Tragic and furious, the clash of the steel of the gods!
And so magic, the power, the sword in his valorous hands!
Oceans of fire are blasting the throne of the demons!
And from distant red skies, the thunders are calling his name:
The name of the master of pain!
For Ancelot,
The ancient cross of war!
For the holy town of gods!
Gloria, gloria perpetua!
In this dawn of victory!
Gloria, gloria perpetua!
In this dawn of victory!
-'Dawn of Victory', Rhapsody of Fire
Buckle up, people. We may not have gotten a knock-down, drag-out final brawl with Horde Prime in canon (which I know wouldn't have fit in the story they wanted to tell, what we got was still great), but different circumstances require different finales.
After all, Adora isn't just She-Ra, she's also a Green Lantern.
Gold Light, Green Light
Chapter 10
For Etheria!
"Sounds like it was a bad time all around."
Adora slumped back in the captain's chair, laughing lightly at Mara's simple summation.
"I think Catra's still a little mad at me. She's more mad at Shadow Weaver, mind, but still…"
"Really wish I still had hands so I could throttle that bitch," Mara grumbled, clenching her holographic digits.
"I just hope this will all end well," Adora said, "Last thing I want to do is disappoint everyone."
"I think if this whole thing is a giant disappointment, we'll all be dead, so it won't matter."
"You know what I meant, Mara."
"Gallows humor is to be expected when talking to ghosts. Now, are you asking me if you did the right thing?"
"Yes and no…much as I hate to agree with Shadow Weaver, I was the only one capable of carrying this."
Adora tapped on the failsafe glowing on her chest.
"It always has to be you, doesn't it?" Mara sighed.
Somehow, Adora thought that was a rhetorical question, but she responded regardless.
"Well, I'm She-Ra, right? I have to be the one."
"You know what the main problem with this life is?" Mara asked, "Everyone assumes you have to be this or that. That you're supposed to be something. I'll let you in on a little secret, though…"
Mara leaned forward, a kind look on her face.
"Everyone fails at that. The real measure of a person, especially a hero, is how good that are at being who they are."
Adora sat back, lost in thought.
"Now, whether or not you were right to take on the failsafe, that remains to be seen. To tell the truth, I'm probably not the best person to judge. I wanted the She-Ra line to end with me. I dropped that sword in a forest known for its mysteries, hoping that none would ever find it."
"Light Hope forced that to happen. She took me away from my home and family to fulfill her agenda."
"And I'm glad you freed her from that cursed programming, even if it was in death," Mara replied, "She was a good friend, once. The day that virus rewrote her was one of the worst days of my life."
"Just one of?" Adora snorted.
"Actually dying tends to top the charts," Mara said, rolling her eyes, "But I'll be honest, if anyone had to carry the mantle, I'm glad it was you. You did something no other She-Ra has done in a long, long time."
"What?"
"You faced down everyone that wanted to manipulate you, from Shadow Weaver to Light Hope to Horde Prime to Fate itself…and you told every one of them to kiss your ass. You said 'screw destiny, I'm doing what's right!'"
Mara pointed directly at Adora's heart.
"You listened to this before ever listening to Light Hope. That's how I know you're worthy of She-Ra. That's how I know you'll win. Because you're fighting for your future and for everything you love. And woe be to anyone or anything in your way."
"Thanks, Mara," Adora smiled, "These chats we have…they're nice."
"It's what I'm here for. Now I want you to do something, no matter what happens next."
"What's that?"
Mara looked at her with a mix of worry and pride.
"You come home safe. No matter what, you survive. You live. Because no one wants you to be a martyr."
oOo
It was two days before everything went to hell.
Ever since Entrapta had discovered it on her last scouting mission, Kyle had tasked a drone to keep watch over the strange construction project that Horde Prime had been pouring resources into. It was far different from the other towers, but its purpose wasn't easily discernable.
That is, until it drilled into the earth and began releasing a toxic-looking energy.
"He's infecting the planet?!" Bow shouted.
"Between the scientific data from Entrapta and the mystical interpretation from Micah, that's what it looks like," Kyle replied, "According to the intel from Adora and Catra, we know that he has a hivemind, and that it's tied to a unique energy. He's injecting that energy into the planet, probably to slave the Heart of Etheria to his will. Good news, it's slow going. Etheria's fighting him the whole way. Bad news…"
"It can't hold out forever," Perfuma guessed, fingers sunk into the dirt, "I can almost feel it…like the planet is crying."
"So what do we do? Attack the drill?" Glimmer asked.
"It was pretty well defended when Entrapta and I found it," Swift Wind replied, "And with it fully operational, no doubt there's even more guys. We'd be walking right into fire."
"We don't have to!" Entrapta suddenly shouted, practically vibrating with excitement, "I cracked the code! We can crash the chip network, free everyone! And that shock to the hivemind that freeing everyone will make will significantly affect Prime. We'd definitely slow the infection."
"Giving me enough time to get to the Heart and destroy it," Adora said, "I know we were trying to make a better plan for a full assault on Prime and the Heart, but we're out of time."
She took a deep breath and let it out slow.
"That large tower between Salineas and the Whispering Woods. The one Sea Hawk's been scouting. We use that, make our final stand there. Draw the Horde's attention and crash the network. While all that's going on, I'll travel to the Heart and activate the failsafe. We can purge Prime out of Etheria with the sheer power being released. He'll be vulnerable, and we can finally end this. Gather the troops. We leave in an hour."
As soldiers and princesses rushed to ready themselves, Glimmer, Bow, and Catra stayed behind.
"Adora," Glimmer began, but Adora shook her head.
"I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is no. You two are more important on the battlefield and helping Entrapta with her gear. Crawling through catacombs would be a waste. Besides, with as much energy as the Heart is going to be putting off, I don't want you anywhere near it."
Glimmer and Bow reluctantly nodded, but Catra growled.
"No dice, Adora. Sparkles and Arrow Boy can be in the combat part of the operation, but I'm staying with you."
"Catra—"
"I'm not losing you! Not again."
Catra squeezed her eyes shut, stopping the welling tears.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you, whatever happens. We promised a long time ago to look out for each other. This is me making good on that."
Adora and Catra stared at each other. Adora broke first.
"Dammit, Catra…"
Catra slid closer and held Adora's hands in her own.
"My place is right beside you, and damn the consequences. I'm not letting you walk into fire alone."
oOo
The air was calm. Robots patrolled the perimeter of the outpost, a gleaming white tower dominating it.
One robot that was facing the woods noticed it first. The trunks swaying, branches shaking, leaves rattling. If it had had enough mental bandwidth, the robot might have mused that it seemed like the woods were getting ready for something.
Then an arrow sprouted from its eye and it fell to the ground.
The Whispering Woods seemed to part, making way for the army of Etheria. Tanks and skiffs rattled forth, crewed with soldiers from all across the land. At the head were the leaders of the Rebellion, magic and weaponry ready.
A great cry rose up, and the army charged.
"For Etheria!"
Tanks fired, breaking down the wall. Vines and spikes of ice widened the gap, allowing men to pour in like a swarm of bees. Robots and drones fell in droves. A signal seemed to be set off, and more clones and Horde forces teleported in with flashes of green, but Etheria was undeterred.
Perfuma cast out a large vine, knocking aside several robots. Sea Hawk vaulted over the vine, his saber flashing out like lightning and decapitating a few that his friend had missed.
Netossa cast several large nets into the air, and Spinnerella used her wind to send them flying toward more forces, tying them up and allowing Frosta and a few soldiers to dispatch them.
Rogelio bulldozed a line of clones, crushing them with his sheer bulk. Lonnie blasted any he missed.
A line of chipped sorcerers from Mystacor showed up, but were stopped by a large circle of magic.
"Where do you guys think you're going?" Micah said, stepping through his own barrier like it was water. Beside him were Glimmer and Castaspella.
"Why don't we show them what this family can really do," Castaspella said, fire flaking from her fingertips.
"Read my mind," Glimmer replied, fists aglow with energy.
As all this and more was going on, a shimmer in the air zipped toward the tower itself. It entered easily, and resolved into Entrapta, Bow, and Melog.
"Good girl," Bow said, running a hand through Melog's smoky mane.
"We need to make this fast, Bow," Entrapta said, lugging her crated console, "Prime will send reinforcements."
"Right, the sooner we smack the hivemind upside the head, the sooner this ends."
Bow took point, a glue arrow ready for anything they might encounter on their way to a suitable spot to hack from.
oOo
Adora and Catra entered the ruins, breathing in stale air.
"All this time, and we're back here again," Catra muttered, "No spiders this time, right?"
"With Light Hope gone, a lot of the functions of this place went with her. I checked, only a few hologram systems are still active," Adora replied.
As if to prove her right, a static image appeared before them.
"Welcome, Administrator. What is your query?"
"We're friends of Mara," Adora replied.
The hooded figure actually twitched, setting down the crystal tablet and speaking in a more natural voice.
"Welcome, Friends of Mara. Do you wish to activate the failsafe?"
"Yes."
The ground opened up before them, a set of stairs appearing out of the crystal.
"The failsafe must be delivered to the Heart. Do not stray from the path."
"And here we go," Catra muttered as they descended.
They walked in silence for a moment, the only sound being their footsteps and the faint hum behind the crystalline walls.
Adora bumped her shoulder with Catra's.
"Hey…thanks for coming with me. I know you don't like this whole thing."
Catra sighed, reaching out to grab Adora's hand.
"Me not liking it is an understatement," she said, stroking with her thumb, "Channeling the Heart nearly killed you. It did kill Mara, at least to hear her tell it. I don't like that you have to be the one to do this. But I get it. If you don't, who will? Who even can? This is just how you are, if you see someone in trouble, you can't ignore it."
"Sometimes I wish I could," Adora replied, but Catra gave her a look.
"No, you don't. But the fact that you're willing to be the hero, to be the sword and shield for those in need…I love that about you, but I also hate it. Does that make sense?"
"You wouldn't want me different, but you just wish I were more careful?"
"Yes, exactly! You give so much of yourself to others, and that's great…but what about you? What do you want, Adora?"
Adora hung her head for a bit.
"You know, ever since I was a kid, I was told that I had to be the leader, the perfect soldier. I had to dedicate everything to a cause. When I became She-Ra, I was so lost, untethered from everything I knew. I latched onto Bow and Glimmer because they were supportive, and I latched into the Rebellion because it gave me a cause. I was the paragon princess, the warrior of light, the hero. And I loved it, don't get me wrong…but there was always something missing…"
Catra felt she knew what that was, but she asked anyway.
"What was missing?"
"After everything I'd been taught to believe, everything I found to dedicate to, everything I worked towards for the betterment of all…there was always one thing I truly wanted, deep down. One desire that I kept close, one selfish thought. The one thing I wanted, but Shadow Weaver always told me I couldn't have."
"What?"
Adora gave Catra a significant look. Catra wilted slightly, her eyes wide and her tail low.
"Oh. That long, huh?"
"I didn't really have the words to describe it until recently, but…yeah, that long."
Catra didn't have words. So she just hugged Adora.
"I don't want you to get hurt," she finally said, "I just got you back. I don't think I could take it if something happened to you."
"You're here with me," Adora replied, "I know you'll watch my back. So everything will work out."
Catra pulled back a bit, a watery smile on her face.
"You have so much faith in me it hurts."
"You look out for me, and I look out for you," Adora replied with a smile.
A light appeared at the end of the tunnel, putting a hold on their conversation. They walked towards it, coming out in a lush forest.
"Wait, what?" Catra asked.
Adora walked over to a tree and touched it. Her finger sank, the area around it fritzing and crackling.
"Holograms."
"Right, of course," Catra muttered, "Like that didn't get old the first time."
They walked through the forest before coming to the edge of a cliff. As they looked around, Adora grumbled.
"We really don't have time for this."
Catra suddenly made a hissing yelp and jumped to Adora's other side.
"She wasn't standing there before!"
Not two feet from where Catra had been standing, a tall woman in white and gold armor stood.
"Mara."
"What? She looks nothing like her!"
"That's how she looked as She-Ra."
Catra blinked at Adora's explanation, then took a second look. The patterns and cut of the woman's clothing did look familiar.
"The infection is spreading," the woman said, "Etheria systems are trying to compensate, but complete takeover will occur within the half-hour."
The image of Mara shuddered, her form twisting and splintering.
"In-in-infection accelera-a-a-ating. Heart of Etheria be-be-be-be-being targeted-targeted-targeted."
The image solidified for a moment.
"Save us."
And then the hologram shattered. The shards came back together in a new shape.
"Ah, there you are, She-Ra."
Catra felt her heart stop as she gazed at the face of a nightmare.
"Prime," Adora whispered.
The image of Horde Prime smiled darkly as the light around them turned a toxic green.
"I know what you're trying to do. I see all, I know all."
"What you aren't is actually here," Adora shot back, grasping Catra's shoulder to ground her, "You can't stop us."
"We shall see on that latter point," Prime replied casually, "But you know, I'm still not entirely sure if I've heard the name She-Ra before. But I know your sort. Many of your kind have fought me. All have failed, and one by one, their faces are forgotten, lost to oblivion. Yours will be too."
A shrieking pierced the air. Adora immediately turned into She-Ra, sword blazing with emerald light. A whip-like tendril shot out of the forest, scoring a hit on her side.
Pain erupted through her body. It felt like fire surging through her veins. She fell to one knee, She-Ra falling away as she screamed. She heard Catra's cries of horror and Prime's mocking laughter.
"A parting gift from the First Ones, an old security system with a very potent toxin. I actually do hope you survive long enough to reach the Heart, so you may see my triumph. But whether for now or forever, this is farewell, hero."
Prime vanished, the spiteful bite of the final word still hanging in the air. The forest fell away, revealing a large crystalline cavern…
And the giant worm creature with multiple tendrils for a face standing before them, said tendrils dripping with poison.
Catra swore and got in front of Adora, her claws at the ready. The worm lunged, but bounced off a green bubble that was suddenly there.
"Adora?"
"Help me up," Adora wheezed, struggling to her feet.
Catra grabbed her and pulled and arm over her shoulders. Adora weakly grabbed her sword with a line of light from her ring, which Catra helped her sheathe.
"We need to be ready to move, I can't keep the barrier up for long," Adora groaned, "A lot of ringpower is going into trying to purge the poison."
"You can do that?" Catra asked.
"Apparently. The ring's doing most of the work."
Affirmative.
"It's weird when that thing talks," Catra grumbled, even as her body tensed, ready to run.
The worm smashed against the barrier. Finally, it shattered, and the girls made a run for it. Adora hobbled along as fast as she could, Catra supporting her. Tendrils lashed out, but Catra pulled them to the side, flecks of acidic spit misting at her heels.
They were almost to the door on the other side when a tendril came down hard behind them. The shockwave threw them off their feet. Catra quickly flipped herself over, ready to defend herself and Adora.
Suddenly black flames hit the worm on the side of the head, forcing it back. Catra blinked in shock at the newcomer.
"Shadow Weaver?"
The sorceress was wreathed in black flames, throwing fireball after fireball at the worm to keep it off balance.
"Both of you, get to the Heart!" she shouted, "None of this will matter if you don't!"
"Did you seriously follow us to get a shot at some of the magic?" Adora snarled.
"Yes, but now's not the time! GO!"
A rush of tainted air threw the girls through the doorway, and a shield of purple energy sprang up to block them off from the larger room.
"What are you doing, Shadow Weaver?" Catra shouted.
"What I must!"
Tendrils of black and purple light erupted from Shadow Weaver's hands, wrapping around the worm's face and binding the tendrils for a moment. Shadow Weaver looked back at the two girls she raised, feeling a spark of hope.
"You two need to set the magic free. I will hold off the monster."
"That thing's a toxic behemoth!" Adora shouted back, "It'll kill you!"
"Worry for me, after everything?" Shadow Weaver replied, even as she conjured a shield to stop the worm when it broke free of the bindings, "You truly are a good soul, Adora."
Adora wasn't sure how to feel about that comment, since it was delivered by someone who she'd once dedicated her life to but now viewed as a monster.
"Regardless, it's too late for me. But you two, you have a future. Go fight for it."
She looked back at them, removing her mask. The field of deep scars across her face made it hard to smile, but she managed.
"Whatever else, I'm proud of you both. And you're welcome."
She let the mask fall from her fingers as she threw everything she had into her next spell. Her dying curse set off a fireball of epic proportions, incinerating everything in the room in a massive explosion.
After a moment, the shield she put up over the door flicked and died, vanishing with its caster. Adora and Catra looked over the charred room, the ashen skeleton of the creature dominating the view. The only thing left of Shadow Weaver, the woman who raised them and yet caused them so much pain, was the broken remains of her mask.
It would have been a somber moment, at least without any context. With context, however…
"Wait, that's it? 'You're welcome'? Seriously?" Adora asked, "After everything she did to us, that's how it ends?"
A tide of anger shot through Adora.
"She just waltzes in here, kills a giant worm by blowing herself up, never apologizes for anything that happened, and she expects us to…what, mourn her?"
Catra stomped over and kicked the remains of the mask.
"Right? And pride? What gives you that right?" she spat, "Years spent trying to drive us apart, making us smaller, and that's all you have to say about it? Screw you, you dried up old prune. I'm living my life, and you can't stop me."
Catra went right back over to Adora and hugged her.
"You sound better."
"Ring's doing the job," Adora said, "I mean, it's bonded to me, it probably knows my body better than I do."
She grimaced against a sudden spike of pain.
"It's just going to take time."
"Save your strength," Catra said, moving to support Adora, "You'll need all of it for the Heart."
The two of them turned and continued toward where the Heart was. They didn't look back.
oOo
"Almost there," Entrapta muttered.
Bow had finished his part in the link-ups, and was now keeping an eye out for any more clones. They'd already dealt with four before setting up shop, Bow's quickdraw and Melog's impressive speed paving the way forward. But the room they were in now was large and open-ended, which made Bow nervous. An attack could come from anywhere.
Melog's hiss of distress was the first clue, and Bow dove to the side to avoid the oncoming attack, a bolt of red-tingled electricity.
"Oh, brilliant," he muttered, switching his shock arrow for a glue arrow.
Electricity wasn't going to do anything to Scorpia.
The mind-controlled princess was not alone. A clone was with her, weapon cycling up to fire.
Melog pounced on Scorpia, growing in size until she equaled the tall woman. The two rolled way in a flurry of thrashing claws. This left Bow to deal with the clone, but the clone was nimbler than he expected, dodging the arrow and firing back. Bow dove out of the way, briefly losing his grip on his bow.
The clone turned toward Entrapta, weapon ready…
And then hesitated, the arm cannon dipping a bit.
"You again," he said mutely.
Entrapta sucked in a breath.
"Hordak."
The clone shook his head, bringing his weapon back up to bear.
"I have no name, stop acting like I do!"
"But you do have a name," Entrapta replied, stepping out from behind her kit after one more keystroke, "You chose it. You had nothing, but you built yourself back up. You made a life here on Etheria. Maybe it wasn't much different than the one you had before, but you know better now. You can be better."
"NO!" the clone snarled, "Those are flights of fancy, signs of imperfections! I reject them! I remain pure in Prime's light!"
"Imperfections are what made science possible. It's how we learn and grow, how we become more. Imperfections are beautiful. Don't you remember me telling you that? I know you do."
The clone's weapon shook and he let off harsh breaths. Entrapta stepped closer.
"Your name is Hordak. Mine is Entrapta. And we're lab partners. You're not going to shoot me. I believe in you. I believe you can be better. You can be more than what you were, what he made of you. You're as Etherian as the rest of us, and Prime can't control us. He doesn't get what makes us strong, that's why he's losing."
"No. Horde Prime is all-powerful."
"Then why is he losing ground here? Why is he pinning everything on an ancient superweapon if he's so powerful and advanced?"
Entrapta reached into her pocket and pulled out a small purple crystal.
"I gave you this because we're friends. Please, remember."
The clone stared at the crystal, memories flooding back.
"Please," Entrapta whispered, tears in her eyes, "Come back to me."
"Enough!"
Out of the shadows stepped a new figure, and Entrapta felt a shudder go down her spine at the impossible coldness on the newcomer's face.
"Is this what I come to find?" Horde Prime said, "I take the field personally for the first time in ages, celebrating a looming victory, and I find doubt in my ranks. Finish this chatty rebel, little brother."
The clone's hand still shook, and he kept staring at Entrapta.
"Did you not hear me? I will not have any blights on my perfect dominion. Do it, little brother. Do it!"
There was a flash of light and a sound like thunder
Horde Prime looked down at his stomach, shocked at the gaping hole where it had been.
"My name is Hordak. I am more than what you made me for. And I defy your will!"
He fired again, incinerating his big brother's skull.
Hordak slowly lowered his weapon, breathing heavily. Entrapta cheered and hugged Hordak from behind.
"I knew you'd pull through!"
Hordak began to chuckle. But Entrapta quickly realized that this wasn't mirth. This was cruelty.
"Oh, little brother. How quickly you forget a very important detail…I OWN YOU!"
Hordak spun around, pulling Entrapta up by her hair painfully and holding her aloft. His eyes glowed an evil green, and his voice held a cadence of superiority.
"Did you really think I could be dealt with so easily? I am not my weak-minded little brother, easily corrupted by your foolish wiles. I am Prime! I am perfection!"
"You're also easily distracted!"
Prime's head whipped toward Entrapta's console, where Bow finished the last command. The green lights of the room became blue as the program ran roughshod over the hive mind. He grimaced as he felt it being disrupted. Even without hearing Scorpia's scream of pain, he could feel multiple minds disappearing. His clones were still connected, their links different than the chips, but it was clear that all the work he'd put into taking control of Etheria's populace was now up in smoke. What's worse, the disruption was creating shockwaves through the entire hivemind. The complex web of mental energies shuddered like it was undergoing a seizure. When the dust finally settled, it would take a lot of work to repair the damage, and until then, any use of the hivemind would be difficult.
Entrapta kicked out, catching him in the stomach and forcing him to drop her. She scurried away, ducking behind Bow, who drew and arrow and stood ready.
"It matters not," Prime snarled, "A momentary setback, that's all. The Heart is still mine, I can feel it! I breached the chamber not a minute before coming down here. Even now, an avatar of magic is mocking mighty She-Ra for her failure. The power is mine! And with it, your pitiful plan—"
A massive bolt of electricity slammed into him and was sent him flying into the wall.
"MAN, his voice was annoying!" Scorpia groaned, "Ego the size of a moon, I swear."
"You feeling better, Scorpia?" Bow asked.
"Bit of a headache," Scorpia shrugged, "Is everyone else fighting outside?"
"Real big fight."
"Then if you'll excuse me…"
oOo
Adora was walking much more steadily now, the toxin almost purged from her system. She'd thrown up at one point, but the ring had assured her that this was normal.
Catra was still muttering about how it was green and how weird that was.
Finally, they stepped out of the tunnel and into the light.
The room was massive, bigger than could be believed. Above them was a shape that defied description, a mass of interconnected and nested angles and lines. It glowed with light of every color, including some that they'd never seen before. Energy pulsed in the air, feeling for all the world like static before a big storm.
But what struck them the most was the presence, the feeling of incredible power. Staring at the Heart was like seeing something they'd always known about, but was still beyond anything they'd ever known. It was truly alien, but at the same time, as familiar the arms they had around each other.
Adora took a deep breath and stepped forward. She could feel the failsafe burning in her chest, a similar feeling crackling in her right hand.
"You ready for this?" Catra asked.
Adora regarded her ring, seeing it pulse with green light.
"You know, I never felt comfortable as She-Ra," she said offhandedly, "It always felt like I was wearing clothes that didn't fit right. It wasn't until I reforged the sword, bound it with the ringpower, that I felt like me when as She-Ra."
Catra tilted her head in confusion, but Adora kept going.
"It's will. It's my will. That's what powers the ring. It's my drive, my courage, my resolve. The ring itself came from elsewhere, but what fuels it…that comes from me."
Adora smiled.
"And it feels great. Sometimes it's exhausting, but when I'm in the moment, when I'm right at the center of the storm, I feel more powerful than I ever have before. I feel like I can do anything, face any challenge. I can feel the power in every fiber of my being. I can feel all my senses sharpening to point where I can taste the light. When I'm a Green Lantern, I feel unstoppable."
Adora stopped, then drew her sword.
"But none of that would matter without what's really behind my will."
She looked at Catra with such love in her eyes that Catra could feel it like a physical presence.
"My drive comes from my wish to protect what matters most to me. When I forged the Sword of Courage, I had memories flowing through me. Bow and Glimmer were there, so were the rest of my friends…but you were at the front of it all."
Adora held the sword out, beckoning Catra to touch it. Catra wrapped one hand around the hilt, fingers pressing against Adora's.
"I am She-Ra…but we are the Green Lantern. I could never do what I do without you."
Adora took a step back, taking the sword with her. She transformed in a flash, still breathing deeply.
"Stay with me."
"Always," Catra replied, "I'm never running again."
Adora smiled at her, then her gaze went up to the Heart, still burning above their heads like a tiny star.
She raised her sword and closed her eyes.
"Activate failsafe."
The sigil on her chest glowed brightly. The Heart pulsed and a thick beam of energy shot down.
She-Ra was covered in a barrage of colors. Energy poured over her like a waterfall. For a moment, everything was fine.
Then she fell to one knee, grunting in obvious discomfort. Even with the sword lowered, the energy kept cascading down. After a moment, she began to sputter and hiss.
Then she began to scream.
Burns appeared on her arms, tears rolled down her face. Her limbs shook, blood began to drip from her nose. And of course, there was the screaming.
Energy exceeding projections. Error. Insufficient will. Error. Lantern in distress. Unable to compensate. Error.
Catra cried out as Adora crumbled, the She-Ra transformation flickering. She reached out, forcing her hand through the curtain of energy and grasped Adora's hand. Her fingers brushed the ring, which burned even hotter than the Heart's energy. Her entire hand burned, she could see her fur singeing, but she held on.
"Stay with me, Adora. We're so close! You can't give up on me now!"
Her instincts screamed at her to get away, but she fought them down. She wouldn't leave Adora, not now, not ever again.
Second source found. Willpower rising.
She-Ra's flickering stopped. Adora could feel the load lightening, as if someone else was helping lift it. It took her a second to realize that Catra was holding her hand. Adora saw sparks of power flicker up Catra's arm.
"Catra, what…are you helping?"
"I think I am, actually?" Catra gasped, feeling lances of heat and pain shooting up her arm.
However it happened, the power flow leveled off. Energy shot into Adora, and she breathed deep, the pain lessening.
It was working.
Which of course was when something went wrong.
The top of the chamber glowed a toxic green. A bolt of energy the same color shot down and impacted the Heart, mixing with the energy surrounding it.
Adora let out a cry as the energy cascade abruptly cut off.
"Prime," Catra whispered with a hint of fear.
The evil energy swirled amongst the Heart. They could see the impossible rainbow fighting back, but the power of Prime was gaining ground. Catra shivered, and Adora squeezed her hand.
"I'm here," she said, "He won't touch you again."
Catra shot her a grateful look, then grimaced at the storm above them.
"So what now?"
Adora didn't have an answer for her.
"Isn't that beautiful? Two loving souls, here together at the end."
Prime's voice pierced the air like a dagger scraping across stone. A swirl of energy shot off of the Heart and toward them, coalescing into a familiar shape.
"So much power," Horde Prime said, "I've never felt it's like. And a perfect union between a physical form and an energy one? Don't mind if I do."
"What are you?" Adora breathed.
"Ah, you two are more familiar with my physical forms, be it my vessel or my brothers. Since you're going to die anyway, I see no reason to hide it."
Prime smiled a twisted smile even as his form became less translucent.
"At my core, I am a being of energy. I am power given form, thought made real. I take physical forms to better interact with the universe at large, but due to my true nature, I am near impossible to kill. Damage, rarely, but kill?"
Prime chuckled darkly.
"Prime rises again. So it has been, so it always shall be."
He looked at Adora, taking particular note of the ring on her finger.
"You should have refused the ring to begin with. It did not bring you hope. It is but the remnant of a dying organization."
"What?" Adora hissed.
"Come now, you know what you are capable of with only a little practice. And no doubt you've suspected a larger world behind that ring. Did you think an army of better trained wielders would have let me get as far as I have? True, in the past, the Green Lantern Corps have prevented the expansion of my empire, but that was just that, the past."
Prime's tone became almost gleeful as he continued.
"No, in recent years, one crisis after another has whittled away their power. First it was the Darkstars, then the Sinestro Corps, then Atrocitus and his Warriors of Rage. It is a shame none of them made it this far out. I do wonder which would have recruited you, little sister."
"Screw you, creep," Catra snarled, a flicker of anger overtaking her fear. Adora's hand tightened around hers, and she drew strength from it.
"But then there came the Blackest Night. An army of the undead descended upon the Lanterns. They won, but only by the skin of their teeth. Their numbers decimated, their leaders cut by half, and their central planet destroyed. Such a pity you joined their ranks in the twilight of their power. In the end, the Green Light of Will availed you not. Such is the lesson here. There is only my light, my will, my-"
"Will you shut up!" Adora screamed, "I don't care about your stupid empire or your 'mighty' victories. All I care about now is that you're threatening my planet and its people. And it stops now."
Prime stared back at her, as if stunned that anyone would dare interrupt him.
"And one more thing, how are you Hordak's brother? He at least knows when to shut his filthy word hole," Catra added.
And Prime took offense to that.
"Very well then," he snarled, now looking far more solid than when he arrived, "Some beings truly are destined only for destruction!"
Energy pooled in his hands and he thrust them forward, evil green lightning shooting forth.
oOo
Horde Prime's flagship loomed overhead, having slid into Etheria's atmosphere with little effort. It cast a long and menacing shadow, and from it teleported down more clones and robots.
But Etheria stood firm.
Micah drew a glyph in the air, and Glimmer gave it a quick boost. The resulting beam of energy overtook the line of robots and turned them into so much scrap. One managed to survive by dint of being behind all the rest, until Glimmer teleported next to it and sliced its head off with a disc of energy.
"That's my girl," Micah smiled, allowing himself a moment of pride before conjuring fire and jumping back into the fray.
Overhead, Spinnerella flew through multiple flying drones, twisters in her wake. The drones couldn't keep up with the clashing winds, and crashed to the ground. Swift Wind was right with her, kicking more drones out of the sky.
One drone landed on a clone menacing Frosta, but it didn't matter much given how many were menacing her. Her barriers of ice were being chipped away by their fire, and it was all she could do to defend.
Suddenly, crimson lightning shot past her, taking down the clones as it swept across their line.
"Get away from my little buddy!" roared a familiar voice.
Frosta cried out with glee as Scorpia stormed past her, picking up a large hunk of ice and hurling it at the clones as they tried to regroup.
"Who else wants some?" Scorpia shouted, electricity sparking from her claws, "I'm not an angry person by any means, but I've been under mind control for the past several weeks, forced to hurt people, including the people I love, so I have some frustrations to work out!"
A robot managed to jump at her. She caught it by the neck and squeezed.
"Next!"
Sea Hawk hurried through the chaos of the battle, carrying the half-conscious Mermista with him. The princess had appeared midway through the battle, but Sea Hawk was able to keep her distracted. Still, she'd had a bad reaction to the chip network going down, resulting in the current affair.
"Kelp…shake…princess of ice cream…seagull…"
"Just hold on, dearest. I'll get you out of—EEP!"
Sea Hawk quickly dodged what looked like Rogelio in a wrestling match with two clones and a robot, and ran smack into Perfuma, who was defending a few fallen soldiers.
"How is she?" Perfuma asked as she shielded them with a barrier of vines.
"The chip's off, I think, but she's all wonky."
"I saw Scorpia in the distance laying waste to some robots, the network's definitely down. It might be that Mermista's system took greater issue with the mind control than Scorpia's did. Scorpia is built like a brick house."
As she spoke, Perfuma formed a flower and brought it toward Mermista's face.
"A little aromatherapy might help," she said before blowing the pollen in her friend's face.
The herbal smelling salts worked almost immediately, and Mermista began to shake off her wooziness.
"Ugh, why does my mouth taste like rotten sea cucumbers?"
"Are you back with us, dear Mermista?" Sea Hawk asked with great care as he helped her sit up.
"Haven't felt like this since I raided Dad's wine cellar after he died," Mermista groaned, "Really bad hangover."
She shook her head, wincing.
"I'll survive, though."
Sea Hawk wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Mermista didn't even bother with a token protest, instead returning it.
"You scared me, dearest," he whispered.
"Sorry, I guess," she replied.
Mermista soon broke the hug, standing up.
"Come on, there's still work to be done."
"Stay close to me, then," Sea Hawk replied, pulling out his saber, "You're still not at full capacity."
"Whatever, let's just go."
And the two leapt back into the fray with a combined cry of "ADVENTURE!"
And so the battle continued. The people of Etheria gave everything they had against the onslaught from the stars.
Many, however, wondered if it would be enough.
oOo
Down in the depths of Etheria, a different battle was beginning.
Adora erected an emerald shield, but the evil lightning began to eat at it immediately. Cracks formed on the surface, and Adora pumped more power into trying to maintain the shield.
Catra darted to the side, hoping to flank Prime. She pounced at him, but his form twisted around her attack before solidifying and swatting her away with a backhand.
"Catra!" Adora called out before glaring at Prime.
She-Ra rose and charged Horde Prime, sword raised and her eyes burning green-and-gold.
Prime again twisted around the blow, but Adora expected him to, feinting on her follow-up attack and scoring a blow. The snake-like form of Prime howled in pain, and a large arm formed out of the mass and latched into Adora's neck.
Adora gasped for breath as Prime reformed fully and held her up with one hand.
"You have no power!" he snarled as he began to squeeze, "This spark of hope you claim to have, it will go out before it ever truly lights!"
"Haven't you heard, asshole?"
And then Catra was on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and clawing his face, ripping out one of his superfluous eyes. Her own eyes burned green-and-gold and her voice was strong, shouting over Prime's scream of pain.
"Love can ignite the stars!"
Prime turned into a mass of energy, slithering out of Catra's grip and darting away to get some distance. He reformed with a glare, the gouged eye slowly healing.
But it was a wound nonetheless.
"How?" he hissed.
Catra inspected her claws, seeing wisps of odd green flaking off, remnants of her attack.
"Not exactly blood," she said, a grim smile appearing on her face, "But it does say something that the guy who puts himself up like a god can still bleed, doesn't it?"
Beside her, She-Ra rose up, flaring with energy.
"Let's see how much he can bleed, then," she said.
Two young women, their eyes burning green-and-gold, charged at their enemy with matching grins.
Catra reached him first, her speed outstripping her girlfriend's as always, even with the longer strides she had as She-Ra. Catra lunged at Prime, who writhed out of the way. But this left him open to Adora's swing, and her sword bit deep. Prime countered with a blast of toxic lightning, and She-Ra was shoved away. Catra immediately took her place, landing several slashes to Prime's face and torso in quick succession.
Prime turned again into an amorphous mass, using it to gain some distance. He writhed around the blasts of energy Adora shot toward him, some just barely missing. When he reformed, he twisted around and sent a large blast of evil magical energy toward them.
She-Ra, however, just rushed forward, a shield forming on her off arm that blocked the large blast and the hurried follow-ups. Like a charging bull, she rammed into Prime shield-first. With her enemy caught on the shield, she took advantage and slashed at him several times.
Prime exploded in a mass of energy and impossible matter, breaking the shield and knocking the sword from her hand. When he reformed, two massive arms were holding up She-Ra, squeezing her.
"If at first you don't succeed," he grinned, tightening his grip and relishing her cries of pain.
However, so focused on the larger target, he forgot that he was fighting two people.
The Sword of Courage came down on his arms, severing them and freeing Adora. Catra continued her attack, striking out with the sword. Her blows were clumsy, having not trained with swords very much, but she was fast and determined, and that made up for it.
After catching her breath, Adora joined in, forming a sword in each hand from ringpower and striking out. The two fought in sync, their moves complementing each other. Where Prime dodged one of Adora's blades, Catra was there. Where the Sword of Courage was blocked with an enlarged hand, Lantern blades sliced at the wrists to free it.
A logical mind could argue that the synchronization was the result of long years living and training together. Adora and Catra knew each other's moves as well as they knew their own. A more romantic mind would submit that the bonds of love united them, two souls so linked that they could react instinctively to the other.
Both were correct, in a way.
Prime finally managed to shove them away. All three combatants took a moment to catch their breaths, the pause happening so naturally one would think it had been agreed upon prior.
"Hey, Adora, here's your sword back."
"Thanks, Catra. You like it?"
"Eh, a little heavy for me."
"How are you doing this?" Prime hissed, "I am perfection!"
"You're ego is what you are," Adora shot back.
"And why are your eyes glowing?"
Adora and Catra looked at each other, just now noticing that their eyes had a matching corona of green-and-gold surrounding them.
"You know something? I don't think I care," Catra shrugged.
Prime opened his mouth to continue, but Adora cut him off.
"Flashbang!" she shouted.
A brilliant light of verdant green erupted from her, and Prime flinched. When he got his bearings back, it was too late. Catra was upon him, delivering a fast and furious flurry of claw slashes.
He knocked her away, only to be hit in the head by a glowing shield that had been thrown like a discus. This was followed up by a swarm of similarly glowing knives that impacted his chest. The energy they were made from burned, and he turned amorphous again to divest himself of the knives.
A large green form shaped like a tank fell on him from above, splattering his mass like jelly.
"Okay, that's just ridiculous," Catra groused before smiling, "Do it again."
Prime reformed, only for the previous crushing to happen again. This time, it was Sea Hawk's boat.
"Stop that!" shouted the reforming Prime.
"No," Adora replied, hitting him in the head with the anvil from her forge.
Catra burst out laughing, and Adora grinned at her.
"Give me a minute, I'll do the Starshine."
Prime reformed arm first and used it to blast Adora.
"Do you think that was funny?" he growled.
"It was hilarious," replied Catra from right behind him before ripping at his back.
Prime snarled in pain and fury as he spun around and shoved Catra away.
"I should have done this from the start," he grinned before pumping evil lightning into her.
After a few bolts, a shining green bubble snapped into place around Catra.
"How is it that you continue to find ways to piss me off?" he heard Adora say from behind him.
Before he could turn to respond and/or attack, he was blasted to the other side of the room. He quickly recovered, but had to twist and slither around the follow-up attack, a series of energy blasts that hit the area like a meteor shower, a more potent barrage than had been unleashed earlier in the fight.
As Prime reformed, still singed from some of the blasts that hit home, Catra was on him. He lashed out, but she caught his arm and swung off it, twisting around him and delivering multiple strikes. And then Adora joined in with a circle of whirling blades, the Sword of Courage in one hand and a large warhammer in the other.
On and on the two attacked, weaving around each other and striking in sync. Prime lashed out with fists and blasts, but Adora and Catra had his measure now, and they dodged everything he threw at them.
Finally, Prime let out a radial blast of energy and used that opportunity to get some distance. He idly looked up and froze.
At the start of the fight, the toxic green of his infection as progressing smoothly, enveloping almost half the Heart. Now, it barely took up an eighth of the shining mass, the rest burning a golden light.
And with a start, he realized what was wrong. He'd been drawing upon the infected portions of the Heart to heal his form, and the Heart had taken advantage of it to fight back.
His presence had been getting burned away from two fronts: the Heart was fighting off his infection even as the energies of She-Ra and the Green Light of Will had been attacking his physical-energy form.
Adora's blasts and sword slashes hurt, he had to admit it. Every blow that was struck burned away a little more of him. And Catra? Somehow, she was wielding a similar energy. Her claws raking across his form peeled off more energy, did more damage than they could have before.
The two truly were united.
And he was losing.
So stunned by all these realizations, he didn't see Adora coming.
The Sword of Courage ran him through. He gasped as the blade went through his chest and out his back. In front of his eyes, She-Ra glared at him with righteous fury.
"You're done, Prime."
Prime started to answer, but Catra's voice came from behind him.
"How did that oath to the Lantern go again, Adora? In brightest day…"
"In blackest night," Adora continued.
"No evil shall escape our sight," Catra picked up, leaping to crouch on the bit of sword sticking out of Prime's back. Her claws stabbed deep into his face and neck, and he howled.
"Let those who worship evil's might," Adora resumed, and energy poured into the sword.
As Horde Prime burned from the sword and the claws, he heard them finish in unison.
"Beware our power, GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!"
There was explosion of green-and-gold. The chamber of the Heart burned with power.
All shadows were cast out.
oOo
The armies of Horde Prime shuddered and fell. The robots toppled over and the clones cried out and crumpled to the ground.
The ground nearby cracked and split open, and a great golden light erupted upward. The light enveloped Prime's flagship. Everywhere it touched, life sprang into being. When the light stopped, the entire ship was covered in green, a large tree sprouting out of the top.
The light expanded, flowing like water as it spread over the land. Where it touched, life sprang anew. Where forests had fallen over the course of the war, new trees shot up. Flowery moss covered the Fright Zone, choking the smokestacks until no more pollution spewed forth. Creatures long dormant stirred. The sea took on a new sheen. Sparkling mist formed in the air, charging it with new potential.
Everywhere on Etheria, magic was waking up.
But the most interesting thing about what came to be known as the Restoration was that, across Etheria, people would swear up and down that the light took on humanoid shapes in places, as if spirits were running with the light…
oOo
They felt nothing and yet everything.
They didn't see, they didn't hear, they didn't feel. But they saw light pouring over the land. They heard the cries of creatures great and small as they rejoiced in the new life. They felt the rush of wind and waves.
Indescribable feelings flowed through them, an energy beyond anything else. They somehow knew exactly what was going on, but would never be able to put it into words.
They felt each other, always. Their steps crossed leagues of distance, but they were always stepping together. Their hands shaped in unison, purging the poison from the land and allowing Etheria to be born anew.
They danced together in the light, and their happiness urged the power onward, bringing the gifts of life and healing to a world that needed it.
The exact memories of the moment would fade, but they would never forget the feeling.
And then everything faded.
For a moment, there was darkness.
Then a bright light appeared on the horizon. It was warm, like the sun on a spring day. A voice echoed, kinder than ever thought possible.
"Hello…"
Suddenly, hands were on their shoulders.
"You don't want to go that way."
Adora and Catra turned to see a new person.
"Wow, that is a hat," Catra said.
"Thank you," the woman with the falcon headdress said with a smile, "And as I said, you don't want to go that way."
"Why not?" Adora asked.
"Because if you do, you can't come back. Now come along."
The woman led them away from the light. Adora spoke up.
"Who are you?"
"Just a concerned party," the woman replied, "When everything settles down, look for Eternia. We will talk more then, dear Adora."
"Eternia? Wait, how do you know my-"
And then there was nothing.