"Where is the disk, Catra?!"

A pink ray hit the metal bow. It belonged to the same person who asked in a threatening manner as her firsts were glowing with magic.

"What is wrong, Sparkles," Catra said, hiding on top of the box to dodge the princess' attack, "Why ask for things you can't have?"

Catra leaped to the air from her hiding spot, twisting her body as Glimmer's rays hit the glass ceiling. Landing on her feet, Catra went straight to the princess' back with her claws on, but the other girl teleported away before she made contact.

This pattern has been repeated for a while now. Catra was always a few inches away from slashing the rebel princess away, but Glimmer escaped with her magic. However, Catra's grin only grew as the battle went on.

The magic in the princess was soon to run out. Catra's eyes didn't overlook the way Glimmer's breaths became heavier the more spells she used. All the Force Captain needed to do was wait, or as she called, play with her food.

This is nice, she thought. A glance over Entrapta, who was doing her best to dodge Bow's arrows, assured Catra that nothing would stand between in her little game.

"But I am a nice person, you know," turning her attention back to her opponent, Catra said with the usual arrogant tone in her voice back, "Even if you can't have it, I can at least show it to you."

Waving her hand in a carefree manner, Catra showed the disk to the enemy princess, whose eyes were filled with anger as she saw the object.

"You!" Glimmer teleported once again, getting near Catra, "Do you have any idea what you are doing with this?!"

Such action, however, was anticipated. Catra swiftly stored the disk in her pockets and locked hands with the princess. Although Catra felt that Glimmer was stronger than before, she was no match for someone who had spent most of their life fighting just like this against a frien-

"Urg!" A flash appeared in Catra's mind, an image of her childhood that overlapped with what she saw, making a groan escape from her mouth as she tossed Glimmer away.

The princess, unfortunately for Catra, landed on her feet.

"Why… are you doing this?" Glimmer asked between her heavy breaths, "Don't you… get it? Nothing good comes out of that thing!"

Her words almost made Catra picture that scene again. Had she not had clenched her fists with so much it hurt, the Force Captain would be the one losing her composure.

"What about it?" She responded with a front, "Too scared to fight against your little hero again?"

Her mockery seemed to work as Glimmer went into the offensive again, attacking with magic at long range. Catra dashed behind the piles of metal and boxes laying around the laboratory as the pink rays missed her.

When the princess stopped her tantrum, she realized she had lost her enemy from sight.

"What are you… trying to prove here?!" Glimmer shouted in anger as her body kept turning around in search of Catra, "That you can use Adora against us?! That she is only a tool that you can send to the battlefield like a pawn?! That you will do anything to win?!"

While listening to the princess' monologue, Catra was cautious with her movements as she climbed a pile of boxes. Her stealthy approach was something she did a thousand times by now and this wouldn't be any different.

Reaching the top, her body blended in with the darkness, watching her enemy's steps, waiting for the right opportunity before lounging herself at-

"Is this all Adora means to you?!"

Those words. As soon as Catra heard them, a reaction occurred. Her eyes opened wide, her teeth grit, her body acted.

A part of her knew that this was not the time, perhaps it was her reason that gave her a warning about recklessness but it was too late as she already was in the air. It was an opportunity her opponent did not overlook.

Glimmer's fist glowed once again, brighter than any other attack she had done, and launched a powerful blast Catra couldn't evade. She braced herself for the impact but the princess' magic was strong, blowing her away till Catra collided with her back against a support pillar.

"So…" Glimmer said looking down at her, preparing her magic once again "still not giving up?"

Catra looked up as she held her stomach, her whole body trembling from the after-effects. However, the princess' look of superiority, thinking she already won, damaged her more than any attack she suffered.

"Please," Catra said, struggling to get back on her feet, "this is nothing to me, you know?"

Another magical blast hit her leg, taking Catra by surprise and down to one knee.

"I don't think I was clear," Glimmer said, preparing to fire another shot, "Give us Adora, the disk, and the sword, or we will leave you to the monsters."

A moment of silence happened between the two as Catra watched Glimmer in disbelief. Suddenly, a loud laugh escaped from the Force Captain, so strong it made her forget the pain.

"What is so funny?!" Glimmer snapped.

"Oh, pleeeease!" Catra said, standing up, "Is that how the Rebels threaten someone? A big, scary monster will eat me if I'm not nice?" Her laugh continued. Years being in the Horde, raised hearing the worst about the world and what would happen with failures, made her think this was nothing but a joke.

Except, it wasn't a joke.

Loud bangs were heard coming from the outside, making Catra and Glimmer be on their guards as they looked around. The noise, however, did not come from the walls; it was from above them. Shifting her eyes upwards, Catra could see… something. A shadow out in the snow, striking its head against the glassy ceiling.

She did not know or could know what sort of creature it was, the only fact she could acknowledge was that, whatever it was, it was big.

"Now you see the problem?!" Glimmer took a glance at the stunned Catra.

"What the heck did you bring here?" That was all she had responded to as her eyes slowly moved towards the princess.

"That thing is coming after the disk."

A man's voice was heard from her side. Looking at it, Catra saw Bow carrying Entrapta, who was in some sort of foam cocoon, under his arms like a bag.

"Whatever you did to the sword, it also affected the snow monsters. As long as the disk is still working, they will keep searching, and will never stop looking for it."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Entrapta violently shook her body in protest, "The disk can't affect living organisms… unless those monsters are actually First One's tech! Oh, ooooh! This explains everything that happened at the drill site! I need to record this!"

Entrapta's hair, acting like hands, grabbed the nearest tablet around the area. Her curious nature made her naive to the room's dread of the situation or the banging noises coming from the outside.

However, her joy only lasted a few moments. The ceiling, although reinforced by Fright Zone's resources, was still made out of glass and it finally cracked.

The glass shattered upon reaching the ground, grabbing everyone's attention. Their heads tilted up towards the giant hole made in the ceiling, which allowed snow and cold to enter the Horde's base, however that was the east of their problems

A giant figure peeked into the hole, leaving its camouflage within the snow to the bright lights of the ceiling's lamps, revealing a round-shaped body as its head got into the room. Its bright-red eyes scanned the room, noticing the four-terrified-person group, in the middle of the boxes and metal part.

"Oh yeah, we are totally dead by the way," Entrapta said, realizing the seriousness of the situation but not how to properly express their feelings.

"Now you see what we were talking about?!" Glimmer's stress could be felt in her angry voice as she looked at her enemy.

"Catra, please," Bow asked with pleading eyes, sweating as he remembered their last encounter with this creature.

The person themself did not respond, still stunned looking at the unknown creature but unconsciously her feet started to back away slowly. However, just like Catra was staring at it, it was also looking at her.

The snow monster analyzed all the living creatures, searching, looking for where the signal was coming from, and once it found, its eyes locked on the organism holding it. Its mouth opened, roaring out in anger as it slit itself inside, towards the new target as its claws pierced the ground.

"You must be-" Catra's frustrated curse was cut as she dashed away from the monster's body, escaping from its advances.

The other people in the room did not remain still. The monster was not caring about its surroundings, slamming its body on anything on its way. Glimmer managed to teleport herself, Bow, and Entrapta, but the distance was short due to low magical power. She felt herself nearly collapsing, but she kept her ground.

"Catra, enough!" She shouted in a commanding tone, a serious voice that made one look like royalty, "Can't you see that this thing will destroy everything? This is not the time to be a brat and selfish! Just destroy the disk and let things go back to normal!"

The princess's voice was loud and clear, solemn as if an angel were saying it. Everyone in the room knew her words were true and would do her will in the blink of an eye if asked in such a manner, however...

Annoying.

It was the only thing Catra could think about everything as she continued dodging the monster. Now, she also needed to hear a mighty speech about someone she hated. It only made her angrier.

In an attempt to appease her frustration, Catra's claws made contact with the monster, but the metal shell around its body had no damage, not even a single scratch. It was still flawless, white-clean, so clear she could see her anguish face reflected on it only for a moment before dashing away once again.

What am I doing, she asked herself.

Moments before, she was about to break the disk on her own, but now refused. Perhaps it was her pride, not wanting to admit she was wrong in her ways. Or, it might have been something else.

But… why?

Everything she wanted, she got it. She was strong enough to not rely on anyone, rose ranks on her own achievements, finally locked away her biggest enemy, and made it farther to Bright Moon's invasion than any other Captain from the Horde, almost conquering Etheria like she always dreamt off. Yet, something bothered her whatever she was alone with her thoughts.

During her moments of doubt, Catra was almost crushed by the monster's claws, instinct being the only thing that made her halt her steps. However, it was not without inflicting some causality. Her leg was bruised by the claw's blade. Luckily, it didn't pierce her skin, but the pain in her muscles made Catra think her leg was sliced open.

When she opened her eyes from the shock, her pupils caught a familiar object on the ground, as if destiny itself was against her.

The disk had fallen down from her pockets - or former pockets, seeing that Catra's pants had a part of it ripped away from the claw's thrust. Without skipping a beat, her hand went to reach it, but it was almost pierced by a giant claw that pierced the ground.

Catra looked at its owner. The monster's rampage was fiercer than before, maybe because it saw the disk with its eyes or that she was weakened. Whatever the reason was, its attacks were faster, stronger, reckless, making Catra jump backward to dodge each claw and bite that went her way despite the pain in her growing on each landing, but she would rather take the pain than being crushed or eaten.

They said in their final moments one can see their whole life flashing before their eyes. In this situation, Catra was sure it was her time. The only thing keeping her away from the eternal slumber was her own instinct to survive as her mind drifted somewhere else.

What am I even trying to do here?

Ever since she was a child, she felt something was holding her back. Something that prevented her from bringing her best to the world, to prove she got what it took to achieve everything she set her mind on. When Adora left and Catra started to rise, the dots connected.

Her best friend made her weak.

She realized that. Her mind filled with pain and grief got motivated by anger. All those years she had suffered, it was all because of Adora. Adora was behind it all. It was always… Adora.

Convincing herself, she walked on the opposite path to her former friend. And it worked. She got promoted, got power, got achievements, all she was told she would never receive. She was finally happy, or at least that was the intent.

For a moment, Catra's eyes looked away from the monster and caught sight of three new persons in the room. When she wasn't paying attention, Scorpia and Seahawk entered the laboratory and were together with Glimmer, Bow, and Entrapta, forming a circle as they talked about something instead of fighting like the enemies they were.

However, it was not them that her eyes were focused on. The other person, their prisoner, the one girl she did not want to see but couldn't stop staring at was there. Adora was there. Her blond ponytail flopped in the air as she dashed from person to person, hugging them with a warm smile on her face.

Of course, she would be here!

For some reason, that sight made Catra's heart heavy. Was it grief? Pain? Regret? Jealousy? She did not know the emotion, but it devastated her. In that moment of weakness, an opening was made, one that Catra only realized too late.

The monster's jaws caught her body, trying to crush her under its fangs. Catra fought back with whatever strength she had left to not let the monster close its mouth, but even she knew it wouldn't last long.

Dang it, dang it, dang it! She cursed, Why is it always me?!

She was there, fighting a monster she had no chance of winning when she had against her biggest enemy. Meanwhile, that defeated enemy was fine, laughing and smiling together with her new friends like everything was perfect.

"Tsk, of course, it would be perfect…" Catra clicked her tongue as she was reminded who that enemy was.

Perfect Adora, the ideal heroine, the one person always bet their expectations on, the charismatic girl, the best friend you could ask for. Some of the praises her former friend was given over the years. Catra could imagine more praises being made after Adora had become She-Ra.

She would get the best ending, not Catra. She would get out of here alive, not Catra. She would win, not Catra. It was clear for her, but the girl would never admit it with her words.

As the jaws became stronger and the monster's head shook violently, Catra knew it was a matter of time before she met her doom. Some part of her wanted to cry, some wanted to shout in rage, but strangely, a small part of her was happy for a reason she could not understand.

A noise caught her attention. Heavy steps were coming near her as Scorpia walked around where the monster's tail was, only stopping to pick up a small object from the ground with her brawny claws. On her pincers, the First One's Disk was held.

She looked at Catra with an apologetic, yet soft smile. It was a sign that Catra understood. Her so-called new friend was about to destroy it.

"Scorpia, don't!"

Even on her last breath, Catra still did not want to admit her loss. Her pride did not allow her to.

"Sorry, wildcat, but this is for your own good." The response was as kind as her intentions, as Scorpia applied more force on the disk with her claws.

It is over… Catra thought.

The moment that object was broken, things would be better, she would live, but it also meant she had failed. Another failure to add to her list. Who knew what Lord Hordak would do to her after coming back empty-handed? However, it was the least of her worries. Something else was on her mind.

Whatever… just get this done…

There was nothing else to do. She closed her eyes, as strength was fading from her body as she waited for her rescue. In the end, she was just that.

However-

"Like I was saying!" A shout was heard. It was Entrapta's voice echoing in the room. Her words were angry and direct like it was part of a heated discussion but it was something Catra heard very, very clearly, "The disk isn't making Adora do anything against her will! If anything, it makes her do whatever the heck she wants to do!"

As if that was a trigger, Catra's eyes opened wide, her whole body seemed to be struck by lightning from the shock she felt within her.

"… What?" She whispered with a soft voice as her heartbeat grew, her throat was dry, her limbs became soft.

And then, the monster's mouth closed.