Princesses and Swords
Izuku and Catra had been walking through Etheria for a few days and had done their best to stay away from any and all sort of Horde activity. They had run across the random patrol once or twice, but a quick butt kicking had done the job. And now they found themselves inside a deep forest.
"I really hope those jerks didn't report spotting us," Catra said, tossing a Horde soldier helmet in the air. "You think they might put bounties on us now?"
"I don't think so. It would look pretty bad if a whole patrol says that they were defeated by two random travelers," Izuku replied. "I don't think they'll be looking for us any time soon. Besides, they said that this forest is the best place to hide from the Horde."
"Yeah, I remember the witch's stories about the dangers of the Whispering Woods," Catra commented in fake fear. "Get real, the only ones that should be afraid of in these woods are-." She began only for Izuku to cut her off.
"There's something up ahead," Izuku said, looking at the rustling bushes head while remembering Tooshinori's lessons.
-Flashback-
Izuku had just started his teachings under Toshinori in order to learn One For All. He sat crossed legged, with his eyes blindfolded and Toshinori next to him.
"A true warrior cannot rely only on his sight," Toshinori explained. "Their senses must be honed and ready at any moment. One For All will enhance your senses and reflexes the more you work on them, and for that there's this exercise."
"What am I supposed to do?" Izuku asked.
"Sense whenever someone is about to hit you," Toshinori said before Catra pounced on Izuku, causing them to roll on the ground. "I probably should've asked her to take this seriously." He sighed like a teacher trying to get a lesson across.
-Present-
Back in the here and now, Izuku and Catra slowly approached the rustling bushes ready to fight. As Catra brought out her claws, Izuku reeled back his fist to punch whatever was on the other side.
Suddenly a small black cat sprung out from the bushes, jumping at Izuku's face.
Izuku flinched as the cat grabbed him by the face, clinging to it like it was a ball of yarn. He grabbed the cat off of his face, as it mewled and reached out to grab Izuku once more.
"No, no, no, bad kitty," Izuku repeated.
Catra just laughed and cooed at the interactions between Izuku and the cat.
"Oh my gosh, you two look so adorable together," Catra said. "Aw, she likes you. I mean, you got that effect on cats, more evolved or otherwise. I think I'll call it Melog." She laughed as the cat climbed up Izuku's head and tried to sleep on top of it.
"Why would you call it that? Hand me something, ow!" Izuku flinched as Melog's claws dug into his head. "Get it… Her? Him? Off of me."
Catra couldn't stop laughing at Izuku's misery. She handed him the helmet, wondering what he'd be able to do with it. However, her ears picked up a strange noise coming not far from them. She turned to follow the strange sound, leaving Izuku with the cat.
"Almost there!" Izuku said, pulling the cat off of his head and into the helmet. "Sorry, Melog, but I think you'll like that one better than my head. What do you think, Catra?" He asked, only to find that his friend was no longer next to him, "Catra?"
Izuku watched Catra walking deeper into the woods.
Catra was hearing something weird. Like a whistle at a frequency she could hear. It was like a strange siren song to her ears. Her instincts were telling her it was a trap of some kind, but she couldn't help but go towards it. She moved around a tree and then saw the source of the strange noise.
A sword in the middle of the meadow, embedded into the ground and covered with roots and vines.
"A sword?" Catra questioned, walking towards it while rubbing her ear. "Why is it making that weird noise?" She said reaching for it.
Just then she heard the two distinct voices of people coming out of the opposite end of the meadow. Her eyes turning towards the source as they came out into view.
"Come on, Bow, we need to find that First One's tech before the Horde," A feminine yet tomboyish voice called out.
"According to my pad it should be right before us, Glimmer, and with no Horde soldier in… sight…" A male voice said as the two owners of the voices stepped into view.
The owners of the voices were a young boy and a girl.
The boy was about the same height as Izuku with short black hair and dark skin with brown eyes. He wore a sleeveless white armored tank top with a red heart in its center with a golden pauldron on his left shoulder, blue pants and white boots that reached halfway to his knees with hearts on his shins. He carried a holographic pad in his hands and a golden bow and brown quiver filled with arrows on his back. This was Bow.
The girl was a few inches shorter than Catra with pink and purple hair in a pixie style with sparkles on the purple part, lilac eyes, and slightly tanned skinned. She had a short stacked body with some interesting clothing choices. She had a purple dress blouse that went down to her hips with a crystal on its chest, purple shorts that covered her legs almost down to her knees, purple boots with crescent moons on her shins, a sparkly blue cape with a silver pauldron on her left shoulder, a long white sleeve on her left arm and a pair of fingerless gloves her hands. This was Princess Glimmer.
"Um, hi," Catra greeted. "This yours?" She added, pointing to the sword.
"Catra! Hey, don't just run off like that," Izuku said, catching up to her friend while carrying the small black cat in the helmet like a carrier. "I think Melog doesn't like something here, we should go…" He said, causing the two new arrivals to gasp.
"Horde soldiers!" Bow cried out.
Bow and Glimmer screamed a war cry as they charged to attack Izuku and Catra.
"Hey, wait!" Catra called out as Glimmer teleported before her with a punch aimed to the face.
Catra dodged the attack and flipped Glimmer over. She then jumped towards her with a swipe of her claws, only to be met with more sparkles. She growled as the princess appeared behind her and flipped Catra back.
"Oh, you are gonna get it, Sparkles!" Catra growled as she jumped back into the fight.
"Catra!" Izuku called out only to be cut off by an arrow.
"Stay away from the tech, Horde scum!" Bow called out, firing another arrow.
Izuku dropped Melog's carrier, dodging the arrows and causing the kitty to jump out due to the strange noise before Izuku charged towards the archer. He didn't want to hurt the young man, but he didn't want to get hit by the arrows. He caught one of the arrows and tossed it back against an incoming arrow.
"Listen, we don't know what you're talking about and we are not with the Horde," Izuku explained, holding up his hands in defense.
"Oh, really? So you just happen to be wearing Horde armor and your friend is wearing Horde clothes?" Bow asked, loading another arrow.
"Okay, let us explain," Izuku said, knocking back another arrow with his free hand. "But I can't while you're shooting arrows at me!" Izuku countered, rushing to Bow's face and landing a palm strike to his stomach.
Bow was sent back against a tree, firing another arrow in the air by accident.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard!" Izuku freaked out.
"Bow! You'll pay for that, Horde scum!" Glimmer snapped, trying in vain to punch Catra in the face.
"Quit it with the 'Horde' stuff! We're not with them!" Catra dodged, before slashing at Glimmer.
"Then why were you after the sword!" Glimmer snapped, blasting Catra in the chest with a sparkling blast of magic.
Catra slided next to the sword with her claws.
"I just found the stupid sword and thought, 'Cool! A sword! I can stab people with this!'," Catra mocked.
"Great, ravagers, that's just as bad," Glimmer commented.
Just then the fired arrow landed next to Melog, scaring the cat into the woods.
"Melog! That's it!" Catra snapped, looking at the sword. "You want the sword, well come and get it!" She snapped, drawing the sword from where it was held.
As soon as the sword was drawn out, a bright multi-colored light came out from the sword as strange circuitry marks appeared on Catra's arms and eyes.
"Catra!" Izuku called out, rushing to his friend's side.
But before he could reach her, Catra's eyes landed on the sword's inscription.
"For the Honor of Grayskull!" Catra called out, hoisting the sword in the air.
Catra was transformed before the eyes of Izuku, Glimmer and Bow. Her body grew up to eight feet tall, increasing her muscles while keeping her feminine looks. Her mane grew longer until it covered her upper back before turning white like snow along with her ears and eyebrows. Her clothes changed as well. Her diadem grew bigger and a ruby appeared in the middle of her forehead. Her clothes became black with a matching armored skirt with red pieces and the silhouette of a large cat's face on her chest. She had spiky red shoulder guards that connected to a long red cape. Her forearms were covered with red armored bracelets. She wore red armored shin guards with open-toed sandals like she wore before.
Everyone stared in awe at the newly transformed Catra.
"'For the Honor of Grayskull'? It can't be," Glimmer whispered.
"The sword, the power, the chant, it has to be," Bow groaned as he got back up.
"Catra!" Izuku rushed to Catra's side, getting her attention. "Catra, come on, snap out of it." He said, shaking his friend.
He could feel the power inside and around her. It was like looking deeply into a fire that was being fed by magic. He shook his surprise, as Catra blinked a few times.
"I-Izuku? W-wait, did you shrink along with sparkles and heart-guy?" Catra asked, before noticing her new look. "AAAAHHH! What is this?! What happened to me?! Is being a princess contagious?!" She freaked out, swinging the sword and accidentally cutting down two trees.
The two trees fell, waking up something that was nearby.
A loud roar knocked the four young adults back to reality as the owner of the roar appeared before them. It was a large silver spider with eight sharp spiky legs, bright blue eyes, and moss covering parts of its massive body. It let out a vicious roar at the group, attacking everything that was in front of it that disturbed its slumber. It slammed one of its razor sharp legs into the ground where the group was standing, sending them back.
"A Guardian?! What's it doing here?" Glimmer asked.
"It must've been awoken from our fight!" Bow surmised.
"So, how do we put it to sleep?" Catra asked.
"I don't know!" Bow replied. "Glimmer, did your mom ever mention how to stop a Guardian?!"
"She mentioned something about their source of magic, but I might've not paid much attention to her lecture," Glimmer admitted.
"Well that's helpful!" Catra snapped.
"Catra stay back, I'll try to lead it away," Izuku instructed as his body was encased in his green aura and his eyes glowed a bright green. "Hey, Mr. Guardian! Over here!" He shouted, getting the spider's attention.
"What's he doing?" Glimmer asked.
"Being a damn hero," Catra said, watching her own reflection in the sword. "And stealing the spotlight for himself!"
Izuku charged at the spider, keeping its attention on him. He jumped up, avoiding the sharp legs with his speed. He ducked under a leg only to then jump above another one. A third came from the right to intercept him, but Izuku saw it coming. He reeled back his left leg before kicking the leg away, breaking it.
Just then another leg came from behind Izuku. He could not dodge it, if he didn't move he'd be skewered by the leg.
But before the leg could kill him, Catra jumped up with her new sword. She let out a defiant roar as she sliced the leg and the Guardian's face with her sword.
The Guardian roared in pain, stumbling back into the forest as Izuku and Catra landed on the ground safely.
"Yeah, you better run!" Catra roared before she started to feel weak.
Her body went limp before Izuku caught her.
"It's okay, I've got you," Izuku said as Catra turned back to normal. "Catra, talk to me please."
"Izuku?" Catra muttered. "What just happened?"
Just then the Guardian came back with a vengeance, roaring in rage and blindly attacking everything in sight.
Before Izuku and Catra could move, an explosive arrow struck the giant spider.
"This way!" Bow yelled, causing Izuku and Catra to look at him.
They didn't need to be told twice.
Izuku picked up Catra and the sword before running away from the rampaging Guardian. WIth his speed he easily returned to where the other two were.
"Alright, now what?" Izuku asked.
"We're getting out of here!" Glimmer said, grabbing hold of Izuku's arm and Bow.
In a glimmering flash, the group of four disappeared away from the Guardian.
The group appeared inside another spot. They fell to the ground inside some underground cave.
Izuku caught Catra and Glimmer before he landed, only for Bow to land on top of him.
"Sorry," Bow groaned before he turned on his lantern.
"Everyone okay?" Izuku groaned.
Catra and Glimmer noticed how close they were to the cinnamon roll of a man that was above them. They felt all his muscles and quickly got red faces. They got out from underneath him with a gasp of air.
"Um, yeah," Catra coughed, avoiding letting her friend see her blushing. "We're good."
Glimmer spotted the sword next to her before snatching it.
"I'll take that," Glimmer said before turning to Catra. "How did you do it?"
"Don't know, just read the inscription and poof, eight foot tall cat girl," Catra shrugged.
"How did a Horde soldier turn into She-Ra like that?" Glimmer asked.
"We're not with the Horde! We found the helmet after beating up a patrol. We're travelers from the Crimson Waste," Izuku explained. "We escaped the Fright Zone and left the Horde."
"Great, the resumè just keeps getting better," Glimmer groaned. "Former Horde soldiers turned bandits. You two are coming with us back to Brightmoon, where the queen will judge you."
"I'd like to see you try!" Catra hissed in defiance.
"Okay, okay, how about we all calm down. We don't know each other and neither do we know where we are," Izuku said. "Can we keep things calm until we get out of here?"
Just then a mewl caught their attention. They turned to see Melog walking towards them.
"Melog, I've got you baby," Catra cooed, picking up the little cat.
"She must've come in through somewhere, we could find a way out if we retrace her steps," Bow suggested.
Catra and Glimmer blew raspberries at each other before agreeing.
"Sounds good to me," Catra said. "The quicker we're away from Sparkles the better."
"That's princess. Princess Glimmer to you," Glimmer growled.
"Wait, you're a princess?" Izuku asked. "We've never met a princess before. You're not what we were expecting. You're a lot cuter than what we were told." He pointed out, getting Glimmer to blush.
"She's definitely got a thick ass on her," Catra said, lifting Glimmer's cape and poking her large butt.
Which got her and Izuku slapped in the face for their troubles.
Izuku and Catra walked between Glimmer and Bow with their hands tied up and two red handprints on their faces.
"Why did I get hit?" Izuku asked with comedic tears in his eyes.
"Yeah, shouldn't princesses like getting compliments or something?" Catra questioned. "I mean, I'd like it if Izuku would tell me if I had a great ass." She said as Melog nuzzled in her arms.
"Oh, well, Glimmer is a bit self conscious about her looks when compared to her mother so-," Bow explained before Glimmer shot him a look.
"Bow, we do not tell perverted bandits stuff they don't need to know," Glimmer said, gritting her teeth.
"Again, not bandits or Horde soldiers or pervs," Catra said. "Izuku here is a saint. He never peeped on me when I bathed. Which I wouldn't have minded."
"What Catra is trying to say is that, you don't know us and we don't know you," Izuku clarified, blushing profusely from Catra's comments. "So, why don't we start over? My name is Izuku and this is my friend Catra. We're travelers."
"Bow, and this is my friend Princess Glimmer," Bow introduced.
"Nah, she's Sparkles from now on," Catra chided, much to Glimmer's annoyance.
Bow then thought of a question that he could ask.
"I hope this is not a sore subject, but you said you were once with the Horde, right?" Bow asked.
"It's a bit more complicated than that. Me and Catra were raised there along with other kids," Izuku explained, causing Glimmer to briefly look at him. "We grew up in the same orphanage until we learned what the Horde was really doing. We left after that."
"Wait, so you've been on your own since you were seven?" Bow gasped.
"Eight, actually. But we did find a dad that adopted us," Catra commented.
"You know he gets embarrassed when you call him that," Izuku commented.
"You two were like father and son in so many ways. Remember when you imitated him?" Catra asked, scratching Melog's chin.
"Eat this." Izuku said, imitating Toshinori to perfection, even mimicking his facial features, causing Catra to laugh out loud.
"Gets me every time," Catra chuckled.
"Okay, my turn! How did you transform into She-Ra?" Glimmer asked, looking at Catra.
"A what-Ra?" Catra asked.
"She-Ra, the legendary warrior of Etheria," Glimmer said, illuminating the wall next to them with an orb of glimmering light to reveal a white clad woman with a sword. "There's like literally countless legends of her powers and abilities. Legends like she could connect with the Runestones, defeat great monsters, and heal the sickly. Legends say that she'll return when Etheria needs her the most. Those ring any bells?"
Izuku and Catra looked at the mural on the wall with some skepticism.
"Never heard of them. Princess fairy tales weren't really something the Horde told, unless it was about how 'evil' you guys were," Catra replied. "Look, I just read the inscription and boom, I was an eight foot tall knockout." Catra said, walking past Glimmer.
Glimmer glared at the cat girl as she walked. She didn't know what her game was, but she was going to figure it out.
"She's not lying, you know," Izuku said, getting the attention of the pink princess. "I've seen Catra lie and that wasn't it."
Glimmer looked at the sword reflecting her own face. The face of a princess with everything to live up to and mountains to climb.
"For the Honor of Grayskull," Glimmer whispered, but nothing happened. "Of course not…"
She sighed as they walked.
After a short while, the group found a closed door with writing all over it.
"Great, now what?" Catra asked.
"That's First One's writing. We must be in one of their ruins," Bow explained, using his torch to illuminate it. "But very few even know what their language means."
"It says, 'enter passphrase'," Izuku read outloud, shocking everyone, even Catra. "I mean, it says it right there."
"Um, does it say what the phrase is?" Bow asked.
"'Eternia'?" Izuku hesitantly asked.
The entire room lit up as the hologram of a purple woman appeared before the group, causing them to jump back, huddling together for protection.
"Passphrase accepted. Systems activating. Administrator, identify yourself." The hologram stated in a robotic voice.
Everyone looked at Izuku with curiosity.
"What? Oh, right. I have nothing," Izuku admitted.
"Just say you're the boss and to open the doors or something," Catra said.
"This is an advanced lost civilization, I don't think that'll work," Glimmer snapped.
"It wouldn't hurt to try." Bow suggested, getting glared at by Glimmer.
"Um, hi, my name is Izuku," Izuku tried. "Could you please open the door?"
The hologram didn't respond at first. It just stared at the group with its dead white eyes.
"Administer not recognized, initiating security measures!" the hologram replied with its robotic voice.
The room started to flash red with bright lights, scaring the group.
"Okay, we're out of here!" Glimmer said, wrapping her arms around the group before teleporting them away.
The group reappeared in mid-air with Glimmer completely passed out from exhaustion. As the group saw the ground fast approaching, Izuku broke free from his bonds.
Izuku called upon One For All once more, encasing his body in the green aura. He grabbed hold of Catra, wrapping her arms around his neck while holding Melog. He then caught Bow with his left arm before he spotted Glimmer. He kicked the air like Toshinori had done, pushing himself towards the princess. Wrapping his right arm around her, he brought her back to her senses and a little close to his face.
"Hang on!" Izuku called out as they were about to land.
With a loud boom, Izuku landed with the group hanging onto him for safety.
"Are you guys alright?" Izuku asked.
"I'm good," Bow said, panting to catch his breath.
"Better than ever, Izuku," Catra said, pressing her body against his back with Melog on her shoulder.
Glimmer saw how close she was and quickly got away from Izuku.
"Yeah, yeah, we're fine! I'm fine!" Glimmer stammered. "Just warn us when you're gonna do that."
"How about you warn us when you plan to teleport us to the middle of the sky?!" Catra snapped. "Do you pick spots at random or something?!"
"Teleporting so many people to an unknown location from another unknown location is hard! Okay!?" Glimmer snapped. "I need to know where I'm going to make teleportation jumps work."
"So where are we now?" Catra asked before spotting the destruction behind them.
They were in the remains of a battlefield where leftover buildings, vehicles, and pieces of armor lay scattered. There were even some corpses of soldiers from both sides. And at the top of a small hill was the Horde flag waving like death and destruction was some kind of achievement.
"What happened here?" Izuku asked as Catra grabbed his hand.
"The Horde happened. This is what they've done for years," Glimmer said with venom in her words. "Destroy everything and conquer all who oppose them, claiming this is the true way of the world. That magic and those who practice it are against nature itself." She said with her hold on the sword growing tighter.
"We should go," Bow said, placing his hand on Glimmer's shoulder.
As the princess and the bowman walked away in sadness, Izuku and Catra couldn't help but look at what was before them. This was what would've awaited them if they had stayed in the Fright Zone. Would they be amongst the corpses or the people that made it out alive.
"Let's go," Catra said as she felt Izuku's hand tightening around her hand.
Izuku didn't say anything, but walked along with Catra and the rest of the group. He couldn't help but feel like he should've been there, fighting the Horde for all they had done. He could feel the power of One For All shaking, wanting to cut loose for him to unleash his many years of rage against those that would hurt the innocent.
The group continued walking until they came upon a small village. The place was barricaded and there were two guards outside with spears.
"Halt, identify yourselves." One of the guards demanded.
"I am Princess Glimmer of Brightmoon, we're heading back to the palace from a scouting mission," Glimmer replied. "This is my companion, Bow and um-,"
"We're her security, the name's Catra, this is Izuku, and this is Melog," Catra introduced, cutting Glimmer off. "We needed to make a detour and we were hoping to get some food and water before continuing on our journey."
The two guards looked at each other before relaxing.
"Very well, you may pass," the second guard said.
"Thank you," Izuku said as they walked into the village.
"Hey, what was that?" Glimmer whispered after they passed the guards.
"It's called getting into the damn village to get something to eat. You're welcome," Catra said with Melog mewling, causing Glimmer to sigh.
The group was able to get some food and water rather easily as they noted that there was a party taking place. The group watched as children and adults alike just had fun and tried to forget that there was a war going on.
"Wow, this is a nice party," Bow commented as the group ate some food.
"But why are they having a party?" Izuku asked. "Wasn't there a battle not far from here?"
"That is precisely why we're having this celebration," An old goat man said. "I apologize, travelers, but I couldn't help but overhear your query."
"It's alright sir, but if you don't mind me asking; why do you have this celebration?" Izuku asked.
"The war has taken a lot from many people, we celebrate the small victories that we get here in our village," The old goat man said. "We don't know when our last moment will be, but we want our memories to be happy ones."
Izuku and Catra shared a look as if they knew what the old man meant. They then looked at Glimmer and Bow as they had the same feelings inside them. It was a sobering reminder that the war was getting closer to everyone's doorstep.
Just then a group of kids surrounded the group, pulling them into the party.
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow were roped into the party, playing games and, for what seemed like the first time that day, relaxing.
Catra was given a stick as a piñata was presented before her. She smirked as she spun the stick and, with one mighty strike, shattered the candy-filled paper package. As the children celebrated with candy, Catra looked at Glimmer, giving her a satisfied smile, which annoyed the princess.
Glimmer decided to play some party tricks with her magic. She created orbs of glimmering light for the children before she began making tricks with them. Balancing the light orbs on the tips of her fingers before spinning them around like a glimmering planetarium, she turned to Catra and gave her a knowing look as the cat girl was also entranced by the show.
Bow was sitting near some of the children, helping them make arts and crafts as some played with Melog.
Izuku wasn't sure what to do to make the party fun. He was surrounded by children and didn't know what to do. He then remembered something he had done with Toshinori when he and Catra were younger. He extended his arms out to his sides as the kids climbed onto him. With little effort, Izuku lifted them into the air, much to their delight. He smiled widely as they asked him to go higher and higher.
After an hour, everything began to settle down as Izuku joined Catra and Glimmer under a tree.
"You seemed to be having fun," Catra commented with a smile.
"Yeah, I couldn't say no to those kids," Izuku admitted. "To be honest, I wished that we'd had that kind of childhood."
"Yeah, no worries or duties to live up to," Glimmer muttered as they watched the children.
Izuku and Catra looked at Glimmer with curious looks.
Glimmer merely looked away, blushing in embarrassment.
"Guess you have a sweet side after all, Sparkles," Catra chuckled.
However, the laughter was short-lived.
A large explosion by the village entrance knocked everyone out of their festive mood. Panic spread as Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow turned to see what it was.
Tanks. Tanks from the Horde with soldiers at the helm.
"No." Izuku trembled.
"We need to get these people out of here!" Catra said.
"Bow! Get the kids and old people to safety; lead them to the woods!" Glimmer instructed. "We gotta go!" Glimmer said, turning to Izuku and Catra.
"Right, behind you, Sparkles!" Catra replied, pulling Izuku. "Come on, Izuku, we need to go! Izuku?"
Izuku didn't reply. His fists balled as the memories of what he'd seen and lived through came rushing to the surface. He saw people that were crying for help, just like he had. The great fire of One For All roared inside of him as his eyes glowed bright green.
"I won't run. No more. No more being weak!" Izuku called out, rushing towards the Horde soldiers and tanks with his green aura glowing like a flame.
"What's he doing?!" Glimmer asked with worry.
"Being his dumb heroic self! Again!" Catra groaned in frustration. "I'm going after him before he gets himself killed!" She said, taking off after her friend.
Glimmer didn't know what to say. She was seeing two people that she had thought the worst of were now helping people at the cost of their own safety. She looked at the sword on her back before turning to help her new friends. She was a princess after all, and she wasn't going to wait for someone to save her.
Izuku jumped into the fight, punching a Horde soldier before they could fire at an old goat man. He ducked under the laser fire before zooming towards the soldiers and slamming his foot into their sides with a roundhouse kick. As the armor shattered under his attacks, his eyes snapped towards one of the tanks. He balled his fist as he charged at the large tank, reeling his fist back.
"Smash!" Izuku called out, punching the tank back, shattering it into pieces much to the Horde army's shock.
One of the soldiers aimed their blaster at Izuku's head. He was about to fire only for Catra to knee the soldier in the face.
Catra used her cat-like agility to knock back another soldier, slashing their side with her claws before kicking another one. She grabbed one of the blasters before clubbing another soldier in the head. She threw one of the dropped helmets at another soldier before hitting them with the butt of the broken blaster.
"Catra?" Izuku asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Keeping you from getting killed! Izuku, you dumb, heroic, lovable idiot, don't just rush in blindly!" Catra snapped.
Just then a couple of blaster shots cut their reunion.
Catra looked at the soldier that wore better armor than the others.
"That must be the Force Captain. I'll deal with them, you keep the tanks from blasting anything else," Catra instructed.
"I forget how often you like to take control," Izuku muttered, taking off after the two remaining tanks.
Catra ducked and dodged the blaster fire from the Force Captain's blaster before getting face to face with them. She tackled the Horde captain to the ground only to be flipped off. Landing on her feet, she spun back, kicking the Force Captain in the face. She tried to punch the Force Captain once more, but her hand was caught, followed by a punch to the face. Before Catra could counter, the Force Captain flung her to the ground. Catra rolled out of the way from a punch to the face.
"Hey, bucket head!" Catra called, getting the Force Captain's attention.
As the Horde captain turned to face her, Catra slashed off the helmet, sending it cracking to the ground. The cat girl was just about to punch the Force Captain once more, only to get a good look at her opponent's face.
She had blond hair with the sides shaved and a braided ponytail, fair skin with three scratch mark scars, and blue eyes. This was Adora.
"Adora?" Catra questioned.
"...Catra? Is.. is that you?" Adora asked, recognizing her lost friend.
Catra didn't know what to expect from Adora. The last time she'd seen her she didn't believe her and Izuku. And now she'd just been beating her up.
Just then, Adora hugged Catra in a bear hug.
"I thought you were dead," Adora said. "What happened to you? Were you captured by the rebels? Why are you here?!"
"Whoa, whoa, Adora, slow down," Catra said. "What are you talking about? Why are you guys even here?"
"Shadow Weaver told us that the princesses threw a surprise attack on the Fright Zone and that you and Izuku were killed in the battle," Adora explained, getting an angered look from Catra.
"Oh, is that what she told you? And she clearly left out the part where she tried to kill us," Catra sneered. "Did she order you to attack this village in retaliation or what?"
"What? No, this village is a cover for a weapons factory for the rebels," Adora claimed. "My squad and I are here to destroy it."
"Your squad? The one that is opening fire at a village full of innocent people?!" Catra snapped. "Does this look like a weapons factory? The only weapons they have here are spears and sticks! Look around you, Adora! This is why me and Izuku left!"
"Izuku's alive?" Adora said, spotting Izuku landing an axe kick to one of the tanks.
"Adora, listen to me, the Horde is not against a great evil, they are the great evil!" Catra said, gesturing to the destruction. "Adora, this time we have a chance to choose… so please, come with us." She said, holding out her hand.
Adora looked at her friend and what her other friend was doing. She barely recognized them. Her mission was coming into question and the possibility of there being something else wormed its way into her mind. But her programming snapped her back to reality. She pushed Catra's hand away.
"No, you don't understand. We are doing the right thing by bringing order to Etheria," Adora said in an almost robotic voice. "Stand aside and come with me, and maybe we'll erase whatever lies the rebels had been feeding you all these years."
"What? Adora, you can't mean that," Catra said, hearing an explosion behind her. "I don't have time to spell the truth to you, I gotta save my friends!" She snapped, turning her back on Adora.
However, once she did, an electric shock coursed through her body, sending her to the floor. Catra looked back and saw Adora holding an electric baton.
"Ow! Did-did you just shock me?!" Catra asked.
"So-sorry, it was an impulse!" Adora replied.
"Your first impulse is to shock someone?!" Catra snapped, getting another shock.
"Sorry!" Adora said.
"Then stop it!" Catra snapped once more.
"No, you and Izuku are coming back with me. One way or another," Adora said, forcing every word out of her mouth. "It's for the best."
"Adora," Catra pleaded only for Glimmer to appear before Adora, swinging the sword at her.
Adora jumped back with only a scratch to her armor.
"Let's go!" Glimmer said, teleporting herself and Catra away.
"No!" Adora cried out, rushing towards where her friend had been. A single tear rolled down her cheek before rage fueled her as she spoke into her communicator. "To all units, regroup on my position, we have a princess here and she's in league with the other rebels."
Not far from where the battle was, Glimmer and Catra reappeared.
"Are you alright?" Glimmer asked as Catra coughed.
"Apart from the taste of electricity in my mouth? Yeah," Catra said, getting back to her feet. "I need to get back out there. Izuku and Bow won't hold them back for long. Not with Adora at the helm."
"I'm sorry." Glimmer said, knocking Catra for a loop.
"What?"
"I'm sorry for making assumptions about you and Izuku. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. And I'm sorry I thought you guys were with the Horde." Glimmer apologized. "But now I see that you're more than you let on. You'll need this," She said, handing Catra the sword.
"Whoa, I don't want it! I'm not some legendary warrior princess!" Catra argued.
"Which is exactly why you should wield it. Right now Etheria needs a hero and maybe it needs a warrior like you and Izuku," Glimmer said. "So, please, help us save our home and our friends."
Catra looked at her reflection in the sword. She didn't want the legacy that came with it, all she wanted was something to help her only friend. Maybe it was time for her to get a boost.
"For the Honor of Grayskull!" Catra called out as the sword unleashed its power.
Back on the battlefield, Izuku kicked back three more soldiers as Bow fired arrow after arrow at the other soldiers. They were back to back when they realized that they were surrounded by the Horde forces. They turned to see the last tank aiming at them directly and Adora riding on its hull.
"Surrender, rebels," Adora said. "If you surrender willingly, I promise you that you will see justice by the Horde."
"Adora?" Izuku whispered only loud enough for Bow to listen.
"You know her?" Bow whispered back.
"In what feels like a lifetime ago," Izuku said, looking at Adora's eyes.
He could tell that she recognized him and that she meant her words. He could still see traces of the girl he grew up with, but that was all covered up by the armor of the people he ran away from a long time ago. His muscles loosened up slightly at the sight of her, but he was brought back to the situation at hand when he heard all the blasters aiming for his head. Izuku had to think of something before they were both dead or captured.
Just then a powerful shockwave cut through the soldiers, sending them back.
They all turned to see Catra back in her She-Ra form rushing towards them with her sword held up.
Catra used her sword to cut down the Horde's weapons and armor, rendering them defenseless. She unleashed another powerful shockwave, pushing back the soldiers and giving her friends much needed breathing room.
"Whoa," Bow said in awe.
"Catra?" Izuku asked as the villagers turned to see.
The new She-Ra roared as her sword sliced the tank in half with one fell strike.
The Horde soldiers ran for their lives, leaving Adora surrounded by smoke and the wrecked remains of her squad.
The villagers cheered for their heroes as Catra was joined by Izuku, Glimmer and Bow.
Catra transformed back into her original form, losing whatever power the transformation had given her. Thankfully, she was caught by Izuku and Glimmer before she hit the ground.
"It's okay," Glimmer said.
"We've got you," Izuku said, helping her up.
"Adora," Catra muttered, looking at their old friend.
Adora didn't know what she had just seen. Her friends were alive and had somehow gained powers that could rival princesses. A part of her wanted to go embrace them, but her Horde training and programming told her she had to retreat. So, she retreated.
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow were left in the remains of the battlefield as Melog jumped onto Catra's shoulder.
"Well, this was a really crazy day," Catra sighed. "Wonder what tomorrow will bring."
"We should get these people to safety, then it's on to Brightmoon," Glimmer said.
"Guess we're joining the Princess Alliance," Izuku said.
"Pretty much," Bow added with Melog mewling in agreement.
The group turned to the villagers before going.
Deep inside Shadow Weaver's sanctum, the shadow witch was going over different reports and tomes of magic.
The door opened up to reveal Adora, holding her helmet under her arm.
"I understand you requested to speak to me, Adora?" Shadow Weaver asked.
"Yes, Shadow Weaver. I have some information that wasn't added into the report," Adora stated.
"You left something out?" Shadow Weaver asked with curiosity. "That's not like you, Adora."
"It's something that has me rattled. You remember when the princesses attacked the Fright Zone?" Adora asked.
"You'll need to be more specific, Adora," Shadow Weaver replied with little interest.
"The night Iz-. The night Izuku and Catra died," Adora clarified.
"Oh, that terrible night. Why are you still delving into such times, Adora?" Shadow Weaver asked. "You are Force Captain and soon you'll be by my side, leading the Horde. What could that night possibly have relevance today?"
"Because, Izuku and Catra aren't dead," Adora revealed, causing Shadow Weaver to barely flinch. "They're alive, and I think that they were taken by the princesses. They did something to them."
Shadow Weaver dropped everything she had been working on. She turned to Adora like a vampire would to their most loyal servant. She traced her claw-like fingers around Adora's face before stopping at the chin.
"Tell me, what happened." Shadow Weaver instructed.