Severed [She-Ra 2018]

IV: Beginning

"Perhaps you are capable of reform after all." Entrapta screwed her eyes shut as he placed his hand over her head, but this time she stood stiffly and did not move. "Do not fear," he went on. "This pain will be temporary. In time, you will forget your... preoccupation."

Entrapta stood stock still as Prime moved away. She did not look back up until the barrier had returned, leaving her alone in the room. As soon as he was out of her sight, Entrapta ruffled her hair vigorously in an attempt to banish the feeling of his hand on her head. She had never hated anyone before, but Horde Prime was becoming close to the first.

There was no way for Entrapta to know how much Prime knew about her plan. All she could do was wait and hope that next time Hordak visited her, he would be alone.

Entrapta sat down on the bed beside her tray of food and picked at it halfheartedly. She was not hungry enough to eat it, but the motion eased some of her pent up anxiety. After a few moments of aimless chipping, her fingernail hit something hard. She peered more closely at the food and noticed a hard corner of what appeared to be metal poking out into the open. How odd!

After a moment, she recognized the color of the metal and gasped. This was the corner of her tool tin. Hordak had stuffed it into her food.

She whipped her head up as the barrier disappeared again in a flash of light. Entrapta jumped to her feet, her body blocking the tin from sight. "What do you want?" she asked rapidly, her heart pounding.

The clone held up his hand. "Do not worry, Entrapta. Prime should not disturb us any longer."

Entrapta was giddy with relief. "Hordak!"

"I thought your food would be an adequate disguise," he said. "It seems to have worked well."

"That was genius," she replied enthusiastically. "I would have never thought of it!"

"It is still perfectly edible," he explained as he pulled out a folded cloth from his pocket. "However, if it is not to your taste, I do have these."

Entrapta unfolded the cloth to reveal tiny orange cubes of food. "You remembered!" she squeaked.

He nodded with a smile.

Hordak came back! He came back, and he remembers me! Lost in the joy of the moment, Entrapta rushed forward and threw her arms around him in a sudden fierce hug.

This was far from what the clone had been expecting. At first he was uncomfortable, but then he smiled and held her back for a brief moment before she pulled away. It was strange to feel so close to someone he knew very little about. Between the moments of confusion and frustration, being with Entrapta made him happy. It was not a peaceful happiness, but it was better than the emptiness of his life outside this small room. The inner peace of Prime's soldiers was the peace of oblivion. No choices, no uncertainty, no thought.

The idea that he had a life outside of this existence seemed absurd, and yet the evidence was before him. Entrapta had the answers about who he had been before. All he had to do was ask.

"You have been... helpful in answering my questions," he faltered. "I would be grateful if you could tell me more."

"Of course," she replied. "What do you want to know?"

"Can you... tell me about Hordak? What was... he... like?"

She tilted her head. "Well, when we worked together, you--- ah, he, looked different than now. Red eyes, for one thing, and dark hair. He kept to himself a lot and didn't say much when we worked, but he was very helpful. Hordak was great with tech when he wasn't being impatient. Sometimes he'd get mad at me and chase me off, but I always came back."