A/N: A relatively good size start for the beginning ^^
What is UP! people! I'm astounded to see the amazing feedback and cheer (well tears but close enough) I've received over the last chapter as being emotional and such.
The reason I've been so paranoid about my writing is due to a rather hazardous group of reviews i received in the past from my Rwby fic- 3 times in a row, i had people critiquing the exact same thing (and yes i mean random people, not the same) over and over again about my choice of direction, saying it sucked and whatnot- I can handle critiques fine and all, but when the first hour of your reviews is nothing but putdowns, it kinda sets the bar, you know :/?
Anyway! Who's all hyped for Season 2 of SHERAAAAAAAAAA ^^! I know I am!...which is why it sucks for me that I CANT WATCH A SINGLE EPISODE UNTIL I FINISH THIS SEASON X*(! Reason for it? To keep myself from getting distracted too much, as well as to continue with the continuity I've invested in it until now. I don't want some big design coming out of left field and finding out I messed something up before i finished this fic.
So overall, yeah, I won't be seeing season 2 until I finish the next two episodes- but i might watch a single episode if I finish this episode to give myself a small boost of motivation and all. I have no idea what to expect next season, but I'm excited all the same, and hope you people continue to enjoy this fanfic as you have.
With that in mind, apologies for anything that seems/feels rushed. I can't really control it due to the hype at the moment, not just with She-Ra, but with Avengers which I'm going to in a few hours ^^ Huzzah!... and sorry for anything that feels rushed XP.
With that all said, FINALLY... enjoy!
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"...Mhhh..." Catra's ears twitched as she slowly came to, her heavy eyes opening slowly partway as she took in her surroundings. All around her, there was darkness, save for the small area she was in. She could see herself being held a few feet above the red metal ground, the floor's cold steel seeming as lifeless as the rest of this place was. It took her a few seconds to register that she was off the ground at all, realizing something was wrong.
"Mmmh? Mhhh!" Her attempts to speak were met with full resistance as she tried to open her mouth, finding it stuck in place as she tried to move around. Where the heck am I? Catra attempted to move any other limb she could, finding them to be just as frozen as her mouth was.
Well, perhaps not frozen. More like glued.
With what little space she managed to move her head around, she managed to see the rest of her body. What is all this? Her body was covered in a strange green webbing from head to toe, covering from from the mouth down in a bizarre green stickiness. Her arms, were stretched to each side of her, her left leg was covered up completely, and while her right leg wasn't completely immobile, her right foot was stuck in the green material along with her left foot. Even her tail was pinned behind her back from what she could feel.
"Mhh! Mhhhhh!" Catra grumbled as she tried to pull away from her bonds. What happened to her? How did she get stuck here in the first place. Maybe if she remembered what brought her here to begin with, she could figure a way out of this mess. And it was with the very first memory that the entire day's events returned to her, and a great deal of pain in her heart, as she remembered somebody very close to her.
Adora...
There was no comparison to it. The day she was tortured by Shadow Weaver was nothing compared to the current pain she was feeling. This was, without a doubt, the absolute, worse day of her entire life.
She thought things would work out for them by the time their adventure here was over. In an attempt to help save Glimmer from her glitching issue, one that steadily grew worse by the hour, Catra attempted to explore the Beacon out in the middle of the Whispering Woods, hoping to find a means to cure Glimmer or find a method to heal her involving the sword. Either result would've been acceptable to her as long as she found one or the other. And what did she find instead?
Adora. Her friend. The very one who's friendship she had been abusing since day one.
Apparently, the blonde Force Captain had her own reasoning for being at the Beacon. After the events that lead to the princesses escape from the Fright Zone, she had been tasked by Lord Hordak himself to find a significant contribution to the Horde itself, one that outweighed the blunder of Adora's mistake within one week. That meant she had to find something equal to or greater than one soldier, one princess, and, most of all, one ancient sword that was built by the First Ones. Shockingly, that was easier said than done.
Barely five minutes in to their own excavations, the two found themselves forced to work together and flee after mistakenly assuming Adora had triggered some defense mechanism within the halls of the First Ones' citadel. Engaging an emergency lock down, the two found themselves being chased and hunted by monstrous robotic spiders that acted as the defenders of the great building, lurking in the shadows and attempting to capture the two by any means necessary.
Surprisingly, that wasn't the weirdest part of their day, or the hardest. The hardest part of the day came from a room they were set upon after escaping the ferocious spiders as the two discovered a small speck of light in the distance. Upon approaching the mystical brightness, they found themselves plagued and haunted by past memories in the form of simulations. They showed many parts of their past from the good, the bad, and the downright horrendous.
And for Catra, that was beyond a world of pain.
The holographic simulations showed them various glimpses of the past that the two were forcefully integrated into, finding themselves taking the form of whatever age they had back then and running through their memories completely unaware until whatever scene they were witnessing was finished Throughout that time, the two of them came to some rather troubling revelations about their past, as well as multiple examples of them repeating their past mistakes into the present.
For Catra, she was sickened by her own past. Not only did she have to relive what used to be the worst day of her life, she got an up-close view of just how poorly she treated Adora throughout the years. From using her as her own personal shield to using her name to get whatever she wanted through life, she has been nothing but an abuser in their relationship. She always had to have it her way or the highway by the looks of it, and whenever the two found themselves in trouble, thanks to whatever harebrained schemes she came up with, she was always leaving Adora's side as she made her own escape, abandoning her much like she did at the start of this entire adventure.
As for Adora, she was coming to the exact same conclusion, naturally not taking it as easily as Catra did since she was the one who played with her emotions and their relationship in the first place. She couldn't believe her eyes as she saw each and every memory play out. Seeing everything from a much more mature angle, she realized that Catra was always the one leaving her behind whenever she needed her, and exploiting her for her own personal gain throughout the majority of their friendship.
What's worse is the grand revelation Adora, from her viewpoint, came to at the end of all of this, during the same time Catra found herself surrounded by a swarm of these terrifying robotic spiders that attacked her to no end.
Catra was never interested in her friendship with Adora. She didn't even see Adora as her friend. To Adora's standpoint, Catra saw her as nothing other than a means to an end, a tool to use as she saw fit in whatever way benefited her. Adora was hers to use as she saw fit, and until these past memories came back to her, Adora had allowed her to do so.
But not anymore.
She was tired, fed up, and heartbroken. To think the one person she cared about most in this world was just using her to get away with all her wrongdoings, to use her as a personal shield who would always take the fall as Catra got away with most of what she did, it sickened her. It sickened her to think of how many times she used her name to scare people, how many other times she abandoned her in the past. To think the person she made the greatest of all promises, to always have each other's back, showed no interest or care in her friendship, had been using her this entire time.
Suffice to say, she did not take it well. After her grand revelation, she came across Catra as she was being hounded by the giant robot spiders, trapped in their webs and bindings before Adora had arrived on the scene. Instead of saving Catra like she usually would, she announced her findings to the girl and renounced her friendship to her. She also stated her new life's mission of making sure Catra would never achieve her own goal of obtaining a kingdom, the very thing Catra thought the both of them wanted.
And to do that, she as going to make sure the Rebellion was burned to the ground, as well as anyone else who was associated with the Rebellion, or capable of making Catra's dream come true.
No amount of apologies could reach her dear friend after Catra escaped her bonds. She chased after her friend through the darkness in a desperate bid to save her friendship with the one person she cared about most in this one. Even as she was chased throughout the complex by the spiders and haunted by the diminishing simulations that continued to display their past, she ran with all of the strength she had left in her legs after the endless wave of spiders she fought off. She wanted Adora to know how sorry she was, to try and make amends for all the wrongdoings she's done up till now, and Adora wanted nothing to do with it.
By the time she came across her at an exit, it was already too late. Captured and bond just a few feet away from her blonde friend, Adora gave her one last goodbye, turning her back on her friendship and everything it meant to her at that point. Never in Catra's life had she ever felt her heart so torn apart or ripped to shreds before. Never has she been so overwhelmed with guilt before that she regretted all of her past decisions. And never has Catra ever felt a pain as truly as agonizing as this moment right here.
Adora was gone. Their friendship was over. And for the first time, Catra found herself as the only one responsible for all of this.
It was truly the worse day of her life.
"Mhh! Mhhhhhh!" Catra grumbled again as she tried to pull free. Nobody knew where she was as far as she was concerned. She was trapped who knew where within this mighty Beacon, and was being kept alive for who knows what. For all she knew these spider things could come back at any moment to eat her, and that's if she was lucky. How am I supposed to get out of here? She wondered, checking her surroundings again.
She found it quite sad that after all the time she's spent here, she hasn't learned a single thing about how to be a better She-Ra, which was the goal behind all of this madness. She had yet to find a means to heal Glimmer, and she hasn't found a way to use the sword yet to perfection. On top of that, she hasn't learned a single thing about She-Ra, experience-wise at least, in figuring out how she can become a stronger warrior.
She was tired of always being the one needing saving around here, never acknowledging her own accomplishments and victories since she joined the Rebellion. She had two other people she could consider friends by now, and she hasn't found a single means to save one of them! How was she supposed to be an ally to the Rebellion if she couldn't pull her own weight around? She was reckless, snobbish, and jumped head first into any dangers that came her way, and it's always backfired on her.
Come on, think! There has to be something you can do... Saying this didn't improve her situation in any way, sadly enough. Her hands were too tightly pinned to the wall in the sticky web, keeping her from getting her claws extended and cutting her way through like she did before. "Mmhhhhhhhhhh!" And no amount of pulling or pushing could distance herself from the wall she was stuck to. With the darkness still surrounding here, there was no way to tell if and when the spiders would come back. All she knew was that she didn't want to be here when they did.
Don't think recklessly for once. Use your brain. Every time she had to tell herself this over the last two minutes, she found her optimism and enthusiasm slipping away a little at a time. She couldn't see a single way out of this, nothing within arm's reach in order to cut herself free, and her legs weren't better off either. Even if she could move her right leg more in comparison to the other, there was no way she could free herself as long as her right foot was... wait...
Blinking, she looked down towards her foot as she tried flexing her toes, finding them to have a surprising amount of movement room compared to her other foot. That was when the realization finally dawned on her.
The boots! She shouted in her mind as she pulled around her foot. With her combat boot proving itself as an active shield against the sticky substance, she found the foot itself free of it's binding, allowing her enough space to wriggle it around as she pulled her ankle free. To her relief, she actually managed to slide her foot out of the boot itself, grinning as she finally had a leg free from her trappings, and one with some verily sharp claws to it.
For the first time ever, she found her recklessness to be her lifesaver. These combat boots were more of a household accessory than they were for actual combat. In order to keep herself from scratching up the carpets and the surfaces she's climbed around the castle, Glimmer forced her to find some sort of footwear that she could use. It was quite the opposite turnabout all things considered as she wore them for inside of one's home instead of outside and vice versa. Looking back on it now, this one moment of recklessness, forgetting to take her boots off when she left the castle before all this, was one of the first times she was thankful for being Catra.
With the foot free from her prison, her claws still as sharp as always, she began cutting her other leg free of the webbing, being careful not to scratch her legs or get her foot stuck in the process, as she worked to free her lower half from her prison. With a few swipes here and there, she grinned as her entire leg was cut free from her bindings, wiggling her other leg free and managing to give herself enough space to move her lower body in general.
From there, it became a small task as she worked on pulling her leg right leg closer to her leg arm, the additional room for flexibility from her lower half allowing her to cut away at the green stuff until, finally, her arm itself was free. After that, it became a short menial task for her as she cut away at the rest of her body with her sharpened claws, pulling and cutting away at the stickiness until, finally, she managed to pull off from the wall itself, freeing her after long last as she dropped to the ground.
*thud*
"Phew," she sighed as she wiped the sweat from her brow, "I can't believe I was saved by a pair of boots of all things..." Turning back to the webbing, she took the liberty of freeing her boot from their imprisonment, equipping them in case she was ever captured again by those spider bots all over again.
The very ones who made their presence known the minute she finished tying her boots back on.
*Skreeeeeeeeee!*
"Egh..." Catra gritted her teeth as she saw their red glowing eyes through the darkness, the timing of her past escapes never being as perfectly timed as they were now. From what she could see, there were at least four of these blanked machines as they stepped out of the darkness, each with their own group of glowing red eyes as they slowly approached her. Growling, she extended the claws in both her hands, looking forward to the opportunity to vent her frustrations after her tiring day. "All right, who's first?" She threatened.
These things captured her and kept her away from reaching Adora in time. This entire place plagued her with visions of her past and all the horrible things she had done. And the simulations pulled out some of her most repressed memories that she never wanted to experience again without her consent. Tearing into these robots, no matter how many there were at the moment, seemed like the best means of releasing her bottled up anger at the time.
However, that sense of anger and terror she had of these creatures slowly started do dwindle down as she watched them. It wasn't out of pity, remorse, or a sense of needless violence like she had in the woods earlier before coming here. It was the way the robots continued to stare at her without so much as a twitch, none of them moving as Catra continued to stand her ground.
Are they waiting for me to make the first move? Were these creatures capable of such a complex thought? They didn't seem to have any strategy when she last met them, other than overwhelming her with their numbers, so it was hard to tell if they were capable of pulling off any form of plan. Were they scanning her to assess her threat levels or something? Or maybe they were stalling until reinforcements showed up. Then again, with this place being a prison, maybe they didn't care if she managed to free herself as long as she didn't try getting passed them. Perhaps they thought this room was more than enough of a prison for her.
Whatever the reasoning was made itself apparent as the robots finally started to move from the middle of their group, two pairs of the bots going right and left of each other as a fifth robot suddenly appeared. Waiting for it to make the first attack as it approached, it instead did the last thing she had ever expected as it dropped something from its mouth, almost forgetting about it entirely after her last confrontation with Adora.
The Sword of Protection, one of the mightiest weapons ever created by the First Ones, was now lying at her feet. For some reason, these freakish robots gave her back her sword, tossing it against the ground and up to her feet where she saw her small reflection staring back at her. Looking back to the robots for a moment, she was surprised to see them began backing away from her, leaving her to whatever fate she wanted as they disappeared.
"They're just... giving it to me?" She asked as she kneeled. She didn't know what those freaky robot spiders were doing, and, for now, she didn't care. She needed to get out of here before those things changed their minds again, certain that they wouldn't give her the same courtesy twice. Shrugging, she decided to pick up the legendary sword, hoping it would-
*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
"Ahh!" Catra yelled as she shielded her eyes. The very instant that she touched the sword she was engulfed in an explosion of pure light, all coming from the rune stone embedded in the sword's hilt. Was this some trap of theirs? Did they mess with it in some way as a means to trick her? Because, looking at it now, it definitely worked. At least, that's what she thought before her vision started to return to her, discovering the scenery around her had drastically changed.
Her surroundings were familiar, in some way. All around her was an enchantment of beautiful blue and violet coloring as the walls appeared to be laced with technology. From etchings into the walls to holographic displays in every direction of her, the entire setting had changed around her as the light faded from her view, disappearing along with her sword at the same time. The strangest part out of all of this wasn't how weird this place looked or the mysterious means she was transported here with.
The strangest part was how she's been here before, only once in her life.
"I... I know this place..."
"Hello, Catra." At the sound of the blessed voice, Catra's eyes twitched as she quickly shot around. Her eyes widened as she let out a gasp, unable to believe what she was seeing, or, more accurately, who she was seeing, standing in front of her.
The very person who she met at the beginning of all this.
The woman who told Catra about what she must do.
The one she came here to find in the first place.
"Light Hope?!"
With an emotionless smile, she replied, "We have much to discuss..."
...
...
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.
...
...
Castle Bright Moon. Home to the leader of the Rebellion, and the home to Princess Glimmer, Queen Angella, and, as of late, the She-Ra-in-training, Catra.
It was here that laid the foundation for everything and anything that stood against the Horde. From a small regime of soldiers, guards, and princesses remaining, this was the last bastion of hope for Etheria and all who inhabit it, and the last line of defense between the Horde and utter annihilation.
Within one of the chambers of the beloved castle, Princess Glimmer could be seen pacing back and forth. Everything from the days prior had lead to disaster. After a rescue mission that they thought ended with Entrapta's death, the Princess Alliance had all but disbanded. The princesses that once inhabited the halls every meeting had left to secure the protection of their own kingdoms, unwilling to risk the lives they could lose and leave their kingdoms unguarded as a result.
It was a tragic ending to the first and only mission the alliance had preformed as a team, and it still wasn't left without additional fallout. In order to save Catra's life from a wicked magic cast by Shadow Weaver, Glimmer was forced to use every ounce of strength and magic she possibly had to escape a mystical binding Shadow Weaver placed on her using the Black Garnet. And while it may have ended successfully, it didn't come without it's drawbacks.
Ever since they escaped from the horror that was the Fright Zone, Glimmer found herself experiencing a painful glitching with her powers, one that erupted at random intervals all around her, and leaving her in a worse state of pain than the last. None of their methods of trying to stop the corrupted magic had worked in their favor, and it was proven that the radiating aura of red was growing dangerous and deadlier with each burst.
The little hope they did have at this point relied solely on Catra's ability to find a means to heal her with the sword, prompting her to head out on her own in a means to find the Beacon. There was already present in the air leading up to her departure as Catra was clouded with the guilt of Entrapta's passing and the Princess Alliance's fall, feeling responsible after everything that's happened. With the state of mind she was in when she left, there was no way for Glimmer or Bow to know how she was feeling since she left.
Or any way to tell how she was doing,
"She said she was-"
*rrrrrrrrtttttttttt*
"Ghhh," Glimmer groaned as she was overcome with another flash of the red magic, "going to get training-"
*rrrrtttt*
"to fix me!" The Princess of Bright Moon continued back and forth as Bow watched her from the cushion against the window. "How long is that going to take?"
*thunk*
"OW!" With a yelp, Glimmer rubbed her aching shin as she tried to dull the pain, grumbling at the frustration building up to this point. "What kind of monster puts a chair in here?!"
"Okay. I'm worried, too, Glimmer," Bow returned to his feet, trying to help her relax as he leaned her against the pillowy chair, "but taking it out on the furniture isn't going to help.
"We can't just sit here and hope she comes back eventually." She argued in distress, jumping back to her feet. "We have to do something."
"Like what?"
*knock*
*knock*
*knock*
At the sound of the door, the princess silently moaned as she answered it, revealing one of the queen's personal guards in its way. "Princess, there's, uh... something here to see you."
"Don't you mean someone?" She asked back in confusion.
"No, I mean something." Exiting down the hallway, Glimmer and Bow shot each other a look as stood at the door's entryway, watching as to who, or what, came to see them.
Down from the hallway in a majestic and regal manner, they spotted the orange haired alicorn making its way towards them. With all that's happened, they had almost forgotten about this horse's existence, remembering it as the same one that carried Glimmer all the way to Bright Moon Castle when she first met Catra. With the horse taking the lead of the girl, the trio of would-be friends managed to travel all the way down to the Rebellion Headquarters without having to worry about Glimmer's exhausted state, having spent all of her magic up at that point.
It was also one of the fun times Glimmer could recall with Catra as she exposed Catra's personal fear of the horse, her animal instincts kicking in as she had never met such a strange and unruly creature such as it. It almost made her wish she maintained that fear throughout the first couple weeks they knew each other because it would've made a convenient and humorous means to scare Catra off or get back at her for all the times she picked on Glimmer and Bow in the past.
Sadly, all good things had to come to an end as Catra quickly overcame her fear of it a few hours after arriving to Bright Moon, the magicat attempting to use her fear of the horse as a means to get the sword's transformation working for her. Instead of getting it to transform herself, after hitting it angrily against a rock, she inadvertently ended up transforming the horse itself, from an everyday work horse that grazed along the meadows, to this enchanting creature with a horn, wings, and a golden orange-colored mane.
"Our horse!" Bow stated, wondering whatever became of the creature since hearing of it back at the Princess Prom.
"I am my own horse." It replied with a smug grin. Spreading its wings out further as it raised its front hooves to the air, the horse neighed proudly before the two. "Call me... Swift Wind!"
"..."
"..."
"...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The sudden shriek of terror and fright nearly caused the horse to jump as Glimmer and Bow hugged each other tightly.
Horses were an everyday part of Etherian life. They helped transport the various edibles and trades from one town to the next. They excelled at providing great entertainment for everyone within Etheria from jousting to horseback racing. With horses being one of the everyday part of life, there was nothing to fear for the two.
What there was to fear was the fact it told them its name. No, not even that. The fact it so much as talked to begin with brought all sorts of craziness and fear into their mind. Was their horse secretly some malicious, demonic, creature that ate the flesh of little children? Did it infiltrate Bright Moon intentionally to attack the castle itself?! There was no way to tell what the horse was thinking or what its purpose was.
All they knew was that this impossible oddity was too hard to accept as reality!
"OUR HORSE CAN TALK!" Bow exclaimed, pointing to the majestic being shock as he held Glimmer.
"Yeah, yeah, I can speak my own mind now, pretty crazy." Swift Wind said in a casual tone as he strolled his way into the room, ignoring the gaping and shocked expressions that stared at him. "So, I'm thinking-"
"HE'S A TALKING HORSE!" Bow squealed again, the face of disbelief being present in his and Glimmer's eyes as they stared.
"As we've established. Now-"
"HE HAS WINGS?!" Of all the things Glimmer has seen in her life, nothing has ever compared to anything like this. A horse having wings is one thing. A horse being rainbow-colored is another. A horse having rainbow-colored wings, AND that can talk? That is the craziest thing she has ever seen in her entire life!
With an unamused look in his eyes, the horse stared back as they approached. "Okay, I'll give you two a moment to freak out, and then we need to talk."
"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH-!"
The horse. Was. TALKING! It was a real, honest to First Ones, talking horse! How did the guard who brought him into the room not freak out like they were? Or how was she already over a spectacle of a marvel like this?! This wasn't some magical creature, or at least not born magical, that descended from the heavens or came out of a portal from another dimension that was present before the two. This was a one-hundred percent, certified, talking horse!
There were so many things running through their mind at that moment that they didn't know where to begin! The fact it seemed conscious of its state, the way it addressed them fluently and in a royal manner, the very detail that it knew their names, knew how to speak in their tongue, and came all this way just to talk to the two of them, all of it culminated into a spectacular wonder of the world, one with its own mind and voice to speak from.
Oh yeah, and who could forget the important part about all of this?
IT WAS A TALKING HOOOORSE!
"Great!" He had to put an end to the moment himself, fearful of how many years this could continue. "I think Catra needs our help. Since Catra transformed me, I've been able to feel where she is at all times. It's like instinct." Swift Wind explained as he turned to the window, staring out of it with determination. "But now I feel a pull, as if I'm being summoned to her side." He paid no mind to Bow as he pet his incredible wings of beauty, his eyes sparkling after he did. "As part of Catra's herd, I need your help. Will you come?"
*rrrrtttt*
"Ngggh... Of course. Lead the way." Glimmer nodded as she stepped forth.
"But Glimmer, you're glitching." Bow pointed out, noticing how the glitching was becoming more frequent as of late.
"It's what got us into this mess to begin with." The sorrow in her eyes was impossible to resist as she spoke. "Catra left to save me. Now it's time for us to save her. You in?"
"Always!" There was no way he was going to turn her down. After all, the Best Friend Squad, title still pending, always stuck together! "But I don't think your mom is going to like us leaving so soon after our mission."
"She doesn't need to know." She smiled as she made her way to the door. "We'll sneak out and be back before my mom even realizes we're gone." And with a simple pull of the door handle, it became clear why that plan wasn't going to work to begin with- because the next thing she saw was her mother smiling at her, her hand already raised as she prepared to knock. "Ahh! Mom!" She yelped, trying to switch to a casual persona as fast as she could. "What, uhh... What are you doing here?"
"I was coming to see why my guard was escorting a horse into your room." She explained.
"I'd like to think of myself as more of a role model for all horse kind." Swift Wind commented, nearly making the Queen jump as he butted in right next to her. It took the silent stare of the Queen to make him realize everything wrong with what he just did. "...I mean, uh... What talking horse? What are you talking about?"
As opposed to the previous expressions he was greeted with, she met his quirky antics with a curious brow, smiling a little in fascination as she crossed her arms. "You should get going if you want to track down Catra."
"You're... not going to stop us?" Glimmer couldn't tell exactly how she was supposed to take that. Confused? Thankful? A mix of both? Her mother was fully aware of her plan and show little sign of resistance.
"Glimmer, I told you I regretted giving up after your father died." Her mother's warm smile was an interesting change of scenery as she patted her cheek comfortingly. "I will not consign you to the same regrets."
Now, she knew to smile. It almost felt like a dream to the two of them as they reconciled after many years of silence and frustration to one another, thinking back on how one five-minute chat between mother and daughter opened up locked box of emotions between the two that they haven't felt in years.
Nudging her head against her daughter's, the Queen smiled at her daughter's selfless actions, which is what she knew she should've been doing since day one, before she stood at attention. "Commander Glimmer, I order you to continue your mission to find Catra, and bring her back home."
"Right away, Your Majesty." Her daughter replied with a little embarrassment. Something as simple as this would never have played out so easily between the two if it wasn't for that wonderful night. "Come on!" With the order given to her fellow allies, the Queen watched as her daughter and friends ran out of the room, Bow giving a respectful salute as he always did first, followed by the horse doing the exact same thing, using his feathers as an arm, and rushing out behind him.
The trio knew what their top priority for this mission was, Angella knew this perfectly well. And despite whatever fears she may have that could await her daughter and her friends, she knew they would be safe as long as they had each other.
"Uh, when we're back," Swift Wind quickly spoke as he poked his head back into the room, "I'd like to talk about freeing all the horses in your stable." He continued his list of demands even after Bow continued to push him out of the room. "I think that's-
"Later!" Bow waved goodbye with a nervous smile.
"Hey, I'm still talking to the Queen!" He neighed.
"...So now the horse is demanding things from me?" She sighed. "He definitely belongs to Catra."
...
...
"Hey Entrapta," Adora called out as she entered the interrogation room, "I got your note, but I'm not sure I under... stand... what..." Everything around her drew to an eerie silence as she examined her surroundings.
What was once a glorified interrogation room where the worst of the Horde's criminals were subjugated and interrogated for their information no longer existed within this place. Where there used to be tables for discussion, shackles for imprisoning, there were now computer screens that lined the right wall, a lab table for studies and experimentation on the right, and power converters and a whole bunch of other gadgets and gizmos that filled every corner!
And the traditional shackles and restraints, of course.
To her surprise, she didn't seem to be the first one to find herself in the room either. There in the center stood a curious Scorpia as she examined the deeply affectionate Emily, one of the many fantastical inventions that Entrapta reprogrammed or made from scratch. It was built with its own emotional settings that Entrapta could adjust, as well as an upgraded plasma canon that could melt through the walls in a matter of seconds!
The newly added wall in the leftmost corner of the room can attest to that, the newly added slabs most noticeable next to the currently rusty hunks of metal that stood adjacent to it.
"Someone's been busy I see..." At the sound of her voice, Scorpia turned around from her current playmate as she offered her a hearty hello.
"Hey, Adora!" She waved, clutching a similar note she received from Entrapta as well. "You sleep well?"
"Er... Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Scorpia knew it was better not to question the small bags under her eyes, not after the events of yesterday. She might not have known what Adora went through yesterday, but she was close enough to her friend to tell when she was in pain, and based on her appearance, Adora was in a lot of pain.
Why wouldn't she be after the events yesterday? To learn that the person you were close to all your life since childhood, to find out they were nothing more than a backstabbing freak who was only your friend purely out of selfish desire, was beyond the realm of tragic. Adora had never felt an emotional pain as severe as her revelation yesterday, realizing that after all this time, Catra saw her as a mere tool to make her life easier.
It wasn't something she got over through a good night's rest, nor could anyone hope to achieve such a sense of relief. Throughout the night, she must've woken up at least half a dozen times in discomfort, trying to push through the tears that welled up in her eyes from time to time as she was plagued with memories of her life with Catra.
None of those memories brought comfort any longer. All they did was plague her with the false sense of senscierity and innocence, reminding her that all the good times she thought she had with Catra were nothing but lies. Why would they bring anymore comfort after what she's been through? What part of her mind fooled her into thinking she could ever trust Catra again? Did her mind simply like tormenting her like this? Did it think if it showed her any more memories from her past that she would find it within herself to ever forgive Catra for the way she treated her?
Because, news flash, it didn't.
If anything, all it did was fuel her hatred for the Rebellion. The reason? Well, aside from the fact everything about their lives were great until they came into the picture, it's because Catra was fully intent on using them to fulfill her own selfish desires. She couldn't imagine Catra having her way after all that's happened to her, all the suffering she endured for the sake of her friend. Her first order of business was to crush the Rebellion with her own two hands, and she would use any means necessary at this point to make it happen.
"I take it you got the same letter?" Adora asked, wondering if she had a better understanding as to what was going on.
*clank*
"Ah, Adora!" The voice of a familiar scientist rang out, catching Adora's attention as she exited the circular vent. "I see you got my note!"
"You mean the one that happens to drop right on top of you from the air vent while I was eating breakfast?" Adora joked a little.
"Yes, that's the one!" The perky scientist confirmed as she began working on one of the newly powered generators in the room, connecting wires and massive cables to one another. "I've made great strides in analyzing the data from the First Ones data crystal you brought me. Just look around you!"
"I've... noticed..." She wasn't completely sure how she should feel about the wondrous technology that littered the floors and the walls around her. She ran her fingers across one of the metallic surface as if she was checking to see if it was real, unable to believe that all of this amazing technology was surrounding her. "Where did you even get all the parts for all of this? I haven't approved your affiliation with Lord Hordak yet, so I doubt he sent any of this."
"Oh, you know," the scientist mumbled on as she worked, "here and there... in rooms."
"Did there happen to be people in these rooms when you took them?" The Force Captain asked knowingly with a smirk.
The geeky scientist had a nervous grin on her face as she poked two tips of her hair in innocence. "Well... not when I went back to take the stuff."
"Heh heh... it's fine, Entrapta." Adora assured patting her shoulder. "Like I said before, you're one of us, among friends."
"Hmhmhm!" It was impossible for the scientist to not chuckle back at this.
It's true about what she said, right down to the very detail. All of her so-called friends had abandoned her in this place without so much as a worry or care in their eyes. They had plenty of opportunity to come back for her, like Catra did with Adora, and they had yet to act up on it. Here, she was surrounded by the enemy who embraced her scientific nature and didn't poke fun at her quirks and weird behavior. She truly felt like she was part of a team for once over here compared to the Princess Alliance.
"So, the data..." Her eyes shined like a starry sky as she squealed. She couldn't bring herself to say what she had found, instead opting to show her new friend personally. With the data crystal in hand, she inserted it into a perfectly-shaped slot into the computer board, watching with Adora as the crystal began to glow blue, displaying its various details on the computer above it.
"Wow!" Scorpia cheered as her eyes lit up. "Hah, cool!" Feeling her scientific nature take hold, she took the opportunity to pull out a small notepad and a pencil, writing down the amazing details and knowledge she was processing through her mind.
"Look at these readings. It's incredible! This seems to confirm my theories about the techno-organic nature of First Ones machinery, resulting in thaumaturlogical compatibility between magic and science!" Entrapta explained, drawing closer to the amazing computer in a trance. "HAHAHAHAHA!"
*click*
"Whoa, Entrapta," Adora clicked her fingers in an attempt to snap her out of it, "you with us? Now, I'd like you to repeat what you just said. But this time, pretend the rest of us don't have the same level of education as a scientist studying a neutron star, okay?"
"Scorpia seems like she understands." She commented, gesturing to the red scorpion who was still writing in her mini notebook.
"Uh huh... Hey Scorpia, how are you doing with that doodling in your notebook?"
"Superb!" Scorpia squeaked, showing off her incredible artistic talent for the world to see. It displayed three familiar friends, one with pigtails, one with a scorpion stinger, and one of them having a shadowy blackness right under their feet, which Adora presumed was supposed to be her and her shadowy abilities. "I call it, the Super Pal Trio! This is me, that's you, and I think this one is clear. Come on. I'm a bit of an artist."
Adora's point had been made, almost too much at that. With a deep breath, Entrapta tried dumbing it down to a level the average person could understand, speaking slowly and clearly as she did. "I looked at the rock, which is a crystal, and used math- Wait, do I have to explain math to you, too?"
"I'm pretty sure we're good on that." Adora kept her cool as the scientist explained, not being put off by her strange behavior and her mannerisms. "What I want to know, though, is whether or not that crystal gave you any data that could improve our weapons or something."
"Weapons? Hah! This is so much bigger than weapons!" Entrapta could not emphasize that enough if she wanted to, stretching her own hair in exaggeration. "This could change everything. Etheria's not just a planet, Adora. Whatever the First Ones did to it, it went deep."
"Deep? What do you mean by that?"
"You're... asking me about my theories?"
"Uh, yeah? Why, is that a problem?"
"Aaaauuuughhhhh!" Adora was convinced she practically broke the girl as she saw the impressive amount of drool and shine from her eyes as she squeezed her head. "I've waited years for someone to ask me about my theories!" Finally! Intellectuals who were on the same possible wavelength as her! People who finally understood the knowledge of science all came down to the questions that were asked! "Hang on, I made a model!"
Against her will, Adora was dragged along behind Entrapta as the scientist grabbed her wrists with her twintails, Scorpia trailing shortly behind her.
They might've been the strangest combination of friends, but they were the best pair of friends she could ask for all the same. Brain and brawn, short and tall, and both kindhearted and peaceful. In this time of Adora's life, being surrounded with friends was what she needed most, because after everything she's been through, she wasn't planning on losing them, and she was ready to defend them with her own life.
...
...
*swiff*
*zzzt*
"Are you done yet?"
"Ghhhhhh!"
*swiff!*
*zzzt*
"Catra, you've been at this for an hour now-"
"Shut up!" Catra growled as she attempted to strike at the mysterious being for the hundredth time. She didn't care what it took as long as she could hurt this "Light Hope" through any means necessary. It didn't bother her that each and every attempt to strike the woman was met with her phasing straight through her, she didn't take the hint that she could just reappear somewhere else immediately after. No, she didn't want to give this person the satisfaction of seeing her as anything other than angry. "You ruined my life!"
"I apologize for any misgivings you might have ex-x-xperienced," Light Hope apologized with a slight glitch, "but everything that happened, and everything that was destined to happen, was outside of our control."
"I don't want... huff... to h-hear it..." Catra panted, taking a moment to catch her breath as Light Hope appeared in front of her again. "Everything that's happened... is your fault!"
"I'm sorry?" The emotionless being questioned.
"You heard me! All of it! Everything from the sword, the stupid Rebellion, my life?! Everything was going smoothly in my life until you and this stupid sword came along!" She shouted, trying to swipe at the being once more. "Yeah, I had a fair number of problems in it, but it was still better than any of this junk!" She could not have been more certain of her declaration.
Everything from this sword to where she is today has been one giant disaster after another. Sure, she was still scared of Shadow Weaver, and she would never get to taste the sweet success of having a single victory over her if it wasn't for Glimmer and Bow. And yes, she finally had more people she could actually call friends since getting the sword. She wouldn't deny the positive aspects that came from her life.
What she loathed was everything else about it! She had a somewhat decent life in the Horde with Adora, her closest friend, she wasn't forced upon so many responsibilities like this out of the blue, she wasn't tasked with some impossible task like leading an entire Rebellion against the very people who trained and raised her since infancy. She didn't have to worry about possibly losing the best friend she's ever had since childhood either, the scar on her goodbye still freshly etched into her heart.
No matter what truly started it, Catra was convinced. All the problems she came upon since becoming She-Ra, everything that's ever happened to her at this point, has been because of this one stupid sword, and the woman known as Light Hope.
"I apologize, Catra, but everything that you've experienced has been due to a mistake." She apologized again.
"You're darn right it's a mistake!"
"I do not think you understand my meaning. Everything that's happened with you, since the sword's founding, has been a complete accident."
"An... accident?" Curious at the statement, Catra retracted her claws, wanting to further inquire about this. "What do you mean it was all an accident since I found the sword?"
"I mean exactly as I foretold, Catra. The Sword of Protection, the very weapon you carry in your possession, was never meant to pass on to you."
"...Pffffffffft! Hah, yeah, that's a laugh." From unbridled fury to bellows of laughter, Catra just couldn't maintain a solid emotion with this woman. She's going on to tell her, after everything that's happened, after all the denial Catra boasted about these events playing out, were actually true? She was almost convinced the woman was purposely trying to lower her guard here, as to why remained the mystery.
"I'm afraid it'sssss true." Her body glitched as she assured. "The possibility of you finding the sword was something that went completely unchallenged. Nobody thought these events would play out as such."
"Tch, okay, yeah, sure. I'm not this big destined one you've been irritating since the moment I found this sword." Catra scoffed. If the machine from earlier read and simulated her memory, there was no way to tell if it was trying to play at her emotional state as well, possibly suggesting that she was in another simulation as before.
"As I've stated, you were never supposed to find the sword, Catra." The holographic being seemed to be limited in its responses to her, most likely from a bug, given the amount of glitching Catra's seen.
"Uh-huh, fine. I wasn't supposed to find the sword. I went into the middle of the forest where a sword just happened to be waiting for me, and you're telling me I wasn't supposed find it? As if! I mean who else would've... found the... sword..." The face of revelation slowly grew over Catra's face as she lowered her gaze. No...
It was impossible.
Absolutely, impossible.
Sensing the feel of doubt and confusion filling Catra's mind, Light Hope responded, "I'm afraid you've already come to the same conclusion, Catra." With a wave of her hand, Catra watched as a large screen appeared out of thin air in the middle of both of them. Despite her disbelief, no matter how much she wanted to look away from the picture, her eyes were drawn to the single, solitary, image that was displayed between them, depicting the one person she completely forgot about on that day.
Within the image itself, she saw her. A lone friend of hers who was now a Force Captain, standing solid and proudly within the image as a symbol of hope, donning the form of She-Ra as she stood against the cliffside overlooking a beautiful blue ocean, and it's gorgeous orange sunset.
"The one who was meant to find the sword, goes by the name, Adora..."
...
...
...
A/N: Yeah, i think the writing went pretty okay, all things considered ^^. Remember earlier (if I actually did) mention that whatever episode's author's notes it was that I was going in completely blind because the episode was just bland and forgettable? Well, while this one isn't bland in the slightest, I probably remember LESS from this episode than I do the last one XP So some parts of it miiight be a little iffy here and there.
Anyway! We're rounding down to the final chapters here folks :P! On top of that, next chapter, we learn all the bits and secrets to the sword and Catra's finding of it, will all be revealed!...or most likely i'll have forgotten one or two details by mistake XP it's been over 2 months since i did the first 2 chapters, so sue me XP! On an interesting note, i'm curious to see what sort of fan theories you guys might be able to cook up ^^ I think i'll make a list of the closest/most-accurate theories to the winners, as well as any i find generally funny and whatnot XP.
Lol, anyway, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!
Now if you'll excuse me... AVENGERSS TIME BABA!