Hello, my friends, and time for the start of a new episode!
Woo-hoo! 😆
Wow, and time for another recap!
Links to the first chapters of the previous episodes:
Ep 53, Ep 54, Ep 55, Ep 56, Ep 57, Ep 58, Ep 59, Ep 60, Ep 61, Ep 62, Ep 63, Ep 64, Ep 65, Ep 66, Ep 67, Ep 68, Ep 69, Ep 70.
Briefly:
As the princesses parted ways after the final battle for Etheria, the planet began to experience a strange series of terrible disasters over a period of days, each worse than the last and affecting the Whispering Woods, the oceans near Salineas, the Kingdom of Snows, Plumeria, and Mystacor.
After the disaster of Mystacor's fall, Catra and Melog lent their efforts to the rescue, while Glimmer, Bow, and Adora activated Bright Moon's distress beacon. When all of the princesses gathered, they tried to determine what was happening, and the final piece of the puzzle was provided by Entrapta, whose recent return to Beast Island revealed that the First One's tech infecting the entire planet was glitching in deadly and inevitably more catastrophic ways!
Following a desperate plan developed by Entrapta and Bow, the princesses returned to their rune stones, while Entrapta, Adora, and Bow ventured to the Chamber of the Heart. Together, they coordinated to shut down the entire First One's network, a difficult and highly dangerous mission.
After the successful shutdown, the magic of the princesses mysteriously vanished.
As the princesses metaphorically licked their wounds, some of them searched for answers.
Adora found Madame Razz, who guided her to a miraculous meeting with Mara.
Glimmer went with Catra and Swift Wind to seek the wisdom of the sorcerers.
Entrapta traveled with Wink to the Tree Moon, Horde Prime's derelict flagship, a venture far more perilous than they expected!
In the meantime, Double Trouble has shown up at Bright Moon, not so much a prisoner as an unwelcome visitor awaiting an audience with Queen Glimmer.
I am dedicating this week's chapter to two of my favorite new(-ish) friends here:
To Pepper ( @Yourlocalcrazyginger )
And to Duck ( @Duck270 )
For . . . reasons! 😊
And now, what the heck is going on with Entrapta and her favorite lab assistant, who have struggled so valiantly on behalf of the princesses in the threatening environment on an abandoned (but very much alive!) space vessel??
Let's find out right now!
Introducing . . .
EPISODE 71: To Find the Heart of Magic
The lightless forest is alive, shadows brushing shadows. And thrashing in fury!
A horrendous, terrifying screeching noise arises as it rakes the metallic walls within the corridors of Horde Prime’s old flagship. It tears and slashes with vine tendrils and thorny branches, and the sheets of leaves rush against each other with the hissing sound of a building windstorm.
Something chaotic and desperate is crashing through the forest, ripping the leaves, shoving the branches aside, and squeezing through the ever more constricting gaps.
Light precedes it, and as it comes into view, Entrapta’s face is revealed, alert and sweating.
Entrapta: [calling over her shoulder] Hang on, Wink! We’re almost there!
The lamp on Entrapta’s head sweeps brightly across the way ahead of her, beaming white into the gray.
Pushing and thrusting with her whip-like ponytails, Entrapta is half-crawling, half-swimming through the dense and angry foliage! It does not give way easily.
Seeing a thick black wall of intertwining branches seal itself before her, she battles her way upward toward the canopy. Trailing her closely, with a tough lock of Entrapta’s hair secured around his waist as a tether, Wink scrambles up the gnarly wall of branches after her.
Entrapta’s head emerges in a small space between the uppermost reaches of the forest and the high ceiling of the corridor. Reaching her hair over the top, she presses down on the branches and quickly flips her legs up to vault into the next open space.
Entrapta manages to land on her feet, staring ahead. A moment later, Wink falls alongside her with a cry.
Wink: [panicked] Oh-wah-ee-yah!!
Before Wink lands on his face, the purple cord of hair encircling his waist tightens, arresting his fall within a few feet of the ground. For a moment, he just waggles his arms and legs helplessly, his mouth hanging open and silent. Then, Entrapta’s hair sets him down on his feet, releases its hold, brushes him down for a second, and then pats him lightly and affectionately on the top of his head. Wink smiles, breathing a visible sigh of relief.
Ahead of them, through small gaps in the closing barrier of vines and branches, there is more light, as well as the massive, angular form of the good ship Darla, her ramp still extended invitingly.
Entrapta leaps forward, gripping tightly to the inner edges of one of the gaps with both her hands and her hair!
Entrapta: [determined] Ohhhh, no you don’t!!
Wink joins alongside her, wrapping the fingers of both hands along the edges and pulling them apart with all of his might.
Wink: [straining] Errrrrgghhhh!
Entrapta frowns with an expression of steely will!
Entrapta: [in defiance] We came all this way for the princesses! And we found what we need to help them! And we are NOT. GIVING. UP!! They NEED us!!!
Working together, the branches begin to yield and give way against Entrapta’s and Wink’s combined effort. There is a series of sharp snaps, followed by a colossal ripping kerrr-ACCK! The branches succumb, and Entrapta and Wink spring through the hole, landing at a dead run!
Tripping and leaping over scattered tufts of growth, roots, and creepers, they make their way to the loading ramp and clatter their way up into the ship. Seconds later, the ramp raises and retracts.
Inside the ship, Entrapta looks back in response to an alarming grinding sound.
The ramp has juddered to a halt, and it hesitates, vibrating in strain against some residual clinging vegetation.
Entrapta: [encouragingly] Come on, Darla! You can do it!!
And with a minor snapping explosion, the ramp wrenches free of the plant-life, sliding swiftly upward. The hatch slams shut.
Entrapta and Wink turn toward the console and the forward viewing screens.
Entrapta: [enthusiastically] Darla! Time to leave!
There is a groaning sound from outside the hull.
A dusk-red holographic wire-frame sphere flickers into life, floating above the console.
Darla: [stuttering] Warn-wa-wa-warning! Exit corridor compromised! I am unable to ch-ch-ch-chart an aaaaaaaaaaaaa-lternative trajectory!
Entrapta leaps to the console.
Entrapta: Let me see!
The panoramic view screen lights up with a display of space, dotted by stars, with the pinkish-blue globe of Etheria, flanked by its multiple moons, taking up half of the display. But the entire scene is obscured by foreground tree-growths, extending and wrapping around to blot out any hope of escape!
Entrapta: [insistently] Take off now, Darla!! We’ve got to make it home!
Darla: [with a tinge of trepidation] Trying.
A mighty revving rumble rises up from deep within the ship, and the branches surrounding it become a blur of vibration on the screen.
Entrapta leans over the console, reaching out her hands and hair tendrils toward the controls.
Entrapta: [calling above the noise] I’ll see what I can do to help!!
Wink approaches her side, reaching out an encouraging hand. Tentatively, he places it on Entrapta’s shoulder. Entrapta doesn’t seem to notice.
The rumbling sound rises to a shriek. A shriek of pain.
Entrapta: Hang on, girl!!
Outside, it appears that nature is winning.
As seen from space, Darla’s tiny form is disappearing within the mass of the vast Tree Moon. Being smothered.
Within the ship, the glowing sphere beside Entrapta’s head begins to fizz and dim.
Darla: [mournfully] I . . . I-I-I-mmmmm . . . s-s-s sorry.
Entrapta frowns, her eyes filling with tears.
Entrapta: No! No. Just . . . hold on!!
Suddenly, Entrapta’s body arches back. Her hair quickly splinters into what look like thousands of hair tendrils, all affixing themselves to different parts of the console.
She freezes, eyes wide and unfocused, mouth open.
And her irises glow momentarily with a brilliant purple light.
The entire ship, illuminates to a white-hot glow!
From space, it is as if a tiny star momentarily ignites at the edge of the Tree Moon.
Then it bursts through, shredding the branches like paper.
As Darla speeds home, the tiny hole from which it emerged gapes with ragged edges.
Within the ship, the sound of the engine has become a low healthy whine of focused power. Darla’s sphere now gently pulses, glowing with renewed color.
Entrapta’s entire body relaxes, and her hair comes together in its natural waves.
She turns to Wink, blinking, with a relieved smile, All at once, she embraces him in her hair!
And their laughter bubbles forth, a stream of pure, grateful joy.
