A/N: CONTENT WARNING for emotional and (references to) physical child abuse.


The cold rush of the wind chills Adora's cheeks, the reddened skin both stinging and going numb as the skiff slices through the air. Her arms wrap tighter around her shins, warding off the cold and other unpleasant feelings. The floor of the vehicle rumbles slightly under her ass, but she hardly notices, her glazed eyes pointed straight ahead.

"Hah, it worked!" announces Entrapta. Adora blinks into focus long enough to see the inventor's hands hovering over the steering stick but not touching it. She's spent the last several minutes programming some kind of autopilot adaptation she was working on this morning, which is why they're running behind and needing to drive so fast in the first place.

"We should be there in no time!" Entrapta tells Adora, clapping her hands together excitedly. Her brow creases. "Well, ten minutes, to be more accurate."

"Great," Adora mutters into her knees, closing her eyes with a sigh. She can't wait to see yet another group of people who don't want her around.

Last night was decidedly awkward. Entrapta just eats while she works, but Scorpia joined Adora and Catra for dinner and spent most of the meal gushing to Catra about the possibilities for a new life now that they've defected. To add insult to injury, after dinner Catra ran off with Scorpia to pop in on Entrapta for some Superpal Trio time. Adora was not invited, and she spent the rest of the evening stewing in her room, tossing and turning in a futile attempt to sleep. Alone.

Here she thought she was running away into the moonset with Catra, and turns out she's the third wheel to Catra's new best friend. Hell, fourth wheel.

Adora really shouldn't be jealous; it's good that Catra has other friends. Wanting to be everything to her is selfish. But now she understands how Catra felt in Salineas and at Princess Prom, watching her with Bow and Glimmer. It's hard not being everything to each other after so long of it being that way. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest arrangement, but it's all she knows. She never had any other choice.

"Adora, where have you been? You were due here twenty minutes ago." Shadow Weaver's glowing white eyes literally flashed, making Adora flinch. "You know better than to keep me waiting."

"I'm so sorry, Shadow Weaver!" Adora straightened up, still trying to catch her breath. "I lost track of time."

Her guardian's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me Catra's been distracting you again."

Adora breathed a small sigh of relief that she didn't have to lie, which was never easy for her but especially difficult around Shadow Weaver. It wasn't Catra in particular who had distracted her, rather a larger group of cadets playing a weird version of hide-and-seek that they called 'sardines.' Granted, she had spent at least ten minutes crammed between Catra and the wall in a dark closet overflowing with bodies at one point, and that was pretty damn distracting in the moment. And now, if she's being honest.

Shaking the memory from her head, Adora stated, "No, ma'am. The other cadets were playing a game and they asked me to join." Her eyes dropped to her fidgeting hands. "They don't always ask."

"Am I to understand," Shadow Weaver began to float closer, "that you prioritized socialization over your accelerated studies?"

Adora only realized she was backing away from Shadow Weaver (and her desk) when her butt bumped into the wall. It had been several years at that point since Shadow Weaver had hurt her as a form of punishment, but that didn't stop the impulse to retreat. Sweaty palms flattening against the wall, she forced herself to speak calmly. Showing cowardice would only land her in more trouble. "It was an accident. It won't happen again, I swear."

"I should hope not," remarked Shadow Weaver. "We both know you are far too valuable to be wasting your time on fun and games. They are childish endeavors, and you are not a child anymore." Her voice changed, somehow simultaneously sweet and threatening as she asked, "Or are you?"

Adora gulped. "No, ma'am."

"Those children are beneath you," Shadow Weaver declared, waving a dismissive hand. "If you're going to waste time on socialization, spend time with officers who have something worthwhile to offer. Your focus must be on our mission."

Brow creasing, Adora inquired, "Saving Etheria from the princesses?"

"Making you a Force Captain," Shadow Weaver said plainly.

"Oh," mumbled Adora, her face falling flat.

"Is that not what you want, Adora?" Closing the gap completely, Shadow Weaver tipped Adora's chin up and let her icy fingers drag along her cheek. "Don't tell me I have wasted my attention all these years."

"No, of course not!" protested Adora, standing up taller. "I'll make you proud, I promise."

"I hope so, dear girl." Shadow Weaver gazed down at her, clicking her tongue condescendingly. "It would be such a shame if you wasted your talents. The Horde needs someone like you at the forefront if we are ever to liberate Etheria. We are all counting on you." Floating back toward the desk, she motioned Adora forward and ordered her, "Let's get started. You've wasted enough time already."

With Shadow Weaver's back turned for just a moment, Adora finally got a chance to breathe. To let herself crack under the pressure and piece herself back together, all in the blink of an eye. Steeling herself, she squared her shoulders as best she could under this massive burden and joined Shadow Weaver at the desk.

Catra thinks everything was about Adora. But nothing was about her. Nothing was ever about her.

"Are you okay, Adora?"

"Huh?" Adora blinks up to see Entrapta sitting cross-legged in front of her, watching her with concern. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Cocking her head, Entrapta presses, "Are you sure? The data I've collected about your behavior and mannerisms in various emotional states seems to contradict that claim."

"Data?" Adora's eyes narrow. "What the hell, Entrapta? You analyze my behavior?"

Entrapta blinks. "Yes?"

"That's kinda creepy, you know," remarks Adora. Snorting into her collar, she mutters, "Actually, you probably don't."

Averting her eyes, Entrapta begins tapping her fingertips together as she speaks. "Everyone analyzes human behavior, but understanding it doesn't come as easily to me as most other people, so I have to put in conscious effort to compensate." Her posture droops slightly. "It's not meant to be creepy. It helps me better navigate social situations without stepping on any toes. Metaphorically speaking, that is." Her eyes turn up and she chuckles to herself. "Mostly metaphorical, anyway."

"I guess that makes sense," admits Adora. Her thoughts jump unbidden from one misunderstanding to another and she can't help her dark chuckle. "Honestly, that's kinda relatable, actually."

"Fascinating," remarks Entrapta, observing her intently. "I did wonder, you seem to have some of the same difficulties as me."

Eyes narrowing once more, Adora demands, "What difficulties?"

"Difficulties understanding what is expected of you without being told. How you should act, what people need from you, how they're feeling," says Entrapta. "For instance, at the social experiment you had difficulty adjusting your behavior to suit the novel context. You insulted the hostess, disrupted the dance, and nearly got yourself banished. When we were planning the rescue mission, you got so wrapped up in your plan that you didn't notice some of us had trouble following it. And based on my conversations with Catra, it sounds as though you have a hard time understanding perspectives other than your own."

"It's not like Catra's great at that either," Adora retorts icily.

"Interesting that you feel the same way," remarks Entrapta. "I'll make a note of this." When Adora snorts under her breath, something in Entrapta's face changes and she backpedals, "Sorry, Adora, I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's alright," says Adora, waving her off. "The honesty is kind of refreshing, actually." Her eyes float away, and as the landscape whips by, a new thought forms in her head. She turns back to Entrapta with a curious squint. "Do you take detailed notes like that on everyone?"

"People I spend any significant amount of time with, yes."

Trying not to sound too eager, Adora casually inquires, "What can you tell me about Catra?"

"How long do you have?" deadpans Entrapta.

"Probably like five minutes at this point, right?" guesses Adora. When Entrapta keeps staring at her with that same expression, something clicks. "Oh. That was a joke."

"Yes." Entrapta flashes a grin, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Despite popular belief, I can in fact make jokes." Her eyes go distant, a finger tapping against her lips in thought. "Catra tries to act like nothing bothers her, but she's extremely sensitive, particularly when she feels her competence is being called into question. She needs her autonomy and decision-making to be respected. She's wary of everyone's motives and has a hard time trusting other people. She also doesn't like affection being forced upon her and reacts with extreme aversion to any form of punishment or criticism. My theory is that she was abused and devalued as a child, felt unloved and helpless to change her situation, and that has now manifested in her being a hypervigilant control freak with low self-esteem and a compulsive need to demonstrate her own competence and worth."

Adora blinks. "I…"

"As for how to read her, it's much easier than a human," Entrapta barrels onward, ignoring her. "You just have to watch her ears and tail, and she takes on this certain affected tone when she's pretending something isn't bothering her. Which is most of the time, actually. Here, I'll show you my notes!"

A lock of lilac reaches into her overalls and pulls out a small book, poking Adora in the cheek with it. As Adora grasps it with trepidation, Entrapta flips it open and adds, "I've paid particular attention to Catra's body language, since she is the only Magicat I've ever met. Most of it is the same as a human - I have notes for that too, if you want to read them later - but this is the species-specific stuff."

Adora squints down at the page, curious.

Catra's BL (applicable to all Magicats?)

Ears flattening, tail poofing - fear (usually a precursor to aggression)

Ear(s) flicking - irritation, or a response to sound

Ears perking up - interest, pleasure, or a response to sound

Tail curling at the tip - affection

The list goes on. And on. Adora devours it, amazed at both how much she already knows and how much she doesn't know.

"You are… very observant," she remarks, handing back the book. She might have to read those notes about humans later. Entrapta's right - not only is it fascinating, it's potentially very useful.

"Like I said," Entrapta smiles wistfully, "I have to be. I still have trouble sometimes, but knowing what to look for helps. The trick is, you can't just listen to what people say. It's what they don't say that's most important, and that's all in their body language and tone of voice."

Throwing her head back, Adora groans in exasperation. "Why can't people just say what they mean?"

"I don't know, but I wish they would," Entrapta commiserates. "Robots are much easier to understand. I think that's why I get along so well with Emily."

"Maybe I should just get a robot," huffs Adora. "Would be easier than dealing with Catra."

"Don't worry, Adora, she'll come around," says Entrapta, a tendril of hair reaching out to give Adora's arm a tentative pat. "She didn't warm up to me right away either."

Rolling her eyes, Adora mutters, "Yeah, no offense Entrapta, but she barely knows you. I've been her best friend since we were kids."

"Maybe you were, until you left," says Entrapta. The shock of that statement makes Adora's eyes widen briefly, but within seconds they're narrowing into a devastating glare. Entrapta must notice, because she tacks on, "No offense to you, either."

Adora snorts bitterly. "Of course not."

Frowning at her petulant passenger, Entrapta states, "I don't think you understand how badly it hurt Catra when you left. I don't even understand it - like you said, I just got there a few weeks ago. If you talked to Scorpia, she could probably provide more useful information."

"Right," scoffs Adora, "Scorpia."

"My point is, of course she's not opening up quickly right now, especially to the person who hurt her. She needs to get used to having you around again. Just be patient."

"That is one thing thing I don't know how to do." Adora can't help a self-deprecating chuckle. "My whole life people have been counting on me to fix things. What am I supposed to do with a situation I can't fix?"

"I think you still are fixing it," offers Entrapta. "Trying to understand Catra and training yourself to respect her boundaries is still progress on your end. You can't speed up her progress, but at least you'll be better prepared to be a good girlfriend to her when she feels ready. Or friend," she quickly backpedals, "I don't really know what's going on between you two."

"Yeah," scoffs Adora, "neither do I. But thanks," she adds, offering Entrapta a genuine smile, "I think you might be right."

Entrapta smiles back at her, though the expression fades into something more serious as she asks, "Would you like a hug? I know that helps some people feel better after talking about their feelings."

Observing the way Entrapta has shrunken into herself slightly, Adora answers, "Uh, kinda, yeah. But if you don't want to, that's okay."

"Oh, good," Entrapta sighs with relief, her posture relaxing once more. She reaches out with her hair instead of her arms, wrapping Adora up and giving her a firm squeeze. "Good enough?"

Adora's brow furrows in surprise at just how relaxing that is. "Yeah, thanks," she says. "That actually helps."

Entrapta has to detach a few moments later to land the skiff. Turns out she's also installed a new booster to the hovercraft to achieve the height necessary to land on the balcony by the council room. Adora is impressed, to say the least. Entrapta doesn't waste any time. If only she could say the same for herself.

When they push through the large doors and into the council room, the room erupts in surprise. Perfuma and Bow both jump out of their seats and rush toward the pair of newcomers. Perfuma arrives first and throws her arms around Entrapta, whose startled yelp is muffled in the tight embrace.

"Entrapta, you're alive! You're actually alive!" When Perfuma's eyes open, Adora finds them filled with tears. "Thank you," she tells Adora, smiling gratefully. "Did you rescue her all by yourself?"

"Uh, no? She left."

Perfuma gapes down at Entrapta. "You escaped?"

"Uh, kind of?" Entrapta squirms out of the hug, eyes darting about for any more assailants. Giving a tentative wave to Bow over Adora's shoulder, she explains, "I wasn't exactly a prisoner, not anymore anyway."

"Wait," Frosta narrows her eyes from her seat at the table, "so you were working for the Horde? Willingly?"

"Catra was telling the truth?" asks Bow. He looks more sad than surprised. No, not sad. Disappointed.

Turning to her steed with an exasperated sigh, Adora asks, "Swift Wind, did it not occur to you to explain all this before we got here?"

"Uh, I don't understand what's going on more than anybody else, Adora," he replies. "I'm just your ride."

Adora huffs. "You could have at least mentioned I was bringing Entrapta."

"Teeeeechnically, I brought you," interjects Entrapta.

"I thought it would be a nice surprise," answers Swift Wind, his voice overlapping Entrapta's.

Both of them are staring at Adora, who slaps a hand over her eyes and groans. Thankfully, Queen Angella intervenes.

"Alright, we're all glad to see you alive and well, Entrapta," she says, "but we do have a meeting to begin and we're already late."

Everyone not already at the table obediently starts taking their seats. Swift Wind settles into a half-sitting position beside Adora, while Entrapta perches a couple feet away on her other side.

"How come I still don't have a chair, even though the new person does?" gripes Swift Wind, side-eyeing Entrapta.

"I'm sitting on my hair, actually," explains Entrapta, waving a tendril of it at him in demonstration. Peering around Adora, she adds, "But if you really want a chair, it'll need to be specially designed. Stop by Dryl sometime and I'll build something for you."

"Deal!" Swift Wind extends a hoof across the table in front of Adora, and Entrapta gives it a firm shake with her hair.

"Great, now that that's sorted…" Angella clears her throat. "Entrapta, perhaps you could explain how you came to work for the Horde."

"Oh, well, it's quite simple, really. The Fright Zone has so much interesting technology, and it seemed like a great place to continue my research. Catra said we could accomplish a lot together, and she brought me a First Ones data crystal to study, and then I got on a roll… you know how it is."

"Entrapta," Bow says gently, "we would have supported your research too. You and I were supposed to be techmasters together, remember?"

"I know, but the rebellion has far less in the way of resources. We would have been limited." Entrapta frowns. "Besides, I was under the impression that you had all left me behind to die because you didn't care about me and thought I was less valuable than the other princesses."

Glimmer snorts. "Did Catra tell you that?"

Entrapta's face scrunches slightly, pink eyes squinting curiously at Glimmer. After their earlier chat, Adora for once understands what's going on inside the mad scientist's head. She's evaluating Glimmer's tone and body language, searching for the hidden meanings. The words unsaid.

"Yes, but she thought she was telling the truth," Entrapta finally says, a rare hint of caution in her tone. "Adora told her what actually happened later and she passed it on to me. But at the time, she thought you all saw me as expendable, considering how easily Adora left her behind when she became She-Ra and how unkind the rest of you are to Scorpia." She shrugs. "It was sound logic based on what she knew at the time, if you ask me."

"Scorpia's a proud Horde soldier, and she ruined Princess Prom," grumbles Frosta, crossing her arms. "Why would we be nice to her?"

"She isn't anymore," interjects Entrapta, "she left with me and Catra. It was her idea, actually."

Sounds of dissent fill the room, Alliance members exchanging looks of protest and disbelief.

"You're with Catra," repeats Netossa. "The one who nearly destroyed Bright Moon."

"Why wouldn't she be with Catra?" Mermista remarks, almost too casually. "She's the one who messed with the runestones and made the whole attack possible." Throwing Entrapta some side eye, she asks, "Isn't that right, geek princess?"

"Yes, but…" Entrapta fidgets, eyes dropping to the table. "I didn't do it to hurt anyone. I just wanted to see what would happen if I supercharged one of the runestones." Suddenly reinvigorated, she snaps her head up and adds, "The results were fascinating, by the way!"

"So it just didn't matter to you that you triggered a series of natural disasters and almost caused the destruction of Bright Moon?" asks the general, stepping up to join them at the table.

"I… no," admits Entrapta. Eyes dropping again, she shifts in her seat. "It wasn't what I was focused on at the time. I'm sorry if I caused you any pain."

"Oh, it's not 'if,' Entrapta," Netossa assures her with a heavy glare, and Entrapta shrinks even further into herself.

"Leave her alone!" blurts Adora, leaning into the table to block their view of Entrapta. When she turns her head to catch as many eyes as possible, she finds a lot of shocked expressions. Adora's not usually one to raise her voice, save for last week's spat with Glimmer, but she can't stand watching the others gang up on Entrapta. Especially not after what happened to her at the last meeting.

Fighting the instinct to shrink back into the shadows and spare herself the conflict, Adora says, "She's come here to help and all you guys want to do is criticize her and lay on the guilt. She knows she made a mistake. That's why she's here."

Entrapta lifts a hesitant finger. "Actually, Adora-"

She stops mid sentence when Adora widens her eyes pointedly at her. Now is so not the time for technicalities. Frowning, Entrapta takes a moment to rephrase.

"She is right that I know I made a mistake," Entrapta finally agrees. "I thought I could accomplish the most scientifically in the Horde, but I see now that I can't trust Hordak. He's violent and wouldn't hesitate to hurt anyone, not even his allies."

"And Catra is such a better choice," mutters Glimmer. Adora chooses to ignore that remark.

"So why is it that you're here, Entrapta?" asks Angella, levelling a warning glare at her daughter before turning that expression on Adora and Entrapta. Adora can't help but drop her gaze. "If not because you came to see the error of your ways, that is."

"Ah, well." Entrapta drums her fingertips together in front of her chin, surveying the table. "You see, I'd like to be reinstated into the Princess Alliance. I can help you fight the Horde better than ever now that I have worked with their technology. I did a decent amount of sabotage on my way out, too. Depleted their bots as much as I could, and dug up some very interesting information." Focusing on Angella, she declares, "I would be willing to share this intelligence with the rest of the Alliance if reinstated. It could help your cause immensely."

"If you were really on our side, you'd hand it over either way," says the general.

"Well," chuckles Entrapta, "Yours is not the only side I am on. Primarily, I'm on the side of science. And I'm also on the side of my friends, who I need to protect from the Horde should they come after us."

"Wait, wait, wait." Netossa pinches the bridge of her nose. "You're asking us to defend Dryl against the Horde so you can protect the Force Captains who have done the most damage to the Alliance?"

"Former Force Captains," Entrapta corrects her. "But yes."

Adora's eyes flick from ally to worried ally. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm living there too," she says.

Huffing under her breath, Glimmer grumbles, "It doesn't."

"Glimmer," says Bow, his voice quiet but laden with disappointment.

Paying him no heed, she turns to Adora and attacks her directly. "So now we have two princesses housing dangerous fugitives."

"Catra's not dangerous," protests Adora, glaring down her former best friend. One of several. "She wants nothing to do with the war. And Scorpia, she was actually toying with the idea of joining the Alliance." Adora scoffs, leaning back in her chair. "But if this is how we treat people who have made mistakes, I'll tell her not to get her hopes up." She means that about herself every bit as much as Entrapta, and based on Glimmer's narrowing eyes, it doesn't go over her head.

"What are Scorpia's powers, anyway?" Spinnerella cuts in quickly, her tone somewhat skeptical. "What could she contribute?"

"She doesn't even have access to her runestone," adds Frosta.

"Not all princesses have runestones," argues Adora, casting one last glare at Glimmer before turning to the others. "Entrapta doesn't, and she's still extremely helpful. Besides, we've all seen Scorpia fight. You know she's wicked strong."

"Let's table this discussion for if Princess Scorpia ever comes to us with that offer," Angella intenvenes gently, but firmly. "For now, we have Entrapta's to consider." Folding her hands, the queen looks around the table. "In my opinion, it is most prudent to take the help she is offering us. The benefits are worth some less than savory associations."

"How do we know they're not secretly still working for the Horde?" asks Perfuma. She winces apologetically. "No offense, Entrapta, but what if they fed you false information?"

Entrapta bursts out laughing. "Oh, no, I can assure you that's next to impossible. Catra and Scorpia are both terrible with technology. They're like old grandbots who need help turning things on."

"Grandbots?" asks Bow, his brow furrowed.

Entrapta waves away the question. "There's no way this could be their doing," she concludes. "And trust me, I know them well enough to know they had good reason to leave the Horde."

"You joined them like three weeks ago," says Mermista.

"So?" Entrapta asks with a blank stare. "I've spent more time with them than I have any of you."

An uncomfortable silence fills the room, broken only when Angella clears her throat.

"So, are there any more objections?" she asks. When there are none, she declares, "Very well. Welcome back to the Alliance, Entrapta."


A/N: I'm so proud of my babies. #autisticsolidarity