Chapter Text
Despite Entrapta’s insistence otherwise, the various kingdoms of Etheria held council to determine punishments for Hordak, the other Horde clones, and any other tertiary Horde members who were still loyal to the regime. Of course, they’d all be considered guilty by the masses, but a trial was held regardless. It was determined that the clones weren’t fully guilty by reason of brainwashing. They were still dealt community service to put the population’s minds at ease. Previous members of the original Horde army had mostly become deserters and were hard enough to track down, let alone to persecute. Of course, Adora, Catra, and Scorpia vouched for them, having been in the same situation. Community service was assigned to those who could be found just as a precaution.
Throughout the various trials, it seemed like the only one who was truly guilty of anything was Hordak. He and ShadowWeaver were the only ones who were truly doing evil of their own volition, and ShadowWeaver was avoiding the punishment she deserved by the simple fact that she was dead. The only one who had any fear of real retribution was Hordak.
—
Hordak sat in his cell in Brightmoon, awaiting whatever punishment the Princesses saw fit. It pained him to know that the rulers he once hated had his life hanging in the balance. It pained him even more to suffer in this… cell? After the events of Horde Prime’s destruction and his short lived reunion with Entrapta, he was promptly arrested. He assumed that he’d be awaiting his sentencing in a proper jail cell, like the ones used in the Fright Zone. Or worse, perhaps his crimes against Etheria would be considered so severe that he’d be executed on the spot. But no. Instead he was taken to Brightmoon and locked in what was basically a normal bedroom. Surrounded by cushy pillows, gilded walls, and even a balcony. Hordak was in the most comfortable room he’d ever been exposed to in his life, all because he committed unquantifiable war crimes, countless murders by his own hands or in his name, and attempted to take over the entire planet on multiple occasions. It sickened him.
He stood out on his undeserved balcony and stared off into the distance. The view was beautiful. With the natural flora and fauna restored and the faint glowing of everything due the the residual energy of the Heart of Etheria still fizzling out, everything looked properly… ethereal. The air was clear, the water was clear, the minds of the citizens were clear. Everything was absolute perfection… In the eyes of everyone but Hordak.
His mind raced with memories of everything that had happened and worries of everything there was to come. He was resolute to die if the council saw fit. An execution would be the natural conclusion most would come to, and he thought it to be an understandable end to him and his tyranny. His stomach churned at his death being at the hands of the princesses, but of course it would be. He simply had to accept it. His emotions were what was troubling him. He felt next to no guilt. He’d grappled with those feelings eons ago and become detached from them. He was, however, feeling a whole mess of strange new feelings. A sense of grief was tapping at the back of his mind ever since the destruction of Horde Prime. Despite all the torment, he still felt that attachment to his brother. It wasn’t a grief brought on by a loved one lost, it was a grief brought on by a complete upset to the status quo. The Horde was all he’d ever known, without that, he felt an unfamiliar emptiness. What concerned him even more was that this emptiness came with an overwhelming sense of freedom. That is what he was struggling to grasp the most.
Amidst his brooding, there was an excited knock at the door. He knew exactly who it was and turned to greet her. His purple haired spitfire of a lab partner busted through the doors of his “cell”, much to the bemoaning of the faceless guards who were stationed to guard them. She rushed to hug Hordak around the waist with her hair but he stepped back reluctantly. At this point, she was used to him suddenly no longer accepting her physical affection. This had become a daily routine. She, of course, thought nothing of it. Honestly, she thought his change in behavior to be “fascinating”.
“Hordak Daily Visitation Log: Day seven!” She opened with, not even saying hello first. “Still no changes to his behavior or physical body! Still leading me to believe that he previously dyed his hair black and that it wasn’t naturally occurring as I first believed! Still unsure of how his teeth pigmentation works… Will update log if anything suddenly begins to change color!” She continued, much to Hordak’s mild irritation. Upon her ending of the log, she shoved her recorder back in the pocket from whence it came. “How’s my lab partner doing?!” She finally asked, loud as always.
“The same as yesterday, and the day before that…” He answered dryly. She’d been coming to visit him at the same time every day, always asking the same questions and making the same observations. It’s like all this was just a new science experiment for her. “Have you come with any updates on my sentencing?”
“You worry so much about that. The worst they could do is give you more time in here!” She cheerfully explained, putting her arms out to gesture to the entirety of his lavish bedroom of a cell. “I can still visit you every day and I could even get them to give you some of your equipment so we could keep experime-”
“You’re much too optimistic…” He stated, cutting her off mid sentence. “If you believe that my crimes are deserving of anything but death… You’re more a fool than I first thought…”
Entrapta went uncharacteristically silent for a moment. His harsh words, although not uncommon, still stung. He talked to everyone else that way, but never her. She was taken aback. She stepped away, shook her head, and took a deep breath.
“And if you think I’ll let the other princesses put my lab partner to death, then you’re more of a fool than I first thought!” She shouted triumphantly. “I get a vote too, you know! And I would never let anything too bad happen to you! You know that!” She grinned ear to ear. She had that same energy that was all too familiar to Hordak. That energy that had made him become so attached to her in the first place.
“Yes… I suppose I do…” He responded quietly, suddenly understanding what that feeling of freedom meant to him.
“Besides, the only princess that wants you to be executed is Mermista!… Annnd maybe Frosta. Everyone else has been surprisingly lenient so far. It’s fascinating!”
“It truly is…”
Another knock was heard on the door, this time much firmer. A signal from the guards that visitation time was over. Entrapta hung her head a bit, disappointed that she had to leave. Hordak was still a prisoner after all. There were only so many people who were allowed to talk to him and only for a short amount of time each day. Her being a princess was the only reason she was allowed to see him at all in the first place.
“Guess it’s time to go.” She sighed, glancing at the door with sadness.
“I will see you tomorrow…” Hordak encouraged, placing his hand on her shoulder as a goodbye.
Entrapta immediately lit up and changed her attitude. She gave him a massive smile and hugged him tightly. He didn’t recoil this time, giving her all the more reason to rejoice.
“See you tomorrow!” She gleefully shouted behind her as she hopped away towards the door, waving goodbye.
Hordak gave her a subtle smile back as the doors closed. Maybe his fate wasn’t as doomed as he’d worried so much about.
—
The daily routine continued for another week or so. Entrapta would come for her daily visits, they’d talk for a little bit, and then she’d have to leave. One day she even brought hair dye, saying she was sick of looking at his white hair and tired of waiting for it to maybe turn back to black again. She still wasn’t sure about his teeth, there’s not really teeth dye, but the fluorescent green still unsettled her… and just about everybody else.
Eventually the day came that they both were somewhat dreading. At this point, all notions of the possibility of execution were put out of Hordak’s mind, but he was still uneasy with the thought of his sentencing. Like Entrapta said, the worst they could do was keep him permanently in the luxury “cell” of his… but what were the other options? Those are what he was worried about. He didn’t quite know why though.
—
Hordak was flanked by several Brightmoon guards as he was led into the throne room. He was still very confused about the customs of being a prisoner in Brightmoon. He wasn’t even handcuffed. He was just slowly brought into the large luxurious room with almost no precautions in place. If he still had any of his weapons, he’d surely be able to make an explosive but quick escape. The thought crossed his mind, but then he looked up at the row of princesses on the steps in front of the thrones. Entrapta was there on the end, waving at him with a smile, not even trying to be subtle about it. The tension left his shoulders and he stepped forward to hear his punishment.
King Micah, Queen Glimmer, and Bow for some reason, were sitting in the thrones, whilst the other princesses and important people stood in a row on the step below them. The step below that stood Adora. It was still a mystery to Hordak why she had any authority at all. Regardless, she stood there, front and center. Seeing so many of his former enemies in a room together left a sour taste in his mouth. They all equally weren’t thrilled about seeing him, especially since the “modifications” Entrapta had made over the last couple weeks.
He stood there, black hair, in black clothes, with the black shadows surrounding his eyes. Although changed slightly by the rejuvenation by Horde Prime, his eyes and teeth a sickly green, he still eerily resembled the old tyrant the princesses had all come to hate and fear. Most would've preferred he’d stay looking like all the other horde clones. He would’ve, at least in their minds, been a little easier to stomach the presence of.
Adora began to read out his list of charges. None of it was anything to be contested. Even Hordak knew the extent of what he’d done. Of course, the guilt he felt wasn’t very well placed. He could care less about the people he had hurt, the trauma he had caused, or even the many who died in the name of the horde. The destruction of the Fright Zone and the surrounding environment wasn’t even something he had considered to be an issue. Even the portal incident, which he was subsequently blamed for, or the summoning of Horde Prime’s armada, cost him no sleep. All of his crimes, to him, were normal day to day things. He saw everything as justified. A means to an end. He cared for nothing and no one, so what care would he have that his actions hurt people?
Truly, the only thing he felt any guilt over was Entrapta. His ignorance and misplaced trust in Catra could’ve cost Entrapta her life. She was sent to Beast Island without his knowledge. She was deserted there for months, where she could’ve died countless times in countless ways. All the while, Hordak assumed she had left him. In the time after learning of her “betrayal” he’d even swore vengeance on her. She was suffering while he was out conquering kingdoms in the name of his hurt feelings. Was he really a man of such little faith? She was the first person to ever show him genuine kindness and he let her life be put in jeopardy under his watch. All because he put his trust in the wrong person. A stupid mistake. A mistake he actually believed he deserved to be punished for. Still though, he didn’t quite understand why he felt this way. Of all the things he’s done to rack him with guilt, why this?
Clearly his mind had wandered a bit because King Micah slammed his staff on the ground to get his attention.
“Do you have anything to say in your defense before we sentence you?” The king asked in a firm voice, glaring down at him with pure disdain.
Hordak looked up at him, then around at the rest of the room. He was completely surrounded by people who had absolutely no reason to show him any mercy. If it weren’t for Entrapta’s encouragement, he wouldn’t expect it. Other than her overwhelming presence of positivity, the makeshift courtroom was filled with an oppressive energy of fear and disgust. The trials and sentencings of all guilty parties were open to the public. Not only was the jury of royals judging him but rows and rows of the concerned citizens of Etheria as well. He felt their eyes on him. Even Catra, crouched up in the rafters to watch over Adora, stared daggers at him.
“No.” He simply answered after a long pause.
No one was shocked. What defense would he even have? He stood there with the steely resolve of someone who knew his crimes and had no need to defend them to anyone but himself, and he did that ages ago. To him, his only defense was between himself and Entrapta now.
“Then we, the collective Kingdoms of Etheria, hereby sentence you to banishment.” Micah stated in a manner only a king could. His firm voice, accompanied with another slam of his staff, continued. “You will be sequestered to Beast Island along with a portion of the Horde clones. You will make an effort to rid the island of all technomagical debris and anything else that could be a danger to the local wildlife and environment or Etheria as a whole. Once the island is clean enough for habitation, we will review your rehabilitation status.”
While everyone knew that the council would choose mercy, the term rehabilitation had Entrapta’s name written all over it. Hordak knew she’d try to tip the scales in his favor, but never this much. The thought that she would go out of her way to try and protect him this much made him feel… well… he didn’t quite know how to describe it. After everything that has happened, she still cared about him. He knew that, of course, but he never fathomed that that care would go deep enough to convince a jury of the people who hated Hordak the most to let him off with a slap on the wrist. Although his face wouldn’t say it, he was shocked, to say the least.
—
Hordak was led back to the comfort of his cell in silence. He stood out on the balcony, watching the sunset with a glazed over expression. His brain was so full of new thoughts and emotions that he couldn’t appreciate the beauty of it. The only beauty he could possibly think of was Entrapta. Her smile flooded his mind as he analyzed every last bit of her in his memory stores. No matter how much he contemplated, he couldn’t bring himself to understand anything. He couldn’t put a name to all these new things he’d been feeling since he met her. Why did she care about him? Why did she vouch for him? Why would she forgive him for anything? For Beast Island? Who was she? What had she done to him? It was all just too much. He couldn’t compute. His face felt hot and his chest felt tight. What was happening to him?
He didn’t get any sleep that night. He stared up at the ceiling like a mad scientist trying to crack an improbable solution to an impossible problem.
—
Those slated for banishment to Beast Island were marched onto ships by Brightmoon guards. It was mostly horde clones, Hordak’s brothers. After the destruction of Horde Prime, they were all lost and confused. Most of them didn’t even know where they were, let alone why they were being given community service. A few Etherians volunteered to supervise but other than that, it was just Kadroh who would be looking after them. He’d be joining them on Beast Island as a sort of project leader.
Hordak was one of the last ones to be loaded onto the ships. He looked at the dozens of clones in front of him with a mix of sympathy and disdain. He was emotionally exhausted and tired of manually figuring out how to feel about things, so he had just decided to ignore his brothers, some of whom were even looking to him for guidance. It was impossible to ignore them now.
The doors to the ship began to close when he heard a familiar voice shout incoherently. It snapped him out of his usual cacophony of thoughts and he turned around to see Entrapta hanging there. She’d tried to jump through the doors as they closed but her large backpack full of god knows what got caught and she was now hoisted up a few feet in the air by her shoulder straps. She used her pigtails to unhook herself and plopped onto the ground with a thud.
“E-Entrapta?” Hordak questioned, confused to see her there. He instinctively reached down to help her up but she stood up on her own.
“Hi!” She cheered, dusting herself off before yanking her bag free from the doors with all her might, sending her flying back to the floor again. She hopped back up to her feet yet again before explaining herself. “I’ve been meaning to do more research on Beast Island and the First Ones tech there now that I have access to my equipment! And I still have plenty more observations to do on WrongHordak-I mean Kadroh! Plus, what good is all that without a lab partner to help me with it?! So I figured I’d tag along!” She grinned, putting her hands on her hips confidently. From the looks of it, it’s more like she’s stowing away. “Let’s not tell Adora about this though, okay! Or Bow and Glitter… Glimmer?… Or the king… Or any of the guards…” She rambled with glee, definitely having not thought this through all the way.
As she spoke, Hordak just stared at her, still in a bit of shock at her sudden arrival. There it was again. That energy she brought to everything. She was so captivating to him. He hung onto every word but couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. He was just completely enthralled in the way she was speaking. Here she was. Here he was. It’s like nobody else was there at all. There were all those thoughts again. The ones he couldn’t analyze.
Now this banishment was going to be full of those thoughts and feelings.