Five days until the wedding. . .
Glimmer marveled in awe at the interior of the massive ship she was currently sitting in. It was larger than Brightmoon and was currently holding most of the Kingdoms of Etheria as well as multiple colonies that had joined. Even with this timeline's memories, she had never seen anything like it.
Glimmer turned towards Mara as she let out a chuckle. "Impressive, isn't it? I remember my first time on a Leviathan."
"This place is massive! You could literally get lost on this thing!" Glimmer exclaimed.
She wasn't the only one shocked by the size. Most of the princesses were also marveling at the ship as well. Hordak and Entrapta both looked enamored by the technological marvel.
Light Hope smiled before pointing at the large windows. A jewel on her wrist lit up before the robotic voice that Glimmer was so accustomed to rang out, "We're well on our way to Eternia by now. Typically these ships aren't used outside of these types of events due to other planetary sizes. Eternia is a hotspot for magic which is what allowed it to become so big."
"What do you mean?" Bow asked, walking up.
Light Hope pulled up a holographic display of Etheria, "This is the planet that we know as Etheria. It's of average size for an exoplanet and not too much bigger than Earth. This," she waved her hand, causing another planet to appear that was about fifteen times the size of Etheria, "is Eternia. By Earth's standards, a planet without magic until very recently, such a place could not function under this type of gravity. But due to the ley lines that weave throughout the universe, it reshapes physics on a very large scale, allowing for exoplanets such as Eternia to exist. Eternia itself is host to hundreds of billions of people."
"Fascinating!" Entrapta said as she looked at the stars that were passing by. "I've never had the opportunity to discuss extraplanetary physics before."
"Well we'll have plenty of time to discuss the science of everything later. For now we should get settled. It'll be about six hours until we reach Eternia." Mara said as she started towards a large corridor.
"Does it truly take such a short amount of time to approach Eternia?" Hordak asked. "I was under the impression that Eternia's ships were much slower."
"Normally you'd be correct. However, due to this being a transit ship and also us being a priority, we have a straight shot to Eternia." Mara explained. "In reality, we could be there within the hour if we really needed to be. But it's. . ."
"Risky." Light Hope offered, "And incredibly dangerous without proper training."
Glimmer looked at Hordak, "Wait. I thought you were Keldor's brother in this time? Wouldn't you know about Eternia's technology?"
Hordak's demeanor changed ever so slightly, "I am familiar with certain things, yes, but my mother left Eternia when King Randor's father adopted Keldor. She made her way towards Etheria with me when I was very young. Besides the first six years of my life, I've never left Etheria's star systems."
"That's enough chatter for now." Micah said. "We need to figure out how we're going to approach Catra and Adora before we get there."
October 16, 2234
Earth
Thomas Lawrence sat in what could be called a summit for the world leaders. The world leaders had elected, in the face of societal collapse, to unite whatever major governments remained. Unfortunately that was only about six representatives. If anything it was more of a council. And while Earth's ecosystem had been repaired but that didn't account for the massive amount of life.
"The operation has begun." Mira said. "Where are the others?"
Councilwoman Mira Evans. She was what passed as the leader of the Americas. She was a strong woman and was doing her best in the face of such trying times. Thomas held her in quite a high regard.
"They couldn't make it. They've recently run into some problems regarding the integration of Eternian technology in some of the more. . . savage lands." One of the men behind her answered, handing her a document.
"Don't you think that this is going a bit too smoothly?" Ano asked.
Ano Yamada was the councilman representing Japan, one of the few governments that barely held on.
"We can't waste this opportunity. We've waited almost twenty years for this chance and we can't afford to squander it." Erwin said in a slightly harsh tone.
Erwin Beckette was an older man and was the councilman representing the whole of Europe.
Thomas let out a sigh as he listened to them discuss the next move. He, himself, was in charge of the interstellar programs as well as any colonization that may move off of Earth. He was also to be the representative for Earth within five days.
"Humanity's closest thing to an active envoy is in a relationship with Evelyn Morgan's daughter. She has all but guaranteed that we will have an active chance to speak with the new queens of the Empire. And while we need to cement ourselves as a trusted system, all I'm saying is that we shouldn't rush such things." Ano replied.
"That's Light Hope, correct?" Mira asked.
"Yes. She–" Ano went to continue before being cut off.
"We're entrusting our matters of diplomatic talks to her? She didn't even grow up on Earth. She's all but a stranger to her kind." Erwin scoffed.
Ano gained an irritated look. "But Evelyn and Marleena did." He said through gritted teeth. "And they haven't forgotten us just because they married Eternians. Which, may I remind you, has resulted in some very important events. Events which we are currently discussing."
Erwin closed his mouth in annoyance but he knew that Ano was correct. "I'm not doubting Marleena's integrity or her loyalty. I know they've sacrificed a lot."
Mira looked at Thomas. "Thomas, you've been quiet so far. Do you have anything to add?"
Thomas nodded, "The Aurora lines have formed a direct path to our sun and moon. Mars has exhibited all signs of a breathable and habitable atmosphere. We have determined that Mars is completely terraformed."
"What? Is that possible?" Mira asked in shock. Ano and Erwin looked equally as surprised.
Thomas nodded, "We suspected it could with the reintroduction of magic into our star system but until just recently we couldn't be sure. The surface remained quite unchanged until this year. We sent a team of scouts to investigate the planet and they found several caverns filled with lush vegetation. So far there has been no signs of wildlife but that's secondary. We have compared the planet to Primus."
"That's. . . the cavern planet with the cats?" Ano asked.
Thomas nodded. "Primus is the homeworld to the Magicats and the Kingdom of Halfmoon. It's also the homeworld of the soon to be queen."
"Princess Catra D'riluth. She's the one we want to appeal to. Do you all have the files?" Mira asked. At everyone's nods she continued. "The standing that Mara holds is a boon to Earth. We've already received word that in the last fourteen days, Princess Catra has requested Mara to be her maid of honor. With Mara's family in such a unique position we need to maneuver carefully. Marleena and her husband King Randor have given us a priority transit position but that's all they could do. In five days, Marleena will no longer hold the status of queen."
"And with that, there's a very real chance that our support could be cut in half as well." Erwin answered.
"Or, it could give us the chance to boost our standing, and bolster their assistance." Ano countered.
Thomas cleared his throat. "We need to be aware of some other pressing matters. While many of the alien races welcome us to the Empire, there are many who are quite wary of us. According to the files that we've received from Light Hope, Marleena, and Evelyn, no other planet has ever been able to continue living without the assistance of the Aurora lines. This has many suspicious of our intentions towards the Empire."
Mira let out a groan. "Why is that so hard to believe?"
"Well as we now know, the lines allow the planets' ecosystems to self sustain themselves, healing damages after a time. It's what allowed Earth to recover in only twenty five years. Not only that, it has started affecting our gravity, our electromagnetic spectrum, how our sense of time works. Our planet is an ecological miracle and has never been recreated anywhere else in the universe. But there's a problem that we need to get under control quickly. It's begun to flow into our bodies, strengthening us. . . and people are realizing they can utilize magic."
"And so the other shoe drops." Erwin let out a breath before shaking his head in annoyance.
"We've also detected some strange readings in regards to the lines. We're not sure what it means but they are fluctuating heavily and–"
A ringing sound emanated from Thomas' wrist, cutting him off. As he swiped it up, a hologram of a military man appeared. "Councilman Lawrence," He saluted, "the Leviathan ship has arrived along with the Eternian Ambassador. The ship is. . .impressive." He whispered the last part in awe.
Thomas nodded, "Understood. Dismissed." He turned to look at Mira as they stood. "Let's go."
Catra sat in the throne room beside Adora, looking down at the prisoner on trial. As she sat there, his representative stated his name and listed off his crime. Catra paid careful attention because she realized this was a rather important lesson. Normally, a prisoner would not be put on trial before the King or Queen. However, due to the wedding being only five days away and with it her coronation, Randor and Marleena had decided that this was a good time to learn this. Although Adora was present, this decision was solely Catra's. Randor had made that perfectly clear to Adora.
Catra was just thankful that his crime was theft. Granted, it was a major theft but was still a nonviolent crime. She listened to the man plead his case. He looked quite nervous as he found himself under the judgment of the future queens. Initially the man seemed a bit hopeful looking at Adora but Catra caught the slight fear when he looked at her. She was aware that her people were known to be a bit harsher than Eternians but she would be fair and just in her decision.
"Kaimen Moore, citizen of the Repton Kingdom, you stand trial before the future Empresses of Eternia and the Empire of the Deae Lacrimae. You have been accused of theft of the second level. What is your defense?" King Randor asked.
Kaimen's representative nodded at him before stepping back. He looked at Randor and Catra before bowing his head. "I do not deny these accusations and in the same circumstances I would do it again."
Catra raised a brow, casting a glance at Adora before looking at the man's representative. "What did he steal?"
"He stole a Sana rune, your highness. But it was for a good purp–" The man was cut off when Catra raised her hand.
She looked back at the man. "Why did you steal it?"
"My friend took an injury on his last expedition into the Plains of Perpetua that left him unable to walk. When the healers bestowed their price, he could not pay it. We sought out Eternos in hopes of medicinal help that our own Kingdom would not provide. When I learned that his injuries were too extensive for anyone but She Ra I. . .stole the rune." He said quietly.
Catra simply nodded before looking at Adora and whispering, "What is the significance of the rune?"
Adora shook her head, replying in a whisper as well, "For me, not much. I can make them on the fly, but I know they aren't cheap. The typical charge for stealing one is at least two years and a large fine." Adora looked a little conflicted, "Catra, this seems wrong. Can't we just give him a slap on the wrist? I can just replace the rune."
Catra looked at Randor before looking at the man. "Your friend. Has he made a full recovery?"
"Yes. He is well and can move again."
"And am I to believe that he had no part in this theft?" Catra asked.
He nodded his head. "It was only me. He had no knowledge of what I was planning."
Catra watched his body language. His movements betrayed nothing of his words. His breathing was level. To anyone else they might not recognize it but any animalistic race could pick it out. He was telling the truth. She nodded before looking down at the snake man.
"And the rune?" Catra asked.
"There was nothing remaining. The man's injury took all of the magic." A sorceress said from the side. Catra gave a single nod before looking back at the man, taking a deep breath.
"Our Kingdom and Empire stands for faith in the good of others. Our work has greater purpose. Sometimes we need a reminder of that. Kaimen Moore, under the eyes of Sharella, you are forgiven. Find peace in that."
The man looked stunned at his sentencing before nodding, his eyes tearing up. A guard stepped up to him before disabling the cuffs allowing him to rub his wrists. Catra stood up, "Under the judgement of Sharella, this hearing is adjourned."
As everyone left the room, she looked at Randor and Marleena. "How did I do?"
Randor lolled his head side to side before giving a sharp nod, "It's not what I would have done but that's not what matters. What matters is how did you feel about your decision?"
"It felt right." Catra said firmly.
Adora smiled, "I'm glad."
"Well spoken." A voice said from behind them. Catra turned only to see Lorric Sunder. "Not everything requires a punishment. A scare like this was more than enough for that man."
"General Sunder," Adora nodded, "what brings you here today?"
"I'm here to deliver word that the transporting ship from Eternia has arrived."
Catra perked up, "They're here?"
Lorric nodded, a smile on his face. "They're down at the docking bay now."
"Who?" Adora asked
Catra grinned before grabbing Adora's hand. "Let's go." She said before warping away.
As Glimmer walked with the alliance, she looked around at the city. "This looks way different than before."
"Because it is." Mara answered. "Initially, we were stuck in the past. Here, it's like we've had an extra one thousand years to advance."
As they walked through the city docking bay, Glimmer took note of a large stone area with what looked like royal guards surrounding it. "Hey, Mara, what's that?"
"It's a warp space." Mara answered. "They were installed all over the city when Catra came to live here when she was sixteen."
"What are they for?" Bow asked.
"For when Catra warps, she's got her guard around her at all times." Light Hope responded.
"What do you mean w–" Glimmer was cut off by the sudden appearance of Catra and Adora.
Glimmer looked at them both and awed at how different Adora looked. Adora's militaristic look was gone and had a much more regal appearance. She wore a long white dress with a golden trim that showed off her figure and she wore small aesthetic pieces of golden armor on her shoulders, boots, and gloves with blue gems embedded throughout her dress. A red cape was draped on one of her shoulders with a golden embellishment along the edges with a royal design pattern. She noticed her hair was down as well.
Catra, for her part, looked almost the same but appeared more regal as well. She wore a dark red and black suit that was similar to her Horde wear but had a golden trim and looked like it was of much higher quality. Her colors matched Adora's and she wore the same boots that she had worn when at the peace festival. She also had what looked like a white and golden cape draped over a shoulder as well. Glimmer took note of the matching rings on their hands.
Adora looked at Mara and Light Hope in shock before looking at Catra then back at Mara. Mara looked a little stunned at the sudden arrival but recovered quickly. "Hey Ado–" She was cut off as she and Light Hope were pulled into a hug.
"Oh my gosh! Where have you guys been? I haven't seen you in years." Adora exclaimed happily.
"It's good to see you too." Mara said as she hugged Adora back, all awkwardness gone.
"I am well. How are you, Adora?" Light Hope's voice rang out from her wrist.
Catra cleared her throat. "We thank you for your arrival and are delighted to host the Kings and Queens of Etheria. Feel free to explore. The ambassador will act as your guide. He shall explain the laws and regulation as well as what is currently not allowed due to current events. Welcome to Eternos." Adora quickly let go of Mara and stepped beside Catra before doing the same greeting.
Queen Angella looked at the women curiously. They seemed so different but yet were completely the same. Adora winced in a bit of pain as she looked at the group before shaking it off.
Micah bowed, "We thank you for your hospitality and are honored to be your guests."
"Princess Catra. Might I inquire if my brother is around?" Hordak asked.
"He should be stationed beside the barracks near the steeple. If that is everything we must be going." Catra said curtly before looking at Mara and Light Hope, "When you both get a moment, please come see me. There's a few things we'll need to go over."
"Queen Angella, King Micah, Lord Hordak." Adora said as they turned to walk off.
Glimmer caught the tail ends of the conversation before Catra ported away with Adora. "I didn't know Hordak had obtained Lord status. When did that happen?"
"I, er, don't know why I said that." Adora said sheepishly.
"You're such a dork sometimes." Catra said laughing before they disappeared.
"Did you guys see that?" Scorpia asked immediately.
"Yeah, Adora's pulling off the royal look better than me. We all saw it." Mermista drawled.
"No, not that. Adora said, 'Lord Hordak.'" Scorpia pointed out. "She might be remembering."
Hordak shook his head, "It's doubtful. Many people have confused my rank many times before due to Entrapta and I's marriage."
Scorpia shrugged before Swift Wind started to lead the group on a tour. As they walked through the city, Scorpia caught sight of a certain group of guards. "Guys, look. It's Kyle, Lonnie, and Rojelio."
The group stopped before looking at one of the food vendors. True to Scorpia's words, there at one of the tables sat the trio, eating and chatting. "We should go over and say something."
"Scorpia, they won't know who we are. We need to be on our best behavior. We can't go wandering off." Glimmer said.
"But Catra did say to explore." Perfuma said. "I'm sure saying hi wouldn't hurt."
As they discussed how to approach them, Kyle noticed them out of the corner of his eye. As he turned to look at them, a big smile broke out on his face as he stood up. "Hey Scorpia! How are you doing?"
The whole group stopped talking and stared at Kyle in shock before Lonnie pulled Kyle back down into his seat. "Kyle! They don't know us anymore, remember?"
"Oh, right." Kyle said before turning back towards the group. "Sorry! I thought you were someone else."
Rojelio facepalmed before Glimmer walked up. "You guys remember the other timeline? How?"
"Wait, you remember too?" Lonnie asked in shock.
"Yeah. It was initially only Glimmer but Swift Wind helped us out by using She Ra's magic. It helped us regain our memories." Bow said.
Scorpia immediately pulled the three into a hug, "How have you guys been? Oh, it feels like it's been forever which I mean it kinda has. But now that we're all here, we just need to get Catra and the gang will be complete."
Lonnie backstepped. "Woah, woah, woah, back it up. We can't mess with Catra. Her wedding is in four days. We haven't even been able to speak with her in like two weeks because of everything going on."
Kyle spotted Hordak before immediately standing, "Lord Hordak!"
Hordak waved him off before Lonnie lightly smacked the back of his head, "Kyle! He's not in charge of us anymore. The Horde is Etheria's army now, remember?"
"Sorry. It's just muscle memory by this point."
"You still haven't answered our question. How do you remember?" Angella asked.
"It was a couple years ago. We, uh, had an accident. It was a bad one too. We were part of a diplomatic expedition with Adora to the dark hemisphere. We were to make for the temple of Shokoti in the city of Tahryn." Kyle explained.
"The annual incense trade?" Mara asked.
Lonnie nodded, "Yeah, that's the one."
"Who's Shokoti?" Mermista asked.
"The Eternian goddess of darkness and all things entailing and sister to Sharella. Many hail her as an evil goddess in contrast to her sister Sharella, the goddess of light."
"I'm willing to bet that's not as simple as that sounds." Sea Hawk said.
"It's not. There have been many conflicts over the goddesses." Light Hope supplied.
Kyle continued, "Anyways, we had delivered the shipment to Tahryn but there had been an issue with the manufacture of some of the crates. The incense was exposed to sunlight."
Light Hope gasped. Mara looked shaken, "How are you all alive?"
"If we're being honest, we shouldn't be. Adora barely got to us and if she'd been a little late, we'd probably be dead." Lonnie said.
"Catra was pissed to say the least." Kyle said with a nervous chuckle.
"I don't understand. Why does it matter that they were exposed to sunlight?" Perfuma asked.
Mara looked at the plant princess, "The dark hemisphere is named that for a reason. Sunlight doesn't reach the surface of that half of the planet. It's a gorgeous place but it's a bit more dangerous. Anyways, as weird as it sounds, the incense that is burned comes from the umbra root. This root only grows on this side of the planet and doesn't see the sunlight in its whole life cycle. Because of that, the magic inside of it elicits healing effects when burned at night and emits a soft glowing blue smoke. But–"
"When it sees the sunlight, it becomes volatile." Micah finished.
"Exactly." Kyle said, "But due to how the containers work, the magic inside is sealed for safety. When we broke the faulty seal, the explosion ruptured half of the temple. It wasn't a good situation for anyone. Thankfully, Catra rewound the temple's damages a week later when she arrived."
"So that's why you remember. We deduced that She Ra's magic was what let Glimmer remember." Bow said.
"But why are you guys here? Besides the wedding I mean?" Kyle asked.
"We found out that Shadow Weaver's up to something. She can remember too and is up to something." Glimmer said.
Lonnie groaned, "Really? You get a completely new life and you're still trying to take down the Horde?"
"Yeah, besides, we know Shadow Weaver here. Her name's Beatrix and she's a lot nicer. We even confronted her to see if she remembered and she didn't have any idea what we were talking about." Kyle said before pointing past them, "Look, there she is now."
As the group turned, they spotted the woman in question at one of the stall vendors. She was noticeably absent of her veil and instead was wearing jeweled headwear that covered her eyes but left her nose and mouth visible and a form fitting coat that seemed almost military. As she turned, she caught sight of Micah before letting out an excited grin. Micah quickly walked away from the group towards her so as to let them continue talking with Lonnie's group.
"Micah? Is that you? You've grown!" She said as she pulled Micah into a hug. As she started talking to Micah, the group looked at Lonnie.
"'That's not her.' That's what you're thinking right?" Lonnie said.
"Yeah. She looks. . . different. Her voice is there, and so is her height and demeanor but she seems. . ." Castaspella trailed off as she watched the woman catch up with her former student.
"Happy?" Kyle supplied.
"Yeah." Bow said.
Castaspella shook her head, "Is it possible that she's lying? That she just got her memories back similar to us? I remember her being much kinder when teaching us than in the previous timeline."
"We told you. You're mistaken. Beatrix is kind and helpful. She's always encouraging people to do their best. She even teaches Catra magic. In fact, she just received an award for being the first sorceress to master both the light and dark magic schools. Her official title is that of Shadow Weaver." Kyle said, Rojelio adding an encouraging hiss from the side.
"Wait, she just received this title two weeks ago? How many days?" Glimmer asked.
Lonnie hummed before answering, "Seventeen days, roughly. That sounds right."
"It is." Kyle said.
Glimmer thought about that before shaking her head, "That doesn't add up. Razz disappeared nineteen days ago. We're missing something."
"What do you mean disappeared?" Lonnie asked.
"We mean gone. Like, she doesn't exist anymore, gone. She completely vanished but before she did, she told us we needed to get Catra and Adora to remember. She also said to gather all the help we can get. Besides Glimmer, only Shadow Weaver had access to She Ra's magic before Catra reset the timeline. But if you three remember, maybe we're looking at this wrong." Mara said.
Frosta looked confused, "But if it's not Shadow Weaver, then who could it be?"
"What's not me?" Beatrix asked as she walked up to the group.
"Great, looks like it's the city plan all over again. Let's not group too close together." Mermista drawled snarkily.
Mara shot a small glare at the bored sea princess. "Nothing. We're just discussing a few things."
Beatrix looked at the group before turning to look at Lonnie. After a moment she looked at Kyle, "I'm going to assume this has something to do with your alternate memories?"
"Pretty much." Lonnie said. "They think someone's causing trouble. Their initial thoughts were that it was you."
"Why? What happened?" She asked, turning towards Castaspella and Micah.
Micah looked a little hesitant before sighing. "Someone's messing with time and a woman that Mara knew gave a warning and told us to get help before she ceased to exist. As far as the memories go, only those affected by She Ra's magic can remember. That, at the time, only consisted of my daughter and. . . well, you."
She remained quiet for a moment before asking a question, "Did this woman explicitly say that it was me? Or did she only tell you to get help?"
They all looked at Glimmer, Bow, and Mara. "She," Glimmer began, "said to trust each other. That we'll need every ounce of help we can get for what's coming. She said when we come to the sword, keep going and cross the threshold to find her and that we have to remember."
"Well, that's ominous." Shadow Weaver remarked dryly. "And you thought that I was behind it?"
"You were the most likely suspect." Frosta said.
"Perhaps we were a bit hasty," Sea Hawk said, "But can you blame us?"
"No. I can't. Either way, we need to report this." Shadow Weaver said.
"Did you not hear what we just said? We can't! If it's not you, it could be anyone. If we report this now, we risk alerting the true perpetrator behind this all." Mara said.
"Well, then what do you suggest?" Shadow Weaver said, a tad impatiently.
No one spoke up for a moment before Kyle voiced an idea. "Why don't you give Shadow Weaver her memories back? You can do that right?"
"Absolutely not!" Glimmer said vehemently.
"Why not?" Lonnie asked, "You gave Hordak his memories back. Why's it different for Beatrix?"
"That's. . .actually a good point." Swift Wind said. "Why don't we do that? It didn't change Hordak at all. In fact, everyone still has their personalities intact."
The sun dipped below the horizon, giving way to night as the group discussed what to do. After a few minutes, they decided that it was best to give Shadow Weaver her memories back. As Shadow Weaver held her hand out, Swift Wind pointed his horn at the sorceress, allowing her to siphon some magic. After the glow faded, they all looked at her with bated breath.
"Well?" Glimmer asked.
"I. . . Did I do it wrong? I remember nothing." Shadow Weaver said, not showing any of the pain that the others had when their memories returned.
"That's impossible. It worked for everyone else. It even worked for Sulphira and she had been dead for centuries in the original timeline." Bow said.
"Isn't it obvious?" Hordak said suddenly.
"What?" The alliance asked.
"This woman is not Shadow Weaver." Hordak said.
"No," Micah shook his head, "She has to be. She had obtained the title Light Spinner when I was in schooling at Mystacour. We even discussed the implications of the spell of obtainment. These all match up with my original memories. She even looks more or less the same."
Beatrix also nodded in agreement. "Lonnie, Kyle, and Rojelio also swear that I am this woman."
"I also didn't get any memories back." Light Hope signed.
"Interference maybe?" Juliet asked.
Spinnerella stepped forward, speaking for the first time, "I didn't want to voice my opinion for I feared that it was insensitive. . . but, what if these depictions of ourselves are based on Catra's interactions and views with us?"
"What do you mean?" Mara asked.
"Catra knew most of us by the time that the timeline rewrote itself. But for some, she knew a bit less. Light Hope, Hordak, and Shadow Weaver being among them. She'd probably only ever interacted with Hordak a few times before the rewrite, correct?" Hordak nodded, "Now, you're married to a woman who shares your love of science and you still lead the Horde, albeit as a general. Micah is Angella's husband and was the king."
"What about Shadow Weaver? She was basically her mom, wasn't she?" Bow asked.
"Exactly." Netossa said before turning towards the woman, "Did Catra have a mother here?"
Shadow Weaver nodded, "Her mother was Queen C'yra of Halfmoon. She died roughly five years ago. When Catra moved to Eternia, her uncle Percival had an idea that she would marry Adora and thus was prepared to take up the mantle as King of Halfmoon. Ever since she moved here, I have been offering her counsel in all sorts of matters and acting as a mentor."
"And there lies the perception of motherhood. Mara," Spinnerella turned towards the woman, "How did Catra meet Light Hope and what did she know about her?"
"Light Hope was an. . . artificial intelligence before the rewrite. She teased me that I loved her when I took her to meet her, which I did. But beyond that, the only instances that Light Hope and Catra met were very few."
"And so I'm in a relationship with Mara because that is what Catra knew of us. And because she viewed me as an AI, I'm now a technomancer?" Light Hope asked.
"The data does seem to match up with this theory. Although there are a few different factors, this does seem to be the leading theory with a ninety four percent possibility of being correct." Entrapta said as she tapped away at her tracker pad.
"That still doesn't answer why I can't remember though." Shadow Weaver said.
"Hey!" A loud voice yelled, "Not to be an asshole, but can you move? It's getting late and I have to open my bar."
"Perhaps we should discuss this later." Hordak said to which the group agreed.
One day before the wedding
"Argh!" Glimmer growled, "Three days and we have nothing!"
"We might need to begin considering the alternative." Shadow Weaver said.
Perfuma shook her head, "I agree with Beatrix. Maybe telling Catra and Adora outright is the way to go?"
Mermista shook her head, "We can't just do that."
"Why not?" Frosta asked, "It literally took you all telling me to my face that the Horde was bad and needed to be stopped. How is this any different, objectively speaking?"
Mara walked into the lounge area only to be met by everyone's stares. "Where have you been? We need to figure something out and fast!"
"The wedding rehearsal. There's a lot I need to be aware of." Mara said, rubbing her temples.
"Does anyone have any ideas?" Angella asked.
As the group started to talk amongst themselves, trying to think of anything that could possibly work that they hadn't tried already. Finally Kyle spoke up. "What if I just call Adora?"
"Kyle!" Lonnie said exasperated, "We just said that we can't confront them. There's too much risk involved."
"Yeah, I know. But I don't mean to tell them outright. Let's just call Adora and ask her to show up and we can tell her privately." Kyle said.
Glimmer threw her hands in the air, "Sure, why not? We've tried everything else by this point."
Kyle nodded before pulling out a small crystal prism. As he twisted it a few times it began to change shape into a thin disc. As it started to blink, Bow looked at it in confusion.
"What is that?" He asked.
"It's my royal guard badge. It gives me a direct link to the royal family as well as the other guard." Kyle said with a smile. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"You're a part of the royal guard? Since when?" Mara asked.
"I earned the spot about a year and a half ago." Kyle said with a proud look.
After a second, Adora's face appeared as a hologram. "Hey, Kyle. Did you guys need something? I'm kind of busy."
"We want to discuss something important with you." Kyle said seriously.
Adora looked at Kyle for a few seconds before looking in a random direction, "Give me the room. See that I'm not disturbed. She turned back towards Kyle, "Alright. You have my attention."
Kyle turned towards Glimmer, "You can teleport us, right?"
Glimmer nodded. As she went to grab everyone, Kyle shook his head, "No no no, only Bow and Mara. Too many is startling."
"It's fine." Adora's voice sounded from the crystal. I'm seeing the Etherian princesses and Beatrix with a few others. If it's that important that you need to call me a day before my wedding then it's best to get the full picture."
Kyle let out a sigh before nodding, "Alright. Just make sure a space is in view for the port."
After everyone locked hands, Glimmer looked at the image that Adora had displayed through the prism before teleporting. After a moment, everyone looked around the room, reorienting themselves.
Beatrix was first. "Your Majesty."
"Beatrix." Adora nodded before looking at the occupants. "I count twenty one people in this room. Three are a part of my guard," She nodded towards Lonnie, Kyle, and Rojelio, "My steed, my fiance's magic teacher, my uncle's brother, Mara, Light Hope, and thirteen Etherians, most of whom are royalty."
Micah looked at Adora. "Adora, how have you been? Last time we had the chance to speak, you were only this high." He said with a grin.
Adora smiled before giving a sharp nod, "Kyle, explain. I really am busy and don't have much time."
Before Kyle could speak, Glimmer cut him off. "Adora, it's so good to see you! This is going to be hard to hear but someone's messing with time and we–"
"I know." Adora simply said.
Glimmer went quiet, a confused look on her face before exclaiming, "What! You already know?"
Adora smiled, "I didn't really know, more like a guess. My parents filled me in that there was a temporal branch at some point that closed when Catra and I were born. No one knew what it was except for Catra's mother. All I know is that there was an alternate timeline that revolved around Catra and I."
Glimmer nodded. "Then do you remember us?"
Adora studied the group intently, her gaze lingering on Hordak and Angella for a few moments before moving on. When she looked at the princesses she felt a sense of familiarity but couldn't place it. It was like trying to see through a heavy fog. She felt a tiny pulse before shaking her head.
"No. I get a sense of familiarity but nothing else." Adora said.
Glimmer gained a look of desperation before her eyes widened, "One second! Wait right here." She said before teleporting away. After a moment, she reappeared with a red staff in her hands. "Catra gave this to you as a gift the night you confessed to one another. Does this seem familiar?"
As Catra and Adora stood together, they smiled at one another. "I like your coat. It looks nice."
Catra smiled at that before holding out her gift. "I got you a gift. Glimmer and Sea Hawk helped me out."
Adora looked at the wrapped item before gently unwrapping it. As she picked up the staff, she admired it in awe. The light subtle red glow reminded her of their time training in the Horde and the laughter that had usually accompanied it.
"Twist it." Catra said. Adora wore the same look that she had when Johnny had told her to twist it. "The staff. Twist the center."
Adora twisted it before two long blades extended, accompanied by a silver and red sheen, giving it an almost ethereal glow. Adora twisted the staff back, causing the blades to retract. Adora was amazed at the staff before gently setting it to the side. "It's beautiful. Thank you Catra."
Adora gently took the staff before twisting the center. Just as she remembered, two blades protruded from the ends giving off a silver and red glow. Adora looked at the weapon fondly, "It was the celebration for the war's end. I gave Catra her head piece back."
"You remember?" Glimmer asked excitedly.
Adora winced, before standing and walking towards a window. "I was running. And I was–I wasn't–" she clutched her head in pain, falling to her knees.
"Adora!" Glimmer cried, taking a step forward, "Are you alright?"
"There was a fight. We were fighting. Mara, she was–Catra was there." Adora said, frantically looking around the room before landing on Beatrix, "It wasn't her. She didn't–she couldn't have–"
"Enough" A commanding voice cut through the atmosphere like a knife. Suddenly, everyone found it hard to stand. It was like their bodies were too heavy.
"What's happening!" Bow cried.
"Andra, take the Etherians to the cells. I'll question them later. Leave Mara and Light Hope. As for Lonnie, Kyle, and Rojelio, you three will report to the barracks now!" Catra commanded in a harsh tone, her eyes emitting a familiar blue light as she strode in with the royal guard.
Catra gently leaned down to help Adora up from the floor, concern written on her face as the princess alliance was hauled out of the room. Mara looked at Catra, "Wait, Catra. We need to talk to you!"
Catra looked at the girl with a familiar look that Glimmer hadn't seen since the battle of Salineas. "You will remain quiet. And if she," Catra pointed at Glimmer, "wants this to go even remotely peacefully, she won't even think about teleporting away."
Glimmer looked at Mara and gave a reassuring nod as they were hauled out the door. Swift Wind looked conflicted on what to do before finally settling beside Adora.
An hour passed as Catra overlooked Adora as she lay unconscious. Several doctors were in the room along with Randor, Marleena, Swift Wind, Light Hope, and Mara. One of the doctors walked up to Catra.
"She's fine. Just exhausted. Whatever happened seemed to have taken a bit of a toll on her mental state. After a night's sleep she'll be fine. Besides the fatigue, she is perfectly healthy."
Catra nodded before letting out a breath she didn't know that she had been holding. She gave a small nod before narrowing her eyes and turning towards Mara and Light Hope, "What happened."
Mara was a bit taken aback at her icy tone but could understand. It probably hadn't looked very good to come on with twenty people surrounding a collapsed Adora. Randor and Marleena also looked at Mara and Light Hope as well
"It's hard to explain–"
"Try." Catra snapped.
Mara nodded, "Time travel."
"What?" Catra asked.
Mara took a breath before launching into the story. After about ten minutes of Mara and Swift Wind explaining, she waved her hands, "Stop, stop, stop!"
Catra runned her eyes before shaking her head. "And if She Ra's magic is infused into me, I'll remember?"
Swift Wind nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."
Catra looked at Randor and Marleena. "And you two were aware of this?"
"Well, not the specifics. All we knew was that there was a temporal branch. Like Adora told you, we can't recall anything." Marleena explained.
Catra nodded before looking at Swift Wind, "Who cast the infuse spell?"
"King Micah."
"It's been an hour." Mermista complained.
"How did Catra even know we were there?" Frosta asked.
"She most likely rewound," Micah explained, "Catra is fabled for being able to manipulate time in such a manner."
"Ugh," Mermista groaned. "What are we even doing right now?"
"Patience princess." Beatrix said calmly, "Once Mara explains what's going on to Catra, she will come to speak with us."
"How can you be so sure?" Angella asked.
"Because only Micah, myself, and Glimmer can cast the infusion spell and any variation of it." Beatrix explained. As if on cue, Catra appeared with Light Hope, Mara, Randor, Marleena, and Swift Wind. Beatrix looked at Mermista, a smug look on her face, "See?"
Mermista rolled her eyes, "Whatever."
Catra looked at Beatrix. "Beatrix, can you perform the same spell as King Micah?"
The sorceress nodded, "Easily."
Catra nodded before looking at Andra. "Let her out."
Andra nodded before stepping towards the cell and opening it. Beatrix gave a nod before striding towards Swift Wind. As Swift Wind held out his wing, Beatrix laid her hand on the wing and took Catra's hand. As the spell started, Catra's body was engulfed in golden light before she stumbled backwards, holding her head. Immediately, Beatrix found a blade at her throat before Catra stood up straight. "She's fine. I just wasn't prepared for that."
Beatrix, for her part, didn't so much as bat an eye at the move. Glimmer stepped towards the cell bars before looking at Catra, "Do you remember?"
Catra nodded with a wince, "Yeah, I remember. Ugh, that sucked."
Glimmer immediately teleported out of the cell and in front of Catra, enveloping her in a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you! When Razz disappeared and I was the only one who could remember–"
"It's good to see you too, Sparkles. It's good to see all of you." Catra said with a smile before turning towards Andra. "You can let them go."
"Are. . .are you sure, your majesty?" She asked, unsure of the sudden change in her future queen's demeanor.
Randor nodded, "It's fine, Andra." He looked at the group, "Come, I think my daughter will want to speak with you all when she wakes up."
A collective sigh of relief was sounded as Andra began opening the doors.
Adora let out a groan as she slowly opened her eyes. As she slowly sat up, she looked at the balcony opening. The moons and stars were well into the sky. Immediately, panic filled her. She had been in the middle of several things before Bow and Glimmer–
She remembered now. The war, the alliance, her friends. All of it. She remembered Catra arresting them as well. She shook her head. It was all still a bit hazy but she needed to tell Catra. Swinging her feet to the side of the bed, she went to stand before the door opened. Adora's gaze snapped towards the noise before Catra strode in with some food and a hot drink. Her eyes landed on Adora.
"Oh, you're awake!" Catra said as she quickly set the food down before rushing towards her and taking her hands. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"
Adora let out a small smile, "I'm okay. I think I was just exhausted. Sorry if I scared you. I need to tell you something important, though. But we need to let Glimmer and her friends go."
Catra gained a confused look, "Adora, they've been publicly bradished as traitors. They're already scheduled for execution."
Adora's eyes went wide with shock, "What!"
Catra let out a snort before laughing, "You're too easy sometimes. Bad joke, sorry. Sparkles already filled me in."
Adora let out an exasperated breath at Catra's sense of humor. With a pout on her face, she gave Catra a concerned look. "Did you find out what was going on?"
Catra nodded, "Razz disappeared but before she did, she told Glimmer something was happening. We need to be ready. As of right now, nobody knows who or what it could be."
Adora nodded before laying back down. "We kind of botched the 'night before the wedding' tradition, huh?"
Catra let out a laugh, "Yeah, but I think this was a little too important to ignore. Besides, we still have the night after tradition." Catra said with a sly smirk.
Adora's face gained a small blush before she smiled. "There is that."
Catra laid down next to Adora, the food all but forgotten. "Tomorrow will change everything. Not just for us but everyone in the universe. Even the ambassadors of Earth have arrived."
"We'll be okay. As long as we have each other." Adora said before leaning forward and kissing Catra. Catra pulled back, looking Adora in the eye.
"You promise?"
"I promise." Adora said before Catra pulled her back into the kiss.
.̷̞͍͐͂̑̀̊̈̓̑͘͘͝.̶̡̜͇̲̻̫͖͎̗͖͚̆̓͌̐̑̑͊̚̕͝͠ ̴͍̍͛̅͋̂̏͑͛͝.̷̧̡̛͔̬͉̩͚̮̪̭̊̌̆͋͋̐̒̀̃̾̕͘ ̵̰̲͉͚͙̺̮́͗̀̂̀͘.̶̤͕̤̤̙̩̦͍̉̿̇͂̑̽̐͋͊̚ͅͅ ̶̡̡̡̮̹̱̰͙̩̮̻̻̞̯͛.̴͉̻̓́͊̉͑͐̍̎́ ̴̡̨͉̜̼̗̺̭̲̘͖̯͋̽̇.̷̡̞̩̭̹̦̿̓̒̀̓̚͜-̴̢͖̥͕̩̲̠͎͈̣̖͂̆͜ ̷̨̨͙͇͚̯̯̬̰̬͔͔̠̹̩̌̈́́̑̑̋̌̌̈͂̑=̴̢̛̙͓̪̰͕͕͇͎̗̹̘̂̐̏̐̈́̇͂̇̍͜͠ͅ ̷̡̨̹̝̲̩̭͎͕͉̰͕̲̜̋͐̐̈́̀͊͜'̴̨̡̨̧̤͎͕̖̻̳̬͙͂̊̓͐͘ ̸̨̧̛̛͚̜̤̘̹̠̹̯͎̳̣̦̜͛̍̔̾̒͌̔͛̒̀̚̚W̶̡̟͍͇͓̺̱̭͇̞͓̰̉̓́̀̒̌̓͛̂̒̕͝͠e̵̢͍͈̯͔͈͎͍̼̱̱̠͕̫͋̆͒̈́̐̌̃̉̋̓̊͗̈́̈́͂d̵̝̱̬͕͊̿̄͊̀̿͐͠d̷̙̤̬̳͎̖̱̰̓̇́́͆̔̏́̿̇̀͘͝͝î̵̧͈̯̖͙̩̋́̍̐̾̆̋͝͝ͅǹ̸̨̜̪͍͓͔̘̮̬͍̩̞̈͐͛͒̇̑͆̈́̋͑̓g̸̡̡̢̛͈̲̻̱̼͕̯̳̩͚̟̰̋̓̿̓͗͒̌͌̕
Catra sat up gasping as she quickly got to her feet. Her breathing was rapid as she looked around panicky. As her eyes scanned her surroundings she slowed her breathing, doing her best to calm down. She was in some sort of forest. The foliage was so thick they couldn't see past the line of trees in front of them. The sounds of wildlife unusually loud.
'The whispering woods?' she thought to herself as she stood up. A shooting pain immediately shot through their head, almost forcing them back to the ground. Quickly catching themselves on a tree limb, trying not to throw up, they took a deep breath.
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
Taking a second to catch their bearings, they took in their surroundings more acutely.
There was no path, no trail, nothing indicating how they had wound up in the middle of the forest. In fact, there was nothing but trees and darkness stretching into the night.
The sounds of the wildlife were quite loud, almost unnaturally even. In fact everything seemed to be more vivid. The sound of rushing water was constant. There must be some form of water nearby. Just then they became acutely aware of how thirsty they were. Their tongue felt like sand against the roof of their mouth, and they were finding it somewhat difficult to swallow.
Catra was getting a sense of deja vu as she began to feel an overwhelming amount of fear. This had all happened to her once before.
She stumbled towards the sound, intent on getting some water. As they walked through the brush, gently moving branches to the side while being careful not to move too much so as to not set off another migraine, she noticed something about herself. Her wedding rings.
Blinking any drowsiness away, she took a more intense look at herself. She was wearing her royal wear.
She breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't looping. She was still the same age, thank Sharella. Now she just needed to figure out how she got to Etheria.
She came across a river that was so clear she could see to the bottom of it. The fish that swam through didn't even look like normal fish. Their scales shined with brilliant glowing patterns of reds and blues that exhumed magical.
'Yeah,' Catra thought to herself. 'I'm definitely on Etheria.'
Taking a steadying breath, she sat on a rock, cleaned her face, took a drink and tried to gather her thoughts over what was going on.
She tried to get her sense of direction back by looking at the sky. If the moons weren't at a high point she could figure out which was north. Though she was quick to find her thoughts on this matter quickly dashed and not for the first time this day and probably not the last, she found herself cursing her circumstances.
Fog that seemed to stretch high into the clouds. As she tried to port, she found herself feeling too much pain to concentrate on magic. Giving a groan of exasperation, "Guess we're doing this the hard way," she said as she eyed the cliff.
She eyed the cliffside. "Well, no time like the present."
"Why am I going through this again?" This was bullshit and she knew it. She had nearly fallen several times, she had cut herself multiple times, and the worst of all was that she was very thirsty. Finally finding herself at the top, she crawled herself away from the ledge and layed there for several moments, breathing heavily.
Letting out a sigh, she quickly got to her feet before she looked out over the land. It was a gorgeous view. The river stretched out for miles and she could see a waterfall where it started. The sky was filled with shades of pinks and blues. The moons seemed more vibrant now that she could get a good look at them. And there were mountains of ice that seemed to stretch on forever until they were lost into the clouds.
The breeze smelled distinctly pungent. There was a hint of salt and sulfur in the wind. She was near the ocean. Catra cursed herself for forgetting. The whispering woods had a nasty habit of shifting. Quickly turning to look back towards the cliff, Catra watched as the forest shifted before her very eyes. Catra let out a low growl before letting out a huff. No matter, she could still follow the smell of the ocean to get out.
'Looks like Plumeria is a bust,' Catra thought to herself as the landscape became unrecognizable.
As she followed the salty smell, she realized she was smelling other things as well. It was hard to describe but it was very familiar. Oil and metal she realized. But there was something missing. Something incomplete about the picture. She couldn't place it for a few minutes until it hit her. Her blood ran cold.
"Where are the stars?" She whispered in fear. Catra shook her head in denial. She just needed to get to Bright Moon and figure things out from there.
The morning rays started peeking through the branches, illuminating the path she was on. The sounds of wildlife became more prominent as nature started to wake up. As she kept walking she finally reached the edge of the whispering woods. As she made her way towards the edge of the treeline, she took note of the sky on the horizon. It was dark and gloomy like an ever present cloud of smog that seemed to go forever. Catra realized that she was looking at the Fright Zone, or the very beginning of it anyway..
Her ears twitched as she heard voices. Quickly heading towards the voices, she caught the scent of smoke. She noticed the shapes of several people up ahead scrambling to move things.
"Hurry up! We don't have all day. Shadow Weaver gave us a mission and I don't want to waste any more time."
Catra's brow furrowed at the voice. It sounded. . . familiar.
"What should I do with this?" A meek voice asked as if they were already in trouble for asking.
Catra finally walked out of the woods and came face to face with the sources of the voices. And that's when she realized that something had seriously gone wrong and she was missing a big piece of the puzzle.
There in front of her stood a woman who looked exactly like her. Her hair was spikier and unkempt. Her uniform was completely different, brandishing a nostalgic outfit, and on her head she wore a red armor head piece in contrast to her gold one. Maybe she was a few years younger than herself but there was no mistaking it. She was looking at herself.
"Just put it over. . ." The younger Catra's words died on her lips as she turned to look at the woman at the tree line. Every soldier stopped what they were doing and followed her gaze.
"What the hell?" Lonnie asked in confusion. Kyle and Rojelio looked equally as confused.
Scorpia looked at her as well before looking back at the Catra beside her. "Do you have a twin?"
"No," Catra said before narrowing her eyes and unsheathing her claws. Everything about the stranger looked identical albeit slightly different. Older, more mature features, her muscle tone was more developed as well. "And if I did, I would know."
Every Horde soldier pulled out shock batons, arming themselves against the intruder. As Catra D'riluth took a cautious step back, eyeing her younger counterpart, she only had one thought.
What happened?
And that marks the end of part 1. Wow this chapter took a second to write. I had so little time to write over the last two months. Part 2 will be called 'What Happened?'
I also want to thank everyone for all the support I've received over the course of the last year and a half of writing this. It's always nice to know that people enjoy your work. Let me know your thoughts and I hope you all enjoyed.