A/N: No folks, you are not hallucinating cause that would mean you took something and then I took it at the exact same time... Huh... anyway, I'd like to present to you all a grandiose update (granted I do wish it was longer but this means there'll be another 2 parts to this episode ^^) to the legendary series of Cat-Ra!
I'd like to start out by thanking everyone for their positivity and support about my depression as of late and the lack of updates. Everyone has thanks from the bottom of my heart over all of this for their patience and understanding. Thanks to everyone who replied and even sent me messages and whatnot about it, it was really touching ^^.
Secondly, I've watched season 3! Gahhh I know I said i'd wait till I finish my current fanfic's season but I couldn't help it XP and HOLY MOLEY was there a lot of stuff going on! From shocks to feels to shock'n'feels all around! Holllllly balls, was it both awe-inspiring and tragic all at the same time X*( Gahhh so many feels! and thanks to it, and the constant checkup from some of my fans, my mojo has returned once more!
Now i'd like to remind you guys, it's been months since I started writing again, and honestly, the first half of this fic was done several months ago before I went on my depression hiatus, as such, you might notice a drop in quality of work, which I do apologize for X/ Its been months since I last wrote and I hope it's still as good as many of you remember. And despite seeing season 3, I am NOT watching season 4 till I finish season 3 of this fic (or at least close enough to it where I can start watching some episodes since the entirety of season 4 is a legitimate 13 episodes again -Yay ^_^! -
Once again, I thank everyone for all their time and patience. My quality might be wonky for a little bit, but I'll be doing what I can to return to my previous line of work.
Now with that said, onto the show!
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Catra and Swift Wind gazed at their surroundings as she flew atop Swift Wind's back. This day just went from being fun to interesting, curious, confusing, questionable, debatable, and then finally irritable, all within the matter of a couple of hours. Then again, she didn't think she'd go from showing off her heightened powers to flying on the back of a winged-unicorn that she transformed out of a horse when her adventures truly began.
For the last several hours, Catra had been searching for a lost remnant of the First Ones known as The Watchtower, a structure that once connected the whole of Etheria on technical level, allowing the marvels of the First Ones technology to connect with one another and empower their devices. It was here that Catra found herself trying to search for the tower after noticing Light Hope had been malfunctioning throughout the day, and was more than insistent on helping her if it meant she got to spend more time training and using her evolving powers.
There was only one catch, though, that she hadn't accounted for, and one that was making things... less than joyful on her adventures. Specifically, a magical flying talking horse by the name of Swift Wind that could connect to Catra on an emotional level.
Throughout the entire trek through Etheria to find the mysterious place, Swift Wind had become a handful to deal with in and of himself. He wasn't exactly doing anything that could hinder or slow down their progress or anything, but it almost made Catra wish he did if it meant getting him to stay quiet for more than two minutes!
Everything he did from exploring the wonders of Etheria to just flying around for the fun of it had been annoying. She had to put up with with three straight hours of him singing and humming to himself on the way here, having an always optimistic attitude that borderlined the disturbing to her, and never knew the meaning of the word taking a break to catch his breath, instead replacing it with just more talking.
Those are the parts she could put up with.
What she couldn't put up with was all the mind or emotional reading he could gather by attuning himself to Catra's emotions. He knew what she was feeling at all times, what was troubling her or disturbing her at all times. Based on her recent experience from the horse reaching her mind, she could tell there was nothing she could keep hidden from him no matter how hard she tried like all the others.
Why on Etheria did someone have to give him that kind of power? Why couldn't it be a simpler power like the ability to talk and that's it? Better yet, why not just a horse that could transform like she could and that'd be it? They could call it a day with their non-talking horse that could fly, and she'd be completely accepting of that! But noooo, instead someone just had to give a horse the ability to talk and just HAD to give it the ability to connect with her personal emotions at all times, the last thing she wanted anyone to pry into!
At least, for all his annoyingly foolish optimism, it made him helpful. With every intent on supporting Catra in her endeavors, he prided himself in helping her in every way he could, listening and obeying almost everything she ordered him to without hesitation, like when she ordered him to stop talking. Come to think of it, it was thanks to his unwavering loyalty that she found the Watchtower in the first place. More specifically, she found the pieces to it.
All around them were the scattered remains of the Watchtower, their ancient runes still glowing with a bright blue along the shattered remains that were once whole. Normally such a thing would've been normal around a deserted ruins, ones that crumbled with age or one that was destroyed by the ravenous power of a past She-Ra known as Mara. Around here, like everything else that had to prove bizarre or problematic, they had to be floating in the air around them, some of them several feet off the ground, and dozens by others.
"Wow. Mara really did a number on this place, huh?" Swift Wind commented as he fluttered through the air.
"Y-Yeah... I guess she did..." The magicat muttered back as she looked around.
"Is everything alright?" He asked with the turn of his head.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She hoped her lie was convincing enough to push him away from prying further as she drew her sword. "Let's get this place up and running so we can get back to training. For the Honor of Grayskull!"
It was with a blinding flash that light engulfed Swift Wind's master and friend, watching with pride as the magicat transformed into the infamous form that she was chosen to be. With the miraculous flash, in mere seconds, the majestic horse was greeted by the newly transformed She-Ra, one that still held the magnificent flowing red cape that was she was prized with upon her previous adventure. The cat girl did a quick check of her person to ensure she still had it, filled with joy over her reward, and hoping it would continue to follow her as she grew stronger.
With her sword in hand, the two flew towards the center of the floating structures, one that had the most intricate of designs and details compared to the rest of the scattered remains. With a single thrust, Catra raised the tip of the sword directly into the mystical rune, hoping to awaken the Watchtower's power at long last and return to the training that she was beginning to enjoy. And all it required would be a single connection between the Sword of Protection and the tower that connected all of Etheria.
*tap*
At least, that's what she assumed. It wasn't until five seconds of nothingness had passed that she lowered her sword again, frowning a bit as her ears lowered as well. There wasn't any glow to the rune, any sort of noise indicating that something was working, there wasn't anything at all. All there was was a warrior flying on the back of a majestic flying horse, waiting for something that never happened.
"...She-Ra and Swift Wind, Forging a sacred bond~" And the horse's quiet singing almost made Catra wish it stayed that way. "Fixing the magic tower, With a magical sword~"
...
...
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No!"
"Are we there yet?"
"NO!" It amused Hordak's second-in-command as she saw Glimmer scratching at her head in frustration as Adora continued to purposely annoy her, watching with glee as the Princess of Bright Moon walked further away from the two by a dozen yards. Normally trying to fill the enemy with a sense of irritation like a small child would've been against Adora's philosophy, but after the day she's been having she needed anything possible to brighten her mood.
This was, by far, one of the worst days of her life and her career. It all started with a pretty normal mission that morning with the commander being ordered by Hordak to acquire the resources and land of Entrapta's Kingdom, seeing how the technological princess was now on their side. With the kingdom under the banner of the Horde, the inhabitants of the valley were all too quick to surrender, those who didn't join the Unity of the Horde being quick to evacuate and escape. And Adora was just fine with that.
She wasn't fine with what ensued shortly after a quick exploration of the castle and setting up a base camp within the castle's courtyard. No sooner did the soldiers finish setting up a base camp and establish a perimeter did the captain find herself under attack by two of the most hated people in the world, to her at least, Glimmer and Bow.
The two discovered that Entrapta was still alive after Bow dismantled and examined what remained of their fight against Orbko, and she was the furthest thing from well from their point of view. To them, she was taken prisoner, working under the Horde's cruelty after they left her in the Fright Zone when they presumed her to be dead. They must've tortured the information out of her, forced her to work under the cruelest of conditions, and did who knows what to her during her imprisonment! All of this and and then some while being completely unaware of her alliance to the Horde.
The fight that followed upon their meeting was one of complete chaos and confusion as the commander and Scorpia fought off the archer and princess, forcing the two to retreat as Adora gave chase. They were unprepared for the commander's grasp of magic, never seeing it before without the headband that she had always donned beforehand. With the commander's ferocious display of shadow magic, the two attempted to flee, using Glimmer's teleportation magic several times until they were safely outside of the castle's walls, never realizing they had dragged the commander who was shortly behind them.
Thankfully, fortune appeared to smile on them at that moment as the two prepared to defend themselves further from the commander's attack. Still burning with a fury of hatred from these two, the commander found herself collapsing no more than five feet later as she prepared to lunge for them, never realizing how much of her magic she had expunged until it was too late. Now she was dealing with the after effects of her magic being mostly drained, dealing with a fever that made her slightly delirious as the dark veins stretched along her body, and the worst part of all, now being held captive by dumb and dumber.
She was their hostage and their prisoner as of now. With little magic in her veins, with a princess that could teleport and an archer with an eye for accuracy, she had no means of escape. She needed to think of a plan before these two brought her to Bright Moon, somewhere she was sure to meet her end if she was lucky enough. Worst case scenario, she was a forced bargaining chip and the Horde would be forced to deliver whatever expenditures they requested for Adora's safe return.
And considering she personally tortured Glimmer over a month ago, odds were that a safe return would be the last thing on her or the Queen's mind.
She needed to think of a plan, something to get them to let her go or to get away from them. Unfortunately, with the headache-mixed fever going through her head right now, and the severe lack of magic at her disposal, her options were limited. She either needed to hope for a speedy recovery on her own, one she wasn't used to in this state, or find a way to convince them to let her go, and that required an underhanded tactic she wasn't used to or tried before; as the voices whispering in her head suggested, she needed to Exploit Them.
"Haha, wow." She looked to her right as she heard Bow chuckling next to her. "You and Catra really are alike."
"Excuse me?!" She seethed with a burning anger, or maybe that was the fever, as she glared at the remark.
"I-I don't mean it in a bad way or anything." He emphasized waving his hands calmingly. "It's just... She did the exact same thing when we first met her. She got a kick out of picking on Glimmer when we traveled to Thaymor for the first time." The commander made her point to not be in the mood as she scowled, looking directly ahead of them as they continued to walk. "I take it I hit the wrong nerve, didn't I?"
"I don't want to talk about Catra." She stated coldly. "I don't get why you two insist on having her around, either. She's just going to betray you eventually."
"Betray us? Who? Catra?"
"Who else would I be referring to? Yes, Catra!"
Bow scratched the back of his head with an uneasy smile. "Look, Adora, I don't know what happened between the two of you, but she's not as bad as you think. She's been a real good friend to to us, and she's been helpful since she joined the Rebellion. I don't get what you have against her."
"So she doesn't do anything to annoy, pester, irritate, or anger you at times?" She wondered knowingly.
"Well, she can be a handful occasionally, but it's not like I blame her or anything." He replied. "Knowing where she grew up, it just makes sense that her life would've been hard to get through."
"So you just think anyone from the Fright Zone is born to be bad or stubborn. Is that what you're telling me?" She asked him forcefully as she stopped walking.
"What? No! I don't mean it like that. It's just... she has this whole "tough guy" exterior, but we've seen her kinder side too at times." He explained, waiting at her side as a precaution. "Yeah, she occasionally mocks us here, and I can't even begin to tell you the number of pranks she's pulled since joining the Rebellion, but we've seen the side of her that cares for other people, no matter how much-"
"She tries to hide it." Adora cut off. "She shows a sense of kindness when she's around people she doesn't mind showing it to, and pays someone back when they help her first."
"Exactly!" It was thrilling to see Adora finally come around to the realization! At least, it was until she scowled again.
"That's what growing up with her was like throughout all my life. She acted like a good friend, did whatever she could to get on my good side, and used me whenever it was convenient for her. She used me, just like she's using you. And when this little war is over, or when you really need her most, she's going to turn her back on you, like you never existed." She scoffed, walking on ahead again. "Or mattered."
"What? That's crazy." He continued to argue as he continued on behind her. There was no way they were talking about the same Catra right? Sure, she could be pushy, but the way she made her out to be was almost terrifying. Then again, given the vendetta she appeared to have against her, most of it must've been personal. "Catra would never turn her back on us. Not after all the time we spent together!"
"...Tch... Pffft...Hahahaha!" Oh gosh, she's never found a joke so funny before! "Oh man, you're really serious, aren't you? Tell me something Arrow-"
"It's Bow."
"Don't care. I've known Catra ever since we were little, and spent over a decade being raised alongside her. So if she can turn her back on that without a second thought, then what makes you think she won't turn her back on a pair of nothings that she just met a few months ago?"
"Because-"
"And don't give me some lie like "she's our friend" or something, cause that obviously didn't keep her from leaving the Horde."
"W-Well..." Bow had to think of something that couldn't be countered so easily. Luckily, one such scenario came to mind. "Her kingdom!" Adora blinked in confusion at the proclamation. "For helping the Rebellion win the war, we would give her a kingdom! It was the only demand she had in exchange for helping us."
Adora silence said many things to him, but none of them were satisfying, complacent, or agreeable with what he just said. "Really? That's it?" The blond commander shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "You don't think when the Horde wins, we wouldn't be able to provide the same? And what makes you think that makes her trustworthy? That just proves how selfish she is!" Adora wondered if the words selfish, greedy, horrible, and the like had the same meaning in the Rebellion as they did in the Horde.
Agreeing to help some side for a selfish desire like a kingdom to call her own? Turning her back on the people who raised her, grew up with her, all for a desire that would be near impossible to achieve by one's self? How could they possibly see her as someone worth understanding, someone that deserved the trust of friendship that they gave her?! It almost sickened Adora to think she once had the same feelings of trust and friendship for the supposed friend that turned her back on her.
At the same time, Bow was partially lost for words. He had to admit, despite not agreeing with what she was saying, he could understand what she was getting at. Catra had her selfish compulsions throughout their journey together, placing her desires at times over the mission like at Plumeria. If he had just met Catra one day ago and this was the next person to inform him about what she was really like, he might've believed her.
But he also knew what kind of person Catra was on the inside. She had her cold moments, and had plenty of warm moments too. She risked her life to save him and Glimmer from the Fright Zone, stood her ground and won at the Battle of Bright Moon when she had the chance to run, and no matter how hard it was for her, came to confess a secret she thought would be troublesome to reveal. No matter which way he looked at it, Catra wasn't the type to turn her back on the Rebellion.
So how could Adora see her in such a way?
"Bow?" The two turned their attention to the princess up ahead as she called him over.
"Uhhh wait here." He said in a slightly-ordering way. He was sure in her current condition, combined with Glimmer's ability to teleport and his trick arrows, that she was in no position to run away from them, especially if there was just a twenty foot head start. Adora appeared to have the same track of mind as she grumbled a bit, leaning back against the cliff's walls as she stared out into the vast wilderness below them. "What's up?"
"Bow, I don't think you should talk to her that much until we get to Bright Moon." Glimmer warned as her uneasy gaze never fell from Adora.
"What? Why not? We're just talking, it's not like I'm going to reveal any secrets or things about the Rebellion." He insisted with an assuring smile,
"Yeah and I trust you. It's her I don't trust, Bow. She's from the Horde, there's no telling what she could be up to right now."
"I know, and I'm playing it safe. And... I was... thinking... And, just hear me out before you say anything-"
"I can already tell I'm not going to like this." She mumbled knowingly.
"What if she... you know... What if we got her to join the Rebelli-"
"Absolutely not!" There was such a fire in her eyes at the idea that Bow would even suggest such a thing!
"No, no, no, I get it, it sounds bad, but hear me out. If she joined the Rebellion, it could help us out in a number of ways."
"Like smothering us in our sleep?!"
"Like making amends with Catra, for starters. We both know Catra can't regain her full power because something's bothering her, right?" He said as he lowered his voice away from prying ears and Force Captains. "If those two could make up, Catra might be able to regain most of, if not all, her powers. It could help us turn the tide of the war, and that's just with She-Ra! She could provide who knows how much useful information of the Horde that we've never even seen before."
"It's still out of the question, Bow!" It was taking all of Glimmer's calmness to keep herself from exploding with anger. The very idea that Bow would even suggest recruiting someone from the Horde, ADORA of all people, was just baffling! "Just look at her! The minute we let down our guard, she's going to betray us at a moment's notice! On top of that, I've seen how cruel she can be in person. There's no way someone like her would ever help the Rebellion."
"Yeah but..." The longer the conversation was dragging on, the more unsettling it became, and the harder it was to look Glimmer directly in the eye.
"But what?"
"...Wasn't Catra like that when we first met her?" The princess was taken back by the sudden retort, at a loss for words for a number of reasons. "We thought she was nothing more than a no-good Horde soldier too, and look where she is today! She's one of the greatest warriors the Rebellion ever had, and has been helping us out since we met her. What makes Adora so different?"
"Hmm let's see, there was trying to blow up the gate of Salineas," she snidely went off with her fingers in a sarcastic tone, " tricking Catra into blowing the whole Princess Prom, waging war on Bright Moon itself, and, oh yeah, my favorite part, THE TIME SHE TORTURED ME!"
It was understandable and difficult for Bow to grasp where Glimmer was coming from. There would be no way he could make Glimmer forgive or forget what Adora did to her during their time in the Fright Zone. She was tortured, they both were, but anything Bow went through must've been pretty lenient compared to whatever happened to Glimmer, seeing how they were separated throughout the duration of their imprisonment.
If he was in her exact shoes, he would be agreeing with her tenfold. In fact, he already agreed with her tenfold as it was! Nobody should be forgiven for torturing someone, and there was going to be a time where Adora would have to face the consequences of what she did.
Yet despite knowing all of this, the archer still just couldn't back down. "I'm not saying we unshackle the cuffs and let her roam free the minute we get to Bright Moon, Glimmer," even though she wasn't wearing anything than makeshift bindings around her wrist, "and I'm not saying I trust her completely either. Not yet. But if we have a chance to turn everything around and win the war finally, shouldn't we take it?"
Now it was Glimmer's turn to be at a certain loss on how to proceed. She knew what he was getting at, and what it appeared when she looked at herself. She was letting her own petty anger and resentment for the commander get in the way of something more important, a chance of winning this war after long last. After everyone they've lost in these dark times, all the sacrifices they had to make, it would be reasonable to take the chance, a part of Glimmer almost wanted to.
But this was Adora they were talking about, not just a Horde soldier. She was vile, malicious, and did everything with a bright smile that made her unsettling to the pink-haired sparkler. There just wasn't anything about her that seemed trusting to Glimmer, not even taking the black veins around Adora's face into question.
At the same time, the commander had her back turned to the two as she leaned against the cliff's walls in silent contemplation. She had several things going through her mind right now.
Lying was never part of her style, thus she lacked the common practice she knew someone like Catra was an expert in. Any attempts she made with a sly of the tongue was sure to meet with disappointment, and a lack of trust in any further opportunities to work the situation in her favor. She needed something more concrete, something to push the two away possibly further.
With that in mind, taking a quick glance at the two as they conversed, Adora tried to focus. As painful as it may be, just because she was running a mild fever and a headache in her current situation, it didn't mean she was actually out of magic. She just couldn't push herself too hard or she risked losing all of her control in an instant. There wouldn't be anyone to help her if her shadows suddenly became sentient again, or at least close enough to defend Adora against any and all possible threats real or otherwise.
Raising a finger to her face, she grinned a little. While it proved to cause a slight irritation in her thoughts, she was successfully conjuring a small mold of shadows around her finger into the shape of a claw. It wouldn't be enough to get away from these two, she knew, and she also knew she couldn't pull off any sort of big feats of wonder in her current condition. She was going to need to find a means to drive the two further apart, exploiting them in her own favor. With one last look at the edge of the cliffs they were on, she grinned.
And she turned her head enough to make sure the princess had a good view of the look on her face.
"Mmmmhhhh!" There was little time for Bow to ask what his friend was grumbling about before Glimmer teleported. In the blink of an eye, she moved from Bow's location, all the way over to the girl in custody, grabbing her by the collar of the jacket as she pushed her against the rickety wall.
"Ow! What's your problem?" She hissed with a teethed glare.
"Glimmer!" Almost every interaction the princess had with the commander resulted in a scuffle that Bow had to diffuse between the two.
"My problem is you and whatever you're telling him!" Glimmer stated. "I know you're up to something, and I'm not going to let my guard down around you."
"Meh meh meme meh!" The snort of laughter coming from the pinned captain continued to spark Glimmer's ire as she copied her manner of speaking tauntingly. "Unless you haven't noticed princess, I'm not exactly in any situation to plan an escape. Besides, if you wanted to get us back so badly, why don't you just teleport?"
One of the key fundamentals of defeating your enemy was getting to know every detail about them, even if you found yourself taken prisoner. Within the many lessons Adora was taught, knowledge was an incredible virtue to acquire and priority a prisoner should invest in if they couldn't provide assistance any other way during their captivity. In this case, trying to pinpoint the reasoning Glimmer didn't just teleport them to the kingdom remained absolute.
And the realization it gave Adora caused her to smirk. "Ooooh, I get it now. You can't, can you?" Raising her brow, Adora's mental grin widened as Glimmer tightened the grip on her collar. Whether or not subconsciously, the look of defeat hidden within her eyes said everything. "Not so easy to use your powers without recharging for so long, now is it?" Maybe it was the delirium in Adora's foggy head caused by the fever or her mere hatred for the princess, but either way, she found her situation amusing.
She was supposedly one of the most feared people in the Horde from the Rebellion's perspective, and no matter how much they hated her in turn or she annoyed them, they couldn't risk doing anything to harm her until she returned to the kingdom. It was a severe case of dramatic irony, and one she was proud to be a part of for a change.
"Mmmh..." The pink-haired princess groaned internally as she stomped away again. She couldn't afford to let her guard down around this girl, nor could she let Bow do the same. She was every bit as cunning as the day Glimmer met her, and the following day she decided to torture her. Whatever she was planning behind her seemingly-innocent eyes, she was going to have to be ready for.
Fortunately, or not, she wasn't going to have to wait very long.
Noticing the princess's and Bow's distracted state, the archer staring off as his friend marched away. Adora gathered what she could of her powers. Despite the growth of pain that emanated from her mind, she was relieved to see the small patch of shadow gather directly under her and Bow's feet, mustering as much of her strength as possible as she stretched it towards the edge of the cliff.
It was time for Adora to see how well she could pull off manipulating an individual. "Sheesh, what's her problem?"
"You can't really blame her for being angry, Adora." Bow commented, turning his attention back to her. "I mean, with what you did to her and all-"
"I already told you, I was trying to save someone I thought was my friend." Adora quickly interrupted, both from irritation and trying to distract his attention from the ground. As she spoke, there was a small crackle from the ground as the shadows squeezed upon the earth, the Commander doing whatever she could to speak over the noise. "And unless you forgot, we're in the middle of a war, so it's expected that people are going to get hurt!"
"I know that, but-"
*rumble*
"Hu-Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Bow suddenly screamed in panic as he felt the ground crumble away beneath him.
"Bow!" Glimmer yelled in surprise as she turned back, alongside Adora who strangely had her own look of concern as Bow began to fall from the cliff.
There was no warning for the archer as the ground gave way before him. With the shadows disappearing just as fast as the shattered earth, all his brain could process was that there was a sudden shift in the cliff-side that caused the ground to become unstable and collapse under his own weight. Followed by the warning signals flashing off in his brain at the moment, all he could tell was that he was falling for dear life as his feet slipped under the now-slick surface of the cliff, and he was sliding off the edge at a moment's notice. That was when something he, nor Glimmer, ever expected to happen.
Just as quickly as his hands were thrown off the cliff, he felt a pair of strong hands squeeze around his, and saw the look on Adora's face as she struggled to keep him from falling to his doom.
"D-Don't worry... Ngh... I-I got you!" She grumbled, pulling with her weakened might as she gritted her teeth. It was taking all of her strength to maintain her current position, seeing how her stomach was planted firmly against the ground as she practically threw herself at the falling Bow.
"Hang on, I'm coming!" No matter how much Glimmer despised the girl herself, she was sensible enough to put her grudge away as she ran over to the two as fast as her legs could carry her. A part of her wondered if what Bow said actually was true, that there might've actually been hope for someone like Adora to help the Rebellion. It was a thought worth considering, one that she might've continued to consider if Adora hadn't done what she did next.
Shifting her direct attention to the approaching princess, she threw the princess a smug grin, one which was explained immediately by what caught Glimmer's eyes next. Directly behind the commander, she silently gasped as she saw a small mound of shadow grow from the cliff's wall, pushing the commander from behind and sending her and the princess's close friend over the cliff's edge. It would've sickened Glimmer so much more that Adora would do something so despicable if she wasn't already fuming with rage.
Whatever she was planning would have to wait for the time being. With an exaggerated groan, the princess teleported from her current spot and reappeared right next to the falling commander and archer, sitting with her arms and legs crossed as she saw the two still holding hands as if Adora was still trying to help the archer. "You are seriously unbelievable!" She spouted.
"What? Are you going to make up some ridiculous story now, like I pushed us off the cliff on purpose or something to send us both to our deaths?" The blond scoffed with the roll of her eyes. Only Glimmer could see the smugness, the knowing look behind Adora's eyes that was grinning to her said this.
"Wh- That's exactly what you did!" She shouted back.
"Oh, right, because that makes perfect sense. "Hey, I know, I'll drop one of you guys over the cliff, and while I'm at it, I'll throw myself overboard too". No wonder the Princess Alliance has been losing if you're leading it."
"The Rebellion hasn't been losing for your information! And I've been leading the Princess Alliance just fine-!"
"Could you both save this conversation for after we're not plummeting to our deaths?!" Bow nearly screeched as he shouted over the two. He felt like he was the only sensible one out of the three as he kept his focus on the imminent landing. While he had no idea how much power both girls had, there was no telling what was going to do them in first- their constant bickering until they landed, or the girls trying to wipe each other out if their magic allowed it. "A little teleporting would be nice here!"
"Hmph, I'm more eager to see if a certain commander can fly away with her powers at this point." Glimmer grumbled, never taking her gaze off of her.
"Can we put it to a stress test when we're not about to die?!" As Bow yelped once more, Glimmer groaned.
There was no way she was willing to help out an enemy such as Adora, but there was no way she was willing to risk the life of her fellow friend just because of her personal gripe against one of them. No amount of aggravation was worth losing one of her friends over, even if it did mean helping one of her enemies.
With another irritated groan, the Princess of Bright Moon sighed as she grabbed the two by their shoulders. "Fine!" Without another word, not three feet away from the top of the woods, the princess finally teleported the three away, nearly avoiding collision against the harsh bramble that awaited them below, and reappearing at a much safer location nearly a hundred feet away.
Comparatively safe, at least.
*Splash!*
Not one of the three were safe from the harsh waters that awaited them below as they fell into the raging rapids of the river below them. Thankfully, being only a few feet above the river, none of them found themselves diving anymore than two feet underwater before managing to resurface.
Out of the trio, surfacing several feet behind Glimmer, Adora could be seen gasping for breath as she struggled to stay afloat with her bonds around her wrists and the growing pain that her magic brought on. Already, small tendrils of darkness could be seen growing along Adora's veins, the Horde commander gasping for air and trying to push past the gnawing fever and headache her powers were bringing.
"Oh, what happened to all that high-and-mightiness you used to have, commander?" The princess taunted with a huff as she watched Adora flail about. If you took away the previous torture the two shared then Glimmer would've felt a little more inclined to help her if she didn't know Adora could swim thanks to Catra. A part of her almost wished she could've taken amusement from the sight of her flailing, but that foolish line of thinking was dashed as soon as the commander threw her arms over the princess to keep herself afloat. "Hey! Get off of me!"
"Of all the places to teleport us to, you couldn't think of anywhere drier?!" Adora stammered, coughing up a mouthful of water.
"Glimmer!" Bow called out, directing the terrible two to his voice further ahead. Whatever fortune the three seemed to have came in the form of a small log the archer seemed to be staying afloat with. "Help!"
"Ugh!" Her headache could not get any worse even if Adora somehow got involved. That was the optimistic thinking going through Glimmer's mind as she teleported herself and Adora over to the log, ducking under Adora's arm as the Force Captain grabbed onto a spare branch for good measure.
"Okay, ready to be rescued from this whenever you are." Bow commented, trying to put any lightheartedness he could in this dire situation.
"Just... need a minute to rest." She panted back, growing a mild exhaustion from the amount of magic she spent.
"Umm how much can you do with ten seconds?" Bow squeaked nervously as he looked back. Turning their heads in the same direction, both girls were equally tensed at the sight of what lied before them. Not fifty feet away from where they were floating did the trio find out where the water was rushing towards, and where their river came to an end. With merely two trees stretched out to the left side, too for any of them to grab onto, did they see the edge of the waterfall they were floating towards, one that grew all the more terrifying as they were pulled towards its edge.
"Ugh... Fine, I'll-Whoaah!" Anything Glimmer had to say was suddenly cut off as the girl found herself being pulled under the water, out of sight of her friend's view who panicked at the sight.
"Glimmer!" He shouted. Before he could even think about ducking under to find her, he felt Adora's hand grab his wrist.
"She probably got her foot caught on something, she'll be fine!" She quickly stated. "She can just teleport out of it!"
In truth, what Glimmer found her foot getting "caught" on was anything far from the ordinary. As the underwater princess turned towards the source of her mysterious pull, she found a newfound anger directed towards the Horde commander that not even Catra could get a rise out even on her most obnoxious of days. Still sticking to her leg, she found a large black tendril wrapped around it from her shin to her knee, gripping onto it tightly as it kept the princess in place even as Adora continued to float further away.
I swear when I get my hands on her! She screamed in her mind as she struggled to pull the strange shadowy tentacle from her leg.
At the same time, everything was, for the most part, going according to Adora's plans. She managed to throw herself and Bow over the edge without Bow seeming aware of her intentions, and managed to keep the princess from "saving the day", or however she would've put it as the two continued to float towards the waterfall's edge. Now she just needed to come up with a plan to get the two of them to safety.
As luck would have it, the commander saw her moment of opportunity along the edge of the riverbed, near the very cliff of the waterfall itself. Just ten feet away from the river, Adora saw two large trees protruding from the cliff's grounds, with a sturdy, large, branch a mere fifteen feet away from where the two currently were. It would require her to release Glimmer from her grasp, but it was a small price to pay if it meant saving herself and Bow.
"We can't just leave her behind!" The archer protested despite Adora's insistence.
"We won't leave her behind," she assured, "we just need to get to safety first!" There was never a moment in Bow's life quite like this where he was stuck between a quick decision and an impossible answer. On the one hand, he knew the two of them had a falling out for each other and didn't seem the least bit interested in each other's safety, so there was no way in knowing if Adora would really try to save Glimmer too. On the other hand, the two of them were ten seconds away from being thrown over the waterfall, and at that point neither of them could save her.
Before Bow could further contemplate their dilemma, the Horde Commander was already at a go. Without wasting another valuable second, she gathered as much shadow as she possibly could as she stretched a large shadowy arm over to the large branch hanging off the side of the waterfall. She didn't even have enough time to wait for Bow to grab onto her legs, which he thankfully did, as she quickly pulled herself over to the tree's ledge just as the log they were floating on went overboard.
The two now found themselves dangling from the branch Adora was holding onto, far from danger but still alive.
"That was," Bow exhaled with great relief as he stared down to his impending doom, "really close. Thanks, Adora." The savior in question gave a small smile down to him, even if he wasn't looking at the time.
"So far so good." She muttered to herself as she turned her attention back to the thick branch. "I just need to give this one good swing, and then-"
*rumble*
"Nnnggghhh!" Adora clenched her teeth as she screamed to herself in agony, a scream that didn't go unnoticed to the archer as he saw the pain she was in.
"Adora?"
Nooo... Not now! NOT NOW! It was torture. Complete and utter torture. All throughout her mind, she felt like her skull was on fire while she was being poked by thousands upon thousands of needles throughout her brain, all while someone was twisting and turning her brain at the exact same time. She gazed back upon the branch, finding her once perfect vision distorted as her view twisted and spiraled on an endless loop. She realized what was happening and why, yet still found herself cursing the dire timing all the same.
She had used too much of her power. Between breaking off the cliff, dragging the princess far enough underwater, and pulling the two of them to safety, she had reached her limit. All around her, her veins darkened as they trailed closer and closer to her forehead. She could practically feel the darkness itself within her veins as they crept along her skin, struggling to stay focused on the task at hand, and even more on maintaining her grip on the branch.
At that same moment, Glimmer found her moment of respite as she saw the strangling tendrils slowly dissipating into nothingness, wasting no as she hastily swam her way to the top. Her breath of fresh air was the only brief moment of peace she had as she resurfaced right where Adora had pulled her under. There was some distance between her and and the waterfall's edge, plenty of time to teleport to safety, but with the view she garnered came another problem.
She was watching a struggling Adora and a helpless Bow being dangled from under a large tree, swaying back and forth as if the wind was pushing them off.
"Bow!" Glimmer cried out in worry. It didn't matter how tired she was from exhausting her own powers, she couldn't let anything happen to her dear friend. With as much energy as she could gather, she teleported one more time, praying it wouldn't be too late before she saved them.
"A-Adora! Hey, stay awake!" Bow pleaded, noticing the lack of attention on Adora's face. If he could get a single arm free, he could've found one of his rope arrows and try to pull the two of them over to safety with the tree. But there was no way he could risk struggling from Adora's leg to climb up for a better reach, less he risked pulling Adora, and the branch itself, to the waiting boulders beneath the waterfall.
"I'm... I'm fine..." Adora murmured, using all she had to keep her drooping eyes from closing. "I... I just need to... need to..." It was too much. Despite her best efforts and her determination, nothing could keep them together. With a face flushed in red, and her magical capabilities spent, she was at an end. Closing her eyes, she took her consciousness and her powers with her, causing the shadows to dissipate in its entirety, and sending the two plunging once more to their demise.
"W-Whooaaaa! Adora!" Bow shouted in an attempt to wake her, catching her as he continued to fall with the prisoner once again.
*swish*
"G-Glimmer-!"
*swish*
*thud!*
"Ahh!" The two conscious able-bodies yelped as they landed on the rough ground, rolling some feet from the landing.
Thank whatever mighty power in the cosmos kept the two alive. No matter what direness the two found themselves in, they each found the other rescuing them at the last moment, just in the nick of time. Within a span of several seconds, Glimmer miraculously appeared, teleported the two, and transported them to the sturdy ground at the base of the waterfall, where they could all catch their breath. They were exhausted, possibly traumatized from the experience, and most importantly, alive.
"Huff... Huff... Thanks... Glimmer..." Bow panted as he slowly puled himself off the ground. Glimmer smiled back to her friend, thankful she had made it in the nick of time. Another second off and there's no telling how they might've wound up, especially with a certain prisoner running around and making things worse- "Adora!" Bow quickly yelled out in worry, jumping to his feet and running past the same princess.
Watching her as he ran to her side, kneeling down in worry... It honestly disgusted Glimmer- no. Not disgusted. Angered. Making her way to her feet, she stomped her way over to the fallen girl who Bow seemed more worried with. Her magic was well spent after everything they've been through in the last two minutes, and she didn't care! She was outraged beyond belief after all that was done!
Causing the cliff to collapse, a feat she was sure was caused by the same girl even if she didn't witness the moment, pushing herself and Bow off the cliff to make it look like she slipped on accident, dragging Glimmer down to separate her and Bow before she could save them, and then trying to pull herself and Bow over to the tree, trying to make herself look like the hero between the two...
Outrageous. That was the only word that came to mind when she thought about it. Whatever she was planning, whatever any of this had to do with her scheming, it was apparently working, because Bow was examining the girl with what looked like genuine worry as if she was hurt.
"Glimmer, she... she doesn't look so good..." Bow commented as he felt her forehead.
"Step aside, Bow!" She practically ordered as she squeezed her fist.
"Glimmer, wait-!" Bow's plea fell on deaf ears as the princess shoved him aside. She wouldn't need magic to pummel Adora's face if she had to, which was something she was really tempted to after all that had transpired.
"You have a lot of nerve after everything you did!" She stated, grabbing Adora by the collar and lifting her until she was at Glimmer's height.
"Glimmer-"
"I don't know what you were trying to do back there, but I'm not going to fall for it!"
"Glimmer-"
"Trying to separate us? Make us fall into a river of death? Was that all part of your plan? Well?" She yelled, waiting for some type of response. "Answer me!"
"Glimmer!" Bow finally yelled, grabbing at her shoulder.
"What?!" She snapped back, irritated. It took a simple look of Bow's worried expression for the princess to realize how harsh she was sounding, and after turning her attention back to the prisoner in question, she understood what she wasn't seeing.
Everything.
Paying closer attention to the girl, she could see it. She could see everything that was causing Adora to suffer at this very moment. Her face was well flushed from ear to ear, she was practically gasping for breath as she struggled to breathe, and the dark veins that surrounded her had all but reached her forehead. There were no signs of a devious member of the Horde standing before her, all she saw was a wounded and ailing prisoner that couldn't even get to her own two feet. And what was making it worse at this moment?
Glimmer. She was. The very symbol of the Princess Alliance and Princess of Bright Moon. The girl who was supposed to be refined and elegant in her manner of speaking, even when addressing the Horde, was now shouting at a sickening soldier who looked like she was on the verge of death. She actually regretted losing focused as the girl slipped out of her hands, taking a brief step back as Bow rushed up to her side again to examine her.
"What's... What's wrong with her?" She finally asked.
"I don't know," Bow replied as he felt her forehead again, "but she's burning up. She must've used too much of her magic, but... I don't think I've ever seen a princess like this. Not this sick."
"W-Well she's probably just faking it." Glimmer suggested, only half sure as she crossed her arms. "We should continue on our way to Bright Moon, she can get examined there."
"Glimmer, I don't think she'll even make it to Bright Moon if we continue on like this." It was easy yet hard for him to understand where she was coming from. She knew the two had a history together, one that would've made anyone mortal enemies the very next day. Yet even with that, with all the people she's fought from the Horde, she's never seen Glimmer so frustrated with a single person as much as she does now. She practically looked like she was struggling with trying to find a reason to keep arguing like this, like she was hurting more than Adora. "We need to give her time to rest."
"Rest? Are you kidding?! She's from the Horde, she could have people searching for her right behind us, she could-!"
"Glimmer." Bow simply stated once again, drawing her attention to the ailing Adora.
Who was she kidding? She couldn't keep going on with the tough-guy routine. The girl's eyes continued to squint as she struggled for each passing breath, diminishing any possibility that this was all part of some secret plan she had. She wouldn't have let Glimmer drop her to the ground like she just did, and she doubted there was any chance she would continue to roll around in the dirt like this for some hair-brained scheme. It was impossible to even tell if she was conscious or not, she looked so sickly.
*drip*
"?" Glimmer's nose twitched as she felt a single drop of water land on her nose. Turning her attention up, she gazed at what was soon to follow.
*pit-pat-pit-pat=*
A storm. A rainstorm to be precise. The dark clouds from earlier weren't just for show, they were a warning of what was to come. And as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours, as not two seconds had past before the three of them doused with gallons upon gallons of torrential rainfall.
Glimmer couldn't keep to her demeanor as she moaned internally. There was no way she could afford to keep Adora traveling in these conditions, much less the two of them as it stood. Glimmer was already exhausted from the magic she spent, and chances were Bow was a little sore too after all he's been through. Begrudgingly, with a sigh of defeat, Glimmer moaned aloud as she wiped the rain from her eyes, watching as Bow lifted Adora into her arms with the same pleading look as before.
"...Huff... Fine, we'll wait until the storm passes." She announced, holding herself as she began to shiver a little from the freezing rain. "But after that, we have to keep moving, even if she's still sick. Okay?"
"Thanks Glimmer." Bow replied with a nod, wasting no time as the two tried to find shelter for themselves and the sickly commander within the forest. There was no telling how long the storm was going to last, or where they were going to find shelter, but one thing was for sure.
Glimmer couldn't afford to let Adora get under her skin, no matter how angry she was...
...
...
...
A/N: Phewfta, another episode down the drain (not in a negative sense, more like a "yaa! its finished ^^!" sense). Once more, I thank everyone for their time and patience. It's really been hectic here and I'm doing what I can to help with the blues. I can look forward to the reviews cheering me up as they always do. And as a reminder, give a look up for from instagram, because he's such a dedicated fan that has actually done artwork for my fanfic :D! He's truly a great artist and one of my personal favorite reviewers around here, he shows his dedication and support beautifully in his art ^^
And as always, thanks to the rest of you for continuing to show your love for this series. I actually do kinda wish they'd make this series as a spinoff on netflix, or maybe at the very least some spinoff episode in the last season like it shows catra getting the sword or something, cause that would be awesome :P. Hooftah! So with that said, leave a like if you enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and I hope to see you soon ^^!
IM BACK BABAY!