Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Entrapta's Nightmare






Entrapta happily slurped on a small fruit smoothie, complete with a tiny umbrella and straw. She used her other hand to pop a small cupcake shaped like a kitten into her mouth.

“Log 175,” she spoke into her recorder. “It appears that after several simulated scenarios of the portal’s potential, there’s a 99.8% chance that reality as we know it will collapse and get sucked in by the gateway. Best to collect as much as I can. Oh how I envy one who can collect data when getting stuck in a loophole!”

Had Entrapta been in the modern world, she would’ve happily sung along to the band Muse’s song “Unsustainable,” and compared herself with Fu, the mischievous purple time traveling ki from the Dragon Ball Super show. He would bend reality and bring people together to fight in the name of science and entertainment. Oh, and getting to meet and debate with Bill Nye the Science Guy would’ve been interesting as well.

Entrapta shook her head and laughed. “Back to the task, shall we?”

Entrapta was lost in the working moment, fixing up another bot and trying to come up with an alternate safer portal machine to make. She heard footsteps from behind her and turned around. Hordak stood in the shadows, glaring down at her with angry red eyes.

Entrapta, however, was unfazed. “Oh, hi, there Hordak!” she said. “I remember trying to tell you that opening the portal would be very dangerous and cause everything to be sucked in and blown up. So now here I am, coming up with an alternative interdimensional gateway that could be opened with other types of First’s Ones…”

She was interrupted with a growl from the Horde leader, his sharp teeth bared.

“You would dare let the princesses in, behind my back?”

Entrapta stared back in confusion.

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hordak.”

“Don’t play the fool. I should’ve realized that trusting a princess could only spell trouble for the Horde.”
“I’m sure they probably let themselves in. It’s not my fault that I left Adora alone for a bit…I was just typing in potential scenarios on the screen to see what would happen if the portal were opened.”

“What’s done is done,” he sneered. He turned away from her. “And here I thought, we would be compatible…associates.”

“Well, we are still lab partners, right?” Entrapta pressed. “There’s no need to get upset over some minor setbacks.”

“This setback was not minor! I heard what Catra said, ‘did you really think she was on our side? Oh, you can’t trust anyone, especially a princess. They’ll just use you to get what they want.’”

Entrapta gasped. “She… said that to you? But that’s not true. I’d never…”

“I have no time to deal with your lies,” Hordak spat, cutting her off. “You have betrayed me and you betrayed the Horde. Your actions will have grave consequences.”

“But…but…surely you’d understand the dangers of the portal…and our love of technological advancement.”

“Maybe I should’ve killed you myself,” Hordak muttered, almost to himself. “Or banished you to Beast Island, along with the others who foolishly questioned my authority.”

“I’m telling the truth, I swear,” Entrapta protested. “I never let them in.”

Tears erupted from Entrapta’s eyes, even though she didn’t consider herself emotional that often. “Who will help modify your suits of armor and keep you company? Who will encourage you to keep going and pursue your goals? When will you realize…that being different is never a bad thing…”


“I don’t need your help nor your guidance!” Hordak bellowed. “I will get my revenge on Horde Prime and conquer Etheria on my own. And no more princesses will get in my way!”

Hordak yelled in rage and smacked her hard across the face. She fell down to the floor, quickly picking herself up with her lavender pensile hair.

“GET OUT, TRAITOR!”

Entrapta sprinted out of the room, as fast as her legs could carry her. Not too far behind, Emily, the round bot, hurried after her on four metal legs. She ran down the metal walled corridor, wiping tears from her eyes. From up above, she could hear Hordak’s voice.

“We are not friends, anymore…never were to begin with…”

In the back of her mind, she knew it was Hordak’s imp, using his voice to intimidate her. But she was too heartbroken to care.

“You wouldn’t, and yet you did let them out. You’re useless to me now. Useless…”

The word “useless” echoed off the walls as the blue imp flew around her, cackling as he went.
Entrapta swiped at the pest with her hair, but the imp dodged her extra limbs. She ran and came across the same screens she had typed in earlier. The screens glared red and a skull with crossbones stared back at her. A low rumbling sound came from the other room, and the hairs stood up on Entrapta’s arms and neck.

She could sense the portal opening up. Sprinting into the other room, she saw a figure pull down a lever. The figure turned around, revealing Catra, staring at Entrapta with an evil smirk.

Entrapta had been too late.

“What have you done?!” she cried. “Reality will collapse as we know it.”

“I only did what I had to do,” Catra replied.

Entrapta looked around at the collapsing room and the expanding cracks spreading through the floor and the ceiling.

“I have to get out of here,” she thought.

In the blink of an eye, Catra rushed behind her and stabbed her hard in the back with the stun weapon. Painful shocks of electricity flooded her body. She yelped in pain until her world went dark.


Entrapta slowly opened her eyes, panting for breath. Looking around, she appeared to be in a plain metal cell, nothing much save for a hard bunk bed and a hole that served as a toilet. A loud roar from outside jolted her completely awake.

“What…what was that?”

She lifted herself up to the window and peered through the bars. Vast palm trees and flora were spread as far as the eye could see. Ocean waves crashed roughly on the rocks and against a nearby cliff wall. Entrapta noticed a huge footprint in the dirt, which appeared to belong to a dinosaur. In various spots were animal skeletons of those unlucky enough to come into contact with predators.

Entrapta headed over to the door, and swept her hair underneath the small crack. She searched for a key or anything to escape, but there was none.
“Good luck getting out,” said a voice.

Entrapta looked at an adjacent cell and saw another Horde soldier inside.

“Or better, yet,” said another prisoner to her right, a gator man who had briefly defected to the Rebellion, “Don’t go out there at all…unless you want to get eaten alive by monsters.”

“Or get skewered by the savage tribes,” added the first soldier.
Fascination with the strange land plowed into her thoughts. Yet the sense of curiosity was quickly replaced by concern. She could still feel the burn marks on her back and skin.

‘Catra knocked me out…and sent me here. Will Hordak ever trust me again? Will I be stuck forever, abandoned by…everyone?’

“What is this place?” asked Entrapta. “I need to get back to the Fright Zone.”

The soldier sighed. “The place where “worthless” Horde cadets are sent to. Welcome to Beast Island.”


Hours later, Entrapta paced around her small cramped cell, lost in thought. Her mind briefly wandered back to one of her earliest memories, back at Castle Dryl.

She had only known her parents for a very short time when she was little. Both of them supported her in her pursuit of science. Even as an infant, Entrapta was endlessly curious, rather than scared of the world around her. She began using the short purple tendrils from her hair around the time she learned to walk. In her early years of schooling, she messed up on a science project, the contents blowing up in her face as her classmates laughed. While she broke down in tears back at the palace, her father said that failure is a vital part of all experiments. Adding to the conversation, her mother encouraged her to always try again…whether it meant following the steps, or taking an alternative direction. She had called it “divergent thinking,” a term Entrapta still endeared to this day.

Entrapta’s father was an esteemed inventor and engineer. He had been part of a team providing blueprints for the architecture of several Fright Zone buildings. He was an easy going fellow but also possessed a stricter side, (he was the ruler of Dryl after all).  One of his better known projects was programming the training fight simulations for the Horde cadets. However, he had also helped design the holographic map which Queen Angella used for the Rebellion. So in a sense, Entrapta and her family had been neutral from the start. His eyebrows were dark and his mustache black and bushy.

On the other hand, her mother was a scientist by day, artist by night. Her hair was short and lavender purple like Entrapta’s and could even stretch out like hers to a lesser extent. She taught Entrapta how to paint, and frequently, they would spend quiet time together in their room, using paintbrushes of various sizes and thicknesses to create unique strokes of color. (The colors were mostly deep purple, white, and black, Entrapta’s favorite colors). Though her mother, Entrapta also developed her love of tiny food and cute animals. Soon, painting cute kittens, pugs, dinosaurs, and outer space became a regular past time until she got older.

Times changed. Entrapta’s interests changed as well…from artistic to technical. She began using her recorder to keep track of her projects as a way to stay organized (and mostly to keep herself entertained). When her parents suffered a serious accident, Entrapta was left alone with her servers, both human and robotic. It wasn’t long before Entrapta became totally engrossed in her research and work, isolating herself from the outside world, and then from inside the castle walls.

Perhaps it was a new dedication to create something grand. Maybe it was to make up for the aching loneliness she felt, whenever her mind drifted to her parents. Entrapta still remembered posing in between the two robots she had invented, one resembling her mother, and the other, her father. She made a peace sign with her left hand and held a wrench in her right, clad in blue overalls, her thick purple hair in two buff ponytails.

“What were their names again?” Entrapta asked out loud to herself, briefly back in the present. “I think Dad’s name was…King Pliar! That’s it. Mom’s name was Queen Rachet! Now I remember!”

Whatever the cause of her closure was, she would’ve been stuck with only her robotic servants and friends, had Adora and the Rebellion not entered her life.


But then again…would that have been for the better? Adora and the others did abandon her after Adora had been rescued. Although things were fantastic for a while, with her having the freedom to work on anything she wanted, things then took a turn for the worse just before the portal’s activation.

“Catra’s my friend,” Entrapta repeated to herself. “My data said she is based on compatibility, proximity, and mutual interests. How could it be wrong? My data’s never wrong.”

Yet her mind flashed back to that searing pain she had received from behind her back. Did Catra literally betray her behind her back? Or was her mind overthinking things again?



Entrapta took a deep breath and tried to focus. She had to find a way to escape.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

She Ra: Alternate Universe


When good and evil switch roles...





Eternia vs Nevernia

Etheria vs Netheria

Adora vs Abhora  or Adora vs male Abhora, evil blonde haired man

Catra vs Felina or shy dark haired feline man

Mermista vs Sirenista or humorous outgoing dark skinned mer man

Perfuma vs Poisona or evil man with blonde hair

Sea Hawk vs Ice Falcon or evil female pirate

Frosta vs Pyra (Flamea) or dark boy with fire powers

Bow vs Arrow or serious black woman

Glimmer vs Dimmer or evil male prince

Queen Angella vs Queen Demonella or evil demon king

Entrapta vs Liberta or dramatic man

Shadow Weaver vs evil Shadow Spinner who turns into good Light Weaver

Scorpia vs ?

Lord Hordak vs ?

The Horde vs The Portion

The Rebellion vs The Empire (sorry, I had to)


Felina: an unofficial cat human princess with an opposite personality of Catra. Unlike Catra, she does not like taking risks nor does she like to be in the spotlight. She is a tame cat human while Catra relies on her wild instincts. Like Catra, she has a brown tail, cat ears, claws, and good hunting instincts. She has light gray hair like a lion’s mane, while the tuffs on the side are darker in color (opposite of Catra). She is most often seen wearing blue pants and blue shirt (without holes in the pants like Catra). Like Catra, she also wears a cat shaped headdress, though it is dark blue. She used to be friends with Abhora until Abhora became influenced by the Dark Moon Empire. Felina can transform into a purple panther superhero.

Abhora: Adora’s opposite counterpart. Unlike Adora, she has no sense of justice, especially when she decides to join the Dark Moon Empire. She used to be friends with Felina. She is a tall woman with black hair and serious eyes. She wears the dark blue military outfit of her former faction, the Portion. She transforms into a ruthless villain (like She-Ra when possessed by the infected sword).

Dimmer: the princess of the Dark Moon Empire. Her dress and hair are blood red in color and she possesses the ability to teleport and shoot blasts of dark magic. She is the daughter of Queen Demonella, a ruthless leader. She gains power from the Bloodstone.

Arrow: An African American man, with a serious side to him.

Sirenista: Mermista’s opposite. Bubbly and cheerful on the outside, she has a tendency to lure men to their deaths like a siren. Ice Falcon, a pirate, hates her. Her tail and fins are red, and her hair is the same color as Mermista’s. She gains power from the Black Pearl Runestone.

Poisona: Perfuma’s opposite. She has the ability to grow poisonous plants to defeat her enemies. Wanting her plants to grow wild, she opposes the Portion’s desire to make the land a safe place for people. Her dress is neon green and her hair is brown. Emerald gives her power.

Pyra: the impatient 11 year old princess of the Kingdom of Ashes. She wears a bright red dress and her hair is short and black. She has fire powers, the opposite of Frosta. Like Frosta, she is neutral in the war until she is influenced by the Dark Moon Empire. The Sunstone gives her power.

Liberta: Entrapta’s counterpart. She also likes science, but prefers to set things free rather than trap them. She joins the opposite Horde faction in the fight for good, though she was first persuaded by the Dark Moon Empire to work for them. Her long hair is pink instead of purple.

Ice Falcon: a stone cold pirate with black hair and beard. He hates Sirenista and works for the Dark Moon Empire for money.

Light Weaver: the caring mother figure to Felina and Abhora. She is friendly to Felina and wants Abhora to change her ways. When Abhora leaves, she desperately wants to bring her back. She was originally Shadow Spinner, a Dark Moon sorceress who later changed her ways. Like Shadow Weaver, she has dark hair and wears a mask to hide her face. The Red Garnet gives her power.

The Portion: a small technologically advanced civilization who uses technology to better the environment and improve the lives of others. Their symbol is an owl.

Dark Moon Empire: a larger faction with evil princesses (same as the Horde’s depiction of the Rebellion). The Whispering Woods is part of their territory.

First Ones: same as the original ones. Felina and Abhora both race to use the tech to use for their own purposes. Felina is guided by a male version of Light Hope, while Abhora is influenced by Dark Despair. Felina tries to snap Abhora out of Despair’s power.

Crabia: Scorpia’s very shy counterpart. She is socially awkward but has a good heart. She can latch onto things and heal people.
Lord Porton: Lord Hordak’s good counterpart.

Chapter 1: Search for the Headpiece


Felina
A young woman stretched her arms and legs, getting ready for the routine training for the day. Unlike a regular human, she possessed cat-like agility and instincts. These included: cat ears on top of her head, claws from her fingers and toes, a furry brown tail, and stripes along her arms. She also had two different colored eyes, one gold and one blue. Her hair was a small light brown lion’s mane of messiness. She wore blue pants, and a light blue shirt with the owl Portion logo on it. A small owl was also present on the dark belt she clasped on.
After loosening her muscles, Felina got to work on the obstacle course in the vast room. Felina leaped from one circular platform to another, and then swung gracefully across the sets of hanging rings from overhead. After she made it across, she dove through a tire, crawled through a small tunnel and leaped over several large logs. Once she reached the end, she landed several powerful kicks on a green punching bag hanging from a chain.

“Whew,” she said, wiping the sweat from her brows.

“Are you ready?” asked a voice from nearby.
She turned around to see her mentor and mother figure, Light Weaver. She was a tall woman with long white hair and a red mask obscuring her face. Her dress was a brilliant blue in different shades. Her magic was powered by the Red Garnet, a Runestone located in her sanctum.
Felina stood up straight and nodded respectfully, though inside, she was shaking with nerves.
“Good,” Light Weaver said. “You’ve been practicing for a while, so I know you have great potential. We’ll need as many skilled cadets as we can get to drive off the evil Dark Empire.”
“I…I will not fail you, Light Weaver,” Felina stated.
Light Weaver briefly gave her a comforting pat on her head.
A woman’s voice appeared over the PA, calling for the squadrons to report to the training area.
“Good luck,” said Light Weaver before walking off to a sunlit window at the end of the hall.
Felina hurried off down the hall to the training chamber, meeting up with her other comrades. Such was life in the Portion Light Zone.

“Hey Abhora,” Felina said as she walked over and took her place beside her friend. Abhora had white skin and her black hair was in a braid. She wore blue camouflage pants and a ripped up dark green shirt. Her blue eyes were serious with a competitive spark in them.
Abhora glanced to her right. “About time you showed up. You’ve always been a late bloomer, but you further support the fact by showing up last!”
“Whatever,” replied Felina in a low voice.
“At attention, cadets,” said a large brown man who had the appearance of a bear. He paced in front of the lined up recruits with a clipboard in his hands. Coliano was a male white wolf man, Tanner was an African American boy, and Ryan was a brown haired girl, the three other cadets.
The bear Sargent continued. “This exercise will test your knowledge, agility, and skill. Here’s your scenario. You’ll be traveling through the treacherous Frenzy Forest. You’ll then reach the heart of the Empire insurgency, Dark Moon. Your mission is to defeat the queen of the princesses and liberate Dark Moon in Lord Portion’s name.”
“Been there, done that,” sighed Abhora.
Felina gave her a warning glare.
Sargent faced them again. “The Frenzy Forest is full of terrible monsters, and ruthless princesses. Everything and everyone will take you down if given the chance. Don’t give it to them. Good luck, recruits.”
The five entered another room with fake trees standing tall and rocks of various sizes scattered around. Soldiers in armor, wearing dark crowns stomped over toward them. They were waving staffs which crackled with energy. From the eyeglasses of the recruits that served as detectors, the soldiers looked like enemy princesses.
“Scatter!” called Felina as she and the others dove to avoid the laser red blasts. Felina leapt from branch to branch, and launched herself at an enemy soldier. A hard kick sent him to the ground.
Abhora punched two soldiers at the same time, casually going around fighting as if she were bored.
Felina and Abhora met and gave each other a high five, not noticing another soldier peer from behind a fake tree trunk.
“Look out!” warned Coliano, the white wolf bipedal who threw another soldier to the ground.
The soldier fired a blast and Tanner dove in the way, getting hit in the process.
After a few electric jolts, a red X appeared on his armored chest.
“How noble,” breathed Felina, even though he wasn’t actually dead, just out of the simulation.
“Felina!” cried Abhora as parts of the floor started to fall through. Flying on a metal skiff was one of the Force Captains, who fired multiple lasers from her gun. From the eyeglasses, she appeared as the princess’ leader, firing balls of magic with two large bat wings from her back.
Felina dodged the blasts and used a pole to launch herself in the air. She landed onto the blonde Force Captain, tossing her out of the skiff and onto the ground. She then lowered the vehicle to safety.
But the Force Captain wasn’t quite through. She fired another blast which hit Felina square in the chest, causing her to fall off the skiff onto the floor. The area on the floor beeped red and she would’ve fallen through, if Abhora hadn’t grabbed hold of her hand.
“Thanks,” Felina said.
“Do try not to show up late next time,” said Abhora. “You look ridiculous holding onto my hand like that.”
“No promises,” said Felina with a playful smile.
“Training simulation successfully completed,” called the voice over the PA, as Abhora helped Felina up.
The two friends laughed and playfully punched each other as they made their way toward the locker room.
“Oh wow, that look on your face when you almost dropped down the hole…priceless!” said Abhora.
“Just think of that happening to you and see who’s still smiling,” Felina replied.
“But it didn’t did it?”
“You still helped me up, though.”
“Obviously. As entertaining as it’d be seeing you fall down to the large inflated mattress below, I don’t like seeing my friends get hurt too much.”
The two of them made it to the locker room, where Felina hung her belt and armor inside.
“Felina, Abhora.” said a voice. Light Weaver wandered into the room, floating a few inches off the ground.
Both of them turned around and saluted her.
“Well, done both of you. You both increased your scores and set new records. The best performance I’ve seen.”
“Thank you, Light Weaver,” said Abhora.
Felina smiled also.
“When will I be able to go on an active mission?” asked Abhora.
“In time,” she said, “when Lord Portian deems you ready.”
“But I’ve been training nonstop for months now. We need to take down the Dark Empire as soon as possible. We could use your magic to help the Portion…”
Light Weaver cut her off. “My light magic is not as strong as it once was. Even with all of us at the front lines, the Dark Empire would find a way to push us back. If everyone were to become leaders, the system would fall into disarray.”
“Why can’t we change it? Take action now instead of mulling around.”
“I have my plans to follow, as do you. Patience and precision is key, Abhora. Don’t forget that.”
Abhora growled softly.
“Felina, come with me,” said Light Weaver. “Let us talk.”
Abhora grinned as Felina’s cheeks turned red.
“Ooh, are you in trouble?” Abhora whispered with in a sing song voice.
Felina rolled her eyes, then turned to follow her mentor.
The two of them walked down the hall, the rays of the sun shining through the windows. There was a blue carpet that stretched along the entire floor. White pillars held up the high ceiling, while blue vases on small stands lined the sides of the immaculate corridor. Light Weaver stopped by a large window and mentioned for Felina to look out.
Felina peered through the glass and saw a much smaller village off in the distance. There were white tents, round huts, and even a shack or two, spread across the vast green field.
On the other hand, The Light Zone building they were in looked like a combination of a castle and a factory. One area of the building was dedicated to the making of weapons and magical items. A few large smoke stacks let out exhaust, which was promptly evaporated by flying Portion members in protective suits on skiffs. As they didn’t have magic, they instead used air magic within metal suction tools to dissipate the harmful smoke. The warehouse was connected by a bridge to the main building, where the training of recruits took place and where the throne room of Lord Portion was located.
“It’s beautiful,” Felina gasped.
“Indeed it is,” said Light Weaver. “But the natural beauty you see here won’t last long under the Dark Empire.”
“What’s outside those white boundary walls?” asked Felina.
“The rest of Nevernia,” she said. “And the Dark Empire. Every day, the evil grows stronger. I have trained you for this moment all your life. It is not just your high scores…it is your concern for others and determination which sets you apart. Look.”
Light Weaver pointed in the distance. Through the glass, Felina could see another section of the village that had been burnt by the guards of the Dark Empire.
“The princess Queen has forced the villagers to pay taxes which grow higher every year. Those who don’t comply lose their homes…and often their lives.”
Felina moved her head slightly to the right and saw a mother and a farmer, crying over the loss of their toddler son.
“The princesses vanished before the guard could stop them. The Empire won’t stop until they have us crushed in the palm of their hands. That is why, we need a reliable, honorable Force Captain.”
Light Weaver held out her hand, and a blue badge with an owl on it appeared from a sphere of light.
“And I can think of no one else as qualified as you.”
“But…I’m not ready,” Felina said, nervousness in her voice.
“I know that you are, even if you do not. But you must believe in yourself, Felina. If we want our next mission to go smoothly, you’ll have to step up. Inocent lives depend on us.”
Felina stared at the badge, at the new responsibility staring at her in the face. As anxious as she was, this was what she had been pursuing for all her life. To back doen and give up now would mean all her hard work was for nothing.
Nodding silently, she took the badge from Light Weaver’s hand, who then smiled genuinely at her. “I know you have it in you. Report to the Force Captain meeting early tomorrow. You will learn more about the mission in orientation and debriefing.”
Light Weaver turned to go, but Felina said, “Wait, Light Weaver…”
The sorceress turned around.
“Will I be seeing active duty with the rest of my friends?”
“Only you,” she replied.
“But Abhora’s also worked hard for the position as well.”
Light Weaver stared down at Felina, her features hidden behind her mask. “She has impatient and violent tendencies that need to be tampered down. Putting her in the line of duty would only cause trouble, despite her being a great warrior. And the rest of the recruits aren’t ready yet.”
Felina lowered her head, slightly disappointed. Light Weaver responded by lightly caressing her cheek. “It’s for the best, Felina. You’ll understand more in time. Be prompt and prepared tomorrow; Lord Portion doesn’t tolerate failure.”
“Yes, Light Weaver,” said Felina before her mentor left.

Felina pinned the badge to her uniform, suddenly feeling like a proud, but nervous adult, stepping into a new part of her life. She wondered out the door and through the gardens outside. The growers waved as she passed and she nodded in return. Tomatoes, grape vines, cabbage, and other foods were grown around the area. Further west, farmers from the villages grew their own crops and sometimes exchanged their produce with the guards and traders. In this way, both the commoners and upper class got to enjoy similar food. A cool breeze stroked Felina’s face as she observed the dusk sky above her. A few stars had come out to join her, twinkling their hellos.
Suddenly, she felt herself being pinned hard to the ground from behind.
“Gotcha, cat-face!” taunted Abhora.
“Abhora, seriously?” asked Felina as she turned herself around, wrestling herself free.
Abhora gazed at the blue badge. “Hey, what’s that?”
 She tore it off and held it up to the light, stepping back.
“Give that back!” Felina protested, pushing herself up.
“Oh, you’ve been promoted? Awesome!” She grinned and walked beside Felina and gave the badge back to her. “This is great. We’ve finally passed all the boring tests and now we get to liberate Nevernia. Light Weaver will be so proud of us.”
“Yes, indeed,” said a worrisome Felina, knowing what would happen next in the conversation.
“So, where’s my badge?”
“Um…” Felina paused. “Light Weaver said you’re not coming. She just promoted me.”
“What?! My score was just as good as yours, if not better. I have every right to be a Force Captain as much as you.”
“It’s not a competition,” said Felina. “It’s not only about the fight. It’s about how you handle yourself.”
Abhora scoffed and crossed her arms, her black ponytail fluttering slightly in the breeze.
“I handle myself perfectly fine, thank you very much. I’m surprised Light Weaver doesn’t see that.”
“Well, to be fair, you are a bit impatient around the others. You seem to only want to win and…”
“As do you,” she replied. “Light Weaver goes on and on about being patient and ‘mindful,’ but we don’t have time for that! Just look at what the Empires’ done so far. You think they’re gonna play nice and agree to whatever treaty Light Weaver might offer? They’re not the type to fight fair, so why should we?”
Felina was silent for a moment, lost in her mind, and too stunned to speak.
Abhora leaned in close. “And for that matter, I think we should just sneak on into the Empires’ territory ourselves; take ‘em out and make things easier for the Portion.”
Felina gasped. “Are you insane? You can’t just wander in and expect it to be easy. The Force Captains are more skilled than us and they’re going to investigate a section of the Empire first. See, the rule is to slowly take over bits and pieces of the Empire first, to gain more ground.”
Abhora scoffed and clenched her fists. “And if we don’t infiltrate the source, then what? It’s goodbye to the Portion and all we’ve worked for. I just want to get out of this place before I die of boredom.”
Felina sat down on a bench and licked her arm. “Why not just appreciate the beauty that’s all around us?” She mentioned to the pots of flowers, the fruits from the trees, and the green grass all around. Felina smiled as the sun set over the mountains in the west, turning the sky a light violet.
“Seen it all before. I wanna see something new.”
She put her arm around Felina. “Can you try and persuade Light Weaver to let me come with you? With the two of us at the front, we’ll be able to defeat the enemy and adapt Nevernia for the Portion, and ourselves!”
Felina sighed. “You know Light Weaver won’t change her mind. She is our boss after all.”
Abhora seethed and stood up. “Well good riddance to that.” She stomped away.
“Where are you going?” asked Felina.
“To grab a skiff and go there myself.”
“I’m coming with you. You can’t go by yourself.”
A smile formed on Abhora’s face. “Glad to see someone coming to her senses.”
“Don’t make me regret this,” Felina added as she raced after her friend toward a skiff.
“Just you try and stop me.”
Abhora grabbed a key and turned it into the slot, activating the skiff. The vehicle slowly rose into the air and then sped off as Abhora drove it.
Felina pushed Abhora out of the way. “Let me drive. You’re going too fast.”
“What’s the fun in going slow?” retorted Abhora, shoving her in return.
Both girls fought each other for the controls, their shouts echoed in the wind. They drove some more until…
“Stop, Abhora! Abhora!”
Felina pulled a lever hard, skidding the skiff to a hovering stop. They were in front of the Frenzy Forest. Felina stared, wide eyed at the dark trees in front of her.
“Oh no, not here,” said Felina with a whimper. “This is where the dark princesses practice their magic and torture their victims. Who knows how many other monsters lurk in all the hidden places.”
“Ooh, let’s go in!” said Abhora with excitement.
Felina gulped. “I don’t think that’s a good ideaaahhh!” She yelled as Abhora stepped onto the gas, shooting them inside. They maneuvered around twisted trees and dense hedges.
Suddenly, a branch smacked Felina hard in the face, sending her tumbling out of the skiff.
“Felina!” cried Abhora, reaching out to her as the skiff rode away.

Felina screamed as she hit the branches and landed with a crash into a bush.
Felina groaned and slowly picked herself up, shaking leaves from her mane of hair.
“Guess cats don’t always land on their feet,” she muttered.
Peering through the dark woods, she saw a crimson light ahead. She unsheathed her claws from her fingers just in case and silently padded forward. She moved into a clearing and saw something quite bizarre.
On a pedestal of rock sat a uniquely shaped headpiece, its edges glowing in a red aura. The piece resembled a cat’s head, with small red ears for the tips and black eyes set on the inside. The item radiated power and Felina found herself inching ever closer.
“Cool,” said Felina, mesmerized.
Felina reached out and touched the red headpiece…then was blinded by a flash of light and a great force that knocked her backwards.


“Felina,” said an otherworldly voice.
Visions danced across her mind. A vision of a female warrior holding the red headpiece and turning into a purple panther with golden armor. A group of ancient people called the Last Ones of Aetheria, who settled on Nevernia and then vanished. Abhora briefly seen among them, then getting sent away. The Empire fortress and a cult of worshippers following a transparent deity called Dark Despair…
Felina could hear a chant as she glimpsed at the feline woman figure. “In the name of the Magicats…In the name of the Magicats…”
“Felina, Felina…” said the voice again.

“Felina…Felina!” called Abhora, as Felina opened her eyes.
“What happened?” Felina asked.
“You fell off the skiff after you drove it into a tree.”
Felina playfully shoved her to the side. “No, you drove it into a tree.”
“Up for debate, let’s go,” said Abhora.
Felina rapidly looked around. “Wait, where is it?”
“Where’s what?”
“The headpiece. It was right here.”
Abhora raised an eyebrow. “Did you hit your head on a rock or something?”
“No I didn’t. I know what I saw.”
“Whatever.” Abhora looked around. “I feel like we’re being watched. Let’s go. Now.”

Indeed, someone was watching them from the shadows. The figure had glowing purple eyes and a short stature. “Rebel Portions,” breathed the figure as they disappeared.


Felina tells Abhora she has to go back to the forest to find the headpiece.

Felina arrived at the spot where she saw the headpiece…only to find another figure glancing at it as well. But she was no ordinary figure.

She was a princess.






 










Chapter 2: Dark Recruitment



Chapter 3: Nature’s Poison

Chapter 4: Siren Scenario

Chapter 5: Science and Social Awkwardness

Chapter 6: Journey to the Blue Paradise (not the Crimson Waste)

Chapter 7: Pyra’s Princess Prom

Chapter 8: Rescue Liberta

Chapter 9: Rise and Fall of Dimmer

Chapter 10: Dark Moon Battle

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

1000 years in the future: we are the ancestors





3020: welcome to a world where our lifestyle is considered to be “Middle Age.”

All humans have some bio tech inside them that aligns with human body functions. Besides having nanobots to fight off cancer cells and repair DNA, there are also small suction like devices which pump in vitamins and needed substances while eliminating any toxic chemicals from the air or from anything digested (acts like the liver). These people have more energy for longer periods of time, plus due to the constant repair of cells, they live longer, too. 70s age range is considered to be mid life. Those who are poor or do not have these modifications are said to be “disabled.”
There are underwater hotels and space hotels everywhere. Water hotels, restaurants, and museums are surrounded by several glass airtight domes that keep air in and pump incoming water out.
Above on the land, lights for houses and streets dim every morning and evening, turn on in the day and go out at night. The light is then “recycled” for the next day. At night, bio lit plants and structures provide light. In the daytime, all roads are solar paneled. In the air, there are several sections for flying self driving cars and another section for those who want to drive/fly manually. Large tunnels contain high speed trains that can get a person from one city to the next. In space, there are also black roads which provide energy to spaceships that hover over them. The roads led from one station to another, and sometimes to other planets for tours at a safe distance. Mars and the moon are common visiting spots, while the other planets are viewed at safe distances. Those born on the moon and mars are accepted as citizens by most populations, except the most conservative geocentric individuals. (At least, that’s the way at appears to many).
On Earth, a multitude of cities and cultures are meshed together, with only the oceans separating them. Three fourths of the world is a giant metropolis like Tokyo, while the smaller portion still holds hints of nature and wildlife. Due to overpopulation (8 billion), these people have found another planet as a second home, though it doesn’t feel the same as Earth. North America now meets East Asia, South America not too far from Australia. Antarctica has now vanished, and humanity nearly went extinct when a horde of new bacteria was freed from the icy depths. Only the strong humans survived and later evolved.
Racism, sexism, classism etc. appear nonexistent, and indeed, there are newly recognized genders and sexualities. (robot sexual, pan gender, agender, transgender, alien sexuality etc.) However, death, poverty, taxes, and prejudice will always exist, no matter how advanced the society.
Intergalactic vehicle racing is a popular sporting event.
People have phones, electronic watches, camera features for their eyes, and clothing that can morph and change.
Organic food is popular and candy consists of healthy food with chemicals to mimic sugar.
Music is blended from different cultural influences. Indian and Arabic, U.S. and England, etc.
Religion is almost nonexistent, though people do still practice their faiths.
Artists like The Enigma TNG are seen like Beethoven is known today.
Internet Age Festival: similar to the modern day Renaissance Festival, people travel to a natural spot on Earth and dress up in jeans, shirts, dresses, and carry antique cell phones and laptops around. In addition, people can learn about the twentieth and twenty first centuries.