A/N: Final Word Count: 12.6k Pre-A/N's. How's it going guys, monokub here! Proud to say once again that we are finally halfway through with the season, and now we're getting into the chapter that left me more or less anxious about how it would turn out ^^.
I love the feedback and support i've gotten over the last few chapters, and man do i love the rush the episodes give me when they're finally completed ^^! A few heads up about the current chapter, for nearly the entire first half of this, everything leading up to the intro, I was dealing with a headache while I was writing this, so it might not be my best work (and by that I mean obviously won't) so I apologize if it feels jumbled or something.
Along with that, other half is kind of jumbled too because the intro was intended as a flashback or even consdiered something I'd throw in at the end of the last chapter, but god i had too much written already XP so if something written is out of place or whatever, I apologize.
Hopefully then, if that's not too distracting, everyone will enjoy ^^!
...
...
...
*-iiiim*
"..."
*shiiiiim*
"Mmmh..." Catra moaned as she tossed around in bed, the glare of the sword's blue light irritating her eyes.
*shiiiiiiim*
"Mmh... what?" Slowly moving up from the bed, hair still a mess from the night's rough sleep, Catra mumbled to herself as she rubbed her eyes sleepily, the exhaustion of sleep still well within her system.
From the look and sound of the environment around her, she could presume it was still around nighttime, possibly a little past midnight at the most. There was barely a sound in the air, maybe a small chirp of a cricket in the land surrounding the castle, who knows. All she did know was that the sword was calling her now of all times, which was the latest she's ever found Light Hope calling for her.
She wasn't looking forward to whatever the sword was calling her for, seeing how she barely got to sleep an hour ago after what the day's endeavors had to bring her. A normal bad day would bring her a few minutes of anxiety she needed to work through her system to get over it. A very bad day would leave her punching at her punching bag, one that was currently ripped to shreds, to relieve her stress. On an extremely bad day, she'd spend whatever remaining time she had training over at the Beacon, using Light Hope's simulations to work her aggression out on the training simulations.
This was a whole new level of having a "bad day".
Perhaps her allies in the Princess Alliance added to it, or maybe it was just directed at Frosta herself. After the day's mission began, she thought putting up with the ridiculous ideas of the alliance's battle strategies for the assault on the Horde tower was going to be the worst of her day. They ranged from annoying, embarrassing, to just plain stupid! And sometimes, all three at once.
From the stress that ensued, Catra eventually snapped and, after a rather detailed and descriptive explanation of how each of them would die or get caught, she finally revealed her own anxiety of possibly jeopardizing the mission herself. If it wasn't for the encouragement that followed after, with nearly everyone agreeing that they expected a hiccup in the mission, and the confidence that Catra could pull them through it thanks to her recklessness, she might not have continued on with the mission in the first place.
That was about as much fun and positivity the mission gave her, and she almost wished she never went through with the rest of the mission after the revelation that was made after.
Frosta was a double-agent. This whole time, since the Battle of Bright Moon, possibly since the Princess Prom itself, she had been working with the Horde. Providing details on all their meetings, sharing resources in exchange for technology, and, worse of all, providing key information about the princesses and all of their weaknesses, including Catra's inability to control her emotions which leads to her losing her connection to She-Ra.
Because of her, the day instantly went down to the worst of nightmares the Princess Alliance could possibly have dreamt, made even worse by the fact that it was all too entirely real! Helping Adora separate the princesses so they couldn't work together, activating a machine that trapped Catra's half of the alliance within the tower while she assisted the ambush at the encampment, everything was going according to Adora's planning and scheming, almost succeeding right up until the very end.
At the same time, it was also thanks to Frosta that everyone made it out alive in the first place. After a small heart-to-heart with Perfuma, the princess willing to accept her decision and her reasoning for it, Frosta couldn't go through with it. She couldn't continue fighting for the Horde when she knew it was wrong to begin with, not if it meant fighting the same friends she's come to know or the people she care about. Doing it for the sake of her own kingdom wouldn't have made it right, a lesson she wished she learned much earlier.
After clearing up the Horde members in the encampment, she managed to bypass the large barrier that trapped Catra and her company with her own officer's badge, one that she sadly tossed away to Adora's feet, with the declaration of breaking off her kingdom's ties to the Horde. With the allies and friends reunited with one another, they took a final stand against the Force Captain, depriving her of the wristband that kept her healthy, and eventually managed to drive her off, fulfilling the mission.
So, everything that came after should've been easy to deal with, right?
Wrong.
Not that it was of much surprise, Catra was the only one who still couldn't forgive Frosta, nearly lunging at her and attacking her the moment they drove Adora off. She couldn't begin to think of forgiving her, and why should she? She betrayed all of them, and now they wanted to celebrate the same victory with her? What kind of nonsense was that?!
What's worse was when they returned to Bright Moon, she found out nobody desired to see Frosta severely punished, for the sake of her assisting the Rebellion for the foreseeable future, or to help them combat the Horde directly to make up for her crimes. That alone was more than enough to send Catra off the deep end.
It's not like she would've wished to see her punished beyond a life-imprisonment, but she considered all of them to be taking this all too easy! To overlook this betrayal because she "made a mistake", as they put it, whether or not she actually saved them in the end, shouldn't have mattered! Frosta deserved to be punished, and Catra refused to back down about it. So much so that it ultimately led to Queen Angella herself actually grounding Catra for the rest of the night, an act Catra took with near-animosity.
From that meeting, the magicat's been working out her aggression on her own punching bag, especially the portion that had a crudely drawn image of Adora's face on the front. If they wanted to let the traitor walk, fine. She couldn't control that. What she could control was her inability to trust any of the other members of the Princess Alliance anymore, save for the few people she had left to consider friends. She would fight for the others, and work for the others, but never again trust them!
So, now here she was. In the middle of the stupid night, woken up by her stupid sword, and stupidly woken up just a mere hour after she finally fell asleep. Looking around with a bit of a stretch, the girl sighed as she lazily stretched her legs out of bed before making her way to the sword at her dresser.
"This better be good..." Catra mumbled with a yawn.
She didn't need to ponder for very long whether or not she should leave in the first place. It the middle of the night, the day's been hectic to her as it is, and anything she had to do now was definitely more enjoyable than putting up with the rest of her day. At least now, she had something to distract her from the annoyance the day had brought.
She still kept a clear view in the hallways to make sure the coast was clear, only coming across the occasional guard who was on patrol, who didn't pay the She-Ra much mind as she traversed the castle's magnificent halls. Out of everybody she came across, the one she was trying to keep an eye out for was Queen Angella at the moment. Catra still couldn't understand what was up with her at that meeting.
What the heck was with all that talk about "going to her room" or whatever? She didn't sound as authoritarian so much as a... well... Catra didn't really know how to describe it. All she knew was that she hated the Queen's guts for taking Frosta's side, somebody she of all people should've been angry at since the betrayal nearly cost her losing her daughter to the Horde.
Reaching the large entrance to the castle, Catra took one last look around to make sure the coast was clear. She was still too tired to pick up on the Queen's scent if she had one around here, and she preferred getting out of this stupid place as soon as possible. At least with the view as clear as it was, and the path to the woods in front of her, it should've been an easy stretch to leave before she noticed.
"And where do you think you're going out to at this hour, young lady?"
And with the familiar nagging voice filling her ears, Catra immediately lost all hope of getting away with this as she rolled her eyes. Turning around, it took her a few seconds to figure out where the voice was coming from before she heard a small flapping sound approaching her, realizing she was above the entrance itself the entire time.
The Queen landed right in front of Catra, the bitter look of irritation she had at the meeting appearing lessened through the passage of time, but not gone. "I asked you a question."
"It's none of your business, all right?" Once again, Catra rolled her eyes as she yawned, throwing her hands behind her hands uncaringly.
"It is my business when one of the Rebellion's finest seem to want to take a midnight stroll through the woods without any sort of mention." She replied, crossing her own arms from the small chill in he wind. "Especially when that someone is supposed to be grounded."
"Oh for the love of-... Look, let's get three things clear, all right?" Catra started, counting off with her fingers one at a time. "First off, I'm not one of your kids. So you really don't have any authority over me. Two, maybe I should be asking what you're doing in the middle of the night since you're up and about. And three," she paused, taking out her sword as she revealed the faint glow, "I got a call from Light Hope about something. So, no offense, but I think an advanced A.I. from a thousand years ago that can tell me how to use the sword kind of outranks you."
Normally, whenever Catra told someone off like that, they would've backed down immediately, either from the threatening-like tone, or because they found the simple logic in whatever she was saying. Angella, however, seemed to be more amused from the cat's defensive nature, and decided to join in. "Oh, so you wish to discuss it that way, do you? Very well, Catra, consider your challenge accepted."
"Challenge?" She didn't know if she sounded like she was challenging someone or not, nor could she feel her ears tilting a little nervously.
Like Catra had done, the Queen went off on her explanation as she counted off with her own fingers. "One, parent or not, you are still a child. And if you don't take my words seriously as a parent, then consider them direct orders as your Queen, As in, "I order you to stay in your room" for as long as I ground you, or simply because I order it."
"Okay, now that's just being unfair." This was one of the few times in Catra's life where she regretted pushing the Queen- not that she would refrain from doing it again, just that she'd regret.
"Two," pausing, the Queen's face softened as she looked up at the sky, "I like to watch the sky at night to clear my head sometimes. I find it rather relaxing when I see some of the other planets." Directing the girl with her hand, Catra examined the various planets that filled the night's sky, and the admittedly nice glow they gave off in the moon light. "Sometimes when I'm stressed, I try to picture what life on the other planets might be like, or how peaceful they are."
"Yeah, cause you look like a real astronomer to me..." She quickly mumbled, shutting herself up at the small look Angella gave to her at this. "Ok, whatever, fine. Do you mind now?" She reminded as she held up the sword. "If Light Hope's calling me, it's usually important. For all I know, she either needs to tell me something, or the Beacon could be in danger."
The Queen stared at her silently at this. She knew life within the Horde must not have been pleasant to grow up in, and anyone from the Horde would likely have aggressive tendencies. She wished that someone like Catra, at least, would be a little more open to more than just a quick conversation or to the minds of others.
Like understanding why they couldn't afford to cut ties with the Kingdom of Snows, or why they decided to continue working with Frosta for her assistance, as well as to protect her.
With a sigh, the Queen finally nodded as she closed her eyes softy. "Very well, take care of whatever business you may have. But you are to come straight home afterwards. Understand?"
"Yes, sheesh, all right already!" She could've been to the Beacon by now with Swift Wind after all the time she wasted. She didn't give the Queen so much as a nod or wave as she immediately turned tail, casually slipping her hands in her pockets as she went off to collect her steed. "You're not my stupid mother."
Once more, the Queen sighed. "Sometimes I count that among my blessings..."
...
...
"Hello? Light Hope?" Catra called out as she walked through the walls of the Crystal Castle.
The flight through the woods was about as boring as she could expect it to be at this time of the day. With Swift Wind barely awake himself, it left the flight here a little more bearable than usual since he wasn't in the mood for his usual singing or humming. She did wish he had some sort of clue as to what Light Hope was calling her for or why, seeing how he seemed to have a stronger connection to the Beacon than she did for the time.
Upon arrival, there didn't seem to be anything too out of place around here. No Horde attacking it, so there went her idea for something to take her anger out on, and there were barely any of those annoying spider robots that scanned her before letting her go about her way. So far, everything seemed to be perfectly fine with the place, and she knew Light Hope wouldn't have called her this late for some training.
So why did it still feel like something was off about this whole thing? She couldn't tell what or why, or if she should be worried. She just didn't feel the same as she usually did whenever she got here. The one normalcy she did have was the sight of Light Hope in the center of the room as usual when Catra finally reached her, her back turned to the arriving cat as she appeared to be looking over something on a holographic screen.
"Hey, Light Hope." Catra casually greeted. "I got your call for.. something. Did you need anythi-"
"Put the sword on the pedestal. Now." Light Hope firmly requested, pointing to a small pedestal that materialized within the center of the room. Catra blinked at the strange device for a few confusing seconds as she looked back to her.
"Huh? Why? Is something-"
"Hurry, put it on now." She requested again, the lack of actual emotions making it hard to tell if she was being angry or worried about something.
Unwilling to argue about something so strange, giving a shrug, Catra slipped the sword from the holster on her back before placing it on the pedestal as she said, stepping back as the over-sized sword lied flatly against the metallic device. Following her eyes back to Light Hope, she watched as began to typing into the holographic projection itself, doing who knew what with their surroundings.
All questions came to be answered after a few clicks as the room suddenly lit with a white light around Catra, emanating from the floor that gave the place a small glow. Before she could begin to ask her first question, several more entered her mind as she watched what was happening to her sword.
From a dome appearing around the entire pedestal, the sword included, several antennae-like devices descended from the ceiling, putting on a worrying display for the girl as she watched dark pink-colored lasers shooting them each of them, each with a holographic property like Light Hope was.
"Hey wait, what are you doing?!" Catra panicked as she ran for the pedestal. "Are you trying to break my sword or something-!"
"Catra, stop." Light Hope immediately ordered, halting the magicat who was within arm's reach of her prized possession. "Let it finish or you might disrupt the connection."
Disrupt what connection? She couldn't form the words in her mouth as she gazed back at her sword, watching it as it began to illuminate with a seemingly-newfound life. How was she supposed to react to this calmly when she got yelled at in the middle of the night to come here in the first place and found this situation waiting for her? If anything, Light Hope should've been grateful she was restraining herself as much as she was!
As bad as the situation looked, with several more monitors appearing near Light Hope, it didn't last long. After waiting for what felt like hours, when in reality was just half a minute, whatever Light Hope was working on came to an end, with the small dome returning to the floor, the antennas returning to the ceiling, and white light dimming around them. Catra wasted no time to jump for her sword, examining it from every angle, and finally letting out a breath of relief.
"Would you mind telling me what that was about?!" Catra shouted, wasting no time to get to the point.
Light Hope continued to examine the displays in front of her for a short time before seeming relieved by her own stroke of fortune. "We were not too late."
"Too late? Too late for what? Would you mind answering my question already!"
"What happened?"
Okay, now she was almost getting weirded out by Light Hope's lack of answering, seeming as if she had gone deaf to the girl. "What do you mean "what happened"? You tell me! What was with all that stuff just now-"
"I mean, what happened to your power?" Light Hope clarified as she appeared directly in front of Catra herself, her head towering over her as she drew in up close.
"My... Power?" Catra examined the sword for a closer detail as she tried to understand. "Do you mean with my power disappearing or whatever today?"
"Yes, Catra. Precisely that."
"Ugh..." Rubbing her eyes, groaning, she tried to decide which annoyed her the most right now. Everything that happened today, getting called up in the middle of the night, or the lack of an explanation for everything Catra had just witnessed. "Look, it's late. Do you mind if we hold off on this until later in the morning? It's been a long day-"
"Catra, I need to know what happened to your connection with She-Ra today. Did you acquire a form of injury I am unaware of? Did the Horde produce a weapon that disrupted your connection to the blade?"
"What? No, I wasn't injured." Not physically, at least, not that she'd need to know that. "And it wasn't some fancy gadget, all right? I... I just fought with Adora, and she got on my nerves. That's it."
"That's it?" The doubtfulness and concern in Light Hope's emotionless voice was evident. "A single person managed to disrupt your connection with the sword to such a degree?"
"Look, why are we even having this conversation? It's not like it hasn't happened before." And she didn't need reminders of those other instances. Thinking of them alone was enough to get her heart racing with irritation. From her secret she kept over the month, to the revelation of Entrapta being alive, and now the stupid assault on the Horde tower today. All of them were parts she could do without ever showing up again in her memories. "I'll just work on getting back everything I lost, I've done it before."
"Before? Catra, I'm not sure if you're fully aware of the severity of what happened today-"
"No, I get it just fine, all right?" She yawned bored out of her mind, making her way towards the door. "I let my emotions get to me, again, and lost parts of her power. I'll just get them back like before, I don't need some useless lesson telling me how to be a better She-Ra or some garbage."
"Even if it means losing your connection to the sword permanently?"
That... That was the line that made Catra stop in mid-step. Partly from confusion, part of it with wonder, and all of it from worry. "L-Lose my connection... Permanently?" She slowly made her way back to the advanced A.I. as Light Hope brought up the displays she was examining during the brief light show Catra was forced to watch.
"My readings indicated that you didn't just lose a small part of your connection to She-Ra, Catra. Accordingly, you were on the verge of breaking off your bond with the sword in its entirety."
She didn't want to know. She really didn't want to know. "And... W-What would've happened... if I did?"
"..." Almost as if she was sensing what problems were currently inhabiting the young girl's mind, Light Hope chose to remain silent.
A choice Catra refused to give her. "TELL ME!"
"..." With a wave of her arms, one of the projections in front of her enlarged until it was the size of Catra. Within the display, it showed a basic outline of Catra, as well as an outline of the form of She-Ra, both connected by two different colored wavelengths of purple and blue. "If you had let your emotions reached its peak, if you had continued to anger and rage guide your actions," with a wave of her right arm, the display of She-Ra shattered and disappeared, "your bond with the sword would have been broken... forever."
"For... H-Heh... T-That was a good one. That was a joke, right?" She was kidding, right? This had to be a joke. A very crude, very disturbing joke just to test Catra's emotional status, like she did with the simulations, right? Of course, it had to be that! "Yeah, okay, I get it. Just trying to... rile me up or something, some form of training so I don't lose control."
"I am not programmed for humor, but I can attempt it if you desire." Okay, if this was supposed to be a joke, Catra was more than willing to hear the punchline at this point. So far, everything she said was unfunny, boring. She needed to hear how this was going to be some elaborate trick to teach Catra a lesson of some sort. "You still seem apprehensive. Do you have doubts?"
"Y-Yes I have doubts!" If she wasn't going to take it seriously, then Catra was determined to. "For example, if this was as bad as you said it was, why didn't you contact me earlier?"
"That's just it, Catra. We tried." Turning back to the image, waving her left hand this time, they watched as the previous image of She-Ra reappeared, only this time with a much smaller blue wavelength with Catra. "Your connection to your sword is also your connection to us. When you lost control, you nearly broke all the connection you had with the sword to begin with. We were forced to amplify the signal with the castle's own energies just to reach you by now."
"N-No, that's just... That's just stupid!" She refused to listen, growling as she grinded her teeth. She always had a fear, along with Glimmer and Bow, that something may occur that would cause Catra to lose all her powers if she gave in to her emotions, but they never thought it would be something permanent like this! "Second thing, I turned back to normal at the very end, so if I lost my connection with She-Ra, then this conversation shouldn't even be happening!"
"You nearly did, Catra." Her eyes scanned the displays behind the large images, examining the various readings. "You nearly reached a point where your anger would've been your undoing. You should be thankful for whatever happened that held you back." Well that she didn't need an explanation for.
Adora, the one she was fighting. The person who was supposed to have this annoying destiny in the first place, the one who was supposed to find the sword from the very beginning. The person who held a grudge against everyone in the Rebellion because of Catra and Catra alone, who was willing to do everything to keep her selfish dream from happening, no matter the cost.
The one that Catra was still riddled with guilt over for the past, and the things Adora's done because of her.
"You barely had an entire percent of your power left before you seemingly lost your power. If you hadn't achieved the strength of your bond as you have been recently, you most likely would've lost She-Ra's power in the process."
"Yeah, but... It..." She scratched at her head as she tried to figure out what to say. "Okay, then tell me what was with the stupid experimentation you just did here? What was all that about?" There was an unusual stare coming from Light Hope, more than usual anyway, as she gazed at Catra at this. Reappearing in another corner of the room, forcing Catra to follow, she displayed several different readings and examinations in the First Ones' language.
"The experiment as you put it, Catra, was a recovery process, one used as a last resort if necessary." Flipping through the displays, Catra watched as she held up two distinct versions of her in her She-Ra state. One that was most basic of her She-Ra state, and one she had before her emotions exploded with rage. While she couldn't make out most of the writing, she could tell the writing below both of them were timestamps, one that were depicted within several minutes of each other.
Both of which happened today.
"A recovery process? Of what?"
"Of your bond with She-Ra." With another wave, Catra watched as the two images of her and She-Ra stood side by side again. This time, the wavelengths that were between them were evenly matched, albeit a little disjointed. "I had no choice but to manually reverse the state of your current progress back to what it was before you lost it."
"You mean it..." She looked down at her sword with a curious tilt. Now that she mentioned it, the sword did feel a bit lighter to her than when she got here, chalking it up to a lack of sleep previously. "You mean I'll be able to turn back to She-Ra as I was before Adora tricked me?"
"Not entirely. That part will still be up to you to control your emotions by the time you summon She-Ra's strength again. You most likely won't be in the same state you were previously when you called upon its power, but you should be close."
"So then... Then why are you only telling me about this now?!"
"Pardon me?"
"I had this stupid machine that could have done this already from the very beginning? Something to fix it every time I lost a portion of She-Ra's power? Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?! We could've used it a long time ago, and I wouldn't have lost She-Ra's power after the Battle of Bright Moon!"
"Because we couldn't risk using this chance unless it was a last resort." Coming to another screen, the hologram showed Catra a basic outline of the Sword of Protection, one that erected a small white barrier around itself. "In the event that something like this happens to the current She-Ra, we reverse the process that broke the bond to an earlier point of time, provided it was within a few days of the separation."
"Yeah, I get that, but it doesn't explain-"
"However, the sword itself is still more advanced than you could possibly imagined. Once someone tries to tamper with its internal systems, it will adapt itself to prevent anyone from trying to alter its status again."
Sounds kind of like a stupid robot we fought before... She remembered fondly. "Okay, fine, so it could only be used ones. But why didn't you use it earlier then if you could've given me my powers after the battle?"
"Because with your current frame of mind, we couldn't risk it." Now Light Hope revealed a dozen earlier displays of something Catra wanted to forget, something she'd much rather remember the robot over much more than this.
All the emotional turmoil she went through for the first several days after the battle. Depictions of her remaining closed off to everyone, silent at the table during meals, spending most of her time with a solemn look on her face as she helped repair the castle with the others, and so forth. It made her feel something she never felt before during that time period, a regret that she couldn't explain the cause of.
The only thing she could recall was the bitter emotion it left in her heart for a short while.
Emptiness.
"You were in no state to be the She-Ra the world needed you for awhile, so much so that the emptiness wracked your heart with negative emotions, enough to hamper the sword's bond with you. And by the time you were ready to become She-Ra again, it was already too late." She didn't bother watching the following clip of herself as she tried to turn into She-Ra several days later, only to end up with the basic form she originally started with.
If the emptiness left her feeling helpless for a few days, the drive to become She-Ra at her full power, the desire to be strong enough to take on the Horde completely, left her filled with regret.
"You had reverted to your previous state before the battle, and by that point, too much time had pass to revert the sword to its pinnacle of power."
"B-But... Then why didn't you use it anyway? Even if it took me who knows how long to re-bond with my sword or something, it would've been easier bond with my sword still!"
"Actually, it wouldn't." For the last time, the wavelengths displayed an erratic depiction between the purple and blue wave lengths, almost looking like complete zigzags as they went from one end to the other. "The sword's bond stems from your emotional stability and inner peace. If we had tried to force the process to a previous point while you were still experiencing inner conflict, it would most likely disrupt the entire connection process, making any growth near impossible to achieve."
"The sword bonds and grows as you do, Catra. The more you grow, the more it grows with you, and likewise."
She had a weird sense that she had this exact same conversation with Light Hope a month ago, even if she was here this time of her own free will. Like before, all this boiled down to was that Catra messed up, again, in some shape or form, and because of her actions, she had to get told all this awful and painfully annoying details about why her sword wouldn't work for her.
Was the Horde about to invade Bright Moon again after they used some weather machine when she got out of here? Because at the rate things were going, she was being thrown into a complete loop of the last month and a half.
"So... what now?" Honestly, given the lateness of the day and the events that continued to confuse her, she wasn't sure which direction to take this conversation.
"Now?" With a questioning word, the displays around them disappeared into thin air, as the lights within the Crystal Castle were restored. "Now, you return home, and revitalize for tomorrow's training, and or missions."
"What, just like that?" Catra asked, actually hoping there was some other news as Light Hope walked away. "No advice on getting stronger or anything like that?"
"Not for the time being, no. There's still some things I need to analyze between your connection with the sword." She replied simply, strolling over to the center of the chamber.
Scratching at her head, giving a last yawn with a stretch, Catra found little energy to argue as she made her way for the door once again. "Well then, I guess... See you later."
"Catra, wait." The She-Ra in training was already holding the door's frame by the time she called back. "You must always bear in mind, that there are no more chances with this. If something like this happens again, I won't be able to restore it to a proper point in time before you lost control. You must train yourself to calm your emotions, Catra. For Etheria's sake, and for yours."
"..." For one of the first times, Catra couldn't say anything as she just left, going through everything she was suddenly told in her mind for the duration of the trip home.
She couldn't allow herself to be conflicted with emotions anymore, no matter what happened. If she messed up as badly as she did today, then that would be the end of it. There would be no power to help restore her to a previous point of She-Ra, or to turn into She-Ra at all. She would have no strength, no use to the Princess Alliance, and no possible way of stopping Adora again, if she had one to begin with at this point.
When it all came down to it, she focused on the one thing she feared the most: The moment she lost control again, as soon as she lost She-Ra's power, the Horde's victory would be assured, and everything would come to an end.
...
...
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.
...
...
*clickity*
*clackity*
*clickity*
*clackity*
The sounds of endless typing filled the small Horde outpost as Entrapta continued to roll her swivel chair from computer to computer. She didn't think being thrown into a mission in the middle of the arctic during a terrible snowstorm would be as fun as the briefing made it out to be, but MAN was she having a blast! Cozied up with winter gear for their destination, unraveling an ancient First Ones tech, and hanging out with two of her new friends? What wasn't there to be excited about!
She almost didn't understand why Adora seemed as moody as she was, given the circumstances. She was bundled up just as much as she was, and the shadows should've provided some semblance of protection against the cold's harsh elements. Then again, she hasn't really been in the best moods of late, so it could be jotted down as a case of lack of sleep, complete boredom, or some other thing Entrapta didn't know about.
"Hi, Adora!" Entrapta greeted, knowing the girl was behind her as her eyes were stuck to the monitor in front of her. "Did you have a nice nap?"
"I wasn't really n-napping." Adora chattered a little, rubbing her arms for warmth. "It's kind of hard to fall asleep when everything's freezing."
"Freezing?" Entrapta rubbed the top of her head without pause using a strand of her hair as she typed. "How are you cold? If the readings from my tests with you are accurate, your shadows should be providing a layer of warmth, or at least enough to act as a second skin."
"Second skin doesn't really help when you're dealing with below temperatures. Besides," she took a breath into her hands, trying to add some extra warmth to her rubbing, "I'm trying to repress them right now. If they keep acting on their own out here to keep me warm, I'm going to get sick in no time."
"Are you sure you shouldn't be using the wristband I gave you? It should work better than the last one on your miss-" She went silent as she turned back for a second, noticing the harsh look Adora was giving her about what she was about to say. "On... your... missssssion to test them out last night!" She quickly corrected, acting casual as she went back to her screens.
It's not like she didn't know what Entrapta was actually referring to. It was almost laughable to her that one of the greatest minds Etheria's come to know was also one of the world's worst liars at the same time. Someone with that much brain power should've at least been able to come up with a more convincing lie than that.
Glancing up at the screen, Adora's already-irritated expression was piled on as she saw the amount of work Entrapta had done and the lack of results that had come from it. "Are you almost done here?" She asked leaning a firm hand on the console. "I thought you would've known where this First Ones weapon was by the time we got here?"
"I never said "weapon"." She reminded with a silent clap of her hands. "I said there's a piece of First Ones tech buried deep under the ice," smiling brightly, she playfully pushed herself away from the same console as she spun around in her chair to the next, "and a really powerful one at that! With the energy levels we've picked up, it must of been part of the First Ones' supercomputer."
"Whatever it is, just keep searching for it." She ordered, not that the scientist needed to be told to do something so fun. "Hordak hasn't been in the best of moods, and if we come back empty-handed and wasted his time, it'll be my head." There was a silent gulp from the captain as she hoped she wasn't being literal with herself.
"A scientist never returns empty-handed." She beamed, wagging a finger-made twintail of her hair as she turned to her. "There's always data. With data comes results, with results comes progress, and with progress comes success!"
"..." Entrapta did have to admit, it was almost surprising how long Adora's been in a sour mood at this rate, given all the time she's known about her. She didn't look anywhere near happy, she didn't look entirely sad per se, she just looked like she was borderline somewhere between boredom and aggression at the mildest inconvenience. "We are not making data, or progress, or results, with stupid data. Hurry up and find something useful around here or we're packing up and going home."
Without another word, the Force Captain turned her back on the fellow scientist as she went back to resume her own line of work. "Seriously, this place is giving me chills, and I don't mean from the cold." There was something about this place that was unsettling in more towards the atmosphere than the freezing weather itself.
Ever since she and the others got here, she felt like something was off. Whenever she looked outside, she felt like something was staring back at her that she couldn't see from far away, and the eerie feeling that they weren't alone never faded from her since the moment she got here. There was no telling what sort of dangers lurked within this frozen wasteland.
Or how to describe the horrific creatures that continued to remain unseen...
...
...
The open sea! The setting for many sailors and adventurers alike! Whether their journeys take them through the open waters of the savage seas, the tropical islands of paradise, or, in this case, below freezing temperatures that would free the snot out of someone's nose in an instant where craggy glaciers of ice and snow surrounded every corner. It was the kind of area that many a folk would avoid for one reason or another.
But not for the glorious Sea Hawk! Or his companions, if they wanted to be here.
The beautiful pink-masted ship sailed over the waters with merely the tip of the fin touching the frozen waters. Exploring lands like this was nothing out of the ordinary for him, having had many adventures through all sorts of extreme climates. It didn't make the journey through these lands any warmer, of course, but at least he was properly prepared for these kinds of escapades.
And what better way to celebrate his current adventure, technically a mission from the Princess Alliance, than with his own companions! Like the Princess of Bright Moon, Glimmer, magically gifted girl who was daughter to the Queen of Bright Moon. Or his sidekick Bow, who always looked up to and aspired to be like the great adventurer himself, who Sea Hawk always promised that, with enough hard work and dedication, could almost be as glorious as he!
Or Catra, who... he didn't really get to chat with as much and really didn't seem to be in the mood to talk to anyone else. At least her being here made a little more sense than their fourth companion, one Catra bitterly allowed to tag along with them.
But no matter! Adventure awaited them somewhere within this frozen tundra, and he would see it through to the very end!
"The Dragon's Daughter Five." He felt along the rails of the ship with an open palm, admiring the craftsmanship and smoothness of the rails. "She cuts a fine line on the sea, does she not?"
"Wait. What happened to the Dragon's Daughter Four?" Bow asked, lifting his head up from the tracker pad. His mood was probably the second brightest out of the group, seeing how they were exploring with a famous adventurer again. It probably would've been better if the freezing weather and his mittens allowed him to adjust the tracker pad a little easier. "Oh, oh, oh, was it an adventure?" He wondered, pumping his fist as he posed alongside his peering icon.
"No. Termites." A flash of the terrible memory alone was enough to rattle his expression temporarily. "I couldn't save the old girl. Anyway, I'm proud to be a part of another daring mission for the Rebellion!" His optimism wasn't entirely shared with the Princess of Bright Moon who tried to smile back, wearing her own matching winter gear that went with her regular colors.
"Well, you know, we all kind of needed a boat, and, you know. You have a boat." She replied, rubbing her mittened hands to warm them.
"Yes, I do. Heh! Truth be told, I was glad to have something to do." The proud of expression of Sea Hawk melted into a small frown as he crossed his arms. "Mermista cancelled our plans this week, and she's hanging out with her other friends, and didn't invite me to join. I..."
*swish*
"Well, let this mission distract you from all that." Glimmer tried to cheer up, patting him on the back. "We've received reports of Horde activity in the Northern Reach. They set up some kind of outpost, but we have no idea why."
"I bet somebody does..." An irritated She-Ra-formed Catra grumbled, continuing to lean over the railing at the other end of the ship as she stared off into the vast winter. The comment didn't go unnoticed to their fourth passenger who moaned, leaning on the opposite side of the ship.
"...By the way, what exactly happened with them?" His whispered over to the Princess, noticing the strange behavior between the two.
"Catra kind of took Frosta's betrayal a little hard," she whispered back, "compared to the rest of us. She really hasn't been in the best moods for the last few days."
"Ah, yes. I've heard of the...incident, from Mermista. It must have been pretty hard to accept Frosta back with open arms after that mission."
"Some of us were more forced to accept her than others, you know." She snarled back again, deliberately speaking louder just to get to the other passenger's nerves.
"Mmh..." With a flash of pink mist, the princess teleported from Sea Hawk's side to Catra's, leaning against the same railing as she stared up to her friend. "Catra, I understand how you're feeling, but don't you think you could at least ease up a little while we're all the way out here? The weather's not making anyone's mood any easier."
"I don't get what you're complaining about, I feel fine."
"That's because you turned into She-Ra the moment you got here."
"Besides, even if I was freezing, my mood would be a lot brighter right now if she wasn't with us!" Glimmer needed no introduction as she glared back to the fourth passenger of their group, Princess Frosta, the girl looking as glum as Catra did angry, trying to drown out all the insults and complaints Catra's said about her since the beginning of the mission. "I don't understand why you brought her with us in the first place."
That was actually the question on Frosta's mind from the very beginning, too. As the Princess of the Kingdom of Snows, her element gave her an advantage over this landscape, and she was used to these extreme temperatures, only donning an additional pair of blue earmuffs to complete her outfit. What Glimmer failed to specify while bringing her on this mission was the fact that Catra would be coming along with them. In fact, she actually lied by telling her she wouldn't be joining them as she was off training somewhere.
Naturally, the moment the two met at the docks with the others, a cloud of anger and unease exploded around them as Catra complained about why the princess was with them whereas Frosta was confused why Catra was here and why Glimmer lied to them. It took her nearly half an hour to explain how this mission needed both of them for Catra's strength and Frosta's understanding of the elements ahead of them.
It didn't do anything to calm one side down or the other, but at least it was enough to get them both to go on the same boat. And it wasn't even close to the real reason Glimmer brought them along, or Frosta specifically, as she explained to the girl.
"Well I just thought that, you know, she could provide a helping hand out here. Who better to help us in the arctic than her?"
"I would honestly hire anyone else in the world before her. I would even hire the Horde- Oh wait!" A sarcastic look of surprise crossed her face as she let out a silent gasp. "I almost forgot, we HAVE one already!"
"...Mmmh..." Throughout all the insults and pettiness coming off of Catra, Frosta did her best to ignore it. She couldn't blame Catra for any of her behavior, no matter how repetitive or blatant it became. She deserved all of it, from her point of view. That didn't make the sensitivity of her insults any easier, though.
Groaning, Glimmer tried to get the magicat to at least look at her as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Catra, I get it. You don't trust her, and you don't want to trust her. Fine. Then at least trust me to trust her for this mission, okay?" That was the first line of dialogue that made Catra shift her eyes over to her. "I know she won't betray us. And, hey, look at you. You still have most of your She-Ra powers back, right? So you have to feel somewhat comfortable enough to let her come with us."
That was perhaps the one highlight of the last few days that kept Catra from sulking and being aggressive towards everyone since their last meeting together. Despite all that's happened, she still had most of her previous She-Ra form back, minus the different-colored orangish hair. She still had her shoulder pads, bracelets, pants, and so forth, and it was a lot better than the nothing she had when they left the Horde tower.
However, the truth behind the matter had nothing to do with Catra's own involvement. Rather, it was a miracle bestowed upon her by Light Hope herself, from the night of the traitor's reveal. The revelation itself wasn't enough to dampen Catra's mood any more than it had. If anything, it was the only thing keeping her spirits up as much as they were now.
But how was she supposed to get used to everything else when Glimmer dropped this bomb on her out of nowhere?
"Whatever amount of trust I still have with you and Bowey has nothing to do with it, Pinky." Catra spat off the boat. "Just because I trust you two still doesn't mean I trust everyone you trust, especially the brat."
"But Catra, you were with the Horde once, too, remember? And you became one of our best friends and heroes. How is this any different?"
"Because when I joined, I didn't start out on your side and go back to the Horde before going back with you." That line of logic and reasoning, from her point of view, came with a hiss. "I went from one side to the other, I didn't backstab one side and then go back to it later. I stayed."
"Well can you at least promise to work together if the situation calls for it?" Glimmer pleaded. "The last thing I want to worry about is you fighting her while we're fighting the Horde!"
There was a short break as Catra looked between her and the traitor on the opposite side of the ship, her irritation never lightening as she leaned over the railing again. "...Keep the brat five feet away from me at all times, and I'll consider it." Immediately, Glimmer's face lit up like a christmas tree as she started side stepping a few feet away from Catra, almost looking like she was counting something until she stopped.
"You got it!" And with the strangely-cheerful agreement, the princess teleported away... And re-teleported back to her with Frosta to her right, about six feet between her and Catra, before teleporting again behind the small bridge of the ship.
Blinking in confusion, Frosta looked around until she spotted Glimmer a little ways behind her, gesturing for her to talk to Catra as the wild cat grumbled to herself, staring off into the distance again. Knowing it was part of her plan, Frosta looked anxiously over the side of the ship, trying to come up with something to say.
"Go on... say something..." Glimmer whispered over.
"Uh, Glimmer? Can I talk to you?" The archer didn't give Glimmer the choice of free will as he pulled her further behind the bridge, looking at her with extreme anxiety and confusion. "What do you think your'e doing? Trying to get Catra and Frosta to chat with one another?"
"Relax, Bow, it's going to be fine." She whispered confidently. "I'm just trying to get the two to reconnect again."
"Like this? Glimmer, this is like trying to get a lit match and barrel of gunpowder together in the same room! You know Catra's not going to take this well."
"I know, I know, but it'll work out, just like before."
"Before?"
"Yes." Brushing off his hands, she peered around the deck again as she watched the two still standing a distance away in silent. "Think about it. Every time Catra's in one of her moods, we go on an adventure, stuff happens, then she's back to her regular self by the end of the day."
"And... you're basing your whole scheme on that?" He asked, looking around the corner from above her.
"It hasn't failed so far, has it?"
"We haven't even tested it before!"
"Shh! They're about to talk." She hushed, excited and hopeful to see how far their conversation could go.
"...So... Um... H-How are things in Bright Moon?" Frosta hesitated to ask with a nervous smile? All she was met with was an annoyed look on Catra's face as she continued to ignore her. Once again, looking back, she saw Glimmer urging her to try something else. "Uh, my... Kingdom has been securing resources for the Rebellion, so-" She immediately cut off as she saw the tingling twitch in Catra's glare.
Clearly bringing up how she stopped sending resources to the Horde and instead to the Rebellion was a bad idea.
"Okay, um..." Man, nothing could keep this situation from feeling awkward to her! She got what Glimmer was trying to do around here, but understanding meant very little when you were dealing with someone who trusted you and you betrayed. "O-Oh! Remember that prank we pulled on Glimmer a few days ago with the warm water and the hand trick?"
"Wait, that was them?!" Glimmer blushed as she looked apologetically to Bow. "Catra convinced me you did it!"
"I told you she was lying!" Bow cried back.
"Haha... ha... eh..." Little by little, the look of humor from reminiscing the old days faded from Frosta's expression as Catra refused to stare at her, instead brushing right past her after a short delay. The cat didn't seem anywhere near interested in socializing with her as made her way to the head of the ship where Sea Hawk was keeping the look out, trying to ignore everything giving her a headache from behind her. Moaning, Frosta resumed her own leaning as she looked over the ship in sorrow.
"So much for the big plan."
"Patience, Bow." Glimmer refused to let this setback get in her way. "The mission has barely started, and we still have plenty of time." In truth, she was a little anxious about how things would turn out, but she was determined to get the two to reconcile by the end of this trip. If people can change as much as Catra has over the last few months, then surely there was still time to get the two to make up with each other by the time the mission was over!
...Right?
...
...
Scribbling. Inspecting. Searching. Repeating. Nothing like a boring day's worth of work to put Adora into any more of a better mood. Within the outpost, the Force Captain found little to do to pass the time, other than finding any possible pointless task she could to occupy her mind. Such as making sure all their equipment was prepared and organized and working on the paperwork she needed to resort thanks to her rather... unfortunate mission.
Catra wasn't the only one suffering from the aftermath of Frosta's betrayal. No matter how bad Catra was feeling, Adora was dealing even greater difficulties in the wake of her previous mission. Needless to say, Hordak did not take the news of her failure well. Losing one of the Horde's most fortified outposts was one thing to deal with. Learning that it failed because of the so-called "Trust" Adora put in her young friend, was another.
The Leader of the Horde was outraged, disgusted by Adora's performance. After subjecting her to the very machine that nearly sucked the air out of her lungs for a second time, he gave her a warning that she was sure was engraved into her heart: Fail him again in any standard, and it would be the end of her career, and her life would find itself placed behind the cells of the Horde's prison system. If it wasn't for Entrapta's usefulness for the last week, he would've gladly disposed of her already.
Those words, the rage in her hero's voice, the realization that she was, indeed, a failure, shook her to her core. She couldn't comprehend any of it, any of the reason why Frosta would betray her, the fact Hordak glossed over the other accomplishments and alliances she's made.
Then again, given what happened a few days ago, it probably made more sense to her now. She made an alliance with a kingdom whose leader betrayed her in the very end. Who was to say someone else wouldn't betray her down the line? That line of thinking, the worry that someone else would betray her down the line, left her on edge for the last several days. And with each day she didn't get over it, the more her mood soured and her scorn rose.
She hated the Princess Alliance now more than ever. She needed this mission to go perfect, whatever the cost. She kept her mind focused on the tasks at hand, inspecting their current equipment while also dealing with a table's fill of paperwork. Reorganizing the resources they now lost after Frosta's betrayal left her with a mountain of papers from requisitions and supplies she needed to reorganize to keep the Horde's outposts evenly stocked.
Even now, she couldn't turn away from her paperwork for two minutes before filling out three additional pages from the stacks she brought with her. The table was lined with piles of paper and equipment caches in every corner, dozens of sheets spread about, leaving without so much as an inch of the table uncovered from the top. Between moving back and forth between the equipment stacks behind her and the papers in front of her, everything was keeping her busy, and keeping her without any chance of relaxing.
That's where Scorpia came in as she examined her friend from around the corner. Despite all that happened, it didn't keep Adora away from all the work she had to do, from the multitude of tasks that occupied her time. Adora would've been quite the inspiration to the Horde, young and old, if her mood was a little more pleasant lately.
"Huff. Okay, Scorpia, get your head in the game. You've got this." She said to herself, squeezing her claws together as she amped herself up. "You and Adora have a special bond, and deep down in her heart, she knows that." Nothing about Adora's behavior within the past few days turned Scorpia away from her best friend, no matter how aggressive she's been lately.
Taking a deep breath, trying to be calm and collected with a confident grin, she casually turned the corner as she walked up to her busy companion. "Hey, Adora. How's it going?"
"I'm busy." Adora stated directly, never keeping her eyes off the paper as she tipped the pen into the ink bottle again to resume her work. That alone was enough to tell Scorpia how bizarre her behavior was. She wouldn't even look back to return the greeting, much less give her a greeting at all!
"I... can see that." She replied, continuing to smile as she looked over Adora's shoulder. "What are you, uh, what are you working on?"
"Papers." With a silent breath to cool down, the blonde captain brushed aside her current page as she grabbed another sheet out of the hundreds to go. "There's been a lot of reorganizing I was put in charge of since... Frosta's leaving."
"Ah. I... I see." Perusing through several of the various stacks, the scorpion girl examined the papers and pages that took up most of Adora's time. It was the only action that elicited a response from the young force captain as a small shadowy tendril appeared, putting the paper back in order from Scorpia's hand.
"Please don't touch that. I need to keep this stuff organized so it can be processed and shipped out for when we go home."
"W-Well, maybe I can help with some of it? I mean, we're both Force Captains, so my signature should mean as much as yours."
"No, I-" Adora paused from her work as she let out a small sigh. It's not like she didn't understand Scorpia's desire to help, but now really wasn't the time for it. "Look, do you need something from me? Because I'm really busy here."
"Oh, well, yes, actually." A small blush crossed the girl's face as she tapped her claws together. "So, I've been thinking, and I know you're really busy and focused on your career lately, but if you ever wanted to..." She glanced over as she saw Adora crumpling up the current page she had and tossed it behind her, over to a bin with a dozen other pieces of crumpled garbage. "You know, like hang out sometime with me?"
"No." Scorpia nearly flinched at the quick response, something Adora gave noticed to as she pinched between her eyes. "I-I mean not right now, or anything. Later. Maybe? I don't know. Why are you bringing this up, anyway?"
"Well, you know with all the... stuff, that happened, I just figured, maybe, you could use a break? Like outside of office hours, pffft, like you know. Maybe we could do something like we used to like... play a board game, or some other bonding activity, or just... H-Hey, I know what'll cheer you up! Why don't we watch the young cadets in their next training session? That always gets a smile out of you."
Adora did have to admit, the thought of it sounded nice. Just seeing the kids playing around, doing a few exercises, having fun, it did wonders to brighten her mood usually. But not this time. "Thanks, but no thanks, Scorpia. I have too much work that needs to be done."
"Aww. Just for a little bit? Or, something else, maybe? Whatever you want to do, I'm all ears, too!"
"I don't want to do anything right now, Scorpia, I just... Huff, I'm really busy right now- Ow!" Letting out a yelp, the small captain shrieked as pulled back her hand from the stack of papers to the left.
"Are you okay?" Scorpia immediately asked worriedly as Adora held her thumb in her right hand.
"I-I'm fine! It's just a stupid papercut. I can shake it off."
"What? Does it hurt? Is it bleeding? Here, let me take a look at it."
"What?" Adora didn't get enough time to refuse her request as Scorpia pulled back Adora's left hand, inspecting the thumb up to her eye. "No, Scorpia, it's fine! Really. Just stop touching it!" She grumbled a little as she tried to pull her arm back, refusing to let the shadows get involved like last time.
Scorpia refused to let up as she tried inspecting it. "Don't worry, I know how to work a bandaid. Or a bruise. Whatever it is, I can help with it."
"Egh... It's fine, just stop squeezing at it or it will bleed!" Without her shadows, no amount of brute force of trying to pull the Scorpion's claws away would help. She was more than determined enough to prove her worth to Adora at any cost!
"It's okay, I'll be gentle! I can help with it-"
"Scorpia, for the last time, let ghhh-ahhh!"
*crash!*
Blinking in place, the large red Force Captain stared at the damage she may or may not have been responsible for as she saw Adora fall back onto the table behind her. Instantly, papers scattered and shot through the air, the table nearly snapped in half as it collapsed from Adora's weight combined with the pounds of paperwork and caches on top. The second-in-command Force Captain was buried under a mountain of paperwork, leaving bits and pieces of herself exposed through the wreckage.
"Um..." Okay, so maybe Adora had a point with not wanting her help with the paperwork? This was just from a little papercut her friend received from pulling at a sheet of paper. Who knows what would've happened if a paper and pen fell into Scorpia's claws instead?
Lifting herself up from the pile, Adora slowly pulled the box off of her head as she stared back at the older girl, the one smiling nervously at her as she could read Adora's facial expression in an instant. Looking around, Adora saw all the scattered papers and tossed-over caches that were emptied of their contents, not to mention the ink bottle that now formed a small black puddle over dozens of the pages, including the right sleeve of Adora's coat.
Seventeen hours worth of paperwork, several hours spent just trying to get it all organized. Now, half of it was ruined from the ink over the pages and the pages the ink-stained papers were related to. All of this because of one little paper cut.
How nice to think about.
"Y-Yeah, so..." Rubbing her claws anxiously, the taller captain slowly took a few steps back, trying to get out of Adora's hair. "Maaaybe I'll go see how Entrapta's doing instead?"
"... Mmmh..." Yup. Adora was now convinced this would be her life. Nothing but messing up on every mission, becoming less and less abled to work, and incapable of filing out a single stack of paperwork without some catastrophe getting in her way. At least now, if Hordak did behead her, the one currently over her head would make a nice compartment for it.
*clink*
"Huh?" Pulling the box further over her head, Adora noticed something plopping to the ground from the box's contents that caught her eye. It was a strange triangular star-like red crystal, one that seemed to hum with life as she collected it after getting back to her feet. "What's this thing?"
"Ahhh! Be careful with that!" Almost at the speed of light, not fast enough to get past Adora holding it away while her shadows blocked her, Entrapta came rushing in, trying to grab at the crystal for dear life. "It's a rare First Ones artifact! I've been meaning to study it but haven't gotten a chance to." She explained, finally backing up to let Adora examine it. "The last time I deployed it, it ended up infecting all of my robots with some kind of murder-virus."
"...Yeah, cause that's what we need in the Horde right now." Adora muttered, tossing the star back to the purple-haired geek as she went about collecting her paperwork again. "Something that'll make our machines go haywire. Personally, I would've preferred a stupid blanket or something, but..."
"Oh, it does other things, too." Entrapta smiled as she inspected her device once again. "For example, it also drove Catra crazy, too, and she started attacking everyone."
Adora almost had to roll her eyes at that. "Yeah, not that different from how she is now."
"And even after she lost her powers as She-Ra, she was still infected with it until we destroyed the device."
"Look, Entrapta, I really don't have any time for-" Adora froze, dropping the paperwork in an instant. "Wait a minute. What did you just say?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. She-Ra lost all of her powers because of this baby." She allowed Adora to swipe it back into her hands as she reminisced fondly. "You should've seen her when she was under its effect. It was pretty funny for awhile."
She showed little care for Entrapta's flashback into the earlier days of war as Adora's eyes flashed with the image of the First Ones' device in her hands. Could it be possible? Was there really something as powerful as this that could weaken Catra further without risking her own life directly like before? The mere thought that Catra could go from She-Ra to zero in a heartbeat elicited a grin from the cold captain.
"So you're saying this thing can turn She-Ra's powers off?" Already, the ideas were flashing into Adora's mind. First, use the device disable She-Ra, then capture Catra, and finally bring her and the sword back to Lord Hordak. It would undoubtedly make him forgive her of all past mistakes, and hopefully more open to the future alliances she intended to make. "Why didn't you say that sooner?"
"So, anyway, in non-She-Ra business," Scorpia spoke up again, trying to lift Adora's spirits up from the mess she caused, "maybe, I could help you organize the paper a little more, or-"
*beeeeeeeep!*
*beeeeeeeep!*
*beeeeeeeep!*
Anything she had to say was immediately cut off as the red warning lights flashed around them, the alarm signals going off all over the outpost. Being the first to react to the defenses, Entrapta quickly hopped over to the computer monitors as she examined the outline of their outpost between the base and the digsite some ways away.
"Uh-Oh..." She muttered.
"What?" Adora rushed over to her side to inspect the monitors. "Is something wrong?"
"Heh heh... It's just a small bump. I'm sure it's fine." She failed to assure her as she chuckled nervously. "But our drilling bots may have... gone offline?" Her statement was met with skepticism and disbelief as Adora and Scorpia stared back at her. "All of them. At once."
"All of them?!"
"Come on. We should go check this out. I'm sure it's nothing!" It had to be nothing, right? If something did happen, that meant either they weren't alone out here, or one of her droids malfunctioned for reasons she couldn't explain. And if there was one thing Entrapta didn't like, it was leaving things unexplained. "Come on, shouldn't take long."
"Fine, but make it quick." Adora groaned. "I have a lot more paperwork to do now." Whether the comment was directed at Scorpia or not, she felt the effects all the same. She tried to help Adora, and it only made things worse. She couldn't understand what was getting to Adora in the first place, and that's what bugged her the most! If Adora could tell her, she might be able to figure out how to help her better, or at least comfort her easier in a way that didn't make things worse. She just needed a clue.
As for Adora, as annoying as the last few days had been, she finally had something to brighten her day as she looked back at the device she stuffed in her pocket.
So far, she failed to excavate the Beacon of its technology, failed to turn one of the Rebellion against their own, namely Bow, and now she was scarred with the events of Frosta's betrayal behind her, which she most likely wouldn't get over for several years at best.
But now, all that was about to change. She had a weakness she could exploit that she was unaware of before, something that could fix everything and turn her entire situation upside down. A part of her almost hoped that the alliance was somehow involved with what was going on with the drilling bots.
Because now, Adora couldn't wait to see her old friend again...
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A/N: And now we reach the end of part one! And do you guys know what this means? If so, congratz! You're officially one of my stalkers... or just a huge fan of my works ^^
Lol, it means, next episode, the results will be displayed! The results as to whether or not we get our goofy drunken version of Catra, or our lovable kitten from episode 6 ^^ *sigh* i really am still bothered though by the quality of my writing, i feel it doesnt hold up as well to the first season (not in the way the plots going, just the way its written). I really am hoping its not too distracting as I'm trying to come to terms with how i used to write, and praying I can get back into the flow of things the right way X/
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, Fave, Follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!