"I know we don't really know each other that much, but I really think we can be really good friends if we—" Princess Charlie spoke to Hornet, or more accurately, she dumped on Princess Hornet.
Princess Hornet simply ignored the never-ending chatter from Charlie. She rubbed her forehead to relieve herself from the headache that the princess of Hell was inducing.
As they walked together, Charlie stopped in her tracks when she noticed the shimmering white city. Though she couldn't see much being on the first floor, she could still make out the shining spires and towers reaching the sky.
"Wow! This place is beautiful!" she said, staring at the shining twin towers.
Hornet looked at Charlie before approaching her and standing beside her, and finally she spoke.
"It is beautiful," Hornet said, her voice as smooth as silk.
Charlie quickly turned her head towards Hornet with glee, finally hearing her voice, and without a second to waste attempted to hug her.
Hornet, sensing danger, quickly moved out of the way and avoided Charlie's bone-crushing hug.
Charlie, feeling nothing, looked confused. Opening her eyes, she immediately noticed that Hornet had dodged her and was now a few feet away.
"Please, I would like you to refrain from further actions," Hornet told Charlie.
"Oh! Sorry!" Charlie rubbed her head in embarrassment.
Hornet, accepting the apology, simply huffed and continued to walk. Charlie, not wanting to be left behind, followed right behind her.
Once they had finally reached their destination, two mantises were standing guard. They gave Hornet a bow before opening the gates leading to the training grounds.
From there, a rather tall mantis was training multiple different insects. They wielded weapons resembling a spear but had rather odd qualities.
Princess Charlie, ever the curious individual, tried to talk with the insects, but as soon as she tried to get close, multiple needles were pointed at her throat.
Charlie, not wanting to fight, raised her hands before Hornet quickly gave the order to leave the princess alone in the training grounds.
They withdrew their needles before quickly leaving the two alone. Once they were finally alone, a soft breeze began to flow as they stood in front of each other.
"Soo, why exactly did you bring me here?" Charlie asked, curious.
Hornet didn't speak. Instead, she raised her weapon and got ready to fight.
"Hey! Whoa! We're not gonna really fight, are we!?" Charlie said, raising her hands once more.
"This isn't a battle, your highness, but a test. So bring out your blade," Hornet spoke, all the while pointing her needle in front of Charlie.
Charlie, though reluctant, slowly lowered her hands before summoning her weapon. It was an angelic trident that had an apple in the center of it.
Hornet inspected Charlie's weapon before giving a little feedback.
"Your weapon is impractical," Hornet stated.
"Hey! This was a gift, oka—" And before Charlie could react properly, Hornet threw her weapon at Charlie.
Charlie, relying on instinct alone, moved to the side to avoid getting skewered in the head.
She quickly looked at Hornet and saw a small piece around her hands, and with a pulling motion she pulled her needle back to her.
Grabbing her needle, Hornet quickly dashed towards Charlie and, with one quick swipe, slashed her.
Charlie, using her trident, blocked the strike. Charlie, not really knowing what to do, retaliated by using her weapon to push Hornet away.
Hornet was rather surprised by the strength Charlie had shown thus far, but strength alone wasn't enough to prove herself.
Getting ready once more, Hornet jumped high into the air, which confused Charlie a bit, but before she knew it, Hornet had summoned spectral blades, and within seconds the blades began to fly directly towards her.
Charlie then readied herself and began to block the blades flying towards her. Each one she blocked felt heavy, but as she continued to block and deflect the blades, Hornet hovered in the air examining the princess, and when she was satisfied, she gripped her needle tighter before diving down directly at Charlie.
Charlie, still focusing on blocking the spectral blades, didn't immediately notice Hornet before it was too late. Before she could even see her, Hornet's needle connected with Charlie's weapon.
This caused Charlie to drop down towards the ground, landing on her behind, and when she looked up she saw Hornet pointing her needle at her throat.
"You, princess… disappoint me," she spoke, looking down on Charlie.
"What?" Charlie said, her voice a bit tired and out of breath.
"I expected much from you, princess… however, I may have expected too much from you. Your footwork is sloppy, your technique is terrible, and worst of all, you lack the will to fight," Hornet told Charlie.
"But… fighting over something like this isn't—" Charlie tried to explain, but was cut off.
"But nothing… you lack the drive to protect yourself. What would happen if you were forced into a situation where you had to fight, where you had to save your family? What would you do?" Hornet questioned Charlie.
"I…" Charlie tried to speak but couldn't. She was right—she couldn't fight.
And as they stayed there in silence, Hornet withdrew her needle before walking off.
"If you wish to learn… find me," Hornet told Charlie before throwing her needle to one of the buildings and leaving Charlie alone.
And as the princess of Hell sat there alone, she realized a major problem.
"Hello? Can anyone help me get back?"