legs back into place. "10 tons of steel and magic absorbing technology, with enough armor from the ore mines to arm a large tank. I like to think this'll be the weapon that will put an end to those pesky magic users. What do you think? I would love some feedback."
Shadow Weaver and Shigaraki snarled at the mad scientist in defiance of this madness. Even with the terrible pain coursing through their bodies, they could feel their magic leaving them. They couldn't even get up from the pain. But the more pain they felt, the more their anger rose. They glared at Modulock as he took notes on their pain.
However, despite their energy being drained, neither one of the two sorcerers were going to give up. Shigaraki channeled the full extent of his magic into his one remaining hand. It was a gamble and he would probably not be able to use his arm for a long time. But it would bring him great satisfaction to wipe Modulock's smile off of his face.
Shigaraki jumped at the Iron Death, only to be backhanded by the large Hordebot. He felt his body rattling, but he dug his heels into the ground, sending an orb of black fire at the bot. His attack was absorbed but that didn't stop Shigaraki from fighting. He received blow after blow from the Iron Death without flinching. He chuckled with each blow, despite his blood dripping from his forehead and his wounds.
"This is getting sad." Modulock sighed. "Just stay down, Shigaraki. I hate seeing dumb animals in pain."
"I hope you've enjoyed your short term victory, Modulock," Shigaraki said. "Because it made me remember something I have had to hold back. I will not let anything or anyone get the best of me ever again!" Shigaraki raised his remaining organic arm as he pulled himself back to his feet.
"Oh uh." Modulock muttered.
Shigaraki's arm became coated in purple magic, destroying his sleeves and part of his shirt. His arm began to crack from the decaying power he was summoning. With a crazed look he slammed his hand on the ground, spreading his corrosive decaying magic through the ground beneath him. His arm turned purple as everything collapsed around and below him.
As if someone had accelerated the entropy around the area, everything began collapsing. The ground crumbled to dust. The metal rusted away. Any person or soldier that was nearby was turned to nothing more than flaky remaining ashes. The world of anyone in the Horde was now getting introduced to an early interaction with the Grim Reaper and all that didn't have the means to escape, could only watch in terror.
Shadow Weaver used this chance to teleport herself away. As much as she trusted her pupil and partner, she didn't want to be caught in the middle of his destructive power breaking loose.
Modulock quickly jumped up, catching one of the cables before it could consume him. But he wasn't quick enough. One of his legs had been caught in Shigaraki's onslaught, making him amputate the leg before it spread through the rest of the body. He called one of his drones to keep him in the air, saving himself, though with some scars.
Modulock's Iron Death wasn't as lucky. It lost its legs, left arm and part of its chest. Had it not been for the anti-magic core on its left arm, it would've disintegrated on the spot. But even still the bot was slowly decaying.
Shigaraki continued, letting loose his madness with a crazed cackle. He was finally letting loose for the first time since he got his cursed magic. He'd always believed he could control the decay of all living and non-living beings but the thought of going all out always tempted him. And at the sight of everything collapsing and crumbling to dust and ash, he could not have a bigger smile than what he had on his face. He wanted more and more and more.
It was a sick pleasure of his. After being given nothing and being cast away from the only place he could make his own path, he wanted war. He was going to make everyone that made him suffer feel his wrath. Even if it called him to an early grave.
"I wanna see all this pathetic little world crumble away!" Shigaraki laughed as his nails turned black. "I don't know why but I can't get enough of it. No one will stop me! Not the Alliance, not you and not even Hordak!" The ground cracked under his hand as his body began to crumble away.
However, as much as Shigaraki wanted to see the full extent of his powers, a red blaster struck him in the back. Shigaraki lost all the air out of his lungs as the blast burnt his back, breaking his concentration and ending the spell before it could destroy any more of the Fright Zone.
"This is the last time I let you play with your test subjects, Modulock." Hordak stood over the destruction with his arm turned into his iconic blaster, spewing red smoke. "It almost cost us the Fright Zone."
"Well, I want to say that this wasn't a complete loss, apart from Shadow Weaver managing to wiggle out of our grasp." Modulock grunted in pain. "But at least we got the stooge to continue my work."
From the shadows, Shadow Weaver watched as Shigaraki was taken away. She had gambled and lost.
Shigaraki groaned, coughing back to his senses. A bright light illuminated his face as he tried to move, but to no avail. He couldn't feel his legs. Lifting his head, he saw his arms and legs bound to an operating table without an inch to move. She tried to fight out of the binds but he wasn't able to make any progress.
"I'd hold back on thrashing, Shigaraki." Modulock appeared from his side, sporting a brand new robotic leg. "Lord Hordak's cannon caused some severe spinal injuries. Your legs won't work any time soon. But don't worry, your pal Modulock is here." He pulled out a syringe full of green and purple chemicals.
"What are you gonna do to me?" Shigaraki hissed.
"Oh, well, I was planning on making you into my newest guinea pig. But after that little demonstration you gave us? I can see your future and it is bright." Modulock smiled. "You could say that I want to turn you into the plague you truly wish to become. A monster." He injected Shigaraki in the neck.
Shigaraki growled in rage as the chemicals coursed through his body, slowly.
"But in order to do that, I'll have to break you." Modulock pulled a large black cord with spikes coming out of it. "And then remake you. This might sting a bit."
Shigaraki let out a defiant roar as Modulock brought the cable ever closer to Shigaraki.
Back at Brightmoon, Izuku, Catra and Glimmer were climbing up one of the towers of the castle. They held up three different antennas up into the sky.
"You got anything, Bow?" Izuku asked.
"We have better things to do at night than sticking to a tower holding up sticks." Catra waved her antenna.
Down on the ground, Souta was looking at the bright stars while Bow showed him what he was doing with his Datapad. He pulled up the information, trying to get a better read on the message. He looked up, trying to tune the signal but he still didn't have the right frequency.
"Just a little longer. Glimmer, a little more to my right." Bow instructed. "Catra, a little higher. You too, Izuku. The signal isn't strong enough."
Izuku, Catra and Glimmer did as he asked of them. Izuku and Catra stood at the very top of the tower while holding up the antennas while Glimmer yawned.
"Anything?" Glimmer asked.
"Almost there. A little further." Bow replied.
The other three stood on their tip toes, preying the antennas would catch something.
"Okay, now hold that position." Bow tuned the datapad, getting a clearer message. "Almost, almost, I think I've got it." As Bow looked at his pad along with Souta, the tip where Izuku stood started to crack.
The datapad started lighting up with the different bits of information while Izuku heard a small crack under him. The message became clearer to the point that they could be read. That's when Izuku's foothold gave way.
"Izuku!" Catra and Glimmer jumped after him.
"I got it!" Bow claimed as Souta watched Catra and Glimmer catch Izuku, teleporting just as they were about to hit the ground.
Bow and Souta looked around for any signs of their friends.
Just then, Izuku, Catra and Glimmer appeared behind them. They panted at the close call before giving Bow a shared annoyed glare.
"He he, I got the message cleared up." Bow sheepishly pointed to the datapad.
"You can read First Ones' writing?" Souta asked.
"Yeah, I can, at least." Izuku picked the datapad and started reading the message. "It says, 'To whoever may read this report, rogue asset Mara was last seen flying a stolen ship towards Serenia's Belt'. The rest I can't understand. The code might be too damaged." Izuku handed the pad back to Bow.
"Wait, so Mara, the last She-Ra, was a rogue asset? Did she rebel against the First Ones?" Catra asked.
"Lighthope did say that she wanted to avoid another Mara situation. What could she have done to be considered so dangerous?" Glimmer asked.
"Apart from disobeying orders from Lighthope's bosses? Not sure. But she's getting plenty of good points on my end." Catra smirked.
"But we do know something. She went to this Serenia's Belt." Bow interjected. "Ever heard of that place?"
"No, but if she went there, that's where we need to go. If the Horde is amassing so much First Ones' tech then that's where they'll go." Izuku tightened his fist. "If that tech was so dangerous that the last She-Ra went against her people… We have to stop them before they get their hands on that kind of technology."
