Chapter Twenty-One: Truth

Mosquitor's ship was barely big enough for two people, let alone three of them, especially with Scorpia being one. She, him, and Micah were all crammed into the tiny craft, which the pair doubted even had hyperspeed capabilities. "So, where exactly is this base of his?" she asked.

"In orbit around a planet called Primus," Mosquitor grumbled. It was clear he would rather not be divulging this information, but didn't have a choice. "Apparently, it has some sort of connection to the First Ones, but Master Modulok rarely went into detail. Exactly what could be hiding there, I can't say."

Despite trying to stay stoic, Scorpia could tell that Micah was worried. "Y'know, I was pretty gung-ho back on the ground, but now that we're up here…are you sure this is a good idea? Just the two of us, going up against whatever Modulok's got waiting out there? Maybe we should go and get backup first…"

Her comment was met by a scoff from Mosquitor. "Who would you go to? The Horde, who cast you aside? The princesses, who you made enemies of? That should be interesting! 'Hey, I know I tried to kill you all several times, but there's this guy I need your help to kill! So, whaddya say? Wanna team up?'"

"...I don't sound anything like that," said Scorpia.

Micah knocked the back of Mosquitor's head. "Quiet, you!" He turned to his partner. "Don't worry–we have one of his top lieutenants here with us! If Modulok has anything up his sleeve, we'll know about it. Won't we?"

"I promise nothing!" Mosquitor snapped.

Micah's confidence eased her nerves a little, though Scorpia was still wary. "If you're sure. I mean…we do make a pretty good team, after all."

"The best!" Micah replied.

"Am I part of this team too?" asked Mosquitor sarcastically. They ignored him.

With newfound confidence, Scorpia looked to the stars. "Onward, to Primus!" she declared, pointing with her claw. Mosquitor wordlessly activated the ship's warp drive, and the three of them were carried off to parts unknown, to face down with their nemesis once and for all. Little did they know, they were far from the only ones to head that way…

"Catra." Why was Adora not surprised to see her here? The two archnemeses stared each other down, backed by their respective entourages. Of the two, Catra's seemed a lot more willing to fight than Adora's. "Let me guess: you're here to get your paws on some sort of First Ones loot?"

"Actually, I might not need it," she answered, readying her claws. "There I was, waiting for Emerald to show up, when who should I see but my old friend Adora, traveling all by herself? Well, she might as well have been by herself.." She looked over the Off-Colors dismissively. "Lars. I see you and your circus freaks are doing well."

He huffed. "Actually, we are, thank you very much!"

The two parties grew closer and closer to the inevitable confrontation. "Um, h-how about we all take a moment to talk this out?" Rhodonite suggested, though it was unlikely to be taken. "We don't even know what this place is for! If we have to fight, shouldn't it wait until we know a bit more about where we are?"

"Oh, this should be way too easy," said Karikon, readying his weapon as he too sized up the Gems. "Just say the word, boss, and we'll light 'em up!"

Catra grinned. "Let 'em have it. Just leave Adora to me!" She suddenly lunged at Adora, giving her only just enough time to block the attack with her sword. The rest of her squadron charged as well, only prevented from reaching the Off-Colors by the timely intervention of Fluorite.

There hadn't been any time to think: the grandmotherly Gem had simply acted on instinct. "Looook ooout!" She hurled herself between her friends and their attackers, her long body preventing any of their attacks from reaching. "Gooo, nooow!"

Lars and the others huddled together. Adora and Catra were fighting on one side, and all the other Horde baddies were on the other. "No, we can't just leave you!" Lars declared. "We may be outmatched, but I'm not going down without a fight!"

"Adora!" cried Padparadscha, getting her attention. "Hurry, find your family! We'll hold them off!"

Adora parried one of Catra's strikes, hurling her back. "No, I can't just leave you here to–" She saw it in all of their eyes: an unspoken promise to do everything they could to help her achieve her goal. To fight as best they could, giving her as much time as they could. "...Okay. But be careful!"

"We always are!" Lars said, with a twinkle in his eye. "Off-Colors, attack formation!" With Gem-enhanced reflexes, he leapt over Fluorite into the fray. The rest of his comrades, emboldened by his example, followed suit.

As Karikon was preparing to fire another barrage, Fluorite slammed into him, using her massive form as a battering ram. That did the trick, knocking him down. "Uuuse yooour pooowers!" she instructed.

"What powers!?" asked Rhodonite, who had been quickly grabbed by Sqalish's tentacles. "We're off-colors! We don't have powers!"

Meanwhile, Lars was dealing with Crita. Though outmatched, he was able to resist her spells better than most due to his unique nature. "Have you ever tried? The Crystal Gems have powers, and Homeworld considered them off-colors too!"

This was something she hadn't considered. "I…I'll give it a shot!" Rhodonite said, not expecting much. She was half-Ruby, so she focused on that, summoning forth her heat as her component had done many times before. Instead of ordinary fire, her larger hands glowed with hot plasma, burning the tentacles and causing Sqalish to drop her. She landed on her feet, surprised at how that had gone. "...I can do that?" she asked herself, looking at her hands.

Sqalish retracted his tentacles, hardening his skin into a carapace. "So you can shoot fire–big deal! I've dealt with fire before!" He charged. Although Rhodonite cried out in fear, she stood firm to face him.

As Lars valiantly ran from Crita, Carnelian took aim at him with her boomerang. "Oh, this is gonna be too easy!" She carefully lined up the shot, but just as she moved her arm to throw, she felt the friction of the floor completely disappear. With a shout, she fell on her side, and the boomerang missed its target completely. The floor felt cold; in fact, she noticed that it had been completely frozen.

"Oh! I have done it!" Padparadscha cried, having managed to use her ice powers. "This is a joyous occasion!" However, she then noticed that Carnelian had gotten back up, and had summoned another boomerang to chase her down. "Oh dear!" The Sapphire ran, with the Quartz giving chase.

Crita continued chasing after Lars, eventually able to snag his ankle with a magical snare, and dragging him over. "Would you please cooperate?" she grumbled, more irritated than angry. "We don't have to fight if you just stand down!"

"Oh, yeah, that's a pretty good point," Lars said. "But y'know, I have a good point too: YAAAAAH!" Lars unleashed a powerful scream that threw Crita against the wall, freeing him from the snare in the process. "Guess I won this debate! Huh?" He suddenly found that his foot had been frozen to the ground.

Childish laughter at his predicament came from his side, and he turned to see Azurite floating towards him. "You should have stayed on Homeworld, underground, where you belong!" she said, dragging her saber along the ground. Lars tried to break through the ice, but he wasn't fast enough–she swung the weapon, launching an icicle towards him.

Lars braced for impact, but as the projectile raced towards him, it disappeared through a red portal that suddenly appeared. Both he and Azurite stared in confusion, until another portal opened up and sent the icicle back at its source. Azurite was knocked to the ground, frozen in place. "Not bad, huh, Captain?" said Rutile.

"That was you?" asked Lars. Rhodonite hurried over to thaw the ice over his foot.

Both Rutile twins smiled. "Yup! Didn't think we'd ever open one of those. Just goes to show what a little confidence can do!" She, Lars, and Rhodonite disappeared into another portal before Sqalish could arrive.

And so, the Off-Colors fought off the squad with their newfound abilities as Adora and Catra continued their bout further into the station. Having become She-Ra, Adora had the advantage, but Catra was not about to let her get away. She darted around the hallway, having all but gone feral, slashing her claws on whatever she could find.

"What are you still fighting for!?" asked Adora, blocking one of her strikes. "Do you really need to be in control that much!? You weren't content with just Etheria, so now you need the whole universe?"

"I only want what I'm owed!" snarled Catra, ducking under the Sword of Protection to deliver a slash to Adora's side. "For once in my life, I want to feel important! And I can't do that with you standing in my way!"

She pounced, only for Adora to grab her and throw her against the wall. "I'm only standing in your way to protect the people I care about! And that's supposed to include you, Catra!" She pointed the sword at her foe. "You could have come with me. You could have left the Horde behind, moved on to a better life! We could be fighting on the same side… Did I really mean that little to you?"

Catra got to her feet, hissing. "Don't try and make this my fault! You walked away from me! Fighting on the same side? There's only one side I wanna be on–mine! You're right, I used to think we were friends. But now? Now, you're just another obstacle standing in my way."

The look on Adora's face was one of heartbreak, but also of understanding. "Then I guess we didn't know each other as well as we thought." She turned away, heading further into the base. "I held out hope for years that you'd come around, but you never will, will you? You'll just keep turning more and more into Shadow Weaver, until you find another innocent girl to pass on your hatred to! Well, I'm not about to continue that cycle! I'm here to find my real family, who won't throw me out the moment I decide to go my own way! Goodbye, Catra…I hope you have a good life." With that, she left the other girl behind.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Catra roared, lunging once more at She-Ra. But Adora responded with a swing of her sword, throwing her back where she crashed down on the floor.

"No! I'm not going to be a part of your games anymore," Adora said firmly. "I don't want to be your friend, or your nemesis, or whatever it is we are to each other! I don't want to keep up this back and forth thing, where I try to get you to come to the Princess Alliance, and you refuse, and we fight, and…and…" She sighed. It wasn't worth it anymore. "Nevermind. I'm done. Go get your soldiers and go home–this isn't the place for you."

Left behind, Catra could only quietly snarl. She wanted to lunge again, to sink her claws into Adora's skin…so why couldn't she? Nothing was physically preventing her from pouncing, and yet she stayed right where she was. As Adora continued walking away from her, she collapsed to the ground, offering a quiet whisper. "Don't leave…not again…"

But Adora was serious. She wanted nothing more to do with Catra. All she wanted was to find out what secrets lie within this facility, secrets that would tell her just who she really was. She shivered as thoughts of her family, her true family, filled her head. Actually, she was shivering because it was getting colder the further she walked–why was it so cold? She could see her breath, and frost had appeared on some of the walls. Things seemed to get even colder when the lights went out.

Adora held up her sword, illuminating the area slightly with its runestone. It was then that he heard a voice she hadn't heard in a long time, and wished she would never hear again. "Now, children, there's no need to fight. Not when we can finally be together again…"

Chills ran up both of their spines. "No," Catra said, barely audible. "It can't be…"

A form appeared from out of the darkness, gliding ethereally. Crimson robes and a blood-red mask floated towards them, two glowing eyes locked on the two of them. Shadow Weaver came into view, dark magic swirling around her form. "Adora. How long has it been? Years? Far too long, if you ask me. And you brought Catra along as well." She reached out to stroke Adora's cheek, but she stepped back. "What's the matter? Aren't you glad to see your mother?"

"W-what are you doing here?" Adora stammered, terrified despite her massive power. "You aren't supposed to be here! I'm supposed to find my family!"

"I am your family, child," said Shadow Weaver, growing impatient. "Why else do you think I was waiting for you? You didn't truly believe Light Hope would lead you here herself, did you?" As though preparing for a fight, shadows began to swirl at her feet.

Indeed, she would have one, as Catra was unable to hold her emotions in any longer. With a scream of rage, she hurled herself at the woman who raised her, claws aimed to kill. But Shadow Weaver simply closed her fist, and dark tendrils covered the girl. Her angry shouts were cut short as she disappeared into the darkness.

By the time Adora realized she was next, there was no time to react. Shadowy tendrils wrapped around her arms and legs, with one twisting her wrist until she dropped her sword. "Don't be afraid–it will all be over soon," Shadow Weaver assured her. But Adora was far from assured, her vision blurring and her body becoming numb. The last thing she saw was the woman's masked face before she faded into unconsciousness.

Words. Lots of loud words. Someone was shouting, but she couldn't understand the words. But the voice sounded familiar, somehow. Adora opened her eyes, quickly closing them again due to the light. But once they adjusted, she finally saw the scene before her.

She was in some sort of control room, if the computers by the wall meant anything. She tried to move, but realized that her arms and legs were locked in place. A look revealed she was suspended in the air, locked into some sort of floating ring-shaped device. As the blurriness of her vision began to fade, she realized that the voice was indeed coming from a familiar source: "En…Entrapta?" she asked weakly.

The former ally of the Princess Alliance, and their on-again, off-again foe was currently engaged in a heated conversation with someone unseen. "I'm just saying, this is all a little excessive! Adora and Catra used to be my friends! Granted, they aren't now…but that's no reason to treat them like this!"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you're very fond of them," a metallic voice answered. "I can assure you, this is all very necessary to achieve my goals."

Adora's vision was suddenly blocked by Shadow Weaver appearing before her. "Ah, you're finally awake," she said, brushing the girl's hair out of her face. "Now we can get on with this."

Entrapta turned around. "Get on with what?" she asked, more than a little nervous. She wasn't the only one. Adora had no idea what everyone was doing here, or why Light Hope had given her the coordinates for this place. But all of that and more was about to be answered.

Movement from the shadows revealed a familiar figure emerging. "Adora," Modulok said. "The last time I saw you, you were barely old enough to walk. Look at you now: wielder of the Sword of Protection, ally of the Princess Alliance! My, how the times do change…"

She recognized him, but just barely. "Modulok?" she said, the mystery deepening. "W-what's…what's going on here? What are all of you doing here?"

"Why, waiting for you, of course!" he said, as though it was obvious. "You took longer than I expected to follow our directions, but you got here eventually. I was beginning to consider sending Double Trouble after you with a reminder."

"Three-seven-eight. Four-nine-two. Five-five-three." Adora knew that voice all too well. She nearly gasped as Light Hope walked into her line of vision. She was smiling smugly, a look that was almost completely alien on her face. "I'll admit, I doubted you'd be smart enough to figure things out! Good thing Modulok's not the only one with a lovable green sidekick!" Her form began to shift, and soon, Double Trouble revealed their true form.

The same one, Adora realized, who had pretended to be Flutterina. "You," she said. She turned towards Modulok. "Then, that would make you…"

Modulok grinned. "Indeed, I am the Surgeon! Honestly, considering what you know about me, I'm surprised you did not make the connection sooner."

"I'm not." Adora turned to see that Catra was also present, having been silent up until now. She was not held as securely as Adora was, but her arms were still secured by a powerful-looking cuff, which was chained to the wall. "What? I grew up with you, remember? You were never exactly the brightest."

"I do love a family reunion," Modulok muttered, "but I'm afraid we are on a timetable. Miss Weaver, would you kindly bring your two daughters along? I did promise Adora I would introduce her to her family, after all, and I am not the kind to go back on a promise!"

There was a groan from Shadow Weaver, but she complied nonetheless. The ring Adora was in began floating along, carried by shadowy tendrils. Catra was pulled along as well, led by the chain like a prisoner.

Entrapta followed along with the party, trying to talk with a disinterested Modulok. "Why did you never mention any of this!? I-if I had known you were working with Shadow Weaver, I–"

"You never would have helped me?" Modulok guessed. "That, my dear, is precisely the reason I neglected to tell you. I needed your mind, not your heart, and you performed your duty. You should consider yourself lucky I still admire your intellect, otherwise I may have cast you aside." Entrapta said nothing, numbly walking along.

They soon reached a larger room, which was all but completely darkened. "Now, Adora, I would ask that you keep an open mind," said Shadow Weaver. Adora couldn't tell if she was actually concerned for her or not. "I can imagine this will not be what you were expecting. Just know that this does not change how I see you."

Knowing Shadow Weaver, that could mean anything. Modulok said he was going to show Adora her family, but what could that mean? She was dreading what she would see when the lights turned on, all sorts of horrible possibilities running through her mind. Had all the inhabitants perished long ago, and he put them on display? Or maybe he mutated them into horrible monsters, as he liked to do. She braced herself for what she was sure would be a gruesome sight.

"As I'm sure you are aware, this station is an ancient Eterian research base. First Ones, as I believe you call them. It dates back centuries, all the way to when Etheria was first discovered." He held up Adora's sword. "The Sword of Protection was of great interest to us, especially considering the Sword of Power was lost in the Great Gem War. Unfortunately, those who could wield its power were few and far between–those who could be controlled, doubly so."

Catra scoffed. "Would you just spit it out already? Nobody cares about whatever hour-long exposition you're about to spew! Just cut to the chase, we're already bored enough!"

Modulok couldn't help grinning. "Oh, very well. Essentially, we only had one adequate She-Ra among our numbers. And rather than trying to replicate her, someone–perhaps someone in this room–had the thought to literally replicate her."

With that, he activated the lights. The room was even larger than it had looked, spanning further than Adora could see. But what she could see, she never would have expected in a million years. Hundreds, if not thousands of pods lined the walls, each one lit with a dim bluish glow due to being filled with some sort of fluid. But inside of each pod, there was also…herself. Hundreds and hundreds of herselves. The room was filled with Adoras.

She was silent with shock. Modulok, however, almost seemed to revel in her silence. "And there you have it. I promised to reunite you with your family, and here they are! Look at all your sisters, Adora! This is where you were from before Light Hope snatched you away into Despondos. You, Adora, are a clone! A clone of Queen Marlena Grayskull, the first Eternian to wield the Sword of Protection! That is why she chose you, Adora. You were designed to be She-Ra. You were painstakingly engineered to be Etheria's savior."

If Adora could, she would have fallen to her knees. For so long, she had wondered who she was, and the answer…was nobody. She wasn't special. She wasn't even a real person. All she was was a copy. A tool, and instrument, of conquerors. "Adora?" said Catra, a surprising amount of sympathy in her voice. But she refused to be roused.

"And now that I have fulfilled my end of the bargain, it is time for you to fulfill yours," Modulok said, handing the Sword of Protection to Shadow Weaver. "I trust you know what to do?"

She took the sword with no small amount of disdain, for it and for him. "Indeed." As she gripped the handle, shadows began to swirl around the weapon, violently twisting around the blade. She gripped it tighter and tighter as her powers continued to constrict it, causing a small crack to appear on its side.

This was enough to snap Adora out of her stupor. "What? Wait no! Shadow Weaver, don't" She struggled against her restraints, which likely would have held her even as She-Ra. "You can't! Please, I'm nothing without the Sword!"

"Exactly," Shadow Weaver said coldly. The sword began to glow as its power leaked out, more and more cracks appearing in the metal. "Everything will be just as it was. Catra, Adora, and myself, a family once again. And She-Ra will be nothing more than a distant memory."

With one final surge of power, the Sword of Protection shattered. Shards of its previously indestructible blade fell to the floor, followed by its handle, landing with a clatter. Shadow Weaver held onto the red runestone that had been fixed to its hilt. "Ah…the key to Etheria's heart," Modulok said, taking the jewel. "I truly cannot thank you enough, Miss Weaver."

"Just leave, and don't think of coming back," said Shadow Weaver. "I've had quite enough of your machinations."

"Yes, yes, you won't see me again," he said, turning his back. Double Trouble moved to follow him, offering a smug grin back at the others. "Feel free to use this facility as you see fit. Create more of your children, grow new bodies for yourself when you grow old, whatever you choose. I, on the other hand, shall now go to fulfill my destiny."

Just as he was about to leave, he found that Entrapta was standing in his way. "Etheria's heart," she said. "You need that to…to unlock the Heart of Etheria, don't you? That's all that you needed me for, isn't it?"

He and Double Trouble both got an annoyed look. "As I already explained, that is indeed the case. Now, you are more than welcome to come join me, or stay here with your friends, or return home as you please. But I'm afraid if you stand in my way, I will have to remove you. Do we have an understanding?"

"I don't think we ever did," said Entrapta, her voice hoarse. "You can't activate the Heart, Modulok. Power like that, i-it's too dangerous! With all the energy Etheria has collected over the years, it'd be enough to destroy–"

"To destroy an entire planet, yes, yes, what do you think I want it for!?" Modulok hissed, clearly growing impatient. "Now step aside, before I have you…removed." His hand went down to a compact crossbow around his waist.

For a moment, he and Entrapta simply stared each other down. After a while, the latter seemingly gave way, her despair at being abandoned by a friend yet again leaving her unable to stand up to him. With a whimper, Entrapta walked over to Catra and Adora. "Just go," she said, barely heard.

Modulok smirked. "A wise choice." He and Double Trouble turned once more to leave. "Go and fetch Leech and Mantenna, will you? There remains the possibility that we will need some extra–

With a shout, Catra suddenly pounced atop him, raking her claws into his orange hide. Adora suddenly realized that Entrapta had undone her chains, everyone else too busy focusing on Modulok himself. "I'm so sorry about all of this!" she said, beginning to shut off Adora's prison. "I had no idea what he was really after!" Adora was too shaken to reply.

Despite being in the process of being torn to shreds, Modulok was unfazed, as his body repaired itself as quickly as it was damaged. "Would you care to calm yourself?" he said, not even raising his arms. "You are only embarrassing yourself."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she roared. "I'll never calm down! Not until you and all your freaks are dead!" Catra's clawing of the mutant was interrupted, as She-Ra suddenly grabbed her by the collar and hurled her away. After getting her bearings, she was surprised to see her. "What?"

'She-Ra' smiled, blinking to reveal red reptilian eyes. "Hey Catra!" In their new form, Double Trouble approached Catra to continue the fight, but they didn't count on Catra's resourcefulness. Realizing where she lay, she grabbed a shard of Adora's blade, giving Double Trouble a nasty slash in the leg. "Aargh! Really!?" This threat momentarily occupied, she ran back over to Modulok.

"Back for another try?" he asked, almost amused. However, his tone changed significantly when Catra drove the shard into his shoulder. He let out a pained screech, noticeably not from his speaker, throwing Catra off. "Weaver! Control your pet!" he yelled, clutching his wound. Double Trouble ran over to help him, reverting to their base form.

Shadow Weaver seemed to be enjoying the struggle. "Now, Catra, you've had your fun," she said, dark energy swirling around her. "It's time to stop playing conqueror and come home, where you belong."

In reply, Catra just laughed. "You seem nice and comfortable here, waiting and watching behind the scenes while we do all the work! Remember the last time we fought? I took you down. Handily. How do you think it'll go after all this time, when I've been honing my claws for years?"

A veritable vortex of darkness appeared around Shadow Weaver. "Would you care to find out?" she asked. She sent a surge of dark magic towards Catra, who leapt out of the way.

Finally, Entrapta was able to disable the ring holding Adora. "Yes!" she shouted, catching her with her hair before she hit the ground. "Adora, speak to me! Are you alright?"

"I'm…not real," she said, somberly looking down at her broken sword. "I'm just a copy. My whole life, it's a lie."

Shadows filled the room as the battle between Catra and Shadow Weaver escalated. "No, don't think like that!" Entrapta said, picking up the Sword of Protection's hilt and carrying Adora to safety. "Clone or not, you're still you! It just matters that you're Adora, and I'm sure everyone else at Brightmoon would agree!"

Brightmoon–Adora hadn't even considered that. How would everyone else react when they found out what she was? Surely they wouldn't think any less of her, right? Her pondering on the matter would have to wait, though, as Entrapta stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh dear…" Entrapta said quietly, backing away from something emerging from the shadows. The hulking form of Leech emerged, dripping saliva from all three of its mouths as it loomed over them.

Meanwhile, Double Trouble and Mantenna helped a frozen Modulok over to the portal. I don't understand this–why isn't it healing!?" he asked, still holding his wound. "It should have regenerated by now!"

"Relax, it's only a flesh-wound," Double Trouble said. "I'm sure you'll figure something out, you always do. Now, should we do anything about these upstarts?"

"No time. Emerald has undoubtedly begun her assault by now," he said, wincing as he began to activate the portal. "We must gain control of the Heart now, to avoid potential…complications from the princesses."

He, Mantenna, and Double Trouble disappeared through the portal, which closed behind them.

Given how powerful the Heart of Etheria was, finding a way to access it was a matter of utmost importance. Hessonite was up to the task, dispatching all of her experts on all manners of science and technology to find a way into the Citadel. This, of course, meant that Pyrope was to stay behind.

"You know, I choose to believe Hessonite gave me this job due to my importance," she said, fanning herself as she reclined in the captain's chair of the Crystallon. "Surely only one as disciplined and focused as myself could handle such a momentous task!"

Meanwhile, Duchess was playing a game at one of the ship's consoles. "Uh-huh," she said absently.

Pyrope continued, believing she was being listened to. "Yes, and I was truly the only choice for the job! Why, on my watch, this ship is all but impenetrable!"

Almost as though she was listening in, Emerald chose that moment to bring the Supermassive out of warp. The Crystallon was already a fairly-sizable ship, but Emerald's dreadnought made it look like a skiff in comparison. The enormous vessel loomed over both the planet and the smaller craft, preparing to unleash death from above.

After a brief stunned silence, Pyrope dropped her fan before scrambling to activate the ship's defenses. "All hands, we have an enemy approaching from hyperspace!" she said, just barely staying calm. "Battle stations, immediately!"

"I, uh, don't think we're gonna be able to do much to that thing…" said Duchess, staring up at the ship that eclipsed their own. It didn't even seem to notice them, moving straight towards its target. Duchess and Pyrope realized with a start that Brightmoon was directly in its path.

From the bridge of the Supermassive, Emerald had her eyes fixed on the castle down on the surface, her face twisted into a manic grin. "Soon, Brightmoon will fall. Soon, the Crystal Gems will be crushed! Soon, ultimate power will be mine! Onwards, to the Heart of Etheria!" Little did she know, elsewhere on the planet, the mastermind behind her crusade had arrived, and has his eyes set on this prize as well.