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The Fright Zone could was viewed by many as a place of fear and loathing, but to some it was home. A trash heap of a home but a home none the less. A home to those with no where else to go, with no questions asked to why.
In a sealed chamber deep in the heart of the Fright Zone worked the one known as Lord Hordak. Feared by many but few saw him for his true self - a worn out man working himself to death on some project deep within his lab.
He personally preferred the term Sanctum as it was the one place he had the privacy to be himself. He worked alone as it was exhausting to constantly explain minor nuances of his precious work to those unworthy of his time. Of the many resources available to him, time was the one that there was never enough of.
Hordak sat hunched over his desk, his cape slung over the chair back, his armour looser than usual barely holding his failing flimsy frame together but allowing more freedom of minute movement which was essential.
He was once again muttering to himself fixated on some metal work piece of his prized portal project. The blueprints and multiple pieces of paper containing detailed notes were strewn all over the table in an order than only made sense to Hordak. This blasted portal never worked before and he knew he was just wasting time but it had to work, it must work, he needed it to work.
The small winged Imp creature that was sleeping on his lap was growing restless. Imp sat upright, pawed at Hordak’s chest and looked up at him with a pouted face.
“It is not that time” snarked Hordak as he tightened up the screws on the metal work.
Imp flew up unto the table top and sat on the metal work while grinning up at an annoyed Hordak.
Hordak growled.
Imp simply repeated back the growl and shifted his butt so he sat on even more of the project with a huge grin on his face.
Hordak glared at Imp and sighed dropping his six-sided hex driver.
“Fine. You win. I’m not going to get anything done until I take you!”
Hordak moved back from the table and began to tighten the armour on his body. Imp made an excited sound and wiggled his whole body in excited anticipation like a puppy, refusing to move until he was certain in was time for -
“WALKIES!” Hordak grinned as he finished securing his cape into place with a satisfying click and headed towards the door
“WALKIES!!” Imp repeated back multiple times while excited flying around the room.
“Now hush, I have a reputation to uphold” Hordak stated firmly.
Imp landed on his shoulder opened his mouth and repeated back “oh my Lord Hordak!” in Shadow Weaver’s voice followed by “he’s scary” in a voice Hordak didn’t recognise.
“Now where did you hear that last one?” quizzed Hordak
Imp giggled and played back, “Little Spy” and “I have a reputation to uphold” in Hordak’s voice
Hordak reached up and scratched Imp’s chin prompting the little creature to wag his tail, “yes, yes you are my Little Spy” he giggled.
Lord Hordak, with Imp now happily perched on his shoulders, took carefully planned strides down the empty corridor. The corridor was like any other standard Fright Zone one lined top to bottom with large pipes fixed together with mismatched metal. There were grates on the pipes at varying intervals.
Even though it was the dead of night Hordak couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something or someone was watching them.
As if sencing this feeling Imp sniffed the air and with a chirp swooped down and began sniffing at floor level grate.
“I’m not going in there…” the towering Lord sneered
Imp began feverishly chewing at the bars of the grate with his sharp pointed teeth.
Hordak bend down and snarled at Imp “…and you’re not going in there either”
Imp snarled and chewed more frantically with the bars becoming covered in his drool.
“Fine” Hordak sighed as he stood up “ruin your only set of teeth…”
Imp ignored the warning but grew concerned as he heard Hordak walking away without him. Concerned about being left alone with he begrudgingly stopped chewing and flew after his Master and once again parched on his shoulder.
Hordak glanced over at the grate while giving Imp positive reinforcement via another scratch on the chin. He wasn’t sure but he thought he saw two small lights in the grate Imp had been chewing.
“Must be my imagination…” he muttered while rubbing his temples.
Imp opened his mouth and in Hordak’s voice stated “…seeing things again”
Hordak laughed “Perhaps it’s the -“
Imp finished by speaking in a scared cadet voice “THE VENT GREMLIN! IT’S GONNA EAT OUR SOULS!”
“Something in the Fright Zone scarier that us? Now that’s preposterous!”