Welcome, kind readers of my fanfic season!
It always feels good to start a new episode! And I particularly like this one.
Time for a recap of previous episodes:
Episode 53: On The Plain of Heroes (in 5 parts)
Horde Prime has been defeated, Etheria is at peace, and our heroes start new journeys.
Episode 54: Just Friends Ship (in 5 parts)
Catra struggles to adjust to Bright Moon, and Mermista and Sea Hawk face danger together at sea!
Episode 55: Sleeping Arrangements (in 8 parts)
Mermista and Sea Hawk must work together to survive, while Melog helps Catra to fight her demons. And as Bow helps Glimmer prepare for Micah's return, Castaspella gives Micah a precious gift to ease the difficulties with going home after so long. Catra and Adora find solace in each other, beginning a new adventure with Swift Wind.
Episode 56: Throne Room (in 6 parts)
Sea Hawk brings Mermista home to a broken Salineas, and Mermista vows to bring her people back with Sea Hawk's help. Adora and Catra start a beautiful adventure, which is ominously interrupted. As Glimmer welcomes her dad back to Bright Moon, a terrible storm threatens Adora, Catra, and Swift Wind. With the help of Spinerella and Netossa, they make it back to Bright Moon with a dire message.
Episode 57: Missing Peace (in 6 parts)
Glimmer seeks answers to a menacing threat, causing friction among friends.
Perfuma and Frosta accompany Scorpia home to the Fright Zone, and into conflict. And Entrapta and Wink leave on a hazardous and exciting mission..
Episode 58: Peace Zone (in 4 parts)
Beast Island spawns a nightmare for Entrapta and Wink.
Scorpia makes peace between princesses and former soldiers of the Horde.
Adora and Catra accompany Micah to Mystacor, which has suddenly disappeared!
Episode 59: Good Will Tour (in basically 6 parts)
Entrapta and Wink avert a pooka attack in the name of science!
Catra, Adora, and Micah rediscover fallen Mystacor.
Sea Hawk helps Mermista in her quest to gather her scattered people.
And Frosta and Perfuma leave Scorpia's new kingdom to spread word of the Peace Zone.
Episode 60: Cry For Etheria (in 8 parts)
Entrapta and Wink solve a mystery together.
Glimmer activates Bright Moon's distress beacon to call all of the princesses together, as disasters multiply across the planet, and Catra is deeply affected.
Episode 61 will feature some touching moments, as well as one of the funniest scenes I have written to this point!
I would like to dedicate Part One of this episode to Dani ( @Jlairee ) because she is really great and friendly, and I can't believe I haven't dedicated one of these to her yet!
And also to @Spideygirl90 (who always has great conversation starters!) because I believe they have some soft spots for both Entrapta and Wink (the proper name for Wrong Hordak 😉 ).
Hope you all enjoy it!
EPISODE 61: Stay Close
In the towering interior expanse of Entrapta’s Beast Island sanctum of science, a small group of rapt observers huddle in front of the massive console and the hovering screens of shimmering data and colorful animated images.
Entrapta and Wink sit close together, and decorating their heads and shoulders are a plethora of pooka-kind, each one staring ahead with hypnotic attention.
One lucky pooka lays swaddled in a roll of Entrapta’s hair, smiling grotesquely as Entrapta absently pets its sweet little head with another one of her lavender locks.
All are bathed in a technological greenish glow, casting them in an eerie pallor, and all eyes are locked on the same, revelatory focus.
Entrapta’s face is lit up with an expression of wide-eyed wild excitement and intrigue!
Beside her, Wink’s face bears an equally strong expression of terror-stricken shock!
There is a tense silence.
Entrapta: [suddenly letting loose her emotion] AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
She is vibrating in the intensity of her glee, and Wink shrinks away, startled.
Entrapta: Do you see what this means, Wink?! Oh, this is so much more amazing than I imagined! Beast Island isn’t just a depository of failed, outmoded tech! And this place is so much more than a storage facility for information! Hah!!
Entrapta leaps to her feet, spreading her arms wide and scattering a few pookas. The one she was cradling drops into Wink’s lap, where two of its kin catch it in surprise. Springing backwards in an explosion of joyful energy, Entrapta lands on her ponytails in a hair-stand and carries on flipping backwards, feet to hair to feet, in a chaotic circumnavigation of the chamber, chattering and gesturing all the while.
Entrapta: This is the primary monitoring station for the entire planetary machine, gathering feedback and signals from every part of the system, coordinating and manipulating and calibrating to maintain optimum functional capacity! The First Ones isolated it on this island, NOT so that it would be forgotten, but so it would be protected. It’s the most important part! Anything that happens on Etheria depends on operations that happen right here!
Wink has not taken his eyes away from the screens, which continue to alter and shift with real-time nuances in their output. His look of horror deepens slightly as he points to the images.
Wink: [his voice shaking] But, but. . . ! You said . . . these are showing that . . .!
Entrapta completes a final hair-spring and lands with a bump directly beside him, returning to her previous spot. All of the pookas leap up in unison along with a little chorus of chirps. Entrapta is mildly breathless, from emotion, activity, or both.
Entrapta: [calmer, with a certain reverence] Yes. It’s all beginning to fail. The systems are incredibly ancient, and, boy, did they take a beating in the battle with Horde Prime! And look at this.
She points to one very active area on the screens: a bright, pulsating, fizzing, oscillating pattern.
Entrapta: This is the message we just heard! A warning about the failure. It’s being broadcast all over Etheria, but no one’s been receiving it until now. And for some reason, the control system intelligence has been offline, too, so there wasn’t any automatic response, either. Hmmm. According to this, it’s been going for quite a while!
Wink: [tentatively, his voice squeaking] And, . . . what happens when the systems fail completely?
Entrapta: [considering] Oh. Well, when they fail, everything fails.
Wink: Everything?!
Entrapta: Yep. Everything on the planet. [pleased] Because it’s all connected!
Wink falls silent, and Entrapta ponders a moment, frowning and holding her chin in her hair.
Entrapta: [after a moment, nodding to herself] I should probably tell the other princesses about this.
A red light starts to flash on the primary screen, and the console begins emitting a regular pinging sound. Entrapta looks on with interest and begins running her hands over the console controls. After a moment, her eyes brighten in a smile.
Entrapta: [happily] Oh! This is good timing, actually! Someone has activated the distress beacon at Bright Moon! Guess that settles it. Come on, Wink!
She begins to turn around, tossing a strand of her hair around Wink’s shoulders to urge him to follow. But, all of a sudden, she freezes and does a double-take at the screen, as something catches her attention. She settles herself down at the console again, a look of profound interest in her eyes.
Entrapta: [slowly, with a flirtatious edge] Well, hello there, you!
She runs her fingers over the controls again, and the screen responds by quickly zooming in on a display of interest.
Entrapta: [with mounting excitement] Another energy signature?!
Her gaze flits back and forth, taking in and processing information with supernormal skill. Then her eyes widen and begin to sparkle.
Entrapta: [with barely-contained antcipation] It’s . . . ! [hesitant to say it!] OooOooOooooo!! Thiiiiiiis iiiis soooooo . . .
Suddenly, a hand-sized tuft of her purple hair whaps sharply against her cheek, and Entrapta frowns!
Entrapta: [fiercely] No! Bad Entrapta! Remember your friends. They need you!
She rises slowly, jittery, like she is struggling against the part of her that longs to stay. With a sharp motion, her ponytails grip the console and shove. Legs extended and feet skidding against the floor, Entrapta physically pushes herself several feet away from the control array.
Wink stands up and turns toward her in readiness, with his private pooka zoo clinging to his clothing.
Entrapta stares back at the enticing icons dancing over the screen.
Entrapta: [with a tinge of regret] I’ll just . . . have to come back.
She tilts her head, looking up in a sudden thought.
Entrapta: [murmuring reflectively] And I’ll let Adora know about it, too. She’ll want to know.
Entrapta takes a deep breath, and whirls on Wink, smiling.
Entrapta: [brightly] Time to go!
