Flowers and Thorns
Izuku and Catra stood before the Queen of Brightmoon with Glimmer and Bow next to them. They waited until they were alone with just the queen to ask her about her knowledge of One For All. They wanted answers, not just about how she knew about their father's martial art but also what kind of role they would be playing in the Alliance.
"So, your majesty. You were going to tell us what you know about One For All," Izuku said.
"Yeah, mom, how come you never told me about it?" Glimmer asked, hoping to help her friends get answers.
Angella looked at the two new young recruits with curiosity. Not only had they come out of nowhere, but they came bearing the titles and powers of One For All and a strange, different version of She-Ra. She had yet to see what they could do in person, but from the words of her trusted advisor, general and her own daughter, she could tell that they had been indeed taught by Toshinori.
"Yes, I know about One For All as it was used by a former ally of the Alliance. I assume that you were taught by the same man," Angella commented. "How is Toshinori?" She asked in an almost friendly manner.
Izuku and Catra looked at each other, surprised that someone knew about their adoptive father.
"Dad-I mean, Toshinori is doing alright," Izuku replied, a little embarrassed that he called him dad instead of his name.
"He adopted us after we escaped from the Fright Zone years ago. He was a bit clumsy with the whole 'parenting' thing, but he taught us everything we know," Catra commented. "If you'd seen Izuku and dad together, their dorkiness would fool you into thinking that they were really related." She added, causing Glimmer to giggle.
"So, how do you know dad-I mean, Toshinori?" Izuku asked, hoping to change the topic of conversation.
"Back when the Alliance was still young, Toshinori joined us as one of our strongest generals," Angella explained. "He led many of our most successful campaigns along with my husband. Together they pushed back the Horde and helped form the basis of what would last up to this day."
Izuku and Catra looked at each other in shock.
"Dad was a general?" Catra asked.
"He never told us," Izuku added. "Whenever we asked about his past, he kept it simple and vague."
"Hard not to see the reason, a mission he led took the lives of many of those he swore to protect, including my husband, Glimmer's father," Angella remembered with sadness, causing Glimmer to look down in sadness. "After that, he left the Alliance and we have not seen nor heard of him since then. But I see that he's been busy." She smiled at the two young warriors.
Izuku and Catra smiled at each other.
Izuku turned to see Glimmer looking sad at the mention of her father. He had only had one father figure in his life, but he did know what it was like to lose someone because of The Horde. Placing his hand on the pink princess' shoulder, he hoped to get her to feel better. He flashed her a small smile, which got her to blush a bit.
Angella noticed this and raised an eyebrow of concern. Her eyebrow was accompanied by a motherly protective instinct of watching her only daughter getting smitten by a young man.
"Glimmer, it's been a long day and I believe that our new guests would like a place to sleep," Angella suggested.
"Y-Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Glimmer said, grabbing Izuku's hand. "This way, we can get you two set up in your own rooms. Good night, mom. See you in the morning." She walked out, pulling Izuku behind her before being followed by Catra and Bow.
"It was an honor meeting you, your highness," Izuku called back as he was being pulled.
Angella was left alone in the throne room. She sighed with worry at the sight of her daughter pulling a handsome young man like that.
"She's way too much like you, Micah," Angella whispered.
Glimmer led Izuku and Catra through the palace hallways, passing some guards as they made their way to their rooms. She stopped at one room before opening it.
"This is our first stop," Glimmer said, revealing the room.
"Wow," Catra gasped.
"This room is just as big as yours, Glimmer," Izuku added, looking at all the things the room had. "Is this room really for us?"
"Yep, it has all the necessities. Bed, love seat, coffee table, desk, chairs, bathroom with vanity mirror, shower, bathtub, flowers and a waterfall." Glimmer pointed to.
"Wait, if we have a shower, what's the waterfall for?" Catra asked.
"Is it for drinking water?" Izuku asked.
"What? No, it's for aesthetics-," Glimmer began only for Catra to rush into the room, pouncing on the bed like a wild cat.
"Dibs on the big bed!" Catra screamed, landing on the bed's edge.
"Catra, please, we're guests, don't mess up the room," Izuku pleaded with his friend as Catra started jumping on it. "Um, Glimmer, where's the other bed in this room?"
Glimmer looked at Izuku with curiosity and was unsure of what Izuku meant.
"Um, that's the only bed," Glimmer replied, causing Izuku to blush.
"Oh relax, Izuku, you can share with me," Catra said, walking towards her friend and wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Come on, it'll be fun."
Izuku blushed a lot more as Catra pressed herself against him.
Glimmer saw this, causing her face to light up at what Catra was insinuating. She didn't know why but she didn't want to wake up the next morning to see Izuku and Catra tangled in the same bed. She shook her head before clearing her throat.
"A-actually you won't have to mind sharing, Izuku's room is just this way," Glimmer said, pulling Izuku from Catra.
"What?" Izuku asked. "I get a room all to myself?"
Glimmer nodded.
"Yep, a room like that one all to yourself. And if either of you need anything, my room is right at the other end of the hall," Glimmer explained, opening the door to Izuku's own room. "If you need anything, we're here."
"Oh, thank you, Glimmer. Good night," Izuku said, bowing his head like a knight would to a princess. "Sorry, is this the proper way to say good night to a princess?"
Glimmer blushed for what felt like the twentieth time that day.
"Oh, um, no that's fine, we can just say good night like a normal person!" Glimmer replied before teleporting to her room.
"Bow, is that normal?" Izuku asked the young archer.
"Not really, but she must be tired after all that's happened today," Bow shrugged.
That night Izuku and Catra slept in their own separate rooms for the first time in their lives. It wasn't a normal night for either of them. The beds they slept in were too soft and too fluffy. They fought against the lack of a solid bottom to lay down on. The hard rocks of the Crimson Waste and the uncomfortable cold bunkers of the Fright Zone had made Izuku and Catra unable to properly rest in anything even remotely soft. They tossed and turned, trying to find a way to get comfortable. They punched the mattresses and the pillows to make them even slightly harder to sleep on. But it didn't help.
Izuku heard knocking on his door, causing him to go and see what was going on. He was met with the sight of Catra covered in feathers.
"I take it that you didn't have much sleep on your end?" Izuku asked.
"What gave me up? The bags under my eyes or the fact that I look like I just fought a flock of birds?" Catra asked. "What about you?"
Izuku moved out of the way and showed Catra the mess he had made.
The bed was tossed over and the cushions were scattered all over the room.
"Wow, you really made a mess of this place," Catra whistled. "I'd hate to be the one that has to clean this up. So, wanna ditch these rooms and hunker down with Sparkles?"
"You really shouldn't call her that," Izuku said. "You sure she won't mind?"
"Izuku, we just destroyed two rooms inside a castle. I'd rather deal with a ticked off Glimmer than anyone seeing those messes," Catra said, dragging Izuku behind her. "Come on."
Izuku and Catra walked down the hallway, hoping to not wake up anyone on their way to Glimmer's room. They tip-toed their way down the hallway, keeping their hands on the walls to make sure that they were going the right way. They didn't want to accidentally wake anyone up or go into someone else's room without permission.
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Izuku asked in a whisper.
"She said down the hall, and this is the hall, so," Catra rationalized before they spotted a bright light in front of them. "What's that? Someone forgot to turn off the lights?"
Just then they spotted the source of the light was Queen Angella, looking at a mural.
"Queen Angella? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Izuku asked.
"And who's the guy in the mural?" Catra asked, looking at the mural of a man standing side by side with another figure they recognized. "Hey, is that dad? He looks like a total super hero. I bet he posed for that for hours." She noted how Toshinori looked like a decorated war hero with his armies and allies by his side.
"But who's the man next to him?" Izuku pointed to the man with a black beard holding a scepter. "He looks important."
"That's my husband, King Micah, Glimmer's father," Queen Angella replied. "He died in the battle of Mustafar Pass. The battle where Toshinori left the Alliance." She turned to face the two young heroes, giving them a serious look.
Izuku and Catra couldn't help but get Shadow Weaver flashes. The stern look she was giving them made them instinctively reach for each other's hands.
"Glimmer has placed a lot of faith in the two of you, and I can tell that you two still have reservations about what you're getting into," Queen Angella said with a softer tone. "Which is why I want you to know that I'll be keeping an eye on you and that if you have any questions or doubts, know that there are people you can talk to."
Izuku and Catra were slightly confused as the sweet words of the queen seemed to reassure them. But a part of their minds was telling them to keep their distance from the powerful queen of Brightmoon.
"Well, we'll be on our way now," Catra said. "Your majesty."
"Your majesty," Izuku added, bowing his head slightly before they left the queen alone with the mural.
However, while they were still within hearing reach, Queen Angella called out to Izuku.
"Izuku," Queen Angella called with a stern tone that froze Izuku in his tracks. "If you touch or hurt my daughter in any way, I'll kill you myself."
Izuku and Catra felt a chill running down their spines. Their blood grew cold as they could tell that it wasn't some idle threat. Yet they could also tell that there was more of a protective aura to it than an aura of utter disdain and loath for them. Despite all their time away from Shadow Weaver, Izuku and Catra could still tell when a mother wanted them dead or just at a safe distance from someone else. They didn't stay to compare which of the women had a more intense look in their eyes as they sped away from the pink winged queen.
"What a way to end the night, huh?" Catra whispered. "I honestly thought that I'd be the one getting threatened."
"Just keep walking." Izuku whispered back, hurrying Catra along to get as far from the queen.
The sun started to rise on another day, causing Glimmer to yawn as she rubbed her eyes. After getting a quick charge from the Moonstone last night, she had gone straight to bed and dropped straight into sleep. She opened her eyes slowly, letting them get used to the light and was met with a sight she wasn't expecting.
Catra was sleeping on her bed with her mouth open, showing all her sharp fangs to the pink princess.
"AARGH!" Glimmer screamed awake, jumping out of her bed and kicking Catra out of bed.
Catra landed with her feet before falling on her butt as Glimmer fell stomach first on the floor.
"Ow, what gives Sparkles? Ever heard of saying good morning?" Catra snapped, rubbing her butt before seeing where Glimmer had landed.
"What are you doing here? Sleeping in my bed?" Glimmer asked with a cranky look on her face.
"We couldn't sleep on those beds, they were too fluffy. So we came here and hoped to get some shut eye," Catra explained, yawning with a smile on her face.
"We?" Glimmer questioned before Catra pointed to where Glimmer had landed.
Glimmer looked down to see she had buried Izuku's face deep inside her breasts that were only covered by a thin layer of pajamas. She jumped back as she felt Izuku struggling for air.
"Why were you there?" Glimmer asked, covering herself with a deep red blush on her face.
"*cough* *cough* I was sleeping on the floor. I didn't want to bother you or go into your bed without permission." Izuku coughed, covering his eyes so as to not look at Glimmer's pajamas.
"Also your mom might've threaten to kill him if he touched you in any sexual manner," Catra commented. "But you can touch him if you want, after you go through me."
Glimmer's blush turned so red that she would've been confused for a tomato. She didn't want to admit it but she had liked how Izuku's body felt against hers, but she had just met him. She shook her head, getting rid of those impure thoughts. Some would've called her old fashioned but she liked to know a man before getting frisky with him.
"Okay, um, give me five minutes to shower and get changed. We'll have breakfast and then we will go to the war room meeting," Glimmer sighed. "Then we'll talk about that. Please leave." She gestured to the door.
"Right, sorry, we'll leave." Izuku pulled Catra out of the princess' room.
"Oh relax, she has the same things I do, only bigger." Catra joked, causing Glimmer to look at her body with pride.
After having breakfast, Izuku and Catra followed Glimmer and Bow into the war room where Netossa, Spinnerella and two more generals sat around a big table. The round table was filled with empty chairs, maps, and records of battle plans.
"Wow, we're early," Catra commented.
"Nope, this is as big as it gets apart from my mom." Glimmer revealed.
"Wait, what about the other princesses?" Izuku asked. "Isn't this the Princess Alliance? There's only three princesses here. Hello, good morning." He greeted, waving his hand at the people on the table.
Spinnerella waved them good morning while Netossa glared at them.
"Well, you've already met Spinnerella and Netossa, and sadly they're the only other princesses here," Bow revealed. "The other princesses are taking care of their own kingdoms. Spinnerella and Netossa are part of the houses that are directly under Brightmoon."
"Spinnerella is the head advisor of the House of Winds and the ambassador to the other kingdoms, and Netossa is the best strategist general of the Alliance and leader of the String House," Glimmer explained. "They are pretty big here."
"And one of them hates me," Izuku muttered with comedic tears in his eyes.
"So where do we sit?" Catra asked just as Queen Angella arrived, sitting on her chair.
"Alright everyone, let's get started," Queen Angella instructed, causing everyone to sit down. "We have received a call for help from the Flower Kingdom of Plumeria. The Horde has cut their supply lines and their crops have been failing. They requested provisions for the incoming winter. We need a team to take on the relief mission."
Glimmer shot out her arm like a little kid in the middle of class.
"I volunteer, I could lead a team to the Kingdom of Plumeria and hand them the supplies and meanwhile we can check what the Horde is doing and take them down!" Glimmer offered.
Queen Angella narrowed her eyes on her daughter. She knew Glimmer had good intentions but her eagerness was just too much.
"Thank you, Glimmer. But this is a relief mission, not a counter strike," Angella explained. "We don't even know what the Horde is planning or even doing there. Perhaps someone else should go, Glimmer."
Izuku and Catra picked up on Glimmer wanting to do more and prove herself to her mother. They looked at each other before nodding.
"Actually, Queen Angella, with all due respect, we could do the relief mission for the Kingdom of Plumeria and do some reconnaissance of what the Horde is doing," Izuku suggested.
"Plus you got the new She-Ra helping and an awesome warrior like Izuku at the helm, we go give the people the food and find out what's going on and report back," Catra added. "Easy, right? Worst case scenario, we can handle ourselves. Besides, Izuku and I need to learn the ropes, right?"
"The queen is the one that makes the decisions, not you." Netossa glared at Catra, only to be stopped by Spinnerella.
Queen Angella thought of the proposal, looking at Glimmer and then the rest of the children. She admitted that they needed the experience, but they also needed to do something simple enough that wouldn't get them in trouble.
"Very well, Glimmer, you will take Bow, Izuku and Catra with you on the relief mission to the Kingdom of Plumeria," Queen Angella explained, causing Glimmer to cheer in victory. "But there is to be no open confrontation with the Horde forces. Scout and report back. Understood?"
"Yes, mom-I mean, your highness." Glimmer bowed.
"We'll bring you guys back a souvenir," Catra said as they left to prepare, causing Queen Angella to let out a sigh of worry.
Izuku and Catra pulled a large cart filled with food down the road towards the Flower Kingdom while Glimmer and Bow led the way. They had been walking for two hours, passing the border of Brightmoon into Plumeria and getting close to where the heart of the kingdom was settled. But the mood was not the best.
"You know, it would be a lot easier to pull this if you guys would help, or at the very least we'd gotten some horses," Catra grunted, pulling the cart.
Izuku couldn't blame her for being angry that they were pulling a heavy-loaded cart. He wasn't as bothered thanks to One For All and all his training, but the deeper they went into the forest, the worse the road became. He had to lift the cart over large roots and duck under several low-hanging branches. But with every step, they grew closer to the kingdom.
"Relax, we'll get there in a couple of minutes. Which gives us plenty of time to work on introductions and proper meeting etiquette." Glimmer put away the map. "Number one, the people of Plumeria are very spiritual with nature."
"Which means no talking about fire or eating cute critters. Instead show absolute respect for the plants." Bow explained, looking for any signs of the Horde camp.
"Second, they are very attached to their stories and traditions. Even if they sound silly, you can't laugh at them." Glimmer turned to look at Catra. "Looking at you, Catra."
"Fine, I'll just sit pretty and look like a bad girl," Catra said before they spotted the entrance of the Plumeria camp. "Finally, we're here." She cheered only for the cart to get stuck.
"Hang on guys, we need to get this unstuck," Izuku said, helping Catra with the Cart.
The camp was filled with men, women and children wearing flower pattern-filled robes, loincloths and wrapped dresses. The people were more akin to members of a hippie commune or a nature focused monk temple rather than a kingdom that was struggling to survive against the Horde. They lived in small huts around the trees and kept their respect with the nature around them. Many people turned to face the arrival of the group, but weren't able to see Izuku and Catra. Amongst the people of the camp came the princess of Plumeria, Perfuma.
She was a tall young lady with long blond hair with a green crown on her forehead with red flowers on both sides of her head, resembling more a crown of flowers and an actual crown. She had tanned skin with brown eyes and freckles on her cheeks and a smile that was fit for a child of nature. She wore a light red armless dress with the bottom of the skirt resembling a flower, and on top she wore a green cloak. Her arms were wrapped with green wrappings and her feet were covered with sandals.
"People of Plumeria, I am princess Glimmer of Brightmoon. We've come to deliver the relief you asked for," Glimmer greeted, bowing like a princess. "This is my friend Bow and our two other friends are just about to bring the cart around."
"I am Princess Perfuma, leader of my people. We thank you for the aid that you've brought us and we thank the universe for answering our prayers." Perfuma bowed, greeting Glimmer.
Just then a bright light caught everyone's attention. They turned around and saw Catra in her She-Ra form, lifting the cart filled with supplies over her head with one hand.
"See, I told you we should've done this from the beginning." Carta smirked, looking at Izuku who was worried of anything falling.
"You can't just juggle the cart like that. What if something falls out?" Izuku warned.
"Relax, Izuku. We'll put this down right in front of everyone and be back in no time," Catra shrugged off before they noticed everyone looking at them. "Hey there."
Izuku smiled before waving at the people.
Glimmer groaned as she could already picture what people would say.
"Um, these are our other friends, I was just telling Princess Perfuma about you both," Glimmer said, gesturing to Izuku and Catra. "This is Izuku and the tall cat woman is-."
"She-Ra? The legendary warrior, She-Ra?" Perfuma asked as her people started to talk and whisper about what they were seeing.
"Um, yeah." She-Ra shrugged, putting down the cart.
"You are not exactly what the legends say you looked like," Perfuma pointed out.
"Hey, I'm the real deal!" Catra snapped.
"We are here to help, and not cause any problems," Izuku said, hoping to help the situation. "Yes, she is She-Ra and I promise you, she may seem scary but she has the heart of a true hero." Izuku stated, causing Catra to blush.
However, the people began to cheer and celebrate at the arrival of She-Ra. They threw flowers in the air as everyone started to circle Catra, cheering for her like she was the embodied figure of their goddess. Their cheer and jubilation was a sight that many had not seen lately.
Izuku, Glimmer and Bow observed this as Catra did her best to not freak out about all the people surrounding her.
"The universe has answered our pleas and brought forth the She-Ra herself," Perfuma cheered. "Please come, let us celebrate and rejoice as everything will be right with the world once more." She pulled Catra along with her people to the center of the camp.
"Izuku, what's happening?" Catra asked as she was given flowers and gifts from the people around her.
Izuku shrugged, unsure of what he could say. He was taken aback by what the people were doing.
"Wow, that went better than what I thought," Bow said with a smile. "They love Catra."
"This could be a good way to get Perfuma back into the Alliance," Glimmer said. "This has turned out a lot better than what I hoped. My mom is gonna flip."
"Um, guys, they left their supplies here," Izuku pointed out, gesturing to the cart.
"Um, one step at a time, Izuku. One step at a time," Glimmer chuckled, slightly concerned at the sight of Catra being pulled by the people of Plumeria.
Catra sat in a circle as the people of Plumeria sang her praises and gave her gifts in celebration of her arrival. She was given food from the ration supplies, gifts like blankets, scarfs, a wind chime and even a baby. She gave Izuku, Glimmer and Bow a look that said 'please help me'!
Izuku, Glimmer and Bow started helping her get up and giving the gifts back. They quickly got her up as the people wanted to show more of their appreciation for her.
"Um, hey, thanks for all this stuff, but, um, you don't have to," Catra said, giving back the baby. "I mean, at least wait for me to do something more to get all that stuff."
"But we must celebrate the arrival of the She-Ra," Perfuma countered. "For you will heal our land and bring back the prosperity given to us by the runestone, The Heart-Blossom." She explained, pointing to a great tree with a large lilac colored runestone in its trunk.
Izuku noticed that it had a strange glow to it. He hadn't seen that many runestones but he felt like that glow wasn't natural. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a smoke stack spewing black smoke into the sky.
"Is that normal?" Izuku pointed. "Is it coming from the Horde camp that we heard of?"
"Yes, the smoke has been coming for as long as the Heart-Blossom and our plants have been dying," Perfuma explained, using her magic to make a flower grow from the ground only for it to look sickly. "But all that will change now that She-Ra has come. She'll heal our land and make everything good again." She explained, causing everyone to cheer.
Perfuma used her powers over plants to make flowers sprout on the heroes. She made a crown of flowers on Izuku's head, a necklace around Glimmer's neck, another crown with matching bracelets on Bow and lots of roses on Catra's long flowing hair.
Catra, however, was freaking out. She gave a crooked smile that showed a good chunk of her sharp teeth, trying to look like she knew what she was doing.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll totally do that," Catra said, pulling Izuku, Glimmer and Bow away from the crowd. "Just, um, give us a second, okay?"
As soon as the group was far away from the people of the Plumeria Kingdom, Catra started to rant.
"Heal? They want me to heal their runestone! How the heck am I supposed to heal a runestone?" Catra asked. "I thought the whole She-Ra deal was that of a warrior woman. When did I become a nurse?!"
"It could be one of the powers of the sword. It does transform you and Melog," Izuku replied, trying to calm down Catra.
"Is that what happened to the cat?" Bow asked, remembering what Netossa and Spinnerella told him.
"Look, Catra, maybe you can heal but we don't know that for sure, but there is something we can do. We go check up on the Horde camp, they might have something to do with this," Glimmer suggested. "We go there and stop what they are doing and the land starts to heal."
"That sounds like a great idea, Glimmer," Izuku said.
"Yeah, just let me figure out how this healing thing is supposed to work." Catra aimed her sword at a damaged tree focusing on the idea of healing. "So, any pointers on how to heal?"
"Um, think of bandages, medicine, or getting well cards!" Bow suggested, earning confused looks from Izuku, Catra and Glimmer. "Okay, don't worry about it."
Catra rolled her eyes as she aimed her sword, focusing the energy of the sword. The blade began to glow with energy spiking and getting more power at the very tip of it. Her mind was focused on thoughts of healing and power, creating a small light orb at the tip of her sword.
Izuku felt like something bad might happen. He pulled Glimmer and Bow back as Catra fired the blast or energy.
The blast pushed Catra back, making her land on her butt while leaving a large hole in the tree they were trying to heal.
"You think they'd buy that as healing?" Catra asked.
"Well, I don't think so." Izuku helped her up.
"Yeah, a hole in the tree will not go out well with the people of Plumeria," Bow pointed out.
"Okay, so the healing is a no go at the moment," Glimmer said. "Maybe it's something that we can figure out later on. But at the moment we have to do something about Princess Perfuma and her people."
"We have to tell them the truth," Izuku said. "Maybe if we do that we'll be able to help them in some other way."
"I mean, they're grown people, how bad can it get?" Catra asked, taunting fate.
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow walked up to the camp where Perfuma and her people were waiting for them. Their faces showed that they wanted nothing more than a miracle, or were at the very least expecting a miracle to happen before their eyes. The legends of She-Ra had painted a very big shadow for someone to live up to, and the group of heroes could feel it. They would have to be very careful with how they were going to break the news to these people.
"Everyone, rejoice as She-Ra and her companions have returned to heal the Heart-Blossom," Perfuma cheered as the people joined her, much to the cringe of the heroes.
"Yeah, about that," Catra sighed, transforming back into her normal form. "I have absolutely no idea how to heal your runestone. I've been She-Ra for a few days tops and I'm just trying to figure it out. This thing didn't exactly come with any instructions." She pointed to the sword before putting it back on her back.
The people started to look down as their hopes were dashed and the reality of their situation settled in. Some of them even started to get angry.
"Listen, we know that you are in trouble and we still want to help you," Izuku said. "If the Horde is getting closer, then you need to leave the area before it's too late."
"This is our home, we won't leave it," one of the villagers said.
"Our people have lived here for many generations. We don't know any other way of living," Perfuma admitted.
"Then you can fight," Glimmer suggested.
"Yeah, pick up some weapons and defend your homes!" Catra added, which only got an angry response from the villagers.
"You think you can just pretend to be She-Ra and tell us what to do?!"
"We don't want you here!"
"If you're not going to heal our land then what good are you?!"
"People, please, if we lash out like this then the universe won't hear our pleas," Perfuma pleaded with her people, trying to calm them down.
"Leave us alone!"
"Go away, you fake She-Ra!"
Catra was then hit in the face by a piece of cake. She wiped it off and glared at the people.
Just as Catra was about to call out the people of Plumeria for what they were doing, Izuku stood between her and them. His eyes glowed with an angry green glow. He lifted his right leg in the air before slamming it with a thunderous stomp, silencing the angry mob. Even Catra, Glimmer and Bow jumped back by the strength of the stomp.
"Listen up, and listen well. We came here willing to help you, we want to help you, Catra wanted to help you," Izuku growled. "And now just because she isn't the savior that you thought she was, you want her to leave?!"
The people of Plumeria had never been spoken to in that way. Izuku's tone was one of anger not at them but at how they were behaving.
"You think you're the only ones that are suffering from this war, you're not! Many do not have the luxury of having someone answer their calls for help!" Izuku continued. "If you're not going to do anything to help yourselves then it doesn't even matter who comes to help you! Not all are born equal, but many choose to struggle for something better! You need to take the choice in your own hands! You have to fight!"
All the people of Plumeria were shaken by Izuku's words.
Catra blushed at the sight of Izuku standing up for her and being so forward. She hadn't seen this form of Izuku in a long time, but she could tell that the fire of his words was meant to protect her. She smiled at his support.
But his words had a different effect on the people of Plumeria and their princess.
"I am sorry, but none of us are fighters." Perfuma knelt down, creating a plant. "My power is to create plantlife, not to destroy anything. I can't bring myself to hurt anyone, even if it's to protect my kingdom."
"But your people don't need flowers, they need a leader to fight against the Horde," Glimmer said. "If you help us and the Alliance we can make a change for the world. The Horde isn't going to stop, you need to stand up for what you believe in."
The people of Plumeria started walking away, leaving the heroes only with Princess Perfuma.
"I'm sorry, but we just aren't ready to fight," Perfuma said.
"If you want to live in peace with nature, you'll have to come to terms with having to fight," Izuku said. "Nature isn't all just flowers." he handed her the crown of flowers back.
Izuku walked back to the group.
"Let's go stop the Horde," Izuku said before the group walked toward the source of the smoke; toward the Horde camp.
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow spotted the entrance of the Horde camp with only a little security. They could see some machines inside the camp, pumping smoke out of smokestacks. They managed to see some more soldiers walking inside the camp but there didn't seem to be much movement.
"Not a lot of security," Bow commented.
"Considering the neighbors I can see why." Catra pulled out her sword. "So, are we rushing them or are we going all sneaky?"
"I say we try to do what my mom suggested, and not cause a huge incident," Glimmer replied, glaring at Catra, silently telling her to put the sword away. "We need to sneak in and find out what they're doing here."
Izuku spotted a couple of soldiers walking around the camp and away from the sight of everyone else. He pointed to them, getting a nod from Catra before getting a smile. He led Catra through the trees, leaving Glimmer and Bow on their own.
"You think they are going to do something drastic?" Bow asked.
"From the time we've known them, I wouldn't be surprised," Glimmer sighed, teleporting herself and Bow to follow them.
Izuku punched one of the soldiers, knocking him out. He stood around the knocked out soldiers as Catra started to pull their armor off of them.
"You know, I'm starting to think that this armor doesn't really work," Catra said, pulling off the chest plate from a soldier. "I mean, one hit and they go down. Either the Horde makes this on the cheap or they think the Alliance only has sticks and stones for weapons."
Glimmer and Bow teleported in front of the two friends, causing Catra to throw the armor piece at Bow.
"What gives?" Glimmer asked.
"Don't just pop up like that!" Catra sneered. "I almost clocked you."
"Quick, put these on." Izuku gave Glimmer and Bow the suits.
Once they were completely disguised in the armor of the knocked out soldiers, Izuku, Catra, Glimmer, and Bow snuck into the camp. With a few hand salutes and silent movements, they managed to blend into the enemy camp unnoticed. They spared glances at the other soldiers, making sure that none of them suspected anything.
"Ow, watch it," Catra growled.
"Sorry these helmets make it hard to see." Bow apologized.
"At least yours isn't crushing you," Glimmer whispered.
"Preach sister, my tail is riding my ass," Catra whispered in agreement.
"Keep it down, the smoke is coming from that tent," Izuku whispered, pointing to the tent.
The group waited for the guards to move for their shift change before sneaking in. They saw a large machine, fracking chemicals into the soil, and roots of the nearby trees. The group gasped in shock at the sight of the nearly-dead look the roots had along with green glowing veins.
"What are they doing?" Glimmer asked.
"It looks like the Horde is poisoning the ground," Bow deduced, taking off his helmet to get a better look at the machine.
"That would explain why all the plants are dying around the area. If we leave the people with this, they won't survive the winter. We need to stop it," Izuku added, taking off his helmet to look at the machine controls. "Can you stop it?"
"I think I can try. But no promises," Bow said, looking for the buttons to turn off the machine.
"Do it quickly, I don't want to wear my ears on my cheeks any longer," Catra commented.
Just then a Horde soldier walked into the tent, spotting the group messing with the machine.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" The Horde soldier demanded, pulling out his electric baton.
"Oh hey, this isn't our barracks. Told you guys this wasn't it," Bow tried to play it cool.
Catra drew her sword, slicing the electric baton in half before Glimmer punched the soldier with a glittering fist.
"Nice one, Sparkles," Catra said.
"Ouch, that was harder I thought," Glimmer whimpered, holding her hand.
Just then another soldier came in and saw the group.
"Um… he slipped?" Izuku tried to cover.
But the soldier only replied by swinging his electric baton.
Izuku dodged the attack, letting it hit the machine behind him. With One For All coursing through his body, he blinked in front of the soldier, kicking him in the face, sending him flying far from the tent. Izuku then realized what he'd just done.
"Y-you guys d-don't think anyone saw that, right?" Izuku asked.
"I mean," Bow began before he heard sparks coming from behind him.
Bow turned to see the chemicals cracking and getting closer to the flying sparks coming from the blasted piece.
"We should get out," Bow suggested before Catra and Glimmer joined him and ran out of the tent.
The group ran out just as the machine exploded. Loudly.
The group turned around to see a large burning crater with burning machine parts scattered around it where the tent once stood.
"Well that's one way of turning off the machine," Izuku jokes with a nervous smile.
"My mom is going to kill us," Glimmer muttered.
But an angry queen was not their biggest problem, they turned around to see the Horde soldiers of the camp running towards them.
"Okay, guess we're going to have to fight our way out," Catra said, lifting her sword. "For the Honor of Grayskull!"
Back in the kingdom of Plumeria, Princess Perfuma and several of her subjects saw the large cloud of black smoke and heard the explosion. The princess looked at her people and how they were afraid of what was happening while others whispered about how this was something the universe was doing. But she knew that it wasn't the universe, it was Izuku and Catra fighting for them even after her people turned them away. She looked at the flower crown Izuku had given back to her before going to save her people. Her people. Her responsibility. Perfuma knew what she had to do.
Back at the Horde camp, Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow were fighting for their lives.
Izuku jumped forwards, dodging the fire of the electric batons, sweeping them off their feet with a swift kick. He then jumped back, elbowing another soldier before snatching the electric baton and throwing it at the incoming soldiers.
Catra, in her She-Ra form, picked up one of the burning pieces of wreckage and flung it at the soldiers, knocking them against the wall of the camp. She ducks down, avoiding the swing from another soldier before being backhanded.
Bow fired arrow after arrow, knocking back the Horde soldiers. He ducked under the swing of a soldier before smacking them across the face with his bow. He spun around, firing an electric arrow at another soldier, zapping them.
Glimmer was teleporting around the battlefield, dodging the batons from the soldiers before punching them with glittery punches. She teleported between the soldiers, causing them to stun themselves before Glimmer teleported behind Izuku.
"How are you doing?" Glimmer asked, panting.
"Could be better," Izuku replied, noticing the panting Glimmer. "How much have you been teleporting?"
"About twenty times already, I think I'm nearing my limit." Glimmer panted.
Catra jumped in smacking back several soldiers with her sword.
"They must be getting tired too, right?" Catra asked before spotting a large tank rolling towards them with several attack bots by its side. "May have spoken too soon."
As the tank prepared itself to fire upon the group of heroes, the wall by its side crumbled down. The tank and the robots were overtaken by a large river of vines and plant life that wrapped around all the machines and the reinforcement soldiers.
"What in the world?" Catra asked, unsure of what she was seeing.
"Wasn't expecting that," Bow commented as Perfuma and her people rode in on the vines to fight off the Horde soldiers.
"Perfuma?" Izuku asked.
"I said the universe would stand up against the Horde one day, and that day is today!" Perfuma cried out, commanding the plants to attack the soldiers.
"Guess the plant girl finally grew a backbone," Catra commented. "Let's go show her how it's done!"
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow joined in the fight alongside their new ally, helping her push back The Horde. They destroyed the camp, striking down anything that tried to stop them. The tide of battle had been changed in the heroes' favor and the Horde soldiers that were not running away in fear, were about to do so.
Catra spotted the tank as it tried to fire at the civilians of the Flower Kingdom. Letting out a mighty beastial roar, she jumped between them and the tank. She held up her sword blocking the powerful laser shell of the tank. Catra dug her heels on the ground as the sword transformed into a shield, blocking the tank's shot. The new She-Ra looked at her sword before it turned back into one. Pushing back her curiosity, she rushed after the tank holding back her blade, channeling the energy through it, making it glow. Catra jumped up into the air, bringing down her sword against the tank. With a mystical fiery glow, She-Ra sliced the tank in two like a fiery blade through grass.
The people watched in awe as Catra stood back up after liberating their kingdom. They started cheering as Izuku, Glimmer and Bow joined her.
"Guess you're their hero now," Izuku said.
"Yeah, totally worth it for our first mission," Catra replied, turning back to her normal self. "I think I'm getting better at this."
As the people of Plumeria cheered and thanked the heroes for their actions, Princess Perfuma walked up to them.
"In the name of my people, I wish to both apologize and thank you for helping us in our time of need." Perfuma bowed.
"We were doing the right thing, you don't need to thank us," Izuku said.
"But it would help if we knew that you could take care of yourselves," Glimmer spoke up. "The damage the Horde did to your land will take time to heal. I wish we could've done more."
"This is my kingdom, the universe and I shall do everything we can to heal it," Perfuma replied. "But once my kingdom is restored, I would like to go to Brightmoon and help you in taking the fight to the Horde."
"Wow, look at you, Princess Perfuma. Taking charge," Catra joked.
"Someone once told me that nature isn't just pretty flowers." Perfuma winked at Izuku, causing him to blush.
"Oh, um, that's great. Um." Izuku fumbled around in his bag with a blush in his face. "Here, this might help you." He handed her a bunch of seeds. "They're seeds from the Crimson Waste, they absorb the toxins of the ground and make the land fertile for some vegetation to grow. It's not very effective there but it helps some stuff grow."
Perfuma blushed at Izuku's gesture, but gladly accepted the offering.
"Thank you, Izuku, the Green Knight of Brightmoon," Perfuma said, only for Catra to pull Izuku away.
"Alright, Izuku Plant Seeds, time to go." Catra pulled Izuku away. "See ya around, Perfuma."
Glimmer, Bow and Perfuma laughed at the actions of the two young friends.
In the dark room of the Black Garnet, Shadow Weaver was watching over the video feed that the soldiers had brought her. The door opened behind her, revealing Adora with her helmet under her arm.
"You requested to see me, Shadow Weaver?" Adora asked.
"Yes, Adora. It would seem that your former friends have become more than a minor thorn in our side," Shadow Weaver said, pointing to the video of Izuku and Catra fighting Grizzlor's forces. "I fear that the princesses have turned them into their own personal beacons and weapons to fight us. Typical of them." She pointed at the video of Izuku punching back a tank and Catra slicing the soldier's weapons with ease.
"What are your orders, Shadow Weaver?" Adora asked.
