Cat-Ra

by Monokub

"If" is such a powerful word. What if the reasonings for our duo were different? What if the personalities of our two favorite females were altered ever-so slightly? And most of all, what if Catra became She-Ra? Currently Season: 4

108. S3 Ep5: A Parting Wish Part 1 Part 1

A/N: Final Word Count: 16.2k Pre-A/N's.

... er.

Ah, feels good to finally be out of that. Hello meat puppets and fellow humans- I mean particular humans, like myself. I am Aroda, your friendly neighborhood... Human... definitely from the same dimension you're from.

Today kicks off the start of one of everybody's favorite episode, the dream world episode! I'll be honest, the writer- I mean IIIIIIIIII, have been struggling to come up with a good scenario that would make the episode more unique and inspiring than the original. Not that anything was wrong with the original, the problem is... well... duh! THEY COMPLETELY COPIED MY IDEA TO BEGIN WITH XD!

In fact, let's go over the lowdown: Waking up in a strange new reality? Check. Having no memory of what happened previously? Check. Waking up in a world where everything is better? Check. Having people and things begin to slowly disappear around your world? Having this all be the result of a technology going awry? Check. Having said world start to crumble around you with a FREAKING WALL OF DEATH DISINTEGRATING EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH!? Annnnnd check.

Seriously, with all the stuff they freaking stole from my fanfic, I am one punch card away from a free sub sandwich for crying out loud XD! In fact, i'll make it easier for people- find something in my dreamworld episode (the one starring entrapta for the first time for those new to this) and tell me if you find something the show DIDNT steal from me XD I swear to god they read my fic's episode and decided to copy it! I mean i'm actually quite flattered, don't get me wrong, but i'd at least like the credit for it XD!

*sigh* Well, with that out of the way and off my chest, let's all take a moment to relish this new reality that is absolutely 100% perfect and have no reason to be suspicious of! Because again, I'm your friendly neighbor Aroda- *checks author name* ... I mean Monokub! And definitely not some bizarre parasite that feeds on power, idk where you come up with that kind of idea ^^

So with that said, enjoy!

...

...

...

It was within the sanctity of the white flash that everything became hollow, still to the falling magicat who was surrounded by a white void. She couldn't describe the feeling going through her senses, other than a falling sensation like she was on the ground yet falling all at the same time. She wanted to reach up to grab something but couldn't see, couldn't feel. All she could do was tremble at the sounds of the last things she heard.

"With this portal... Hordak's army will reach Etheria, and that will be the end of that. Then, with their help... they will take everything you have, Catra. All of it."

She couldn't recognize the familiar voice as she continued to experience her falling sensation. She felt fearful of it for some reason, something she couldn't put a grasp on. Who's voice was it? The more she tried to grab the person behind the voice the farther it felt like she was pushing away, the answer refusing to come to her in her time of need.

All she knew was that it wasn't her own. It was close yet far. It sounded like it was echoing all around her and whispering into her ear at the same time.

"And then... I'll finally forgive you."

That was the moment that made Catra's heart sink for whatever reason. The fear driven to her by the sound of that voice, the anxiety and tension behind all the unknown events that had played. Something bad happened, she was sure of it.

Or was it something good? Something natural? She couldn't tell with everything swarming her emptied mind. If it was so bad then why couldn't she remember it? Was it worth remembering in the first place? If it was she wouldn't have forgotten it, right? So why was she still trying to remember? Why did she feel like it was so important?

And why was she falling?

All around her the blank white void continued to terrify her as she felt something fading away. Flashes of her mind came to an abrupt end as new ones suddenly came out of nowhere. It was like a computer restoring its data to what it once was a week ago, deleting everything new and returning everything deleted or moved back to the way it was.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

She couldn't tell what this feeling was, only that it made her heart continue to race. Every stressful breath came with an increased speed as her heart continued to run rampant throughout the collapsing world around her. The sounds of people strange and familiar to her speaking all around her as they were drained from her ears, seeing the events that lead her to this strange predicament passing on the walls as she fell.

She was falling.

She was flying.

She was both and neither at the same time.

All she knew was that in the end, right as her heart was about to burst, it came to an end with her final scream.

"Nooo!" Catra huffed wildly as she panted, sweat dripping from her head as if she just returned from a trip through a desert like the Crimson Waste... for whatever reason she wanted to compare that too.

*swish*

"Catra, Catra!" A familiar voice called out to her as Glimmer teleported to her side. "Are you okay?" She rubbed the girl's shoulder a little concerned as she saw Catra continuing to stare ahead of herself. Taking a few seconds to collect her breath, Catra continued to breathe heavily as she turned her head, seeing Glimmer in her pajamas checking on her.

"G... Glimmer? Ugh..." The magicat moaned as she rubbed her fingers against her eyes. "My head feels like I fell out of a skiff." Once again, she couldn't figure out how or why she knew said comparison.

"You look like you've seen a ghost. Do you want me to get mom?"

"What? N-No, I don't... I don't think so. I think I'll be fine." Catra relied, shaking her head a little as she continued to rub her forehead.

"Are you sure?" Glimmer asked, easing up a little on her as she leaned back.

"Y-Yeah, I'm sure. Probably just a bad dream or something." She shrugged off. She couldn't remember what it was, what she was screaming about, or why she felt so off. What else could be the reason except for a dream?

"Well... Okay then." With another swish, her pajama-wearing friend disappeared, returning to her bed once more.

Giving her eyes one more rubbed, blinking lightly to herself, Catra pushed aside the thoughts clouding her mind as she lied her head against the pillow again. Something was off to her, more than usual, about all of this. The fact it continued to remain unusual to her bothered her the most, seeing how she couldn't let go of this strange bizarreness surrounding her.

Maybe a good night's sleep would do the trick? Maybe she should actually wake up for the day? Who knows. All that mattered to her right now was trying to get some shut eye and her beauty sleep, hoping that whatever was plaguing her would disappear by morning.

*splash!*

"ACK-!" Catra yelped as she fell out of bed. The very moment her eyelids connected to her face she was assaulted like no other.

Jumping out of bed for dear life, the cat girl was incapable of falling to the floor at her side as she was pelted with, what she could understand, a water balloon. A single water balloon the size of her head, dousing the poor cat from head to hip as her hair shot up on all ends. She felt a rush of cold washing all over her from the sensation as she felt the water sinking into her fur-like skin, shaking her soaking wet mane like crazy as she shot a glare to the air above her.

On the other end of her view, she could see Glimmer, smirking as she covered a bit of her mouth with the tip of her fingers, trying to contain the laughter that she had bottling up inside of her. It didn't take a professor to know who the guilty party was, or who had a death wish for thinking it was a good idea to throw a stupid water balloon at Catra of all people!

"That's for yesterday's prank!" Glimmer chuckled, trying to contain her laughter.

"GLIMMER!" With a roar, the magicat leaped into the air as she charged immediately at the pink wonder who teleported on the spot. Grabbing onto the swinging bed frame, Catra grumbled as she scanned the room, seeing the menace teleporting back to the door of the bedroom, still letting out a fit of giggles before sticking her tongue out at the aggressor.

"Nyeeeeeeh!" She taunted, infuriating Catra further.

"Grrrrr!" Catra's threatening growls did nothing to frighten the young princess as she quickly opened the door, running out of it in a mad dash as Catra jumped from the bed to the doorway, rolling along the ground as she glared in the direction she ran.

"You're so dead when I... when I..." Slowly, the magicat's aggression subsided as she stood herself up straight, blinking at her surroundings. She was outside the hall of the room she slept in. Nothing unusual about that.

What was unusual about all of this was the fact Glimmer was there. Why was she sleeping in her room with her? Better question, as Catra looked around, why did Glimmer have her bed in her room to begin with? It seemed foreign to her in a weird way, like it was normal and strange all at the same time.

The bouts of laughter emanating from Glimmer begin to die down as she stopped, looking back to see Catra staring off into space around the outside of the hall. "Catra?" Catra just shot her a small look for a few seconds before looking around again.

"What... What's going..." She looked down to her own feet at her own words, eyeing the strange pink wrappings around her feet made of wool and velvet. "Why am I wearing slippers?" The girl stood on her right foot as she brought her left foot up, eyeing the strange fabric in detail.

It was soft, comfortable to her feet, and it still made less sense than anything else around here. She could've sworn that-

...

"Ummm Bow? Those are boots." Glimmer pointed out.

"Combat boots!" He corrected with a toothy smile. "Great for long travels, mountain climbing, trudging through the snow, annnnnd, best of all, they don't track mud!"

"Seem kinda hefty if you ask me." Catra commented, smelling the-

...

"Agh!" The confused girl let out a cry as she squeezed her head, feeling like someone was driving a nail through it just now. She felt like both sides of her brain were having a war against each other over who could give Catra the biggest headache right now, pushing against the other for complete dominance. The girl swung her head a little from side to side as she wobbled a bit, biting down on her own teeth while trying to make sense of anything.

"Mooooom!" Glimmer called out as she ran down the leftern hall. She couldn't figure out what was going on with Catra right now, only that, whatever it was, her mom would be the most likely one to fix it.

Opening her eyes again, Catra began to walk backwards through the hallway as she examined her surroundings. As she did, she felt like she saw two intersecting lifetimes crossing over each other, seeing what she was seeing right now with several guards stationed throughout the hallway at attention, and a transparent lifetime where guards were pacing in the hallway. The latter view of it is what troubled her the most, seeing it becoming more and more transparent to her surroundings before it disappeared.

That was when she saw something along the hall the caught her eyes, something that made the slit of her cat eyes narrow further than ever before.

It was her. A picture of her.

A picture of her hanging on the wall as a kid- no. She must've been a baby. Maybe one-and-a-half or nearly two, being held gently in Queen Angella's arm as she smiled to the picture. The queen was still wearing her usual attire that Catra's known her to as the infant that was Catra was being cradled in a woolen green blanket, one that covered her from the waist down as she slept in Angella's arms.

On the opposite side of her stood another person Catra had never seen before, one that was familiar to her for more than just the memories that were toying with her mind. There stood a stout man with a gold-plated pauldrons over his shoulders that connected at his chest, housing a solid round medal in the middle depicting a bright shining four-pointed star.

The stout man had a thin black goatee over his face, one that looked rugged yet symbolized a type of authority over him, blending in well with his purple cape with a pale blue coloring on the interior. He was wearing the traditional Bright Moon colors of a dark violet to the side of his vest with a more tranquil pink running down the center of it. Tying off his vest at the waist a dark violet sash tied at the middle, one that intensified the purity of his lighter colors.

Within his own hands held a smaller bundle, one that was a little smaller in size yet still housing a creature just as innocent as the one within Angella's arms. In it she saw a familiar tuft of pink hair over the infant's head as it was cradled softly in a light blue blanket, one that covered all save the infant's own face.

Catra could easily tell the smallest figure was Glimmer for sure but... who was the other one? Who was the man in the picture? She felt like she knew it, that she should know it, and for some reason it was bothering her that she should know it!

She was losing her grip on her senses as her mind continued to be swarmed and plagued with thoughts and ideas she couldn't recall, filling her mind as she continued backing away further down the hallway, keeping her mind solely focused on the picture her eyes were glued to.

Something wasn't right. Everything wasn't right! And it was still right at the same time! Why on Etheria was it confusing her so much?!

*thump*

"Oof-!" Catra nearly jumped as she backed into someone, someone she had seen everyday and never as she turned around. It was the man from the picture, the familiar man, the strange man. A man who gave her a simple smile like he's seen her a million times.

"Ah, good morning, sweetheart. You're up rather early this morning." He greeted.

Sweetheart? Catra winced at the sight of the man, unable to figure out what to say for reasons unknown to her.

Seeing this in person for himself, the same man grabbed her gently by the shoulders as concern overcame his eyes. "Are you alright, dear? You look pale. And why is your head all wet-?"

"Ahhhhh!"

*whack!*

"Ow!" Catra couldn't control herself as her mind was on high alert. The culmination of everything that was happening around her was starting to frighten her so much that she was powerless to stop herself from decking the same man in the jaw with a small uppercut, one powerful enough to push the man away a little.

Still in a state of panic as her eyes froze on the sight of the man, Catra ended up tumbling backwards as she fell, crawling backwards through the process as she slowly pulled away from the mysterious familiar man. "G-Get away from me! Who are you?!"

"What? Catra, it's me." The man replied, still looking more concerned than angry about someone who just knocked him square in the jaw a second ago. "What has gotten into you, sweetheart?"

"S-Stop calling me that!" She yelped, scrambling and stumbling a little until she got back to her feet. "What is going on here? What is all this? I-"

"-ting weird since she woke up." It was by the sound of Glimmer's voice that Catra finally looked back, seeing the pajama-wearing princess walking backwards a bit as she pulled her mother by the arm, Angella focusing her eyes on the girl in question as concern came across her. "I think something's wrong with her."

"Catra, are you alright?" Angella asked with a voice of concern as she entered the same hall. Looking from her mother to the girl in question, what Glimmer said might have been the one thing to knock the rest of this mysterious morning out of the park.

"Seriously, what's gotten into you, sis?"

"SIS!? Ugggggghhhh..."

*Thud!*

"Catra!" The three cried out in unison as they rushed to the girl's side as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, passing out, and dropping to the floor. The mysterious man was the first to collect the girl as he leaned her up in his arms, looking worriedly over the unconscious girl as Glimmer arrived second, appearing in a flash of pink as she appeared on her hands and knees before her.

Nothing of the day made sense to the magicat, that was evident. Nothing she did could keep her from passing out, not after all the stress she was experiencing and the disorienting feeling in her mind telling her all of this was right and wrong at once. Whatever was going on around here, she would have to wait until she regained consciousness once again, all while the rest of her family gathered at her side with worry.

And Glimmer fearing the most.

"I swear, I just put water in it!"

...

...

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.

...

...

"Mmmmh..." Adora squeezed her eyes tightly as she continued to toss and turn, mumbling quietly to herself as a strange wave passed over her head. She felt lost in confused despite being unconscious, resting peacefully in a bed of her own.

"As soon as Entrapta starts up that machine and he gets his army, he's going to execute me on the spot."

"Adora..." A voice whispered to her as a shadow loomed over.

She hadn't a care in the world in her state as she snoozed, drifting off to dreamland like there was no tomorrow, or yesterday, for that matter. Her eyes twitched around the corner as she felt something was off, felt something coming to her that she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe it had to do with the fact she was already sleeping? Then again, it wouldn't explain why she was aware of it at the same time.

"Adoraaa..." The voice whispered again, this time slowly giving a poke to her shoulder.

Adora continued to moan as the irritation grew within her blank mind, the sounds of voices drifting in and out of her wavering consciousness as she tried to process any and all around her. She wanted to open her eyes, she felt like she needed to open her eyes.

"T-That's outrageous."

As the drifting semblance of reality slowly settled in around her, Adora found herself within a dark place. She was surrounded by darkness as far as the eye could see, but could see herself and her limbs as clear as day. It was like a spotlight was looming over her to give her such a vision, a light she couldn't see anywhere within her view.

"He said it to my face! He said it was for betraying the Horde, because he was disgusted with how-

All she heard was the still echoing voices of someone calling her name, someone that felt important to her that she couldn't recall. Something about the voice made her fear it and welcome it all at the same time. Somehow, that detail made her fear it even worse.

That was when she saw it. A strange darkness in the darkness that was more noticeable than the previous darkness. One that had a strange wave to it, almost an aura. She couldn't put her finger on who it was or what it was, and it was headed right for her. It wanted her to come closer, it was beckoning to her silently as it left her trembling with anticipation.

In the end, it ended with a scream, as the mysterious shadow approached. The last thing she remembered before waking up with a scream was a horrifying glowing eye from the shadow, one that engulfed her every being as she was quickly consumed by shadow.

"AdOrA!"

"CATRA-!"

"Ahhhhh!" The startled scream that followed did nothing to distract Adora from her panting exhausted state. The girl looked so distraught over her spontaneous wake-up call that she didn't register anyone else within the room save for herself.

Panting, wheezing, she looked just about ready to have a heart attack, to fall back into an eternal slumber in which she would never wake up from.

"Adora, Adora!" A friendly voice spoke to her worriedly, shaking her shoulder in comfort.

Blinking, giving her head a good shake, she looked to the person on her right to recognize the friendly face she was always happy to see, as well as confused by. "Scorpia?" She questioned, acting as if they had just met for the first time.

"Um... yeah?" Scorpia replied in an equally questionable tone, giving a small wave with her dainty claws. "Good morning."

"Morning? What- Agh!" Adora could barely get the third word out before her head was assaulted with a strange flash of darkness. It came as quickly as a memory tried to surface to her head, blocking her off from every angle, making her wonder if there was anything to remember or block off to begin with.

"Adora?" Scorpia said worriedly again, patting her head. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." Pulling the hand from her head, Adora looked at her right hand, squeezing and opening it like as if she was testing it out. "Just a... bad dream, I guess?" Why did her hand feel strange to her? It was a hand.

Enough said.

It flexed, it bent, it grabbed, it held, it did every single thing a regular hand could do. And look! All five fingers were across her naturally flawless skin as it usually was. For some reason it made her smile as she looked at her nails, feeling as if she hadn't seen them in quite some time.

"I'll say. You've been tossing and turning for the last hour." Scorpia commented, leaning an arm on the bed as she sat with a smile. "I could barely sleep."

"Heh, yeah, well-" Adora paused as she looked to her again. "Wait, sleep?" It was at that time that Adora scanned the vicinity of her room for herself. It looked completely different to the bunkrooms she was normally used to. Why, it actually looked like a genuine bedroom, all things considered. It had a mirror, sink, personal bathroom the next room over, and so forth. "Where did... Where are we?"

"Um... our room?" Scorpia replied in a questionable tone as if it was a trick answer. "Where else would we be?"

"Our's?"

"Y-Yeah. Why else would there be a top bunk?" Scorpia pointed out with the tip of her claw, directing Adora's eyes to the bed fifteen feet above her own. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should get a little more shut-eye or-"

"What? No, no, no, it's fine, it's fine, I just..." Adora swung her legs over the side of her bed as she rubbed her frontal lobe in a circular motion. "Just got a little lightheaded. It's better now, it's better."

"Hmm..." The scorpion girl poked her chin in curiosity as she pondered, trying to deduce what was possibly wrong with her roommate. Of all the nights she's ever woken up, all the time she's known Adora for, not once could she recollect a single morning where she woke up so strangely like this. "... If you say so. By the way, why were you thinking of Princess Catra?" Scorpia asked scratching her head.

"Princess... Catra?" The name rang with her mind like she heard it before, knew it from a different period of time.

"Yeah, you screamed her name when you woke up just now."

"O-Oh... I... I don't know." Adora shrugged at the name as she tried to figure out what was right and wrong about all this. "I guess she was the one causing my nightmare?"

"I guess so." Her friend accepted easily. "It's pretty easy to get nightmares about the leaders of the Rebellion, especially of their children. Most of the young kids get nightmares of them every month trying to devour them and everything."

"Yeah... It sounds like them all right." She didn't want to say she assumed, but she didn't feel quite right about it either.

What was bothering her? Should something be bothering her? She couldn't tell. She just felt like, for whatever reason, all of this was... different, than it used to be. Like the picture on her nightstand next to the bed, the fact she had a nightstand bothering her just as much, it felt like everything was... supposed to be, and not to be, all at the same time.

"What's this?" Adora asked curiously, examining the picture in her hands.

The picture was... everything she's seen before. So why did she just ask that question?

It showed a picture of Adroa as a kid surrounded by several other kids, all smiling at the camera as a familiar Shadow Weaver stood in the background, resting her hand proudly on the back of Adora's head. What was curious about the image were the two discernible features to her: the sight of the small badges they were all wearing a promotion badge proudly on her sleeve. The second discernable portion was the familiar friend standing next to her.

It was a friend she could count on to always be by her side, one that was far different from the other kids, yet posed no sort of problem to someone like Adora. She was a person she could count on to always be by her side, to always cheer her up when something brought Adora down. And she continued to remain by her side to this day. Who was the mysterious figure that was always by her side?

Why, Scorpia, of course! Who else would have that familiar pair of claws wrapped her neck like that? The familiar young friend was as cheerful as she always was, back in the day when she let her hair stretch a little to her neck. It was the kind of look that assured everyone of the friendly nature tucked away within her heart, as well as how she would always be there for her friend.

"Oh, that's the picture we had after everyone got their promotional badges." Scorpia answered, smiling.

"Our promotional badges?"

"Yeah, don't you remember? You blew all other records out of the park. You were the fastest kid in there!"

"I was?"

"Yeah! I think it was... Ah! Yeah, your record came to under five minutes! You didn't let anything stand in your way." Her friend congratulated as she pat her on the back.

"Held... back..."

...

"Ha! I beat you! In your face!"

"Hahaha! I let you win, don't be ridiculous."

"Suuuuure you diiiiid, I believe you. Don't worry, Adora. When I leave you in the dust from now on, I'll be verrrry patient and wait for you, all the way at the finish line, every day."

"You didn't even come in first, you came in second!"

"Well you know, the second is always the best. And that's still two more places higher than yours, slowpoke!"

...

-ra? Adora? ...Adora!" Scorpia yelled, trying to bring her friend back to whatever reality she hailed from.

"What?" Adora blinked as she came to again, feeling a small memory flash in her mind that was completely erased as she recalled it. Whatever memory was erased from her coreceps must've proved unimportant to her, because the next thing she knew, she was smiling.

"Oh, I remember now!" She stated proudly, Scorpia smiling at the sight of her friend's wide grin as she stood from the bed. "I helped everyone practice with the track together! We all trained for a week, and- Eek!" Adora let out a sudden shriek of surprise as she felt herself being lifted off her leg. The next thing she knew, she was smiling down to a smiling-up Scorpia as the taller girl held her atop her right shoulder, holding her up proudly like a kid.

"You managed to bring the entire class's best record to under eight minutes!" Scorpia chirped. "The instructor was so proud of everyone for breaking a new class record, and Shadow Weaver was proud of you for pulling it off and getting the best score in the class!"

"Hahaha!" How could she forget such a thing like that? It was an amazing day for her! Just one small part of her natural everyday life here. She couldn't help but giggle as Scorpia hopped her up for a short while as she spun in place. She came to a stop as the two looked into the full length mirror on the wall next to the door, seeing the two reflections smiling back to them.

"There's no one better than my BFSC." Scorpia smiled as she hopped Adora off her shoulder gently.

"BFSC?" Adora raised a brow at.

"Best Friend Since Childhood? We've known each other since we were kids. You came up with the name yourself, ya goof." Her friend chuckled, giving Adora a playful poke at the shoulder. Her smile softened a it as she scratched the back of her head with her claw. "I admit, I was bit nervous at first, you know, being a princess and all that. But I'm glad you didn't let that bother you, and that I got to train with you growing up since I wasn't required to."

"Why would it bother me? You've been a friend to me for years. I wouldn't let something like that get between us." Adora smiled back, earning a small faint blush from the big scorpion.

"Now come on and get ready for the day. We've got a lot to do. And you don't want to keep Hordak waiting too long." Her friend was so giddy for some reason that she couldn't keep herself from running through the from door. Adora smiled to her as she left before getting a good look at herself in the mirror.

Everything was perfect about her life, like it always was, and she couldn't fully understand why. And for some reason, she didn't care.

She had a great friendship with someone like Scorpia, along with all her other friends, she was at the top of nearly all her classes physically and mentally, she had an outstanding record she earned, courtesy of her flashy Force Captain's badge, and so much more. Life was perfect, and that's all that mattered to her, all that should matter to her.

... So why wasn't it? She felt like something was off, like everything was off. Was it the way she woke up this morning? Was it all in her head and just her brief headache playing tricks on her? Yeah, that must be it. If this wasn't her life then why was she so happy with it? Why did it feel like everything was perfect because it was meant to be?

She must've been imagining things. She was imagining things! She knew who she was, she knew what her life was truly like.

Her name was Adora, proud Force Captain of the Horde and commander of Hordak's army. She lead her soldiers as she saw fit in a system that worked without any complications or moral issues, uniting everyone under one banner across the world. Only a few people were ever capable of such a magnificent feat, and this was one of hers!

Her eyes were hers, her clothes were hers. She represented the best of the Horde she knew and loved, and admired everything she saw in the mirror, including her reflection!

Specifically, the one standing behind her shoulder.

"Hey, Adora."

"Wah-!" Adora yelped for dear life as she quickly turned around, backing up into the mirror. Adora panted heavily as she stared at the nobody staring back at her, seeing neither hair nor hide of the second reflection she saw in the same mirror.

She didn't know who it was, why it was, or how it was that she saw someone who looked exactly like her standing from behind. Thinking there might've been a possible trick involved, Adora glanced back at the mirror to double check, finding a sense of relief as she sighed. There was no one there staring back at her, no other reflection to greet her except her own.

"I really am losing it here..." Adora muttered to herself as she scratched her head.

"Hey, Adora," she turned her head to the direction her friend was calling from, "are you ready yet?"

"Coming." Adora replied with a polite smile. With one last look to the mirror to make sure of herself, Adora gave her smiling face a simple nod to herself before running through the doors, eager to catch up with her stinger-tailed friend.

Unaware of the mysterious shadow that passed through the mirror.

...

...

To the right they were staring at her.

To the left they were staring at her.

Traversing down the hallway with Scorpia at her side, she was met with all eyes and ears of every guard and soldier she met. The way they were staring at her was rather strange, even for all the strangeness she's felt this morning. It was like they were... appreciative of her, more than usual. They were all greeting her with a casual likeness, waving and whatnot, and she could've sworn they were smiling behind the helmets she couldn't see past.

"Look, it's Adora."

"It's really her!"

"Whoa, it's Adora!"

Passing a small group of several whispering guards, one of which was a green lizard if the scales and tail were anything to go by, they all gave her a dignified and respectful salute for the short walk past them. Some of them looked a little giddy at seeing her with the small amount of trembling going on with the shorter one's legs. When she looked back to see them, they were all cheering at her name, two of them high-fiving and another guard giving her a round of applause out of nowhere.

'Woohoo!"

"We love you, Adora!"

"She actually saluted back to me!"

"This is the greatest day of my life!"

"Okay, I definitely hit my head or something the other day." Adora commented rubbing her head once more. "Why are they all staring at me like that?"

"Haha, like you don't know?" Scorpia chuckled back. "The Kingdom of Plumeria? The Kingdom of Snows? Ring any bells?"

"The Kingdoms..."

...

-as she saw through the tiny, unimportant, strands. "We... We offered them peace! Assistance! We gave them a chance to join us!-"

Adora kneeled down as she took a small cloth from her dress, prepared from every occasion. "Here." She offered. Still questionable on it, Frosta allowed her to place the cloth gently against her cheek, wincing a little from the sting as it was applied to-

...

"Ngh..." As quickly as it came did it disappear, Adora's eyes opening a little wider as she remembered the details. "Oh, yeah! I remember now! I managed to convince their kingdoms to join the Horde!"

"Oh, I remember now~" Scorpia mimicked with a teasing tone. "You're such a goof. Like you would forget anything like that-"

"Adora!" Before either of the two could question the greeters, they found themselves surrounded by at least eight young cadets around seven to ten in age, all rushing up to her and eager to greet her with a look full of happiness.

"Miss Adora!"

"Wow, it's Adora!"

"Hi, Adora!"

"Can we get an autograph?" One of the brown-haired cadets asked, followed by several more kids holding up small notepads for her to sign.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Behind the group of kids, all attention shifted to the blue-skinned and buff commander that finally caught up to them, giving a small puff of air from the exhausted five-minute run they put him through. "How many times do I have to tell you kids? You can't just run up to Hordak's First-in-Command like that!"

"First in-"

"...Very well, Force Captain Adora. You will have the opportunity to prove yourself to me as my-"

"I don't mind." Adora smiled to the excitable children as she began signing one notepad after the other with the small black marker they provided. "After all, how can I say no to a bunch of eager young faces?"

"Yaaaaay!" The children cheered, smiling even brighter as they received their autographs.

"You're too good to these kids, commander." The instructor commented, grinning as he crossed his arms. "Then again, I guess that's why you can manage the impossible. I still can't understand how you pulled off such an amazing feat."

"Well, you know," Adora shrugged as she handed back the last autograph, "a little decency can go a long way."

"Apparently so. Alright, Cadets, you got to see the commander. Now let's hop back to the track field, we've still got five laps to warm up with."

"Okay!" The kids happily obliged as they followed their commander, some of them mumbling and whispering about how cool they thought Adora was, some of them waving back for a last time.

"I'll never understand why I'm so popular with the kids." Adora said as she turned back to her friend, Scorpia sharing the same look of curiosity on her face.

"Heh, I'll say." She replied as the walk continued. "You must be the second coolest person in the entire Fright Zone."

"Second, huh?" Adora smirked with hands at her hip. "And who would number "first" be? You?"

"What? Of course not, don't be silly... I was ranked 16th on a chart the soldiers made. I was talking about Mr. Stud over there." Scorpia directed with her stinger, pointing further down the wall for Adora's pleasure?

"Oh, yeah? And who exactly is Mr. Stu-" Adora stopped as her jaw dropped.

Further down the hallway she could see him, the so-called "Stud" in question. Given his appearance and overall physique, it was no surprise why people called him Mr. Stud, or the fact he currently had nearly a dozen female guards and soldiers hounding him as crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

With a pale blonde hairdo, sleek black glasses like a motorcyclist, a black leather jacket with a bit of white along the edges of the leather, and chewing on a toothpick, he appeared to be the epitome of cool and the master of all that was awesome.

He had the appearance of someone who listened when he chose to listen, not the kind of person who listened because he had to. If someone approached him to admire him, he would ignore them without a care in the world, somehow making him more cool. One could tell he was loving the attention given to the king of awesome no matter how much he insisted otherwise.

One could even think that if you stepped right next to him and he gave you a wink, a grin, or a thumbs up, you would die from an overflowing pool of awesome."

"Eeeek! I can't believe it's him!" Adora could hear the girls surrounding him say.

"You're so awesome!"

"Please marry me!"

"Ladies, ladies, please," the stud said, lowering his glasses a little with a cheeky grin, "there's plenty of me to go around for all of you. Especially, you~" It was at that time Adora got to witness his power herself as he winked to one of the adoring fangirls. In an instant, the girl let out a gasp of pure relief before throwing a hand to her forehead and her chest, passing out on the spot as she fell backwards.

Nobody bothered to catch her.

"Wow... He's a smooth sailor, isn't he?" Adora commented, crossing her arms as she and Scorpia continued to watch.

Scorpia let out another small chuckle as she kept her eyes on the stud. "Yeah, Kyle's always been the cool rebel around here."

"... I'm sorry, what?" Adora misheard her. There could be no doubt about that. "Did you just say... Kyle?"

"Well who did you think that was? You should know him better than anyone seeing how you trained with him and some of the others growing up." She reminded, unaware of her friend's partial disbelief as she stared back at the stud of legends.

"T-That's... Kyle?!" She was kidding. Someone was playing a prank on her. It had to be one of those many options because nothing else made sense to her! "B-But that's impossible! He's... He's...!"

"He's what, Adora?"

...

"Hey, Adora!" A familiar voice greeted from behind.

"Huh- Oh. Hi, Kyle." Adora greeted back with a small wave. If there was one place you could expect to see Kyle in once every couple of months, it would be the infirmary around here. Like usual, he was being escorted with Rogelio's help, the lizard helping the unlucky soldier walk with-

...

"... I don't know?" Adora blinked as she stared off at the living stud with confusion.

Why did she feel like something was off about him? She knew Kyle, of course that was Kyle! He was always the one who tried to show off in front of class even when it hurt him, he wasn't afraid of any obstacle course that came to him no matter how dangerous it looked, and, somehow, he always knew how to finish the course with a sense of style to it.

He was nothing short of cool and nowhere near the line of a loser. It was almost insulting to say the word "loser" and "Kyle" in the same sentence, he was that awesome! It made her question her own foolishness of why she didn't remember that detail on the spot.

"Are you sure you're okay, Adora? Maybe you should go back to bed, I can tell Lord Hordak you're not feeling well-"

"What? No, no, it's fine, really." Adora insisted as she began walking ahead of her. "I can handle Hordak on my own. Really."

"Um... okay, then?" Something felt a little off to the red girl as Adora said that. Like she wasn't fully sure of herself that Adora was sure of herself, and she didn't know why. "Well, anyway, you go on ahead and we'll meet up in the locker rooms later. I gotta talk to you about something private."

"You didn't want to talk in our room about it?" Adora pointed out with a little confusion.

"N-No, it's fine! We can talk in the locker room! It's- ehh... something I have to show you!" Scorpia replied nervously, beginning to walk backwards as she waved her claws peacefully.

"Are you sure? I thought you just said it was private, so why-"

"O-Oh, would you look at the time?" Scorpia interrupted, looking around her left wrist. "Aww darn it, is it that time already? Gee, I guess I better go!"

"Scorpia, you don't wear a watch-"

"Great! see ya later!" Scorpia said with a small blush, hastily running down the hallways before she could get anymore caught up in her excuses. Scorpia was hiding something. It was plain and simple for Adora to see. And all the same, it just made her smile without a care in the world as she paced herself to Hordak's inner sanctum.

Everything was perfect around her own little world, a world that she was helping to make better than before. Scorpia was still the same old self goofy self, all the soldiers and guards she passed near were admiring the sight of her almost as much as Kyle, which still felt a little weird to say for some reason, and everyone was happy to see their respectable commander in action.

It made her wonder a little why she thought everything was strange around here to begin with. Why would she think something was out of place around her everyday life? Better question, why would she want to change everything if it was perfect to begin with?

Everywhere she looked, everyone was smiling at her or one another, the way it should be. Okay, so maybe she couldn't exactly see all the smiles around her with everyone wearing a helmet and stuff, but she could tell they were happy. From their movements, from their reactions, everything seemed to be perfect about her life.

Even Mr. "Stud" back there, being admired by his eight-... by his seven admirable fans, she could tell that everything was all right.

...She could've sworn there were eight before...

...

...

"Nghhhh..." Catra pinched between her eyes as she sat the the edge of, what she still couldn't process, her parents bed.

This entire morning had been a bizarre wake-up call to deal with for reasons she couldn't understand. Why was she so bothered by everything that was surrounding her? She knew these people and she... cared? About them. And why wouldn't she? She was, after all, the daughter of King Micah and Queen Angella. There was nothing out of the normal besides that.

Okay, so maybe everything within Etheria was abnormal, but not to the same extent.

As the magicat continued to recover her father stroke her mane soothingly, like he always did whenever she was stressed, as he sat to her right with a bit of concern. The very same concern could be seen on Glimmer's face as she sat beside her father on the other end, looking at Catra until their mother finally appeared through the door.

"Here, sweetie." Angella said as she offered a warm cup to the slightly-disoriented feline. "This should help you relax."

Catra accepted the strange drink without hesitation, feeling like she could trust Angella with whatever she gave her as she took a brief sip.

"Blech-!" And immediately regretted it as she let out a minor choke-like cough, wiping away her mouth with her left arm as she handed the drink a little forcefully back into Angella's hands. "No thanks! That stuff tastes nasty." She coughed.

"Really?" Angella replied with reluctant surprise as she examined the drink herself. "You always said it was your favorite tea?"

"Tea? Since when do I drink..." Catra slowed down in her minor rant as she focused more on the taste in the back of her throat. Come to think of it, the more she focused on the taste of the drink, brushing her tongue along the gums of her mouth, she actually started to get more of a sense for the flavor of it.

It had a strange warmness to it that felt soothing as it went down her throat, brought in with the fresh scent of strawberries that wafted up to her nose as she could smell her own breath a little. Going over the taste of her drink once more over with her tongue, her ears lowered. It felt a bit embarrassing to admit it, as to why she couldn't comprehend, but the more she thought about how it actually tasted a little good, the sooner she found herself swiping it back out of her mother's hands.

Without skipping a beat, the girl began to down the drink through her throat as quickly as she could, to the surprise and amusement of her parents as Angella took a seat right next to the wild princess.

"Are you feeling better, sweetie?" Angella asked comfortingly, resting her hands on Catra's shoulder.

"Ah-!" Catra nearly jumped as she stood away. Her expression drooped a little more with her ears from a sense of guilt as she saw the calm looks of her supposed family growing more concerned by her strange antics. "Eh... I mean... I... I guess... so?" She couldn't stop rubbing her head as she felt like something was scraping to come to surface, a memory of someone she couldn't recall.

"Catra, what is troubling you so much?" The King known as Micah asked, gently taking Catra's hand as he stood. "If something is bothering you, you know you can tell us."

"Yeah, you've been acting really weird since you woke up this morning." Glimmer stated as she stood. "Did you hit your head when you fell out of bed?"

"Glimmer..." Angella muttered, reminding her to ease up after the terrible morning her sister has been through.

"What? N-No, nothing like that, I... I don't know..." Catra examined the room she was in. Despite only seeing their parents room on a handful of occasions she just felt like something in particular was very different about it. "I... Ugh, none of this makes any sense."

"What doesn't, dear?"

"This, all of this!" Catra groaned, examining the parts of her that made her different to begin with. "I mean I'm still," she double checked to make sure she had a tail, which she did in a sense that didn't relieve her, "you're all still... I'm completely different from the rest of you. I can't be your daughter."

For the first time, both her parents looked at her with relative surprise, somehow seeming more understanding of this detail than everything else she's said so far. The surprise didn't come from the fact they understood it came from, well, a look of regret. Confusion. Like they were fully aware of the fact that she wasn't their real daughter and still accepted her for some reason.

"Um, sis?" Glimmer spoke raising a curious brow. "We kind of know that."

"Y-You do?" Catra was taken back a little by the casual reply. For a second there, she thought they were going to completely deny her claims in an instant. "You're aware of it?"

"Of course we're aware of it, sweetheart, but that doesn't make you our daughter any less." Micah assured, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Catra was a little uneasy with all of this. All these strange emotions she was having all this "daughter" stuff. It felt a little unusual to the girl, like they were getting everything backwards.

... And she didn't entirely mind it.

"Yeah! We've been raised together since we were babies. I don't know what else that would make us except for sisters." Glimmer smiled, taking Catra's hand.

Still a little unsettled by all of this, the girl took a step back, gently sliding her hand out of the girl's grip as she brought her cuffed hand to her heart. "I... I don't..."

"Wait." Angella said flatly. Walking up from the bed, the three family members watched her as she made her way to her personal dresser, rummaging through one of the various drawers within the center of it. The Queen smiled a little warming to herself as she pulled out a small picture frame from the farthest drawer to the right, bringing over the eager item for her daughter to see in all its glory. "Catra, do you remember this? From the first time we talked about this?"

"This?" Catra tilted her head in confusion as she accepted the picture as King Micah smiled behind her, gazing down at it.

It was a picture she wasn't... was familiar with as she examined it closely. Within the picture she saw about a dozen or so of the family's soldiers and guards at the side of the illustrious King and Queen who saluted with respec. All the while the two proud royal family members were smiling at the camera naturally, standing side by side with a sense of pride on their faces.

And in their arms.

Within their arms they held a small green bundle, one that Catra was sure was herself, if any of the royal paintings around here were any helpful indicators of that. She looked a little bit smaller in the picture than the paintings on the wall, possibly implying it was a few months earlier before the picture was made. There wasn't even that much of a goatee to him at all, barely a peach fuzz to his face. As for the Queen, she didn't resemble any difference than she had today. Then again, when you were dealing with an immortal que- mother, it wasn't surprising.

And between both their arms is the pride and joy that the two parents had come to love as one of their own, cradled in a soft green blanket that eagerly reached up to touch the mother's face with a giggling smile to their expression. To anyone, it could've been any other cat girl that one could jot down to an average magicat, but to someone like Catra, the blue and yellow eyes were unmistakable.

All of this, all of them, were surrounded by a jungle on all sides, save for the forefront of the clearing that this picture took place in.

"It certainly does bring back memories." He commented, smiling to Angella as he placed a hand on both, her and Catra's shoulder in each hand. "It was the day we officially became a family, sweetheart."

"When we... became a family?" Catra questioned with the turn of her head. That sounded strange to her on a number of levels. What did they mean by family, what was it meant to be a part of one? More importantly, how exactly did they "become" a family on the spot? If she was born naturally then she should've been a family immediately, right?

"Yes, Catra." The Queen said softly with a comforting smile. "When we became a family, the day we found you on Beast Island..."

...

...

The King and Queen recalled their time shortly after the arrival to Beast Island about 3 hours in. The trip alone through it has been hazardous and wrought with terrible creatures which proved challenging alone even with the near hundred guard/soldier dispatchment helping the King and Queen navigate through the island.

About eight miles in, they set up a base camp with various tents tucked away between a creak with an enchantment displayed over the camp to leave the encampment invisible to the naked eye.

"I want hourly updates on all proceedings." Micah ordered to another pair of guards as he stood at a small war table. He was currently occupied within the largest of the tents within the vicinity, one meant to discuss strategy and procedure throughout their time on Beast Island. "Make sure everyone is aware that they are not to leave the camp without several men with them at all times. It's too dangerous to explore on their own."

"Yes, sir!" The duo replied with a salute, taking off with haste to relay their orders.

With more space to voice his thoughts, the king sighed as he crossed his arms. "I really hope the rumors of a Horde establishment around here proves false."

"I can only imagine what terrible experiments they could unleash on Etheria if those labs prove to be true." Angella commented, flattening out the corners of the map as she surveyed the area.

While it did bring him some comfort to be surrounded by the one he loves, the king was a little dismayed at her presence around the table as he took her hand in comfort. "I really don't want you here, darling." He said, giving a soft kiss to her hand. "You know the island is wrought with danger. I couldn't possibly imagine if our precious Glimmer was raised in this world without her parents, let alone a mother."

"I know, Micah," Angella replied with a soft smile back, "but if those rumors prove to be true, then nowhere in Etheria would be safe. Their creatures could easily navigate and surround Bright Moon in minutes through the Whispering Woods. And who knows what other dangers they could be experimenting with."

As Micah was about to voice his complaint further, he was interrupted by the sound of a guard panting in a haste towards them. "Huff... Y-Your... Huff... Your majes... huff..." The guard couldn't have ran less an two miles straight to be as exhausted as he appeared.

"Calm down there, take a deep breath. Just relax and tell us what you have to report."

"Huff.. S... Sorry... my squad just outran a beast to get here... huff... Ahem." With his lungs cooled off from the humid air, the guard gave a short salute to his king and queen. "Sir, Your Highness, we've just received intel that a village was discovered not two miles east of here, sir." The two royals turned to each other with surprised at the announcement as they looked back.

"A village? There were no reports of any civilizations around here."

"At least not the reports that came back to us." Angella felt a pang of unease at the mention. "We should inspect the village ourselves to determine if the locals are friendly and can assist us, or hostile and support the Horde."

"I... I don't think that'll be an issue, mam." The guard murmured, shifting his eyes away mournfully.

"Why's that?"

"Well, eh... Ahem. The Head Guard thinks it would be easier to just show you."

Micah rubbed his chin at the thought, contemplating the surveillance of the island they had with what he already experienced. "Hmm... I wouldn't advise taking an unnecessary risk... but if something's happened to it, perhaps it could shed some light over the situation we're dealing with. Gather a handful of your finest men and prepare to escort us both. I won't be leaving my wife behind or alone to investigate herself."

The Queen in question gave the king a playful look at this. "Don't trust me to explore the woods on my own, dear?"

"In a forest of dangerous animals on your own?" He chuckled back. "Sure. Letting you go off on your own in a harmless forest? Of course not."

As the King had foreseen, the trip through the island was, indeed, perilous. Poisonous plants stalked every corner of the island along with a handful of insects that were poisonous to so much as touch, let along sting you. They found it quite fortunate that the trip to the village was otherwise peaceful, a fortune that couldn't be shared with their arrival.

The arrival of the large town seemed to be simple in nature but was desecrated and burned in every direction. The queen and king looked on in horror at the destruction that greeted their every turn, tuning the cryptic sense of dread that had already filled their soldiers and guards.

Many a building were smashed, some only partly, others wholly, as well as the towers that stood along the large gates of the city, half of them looking like something crashed into them and tore them apart with bare fangs. Those that weren't burnt to the ground had a clear indication of an attack with the blast marks that covered some of the holes of the architecture, though by whose hands they had yet to determine completely.

The one key detail that truly stood out from the rest was the lack of people- alive or dead. There were various footprints from men and beast alike throughout the proceedings, but no signs of blood or stains of people left behind. Not that there would be any reason for said individuals to stay behind, given the state of the village anyhow. There was little to no food among the dozen wooden stalls, no source of clean water with the various wells destroyed, and the walls along the establishments have all but been torn down.

To think that anyone lived here, so much as used to live here, was almost breathtaking to behold.

"My goodness... it's awful." The queen feared deeply for the people that once occupied these various walls. "What could've happened here?"

"It definitely has the Horde's handiwork behind it all, but beyond that, I can't say." Micah deemed. The usual signs of the Horde's handiwork were the telltale signs of destruction and mayhem left throughout a village, and the lack of Horde left behind in the chaos. During his brief glance of the village, the smoke still rising over some of the buildings caught his attentive eye. "Whatever happened here must've been recent... Captain!"

"Yes, sir?" The captain replied behind him as he pounded a fist to his chest as a salute, the two guards behind him doing the same.

"Have your men establish a small perimeter around this town. Look for any survivors or anything suspicious. Even the tiniest detail could tell us what happened here."

"Right away, sir!" The captain wasted no time retelling His Majesty's direct orders to the fellow soldiers that followed them, leading them further into the village as well as setting up a small patrol around the vicinity of the large village. The last thing they needed beyond tragic news was the arrival of "unwanted" company.

"I'm going to explore further ahead, perhaps we'll find something." Angella decided as she flew ahead of the group, leaving Micah little chance to voice his opinion.

"Be careful, Angie."

...

Angella spent the next half hour exploring the village on her own, finding many buildings nearly abandoned on the spot. With every pile of rubble she excavated through and observed, she felt another ounce of dread and remorse for the helpless villagers that may have once occupied this village. She couldn't begin to picture the horror on the villagers faces when whatever catastrophe struck drove them out of this remarkable village. She could only hope that the vast majority, if not all of them, managed to escape safely.

She took notice of the structures and architect that appeared to be as modern as the nearby towns of Bright Moon like Thaymor, many times larger in size. With what little she had to gather and observe, it could be suggested that this was a peaceful village, one that knew how to survive off the perils of the island and the beasts that inhabit it.

It made the queen wonder at times how adaptive or cultured the citizens of the island must've been to survive in such a constant state of peril. They were lucky enough to not lose anyone within the first three hours of their time here. She couldn't imagine anyone possibly spending their entire life within this dangerous jungle.

"How many people could have lived here?" The Queen wondered to herself as she rubbed her chin in contemplation. "And where could they have gone?" Perhaps her line of thinking was flawed. If she wanted to discover a way to find these villagers, she would need to figure out how they lived and how they would survive if such an event like this was to occur.

That's when she heard it.

"Waaaaaaahahaaaa!"

"Huh? Hello? Is someone there?" Angella spoke looking around. All of her hopeful optimism must've been pulling tricks on her mind here. Perfectly understandable really, given the circumstances and the cruel state of this village. For a moment there, she actually thought she heard someone's cry, calling out to her for help.

"Waaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

There was no longer any doubt as she gazed out into the open village again. There was someone calling for help, someone very young. "Is that... a child?" She couldn't afford to waste even a second as she spread her wings, taking off through the air as fast as she could to the nearest three-story building. With the sound becoming louder and more clear with each foot, the queen realized what the voice truly belonged to. "No... a baby?"

She couldn't have been imagining it. She didn't want to imagine it if it was truly all alone within this poor, poor village. At the same time, she could only hope that it wasn't within the confines of this dark and dreary place, not after all that befell these structures.

If it truly was here within the village, then perhaps it meant that there were other survivors around the area, people that could tell her exactly what became of the village and its inhabitants. If she was lucky, they could even provide some insight on the rumors of the Horde activities that surrounded this place.

At the very least, it would provide some sense of comfort that this mission wasn't all for nothing.

At last, Angella arrived to the large hole through the third-floor wall of the tall building, entering a small room of the stone structure. All around there was nothing but rubble and torn furniture. Curiously, it was one of the few rooms within the entire village that had some pastel clear colors to their walls, like a child's. And along the corner of the room her ears found the source of the crying buried under a large mound of rubble, one that apparently blocked off the rest of the debris from crushing the source.

"Is anyone there..." Angella muttered as she carefully approached, trying not to disrupt the carefully stacked rubble through the vibrations of her steps. She couldn't afford to be careless and take one giant step that she would regret for the rest of her life, one that would've resulted in the protective piece of rubble crashing down upon the helpless wailer. Reaching the small pile of rocks and debris, the queen carefully pulled apart the protective rubble until she found the source of the cries, and gasped.

Buried under the rubble, deeply protected the large mound two large boulders of rubble covering over her, the queen found a young infant within a slightly broken bassinet, the young figure still slightly bundled up in the protective green blankets that kept her warm. Likely hungry, smelling a little, but beyond that seeming perfectly fine.

Most importantly, she was alive.

"Oh, my goodness..." The queen awed at the sight of the innocent creature as she gently picked her up from the bassinet, still keeping her bundled in the green cloth. The queen gives a small warm smile to the figure as she cradled her in her arms. "What a little angel-"

*crick*

"Hmm? Ahh!"

*crash!*

The child's life was saved in the nick of time and not a moment too soon. As soon as the queen returned to her feet, the protective rubble that once shielded the young infant collapsed in on itself, either through the mere timing or from the queen's sorting. Either way, the queen sighed with relief before smiling back to the crying infant* "There, there, little one. It's alright."

"AHhhhhhhahehehhhhh!" The mysterious child hiccuped for a short while before slowly opening up her small eyes, still crying. During this, tiny, tiny black ears twitched a little, tilting and turning through her cries.

"Oh... what beautiful eyes you have..." The queen cooed at the precious angel bundled in her arms. She reminded her so much of Glimmer, one she missed deeply through all of this, and prayed to see again upon her return.

This child was no less adorable than her own offspring, from the tip of its tiny claws down to its rugged black mane. She had a face full of innocence despite all the sadness surrounding her, and gazed at Angella with fully opened eyes tear-filled eyes. She didn't know what was going on in this village or this world, only that she was fearful with innocence.

"It's alright, little one. You're safe now." Angella smiled warmly to the small figure as she cradled her up to her chest.

"Eehhehhhhehhh!" It was a baby. What could she expect from it other than her cries and wails, the very sounds that still brought a sense of warmth to the queen's heart as she smiled to her.

Looking around the desecrated room, the queen gave off a small frown. To be torn from a world like this, to be born and raised to a young age where you weren't even capable of understanding just how much you lost in your life... it was tragic. Knowing what she had to do, Angella rushed over to the hole in the wall, looking along the ground of the village in both directions. "Micah! Micah!" Angella called out, fluttering down to the ground softly with the infant in hand.

It was during this time that Micah heard the sound of his beloved's voice calling out to him as he continued to sort through the rubble. "Angella? Angie!" Hearing the distress of his wife, the king quickly ran through the village with several guards following closely behind. Luckily, it didn't take very long to find the winged wife further down the village, a process that would've been easier to deal with if she wasn't afraid of flying while carrying the bundle in her arms. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Yes, I'm fine." The queen nodded, much to his relief. "It's just..." Unable to muster the words to tell him herself, Angella slowly unfolded the top of the bundle in her arms, revealing the sniffling, whimpering face for all to see.

The king looked on with the same amount of surprise and hope in his eyes that captivated Angella at the thought of potential survivors within the village. "My word... Where did she come from?"

"I found her in the building behind me, buried under some rubble. Whatever happened to this village, she must've been hidden away from it safely." The queen snickered in her own mind at the thought. This infant was definitely a lucky kitty to have her pile of rubble turn out to be her salvation and protection from all that scarred this village.

"Incredible... Men!" The king called forth to the soldiers behind him as they stood at attention. "Gather a small detachment of soldiers and have them explore the area. Maybe her people are still around here somewhere." Giving a small nod of acknowledgement from his loyal soldiers, the warriors took off as quickly as their feet carried them, leaving two of the king's personal guards at the king and queen's side as they gazed and marveled at the young infant who could barely say a word.

Fifteen minutes had passed since the king gave his commands without a report of good news in sight. Still pacing around the village gates, still waiting for his guards to return, Micah glanced back to his wife as Angella sat upon a small crate of supplies they brought with them, smiling down to the small bundle still sniffling. He knew it reminded her of Glimmer as the queen fawned over it. It did the very same for himself as he smiled to her.

With the time that came to pass, the queen took it upon herself to take care of the child's needs, getting the child properly cleaned and changed as they waited, using a makeshift cloth diaper to wrap around it with the lack of supplies on hand. During said time, she took notice of the small tail the child was also sporting, growing more curious over the infant's mysterious nature and the race it must've originated from.

Everything the queen did with the child, from how she cleaned it, how she cradled it in her arms, reminded her of Glimmer. Thinking back on it, the child was exactly like Glimmer in every regard, save for the animal features she carried with her. The Queen was almost as eager to meet with its people once they showed up, even if she knew it meant parting with her small bundle of joy in the process.

It was at that time, following another few minutes, that the detachment of guards had returned, headed by the royal captain.

"Sir!" The captain saluted upon meeting, Angella looking ahead to the small group with open ears from where she sat.

"Did you find anything?" Micah asked in hopefulness. Sadly, before the captain had even replied, her expression said it all.

"Unfortunately... no, sir." The captain regretted to inform. "There's no traces of anyone else within the village or surrounding it."

"Well then return to camp and have them report their findings. They must've discovered something around-"

"Sorry for interrupting but we did sir." The guard behind the right of the captain apologized, sharing in the sorrow it had to report. "They had the perimeter swept while we were gone within five miles of the encampment. No one's noticed anything... I'm sorry."

Micah wanted to say something, ask anything, that could've turned their distraught emotions back from the brink of the abyss, but when nothing surfaced, he frowned. He could only assume the worse as he looked back to his wife, shaking his head to the tragic information she was already expecting, that she prayed to never hear.

As if the child was aware of its own predicament, the queen lowered her gaze to the crying bundle as its wails continued to surround the village. "I'm sorry, little one." Angella apologized, stroking her cheek softly. "But you don't need to cry, you're safe now." She brought a gentle finger to the child's chin, giving it a miniscule rub as she tickled under it. "It's okay, you'll be alright. Can I get a little smile, hmm?"

"Ehhheheheh...ehehhehh... * Its sniffles weakly subsided as if on command, blinking at the finger under her chin as the queen brought it up to her nose. Staring at it for a bit, her ears slowly started to lift as her eyelids did before she started to giggle, waving her hands around as she tried to catch the perilous finger of tickleness, eventually getting the tip of her nail in her small hands. "Geheheheh!"

"Oooh, you got me. What strong hands you have. Hmhmhmhm~" She chuckled, moving her finger in front of her eyes, circling them. Her giggling was topped off as she saw the infant's small eyes following around them.

It brought Angella such comfort, such warmth, to see a bright and cheery smile in a jungle such as this. Where the wildlife was aplenty with dangerous animals and plants that could consume a fully grown human in a matter of minutes, to see such a smile within a terrible place almost made her forget about the troubles surrounding them at the moment. It almost made her believe that everything surrounding them was alright.

Continuing to the small game of cat-and-finger, the baby's eyes were eventually drawn to the sight of Angella's warm face as she giggled to the winged mother of one. To Angella's delight, to her enjoyment, the infant began to reach for her smiling face, curious over it as her tiny fingers wiggled back and forth in an attempt to reach it. "Ehehhehh!"

The queen was a little surprised before giving a soft smile, raising her closer to face. "Hello there, little one. Did you want to say "hi" to me? I bet you did." The queen cooed, finding more and more amusement and adoration for the infant as she continued to playfully pat at her face, feeling like nothing more than a gentle leaf striking against her.

The king sighed at the sight of the two with a small smile, one he knew wouldn't last very long. As much as he would rather spend the time watching the two, being reminded of all the time he found Glimmer with her mother like this, he knew there was a job to be done, and a mission to be completed. With a heavy heart, Micah made his way over to his queen, followed by his captain of the guard and the two guards behind her.

"Angie, I'm sorry, but... We can't find anyone... or her family." Micah stated against his wishes.

Angella frowned at the information as she closed her eyes, opening them back to the young infant that continued to make Angella's day in these harsh environments. "Such a young girl... To be separated from her family... She can't be much older than Glimmer..." It was unfair. Beyond unfair, in her opinion.

She knew of the harshness of life, everyone did when they reached a certain age. As fair as life could be, it could also prove to be unfair at times to even the most luckiest of individuals, the proudest of people. At some point, something big was taken from someone's life. Whether that be a close relative or a pet, or even one's entire family. It a tragic lesson of life that nearly everyone had to deal with.

But this? This? This was beyond the realms of unfair. There was no fairness to it. For a child as young as this one to be taken away from a family, from a life, that it never grew up knowing about, was heartbreaking. She didn't know who she was, the queen didn't know who she was, for that matter, nor what her origins were. For all the queen knew, this wasn't even her home. It could've been a village her family was visiting. Given the location she found her in, it could've been a daycare for all that mattered.

For the rest of this child's life, she would grow up knowing nothing about her family. Not who they were, not where they lived, or even what they looked like. There was nothing Angella could find as a keepsake from them. All she knew was that they must've looked like this child herself, and that was the most obvious of information to deal with.

It was unfair, in its purest, simplest, form. And Angella couldn't stand for that.

"I want to take her back to Bright Moon." She decreed.

"Of course we will, Angie." Micah nodded in full agreement. "We'll help her find a proper home, and a loving family-"

"No!" Angella forcefully interrupted, taking a step back. "I mean... I want to take her in... as our family."

The king took this in with a gust of surprise as his jaw opened a little, and closed it with a crane of remorse.

"Angie, we can't just take her in, she's not ours. We already have a child of our own-"

"Then we'll raise them both!" Angella was starting to fret. Could he not see how the child needed them? Needed her?

"She's not royal blood." Micah tried to explain. How could Angella propose something as preposterous as this? It's not like he had anything against the child. In fact, he would've been more than willing to accept the child if the circumstances of his life were any different, like if they weren't of royalty, for example. "Unless something happened to Glimmer, she would never ascend the throne, and she could never use magic." With a pained expression on his face, he turned his gaze to Captain of the Guard, the very same woman who gave a nod in understanding as she approached the child.

The Captain didn't feel any better about her options, but the king's words were absolute. Even if it went on to burden her later in life, she had to think of everyone within her Guard first before all else, save for the royal family.

It was the sight of the approaching pair of arms that caught the young infant's attention. From the small sucking on her own fingers, her eyes caught on to the sight of the approaching arms, the very eyes that quickly watered as she waved her arms to Angella as if she knew what was happening. "Eghhhhhhhhhehehehhh!"

"Micah!" Angella yelled as she pulled away from the captain. The captain stopped herself as she watched the display, noticing the queen unfurling her wings out of pure emotion and protection for th young one.

"Angella-"

"Micah, please!" Angella begged as she cooed to the crying infant, stroking her cheek softly until her cries were reduced to hiccups. "She's already had so much of her world taken from her. I just... I just want to give her something good in return. Something better..." The king sighed silently as he stared at her, contemplating his thoughts.

She was always stubborn when it came to matters like this. Well, not matters where she picks up a child lost in the woods out of the blue and suddenly decides to adopt her. That'd be crazy even for him to deal with on a daily basis. It was more along the lines of how protective she got or determined she was to defend what she thought was right, that were right, in her eyes.

She wanted to provide for the child, to give her a happier life than the one she was currently living. Anything the kingdom could provide for her would've been more than enough, yet Angella wasn't satisfied with it. She wanted to raise the child under her own roof, her own castle, where she knew she would be nurtured and cared for for all her life.

She also knew the risks and dilemmas that came with it. What would the child do when she found out she wasn't theirs? How could she respond when she discovers she has no possible capacity for magic, if she was ungifted, at that? How would she relate to people that were so different from her on a daily basis, knowing the stares and the stress it would bring her when she became more self-aware of her surroundings.

It was moments like these when Angella's stubbornness really shined through between the both of them. It was also for the very reason he fell in love with her in the first place, and he wanted her to always remember that.

Growing a small comforting smile, the king finally rested his hand on her shoulder. "Angella..." For a moment, she worried over what he would have to say, what other possible details that would bring down her happiness. "Then we'll have to think of a name for her."

It was with those words that her world brightened up again, beaming with warmth and love for her husband and for her newfound daughter, smiling back to the girl who returned to sucking on her fingers. "She's so young and energetic... and she has a tail."

Micah smiled down in acceptance to his new daughter as she stared up at him in wonder. Grinning a little, he wagged a finger in front of her face softly, already being taken in as the girl attempted to reach for it, kicking in her swaddle cloth blanket as she wanted to eat the terrible fingeroo with all she's got!

"Such a feisty little girl. Like a cat... Raaaah!" Micah teased, giving of a playful roar to the girl. While most children might've been spooked by such a thing at a young age, the girl only increased her followed giggling as she reached for the father figure, all while the Captain of the guard smiled, happy for them.

It was at that moment that moment that a flash of inspiration came to Angella's mind as her smiled deepened. "Micah, that's a perfect name!" Angella announced as she smiled back to the infant, one who grabbed the tip of her finger's knuckle before nibbling on it. "Our little Catra..."

...

...

"... So... That's... That's how you found me?" Catra wondered as the story came to an end.

"We searched high and low around the island as much as we could for any of your people, but we couldn't find anyone." Angella said with a small smile, continuing to stand at her daughter's side as she stroked her head. She cusped Catra's chin gently in her hand, raising the girl's curious face to meet her gaze. "But not a single day has passed where I don't thank my blessings for finding you."

"Both of us, at that." Micah smiled warmly, patting her back. "I've been thankful for every day I've lived that I listened to your mother. Raising you and Glimmer both has been the greatest experience of my life."

"It... It has?" Catra questioned, earning a nod from her father. Still trying to process all of this, Catra stared back into the picture in her hands, trying to process everything that had been revealed to her.

What was all of this? Like, what was all of this? She was sure of these events she was told several times before, she knew these people with all of her heart, so why was it so strange and confusing to just accept them? Did she want to accept them? Was the problem that she was having a hard time coming to terms with what she couldn't accept?

Noticing the silence emanating her animal daughter, the queen gave her a soft look with a hopeful brow, drawing Catra's attention again as she spoke. "So? Do you remember anything, now?" She hoped. Catra stared back into her eyes.

She wanted the best for her, they both did, all of them did if she included Glimmer, the very one who looked the most hopeful that Catra could remember. And Catra didn't want to bring them down as she stared at the picture again.

She couldn't remember any of these events of her passed that collided with another life of hers, a life of hers she wasn't sure if she had before in the first place! When she thought about it like that, she felt really sorry for her parents. To put them through all of this, to make them think that she had forgotten all about them for some reason. Maybe she should just try? Just accept it for a change to see what happened.

Maybe if just tried to forget about these bizarre thoughts in her head or ignored them, she could-

"Oh!" Catra finally spoke up as a smile rose over her face and her eyes. "I remember something now!" Her parents were delighted to hear the words coming from her lips with pride.

"Really now?" Angella asked curiously. "And what do you remember?"

"Like, uh... L-Like the time when we were little! And there was a thunderstorm!"

...

...

(A/N: The Following Flashback has been provided by Petie doon from Instagram)

Dark and stormy was the night, as heavy rain poured down on the kingdom of Brightmoon. Inside the glowing castle, It was Queen Angella's turn to watch over the two princesses for the night. Here in the children's messy bedroom, Angella sat at the edge of their fluffy bed, looking half amused at the scene in front of her; Ranging from ages three to four, princess Glimmer and princess Catra held up pillows in weapon position, as they chased each other around the carpeted floor.

"Gwive it up! Horde Swcum!" Glimmer shouted, holding her pillow up in triumph.

"Glimmer!" Angella exclaimed.

Glimmer blushed, glancing over at her mother. "Sorry." Glimmer turned back to Catra. "Gwive it up! Horde Swider!"

Angella smiled, rolling her eyes. Oh the ignorance of youth.

A wide smirk spread over Catra's small face. She dropped her pillow, raised her stubby arms, and opened her mouth wide.

"rawwwrh." A small kitty yelp came out. Catra paused, then tried a bit louder. "rawwwrh." Nope. Still squeaky and adorable.

As Catra continued to squeak, Glimmer clutched her tummy, bursting into laughter. Catra blushed. She tried roaring some more but it only resulting in more squeaks. Glimmer laughs subsided as she smirked back at her older sister. As best as the infant could do, Glimmer bent her arms and raised her arms, getting into a fighting pose. Catra did the same. Both were ready for the fight of their life.

*CRACKLE!—CRACKLE!—BOOOOOOM!*

Lighting and Thunder slashed into the night outside.

"Waaaaahahahaha!" Both toddlers' cries of fear filled the room. Glimmer and Catra both scrambled over to Angella, flinging their arms around her waist and sticking their heads under her arms. They both whimpered in terror as the rain continued to pour outside.

"There. There. Shhhh," Angella assured with a calm smile. She waved a comforting hand over both girls' heads. "It's alright. Shhh. Every thing is fine."

With grace, Angella gently took both girls into her arms and rocked them back and forth. As she gazed down at the precious faces of her daughters, she couldn't help but smile. She began to sing them a little lullaby.

"...Hush my Little Darlings, Don't Fear and Don't Frown." Angella sang. "..I'll always Swoop In, Whenever You're Down...Hush My Sweet Darlings, No Need to Be Afraid...Tomorrow, We can Eat Treats on The Sunny Bay."

Glimmer's and Catra's eyelids started to grow heavy as Angella continued rocking them back and fourth. The queen carried them over to right side of their bed. She laid both their heads down on a pillow and gently pulled the covers over them. Angella then laid between the two infants, her wings covering them as well.

"..Hush My Little Darlings, We're All Here and Safe...Now You can Sleep, and Dream of Butterfly Cakes..."

Glimmer and Catra weakly chuckled at the last note. What even was a butterfly cake? Soon, their minds begin to slowly sag, and their eyes closed shut. Angella smiled at her little angels. She reached over and kissed Glimmer on her forehand, stroking her cheek. Angella then turned to Catra. Suddenly, Catra sprung up from her spot and wrapped her tiny arms around Angella's neck in embrace.

"I love you Mommy." Catra quietly muttered in the Queen's ear.

Angella paused, letting the moment sink in. She put a soft gloved hand behind Catra's back.

"...I love you too, Catra." She whispered.

Catra released Angella from her grip with a large smile on her face. Catra sat down and pulled the covers back over her. Angella ruffled the little magicat's mane. Catra giggled under her breath as Angella kissed her forehead goodnight. Catra then laid back and soon fell asleep, just as Glimmer did. Angela silently looked at both her girls, and just like them, gently closed her eyes.

...

...

"Exactly!" Glimmer squealed with delight, happy that she remembered something at long last.

How could Catra forget about something like that? It was a touching memory of hers that she never wanted to forget! She remembered how it felt to be comforted in her mother's arms, how she stayed with them all throughout the night, and how Catra... how wonderful it made Catra feel, to know she was cared for and loved by such a caring mother.

Gazing around the room, Catra brought herself over to a nearby large window along the wall, one with a perfect view gazing all over Bright Moon, a view which made her smile. Come to think of it, why was she having these troubling thoughts to begin with? They were annoying, they were a pain, they weren't anything she wanted to deal with. And why should she?

Here, she had a family that loved her, not some fantasy or nightmare that got in the way of that. She was a sister, one that was looked up to by a younger sibling, someone she grew up with since she was a baby. She would be loved and nurtured everyday of her life here, and as long as she was around, she was going to make sure her family was safe, now and forever.

It's a good thing she finally realized how phoney those weird thoughts she had were pointless. When she thought about it more, she couldn't even remember half the reasons she was worried in the first place. It's like those thoughts didn't even exist to begin with. Heh, actually, that was a fact. She knew they didn't exist at all. They were just some phoney thoughts of a nightmare she had, and that's why she couldn't remember them anymore.

Tapping her claws against the windowsill of the frame, she turned her head back as her ears lowered a little. "So... I'm Princess Catra, right?"

"Tch, no, you're Princess Frog." Glimmer teased, covering her mouth. "Can't you tell? Of course you're a princess." She squeed, teleporting to Catra's side.

"And even though you may not be of royal birth, your voice shall carry the same weight around here as any one of us." Angella decreed, smiling as she walked to her daughters.

"Not that we have to remind you, of course." Micah commented, approaching from the other side. "You're our daughter, and you always will be."

"We love you, sis." Glimmer smiled. Before Catra knew it, she was embraced by Glimmer's comforting arms as she brought her in for a tight hug. "That's all there is to it." Following this, Catra became even more surprised, and accepted, as her parents kneeled down to their level, embracing both their daughters and each other in a loving hug.

Catra... didn't know what to say. She felt a tear forming in the corner of her eye for some reason that should've been obvious to her. She couldn't say the words as they were lost in her throat, and she didn't need them. With slow, trembling arms, she embraced her family in turn, smiling with acceptance over them as the family she always knew and loved.

This was her life. This was always her life. Her little sister of a few months younger, her stout father who always did his best to be professional and joined in on Catra and Glimmer's wacky antics growing up, and a loving mother who was there for all of Catra's and Glimmer's laughters and cries, for nearly every day of their lives.

This was her reality. There wasn't anything else out there for her. She wouldn't accept anything else out there if it was offered to her. She was a Princess of Bright Moon, a daughter to King Micah and Queen Angella, and even had a somewhat annoying aunt Castaspella that she loved all the same.

Here, she was happy.

Here, she was content.

Nothing else mattered.

*swiff*

Even if she thought she heard something from behind her, turning around to see nothing pass her gaze, before smiling back to the family she embraced. For a second there, she thought she saw a small figure run past the window in the corner of her eye, but she knew it was more of her mind playing tricks on her.

Because, again, nothing else mattered...

...

...

...

A/N: Ah, it was such a fun thing to write (and tiring and long too T_T) Lol, but really, I had fun, especially with the flashbacks.

Speaking of which, as you might've guessed, yes! People can, in fact, contribute to this episode :D! As petie has shown, I'm accepting any and all scene ideas people send me. That means of course people will be incharge of writing it out themselves for me to post on my end. With a handful of parts to this (possibly 5 but at least 4) there is a golden opportunity for people to provide flashbacks of Catra's new life and when I say flashbacks I mean "flashbacks" (the non-real ones).

To take part of this fun little tribute to the fans and be recognized for your scenes and contributions, it's verily simple- send me a pm with a small scene in it of a flashback. that's it ^^ Only rules are they can take place at any point of Catra's "New life" from age 1 to 16/present (or however old they are). I will accept any and all scenes people send me at this time as long as they are sent before the episode is over. This is my way to pay back all the fans for supporting me for 100+ chapters, and its the least I can do ^^

And while you're at it, if you know a reliable power source of Ancient First Ones Tech you can send me, I would very much appreciate that too for no particular reason you need to be concerned about :D...

So with that said, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to eat you- I mean see you soon!