A/N: This chapter makes some important references to canon events without rehashing them in full. I'd recommend stopping at the scene break and rewatching the scene from 3x01 that is implied to happen between the two scenes I've written here if you need a refresher. One can assume it goes down without any changes from canon given what is and is not discussed despite it happening a bit earlier in the timeline.

Also, holy shit I've passed the two year mark on this fic. That's exciting and cause for celebration but also daunting as fuck because I still have more to write, plus so many other WIPS. runs away screaming

CONTENT WARNING for panic attacks, an autistic meltdown, and both external and internalized ableism.

The battle is already in full swing as Adora closes in on Thaymor, zigzagging her way through the last of the frozen trees. Frosty branches thwack her elongated body, threaten to tangle in She-Ra's crazy head of hair, but she refuses to slow down. Her allies need her. Etheria needs her.

Emerging from the thicket, she rears back on the steering stick, slamming on the brakes as quickly as possible. The skiff lurches in reply and Adora just about tumbles off, but she manages to hold on and regain her balance. Swerving to a stop, she parks the hovercraft behind some huts at the back edge of town and jumps off before it's even powered down and settled on the ground.

Adora sprints into the melee, transforming her sword as she runs. As usual, the rebels are badly outnumbered but making up for it with magic. Glimmer is teleporting around, shooting sparkle bombs and whacking soldiers with Micah's staff. Netossa and Spinnerella are there too, snaring combatants and sending tanks flying. But this is more than the paltry retrieval force that came to rescue Adora last time. It's not the full-fledged assault they fought off at Bright Moon either, but enough to keep their hands full.

A splatter of bright green goo explodes on the face of a nearby soldier, and Adora's gaze snaps up. There's Bow on a nearby rooftop, already nocking his next arrow and scoping out a target. Adora almost shouts and waves but thinks better of announcing his position. Instead she runs up to the gooey soldier trying and failing to wipe their visor and conks them on the head with the hilt of her sword. They crumple to the forest floor and Adora chances a glance up at the rooftop, where Bow flashes her a grin and a thumbs up.

"Yeah, teamwork!" he cheers. So much for not announcing his position.

Grinning in reply, Adora turns back and scans the battlefield for allies in need of help. Glimmer appears pretty juiced up still, and Swift Wind's quite literally kicking the shit out of a couple of bots. The princesses can all handle themselves but-

There!

Adora's tightly coiled muscles spring into action and she leaps into the fray, jumping a couple of soldiers charging at Netossa from behind. She knocks them out with a series of well-timed blows and the princess whips around at the ruckus. Tensing for a second at the sight of Adora, she pushes out a calming breath.

"Good timing, kid," she says, giving her a tight smile and grateful nod. "Nice to see you."

Adora's brow scrunches at the uncharacteristically friendly greeting. Not that Netossa's mean or anything, but last Adora checked she was like Frosta levels of pissed at her for springing Catra from prison. The princess's smile is strained but sympathetic, and maybe it's supposed to soothe Adora, but it does the exact opposite.

"Oh, shit! It's She-Ra!"

The voice distracts Adora before she can reply and the sentiment echoes throughout the Horde ranks, throwing them into disarray. There's a lot of shouting, and it only grows louder when Adora throws her sword into a tank, making it explode and hurl its screaming occupant high in the sky. Netossa expertly catches the soldier and binds him in mid air, cushioning his fall but incapacitating him nonetheless.

"Abort! Abort!" Adora hears a familiar voice bellow. Grizzlor. She can't make him out amidst the smoke and throng of bodies, but she'd know his grunting baritone anywhere.

As the soldiers follow the order, many of them all too happily, it strikes Adora: they legitimately weren't expecting her to show up. Hordak must have been counting on her still being on the lam after the jailbreak. It's almost insulting, but then again it would not be the first time Adora has failed to back up her allies. Far from it, at this point.

"Adora," a warm voice greets her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She turns to find Spinnerella approaching. "Thanks for watching my wife's back," she says, placing a hand on Netossa's shoulder. "Sometimes she gets so caught up playing offense she forgets about defense."

"I would've seen 'em in time," grumbles Netossa, arms crossing petulantly over her chest.

"Of course, darling," Spinnerella replies sweetly, but her smirk says she's not convinced in the slightest.

"Uh, no problem," mutters Adora. It would be rude not to respond, but she doesn't want to get involved in a lovers' quarrel, playful as it may be. She already feels obtrusive enough in her She-Ra form. Shrinking out of it, she adds, "Happy to help."

"Well, it's great to see you," says Spinnerella, not even a touch of irony in her voice or smile. Are these two seriously married? "How are things in Dryl?"

"Um… fine?" Adora fidgets, somehow shrinking further. "My old squad joined us, so we've been getting them settled in."

"We heard," remarks Netossa. Adora must not be imagining the slight edge in her tone, because Spinnerella gives her a look and she sighs, rephrasing her comment. "It must be nice, having everyone back together."

"It is," Adora says flatly, arms crossing as she stares her down. That's closer to the welcome she was expecting from Netossa, though why she's even trying to be nice is beyond Adora.

"Hey!" Swift Wind's cheery voice breaks the tension as he bounds up to them. Adora can't help but smile as he leans in to nuzzle her cheek, prompting her to wrap her arms around his neck. "There's my sacred partner in crime-bashing!" he greets her overenthusiastically, even for him. "How you been?"

"Uh, fine?" she says, pulling back and eyeing him warily.

"Good, good," he says, bobbing his head. His eyes dart away, and Adora's follow on instinct. They land on Bow, standing five feet away with an unreadable expression on his face. Adora raises an eyebrow and Bow too averts his eyes.

Her view is suddenly obstructed when Glimmer poofs into being right in front of her. Adora yelps, startling into a defensive stance.

"Whoops, my bad," Glimmer says sheepishly. "Didn't mean to scare you." Lifting her hand to indicate the sword in her grasp, she explains, "Thought you'd want this back."

Adora nods wordlessly, not trusting her suddenly tight throat. She reaches out with both hands to take the sword by its blade and crossguard, avoiding Glimmer's grip on the hilt. Glimmer hasn't touched her since the jailbreak (unless you count the contact necessary for teleportation), and Adora doesn't want to violate her physical boundaries. Catra made her feel like shit enough over that kind of thing and they're actually on good terms.

Clearing her throat, Adora nods again as she transforms the sword, placing it back on her forearm. "Thanks," she mutters, chancing fleeting eye contact.

"Thank you," counters Glimmer. Adora can't help but look up and Glimmer makes an awkward attempt at a smile. "You know, for coming on such short notice."

"It's not like the Horde ever gives us much warning," says Adora dryly. Glimmer's eyes narrow slightly and Adora smirks, clarifying her peaceful intentions. "Don't worry about it. I meant it, call me anytime."

A heavy silence falls over the group as Glimmer inches back to join Bow. Adora rubs the back of her neck, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Finally Netossa steps forward, clapping her hands together.

"Okay, we'll go tell the villagers they can come back now," she announces. "Any objections?"

Bow shakes his head, whipping out his tracker pad. "I'll message Juliet, tell her they can turn around."

Adora blinks. "Who's Juliet?"

"The hot general," Spinnerella supplies with a smirk. Netossa turns to glare at her and she fires off a sassy wink. "What? I have eyes, darling. And it's not like you haven't sa-"

Netossa claps a hand over her mouth before she can say any more. "Alright! I guess that's a no. Let's get going."

Grinning at her tiny victory, Spinnerella sweeps her wife off her feet and whisks them away in a whirlwind, flying off into the woods.

Okay, that's fucking badass.

Adora's eyes drop from the sky in time to see Bow putting away his tracker pad. She frowns in thought, glancing over at Glimmer. "You guys ever thought about investing in skiff technology?"

Glimmer's only reply is a blank stare, an almost puzzled blink. Adora squints, circles her hand to encourage Glimmer to follow her train of thought. "You know, so your actual soldiers can get here faster and you don't have to rely solely on magic to protect your subjects?"

Glimmer scoffs. "It was working just fine for us until Entrapta and your girlfriend decided to fuck with the energy balance of the planet."

Adora's eyes roll back in her skull. "Oh my gods, I'm not insulting you, I'm just saying tech can be useful." Gesturing at their supposed techmaster, she urges him, "Bow, tell her."

"Uh…" Bow's eyes flit between the two of them, mouth set in an awkward grimace. "Glimmer?"

The two of them lock eyes, some intense yet unspoken communication passing between them. Finally Glimmer relents, redirecting her hostility and her boot at the barely thawing soil with a frustrated huff. "This is the problem! The woods don't just protect the city, the whole kingdom of Bright Moon is at risk. What are we supposed to tell these people? The Horde will just keep coming and coming."

"Could we offer them temporary shelter in Bright Moon?" Bow asks cautiously. "You know, until we can fix the whole Woods situation?"

"I could ask Mom," grumbles Glimmer, scratching her head as she tries to regain her composure. "Not sure they'd want to leave their homes, but it might be all we can do."

"Maybe Frosta can help," Swift Wind pipes up. "I mean, she's the one who can conjure ice and snow. Does she have, like, reverse powers?"

Glimmer shakes her head. "If she could, she'd have done it already."

Humming in thought, Bow turns to Adora. "Entrapta said she was gonna expand the sensor network to protect Bright Moon too. She making any progress on that? It could at least give Thaymor some advance warning if she extended it far enough."

"Uh, she was," Adora murmurs sheepishly. "But she's been busy tinkering with our new tank the last few days." Raising her hands to deflect any incoming ire, she quickly adds, "Sorry, sorry, I know we have to hold up our end of the bargain too. I'll try to get her back on it."

"It's cool," mutters Glimmer, eyes dropping as she shifts her weight. "Not your fault she's so distractible."

"Yeah, it's not your job to keep her on task," agrees Bow. "I could have called her for an update."

"Don't worry about it, Adora," Swift Wind chimes in, affectionately butting her with his snout.

Adora squints at them, eyes moving warily around the little circle of pacifism. "Why are you guys being so weird?"

"We're not being weird," protests Swift Wind, too quickly and very weirdly.

"You're all trying way too hard to be nice, and you're looking at me like I'm a kicked puppy," Adora spells out. Nobody says anything, sharing uncomfortable glances among themselves. Suddenly it clicks and her eyes narrow, locking in on Bow. "Entrapta told you about Catra, didn't she?"

Bow's eyes widen slightly. "What about Catra?"

Oh, shit. Adora may be a terrible liar by nature, but Bow's a terrible liar because he hates doing it. He's telling the truth, which means she brought this up unnecessarily. Great.

She shakes her head dismissively. "Nothing."

Bow doesn't let it go that easily, of course. His confusion melts into compassion and he shifts his weight closer to Adora. "Is she okay?"

Taking an instinctual step back, Adora explains, "There was an incident a couple days ago. She's in the infirmary."

"Whoa, what happened?" asks Glimmer, eyes nearly bugging out of her head.

"I don't really wanna talk about it," Adora says pointedly, as though she hasn't already been making that obvious.

The others avert their eyes, shuffle their weight, mumble apologies. It does nothing to reassure Adora. Eyes narrowing, she demands, "Okay, seriously, what's going on?"

They share a series of looks and pointed nods toward Adora, silently debating what to tell her and who should do it. Finally Bow concedes wordlessly, turning to Adora with a sigh.

"Okay, this is really weird," he says. "I'm not even sure how to explain… well, actually, you probably already know half the story."

"What are you talking about?"

"Uh…" Bow taps the tips of his pointer fingers together, eyes darting around as he trails off.

Rolling her eyes, Glimmer takes over. "Remember that spontaneous portal eighteen years ago?"

Adora nods, brow furrowing. That number's gotten more specific.

"Did Entrapta tell you Hordak found a baby?"

A cold wave of dread sweeps through Adora's body, making her ears buzz and head spin. The way they're looking at her says it all. She barely manages another nod, her dry mouth incapable of speech.

"It was you," murmurs Bow, confirming the unsaid truth. "You came through that portal, Adora."

Breathe, Adora. In, out. In, out.

She hugs her ribcage in a desperate attempt to steady herself and combat the sudden chill in her bones. The self-induced pressure slowly melts her semi-paralysis, and finally she can speak again. "I mean, are you sure?" she stutters out. "Maybe someone just left me there, and that's where the portal happened to open up."

Swift Wind tips his head, peering at her curiously. "Is that actually better?"

"I don't know," mutters Adora, crossing her arms with a scowl. Is it better to have been stolen, or abandoned? Unattended, or unwanted? It's not the existential crisis she expected to face today. She's never really had to think about her origins before, that never mattered in the Horde. Once you were in, you were in, and they took care of you. Even if that care wasn't necessarily the best…

Gesturing wildly, she starts to ramble. "At least if I'm from Etheria I could maybe somehow find my family some day, find out why. Maybe there was a good reason for it, maybe I was better off in the Horde. But if I was just snapped up by some random portal…"

Adora can't stand the thought. The senselessness of it, the utter lack of reason. The utter lack of control. How is she ever supposed to reconcile with something like that, with her life being stolen from her before she even learned to crawl? Who was she, before? Did she have a family, a real family? Real parents, who loved her for who she was and didn't just want to use her, like practically everyone on Etheria?

That spiral is interrupted by the feeling of a small hand gently gripping her arm. Adora's eyes flutter open, going wide when she realizes who the hand belongs to. Glimmer gives her a sympathetic grimace, thumb rubbing over her sleeve.

"Adora, I hate to tell you this, but Shadow Weaver was certain you came through the portal. It was part of why she was so obsessed with you. She sensed a lot of power in you and took you in, started…" Glimmer shudders, "molding you. She wrote so much about how she could use your potential, and boy, she was not happy when Catra showed up and suddenly someone else had influence in your life."

"I know, Glimmer," Adora says flatly. "I was there."

Hand falling away, Glimmer gapes up at Adora. "Does this not bother you?"

"Of course it does," snaps Adora. "But it's not like any of it's a surprise at this point. I mean, other than the portal thing." Fiddling with the cuff of her sleeve, she mutters, "And we don't even know if that's true."

"Well, maybe we could find out?" Bow suggests haltingly. "If it would help you feel better, knowing one way or the other." Raising his hands, he adds, "But if you don't wanna know, I totally understand, and we can just drop it."

"I do want to know, but Shadow Weaver's dead, and I can't exactly walk into the Fright Zone and ask Hordak about it, can I?" Adora points out. She's kind of burned that bridge… all her bridges to her history, really. Other than Shadow Weaver's diaries from hell and the creepy flashbacks in the Crystal Castle, and she's not exactly keen on revisiting either.

Suddenly she perks up, eyes snapping wide open. "Light Hope."

Glimmer blinks. "What?"

"Light Hope said she's been watching me since I was a baby," Adora rushes out, already fumbling in her pockets for the skiff keys. "If I came through the portal, she would've seen it. I need to go talk to her." The keys slip through her fingers the second they're out of her pocket, clinking as they land on the forest floor. Cursing under her breath, she bends down and snaps them up so fast she gives herself a mini headrush. When her eyes blink back into focus, she finds the others exchanging another round of concerned looks. "What?"

Swift Wind steps forward this time, head tipping slightly as he quietly offers, "Do you want me to take you?"

"I have the skiff," says Adora, flashing the keys with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah, but…" He bobs his head, eyes widening pointedly. "You're kinda upset, you know?"

It takes a second for this to sink in, with Adora's mind racing a mile a minute. And that's the problem, isn't it? That's why they're worried. She's doing that thing again that freaked Catra out last week, the last time she was set on going to see Light hope. That thing where she gets so fixated on her goal she can't see the dangers in achieving it. But she doesn't have a warm, purring, furry body to calm her down this time.

Her friends' anxious faces are just stressing her out more, so she closes her eyes. Sucking in some deep breaths, she squeezes and relaxes her fists, focusing on the earthy scent of the air and the warm metal edges of the keys digging into her palm. It takes a few moments, but the anxious energy in her mind and body slowly eases to the point where she can take a normal breath. As her mind clears and eyes flutter open, the first thought that occurs to her is that Catra would be proud of her.

Turning her smile into a smirk, she tips her head playfully as she makes eye contact with each of her friends. "Don't worry, Catra's the crazy driver," she assures them. "Besides, I somehow doubt it would go over well if we switched rides."

Bow chuckles nervously, glancing at Glimmer. But Glimmer just snickers, returning Adora's smirk. "I think my mom would have a heart attack."

Adora snorts out a laugh. "Just float it the way you did last time. 'Hey, Mom, we found a Horde skiff in the woods. Can we keep it?'"

"As long as the Horde skiff doesn't start running around destroying shit," Glimmer fires back, eyes glinting as she crosses her arms pompously.

"That was Swift Wind, not me!" protests Adora.

"Hey, I was scared!" whines Swift Wind. "And I didn't know how to talk yet."

Adora snickers. "Oh, the good old days."

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, Swiftie, she's just busting your balls," says Glimmer, ruffling his mane. But she's grinning at Adora. Rolling her eyes, she mouths, 'I know, right?'

Adora manages to keep her smirk small enough that Swift Wind doesn't catch on to the secret dialogue. Stepping forward, she slings her arms around his neck. "I miss you, Swiftie. Promise."

He huffs but folds his wings around her in reply. "You're bringing my chair to the next meeting?"

"Absolutely. I'll even get Entrapta to build you a second one for when you come to visit, okay?"

His wings flutter excitedly and he steps back, shaking out his mane with a resounding nicker. "Can't wait!" Galloping across the clearing, he soars up into a loop de loop. "Woo hoo!"

Adora finds herself moving a little closer to the others, unconsciously filling the space he left as they all watch the airshow.

"Who knew chairs were the way to his heart?" deadpans Glimmer.

"I think apples come first, actually," remarks Adora.

"Heh, yeah."

They catch each other's gaze and Adora's heart speeds up, pounding in her throat. Glimmer's mouth twitches slightly, her cheeks slack and melancholic. It reminds Adora of the way they parted last time, weird and sad. Just when she thinks she's in for another one of those painful goodbyes overshadowed by the vast gulf between them, Glimmer crosses it, both literally and figuratively. She steps closer, raising her arms tentatively, and Adora doesn't hesitate to close the gap.

They hold on tight, not speaking for a long moment. What could they even say? Adora's going to apologize for what she had to do, and she knows Glimmer won't either. But maybe they could leave the past in the past? Adora's too scared to ask what this means for them, their friendship still seems so fragile. But this is a good first step. She'll more than take it.

"Drive safe, okay?" Glimmer murmurs into her shoulder. "You can't find out where you came from if you're dead."

Adora smiles, cupping the back of her head. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Giving one final squeeze, Glimmer releases her and steps back to make room for Bow. He doesn't move, though, hands wrung together and eyes huge and watery as they flick between the two girls.

Scoffing as she turns away with a blush, Glimmer mutters, "Don't make it weird, Bow."

"But you guys are so cute," he squeals, voice cracking on the last word.

Glimmer harrumphs, arms crossing petulantly. "I'm not cute, I'm terrifying."

Wow, Adora's definitely heard that one before.

Bow's eyes bounce away shyly, landing on Adora. Clearing his throat, he steps in and reaches into his armor. "Take this to Entrapta for me?" he requests, pulling out one of those vaguely triangular data disks. "We finished transcribing the scans of Shadow Weaver's paperwork the other day. Maybe there'll be something else you guys can use."

"Of course," says Adora.

Taking the disk, she steps in and wraps her arms around his shoulders. She luxuriates in the contact longer than she has the last few times they parted in front of Glimmer, the tentative truce easing her guilt. The firm pressure of Bow's arms squeezing her ribs settles her nerves a little, preparing her for the uncertainty of what's to come.

Just breathe, Adora. Stay calm. There's answers ahead.

***o***

An hour later, Adora is anything but calm. Her body steers the skiff on autopilot, her mind racing with everything she learned in the Crystal Castle. She got her answers, all right, but not the ones she was hoping for.

She really is an alien. She's a First One, that's why she could connect with the sword. And she was kidnapped by Hordak, stolen from her home so he could make her a soldier in his army. That's not what Entrapta said before, but Light Hope's been watching her this whole time. She was actually there… or sort of, anyway. The only other witness is currently in the Fright Zone, no doubt dreaming up new ways to destroy them all. To take everything from her a second time.

A low branch comes out of nowhere and Adora barely sees it in time to duck, the skiff dipping dangerously as she pulls the stick down with her. Quickly righting the hovercraft, she sighs in relief and refocuses on her trajectory through the trees. Maybe Swift Wind had a point about driving when she's upset.

It's a good thing Entrapta finally installed those lights on the skiff. It's only late afternoon, but with the daymoon sinking low in the sky the dense forest has been cast into shadow. The looming darkness feels thick, oppressive. Much like the darkness in her own head.

Eventually Adora breaks through the treeline into the rocky plains surrounding the mountain colonies. Zeroing in on the Crypto Castle in the distance, she pushes the stick hard to max out her speed. She arrives in less than a minute, activating the booster and maneuvering over the wall. Her eyes scan the courtyard for any sign of Entrapta, who's been out here a lot lately working on their tank, but she's nowhere to be seen.

Swooping down, Adora parks the skiff in its designated spot and hops off. "Entrapta!" she calls, speed walking toward the tank. "You out here?"

A lock of purple hair snaps out from under the tank, coiling around the cannon. There's a loud rattle as Entrapta rolls out on her aptly named creeper board, several wheels squeaking in protest. Adora can't help wincing at the discordant sounds in her agitated state, shoulders shrugging up protectively.

Waving enthusiastically, Entrapta flips her mask up. "Hi, Adora! Back already?" Her curious features fall into a sympathetic grimace. "Did you forget something? I do that all the time."

Adora blinks, brow scrunching as she stares at her host. "I've been gone almost two hours."

"You have?" Entrapta stares right back, then glances up at the sky. "Ah, so you have," she observes. "Time flies when you're having fun, huh?" Flattening on the board again, she flips her mask down, hair reaching back under the tank.

"Wait!" shouts Adora. Entrapta pauses, turning her head, and she rushes out, "I need your help. I need you to tell me everything you know about Hordak's portal. The first one, I mean."

"I'd love to!" Entrapta beams, flipping her mask back up to display her eager grin. Gesturing at the tank, she adds, "But can it wait like half an hour? I'm in the middle of a big upgrade."

Adora's head shakes sharply, her hands shaking with unspent energy. "No. No. I need to know now."

It feels like the world is closing in on her, her ears ringing in alarm. Her vision is starting to tunnel, but in the periphery she sees Entrapta sit up. She can feel Entrapta staring at her the way people always do when she gets like this, and her cheeks burn under the familiar scrutiny. She needs to explain.

"It's… I…" she stutters out, hands flailing uselessly as she tries to put the overwhelming hot buzzing in her brain into words.

"Speak up, child."

"Bad," Adora muttered down at her tiny fists, clenched so hard her knuckles were going white. "Can't. Bad."

"No, look at me," demanded Shadow Weaver, snatching her chin in a tight grip and yanking it to face her. The glowing white ovals were terrifying, they were so much, but Adora fought not to look away like her life depended on it. That's sure how it felt. "Tell me what you need."

"I… I…" The sharp nails piercing her jaw dug in deeper and her attempts to speak were cut off with a whimper.

Shadow Weaver threw her hands up in exasperation and Adora jumped, arms shielding her head automatically. "What is wrong with you, child?"

A strangled sob burst from Adora's lungs. "I-I'm sorry," she choked out.

"I don't want you to be sorry, I want you to behave like a normal person," Shadow Weaver said icily. "These tantrums of yours are not acceptable for the lowliest cadet, let alone a future Force Captain."

Tears streamed down Adora's cheeks, her breaths coming in tiny gasps and sobs. She wanted to speak, she wanted to obey, but her chest was so tight and her mouth wouldn't form words, no matter how badly she needed to explain herself. In fact, the urgency made it worse.

Her ears rang and temples throbbed as the completely overwhelming feeling snowballed. Before she even realized it, she was smacking the side of her head with the heel of her hand. Anything to relieve the pressure, to quiet the ruckus in her head.

"Gods preserve me," huffed Shadow Weaver. Adora could barely hear her, but she felt her bony hands clamp around her wrists, pull them down to her hips.

Adora wailed and struggled, limbs flailing desperately. Suddenly they froze as a brand new feeling swept through her body, over almost every inch of her skin. Cold, tingly, almost itchy. Then her ankles snapped together, arms jerking down and sticking to her sides.

Adora's eyes bulged, her breaths growing shallower and heart battering its cage as pure terror took over. She was encased in some kind of glowing red aura, the mystery force paralyzing her from the neck down. It didn't hurt per se, but the restraint without the secure sensation of pressure was nothing short of unbearable. With nowhere to go, the frenetic energy inside Adora built and built until she couldn't help but scream.

"For the love of Hordak, child, calm down." Shadow Weaver grabbed onto her shoulder hard, shocking her into silence. That did hurt, and it should have scared her, but it actually kind of helped. It anchored her somehow, gave her a strong sensation to focus on.

"This must be some kind of cosmic joke," Shadow Weaver muttered to herself as she crouched in front of Adora, shaking her head. "All that power in a defective parcel." Sighing heavily, she gripped Adora's other shoulder and looked her in the eyes. Adora was just as paralyzed mentally as physically, and couldn't have looked away this time if she tried. "Adora, take a deep breath."

Programmed as she was to obey, Adora's shaky lungs did the best they could. Her second attempt was better, her cheeks puffing out as she sucked in as much air as possible.

"Hold it," commanded Shadow Weaver. "Now out, slowly." Watching Adora carefully as she obeyed, she nodded her approval. "Good. Do that again."

The approval made new tears leak from Adora's eyes, and she devoted every ounce of energy to chasing that feeling. Whether it was the approval itself or simply the breathing, the storm swirling in her body finally receded, leaving her weak and shaky. A wet blanket of fatigue clung to her, weighed her down, but she felt like she could think again. Her vision cleared and settled on the mask in front of her. The face she so wanted to trust.

"Now, speak to me," commanded Shadow Weaver, pointing to the glowing ovals. "Eyes here." She tipped her head, voice softening the slightest bit as she asked, "What's wrong?"

Clenching her fists, Adora sucks in a deep breath and blinks her vision clear. Direct eye contact feels too daunting right now, but she forces herself to look in the general direction of Entrapta. She can still feel that horrible energy thrumming under her skin, but she can swallow it down, keep a lid on it. Squelch it back down into that shameful place deep inside her.

Focus, Adora.

"I'm Hordak's portal baby," she says, voice stilted and almost mechanical as she struggles to communicate what she needs and why as efficiently as possible. "Light Hope kind of explained, but not really. And Hordak's in the Fright Zone." She takes another deep breath, steadying herself on the exhale, but it only helps so much. Her jaw is still clenched as she grits out, "Short of invading and interrogating the shit out of him, this is the best way to figure out what happened to me."

"Wait, so it's you?" Entrapta repeats slowly, tiny body vibrating with excitement. "You're the alien?!" Her eyes are huge and practically sparkling as she breathes out an enamored, "Wow."

"Entrapta, please," Adora sighs wearily. "Just tell me what you read."

"I can show you, actually!" she chirps, whipping out her tablet. "Hordak's diaries are on the mainframe too." Locating the file in no time, she pauses as she looks up at Adora. "He has this whole big entry about the portal, but it's kinda long and… science-y."

"I'll skim it," says Adora, holding her hand out expectantly. Entrapta complies, but resumes that enamored staring as Adora takes the tablet and starts reading. Adora's ears burn under her intense gaze. "Stop looking at me like that."

Entrapta responds swiftly and silently, flipping her mask down to obscure her face. It helps a little, though knowing she's probably still looking at Adora the exact same way is unsettling nonetheless. As if she needed another reason for people to stare at her like she's a freak.

Clearing her throat, Adora shakes her head sharply and orders it to focus once again as she zeroes in on the text. She's only somewhat successful, absorbing mere snippets of Hordak's remarks.

[Any portal activity bodes well, but I have no clue how to reproduce it because I have no clue what conditions precipitated it. I didn't introduce any new variables today, nor was I running a test at the time. I have to conclude it was spontaneous, which leaves me no closer to finding a way off this backwater planet.]

There's a lot of various science-y shit, as Entrapta promised. Energy readings and what not. But near the bottom she finds something else pertinent.

[The anomaly closed within a couple of minutes, so it was clearly unstable. But it must have been large enough to send a physical or electronic message, if not a full-sized body. When I went to investigate the scene, I found a human infant in that exact location. With no other clues as to where it came from, I have to assume it was brought through the portal. If not, it was obviously abandoned, so I brought it back with me regardless. Waste not.]

Adora skims the remainder of the text, but nothing else appears relevant to her. She frowns as she looks up, brow furrowing and fingers idly tapping the screen.

"It doesn't make sense," she muses. "Light Hope said the Horde stole me from my home, but why would Hordak lie about this? In his own notes, no less?"

"Maybe he didn't," suggests Entrapta, her voice echo-y and distorted through the mask. "Maybe Light Hope saw him take you and assumed he brought you here on purpose. She could even be lying, for all we know. I don't know what she's capable of, I've never met a sentient light being before."

"But if she's wrong then that means it was random and… that doesn't make sense. That can't be right." Adora's heart speeds up, her chest beginning to heave and push against her jacket. Against the jagged item in her jacket. Against the only source she has left to investigate. Digging out the data disk with fumbling hands, she waves it at Entrapta. "Can we download this onto the mainframe?"

Entrapta stiffens, her tone suddenly hesitant. "Uh, depends on what it is…"

"Right, sorry." Adora smacks her own forehead sheepishly. Entrapta's surely being more careful about what she's plugging into her system after the evil murder virus debacle. Hopefully, anyway. Shelving that terrifying thought for later, she says, "The rest of Shadow Weaver's notes."

"Oh, absolutely!" Entrapta snatches the disk from her hands but then pauses suddenly. She flips up the mask, revealing a concerned grimace. "Uh, but Adora?"

"What?"

"Maybe that's not the best idea," Entrapta floats gently. "For you, I mean. Last time you read her diaries you kind of had a breakdown, and you already seem a teeeeensy bit unstable. No offense."

"I just need to see what she said about me and the portal," insists Adora. When Entrapta still hesitates, she crosses her arms and glowers stubbornly. "This is my history, Entrapta. My whole life people have been hiding the truth from me, so I need to find the answers myself."

Entrapta's eyelids flutter, gaze darting away for a moment of thought. Finally she concludes, "I can relate. I've spent my whole life chasing the truths of this planet. It's less personal, perhaps, but no less consuming." Smiling cautiously, she jerks her head towards the castle. They walk together through the halls, Entrapta taking notes on her recorder on the go.

"Dryl, day 7: Wow, what news! Turns out the mystery baby from Hordak's portal is Adora. This raises many questions, like how someone not native to Etheria can channel its power or be paired with one of its runestones. Perhaps she came from a planet with a similar system…" Entrapta pauses, turning to Adora. "Wait, did Light Hope say where you came from?"

"'Beyond the stars,'" Adora answers dryly. "She's not one for useful answers. Oh, but she did say I'm a First One. Or a descendant of theirs, I guess."

"What?!" screeches Entrapta.

Adora cringes, stopping in her path. When she opens her eyes again, she startles at the sight of Entrapta's face mere inches from hers. "Adora, you're a dream come true!"

Scoffing to cover her discomfort, Adora slips by her and cracks, "Don't let Catra hear you say that."

Falling into step again, Entrapta begins to ramble. "This explains why you can read First Ones' writing! Sort of, anyway. Babies don't typically know how to read. Maybe that knowledge is embedded in your genetic code somehow? Faaaaascinating!" She boosts herself up on her hair again, squinting at Adora's face as they continue to walk. "And the peculiar shape of your cranium, too. Maybe all First Ones have abnormally large foreheads."

Adora doesn't have the wherewithal to respond, much less clap back. That ringing in her ears crescendos once again, temporarily blocking out Entrapta's continued chatter. The next words she hears are: "Do you think I could have a sample? To study?"

"Huh?" Adora blinks, shaking some sense back into her head. "Of what?"

"Your DNA. You know, genetic material? Hair, saliva, even skin cells would work."

Adora opens her mouth to snap back something about how she's not a fucking science project, but cuts herself off. It's not worth getting in a fight, she can't handle any more stimulation right now. Sighing in defeat, she mutters, "Yeah, sure, whatever you need. Let's just figure this out first, okay?"

Entrapta squints. "Figure what out, exactly?"

"Shadow Weaver talked about the portal in her diaries too, that's how the Alliance found out about… me. Maybe she has something to add. Something that would make all this make sense."

"We can certainly hope!" chirps Entrapta, perhaps a little too cheery to be entirely genuine. But she's reading the room for once and Adora's certainly not gonna call her out for trying to be sensitive.

They make it to the lab without further incident and Entrapta hops into her chair. Adora eyes Scorpia's designated chair but stays standing, hands tapping restlessly against her thighs. There's no point trying to sit still.

Entrapta hesitates once more with the disk hovering in the air over the reader, casting a wary glance back at Adora.

"Do it," Adora orders.

Complying with a shrug, Entrapta places the disk in the reader and opens the directory. Leaning back, she gestures at the keyboard. Adora obliges gratefully, typing in her search parameters.

["portal" AND ("baby" OR "infant")]

Her finger hovers a second over the enter key, but she steels herself and taps decisively. The search finishes within seconds, yielding only four entries. Just one is from 18 years ago. Taking another deep breath to settle her suddenly queasy stomach, Adora bites the bullet and clicks.

[Hordak finally succeeded in opening a portal today, but it wasn't anywhere near the Fright Zone. He had to go chasing after it, and by the time he got there it was shut. I pity the poor fool. Nonetheless, some good came of it. He found a baby by the portal, some otherworldly creature who looks human enough but has pure magical power radiating off of her, more powerful than any princess I've encountered. She could be the key to defeating the rebellion scum and conquering Etheria for ourselves.]

Adora feels her blood running colder the further she reads.

[I convinced Hordak to let me take her, but it turns out caring for howling feces machines is hardly my forte. I've returned her to the infirmary to be raised with the other orphans, but I will keep an eye on her and direct her development as she grows. If all the time I wasted in Mystacor prepared me to train this child, to mold her into the greatest force this world has ever seen, it will all have been worth it. We will conquer Etheria, and Mystacor, and show those fools they should never have underestimated my gifts. It is our destiny.

I named the child Adora. We're going to do great things together.]

Knees buckling, Adora doubles over and grabs her stomach as a wave of dizziness and nausea crashes over her. She barely manages to sink to her knees without tipping over, head swimming with the all too recent words echoing in her ears.

"You aren't listening to me!"

"You are behaving erratically. To bear the power of She-Ra is an honor."

She pinches her brow, wincing against the building pressure and sharp pangs in her skull.

"Don't I get a say in what happens to me? Don't I get a choice?"

"No. This is your destiny. You do not choose. You were chosen."

"Adora! Adora!"

Adora cringes as the familiar words continue, but as she truly absorbs them and the distinct lack of a robotic tone her cheeks slacken and eyes flutter open. They slowly come into focus to find Entrapta staring at her in horror. "Adora?"

Something is shifting inside Adora, giving way… and suddenly, it breaks. Her lips crack in a wide grin and laughter starts bubbling up from inside her. Wild, deranged laughter. It comes in waves, echoing through the lab as she loses her breath to the howls of mirth. Of grief. Of being totally, 100% fucking done.

"Uhhhh," Entrapta shifts nervously, wary eyes scanning her shaking body, "are you okay, Adora?"

Still heaving and cackling, Adora shakes her head. It's several moments before she recovers enough to breathe, let alone speak. Entrapta waits patiently though, even reaching out with a lock of hair to gently pat the top of her head. If Adora was feeling normal feelings, she'd find it insulting and maybe slightly comforting. But right now it's just one more thing to take in, and she can't handle anything more. She ducks away and Entrapta thankfully gets the message, retracting the tendril while still watching intently.

Coughing hard, Adora thumps her chest to help relieve the pressure. Finally, finally, she gets some words out.

"No," she pants, shaking her head, "no I am not fucking okay." Her eyes meet Entrapta's, softening slightly at her compassionate, understanding gaze. "But thank you for asking. Better than most people."

With that, she starts to push herself to her feet, fighting her trembling limbs and the residual dizziness. Entrapta's hair shoots out to steady her, helping her to her feet. Grateful as she is for the help, Adora brushes off the tendrils immediately and marches for the door.

"Where are you going?" Entrapta calls after her.

Since Entrapta seems to actually care about her, unlike some sentient light beings, Adora bothers to answer. "The gym."

She's going to purge the excess emotion from her shaking body the only way she knows how. By punishing it.

...Maybe she's not so different from Catra after all.

ANNOUNCEMENT: I've gotten several requests for a fic synopsis given how long this story has been in progress, and I'm working on one. I've been summarizing it chapter by chapter and have done 27/36 so far, so today I posted the first four arcs worth of synopses (up to chapter 26). Even if you don't need a refresher, there are many reasons to check it out: my self-deprecating humor, new details like the ages of the kids in each flashback, or simply a trip down memory lane. You find find it on my Tumblr by searching "demons plot synopsis" on my blog. There's a masterpost and a seperate post for each arc so you can read this long fic summary in digestible pieces.