The smell of salt in the air was not something she enjoyed it. Actually, she hated it. Water surrounded her no matter where she looked, and the only piece of land nearby was the enemy's territory. The Gate of Salineas was weakened, the energy that was its source was ending, but of course, that person would be there to help.

She tried to stop it for the Horde, or was it for herself? In the end, she was fighting that person one more time. She was about to win but lost, staring at that person who was surrounded by new friends. cheering their savior and heroine. Although, she wondered what would have happened had that person be the one defeated.

Would she still stay as enemies, or would she come bac-

Second day in a row…

Catra just stared at the ceiling with a frown and a bad taste in her mouth. She was used to those dreams by now but these last ones seemed so different. Catra wondered why her mind was trying to show her, but no answer came to her.

She brings her claws to her face and a soft giggle escapes her mouth when she realizes the tiny tissues around the tips and base. Apparently, the blanket paid the price for her outburst. Still, it was nothing that Catra hadn't done before. Just one more for the count, she thought. And then, her day began.

If there was a sound that was familiar in Fright Zone, was the machinery noises. Every minute, you can hear something being wielded, hitten, melted, or clashing no matter where you are, not to mention the vehicles and weaponry being tested and used. It would attract attention to newcomers - like prisoners or fools trying to invade the fortress - but for those raised in there since birth, it was natural.

However, those noises changed some months ago. They become more active, frenetic. A new resident in Fright Zone couldn't stop getting their hands - or should we say hair - on every new piece of technology or scrap they found while strolling the cold grey halls of the Horde.

The way to Entrapta's room - a former torture chamber - was becoming more difficult to be accessed as days went by. Half-build machines leaned against a sea of metal, screws, and cables that flooded the floor. Catra never had a problem passing around there, that is when she is in shape. Due to her injuries, she was struggling to keep her balance on the uneven support below her feet, almost falling on multiple occasions, but still managed to reach the capture princess' door.

Of course, the inside was not better. In fact, it was worse. Catra rubbed her trembles. She didn't know how to describe it, most of the parts and machines she saw looked the same in her eyes, but a part of her just knew inside was even messier. And the one responsible for it was still working, hanging from the ceiling with her hair while she worked in a new robot.

Telling herself she wouldn't enter the room, Catra waited by the door to see if the small girl would notice her, but it seemed the princess' attention was solely on her new project. Catra rolled her eyes, then cleared her throat as loud as she could. It took a few attempts before Entrapta turned to her.

"Oh, hi, Catra!" Her high-pinch voice behind the mask echoed in Catra's ears, but the Horde Captain managed to hide her discomfort. "Do you need something?"

"Hey, Entrapta," Catra said, "just passing by to see if you did any progress on that thing." Entrapta dropped from the ceiling, sliding down a pile of scraps till she was right in front of Catra. Even before the princess' could take her mask off, Catra could tell she was excited.

"Oh, boy! You bet I did!" She said with a glint in her eyes. She whistled towards a corner in the room, "Emily! Fetch me the prototypes' files!"

A rumble made a pile of metal objects come apart, revealing the spheric combat robot from within. The robot was beeping, seemingly to comply with its creator request, and walked over to them while carrying the said papers.

As if knowing Entrapta's thoughts, Emily brought the items to Catra, startling her. Those files' wide was almost as thick as rations bars, and there were many of them stacked up together. But what caught her off-guard was the robot dropping the files on Catra. "Hey, watch i-" Her cries were ignored by Emily, that had already done the deed.

As she feared, the files' heaviness was truthful to their looks. Catra normally wouldn't have problems with them due to how often she trained, normally. Her legs trembled by the extra weight on her arms. She tried her best to endure it, but soon her bottoms hit the ground.

Catra's upward stare made Entrapta flinch, seeing how furious her friend was after falling. Luckily, the Force Captain's injuries weren't aggravated, although being buried by papers was not any better.

"Sorry," Entrapta quietly said, feeling something bad would happen otherwise, "I just got excited when we were back, then I started planning, one thing lead to another and-"

"It is fine," Catra interrupted the princess and stand up again, letting but one of the files on the ground. She looked at it curiously, "What is this anyway?"

"The plans to control She-Ra," Entrapta told with a blank look on her face. "What else could it be?"

For an instant, Catra froze. She had almost forgotten what Adora being there meant. There was some hesitation before she finally accepted it, "She-Ra… right…"

"Hmm," Catra noticed Entrapta's thoughtful gaze on her. "Weird. My emotional analyses said you would be happier, not un-happier."

Happy? This did not make sense even for Catra. Everything was pointing out for her to be so, yet it was different. They had the Rebellion's hope in their prison and could use her against them. This was a Horde victory, no doubts. But, it also felt off.

"No, I…" Catra wanted to make an excuse but nothing came to mind, "Anyway, I'm not here for that. I wanted to ask about the disk." She should have been clearer about her question from the beginning.

"Oh, right," Entrapta said in curiosity, "what about it?"

There was a moment of silence between the two, waiting for the conversation to continue. Catra wanted Entrapta to continue her thought process, but the other party did not take the hint. Breaking the awkward moment, she asked "Anything else?"

"Not really," Entrapta bluntly responded, but then her interest grew. "Why? Did Adora change? Something happened to her body?! Has she finally turned into a robot?!"

Entrapta was leaning over Catra as she kept barging her with questions. The Horde Captain knew about Scorpia's invasion of personal space, but Entrapta was just as bad. "No, nothing happened!" Catra said, pushing the princess away gently. "I'm just… curious if everything was alright with it."

"Oh…" Entrapta's enthusiasm quickly toned down, "Well… disk is fine, just having a hard time finding a place to contain it since, you know, technology virus and all. I certainly don't want the whole Fright Zone being infected."

Entrapta's laugh did not match her words. If the footage from her castle meant something was that house-chores robots could be turned into weapons. The thought of Horde's combat drones being infected did not end pretty.

"I see…" Catra wanted to know more, but it seemed Entrapta would take more time than she had anticipated. "If you learn anything, tell me right away."

"Ok!" Entrapta playfully saluted her. "By the way, about the files…"

"Send them to my quarters and I…" Catra struggled to finish her sentence, "… I will read them in the future." She turned away from the princess and started her walk back to the corridor.

"Will do!" Entrapta responded and went back to her work, but Emily's stopped her, beeping something that only its creator could understand. Only then Entrapta realized something, "Oh yeah, how are you, Catra?" That was usually the first thing that someone would ask when seeing a friend covered in bandages enter your room, but Entrapta didn't seem to mind.

"I'm fine," Catra stopped her steps and said not looking at the princess.

"That is great!" Entrapta said, and then immediately asked, "But, weren't you supposing to be resting?" Again, she did not mind the timing of the conversation.

"Don't worry about that," Catra answered, looking at Entrapta's eyes as her lips turned into a smile, "I'm just on my way to grab breakfast."

"Mwan, twhese awre dwelicious!" Adora happily said as she stuffed her mouth with rations. Catra sat across her, holding a ration bar of her own, eating slowly while watching her prisoner. Adora swallowed and sighed in satisfaction, smiling, "I sooo missed those!"

"Yeah, right," Catra took a bite of hers, "Like you would choose this stuff over the Rebel food."

"Don't get me wrong, the ration bars are still terrible," Adora remarked. "I feel, I don't know, nostalgia or something from them? Or are they with a new recipe?" She gasped, "Are you trying to poison me?!"

Adora's face remained relaxed even saying something serious like that. However, Catra took it lightly, "Sure, but this is the time to ask that?" The prisoner was almost done with her food, one or two more bites would be enough to clean the plate. If there was any poison - which there wasn't - Adora would be gone by now. "Looks like someone got sloppy, huh."

"Wha- I'm not- Shut up!" Adora said with bright red cheeks. "And don't look at me like that!" She threw her pillow at Catra, trying to rip off the smugness on the Force Captain's face. That attempt was easily avoided as the feline casually leaned to the side and let the pillow hit the wall behind her. Of course, Catra's expression did not change.

A pillow was something a Horde's prisoner would only dream to see, but Catra managed to snag one for Adora. It was not because of how Adora slept the night before, Catra just wanted to show off her position of Force Captain to her former friend. As such, she also brought a spare cot from storage for Adora to sleep on. A risky move, since someone could have caught her, but Catra always knew how to sneak by Fright Zone's structure. Besides, nobody ever comes here anyway, was what she though

"C'mon, you don't need to be embarrassed," Catra tossed the pillow back, "spending time with those princesses is to blame, right?"

"Argh, you don't know how much they are casual about… well, everything!" Adora groaned, laying on her cot. "Like, every time we form a plan, Glimmer and Bow are just 'Let's roll with it!' and then we end up in a worse situation than before, then they tell me to relax, but how can I relax went when we could die just like that?!" She snaps her fingers and sighs, "Sometimes I feel like I am the only one trying to win a war there and… argh…"

After hearing the princess' rant, a sound escaped from Catra's nose. So there were problems in the fairy tale land, it was a thought that she didn't dislike. The Rebellion's lack of defenses was something the Horde took advantage of, but knowing first hand that they that incapable of tactical thinking was funny for the Force Captain. Hugging her knees as she looked over at Adora, Catra said, "That sounds rough. Imagine if Shadow Weaver saw that."

"Oooh, they would be so punished, like, really punished," Adora joked. "Worst then when Kyle failed the exam five times, or when Rogelio and Lonnie were fighting over who would get the wooden staff," She locked eyes with Catra. "It would be that bad."

This time, her laugh was not subtle. Catra took a moment to calm down before, clearing the water on the corner of her eyes before looking at Adora again, "Man, if they are that horrible, why don't you ditch them and come back?"

"Because they are my friends," The deep blue eyes stared right at Catra's, "I care for them and every day is so fun! I'm having the time of my life there!" Adora's words were clear as crystal. No lies, no overcompliments, only her honest opinion, and Catra knew that. Still, it hurt when she was being told this directly.

"So, you think they are better than what we had here?"…Dang it…, it was not a topic she wanted to instigate, but Catra's mouth ran aloof. She could see where that would bring their conversation into, yet she asked anyway.

"You mean when you always brought trouble for us, beat me after our training sessions, scratch me, made me run behind you and we both missed dinner, and not to tell when you were angry for every little thing?" Adora blankly stared at the wide-open eyes of Catra, shocked by the princess' version of their past.

Altho… it is true… isn't it? Catra wanted to rebuke it, but couldn't. She was a brat back then - maybe she was one still - but an emptiness filled her when Catra heard that, casting her head down. Unknowingly, her embrace on her knees was tighter.

"But you know…" Adora's voice caught Catra's attention once again, looking at the prisoner with a sideways glance. "I wouldn't change those memories for nothing in this world."

In the cold cell, Adora had a slightly red face bringing a soft smile that warmed Catra's heart and took her breath away for a second. Catra looked down once more, now with a different reason as her cheeks were burning and her tail swung back and forward. She wouldn't admit it but in that instance, Adora seemed… beautiful.

"Aww, I missed that too!" Adora said with sparkling eyes.

"What?" Catra asked, confused.

"Your purrs," Adora pointed, "you just did one!"

"Wha- I didn't!" Did I? If she had done it, Catra missed it. Adora's expression was sure of it that made Catra doubt herself. She didn't know what was more embarrassing, doing it or not realizing she did it. However, all her thoughts stopped.

Adora was laughing seeing how flushed Catra was. There was something strange in her voice that soothed Catra. It was charming, soft, something that made her relax and her mind drift. Maybe it was because they grew up together, but it just seemed natural to hear Adora's laugh. Like everything was fine.

"Say," Catra approached Adora, "Have you ever thought about… coming back?"

"Hmm," Adora pondered. It was only for a moment, but Catra held her breath until Adora spoke, "Sometimes, things are all… weird, but good weird there, but it still isn't it."

"Really?" Catra was delighted to hear that.

"It just feels something is missing and…" Adora murmured the last part, but it picked Catra's curiosity.

"And what?" Catra leaned forward, getting closer to Adora. Catra did not miss the moment a smirk appeared on Adora's face once she was within her range, realizing what would happen next. Crap! Catra tried to back away, but her reaction was slow.

Adora's arms went around her waist, bringing Catra into her embrace. "Swo gwood!" A satisfied sound came from Adora's lips, muffled since she dug her face on Catra's shoulder as she snuggled against the fur.

"H-H-Hey, cut it out!" Astonished, bashful, and startle, Catra squirmed within Adora's arms, but it was no use. The prisoner's strength kept her in place, and it was Catra's fault. For whatever reason, this Adora was clingy, really clingy. Last night when Catra brought the cot and pillow, she made the mistake of getting near Adora like now and faced the same outcome. After half an hour, Catra managed to slip by and ran away, but only because Adora lost her grip on her.

This time was different. "Seriously, cut it out!" Catra pushed Adora's face away, creating distance between them while she repeated her words in a demanding tone.

"Ah…" Adora said realizing the deadlock they were in, "You buzzkill…" Adora pouted, leaning back against the wall while releasing Catra from her hug.

"Right, as if anyone would enjoy being taken by surprise," Catra said in annoyance, but even she was feeling slightly good by the sudden touch. Weird, but she didn't dislike this weird. Not with Adora. "Dork." A sound escaped from Catra's nose.

"You will be the dork when this is all over," Adora said.

"Sure," Catra responded, "I want to see you try something in those shackles."

"Not here, you dummy!" Adora remarked. Catra looked at the princess, intrigued by what she would say. But what followed was not something she imagined. "I'm talking when the war is over."

"The war?" It was a strange thing to mention. The war was happening ever since they were born, years of winning and losing battles for both sides. Children were growing getting used to the destruction and pain. In a sense, it was natural like breathing air.

"You better believe me, Catra," Adora said with the usual sloppy face, "When I master She-Ra, I will come straight here and bam, pow, kapow Hordak's butt and win!" The way Adora was swinging her arms around when she said that so stupid Catra wanted to roll and laugh, but for some reason, she felt empty, hollow.

Still, Adora continued, not minding Catra state, "Then, Glimmer, Bow, and I will throw a party, a big one! And it will have everything! Candies, snacks, fruits, horses - if they want to or Swift Wind would be very upset and I will not be in the mood for lectures - but more importantly: there will be cake! Also, the…"

The way Adora was so absorbed when she talked, like she was in her own world, seemed so distant. Catra knew Adora was right in front of her, her eyes didn't lie, but she was also out of reach. The paths they choose separated them, Catra knew that but at that moment it felt like they really are away from each other, and it h-

"That seems nice," Catra said with a mask on her face. Before Adora could recover from her monologue, Catra already stood up and walked out of the cell. The last time Catra looked at Adora was when she had finished setting up the force field.

A green wall separated them once again. On one side, a prisoner that was wondering what happened, but quickly smiled and waved her hand, "Bye, Catra! See you later!" Adora's words were cheerful, nothing like any person in those cells.

On the other side, a Force Captain looked back with a wry smile on her face, "Yeah, later." Turning her back, Catra climbed the platform and went up. The slow ride was quiet, even with all the noises Fright Zone made were unheard by Catra.

She did not know why, but Adora's statement bothered her. Was it because they would lose the war? That Adora was so sure She-Ra would win? So many questions flooded in her mind, yet no answer satisfied Catra. Actually, she didn't even think about answers. Just questions and more questions.

Frustrated, Catra clicked her tongue. Whatever, she thought, no like Adora will go anywhere else. In a way, Adora was right. This war would end - as long as she was a prisoner. Bright Moon falling, the Horde winning and taking over Etheria while every rebel was captured. A grin appeared on Catra's face once she imagined that picture.