Chapter Text
Machinery whirred as the door to Entrapta’s lab opened. The woman herself strode in, with Emily click-clacking behind her on metal legs. The very moment she entered the room, Entrapta ensured the door closed. Using her prehensile hair, she raised herself higher than her own legs could and vaulted towards her seat at her desk, landing in it with perfect precision; as if she had done this hundreds of times before.
…Well, she had done this hundreds of times before, how else was she supposed to sit at her desk? Walk there? Nonsense, she was simply too excited to begin this next experiment to sit still, even now, she used one of her legs to swing her swivel chair side to side like a horizontal pendulum in a rhythm.
Normally she would begin to record her entries on the tape recorder she carried everywhere, because of course she did, but this was different. This experiment felt special, and she hadn't the slightest idea why that could be.
She kept logs of every person she became friends with, no matter if they were temporary ones. Just like Glimmer, Adora, and Bow happened to be… But no matter! according to her calculations, that was how friendship seemed to work so far for her. Someone would meet her, find her talents useful, then leave when she was no longer of use, or if they simply couldn't stand her.
But truthfully, friendship -and people in general- was the greatest enigma she had ever encountered. It seems that every time she had gathered enough empirical evidence about the topic to make a conclusion, there was another piece that contradicted it. And not to mention that it seemed to just work differently for everyone else, better, even. Why her? Why does friendship work differently for her? Now that was the true enigma.
It's fine though, Entrapta has her machines, she has her experiments. She has been doing well without friendship so far! But she can't help but feel disappointment every time someone leaves. Just as it looks like someone truly understands her and enjoys her presence, they seem to slip out of her grasp.
But there was something about The Horde that felt different.
Now she knew it certainly wasn't Catra and Scorpia, for a few reasons. Catra, while she does not treat her as lesser nor undermines her abilities, does not seem compatible for her personally. Her ill-tempered attitude isn't the problem, it's the same as before: she just sees Entrapta for her usefulness, and even she can see it. Though based on empirical data, Catra sees nearly everyone that way. Not to mention her rampant sarcasm, which she does not, and never will, understand.
Now Scopria, she was an entirely different type of person. If Catra was the night, Scorpia was the day. She was nice to everyone, and Entrapta meant everyone. Even to the easily irritable Catra, she was as sweet as sugar. But that was the problem, it was everyone. She could also see Scorpia doesn't understand Entrapta either, no matter how nice she was about it. And Scorpia, no offense to her of course, just did not understand what Entrapta was saying when she began to talk about her theories and experiments, Catra was the same way.
…What had she sat down at her desk for? Ah, there goes her head again, running on its own track.
Right, this next experiment, that's why. She was now reminded of why she began to think about friendship in the first place: Hordak. Hordak was what felt different about The Horde.
Out of all the people Entrapta has made acquaintances with, Hordak was by far the most fascinating. For one, the man is an alien, a being from the outer reaches of space. The implications this had about his biology alone was undeniably intriguing.
But what had really captured her interest was… him. He was just different, somehow. For one, he is one of the only people on Etheria who actually understood her when she was talking about her theories. He never simply stared when she did, he always nodded along with interest, he understood. Never once had he assumed she didn't know what she was talking about, or that she wasn't someone to be taken seriously.
She's never had a lab partner before.
And honestly? At this point he felt more than a lab partner, and Entrapta hoped it fell under the category of “friend”. She hoped that if he left, it wouldn’t happen for a long time.
Or… that he didn't leave at all.
For now, though, she would do what she does best: investigate. Investigate and experiment! With every friend she made, she would compile information on them. Because really, how else was she supposed to get to know them? To know what they hated and liked? Data logs, that's how. She even still had some on Glimmer, Adora, and Bow! Even despite their… separation, that was still valuable data!
Just like the friends she had before, she's going to do the same for Hordak.
And she had so many questions about him.
Rifling through a drawer, she found a tape recorder, one with no entries. Pulling out tape and a marker, she began to label it.
The Hordak Files. Written in simple yet bold writing.
“Alright,” Entrapta sighed while talking to herself, “empty tape recorder… labeled… great!”
She took another breath. The first entry… beginning a project is always the most daunting part, isn’t it? But of course, it didn’t even come close to overshadowing her excitement.
With a smile, she clicked the record button on the device.
“The Hordak Files, entry zero,” She recited.
As she spoke, Entrapta wrung a strand of her long purple hair through her hand not holding the tape recorder. It always helped her focus.
“Subject: Hordak,” Entrapta continued, “I have known him long enough to fit him under the category of friend, hence the purpose of this tape.”
Emily, who had been previously captivated by a particular stray wire on the floor, paused from batting it around with a leg. She skittered over, producing a high pitched and curious trill to Entrapta. The robot was interested in what her friend was talking about.
Smiling, the woman gave her faithful robot a friendly pat on her metal casing as she continued to speak. Emily gave a sound not unlike a purr in thanks.
“As I’ve spent more time in his presence, the more questions and theories I’ve been thinking of,” She chirped, “So, I’ve decided to dedicate an entire recorder to this project!”
Entrapta began searching through a drawer for something specific, something special.
The first step in this experiment.
“Anyways, I am thrilled to do this!” The woman cheered.
In her hand, she delicately held up the object that she was looking for
A single dark blue hair.
“And I know just where to start.”