A/N: Final Word Count: 12.9k Pre-A/N's. And with this chapter, we reach, not the end, but the last chapter to have a supporting flashback brought to you by the fans themselves.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your contribution for this episode, as well as your support for this fanfic as a whole. Even though we didn't get to use every flashback as I would have hoped, we still got more than enough to work with and a lot of fun "memories" to look back on throughout this episode. It was nice to see so many people willing and eager to send their support and their love for this fanfic and make their own little something to include into all of this, so thank you all for that ^^
And for those who didn't get to throw in their own flashbacks, not to worry! I might just do this thing some time in the future... after i hit the next 100th chapter, which looks to be a little less than 90 chapters from now... *sigh*
Oh well! With that all said, enjoy ^^!
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...
...
"Come on!" Scorpia yelled back as the two continued to run. Looking back, Adora could see they barely made any distance between themselves and the gaping void that was attempting to swallow them for the last five minutes.
This was a nightmare, beyond a nightmare. Usually in a nightmare, you'd wake up after awhile. You'd get scared for a bit, maybe let out a scream or two in real life, and eventually wake up after a short amount of time. You would also wake up as soon as you felt anything physical within the nightmare or any dream for that matter, and should the horrifying monster or thing chasing you in your nightmare catch you, you would almost instantly wake up.
There was no waking up from this.
After spending a good portion of the day getting used to the perfect life that Adora seemed to have, all of it came crashing down on top of her, in some cases literally, as people began to disappear from her view. First Shadow Weaver, then Hordak, not to mention the other handful of guards and soldiers roaming around that slowly became more and more scarce. It wasn't until she had a run-in with her former self, quite literally in this case, that parts of her memories started to come back to her, as well as the cause behind all of this.
The Portal. The very machine that Entrapta and Hordak had been working on till now. Presumably. Maybe? It was hard to remember which memories were hers and which memories were from this world. All she knew was that somehow the portal had been activated before and it was causing a hole to rip in the fabric of reality as of right now. Initially, she thought going to the very lab which housed the wondrous machine would help her find the solution to their problem, a way to fix everything before everyone else disappeared.
The only setback? THERE WAS NO LAB TO GO BACK TO!
It was a miracle at all that she managed to remind Scorpia of some of these past events, ones that were still jumbled in her mind. It was the only surefire way for Adora to prove to herself that she wasn't insane, that the universe really was collapsing around her. Even if it meant they both looked insane in the process, it was at least comforting to know this wasn't all just one big hallucination.
With the portal gone, the universe itself appeared to react to their realization almost defensively as the tear in reality tried to swallow them whole within Hordak's sanctum. If that wasn't enough to convince them that the universe was trying to swallow them, the fact that it grew outside of the sanctum and has been spreading everywhere since then did. The two were running, panting, sweating for dear life as they continued to outrun the dreaded white void as they looked for a way out. There was only one person right now they knew could help them, help any of them, to stop this.
Princess Catra. Or perhaps, just Catra. Adora couldn't figure it out. She barely knew the girl, only that she was somehow related to all of this. Whatever Catra knew about the portal proved more vital than anything else they had to work with, seeing how they couldn't remember where Entrapta was and Lord Hordak had already been erased from existence. She was their last chance to save everything before it was too late.
But first they had to escape the gaping void themselves.
"Where are we even going?" Scorpia asked as Adora caught up to her.
"We need to find a vehicle, a skiff, anything!" Adora yelled as the two finally made it to the outside. "We need to find Catra and find some way for her to fix this!"
Just passing them, Adora spotted the so-called "stud" known as Kyle as he casually walked away from them, as if he was completely oblivious to the white void chasing them. Before Adora could even utter a word, the newly transformed teen had disappeared into the white void that hunted them, as if he never noticed the falling landscape right in front of them.
"Why isn't anyone else panicking?" Scorpia asked, witnessing the same terror that engulfed Kyle. "He just walked right into it!"
"I don't know! Maybe anyone whose fallen too deep into this world can't see it?" Adora yelled back as the two cut through a small metallic alley. "Do you really wanna stick around and ask them?!"
"Uh... not right now, no." Scorpia mumbled, actually a little curious at the prospect if it wasn't for the world that was falling around them at every turn!
By now, the gaping void that had continued to spread had stretched a good foot outside of Hordak's sanctum, stretching in nearly every direction from the center of where it last erupted. Running for their lives, gasping with every one-second pause they could afford, Adora looked on at her surrounding world falling into pieces.
Everything around here, everything that she had come to love, was being destroyed before her very eyes. Her home, her family, the friends she's come to know. There was no telling how many people were being affected by this catastrophe, or if it was occurring anywhere else in the world. All she knew was that as long as any of them survived, there was a decimal of a chance at fixing everything that was falling at the seams around them.
Not that it made the pain of the Fright Zone's destruction anymore bearable.
The casually walking soldiers and guards who passed them with a small wave before disappearing into the nothingness, the facilities she grew up in and the hundreds of memories she had around this place. Her entire world was being torn apart right in front of her, and she didn't have the power to stop it. Worse, there wasn't any guarantee that all of this would comeback if they even managed to. For all she knew everything could remain like this forever, never to see her friends or home ever again!
It was a grueling, terrifying thought, one that Adora forced herself to repress. As long as she and/or Scorpia survived, there was hope.
She just prayed she wasn't too late.
...
...
"Geeeeehhh!" Catra growled as she paced around the small room. She was flexing the tips of her fingers as she squeezed them closed and open repeatedly, fuming through the nose as she tried to process everything that just happened.
She was trying to recover from what the old hag told her, this supposed "Madame Razz" that she apparently new from another life, from another world. She tried to warn Catra about the danger that was coming to this world, how everything she was witnessing and experiencing was nothing more than a false reality. One that threatened to consume her if she gave in too deeply to her new world. One where her deepest fantasies and dreams would come true, that left her with a place to officially call home, and a group of people that accepted her like family.
Like Catra was going to believe what a crazy old lady from the woods would say, anyway! She loved it here, she had memories of being here! She remembered the way her mother looked at her with loving, caring, eyes. She could recall the numerous time her father scolded her and her sister for pulling a prank too far or breaking something in the midst of their shenanigans. And she had a sister that she actually cared about, one she could recall spending time with throughout her entire life!
And she was supposed to believe some old hag she could barely recall over her own memories, over her own desires? Yeah, right! Knowing the old hag, she was just messing with her, trying to get her to do something for her that Catra didn't want to. She had a perfectly good life here and she wasn't going to waste it by believing it was supposedly fake.
And she deeply regretted ever doubting her.
Following a mission to Thaymor, things started to go sideways in confusing, and south in despairing. After arriving at the village, sword at the ready, and prepared to liberate it from the Horde's clutches, the first of many bizarre occurrences happened when the village turned into a Horde-occupied city into a peaceful and welcoming environment. It was at that moment Catra started to question the authenticity of the old hag's warning, growing a little more concerned as to whether or not she was right, and if things could actually get worse.
To prove to the magicat that it could, reality sent her two deeply troubling revelations a few minutes later. While minding her own business and trying to process if this world truly was fake, or if she'd want to change it back if it was, she came across a familiar voice and an adorable figure known to her by the name of Kim. Unfortunately for her, she didn't recognize the girl known as Catra in this world despite Catra's memories telling her otherwise, memories that refused to forget someone as kind to her as Kim.
On top of that, not only did she not remember her, but she had a new "Big Sister" that went by the name of, no joke, LONNIE! Apparently the girl had taken it upon herself to escape the Horde when she was seven, getting tired of the lack of respect she managed to obtain around the Horde and how stubborn everyone was to her. With a bit of sneaking around and an occupied skiff, the girl managed to escape the Fright Zone and somehow wound up within Thaymor, living with Kim's mother since she was found.
The kicker to all of this? THIS STILL WASN'T THE WORST PART OF HER DAY!
The worst part came not even a minute after the two said their goodbyes to each other with Lonnie having no recollection of Catra other than her being a Princess. The moment that Catra turned her back to her and Kim walking away from them was the very moment disaster struck. Like the bizarre occurrence that changed Thaymor for the better, Catra discovered that the two had vanished into thin air, never to be seen again.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of it all was the fact that nobody seemed to remember these two to begin with, like they never existed for the five or ten minutes that Glimmer and Bow got to know Kim herself.
They were gone, possibly forever. And Catra had no one to blame but herself for refusing to listen to the old hag.
"Look, Catra, calm down, it's probably nothing." Glimmer tried to soothe as her sister continued to pace around their bedroom.
"It's not nothing!" Catra simmered her anger as she replied, trying to refrain from shouting at her sister as she continued to growl. "They were there one minute, and the next they were gone!"
"Are you sure you didn't just miss them turning down an alley or a path?" Bow asked curiously, trying to make as much sense about this as Glimmer was. It was hard for either of them to grasp the idea that somebody Catra knew could just disappear out of nowhere like this.
"They were RIGHT THERE! They couldn't have been ten steps past me before they disappeared."
"But we didn't see anyone behind you, sis. The street was perfectly clear."
"I know the street was clear, that's what I'm saying!"
"So there isn't an issue, then?"
"No-! Ugggghhhh!" Scratching at her forehead did nothing to quell the confusing anger welling up inside of her. "There were two people behind me, one of which I liked and one of which I hated. Okay? We talked to them for several minutes, then we said our goodbyes. Any of this ringing a bell so far?"
"Not really, no." Glimmer shook her head in skepticism and response. "We were just chatting, watching the horses, and then you started panicking about these people you said that disappeared."
"You mean to tell me you really can't recall anything else other than that?"
"Um, not really?"
"And you don't find it weird then that we didn't chat for, like, several minutes, during that time?"
"We just assumed you were off on a walk for a bit." Bow shrugged, unintentionally adding on to the magicat's frustration.
This is the headache that Catra's been dealing with on top of her already-annoying headache! Not only was she incapable of getting these two to recall anything that happened, but they couldn't find any issues or dilemmas in the missing blanks of their own memories. It was like, and most likely is, the Universe itself was correcting the missing plot holes within their own memory for them, keeping them oblivious to the troubles surrounding them and keeping them content within this dreamlike reality.
While it was a peaceful paradise to most, it was nothing short of horrifying and troubling to those that were aware of it like Catra.
"You guys seriously don't remember a single thing about either of them, do you?"
"Look, Catra, if you're that bothered by it, our mom can send out a small search party or something." Glimmer suggested as she stood, trying to ease her sister's distress. "I'm sure whoever you're looking for can be found within days."
"But that's my point, it won't do anything!" Catra grumbled, pushing her forehead against a wall. Ever since their disappearance, she's been struggling with the very last words Madame Razz warned her about before her own disappearance.
"Madame Razz is just trying to keep you from suffering more pain later on. If you don't listen to her, terrible things will start to happen to the ones you care about.
Madame Razz warned her about all of this, and she didn't listen. Because of her own denial and sensibility, she chose to ignore the lady's dire warning, and now somebody she actually cared about was gone forever. And while those she did were far and few between, Kim wouldn't be the last person she could lose that she cared about.
"These people already disappeared. They're gone, erased, everything! You won't be able to find them no matter how hard you search for them."
"Catra, you're really starting to worry me here." Glimmer commented as she hugged herself a little. "You've been acting weird all day and it's been getting worse lately. Do you want to talk to mom and dad again? Maybe they can help."
"Glimmer, you don't get it, there's nothing wrong with me." Catra pushed her claws gently against her own forehead as she tried to think. How was she supposed to convince these two that something was wrong going on here and nothing was wrong with her? Without any sort of proof, she'd look more insane with each passing argument. "Something is making these people disappear from our reality. Something that makes them forget."
"Okay, Catra, let's say you're right for a minute." Bow began as he tried to reason with her. "What exactly is making these people disappear?"
"I..." She gritted her teeth in anguish as her brows narrowed. "I don't know! I just know it's happening, and I'm one of the only people noticing it."
"But why you?" It was a bit more refreshing to hear Bow trying to work with the girl's disturbance rather than shooting her down at a first notice. "How come nobody else is noticing this if it's true?"
"I... Eghhh... I don't know."
"You keep saying that and you keep saying you're fine." Glimmer pointed out with increasing concern. "How do you expect us to believe you when you don't even know the answer yourself?"
"I don't know, alright!?" She finally yelled. "None of this is supposed to be happening, none of this should be happening! We wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't... for..."" Her blood boiled as anger gave way to frustration, and frustration, to answers. Remembrance slowly dawned on the magicat as she lifted her head, staring into space as she looked past Glimmer.
"Catra?" Her voice was almost in echo as it reached Catra's ears, brief glimpses of the familiar past flashing before her eyes.
...
"Ha!" From behind, she nearly jumped as she felt her eight-year-old friend, Catra, jumping on her from behind, throwing her arms around her from behind as she squeezed her neck. "I beat you! In your face!"
"Hahaha!" Adora laughed back, tugging at her arms as she tried to shake her friend off. "I let you win, don't be ridiculous."
"Suuuuure you diiiiid, I believe you." She sneered, giving her a slight noogie "Don't worry, Adora. When I leave you in the dust from now on, I'll be verrrry patient and wait for you, all the way at the finish line, every day."
"You didn't even come in first, you came in second!"
"Well you know, the second is always the best. And that's still two more places higher than yours, slowpoke!" The two friends laughed with one another as they continued to tussle.
...
"Why can't we go back to those days?" Adora gently placed her hand on Catra's own over the railing, looking at her with a pained look in her eye.
"Adora..."
"I want to go back to the way things were. We were happier back then, we were a family!
...
"But what? What's supposed to be any different now compared to back th-Ahhhhhhhh!" With a startled yelp, Adora screamed as the edge of the platform began to crumble, falling back into the chasm itself as her foot fell right through the floor. Right as her head passed the level of the platform's floor, she felt a powerful grip grabbing onto her hand, suspending her in the air and saving her life. To her surprise, and relief, the hero came in the form of Catra who was looking down on her, seeming steadfast and certain in her eyes.
"Because I'm not going to leave you this time." Catra replied, pulling Adora back to the platform and helping her across the gap to the other hallway.
"...Do you promise this time?"
She couldn't tell if the simple nod she smiled back with was assuring or not. "I promise-"
...
"Adora..." Catra finally muttered as she came back to.
"Huh?" Glimmer paused at the confused randomness of her sister's name-calling. "Adora?"
Catra blinked. She looked down at her own two hands as if they were new to her, unfamiliar somehow. Gazing all around her, she came to see the world for what it was, everything that was surrounding her, and what it finally meant to the girl.
It was all fake.
This whole world, this wonderful life that she had, everything that mattered to her... and she who mattered to everyone else. None of it was real, none of it was the life she was used to. She wasn't some princess from Bright Moon, she didn't have a loving, real, family. She wasn't supposed to be here in the first place, no matter how much she wished otherwise.
She was from the Horde. She was a soldier. She had something of a life back there, a life she had no interest in going back to. A place she was bullied constantly, a home that was more of a prison than not. But for all that made her suffer, for all that she hated about the place, there was somebody there she did care about, somebody who was probably still in the Horde right now.
A Friend.
"Catra?" Glimmer uttered the name as if it would snap Catra out of the trance she appeared to be in. "Are you okay?" She stared back.
She couldn't be here. She shouldn't be here. For all she knew, she wasn't meant to be here. For all that was glorious with this life, for everything it had to offer, Catra's ears faltered as she came to the sad realization of this wonderfully better world.
It wasn't meant for her.
"I..." Grabbing Glimmer's hands as she raised them to her, Catra winced. She couldn't embrace this life, not anymore. "I need to go." With a gentle push to her hands, Catra took off as she ran through the room. The two friends looked to each other in complexity before chasing after the feral warrior.
"Catra, wait!"
...
...
"Stun baton?"
"Got it. What about you?"
"What about me?" Scorpia snickered back, bobbing the tip of her tail as a reminder.
"Heh, right, duh." Adora chuckled as she continued to check the supplies. With such small bags on hand there was only a handful of stuff they could bring with them. But what other choice did they have?
After a near-ten straight minutes of running, the two finally caught a break. With lungs ready to burst with air and legs sore from the endless running, they had finally distanced themselves a good several minutes ahead of the ever growing white void that consumed anything and anyone in its path. Cutting across an alleyway and taking a small shortcut, the two were fortunate to get ahead a good distance until they finally came across a docked skiff. It would appear that they outran the worst that was behind them.
Either that or the void's all-consuming hunger had slowed down just a little.
With a skiff at their side, the two prepared themselves for the journey that was going to be at hand soon. There was no telling what they were going to do, only that their options were limited and their time was short.
They had to find the one known as Catra, the person Adora could vaguely remember as they discussed the details of their mission. They needed to find Catra, figure out what she knows about this portal thing, if anything, and help her find a way to stop this portal. With Adora's few memories of Catra recalling the portal, they knew that she was possibly their best and last chance of stopping this before all of Etheria ceased to exist, like the Fright Zone slowly disintegrating around them.
She was their last and only hope. The hope for the entire world at this rate.
"What are we gonna do if she doesn't believe us?" Scorpia asked with growing concern. The more they readied themselves for what lied ahead, the more doubts continued to plague her mind. "Or what if she was erased like everyone else?"
"Then we keep looking for something else." Adora stated, rechecking her supplies as she began to untie the rope securing the skiff to the metallic dock. "We won't give up until we find a way to fix all of this. There has to be somebody, anybody, that can fix this if she can't-"
She was there. She saw her again. Down the small cold metallic pathway, Adora saw her doppelganger smirking at her again with her arms crossed. The figure who appeared to know everything, the one who was always ten steps ahead of Adora through her pursuit.
The one who appeared to Adora before everything began to crumble.
"You know, we might get lucky and catch a break." Scorpia commented as she checked the skiff's small engine. "Maybe this whole "universe collapsing itself" thing will just stop after a few hours. Wouldn't that be someth-" Turning her head back, she noticed the vacant skiff that was devoid of anyone else, the surroundings empty of all life except for her own. "Adora?"
...
"Wait!" Adora yelled as she chased after the copy of herself again.
She couldn't allow her to get away this time, she couldn't just let her escape. She knew something, she had to know something. Something about this white void that was consuming everyone, something about the fact that her double seemed to know more about Adora than Adora did herself. She didn't know if this copy caught anyone else's attention, not that there was anyone else left to ponder, but she didn't care.
All that was happening, all that had happened, started with her appearance. Maybe even a little before that the moment Shadow Weaver disappeared, or even when she saw a guard missing from their post. She was the key to answering everything around her. She only had a few minutes to her estimate to get these answers, a way how to stop all of this, and possibly, an explanation to all that was unraveling around her.
"I said wait! Please!" Adora continued to shout. The small chase lead them to a small clearing of the Fright Zone, one with a reasonable view of the white void slowly approaching half a mile away from them. Thankfully, it appeared to be enough for the dopple as she grinned back. "Who are you? What's going on around here?"
The copy of herself chuckled back to her, stuffing her left hand into her red jacket's pocket. "You really don't remember a thing, do you?" She asked, raising a curious brow. "Or are you just playing ignorant to everything?"
"Ignorant? Ignorant to what? I don't know what you're talking about." Why did this double of herself give her the chills? Why did it make her heart beat with fear, a terror over the answers she didn't know? "Do you know what's going on? Do you know a way to stop this?"
"Stop what? This? Why would we want to stop it, Adora?"
*ZZZZZZZZZZZZT*
"What?" Adora blinked as the scenery flashed briefly in front of her with a white flash. Not only was the mysterious double gone, but the white void nearly doubled in size as a result, now standing a mere twenty feet away from her as she yelped. "Ahhh!"
"We're the ones who wanted this to happen in the first place?" Adora nearly shrieked as her double appeared right behind her, feeling her resting a gentle hand on her right shoulder. "All to spite her."
"Huh?" Turning around, she disappeared again. It was as if she was toying with her and her mysterious words, purposely trying to sew even more confusion upon her troubled mind.
Eyeing the void still approaching the Force Captain, if rank meant anything in this world anymore, began to jog a short ways head, keeping her eyes peeled for her double's appearance. She didn't know how, but she could sense that she was close to her, somewhere right on top of her in plain sight. "To spite who? Why would we want any of this?" She asked aloud, being careful to watch her footing as she backed away from the void. "Why can't you just tell me?!"
"Aww, where's the fun in that?" The voice cooed playfully. Adora could swear she was speaking into her ear from one side at one moment, and be gone by the time she turned her head at the next. "It won't mean anything if you can't remember for yourself."
"Why not? Why can't you just be honest with me?" She questioned why she was putting up with this if she was just going to get turned around with every question, quaking of the growing void becoming more violent by the second. "If you know anything, then tell me! Otherwise, stop wasting my time!"
"I'm not wasting your time."
"Ahhh!" That time she couldn't resist the shriek that rose to her throat, falling backwards out of sheer fright. Like it was a necessity to respond in such a way, the double appeared right before her as the sight of her head greeted Adora's vision, descending outside from the point of view above her as it appeared upside down.
"I'm the only one you can trust." She stated, casually turning herself in a flip as she descended to the ground. "The only person you can ever trust in this world." Grinning, the malicious double started to casually approach the terrified blonde as Adora slowly backed away further and further.
"S-Stay back..." She stuttered softly. The more cryptic this strange copy of her continued to speak in, the more dread and fear started to plague Adora's mind. She remembered something about this girl, something Adora didn't want to remember and couldn't.
"And until you remember everything you've lost on your own, I'm not gonna stop bothering you."
*ZZZZZZZZZT*
"Ah-!" The gasp that flew from Adora's lips was met with reason. With another white flash in her vision, the figure that once stood a good ten feet away from her was now squatting in front of Adora as her expression covered Adora's vision, the double's legs on both ends of Adora's sides.
"Even if it means getting erased in the process." And without another word, it disappeared into a pool of shadow over the air, baiting Adora's eyes until it was gone completely.
And, lowering her head again, replacing her view with a pool of white.
"Ahhh!" Screaming, the Horde soldier rushed to her feet as she tried to run. With all this confusion running about her, all these cryptic messages from another self of her, she had almost forgotten about the gaping void that pursued her, one that nearly touched the rim of her boot's heels.
The double had tricked her, it must have, as Adora attempted to run. Luring her all the way out here, showing her the dying world around her, and trying to confuse her by pretending it knew what was best for this girl? It was all maddening, almost sickening. It cared for nothing more than to make Adora remember what she couldn't recall, even at the risk of her own life.
A life that lost its footing.
It wasn't three steps until Adora found herself falling, almost floating, as the ground beneath her feet gave way. With all that was being consumed, erased from this existence, the flooring beneath her had eroded into a near-rustic metal, one that couldn't support her weight as it crumbled underneath her. Instead of paving way to the possible underground or sewer system that ran throughout the Fright Zone, it gave way to an agonizing, terrifying, realm of fear as nothing but whiteness met her vision below.
It was almost a miracle that she managed to catch herself as she threw her arms ahead, barely grabbing onto the twisted metal that she dangled from. While she might have had the strength for it, she could do nothing to pull herself further up to the surface. She was struggling alone just to keep pulling at the metal that slowly disappeared ahead of her. Mix that with the suction of the void that wanted to consume her, it was nearly impossible.
She couldn't escape.
"Adora!" She shot back in attention as she heard Scorpia's voice, the look of horror crossing her face as she saw Adora's current state.
"Scorpia?" For a singe second, she was surprised by her friend's sudden appearance, as if she had completely forgotten she was still alive.
A second was all it took.
*crumble*
"Huh?"
*Kreeesh*
"Ahhh!" Adora screamed as she felt herself falling again. She was taken off guard, caught by surprised, and expected nothing in return, which lead to her downfall.
With the metal and the landscape being eaten away around her, just enough of it had finally disappeared to slip through Adora's grasp. With nothing but air to hold onto, the blonde girl found herself falling into the oblivion under her, her hands grasping at empty air. Flailing her arms around, there was nothing she could do except to accept her fate for the inevitable erasure.
*tug*
"Agh-!" Adora yelped as she was suddenly tugged at. From above her, she gasped. Holding onto the edge of the erasing world, gritting her teeth as she struggled to maintain her clawed grip, she saw Scorpia looking down at her, the scorpion's tail wrapped around Adora's waste as it gave her that few extra feet of arm's length she needed to save her dear friend.
"I got you!" She yelled, slowly and carefully removing one of her claws from the floor's edge as she reached for her dear friend with her other claw. Adora did the same as every second of this endeavor kept her heart from an even pace, beating faster as she saw the void continuing to spread to every corner around them.
*kreeesh*
"Ah!"
"Ahh!" Both, Scorpia and Adora yelped as the friend from above looked at the ground, grabbing at it again with both claws.
It was giving away. Little by little, the metals around them erupted into a small burst as they flew into the void behind them, the scorpion girl struggling to keep grasping at the metals that disappeared. With the struggle to maintain her status and the combined weight of her and her friend, Scorpia came to the ultimate conclusion that she wished wasn't true.
She couldn't save the both of them.
The skiff stood a good fifteen feet away from the crumbling edge, still struggling to maintain where it was itself as the rope was still tied to the large metallic pillar Scorpia hoisted it to. If she continued at her current rate, it wouldn't matter if she could keep themselves from falling into the oblivion growing around them. The Skiff would be pulled into the gravitational force of the void itself, and they would never escape from the Fright Zone in time. And she couldn't abandon her friend, even if it was to save her own life.
Silence fell over the girl as she lowered her head, realizing the reality of the matter. Either she saved herself and dropped Adora right now, or...
"Scorpia?" Adora muttered, noticing the strange silence coming over her. Staring, she watched as Scorpia gave her a small tearful smile to her, one that perplexed and worried the girl. "What... What's are you..." Her eyes slowly widened in realization as she came to understand the truth behind her tears. "Scorpia, no." She said almost commanding.
"For what it's worth," Scorpia said softly with a small sniff, "I'm glad I got to have a life's worth of memories to share with you." She said, rubbing her eyes with her free claw. "Even if they were fake."
"Scorpia, don't... don't even think about-!"
"I know you'll make things right." Her pleas fell on deaf ears as she felt herself being hoisted up higher to the girl by her tail, the large friend throwing a claw between her left shoulder in a tight grip. Before she could so much as think about pushing her away, Scorpia was ahead of her as she threw the girl with all her strength just as the metal she was gripping finally gave way.
Her sacrifice proved to be enough as Adora found herself being thrown through the air about seven feet away from the crumbling edge, landing with a harsh thud. As soon as she picked herself up from the ground, Adora shook her head, looking back at the ledge as she ran for it for dear life. "SCORPIA!" She shouted in sadness, throwing a useless arm at the edge before she could even see the state of her friend.
Scorpia was already gone.
Adora's tears fell into the void as everything was sucked in around her, stands of her hair blowing into the same direction. Scorpia had sacrificed herself without a second thought, all for Adora's sake. She had a lifetime of fake memories that stayed with her until she was erased, memories from a reality around them that made their dreams and wishes come true. Adora couldn't recall her own, but she knew exactly what Scorpia wanted since the day they truly met.
A friend to spend her life with since they were kids.
Adora sulked audibly for the few moments of reprieve she had, crying her eyes out as she stood on her hands and knees, scraping her nails against the dissolving metal. She proved herself to be more of a caring friend than Adora could give her credit for, one that was willing to risk her own life if it meant saving Adora's without a care in the world. Adora only wished she could have proven it without actually sacrificing herself in the process.
With her parting words, Adora knew she still had a job to do. Scorpia entrusted her to save the world like the hero she knew her to be, somebody she knew only Adora was capable of being. As much as it pained Adora to admit it, she couldn't afford to waste time mourning for her friend's sacrifice. If there was a way to save her, a way to fix everything around them, then Adora had to find it, no matter the cost.
*kreeesh*
"Ngh..." Adora groaned lightly to herself as she fell to her back again. The void was still encompassing the rest of the Fright Zone at the rate it was going without pause. It wouldn't allow the Force Captain to mourn for her friend no matter how much she wished otherwise.
With a heavy heart, wiping her tears away with her sleeve, Adora jumped up to her feet as she dashed away for the skiff. Luckily, all of their gathered supplies were still on hand. She rummaged through the several bags as quick as she could as she felt the skiff turning a little, knowing it was getting pulled by the void's increasing hunger. Brushing her fingers against the tip of what she needed, she quickly pulled out a small dagger, cutting away at the rope as fast as he could until it finally cut free from its binding.
With the skiff free and the engine running, the white void almost directly under her, Adora sped off. Controlling the steering of the rudder, she piloted the skiff as she accelerated her speed, dodging through the obstacles of the facilities that still remained and the small bits of debris that fell atop of one another as she made her escape.
She was all alone now without anybody by her side. She was all that remained of the Horde and the mission to save this world from its impending doom. There was no Hordak, no Shadow Weaver, no Scorpia there to support her. She was all that remained and all that was left of the one proud place she called home.
And the world depended on her, now more than ever.
...
...
"Come on... come on..." Catra grumbled as he fiddled with the engine's wiring.
One of the few fortunate outcomes of this illusionary dreamworld took the form of the necessary items she had on hand. One necessary item she required at this rate was a lone skiff that could be used to traverse the Whispering Woods and reach the Fright Zone within a matter of minutes. With time being of the essence and people disappearing left and right, she couldn't afford to waste any time traveling through the woods on foot, no matter how fast she ran.
Thankfully, said skiff came in the form of a lone one she found along the edge of Bright Moon's walls, lying against it flat and neatly buried under a pile of branches. By her guess, seeing how many of her new memories were starting to be replaced with real ones, she and Glimmer must've discovered this thing out in the woods at some point and dragged it all the way here for themselves. While scarce, one of the few indications she had of this were the annoying amount of vines and twigs she found choking the small engine of the vehicle, as well as some broken wiring she needed to fix.
Speaking of said memories, they were starting to become a bit of a blessing and a curse to her at the same time. She had yet to recall most of what lead her up to these events, only that Adora was involved in some way, but that didn't matter. Wherever she was right now, likely within the Fright Zone, she was in danger of being erased just like the rest of this world was, where anybody who's fallen too deeply into it's wondrous enchantment would forget her forever.
And she refused to forget about her herself.
On the other hand, in terms of curse, she discovered more memories of her and Adora fighting from time to time. Not just playful fighting when they were kids, real fighting, as enemies on the opposite side. What could have driven them so far apart? Why did she recognize small snippets of memories that showed Adora glaring death into her eyes like that?
She couldn't say. She didn't know if she even wanted the answers to that. All she knew was that if they were to have any hope of stopping all of this, then they needed to find each other, and find some way to convince her to stop the portal in the Fright Zone before it was too late.
Giving a firm tug of the green cable, tying it to a cut yellow wire, the magicat grinned as she heard the wondrous device suddenly humming with life, seeing a small yellow glow coming from the roar of the engine. Along with this, she felt the skiff itself beginning to hover a few feet off the ground. It had some wonkiness to it and some shaking, but it was better than nothing. This was her only means of traveling fast enough without endangering her possible-sister's life by making her teleport the two.
"Yeah, thatta girl." Catra grinned to herself, proud she still retained some of her knowledge of skiffs from her past life. Giving it a few small pushes from the controls, she jerked a little as the disoriented skiff pushed forward, wobbling a little until it evened itself out a few yards ahead. "It's better than nothing." She shrugged. With a soldier's sword to her back and a destination in mind, she knew exactly where she had to go.
Just not who would stand in her way next.
"Catra!" Her ears immediately perked up as she looked to her right, seeing her entire family and Bow rushing to the skiff.
"See? She's acting crazy again." Glimmer restated, evidently being the one who snitched about Catra's strange behavior to her parents.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing?" Micah asked with raised hand, concerned for his daughter's bizarre behavior. "Come off of that thing, we can talk about this."
"Where do you think you're going?" Her mother was just as questionable at this as she gazed at the skiff itself. "And where did you get this vehicle?"
"Okay, I swear, we were gonna tell you about the skiff, we just wanted to get it fixed first." Bow threw in, waving his hands defensively as he held part of the blame. As the family continued to spur her with questions and comments, Catra turned her head away as her expression dropped with the tip of her ears.
This would be it.
The point of no return.
If she went through with everything, she'd be throwing it all away. Her palace lifestyle of luxury and content, a young sister that indulged in Catra's pranking as much as she did, and a family. A family that loved her dearly like one of her own, an experience that she never wanted to forget or to turn away. Out of all the memories she had of her old life, this was the one thing she never got to experience in the real world... and it's one she treasured most.
"I... I don't know what's going to happen after this." Catra finally said, still keeping her eyes down as she turned her head to them again. "Maybe things will go back to normal or it'll just be like this for the rest of our lives."
"Catra?" Glimmer blinked in confusion as she stared at her strange sister.
The magicat gave a small chuckle as she scratched the back of her right ear. "Personally, I kind of hope it does stay like this, but," she stared back up to the group with a mournful look, "I can't risk losing everyone in this life or the last, even if it's different."
"Catra, whatever this is about, we can talk about it. We love you." Her mother pleaded taking a step forth. Strangely, the action made Catra flinch with more concern, stopping the Queen in her tracks.
"I... I know." Her hand tightened around the handle of the skiff, squeezing it as she held back her own emotions. "And I'm sorry... for everything I might've done up till now or will do after this."
"Sis, please, you're starting to scare me..." Glimmer muttered as she squeezed her fists. The way Catra was speaking to her, the solemn look in her eye of solitude. She was acting as if they would never see each other again.
Curiously, it was the one comment that got a small chuckle out of the cat girl as she looked back. "Ah, don't sweat about it too much, Pinky."
"Pinky?"
"I'm not going away for good, it's just..." Tilting her ears back partway, staring at the forest ahead of her, Catra could feel the beat of her heart rate reaching greater heights. Once she crossed that threshold, once she crossed the edge of the first line of trees, something told her there was no going back. "I... I need to do something... to help someone..."
"Then let us help you, sweetheart." Micah suggested as the informative king he was. "I'll summon some guards, just tell us what's bothering you." Catra smiled again a little, more than she thought she would be if she had to say her goodbyes.
"You know, for what it's worth... I really hope I have a family to come back to after this." And, unable to bear the increasing pain in her chest, Catra took off.
*shooooooom~*
The skiff rocketed from the side of the castle as Catra flew headfirst into the large row of trees, leaving a blanket of dust behind for the rest of her family as they shielded their eyes. It didn't take much more than a single flap from Angella's glorious white wings to blow the dust away from their field. But once they could see again, when their vision became clear at long last, there was nothing there to greet them. Catra was already gone.
"Catra!" Glimmer yelled out, tearing up a little. Something spooked her, something that terrified her about all of this, like she would never see her ever again.
"I'm summoning the guard!" Micah stated firmly, resting a hand on Glimmer's shoulder to calm her nerves. "Don't worry, pumpkin. I swear we'll bring her back before something hap-"
"Wait." Both their attentions were drawn to the sound of Angella's voice, hearing the Queen speaking in a firm, soft, tone. She kept her eyes glued to the forest for a bit, still processing all around her, until, finally, she gave a small smile back. "Let her go."
"What?!" Micah gasped in disbelief. "Angie, are you out of your mind? We can't just let her go like this! She's unwell, she needs-"
"Some time to herself." Angella cut off, taking his and Glimmer's hand in each of her own. "I don't know what she's up to either, but..." She smiled somewhat with an unknown sense of pride as she gazed back into the forest. "I trust her to return to us, soon." Micah gave a short frown at his wife's sudden disposition before sighing, trust crossing over his eyes as he nodded to her, and welcoming Glimmer's small hug of worry as she tightened her arms around him in worry.
Catra was a mysterious creature since the day they met. This much was obvious to Angella and her husband than anyone else in the world. Since day one she had been different, from her sometimes-aggressive behavior to her way of lashing out to protect those she cared about and loved. She had as much brashness as any stubborn fool or reckless warrior, but it came with a good heart, a heart she believed in to return home to them.
Whatever was Catra's deal at the moment, something within Angella told her that she needed to be allowed to do this on her own, without them, for once. She didn't know what was telling her this or how she knew this to be, and she didn't care. Part of being a mother meant knowing when to let the kids act upon themselves for once, even if something seemed reckless and dangerous to them. And even if she wasn't of the same blood as the rest of her family, she knew that Catra was more determined than any of them put together to do what needed to be done.
And she knew where Catra belonged.
It's been like that throughout the majority of her life. And continued to present itself as such to this very day...
...
(A/N: The Following Final Flashnack has been provided, once again, by 444teme444's brilliant and appreciated contribution)
Catra sighed deeply, taking the moment to breath in the lofty sea air as she sat perched on the cliffside. As much as Catra disliked the Kingdom of Salineas, largely due to the fact it was a right next to the ocean, she couldn't deny that the view overlooking the ocean from the Seagate was pretty spectacular. It almost made up for the fact Salineas resident Princess was the biggest pain the tail Catra had ever come across.
It was simple outing to Salines for the annual alliance meeting. Angella and Micah were in council, with the rest of the leaders of the alliances, discussing the usual politics that come with ruling their Kingdoms, such trade routes, economics stability and a hundred or so other busy things Catra couldn't sit through for more than five minutes. Luckily, she didn't have to this time, since none of the younger Princess were allowed in the meeting. Instead they were asked by their parents to socialise with each other since they were expected to be the leading the same council together in a few years' time.
Glimmer at least wanted to make the effort to get along with the other Princesses. Catra knew exactly how much it meant to her and was willing to try and tolerate the Princesses, no matter how much they got her nerves. Princess Frosta was seven years old and acted much like an overzealous brat who couldn't even keep still for five minutes. Princess Perfuma was friendly enough, but her constant preaching above positivity, love and universal oneness was enough to make Catra want to gag.
And then there was Princess Mermista, who seemed to have been born without the concept of a filter between her thoughts and her words. Normally, this kind of callow bluntness would be something Catra could admire in a person. Until that person threw an unfiltered comment in Catra's direction
"Take that back!" Catra snapped
"No" Mermista replied, apathetic.
"I said take it back!"
"No"
"Grr!"
"Catra, please! We need to be diplomatic about this!"
Mermista made no attempt to move or dodge or even look, as Catra came charging right at her, swinging her claws directly at Mermista's face. The only thing that was stopping Catra from clawing Mermista's eyes out was Glimmer, who had to teleport in to grab Catra by her waist and teleport her back at least ten feet from Merimsta. But no matter how many time Glimmer did this, Catra managed to slip out from her sister's grasp and take another run at the mermaid Princess who stood rooted to the same spot, her arms crossed looking completely disinterested at Catra's attempt on her life, or really anything in general.
Perfuma and Frosta were watching all this from side-lines, making no attempt to intervene. Perfuma flinched and shielded her eyes as Catra took another leap toward Merimista, claws extended, much like an actual tiger would, while Frosta clapped in her hands in joy as Glimmer swiftly teleported in the middle of the air and teleported Catra away before she could reach her intended victim
"Again! Again!" she cheered as Glimmer desperately grabbed Catra by the end of her tail as she made another mad dash for Mermista, teleporting the two of them as back as far as she could. By now Glimmer was feeling completely exhausted and had half a mind to just let Catra have her way with Mermista, but she promised their mother she wouldn't get into trouble with the other Princesses, knowing how important keeping up the alliance was.
"Um, Mermista, perhaps we could resolve this conflict with a simple apology?" Perfuma asked politte, yet no less meek sounding.
"I'm not apologising" Mermista replied, again with her standard blint attitude. "All I did was state a fact"
"Fact!?" Catra snapped, struggling to pull herself free from Glimmer who now had her arms hooked under Catra's shoulders. "You said I wasn't a real Princess!"
"Um, no, I just said that it's important for us to get along because we're all Princesses and you're like not or whatever" Mermista said
"Yes, I am!" Catra growled.
"Yeah, but you're like adopted or something. That makes you makes you more like an honorary Princess or something. I mean, that's pretty nice and all, but you're not as important as the rest of us"
Catra suddenly ceased her struggling, her body freezing up. "Not important?"
Glimmer gulped knowing the horror that was about to be unleashed. Moving like a bolt of lighting and a monstrous burst of strength, Catra broke free from Glimmer, knocking her sister to the ground the process and ran straight toward Mermista, grabbing her the front of her collar, baring her fangs right into the mermaid Princess's face, who showed absolutely no sign of fear.
"Fight, fight, fight!" Frosta cheered happily.
Perfuma quickly covered her Frosta's eyes, now wanting the young child to be scarred for life. After a moment, Perfuma also covered her own eyes.
"What makes you think you're more important than I am!?" Catra snapped. "What's the difference between you and me?"
"Because we're all going to be the rulers of our own kingdoms some day and you're not" Mermista replied, with no hint of mockery or scorn; in her own mind, she really was just stating a fact. "You're not even going to be the ruler of your own kingdom. Your sister is the one who's going to be Queen, not you"
Catra's eyes widened, all her ferocity beginning to dissipate from her face as she allowed Mermista's statement to sink in. She didn't want to hear it, she didn't want to admit it, she didn't want to give Mermista the satisfaction of being right, but Catra knew there was nothing she could say to refute that statement. Growling in frustration, Catra released Mermista, not even feeling like punching her. Glimmer quickly rushed to Catra's side, putting a consoling hand on her shoulder.
"Uh oh" Frosta whispered, all of her enthusiasm draining at once, reading the change in atmosphere
"Please, let's not focus on the negative" Perfuma said cheerfully, now finally taking the opportunity to get in between the two quarreling Princess. "Let's all of us instead take a deep breath and use this moment to think about the positive things that we have in common. Like our unbridled love and appreciation for the wonders of nature"
"Catra, just ignore her ok." Glimmer said, beginning to lead her sister away. "It's not a big deal."
"Maybe you should order to leave or something?" Mermista said, as though that was some kind of friendly suggestion
"I'm not going to order my sister to do anything" Glimmer snapped back, indignantly
"Well, aren't you like gonna do that later when you're Queen?" Mermista continued. "Isn't she going to have to follow your orders?
Glimmer let out an incredulous snort of laughter. "Please, Catra barely listens to our Mom and Dad. Like she'd ever listen to me on anything"
"Then what's she supposed to be doing when you're busy being the in charge?" Mermista asked. " I mean, when we're all old people like our parents, we're the ones who are gonna be in the council and trying to fight the Horde. What's your sister supposed to be doing? What the heck she is even a Princess of anyway?"
"I'm sure there's lots of great things for you do. Mediation, basket weaving, pottery. You'll find your place in the universe like the rest of us have, Catra. A great way to start with that is breathing. Let's practice. Breath in, breath out"
Perfuma began to demonstrate her very loud breathing technique, as she continued to inhale and exhale in order, hoping to encourage her fellow Princesses to join in with her. The only encouragement this gave Catra was to find a way to cut off Peruma's breathing.
"Who cares who's running the Kingdoms anyway?" Catra spat angrily.
"Like, all of us?" Mermista said. "That's our responsibility as Princesses. Even Frosta will be leading her people soon. You're just like the understudy Princess or whatever"
"Alright, that's enough all of you" Glimmer said, stepping in between Catra and the rest of the Princesses, refusing to let this go on any further. "I don't care what any of you say. Catra is a great Princess and she's the best sister I could ask for. You act like your better than her over something she can't change or control. It isn't her fault she's not meant to be Queen"
Glimmer suddenly gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. She turned to Catra who gave her sister a cynical and bitter look, unmoved by the tears that were starting to form in Glimmer's eyes as she deeply wished that could take back what she had just said.
"Catra, I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
But Catra didn't want to hear her sister's excuses. She said what she had said and that was all that mattered. With nothing left to say Catra turned her back on Glimmer and the rest of the young Princesses, walking off down to the shore, wanting nothing more than to be alone.
"Does anybody still want to try the mediation?" Perfuma asked, still hopeful.
No matter how many times she played the events over in her head, it didn't seem to ease Catra's feelings. So instead she settled with just enjoying the sunset. Her ears then picked the familiar sound of her mother's wing flapping as she came down to land on the cliff right beside her.
"Catra, I heard about happened with Princess Mermista" Angella said, sounding concerned. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, sure, peachy" Catra muttered sarcastically
"Glimmer is very upset" Angella said, sitting down next to her daughter. "She actually barged into the council meeting to us what happened. Luckily by then we were mostly done, and your father was in the middle of showing off his latest card trick. She's afraid that you're mad at her for what she said"
"I'm not mad at Glimmer, ok?" Catra replied without looking up at her mother
"Then what has you upset?" Angella asked.
"What's there to be upset about?" Catra said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Glimmer is gonna be Queen someday and I'm gonna be standing in the background when that happens
"Oh, Catra". Angella placed her hand on her daughter's cheek, running her fingers through a small tuff of her mane. "I don't want you to feel like that any of us think any less of you because of where you stand in the royal line of succession. You know we love you regardless of bloodline. And I know you would make a fine ruler as well"
"Pff, like I'd want to be a Queen someday" Catra said, turning away from her mother, her tone and posture changing revert back to her usual carefree and confident self. "Then people would be expecting things from me. Not like I care"
Angella gave her daughter a stern look, knowing first-hand how Catra would often try to hide her true feelings. "Catra, look at me"
Catra's ear dropped as she hesitantly turned and looked her mother in the eye, her confidence waning.
"Is that how you really feel?" Angella asked sincerely. "That you don't want people to expect great things from you? Or do you not want people to expect great things from you?"
"I don't know" Catra replied, pulling her legs up to her chest. "I mean, maybe. Glimmer is the one who supposed to be Queen someday. Not me. And it's like I don't know that. I've always known that. And I don't blame anybody for it, especially not Glimmer" she added quickly. Catra then sighed, with a sombre expression. "It's just…how things are, that's all. Somebody has to be the most important person in the room. And somebody has to be in second place
"Oh, Catra, you're not second to anyone" Angella said, putting her arm around Catra's shoulder. "Even when Glimmer becomes Queen, that doesn't mean you have no place in Bright Moon. I would be lost if I didn't have your father as well to help keep me moving forward. And Glimmer will still need you by her side. I'd be more worried if you weren't around to help. Glimmer doesn't show it, but I know she's doesn't feel like she'll ever be ready to be Queen."
Angella frowned now feeling uneasy as she remembered her own experience when the time for succession came. "Truth be told, I never felt like I'd be ready either. Not even the day I became Queen. Knowing what I was meant to do made it no less difficult when the time came"
Catra lowered her head and leaned in a little bit closer to her mother, starting to feel very safe. "What if I don't know what I'm meant to do?"
Angella placed her hand on the back of Catra's head, wishing she could ease her daughter's discomfort, when an idea came to her. "Well, how about this then". Angella placed her fingers under Catra's chin and gently lifted her head up, looking at her daughter with a smile. "I want you to be you. Just Catra. If you're really worried about expectations or what you are meant to do with your life, then just keep being the same Catra that we all love. I don't you ask for anything more, because I know you will do what's right. Think you handle that?"
Catra stared up at mother with almost a sense of disbelief, before she put on her usual laid back and cocky smile. "Pff, of course I can. You know, maybe I am the lucky one. Anybody can be a Queen, but I get to be my own person"
"That's better" Angella said. She the smirked once again, feeling a little mischievous. "And what is all this talk about becoming Queen anyway? You make it sound like I'm going somewhere. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm staying right here to keep an eye on you two"
Angella playfully tapped Catra on the nose, making her daughter laugh. Now feeling more content, Catra leaned in closer to her mother once again, who happily hugged her daughter in return, the two of them down beginning to enjoy the sunset together.
"You'll always be there for us, right?"
"Always."
...
...
Adora continued to dry the tears coming down from the sides of her face as she focused on the barren path ahead of her, taking a brief glimpse back in the Fright Zone. Anything that once resembled her old home, anything that indicated that intelligent life once roamed there was nearly non-existent. With the white void never seeming to end, from the epicenter of Hordak's inner sanctum from where it first erupted, it now stretched to nearly every corner of the Fright Zone, the pull of its force reaching Adora even from all the way out here as her hair fluttered back.
It was the sight of the last few buildings of metallic constructs that Adora knew there was no turning back, no hope to rebuild what was already lost. Across the deserted wasteland she now traversed on her skiff, anything resembling the beautiful home she once loved was nothing but an empty void of whiteness now.
Nothing of it remained, nothing of it bore any signs of life. Adora was the last living remnant of the slowly expanding void, and the fate of Etheria rested upon her shoulders. She was more than certain of it.
*CRASH!*
"Hu- WHOAAA!" Adora screamed as she turned the skiff to a sudden swerve to the right. Her heart was still pounding as she looked back at the expanding pillar before looking ahead of herself in disbelief.
All around her, much like the one she nearly ran into, multiple large pillars of light erupted from the surface below the skiff, the air practically shaking as the vibrations of their power shifted the skiff around. To Adora's shock of horror, apparently the white void had grown immensely, much further than she had initially thought. It wasn't just the surface itself that was being affected by this shattering reality.
The very planet of Etheria itself was being undone from the inside out.
Panic and worry crossed her mind multiple times as she forced herself to ignore it, piloting the skiff with as much accuracy as she could to make the close-corner calls and tight squeezes in-between. While the pillars themselves were no wider than a five-foot radius, a majority of them continued to expand with every passing second as she swerved around them.
What's more, she had to be careful to avoid any pockets of ground that appeared to be moving or cracking apart below her. The VERY last thing she needed was to fly over a pillar of light that didn't burst until she was right on top of it! Even if she only lost the skiff in the process and was flung out of her vehicle, there was no way she would be able outrun the slowly expanding void, much less with these new pillars she had to worry about.
It was the worry of these very same pillar's that nearly cost her her own life as she jumped out of fear. Just barely scratching the side of her skiff, right as she was within a hundred feet of the forest from her point of view, one of the aforementioned pillars of light actually erupted several feet away, the rim of the pillar scratching the right side of the skiff's body.
While it wasn't enough to vaporize everything in existence at first touch, it left Adora with an unbalanced skiff to deal with now as she struggled to maintain herself and the skiff that was missing the front right-half of its body, and the very edge of its mast.
"No, no, no..." Adora stuttered, struggling as she used both of her hands to pull the steering with as much strength as she could muster, just as she reached the rim of the woods.
At the same time, a certain magicat was keeping her eyes on the path ahead of her, dodging the numerous trees and the large wildlife she occasionally ran into on the way to the Fright Zone. No matter how hazy her memories were, she could never forget the direction to one of the cruelest regions across Etheria, especially one that turned her into what she was today.
It was as she continued to hope to herself that her friend was alright that something unexpected happened, or rather, continued to happen. Right as she reached the border of trees that nearly touched the edge of the Fright Zone, she saw a strange skiff bursting into the woods from her left, the wood's magical protection already relocating her entry, as she crossed Catra's path.
For a split second, the two became aware of the other skiff, and a mysterious individual piloting it, before the red-coated girl made her way across the woods.
"Adora?" Catra questioned to herself as she threw her head back into the direction that Adora left. Within the three seconds she spent staring and back, she immediately came to regret it. Not five seconds from where she was flying was a massive tree that toward all the others, nearly thirty foot in width, and way too wide for her to swerve around with her rustic skiff on hand. "Ahhh!" Screaming, and seeing little option in the matter, the magicat bailed from the skiff as she jumped towards the closest tree, barely grabbing onto the branches with a sigh of relief.
The moment she turned her head around her vision was engulfed with a small fiery haze, the skiff exploding into a pile of shattered metals as it fell to the ground. Naturally, she was more than relieved to be away from the dramatic explosion even if she didn't show it over her face. Her first and current concern was the girl who suddenly burst into the woods.
That same girl was still moaning to herself as she struggled to keep the skiff afloat, jerking the controls as hard as she could to no avail. "Come on... come on..." She muttered, wishing for the broken machine to show some spark of life as it continued to descend.
Seeing her options limited and knowing she wouldn't be able to direct herself out of the path of trees that consumed her once its engine died, Adora let out a hearty groan. Waiting until she found the most opportune moment, the skiff slowly falling at an evenly matched pace, she waited until the machine was at least ten feet above the ground before she jumped, landing directly into a hedge of leaves several feet below her that broke her fall.
Shaking about as she shook within her viney prison, Adora finally managed to pop her head out of the bushes, shaking the leaves out of her hair, as she saw the skiff crash a little harshly into the side of one of the mighty oaks. It was nowhere near as brutal Catra's crash as the front end of the mighty machine was bashed into completely, swirling the skiff about until the rest of it crashed into the ground below, snapping in half upon its frail impact.
As much as she wished otherwise, she knew she was going to have to continue the rest of the mission on foot, pulling herself out of the shrubbery bush as she dusted off the twigs clinging to her, and took note of her surroundings.
Without the skiff, the trek through the woods would prove time consuming, and not just because of the distance she would have to clear. With the wood's mystical habit of getting travelers, especially Horde invaders, lost within its thousands of trees, she could spend hours walking along the woods without making any sign of progress. For all she knew, she could wind up walking in a complete circle until the white void managed to reach her.
Still, it proved better than waiting for the inevitable to happen, especially after all she's been through. She needed to scour the woods as much as she could to find any trace of the Rebellion, assuming Catra was still a princess as her fake memories lead her to believe. With a stun baton firmly gripped in her hands, she took her first step further into the woods, keeping her nerves about her as calm as she could.
She knew she had to find Catra and figure out a way to stop this, but beyond that, she didn't know what to expect. There was always the chance that Catra or the Rebellion wouldn't believe them, and if they didn't, she didn't know what to do. They were the only ones with any information on where Entrapta could be if she needed to find her, as well as the ones who appeared to know more about the portal that her initial memories had let on.
And what guarantee did she have that they would be willing to listen to her in the first place? As far as she was concerned, Catra was just as likely to attack her on the spot if they ever met agai-
"Haaaaah!"
*Wham!*
Instincts kicking in immediately, following the horrendous cry of fury, Adora quickly rolled out of the way before Catra's clawed fist could slam itself into the ground where she stood. Shaking a small dizziness out of her head, Adora glared as she held her baton firmly between her hands, backing away and around the magicat as she circled her back.
It was like deja vu for the duo as they gazed at one another, holding their respective weapons in hand. They felt this sensation before, felt it clouding their judgement, their minds, their hearts. They didn't know what to expect from the other as they refused to keep their eyes off of each other, gripping their respective weapons firmly in front of them as they awaited for the other to make the first move.
Catra needed to take the girl by surprise, unable to tell if she was friend or foe, especially in this universe, as she lunged for the girl a moment ago. Unsurprisingly, the girl's combat instincts still seemed to be as sharp as Catra's current sword did, one that could be found among any soldier of the Rebellion, albeit it with a bit of a wider blade.
All the same, Adora knew she couldn't allow herself to be captured if this Catra didn't retain any of her memories as she kept her baton on the ready, the spark of electricity dancing at the tip of it. Either this Catra was a complete foe to her, or a foe to her in this Universe. Bottom line, she couldn't afford to act too hasty or too slowly when it came to this feral princess.
This was how the two found themselves over the next ten seconds as they circled each other from fifteen feet apart. It wasn't until a small breeze past Adora's hair that her expression finally softened, something Catra took note of as the two lowered their weapons a little.
"You... You've seen it too, haven't you?" Adora finally asked, Catra's own expression softening a little as if to confirm it. "How everything seems to be perfect in this world?"
"The strange things happening in this world?" Catra asked back. "Like people disappearing? People not noticing or not caring?"
Whether through stupidity or a familiar trust she had in the girl, Adora lowered her weapon further, turning off the electricity that could down an entire droid with a single shock. She needed to get to the bottom of everything, they both did, as their stance became straighter. There was no telling what the other had experienced up till now, or if the other could be trusted with what little memories they retained of their past.
All they knew, all Adora was certain of, was that they depended on each other for now.
"What's going on?"
...
...
...
A/N: And, as stated earlier, this'll be the last chapter to have flashbacks involving Catra's current "life", which I will deeply miss seeing what the eager fans have come to create and come up with.
Now, for those of you who'll be missing it just as much as I will, I would like to spend the opportunity to mention that I, as well as several close friends and fans have mentioned, have been talking about possibly making a new spin-off story involving Catra growing up in her new lifestyle, involving chapters suchs as these flashbacks. Now SHOCKINGLY, and I know it might disappoint the majority of you :o, it may not have chapters that reach up to the 10s of thousands of words to read.
Audience: Hooray!
But it will still be partly written by yours truly :D!
Audience: Awwwwwww!
...Why do I even bother anymore...
Lol, but seriously, it's nothing guaranteed yet, but i'm open for discussion between my friends and fans alike. Let me know in the reviews (after reviewing of course XP) if you guys would be interested in that sort of thing. It would be more than works from me, i'd be willing to post chapters/episodes of various times of catra's current life made by the fans themselves :P You could send me scenes like some of you have been involving snippets and chapters involving Catra's current lifestyle as if it was actually real. I still don't know if it'll actually do this yet, but i'm always open to the possibility ^^
With that said, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review as we move onto... *sniff... a potentially sad and heartbreaking final chapter for this episode X*(... and hope to see you soon!