A/N: Dun dun di dun dun duuuuuun! Dun dun di dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuun! Dun didi Duuun! Dun didi duuuuun! Dun didi dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!
We're here folks! We're at our epic finale! I'll be honest, I thought I would've stopped writing this some weeks ago out of a lack of energy and everything, but the constant support and build up to this moment has been keeping me going, and it's all thanks to you guys ^^!
I don't have much to say, other than I'm hyped to bring this epic finale to it's conclusion!
With that said, here is part one of our SEASON FINALE!
ENJOY!
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...
...
*CRASH!*
The ground quaked with a massive tremor as the girl was slammed straight into the ground, the massive tentacle bringing her down with full force. Adora smiled with wicked glee as the dust burst from the hole she had made, returning the long tentacled arm to her side once more as she waited for the dust to settle.
"...Mmh... Ngh..." Catra groaned in tremendous pain as she slowly pulled herself out of the small crater Adora had made with her body. Her entire body was drenched in water from the large stream as she groveled, her muscles weak from exertion as she crawled out. Her body was aching all over, her back was scarred beyond measure. In one small flash of light, Catra's entire person was engulfed in white temporarily until it diminished over the span of a few seconds.
She could see the state she was in from the stream's reflective waters. She had scrapes, cuts, bruises, and she didn't even want to think about what happened to her back. The sight of her injuries were the farthest concerns from her mind at that moment as she stared at her body in general, realizing something that she didn't think was possible.
"It's... It's gone..." She muttered weakly in disbelief. Her She-Ra form, the one she had used to fight off Adora, had disappeared. She was back to being the same plain old Catra once again. The one who always screwed things up, the one who could never see things through to the end, and the one who always needed to be rescued. With her sword tossed to her side, she watched as the glow from the Runestone completely faded, as if its powers were completely used up.
Adora had literally beaten the She-Ra right out of her.
There she stood across the Stream, about forty feet from her, as she cackled with an overwhelming sense of joy and accomplishment. She had defeated She-Ra, the supposed Symbol of Hope for the Rebellion, the one who was always a thorn in the Horde's side. Legend says she was supposed to be all powerful, all knowing, and if that was the case, then there truly wasn't anything special about who she just smacked down.
Everything had gone pretty smoothly since the start of this fight. She would commend Catra on her efforts if she had any sense of care for her anymore, but she should've known she couldn't win. Nobody can compete with the supreme might of the Horde, or its armies, as long as they had Lord Hordak leading them. The Rebellion's defenders were crushed, any resistance they once had lying beneath the ground they collapsed upon. This wasn't just the day Adora would declare victory over the Rebellion itself, this would be the day that she foiled Catra's selfish desires to obtain any kingdom she had imagined.
Ahead of her she watched the kneeled Catra, the magicat who could barely stand on her hands and knees as she panted out of breath. Without her She-Ra form, or what was a part of it, she was experiencing all the pain her body had gone through till now, all the exhaustion and the energy she had spent since her fight began. It was hard enough for her to stay awake at this point she was so exhausted, and nobody was coming to save her anymore.
All around her the allies and friends she came to know and care about were done for. They were exhausted, practically passed out from the amount of effort they took and the injuries they had sustained throughout the fight. The Princess Alliance wasn't going to answer her call, not that it mattered since all of them would've been too far away to save them in the nick of time. For the first time ever, Catra found herself completely alone without anyone to back her up.
Nobody was coming to rescue her.
Nobody was coming to save the Rebellion.
Nobody was going to survive what soon followed.
Everything relied solely on Catra... and she could do nothing about it.
Shakily stretching her arm over, still weak from injury, she dragged the sword in front of her as she sluggishly lifted it till it was standing in front of her, requiring both her arms to keep it lifted as is. "Fo... For the Honor of Grayskull." She panted. Nothing happened, her fears doubling down at the reality. "F-For the... the honor of... Grayskull!" There wasn't any spark emanating from the sword.
Just holding it alone was enough to give Catra shivers. She couldn't feel the same warmth she used to whenever the sword was in her hands. There wasn't any sense of optimism or hope coming from the sword as she stared at it. With the darkened sky and the energy of the sword tapped, she couldn't see any reflection from the sword's blade or its stone. The sword's energy had been used up. There was nothing left to save any of them.
"It's... It's not fair..." Catra teared up as she collapsed from her present state. There was a small splash as a part of her body was sunk into the stream, the right side of her face submerged as she stared at the last hope they had.
Adora could just make out the small wiggle of Catra's tail, confirming to her that she was alive, as she felt the rumble of half a dozen tanks rolling up behind her. The Rebellion was in shambles, their defenses were done for, and the last hope for the Rebellion lied on the ground, beaten and battered. Adora would've gladly let Catra live so she could rot in the prison sector of the Fright Zone for the rest of her life, along with the rest of her stupid friends. She would come by for a visit every couple months with an intention to taunt her, poke fun of her at how she failed, and reminding her that she would never get her kingdom anymore.
But she was passed the point of showing mercy to this girl, the one who used her almost as much as Shadow Weaver did.
Smirking, she raised her hand to the sky, directing the tanks behind her as they aimed the barrels of their cannons to the defenseless magicat. She would stamp out the last threat to the Horde, and the Sword of Protection, all at the same time. And without any hesitation, she threw her hand down, giving the signal. It was time for her to cut all ties to her past and start moving towards the future.
Starting with Catra.
"Fire."
...
...
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.
...
...
*3 Hours Earlier...*
*CRACKLE*
The storm did nothing to scare off Adora as she watched the sky above her.
This day would mark what was, undoubtedly, the best day the Horde would ever see in its lifetime, and it was all thanks to Adora.
After returning from her arduous journey to the mysterious First Ones ruins where she came to a grand realization about how Catra, and others, have been using her all her life to make their own lives easier or as part of some wicked scheme. She was the victim in all of this as she was completely unaware of the feeling until now, passing it off as a simple thing friends and allies did for one another, until the Beacon reminded her of what her past was like, and how she was taken advantage of throughout most of it.
Thus, after removing one obstacle from her life, after returning to the Fright Zone, she went on to remove another. After giving Entrapta the Data Crystal she collected from the ruins, the scientist discovered a massive data bank of information. Loads of schematics and works from the First Ones were within their grasp, sciences and details of their new fortune filling the Princess of Dryl with more excitement than she knew what to do with!
Since coming to the Fright Zone, Entrapta has been nothing but a great help, and a good friend for Adora. She's managed to make an entire lab out of the Interrogation Room and increased the firepower of the robotic droids of the Horde with spare parts she found lying around, using the scrap metal and devices she borrowed from other people, who didn't seem to mind it too much if only for the reason that they weren't in there to begin with when she did. With her scientific ingenuity, there was no limit to just how much Entrapta could help the Horde.
So, naturally, Lord Hordak was more than willing to give the Princess her go-ahead when she came across the blueprints for a plan that required the Black Garnet, Shadow Weaver's most prized possession. It was also here that Adora finally showed who her true allegiance was to, and who she decided to aid when the possibility of betraying Lord Hordak was given to her by her former mentor.
She picked Lord Hordak.
Shadow Weaver's cruelty for using Adora and her manipulations almost made her worse than Catra, and it would've been if she had ever spent more time with her like she did her previous friend. Shadow Weaver wanted to use her to overthrow Lord Hordak so she could attend to her own devices. From unlocking more secrets of the Runestones to preforming possible experiments on their own soldiers that could have boosted their army's strength twice as much, all of these possibilities came to naught as long as Lord Hordak had the final say.
She wasn't truly looking to replace him as the head, offering the position to Adora for all her dedication and hard work. All she wanted was to be left undisturbed and undeterred in her works. Having someone close to her at the head, specifically the young girl she came to treat as a daughter, listening to all she had to say, she knew that Adora would be the perfect candidate. She molded her to be strong and wise, and showed affection as a means to ensure her continued loyalty. She perfected and planned out every detail since the day she was taken in as an infant, and sculpted her to be the perfect tool. There was just one detail she had never anticipated.
Adora's betrayal.
To Adora, Shadow Weaver was an obstacle to the Horde that needed to be removed. She was selfish, greedy, manipulative, all the things that reminded her of Catra and then some. On top of that, her methods of teaching through fear and cruelty was something she could not tolerate happening to the younger children. Instilling fear into children made them panic and terrified, eventually leading them to become selfish and to look out for themselves. The Horde was about Unity and trust, and if she allowed Shadow Weaver to continue the way she did now, everyone would've ended up like Catra.
Besides, it's not like she didn't have her own reasons for doing so either. Shadow Weaver was a monster when it came down to it. Pretending to show care to Adora throughout all her life, no matter how much or how little she meant it, was a painful thing for the Force Captain to finally realize. To think the person she looked up to the most, the one who she considered a mother, was using her as a means to their own end. It ripped her heart out. It sickened her. It hurt to think all of the emotions she felt, all the attention she was given, was an act.
When the time finally came, she made her choices, engaging Shadow Weaver in a bout of dark magic, eventually overcoming the twisted sorceress as she crushed the gem connected to her mask. Having witnessed this act of defiance against her former master for the sake of the Horde, Lord Hordak acknowledged his pride for the young girl, and her great contribution between this, the princess, and the massive amount of technology she had obtained.
It was then Adora, Entrapta, and Scorpia put that same technology to use as the built a machine around the Black Garnet, capable of siphoning the garnet's power and turning it into a powerful tool that can be used against the princesses. Activating the machine, all four of them watched as the device launched a powerful spiral of power into the atmosphere, shrouding the Fright Zone in a clouded darkness of storm filled with red lightning.
This would mark the true beginning of the war against the Rebellion, and everything it had to stand for. It was why Adora admired the sight of the landscape around her, feeling the wind blowing passed her blonde hair, drowning out the sounds of the thunder that crackled.
She could tell that at the end of all this, the Rebellion would fall beneath her feet.
"Adora, you've gotta see this!" Scorpia called from inside as Adora made her way back.
Within the Black Garnet Chamber, the marvelous technology continued to siphon away at the Runestone's power, a surge of electricity giving off of the stone here and there as the wires and conduits protruded out of the great stone. At its base, Entrapta could be seen typing away at the master computer she had built minutes ago, smiling with renewed excitement as the readings she was getting never ended to surprise her.
Off to the side against one walls, Adora could see Scorpia reading off of one of the monitors, her eyes glued to the sight of the incredible advancement that this machine had to offer.
"Tidal waves, firestorms, earthquakes." She read off as Adora stood at her side in curiosity. "Man, Etheria's really taking this hard." There was no argument from Adora. To prove her point, Adora became rather surprised as the image of a tree began to break off, completely frozen over as it collapsed from the sheer cold. "I mean, yay for us. But also, whoa."
"Etheria will have to endure for a bit longer I'm afraid." Adora said solemnly, crossing her arms. "At least until we finish off the Rebellion, that is."
"Whoohoooooo~!" Behind them, the scientist boasted with laughter as she bounced around the room in her computer chair, twirling her hair around as she spoke into her tape recorder. "The experiment has been more effective than I could have dreamed of! This proves my hypothesis correct! With the Black Garnet at two-hundred percent power, the precarious equilibrium that governs all of Etheria's nature functions has been thrown into complete chaos, no doubt, as a result of the other elemental Runestones- Ah!" She yelped in a startled fright as her chair halted, turning around to see Adora had stopped her wonderful chair of fun. "Hey!"
"In other words...?" Adora hinted, wanting to understand what the perky scientist was getting at.
Rolling her eyes, Entrapta turned herself around as she swiped the tape recorder back. "By making the Black Garnet more powerful," she said as she directed one of her twin tails to the top of the massive sphere, using a small scanner to examine its power, "we've sapped power from the other Princesses Runestones, upsetting the balance and making the weather go screwy. It's all in my notes, if you'd like-"
"Wait a second. What did you just say about the princesses being less powerful than before?" There was no way Adora possibly heard the best news of her life, was there?
"Well, the other Elemental Princesses, that is." She clarified, nodding. "You don't have to worry about me and Scorpia. I don't have a Runestone, and Scorpia doesn't appear to have any connection to the Black Garnet anymore," the two glanced at their hulking friend who was watching the monitors, "if she ever did."
"Huh? Did somebody say my name?"
"So we can take away the princesses powers with this..." Adora had three words to say to herself as she poked at one of the bulbs from the machine. This. Was. Perfect! "And how would we make something like this permanent?" The wheels were spinning around her mind as a grin spread across her face.
"Well, I'd have to run more tests to know for sure, but-"
*tap-tap*
*crunch*
"Oh... that works too, I guess." It was foolish to try and simplistic in nature, but Entrapta couldn't deny the results.
Growing one tiny little claw of shadow over her finger, Adora gave the bright pull a couple of good taps before finally shattering the entire bulb into pieces. The second after was immediately followed by the machine humming with new life as electricity danced across the machine's surface. Each and every light bulb around the machine started to spark as their power was being drained by the largest red light bulb at the very top, just like how the machine was drawing the other Princesses' Runestones powers.
She didn't fully comprehend what she had done, and she didn't care anymore. Entrapta had created a device that could siphon the powers of the Runestones from the other princesses. No Runestones with power meant no magic to bless the princesses with. No magical princesses meant little to no defenses. No defenses meant that anyone left within Castle Bright Moon would be powerless to stop the Horde's armies and their weapons.
And that meant, no more Rebellion.
"Get a strike team together." Adora ordered Scorpia as she went back to the monitor. "We're going to Bright Moon."
"Bright Moon?" Scorpia questioned. "Why?"
"Because we're going to take out Bright Moon's Runestone." The small amount of worry she had over the environment was replaced with utter determination, just thinking about how this day would turn out. "And with the Whispering Woods frozen over, there's nothing stopping us."
The monitors displayed disaster, chaos, and turmoil that was spreading all across Etheria, and for once in her life, Adora didn't care. The opportunity was too good to pass up, a chance that might never come back to them. Without the Whispering Woods, the Rebellion had little means to hide themselves from the Horde Invaders. The woods couldn't protect them with their magic and their changing pathways. The Rebellion was right down the road for a change, and theirs for the taking.
"We're ending this war, today..."
...
...
*CRACK*
*blip*
The Queen of Bright Moon, Angella, watched in dismay from atop the Runestone's pillar as the storm circled around them.
What had she been thinking about sending her daughter out earlier? She knew she was capable of a lot of things, but if she had the foresight to know this storm was coming, she would have either kept her from leaving or sent her off with several guards to figure out where Catra was.
All around her she saw the landscape changing drastically. Trees were withering and turning grey. Out in the distance she could see a small line of ice, an impossibility she thought, as the Whispering Woods were turning into a frozen wasteland. The worst of the storm had yet to reach the Castle, thankfully, but it didn't do anything to stop the red bolts of lightning that rained down on them every couple of seconds.
The Runestone's power was changing somehow, almost as if it was weakening in some way. With every bolt that neared the castle, Queen Angella's magic protected it with an invisible barrier, bouncing off the mysterious red lightning with ease. She had never seen a bizarre phenomenon such as this in her lifetime, and for an immortal ruler, that was saying a lot.
It was the fear of this storm that kept the Queen from thinking about the Runestone's current power, the fear she had for her daughter and her friends' safety overpowering it. She hasn't seen any sign of them through the sky, and there was no telling how far out they had to travel to find Catra in the first place. All she knew could tell at that moment was what she could feel, and she felt that her daughter needed help right at this moment.
WIth her mind clear, the Queen flew up to the center of the Runestone as she began to channel her own energies into the stone. Harnessing what she could out of the protective barrier, she gathered as much magic as she could into the Runestone with the intent of saving her daughter's life. In one powerful beam of pink light, radiating with an aura of similar color, the Queen fired a massive beam of energy towards the sky, illuminating the darkness that the clouds had shrouded them with, and signaling where she was and waiting for her daughter's hopeful return.
...
*Crash!*
"Ahhh!" The group held onto each other as they hung on to Swift Wind for dear life. This day could not get any worse for Catra if it tried.
Over the course of the last twenty-four hours, Catra had experienced the ultimate down of her life. After escaping the bonds that kept her prisoner within the Beacon by the ferocious mechanical spiders that captured her, the same one who gave her the sword back confusingly enough, she found herself transported to another simulation-like space where she met Light Hope again, the first person she met that started off her adventures.
At first, Catra was relieved and furious at the woman who potentially turned her life upside down and inside out. Just because her old life wasn't perfect didn't mean she had to go around and make it worse for her! At the same time, she was also glad to have found her because if anyone could teach her how to use the sword, it would be her. In the hopes of finding a way to control her powers and to explain to her all the weird stuff she's been thrown into, she almost prayed to her for guidance and understanding.
And did she ever end up regretting that.
As it turned out, Catra was not She-Ra, at least not to the extent she thought she was. All this time, all the days spent and wasted helping the Rebellion, her only task was to find the true owner of She-Ra, Adora in this case, and return it to her so she could fulfill her destiny. All the powers she was given and thought she had since the beginning was all part of a "Finder's Initiative" program, a system in place that tasked the non-chosen founders of the sword with finding the current She-Ra of their timeline. In short, she was nothing more than an errand girl, one who was never wanted for her own assistance.
Maybe she would have taken that better if Light Hope didn't have to stretch out the explanation so long and far fetched if it wasn't for how much of Catra's life she had ruined to begin with. From her standing in the Horde, to the allies she used to have, losing the best friend she could ever hope for, and now being told she was a complete accident?! It would've driven the average person insane to process all that information in the short amount of time she finished explaining it.
What's worse was the information she was given afterwards. Because of all the time she had spent away from the Horde, since she never went back for Adora, she subjected her to vile manipulations and trickery that blackened her heart over the course of time. What was once a sincere friend that Catra knew and grew up with turned into a vile creature of darkness by the time Adora cut ties to their friendship, with her new obsession being to destroy anything and anyone that could make Catra's dream for a kingdom come true, especially the Rebellion.
Catra realized it was all her fault for her past mistakes, from the way she abused their friendship and treated Adora like nothing more than a tool. She had every reason to be angry with her and Catra didn't have the heart to deny it. After everything she screwed up since then, after all that she made worse for the Rebellion and the Princess Alliance, how could she not think of herself a failure? The one responsible for everything that's happened?
And then to hear Light Hope say that because of how Adora turned out they had to initiated a protocol that transferred ownership of the sword to her, as well as removing the inhibitor that was mitigating the sword's powers, even though it was her fault in the first place? How could she respond to that?! It angered her that they had the audacity to offer the sword to her simply because they had to, it saddened her that all she's done with her life is making everyone else's lives even worse! It broke her inside, shattered her.
Refusing to accept her new destiny, whether or not she could, she vacated the simulation, and resigned herself to spending out her remaining years alone within the Crystal Castle instead. She thought it was a good alternative to what she had to do in every way possible. Down here she wouldn't interfere with anyone's lives anymore, and she would still be technically helping them by doing it! Why did it take her this long to realize that she ruined everything she touched? Made everyone else suffer for her mistakes? She was better off away from everyone else, embracing the loneliness she most feared as penance for her actions.
She hated being alone like this. Surrounded by nothingness save for some empty rooms and darkened hallways. It was one of her biggest fears after Shadow Weaver, having experienced this kind of state after the cruel prank she was played on years ago. It also felt just in some way, almost ironic, as she hated making friends yet never wanted to experience true loneliness.
It's probably where she would've been still if her other friends hadn't come to rescue her. She was crushed inside for sure, unable to give them her full attention as the light was drained from her eyes. Her connections with them made things worse for other people, and she hadn't helped any of them since day one. As to why they would risk their lives like this to return for her when she was feeling at her bleakest, she would never know. And they didn't have as much time to socialize as the security bots were already hunting for them.
It was probably the first time she was ever slapped by Glimmer, too, and mean it for a change. The Princess of Bright Moon couldn't stand to hear Catra mope around like this anymore after all she's done for them. She's helped the Rebellion more than she could possibly imagine, she's saved lives where she believes she ruined them. She has been a dear friend who was scarred from an emotional past that was catching up to her, and she didn't deserve any of this!
Above all else, she pointed out that Catra truly was chosen. As the First Ones said, they didn't choose her to be their champion like Catra thought they did. It also didn't mean someone else, or something else in this case, didn't choose her either.
Specifically, the Sword of Protection.
While she still couldn't understand why, Catra understood that she had a point. If she wasn't destined to be some hero then why did the sword allow her to find it to begin with? As a matter of fact, why was the sword allowing her to have some of its limited powers if she wasn't capable harnessing them at all?
As Glimmer went on to point out, they all made mistakes in the past, and Catra had to accept that she would always make mistakes in the future. But a mistake was only a real mistake when the person who caused it did nothing to fix it later on. Her staying here wouldn't have fixed anything, and above all else, she would have proven everyone else right that she couldn't accomplish anything if she spent the rest of her lives here.
Whether through the determination to prove them wrong, or actually being touched a little by Glimmer's motivational speech, Catra realized that she couldn't quit like this, not when there was still things to fix.
With that in mind, having renewed optimism after a long time, the four made their escape from the Beacon as they escaped through the Whispering Woods from the terrible storm, eventually being forced to flee to the skies above. All around them they could see the desecration of the land as the storm continued to pick up. Nobody knew which way was which from up here, save for the ghastly image of the Fright Zone Catra saw behind them, and the increased frequency of the lightning only made things worse.
"The storm's getting worse!" Glimmer shouted as she struggled to hold on at the front.
"Yeah, I noticed!" Catra snapped back, having a harder time maintaining her grip as well as dealing with the increasingly loud thunder that drummed through her ears. "How are we supposed to get back to the castle like this?"
"Ah! Look!" Bow's brightened, cheery, smile was enough to warrant their full attention as they followed to where his finger was pointing. To their relief, probably a good minute away by flight, they saw a shining light resonating through the darkness, stretching passed the sky above them. It brought a great sense of relief to the three friends as they smiled in unison at the sight.
"It's Bright Moon!" Glimmer's cheery demeanor quickly switched to panic as she realized what it truly was. "It's the distress beacon."
"Hang on!" Swift Wind whinnied, charging headfirst into the glowing pillar of light. That was something else Catra had to get used to, still finding it slightly more bizarre than everything that's happened in the last couple hours.
"So would anyone mind telling me why the freaky horse is talking now?"
"LATER!"
...
Her mother never felt as much joy in the last few years as she does now at the sight of Glimmer and her friends returning on flying-horseback.
"Glimmer!" Angella cried out as her daughter dismounted after Swift Wind landed.
"Mom!" The princess ran over to hug her mother tightly, thankful that she was alright. ""What's going on?"
"The elements are out of harmony." Her mother explained as the friends turned towards the calamity that was encircling them. "The moonstone is using all its power to counteract the cloud of darkness." As she said this, Bow and Catra watched as another bolt of lightning headed right for them, only to be pushed back by the mystical barrier protecting the runestone. "It's taking nearly all my strength just to keep my connection with it."
"Its coming from the Fright Zone." Catra informed her, surprising the questionably-young mother as she almost forgot why her friends left at the start of all this..
""Catra..." It was a little painful to remember the harsh way she used to scold Catra for her wrongdoings, remembering the times when she berated her instead of encouraged her through every successful mission. It gave her a sense of guilt after Catra ran away due to her own insecurities. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." She replied, turning her head away. She didn't care much about the scrapes and cuts she obtained during her time in the Beacon. It did nothing compared to the emotional scarring her heart suffered.
"So what's our plan?" Bow asked, growing increasingly concerned over the worsening weather. "We... do have a plan, right?" When one person was silent, it was a sign they didn't know what to say. When two people did it, it meant they were trying to hide something. When three or more people did, it was a dreadful sign of things to come. "Guys?"
Catra walked away to the ledge as she examined the forest itself. All around them, the forest withered away as the freezing glaciers spread across the land, turning the trees to frozen blocks of ice that shattered within seconds under their own weight. The roots to their trees were dull and weakened from the immense cold that stung at the soil.
When Light Hope told Catra that the balances of power must be restored, or Etheria would fall to ruin, she didn't picture anything like this. She thought she meant like war would break out or alliances would continue to be broken. She expected people to be mad at each other, refusing to assist allies when their kingdoms were under attack. That was the kind of "world coming to an end" she was expecting as it sounded the most probable.
This was something else.
"The woods are frozen over." The ground gave a very faint and constant tremor to them as the sky cracked with endless storm, the winds carried a breeze of the icy glare from the forest, nipping at Catra's skin that she could shrug off only for so long. "There's nothing left to shield Bright Moon from the Horde." From across the scenery she swore that the storm was closing in on them, advancing towards them like the army that was undoubtedly approaching while they were vulnerable.
"Then the Horde will be marching on our doorstep within the hour." Angella determined, looking to the Runestone as if it would provide guidance.
"We have to prepare for an attack!" Bow said with authority, earning an agreeable nod from his fellow friends and allies who made their way to the castle.
Save for one lone magicat who's ears drooped with worry. "An attack...?" She looked back to the freezing forest in fear.
If the Horde was going to attack, then that meant they would bring a leader. If they were going to bring a leader it was going to be by someone who either volunteered or had the best experience out of the bunch. With those qualifications in mind, there can be only one person listed for the job, a friend who was all too eager to wipe out the Rebellion once and for all. The person who's hatred for Catra was turning her into the person the First Ones could no longer rely on.
"Adora..."
...
The Meeting Room within Castle Bright Moon was as lively as ever as the group, along with an additional guard captain who stood at Bow's side, developed a plan to defend themselves from the Horde's advances. In the center of the large meeting room, the holographic table was already lit as it projected a map with a general view between the Rebellion's castle, the Whispering Woods, and the Horde.
There was unease going through Catra's mind as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, staring down into thought as Glimmer and Angella leaned over the table.
"Our scouts reported sighting the Horde army in the woods," Bow stated, "moving towards us at top speed.
"We must protect Bright Moon at all costs." The Queen was not going to let her beloved castle fall to the likes of the Horde, not when the symbol of hope, She-Ra, remained on their side. "If the Moonstone is destroyed, there will be nothing left to stop the darkness."
"Someone must have seen the beacon. Why isn't anyone coming?"
"Booow..." Glimmer grumbled quietly under her breath, gesturing to Catra over by the wall who still had a bitter look on her face.
Even though she accepted her past mistakes and was determined to fix them, that didn't mean she still didn't feel guilty about them. From her viewpoint, the alliance breaking up was and still is Catra's fault, no matter how much Glimmer and Bow tried to protest against it. They were glad she was willing to come back to help them, and were overjoyed to see her up and about after the painful look in her eyes awhile ago. Now they just wished she would stop feeling like it was all her fault.
"Err, I mean," he tried to come up with any excuses as he smiled nervously, "of course they're not coming, it's not like-"
"It's okay." Catra looked away as she spoke. "It doesn't matter if I'm to blame or not, anyway. With the princesses having their own kingdoms to defend, I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to leave it, given the state things are in now. We've seen the weather here in the last few minutes alone. Who knows what they have to deal with where they are. I just know they're not coming to help us-"
"Someone's come to help us!" A guard announced rushing into the room.
"-someone's... here?"
"Huh! Is it the princesses?" Bow asked, greatly overjoyed at their timely arrival! Oh, just thinking of it now! The Princess Alliance, back together again, working side by side-! Oh."
All that enthusiasm and macho mayhem was dashed away with one simple turn of the guard as she revealed the two princesses who had come to help them. They're the ones Catra hadn't the decency to talk to yet, only meeting them at the weekly Generals Meeting once a week, and back then she wasn't the least bit interested in the two whatsoever.
Come to think of it that hadn't really changed over the weeks she spent in Bright Moon either. They were always so strange to her, which said a lot coming from her, as she never gave a word to the two in any of the meetings they've attended. The most they've had to a conversation was Catra eavesdropping on their whispering and gossip as they muttered to one another, usually saying something about the state of their current forces or commenting about Catra being She-Ra. Nothing really negative or anything like that, just nothing that sounded interesting to the magicat.
The chitchat and idle comments weren't the parts that weirded her out. The weird part was how they always seemed to be close to one another, in more ways than one. They were always by each other's side, usually walking with the other in their arm, and so on. And while Catra wasn't exactly sure what kind of level their friendship was, much less if that's how friends are supposed to be since she grew up in the Fright Zone, she was pretty sure these two took the friendship thing a bit too far at times.
"Spinnerella, Netossa, heh heh... Thanks for coming, guys." Bow chuckled nervously again.
"You still don't know what we do, do you?" The dark skinned princess huffed a little as her friend casually smiled to her.
"Let me guess," Catra volunteered, "she spins, you nets."
"THANK YOU!" It was only due to Spinnerella's soothing massage to her shoulders that Netossa kept from exploding." Gosh, it's in the name for crying out loud, you'd think it'd be obvious! Nets! Toss! I toss nets, okay?!"
"Yes dear, you toss beautiful nets." Spinnerella cooed, nuding her cheek and earning her a smile.
"At least you have powers, which is more than I've got." Glimmer commented with a frown.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short, Pinky." Catra retorted with a means of encouragement. "I can barely get the sword to work, remember? Besides," she paused shifting her eyes away, "to be honest, I... I might not-"
"Catra's right!" Bow added, cutting off Catra's finishing words. "You don't need magic to fight, Glimmer."
"I know!" It was times like this where Glimmer was proud to have such supportive friends. "I'm ready for them."
"Glimmer," as expected, her enthusiasm was met with uncertainty as her mother touched her shoulder, "not only are you without your powers, but you're still glitching. It's dangerous."
"But mom-"
"Glimmer, your mother's right." It hurt the Guard Captain to agree with her mother for a change, even if it was for the Princess's own good. "Without your powers, you wouldn't be able to teleport out of harm's way."
"So you agree with her too?" They couldn't be serious, could they? The Palace Guards would be swarmed with Horde soldiers from every angle as they defended the sides, leaving them exposed to a frontal assault. There wouldn't be anyone left if anything happened to the present friends and allies within the room, Bright Moon would be the Horde's for the taking! "You guys have to let me help, though! Tell them, Catra!"
"..."
"Catra?"
Why did she have to put her on the spot like this? Glimmer just have her the biggest pep talk of her life nearly twenty minutes ago, and now she was expecting her to repay the favor. It wasn't like before when Catra was feeling down in the dumps because of her history, this was a more serious matter of life or death being on the line.
On top of that, there was one other matter Catra was trying to process. The war that was coming to them was going to affect more than they knew about, especially with Catra. It didn't help that the more she tried to ponder her thoughts that more and more eyes turned directly towards her in greater detail. Everyone was starting to notice the hint of silence coming from the girl mixed with the look of unease coming off of her.
She wasn't contemplating a response about what to do with Glimmer, there was something else on her mind entirely.
"Catra, are you alright?" Angella wondered. "You've been rather quiet regarding the attack since the meeting started." There wasn't any comment about the war that was about to happen, no small quips or jokes she had to make like at the usual meetings. To be honest, she would greatly appreciate to hear one of her, from her personal opinion, bad jokes as long as she knew she was okay.
"I uh..." Catra shook her head as she made her way to the door. "I need a minute here..." Without another word, the others watched as Catra walked passed everyone, keeping her head down in concern as everyone watched her leave.
Catra was never the silent type when it came to knowing her, unless it pertained to her past. Catra as always reckless, always wanted to jump in first, and putting the two together, this would've been like sending a kid to a carnival with the assault they were expecting. She should've been jumping the gun under these circumstances.
Something was terribly wrong with her, and they didn't know how dire the situation truly was...
...
This is what they were fighting for, Catra understood that as she stared into the Runestone from across the bridge. The Rebellion was a part of what the First Ones were hoping for, Catra was the other part in her new official role as She-Ra. She wasn't concerned about fulfilling that role, not entirely. They didn't want her to fulfill the role of She-Ra originally, and as of now, she was fine with that. If they didn't want someone as good as her as the original She-Ra, it was their loss.
And it didn't mean she would have accepted it if she wasn't supposed to be She-Ra anymore. She was tired of everyone putting her down over everything she was about, all that she tried to accomplish. She was sick of everyone saying she would never amount to anything, wouldn't be able to do anything on her own. If this war was really going to happen in the next few hours, then she would've gladly fought in it, under normal circumstances, just to prove them wrong.
The problem was, these were the farthest thing from normal circumstances.
"Catra," She heard Glimmer speaking from behind her as she stared at the Runestone, "are you okay?"
"...Adora's going to be leading the Horde when they attack, I just know it." Catra replied, lowering her head again. "I messed her up, and now she's going to do everything she can to take it out on you guys just to get back at me." The two other friends looked at each other to this, trying to understand what she was getting at.
"Catra, what happened to you at that First Ones temple?"
"I messed up! Like I always have, okay? I tried bringing her over to our side, I thought I could remind her that we were still friends. But all I did was just... remind her of everything else."
"Everything else?" Bow repeated as they drew closer to her.
"Everything. All that's happened since we were kids, all that I've done to her since our childhood. I wasn't anything like a real friend should've been, okay? I took advantage of her since the day I've met her, even if I didn't mean to, and now she sees me like everyone else does at the Fright Zone- A freak."
"...Catra, you're not a freak." Bow assured, patting her back. "The fact you're already aware of all this proves that you're still a good friend."
"But I wasn't even aware of it until I met you guys, and because of that, everything that's about to happen is on me." Grabbing her sword, the stared at dormant blade's runestone etched into the top of the hilt. "If I end up fighting her, I'm going to choke or hold back, I just know it. I don't have any right to fight her, not after everything I've done to her."
"You don't have any right to..." Glimmer prayed that she wasn't getting to what she thought she was. "Catra, what are you trying to say?"
It hurt to admit it. She didn't want to considering how much it hurt her to think about it. But after all that's happened, all the secrets about herself that she's kept up till now, this was the one thing she had to tell them. Otherwise, there was a very good chance she might never be able to again.
"I'm not joining in the fight, you guys. I'm leaving Bright Moon."
...
...
...
A/N: As always, I always do chapter into 5-minute bits of the episode, and this seemed like a good cut off point. Like I said, I dont have much to say, other than I'm looking forward to the action picking up at the end of the next one, cause from there, it's nothing but a beautifully violent-for-ages-7-and-up war ^^ and I'm going to have a heck of a time writing out the fight scenes X)
Hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review, and hope to see you soon!