A/N: Final Word Count: 13.6K Words Pre-A/N's. Another chapter down the drain! Hooftah! Not gonna lie, might get a bit jumbled towards the end- been dealing with a headache all morning so might've missed or jumped at certain points that make the writing poor or whatever. If it's fine, then nvm XP Hopefully we'll get the episode done in the next two chapters, cause then we'll be at the season finale- which I still cant seem to say easily since this season is so short, but i'll take what i can get XP
Anyway, enjoy!
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"You're going to like her, trust me." The young five-year-old Adora assured as she neared the door. "She might look scary, but she's really nice."
"A-Are you sure? I've heard stories about her, you know." The other five-year-old commented, the very idea that any of them were true making the hairs on the end of her skin stick up.
With the sound of the door opening, Shadow Weaver assumed who the invading presence belonged to, noticing the time for their arrival was just about now.
Even if it was a few minutes late.
"Ah, Adora." Shadow Weaver greeted as pleasantly as usual, turning around to greet the small figure. "You're just in time to-" She stopped. She recognized the figure of her sweet, innocent, angel as Adora just fine, but what eluded her judgement was the figure standing right behind her, the reason she was most likely late. "...Adora, who is this?"
"This?" Adora smiled as she pulled her friend from behind her to her side, resting her hands calmly on her shoulders. "This is my new friend, Catra. She was getting bullied outside, so I brought her in." The heterochromia-eyed cat blinked as she stared at her, slowly looking away as she rubbed her left arm nervously.
"H-Hello... Shadow Weaver..." She mumbled.
"Oh, I see." Shadow Weaver's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as the two walked further into the room. "You made a... friend." In an instant, Catra's fear was starting to be replaced with curiosity, as the cat she was, as she slowly started to explore the room on her own.
Honestly, this was a bit more surprising than Catra had expected. She expected the room to be full of torture devices and evil monsters based on what all the other children and guards had to say about her. She expected some living shadows popping all over the room, devouring kids and soldiers alike, all used for the insane experiments Shadow Weaver was said to have conducted over the years. Yet, the room looked nothing like it.
Looking over at the various shelves along the room, she came to see it as just that. A regular room. There was a simple bed along the end of the room with a small drawer and lamp, another door connecting to, most likely, a bathroom, a bookcase along the right side of the room, a wardrobe to the left, and a small altar-like bowl at the center of it all. It didn't look like anything the other people described to her as.
Then again, they usually picked on her and called her a "freak" half the time, so it wouldn't be too surprising if they were lying.
"So you brought... her... with you, today?" Shadow Weaver never took her eyes off the girl as she explored the room, unaware of the curious smile Adora had on her own face.
"Yeah, is that okay? Can she stay and read with us today?" Adora asked excitedly. She really liked her new friend. She was kind, innocent, and liked to stick up for others, even if she got bullied in the process. Plus, if Shadow Weaver grew to like her, maybe they could both be raised together! Not to mention if she got along with her, the other kids might leave Catra alone, too.
The witch continued to stare at the curious child exploring the room as she rounded near the bookshelf before returning Adora's innocent gaze with calming eyes. "Of course she can, sweetheart." She said softly, further increasing Adora's excitement as her eyes sparkled. "But just this once. I prefer teaching my lessons on a more... personal... level with you. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, I get it!" She squealed happily as she hugged Shadow Weaver's robe-covered legs. "Thanks, Shadow Weaver." She couldn't wait to read a story with her new friend, and to see what else they could do together for the rest of the day here. "I'll be right back, I have to go to the bathroom first." Adora stated, quickly rushing off to the other door of the room. The witch of darkness maintained her expression until she watched the door close behind her, then turned her glare towards the cat herself.
By this point, Catra's young curiosity had intensified to the point of examining the wardrobe more closely. If everything else was a lie about this place, then maybe something as simple as this was a simple wardrobe, not some coffin she used to hang body parts in. A small smile of intrigue grew on the young magicat's face as she slowly reached for it, her claws nearly grasping the handle by the tip of her claws, when it happened.
From every inch of her body, a red haze fell over her, freezing her on the spot as her body refused to move on its own accord. She didn't understand what was going on or why she lost control. All she knew was that an overwhelming sense of dread began to pour within the room as darkness and shadows slowly engulfed her vision, save for the lowly spot she stood on as she felt tears of fright welling up in the corner of her eyes.
And that was when she felt a firm hand on her right shoulder, one that made her heart stop.
"Listen well, child." Shadow Weaver's scathing voice could be heard from her left shoulder, the vile witch seething with a masked rage. "I don't know what you want with Adora or why you think intruding upon my domain with her was such a good idea, but I will not tolerate it."
"N..." She couldn't even move her lips to verbalize a response, either from the fear she felt welling up or the magic holding her in place.
"If you have any foolish notion of being her friend, I suggest you abandon them now. I will not tolerate your presence around her, nor will I allow you to interfere with the future I have laid out for her. She is the only person deserving of my attention around here. Not the other children, not the soldiers, and especially not you!"
"W... W..." What was she feeling right now? It was like a fear unheard of, an anxiety that was building up for a reason unknown. She, both, feared, and was saddened by this woman, a sadness that almost made her envy the attention, and fear it, at the same time. She could barely get a word out, one Shadow Weaver could easily assume in its place.
"Why, you ask? Because Adora is a gifted child, not a child for your amusement, or anybody's." She couldn't allow this creature to interfere with her plans in the slightest. If Adora tried to form an attachment with somebody other than Shadow Weaver, that could jeopardize the future she had intended. Perhaps a day would come where Adora had to choose between her or this insolent creature, one that could make Adora hesitate in her choices.
Such a day like that could not come to pass! She refused to allow any obstacle, however minor, come between them. Everything from the moment of Adora's introduction to the Horde had been carefully orchestrated, planned, to make sure Adora would see Shadow Weaver as the only figure of her life, and only person she would rely on. And Catra's very existence threatened to dismantle that entirely.
"So I will be watching you, child. I know where you sleep, I know what your schedule will be at your age, and I know where you will be at all times. And if I find any one thing out of place-"
*sheeem*
It was with the sound of the doors opening again that cut the atmosphere in half as Adora re-entered the room, adjusting her shirt a little so it wasn't sticking in or out of her pants unevenly. "I'm back." She happily announced, lifting her head again to see everyone right back where they left them with Shadow Weaver hovering near the altar and her new friend by the wardrobe.
"Welcome back, Adora. Did you remember to wash your hands?" Shadow Weaver peacefully asked without a hint of ire in her voice.
"Twice." Adora happily replied, showing her hands back and front. With the hand washing out of the way, she eagerly ran to her new friend's side, excited to begin storytime. "Hey, Catra, are you ready?" Turning around to see her friend's face, she expected to be greeted with the same thrill of excitement she felt, or possibly the usual shyness she displayed since meeting her. Instead, she blinked as she saw a pained expression in her eyes, tears strolling down her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"
She wasn't given any sort of verbal reasoning. Instead, she was thrown off guard as Catra quickly embraced her in a tight hug, sniffing into her shoulders as she choked on her own words. "Catra, what is it?" She was only gone for a minute or so, wasn't she? She turned to the only other figure in the room behind her, one she could always rely on for the answers. "What happened to her?"
"Oh, nothing dear. We simply discussed some rules around here." As Adora turned her attention back to her friend, Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes as Catra lifted her head up. "Didn't we, Catra?"
This woman was a monster to her. Everything people said about her, everything they warned her about, it was all true. No, worse than true. Just trying to be friends with Adora showed Catra a darker side to the witch than anyone had ever mentioned. It's as if her very existence was the cause for Shadow Weaver's anger, all the hate and disgust she had with the girl causing her to boil up in anger.
She wanted to say what really happened, wanted Adora to know what sort of person she was... but how could she? Shadow Weaver dotted on the girl, someone Adora aspired to impress, and she didn't want to crush that. Even if she did, what would she say? For better or worse, what Shadow Weaver said was technically "true".
They just discussed certain things about her relationship with Adora, or, more accurately, threatened the idea of continuing a friendship with her.
Gulping, Catra gave a small nod back to her new friend. "Y-Yeah... rules."
Adora blinked to the cat in wonder at this. It wouldn't be until a few months later that she started to become more aware of Shadow Weaver's harassment and anger towards the girl, how she had a hidden disdain in plain sight for the girl that she never showed in Adora's presence. While she might never know the true lengths that Shadow Weaver would go towards, never understand her disgust, she wanted to be there for her fragile friend, wanted to help her through all of her problems.
"Then come on, it's storytime!" Adora happily announced, rushing over to the bookshelf and pulling out a large children's book specifically created for the children of the Horde. At this, Catra sheepishly walked closer to the terrifying witch, waiting for Adora to rush back as she climbed the woman's lap in excitement. She didn't give Catra a chance to accept or decline as she pulled her friend's hand up to the woman's lap, assuming she'd be more comfortable right alongside her friend as they read.
"Do you remember where we left off?" Shadow Weaver asked as Adora popped open the book.
"Yup!" She couldn't wait to continue the story now that she had a new reading buddy to share with. Skipping several pages into the large kid's book, she came across the very passage they left off. "The evil princess caught the helpless villagers in the garden, and she de... dev..." Her eyes narrowed as she tried to read out the word.
"Pronounce it as best you can, Adora. Sound it out one piece at a time." She assisted, stroking the girl's head. "Dev... ou..."
"Dev... our... red... Devou- Devoured!" She proudly stated, earning a pat on the head that she knew as praise. "She devoured the innocent parents right in front of the children, and was going to eat them next. But then the Horde-" As she continued reading, she smiled inside as she saw Shadow Weaver petting the back of Catra's head, assuming it was a sign of comfort for the young girl.
She would never understand at the time that that petting was the most uncomfortable feeling that Catra ever felt. Her entire body shriveled on the spot as she felt Shadow Weaver's menacing gaze focusing on her while she watched Adora read.
She was reminding her that, from now on, she would be keeping an eye on her, watching her. She would never allow Catra to mess up her plans, even if it meant ending her very life. From then on, it was a matter of who would slip up first and how badly, with the only possible loser being Catra in the mix. She would be hounded on like a dog after a cat the moment she did something that displeased Shadow Weaver, all for Adora's sake.
It would be a nightmare to live through.
...And yet, as she grew up with it, she became more aware of the attachment Shadow Weaver seemed to display with Adora. To think, Adora had someone who dotted over her dearly, who was there at her best and worst of times to over praise or disappointment at every opportunity. To be the only figure around here Adora could come to with her problems, to cry to despite her rules. She had the closest thing anyone did to a mother figure around here, and now, she just happened to be friends with her.
As much as she hated it, she had to admit. Catra was a little jealous of her friend...
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*click*
The sound of the barrier coming down was something new to Shadow Weaver as she lifted her head a little. Normally, the only times she ever got any visitors, or visitor in this case, was during her meal times, and never more. They only came two times a day, with the usual delivery of food and questions about what she can do for the Horde.
And every time, they came from the one person she cared to see.
"Ah, Adora." She greeted the Force Captain's look of annoyance with the eyes of comfort. "What a pleasant surpri-"
*wham*
She was cut off as soon as she started speaking as Adora slammed her shadowy left fist into the wall next to her. "Shut it." She ordered retracting her shadows. "Tell me something. Now." Amusing. Even now, she continued to amuse Shadow Weaver as Adora attempted to sound threatening. Anger and disgust was never her strong point, so it was cute whenever she pretended to be.
"All right, then. How was your day?"
"Stop it!" Adora yelled again, the look on her face seeming priceless to Shadow Weaver. "Listen up. Hordak is going to send you to Beast Island in two days. You are going to give me something useful that I can give to Lord Hordak. Now!"
"...Beast Island, you say?" She feigned a look of curiosity as she tapped her chin. "Oh, my. If that happened, we wouldn't be able to chat anymore. Oh, such a cruel fate, but I'm sure you'll make the time to come visit me, right?"
*Wham!*
"I said stop it!" She shouted again, slamming another shadowy fist into the wall. "Don't you get it? You're going there, I'm not. You will die. And I suggest, if you want to keep that smarmy attitude of yours, you give me something useful I can relay to Hordak and change his mind."
"Oh, Adora. I didn't know you still cared for me so much." She looked touched as she reached for her arm, watching as Adora's anger rose as she stood away from her, slapping at the hand.
"I don't!" This is what she hated about Shadow Weaver. The coy attitude whenever a serious matter came up, the unpredictability of her reactions. It made her a bigger threat than the Rebellion at times, especially within the last month of her captivity. "You could honestly rot away in this cell or get sent to Beast Island for all I care! But you're more useful to me if you give me information, and I want that information now!"
Her expression told Shadow Weaver enough about how much she's changed over the past few months. To think that the once bubbling,excitable, girl was now the very person barking orders at her and demanding things like she was an interrogator. Outside of the shadows, there was nothing threatening about her, nothing for Shadow Weaver to fear. After all, how could she when she was the one who taught her how to so much as walk when she was a baby?
"Temper, temper, my child." She continued to toy with her as she looked away. "You should know you need a good officer with you, first."
Adora tilted her head at the confusing choice of words she was given. "A good officer?"
"To balance out the options. If you're interrogating someone, you want an equal amount of character that can be forgiving or punishing, show your captives your good and bad side, so they can decide for themselves which side they'd prefer you to be on. That's one of the proper keys to a good interrogation." She explained. Adora stared at her in wonder.
Why was she telling her this. She wasn't looking for advice on how to interrogate people, she wanted information that could prove herself to Lord Hordak! At the confused expression she was given, Shadow Weaver covered her mask a little where her mouth would be as she let out a small chuckle.
"Hehe, silly me. I forgot, you're a Force Captain now." She apologized. "For a moment, I thought we were in the good old days, when you'd come to me for advice, and I assisted you like any mother-"
"Don't." Adora's voice seethed with anger while her expression showed little else. She kneeled in front of the witch directly, a scathing look in her eyes. "You, are not, my mother. And you never will be." There were limits involving people where Shadow Weaver knew to push and pull from. This, was one of the latter. "You are going to give me something, and give me something now. And that's it. Got it?"
She was annoying her almost half as much as Aroda did at times like this. She didn't say anything, she didn't appear to be thinking anything, she just stared at Adora as if it was for the first time in her life, without emotion, without fear. It was a quality that Adora kind of envied, to be unpredictable as she was, even if she was in the face of danger.
...And she still hated her for it.
"...Very well." She finally agreed, brushing her away with a wave. "I'll need two things first if I'm to help you."
"If you think I'm going to let you go, then forget it."
"Of course not, don't be ridiculous." She cooed softly, reaching for Adora's face. Like before, it was slapped away with disgust as Adora kept her focus on the witch in front of her. "The first thing I need is in my office- well... I suppose it's your office, now, is an item within my desk."
"Your office?" Adora asked to make sure she heard right. "There wouldn't be anything left in there, I threw it all out when I took your job!"
"Unless you replaced the drawers, you'll find a false bottom on the second drawer to the right that can only be opened from the third. You'll find a small switch at the top left corner of the drawer that you'll have to reach for. Once you have it, bring it back to me."
"..."
"...Ok. Have a nice day." And with that, Shadow Weaver turned away again as she leaned against the wall.
"What? That's it? What about the other thing? What else do you need me to do?" This wasn't a stupid case of her playing oblivious to her. She wanted Adora to get her something out of nowhere, and she didn't bother with the details even though this was a literal matter of life and death. "What am I even looking for? What else do you need?"
"You'll know what it is when you find it." She replied, not even looking to Adora as she stared at the monitor connected to the wall. "As for the other thing, I'll tell you when you bring me the first item."
"Bring you the first..." Adora grumbled as she stood up again. "What makes you think I'll bring you anything?! How do I know you're not playing some sort of trick on me? Or that I'll even bring you what you want to begin with?!"
"The choice is yours, Adora." She waved, nonchalant. "You can discern for yourself whether the item will aid in my escape or not. It makes no difference to me in the end. But do feel free to deliver it before the next meal. It would start to look suspicious if you came here a few more times without bringing the food with you."
"But what about-"
"Ah." She held her hand to Adora's face. "Not another word. We will discuss more if and when you come back. That is all for now." Without another word, Shadow Weaver ignored the rest of Adora's existence as she looked at the screen, admiring the sky that slowly lit with the light of the planets. She had nothing more to give Adora without Adora giving something back, like whatever this item was that she was looking for. She knew it, and Adora knew it, and it left her with anger as she left.
Closing the cell behind her, she looked back one more time as Shadow Weaver remained in the same position as she left her, bored with the experience, and unwilling to give Adora anything else until she returned. She squeezed her fist at the sight, knowing the witch wouldn't divulge any information until Adora gave into her demands. As much as she didn't want to, she felt she had no other choice, and moved on.
The one advantage she did have in this scenario, she came to understand as she explored down the halls, was that Shadow Weaver was right. She had the privilege to know exactly what Shadow Weaver wanted her to give her before she actually needed to do it. If the item could aid in her escape in any way, Adora could easily toss it away and refrain from prolonging this pointless interrogation. If not, then it meant she accomplished her task and she would be one step closer to some useful information.
The disadvantage, on the other hand, was who she was dealing with. She knew how Shadow Weaver worked, she knew what inspired her to do what she did, her desire to be driven closer to power with each passing day. Already, Adora was certain she was up to something, something devious, malicious, and, knowing her, Adora could easily play into her hands whether she accepted the task before her or not.
That's just how manipulative Shadow Weaver was, and always has been.
Always will be.
"Wow, must've been nice chatting with your mother again, huh?" Aroda spontaneously announced as she appeared, this time walking alongside Adora as the two made their way down the halls.
"I already told you, she's not my mother." She didn't know how many more times someone could accuse her of being it before she lashed out in force. "She's nowhere close to being what a mother should be."
"And yet, you're doing exactly what she says without restraint?" Aroda grinned, raising a brow. "To be fair, I don't blame you. With all the time she spent raising me, playing with me, teaching me, I'd feel obligated to help her too."
"I'm not doing it out of obligation! And just because she made things... admittedly, easier, she didn't make them enjoyable. That woman knew how to ruin a good time before the fun could even begin."
"Eesh, tell me about it." Aroda agreed rolling her eyes.
"...Wait, what was that?" Adora asked, wondering if she misheard what Aroda had said.
"N-Nothing," Aroda bit her tongue as she waved her hands, "I was just agreeing with you, that's all." While it didn't appear to waver Adora's suspicion, it did seem to be enough to make her drop the conversation entirely, to Aroda's relief. "Still, I'm surprised how harsh you were with her. She did raise you, after all."
"That doesn't make up for all the years she used me to begin with! She toyed with my emotions, trained me day in and day out, and I never got a break." Pausing, Adora looked at her gloved hand, remembering the feel of every activity they went through as if it was grafted into her skin. "I didn't get anything close to a normal childhood. All I got was work, work, and more work. I had to rely on Catra got to cheer me up at all."
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"Hmm..." The six-year-old Adora hummed as she frowned a little to herself. Sitting at a desk within the center of Shadow Weaver's chamber, gazing lazily to the clock on the walls as she awaited whatever activity Shadow Weaver had for her next.
"Adora."
"Huh?" Adora pulled herself up straight as she sat against the chair, noticing Shadow Weaver's presence as she finally returned.
"Remember to sit up straight, sweetie." She instructed, using her own magic to pull up a chair as she set down the box small box she was holding. "No one likes a crooked back, remember?"
"Sorry, Shadow Weaver." Adora sighed. Shadow Weaver took note of the way her eyes looked as she levitated the literal hundreds of pieces of parts out of the box, displaying them on the table in front of her.
"Is something the matter, dear?"
"No, no. I... It's nothing." She lied, keeping her eyes away in the hopes it would convince Shadow Weaver she wasn't lying.
It didn't.
"Adora, remember what happened to the last person who lied?" She asked, resting both her elbows on the table as she rested her chin on her clenched hand. "What the Spindeling Princess did to them?"
"N-No, of course not!" She squeaked, afraid that the same fate would befall her if she continued to lie. "I-It's just..."
"Just...?"
"... Well, Lonnie got a cool bag of balloons from one of the caretakers today." Adora explained, unaware of how much of Lonnie's words were truthful or false. "And they're really cool! You can fill them up with water and have a splash fight and everything, and I was hoping... to..." She frowned a little as she shifted her eyes away again, knowing what was going to come next.
"Ask, to be part of their roughhousing, get soaked from head to toe, and potentially catch a cold?" Shadow Weaver cemented the possibility with her soothing tone, as always when she spoke to her. It did nothing to dissuade the frown on the girl's face, something she did slightly regret as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "Adora, you know illness is frowned upon within the Horde. You wouldn't want any instructors to yell at you AND make you train still, would you?"
"Mmmh... No." She relented. She knew it was wrong, and that sickness would make things worse if she did catch a cold, no matter how minuscule or minor it was. "I just... I just thought I could enjoy myself a little more before... you know... my next Founding Day." Shadow Weaver rubbed her own palm at this against her knuckles.
She knew exactly what she was referring to, even though it didn't deter Shadow Weaver's frame of mind. The "Founding Day", she referred to, was a more along the lines of her birthday, the day she was found and brought into the Horde. Like all the children, birthdays weren't celebrated or honored around here, save for when and if a highly respected Force Captain or officer was commemorated.
While Shadow Weaver's philosophy wasn't any different, there were a few occasions that Shadow Weaver tried to appease the girl, offering her a small trinket or something as a personal gift. Such as the combat knife she taught Adora how to use when she turned six. Fortunately, Adora's next Founding Day wasn't going to be for another few months.
That wasn't the part that upset her.
The problem was, once a child turned of age at seven years old, they were considered young cadets, and were treated as such. They were housed in more localized bunkrooms with others and trained everyday, like Adora was now. The only difference was that they were no longer considered mere children, but Young Warriors, which meant that they could no longer afford to play silly games or waste time around one of the few jungle gyms within the Horde that the children played at.
It was considered to be a blessing and despair once a child reached seven.
"Adora, you know your Founding Day won't be for a good while, remember?" Shadow Weaver reminded, patting her head. "You will have plenty of time to enjoy yourself later. And I promise, you will have some fun things to do when you become an official cadet."
"Huff... Yeah." She sighed in surrender. "You're right, Shadow Weaver. Sorry." While her voice might've said one thing, her face was showing something else completely. Devoid of charm or happiness, the shadowy witch felt a small ache in her mind as she gazed upon her.
It was enough to make the witch of darkness awe a little, even if she didn't show it. With a gentle finger, she touched the very tip of Adora's chin and lifted it upwards until their eyes met. "Adora, I know it might seem unfair, but I am looking out for your future."
"Yeah... I know." She gave in, resisting the urge to roll her eyes just a little.
"One day, you'll look back on this day and thank me for all that I've done. I promise. Until then, please, trust me that I'm doing what's best for you."
"I know, Shadow Weaver. I know."
"That's my girl." She cooed, patting her on the head. She had to be careful with how stern or forceful she would have to get with Adora's upbringing. Every day presented a minor but constant challenge to her that she had to prepare for. She needed to make sure that no matter what happens, Adora would be ready for the eventual day to come, when her urge and rise to power finally came to fruition.
Taking a deep breath, the witch of darkness leaned back in her chair again as she displayed all of the pieces set on Adora's desk. "Now then, Adora. Which of these pieces do and don't belong together with a Thermal Blaster?"
"Um..." Adora scanned the desk from every angle, having gone through the test at least once before with her. Previously, she had to identify what all the parts created together and what equipment they were meant for. Now, she had to figure out which of these things didn't belong in the pile she previously saw. Shadow Weaver watched closely as she watched Adora grab onto one of the large-sized springs alongside the other two. "Well, this definitely doesn't fit within it."
"That's correct." Shadow Weaver nodded in approval.
Looking back on it, Adora supposed she could find her own source of fun with the activities and lessons Shadow Weaver gave her. Like this one. It was really no different than putting together the pieces of a puzzle, or, in this case, figuring out which pieces didn't belong in the puzzle. Looking at it that way, she figured she could actually find some enjoyment in these lessons she taught her. It was almost enough to make Adora smile a little, to Shadow Weaver's delight.
Sadly, that smile never came, at least not from her.
"Hey, Adora!"
*SPLASH!*
"Oops..."
Immediately, the two were caught by surprise at the sudden and surprise attack created by the water balloon that was flung through the air the moment the door opened. The splash of water was enough to get both of them wet, as well as the small display of pieces in front of them that slowly scattered in the midst of the wet explosion, with some of the pieces falling from the deluge of water that came with the attack. That isn't what truly surprised them.
No, the surprise came from the fact that instead of the person Catra called out for, she instead accidentally missed and struck Shadow Weaver square in the mask. This was thanks to Adora looking back and dodging the balloon at the last second as the balloon flew past her instead of the back of her head.
Looking back, Adora struggled to stifle a giggle as she saw Shadow Weaver again. Seeing her mask drenched entirely and her hair soaked to the point where it flopped around her, it was one of the funniest states she's ever seen Shadow Weaver in. And it took every fiber of Shadow Weaver's being to refrain from slaughtering Catra in front of her Adora.
Instead, she did something she never thought she'd do. She kept herself back from assaulting the girl with the full force of her magic, and turned her eyes to Adora's curious and anxious, smiling, expression.
"Get her." Without another word, aside from Adora screaming her thanks as she chased after Catra, the ruler of the dark magics of Etheria swept away the dousing water of her mask, and grumbled.
"Say, Catra, why are you wearing a raincoat?" She heard Adora ask as the two continued down the halls, intending to join the others.
"So I can stay dry, duh!" She playfully poked back as the two ran. It was incredibly convenient and perfect that Catra managed to sneak in on Lonnie's game with the kids outside and grab a few of her own water balloons from the bag, and find a raincoat along the way. There was no way she would ever let Catra play on her own, but she knew she would have to reconsider if Adora got involved. At the very least, she knew someone like Adora shouldn't be missing out on fun like this!
On the other end of the door, once the door was closed, Shadow Weaver screamed in frustration as she tossed desk aside, hurtling it towards the wall as she shouted.
This, this right here, is why she despised Catra, among other reasons naturally. Whenever she was around, she always offered to find something to do or some game to play with Adora, and Shadow Weaver would be forced to relent. The reason for this? Simple. If Shadow Weaver denied her the privilege, then it would make her look like the bad guy in all of this.
She needed her Adora on her side, needed her to stick by her to the very end. To accomplish this, she had to start out by appeasing the girl, showing her someone like Shadow Weaver could be trusted and caring, more so than any other person in the Horde. And every time Catra came in and rained on her parade like this, offering to help brighten Adora's mood, she had no choice but to allow her, to ensure a mutual trust between the two. And this is where Catra continued to interfere.
She needed to find some means to separate the girls, to get them isolated from one another for most of their lives. It was fine if they passed each other in the hall on occasion, but she refused to allow Catra to continue her constant interruptions into Adora's life! She needed something, non-lethal, that could push Catra away from her for good, a means to sever their relationship in the most peaceful of ways possible.
And that's when Shadow Weaver finally "realized" something. Adora and the rest of her friends had been doing so well, according to their instructors, that perhaps, it was time for a promotion to Junior Cadets, wasn't it...
...
...
"Adora!" It was the sound of Scorpia's voice that brought her out of her trance-like stare, looking down the left hallway to see her friend jogging up to her. "Are you okay? I haven't seen you since you left to feed Shadow Weaver this morning."
"Huh? Oh, that. I-I'm fine, really." Adora reassured, continuing down the hallway as she made her way to the office near her personal quarters. "I just need to get something."
"From where? More paperwork?" Scorpia wondered, following along.
"Sort of, I..." Scorpia noticed the strange look on Adora's face as she rubbed her arm nervously. "I... Need to find something, for Shadow Weaver."
"Shadow Weaver?" Scorpia asked as they came to the very door Adora was looking for, opening it before them. "Why do you need something for her?"
"It's, um, to interrogate." She replied, heading straight over for the desk. Knowing what drawer she specifically needed, she decided to take the moment to examine the remaining drawers, investigating to see if any of the other drawers had a secret compartment in them. "She has information for me I need to extract from her immediately."
"What kind of information?" The scorpion girl questioned as she looked around the room, trying to help. "And what are you looking for?"
"I... I don't know, honestly. She just said that I'll know it when I see it." Adora felt a little unsettled as the conversation continued, scanning the room for any means of a distraction as she came upon the bookshelf in the corner. "Why don't you try searching that?" She pointed. "I haven't really cleared it out since I took over Shadow Weaver's duties."
"You got it!" Scorpia replied, smiling enthusiastically as she ran a little to her spot. She wanted to prove to her Scorpia's capacity as being Adora's new bestie and was more than willing to help her friend to do so. Now, if she could just determine what specifically she was looking for, seeing as there were just books beside books on each shelf, then she'd be making some progress. "Um... Will I happen to know what is if I see it?"
"Um, yeah, I guess?" She sounded unsure of herself as she examined the middle drawer of the desk, completing half her investigation by this point. So far, there was nothing else in her examination other than what she replaced the inside of the drawers with, mostly papers and files for different requisitions she was given. "Just look for something that isn't a book or whatever. Search carefully. Check the books inside and out, in case they're hiding something."
"Right!" Ok, now she could get started! She wasn't much of a reader, not that she was incapable of doing such a thing, but she was relieved to know she wasn't expected to read every little book she came across. With the near-thirty books along each shelves, it would've taken her days to get through them even if someone read the other half with her.
Not that it appeared reading would assist her regardless, in this case. Flipping through the books she pulled from the shelves, one at a time, she carefully checked the pages for anything hidden between the pages. If she went by the scribbles and diagrams she saw on these pages alone, incantations and details on various types of spells, she would've notified Adora right away. Unfortunately, books of incantations and spells were commonplace when it came to Shadow Weaver, and so far, nothing really stuck with her.
"...Nope... No... Not that..." Scorpia mumbled as she tossed the books away one at a time after skimming through them. "So where did you go this morning, anyway?"
"..." Adora didn't seem to hear her as she continued examining the middle of the desk's underside, feeling along the edges for any creases that shouldn't be there.
"Adora?"
"Hu-?"
*thunk*
"Ow!" The Force Captain let out a yelped as she rubbed her head, taken away from her brief distraction long enough to forget she had the drawer above her pulled out. There was a small rattle in the collision of Adora's head followed by a small look of annoyance coming from the friend herself as she glowered at her large friend.
"U-Um, never mind." She quickly went back to her book skimming, not wishing to make Adora's mood any worse with a pointless question. The action itself was more than enough to irritate Adora as her brow twitched a little, returning to her own searching along the drawers. "Man, if you could do any of these spells, I bet you'd be incredible!"
"Scorpia, we've been over this. Despite having magic over my shadows and everything, I'm not magical myself." Adora replied, giving up on her current examination to check the last row of drawers. "I can't summon mystical things out of thin air, and I can't shoot fireballs from my hand."
"Yeah, but I'm just saying," she continued, searching through a rather large spellbook, "it'd be neat if you could find something that'll fix your shadow issues. Or a way to... Huh! Oh my gosh!" At the startling gasp, Adora sprang to her feet as she rushed over, seeing Scorpia pulling something out from behind her.
"What is it? What did you find?" Adora hoped it was something useful, anything, to get Shadow Weaver to talk. Shadow Weaver wanted her to find something from her drawer, not somewhere else. Maybe if she played her cards right and brought her something unexpected, she'd be able to get more information out of her than she expected, and she would have the upper hand!
"I... Don't... Believe this..." Scorpia started to tremble as she pulled the object out of the book, her body trembling with utter shock.
"What?"
"This.. This is impossible..."
"What is it?!" Adora's heart sped up as the anticipation soared to new way Scorpia was acting, the way she dropped the book and only held the gathered item, and the way she shook as if an earthquake had struck the Fright Zone.
What could it be? Could it be an item that cursed Scorpia the minute she touched it? A piece of information that could completely change the Horde for the worse? An ungodly abomination of mystical proportions that not even the First Ones could create!? What could it be?! WHAT COULD IT-
"You," Scorpia finally said, with the biggest pair of eyes and the sweetest blush on her face as she turned around, "were so ADORABLE!" She cried.
"Adorable?" Adora's brief rush completely left her as her eyes lowered to the object in Scorpia's claws. "What are you talking abou-AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Instantly, Adora's entire body flushed red, so much so that even her clothes glowed red for a brief moment. It truly was the worst thing imaginable, ungodly, horrendous, and completely devastating information for the Horde.
And Adora's embarrassment.
It wasn't some information of acquiring ultimate power, it wasn't cursed object that affected anyone who touched it, unless Adora was aware they saw it, and it wasn't going to bring the downfall of the Horde anytime soon.
Hopefully.
No, it was a picture. A baby picture at that. Of whom? Why, Adora of course. A simple picture of her sleeping in a pair of red footie PJs in a crib, likely one year old by the look of the hair she had, clutching a small grey stuffed insectoid-like creature, squeezing it as she sucked her thumb, drifting off into Beddy-Bye Land.
And it was the most horrifying thing Adora had ever seen.
"Aww, look at you with your little plushie!" Scorpia oohed and awed as she looked at the picture again with a small flush over her own face. She knew Adora was cute in her own way, but this was reaching levels beyond cuteness! "Oh, and look at those wittle fingews." She cooed at the picture as if it was alive." Who has a stuffy toy? You do. Yes you do! Yes you-"
*swiff*
*crumble*
Adora used every ounce of her strength to crumble the picture into the smallest ball possible, not even caring where she tossed it behind her as she glared at Scorpia angrily, holding the biggest blush of her life over her face. "YOU NEVER SAW THAT PICTURE! ERASE IT FROM YOUR MIND! GOT IT!" She huffed, stomping back to the desk in an effort to forget she ever saw that image in the first place.
"Aww, but can't I at least keep i-" Scorpia knew not to press her luck the moment Adora shot her a look, her brow twitching again as her body waited for any excuse to lash out and silence anyone who saw her in such an embarrassing photo. "Eh, I mean, what picture? I don't know any pictures." She played along, returning to her searching.
"Good!" Wanting to get the embarrassing image out of her mind, and life, the Force Captain directed the rest of her attention to the bottom drawer of her desk, feeling along the back of it through the papers stuffed through it in search of the supposed switch.
"...But it kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Scorpia spoke up again, flipping through more books, and secretly hoping to find another adorable Adora to add to her memory. "You said Shadow Weaver never cared about you, right?"
"Of course not." Adora easily agreed. "Nobody who cares about their children would plan to use them all throughout their life!"
"Yeah, but..." Scorpia scratched at her head as she paused in her searching. "If she didn't care about you at all, then why did she keep a picture that meant so little to her?"
'Because, she-!" Adora stopped for a moment as the thought struck her. "Because... She..." Scanning in the direction she tossed the photo, she saw the still-crumbled warming piece of paper a few feet away, standing silently against the cold ground.
Now that she thought about it... why? Why did Shadow Weaver keep a photo of her for all this time, in secrecy no less? With so many spellbooks, there's no way she would expect anyone to have enough time to rummage through her belongings without her finding out about it, without getting caught. Of all the places to put it, she left it in her office where she kept most of her requisition and document-related works of paper.
But why exactly did she keep a picture of her? Much less take one to begin with? Surely it was to use against Adora at some point, right? To blackmail her or to use against her like she possibly was right now? Yes, that had to be it! She wanted to use that picture to get to Adora again, establish a fake connection with her fake daughter- Student! She meant student, a protege at that, in the hopes of using it against her for a situation like this!
..But... then... why didn't she direct her to the bookcase instead? She could've told her to go directly there, and, instead, directed her to the desk she had in the center of the room. Maybe there was something more incriminating there? Something to guarantee she would listen to her instead? That must've been it. Why else would she make her do this?
...So, what was with the picture, then?
"I... I don't know..." Adora solemnly admitted, returning to her search. She needed to keep her mind off such thoughts, thoughts that could make her start to doubt everything else. That's the way Shadow Weaver played, with trust and doubt, and she refused to be a victim behind all of it.
*click*
"Ah." Adora lit up as she felt the strange switch in the back of the drawer, surprised she's never noticed it before. Granted, it was Shadow Weaver they were dealing with, so it wasn't as surprising, either.
*clunk*
"Hm?" She heard the strange noise of a platform-like device popping out, looking in the middle of her desk to see an item pop out from the wall of the second drawer, a place she was positive she examined for indents of any sort to find a hidden compartment. If Shadow Weaver managed to create a secret compartment that couldn't be found without the correct sequence of events, who knows how many other things she had hiding around here?
Reaching for the strange item that popped out, she discovered it was a small-looking badge, kind of silver, kind of rusted. She swore, it looked so familiar to her, like it was screaming at the top of her mind. She just couldn't remember from where.
"You find something?" Scorpia asked walking back, regretfully coming across no more baby pictures in her search. Looking over her friend's shoulder at the strange arrow-shaped badge, a small smile grew over her face as she leaned closer to it. "Oh hey, it's your promotion badge!"
"Promotion badge...?" It slowly came to her as a surprising realization. How could she have forgotten? These were the very vadges they'd give to Junior Cadets during their promotional exams as they rose through the ranks. They represented heroism, strength, valor, and dedication to the Horde, with every badge unlocked presenting the cadet with more opportunities throughout the Horde. "Oh, I remember this badge! It was from the track testing we took when I was eight."
"Oh, cool! I was a princess, so I wasn't required to go through any of that testing stuff." Which was sad, Scorpia came to realize, as she knew it would'v been a great opportunity to get to know Adora sooner. Maybe she would've been best friends by now if that was the case. "But I heard the tests had a lot of rewards with them!"
"Heh, yeah." Adora chuckled, examining the arrow on both sides. There were even Adora's inscriptions written on the badge and what rank she would've been.
A. Junior Cadet Rank 1st Class.
She glanced it from every angle as a tiny smile grew on her lips. "Every promotion came with more benefits. More ration bars to eat, muffins more than once a month, we could even request two days a year off if we felt like it." Slowly, the smile started to fade as Adora slowly closed her hand. "And she wouldn't even give me one."
"Adora?" Scorpia spoke up as she noticed the change in Adora's tone.
"No matter how hard I tried, she wouldn't expect anything less than perfection..."
...
...
"Alright, everyone, call it in." The instructor announced, finishing his report as he recorded the final results. "Excellent hussle out there today, all of you." It was rare for an instructor to offer praise of any kind, so when one did, it always felt glorious to behold, even more to be a part of it.
"Phew... that was a long run." The eight-year-old Adora commented, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"Ha!" From behind, she nearly jumped as she felt her eight-year-old friend, Catra, jumping on her from behind, throwing her arms around her from behind as she squeezed her neck. "I beat you! In your face!" Catra felt so proud of herself for a change, finally finding something she was better at than Adora. She proved stronger than her, smarter than her, and, at times, more agile than her. It felt so accomplishing to find something she excelled at.
"Hahaha!" Adora laughed back, tugging at her arms as she tried to shake her friend off. "I let you win, don't be ridiculous."
"Suuuuure you diiiiid, I believe you." She sneered, giving her a slight noogie "Don't worry, Adora. When I leave you in the dust from now on, I'll be verrrry patient and wait for you, all the way at the finish line, every day."
"You didn't even come in first, you came in second!"
"Well you know, the second is always the best. And that's still two more places higher than yours, slowpoke!" The two friends laughed with one another as they continued to tussle. Wrestling back and forth, practicing together, there was no greater enjoyment for the two as they continued to play with one another. Like sisters, these best friends shared just about everything together, forming a bond over the years that was unbreakable.
It was times like this Adora was proud to see how Catra turned out. Ever since she joined the rest of the Junior Cadets, for whatever reason thanks to Lord Hordak, she's come out of her shell. She doesn't let people get her down as much as she used to, and, in fact, she's started standing up for herself from the people that used to bully her.
Sure, there were times she felt a little cornered from time to time, but that's where Adora always came in, standing by her side and refusing to let anyone gang up on her friend, no matter how much trouble it got the two in. She would always be there for her friend, like they always promised, and she knew she could count on Catra to always be there for her.
It was around that time that Shadow Weaver finally appeared from the corridor, approaching the instructor with intrigue as he finished scrawling in his notes for the final report. "Ah, good evening, Shadow Weaver."
"Instructor." She greeted back, her hands behind her back in a professional manner. "How were they?"
"Oh, they were great. I didn't have a single kid lag behind-"
"I mean, how was she?" She emphasized, getting straight to the point.
"O-Oh, you mean yours." He took a short break as he examined through his various pages. "Well, you'll be pleased to know she'll be promoted alongside the other children. There were a lot of tight calls at the finish line, but-"
"Let me see." Her tone deepened as some of the kids started to leave, preparing for the night ahead. Flipping through the pages, Shadow Weaver's eyes slowly widened as she saw the performance recorded for one cadet in particular, raising her head and lowering her eyelids as she saw the person in question, and the possible cause for this excuse. "Do you still have her promotional badge?"
"Yes, mam." He replied, showing her the badge. "I kept hold of it just like you asked. Do you want to give it to her yourself?"
"Something like that." Without so much as looking at him, she yanked the stopwatch from his neck, leaving a small rub burn on the back of his collar-bone as she floated on ahead. "Instructor, you're dismissed." She informed, to his confusion.
"Dismissed?" He didn't know what was about to take place, but he was smart enough to know not to question the likes of Shadow Weaver. "I-If you insist, mam." He saluted respectfully, making his way out the door while he still had his head.
With most of the possible obstacles out of the way, Shadow Weaver continued on ahead, calling out the girl's name. "Adora." The two immediately stopped in their roughhousing as they saw Shadow Weaver approaching.
Feeling a sense of pride within herself, Catra eagerly rushed up to the woman, displaying the badge connected to the sleeve of her short-sleeve shirt. "Hey, Shadow Weaver! Check it out! I came in second-"
*thump*
She didn't so much as give her the care or time of day as she brushed her aside with a simple push of the hands. She completely ignored the magicat, the girl who surpassed Adora in something, and still kept her focus on the blond girl ahead. What difference did it make if she saw Catra lowering her ears at this? She kept her focus, her only concern, on the girl ahead of her.
And one who felt a sense of nervousness as she saw Shadow Weaver approach. "Shadow Weaver." She greeted formally, as all cadets were taught to do.
"Adora," she greeted back, shoving the clipboard in front of her face, "what is this?" She watched the girl take the clipboard from her hand, Adora flipping through the several pages of their record.
"My... Test results?" She answered unsuringly, wondering if she was giving her another one of her trick questions again.
"And what is this displaying? What time does it say?" There was a sense of disgust in her tone, a disappointment that Adora wasn't used to.
"I-It says... Just under ten minutes-"
"Ten. Minutes." She scathed. "Ten minutes. That is your final best. You've trained better than this, Adora, I know you have! You should have been able to reach seven minutes easily, maybe even six. So pray tell, why, you finished with such a meager score."
"I-I..." Adora shriveled up a little as she tried to come up with a response. As time past, Shadow Weaver made her disdain for failure more and more apparent over the months, pushing Adora to reach new limits. She was well-enough aware of the fact that she just wanted Adora to excel at everything she did, to prove herself as much as she could to Shadow Weaver. Growing up under her, she came to understand that the better she did proved to her how much Adora loved her like a daughter.
And with the opposite, showing how poorly she did proving how little she loved her, holding up, as well.
"I told you not to practice for so long, yesterday." Catra spoke up from where Shadow Weaver brushed her aside. "You could've saved your strength if you-"
"Silence!"
"Ek-!" Without warning, Catra's body was immediately assaulted by the wave of darkness before she could even let out a scream. The all too familiar red glow of Shadow Weaver's power engulfed her body as she froze on the spot, her heart feeling like it was being torn and put together endlessly as she felt the full force of Shadow Weaver's disappointment.
"Stop it!" Adora pleaded, tugging on Shadow Weaver's robe. "It's not her fault. She's right. I practiced too much yesterday and I was still tired this morning. I'm sorry..." She apologized, straining her expression as she fought back the tears she felt coming on.
Shadow Weaver analyzed the girl carefully before she considered letting Catra go. The look on her face, the sadness in her eyes of her personal disappointment, there could be no doubt. She was telling the truth for her own sake, as well as Catra's. She wanted to prove herself so much that she practiced day in and day out, unaware of the eventual tiredness it would put her body in when the time called for it.
It was also hard to be as disappointed as she initially appeared when she already knew the reason why. She wanted to prove herself for Shadow Weaver in the first place. If she blamed Adora, she would have to blame herself in the process. If not, she would be pinning the blame entirely on her and her alone.
"Hm." Lowering her expression again, she finally released an exhausted Catra who was panting out of breath. Fear was a great motivator for some. To her, it was an exhausting experience that left her breathless. "If you want to prove to me you're sorry, then show me."
"Show you?" The idea of how she would accomplish such a task baffled Adora's mind. She would do anything to prove herself back to Shadow Weaver. The question was, how?
That was when Shadow Weaver revealed the stop watch, pointing to the track the students were using earlier with the same hand as her clipboard. "On the field. I want you to beat your current record. Now."
Adora showed a cloud of concern at this as she looked past her mentor to the girl with the tail, noticing an uneasy look on her face that was shared with her. "Like, right now?"
"Yes, Adora, now."
"But the track run is already over. And the instructor-"
"Do you suggest the instructor has more authority than me?" Adora knew better to answer that question, even if she did know the correct response to it. "I want you to run the track again, as fast as you can. Now."
Adora was beside herself as she hung her head low, walking her way over to the field with a sense of unease hanging over the air. As instructed, she placed her own two feet at the start of the track line, the very place she stood last time, and prepared for the inevitable run.
Stepping away from the track field, Catra wanted to say something, anything, to either encourage Adora or to dissuade Shadow Weaver from continuing with the run. But what could she say and to whom, then? She wasn't going to convince Shadow Weaver any time soon, so that obviously wasn't going to work, and if Adora was already tired, there was no way she was going to beat her original score, and even if she did, she needed to beat it by at least two-and-a-half minutes to get the first spot.
She couldn't persuade or dissolve either of them, knowing of the relationship the two continued to share despite how unsettling it could seem on the outside at times.
Or unfair in others.
Frowning a little with her ears lowering, Catra made her way away from the track, taking a seat along the wall near the doorway as she prepared to watch.
Ripping a new page out of the many sheets that came with the board, Shadow Weaver took her place at Adora's side, holding the stopwatch up to her forearm as she observed Adora closely. "Begin."
*click*
Without another word, Adora took off running as fast as her legs could carry her, sprinting across the track field at full speed. She wasn't going to get away from this ordeal until Shadow Weaver was impressed with her score, or at least tolerated it. She knew she was going to have to push past her exhausted state if she ever wanted to finish with this track anytime soon.
With her speed seemingly increased by just a little, Catra watched as Adora ran back and forth in succession, taking in the sight of Adora going a little faster with wonder. Was she actually still capable of running? She seemed to be panting out of breath since they last ran, and now she was going at full speed again. It's not like she wasn't happy that she had energy to spare, of course. She would've felt sorry to watch anyone dragging their feet around in any attempt to run again like this.
But just how much energy did she still have?
Coming to an end of the track, panting again as she hunched over, Shadow Weaver stopped the clock, examining the results carefully.
"8:32." She announced before looking back to Adora. "Again." Adora knew better than to complain or to argue about something like this, taking her position as instructed, and repeating the process. Catra was more amazed Shadow Weaver wasn't impressed with the score. She just knocked the third placement out of the park by twenty seconds, and she was still going on!
"8:13." She said again after the next lap. "Again."
This is what Catra found herself sitting around and watching for the next hour or so. With every run Adora took, she somehow managed to knock off another dozen or so seconds of her previous time, slowly taking the placements ahead of everyone else, including Catra's. Despite the fact she continued to push herself harder with each run, Shadow Weaver still wasn't impressed enough with the score, continuing to force the girl into another run until she felt she got it "right".
That moment never came.
Around the hour mark, she started to slow down, tired from the multiple runs she was taking and feeling legs slowly turning to jelly from numbness. She started taking several seconds longer to ten seconds, twenty seconds, and, eventually, a full minute longer before the results finally came to a stop. At the end, the girl was covered in sweat, her only relief being the occasional water breaks, and panting like never before.
Grimacing, she glanced over the records again carefully, comparing the data against the other students who took the test. While her score was pitiful, from her point of view, she supposed it wasn't the worst out of the thirteen who took the test, even if some of the comparisons sickened her like a particular cat. After two hours of nonstop running, Shadow Weaver finally let out a sigh, looking disapprovingly at the girl.
"I suppose that's as good as we're going to get for today." She felt any further pushing would've tired the girl out from the next day's list of events, and she couldn't afford to have her failing multiple lessons for the sake of one. "Your final score was 6:19." She revealed, just eight seconds slower than the fastest runner.
"Huff... Huff... I'm sorry... Shad... Shadow Weaver..." She heaved, feeling her throat getting drier faster than she could drink from a water bottle.
Shadow Weaver shook her head at this. "Next time you're on the field, I want you to give it your all, and hold nothing back. Holding back can get you killed on the battlefield, and until I feel you've learned that lesson, I will be holding on to your badge. Understood, Adora?"
"Y-Yeah... I understand." She finally sighed.
To say that Shadow Weaver wasn't aware of the state she was in would be a complete lie, nor the feeling Adora was possibly going through in her mind and heart. She ran for the last two hours to prove her dedication to the Horde, and to her in particular. How could she be mad at such a display if a girl was willing to push herself to the brink of collapsing without a reason behind it? A reason for her, at that?
As always, her eyes softened slightly as she patted Adora's head, the girl still keeping it lowered from her state of tiredness, and made her way out the door. Catra rubbed her eyes a little sleepily, almost falling asleep from watching the boring run, but was full awake once Shadow Weaver neared. Watching her float out the door, she returned to Adora, running to the girl's side as she patted her back a little.
"Hey, are you okay?" She asked worriedly, trying to offer her some of the water she'd been saving.
She had a small smile on her face as she accepted the offer, wiping the sweat from her head. "Yeah, I'm fine." She sighed again. "For a minute there, I didn't think she'd ever let up." She enjoyed the sweet embrace of the water as she drank, the soothing moisture running down her throat.
"Heh, yeah, that was really... something..." She felt a small bit of emotion clouding her mind as a wave of unease took over her heart. "Hey... Adora?"
"Yeah?" She was curious by the strange look of sadness coming across Catra's face.
"Did... Did you really mean it when you said you let me win?" If she had beaten Catra's score by a few seconds or so, then she wouldn't have felt as bothered given all the running she had been doing. Here, she managed to push her record off the stairs with a solid minute faster than her. What's worse was the fact she kept getting faster after this point until she started to slow down again, for a solid half-hour at that.
"What? Of course not! You really beat me this time." Her casual smile and cheering did nothing to persuade Catra as she patted her back in return. "Now come on, we should get some supper before the cafeteria ends."
"Yeah, sure." Catra's meek voice replied as she watched Adora leave. Personally, she wasn't bothered by the fact Adora beat her score so much as the fact she possibly let her win. It left the girl feeling personal remorse and anger as she squeezed her fist a little.
To think, for a moment, she actually found something she was better than Adora at. Speed. Given her latent agility, it didn't really surprise her. Running was in her instincts, as well as being a better jumper, and having the reflexes of a cat to boot. She felt a true sense of accomplishment for the first time, even if Shadow Weaver didn't recognize it.
Now, she felt shame at the idea that one of her biggest moments of victory, feeling like Adora let her win out of sheer pity and sympathy. She didn't want Adora to let her win because they were friends, she wanted to win because she found something she was better at than her. Adora had no qualities that made her different from any other human, and she still managed to find ways to outmatch her and other hybrid-like humans in terms of quality and talents.
The fact that she would do such a thing, to take pity on her... it irritated her a little. She appreciated the gesture, but she wouldn't stand for her taking pity on her. She wanted to prove herself to Adora, to Shadow Weaver, and anyone else who looked down on her. In a strange way, the little talk Shadow Weaver gave Adora motivated Catra more than her.
She wanted to feel a true sense of accomplishment, and was willing to do whatever it took.
...
...
"It was never enough for her to simply try my best." Adora continued, resisting the temptation to squeeze the badge and crush it in her hands. "She wanted me to be the best. She wouldn't accept anything less, even if it meant coming in fourth! Can you believe her?"
"Um, yeah, it, um, sounds terrible." Adora didn't know what was more obvious about Scorpia's lack of agreement, the tone she used, the unsure manner she spoke in, or the fact she couldn't look her in the eye when she said this.
"...What? You don't actually agree with her, do you?" Adora asked, accusingly.
"Well, I wouldn't really say agree or anything..." Scorpia felt a little awkward as she scratched the back of her head. Disagreeing with Adora was never her strong point, much less a point she made at all in the past.
"I don't believe it, you actually agree with her, don't you?"
"It's not in the way you think, Adora." Scorpia tried to explain. "It's just... mothers can be a bit overbearing at times because they mean well. I'm sure she just wanted you to try your best because she knew you could be the best, that's all."
"She's not my mother!" Adora barely caught herself from squeezing her fist, unwilling to damage the badge as long as Shadow Weaver requested it. "How many times do I have to say that? All she did was raise me and use me. That's it." She wasn't willing to continue this conversation as she headed for the door, Scorpia following along behind her. "She didn't care about raising me to be a strong warrior, she just wanted a strong tool she could use later on in her life."
"And... raising someone for over ten years doesn't mean anything to you?" Scorpia prodded. It didn't sound like the Adora she knew.
"Of course it means something to me! It's because it means something to me that it hurts! She wasn't interested in anything about me, she was only interested in finding ways to make me an obedient little soldier, that's it." She grumbled, ignoring as a few strands of hair started to cover her eyes. "She just used me like Catra did. She's even using me now, I just know it!"
"Using you now? What do you mean? How does this benefit her in any way?"
"Because she doesn't want to go to Beast Island, okay- Hmm!" Adora slammed a hand over her own mouth, but the damage was done. She had completely forgotten that Scorpia wasn't aware of her intentions behind this, being too distracted with all the reminiscing and memories flooding through Adora's mind.
Taking Scorpia by surprise, the Force Captain frowned a little as they stopped in the hallway. "Hordak wants me to send her to Beast Island in two days, all right?"
"Beast Island?!" Scorpia gasped. "That place is real?!" The thought of it alone was enough to make Scorpia squeeze her head. "I thought Beast Island was just a story to keep us in line. Being sent there is supposed to be a fate worse than death." Given the direction the conversation was heading, the last thing Scorpia expected to see was a small look of concern growing over Adora's eyes, the Force Captain rubbing her arm again as she looked away.
"...I-I bet there's some nice stuff, too." She tried to cheer up. "Maybe she'll write us a letter some time-"
"There won't be any letters, Scorpia!" Adora interrupted. While they couldn't see with the sleeves of her jacket covering them up, a small strain of the shadows started to grow over Adora's arms as her emotions began to rise. "Don't you get it? Once she goes there, that's it. She's dead. I need to prove to Hordak I'm competent enough to continue working for him, and Shadow Weaver's my best bet at making that happen. I need whatever information she can provide that will benefit the Horde."
"And you think Shadow Weaver will give you the information because you... brought her a badge?"
"I," she looked at the badge unclearly, "I don't know what she wants with the badge, all right? I'm just doing it so she'll give me something to work with."
"Because you want to keep her around?"
"No!"
"Then you want her to go to Beast Island?"
"No!... I mean, yes... Maybe?" Adora furrowed her brow as the confusion began to set in. "I don't know, okay!" Why was she asking her all of these confusing and ridiculous questions?
Shadow Weaver had information. Adora wanted that information. If she gave her that information, she wouldn't be sent off to Beast Island. Adora gains more respect from Lord Hordak, Shadow Weaver gets to live, and that would be the end of it. End of story!
"I just... I need to accomplish something, that's all." She didn't sound as certain of herself as she previously did, leaning her shoulder against the corner of the intersection as her eyes drifted away. Why was she starting to feel so unsettling about all of this?
"Why do you need to accomplish something? Haven't you done a lot for the Horde already? Think of all the places and people who are working with us. Doesn't that mean anything?"
"I... It does, Scorpia, it's just-"
*clang*
"Darn it!" A guard yelled a short distance away down the hall, grabbing their attention.
Following the direction of the sound, the two girls were brought to the site of a bunch of Horde soldiers and guards wheeling out a bunch of broken machine parts and droids. All scrambled, all dismantled, and completely decimated. And this broken-down one was just the first out of a large parade of parts that were being moved by fellow soldiers, seeing a handful of broken parts being shipped ahead of it and from behind.
"Oh come on, man!" Several of the guards from behind complained, annoyed that they had to remain in place for a little longer.
"Oh pipe down, I had nothing to do with it." The present guard complained back, grunting as he pulled the wheel barrow up again and gathered the parts that fell out.
"What is all of this?" Adora asked, scavenging through the parts herself as she kneeled next to him.
"Oh, afternoon, commander." He greeted with a nod as some of the other guards came to help. "Not much, just a bunch of pieces we need to ship off to the salvage yard. Hopefully something around here is still usable."
"But where is all of this from?" Scorpia asked back, taking a broken sheet of metal from the pile. It didn't last more than two seconds before crumbling from the lightest touch of her hands. "Did Hordak ask you guys to gather this from the dump or something?"
"Nah, this is from the stronghold near Turnwall."
"Turnwall?"
"Didn't you hear? The Rebellion tore it down yesterday. Nearly all the soldiers stationed there were captured on the spot thanks to Turnwall's help."
"B-But Turnwall's been allied with us since Entrapta joined us!" Adora couldn't believe what she was hearing, or that it was actually happening. "Why would they suddenly attack us?"
"Beats me. Rumor has it they were always aiding the Rebellion in secret. They were just waiting for an opportunity to attack. But I'm just going by what one of the survivors told me. We probably would've been more aware of their plans if we pushed in a little harder."
"Aww man. Stinks about Turnwall, huh, Adora?" Scorpia commented, waiting for a verbal response before turning her head. "Adora?" She was gone.
Further down the hallway, Adora could be seen running at full speed, panic and worry engulfing her vision as she rushed towards the prison sector.
This was exactly what she was worked up about, she was sure of it. All the past alliances she had made, the people she trusted to unite under the Horde, were starting to turn against them, against her. Every victory the Rebellion claimed was another ally they were making, and another town that was starting to switch sides again for reasons she couldn't understand. Didn't they trust them enough? Didn't Adora provide resources in appreciation?
All she knew was that this would continue to worsen her reliability as a commander, much less a Force Captain.
She was running out of time. She needed to extract the information from Shadow Weaver as soon as possible and make up for these mistakes and future mistakes the other alliances were possibly going to cost her. She needed the information now, and she needed it fast. Otherwise, Hordak's patience with her would finally reach its limit, and he would be looking for a new commander after disposing of the previous one.
She needed to do this for her own sake. For the Horde's sake. For the sake of everyone she cared about.
She didn't care about her reputation, she didn't care about this crazy stuff she needed to do to get Shadow Weaver to talk, and, most of all she definitely didn't care about Shadow Weaver...
...
...
...
A/N: And another chapter down ^^ As you might've expected at this point, yes, the story WILL primarily revolve around flashbacks involving adora and Shadow Weaver, not her time as Light Spinner. Reason being? 1- to make a fresher take on this thing, otherwise i'd just be jotting down the entire episode word for word, which is, of course, boring XP.
Reason 2- In order to justify what *might* happen at the end. I had a giant list jotted down just now but i decided to get rid of it because i don't want to go into too much detail over it. Let's just say, when it comes to Adora, you need to play it differently than you did for Catra. That's all I can say.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed regardless! Leave a Like, fave, follow, and review, and hope to see you soon!