Azure's POV

I tugged on the edge of my mustard yellow, V tank top, as I walked through the sand.  "I hate sand." I muttered looking for shade.  "Why did I agree to this?" I wondered. Bow clapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Because you love me and never want to be parted from your true love." He teased, making kissy faces.  I smirked, shoving him playfully in the chest.  I wore a magenta blue and orange striped infinity scarf around my neck, and my hair which had been growing down towards the middle of my back for a while now, was now braided down my right shoulder.

"Thanks for coming with me guys." Adora said turning to us from on top of a skeleton.

The bone was bleached white from the relentless sun. and its ribs poked out from the sand which had buried most of the bones.

"Of course." Bow said as Adora hopped down between Glimmer and Bow.

"And the queen is okay with us taking off? I would have thought a mission to the Crimson Waste would have been too risky for her." Adora asked, and I looked at Glimmer who appeared rather confidant.

"Oh, she hates this idea, which is why I didn't tell her we were going." I rolled my eyes.

"Last time we didn't tell the queen something it didn't end well for us." I pointed out and Adora nodded.

"It's not like anyone else has a plan to stop Hordak from opening a portal. You are right. Tracking Mara's message to the source is the best lead we have." Glimmer said and we started walking further in.

"Plus, for an inhospitable desert, this place is kind of beautiful." Bow said cheerfully, and my eyes locked on a small black bird that flew towards me and around my face.  "Oh, there is even a cute little bird." Bow awed as the bird alighted on a thorny bush.

Its eyes widened and it froze where it stood. I jerked back.  "Never mind, this place is terrifying!" Bow gasped, voice cracking shrilly.  The bird fell into the sand with a heavy thump.

"Okay, I know it is scary and dangerous, but if there is something to do with portals here, we have to find it for the Rebellion." Adora said and held her arm.  "And... for me."

Bow softly tapped Adora's hair poof with his Tracker Pad and Adora smiled lightly.  "Which way now, Bow?" Adora asked. Bow chuckled nervously and I cocked an eyebrow towards him.

"So, uh, slight Problem. Uh, my Tracker Pad, it's dead." He showed us the screen and a cartoon Bow face popped up with X's for eyes.

"So, we are here without a map, and the plants are evil. Heh..." Adora chuckled nervously before brightening a bit.  "But it's okay. We are coming from the north. If we keep going south, we'll cross the center." Adora said and Glimmer disappeared in a cloud of glitter, appearing beside me.  Adora kicked a chunk of rock from a small spire on the ground, and poked it into the ground, pointy side down.

"And, uh, I am something of an expert tracker, thanks to the Horde's survival skills training." She smirked picking up a small piece of something that resembled the thorns on the plants and placed it on the flat surface.  "We just have to keep going..." Adora trailed off as the small thorn whirled around before pointing south.

"That way." Adora said and got up. "Problem solved; I've got this under control." Adora said with a proud chuckle.  Adora started walking, and I sighed.

"How many rebels does it take to find south?" I asked and Adora looked back at me as we walked.

"One?" She asked smugly and I shook my head.

"Four. One to make a makeshift compass, two to watch, and one to point out that all of this could have been done by simply asking the wolf." I said, using the end of my braid to point around, and walked on...

...I staggered up a dune and scanned the horizon.  "Anything?" Adora called from the base of the dune.

"You mean a giant First Ones spire?" I called down.

"...Yes?"

I chuckled to myself, and turned back to them, picking my way down the dune.  "Nothing." I informed them.  "Just sand, sand. Oh wait! More sand." I said sarcastically.  The farther we walked south I started to hear a humming sound. I shook my head and rubbed my ears.

"What's wrong?" Bow asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him with a shrug.

"I don't know, it's just a humming sound, it's some kind of heartbeat, but its big." I said, looking around.

"But I can't see anything for miles." Bow nodded and kissed my forehead.  "Maybe it's just the heat." He said and I nodded.  I knew agreeing to this would assure him, but I could not help but worry. Something was out here.

We reached a dune, but the hum was so strong I was out of it, looking for anything strange.  I slipped and Bow caught my arm.

"Are you okay?" He asked and I shook my head, looking down at the sand... only where I had scuffed my boot, it was orange, and scaly.

"Oh Moons..." I groaned.  "Everyone, stay calm." I said holding up my hands. Glimmer and Adora turned back to look at me.

"What is it Azure?" Glimmer asked, and I gestured to the dune.

"Everyone needs to slow down and just stay still. This isn't a dune." I said slowly.  "It's a huge snake. I recognize the hum and the smell." I told them. Glimmers eyes widened.

"What do we do?" Adora whispered, and I shook my head.

"I don't know, I have never been on top of a giant snake before." I hissed back. I looked around.

"Just teleport around." Bow suggested, and I nodded. Glimmer took hold of Adora's hand and disappeared. Bow took my hands and stepped back, going back the way we came. The dune shifted and I jumped the rest of the way down, Bow at my side.  The dune reared up, and Bow grabbed my hand.

"Run!" I shouted and bolted. The dune rose and slithered about. Three large heads popped up and opened their mouths, pink gullets swollen, and dripping with saliva. I grabbed Bow's hand and ran. Adora and Glimmer joined us in seconds.

"Isn't it your job to sense things like that early?" Glimmer shouted as we ran, I turned my face to her.

"It's a little harder when your hearts are pumping like-"

I was cut off with a yelp as I slid into a gorge, coming to a stop with my back bare on the hot sand, tank top ridden up over my stomach, sand up the back of my shirt. I panted, and relaxed, seeing the three heads slink backwards over the edge. I put a hand on my stomach, feeling the bumpy scar that traveled down to my navel.

"Okay, to review, the plants are evil, tech doesn't work, and sometimes a sand dune is a pile of very angry sand colored snakes." Adora said, and I pushed my shirt down.  Bow lifted his head from the sand and spat some back onto the ground.  "So, I think we are getting the hang of this." Adora said cheerily and I stood up, feeling hot and sweaty.

"Why can't I just teleport us to the center of the Waste?" Glimmer inquired.

"Because you don't know where it is and would run out of power before we ever made it." Bow pointed out, sounding as irritated as I felt.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me that my powers are limited." Glimmer snapped walking away.  "You think I don't know-"  With a yelp she disappeared, and I jolted.

"Glimmer!" Adora shouted and dove into the ground.  Quicksand, I realized.

Glimmer appeared next to with a nervous chuckle.  "I am fine." I just looked at the expanse of quicksand.  "Where is Adora?" I just pointed to the quicksand.  Glimmer groaned and disappeared, re appearing a moment later, Adora's arm over her shoulder.

"And quicksand. That is now on our list of things to avoid." Adora smiled, trying to stay cheery in this wasteland.  Glimmer spat out a stream of sand and glared.  "Wow, I am learning so much today." She panted. Bow gave her a look.

"Adora, you know we support you all the way, but maybe we are not prepared for this." Bow brought up and I nodded.

"I am out of my element here." I admitted as well.

"We just need a little rest." Adora said trying to keep up the hope.  "I'll figure out how to build a shelter-" Adora started and Glimmer turned. I followed her gaze.

"Or we could go there?" Glimmer suggested.

Adora put her hands to her eyes, and Bow replaced them with a pair of real binoculars.  I looked at the place. It was probably over three hundred feet away, and I could sense no life in it. It was a skeleton of some creature, canvas draped over places in the sides.

"Okay. Problem solved. We'll get out of the heat, and maybe there is a map or water inside." She said and turned to the shelter.

I started ahead of the team, ears swiveling at the side of my head, I sniffed, and reached outward through my senses for heartbeats Once we got within two hundred feet I felt an assemblage of hearts, and I tensed.

"Adora, I doubt there is anything useful here." Bow said as they walked through the gaping jaws of the bleached skull.  "The Crimson Waste had been abandoned for hundreds of-"  Bow stopped short as Adora swept aside a curtain for a door. The place was terribly similar to the Bar at Seaworthy, though the attitude in here was a bit heavier. It felt dirty, twisted even.

"Just act tough, try to blend in." Adora said.  I extended my claws, and pulled my lips back in a snarl, canines elongated, and my ears rotated inhumanly, pointy tips flicking. I forced my pupils to contract and followed Adora.

"Good afternoon, fellow patrons. Except I don't even care if you have a good afternoon because I'm bad." Bow said, trying to be intimidating.

"Bow." I hissed under my breath.

Adora stepped up to the bar.  "Adora, I am not so sure these are the kind of people we should be asking for help." Glimmer chuckled. I sighed exasperatedly as Adora stepped onto the bar.

"Hello. Sorry to interrupt, uh, but we are not from around here, and we are hoping someone would give us directions?" Adora asked, looking down to Bow and Glimmer who were furiously signing for her to shut up.

"You are outsiders." I turned seeing a woman-goat hybrid thing, and a short, four-armed reptilian creature.

"uh, yeah, I guess we are." The goat woman said, grabbing Adora and pulling her off the table.  The reptile settled behind us and quickly put an arm around Glimmer, Bow and my backs.

"We don't like outsiders here; and since the Crimson Waste didn't take care of you... We will." I tensed as a glass shattered and I whirled around, pulling away from the reptilian's grip.  A large beefy woman approached us, towering over the goat woman.

"We didn't mean to disturb you." She said, sounding more than a little scared.  Two lilac hued hands yanked away the goat and reptile before throwing them out the door. I tensed, getting in front of Adora Glimmer and Bow.

"There are only two rules in the Crimson Waste. One, the strong make the rules; And two, don't annoy me when I eat." The woman turned to us, Lilac skin glowing eerily in the patchy light from the ceiling as she turned to face us. "I made rule one. They broke rule two." She said counting off on her fingers and clenched her fist.  "Are you all staring at something?" She sneered at the people at the bar.

Everyone but us seamed to fear her and turned their gazes away quickly.  "Kids, what are you doing, asking these lowlifes for help? Don't you know you can't trust anyone in the Crimson Waste?" The woman said walking over to us.  Her white hair was shaved from the sides of her head and the rest was pulled back into a ponytail that reached her waist, a single piece of it fell to the side of her face. She looked down at us, pale butter yellow eyes staring us down.

"Actually, up until two minutes ago, we didn't know there was anyone in the Crimson Waste." Glimmer admitted with a small nervous chuckle. Adora smiled, embarrassed a bit.

"Up until six minutes ago." I corrected under my breath.

"Scoundrels, criminals, outlaws, all of them. Be careful, kids. Next time, I might not be around to save you." She warned and stalked away. I watched, and Adora spoke from behind me.

"Oh, wow. We need her." Adora said excitedly and pushed past me and followed the woman.

"What?" I hissed and followed.

Adora popped up between the woman, and another girl with pale teal skin and four horns poking from between her red hair.  "Excuse me? Hi, can we join you? Great." The other girl scampered away.  The whole place smelled of BO, and various types of Tabaco and weed. The lilac woman picked up Adora and set her in a seat across from her.

"I am Adora. This is Bow, Glimmer and Azure. And we came to-" Adora was cut off as the woman dropped her elbow onto the table and pointed.

"Blondie, Boy, Glitter, Blue-eyes, got it. Huntara. Now what do you want?" Huntara grumbled and looked past us.

"It's Glimmer. Actually, Princess Glimmer." Glimmer corrected.

"Oh, a princess. Me too. I am the princess of the Crimson Waste. Can you tell? Or am I not sparkly enough for you?" Huntara said sarcastically.

Adora grabbed Glimmer's shoulder.  "We are looking for something in the center of the crimson Waste. It's important we find it. You seem like you know this place well. Can you take us?" Adora said determinedly.

"Did you not hear what I just said about trusting people?" Huntara growled.

"I did, a very hard thing to miss." I growled, mostly to Glimmer, Adora and Bow.

"Well, yeah, but you said that while saving us. So, you can't be all bad. What do you say?" Adora pointed out and extended a hand.

Bow chuckled and grabbed her arm.  "Excuse us for one moment." Bow said politely and turned away from Huntara and spun Adora with him.  "Are you sure about this, Adora? All the scary people are scared of Huntara, which is not usually a great sign." They looked back at Huntara who was eating.

"We can just ask for a map or-" Glimmer started but Adora cut her off.

"A map won't get us past the scary plants or quicksand or whatever else is out there. We need a guide." Adora said loudly.

"If I say no, you'll go out there by yourselves and get killed, is that it?" Huntara asked, standing her chair squeaking as she stood.

"I mean, not ideally, but yeah." Glimmer said, and I nodded.

"Yeah that last bit wasn't really on my agenda." I added.

Huntara smirked, picking up her staff, spinning it in the air, collapsing it in on itself, and strapped it to her belt.  "Well, looks like you've got yourselves a guide." Huntara said, and Adora grinned, shaking Huntara's outstretched hand.

"Great. See, guys, problem solved."