A/N: Final Word Count: 9,175 Pre-A/N's.
Welp. This is it. We are at THE SEASON FINALE! Whoohooooooooo! I'll be honest, i didn't think I'd ever get here after the hiatus i took X) With all that happened and everything, I'm surprised i pushed myself to even get past the 2nd episode of this season, all things considered. It truly feels wonderful to be here folks, and with 7 minutes so spare, before i pass my daily-deadline. That's right- its currently 11:53 as i post this XD!
And I think we could all use some more joy for those of us who weren't devastated from last night's climax and currently huddled in a corner hugging themselves, and you'll be happy to know we're back to some lightheartedness and humor as I take a very interesting approach this chapter, with thanks going to Star Saber for the idea behind this one (which i can't 100% fully remember if he came up with it himself or agreed along the lines of it, but i do know he contributed to the structure of the idea regardless so props and thanks go to him ^^).
With that said, enjoy the first part of the Season 2 Finale!
...
...
...
"Haaaaaah!"
*CRASH!*
Catra roared as she slammed the sword atop another droid roaming the forest, sinking her claws directly around the blasters as two more came behind her. With her She-Ra endowed strength, right as it was charging, she directed the shot to the neighboring droid on the right. The shockwave was strong enough to temporarily disorient the droid for a few seconds, more than enough time to get herself under the mechanical creation.
Dropping down to her feet, digging the edges of her claw under its base, she lifted the war machine off its feet, grunting to herself as she pushed off the ground as hard as she could. With her ears picking up the sound of another droid approaching from the pathway down to the right, she threw the creation with all her might, crashing it straight into the oncoming droid, and destroying it in a magnificent explosion.
With the final droid destroyed, Catra barely breaking a sweat in her She-Ra state, she watched as the field around her returned to the inner sanctum of the Crystal Palace, watching as Light Hope appeared off to the side, and Swift Wind watching with excitement, lying on his stomach as he leaned on his wing.
"Again." Catra ordered.
Five minutes into the next simulation, Catra found herself being blasted back as she pushed back a powerful green beam with her shield. The immense force was enough to push her feet across the ground, just barely coming to a stop at the last second before she plummeted into a seemingly-bottomless cliff behind her.
Growling, seeing the more-advanced droid preparing another shot, she transformed her shield back into the sword and threw it straight at the center of the droid's head. It was just enough to interrupt it from firing another blast, though the droid remained functional as it attempted to scrape at the sword with several of its pincer-like appendages.
With it sufficiently distracted, she jumped for the center of the droid's round body, grabbing onto her sword right as it began to charge for its next attack. It proved to be a matter of speed, which Catra was naturally the victor of, as she shoved the sword further into the droid, piercing the mechanical heart of the creation at long last.
Cackling with electricity as sparks danced across its body, Catra jumped from the holographic opponent just as it exploded into a spectacular ball of fire. Like previously, the holographic simulation came to an end, and, like previously, Catra gave the same order as she panted.
"Again!"
*crackle*
"Ahh!" Catra yelped as she was bashed straight through a tree, skidding across the ground for a dozen yards before sliding onto her own two feet.
Of the numerous opponents she could be facing, she had to face a rather special one, a pair at that. Instead of the usual fighter of a droid, the very same that nearly took out the Princess Alliance singlehandedly, not only did Catra have to contend with one Orbkos-like creation, but two, at the same time.
On the bright side, they lacked the technical ability to adapt to anything she could do, which meant very little when they were eight feet in height, humanoid in stature, and could easily arm-wrestle Catra into a stalemate if she was at her current level of She-Ra.
And right now, she had to contend with two of them.
No sooner did she get to her feet even did she find herself jumped behind, finding a pair of metallic hands grabbing at her neck before pinning her to the ground. There, she saw the same ocular droid staring at her as it began to charge a laser straight at her face. At the same time, she also took notice of the same Orbkos-like droid that nailed her through the trees seconds ago as it lunged into the air, pulling back its fist as it intended to imprint Catra's being into the ground under her.
Neck pinned to the ground and sword tossed to the side, she needed to act fast. She needed to deal with both of them at the same time, less she leave herself open to an attack from the other one that was attacking her simultaneously.
Needless to say, an idea did quickly form into her mind right at the last second as she struggled against the hands against her throat. Pulling her hands away, she instead caught the strangling droid off guard as she pulled it ahead, right at the very moment that the other droid's fist dove straight towards her. She was met with a hand bashing straight through the previous droid's head, inches from her face, and leaving her alive and well.
The droid's grip faltered as it slowly lost its functionality, the circuits within its head slowly powering down and providing Catra the opportunity to pull away from the two droids as the other one tried to pry its hand from the other. Dashing for her sword, she hissed as she dove head first towards the other Orbkos, one who looked ready to deal with her despite its setback.
It wasn't ready in time.
Attempting to swipe at the girl with tis free hand as she approached, right as it swung, Catra dove under its arm and its legs, pushing off her feet and throwing her sword around its neck as she grabbed the blade with her other hand. Grumbling, Catra pulled the blade against its neck as hard as she could, slowly cutting through its exterior metal until finally severing the head clean off. Unsatisfied with her current work, she topped it off as she slammed the head back into the other droid's chasis to claim her victory.
Being the seventeenth simulation in a row that Catra's gone through, the magicat breathed heavily as she pulled her sword away, slowly walking away as the electricity crackled along the dorids behind her before exploding at the same time. Watching the simulation come to another end, Catra took a two-second breather as she pushed her hands against her knees, lifting her head up covered in sweat as she eyed the returning Light Hope with intent.
"A... Huff... Again..." She requested.
"No, Catra." Light Hope replied, waving her hand against a holographic monitor to her right. Catra groaned as she stood up straight, seeing the fields around her completely returning to their original environment. "You've done enough training for one day."
"Aw, come on!" She complained, powering down as she returned to her usual self. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, go Catra!" Swift Wind tried to encourage as he continued to watch, thrusting a slightly folded wing tip in the air like a fist. "Awesome job, eleven out of ten!"
"You said that the last seventeen fights I did, including the last two I got my tail kicked." She retorted.
"Oh... Ten-and-a-half out of ten?" It was a bit annoying but Catra couldn't help as she smirked a little at his efforts. She was at least able to understand that he was just trying to motivate her, and it's not like it bothered her as much these days.
"Seriously, can't we go again?" Catra asked back to Light Hope.
"You've done more than enough training for one day, Catra." Light Hope examined the several monitors of Catra's vitals and condition as she spoke. "I must admit, I'm surprised to see you so determined to train for once. What's the occasion?"
"What do you think?" She shrugged back, sheathing her sword. "I'm trying to work my way towards more of She-Ra's power. Light Hope, I've been at this for almost two months now, and the last month alone I still haven't obtained She-Ra's full potential!"
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." In any effort to brighten the girl's mood, she brought up a new monitor displaying the synchronicity again of Catra's bond with the sword. "In this last month alone, you've managed to reach nearly 63% of She-Ra's potential. That's nearly double than what you started with since you were designated as the newest She-Ra."
"Yeah, and that's the problem!" Swift Wind tilted his head as he approached his friend from behind. "Light Hope, I'm running out of things to change about myself here. Yeah, there's still issues I have with other people, but at least with them I know what the problem is." She rather not get into the details of who, namely Frosta, she had yet to forgive, less she wind up watching her bond with the sword decrease on the monitor.
"I've been more open to people, I've," she blushed a little scratching the back of her head, "been a bit more accepting of people recently, and-"
"And we strengthened our bond together!" Swift Wind answered for her, turning to Light Hope as she stepped to Catra's side. It felt even more awkward as the blush on her face intensified, trying to ignore the horse's contribution for her own sake.
"Y-Yeah, what he said. I've done more than I know what to do, and I really don't know what else is left." At least, that was the gist of it.
The last few weeks leading to today had been a tiring experience for the young warrior, both physically and emotionally. Fighting off a superdroid with the Princess Alliance and reclaiming the forest, improving her bond with Swift Wind, rejecting her desire for revenge against Entrapta after Alwyn, Frosta's betrayal, and coming to terms with herself over who she truly blamed for it, including the part where she met her She-Ra self in person, after being infected by a virus from the First Ones a thousand years ago?!
She needed a vacation. Another trip to Mystacor wouldn't sound too bad at this point.
Throughout her many journeys of late and hardships she's had to overcome, she's made significant progress in herself and her She-Ra form. She doubled the level of power she could draw from She-Ra, obtained more of the form that won them the Battle of Bright Moon, and felt ever closer to reaching her full potential and becoming the hero everyone else wanted her to be.
Granted, she would've preferred skipping the harshness these lessons came with. It was hard to admit her fear of turning into Mara with Swift Wind, it took forever to change her mind for revenge. She still wanted it, just now she wouldn't go through with it if it put the only few people she cared about in harms way. And she still needed to deal with Frosta at some point.
But, even so, what else could she do? What was she missing, what was she lacking that was keeping her from becoming a true She-Ra? What made Adora so special beside her personality that made her the candidate to become She-Ra instead of her? The closer to She-Ra's form Catra came the more desperate she was to finally complete it. She just needed a direction to head into to reach the final milestone.
"Training is the only thing that strengthens my bond with the sword without getting all emotional about something." It was a harsh reality, from Catra's point of view, when she thought about it. "Even if its incredibly slow, it's better than nothing. Unless you have any suggestions, that is."
"We could try more loop-de-loooops~?" Swift Wind offered, lowering the side of his head closer to Catra in excitement.
Naturally, this was met with Catra lowering her ears and her eyelids halfway as she stared on ahead. "Ask for loop-de-loops once more time today, and I won't let you do any on the way home."
"Eep, sorry." He knew better to press his chances as he pulled away.
Staring at the cat, one she could admit made remarkable progress over the last month, Light Hope took a moment to adjust several display monitors in front of her, tapping through the open air in the effort to find a solution. "Hmm... I will admit, you have nearly reached the limit of your emotional journey. But emotions aren't the only traits necessary to become She-Ra."
"What do you mean?" Catra asked, stepping closer to examine the displays.
"Recall before when I first met, what I said about how an act of true selflessness is required to reach She-Ra's potential."
"Yeah, and I get that. It's been the most annoying part about this. I've been fighting for the Rebellion since cutting off ties with Adora and the Horde, I've been saving towns all over left and right. How am I supposed to get more selfless than that?"
"I have taken note of your deeds and your actions, and must admit I am as curious as you are." Well that was a surprise Catra wasn't expecting to hear from her. Normally, she was the one with most of, if not all, the related answers she needed when she had something to ask. "On a conscious level, you seem to be of able-mind and focused. Save for a few misgivings you must overcome, you should have achieved more than this."
"So you don't know what's wrong, either?"
"I didn't say that." She stated matter-of-factly. With the wave of her hands, she brushed aside the remaining monitors as a new display revealed itself, one appearing to be a brainscan of some sort. "While I said on a conscious level you are displaying the necessary qualities, I believe I have found one setback that is keeping you from obtaining more of She-Ra's power."
"And?" Catra raised a brow. "If I get over it, will I reach She-Ra's full power?"
"Minus a few categories you must fulfill, I cannot say. However, if my analysis is accurate, should you managed to complete this obstacle," she turned to Catra with a smile, knowing what the girl's face would look like, "I believe you will acquire no less than 20% of She-Ra's potential."
"T-TWENTY PERCENT?!" Catra's jaw dropped to the likes of which she never thought possible, along with Swift Wind whose eyes bugged out at the statement.
Twenty? An actual twenty percent?! That was insane! Catra almost wanted to pull her own hair out at the very mention to see if she was actually dreaming or not. Like, how could she not feel excitement over this?
For weeks now, she's been dealing with a steady, uneven, progress that has either lead to her obtaining another fraction of She-Ra's power, or losing it, and managing to maintain a certain amount of it over the course of her journey. With a steady increase based on her emotional state, it was hard to tell what else she could improve herself, and, even if she could, how long she could maintain it before losing it again due to some anger or something.
But now, she had a chance to obtain, according to Light Hope, a whole fifth of She-Ra's power! A real chance to achieve a certain state if she could finish whatever task stood in her way! It wasn't just the fact she could obtain a substantial portion of her power that excited her, either. It was the fact it was unrelated to her emotional state, too.
If she got this fraction, went through whatever hairbrained scheme she needed to acquire her power, she wouldn't have to worry about losing a large portion of her power anytime soon. Based on her past record, she would be at a constant fifty-percent of her power at all times, no matter how angry she got as long as she didn't lose control.
It was a dream come true!
A blessing!
For once In Catra's life, she never looked more forward to a mission than she has now!
"Yes!" Catra shouted with such enthusiasm you would mistake it for a shout of anger. The girl squeezed her fist as she thought about how strong she would be afterwards. "Oh man, this is awesome!" The hairs on the end of her skin were as psyched as she was as they stood up. Catra pulled out her sword, waiting for whatever obstacle would head her way. "Okay, give me the word. What do I have to do? Save someone from a fire? Give a kid a piece of candy or something?"
*cough*
"LOOP-DE-LOOPS!"
*cough*
That was the worst display of a fake cough Catra had ever witnessed from anyone as Swift Wind attempted to play it slyly, lifting his view away from the magicat while still having his wingtip curled up like a fist to his mouth, one meant to cover a cough.
"...Seriously, is it loop-de-loops? Cause I'll do it all day if I have to." And it still didn't bother her as she looked back to Light Hope for confirmation.
"Ah! Please say yes! Please say yes!" Swift Wind begged.
"No, it's nothing as trivial as that." Light Hope replied with a smile, dashing someone's hopes away. "In fact, from my understanding, there is only one thing you must give up in order to achieve She-Ra's state."
"Oh yeah, like what?" There were so many things she had and she could get her hands on, living in a castle and everything. "The sword's obviously out of the question, so what else do you need? My bed, extra clothes I have? I'll even steal from the treasury if I have to-"
"Catra," Light Hope calmly interrupted, "what is it you want most in life?"
"...Want most?" Out of the excitement, probably the most confusing question Light Hope could've asked her was that. "Well, I don't know, a lot of things really. Getting over this stupid war, having my own servants, I guess, I don't know."
"Let me ask you differently, then. Catra, what made you join the Rebellion in the first place?"
"What made me join them?" That was a little more specific as she recollected. "Well, that's obvious. When I met Glimmer and Bow for the first time, all I wanted out of it was..." Slowly, the look of hopefulness and overwhelming joy on Catra's face slowly dwindled, being replaced with a shocked realization that made her heart sink, realizing what she was getting at.
There could be no doubt any longer. Out of everything that has proceeded since the announcement, she could officially state she was in reality right now, and not some fancy dream that seemed too good to be true. She waited and feared what possible downside this beacon of hope could possibly deliver to her, and now that she found it, she wanted to take it all back.
Swift Wind noticed as Catra shivered in place, that look of hope and excitement in her eyes being replaced with nothingness, emptiness. Every fiber of her being that told him she was excited and ready to give up anything in the world for this had completely disappeared.
"Catra," Light Hope spoke softly, preparing her to embrace the harsh truth, "if you want to achieve a sense of true selflessness, and reach a new potential, you must give up your quest for a Kingdom..."
...
...
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.
...
...
The tracker pad never left Bow's hands as he continued to observe the strange formations and drawings within his device. Atop one of the many pillars of Bright Moon Castle, he continued to sit across the archway, never letting the symbols and drawings leave his eyes. He knew there was something important about these symbols, he just couldn't put his mind on what it could be.
"Serenia portal Mara." Those were the words he remembered Catra decoding, the words he spoke into his recorder. "Maybe Mara's last name is Serenia, or the portal is, uh, a Serenia?" Just picturing how stupid it must've sounded out loud made him sigh, feeling disgraced at his lack of discoveries.
These symbols were present within his tracker pad since their mission in Alwyn, a mission that wasn't even initially intended if they weren't stuck being dragged around by Catra, trying to keep the enraged magicat from going through with her vengeance by whatever means necessary. Thanks to her attitude, they came across the very village they would've been assigned to later, taking the opportunity to investigate its abandonment and where everyone had gone.
After discovering the village left of fear from the possible ghosts, which turned out to be holographic recordings from the First Ones over centuries ago, his tracker pad was infused with a strange message, the depictions on his screen, when their ordeal was over. He had no idea what the symbols meant until recently or what their importance was.
And that made him all the more determined to discover its hidden mysteries.
"I'll be honest with you, future Bow, I'm getting nowhere." He sighed, leaning back against the pillar. That was the unfortunate truth he came to time and again. Whenever he tried to make heads or tails of the image, he came up with a blank. Any resources within the castle's library proved useless from the race that was existed over a thousand years ago. Whenever or wherever he was going to find the answers, it wasn't going to be from here.
*beep*
*beep*
*beep*
"No. Was that today?" Bow fretted as his eyes lit up like his device. "This can't be happening, not now." Of all the times that he had to have an important meeting somewhere, why did it HAVE to be around this time? Already, he was panicking as he hopped from the pillar to the ground a few feet behind him over the castle, running for his life. "No, no, no, no, no!"
...
*swish*
"Catra!" Glimmer cried out, checking the kitchen as she teleported.
Nope, nothing.
*swish*
"Catra?" She wasn't goofing off in the library by adding her own "edited versions" of writing to books, again.
*swish*
"Catra!" And she wasn't currently exercising outside with the soldiers around camp and injuring who knows how many hopeless victims in the process. Groaning, the princess resigned herself to checking the very first place she looked as she teleported one more time.
Her bedroom.
Which was the perfect timing for said magicat as she slumped her way tiredly back through the doors to her bed, sliding her feet against the ground and dropping the sword carelessly a few feet from the bed. WIth a loud yawn, the half-awake kitty sluggishly pushed her body into the bed, diving under her covers until her face met the pillow on the other end.
"Note to self," she muttered as she closed her eyes, "don't get up at four in the morning for training..." It was a mistake that was in the past now, and one she wouldn't soon forget. Sure, she could admit, she might've gone overboard with the early training this time around, but with so much at stake and her She-Ra state still a ways off, she wanted to strengthen herself through She-Ra as soon as possible. At least now, she could welcome the sweet embrace of a good day's sle-
*swish*
"Catra!"
"YAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Ahhhhh!"
*THUD*
The feline was unprepared for the sudden wake-up call as Glimmer teleported back to her bedroom, equally surprised in the teleportation as her friend was right under her nose all along. Now, she was above her nose, because the moment she screamed Catra's name, startling the cat to the point where her heart froze, she found herself tackled to the ground as Catra pinned her by her shoulder, raising one clawed hand above her head.
"Whoa, stop, stop, stop!" Glimmer pleaded, waving her hands back and forth. "It's me!"
"Pinky?" Catra blinked as her claws sunk back in, rolling and rubbing her eyes as she finally got off of her. 'What do you want, now? I'm trying to sleep."
"I've been looking all over for you." Glimmer remarked, hopping back to her feet. "Where have you been?"
"I've been out training with Light Hope, okay? I couldn't sleep after last night." She yawned again, emphasizing her point. "And if you don't mind, I'd prefer catching up on some sleep."
"Sleep? Catra, we don't have time to sleep!" She denied her right of sleepfulness as she grabbed the warrior's hand tightly. "I need your help, it's urgent!
"Ugh, give me one reason why I can't go to sleep right and I'll consider it." She played upon the girl's intentions quite well, considering there were barely a handful of things Catra actually cared about around here.
Sadly, what she brought up was one of the few things.
"It's Bow! He's in trouble!" Digging through her back pocket as Catra's eyes widened, she pulled out one of his arrows, one attached with a note that would determine his untimely fate.
...
...
The Whispering Wood.
One of the Rebellion's best defenses against the Horde invasions. When it wasn't frozen in its entirety, it acted as a defense that the Rebellion desperately needed, one that got wary travelers lost, possibly for the rest of their lives if they were unlucky. It was one of the first places Catra ever visited outside of the Fright Zone. In fact, it was within these very woods that her adventures began, finding the Sword of Protection, embarking on a journey that would take her across Etheria.
After it was healed through the efforts of the Princess Alliance, it returned to its former glory, continuing to sway unwanted travelers in the opposite direction until they found themselves back where they started. It was for this very reason the Rebellion continued to remain protected, hidden from the Horde's clutches less their massive armies wipe them out for good.
It was also the last place Catra wanted to be literally dragged through as Glimmer continued to pull her hand, forcing the girl to march through the woods against her will. Sure, she admits she was a little worried, and curious, as to where someone like Bow would sneak off to, but when she barely had three hours of sleep under her tail to start with, her cares began to falter.
"Bow's tracker pad and arrows are gone." Glimmer said, continuing to drag the uncaring friend behind her. "He must have left after he shot that note through the my window."
"Oh no, that means he must've taken his arrows and track pad with him..." Catra's sarcasm could scratch at the walls of a window, it was so thick.
"Mmh could you at least pretend to care?" She grumbled, shoving away her friend. "Bow's your friend too, Catra, don't act like he's not."
"Mmmh..." She had to use the F-word against her, didn't she? "Would you relax already? Look, the note says "I'm fine. Don't follow me." Don't you think you should take its advice?"
"He's not fine! We have to follow him!" She groaned. "And Catra, be honest with me. If you wrote that note, wouldn't you be hiding something too?"
"...Ugh..." All the girl wanted at this point was to get a decent bit of shuteye, but Glimmer kept increasing her curiosity by the second! At this point of the relationship, she knew what buttons to press when it came to Catra, and what reactions she would get when it came to her. "Fine, I'll help you, but only if you promise me I can get to bed as soon as we're done!"
"Deal!" Glimmer smiled brightly with relief, earning a small blush from Catra as she began to sniff around with her sense of smell.
It always did warm her heart to see how much Catra had changed since she first came to Bright Moon. Going from the bitter and lonesome person she was to... well, the bitter and lonesome person she is now with a much more caring attitude was always a highlight to be around. Despite all of her grievances and irritations with the people around her, she really did care for people than she let on.
Before all of this, she wouldn't bother getting out of bed for anything less than a reward, a favor, anything. At times in the past, they had to forcibly drag her to get her to go somewhere else, somewhere she was either uncomfortable with, or didn't care enough to go to. And at those times, she still expected some form of personal benefit out of it.
Now, she was willing to give in and help her friends with just a few short pleas and arguments, giving in without much of a struggle.
As she lead the way for the two, she started to notice something a little off about her, aside from the tiredness. She had this partial spaced-out look in her eyes like she was trying to process two things at once.
"Hey, Catra?"
"Yeah?" Catra asked without turning around, trying to see if she could ear something as her ears bobbed.
"Where did you say you were again this morning?"
"I was training with Light Hope. The more I work out with the sword physically, the stronger my bond gets. Just, you know, a lot slower than I'd like."
"Yeah, and did anything else happen?"
"Happen...?" There was a small hesitation in Catra's response that Glimmer picked up on.
"Yeah, like, did she tell you anything that could help? You keep having this look in your eyes like something's bothering you."
"Oh, that?" She grinned as she waved her hand, climbing up the tree's closest branch a few feet into the air. "It's nothing, just some stupid thing Light Hope told me, so forget about it."
"Does it bother you? Maybe I can help?" It was strange seeing Catra push away something like she did. Unlike usually, she would do whatever she could to avoid the question or drop it completely. Instead, she was being open about it and passing it off like it was nothing.
"No, it doesn't bother me, I just find it a little weird and all."
"Weird how? What did she tell you?" Waiting a few seconds for a response, she took a step back as Catra jumped down from the branch, crossing her arms with her back against the tree.
"Well, it's kind of weird and silly at the same time. It's... Ok, so do you remember what Light Hope said before, about the qualities I needed to reach She-Ra's true potential? The whole "selfless" bit thing?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, tch, hahaha!" Catra was starting to scare the girl as she held her sides in laughter. "Oh man, you should've heard her. Light Hope? She has this hilarious idea that in order to obtain another fraction of She-Ra's power, I should give up my desire for a kingdom! Can you imagine that?! Ahahahaha!" Seriously, of all the things, ridiculous, annoying, or outright laughable, this was the combination of all three!
How could she not take this without laughing her lungs out? It was so stupid it was hilarious! Sure, she was a bit pessimistic at first at the mention of it, she might've thought Light Hope was short circuiting or
something, but after taking a minute to realize, she came to understand how it was the funniest thing she ever heard from the advanced woman A.I. thing! How could she take it so seriously with a straight face?
Watching her laughing with her arms hugged around her, Glimmer shifted her eyes away anxiously, feeling a little off about the statement herself. "Uh, y-yeah, sounds... hilarious..." Catra took a few moments to wipe the nearly-formed tear in the corner of her eye as she smirked back to her.
'You're, heheh, you're not laughing?"
"Uh, n-no! I'm laughing? See? Haha haha! Haaa..." Like Catra couldn't with the thought of such a statement, Glimmer couldn't take the matter as seriously as Catra was for an entirely different reason. A reason Catra didn't agree with as a small stern look grew over her smile at Glimmer's forced chuckling.
"What's wrong with you? Don't you think it's funny? I mean me, giving up a kingdom here?" Did she not understand the joke in person? Maybe she didn't have as much of a grasp on it from her own viewpoint compared to Catra's? She couldn't blame that on her, seeing how she wasn't the one with a kingdom at stake to begin with.
"Umm..." Entire columns of awkwardness fell over Glimmer's demeanor as she tried to think of a response, poking the tips of her fingers together nervously.
"...Oh my gosh, YOU ACTUALLY AGREE WITH HER!?" Of the many things Catra could not believe in this world, this would be number eight. There were many things that Catra could agree or disagree with flat out and deal with those issues on her own time. When it came to something like this, this was a matter she couldn't put off, knowing if she had some misgivings then someone else likely would.
"No, no, I wouldn't say agree with her, it's just..." A small wave of a frown slowly formed from one corner of Glimmer's lips to the other as she rubbed the back of her neck. "You still want to get a kingdom out of this?"
"Hello! Etheria to Glimmer!" Catra yelled, rubbing her knuckles against the girl's hair harshly.
"Ah, hey! Stop that!" She yelped, pulling away from the magicat's grasp.
"Of course I still want a kingdom! That's my whole reason for joining the Rebellion in the first place, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, and I get that!" She held her hands up trying to soothe the savage beast. "It's just that-"
"Just what?" What was the big deal behind all of this? Why was she acting so strange?
"I thought that, you know, after everything that's happened, you might not... want one, anymore?" Catra looked taken back with this reasoning and turned her head away. "I mean, given all that's happened in the last few months, I thought you would've preferred just fighting for us because we're friends and everything."
"Pinky, it's not..." Now scratching her own neck, Catra tried to think of a response. She didn't want to say something that put the girl down, nor did she want to sound like she lost interest in her own goals. "It's not like I'd stop fighting if a kingdom wasn't involved or anything, but after all that's happened, especially with what I've been through, I still want to get a kingdom out of this."
"But why? You haven't brought up the kingdom thing since the Battle of Bright Moon? Why do you want one in the first place?" Now that Glimmer thought of it, she never did bother asking Catra why she wanted one at all.
Sure, there were the typical responses like "I'd get to rule a kingdom" or "I'll be in charge of everybody" like most people would come up with, but none of them were ever the answers Catra provided for them. As a matter of fact, she hasn't said a given them a single reason why she wanted a kingdom in the beginning of all of this, and why she still continued to harbor feelings for one now.
What was the secret behind all of this? What thoughts were Catra continuing to hide from the people she considered friends?
"...Hey, wait a minute. I just realized something!" Catra spoke up, snapping her attention back to Glimmer. "Why aren't you leading us right now?"
"Huh?" Glimmer was so thrown off by the change of conversation that she jumped a little at the question.
"Yeah, why aren't you the one leading us? You've known Bow longer than I have, so you should know where he is."
Now it was Glimmer's turn to be taken back by the question as she gave her an awkward grin, one of guilt, nervousness, and the fact that said "funny story about that" to Catra. "Uh..."
"Geez, you're serious, aren't you? You don't know where Bow is? I thought you were his friend or something?"
"I am his friend!" She snapped back a little defensively, fists to her side. "Bow just really values his privacy, okay? He doesn't talk that much about his past or where he came from. Ever. Remind you of anyone?"
"No, why? Should it?" The oblivious Catra blinked in response, actually dumbfounded and clueless on who she could be referring to.
"Ugh. Look, I'm really worried about him, okay? Bow is always talkative around here and if there was somewhere he needed to go, then he should've felt comfortable enough telling us about it! And that's why I need your help. I need to know where Bow really is!" Grabbing Catra's wrist at long last, the princess continued their journey through the woods as they attempted to find their missing friend.
For the time being, they would both be satisfied with dropping the previous conversation for seperate reasons. To Catra, she preferred not bringing it up at all, so dropping it right then and there was more than enough for her. And for Glimmer, knowing this was a conversation from one of her two closest friends, she felt it was only right that bow would partake in the same conversation too.
Different reasons, same intentions. That usually justified and explains the reasonings behind their work, and they were willing to agree with that as they pressed on.
The next half-hour of walking proved just as uneventful as the last half-hour. With the Whispering Woods constant ability to shift landscapes and directions for its travelers, even those it felt safest with, it was hard for Catra to pick up on Bow's scent from afar. Over the course of their small journey, she felt his presence getting stronger as they neared his last location.
Sniffing along, she came across a a tree with broken bark and branches, feeling along the small drips of sap along its body. "Wherever he is, we're getting closer." She announced, wiping the sap carelessly on her vest. "Broken twigs for arrows, sap for his special ones, and if his massive footprints are any indication." The footprints themselves weren't all that interesting to her. What was interesting was the item they lead to behond a leafy bush.
Bow's bow and arrows.
Glimmer let out a small gasp as she walked past Catra, gathering the items in her hands as Catra approached. "There's no way Bow would ever leave his trick arrows behind. I told you, Bow's in trouble." Glimmer had Catra's attention for only a second before she looked ahead, squinting a little as she tried to make out a mysterious structure.
"Hey, do you recognize that place?" She wondered, pointing to it.
Getting a closer view, the place was unlike either of the two had previously witnessed. It was a large structural building with beautifully designed pillars and walls encompassing its entrance, along with thick purpley root-like vines that stretched along the ground from the neighboring trees.
The entire setting screamed mysterious to the two as they drew closer, inspecting the craftsmanship from its proportionately decorated pillars with jewels encrusted around the top, its doorway with a circular pink design with a six-sided stare in the middle, and its windows which stretched high enough to let anyone see through their white tints.
At least, from the inside.
The two turned to each other knowingly as they nodded. Grabbing onto Glimmer's shoulder, she and Catra teleported from the outside reaches to the interior of the complex, the magicat grabbing the hilt of her sword in preparation as the two explored their new territory.
"We have to find Bow, and get him out of this, uh..." All the bravado and gusto Glimmer felt rising in her chest was dashed away as she and Catra observed their surroundings, Catra's sense of smell picking up Bow's scent from all over. Either the people here had a very bizarre method of torture devices that involved using books, some methods Catra would happily know, or this wasn't anything like the two were expecting. "... Library?" Catra lowered her arms again as she looked around.
Calling it a library would sell its greatest attributes short. All around the two, they bore witness to a scene of unimaginable discovery in the forms of ancient books, a variety of old remains around the tables, and abstract artwork with the most unusual patterns of cyan blue around it. They were framed with patterns most artists would call dated, and rightfully so if their appearance was any indication of their age.
Catra popped her head around one such antiquity encased in a glass square container, eyeing the miraculous marvel in wonder. Not the wonder of who could've developed these ancient marvels or anything, that was far beneath her. She was into the more sophisticated portions of the gallery, like how much all of this stuff was worth.
"This junk is either really valuable or really boring." She commented, turning her head around in every direction. "Do you know anything about a library within the Whispering Woods?" All she got in response from the princess of Bright Moon was a solemn shake of the head, still worried about her missing friend. This was followed by a small gasp as she looked past Catra, the warrior turning around and getting her claws ready to scrape at any would-be patrollers sent to take them down.
Or a familiar face carrying a large stack of books inside, sighing as he closed the door with his foot. That same figure's eyes widened as he saw Catra and Glimmer looking just as surprised as he was. "Catra? Glimmer?"
"Bow! I'm so glad we found you!" Glimmer was ecstatic that they found their friend before it was too late, all while Bow grew nervous as he rushed to set the books down at a table nearby. As happy as Glimmer was, Catra was beside herself as she took in Bow's appearance.
"Shhh!" Bow shushed, bringing a finger to his lips.
"Look, just to make this clear, Pinky was the one worried about you, I knew you were fine, so, if... uh..." She slowly trailed off as she took in the new appearance from up close.
"What have they done to you?!" Glimmer dropped her belongings as she rose her hands to her head in disbelief. She cried quietly to herself as she was devastated by his horrible transformation.
"They turned you into a dork?" Catra added, taking in his appearance. She could respect a nerd like him making explosive arrows and a variety of other trick arrows in the name of getting the upper hand on his enemies. Adding a strange white long-sleeve shirt with a collar with a blue trim around the neck and the wrists, and a shirt that was tucked into his pants!?
That was a cruelty even she would be want to put out of her misery over.
"We're here to bust you out of here! Who did this to you?" Glimmer asked looking around, wondering if the perpetrators were still around.
"Nobody! You guys shouldn't be here!" He looked to the door in worry as he gestured the two away.
"Finally! Something I can agree with." The tired warrior yawned as she stretched her arms. She didn't need any convincing after that if Bow as that insistent that they leave. If worse came to worse, she would avenge his honorable, outfit excluded, death some other time. For now, all she was worried about was getting some sleep around here as she headed for the nearest window, one overlooking a seven-row shelf.
"What? Catra, you can't just take off like this!" Glimmer complained recollecting the weaponry, following the girl and ignoring the poor archer who wished they would quiet down, following them. Without caring for the decor or the height, the girl started climbing on the large shelf that stretched up to the second floor of the room, being careful with her grip as the books took up most of the space between the edges and their spines. "We need to get Bow out of here!"
"Then teleport him out!" She hissed looking back for a second. "Better yet, teleport the rest of us out of here."
"Not until we figure out what's going on and stop whoever did this to him!"
"And that's why I'm leaving." It's not like she didn't care about Bow's safety or anything at the time, but it was hard to feel like something sinister was going on, again, clothes excluded, when he didn't appear to have a single scratch on him. And if there were any physically inflicted, bleeding, wounds from something like torture, her nose would've picked up on it. "I suggest you do the same."
"Catra, get down from there, you're going to get me in so much trouble!" Bow begged her, grabbing onto her right foot before it went out of reach.
"Hey! You want me gone too, don't you? Then let go of my fo-"
*Creak*
"Huh? Ears twitching, she turned her view back on the sixth shelf she reached for, feeling something dipping a little. To her surprise, and her shock, the shelf she pulled her hand against suddenly became undone, loosened by years of service or faulty carpentry, as the entire row of books came down to the teetering shelf, and Catra along with it. "Whoooah-!"
*THUD*
Catra was buried under a dozen books by the time she hit the ground, along with an archer by the name of Bow as she fell right on top of him. The collision threw the two off their balance as they slammed against the floor, somehow ending up with Bow falling atop the cat as Catra pulled him along by mistake.
The books and shelves that fell with her she could deal with. The small cloud of dust that kicked up upon their landing, which were irritating her senses, she could also deal with. The part that she couldn't deal with through all of this was the very archer falling right on top of her, his head near inches from her face as the two opened their eyes again.
"...You have five seconds to get off of me before I make your tucked-in shirt the least of your worries." She threatened, bearing her teeth. Bow didn't need to be warned twice as he quickly pulled himself off the ground, a matching blush over his face like Catra's as he pushed off the ground next to her.
"S-Sorry about that." He replied quietly, offering both his hands to help her up. As much as she'd rather do something else with those hands, like experiment with how many bones she can "find" under the skin of his palms, she sucked it up for now as she accepted the gesture, the blush still present on their faces in the process.
Right as two mysterious figures entered the room, something only Glimmer noticed in time as she hid behind the back of a couch, weaponry in hand.
*click*
"What's going on in here?" One of the figures asked as they approached, standing several yards away as the lights were turned on.
Taking in both their appearances, Catra noticed a strange similarity with the two that she couldn't put the tip of her claw on, and not just from the scent. Both of them had their own appropriate attire, somewhat matching the uniform Catra naturally saw Bow donning from earlier, as well as the outfit he was wearing now.
The man on the left had a rather rugged-looking moustache, the kind Sea Hawk would be impressed with, as he donned Bow's previous appearance. He wore a white and yellow-colored vest with a heart centered within the front of it, the fringes of his sleeves emblazoned with a red coloring as they jutted out from the arms of his shirt. Along with this, he sported his own belt and a pair of tight-fitting brown pants.
The other one looked more like a typical librarian, and closer to the regal fashion Bow was currently sporting. With peculiar glasses, he wore a white-colored robe that cut off around his thighs with a golden border along the edges. It was tied together against him with a red sash in the middle. Unlike Bow or the man standing next to him, he let his hair grow out with braided locks dripping from the sides of his face, and a small ponytail in the back.
Both of these two looked at the two in perplexion, taking in Catra's unusual appearance and the fact she appeared at all.
"Bow, who is this girl?" The moustached man asked as he prepared to step forward. Before he could take the first step, the other one's eyes widened, grabbing him by the shoulders and leaning closer to him.
"Huh!" He gasped. "George, look!" He directed the man lower between the two, the one referred to as "George" trailing his gaze and coming to utter shock.
"Huh!" George let out a gasp of his own, losing all the tension in his body as he retracted his earlier step.
These were the most pathetic pair of guards Catra could ever come across, and the most confusing she'd ever have to deal with if things turned violent.
What were they looking at that kept their confusing attention between the two? Were they making fun of or staring at the fact that Catra was part cat? She could get used to people staring for a few seconds over the tail and everything, but the way they looked at them made it feel like something else was drawing them to the duo, not something separately between them.
And it took Bow a full twenty seconds to try and grasp what their attention was hounded upon, double-taking back and forth between the older pair of men and the shocking part of their display that was leaving the two speechless.
He, and Catra, were still holding both their hands together in front of them. If that wasn't enough, the fact they still presented to the two a small blush over both their faces was what sealed the nail in the coffin.
"Oh no. No, no, no!" Bow panicked, shaking off Catra's hands. "Dad, dad, it's not what you think-!"
"Bow, don't be so embarrassed." The long-haired man had sparkles flashing over his eyes as he clasped his hands together.
"Why didn't you tell us you had a girlfriend?"
...
...
...
A/N: I'm questioning how many people are grinning madly right now right at the end of this XD Yup, we're going "that route" with this, and with Catra of all people...Hehehehe, I can't wait for the fun to begin X) Thanks again to Star Saber for his involvement this episode.
There's not much to say here before I lose my deadline, so hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review and hope to see you soon!