The morning rays peeked through the windows, washing over Angella as she strode through the main hall. It had been several hours since Catra had collapsed and Adora had not left her side. Bow and Glimmer had brought her breakfast but she hadn't really touched it beyond a couple of bites.
Catra looked worse than when she had arrived in Brightmoon. Her face had lost a lot of color and her breathing was shallow and shaky. Her fur had lost its natural shine. Angella would think she was looking at a corpse if not for her shallow breaths.
As she looked at Adora, Angella felt only sympathy for her. She had seen that look more than she cared to admit. She had worn it herself on a few occasions, especially when Micah had been involved. She had, admittedly, lost her temper towards the bedridden girl and felt a little responsible about her current state.
She had asked Bow to send word to Castaspella to hasten her arrival. She had been told by Bow that she could be there within the day. Angella put a comforting hand on Adora's shoulder.
"I have sent word to Castaspella and she will be here within the day. Have faith that your friend will be okay." She squeezed her shoulder, sending her a hopeful smile. Adora smiled a small smile and nodded, looking back at Catra's lying form.
Angella and Adora looked up as a flash of sparkles revealed Bow and Glimmer. Glimmer stepped towards Adora, a sorrowful look on her face, "Adora, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't-" Adora raised her hand, stopping her from saying anything else.
"It wasn't you Glimmer. I don't blame you. Whatever did this to Catra happened before we found her." Adora said kindly to Glimmer. Bow stepped forward looking at Catra.
"Any ideas what could have done this, Adora? You grew up with Catra, do you have anything that could help us get to the bottom of this?" Bow asked. Adora was silent for a few moments before her face turned dark.
"I have an idea who could have done it and she better hope I'm wrong." Adora growled out. Angella spoke up with curiosity, "Who, Adora?"
"Shadow Weaver." Adora said, her tone filled with a bit of bite. Adora turned and looked at her friends.
"Shadow Weaver was our handler. She taught us how to be Horde soldiers since we were little," Adora went to say something else but Glimmer interrupted, "So she was like your mom?"
Adora gave her a look of confusion, "No, didn't you just hear what I said? She was our handler, she taught us to read and write and how to tie our shoes. She-" Adora stopped and thought about it for a moment before Glimmer cut in, "Yeah, those are mom things."
Adora kind of groaned, "Yeah, I guess so. But she wasn't like your mother," Adora said, turning to Angella. "She was manipulative and took any chance to berate Catra. Always using her as a scapegoat whenever I failed. The only time she was kind was when she needed something." A dark look passed over Angella's face as Adora continued. "She would manipulate, berate, and hurt Catra and I. Sometimes physically, though more often than not it would be verbal."
Adora paused as if she was reliving something horrible. Adora said the next thing much quieter, "But she reserved something horrible for Catra. She would use magic on her. She wouldn't use it on anyone else though, only using it on Catra to show us what would happen to us if we got out of line or. . .other reasons. It was horrible and we were all too scared to do anything." Adora let out a deep breath, unclenching her fists, "Catra got pretty good at avoiding her, only showing up at meetings or important debriefs."
"That is not a mother. That is a sick, twisted, and vile woman. A mother is supposed to care for her children, raise them up, teach them to be better than themselves and teach them right from wrong. Not hit and berate them until they listen." Angella looked livid. Her wings rustled and her fists were clenched with restrained fury. "What you went through is abuse, Adora."
Adora looked at Angella for a moment before shifting her focus back on Catra. "I know and so does Catra. I know she realizes how horrible the Horde was, so why did she choose to stay there? Why didn't she come with me at Thaymor? The worst part is that I can't ask her because she can't even remember my name." Adora said, sounding defeated.
Glimmer and Bow remained silent, thinking about everything that was just told to them before Bow spoke up. "Adora, I think that the way you were treated is the reason she didn't leave." Adora and Glimmer looked dumbfounded while Angella looked like she was thinking. Bow raised his hands in front of himself before they could ask him what he meant.
"Let me explain. You said that you and Catra grew up together, that you had each other's backs. You also said Catra was the main victim of this abuse from Shadow Weaver. I think she felt that if she left with you that it would make what she went through all for nothing. Do you get what I'm saying?" Bow asked, a thoughtful look on his face.
Adora thought about it before shaking her head. "That doesn't make any sense though. Catra constantly said she wanted Shadow Weaver gone. She would say when we were in charge nobody could tell us what to do. She knew the Horde was bad and chose to stay.
"If Catra really felt that way she would have told me. We were always around each other and told each other everything. She wouldn't keep something like that from me. She wouldn't." Adora said with a hint of desperation in her voice. As if she needed that to be true.
Angella rested her hand on Adora's shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze. "If that is how Catra really felt then perhaps that is the exact reason she didn't tell you Adora." Adora looked up at Angella with confusion.
"What do you mean?" Adora asked.
"Sometimes it isn't easy to talk about things with the people you love, especially if it regards your feelings toward that person. You think about what they will think or say to you. How they will judge you. It's sometimes hard to talk about your feelings with the people closest to you because you hold their opinion in high regard.
"If Catra really felt in such a way perhaps she was scared of what you would say. If she had said that at that moment, what would you have said?" Adora stayed silent, thinking about Angella's words. "When we are in such a hurry that we are only focused on the picture in front of us, it can be hard to remember that we have to focus on the smaller details as well.
"In that moment, when you chose to help the rebellion and betray the Horde, Catra most likely felt betrayed as well. That you had invalidated her and her feelings. Do you understand what I'm saying, Adora?" Angella asked with a soft voice.
Adora nodded after a moment of silence. "I think I do. Catra felt betrayed and I didn't give her feelings any thought." Adora said quietly before her face turned sorrowful. "But now she can't even remember who I am, who she was, or any of our experiences together. What if she-" Adora was cut off
"She called me Sparkles." Glimmer said loudly. Adora looked at her in confusion, the quiet atmosphere shattered.
"What does that have anything to do with Catra?" Angella asked. Bow's face lit up in realization.
"Catra didn't call Glimmer anything except her name since she met her. But before she passed out she Called her Sparkles. Catra never called Glimmer anything except Sparkles before today. Meaning that if her memories are really gone then there's a chance-"
"They could come back." A voice said from the doorway, cutting Bow off. Everyone turned to look at the person entering the room. There, a woman with sharp, angular features stood in the doorway. She had long black hair tied into a bun with two long strands hanging from the sides of her face. She wore a long purple dress with golden accents and a light pink cape. Atop her head sat a golden crown resembling that of a halo with a star in the center.
"Castaspella," Angella spoke with slight confusion in her voice, "It's only been 2 hours since I sent word. Why have you come so quickly?"
Castaspella looked at the unconscious form of Catra. "When you sent a message explaining that someone may be lying about amnesia, I figured that a simple truth spell would do the trick," Castaspella said, walking towards them, "but then you sent another message saying that she had collapsed and that she may be in critical condition." She turned to look at Angella.
"When she fell unconscious was she in an argument or fight, perhaps? Glowing and bleeding from her mouth, nose, ears, or eyes?"
Angella nodded, "Yes those symptoms all seemed to happen. Though, I don't believe she was bleeding from her eyes." Angella finished looking towards Catra. Castaspella went to speak before she was cut off by Adora.
"Do you know what's happening to her? Can you fix it? Is she going to be okay?" Adora asked with urgency, not giving anyone a chance to speak. Castaspella held up her hand, silencing Adora.
"Please slow down a bit. It's a little hard to answer a question when several are shoved in your face." Castaspella said.
"Sorry," Adora said with an apologetic look, "I'm just really worried. I've never seen Catra like this before. I just want to know what's going on." Castaspella gave a reassuring smile. As she leaned over and examined Catra, she opened her eyes and examined her pupils, like a doctor might. She moved her head side to side and checked behind her ears, running a glowing hand down her forehead. She stopped after several moments and turned back to everyone.
"When you found her did she say anything about a place called Earth? Did her mannerisms change at all? Perhaps she thought she was dead?" Looking towards Glimmer and Angella, "Did she make a mention of angels at all? Or say any strange things that did not make sense? Maybe a personality shift?"
Everyone sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what had transpired over the last couple of hours, when Glimmer spoke, "She called me a cherub. She said it was a baby angel and she was pretty adamant about mom and I being actual angels," Castaspella hummed at that, looking as if she was figuring something out.
"She's cussing a lot more than normal." Adora's voice cutting through the silence. "Even when we were in training with Shadow Weaver, Catra rarely cussed. She also acted a bit strange, like she wasn't herself." Castaspella's face turned dark at the mention of Shadow Weaver.
"You know Shadow Weaver?" Castaspella asked quietly, contemplating something.
Adora nodded her head, "Yeah, she was our handler. She taught us how to fight and be soldiers." Adora said cautiously, "Why, do you know her? Do you think she did this?" Catra finished with a spark of anger in her voice.
Castaspella stayed silent, looking between Catra, Glimmer, Adora, and Angella. Suddenly her look turned bright as she clapped her hands together.
"Well, I have several good news and slightly bad news." Castaspella said with a beaming smile, making everyone go to speak at once. Before the jumbled speech could become too loud, Castaspella held up her hands once more, quieting everyone down.
Turning to Angella, she motioned towards Catra, "You were worried that she was lying about her memories and it was a Horde trick. I can, with 100 percent certainty, safely say that this girl remembers nothing."
Turning towards Adora, she gave a reassuring smile, "Catra, that was her name yes?" Adora nodded, "Catra will be fine. I know exactly what has happened to her and it has happened several times before. Good news is it has never resulted in a death. Slightly bad news is that you were correct. Catra has no memories of her past or who she is for that matter."
Adora's face fell before Castaspella spoke again, "But that doesn't mean she can't regain her memories. Glimmer, you were right. If she had been calling you something different this entire time, only to call you by a previous title she had used definitely confirms it. If you are patient with her and help her, well she should have most of her memories back in no time."
Adora's face morphed from a look of sadness to one of determination. With mostly everyone's worries abated, it looked to be the end of the discussion before Bow spoke up, "If you know what it is that did this, then what happened to her and did Shadow Weaver do it?"
Castaspella shook her head, "No, Shadow Weaver didn't do this. No, what caused this was a soul crystal."
"What is a soul crystal?" Glimmer asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"Oh, I've heard of these," Bow said with excitement, "The most common way you find them is as a shard, though there have been reports of other forms as well. But I think those lack credibility. They have a large sum of knowledge and history inside of them. They're very rare and aren't technically magic. They should all be locked up though, shouldn't they?"
Castaspella smiled at his words, "Yes, Bow is right. While they aren't technically magic, they do possess the intense prowess of a spell. They are typically stored away as they almost alway cause severe amnesia and in some cases more severe results. If a person under the crystal's influence touches another shard, well. . . it's best that they don't. Most scholars believe they are Eternian in nature. But the real purpose of them is unknown to anyone. Sometimes you get mumblings about Earth and other times. . .well other times, inflictions of madness can occur."
An uncomfortable silence filled the air at that statement, before Castaspella cleared her throat, changing the subject, "If even the most powerful sorcerers on Etheria couldn't figure them out then I highly doubt Shadow Weaver could either. In fact I'm wondering how Catra got one of them. They should all be locked away in Mystacor. Do you have it on hand? It should be a little blue shard."
Adora shook her head, "No, but maybe Perfuma does. She is the one that found Catra." Adora got a panicked look on her face, "What if Perfuma picks it up? Oh no, we have to-"
"Oh, don't worry about that. The stones can't affect princesses. Something about their connection to their runestones. In fact, they can only affect people with some sort of magical aptitude. The less magic, the quicker the recovery. If you are more magically attuned, like myself for example, well that's when you get the more troublesome results."
Adora calmed down at that, lowering her head, lost in thought before flicking her head up, "You said these things are Eternian, right? So can I undo what it did to Catra? If it's Eternian in nature, maybe She-Ra can fix it." Castaspella raised an eyebrow at that as Adora went to grab a sword on the table to her left.
"I don't see what a mythical princess has anything to-" Castaspella was cut off as Adora lifted the sword above her head.
"For the honor of Grayskull!" A brilliant light lit up the room as Adora's form disappeared, instead replaced with the 8 foot tall woman that was She-Ra. Castaspella, to her credit, didn't miss a beat as she simply said "Oh."
Adora leaned down beside Catra before being stopped by Glimmer, "Adora, you still don't know how to heal people. Last time we tried you blew a hole into a tree."
"Excuse me, you did what?" Angella asked with her eyebrows raised. Bow made a shushing motion behind Angella towards Glimmer.
"Um, well what I meant to say was. . ." A bead of sweat rolled down Glimmer's face. Angella simply sighed, "We'll talk about that later, for now let's focus on Catra."
They all focused on Adora as she put the sword beside Catra's body, "Maybe I couldn't heal last time because I wasn't emotionally invested. She-Ra's powers work through feeling and emotion. So maybe the reason I couldn't heal last time was because I was nervous?" Adora said, though it came off more as a question, "This time. . .this time, I know I can do it." She said in a quiet, but determined, voice.
Grass. Catra could feel it under her fingertips. It was soft, swaying in the gentle breeze. Laying there on the soft earth she could see the sky in front of her. Cobalt blue with feathery white clouds.
Sitting up she looked around. She didn't recognize her surroundings. In front of her are plains of green, sweeping over hills, patterns of light flowing across the grass, dancing to the wind. Getting to her feet she spins looking for anyone. But there is no one, just the oceans of unending green and blue.
Out of the corner of her eye she catches a glimpse of gray. Turning her head she sees a stone path that wasn't there before. Letting out a sigh, she begins walking towards it.
As she makes her way towards the path, she notices trees that weren't there before. When she looks away from the trees and back to the trail there are now stone pillars.
Stay on the trail.
'What. . .What is going on?' It's so hard to focus. Everytime she looks away, the trail stretches farther away. Focusing on the end of the trail, she begins to quicken her pace towards it until she is eventually running to it. As she runs, she notices that she is going up and that the trail is becoming steeper and steeper to the point she almost needs to climb. She tries to keep her focus on the path ahead as she is so close but has to look away for a handhold lest she fall.
Don't leave the trail.
"Hello?" She shouts at the void. Nobody answers. She continues to press forward, listening intently for the voice, 'Am I losing my mind?'
She hears rumbling and feels the ground rumble and shake. She whips her head back up and sees stairs. The path is no longer a flat stone trail but a staircase. Standing up straight she continues up the path, driven by something that she can't explain. She needs to know what is at the top. What is so important.
Everything had fallen away. The plains of green were gone and the sky had turned a brilliant red. The scenery was changing and she couldn't focus on anything but the path. She could only push forward.
Don't stop.
Whipping around, she looks for the source of the voice, "This isn't funny. Where are you?" Only silence answers her. She begins to feel increasingly uncomfortable. As she turns to look down the stairs, there is nothing but darkness. Unending darkness. It was so unnatural. Like you could drown in it. Taking a shaky breath, she turns her focus back on the trail.
She realized as she looked away for a moment, that the path had not stretched. It had remained the same distance. As she takes a moment to breathe, she feels it. Something was pulling her, making it harder to climb. Well, she wasn't about to fall into that darkness. Steeling herself she ascended the stairs with renewed vigor.
Finally reaching the top, she was greeted to a sight that was almost surreal. Stone pillars led to a stone arch. But beyond it were birds that were whiter than snow. The fields of green that she had seen earlier were replaced by white billowing clouds. The sky was a symphony of colors. She didn't have the words to describe the beauty she was witnessing. Turning back to the stairs, she looked down. There was no trace of the darkness. Just the gorgeous sky all around her.
She still couldn't shake the feeling of unease in her stomach. Something was wrong, she just couldn't figure out what it was.
Cross the threshold.
As she neared the end of the path, a wall of sorts came into view. Almost like a mirror, she could see reflections. They were too blurry to make out any details, though. It stretched as far as she could see. It was like a wall of water. She could see her own reflection but it was rippling and it seemed almost transparent. The path continued forward through it. As she stretched her hand out towards it, her reflection became clearer, the details sharper, and the transparency to disappear. Taking a step away from it caused her reflection to send out a ripple across the wall. The wall shivered like a pond being struck by rain drops.
"Is this what you were talking about? Is this the threshold?" She asked to the void. Waiting for an answer, she spun around looking at the birds. . .or lack of? 'Where the hell had everything gone?' Turning back around she immediately recoiled from the wall. There stood the figure from her dream.
Cross the Threshold.
Taking a small step forward, she could get a good look at the woman now. It was very blurry and she couldn't see her face. The woman had long flowing hair tied back into a ponytail and wore a golden crown with a red jewel in the center. She also wore armor on her shoulders. And there, from her chest, a brilliant blue light shined, lighting up the woman. It was almost too bright to look at. She held something in her hand. It had a golden glow to it and it appeared to be broken. The light was too much. She couldn't make out what it was.
Cross the threshold and find me. You must remember.
There was so much emotion in those words. It was hard to describe what she was feeling, but there was no denying the weight of the request. It was almost pleading. Stepping forward she went to reach out to the woman, "Where are you, what do I need to remember?" But it was too late the woman shimmered out of sight.
Letting out a growl of annoyance, she walks up to the wall. Swallowing her nervousness, she takes a steadying breath, "Okay, no biggie. I got this. Let's just walk into the wall of water." Taking a cautious step forward, she touches the wall and immediately all reflections but her own vanish. Her reflection loses all transparency and she can see herself with perfect clarity. She looks past her reflection, she can see a town of people. There seems to be a festival.
She looks back at her reflection and immediately is unnerved. Her reflection is smiling at her. As she goes to pull her hand away, her reflection reaches through the wall and grabs her hand. Panic starts to fill her body before she notices that the grip is a gentle one. She looks down at the hand and feels something in her palm. Letting go of the hand, she examines the item in her hand. It is a piece of blue stone, almost like a shard. She looks back up at the reflection and notices that it has returned to mirroring her movements. But in the reflection's hand there is no stone, only a blue light, that looks eerily similar to the mysterious woman's.
She takes a deep breath, puts the stone in her right pocket, and walks forward into the mirror wall.
Checking herself for anything out of place shows she is exactly as she was several seconds ago. Turning around shows a dirt trail leading into a forest. All traces of the wall are gone.
"Guess that was the threshold?" She mutters. Turning back around towards the town, she starts heading towards it. As she walks, she goes to look at the blue shard before realizing that it is no longer in her pocket. She stopped for a moment thinking about her reflection and the weirdness that had just transpired.
'If that was a reflection then. . .' she checks her left pocket and finds that the shard is indeed in her left pocket. She looks at the shard and holds it in both hands, swapping between left and right. "So I was right. Everything is backwards. I'm left handed right now. If that's the case, then my eyes probably swapped as well. Weird. I wonder where I am." She says to herself.
As she walks forward, she is taken in by the sights. Men and women of all colors and shapes surrounded her. Laughing, singing, and dancing.
Walking forward through the people she heard music. Nothing too fantastic but enough that would get anyone in the mood for dancing.
As she slowly made her way through the crowd her surroundings showed a small town with several buildings and a stone fountain in the middle. She could make out the faces on the people now. She could no longer see the floating rocks or the brilliant clouds. The sky had turned back to blue as well.
Looking around she felt too crowded, bumping into every third person she encountered, "Excuse me, could you help-" she went to ask someone for directions but they barely took notice of her. Several more attempts at asking for help proved just as fruitless. Noticing a bench, she slowly made her way towards it, careful not to knock anyone over.
Taking a seat, she let out a breath. Taking the time to get her bearings, she thought about where was, how she got here, and about everything she had gone through. Everything was bubbling up and she didn't know how to handle it. It felt like a pressure was slowly building in her chest. Her eyes started to burn with tears of frustration. Frustration at the fact that she didn't know what the hell was going on. Burying her head into her hands, she sat there for several minutes before a woman sat on the bench beside her. Concern in her voice, "Are you alright? Not enjoying the festivities?"
She took in the appearance of the young woman beside her. She was attractive with olive skin and gray eyes. Her brown hair was in a long braid that stretched down her back in a ponytail like fashion. She had a slim build with a toned physique.
The woman put a hand on her shoulder, concern in her eyes, "Hey, if you aren't feeling well I can-" she went to say something before she was cut off.
"I'm fine, I just have a headache." Catra said, rubbing her eyes and swallowing the lump in her throat.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I've heard migraines can be quite painful. Have you tried eating or drinking something? That normally helps me when I get a headache." She said, giving a sympathetic smile. Catra smiled back at her before asking, "What's your name?"
"My name's Mara, nice to meet you. . .?" She said, putting her hand out, waiting for a response.
"I'm having a bit of memory problems, but I've been told my name is Catra." She said, shaking her hand. Mara's face immediately turned sympathetic, losing any trace of her smile.
"That's horrible, are you alright? Do you need help?" Concern filling her tone. Catra only shook her head.
"Nah, I'll be fine. . .I think. But you did mention food and I could really go for some of that right about now." She said, standing up. Mara's face still had a bit of concern but she nodded, "If you're sure you're alright, then I won't pry. But if you need help don't be afraid to ask. I am kind of a big deal around here." She said winking at her with a small smile on her face. Catra nodded back, "sure." A chuckle leaving her lips.
"Well, let's get something to eat. I'll show you around. You didn't get hit in the head did you? Because I can heal people." Mara said, pointing at a golden glowing gauntlet on her arm. Catra was a little confused but said nothing about the gesture.
"I think I'll be fine for now, but thanks." She said as they weaved astound the dancing people. Mara smiled and waved at several of the people in the crowd, giving the occasional dancer a spin. It was clear to Catra that this girl was the life of the party. Everyone seemed to know and love her, judging by the smiles and laughs.
As they made their way past the crowd they came to a building with a sign that had a fork and spoon adorning it. As they went to walk in a Beetle the size of a horse with razor-like teeth came barreling from the alley beside the building.
Catra's claws unsheathed as her hair got spikier than normal. She immediately jumped back ready to kill this thing, before Mara stepped forward and hugged it.
"Hey there Buddy, who's a good boy?" Mara said in baby babble as if she was talking to a dog. Mara turned towards Catra, giggling, "Sorry, I should have warned you. This is Buddy. He's a robotle." Catra tilted her head in confusion, her adrenaline dying down
"A ro-bot-le? What's a robotle?" Catra asked, lost. Mara laughed, "Well, I mean, that's not what they're actually called. I just call them that. He's a robot. But he looks like a beetle. Put 'em together and boom, Robottle." Catra must have had a stupid look on her face because Mara only laughed.
"Alright, get going Buddy, I'll see you later." Turning towards Catra she ushered her into the building. As soon as she entered, the smells of cooking meat and vegetables filled her nose. Her mouth immediately started watering. A snort sounded to her left. Looking, she found it to be Mara.
"You laugh a lot, you know that?" Catra asked her in a flat tone. Mara only smiled and nodded, responding with an, "I know."
As they sat down Mara called over one of the women with a notebook in hand to take their orders. As she looked at the food menu Catra didn't know what any of these things were and it must have shown, because not even a second later Mara had ordered for her. As the waitress nodded and left for the kitchen, Mara turned towards her with a questioning look on her moments passed in silence with only the tavern chatter for ambience.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Catra shifted in her seat, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the silence.
"I'm just trying to figure out why one of the cat people is on Etheria." Mara stated bluntly, "You guys typically don't leave your planet. So I was just wondering. But then again you do look a little more Etherian." Catra blinked in confusion.
"Cat people? Are you referring to me? Because I'm from here. I've never even been on a spaceship, much less been to another planet." Catra said. They both turned and thanked the waitress as she brought them their drinks.
Taking a sip of her drink she looked at Catra, "But you can't remember much, right? So how would you know if you've ever been to space?" Catra sat for a second nursing her drink before speaking, "That's a good point. Maybe I am from space. Regardless, I don't even know how I got here. Not that you would believe me if I told you." Catra whispered that last part to herself.
"Try me," Mara said.
"I'm sorry, what?" Catra asked with an eyebrow raised. Mara looked at her with a challenging look.
"I said try me. Come on, tell me. You would not believe some of the stuff I've seen. So. . .tell me." Catra remained silent, eyeing the girl for several moments. "Please, come on, I promise I won't laugh at you. Maybe I can help. You said you had no memories right? Maybe this somehow connects to whatever happened."
Catra looked at Mara, before sighing, "All right, But only because you're getting me food."
As the waitress served their food to them, Catra told this stranger she had just met everything, from waking up in the forest with no memories to the mysterious figure with the glowing blue stone in her chest. She looked a little intrigued at the mention of Adora and the shard, though. Beyond that, Mara stayed silent throughout it all, munching on her food. By the end of it all Catra felt much better. The festivities had died down as it shifted towards the evening.
"Do you feel better?" Mara asked with a small smile. Catra gave a smile back, "Actually, yeah I do. Thank you for listening to my problems for the last hour and not calling me crazy. And for this meat . . . food, thing." she said, gesturing to the empty plate.
Mara called the waitress over and ordered two more drinks. As the waitress took their plates, she turned to look back at Catra, "Well I think I have a couple answers for you."
Catra's eyes went wide, "You do? Oh thank god. I've been stumbling around in the dark here."
Mara reached forward and took the shard from Catra, "For starters, I have never heard of the material doing any type of magic. Or causing amnesia for that matter. But what I can tell you is that they were made from the same type of material as the gemstone in my sword," Mara's gauntlet on her arm glowed brightly before shifting into a beautiful sword with blue jewel in the hilt, "But unless you infuse the materials with magic, well. . .the ore is essentially useless." Mara gave a sheepish look, handing the shard back to Catra.
"What does this sword have to do with it?" Catra asked, confused, examining the sword. Mara rubbed the back of her head, "That's a long story." Mara paused for a moment, turning the sword back into a gauntlet before continuing.
"That's not to say that they don't do anything though. It is really intriguing that you even found one. That material is so rare we only have four or five shards back in the vault. It clearly had some sort of effect on you. Which leads me to my second point. My sword was forged on the Cat people's planet, Krytis, with their magic craft. If my theory is correct, maybe you have lineage from Krytis and that's why it affected you the way it did?
"And third, this mysterious woman? You said she glowed and had a blue gem stone in her chest. Was she perhaps holding a sword? You said she had something in her hand but you couldn't see it clearly." Mara finished. Catra sat in silence, considering that possibility.
"I suppose it could have been a sword. I don't see why it couldn't be a sword." Catra finished in a flat voice. Mara nodded, a pondering look on her face. Mara went to say something but the waitress had come back with the drinks, cutting her off. Catra turned her attention towards the glass of white chunky liquid with foam dipping over the edge of the glass. It had highlights of orange in the center and some sort of red cream with the pink fruit she had eaten back when she had first awoken in the unknown forest.
Catra's pupils went big and a little drool fell out of the side of her mouth. Mara laughed at Catra's face, "You should see your face. You look adorable." Catra's face lit up in a blush.
"I am not adorable!" Catra exclaimed, her tail puffing out. This had the unfortunate side effect of making Mara laugh even harder. Several other people sitting around them chuckled at the exchange. The waitress only smiled and turned towards Mara, "Here you go Mara, these are on the house."
"Thanks Phyla, you're the best." With that the waitress walked off to take care of the other customers. Catra shifted in her seat, a bit embarrassed at her outburst. As she stroked her tail, petting the fur back down, she looked at the pink colored orange resting atop the delicious looking drink.
"I thought these things were poisonous? And how is this a drink? It looks more solid than liquid." Catra asked, looking at Mara with an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, they get a bit of a bad rap. If you don't peel them right the juices from the skin soak into the fruit and turns them bad like it did when you ate it earlier," she says recalling the moment she was told about, "but if you do it just right," Mara pauses as she takes the fruit from the glass and pops it into her mouth, "they turn out amazing." She finishes, her eyes squeezed shut in delight.
Catra looks at her drink and goes to take a bite before Mara stops her, "Eat the fruit first. The juice has a sticky effect on your tongue. When you eat it after the fruit it tastes way better."
Catra shrugs and pops the fruit into her mouth. It tastes like an orange, just like last time. She lets the juice soak into her mouth before swallowing. Mara nods with a gesture towards the drink, "Now try it."
Catra takes a spoonful of the weird looking substance and takes a bite. Immediately, she can already tell this is her favorite drink. It tasted unlike anything she had ever had before. The flavors were sweet and tangy. The texture was like that of cream but like a crunch of ice? She couldn't be sure but she knew she wanted more of it. She took another bite, slowly savoring it, letting the liquid sit on her tongue. The smoothness gave way to something else. A burning in the back of her throat? What kind of drink was this? It was cold but filled her core with a warmth she found quite pleasant. As she went to take another bite, she was interrupted by the sound of Mara clearing her throat.
Catra looked up at her, a sheepish smile flashed across her face, "Sorry, I've just never tasted anything like this before. For a drink that's cold it sure is warming me up in the most pleasant way. Can I get more of this?"
Mara grinned, "Easy there, Catra. That warmth is because of the fermented crystal cream."
Catra's confusion must have shown on her face because Mara only giggled, "It means it's alcoholic."
Realization flashed across Catra's face as she looked down at the drink wide eyed. A sly smile graced Catra's features as she leaned forward, looking at Mara, "Are you trying to get me drunk?" She asked with a teasing tone in her voice.
Mara cleared her throat, pulling at her shirt a bit, "No, that wasn't my intention. I just figured that with everything you had gone through, this might help you cheer up." Mara finished, looking a little red. "Besides, you would need to drink maybe three of these before you get drunk." she finished, taking a bite of her own beverage.
It was Catra's turn to laugh at her face. Mara wore a look of embarrassment before she broke down into laughter as well. As they laughed for a minute, Mara spoke up, "You know what, I like you Catra. You're pretty fun." Mara said smiling.
"I like you too, thanks for helping me out. This cheered me up a lot. Between being kidnapped by a plant witch and getting into an argument with angels, you're the first person that has offered help and advice." Catra said, her face lighting up in a smile.
"Well, you're welcome. And thank you too. You took my mind off of some things I've been dealing with. Friends?" Mara finished with a grin, an outstretched fist in front of her.
"Yeah, friends." Catra said, finishing the fist bump.
As they sat and talked for a while longer, exchanging words and the occasional laugh, the waitress Phyla walked over and told them the tavern was closing. Mara nodded and they went to stand.
As they walked out of the tavern, Mara turned towards Catra, "That drink was called a 'Pink Morning,' just so you know. And I'm really sorry I couldn't offer anything else for your memories." Catra waved it off, "Don't be. This actually helped me a lot in its own way. Besides, that girl I told you about, Adora, she apparently knew me before I lost them. She says we grew up together. Now all I need to do is figure out where she is." Mara's face lit up at the mention of Adora.
"I remember now. Before Phyla walked over I wanted to tell you, I've heard that name before. A woman named Razz calls me that. She's a little weird and keeps calling me Adora, even though I've told her my name multiple times, but she's really kind and sweet. I think you would like her. If you want to come, we can check if she knows anything." Mara said with a look on her face that was hard to discern.
Catra thought about it for a moment before agreeing, "Sure, it's not like I've got anything going on."
Mara grinned, "Great, I've just got to get us a ride and then we can go. It isn't super far. Though be aware once we-" Mara was cut off by a sound of confusion from Catra.
"Am I glowing to you?" Catra asked panickedly, looking at herself. A dull golden light was quickly becoming brighter as it slowly engulfed her body. Mara quickly grabbed her shoulders, steadying her.
"Calm down Catra, I don't know what's happening but I'm he-" Mara's voice was muted. Catra could see her mouth move but couldn't hear any words. She could only hear water rushing, similar to that of an ocean. The light was too bright, she couldn't keep her eyes open and her head was being flooded with pain that was slowly encompassing the rest of her body. She could only assume the grip on her body was Mara's. She forced an eye open and all she could see was Mara raising what looked to be a sword in the air.
'Was she glowing?' Catra thought before she passed out.
Catra sat up with a gasp. Looking around frantically, she found herself back in the castle she had passed out in hours ago. Surrounding the bed she was sitting on was Angella, Glimmer, the weird boy, a new woman with dark black hair wearing a purple dress, and a large glowing woman.
'Is that Adora?' She thought. She looked just like her but was a lot taller and more muscular. In her hand was Mara's sword? Suddenly, a swirl of light appeared around her and Adora was standing where the woman had been. Anger filled Catra and it must have shown because everyone took a step back.
"What is your problem? I was away from this castle and you dragged me back, for what?" Catra seethed. She had just about had it with these people. She had told them she didn't remember anything and they just wouldn't leave her alone. Only Mara and Adora had listened and she was quickly losing her patience with Adora.
Adora spoke up, concern on her face, "Catra, you didn't leave this room. You've been unconscious for several hours. You passed out when you and Glimmer were arguing."
Catra looked at everyone suspiciously, "I woke up in a small town. I've been gone for hours. So try a different excuse." Anger still present in her voice. Adora's tone turned slightly irritated.
"Yeah, well you try again. I sat here the whole time. I didn't leave your bedside once, so there is no possible way you left. The guards would have seen it and I would have too."
Catra reached into her left pocket, pausing for a moment as if remembering something before reaching into her right pocket. With a withering glare she pulled out a dull blue shard before flicking it at Adora, "Oh yeah? Then explain that. These are the clothes you brought me. So enlighten me, Adora," a mocking tone present, "where did I get that?"
Adora rolled the shard around in her hand, examining it before looking at Castaspella, "Castaspella, is this a soul crystal?"
Castaspella took the shard from Adora, examining it thoroughly, "Yes, it is. The energy has been drained from it, no doubt the reason Catra has lost her memories. Earlier you said that she didn't have it and that neither did you. Where did you get it?"
Catra immediately grabbed the shard back from the now named woman, pocketing it quickly, "I told you, I left. I woke up in a small town and a girl named Mara helped me. She was taking me somewhere before you pulled me back here." Catra eyed the sword on Adora's back.
"Speaking of which, why do you have Mara's sword?" Her eyes narrowed at Adora. Adora stiffened at the mention of Mara. Confusion lit up her features.
"You met Mara?" Adora's voice tinged with curiosity. Everyone turned to look at Adora.
"You know this woman?" Angella asked. Adora nodded looking at the sword. Yeah, on the day I joined the rebellion, I met an old woman in the woods named Razz. She helped me understand She-Ra and how to use the sword. Though even after I told her my name she kept calling me Mara."
"That's funny," Catra spoke up with a slightful distrusting tone, "because that's exactly what Mara said, except she gets called Adora."
A moment of silence passed before Catra went to stand up, "Well, if that's everything, I am going to go find Mara. She's probably freaking out right now, what with me collapsing and all."
Angella went to put a hand on Catra's shoulder, "Catra, you need to stay here until Castaspella confirms your health. We don't know the extent of what the shard did to you."
As she spoke, Catra's eyes narrowed. Slapping the hand off of her shoulder, she glared at Angella.
"Oh, so we're suddenly friends now? You're concerned for my health? What happened to 'You will remain in the moon's prison,' huh?" A heated look marring her face. Angella's tone turned stern.
"I am concerned for your health as much as I am for Adora's. Up until several minutes ago I didn't know whether or not you were tricking us. But now I see that you truly have lost all of your memories and do not even remember who Adora is. By her accounts, you two have been together for as long as she can remember.
"You can be upset with me as much as you want to but that is very concerning. If you have lost even your earliest memories then you are open for manipulation from very many people. In front of you, you have a very concerned friend who wants nothing but the best for you. I understand that you are angry and that you may not have been treated very well up until this point, no one is disregarding that.
"But be aware," Angella's tone turned icy, "since up until this point you had no clue what the Horde was before this I will explain to you who they are. The Horde is the opposing force in the war we are currently fighting. They pillage and conquer, destroying anybody and anything that gets in their way." Catra's face slowly twisted into a shocked and disgusted expression. "You were a part of the Horde before this. In fact, you were a force captain. That is a very high rank with a lot of command and power. Judging by your shocked expression, you must think that this all sounds horrible? Good, do try and remember this feeling when your memories start to return."
Catra slowly sat back down on the bed, Angella's presence becoming looming over her. Overbearing. Suffocating. Something was wrong. She couldn't place it but it was getting harder to breathe, like there wasn't enough air in the room. Her mouth had dried up and she felt small. Her vision was distorted, like she was looking through a lens and there was a tightness in her chest that was becoming almost painful.
Her thoughts were racing and she couldn't focus. As she looked at Angella, the room seemed darker. The shadows of the room seemed to crawl along the floor, the pink in the room seemed more red. An ominous glow circling the Queen.
"As a former Horde soldier you will be required to stay here until Adora can fix this mess that you have caused. But then again, I have come to expect such things from you. But I will not allow you to drag Adora down as well. You have never been more than a nuisance to me. I have kept you around this long because Adora was fond of you. But if you ever do anything to jeopardize her future, I will dispose of you myself."
Catra gripped her chest, blood was pounding in her ears, and her hands shook. A feeling of Nausea gripped her. She couldn't stay here. She had to move, to get away.
Adora looked at Catra in concern, "Catra, are you alright?"
As Adora went to reach out towards Catra, Castaspella pulled Adora back, "Stop, she's having a panic attack. This is common with the victims. When some memories return, normally it's only the bad ones, she will have a seizure-like event. She will become detached from her surroundings and she might start convulsing. Whatever she's seeing or hearing isn't happening."
"Help her!" Adora cried out as Catra dropped to the floor holding her chest. Her breathing becoming faster and her movements erratic.
"I can't. She has to deal with this on her own. Whatever it is that she's experiencing is the result of a memory. She's remembering and it doesn't seem to be a good one." Glimmer and Bow went and stood by Angella as Catra started to shake. Adora kneeled beside Catra.
"Catra, I'm here. You're going to be okay. You just have to process this. Focus on the memory and just try and push through it."
Images flew through her mind. Images of people she didn't know. A blonde boy being yelled at. A dark skinned girl wearing a scowl. A giant man-like lizard doing push ups. There was a giant glowing red crystal with crimson lightning arcing off of it. And a shadowy figure with a glowing red jewel on her head.
The pounding in her ears was so loud and she could barely breathe. She needed to regain her posture. Focus on anything but whatever was going on. Too many things were going on. She couldn't focus. The voice suddenly filled her ears.
Remember.
Quickly reaching into her pocket she grasped the blue shard tightly. Immediately the thoughts ceased. Everything was quiet. She heard the voice in her head once more.
The fractal nesting of the relationship between space and time at different scales causes phase transitions, as the influence of one force changes with respect to another, and from this we get the astonishing variety of behaviors in the material world.
'What? What does that mean?'
Catra stood up quickly, looking at everyone. Everyone had looks of concern on their faces. Annoyance filled her.
"Stop looking at me like that." Catra said, her breathing slowly returning back to normal.
"Are you okay Catra?'' Adora asked, stepping towards her. Catra's body seemed to relax as she got closer. She smelled familiar, if that made sense. Letting out a breath, she looked to the side.
"I'm fine. I just got a little startled. Nothing some food won't fix." Catra said, playing off what she just experienced, not wanting to discuss the voice she keeps hearing.
As she went to walk she was immediately stopped by Angella, "We need to discuss what you just experienced. If it pertains to-"
"Listen, I get it. But if it's alright with you I would like to get out of this room. Because it seems to me that whenever we go to talk about something I pass out. M'kay?" Catra interrupted with an irritated tone.
Angella glanced at Castaspella for a moment before turning to Bow and Glimmer, "Take her to get some food. Do not let her go anywhere else besides the Hall. I mean it Glimmer. I will join you shortly. Castaspella and I need to discuss a few things."
Glimmer nodded and with that the trio walked towards the kitchen with Catra in tow. As the door closed, Angella ordered the guards to not let anyone in. She turned to face Castaspella.
"Alright, explain to me what exactly this girl is going through. Do not leave any details out." Angella said. Castaspella nodded.
"Let's address the big issue first. That being the soul crystal that Catra is in possession of. I'll be honest, I do know what these things are but my knowledge on them is shaky at best." Castaspella said to Angella.
"Alright, start whenever you're ready."
"I suppose that the fact that she even has a shard raises extreme concerns." Castaspella said, taking a seat on one of the nearby chairs.
"What do you mean by that?" Angella asked, sitting across from her.
"I mean that these things are incredibly dangerous. I just didn't want to alarm that poor girl. What I said wasn't exactly true. These things have never resulted in death, that part is true, but in the singular tense. If somebody touches these and directly charges them, well. . . the results aren't pretty. We're talking about a complete loss of sanity here Angella." Castaspella said with a serious tone.
"Please elaborate. Do I need to be worried about this girl returning to the Horde or accidentally hurting someone here?" Angella asked.
"Hardly. The only thing you have to be worried about is if that girl will lose her mind. Everytime that I have seen this happen and mind you, that is only two other times, they lose it. They start rambling on about a place called Earth. They start talking about terms and words that make no sense. Timelines and fractures and different dimensions. I don't understand any of it but it's definitely got something to do with the eternians."
"Will Catra recover? I may not have the best thoughts on this girl but I would never wish this on somebody. Forgetting your life, who you are, and everyone important to you? That sounds like a terrible fate." Angella shuddered, thankful that this couldn't happen to Glimmer.
"As long as she is kept away from any situations that could be too stressful, she should be fine. Both times that I have seen, they both recovered within the year. She won't be able to find any more shards either. We have them in Mystacor. I'm more concerned about where she got the one she has now." Castaspella said as she shifted in her seat.
"Why do you say that?" Angella asked, curiosity tinging her voice.
"Well, we have all of the shards. Not a single one should be unaccounted for. The fact that Catra has one is, as I said, concerning." She said, a pondering look on Castaspella's face.
"How many are there?" Angella inquired.
"I believe there are eleven in total. I now question the truth of that statement. Unfortunately, the only one who could have found the rest was. . .Micah." A somber mood filled the air at the mention of the late King.
"Are there any symptoms I should be concerned with? The convulsing and panic attacks seem fairly easy to deal with. But in the event she is not getting any better, what should I know?" Angella said, quickly changing the subject.
"There were a few. She may go into a comatose-like state every now and then. If that happens it could be minutes, hours, maybe even days before she wakes up. If she talks about Earth or anything regarding the terms I spoke of just leave her be. It's completely normal. The shards hold knowledge of this place. From the descriptions we have on record it is a lovely place.
"Beyond that there's nothing really to be too concerned about. Just be patient with her. She seems to have a temper and that's understandable. Frustration is common among amnesiac people. She will need a lot of help but nothing I've witnessed here says that she won't make a full recovery.
Oh and don't be worried about the shard she has. As long as she has it and no one else runs a magical charge through it while holding it, it won't hurt anyone." Castaspella says with a nod. As she starts towards the door she looks back at Angella.
"One more thing. If Catra starts talking about seeing a woman with a blue gem on her chest in her dreams you need to contact me immediately. Seeing the woman is bad enough, hearing her speak is even worse."
"Why is it bad and who is this woman?" Angella asked.
"Nobody knows, but the sorcerers and sorceresses of Mystacor originally thought she was She-Ra. They were wrong. She whispers in your ear. She tells you to remember things and appears before you while you sleep.
"When the first sorcerers attempted to follow her in their dreams. . .well let's just say they didn't make it. She'll talk about a threshold and to find her," Castaspella continued with a grimace, "It's a trap. If Catra seeks out more shards then you can safely say that she has already seen her."
Angella narrowed her eyes, "If these shards are that dangerous why not destroy them? Why keep them locked away in Mystacor?"
"We've tried. Whatever the eternians did to these things made them nearly indestructible. They are immune to magic, physical force, you name it. We've tried just about everything. But there is a bright side. This woman can only appear in the first dream you have after you've been affected by one of the crystals. She can't even speak to you without being affected by a second shard." Castaspella spoke with a confident tone.
"If she can't appear without a second shard, then why speak of her?" Angella asked, pondering everything she had just learned.
"Because until today, I was under the assumption that we had all of the shards. If there are more out there then be careful. Don't let Catra come into contact with any more of them."
With that Castaspella left the room, leaving Angella to think about everything that had just taken place.
'Ugh, It's not even noon.' Angella thought, rubbing her temples.
Happy holidays everyone. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and New Year.
I think I have a rough idea of what I'm doing with this. If you don't like the direction it's going, I'm sorry. This all connects one way or another so yeah.
One more thing. I do write this on a public Library computer. I only get about 4 hours a day with the computer so updates are a bit slow.
Thanks for reading
