Chapter 18: Welcome Back
"Brittni's vitals are stable, she'll be waking up soon." An unfamiliar voice echoed in Brittni's ears. The voice sounded muffled, as though it were coming from underwater. Brittni blinked a couple of times, her blurred vision slowly becoming clear. To Brittni's right, she could make out a couple silhouettes of people in the room. To her left, she could see cabinets, a desk with a sink, disposable gloves, a rolling chair, and medical instruments. Brittni could recognize this place in any state of mind. She was in the Fright Zone infirmary. The voice that had spoken Brittni's name had begun sounding more audible, but still a bit faint.
"She's awake? She's awake! Nurse, come see!" the voice said, beckoning for a medical professional. A bright light was shining in Brittni's eyes so she moved her hand to cover her eyes. She lightly groaned.
"Here, let me get that for you." An even more familiar voice said. The source of the voice's hand then moved the light's beam out of Brittni's eyes. Brittni rubbed her eyes and her vision suddenly became more clear. She smiled when she saw who it was; Keirnan. He smiled back at her, "glad to see you come back to the land of the living, Brittni." Brittni tried to speak but only managed to let out a few coughs.
"Take it easy, Brittni, you're safe now. You've been out of it for quite a while. We weren't sure when you were going to get out of this coma." Keirnan said, optimistically. Brittni shuddered and rubbed her eyes a little more. With all of her effort, Brittni managed to speak.
"Keirnan… I'm glad to see you." Brittni said coughing a few more times. She cleared her throat then continued, "but… you said I was in a coma? Keirnan, what happened?" Brittni asked, trying to lift herself up. Keirnan gently pressed on Brittni's shoulders, motioning for her to lay back.
"Easy. Take it a little bit at a time, Brittni. We'll get to that. Your body just got over major shock." Keirnan advised. Brittni sighed and laid back, relaxing her muscles. Keirnan walked towards the cabinets and opened up a filing cabinet, taking a medical record out. He then went on to explain what happened.
"Long story short, you've been in a coma for about two weeks." Keirnan began. Brittni's eyes went wide, and her mouth agape. She shuddered and was about to speak before Keirnan held up his hand, palm towards her, "let me finish. Sorry, I know that this is a lot to take in, but I'll explain. About an hour after you sent that distress signal from your radio, Brett and a few other soldiers managed to find you unconscious. They carried you back here, and we immediately set to work. We found that you had been injected with propofol and stung by a giant wasp. The two chemical compounds found in both sources, coalesced, and induced your coma… That, and the inhuman amount of stress you've been through the last few weeks." Brittni was speechless. She turned her head away from Keirnan and just stared at the ceiling. Keirnan went over towards the cabinets, sat down on the rolling stool and clasped his hands together. Both were silent for a few moments until Brittni turned her head to Keirnan to speak.
"Two weeks…?" Brittni muttered. Keirnan nodded, slowly.
" I'm afraid so, kiddo." Keirnan said.
"I need to hug that brother of mine when I see him." Brittni said, smiling. Keirnan smiled, seeing her snapping back to reality. Brittni then inquired, "where is Brett, anyway?" Keirnan put his right hand to his chin and began rubbing it.
"Ah, Infiltration Saboteur, Brett. Quite a proud promotion. Currently, he's preparing for a mission in the Kingdom of Snows. I don't know the details, but you can ask him as soon as I discharge you." Keirnan said in reply. He stood up from the stool and walked over to a computer, then continued, "I hate to say this, Brittni, but you've missed quite a lot. In the last couple of weeks, the Rebellion has been halting the Horde's advances. The Horde has lost their control of Plumeria, and they had to retreat from their siege on the Sea Gate in Salineas." Keirnan stood up and walked over to lean against a cabinet and folded his arms, "the Horde did have a close victory with Thaymore. There was a princess they hadn't seen before that decimated much of the strike team. Despite that, the Rebellion did retreat from Thaymore." Brittni perked up when she heard Keirnan speak of the princess.
"What did the princess look like?" Brittni inquired, staring intently at Keirnan. Keirnan rubbed his chin for a moment then walked over to the computer and typed a few characters into it. Keirnan moved out of the way, and Brittni was able to see the image portrayed on the monitor. Brittni looked closely and her eyes widened, greatly. Her lip quivered upon registering in her mind who the princess was.
It was Adora.
Keirnan looked over at Brittni, noticing her captivation towards the screen.
"You know her or something?" Kerinan asked, jokingly. Without looking away, Brittni responded.
"...Something like that." Brittni replied, gazing intently at the screen. It was definitely Adora; well, Adora transformed into her princess mode. In this image, Adora was wielding the sword and using it to slice a tank's turret clean off.
"Her name is She-Ra, supposedly. Princess names are odd, aren't they? At any rate, she's incredibly powerful and dangerous. If you see her, she won't hesitate to use that sword of hers against you. You can see what she's doing to that tank's turret." Keirnan said, turning his head to the screen, "and she's one of the major factors of the Rebellion defending and reclaiming their land." While Keirnan was giving his rhetoric about She-Ra, Brittni had gone into deep thought, slowly tuning out Keirnan's voice.
"Adora… what are you doing? Did they brainwash her? No… when she turned into that… princess, she was in command of her faculties…" Brittni thought to herself. Slowly a scowl appeared on her face. She was suddenly feeling irate, "Adora, how could you do this? Why are you helping the Rebellion?!" She then posed this next question in her mind, "And how could you leave me?!" Brittni thought as her breathing became more irritated and audible. Keirnan took notice, turned his head to Brittni and saw the red that was slowly building in her cheeks.
"Brittni…? Is something wrong?" Keirnan inquired. Brittni looked at Keirnan, and tried to calm herself down.
"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine. I just, wow. I can't believe one princess is able to create this much chaos." Brittni said, hiding her emotions. Keirnan knew that that wasn't what she was really trying to say, but wanted to give her a break from all the afflictions she had suffered since Elberon. He simply nodded.
"Right. Well, at any rate, your vitals are all in the green… Except your stress, which is in the yellow. But after what you've been through, I'd say that's a win. But, you're clear to leave. Take a few days off, clear your head. Nurse's orders." Keirnan said, winking. Brittni forced a smile and got up from the gurney. For a moment she started walking until she heard a chuckle from Keirnan.
"I think you're forgetting something." Keirnan said, looking away. Brittni turned back and cocked her eyebrow at Keirnan.
"Forgetting wh…-" Brittni started before patting herself down and realizing that she was still in a patient gown. Her cheeks turned fire hydrant red, her eyes widened, and her lips quivered. Suddenly, she shouted, "DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Brittni shrieked. Keirnan, already looking away tried to speak.
"Brittni, I'm not look-" Keirnan started before being interrupted.
"Where's my clothes?!" Brittni demanded, backing into a corner, trying to pull the gown behind her. Keirnan, opened the cabinet he was looking at and pulled out a change of Brittni's clothes. It was the medical version of a Horde uniform, the only difference being that it had a red cross on the shirt, white pants, and more pockets for medical instruments. Keirnan was about to take the clothes to Brittni when she halted him.
"You're looking!" Brittni accused. Keirnan tried to look away.
"Brittni, I can hardly bring you these clothes-" Keirnan protested.
"Just leave them on the gurney!" Brittni snapped. Keirnan put the clothes on the gurney, and started towards the exit.
"I guess I'll just leave then. But you know, I changed your diapers-" Keirnan started joking before being interrupted for the final time by Brittni.
"Out!" Brittni commanded. Keirnan quickly vacated the room, chuckling under his breath. Once he left, Brittni couldn't help but giggle at the scene that had just played out. Despite the embarrassment, it's the most light hearted situation she had been placed in, in a long while. She grabbed the clothes on the gurney and began dressing. As she did, she began considering everything that was going on.
"Two whole weeks… what could I have missed…? Apparently the Rebellion is starting to get its act together. All thanks to…" Brittni sighed before finishing her thought, "She-Ra…" Brittni had finished putting her pants on and then threw on her shirt. As she was putting her boots on she began thinking of Oracle. Brittni wanted to go talk to her again, but she was also feeling… resentful towards her. After all, it was Oracle that lead Brittni to the Rebels. Because Brittni heeded that counsel, she ended up being comatose for two weeks. If she had been awake, perhaps she could have stopped Adora from helping the Rebellion. Or if nothing else, she could have helped with the Horde's conquests against the Rebellion. Then there was Adora. Brittni was filled with disgust when she thought about Adora. At the same time; although Brittni felt resentment and disgust towards her, she also felt curiosity and confusion. Brittni let out a stifled groan of anger as she thought of Adora.
"She left us… I mean… I've been questioning the moral ambiguities of everything, but I would never just… just leave the Horde like that!" Brittni thought to herself, angrily. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she too had those questions, but just didn't act on it. Brittni was still loyal to the Horde, but she was still utterly disconcerted about the moral implications from each side. She's heard of both factions committing atrocities, but she still didn't know the answer to the question that has been haunting her these last few weeks:
Which side was right?
For the moment, Brittni just wanted to be at peace. She pushed these thoughts in the back of her mind to muddle over later. She finished lacing up her boots and exited the room. As she walked down the hallway to get to the front room of the clinic, Keirnan had just exited a patient's room. Brittni stopped in her tracks, a few feet away from him. Keirnan smiled.
"Ah, I see you're decent, now." Keirnan said, chuckling. Brittni rolled her eyes at him.
"Yeah. Thanks for patching me up, Keirnan." Brittni said, gratefully. She then started rubbing her left shoulder with her right hand and added, "sorry I kinda freaked out back in there." Brittni said, bashfully, chuckling with him. She walked over to Keirnan and embraced him. Although she didn't realize this was going to happen; for that moment, Brittni was finally able to release all of her emotional burdens that she had been carrying for so long. She started sobbing into Keirnan's shoulder. Keirnan held her tight, calmly shushing her. For a few minutes, neither person said anything. Brittni just continued crying. At one point, one of the other nurses tried to call for Keirnan, but he just held up his hand and waved it, dismissively. After a little while, Brittni sniffled and pulled away from Keirnan. Her cheeks and eyes had become puffy from all the crying, but inside, she felt as though a backpack filled with bricks had finally been thrown off her back. She smiled at Keirnan, and he returned the smile. He bent over and kissed her forehead.
"Like I said, Nurse's orders. Take a few days off. And, I hope you remember that I also serve as a mental health nurse. If you want to talk, I'm available twenty four seven." Keirnan said, handing Brittni a washcloth Brittni chuckled and rubbed her eyes with the washcloth, then handed it back to Keirnan. She then nodded.
"Thanks, Keirnan. I'm glad we were placed in your care." Brittni declared. Keirnan grinned, happily.
"The pleasure has always been mine. Now, go see your brother. He's at home, packing. I'm sure he's dying to see you." Keirnan advised. Brittni smiled, nodded, and waved goodbye as she exited the clinic.
As Brittni made her way to her home, she walked through the main chamber that lead to all the living quarters. As Brittni traversed through the chamber, she heard stifled gasps and chattering about her as she walked. Like before, when she and Brett were named heroes at the Siege of Elberon, Brittni felt a little overwhelmed, and frankly, anxious. She picked up the pace, heading into the corridor that lead to her quarters. As she entered, she saw Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle chatting it up near the front door of her quarters. Her mood brightened upon seeing her friends. She trotted over to them, waving her hand as she went over.
"Lonnie! Rogelio! Kyle! It's great to see-" Brittni started before Kyle ran over to her and wrapped her in a hug.
"Oh! Brittni, we were so worried! We're so glad you're home!" Kyle beamed as he embraced her. Brittni's eyes went wider than a tree from the Whispering Woods. Lonnie and Rogelio stood a few feet away, mouths slightly open. Because of the silence, Kyle quickly broke away from the embrace and started scratching the back of his head, chuckling nervously.
"Uh… yeah, it's, uh, great to be back. Thanks, Kyle." Brittni said, awkwardly, forcing a smile. Lonnie moved towards Brittni, pushing Kyle out of the way.
"Agh! Oof!" Kyle yelled as he hit the wall then collapsed onto the ground. Before Brittni could comment on that silly exchange, Lonnie put her hands on Brittni's shoulders and spoke.
"Brittni! Honestly, we are happy to have you back. What happened to you, girl?! And what happened to Adora?! Give us the deets!" Lonnie inquired, excitedly. Brittni chuckled.
"Honestly, Lonnie, I don't think you'd believe me even if I told you…" Brittni said, sighing, "basically, I saw Adora sneaking out and felt like I should follow her… so, I did. We were walking and got ambushed by a couple of rebels… we got loose but we were all attacked by some kind of… giant spider." When Brittni mentioned the spider, Lonnie took her hands off Brittni and stepped back a couple of feet. Kyle and Rogelio gazed at Brittni, uneasily. Brittni smirked, amused by their reactions. When it was silent, Brittni waited a few seconds and then rapidly raised her hands up in a claw pose.
"ROAR!" Brittni yelled. Kyle yelped in fear and fell backwards onto his bottom. Brittni, Lonnie, and Rogelio started laughing like hyenas. Kyle started chuckling, nervously. After a minute or so of laughing, Brittni told the rest of the story, avoiding talking about the sword, and modifying the story of the spider. She basically said that they killed the spider and right after, the wasps attack, striking Brittni. The group was commenting on Brittni's story until they were interrupted by a familiar voice. A whoosh was sounded and the front door to the Twins' quarters opened up, and out stepped Brett, sporting his combat engineer armor.
"Y'know," Brett started, slowly walking towards Brittni, moving the trio out of the way, "that is one heck of a story, but you forgot the best part: When I totally saved you from dying." Brett said, standing in front of Brittni, grinning. Brittni jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs around Brett, embracing him tightly. Brett started laughing as he patted Brittni's pack.
"Alright, alright, sis, hugs and all that. I missed you, too." Brett said, amused. Brittni let go of her embrace and let herself down. Brett turned to the other Horde soldiers, "you three mind if I get a chance to talk to my sister?" Rogelio saluted Brett and grabbed Lonnie and Kyle, hoisting them both over his shoulders.
"Ah! Rogelio! Let me down you oversized iguana!" Lonnie yelled as Rogelio carried them away.
"Bye, Brittni!" Kyle yelled excitedly as they turned a corner out of the hallway. Brittni giggled and Brett chuckled.
"You know he's totally into you, right?" Brett teased as he turned back to Brittni.
"Ugh, I wish people would stop saying that." Brittni groaned as she walked into their quarters. She took a seat on the couch and stretched out on it, "oh my gosh… you have no idea how much I missed this rundown couch." Brittni said, jokingly. Brett stood by the doorway, smiling with his arms folded. Britnit tilted her head towards Brett.
"What?" Brittni inquired.
"I'm glad you're okay." Brett said, happily. He then walked over to the lounge chair and sat down across from Brittni, then asked, "Brittni, you didn't tell them the whole truth, did you?" Brittni blinked a few times. She knew there was no use trying to lie, so she simply sighed and shook her head.
"Adora is… She-Ra." Brittni admitted, looking away. Brett leaned back in the chair, folding his arms.
"Ya don't say." Brett replied, sarcastically. Brittni cocked her eyebrow. Brett then explained, "c'mon Brittni. The Rebellion gets some kind of hard hitting superweapon princess the same time that Adora goes missing. Said princess is somehow able to understand Horde tactics, objectives, and passcodes, flawlessly. That same princess is a blue eyed blonde just like, who? Oh, right, Adora." Brittni tilted her head and slowly nodded with a scrunched up face.
"Yeah, that about sums it up…" Brittni said, glumly. Brett nodded, and sniffled a bit. It was silent in the home for a few moments until Brett spoke.
"I really don't want to say it Brittni, but I feel it's necessary. I told you not to trust that crystal ball thing. Look what happened to Adora." Brett said, almost condemning. Brittni was taken aback by Brett's comment. She sat up on the couch and spoke.
"You think it's my fault that Adora joined the Rebellion?!" Brittni accused. Brett shook his head.
"No, I'm not saying it's your fault. What I'm saying is that you can't trust anything that has to do with magic. I'm assuming that something magical spoke to Adora, huh?" Brett asked. Brittni hesitated for a moment then slowly nodded.
"I mean… yeah, she said that that sword called out to her. That she felt a pull from it." Brittni said, admittedly. Brett nodded his head.
"And what if that had been you?" Brett challenged, "if you up and joined the Rebellion, how do you think I would feel? How Keirnan would feel?" Brittni held up her hands in protest.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Brittni sputtered out, "I'm not leaving the Horde! Geez. I'm not leaving anybody!"
"Again, I'm not accusing you, and I'm not trying to upset you. I'm just trying to get you to see perspective. I know that you've been… having questions about right and wrong. I guess I just don't want you to be confused and end up… leaving." Brett said, looking down. Brittni shuddered a bit. She got up and walked over to the lounge chair, and sat on the arm.
"Brett… I told you, I'm not leaving. Really." Brittni said, grabbing Brett's hand. Brett gave a half smile. Brittni smiled for a moment, and then it faded as she asked her next question, "but, Brett… theoretically speaking, if the Horde was… I dunno, in the wrong, would you leave it?" Brett stared at Brittni for a few moments, then looked away for another few. He was actually considering what Brittni was asking. He then turned his head back to Brittni and challenged her question.
"You know what's 'in the wrong,' Brittni? A gray, winged traitor that sold out our entire battalion and cost us the majority of our forces. You know what else is wrong? A mayor with a death trap castle, a princess that nearly killed our commanding officer… and kidnapped my sister." Brett stated, boldly. Brittni narrowed her eyes at Brett. Brittni scoffed
"She didn't kidnap… I mean, well, I guess… Ugh, that's an interesting way to avoid the question." Brittni said, annoyed.
"Look, Brittni, you just got back, I really don't want to debate philosophy with you. I don't know how to answer a question like that. All I know right now is that we're doing the best that we can with the information we have." Brett said as he stood up from his chair and walked over to his bag of supplies, "anyway… I'm getting ready for a mission. I really can't have this discussion right now. When I get back, we'll talk more about this. Is that okay?" Brittni was about to protest as she opened her mouth, but something inside her told her that it would be pointless. Brett was not ready to have this discussion. Instead she simply nodded.
"Alright… sorry that this was the first thing that we talked about. And now you already have to leave." Brittni said, frowning. Brett zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He then walked over to Brittni.
"No, you know what, I'm sorry, Brittni." Brett started, rubbing his eyes, "I'm the one that brought it up. I just got so worried when you left… I'm afraid that… that crystal ball thing lead you astray. Again, you're your own person. I'm not going to try to tell you how to live your life. But… please be careful about whatever that thing tells you." Brett said, putting his free hand on Brittni's shoulder. Again, not wanting to argue, Brittni simply bore a smile and nodded.
"Maybe you're right, Brett. I'll be careful." Brittni said, sincerely. Brett grinned.
"That's my little sister." Brett said, jokingly. Brittni scoffed and glared at him.
"What the-Brett! I told you before, you're not older than- Ugh. Get out of here." Brittni snapped, chuckling. Brett laughed and bent over to kiss Brittni on the cheek. This made Brittni smile and feel better. As he walked out, Brittni wondered exactly what to do with herself. She thought about going to see Oracle again in the Monumental Room, but at the same time, she still felt distrustful. Did Oracle just manipulate Brittni and Adora? Did she try to get them both to join the Rebellion? Brittni sighed.
"Maybe Brett was right… maybe I shouldn't trust Oracle… But, she didn't seem to be lying. Brett and I are basically lie detectors… But, how could Oracle allow this to happen?" Brittni sat silently for a few moments, then a thought crossed her mind. She didn't dare speak it out loud, in fear of Hordak's little pet spy.
"What if Adora joining the Rebellion was the right thing to do?" Brittni mulled around in her head. After she thought about it, she shook her head, "No. No, I know I've been questioning the ethics of both sides, but I can't make that rash of a conclusion… at least not right now." Brittni scolded herself. She let out a groan and stood up.
"Ugh, I need to eat something!" Brittni said to herself. She walked over to the kitchen and started making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Simple, yet filling. She gobbled it up rather quickly, as she hadn't had a real meal in so long. She also poured a glass of milk. Normally, she hated milk, but for some reason, she felt a deep craving for it. As she began sipping the milk, she received a transmission. She walked over to the keypad and accepted the call. A moment later, Octavia appeared on the monitor.
"Brittni! Glad to see you up and kicking." Octavia said, uncharacteristically friendly.
"Oh, uh, thank you, Captain Octavia." Brittni replied. Octavia nodded, and her tone became more resolute.
"Now, is your brother on his way to the vehicle bay? Catra is getting impatient." Octavia said. Brittni cocked her eyebrow at her.
"Catra? She's always impatient. Why does that matter now?" Brittni inquired taking another sip of milk. Octavia let out a slight chuckle.
"Right, you've been 'on the canvas' for the last couple of weeks. Yeah, Catra's been promoted to Force Captain." Octavia said. As soon as those words pierced Brittni's ears, she spat out the milk she sipped and started coughing, excessively.
"Brittni? Are you okay?" Octavia asked.
"Catra's been made Force Captain? I mean, Catra's a natural leader, so, good choice and everything... but how did she get Shadow Weaver ever to approve that?" Brittni asked, grabbing a washcloth and wiping up the mess she made. Octavia let out a slight chuckle.
"Heh, well, Lord Hordak was the one who approved it. At any rate, I'll let Catra know your brother is on his way. I'll talk to you later-" Octavia began before being interrupted by Brittni.
"Wait! Octavia. Um… what's this mission they're going on?" Brittni inquired. Octavia narrowed her eyes at Brittni.
"Sorry, Brittni, that's classified. However, if you want to know, you can ask Catra, herself." Octavia suggested. Brittni finished wiping up the milk and nodded at Octavia.
"Got it. Well, thanks Octavia. I'll see you around." Brittni said. And with that, the transmission shut off, and Brittni had some thinking to do. Even though she still felt a little indifferent towards Oracle, she still felt the importance of the instructions that Oracle had given. She was tasked with keeping watch over Adora and Catra and helping them restore balance; whatever that means, and to watch over her brother. Before Catra's squad all left for their mission, Brittni was going to go see them. She ran out of her room and down the corridor towards the vehicle bay, maneuvering and dodging everybody in her way. At one point she passed by Jenson; (the guard who was stationed around the Monumental Room,) and shoved him out of the way.
"Ow! Watch it!" Jenson protested. Brittni looked back while running.
"Sorry, Jenson! I'll take a look at you tomorrow!" Brittni huffed. She didn't pay attention to the rest of his protests as she made her way to the vehicle bay. When she entered, she had a quick recollection of when she snuck in there the first time. She walked through, sidestepping all of the workers loading up skifs, tanks, and air transports. Finally, after moving around a corner of a tank, about fifteen feet away, Brittni saw… Scorpia? In a dress? Brittni stared in awe at the scorpion-human hybrid wearing a majestic, sleeveless black dress At her waist were red, diamond shaped objects. Peering closer, Brittni could identify them as heat bombs that were disguised as diamonds to be able to be smuggled through security checkpoints.
"Why do they need to smuggle heat bombs?" Brittni wondered. While Brittni was analyzing Scorpia's attire, Scorpia turned around, and somehow, immediately saw Brittni.
"Brittni!" Scorpia yelled, immediately dropping the box she was carrying.
"Hey! Watch the equipment, Scorpia!" Catra snapped, coming out of an air transport transport's cargo hold. She then took notice of Brittni, staring at her wide-eyed for a moment, then she hissed under her breath.
"Well, well. Look who came back from the dead." Catra said, leaning against the edge of the entrance to the cargo load. Before Brittni could reply to Catra, Scorpia ran over to Brittni and wrapped her in her world famous hug, lifting Brittni into the air.
"Ack! Scorpia…!" Brittni wheezed.
"Oh, Brittni, we were all so worried. I swear, I will never let you go again!" Scorpia declared, pulling Brittni even closer. Brittni wheezed out another breath of air.
"Scorpia… could you… please… let me… go again?" Brittni wheezed out. Scorpia gasped and quickly loosened her grip, letting Brittni down. Brittni immediately gasped for air.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Brittni. Sometimes I just can't help myself. You know what they say, these claws were made for hugging!" Scorpia declared, waving her claws in the air. Brittni stared at Scorpia cock-eyed, and slowly curved her mouth into a smile.
"Uh… heh, heh. You said it, Scorpia." Brittni said insincerely. Catra smacked her forehead and eyed Scorpia with impatience.
"Scorpia!" Catra shouted, "we need those supplies loaded up. Get to it!" Scorpia turned to Catra, smiled, and saluted her.
"You got it, wildcat! You can count on me!" Scorpia gushed as she grabbed the box and carried it into the cargo hold, passed Catra. Catra then slowly strolled towards Brittni. Brittni was admiring Catra's outfit. She was wearing a dark, burgundy-red suit that tapered down under the insoles of her feet. She also had an untied bowtie around her neck, atop a brighter burgundy collared shirt. Even though Catra was smiling at Brittni, Brittni still felt a bit nervous with Catra coming at her so close.
"Catra… I… I…" Brittni started trying to say something, but could not find the words. Catra stopped a few feet away from Brittni and folded her arms.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Catra asked, chuckling at her own joke. Brittni scratched the back of her neck and nervously chuckled, until she found the words she was trying to find.
"Catra, I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't bring Adora back." Brittni said, sincerely. For all intents and purposes, Brittni did know how Catra felt about Adora. So when she apologized, she really did feel bad that she wasn't able to bring Adora back to her. However, Catra's response seemed to cause her heart to feel as though it had been punched. Catra's mouth curved downwards.
"What are you sorry for? We're going to bring her back right now. Well, at least she'll come back after we finish this mission." Catra said, cryptically. Brittni cocked her eyebrow.
"I… don't understand." Brittni said, confused. Catra's mouth curved back into a smile.
"Really? I said something that the great Observer Twin didn't understand? Wow, I feel like I need to write this down." Catra said, facetiously.
"What are you planning on doing?" Brittni demanded. Catra's smile went to a neutral state, and she started walking away.
"That's on a need-to-know basis." Catra said, callously as she started walking away towards the passenger side of the air transport. Scorpia overheard them and peeped out of the cargo hold.
"Oh, Catra, you know what we're doing. We're going to heat bomb Frosta's kingdom during the Princess Prom and capture Adora's friends, Glimmer and that... that guy with the bow... Oh, what's his name…" Scorpia bumbled out, while holding a claw to her mouth, trying to think of the name. Catra stopped dead in her tracks right next to the entrance of the cargo hold and slowly turned her head, seething with irritation towards Scorpia.
"Scorpia!" Catra yelled, with her fur raised in annoyance.
"No… no, it wasn't Scorpia, it was-" Scorpia started to say before Catra grabbed one of her claws, and used her free hand to point to the cockpit of the air transport.
"Stop giving classified information and get on the ship!" Catra commanded. Scorpia switched glances between Catra's face and her hand that was holding Scorpia's claw. Catra took notice and demanded, "what?!" Scorpia giggled.
"You're holding my claw." Scorpia said, trying to stifle her giggle.
"Get on the ship!" Catra growled. Brittni just narrowed her eyes at the bizarre situation that was placed before her. Scorpia obeyed and went to the cockpit through the cargo hold. Brittni's jaw dropped.
"You're gonna what?! Well, take me with you! I know how to fight Glimmer and Bow!" Brittni said, walking towards the ship. Catra held up her hand as Brittni began her walk.
"Because that worked so well for you last time?" Catra sneered. Brittni growled.
"Yeah! We were also attacked by a gigantic spider!" Brittni protested. Catra folded her arms.
"Listen, Brittni, we already have the maximum capacity limit for everyone going, and you don't even know the plan. I will *painfully* admit that you are a decent fighter, and your observational skills are useful. But we have Brett for that. Welcome back to the Fright Zone." Catra snapped as she walked back towards the transport cockpit. As Catra was stepping inside she took one last look at Brittni, "don't worry, you'll soon see your precious little friend Glimmer, again. Maybe you can finally get revenge for what she did to Dragstor." Catra winked as she hopped inside. Brittni stared in horror. Before Brittni could say anything else, she heard Brett calling. He was running towards the ship.
"Brittni? What are you doing here?" Brett inquired as he stepped up to her.
"Oh, uh, I… I just wanted to hug you goodbye." Brittni said, smiling. Brett grinned and wrapped her in a hug.
"Thanks, sis. I'll be back in a couple days!" Brett said as boarded the ship. Brittni stretched out her arm towards her brother, but was too late. She sighed and retracted her hand. As the ship's engines ignited and the propellers started whirling, Brittni took a step back and admired the transport's functions. Soon enough, the transport flew out of the vehicle bay, out of Brittni's sight. Brittni let out another sigh. She didn't know exactly what Catra and Brett were going to be doing out there, but she was scared for them. Oracle told her to keep watch, and so far, Brittni hasn't been able to do that for much too long. She wanted to get to the Princess Prom, but at the same time, she also wanted to talk to Oracle again. After all, it had been several weeks. There could be so much new information. With these two choices, Brittni could only ask herself:
"What am I going to do?"
I haven't written one of these in a hot minute. The last three weeks I've been way busy. HOW ABOUT SEASON 4, THOUGH? That is easily the best season, yet :D I thoroughly enjoyed it. And honestly, after the whirlwind of emotions that Season 4 put us all through, I figured that we could all use a more lighthearted chapter. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :)
