Mermista, Perfuma and Glimmer lay chained up and highly sedated on the forest floor. Once the princesses had been singlehandedly subdued by Adora, the Horde had invaded Plumeria within a matter of hours.
Catra had put Grizzlor in charge of the advancing troops. While he seemed to have a newfound respect for the Force Commander after her victory, Catra was very aware of who had directed Mermista to her and she wanted the Force Captain as far from her as possible.
Meanwhile, Octavia had been badly hit by Glimmer's axe and had been sent back to Salineas with all the other casualties for medical attention. Scorpia had taken her place and was now personally guarding the unconscious princesses. Catra had noticed she kept hovering over Perfuma…
The feline's suspicions were interrupted by a call from Hordak. Catra answered with a tired sigh:
"Yes, Lord Hordak?"
"Catra! Where are you? Status update – now!" Catra fought the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she smiled and said:
"I'm in the Kingdom of Plumeria. I'm pleased to report that the Horde was victorious in its conquest. Again." Hordak's eyes went wide with surprise. He then suddenly began to laugh. It was one of the worst sounds Catra had ever heard:
"This…this is incredible! Well done, Force Commander! I knew I was right to promote you!" Catra blushed from the compliment but quickly regained her composure:
"Thank you…I've actually got more good news for you! We captured three princesses during the battle!" Hordak gasped, causing Catra to swell up with pride. He then frowned, muttering:
"Show me." Catra quickly turned the screen so he could see the princesses lying on the grass in front of her. Scorpia, who had been brushing some hair out of Perfuma's face, quickly stood back up and gave both Catra and Hordak an awkward smile. Hordak ignored her and growled:
"I see. I'm impressed that you captured the water princess. She will be of much use to us. Bring her back to the Fright Zone." Catra raised her eyebrow. Hordak continued:
"The princess of Plumeria is also a very significant catch, though I feel it would be more beneficial to ransom her…You better bring her back too." Catra cleared her throat, finally asking:
"Lord Hordak, do you want me to come back to the Fright Zone?" Hordak ignored her question and continued with his assessment, chuckling evilly:
"You recaptured the princess of Brightmoon? I must say, she's turning into quite a liability for the Rebellion! Maybe we should just send her back to them?" Catra frowned, saying:
"I wouldn't be so sure of that…She did more damage than the other two. Octavia's seriously injured because of her." Hordak took a moment to process this information before asking:
"Force Captain Octavia's injured? Where is she now?" Catra turned the screen back to face her:
"I sent her back to Salineas, along with all the other casualties. We sustained heavy losses in the battle." Hordak frowned in concentration:
"I'll send more reinforcements tonight. Leave Force Captain Grizzlor in charge and return to the Fright Zone with all three of your prisoners. We have much to discuss." Catra wanted to argue with her boss – she had genuinely hoped that once she left the Fright Zone as an officer she would never have to return. But Catra never got what she wanted.
"Yes, Lord Hordak." As she ended the call, Adora walked up to her. After saving Catra, she had become oddly quiet, not moving from the embankment where the princesses were currently lying. Now she slowly approached the feline:
"Catra? Can I ask you something?" Catra raised her eyebrow once again before giving as reassuring a smile as she could manage:
"Yes, Adora?" Adora took a deep breath before finally asking:
"Why did you call me a princess?" Catra's eyes went wide. She had not even realized that she had done that. Not only that, but she could not understand why she had done that. "Princess" was never a term of endearment! She had always meant it as an insult, right?
The remaining princesses (except Frosta) were gathered in the War Room in Brightmoon. Queen Angella looked like she was about to cry.
Frosta had returned to her kingdom immediately after the previous meeting, with no guarantee as to if and when she would return.
That left Netossa, Spinerella and Swift Wind looking awkwardly across the table at the queen and her general. The alicorn thought he would break the tension by asking:
"So…um…can I get a chair? I mean, everyone else has a chair and-" He was cut off by Queen Angella suddenly bursting into tears. General Juliet immediately stepped forward, saying:
"This meeting is adjourned. We'll meet back up in-"
"I'm fine, Juliet. Just…update everyone." The general took a deep breath, trying to ignore the queen wiping her eyes in a surprisingly undignified manner:
"Mermista and Glimmer left last night with Perfuma. They reached Plumeria early this morning. A few hours later, the Horde…reached the border of the kingdom of Brightmoon. We have reason to believe that they have taken over Plumeria and that all three princesses are captured, injured or…worse." As General Juliet paused to give the queen a chance to recover from hearing the news a second time, Netossa stood up and protested:
"There is no way Catra pulled that off by herself! There's got to be someone else – Hordak himself maybe? We need to go down there and figure out what happened! If they're going to attack Brightmoon, we need to know what we're dealing with!" Spinerella put a hand on her wife's shoulder:
"Dear, you're still recovering from a concussion. And there's only…two of us…" Queen Angella felt a pang of guilt when she realized that Spinerella had automatically assumed she would not offer to join them. Swift Wind then spoke up:
"I'll go with you! I'll help you escape if anything goes wrong!" Netossa nodded and turned back to her wife:
"See? It's not just you and me. We've got a talking horse too. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Catra?" Catra was pulled out of her momentary panic by Scorpia suddenly running up to her. Grateful for the intervention, the Force Commander immediately turned to her:
"Yes, what is it?" Scorpia looked a bit worried.
"Um…what were Hordak's orders? What's…um…going to happen to…um…" Catra raised her eyebrow and gave a mischievous grin before finishing Scorpia's question:
"Princess Perfuma? I've seen how you've been looking at her…" Scorpia went bright red and looked away in embarrassment.
Catra laughed. She could have been nicer but she was desperately hoping that this would distract Adora enough that she would forget her question. Catra should have been more careful what she wished for…
"You like her? That's ridiculous! She's a princess - you should be ashamed!" Catra stopped laughing and stared at Adora. Scorpia looked up in shock. Catra took a deep breath and said:
"I was joking, Adora. Scorpia doesn't like Perfuma! She just-" Catra was suddenly interrupted by Scorpia sobbing. The Force Captain blurted out:
"No, Adora's right! During the battle, she picked me up and was about to throw me - but then she stopped! She recognized me from Princess Prom and wanted to talk to me!" Catra looked at Adora and coughed nervously:
"Yeah…she probably wanted to yell at you for destroying the palace, right?" Scorpia wiped her eyes and sniffled:
"She did say it wasn't very nice…but she also said she knew I was just following orders! And that she liked my dress! No one else said anything nice about my dress!" Scorpia then began crying again and Catra could see Adora getting angrier. The feline quickly rushed over and wrapped the Force Captain in a hug:
"Hey, hey! Scorpia, your dress was very pretty! Remember how I smiled when I saw it? I liked it – I really did!" Adora then erupted:
"Are you serious right now? Catra, she's admitting to being sympathetic to a princess! She should be punished!" Catra frowned and turned back to face Adora, almost yelling:
"Okay, Adora, that's enough! No one is punishing anyone! Scorpia is sorry – let's leave it at that!" Adora then pulled out her stun baton menacingly. Her eyes were distant once more and an almost evil smile crawled across her face:
"I've got a better idea! Let's kill Princess Perfuma – that'll teach her!" Scorpia looked like she was about to faint. Catra quickly got even more assertive:
"Are you even listening to yourself? We can't do that – we have orders! And even without them, we're soldiers NOT executioners! Now go and...um…help Grizzlor." Adora gave a look of mild surprise:
"I thought I was supposed to stay with you..." Catra finally yelled:
"I'll call you back when we start moving out! Now move!" Adora, who now looked a bit shaken by Catra's sudden change in attitude, took a deep breath, saluted and started to walk away. As soon as she was out of earshot, Catra grabbed Scorpia's shoulder, pulling her close. She then whispered urgently:
"We need to talk. NOW."
Bow gasped in fear. Entrapta had just proven just how accurate her theory was about runestones controlling the planet's environment. A dark cloud had started to form over the Fright Zone, rumbling with thunder and lit up with red lightning. Or so Hordak said.
"Well done, Entrapta! You are clearly…a force to be reckoned with..." Entrapta gave a big smile at the compliment. Bow then rushed forward, fell to his knees in front of Hordak and begged:
"Please, please don't do this!" He then looked up at Entrapta, pleading:
"Entrapta, please turn it off! Do you have any idea how many people are gonna get hurt because of this?" Hordak laughed at the archer, saying:
"Your 'friends' have abandoned you. And if you try to sabotage this operation, I will not hesitate to have Adora killed!" Hordak then turned to Entrapta and asked:
"Now then, princess, I have a question for you. What do you know about portals?" Entrapta's eyes lit up the way they always did when someone asked her about anything scientific.
"Not a lot, but I would LOVE to do some research!" Bow, who was still kneeling on the ground, put his head in his hands.
This was more than a nightmare. There was genuinely nothing Bow could do to fix this. For the first time in his life, he had no hope at all.
"But…I can't just leave! I'm part of the Horde – I've always been! My family made that deal, remember? If I go, I'd be breaking it!" Catra pinched her nose and spoke slowly:
"Look, you saw that, right? Adora's unstable! It's obvious Shadow Weaver did more to her than just wipe her mind! And she's – she's She-Ra! She's going to kill someone and she's got it in for you and that princess!" The Force Captain blushed:
"Aww, that's so sweet of you to be worried about me! Don't worry, Wildcat - I can take She-Ra on!" Catra yelled:
"Not an unstable She-Ra! I don't even think I could take her on! Look, the only reason nothing terrible has happened yet is because she doesn't have her sword and I'm here – but I can't always be here and who knows how long it'll be until someone mentions She-Ra to her! That'll probably be all it takes to make her attack you!" Scorpia looked down at the ground. Catra realized she had shouted again. She took a deep breath and explained:
"All of this is my fault, Scorpia. I should have never left her in the Black Garnet chamber. This is my responsibility, my mess to clean up. If she kills anyone…I won't be able to forgive myself. And the Rebellion took Adora in. Why wouldn't they do the same for you?" Scorpia shrugged:
"I…ruined Princess Prom?" Catra sighed:
"Aside from that! Look, you're a princess - just like them. Plus you'll be taking a princess back with you! They'll have to trust you after that!" Scorpia still looked unsure, so Catra continued:
"Okay, how about this? I'm asking you to go on a special mission to Brightmoon. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to gain the trust of the princesses, learn their plans and tell me using your badge." That was all Scorpia needed to hear. She immediately wrapped Catra in a bear hug, ignoring the feline's protests. When she finally put Catra down, she said:
"I'm so honoured that you thought of me for this mission! I won't let you down, Wildcat!" Catra caught her breath and nodded:
"Sure, whatever. Just make sure you and Perfuma are out of Plumeria before Adora comes back! Also, you better take one of the blankets with you. It's getting really cold."
Glimmer shuddered from the freezing cold wind that was sweeping through the Whispering Woods. For some reason, the electrical convulsions had stopped as soon as she had woken up from her induced coma. She still could not teleport though.
Mermista was slung over Scorpia's shoulder, still passed out from the drugs. Perfuma was leaning against Scorpia's other shoulder, with her arm around her neck.
Perfuma had woken up after Glimmer had slapped her and was still pretty out of it. The princess of Brightmoon did not trust the Force Captain but, given the circumstances, she did not have much choice.
The four princesses slipped past the Horde's patrols and made it out of Plumeria. That was when it started snowing. Glimmer turned to Perfuma:
"It's snowing! Has this ever happened before, Perfuma?" The princess shook her head, moaning in pain from having to think at all. Scorpia immediately dumped Mermista on the ground and picked Perfuma up bridal style.
"Perfuma! Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Perfuma gave Scorpia a sweet smile before passing out again. Scorpia blushed uncontrollably. Glimmer then yelled:
"Hey! It's fine - I've got Mermista! Let's move!"
Catra rubbed some snow on the fresh bruise on her forehead. She figured now was as good a time as any to inform Hordak of the news. As she started calling him on her communicator, she looked up to see Adora in the distance. She was returning with Grizzlor.
Catra groaned in frustration. She had only requested Adora's return, not Grizzlor's. Her annoyance was interrupted by Hordak answering the call:
"Yes, Catra?" Catra immediately changed her expression to one of fake vulnerability. She gulped and stammered:
"S-Scorpia betrayed us! She knocked me out and freed the princesses! They've already left the kingdom." Hordak gave an angry roar before turning around, grabbing a piece of machinery and throwing it to the ground.
"That traitor! I should've known no good would come from keeping her alive!" Catra nodded uncertainly, purposefully ignoring Hordak's admission of murder and eyeing Adora as she got close enough to see the carnage of the fight. The blonde looked torn between concern and fury. Hordak then said:
"Alright – new orders! You march on Brightmoon immediately! No prisoners – kill them all! You understand me, Force Commander?" Catra nodded, muttering:
"Yes, Lord Hordak." Without another word, the leader of the Horde hung up on her. Catra pinched her nose. Why had Glimmer had to wake up at the exact moment Scorpia freed Perfuma? Shadow Weaver's magic must have made her more resistant to the sedation than expected…
"Catra?" Catra turned to look at Adora. Grizzlor was standing to attention next to her. The Force Captain roughly hit Adora's arm, growling:
"She's the Force Commander! Salute her!" Adora immediately raised her hand in salute, standing to attention when she did so. Catra gave a small smile at the newfound respect from Grizzlor. She then muttered:
"At ease." The feline then approached the bear hybrid:
"I don't recall ordering your return from the frontline?" Grizzlor's face hardened.
"My outpost was attacked by two princesses. I believe they called each other Netossa and Spinerella? I'd never encountered them before. They were accompanied by this crazy flying horse that could talk. Anyway, Force Captain Adora successfully drove them away!" Grizzlor patted Adora on the shoulder. Catra went white:
"What…happened? Adora, did you keep your helmet on?" Adora nodded and Grizzlor smiled:
"She charged at them and didn't even wait for my orders! She reminded me of myself when I was her age! She-" Catra cut him off:
"Did she hurt anyone?" Grizzlor raised an eyebrow and nodded:
"Yes. I'm happy to report that she took both of the princesses down - but that wretched horse swooped in and flew them away!" Catra gave a sigh of relief that she pretended was a sigh of frustration. She then looked away and muttered:
"Well…Scorpia betrayed us. The…the princesses are gone." Adora went white and was about to yell at Catra when Grizzlor stopped her by tightening the grip on her shoulder. He then stepped forward and said:
"It's alright. We all make mistakes. The important thing is what we do next. What are Hordak's orders?" Catra took a deep breath and looked at Adora:
"As soon as the new reinforcements arrive we're…going to Brightmoon." Adora's face changed from one of anger to one of deranged happiness. Even Grizzlor raised an eyebrow at her sudden change of expression. Adora then asked:
"So…we'll get to kill Perfuma after all?" Catra nodded uneasily, before adding:
"I'll kill the princesses. You focus on capturing them and bringing them to me." It was finally dawning on Catra that Adora might never go back to the way she was. However, if there was even a chance she could be saved from whatever Shadow Weaver had done to her, Catra was going to do everything in her power to make sure she did nothing she would regret when she finally woke up – namely killing any of her princess friends.
Catra would do that instead. She would be the villain that Adora hated. That was even who she had been before Adora's mind was wiped, right? How could she have ever hoped for anything different? Catra never got what she wanted.
As Scorpia hesitantly walked up to Perfuma to pick her up, Glimmer began to stir. She turned and stared at Scorpia unchaining Perfuma. She then yelled:
"Hey bitch! Let me go!" Scorpia looked at her as if she had seen a ghost. She then pointed a pincer at herself and stammered:
"D-Do you mean me?" Refusing to let Scorpia take that insult, Catra pounced on the Force Captain, making her fall backwards. She then hissed:
"No, she was talking to me! Now surrender yourself, traitor!" Scorpia threw Catra off her and stood back up.
Glimmer then got up, freeing herself from her chains which had been accidentally cut apart by Catra's claws when she had jumped on Scorpia. The princess then went over to Mermista and began unchaining her too. Catra yelled:
"You won't get away with this!" She then charged at Scorpia and swiped at her. Little did Glimmer know that Catra had chosen this attack specifically because she knew it would be easy for Scorpia to disarm her. The Force Captain grabbed Catra's hands with her pincers, picking her off the ground. She then readied her tail to paralyze the feline. She whispered:
"I'm sorry, Wildcat…" Catra gave Scorpia the tiniest nod, whispering:
"Do what you gotta do."
When Scorpia stung her, Catra felt Scorpia gently lie her on the ground. Then everything went black.
When Catra woke up, she was covered in snow and surrounded by guards. She angrily got up and shooed them all away. She then turned to where the princesses had been, and saw nothing but empty chains.
Catra hoped Scorpia was long gone. She hoped the princesses would reward her 'betrayal' just as they had with Adora. She also hoped that Adora would wake up one day and realize that Catra had done all of this for her. Because…well…Catra had always liked Adora, right?