A/N: Final Word Count: 10.7k Pre-A/N's. Caution: Heavy Feelings and emotions starting now. You have been warned.
Hoooo boy, i gotta tell ya people. The ending towards this gave me the chills to picture. On a bright note, I'm thrilled i managed to push out over 10k of words with this despite only having like 3 1/2 minutes left to the episode ^^ On the darker side... everything else.
How bad does it get? Weeeeeeeeeeell... I'll leave that up to you. Honestly, all things considered, I get the feeling I should've labeled this episode the "no happy endings" episode . Why? Because with the way it was going and the way it ends... hoooooo boy, I think it was more appropriate.
So with that said, prepare yourselves. It's about to get a lot more grim from here on out...
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...
...
"A-Adora...?" Catra questioned, more surprised at her recent appearance in terms of style rather than her appearance in general.
The whole day had been one lousy waste of time ot the magicat. All that work, all that energy and time spent, had been completely sent down the drain. There were no words to describe the frustration in her head, the fear and worry in her heart, and the confusion at everything that had yet to be answered around her.
And that was all before Adora showed up!
She came here to the Crimson Waste for a two-fold mission. First, she was supposed to locate an ancient message being sent to Bow's tracker pad after the events of Alwyn, a message from the first ones that had to do with something called Serenia, a portal, and, the previous She-Ra before her, Mara. There were so many mysteries behind the message that they were desperate to find the answers to, desperate to stop the Horde's portal technology to coming to fruition. At least, that was the primary goal for the rest of them.
The primary goal for Catra was to finally get some answers, some help, about finishing her bond with the Sword of Protection. She had come so close to perfecting her bond with the sword, to becoming a true hero and She-Ra like she needed to be, but she had reached the limits of what she was capable of about changing herself.
She let out of a lot of grudges from her past, save for certain betrayals still lingering in her mind. She had changed so much about her rough personality and brutish figure. Sure, she still picked on her friends occasionally and pulled a weekly prank back and forth, but she's done it less and less often which was a surprising turnaround than how she used to be. She came all the way here in the hope that something could help her, that the message could give her the final clue in becoming a true She-Ra.
And what did she get instead? Nothing. Zilch. Not only did she not get any help in trying to prevent herself from ending up like Mara, she also found out that Mara was sticking to her duties as a She-Ra, that she trapped all of Etheria in a separate dimension to protect everybody from something terrible, not because her powers ran amok and caused a total rampage.
Catra had never felt so confused in her life. Did she want to be like Mara or didn't she? Was there any clue to help her complete the bond with her sacred sword? Why did Mara trap them all within this dimension, Despondos, and what was she keeping them hidden from? And, most of all, what was Adora suddenly doing here?!
"What? Were you expecting something else?" Adora smirked to her, still leaning in the metallic chair with her legs and head over the arms like she owned the thing.
"Wha... What happened to you? You look... different." It was like Catra was talking to a completely different person as she examined her new appearance.
Since the day started for the ex-Force Captain, Adora's appearance and personality had taken on a radically new outlook. She no longer donned her infamous red jacket, having traded it for some new black one she got from Tung Lashor's gang. She let her hair fall out around her as she lost the ponytail that kept her hair usually bundled up. And the look in the eyes, that strange gloating look in her eyes... it was completely different from the Adora she knew.
"Like it?" She asked in a curious smugness, tapping on her new coat. "Personally, I would've preferred keeping the ponytail, but I think it's grown on me. Speaking of which, what's this whole administrator key and thing about Despondos?" She grinned.
"You... You heard all of that?" Glimmer fretted a little, raising her fists to her side as she prepared to charge her magic on a moment's notice.
"Oh, a little of this and that, I didn't really care much about the semantics of it. What I do care about, though," she said, pointing to the sword in the console behind them, "is that little blade you keep dragging around. Sounds like it's pretty important." At this, the soldier spun around as she hopped out of her seat. "I think I'll be taking it back with me."
"Not on your life!" Bow yelled, preparing his arrow as Glimmer charged her magic.
It was only now as she slowly came back to her senses that Catra's sense of smell finally kicked in, warning her of the hidden danger in the shadows. "Wait-!" She yelled, raising a hand to stop them.
Adora showed no signs of fear as she placed a hand at her side, raising her other one as she snapped her fingers.
*click*
*siff*
"Agh!" Bow was out like a light as the familiar blue dart struck him square in the neck, collapsing to the ground.
"Bow-!"
*siff*
"Ngh-! Nnnhhhh..." Glimmer's momentary cry for her collapsing friend was silenced just as quickly as he was as another dart shot straight into her arm, disabling the magic and dropping the princess to the ground in an instant.
"You guys!" Overwhelmed with the current fear still plaguing her heart, Catra had acted on instinct as she tried to take a quick step over to her fallen friends. It took her two entire steps before her ears picked up on the sound of another dart being shot directly at her.
*siff*
*clack!*
Catra nearly jumped as the projectile was blocked inches away from her by the sight of Huntara's grand spear, the huntress protecting the magicat from danger at the last second.
Looking back to her blond friend as she lowered her hand again, she continued to give off that same smug look on her face as her entire gang stepped out of the shadows. Catra didn't know what to say as she saw them, members from what used to be Huntara's hang like the satyr and blue lizard, and nearly half a dozen lizardmen stepping out from each side.
"You know, I've always wanted to do something like that where I snap my fingers and something happened. I was just too proud of myself to ever do it until now." Adora commented.
Huntara was actually surprised at the appearance of her former cohorts over at the mysterious blond's side, even more by the familiar jackets they were all wearing. "Tarruk? What do you two think you're doing? And why are you with Tung Lashor's gang?"
"The name is Daisy, Huntara." The satyr spat as she pointed to Adora. "And we're not with Tung Lashor, we're with a new leader."
"New... leader?" Huntara turned to the blond in question as Adora continued to smirk.
"What can I say?" She shrugged. "A little respect goes a long way, especially when you dispose of a gang's leader right in front of them."
Never giving the huntress or magicat a chance to recover, two of the other lizardmen within the shadows shot another pair of darts at the duo, intending to take them both down once and for all. Using herself as a human shield, Huntara sacrificed herself as she stepped ahead of Catra, stretching her arms as she took a direct shot to each side of her collar near her shoulders.
No matter how strong and mighty the previous leader of the Crimson Waste might've been, even she was no match to the very paralyzing darts that she used beforehand.
Catra's tail spiked up at the sight before her. All of her friends and allies were taken down with such ease, such swiftness, and by Adora of all people. Snapping out of her stupor, the magicat quickly rushed back to the main console, hastily grabbing at her sword before it was too late, and raising it to the heavens. Even if she wasn't a full She-Ra, it was still better than being no She-Ra right now!
"For the Honor of Gray-!"
*swiff*
"Ah!" Catra yelped as the legendary sword was swiped right out of her hands by two large shadowy tentacles from Adora's back, watching as the blade was pulled over by the original girl chosen to be She-Ra, the one who was supposed to be She-Ra, with ease. To add insult to injury, right before the girl could chase after it, she was suddenly caught from behind by Adora's always-faithful friend, Scorpia, as she grabbed Catra's wrists tightly in each claw, holding them up to the air. "Ah!"
There was no end to the girl's grin as she examined the blade from head to toe, admiring the reflection of herself in the blade's darkened light. "Wow. That was beyond easy. You know, either I'm starting to get really good at this, or you're starting to get really bad."
"Grrr!" Catra kept herself from panicking too much as she scanned the room.
Her friends were completely immobilized and unconscious thanks to the paralyzing darts, the same fate she was sure would befall her in a matter of seconds at this rate, Adora was using all of her powers at once without worry or care, they were surrounded, Catra was without the sword and gripped by Scorpia's strong claws, and she was the only one capable of doing something, anything.
But what?
She had no powers, she had no magic, and she didn't even have her claws of all things! Everything that happened in front of her proved to her all the reasons she was incapable of being a true hero, a true She-Ra, that she needed to be. It was over for all of them.
"Nnggghhh!" Or maybe not. To everyone's surprise, out of the remaining allies capable of fighting, Huntara slowly got back to her feet as she grumbled, barely shrugging off the paralyzing agent's double-dose that took both of her friends down. She was the only one still standing who could do anything, the only person dependable at this point.
"Huntara!" Catra shouted. "Get them out of here and run! Now!" Huntara grumbled in understanding as she finally got to her feet in full.
With a simple nod, understanding the feline's anger and determination, Huntara grabbed both of her friends, flinging them both over her shoulders, and made a mad dash towards the doorway. Despite the paralysis flowing in her system, she still proved more than a match for several of the lizardmen that tried to stop her as she bashed them out of the way with her pure physique.
She just wasn't capable of stopping that one individual in particular.
"And where do you think you're going?" Adora asked in a playful tone as she watched her.
*Swiff-Swiff-Swiff*
"Ghhhhhhhh!" Huntara grumbled as she became ensnared in several of Adora's shadowy tentacles. With a powerful grip over her right ankle, her waist, and her left arm, there was no way she could afford to pry the tentacles off of herself without dropping either of her two allies. All she could do was continue to grumble as she struggled to push herself forward.
"So you're the famous Huntara I kept hearing about, huh?" Adora said knowingly, examining the larger woman. "You know, I don't really have anything against you, so you can leave if you want to. But without tweedle-dee and tweedle-pink over there." Her smirk became a little more devious as she aimed a shadowy arm towards the woman. "Catra's the only one I need to bring back alive."
"No!" Catra shouted, fearing the worst before glaring back at the girl behind her. "LET GO!"
*Whack!*
"Ahh!" Scorpia cried out as she was smacked away. Before she could defend herself or get the sting on Catra, the magicat used the only accessible weapon available to her at a time like this- her feet. With a timely execution and acrobatic, the magicat managed to pull both her feet up to her chest before slamming them both directly at Scorpia's face, kicking her off of her and freeing her wrists.
The moment she dropped to the ground, Catra rushed madly for the girl behind all of this, the only one keeping her friends from freedom. Seeing the girl getting back to her feet and sprinting towards them, several of the lizardmen and Daisy attempted to stop her as they shot their blow pipes directly at the girl, only for Catra to nimbly dodge them from one side to the next, refusing to let anything stop her from performing at least one final act to save her friends, knowing it was her fault they were in this mess to start with.
With another dodge, leaping over one of the lizardmen who tried to grab her and kicking him off for an extra boost, Catra growled as she tackled away her ex-friend, the blond girl completely unaware of her approach until it was two late, and being pinned to the ground behind her as her connection with her shadows fell apart upon impact, losing the focus she had to maintain them for a few seconds.
Those few seconds were all that Huntara needed as she was finally released, looking back to the girl as she struggled to maintain her grip on the squirming and agitated Adora as she shifted her eyes back to her.
"Get off!" She demanded, trying to loosen herself from the arms wrapped around her own, keeping Catra too close to her for her to summon her own shadows at her side.
"I said hurry up and get them out of here!" Catra yelled again, continuing to struggle further as several of the lizardmen attempted to pry the surprisingly strong grip of the feline off of their new leader.
With a heavy heart, added with regret, Huntara followed the She-Ra's directions as she continued to run off, carrying both her friends to safety as Catra was left behind again. Even when her friends and allies were finally out of reach, Catra refused to budge, trying to provide as much time as possible as she felt several more hands trying to pry her loose from Adora's back.
It was only when she felt the last pair of hands, or claws in this case, that she finally lost.
*ting*
"Agh-!" There was a brief pain in her left side before she slowly felt her consciousness beginning to fade, being more than enough for Adora to shove her off herself as she fell to the floor at her side.
Looking up, Adora gave a small smile to Scorpia, the sight of her friend rescuing her being a sight of comfort, before giving off another grin to Catra as her consciousness faded.
"Sleep tight, kitty." She teased as Catra's eyes finally closed. "We have some catching up to do when you wake up..."
...
...
"Hoorah!" The cheers were aplenty as the drinks and knives were raised to the air.
The room they were still in was abuzz with cheer as everyone celebrated. Drinking themselves silly, cheering for their new leadership, and celebrating what Adora considered to be a great victory. With the lights now on, the new leader sitting proudly with her leg over the metallic throne's side, and the sword cupped in her very hands, Adora couldn't have been more ecstatic.
She had won. She had finally won. After so many failures, so many missions gone awry, things had finally worked out in the end. Just thinking about it, every detail, how this day turned out, and her change of personality gave her such excitement.
All of this happened on the day she changed herself. For the worse? For the better? She couldn't say. What she did know was that she won for the first time, a victory she could claim and be proud of, ever since her personal war against Catra started. She was proud of herself, proud of her friends, proud of what she managed to do! And it was the way she did it that truly inspired her to consider it.
Before, all those other times, it was with her sense of decency. She showed kindness as much as she could to those around her, only giving her hatred to her enemies, to Catra, and everything around her. Here, she showed everything she was repressing. She showed her anger towards the world, her grief and sorrow to those who tried to push her back down, and her despair of what she needed to become in order to achieve victory.
And you know what? It worked.
She did it. She showed everyone what she was truly capable of by just letting go of her compassion for the first time in her life.
Is this how it was? Is this truly how the world worked? By forgoing compassion and decency in order to complete her objectives? To get past her obstacles? Is this how she was meant to do things from now on? Given all that had happened today, it was hard to say. And for now, it didn't matter.
For now, all she was concerned about was celebrating, making sure everyone had a good time for their assistance in one of the greatest missions she's ever had in the last several months. This was a party for them as much as it was for her.
"A toast to driving Huntara out of the Waste!" Daisy cheered, raising her mug to the sky.
"Yaaaaaaaa!" Everyone else cheered in unison, Adora chuckling to herself as she watched.
"A toast to finding new loot, huh?" She added. Adora did have to admit, what they found was... more than impressive. To think, of anything they could've found, they found a ship of all things.
"Yaaaaaaaa!" Everyone cheered again.
"And a toast to Boss Adora, the best leader we've ever had!" She concluded for a third time.
"Yaaaaaaaaa!" The cheers were magnified by the mention of Adora, the blond girl giving a faint blush at the comment as she chuckled again. As they cheered, her attention shifted to her right as she saw her faithful companion appearing from behind the chair, wearing the very jacket that Tung Lashor had worn earlier that day.
"And Scorpia!" Adora announced, rising to her feet on the throne with a shadowy fist. "A toast for Scorpia!"
"Yaaa!"
"Woohoo!"
"Yeah, man!"
The cheers were varied in terms of Scorpia, but the praise and love came all the same as Scorpia blushed at the decency. "W-What? I can't." Scorpia chuckled, trying to pass off the praise. "You guys, I- Thank you. Yes. Gosh."
"And a toast to everybody!" Adora continued. "Everyone made this possible! Celebrate to your heart's content! THAT'S AN ORDER!"
"YAAAAAAAAAAA!" The cheers were so overwhelming in that regard that several mugs and glasses were actually throne into the air, some people getting dunked overhead while one or two people slipped, sending bouts of laughter across the room, Adora included.
Looking up to her dear friend, Scorpia continued to smile as Adora laughed so dearly, felt so genuine, for the first time in ages.
"Can you believe this, Scorpia?" Adora asked the girl as she watched everyone around her. "This is what a "party" is supposed to be like, and it's amazing! Hahahaha! Oh, man, when we go back, we are definitely doing this more often. I'm gonna demand more of these when I get back to the Fright Zone."
She felt so happy for her, proud for her. Adora was finally, truly, happy for the first time in what felt like forever. "Uh, the crazy desert lady got away with the others." Scorpia reluctantly informed. She didn't want to put a damper on Adora's mood, but she knew it would've been worse to keep Adora from finding out.
"Ah, who cares about them?" Adora shrugged, which was saying a lot given her disdain for Glimmer and Bow. "We've got something way more important than any of them." Holding up the sword in front of her, Adora smiled at the reflection she caught of herself. "Do you remember what that hologram thing said? This thing is the key to the whole planet. When we bring this back to the Fright Zone, Hordak will finally see me for what i'm worth, I won't be a failure in his eyes, I'll finally have his respect!"
She could just see it now. She would have a place at his side once again, he would finally see her as his equal, not a letdown or a failure of the Horde. While she didn't hold the same amount of respect for him that she once harbored, it would've been a thrilling emotion to feel. To finally do something right, to finally have the honor and respect as his second-in-command. To be seen as a Hero among the Horde.
It would be beautiful, truly, sincerely. And she wouldn't have to feel jealous over Entrapta any longer. She would be able to approach her again without bouts of jealousy, without any sense of unease that would manifest in her powers coming to life on her own. She could finally hang out with her and never have to fear for herself or others ever again.
All of it would be perfect.
"Or, you know, counterpoint," Scorpia spoke up as she appeared in the reflection behind Adora, "we don't go back at all."
"What?" She was positive she misheard her over the sound of the party. "What do you mean we wouldn't go back? Why wouldn't we?"
"Uh... because you hate it there?" She stated, giving a small smile.
"What?" Adora got out of her chair as she stood before the tall friend. "No I... I don't..." She hesitated to reply. Why did she feel herself hesitating to answer something like that? She loved the Horde, she loved the people there she loved every... She loved the... She loved... Liked... Was alright with...?
"Look, just, hear me out for a second, okay?" Scorpia requested, still giving her a comforting smile. "Within one day, you've defeated gangs ruling the Crimson Waste and made yourself their leader." As she said this, Adora glanced across the room as she watched the rabble rousers. True to her word, they were all happy, celebrating, and proud to be under Adora's leadership. The girl didn't know what to say as she hugged the sword closer to her, looking down in thought.
At the same time, Scorpia kneeled down closer to her height until they were at eye-level, and gently holding her shoulders. "This is the happiest I've ever seen you since the Battle of Bright Moon- scratch that. This is the happiest I've ever seen you since I've met you!" Adora blushed a little with an awkward smile as she turned her eyes away, still scorpion girl continued as she stood back up.
"Let's stay here. Forget about Hordak. Forget about Catra, forget all of them! You deserve to be happy after everything that's happened. You deserve this!"
"I..." Adora was at a loss for what to say. A part of her had to agree with Scorpia given all that's happened up to this point. She was torn apart by Catra's betrayal, the war was putting so much stress on her, and she was starting to take it out on the people she cared about that didn't deserve this. She wanted to say yes on the spot, she wanted to agree with her. But there was a problem. "Scorpia, I... I would love to, but... But you know I can't."
To make her point in an instant, she gathered a small handful of shadows over her gloved hand. "As long as these powers keep eating away at me, I... I'll never be able to stop. I have to go back to the Horde, to recharge, to fix myself weekly... It wouldn't work." That was a small part of it that made Scorpia frown.
She wanted Adora to be as happy as she wanted to be, and she wouldn't get in the way of it if she truly desired it for herself. But she also couldn't sit back with herself and watch everything that's happened and allow her to stay if it meant Adora could die by her own powers. In a land like the Crimson Waste where weakness was prayed upon, anyone, at any opportunity, could strike her and claim leadership for their selfishness.
It wasn't fair to someone like Scorpia, it didn't feel fair at all, and it wasn't in any reality she could think of! And that's when she noticed, noticed closely to herself as she saw the back of Adora's left wrist as she hugged the sword.
"I don't think that'll be a problem." Scorpia commented as she removed the black glove from the normal-looking hand of hands.
"What? Scorpia, what are you-!" Adora froze, stared in disbelief as she saw the shadows covering the veins of her hand.
There weren't any. There wasn't a single line of shadow within her left hand at all. Unable to believe what she was seeing, Adora quickly took a peek at her other hand, pulling back the leather that was concealing part of her deformity, of the ugliness her power had cost her. There wasn't any shadow there either.
It was like she was cured.
"I... I don't..." Adora blinked between her two hands, still in disbelief. "I don't understand... W-Why isn't it... How...?"
Scorpia poked her chin for a bit in contemplation as a small thought came to her. "... Hey, Adora?" Adora looked up to her pondering friend, still in a state of shock. "When... When was the last time you went all out?"
"Huh? What do you mean "all out"?"
"I mean, when was the last time that you... you know... used your powers to their fullest?" She asked, getting a rather curious look from Adora herself.
"I... I'm not sure I follow..." She felt something at the tip of her mind being formulated, like something in Scorpia's mind was being transferred to the girl as she spoke.
"Well, and I'm just guessing here since the brainwork is usually Entrapta's job, but... When was the last time you let your powers go wild? Like at the Battle of Bright Moon? Or when you fought that Tung Lashor guy?"
"What... What are you saying?" As the fruition of what she was thinking came to her, Scorpia's smile started to widen.
"I'm saying, I think I know why your powers have been making you sick so much."
"Really? What is it?"
"What do you think, you goof? It's you." Scorpia stated, poking her in the chest.
"M-Me?" It... well, certain parts and details of it did make sense to her, she just wasn't fully aware of it yet.
"Yeah, think about it. Back in the Fright Zone, back with the Horde, you've been holding back. You're forcing yourself to repress yourself, you're forcing yourself to hold back when training, keeping your emotions from exploding, and always holding back when fighting your enemies because you're being strategic, not ruthless. But here," Scorpia smiled as she looked around with her, "you don't have to do any of that. You can be anything you want to, freely!"
Adora was... at a loss. A grand loss. And an accepting loss for a change.
Looking around herself, she realized that... she was right. Everything Adora did was with her repressing herself. She never raised her voice to people except in a spur of the moment, she never went all out in her training facilities out of fear of looking like a monster, fear of damaging everyone and everything around her. She kept herself back with all of her willpower to stop herself from hurting everything within the enclosed metallic walls of the Fright Zone.
And everytime it did, her powers punished her for it. Whenever her powers were drawn, a portion of them was being transfused through her bloodstream, her veins. Her emotions that she always kept in check, always kept quiet about when she knew her powers would manifest as a result, ate away at her with each passing breath. Every time she returned the shadows to her surroundings, refusing to let the same amount of power be unleashed around her, they virtually entered through her, sickening her physically, mentally, and emotionally.
But here, she didn't have any of that.
Here, she had people who were armwrestling against one another and not even caring when one cheated by using two hands, even if a small brawl started in the side of the room. Here, where monsters roamed freely and outlaws and thugs ran wild, she wouldn't have to hold back any of her powers, and could be everything and anything she was meant to be. Most importantly, she could finally be true to herself and her emotions.
She could let herself be expressed freely for a change, and no one would bat an eye. She could yell at the occasional person without worrying about their feelings being hurt, knowing it was commonplace around the Crimson Waste. She could talk down to anyone she wanted to and they would give her a simple nod in return. She wouldn't have to hold herself back, to force her powers to be held back, and she could finally be happy, finally feel good about everything she was doing.
She could finally be free.
"You don't have to be afraid of who you are anymore, you don't have to be so nice to everyone around you when it bothers you. We could rule the Crimson Waste together, just the two of us." Scorpia continued. "We could, you know," Scorpia blushed a bright pink as she spoke, "be happy."
"... You're right."
"Huh?" Adora's small smile and nod came to her too quickly for Scorpia to process all at once. As she slowly did, a large smile started to spread across Scorpia's face, needing to hear those words again."What did you say?"
"You're... You're right." Adora smiled, looking at the party going on. "Everything I do for Hordak is looked down upon, and he shuns me for it. I tried to impress him, tried to keep him happy, and I end up in jail for it. But this... This day, this place... Has been the greatest time of my life for once. So... let's do it."
"You mean it?!" Scorpia's eyes sparkled so happily that she could barely contain herself.
"Yes!" Adora teared up a little as her happiness was overflowing. "Let's forget the Horde! We'll send someone to collect the sword on their own time, let them deal with it. We'll stay here from now on!"
"Yahoooo!" Adora was already mentally prepared, not so much physically, as Scorpia tightened her arms around her like a ravaged bear, a bear that twirled in place at the announcement as they squeezed the life out of her. Yet, unlike those other times, Adora embraced it, laughing along as Scorpia hugged her so tightly, a hug that thankfully didn't last longer than three entire seconds or one loop, Scorpia looking to the masses who continued to party. "You hear that, people? We're staying!"
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The eruption of cheers were topped with a small tremor from the floor, everyone's cheer reaching new limits as their voiced boomed across the room. Adora continued to laugh as she looked around her, already picturing everything from this point forward.
She would lead these people, all of them! They would see her and respect her as their ruler, one who knew to be kind, sincere, and also ruthless and aggressive as needed. She could turn the Crimson Waste into a practical paradise for those with nowhere else to go, a place where those with a hopeless future could start over!
And she would have a new friend at her side, a better friend. Together with Scorpia, the two would finally know something close to peace around here as they ran things their way, as their followers would respect them in their entirety. She would be seen, worshipped, as a kind leader, an honest leader, and one who knew how to fight for those she cared about.
This was her time. Her gift from the world. She could finally put every obstacle in her past behind her, and never have to look back. Maybe it was a little foolhardy to think of everything so optimistically, but who cared? Out here, she could be as foolish as she chose to be, as she wanted to be! Everything, anything, about this plan, actually sounded great, to her.
That is, until she looked down at the sword, remembering the other "occupant" in the next room over. "What... What about Catra?"
"Oh, that. Well..." Scorpia scratched the back of her head nervously. She already knew what to say, she just didn't know how Adora was going to take it. "We might have to... you know... " She coughed a little, straightening herself out. "Let her go."
"What?!" As expected, Adora nearly jumped at the comment.
"I know, I know, I know, just, just think about it, okay?" It was going to be near-impossible to convince her to let her go, given all the history they've had together. "Without Catra here, the Rebellion wouldn't have anymore reason to come and bother us, right? They wouldn't risk coming here unless something else came up. And unless we let them go, they'll just keep trying to break her out-"
"You're right."
"And they'll keep sending more and more-!" Scorpia stopped as she looked back. "I... I am?"
Adora frowned a little as she looked at the sword with regret. "If I don't let her go, it'll jeopardize everything, everyone here. They'll never stop coming here, and they'll ruin everything for us. Even if we did stop them all, that'd be too many people to hold prisoner, to deal with without giving a bad name for ourselves." It hurt a little to know the reality of the situation. If Adora truly wanted to start her life over, then she was going to have to put everything behind her.
She would have to let Catra go, forever.
"So... Are you... gonna do it?" Scorpia asked, knowing it wasn't her decision to make.
"Hey, boss?" A pair of lizardmen spoke up as they entered through the hallway doors. The one on the right was short in stature with an orange color to his scales, while the taller one was in green, sporting a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. "The prisoner's awake."
"Actually, she's been awake for the last half hour." The green one added.
"Then why didn't you guys bring her here like I asked?" Adora asked, stepping ahead of Scorpia.
"We tried to boss, but..."
Both lizardmen held up their right hands, showing off the numerous marks displayed all around their arms. "She bites!"
"Huff, of course she bites..." Personally, it sounded obvious to someone like Adora as she sighed, turning to Scorpia soon after with a small smile. "I'll be back in a bit, Scorpia, I... I need to check on her." Before Scorpia could stop her, raising a claw towards her, the leader of the new gang of outlaws and her best friend, had left through the doors. All Scorpia could do was watch with concern as she left, knowing if she was going to do this, it had to be done on her own.
During the small trip through the hall, still staring at the reflection of herself in the sword with a small frown, a certain voice made itself known as a familiar appearance floated by Adora's side from the left.
"You're not really planning on letting her go, are you?" Aroda asked, raising a brow and a grin.
"I... I don't know yet, I'm just... thinking..." It was hard for Adora to tell on the spot right now, right when everything was perfect. Could she truly go through with letting Catra go, after everything she's done in her past? Done to her? "It's a lot to take in, you know?"
"Mmmh, hard to say. On another note, I am LOVING the new digs here." Aroda commented, flashing her jacket with a wave. "All this power over people, all their respect, you've truly gone above and beyond yourself, Adora, and in only a day. I'm proud of ya."
"Thanks..." Adora muttered, pausing as she came to the door.
"But seriously, are you getting rid of her? Or getting rid of her?" She asked, leaning herself over a little to look at Adora's lowered face.
"I don't know, okay? It's... It's just a lot. I don't know if I can forgive her for everything and if I can let her go if I don't, but... if I have a chance to be happy around here... to have things finally going in a way I want it for once... shouldn't I?"
"Well, at the very least, you shouldn't get rid of that giant paperweight of yours." She said gesturing to the sword in her hands. "You know as well as I do that's way too much power to be in Catra's hands, right?" Adora stared into the rune stone of the sword as her brow lowered.
"A sword from the She-Ra before Catra. Something that could change the fate of the planet in its entirety."
"Seriously, you're not, right? Don't you think it'd be a lot better in your hands? Especially if a certain kitty-cat went Lights Out for good?"
"For the last time, I'm not getting rid of her like that." Adora grumbled. "Without the sword, she doesn't pose a threat, and even with it, if I let her go, she'll have no reason to stay here."
"Fine, be that way, party pooper." Aroda shrugged, watching as Adora activated the controls to the door. "But just remember, if you don't continue to get stronger, you'll still be letting everyone around you push you around." At this, she slowly started to disappear once more into the shadows. "And when realize I'm right again, you'll only have yourself to blame for what happens next."
"Hmph." Adora didn't care what she had to say or mumble about. All she cared about was dealing with the prisoner in the other room.
For good...
...
"Ghhh! Nggghhhh!" Catra growled as she tried to undo the bindings to the diamond-shaped pillar behind her, her wrists and ankles tied tightly around her to ensure she couldn't escape. "Of all the stupid times to declaw me, Huntara!" She grumbled.
All around her, the several guards continued to stare, all save one for of them, with various bite marks over their hands, and some of them along their shoulders. This cat was a nightmare, even if she was bound tightly without the use of her hands and feet!
Every time they approached her, she bit at them. Every time they tried to untie her enough to drag her to the main room where Adora was waiting, they attacked and bit at them, and that was just from untying her feet! It was a nightmare to even get those tied back together, with the magicat doing everything in her power to make it as unpleasant for them as it was for her!
At least it didn't seem like they would have to put up with it for much longer, not with the appearance of the one figure who showed no signs of fear to the magicat.
"Eesh, even as a prisoner, you're more of a wild animal than a damsel in distress." Adora mocked, slinging the sword over her shoulder. "Hmm... what would that make you? A "Wild in distress"? A "Damsel Animal"?"
"Adora!" Catra yelled, growling as her ears lowered in anger. There was so much anger welling up in her right now, so much of it she was struggling to put on hold. She had a lot to say to her, about her and about the portal, and everything else she needed to know. Yet, it was hard to do so when someone had a stupidly annoying SMUG SMILE ON THEIR FACE WHILE LEAVING HER TIED UP!
With the cat's attention drawn to her, Adora nodded to her fellow guards, giving them the signal to wait outside the doors for her. "There's been so much going on since we last met... when was it? Two weeks? Three? It's hard to tell, and I never care enough about you to pay attention." She taunted, balancing the tip of the sword's hilt on her finger playfully.
"Adora, listen to me, you're in danger, all right." Catra tried to explain, exerting so much willpower right now to keep herself from exploding. "And you can't give Hordak that sword!"
"Oh, and who says I can't? You?" She scoffed. "Wasn't listening to you the reason all of this happened to me? Weren't you the one who never came back for me in the Horde?" She smirked, Catra grumbling as she struggled to maintain herself.
"Adora, we don't have time for this, just listen! Hordak is making a portal, one big enough to summon a larger army of the Horde to wipe out all of Etheria!" She stated.
"Hmm, a larger army, you say?" She sarcastically looked off to the side with curiosity, tapping the tip of the sword against her chin as she contemplated. "So you're saying that Hordak, the guy I work for, is summoning an army that'll wipe you and your friends out... Nope! Can't see how that's my problem anymore." She chuckled.
"You don't understand, Adora!" She hissed. "Hordak isn't the main guy behind this, all right? He's part of a giant army from another world-"
"Where unicorns fly and giant rainbows talk to you, I'm sure~" She chuckled again, tipping the sword against the ground as she kneeled in front of her. "Let's pretend I actually believed you for a moment, for the first time ever, and said "okay". What would that have to do with me? It sounds more like your problem right now."
"It'll be EVERYONE'S problem if he uses that machine!" Catra shouted, her anger starting to get the best of her. "Light Hope and Mara both said that something extremely bad will happen if he opens that portal!"
"Uh huh, sure. I bet he's going to get a killer suntan or something."
"Just listen for a minute! I'm trying to save everyone, I'm trying to help you-!"
"Oh, right, HELP ME!" Adoar rolled her eyes as she stood. "Just like you helped me when you came back for me in the Horde. Just like you helped me by using my name to get everyone to do what you wanted. Just like you HELPED ME deal with my condition I've been struggling with since the Battle of Bright Moon." Adora spat, walking a few feet away as she continued to twirl the sword in her hands.
Thinking about it, she wondered if letting her go actually would've been the right thing to do at this point. No matter how much she hated her, she would never have to deal with her or her stupid face ever again if she was out of her life, and out of her mind, for good. The more she thought about it, the better it was beginning to sound.
So what if Hordak summoned some giant army? What were they going to do? "Cultivate the wasteland"? Unless they wanted a surprising amount of sand to make some sort of beach for themselves on a deserted island, she didn't see why any army would bother with the Crimson Waste to begin with.
"Every time you come into my life, Catra, you ruin something. You've ruined my home, you've ruined my body, you've..." She paused, raising the sword to her face as she stared into the blade. This time, she turned the sword a little so she could see Catra's reflection behind her in the steel. "You know, you're not going to be my problem for much longer, because I think I know what to do with you-"
"I KNOW ABOUT THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD!"
Adora froze, her expression becoming vacant for the first time since she started speaking with her. At the same time, Aroda herself popped up right next to her, crossing her arms as she raised an eyebrow to the magicat.
"She's bluffing." Aroda nonchalantly stated.
"You... You what?" Adora asked, turning her eyes a little.
"I know about the voices, Adora. They're not what you think! They're hurting you, trying to drain your life!" She shouted. She needed to do anything she could at this point to get her to listen, get her to reason with herself. She wasn't letting her get a word in edgewise, and if this kept up, she was never going to get her warning through to Adora before it was too late!
"Tch, yeah, sure we are." Aroda rolled her eyes, leaning back in the air as she floated. "I'm sure her dying helps me in many ways when I disappear with her."
Adora listened to what her reflection had to say, keeping the open minded as she continued her conversation. "And why should I trust you now of all times? First you tell me about some portal thing he's working on that benefits us more, then you try to say there's something wrong with the voices in my head. And the part where I believe you is where? It's not like you have anything to prove it."
"Because Shadow Weaver told me herself!"
*clang!*
All at once, everything around Adora dropped. The sword in her hands, her expression, her arms. Aroda was actually more surprised by the announcement as she blinked, leaning herself forward as she stared curiously at the magicat.
"Whoa. I, honestly, did not see that coming..." She muttered.
"S... Shad... Shadow Weaver..." Adora practically gulped as the bile rose to her throat. "Shadow Weaver... told you?" Adora looked back, distraught. "What do you mean she told you? How?"
"You... You didn't know?" Catra was taken back, a little surprised with this. Given everything the two have been through together, she didn't think Shadow Weaver would've left Adora's side without informing the girl in some way, even if she did betray her somehow.
"Answer me!" Adora yelled, grabbing her by the collar of her vest. "How did she tell you? When did she tell you?" Catra's eyes narrowed as the girl glared back to her. She didn't know what was going on at the moment, and she didn't care. If Adora was going to believe her for a change, she had to confess.
"How do you think, Adora? Shadow Weaver came to me in Bright Moon."
"Ah-!"
*ka-thump*
Everything became silent to Adora as she backed away at this, with only the sound of her own beating heart drawing to her ears. The girl was beyond expression, beyond words as she lifted her head, staring at the ceiling as her fingers twitched at her side.
"Shadow Weaver... Left me... For you?" She must've heard wrong, she had to have heard wrong. Why else was she believing this completely ridiculous story? Catra had to be lying. "B-But... You said that... That she disliked you... despised you... and she... she still picked you... over me..." Adora dropped to her knees as her hands pressed firmly against the ground.
"Adora?" Catra tried to call over, seeing the girl's shoulder shaking as her head lowered.
She left me... For her... She'd rather be with someone... someone like you... than her own daughter... Adora's eyes refused to blink as the tears pooled at the ends of Adora's eyes, dripping down her cheeks as her face shriveled up.
Shadow Weaver. The person she respected all her life. The person she loved as a mother. The person she regretted betraying after she wanted to use her for her own gain. The person she was going to start warming up to again, and vanished, in the blink of an eye.
First her life. The thing that everyone found most precious to themselves. The thing that was molded and shaped by an individual's actions. The thing that Catra twisted by forcing Adora through so many choices, forced her to commit decisions she would otherwise be appalled with, just for the sake of her own friend that was never with her to begin with.
Her friendship, her relationship, with someone that was like a sister to her. The person she cared about since day one, the person who she was always there for and claimed to be there for her. She used Adora to make her life easier, to use her friendship as a means to an end, every day of their life, and sending Adora spiraling down a discord of mistrust over who and who wasn't her friend.
And now, her mother.
The person who raised her since she was a baby. The woman who taught her how to tie her own boots, wield a combat knife, teach her about the logistics and details over strategy. The person who would tuck her in some nights when she was little.
She wasn't perfect, far from it. She pushed Adora to her limits, she showed disdain towards Catra, a disdain Adora always pushed to rectify between the two. She never accepted anything less than perfection, often at times exhausting Adora and showing disgust at her abysmal efforts that others would find admirable. She was a nightmare most days, and cruel in some.
But she was her's. She was her mother.
And Catra had to take that too.
"Tch... Ghhhh..." Adora slowly lowered her head to the floor as the tears continued to pour from her eyes, unaware as her emotions were flaring up into the shadows under her skin.
"Adora?" Catra called out, hearing the whimpering and sniffling from her ears. "What's wrong?"
"Awww, don't pout so much, Adora." Aroda cooed, kneeling down to the girl's side as she grinned at Catra. "At least you stuck true to your gut and refused to get rid of Catra, just like the first time I told you to. And who knows? Maybe if you're lucky, the next thing she'll take from you for sparing her won't be so bad?" She grinned wickedly as she leaned closer to Adora's ear. "Maybe next time, she'll just take Scorpia along as her new friend..."
"... Tch... Geh... GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Ackkkkk!" Catra choked violently as she felt it clamp around her throat.
In a fit of rage, of sadness, Adora exploded. All behind her from her back, shadow and tendrils burst around wildly, looking for anything and everything to grip and tear apart! They were like wild animals with their own consciousness, all planning to rend and rip anything that came within distance for their own protection.
But none of that amounted to the rage of Adora, or her shadowy hands, as it squeezed around Catra's throat.
"Gcckkkk!" Catra struggled, feeling the grip tightening. "Adoraaa..." She squeaked. Adora refused to listen to her as she glared. She had never been so sickened, so disgusted, with a human, magicat, or otherwise, so much in her life than she had been right now.
Every time she let her go, Adora suffered for it. She took her life, her status, her position, her appearance. And now she had to take something from her. Something precious to her, something irreplaceable. She refused to get rid of her the first time, and this was what happened. What would happen the next time she refused to? Would she lose her home? Her life? Either of those would've been fine, she could deal with those.
But she refused. She refused to lose someone like Scorpia in her life, the one person who's never left Adora's side no matter how spicy things got. The person who was willing to risk her own life just to save hers. If Adora let her go again, she risked losing it forever, and she wouldn't allow it.
So it meant she had to do it right? To cross the one line no one could come back from, right? Who's to say it wouldn't work out for her if she did? If she did, she wouldn't have to think of Catra anymore, or the rest of the Rebellion! They wouldn't come to the Crimson Waste without her anymore, and there wouldn't be anything to stop them from fighting back! And right now, she didn't care about Catra's struggling expression on her face, or the sound of her toes scraping across the ground as she struggled.
She had to die.
"Ad... d-d-dor... ra..." Catra sheepishly said, the pain squeezing out the tears in the corner of her eyes as her vision blurred. What was she doing? Was she serious right now? Was she actually trying to kill her? A part of her new the reality of it, being so obvious that you'd have to be a fool not to notice. The other part of her was baffled, picturing someone, like Adora, doing this to her of all people like this.
"GHHHHHHH..." Adora pressed down on her own teeth as she shriveled a bit, Aroda looking between the two with her arms crossed.
"You know, if you don't get all that stress out now, it's just going to tear away at your appearance again." She reminded, knowing what happened every time something like this happened when she used too much of her powers at once. She may have found a loophole that prevented her from requiring to use the Black Garnet's waning energy to recharge herself, but even she knew if she let something like this continue, there was no going back from the damage it would have on her body. It was already up to her neck now.
There was no saying what would happen or how far the corruption would spread permanently if she choked.
It was becoming harder to breathe, Catra's mind and vision becoming hazy.
She was really going to do this, wasn't she? She was going to kill her like this, right here, right now.
"Ad... or... a..." Her voice softened, a heaviness over her mind as the haze intensified.
"GHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Adora squeezed her eyes, unable to look at her as her life faded in front of her.
"Come on, do it! You're almost there!" Aroda shouted, feeling like the girl was going to choke up. She was close, so close, to relinquishing Catra from her bond with the blade. Aroda's excitement became overwhelming, feeling so close to everything coming together. "Do it! Do it!" With Adora's eyes closed, a part of Aroda's face became distorted by a misty blackness, a third eye appearing over her forehead as she was seconds away from pulling it off, screaming at her in a distorted voice. "DO IIIIT!"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
It was over. It ended. She ended.
Catra breathed profusely as she felt light headed, feeling the air returning to her as her heart started pumping again. The girl was sweating greatly as her lungs filled with fresh air, her muscles relaxing from the tense grip she had around her now-sore throat.
And ahead of her, she saw her.
Adora.
A tearful Adora who looked to be in more distress than Catra had been, the girl panting as a few strands of hair dangled over her eyes.
Aroda could only shake her head at this, her appearance looking normal again to Adora, as she turned away and disappeared into nothingness. "You're pathetic." And when she finally disappeared, it happened.
"Ngh-! Ahhhhhh!" Adora screamed, this time in agony, as she squeezed at her head, tightly.
"A-Adora?" Catra raspilly spoke, her voice a little weak from the lack of breath she had.
The blond was screaming for her life as her mind was assaulted with the influx of shadows coursing through her veins. Everything Scorpia said was true. Every time she refused to let go, every time she let her emotions get the best of her, to sway her, to pull her back from how she once was, she suffered for it. Her shadows manifested within herself, in her veins, as if punishing her, punishing her for her mistake. The mistake of never going through with it, for never acting out how she wanted to. And like every time it did, she suffered for it.
She felt like she was being stabbed by thousands upon thousands of tiny needles through her head at the same time, the shadows rapidly rushing through her veins as they stretched from her fingertips to her forehead in mere seconds compared to normal. All the emotions she held back, all the power she quickly withdrew to stop herself from going through with it, had lead to this, lead to her suffering some more.
All for Catra's sake, after everything she's done for her.
And with it, came the rotting, the aging, as it spread. She didn't know how far it was, only that she could feel it. From however much was around her neck previously, a part she managed to keep hidden, she was incapable of keeping this part hidden, incapable of holding back the pain it brought as it spread throughout her.
At long last, for possibly the longest single minute of her life, the pain subsided, and Adora huffed, lowering her head again as she panted. She had given up the one chance to be happy, the one chance to start over for good, because she was weak. Because she wasn't strong enough to go through with it herself.
At long last, she lifted her head, glaring daggers of tears and frustration at Catra as the magicat let out a gasp, seeing Adora's spreading corruption.
"A-Adora, your... your face..." Catra was at a loss of what to say.
Half her face was now inflicted with the mark of corruption, the rotting, the aging, as the corruption took over the right half of her face. Save for her eyes and hair, it did nothing to leave a part of her undone, as everything from the right half of Adora's torso to the top of her head, was aged. A century? Maybe two? It didn't matter. Now everyone would see the mark on Adora's face, less she wore a mask or something.
A Mark of Hate.
With the corner of her mouth still twitching from anger, unable to stem the flow of tears, Adora pulled back the sword on the ground with her own shadows as she began to head for the door.
"Adora? Adora, wait!" Catra called out, grumbling as she tried to free herself to no avail.
Adora waited all right. She stopped in front of the door, needing to tell Catra something personally. "Thank you, Catra." She spoke, Catching the girl's attention. She looked back at her with a heavy, pained, heart and a despairing look on the right half of her face. "Thank you, for reminding me why I hate you so much..." And with that, Adora opened the door.
The lizardmen were at a loss for words at what happened to Adora's face, none of them brave enough to speak up about her condition, even if it was to help her. Adora didn't care anymore about her look, her appearance. She just kept her head lowered as she pointed to the prisoner. "Bag up the cat. Prepare to leave. Now." She stated. There were no replies from the men as they nodded to her, running to the furious cat who was already squirming, trying to shake them off.
"Hey S-Stop! Stop! Let go of me!" She shouted, looking back to the door as they attempted to bind her for the trip. "Adora! Adoraaaaa!" Adora kept her head down as the door closed behind her, refusing to listen as she sauntered off.
Through the long hallway, her feet echoed as she stepped across the ground, reminding herself of everything she went on this mission for.
To Stop The Rebellion. To Unite Etheria. To Keep Catra From Her Selfish Dream.
None of that mattered anymore to her. She realized the true reason she fought for.
For Hate. For Betrayal. For Her Happiness.
Everywhere she looked, someone or something was taking her happiness and twisting it around. She hated them so much, she hated the Rebellion for all they put her through. She hated the Rebellion for allowing Catra to go through with her selfish dream, never realizing what had transpired recently. Even if she did, she didn't care.
Catra, the Rebellion, continued to make her life miserable. To steal her happiness. To make those she cared about betray her in the end, betrayals that she could never get over no matter how hard she tried. They even took the things they hated that she loved, and turned them against her. And she couldn't do this anymore.
As long as the Rebellion existed, as long as Catra was running around, she would never know happiness. She would never be free. She would always be haunted until the day she died.
Entering the party room again, Adora nearly bumped into the big friend she's come to know and care about. The only person she cared about around here. A care she felt becoming fleeting as she hesitated to let herself get close again, to avoid more pain. A care she wasn't sure about keeping.
All she kept was a fire in her eyes as Scorpia smiled down to her.
"Whoa, easy there Adora. Are you alright?" Scorpia asked, seeing how the girl wasn't even looking at her. Around her, her new companions and allies were cheering at her arrival, preparing to get the party more started than ever before! "...Adora?"
"... Pack up..." She muttered.
"What?" Scorpia almost let out a gasp as she dropped the mug she was holding, seeing the right half of Adora's tear-filled, hate-giving, face. "Adora... Your... Shadows, they're..." Adora barely felt the fever as the shadows were crept along the sides of her skin.
"I said pack everything up!" She yelled, turning to the rest of the room. "ALL OF YOU!" She shouted, her one single voice feeling as of a bomb was going off. While everyone had misgivings about her sudden state, they quickly wrapped up all they were doing, while Adora glared back up at Scorpia with the tears still dripping down her cheeks. "We are going back, Scorpia. We are going to keep fighting for the Horde." Scorpia was heartbroken at the announcement, feeling like whatever piece of Adora she saw coming back to life was dying again right in front of her.
"We are going to summon Hordak's army. We are going to finish the portal, and destroy the Rebellion once and for all." The shadows around Adora's face squeezed even closer to the center of her head, nearly touching as she repressed all the rage building up inside of her.
"And we are going to BURN! THEM! ALL!"
...
...
...
A/N: If the ending didn't give you goosebumps or chills of any variety, you are automatically a liar.
Lol... ehhhhhhh. I wanna say it gets brighter and more colorful from here, but... no. I can't. From here, as many people know, the emotions continue to run higher and the threat levels will only get worse. On a somewhat good bit of news, we are halfway through the season (which feels weird saying that only 3 episodes in XP). I still consider season 3 to be season 2 in all honesty, but even then it doesn't change much.
All I can say is that from here on out, the show gets dark for the next three episodes. With that in mind, be afraid- the show is now GIVING me a reason to make the rest of it dark T_T I am absolutely terrified with what I'll come up with since even I don't know what'll happen until the moment I write it. Be afraid, be very afraid...
Alsooooooo REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT ^^! Leave a like, a fave, a follow, and review if you enjoyed it and hope to see you soon!