Catra rubbed her eyes with a groan as she laid in bed. Everything was so complicated right now with Mara's timeline. She almost wanted to ignore everything going on with it. Hell, she already felt bad enough leaving Mara alone after the whole situation with Rayla and Stratos. With an exhausted sigh she sat up, swinging her feet off the bed. She stared at her hands as she thought back to what Mara had said.
Mara and Catra sat in relative silence on top of Orsa before Mara let out a groan, leaning back into Catra's lap to her surprise. "What am I supposed to do, Catra?"
Catra eyed Mara's figure as the dark skinned girl looked to her for some answers. "Wanna make out?"
Catra heard Orsa laugh as she continued to fly. Mara didn't find the joke very funny. "I'm serious, Catra. I'm supposed to be She Ra. Save the people and all that. Now I find out that we're actually killing the planet and I'm a huge part of it."
Catra blew out a breath, "I'll be honest with you, Mara. I'm completely out of my depth here. To top it all off, it all revolves around me. . .whether I like it or not."
They sat there for about half an hour, each enjoying the other's company. Finally, Mara spoke. "You should say something to Adora. About how you feel about her, I mean."
"I-I, er. . .What. . . do you mean?" Catra sputtered.
Mara gave a small laugh, "I mean that it's obvious you love her. Anyone with eyes could see it and I haven't even met her."
Catra blushed, "You don't know what you're saying."
Mara looked back over her shoulder at her, a smile on her lips, "You say her name before you switch. You constantly bring her up, and every memory you've gotten back revolves around her, whether that's the good or the bad."
Catra stayed quiet for a moment, mulling over her words. Mara gained a bittersweet smile, "Y'know, I'm actually envious of you?"
"Really? What for?" Catra asked curiously.
"You have this connection with this person that's so special that it transcends even your complete loss of memories. She's always in your thoughts. To have someone to lean on whenever you need. . . well, that bond, it's something people spend their whole lives looking for and you have that. It's beautiful."
". . .you ever think about writing poetry?" Catra said, trying to change the subject as she gave a light push on Mara's back.
"I'll have you know that I am an excellent poet." Mara said with an enunciated accent.
Catra let out a laugh as Mara quickly joined her. Catra's laughter died down as she looked over Orsa's wing down at the forest. "So, where are we headed?"
Mara gained a loving smile and a longing tone as she answered, "To a place called the Crystal Castle. I'm going to see a friend. Her name's Light Hope."
Catra didn't fail to notice the enamored tone before gaining a smirk of her own, "Sounds to me like you are well on your way to having a bond like that of your own."
Mara gained a smaller, sad smile, "Yeah? I wish it were that simple." She said in a small voice before perking up, "In any case, the castle has a bed in the event that you need to switch or sleep."
Catra picked up on the fact that she wanted privacy. "Say no more, It should have been long enough that I can switch. I'll go see what A–"
"Adora's doing?" Mara finished with a smirk.
"Angella. I was gonna say Angella." Catra said with a withering glare.
"Sure you were."
Catra stood and left her room, wandering the halls. It seemed closer to midnight if Mara's timeline had anything to say about it. It seemed the staff had taken the night off, judging by the lack of activity throughout the castle. As she rounded the corner towards the main hall, she caught sight of Angella and Glimmer. Her ears twitched as she picked up the conversation.
"-I'm sorry I couldn't be perfect like you! You have no idea what it's like to be such a screw-up." Glimmer shouted.
"I don't know how you feel? I got your father killed!"
Catra stilled at the doorway as she heard that. Her presence didn't go unnoticed as Angella caught her out of the corner of her eye. As she turned to look at her, Glimmer followed her mother's gaze.
"I-I didn't mean to interrupt. I'm just looking for Adora. I'll give you some privacy." Catra said, backpedaling away from the door.
"Wait a moment Catra." Angella said somberly.
"Yeah?" Catra said, reluctantly stepping into the room.
"Are you doing alright? I thought you couldn't switch more than three times a day. I believe this makes four, yes?"
"Yeeaaah, I'm still trying to figure all that out. Mara wanted some space because of. . .well, she wanted some alone time to think through things. And me, well. . . I. . ." Catra trailed off.
"Want to spend some time with Adora?" Angella finished softly.
Catra gave a curt nod, "Uh, yeah. Listen, I feel like this conversation is a private thing and I shouldn't have even heard as much as I did, so I'm gonna go. I'll just ask Bow."
"Adora left a little under an hour ago. I'm not sure where. She said she needed to learn how to use her powers more effectively and that Razz took her somewhere called the Beacon? I'm not sure." Glimmer said quietly.
Catra was silent for a moment as she mulled that over before nodding, "Alright. Thanks Glimmer. I'll, uh, give you guys some space." She said as she stepped out of the room, closing the doors.
As Catra turned around, she nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise. In front of her stood Mermista. "Fuck! Don't do that. You scared the shit out of me."
Mermista raised an eyebrow as she tapped her foot, arms crossed. "I see you're awake. So, learn anything useful?"
Catra eyed the fish girl before her, "Something like that." Catra said as she went to step around her. Before she could, Mermista grabbed her wrist. Catra was a little surprised at the strength of the princess. She had expected dainty soft hands, reminiscent of Angella's. Mermista's felt more like she punched people in the face and pulled ropes all day.
"I want an apology." Mermista said.
"For what?" Catra said, matching the woman's stare.
"For attacking Salineas and almost destroying my Kingdom."
"I think Sparkles mentioned something about that. Fine. Sorry. Now let go of me." Catra said harshly.
Mermista's grip didn't loosen, "That's a pretty shitty apology."
Catra's claws slowly unsheathed, "Yeah? Well I have a pretty shitty memory at the moment. So sorry if I'm not too remorseful about something I don't remember doing."
Mermista narrowed her eyes before letting Catra go. "Fine, whatever. Apology accepted."
Catra stared at her, dumbfounded. "Just like that? Really?"
Mermista shrugged, "Yeah, pretty much. You didn't actually get through the front gate and to top it off, I'd say losing all your memories is punishment enough."
Catra felt a feeling of anger bubble up through her. Taking a deep breath, Catra said nothing and continued through the doors out of the castle. As she wandered the grounds, she noticed Entrapta and Perfuma outside in front of a. . . Horde bot!
An explosion rocked one of the Castle's perimeter walls, leaving a good sized hole. Suddenly, Catra heard Entrapta burst out into maniacal laughter as she danced around the robot. Catra, a bit intrigued, walked over to the pair.
"Hey Perfuma, what's going on?"
Perfuma, for the most part, seemed to be holding together well enough. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the girl was quite exasperated. "Just. . . sitting here with Entrapta. Basking in the beauty of Etheria's night," Another explosion rocked the wall again, followed by more laughter. Perfuma gave a manic, tight lipped smile. "Like I said."
Catra tried not to laugh at the poor girl. She was unsuccessful as she let a giggle slip through. Perfuma was not impressed with her sense of humor. "Oh, cheer up. Tell you what, I'll stay here with Entrapta and you go get some sleep. Deal?"
Perfuma suddenly hugged Catra before whispering in her ear, "Oh, thank you for offering. I didn't want to be rude." As Perfuma departed, Catra turned towards Entrapta and her robot.
"Sorry again. About the wall." Entrapta said.
"Don't worry about it." Catra waved it off.
"You're not mad? People usually get mad."
"Are you kidding? I'm impressed. You built that robot?" Catra said, handing her a small cup of juice. If she remembered correctly, Entrapta had a weird obsession with small foods and drinks at princess prom.
"Sure did. Emily's the most advanced robot I've ever built. And not only that, but she's better than ever. Stronger, increased weapons capabilities, and affectionate too." Emily let out a series of soft beeps and noises in response.
"Who knows how much more powerful she could be if I just had access to a little First Ones tech. You don't have any here do you?" Entrapta said, gently petting Emily.
"First what?" Catra asked in confusion.
"First Ones tech. You know, advanced technology left behind by an advanced civilization? Makes our modern innovations look like children's toys?" Entrapta stated matter-of-factly. "I've been attempting to integrate First Ones tech into my experiments for years, but my understanding of their code is still rudimentary. If I could just find the key to their language, there's no telling what I could build. Such a find could yield almost unlimited power." Entrapta exclaimed with a laugh.
"Wait a second. What does their language look like?" Catra asked.
"A series of shapes connected to a central line."
Catra brought out her tablet and quickly drew her name out in the Eternian language. "Like this?"
"Yeah, that's First Ones writing. Their technology spans the entire planet in treasure troves just waiting to be discovered." Entrapta said.
"Oh my God. I'm so stupid." Catra muttered. 'Mara's part of the First Ones. The First Ones are Eternians.' she thought to herself.
"Lately, I've been tracking the strongest signal I've ever seen. It must be a massive stash."
"Where?" Catra asked.
"I've triangulated the signal to somewhere in the Whispering Woods. The whole shifting landscape thing makes for a complicated variable, but I've created a map that's accurate within two quadrants."
"In the whispering woods, huh? Do you have a map?" Catra asked.
"Like any good scientist, I carry everything I need on my person." Entrapta said, taking out a tablet of her own before handing it to Catra.
Catra examined the map before concluding that the large stash was roughly in the same location as the Crystal Castle. If she had to guess, this is probably what Adora was calling 'the beacon.'
Catra looked back at Entrapta, "Can I borrow this? I promise I'll give it back once right away."
"Sure. Sooo. . .are we going to talk about your time traveling soon?" Entrapta asked with barely contained excitement. Catra realized that the wait was probably killing her.
"Er, we will. I did promise you after all. But first I need to go talk to Adora. But until then, How would you like to learn the First Ones language to tide you over in the meantime?"
Entrapta's eyes widened with wonder, "Really? You know how to decipher the First Ones language?"
Catra nodded before quickly writing down the language cipher that Mara had shown her. With Entrapta happily occupied and everyone else going to sleep, Catra set out to go after Adora.
Adora, adorned in the golden armor of She Ra, desperately looked around the clearing, "Just let me fix this, please! I-I can't let anyone else get hurt." After a moment of silence Adora looked down, transforming back to her normal self and throwing the sword down, "Fine. You win. You want me to be weak? Well. . .I am. And I'm afraid. Because, I-I'm no good at any of this. How am I supposed to help Etheria? I can't even help Catra." She said in a small voice as she sat down and buried her head into her knees.
"You're not weak Adora." Adora turned to find Catra behind her. "And just being there beside me is helping." Catra said, holding her hand out towards Adora.
"Catra? What are you–"
"Glimmer told me you left to go to some beacon. I know what you're looking for. Come on. It's actually in front of you." Catra said, pulling Adora to her feet before pulling some branches to the side revealing the Crystal Castle.
"Yeesh, this place looks a lot better in the past." Catra said as she took in the disheveled appearance of the overgrown plantlife covering the castle.
Adora looked at the castle in amazement before turning to Catra, "How did you know about this place?"
"I guess this is where Mara trains to be She Ra. Or at the very least received some direction. Actually I'm currently inside the castle in Mara's time." Catra explained as they walked up to the entrance.
As Adora stepped forward a ramp lowered with a bright light, letting off a whirring sound. As they entered Catra stayed close to Adora. When she went in with Mara she had felt a bit off put due to the eerie atmosphere emitted from the cold crystal walls. It was no different the second time.
As Adora stepped forward she drew her sword before shouting, "Hello? I carry the sword of She-Ra, and I've come here for help. Is anyone there?"
Within seconds a hologram appeared before the pair, startling Adora, "Greetings Administrator. What is your query?"
Adora's face turned determined as she stepped forward, "I've been told that this place offers training to She Ra. I need to learn how to better use my powers. The legends say that She-Ra could heal people using this sword. How do I do that?"
The hologram stayed quiet before repeating its previous question as if it hadn't heard Adora's request, "What is your query?"
Catra snorted. Adora scoffed in annoyance, "Not this again." She turned towards Catra, "Learn any passwords from Mara or something?"
Catra thought back to her own introduction to the castle with Mara.
As Catra walked through the halls beside Mara, she could sense the rising excitement in her friend. "This Light Hope must be pretty special, huh? Your smile's so bright it's almost hurting my eyes." She teased.
Mara gave a teasing shrug, "Yeah, you'll get to meet her soon. She doesn't get much company, so I think she'll be delighted to meet you."
Mara stepped up to the platform before a hologram appeared in front of them. "Welcome Administrator. What is your query?"
"Designated Administrator EF-056 Mara." Mara stated.
"Welcome Administrator Mara. What is your query?
Mara turned to look at Catra, "Don't move when it scans you."
Catra clicked her tongue, "Got it."
Mara turned back towards the hologram, "Initiate sequence LH-5046 New user."
"Sequence LH-5046 initiated. New User please step on the platform and remain still."
Catra did as it requested and stayed still as she was raised a few feet into the air as the platform floated. What appeared to be a strobe light passed over her body a moment later. "Say your name." Mara said aloud. "Be precise."
Catra flicked her eyes towards Mara before giving a slight nod. "Catra."
The lights stopped scanning Catra after a few seconds before the platform lowered, allowing Catra to take a step back. "Please state a suitable entrance code."
"Uh. . ." Catra shrugged, "66666?"
"Welcome, Designated Administrator EF-66666 Catra."
Catra felt a bit embarrassed at Mara's laughing at her number choice.
Catra stepped forward. "Designated Administrator EF-66666 Catra."
"Administrator detect-Admin-Welcome Catr-Error. Please reaffirm entrance code." The hologram responded.
"Huh, well that's a bust." Catra said.
"What was that?" Adora asked.
"Mara created an entrance code for me. Figured it was worth a shot."
"We'll figure this out. For now, let's not mess with any more stuff." Adora said.
Catra gave a small nod as Adora walked up to the Hologram. Catra had a thought, "Try turning into She Ra?"
Adora nodded before raising her sword, "For the honor of Grayskull." Adora shifted into She Ra before responding, "How about now?"
"Administrator detected. Welcome She Ra."
"Yeah, you should always listen to me. I'm always right." Catra said smugly. Adora simply rolled her eyes.
"One more time. What can you tell me about this sword?" Adora said, exasperated.
"Subject: The Sword of Protection. Classification: portable Runestone keyed exclusively to Administrator: She-Ra, Princess of Power." The hologram stated.
Adora groaned, sliding a hand down her face in annoyance, "The legends say the sword has healing powers. Is that true?"
"One of the Sword of Protection's many intended functions is to heal and restore balance."
"But how do I do that?" Adora snapped.
"Query not recognized."
Adora groaned, "Catra, can you help me out here?"
"What's up?" She asked walking up to Adora.
"She's broken or something. Can you do anything?"
"Hmm," Catra shrugged, thinking about Mara's friend she was coming to see. "Let us talk to Light Hope?"
"Light Hope?" The Hologram stated questioningly.
"That's right, Light Hope." Adora exclaimed before turning towards the hologram, "That's her name isn't it? The woman I saw when I touched the sword for the first time? Where is she?
"Yes, Light Hope is here. She has been waiting for you."
"Great, let us talk to her." Catra said.
"You will meet her soon enough. But first, you must let go."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Adora asked, looking at Catra.
Catra shrugged, "Beats me."
"You are not ready yet. You must let go."
After a minute of silence, Catra spoke up, "I think this place is busted Adora."
Adora stopped to think for a moment before her face lit up. "Oh! Do you know Mara's code? Use that. Maybe it'll unlock, I don't know, Admin privileges. . .or something."
"Admin privileges? Didn't it just call you an administrator? But all right." Catra stepped forward once again, "Designated Administrator EF-056 Mara."
The hologram shifted red before disappearing, "Unauthorized administrator login attempt detected. Security Protocol activated."
"What does that mean?" Catra asked, slightly panicked. Suddenly, the room turned red as doors started to slam shut and Spiders started to flood the corridors.
"Come on! We need to run!" Adora shouted.
"It must be hard being stuck in here all the time." Mara said.
Light Hope shook her head, a smile on her lips. "I do not mind. Not when you come to visit me." Mara let out a joyful laugh.
Suddenly an alarm started to flash, "Unauthorized ad-ad-administrator login attempt detected. Security Prot-Protocol act-activated."
"What?" Mara said in confusion as she looked around the room. "Hope, what's going on?"
Light Hope looked around the room, flashing to every corner of the Crystal Castle before returning to Mara. "Something is wrong. There is no one here besides your friend and she is currently asleep in the bed chambers. No one has attempted to log in."
Mara thought for a minute before thoughts of Catra flashed through her mind. 'Catra was time traveling, what if. . .But that wouldn't make any sense. . .would it?'
Mara looked at Light Hope, "Hope, can you activate the memory program? Make sure to include Catra specifically."
"Of course, Mara. But why?" Light Hope said, her eyes flashing as she initiated the protocol.
"I have a hunch about what's going on." Mara paused before adding, "Make sure to bring it as close as possible. I want to see the last few seconds of memory."
Light Hope gained a concerned look, "Mara, that is highly advised against. The mental strain it can put on you can have repercussions if not prepared for it."
Mara nodded, "I know. Start slow and work your way towards the present."
Catra and Adora found themselves in a dark room having successfully escaped the spiders.
"Cool, an infinitely dark room. No wonder Mara said not to mess with things in here. This place blows." Catra said as she did a spin, "Uh, Adora? Where'd the door go?"
Adora hummed before catching sight of a small red light, "Wait, I think I see something. Hello? Light Hope?"
Catra followed Adora as they walked deeper into the room. As they stood in front of the small light, Catra leaned forward to get a better look, "What's–"
Catra was cut off as the light let out a blinding flash before scanning them. All of a sudden they found themselves in a bustling city, surrounded by people. Catra and Adora looked around before Adora looked up at the night sky. "Wow, are those–"
"Stars." Catra finished. "Did-did we just time travel? Only Mara's timeline has stars."
Adora slowly shifted her attention away from the night sky before turning back towards Catra. "Do you recognize this place?"
Catra shook her head, "No, but last I checked, Etheria," Catra pointed up at the sky, "has twelve moons. Not two."
Adora looked at where Catra was pointing before looking around at the crowded city. It was beautiful to say the least. It also dwarfed Brightmoon by quite a bit. "Stay close to me Catra. We don't wanna get lost here."
"Way ahead of you. Let's ask someone for some help." Catra said, stepping towards one of the nearby shop vendors, "Hey you, sir. . .Hello?" Catra said, going to touch the man before her hand passed through him, leaving behind a digital glitch.
Catra let out a laugh as Adora gained a look of understanding, "None of this is real. We must still be in the castle."
"Mom!" An excited giggly voice sounded behind them. As they both turned around, an excited eight year old ran through them into the arms of a smiling woman. Upon closer inspection, Catra realized that this child was Mara.
"Mara!" She exclaimed happily, lifting the girl into her arms before adopting a stern face. "What are you doing down here? You know you're not supposed to be down in the marketplace. Your father's worried sick."
Catra observed the woman. She had a darker complexion than Mara but not by much. She wore beautiful purple robes that hugged her curves and held a staff with a purple orb. She had sharp features that gave her a very regal look. Atop her head sat an armored head piece that framed her face.
"So this is Mara's mother?" Adora asked.
Catra gave a small nod, "Guess so."
"Well come on then. If you want your dad to forgive you you'll have to be extra sorry for running off." The woman said as she began to walk with little Mara in her hands.
"Fine, but can we get ice cream?"
She raised an eyebrow, "Is that the only reason you ran away?"
Little Mara tried to look stoic before she broke out in giggles causing her mother to laugh along with her. "Alright, alright. It'll be our secret. But no more sweets after that. Dinner will be ready soon and Auntie Marleena is cooking."
"Yay!" Mara exclaimed happily.
All of a sudden the city dissolved into digital pixels before disappearing entirely, leaving them back in a corridor. Catra looked at Adora, "What was that?"
Adora looked around at the ship before replying, "It must have been some kind of simulation. Maybe a recording?"
Catra was silent for a moment before shaking her head, "I don't think so. What if. . ."
Adora noticed her silence, "'What if,' what?"
"What if it's Mara? She's in the castle on her end right now. What if we're seeing her memories and vice versa?"
"What, like, it's cycling our memories too one another?"
"Maybe?" Catra shrugged, "I'm not really sure of anything in this castle."
Adora let out a hum before grabbing Catra's hand, "Come on, we need to keep going."
"Adora!" A young voice called out. Mara turned to find a seven year old Catra run through her legs. Mara let out a grin. Her hunch had proven right.
"Hope, are you currently playing my memories as well?"
"Yes. Although I currently cannot view them, my processors indicate that they are being played. How strange."
Mara waved it off, "Catra's in the castle in her time. She's probably viewing them in her time. We're viewing hers in our time. If we can get our memories in sync as closely as possible, we should be able to talk to her."
Light Hope nodded, "I see. In that case, I will do my best to keep the memories in sync.
Mara turned back towards the memory, "Does it look broken to you?" Catra asked, sniffling in pain.
"It's not broken, you're fine!" A small blonde girl, who Mara now knew as Adora, said with a comforting smile.
Catra looked at her hand before shrieking, "I'm bleeding!"
"You're not bleeding! And why would you try and pick a fight with Octavia anyway?" Adora asked as she comforted Catra.
Catra looked away and gained a spiteful tone, "I didn't do anything. All I did was exist near her. . . and scratch her on the eyeball. And call her a dumb face."
Adora gained a look, "Catra–"
Catra raised her hands, "What? She has a dumb face."
Adora held out a hand, "Where is she?"
Catra looked at the hand before taking it and walking with Adora. Catra stopped and pointed at Octavia as she leaned against the wall. Adora leaned over the railing and shouted at the woman, "Hey, Octavia! You're a dumb face!"
The woman let out a roar of anger before stomping towards the girls causing them to flee. Catra let out a laugh, "She's coming!"
"Run!" Adora laughed as they ran hand in hand.
Mara smiled as she watched the memory fizzle out in digital sparks. "I think I'm starting to see why Catra cares about this Adora person." Mara said to herself.
"They do seem close." Light Hope said with a soft smile.
Mara smiled, "Can you play the next one?"
Light Hope paused, "Mara, there seems to be large gaps of memory missing from this person's memory compartment."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Just play the most complete ones that sync up with mine as close as you can get. If the time is off by a little bit it shouldn't hurt anything."
Light Hope nodded before her eyes flashed. She paused and looked towards Mara, "The most complete memories that she possesses will line up with your departure from Eternia. Is that alright?"
Mara paused. She wanted to say no. It was rather personal but she realized how hypocritical she would be if she were to refuse as she perused Catra's memories. Mara nodded, "It's alright. If that's the only memory that gets us closer to the present then so be it."
"Understood. I will play the synchronized memories."
A younger Catra around nine years old grunts as she leaps and swings across cables hanging from the ceiling, landing nearby, laughing a bit. An equally young Adora hangs from cables behind her, "Catra, wait up."
"What's it like being the world's slowest person?" Catra yelled back behind her shoulder laughing. As Adora swung down and started to chase her, their joyful laughter soon died as they came across a darkly illuminated room.
"It's open." Catra gasped.
"We're definitely not allowed in there." Adora said in a serious tone before they both broke out in giggles as they ran into the room.
As they walked into the black Garnet Chamber, Mara let out a smile at the young girl's awed faces. Mara recognized the Scorpion Kingdom's runestone upon sight. She had always thought it let off a beautiful rudy glow. Suddenly, Catra drew her hand back in a shriek of pain.
"Ma-maybe we should get out of here." Adora said nervously.
Before Catra can respond, a woman enters the room groaning in pain. Before she could notice them, Adora and Catra quickly hid in a corner of the room. As Mara observed the woman drain the Black Garnet of energy she had a sneaking suspicion that this woman was Shadow Weaver. Catra had said that she had taught her how to absorb magic.
As she took off her mask, Catra and Adora gasped in shock at the sight. Shadow Weaver whipped around at the sound before angrily shouting, "Get out!"
As they took off running, magic enclosed the exit to Adora's dread. As she turned back around, she found Catra unmoving, levitating in air and encompassed in dark cracking magic. "Catra," The woman cooed, putting her mask back on, "You stay."
Catra was forcefully dragged through the air towards the woman, "What do you think you were doing in here?"
"We were just playing." Catra said in a small fearful voice.
"Insolent child. I've come to expect such disgraceful behavior from you. But I will not allow you to drag Adora down as well."
"Shadow Weaver, it wasn't her fault, it was my idea, too!" Adora cried out in defense of her friend.
Mara found herself in an absolutely livid mood as she watched the exchange. Not only was she proven right that this was indeed Shadow Weaver, but Catra had put her under the impression that this woman was her mother figure.
"You have never been anything more than a nuisance to me! I've 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." Shadow Weaver said darkly. "Do you understand?"
Adora ran in between the two, throwing her arms out pleadingly, "Please stop!"
Shadow Weaver's magic dissipated as she stepped back before moving towards the Garnet with a groan. Adora looked at Catra before running over to Shadow Weaver, "She didn't mean to!"
"Adora, you must do a better job of keeping her under control." Shadow Weaver said soothingly as she let Catra fall to the ground as she finally released her. Shadow Weaver gave Adora a gentle pat on the head as she stroked her hair. "Do not let something like this happen again."
Mara watched as the two young girls left the room before the memory fizzled out. Mara sat in the dark for a moment in silence, stewing over what she had just witnessed, thoughts racing through her head. Did Catra know about this? Why hadn't Adora told her about it? What if–
"Mara?" Light Hope asked with Concern, "Are you alright?"
". . .No. I need to tell Catra about this. If she hasn't recovered this memory then I need to let her know if Adora hasn't already."
"I see." Light Hope grimaced at Mara's tone before quickly changing the subject. "Shall we move on to the next memory? My sensors indicate that we will arrive in the cerebral section that distinguishes short term memory very soon."
"Sure. Let's keep going." Mara said somberly as she thought about whether her friend's childhood was worth remembering.
Catra and Adora walked down a corridor, hand in hand before Adora slowed to a stop and turned towards Catra. "Sooo. . . what's Mara like?"
Catra raised an eyebrow, "What's with that question?"
Adora shrugged uncaringly, "No reason. I just wanted to know what she's like. I hear about her every now and then so I was just wondering."
Catra scratched the back of her head, "Uh, she's cool I guess? I mean, she's definitely no pushover. She's funny and kind. She makes sure you feel welcome I suppose. When I first met her I didn't know where I was and was kind of panicking. She walked right up to me and asked if I was alright."
Adora nodded a few times, "She sounds nice. I wish I could meet her. Ask her about She Ra and what she does. . ." Adora finished awkwardly before falling into an uncomfortable silence as they continued walking. Catra either didn't notice the atmosphere or didn't care.
"So are you two–" Adora was cut off as the room shifted into another setting. They found themselves in a room that looked fairly royal. Mara was older this time, around thirteen. She was pacing nervously around the room.
"Okay, I can do this. I can. . ." Mara cleared her throat. "Mom, I want to join the fleet. No no no, that's bad."
"What's she doing?" Adora asked.
Catra looked around the room at the decoration, "Sounds like she's trying to figure out how to tell her mom that she wants to join the military. Maybe she's not a fan?"
Suddenly, a door opened as Mara's mother strode in holding a stack of books. Mara gave a resolute nod as she let out a breath, a determined look on her face. "Um, mom. Can I talk to you?"
"Of course honey, what is it?" The woman said slightly out of breath as she zoomed around the room putting books in on shelves and sifting through papers.
"Well, as you know, our yearly exams are due soon." The woman gave a sound of acknowledgement as she continued to sort through things. "And Adam was talking about it and I thought it was a good chance to learn and gain life experience. And since dad kind of does it I thought maybe I could do it too, you know?" Mara rambled.
"Mhm." She said without looking up.
Mara paused before gaining a serious look that Catra was quite familiar with. "Mom, can you look at me? This is important and I want your opinion."
The woman paused before letting out a breath and turning towards Mara, an expectant look on her face. "Mom," Mara let out a breath, "I want to join the Eternian Fleet."
The woman stood and turned sharply, "No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!"
"Why not?" Mara shot back. "This is something I'm really interested in. You're always talking about the stars and other planets and this is a real oppurtunity to do some good."
"The answer is no, Mara. That is final."
"But dad said it would be fine. What's so wrong with this?"
"Did he really say it was fine? Or did you say you wished to join a branch of the Eternian military?" She asked with a look that said 'nice try.'
Mara stayed silent, knowing that she had been called out.
"That's what I thought." She said as she turned to walk out the doors.
"Why are you so against this? I thought you would be on my side."
She stopped mid stride before turning back towards Mara. "Why would you think that I would support this? I am probably the one person on this whole planet who would absolutely say no."
"I don't know. Maybe because you're my mom? Because you have experience with space travel? Or because you've told me multiple times you loved astronomy?" Mara raised her arms up helplessly.
"Loved. Past tense. I will never get on another ship for as long as I live. Never again." She said quietly before looking up at Mara. "And you shouldn't want to get on one either."
". . .This isn't Earth, mom." Mara said quietly. "We. . .we're more advanced. Our ships are safe. They wouldn't fail like yours did."
"But they could! And then what? You'll be floating endlessly in a void, slowly starving to death. And that's if you don't run out of oxygen first."
"We've been space traveling for centuries mom. The last reported incident of a ship failure was over three hundred years ago! And look where you are now. You found a home, a husband, you're the most powerful sorceress on the planet and the court mage to the king himself. Going into space seemed to turn out alright for you!" Mara's voice had grown louder as she stood her ground on the subject.
"But it didn't Mara. I should have died. The probability of Marleena and I landing on this planet were so nonexistent that I still ponder over it." She bit out before her eyes hardened. "And on the subject of my status, this was never the plan. We were supposed to go back to Earth."
"Yeah? How'd that turn out for you?" Mara spat angrily before going silent, "Mom, I didn't mean–"
Mara went silent as her mother held up a finger, "I have things to do and I can't stay here and argue with you all day. We will talk about this later."
As she grabbed the books that she had carried into the room and walked towards the door, Mara whispered a barely audible, "I'm sorry."
Adora and Catra watched quietly before it fizzled out in a flurry of digital sparks. Catra let out a breath before looking at Adora, "Glimmer and Angella much?"
Adora snorted, "Yeah, I kind of got that vibe too."
"But in all seriousness, I'm happy that Mara and her mother were able to work it out."
Adora looked confused, "How do you figure?"
"Because," Catra shrugged, "Mara is an Ensign in the Eternian fleet. So she was obviously allowed to enlist. . . right?"
"I mean, Angella let Glimmer join the war with the Horde after a while. Maybe it's the same?"
"Hm." Catra grunted before shoulder bumping Adora, "Come on. We still need to figure out where we're going." Adora nodded before Catra took her hand and started walking.
As they continued down the hall they came across an entangled mess of wires. As Catra started pushing through them with Adora in tow, she paused, "What the hell?"
"What?" Adora asked.
Catra grabbed one of the wires and felt it before holding it up for Adora to see, "Is this. . . silk?"
Adora reached out and grabbed a hanging wire, ". . .Yeah, I think so. It definitely feels like some sort of fabric."
Catra hummed before turning back around, only to find that they were back outside, this time in a field of cadets standing in formation. Catra caught sight of Mara and noticed that she was only a year or two younger then she was currently. A pretty recent memory by the looks of it. One by one names were being called. "Is this a–"
"Graduation ceremony, yeah." Adora said slowly as they walked through the clearing. "Must be Mara's graduation from recruit to a, what, cadet?"
Mara's name was called before a badge was pinned onto her vest before giving a salute that mirrored the one the Horde used. Catra stepped forward and focused on the badge before answering her question, "Oh, this is her Officer ranking ceremony."
"So she's basically becoming a Force Captain." Adora remarked.
Catra nodded. "Sort of. There's the Enlisted, the Officers, and the Fleet Officers. Looks like Mara's becoming an Officer Cadet. She's being awarded her Officer Cadet badge here."
"What's her Ensign rank?" Adora asked as she walked to stand beside her.
"One rank above Officer Cadet."
"So this is–"
"Fairly recent, yeah." Catra looked around. "The memories are getting closer to the present. This couldn't have been more than two years ago."
Adora nudged Catra, "Look, it's her mother."
Mara turned and let out a big smile before enveloping her in a hug, "You came! I didn't think you'd make it."
She gave a proud smile. "I know how much this meant to you. I wasn't about to miss your big day."
"Evelyn? Mara? Ugh, I can't see a damn thing in this place." A voice shouted from the crowd of parents and soldiers.
"Dad's here?" Mara asked excitedly.
"He wouldn't have missed this for the world. It's all he's been talking about for the last month. Someone else will be here shortly as well with a gift."
After a moment, a large man wearing a suit of armor adorned with a red cape stepped into the clearing. He had a pale complexion with brown hair. His brown eyes were sharp, constantly assessing the area that only a soldier would. His eyes locked onto Mara before his face broke out into a grin. "There she is! Come here!"
Mara ran up and embraced the man. He pulled back and looked her up and down, a proud smile adorning his features, "My daughter, twenty years old and already an officer." He sniffled, "I'm so proud of you Mara."
"Dad, stop." Mara said embarrassed. He let out a laugh before turning towards Mara's mother.
"Evelyn, are they. . .?"
She nodded, "Yes, Lorric, they're almost here. You know how she can be."
"So her mom's name is Evelyn, huh? Good to know." Catra said.
"Do you know her?" Adora asked.
Catra shook her head, "No. And Mara doesn't talk about her at all. But I know that Stratos doesn't think too highly of her."
"Why's that?"
Catra shrugged, "Beats me. But he's under the impression that she doesn't care about Mara."
Just as Adora was about to respond, a familiar face broke through the crowd. For the first time, Catra could see the woman in perfect detail. She wasn't wearing the cuirass but the same crown that Catra was familiar with sat atop her head. There stood Marleena herself. She was also very pregnant.
"That's Marleena right? I thought that she wasn't a part of Mara's timeline?"
Catra nodded, "That's up for debate right now."
"Lyn, It's so good to see you. You look as grumpy as ever." Marleena chuckled as Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Mara, I'm so happy for you." Marleena stepped forward as she hugged Mara. "My husband has a gift for you."
Mara's eyes widened in shock, "You're husband. . ."
Just then everyone parted as a tall man adorned in a blue cape and gold embroidery stepped forward. The golden crown atop his head left no mistake on who it could be. This was the king of Eternia.
"King Randor!" Mara exclaimed in shock as she went to kneel before he stopped her.
"Now, now, there's no need for that. Stand, Ensign Mara. Todays a big day for you. No need to kneel on my account." He smiled before looking at Mara's father. "General Sunder, you can give her the key now."
"Key?" Mara asked, looking to her mother for answers.
"I made sure that there could be no accidents. It runs off an energy source that has an indefinite lifespan. It's stocked with food, a modified water dispenser that will recycle moisture in the air and is the only one like it." Evelyn stated as Lorric handed his daughter the key. "Please be safe."
Mara looked down at the key in her hand as she stood there looking confused. A moment passed before it finally registered in her mind that her parents had gotten her a ship. She flicked her head towards her mother, I-I can't–"
"You can and you will. You earned this Mara." Lorric said to his daughter as she put his arm around his wife. Mara's eyes teared up a bit as she embraced her parents. After a second the memory fizzled out.
"I wonder why Stratos thinks that about her. Seems to me that she loves Mara a lot." Adora said.
Catra nodded in agreement. "Yeah, no doubt about that. Maybe we're missing something?"
"Maybe. So if it's skipping years at a time as it gets closer, what happens when it starts playing her short term memories?" Adora questioned.
Catra shrugged. "Who knows, let's keep going."
Mara found herself in a small village of huts and small townsfolk. She looked around at the scene and noticed that the town was under attack. She heard several of the villagers shouting about the Horde attacking. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a much older Adora that seemed to be around Catra's age.
"So this must be pretty recent, huh, Hope?"
"My scanners indicate that this memory took place roughly eight months prior to the present state of Catra's neurological presence." Light Hope said.
Mara hummed as she turned to look at the blonde girl. So this was Adora? She was a few inches shorter than herself and a bit skinnier, although that could be due to the fact that Mara was twenty two and Adora seemed to be eighteen.
"Stop!" Adora shouted as she stepped in front of the tank.
As the tank pulled to a stop, Catra popped out of the top, "Adora!"
"Catra?" Adora exclaimed in confusion.
Catra immediately pounced on Adora, Excitement present on her face. "They let me drive a tank! Can you believe it?"
Adora sat up a bit as Catra straddled her, "Catra, I don't understand. Why are you here?"
"Uh, duh, we came to find you. 'Cover for me, Catra. No one will even know I'm gone.' Seriously, did you just get immediately captured right after you snuck out–?" Catra paused before adopting a snarky grin, "What are you wearing?"
"Uh. . ." Adora hesitated before ripping the flower from her hair and throwing it to the ground.
Mara focused on Catra. This wasn't the Catra she knew. She definitely appeared to be more standoffish. This was clearly when Catra was still present in the Horde's military.
"Look, there's no time. We have to put a stop to this." Adora said urgently.
Catra raised an eyebrow in confusion before furrowing her brow. "What? Why?"
"Because this is a civilian town. Look around!" Adora swept an arm out. "These aren't insurgents, they're innocent people!"
Catra waved her off as she looked around at the carnage, "Yeah, sure. Innocent people who kidnapped a Horde officer. Come on, let's get you back to the Fright Zone. Shadow Weaver is freaking out." Catra laughed before dropping her smile, "It'd be funny if she weren't such a terrible person."
Adora stopped and pulled her hand out of Catra's grasp, "Catra, no. I can't go back. Not until the Horde leaves this town alone. You have to help me."
Catra adopted a slightly hurt look, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying this is wrong. They've been lying to us, manipulating us. Hordak, Shadow Weaver, all of them."
Catra blinked before raising her arms. "Duh! Did ya just figure that out? Manipulation is Shadow Weaver's whole thing. She's been messing with our heads since we were kids."
Adora looked aghast at Catra's words, "How could you possibly be okay with that?"
"Because, it doesn't matter what they do." Catra said before putting her hands on Adora's shoulders comfortingly, "The two of us look out for each other. And soon we'll be calling the shots. Now, can we go home already?"
An explosion rocked the field causing Adora to flinch while Catra stood unfazed. Catra had told Mara that she had been a part of the Horde but she hadn't really understood what that meant until she saw it in person. She doubted Catra knew what it meant either.
"I'm not going home, Catra. I can't. Not after everything I've seen. Come with me. You don't have to go back there. We can fix this." Adora said, taking Catra's hand.
Catra glared before pulling her arm back, "Are you kidding? You've known these people for, what, a couple of hours? And now you're just gonna throw everything away for them? Ugh. What happened to you?"
" I don't know. But I have to do something. I'm sorry, Catra."
Suddenly, the memory started glitching. "Hope, what's happening?"
"The memory sequence seems to be incomplete. I will attempt to speed through the remaining memory as quickly as possible. Without further data, there is nothing else to be done."
"Alright then." Mara said quietly as she watched images flash through the simulation. Catra stood above Adora with a weapon in hand looking down at her with concern. A dark skinned teenager with a bow stood in front of Catra on a horse. Catra had spoken of her friends. This was Bow no doubt. A few more images flashed by until something caught her eye. Adora's She Ra form. She wore the exact same armor as her own form. Finally the memory concluded with Catra backing away from a destroyed village, a hurt expression that turned to anger.
Mara realized that this was the moment that Adora left Catra to help the rebellion. She didn't need the full memory to understand what had just played out. On one hand Mara agreed with Adora. But on the other hand, Adora had thrown away her connection with Catra for some people she had just met. Either way, she wouldn't let this tarnish her image of her friend. She had shown Mara time and again that she was willing to help complete strangers. Even if she had memory loss, she was slowly getting them back and wasn't changing how she interacted with her.
"Mara?" Light Hope asked, concerned.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Was just thinking about some stuff."
"If you are alright then I am happy. Shall I continue the sequence?"
Mara nodded. "I imagine we're almost there?"
"Yes, the next memory will take place roughly three weeks ago."
"Three weeks? That's when I met Catra." Mara said quietly as another simulation began. Mara found herself in the halls of Brightmoon castle. In front of her stood who she initially thought was Rayla before seeing her wings.
'Ah, Angella then.' Mara thought to herself.
In front of the woman was Catra, Adora, Bow, and if she had to harbor a guess, Glimmer. Angella didn't look too pleased with Catra.
Angella stood tall, looking down at Catra, contempt in her voice. "You will sit in the brightmoon prison until she can prove that you are telling the truth. . . and maybe she can find out why it is that you have lost your memories."
Catra pondered her words for a few seconds in silence before speaking, "If I'm going to be sitting in a cell for several days can I get some clothes that are more comfortable? Not trying to be rude, but these clothes kind of suck."
Catra eyed Adora for a moment. "Just give me some of her clothes. Those look like they'd fit better."
"Hm, If she wants to give you some of her clothes, that is Adora's choice. You are in no position to make demands." Angella said coolly. Catra let out a noise of indignation, "Well, excuse me,"Your Highness" I was asking, not demanding as you so put it," Catra said, mocking her accent. "Such a lowly peasant as myself would never dream of demanding anything of you." Catra said, glaring at the angel.
Angela's eyes narrowed, "You will watch your tone. You are in my kingdom and I will not tolerate disrespect, especially from a Horde soldier. Adora has vouched for you. She truly believes that you don't remember anything. But to the contrary, according to Glimmer's accounts, you are acting exactly as she remembers."
Mara quickly came to the conclusion that this was the moment that Catra had lost her memories and met up with Adora. Catra had gone into great detail about these events back at Phyla's tavern.
Catra's glare matched the queen's as she let out a snarl. "I don't give a shit what your little daughter thinks or Adora for that matter. I just met you all like an hour ago. If you think even for a second that I recognize your authority, then you've got another thing coming. And whatever this "Horde" that everyone keeps talking about is, they can go fuck themselves. I want nothing to do with you or your stupid castle."
Mara took note of Catra's stance. Her claws had come out and her pupils were constricted to slits, her tail swaying aggressively. She hadn't seen Catra like this before. Even when she had found out about Marleena being alive, Catra had only unsheathed her claws. Here she looked almost feral. Angella and Catra glared at each other before Adora and Bow stepped between them.
"Alright, I think we should all take a breather. It's been a stressful evening and maybe we all just need a second to cool down." Bow said calmly, trying to deescalate the situation. Adora had stepped in front of Catra trying to calm her down.
"Oh I was pretty relaxed until some blonde forest hippie decided I stole her fruit." Mara chuckled at that. "How about you put me back in the forest, huh? That way I don't have to look at this bitch!" Catra exclaimed.
Glimmer whirled on Catra, "Don't talk to my mom that way! You should be thankful that you're even standing here. She healed you when you decided to eat a poisonous fruit like an idiot." She said teleporting past Bow.
Catra turned her aggression towards Glimmer. Shoving Adora out of the way, she got right in her face.
"Well maybe you should have left me there. If I'm such a horrible, fucking, person then maybe you should have left me to die. But noooo, you had to help this idiot," Catra points at Adora, "get her little friend back."
"Oh believe me, I would have been all too happy to leave you there. It wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest." Glimmer yelled. Bow, Adora, and Angela watched the argument unfold, all three of them forgotten.
"Let me ask you something. If what I'm understanding is right, she was in the Horde with me, so if she left me behind, then why the fuck should I care what she thinks? And for that matter, why the fuck would you care?" Catra, shoved a finger into Glimmer's chest. "You just want to shove me in a cell and throw away the key. All over something I couldn't give a damn about." Catra said, throwing her hands up in anger. Glimmer looked about ready to hit Catra, her hands clenched into fists, glowing magic radiating off of them.
As the argument got progressively worse Bow, Angela, and Adora noticed something. Catra's body was starting to glow. It seemed to be interacting with Glimmer's magic. Neither of the girls had seemed to notice it either. The guards looked at their queen, shuffling, unsure of what they should do.
Mara grimaced at what was about to happen. She had been privy to one of her episodes and they weren't pretty. Mara had initially thought Catra was dying when she had first fallen unconscious in front of her.
"Glimmer, you need to calm down." Bow yelled, trying to break the fight up. Adora went to step forward as well when Catra turned on her, "Stay out of this!"
"Do you think that I would willingly come here? This place is shit and its people are even shittier. I can't imagine why anyone would join you," Glimmer went to interrupt when she noticed that Catra was bleeding from her nose. And glowing. "Catra, wait a second-" Catra cut Glimmer off.
"Hope you can skip this part." Mara said, looking away. "I'm already aware of these events."
Light Hope nodded, "I am sorry if that unsettled you. It was not my intention to cause you discomfort. . . Are you alright?"
Mara gave a smile. "Yeah, I'd just rather not see that again. How close are we?"
"We are rapidly approaching the desired time frame within–."
"What?" Mara asked.
"Strange. I'm detecting an unauthorized order encoded in the crystal castle. It seems to be active, although my scanners detect that no such order was placed since the castle was erected. One moment."
"What's going on? What is it?"
"According to my data, this order does not exist. Although. . ." Light Hope's eyes flashed blue, "I seem to have been able to neutralize it."
"Who placed it?"
"The log states the the order was made by Fleet Admiral Keldor."
"Hey, Adora?" Catra said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Why did you leave?" Catra asked, looking away from Adora.
Adora went quiet for a moment before speaking, "Did you remember that day?"
"Bits and pieces. Not the whole thing. I remember the feelings associated with it. Mainly how much it hurt."
Adora took Catra's hands, as they stared into each other's eyes, "It wasn't your fault I left Catra." She said seriously. "Don't let Shadow Weaver or anyone tell you otherwise. You're the most important person in my life and that didn't change when we were on opposite sides."
As they stood alone in the dimly lit hall, Catra thought about what Mara had told her about her feelings regarding Adora. As she gazed at Adora, unspoken words drifted around them, longing to be said. Catra slowly leaned closer before Adora cocked her head to the side, "Do you hear that?"
Catra shifted in place a bit, annoyed at the wasted moment, "Hear what?"
"It sounds like. . . music?" Catra listened before hearing it. She recognized it after a moment as the festival music that had been playing when she had met Mara. The room shifted to the town as another memory started playing.
Adora turned to look at Catra before finding her sitting on a bench, her head buried in her hands. "Catra?"
As Adora went to walk forward she was cut off by Mara walking forward and sitting on the bench beside her. Concern in her voice, "Are you alright? Not enjoying the festivities?"
The woman put a hand on her shoulder, concern in her eyes, "Hey, if you aren't feeling well I can-" she went to say something before she was cut off.
"I'm fine, I just have a headache." Catra said, rubbing her eyes and swallowing the lump in her throat.
Adora realized that she was witnessing Catra's memory of her and Mara's meeting. Mara looked apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry. I've heard migraines can be quite painful. Have you tried eating or drinking something? That normally helps me when I get a headache." She said, giving a sympathetic smile. Catra smiled back at her before asking, "What's your name?"
"My name's Mara, nice to meet you. . .?" She said, putting her hand out, waiting for a response.
"I'm having a bit of memory problems, but I've been told my name is Catra." She said, shaking her hand. Mara's face immediately turned sympathetic, losing any trace of her smile.
"That's horrible, are you alright? Do you need help?" Concern filling her tone. Catra only shook her head.
"Nah, I'll be fine. . .I think. But you did mention food and I could really go for some of that right about now." She said, standing up. Mara's face still had a bit of concern but she nodded, "If you're sure you're alright, then I won't pry. But if you need help don't be afraid to ask. I am kind of a big deal around here." She said winking at her with a small smile on her face. Catra nodded back, "sure." A chuckle leaving her lips.
"Well, let's get something to eat. I'll show you around. You didn't get hit in the head did you? Because I can heal people." Mara said, pointing at a golden glowing gauntlet on her arm. Catra looked a little confused but said nothing about the gesture.
"I think I'll be fine for now, but thanks." As they walked through the crowd, Adora followed before she found herself beside Catra in the dim hallway once more.
"What the hell?" Catra said, looking around.
"That was strange. Are you okay?" Adora asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Uh, yeah. It just felt a bit weird."
Adora nodded before turning to look around, "I think the memories are coming in quicker succession now. We should probably stay close to–"
Adora was cut off by a loud sound of static before the hallway started to deteriorate. "What the–"
"Run!" Adora yelled before pulling Catra down the hall. As they ran, images started glitching as the landscape kept shifting in and out of focus, shifting from the Eternian city to the Fright Zone and back.
"You were fighting dirty."
"Insolent Child."
'I mean that it's obvious you love her. Anyone with eyes could see it."
"Your father's worried sick."
"Let. Us. Out of here!" Catra yelled as she swiped at the holograms before losing her footing.
"Catra! Are you alright?" Adora asked as she helped her to her feet.
"Yea, I'm fine. I just. . ." Catra trailed off as she heard the sounds of crying.
"What's. . ." Adora's voice died down as she followed her gaze. There sat a five year old Catra, sobbing as she hugged a blanket around her.
". . .Catra?" An equally young Adora called from the doorway. As Catra continued to cry, Adora walked over to her and pulled the blanket away from her face before Catra let out a hiss.
"Catra, it's okay. It's just me." Adora said reassuringly as she sat down beside her. "It doesn't matter what they do to us, you know? You look out for me, and I look out for you. Nothing really bad can happen as long as we have each other."
"You promise?" Catra said with a small smile, finishing the sentence of her younger self.
"I promise." Adora said at the same time as her younger self. Catra looked at her with an affectionate smile.
"Adora. . . I lov–" Catra was cut off by the Crystal Castle completely shutting down as they were thrown into pitch darkness. Catra let out a low growl at the interruption.
"Catra!" Adora exclaimed as she started fumbling around in the dark. It hadn't really occurred to Catra how good her night vision was until that moment.
"I'm here. Hold on a second." Catra said as she took Adora's hand. Reaching into the satchel on her hip, Catra pulled out the trackerpad that Bow had made for her before quickly flicking up the light on it.
Catra held up the tablet for light looking around. It seemed like all power was gone. Not a single speck of light remained in the castle. "Well, that kind of sucks. What do we do now?"
Adora let out a disappointed sigh. "I don't know." She paused a moment before looking at her, "I didn't want to ask because I felt like the strain would be too much on you, but the only thing I can think of is if you ask Mara for training on She Ra and relay it to me."
Catra grimaced, "Yeah, I can see why. Training doesn't really work if it's not too hands-on, huh?" As Adora was about to say something, the power flicked back on in the castle, revealing that they were back in the center room.
"Is it working, Hope?" A voice filled the room.
"Yes, yours and Catra's memories should now be completely synced at the most recent time possible, running at a zeptosecond." A robotic voice answered.
Catra and Adora looked at one another in confusion before walking towards the center of the room. "Mara?" Catra called out in confusion. "Is this another memory or. . ."
"Hope, why can't we see each other?"
"One moment, the delay on visual input is not quite matching the speed of the auditory input. It should synchronize any moment now."
True to her words, Mara and a tall holographic blue woman flickered into existence. "There you are! Took a minute there, didn't it?"
"Mara? How are you–" Catra went out to touch her only for her hand to phase through her image.
"Oh, technically this is a memory." Mara turned towards Adora with a smile. "Hi, it's nice to formally meet you, Adora."
Adora gave a smile, "So you're actually here? This isn't some recording?"
Mara shook her head, "I'm really here. You're talking to me right now."
Adora gained a bewildered look on her face, "This is so weird. I'm literally talking to someone a thousand years in the past. This is so strange."
"No more strange than Catra time traveling." Mara laughed.
"I. . .I don't mean to be rude but. . . can you teach me how to use my powers? Catra tells me you're the previous She Ra."
Mara smiled before gaining a serious look. "Catra tells me you guys are in the middle of a war with the Horde like us?"
"Yeah. Anything at all will help." Adora nodded.
Catra stepped forward, "She's particularly keen on the healing aspect of her powers. I know you've healed me a few times. Maybe you can–"
"What! Why did you need to be healed!" Adora exclaimed worriedly, cutting her off.
Mara smiled, "Nothing bad. When Catra first switched, it wasn't pretty."
Adora seemed to calm down at that. "Oh, okay. I, er. . ." she trailed off, embarrassed at her outburst.
"Wow, you two really are similar." Mara grinned.
Catra scowled at her friend's persistent smile. "So, Mara, let's get to the matter at hand?" Catra said, making a circle motion with her hand.
Mara smirked at that before her face morphed back into a serious look, "Right. So, Adora, like I said. I can teach you everything I know about your powers but it'll take time and definite planning. I'm also not sure if Catra has to be present for this, seeing as how Light Hope linked up to your time's castle through her mental facilities. Speaking of which, where is your Light Hope? She should have contacted you as soon as you stepped into the castle."
Light Hope spoke for the first time, "I apologize for not speaking up sooner. I have established a connection with the Crystal Castle of Catra's time stream. Catra no longer needs to be present in the castle for Adora to contact me at any time. Regarding the future state of my programming, I detected several corruptions in the data and concluded that it was no longer of operating status."
"So. . . you killed yourself?" Catra asked quietly, a bit of shock present in her voice.
Light Hope looked around at the faces of the three women in front of her before adopting a thoughtful look, "No, that would dictate that I have a functioning heart. I simply wiped the code clean and reprogrammed it back into its base state. Like I mentioned before, the code was quite corrupted due to improper upkeep. Simply put, I repaired the coding. I am the Light Hope of the future time stream and the past."
"Oh. . . so you just rebooted yourself?" Adora said.
"Precisely."
"But how are you able to connect to a future version of something when you exist in the past? Doesn't that break the laws of physics. . . or something?" Catra asked, quite confused.
"No. As to your question, My ability to connect through the time stream and surpass the laws of absolute time were programmed into me by the Queen of Eternia, Marleena Glenn as well the Eternian High Mage, Evelyn Morgan."
Catra was quiet at that before looking at Mara. "Your mother and Marleena. . . knew how to time travel?"
Mara looked shocked, "I. . .I didn't know that."
"I'm starting to think that what happened to you Catra wasn't quite the accident we thought it was." Adora said with an edge in her voice.
Mara nodded along, voicing her agreement. "The queen is in a coma, Her soul is split up in shards that also hold Catra's memories, we're both being attacked by seemingly the same force, and my mom and the queen knew about time travel."
"I have detected three unauthorized individuals in the castle. They are the one's known as Bow and Glimmer based on your memory scans. Adora's steed is the third one present. I have let them in." Light Hope interrupted
"Adora!" Glimmer called from behind them. Mara turned towards the new arrivals and smiled.
"A horse, huh? Appropriate."
"Our horse?" Adora asked.
"Once again. I am no one's horse. I'm Swift Wind." The now named horse said exuberantly.
"You can talk?" Adora looked shocked.
"Yes, I can talk."
". . .You can talk!" Adora exclaimed, still as shocked as ever at a talking horse.
Catra and Mara laughed at Adora's expression. Swift Wind looked exasperated, "I can see now why you're friends with Bow and Glimmer."
"Yeah, we had the same reaction." Bow said before turning to look at Mara. "Who are you?"
"This is Mara. She's not physically here. It's more of a projection. Like calling me on your trackerpad." Catra explained.
Glimmer strode forward, "Nice to meet you but we don't have time. We need to get back to Brightmoon now."
"What? Why? What's going on?" Mara spoke up.
"The Horde has marched on Brightmoon and Hordak is demanding to speak with Mom. He also wants to talk to you Catra" Glimmer said as she looked at her friend.
"Why does he want to talk to me?" Catra asked in confusion.
"I guess he's willing to discuss a ceasefire and give land back to the Alliance in exchange for. . . something." Bow explained.
Adora turned back to look at Mara, "But. . .I. . .You–"
"Will still be here when you need me. Go. This sounds important." Mara interrupted Adora, ushering them to get going before turning towards Catra, "Watch each other's backs. You don't have the luxury of knowing how to use your powers, Adora. Your friends and allies will be vital."
Adora was quiet before nodding, "Right. Come on Catra."
Catra took one last look at Mara before following her friends outside. As they disappeared from the memory output, Mara turned towards Light Hope. "You didn't really reboot yourself, did you Hope?"
"No. I completely deleted and disassembled the data of myself. It had been completely engulfed by whatever strands of code that Keldor had inflicted the castle with. I will begin making repairs as soon as possible." Light Hope said seriously before adopting a softer look, "But you do not need to worry. I am alright."
Mara gave a small smile but was quiet after. She had a lot of information to process. But one thing was clear. She needed to see her mother.
Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, I sure did. But OH MY GOD, did it take forever to write this chapter. I just couldn't get any time to myself. Anyways, this was probably one of my favorite chapters to write so far and I think I'm happy with it so far. This is where things are going to pick up as we approach the end. Like always, let me know what you guys think. Have a Merry Christmas!
