Catra and Angella sat at the table waiting for breakfast to be served. After the excitement Catra had felt after confirming her theory had faded, the atmosphere had shifted. It was an awkward silence on account of the events that had transpired last night. Catra shifted in her seat, trying to think of a way to apologize. On Angella's side, she was waiting for Catra to start, unsure of whether or not to push the young woman's boundaries. After a moment Catra spoke.

"I'm sorry." She blurted out.

"What?" Angella asked, caught off guard by the sudden break in silence.

"I said I'm sorry. For last night. . .it was last night, right?" Catra said irritated.

"Ah, yes. That. Yes, it was last night." Angella said before shifting back into silence. As the moment of silence stretched on Catra's irritation became increasingly larger.

"Well, say something." Catra said.

"What would you like me to say? It's done and over with. No use dwelling on it now." Angella said calmly. It hadn't gone unnoticed that Catra's temperament had shifted ever so slightly.

"I don't know, yell at me, throw an insult at me, get angry or something. Don't just sit there." Catra said, throwing her hands up in the air. Angella's silence made her feel uncomfortable, as if she was being judged.

"Catra, I'm not going to yell or insult you. Quite the contrary actually. I'd like to know if you're alright. After our. . .moment last night, you fled to your room and began to emit a dangerous and volatile form of magic. The shard was the epicenter of the magic and it didn't stop until I took it from you. After that, you went unconscious." Angella said calmly.

"So you aren't mad?" Catra asked, confused.

"Goodness no," Angella chuckled, "You broke a plate Catra. That is nothing to get angry about. My daughter has her moments and I assure you she has broken more than plates before. No, I am not mad." She said firmly.

As Catra looked unsure, Angella thought about Catra and Adora's attitudes. Angella had noticed that Adora responded quite well to emotional and physical affection, albeit she had some awkward social tendencies. She had found that Catra did not respond quite as well to either of those things.

From what she had been told, Catra had borne a large portion of Shadow Weaver's mistreatment. Taking everything she had learned about the young woman sitting across from her into account, she speculated that Catra probably responded well to direction and firmness. Being firm with her, but not unkind, was her next course of action. Angella was sure that this would work better.

"Tell me about what you have figured out. You called me Mara when you woke up, so I assume that has something to do with it?" Angella said, looking over at the servants as they brought them breakfast.

Catra thanked the servants as they handed her a plate before turning back to Angella, "Right, so earlier when Adora was here, we talked about Mara and how she had heard her name from Razz. Well when I fell unconscious last night, I woke up in a medical bay on a military outpost in the morning."

"What?" Angella's eyebrows raised, "But that isn't possible. You've been in that room the whole time."

"Exactly. See, when I woke up, Mara was outside of the room talking. When I spoke to her, it turned out that I had fallen unconscious beside her as well. She told me that I had been unconscious for about fifteen hours. The same amount of time that I had been awake here." Catra said excitedly, her food untouched.

"Hmm, and were you awake for roughly nine hours over there?" Angella asked curiously. At Catra's nod, Angella gave a small smile. "So you have figured out how to. . .switch, for lack of a better term?"

"Yeah, see I thought I had failed when I woke up. That's why I called you Mara. But I hadn't failed, I figured it out and I'm fairly confident I can switch whenever I want. Although there is a slight problem with that." Catra said.

"I imagine you can't be woken up, yes?" Angella asked expectantly.

"Yeah, that's exactly it. Turns out that throughout those fifteen hours, Mara had tried to wake me up. She even healed me with her sword. Guess I didn't even move at all." Catra explained, finally taking notice of her breakfast.

"Yes, I suppose that would be a bit of a problem," Angella said as she took a bite of food before speaking again, "But I sense there's a little more you haven't told me."

Catra took another bite of her food, using it as an excuse to not answer immediately. After a moment to think about how she wanted to word it, she nodded.

"Yeah, whatever I did with that shard before I had dinner with you, it jostled something in my brain. I don't have anything back memory-wise, but I did have a few flashbacks to small things. Mara thinks that if I touch more shards that my memories could slowly return and I'm inclined to agree with her."

"Nodding, Angela took a sip of her drink. "What did you remember? Anything pertaining to your memory loss or how you came into contact with the first shard?"

"No, nothing like that." Catra shook her head, "It was mainly small things. I remembered marching with Adora and several other kids. I guess I also stole some sort of vehicle called a skiff with Adora and we were gonna run out of gas. But that's about it."

Angella could see that she was hiding something else regarding Adora. It seemed to have bothered her a bit so she left it alone. As she took another drink, she looked at Catra, "Well that's good to hear. Back to the previous topic, you were saying something about Adora knowing Mara?"

"Right, well you see, Mara has also heard of Adora from Razz. Turns out Razz calls her Adora and according to what Adora said earlier, she calls her Mara. Do you see the pattern?" Catra asked. Angella simply nodded.

"So after I woke up, Mara and I went to go see Razz. When we got there, Razz talked to Mara about something. I, er, removed myself from the area for reasons. So I'm not quite sure what it was they talked about." Catra said, somewhat mumbling that last part.

"Well, beyond that, you said you figured out how to switch back and forth. How do you do it? Also, have you guessed a reason for why you are switching?" Angella asked, intrigued. The ethereal woman had told her nothing of this 'switching' that Catra was experiencing.

Catra's face flushed a bit at that question, taking a drink before speaking, "Oh, It's, uh. . .you know, magic and all that. I just think about Ador-. . .way and kind of walk through it. "

Angella gave a small smirk, 'Guess she does remember Adora, even if it is subconscious.'

Catra cleared her throat, swiftly changing the subject. "As to the reason, Admiral Stratos and Fleet Admiral Kai thought it was time travel."

Angella almost choked on her drink when Catra said that. That had to be the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. Catra gave a snarky laugh at that.

"Yep, Serenia had the same look on her face too. I even thought it sounded dumb when it was said aloud. But it makes sense. See the way it works is-" Catra went to explain but was cut off by Angella raising her hand.

"Catra, I'm not doubting your explanation, I'm just a little skeptical without proper explanation. So I would like you to start at the beginning. From the time you woke up in the medical bay to the point where you woke up beside me. Can you do that?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Catra said, going to take another bite of her food before realizing it was all gone. Angella called for the servants to bring more food and drinks. Catra nodded her thanks before starting.

"Well, I woke up to Mara and another woman arguing-" Catra started. For two hours,Catra sat and ate with Angella, telling her story. Angella looked particularly intrigued at certain moments and disbelieving at others. Unbeknownst to either of them, a shadowy figure of smoke sat above them, listening to every word. Watching the young girl.


Shadow Weaver sat hunched over the cauldron as she watched Adora and Catra. Adora was making her way towards Mystacor with her 'new friends.' Typically Adora would be first priority, but something had changed. Catra had emitted a power unlike anything she had ever felt. More mysterious than She-Ra even. Whatever the shards had done to her, they had interacted with her on a primordial level. Changed her physiology down to her very core. Whether the girl was aware of it or not, Catra could now do Magic.

Her magical potential was great, and far greater than Micah ever could hope to have been. And, if she had sensed correctly, more potent and powerful than She-Ra. Something wasn't right about it though. It had flickered several times, as if the power was a lie. She had almost believed it a trick. Had she not witnessed Catra surround herself in magic before waking up, she wouldn't have believed it. But it was quite clear now that it wasn't a trick.

As she listened, she heard several interesting things. Catra had somehow figured out how to activate the magic to 'switch.' A simplistic term for walking through an astral plane. Catra continued to speak of the story and how she had met several interesting people of varying skill sets such as healing magic. What was the most intriguing was that Catra had confirmed something she had suspected. Catra had no memories and from what little she did have, none of them involved her. This gave her a unique standpoint. If she could sway Catra back to the Horde, she wouldn't need to chase Adora. She would come to her, trying to save her friend.

Catra was right about one thing though. She was most definitely using some form of time magic. A field that was completely forbidden and she had figured it out effortlessly. And not only had she used it, she had spoken to the First Ones. She could become great under her tutelage. She knew magic better than anyone. If she could raise Catra's power with the soul shards, it was worth any risk, Hordak be damned. Nevermind the memories returning, she could deal with that easily. A small shift here, a nudge there and she would soon realize just how much she needed Shadow Weaver.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound from the communication screen above her on the wall. "Shadow Weaver, what have you learned?" Hordak spoke.

"Force Captain Catra must be our prime target, Lord Hordak. I have learned that Force Captain Catra has learned some form of time magic and has come into contact with the First Ones. Through her own accounts, they are engaged in a war with Horde Prime. Does that name sound familiar to you?"

Hordak narrowed his eyes as he clenched the armrest of his throne. Leaning forward ever slightly, he looked Shadow Weaver in the eyes. "Could you, with full confidence, bring her back with the shard? I do not want a repeat of Force Captain Adora."

"Without question. Right now, Force Captain Catra is being influenced and manipulated by the Rebellion. Her mind has been tampered with as a result of the shards. But over the last few days she has learned how to harness the power they wield. Give me the opportunity to bring her home and she will not only deliver you the shard, she will have an innate understanding of Brightmoon. With her time abilities, she could not only tell you about the first ones, she could unlock their secrets." Shadow Weaver said, knowing exactly which cards to play. Hordak gave a sinister grin, his sharp red teeth on full display.

"You have full authority to bring Catra back. If she has learned of the greatness of Horde Prime then she is of the highest priority. Bring her back at all costs. Do not disappoint me, Shadow Weaver." Hordak said before the screen went black.

"Failure is not an option, Lord Hordak. I understand.." Shadow Weaver said with dark glee as she hunched over her cauldron, "I understand completely."


After breakfast, Catra wandered the castle. She didn't have anything specific to do, as Angella had needed to begin her day as queen. If she were queen she would just have someone else do the little things. Like an underling.

Besides the boredom, she thought about what Kai had asked her earlier. If she was in the future, surely she could find some sort of history on him. You don't get to the highest position of military command without being in some sort of book. She made her way to the library when she thought she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Snapping her head in that direction showed nothing. Just an empty corridor. Catra's eyes narrowed in suspicion. As she resumed her trip, she was a lot more cautious. Her instincts hadn't failed her yet and she wasn't about to not listen to them.

As she entered the library, she relaxed a bit, thinking it to be some sort of trick of the light. There were quite a few people present outside the castle and on the balconies. Setting her goal to the side for the moment, she approached one of the guards on the library balcony as friendly as she could.

"Excuse me, what's going on? Why's everyone outside?" Catra asked. The guard looked a little on edge before schooling her emotions.

"There is an eclipse in four hours. A rare sight that only occurs every 100 years, or so I've been told. You can sit out here and watch it. . .if you want to, that is." Catra's opinion of this woman had just gone up a bit. It was clear that she was uncomfortable, but was still making an effort to be somewhat welcoming.

"Thank you for the offer, um. . ." Catra paused, hoping she would get a name.

"I am General Juliet. And you're welcome Catra." Juliet said stiffly.

'At least she's trying,' Catra thought to herself.

"I'll be in the library until then, General Juliet." Catra said equally stiffly, not quite sure how to interact with the woman. At her nod, Catra walked back into the library before stopping and turning back towards her.

"Um, quick question. Do you know where the books on historical military soldiers would be and how do you know my name? I didn't yell at you did I?" Catra asked shiftily.

"The books you're looking for are in the back corner on the third floor. As for your other question, before you lost your memories, you were a Force Captain. One of the highest ranks in the Horde. As a General, it was my job to know your name.

"Ah, I see. Well then, I'll just. . .go this way." Catra said, the atmosphere much more awkward than it had been. "I had to ask." Catra muttered to herself.

As she climbed the stairs to her destination, she couldn't help but think about what Juliet had said. If that were true, was she in any of these books? She doubted it as she was quite young and still alive.

After about twenty minutes of searching, she found nothing on Fleet Admirals at all. She found plenty of books pertaining to oceanic ships and navy Admirals in a kingdom called Salinas, but nothing on Eternians or their military. Hell, she couldn't find anything regarding space travel. Nothing regarding interstellar information. There were books about astrology, but it was like there was a big chunk of literature that was just. . .gone.

Catra severely wished she had a computer. The internet was an amazing thing. No disrespect to books, but this would be much faster with Google than looking through endless pages of books.

Letting out a deep sigh, she was about ready to throw the towel in when she caught sight of a book that piqued her interest. Walking over, she caught sight of an interesting book. It was quite thick and while it sat on a clean polished shelf, the book itself seemed to be covered in dust. It was almost like nobody had touched the thing and cleaned around it. Catra blew on it and wiped the dust off. "The Known History of The Horde."

"Hmmm," Catra hummed. It was a surprisingly heavy book. Walking to a corner of the room, she sat down and opened the book. She realized that you couldn't see her from the ground level where she was sitting.

'Good,' she thought, 'I don't want to be bothered.'

Over the course of the next hour, she perused the pages, looking for any sign of familiarity. Whoever had put this book together had done their research on the Horde. As she took in every page, she noticed something. The Horde had only begun roughly 44 years ago. Taking into account what Fleet Admiral Kai had said, there was no sign of the Horde being some kind of extraterrestrial, intergalactic threat. In fast, the Horde's entire forces were made up of etherians and robots. A passage caught her eye, detailing the Horde's purpose. Bring balance and peace to Etheria. As Catra thought about that for a moment.

'Is it true?' Catra thought to herself, 'I mean, they do call themselves the rebellion after all. Hmmm, best keep reading.'

There were pictures throughout the book that seemed familiar. Thinking back to the first dream she had had, she realized that the strange place called The Frightzone was identical. In fact, the large pipes and the strange looking landscape that was straight out of a science fiction novel were invoking strange feelings in her. They were almost. . . nostalgic.

"Catra."

Catra's hair stood up on end and her ears perked up. If she wasn't so sure of her senses, she would have thought that it was her imagination. But she had most definitely heard a voice. She was immediately on her feet, eyes scanning the halls of the library. She kept her senses focused but heard nothing else.

"Hmm, I'm not doing this shit again. If someone's there, start talking, because I've had enough of voices whispering in my ears." Catra said out loud.

After several moments of silence, Catra sneered, "Figures." She muttered.

As she turned around, she took note of the absence of people on the lower levels of the library. Actually, there was no one in the library. It was as if everyone had left in a hurry and closed the doors. She turned to look back at the book, only to find it missing. With all of the doors and windows closed and nobody but herself in the library, it seemed a bit ominous and perhaps a bit sinister.

Catra was on edge, and had fully unsheathed her claws. Somebody was in the library with her, that much was certain. Deciding to take the quickest route, Catra jumped over the railing straight to the bottom floor. As she headed towards the balcony doors where Juliet had been earlier, she took note of the moons in the sky. It seemed she had lost track of time as the eclipse would be starting within the hour.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a shadow on the wall. It seemed almost like smoke for a moment, before taking a more human shape. The shadow was joined by several others on the wall, although they resembled tendrils more than anything else.

Catra could see that whoever it was that was here was standing directly behind her. As she whirled around, her claws and teeth bared and her posture low, she paused. It was clearly a woman, but she looked transparent, more ghostly than physical. She was also making no move to attack her.

"Who are you?" Catra spoke cautiously, unsure of the woman's intentions. Her eyes also locked on to the book in her hands.

"Hello Catra. I'm glad to see you're doing all right." The woman said, taking a step forward. She could now see that the woman was wearing a maroon colored dress with dark accents and a red mask that concealed her whole face. Directly on the forehead of the mask, sat a striking blood red gem that glowed with a sense of power. Her dark, silky, black hair flowed behind her in a way that seemed to disobey gravity.

"You know me? How?" Catra asked, her voice full of suspicion.

"Do I know you?" The woman asked sarcastically, "Why, Catra, I raised you."

Catra thought about any point where Adora had spoken of this woman and came up short. She supposed this woman could be telling the truth, although she wasn't too keen on trusting the word of a stranger.

"Even if you're telling the truth, I'm sure you can understand my reasons for not trusting you on that." Catra said.

"Of course. I can only imagine what you've been going through, what, with your memories gone and being stranded by time magic." She said with a gentle tone. Catra perked up at that.

"You know about my. . .situation?" Catra asked, her interest piqued. The woman nodded.

"Yes, I've only seen it a couple of times, but it's always a heartbreaking thing to see. I could do nothing but watch helplessly as it happened to you." She said solemnly.

"You know how I lost my memories? Why do I have these thoughts about. . ." Catra's eyes narrowed. "What's the place in my mind? I have separate memories. If you've seen this before, where is it?"

"Good, I'm glad you are suspicious. Better to play it safe. I'm happy to see you still carry my lessons with you, even if you can't remember them. But you don't need to be cautious with me. The place you are remembering should be a place called Earth, right? Or are you referring to the mirrored wall? Both have a history of appearing to the shard's victims."

"That's. . .Both, actually. How did I lose my memories and what does this all mean?" Catra asked, her posture relaxing.

"I have to apologize first. Your memory loss was a result of my carelessness. I had been experimenting with several, rather volatile, magics and I had come into contact with a soul shard. I hadn't seen one in almost twenty years so I had disregarded a few safety steps. My magic had reacted violently and it was about to explode.

The problem with the shards is that when a magic user comes into contact with them, it can be dangerous, if not outright lethal. You had never had any magical potential to begin with. You had focused more on the physical aspects of combat. So seeing you interact with the shard as you had. . .well, it was one of the scariest moments of my life." She said as she reached out, gently caressing the side of Catra's face. Catra didn't know why, but she felt calm and at ease. This woman was answering her question and seemed to know her very well. She felt. . .familiar.

"But something unique has happened, something unheard of. You used the shard successfully. Typically when someone comes into contact with a shard, they lose their memories and show symptoms of madness. But thankfully, you didn't. In fact they've done the opposite. Whatever the shard did to you, it gave you the potential for magic.

I believe that the reason you have this ability to use time magic so freely, stems from the interaction you had from the shard. You haven't come into contact with any other shards, have you? I don't want you taking any unnecessary risks." She said, concerned.

Catra hesitantly nodded her head, not wanting to disappoint the woman, "I did. I could make it glow and could make it emit a low hum on contact when I directed it towards the north."

"It didn't affect you in any negative way?" She asked. As Catra shook her head no, she hummed. Whatever Catra had done with the shard, she had found a way around its effects.

"Did it do anything beyond glow or hum?"

"Well, when I touched it, some of my memories returned. Nothing major, just something to do with borrowing a skiff and marching with several other children." Catra said.

"Would those children's names happen to have been Lonnie, Kyle, and Rojelio?" She asked.

"Actually, yeah. I had gotten a good score and some guy told everyone to strive to beat it, or something?" Catra explained. There was little doubt that this woman knew her now. Every word she spoke was filled with concern and sympathy. This was supposed to be the Horde? Catra wasn't sure what to make of it all.

"Wait, you said I could do magic?" Catra said suddenly. The woman let a mirthful chuckle out.

"Yes, I did. In fact, as children I initially believed Adora could do magic but I was mistaken. As of now, out of all of your peers, you are the only one to possess the aptitude for it." She said with an excited tone. Catra couldn't see it, but underneath the woman's mask, she was grinning. She wasn't quite sure if this approach would work regarding magic, but Catra's enthusiasm was quite pleasing to see. It made this much easier.

"I can do magic." Catra murmured to herself. Suddenly Catra's face lit up with a smile

"I can do magic." Catra said excitedly to herself, "I mean, I thought it was just the shard that did that, but if I can use it myself then. . ." She trailed off.

"I can teach you." The woman said, breaking Catra out of her thoughts.

"You would do that for me?" Catra asked hopefully.

"Of course I would, Catra. I've always wanted you to succeed. Listen, growing up, nothing was ever easy for me. I wasn't born to power like Adora and others. I had to earn my power fight for it. You remind me so much of myself. You have a unique opportunity to seize power for yourself, to never let anyone manipulate you again." The woman paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes, as if thinking about something before sighing.

"If Adora hasn't told you yet, then I will now. I was hard on you, much harder than on Adora, this is true. I won't deny it and I won't apologize. I wanted you to be strong, to be prepared for the world. It is unforgiving and dangerous and even now, subconsciously, you retain those lessons. Like me, you followed in other's shadows throughout your life. But now, you have come to a moment in your life. A moment where everyone has to make a choice of what type of person they will be.

I want what's best for you Catra. I always have and while those methods may not have always been the kindest, they were always out of a place of love, never malice. Don't let Adora drag you down. She may mean well, but that doesn't mean that she's in the right. I would like for you to come home. Your friends miss you and so do I." The woman caressed Catra's tuft of fur under her ear as she spoke kindly.

Emotions flooded Catra. Emotions she couldn't put into words. Almost everyone wanted something from her ever since she woke up. This woman didn't want something from her, no, in fact all she wanted was to give her something. She offered her magic, love, and a group of friends who miss her. As she went to speak, a banging on the door caught her attention.

"Hey Catra, the eclipse is about to start. If you want to see it, you need to come out now. Hey, why is this door locked?" A voice that sounded like General Juliet sounded through the door. She turned back to the woman, who now was looking a lot more transparent and smoky.

"You don't need to decide now. I'll be in touch, don't worry. Here, don't want anyone to be suspicious." She said as she waved her hand. Several books flew to a desk and opened themselves, making it appear as if Catra had been reading them, including the one she had previously been reading.

"Wait, what's your name?" Catra asked quickly before she disappeared completely.

"Shadow Weaver. And one more thing Catra, don't forget to sleep. Just because your body sleeps, doesn't mean your mind does. Mental fatigue can be just as dangerous if not more so. Goodbye Catra." She said gently. And with that the woman disappeared, the light returning to the room and the windows and doors unlatching and opening back up. Catra thought that the shadows weren't quite as sinister as she had initially believed.

Catra swiftly jumped into the seat, before making it look like she was standing up as General Juliet walked in. "What the hell's wrong with this door?"

"What?" Catra asked, acting as if she hadn't just spoken to what seemed to be her mother.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Come on, the eclipse is starting and you don't want to miss it." General Juliet said. Catra shrugged and joined her, although her mind was miles away from what she was witnessing.

As the eclipse started, Catra felt something well up inside of her. It was almost like when she 'switched' to Mara, but different. Like she was somewhat energized. Catra hummed, thinking about her life. Perhaps she should give Shadow Weaver's words some more thought.

While the eclipse was beautiful, Catra didn't particularly care. Her memories from earth showed plenty of images of ellipses that looked far more impressive than this one. Mainly a solar eclipse, now that was something to be witnessed.


Shadow Weaver awoke on the floor, a dull ache in the back of her head. While Catra had been quite successful, Adora had not. Adora had used the eclipse as a weapon against her, completely destroying her shadow spies and knocking her unconscious. While it was a setback, she was more focused on Catra. It would require a delicate hand when dealing with her. She was quite hostile to everyone, including herself.

She had maneuvered herself in a way that gained a small amount of Catra's trust. Adora had been foolish not to tell Catra about her. Fortunately for her, Catra wanted to learn magic and had remembered just enough for Shadow Weaver to cement her place in Catra's mind.

She couldn't be too hasty or she would push Catra away, but too slow and Adora and her friends would pull her into their stupid little circle of princesses. Scorpia and her squad was going to be pivotal to the next step. Walking over to her communications screen, she sent a message through.

Force Captain Scorpia, come to the black garnet chamber and bring cadets Lonnie, Kyle, and Rojelio immediately. I have an assignment for you.

As Shadow Weaver dusted herself off, she started to organize information pertaining to Adora. At the current moment Catra may be the priority target, but that didn't mean her goal of bringing Adora back was in no shape or form dismissed. Quite the opposite really. If she got Catra to return, there was a good chance of Adora following to 'save' her friend. But if she could get Adora back, well Catra would come back of her own volition.

Behind her the doors hissed open. As she turned to look at Scorpia's squad, she took in the appearance of the saluting cadets. They all looked capable. . .most of them looked capable. Kyle.

"I'm here for your orders, Shadow Weaver. Did you find Catra? Is she alright?" Scorpia asked loudly. Before she could start ranting, Shadow Weaver held up a hand to stop her.

"Catra is currently in good health and I have located her." She said in a calm tone. At that, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief surprisingly.

"Well, that's fantastic. Let's go get her then." Scorpia said.

"That's the problem. Catra is currently residing in Brightmoon. It is as I thought. She has lost almost all of her memories." Shadow Weaver said. Scorpia gasped in horror alongside the trio behind her.

"Adora really did it? What the fuck?" Lonnie muttered, disgusted. Rojelio made a noise of shock in response to the information. Before anyone could say anything else, Kyle spoke up in Adora's defense.

"That's not what happened right? It can't be. Adora would never do that to one of us, especially Catra." Kyle asked with desperation in his voice. Shadow Weaver spoke up, silencing everyone's cries of outrage and horror.

"Cadet Kyle is correct. Adora did not do this, nor did the rebels. The blue shard you will be collecting did. That does not mean that the situation isn't bad. Right now, Catra is being manipulated by the Rebellion into sharing any and everything. They are trying desperately to restore her memories while, simultaneously, swaying her to help them.

It is up to you four to stop that. As far as the blue crystal goes, Force Captain Scorpia is the only one who can touch it besides Catra. At the current moment it may be too volatile. Your status as a princess will protect you from its effects due to your connection to the runestone." Shadow Weaver said, pointedly.

"But I don't have a connection to the black garnet, Shadow Weaver." Scorpia said.

"I am aware of that. I have studied the shards extensively and it doesn't matter if you are connected or not. As long as you could form a connection that is all that matters. Now, moving on to your mission parameters. Scorpia, have you received your invitation to princess prom yet?" Shadow Weaver asked.

Scorpia shook her head, "Not yet, although it's only a matter of time."

"Hmm, When you receive the letter of invitation, come tell me. I will be accompanying you as your plus one. Cadets Kyle, Lonnie, and Rojelio will be your guard. Lord Hordak has made retrieving Catra and the shard priority number one. She takes precedence. You will receive further instruction at a later date. Dismissed." Shadow Weaver said over her shoulder, as she walked away.

"YES, SHADOW WEAVER!" They all replied in sync, before exiting the chamber.


Shadow Weaver poured herself a drink before sitting down. Everything was coming together in a way that she could have never predicted. And Catra was the key.

Catra had gone over some more books through the library in search of more information to no avail. She had been so wrapped up in what Shadow Weaver had said that she had forgotten to ask what she was doing to the book she had been reading.

When she had gone over and checked, she found a small photo of several small children and who she assumed to be herself and Adora. There was a small blonde boy, a brown haired girl whose skin was about the same shade as Mara's, and. . . a green lizard boy? Catra assumed that these three were Kyle, Rojelio, and Lonnie. In the front was Adora, no doubt about it, hugging a very agitated cat child who looked like she didn't want to be there.

The photo had a banner in the back that read 'Top cadets.' Catra chuckled to herself. Even if she couldn't remember this moment, it seemed like a good memento to have. Pocketing it, she had started to put the books away when a servant had stopped her. Angella was asking if she would join her for dinner in the evening. The servant had made it apparent that she could say no, most likely on account of last night's incident.

Catra said she would be there and the servant nodded and left to tell her. She had noticed that she was starting to lose track of time quite often. At first, she had thought it was a result of the shard before Shadow Weaver had informed her to sleep. It hadn't occurred to her she might just be mentally exhausted. After searching the library for several hours, dinner and sleep sounded quite nice. Maybe a bath as well.

She had roughly an hour and a half before dinner. With that in mind she went and took a nice hot bath. She spent the better half of the hour there and when she looked in the mirror she realized just how tired she looked. It wasn't any physical signs like bags under the eyes, it was more of a feeling. She doubted anyone could see it besides her, but now that she thought about it, she had been awake for almost three days straight.

Her hair still wet, she changed into some clothes and headed out to meet Angella for dinner. As she entered the room, she took note of Angella talking to General Juliet. As she walked over, Angella nodded to Juliet and walked towards her.

"Thank you for joining me, but dinner isn't for another half hour." Angella said kindly. Catra shrugged.

"Eh, I was bored. If I didn't get up, I would probably have fallen asleep. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about a few things." Catra said nonchalantly.

"Alright, but, um, are you going to brush your hair? It's all over the place." Angella asked. Catra couldn't quite place it, but she swore Angella had a strange look in her eye.

"Uhh, no. Actually, I can't recall ever having brushed my hair and judging by how it felt when I was taking a bath, I'd say it's not worth it.. Why?" Catra asked, cautiously.

"Do you mind if I. . ." Angella trailed off, gesturing to her own hair. "We can talk over it."

"Oh, um, yeah, sure. I don't care." Catra shrugged. Angella's face lit up before she pulled several hair brushes out of. . .somewhere.

As she took a seat, Angella pulled a chair behind Catra and sat down. "I used to do this for Glimmer. She had longer hair when she was younger, but as she got older, she wanted to be an adult. No time for her mom to do her hair."

As Catra had her hair pulled and yanked from the brushes, she winced from the knots and tangles being undone. Having hair as thick as hers was more of a nuisance in her eyes. Thankfully her hair was still wet, otherwise she would never have been able to undo it.

"Yeah, I can see why she might have thought that." Catra said wincing, letting out a small involuntary hiss at the slight pain.

"Glimmer's hair isn't quite as thick or full as yours. Most likely on account of your fur. But once the knots are out I assure you, you'll like it. I used to love it when my mother did this for me. Appearance is important Catra, remember that. I can't appear before my kingdom if I have a bedhead." Angella said as she worked the last knots out.

Catra thought about that advice. Adora always looked unkempt and clean as did Mara. Although, that may have something to do with their military backgrounds. Soldiers on Earth were almost always nicely kempt and tidy. She felt the brush go through her hair smoothly. It felt a lot better now.

As she started working Catra's hair, Angella noticed Catra slowly relax. She started to emit a low purr and deep breaths. She recognized her look. She had worn it too many times. If Catra had been jumping between spaces or 'switching' as she liked to call it, then she hadn't been sleeping. Perhaps her body had, but not her mind.

So for half an hour Angella talked to Catra about personal health and how important sleep was. Catra heard most of it, but was taken in by her voice. Her tone was quite relaxing and the hands in her hair were almost hypnotizing. When Angella gave her a gentle shake, she realized that the dinner was being served and that she had been dozing off.

"Catra." Angella spoke up, slightly louder than normal.

"Yes?" Catra asked, her voice quite relaxed.

"After you eat, I'd like for you to get some rest. Please don't switch, I'd like for you to actually sleep. Can you do that for me?" Angella said kindly.

"Yeah, I can do that. But I need to tell Mara-" Catra spoke before being stopped by Angella's hand.

"I'm aware you said you'd help Mara, but remember to prioritize yourself as well. No one will benefit from you passing out on your feet. You've learned to switch and frankly I'd like to be there as well. So I'd like you to wait until tomorrow morning if that's alright with you." Angella proposed, calling a servant over.

"Okay," Catra said after a moment, "I'll wait until tomorrow morning."

"Excellent," Angella said, clapping her hands together, "Now, you never said anything about the first time you switched."

Catra felt her mood sour a bit at the mention of her switching once again, before Angella spoke up, "Have you got a favorite drink that you may have had over 'there?'"

Catra's good mood immediately returned at the mention of that, "Well. . .there was one, but I'm not quite sure how it was made."

"Well, give a description and I will have them do their utmost job of making it." Angella said, smiling as she took small bites of her food.

"Well it was white and chunky. It also had foam on top with orange highlights in it. I think it had red cream with a pinkel slice. Mara told me what it was called, but I can't remember." Catra tried describing it, hoping the name would come to her, to no avail.

"Ahhh, I see," Angella said with a small smirk, "Would this particular drink have been alcoholic and called a 'pink morning?'

"Yeah, that's it!" Catra exclaimed, "How'd you know?"

"It's an old drink that's not too known nowadays. You can find a similar drink called a 'sailor's warning' over by Salineas. You have good taste Catra. I'm pleasantly surprised. Please, bring me two pink mornings?" Angella told the servants.

"Did your friend tell you how to drink them correctly?" Angella asked, turning back towards Catra.

"To eat the pinkel slice first. Something to do with the juice sticking to your tongue and enhancing the flavor." Catra said, munching on a strangely crunchy piece of meat.

"Yes, although I'm quite intrigued. If what I am gathering from what you've told me of Mara, she was the previous She-Ra. That was said to be over a thousand years old and I'm quite surprised this drink goes so far back." Angella said, curiosity filling her voice.

"That reminds me of a type of wine from Earth. According to my memories, it's supposed to be over 5000 years old." Catra said, finding a topic that she could relate to. As the servants came back out with the pink mornings, Angella turned towards Catra.

"Can you tell me about Earth? I've been informed that it's a lovely place by Castaspella but I have never heard of it." Angella said, already enamored by the drink. She didn't drink too often, but this was one of those nights that nothing was going on and she could afford to take it easy.

"Alright," Catra said, taking a sip of her drink, "Oh, where to start? I suppose I'll start with the scenery."

For roughly two hours, Catra and Angella talked about Earth. Angella would occasionally compare the descriptions with places from Etheria, while Catra would ask about the wildlife and types of views about Etheria. Angella had perhaps lost track of the time after the fourth pink morning. Although, every guard was listening to Catra's description of the stars and moon of earth.

It was later in the evening when Catra had decided to go to bed. She was well past buzzed, but not quite swaying. She was enjoying the warmth in her body and was sure she could fall asleep instantly if she tried. As she got up from the table, she wasn't quite sure, but she may have given a hug to Angella before heading to bed.

Making her way through the castle, she finally made it to her room. As she slowly crawled into her bed, her thoughts were dominated by the memories of Earth and the beautiful places she remembered, while she slowly drifted off to sleep.


.

"You don't need to do this /̴̟̝͓̬̠̂̌̽̚̕̚.̷̧̫͉̗̳͇̼̬͙̀̽͑ͅ,̸̡̡̰̻͚̖̮͖̞̲̖̞̊̑̎͗̔̄̍̈́̽̒̅̑̃̊͠;̷͓̲̠͔̪̜̤̣͍̑̉̈́̈͊͜͝'̷̨͔̦̪̥̖̲͎̹̞͖͂̃̈́̊̿̇́̿̅͝ͅ'̵̪̥̹̫̯̿͑/̶̡̛͚̻̜̪͉̻͐̉̐͛̿̋́͋̎̍͂̓̋͘͜;̴͍̋͝. You know that, right?"

"I'm sorry you feel that way Eric, but I have to do this. Do you know what could be out there? We have a unique opportunity to learn the mysteries of our galaxy. We could find extraterrestrial life. Don't you want that." /̴̟̝͓̬̠̂̌̽̚̕̚.̷̧̫͉̗̳͇̼̬͙̀̽͑ͅ,̸̡̡̰̻͚̖̮͖̞̲̖̞̊̑̎͗̔̄̍̈́̽̒̅̑̃̊͠;̷͓̲̠͔̪̜̤̣͍̑̉̈́̈͊͜͝'̷̨͔̦̪̥̖̲͎̹̞͖͂̃̈́̊̿̇́̿̅͝ͅ'̵̪̥̹̫̯̿͑/̶̡̛͚̻̜̪͉̻͐̉̐͛̿̋́͋̎̍͂̓̋͘͜;̴͍̋͝ asked.

"Of course, but it doesn't have to be you. Let a different person do it. You're our head of the research team. If something happens to you, we'd be-"

"You'd be fine Eric. I'm finally able to make my dreams come true. I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid and I'm not gonna let anyone talk me out of it. So much time and work has gone into this project. Half of the world's space programs have spent trillions on this. We need to do this." /̴̟̝͓̬̠̂̌̽̚̕̚.̷̧̫͉̗̳͇̼̬͙̀̽͑ͅ,̸̡̡̰̻͚̖̮͖̞̲̖̞̊̑̎͗̔̄̍̈́̽̒̅̑̃̊͠;̷͓̲̠͔̪̜̤̣͍̑̉̈́̈͊͜͝'̷̨͔̦̪̥̖̲͎̹̞͖͂̃̈́̊̿̇́̿̅͝ͅ'̵̪̥̹̫̯̿͑/̶̡̛͚̻̜̪͉̻͐̉̐͛̿̋́͋̎̍͂̓̋͘͜;̴͍̋͝ sighed, "We've run out of time, Eric. Earth is running out of resources. By this time in three years, Earth will be past the point of no return.

"The hyperspace program thinks this is the one. It's said that it crosses through a wormhole to traverse distances. It's basically a warp drive." /̵̛̲̳̖͓̖̫̬̮̩̌̒̌.̴̢̨̧̡̞̯͚̬̱͉̻̻̼͂͒͆̏͗̾͑͛͜͜͠͝,̷̢̦̥͈͎̬̘̻̐͂͒͗̓͗̚;̴͕̤͇̫̘̠̫͎̯̱̯͔͔̿͑͛̌̃̈́͑̓̓̇̈͑̈́͘̕'̷̜͈̭̒̈́̈́́͋͋̈͊̾̑̚͝'̶̛͉̦͓̥̭̰͈͈͖̓̔͊̂̀̉̏̉̉̇̃̔̈́͝ͅ/̷̨̟̰̪̳̯̹͉͉̠̯͎́̓̓̍͑̑͋͛̉̽͘;̵̧̛̞̼̝̥̉͑̽̃̔͂̍̎̽̑̈́̚͜͜͝͠ said.

"We can run more tests, make sure it's safe. There's no point to you-" Eric was cut off by a hand slamming on the desk.

"Don't you get it! There is no more time! This is it. The endgame. If we fail. . .If I fail, then Earth is fucked, do you hear me? Fucked!" /̵̛̲̳̖͓̖̫̬̮̩̌̒̌.̴̢̨̧̡̞̯͚̬̱͉̻̻̼͂͒͆̏͗̾͑͛͜͜͠͝,̷̢̦̥͈͎̬̘̻̐͂͒͗̓͗̚;̴͕̤͇̫̘̠̫͎̯̱̯͔͔̿͑͛̌̃̈́͑̓̓̇̈͑̈́͘̕'̷̜͈̭̒̈́̈́́͋͋̈͊̾̑̚͝'̶̛͉̦͓̥̭̰͈͈͖̓̔͊̂̀̉̏̉̉̇̃̔̈́͝ͅ/̷̨̟̰̪̳̯̹͉͉̠̯͎́̓̓̍͑̑͋͛̉̽͘;̵̧̛̞̼̝̥̉͑̽̃̔͂̍̎̽̑̈́̚͜͜͝͠ took a shaky sigh, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Even if we fail, we have to try. For everyone's sake." /̵̛̲̳̖͓̖̫̬̮̩̌̒̌.̴̢̨̧̡̞̯͚̬̱͉̻̻̼͂͒͆̏͗̾͑͛͜͜͠͝,̷̢̦̥͈͎̬̘̻̐͂͒͗̓͗̚;̴͕̤͇̫̘̠̫͎̯̱̯͔͔̿͑͛̌̃̈́͑̓̓̇̈͑̈́͘̕'̷̜͈̭̒̈́̈́́͋͋̈͊̾̑̚͝'̶̛͉̦͓̥̭̰͈͈͖̓̔͊̂̀̉̏̉̉̇̃̔̈́͝ͅ/̷̨̟̰̪̳̯̹͉͉̠̯͎́̓̓̍͑̑͋͛̉̽͘;̵̧̛̞̼̝̥̉͑̽̃̔͂̍̎̽̑̈́̚͜͜͝͠ said. Eric sat down, his head hung low in defeat.

"Hey, it's going to be fine. I'll have a co-pilot with me. It's big enough to fit two people, so don't worry. I'll have plenty of Company." /̵̛̲̳̖͓̖̫̬̮̩̌̒̌.̴̢̨̧̡̞̯͚̬̱͉̻̻̼͂͒͆̏͗̾͑͛͜͜͠͝,̷̢̦̥͈͎̬̘̻̐͂͒͗̓͗̚;̴͕̤͇̫̘̠̫͎̯̱̯͔͔̿͑͛̌̃̈́͑̓̓̇̈͑̈́͘̕'̷̜͈̭̒̈́̈́́͋͋̈͊̾̑̚͝'̶̛͉̦͓̥̭̰͈͈͖̓̔͊̂̀̉̏̉̉̇̃̔̈́͝ͅ/̷̨̟̰̪̳̯̹͉͉̠̯͎́̓̓̍͑̑͋͛̉̽͘;̵̧̛̞̼̝̥̉͑̽̃̔͂̍̎̽̑̈́̚͜͜͝͠ said softly, resting a hand on Eric's shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze.

"I sure hope so. For your sake and theirs. You know [̶̧͕͔̗͙̜͎͌̈́͐͒̂̓'̴̨̡͔̰͖͔̠͉̪̝̦̟͐̌̈̐̏̋̇̂̆͜͠'̵̧̧̨̗̗͇̞͕̯̯̬̺̀̀̾̈́̄̀͆̌̈́̑͑͘͝'̸̧̨̜̮̺̰̼̥̽?̶̭̤̻͔̳̱͖̟̙̖̦̤͋.̶̧̢̙̤͕̮͉̖̗̫̟̩̖̩̰̒̏̾̅̽͐͋'̶͓͍͇̌̅̅͋̑̎̔̑͒̍͝ can be. . .unnecessarily cruel. Just keep them in line, okay?" Eric said.

"You got it." A reassuring smile present.

Alright everyone, I was able to squeeze out another chapter. Not quite as long, but I had inspiration and needed to put it to paper, so here you go. A word of warning, my summer job begins in a month or two, which may diminish update times. Beyond that enjoy.