Chapter Text
The dust had begun to settle after the final battle and most of Etheria was still celebrating.
For Hordak however the situation was rather tense. He was currently staying in Brightmoon, and while he had a degree of autonomy the guards that followed him from a respectable distance reminded him that he was not trusted.
There would be consequences, he understood that.
He had caused so much damage to Etheria and its people and that would not be quickly forgotten.
But for now it seemed that no one wanted to ruin the celebrations with a trial.
Entrapta however, had no concerns about the situation, just her usual, irrepressibly energetic self.
She was so unconcerned in fact that she had decided to ask Hordak out on a ‘Date’.
Etherians had a truly staggering number of terms for different kinds of relationships.
There were friends, best-friends, comrades, co-workers, boyfriend and girlfriend which could be both romantic and platonic, two confusing terms which seemed to be mostly based around the desire to reproduce.
Even the term ‘partners’ had a number of different connotations.
Hordak had no real understanding of these distinctions. Until he met Entrapta he had not forged any kind of connection with those around him, seeing them as disposable, interchangeable drones. Much as he came to realise Horde Prime had seen him and his fellow clones.
He knew that his relationship with Entrapta was something far deeper than just two people working together for a common goal.
Deep enough to pierce Horde Prime’s programming and make him cast aside the only thing he had thought he ever wanted.
Deep enough to make him feel things he had never been intended to feel.
As far as Hordak understood this ‘Date’ was a ritual intended to mark the progression of a relationship from ‘friends’ to ‘boyfriend/girlfriend’ with romantic connotations.
This raised some concerns for Hordak and made him wish that he had studied Etherian biology more closely.
He had of course done plenty of study into how to more efficiently kill Etherians. But he had paid little attention to their reproductive processes.
As he did not have access to the archive he had built up in the Fright Zone he decided to seek advice from one of the few people he hoped would still be willing to talk to him.
Hordak found Scorpia in the palace gardens with the Plant Princess, trimming some bushes with her claws.
“Scorpia!” Hordak boomed, unintentionally switching to his ‘command voice’.
“Lord Hordak!” Scorpia jumped in surprise, snapping a quick support.
The Plant Princess glared at Hordak, moving between him and Scorpia.
Hordak cleared his throat, taking a step back and lowering his voice. “Just Hordak will do now, I am no longer your commanding officer after all.”
The Plant Princess didn’t seem to be satisfied with this. Hordak made a mental note to learn her name, he remembered destroying most of her Kingdom at one point and an ‘apology’ was probably in order.
Scorpia however relaxed immediately, giving Hordak a big smile. “Of course, sorry, old habits. What can I do for you L-Lordak?”
“I have come to seek your advice on a personal matter.”
Scorpia placed a claw on the Plant Princesses shoulder, which seemed to reassure her that Hordak was not an immediate threat.
“You’re asking me?” Scorpia seemed confused but still happy. “Well, sure, I’d love to help!”
Hordak nodded, taking a deep breath. “Entrapta has asked me out on a ‘Date’, does this mean she wishes to produce a child?”
“Oh boy…” Scorpia laughed nervously, looking at the Plant Princess who was pulling a rather nauseous face. “That… Ahhh… Perfuma?”
Perfuma, that was her name.
Hordak stood patiently as Perfuma pulled Scorpia aside and engaged in a brief flurry of whispers, Scorpia making various pleading motions before Perfuma let out a loud sigh and turned to Hordak.
“Okay, Hordak.” Perfuma took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few seconds. “Usually, having a child is not something that comes up on the first date. That's something that is best discussed after you’ve been together for a long time and are ready to make that kind of commitment.”
“I see.” Hordak nodded. “That is reassuring… Will intercourse be required?”
Perfuma made a strange choking noise, covering her face with her hands.
Scorpia just continued smiling, though she did seem rather uncomfortable.
“And if so, how long should-”
“Nope!” Perfuma said loudly, her voice cracking slightly “No, no, that is…” she took another, very deep breath, holding her hands in an odd position and making a humming noise for a few seconds.
“That is something that you should discuss with your partner,” she said eventually, sounding slightly more calm, “and no one else. Especially me.”
“I think it's really… sweet, that you want to prepare for this.” Scorpia said, putting an arm around Perfuma. “But you just need to relax, be yourself and have fun!”
Hordak wasn’t sure if he could do all of those things at the same time.
“Well, I appreciate your advice,” Hordak nodded curtly. “And, Princess Perfuma, I am…sorry for attacking your kingdom.”
“You also killed my parents,” Perfuma replied with forced cheer.
“Ah…” Hordak had forgotten about that. “Yes, that is also regrettable.”
“ALRIGHT!” Scorpia said loudly, quickly leading Perfuma away. “Great talk, great talk, but we need to… Water some flowers.”
“Yes, of course.” Hordak tried his best to smile. He supposed that interaction could have gone worse. They had answered his most pressing questions. And he didn’t think he could really be blamed for forgetting about Perfuma’s parents.
He had, after all, killed a lot of people’s parents.
Hordak put on his best cape and most flattering tabard. Carefully preening his crest to look healthy and slightly tousled and putting on some light makeup to match the red and blacks of his outfit.
Entrapta had made him a new exoskeleton since they had returned to Brightmoon, it was sleeker than the last set, looking less like a suit of armor and more like a tight fitting bodysuit.
Designed more for comfort than combat.
It was slightly weaker than his old set, but more flexible and supportive enough to relieve his pain almost completely.
Entrapta had also designed it with various customisable plates and sections he could alter to make it fit with any outfit.
He hadn’t realised how much he had enjoyed personalising his appearance until he had returned to Horde Prime.
It had been something that he had just slipped into over his time on Etheria, just another heretical little habit.
He had briefly tried to lie to himself that it was just a convenient way for Entrapta to tell him apart from all the other Clones now residing on Etheria.
But he had to admit that he just enjoyed it. It made him feel special, unique.
Both things that Entrapta also made him feel.
Entrapta arrived at his cell (or at least what apparently passed as a ‘cell’ in Brightmoon) wearing her usual clothes, though he noticed they were free of stains, and she had added a small pink bow tie which Hordak found exceptionally adorable.
“Hordak,” Entrapta said, lifting herself up to his height with her hair and offering him her arm.
“My Lady,” Hordak replied with a bow, linking his arm through hers.
Entrapta pulled her tablet out of her hair, making a check on a list. “Pick Hordak up, complete! Next step, arrive at Fancy Restaurant, in progress!”
As they walked, Hordak’s guards close behind them, Hordak couldn’t help but notice that Entrapta seemed a little nervous.
“How is Wrong Hordak doing?” He asked, attempting to make ‘small talk’.
“Oh, he’s doing excellent,” Entrapta replied, brightening up a bit. “He’s been working with some of the other Clones, helping them acclimatise to freedom. He discovered that he can change his eye and teeth colour and has just been cycling them constantly since then… It’s very pretty but a little disorientating.”
Hordak nodded, glad to hear about his brother's progress. He had been forbidden from interacting with the other freed Clones by the Princesses. They seemed to think he would be a ‘bad influence’.
“I believe that was once used by my species as an emotional indicator, as our faces are less expressive than yours.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Entrapta stopped, turning to Hordak. “You are wonderfully expressive! Your ears, especially I’ve noticed, are an excellent indicator of your mood.”
Hordak couldn’t help but reach up to touch his ears. He didn’t think he had been expressing any emotions, but as with their relationship, Entrapta seemed to be more aware of these things than he was.
“You don’t find it… offputting?” Hordak asked.
“Of course not!” Entrapta beamed at him. “I mean, I’ve never been very good with my own species’ facial expressions, so it hasn’t been any trouble to study yours.”
Hordak felt rather flattered that Entrapta had been paying such close attention to his emotional state.
And now that he was thinking about it he noticed his ears flicking upwards in an embarrassingly eager way.
“See?” Entrapta leaned in close to him, brushing his ear lightly with her hair, making him quiver involuntarily. “That means you’re happy.”
“Being in your presence tends to have that effect,” Hordak said, trying his best to retain his composure.
They arrived at the restaurant, Entrapta quickly checking it off her list and started to enter when the Host moved to block them.
“Hello!” Entrapta said cheerfully “I have reserved seating for two people.”
“I’m sorry,” The Host smiled, far too widely, “But we are currently full.”
“What?” Entrapta looked confused, pulling out her tablet and flicking back through it “No, I pre-arranged this two days ago.”
Hordak took Entrapta’s hand gently, noticing the worried glances the host was shooting at him. “Entrapta, I think we should leave.”
“No!” Entrapta was starting to get frustrated. “I prepared everything very carefully, I didn’t forget.”
“Well, at the time you made the reservation we were not aware of your… choice of guest.” The Host stared pointedly at Hordak.
“It’s alright, Entrapta,” Hordak started to pull Entrapta away gently, noticing his guards getting closer, seemingly ready for trouble.
“But… But that's not fair,” Entrapta said sadly, following Hordak’s lead.
“I am not exactly the most popular person on Etheria right now,” Hordak forced a smile, his ears drooping downwards.
“But you’re good now!” Entrapta crossed her arms tightly, scowling at the ground.
“Not everyone is as quick to forgive as you are” Hordak reached out to lift Entraptas chin “And if I am to stay here, I must accept the consequences of my actions… Being refused service is a relatively minor punishment, all things considered.”
“I had everything planned out so carefully,” Entrapta pouted, “And now it’s all ruined.”
Hordak hated to see Entrapta upset. It made him want to rage and yell and tear the damn place to the ground. But that would not be very helpful to their overall situation.
“Nothing is ruined, we are simply changing objectives.” Hordak took her arm. “Follow me.”
There was a small hill in a clearing behind the Castle where Hordak had been working on a little project.
He had planned to show it to Entrapta on a night with optimal conditions, but he wanted this ‘Date’ to be a success for her, and there were relatively few clouds, so now seemed perfect.
While spyglasses and binoculars were common on Etheria, proper stargazing telescopes were not.
After all, until very recently there had been nothing to look at.
It had not been hard for Hordak to acquire some mirrors and lenses. Though constructing the housing took a little more effort, now that he didn’t have access to his sanctum.
Doing it all without Entrapta’s knowledge had been the real challenge.
Entrapta was a little confused at first when he pulled back the tarp to reveal his creation.
But before he could explain what it was she had already begun examining it, quickly deducing its function.
“Hordak!” Entrapta gasped in wonder as she looked through the scope “This is amazing, there's… there’s so many more than I imagined!”
Hordak felt himself puff up slightly with pride, the look on Entrapta’s face confirming that his work had been worth it. “Of course, the number of stars visible with the naked eye is only a tiny percent of those present in the galaxy. With a radio telescope or an orbital satellite we could see even more, but this was the best I could do with present materials.”
Entrapta remained glued to the scope, slowly panning around the sky.
Hordak settled down beside her, taking her tablet to note down her findings as she called them out to him.
They spent the next few hours gazing up at the stars. Hordak told her all the names of the stars he knew, which was quite a lot, but not nearly enough to satisfy her curiosity.
He might not have been the best note taker, more than a few times catching himself just staring at Entrapta, soaking in her looks of wonder and excitement, the little wiggles she would make as she discovered something new and the way her hair curled and flicked around her.
To him she seemed far more beautiful than any heavenly body.
Eventually she started to slow down, stifling little yawns.
Once her hair started to warp around her like a blanket Hordak knew it was time to stop for the night.
“You need to sleep. We can continue tomorrow night,” Hordak gently scooped Entrapta up in his arms.
“One more nebula,” Entrapta said sleepily, kicking her legs gently but not resisting. Her hair wrapped around Hordak’s chest.
Hordak carried Entrapta back to her quarters in the castle, navigating the precarious piles of junk to place her carefully on the huge bed.
“Goodnight, Entrapta.” Hordak turned to leave when one of Entraptas pigtails wrapped around his leg.
“Wait, is there anything else you want to do?” Entrapta yawned, propping herself up with her elbows.
Hordak frowned, trying to think if he had forgotten something. “Was the date not satisfactory?”
“It was wonderful!” Entrapta rolled over on the bed, pulling an awkward face. “It’s just… I was asking Lonnie for advice, because I’ve never been on a date before, and she said that “guys only think about one thing”.”
Hordak was confused for a second until he remembered his previous conversation with Scorpia and Perfuma. It seemed that Entrapta had been seeking similar answers to him.
“You needn't be worried. As a clone I have no interest in such things.”
“None at all?” Entrapta regarded Hordak curiously.
“Well… ahh…” Hordak squirmed a little nervously, the tips of his ears twitching. “Do you want me to?”
Entrapta smiled “Well, right now I mostly want to sleep.”
“Then I shall bid you Goodnight.” Hordak bowed and moved to leave but Entrapta stopped him again.
“Could you stay?”
“Of course,” Hordak replied without thinking, his hearts beating slightly faster.
There was plenty of space, but as soon as Hordak climbed in Entrapta shuffled over to be right next to him, her hair wrapping over him like a blanket.
“It could be a very interesting experiment.” Entrapta mumbled softly, so close that Hordak could feel her breath on his skin.
Entrapta fell asleep almost immediately. But Hordak stayed awake for quite a while, watching her sleep and wondering what he might have gotten himself into.