"You look beautiful, Catra." Angella said as she straightened the young woman's bridal cape. As Angella smiled, she took in Catra's appearance. It was lovely wear that consisted of dark shades of blood red, ink black, and trims of gold. She wore a chained circlet with several red jewels along with a ringed band around her neck that had a tribal pattern of the magicats. Her cape was draped over her shoulders and gave Catra an air of elegance.
Catra gave a smile before letting out a small shaky breath. "Is it weird that I'm nervous?"
Angella shook her head, taking on a calming and reassuring tone, "No. That's quite normal. I imagine that Adora is feeling much the same way."
Light Hope waved her hands in the air, signing at Catra, "You look gorgeous Catra. Don't be nervous. This is your day."
Catra looked towards her friends that were here with her. Mara, Light Hope, Netossa, Spinnerella, Angella and even Beatrix. They all were giving her smiles of encouragement.
Catra nodded before a bell chimed three times, emitting low hums throughout the Temple of Sharella. Beatrix stepped forwards, holding a box of the ceremonial items that was required. Catra opened the lid, revealing a gold trimmed ring with a red and blue embellished stone that seemed to be continuously drifting. The other item was a. . . silver oval with a green diamond in the center.
Catra felt dread creep into her as she quickly spun around to find she was alone in a forest. "Adora! Mara! Anyone!"
"Catra, no one is coming for you. You are gone and all alone." An ominous voice taunted from the shadows. Catra looked towards the silhouette, trying to make out their face. As they stepped forward into the light, Catra found it was too bright to see them, the light burning her eyes.
"Come little sister. Bask in the light with me."
Catra D'riluth sat up with a gasp, clutching her chest. As she looked around the tent, she found herself wincing at the beam of light peeking through the tent flaps. Grumbling as she calmed down, she crawled over to it before quickly closing it. As she sat down on the ground, Catra thought about the nightmare. She remembered the majority of her wedding but it was broken, fractured in certain areas. Whatever had happened after, she didn't know. But it seemed her mind was dead set on torturing her with it. Catra shook her head, letting out a sigh. It was fairly common these days. She longed for the days when she could sleep soundly but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. At least not until she got Adora back.
A glint of purple light emanated from her azurlight. A purple gemstone that sat on her wrist similar to a bracer. It was the only thing she had with her besides the clothes on her back. It was a useful tool that Light Hope had modified and gifted her for her sixteenth birthday. Everything from hacking to recordings, it even contained hundreds of books worth of knowledge pertaining to Eternia's empire and the peoples within it. She had tried calling Adora's but to no avail. If she was here, something was blocking the signal.
Smiling softly, Catra pulled up a picture of Adora and herself that she found herself looking at quite frequently and found that she could understand Angella a bit more. For whenever she found herself overwhelmed, looking at Adora helped.
It had been over a month and a half since she'd arrived here. She didn't know how or why she was here but she had deduced that she hadn't just time traveled to get here. She had jumped ship in a manner of speaking. When Catra had run into the alternate version of herself, she had made a break for it and successfully, albeit barely, escaped with no injury. She had to give her other self credit, she knew how to take herself down.
After escaping, she had quickly learned that there was no such thing as soul shards here. She had scoped out a Horde base for a week, breaking into one of their archives. It was here that Catra learned the truth. Catra's parents existed here but they were most certainly not Magicats. Here, Catra was not of the D'riluth lineage or any lineage for that matter. She was simply a war orphan whose parents had been the victim of a battle between the original Rebellion and the Horde. But something stuck out to her. Adora's birth records were unknown as were any mention of parentage.
Catra shook her head of those thoughts before turning off the gem and climbing out of the tent to start the day. It had been several trying weeks of traveling through the mountains towards Dryll. She had lost count of how many times she'd had to hide from the Horde and the Rebellion's troops. How many times she had to run when spotted.
She remembered reading a report that Entrapta had toyed with a piece of Eternian technology that had caused a wide scale virus to infect her robots before Glimmer, Bow, and Adora had recruited her right after the battle of Salineas. She had never had the chance to ask about it but if she had to guess, it sounded like one of the original encryption keys from Zed's department. Either way, she needed to get it. In fact, any Eternian tech would be handy right about now. With her time magic severely regressed, she needed all the help she could get. If she could recreate a warp drive, even a basic one, it could boost her powers, allowing her to get home.
As she stretched, her muscles screamed out in defiance. Living the royal life, while luxurious and fun, was not always good for her body. She would never let herself fall out of shape but she definitely skipped workouts now and then. The last month and a half had her feeling like she was back in the Horde.
Quickly packing the tent up and gathering her supplies, she began the trek towards Dryll, snacking on some leftover jerky.
The Fright Zone
In one of the many training halls, sounds of weights and sparring could be heard. Catra snarled as she let loose a quick savage combo on a punching bag. As she took deep breaths, calming her pulse, her ears twitched as she heard someone enter the room. A dark glare settled on her face.
"Catra, you seem more motivated lately. I'm pleasantly surprised. It seems the loss of Salineas has motivated you quite a bit." Shadow Weaver said in that irritatingly sweet tone she used when she was bothering her. It told her that she had nothing better to do than bug her.
"Oh, that's not it at all." Scorpia said with an oblivious smile. Catra shot a glare at the woman, silently telling her to be quiet. "Oh, uh, maybe I was mistaken."
Shadow Weaver raised a brow, "Oh? Do tell. What has gotten Catra in such a mood?"
"Nothing has gotten me in a mood. I'm just irritated at my loss." Catra said through gritted teeth, deflecting as best she could. Shadow Weaver didn't buy it for a second, unfortunately.
Shadow Weaver rounded on Kyle across the room, "Kyle, explain."
Kyle looked like a nervous wreck ,being thrust into the spotlight in such a manner. He spared a glance at Catra only to find himself being glared at with a look that promised pain if he spoke of what they saw. When he glanced back at Shadow Weaver, he decided that Shadow Weaver was much scarier. "We. . . saw something. Back at Salineas, I mean."
Shadow Weaver's eyes narrowed, "Go on."
"It was. . . well, we saw Catra." Kyle said, trying his best to tell her.
Shadow Weaver turned back towards Catra, "What does he mean?"
Catra shook her head, throwing her hands in the air, "It wasn't me, okay? It was just another cat person. She wandered into the camp and then ran off. End of story. Everyone's making a big deal out of nothing."
"She literally wore the same type of clothes you wear. The only difference being that her clothes had gold on them and she was wearing boots and gloves." Lonnie said from the side.
Rojelio hissed, causing Kyle to nod, "Yeah that too and don't forget the white cape. She even had a headpiece that was similar to yours. I guess that it was golden but it was still the same."
Catra looked pissed but still held her ground. "Her clothes were completely different. She wore black, red, and gold. I wear burgundy and violet. She wore boots, I don't. She had a cape, I will never wear one. And the headpiece? Lots of people wear them. So what if it was gold."
Scorpia finally spoke up, "But her eyes were the same. She had a blue eye and a yellow eye."
Shadow Weaver thought about what they were saying before chuckling, waving her hand dismissively. "Catra is right."
"She is?" Everyone said at the same time.
"Of course I am." Catra said as if it was obvious.
"Time traveling is impossible and any magic pertaining to temporal effects is unheard of and outright forbidden by Etheria as a whole. You just happened to meet a similar looking woman. Perhaps a distant relative." Shadow Weaver lectured.
"Oh yeah?" Lonnie snapped back in a slightly disrespectful tone that Shadow Weaver would have punished if not for what she said next, "Then how do you explain the orb she threw down that froze all of our troops in mid air?"
"What?" Shadow Weaver said, instantly turning her full attention on Lonnie.
"Yeah," Scorpia said in a slightly awed tone, "You should have seen it. It was crazy. I'd never seen any of the princesses do that. When she threw it, it made, like, a bubble that made everyone stop. We were the only ones who managed to dodge until Catra chased her down. Everything was frozen. The dirt, the bugs, the birds, even the electricity from the stun batons."
Shadow Weaver whipped around towards Catra, grabbing her arm, "Is this true?"
"Yeah, but like you said, It's not possible." Catra said, pulling her arm free.
"Do you have any footage at all of this woman?" Shadow Weaver asked.
"Kyle's recorded some, but it's horrible quality." Lonnie said as she reached over to grab it before handing it to Shadow Weaver.
As she watched the shaky footage, Shadow Weaver paused it on a single frame that depicted the woman fairly well. They were right, she really did look exactly like Catra, although she looked older. In her early twenties for sure. Then she vanished from the video. "What just happened?"
"Kyle got bubbled." Lonnie said, snickering. Kyle let out a cry of embarrassment but Shadow Weaver paid it no mind. She was doing everything in her power to study the appearance of what could possibly be a future Catra. She used magic but her colors told her something about the woman. She wore Catra's colors of red and black but her highlights of gold and her shoulder cape told her a story all on its own. If this was Catra from the future, then she was most likely in a relationship with Adora. But why come to the past?
Shadow Weaver stood up straight before looking at Catra, her hair flowing a bit more erratically, an air of seriousness filled the room as they all stood at attention. "Catra, You have full authorization to capture this woman. Use any means at your disposal."
"Wait, you really think this is me from the future?" Catra asked in disbelief.
"Whether she is or isn't doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that she utilized a school of magic that was thought to be impossible. If the Horde can harness the ability to stop time in a localized area, then we need it." Shadow Weaver explained. "If it does indeed happen to be you, well, I'm sure you will have lots to talk about."
Catra watched Shadow Weaver leave the room before shooting glares at the squad. "Next time, keep your mouths shut!" she snarled before leaving the room.
Dryll
Catra was walking the mountains as she came into view of Entrapta's castle. She had never been here before but she knew this was the correct location. As she walked forward, she caught sight of someone she didn't think she'd see here.
"Bow?" Catra muttered to herself. He looked the same as ever, although slightly panicked.
"No, be careful!" Bow yelled before a pit of spikes opened up in front of him.
Catra eyed the trap as she quickly climbed one of the pillars, taking care to stay out of sight. She wasn't sure if this version of Bow would attack her or not. Best if she stayed quiet. As she quickly scaled the castle, she ignored Bow in favor of finding Entrapta. The less she had to interact with him the better. No doubt this Adora and Glimmer weren't far behind. Quickly pulling herself onto a scaffolding, she began to maneuver towards one of the windows. Unfortunately, her plans of stealth were quickly dismissed as Glimmer and Adora in the form of She Ra appeared, shrieking at the height of the scaffolding they were on. Adora's eyes met hers and widened just before Glimmer teleported away. "Cat–"
Catra let out a groan at the stupidity of the situation before quickly climbing into the castle. "Fuck." She cursed under her breath.
No matter, she could still do this with minimal contact. Grab the encryption key and get out. As she crept through the castle, avoiding any traps that she could see, she bore witness to a complete overload of data in the castle. Her theory about it being an encryption key was quickly proven right. The tell tale signs of infection were all there. If she could get a hold of it, it would be a matter of simply rebooting it. Quickly pulling up
As she crawled through a ventilation shaft, she came to a spot above an unconscious Adora. A pang of longing shot through her, urging her to make sure she was alright. Catra shook her head free of those thoughts, reminding herself that this wasn't her Adora.
"Adora? Wake up, please wake up!" Glimmer said frantically.
Entrapta looked at Glimmer, curiosity in her eyes, "The tall one seems infected too. She turned less tall. How does it work?"
Glimmer glared at Entrapta, "She's not an it, she's my friend. And what do you mean she's infected too?"
Entrapta clasped her hands together before her hair formed into a triangular shape, "It's really fascinating. I've been experimenting with a disc that was recovered from a mine in Dryl. It was a game-changer. It held more complete First One's code than anything I've ever seen before." She gained a thoughtful look, "But it seems to have reacted with the First Ones tech that powers my bots. It infected them with some sort of a virus."
"But why would it make She-Ra sick?"
Entrapta pulled out a scalpel, "Well, I'd have to take her apart to be sure. But since her sword is First One's tech, it must have spread through that."
"First, you're not taking her apart. She is a person!" Glimmer snapped, grabbing the scalpel from Entrapta's hair, "Second, if we destroy this disc, will that turn off the bots and stop the virus?"
Entrapta took a small step back before gaining a concerned look, "Destroy it? But the experiment isn't complete!"
Catra shook her head. They wouldn't get the chance to if she had anything to say about it.
"I think we can safely say that this experiment is a failure!" Glimmer said, ushering to the surrounding castle.
"But what if it's not–" Entrapta looked like she wanted to argue for about two seconds before hanging her head in defeat, "no, you're right, it's a failure."
As Catra shook her head, she quickly made her way through the vents before coming to the source of the so-called virus. It was in the center of the room connected to the main control center surrounded by robots everywhere. Surprisingly, Bow and Glimmer had managed to make it into the room around the same time she did.
Entrapta began laughing, "It's running on its own power now! That's it. We need to get outta here and burn this place to the ground. Experiment officially failed."
"Wait, I have an idea." Bow said, stopping everyone in their tracks before taking aim at the disk. "Now's your chance, sonic arrow. I believe in you!" Just before the arrow could reach its mark, it seemed to freeze in air. Upon further inspection, Glimmer and Bow realized that the robots were frozen as well.
"What kind of sonic arrow is that?" Glimmer asked in confusion.
"I didn't do that." Bow said in an equally confused manner.
Just then, Catra jumped down and grabbed the arrow out of mid air before quickly chucking the arrow away from her in the opposite direction before freezing in mid air again. "Sorry. But I need this disk more than you do."
"Catra! I knew you had something to do with this!" Glimmer cried out in anger.
As Catra pulled the disk out of the console, she started to twist the ends before it opened. Pushing it open to the side to reveal a dial. As soon as she twisted it, it snapped closed. The effect was instant as Adora slowly sat up, her strange behavior all but gone. After a couple more seconds, the frozen area started moving again and the castle's robots all crumbled to the ground.
"Where am I? What's happening?" Adora asked confusedly before her eyes landed on Catra only to stop mid sentence. "Catra?."
Catra pocketed the disk before she turned away from the group, making sure they couldn't get a good look at her face. "Don't worry about me. Just forget you ever saw me."
"Wait! I–" Adora was cut off, shocked as she witnessed Catra seemingly vanish before her eyes. "Where'd she go?"
Glimmer narrowed her eyes, "She teleported. It's weird. I feel like I know where she went. Like I could follow her."
"Don't. We don't know where she could have gone, or if there are others with her." Bow said.
"But the disk–" Glimmer started before Adora interjected.
"It's alright Glimmer. Worry about it later." Adora said as Bow helped her to her feet. Adora's mind was focused though. What did Catra want with the disk and why did she hide her face?
Adora Glenn, daughter of King Randor and Queen Marleena sat up with a sharp gasp before immediately shrinking into herself, wincing as she grasped her ribs with a pained groan.
"Easy, easy, you've been asleep for a while. You don't want to strain yourself" A voice said from her side as a cup of water was held in front of her. Quickly grabbing it, Adora downed the water before looking up at the source of the voice. "King Micah?"
Before Adora could say anything else, Micah reached out and touched her face. Adora's confusion showed as Micah pulled his hand back, "Apologies. It's been quite some time since I've talked to anyone else. Anyone real that is."
Adora stood up before looking at Micah. "What happened? I remember the bits of the wedding but not much else."
"Wedding? What are you talking about?" Micah asked as he looked around cautiously at their surroundings.
Adora finally took a second to look at him before realizing something. This wasn't the Micah that she knew. He was dirty and scarred, almost as if he had been in a large battle and he seemed exhausted. She recognized the look from some of Lonnie's friends. Some of the Horde soldiers had worn it from her original timeline as well. "King Micah, do you know who I am?" She asked gently.
Micah narrowed his eyes as he examined her before shaking his head. "Your clothes tell me you're a princess or a queen but beyond that, no. If we have met, I can't remember you. . .Have we met?"
"I'm the queen of Eternia. I'm Adora. You, Angella, and Glimmer were at Catra and I's wedding. How long has it been since then?" Adora asked with a slight hint of desperation.
"Queen of. . . Eternia? Wedding?" Micah muttered quietly before shaking his head. "You're not making any sense. That's–" Micah cut himself off, looking to the side. The sounds of chittering drifted into the clearing. "We need to run, now!" Adora wanted to ask why before the dark was lit up by multiple glowing purple eyes. As they stepped out of the shadows, she saw they looked feline in nature with what looked like pincers in their mouths.
Adora narrowed her eyes. The creatures looked very similar to the dylinx of Eternia. Adora quickly stepped forward before summoning her sword and holding it above her. "For the honor of Grayskull!"
Micah watched in fascination as a mystical princess appeared before him that he had only read about in stories. "She Ra." He said in fascination.
Adora quickly swung her sword in an arc, sending out a shockwave of golden light that blasted everything away from them. Whatever creatures remained snarled at Adora before retreating, not keen on repeating their friend's mistakes.
As Micah looked around the clearing, he looked back at Adora. "So let me get this straight. You're the Queen of the Eternians and you're She Ra?"
Adora smiled, "That pretty much sums it up."
"I have a lot of questions. But why are you here?" Micah asked.
"I'm trying to figure that out. It was the day of my wedding and we were being crowned and then. . . well I can't remember much after. Speaking of which, where is here, exactly?" Adora asked.
"You're on Beast Island." Micah explained.
Adora froze in shock as memories of her Horde days filled her mind. "What do you mean Beast Island?"
"Just what I said. I've been trapped here for days, months, years," he looked off to the side, "I have no concept of time here." Suddenly his face filled with hope, "But you're She Ra. You can get us off this island right? You must be able to."
Adora was still reeling from what she just heard. She turned towards Micah, "Is the Horde an enemy of the Princesses or is it Etheria's military?"
"The Horde is the enemy. They've been trying to conquer the planet for years?" Micah said, baffled.
"I time traveled." Adora said in shock before a determined look settled on her face. She needed to find Catra. She looked down at the azurlight only to find it cracked. "Shit." Suddenly she started feeling weaker. As she looked down at her hands, she slowly started to shift out of She Ra before all that was left was herself. As she tried to call upon the magic, she found it almost absent, but that wasn't quite right. It was almost as if it was depleted. "Shit."
"What?" Micah asked.
"My powers are on the fritz and my azurlight is cracked."
"Is that bad?" Micah asked, looking at her wrist.
Adora shook her head, "It's not the first time I've had to fight without being She Ra. As for my azurlight?" She tapped it, attempting to turn it on. "Only if I can't get it started. I just don't have the tools to fix it with me."
Micah watched in silence as Adora finally got it to emit a slight glow. After a moment of gentle prodding, a hologram appeared. It was severely glitched but it was operational.
"Yes!" Adora exclaimed before nodding. "Access emergency signaling. Severity level nine. Search for any operational azurlights on the planet."
The gem lit up in a blinking pattern before turning pink. "Connecting to planet wide Eternian system N-32. Receiving Signal."
All of a sudden Micah heard the dreaded signal that he had run from everyday for who knows how long, coming from the gem on her wrist. As he narrowed his eyes, Adora waved her hand to the side. "Descramble the encoded signal."
'Planetwide evacuation required. All units return to Eternia
Planetwide evacuation required. All units return to Eternia
Grayskull has fallen. Initiate Sol System Resurrection.
–File Corrupted
–File Corrupted
This is a feature, not a bug. This is a feature, not a bug'
Adora was confused. She didn't know what these messages meant but regardless, she had to focus on getting off of this island. "Signal received. Initiate signal shutdown. Proceed with azurlight search."
Micah didn't say anything to the woman in front of him but he had heard it. He had heard the island beginning to shut down. He was overwhelmed. This was it. He really was going to get off of this forsaken island. He let out a shaky breath but didn't relax. He couldn't afford to relax until he was off.
'Azurlight detected. Securing connection. Visual component damaged. Audio connection secured. Contacting Queen Catra D'riluth.' The gem said before turning green. Adora breathed a sigh of relief.
As Catra fiddled with the disk at her camp, her azurlight began to blink with a green light.
'Com link with Adora Glenn established.'
"Catra! Catra, are you there!"
Catra immediately abandoned the disk, looking at her wrist at breakneck speed "Adora, I'm here! What happened? Where are you? Why can't I see you?"
"My azurlight is damaged. As for where? It's hard to explain. I'm fine, but I'm on Beast Island. I think we time traveled, Catra. I'm with King Micah."
Catra let out a relieved sigh before nodding, "Kind of. We didn't time travel. This is an alternate timeline. My mom wasn't C'yra here. And I didn't lose my memories here. I've been running from the rebellion and the Horde for the last month and a half. They think I'm the other Catra."
"Other Catra? We didn't switch?"
"No. Whatever happened caused us to jump here. I'm trying to build a warp drive to jump start my powers so we can leave but it's. . . proving to be a challenge. My magic is severely limited right now."
". . .Can you warp to us?"
". . .No." Catra said, "I can barely warp two miles right now. My gravity powers barely work, my clairvoyance is gone, my bombs drain me, and I'm not chancing a rewind. All in all, it's like I'm fifteen again."
". . .No." Catra said, "I can barely warp two miles right now. My gravity powers barely work, my clairvoyance is gone, my bombs drain me, and I'm not chancing a rewind. All in all, it's like I'm fifteen again."
"I can barely be She Ra right now. It's like my powers are drained."
"Great." Catra grumbled.
Micah looked at Adora before stepping forward, "May I?"
Adora nodded. "Of course."
Micah nodded before leaning forward. "Catra, I don't think we've met before and I'm not sure I understand this whole time travel thing but if you can't get to us then you need to go to Bright Moon."
A humorless chuckle was heard from Catra, "Didn't you hear what I said? Everyone is trying to capture or kill me. That includes Angella. If I even think about going there, they'll attack me."
Micah nodded, "I understand that but if you explain where I am then you might be able to speak to Angella."
Catra was silent for a moment before she spoke softly. "Adora, does Micah know how long he's been there?"
"No, he said there's no concept of time here. Why?"
Catra let out a breath, "I just snuck into Dryll to steal a disk with a virus. A month and a half ago, I ran away from the Horde while they were headed to Salineas to destroy the Sea Gate. Do you understand the time frame here?"
"Fuck." Adora muttered.
"What is it?" Micah asked. "What does that mean?"
"When I spoke to Angella about you, she never told me exactly when it was that you supposedly died. But it's been a while. Long enough that no one could have known you were here." Catra said before dropping her voice to a gentler tone, "Micah, Glimmer is about sixteen."
Micah took a step back at hearing that before looking at his hands. After a moment, he clenched his hands into fists, a determined look on his face. "Can you make this call at any time?"
"As long as the channel remains open, yeah." Adora said.
"Good," Micah said, nodding, "Then here's what I want you to do Catra. Can you get to Angella undetected?"
"I know the castle fairly well. Once I'm in range I can just teleport in. It shouldn't be too hard. But to do what you're suggesting would need to be quick. Because as soon as I go in there, they will attack me. There's no question about it. My other self is a Force Captain. My face has a capture or flee on sight order." Catra's voice said over the line.
Micah nodded, "That's why it's imperative that you directly seek Angella out first. No one else."
"What about Castaspella? She's your sister right?" Catra asked.
Micah shook his head, "No. She'll assume it's illusion magic. It has to be my wife."
Catra was quiet before a sigh was heard. "Alright. I'm just east of Dryll at the edge of the mountain range."
"That's mostly flat lands and plains." Micah said nodding, "That's a straight shot to Bright Moon. Roughly a day's journey."
"You're forgetting the patrols."
Micah thought about something before a thought came to him. "The mountains across the bay of Bright Moon."
"They are crawling with Juliet's soldiers. I'd never make it through, even with my powers."
"You won't have to." Micah said.
"What do you mean?" Adora asked.
"There's a mine. Long abandoned even before my time as King. It was initially used to mine the material arcanite." Micah explained.
"The Horde uses that for their tanks." Catra said.
"Yes. It's highly conductive to a charge of any kind. The mine was abandoned because of the dangerous nature of the mineral. It's not hard to navigate if you can teleport through the cracks. Going around it was the dangerous part. You'll need a light of some kind but beyond that, it's a straight path through the mountains directly to the bay.
"Alright." Catra said slowly, "Is it safe where you are?"
"Is it?" Adora asked Micah as well.
"With that signal dead, I should be able to set up a camp near the beach away from danger." Micah said with audible excitement. Adora could understand his anxiousness to leave this place. It was definitely what the Horde promised and more.
"Please hurry." Adora said.
"I will. Stay safe and be ready to receive the call. I love you."
"We will. I love you too." Adora said before the call ended.
Adora looked at Micah. "We better get going. We probably have a bit of a wait ahead of us."
True to Micah's words, it took about a whole day to reach the mine and navigate through it. Thankfully it was as empty as he said it would be. As Catra exited the mine, she could see Bright Moon off in the distance. It was early morning so the guards should be switching rotations, giving her a moment of opportunity. She had avoided having to swim across the large river with a quick teleport. Finding herself in the brush, she quickly navigated through the trees, jumping through branches and climbing the stones lining the beach as she made her way towards the castle avoiding any guards or civilians that she might happen to run into.
Finally making her way towards the castle, she began to scale the wall, finding herself outside Adora's bedroom on her balcony. As she quietly peeked through her window, she quietly cursed her luck at what she saw. Adora was already in her morning routine of exercising. As Catra watched her finish her push ups, she waited for her to head for the showers. Unfortunately, as Catra was quick to realize, that wasn't what was going to happen because Adora had quickly whipped her head at the window. Catra had just ducked out of sight. Her ears still picked up the sound of Adora's approaching footsteps and the slight metallic ringing of her sword.
As Adora walked to the balcony doors, she quickly grasped the doors and flung them open, sword primed to strike, only to find herself alone. Adora at a young age had learned to trust her instincts, growing up in the Horde, and every cell in her body was telling her that she had just been watched.
"Guards!" Adora called out.
Moments later, Juliet walked into the room. "Yes, Adora?"
"I think someone's in the castle." Adora said seriously.
"You're certain?" Juliet said to which Adora nodded. Juliet gave a sharp nod before ordering the others to lockdown the castle. Catra, on the other hand, had teleported just in time above Adora.
As Adora went to transform just in case of an attacker, she raised her sword, looking up and found herself staring Catra straight in the eyes. "Fuck." Catra simply said.
"For the honor of–" Adora went to quickly say before she was cut off from a kick in the gut. As her sword was viciously ripped from her hands, she recovered quickly, pulling a dagger from her belt, prepared to fight.
"Catra, I–" Adora went to say but found Catra missing a beat, she immediately ran out into the halls. "Glimmer! Bow! It's Catra! She's here!"
"We know!" Bow called out, holding up his bow with a cut string.
"Where's Glimmer?" Adora asked as the halls filled with guards.
"She went after her!" Bow said, quickly pulling another bowstring out of his satchel, restringing his bow. "Let's hurry!"
"Give the sword back, Catra! You can't win! Not here!" Glimmer yelled as she followed her throughout the castle, teleporting wherever Catra found herself.
"Get lost Sparkles! You can have the sword back once I'm done here." Catra cried before teleporting in front of Bow and Adora. Immediately, Bow fired an arrow at her while Adora charged her.
Catra let out a growl. This was not going the way she had planned and she didn't have the magic to beat Glimmer in a teleporting match on her home turf. She needed to find Angella and quickly. Dodging the arrow, she quickly threw the sword across the room, away from Adora, before engaging her in a fight. Even as kids, Adora had always bested her in a hand to hand and that still hadn't changed. The fact that she was actively trying not to hurt her also didn't help matters.
As the fight pressed on, Catra found herself becoming overwhelmed by the onslaught, having to teleport just to stay in the fight. Suddenly, the doors swung open to give way to Netossa, Spinnerella, and Juliet and her guards. Catra found herself up against more than twenty opponents.
"For the honor of Grayskull!" Adora cried as she shifted to She Ra. Catra looked everywhere for an escape route but with Glimmer able to lock onto her teleport, a thought that hadn't even crossed her mind, she found herself trapped.
"Give up Catra." Adora said, leveling the sword at her. And then Catra saw who she was looking for. Angella entered the room with glowing fists and a glare that could kill. As Catra thought about what she could do she tried to use what little gravity magic she could, only to find her hands sputtering.
"All out of magic? Sucks, doesn't it?" Glimmer taunted.
Catra eyed everyone in the room before using the remaining magic she had left and threw a temporal bomb down, encompassing the entire room in the spell. The effect was weak and would only last for five seconds on account of what little magic she had left, but five seconds was all she needed. As everyone slowly turned towards Catra, quickly regaining their speed, she had already maneuvered past everyone and grabbed Angella, pinning her claws against her throat. And just like that, the effect was gone. Everyone froze at the suddenly dangerous position they found themselves in.
"Let go of my mom!" Glimmer snarled.
"Let her go, Catra!" Adora cried.
Cries of outrage filled the room as every guard in Bright Moon entered the room, spears primed at her. Catra tried to talk only to be drowned out by the shouts and screams of the guards.
"Everyone shut the fuck up!" Catra snarled, her voice carrying throughout the halls. Everyone went silent at that. Catra tilted her head towards her wrist "Adora, are you there?"
"What?" Adora said in front of her in confusion.
"Not you! Adora, answer the damn call!" Catra snarled.
"I'm here! What's happening?" Adora's voice rang out through the throne room.
Whispers of confusion filled the halls until Bow spoke up. "Does Catra look older?"
"Tell Micah to say something! I'm looking at every guard in this damn castle pointing spears at me because I'm holding Angella hostage." Catra said with slight desperation. This was it. She couldn't teleport anymore. If this failed she was done for.
"Micah?" Angella whispered in shock.
"Angie! Angie, are you there? It's me. It's not a trick." Micah's voice drifted through the hall like a dagger, cutting off everyone who might have said something.
"Micah? Is that really you?" Angella asked, her head craning to look at the gem on Catra's wrist.
"She's taller too." Bow said quietly.
"It's me. The Horde sent me to Beast Island. These two, Catra and Adora, helped me. I sent Catra there to tell you. Adora and I are stuck here."
"How do we know it's really him? This could be a trick." Juliet said cautiously.
"On our wedding night. It was just us on the balcony. I cast a spell that showed you–"
"Stars." Angella said quietly, her eyes filling with tears. "It's really you."
"This isn't our Catra." Bow said in realization from the back, coming to a conclusion that Adora had already reached.
"It's me. You need to trust Catra. She's there to help."
"Once she lets Queen Angella go!" Juliet said harshly.
"Let her go, Catra." Micah's voice rang through the halls.
Catra gave a harsh laugh, "I'm looking at over twenty guards with spears, four princesses with magic leveled at me, and an archer all primed to attack me and I have no magic left. Forgive me if I'm a bit hesitant to let her go."
Adora eyed Catra before turning back. Bow unknocked his arrow and Glimmer let the magic dissipate around her. Angella looked at Spinnerella, Netossa, and Juliet. "Lower your weapons."
Nobody looked comfortable with the idea but did as commanded. Catra eyed the room before angling herself towards a door that she knew for a fact led to an exit before letting Angella go and backing up towards the door. As Angella rubbed her throat, she turned and eyed Catra before looking at her wrist, "Micah, are you still there?"
"I'm here."
"You've been on Beast Island? This whole time?"
"Yes. Adora was able to disable the island's. . . hostilities and called Catra. I directed her towards you. It sounds like the plan worked more or less." Micah said, sounding relieved.
Angella wiped her eyes, as she choked back a sob with a small laugh. "We're going to come get you. Just hang on."
"I've waited almost twelve years, I think I can wait a few more days." Micah chuckled.
Catra turned away from Angella, "Put Adora back on."
After a moment, Adora's voice drifted through the gem. "I'm here."
"What's your azurlight's condition?"
"Not good. The crack is worse." Adora said.
Catra nodded, "Set it to emergency stasis. You won't be able to call though. The less damage I need to fix on it the better."
"Okay, we're on a cliff overlooking a beach on the south side of the island. It has a skeleton of a giant sea monster on the rocks. You can't miss it. I'll see you soon."
"See you soon." Catra said before the glowing light faded. Catra turned to look at the room full of rebellion soldiers and the rebellion themselves. "What!" Catra slightly growled.
"You're from. . . the future!" Bow said with excitement in his eyes.
"Yeah, let's not make a big deal out of it, Bow." Catra said with slight irritation.
"What's it like? Am I handsome in the future? Am I still an archer? Do we win the war?" Bow rapidly asked.
Catra let out a sharp yell, "Be quiet!" before slowly sinking to the ground, struggling to catch her breath.
"What's wrong with her?" Adora asked in concern as she walked towards her.
"Magic exhaustion." Glimmer said, recognizing the signs immediately. "Give her a few minutes to relax. She just over-used it."
"Time magic." Angella said before looking at Catra, "Is that how you time traveled?"
Catra nodded. "Yeah."
Angella looked conflicted on how to handle Catra. On one hand, this was a future version of a Force Captain in the Horde. On another, she had just risked life and limb to tell her that Micah was alive. Her compassion eventually won over. "Get her some food and water. And contact Sea Hawk immediately as well as Castaspella." She looked back at Catra, "I want to have a word with you shortly. For now, rest."
Catra gave a thumbs up before laying back. Adora stood over her before kneeling down, an awkwardness in her tone. "Are you alright?"
"Wow, you sound uncomfortable." Catra snickered after a moment.
Adora visibly relaxed at the sight of her best friend joking with her. A version of her anyways. Adora narrowed her eyes before flicking the blue gem in her golden head piece. "Why'd you ditch the red? Trade it in for some gold to look fancy?"
"That's actually my crown." Catra said with a raised eyebrow.
"Crown?" Bow asked.
"It's a long story that we can talk about later." Catra said, before standing up. Adora found herself close to eye level with Catra, surprisingly.
"Why are you helping us!" Glimmer asked defensively, shoving herself in between Adora and her. "Did the Horde lose? Is that why you came back in time?"
"Glimmer, calm down." Bow said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "She's helping us. She came to get us to go get your father."
"No! She's helping herself." Glimmer said with a glare. "She's needed us to help her get Adora off Beast Island for some reason. My dad's just a bonus that worked in her favor."
"That's not true. She's–" Adora went to defend her only to be cut off by Catra.
"No, she's absolutely right."
"What?" Adora asked in shock.
"See?" Glimmer spat. "What did I tell you?"
"Glimmer's right. I'm only here to get Adora back. I had no clue that Micah was on that island. The fact that it worked out this way is just a happy accident for all parties involved. Once I've got Adora back, I'll finish building a warp drive and we'll leave. End of story." Catra said before taking a plate of food that was being brought to her, nodding at the servant, "Thanks."
"So, you'll just leave? Just like that? Why'd you even come to the past in the first place?" Adora asked in mild irritation.
Catra sipped her drink, "I didn't. In fact, neither I nor Adora know how we ended up here. But the less I say the better. Better you focus on yourselves then us. Because I know for a fact that Micah was not supposed to be here nor was he going to get rescued any time soon."
"How do you know?" Bow asked.
"Because, right around this time was when I joined the rebellion and that is clearly not going to happen in this timeline." Catra said before eyeing Angella entering the room again.
"Catra and all members of the war council come with me!" Angella commanded before turning and striding towards the war room.
Catra and the trio followed along with Juliet and Netossa and Spinerella. As everyone took their seats, Catra remained standing. Angella realized the mistake before ushering a servant to get Catra a chair.
After everyone had taken their seats, Angella looked at Catra expectantly, "Please explain yourself."
Catra took a deep breath before sighing, "Okay, let's get the big thing out of the way first. You and my Adora are not the same person, just like I'm not the same Catra as yours. Our timelines are different."
"How so?" Angella asked.
"Let's start with the biggest difference. The souls shards." Catra said.
"The what?" Bow asked.
"Exactly my point. In my time, these little crystals were known throughout Etheria by princesses and mages alike. They were dangerous and caused complete memory loss in those affected by them. In some cases, you could go mad or die." Catra explained.
"So what? Were they important?" Netossa asked.
"Considering I came into contact with one, yes, I'd say they were fairly important. I lost all my memories. Couldn't even remember my name. I wandered for a bit before Perfuma found me and captured me. She handed me over to Bright Moon where Adora defended me and that's pretty much how I joined the rebellion." Catra shrugged.
Glimmer looked like she wanted to call her a liar. "And how do you know that these things aren't actually around?"
"Because your Catra is still working against you. And I know it's right around this time because Castaspella's eclipse ritual should be taking place soon. After that, I believe two weeks to be exact, Princess Prom will be hosted by Frosta." Catra said.
"I forgot about Princess Prom." Bow said off to the side.
Catra shook her head "Look, I get that you're in the middle of the war. I do, but I am not the answer to your problems. Neither is my Adora. You can't do it like I did. The fact that you're getting Micah back already tells me that."
Angella looked at Catra closely before opening her mouth, "What was our relationship like?"
"Friends? Mentor? It's difficult to label it. We were close." Catra simply said.
"Wait, what do you mean like you did?" Bow asked before his eyes widened, "Did you defeat the Horde?"
"No, Hordak called for a dialogue and we brokered a peace treaty." Catra said before being interrupted.
"Well how did you get him to do that?" Spinnerella asked.
"It's not that simple. There were–" Catra was cut off again.
"If we can just copy you then we could end the war." Netossa said with sounds of agreement from Glimmer.
"It's not–"
"And with King Micah back it'll be even better!" Juliet said from the side.
Catra's tail was swishing aggressively before she stood up, slamming her hands on the table. "Enough!"
Everyone recoiled at the outburst before Catra smoothed her hair down, taking a seat with a huff. "You can't do that. This whole thing was dependent on me getting my magic. It was very circumstantial and we were lucky it worked out at all. And by the end of it all, it didn't even matter."
"Why not?" Angella asked, speaking for the first time.
"I was time traveling back like a thousand years during all of this. I was in constant contact with the First Ones and it made me consider things I normally wouldn't have done. About a week later, time fell apart." Catra explained.
"Fell apart how?" Adora asked.
"As in 'the end of the world' fell apart. I was taken captive by the First Ones and you all had to rescue me. It ended with me rewriting time in a specific way that made everything work out the way it did. It wasn't an easy decision. The only reason I can even remember any of it is because my Glimmer got lucky and had some of She Ra's magic that allowed her to remember." Catra explained.
'That sounds insane!" Glimmer cried in disbelief. "Are we really believing any of this?"
"This does sound a bit far fetched." Bow agreed.
Catra sat back before tapping her azurlight. "Bring up Etheria's files on the Kingdom of Bright Moon and all high ranking officials."
"These files are restricted. Administrator code required." A voice rang out from the gem.
"Designated Administrator AU-66666 Catra." Catra said.
"Administrator code accepted. Lifting security protocols. Welcome Queen Catra."
Immediately. Several images appeared of Angella and Micah standing together with Glimmer. One of the more recent images showed Glimmer with her wings and Hordak awarding Bow a medal. Catra swiped them away before flicking her hand forward. "Tell me who the Horde is."
"The Etherian military, otherwise known as 'The Horde,' is Etheria's first line of defense against planetary threats. Overseen by King Micah and Queen Angella's closest advisor, General Hordak, the Horde is an elite fighting force that has advanced military tactics on Etheria. Its science division is managed by General Hordak's wife, Queen Entrapta from their Kingdom of Dryll. Their marriage is one of great importance that not only united Eternia and Eterhia, but has advanced the technological aspect of Etheria by centuries."
Catra lightly brushed the azurlight, turning it off. She looked at the alternate versions of her friends with an expectant look, "Do you believe me now?"
"Fascinating!" Castaspella said from the doorway.
"I concur! This is astounding. Never did I think that I'd have the chance to witness a time traveler. What an adventure! I must hear all about it." Sea Hawk shouted exuberantly.
"Sea Hawk? How are you here so fast?" Adora asked.
"Oh, I was just down the coast. My darling Mermista is unfortunately back in Salineas but no matter. I hear you need to make a dangerous trek to the dreaded Beast Island! Say no more, for I am your man! It will be perilous. It will be dangerous. Fraught with all the makings of a legendary tale as we rescue the King himself. Huzzah!"
"Right. . . ignoring that for a moment, I take it that you are the one I have to thank for the information about my brother? Is. . . Is it true?" Castaspella asked with a slight tremor in her voice.
Catra nodded, "It's true. He's alive."
Castaspella looked like she was about to cry but settled for letting out a small laugh. "All right then. Well, let's go get him."
"Not so fast!" Sea Hawk said, losing his jovial attitude in favor of a more serious one. "I'm not joking about the journey. This isn't some stroll down to Salineas. This is Beast Island we're talking about. We'll be able to sail down the Straits of Serpentine until we reach the Sea Gate of Salineas but once we exit the Enchanted Grotto, that's it. We will officially be in Horde waters. It's not a short journey either. The navigation will take a few days just to avoid the Horde's patrols."
All eyes turned towards Catra. She gained a defensive look on her face, "What?"
"What do you suggest?"Bow asked.
"You're asking me?" Catra scoffed. "What makes you think I know what to do?"
"You said you navigated past Horde and Rebellion patrols for the last month."
"You snuck into Dryll."
"You're an excellent strategist."
"You come from the future."
"Okay, okay, fine!" Catra exclaimed in irritation, holding her hands up. She looked down for a moment before casting a glance at Adora.
"What?"
"Are the Skiff's still under the armory?" Catra asked.
Adora looked at her for a few seconds before her eyes widened, "You want to steal a sky ship."
Catra nodded. "It would be easier to transport everyone and safer too. My second alternative is to use Swift Wind but I see you haven't met him yet."
"Who?" Glimmer asked.
"Adora's steed. He's a talking Horse with wings that's bound to She Ra. You'll meet him in the coming weeks. Regardless, this might be easier going by sky. That's how the Horde gets there at least in my time they did."
Adora shook her head, "No, you're right. They still transport prisoners there with the sky ships." She let out a hum, "That. . . would work. Actually, that's a really good plan."
Catra nodded before turning to Sea Hawk who had gained a bit of dejected look at seemingly having his adventure dashed. "Sea Hawk!"
"Yes ma'am?" He said nervously, standing at attention.
"You're going to be causing a distraction so that Adora, Glimmer, and I can slip in unnoticed under the cover of night. You're going to take Bow and while you pass Salineas be sure to grab Mermista. Several ships will need to accompany you, but you and only you are going to be headed directly into the Horde river. We're going to charge through the patrols and straight shoot it. It's going to be dangerous. Can you handle it?"
Sea Hawk nodded determinedly. "I take it that the sky ship will be the evacuation plan?"
"Yeah." Catra turned towards Castaspella, Angella, Netossa, and Spinnerella, "Are any of you going to go with Sea Hawk?"
"I will." Castaspella declared. "If there's even a chance that Shadow Weaver will be present, then you'll need me. I refused to help my brother once and I thought it got him killed. I'll be damned if I don't help bring him back."
"You can count on us." Netossa said with a smirk. Spinnerella nodded in agreement.
Catra looked at Angella as she contemplated her choice, ". . .No one is forcing you to do this Angella. We're going to rescue them all the same."
Angella shook her head, "I will go." She said resolutely, "If Hordak gets wind of me in the field, especially so close to the Fright Zone, he will send every troop he can to capture me. It will be the perfect diversion."
Catra nodded before turning to Adora. "My Adora's powers aren't working correctly. That means it's up to you to be She Ra if there's an air battle. Are you up for it?"
Adora nodded with a serious expression.
"Good." Catra said, "Juliet, I want you to take Spinnerella and your soldiers and come in from the North by sea and several ground troops with Netossa from the east by Thaymor. Netossa, contact Perfuma and have her rendezvous with you and the troops by Thaymor. Sea Hawk won't have an escape route once he pushes through the river so you'll need to divert some of the heat off of him. We want them to panic."
Juliet nodded before Catra turned towards Glimmer and Angella, "You're not going to like this next part."
"Why?" Glimmer asked.
"I'm going to supercharge us." Catra said.
"Supercharge? Supercharge how?" Angella asked.
"She's going to siphon some magic from the Moon Stone and force it into you." Castaspella said with some distaste. "Am I correct in that assumption?"
Catra nodded, "It was the first spell I learned from Shadow Weaver and it was for the exact same purpose we're using it for now."
"I–Is it harmful?" Angella asked with hesitance.
"Only if you continue to do it for an extended period." Catra explained before turning towards Glimmer, "When I overcharged my Glimmer, she compared it to being without a limit on her range of teleportation. That's what we're going to be hoping for."
"What about you? Aren't you going to be teleporting too?" Bow asked.
Catra shook her head. "No. With my magic being as regressed as it is, I'll need to conserve it. When I have the Moon Stone's power, it will boost me to where I should normally be but I don't know how long that will last me. I'll need it to freeze the surrounding ships when we go to get you guys."
"Got it." Bow said with a chorus of agreement from the room.
Catra looked at everyone as she stood, "Remember everyone, this is a grab and go, not an attack. The goal is diversion. Once we have the ship, pull back. There's no use in risking yourselves. Adora, Glimmer, and I will leave tonight. With the Horde's failure at Salineas, they pulled their ships in towards the shore. Make sure everyone is in position."
"How can you be sure?" Juliet asked.
"Because I remember Shadow Weaver ordering them to do it."
"Then it sounds like a plan." Bow said as he went to stand by Sea Hawk.
"A legendary tale for the songs!" Sea Hawk shouted, "I shall contact my darling Mermista and inform her of the plan. I'll leave at once."
"I'll gather my men." Juliet said before turning to leave.
Angella stood and nodded, "Everyone take care of one another and watch each other's backs." she said before following Sea Hawk.
As everyone left the room, Adora and Glimmer stared at her. Catra let out a sigh. "Get comfortable, we're going to be waiting a couple of hours."
Glimmer eyed Catra, "I still don't really trust you. . . but you're helping me get my dad back, sooo. . . Thank you"
Catra nodded, a smile on her face, "It's kind of funny really. My Glimmer acted the exact same way you are now when I first showed up. The circumstances are a bit different but I suppose I showed up around the same time anyways."
Adora examined Catra's appearance before looking at her crown. "What are you the queen of?"
Catra let out a small laugh, "Actually, I only just recently became a queen. As for your question, I'm queen of Eternia and the empress of the natural known universe. . . Wow, does that sound weird coming out of my mouth."
"Eternia? As in the First Ones?" Glimmer asked.
"The very ones." Catra said.
"How are you, Queen?" Glimmer asked? "Is it some weird trial by combat? Cause I can see you winning something like that."
Catra actually laughed at that, "No, but I'd pay to see that. No, I married into the position."
Glimmer and Adora's eyes widened in shock, "You're married?"
Catra didn't miss the small dejection in Adora's eyes. All of a sudden, a sly thought began to take root in her mind. "Yep. She's an Eternian I met during my childhood. She's smart and funny and beautiful and quick with a joke. She challenges me to be better."
Glimmer gave a genuine smile at the description while Adora seemed to become a bit distant. "So how long have you been together?" Glimmer asked.
"We started dating when I was sixteen. She was the daughter of King Randor and Queen Marleena of Eternia. But we met in my Kingdom of Halfmoon when my mother was in a diplomatic meeting with her mother and we've been together ever since. See, technically, in the rewritten timeline, I wasn't born on Etheria. Because of that, I was born to Queen C'yra of Half Moon."
"What's your mom like?" Adora asked, quick to change the subject.
Catra lost her smile in favor of a bittersweet one, "I'd. . . rather not talk about her. She's gone now, so. . ."
"Oh. . . I, uh, I'm sorry." Glimmer said with genuine remorse. "Were you childhood friends with Adora in your time as well?"
"Yeah." Catra smiled again, "In fact, Adora is the reason I found the courage to confess my feelings."
Adora gained a slightly strained smile but nodded nonetheless. "That's cool that we're still childhood friends. Even if you didn't grow up on Etheria."
Catra had to bite her tongue just to keep from cackling. She could see right through her and how much this was bothering her. She couldn't wait to see her face when she got her Adora back. Catra stood up, "Well, let's get prepared. We need to be ready." Glimmer nodded before walking towards the door, following Catra.
"Yeah," Adora said from behind them as they left the room, her smile falling from her face, "let's, uh, let's do that."
This marks the end of Chapter One of What Happened. Sorry for the long wait. It took me forever to find the time to write this and to top it all off I had no clue how to start the chapter. But, part 2 will hopefully leave all of your questions answered. Let me know what you all think. Reviews are always welcome.