A/N: Heyo guys! Another post from yours truly ^^ Not much this time around, but barely any stuff happened within the first 5 minutes of the episode. On the brighter side, a quicker post, ANNNNNND, as a reminder, the last one had about 18k+ words, so i think its a bit of a fairer trade XP.
As always, huge shoutout to fans here and there of the series! People like on instagram and all that and others who've done work. If you guys are interested in doing fan work of my fanfic, im more than 100% fine with it and deeply appreciate it :D if you have any, contact me to let me know, and I'll be sure to post about it in these authors notes ^^
With that said, enjoy!
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The wind was rather soothing as it breezed across the Kingdom of Dryl. All around the fortress, the Horde banners could be seen being raised all around the walls. With Entrapta on the Horde's side, taking the city was nothing short of easy. Those who did resist were captured, albeit with leniency thanks to someone's intervention, and the rest who refused to stick around were quick to run for the literal hills.
Atop the archway-like entrance, the second-in-command, Adora herself, could be seen smiling as she held a large spike jutting out of the ground to keep her balance. This was just one of many kingdoms that would unite under the Horde banner, and understand what the Horde was truly about. It wasn't corrupt like the Rebellion was making them out to be, it wasn't some army bent on total destruction or whatever. It stood as a symbol of peace and protection, one that Adora was proud to serve under as Hordak's second-in-command.
All around her she could see the various encampments that were built within the walls of the mighty fortress, each of them with their own banner being displayed proudly in the air. It made Adora wonder sometimes if the other princesses would join as easily as Entrapta and Frosta did, and if they were just as determined to stand against the Rebellion as she was. That was, of course, provided there weren't any slip-ups as there were yesterday.
What kind of slip-ups could there be that would make Adora worry? The kind that involve a new creation going rampant and almost ending the life of one of their allies, in this case, Princess Frosta!
She never should have allowed the stupid droid to go out without any prior field testing to begin with, that much she could admit openly. Under the name of Orbko, it was the Horde's, and Entrapta's, greatest creation to date. Thanks to the resources provided by Frosta's kingdom and with the First Ones tech Adora managed to acquire from the Beacon, they created one of the most powerful creations that Etheria has ever known.
It was capable of learning as it fought, had a strong metal alloy around its limbs that could transform into defensive and offensive tools of destruction, and could identify and exploit the weaknesses and strengths of its adversaries. Thanks to its learning capabilities, it was also capable of predicting and countering any attack thrown at it, preventing the same move from working on it twice in a row.
Yes it was truly the Horde's greatest creation, and would have gone down as such if not for one, tincy, little, dilemma they came across- IT COULDN'T DIFFERENTIATE FRIEND FROM FOE!
In the midst of a battle it had engaged Catra and Glimmer with in the beginning, Frosta appeared out of nowhere and attempted to attack the creature, if only to secure her appearance as a member of the Princess Alliance and not a spy. And while she still managed to maintain the cover by the end of the day, during her attack, the robot's own advanced systems managed to rewrite its own programming as it was incapable of harming a fellow member of the Horde otherwise.
What ensued was a long, grueling, and stressful day as Adora, Scorpia, and Entrapta had to keep a close eye on Orbko and do everything in their power they could to prevent it from bringing any further harm to Frosta, or at least as much as they could to provide her cover as a spy. They couldn't find a single opportunity to blow it up without the princesses being too close, and they couldn't rewrite its programming as its systems kept locking Entrapta out. It wasn't until they managed to bypass its priorities, filling it with new information in what was and wasn't important, that it finally left Frosta alive at the last second.
By the end of the day the robot was officially scrapped as the Alliance managed to defeat it later. To their surprise, Catra had exploited a surprising error in the machine that even Entrapta didn't think of. Pretending to show hostilities to the younger princess, both she and Frosta tossed insults and anger towards one another and attacks with enough force to safely deflect it from the other and straight into the robot itself. As opposed to reacting to this in any sort of way, the robot found itself perplexed by a mind-numbing paradox.
It wasn't supposed to attack unless it was attacked first. Ergo, it was fitted with the ability to sense emotions and intentions so it could tell between friend and foe whenever on the battlefield. However, thanks to the combined efforts of anger the two had for one another, it couldn't process that it was the intended target. With their attentions set solely on the other, the robot was helpless and incapable of responding, even as the two managed to bludgeon it with their attacks.
It wasn't long after that the robot had been incapacitated by the combined efforts of the Princess Alliance, and provided the means for Bow to make a killswitch.
Despite the setback, thanks to the encouragement of her friend, Scorpia, Adora took this as more of a good thing. It took over a month before they suffered their first big loss, and it took all of the Princess Alliance just to do it. They managed to secure a vast amount of land and resources over the course of the month they kept the princesses distracted with their meager droids, and the army had never been stronger than it was now.
This frame of mind gave Adora the much needed peace of mind she required to get through the rest of the evening, less she allow her magic to corrupt her body any further. Along both arms, thick trails of black veins could be seen grown, both sides finally having grown to the base of Adora's neck.
The Force Captain wasn't one to ignore the treatment she needed, but it became unsettling every time she heard the strange whispers in her mind that followed. They were quiet most days, with a mere utterance once or twice they could drown out. But whenever she fully recharged her body, purging her bloodstreams of the dark energies that were corrupting them, for a single moment, she could hear whatever the voice had to say in full. And every time, they sounded more twisted and ominous than the last, something she couldn't allow while committing to her duties as a commander of the Horde.
All of this was for the Horde, a commitment Adora tended to live by daily. And she wasn't going to allow anyone to ruin it.
*bzzzt*
The sound of static caught Adora's attention as she brought up the datapad in her left hand to her face, smiling as she was greeted by Scorpia's face from the other end. "Everything's good over here, Scorpia." She said, looking over the view with pride. "The city's forces have all fled if they didn't join with us already. The kingdom is now ours."
"All right!" Scorpia cheered as she walked down another of the twisted hallways of Dryl, eyeing the various paintings as she passed them. "I mean, I guess it kind of already was ours since their princess is on our side and all, but the banners really make it feel official."
"Yeah. I do wonder if we actually brought a few too many, but I can't say I disagree with the design." Adora commented in return. "By the way, where are you right now?"
"That is a great question, and the answer is..." The Scorpion Woman paused as she looked around. Somehow, despite walking around in a straight path for the last twenty minutes, she managed to find herself, once again, in the twisted crossway she passed earlier. Somehow the path brought her to a little alcove above the pathway, one that didn't lead to anything short of a dead end. "...I don't know. Yeah, this place is some kind of maze."
"Heh, tell me about it. It took me half an hour just to find the bathroom around here." At the comment, the commander tapped on the badge adorned on the left chest of her uniform, springing it to life with a red light. "There you go. You should be able to see a small blip on the datapad. That's me. Just follow it out when you're done. We've still got a lot of work to do." And with that, she jumped from the archway towards the ground, creating a small stream of shadow that slowed her fall during her descent.
At the same time, she was unaware of a few prying eyes that were spying on her, ones belonging to the very citizens that once called this kingdom their home. They couldn't understand where their dear princess had gone or her reasons for leaving. All they knew was that this once majestic place they called home was no more, and they had no other choice but to run.
From the cliffs that they watched from, they made their way down the path as fast as their legs could carry them. They couldn't afford to linger around here any longer, they had to get to another kingdom and tell them of the kingdom's development. This once proud kingdom that was once their home was nothing close to its once glorious self. The image of the Horde banners burned deeper into their minds as they passed the large drape hanging overhead as they finally escaped the kingdom.
The Kingdom of Dryl had officially belonged to the Horde...
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...
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.
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*-am*
*Wham*
*WHAM!*
The droid's thunderous footsteps echoed throughout the forest as it pushed aside each and every tree with ease. Nobody would ever think another creation like Orbko could be roaming around the forest as soon as this one did, yet here it was. Customised with the most basic of skills any mobile two-legged droid could need, the towering droid continued to lay waste to its surroundings, caring not for anything that stood in its path, save for those foolish enough to cross it.
Like a potential hero known as She-Ra.
It was distracted by the brilliant surge of light that came from behind it as it heard the familiar phrase that gave She-Ra her power. No sooner did it turn around did it find its face pummeled by a single blow from the magicat's powerful fist, Catra grinning as the robot tumbled.
Unlike most droids that would simply fallen over and gotten back up, a droid like Orbko was more mobile, and capable of reacting much faster than Catra had expected. Before it hit the ground, the droid backstepped, maintaining its footing before directing its attention back to its attacker who was surprised by the new response. Perhaps that's why she was unprepared for the pair of hands that wrapped around her body, leaving her in a vice grip that was sure to crush her.
And still, Catra smiled.
"Sorry pal, but not this time." With a mighty roar, the hero of Bright Moon pushed against the robot's fearsome grip as she punched her way through both of the hands and sunk her claws deep into the robot's metal wrists. Pulling both of the wrists simultaneously, Catra cheered to herself as she yanked the robot's arms straight out of the sockets, ripping them apart as she dropped herself back to the ground, leaving nothing more than busted wires and sparks from were the robot's shoulders once were.
Without missing a beat, she continued her relentless assault on the robot as she shot straight for the robot's legs. Sinking her sharpened claws right into the robot's right foot, mustering as much strength as she could possibly draw, Catra heaved with all of her might and lifted the robot straight into the air. Normally, preforming such a feat of strength would've been impossible for Catra before today, but that was before the change in strength, and appearance, she had yesterday.
With a toss, the magicat threw the robotic bucket of bolts as high as she could, distancing a good twenty feet into the air where the thing was flailing its legs for dear life. Drawing out her sword, with an easy enough image in her mind, the sword materialized into a hookshot, one capable of stretching nearly double the distance that the robot was thrown. It took little work for Catra to shoot at it from a good angle where the rope could wrap around its torso, then smirked as the rope looped around until it hooked onto the other end of the droid.
In a dramatic feat of strength, drawing all the power she could as she grabbed the rope, Catra pulled with everything she had left, and pulled the robot a dozen yards away, and crashed it straight into the ground where it shattered in a violent explosion upon impact.
Once again, Catra had won.
"Whoo!" The She-Ra in training cheered to herself as she walked way from the wreckage, twirling her sword as it and her outfit returned to their previous state. "That was AWESOME!" Nobody was ever used to the sight of Catra in a cheerful mood as the simulation around her began to dematerialize. Then again, she's never had so much to celebrate before.
The battle against the dreaded Orbko was one fraught with peril and dismay. Throughout the majority of the fighting, the alliance found itself matched against a powerful foe that could expose their weaknesses and use their own strengths against them. It wasn't until Catra and Frosta's timely appearance at the end where they managed to trick the robot by fighting each other while indirectly fighting it, before victory was in their grasp.
That victory still came to be a hard earned reward as the robot was defaulted to a basic state of being, one that relied solely on instinct and prowess, thanks to Adora's intervention. With the robot's commands set to fight at the most basic of level, it relied on brute strength and durability to finish off the fighters with as much power as it had, getting the drop on Catra and Frosta for a brief moment. It was here that Catra was forced to reveal the secret that she had been keeping so long, the lack of strength of her lesser She-Ra form, in order to save Frosta's life.
Following the defeat of the robot, Catra was nothing short of uneasy as she was forced to reveal the truth behind her decrease in power, or what she could assume to be, anyway. Like how it was her own desire that split her powers apart again, how her selfishness to defeat the Horde brought along the added consequence of her She-Ra state leaving her. With only a third of her power remaining since the Battle of Bright Moon, what other conclusion could she come to? What else was there to think?
As if that wasn't enough, there was the added dilemma of how her friends would react. She didn't expect them to understand. She knew she wouldn't be able to if she was in their shoes. They would've hated her for knowing the truth, they would've berated her for her own stupidity. Every reason they had to do it would've been justified and Catra would've had no choice but to stand back and embrace it.
Yet none of that stuff ever happened. There was no shouting at the magicat for her foolish actions, nobody appeared to harbor any sort of hate or loathing for the young girl. In fact, much to Catra's shock, they seemed to be completely fine with it! They were actually more worried about her on a whole than whatever power she once had and lost.
It still confused Catra at the present, but maybe that's why a fraction of her power returned immediately after? She felt a sense of peace and warmth from them she wasn't used to, something she can not remember feeling in a long time, way before the battle of Bright Moon. With their acceptance touching her heart, as much as she would deny it, a portion of She-Ra's power was returned to her, and a red cape to go along with it.
"Admit it, I'm getting more awesome!" Catra continued to gloat as she sheathed her sword.
"Statistically speaking, yes." Light Hope replied in the same emotionless voice as always. "I must admit I was rather surprised to witness your progress as well as the state of your Synchronicity."
"My what-city?" Catra raised a brow in confusion.
"Your Synchronicity." She replied, displaying a holographic image with a basic outline of Catra's body. "The bond that allows you to draw your strength from the sword and She-Ra." With a wave of the hand, Catra watched as a portion of her body's outline began to fill up like a loading bar with a red light, eventually stopping when it hit just below her thighs. "According to my calculations, you have achieved an estimated forty-two percent of She-Ra's true form."
"And I'm assuming a lot more power that came with." It wasn't very hard for Catra to put the pieces together, especially after her most recent butt kicking. "The more of She-Ra I unlock, the stronger I'll get, right?"
"Correct. But it doesn't mean you should rely solely on your power or She-Ra's. That method of thinking will break your bond with the sword once again."
That was the one thing she didn't need a reminder of. Even now, nothing irritated her more than the realization that she, presumably, lost all that glorious She-Ra power because of one stupid thought. On the off chance it actually wasn't just from that one line of thinking, then what was it? "Well isn't there any training we could do speed up the process? You know the faster I obtain She-Ra's true form, the faster I can train at my full power."
"True, but it's not a process that can simply be sped up as you put it. Achieving inner peace and selflessness is the only way you will attain She-Ra's full power, neither of which is something that can be taught. It must be learned."
"Yeah, well I think we can pass on any "group therapy" session or some junk. But how am I supposed to learn something that can't be taught? I get what you're trying to say, but we don't have time to be waiting around for some next big catastrophe to happen that'll let me unlock more of She-Ra's power."
"You are correct. Which is why we should move on to the next level of training."
The announcement earned a satisfied grin from the magicat as she punched her fist into the palm of her hand. "All right, now we're talking!" There was a spring in Catra's tail as she awaited the next instructions with anticipation. "What's next? Learning how to use She-Ra's magic? Like that giant shield? Or shooting energy from the sword? Or how about-!"
"It is time to bring Swift Wind into your training." All at once, the optimism and hope for something cooler went down faster than Catra's ears, tail, and expression did at the announcement.
"Uh, shouldn't I work on mastering the powers I do have, first?" She asked with a hopeful and nervous smile. "Like, how do we even know I can train with him at this stage, anyway? Maybe I need to become more of She-Ra first?"
"You have no need for concern," foolishly, Catra got her hopes up again before Light Hope continued, "I have already ran a diagnostic on your capabilities. By increasing the level of your Synchronicity, I have determined that you are ready for the next stage of your training."
Well that was just great, definitely something Catra had to look forward to now. Along with all the good things that came with increasing her status as She-Ra, it also increased the likelihood that something bad, in turn, would follow. It's not that she even had anything against Swift Wind either. She just found the idea of her galloping on horseback while swinging a sword around would be kind of ridiculous.
And embarrassing every time she pictured it in her head.
"As She-Ra, your sacred connection with your steed is as important as any of your physical capabilities." At this, Light Hope displayed a small holographic projection between her hands, depicting She-Ra on the left side and Swift Wind on the other. "He is a part of you, your destinies are intertwined." Without twitching a finger, she brought the two projections together, showing Catra how the two were connected in perfect unison.
"They sure are!"
"Ah-!" Catra nearly jumped as Swift Wind's head popped out from Light Hope, distorting the image around her. If it wasn't the surprise itself that almost made her jump, it was the fact he nearly struck her in the head with his horn.
"Hi, Catra!" The noble steed greeted as he trotted in. "I've been here for a while, but there wasn't a good moment to make my grand entrance, until now!" With the wave of his head, he flaunted his gallant position as his mane fluttered in the air, sparkling with a wonder only a steed as noble as Swift Wind was capable of!
"I requested his presence." Light Hope went on. "The time has come for you two to forge your-yo-yo-yo-yo-your-"
*bzzzt*
The horse and cat turned to one another with a curious look as the being known as Light Hope came to a halt. She didn't blink, she didn't move, she didn't even seem to be entirely her, so to speak. A part of her body was distorted as she stood there with her mouth gaping open, looking like she saw a ghost and died of fright.
Was this a part of the training she had in mind? Was it some sort of secret training where Catra and Swift Wind were supposed to just chat and get to know one another? Some test on Catra's emotions to just stick around and wait for a while until Light Hope came back to life or something?
Whatever the case was, Catra was convinced of one thing. If she was supposed to spend the entire day with her stallion and form whatever "bond" she needed to complete her training, then it was going to be a very long day...
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...
"What do you mean? Entrapta's alive?!" Glimmer's mind had never been more blown before by a revelation such as this.
Glimmer thought the amount of news could only get better after the events of yesterday. They learned the truth behind Catra's secret and accepted it. They defeated one of the strongest creations the Horde had to throw at them and they stood united. They managed to incapacitate a machine which allowed Bow to construct a killswitch out of the intact parts. And Catra had never been happier in the last month than she was last night. Truly, things couldn't get any better.
She was, unfortunately, right about that.
When Bow rushed in to her bedroom for a major announcement, she thought he was dragging her to something special. She thought he had some great development in the creation process of the killswitch, like he managed to create a device that could turn off all Horde technology! That'd be something to cheer about.
Instead, she was greeted with two disturbing discoveries, the first of which was the wrecked remains of Orbko, the droid that thoroughly thrashed the Princess Alliance singlehandedly, and almost wiped them out. The second thing was the announcement he had to make immediately after.
"I couldn't figure out how the Horde was creating such big technological advances." Bow explained as he continued to fiddle with the droid's remains. "But it all makes sense now. They must be holding Entrapta prisoner. I found First Ones tech in this bot." He revealed the familiar data crystal under a portion of the bot's torso. "This is what Entrapta was experimenting on before she-"
"Before we left her in the Fright Zone." It's not like she needed it spelled out for her to feel like a terrible person. She's never felt so disgusted with herself before, thinking that a friend was dead and moving on with her life while Entrapta could be getting tortured or worse in the Horde.
Bow frowned as he saw the look of dismay on Glimmer's face, feeling the same amount of pain she was feeling at this very moment. "We didn't know." He reminded in the hopes it would brighten her up somewhat as he sat next to her.
"It doesn't matter. We should've gone back for her. We should've tried. She got captured trying to save us."
It was that line of reasoning that filled Glimmer with a newfound determination to set things right. "Well, we're not leaving her there now. We've got to rescue her."
"How? We can't just walk into the Fright Zone. That's how we got into this mess in the first place."
"Maybe we don't have to. Look." Rising from her chair, she activated the holographic map of the War Room, displaying a pinkish outline of Entrapta's Kingdom.
"No. The Horde took Dryl!" All around it, Bow could see the banner of the Horde being displayed at every foot along the map, feeling sickened from the mere sight of the display. As if it wasn't enough to prove their claim, it was followed by a large Horde symbol being displayed over the entirety of Entrapta's castle.
"We just got word. The Horde has Entrapta, and now they have Dryl. The timing can't be a coincidence."
"Of course. They're making her use her own lab!"
"We're going to Crypto Castle, we'll find Entrapta, and bring her back." Her determined smile brought a new sense of hope as she turned to Bow. "No princess left behind."
"Yes! Totally onboard! Let's get Catra!" The archer beamed with excitement as the two marched out the door in different directions.
This was going to be great! Beyond great, really. Finding out that Entrapta was still alive, having a course of action ready and prepared, they were finally going to pay Entrapta back for rescuing them! It was just like Catra's policy of always paying people back, no matter how tedious the favor in return was, and now, it was their turn!
"Catra is out training with Light Hope." Or not.
"What about the other princesses?" All the optimism and faith quickly drained from Bow as Glimmer shot him a look of guilt.
"Entrapta got taken trying to save us, Bow." She reminded. "I'm not going to be responsible for losing anyone else."
"But... Shouldn't we at least get Catra, then? If anyone's going to be determined to save her the most, it's her." She couldn't deny Bow had a good point, but at the same time, she couldn't agree with it either.
"Bow, we can't let Catra know about this. It could ruin her completely."
"What do you mean?"
"What do you think?" It was hard enough trying to talk to Bow without sounding aggravated, the last thing she was worried about was the sarcasm coming from her voice. "Oh hey, Catra, good news! You know that girl you thought you roasted alive in the Fright Zone? Turns out she's just been living in turmoil as a prisoner for over the last month. Isn't that refreshing to hear?"
"Okay, okay, I get your point." Gosh, it really did sound horrible when he heard it out loud. There was no way the two could forget how distraught Catra was following the rescue mission from the Fright Zone. If she was that bad after thinking she got Entrapta killed, how bad would she be when she found out she was being help prisoner for the last month because of, what she presumed to be, her fault? "But wouldn't she still feel bad if we brought Entrapta back anyway?"
"Yeah, but at least she'd be relieved that we saved her. On top of that, Entrapta can tell her personally that she doesn't blame her, so there would be no guilt over it! Besides, she's still struggling to become She-Ra, and she thinks her emotions are connected to it. If we told her she left Entrapta alive in the Fright Zone after everything we did," the princess frowned as she lowered her head, "she might never turn back into She-Ra again."
That was the one fear that was now present in both of their minds. They knew very little about the First Ones and the Sword of Protection, an understandable dilemma they shared with Catra despite all her time spent with Light Hope. From what little they did know, they knew Catra's sword had a spiritual bond with Catra, and has been over the course of her journey. Her emotions, her way of thinking, all of it played a key part in how the sword was used and if it could be used. And if anything was to happen that could scar Catra any more than she has been, then chances were they would never see the light of She-Ra on their side...
...
...
*click*
*click*
"Hello? Hey! Light Hope!" Catra clicked her fingers in front of the hologram's face, trying in vain for the last several minutes to get the woman's attention. She's tried everything from waving her hand in front of her face, phasing her hand through her repeatedly, and tried touching her with her sword to get her to respond, and yet, nothing's worked.
"Ooooh... Did I break her?" Swift Wind fretted as he examined her from all sides. "Was it when I went through her head?"
*BZZZT!*
"Ahh!" Touching her face again with the tip of her claw, both animals were quick to yelp in surprise as the holographic image distorted loudly before their eyes. When it finally reconfigured again, Light Hope reappeared perfectly restored to her previous status.
"The time has come for the two of you to forge your sacred bond. I-" Before she could continue, she noticed the perplexed looks on Catra's and Swift Wind's faces, the two looking as if they saw a ghost with Catra flung back and Swift Wind buried under his wings. "Is something wrong?"
"Uhhh yeah, you kind of froze there for a second." Swift Wind answered as he peaked out from his cover.
"Did something happen?" Catra asked as she approached with Swift Wind trailing behind.
"Forgive me. My system is overloading. I may have to delay today's training so that I can rest."
"Are you sure? I was kinda hoping to get some more practice in today." The magicat commented as she leaned her head back against her arms. With all the newfound power that came with her upgraded She-Ra form, she wanted to test just how far her new form could take her."Couldn't we do something to help you rest faster?"
"Perhaps." Turning back, the two watched as Light Hope raised her hand to display a holographic projection of the planet behind her. Turning the planet around, they waited as a glowing square that was beeping with a pink diamond outline. "This is the Watchtower." She began as the small pink square grew into a pillar. "Once, it allowed me to access my planetary mainframe. But it was destroyed by Mara when she lost control and attacked Etheria."
So Mara actually attacked Etheria? Catra wondered to herself.
"I have been functioning at only a fraction of my power ever since." She continued as Swift Wind rubbed his chin with his wing, pondering the situation. "If you can repair the Watchtower, my capabilities will improve, and training can commence."
"So fix the Watchtower, get the place up and running again, and then we can do more training. Got it." The magicat nodded with understanding.
"Only then-zzzt." It was almost terrifying how scary Light Hope looked when she suddenly froze again. She was distorted in such a way that her left eye was raised and her mouth was in the corner of her face.
"Light Hope?" She waited a few seconds before shrugging back to Swift Wind.
"I... guess she's out of commission for awhile." The horse replied, looking back to the Watchtower projection curiously. "So now it's up to us!" He couldn't begin to describe how excited he was! He was going to spend time with his master, and friend, and the two were going to go on their very first mission together with just the two of them! He was so excited that it took him several moments to realize Catra's silence as she stared off into thought. "Catra? You okay?"
"Huh? O-Oh! Yeah! I'm fine. Come on, the sooner we get this thing fixed, the better."
"Right behind ya!" Swift Wind trotted with enthusiasm as he followed close by. This was great! Perfect, really! Here they were, Swift Wind and Catra, preparing to go on their own sacred quest with just the two of them! It would give them the chance to bond a little more and get to know each other, and best of all it was just that! It would just be the two of them for the next couple of hours, or however long this mission was going to take!
Man, he couldn't wait to get started!
Catra, on the other hand, couldn't wait for this mission to end. Not because of Swift Wind himself or anything, but because of a new dilemma that was plaguing her mind.
While she didn't know the full details over the situation, the fact remained that Mara, the last She-Ra, ran rampant and tried to destroy the world. Whatever emotions were going through her mind set off some sort of spark that caused her to lash out against those around her and bring ruin and chaos to wherever she went. It was enough to end the She-Ra line over a thousand years ago, and almost end She-Ra's lineage entirely.
The part that troubled Catra the most?
She was a She-Ra. She wasn't some run of the mill person doing their daily job that suddenly couldn't take it anymore, she was a symbol that meant hope to others and protection against the dark forces of the universe. She was an icon that people could look up to and depend on to protect them in their hour of need. She was strong, determined, practically perfect in every way, and she was someone chosen from day one, someone who was proven worthy of honoring the title of She-Ra.
Catra, was none of those things. Sure, she was strong, she was fast. She could always rely on her quick wits and her speed pulling her out of any situation more than half the time, but that was it. She was a fighter, a warrior, not some person who was in control of her emotions or had a strong grasp on what a hero should actually be. She cared more about her own desires, even if her friends did count among those now, and she was someone who used people on a daily basis to get whatever she wanted, and look how that worked out for her.
She was none of the things a hero should be and all the worst parts of what a hero shouldn't be. And the fact Mara was someone who went berserk despite all this is what truly frightened her in the end.
How long would she last before she snapped too...
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A/N: Short, simple, and to the point ^^ I gotta get used to writing shorter descriptions during talks again, that'll take awhile to work into.
Speaking of which, I was wondering something folks. Would anyone support me if I started a pa-treon of my own? For those who don't know, is pretty much those monthly pay sites where you'd pay for services, whether it'd be to see a gallery of art or works, early access for demos and games, etc. I question this cause my job is freaking grinding and I need a dire break from it soon. I'm pretty well off atm with a good chunk of cash in the bank and living with my parents. I'm just asking if i should take a break from work for awhile until next summer since i start school spring of next year, and the stress is taking its toll on me at work X/
Well a discussion for another time I guess. Anywho! Hope you guys all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!