*Reposted due to Fanfiction not posting as updated for some reason*
A/N: Dear GOD am I exhausted T_T! "Why's that monokub?" Oh not much just the fact I've been up since 6 (5 hours straight) WRITING THIS X_X! (I'm too nice to you guys XP). As side note if anything is wonky in the writing now, you know why ^^
Lol, all honestly I actually enjoyed writing this verily much. The exhausting part comes in how I did all this AND still have the rest of the day i NEED to use for work. I know I said I wouldn't be posting till saturday or sunday but I was, and less be honest everyone else was XP, too excited to see the finale of this episode.
HOOFTAH!
Don't think I got much to say about this one other than the above, but I'm fairly excited about how these will turn out. And dear god this ended up being much longer than I thought it was going to be (once again, I had fun XP so 3-4k turned into 6-7k... I HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM X_X!). Anyway, hope you all enjoy today's episode/last part of the Madame Razz finale!
Enjoy!
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"Come on, we're almost there, Swifty." Catra commented as she saw the castle over the horizon. Her attention lowered down to the horse's face as she heard a questionable whinny coming from him. "What? It's just a nickname. At least be happy I gave you something close to your name compared to Pinky's." The horse let out a gruff-like snort as they continued towards the castle.
There was no way to tell how this meeting with the Queen was going to go. She had yet to master her transformation into She-Ra, knew little to nothing about the sword still, and had an entire life's worth of years serving the Horde under her belt. There wasn't a single thing she had to offer the queen at this point, and at the rate it was going, she never would. The only thing she could possibly offer the queen were her own services, and that was something she wasn't planning to use except as a last resort.
What else could she offer her otherwise? Given how Swift Wind's transformation came about, maybe she could whack her sword a hundred times and give the Queen a flying air force? Even that was under the impression she could get the sword to do the exact same thing without breaking it. For all she knew she probably would end up setting the horses on fire!
But whether this ended somewhere close to good or horrendously, Catra wasn't going to back down. After the last several hours she spent with Madame Razz, the crazy old hag that saved her during her escape from a Rebellion training camp, she came to two great realizations. One, never spend over a minute with a crazy old hag or you'll waste your time! She just kept going on with a whole random assortment of things that half the time Catra wondered if she helped her at all.
However, the other lesson she obtained from her experience was something she found more useful. Up till now, Catra thought She-Ra was her only ace in the hole, the only way she could possibly meet the queen without worrying she could spend the rest of her life in a jail cell. And a part of her was still sure that would be her only salvation. She knew her personality definitely wouldn't win her any marks, unless the queen had a sense of humor, and it didn't help her case when she attacked several soldiers during her escape from the training camp. She thought changing her personality and tactics would improve her appearance, and that almost resulted in her demise a short while ago when she saved Swift Wind.
It was then that she realized there was nothing she could change. She would always be reckless, always find herself snarky, and found herself without a She-Ra to transform into. And as of now, she was perfectly fine with this. There was no need to change the way others would view her or who she was going to look like in front of everyone else. After all they were her best qualities. And if she was going to offer her service to the Rebellion to get her own Kingdom, she wasn't about to change anything either.
She just hoped it would be enough.
...
"Did you find her yet, Bow?" Glimmer asked worriedly, coming across him in the courtyard.
For the last half hour, the two had searched high and low for their new ally after she went missing from the Castle. She was their best chance at turning things around for this war, and for Glimmer, proving to her mother that she was competent. And what could be better than finding a member of the Horde who was willing to defect to the Rebellion and who could transform into the legendary She-Ra, an apparent symbol and warrior from the age of the First Ones?
The minor setback she had was Catra's sudden disappearance from the castle followed by her mother finding out about what she did. She wasn't trusting of the Horde soldier, Glimmer could understand that. What she couldn't understand was why couldn't she give Catra the benefit of the doubt and a chance? She pushed so hard in ordering the soldiers to find, capture, and bring Catra directly to her throne room. Which wouldn't be as bad since that was the plan anyway if it wasn't for the fact she had no idea what she would do if she got her hands on Catra first. Given how angry her mother was, she wouldn't be surprised if she threw Catra away in the deepest dungeon, somewhere so dark Glimmer couldn't teleport herself in or out of.
And that was the best case scenario.
Sadly, her friend gave her a silent frown as he shook his head. "I haven't seen her anywhere. I even checked the surrounding forest on all sides and I found nothing."
"Mmh where is she?" Glimmer fretted. Was she actually a spy all along? Did she come all the way to Bright Moon Castle just to find their location or discover something to report back to the Horde? "Did she say anything to suggest where she might've gone when we last saw her?"
"I don't think so. She just said she needed a few minutes and space to practice transforming-"
"And that's probably what drove her to run into the training camp." Glimmer said finishing his sentence. "There has to be somewhere she would go. Maybe she's still hiding somewhere until the coast is clear?"
"Well how long will that take?" Bow questioned. "She could hide in one spot anywhere between a few minutes to a day or two if she needed it. And I'm pretty sure she'd need it given all the soldiers looking for her."
"What about when you two were going through the back way this morning? Did you tell her of any other secret spots or entrances."
"I wished I did at this point. At least then it would narrow down our searches."
This was bad. Beyond bad. Every minute they spent wondering where she was and searching for her, there was another minute minute increasing the chance the guards would find her. Glimmer could never forgive herself anymore if she ended up getting her new friend captured or worse all because of her selfish desire to make her mother proud.
"Huh?"
"What?" The princess looked back to him as he looked towards the sky.
"What kind of bird is that?"
"A bird?" She looked over in the direction he was facing as she tried to see what he was staring at.
What was that thing? With the sun lowered further it was hard to get a good look at the strange being without the sun blinding them. It looked like some sort of bizarre animal human hybrid as she saw some human-like shape over whatever was flapping their wings. The creature was getting closer to the group as they examined the strange creature. It almost looked like someone was riding atop the beast as it neared them. It was hard to tell, but if Glimmer didn't know any better, she was almost sure she saw-
"Catra?" She spoke out. It was then as she flew out of the sun's rays that the two finally caught a glimpse of their new ally, bringing untold joy and relief to the two as she flew over them, a determined look on her face and the sword of the First Ones firmly in her left hand. "Catra!" She was here! She was okay! It didn't matter to either of them that she was flying what seemed to be some horse creature with rainbow wings. They were just glad their dear friend was all right!
"Hey, Catra!" Bow shouted excitedly as he waved his arms. The rider didn't seem to notice the two as she flew fifty feet over them, maintaining her composure as continued on her way.
"Hey! Catra!" Her happiness changed to confusion as she continued right past them, feeling invisible and neglected compared to whatever else had her attention.
"Where is she going?"
"I don't know. She's just heading towards the... castle..." Both their eyes shot out with panic and worry at the realization, panic filling their minds and hearts respectively. "Oh no... Mom!" Glimmer screamed, running as fast as she could back towards the castle with Bow trailing behind her in a hurry. There wasn't any fear over what would happen to her mom. Quite the opposite, she was worried what her mother would do to Catra once she got there.
...
"We haven't found any trace of her, your majesty." One of the royal guards announced as the Queen stood from her throne.
"Well keep looking, she couldn't have gotten far!" She ordered. There was no telling what a Horde spy could do if they infiltrated their castle. They might've stolen schematics or documents pertaining to their plans, they might've sabotaged whatever experiments or supplies they had on hand. The only thing she knew she didn't mess with was the Runestone, the great majestic gem that presided over Bright Moon that could be seen through the massive archway of the Throne Room.
What made the situation worse for her was the fact her daughter was involved in all of this. Her daughter, Princess of Bright Moon, brought a member of the Horde to the Rebellion without a second thought! Fear and worry was going through her mind endlessly because of this. Her actions could be considered treasonous if word got out about her involvement, and there was only so much Queen Angella herself could do to protect her daughter depending on how much the Horde ruined.
She would gladly take her daughter's place in whatever punishment deemed necessary to maintain the faith and order of her subjects and people, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"I want everywhere checked thoroughly." She continued. "Check the yards, check the forest, check any of the nearby towns. I don't want anyone to stop until this Horde is fou-"
*-ap-flaP-FLAP-*
"Huh?"
*WHOOSH*
The queen braced herself against her wings as she felt the massive gust of wind brush right past her, the dozen guards maintaining their stance and composure as they drew their weapons at the sight of the recent intruder. Unfurling her wings from her person, the Queen's eyes widened at what she saw. Several of the random townspeople were mumbling among themselves, dukes and duchesses alike, at the sight of the unbelievable display.
There, in the center of the room, was a great majestic creature, one who's wings flapped steadily until it lowered itself safely to the ground. On top of the strange creature was the last person she expected to see come to her directly, the last person anyone would expect to come directly to the queen save for a trained or skilled assassin. It was a Horde soldier, dawn in a blood-red vest and an intimidating helmet befitting any member of the Horde. The cat-like qualities were the least concerning part about her, excluding the claws, but what she saw her carrying proved the most troubling.
A massive sword, one befitting any strong warrior. And she carried it all the way into the Throne Room where the Queen herself was located.
"Guards!" The Queen shouted, wasting no time. There was little doubt that this was the very same Horde Glimmer and Bow mentioned, and she was foolish enough to come to the Queen herself.
"W-Wait." Catra called out, lowering herself off the horse. She looked around the room noticing the constant stares of worry, fear, and confusion of the civilians, as well as the angered, protective, expressions of the guards who drew their spears. Sighing to herself, Catra lowered her weapon and her ears a little, ready to resign herself to whatever craziness she was about to go through. "My name is Catra, mam. I didn't come here to cause trouble, I've come to help."
"Guards." The Queen called out again. The guards stood their ground as ordered, though their weapons were still drawn. "I am Queen Angella of Bright Moon, leader of the Rebellion. What business do you have here, Horde?"
"Well, that's kind of the thing." She took a deep breath as she prepared her explanation. "I want to join the Rebellion in their fight against the Horde. I... Don't exactly have a lot of background information for you, but uhh... I got a sword of the First Ones, if that counts for something." Numerous whispers and comments were drowned out by Catra, the girl keeping her focus solely on the Queen.
There was something slightly amusing from a Horde that flew in on a rainbow-winged unicorn that came to make an audience with the Queen. And very foolish. "I heard about a Horde my daughter brought with her to Bright Moon. Am I to assume you are the one she was referring to?"
"Tch, no, that's a completely different Horde she mentioned. I just bumped into him and stole his sword on the way here." She joked. The fact her demeanor or facial expression didn't change at all sent a slight shiver down Catra's spine. If anything, she actually looked a little angrier at Catra's amusement.
So much for a sense of humor.
"I mean yes, lady- err your highness." She corrected herself appropriately. The Queen already seemed to be without a sense of humor, and like with Shadow-Weaver, Catra knew when and when not to push her luck.
"She also mentioned this soldier could transform herself into the legendary She-Ra from ancient times. I take it that's also you?" Like previously, this comment was met with several murmurings from the surrounding viewers. And a twinge of worry from Catra as her heart sped up a little.
"Err... Yeah, I mean...Well I kinda can... I did it once... A-And I saved your daughter and her friend when I did!"
"I question that." The Queen wasted no time getting to the point. "For all we know, you really are a spy or possibly another member of the Horde that tracked the real defector all the way here." The way the Queen managed to announce all of this firmly and without hesitation scared Catra a little. She was direct, firm, and blunt about everything she needed and wanted to know. "If you truly are who you claim to be, then show us. Transform into the mighty She-Ra before all of us."
This was it. Do or die, and hopefully not literally. She raised her sword to her face as she stared at her reflection blinking back to her. She could see the nervousness in her reflection that she could feel in her eyes, the small twitch of her ears as her heart began to race faster by the second. This was what it all came down to.
On the Queen's end of things, she needed to see this. She had very little doubt that this was the self-proclaimed defector that Glimmer mentioned, but it wasn't enough to convince her mother. She-Ra was a symbol of both power and hope in the ages past, and only those with a noble heart could draw upon the sword's power. Catra's transformation would be the ultimate key to determining which side she was on, and it would prove that Catra truly wished to aid the Rebellion and wasn't just spouting lies.
Even if she was just doing it for the opportunity to obtain her very own kingdom.
Thus, the room went silent as everyone watched the soldier raise her sword to the sky.
"For the Honor of Grayskull!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
No... Catra tensed a little as she held the sword. You can't be serious.
She couldn't believe it. She just could not believe. After all she's been through, all the pain she went through emotionally and physically, all the annoying things she had to put up with through her time and the hardships in her life, and she still couldn't catch a break. There was nothing emanating from the sword. No light, no She-Ra, not even a single spark.
What was she missing? She thought she gained some semblance of peace, some means of transforming into She-Ra. Something even told her she could transform into She-Ra if she tried hard enough. Here she was standing in the middle of a Throne Room in the middle of several dozen people, a dozen highly trained guards, and an angry Queen staring her down.
How could it get any harder than that?!
The murmurings became silent as Queen herself looked unsurprised. "Typical." She scoffed a little. "A Horde soldier could never truly change no matter what they say. Your actions and words may have fooled my daughter, but they will not fool me."
"Wait, y-your majesty! Just give me a chance to-" The panic in her voice was obvious, whether to the failure of her transformation or what will befall her remained unknown.
"Enough!" The Queen barked. "You've made a mockery of this castle and to the First Ones themselves. Guards, take her away." As ordered, the guards all along the edges of the room slowly drew closer to Catra with every step. Swift Wind himself snorted angrily as he tapped his foot across the ground like an angry bull, ready to protect his savior with his life if the guards got close enough.
As for Catra herself, she was drawing a total blank. What was she to do now? She was wanted by the Horde, and the Rebellion hated her guts. Even if she ran away she would never be welcomed by anyone ever again! The other princess' kingdoms wouldn't welcome a member of the Horde, regardless of their affiliation to the Rebellion, and even if they did she had no desire to stay in one spot for the rest of her life. She felt like an alien on a completely foreign planet, one who was an outcast to everything around her!
There was nothing that could save her here. No hope. No She-Ra. Nothing.
*CREEEEAK*
"Mother, stop!" All eyes turned towards the door as it let out a loud creak, followed by Glimmer's sudden appearance. The Queen herself rose from her Throne at the surprise.
"Glimmer?" By the time Catra could so much as blink, Glimmer already teleported in a flash of purple light, just as Bow ran through the door, to her mother's side.
"Mom, please, don't do this!" She pleaded grabbing both her hands.
"Glimmer, we'll discuss this later, but for right now-"
"No! Not later, mom!" Glimmer shouted again, shaking her head. "I know you're just trying to protect me but you don't have to anymore!"
"And why's that?" Angella asked with genuine curiosity.
"Because I trust her now! One-Hundred percent! Just like you told me I needed!" The Queen found herself taken back by this remark at the same time as Catra did, sharing her surprise and disbelief with the Queen.
"She... trusts me?" Catra muttered to herself.
"Of course she does, why wouldn't she?" Bow remarked, standing at her side. "Your majesty, you have to at least give her a chance. Even if she can't transform into She-Ra she can still be a valuable ally to the Rebellion!"
"Glimmer, Bow, I understand your reasoning, but you can't just let a single action persuade your views." The Queen stated. "If she can't even be true to herself, then what chance is there that she could be true to the Rebellion?"
"True to... myself?" As the mother continued to talk, Catra found herself echoing the last words she spoke. Her entire being shifted to her past encounter with Madame Razz, remembering the exact words she mentioned.
"But she could never face herself. No matter how much pain she was in, or how happy she seemed, she was always frightened of how the world saw her."
"I know you fear being abandoned."
"You know what I think? I think you're too scared to embrace what you are because you don't know what will happen next."
When she came back to reality, she found herself staring into the sword again, meeting the same solemn, saddening, look that always stared back at her.
I... I'm...afraid. She finally admitted to herself. I'm afraid of what I'm getting into... She looked off to the side as she saw Bow shouting. I'm afraid I'm going to mess something up... Everything around her was muted she was so deep into thought. All she knew was that these two were fighting for her. I'm afraid of letting them down... And... And I'm... I'm afraid they'll leave me once I disappoint them...
It was weird. Too weird. These saddening thoughts weren't affecting her the same way they should've been. As opposed to feelings of remorse, or just flat-out sadness, she felt differently. She felt her heart beat with a strange sense of courage, for the first time in awhile, as she spoke to herself. It felt strange. It was cold but comforting. Hot yet soothing. She felt a strange sense of strength and relief for the first time that she's never felt in ages.
But I'm not afraid to keep pushing! And it was then that a single pang echoed through her chest, calling out to her to raise her sword as the others continued to shout.
"FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKUUUULL!"
Then, it happened.
All went silent before her as Catra was engulfed in a brilliant pillar of light, Bow backing away as well as the horse as the light enveloped her.
All around her lights of a dazzling displayed danced across the scenery as her entire body shimmered with a sparkling glow, save for her eyes that remained pure light. With the humming of her sword, she brought sword to her face along with her illuminated hand, crossing them side by side until they formed an X in front of her.
With a silent breath, she began pulling the sword and claw against each other on opposite ends, scraping her claws against the mighty blade which danced with a sparkling light. As she did, little by little her outfit changed into a majestic white color, growing little by little along her body as she pulled the blade away from her claw. By the time her claw reached the end of her sword, her entire outfit had finished changing, now sporting a white colored vest with a yellow light image bursting from the center of a light-blue gem, along with a white colored short skirt across her waist.
Finally, she brought her empty hand to her face. She held it there as a golden light enveloped both her wrists, forming a beautifully golden set of bracelets. As a final piece, slowly pulling her hand away from her face as her helmet changed to a golden color, the spikes on the end growing several inches longer as they curved out against her form, just as golden pads stretched from the shoulders.
With this, her transformation had come to an end, and She-Ra had been formed.
The room was filled with various gasps of shock and surprise, everyone staring in awe and wonder at what they had just witnessed. Here she was, a former-Horde soldier named Catra, who had just transformed into the mighty She-Ra in numerous details. Her outfit had changed, her stance seemed more determined, and a faint golden glow shined from the soldier. She was no longer a member of the Horde from the views of the citizens, nor a monster to the eyes of the guards that the Queen ordered them to capture.
She was a Symbol of the Rebellion.
It was then that Catra finally snapped back to reality herself, eyes widening as she looked around her being. She couldn't believe it. She could seriously not believe it! Was it a dream? Was she hallucinating? Was this just some stupid vision the sword constantly annoyed her with? She pinched herself just to make sure nothing around her was fake, the joy coming off her so grand that she couldn't even form a smile.
"Hey, you did it!" Bow cheered with excitement.
"I... I did it?" Words could not describe what she was feeling at this moment. Phenomenal? Sensational? She could not tell for the life of her what she was supposed to be feeling. All she knew was that the sword had FINALLY worked after all this time.
"You did it!" Glimmer shouted over.
Queen Angella herself was struck with disbelief. Glimmer was right. Bow was honest. Neither of them lied to her or mislead her. Here she was, the form of She-Ra displayed right in front of her very eyes. It didn't matter if her whole appearance didn't resemble the She-Ra she knew about, noticing a distinct lack of height and the lack of a flowing red cape, but everything else was word for word. There was no way anyone could fake the form of She-Ra in this world, and even if they did, the mesmeric light would never shine over someone so evil.
Everything they said was true. Catra was here to help.
"Guards, clear the room." She continued before Glimmer could voice a possible complaint. "I wish to speak to this... She-ra, alone."
*tug*
She looked down as she found her daughter's arms wrapped around her waist, Glimmer pushing her chin into her with a warm smile. "Thank you mother! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" The Queen smiled in turn as she wrapped her arms around her head.
"You're welcome sweetheart." She found herself being pulled slightly closer as Glimmer whispered in her ear.
"And thanks for giving her a hint." Angella smiled all the same to this.
Her daughter was smart. Too smart for her. She was all too aware of her mother's sly remark about Catra being "true to herself". She was just thankful she acknowledged this quietly between the two to avoid possible embarrassment. It proved alone that her mother had a lot more trust in Glimmer's words than she was willing to display.
With a wink to her mom, she made her way back to Bow and Catra with a smile. "Good luck!" With a simple wave, not wishing to waste any more time so Catra could speak with her mother, Glimmer nodded over to Bow as she walked off with the rest of the civilians.
"Good job, Catra." Bow congratulated again, patting her on the back before following behind Glimmer.
By the time the room was emptied, all that remained were Queen Angella, Catra/She-Ra, and several of her close personal guards. The horse also trotted off through the large doors, though it was more comfortable and certain that Catra would be fine. With one final smile to the horse, Catra turned her attention to the Queen of Bright Moon, the Queen, once again, looking unamused as she sat back in her throne. There was an awkwardness filling the air as Catra scratched her cheek. After waiting what felt like an eternity to her, Catra finally spoke
"So! Um... am I in the Rebellion now?"
"It would seem that way." The Queen confirmed.
"Phew." That was the best sigh Catra ever felt. She felt like hundreds of literal pounds were lifted off her shoulders. Then again with the sword's empowerment, she probably could lift hundreds of pounds without breaking a sweat. "Great, glad that's taken care of. So I don't know if Pinky told you yet, but-"
"Pinky?"
"Err your daughter, I mean." She restated. "Anyway, when I agreed to do all this, I also did it under the agreement that-"
"You'll get your Kingdom." Catra didn't know what surprised her more. How quickly the Queen cut her off or how emotionless she sounded when she did.
"Wh-Really?" That was easier than she thought.
"Yes. I should inform you though that the amount of land to call your own is limited, even more now thanks to the Horde's efforts. With things being the way they are, the best possible solution I can provide for you is offering you the Fright Zone, once the Horde is taken care of."
"T-T-That's great!"
Were there angels in the background? Because that sounded like paradise to Catra! Her eyes light up with stars, sparkling as brightly as her helmet-like Tiara was. She could not ask for a better case scenario, heck, she preferred it that way! What better way to get back at everyone who mocked her than ruling the land they currently stand in?! She was going to look down at everyone who mocked her and picked on her from her own special throne, surrounded only by the best of the best, and Adora, ruling at her si-
"However," the Queen continued, interrupting her fantasy, "be aware that as of now, you are a member of the Rebellion. That means you will be forced to possibly fight against old friends and comrades. Are you prepared for that?"
While it felt like a trick question, Catra gave a firm nod to this. The only one who would give her hesitation at any point was Adora herself, and what was the possibility she would run into her on a constant basis? And even then, it's not like the two would end up fighting every time they met up. For all she knew, the minute they met up again, Adora would gladly join her!
"Yes mam." She replied.
"Good," the temperature in the room felt lower as the Queen stood from her throne, "because now I want to make one thing clear." It felt like the weight of the world was slowly coming on top of Catra as the Queen walked over to her. She felt like her body was being pushed down from her sheer presence, her ears drooping further and further and her tail slowly coming to a stop as the figure loomed over her.
"I don't trust you, cat. Not even a little. The only reason you're not spending the rest of your remaining life in a stockade at this point is because my daughter trusts you. She trusts you, and that's as much trust as I'm willing to throw at you." Catra nearly jumped as she grabbed her cheeks, puckering them tightly as she lowered her head towards her. "So I will be watching you, got it? And if you do anything do anything to betray that trust, raise suspicion, cause doubt, or even disappoint her in any way," it was like staring into a black void as Catra was forced to look into her eyes, "I will make whatever nightmare you fear most look like paradise compared to what I will do to you. Are we clear!?"
"Y-Yesh mam." She muttered through her puckered lips. At this, the Queen released her grip from her as she made her way to the door, guards following behind her. Catra was still rubbing her cheeks as she made her way to the door. She didn't even find humor at the sight when she opened the door to find Bow and Glimmer falling to the ground, the duo having pressed their ears against the door to eavesdrop.
Wow. Just wow. She never thought she would see the day. She never thought it'd be possible! But here it was, right as rain and standing in front of her!
She actually found someone who scared her worse than Shadow-Weaver.
Thankfully those thoughts of horror were brought to an abrupt end as Glimmer instantly teleported over to her side, squeezing the life out of her as she threw her arms around her.
"You did it!" She cheered, unaware of the pain it was causing Catra to her sore back. She was still too rattled from the Queen's threat to consider pushing Glimmer off of her, worried of the off chance she could give her so much as a sliver of a cut by accident.
"Erk. And apparently we're hugging." She squeaked.
"Way to go!" Bow's seemingly-friendly expression of joining in on this hug as he wrapped his arms around Catra and Glimmer at the same time. This just went to worsen Catra's pain, her eyes widening at the increased and crushing hug.
"Ok, too much hugging! TOO MUCH HUGGING!" She squealed louder. Both Glimmer and Bow gave an apologetic smile as they let go of her, giving her some breathing space.
"Sorry. But you should be happy! You finally transformed!" Glimmer reminded.
"How'd you do it, anyway?" Bow wondered. There was no way she was going to go into a full sappy story of detail about everything she went through. She's had a long enough day as it was and she wasn't planning on recounting everything she just did.
"Meh, you know." She boasted, twirling the sword in her hand with pride. "Some people are just more skilled than others. That's just the burden I have to live with."
"Oh, really?" Glimmer smirked with her hands at her side. "So you weren't just worried about us or anything like that?"
"What you?" She scoffed playfully. "You were mommy's girl, Pinky. She wouldn't do anything to you. And I assume Bow since he's allowed to roam the castle."
"Oh, ha ha ha." Bow laughed in a sarcastic tone, throwing his head side to side as he did.
There was a brief moment as Catra went silent again, looking to the ground as she held the sword behind her neck in both arms. "But um..." Glimmer and Bow were curious as she continued. As much as she hated to admit it, she did owe them one. "If it's all the same... um... thanks and stuff... for having my back, I guess." Looking back to each other, the two grinned again as they turned back to Catra.
"Was that the sound of appreciation I heard, Bow?" She asked teasingly.
"Gee, if I didn't know any better, it almost sounded friendly." Bow added.
"Gh!" Catra nearly choked at the comment, a small blush forming on her cheeks. "T-That doesn't make us friends, thank you!" She stammered. "It just means that you're... slightly less annoying than I thought you were gonna be!"
"Do you find us less annoying cause you consider us friends now?" He continued to tease.
"Ok now you're getting annoying again..."
"Heh, sorry." He knew better than to push his luck.
"Why don't we head to the Dining Room to celebrate?" Glimmer suggested. "We can get some cake or ice cream or something. Your call."
"What the heck is cake and ice cream?" Neither of the two knew how to respond. There was no words to describe what kind of horrible life style one would have to live without knowing of the existence of the two greatest foods across the Universe!
"Oh man, you are missing OUT!" Bow shouted enthusiastically, leading the two to the door.
"Just you wait, you won't believe how good it is!" Glimmer already slurped her lips at the mere thought of food.
As much as she hated to admit it, Catra found this to be... nice. Not just this but everything that's happened.
She found a cause that seemed more like they wanted her than just accepted her, she found the means to make her biggest dream come true, she finally, after the most painfully obnoxious day of her life, transformed into She-Ra, and despite what a bad taste it left in her mouth and her mind to think it... she actually made something close to friends. She still found their strange quirks rather annoying but they were... tolerable to her, to say the least. And best of all, everything came together in the end! No matter how reckless she got, how temperamental she was, she managed to pull through in the end and everything worked out! It was definitely a stressful gamble, to say the least, but one that proved things could work out as long as she pushed hard enough!
There was just one thing on her mind now after all of this.
"Um... guys?" She called for their attention. She gestured to her entire self as she spoke. "How do I turn this off?"
...
...
"Ghhhhhh!"
*SPLASH*
Shadow-Weaver grumbled as she splashed the image in the water before her.
Unbeknownst to the three almost-friends, their little meeting wasn't being held privately. Not just the get together they were having now, the entire scene between Catra and the Queen herself since the two met.
Despite every precaution she took, every assertive approach she had, and every counter-measure she insisted upon, somehow, some way, Catra still managed to get the sword, unlock She-Ra's power, and joined the Rebellion. She thought the Queen herself would've taken care of the job for her of disposing of Catra in whatever way, yet she proved too soft-hearted in the end too. It didn't matter to her how much she managed to unlock from the sword, what worried her was the fact she managed to do it at all in the first place!
"That stupid fleabag is being a thorn in my side." She hissed to herself as her hair flailed angrily. At the very least, it was Catra who found the sword. Manipulating her emotions would prove far easier in the end. She was nothing but a useless little kitten pretending to play hero. Besides, at least she still had-
*Shoom*
"Adora?" The sound of the mechanical doors opening drew her attention. There she was, her pride and joy, walking into the room with a look of unease on her face. She knew she wasn't here to deliver news that would disappoint her, the look on her face with her head lowered and as she twiddled her thumbs assuring her any news she had was good news.
Good for her, at least.
"So," she began to speak slightly nervous, "I... I took a look at everything, and..."
"Yes, dear?" Shadow-Weaver dissipated the image in the water entirely before hovering over to her. There was so much in Adora's expression that she was drawing comfort in. The nervous look, the tense There wasn't anything wrong with it. "Everything checked out, word for word. The weapons were found and confiscated from Thaymor. Even development and research notes were found apparently." It was still too painful to imagine the numerous towns the princesses force them to attack just to defend themselves. "Shadow-Weaver, I'm... I'm sorry I-"
"No, no, don't trouble yourself, my sweet Adora." She shushed gently as she tried to embrace her in a hug. "I know it's a painful reality, but you'll come to understand why we have to-"
"No!" Adora quickly yelled as she pulled back. "I don't care what the mission is, we shouldn't be attacking innocent towns and civilians, it's not worth the lives we take!" Shadow-Weaver was taken aback by this, maintaining her composure.
"But Adora, don't you understand? It's necessary to defeat the princesses. To bring unity and balance to Etheria, you know that's always been our goal."
"But we can't keep attacking people who are just trying to live their lives! There has to be a better way than this Shadow-Weaver, please!" Adora cried out as she embraced Shadow-Weaver in a hug this time. Shadow-Weaver watched as she cried silently into her stomach, the witch still hovering high enough that she was forced to. While she still remained silent at it, she could tell there were tears coming from Adora's face, the sniffling slipping out of the young girl's cry here and there. This is what she loved about her dear Adora. She was filled with such an innocent spark.
It just made breaking that spark so much more fun.
"Oh, my sweet, sweet, Adora." She soothed, wiping her face a little as she took Adora's face into her hands. "You've had such an exhausting day, filled with so much sorrow, so much betrayal." As if Adora needed that little reminder. She still lost the only friend she's ever known and she doesn't even know why. "I'll tell you what, dear. I'll find you the proof you need to show you that sacrifice is necessary. Until then, I'll withhold all missions and deployment, so you won't have to worry about the people out there."
Adora sniffled again as she wiped the tears in her own sleeve. "Y-You promise?"
"Of course, Adora." If it wasn't for the traumatic day Adora's had and the numerous lies she's been thrown at since this day began, she would've been far more suspicious of Shadow-Weaver's possible lie. But after everything she's been through, she resigned herself to the words of someone close.
"Thank you Shadow-Weaver." She thanked with another quick hug. She coughed a little to clear her throat, standing at attention as a good soldier should with her hands to her side. "I-In that case, I think I should return to my quarters to rest a bit. I've had a long day."
"Take as much time as you need, sweetie. You've definitely earned it." With a nod, Adora gave a firm salute before she headed for the door. "Oh, and Adora?" She called out again, stopping the young girl. "I've spoken to Lord Hordak about your first mission. Despite the call off, he wanted me to let you know he's very proud and impressed with your results." The teen said nothing to this, just a small smile and a nod as she left.
With the room empty again, Shadow-Weaver made her way over to her ultimate possession, the Black Garnet, the very thing that empowered her. It was magnificent, radiant, and beautiful, just like her little Adora.
It's funny when she thought about how smugglers are paid to bring things out of a city, yet the one she hired was paid to bring stuff in. She has to admit, she was surprised he even managed to bring around weapon and shield documents to the city too. It made her lie that much more convincing. It's too bad she had to remove said individual when it came time to pay for his services, otherwise she would've gladly enlisted him again.
Nothing was going to stop her from bringing about Adora's rise to greatness. She was willing to destroy anything she found unnecessary.
And right now, she found a troubling cat very unnecessary...
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A/N: And we come to the end of episode 3 ^^...and it only took us 10 or so chapters...dear god this is going to be a long fanfic XP. Ah, honestly everything after this will be a bit more towards the series. It'll be a good while before we get to another episode that differs so much like this one did with the scenes (like the scene above here? this was just from like 2 minutes of the show and then some).
And again, had fun with this. I especially liked writing out Catra's transformation scene, which you should get used to as I will be showing it off a bit more here and there ^^
And as previously stated, I am looking for someone to add scenes for the intro, any and all takers are welcome :D! With that said, see you guys next episode which WILL be sunday cause i got work tomorrow early and unless i get cut, it'll be till near 4 when I get back home, meaning i'll only have 3-4 hours to work before i get exhausted and sleeping for same shift following day.
Anyway, with that said, hope you all enjoyed this episode as much as I did! Leave a like, fave, and review if you enjoyed!