Unbroken: Rise of the Horde

Chapter Twenty Two

Hordak returned to his sanctum more determined than ever. Catra's undying progress and dedication had boosted his concentration. An excitement filled him like never before. When Horde Prime arrived, the emperor would finally see how worthy Hordak was.

He will see that I am not a defect, he vowed. I am so much more than my physical limitations.

Hordak felt light headed when he fixed up his laser cannon. He put the crystals into their designated slots before popping the red top back on. Just for fun, he decided to put it on.

He studied his work and a sly smile crossed his face. He aimed the gun around the room, but didn't fire. It was soooo training, definitely not for fun.

The clone stopped, when the muzzle of the gun came face to face with no other than She-Ra. He winced. How much did they see?

She-Ra lifted a hand to her forehead, twirling over to the table. "Oh!" she cried. "You got me!" With those being her final words, she fell to the table and made gurgling sounds as if she was dying. After a couple of seconds, she let up the act and chuckled to herself. A sheet of black spread over her as she turned to sand. The limbs lengthened and the tiara vanished.

Double Trouble crossed their legs while leaning against the desk. They rolled their eyes while twirling a piece of blond hair on their finger. "Ugh. I know, I know, no one's welcome in Hordak's super secret sanctum." They turned their yellow eyes back to him. "Not since you let that Princess in."

Their hair turned black and lengthened until it reached the floor. When the darkness receded, it revealed two lilac-colored pigtails. The reference was a sharp blow to Hordak. His heart squeezed and he bared his teeth. They had an evil look on their face, satisfied with his emotional reaction.

Double Trouble pushed off the desk and began to walk past Hordak. Their tail waved behind them. "What makes something a sanctum anyways?"

Hordak had quite about enough of this intrusion. He stopped them with his laser gun. He sneered as light began to seep through the red. The humm of it powering on echoed through the cavernous space.

Double Trouble turned their attention from the gun to Hordak again. They smirked, completely unaffected by the theat. "No small talk?"

The clone didn't respond.

They put their hands up and began to back away. "I thought I'd at least get a pat on the back for my daring escape."

Hordak narrowed his gaze. Of course they managed to get caught.

The heel of Double Trouble's boot landed squarely on Imp's tail, who had been skuddling around on the ground this whole time. Imp let out a shriek, glaring at the actor. Double Trouble sank down into a crowch. They eyed Imp's devil tail, and changed theirs to mimic his.

"It's too bad though," they said. "I was looking forward to meeting this Entrapta character while I was there."

The name landed an even harder blow.

"But," Double Trouble lifted his gaze to the lord who towered over him. "Of course, as you know, she wasn't there."

Hordak's blood turned to ice. Goosebumps spread along his arms even though it wasn't cold. "What did you say?" he hissed, eyes wide.

Double Trouble changed their tail back to normal. They raised themselves to their full height. They waved his comment off like it was silly. "Oh you don't have to keep up the charades with me.'' They let out a small giggle. The actor circled around Hordak. "I figured out the truth. You had Catra send Entrapta to Beast Island."

Hordak became aware of his breathing speeding up. A fire began to burn in his legs. Much longer, and a defect might get triggered. He tried to calm down, but nothing was working. All he could do was listen.

"That way, She-Ra would run off to rescue her!" they raised their hands into an arc of triumph. "A brilliant plan! The perfect distraction." They gestured toward him.

"I have to applaud your work." They raised a hand to their forehead, putting on a look of distress. "So scorned by Entrapta's betrayal." Their gaze returned to Hordak. "Even now you look like you had no idea! Brava!"

The lord looked down. He felt himself begin to shake. If what they say is true...

Double Trouble waited a few seconds, then turned back to admire their nails. "Of course, I have considered the alternative: that Catra has been lying to you this whole time."

The actor began to circle Hordak as he stood frozen. His thoughts whirled by so fast he could hardly comprehend them all. That's why Catra winced whenever Entrapta's name was mentioned. That's why I've never been able to find her. Everything is falling into place...

Their voice felt darker and deeper than before. "All this time, she pretended to be your partner in crime when really she's the one who betrayed you."

With a small laugh, they draped an arm over Hordak's shoulder. "But between you and me," they smirked. "There's no way she's that good an actor." They slid back to the floor and clapped their hands together. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Great work all around."

The heels clicked on the floor as they sashayed away. The door shut behind Double Trouble.

Hordak couldn't move. His chest heaved with the effort to breath. His emotions were so much more overwhelming than ever been before.

Entrapta... his mind whispered. She's been sent to Beast Island. Catra needed to get Entrapta for her to promote. For her to get the foothold she needed in this place.

It didn't matter that Double Trouble had just betrayed their Catra. It didn't matter at all. The information they'd given had been too good.

Anger surged inside him like a red tidal wave. Scarlet filled his vision. His muscles strained and constricted with the effort of standing up. He gritted his teeth.

No, no, this can't be happening! The anger crumbled into something else. A lump formed in his throat, and his body went numb. He squeezed his eyes shut, but was only greeted by the smiling image of Entrapta. His lab partner. His friend.

Who was sent to Beast Island, his mind concluded bitterly. She didn't betray me. An image of another face flashed before his mind. Actually, it was two. Their heads had long since never worn the crown of the kingdom that they once ruled. The image blurred into hundreds of more faces. It stopped at the image of a man with a rugged black beard and hair twisted into a bun. His dangerous magical powers flowed through every fiber of him, so he had to be taken away too, and Hordak never forgot.

Now the clearest image of all. Princess Entrapta with her beautiful eyes and funny quirks. Her imperfectionism, her caring and kind nature, even toward a murderer like Hordak...

It's all gone now. He trembled. No one returns from Beast Island. She-she's... never coming back. The clone couldn't bring himself to say the word. The one single word that he had skimmed over so many times. A word with its meaning that he had bestowed upon so many people. Its affect held no meaning to him before, but now?

The cannon powered on. With a blood-curdling cry of rage and sorrow, he lashed it across the sanctum walls like the laser was a whip. Columns and beams crashed to the floor, destroying the silent peace he once admired.

A darkness swelled inside him. His heart broke, and the pieces shattered into nothing. The misery could no longer be contained inside.  

Bitter hot tears raced down from his eyes.