A/N: Final Word Count: 11.8K+ Pre-A/N's. Howdy goys and birls! (and yes i know what I said XP) Time for another episode- NO! instead its time for... A BRAND NEW SEASON ^^! And I know the best way to start it out!
Audience: Yaaay!
You know how the last episode ended all bright and cheerful and was full of laughs and fun :D?
Audience: Yaaaaaay!
Then how about I twist at the heart strings and make this one cruel and depressing!
Audience: Yaaaaa- wait what?
TOO LATE YOU SAID YES-!
*sigh* Gonna be honest, MAN the end to this actually killed me a little X/ Spoiler warning- you are going to think its cruel and everything, but overall i think I explained it enough through the story as to *why* it happened, and confirmed it didn't mean it was *right*. Keep that in mind as you get to the end.
As a side note, I will state at this time its not going to be depressing and tears all throughout the episode, though will have some heavy moments (Its catra meeting Shadow Weaver again, what do you expect?), but i still promise to have the occasional laughs the show had too and everything.
So with all of that said, enjoy ^^! EPISODE ONE OF THE NEW SEASON!
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...
Catra's chambers looked peaceful for a change, felt peaceful, at that. For one of the first times since the girl had officially joined the Rebellion, since she turned her back on everything in the Battle of Bright Moon, she actually went to sleep with a smile across her face.
It was rejuvenating, refreshing, for a change, as the outside lights of the night's sky filled her chambers, almost enshrouding the girl in their spectacular warmth. So many things had happened to her within the last month. So many adventures, so much drama, and this was the final thing she could ask for, a good night's rest.
Everything felt pleasant to her for a change since the ceremony this afternoon, since she recalled her offer for a kingdom. They had a typical dinner, which was thankfully baked salmon as Catra requested, the friends hung out for a bit, then made their way to their respective chambers as they turned in for the night, preparing for whatever the next day had to bring.
But she wouldn't even make it past midnight before the trouble finally began.
It was there, as Catra lied peacefully against the bed, her sword off to the side, that a figure appeared, their presence looming over the girl as they made their identity known. The figure itself was beyond comprehension that it would come to them of all people at this time of their lives, but it didn't have a choice. As much as it disgusted her to say, they needed the girl for their own agenda, to accomplish what no one else was capable of right now.
And standing over them, Shadow Weaver wouldn't take no for an answer.
Reaching for the sleeping figure, Shadow Weaver prepared herself, knowing any and any likely reality this would turn into.
"Catra..." She spoke softly, reaching for her shoulder. "Catra, wake u-"
"Ah!" Catra yelped jumping from the bed as the arm neared her. Her senses were already going off like a warning light as she felt a presence looming over her, and the figure she saw before her confirmed it, even if it was the last person she ever expected to see. "You!" She growled, glaring daggers at the figure as she squeezed her fist.
This wasn't some form of dream or hallucination, Catra knew that at first glance. The way she loomed over her since she was a child, the atmosphere dropping to freezing temperatures by her mere presence, and the way the chill of her aura always resonated against Catra's skin, instilling her with the fear she had abused into her. There could be no doubt about it- this was the very same, very real, Shadow Weaver, floating before her.
"Catra, wai-!"
*WHAM!*
"Urgh!" The shadowy figure groveled in pain as she fell to the ground.
It was the most expected reaction she could expect from Catra. Not two seconds into seeing the figure in red again and she was already jumping the gun before Shadow Weaver could get the first word out.
With the enemy standing right in front of her, ignoring any and all possible reasons she had to be here, Catra lunged at her like the feral warrior she was. Grabbing the woman by her raised arm, she spun her around in a full loop, disorienting her, and threw her across the room into the wardrobe she had to the side, breaking the doors off its hinges.
The woman struggled to get off the ground, having already wasted enough energy just trying to get here. "I didn't come here to fight, I need your he-"
*CRASH!*
Once again, the woman let out a cough of pain as Catra continued her assault. No sooner did she get to her knees was she grabbed by the collars of her robe, the angry feline tossing her across the room again as she crashed her into a dresser with a mirror over it. Unlike the wardrobe where she simply crashed through the doors, this time she ended up crashing through the dresser in its entirety, destroying it in the process.
And Catra wouldn't let it end there as she charged at her again.
This was the woman. The single most vile, most deceptive, most vicious woman Catra had ever come to know in her life. From day one, she did everything in her power to make the girl's life miserable, whether intentionally or otherwise.
Petty insults, aggressive mannerisms, ignorance, loathing, and physical/magical abuse when she pushed Shadow Weaver too far. All of this and more resulting in Catra being the person she was today, the aggressive warrior who was supposed to be a symbol of hope like She-Ra was known to be. The person she needed to be to keep everyone safe. The one Shadow Weaver made regret her very existence. And now she came strolling right up to her like it was nothing.
She didn't care what reason Shadow Weaver had to be here, she wouldn't give her the chance to explain herself. The only time she could trust Shadow Weaver was whenever she was gone and out of her life, and even then, it was rare. Whatever reason she had to possibly be here wasn't to apologize or join sides with the girl, not that she'd allow her to anyway.
Here, Catra had the advantage. They were in Bright Moon, a place surrounded by an army of guards and magical energies. However Shadow Weaver got here, Catra knew she wouldn't be getting out. And as she charged for the woman again, she was going to make sure of it.
"Wait-! Ghh!" Catra stopped two feet away from the woman as she started to convulse a little. All around her, the woman groaned as she wheezed with pain. Not the pain Catra managed to inflict on her, but the pain caused by the small pools of magic seeping off the woman, dripping off of her like a hazy liquid.
"Sh... Shadow Weaver?" Catra spoke, never seeing the woman like this before. She wanted to pummel her face in for every day of abuse she suffered, but she at least wanted her to be on her own two feet. There wasn't much fun beating an opponent who was already down.
The shadowy witch coughed a little as she pushed herself to her knees, holding her sides in pain as the magic seeping from her slowly came to an end. "I... I didn't come... to fight you, Catra. I need your help..." She coughed. There was nothing about her that stood out to Catra like she was lying, seeing the way she feebly requested her aid, clutching her sides in agony, and the magic coming off of her.
For the first time in her life, she could tell that Shadow Weaver was telling the truth.
Whatever made her so desperate enough to come here, she meant it. She needed someone to help her, someone to assist her in whatever terrible fate she was going through right now. It was like the old crone was melting before her as the magic slowly seeped from her. The fact she brought herself to kneel in front of the girl was enough proof that it was real, knowing the woman would never bring herself to do something so humiliating to the likes of Catra, trick or not.
She needed Catra's help, and the witch didn't like it any more than Catra did. Of all the people of Etheria to turn to, to anyone that could fix her problem, both, with herself, and the other, she knew that Catra would be the only one left. She had no other choice, no other allies, only enemies and traitors that would gladly stab her in the back instead.
*crack*
*crackle*
Lifting her weak head from the ground, she saw a sight that didn't surprise her anymore than the rest. Instead of any look of sympathy or remorse, any intention of helping her in her eyes, Catra just grinned. She towered over the woman for once as she grinned and cracked her knuckles, refusing to let an opportunity like this go to waste.
"I've been waiting for this day my whole life..."
...
"So you're sure everything's okay?"
"It's fine, Bow. I already said I forgive you." Glimmer replied, smiling back as the two walked down the hallway. "It's over now, relax."
"I know, but I still feel guilty." The archer admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, none of that would've happened if it wasn't for me in the first place, you know? I should've just told you I was going to visit my dads. Better yet, I should've told you everything to start with."
"Yeah, but I get it now, okay." To think, one of the few issues she thought she had with Bow at the start of the day would be resolved by the very end of it. "You couldn't tell your dads you were a soldier for the Rebellion, you didn't want them to freak out or be disappointed, I get it. It's not like I don't understand where you're coming from."
"Heh, thanks." He smiled softly, still feeling a little off. "I still got a bit to make up for, though. Especially with Catra." The two chuckled a little as they thought about it.
"I can't believe your dads actually thought she was your girlfriend! Hehehe!"
"Heh, tell me about it. I'm just glad the truth came out before she was stuck being my girlfriend for the rest of my life. Could you imagine if we actually had to kiss at some point?"
"Egh, I so didn't need that image in my mind." The sight of the princess shriveling got another chuckle out of Bow. "But hey, everything worked out, and we got something we didn't even know we came for." There wasn't any necessary reminders for the two to know exactly what she was talking about, or the results that came after a long day of lies.
Having defeated the large Elemental awakened within the museum, the trio of friends had finally come to understand the secrets that had been plaguing them since Alwayn, the mysterious message encrypted by the large beacon-like pillar in the center of the village. It didn't specifically tell them what the message was or how to decipher its meaning anymore than when they left, but now, they knew where they had to go.
The Crimson Wastes. One of the most feared regions across all of Etheria, perhaps more than the Fright Zone itself. If going to the Fright Zone gave the person an option of life or death, then the Crimson Wastes gave people the option of death or death. There was no middle ground between it.
It didn't just get its name for being a seemingly-lifeless desert, either. Within the wastes, the very landscape itself was practically designed to kill you. Harsh sandstorms that stripped the skin off of any living creatures caught in its tracks, terrifying creatures that could never be seen and survived to be described, and outlaws from the farthest regions of the world, all seeking to either stake their fortune in a lifeless land, or to seek sanctuary by going to the one place no one would dare to look.
The Crimson Wastes was a land of absolute death and carnage, where only the ones who were stronger than the strong could survive. And it was the very place the heroes needed to go to find the answers.
To discover what Serenia was or who she is, along with the portal that was displayed within the mystery, too. On top of that, the name Mara was involved, the previous She-Ra from a thousand years ago that nearly destroyed the She-Ra line and the world itself, the person Catra feared turning into.
None of them were sure what to expect in the Crimson Wastes, they could only prepare themselves for any eventuality. In order to do so herself, Catra, after spending an entire day as Bow' pretend-girlfriend, knew what she had to do. With a heavy heart, with her mind screaming at her to reconsider, she made her way to Bright Moon to have an official meeting with the Queen, Angella, to sacrifice the one thing she could in order to obtain more of She-Ra's power.
Her very kingdom.
Nobody knew what to say at the magicat's development, not those close to her anyway, and they didn't need to. To be in the presence of her, after all that's happened, to see how much she's changed, how much she's willing to sacrifice to keep her friends safe, they were proud. And that's all they needed to be as they knew how much Catra cared.
"I still can't believe it's in the Crimson Wastes of all places." Bow commented crossing his arms. "Even if we get there, what are we supposed to look for?"
"Beats me." Glimmer shrugged. "Maybe we're looking for some record of Mara, or maybe we're supposed to find this portal thing that keeps coming up."
"Do you think we'll be fine? I know Catra's stronger now, but we still have no idea what to expect. For all we know, maybe it's been occupied by the Horde this whole time without us knowing! None of us bothered examining the Crimson Wastes, after all."
"Relax, Bow, I'm sure it's fine." It still made Glimmer beam with happiness as she recalled Catra's sacrifice not several hours ago. "With your arrows, my magic, and Catra's powers, we'll be ready for anything!"
*CRASH!*
They definitely weren't prepared for that as the two jumped. Just a foot away from the doorway, being crashed through the door like a ragdoll, the two were dumbfounded and shocked to find a familiar figure from their past, one Glimmer had met only once in her life, and was more than enough times to remember the woman.
"S-Shadow Weaver!?" She gasped. There were too many questions flashing in their mind at the same time to process, like what the woman was doing here in the first place or why she suddenly burst through Catra's doorway, covered in wooden chips atop of her as the woman was aching in pain.
"Haaaah!" The second they had a chance to breathe, the two were drawn to the sound of Catra's ferocious roar. The warrior could be seen charging for the door with the sword raised firmly to her side, ready to bring an end to the woman who humiliated and abused Catra through all her life.
"Catra, stop!" Bow yelled, rushing to the girl and blocking her path. With the full second Catra stopped from Bow's appearance, he used the opportunity to grab for the sword, reaching its hilt as he struggled to pry it from her grasp.
"Grrrrr! Let go!" She growled, trying to get it from the archer's tight grip.
"G-Guards! Guards!" Glimmer shouted through the hallway, taking her eyes off the two briefly as she shouted down both directions. With the sounds of footsteps arriving, the princess quickly teleported to the girl's side, helping Bow in trying to take the sword from the enraged girl, which eventually resulted in the trio falling to the ground. The two had no choice but to pin her down from the back of her shoulders, keeping her from making the worst mistake of her life.
They didn't know what was going on right now, and it proved to be the least important detail before them. They knew about Catra's hatred for the one named Shadow Weaver, even if Catra never provided the reasons for it. All they knew was that she abused her in some way, tormented her, did who knows what to her to make her both feared and hated by the magicat. And it was for that reason they couldn't allow her to go through with her vendetta.
The sword reacted to Catra through its bond with her on a physical, mental, and emotional level, and emotions proved to be the most prevalent of Catra's characteristics. The slightest irritation could usually set the girl off, the smallest hint of betrayal making her paranoid and irrational enough to never trust anyone for the simplest mistake.
They knew, because of this, that if Catra had gone through with it right now, with all the anger in her heart, all for a selfish desire for personal revenge against someone, that Catra's bond with the sword would likely break, and her bond with the blade would be gone.
Catra didn't care.
She didn't see her friends right now, just obstacles standing in her way as she glared at the weak figure. While she wouldn't hurt them, she wouldn't allow them to get in her way as she struggled under their grasp, even as the guards finally approached to claim the mysterious invader.
Before she could be taken, before she was out of Catra's reaches for good, the woman lifted her head a little to the side, her eyes piercing Catra's rage-driven mind as the two gazed at one another. Shadow Weaver's always-hidden, always-mysterious, expression hidden behind her mask, to Catra's enraged eyes with the eyes vengeance.
Just the way Shadow Weaver knew her to be.
"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Catra..."
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...
The intro starts with Shadow Weaver in the Black Garnet chamber spying and glaring at a image of Catra. Than the image dives into the water of her scrying spell.
~ We're on the edge of greatness ~
Where we have Catra at Bright Moon looking both determined and forlorn out into the distance.
~ turning darkness into light ~
A scene of kid Catra and kid Adora training together in the fright zone under Shadow Weaver. Before being replaced with a image of Adora glaring at a heart broken looking Catra who's on her knees across a battlefield.
~ We're right beside you ~
But than Glimmer and Bow teleport to Catra side raising her spirit back up, as shown with her surprise blinking when Gimmer offers her a hand, than she smirks accepting the help as she takes the lead ahead of them.
~ Ready to Fight! ~
Catra raises her sword, transforming into She-Ra in a glorious flash of light
~ (fight, fight, fight fight) ~
Then She-Ra rushes off into battle with Glimmer and Bow following right behind her.
~ We're gonna win in the end! ~
Mermista rises out of a tide, blasting Horde soldiers with water.
~ We must be strong, And we must be brave ~
Perfuma burst from the ground, capturing and tying up Horde soldiers with vines.
~(we must be brave) ~
Frosta rides an entire wave of frozen water, freezing Horde tanks in their tracks.
~ We're gonna find every bit of strength that we have ~
The scene shifts to Hordaks throne room where the evil shadowy figure sits upon his throne, his red glowing eyes being the only noticeable part of him, surrounded by notable members of the Horde, consisting of Adora and Catra's squadron, Shadow Weaver, Adora, Scropia, and even Entrapta.
~ and never let go ~
The scene shifts to an epic clash between Catra and Adora, the She-Ra gritting her teeth as she presses her sword against Adora's electrical baton, as the Force Captain herself grins with chaotic excitement as the red jewel from her headband shines.
~ (Oh ah Oh) ~
Adora and Catra push each other off as they back up into their friends- Entrapta and Scorpia for Adora, and for Catra Bow and Glimmer.
~ We must be STRONG! ~
The scene ends with a final shot of both sides looking across the field, a transparent image of Catra and Adora's faces filling the sky as the colors are split between them;
A majestic darkness shining into light upon Catra's side, and a horrid light seeping into darkness on Adora's half.
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...
"Double the perimeter, and triple it at the Moonstone. No one sleeps until we figure out how Shadow Weaver got into the castle." Angella ordered to the guard before he left. Walking down the halls with Castaspella by her side, her grief and angered expression told everyone how she was feeling right now.
She couldn't believe what she had heard when the guards first burst into her bedroom as she was about to start getting ready for bed. To hear that a high-ranking member of the Horde, one she was aware of for her daughter's suffering in the Fright Zone, was located and captured on the Castle's grounds, was the most devastating news she had ever been informed of in recent months. Between her being discovered and the fact it was Glimmer who called out for the guards, she didn't know what was worse.
Her first and biggest issue with this whole situation was the defenses she penetrated. Bright Moon had guards at various checkpoints across the walls, with alternating shifts always being accompanied by a second patrol to make sure everything went smoothly and to make sure there wasn't any suspicious activity between them.
Not to mention the fact Shadow Weaver would have had to cross the Whispering Woods in the first place.
The fact that this mysterious woman did so by herself, presumably, without any sort of assistance was what really troubled her. Who was to say how she got into Bright Moon with their security being, supposedly by this point, heavily guarded? Was there a spy among them? A secret way she didn't know about? The Queen had to know, and that's why she was determined to get the answers from Shadow Weaver immediately as they came to a door.
"Why are we stopping here?" Castaspella asked as she noticed Angella's halt.
"This is where we're holding the prisoner." She informed, gesturing to the door with a single guard.
"This is your prison?" She questioned back. Just because she was a sister-in-law didn't mean she had to agree with everything, or that she couldn't question anything about her kingdom.
"Well, technically it's a spare room, but it is more than adequate as a holding cell." She replied with a small shrug. "...We removed the cushions." She added, trying to sound a little bit thorough in her imprisoning-affairs. This was met with peer skepticism as Castaspella stared at her unamused, almost like she was bored. "Most of the cushions."
"WHERE IS SHE!?" And that was the familiar shout of somebody else who had been screaming throughout the castle for the last ten minutes. The two turned towards the leftern hallway to see an enraged magicat gritting her teeth as she stormed down the path.
"Catra, wait!" Glimmer pleaded as she ran behind her, the girl having chased her alongside Bow all this time. With the warrior coming to a stop, the two took a moment to finally catch their breaths, seeing how Catra was cut off by the appearance of the Queen and Glimmer's aunt.
"Sorry... Huff... She runs... Really fast... When she's angry..." Bow panted, exhausted from the nonstop running and the lateness of the day.
"Catra, you can relax now." Angella tried to inform, raising a hand to the girl's shoulder. "We have her imprisoned."
"Imprisoned?" The cat raised a brow to the door, blinking to the woman in disbelief. "You call this a prison?"
"Yes, its a prison!" She yelped a little, annoyed with everyone questioning her imprisoning abilities.
"You can't be serious! What was your version of imprisoning her? Taking away all the cushions?" Strangely, this actually got a small chuckle from Castaspella as the Queen gave a small blush, shifting her eyes at her for a second and back. "Look, Angella, you've got to let me in there. I'll deal with her. I know all of her tricks, all her methods." She cracked her knuckles threateningly. "Just give me five minutes with her and I PROMISE I'll get her to talk!"
"I will not allow that woman anywhere near you, Catra." She replied sternly, to Catra's dismay. "Near any of you. You are to stay away from this room."
"You really are kidding me, aren't you?!" Catra spaced, marching up to the woman's face as she glared. "What are you going to do with her? Offer her some tea and snacks to get her to talk? Any method you have around here won't get her to talk! I'm the only one who can deal with her!"
"It is precisely for that reason why I'm keeping you away from her, Catra." She replied as she stretched her wings a little bit as a sign of authority. "I'm not doing it for her safety, Catra. I'm doing it for yours. I may not know what sort of relationship you had with her, but I can tell she's dangerous. And until I figure out more about that woman, you will not be permitted anywhere near her. Understood?"
"Oh come on, you can't be-!"
"My decision is final!" She declared as Catra lowered her ears.
The girl took a moment to think about it before she sighed, casually placing her hands behind her head as she turned to walk away. "Okay, you win... HAAAAAAH!" With a blood curdling scream, right as she passed Glimmer and Bow, the magicat made a break for the door, charging at it with all her speed.
Unfortunately, having seen the girl display this trick at least seven times before in the past, Angella was already expecting it, as did everyone else, and easily managed to grab the back of the girl's shirt as she dove back. She struggled and squirmed as she continued to reach for the door, her claws mere inches away from her possible revenge.
As the queen ignored her, she gave a small solemn look to her friends, sharing the same look of worry they did. "Promise me you'll keep her away from here." She almost said with a plea, handing the girl back to her friends who grabbed her arms.
"I promise." Glimmer replied, watching her friend struggling for a few more seconds before she finally calmed down a little. With a nod in understanding, the queen made her way into the room followed by Glimmer's aunt, and closed the door behind it gently as they locked it. This left behind two still-worried friends, an irritated She-Ra, and a guard who placed themselves in front of the door, refusing to let anyone pass.
"This is so unfair!" Catra yelled, finally shaking her friends off of her and glaring back. "You guys know as well as I do that I have to get in there. I'm the only one who can make her talk! If your mom just gave me five minutes with her, then-"
"Catra," Glimmer spoke in a soft voice as she touched her shoulder, "maybe this is for the best." With a small smile, she lead the girl further away from the hallway, Bow following behind them as guarded the rear in case she tried to rush again.
"Are you kidding me? I can't believe you're against me too!" She complained, looking a little less hurt than Glimmer did at the mention.
"Against you?" Bow rose his brow as he questioned. "Catra, we're not against you in the slightest. We're trying to help you."
"By dragging me further AWAY from the door? Unless you have a secret passage I don't know about, I really don't see how that helps." She grumbled, crossing her arms as she looked away from them.
"Catra, we know that Shadow Weaver raised you." Glimmer said, trying to comfort her friend. "She knows how to get inside your head more than anyone."
"Pfft, raised?" She rolled her eyes at the word. "Yeah, that's one way to put it."
"Catra, you're already proving why we can't let you near her. Just mentioning her already has you on edge. I can't imagine what you would do to her if she was in five feet of you."
"What, do you want a show? Cause I'll gladly show you one!" She growled again as she glared at the guard several yards away in front of the door.
"But just think about it for a second, Catra." Bow tried to assist. "You've made so much progress with She-Ra and you're closer than ever to reaching your full power. Do you really want to let some revenge throw it all away?"
"Ghhh..." That was possibly the one thing that would calm the girl down, and by calm, it meant get her to reconsider.
She wouldn't deny how good it felt to be near She-Ra's full power again after all she's been through. Like she was informed by Light Hope, sacrificing her selfish desire for a kingdom drew her closer to She-Ra's true power than she's expected. It had to at least be a full 20%, if not more, than Light Hope predicted, because she was certain she was almost at the same level of strength she was last time.
But now, there was something on the line that was keeping her away from it, something that could possibly ruin all that hard work she's been doing, all that time she's wasted, to acquire She-Ra's true form, and it went by the name of Shadow Weaver.
If she went through her revenge, she knew it would be satisfying. She would finally feel a sense of relief, knowing someone like Shadow Weaver was no longer around to walk the planet any longer. She also knew if she did, she could kiss her progress goodbye, maybe even She-Ra herself, as her heart would be clouded with vile intent and anger for the rest of her days.
It was actually a dilemma Catra found herself put off by for a change, a question she didn't know the answer to after all these months. To go through with her vengeance if she had the opportunity and risk losing She-Ra, or to let it go for the sake of her friends.
...She already gave up a kingdom for them so why the heck should she have to give up this?!
"You guys still aren't getting it. Revenge or not, I'm the only one who's going to be able to make her talk. You know it, I know it, and Shadow Weaver knows it. And until I get in there, nobody is going to get her to talk."
"I'm sorry, but my answer is still no." Glimmer stated, crossing her arms with Bow as the two blocked her path.
The girl grunted to herself as she turned from the two again, trying to contemplate her options. She only needed to contemplate for four seconds before she grinned to herself, followed by letting out a fake yawn. "Awwhhhnn..." She rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Fine, you guys win. I'll give it till morning before I try anything again. You know, provided the USELESS GUARD AT THE DOOR," she commented, the two looking back as the guard let out a yawn, "doesn't let her escape by then..."
Even if the two had just met Catra for the first time right now, they'd still know she was lying through her teeth.
"You're planning to sneak in there the moment we turn around, aren't you?" Bow asked with a knowing brow.
"What?" She feigned her own innocence, proving even more how obvious her lying was. "Bow, I'm hurt. After all we've been through together, you don't think you can trust me to keep my word?"
"..." No response was necessary.
"...Yeah, I wouldn't believe that either." She admitted, scratching her head. "Fine then. But the minute she has the Rebellion begging at her feet and surrendering to the Horde, don't come crying to me!" She stated, walking away as she grumbled. Her friends barely got three seconds to look at each other with concern over their eyes before they heard the familiar sound of Catra screaming, the girl making a break for the door again as she passed the two.
This would mark the ninth time she attempted such a trick.
"Oh no you don't!" Glimmer yelled, quickly diving and grabbing at the girl before teleporting the two from the prison's hallway.
This was going to be a very long night.
...
"Mmmmh..." Shadow Weaver groaned with a twinge of pain as she slowly opened her eyes. Like the darkness that swirled around her with magic, so too did her eyesight reveal a bright light as they opened, seeing a strange glowing rune symbol along the floor.
With her senses returning to her in full, the masked woman briefly rubbed the openings through the mask's eyes, clearing up her somewhat blurry vision as reality came back to her. "Where... Where am I?" She asked, knowing someone would be there the moment she woke up. The woman attempted to move from the spot as she held a hand ahead of her, only to be shocked as she made contact with an invisible barrier.
Like the rune displayed around her indicated, she was trapped within a magical prison, one which barely covered a radius of ten feet.
"You're in the Bright Moon prison." A voice belonging to Angella replied as the woman approached the magical imprisonment. She showed no signs of fear or question, the way Shadow Weaver knew any authoritative figure should when they were running a kingdom.
"This is a prison?" Shadow Weaver was the third person to question that by this point as she looked around. Within the room she saw beautiful decorated walls, several cushioned chairs that were spread out around her, a few ornamental lights hanging from the walls and ceiling, and a few green plants that sat at every corner of the room.
If this was their idea of a prison, Shadow Weaver was actually looking forward to what a torture chamber looked like to these people.
"Why does everyone keep-!" She nearly squeaked, losing her composure for just a moment as she rested her hands at her hips. "Of course, this is a prison!" She grumbled.
"You must be Glimmer's mother." Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes as she spoke. "I can tell by the way your voice grows shrill when you scream."
"How dare you." Shadow Weaver had to compliment the way she stayed composed as she seethed with anger.
"Shadow Weaver." Aunt Castaspella stepped to Angella's side as she pointed to the woman accusingly. She wasn't going to let Angella handle the interrogation alone, or allow Shadow Weaver's trickery to get the best of her so soon. "You will answer for the crimes you committed during your time as my brother's teacher, and for the attack on Mystacor a while back!"
"Oh, yes." She hummed rising to her knees. "Sweet, talented Micah."
"You will not speak his name." Angella stated, almost warningly.
"I'm not the one who got him killed." She replied in a tone full of teasing. That appeared to be the stepping stone Angella needed to get pushed to far as she grumbled, attempting to approach the woman before Castaspella cut her off with her arm. The very moment she was stopped, the two turned back to hear the woman coughing.
Here, they witnessed what she was currently going through. With the coughs and choking like she was ill, the woman began to shed more of her magic as the power seeped from her person, dripping to the ground below her in a misty haze. It was as if the woman was bleeding herself as she wheezed, struggling to find the strength to remain on her hands and knees alone.
Neither of the two cared for the woman as Angella continued to take another step. "Tell us why you're here!"
Waiting for her throat to clear up, the woman finally replied, "I have vital information to defeat the Horde," she spoke slowly, weakly, as Angella grew surprised, "but I will only speak to Catra. No one else."
...
...
"...Mmh... Hm?" Adora's eyes snapped open as she was blinded by a light hanging overhead. Where am- She couldn't get so much as a thought out before she immediately surrounded by trouble in every direction, physically speaking. "Hmm? Mmhhh! Mhhhhh!" She grumbled, trying to pull herself up from every angle of her body.
She was restrained to a table, an operating table at that. With tape silencing her screams, each of her wrists and ankles were practically bolted at the ends to ensure she could never get out, and a large strap across the table over her stomach to tie her down. Everywhere she looked, save for this one spot, she was met with total and complete darkness, unable to make out anything past her limbs.
What's going on? She trembled a bit, trying to do what she could to break free in the only way she knew how, and nothing happened. M-My... My shadows are gone... She continued to struggle in vain to free herself as she couldn't move so much as an inch from the table.
There was no slack for her to take advantage of, no tools around her that could aid in her escape. All there was is a single overhead light from the ceiling, one she couldn't see either, as she began to sweat with fear.
"Hmm hmhm hmhm hmhm hmhm hmhmmmmmmmm~" And a familiar voice she recognized humming to herself as it drew near. Looking at every direction, she eventually spotted the familiar friend known as Entrapta as the scientist wheeled herself in with a computer chair, the scientist writing everything down in her pad as she approached the tied down Force Captain, having a familiar pair of goggles covering her eyes. "Oh, she's awake! Hi, Adora!" She greeted cheerfully as usual.
"Mhh! Mhhh!" She tried to shout for her to help her out. Even though she couldn't get a word out with the tape over her mouth, it still seemed to be enough for the scientist to understand as she shrug.
"Sorry, Adora, no can do." She replied, wheeling herself to Adora's other side as she pushed around with her hair. "I can't really help you after everything you did with Hordak."
With Hordak? She questioned to herself. As the scientist slowly made her way across various areas of the lit space, Adora finally came to remember everything that happened between now and when she lost consciousness, all of which Entrapta was more than happy to explain.
"It really is disappointing, Adora." She commented, pressing some commands into the pad. At this, Adora's focus shifted to the ceiling above her as an array of gadgets started to descend from the darkness, slowly approaching the fearful commander. "Hordak had all this respect for you, wanted you to be the best commander he ever had, and then you had to go and betray him, didn't you?"
"Hmmm?" Adora tried to ask as she mentioned this. Betray him? I-I would never-!
"Sure, you might have been failing your duties as a commander, but did you really have to lie to the poor guy, too? All you had to do was tell him how you lost Shadow Weaver and let her escape, and then he would've let you go free! Instead, you tried to lie to him in order to save your own skin." The scientist didn't show a hint of remorse or worry as she continued to smile at the helpless girl with a bubbly grin. "Not that I can complain. Look! He gave me your old job, himself! Look how shiny my badge is!"
Adora didn't give the girl a glance of her attention as her eyes widened at the approaching machinery. They were a mix of everything one could expect to construct a robot from head to toe, to create an obedient little machine that would follow any orders given to them without a second thought or an ounce of free will.
"So, yeah, sorry about that. But on the bright side, he is the one who's letting me do this!" Smiling, the girl clicked another button as the machine finally stopped, just two feet away from Adora's head.
"Mmmhh! Mmhmhm!" Adora feared what was about to happen, and for good reason. Was Entrapta being serious about this? All of this because of some little lie? Was she truly going to preform some sort of sickening surgery on her as a punishment?
"Oh, I know, I know, it looks scary at first glance. To be honest, you were supposed to stay asleep the entire time. That's okay, though, because now I can ask for your opinion." She held the display in front of Adora who continued to look past the screen, keeping her trembling eyes on the devices above her. "So, Hordak wants me to make you better, and I was wondering for your opinion on what sort of upgrades I should give you?" She pulled it away again as she tapped a pen against her temple with her hair.
"I was thinking maybe something like laser-vision or something typical like that, but I bet if I installed hydraulics into you I could make you ten times stronger physically!" She noticed the girl's silence as she kept her eyes on the machine. "...Oh, right, the machine. You don't have to worry too much. Hordak just wants me to make it so you can't lie or disobey ever again. Personally, I'm jealous! I always wanted to be a cyborg!... But then if something went wrong, I couldn't record the results very well, could I?"
"Mmmmmmh! Mmmh!" Adora was starting to scream as she tried to thrash away, feeling as if the restraints had actually gotten tighter as Entrapta was talking. Given everything she was pressing until now, maybe she tightened them.
"Aww don't be like that. I mean, I know you were jealous of me and everything, but I'm fine with that."
"Hmm?" That was the first thing she had to say that caught Adora's attention.
"Yeah, maybe Hordak wanted me more at his side than you, but I can't argue with his reasoning. I mean, I am the one always helping him, after all. When's the last time you succeeded in a mission by yourself?" She put an ear towards the girl mouth waiting for an answer, only to be met with more muffled screaming as she shrugged. "Yeah, that's what I thought. But don't worry Adora. With this, you'll be as good as new, and never have to worry about your emotions or attachments getting in your way ever again."
With this said, Adora shook with fear as the machine started up again as a large needle glowing red descended from the pile of the machines, aiming right at her forehead.
S-STOP! STOP! We're friends, remember?! Adora screamed in her mind as her restraints tightened further somehow, feeling like they were pulling into the table at this point.
"Friends?" While she was surprised that Entrapta appeared to know what she was thinking, she was still focused on the descending rack of tools, the needle finally reach several inches from her forehead. "Oh, Adora, we were never friends. I guess I thought of you as a friend, but your constant jealousy over me has become overbearing. I think you were actually planning to get rid of me at one moment."
"HMMMH! MMMMH!" Adora tried to apologize, tried to assure her that she wasn't going to do it, much less thinking about it, only to be muffled all the same.
Yeah, she was jealous of her, admittedly. She was envious of the respect and admiration Hordak seemed to give her, all the praise, all the compliments, even offering to promote her to a Force Captain of some sort so she could get more access to the Horde's technology, like it was a gift!
She wasn't interested in these qualities herself, personally. All she wished was to prove herself to the Horde, to prove herself to him of all people. She wanted to find a way to repay the very people that raised her since she was an infant, to protect and serve the Fright Zone that she came to know as her home, and become a symbol of Unity for all of Etheria.
None of that was what people saw from the outside, or Entrapta who shouldn't have known about the events in the first place.
"Like I said, Adora, you'll feel as good as new." Smiling as she appeared to Adora's right, she gave one simple click ot the pad as the finger-sized needle became brighter. "Just smile and think happy thoughts, and it'll be over before you know it!"
"MMMMMMMMMMMMHHHHHHHH!"
...
"AHHHHH!" Adora screamed as she leaned up from the floor, panting and sweating feverishly as she woke up from a terrifying nightmare. She huffed and she puffed with a heavy supply of breaths, taking in the true reality around her as she realized it was all a dream. A terrifying, horrible, malicious dream. Waking up and looking around her, she came to realize something else.
She didn't wake up from it.
The room was dank and desecreted from the inside as she discovered where she was. The walls had large claw marks scratched upon them, the floor pounded upon by what could've been large fists. Above her from where she woke, she saw a familiar monitor, still broke as a few shards of glass remained over its screen, and the ceiling above her was torn with several different wires ripped from the interior. All of this, everything, made her realize where she was.
She was in Shadow Weaver's cell again. Only this time, she was the one behind the forcefield, the prisoner in this cruel and vicious place. Looking around, her eyes widened as she saw her wrists, recognizing the familiar cuffs that were wrapped around each one, with a familiar green cord that fed into a device on the wall. These were the very restraints that had kept Shadow Weaver prisoner, and now, much like this cell, they were hers.
"N-No..." This couldn't be happening, it had to be a mistake. Rising to her feet, she attempted to make a run for the forcefield, knowing these restraints were just her eyes playing tricks on her. "Agh!" With a cry of pain, she was pulled back again several feet from the door as the cords wouldn't reach any further.
She started to pant as she sweat, feeling like she was running a fever of some sort. Who knows, maybe she was? She had no idea what she was doing here, save for the nightmare that reminded her of the reason, only that she needed to get out of here and clear her name as soon as possible.
She ran back to the device that connected it to the wall, examining it in every corner and then back to her hands. Even if she was exhausted and feverish, she could still technically draw upon her power, hopefully enough of it to pry the restraining device from the wall and to smash it to pieces. With a deep breath, she tried to focus as she could feel a sliver of her power being drawn to her side-
*BZZZZZZZZZZZT!*
"Ahhhhhh!" And was immediately cut off from it as she screamed, collapsing to the floor as she breathed heavily again. Her body was aching with pain as it was wracked all over. Looking back to the device with a grin look of sorrow on her face, she realized how pointless it truly was.
These kinds of restraints weren't meant for the average person, big or small. They were meant for people of magic, specifically sorcerers and sorceresses, or anyone else gifted in the pools of magic. Whenever it detected the presence of magic growing within the individual or around them, it would deliver several thousand volts through the restraints, temporarily paralyzing them until they finally stopped.
Wincing in pain, she opened her teary eyes as she glared at the device, the very thing that should've kept Shadow Weaver within this cell herself. Seeing how the witch previously was left without magic, thanks to breaking off her connection with the Black Garnet, it came to no surprise that it didn't detect her as she escaped using an ancient rune incantation. Or, if it did, she powered through the pain for the sake of her life, proving herself to be stronger than Adora initially thought.
Whatever way, it didn't matter to her.
What mattered to her right now was where she was, where she was likely going to be staying for the rest of her life. Bringing her hands to her face, she squeezed them as she teared up, lowering her forehead to the ground as she sniffed.
"This can't be happening..." She muttered, shaking a little.
She did everything right. She worked harder than everyone else in the Horde that history has ever known. She formed uneasy alliances with regions all across Etheria, gaining allies and resources that kept each other in balance, regardless if the resources didn't expand as the territories were spread further and further apart.
Above all, she was loyal. She knew she was loyal! So she didn't tell an entire truth one little time. So what? Was it really deserving of sending her in here, bringing her locked up in the very prison cell Shadow Weaver herself once occupied? Of course not! She needed to get out of here, she needed to fix this! But how?
"Adoraaaa!" A voice called out as it ran through the sector. "Adoraaaaa!" Adora could tell the voice was drawing nearer as she heard the heavy footsteps approaching her.
"Scorpia?" She called back, looking to the door. "Scorpia! Over here!" She ran as close to the door as she could. Never had she been so relieved by the sight of a familiar face before, or a caring one at that.
The girl ended up running past the doorway for a moment before turning back, smiling back as she saw Adora's figure again. "Adora, I've found you!" She beamed so happily like she never smiled before, practically pressing against the force field in an attempt to hug at her beloved friend.
"Scorpia! I can't believe you're here!" Adora sighed with relief as she smiled too, before growing questionable at the presence. "What are you doing here? How did you even get in here?"
"Oh boy," Scorpia smiled as she recollected fondly, "it was quite the trick, I can tell you that..."
...
Standing around as she minded her own business, Scorpia waited outside the security station, right at the doorway as she waited for the next passing guard to come through. If she timed her intuition correctly, as she did, another guard came out of the station behind her, standing on the opposing side of the door as he stood at his designated post.
Taking a last look around to make sure the rest of the coast is clear, Scorpia leaned in a little closer as she smiled down to the guard who stared back at her. It was time for her to work her impressive charm, her magic, and her smooth talking, as she was about to get this guard wrapped around the very tip of her claws!
"...Which floor is Force Captain Adora on?"
"Uhh, the third one from the bottom." He replied, pointing down. "Why?"
"Thanks!"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Three seconds later, that same guard was could be seen screaming for dear life as he was thrown over the bridge.
...
"Very high-level stuff, I'll teach you some of my moves at some other time." She continued, smiling back to her. "Anyway, come on. I've gotta-" She stopped. She shifted her eyes away uneasily as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Scorpia? What's wrong?" She asked, noticing the silence as she followed her eyes. "What are you looking a-" She froze immediately as she saw it. Her glove was gone. The leather that was wrapped around Adora's fingertips for the last few weeks. The one thing keeping her condition a secret to the rest of the Horde as she tried to deal with it. She didn't even realize it at first earlier as she was freaking out about her predicament, and now she was worrying twice as much as the truth was exposed.
"Oh... my..." Scorpia actually felt a little sick as she covered her mouth a little. "What did they do to you? Did someone torture you?" She glared as she looked down the pathway. "Hey, which one of you jerks hurt my friend-!"
"Stop!" Adora yelled, rubbing her malformed hand as Scorpia looked back. "They... None of them did any of this, Scorpia. This... This was me..."
"This... was you?" She tapped the tip of her claw to her chin as she got a good look to the spreading rot, the condition that made Adora's skin appear as if it had aged a hundred years in advanced while still functioning as normal. "How... Why didn't you ever tell me about this?"
"Why do you think?" She mumbled. "There was too much going on, Scorpia, and I couldn't be bothered dealing with people over my condition." She frowned a little more as she glanced off to the side. "Especially with... with Hordak already being ashamed of me..." Her heart felt a pang of emotion as she said this to herself.
"Shame? Ashamed?!" It felt more like an excuse to the girl as she pressed her claws against the door's force field. "Adora, who cares about shame or whatever? I mean look at yourself!"
"You don't get it, Scorpia!" Adora scowled as she looked at her own feet. "Hordak was aware of my condition the very next day that it happened, and he didn't care. All he cared about was for me to prove my worth to him time and again and to take care of it on my own time. I knew if I bothered anyone else or wasted anyone else's time on it, he'd shun me more than he already has."
"But who cares about that? Look at your hand, your neck, they look horrible!"
"I know that, Scorpia, but I-" Repeating what she said through her mind, she stared back. "Wait... what about my neck?" She looked around, trying to find something to confirm her suspicions.
"Uhhh n-nothing! Forget it! I didn't say anything!" Scorpia's eyes filled with worry as Adora tried to find something reflective, anything that could give her a small glimpse of what she, or her neck, at least, looked like. "Adora, forget I said anything. Your neck is pretty, it's fine, I swear!"
Ignoring the rambling girl, Adora drew to the broken monitor in order to see what she was getting so worked up about. She peered deeply at the broken screen as she twisted and turned her head around until she could see the very condition that had been plaguing her for weeks. She had to let out a gasp as she saw the fate that had befallen her.
She remembered everything now, in every little detail. The way she lied to Lord Hordak, the look of pure hatred bursting from his eyes as he activated the machine, and how powerless she was to fight against it as the field was being siphoned of everything from air, oxygen, and the magic within her veins.
The very magic that didn't stop even after being sucked out of her.
She remembered how they were among the last things she physically felt before losing consciousness, seeing the dark veins growing along her arms while the shadows remained lifeless around her. Despite her mind trying to keep her shadows dormant, knowing drawing upon them would be futile and work against her, the shadows didn't listen. They came to her side as they were siphoned off at the exact same time, draining the girl of everything she had, and breaking the lengths to how far she could exert herself.
As a result, now, getting a better look for herself as she stretched the collar of her shirt past her right shoulder a little, she got a glimpse of it. A glimpse of the rotting, the aging, however one was supposed to describe it. It was almost hard to make out as the darkness-filled veins had spread throughout most of her body, being concealed under her clothing. It spread all across her right arm, spreading a ways across her chest, and so much to the point where they stretched up the right corner of her neck.
It was like Hordak said. She was falling apart. And only now did she realize, he didn't care.
"I... I don't believe this..." She muttered loud enough for Scorpia to hear as she rubbed against her skin. It didn't feel any different than the rest of her, or painful to the touch. All the same, it was still horrible to look at. She never thought, as bad as it was, that it would continue to spread as it was now, or at least not before she could find a solution to it other than hiding it.
"Adora, it's going to be okay." Scorpia tried to encourage. She didn't know what was going on with Adora's face, or however much of her body had been affected, and she didn't care. "I'm going to break you out before it's too late, we're going to escape the Fright Zone, and we'll deal with it from there."
"...Too late?" Adora shot back as Scorpia realized she flipped the lid. "Too late for what? What's going on?"
The other Force Captain lowered her head, frowning as her best friend approached the door. "Uh... It's Hordak." She began to reveal. "He's called an assembly to witness your punishment."
"M-My..." She took a step back as her eyes wavered. "My punishment...?" She couldn't pinch herself any harder if she tried without her magic. This wasn't a nightmare again, this wasn't some bizarre hallucination she was suffering from some delirious fever she was going through caused by the veins of darkness.
"I-I'm sure it's nothing," she tried to encourage as she saw Adora's sadness, "but whatever it is, I won't let it happen. I'm gonna get you out of here!" She declared, trying to press the small buttons with her fingers. The sound of the code being entered incorrectly did nothing to grab at Adora's attention as she stared at the floor. "Nope, that wasn't right... or that one... Man I should've asked that guy for the code... Maybe it's his birthday? Or Hordak's birthday! Does Hordak have a birthday?"
This was truly happening, wasn't it? The day Adora finally felt doubt for the first time. Not in the Horde, not of their accomplishments or their ideals, but of herself. Everything was spiraling out of control around her since losing the Battle of Bright Moon, since she failed to capture the princesses at any point. Everything was coming to an abrupt end for the young girl.
And it was all her fault.
"...op..."
"What?" She heard Adora mumble.
"I said stop it!" She yelled again, glaring at her with tears in her eyes. "Don't you get it, Scorpia? It's pointless now, it's over! I-I messed up! Again! Like I always mess up!" She scratched at her head fervently with anger as she paced around the room. This was the reality of her world. The reality where she was the victim for trying to help.
"I keep thinking to myself, you know? Maybe things will work out in the end, maybe it won't be so bad? And I do my work, and I do my job, and does it ever work out? NO!" She screamed as the tears dripped from her face. She's never felt so angry before, never with sadness aching through her heart. "It just keeps getting worse! I keep making everything worse!"
She dropped to her knees as she squeezed her hands. "I'm not cut out to be a commander, okay?" She curled her knees up as she hugged her legs tightly. "Every outpost I've obtained, every ally I keep making. Within the last month alone, we've lost a third of those outposts, half of our allies are betraying me, and it's... it's all my fault..." The girl sniffed as she let the truth out, let the truth sink into her mind as she cried into her legs. "Hordak was right, as always... I'm a failure."
"No!"
*WHAM!*
Adora actually jumped a little as she heard Scorpia slamming her claws against the force field holding her within, keeping her behind bars.
"Hordak is wrong about you, all right? You're not a failure!" She insisted, willing to say it as many times as Adora needed to hear. "You can't give up yet. I can save you! I know I can."
"Do you really care that much about me?" Adora actually asked a little seriously. With all the betrayals she's suffered throughout all of this, it was hard to tell who was genuine and who was a traitor.
"Of course, I care. You're Adora. You're our leader. You're the one who inspires the kids to never give up. You're the first one on the scene of an accident to ask if everyone's okay first instead of the resources that are lost! You're the person the Horde needs, Adora! You're..." Adora continued to listen to the girl intently as she rose to her feet again. "You're my best friend. You're everything to me." The tears stopped forming in Adora's eyes as she heard this, seeing the scorpion girl smiling to her at the sight.
"And I swear, I'm going to get you out of there. We'll go somewhere nobody knows about us, or the Horde, or whatever." She continued to convince as she pressed away at the controls. "We'll forget about the war, forget about all the trouble. We'll find someone to help you with your condition, honest, and you won't have to worry about anything anymore."
"Scorpia..." She... she really meant every word. Even after everything that's happened, all the time she's shoved her away, all the times she berated, insulted, yelled at her, Scorpia was still willing to do this, to do everything, to save her best friend's life.
The blond almost smiled for a moment before she looked at her hands again, directing her attention to the cuffs around her wrists. The way they restrained her and kept her in her place, the way they were so firmly attached to the wall that locked her away. They were a reminder of Adora's imprisonment, of the way Adora was supposed to be right now.
And they reminded her of what would befall anyone associated with her.
"...You're kidding, right?"
"Huh?" Scorpia looked back inside as she saw Adora's shoulders shaking a little. What she first thought was the girl crying again turned out to be an insurmountable mass of anger, one directed at the taller girl as Aora glared angrily into her eyes.
"Are you seriously that stupid?! Since when were we ever friends!?" She shouted.
"Wh-What do you mean?" Scorpia frowned a little, standing in front of the force field in full. "Of course, we're friends, Adora. Why else would-"
"Wait, wait, wait, hold on for a second." The girl actually chuckled with a snarky attitude. "You thought someone like me, a commander of the Horde, wanted, or was ever, your, friend? Oh my gosh, I knew you were stupid, but come on here!"
"Wha..." What was she saying? This was a completely different Adora than the one she saw five seconds ago. "What are you talking about?"
"What? Do I have to spell it out for you? Read my lips Scorpia- I, was NEVER, your friend. Got that!? I was never your friend. I never even asked to be your stupid friend! It's your fault," she grunted, kicking at the force field as hard as she could, "I'm in this stupid mess in the first place!"
"What are you talking about? I didn't... I didn't do anything."
"Exactly! You didn't do ANYTHING! Who was it that promised me they wouldn't let anything bad happen to me, huh? Who swore, as my "best friend" that I would be safe?! You didn't keep your promise, you didn't keep any word. You lied to me! You lied to me since day one! All you've been doing was holding me back to keep me from fulfilling my missions, haven't you?"
"Y-You... You don't mean that..." Scorpia raised a claw to the door a little sadly as her brow lowered. "And I had nothing to do with you getting sent in here, Adora. You know that."
"Really? Do I? Do I have this sort of trust with you telling me it wasn't your fault?" She scoffed. "Almost every mission I've ever been on with you has ended in failure, and I'm beginning to see why! I'm always picking up after you, I'm always fixing your messes plus everyone else's whenever they come to me for trouble, and you always try to make me feel guilty about it so I can't call you out on it."
"A... Adora, I... I haven't..." As she saw her bottom lip tremble a little, Adora knew the very words to deal the final blow.
"And you think after all your screw ups, I would ever want to be your "best friend", much less your friend? Even Catra was a better friend than you will ever be!"
That did it.
With a wince from her eyes, Adora watched as the other Force Captain teared up, staring at her friend as she pushed her claws away from the door. "I don't want to be your friend, I don't want to be your buddy, and I don't want to be rescued! Now get out!" She stared menacingly at the girl as Scorpia's eyes watered. Even after all of that, she tried one more time to get through to her as she opened her mouth to speak. "NOW!" And that was the end of it.
With a heavy and hurt heart, the other Force Captain ran away from the door, running away from the prison sector entirely with tears dripping down her cheeks. Adora kept her eyes frozen with the look of anger and resentment in her eyes, looking as angry as she's ever been. But once she waited long enough, by the time she was sure Scorpia was truly gone, she broke down.
"Tch... Geh..." She sniffed. Like a dam that had burst, the tears poured from Adora's eyes as she collapsed to her knees. She squeezed her palms against the ground, she grinded on her teeth as she tried to keep from shouting. She hated every second of her own existence as the entire scene played out in Adora's mind on an endless loop.
She had committed her greatest and most regrettable lie in her life.
"I'm sorry... I-I'm so sorry..." She whimpered to herself, curling in further until she was crying into her knees.
She didn't have a choice, she knew that from the moment Scorpia displayed her intentions. Adora was considered a traitor to the Horde and had messed up in Hordak's eyes. She was considered a nuisance, a blemish on the Horde, one that was going to be carried out in punishment in due time for all of her mistakes, for all that she had done.
And she couldn't let anyone go down with her.
She knew who Scorpia was, she knew what her intentions was, and she knew who's fault everything truly was for all that has happened to her.
Scorpia was the kind of friend Adora saw in Catra the day she met her. A kind, caring, and gentle soul that didn't deserve the abuse Adora had just given her. She was a person someone could depend on, someone the Horde could depend on, and the one Adora depended on for a moment before she realized what their future would look like in the end.
Running. Nothing but endless running. Each day, if they escaped, they would be spending the rest of their lives on the run. Looking over their shoulders, looking in every direction just to get a good night's sleep, and keeping contact with anyone and everyone on the outside world a secret from themselves, all for the sake of remaining in mystery, incognito. And this was just to keep themselves hidden from the Horde, and the war in general.
What else would that mean in the end? Nothing but fighting and hardships just for the two to stay alive. They would be fighting off any soldiers or bounty hunters sent their way to capture them, at best, to drag them back to the Horde, to bring them to their awaiting execution, by banishment to Beast Island, or otherwise. They would never know a moment's peace for as long as they lived, for as long as they fought for the rest of their lives.
And Adora couldn't let that happen to Scorpia. Not to someone that's been as great a friend as Catra once was, not to somebody who was innocent in every manner of the word. Scorpia deserved a better life than that, a better life than she was willing to accept with Adora. And, because of all that, Adora did the only thing she could.
She betrayed her.
She ripped at Scorpia's heart with every insult she could think of, every mockery she knew other jerks of the Horde to pass on the occasion. It didn't matter if Adora insisted on Scorpia to stop saving her, she knew she wouldn't listen. Knowing the kind of friend Scorpia was, she would've just kept coming back and time again, even if Adora threatened to call the guards. She couldn't let that happen, she had to develop a means to get rid of Scorpia permanently, knowing there was no way to convince her otherwise, and this was the only thing that came to mind.
To break her heart. To make her see Adora as a monster like Adora saw herself nowadays. She needed to make sure that there was no sense of guilt or consciousness between them, to make sure whatever happened to Adora that Scorpia wouldn't interfere in it. It was for her own safety, so she could continue to live on without any sort of regret by thinking Adora was the cruel one around here.
And it was the most painful thing Adora had ever forced herself to do.
The girl barely mustered the energy to pull herself to the wall, curling her knees to her chest as she waited out the rest of her day, to wait out the rest of her punishment. She knew she went overboard with what she did, and she didn't care. She wanted to save her friend at any cost, even if it meant she wasn't their friend anymore. To picture Scorpia in her position right now, to see her chained to a wall like this for the rest of her life... it was unbearable alone to just think of. She never wanted to see it for herself.
Yet, regardless of reason, she felt terrible all the same. She felt hopeless, terrible, and powerless to escape whatever fate awaited her right now, and whatever fate she felt like she deserved. In the end, she was all alone in the world, realizing that Hordak was right all along.
She was a failure.
...
...
...
A/N: Gawwd that hurt X/ you think it hurt to read? Try writing it!
Seriously, i wanna make it perfectly clear- I don't make it so jaw-dropping depressing for the feels and effect (least not all the time), but i do it out of realism or what I see the characters appropriately doing. I see Catra simply pushing Scorpia off as they just have a friend status- I KNOW Adora would do everything she's capable of knowing Scorpia is her best friend to make sure the girl didn't end up like she did or much worse. Even if the method would be different, I know the reasoning/result would likely be the same.
It's that kind of difference that makes the fic more suspenseful, touching, and tragic, and I only change it as much as the show, so you guys can't yell at me...
And just to make sure you can't...*burns a card with a lighter* I invoke my 1-time Can't-yell-at-me Policy card that ensures no one can blame me for being to harsh at the end... wait was that for one chapter or for one person... i can't remember now... huh...
Anyway, hope you all still enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review, and hope to see you soon!