"You gotta be careful and don't just lean it somewhere and don't keep it with the other swords or it might get confused!" Adora exclaimed at the ice guard as he took her sword.

"Adora, c'mon!" Glimmer said, struggling to pull Adora towards the entrance before casting a look towards Catra, "A little help would be nice Catra."

"You look like you got it handled." Catra said, chuckling. Glimmer gave a sour look before finally getting Adora to move.

As they walked towards the castle entrance, Catra glanced at Adora. She had chosen a slim red dress that fit her quite well. It was the standard dress style you would typically see at a dance. Nothing too fancy or revealing. Although, looking around, Catra took note of how much Adora's dress stood out among the dark colors.

Catra noticed her reflection on the door as they approached, the door being made of ice and whatnot. She had worn the suit that Angella had helped her pick out. It was quite becoming and Adora had made mention of the color scheme. But before they had left, Catra had let Angella do her hair. It was quite straight and fell like silk onto her shoulders. She wasn't sure how she had done it, but she suspected magic may have played a part, seeing as how good it looked. Catra wasn't one for dressing up, but even she could appreciate Angella's skills regarding hair and makeup.

"Have you ever thought about letting your hair down, Adora?" Catra asked.

"Huh? No, not really. It gets in the way when I'm fighting." Adora said.

"Hm, shame. I think it would look really good on you." Catra said in a lower voice.

Adora cleared her throat nervously, "I'll. . .keep that in mind."

Catra hummed at that, a small smile on her lips. As they opened the door, Catra heard Adora marvel at the size of the room. Catra snorted at that, but even she had to marvel at the sheer size of the castle. It was gorgeous in the kind of way that winter was gorgeous on Earth during Christmas. The ice and snow shimmered with beautiful lights and colors that set the tone.

As they entered, Catra fell in stride beside Adora while holding her arm out. As Adora took Catra's arm, Glimmer began to explain, "The ball is one of our most ancient traditions. A princess' first ball is a huge rite of passage. Plus, the Kingdom of Snows is really big."

"Which is why we need Frosta. If she joins us, all the other princesses are sure to follow." Adora said.

"Don't be too sure about that." Catra warned. "People can be selfish. Not everyone's so quick to put themselves at risk to join a war."

Adora hummed at that. As they walked up the stairs to greet Frosta, Adora gained a look of determination. Taking a deep breath, Adora steeled herself, "Here we go."

As they stepped forward, all three of them bowed, "Hold for one, two, three." Adora said to Catra's amusement.

As they stood back up, Adora took on a look of surprise. It wasn't hard to see why. Even Catra was a bit taken aback by Frosta's age, although she didn't make it so obvious. She had read that she was younger, but she had figured that meant closer to her or Glimmer's age, not ten.

"That's Frosta? But she's, like, ten." Adora said to Glimmer. The crowd let out an audible gasp. Catra wondered if they had already messed this up.

"I'm eleven and three quarters." Frosta said coldly.

"Revered hostess, we come into your hall under the ancient laws of hospitality, bringing greetings from Bright Moon. And She-Ra, legendary warrior. . .and her plus one, Catra." Glimmer said, somewhat nervously, trying to salvage the situation.

"You are welcome in the Kingdom of Snows under the ancient laws of hospitality. Leave conflict at the door and please enjoy the ball." Frosta said with a wave of her hand, dismissing them.

"Thank you, your–" Adora went to say before being cut off by the approaching guards pushing them to the dance floor.

"-Majesty." Adora finished lamely before whirling on Glimmer. "Couldn't you have told me she was a little kid?"

"You did all that research, I assumed you knew." Glimmer said, before letting out a small breath, "You know what? It's fine. There's plenty of time still to win her over. Now come on, let's rock this ball."

As Glimmer said that, her face fell a bit as she looked around nervously. Catra went to say something to her before Adora cut her off. "Oh, there's Entrapta."

As Adora dragged them along, Catra turned to Glimmer, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Glimmer said shiftily, a little crestfallen.

As Catra went to speak, a new voice interrupted her. "Adora, Glimmer, new person I haven't met yet, are you here to watch the social experiment too?"

"Social experiment?" Adora questioned.

"Different groups are thrown together and forced to mingle. Hierarchies form and break. It's the perfect place to observe behavior. And they have tiny food!" Entrapta exclaimed.

In front of Catra was a woman with very long purple hair that moved on its own. It was quite bizarre, but Catra had learned by this point to roll with it. As she took in the woman's appearance, Catra came to the conclusion that this woman didn't care one bit about appearances.

"Are you observing me right now?" Entrapta asked excitedly, breaking Catra from her thoughts. "Did you come to any conclusion?"

"Oh, uh, kind of?" Catra said, taken aback by the woman's close proximity.

"Oh, tell me, tell me. It's always fascinating to hear other people's thoughts and scientific theories." Entrapta said, shoving a recorder into Catra's face.

"Oh, um, Catra, this is Entrapta. Entrapta, this is Catra. Entrapta is the princess of Dryll." Adora said, introducing one another.

"Nice to meet you," Catra said, moving the recorder back a bit. "I take it you don't particularly care for magic?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Magic is its own field of study. While it is very interesting, my expertise is the study of science!" Entrapta said loudly.

Catra raised an eyebrow. Adora had explained her previous interests before she had lost her memories and scientific studies had not been one of them. This confirmed that her knowledge on any science related topics were from the shards. But beyond that, Catra still felt a sense of elation that she could talk to a new person over a topic she could relate with that didn't involve her memory loss.

"Really? Which field are you currently studying?" Catra asked.

Hearing Catra's words must have piqued Entrapta's interest because she immediately turned her full attention to Catra.

"I love all fields of science. But my specialty lies in technology, mainly robotics and computers. But that doesn't mean I don't do other stuff as well." Entrapta said excitedly.

"Really? That's interesting. What. . ." Catra paused for a moment before speaking, "what are your thoughts on time travel?"

Adora let out a groan, "Catra, we shouldn't mess around with that. Last time we did, it messed you up."

"Adora, if she can help me understand it, I need to know. Plus, I overused the switch. I wasn't really hurt." Catra said, exasperated.

"Time travel? It's purely theoretical and based entirely in science fiction. If you've figured something out regarding it, this is a complete breakthrough! Tell me please!" Entrapta exclaimed, stepping into Catra's personal space.

"Woah, settle down. I can explain, but wouldn't it be better for you to observe it?" Catra said, backpedaling. She may have come on too strong. "Besides, aren't you observing behavior?"

"Ahh," Entrapta deflated a bit, before perking back up, "But you'll still show me, right?"

"Sure, after princess prom. Currently, the only ones I've been able to discuss it with are Stratos and Kai. No one else really understands it. Having someone on this side who can understand the science of it will be a great help. Plus, I'd love to hear your theories on it" Catra said with a smile.

"Oh, you wanna know about my theories? I've waited years for someone to ask me about my theories. It's a deal!" Entrapta said with an ecstatic grin before turning back towards the crowd.

"She's a beauty, can't you see? She's attending this with me! She's my princess of the sea! Mersmista!" Catra turned to the sound of singing. There was a man wearing a blue and gold dress jacket with a white shirt underneath and blue pants and boots. He seemed vaguely familiar to her.

"Oh hey it's- Adora, look out. A Horde soldier has infiltrated and is standing behind you!" Sea Hawk exclaimed.

Catra gave a sly grin. Walking up behind Adora, she rested her chin on her shoulder, wrapping her arms around Adora's waist, "Didn't you hear? I convinced Adora to leave the rebellion and rejoin the Horde. We've become. . .intimately close."

Adora's cheeks turned slightly pink at Mermista and Sea Hawk's shocked faces. Stepping forward, Adora gently removed Catra's arms, "That is not what is happening here."

"Feelings of embarrassment" Entrapta said from behind everyone.

"Well, then what is happening here? This is the person who tried to destroy my kingdom. What the hell Adora." Mermista said with irritation.

"She touched some sort of magical crystal and forgot all of her memories. So I'm helping her remember our past, er, her past." Adora quickly corrected herself.

"So you seduced the enemy into helping and not the other way around. Bravo, Adora. I couldn't have done it better myself." Sea Hawk said, nodding sagely. Catra smirked.

Adora, looking for any way to change the subject, gave a sly grin, "So, Sea Hawk's your plus one?"

"No. He is just my ride. Okay? Just. My. Ride." Mermista said, now the embarrassed one.

"Of course," Sea hawk gave a laugh before whispering, "I am her plus one."

"Whatever. We're going to talk about her later." Mermista said to Adora, pointing at Catra, "Do they have a kelp bar here?"

As Mermista walked away with Sea Hawk, Catra caught sight of Netossa and Spinnerella, "Hey Adora, I'm gonna go talk with Netossa, you wanna come?"

"Actually, I'm going to talk to Frosta, but you go ahead. I'll catch up with you in a bit." Adora said. Catra gave a small smile and a nod before walking towards Netossa.

"Hey, what's up. You guys look great. I'm loving the cape, Spinnerella." Catra said, approaching them.

"Oh, hey Catra. Thanks, I'm glad you think so. Where's Adora, Glimmer, and Bow?" Spinnerella asked, looking around.

"Adora went to talk to Frosta and Glimmer's. . .upset about Bow going with someone else." Catra said, somewhat hesitant before muttering. "Evil flower lady."

"Pfft, Catra, Perfuma is super nice. You should try and talk to her. I think you'd get along." Netossa said before taking a sip of a fizzy purple drink.

Catra looked down at the drink, intrigued, "What's that?"

"This," Netossa said, quickly downing it, "Is not for little girls."

Catra gave a sound of mock irritation. She caught sight of Adora talking to Frosta and from the looks of it, failing. "I'll see you guys in a bit. I'm gonna go see what Adora's up to."

"Alright, see you later." Spinnerella said kindly, taking Netossa's arm before leading her away.

As Catra made her way over towards Adora, her ears picked up the tail ends of the conversation.

"-for thousands of years. We do not need your help or your rebellion. Please continue to enjoy the ball." Frosta said before striding away, leaving a dejected Adora behind.

"Yikes, that didn't look too good. What'd you say to her?" Catra said, walking up behind Adora.

Adora turned towards Catra, "Oh ,you know, the usual. The Horde is evil, please join the Rebellion and help us free Etheria."

"Didn't go too hot I'd imagine?" Catra said with an eyebrow raised.

Adora shook her head, "No, but I'm sure we'll have another chance to talk to her again."

"Well, ignoring that for a second, let's go find Glimmer. She's all upset because Bow went with the evil flower girl." Catra said, grabbing Adora's hand and pulling her along.

"Perfuma is super nice, Catra. You just have to get to know her." Adora said, falling into stride with Catra.

"So everyone keeps telling me." Catra muttered.


As they stepped onto the balcony where Glimmer was, Adora collapsed onto a couch exhausted.

"Where have you been?" Glimmer turned her head towards Adora.

"I told you winning over Frosta–"

"Failing to win over Frosta, more accurately." Catra said, cutting Adora off to her irritation.

At that, Glimmer turned her attention towards the dance floor, looking down from the balcony. Catra followed her gaze, landing on Bow and the evil plant mistress herself.

"Hey, are you okay?" Adora asked, drawing Catra's attention back towards them, before also taking note of Bow and Perfuma. "Why does it bother you so much?" Adora asked Glimmer.

"It doesn't! Bow can hang out with whoever he wants. I just," Glimmer let out a soft sigh, "I never had that many friends, okay? It's always been just me and Bow. . . But now, what if he likes his new friends better than me? What if everyone does?"

"Just go, be with your new best friend Lonnie!" Catra said, shoving Adora away.

"Is that why you hit her?" Adora asked.

"I know you like her better than me. You're supposed to be my friend." Catra muttered to herself. Adora turned towards Catra.

"What did you say?" Glimmer asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Just. . .thinking about something." Catra said, glancing at Adora.

Adora gave a small smile before turning back towards Glimmer. "That's not gonna happen Glimmer. Bow isn't the type of person to just leave his old friends behind and neither am. . .I"

Adora looked across the room, taking note of the new guests who had just entered. "Shadow Weaver." She muttered darkly.

"What!" Glimmer exclaimed, quickly looking where Adora's attention was focused. Catra snapped her head up at the mention of the name as well, zeroing in on her location.

Across the room stood Shadow Weaver, dressed in a beautiful black and red dress that grabbed everyone's attention. It flowed with a dark allure that was pleasing to the eye. Beside her stood Scorpia in a black and red dress as well.

"Come on, we have to get down there. If they're here, that means the Horde is closing in." Adora said quickly, already moving towards the stairwell.

Catra narrowed her eyes. Whatever her personal thoughts on Shadow Weaver were, she would back Adora up. Hopefully they could solve this peacefully and without ruining the ball.

Catra looked below her and noticed Bow was still standing below the balcony. Netossa and Spinerella were standing beside him and Perfuma as well as Mermista and Sea Hawk. Catra gave a sharp whistle, hoping that she'd be heard over the music. Luckily, Sea Hawk and Mermista had heard it, having learned to pick out words over the sounds of waves.

Mermista looked up at Catra exasperated, before pointing Catra out to the rest of the small group. Bow looked up at Catra and mouthed the word 'what.' Catra pointed at the new arrivals, everyone turning towards the direction of her finger. Netossa looked back up and gave a nod as they all followed behind her towards where Frosta was greeting the guests. At that, Catra raced down the stairs quickly giving chase to Adora.


As Catra made her way towards the group she overheard Frosta, "For centuries the All-Princess Ball has been neutral ground. I will not dishonor that legacy. Scorpia is a princess. Princesses get plus ones. She stays."

Catra, joining the group beside Bow and Mermista, noticed that while Frosta's tone was hard, she looked a little unsure.

As much as Frosta disliked being called it, she was indeed a child. While she would not break the ancient laws, she was a little put off at the mention of the Horde's second in command being here. In front of her stood Princesses Glimmer, Mermista, Perfuma, Netossa, and Spinnerella. She was hesitant to disregard such a warning.

As everyone was escorted away from the throne, Frosta threw out one last warning, her tone harsh. "I don't think I need to tell everyone that any breaking of the ancient laws will result in immediate expulsion?"

"Of course not, Revered Hostess," Shadow Weaver said, stepping forward, "We are here as guests, not as Horde soldiers. You have my word we will be on our utmost behavior."

At Frosta's grunt Shadow Weaver turned and sauntered towards the gathered group of Princesses and their plus one's. "My, my, such hostility. Didn't I–"

Shadow Weaver was immediately cut off by Scorpia stepping past her and enveloping Catra in a bone crushing hug, "Oh Wildcat, I was so worried about you. After the explosion we were all so worried. Oh, don't ever scare me like that again."

Catra was feeling quite smothered but didn't make a move to lash out. Judging by this woman's actions and what she called her, she was going to assume that this person was a previous friend.

"Could you please put me down?" Catra squeezed out with what little air she had left.

"Oh, right, sorry. It's so good to see you." Scorpia said with a grin.

Catra took in the appearance of the exuberant person before her. She had short white hair and had chitin along her shoulders and neck with what appeared to be large pincers instead of hands. Her most striking feature had to be her crimson scorpion tail. It looked quite dangerous if she was being honest. Catra tried channeling a memory, anything that could help her here. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

"I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Catra asked apologetically.

Before Scorpia could answer, Mermista interjected, "She's the person that you tried blowing my kingdom with. How do you not remember her? You two seemed pretty chummy to me last time I saw you." She said sourly.

"Catra lost all of her memories, Mermista. She couldn't even remember her own name. There's no reason to be hostile." Bow defended.

"'No reason to be Hostile?' Are you joking right now? Think about it for a second. You let her into Brightmoon and she convinces you that she's lost all memories and now that you took her here, the Horde's second in command shows up? You do realize how this looks right?" Mermista said, disbelief coloring her tone.

As everyone began to argue, Catra shrunk into herself a bit. Realizing that it does look bad when you put it in such a light. Before the argument could continue Shadow Weaver spoke up. "No, Bow is right, I can assure you of that."

"And why would I believe you?" Mermista said, rounding on the sorceress.

"Because any competent mage or princess should know what a soul shard is and what they do. Unless of course. . .I have held you to a standard that was not becoming of your position?" Shadow Weaver said slyly, emitting a soft chuckle.

Mermista paused at that, turning towards Catra. "You touched a soul shard? And you're not dead?"

Catra took a step back in shock, "What? Castaspella said they weren't lethal! What do you mean 'dead?'"

Bow stepped forwards, placing a hand on Catra's shoulder, "Now, now, I'm sure Mermista didn't mean it in that manner."

"Uh, yes I did. Anyone who can't do magic that has ever been affected by these things has died. Since you don't have magic, the crystals take the next best thing and that's your life force. And since you didn't use magic against me during the battle of Salineas, I can only assume you didn't have any." Mermista drawled out.

By this point, Perfuma, Sea Hawk, and Scorpia had turned to look at Catra. Catra was beginning to feel increasingly crowded. As she took another step back, Adora interjected.

"Everyone back off! We don't know the specifics of what happened to Catra beyond that she touched a shard," Adora turned her head towards Shadow Weaver and Scorpia, her voice becoming low, "And you. I know you're plotting something. From now until the ball ends, I'll be watching. Wherever the two of you go, I go."

Shadow Weaver slightly tilted her head to the side before turning towards Catra, sighing, "I just wanted to make sure that Catra was alright. I was quite concerned when the explosion went off. She valiantly pulled me from the room, shielding me from the blast. When I came to, she was gone. I'm just glad to see you're alright Catra."

"Oh, please. I know you're planning on manipulating Catra into coming back, just like you tried to do to me at Mystacour." Adora said hotly.

"She's always been paranoid like this, you know." Shadow Weaver said to Catra, a chuckle on her lips. "But very well, if you insist. Oh but one more thing. Catra, you look beautiful in that suit. It really compliments you."

With that, Shadow Weaver walked off with Scorpia. Adora turned back towards the group. "We need to focus. I've never seen Shadow Weaver leave the Fright Zone. Whatever the Horde is planning here must be big."

"I agree, all reports regarding Shadow Weaver have explicitly detailed her never leaving the Fright Zone, or at least never straying too far from it." Netossa said with a determined look on her face.

Catra went to interject before being cut off by Bow, "Alright, Mermista, Sea Hawk, and Perfuma and I will trail Scorpia. Adora, you, Netossa, Spinnerella, and Glimmer will trail Shadow Weaver. Everyone got it?"

Everyone gave nods and sounds of affirmation. Bow gave a determined nod and everyone split up in their groups. Catra tried to speak up once more but everyone had left before she could get a word out.

"Oh yeah, just leave me all alone over here. Real fun dance." Catra muttered.

Letting out a sigh, Catra looked around at the party and took note of Entrapta on the balcony above, watching the event goers. Another look showed that Frosta had walked over towards the band.

'Any competent mage or princess should know what a soul shard is and what they do.' Shadow Weaver's voice rang in her head. Frosta seemed fairly serious for a princess, even if she was eleven. As she wandered towards her, she didn't miss how the guards tightened their grips on their spears.

"Keep those claws sheathed." One of the guards said to her as she strode past him towards Frosta. Catra gave a nervous gulp and a hasty nod before stepping forward.

"Princess Frosta, I wanted to–"

"Revered Hostess." Frosta said, cutting Catra off.

"I'm sorry?" Catra said, confused.

"When Princess Prom is to be hosted, all guests shall refer to the hostess of said prom as revered hostess. In this case, you are the guest and I am the hostess." Frosta explained matter-of-factly.

"Ah," Catra said, "I see. My apologies. . .Revered Hostess?"

Frosta nodded, "Appearance is important for all parties involved in such events. It's an easy mistake to make. Now you were saying something?"

Catra straightened herself and nodded, "Uh, yes, I wanted to ask you something."

"If this is about the princess alliance, I have already made my stance clear on the matter. I will not repeat myself." Frosta said with a hard tone.

"No no no, this has nothing to do with that. It's. . ." Catra paused, thinking of the best way to phrase her question, "I was made aware that you may have knowledge on soul shards?"

Frosta's brow furrowed a bit, "I know of them. Why do you want to know?"

"A couple weeks ago I came into contact with one. I've lost most of my memories. Any knowledge that you may have on the subject would be an immense help, Fros- er, Revered Hostess." Catra said, quickly correcting herself.

"I'm. . .sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, I can't offer much on the subject. My mother was the one who knew of such things. But I will offer any knowledge I have on the subject." Frosta turned towards her guards, "Go to my mother's study and bring me the book on shelf 43-b."

The guard nodded and turned to leave. Frosta turned back towards Catra and looked at her. Now understanding the teenager in front of her a bit more, Frosta felt a little awkward. Looking for any way to break the silence, Frosta spoke up.

"Sooo, how are you enjoying the dance?" Frosta asked, shifting in her seat slightly.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure. According to Adora, this is the first party I've ever been to, so, it's definitely more. . .regal? It's not quite my thing." Catra answered honestly.

Frosta, having successfully changed the topic, raised an eyebrow, "It's understandable. Princess Prom can be a bit overwhelming at first. The etiquette and traditions to be followed is a lot to take in."

Catra gave a smile, "Yeah, but I'm not not enjoying myself. As far as parties go, you definitely threw a big one," Catra said looking around at the people.

Frosta let out a huff, "You have no idea. The guest list was killer. So many princesses needed an invite. Which, as you can see, was a lot. And that's not even half of them."

Catra gave a look of shock. "What? This isn't even half of them?"

Frosta let out a giggle at Catra's face, "No. More often than not, most princesses are busy with their kingdoms. I'd say this is only about a quarter of them."

"Huh, I was under the impression that the runestones were a big deal. Guess I was wrong if there's that many." Catra said.

"Oh no, you're right. They are. Not every princess has a runestone. In fact, there are only five runestones. Mine being the Fractal Flake of course. I heard there was a sixth one that was once the Crimson Waste, but that one's been gone forever." Frosta said slightly bragging.

"Can anyone have a runestone?" Catra asked interestedly.

"What do you mean by anyone?" Frosta asked.

"Like, if you had a brother. Would you have to share the runestone like Glimmer does with her mother?" Catra asked.

Frosta gave a smile, skating her head. "Nope. Only girls can form connections with the runestones. As for the sharing part, yes we do. I had to share it with my mother before. . ." Frosta lost her smile for a moment, before continuing, "Well, every princess shares their runestone with their mother until they choose to sever their connection."

It didn't escape Catra's notice of what Frosta had alluded to. Quickly thinking, Catra changed the topic fast. "Hm, on the topic of princesses, does the Revered Hostess dance or keep watch over the court."

Frosta's smile came back, "Oh, she dances. But not until the second dance of the night. Speaking of, I recommend you go find your date. I will be announcing the dance shortly. Don't worry about the soul shard knowledge, I'll be sure to deliver it to you by the end of the night."

Catra gave a nod, "Alright. It was nice talking to you." Catra said walking off to go find Adora, before turning to look over her shoulder, "Oh and one more thing. Don't be so hard on yourself. Remember, this is still technically a party. Be sure to have fun."

Frosta thought about that as Catra walked off. She did realize that she was being a bit harsh, but it was to be expected. She was eleven and had worked hard to gain the respect of the other Princesses. She couldn't be seen acting her own age, no matter how much she wanted to go have fun. But maybe Catra was right. Maybe she was being a little uptight. Frosta let out a breath and stood up.

"It is my solemn duty as Hostess to now announce, it is time for the first dance of the Ball."


Scorpia wandered the dance floor, occasionally casting looks at Catra across the way. She was currently engaged in small talk with Frosta and by the looks of it they were having a fun talk, if Frosta's smile and laughter was anything to go off of. She hadn't known Catra for very long, only a month or two before she was caught in the explosion. But she had bravely risked her life for Shadow Weaver. It was a bit disheartening to hear that she did not remember her, but she hadn't lashed out or even gotten angry. That all but told her that somewhere deep down, Catra remembered her best friend Scorpia.

Suddenly Frosta stood up, "It is my solemn duty as Hostess to now announce, it is time for the first dance of the Ball."

Cheers erupted from the crowd and they all rushed to the center of the room with their dates. Scorpia made her way down as well, catching sight of Shadow Weaver ushering her over. As she gave a smile she thought about what Shadow Weaver had said on the way here.

"Everyone listen, when we get there follow the rules. We are not Horde envoys tonight. We are guests and must act as such." Shadow Weaver said.

"We aren't going to attack or anything?" Lonnie asked.

"No, we are not attacking. Our primary goal is to show Catra that we are not hostile. I have already seen how she reacts to those she does not know. The Rebellion already has their claws in her and she is priority number one." Shadow Weaver said. She didn't want to mention that once the magic in her mask ran out, she would be quite defenseless.

"Forgive me if this is out of turn, but. . .wasn't getting Adora back priority number one?" Kyle asked from the back of the group.

"Not anymore. Whatever the shard has done to Catra has changed her exponentially. She is the biggest asset to the Horde currently and at the moment is unsure of her position in the war. We must remind her that it is with us." Shadow Weaver explained.

"If we're supposed to be fighting the rebellion, how are we supposed to be non-hostile to her at the same time?" Lonnie asked.

"Let me worry about that, Cadet Lonnie."

Scorpia was ecstatic that Shadow Weaver cared enough about Catra to want to save her. Even if she was quite scary and ominous. As she approached Shadow Weaver, she took the hand that was offered and fell into step with the music.

"Enjoying yourself, Scorpia?" Shadow Weaver asked.

"Oh yes, very much. Although, being followed is a bit tedious. They should have fun, Princess Prom only happens once in a decade." Scorpia said brightly.

"I'm glad you are enjoying the party. But do remember the plan." Shadow Weaver said smoothly as she spun Scorpia around, moving towards the next dancer.

As Shadow Weaver danced, she took the hand of the nearest dancer and twirled them, "Adora, how have you been?"

Adora's face was set in a glare, "Whatever you're planning won't work."

Shadow Weaver didn't miss a single step as she picked Adora up and slowly spun, "Adora, I'm not planning anything. But if I may ask something, do you think it proper etiquette to leave your plus one out of the dance." She said maliciously.

Adora looked around the dance floor and realized that Catra was indeed missing from the dance. Adora went to grab her before realizing she couldn't move at all, "Where is she?"

"My my, such anger. Take a moment to breathe. After all, fighting is prohibited by ancient laws of Princess Prom." Shadow Weaver said mockingly, her gem on her mask emitting a red glow.

"I swear if you've hurt her, I'll–"

"Oh, look at that, time to switch." Shadow Weaver said, spinning her to the next person.

Adora found she was able to move again. As she went to turn back towards Shadow Weaver, she felt her hand being taken. Turning back towards her new dance partner, she found herself face to face with Catra.

"You look pissed, Adora. What's going on?" Catra asked as she dipped Adora low.

"Where have you been?" Adora asked a bit harshly.

Catra gained a look of irritation, "Talking to Frosta. You all just left me standing in the middle of the dance floor to follow Shadow Weaver and that Scorpia girl."

"I figured you would follow me. Shadow Weaver's up to something. She's after you Catra." Adora said as Catra pulled her in close.

"Can't you forget about them for, like, 5 minutes? Shadow Weaver hasn't approached me once and neither has Scorpia. Just have some fun." Catra said, spinning Adora away to trade partners once more.

Catra twirled away, a bit annoyed that Adora couldn't forget about the Horde for tonight. It wasn't like they arrived in combat gear. As she took the next hand, she realized that she had matched up with the forest witch herself, Perfuma.

"Catra, I want to apologize." Perfuma said, jumping into Catra's arms as she twirled. "If I had paid more attention, I would have realized that you needed medical attention. Instead I attacked you. For that, I'm sorry."

Catra, contrary to what she had been saying, wasn't really angry at the woman. To her defense, she had been wearing the Horde's insignia on her clothes when she had walked into the clearing. "It's fine."

Perfuma dipped Catra, "You're not mad at me? Bow was saying you thought I was mean for attacking you."

"No, I was just being sour. I don't think I know enough about anyone to actually hate them, not even the Horde." Catra said, raising a knee and spinning on one foot, Perfuma's arms wrapped around her.

"Oh good, I was quite worried. Bow says you're Adora's best friend so I was a little scared I made a bad impression." Perfuma said, pulling Catra in and wrapping her arms around her waist, Catra's hands resting on her shoulders.

"It's fine. It was just startling, being attacked so suddenly and not remembering how you got there." Catra said.

"Oh, on that note, here. I found one of these near Plumeria. From what I've read about soul shard victims, they might have a reaction upon coming into contact with new ones." Perfuma said, separating from Catra and holding out a glowing blue shard to her.

The music suddenly died down, "That concludes the first dance of the Ball. Please enjoy the food and drinks." Frosta's voice rang throughout the hall as servants came out and replaced the old food with a fresher variety.

Catra unsheathed her claws to their full length and reached out, carefully taking the shard with her claws, careful not to touch it with her skin. Catra examined it and undid her tie, wrapping it around the bright blue stone.

Turning back towards Perfuma, she gave her a nod, "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

"If you don't mind me asking, what does it do?" Perfuma asked curiously.

"From what I've learned, just about anyone who's not a princess that touches these things gets affected in a negative way. But for some reason not me." Catra explained, pocketing the wrapped glowing shard.

"But didn't you lose your memories because of one of these things? How is that not a bad thing?" Perfuma asked.

"Yeah, I suppose that is bad. But, when I touched a second one I started to regain some memories and I can do magic now. I couldn't before." Catra said, somewhat excited.

Perfuma's mood matched Catra's optimism as well. As she went to speak up she was cut off by Shadow Weaver. "Princess Perfuma, would it be too much trouble to borrow Catra for a minute?"

Perfuma gulped nervously, a bit intimidated by the taller woman. "I suppose that's fine." She said somewhat shakily.

"Thank you, I'll only keep her for a moment." Shadow Weaver said in a polite tone. Perfuma gave a slight nod and turned.

Catra's sharp ears picked up Perfuma muttering to her about getting Adora. As she was left alone, Catra turned towards Shadow Weaver. "So, second in command, huh?"

"Yes, yes, I suppose that is something I may have failed to mention. On another note, how are you doing? We haven't been able to speak for almost three weeks now." Shadow Weaver said.

"Two." Catra said.

"I'm sorry?" Shadow Weaver asked.

"It's been about two weeks. 12 days to be precise." Catra said before her voice turned a bit softer, "I'm not really supposed to do any intensive labor or movement lest I trigger another episode. Castaspella's orders. So that kind of limits my choices of activities."

"Hmmm, Castaspella said that? I don't want to be that person, but Castaspella was never the best student when it came to her magical studies, at least not when I was teaching her. I would hope that after twenty five years she has improved at least a little bit." Shadow Weaver said walking towards the food table, Catra falling in stride beside her.

Catra's ears perked up at that, "You taught Castaspella magic?"

"Indeed I did. She was ahead of her peers for sure, but wasn't the most motivated, if you know what I mean. But, ah, yes. I was a teacher at Mystacour for many years. I was even on the council there. I trained many famous mages on Etheria." Shadow Weaver said, pouring two drinks.

"So she wasn't the best student?" Catra said, taking the offered cup from Shadow Weaver.

"Goodness no. Far from it actually. Whatever gave you that idea?" Shadow Weaver said with a small laugh that sounded a bit mocking.

"I just figured, seeing as how she's the head sorcerer at Mystacour." Catra said, glancing at the food with mild disgust. Salads and cakes were alright for the most part, just not so late in the evening.

"Hm, she is, is she? Good for her. It's always a good feeling when your students thrive in their studies." Shadow Weaver said.

"If she wasn't your best student, do you mind if I ask who was?" Catra asked curiously.

"Of course you can. Though it is a bit of a sore subject. Here, come take a seat and I'll tell you the story." Shadow Weaver said, gesturing towards some chairs off of the dance floor. Catra took note of the chairs placement somewhat resembling bleachers at a highschool dance.

As Catra and Shadow Weaver took a seat, Shadow Weaver made sure to position herself away from the crowd, hiding her from the view of anyone that may be. . .passing by.

"Ah, where to begin. I suppose I'll start with his name. I'm sure you are already familiar with him. King Micah?" Shadow Weaver said.

Catra's eyes widened. "Your best student was Glimmer's dad? But he was like, the head of the rebellion!"

Shadow Weaver chuckled, "Indeed he was. But nonetheless, I was his teacher."

Catra took note of the way her tone softened and the way she spoke with fondness, "Back then, he wasn't king. He was simply Micah. Right from the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was going places. He passed every test with flying colors and certainly had no trouble with any of his classes. He would even take chances to outdo his teachers if he could. Micah had a drive that was very similar to my own. He wanted to understand anything and everything about magic.

"Throughout his first years at Mystacour I did not teach him specifically. I believe it was sometime in the middle of his third year there that he came to me. I initially believed Micah lacked dedication. I needed assistance with something and Micah proved me wrong. He demonstrated a level of skill and power that I had never seen before." Shadow Weaver recounted, "That is, until you."

"Me? But I've never performed any magic beyond switching. And. . .and I can't even really call that magic. How do you know that I can even measure up?" Catra said, slightly flustered.

"Catra," Shadow Weaver said softly, laying a hand on her shoulder, "I've taught magic for years. I know potential when I see it. Trust me, you have the power necessary to surpass Micah, to surpass even me."

Catra smiled at that, "So what happened next?"

Shadow Weaver's tone changed as she hung her head in regret. "I made a mistake. Back then, the Horde did not hold the militant power it does today. I was aware of the threat the Horde posed to Etheria and had tried to warn the rest of the council of sorcerers of Mystacour. . . They didn't listen to me." She paused for a moment, "And I didn't listen to them."

"What do you mean by that?" Catra asked with a low voice.

Shadow Weaver let out a sigh. "I had proposed a solution to fight the Horde. A spell. It would have given us the power to strike back against the Horde and finally end the conflict that the princesses had failed against. In all honesty, they were right about the spell. It was a mistake to ever consider using it. But I was young and thought I had all the answers. I wanted to defend my planet, my people. So that night, I asked Micah to assist me. We gathered the materials to perform the spell. It failed."

"What was it supposed to do?" Catra asked as she hung onto every word she was hearing.

"It was called the Spell of Obtainment. It was supposed to increase our power output exponentially. Unfortunately, I miscalculated. See, the original spell, when cast, would turn the caster into a magical parasite, leeching off the magic in and around their bodies. If it didn't kill you first. But I was assured of my success with the three moons being in alignment, that it would succeed."

"But it didn't work, did it?" Catra said quietly. Somewhere in the background, Catra heard Frosta announce the second dance would be commencing soon.

Shadow Weaver shook her head. "No. It didn't. It consumed my very being, but in doing so granted me power beyond what I had been capable of at the time. But like all dark magic, there was a price. I lost the ability to perform magic without an outside source."

"Wh-Why would you cast that spell? If the Horde wasn't that strong yet, what drove you to risk that?" Catra said appalled at what she was hearing.

"The Horde had captured the Black Garnet, one of the six runestones. At the time, no one was aware that the Horde couldn't utilize the runestones without a princess or a mage. One runestone is capable of immense destruction and the Horde had acquired one. It was a scary thought at the time." Shadow Weaver said, turning away from Catra and taking a sip of her drink.

Catra looked to the side, her brows furrowed in thought, before turning back to Shadow Weaver, "But that doesn't answer my biggest question."

"You wish to know why I joined the Horde, right?" Shadow Weaver said, as if it was obvious.

"Well. . .yeah, actually. Joining the Horde doesn't make any sense." Catra said.

"Think about it for a moment Catra. Think about everything I've told you and piece it together. You're a smart girl." Shadow Weaver cooed.

Catra thought about everything she had just heard and thought about it for a minute. Suddenly it came to her. "You said the spell leeches the magic out of the caster's body, right? What happens if someone runs out of magic?"

"They die." Shadow Weaver said simply, swirling her drink.

"You're using the Black Garnet as a lifeline." Catra whispered, everything suddenly clicking in her mind.

Shadow Weaver nodded. Catra looked at her, "But there has to be something you can do. Some way you can undo the damage that it did."

"I have tried everything Catra. This is permanent. No amount of magic or science can undo what was done to me."

"But–"

"Stay away from her!" Adora exclaimed, cutting Catra off.

"Adora, it's fine. We were just talking." Catra said standing up.

"It's not fine. She's trying to get in your head. The fact that she deliberately hid is proof enough." Adora said with a glare.

Shadow Weaver let out a sigh before slowly standing. "I suppose that concludes our conversation. Very well Adora, I will leave Catra alone. You have my word."

"Your word isn't worth shit." Adora said through gritted teeth, fury apparent in her eyes.

"Mind your mouth Adora. I know I taught you better than that." Shadow Weaver said while walking away. Catra didn't miss the slight undertone of anger in Shadow Weaver's words.

As Shadow Weaver walked into the crowd and vanished from view, Adora whirled on Catra. "What the hell are you doing!" She snapped.

Catra flinched back at the sharp tone before standing straighter and narrowing her eyes. "I was talking. That's it. What is your problem?"

"My problem?" Adora said incredulously.

"Yes, your problem?" Catra hissed.

"What's your problem?" Adora countered, "I literally said not to go near Shadow Weaver. Don't talk to her, she is trying to manipulate you. And what do you do? The exact thing I said not to do!"

"So what! She wasn't insulting on me, she wasn't manipulating me, and she sure as hell wasn't attacking me either. All she was doing was telling a story. That's all!" Catra spat.

Their argument wasn't unnoticed. Catra's ears picked up several murmurs and whispers asking about them to other guests. Catra whipped her head at several patrons, glaring, causing them to look the other way.

"And another thing–"

"Shut up." Catra uttered quietly through gritted teeth as she grabbed Adora's arm tightly, dragging her towards one of the exits..

Adora stopped talking, glancing around at everyone in the hall. Taking note of the stares, Adora fell into stride with Catra as they exited the dance floor. As they exited the castle, Adora pulled her arm free from Catra's grip. This had the unfortunate consequences of Catra's claws cutting into Adora's arm.

Adora hissed in pain as she took note of the blood rolling down her arm. Catra's hostility was immediately replaced with concern. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Catra asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't deep." Adora assured.

Catra looked at the blood on her claws before grimacing. Taking off her jacket, she quickly cut a strip off, wrapping it around the wound with an almost practiced ease. As Catra finished bandaging her arm, she didn't miss how her gaze lingered on her claws.

"Hey, it was an accident. It's not the first time. Don't beat yourself up over it." Adora soothed.

Catra stayed quiet for a moment before her shoulders slumped. Turning away from Adora, she stared out at the beauty of the Kingdom of Snows. She stayed silent, not sure of what to say. Adora put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Catra. . .I'm not. . .I just. . ." Adora let out a defeated sigh, her hand falling to her side.

As they sat there for several minutes in uncomfortable silence, Catra looked up at the sky. She found herself upset by the lack of stars once again, but was taken in by the auroras cascading and dancing through the night sky.

As Adora watched the sky beside her, the silence slowly turned into a semi-comfortable one. For an hour they sat there in one another's company. The only sounds to be heard was the occasional chatter that drifted towards them from the castle.

"Can you tell me the truth?" Catra asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"About what?" Adora turned to face Catra.

"We haven't been able to be alone since I first woke up in the castle. No one is around. So. . .explain it to me Adora. Shadow Weaver, The Horde, All of it. You tell me it was horrible and bad and that-that there's nothing redeeming about anyone there." Catra paused before saying in a shaky breath,. "Why did you leave. . .why did I stay? I want the truth, Adora."

Adora sat quietly, thinking about how to even begin to tell her. Adora turned and looked at the sky, "When we were about seven years old, we were playing. At some point, we stumbled upon Shadow Weaver's room. The Black Garnet Chamber. We were kids, so naturally we wanted to see what was in there since it was off limits. Well, as we explored the room, Shadow Weaver stumbled in and we hid." Adora pressed on as Catra listened intently.

"Well, we saw Shadow Weaver's face. Realizing we'd been caught, we went to run out of the room only for Shadow Weaver to grab hold of you with magic. She didn't grab me, non only you. Then she said something that I will never forget. She threatened to dispose of you herself if you ever dragged me down. That you were a nuisance and that the only reason you were kept around was because you were my friend."

Catra stayed silent at that, remembering something she had thought Angella had said to her. "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."

"You remember?" Adora said, turning to look at her.

Catra realized she had muttered it out loud. "I thought Angella had said that to me when I was having that seizure."

"Angella would never say something like that. Catra, that's not a one time thing. Shadow Weaver treated you like that every day. I'm not trying to control who you talk with, but please believe me." Adora pleaded, "Shadow Weaver is lying to you. She only is taking an interest in you because you have something she wants."

Catra didn't say anything for a minute, mulling over what she had heard just now. Feeling the shard in her pocket, Catra grit her teeth, angry tears stinging the corners of her eyes, 'Why is this happening to me?' she thought to herself.

Adora went to ask if she was okay before Catra enveloped her in a hug. Adora felt the tension fade from her body. As Adora returned the hug, they stood there for what felt like forever, everything else forgotten at the moment. Eventually Adora pulled away to look at Catra.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Catra nodded as she wiped her eyes. "Let's go find Bow and Glimmer and see if we can get Frosta to help us out. I think I'm about done with this dance."

Adora gave a smile and nodded. As they began walking towards the castle, Catra caught sight of something small out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she narrowed her eyes, searching for any sign of movement.

Adora noticed that Catra was no longer following her. Halting her stride, she turned back towards Catra, "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"

"I don't know. I just. . .thought I saw something." Catra said slowly. As her eyes swept across the palace grounds, she noticed just how alone they were out here. Exposed. Catra felt a chill run up her spine. It was then that she noticed something. The music had stopped. Something was wrong.

"Do you hear that?" Catra asked Adora, never taking her eyes off of the grounds.

"I don't hear anything." Adora said, stepping back towards Catra as she raised her guard. She'd learned to trust Catra's instincts at a young age.

"Exactly. The music is gone. And I can't hear anyone. Like, at all." Catra said as she unsheathed her claws. "Let's hurry back inside. I don't like where we're at."

Adora gave a nod. As they walked up to the entrance, Catra went up to a trio of guards near the doors, "Why did the music stop?"

"Temporary malfunction of the sound system. Don't worry about it. We already have someone fixing it right now. Please go back and enjoy the ball." The only female guard among the group spoke up. Her tone was unusually tense. Catra gave a slight nod.

"Right. If that's all." Catra said hesitantly.

"It is. Go back and enjoy the ball." The woman repeated in a much harsher tone. Catra and Adora hurried inside, sidestepping the woman. As they walked through the halls, Catra took notice of the increasing number of guards in the halls. She was on edge as they walked through the corridor.

"Were there this many guards earlier?" Catra asked Adora under her breath.

"No, not even close. I think something's going on. Princess Frosta might be in trouble." Adora muttered back.

As they neared the main hall's doors, the music turned back on, although that did little to alleviate the tension. Upon entering the hall, Adora noticed Glimmer standing beside the rest of the Alliance, barring Entrapta who was still on the balcony.

Walking up to Glimmer, Adora began talking in a hushed tone, "Something's wrong."

"What's going on?" Glimmer asked.

"I don't know, but stay alert. We think Frosta might be in trouble." Adora warned.

"Where's Bow?" Catra asked sharply.

"He's. . ." Glimmer and Perfuma looked around, "I don't know." Glimmer said worriedly.

"Where was he last?"

"He was following Scorpia." Perfuma said. The group looked at one another warily. Their moods must have been noticed because a tension was being formed on the dance floor among the other princesses.

"Adora, go warn Frosta. I'm going to go find Bow." Catra said quickly before rushing off through one of the halls. Adora gave a nod, walking up to where Frosta was currently sitting.

Mermista glanced towards Perfuma and Glimmer, "Scorpia and Shadow Weaver haven't left the dance floor once."

At that everyone's gaze turned towards Shadow Weaver and Scorpia who were sitting at the other end of the floor.


As Catra raced through the halls, looking for any sign of Bow, she quickly came upon three Horde soldiers cornering a lone figure. Quickly realizing it was Bow, she swiftly grabbed the smallest one in a choke hold, her claws extended and primed at his neck.

"Catra, wait!" Bow called as the other two guards let out cries of shock.

As Catra took in the appearances of the two soldiers in front of her. "Lonnie?"

"Woah, easy Catra. We weren't doing anything to anyone!" The soldier she was currently restraining called in fear. Looking down at him, she realized that it was Kyle.

"Kyle?" Catra continued confused, letting him out of her grip.

"You remember us? That's great." Kyle said happily as he stood up straight, dusting himself off.

"No, actually. Not really. Just bits and pieces and whatever I've learned from Adora and Shadow Weaver."

Bow stepped forward, making a calming gesture, "Fighting's prohibited at the Princess Ball. Right now, we're all on neutral territory. We were just talking, Catra. No reason to get hostile."

"Yeah, Bow was just telling us that you were okay." Kyle said, stepping forward, "We were all really worried about you. Especially after that explosion and you disappearing and all. We all thought the worst."

"Oh, um, yeah. I'm alright." Catra said awkwardly. She had been looking forward to talking with these three and she had just held one of them hostage. "Sorry about the choking thing. I didn't know it was you guys."

Lonnie stepped forward, disbelief in her tone, "Catra, did you just apologize? To Kyle?"

"I take it I don't do that often?"

"How about never. Guess you really did lose your memories. Either way, I'm just glad to see you're alright." Lonnie continued.

"So Adora mentioned us?" Kyle asked.

"Uh. . .yeah," Catra said awkwardly before turning towards Bow, "Hey, everyone's looking for you. Something's–"

Catra whipped her head to the balcony above them, catching the movement again. Everyone's gazes followed hers as she had abruptly stopped talking.

"What's the matter?" Bow asked cautiously.

"That's twice I've seen it now. I'm alerting Frosta." Catra said, sharply turning towards the door and briskly walking back.

"Seen what?" Lonnie asked. Catra ignored her and continued forward.

Bow looked at them, shrugging, before giving chase to Catra. Lonnie let out a groan before following them with Kyle and Rojelio. As they caught up to Catra, the ground shook as the sound of explosions echoed through the halls.


"Revered Hostess, I have reason to suspect you're in danger." Adora announced as she stepped forward. Gasps of shock sounded from the crowd.

Frosta narrowed her eyes, "What cause do you have to suspect such a thing? I do hope you're not referring to Scorpia and her plus one."

Adora shook her head, "Catra and I saw movement on the terrace outside. We were unsure of what it was. We felt it appropriate to warn you."

Frosta gave a look of exasperation, "You saw. . .movement. That's what you're concerned about. I assure you, nothing can climb that terrace."

"But–"

"And while I thank you for your concern, I am quite sure nothing is out there."

"But it could–"

"If that is all, please go back to the ball." Frosta said, trying to keep the bit out of her tone.

As Adora went to speak, whatever words she was about to say died on her lips as she caught sight of a small bat winged creature with a demon-like tail above the throne. As it let out a chittering laugh, Adora's blood ran cold as she went to shout a warning.

"Frosta, look–"

Suddenly, red explosions rocked the castle. The icicles began to fall as the icy walls started to crack. The throne room was thrown into disarray as the people ran for cover in fright. Adora was thrown off her feet as a pillar of ice collapsed on top of her. Finding herself pinned, she instinctively went to grab her sword only to realize it was with the rest of the weapons at the entrance.

As she struggled to even budge the large block of ice, she noticed that the roof had crumbled and was about to crush her. If she didn't free herself immediately, she would most definitely be killed. Unfortunately, Adora couldn't get the leverage necessary to free herself with only one arm. As the large chunks of ice raced towards her, Adora lifted her arm to shield herself in any way she could. But the impact never came. Cracking an eye open, she found that the ice was levitating in the air. The pillar that had pinned her was suddenly lifted off of her, encased in a smoky red crackling aura. Looking up, she found that her unlikely savior was none other than Shadow Weaver.

"Adora, move!" Shadow Weaver said with a strained voice as the ice slowly began to descend. Adora quickly kicked off of the ground, rolling out of the way as she suddenly dropped the ice.

Adora stood up and for the first time took notice of Shadow Weaver's appearance. She was breathing heavily and her body was slightly shaking as if moving was a physical challenge.

"Why did you save me?" Adora questioned suspiciously.

"This," Shadow Weaver paused to take a breath, "wasn't me. I don't know what's going on."

Before Adora could get another word out, Catra, Bow, Lonnie, Kyle, and Rojelio came bursting into the throne room. Bow took the lead as he ran up to Adora. "Adora, what's going on?"

"I don't know. Where's Mermista and the others?"

"Fear not. We are unscathed." Sea Hawk said as he approached with Glimmer and the rest of the alliance in tow. "Do we have any idea what has caused this?" Shadow Weaver asked aloud, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Shadow Weaver spoke up, looking a little less exerted, "It wasn't us. Whoever is doing this wasn't us."

Suddenly Scorpia ran up to the group to stand beside Lonnie and Kyle. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, Scorpia, we're fine. Did you see what could have caused this?" Kyle asked.

Scorpia shook her head, "No, I haven't left the dance floor once." She turned towards Glimmer and Bow, "I know we're enemies and all, but I promise, we didn't do whatever caused this."

Adora turned towards Frosta, "Are you alright?"

Frosta gave a brief nod before turning to the guards, "Stay with them and protect the guests. You two, follow me to the Fractal Flake's chamber." She commanded as they turned and left the room. The few guards stayed beside them, circling around the group to protect them.

As the group began to talk over one another, Catra took a few steps away and ignored them. Catra tuned them out as she took a deep breath and focused on her hearing. As the noise around her began to diminish, she listened intently, focusing on her surroundings. Whatever she had seen earlier was most likely the culprit. She extended her senses, smelling the air, looking for anything that may have been out of place.

Behind her, she became vaguely aware of a voice calling her name. Ignoring it in favor of the smells, she inhaled. There. . . the smell of oil and metal. It was faint but it was unmistakable. She doubted anyone else could smell it but that didn't matter. Catra walked further away from the group, following her nose. The scent was coming from above her.

As everyone looked to where Catra had zoned in on, Glimmer narrowed her eyes and teleported to the scaffolding. As she appeared, she immediately recoiled. "Ahh! What is that thing?"

The sound of chittering echoed through the halls as the small creature sailed over their heads. Adora narrowed her eyes, "I thought you said this wasn't your doing. That's Hordak's little pet." She said as she rounded on Shadow Weaver and Scorpia.

"And I'm telling the truth." Shadow Weaver turned towards the Imp, "What's going on? Why are you here?"

The Imp only laughed in response as it landed on one of the guards spears. Immediately, the royal Ice guard discarded their cloaks, giving way to their gray and green armor bearing the Horde insignia.

Catra found herself isolated from the group and surrounded by soldiers, shock batons in hand.

Shadow Weaver rose above the soldiers, her hair floating around her as if alive, "What is the meaning of this!"

A dark chuckle emanated from the hallway as a figure stepped into the light. She was a tall woman donning a red eyepatch with a Horde symbol engraved into it. Her aquatic features were quite apparent with tentacles flowing down her back. In her right hand she held an unconscious Frosta and a shock baton in the other. One of the Horde soldiers was also holding everyone's weapons, including the sword..

"Sorry Shadow Weaver. But the Boss's orders outweigh I'm more afraid of him then I am of you." The woman said nonchalantly.

"Octavia! What have you done to Frosta?" Adora shouted.

"The brat's fine," Octavia said, dropping Frosta onto the floor as several guards aimed their weapons at her unconscious form, "In fact, everyone here will be fine if you all do what I say. Lonnie, Kyle, Rojelio, Scorpia, Shadow Weaver, I suggest you come over here. New orders and all that."

"You are beneath me. You can't just–" Shadow Weaver started before being interrupted.

"Disregard anything Shadow Weaver says. During this mission, nobody but me holds more command than you. If Shadow Weaver has an issue with that, don't be afraid to mention what I have given her. And that I can take it away." Hordak's dark voice came out of Imp's mouth as he let out a snide little laugh.

Octavia gave a smug grin, "Oh but I can. So unless you are all suddenly defecting. I suggest you get over here."

Lonnie and Kyle glanced at everyone around them before Lonnie walked over and stood beside Octavia. "Lonnie, you can't be serious? This is wrong. We were invited on neutral ground."

"Yeah? Well tough shit. Now get over here. Party's over." Lonnie said unhappy with the sudden turn of events.

Kyle looked at Shadow Weaver and Scorpia, "Are we really going to do this? I thought the whole point of this was to talk to Catra and help her get her memories back, not ambush the alliance."

"Yeah, I'm kind of uncomfortable with this." Scorpia said. Everyone was looking at Shadow Weaver, waiting for her response, Unsure of what to do.

"Oh, you'll be able to talk to Catra." Octavia said as she walked up to Catra, "She's the only reason we're here."

"Why me?" Catra said, careful not to make any sudden movements, lest she be zapped.

Octavia eyed her up and down, noticing how Catra looked at her with no recognition. Octavia let out a mirthful chuckle, before suddenly letting out a vicious blow into Catra's stomach.

"Catra!" Adora cried as she watched her crumple from the blow, the air driven out of her lungs.

"Oh it's been so long Catra. I guess it's true what everyone's saying. You really don't have your memories, otherwise you would have known not to get near me." Octavia gloated above her as she struggled to breathe.

Octavia rounded on Adora, "See, the thing is. You're not top priority anymore. Your friend over here is. Her and those shards. You left of your own choice Adora. But you've been getting into Catra's head. Trying to keep her from remembering why she wanted to hurt you in the first place. But Lord Hordak thinks he can bring back all of Catra's memories in one fell swoop.

"So when he does, and she remembers which side she's supposed to be fighting for. . .well, then you can be important again. As for now though," Octavia said, tossing Adora her sword before turning towards the soldiers surrounding Frosta, "If she so much as makes a move, kill the little girl."

Catra slowly got to her feet, finally able to breathe again, anger present on her face, "I will never help you. You think that I'd help a bunch of assholes threatening to kill some little girl?"

Octavia gave a cruel grin as she walked up to her, the shock baton illuminating her face, "So she hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?" She asked slowly. Her head was beginning to pulse with a familiar pain. The lights also seemed brighter.

"About the day you left? Catra, you're not just any force captain. You're in charge of everyone except Shadow Weaver and Hordak. The day Adora left, you led a raid into a tiny little village called Thaymor. You killed and slaughtered half that village. Would probably have been more if Adora and her dumb little rebellion friends hadn't stopped you."

"How could you possibly be okay with that?" Adora said

"Because it doesn't matter what they do. The two of us look out for each other. And soon we'll be the one calling the shots.

Catra held her head, clenching her eyes closed as the pain began to worsen.

"You've always been that way Catra. You even clawed my eye out when you were six. But don't worry. I'll help you get your memories back. We all will." Octavia said as she stepped forward.

Pain erupted from Catra's body as she let loose a scream of pain. Electricity crackled along her body as she fell to the floor. As Catra turned, trying to crawl away from the source of the pain with no success, her vision started to darken. As she lost consciousness, she looked at Octavia, only to see herself with a dark sneer.

"When did you get so weak"


All right. Sorry that took so long. Like I mentioned earlier, my summer job doesn't give me a whole lot of free time and I was only able to get to the library a couple times over the past two months. But I am saving up for a computer so hopefully that'll be soon. Beyond that, stay tuned.


Update-7/21/23

So some good news, I have successfully purchased a computer and will be able write at home now and not be governed by a 2 hour time limit. Beyond that, I have been quite busy and haven't been to the library in almost a month so I haven't made much progress but I will try to have a chapter out as soon as possible. I'd say that Ch8 is about a quarter of the way done. Thank you for your patience.