A/N: As always, not much to say, but SUPER HYPER HYPED for the season 2 ^^! Anyone else see the preview? Only saw it once but OH MY GOD IT LOOKED AWESOME ^^! It looks like we're going to get to see some more princess power action as well as warfare (You know, what all kids should learn XP).
Personally, Im both hyped and distressed by it cause it just goes to prove how LITTLE TIME I HAVE LEFT X_X! I need to get this fic done by season two or I'll be stuck with who knows how much unfinished X( don't ask why, its complicated.
With that said, I might end up rushing a few bits here and there, but overall I still intend/plan to keep thing as planned, so if something is rushed/doesnt make sense (least wait till after the end of an arc here since most stuff is explained by the end XP), let me know so I can see if i need to correct it or not.
With that said, hope you all enjoy today's episode!
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"You're always miles behind, freak!" Lonnie sneered as she looked over a young Catra dangling over a pit.
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"Maybe you should go back, Catra, before you cause any more trouble for us." A midteen Kyle commented with a solemn expression.
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Why don't you watch where you're going you little brat!" An angry guard yelled at her before butting her in the head with his baton.
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"You think you're in pain now? I will show you what true pain is like for what you did to Adora!" Shadow-Weaver roared as shadows and streaks of red-colored lightning surged from her hands towards her.
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...
"Ahh!" Catra yelped as she rose from the table, panting and panting at the bizarre horror show she had playing on in her head.
"Catra, Catra, calm down!" Glimmer shushed calmly, gently helping her friend back down as the sage continued to work his literal magic.
The last half hour had been nothing but trauma and confusion for the young Magicat and her two allies.
After all the stress and disasters that have plagued Catra up till now, Glimmer thought it'd be a nice idea for a little vacation. A little relaxation went a long way, and when you were a symbol of the Rebellion who was in charge of saving the entire world, it was a little understandable that you would find yourself stressed out too. After all, people can only be tasked with saving the world and leading an army at their backs while rescuing countless lives for only so long until it started to take it's toll on them.
So with that in mind, Glimmer decided to bring Catra and Bow over to Mystacor, the magic capital of the world. Home to a vast array of mages and wizards who studied a multitude of crafts, one of the safest places one could find around Etheria, and one that happened to be lead by her very own Aunt Castaspella.
And how did the relaxation go so far?
Horrible.
Ever since the three arrived here, Catra's been on edge. She kept complaining about this strange chill in the air, this strange sense that something was amiss despite being unable to put a finger on it. With her animalistic genetics, she was used to picking up on numerous things around her, her senses heightened compared to that of an average human. However, as of late, she's found herself unable to pick up anything, save for the paranoia that was currently occupying her head.
It started with a simple chill and she thought it was her imagination. Then Bow and Glimmer started saying weird things around her like how they were going to drown Adora or how this relaxation technique would make her feel as good as dead. Personally, it would've been more than welcoming if it stayed like that so she could get on with the rest of the possible relaxation.
Sadly, things took a turn for the worst in the midst of her last relaxation technique which involved getting a magical massage. It was supposed to ease her tension and fill her with the greatest relief possible, and it ended as terribly as everything else. Why? Because what started out as a seemingly innocent therapy session that was supposed to make her feel better ended up turning into a nightmare when her doctor started strangling her with the towel wrapped around her neck. And that wasn't the worst part!
The worst part was after she snapped out of it, after throwing the doctor through the door and being stopped by Glimmer and Bow, she realized the doctor wasn't trying to do any sort of thing. The paranoia had built up so immensely at this point that she started hallucinating the sense of touch along with her hearing and sight. Any worse and she, along with Glimmer and Bow, didn't know what would happen.
And for the first time compared to her normal visions, these visions were absolutely terrible. They were mixed and split between a variety of them compared to the usual visions she had where she saw an entire scene play out in front of her before snapping out of here. Here, she was experiencing the worst examples of her life! They weren't even at the same time periods, some parts of it she recognized as years apart.
That's why Glimmer found it imperative to bring her to the sage that was currently examining her mind. Within the large round room, Catra had to stare up at the large purple crystal sticking out of the ceiling, one that gave off an occasional shine as she stared at it. The old sage himself was a bald man with a light blue beard, wearing a green scarf as he wore an aqua blue robe that stretched all the way down to his feet.
As for Glimmer and Bow, they stood at the side of the room, about three yards away from the table, with Bow leaning against the wall as Glimmer twiddled her thumbs anxiously. Like Catra, the two of them were still wearing their bath robes they were given at the start of this spa treatment.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Bow asked, never taking his eyes off of Catra as she was examined.
"I don't know." Glimmer fretted. "I don't even know what's wrong with her. She didn't eat anything weird this morning, did she?"
"She was up since midnight last night. There's no telling what she ate." For all he knew she could've eaten some strange berries she found in the middle of the woods while everyone else was sleeping. "I'm sure she'll be fine after she gets some sleep."
"Yeah, that's the problem though." It was an annoying reality she had to keep coming back to. "How are we supposed to get her to sleep in the first place?"
"Get away!" Catra suddenly yelped, leaping from the table as she walked back a few feet from it. Confused and concerned by her sudden antics, Glimmer quickly teleported herself and Bow to Catra's side, nearly causing her to jump again in fright.
"What happened?"
"Nothing." The sage replied. "I was just checking her forehead to see if there was any signs of physical trauma that could be affecting her mind."
"The heck you were!" Catra snapped back as she stretched out her claws defensively. "You were trying to push your thumbs through my eyes, I felt it!"
"Catra-" Glimmer winced as her friend jumped from merely touching Catra's arm softly. She could feel the irregular pulse going on through her arms, the tension going on between her nerves. If this was how the nerves in her arms felt at the moment, she couldn't imagine how fast her heart was beating. She needs to calm down before she makes herself sick. Figuring the magicat was going to be too paranoid to answer her directly she decided to take her chances with the one who inspected her. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"
As much as she hoped for, the wise old sage could only sigh regretfully. "I'm afraid I can't find anything physically or mentally wrong with the young girl. I can amount it to stress for sure until I know what's causing it. I'm afraid I'm not much help."
"That's okay." Bow smiled in return as he patted Catra's shoulder comfortingly. "Thanks for trying to help anyway."
"You could try the Steam Grottos at least." The sound of the recommendation filled Bow with a grand excitement. "She keeps complaining about being cold, so warming her up would be a great idea."
"The Steam Grottos, of course!" Glimmer's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at the suggestion, looking back to Catra with glee. "Catra, wouldn't you feel better if we got you warmed up?"
Warmed up? Like what? Like set on fire?! Yeah, sure, she would love that! And why stop there? Why not continue stabbing her with pitchforks and stick an apple in her mouth while you were at it! After all, everyone knows roasted Cat is supposed to be a delicacy in some parts of the world, and she-!
Catra shook her head heavily, doing her best to physically shake the thoughts from her mind. Why was she acting so paranoid like this? She knew she was acting crazy, even for herself, and there was no reason these people would be trying to harm her... right? She was She-Ra, partially, and they needed her to be She-Ra. If they didn't want her to fight for them they would've imprisoned her and given the sword to some other nobody a long time ago.
Focusing on Glimmer's voice, Catra lowered her ears as she gave a small frown. "Y-Yeah... I guess..."
"Good." She smiled at the sight of Catra seeming to fully understand what she said, given all the paranoia she's displayed recently.
"Woohoo! Steam Grottos!" Bow cheered raising both his fists. "Trust me Catra, there is no better way to relax than in the Steam Grotto!"
"I'll believe it when I see it..." She muttered as Glimmer held her hand, leading her out the door.
Turning around Bow gave one final wave to the sage as they departed. "Thanks for the help again, man. We'll come back if there's any other trouble."
It was nice to see a young boy so respectful and helpful like Bow. Often, people like him might've seemed a bit more selfish or into things for their personal desires, so Bow was a nice change of pace.
Which was a shame too. A real shame as a matter of fact. People like Bow were the easiest to manipulate around Etheria, and Shadow-Weaver would've had more than enough fun bending someone like that to her will. Watching the three helpless friends making their way out the door, the form of the old sage slowly shifted. Bending, turning, dissolving into a fearsome spectre with a glowing red eye dead center in the middle of its head.
With her friends assured that everything was fine with Catra, there was no way they would take her to see someone else until it completed it's corruption of her. Dissolving under the floor, it gave chase, jumping from shadow to shadow as it followed them to their next destination.
It would ensure it's mission went off without a hitch. All it needed was one more opportunity to complete it's task...
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"Tadaaa!" Bow and Glimmer cheered as they finally brought Catra to the Steam Grotto.
During the entire walk here, Catra's recent state of paranoia became all the more obvious and ominous for the two friends trying to lead her here. At least twice so far on the ten minute walk it took to get here, she lashed out in hysteria about whatever crossed her path or when the two said anything around her.
At one instance she thought one of the approaching guards patrolling the place were coming up personally to stab the girl with the staff in his hand, one that happened to be blunt by the way. It took a lot of convincing and pleading on Glimmer's part after she got Catra to let him go to not tell her Aunt about this. She promised him this sort of thing wouldn't happen again and how she would keep a closer eye on her friend.
While he wasn't one to give people second chances, especially ones that attacked him after first meeting them for no more than two seconds, he was willing to let it slide since Catra seemed genuinely sorry immediately after. The girl was shivering and hugging herself like she saw a ghost, one that haunted her to this day.
That was the other thing that concerned Glimmer and Bow. Since the paranoia kicked in, Catra's been a lot more docile and complacent with everything she did. Perhaps docile isn't quite the word to use for someone who threatened a guard a few minutes ago, but compared to all the times they asked her for something and she responded with a threat or violence in response, this was the most peaceful and calming Catra they ever came across.
One that attacked when she felt threatened and was willing to listen to anyone as long as they didn't seem threatening to her.
This was probably the saddest state they've ever seen Catra in. Catra was their friend no matter how many times she insisted to the alternative, and while she might've seemed a lot more trusting in them as of now and willing to listen, this wasn't the way they wanted her trust. They wanted her to trust them because she wanted too, not because she was too scared of what could happen otherwise.
Which is the other thing that worried Glimmer herself about this. Catra was scared. Legitimately, certifiably, scared. She can't recall the last time, if ever, she's seen Catra this scared before. She might've jumped occasionally when someone popped in front of her out of nowhere, specifically Glimmer herself, yet she never found herself actually scared like this. Sure, she didn't like the ocean but even then she maintained her fear better than she was now.
It was here they were hoping she could get the much needed rest she rightfully deserved.
And hopefully before she got anymore paranoid.
"So, what do you think?" Bow asked as he walked around the grotto.
"It's... warm..." A small smile came to Catra's lips as the chills subsided. "Really warm."
"That's the steam grotto for you!" Smiling over to Glimmer, the two nodded to each other as they disrobed the bathrobes from earlier, donning the inner white garments covering themselves where it was most needed.
Standing here in the middle of the grotto, she actually felt a bit of her tension relieving itself. This place was actually calming compared to the rest of the places she's been to so far. Maybe it was actually working this time around? Her paranoia didn't seem as strong around here, and every breath felt like a breath of fresh air, calming her nerves and her heart rate that once skyrocketed with fear.
Looking over to the archer of the group, she watched as Bow got himself settled into one of the many tubs of hot water. "Ooh! Ahh! Hah!" He whimpered to himself quietly, easing in as he slowly descended into the semi-boiling. Letting the water flow around him, he let out the greatest of sighs as he took in all the warmth and comfort the grotto had to offer.
"These pools are full of magical minerals " Glimmer explained as she helped slide off Catra's bathrobe, the girl wearing the same underclothes as she was. "Sorcerers use them all the time to cleanse themselves of their worry or fear before a big ceremony or spell." As she brought herself into the waters, Catra grew a look of fear as she pulled her hands back.
"Er, I'm good from right here." She muttered scratching the back of her head.
"Oh please, you'll be fine. These waters are perfectly warmed, right Bow?" The two were met with an already resting Bow, one whose head was slowly disappearing into the waters.
"Mhh... so... warm..." He mumbled as his head slowly sank. After a few seconds of being completely submerged, Glimmer let out a small chuckle as he quickly shot himself back to his feet, fresh steam rising from his slightly reddened face "Ah! Hot! Hot!" And as before, he slowly slid himself back into a sitting position, being careful not to have a repeat of before.
"Yeah, well... I think I'll sit this one out." Catra distanced herself from the pool as Glimmer held her hands. "I'm plenty warm as is, thanks."
"Hmm..." What to do, oh what to do. There was a cat who was the hope of the Rebellion and future of mankind, who happened to be having the most stressful, paranoia-inducing, day of her life, and a pool that could make all her problems float away. Mentally smiling to herself, she rolled her eyes playfully as she waved off Catra's concern. "Oh, ok, you win, I won't make you force yourself to go in."
"Huh... Thanks..." Maybe Catra really was wrong about this girl... or was that the paranoia acting up? Was it actually making her nicer in some regard? Either way, at least now she didn't have to worry about getting we-
*swoosh!*
*splash!*
"Ah-!" Catra yelped as she found herself Glimmer standing waist-deep in one of the steamy pools of water, one Glimmer teleported the two of them into. Almost immediately her entire body was shot up with a shiver that crawled up her spine, though this was far more comfortable compared to the shiver of chills she recently got. That still didn't get rid of the irritation welling up inside her, grumbling to herself as she gave a small glare to the evil princess standing proudly next to her. "Have I ever told you I hate you?"
"Everyday in fact." Still smiling with glee, she took Catra's hands as she lowered the two of them into the steamy grotto, one inch at a time. "Now, just clear your mind. Breathe deeply."
"Huff..." She breathed, doing her best to follow along. "I guess it is a little warmer than standing around here..."
Trying to listen to the instructions, she allowed herself to be lowered into the waters as she gazed into Glimmer's eyes. "Focus on the warmth on your skin. Let your body go perfectly..."
It was weird. Too weird for Catra. With every word she uttered she felt herself being drained away of all energy, but in a good way. She felt a strange warmth washing over her in more ways than one. Her irritations and paranoia seemed so distant compared to what they once were, they were minor thoughts in the back of her head. Lying her head against the soft stone-like edge of the grotto, she felt a small smile creeping up her chin, letting go as...
...
"...Mmmh..." Catra hummed a little as she came to.
How long had she been out for? She felt an incredible relaxation as she lied against the rocks, taking in all the heat from the water and the steam-filled air. Everything around her felt surprisingly comfortable for a change. She couldn't feel an ounce of the paranoia and trauma that plagued her mind earlier, she didn't consider all the problems she felt in the world for once. Sitting here in the middle of this steamy grotto, everything actually felt, as much as she hated to admit it, peaceful.
"Ah." Oh, and then there was Glimmer, that little cueball of pink hair, resting against her chest... wait...
"Eh..." Catra blushed as she realized what was pressed against her side, the gentle weight of it nudging against her as the princess slept. Hands down. No comparison. No competition. This was the weirdest experience so far in Catra's life, and given everything she's going through in the last month, that was saying a lot. She couldn't tell what the appropriate response to this entire scenario was.
Should she wake her up? She looked so comfortable laying against Catra that it would be rude to do so, especially since she was the one who gave Catra this method of relaxation in the first place. Plus, you know, she was a princess. It would be disrespectful to awaken her like this.
Then again, the awkward feeling of having someone other than Adora pressed against her in her sleep was a bit...strange. She slept with Adora plenty of times, since they were kids in fact. This might've been the one single person she has ever found herself sleeping with in her life. It was like being friends with somebody throughout your entire life and then one day they brought one of their friends over for the three of you to hang out at the same time.
Not exactly bad, just really awkward when you tried to think of what to say to the new guy.
"How does it feel?" She heard Glimmer whisper, keeping her head down.
"Umm... good, I guess?" She couldn't find the words to describe how this feeling was to her. Nor did she understand exactly what she was referring to.
"Really?" She raised her tired head up to her face, showing off her half-asleep eyes. "So you feel relaxed now?" She spoke softly, blissfully unaware of what she as doing.
"I guess so, yeah..." She lifted her head up at this as she examined the steam around herself. "I don't feel any bit of stress that I felt earlier and all... Yeah, I guess I'm relaxed now."
"Oh... that's such a shame..." Shadows fell over the top of Glimmer's face as Catra looked back to her.
"Why's that?"
"Because, it'll be such a shame to see that innocent smile fade away..."
"Fade away? What are you talk- Agh-! Uuurgh"! Catra was not prepared for the Princess's newfound strength and cruelty as she suddenly pushed Catra's head underwater, holding onto her throat as she did.
What are you doing?! Catra screamed to herself, feeling te water boil around her skin as she struggled to get back up. This wasn't paranoia, it couldn't be! Just look at her, she was factually pushing Catra into the water, keeping the girl's head underwater as Catra watched the air bubbles float above her! This wasn't paranoia anymore, it couldn't be! She could feel the water itself filling her throat as she tried in vain to break free!
Through the murky water she could see it. Those dark, twisted eyes of evil that she's always known her to have. That face of disgusting glee she was getting out of drowning Catra. The wicked smile plastered on her face as she watched Catra trying to break free of her immense grip with each passing second!
Was Adora actually right? Were the Princesses actually evil!?
That was the least of her worries as she felt her lungs beginning to collapse, having a disturbing sense of De Sha Vue the last time she drowned. This time she would've had the disgusting pleasure of drowning in boiling water over freezing water, possibly being the only highlight out of this situation.
She's going to kill me if I don't kill her! She's going to kill me if I don't kill her! She's going to-! Catra's mind kept repeating itself as she slowly pushed herself up. She couldn't allow the princesses to kill her, not if it was all true! Growling to herself, Catra pushed herself from her feet as her head resurfaced. Not giving the horrible ex-ally of hers a chance, she quickly grabbed Glimmer by the neck and gave her a taste of her own medicine, pushing her down into the watery depths all her might.
"Urrph!" She heard Glimmer gurgle as Catra glared daggers at her.
"Doesn't feel so good, does it!" Catra shouted angrily, trying to keep the princess pinned underwater for as long as possible. As expected the princess flopped and flailed her arms all over the place as she tried to resurface to the top. Catra had battle experience. Far more than Glimmer could ever hope to compete against. She didn't stand a single chance against Catra's brute strength no matter how hard she tried.
"Wha- Catra!" She ignored Bow's yelling as he started to wake up. "What are you doing?! Let her go!" Rushing over to her side, he started pulling at Catra's right arm, giving Glimmer the strength she needed to get a part of her head above water, enough to breath as the other one kept the rest of her down.
"She's trying to kill me, she has to die!" Catra yelled, pushing Bow away with her right arm as she went back to submerging Glimmer's head underneath.
"I didn't want it to be like this, Catra." She turned her head towards him as he dug his arm under the water. With fury in his eyes, fear overtook more of Catra's heart as she saw him raise a giant knife out of the water with a serrated edge, gripped tightly in his hand as he raised it over his head. "But you left me no other choice!"
"Nooo!" Catra yelled in fear, forgetting what she was doing as she jumped out of the water, narrowly dodging the incoming stab. As she did, she saw the room filling out with shadows coming after her, intending to take her down to the horrifying darkness that awaited her if she was captured.
This was beyond terrible! What was she supposed to do?! Scrambling over the floor, incapable of finding her cherished sword. Cherished? Yes, of course it was! It was more than capable of slaying the evil princess and her lacky! Why didn't she ever listen to Adora? She was right! They were evil, all princesses are!
Searching left to right for her weapon, her eyes widened in terror as she saw a darkness slowly beginning to surround her, the blackness as thick as the steam it covered over. All around her she heard the terrifying laughter of Bow and Glimmer surrounding her, spewing taunts and insults constantly as she covered in fear.
"Ha, I can't believe she thought we were allies!"
"Poor, wittle, kitty. No big strong Adora to keep you safe."
"S-Shut up!" Catra yelled, almost cried. Unable to tell where the voices were coming from, she started swiping her claws randomly around herself, trying to strike at the voices wherever she heard them from. She didn't realize as the tears swelled in the corner of her eyes she was so scared.
"Maybe she would've been better in the Horde? It's not like she's useful to us."
"Why did I even want her to join us in the first place? She's barely done anything for us."
"I-I'm trying!" Catra screamed. The more she listened to the voices the worse the darkness became. Now she was starting to see apparitions. Strange, shadowy, creatures that started taking the form of Shadow-Weaver herself. "I swore I would help you guys for a kingdom, honest!"
"A kingdom? Ha! She actually thought we'd give her one! No wonder the Horde hated her, she's too stupid for her own good!"
"I wonder which method of torture my mom's gonna use the next time we bring her to Bright Moon? Do we stretch her limbs out one by one? Or maybe we'll just leave her in a cell to rot for the rest of her life? Or until she slowly starves to death, whichever comes first."
"Stop it!" The sadness slowly started to replace with anger as her claws became sharper, striking faster and faster at whatever shadows appeared next. "S-Someone help! Please help!" She screamed.
"Catra, you need to stop-"
"Ahh!"
*swiff!*
"Ah!" That time she hit something. She finally managed to hit one of the apparitions that have been circling her all throughout the constant harassment. She felt good for a change that she finally managed to get one of the evil figures right where they stood, right when they grabbed Catra's left arm.
It was a short lived feeling though as reality finally came back to Catra. Her vision of the black smokey haze dissolved around her as she saw what, or more specifically who, she ended up attacking at that moment. It wasn't some horrid monster that wanted to do who knew what to her, it wasn't some Horde soldier in disguise that wanted to plunge a knife in her back.
It was her ally, Glimmer, aka Pinky to her, who was wincing at the sore scratch mark she rubbed over her right hand.
"Catra, what is wrong with you?!" Bow shouted as he rushed over to Glimmer's side to inspect the hand. "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah..." Glimmer winced again as she pulled back her hand. "I'll manage." While she was still in pain herself, she couldn't help but look over Catra, seeing her trembling where she stood with her claws shaking and an emptiness in her eyes. "Catra? Are you okay?"
What is wrong with her? She attacks her and she asks if SHE'S okay? That wasn't... that wasn't anywhere near what she should've been asking! She acted like she cared for Catra when she clearly didn't! She wanted her to be okay so she could use her again, like she always did!
Or maybe it was worse than that! Yeah, she could see it now! She says she's okay, Glimmer hugs her pretending to care again, and then when she least expects it, she feels Bow plunge a knife into her back while her arms are pinned! It's genius! Horrifying cruel, and genius!
Because that's what the princesses were, evil geniuses!
"S-Stay back!" She threatened as she backed away, stretching her claws in their direction as she warned. To Bow's surprise, as if she ignored what Catra had done to her, Glimmer slowly made her way towards the girl, arms stretched out cautiously as she tried to calm the girl down.
"Catra, look at me. It's fine. No one is going to hurt you." She stated.
"Y-You're lying! I know you're working with Shadow Weaver!"
"Shadow Who?" She looked back at Bow for the moment who could only shrug in response.
"You tried to drown me a minute ago!" She snapped.
"Drown you? Catra, why would I try to drown you? How could I?"
"Simple! You waited till my guard was down and then you pushed my head underwater as you tried to drown me!"
"Your head's not even wet!" Glimmer informed, catching her off guard. "If I drowned you how could you dry off so fast without a towel? Or your hair for that matter?"
"Don't try to play that on me!" She shouted, feeling around her head with one hand while keeping the other at the ready. "Of course my head's-!" She stopped as she noticed something missing.
Water. Wetness. Moisture. Something that was supposed to be in her hair to prove to her, and them, that she was telling the truth. But no matter how much she scrambled her hand around her hair, how hard she tried to get a feel for it, there was nothing there. The entire scene at the grotto she went through, all the drowning and water she felt enter her lungs, none of it seemed to be true.
"I... you... You grabbed me and..." Her tail brushed up against the sword she was searching for, finding it lied nice and neatly against one of the many pools.
The same place she left it and thought to check first.
"Catra." Glimmer called directly, grabbing her attention. "We didn't do anything to you. You just started flailing around and jumped out of the pool. That's it."
"B-But he had a knife!" She shouted at Bow. "I saw him pull it out of the water myself! He must've planted it before we got into the water."
"A knife?" He questioned. "Why would I bring a knife here to begin with? And if I brought it in beforehand, how would I know which pool we were going to use?"
This... this didn't make any sense! She felt everything, she heard everything, she saw everything! But every time she tried to counter something of theirs, they just shot it back with simple and easy logic. She couldn't find a hole in their explanations, nothing to suggest that these two were lying.
So why was it making her skin crawl so much?!
"You... You're both trying to... trick me..." The steam around the area began to clear a little as Catra backed up to another outstretched pool of the grotto. All around her she saw nothing ominous or threatening to herself, nothing she could find suspicious or misleading. If both of them were telling her lies, it was definitely one of the most convincing ones she's ever heard. "I... Then how did you..." Her head swarmed with continued paranoia as she tried to piece her own logic together.
"Catra," Catra nearly jumped again as Glimmer grabbed both her hands, "you need to breathe. Ok? We're only trying to kill you."
While she flinched at the statement she made, she was pretty sure she knew what she actually said. A part of her did at least. From the way it was looking, her best chances of getting through this mess was to use whatever logic and reasoning she could against whatever the paranoia was telling herself. 'Y-You said help me, right?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I said." She helped ease Catra against the edge of the grotto as she sat down beside her. "Catra, who's this Shadow Weaver you keep talking about?"
"N... No one, she's nothing." She rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands, trying to push out whatever thoughts were being sent into her mind.
"She doesn't sound like nothing." Bow commented, sitting on her right. "If she's got you this worked up, she's gotta be someone important."
"SHE'S NOTHING!" She yelped, walking ahead of them, squeezing her head in frustration. "Leave me alone, alright? Go bother someone else for a change!"
"But Catra-" Glimmer tried to protest, taking a step over to her until Bow grabbed her hand.
"Glimmer, maybe she' right." It felt strange to her to hear Bow suggesting they leave her like this.
"Are you crazy too?" She whispered over. To their reluctance, in the current state Catra found herself in, she was too paranoid and out of it to pick up on their talking with her sensitive ears.
"Think about it for a second. She keeps hallucinating only when someone else is around, right?"
"Yeah...?" She followed along with where the logic was going, although it didn't do anything to ease her feelings.
"So maybe she'll be better off if we give her some space? For a minutes at least."
She tried to contemplate what he said as she looked back to her distressed friend. On the one hand, leaving her to pace back and forth in the middle of having a paranoia-induced episode was possibly the worst idea ever! She was fragile at the moment, terrified. Everything she saw and heard were completely backwards from whatever was happening. At the rate it was going, it looked like it was starting to affect her on a physical level as well!
On the other hand, they had yet to ever leave her side at this rate, at least not without one other person being with her. If these hallucinations affected her when she was with someone only, maybe they would go away if no one else was present at the time? It was worth experimenting at least.
"Catra? Do you promise to remain here if we leave you alone for a while?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever! Just, leave me alone!" She growled. The other two glanced at each other, unable to think of what to say, as they made their way to the door, leaving a distraught Catra to pace around the room on her own.
What was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to try to relax again? What if it ended up like last time and some sort of terrifying water monster attacked her this time?! Oh god, what if it was something worse?! What if the air suddenly decided to pick on her, attacking her from all angles while she was too powerless to defend herself?! She didn't have any magic! That stupid sword wasn't going to help her any time soon!
And then there were the devil twins she came to know as Glimmer and Bow! Oh, she could see it now. The minute she tried relaxing in the pools again they would pop out of nowhere and capture her. Bound, gagged, helpless, they would carry her over to the edge of the cliffs of Mystacor with all her past allies watching and pointing with amusement, and cackle after they tossed her over the edge, proving themselves the traitors that they were-!
"NGH!" Catra shook her head, pounding her fist a little against it. "Stop that!" She shouted to herself.
Why were these thoughts coming to her in the first place? Forget about the fact these guys could never possibly get the jump on her if they wanted to, not including the teleporting as a factor. They've been with her for a good while now and they didn't seem the least bit intent on her own annihilation! Who was making these thoughts for her?
Under normal circumstances, she would've easily been able to deduce the culprit behind all this, with no other possibility other than Shadow Weaver. However, these were the farthest things from normal circumstances at this time. In addition to the spectre plaguing her mind with paranoia and madness, it was also disabling her ability to formulate and reason, the way Shadow Weaver intended it to be. She made sure there was zero possibility for Catra to rationale for herself, and this went on to prove it.
"What are we going to do about her?" Her ears perked up as she overheard Glimmer's voice outside through the entrance. Creeping up on it, she slowly made her way against the wall, keeping herself hidden as she stood next to the door. "She's catching onto us!"
"Wh- No!" Catra rubbed her head immediately after hearing this. "You're hallucinating again, that's it!"
"Can you believe she was stupid enough to listen to us after we lied?" She heard Bow chuckling, going on to chat in a mocking tone. "Oh, don't worry Catra, I don't have duh knife. Ha! She didn't think I just tossed it away after we ran out from us?"
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" She grumbled to herself, lightly pounding the side of her head against the wall.
"I know, right? Of course her head wouldn't be wet! She's a cat! A fleabag! It dried off so fast that she didn't even notice!" Glimmer laughed. Catra slid against the wall to the floor as the verbal abuse rained upon her.
"Do you think she'll still be there when the guards come back?"
"I bet she'll still be running around the room like an idiot if we didn't come back till tomorrow with them!"
"Please, stop..." Catra muttered to herself. She tried blocking out all the sound by plugging her ears against her palms, with little to no results to show for it.
"Sometimes I wish someone else found the sword. Someone more competent, worthwhile, better. Maybe that Adora girl would've been a better pick."
"Yeah, I bet she would've won us the war by now instead of that stupid cat."
"Ooh, I know! Let's get rid of Catra and then we'll go and kidnap that friend of hers!"
"Yeah! I bet with enough torture, we can make her bark like a dog if we wanted her to!"
"DONT YOU DARE-!" Catra roared as she popped her head out from around the corner. She was met gazing at the same person that always greeted her when she shouted today.
Nobody. There wasn't anyone around her. All she saw was an empty clearing with several bushes on each side of the path, and a nice clear sky that was filled with clouds. She saw a floating island passed the grand landmass, a part of part of the structure that comprised of Mystacor, but nothing else. There wasn't so much as a bird to greet her passing by, the severity of her insanity starting to dawn on her more and more.
"Ugh!" With a groan, she squeezed her eyes again as she slid against the triangle shaped archway of the entrance. "I'm losing my mind..."
...
...
"I doubt you could relate." She muttered staring at the statue in front of her.
She was back in the middle of the hallways where her insanity first kicked in. Here, staring at the statue of Light Spinner, she pondered about all the days events. Was Light Spinner innocent after all of this? Was it possible that at some point she went insane too just from being in Mystacor? Given the days events that lead her here, it wouldn't surprise her! In fact, knowing the constant misunderstandings she had here, she found it more plausible that everyone else was misunderstanding her and they were the ones insane!
By now she was donning her regular outfit again, complete with dark red pants with slits at the knees, traditional Horde vest with a lighter red coloring on the bottom and a dark red on top, and her favorite tiara that stretched to her cheeks.
She was Horde. This is what she always wore when fighting for them. She was supposed to remain Horde from the very beginning, and here she was fighting for the enemy instead. Was everything Adora said about the brainwashing possibly true? Was this all some elaborate scheme concocted by the Princesses ever since she found this sword? If that was true, then the villagers must've been in on it too! Lulling her into a false sense of security while they worked willingly for the evil princesses!
The men, the women, the children, all of them were in on it! They must be! Why else would there be such evil creatures surrounding her? Why, Shadow Weaver herself treated Catra much better tha-
"Gah!" If she scratched her head anymore at this point, she swore she was going to start hitting bone. "Why am I thinking about Shadow Weaver being nice?" She grunted as she stretched her right claws out in front of her. "There was never anything nice about her... nothing..."
"Heh heh heh..." A mystifying voice echoed through the hallway, refilling Catra's body with that same chill of death. "Always one to blame others for your own faults, aren't you, freak?" It was Lonnie's voice, the diminutive sound of her voice talking down to her as always. "Geesh, and I thought Adora was stupid for liking you. Now I realized she liked you because of how stupid you were."
"Grrrr Lonnie!" Catra hissed, staring into the empty air as she walked down the hall. "Where are you?"
"Huff, Catra." This time she heard Kyle's voice pop up. "I might've been the weak one, but at least I wasn't stupid or gullible. Maybe that's why Shadow Weaver was nicer to me compared to you."
"She didn't care about you in the slightest, dweeb!" She retorted. "She's always had it out for us since we were all brought to the Horde! She didn't care about anyone except for herself!
"Caring only about herself? Gosh, do you even hear yourself now? You should look in the mirror, you might learn something new. Then again, maybe asking you to learn is asking for too much."
"How about you show yourself instead and you can help me count the scars I make over your face!"
"Do you always turn to violence when I'm not around?" She gasped at the sound of Adora's voice, slowly retracting her claws as her ears drooped.
"Adora... It's not what you think, I swear..." Adora wasn't new to Catra's aggressive state, don't get her wrong. What she wasn't used to was seeing exactly how aggressive Catra could be when she wasn't around. She always held back a bit whenever she was picked on in front of her, refusing to show how extreme her violent side could get when the situation called for it.
At least to the people Adora considered family.
"Catra? Where are you?" There was a sense of worry in her voice as Catra became tense.
"Adora? Adora, can you hear me?"
"Who are you? No, stay back! Stay back! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"ADORA!" Catra screamed running down the halls to the Lunarium. She didn't know why Adora was in Mystacor all of a sudden and she didn't care! Her one and only friend in this world was being attacked, hearing the strange noises of scrapes and crashing all throughout the hallway, growing louder as she neared the source of the screaming.
With each passing breath the screams became more terrifying. Starting from a simple scream, they echoed with intensity as they became more horrific, the sounds of torture and pain going through Catra's ears constantly. No doubt her friend foolishly came all the way to Mystacor in an attempt to save her again, unaware of how powerful these people truly were! It didn't matter to her at that moment if they were with the Rebellion or not, she refused to let these people do her harm.
Entering the Lunarium itself, she scanned all over the place as she tried to find her friend. "Adora!" She called out. She pulled out the sword from her back as she prepared for whatever came at her next. Slowly making her way to the center of the room, she continued, "Adora, where are you?"
"Hahahaha!" The voice. That voice. The voice of terror and agony that made Catra's skin stand on ends whenever she heard it, one belonging to the person who tormented her the most since day one. "Hello, dear, Catra." Shadows engulfed the walls of the room, only revealing a small bit of light from the enchanted crystals that surrounded her.
"S-Shadow Weaver..." She was here! She had to be! Without an Adora to stand at her side, there was no telling what terror she would push onto the girl. "W-What do you want?"
"Is that anyway for you to greet your former teacher?" It chuckled. To her right, she saw Shadow Weaver appearing in one of the large-sized crystals of the Lunarium, seeing her ghostly image laughing at her.
"Ahh!" Catra screamed as she thrust the sword at her.
*Crash!*
All it was met with was the sound of broken crystal as Catra cleaved through the divine crystal. It didn't faze the girl in the slightest however as she saw Shadow Weaver's body swimming through the crystals, one after the other. "You missed~"
"Ghhhh!"
*Crash!*
Once again, her efforts proved futile as she destroyed another crystal. Following each taunt was the sound of shattered crystal, the sound matching the size of the crystal she destroyed.
"So violent, aren't we?"
*crash*
"And useless on your own."
*CRASH!*
"I'm not coming back with you and that's final!" Catra shouted, lunging for another crystal.
*Crash!*
"Come back?" She watched the sickening master of darkness place her back wrist against her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Oh hah hah... Oh, you stupid child. You think I want you back period?"
*crash*
"Ever since you left, Adroa's been listening to me much more often."
*crash*
"I should've gotten rid of you years ago if I knew you'd bring her so much closer to me."
"LEAVE HER ALONE!"
*Crash!*
"I admit. Even I was afraid what would happen if I laid a hand against you while she was around... At least, a more permanent hand against you. Do you remember our special time, together?"
"Urk-!" Catra groveled in pain as she collapsed to her knees, hugging herself with her left arm, refusing to let go of the sword in the other. The mere mention of that event still made her stomach churn with agony, like it always had whenever she remembered it.
"Catra, what have you done?!"
"It was an accident I swear!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
"I gave you one simple rule and you defied me!?"
The flashes of the event were enough to make the bile rise to her throat, doing everything in her power to force it back down. That was the day Catra learned never to cross Shadow Weaver again, only taking minor shots at her from time to time whenever Adora was with her, whenever she knew she was safe.
So much regret.
So many tears.
So much pain.
"Oh, so you do remember?" Shadow Weaver spoke with intrigue. "Did you have as much fun as I did? I couldn't tell back then with all your screaming.
"SHUT UP!" She yelled angrily as tears filled her eyes. She didn't care how much pain she felt from the memory or how terrified she was of her. She had a sword. It cut things. And cutting Shadow Weaver to bits was the first instinct on her mind as she lunged towards the current crystal!
*Crash!*
"I really don't have time to play with you."
*crash*
"I just wanted to stop by and offer my gratitude for everything you've done for me."
*Crash!*
"For giving me such a performance for her in Plumeria..."
"Agh!" She used the entire event back then to bring Adora closer to her?!
*CRASH!*
"For making it necessary for her to receive my precious gift..."
She didn't need to think anything on that. She knew what the gift did to her, the reminder only fueling her seething hatred for Shadow Weaver.
*Crash!*
"And for giving me this precious gift."
That was the one thing that held pause in Catra's strike, keeping the sword raised above her head as she stared off in confusion. "What gift?" At this, all the shadows and Shadow Weaver dissolved, right around the time another figure made its way to the room filled with the sounds of destruction.
"What have you done?!" Fear filled her heart immediately as she heard the distraught shout coming from behind her. Slowly turning, her eyes widened in fear as she saw a familiar face, one belonging to one of Glimmer's relatives.
"C-Castaspella..." She stuttered. Having turned around, she saw the remnants of her recent rampage, everything it had wrought.
Destruction. Cold, ruthless, destruction, by Catra's very own sword. Looking at it, her palms shook rapidly as she realized everything she had done, dropping the sword as worry clouded her mind. ALl around her was nothing but the destroyed remains of the shattered crystals. From rows upon rows, hundreds upon hundreds on each side of the wall, thousands of the crystals had now been destroyed by Catra's overwhelming hatred and fear.
Shadow Weaver used her again. She used her and succeeded like she always had. Time and again she would tell herself she would be ready for whatever the evil witch had to throw at her next, ready to anticipate her every move as she unleashed whatever diabolical scheme she had waiting for her. And like every other time, it ended the exact same way.
Defeat.
She tricked her into destroying the thousands of crystals, large and small, that littered the entire room. Glimmer's Aunt gasped in silent horror as she picked up several of the shattered pieces, trying hopelessly to put them together as easily as pieces of a puzzle, watching in dismay as they shattered further from simply touching them.
"I... I-I-I'm sorry... I wasn't...I didn't-" What was she supposed to say at a time like this? How it wasn't her fault? How she let her anger get the best of her because some lady she saw in the crystals goaded her into doing it? She couldn't believe it herself she was in so much shock! Her face was contorted with the pain of guilt, her tail, wagging downwards as the stress overtook her.
"Catra!" Bow and Glimmer yelled worriedly as they ran into the room. They barely caught her in time as she nearly collapsed to the ground, her legs trembling from the weight of the situation.
"Your friend has destroyed a thousand years' worth of sacred writing!" Aunt Casta yelled, displaying the numerous crystals scattered around them. "She could've destroyed the lenses that protect Mystacor!"
"She didn't mean to!" Bow insisted, patting his distressed friend's shoulder. "Catra would never-"
"This," Catra started backing away as Casta marched her way towards her, directing her finger towards her in anger, "is the kind of person you associate yourselves with?" The magicat nearly jumped as she backed into a wall, the aut having little care for the face of depression and remorse filling her eyes. "One who cares naught for what they ruin or destroy?!"
"Auntie, wait!" Glimmer pleaded as she spaced herself between the two. "I know you're in shock, but I'm sure there's a perfectly good-"
"I don't want to hear about it, Glimmer!" Her aunt yelled, huffing and puffing as she made her way to the exit. "Your mother will be informed on this matter, immediately!"
All three pairs of eyes lit up at that statement. The Queen already was on edge for everything Catra did. She failed to make much of a good impression, she was fighting for the Rebellion under the condition that she was rewarded largely for her efforts, and she didn't seem to care about the fact a warrior dressed in Horde clothing made herself known by practically invading the Throne Room when they first met.
This was the very last thing she could afford to happen.
"G-Glimmer..." Catra struggled to manage a single word. She couldn't feel anything inside of her except a deep emptiness.
"It's ok, I'll handle her." She assured with a small smile, following after her.
"But-"
"The Horde isn't here, Catra." Bow stated, cutting her off from chasing as well. "You need to sleep. Promise me you'll try," like the previous times, this was followed by, what she hoped to be, a hallucination, "or I'll have to help you try." He threatened with a sinister grin.
...
...
*creeak*
"How is she?" Glimmer asked as she poked her head into the bedroom.
"See for yourself." Bow suggested, opening the door.
The room itself was very basic in design and shape. Housing a single, albeit comfortable bed, it stood at the end of the room as it sank into the wall a little, large light violet curtains hanging over the large hole it went into. There were two long diamond shaped windows on each side of it, allowing all to gaze out the room to witness the clear evening skies that loomed overhead. From here, anyone could see the three moons drawing closer to each other as they prepared for the eventual eclipse, the monthly event that gave Mystacor it's grand protection from the forces of evil.
This was not the least bit of interest to Catra, however. All she cared about at the time was looking at her fingers as she sat at the edge of the bed.
This was possibly the guiltiest look Catra had ever displayed to the two friends since they met her, along with all the deepening emotions Catra's been displaying all day. She couldn't fathom what was wrong with her or why she was hallucinating, only knowing Shadow Weaver was somehow involved.
But what would be the point in telling them that? For all she knew, the next time she saw Bow and Glimmer they could be simple hallucinations again, ones planning to set her on fire or crush her under a collapsing building! The insanity spinning endlessly through her head was starting to get out of control, even for her. She couldn't even bring herself to tell them about Shadow Weaver, unsure and a little frightened at how they would respond, thanks in no small part to the paranoia infecting her.
The safest thing she knew to do was to sit in one spot. Sitting, waiting, ignoring all the hallucinations she's been through in the last half hour with Bow in the room. It was the last bit of rational thought she could muster at these dark times.
"Catra?" Glimmer spoke as she walked over to her. Seeing the girl continuing to keep her head down, she did her best to comfort as she sat at her side. "Are you okay?"
"...I'm sorry..." She squeaked. Catra apologizing strengthened the possibility of whatever was wrong with her, sadly surmounting to the idea of pure stress and exhaustion. "I... I didn't mean to-"
"Shhh, it's okay." Glimmer shushed softly, patting her back. "I spoke with my aunt. I managed to convince her not to tell my mother, so there's no need to worry about that. That's good, right?" She smiled a little as she saw Catra's head shoot up from this.
"T-Then let me go talk to her! I need to apologize to-"
"I can't." The frown appearing in the corner of her eyes gave Catra a bad feeling. She felt it necessary to stand up again as she walked in front of her. "I told her everything, and she promised not to do anything... as long as you get some sleep tonight."
"Wh... What are you saying?" She saw Bow growing the same look of uncertainty, followed by regret at what he was realizing.
"I mean... until tomorrow, you have to stay in your room." She revealed.
"You mean I'm a prisoner here?!" She yelped getting back to her feet.
"I-It's only for tonight though! Just so you can get some sleep!" Glimmer tried to come up with the best way to explain this, preferably without the word "prisoner" in it. "She says you're more than free to walk around in the morning again, I swear! I mean look, it's almost night time anyway, it'd be a great time to get some shut eye-"
"I don't care about that, you're calling me a prisoner for pete sake!" Oh no, she was right! They were taking her prisoner! Soon they would entrap her further, dangle her over a boiling pot, and then-! "Ngggh!" Catra groaned as the dementia clouded her mind again.
"See? You can't even talk for two minutes before you start hallucinating." Bow remarked, pointing out the distressed status she was currently going through. "You need to calm down, Catra. Sleep is the best thing for you."
"B-But-"
"Look, Catra, I promise, we'll sleep with you too as soon as the ceremonies for the Lunar Eclipse is over, okay?" She tried to brighten her friends thoughts as she held her hands. "You won't feel alone by yourself, or feel like a prisoner."
"Mmh..." There really was nothing to say around here for the first time. She can't say yes or they could think of a much more permanent jail cell for her to stay in, and accepting it outright was... Why was she having so much trouble trying to think about this?! "...You promise to come right back then?"
"Yeah!" Bow nodded enthusiastically, pleased Catra was willing to trust them. "I'll even bring some food too in case you're hungry!"
"Ugh... fine..." She snarled, flopping over to the bed. It didn't make the two friends feel any better about her current predicament. if anything they felt a little worse that she was being so compliant. "Just don't take too long, got it?"
"Of course! We swear, we'll be right back in thirty, forty minutes top!" Bow replied, rushing out the door as Glimmer followed him.
"Have a good night, Catra. Try and get some sleep while we're gone, too!" She suggested almost playfully as she closed the door.
*click*
Following the small sound of the door presumably locking, Catra groaned burying her face into a pillow.
So now I'm a prisoner, I don't get to see whatever light show aunt Hilda or whoever kept going on about, and now I'm stuck in a room waiting to be tormented by dumb and dim in a slumber party. Catra thought to herself, trying her best to bury her face further into the pillow. The only assurance she had out of any of this was knowing she had her sword this time, resting peacefully against the bed like she wished she could.
Why can't this day just end?
The plea to no one seemed to give rise to an unlikely response, as well as the last response she needed at this point. With her face buried into the pillow and her senses keeping her second guessing anything and everything around her, she had no knowledge of the strange black mist that started pouring into her room from the open windows, the chill she was feeling being no different than the chills she dealt with all morning.
From behind her, floating above her back as she tried to sleep, the phantasm grinned to itself as it poured it's shadowy tendrils into Catra's ears. There was no stopping the process this time, not with everyone else preoccupied. Her friends were out of the picture, the door was firmly locked, and Catra was none the wiser of what was reality and what wasn't. Viewing everything that happened from the fountain she always had, Shadow Weaver's voice echoed through the background as her work continued unheeded.
"Yes, yes!" She roared. There was no stopping things as it was now. Little by little, the spectre diminished as it entered Catra's mind, filling her head with darkening thoughts and shadowy visions. She took pure delight as the creature ultimately shrank into nothingness, the spectre now fully in control of Catra's senses and her feelings. With the wave of her hands, the entire pool blackened about the same time Catra felt an unbearable pain shooting through her head. "And now, it's time to play..."
"Ghhhhhhh!" Catra screamed through her teeth as she pulled her ears. Out of nowhere, for reasons she couldn't comprehend, she felt the worst kind of pain being split throughout her mind! It felt like someone was pulling apart every little string of her consciousness, pulling it out as far as possible as it played with her like a toy for their amusement. "What's happening?!" She shouted to herself, slamming her head into the bed.
All around her, her vision, colors, hearing, smells began to spiral out of control, the room itself spinning with various colors that warped and blended into each other as the pain increased. She felt terror, happiness, giddy, sadness, stress, confusion, every possible emotion swimming through her mind at the same time, all playing with her as it tried to achieve dominance at the expense of her misery. She wanted it all to end, she needed it all to end.
Eventually, through whatever force heard her wishes, everything slowly faded to black as her consciousness came to an end.
...
"...Mmmh..." What happened to her? She felt like her head was smashed against a rock from every angle, followed immediately by the feathery touch of a fluffy pillow. "Where am... Huh?" No amount of questioning and reasoning could convince her of what she saw next.
All around her, the once pristine and colorful room she passed out in, was now replaced with one that was littered with the destructive and ruined remains of what was originally her bedroom. There were gashes in the wall and the small of soot in the air, numerous tears all over her bed that spilled out the cotton that made up her comfy mattress. The floors were somehow worse for wear, with cracked floorboards scattered about and dust everywhere. It's as if a thousand years had passed in this room during the time she was out of it, leaving behind nothing save for collected dust and the sight of smoke through the windows.
Smoke? Wait. How could there be smoke around here? Everything had a bluish hue, one associated with the touch of death. Her ears slowly twitched as she picked up the sound of small explosions going off in the distance, followed by what sounded like screaming over the horizon.
"What's going...Hngh!" Walking over to the window, terror beyond comprehension filled Catra's eyes as she saw everything outside. Fires, explosions, broken debris, sprawled all around the ground level of Mystacor. Everywhere she looked, she saw destroyed buildings and broken down droids all over the field, filling her vision as far as she could see. "N-No..." She gulped as she backed away. "T-The Horde's here?!" Grabbing her sword, she quickly ran over to the door, pounding on it without pause.
"Hey! HEY! Somebody let me out of here!" She screamed. Wasting no time for an answer, she started swinging her sword against the planks of word, doing everything in her power to chop the door down in every swing that followed. It didn't bother her that the door was still locked at all to begin with. All she cared about was getting out of here and possibly finding some help. By the looks of it, she'd be lucky to find anyone alive after how long she must've been passed out for. "Get! Me! Out!" With one massive heave, she shouted as she crashed herself through the door, battering against the chipped remains of the door with her shoulder until it gave way.
Panting from the excess force she used, she looked up and down the hallways to find them in the same state of decay that her bedroom was in. "How long was I out for?!" She yelled to herself as she went up the hallways. "I gotta find Bowey. Pinky too!" Yes, they'll know what to do! They must know what to do!
It didn't matter how exhausted she was. No matter what her state of tiredness was, she should've heard something given all the destruction around here. There were missing chunks of wall, wrecked droid parts over the occasional yard of the floor. There were tears and breaks in the walls as if an epic war had taken place here, one she slept through in it's entirely somehow.
Coming around a corner, her ears picking up the pleasant sound of voices, she yelled for help as she rounded the corner, panting heavily as her heart raced with increasing tenacity.
"Hey! Huff..." She puffed, slowly lifting her head from her knees. "You need to help me! The Horde's here and-!" She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the originators of the strange voices. She didn't see simple Horde soldiers wearing helmets and stun batons in their hands, she didn't see stupid round droids like the scrapped remains she passed on the way here.
She saw Shadow Weavers. Plural. There wasn't one Shadow Weaver, there wasn't two, and she never wished to see more than three. There were Shadow Weavers all over the room. All of them floating as they gazed at the girl with a loathing hatred in their eyes, hearing the low tone chuckling coming from them as they stared at her one at a time. There must've been over a dozen by the time she finished counting them.
"N-No..." Nightmares was what she was wishing for at this moment. Nightmares were something one could wake up from after enough stress had passed or the morning light finally came. It would give her back the moments of peace she needed as she stared at these horrid Shadow Weavers in terror, something to tell her this was all a dream.
This. Was no dream.
She didn't wake up no matter how many times she pinched herself.
She could see the Shadow Weavers looking at her, she could feel the touch the floors underneath her feet, and she could hear distant explosions still ringing off in the distance.
This was not a nightmare.
This was a war. And no matter how frightened she found herself, she held her sword up with as much bravery as she could find, ready to face down the dreaded creatures, no matter how many of them she had to strike down...
...
...
...
A/N: Fun fact, the last 2k or so words I did in under 30 minutes (blame work i gtg soon XP). So with that said, let me know if anything is too rushed to the point it doesn't make sense, but keep in mind everything usually comes together by the end of these episodes.
With that said, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fav, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!