Work Text:
The Defects
Interlude Five: Family (Anti-)Matter
At Various Times In The Year Running Up To The Fall of Horde Prime
It was snowing. That was highly impossible. The Fright Zone, the headquarters of The Etherian Horde, was located in the middle of a desert wasteland. For most children and many adults living there had never seen snow in real life. Like Hordak for example. Who was quite unnerved by it.
“What is it? Is it ash? Has there been some sort of eruption? Perhaps it is nuclear fallout! Those BrightMoon fools are trying to doom us! Code: Red! Urge everyone to stay inside! The lead shielding will protect us!” Hordak announced panickily to his servant.
“No, no, silly.” Entrapta emerged out of nowhere, as she always did. The small woman was wrapped up in at least three layers of warm clothing. Coats upon coats. A woolly snow cap. And a beautiful blue, pink and white scarf. From under the scarf jumped out an excited Imp. Also in warm coat, cap, and with tiny gloves made just for his tiny size. They rushed outside and leapt into the thick powder, leaving Hordak behind at the door entrance. He stood inside, where he believed it was safe. He almost got a heartsattack seeing his little spy in possible nuclear dust. The clone almost fainted.
“Entrapta, are you insane?! Return at once!” He yelled.
“It’s just snow, Hordak.” She reassured and comforted him. The scientist sat Imp down onto the soft snow. The little bat had never felt snow before. It was cold, but not unpleasant. It took a moment for the batling to get used to the feeling, but soon enough Imp was laughing and prancing around. “You do know what snow is, don't you?” Entrapta asked Hordak.
Hordak did not answer. “So, should I call off Code: Red?” The servant next to Hordak asked. Hordak sighed and nodded. The servant retreated further inside. Hordak remained at the doorway entrance, just watching the two play.
Entrapta taught Imp how to roll up snowballs. Imp was having the time of his life. Entrapta suggested that maybe they should try making a snowman. The snowballs Entrapta was making were bigger than the baby bat herself. Imp walked backwards on the snowballs rolling them up bigger and bigger, trying to keep balanced as he sped up. Imp tripped and got rolled up in one of the snow boulders. He giggled as he went round and round, as if he was in a washing machine of white powder.
Imp and Entrapta were having a great time. But Hordak just kept his distance. He looked down at the white snow. He knelt down. And analysed it. The defect clone was apprehensive, he touched the snow gently. It was indeed cold. It was strange. Hordak clawed a handful of it and raised it to his face. He stood up. It was certainly cold, but not unpleasant. The clone just observed the white snow slowly melt into clear water and run down his hand, Hordak was transfixed. His red pupilless eyes wide and his mouth a gap in the shape of an ‘o’. He looked like a child who saw a toy he really wanted for Christmas.
The defect was taken out of his trance when a snowball hit him square in the chest. Hordak looked up to see Entrapta chuckling with Imp by her side. The scientist woman exclaimed to the bat, “Hey, get your cute butt over here!” Hordak’s ears blushed and lowered. “You coming or want?”
“No, I am busy. I have a lot of work to get back to.”
“Oh, come on, the war can wait, can't it? Maybe you should relax a bit, have some fun, make some time for your little spy, Imp wants you to play with him... do you really want all these little moments to pass you by? He won't always be this small, cute, and cuddly.” Entrapta stated as she lifted up the battling and showed him off like a plushie.
Hordak thought about it, that was one of his great fears, and he had many, “I... concur...”
“You want me to get you some warm clothes?”
“Yes, please.”
---
It was late. All the inhabitants of The Fright Zone that were not on lookout duty were asleep. All except the lab-partners who were working tirelessly in their Laboratory. They had actually succeeded quite early in the day with increasing blaster firepower by fifteen percent and then they synthesise a new compound for troop armour; stronger, lighter. During their lunch break Hordak was even pretty sure that Entrapta created a new periodic element. But she didn't tell Hordak because she didn't want him to feel bad about himself.
By the time the evening rolled by, they had completed everything on their To Do List, so they moved onto brainstorming something new and unplanned. They settled on developing a new type of soil that could help farmers grow vegetables twice their regular size. They had a long busy day, to say the least. They were tired.
Hordak sat on his throne, holo-screens surrounding him, all disclosing important information, but Hordak’s eyes were too tired to read any of it. He was barely staying awake. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Imp had fallen asleep on the arm of his throne. He had completely lost track of time, working with Entrapta was so entertaining... fun even. Which was not a word he used often.
Hordak then noticed Entrapta, who was on the verge of sleep. She was dozing off, yet she was still standing up. Hordak believed fully that Entrapta was capable of falling asleep standing up. He swiped with his hand to the side, the holographic displays vanished. He cleared his throat, “Uh hmm, Entrapta, I believe we are done for today.”
“Oh, yeah... yeah, sure, can do, hehe.” She began to waltz out of The Sanctum heading back to her personal quarters.
“Well, I was just wondering if- if you would like you could stay here for tonight, if you would like. Less of a hustle... and Imp seems to really respond well to you. You could spend the night in my Inner-Laboratory, my bedchambers only have one bed, but I am sure you can fit on it with Imp. I could slumber here on my throne.”
“Oh, that's incredibly nice, but I don't want to be a bother. My bedroom is only a few minutes away on foot, even quicker through the vents... unless I get lost again. But it's totally fine. It's fine.”
“It is no bother. I promise. You are my... lab-partner, my... uhm... My guest, it is my responsibility to... aid you with a helping hand in any way I can.” He stated awkwardly.
“You know you can just say ‘friend’.”
“Yes, I suppose I could, thank you. So, shall you stay? Only if you would like, of course.”
“... You know what? I'd love to.” Entrapta gave him a warm smile. She walked up to the sleeping baby bat and gently wrapped her up in comfy, soft hair and created a cradle with it. She retreated with the baby to the Inner-Laboratory. While Hordak nestled into his throne, it wasn't comfortable, but he made it work. He closed his eyes and attempted to drift away into sleep. Which was a habit that Entrapta got him into. And he enjoyed it quite a bit. He then heard a noise above him; he looked up to see a blanket draped over the back of the throne.
“Thank you.” Hordak didn't see her, but he knew she could hear him. He took the blanket and pulled it around himself, that made it somewhat more comfortable. It being a gesture from Entrapta somehow made it feel warmer and softer.
---
Hordak often forgot how wealthy his partner truly was, she was a Princess after all. Hordak was surprised when Entrapta asked him on a date. Maybe he shouldn’t have been. They were quite obvious about their feelings for each other. Hordak, of course, accepted and agreed, gladly. Hordak was also surprised to hear that Entrapta bought out the entire town of Thrithtmal for a full evening.
Thrithtmal was a commercial town, full of shops and restaurants. Not a lot of homes and houses. The streets of the small town were empty. Entrapta let Hordak browse the various clothing stores, looking for new outfits. Hordak never vocally admitted it to anyone other than Entrapta, but he very much enjoyed fashion.
The two love birds skipped from store to store. Hordak was a big fan of dresses, he spoke at length about them, in a professional yet enthusiastic manner – talking about his various preferences, talking about how you want dresses that have higher side slits to make it less restrictive to allow more air, which reduces sweating, and increases articulation. Entrapta never really enjoyed dresses or skirts, she much more enjoyed baggy pants, like sweatpants (god bless sweatpants). But she enjoyed seeing Hordak enjoying himself, she loved just sitting back and listening to Hordak, his beautiful, cold, smooth, soothing voice. She could listen to him forever.
Hordak tried on dozens of dresses; he settled on a black and red silken dress, with a single shoulder strap with a rose ornament, and a glittery pattern across the black dress approximating the look of a stary night. Entrapta also enjoyed gazing at her partner, all the time, but especially now as he tried on new and quite revealing dresses.
After hours of heavenly dress shopping, they made their way to the restaurant they booked, ‘Mosey’s MasterPieces’.
“Oh, I probably should have asked whether you... eat, like at all. I never actually saw you eat. Can you eat?” Entrapta asked.
“I can. I do. Sometimes. But I do not have to. As clones were engineered to be the perfect lifeforms, we do not require food, water, we cannot get sick, we can survive in any environment, we- our muscles and minds do not tire easily... Well, standard clones... not defects, such as me... we are far inferior... Clo- Clones usually sustain themselves with The LifeForce; a fluid, our fuel, our ‘lifeblood’, it acts as our food, water, blood, energy, medicine, it is everything; it is also highly addictive, and corrosive, it gives us life, makes us stronger, yet it kills us slowly all the while... clones were made to be expendable...” Hordak had a way of making Hordak depressed.
“Fascinating.”
“What?”
“You. You’re fascinating. Everything about you, I can’t get enough of you, you’re like a mystery, an experiment that never ends – Every moment with you is exhilarating, I don’t ever want it to end.”
“...Oh... Thank you.” Hordak’s ears began to blush as he bowed his head in embarrassment. He wasn't complemented very often, never actually. He was not used to the praise; he didn't know how to deal with it. He thought he should compliment her back, to be nice. Which was something he wasn't very often either.
“I believe you are fascinating as well; You are incredible... indescribable, like something I have never experienced before, such a warm and welcoming soul, if scientifically there is such a thing, I have been away from my brothers for so long, I miss them, I feel lost. Yet, with you around I feel... something... I feel at home, as if I do not need to return at all. I have been here on this world for decades, longer than I have ever been at my Brother’s side. I have gone through hell; dying, decaying, here, slowly. You make all the hardships feel worth it... I am sorry I think I lost my train of thought; I do not know where I was going with that. I suppose I am trying to say: thank you, for just being here, around me, for enduring me, thank you.”
At first Entrapta could only answer with a smile, it took a moment for her to fully absorb all that in and to respond. She then replied with her own lengthy compliment. Which then was ping-ponged by Hordak as he complimented her again. And so, it went on and on between the two. They were so focused on their conversation they almost forgot to eat. They eventually ordered the cook to reheat their meals and moved on from the compliments to talking at length about their personal scientific theories. They had a great night.
They finished and deported in a cheerful mood. At that moment the two scientists were confronted with a Princess detachment sent by the Princess Alliance, the She-Ra among them. They believed that Hordak The Warlord of Evil and his Heinous Countess of The Night Princess Entrapta The Macabre were holding an entire town hostage. There intel was wrong, as Entrapta manipulated it, that was her final gift that evening.
Entrapta handed Hordak a small box wrapped in wrapping paper and a bow. Hordak opened the present; it was a remote with only one button. He pressed it, and the ground erupted from underneath the Princesses - a huge mechanical robot centipede monster blasted out from the earth. The Centi-bot began to do battle with the present heroes.
“Thank you, Entrapta. You really do know me.”
---
“Hordak, baby, have you seen the Six-Sided HexDriver? I can’t find it anywhere. It always disappears when you most need it. We should really order more of those.” Entrapta proclaimed as she looked around every nook and cranny. It was extremely convenient to have a tool that can be every tool invented (like a Swiss army knife but for like scientists and engineers and stuff), but it was very inconvenient that they only had a handful of those, and they always went missing.
“What are you doing?” Hordak asked as he watched his lab-partner trying to scramble into a vent that was far too small for her.
“Ugh, Hordikins, I asked you to modify these vents, you know I prefer to travel through the ventilation systems.”
“The ventilation engineering team is coming next Thursday. Beloved, please, stop, come down here. I shall call Imp to help us search for the Six-Sided-HexDriver...” He looked around The Sanctum. An awkward silence followed. “Wh- Where is Imp?”
“...OH MY GOD YOU LOST OUR BABY!?” Entrapta exclaimed in panic.
“No, no, no, Imp often scampers off and scuttles about The Fright Zone, he runs off all the time and comes back.”
“And you don’t know where he goes?!”
“Well, I, uh, not always, this Fortress is his home, it will belong to him one day he should know the lay of the land. I sometimes send him out to spy on certain individuals, but not today. I, in fact, haven’t been spying on anyone recently. People know that if they hurt or insult Imp in any way they will face retribution; execution. He always comes back.”
“Ah! Ugh! I can’t believe this!”
“Alright, alright, I should call him back.” Hordak walked over to his throne, on one of the arms of the throne there was a button which was rarely used. He pressed it and the intercom came on and he spoke into it, “Imp, please report back to The Sanctum, your creator is very concerned. That is Imp my beloved spy hybrid Jelly-Bean. Not Paulie from accounting. Never you, stop coming here.”
Then they heard a noise coming from The Sanctum itself, more precisely from the eastern wall. They turn to face the source of the sound. “What was that?” A complicated looking piece of machinery stood against the wall; the sound of scratching could be heard behind it. Hordak took hold of the machine and attempt to move it to the side, but a sharp pain in his back prevented him from doing so. “I got it, I got it.” Entrapta stated as she patted and massage his back and shoulders. The short purple scientist wrapped her mechanical hair around the machine and slid it off to the side.
Behind the metallic box was a crack in the wall and therein it stood Imp. He froze as if caught like a robber in a spotlight. Yellow eyes wide, mouth open.
“Where have you been young man?” Hordak asked. He wasn’t really angry; he was just trying to match Entrapta’s concerned intensity.
“Darn right! We need to set some new rules. No more sneaking out without telling us! Either that, or we implant a microchip tracer so that we know where you are at all times. What if some baby kidnapper kidnapped you, we wouldn't know where you are! Oh my gosh, I'm freaking myself out! I need to stop. I need to stop. Hordikins, get me a glass of water. Need to stay hydrated.”
Hordak took Entrapta in his arms in panicky wrapped his lab-partner in a blanket and placed a helmet contraption onto her head with two water containers attached to the sides, with two straws running from the containers to her mouth, he also placed an ice pack against her forehead.
Imp was looking concerned now. “Where have you been?” Entrapta exploded into a starfish while still in Hordak’s arms as she asked the question. Imp looked like he was thinking very hard, deciding what he should do next. The baby sighed and signed with his adorable little hand paws. ‘Surprise.’
“What?”
‘Its. Surprise. Was. Waiting. Right. Time. Not. Finished. Yet. Surprise!’ The baby bat raised their hands up and exclaimed with cute baby noises. “Jaahhh!”
The batling retreated back into the hollow wall. Hordak and Entrapta gave each other a confused look, they were not exactly sure how they were supposed to follow the tiny bat. The battling re-emerged and waved his little hand in a ‘come on, follow me’ gesture. They awkwardly poked their heads in through the crack in the wall. What they saw did indeed surprise them, but it also brought out a warm and fuzzy feeling in their chests.
“Oh my gosh.” Entrapta had stars in her eyes, she just lit up. What they beheld was a miniature replica of Anti- Matter Generator and The Portal it powered, they were working on for the past couple of months (well, Entrapta had only been working on the experiment for a couple of months, however Hordak had been working on The Portal for decades). It was a metallic arch with a light bulb below it. The bat scuttled on all fours to a little switch on the side and flicked it on. And the light bulb lit up. Imp stood up on two feet and began to laugh maniacally like a mad-scientist in his little baby voice.
Entrapta felt like she was about to tear up, “My little scientist. My little Jelly-Bean is learning how to flaunt the laws of physics. I knew they would take after her parents. And Scopria thought she'd be an actress. Ha! Ridiculous. As if I'd ever allow that, heh.”
“Parents?...” Hordak asked.
They turn to face each other.
“What?” Entrapta asked.
“Parents? You want to be...” Hordak remarked.
“I mean, yeah... Can I be?”
“Of course, I would love that.”
Imp pulled out a bent Six-Sided-HexDriver and presented it to his parents, “Ah, so that's where they all went. Huh.” Entrapta pulled the baby in with her hair and gave him a big warm hug.
End of Interlude Five