Chapter 3: The Sword of Protection Part 3
Bow and Glimmer were staring in awe at the figure now standing in front of them. The Horde soldier they had just captured was now an 8-foot tall woman with a bright radiant aura around her. Her white skirt and red cape flowed in the wind. The new warrior opened her eyes as the aura began to fade. She glanced around...before she looked down at herself.
"WHAT?! Where am I?! What's going on?! What am I wearing?! Why am I taller?! WHAT?!" Adora shouted worried and confused.
"Is...is that what I think it is?" Bow asked as he stared at the giant warrior woman.
"That...that's She-ra. THE She-ra." Glimmer said in disbelief, carefully approaching her.
"Uh...Hi?" Glimmer asked her
"Huh? You! Did you two have something to do with this? You and your rebel tricks?" Adora glared at them.
"Hey, we're just as confused as you." Bow said
"What even happened to me? I'm tall, my outfit's changed, I'm..." she said before looking at the muscles on her arms "Actually I kind of like these." she said feeling the muscles. Her body then was engulfed in pure light once again, the silhouette shrank back down to Adora's initial height, the light left her and she returned to back to normal. Adora looked at herself and sighed in relief that she was back to normal...only for her to realize that she was now completely naked. She yelped in shock and quickly tried to cover herself with her arms. Glimmer blushed as she and Bow looked away.
"What happened to my clothes!?" Adora shouted.
"Like I said, we're just as confused as you." Bow said
"Uh...here." Glimmer said unhooking her cape from her shoulders. "Use this." she slowly walked closer to Adora while awkwardly trying to avoid looking at her. She handed the cape to her, Adora grabbed it and quickly wrapped it around her chest.
"Um...do you have anything else? This doesn't exactly cover all of me." Adora said, her face completely red from embarrassment.
"Uh, Bow? Could you maybe lend her your cape?" Glimmer asked.
"Really? Mine too?" Bow sighed as he unhooked his cape and handed it to Adora, The blonde used it to cover up her lower area.
"Okay so...what now?" Bow asked
"I say we take her and that sword to Madame Razz." Glimmer suggested
"You're kidding, right? There is no way I'm letting you guys take me anywhere again after everything that just happened." Adora said sternly. Glimmer and Bow looked at each other.
Glimmer and Bow arrived at a small hut in The Whispering Woods, Glimmer carrying the sword while Bow was carrying Adora, who was tied up again, this time with a gag around her mouth. Glimmer walked to the door of the hut and knocked.
"Hello? Madame Razz?" Glimmer called out as she knocked on the door.
"Oh, just a minute, I'll be right there." said a voice behind the door before a very loud crash was heard, followed by an explosion. The door opened, and a cloud of black smoke poured out. A purple-skinned woman wearing a raggedy red top and skirt emerged, her face and the goggles she was wearing were covered in black soot. She coughed some out and took the goggles off.
"Sorry about that, I was makin' dinner." she said in a jovial tone as she cleaned the soot off the goggles. "Glimmer, Bow! Nice to see ya! What can I do for ya?"
"Well, Bow and I captured this Horde soldier, when suddenly she started having a spiritual experience, then she grabbed this sword and she just transformed." Glimmer said showing Madame Razz the sword.
Madame Razz stared at the sword, "She transformed with it?"
"Yeah, so we decided to bring her to yo-"
"What's her name?" Madame Razz interrupted
"What?" Glimmer asked confused before Razz grabbed her shoulders and got close to her face.
"Her name! What's the girl's name?!" Madame asked before she quickly went to the tied-up Adora and snapped her fingers, the mouth gag on Adora poofing away into smoke. "What's your name, dear?"
"Huh? What? Why do you want to know my name?" Adora asked skeptically.
"Because you were able to use the power of that sword, now tell me your name."
"Uh...Adora?" Adora said
Razz was silent for a few seconds "Oh deary my...bring her in, bring her in." She said motioning them all to enter her house.
"You're telling me that your name's Adora and you managed to unlock the power of the Sword of Protection?" Razz asked Adora.
"Uh...I mean, I guess? Please tell me I'm not the only one really confused right now." Adora said
"Allow me to show ya." Razz said before she started casting a spell over a bubbling cauldron. A large stack of smoke came out of the cauldron, several images formed within in it.
"There's a legend, older than even me, that a warrior named Adora would one day unlock the magic of the Sword of Protection. Becoming She-ra, the Princess of Power, and with that power, she would save the universe itself." Madame Razz said as the smoke formed images that visualized what she said. "In other words, if what I'm hearin' is true, you're a big deal, Adora."
"Okay, okay, hold up." Adora said, "You're telling me that I'm...what? Some legendary hero destined to save the universe? How gullible do you rebels think I am?"
"I know it sounds crazy, but I dunno what to tell ya. If ya transformed into She-ra, you're She-ra." Razz said
"This is ridiculous, you rebels are obviously just trying to trick me into joining you. I'm not falling for that. The only destiny I have is freeing Etheria from you criminals." Adora said
"Hold on, WE'RE the criminals? You're part of the empire oppressing our planet." Glimmer said
"Oppressing? The Horde is bringing order to Etheria. You rebels just want to bring it back to the savage state it was in before."
"Is THAT what they told you?" Bow asked, "Etheria was doing just fine until The Horde arrived. Why do you think people call you guys the EVIL Horde?"
"Who calls us that!?" Adora asked
"Everybody, dear. Literally everybody." Razz said
"The Horde has terrorized the people of Etheria for centuries." Glimmer said
"No, no, you're lying, The Horde's mission is keeping the peace and stopping you rebels from making things worse." Adora said
"Oh yeah? Razz, can you teleport us to Kah?" Glimmer asked
"Well yes, but why do ya want to go there?" Razz asked
"To show Adora here the 'peacekeeping' The Horde does." Glimmer said.
Madame Razz teleported them all to the village of Kah. The village that, only hours ago, was visited by Hordak and his soldiers. Adora looked around, the village was raised, and several buildings were in smoldering ruins. Bow untied Adora and she stood up, looking around at the carnage. It wasn't the ruins that bothered her, nor the burnt remains of buildings...what bothered and horrified her were the bodies that littered the area.
"Do you see this? This is what The Horde does. These were innocent people and they killed them all." Glimmer said to Adora
"No, that's impossible, the...The Horde would never do this." Adora said in denial as the three walked through the decimated village, finding even more dead bodies.
"You sure about that?" Razz said, "Cause funny thing about magic, it can let ya see into the past." she said before casting a spell at a building with a burst open door. Magical constructs appear of a man in front of the door, several Horde soldiers, and Force Captain Kyle. Adora's eyes went wide as she realized Razz was casting a spell she had seen her mother use a few times before.
"I'm missing something very important to me to be here, so I'm going to give you two options. Option one is surrendering, stepping aside, and letting us arrest everyone you got in behind that door. Option two is resisting us and we slaughter everyone behind that door. Option one is gonna take less time so I'm hoping you got a workin' brain." Kyle said as he towered over the man.
"There's nobody in here. I'm the last one in my village...and I'll die before I let The Horde control me." the man said in defiance. Kyle chuckled exasperated and grabbed the man by the head with one hand before lifting him up.
"Suit yourself." Kyle said before clenching his hand on the man's head, Adora watching the recreation of the man's head being crushed. "Found anyone else?" he asked a soldier
"No sir, that building is the only one left unsearched." the soldier replied
"Good." Kyle said tossing away the man's lifeless body and walking to a well to wash the blood off his hand, "Go in there and make sure nothing's left alive so we can get out of here. I don't want to miss too much of Adora's party."
One soldier placed a small device on the door and stepped back, the device exploding and blowing open the door. The soldiers poured into the building and opened fire. Adora stared at the recreation in horror, she ran into the building, and as the vision faded away, she saw what was inside. The bodies of women and children were scattered across the floor. Adora covered her mouth in disgust and ran outside, throwing up at the sight.
"That...that has to be fake. PLEASE tell me that was fake." Adora shouted, tears welling in her eyes.
"I wish it was, dear." Madame Razz said, "Time-seeing magic is never wrong."
Adora was at a loss for words. Her whole life, she had been told that The Horde were trying to bring order to Etheria but...where was the order in slaughtering a whole village? In crushing an innocent man's head? In opening fire on women and children?
"Wow, she...she really didn't know what The Horde really does?" Bow asked
"It's hittin' her hard. Might be best if you two talk to her, ya need me for anything else?" Razz asked
"No, we're fine. Thank you, Madame Razz." Glimmer said, even she had to admit that seeing Adora's reaction to the carnage was giving her second thoughts on how to go about this. The two walked closer to Adora, who was on her knees at this point, as Razz teleported away.
"Um...hey, are you o-" Bow began to ask
"No. I'm not okay." Adora said, "In the span of an hour, I was captured, taken to the middle of nowhere, transformed into a weird muscle woman, got told that I'm some hero of legend, watched a friend of mine crush someone's head, and found out that the empire that I have dreamed to be a part of my whole life is actually this tyrannical force that has no problem gunning down innocent people. I'm FAR from being okay."
"The Horde is ruthless. The Rebellion is simply trying to free Etheria, to stop stuff like this from happening." Glimmer said, "I know this is a lot to take in, but maybe we can help you. You saw how evil The Horde really is, and I may not understand the magic in this Sword of Protection, but I know it chose you and that must have been for a reason."
"So what, I'm supposed to take up that magic sword and wage war on my friends and family?" Adora said
"I'm saying you can make a difference on Etheria for the better. You can-" Glimmer said before she was hit in the back with a small device, red electricity engulfing her and knocking her out. Bow and Adora looked at Glimmer in shock before several transports arrived shining down their searchlights onto the trio. Horde soldiers poured out from amongst the trees and aimed their guns at them, completely surrounding them. Bow had no choice but to surrender as a soldier grabbed him and another picked up Glimmer and the sword.
"Adora!" Catra's voice called out, the cat girl pushing several soldiers out of the way before running to Adora, hugging her tightly. "I was so worried about you!"
"Catra? H-how did you find me?" Adora asked confused and still shaken.
"Shadow Weaver told me she found you- wait...where are your clothes?" Catra asked, Adora still only covering her body with the two capes. "Did those Rebels do anything to you!?" Catra asked worried as she grabbed her lover's shoulders
"No! No, they didn't do anything to me." Adora said, "I uh...I just lost them."
"Alright, let's just get you back home." Catra said helping Adora up and holding her close.
"Adora, there you are. You holding up?" Kyle asked as he approached the two girls. Adora stared at Kyle, she couldn't say anything to him, still thinking back to what she saw him do.
"Hey, Adora, you okay?" Catra asked as she put a hand on her cheek.
"She looks pretty shaken up, better have a medic look at her when you get back." Kyle said
"Yeah, good idea."
"Guess these two rebels are who captured her, what do you think we should do with them?" Kyle asked
"I say kill them right here for what they did to Adora." Catra growled as she glared at the two rebels.
"No..." Adora said, catching everyone off guard "T-take them back to the Fright Zone. They...they may have information we could use."
"Good idea, Adora. Alright boys, load'em up and let's head home." Kyle said as he patted Adora on the shoulder, the contact sending a cold shiver down her spine. Catra brought Adora inside one of the transports.
"Are you sure they didn't do anything horrible to you? It seems weird you just lost that suit." Catra said
"Yes, I'm sure, Catra. Let's...let's just go home." Adora said leaning into Catra.
"Sure thing, hon." Catra smiled as she embraced her, oblivious to the look of horror on Adora's face.