A/N: Hey folks, MK here as always ^^! Not much to say here so there's going to probably be several paragraphs as always XP.
Bit of a shorter chapter this time around- side from thinking it's alright given the last massive chapter I posted, just felt like the right place to cut off at the end for the first part. Thanks as always for the constant support from everyone and I hope you continue to enjoy the episode regardless of it's length.
Enjoy!
(Woot woot, actually wasn't much to say this time ^^!)
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...
"Nooooooo!" Catra cried out as her claws scraped against the rugs.
*skreeeeeek!*
"Nnnggghhh! Come on!" Glimmer grumbled as she continued dragging her by separate feet with Bow.
"I don't wanna!"
*skreeeeeek!*
"You said you would help us on the mission, remember?" Bow grunted as he pulled her inch by inch.
"I said you needed a captain, I never said I would go with you!"
*skreeeeeek!*
This is the annoyance the two found themselves in for the last fifteen minutes.
A week ago Catra began her first mission with Bow and Glimmer. It was nothing more than a simple delivery mission to provide provisions and resources to the kingdom of Plumeria, after the Horde had cut them off and drained their land of materials. It was one of the first missions Catra took part of since joining the Rebellion and the results were... still something she was processing throughout the last week.
As of this morning, the three of them found themselves on another mission that Glimmer had proposed at the last Council Meeting. Knowing that the princesses united would be the greatest fighting force the Rebellion needed to turn this war around, she proposed a diplomacy mission to Salineas, the kingdom known for it's great naval fleet and bountiful fish, in order to recruit the next princess into their cause.
Needless to say, the mother was a little less than skeptical about everything. She was outraged to hear about the details of the last mission, specifically one involving Glimmer and Bow pretending to be prisoners captured by Catra so they could infiltrate the Horde base, all for the sake of destroying a machine that was sucking the life out of the forest of Perfuma's kingdom. While she was relieved and overjoyed to hear everything turned out all right, the idea that Catra endangered her daughter even further made trusting her a bit more complicated.
Still, they knew if the princess alliance was restored then there would be a chance to fight back against the threatening Horde, no matter what grievances she had against the ex-Horde. So, despite her better judgement, provided with Glimmer's encouragement, she allowed the three of them to partake in this next mission to the Salineas Gate, all for the sake of recruiting the princess Mermista, and bringing her into the Rebellion.
The details themselves involving the mission were pretty simple too, so things were looking up for awhile! They knew they'd be safer if Catra/She-Ra went with them, they knew they needed to find a glorious sea vessel as well as where to find it, and they realized they needed to find a mighty sea captain that could direct sail them to the heart of the heart of Salineas itself with relative ease. Things were looking great!
There was just one small problem two of the three were currently dealing with- Catra.
Almost immediately upon realizing she was actually going to be joining them on the mission, the hero-in-training looked as if she had a massive heart attack, bolting back to her room after the meeting was adjourned and locking the door shut. Unfortunately for her, doors and locks proved ineffective when you were dealing with a princess that could teleport. For whatever reason, reasons that became obvious when they remembered her cat-like qualities, Catra had no interest in the slightest to join them on their voyage through the ocean in the middle of the sea to some place she's never been to before.
Since then Catra found herself being dragged forcefully throughout the castle as she sunk her front claws as deeply as she could get them into the rugs, refusing to budge an inch and forcing them to spend the last fifteen minutes dragging the cat through the castle on a mission they technically started half an hour ago!
"Catra come on, you're acting childish." Glimmer grumbled.
"Oh, really? Maybe we should see how you react if someone threatened to toss you into a volcano!" Catra hissed back. "I'd like to see you willingly go along with it!"
"Ok, now you're just exaggerating. Nothing bad is going to happen, the seas are totally safe!" No matter how calmly she spoke, it did nothing to erase Catra's fears. "You can swim, can't you?"
"Of course I can, Pinky," it was one of the basic necessities that were taught to all the children, "I just really hate water. I don't know how cold water is to you guys but being soaked in it myself is like being thrown into a freezer!"
"Come on, Catra, just think about it." She looked back as Bow gave her a comforting look. "We're going to the land of Salineas! Vast open seas, plenty of fresh air, and, Salineas has all the best fish you could eeeeeeat~"
"Really... you're going to try that..." Catra spoke completely unamused. "Duh, ok, why don't we sing songs on the boat while we're at it?"
"Yeah!"
"For the love of..." If it wasn't for the fact they were the only thing keeping Catra along the ground, she would've happily facepalmed with one of her hands.
Glimmer herself was starting to get annoyed with the situation. Every minute they wasted was another minute something else could be happening and another opportunity for the Horde to launch an attack on one of their allies! After what happened with Perfuma's kingdom, there was no telling what they could try to pull off next!
And despite her better judgement, she knew they needed Catra. Not just for the mission in and of itself, but to actually go on the mission in the first place! If she didn't have Catra with her, her mother would've been less than agreeable with Glimmer going out into the open sea with just Bow in the first place. On top of that, they still needed She-Ra's power and appearance to convince the other princesses to join them, at the very least increase the chance of them coming along.
With time being of the essence, as well as the untimely embarrassment this was causing for her and Bow with the numerous guards they passed along the way, Glimmer found herself left with little choice.
She had to use the secret weapon.
"You know what? You're right. You don't have to come with us at all." Glimmer announced with a smile, dropping Catra's foot. Both her and Bow looked back to her in disbelief at that.
"I... don't?" She wanted nothing more than to believe everything she was hearing. The only problem was who she was hearing it from.
"Nope. Not at all. Come on, Bow." Bow looked back between the two of them as Glimmer dragged him along. He knew she was up to something, he just had no idea what.
Something was wrong here. Glimmer never let Catra have her way, at least not as much of the way as Catra wanted it. She always commented and yelped at every little thing Catra did around the castle, from climbing atop the balconies from the outside, climbing the drapes across the walls when she found a perch with a great view, and nagged her to no end about putting her feet on the table in the middle of meals. The annoyance came to no end!
Now, she was offering to let Catra have her way for once in every way she wanted, going off and telling her how she would leave without her too. What on Etheria was she planning?
"Ok, I'll bite, what are you doing?" Catra demanded to know as she got up and caught up to them.
"Oh, nothing, nothing." Her mouth and her facial expression was telling Catra two different things. "I figured if you're going to be like this the entire way to Salineas we might as well let you stay here."
"Y-Yeah, you should!" She smiled proudly.
"Yup, this is all your call." She nodded back. "You're the one in charge, and you are She-Ra after all so who are we to say no?"
She bumped Bow with her elbow a little to give him the same idea. "Huh? O-Oh, yeah! We can't force you to do anything you don't want to, so who are we to argue."
"Mhhm!" Catra nodded crossing her arms. "It's about time you dweebs learned who's in charge here!"
"And we most certainly did." The princess replied with a small curtsy. "So you can stay here in Bright Moon Castle by yourself and my mother while we continue the mission."
"Ha, you're darn right you should..." A vast amount of color and glee drained from Catra's face as her ears drooped. "Wait... what?"
"What? You didn't think you'd be here by yourself, did you?" Of all the things Glimmer could remind her of, this was the last thing she wanted! "It'll just be you... my mom... in a castle... along with all of her royal guards. Knowing her she probably won't allow you to leave the castle either, which means you'll be forced to spend some quality time with her here and there."
It was at that time Catra finally realized what she was doing. She couldn't believe someone like her would stoop so low either. "...You wouldn't..."
"Wouldn't what? I'm not doing anything. I'm just reminding you that you won't be alone around here." There was evilness behind those sparkling eyes, Catra just knew it. "If it makes you feel any better, we shouldn't be gone for that long."
"Yeah!" Bow joined in. "I'm sure we'll be back in a couple days, if not a few weeks. But, oh..." He looked semi-worriedly to Glimmer. "If we got lost at sea, we might be gone for months on end!"
"Oh, that would just be terrible! We could be gone for nearly a year before we ever made it back. And my mom would probably be so mad at whoever let us go off on our own. I've seen her give lectures that lasted for literal days, and hoo boy, they aren't pretty." She shook her head at this in exaggeration. She knew of Catra's two great est weaknesses other than water: Her mother, and getting talked down to by her mother.
Neither of them cared about the twitching brow of death Catra was glaring at them with. Catra has never felt more hatred and contempt for anyone in her life than she does at this very moment. Here she was, She-Ra, ex-member of the nefarious Horde, the person that would've probably cut these two on numerous occasions if they were all in the Fright Zone, being blackmailed by two of her so-called "allies".
"So basically, you're threatening me by saying I either have to go with you or I have to spend who knows how long with your mother?" Catra stated bluntly.
"Threatening? No, I would never threaten anyone. I'm just pointing what may or may not possibly happen around here while we're gone. And you know how easy it is to anger my mother half the time, right?"
"Why are there claw marks all over the hallways?!" As if on queue, the three looked passed Catra in the direction of the Queen's voice, the forcefulness and anger of it already sending chills across Catra's body. So now she found herself with all of the above concerns involving Glimmer's mother, including another thing her mother could get angry about, like the claw marks Catra made when she was forcefully dragged through half the castle. "Catraaaaaaaaaaa!"
She had no choice.
"...I really really hate you."
"I know."
...
...
The intro starts with Shadow Weaver in the Black Garnet chamber spying and glaring at a image of Catra. Than the image dives into the water of her scrying spell.
~ We're on the edge of greatness ~
Where we have Catra at Bright Moon looking both determined and forlorn out into the distance.
~ turning darkness into light ~
A scene of kid Catra and kid Adora training together in the fright zone under Shadow Weaver. Before being replaced with a image of Adora glaring at a heart broken looking Catra who's on her knees across a battlefield.
~ We're right beside you ~
But than Glimmer and Bow teleport to Catra side raising her spirit back up, as shown with her surprise blinking when Gimmer offers her a hand, than she smirks accepting the help as she takes the lead ahead of them.
~ Ready to Fight! ~
Catra raises her sword, transforming into She-Ra in a glorious flash of light
~ (fight, fight, fight fight) ~
Then She-Ra rushes off into battle with Glimmer and Bow following right behind her.
~ We're gonna win in the end! ~
Mermista rises out of a tide, blasting Horde soldiers with water.
~ We must be strong, And we must be brave ~
Perfuma burst from the ground, capturing and tying up Horde soldiers with vines.
~(we must be brave) ~
Frosta rides an entire wave of frozen water, freezing Horde tanks in their tracks.
~ We're gonna find every bit of strength that we have ~
The scene shifts to Hordaks throne room where the evil shadowy figure sits upon his throne, his red glowing eyes being the only noticeable part of him, surrounded by notable members of the Horde, consisting of Adora and Catra's squadron, Shadow Weaver, Adora, Scropia, and even Entrapta.
~ and never let go ~
The scene shifts to an epic clash between Catra and Adora, the She-Ra gritting her teeth as she presses her sword against Adora's electrical baton, as the Force Captain herself grins with chaotic excitement as the red jewel from her headband shines.
~ (Oh ah Oh) ~
Adora and Catra push each other off as they back up into their friends- Entrapta and Scorpia for Adora, and for Catra Bow and Glimmer.
~ We must be STRONG! ~
The scene ends with a final shot of both sides looking across the field, a transparent image of Catra and Adora's faces filling the sky as the colors are split between them;
A majestic darkness shining into light upon Catra's side, and a horrid light seeping into darkness on Adora's half.
...
...
Seaworthy Cantinas, the greatest establishment in the history of merkind.
Whenever one had troubles or woes to deal with, the average person turned to their favorite beverage down at one of these places. The present one located right off the cliffside of a dock yard, the trio of diplomats made their way through the doors as they continued their search for a ship with a stalwart captain.
They couldn't just go with any run of the mill kind of captain either. They needed someone who looked like they knew the sea like the back of their hand, but also didn't seem vile enough to hold malicious intent. While the cantinas tended to attract customers of all shapes and lifestyles, they were almost always occupied by at least one or two sea captain that could brave the mighty seas and it's many terrors.
If there was ever a time one needed to find themselves a moment of peace, or those looking for mercenaries or allies of any alignment, the cantina was the solution to all of life's greatest problems. It was also home to a dozen or so cutthroats half the time but thankfully, as the evening light was still over their world, they had little to fear for the time. .. hopefully.
Peaceful or not there were still plenty of ruffians to go around. From merman and merfolk just having a good time and refreshing drinks with each other, to other brigandes and thieves matching wits and cards against each other in a manly game of Go Fish. While there wasn't anything to too ominous or worrying about the partygoers, nevertheless, the group remained cautious as they examined the great house of fun.
"This is so cool!" Bow squealed at the sight of the awesome-looking place. How could he not be excited to be in the same room as dozens of other shipwrights and captains, regardless of who was hitting each other after losing a card game! "Seaworthy is just like I imagined it! Everyone here looks just like a pirate."
"Focus, Bow!" Glimmer clicked her fingers to grab his attention. "We're here to find a sea captain."
"No pirates?'
"No pirates."
"Arrr..." He moaned drooping his arms.
"I don't see what the big deal is between one or the other." Catra commented, trying to ignore the hungering smell of fish. "If we need to get to Salineas why not just pick one?" Her eyes shifted to the side as something caught her curiosity.
"Yeah, see!" Bow brightened at the agreeable magicat. "Catra has the right idea!"
"Ok, you, never agree with Catra!" She told him before turning her attention to the other party member. "And we can't risk asking a pirate for help when we don't even know if they'll betray us or not."
"Uhhh hello? Who cares if they'll betray us or not?" She grinned pulling out her sword. "She-Ra here, remember? I can handle any of these guppies with one arm."
"Yeah, and how are we going to navigate the ship then without their help?" All the enthusiasm Catra had quickly dropped along with her ears at the realization.
"Oh yeah..."
Rolling her eyes, Glimmer made her way over to the server across the counter. Even the staff here alone had a rugged look to them, the pink woman in front of her having surprisingly large muscles for a person who wiped and served tables all day. And there was something rather unsettling about this one having a fishing hook tattooed against her bulging left arm in a cantina full of merfolk. "Uhhh hello? " She smiled nervously as the server gave a small glare back. "Heh... we need a sea captain that can take us to Salineas?"
The barkeep was quick to answer as she pointed across the room into one of the nearby booths. There, the group watched as they saw half a dozen merfolk gathered around one table as a large green one grunted like his life depended on it. Drawing closer, they saw the man arm-wrestling with someone more human, one donned in a blue coat and white shirt with a red bandana around his neck. With his dark brown pants, leather holsters, and spurs on the ends of his boots, he looked like a mix between a pirate and a cowboy put into one.
With cheer, the man cried out in victory as he finally slammed the large green man's arm to the table. The merfolk all around him groaned in dismay as they walked away, the stranger cheering for himself as he leaned back in his seat. "Ha ha! Drinks all around! Put it on my friend here's tab!" The man laughed as others walked away. He flicked around the tips of his moustache as the three made their way over to him. "Ah, children, no doubt you are here to partake in more of my glorious tales?"
"Huh? Oh no, we were told you were a sea captain?" Glimmer looked him over.
"Indeed!" The man planted his feet on the table without a second thought, posing before the gang as heroically as he could. "I am the one, the only, Sea Hawk!"
"...Sea Hawk? ...That's the coolest name ever!" Bow cheered pumping his fist.
"Yes! The one and the same! He who hunted the seven wonders of the seas, he who battled the mighty Kraken when only a board of his ship remained, and he who saw the dreaded terrors of the deep and councurred them all! I am the Legendary Sea Hawk!"
"..." Glimmer didn't know what to make of this. With just a few short lines and a couple words of dialogue Sea Hawk somehow became more full of himself than Catra was capable of.
"Awesome!" Bow's eyes shined like never before, the stars in his eyes glistening with glee.
"Look Captain, sir? I was wondering-"
"Please, just call me Captain Sea Hawk." He insisted, leaning in his bench again.
"Sorry. Captain Sea Hawk, we're interviewing potential captains to take us to Salineas." She explained taking a seat. "Would you like to apply for the position?"
"Hahaha," he laughed again, "apply for the position? I am the one and only Sea Hawk. I'm offer only."
"Offer only?" Catra pulled over one of the over chairs as she sat in it backwards. "You have the right taste but terrible self-advertising. Saying your name is Sea Hawk doesn't tell us anything about your qualifications. For all I know you're just a hack."
"A hack? A hack?!" He choked. "I once ran the 50-klick Galebreath Gauntlet in less than 20 klicks."
"Yawn."
"I maneuvered the Serpentine with nary a chip in the paint of my bow."
"Oh, wow, congrats on the pain job." She rolled her eyes.
"My shanties are considered so desirable, that sirens fling themselves into sea at the sound of them."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure if I-" She paused briefly as she leaned over to Glimmer. "What's a shanty?" She whispered.
"Basically just singing done by sailors." She whispered back.
"What? Ugh, I think I'd throw myself overboard too at the sound."
"I admire your flattery young one, but the sea is my only mistress." Sea Hawk replied.
"I... wasn't trying to flatter-"
"And because I can tell you're wondering," he continued, "my moustache is naturally shiny."
"It is shiny! You're hired!" Bow decided, earning a quick slap in the arm from Glimmer. "Ow!"
What were they supposed to say to this? What was the most appropriate response? None of them were thinking the same thing and were nowhere near considering how the other felt about this mysteriously brash and prideful man.
Glimmer didn't know how to respond to someone of his caliber. Despite her experiences this past week with Catra living around the castle, even she wasn't as open with herself like this guy was. Bow on the other hand was in too much awe at the man's greatness. He was just one detail away from practically being a superhero, having all the right and cool things to say, dressing like he was donning a hero's costume. All he needed now was a superpower and the awesomeness would be complete!
As for Catra, her one minute experience with this man was a little more than she could ask for. "...Suddenly staying with your mother seems a lot more tolerable. Later." Catra said as she tried to walk away.
"No." Glimmer said flatly, grabbing her tail to Catra's annoyance. "So, are you available for hire then?"
"Me? Hahaha, what makes you kids think you can afford me?" He asked leaning over the table a little.
"I assure you, Captain Sea Hawk, money is no object." How could it be when the fate of the world was at stake? On top of that, riches were one of the few perks one had to look forward to when you were a princess. Without so much as a thought he dug through the opening of his shirt, grinning as he handed a small slip of paper to the hiring princess.
"Behold my fee." Taking it with a bit of queasiness, the three leaned over as she opened the folded paper tab. Revealing it's contents before them, Glimmer and Bow were devastated at the sight of the unreasonable demand of money. Out of the three, Catra was the only one who didn't drop her jaw at the sight, finding herself actually surprised as she let out a whistle.
*Fweet!*
"I can buy myself a nice castle with that kinda money." She commented.
"Eh heh... money might be an object after all." Having enough of the irritation presented to her, she stood back to her feet along with Catra as she glared at him. "You know what? Fine! We'll just find ourselves another Sea Captain."
"Good luck with that. You won't find another soul who knows the treacherous sea routes to Salineas like I do. I brave it often to visit my close personal friend, Princess Mermista." As fast as he turned them away he quickly reeled them back in with the announcement.
"You know her?"
"Do I?" He questioned in a joking manner. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. It all depends on how much my services are worth to you."
Grimacing at the sleazy bargaining, Catra whispered over to Glimmer's ear as she stretched out her claws. "Just give me two minutes with this guy and I can get him to agree to anything." While Glimmer was a little curious in how effective she could be against her seeming counterpart, she couldn't abide to possible torture of any kind, not even to her enemies. She smiled as she came up with another idea, planting Catra in the chair in front of her and pushing her to the table.
"Why not another offer? You and Catra, right here, one on one. If you win, you get everything you asked for and then some. If you lose, you take us to Selineas free of charge." Perking up at this, Catra smirked as she set her elbow firmly on the table.
"Sounds good to me. Unless, of course, your afraid of bring beaten by a little kitty..."
What kind of fair bet was this? Either he won and got everything he demanded and then some and took them to Selineas, or he lost and took them to Selineas free of charge. It all came down to a simple game of arm-wrestling against the mysterious cat girl that sat before him, grinning like a predator that just cornered it's prey. For all he knew she might've been capable of throwing him out the building in one toss, it would explain why they're so desperate to settle this in a match of strength!
But, his pride was at stake! As a captain of the nefarious seas of Etheria, no man or woman has ever or will ever best him in a game of arm-wrestling! He's taken on creatures that would make little children wet themselves, he's scaled the coasts of the most hazardous terrain. He, was Captain Sea Hawk! And he would never allow his dignity to fall to the likes of these three troublemakers!
"Very well, I accept your challenge! But know this lassie. For all the men and all the women who have faced me, none have ever won a single match!" With a yank of his hand and a firm grip in the cat's, the match had begun!
As Glimmer and Bow looked over her with cheer, Catra had to admit- for a guy that was clearly full of himself, he wasn't slouching and skimming on the details either. He had a great amount of strength in that showboating arm of his, forcing her to focus intently on her own defense until she felt him give way.
"Go Catra! Put him in the dirt!" Bow cheered. She was actually finding herself kind of wishing she could go She-Ra right now given how long this was taking.
"Come on, you can do it Catra!" Glimmer cheered as well.
"Nnngghhh!" She grumbled, gripping the table with her other hand to concentrate.
"Ha! This is the best you got?" He provoked. "I once beat a Tyrosaur with biceps the size of my head, in an arm-wrestling match that lasted two weeks!"
Sea Hawk himself was just as impressed with the magicat, if not more so with the young girl's strength. For such a young one, to last this long against the likes of him was nothing but impressive. She had that fierce determination in her eyes, the grip that held a thousand weapons, the strength of a mighty bull! Why, just thinking of how glorious this victory would be when he finally won, he could imagine all the wonderful celebrations this would lead to-
*thud*
"Huh?" No, it couldn't be! He refused to believe it regardless of it being right in front of him!
"Hah!" She grinned, folding her arms behind her as she leaned back in her chair. "How's that for a lassie?
"Haha! Yeah!" The two behind her congratulated, Glimmer high-fiving her as Bow patted her back. With all that had happened up till now, Sea Hawk didn't know what to say. He was beaten, for the first time, not just to a girl but to a child at that! He couldn't allow his credibility to be at stake, not after all his glorious wins!
"W-Well, truth be told, I let you win so as to, ahem, boost your confidence." He revealed.
"Oh, really?" Catra looked over the wad of paper as she flashed it in front of him. "Such a shame too, we probably would've given ya a little something." He coughed a little to clear his throat, already filling with regret and grief over his newest loss.
"Y-Yes, well, all is in the past." Jumping over the table, he acknowledged the others as he stood before them. "Truth be told, I've been wanting to go to Salineas anyway." Reinvigorated, he threw his arm over Glimmer as he pulled her in to his embraces. "Come on, kids, with me! Forward to adventure!"
This was definitely going to be the strangest day so far of Catra's time in the Rebellion, not to mention the most annoying. She was going to be spending who knows how many days at sea, surrounded by the dreadful water she despised so much, and stuck socializing with these three for who knew how long until she managed to rip her ears off from going insane.
What kind of kingdom was Salineas going to be anyway? Was it going to have some town filled with nut jobs that worshipped a goddess to the point where they would turn on her if she ended up being anything different? Because she already had enough of that with the last town she visited and she was not going to go through that scenario again! Sure, she did find a small bit of comfort when they appreciated her again in the end, but it felt hollow and empty after the harsh feelings they left her after the first time.
She was so focused on these thoughts that she failed to pick up on the fact they were being spied on. Up above the floor atop of them, looking over the railing, was a lone shadowy spectre, one that relayed all the necessary details to it's dark master...
...
...
"So, Catra appears to be in Seaworthy..." She spoke, examining the image displayed with Adora at her side. While nothing of Adora's appearance said otherwise, yesterday had been a dark turn for the young girl who was once pure of heart.
Peace was what she thought the Horde stood for, what the Horde fought against the evil princesses of Etheria to achieve. After the botched mission of Thaymor, she requested for Shadow-Weaver to find any and all proof that what they were doing was justified, unable to think of the numerous towns they've attacked up till now and who knows how many innocent people caught in the crossfire. It just wasn't something she thought possible!
Thankfully, or not, Shadow-Weaver was more than eager to accept the request, spending no more than a day to find all the necessary proof that Adora longed for. What she found was simply more troubling than what she had started with.
Unaware of Shadow-Weaver's underhanded tactics and ruse with the proof she displayed, she watched as a hapless village, one that looked no more threatening than a simple bird among the skies, attack one of their Horde outposts with fire in their eyes and anger in their actions. They attacked with everything they could get their hands on as they beat back her fellow soldiers and allies, capturing who knows how many troops and doing whatever unthinkable things Adora dared not to comprehend! What made this scenario even darker for her?
This was their response to peace. They offered this village peace and a chance to unite with the Horde in order to restore peace and unity to Etheria, and this was their response. Violence. Incomprehensible, unnecessary, violence. She couldn't tell if the villagers were aware of their actions or, more likely, if the evil princesses that ruled them pulled the strings to goad them into fighting with their sinister magics and trickery.
It was then, only after witnessing the carnage and violence herself, that Adora hardened her resolve. She had nothing but hatred for the princesses across Etheria, the people who tricked and enslaved others for their own selfish reasons, and the ones who took her best friend from her.
She still didn't know what form of trickery they had placed on Catra, she couldn't tell if they were controlling her magically or with lies like the rest of the simple citizens. All she knew was that they angered her to no end, and out of all the people she wanted to show mercy, they were nowhere on her list.
At least not the ones in currently in the Rebellion.
"Do you think we can bring her back?" Adora asked hopefully.
She admitted, it did pain her a little to trick her precious Adora in this way. She was destined for greater things than Hordak could dream of, and she was the closest thing to a daughter she truly had within this place. But as it stood, all of this was required to bring about Adora's rise to power. "I'm afraid until I know more about her situation, I can not help her."
"T-Then let me go to Salineas, Shadow-Weaver!" She insisted as she stood respectfully. "Please, you have to let me catch up to her. Maybe I can bring her back, even if I have to use force! Plus, it would be a great boon if we can either destroy the Sea Gate, or convince the kingdom of Salineas to join the Horde. In either scenario, we could approach Bright Moon Castle from two sides if we succeeded."
There was that spark again, that one little spark that revolted Shadow-Weaver at the after everything that happened, all the proof she gave Adora, she still had a strong semblance of sincerity and care for the other citizens of the world, and was willing to find allies wherever they may be. It would take time to truly blacken her heart of everything she cared about, and she was a very patient woman. "I think that would be a wonderful idea my dear." Her eyes allowed Adora to feel the smile coming from the motherly-figure. "But are you sure you're ready now?"
"Yes, Shadow-Weaver." Shadow-Weaver was intrigued by the certainty of her voice.
"Then what will you do if you encounter hostiles?"
"Restrain first, use force if necessary." There wasn't any hesitation, no thoughts of the alternative, not a twitch from her fingers or the corners of her eyes. She was clearly seeping in to the teachings of the Horde, however little at a time it may be.
"And, if you encounter any princess who's part of the Rebellion?" Adora's face hardened with a scowl.
"No hesitation. No mercy."
She was so proud.
"Excellent, my dear."
*pat-paT-PAT-*
Their attention shifted to the door briefly as another thought occurred to the dark witch. "Ah, yes, I almost forgot to mention Adora. For this mission I'll be sending you along with several other cadets as well as another ally."
Adora watched as a figure appeared from the darkened hallway, being met by a hulkish figure covered in insect-like scales across her chest and around her shoulders. She had a very intimidating presence to her, the figure standing over a foot taller than Adora, almost two feet, as well as supporting massive and durable claws where her hands should've been. The figure's smile alone already put Adora on the defensive, feeling like she could strike at any point.
"Adora, I'd like you to meet Force Captain Scorpia." Shadow-Weaver introduced. "She'll be accompanying you for the mission to make sure everything goes smoothly."
"You don't trust me?" There was something about the wording she used that made Adora a little hurt.
"Of course I trust you my dear," she assured stroking her cheek, "what I don't trust are those blasted princesses. As it stands you're still fresh from the grounds as a Force Captain, with only one mission under your belt. And while I believe you're more than capable of, others would prefer you being assisted by someone else who's been in the field many times." She glanced back to the silent white-haired girl. "That's where Scorpia comes in."
"I see." It made sense to her. After all, like Shadow-Weaver said, she's only completed one mission so far, to rescue Catra from the princesses, and that was a total failure. With a nod, she walked up to the large figure as she held out her hand. "Greetings, Force Captain. My name is-"
"Adora-ble!"
"Huh-?"
*Craaack*
"Ack-!" Adora's face scrunched up as she felt the massive pair of arms wrap around her, lifting her off the ground as she was crushed in her titan-like grip. Come to think of it, asking to shake hands with another person with scorpion claws wasn't much better than this. "I see we got a hugger..." She squeaked. All the air that was pushed out of her came rushing back again as the scorpion girl dropped her again, Adora rubbing a few new sores she felt around her ribcage.
At least making a new friend didn't look like it was going to be challenging.
"I'm counting on the both of you to make sure the mission proceeds smoothly, and to have each others back." Shadow-Weaver directed, Adora following along with a respectful salute as always.
"We won't fail you, Shadow-Weaver." With one last nod, she turned around with Scorpia as the two made their way for the door.
"Ah, Adora, one more thing." She called out again, floating over as Adora turned back curiously. She watched as the witch of darkness dug through the opened sleeves of her large robe, searching for something. "I was hoping to give you this earlier as a reward for your first successful mission, but... well..." She couldn't bring herself to speak ill of the girl's failings or emotional state. Blinking to herself at the touch, she pulled out a small rectangular green box, about half the side of her arm, as she handed it to Adora. "For you."
"For... me?" This was a nice little surprise as Adora took it with gratitude. Very rarely did Adora ever receive a gift from someone in the Horde, almost every time being from Shadow-Weaver herself as she was raised by her. Those occasions themselves were even more rare as there was a mere handful of times Adora ever received a gift. Opening the box curiously, she didn't know if she should be grateful or confused at the contents.
It was a large woolen red wrapping, adorned with a single red gem in the center.
"It's a... headband?" She said a little questionably. Before she could touch the mysterious gift, she flinched as Shadow-Weaver shut the box closed without a second's notice.
"This item is to give you an edge in your fight against the princesses, my dear. If you ever find yourself in need, wear it upon your head. But you must only do it if and when absolutely necessary." She warned. "It will give you a significant boost to your combat capabilities, but it will affect your mind and your emotions in turn without proper training."
There was no lying to her Adora like this. If she was going to give her an item, she needed Adora to know all the risks that came with it, less she be surprised by it later on. With Adora having little reason to trust so many people after the events of Thaymor, Shadow-Weaver saw little reason to lie to her about it's drawbacks. The more she assured Adora and assisted her like this, the closer Adora would be drawn to Shadow-Weaver, and the more trust she would have in the only person she had left in the Horde.
"I... I understand. Thank you for your generosity, Shadow-Weaver." Adora replied with a small bow, returning down the hallway once more.
Shadow-Weaver grinned a little as she turned back to the fountain, continuing to watch Catra and the rest of her allies as they entered the docks. Every little thing Catra did just helped to push Adora one more foot in Shadow-Weaver's arms. Whether Adora succeeded or failed in her mission was irrelevant. The girl would indefinitely require the use of the headband she had given her, and that alone was more than enough to make this mission a success.
Adora would be one step closer to everlasting darkness...
...
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A/N: Thanks to all the people who've been a great boost of moral support! Once again i apologize for the lack of size this time around, like I said, just felt like it was a good cutoff point (otherwise I'd be looking at another obnoxious near-13k-word posting, which, while I don't mind, cuts into my real life where i'm supposed to be working Xo but writing's just so much more fun...*sigh*)
By the way, I'd be extremely flattered if anyone was to start doing fanart based on this series. I noticed in the past people with very successful or very popular OC's fics, they usually did fanart which gathered a large following of people- like Nyx from MLP and such. If anyone was to start doing said fanart, I'd be more than willing to point them out in the shoutouts (as well as possibly reward them via a spin-off chapter or something based on this fic of their creation ^^).
Anyway! As always leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!